May 29, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
423 
Yafes seems gifted in this wav, and he receives every encouragement 
from his employer.— George Bolas. 
P/EONIES. 
W hat is finer than the great saucer-like flowers of the single 
and the large globes of the double varieties of Pseony ? No plant 
can vie with them in their season for affording a show in the 
borders. I do not mean to put forward the Pseonies as rivals of 
the Iris or Pyrethrum, for the herbaceous border is large enough 
to hold the three, and such a trio cannot be equalled in late May 
and early June for beauty and usefulness. The Pseony is an old- 
fashioned plant; it could be found in almost every garden many 
years ago, and is coming to the fore again. Pliny mentions the 
Pseony, stating it was so named in compliment to Pseon, a 
famous physician of antiquity, and it (P^eonia officinalis) has 
been in England since 1600 , and of the family we claim one—viz., 
P. corallina. Gerard mentions having seen it wild at Southfleet 
in Kent. How they come to be termed Chinese Pseonies I cannot 
imagine, as China contributed only some forms of the species 
albiliora, the chief of the species being European. There is no 
■doubt we are indebted to P. albiflora fragrans for the scent 
which many of the French vai’ieties possess, otherwise the Celes¬ 
tials have a very small claim to the origin of the herbaceous 
Pseony. 
These flowers travel well, and are useful for cutting, some of 
them being delightfully fragrant, home consider them coarse 
and lumpy; but they are not a whit more lumpy than a Rose ; 
indeed they are to the herbaceous border, shrubbery, and wild 
garden in May and early June what the Rose is later on. Call 
them May Roses if you will, or Mountain Roses, as I believe the 
Spaniards do, only do not class them with anything less than 
their merit deserves, which is as a foremost decorative and useful 
plant and flower in early summer is especially valuable. What 
are finer for large vases than bright massive blooms of Pseonies 
set with long stems supporting the flowers amid their hand¬ 
some foliage P In a cut state they last a long time, and being 
the hardiest of hardy plants, they are not so soon dried up as 
more tender plants. One of the great merits of these Pseonies is 
their size and glowing colours, and they can be grown by every¬ 
body, not being very fastidious as to soil if it be rich, porous, and 
deep, and that any soil can be made by trenching and adding 
manure; lightening heavy soils by adding ashes or the refuse 
from the potting bench suits them exactly. They like moisture, 
only it must not be stagnant, and when in flower water will help 
them wonderfully to swell the second flowers, the first being 
always the largest, and the side ones smaller. After flowering 
the application of liquid manure will help them to form strong 
flower buds for another year, and a mulching of short manure in 
autumn is advantageous, as it is in a light shallow soil in 
summer. 
Once planted they take care of themselves; but until they 
become established no estimate can be formed of their capability 
for effect. They should be planted in autumn, that being the 
best time to divide them; every crown taken off with a portion 
of tuber will grow, and they must not be planted deeply—merely 
covering the crown. If planted in spring they do not succeed 
nearly so well as when planted in autumn. Numbers of varieties, 
both single and double, are described in catalogues.—G. A. 
At the General Meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
held last Tuesday, G. T. Clark, Esq., in the chair, the following candi¬ 
dates were unanimously elected Fellows—viz., Edward C. Browning, 
Walter Barnard Byles, Dowager Viscountess Canterbury, Stewart Clark 
M.P., Mrs. Stewart Clark, Harbhamji Kumar of Morbi (India), Mrs. 
G. Head, J. Mears, Edwin Roper, M.D., Henry W. Tugwell, and Maj r 
Williams. 
- Establishing a Rookery. —We are reminded that this topic 
was discussed some years ago in “ Science Gossip,” and several naturalists 
expressed opinions ; the conclusion then was that there is no means 
known of inducing rooks to found a colony, they will do as they please. 
- Tiie Canterbury Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Society announce their seventh autumn Show for November 14th and 
15th, when prizes, chiefly of small amount, will be offered in very 
numerous classes for Chrysanthemums, fruit, and vegetables. 
- We learn with pleasure that the Lady Mayoress has kindly 
consented to hold “A Rose Show and Floral Fete” at the 
Mansion House, on July 17th, in aid of the funds of the Royal 
Hospital for Children and Women, Waterloo Bridge Road, London, S.E., 
of which Mr. R. G. Kestin is the Secretary. 
-“ Casualties and Diseases of Vegetable Life.” —Under 
this titleJMr. Bruce Findlay, Curator of the Royal Botanical and Horti¬ 
cultural Society of Manchester, delivered an interesting lecture in the 
Town Hall, Manchester, early in the present year, which is now issued by 
Mr. John Heywood in pamphlet form. The subject is divided into three 
sections—1, Wounds, under which are considered boring, fractures, 
pruning, felling, destruction of buds and leaves ; 2, Diseases, including 
blight, smut, mildew, honeydew, flux of juices, gangrene, suffocation, and 
consumption ; and 3, natural decay. 
-The Vale of Evesham Horticultural Society will hold 
an Exhibition of Roses on July 8th of the present year in the Workman 
Pleasure Grounds in conjunction with the annual regatta. The classes 
are comparatively few, only fourteen being enumerated, but the prizes 
are liberal. Messrs. Cranston & Co., Hereford, offer three prizes for a 
basket of Roses arranged with Rose foliage only, and F. D. Dixon- 
Hartland, Esq., M.P., also offers prizes for Rose bouquets and button¬ 
holes. 
- “ J. W. S.” writes :—“At the residence of H. E. Watson, Esq., 
Shirecliffe Hall, Sheffield, there is now a very fine specimen of the 
beautiful Rhododendron Dalhou3ee in full bloom, with between 
sixty and seventy of its large yellowish-white flowers, which give a very 
agreeable odour during the evening and through the night. This species 
will grow to a great size with very little soil, as the plant referred to is 
about 10 feet high ; its roots are confined to a 14-inch pot, and it is in 
vigorous health, associated with the Camellias in the Camellia house. 
The very fine examples of the latter have, under the skilful management 
of the gardener, Mr. Udale, justly gained the reputation of being some of 
the best in the country.” 
- Mr. G. Bolas, Hopton Hall Gardens, Wirksworth, Derby, sends 
us flowers of Ceanothus Veitchianus, and remarks that it is “a 
most charming effective plant on the wall. It was planted five years 
ago from a small pot, and now covers a space 20 feet by 12 feet. The 
flowers kept peeping all winter, and last year it was equally as good. 
On a wall 120 yards long, covered with good shrubs and climbers, 
nothing surpasses this.” 
- A correspondent writes :—“Your leading article on double 
Pelargoniums (page 397) cannot fail to be instructive, and came just 
right in the season, so that stocks can be renewed. I do not grow many, 
but have one in bloom—namely, Pretender, and I would like to hear if 
this is likely to be a suitable variety for pot culture. I like its present 
appearance. Madame A. Baltet is good ; the same can be said of 
M. Thibaut, but Asa Grey became spotted in the leaf, though the colour 
of flower is novel.” 
- At the annual Show of the Bath and West of England 
Society, which opens at Maidstone on June the 2nd, and continues for 
five days, the horticultural tent will contain a choice display of exotic 
plants and flowers, the opportunity of exhibiting rare specimens having 
been largely taken advantage of. The plants will be arranged with a 
special view to illustrate the beautiful effects which can be obtained by 
skilful groupings and combinations of colour under the superintendence 
of the Hon. and Rev. J. T. Boscawen, who has worked so indefatigably 
and successfully at the Exhibitions of the Society for a number of years. 
- HoveA Gelsii. —Mr. C. M. Major of Croydon writes:—“Your 
correspondent ‘ Conservative Rose ’ asks for the names of plants with 
blue flowers. Many have been given, but one that I have always 
esteemed as the most beautiful has been forgotten. I mean Hovea Celsii.” 
This is undoubtedly one of the most richly coloured of blue-flowered 
greenhouse plants, and one of the good old plants that are too much 
neglected. 
_ Aleyrodes vaporariorum. — A correspondent writes :— 
“ These tiny insects are certainly difficult to kill, and some say that, as 
