January 7, 1S75. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



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from which it may be increased ; but the readiest method of 

 propagating it, is by dividing the roots in October. — (ir. Thomp- 

 son's English Flower Garden, Revifed by the Author.) 



PLANT-GROWING— SIZE OF POTS. 



Gkowino plants in pots to a state of the highest possible 

 perfection, requires an amount of attention and care which is 

 not requisite to the same degrpe for any other of the duties 

 devolving on the gardener. Where high-class plant-growing 

 is attempted, an uninterrupted watchfulness is necessary as 

 regards watering, shifting into other pots, and exterminating, 

 or, better still, preventing, of infesting insects ; and even with 

 these indispensable wants fulfilled to the letter, such seem- 

 ingly unimportant items as feeding, pinching, tying and stak- 

 ing, position of plants whilst growing, and such like, may 

 render entirely null all the previous care and work spent upon 

 them. That some members of the profession have a natural 

 aptitude for plant-growing there is no reason to doubt; at the 

 game time, it is an aptitude that may be acquired by a patient 

 study of the habits and observance of the treatment most suit- 

 able for the different subjects coming under the plant-grower's 

 care. This aptitude for plant-growing, which is synonymous 

 with a knowledge of the wants of plants when confined at root 

 to the limits of the flower pot, applies to all the varied genera 

 cultivated in pots, whether these be soft or hard -wooded, fruits 

 or flowers. The idea that, compared with others, some classes 

 of plants are more easily grown, such as Chrysanthemums or 

 Cinerarias, as compared with hardwooded Heaths, Lesche- 

 naultias, or such-like, is to some extent correct, but to a great 

 degree erroneous and misleading. The Chrysanthemum any- 

 body can grow, or get to exist, as it happens in too many 

 oases, but it is not everyone who can " do " it to perfection ; 

 and though the amount of skill and care required to grow it 

 well is not such as an Erica requires, yet, to a great extent, it 

 differs only ia degree. Tlio slightest knowledge of plants will 

 enable anyone to flower the Hyacinth ; but it requires some- 

 thing more to extract all the flower possible out of the bulb. 

 Again, Orchids will exist under the worst treatment ; but com- 

 parativelyf ow understand them thoroughly. To tui'u to fruits 

 — Strawberries, Grapes, Peaches, Pines may be grown in pots 

 by the merest tyro ; but the best results are only attainable by 

 those conversant with these subjects. So we might go on to 

 enumerate examples ad infinitum; but enough. It will be 

 more profitable to call attention to a few general principles 

 appUcable to plant-growing iu pots, and without which satis- 

 factory results are very doubtful, if not impracticable. One of 

 the main principles of successful plant-growing centres in the 

 size of pot, for by far the great majority of plants do best in 

 comparatively small pots. It is quite possible, for example, to 

 cram sufficient soil into a pot not exceeding 8A inches in 

 diameter at the widest part, by 8 in depth, to grow many 

 Boft-wooded plants to the greatest possible perfection. Last 

 summer we saw some specimens of Show Pelargoniums perfect 

 iu every respect, and from 2^ to upwards of 3 feet through, 

 with the roots confined in li and 7-inch pots ; it requu'es one 

 to be no novice who can attain to results Uke these. At this 

 time we wish to draw attention more particularly to growing 

 pot plants for home use without trenching on those for exhibi- 

 tion, and would respectfully ask those who havf been used to 

 giving liberal shifts to small plants to treat t]um to less iu 

 quantity, though the quality may be more lookti! to; but even 

 if the quality of the potting material may be poor, it is bettor 

 to feed when the pots are getting filled with roots than to givu 

 them such a quantity of soil as they never appropriate. 



Commonly-grown plants, which do better in small pots than 

 laige ones, are Primula sinensis, P. ama;ua (Sieboldii), P. ja- 

 ponica, P. denticulata ; all the species of the Pelargoniums, 

 Show, Fancy, Zonal, Double or Variegated ; Cinerarias, Pom- 

 pon Chrysanthemums, Petunias, Phloxes, Carnations, Picotees, 

 Pinks, Cyclamens, double Wallflowers, Salvias, Stocks, Migno- 

 nette, Bouvardias, Calceolarias, Hyacinths. Of plants requir- 

 ing a stove temperature (such as Aphelandras) , Euphorbia 

 jacquiniieflora, Justicias, Eranthemum pulchellum, Poinsettias, 

 Thyrsacanthus rutilans, Clerodendron fallax, may be all grown 

 into nice serviceable plants in 6 and 7-inch pots. Amongst 

 hard-wooded plants. Ericas of the Hyemalis type, melanthera, 

 hybrida, Epacrises, Azaleas, Cytisus racemosus ; Acacias, such 

 as grandis, armata, and Drummondii, make nice plants when 

 properly treated in these sized pots. Orchids, Tillandsias, and 

 plants of this class, and Nepenthes, should always have small 

 pots or baskets for the size of the plants. 



But there are plants which require liberal treatment at root 

 as regards size of pot, in order to attain perfection iu their 

 cultivation. Plants of this class are Lapageria rosea and 

 L. alba, Bougainvillea glabra, Clerodendrons, AUamandas, and 

 climbing plants generally. Ferns, such as Gymnogrammas, 

 Adiantums of the trapeziform type, Davallia Mooreana and 

 pentaphylla — Tree Ferns. Many stove foliage plants, as Dra- 

 caenas, Crotons, but more especially Alocasias, Marantas, 

 Anthurium Scherzerianum, and others of this genus. Palms 

 also, though they do well, many of them, in comparatively 

 small pots it well fed, are very fond of liberal shifts. I'uchsiaa 

 are fond of a large pot to the size of plant, though it is quite 

 possible to grow neat plants in small pots. W^ith regard to 

 fruit culture in pots, as good results are obtainable with small 

 pots as with large ones. Strawberries grown iu 7-inoh pots 

 will be no better than those grown in G-inoh, and for early 

 work 5-inch pots. In the case of the Pine Apple, it has been 

 demonstrated in many instances that as good fruit may be 

 grown in pots 10 and 12 inches in diameter as in those of 

 11 or 1(5 inches. With pot-Vines, 10-inch pots are found as 

 useful as those 3 or 1 inches wider ; and it is doubtful whether 

 the many failures in growing Peaches in pots may not be 

 attributable to growing them in those of too large size. 



These are merely hints thrown out to be appropriated by 

 those who see anything worth noting iu them. There are, of 

 course, many things omitted which may be filled up in practice, 

 as in the case of plants like the Draciena and Croton, which, 

 iu some of their sorts, are indispensable grown in small pots 

 for decorative purposes ; but for these plants, as they increase 

 iu size the liberal treatment here recommended must be 

 resorted to. For the great majority of cnllivated pot-plants 

 a restricted space at root is one of the tLial conditions neces- 

 sary to their successful cultivation. It seems scarcely neces- 

 sary, so often has it been insisted on, to say that all plants 

 lifted from flower bed or border, to be wintered in pots, should 

 absolutely have their roots crammed into as small pots as 

 possible. Space will not at this time permit a glance at any 

 other of the essentials to be observed in plant-growing. — 

 R. P. B. (from The Gardener). 



ME. CHARLES NORVAL THOMPSON. 



Amongst those who administer to the necessities of the 

 horticultural world are men of very difl'eriug stamp — some 

 who are well known to tame either by their practical efforts in 

 advancing the culture of the many objects that interest, or by 

 their pens wielded on its behalf; while there are some who 

 unobtrusively do their work and, save a few persons, no one 

 knows of the value of their labours. One of the latter class 

 is the subject of this brief notice, one to whom the readers of 

 the Journal are more indebted than they are aware of, for to 

 his careful and painstaking labours they owe those reports of 

 our metropolitan shows which have certainly not been exceeded 

 by any gardening journal published. More, perhaps, than any- 

 one, save the Editors themselves, I have been thrown into 

 contact with him, and have ever admired the quiet, modest, 

 and thorough way in which he did his work. His attainments 

 were of no ordinary character, and he knew a great deal-more 

 than more pretentious men ; but he never obtruded his know- 

 ledge ; it was only by conversing with him that it came out. 



He has died young, and, like many others, had not time to 

 make provision for his young family. He had, I believe, in- 

 sured his life for a small sum, but beyond that he left nothing. 

 Am I wrong in supposing that there are many readers of the 

 Journal who would be willing to aid in anything that might be 

 suggested on his behalf ? An effort must be made to get some 

 of his children into an orphanage, and this cannot be done 

 without money, as I know from experience ; and if the Editors 

 would consent to receive subscriptions I feel sure something 

 could be done, and it would be to me a melancholy pleasure 

 to aid it in my small way. He was a Christian man, and 

 therefore he has still stronger claims on many of us.— D., Deal. 



[We have now before us the testimonials of our horticul- 

 tural contemporaries, and of one who well observed him, to 

 the worthiness of our late sub-editor. Not one word in those 

 testimonials is an exaggeration. Mr. Thompson was a well- 

 educated man, quiet, unobtrusive, indefatigable, and ever 

 mindful of the interests of this Journal. We have lost by his 

 death a staunch friend and able assistant. Mr. Thompson 

 came of a family of gardeners who held the highest positions 

 in their day. His maternal grandfather, Mr. Nerval, was long 

 gardener at Raith, in Fifeshire ; his paternal granduucle was 



