JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
70 
[ January 26, 1882. 
exactly what each competitor was to include in or exclude from 
his “ collection.” 
Cannot some rules be formulated by which the position of 
various fruits could be gauged in relation to others ? As in the 
case of the Plums and Pears, Figs against Nectarines, a Melon 
against six first-rate Peaches, Cherries against Strawberries, and 
so on, which of these would have the preference ? 
In the meantime it would be well for societies busy with their 
prize lists to go carefully over them, and carefully eliminate from 
them every ambiguous term or word and every indistinct or 
vague sentence, so that at the day of the show all the exhibitors 
will meet on equal terms, and the prizes will be awarded accord¬ 
ing to the conditions that each one had a right to expect, and not 
given at the whim and caprice of a crotchety judge, or altered 
at the request of a quibbling competitor. 
Rules should be carefully compiled and framed, and should be 
firmly adhered to. Only in such ways can the success of societies 
be guaranteed as regards the object ostensibly in view—the 
advancement of the science of horticulture.— Peter Ferguson, 
Mere Knolls, Monk Wcavmouth. 
CAMELLIA BUDS FALLING. 
We have suffered in a similar way to “ A Scotchman ” (page 47) 
in the loss of a large per-centage of our Camellia buds. The 
plants are in pots, and I am fully convinced the failure is owing 
to nothing more nor less than inefficient root-action. I can scarcely 
imagine your correspondent intended his remarks to apply to all 
plants, whether good, bad, or indifferent. This, however, appears 
to have been the case with some of your readers, and the failure 
of our plants was at once attributed to the fact that they were 
kept indoors through the summer. If the system advocated were 
so highly essential, would not some of the grand specimens we 
see planted out permanently in conservatories cast their buds ? 
Not only are the latter kept indoors through the summer, but 
many of them in a temperature during winter suitable for Eu¬ 
phorbias, Poinsettias, and Calanthes seem to enjoy their quarters 
rather than otherwise. 
I will admit that unhealthy plants would exist out of doors in 
favourable situations during summer ; yet I think they would 
be much safer placed in some structure where they could be 
carefully watered, partially shaded, and protected from such high 
winds and drenching rains as we experienced last year in the 
valley of the Ribble.— Peg O’Nel. 
PRODUCTION OR NON-PRODUCTION OF POTATO 
SHOOTS. 
Your excellent correspondents, “ W. J. M.” and Mr. Iggulden, 
have been discussing lately how best to deal with the admittedly 
evil state of sprouted Potatoes. Is not prevention better than 
cure ? Both seem to think there is no help for their Potatoes 
sprouting. We have kept Potatoes from starting far into sum¬ 
mer merely by keeping them thinly spread in a cool, dry, airy 
shed. Exposing them to the light is even more potent in pre¬ 
venting premature growth. It is only partially a question of tem¬ 
perature, and if either of your correspondents doubt this they have 
only to put a considerable heap of damp Potatoes in a damp 
corner of a room and cover them, and to expose another portion 
to the full influence of light and air by spreading them thinly 
near a window, to be convinced. Allowing Potatoes to sprout 
weeks before their time certainly spoils them to some extent for 
seed, and more for use. Let those who fear the growing of their 
seed Potatoes act on this hint if it is not already too late—better 
late than never ; and in the case of those with shoots too long to 
retain, rub the sprouts off and proceed to prevent further growing, 
for the growth surely steals the stored food in the tubers, hence 
the weakness of the second growth. 
Mr. Iggulden “ takes a ‘ snip ’ of each tuber to hasten decom¬ 
position.” Why ? This question we asked ourselves some years 
ago when engaged in the operation. It was one of our first 
lessons in Potato-growing, and we were assured that inducing the 
tubers to decay was helpful to the young plants. For years we 
followed the practice, but, on considering the matter, became 
doubtful of its accuracy. 
Grains of Wheat and seeds generally, including such large ones 
as Peas and Beans, when they start into growth have their in¬ 
soluble starch converted into soluble sugar, which dissolved in 
water becomes the sap upon which the young plants live till 
green leaves form to work up fresh and perfect sap. So do trees 
in spring, and the more of this starch there is stored up—Yine- 
growers, take a note—the more sap there is in spring. Are 
Potatoes an exception ? Well, if part of a tree “ decomposes,” or 
is cut off, and with it a part of this life-giving fluid destroyed, 
will the tree grow better ? If I cause half my Peas and Beans to 
decay, will they grow stronger ? Will not the sap thus destroyed 
be a loss ? And if so in the case of Peas and Beans, is it not 
also so in the case of the Potatoes ? 
The proof o’ the puddin’ is the preein’, and “ nothing beats a 
trial,” so a trial was made. Taking sixty tubers of Early Rose, 
we took a “ snip ” of thirty, and the other thirty were un¬ 
touched. They were planted side by side under conditions pre¬ 
cisely similar. The thirty untouched grew and in nearly equal 
strength. Those operated on grew less regularly : five never 
came at all—a trick Early Rose often plays here—and seven 
grew less strongly, some of them very weakly, than any in the 
other lot. We w r ere satisfied. We intended weighing each lot, 
but failed to say they were not to be touched, so one day a dish 
was dug from the best lot, and the weights were not obtained. 
Since then we have neither cut nor “ snipped ” our very earliest, 
nor any particularly tender-constitutioned Potatoes, unless for a 
special reason. Ordinary kinds planted at ordinary seasons we 
cut mostly into single eyes, and are prepared to defend the 
practice. We are satisfied, however, that rapid decomposition of 
the mother tuber is an evil, and now never deliberately try to 
hasten it.— Single-handed. 
USEFUL GREVILLEAS. 
The genus Grevillea is a peculiar one, and especially interesting 
for the strange forms of the flowers and their evident peculiar 
adaptation for cross-fertilisation. Beyond this, however, several 
species possess characters of real value to the gardener, being 
free in growth, graceful in habit, and bearing bright though small 
flowers. The proportion of useful species is very small compared 
with the large number of forms known, and of which few are in 
cultivation. About 150 species have been described, but in few 
gardens, except such establishments as Kew, will more than half 
a dozen be found. Some are grown simply for the singularity of 
their flowers, which are often of a dull greenish or yellowish 
white, the habit stiff, ungraceful, and the plants of very slow 
growth. Others, however, possess quite the opposite of these 
characters—attractive flowers, neat, compact, yet free habit, and 
quick growth. 
They are all natives of Australia, and succeed well in ordinary 
greenhouses ; indeed, some are sufficiently hardy to stand out all 
the winter in sheltered positions in the south or west of England. 
During the summer they will all succeed well outside, but except 
G. robusta they are not much employed for outdoor bedding. 
They are much better suited for the shelves or stages of the 
greenhouse, where they invariably attract much admiration when 
in good condition. Some may be raised from seeds, which are 
usually imported, as seeds are rarely produced in this country, 
but the chief of those described in these notes are easily in¬ 
creased by cuttings. The best method to be adopted with each 
will, however, be mentioned under their respective names. 
G. Thelemanniana. —One of the most useful and graceful of 
the forms in cultivation known to me is that represented in the 
woodcut (fig. 15). It is almost constantly in flower, but is especi¬ 
ally fine at the present time and onwards for several months. It 
is also readily increased by cuttings, which strike in a cool tem¬ 
perature if inserted in autumn. The moderately firm shoots, 
2 or 3 inches long, should be selected, neatly cut at the base and 
trimmed. Prepare a compost of light loam, peat, and sand in 
about equal parts, finely sifted, and place it rather firmly in the 
pots, which have been previously well drained. Surface with fine 
sand and insert the cuttings ; water carefully to settle the soil 
round them, place a bellglass over them, and transfer the pots to 
a cool frame or house near the glass, but where they can be 
shaded if necessary. There they can remain until spring, requir¬ 
ing little attention in the meanwhile. By that time most of the 
cuttings will have formed roots or callused at the base, and may 
be carefully potted singly in similar soil. 
The plant is very graceful in habit, the branches being slender 
and having a drooping tendency. The leaves are pinnate, with 
linear divisions and bright gieen. The flowers are borne in pen¬ 
dulous dense racemes, 3 or 4 inches long. They are bright deep 
rose colour and yellowish at the tip, with the long filiform style 
bright red. It has been figured and described under the name of 
G. Preissi, and seeds were sent to Kew by Mr. Du Boulay of 
Perth, South West Australia, bearing that name about 1869. The 
plants produced from these seeds first flowered in 1870. The 
species was found by Preiss at Drummond, near Perth. It is said 
to attain the height of 5 feet or more in its native country. 
G. ericifolia. —A pretty form with very neat flowers, the 
