242 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 31, 1863. 



the double j 54 is certainly wrongly placed j while 55 is inferior 

 to Perilla nankinensis ; 56 is good ; 57, only slightly scented ; 

 58, showy plant ; 59, a stranger ; 60, said to be good ; 61, not 

 known ; 62, not much scent ; 63, more remarkable for flower 

 than scent ; 64 are related to Escbseholtzia. 



Although the above list comprises as many names as most 

 small growers would care to have, there are, nevertheless, several 

 other good annuals from which a selection could be made as 

 useful and Bhowy as that described above ; and if we except the 

 Asters, Stocks, and French and African Marigolds, there are four 

 others omitted in the list that I would place before any that are 

 in it. These are Saponaria calabrica, Collinsia bicolor, Nemo- 

 phila insignis, and Portulaca. These seem to me so indispensable 

 where annuals are grown, that I am surprised at their omission. 

 Tastes, however, differ, and some one else may suggest others 

 which may be thought still more deserving ; but as my list is not 

 yet complete, I may say, that in addition to those of which the 

 names are already given, the blue Convolvulus is worthy a place. 

 Senecio elegans and some of the Lupins are also pretty ; and 

 Delphinium chinense as well as others is good. The double 

 Sunflower, Helianthus, is also an excellent adjunct in the back- 

 ground ; while Virginian Stock, Scarlet Valerian, Bartonia aurea, 

 and some of the Oenotheras and Godetias, are all useful in their 

 way. The dwarf and pretty Clintonia pulchella is also an 

 acquisition, not less so being Linum kermesinum and others. The 

 old Eschscholtzia croeea and others ere rather coarse, but some 

 admire them ; and a bed of seedling Petunias lasts through the 

 season well. Venidiumcalendulaceumisalso good; and, perhaps, 

 the prettiest of all blue is a bed of Salvia patenB ; while Lotus 

 jacobaeus and Martynia fragrans ought not to be forgotten. 

 Trachelium cceruleum is also deserving of a place everywhere. 

 I believe some of the Aquilegias are good, but I have never been 

 successful with them. Many other plants, however, might be 

 added, but I leave the further extension of this list to other 

 hands ; I will however, mention a few having remarkable foliage 

 which our correspondent has wisely placed in a class by them- 

 ■elves. 



In the first place Btands Perilla nankinensis, a plant much 

 better than Purple Orach. Equal with this, but not so extensively 

 grown is, I believe, Amaranthus melancholicus ruber ; while in 

 a like strain, though beautiful-flowering plants too, are Love- 

 lies-bleeding and Prince's Feather. All these have a bronze- 

 coloured foliage. In direct contrast with them is Salvia argentea, 

 a white-leaved plant, woolly, and conspicuous. In the large- 

 leaved class are some of the genus Rioinus or Castor Oil Plants. 

 Marvel of Peru is also a singular-growing object, though not 

 more pretty and graceful than Canna indica, or some of its 

 kindred species. In a smaller way are some pretty Grasses, as 

 Stipa pennata. The Ice Plant is also singular ; as likewise is 

 Tobacco, and the berry-bearing Phytolacca decandra, which, 

 however, is very tall, though nob more so than Heracleum 

 giganteum ; and I do not know that either of them excels a 

 plant of the common Hemp for beauty of foliage. This list, 

 however, may be extended so far as to become, perhaps, as 

 numerous as the other. 



In addition to the three classes given by our correspondent, he 

 might have added a fourth for creepers, which would have been 

 as interesting as any. Coboea scandens, Maurandya Barclay- 

 ana, Eccremocarpus scaber, Tropseolum peregrinum, and some 

 others are all useful ; while Sweet Peas and some of the Tropseo- 

 lums are also indispensable — in fact, the dwarf varieties of Tro- 

 pseolum ought to have a prominent place in the list of flowering- 

 annuals, which I find I have omitted. But it is a most difficult 

 task to limit the number of species of annuals which different 

 individuals might recommend; and supposing a person restricted 

 the list to twenty, might I ask what would these be, omitting 

 Stocks and Asters, which are every one's favourites ? It is 

 questionable if anything like unanimity would exist amongst the 

 first ten persons that might be asked the question : neverthe- 

 less, the question is one well worth asking, as I confess my 

 knowledge is far from being perfect in this matter.] 



GARDEN" ENGINE. 



About this time last year I purchased from Mr. G. Heaven, 

 High Street, Birmingham, a garden engine, price 9s. It 

 throws a continuous stream to a distance of 40 feet, and is 

 now, after twelve months hard work, as good as ever. The 

 workmanship is rough, but there is not likely to be any 



injury done to this engine which a tinman could not remedy 

 I was told that a Frenchman, too poor to take out a patent, 

 was the maker. — E. H. 



MESSES. CUTBUSH'S EXHIBITION 



OF HYACINTHS AND OTHEE SPBING FLOWEBS. 



Cocknex though I am, and born within the sound of Bow 

 bells, 'Igbgate 'ill had until last week been a terra incognita to 

 me. I had never toiled up what to Londoners is, I dare say, 

 quite a Snowdon or Grassfel — had never admired the wondrous 

 wit at which I suppose successive generations of citizens have 

 laughed as they sat on those seats, where admonitions to take 

 care of defacing them are graven with such laconic wit, that a 

 man must be indeed bent on mischief who could do so ; and 

 even now I had not attempted the feat, had not frequent and 

 pressing invitations from Mr. James Cutbush and my own love 

 for the Hyacinth tempted me to do so. And although a corre- 

 spondent has given his ideas on the subject already, I hope it 

 may not be out of place to record my impressions of this Exhi- 

 bition, so well worth the visit as it was to all who have a real 

 love of flowers. 



As Hyacinth-growers this firm has stood at the top of the 

 tree for many years ; and although I am not going to " reveal 

 the secrets of the prison-house," I may say that these impor- 

 tations of bulbs from the first growers in Holland have during 

 the past ten years increased twelvefold, so much more widely 

 spread is the taste for floriculture, the stimulus to bulb-growing 

 having been in no slight degree augmented by this very 

 Exhibition of which I am now writing. I was quite aBsured 

 of a kindly reception from Mr. Cutbush, and am indebted 

 to him for a very pleasant morning spent amongst his spring 

 flowers. 



The greenhouse in which the display takes place abuts on the 

 residence, and skirts it at two sides. As arranged for the Exhi- 

 bition it is filled up with a stage, the back reaching up the 

 back wall to within a few feet of the top, and with a broad Bhelf 

 running round the front. The arrangement displayed consi- 

 derable taste, and gave a very pleasant and bright appearance 

 to the house. On the loweBt shelf there wbb a row of double 

 Primroses, yellow and lilac alternating. Above them was a row 

 of the dwarf miniature Rose in nice bloom. Above that again 

 a row of Primulas and Mignonettes, the Cyclamen on one side 

 of tho house taking the place of the Primula. Above that 

 again a row of Tulips in pots, then a row of Cytisus and 

 Deutzia scabra alternately ; while the shelves above these were 

 crowded with a gay mixture of Azaleas, Camellias, Dielytra, 

 Kalmias, Epaoris, Cinerarias, Narcissus, and other spring 

 flowers — pots, stages, and all being hidden by the profusion of 

 bloom and quantity of foliage. On the front shelf the 

 Hyacinths were arranged, all being placed in 24-pots, and then 

 covered with green moss gathered in Epping Forest. This 

 plan has been adopted in preference to that formerly used of 

 plunging the pots in moss, which was found to be too heating 

 for the plants. 



I have been anticipated in the lists I had taken of what 

 seemed to be the most beautiful varieties ; and I hardly think 

 it is worth while again filling up space with a mere list of 

 names, for there can be but very little difference of opinion as 

 to what constitutes a good Hyacinth and what flowers come 

 up most closely to the required standard. Many of the new 

 varieties — and we must recollect that it will be years before these 

 come down to the reach of ordinary mortals — cost two guineas, 

 which is a large sum for a plant ; but for a plant that only gives 

 a good bloom once, and then muBt be consigned to the border, 

 it is very high. And when we talk of improvement and the 

 probability of something novel making its appearance, we must 

 recollect that if a seedling be raised thiB year it will not come 

 into general sale for nearly twenty years ! hence we older ones 

 must content ourselves with what we have, leaving to our 

 juniors to look out for Hyacinths twice as large as anything we 

 have now, and of all imaginable and unimaginable shades of 

 colour. Mr. Cutbush informed me that of the beds of seedlings 

 which he saw in Holland, by far the greater number were of 

 that lilac shade of which Haydn and Unique may be considered 

 as types — a colour more interesting to foreigners than to us, 

 with whom I do not think it finds much favour. 



I find that Mr. Cutbush's experience with the Hyaointh is 

 the same as that of florists with every other flower, that there 



