Novkjlbeu 17. 1888.] 



THE GABDENEBS' CHRONICLE. 



571 



nately, in this case we are unable to do so, as the 

 original bore no mark whereby to identify it ; all 

 we can say is, that we thank the sender, and shall be 

 glad to state from whose collection the photograph 

 came should the information be forwarded to us. 



Plants and Their Culture. 



Pitcairnia COBALUNA. — Many of the Brome- 

 liaceiu are worthy of more extended cultiva- 

 tion, as in the case of this species, with its 

 long, arching, plicate leaves of a glaucous-green 

 colour on the upper surface, and densely covered 

 with a white powder on the under-side ; but 

 although thus ornamental when not flowering, it is 

 much more so during that period. The red flowers 

 are produced in massive racemes about 2 feet long. 

 Both peduncle and flowers are red, and the latter is 

 of considerable size and substance ; the three inner 

 pieces of the perianth are the largest, and edged 

 with white. A curious point about the inflores- 

 cence is, that shortly after it emerges from the base 

 of the plant it is suddenly bent downwards, which 

 gives it the appearance of being pendulous, but 

 although the raceme is thus bent down, the indi- 

 vidual flowers are bent back towards the base 

 of the peduncle, and therefore maintain an erect 

 position, which gives them a singular appear- 

 ance. They are thus freed from the dense mass 

 of foliage, and are thus seen to the best advantage. 

 The plant is of easy culture, growing freely in the 

 stove in a free fibrous compost. It flowers at various 

 seasons, but usually in spring ; however, a large 

 plant growing against the back wall of our Bromeliad- 

 house is, and has been, in flower for some long time, 

 and has had over a dozen of its beautiful racemes of 

 blooms. It is figured in the But. Mag., t. G000. 

 The plant is propagated by division, or from seeds 

 when these are obtainable ; but it is practically of 

 caulescent habit, and is readily divided. 



Flower Forcing. — This department will now require 

 much forethought and energetic management where 

 large quantities of cut flowers are required regularly. 

 It is indispensable to success to look well ahead, and 

 make timely provision for probable requirements. 

 Of course it rarely happens that a quantity of forced 

 sturl' turns out just according to expectations under 

 the best management ; therefore it is well to put 

 into heat more than are likely to be required, but to 

 avoid over-abundance, especially when Chrysanthe- 

 mums or other flowers are in season ; though there 

 should always be so much material in hand that 

 by retarding or accelerating, as circumstances may 

 require, an unbroken supply may be sustained. 

 In the meantime the earliest batch of Roman 

 Hyacinths and paper-white Narcissus may be 

 removed from the plunging material when suffi- 

 ciently rooted, and if the leaves are much advanced 

 carefully inure them to the light, and after a few 

 days they may be placed in the forcing house if 

 required soon, if not place them well up to the light 

 in the greenhouse ; in either case the flower-spikes 

 will be improved by a watering with weak liquid 

 manure occasionally. Where specimen potfulls are 

 grown, see that the flower-spikes are afforded some 

 slight support at an early stage, otherwise they will 

 be apt to break off. Of shrubs for forcing one of 

 the best is the common Lilac, and the white variety 

 is usually most prized. Lilac is easily brought into 

 bloom in an ordinary forcing or intermediate house, 

 or other place where the temperature is kept at about 

 60°. But as the flowers expand care should be 

 taken not to wet them, as they are easily spoiled. 

 The plants should be left out until the leaves have 

 fallen, and I think they seem to force better when 

 they have had a good frost before being lifted. 

 Secure a plentiful supply of Lily of the Valley and 

 Spirxa japonica ; both are best when started in the 

 dark and in plunging material, as the latter keeps 

 them more uniformly moist at the root. F. Ross, 

 Vendel Court. 



Fruits Under Glass. 



Peaches. — The early house should now be shut 

 up, the trees being syringed morning and afternoon 

 — the night temperature not being allowed to rise 

 higher than 50°, and a ridge of warm leaves in the 

 centre of the house, will secure this amount of 

 warmth, unless the nights be very cold. It is, how- 

 ever, better to force trees in pots thug early in pre- 



ference to exciting permanent trees. If the requi- 

 site number of these be available, and are now 

 plunged in warm leaves, they will speedily respond to 

 the process of forcing. The day temperature should 

 not exceed 55° without sun in the earlier stages, and 

 GO with sun-heat, and with ventilation ; but should 

 the thermometer run up to 65° for a short time after 

 closing, and very lightly dewing lie afforded with 

 tepid water, no harm will accrue. When airing, 

 guard against cold draughts. 



Succession-houses. — Give attention to the thorough 

 cleansing of the trees, and doing the little pruning 

 which will be required. Well wash the shoots with 

 a little petroleum, soft-soap, and warm water, laying 

 the shoots on the palm of the left hand, and working 

 the brush upwards. Top-dress as formerly directed, 

 and carefully guard against a too dry state of the soil 

 at the roots. When the trees are in bad soil, no 

 time should be lost in having matters put right, the 

 best plan being to lift the roots, and replant them in 

 better soil. Let the drainage also be seen to. Avoid 

 adding manure to the soil when replanting, but still, if 

 the soil be of a light nature, a little well rotted manure 

 will do no harm if the trees are of a good age ; but 

 if they are young it will produce grossness ; on the 

 contrary, if the soil be heavy, a liberal amount of 

 charred" soil should be added, along with plenty of 

 old mortar rubbish, using as a manure, bone-meal. 

 Where the trees have been lifted during the present 

 season and are full of young roots protection must 

 be afforded such, else wet will seriously injure them. 

 Recently planted trees will require a little warmth in 

 the apparatus, with a free current of air even after 

 the leaves may have dropped, in order to properly 

 ripen the growth. In pruning such trees let the 

 knife be used as little as possible even should the 

 shoots be 4 or feet long. The best plan to reduce 

 such grossness is to divert the flow of sap into as 

 many channels as possible, and this can be accom- 

 plished when the trees commence to grow by leaving 

 as many side shoots as are requisite for the furnish- 

 ing of the trellis ; cutting back such shoots aggra- 

 vates in a large measure the tendency to grossness, 

 as the harder a tree is pruned the more does it 

 extend itself, and as long as this tendency remains 

 there is little certainty of obtaining a crop of fruit. 

 On the other band most of the lateral growths from 

 a strong shoot will set any quantity of fruit buds. 

 W. M. Baillie, Luton Hoo. 



The Hardy Fruit Garden. 



Varieties of Peaes to Plant.— This matter re- 

 quires careful consideration, as there are many varie- 

 ties which fail to give satisfaction in the open ground, 

 and in any but very good climates, but which, when 

 they are accorded a wall to grow on, bring their 

 fruit to perfection. When there is in the garden 

 much extent of wall with a southern aspect the 

 choicer late-ripening varieties of Pears may be 

 planted on it, whilst for earlier varieties the other 

 aspects will suffice provided the soil is suited to 

 Pears. The following is a list of select varieties 

 which succeed well either as pyramids or bushes on 

 the Quince, and which seldom fail to bear good 

 crops, viz.: — Souvenir du Congres, Colmar d'Ete, 

 Beurre d'Amanlis, Thompson's, Louise Bonne, 

 Flemish Beautv, Beurre Hardy. Beurre Superin, 

 I'itmaston Duchess, Marie Louise, Doyenne du 

 Cornice, Marechal de la Cour, Durondeau, Seckle 

 and Dana's Hovey. 



For growing against walls, as cordons, &c : — Beurre 

 Giffard, Summer Beurre d'Aremberg, Beurre de 

 l'Assomption, Duchesse d'Orleans. Jersey Gratioli, 

 Bonne d'Ezee (Brockworth Park), Winter Nelis, 

 Bergamotte d'Esperen and Pitmaston Duchess. The 

 following will be improved by planting on a south 

 aspect:— Gansel's Bergamotte, Marie Louise, Beurre 

 Superfin, Knight's Monarch, Glou Morc;eau, Passe 

 Colmar, Olivier de Series and Marie Benoist. For 

 growing as standards in the garden and orchard : — 

 Williams' Bon Chretien, Windsor, Swan's Egg, 

 Autumn Bergamotte, Fertility, Jargonelle (this does 

 well on west aspect in northern counties), Beurre 

 de Capiaumont, and Louise Bonne, are about the 

 best. 



Apples. — This fruit is not so fastidious as to soil as 

 the Pear, and it will grow in almost any kind of soil, 

 providing it is not a wet one, but where Apples are 

 not usually in England planted, is against walls ; but 

 if this can' be done, a few of the choice dessert kinds 

 so treated will repay the trouble taken. Some of 

 the finest and most highly-coloured fruits of Ribston 



Pippin and Peasgood's Nonsuch I ever saw weie 

 grown against a wall. 



The following is a list of the best and most sure- 

 cropping culinary Apples in the West, and perha] s 

 generally over the country : — Lord Suffield, Potts' 

 Seedling, Stirling Castle, Cellini, Cox's Pomona, 

 Small's Admirable, Echlinville Seedling, Warner's 

 King, Prince Albert, Beauty of Kent, New Northern 

 Greening, Mere de Menage. Yorkshire Beaut', 

 Winter Hawthornden, Hanwell Souring, Welling- 

 ton, French Crab, and Norfolk Beaulin; and for 

 dessert : — Juneating, Worcester Pearmain, Red As- 

 trachan, Quarrenden, Fearn's, Cox's Orange, Rib- 

 ston, and King Pippins; Seek-no-Further, Pine- 

 apple Reinette, Reinette du Canada, Duchess of 

 Oldenburg, Herefordshire, and Lamb Abbey Peai- 

 mains, Summer, and Franklin's Golden Pippii s, 

 Ashmead's Kernel, Scarlet Nonpareil, and Blenheim 

 Orange. 



Of newer varieties the following are worthy of a 

 place in any collection : — Beauty of Bath, School- 

 master, The Queen, Sandringham, Bismarck, King 

 of Tomkins County — in warm parts of the countiy 

 only ; Gascoigne's Scarlet Seedling, and Lady 

 Sudeley. A. Ward, Stoke Edith Park. 



The Kitchen Garden. 



Small Salad. — This is easily grown during tl e 

 summer months by the merest novice, but its culti- 

 vation in winter is a very different matter ; even in 

 the best regulated establishments it is capricious at 

 times, and not always to be had when required. The 

 best system of cultivation I have met with is to 

 sow in boxes about 3 inches deep, and nearly of the 

 size of large blue roofing slates; the size of tl.e 

 latter varies a little with the sort, and they foim 

 one of the best coverings for the seed-boxes. These 

 should be filled with a light compost, pressing all in 

 firmly with a brick to within three-quarters of an 

 inch of the top, leaving a smooth even surface. A 

 very slight sprinkling of fine soil should be evenly 

 distributed over this, and the whole well soaked wiih 

 tepid water. As soon as this has drained through 

 the box the seed may be sown, and in doing this it 

 is well to sow more thinly than is usual during the 

 summer months. No soil should be placed over the 

 seed, but the slate placed over the box at once, 

 before the surface soil gets dry, and kept there 

 until the young plants are almost touching it; 

 the boxes should then be placed where they will 

 receive a good bottom- heat — for instance, over 

 the pipes of a forcing house, where a minimum 

 temperature of 65° is maintained, with a couple of 

 bricks beneath to keep them from touching the pipes. 

 Here they should remain until the seed is germinated 

 and ready for the slates to come off. If the latter fit 

 the boxes closely no water should be required after 

 the seed is sown. Damping-off, which is often very 

 troublesome in the winter season, is almost certain 

 to ensue if any water is given. The slates should 

 be removed gradually by raising them a little in 

 the first instance, so as to inure the plants by 

 degrees to the air and light. After the slates are 

 removed the boxes should still remain in the same 

 house at this part of the year, as any check to the 

 growth causes damping at once. It is very import- 

 ant that none but new seed should be sown during 

 the winter months, that which is old or has been in 

 a damp place is sure to cause disappointment. The 

 above remarks apply to both Mustard and Cress. 

 The former should be sown about eight days before 

 required for use, and the latter requires three or four 

 days longer before it is ready. W. H. Divers, Kctton 

 Hall, Stamford. 



Prize Show of Onions— Encouraged by the 

 success of their annual shows of Leeks and Cab- 

 bages, Messrs. Stuart & Mein, seedsmen, Kelso, 

 resolved to hold a show of Onions on the same lines, 

 viz., that the exhibits be grown from seed supplied 

 by the firm. The competition, which took place on 

 Friday, November 2, in Messrs. Stuart & Mein's 

 premises, was open to the United Kingdom, and a 

 good number of exhibits were sent from various 

 parts of England and Scotland. Some heavy, well- 

 matured bulbs were shown. The following were the 

 prize-takers : — 1st, Mr. E. S. Wiles, EJgeeote Gar- 

 dens, Banbury ; 2nd, Mr. S. Buglas, Old Town, 

 Ayton ; 3rd, Mr. Charles Harris, Crossford, Lanark. 

 The 1st prize lot weighed 181 lb., averaging over 

 1 lb. per bulb. 



