November 24, 18G3. ] JOHENAL OP HOETICULTUEE AJ^D COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



411 



amount of heat all the season through ; but during the 

 seven years I had charge of it I never once saw a single 

 fruit. This plant produced annually bushels of bloom, and 

 was, indeed, a most glorious sight when in flower. At more 

 than one place in the neighbourhood the Stephanotis has 

 fruited, but under what circumstances I cannot say. Does 

 it fruit better in a pot than planted out ? Or baa heat or 

 impregnation anything to do with the result ? Perhaps 

 some of your correspondents can enlighten us. — John 

 Edlington, Crom Castle. 



CHBYSAJS^THEMUMS AT ME. 

 NUESEEY. 



SALTEE'S 



Mr. Salter's name is inseparably associated with the 

 Chrysanthemum. Not only is he a most successful cul- 

 tivator of that flower, but also the raiser and introducer of 

 many of the finest varieties which we at present possess. 

 Nor has he ceased to advance in that path of improvement 

 in which bis name has become celebrated, as his collection, 

 which comprises every variety of known worth and many 

 beautiful novelties besides, will amply prove. 



In the open gi'ound, two borders, each more than 120 yards 

 in length, are filled with fine blooming specimens with flowers 

 of every shade of coloxrr, affording an opportunity of judging 

 of the merits of different kinds for border purposes and of 

 theii' compai-ative hardiness. For the latter purpose the 

 late frosts, preceded by heavy rains, have unfortunately 

 afforded too good a test. 



But it is in the winter garden, a T-shaped house, 95 feet 

 long by 18 wide, that the gems of the collection are to be 

 found. On entering this the eye wanders over a mass of 

 the large-flowering kinds, fronted by pretty Pompones, and 

 beautifully aiTanged for effect ; whilst on the other side of 

 the winding walk which runs up the centre of the house 

 ■are pretty groups of less height, and small circular beds of 

 Pompones. To give relief from so much colour. Orange 

 trees in fruit, Araucarias and other plants remarkable for 

 the beauty of their foliage, and here and there plumes of 

 the Pampas Grass, are introduced ; and Ferns, such as Adian- 

 tums and Scolopendriums, are liberally used as edgings. 

 One small clump near the entrance of the house contained 

 variegated Ivy of the sort called latifolia maculata, the 

 leaves of which are beautifully diversified with white, and 

 .contrasted well with those of a very dark kind, covering the 

 ground at the base. 



Among the new varieties already sent out were — Her 

 Majesty, not very large but beautiful in colour, which is a 

 silvery blush ; Lord Palmerston, a rosy amaranth, peculiai-ly 

 tipped with white; Dido, white; Abbe Passaglia, brassy 

 amber ; Antonelli, a fine salmon orange ; Beverley, a remark- 

 ably fine large cream white ; and Queen Margaret, a large 

 rose Anemone, with a blush centre. Of varieties less recent 

 were fine examples of Lady Harding, Progne, Versailles 

 Defiance, Prince Albert, Mulberry (a fine colour though 

 rather small), Triomphe du Nord, "White Queen of England, 

 Lady Margaret (large white Anemone), and host of others. 



Of seedlings, Mr. Salter has several of the highest merit, 

 and many more of great promise. Conspicuous among 

 these are Prince Alfred, a beautifully incurved rose amaranth, 

 which even in its present state is 5 inches across, and when 

 grown for size will, doubtless, attain yet greater dimen- 

 sions. Princess of Wales is another magnificent flower, an 

 ivory blush, and it will probably grow as large as Prince 

 Alfi-ed. Both of the above will, doubtless, take a very high 

 position when sent out. General Bainbrigge is a beautiful 

 bright cinnamon ; Jupiter, a deep chestnut tipped with gold ; 

 Lord Clyde, a blood crimson, fine in colour, though rather 

 flat. Mrs. Haliburton is another finely incurved, full-sized 

 flower of a rose pink ; Venus, delicate peach, with a high 

 centre, is also large and finely incurved. Pelagia, yeUowish- 

 ivory ; Bernard Palissy, orange scarlet ; Hypatia, marbled 

 rose ; Florence Maiy, bright red ; Lord Brougham, dark 

 cliestnut ; St. Patrick, deep rose and blush ; and St. Mar- 

 garet, large orange Anemone, are all sorts of great promise, 

 and to these might be added several others which have not 

 yet been named. 



In a small house adjoining that in which the principal 

 display is, are some very dwarf specimens, not exceeding 



18 inches in height from the base of the pot, the plants 

 being in some instances not more than half that height 

 above the rim. They were formed by allowing the shoots 

 to take their natural growth, and then bending them round 

 the pots, which, in some cases, are completely hidden. 

 Among them were besftitiftd specimens of Prince Albert, 

 Her Majesty, Julie Lagravere, Julia Grisi, Progne, and 

 some of the seedlings above referred to. In the same house 

 were a pretty orange-and-yellow-mottled Pompone, another 

 rosy lilac, both, however, being as yet unnamed; also, a 

 variegated Gazania splendens, the leaves having a golden 

 margin, and which is likely to prove a good edging plant. 



Mr. Salter has, besides a large collection of hai-dy varie- 

 gated plants, a very pretty variety of the Pampas Grass, 

 with the leaves broadly edged with pure white ; but the 

 plant is not yet for public inspection, and being very yoimg 

 it would be premature to say much about it, but if it main- 

 tain the purity of its white when of older growth it mil be 

 a decided acquisition. 



AMMOIS'IA FOE GEASS LAJfD. 



I WANT to apply ammonia to some grass land. I find 

 sulphate of ammonia advertised at ^£17 per ton. I can pro- 

 cure soot (25 lbs. to the bushel) at £2 4s. per ton. Soot is 

 said to contain two-fifths of its weight of salts of ammonia. 

 If this be so, I can procure two-fifths of a ton of salts of 

 ammonia — i. e., 8 cwt. for 44s., whereas 8 cwt. of sulphate of 

 ammonia would cost 136s. Without valuing the other in- 

 gredients of the soot, is it not better to apply soot than 

 sulphate of ammonia ? or does the latter possess any special 

 advantage over the salts in the soot ? — K. I. I. 



[Independently of the economy, we should prefer applying 

 the soot. It will afford quite as much ammonia as the grass 

 needs, and its other ingredients are beneficial to grass. We 

 should apply it early in the spring and during showery 

 weather.] 



FLOWEES IN A WOEKHOUSE. 



When recently inspecting, court by court and room by 

 room, the large new workhouse in my neighbourhood, as a 

 member of its visiting committee, besides being struck with 

 the beauty and admirable arrangements of this building, 

 the perfect ventilation, the separation of the hospital far 

 away from the body of the edifice, the excellent cooking 

 apparatus, the water supply, the chapel, and the all-prevail- 

 ing cleanliness, there was one thing which very much sur- 

 prised and pleased me in addition to everything else, it was 

 this — the presence of Flowers in the Workhouse. 



Now, some years ago it happened that, during the illness 

 of the chaplain, I officiated as clergyman in a union poor- 

 house in another county. But I own I found it to be very 

 weary heart-saddening work, and I would not have_ been its 

 permanent chaplain on any account. I felt that it was so 

 different to meeting the poor in their own cottages, however 

 humble they may be ; there were the bare walls, the prison- 

 like aspect, the absence of any decoration, even the simplest, 

 nothing to break the cold look of the large windows and the 

 blank stretch of the walls. Enteiing each room without the 

 tap which true courtesy gives at cottage door of the poorest, 

 brought a consciousness of my having before me, some of 

 my own countrymen it is true, but they degraded in the 

 social scale below the cottager, and this for very usually no 

 sin, and aU this oppressed me. Now, in visiting this present 

 workhouse I experienced far less of this painful feeling, and 

 this set me thinking why it was so— what was the reason ? 

 I soon discovered that it was partly owing to the presence 

 of flowers inside as well as outside the building. The worthy 

 master is both a lover of flowers, and, what always accom- 

 panies it, a man of taste. Thus, under the walls of the 

 little square com-ts, miniature quadrangles, he has managed 

 little borders, not more perhaps than 2 feet wide, but gay 

 with common flowers, and with some flowering plants trained 

 to the walls. In the centre of some of the larger courts my 

 eye was greeted with that very effective flower-basket, if not 

 too large, a portion of a trunk of a tree, rich with knots and 

 fantastic in shape. In these were Scarlet Geramums and other 

 suitable plants. At the sunny end of the long wide passage 



