May 1, 1*84. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
845 
Wilson, and wish your opinion of them. Trusting to your kindness to 
publish the above in your next issue.— F. F. 
[The testimonials are perfectly satisfactory, and we trust you 
will soou ^ obtain a suitable appointment. We doubt not that had 
*’ W. K. W.” had the opportunity of seeing the examples above referred 
to, that he would have as readily recognised the ability of the cultivator 
as in the case of Mr. Clements and Mr. Pidsley. We saw the Orchids 
when in charge of the first-named gardener, and they were very superior. 
The mistake as to date was obviously a mere clerical error, and the precise 
size of the houses is a matter of small moment. When a person visits a 
garden he does not as a rule take the exact measurement of the structures. 
It does not follow, that because two gardeners are competent, that a third 
is not equally skilled ; but it does follow that when a large number of 
Orchids are sold, the smaller collection remaining, however well the 
plants may. be cultivated, is naturally less famed, and we shall be 
much surprised .to learn that “ W. K. W.” intended to convey anything 
more than that in his communication.] 
VINES BLEEDING. 
This season some of my Vines, young ones planted last season, have 
bled very much, and as I have derived a practical lesson from it I give it 
to others. I started my Vines with a bed of hot manure, and no fire heat. 
Three weeks before doing so I thoroughly drenched the borders inside on 
several occasions. Severe bleeding commenced a few days after, and 
continued until the shoots were some length. I could and would have 
stopped the bleeding, but accepting the theory of several writers that 
the so-called sap was only water without substance, let them continue 
until they ceased. 
The Vines are just now recovering, but there is no fruit—the embryo 
has perished. I gathered fourteen bunches of Grapes from the same 
class of canes last year. Too much water is the chief cause of bleeding, 
and being given before growth has sufficiently advanced. Young Vines 
should have none, or very little, until rapid growth has begun ; then for a 
time they cannot have too much. 
Old Vines, especially those planted inside, seldom receive half sufficient 
water, neither summer nor winter, and this is the chief reason why Vines 
do not do well on the back walls of vineries. Last year I had a Black 
Hamburgh on a back wall with bunches overlapping each other from 
the.roof to the floor, well hammered and finished, the foliage leathery, 
which were supplied with mine and soot. Bleeding is a great injury, 
and water is the cause.— J. E. Waiting, Grange-over-Sands. 
PINGUICULA CAUDATA. 
This plant should find a place in every cool Orchid house, as it is 
most useful and interesting. Since we have arranged several among our 
Masdevallias and Odontoglossums fumigating and insecticides have been 
dispensed with—-two remedies which should be discountenanced in this 
house. I lately saw some valuable plants that had been completely 
disfigured by injudicious washing with nicotine soap, and I do not think 
fumigating can be done sufficiently to kill and keep down aphides 
without injury to the foliage and flowers of the Orchids. I presume it is 
the male, which flies about; this comes in contact with the leaves and 
flower stems of Pinguicula, which act as traps, and by catching these the 
others soon become extinct. Mimulus cardinalis is another plant that 
has stood in the same house some time, and has proved serviceable in 
catching hundreds of this troublesome insect. At one time our plants 
were badly attacked, but since using the traps as advised we have 
scarcely any insects without resorting to other means of eradicating it. 
—G. W. Cummins. 
NARCISSUS JAMES DICKSON. 
On page 299 of your issue of April 17th you gave an admirable 
illustration of the very beautiful variety of Narcissus incomparabilis 
which lias received the name of James Dickson. After giving some 
particulars of its reputed origin you ask for further information upon the 
matter, and as a few facts have come to my knowledge I send them in the 
hope that others may be able to add to them. 
As stated in your notice the plant was named hy Mr. Burbidge from 
flowers supplied by Messrs. James Dickson of Chester, and the same firm 
was awarded a certificate for it when flowers were shown at Kensington. 
It now appears that at the last meeting of the Committee (April 22nd) a 
letter was read from Messrs. Dickson to the effect that the person from 
whom they had received the flowers desired the name to be altered. 
This, however, could not be done, and the question arises as to whether 
the firm named above was authorised to show the flowers and receive a 
certificate for the variety when this is wholly in the hands of another 
person, as I am reliably informed it is. It is said that for some time 
past flowers have been sent from a certain garden in the north to the 
London and Manchester markets, but that the bulbs are confined to the 
possession of this grower, who has at present declined to part with the 
stock. No doubt Messrs. Dickson can explain the matter satisfactorily. 
-N ARCISSOPHILE. 
CHLORIDE OF POTASH. 
Your correspondent who recommends the use of chloride of potash is, 
ns *• Medicus ” points out, advocating the use of what does not exist. In 
the reply (given on page 322) to the objections raised by “Mcdicus,” your 
correspondent strives more to be funny than correct. I am anxious to 
profit by the information originally given, and would gladly try the manure 
recommended. This is, however, quite impossible if the ingredients are 
not correctly named. Will your correspondent, therefore, be kind enough 
to state what he means by chloride of potash ? Is it potassium chloride, 
or is it potassic chlorate ?—M. D. 
[Potassium chloride doubtless. Scientifically, of course, chloride of 
potash is an impossibility; nevertheless, the agricultural potash salt is 
sold by that term, also as muriate of potash, which latter name is also 
incorrect from a strictly scientific point of view. Yet, in a late agricul¬ 
tural report, it was constantly referred to under the latter name.] 
PRUNING ROSES. 
Late pruning and early pruning both have their advocates, and the 
question could scarcely be more ably debated than at various times it 
has been in these columns. After all, experience alone can decide it, 
and that not in one or two localities nor of one or two seasons. 
In the present season there have been great differences of opinion 
and procedure. Early in the year I was present at a Committee meeting 
of the National Rose Society, and took the opportunity to question 
several authorities. 
Some said, Prune early ! others said. Not so. 
Some said, It might do good ; others said No. 
One gentleman, whose opinion I value highly, meant to defer until 
April. I always hold here in mid-Surrey with the last week in February, 
but I suspect this season my Reigate friend is nearer right. Such an 
April as this has been does not often occur, 21° in a Stevenson-Mawley 
screen, and 18° on the grass, which was my case on April 23rd, cannot 
take place without leaving its mark. 
I always think Rose trees at the end of April look about their worst, 
but their worst is quite exceeded this year. The too sanguine shoots 
are blackened and shrivelled in every open part of the garden, and, 
what is a still greater loss, all my forward budded Briars are heavily 
damaged. I have tried second pruning with some of the strongest cut¬ 
backs, rather a desperate remedy, but with a view to see how these will 
compare with the others. It would, I think, be both interesting and 
valuable if we could learn in “our Journal” from both late and early 
pruners how things are turning out. I am, and always have been, a 
strong advocate for early pruning, holding that six years out of seven 
it makes scarcely any difference between the end of February and the 
beginning of April when H.P.’s are pruned, but this year I much incline 
to think late pruners will come off best. But may I ask for a little 
more discussion of the subject ? 
Some better precepts if you can impart, 
Why do. I’ll follow them with all my heart. 
—A. C. 
THE AURICULAS AT SOUTH KENSINGTON. 
It has been my wont as an old Auricula grower to take notes of the 
shows which have now been held for some years in London and, indeed, 
for which I am in a certain sense responsible ; for it was an expression 
of mine that florists’ flowers were “ hopelessly at a discount in the 
south ” which led to the formation of the southern section of the 
National Auricula Society, and certainly thereby a great stimulus has 
been given to the growth of the flower, if it has not largely increased 
the number of exhibitors in the south, and has afforded from year to 
year an opportunity of lovers of the flower meeting together to talk over 
their favourites. Had it not been for it there are many lovers of it who 
would never have seen those “ northern lights ” Mr. Horner, Messrs. 
Ben Simonite, E. Pohlman, and one whom we shall see no more, alas ! 
the recently deceased George Rudd ; there would have been no oppor¬ 
tunity of correcting the somewhat lax southern type of flower by the 
more rigidly exact northern taste, nor probably would the want 
encouragement of the flower have led to the many new varieties being 
added to our lists ; for however it may seem to pertain to mercenary 
ideas, I think that without question the offering of prizes does lead 
to the encouragement of the particular flower so taken up, and that, 
however it may be with growers for sale, amateurs will not continue to 
exhibit where all is expenditure and no chance of any return given. 
In reporting on these shows I have, I fear, at times trod on some 
peoDle’s corns ; but as I have never done so for the purpose of giving 
pain, but simply in what 1 believe to be the true interest of the flower 
which has been my earliest, and will be, I think, my latest love, I make 
no apology for so doing. It must be that a writer who speaks his mind 
will offend some people, but this we cannot help ; he would be worse 
than useless if he were to either say what he did not think or suppress 
his convictions for fear of offending others. I remember what Lord 
Palmerston once said, that public men ought to have rhinoceros hides ; 
and although many hard things have been said of me, I am thankful to 
say they have never disturbed me, but have passed by as “ the idle wind 
which I respect not.” 
And now as to the particular Show in question. I do not enter into 
the question as to whether it was the best or not which the Society has 
ever held, but merely say in passing that I do not think it was. The 
flowers were not so numerous, and it was unquestionably a day for the 
southern men. We have had during the last three weeks such a spell of 
that “ vile north-easter ” that, as one of the northern men expressed to 
me, their plants were literally starved. They had arrived at a certain 
