290 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 28, 1876. 



sent to the market from Chelsea orchards, but they were 

 situate further westward towards " Little Chelsea," afterwards 

 "Brompton," lastly " South Kensington." The story of the 

 nurserymen of Chelsea belongs to a later period, which we 

 shall have to consider hereafter. — C. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 The nursery of Messrs. Veitch at Chelsea can never be 

 visited without finding something, especially amongst the 

 Obchids, to admire. A few which are flowering now are the 

 Vandas — tricolor, suavis, and caarulea, which are very fine. 

 Mr. Dominy's grand Cattleya C. exoniensis, and one of its 

 charmingly marked parents C. maxima; Oncidium varicosum, 

 a grand Bpike ; 0. leopardinum, extremely rich ; Crelogyne 

 Cumingii, waxy white, with lemon-coloured lip, and sweetly 

 scented ; and Cypripediums. Lapageria alba in the long cor- 

 ridor is also extremely beautiful, the large waxy flowers with 

 which the roof is covered producing an effect which cannot be 

 equalled by any other greenhouse climber. 



We had lately an opportunity of inspecting the new 



Cbaigleith Nubsebies of Messrs. Ireland & Thomson, Comely 

 Rank, Edinburgh, and we were quite surprised to find the 

 rapid progress that has been made in the way of getting every- 

 thing into working order, especially about the houses. The 

 glass ranges are very extensive, and they are all constructed 

 on the most improved principles. All the houses are span- 

 roofed and exceedingly well adapted for nursery-plant culture, 

 being comparatively low in the roofs and glazed with large wide 

 panes of glass, which are much more conducive to plant health 

 than lofty dark erections. The propagating house and most 

 of the other tender-plant houses can be reached from the 

 potting shed without going into the open air, and all the 

 houseB are conveniently placed together. Many of them are 

 already well stooked with healthy young stove and greenhouse 

 plants. The heating, which extends to some thousands of 

 feet of 4-inch piping, is all done with one of the largest of 

 Meiklejohn's improved cruciform boilers, which bears a good 

 name in Sootland for its economy and power. 



A new variety of Lilium aueatum has just been flower- 

 ing in Mr. Bull's nursery at Chelsea, which is so distinct and 

 beautiful as to merit special notice. We saw this flower in its 

 faded state, and it then measured over 12 inches in diameter. 

 It is quite dissimilar from the usual type of L. auratum ; 

 indeed auratum as applied to this variety becomes an anomaly, 

 for there is no ray or spot of yellow, that colour down the 

 central petals being substituted by what is now in the flowers' 

 fading state a band of reddiBh maroon, but when fresh was 

 a rich blood colour. The petals are also heavily spotted with 

 the same rich colour. This is a gorgeous Lily, and has been 

 recommended by a good authority to be named L. auratum 

 cruentum. In the same establishment we saw flowering the 

 beautiful new Bomaeea, B. Carderi, which was so conspicuous 

 in Mr. Bull's group of new plants at the Royal Aquarium on 

 May 30th. The plant then was small, and its flowers were 

 few, but it is now large, and on one umbel there are twenty- 

 three miniature Lapageria-like flowers of a rosy pink colour. 

 The plant is trained to the roof of an intermediate house, and 

 its flowers are both novel and attractive. It is a very distinct 

 plant, and will probably flourish in a greenhouse temperature. 



We are informed that the late Exhibition at Dundee 



was, notwithstanding the inclement weather which prevailed 

 at the time, financially successful. Thirty thousand persons 

 visited the Show, the total amount received being £1700, and 

 that after paying prize money to the amount of £1013, and 

 other expenses, a satisfactory balance will remain in the hands 

 of the managers. A result so gratifying will afford encourage- 

 ment to our enterprising Scottish friends and stimulate them 

 to further endeavours in the future. 



In addition to the greater parks of London vested in 



the Crown, but open to the public, the Metropolitan Board of 

 Works state, in the report they have issued this year, that 

 there are under their management about 1100 acres of public 

 eecbeation gbounds in various parts of the metropolis and its 

 suburbs. There is Blackheath, comprising 267 acres ; Hamp- 

 stead Heath, 240 acres ; Finsbuiy Park, 115 acres ; Southwark 

 Park, 63 acres ; Hackney Downs, 50 acres ; Well Street (Hack- 

 ney) Common, 30 acres ; North and South Mill Fields, 57 acres ; 

 London Fields, 27 acres ; Tooting Beck Common, 144 acres ; 

 and Tooting Graveney Common, 63 acres. The gardens on 

 the Thames Embankment and in Leicester Square present 



14 acres. The remainder of the 1094 acres is made up of 

 Clapton Common, Stoke Newington Common, and Shepherd's 

 Bush Common. 



Thbee Musheooms close together at Dunlaven, Le- 



land, were of the following great weights and dimensions. 

 They were common field Mushrooms. The weight of the first 

 was 12 J ozs., and its circumference 27 inches; the second, 

 10 J ozs., and circumference 21 inches; and the third, 7 ozs. 

 in weight and 18 inches in circumference. 



On the 21st inst. the Master (Mr. J. Stroud) and the 



municipal members of the Fruiterers' Company waited upon 

 the Lord Mayor at the Mansion House, and , in accordance with 

 an ancient cuBtom annually observed, presented for the accept- 

 ance of the Lady Mayoress and himself a splendid assortment 

 of all the choice fruits of the season. The gift, which was 

 very tastefully laid out in the saloon, included Pine Apples, 

 Melons, Pears, DamBons, Figs, Apples, Grapes, and Walnnts. 

 The Master, addressing the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress, 

 assured them that it gave the Fruiterers' Company great 

 pleasure to tender year after year their respectful homage to 

 the Chief Magistrate of the City, and their only regret was 

 that having neither orchards nor vineyards of their own, they 

 could not describe the fruit as " home-grown." The Lord 

 Mayor, in a few appropriate sentences, thanked the Company 

 for their valuable and seasonable gift, which annually and 

 pleasantly connected their Guild with the head of the Corpora- 

 tion of London for the time being, and added that, also follow- 

 ing the ancient oustom, he would have the honour of enter- 

 taining the Company at dinner at the Mansion House in the 

 courBe of the next month. After taking some light refresh- 

 ments the Company retired. It was formerly the practice 

 for a staff of gaily-dreBsed porters walking in single file to 

 bring the fruit through the City from Farringdon Market ; and 

 the Lady Mayoress, it is said, not only gave each carrier a 

 bottle of wine to take home in his empty basket, but, as the 

 Ceremonial Book has it, " regaled " them with a dinner. 



NOTES on VILLA and SUBURBAN GARDENING. 



Floeist Flowers and Bedding Plants. — After this month 

 is out the winter culture of plants under these two headings 

 may be said to have commenced. Heavy rains and cold nights 

 with sharp white frosts which may come at any moment, 

 suggest that it is best to be on the safe side by placing the 

 plants under glass coverings where the lights can be thrown off 

 in fine days and put on at nights, admitting air all night if the 

 weather should be suitable. 



Amongst the most prominent of winter-flowering plants are 

 Primulas. These should mostly be establishing themselves 

 in their flowering pots, and the plants should almost have at- 

 tained their full growth. They should now be protected both 

 by day and night, and be kept as near the glass as possible so 

 that the plants may not be drawn. A span-roofed glass case 

 placed on a bed of coal ashes is one of the best structures for 

 them. These cases are shallow and allow of air beiDg admitted 

 under them, and as they also admit plenty of light all round, 

 they are particularly suitable for preserving the lower foliage of 

 the plants. The Becond batch of plants, a few of which ought 

 always to be grown to come in with bulbs towardB the spring, 

 must be kept growing all through next month as fast as possible, 

 and after being put into their winter quarters be kept rather 

 moderately watered, and have the flower stems picked off till 

 the days begin to lengthen in January, when the plants may be 

 allowed to flower. Weak guano water applied twice a-week after 

 the plants show signs of flowering greatly improves the plants 

 and flowers. Particular care is necessary in watering Primulas ; 

 for if the plants should happen to be potted rather low the 

 water overflows their necks, and if allowed to lodge there the 

 chances are that the plantB will die-off in considerable numbers. 

 A light soil potted rather firmly with the necks of the plants 

 nearly level with the rim of the pot and good drainage are very 

 essential in growing Primulas. They do not need so much 

 water as some plantB, but it muBt pass away quickly. 



Cinerarias are also important plants for flowering in winter 

 and spring. They ought to be at once shifted into their flower- 

 ing pots ; and although these plants grow most freely in the open 

 air during September, it is not safe to trust them out much 

 longer. The soil they do well in is composed of two parts of 

 turfy loam — if laid up for a year so much the better — one part of 

 sandy fibrous peat, and another part of well-decayed leaf soil, 

 adding before potting a liberal admixture of sand. I like also 

 to add a little powdered charcoal both in the soil and drainage. 

 Cinerarias should be potted firmly, as the roots are fine and 

 take hold of the Boil much better than when potted lightly. 

 After potting place the plants on an a8h bottom in a cold frame, 

 and after a few days if the weather is mild let them have a little 



