234 Notes and Gleanings. 



and perish. The application of a sprinkling of dry soot round the roots of 

 bushes, when early digging operations are being proceeded with in spring, will 

 act most successfully in preventing their appearance ; and this, resorted to in 

 successive seasons, will entirely extirpate the pests. — Scottish Fanner. 



[We wish a little more attention could be given to gooseberries by our grow- 

 ers. Fine samples of foreign berries were shown a week or two ago at the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society's weekly exhibition ; and a friend of ours 

 raises various large English kinds on the border of his grapery, where ;,;>y 

 succeed perfectly. — Ed.'\ 



DiPLADENiA AMCENA. — This, which we may at once state is a most valuable 

 acquisition amongst stove-plants, has been raised by Mr. Henry Tuke, gardener 

 to R. Nicholls, Esq., Bramley, near Leeds. Mr. Tuke also raised from seed the 

 \owQ\y Dip laden ia amabilis., which was sent out in 1865 by the Messrs. Backhouse 

 and Son of York. This latter was the result of a cross between D. splendens 

 and D. crassinoda, the former being the male parent ; and the seed was sown in 

 March, 1862. This D. amabilis is a great advance upon D. crassinoda, having 

 a more robust habit, and being of a more brilliant color and a freer bloomer. 



Mr. Tuke, having thus been successful in obtaining this very decided improve- 

 ment on D. crassi>ioda, next endeavored- to effect a similar improvement on JJ. 

 spleJidcns by crossing this fine species with D. amabilis ; and the result is a batch. 

 of seedlings differing from each other in habit, one of which bloomed last sum- 

 mer, and has been named by Mr. Moore, in " The Gardener's Chronicle," 

 Dipladenia amoena. 



This beautiful variety bears a considerable resemblance to D. splendens m 

 color ; but in every respect it is a great improvement on it. In form it is vastly 

 superior, the lobes being stiff and round instead of reflexed and pointed ; and in 

 habit, when we state that it partakes qf that of the parent D. amabilis, it must 

 be at once seen that in this respect it is also a great improvement on D. splendens. 

 In blooming, it is as free as D. amabilis ; and has better foliage even than that 

 variety, especially in respect to color, as it does not brown as the other kinds do, 

 but preserves a glossy green hue through the autumn. 



Mr. Tuke is so successful a grower of dipladenias, that we cannot do better 

 than give a short account of his method of growing them. The soil he uses is 

 composed of rough, fibrous peat, broken to the size of walnuts, with a liberal 

 mixture of sand, adding a few rough bones and good drainage, and potting firm^ 

 In the winter, the plants are taken off the wires or trellis, and are kept dry in a 

 house of medium temperature. If they are wanted for a June exhibition, the 

 plants are started into growth in November or December at the latest ; if for 

 August exhibitions, the plants are started in February. Mr. Tuke does not 

 plunge the plants ; finding, especially in winter, that they do better without. 

 Dipladenias do best by keeping them moderately dry until in good foliage. 

 Many of these plants are killed by over- watering. A moist atmosphere of 65" 

 to 70° is best for early growth, gradually increasing to 80° and 85° as the plants 

 progress. They also do best when grown near the glass, and well exposed to 

 the light — Florist and Pomologist. 



