152 



THE GABDENEBS' CHRONICLE. 



[August 11, 1888. 



flowers, named Calliprora flava, are sent. It is a 

 distinct and pretty hardy plant, not differing in any 

 respect from C. lutea. It is another of the intro- 

 ductions of Mr. David Douglas from California. 



Some of the scapes have a score of flowers upon 

 them. Some trailing growths of Tropseolum poly- 

 phyllum and a big handful of Iris Ksempferi com- 

 plete the collection. The Lilies are the most remark- 

 able, and prove how valuable they are as border and 

 pot plants. J. Douglas. 



CLEMATIS JACKMANNI ALBA. 



Some quarter of a century ago I had learned to 

 appreciate the extraordinary value of Clematis Jack- 

 manni, and when admiring it the exclamation fre- 

 quently arose, "What a glorious thing a white 

 Jackman would be ! " At that time I had just suc- 

 ceeded in raising the beautiful set of patens varieties — 

 Miss Bateman, Albert Victor, Lady Londesborough, 

 Lord Londesborough, and a host of others, all 

 lovely, and still holding their own, as they are still 

 unsurpassed. I tried all ways I could think of, and 

 at last after — I am afraid to say how many — years I 

 succeeded in getting a cross between Jackmanni and 

 white patens. From this number of seedlings no 

 break at all appeared of any importance, except the 

 present subject, but it flowered, and I was delighted, 

 and showed it to one or two people, and told many 

 more ; its after history is well known — its hair- 

 breadth escapes, almost total loss, its disappoint- 

 ments, its condemnations. I had Tplanted out a 

 specimen, and watched its opening flowers, when, to 

 ny disgust, it produced a nondescript, dirty bluish 

 ibortion. I said "Propagate no more !" and for a year 

 or two I crestfallenly admitted to all my friends that 

 Jackmanni alba was a disappointment, and should 

 never be sent out. After a time, however, I remem- 

 bered the parable of the Fig tree, and said "Dig about 

 it, and try again." It was done, and at last, in 1883, 

 it appeared in public in its true form. A good 

 many thousands have now been circulated over the 

 world, and although I have had some very pointed 

 questions put to me respecting these abnormals, one or 

 two abusive letters, and one case of a Dutchman who 

 refused to pay, I may say that altogether I am quite 

 satisfied with my child ; but its habit of producing 

 the nondescript flowers is very curious indeed. The 

 flowers produced from the old wood during the 

 months of May, June, and July, are double or semi- 

 double, solitary, and of a bluish French-grey ; while 

 those produced from the young shoots, in August and 

 September, are single and white, in pairs on a long 

 raceme, showing as many as ten pairs and a termi- 

 nal on a string. This is one of those freaks of Nature 

 which are such sore puzzles to the poor unscien- 

 tific ones. It appears to me that the union of the 

 blood of patens, a spring-flowering kind, with Jack- 

 manni, an autumn type, is complete so far, but that 

 a kind of rivalry, if I may use the term, is set up to 

 see which type is the stronger. As far as my expe- 

 rience has gone, the patens form is never white, and 

 only flowers when the old wood is left growing, but 

 always appears during May, June, and July, while 

 no Jackmanni form is ever seen during those 

 months ; on the other hand, when the old wood is 

 cut away no patens is ever seen, but Jackmanni 

 commences and produces a mass of flowers on the 

 shoots of the year during August, September, and 

 October, as true Jackmanni does. 



I have one other case, perhaps equally curious, 

 though different ; the kind named Proteus produces 

 large double flowers about June ; it then rests a 

 month or so, and then commences to flower again, 

 producing its second crop of flowers quite single, but 

 of the same colour. 



I wish some of the thousands who have grown 

 Jackmanni alba would give their experience, because 

 it seems to me a very interesting problem, and it 

 would be well to know if the plant has perpetrated 

 any further freaks. As far as I know, the purple 

 Jackmanni never flowers in the abnormal way just 

 described with regard to alba, whether allowed to 

 flower on old or young wood, though in both cases 



(purple and white) the four or six parted flowers are 

 produced on plants more or less robust. If very 

 strong, the first burst of flowers will, many of them, 

 be six-parted in both kinds. 



As regards the origin of C. Jackmanni, all I can 

 say is that no Clematis approaching the character of 

 Jackmanni ever came under my notice through Mr. 

 Fortune, either from China or Japan, as far as I can 

 remember. Fortunei, Standishii, lanuginosa, and lanu- 

 ginosa pallida, and, lastly, John Gould Veitch, were all 

 Fortune's importations. M. Lavallee's notion, that 

 C. Jackmanni is the C. hakonensis, a native of 

 Japan, is very curious. I myself believe implicitly 

 in Jackman's versioD against it, but there are so 

 many extraordinary things amongst plants, that 

 it is not safe to speak positively. There is, for 

 instance, the remarkable Cytisus Adami, whose story 

 need not, perhaps, be repeated here. 



Spiraea Nobleana. — Then in my own case I 

 grew Spirsa Douglasii (North American) and 

 Spiraea callosa (China), side by side. The 

 plants seeded and fell on the ground, producing a 

 crop of seedlings for yards round. The young 

 plants were grown on, and a large number produced 

 a form about midway between the two species. Dr. 

 Lindley named it S. Nobleana ; that was strange, 

 but the most remarkable thing remains to be told. 

 The same plant (ideutically the same) was raised 

 the same year by the late Robert Donald, of Woking, 

 and M. Lierval, of Paris ; not only that, but Dr. 

 Lindley told me he had dried specimens from 

 North America agreeing exactly botanically with my 

 Spiraa. I myself saw the plants growing in Mr. 

 Donald's and M. Lierval's grounds. Charles Noble, 



FUNKIAS. 



Several of these are highly ornamental on 

 account of their foliage, and there are few 

 things that give a more tropical appearance to 

 certain parts of a garden than they do when 

 judiciously placed, as, though not of large size, 

 they are of bold contour, and very striking and 

 effective in the rich hue of the leaves. One of the 

 finest in this respect is F. Sleboldi, which is the 

 largest of the species, plants of it in suitable soils or 

 situations attaining a height of 3 feet, the stems 

 being stout and strong, and the foliage somewhat 

 heart-shaped, and from a foot to 15 inches across, 

 the colour being of a peculiar blue-green with a 

 metallic hue, which renders it very distinct. Not 

 only is this Funkia a striking object as regards its 

 leafage, but the flowers are effective, as they are 

 Lily-like in appearance, and are borne on tall spikes, 

 where they show off in fine contrast to the foliage 

 below. 



There is another species, F. Fortunei, which 

 resembles the one just referred to, but its leaves are 

 of a stouter texture and more glaucous in hue. The 

 next most noteworthy Funkia in point of foliage i3 

 F. ovata, the leaves of which are large and broad, 

 and the habit of the plant strong and robust. F. 

 subcordata is another fine species which has big 

 heart-shaped leaves, less ribbed than those of 

 F. Sieboldi, and not nearly so glaucous, the 

 flowers being creamy white, and borne on shorter 

 stems than the others. F. grandiflora (fig. 17, p. 153) 

 produces the finest blooms, which are borne 

 in tufts on the top of tall spikes, and when fully 

 expanded make quite a show. F. lancifolia has, 

 as its name implies, lance-shaped leaves, and there 

 are many beautiful and interesting varieties of this 

 well-known species that are prized for the rich 

 markings of their foliage, one being F. lancifolia 

 albo-marginata, which has an edging of white round 

 the leaves ; and univittata, which has the midrib 

 marked with the same colours ; undulata varie- 

 gata is variegated, more or less, all over the surface. 

 These last-mentioned look exceedingly well when 

 grown m the herbaceous border, but they are more 

 particularly adapted for edging large beds, where 

 they associate well with other foliage, or help to 

 tone down and form a suitable setting for gay 



flowers. The four first-named are of great value 

 in the subtropical garden or hardy fernery, where 

 much may be made of them either in masses or 

 single clumps, in either of which ways they always 

 command admiration. Although Funkias will do in 

 almost any soil or situation, that which suits those 

 now being treated of is a partially shaded position, 

 where there is plenty of depth of loose rich soil, and 

 an abundant supply of moisture, as then the plants 

 can send their fleshy roots down, and the foliage 

 becomes more rich and handsome from the extra 

 feeding it gets. The way to propagate or increase 

 Funkias is by division, which may be carried out 

 almost at any time, but is best done in the spring, 

 just when the plants are beginning to start, a period 

 when they may be taken up, and cut through, and 

 divided into as many pieces as there are crowns, and 

 each one will grow. J. 8. 



REPORTS OF THE POTATO 



CROP UP TO JULY 20. 



SCOTLAND. 



Aberdeenshire. — Potatos are late, but there is no 

 indication of disease. There are complaints in the 

 fields of the crop not coming regularly, but should we 

 now get warm weather appearances are in favour of a 

 good crop. New Potatos are not general, but with 

 me Sharp's Victor still bears the palm as the first, 

 if. Farquhar, Ft/vie Castle, Fyvie. 



Aberdeenshire. — Potatos, like most other vege- 

 tables, are very late, owing to the backwardness of 

 the season, and the late frost cut down all the earlier 

 sorts after they were 6 inches high. The general 

 crop and field crops are now — since the copious rains 

 of late — making a fairly good appearance, and up to 

 this date there seems no appearance of disease. J. F. 

 Smith, Dunecht Gardens, 



Ayrshire. — Potatos look well in fields about here, 

 and garden crops are good and clean. No signs of 

 disease as yet. Dry warm weather very much needed 

 now, the night temperature for the last fortnight 

 being very low — seldom above 40°. W. Priest, Eglin- 

 ton Gardens, Irvine. 



East Lothian. — Potatos in the gardens are all 

 looking healthy and promising, in the meantime ; 

 Old Ashleaf and Myatt's Prolific are of a fair size 

 and good quality. We were exactly fourteen days 

 later to begin using them this year than in 1887. 

 Field Potatos are all looking well at the present 

 time, although late. But really the prospects of the 

 farmer and the gardener this season are not very 

 bright in this district at the present time. L, Dow, 

 Ncwbyth Gardens, Prestonkirk. 



Forfarshire. — Potatos are growing most luxuri- 

 antly, with every prospect of a good crop. It was far 

 too good last season, and there have been far too 

 many.for folk and cattle to consume ; in consequence 

 some long Potato pits are yet untouched, as the 

 prices would not pay the labour of lifting. J. 

 Mitchell, Panmure Gardens, Carnoustie. 



Mid-Lothian. — Potatos, like all other crops, are 

 fully a fortnight later than in an average season, but 

 they are very healthy, and with the rain of the past 

 fortnight they have grown vigorously, so that there 

 is every appearance of a fine crop in the autumn, if 

 we have an average dry and warm season to bring 

 them to maturity. Early varieties are turning out 

 well, although a little soft from the heavy rainfall. 

 There are no signs of disease yet ; but it has seldom 

 appeared of late years in this district till the end of 

 July, and for the last few years the attack has been 

 slight. A succession of dry autumns has done 

 much to lessen its virulence, and with another dry 

 autumn the probability is that we shall hear little 

 about it. M. Dunn, Dalkeith Gardens, Dalkeith. 



ENGLAND— NORTHERN COUNTIES. 

 Northumberland. — Potatos look well, but we 

 have not yet lifted any. Planting could not be done 

 before April, and since then the weather has been ex- 

 ceptionally wet and cold. On June 14 we had a 



