180 



JOURNAL OP HOETICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ September 7, 1871. 



year. Many of them freely sow themselves, especially in light 

 ■warm soils and early districts. Advantage may be taken of 

 this in transplanting as many seedlings as may be required 

 to a nursery-bed, in some sheltered corner, where they must 

 be kept till the rigour of winter is spent. In less favourable 

 districts, however, throughout the greater part of Scotland, and 

 many parts of England also, although autumn-sown plants 

 may scatter their seeds, and give rise to a number of plants, 

 they are usually either too far advanced, or too late to winter 

 well ; in the one case being too gross, and in the other too 

 small, to withstand the eiiects of long-csntinued frost and 

 damp. It is better, perhaps, in every case, to sow regularly, 

 so as to insure a prospect of ample stock to transplant the 

 following spring. 



The beginning of September is early enough to make the 

 sowing ; and the poorest piece of ground that can be chosen, 

 if well sheltered and warm in aspect, is the best for the autumn 

 seed-bed. If the ground is poor, sandy, and dry, so much the 

 better ; digging and sowing, either in drill or broadcast, is all 

 that is necessary in this case. But if rich and retentive, it 

 will be necessary to reduce the staple by the addition of sand, 

 lime rubbish, or fine-sifted ashes ; and further, in order to 

 secure the best possible drainage for the young plants, it will 

 be advisable to raise the bed in the centre ridge-fashion. If 

 all this is needed, drill-sowing is the best in the circumstances ; 

 and the drills should be ranged across the ridge, not along it, 

 because the plants will thereby ecjoy greater variety of aspect, 

 and will be also less liable to suffer from stagnation at all points 

 of the drill, for the top cf the ridge will always be in a tolerably 

 well-drained condition in even the most unfavourable cases. 

 Wherever a line can be sown along the base of a west or south 

 wall the plants may be expected to do well, and to come very 

 early into flower the following spring. In severe weather, long 

 continued, they will rtquire some kind of protection. A few 

 saplings hooped over the bed, so as to support mats, or well- 

 clothed spruce branches, will be found quite sufficient covering 

 in ordinary winters in any locality, and these coverings should 

 only be put on when the weather is so severe as to cause 

 apprehension of destruction to the plants, and be removed 

 again as soon as it improves. The plants will require to be 

 thinned before winter sets in, so as to stand quite clear one of 

 another; and some attention will be needed from time to time 

 afterwards to keep them quite free from decaying leaves, and 

 any other cause of damping that may find a place among them. 

 Those that can devote hand-glasses or coll frames to the 

 wintering of them will have their prospects i f success increased, 

 and will, besides, be rewarded by the earliest possible crop of 

 flowers. 



Under glass they will require similar treatment to Cauli- 

 flowers, Calceolarias, or Pentstemons. Give air at all times ex- 

 cept during the most severe weather. Eemove the lights wholly 

 on bright mild days, and keep them on, but tilted, in wet ones. 

 Give water sparingly, only enough to prevent flagging, till the 

 days lengthen and the plants begin growing vigorously. In 

 March they should undergo a process of hardenicg-off, so that 

 they may be planted out in April as early as possible. 



If they have been wintered in the open ground they will re- 

 quire no hardening-off preparatory to planting out, but any 

 protection that may have been given to the seed bed should be 

 removed a few days beforehand ; and in the event of bad 

 weather setting in after planting out, it will be advisable to 

 stick a spray of spruce close to each plant so as to arch over it. 

 The first spring sowing will be early enough made in the end 

 •of April, and a second may be made the first week of June. 

 The latter should be made on a west or east aspect, where the 

 plants will come away more vigorously than if sown in full 

 exposure to the sun. All that may be transplanted with safety 

 may be sown in the ground either broadcast or in lines ; and 

 tap-rooted kinds that do not succeed well when transplanted, 

 must be sown where ihey are to remain, or in pots, to be turned 

 out with balls. 



The following short list comprises a few of the best of the 

 Californian annuals. Those marked with an asteiisk are not 

 in every case the most beautiful, but they are all worthy of 

 being cultivated in any garden, and are specially marked as 

 being the longest bloomers, some of them blooming for a very 

 long period indeed, if a little care is bestowed in picking ofi 

 the seed-pods, and on watering in periods of drought : — 

 Agrostemma Cceli-rosa, 1 to 2,^ feet ; rose-coloured. 

 Calandrinia speciosa, 6 to 9 inches ; procumbent ; violet-crimson. 



alba, same as species, but white-flowered. 

 Callichroa platyglossa, 1 foot ; bright yellow. 



Centaurea depressa, 1 foot ; deep bine. 



rosea, same height as species ; centre .florets rose, outer 

 ones blue. 

 *Clar]iia pulcliella, lA foot ; in variety. 

 ♦Calliopsia tinctoria, 2 feet ; yellow and dark crimson and brown, 



iu variety. 

 Collinsia bicolor, 1 foot ; lilac and white. 



bicolor candidissima, pure white ; same height as species, 

 multicolor, 1 foot ; deep lilac and white, 

 verna, 1 foot ; blue and white — the best and earHest. 

 Eueharidium grandiflorum, 1 foot ; deep rose-purple. 

 *Eschscholtzia compacta, 9 inches ; bright yellow, with deep aaffroii 

 base to petals. 



* tenuifolia, 1 foot ; sulphur. 

 Eatoca viseida, 1 foot ; deep blue. 



*GiLia tricolor, 1 foot; pale purple, shaded. 



alba ; same as last, but with white margin to corolla. 

 Godetia lepida, 1 foot ; pale lilac and deep purple, shaded. 

 Lindleyana, 1^ foot ; rosy purple. 



roseo-alba, 2 feet ; rose in centre, dull white on margin of petals, 

 rubicunda, 2 feet ; lilac purple. 

 Koniga maritima, 9 inches ; white. 



Leptosiphon androsaceus, 6 to 9 inches ; varionsly coloured froro 

 white to purple, 

 aureus, 6 to 9 inches ; golden yellow. 

 Inteus, 6 to 9 inches ; pale yellow. 

 Limnanthes Donglasii, 6 to 9 inches ; trailing petals, with yellow 

 base and white margin, 

 alba ; same as species, but pure white. 

 *Lupinus nanus, 9 to 12 inches ; puiplish blue, white, and rose. 

 Malcolmia maritima, 6 inches ; variously shaded with rose, purple^ 



and white. 

 *Nemophila insignis, 6 to 9 inches ; trailing ; sky-blue, with whitfc 

 centre. 



* insignis alba, 6 to 9 inches ; pure white. 



* macnlata, 9 inches ; white, with purplish-black spots. 

 Platystemon californicus, 9 inches ; trailing ; sulphur. 

 Osyura chrysanthemoides, 9 inches ; bright yellow. 

 *Silene vespertina, 1 foot ; rose-coloured. 



Specularia pentagonia, 1 foot ; violet and white. 

 Viscaria oculata, lA foot ; rosy puiple. 

 Wbitlavia grandiflora, 1 to 1^ foot ; deep blue. 

 -W. SniHEEiiAND (in The Gardener). 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



We are requested to announce that a Geand Inteenahonai. 

 Feuit Show will be held at South Kensington, in the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society's grounds on the 4th of October next, 

 when numerous gold and silver medals will be awarded as 

 prizes. Full particulars will be found in advertisements. 



We have received from Mr. Begbie, gardener to Lady 



Eolle, at Bicton, half a dozen remarkably fine Bkunswick 

 Figs, grown in the open air. The lightest weighed 4J ozs., 

 the heaviest 5J ozs., and the six within an ounce of 2 lbs., 

 and all were perfectly ripe. 



The Oldest Teee in Europe. — The oldest tree on record id 

 Europe is asserted to be the Cypress of Somma, iu Lombardy, 

 Italy. This tree is believed to have been in existence at the 

 time of Julius Cfesar, forty-two years before Christ, and is, 

 therefore, 1912 years old. It is 106 feet in height, and 20 feet 

 in circumference at 1 foot from the ground. Napoleon, when 

 laying down his plan for the great road over the Simplon, 

 diverged from a straight line to avoid injuring this tree. 



SOME PREDATORY INSECTS OF OUK 



GARDENS.— No. 17. 



Some insects there are of which you can only get a Sight at 

 certain seasons, at other times jou might search for them in 

 vain, supposing yon had suddenly conceived a wish to make 

 acquaintance with one of that particular species. Now, if it 

 so happens that you are a lover of earwigs, you may derive 

 some satisfaction from the thought that any month throughout 

 the year by a very little trouble you can bring one cf these gentle- 

 men to light. Yes, and not in any preparatory condition, but 

 in his full dignity as a mature earwig. " A very malignant 

 insect," says one. "Avery shy insect," says another writer. 

 Most assuredly earwigs have few testimonials in their favour 

 to produce, and if their determination to do all the mischieS 

 they can in the garden and conservatory is a proof of their 



