190 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



March 15, 1877. 



large and double as to be taken for named varietiee, only the 

 great vigour of the plants and their floriferons character Boon 

 dispel any ench aeenmption." 



Permit me to Bay I now have Primulas worthily occupying 

 16-Bized pots. So vigorous and healthy are theee plants that 

 the rims of the pots are completely hidden ; and as to their 

 floriferona character, I have this day counted 110 flowers fully 

 expanded on one plant, and twice that quantity of buds. Mr. 

 Abbey mentioned Prince Arthur which I have from seed, but it 

 is oniy semi-donhle. The Primulas in question were struck last 

 April, and are quite as double as Daisies. I Bhall be happy to 

 send Mr.Abbey a few flowers, but as I intend exhibiting cut 

 flowers at Kensington on Wednesday the 2l6t inet., they cannot 

 be spared until after the exhibition. — R, Gilbebt, Burgliley. 



PRESERVING SEEDS FROM BIRDS. 



Seed time brings more than one anxiety to the gardener. 

 Bad weather makes it impossible to sow many crops at their 

 proper time, and many other obstacles make spring progress 

 anything but plain sailing ; but of all pests and misfortunes 

 there is none more aggravating than to have the seeds carefully 

 placed in the ground and then to have them scatohed up and 

 voraciously eaten by the birds. Many schemes have been put 

 in operation to avoid this. Nets form a safeguard, but every- 

 one has not the means to possess a quantity of these ; besides, 

 resting them on the soil rots them, and there is much work 

 entailed in putting them on and oflf the seed beds. I have 

 been sowing a lot of Cabbage, Cauliflower, Lettuce, and other 

 seeds that birds are fond of ; and although they abound in 

 flocks in the woods all round the garden, there is not one of 

 them ever goes near a seed bed. I have spent no time in con- 

 triving " bogies," but all I have done is to scatter enough fine 

 white lime over the surface of the beds to make them appear 

 white. Why it is I cannot say, but not a bird will alight on 

 this. Apart from the birds, snails have a strong aversion to 

 the lime, so that it is as good as "killing two birds with one 

 stone." — A Kitchen Gaepener. 



[We have observed the same results. The white surtaoe is 

 objectionable to birds, and sometimes aleo to owners of gar- 

 dens, or we think the practice of dusting the surface of the 

 Boil and the branches of fruit trees with lime would be more 

 generally adopted. — Eds] 



COCKSCOMB CULTURE. 



At the usual fortnightly meeting of the Darlington Gar- 

 deners' Institute, the following paper on the Celosia or Cooks- 

 comb was read by Mr. Hilliard of Greenoroft East : — 



" The Calosia cristata is an old and a very favourite annual. 

 The seed may be sown in a warm house or hotbed at any 

 time from the 1st of January to the end of March, or even 

 April, according to the time the plants are required. As soon 

 as they are large enough to handle they may be pricked-out 

 in pans or boxes, using well-enriched soil — namely, loam, leaf 

 Boil, and manure in equal parts, with sufficient sand to make 

 the whole porous. Place them close to the glass in a brisk 

 hotbed, and shade from bright sunshine. When they are well 

 established and large enough pot them singly in 5-inch pots, 

 using the same compost as before. Never allow them to become 

 dry, or all your labour will be lost, for they will never forget 

 the check they receive if watering be neglected, and all your 

 after caie will not compensate for that omission. When the 

 5-inch pois are well filled with roots give them the final shift, 

 and plunge again in bottom heat, very carefully shading them 

 for a few days, for if exposed to hot sunshine they will lose 

 their lower foliage, turn brown, and be spoiled. When they 

 have reached maturity they may be gradually hardened off 

 and placed in any light airy structure, where if watched care- 

 fully and syringed occasionally to keep off the red spider 

 (which is very apt to attack them), they may be kept good for 

 two or three months. Before I come to the pyramidal varieties 

 I would adviee those who wish to grow Celosias for late bloom- 

 ing to be very careful about the drainage, as in the dark dull 

 autumn days they are apt to decay at the neck if not well 

 drained and carefully watered. 



" The pyramidal section, commonly known as ' Celosia pyra- 

 midalis,' requires somewhat similar treatment in their earlier 

 stages, and somewhat similar soil. Bat if good and neat planta 

 are wanted, bow early and strike cuttings, as by this mode dwarf 

 pyramids closer set than if grown from seed may be obtained. 

 Do not, however, adopt this plan with Celosia eristata, for it 



will not produce such good combs as if grown from seed, and 

 is too much dwarfed by the process. Very good speoimene of 

 the latter, pot and all not exceeding 12 or 14 inches, dwarf 

 enough for any purpose, may be had from seed. To return to 

 the pyramidal varieties, it will generally be impracticable to 

 grow them to perfection in bottom heat, but this may be at- 

 tained by having them in any warm house, if a genial moist 

 atmosphere be maintained and they are not allowed to receive 

 a sudden check. If, however, you have the former at com- 

 mand by all means avail yourself of it, and they will amply 

 repay you for it and any extra care you bestow on them, as in 

 the dull autumn and winter days their bright colours are very 

 cheering and are a splendid contrast to foliage plants. They 

 must be moved as required, and strong plants may be put into 

 10-inch pot?, in which fine plants large enough for any pur- 

 pose may be grown. Select drooping or weeping varieties for 

 your best plants. I do not mean weeping to the same com- 

 parative extent as a drooping Ash or Beech, but those with 

 the plumes slightly drooping. A few erect kinds should be 

 grown for the sake of their plumes, as they make a desirable 

 variety when intermixed with the pendulous varieties. The 

 latter, are, however, best for all decorative purposes, as they 

 usually grow much closer than the erect growers, which are 

 apt to become straggling. When the plants show signs of 

 bloom they may be watered with weak manure water; this 

 will strengthen them, and bring them to perfection. In con- 

 clusion, I would advise all who require plants for conservatory 

 decoration to grow Celosia pyramidalis ; it may be safely 

 classed among the brightest of winter decorative plants, and is 

 of easy cultivation." — {Darlington and Stocl(to7i Tiines.) 



MESSRS. ROLLISSON'S NURSERY, TOOTING. 



Amongst the metropolitan nurseries worthy of notice for itil 

 long-established character and the extent and completeness of 

 its collections of plants must be placed the head-quarters of 

 William BolUsson it Sons. Being situated in the suburbs of 

 London, just as it were beyond the smoke line, the nursery 

 has the advantage of pare air, which is essential to the health 

 of the great variety of hardwooded plants which are cultivated, 

 and it is also convenient of access from the stations of Tooting 

 on the South- Western Railway, and Balham on the Brighton 

 line. 



The nursery, which may be described as a wholesale and 

 retail plant emporiam, contains a considerable number of glass 

 structures — thirty large houses and numerous long ranges of 

 pits and frames. These structures are occupied with stocks of 

 plants of a very varied character— from Orchids, Palms, Ferns, 

 and choice stove plants to Heaths and other hardwooded 

 greenhouse plants ; also haidy herbaceous, alpine, and aquatic 

 plants, climbers, Roses, itc, all of which are grown on as 

 extenaive scale. 



There is nothing of external grandeur connected with the 

 nursery, for its aspect is plain, the several houses having been 

 erected for use rather than ornament ; yet the more modem 

 structures are not devoid of attractive features. The moat 

 imposing building is doubtless the show house or conservatory 

 — a somewhat narrow and lofty span-roofed erection, which 

 cannot be less than 350 feet in length. A bed is formed along 

 the centre of the house with a pathway round it, a stage being 

 arranged on one side next the glass for flowering plants, the 

 other side being an opaque wall covered principally with 

 Camellias. The central bed is occupied with large Palms, 

 Tree Ferns, Araucanas, Camellias, &c. , and is bordered with 

 Lycopodinm dentioulatum, the side stage being gay with 

 Epacrises, Azaleas (A. mollis being particularly attractive). 

 Lilies, bulbs, Ac, margined with leolepis gracilis, and the 

 effect produced is very pleasing. The Tree Ferns in this house 

 are especially noteworthy, a large importation having recently 

 arrived, the trunks being straight and clean, and every one 

 starting into growth freely. They vary in height from 2 to 

 8 feet, and comprise all the most popular sorts, with the addi- 

 tion of a few which are comparatively rare — notably Dicksoni* 

 Diplanchei, a New Caledonian form of D. Toungii, with the 

 raol ii densely covered with oinnamon-oolonred hairs. 



The next house is totally different in character, being a 

 wide flat-roofed lean-to, probably 300 feet long, and entirely 

 filled with Heaths. This class of plants constitute a speciality 

 of the nursery, the stock numbering 100,000 plants in almost 

 all sizes and extremely healthy. Many new varieties of Ericas, 

 probably nearly a hundred, have been raised in this nursery — 

 in fact, almost all the best representatives of this genus ar* 



