OCTOBER. 



153 



VALLOTA PURPUREA. 



This is one of the most useful autumn-flowering plants wo have, either for greenhouse 

 or room decoration. As a vase or table plant it has few equals, and not many superiors ; but 

 it appears not so generally grown as it deserves, for many visitors have never seen it before. 

 Possibly the little trouble required to grow and flower it is turned to quite as good account 

 as growing the " standard plants " for dinner-table decoration ; for the list of plants exhi- 

 bited either tells a tale of very poor choice of plants flowering at this season, or a great 

 want of judgment and taste in what table plants should be. I will give a few remarks on 

 my system of growing the above-named plant, which although probably not the best, has 

 answered very well. I will commence with the plants after flowering. It being an ever- 

 green bulb, of course never requires to be kept quite dry ; so from the time of going out of 

 flower until the end of February I keep it in a cold vinery with greenhouse plants, not giving 

 fire heat unless the thermometer goes below 40°, with water enough to keep the foliage fresh 

 and green. Early in March I remove the plants into a shallow pit heated with hot water 

 and raise the temperature from 45° at the beginning to 60° at the end of the month at night, 

 with an increase of 10° by day. I give plenty of air, and the plants being close to the glass do 

 not get long in the leaves ; at the same time I keep the pots standing in pans of water. As 

 the days get hotter the lights are pulled nearly off in bright sun, and early in June tho 

 plants are removed into a cold frame, where they are kept close to the glass, and in pans as 

 before. Early in July I shake all the old soil from the roots, take all young bulbs away, and 

 repot in a mixture of one part good loam, one part peat, one thoroughly decayed and dried 

 hotbed manure, and one part sharp sand, the soil chopped, rough, and putting a'good drainage 

 of broken crocks at the bottom of the pots, with some rough lumps of soil and dung over it, as 

 it is obvious that without thorough drainage the soil would soon get sour and waterlogged 

 from the abundance of water given both above and by pans in the growing season. 



Eor table decoration 6-inch pots are the most useful size, so I pot a quantity of the mode- 

 rate-sized bulbs in that size for the purpose, and the larger ones either singly into 7-inch or 

 three together in a 9-inch pot ; the largest bulbs of last year's young ones three or four into 

 a 6-inch size, and if I wish to save the young bulbs I sort them into sizes and put seven or 

 eight round the same-sized pot. I replace them into the frame and give moderate waterings 

 until the roots begin to grow, and keep the frame rather close. I shade during day, but pidl 

 the lights off at night, and I do not stand them in pans again, unless it is a few of the earliest 

 when showing bloom. When the plants are again established the lights are off day and 

 night, excepting in heavy rains ; and by the first week of August some will show flower, and 

 will be followed by others until the end of September, so that with a few dozen plants wc 

 can have some in flower for two months, for they last a long time in bloom as the days get 

 shorter. 



The bulbs in the two first- mentioned sizes throw up from two to four flower-stems, with 

 from six to ten flowers on a stem : not the small flower we see where the bulbs are kept in 

 the same pots and soil for a term of years, but blooms of immense size and substance ; and 

 the best bulbs of last year will show one flower-stem with from four to six flowers generally 

 the last to flower. 



The only care after flowering is not to put it away on a shelf without water, or it will be 

 years before it does much good again if it once gets dry enough to lose its leaves. 



Teddesley Gardens, Stafford. J. Taplin. 



THE METROPOLITAN EXHIBITIONS. 



Crystal Palace, Sydenham, September Zrd.— This Exhibition had as one of its chief 

 features a superb display of Gladiolus, and which has now become such a distinguishing 

 feature of the autumnal exhibitions. They occupied the corners formed by the junction of 

 the nave of the building with the centre transept, and extended nearly to the front of the 

 building on each side. A centre table in front of the great orchestra was devoted to the 

 collections of Fruit. Dahlias, Hollyhocks, and Asters occupied the remainder of the tables 

 under the transept, and the rest of the fruit found a lodgment in that portion of the nave 

 stretching away to the tropical department. 



With the best collection of Gladiolus, Messrs. Touell & Co., Great Yarmouth, were 

 first— a firm who cultivate this flower somewhat extensively, more especially Brenchleyensis, 

 a variety they grow on a very large scale. Hitherto, Messrs. Youell have been content with 

 sending up a collection of flowers " not for competition ;" but this season they have displaced 

 their Bagshot rival from the coveted position of first place. Mr. Standish was therefore 

 second; Mr. W. Paul, Waltham Cross, third; and Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, fourth: 

 while an extra prize was given to M. Loise, of Paris, who had a collection of some three 



