4? 



FLORA AND SYLVA, 



and I have never yet visited Belgrove without finding the conservatory near the 

 entrance a blaze of colour and redolent with perfume. The finest of Tuberous 

 Begonias and Pelargoniums, Cannas, Crinums, Amaryllis, Nerines, Arctotis, or 

 Gazanias and other choice composites are all found here in their season ; and 

 the capricious Disa grandiflora from the misty top of Table Mountain also 

 does splendidly here, and I counted lately some seventeen pots of it in perfect 

 health and freshness, some of the growths being as bold and vigorous as ever I 

 saw them anywhere. In the enclosed garden you may see new or rare fruits of 

 many kinds, the Lovetberry, Logan-berry, the Iceberg or White Blackberry, 

 Lucretia Dewberry, Raspberry, and Strawberry, or the bird-fertilised Fiejoa 

 Sellowiana of Brazil, a large-fruited myrtaceous plant, which, although it has 

 wintered and flowered in the open air, has so fir not fruited here. Whether its 

 non-fruiting be due to the climate, or to the absence of its feathered friends, 

 is a question, however, that only time and further experiment and observation 

 can settle. 



There are ample supplies of choice vegetables and fresh herbs for every day 

 in the year, including the precocious crimson-stalked Rhubarb, obtained from 

 Santa Rosa, where Luther Burbank is helping Nature to improve herself in his 

 experimental garden. 



Some few years ago Mr. Gumbleton took up the culture of all thebest of 

 M. Latour-Marliac's new seedling Water Lilies, and as he has been eminently 

 successful with them, his system of growing them may be described for the 

 information of others who would like to adopt his method. The Nymphaeas 

 arc grown in two brick tanks, the one 2 i feet long by 9 feet broad and 3 feet 

 deep ; the other, 3 1 feet long and 8 feet broad, and 2 feet 6 inches in depth. 

 These tanks are elevated 1 8 inches or so above ground level, so that when in 

 flower their gorgeous and shapely flowers are near the eye. All the best kinds 

 are grown, such as N . Marliacea rosea 3 Luciani pygmtea, and pygnicea Helveola, 

 chromatella, sulphurea, grandiflora, etc., N. g/oriosa, ignea, rubra punctata 

 (syn. James Gurney), sanguinea, Andreana, Robinson 7, El/isiana, If r . Falconer, 

 lf^. Doogue, yames Brydou, tuberosa, Richardsoni, and, of course, the best varia- 

 tions of N. Leydekeri and N. odorata. Amongst other of the hobbies indulged 

 in by the Master of Belgrove is a special liking for the Torch Lilies, or Flame 

 Flowers (Kniphofias), and for all the best green-leaved and variegated Cortaderia 

 or Pampas grasses. 



Amongst the former were noted the following : — 



K. Pfitzeri. K. nobilis pallida. 



K. Phoenix, Max Leichtlin. K. Star of Baden-Baden. 



K. precox, a rare old kind. K. Henry Cannell, one of Pfitzer's 



(First to bloom.) best seedlings. 



K. recurvata, j K. spectabilis. 



