Jclt 7, 1888.] 



THE GAEDENEBS' CHBONICLE. 



13 



stemon coccineus, a highly ornamental "bottle- 

 brush," formerly more often seen in our conser- 

 vatories than at present; Exocarpus aphyllus, and 

 Casuarina quadrivalvis. The work is issued by 

 Mr. Brown, the Conservator of South Australian 

 Forests, and is very creditable to his industry and 

 knowledge. 



" Forest Flora of Cochin China." — M. Pierre's 

 colossal undertaking has reached its 176th large 

 folio plate ; but that brings us no further than 

 Bombax in Malvacea:. The plates are crowded with 

 detail, and the botanical descriptions are very care- 

 fully elaborated. 



The Alpine Garden. 



NOTES ON ALPINES. 



Bamondia pyrcnaica. — In a recent number of the 

 Gardeners' Chronicle Mr. Wolley Dod speaks of this 

 pretty alpine. I have plants of this collected by 

 myself in the Pyrenees, in various aspects. Have any 

 of your correspondents been struck by the fact that 

 this plant, when apparently absolutely dead from 

 drought, has a singular power of recovery? Some of 

 my plants, in a dry rockwork with due south ex- 

 posure, during the last exceptionally warm dry 

 summer, were shrivelled up, looking like bits of 

 dry green flannel, and I gave them up for dead. Since 

 the winter they have (like the Anastatica) swelled 

 out and assumed their normal form of a spreading 

 rosette of leaves, and they, moreover, bloomed early 

 — in May — and with flowers of good size and form. 

 Another plant I have planted in what I may call a 

 miniature cave with a northerly exposure and moist 

 soil, has now a rosette of leaves a foot across and 

 has bloomed well although a month later than the 

 plants in a drier and more sunny site. 



Haherlea rhodopensis. — I do not find that this plant 

 increases fast, in fact it is of extremely slow growth 

 with me. My single plant bore three spikes of its 

 pretty flowers last year, but this year I have not one. 



After Primula nivalis, with its spotlessly white, 

 dense heads of flowers, the gems this season have 

 been, I think — 



Edraianthn.1 pumilio and its still more lovely con- 

 gener, E. serpyllifolius, both of which seem to have 

 enjoyed the prolonged drought. E. dalmaticus is 

 not yet iu bloom. 



Ourisia coccinca has bloomed with me for the first 

 time, and is a worthy rival of Heuchera sanguinea. 



Campanula Allioni and C. pulla, CEthionema cori- 

 difolium, Potentilla nitida, Rosa pyrenaica, Arnica 

 montana, Erigeron aurantiacum, and a host of Saxi- 

 frages make the rock garden at this season an intense 

 pleasure to those who, like myself, appreciate the 

 beauties of Nature rather than those of purely arti- 

 ficial gardening. 



Primula Rxjsbti. 



In this we have quite a gem, resembling P. 

 Parryi, but smaller. The stem is slightly puberulent ; 

 the leaves rather fleshy, oblanceolate, 2 — 5 inche3 

 long, and serrate. The flower-stalk is a span high, 

 two to six flowered; the calyx mealy and reddish; 

 the corolla deep-crimson-purple, with a distinct 

 lemon-yellow eye. This plant, like P. Parryi aud P. 

 suffrutescens, loves a spot where the light is subdued 

 by the margin of running water, or it will succeed 

 fairly iu an ordinary bog bed. J. T. 



Plants and Their Culture. 



Sparmaxxia ArEiCAXA. — Plants which were cut 

 back as they went out of bloom and have since 

 broken into growth, will be benefited by being turned 

 out of their pots, and as much of the old soil and 

 roots removed as can be done with safety, repotting 

 them in a loamy compost, putting them for a short 

 time afterwards in a cool house ; and if slight shade 

 in bright weather and a moist atmosphere can be 

 afforded them, this treatment will accelerate their 

 progress, and as soon as a little new growth is made 

 more air must be gradually given so as to prepare 



them for exposure out-of-doors. Here they will 

 make closer jointed shoots than when grown indoors 

 during the summer. Young plants spring-struck 

 should be attended to in the way of shifting, and 

 when large enough be placed out-of-doors. The small 

 plants are very hardy, and effective for arranging 

 with small groups of plants, or for standing on the 

 side stages of the greenhouse. 



Eupatoriums. — Cuttings of these winter bloomers 

 already rooted should be potted up, subsequently 

 pinching the points out until the required bushy 

 habit is obtained. If there be any deficiency of stock 

 more cuttings may be still put in, and with the usual 

 attention to shading, &c, they will soon root. A 

 cool frame is a capital appliance in which to grow 

 E. riparium and E. Weinmannianum, but E. ianthi- 

 num and E, atro-rubens do better where they can be 

 accommodated with a few degrees more heat. The 

 last two mentioned species are frequently seen under 

 the name of Hebeclinum. 



Eranthemums. — These plants may be conveniently 

 divided into two groups — one grown for their foliage, 

 the other for their flowers. It is of the latter I wish to 

 speak. Perhaps no species is better known than pul- 

 chellum, the plant with flowers of a rich blue colour, 

 and appearing in the winter. Young stock should 

 be potted on, snd placed in a light and airy house, 

 with an intermediate temperature. One of the most 

 continuous flowering species is the pure white 

 eboracense ; it has a compact and neatly branching 

 habit, and if large pieces are put in as cuttings, they 

 commence flowering soon after they become rooted, 

 and are more or less in flower throughout the war. 

 E. Cooperi is a neat-growing species, with prettily 

 marked flowers ; but perhaps the showiest species is 

 E. cinnabarinum, which has long panicles of ver- 

 milion-coloured flowers, and which are produced in 

 spring and early summer. This species, after 

 flowering, shoud be pruned hard back ; any of the 

 shoots so cut off, which are suitable, may be put in 

 as cuttings, and as soon as the old plants break they 

 may be turned out of the pot, the ball reduced, and 

 repotted. E. Andersoni and E. hypocrateriforme 

 are likewise worthy of being grown for variety. All 

 the species like an intermediate temperature, with a 

 considerable amount of ventilation, and a rather 

 free, light soil, frequently syringing them during 

 their growth. F. Ross, Pendell Court. 



Fruits Under Glass. 



Melons. — Maintain a dry, warm atmosphere in the 

 house where the fruits are colouring. In dull 

 weather this will - have to be done by artificial 

 heat ; 75° to 80° is a suitable temperature 

 during the day-time with air, and also at night. 

 Plants which are swelling a heavy crop of fruit 

 should be assisted with some weak stimulant 

 each time that they are watered, but heavy 

 waterings with strong manure-water should be 

 avoided, as it tends to produce over-large fruit aud 

 loss of flavour. Continue to make fresh sowings 

 once a fortnight. 



Cucumbers in full bearing may be occasionally 

 watered with weak manure-water, but a top-dressing 

 with loam, leaf-mould, and well rotted manure, with 

 an occasional slight sprinkling of Thomson's manure 

 will do just as well to preserve the plants in vigour. 

 Avoid cropping heavily, and sow seeds for a late 

 autumn supply — this had better be done in some 

 structure where artificial heat is available. 



Pines. — Plants which are ripening their frnit 

 should now receive more air, and the atmosphere 

 be kept drier. Damp the paths and walls once 

 a day, but do not syringe the plants overhead. 

 Pay every attention to plants swelling their fruit, 

 and do not allow them to become dry at the root, or, 

 on the other hand, to be over-watered. Syringe 

 slightly overhead at shutting-uptime all such plants, 

 and well moisten all surfaces twice daily. If the 

 day be very warm, damp down with a watering-pot 

 and rose about 1 p.m. ; allow the temperature to run 

 up to 95° after the house has been closed for the 

 day, but ventilate slightly by the top ventilators after 

 6 p.m. for the night. Remove all the gills from the 

 base and crown of the fruits, and reduce the number 

 of suckers on each plant to two. The plants which 

 were rested during the past month should now have 

 the temperature raised to induce them to start into 

 fruit ; water sparingly until such time as signs of 

 starting are observed, but do not allow them to 

 become so dry as was recommended for earlier 

 started plants. 



Succession plants which were potted in spring will 

 have made good progress, and if all has gone well, 

 their pots will be well filled with roots. Every care 

 must be taken to keep them in a healthy moist 

 state at the root, as the slightest check from over- 

 dryness will cause them to start prematurely into 

 fruit. Gently dew over the growing stock every 

 afternoon, when the house is shut up, letting the 

 temperature range from 70° to 75°, and but little 

 artificial heat will be required to keep up this tem- 

 perature, unless it be during dull days or cool nights, 

 to keep up a circulation of air. When it is neces- 

 sary to apply fire-heat, see that the heat in the appa- 

 ratus has been turned off ere the sun falls on 

 the house the next day. 



Suckers potted in the spring will now be ready 

 for shifting into their fruiting pots, and as they are 

 potted they should be plunged in their proper division. 

 This should have been thoroughly syringed all over 

 with a strong mixture of petroleum and water, the 

 wood and glass well scrubbed with a brush and soft- 

 soap afterwards, and the walls washed with freshly 

 slaked lime-wash into which some flowers of sulphur 

 have been put. In placing the plants, 2 feet from 

 centre to centre will be the proper distance 

 apart for Queens, Envilles, and other moderate 

 growers. 



Suckers. — Towards the end of the month suckers 

 may be put in from the general stock on the stools 

 from which the early Pines have been cut. Although 

 this is usually done it is preferable to be constantly 

 putting a few suckers in as they become large enough. 

 In potting suckers remove a few of the scaly leaves 

 from the bottom sufficiently high to set free the 

 embryo roots, which are of brown colour — but no 

 higher. The bed into which these are to be plunged 

 should receive some additional fermenting material 

 to raise the bottom-heat to 90°, the inside having 

 been cleaned previously. The suckers should be 

 slightly damped overhead with a fine-rose watering- 

 pot at shutting-up time, and shaded during the 

 warmest part of the day if the weather is bright. 

 W, -V. Bailiie, Luton Hoo Gardens. 



The Hardy Fruit Garden, 



Thixsisg. — When Apricots, Peaches, and Nectar- 

 ines have finished stoning the fruits should be 

 finally thinned. Apricots, generally speaking, are 

 rather a precarious crop, and when the flowers do set 

 well many people are induced to allow the trees to 

 carry too many fruits, exhausting the trees, and which 

 then require the next season or two to recover. 

 Leave the fruits a trifle closer together than is the 

 rule with Peaches. Remove all badly situated fruits, 

 and also those that are in contact with the wall 

 nails, or else remove the nails, otherwise they will 

 cause gumming. The large early Apricot always 

 repays for being liberally thinned, and if the trees 

 are kept well watered the fruits produced are equal 

 in size to those of a Peach. After the thinning is 

 completed give the borders a thorough soaking of 

 water, to assist the fruits in swelling ofi', but when 

 heavy rains have fallen this will not be necessary. 

 Should the walls have fixed glass copings the border 

 must be watered in any event. 



Peaches and Nectarines must also be well thinned 

 out, leaving the remaining ones well placed, exposed 

 to the sun, and as evenly distributed over the tree 

 as possible. The remarks as to the watering of 

 Apricot borders apply here. 



Sitting. — The mid-season Strawberries, red and 

 white Currants, and the later varieties of sweet 

 Cherries should be netted over. Where Gooseberries 

 and Currants are in demand late in the season as 

 dessert fruits, spread some long straw or litter under 

 the trees to prevent the fruit from being splashed 

 with mud. A few trees should always be grown on a 

 north wall for dessert fruits. On a north aspect 

 Currants will hang in good condition till late in 

 November. A. Ward. Stoke Edith Gardens, Hereford. 



Carnation R. H. Elliot.— Messrs. Laixo & 

 Mather, Kelso, send us blooms of their new Car- 

 nation, which flowers freely at Kelso both in and 

 out-of-doors. The flowers sent to us are fragrant, 

 of good size, even petal, and very double. The 

 ground-colour is a pale ochrey-yellow, freely striped 

 with rose-coloured stripes, and the calyx is not split. 

 We should give it a good place as a border Car- 

 nation. 



