JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
342 
[ April 27, 1882. 
an “ ordinary” frame is not quite precise enough for determining 
the quantity of manure that will be needed. From four to six 
ordinary cartloads will probably suffice, or half that quantity if 
tree leaves are plentiful. Manure will not ferment if it is dry, 
and will not be safe for Melons if the smell from it is offensive.] 
OXLTPS FROM SEED. 
Observing on page 324 a note under the head of “ Seedling 
Oxlips,” in which you mention never having obtained fertile seed 
from the true Oxlip, I therefore take the liberty of sending by 
this post one of my own seedlings, which, if planted at once, will 
doubtless produce true seedlings, as it is no doubt naturally ferti¬ 
lised, being a plant from the rockery here, where it is quite esta¬ 
blished, seeding itself freely all over it ; and though I have had it 
for several years, and have Primulas of different kinds growing 
near it, I have never known an instance of any variation from the 
original stock, the seed of which was originally gathered some few 
years ago on the mountains of Switzerland, in the neighbourhood 
of the Engadin. All the plants called the Oxlip in this country 
that I have seen are merely hybrids, and consequently never seed, 
with the exception I believe of the Bardfield Oxlip, which, how¬ 
ever, though I have had it under cultivation, never propagated 
itself with me by seed. The seed of all the species should be sown 
quite fresh.—H. M. D. H. 
[The plant you enclose is Primula elatior of Jacquin, which 
has been called the Bardfield Oxlip by British botanists, because 
it is found in the parish of Bardfield, in Essex. This will 
reproduce itself from seed, and we have succeeded this year 
in raising one or two seedlings, which we are cherishing. 
But the true English Oxlip is a different plant from this, and it 
was to it we referred when we said we had failed to raise it from 
seed. We are much obliged to you for sending the plant of 
P. elatior from the Engadin, for it confirms the opinion that 
P. elatior, which yours is, is identical with the Bardfield Oxlip. 
We have sent you a specimen of the Bardfield collected at the 
English habitat, and also one of the English Oxlip from a habitat 
in Sussex, where it is not uncommon.] 
FERTILISERS—THE ONION MAGGOT. 
Seven or eight years ago I had charge of the gardens at Fen 
Place, Worth, Sussex, and was very much troubled with the Onion 
grub (being a new garden), and I tried an experiment by thoroughly 
mixing half a bushel of salt, half a bushel of soot, one bushel of 
lime, and a quarter of a bushel of guano together on the piece of 
ground where the seed was to be sown (about 3 rods). It was 
then strewn evenly on the ground and raked in, the drills being 
drawn and the seed sown. The seeds germinated well except 
where the above compost was mixed. Not one plant appeared 
there, but on the other part of the ground the result was one of the 
finest crops of Onions we could wish to sec, and no grubs troubled 
them. 
Respecting the space where the Onions did not come, in the 
autumn previous one of the garden labourers gave me a Potato 
weighing 9 ozs. Prince of Wales’s Kidney he called it. This I 
kept in the office window all winter, intending to plant it in 
spring, but it was neglected till the Potato ground was filled, and 
the kitchen gardener suggested planting it where the Onions had 
failed. This was done, and when it began growing freely there 
was not enough soil to earth the stems up properly without dis¬ 
turbing the Onions, so some soil was taken from the potting bench. 
When this Potato had completed its growth no less than 17^ fibs, 
of tubers, or a little over two and a half gallons, were obtained. 
Many have disbelieved me when told of it, but the kitchen gar¬ 
dener as well as the present head gardener are there now, and 
can testify to the truth of my statement. 
I have tried many fertilisers in different ways, but I have always 
found good guano answer best for general use, until quite carelessly 
I employed some of Clay’s fertiliser for Chrysanthemums last July, 
and in a week the plants were extremely vigorous. I have tried 
it this year for Gardenias, Ferns, and Chrysanthemums, and find 
it has the same effect on them all. I use a teaspoonful to.a 32 or 
6-inch pot.— W. Wells. 
TULIPS ABOUT LONDON. 
Since the middle of the seventeenth century Tulips have con¬ 
stantly received a large though varying share of public attention. 
Sometimes during that period they have been the most favoured 
of the florists’ pets, and at others they have been comparatively 
neglected, but generally their brilliant colours and the early 
season at which they bloom have insured for them a prominent 
position amongst the most admired flowers. From the time of 
the Tulipomania, when houses, lands, and fortunes were freely 
bartered for the bulbs of choice or rare varieties, the value of 
Tulips has been lowered to a more reasonable standard, such as 
would bring them within the means of a far greater number of 
amateur as well as professional florists. In consequence of this 
we now find their popularity established upon a more substantial 
basis than formerly, and there is one section that will probably 
continue to advance in public appreciation—namely, those varie¬ 
ties adapted for planting out of doors in beds and borders. The 
choicer and later florists’ varieties are not so extensively grown 
now as they were thirty or forty years ago, and though they still 
deservedly find many patrons, they have in a large degree been 
supplanted by the bedding varieties. Tulip shows were at one 
time numerous, not only in the neighbourhood of the metropolis 
but also in the vicinity of the chief large provincial towns, espe¬ 
cially in the north of England ; these are, however, now com¬ 
paratively few, and we have instead out-of-door displays in 
gardens and parks, which in brilliancy and effectiveness are far 
superior to the formal rows of plants in pots at exhibitions. 
During the past week most of these outdoor displays have been 
at their best, and in the following notes some of the most beau¬ 
tiful and useful varieties grown in the largest collections are 
briefly described. 
HYDE PARK. 
An admirable example of the rich and brilliant display produced 
by Tulips when judiciously selected and carefully planted is 
afforded by the beds on the east side of Hyde Park near Stanhope 
Gate, and a better could scarcely be desired. Though the varie¬ 
ties represented are not numerous some of the most effective have 
been chosen, and dazzling colours are agreeably relieved by others 
of softer hue and white. Each bed is filled with plants of one 
variety only, but by carefully arranging the contrasts between the 
adjoining beds the display is rendered both v ried and harmonious 
as a whole. Close planting has been wisely adopted, as the 
object is to obtain an immediate and striking general effect, and 
some of the larger beds contain from two to three hundred bulbs. 
The latter, too, have been very carefully selected for each bed, as 
the flowers are in the majority of cases as level as if mown with a 
scythe. Altogether the display is most satisfactory and has 
attracted many visitors, but all who wish to see the beds at their 
best should not defer their visit beyond the present week. 
Only a dozen varieties are growD, two double and ten single, 
the latter being by far the most effective, and including the fol¬ 
lowing Duchess of Austria, of the Keysers Kroon type, tall but 
strong with large showy flowers, having the red tint somewhat 
darker than the latter variety ; Yellow Prince, an excellent yellow 
of moderate height, large well-formed flowers, very clear in colour, 
admirably suited for bedding ; Rose Gris de Lin, white-streaked, 
a dwarf well-known and extremely pretty variety ; Bacchus, rich 
deep red, neat flowers, dwarf, strong, and very effective ; Comte 
de Mirabeau, an excellent variety with pure white flowers of 
moderate size but good form, habit dwarf; White Pottebakker, a 
well-known variety with much larger flowers than the preceding, 
but rather tall and in some instances straggling ; Keysers Kroon, 
an indispensable variety, flowers scarlet and j r ellovv, large and 
brilliant, tall but strong ; Brutus, rich scarlet red, the petals 
having a narrow yellow margin, flowers compact, well formed, 
dwarf, an excellent bedder; Joost Van Yondel, rose and white, 
one of the most handsome of the soft-tinted varieties. Tournesol 
is the only good double, the full red and yellow flowers being very 
fine ; the other, Gloria Solis, is similar in colour, but the flowers 
are of rather bad form, loose and irregular. 
The five larire oblong beds are planted in this way : The centre 
one contains Duchess of Austria, on each side of which is a bed of 
Joost Yan Vondel, the two end beds containing Yellow Prince. 
The smaller beds have the varieties in the following order pro¬ 
ceeding from Stanhope Gate towards the Marble Arch Rose Gris 
de Lin, Comte de Mirabeau, Keysers Kroon, Yellow Prince. Joost 
Van Vondel, White Pottebakker, Duchess of Austria, Yellow 
Prince, Brutus, Comte de Mirabeau, and Joost Yan Yondel. 
ALPHA HOUSE. 
As has been previously mentioned, Captain Patton has this year 
grown an extensive collection. The chief object has been to obtain a 
representative assortment of Tulips, including all the most distinct 
and handsome forms which have been raised in recent yeais ; and 
this has been well carried out, for over three hundred varieties are 
grown, a dozen bulbs of each being sufficient to show the characters 
and qualities for which they are remarkable. Except in a few beds 
there has been no attempt to arrange them artistically, as the most 
formal method was best suited for testing them, and, therefore, the 
bulk of the collection is confined to trial beds., where the bulbs of 
