January 19, 1882.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 53 
without flowering, flowers and dies in its second year ; and of an 
annual when the seed of a plant, ripened and shed in summer, 
remains dormant until the following spring, and then grows and 
flowers and ripens seed and dies within the year. This is the 
nature of many plants, but by gathering and storing seed many 
biennials are made annuals, and many annuals biennials. But 
P. umbrosum becomes by comparison a poor plant when grown as 
an annual, especially if it is subjected to that miserable treatment 
which annuals generally have in ordinary gardens, being sown in 
a dense mass where they are to flower, and left to struggle with 
one another for breathing room. 
The success of P. umbrosum depends upon giving it abundance 
of room at every stage of its growth. Beware of allowing it to 
become crowded in the seed pan, or it will throw up a flower- 
stalk prematurely before winter and be spoilt. Give the seedlings 
abundance of breadth to spread their wide crown of horizontal 
leaves over the surface, and keep them growing by copious water¬ 
ings. They may be readily transplanted with a trowel to their 
flowering place any time in autumn. No amount of frost hurts 
them ; I transplanted some in January last year, all of which 
did well. Each plant should have a circle of 2 feet in diameter 
to itself in a sunny position. Treated in this way they will pro¬ 
duce such a display of large scarlet flowers in May and June as 
no other plant can equal. 
I need not say much about annual Poppies. The best varieties 
of the double annual Opium Poppy (P. somniferum), which are 
pure white and bright scarlet, have showy flowers but an untidy 
habit, and only suit a wilderness garden. The double varieties 
of the common field Poppy (P. Rhmas), are pretty if well grown 
on suitable soil, but these conditions are seldom fulfilled. Of the 
alpine Poppies I may perhaps speak at another time.—C. Wolley 
Dod. 
A 
4 
INKS. 
We learn that the vacancies created by the death of Dr. Denny 
and the retirement of Sir Charles Strickland and Mr. Arthur 
Grote from the Council of the Boyal Horticultural Society, 
have been recommended by the Council to be filled by Edmund 
Giles Loder, J. H. Mangles, and William Lee (Leatherhead). 
Major F. Mason is recommended for the office of Secretary, 
vacant by the retirement of Dr. Hogg ; and Mr. Haughton as 
Treasurer, by the retirement of Mr. Henry Webb. The Annual 
Meeting takes place on the 14th February. 
- The Committee of the Farningham Rose and Horti¬ 
cultural Society have altered the date of their Exhibition to 
June 29th, instead of July 1st, as announced. 
- A correspondent, F. F. Woolton, in answer to “Ebor,” 
on page 36, relative to the seven Japanese Chrysanthemums 
introduced by Mr. Fortune IN 1862, states the following, 
most of which are in cultivation, can be procured from nursery¬ 
men who advertise Chrysanthemums as a speciality — Bronze 
Dragon, Roseum Punctatum, Striatum, Laciniatum, Grandiflorum, 
Japonicum, and Yellow Dragon. 
- Messrs. James Carter & Co., High Holborn, write as 
follows respecting the flowering of Dracaena Goldieana— 
“ Observing your remarks upon this plant at page 30 of the last 
issue of the Journal of Horticulture, we may mention that we 
have lately had this variety in flower at our nurseries, Forest Hill, 
where it was amongst others shown to Mr. Barron, who admitted 
the occurrence was rare and novel.” 
- The schedule of the Royal Horticultural Society’s 
arrangements for 1882 has been issued, and gives full par¬ 
ticulars of all the exhibitions to be held during the present year. 
In addition to the Meetings and Promenade Shows which have 
already been noticed, the following Exhibitions will be held at 
South Kensington—National Auricula Society (Southern Section), 
April 25th ; Summer Show, May 23rd, 24th, and 25th ; Exhibition 
of Garden Structures and Appliances, May 23rd to July 5th ; 
Pelargonium Society, June 27th ; National Rose Society, July 4th ; 
and the National Carnation and Picotee Society, July 25th. 
During the season the following nurserymen will offer special 
prizes, to be competed for at the Society’s Shows and Meetings— 
Messsrs. Sutton & Sons, James Carter & Co., Hooper & Co., Webb 
and Sons, J. E. Ewing, Daniels Bros., and Webber & Co. Special 
prizes will also be offered by a Fellow of the Society on March 28th 
for Hyacinths, Tulips, and Amaryllises. 
- Mr. Summers informs us that the Rainfall at Sand- 
beck Park in 1881 amounted to 27-30 inches, rain falling on 
171 days. In 1880 the amount was 34'87 inches on 170 days; 
1879, 28-61 inches on 209 days ; 1878, 26-88 inches on 179 days ; 
1877, 31-50 inches on 163 days. From the above figures it will 
be seen that the rainfall of the past year was 7'57 inches less 
than 1880—a difference of over 180,000 gallons per acre. 
- We regret to learn of the death of Charles Walter 
Ormiston, of the firm of Ormiston & Renwick, seed merchants 
and nurserymen, Melrose, which occurred on the 14th inst., in his 
twenty-second year. 
- It is worthy of record that the mercury of the barometer 
has been higher during the present week—namely, 30-91 inches 
on the 17th inst., at Greenwich than has been registered since 
February 11th, 1849. Other notably high readings occurred on 
the 4th March, 1854, when it rose to 30-85 inches, a third on the 
Gth March, 1852 (30 84 inches), a fourth on the 18th February, 
1878 (3083 inches), and a fifth on the 9th January, 1859 (30-82 
inches). In other parts of Europe the barometer has on various 
occasions reached as high a point, and instances have been known 
in which it has touched or even exceeded 31 inches. 
- A daily contemporary has the following note on 
winter IN North Africa— “ Winter has been heard of at last. 
While the people of Washington have been throwing open their 
windows to welcome the balmy breath of Christmas, and while 
residents in our own southern counties continue to write letters 
describing how they gather wild flowers in Surrey lanes and 
Sussex woods in January, the cold is so intense on the Sahara 
frontier in Africa that four hundred camels belonging to a French 
column have died in a single day, and many more are reported to 
have perished in the snow. Just now it looks as though the 
world is being turned upside down.” 
- “ A Grower ” writes—“ Your correspondent in your last 
issue, ‘ Nor’-Easter,’ mentions various methods for obtaining 
late Chrysanthemum blooms. Has he grown one of the new 
Japanese varieties sent out last year by Messrs. Cannell Sc Sons, 
Swanley, Kent? I mean Chrysanthemum ‘Mrs. Charles 
Carey.’ It is pure white, though apparently a seedling of James 
Salter, but, unlike its parent, it is a very late and free-growing 
variety. On and since the 24th December 1 have cut over fifty 
blooms, all fine examples, from one plant. I consider it worthy 
of a place in every collection, and a most valuable addition to 
the white flow-ers so much in demand at Christmas time.” 
- Messrs. Corry, Soper, Fowler, & Co., 18, Finsbury 
Street, E.C., have now nearly ready for shipment some very 
handsome designs in cork for a fernery in the King of 
Siam’s Palace. The principal portion consists of five frames, 
each about 10 feet in height and width, most artistically con¬ 
structed, being covered with cork coloured to resemble a true 
rockery, with a pool at the base for Water Lilies and other 
aquatics, with numerous pockets and recesses in which Ferns will 
be placed. Several jets of water are arranged so that the whole 
surface will be constantly moist with water dripping from the 
stalactitic projections at the upper part. Spaces are left at the 
