452 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 13, 1877. 



it belongs to the vicinity of Damascus. It is also known as 

 the Cabbage Rose. We have no certainty as to when we came 

 dn possession of it. The old Damask Rose, Rosa damaseena, 

 appears to be almost lost to cultivation, and yet in bud we 

 have not a more desirable Rose. The Tork-and-Lancaster 

 Sose has been referred to ; it is sometimes met with, and 

 may be restored to favour again. No Rose in the bud is 

 more beautiful. We used to have another striped Rose in 

 Perle des Panachees, also the Old Village Maid and New Village 

 Maid, but they appear to have fallen into disuse, why I am 

 not able to say. But to my mind the Rose of Roses is Rosa 

 -muBCosa. There is some doubt as to its origin. Some think 

 that it is an offspring of the Provms Rose, others attribute it 

 to Rosa centifolia. 



Why the Moss Roses find so little favour I am not able to 

 eay. They are not difficult to cultivate, and I think they should 

 have a class to themselves at exhibitions. They are often seen 

 in all their glory by the cottage homes of England. 



They are best increased by layers, but they may be increased 

 by budding on other stocks, yet they like their own roots best. 

 They often send up strong suckers. These with care make 

 good plants. The white varieties are a little delicate, but with 

 care they can be successfully cultivated. There are several 

 kinds of Moss Roses that are worthy the notice of cultivators. 

 One of the very choicest is the Crested Provins, then we have 

 Rouge de Luxembourg, Malvina, Baronne de la Fieehe, Comtesse 

 de Murinais, Alice L-roy, Moss Lanei, Baronne de Wassenaer, 

 and Capt. Ingram, with others that might be named, and which 

 ought to be more freely cultivated. — A Lovek or Old Roses. 



ECONOMY IN HEATING GREENHOUSES. 

 PATENT STOVES v. FLUE. 



" Respice Finem " (page 416) does not seem to like my 

 saying that the cost of heating his small house was, as com- 

 pared to mine, excessive. First of all he tells us that my ad- 

 vocating the flue is, to say the least, retrospective, and had I 

 done so I could not do otherwise than admit the force of his 

 argument ; but the fact is I never did advocate the flue as the 

 best means for heating. Were I to advocate any particular 

 apparatus I should decidedly advocate that which I think every 

 person possessing a knowledge of floriculture and its require- 

 ments for attaining success would do — namely, a boiler and 

 hot-water pipes. " Respice Finem " appears all at once to 

 lave discarded the patent stove, and in preference thereto has 

 adopted one of his own design. Why does he not give us the 

 particulars thereof, that others may derive some benefit from 

 ilia knowledge and experience ? 



But to answer his queries. The question of growing any 

 particular plant, such as Gardenias, Gloxinias, Stephanolis, 

 •&c, waB not raised by me. All I did was to criticise his ex- 

 penditure for heating a house not larger than 10 feet long by 

 ■S wide to the extent of 50°. My house is one-third larger ; it 

 is sheltered only from the east wind. The temperature is the 

 same ; and although the plants are not the same they are such 

 as require for their well-being a constant temperature of 50°. 

 But has anyone ever heard of an average temperature (a term 

 used by me in my former paper) of 50° for horticultural pur- 

 poses meaning 20° at one time and 80° at another ? What 

 plants does " Respice Finem " think would exist under such 

 conditions ? To my mind such an average temperature means 

 Keep as near to it as yon possibly can ; neither let your ther- 

 mometer register many degrees below nor above it. 



For many plants in a greenhouse it is exceedingly injudicious 

 to raise the temperature above 50° during winter. If it is 

 plants will grow weakly, and as a consequence they cannot 

 rank amongst the number of well-grown plants, which after all 

 is the first consideration whatever plant it may be. 



Let me in conclusion tell "Respice Finem " that my green- 

 house is not one simply for the preservation of Geraniums 

 over the winter. — L. Hakeman. 



same that is required for the perfection in blossom of an Apple 

 tree, or indeed any other plant ; without the wood is well 

 ripened the same perfection is not attained. The plant from 

 which I cut this spray is certainly not so thickly flowered all 

 over the plant ; still the buds, opening and to open, are plen- 

 tiful.— R. M. A. 



[The spray, although not more than 6 inches in length, 

 contains four expanded flowers and as many unopened buds ; 

 the foliage is also glossy and healthy. We never saw a better 

 example of culture of this beautiful Camellia. — Eds.] 



HOW TO PLANT AND COOK POTATOES. 



In the first place the land requires drainage, in the second 

 place trenching 18 inches deep, and in December or January 

 quicklime should be applied at the rate of 1 ton to every 

 10 poles ; or gas lime, which will answer equally well, at the 

 rate of 1 ton for every 10 poles of ground. When the land is 

 dressed all over with the lime the next thing is to ridge up the 

 ground 2 feet apart and to let the ridges remain so until the 

 1st of March, when the Potato planting may be commenced if 

 dry ; if not, wait for another week or two, beginning with the 

 earlier sorts, such as the A6hleaf and Early Rose, and finish- 

 ing with the late sorts, such as the Jersey Blue: that will be 

 about the 1st of April. I am afraid it would take up too 

 much of your valuable space to mention the different manures 

 I have tried for the last thirty years, but I have found where 

 the lime was put at the rate of 1 ton for every 10 poles of 

 ground the Potatoes were good and free from disease. If 

 anyone should doubt this let them try 1 pole with 2 cwt. of 

 gas lime. Storing Potatoes is best done out of doors in pits 

 with a good sprinkling of common sand, and then they can 

 be covered up with straw and earth to the thickness of a foot 

 or more if the weather should be severe. 



For cooking Potatoes have plenty of water, salt, and a good 

 fire, and whenever the first crack is seen pour the water off and 

 steam them till they are ready, and they will turn out like 

 " balls of flower." — J. G. , Lynewood. 



CANDTTDFTS. 



CAMELLIA FIMBRIATA. 

 I forward to your notice a flowering twig of Camellia fim- 

 briata. It is from a bush plant, about 6 feet in diameter, 

 growing in a pot. You may observe that the tendency of pot 

 •culture when the plants are in good order is to give plenty of 

 flowers. The plants do not grow so strong as those planted 

 out, and the foliage is not so large either, consequently the 

 flowers show rather better. It might be said that the principle 

 that governs the flowering of the Camellia well is just the 



Amongst the many kinds of hardy plants suitable for the 

 decoration of flower gardens in spring and summer there are few 

 that will surpass the genus Iberis. The majority of the species 

 are perennial, but some are annuals, and a few are biennial, 

 are found in the mountainous districts of the south of Europe, 

 and have a dwarf, shrubby, spreading habit, seldom rising in 

 height more than 18 inchss, and usually have white flowers. 

 The most suitable position in the garden for them is a rockery, 

 hut for the mixed flower border or for an edging to beds they 

 are also very effective. 



One of the best known kinds is I. saxatilis (synonymous, I 

 believe, with corifolia), a plant unequalled for an open rockery, 

 and when in bloom it forms a complete mass of white ; but to 

 do it justice it should have a good soil, and if large boulderB of 

 stone are placed about it, it will spread over them, and in a 

 few years will make a handsome plant, associating well with 

 Arabia alpina, Aubrietia purpurea, Alyssum saxatile, Saxifragas, 

 Sedums, and other alpine plants. 



Iberis Garrexians, I. sempervirens, I. gibraltarica, I. Te- 

 noreana are all fine species, and are equally good (though old- 

 fashioned) as pot plants for indoor decoration. They strike 

 readily from cuttings taken off after flowering, inserted in 

 sandy soil, and placed in a close frame till rooted ; they may 

 then be divided and planted in rowB outdoors, and the year 

 after may be planted where they are wanted, there to remain, 

 as the less they are disturbed about the roots afterwards the 

 better. The Iberis may also be raised either from seed sown as 

 soon as it is well ripened, or in the spring, placing the seed pans 

 in a close frame, and gradually hardening the young plants till 

 June, when they may be planted out, but be taken care of till 

 well established and sufficiently strong to take care of them- 

 selves. 



The annual kinds should find a place in every garden, how- 

 ever small ; for what is more gay when in bloom than white 

 and crimson Candytuft ? and useful for cutting as well. They 

 may be had in bloom from June till November by successional 

 Bowings. If sown the latter end of August and protected a 

 little from hard frost the bloom will be a little earlier than 

 epring-sown seed ; but the beginning of April is quite early 

 enough to sow in the majority of gardens, for if the winter is 

 , very cold and wet the majority of the young plants perish. 



