September 24, 1888. j JOUENAL OF HORTIODLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



223 



notice all, I was obliged to be content with the following, which 

 are in aiv'ition to those already described : — 



(lull! and Brvuzr and Golden Triodur I'arieties. — Duke of 

 Kdinburgb, a fiae promising Icind ; Arthur H. Wills, also seems 

 a good grower ; Sultana, had been cut-in rather severely for 

 propagation, a good indication of its merits ; Empress EugCnie, 

 also good; Princess Alice, Her JIajesty, Egyptian Queen, 

 Beauty of Eibblesdale, Sophia Cusack, somewhat like Sunset, 

 but with a scarlet (lower and of much better growth ; Florence, 

 this has four distinct colours, and is besides of promising 

 growth ; Louisa Smith ; Leah, somewhat like Florence ; Beauty 

 of Oulton, different from most of those previously mentioned. 



Silirr Triculor I'an'.'dVs.— Queen Victoria, good, Caroline 

 Longfield, Glenny's Beauty, Italia Unita, Velvet Cushion, 

 Empress Eugenie (of this I may be mistaken). 



Gohlen-lfiu-ed )'(!nVr/('s.— Golden Spread Eagle, somewhat 

 like Golden Fleece ; Golden Christine, flowers like that popular 

 variety. 



Besides these there were several others of leas merit, some 

 of which doubtless may shine next year. 



The Pelargoniums grown for their flowers were also well 

 represented, though not to the same extent as the Ci olden Tri- 

 colors ; and amongst others the following struck me as deserv- 

 ing attention : — 



Enchantress. — k fine carmine, in the way of Glow-worm, but 

 brighter, and with a shade more of blue in its composition. It 

 is a half-Nosegay, of good habit, and will likely become a 

 favourite when the Magenta class is called for. 



i'c/(((.— Also a magenta-flowered Nosegay. Good and pro- 

 mising. 



Gathornc Hardij. — Bright scarlet Nosegay. Truss very large 

 and fine. 



Grand Duke. — Rosy scarlet. Very large truss ; in fact, one 

 of the largest I am acquainted with. It is also of the Nosegay 

 section. 



Bcbccca. — A well-known kind, grown in most places, and one 

 that will maintain a position for years. 



Dr. 77ii(7.(;.— Magenta. Good, one of the best. 

 Le Grand. — A fine carmine. Large truss. 

 Wtmrorf.— Scarlet. Very large truss. 

 Smith's Warrior. — Scarlet. Very large truss. 

 Leonidas. — Also fine scarlet. 



Besides the above there were many others, but some had 

 been so recently cut-in for propagation, that their character 

 could not be easily ascertained. Many old varieties were repre- 

 sented, but in less numbers, as the culture and propagation of 

 new kinds seemed the chief objects ; and as a proof of this, 

 Mrs. Pollock was not grown to an equal extent with newer 

 kinds, although Mr. Potton had disposed of many thousands of 

 plants of it during the last three seasons. Of the older flower- 

 ing Pelargoniums only specimens of the best were retained to 

 compare with newly-sent-out varieties, and if the latter failed 

 to be improvements they were not recommended. 



The readers of the Journal will, perhaps, be anxious to know 

 how so many varieties of Pelargoniums are propagated and 

 wintered, and the extent of glass at command appears inade- 

 quate even to those best versed in Pelargonium culture, but 

 no doubt every inch of space is closely crammed. Propagation 

 is a more easy affair at this season than in spring, and there is 

 no coddling in the treatment pursued. Large pots and pans 

 full of cuttings were standing about in various places, some 

 being in front of a vinery in what is called a Dutch pit, others 

 placed out of doors. 



The glass structures are not numerous. Two span-roofed 

 plant houses, not large, and a propagating house adjoining, 

 with two lean-to vineries, were nearly all the glass structures 

 at command ; and as the place is a private one rather than a 

 nursery, the other requirements of the proprietor, J. J. E. 

 Wilson, Esq., had to be attended to. The plant houses were 

 small, but broad shelves had been placed over the pathways, 

 on which choice bedding Pelargoniums in thumb pots were 

 luxuriating in the full sun. I imagine the vineries are kept 

 hard at work in early spring. An ingenious contrivance had 

 been adopted to enlarge the two old lean-to vineries that had 

 occupied the site for many years, and were quite worn-out, as 

 well as the Vines in the inside. They had originally been 

 about 14 feet wide, with high fronts, so when new ones were 

 projected the same angle was retained, but a width of 20 feet 

 was arranged, and a border and young Vines planted in the 

 part newly covered in, while the old Vines were retained for 

 one year. Although the young Vines were only planted in 

 April, 18G7, upwards of 150 lbs. of Grapes had been cut this 



season from them, the house being 40 feet long by 20 feet 

 wide, and the Vines all that could be wished for. The other 

 vinery was also promising well ; it is older and of the same 

 width as that just referred to, but only IM feet long. 



A singular feature, however, in these houses is that the 

 fronts of both were occupied by what are called Dutch pits. 

 About a yard of the lower part of the roof is made to hinge in 

 lights, or rather it is entirely independent of the house, as the 

 waterspout runs along where the pit unites with the front of 

 this house. This Dutch pit can either be made to communi- 

 cate with the house, or bo shut off from it by boardiug attached 

 to the back ; but I believe in winter it is united with it on 

 account of the heat which, I presume, it receives from the 

 vinery. It formed an excellent place for propagating Pelar- 

 goniums, and was well filled. Mr. Potton's skilful treatment 

 of this class of plants is so well known, that an eminent London 

 grower had sent him some of his diUicult varieties to operate 

 upon, and there they were in all the sturdy health of comiuon 

 kinds ; but Mr. Potton wisely confines himself to cultivating 

 and propagating only the very best varieties in each section, 

 and although some seedlings of his own were shown me, I feel 

 certain it another known kind were equally good we should 

 hear no more of the seedhng. This, however, is at variance 

 with the practice of many, who seem to think that names 

 cannot be multiplied too much. — J. Eobson. 



PALMS FOR DECORATING ROOMS. 



My attention has been called to a discussion in your Journal 

 on Palms, originating in an article of mine in " The Gar- 

 dener." Palms certainly are to be bought cheaper in any 

 nursery to-day than they were a few years ago, and hence my 

 remark which "Patelin" alludes to. They are still, how- 

 ever, to be bought very much cheaper in Belgium than in 

 Britain. In France they are cheap, but much dearer than in 

 Belgium. I have purchased in both countries, but I always 

 preferred the Belgian stock to the French, for this reason, that 

 the plants are grown stockier and cleaner, and hence are better 

 adapted for a sitting-room, and its vicissitudes. 



I append a list of Palms, most of which I have proved to be 

 suitable for general house decoration, or a cool glass house. 



Sea- 



Areca Banerii fsyu. 



forthia robiista) 

 Erahea (!nlci3 

 Chamierops excelsa 



Fortune! 



Ghiesbreghtii 



humiU3 



palmetto 



Binensis 



tomeutosa 

 CocOB australii 



Bonnetii 



campestrig 

 Corypba australia 

 Diplothemium maritimnm 

 Latania borbouica 



Jnbea spectabilia 



Coco3 cbilensis) 

 Phoenix dactylifera 



farinifera 



hnmilis 



leonensis 



pumila 



reclinata 



sylvestrig 



tennis 

 Eliaphis flabellifonnis 

 Sabal Adansonii 



Mociui 

 Seafortbia elegans 

 Thrinax parviiiora 



tunicata 



(syn. 



All these will do well in a cool house without a draught all 

 the year round, or every other week in a sitting-room with 

 proper attention as to watering with tepid water, and sponging 

 frequently the leaves when dusty. 



There are many other species that would do with careful, 

 thoughtful attention, but in the hands of the inexperienced 

 they would pine and die. Those named may be purchased at 

 from one to twenty francs each, a price low enough for anyone 

 who has a real love for plants in a sitting-room. — H. E. 



VARIEGATED BORECOLE, 

 In your notice to a correspondent, page 175, regarding varie- 

 gated Borecole you remark, " Your plants ought by this time 

 to have shown variegation." We trust " J. A." has not thrown 

 his plants away, and that he will not do so for some time yet. 

 For the encouragement of him and others who may be despair- 

 ing of their plants not yet showing variegation, we may mention 

 that out of some 12,000 which we have planted out (sown in 

 May), very few have as yet assumed variegation. With us 

 they do not show variegatfon until the plants finish their rank 

 growth and expend themselves. This season we do not expect 

 they will show decided variegation, or be in a suitable state for 

 being transplanted into their winter quarters, for at least two 

 months. When they begin to make a fresh growth in spring, 



