782 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



October 12, 1912. 



SWEET WILLIAMS. 



H^MANTHUSES. 



Sweet Williams (Dianthus barb^tus) The genus hsemanthiis comprises, accord- 



rarely receive the attention they de- 

 serve in the autumn time. The plants are 

 quite hardy, and flower very freely, look- 

 ing (iharming in the mixed border. When 

 a little extra attention, how 



IS given 



to them they grow vigorously, and yield dozen, 

 great numbers of flowers. 



ing to Nicholson, about thirty species. 

 Several new fhyibrids have, however, been 

 raised since the publication of that work, 



but possibly the number of distinct kinds 

 in general cultivation may be reduced to a 

 ,1 Some of the best are H . 



Very often the plants are allowed to re- 

 main in the seed beds until the spring, 



and are then lifted and transferred to their 

 flowering quarters. Now, clumps so 

 treated will not yield a plentiful supply of 

 really good hlossoms. 1 have seen remark- 

 a'bly strong clumps, lifted in f^pring, which 

 have drooped badly, and not recovered 

 their normal condition again for a long 

 time. By the time spring comes sweet 

 Williams should be well established in their 

 flowering-beds, and the way to ensure tJiis 

 is to transplant them at the end of Septem- 

 ber or early in October. 



Th 



clayel soil. Some of the 'best ' specimens 

 I have ever seen were grown in a stiff, 

 clayey loam; transplanting liad resulted 

 in the formation of numerous fibrous roots 

 in addition to the rather long tap-root, 

 and the leaves were large and of great sub- 

 stance. A soil in which water lies stag- 

 nant, however, will not suit th-.ni . the 



Cinnabarinus, red ; H. insignis, orange- 

 scarlet ; H. Kalbreyeri^ bright crim- 

 son ; H. Katherinse, -bright scarlet ; H. mul- 

 tiflorus, (bright i-ed ; H. natalensis, orange; 

 H. punicens, orange-scarlet ; H. sanguinens, 

 scarlet; and H. Andromeda, orange-«carlet. 



It is somew^hat surprising that these 

 really handsome plants are not more gener- 

 ally cultivated, for it is the exception, 

 rather than the rule, to find them grown. 

 They are not, perhaps, so striking as the 

 amaryllis, to .w:hich order they are allied, 

 but, nevertheless, a ibatcli of well-grown 

 plants of any of those mentioned would 

 hardly fail to appeal to the average ob- 

 server. Even when not in bloom their hand- 

 some, rich green leafage invariably com- 

 mands attention. 



Cultivation consists mainly in producing 

 active growth, followed by a decided rest. 

 Propagation is by seeds, which set freely, 

 or offsets, which are generally plentifully 

 produced. The seven plants of H. Andro- 

 meda which secured the Award of Merit 



J m 



THE SCOTTISH FRUIT CRQPs. 



Apples. 



This very iiupoi-tant crop, in the northern 

 parts of the country, is develophig much 

 more kindly than wa* at one time antr 

 crpated. lakmg productiveness generally" 

 It must be admitted that the bulk of oron 

 varies considerably. In some districts tk 

 fruit IS plentiful, and good in quality while 

 in others the I'uling is quite the reverse 

 —a state of things that is by no means un 

 common in other parts of the United Kine 

 dom. o 



The brilliant weather which prevailed 

 throughout the greater part of September 

 was of great assistance in bringing the 

 earlier- kinds to maturity ; while later-keep 

 ing sorts have increased in size at a rapid 

 rate, and really large, well-coloured speci- 

 mens are now in evidence^a pleasing con- 

 trast compared with the estimate formed 

 a short time ago. One great peculiarity of 

 the apple crop this season has been that of 

 the fruit dropping from the trees, even 

 in its quite incipient stage. Some varie- 

 ties, as may be imagined, were more ad- 

 dicted to this failing than others but 



scarcely any seemed quite free from the de- 

 fect. 



So prevaleiit was this with some that 

 summer was so reduced that but few re- 



ained 



In like 



, ..V.. .,., inji/ ^UIL LIl'-IIl . LIJU . i^.i^ni, 



lower leaves turn yellow and then shrivel ^ recent meetnig of the Royal Horticul- 



up, and the whole plant becomes stunted, 

 not branching out as one would wish. 



Where the ground is on a low level, and 

 thorough drainage i.s difficult to accomplisih 

 the beds should be raised, and some road- 

 grit mixe<l with the soil/ Transplant tho 

 clumps while the soil is fairly <lry. and, 

 wliilt* in this <oiuliti(ni, make it modt'iatoly 

 firm around tho roots. Sings are very fond 

 of them, eating out the tender young cen- 

 tres. I't^e dry soot or dust lime, and 

 also sprinkle sifted ashes on the euiface 

 around the plants as a preventive. 



G. B. 



Soc 



with ten others, from one bulb in the sprint 



of 1910. These were potted into four-inch '2^ ^^""''^^ '^^'"'^ '''^"^ 



potsinacomDostof^^anrlvlnj^ni «r,^^,^o+;>. ^^'^^ latest varieties that are seldom 



manner, and for a similar reason, crops of 

 midseason fruits are now being gathered to 

 save them from loss by being bruised in fall- 

 ing from the branches^wdiieh assuredly would 

 be the case should a storm of wind arise. 



SAMBUCUS CANADENSIS. 



Regarded from a flowering standpoint, 

 this IS a very striking elder. Its huge 

 cymes of creamy-white flowers are consider- 

 ably later in expanding than those of the 

 common kind. Furthermore, it is much 

 less of a tree than Sainbucus' nigra, form- 

 ing as it does, a bold bush from six to t(^n 

 feet in height or thereabouts. It is verv 



to water. 



effoctuo when planted in close proximity 



The date of introduction is 

 given as 17G1, but it is only within the 

 liist few years that attention lias hovu g<Mie- 

 rally directed to its higli (n-nannMital qnali- 

 ties. As Sambucus j>ubrn;> maxima a good 

 deal of interest was contnKl in it about^ten 



years ago. 



Of the other elders that we have in our 

 gardens, our own native s|>ecies, Sam])ucus 

 nigra, is remarkably for its extreme varia- 

 bility, as tlie s('\t'ral varieties differ from 

 each other in foliage, habit, flower, and 



^"^^^g ^o^® uncommon kinds is 

 a double-flowered form of a pretty pinkish 

 tint. The ordinary kind, when in full 

 flower, IS certainly verv handsome, and in 

 addition, it Iilooms wJien tlie bulk of our 

 flowering shrnlis are pa,st, while it will 

 nourish even in hard, stony soils. 



Tho reil-berried elder, Sambucus race- 

 mosa is reniarkaf>le, not only because of 

 the colour of its fruits, but also because of 

 the <lis^inct leafage of many of its varie- 

 tievs which, in their finelv-cut foliage, sug- 

 gest some of the Japanese maples 



s. w. 



pots in a compost of sandy loam and peat in 

 equal proportions, and placed in a fig-house 

 where the temperature was high^ and the 

 atmosphere moist. Here they soon got over 

 their severance from the parent ibulb, and 

 made rapid progress, and, after about two 

 months were removed to a position of less 

 heat, but always kept growing strongly 

 with fairly moist surroundings. Plenty of 

 w^ater, with frequent weak stimulants w^ere 

 given until signs of rest w^ere apparent by 

 the leaves turning yellow, then the amount 

 was gradually reduced until the foliage 

 died down, wdien, as in the case of other 

 classes of bulbous pLants, w^ater w as with- 

 held for a time to ensure their enjoying a 

 thorough rest. 



During the resting period a temperature 

 of about 40 to 50 degrees was given and 

 the soil kept perfectly dry. On the first 

 signs of new^ growth in early spring they 

 were given a good soaking of water, shaken 

 out of the old soil, and place<l in six-inch or 

 s^ven-mch pots, using a similar compost to 

 that descriibed, with the addition of bone- 

 meal and soot. In these pot^ they flowered 

 1 lie previous year's treatment was repeated 

 as nt^arly as possible, excepting that they 

 did not receive such a high temperature tc> 

 enable them to recover after potting ITils 

 season a slight top-dressing onlv was -iven 

 and the plants were grown as '^before^'until 

 the flower spike was well advanced. A re- 

 moval to a dry, airy greenhonse was then 

 necessary as it is important that no water 

 touches the ^blooms. 



Haemanthuses remain in bloom for ^ix 

 weeks, and are found useful for house de- 

 coration. Tables fitted with rec'eptacles for 

 holdmg about five plants make a strikincr 

 teature. Having once hrought the hulbs to 

 flowe -ing size, they may ibe cultivated under 

 ordinary greenhouse treatment hut thev 

 pre er a higher and more humid atmosphere 

 while growing freely. With established 

 il^f^u^^r^ ^'^'F^ .^'-^ -i'l 'be quite often 



gathered until the middle of October must 

 shortly be placed in store, as it is becoming 

 too risky to leave them much longer upon 

 the trees. 



With the wet, dull summer that w^e have 

 had one naturally thought that the in- 

 gathering of crops could profitably have 

 been deferred for a longer period than in 

 previous years. Such, however, is not the 

 case, and it applies with equal force to 

 most other fruits besides apples. This pre- 

 mature falling of apples is not the result 

 of attack from the codlin moth, as the fruits 

 are perfectly sound, and, when size per- 

 mitted, w^ere readily made use of. Further- 

 more, pests of this kind are but little in 

 evidence in Scotland at anv time. 



enough for repotting. 



Duffryn Gardens, near Cardifl". 



Arthur Cobb 



These have developed one of the best 

 crops in recent times, most varieties contri- 

 buting to this result. The early dessert 

 kinds have already ripened off well, while 

 those succeeding are equally promising. 

 I pon the whole the colouring of the re- 

 spective sorts leaves little to be desired, 

 and size and quality of the individual fruits 

 is equal to that experienced in more pro- 

 pitious seasons. The above refers more 

 especially to the best of the dessert kinds, 

 which in this part require the protection 

 afford(Mi !iy a wall to develop their best 

 qualities. 



Commoner kinds, as He&sle, Swan's Egg, 

 and Crawford's Early, together with such 

 well-known and popular sorts as Williams' 

 Bon Chretien, Louise Bonne of Jersey, and 

 a few others of the first rank, that will 

 succeed in bush or standard form in th^ 

 open, w^ere, or still are, laden with fruits, 

 most of which are above average size. The 

 great amount of sunshine last year was 

 probably the principal factor in this, which 

 the excessive rainfall during the growing 

 period this year did not materially affect, 

 except that the liberal amount of moisture 

 in the soil assisted the fruits in attaining a 

 larger size than usual. 



Galloway House, 

 Wigtownshire. 



James Day. 



