m 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



( October 1, 1874. 



thera oa hU board deprived of all their foliage, till a brother 

 exhibitor told him he thought they ought to have had their 

 foliage with them as wheu cut from the tree. Thiuking 

 himself wrong, he, the exhibitor, before the judging came on, 

 placed foliage to the blooma artificially. The Judges, being 

 ignorant of the fact, awarded him the first prize, and when 

 told of what had been done, disagreed with the majority of 

 members, and said they were supposed to judge Rjses, not 

 foliage. At the same time those Boses that took the second 

 prize had their foliage as grown with them. — G. Dyson, East 

 3Iallinij, near Jlaidxton". 



[If the schedule stated that the blooms were to be exhibited 

 witb the foliage attached, then the Judges were undoubtedly 

 wrong, for they ought to have examined the flowers to see 

 whether the foliage was attached or not. If there was no con- 

 dition as to foliage, and the Judges awarded the prize to the 

 best blooms, then they were right. — Eds.] 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 Many of the flies at this time of the year found dead on 

 the window panes are surrounded by a white powder, which 

 is said to be the spores of a fungus that has caused the flies 

 to burst and die. This morning I observed several living flies 

 rnaning their probosces over these spores, so it is very clear 

 how the disease is propagated. — G. S. 



An interesting and instrnctive Exhibition op collec- 

 tions of Edible and Poisonous Fungi will be hold in the 

 Council-room at South Kensington on Wednesday, October 

 7th, when prizes amounting to £28 will be competed for 

 in the following classes — viz., Class 1, Collection of Fungi 

 arranged according to their botanical affinities. Neat arrange- 

 ment and correct nomenclature will be taken into account in 

 awarding the prizes. The edible and poisonous species are to 

 be so marked on their respective labels ; the edible species 

 being named on white labels, the poisonous ou red labels, tbe 

 rest on yellow labels. Prizes £5, £3, £2. Class 2, Callectiou 

 of Edible Fungi. These should be shown when possible in 

 juxtaposition with specimens of similar but noxious species. 

 Prizes £3, £2, £1. Class 3, Collection of New or Bare Fungi. 

 Prizes £3, £2, £1. Class 4, Cultivated Edible Fungi. This 

 class is intended for species likely to be useful as esculents, 

 but which are not now known in the cultivated state. Prizes 

 £a, £2,£1. 



The importation during 1873 of Potatoes, 7,506,61.5 



cwt^. of the value of £2, 120, lot, being an increase over that 

 of the previous year of 25 per coat in quantity, and 29 per cent 

 in value. Of eggs, 660 millions were imported, being an increase 

 of 24 per cent, in quantity, and the increase in their value 

 was 33 per cent. 



NOTES ON VILLA and SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



Annuals. — In those days when annuals were used either in 

 combitw.tion with herbaceous plants, or in masses in beds by 

 themselves, for the decoration of the garden, they were thought 

 highly of, and were treated with somethiug Ijke the care they 

 deserved ; for many, it not most, of the varieties in repute at 

 that time — tihat is, before the Geranium was so much used for 

 bedding, were, by sowing at different times in the year, grown 

 so a3 to keep a garden gay throughout the spring, summer, and 

 aubumu months. True, tUere always is in such things consider- 

 able labour in keeping them iu their highest trim, such as 

 picking seed-pods off, regulatiug the growth, and picking out 

 those plants which show an incliuation to depart from the 

 original variety, a circumstance so frequently occurring iu seed- 

 lings of that kind ; but this labour is not more than other plants 

 of tbe present day require, and the blooming powers of an 

 annual are extraordinary, and well repay the trouble. I am 

 glad, however, to see that annuals are regaining their lost 

 ground, and are fast growing into favour again. It has been my 

 lot to witness on several occasions the gay appearance of some 

 gardens from growing a collection of annuals, and these some 

 of the most common among them; quite hardy too, and their 

 treatment of the simplest kind — so much so, that no one need 

 fear a failure in a first attempt at their cultivation. As this is 

 the time of year to sow those sorts to which I allude, I intend 

 giving the names of a few I have grown for years and of which I 

 have proved the qualities for the decoration of a suburban garden 

 (I have not the remotest idea that annuals will ever take the 

 place of those plants at present used for beds ; but for the 

 spring there is as yet nothing so beautiful as some of them), 

 adding a short description of each for the guidance of those 

 who desire them. 



First of all I must state that it is necessary to prepare a piece 



of ground for the seed ; and I would advise this, that the seed 

 be sown in close quarters, as I prrsume tbat to those for whom 

 I write space is valuable. Each sort shoubl be separated from 

 the others by a narrow path trampled out with the foot, and the 

 seed sown iu the most careful manner, so tbat none of it springs 

 over the bounds and becomes mixed with its neighbour, which 

 at the blooming time would produce confusion and disappoint- 

 ment. The soil need not be of tbe richest kind, nor the very 

 poorest, but such as has grown a crop of Potatoes, for instance, 

 would possess staple sufficient to carry them over the winter 

 without the addition of any manure. The ground should at all 

 events be iu a sheltered aspect, a southern one if possible, and 

 be dug deeply and marked out as above described. Some of 

 the seed being very small— that of Silene pendula for instance — 

 such species will not require so much space for the same number 

 of plants as the larger sorts, therefore a bed for each may be 

 allotted as the sowing goes on, marked out, and every sort named 

 accordingly. Now, as there are some annuals the seeds of which 

 vegetate better if the soil is worked down very fine, it will be 

 desirable, unless the soil is unusually heavy, for it all to be 

 worked down, and then push a quantity of it back with the 

 rake, to be afterwards returned when the seed is sown. This 

 is a safer method to ensure the covering of the seed than first 

 sowing on the surface and then raking it iu, as much of it is 

 then pretty sure not to be buried. 



If the weather is moist and wai'm the seeds are not long in 

 coming up ; then comes a little attention in order to keep away 

 snails, which will speedily attack some of them. Use lime 

 mixed with soot in equal proportions to prevent injury from that 

 cause. 



Now as to the annuals to be sown, beginning first with Nemo- 

 philas. Insignis and niaculata do not exceed a foot in height ; 

 they are rather impatient of too much wet, and should there- 

 fore have the driest place; the colour is blue, and blue and 

 white spotted sometimes. These are sown a month earlier, and 

 then transplanted in autumn, but I advise their standing in the 

 seed bed daring winter. Lasthenia caUfornica, a splendid 

 bright yellow flower, grows in a sort of tuft-like form about a 

 foot high, aud is suitable for large borders in front of a shrubbery 

 or round the base of a specimen evergreen. Then there are 

 the Lupines ; nanus (white and blue varieties) is dwarf, but tri- 

 color is a tall one. Limnauthes Douglasii is among the hardiest 

 of all annuals ; it has more of a straw-coloured blossom, 

 flowers abundantly, aud will grow almost anywhere ; it is about 

 a foot high. CoUinsias bicolor, grandiflora, and verna are well 

 known to be very beautiful, and make good blue and white beds ; 

 they grow about 13 inches high. Silene pendula and pendula 

 alba may both be used with great success ; the former is a pink 

 and the other whitish, or perhaps I ought to say cream colour. 

 These are plants of the hardiest description, spreading habit, 

 and are excellent for beds, clumps, baskets, or rockwork, and 

 grow about 15 inches high. Saponaria calabrica is another 

 plant of the easiest culture, and, to my thinking, the most beau- 

 tiful of all of this class of hardy annuals when grown in a mass, 

 such as a bed, or in a line with others in a border. As it grows 

 it becomes very compact, and produces thousands of tiny bright 

 pink flowers, and the most lasting of any. The plant is a foot 

 high. Next we come to the Forget-me-not, a fine blue colour, 

 well known to be one of the best decorative plants for spring 

 gardening; it grows well in clumps or rockwork, in beds or 

 baskets, and is about a foot high. Virginian Stock is a pretty 

 little annual of dwarf growth and much sought after ; about 

 8 inches high. Eucharidium grandiflorum, purple, about 1 foot 

 high, is fine for small beds and borders. Eutoca viscida is also 

 a dwarf grower, and would be much admired in patches or beds ; 

 1 foot high, blue. Leptosiphon densifloru?, purplish colour, is 

 low-growing, and compact. Now comes Clarkia pulchella, a very 

 hardy annual of a purple colour, a foot high, one of the best ; 

 there is a white variety also good and worthy of cultivation. 



I have now named about a dozen of the most varied colours ; 

 the plants compact in habit and free in flowering, and such 

 as will be sure to please. There are several tall-growing sorts, 

 such as Godetia Lindleyaua, rose ; aud rubicunda, rose with a 

 red centre ; Erysimum Peroffskianum, orange, and some others 

 which I have not named owing to their being of too tall and 

 spre.iding habit for small gardens, but which, if desired, would 

 afford a quantity of cut blooms. I am sure with what I have 

 named a great display may be made in the spring. Some of 

 them do not bear well too much wet, and others do not succeed 

 so well if planted in their flowering quarters iu autumn, as they 

 are liable to die off. My object has beiin to advise the sowing of 

 them rather later in the way above recommended, and letting 

 them stand in the seed beds all through the winter, where, if heavy 

 snow and frost come on, the whole can be protected by hoops 

 and mats, or any other means at command, and during that time 

 the beds and borders that are to receive the plants can be turned- 

 up to the action of the weather and become pulverised and 

 sweet. About the middle of March transfer them to the garden 

 in small patches, and they will at once after watering start into 

 growth with no further trouble and flower abundantly. While 



