DECEMBER 8. 1888.] 



TEE GARDENER S f CHRONICLE. 



G77 



turf does not become so quickly dry as loose soil, 

 and can be more effectually watered when dry. 

 That the beds do well with this covering there is no 

 doubt, judging from the quality and quantity of 

 Mushrooms to be seen, and Mr. Perkins assures me 

 that the same beds have been in bearing for more 

 than four weeks. I do not see why the same turves 

 should not be used for two or more beds, as the 

 ammonia, &c, from the fresh beds would be absorbed 

 by the turf, and enable it to bring other crops to 

 maturity. T. F. D., Valentines. 



FLOWERING POTATOS. — The connection be- 

 tween flowering and tubering of Potatos in this 

 country is probably very slight. We have many 

 kinds which flower freely, but very few which fruit. 

 Very many of our finest kinds may, under the 

 influence of bright sunny weather, be seen carrying 

 literally masses of bloom, giving for the moment a 

 charming appearance ; but very soon all fall, for the 

 simple reason that all are devoid of pollen. Just a 

 few kinds, and mainly those fast passing into 

 oblivion, will fruit freely, but I have not found 

 relative to other kinds that these free fruiters have 

 been exceptionally poor tuber producers. If anyone 

 would like to test this matter fully let them obtain 

 tubers of Woodstock Kidney, Kadstock Beauty, 

 American Purple Kidney, and in a lesser fruiting 

 degree Reading Russet, and they will have a quartet 

 of the freest fruiters I have ever met with; on the 

 other hand, I have had Magnum Bonum, Chancellor, 

 Prime Minister, The Dean, and others to bloom with 

 greater apparent profusion than have either of those 

 named above, and yet not produce a single fruit. The 

 why and the wherefore of this remarkable lack of 

 fruitfulness presents a very interesting subject for 

 inquiry. Many a time in attempting to make 

 crosses between varieties I have been baffled by the 

 impossibility, after testing scores of flowers, of obtain- 

 ing a small grain of pollen. Woodstock Kidney has 

 been such a fecund pollen producer, that it has been 

 more largely utilised than any other as a pollen 

 parent; but we do not want Woodstock Kidney 

 progeny perpetually. From Kadstock Beauty I have 

 removed clusters of twenty fruits, weighing half a 

 pound per cluster. A very interesting experiment 

 in the case of these two kinds would be found in 

 allowing one row of each of a given length to carry 

 all the fruit possible, and one equal row of each to 

 have all the bloom removed ; then the tubers and 

 fruit in the one case to be weighed against the tubers 

 in the other case. Such a test might prove very 

 instructive. A.D. 



STACHYS TUBERIFERA. — Referring to your 

 notices of this plant, or "Crosnes" of the Parisian 

 markets, we are informed on reliable authority that 

 in France they are stored in wood shavings to keep 

 them through the winter ; but of course the French 

 climate is very different from ours. ./. Wrench if- Sons. 



1 have grown the above plant this year 



for the first time, and find it a real acquisi- 

 tion as a second course vegetable. Our family 

 and the company staying here are very pleased 

 with it, as is also the cook. It grows without 

 much attention, is perfectly hardy, and very prolific. 

 Cannot you, Mr. Editor, give it a more homely name 

 as becoming a modest vegetable? Cooks cannot 

 very well write " Stachys tuberifera" on their menu 

 cards. 0. Thomas. [Most menu cards being written 

 in that language, why not adopt the French word, 

 " Crosnes ? " Er.] 



FRUIT TREE BORDERS. — It is pleasant to find an 

 old hand like Mr. Sheppard conceding, if sometimes 

 with reservations, all the points I lay the most stress 

 upon, namely, a border for the roots of the trees to 

 be left uncropped, and a slope given to the cropping 

 part of the border. We differ mainly in detail, and 

 that may be due to the fact that Mr. Sheppard is 

 living on a dry soil in a part of England which enjoys 

 a warmer or at least a drier climate than other parts 

 of the country. He would go to 5 feet, but I prefer 

 1 feet as the width of my fruit borders, if I had to 

 make a large garden, or renew an old one that would 

 admit of its being done. In small gardens it is 

 advisable that the borders should be made of lesser 

 width, and consequently with lesser fall from wall to 

 path than that which was recommended in my note. 

 Mr. Sheppard wants no drains in a soil resting on 

 gravel, but he should not condemn their employment 

 in heavy land, nor the use of platforms of hard 

 materials under the trees in clayey, shallow, and even 

 wet soils. I know very well a large kitchen garden 

 near London where no preparations were 

 made for wall trees or Vines, and the produce 



was very fine, especially Grapes, Peaches, aud Pears ; 

 but there were specially favourable circumstances in 

 a deep light loam overlying sand or gravel, and the 

 water-level 80 — 100 feet from the surface. Similar 

 inattention to draining and other means to good 

 cultivation would result in disaster where the water- 

 level is much nearer the surface, the soil heavy, and 

 overlying clay, as is the case over much of the 

 country. I would not use a board gangway on any 

 border, were it not that in wet weather it is not 

 possible to walk on a border without doing harm to 

 it, besides bringing mud from it on to the walks. 

 Trampling a border in dry weather results, as Mr. 

 Sheppard says, in good only, the soil gets con- 

 solidated, and the roots ramify to a much greater 

 extent than in loose soil. F. M. 



PEAR KNIGHTS MONARCH. — In your last week's 

 issue, p. 641, mention is made of two varieties of Pear; I 

 have never known but one — fruit roundish with a 

 short stalk, and easily known from the fact that 

 it persists in shedding its fruit when nearly ready for 

 gathering. I find it an excellent plan to hang a net 

 under those growing on the walls, in the same way as 

 one does for Peaches ; into these the fruits drop, 

 when tbey should be carried to the fruit room and 

 placed in the coolest place, and brought forward in 

 November, when they will ripen splendidly. The 

 tree grows well as a standard ; and then to preserve 

 the fruit from being bruised plenty of long mulching 

 ought to be laid underneath the tree. The spurious 

 variety is Althorpe Crassane. The Monarch was 

 raised some sixty years ago by the late J. Andrew 

 Knight, who wished to present the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society with scions of his seedling, and his 

 gardener unfortunately took them from the wrong 

 tree, hence the confusion. J. Bust, Bridge Castls. 



JUDGING AT WINCHESTER SHOW.— Allow me 



as a disinterested (in this case) exhibitor of Chry- 

 santhemums of some years' standing to corroborate 

 the criticism contained in the report which you give 

 of the Winchester show on p. 010 of the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle, in reference to the Cup class for forty- 

 eight blooms. I am one of the persons referred to by 

 your reporter, who considered that the judges made a 

 serious error in their award of the 1st prize at this 

 show. I thought that they did not attach sufficient 

 importance to the Japanese blooms of the 2nd prize 

 stand, which were so very much superior to those of 

 the same section in the stand which they placed 1st. 

 I will admit that the front and middle row flowers of 

 the stands of incurved varieties which were placed 

 2nd were not equal to the similar rows of the 1st 

 prize stand ; but the fact is beyond dispute that the 

 blooms in the back row of incurved flowers in Mr. 

 Molyneux's stand were certainly superior to those of 

 the back row in Mr. Flight's stand ; this and the 

 superiority of the Japanese, certainly outweighed the 

 defects of the two rows of incurved named, and 

 entitled Mr. Molyneux, in my opinion, to 1st honours. 

 E. Wills, Basse/ 1, Southampton, [We accepted our 

 reporter's comments in good faith, and believe that 

 he only stated what he considered to be true of these 

 stands. Ed.] 



HERBACEOUS BORDERS. — I am much obliged to 

 your correspondent, Mr. E. Jenkins, for his criticism 

 anent my notes (p. 510), as he gives me an oppor- 

 tunity of stating what cannot very well be put into 

 brief Calendarial notes without incurring the risk of 

 erasure by the editorial pen, viz., that statements 

 contained in a Calender of operations ought to be of 

 such a character as will be applicable to most parts 

 of the British Isles, and should contain instructions 

 that may be followed in garden both large and small. 

 With that object in view my previous notes were 

 written, and I still adhere to what is stated therein. 

 That Mr. Jenkins should take exception to advice on 

 a certain point, and at the same time advocate a pre- 

 cisely similar practice, only in a much more aggravated 

 form, appears to me inexplicable and very incon- 

 sistent. One point of contention is, that I advise 

 Aquilegia ccerulea and Aster dumosus — plants 

 from 12 to 15 inches high — as companion plants in 

 the same row with others that grow from 3 to Si- 

 feet, suchas Anemone japonica, Aquilegia chrysantha, 

 and Asphodelus luteus. We have in the above a 

 difference in the two extremes of 2.V feet. How does 

 the matter stand in your correspondent's case ? — as 

 follows. He writes : — " Another row may be planted 

 with Galega officinalis and G. alba, Pyrethrum 

 uliginosum, Iris sibirica, &c." The difference in 

 height of the two last species is from 3 to 4 feet, some- 

 times more, for whereas I. sibirica only attains a height 

 of about 2 feet, P. uliginostis will in some localities 



grow 6 feet. He gives a very excellent list certainly, 

 but one which I myself would not recommend for 

 beginners, as the result would probably be a certain 

 amount of disappointment, besides money thrown 

 away. It is much better to commence to grow hardy 

 perennials with those of easy culture, and which will 

 grow almost anywhere, but I fear that this much 

 cannot be said of some of the species mentioned in 

 Mr. Jenkins' list. Space will only admit of my 

 giving one instance, viz., Onosma taurica. Now, 

 this plant, when grown well, is certainly a gem, but 

 it is a " miffy " subject, and will not grow every- 

 where ; in fact, it is quite unsuited for growing in 

 the open in many parts of England, and even in such 

 a favoured part as South Wilts it requires a cold 

 frame for its home during the winter. Mr. Jenkins 

 states that Veratrums are only fit for a botanical 

 garden, and thereby implies that they are unsuitable 

 for private gardens. Will he kindly explain why ? 

 I will merely say that a plant of V. nigrum when in 

 flower in the gardens here some time ago — 7 — 8 feet 

 high — was as much admired by all who saw it as any 

 other plant in our collection. I rather incline to the 

 opinion that your correspondent is under a mis- 

 apprehension regarding some of the above-named 

 species. J. Horsefield. 



IPOMCEA CCERULEA is one of the prettiest 

 creepers grown, and certainly not so often met with 

 as it deserves to be. It is very easily grown, thriving 

 well in any warm house. At the present time a plant 

 of this species is flowering very profusely on the roof 

 of the conservatory at Greenlands, Berkshire, and 

 the effect is very pleasing, viewed in contrast to 

 the frosted glass of the roo'f. Being an annual it can 

 be had in flower at different seasons by varying the 

 time of sowing the seed. I know no flower, creeper 

 or otherwise, that has such a pleasing blue colour. 

 What a beautiful companion plant for Clerodendron 

 Balfouriarium, or one of the yellow Allamandas. 

 T. F. D., Vultntincs. 



ZINNIA HAAGEANA.— Seed catalogues will soon 

 be in our hands, and in marking off the list of 

 annuals wanted for the coming year, this should by 

 no means be omitted, that is, where Zinnias are 

 appreciated. It is very suitable for beds or borders, 

 and some we remember to have seen, planted last 

 season in the border, were very attractive. It grows 

 from 12 to 18 inches in height, the leaves are 

 smaller and quite distinct from Z. elegans.and again 

 it is much more compact. The ray florets are bor- 

 dered with with a band of bright yellow, the inner 

 portion being of a much darker hue. W. Harroxv. 



Societies. 



NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM. 



December 5. — A meeting of the Floral Com- 

 mittee of the above took place at the Royal Aqua- 

 rium on this date, there being a large attendance of 

 members, and a goodly number of flowers being 

 staged. Messrs. James Carter & Co., Holborn, sent 

 Japanese Holborn Nugget, golden-yellow, good in 

 colour, but wanting in substance. Mr. C. Harman 

 Payne exhibited, for Mr. Ghys, a French amateur, a 

 large Anemone-flowered variety named Triomphe 

 d'Anzim, of a pale deep blush colour, the ray florets 

 quilled. As one flower only was shown, it could not 

 be dealt with, and a vote of thanks was passed. 

 Mr. Mursell, Tower House Gardens, Streatham, had 

 Japanese W. G. Drover, which is said to be the 

 same as Frank Thompson, From Mr. E. Beckett, 

 The Gardens, Elstree Park, came a Japanese 

 variety named Mr. W. A. Harris, delicate blush, 

 regarded as a great improvement upon Hiver 

 Fleur ; awarded a First-class Certificate of Merit ; 

 and a bright pale pink variety named Madame 

 Dubrieul, large in size, but wanting in substance. 

 This exhibitor also had Charles Sharman, purplish- 

 rose, commended for its colour ; and Pelican, a 

 large white Japanese some very fine blooms being 

 shown ; it is a variety difficult to get, not 

 being a good grower. A vote of thanks was una- 

 nimously passed. Messrs. Veitch & Sons, Chel- 

 sea, sent a late-flowering Japanese named 

 J. H. Mann, delicate blush, a reflexed variety, 

 with very broad petals. From Mr. Russel, Harfield, 

 Sussex, came a yellow sport from the incurved 

 Princess of Wales, named Mr. Coleman, but 

 the flowers were too old : the committee wishes 

 to see it again next year. From Messrs. J, 



