April 4, 1865. ] 



JOHENAL OF HOETIC0LTUEE AJSTI) COTTAaE GAEDENER. 



271 



lots of water, and a West Indian sun. My trees fill the air 

 with tea scent. 



"P." complains that Due de Eohan, Maurice Bernardin, 



and General Washington, do not open fi-eely. That is their 

 tendency. If he will throw up banks like those on which 

 Thorn hedges are planted, put these Eoses on the banks, 

 and give them plenty of water in hot dry weather, they will 

 open as easUy as Safrauo, though they be as large as a man's 

 fist. Washington in character is a fall Eose, and does good 

 service after others have done their work. The other two 

 bloomed well in numbers last season on the flat. Still the 

 Eoses on banks beat simOar Eoses on the flat. I never saw 

 finer Eoses than the blooms of Due de Eohan, Maurice Ber- 

 nardin, and Charles Lefebwe, which is a free bloomer any- 

 where. Add Senateur Vaisse, also a free bloomer, and you 

 have the four best ci-imson Eoses in eidstence. The leaves 

 of Triomphe de Eennes fell, probably, from the soU binding 

 and want of water. Honeydew prevailed much last season. 

 Did they suffer from this ? As soon as you perceive it you 

 must syringe it off before it becomes an immoveable viscous 

 concrete. — W. F. Eauclypfe, Tarrant Eushton, Blandford. 



POETEAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWEES, AND 

 FEtriTS. 



Alocasia Lowii rar. piota (Variegated Low's Alocasia). 

 — Jfat. ore!., Aioideae. iinm., Monoecia Monandria. "A more 

 highly coloured and variegated variety of A. Lowii." — (Bot. 

 Mag., t. 5i97.) 



T.CT.TA pRa:sTANS (Admirable Laelia). — Nat. ord., Orchid- 

 aces. ii>m., Gynandria Monaudria. Native of the Brazilian 

 island St. Catherine. Prefers a block of wood. Flowers 

 rosy lilac, opening in November, and very diu-able. — (Ibid, 

 t. 5498.) 



Ibesine Hebbstii (Herbst's Iresine). — Nat. ord., Amar- 

 anthacese. Linn., Dioecia Pentandria. Introduced by Mr. 

 Herbst, Kew Nursery, Eichmoud, from the Eiver Plate, 

 South Brazil ; but it is also native of North Brazil and Peru. 

 It is a most striking coloured-leaved plant, the colours being 

 intense plum veined with purplish crimson. — (Ibid., t. 5499.) 

 Aglaotema maeant^folitjm var. fouis maoulatis (Va- 

 riegated Maranta-leaved Aglaonema). — Nat. ord., Aroideae. 

 iinji., MoncEcia Monandria. Native of Malay Islands. Leaves 

 dark green marbled with greyish green. — (Ibid., t. 5500.) 



AcEOPEKA AEMENiACA (Apricot-coloured Acropera). — Nat. 

 ord., OrohidaceEe. Linn., Gynandria Monandria. Native of 

 Nicaragua. — (Ibid., t. 5501.) 



AcKOiENES. — Pink Perfection, rosy pink; throat yellow 

 spotted with orange. Grandis, pale purple with orange, 

 spotted throat. Eaised by Mr. Parsons of Welwyn. — (Floral 

 Mag,, pi. 233.) 



Vabiegated Verbena — Popular, Flowers scarlet ; leaves 

 variegated with yellow. Eaised by Mr. Bull, King's Eoad, 

 Chelsea.— (Ibif?., pi. 234.) 



Chetsanthemums. — Golde^i Sail, bright orange, with 

 golden tips to the petals. Venus, lilac, with paler-tipped 

 petals. Both raised by Mr. Salter, Versailles Nursery. — 

 {TUd., pi. 235.) 



Begonia Digswelklana. — Flowers light pink, with darker 

 edges. It is in the nursery of ]Mr. B. S. Williams, HoUoway. 

 — (JMd., pi. 236.) 



"Wajtzia grandifloea. — This is one of the species of those 

 flowers popularly known as " Everlastings." " It is very 

 nearly related to the W. aurea, but is more robust, and has 

 flowers considerably larger. The foliage, too, is so much 

 less villous, that, when planted together, the species are 

 readily distinguishable from each other by this feature alone. 

 It blooms rather later than W. aurea, coming into flower 

 when the latter is almost over. I received this fine species 

 from Dr. F. Mueller, of Melbourne, but have reason to be- 

 lieve that, lite the other species I have described, it is a 

 native of Swan Eiver. From its robust, taU habit, it is 

 better suited to the open ground than to pot culture, agree- 

 ing in this respect with W. aurea. 

 _ " The treatment requisite for all the species may be con- 

 cisely summed up as consisting of thin sowing about the 

 middle of March ; early preliminary transplantation to pots 

 or boxes ; close approximation to the glass, in a moderate 

 temperature only, to prevent weak growth j and final trans- 



plantation to the open ground in May, in the case of W. aurea 

 and W. grandiflora, or to four-inch pots in the case of W. acu- 

 minata and W. corymbosa, with a subsequent shift, if found 

 necessary. Both the latter may, however, be submitted to 

 open-air treatment in light soils. In wet ones, or if exposed 

 to heavy or long-continued rains, they are liable to die off 

 without apparent cause. The treatment recommended is, 

 in fact, simply that requisite for most of the half-hardy 

 annuals ; and, although it may appear to involve an atten- 

 tion to details which many amateurs are unwilling to gife, 

 it cannot be too strongly urged that any attempt to culti- 

 vate on the ' rough ' system will infaUibly result in disap- 

 pointment. — -W. Thompson, Ipsioicli." — (Florist and Forno- 

 logist, iv. 42). 



WOEK FOE THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GAEDEN. 



Take every opportunity of eradicating weeds, hand-weed 

 where practicable, as it more effectually answers the pur- 

 pose than Uoeing and raking when the soil is moist. Cut 

 the Box-edgings, and keep the walks well roUed. Basil, a 

 warm sheltered spot may be chosen to sow in the open 

 ground, but being a rather tender annual, it is generally the 

 best plan to sow in pans, or on a slight hotbed, and after- 

 wards plant it out. Beans, earth-up the early crops, but 

 before doing so lay a little soot close to the stems, as before 

 recommended ; timely earthing wiU also prevent the wind 

 damaging them. Borecole, make a sowing for the first crop : 

 what is commonly called the Scotch Kale is the best variety. 

 Broccoli, most of the varieties may be sown in the end of the 

 week ; by sowing early there is time for a second sowing in 

 case of failure. Cabbages, fill up any blanks from the reserve- 

 bed, at the same time stir the sod between the plants and 

 earth them up. Carrots, thin-out those sown in frames, and 

 give a good supply of water when dry. In sowing the main 

 crops put in the seed rather thickly, as it is more liable to 

 fail than any other kitchen-garden crop. Celery, the main 

 sowing for the winter crop should now be made. Continue 

 to prick-out from the eai-ly sowings, and pay attention to 

 air and water. Clean and earth-up any that has stood the 

 winter, as, if it is of no other use, it will do for soups. Cucum- 

 bers, keep a brisk heat in the beds as the days leno-then and 

 fine weather approaches, bearing in mind that light and heat 

 should be proportionate to each other ; give air daily, and 

 keep the lights fi'ee from dirt. If green fly or thrips appear, 

 recourse must be had to fumigation, which wiU generally 

 extirpate them. Lettuce, give air to the plants in the 

 frames night and day in mild weathei', loosen the soil about 

 those planted under hand-glasses. Onions, sow the Silver- 

 skinned for pickling on a poor piece of ground. Plant into 

 beds the autumn-sown or those sown in boxes in the early 

 part of the year; draw shallow diiUs, and lay the roots of the 

 plants in them at regular distances, after which cover them 

 lightly with fine soil. Peas, sow any approved sorts for 

 succession. Eadislies, keep up a succession by sowiuo- a few 

 once a-fortnight. Sea-kale, remove the covering immediately 

 it is done with; if there is any yet remaining to be covered 

 let it be done before it grows much. Turnips, thin-out those 

 sown in frames, and give them water when necessary. 



FEUIT GAEDEN. 



Complete the pruning and nailing of wall trees and 

 protect the blossoms. Eemove suckers from Gooseberry 

 bushes and from all fruit trees as soon as they make then- 

 appearance. 



FLOWEE GAEDEN. 



Eepair displacements of soil or gravel on slopes or pre- 

 cipitous -walks with as little delay as possible, for every 

 shower will widen the channel. Gravel put on sloping- walks 

 should be almost in a state of mortar prepared for use- 

 well trodden and afterwards rolled, it forms a hard and 

 durable walk. It is often desirable to keep Ivy close to a 

 building against which it clings ; in that case it should be 

 defoliated every year about this time, and it wiU ao-ain 

 speedily be covered with fresh and vigorous leaves. Shrub- 

 beries should now be gone over, pruning-in encroachino- 

 branches and removing dead and dying limbs. The latS 

 heavy falls of snow have been by no means congenial to the 

 roots of Tulips ; in fact, unless the beds are situated on a 

 porous BubsoU or well drained, it is attended with posi- 



