434 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



( Jnrt 1. I8:i 



amount of iron, tin, and mundic in the soil, and, although peat, 

 it will not grow Heaths at all. The blue may be produced any- 

 where by first growing the Hydrangea in peat, then enpplying 

 it with the necessary element, and this can be produced arti- 

 ficially by keeping tin and iron ore in the water with which the 

 plants are watered ; but I would advise those who wish to grow 

 this plant to produce blue flowers to get some of the peat, so 

 famous for producing it, from Dartmoor, where it constantly 

 flowers blue." 



On the operations of gardening only one extract is made. 

 Not many will find fault with the advice given on hoeing : — 



" Hoeing should be done carefully and constantly, but never 

 in wet weather ; nevertheless, let hoeing be done in time, 

 ' For one year's seeding 

 Brings seven years' weeding.' 

 Besides taking the nutriment out of the soil which the crop 

 should have, every weed is destructive of so much of the soil's 

 virtue, and in conjunction with the crop acts like two crops ; 

 therefore ply the hoe freely as soon as weeds appear above 

 ground, whether the land is cropped or not. The hoe should 

 not be drawn too deeply into the soil, for then some weeds only 

 become partly buried with sufficient earth to nourish their 

 growth and seeding. In hoeing it is important to draw the hoe 

 just under the roots of the weeds, and to hoe every inch of the 

 surface if the land is foul. All the surface should be hoed — LOt 

 hoeing 6 inches and leaving 3 inches untouched, with simply 

 some earth drawn over it, as is too frequently done." 



One extract is given on manures, and that one of the most 

 common and familiar and, at the same time, most valuable, 

 yet apt to be overlooked. The following may act as a re- 

 minder : — 



" Soot is a very powerful manure applied at the rate of 1 lb. to 

 the rod ; it abounds in ammonia, and consequently possesses 

 stimulating power in a remarkable degree. Too much soot per 

 rod will drive vegetation beyond what is desirable. One part of 

 soot and two of guano possess more stimulating ammonia than 

 any proportionate quantity of any other manure extant. Soot 

 forms an exceedingly rapid stimulator for Peas, Lettuce, Car- 

 rots, Spinach, and most crops in a liquid state at the rate of half 

 an ounce to two quarts of water, given so as to soak down to the 

 roots. Always give soot whilst the plant is in an active state. 

 Most persons make soot enough to manure a whole garden for 

 the year." 



These extracts show the character of the book and prove 

 the appositeness of Its title. It details the practice of every 

 well-managed garden, which is precisely what skilled gardeners 

 are acquainted with, and, on the other hand, precisely what 

 the unskilled desire to know. This issue is a second edition 

 of the book, and if a third is called for we strongly advise that 

 its revision be entrusted to some one who is competent to 

 correct the literary inaccuracies which mar so many of its 

 pages. Capital letters are employed where the letters should 

 be small, and small letters are used where capitals are required. 

 The orthography is also fanlty. For instance, " Pausey " with 

 an "e " is a somewhat antiquated mode of spelling, and Wis- 

 taria is given with two " e'g " when it ought not to have one — 

 thus, " Westeria." It is, nevertheless, an useful book — a 

 plain reoord of reliable practice. 



FUNKIAS. 



Seldom do we see Fnnkias In any quantity except it be at 

 some of the nurseries, where these plants are beginning to 

 occupy somewhat prominent places. It is next to impossible 

 to say too much in favour of Funkias. To form any idea of 

 the effect they are capable of producing they must be seen in 

 quantity, and when so grown, and grown well, their magnifi- 

 cent foliage and graceful habit wUl vie with and pat into the 

 shade many of the occupants of our glass houses. I know of 

 no race of plants th^t can surpass this charming group for 

 producing a distinct effect both in pots and borders. I believe 

 that most, if not all, are quite hardy. 



They are moisture-loving plants, and do not object to par- 

 tial shade, but they should be provided with efficient drainage, 

 and should not suffer from drought. They will live in most 

 kinds of soil, but to have them in perfection they should have 

 special provision made for them either on rockwork or in 

 borders, both under glass and in the open air. A mixture of 

 good sandy loam and peat in equal parts, a little thoroughly 

 decomposed dung, a little charcoal dust, and coarse sand, to 

 the depth of 20 inches, will afford them a good medium to 

 develope themselves in. 



I have sometimes had a little difiionlty in keeping Fnnkia 

 undulata variegata from being affected at the crown with a 



kind of rust or canker ; when so affected the plant loses 

 constitution and becomes unsightly. I find it good practice to 

 take the plant, divide it, and clear away the affected part. 

 When in full feather this is one of the most effective plants I 

 know of for all purposes. Funkias are admirable plants for 

 exhibition, and ought to be shown in collections by themselves. 

 Funkia Sieboldi when well established will hold its own against 

 all comers, and were it a very expensive plant it would soon 

 be sought after. A selection of these neglected border flowers 

 will by their beautiful appearance repay any amount of labour 

 bestowed upon them. They are easily increased by division 

 when growth has commenced In the spring. — Veeitas. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 The new wing of the conservatory at Regent's Park, which 

 is to be opened this day (1st of June), will contain an arrange- 

 ment of SUCCULENT PLANTS — Agaves, Aloes, Cacti, &c., from 

 the celebrated collection of Mr. .1. S. Peacock, Sudbury House, 

 Hammersmith. These plants are to remain as a permanent 

 exhibition. Many of Mr. Peacock's nn'que plants are strangely 

 quaint, novel, and beautiful. 



It will be seen on reference to our advertising columns 



that Mr. WUls is commencing the disteieution of Deacenas, 

 which have, with the exception of D. recurva and D. Nitzsch- 

 nerii, been fully described in our columns. These two va- 

 rieties belong to the broad arch-leaved red series and are 

 noble plants. 



Public Parks. — A new public park has been provided 



at Eotherham. The land has been leased from the Earl of 

 Efiingham for forty years, at an annual rental of £50 per 

 annum. The park is formed out of the Boston Castle grounds, 

 and is known as Boston Castle Park. In extent it is about 

 twenty acres, and is 300 feet above the town and 400 feet 

 above the level of the sea. It is contiguous to an established 

 wood, has many points of interest, and cannot fail to be a 

 popular and beneficial resort for the inhabitants of the town 

 and district. Three new public parks are also being formed 

 in the borough of Salford. The largest is situate at Higher 

 Broughton, and is to be opened at Whitsuntide. The arrange- 

 ments of the terraces and flower beds have been executed under 

 the direction of Mr. Henry Moore, the able gardener at Peel 

 Park. 



Mr. Cannaey, gardener at Honingtou Hall near Spilsby, 



has just cut a head of Cooling's Matchless Broccoli 2i feet 

 in circumference, and weighing 6i lbs. 



The floeal decorations of the Guildhall on the 



occasion of the visit of H.R.H. the Prince of Wales were 

 supplied by Mr. B. S. Williams of the Victoria Nurseries, Upper 

 HoUoway. There were more than thirty large vanloads of 

 plants ueed, including Orchids, specimen Azaleas, and all other 

 flowering plants of the season, intermixed with tree Ferns and 

 Palms. The bouquet for H.E.H. the Princess of Wales came 

 from the same firm, and consisted chiefly of Phalsenopsia 

 grandiflora, Odontoglossnm Alexandra}, and Vandas. For the 

 dinner table 200 bouquets for ladies and 350 coat flowers for 

 gentlemen were supplied by the same firm. The ball-room 

 and its approaches were decorated by Mr. Wills. 



Mr. Newell, gardener at Eyston Hall, received a cer- 

 tificate of merit for Haerotiiamnus Newellii, from the Eoyal 

 Botanic Society, Eegent's Park, last Wednesday. 



Some of the large Morels found at this season of the 



year do not belong to the common Morel (Morchellaesculenta), 

 but to another species (also edible) — viz., the Giant Morel 

 (M. crassipes). Specimens of the latter have been exhibited 

 at South Kensington a foot or more high ; they are more 

 tender, and differ in several retpects from the common Morel, 

 and they have been found in many localities (including Kew 

 Gardens), since the species was first described as British by 

 Mr. W. G. Smith. 



Never were Mr. Watson's Calceolarias at Eedlees 



finer than during the present season. Some of them have 

 been successfully exhibited at Eegent's Park and the West- 

 minster Aquarium, but the dozen plants staged at each of 

 these places could afford no adequate idea of the richness of 

 the collection from which they were taken. The house now 

 devoted to these plants at Isleworth presents a gorgeous sight. 

 It is difficult which to admire most, the merit of the varieties 

 or the cultural skill by which the plants have been perfected. 

 The heads of flowers are of the most massive character, the 



