458 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 29, 1883. 
mealy bug, and Pine scale) that gardeners have to contend 
with, and its presence on the Strawberry and other plants 
sliould be prevented by judiciously balancing the tempera¬ 
ture and atmosphere of the house ; but should it attack the 
plants, it must be repelled by a vigorous and well-directed 
use of the syringe and clear water. The application of sul¬ 
phur in a liquid state to the flue or hot-water pipes to arrest 
the ravages of spider should be the last resort. Respecting 
fly, a slight fumigation with tobacco paper a couple of even¬ 
ings in succession before the flowers expand, and again after 
they have set, will be sufficient, should the syringe not do so, 
to rid the plants of this pest. —H. W. Ward. 
R- S.—In my remarks on wintering Strawberries in pots, 
in the Journal (p. 42,0), four lines from the bottom of the 
note on this subject, for “32 feet ’’ from the wall, read 
“3 feet.”—H. W. W. 
LILIUMS. 
( Continved from page 414.) 
L. Szovitzianuw, Fiscli.—A very elegant Lily, very frequently 
met with under the names of L. colchicutn and L. monadelplium, 
but more generally known by the one here adopted. It grows 
from 2 to 5 feet high, reaching the maximum height only when 
established, with stout stems well furnished with lanceolate 
leaves, and terminated with a raceme of flowers from two to 
twelve, rarely more in number; perianth nodding, from 2 to 
3 inches across, clear sulphur-coloured spotted inside, with a 
very strong perfume. Native of the Caucasus and Northern 
Persia, flowering towards the end of June and July. It is a very 
beautiful species, thriving well planted out in rich loamy soil- I 
have known it frequently to die away in two or three years when 
planted in peaty soil, but in loam it will stand and improve much 
longer; in fact, I know of some clumps which have been in their 
present position eight years, and they were magnificent this 
season. 
L. testaceum, Lindl.—The Nankeen Lily, often met with 
under the aliases of excelsum and Isabellinum. It is one of the 
most distinct of all the species of Lilium as far as colour goes, 
very much in habit like the old white garden Lily. Stems from 
4 to 6 feet high, copiously clothed with dull green foliage. Flowers 
from three to ten, umbellate or racemose, the perianth 2 to 
3 inches across, of a yellowish buff colour, anl sweetly scented. 
Mr. Baker thinks it may be a garden hybrid between L. caDdi- 
dum and chalcedonicum, and it is said to have been first 
observed in a bed of seedlings at Erfurt. It is really a charming 
Lily and greatly appreciated, thriving well in light well-drained 
soil well enriched with manure, flowering towards the end of 
July and August. 
L. Thunbergianum, Schultes, fil. — Very frequently called 
elegans. It represents a very large series of dwarf extremely 
showy Japanese Lilies, very serviceable either for pot culture or 
for beds and borders. It is extremely difficult to describe the 
normal form, as there is such a diversity even in specified 
varieties. I will simply enumerate a few of the best varieties 
now well known in our collections—alutaceum, pale apricot, 
with rather large flowers, very dwarf; armeniacum, flowers 
. bright orange, not dotted; atrosanguineum, perianth deep 
blood red, spotted below, with very broad segments; fulgens, 
deep red, scarcely spotted, very free-flowered; Van Houttei, 
deep red, with a distinct yellow blotch in the centre of each 
segment, with very open and broad perianth; and there is the 
duplex variety, which is very dwarf, with deep-coloured semi¬ 
double flowers. All these and several others are well worth 
growing, and as they are most easily managed and very cheap 
there is no reason why they should not be much more extensively 
planted than they now are. 
L. tigrinum, Gawl. (the Tiger Lily).—A well-known old garden 
Lily, growing freely under most conditions, and flowering copi¬ 
ously. It is too well known to need description. As well as the 
'typical form, there is a very fine variety under the name of 
splendens, which llowers much later, and the flowers are very 
■much larger, set with larger dots; and there is the double- 
liowered kind, which is very handsome and lasting when in 
flower. This should especially be sought and planted. 
L. Washingtonianurn , Kellogg.—A very noble Lily. It grows 
from 3 to 5 feet high, with the slightly glaucous leaves in whorls. 
Flowers numerous, in rather close racemes, large, white when 
flrst expand id, some becoming shaded with pink inside; very 
sweetly scented, with the segments revolute at the too. Native 
of California, occurring on- the western slopes of the Sierra 
Nevada. This magnificent species grows freely in rich loam 
soil in a well-drained position, flowering in July and August.—T. 
SEAKALE. 
In the culture of Seakale, like many other things, there is more than 
one road to success. Your correspondent “B.” (page 415), gets his 
supply by planting out the old stools that have been forced, and forcing 
them year after year. Like “ B.,” we have long since abandoned the old 
plan of forcing in the open ground, but obtain our supply of Seakale by a 
very different mode of procedure. Your correspondent says—“ This is 
not the time to enter into the preparation of the plants,” while we are 
now (November 19th) preparing our next year’s stock. We lift the 
whole of our crop as soon as the leaves are dead, cut them about 8 inches 
long, and lay them in in a border where they can be covered with 
leaves, so that they can be easily obtained when wanted, even in hard 
frost. The long thong-like roots that have been cut off are then cut 
into 6-inch lengths, and laid in thickly amongst some light sandy soil in 
a warm corner, and covered with about 6 inches of leaves. By the 1st of 
March these will be showing signs of starting, and the leaves must be 
removed, but in the event of sharp frost they will have to be protected at 
night. As soon as the land is in good condition after the middle of 
March, we plant these out in rows 2 feet apart and 8 inches between the 
plants, and we never fail to have a good supply of roots for forcing. 
When planted out a little ridge of coal ashes is placed over the rows. 
This keeps off slugs, and the young growths have rarely to be thinned 
out, as only one or two of the strongest get through the ashes. Some 
years ago we used to plant old stool®, but never do so now, finding young 
stock more to be depended on.—R. Inglis. 
PELARGONIUM v. GERANIUM. 
1 WILL endeavour to help “H.”out of his difficulty because many 
others, perhaps, are in want of an easy distinction between these genera. 
There need be no confusion whatever. In general terms Pelargoniums 
are sub-shrubby, while Geraniums are herbaceous, having annual stems, 
and some species are annual plants, >though there are a few exceptions so 
rare that they need not be regarded. They do not even belong to the 
same tribe, and the floral differences are extensive enough. Some of the 
tribal differences are that the flowers of Pelargonium are irregular and 
have no glands, the flowers of Geranium being regular with glands 
alternating with the petals. Then there is a difference in the number of 
fertile stamens, with other generic characters we do not want now for 
the present purpose, after putting these genera so far apart. The deriva¬ 
tion of the names has no bearing whatever upon this question. The 
broad and clear line of distinction desired by “ H.” lies for all practical 
purposes in the difference of habit, that being the difference there is 
between a Michaelmas Daisy and a Monthly Rose. It is to no great 
extent a question of what people call things, for popular errors are not 
very uncommon ; but there is some reason for the popularity of speaking 
of Pelargoniums as Geraniums. It is a survival, I suppose, from the time 
of Linnaeus, who had only his genus Geranium, in which he included the 
plants since separated by L’Hbritier, when knowledge increased, under 
the title of Pelargonium. This, I believe, without research, is the 
history. 
The “ confusion ” between Viola and Pansy does not lie on the same 
lines, because they are all equally Violas. Gardeners used Viola cornuta 
and V. lutea some years ago for bedding, and the derivatives obtained by 
crossing with the Pansy they called Viola. They were so called for 
convenience, and there was no error, but it would be equally correct to 
call the Pansy Viola. Viola in this application has become a popular 
name, and it is useful as pointing out the hybrids. If gardeners will 
hybridise (in doing which they are perfectly right), they can but 
obliterate original landmarks, and so it has been in this case. 
By the way, it is not a bad illustration, when “ H.” would have 
botanists classify on broad lines that can be seen at a glance, to point 
out that in a certain sense the whole of the vegetable kingdom is like 
these Violas with no lines drawn anywhere. If botanists could do as 
“ H.” proposes, what happy men they would be ! Had life been created 
for this to be possible we could never have had a Darwin, and if the 
systematic botanist existed at all, it is difficult to conceive the kind of 
man he would be. I do not say that there are no plants which are not 
separated by broad and clear lines from all other plants. To be under¬ 
stood, let me compare the vegetable kingdom to the land of a conti¬ 
nent. There are some plants so different from all others that they stand 
away like islands, but the majority of plants group together like the 
countries of a continent. Then the genera are counties if you like, and 
the species are parishes ; but when you come down to hybrids and other 
forms like these Violas, you can only liken them to fields, which are as 
like in themselves as they can be. Nature cares nothing about these 
arbitrary boundaries and frontiers, but, on the contrary, is free as the 
wind, and cares nothing about the limitation of a species which, in the 
abstract, is not real but purely imaginary. You had very good lines of 
demarcation between the original Pansy and the other species of Viola 
before the hybridist came and levelled them down, but now there are 
two or three adjoining parishes without hedge or ditch, and you get from 
one exlreme end to the other hy insensible gradations. Now in this 
question of Pelargonium versus Geranium, “ H.” evidently wants to put 
the sheep on one side and the goats on the other, but let me ask him, 
supposing that these genera were more closely related than they are, as 
many suppose, why there should not be a meeting-point around which 
