238 Subtropical Gardening. 



amongst the miniature varieties the Fig, Cricket-ball, 

 Thumb, Cherry, Striped Custard, Hen's-egg, Pear, Bottle, 

 Orange, Plover's-egg, etc., are very pretty examples, and 

 very serviceable for rilling vases, etc. All these are well 

 adapted to the climate of England, and there are many 

 others equally suitable — a fact sufficiently indicated in 

 one collection shown by Mr. W. Young, which consisted 

 of 500 varieties, all English grown, the greater number of 

 which were sown where grown, and came to maturity 

 without the assistance of glass or any other protection. 

 The ground being manured and dug one spit deep, the seed 

 was sown the second week in May, and from first to last 

 many of the plants had no water supplied to them through 

 the season. Others, by way of experiment, had it in 

 various quantities — the more water was given, the larger, 

 the freer, and the better the produce. Sowing in a frame 

 at the end of April, and exposing them to the free air 

 during the day so as to prevent them being drawn, and 

 then removing the frame altogether to harden them off 

 before planting out, would be the best way to secure an 

 early growth of gourds. Sowing in the open ground 

 under hand-lights would also do, but not so well. 



Ornamental Grasses. 

 Agrostis nebulosa ! Bambusa, in var. 



Arundo conspicua 

 „ Donax 

 ,, ,, versicolor 



,, festucoides 



Elymus arenarius 



„ condensatus 

 Erianthus Ravennae 

 Gynerium argenteum, and 



Phragmites its vars. 



