May 19, 1906 



HORTICULTURE 



645 



plants which usually make their appearance and occupy 

 space which should be utilized by other and better 

 plants. 



In separating onion seed, two methods have fre- 

 quently been employed, one known as the water method, 

 which discards all the seeds that float in water, planting 

 only those that sink. The other method is separation 

 by blowing, previously alluded to. 



The following tables give the results obtained from 

 both of these methods : 



SEPARATION OF ONION SEED BY AIR PRESSURE. 



Heavy. Light. 



No. of seed obtained 71 per cent. 29 per cent. 



No. of seed germinated 56.5 per cent. 29.5 per cent. 



Ave. wt. of seedlings 25.1 mg. 18.9 mg. 



SEPARATION OF ONION SEED BY WATER. 



Sank. Floated. 



No. of seed obtained 76.5 per cent. 23.5 per cent. 



No. of seed germinated 42.5 per cent. 19.5 per cent. 



Ave. wt. of seedlings 21.3 mg. 15.5 mg. 



Spring Flowers in England 



In some respects English gardens are at their best 

 during the months of April and May when the spring 

 flowers in all their fresh, untarnished beauty give color 

 to the bare brown earth. The gardener is always look- 

 ing forward and never does he look forward with such 

 eagerness and delight as when the early flowers com- 

 mence to open. April is the month of daffodils and 

 May the month of tulips and many ornamental flower- 

 ing shrubs, while the rockery then daily grows in attrac- 

 tion and the gray rocks and stones become masses of 

 color. 



DAFFODILS 



Few flowers have been so much improved by the 

 hybridist during late years as the narcissus. The bicolor 

 trumpets and yellow-cupped smaller forms of a few 

 years ago are now almost entirely absent from daffodil 

 shows and their place is taken by the lovely white and 

 sulphur colored trumpets, and the flowers of the medio- 

 coronati and parvi-coronati forms with cups or crowns 

 of most brilliant coloring. Some of these cups and 

 crowns are lemon colored, others are orange, orange- 

 red or red, and contrasting as they do with the white 

 perianth usually to be found in the same flower a most 

 striking effect is produced. The development of the 

 cup seems to have been largely the aim of the hybridizer. 

 Some flowers now have broad flat cups or crowns and 

 are quite distinct from anything seen before. The Eev. 

 G. If. Kngleheart has prnh.-ihly raised more of the lo\e]y 

 new daffodils than any other worker. Many of the 

 finest forms exhibited todav were originated by him: 



indeed one section of the narcissus comprising flowers 

 with short tiai cups has been named the Engleheartii 

 sect ion. 



The daffodil seems to have increased in popularity a 

 great deal during l.ite years; there are now throughout 

 the country several societies devoted exclusively to the 

 daffodil and all seem to be well patronized. Some of 

 the newer varieties are very expensive. The famous 

 white trumpet, Peter Barr, the largest and finest of the 

 white trumpet varieties, was offered a year or two ago 

 for fifty guineas a bulb and even now, after it has been 

 on the market some time, forty guineas a bulb are 

 asked. At the exhibition of the Midland Daffodil So- 

 ■ 1. 1 v held at Birmingham last week fifty guineas were 

 given for a new daffodil, a variety of the poeticus sec- 

 tion. Any new \anet\ of merit is certain of a good 

 sale for daffodil enthusiasts are rapidly increasing. The 

 fields of some of our largest growers are a lovely sight 

 in daffodil time, when acres of these bulbs are in full 

 flower. It is as line a sight in a way as the bulb farms 

 in Holland. 



AURICULAS 



Auriculas, admitted by everyone to be amongst the 

 most beautiful flowers grown, are also regaining some 

 of the popularity they proved to have lost. One large 

 grower of these plants remarked that he had not had so 

 many orders on hand for years as he has at present. The 

 markings and colors of some of the varieties as exhib- 

 ited at the recent show of the National Aricula and 

 Primula Society were perfect, and elicited admiration 

 from everyone. The auricula is not easy to grow, how- 

 ever, and to be successful with it one must treat it very 

 carefully and not show it the slightest neglect. It is 

 probably on account of the close and careful attention 

 it needs that it is not grown largely except by 

 enthusiasts. 



I 1 1 I : ROCK GARDEN 



The rock garden is one of the best features of the 

 representative English garden and at this time of year 

 a carefully planted one is full of flowers. White and 

 purple rock cress (aubrietia), arabis and iberis are in 

 full blossom: some of the saxifrages are out; the rich 

 blue of the grape hyacinth covers some spot with a car- 

 pet of color; the alpine phloxes are in bud and bloom; 

 in fact on all sides there are nias>e> of flowers, and 

 buds which give promise of perhaps still greater lux- 

 uriance. Blue bells make a dense undergrowth beneath 

 the shrubs in the background, the sheen of the buds 

 foretelling a season of bounteous blossom. 



FLOWERING SHRUBS 



These add a rare grace to the pleasure grounds, mag- 

 nolias being now perhaps the finest of all. M. stellata 

 which makes a bush is covered with its white star-like 

 flowers, ami M. conspicua, Soulangeana and others, in 

 the form of large trees, are the delight of all who see 

 them. Peaches and cherries are now at their best and 

 isolated sjtecimens or groups of them are most attrac- 

 tive. Soon we shall have a wealth of lilac blossom 

 (most popular perhaps of all our flowering shrubs), 

 genistas, rhododendrons, azaleas and many more. 



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