12 



TEE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[July 7, 1888. 



tion, followed, as it is, by such disastrous conse- 

 quences. Where shed-room is insufficient for 

 placing them in after lifting (and where a few acres 

 exist this invariably happens) it is a good plan to 

 spread them upon a vacant piece of ground, and 

 place some lights over them supported on pots or 

 the like, and to cover the lights with bags or mats. 

 Sheets of corrugated iron are very good for the 

 purpose. 



Thus placed, a current of air passes freely over 

 them, and, being kept free from sun, their ripen- 

 ing will be all the more gradual — a state of 

 things much to be desired ; then by removing the 

 covers and turning the bulbs twice weekly the busi- 

 ness of drying may be effectually carried out. I am 

 of opinion that scorching sun upon the bulbs as soon 

 as they are out of the ground frequently causes them 

 to go blind, and should be avoided. E. Jen/Hns. 



Florists 1 Flowers. 



THE AZALEA. 



With very little trouble these showy plants may 

 be flowered for half the year, for the late flowering 

 varieties will continue to flower, especially if the 

 season be a late one, well into July. The earliest 

 varieties ought now to have finished their growth, 

 and as soon as the buds are set the plants should 

 be placed out-of-doors and watered carefully. The 

 main point to attend to is to get the plants started 

 into vigorous growth as soon as they have passed 

 out of bloom. This is done by placing them in a 

 warm house, syringing the plants well daily, and 

 shading from bright sunshine ; they must not, how- 

 ever, be placed out-of-doors from a warm house 

 without being gradually inured to the cooler atmo- 

 sphere outside, bat they should be taken into a 

 greenhouse, the lights of which must be kept rather 

 close for a few days, more air being admitted by 

 degrees. If a house can be set apart for the plants 

 they may be there treated to hothouse temperature 

 till growth is formed, the temperature being sub- 

 sequently altered to suit the plants. 



The latest flowering plants may be grown on now 

 in a moist atmosphere, but they will not require any 

 artificial heat further than what may be obtained by 

 shutting up the house early in the afternoon, and 

 allowing the temperature to rise by sun-heat. When 

 the house is shut up in the afternoon the shading 

 should be removed at once, when the temperature 

 will soon rise in hot summer weather to 85° or 90°, 

 and if the plants are well syringed there will be no 

 danger of their being injured by heat, for the moisture 

 which condenses on the glass will prevent this. 



The Amaryllis. 

 These plants are still in active growth, and the 

 •careful cultivator will see that they are not injured 

 by either too much or too little water. They are all 

 the better for being kept in a stove at present, 

 the house being shut up in the afternoon. Seed- 

 lings should now be growing freely, whether they 

 are of one or two years old. Seeds which are now 

 ripe should be sown at once, employing a little 

 bottom-heat to start them, the seeds always vege- 

 tating best with the aid of the warmth and moisture 

 obtained from fermenting materials. The heat 

 should not be more than 80°, or the germ may be 

 killed ; in fact, I have seen seeds stewed by being 

 sown in pots which were plunged over fermenting 

 manure. That is an error which can easily be 

 avoided by waiting until the violent heat subsides. 

 The seeds soon vegetate, and after they have been 

 above ground for ten days or so, the small plants may 

 be pricked out, ten or twelve of them in a 6-inch pot. 

 In hot weather, red-spider and thrips are very trouble- 

 some pests. Neither of them can be destroyed by 

 fumigation, for tobacco-smoke does not destroy the 

 spider, and the thrips fall down among the plunging 

 material, soon to be up and feeding again amongst 

 the leaves. Sponging the leaves with soft-soapy 

 water seems to check them. 



Pelargoniums. 

 There are few easily-grown plants better adapted 

 to furnish the house with bright flowers at this 

 season than the various types of the Pelargonium. 

 We have in our greenhouse the best of the large- 

 flowered show type, and a few of what are termed 

 decorative. The last-named are the best for giving 

 large quantities of flowers ; and the others flower 

 freely enough too, but the flowers are better formed, 

 and of the richest and most varied colours. Then we 

 have the small-flowered fancy type, the single and 

 double zonals, and the Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, both 

 single and double forms. The double varieties of 

 these are amongst the best of the recent novelties 

 in the large genus Pelargonium. The large long- 

 stalked trusses of rOBe, scarlet, purplish, and pink 

 varieties are most useful for cutting and decoration 

 in the house. These varieties may not be so grace- 

 ful as some of the single ones, but they are very 

 enduring, while the flowers of the single varieties 

 soon fall to pieces. Besides these there is a mine 

 of interest in the Cape species and their varieties. 

 One which is most useful and free in flowering is 

 cucullatum fl.-pl., with purplish double flowers 

 lasting long in beauty; the good old Eollisson's 

 Unique, tricolor, is a pretty little species, but it is 

 rarely vigorous. The crimson species, Schotii, is 

 very striking, as is also the Echinatum type. Those 

 who once take up the culture of these Cape species 

 do not care to give them up again. I have tried to 

 cross some of them, but have not been very success- 

 ful. Many persons leave the propagating of these 

 plants until it is the time to cut down the whole col- 

 lection in July and August ; but the best plants are 

 obtained from cuttings taken in May or June, and 

 put in singly in 60's ; they succeed best in this way. 

 Success in growing them will depend upon the atten- 

 tion they receive ; they should not be left in the 

 small pots after they are well established, and care 

 must be taken to keep them free from greenfly. 

 Many persons looking through our collection of 

 Pelargoniums say, "How do you manage to keep 

 them so free from greenfly ? " The only answer to 

 this is, " Regular fumigations with tobacco up to the 

 time the flowers begin to open." Afterwards it 

 cannot be done, the tobacco smoke causing the 

 blossoms to fall. 



The Chrysanthemum. 

 I allude to these because I have just now finished 

 the final potting the whole of my collection. This 

 should always be done by the middle of June, and if 

 done much earlier the pots seem to get too full of 

 roots, and the flowers do not possess high quality. 

 This remark applies especially to pot plants, as they 

 require to be kept steadily growing from very early 

 in the year. The Chrysanthemum now receives great 

 attention as an exhibition plant — greater, indeed, 

 than it has ever previously received, and the 

 Japanese varieties introduced have effected quite 

 a revolution in the appearence of our exhi- 

 bitions, and the quality of the flowers of 

 the incurved section has improved ; at any 

 rate, their size has increased ; yet I am obliged 

 to confess that there is no improvement in the quality 

 of the plants. They are either over-trained by having 

 the shoots twisted into a formthat itwould be impossible 

 for the plant to take naturally, or they are grown 

 without any training at all, the most conspicuous 

 part of the plants being the long naked stems. 

 There is no reason why the plants should be trained 

 into the form of a pancake, on the one hand, or be 

 allowed to become long and lanky, on the other. To 

 keep the leaves in a healthy green state on specimen 

 plants up to the time they come into flower requires 

 skilful, careful treatment, and it can only be done by 

 using potting soil of a substantial holding kind and 

 good quality — not too rich, as an excess of vigour is 

 very undesirable. A steady, good firm growth is 

 best, as then the plants may be stimulated after the 

 buds set by the judicious use of manure-water. The 

 system of training is of importance, and should be 

 such that the plants preserve, as near as can be, 

 their natural habit. If a plant is by natnre of a tall- 



growing habit, why should it be made to appear as a 

 dwarf? The great point is to keep the foliage clean 

 and healthy, else large well-formed flowers cannot 

 result. One flower, large in size and well formed, is 

 preferable to half a dozen below the medium size, 

 which are the usual produce of plants which have 

 lost half their leaves. 



A species of aphis distinct from that usually 

 found on Pelargoniums and allied plants attacks the 

 young shoots and sadly cripples them. When the 

 plants are in frames this pest can be killed by fumi- 

 gation with tobacco-smoke — out-of-doors that is 

 impossible ; but the plants may be cleaned in two 

 ways — they may be laid on their sides if they are 

 too large to be dipped, and be syringed with soft- 

 soapy water in which some tobacco-juice has been- 

 mixed, or the insect may be destroyed by dusting the 

 tips of the shoots with tobacco-powder. The plants, 

 whether specimens or not, should be placed in an 

 open airy position, not a draughty one, but if possible 

 where they are protected from the north and east 

 winds. J. Douglas. 



THE DELL, HYDE PAEK. 



[See Supplementary Sheet.] 

 At one time the small park which abuts on the 

 old Palace of Kensington contained much, if not all, 

 that could be termed picturesque in that broad expanse 

 of wood and glade called respectively Hyde Park 

 and Kensington Gardens. At the present time, in 

 so far as tree growth goes, and in the number, size, 

 and age of the trees, and their disposition in natural 

 looking groups and outlying specimens, the old 

 gardens of Kensington afford the most satisfaction to 

 the lover of sylvan scenery. Of late years, however, 

 despite the havoc made by storms, considerable efforts 

 have been made to add various features to the 

 larger area — Hyde Park. Thus in the larger half of 

 the Serpentine a projection has been formed and 

 planted with shrubs and low trees — a doubtful expe- 

 riment, as it destroys a fine bold sweep of water- 

 washed bank, itself more effective than the now 

 mutilated line. The kerb of granite round the Ser- 

 pentine may have its utility, but it is an eyesore, and 

 is less pleasing than a shore-line, water-fretted. The 

 Dell, which we show in our Supplement this week, is 

 a feature, very small certainly in extent, but one which 

 is a great improvement on the bare steps of the over- 

 flow cascade from the Serpentine, bordered by 

 equally bare rocks and common trees and shrubs. 



In the early days of Her Majesty's reign, and for 

 many years afterwards, the overflow water found its 

 way by a muddy ditch to the mouth of a great 

 tunnel, which conveyed the water under the high 

 road at Albert Gate, and onward through Belgravia 

 and Pimlico to the Thames. By widening the ditch 

 and bordering it in a picturesque manner with 

 masses of rock, shrubs, Iris, rushes, sedges, and other 

 water-loving vegetation, its appearance has been 

 quite altered, and what was once an ugly, swampy 

 piece of ground has been made a " beauty spot." 

 Water Lilies grow in the water, which is rarely 

 stagnant, and water fowl add life to the scene. 



In the summer time — when the view now given 

 was taken — Musas, Cycads, Palms of various hardy 

 species, and Dracccnas, give a richer aspect to the 

 vegetation which creeps up the sides o f the embank- 

 ment made across the valley to form the Serpentine. 



Forestry. 



" The Porest Flora of South Australia." — The 

 eighth part of this publication is before us, consisting 

 of folio coloured plates, representative of the trees of 

 the colon}-, with popular and technical descriptions, 

 indications of use, &c. The plants figured in the 

 present number are Eucalyptus pyriformis, with 

 large and beautiful pink flowers ; Acacia melanoxy- 

 lon, a handsome species, called Blackwood in South 

 Australia, but Lightwood in Tasmania — a delightful 

 illustration of the value of popular names ; Calli- 



