Jnne 16, 1876. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



463 



this way will be in character by antnmn, the stems being laid 

 in soil in March or April. From the root-stem will proceed 

 one or more shoote, which may be removed and struck or 

 allowed to remain, but I do not consider that plants of this 

 kind look well with more than one stem. 



Dracfflnas require a compost of three parts of fibrous loam, 

 and a part each of leaf soil, sandy peat, and silver sand, with 

 good drainage, and to be grown in a position near the glass 

 with an abundant supply of atmospheric moisture, light 

 sprinkling being given overhead twice daily ; but it the water 

 be at all discoloured the fohage su£fers more or less by its use, 

 and syringing is in euch cases best omitted, still keeping up a 

 moist atmosphere by frequent sprinklings of every availalla 

 surface. A close and cold atmosphere causes the foliage to 

 spot, and so does water if remaining long on the leaves. The 

 more light afforded the better is the colour, and yet the power- 

 ful rays of the sun should not be allowed to fall upon the 

 leaves whilst wet ; but whatever shade is given should be of a 

 light description and only used in bright weather. The water- 

 ing should be free, but care should be taken to avoid excess, or 

 the roots will perish and the growth be stayed ; and on the 

 other hand, overdryness causes the leaves to have a pale sickly 

 hue which is fatal to the beauty of the plants. Moderate 

 pot-room only is required. Young plants I usually shift from 

 ii-5 or 4-Ginch pots, and increase the size of pot 2 inches 

 at a time, just allowing the pots to fill with roots before the 

 next potting. Potbound plants do not grow freely, never 

 making such specimens as plants which are kept in steady 

 growth. 



They do well in an ordinary stove having a winter tempera- 

 ture of G5° by day, C0°-55° at night from fire heat, and a 

 summer temperature of C5°-70° at night and 75°-85° by day. 

 The greenhouse kinds require of course the temperature of 

 that structure. I have had the stove kinds doing remarkably 

 well in a cold pit during summer, closing the lights early and 

 keeping rather close so as to secure the requisite temperature. 

 It is only right to say that a majority of the kinds may be 

 wintered safely in an intermediate house— i.e., a warm green- 

 house or cool stove. 



There is so great an advance made and being made in this 

 genus that the best of the older kinds are likely to be eclipsed 

 by the new ; nevertheless some of the old sorts — as D. rubra, 

 for instance — from their great endurance of changes of tem- 

 perature will always retain a share of public favour for par- 

 ticular purposes of decoration. All the varieties are beautiful. 

 — G. Abbey. 



A FEW JOTTINGS AT THE SOUTH KENSINGTON 

 SHOW. 



The report of the Show held on the 7th inst. is so complete 

 that it may seem to be superfluous to notice any of the exhibits ; 

 but there were a few which are worthy, I think, of especial 

 notice. One is so used-up in the matter of shows that it 

 requires something to stir np one's enthusiasm, yet I do not 

 know anything more commendable than the collection of 

 Pelargoniums exhibited by Mr. Charles Turner. There was 

 one plant espEcially — Charlemagne, which was in its way per- 

 fection. Every flower on it was good, the trusses were so 

 evenly disposed over the plant, the stakes were eo judiciously 

 placed as to be hidden from view, and the general contour of 

 the plant so exquisite, that it left nothing to be desired. Again 

 and again I found myself standing in front of it, and the 

 thought could not but occur. What do we want with larger 

 plants than these ? I remember the monsters Mr. Turner used 

 to show, and think of those Mr. Ward now exhibits. They are 

 very fine, doubtless ; but then to get them one must have very 

 • old varieties, whereas by having plants of this size the newer 

 varieties can be exhibited. Thus here were Isabella, Charle- 

 magne, Protector, Ruth, Duchess, Emily — all new sorts, giving 

 lovers of the flower an opportunity of seeing how great has been 

 the advance even on flowers of a few years ago. The same 

 grower's pot Boses deserve, too, a parting word ; they were not 

 as large as those exhibited at the iquarinm, but beautifully 

 bloomed and well grown. The plants of Miss Ingram, Charles 

 Lawson, and Duke of Edinburgh were especially noteworthy. 



Any other season but the strange one we have been passing 

 through might have enabled growers to send something in the 

 way of cut Boses ; but although there were several classes for 

 them there was but little competition, and it could be well 

 Been that in the nurserymen's class the bloom had been cut 

 from plants indoors. The two or three amateurs who did ex- 



hibit came from near Salisbury, leading one to conclude that 

 they have a warm climate there, and even in their stands the 

 greater number of flowers were Teas probably from walls. 

 The usual varieties were here represented, but nothing worthy 

 of being noted. 



One of the most interesting groups in cut flowers was that 

 exhibited by Messrs. Hooper & Co., Covent Garden, consisting 

 of Ixias, Sparaxis, and kindred flowers. Amongst the Ixias 

 were some very beautiful sorts, such as Nelsonii, Conqueror, 

 Grandis, Cresar, Amiable, Hybridalongiflora, Lady Slade, Pallas, 

 Nosegay, Titus, Hector, and Craterioides ; I missed viridiflora, 

 however, the grandest of the whole race. Nor must I pass by 

 altogether the double Pyrethrums exhibited by Mr. Parker of 

 Tooting, which showed how much we may gain in the early 

 decoration of our garden by their use. The varieties were 

 Roi Lactets Progress (very fine), Fioribundum plenum, Boule 

 de Neige, Fulgens plenum, Nancy, and Eubrum plenum. Both 

 these and the Ixias are deserving of more extended cultivation 

 than they at preEent receive. — D., Deal. 



BITS ABOUT BELGIUM.— No. 2. 



Although Brussels as the metropolis was naturally selected 

 for the holding of the great Centennial Exhibition, it is by no 

 means a horticultural city. It contains no renowned nurseries, 

 and no public gardens of superior importance. True, there is 

 the Botanic Garden, and the show of glass is somewhat im- 

 posing ; but botanical gardens, as a rule, present few features 

 of interest to practical horticulturists, and suggest fewer ideas 

 that can be usefully turned to account by the ordinary gar- 

 dener. Of more general interest are the parka. Of these two 

 were visited, one the park of Brussels situated on the higher 

 part of the city near the King's palace ; the other, the Bois de 

 la Cambre, being about two miles out, and is traversed by the 

 morning coach en route for Waterloo. 



The park of Brussels is a email but thoroughly enjoyable 

 enclosure. In extent it may be about 20 acres. It is overlooked 

 on the south side by the noble pile of royal buildings, between 

 which and one of the principal entrances to the park is a 

 spacious paved public promenade with one solitary tree in the 

 centre. From the entrance to the park a broad straight avenue 

 leads through it to the parliament house, which is seen at the 

 end of the vista of foliage. The park is surrounded by the 

 boulevardi?, and is enclosed by an iron fence, and is fringed by 

 a characteristic row of Limes — characteristic because trained 

 and trimmed in true continental fashion. These Limes are 

 planted at distances of about 8 yards, and are grown with per- 

 fectly straight and clean stems. At the height of 10 to 12 feet 

 the branches are permitted to grow, and are trained horizon- 

 tally, forming a hedge of about 4 feet high and 2 feet through. 

 This hedge hoisted aloft is trimmed as true and smooth as are 

 our best hedges near the ground, and is conspicuous by the 

 contrasting effect with the fine naturally-grown trees in the 

 enclosure. Copies of this form of ti'aining may bo seen in 

 some villa gardens in the suburbs of London, but they are 

 poor examples of the style which is so well carried out in Bel- 

 gium and other continental countries. The mode of training 

 is probably too formal for English tastes, and suflScient labour 

 is not expended to carry it out in its integrity in this country. 



In the park of Brussels there are no flowers and no ever- 

 greens. It is not a garden, perhaps not quite a park as we 

 understand the term, but rather a wood intersected by several 

 straight avenues for public promenade. These avenues are 

 very wide, and are also planted with trees in straight lines and 

 at equal distances, alJording adequate shelter to visiters from 

 sun and shower. The central promenade of each avenue is 

 of smooth gravel, and at the sides are broad margins of grass 

 .5 or G yards wide, the grass being kept short, yet not smooth 

 like our English lawns. At the outer sides of the grass other 

 promenades of gravel are bounded by the plantation. Thus 

 there are three promenades of gravel and two of grass down 

 each avenue, the whole, grass and gravel, planted with trees 

 at regular intervals. These are large full-grown trees, as fresh, 

 green, and vigorous as if growing a hundred miles from the 

 haunts of man, yet they are in a city of perhaps 300,000 in- 

 habitants. 



The body of the park is composed of trees irregularly and 

 closely planted, yet not so thickly as to prevent each from at- 

 taining its full size and showing its natural form. The under- 

 growth is very dense, and is formed entirely of deciduous 

 shrubs, Lilacs predominating. Into this thicket narrow curving 

 walks penetrate, and in a few moments visitors who desire it 



