142 Answers to Correspondents. 



AWARD OF PREMIUMS AND GRATUITIES. 



Camellias. — For the best twelve distinct varieties, to J. Cadness, a 

 premium of $ 8. 



For the second best, to Messrs. Hovey & Co., $ 5. 



A gratuity to the President, for fine flowers, $ 8. 

 Chinese Primulas. — A gratuity to John Cadness, for fine specimens, $3. 



A gratuity to W. Quant, for fine specimens, $ 3. 



Art. V. Answers to Correspondents, 



White Lagerstrcemia. — Is there a White Lagerstroemia? I see it in 

 Prince's Catalogue. [Not to our knowledge. — Ed."] 



Gesnera zebrina. R. C. Wood. — The plant you had is undoubtedly 

 the true kind ; there is no other species at present introduced which has a 

 similar leaf — so peculiarly marked — from whence its name ; but the proba- 

 bility is, that your specimen has never been well grown ; to see it in its real 

 beauty, it requires the temperature of the stove after the month of Sep- 

 tember; in the greenhouse, the flowers rarely open, or, if they do, they are, as 

 you say yours were, " blush or dingy white." Until we placed it in a 

 high temperature, we thought it quite worthless, except in regard to its fine 

 foliage ; but, the past antumn, we have had spikes of flowers ten inches 

 long, and of a bright scarlet. A correspondent, in a previous volume, (XI. 

 p. 58,) has given excellent directions to grow^ it to perfection, to which we 

 would refer our correspondent. 



Gladiolus pudibundus. R. C Wood. — This fine variety has bright 

 pink flowers, similar to Colvilh't, while G. blanda has while flowers with a 

 deep red stripe in each petal. You will be at no loss to tell which of 

 the two your plants are. Some species and varieties of Gladiolus throw off 

 small perfect bulbs, like the G. natal6nsis, while others, like the G. cardi- 

 nalis, push out a kind of sucker bulb ; the latter, if separated from the pa- 

 rent when too small, are rather difficult to root, and require much care to 

 do it successfully. The best way is, to let them remain two years, when 

 they will acquire sufficient strength to grow readily. 



Veronica speciosa. R. C. Wood.— This plant should be headed down 

 at this season of the year — at least the strong shoots — repotted, and placed 

 ia a warm situation in the greenhouse. If properly treated, it will make 

 a most showy ornament during the fall months. In the stove, we have 

 had it in flower all the winter, and, at the moment we write, several 

 plants have strong spikes of its rich violet purple flowers fully expanded. 



Verbenas. A Subscriber. — Twelve of the finest verbenas are the fol- 

 lowing : — Feast's Crimson, Feast's Purple, Gazelle, Suzette, Eclipse, 

 Gem, Julia, variabilis, Rosy Cluster, Feast's White, Dove-Eye, and 

 Othello. 



