Jannarj 31, 1865. ] 



JOUENAL OP HOETICTJLTTIRE AlfD COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



87 



planted at a like distance, and a fourtli in lite manner, then 

 a double row of the old variegated Ivy, the first 2 feet from 

 the front row of Koegner's Ivy, and the other IS inches 

 nearer the front. An edging may be formed of the Penn- 

 sylvanian Ivy, or the finely-divided Taurian. This edging 

 may be a toot wide. It wonld be more eifective if it were 

 raised by training the Ivy on ■\vickerwork about 6 inches 

 high. All this border would requu-e would be to train each 

 shoot over the vacant ground, keeping each variety separate ; 

 and -when the surface was covered the only care wonld be 

 to go over the border in July, and cut off the shoots that 

 encroached on their neighbours, and those rendering the 

 surface uneven. The shoots ought also to be regulated in 

 the same manner in April. Once in three yeai-s the whole 

 should be cut quite close with the shears in April, and ail 

 accumulated dirt cleared away. 



To form a border of Ivy in the bedding style, plant the 

 first two rows with the common Ivy, which would give a four- 

 feet surface all along the back of the border in addition to 

 covering the fence, then stretch a garden line along the I 

 centre of the space left, and at 4 feet from the end, -with | 

 a radius of 2 feet, describe a circle, -which will, of course, j 

 be 4 feet in diameter; go S feet from this centre, and 

 describe another circle, and so on to the other end. Eaise i 

 these circles a foot high in the centre with any kind of rich, | 

 light, rubbishy soil or compost, and plant the first with j 

 H. helix minor marmorata as a band round a centre of i 

 pennsylranica. The second circle should be planted with | 

 the golden clouded palmate form of H. helix marginata : 

 (palmata anrea). The third circle should have marginata i 

 Cullisi in the centre surrounded -with H. heKx maj\or; the j 

 fourth a centre of H. poetica, st rung round -with H. heUx 

 aurea minor, or small-clouded gold-leaved; the fifth may be i 

 the -white marbled-leaved Iiish (latifolia maculata) ; the ! 

 sixth, the golden-clouded form of H. helix (aurea maculata) ; 

 the seventh, the silver-tree Ivy (alba lutescens) ; the eighth, 

 the large-leaved Irish (H. canariensis) ; the ninth, the richly ; 

 golden-blotched (H. helix arboresoens minor lutea) ; the . 

 tenth, the fine silver-margined form of tree I-ry (H. helix . 

 marginata argentea) ; the eleventh, th e golden-blotched 

 Irish (H. canariensis aurea maculata) ; and the twelth, a full 

 bed of H. helix. If these are not sufficient to reach to 

 ■the centre of the border, then instead of planting every 

 alternate bed -with the silver or gold-leaved, it may be 

 formed of a green-leaved kind, and this will extend the i 

 length. The other half of the border should be planted in I 

 the same manner, either reckoning from the ends, or better j 

 from the centre, which should always be of green I-sy, the I 

 old sort. The ground between all the beds should be planted 

 ■with the heart-leaved Ecegneriana, and completed by an 

 edging in front, next the walk, of the very elegant H. helix I 

 minor marmorata. The beds in -ivhich the smaller kinds 

 are planted should be covered -with small stones for the ' 

 bra-Bches to cling to and run over, and use low -wicterwork 

 for the edging. In a few years this border would be quite a 

 garden in the depth of winter. Presxuning foi-ther that 

 there were another border like the last on the opposite side 

 of the walk, and a row of trees behind it exactly correspond- 

 ing with the other, the arms of the trees all but meeting, 

 could anyth in g be finer than to form a dome of -niiework 

 at each end, string the space between the trees -with strong 

 wire, in the form of arches and festoons, and cover them 

 "with Ivy ? This might be trained so as to cover the trunks 

 of the trees, if these are at all old ; but if they are young 

 and wanted to grow larger, it must be kept away from them, 

 otherwise they wiU be strangled. — G-. Abbey. 



were not ready on the 17th. I believe they were never 

 printed or written at aU. But the neglect and irregularity 

 did not end there. The balloting was announced to take 

 place on the 20th at three o'clock, and I know those who 

 attended before that hour, when they were informed that 

 they -were too late, for the balloting had taken place at two ! 

 But the irregularity did not conclude even there, for the 

 explanation was that a meeting had been held for the elec- 

 tion of Fellows, and they had balloted for the Cattleyas and 

 Epidendrums first. STow it is true, yet scarcely credible, 

 that that day there was no power to elect Fellows, for in 

 the " Proceedings " the day announced for such election is 

 the 24th, and not the 20th ! 



I need mate no comment, but after recent changes of 

 names, and recent elevations to the rank of baronetcy, I 

 should not be surprised to see our ex-Assistant-Secretary 

 step forth in an early Gazette as Sir Andrew iluddle. — 

 An- Old F.E.H.S. 



THE LATE ASSISTA^'T-SECEETAT.Y OF THE 

 EOTAE HOETICULTFEAL SOCIETY. 



AxTHOUGH 3Ir. Murray has retired from the office he has 

 filled so incompetently, yet, as a warning to his successor, I 

 -will note some other irregularities perpetrated by him, such 

 as the members of no society would tolerate. 



Fellows of the Society wishing to ballot for Cattleyas and 

 Epidendrums on the 20th instant are required by a para- 

 graph in the " Proceedings " to " iill up a special form, which 

 may be had on appUeation to the Assistant-Secretary. The 

 form must be returned before the 17th." Xow those forms 



LILim LA2\CIF0Lmr and LILIUil 

 AEEATOI. 



Is it true in horticulture that in the " multitude of eoun- 

 sellers there is wisdom ?" for if so, how is one to act ? Some 

 little time ago some correspondents gave the result of their 

 culture of Lilinm lancifolium, and told us that success re- 

 warded their efforts. Their plans differed slightly from one 

 another, yet it was possible to see that a very similar treat- 

 ment was adopted by both, although perhaps the objects in 

 view were different ; while 3Ir. Hague, in a late iSumber, 

 smOes at the treatment they adopted, tells ns of his own, 

 which differs very much from the others, and assures us that 

 he, too, is successful in his treatment. "' How happy coidd 

 I be with either," one may indeed say ; but as to agreeing 

 -with both, that is cleai-ly impossible ; and I am driven to 

 this conclusion, that L. lancifolium is a much-enduring and 

 cosmopolitan bulb, which will thrive under very opposite 

 -treatment. I have observed the same thing with regard to 

 Tallota purpurea. One teUs you to keep it quite di-y during 

 the winter months, another to keep it constantly growing 

 and well watered ; and the advocates of both systems assure 

 you that they have succeeded admirably — indeed, I have 

 seen the bulbs thus treated, and am bound to say that they 

 did not seem much to mind which way it was. And so. 

 perhaps, with the Lilies. As to planting one or more bidbs 

 in a pot, that must depend on the taste and requirements 

 of the growers. If, as I suspect in some cases, they are cul- 

 tivated for exhibition, then five or six bulbs must be put 

 into a pot, but if merely to obtain a good plant -nith large 

 blooms they must be grown singly. TVhile on this, I should 

 like to know whether your correspondents have found that 

 their bulbs degenerate after they have reached a certain 

 size. I am not the only one \fho has experienced this, for 

 a very large grower told me a yeai or two ago that he was 

 obliged to renew his stock from abroad, owing to this 

 cause. 



It is sometimes complained of by those who have gro-wn 

 this bulb that they cannot get so many blooms on a bulb 

 as ilr. Hague, for instance, mentions — 16 or IS. I am 

 quite sure that this is in some cases impossible. A large 

 proportion of the roots now sold have been raised from seed, 

 and every raiser of seedlings knows how his productions 

 vary in this as well as in other respects, and henc^e disap- 

 pointment is often occasioned. Beautiful as this Lily is, it 

 does not mate so effective an exhibition plant as one might 

 imagine ; the delicacy of the marking, so charming in itself 

 not giving effect to the plant as a whole. 



No more striking instance of the effects of enterprise can 

 be adduced than the present price of that queen of LOies, 

 LUium auratum. I was ^vith Mr. Standish when his fii-st 

 plants came into flower, and then fifteen guineas was the 

 price. Little more than two years have passed, and no-w 

 the same sized bulb can be had for half a guinea, owing to 

 the large importations which have been made from time to 

 time. What this bulb is yet to do we know not. When Sir 

 WiUiam Hooter described it in the "Botanical Magazine" 

 he called it " probably one-flowered ;" but already it has 

 been shown with nine blooms, while Mr. BaiTon has flowered 

 it -with fifteen, and we may expect some gorgeous sights 



