16 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[January 6, 1912. 



■aonths, always bearing in mind that disbudded 

 flowers borne on long, stiff stems command top 

 prices in the market. The following are*good 

 varieties of Chrysanthemum to grow for 

 market: — Early-flowering sorts: Carrie (yel- 

 low), Miss F. Collier (a new white n* flexed 

 variety), Mrs. A. Beech (bronzy yellow), Miss 

 Nellie Blake (bright bronze-red), Betty Spark 

 (pink), Countess (white), Cranford Yellow 

 (golden yellow), Mine. De~ _• uige (both white 

 and yellow varieties), Goaeher's Bronze (new), 

 Polly (bronzy-yellow), and Roi des Blancs 

 (King of the Whites). Second early varieties: 

 Ryecroft Glory (bronzy. yellow), Sunshine 

 (golden yellow), Mrs. J. \\ , Scott (white), Miss 

 B. Miller (golden yellow), October Gold 

 (bronze) and Pink Princess. Mid -season varie- 

 ties: Bronze Soleil d'Octobre (bronze), Soleil 

 d'Octobre (golden) — these two October- 

 flowering varieties produce immense blooms 

 when they are disbudded ; Felton's Favour- 

 ite (white), Market Red, Mrs. Roots (a 

 fine white bloom), Moneymaker (creamy 

 white), Source d'Or (bronze or yellow), R. F. 

 Felton (golden-yellow). Late varieties : Bonnie 

 Dundee (incurved yellow), Baldock's Crimson, 

 Embleme Poitevine (rich yellow), Framfield 

 Pink (delicate pink), V. inter Cheer (bright 

 pink), Heston -White (pure white), and Mrs. J. 

 Thompson (creamy white) — the flowers of the 

 last-mentioned four varieties are borne on long, 

 stiff stems; Sarah Owen (incurved), Princess 

 Victoria (white or pink), and Snowdrift 



(white, long sterna). 

 Names of Fruits : E. 31. D. Harvey's 



Reinette. — T. P. 1, decayed; 2, Beurre 

 Ranee ; 3, Egremont Russet ; 4, Franklin's Gol- 

 den Pippin ; 5, Ribston Pearmain ; 6, Round- 

 way's Magnum I >num. — Jam* Hoad. 

 Mere de Menage. — G. Clark. 1, Hambledon 



Deux-Ans ; 2, Dumelow's Seedling (Welling- 

 ton) ; 3, Golden Reinette. — West End. 1, 

 Ronald's Gooseberry Pippin ; 2, not recog- 

 nised ; 3, Lady Henniker ; 4, Forge; 5, Golden 

 Russet Nonp.i il ; 6, Northern Spy; 7, 

 Blenheim Pippin. 



Names of Plants : //. B. Epidendrum 

 evectum. — <h It. T. 1, Aspasia lunata; 2, 



Mormodes Buccinator \ 3, Stelis ophioglos- 

 soides ; 4, Cvpripediuni insigne ; 5, Bulbophyl- 

 lum cylindraceum. — T. />. 1, Euonymus 

 japonica medio-aurea ; 2, E. japonica ; 3, E. 

 japonica aureo-marginata ; 4, Olearia Haastii ; 

 5, Veronica Traversii ; 6, send when in flower; 



7, V. Andersonii variety. — .4. IP, Woolwich. 

 Cypripedium venustum. — G. B. Goldfussia 

 isophylla. 



Paint-destroying Fungus : W. J. 31. If the 

 red stains are well wetted with hydrogen 

 peroxide, dabbed on with a pad of cotton wool, 

 they will become bleached, and almost com- 

 pletely disappear of themselves, after a time. 

 The fungus will not reappear, as it only grows 

 on a newly-painted surface. 



Peat and Mushroom Beds : J. If. 31. A small 



quantity of peaty or boggy soil in manure for 

 a Mushroom bed will do no harm, but might 

 generally be considered helpful provided the 

 material is collected and prepared in an effi- 

 cient manner. 



Plantains in Lawn: A. C. V. Plantains may 

 be removed from lawns by means of a special 

 weed -extra t bavins a hollow steel cylinder. 



The cylinder should be placed over the crown 

 and forced deeply down into the ground; when 

 withdrawn, the root with a little soil will be 

 removed. Then into each hole put a pinch of 

 salt, filling up with good soil. The extractor 

 may be purchased from the horticultural sun- 

 driesmen. Another way of destroying Plan- 

 tains is to take an iron skewer, dip it into a 

 bottle of sulphuric acid, and force the 

 skewer into the centre of the plant, or a few 

 drops of carbolic acid may be dropped on the 

 crown of the plants, by means of an oilcan 

 having a long spout. 



Rose Root Diseased : Dodder. The roots are 

 affected with crown gall, a bacterial disease. 

 Remove all the diseased portions of the plant, 

 and dust the wounds with a mixture of pow- 

 dered sulphur and bluestone. 



Select Stove or Warm-Greenhouse Flower- 

 ing Plants: A. IP The following plants 

 would provide a good selection for the stove 

 or warm greenhouse : — Gardenia florida, the 



best of the genus for gardens, because of its 

 compact growth and freedom of flowering 

 Specimen* may be had in bloom for at least 

 eight months in the year, and the blooms are 

 very suitable I >r use as coat-flowers. Stephano- 

 tis floribunda, trained on the rafter, will, if 

 the shoots are well ripened and pruned hard 

 after the main flowering, continue flowering for 

 several months. Jasminum Sambac has pure- 

 white, sweetly-scented flowers; specimens may 

 be trained as columns. Psychotria (Gionena) 

 jasminiflora is a beautiful plant with white 

 flowers, and not unlike a Bouvardia. 

 Aphelandra aurantiaca Roezlii is best grown 

 as a winter-blooming plant; the flowers 

 are coloured orange-scarlet. Eranthemum 

 pulchellum is the best blue-flowered plant for 

 winter blooming. Euphorbia (Poinsettia) jac- 

 quiniaeflora and E. pulcherrima. Exacum mac- 

 ranthum is an almost perpetual-flowering plant 

 with pcetty, blue blossoms ; it should 

 be treated as an annual. Hoya bella. Ron- 

 deletia speeiosa major produces a fine dis- 

 play from July to October; the dark orange- 

 coloured flowers are useful for coat flowers. 

 Thyrsacanthus rutilans is an easy plant to man- 

 age, and useful in the winter season ; the 

 flowers are coloured a bright crimson. Bego- 

 onias Gloire de Lorraine and its varieties, also 

 loire de Sceaux. Ixora Prince of Orange is 

 very free in flowering. Crossandra unduleefolia 

 has deep orange-coloured flowers, and is very 

 easy to cultivate. Anthurium Scherzerianum in 

 variety. Gloriosa Rothschildiana is the finest 

 in colour of this genus, and the best suited as a 

 summer climber. As the plants are required 

 for a small house, aim at obtaining dwarf, 

 compact specimens, and in the case of the 

 climbers do not encourage an excessive growth. 

 By pinching the shoots of the various kinds 

 during their growing season the period of 

 flowering will be greatly extended. 



Summer and Winter Top-dressings : C. T . You 



do not state what kinds of plants you intend 

 to top-dress, or whether they are in a dormant 

 or active condition. Much depends also upon 

 the material of which the top-dressing is com- 

 posed, and whether the plants are growing in 

 the open ground, in pots, or planted out under 

 glass. In many cases, top-dressings are best 

 carried out during the winter months, or just 

 before growth commences actively. This applies 

 to plants in a starved condition. When top- 

 dressings are applied to furnish food and re- 

 tain moisture in the soil, the plants should be 

 in a vigorous condition of growth. Mulches are 

 also valuable in the case of newly-planted trees. 

 (See " Hardy Fruit Garden," p. 6.) They are 

 especially valuable to plants at their flowering 

 season, or in the case of fruit trees, after the 

 fruit is set. 



Sweet Pea Roots : W. S. We have known roots 

 of Sweet Peas to penetrate to a depth of from 

 2 to 3 feet in well-prepared trenches, but such 

 deep-plunging roots are not essential to the pro- 

 duction of good flowers. Vigorous roots. 15 to 

 to 18 inches long, with plenty of nodules, and 

 growing in a firm, sweet and yet moderately- 

 rich soil will furnish excellent results, and the 

 plants under these conditions will be less likely 

 to contract disease. 



Sweet William Rust : Hardworher. Spray 

 the plants with liver of sulphur, at a strength 

 of 1 ounce in 2 gallons of water. The soil is 

 probably infected with falling spores, which 

 perpetuate the disease from one year to 

 another. 



Tulips Diseased : G. A. W. <i« Co. See reply 

 to Doctor, Hampstead, on Lobelia cardinalis. 



Twin Apple : /. 77. Double Apples are 

 relatively common ; a specimen was illustrated 



in Gardeners' Chronicle as long ago as 1855, 



October 20, p. 692. Your example of the 

 variety Mere de Menage is a remarkably well- 

 developed specimen of the abnormality. 



Violets Diseased : C. C. Fungus spawn is pre- 

 sent in abundance in the leaf soil, and has at- 

 tacked the roots of the Violets. It is doubtful 

 whether this can be prevented. Your best 

 plan is to soak the soil with a solution of 

 nitrate of potash, using 1 ounce in each gallon 

 of water. Leaf soil should be mixed with a 

 sprinkling of kainit a month before it is used. 



Violets are always saleable in florists' shops, 

 not only in London, but also in provincial 

 towns ; * distances from these markets do 

 not matter much, inasmuch as consignments 

 can be sent by parcel post at a small cost. The 

 best varieties to grow ar<e as follow :— Double- 

 flowering sorts : Mrs. Arthur (an improved 

 Marie Louise and the best of all double 

 Violets), Marie Louise (rich deep blue with 

 white eye and a profuse flowerer), De 

 Parme (lavender blue and very fragrant), 

 Comte de Brazza (the best double white), 

 >*nd Belle de Chatenay (fragrant double 

 white). Single Violets: Princess of Wales 

 (deep blue flowers borne on long stems), Wellsi- 

 ana (very hardy and early -flowering variety, 

 flowers blue), Kaiser Wilhelm (the largest 

 single Violet grown), Mme. Schwarz (rich, deep 

 blue), and Victoria Regina (an improved Czar 

 and a profuse flowerer, but rather short 

 stemmed). No doubt a houseful of 

 Richardia africana (Arums), timed to 

 flower at Easter time, would be remunerative. 

 Salesmen in Covent Garden Market, include 

 Messrs. W. Newton, Forster & Robins, D. 

 Ingamells, J. Collingridge, and George Munro. 



The book of Market Gardening, by R. Lewis 

 Castle, price 2s. 9d., and 31y Gardener, by 

 H. W. Ward, price 2s. 10d., may prove help- 

 ful to you. Both books may be obtained from our 



publishing department, pest free at the prices 

 indicated. My Gardener contains instructive 

 . articles on the culture of Violets and 

 Richardias. 



Water-Garden: E. P. If your garden already 

 possesses a pond your work will be greatly 

 simplified, but if such is not the case careful 

 consideration must be given to the choice of a 

 position for the water-garden. It should be 

 remembered that, as water seeks low-lying 

 positions, natural ponds are rarely found on 

 high ground, and if you make a pond in such 

 a position it will require exceptional skill in 

 planting around it, or a very artificial appear- 

 ance will be created. Your next care will be 

 the outline ; straight lines must be avoided, 

 as also should very wavy lines and circles. 

 Endeavour to make a few bold projections in 

 as natural a manner as pcs.-ible. If your sub- 

 soil is of a clayey nature you should not ex- 

 perience much difficulty in making the pond 

 watertight. With a porous soil you must con- 

 sider the rival claims (and relative cost) of 

 concrete and puddling as the means of prevent- 

 ing waste of water. The minimum depth of 

 the pond should be from 3 feet in its deepest 

 part to 15 inches at the sides. If your pond is 

 to be staunched with concrete the Nympha?as 

 may be planted in good-sized mounds of soil, 

 but as the plants cannot then be moved about 

 their positions must be carefully determined 

 beforehand. Besides the Water - Lilies 



(Nymphseas) other desirable hardy aquatics 

 are Aponogeton distachyon, Alisma plantago, 

 Butomus umbellatus, Pontederia cordata, 

 Richardia africana, Sagittaria sagittsefolia, 

 and a few floating plants, such as Alisma, 

 Trapa natans, Stratiotes aloides, and Utri- 

 cularia vulgaris. For the banks of the pond 

 there are numerous plants to select from, such 

 as many of the Irises (I. aurea, Delavayi, 

 gigantea, Monspur, sibirica, and spuria), 

 Primula japonica, P. rosea, Caltha palustris, 

 Camassia esculenta, Doronicum excelsum, 

 Epilobium, Lythrum, Mimulus cardinalis, 

 Saxifraga peltata, Spiraeas (including Astilbe), 

 Trillium grandiflorum, and Trollius amongst 

 flowering plants. Gunnera manicata and G. 

 scabra are noble foliage plants where space 

 admits of their being grown. Other, and 

 smaller, waterside foliage plants are Acanthus 

 mollis, Arundo Donax, Bamboos, Cyperus 

 longus, Funkias, Osmunda regalis, Rheum 

 Emodi and Rodgersias. Suitable trees 



and shrubs for waterside planting are 

 Acer Tubrum, Alnus glutinosa, Betula alba. 

 Cornus, Crataegus, Myrica cerifera, M. Gale, 

 Quercus coccinea, Salix, and Taxodium dis- 

 tichum- 



Violets for Market: F. B. Violets pay if 

 given a generous treatment, and English-grown 



Communications Received.— F. H. F. -Interested.- 

 F. L. B. _E. D._J. M. E. F. G-, Dublin._S. H. £. 



E. C, Switzerland._G. W. F._J. S E. W — J. A. T. 



F. W._J. E. C. A B., Italy _T. G. W. H„F>. T. 



C. T. & Co.__E. F. C._E. M._J. R. J Ignoramus.. 



J. M — H. M. V._\V C T. S _W. G. K — FairplftJ. 



W. F._A H. S., Ontario._E. H. B._P. H.—C. F. M. 

 T. E._W. K.. Austria._W. H. J._C. P. -A. G. B. 

 H. H. R._A. J. M._C. H. P. 



