October 12, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS* MAGAZINE 



73 



received Of interest was the section ot a 

 Scots fir which had grown vigoroui^ly until 

 some twelve years since, when certain 

 works were started within a short distance 

 of the wood in which it was growing Lntil 

 the starting of the works the annual rings 

 of the trunk of the tree were of the usual 

 thickness; but subsequently they had 

 trreatly decreaseil, until the tree succumbed 

 to the injurious infiuenceg to which it was 

 exposed. In discussing the products of the 

 combustion of coal, Dr. Crowther directed 

 attention to the high percentage of carbon 

 and tar, and showed in a graphic manner 

 how greatly these percentages w^ere in- 

 fluenced by the manner in which the coal 

 was consumed. Thus, in the soot obtained 

 from burning coal in a kitchen range the 

 percentage of tar was 12.5, whereas in the 

 loot derived from coal of similar quality 

 burnt in the grate of the dining-room of 

 the same house the percentage was 34.9. 

 The injury done to vegetation by atmo- 

 spheric impurities was due to the great re- 

 duotion in the light, the blocking up of 

 the breathing pores of the leaves, and the 

 acid that is washed dow^n to the roots. 

 There may not be much that is new in 

 this statement, but it is satisfactory to 

 have access to facts that are based on 

 careful investigation. With regard to 

 the reduction in the light, the injury 

 done to the plants was in part due 

 to the impurities that adhered to the 

 leaves, and in part to the cloud of 

 smoke. In 1907 the hours of bright sun- 

 shine recorded in the industrial area of 

 Leeds during the year were 1,157, as com- 

 pared with 1,400 a few miles out. 



Garden- 



Windcw 



ow 



ins at Battersea. — With a view t<> 



encouraging the cultivation of flowering 

 and other plants by the occupants of their 

 houses and tenements, w^hich number 351, 

 the Battersea liorough Council annually 

 offer a series of prizes for window and 

 flower gardens, to be comj^eted for by their 

 tenants. As in previous years, the Council 

 obtained the aid of tlie Battersea Amateur 

 Chrvsanthemum and Horticultural Society 

 in making the netossury arrangements tor 

 the competitions, and for judging the en- 

 tries. The society arranged the competi- 

 tions as follows : (1) r])stair window-sill 

 gardens; (2) indoor window gardens; (3) 

 back gardens— central ; (4) back gardens 

 side of house. The number of entries in 

 the four classes was 43, and the awanls 

 made by the society were as follows: (1) 

 three prizes and certificates. (2) one prize 

 and certificate, (3) seven pi izt s ;ind certi- 

 ficates, and (4) seven prizes and certificates. 

 A meeting will bo held at the small hall, 

 Latchmere Road Baths, Battersea on Octo- 

 ber 22, at 8 ,p.m.. w-hen the Mayoress (Mrs. 

 A. B. Runeokles) will ])resont the prizes and 

 certificates to the succrssinl <oiii])otitors. 



Eng^lish-g:rown Tulip Bulbs.— 



At the lecent uniting of the Hythe Gar- 

 deners' Society Mr. C\ Duruz, a nursery- 

 man of Hythe, exhil)ite(l Nom<x tulij) bull)s 



in a high state of (U'velopmont, for the 

 purpose of showing that the bulbs of tulips 

 can be as successfully grown in England as 

 in Hollaml. The bulbs, he said, were <>1 

 largo size and well ripeneil, because they 

 liad receive<l gotxl cultivation. Mr. Duruz 

 also stated that largo quantities of buUis 

 aro annually sent from this country to 

 Holland, whero they are bought by English 

 growers who are afraid of buying English- 

 i'aise<l bulbs. The statement with regard 

 to the sal.v 'u\ Holland of bulbs grown in 

 England may bo in accordance with fa<'l. 

 ^ut it nee<ls confirmation. Cultivators 

 y^o know anything about tulip bulbs nry 

 in no May afraid of those grown in this 

 coimtry, *^but prefer them, and buy them 

 direct from English houses. 



NOTES FROM KEW- 



♦ 



Antigonum leptopus alba. 



The antigonums are all climbing plants 

 belonging to the polygonum family ; and, 

 though very beautiful in some parts of the 

 Tropics, are not often aeon in this country. 

 The typical A. leptopus, introduced from 

 Mexico in 18G8, has sm^all, bright pink 

 flowers, plentifully borne in loose racemes 

 towards the ends of the shoots ; while in 

 the varietv alba, w^hich is in flow^er in the 

 succulent house, they are white. This form 

 has now been known for about ten years. 



Achimenes coccinea. 



Though this, the oldest of all the achi- 

 menes, has long been recognised at Kew^ as 

 a delightful basket plant, it is probably, 

 from the small size of its blossoms, often 



passed over where collections of these beau- Browallia speciosa major. 



the scheme of decoration as carried out in 

 the greenhouse, where some delightful com- 

 binations mav often be noted. 



Browallia viscosa. 



This species of browallia has been brought 

 prominently forward during the present 

 year, some well-floweretl examples in Sin. 

 pots having been shown at two or three 

 of the meetings of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society. It has been grown for greenhouse 

 decoration at Kew for some time, and this 

 season it is planted out of doors in a cir- 

 cular bed near the succulent house. It has 

 in this way proved very satisfactory, its 

 deep blue flowers, with their conspicuous 

 white eye, being borne in great i)rofusion. 

 This is an old species, but it is only of late 

 that it has been generally met wuth. The 

 " Dictionary of Gardening '' refers to it as 

 an annual, but it can be as readily propa- 

 gate 



tiful flowers are grown. In the T. range 

 some baskets bearing a profusion of its 

 bright scarlet flowers are particularly note- 

 worthy. 



Coiumnea gloriosa purpurea. 



From its distinct character and showy 

 blossoms this South American gesnerad 

 forms one of the most striking features in 

 the intermediate portion of tne T. range. 

 It is planted on ttie top of a piece of dead 

 tree tern stem, and the strictly pendulous 

 shoots hang down for a considerable dis- 

 tance. Ihe leaves, which are arranged in 

 a regular, opposite manner, are, as well as 

 the shoots themselves, decidedly hoary and 

 of a pronounced purplish tinge. The 

 flowers at once arrest attention, the main 

 feature being the large upper segment, 

 which is of a peculiar hooded shape, as 

 much as three inches in length, correspond- 

 ingly broad, and of a soft scarlet colour. 

 The^ lower segment is small, and almost 

 hidden by the large upper one. The colum- 

 neas, which are little known plants, are 

 somewhat in the way of the oeschynan- 

 thuses—to which, indeed, they are nearly 



allied. 



Hippeastrum reticuiatum. 



This species of hippeastrum would not 

 attract much attention if it flowered in 

 the spring and early summer, when .-o many 

 of the garden hybrids are at their lest. 

 Blooming, however, in the autumn, it i^r, 

 of course,' more useful. A native of Brazil, 

 Hippeastrum reticuiatum is .-^aKl to^l.ave 

 been introduced as long ago as 1(577. It 

 is in all stages of growth readily distin- 

 guished by the dark green strap-shaped 

 leaves, having a clearly-defined ivory-white 

 midrib. The flowers, about three inches 

 in diameter, are of a pleasing yet varied 

 shade of pink, with darker veins of so pro- 

 nounced a charact^^r as to gain for it the 

 specific name of reticuiatum. Hybrids have 

 been raised between this species and some 

 of the others, but they are not in general 

 cultivation. In flower in the " T range. 



Ipomoea Leari. 



lu the interniediattv portion of the T " 

 range tlicre is an *vxaini>le of this Cingalese 

 memluMs of tlio <-onv()lvulus fanuly, which, 

 traineil to a raft*^-. well shows its suita- 

 bility for this niodt* of treatment. The 

 large, delicate llowers are of an intensely 

 bright shade of Mue. a tojio of colour which 

 is very generally adniire<l. 



BcRonia Dregei and Plumbago 



rosea. 



']^lir>o form an ex(>eedingly pleasing com- 

 bination ]n tho grenudiouse, the white 

 flowers of the begonia and the rosy-scarlet 

 ones, of the plumbago harmonising well. 

 These little groups form quite a feature of 



Lilium nepalense. 



A group of this striking and distinct lily 

 is now to be seen in the greenhouse. When 

 it was first introduced, over twenty years 

 ago, L. nepalense created quite a furore, 

 it being so widely removed from any other 

 speoies. Since then, thanks to importa- 

 tions from Upper Burmah (for it does not 

 increase readily in this country), it has 

 becom.e fairly well known. It is a plant of 

 slender growth, while the regularly-reflexed 

 blossoms have the topmost portion of the 

 segments yellowish-green or greenish- 

 yellow, and the basal portion purple, thus 

 forming a large dark-coloure<l centre to the 

 flower. As a rule, freshly-imported bulbs 

 stand some time before they commence to 

 grow, and it must be assigned a place 

 among the late-flowered lilies. In a gene- 

 ral way it can only be regarded a^ a green- 

 house kind. 



The Water-lily House- 



The structure near the Palm House, 

 which was originally built for the accom- 

 modation of the Victoria Regina, is given 

 up to a collection of tropical water-lilies and 

 various moisture-loving plants. Many of 

 them are in flower, among them being the 

 Ecrvptian Xymphpea Lotus, represented by 

 l>oth white and rose-coloured forms ; the 

 blue N. zanzibarensis, and its rose variety; 

 X. stellata, N. pulcherrima, and others. 

 XelumbiTini speciosum, which in a cut state 

 has attracted a good deal attention at " 



of the recent meetings of the Royal Horti- 

 .-ultural Scx^iety. is flourishing in tlie mud 

 in the corner 'tanks. A portion of the 

 roof, too, is draped wnth many quaintly- 

 shaped members of the gourd family, which 

 from their uncommon appearance are very 

 attractive to visitors. The large cannas, 

 just standing in the water, are now past 

 their best, but some bold masses of hedy- 

 chiums are very fine. Besides the gourds 

 there are many other pretty and distinct 



climbers, such as one rarelv meets with. 



K. 



Shrubby Veronicas.— The numer- 

 ous garden forms of Veronica spt^ciosa are 

 exceedingly valuable for dceorativo pur- 

 poses early in the autumn. Good examples 

 mav be grown in five-inch ])ots, but at the 

 same time fair-sized bushes niay, if desired, 

 be ol>tained. Cuttins^s readily root in the 

 spring, and the young plants grow away 

 freely afterwards/ They should be stopped 

 once or twice in order to lay the foundation 

 of a bushy specimen. There is now a wide 

 range of colour to l>e found among the dif- 

 ferent varieties, varying a^^ they do in tint 

 from pure white to deep purple and crim- 

 son, numerous internu'diate shades of blue, 

 lilac, lavender, and violet Ixung also repre- 

 sented.— S. W. 



