240 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. c September w, 1 m. 
what a promising recruit my informant would make for the ranks 
of those who advocate a general adoption of English plant names. 
— Simpson. 
STRAWBERRIES. 
The present is a very good time to make a new Strawberry 
bed. The soil is mcist and the runners are unusually well rooted. 
The land should be deeply dug, and some well-decayed manure 
added if the soil is poor and of a light nature ; if the soil is of a 
heavy character the manure need not be much decayed. The 
strong-growing Strawberries, such as Sir J. Paxton, should he 2 feet 
from plant to plant and 2 feet apart in the rows. Keens’ Seedling 
need be only 1 foot 6 inches from plant to plant. It is not at all 
a bad plan to allow 2 feet 6 inches after every third row, which 
will allow more space for gathering the fruit ; you can pass along 
the wider space and gather one row and half another, then go to 
the other side and finish the other row and a half. If a large 
quantity of fruit is wanted in a short time the plants may be fet 
out much nearer together, and some of them taken away after the 
second year. In this case Sir J. Paxton and other large sorlg 
need be only 1 foot apart either way. The ground should be 
trodden firmly before being planted, particularly at this time of 
the year, for if it is not left firm the frost frequently draws the 
plants out of the ground in winter. A little manure spread over 
the surface of the ground is very useful in checking this. The other 
day I saw Forman’s Excelsior recommended as a valuable acqui¬ 
sition. If any of your readers have tried it I should like to hear 
their opinions.— Amateur, Cirencester. 
Now is the time for transplanting Strawberries. All ours were 
put in new pasturage a fortnight since, and they are now fully 
established. It has been a rule here to change the position of 
Strawberries every two or three years, and the consequence has 
been that we always have very large crops. The plants do not 
die in the old beds, but the soil becomes exhausted and the crops 
are light. I have observed this to be the case if the plants be 
kept in the same spot over two years. Our plants are twelve 
years old, but they are in the greatest vigour. The inner crowns no 
doubt gradually die, but there is always a large supply of strong 
crowns on the outside. This plan is of great importance where a 
man has 100 acres of this fruit.— Philodendron. 
CINERARIAS AND CALCEOLARIAS. 
Although I have for many years growm Cinerarias and Calceo¬ 
larias it is only comparatively recently that I could fairly under¬ 
stand and meet their requirements. At one time, in spite of every 
attention, a great per-centage of plants would persist in dying, 
often without much warning and no matter how well established. 
Of course the knowing ones are thoroughly acquainted with the 
cause and its cure, or rather prevention ; but I failed to discover 
it, and have to thank a more experienced friend for the remedy. 
“You keep them in too hot a position,” said he, and ever since, 
instead of growing the plants in frames with a slope to the south, 
they are located in frames near a north wall and sloping to the 
north. Even in this position they are lightly shaded when the 
sun is bright, care being taken not to shade any longer than is 
absolutely necessary, and also to ventilate freely both night and 
day in order to maintain sturdiness of growth. Calceolarias are 
not of much service here, but of Cinerarias we are growing about 
two hundred, some already giving signs of flowering, and others 
are receiving their final potting. Not a plant gives signs of a 
collapse, neither will they unless when they are transferred to the 
houses and heated pits some of them are injuriously affected by 
the fire heat. We keep them in frames as long as possible. 
A slated or gravelled staging, or both as the case may be, well 
removed from the hot-water pipes in a house where only sufficient 
Are heat to dispel dampness or keep out the frost is employed, 
will be found to agree with both kinds. Where there is a conser¬ 
vatory to be kept gay, then the general effect has to be studied ; 
but where Cinerarias and Calceolarias are grown more as a hobby, 
then by no means place them with greenhouse plants generally, 
but rather arrange them in groups. By these means they are 
far less liable to be infested with insect pests, and as the colours 
and markings are very diverse the beauty of one is enhanced 
by contrast with another, the rich green foliage, which ought 
always to be preserved, being sufficient greenery. 
Other cultural details, which I will briefly touch upon, I really 
regard as of minor importance. The seed for the earliest batch 
of Cinerarias is sown towards the end of March or early in April, 
and two more sowings are made at monthly intervals. Large 
shallow pans well drained are employed, filling these to near the 
surface with light sandy soil, and finishing off with a layer of 
sand. A watering is given with a fine rose, and in a few hours 
the seed is sown thinly, pressed in with the clean portion of a 
flower pot, and very slightly dusted over with sand. The pan is 
placed on a cool greenhouse shelf, closely covered with glass and 
well shaded with paper till the seed has germinated. The glass 
is then tilted, shading being applied when necessary, and when the 
seedlings have their second leaves they are transferred to a cold 
frame. The seed being sown thinly pricking-off is unnecessary, 
but before they are much crowded and when easily handled they 
are potted singly into 3-inch pots, and from this size and before 
becoming much root-bound they are finally transferred into either 
0 or 8-inch pots. The last pan of seed, I ought perhaps to state, is 
placed on the north side of a wall in the open air, and every good 
seed invariably germinates. Nearly half leaf soil may be used for 
the plants in the earlier stages of growth, and for the final potting 
about three parts of loam to one each of leaf soil and decayed 
manure may be given, using some sand in each instance._ Rough 
fibrous loam for the last potting is preferable, but good Cinerarias 
are often grown in fibreless loam, more than ordinary care in this 
case being taken with the drainage. The pots must always be 
clean and well drained, and the plants should be potted rather 
firmly and up to the collars, weak liquid manure to be given fre¬ 
quently when the flower heads are developing. Aphides form the 
greatest enemies to this class of plants, and must be destroyed by 
frequent mild fumigations with tobacco paper. Heavv fumiga¬ 
tions prove very injurious ; and although dipping the plants in a 
tub of some insecticide in solution is a thorough cure, it also is 
liable to disfigure the foliage, the settlement being especially 
objectionable. Much may be done with a small hair brush if used 
in good time for the removal of insects. 
Much of the foregoing is also applicable to the herbaceous Calceo¬ 
larias. We make one sowing of these at the end of Julv or early 
in August in a manner similar to the latest sowing of Cinerarias. 
The seed being minute is with difficulty sown thinly ; conse¬ 
quently the seedlings when large enough to handle, are pricked off 
in pans of light soil and placed in handlights b°hind a north wall. 
Before becoming crowded they are potted singly into 3-inch pots 
and returned to handlights or a frame still under the wall. Here 
they are kept somewhat close till established, and before becom¬ 
ing root-bound the strongest are shifted into 8-inch pots, and the 
weaker into 6-inch pots, and returned to a cold frame. To give 
them a good start they are again kept close for a week or ten 
days, lightly damping the foliage on clear days. At no time 
should Calceolarias be dry at the roots, and they are all the better 
for standing on a moist base. If wintered in frames air should 
be given on all favourable occasions. If it is preferred to ha ve them 
in a cool greenhouse place them near the glass, covering the 
shelves if possible with a layer of moss. By potting the strongest 
as they require it, the batches will form a succession ; but if it were 
required to still further prolong the display more seed would be 
sown late in September, and from the two sowings the flowering 
season would extend from late in April till July. For ordinary 
decorative purposes it is not advisable to pinch out the bloom 
heads of either Cinerarias or Calceolarias, and if either kind are 
allowed to become root-bound in small pots premature flowering 
will result.—W. I. M. 
ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The autumn Show of this old-established Society was held, as 
usual, on the first Wednesday and Thursday of the present month in 
the Waverley Market, Edinburgh. There is always a thinness 
apparent at these autumn shows, fruit constituting the main feature 
of the schedule, and plants holding a secondary position. From 
having the fruit, vegetables, and cut flowers mainly on the one side 
of the building and the plants on the other the thinness of the material 
was more noticeable than it otherwise might have been. Dividing as 
it were the Exhibition into two halves were a series of large tables 
down the centre of the Market, mainly filled by nurserymen. The 
most striking of these groups was that from Messrs. Ireland ifc Thom¬ 
son of Craigleith Nursery. Several of the Crotons which secured 
them first honours at Manchester were effectively set up in telling 
positions ; two grand Pitcher-plants were conspicuous at each end. and 
many fine new Dracaenas, &c., were freely used in the arrangement. 
Messrs. Downie & Laird, West Coates Nursery, filled another of the 
tables with huge Lantanas and other Palms, and many smaller fine- 
foliage plants on the sunny side of the table, while on the north side 
were representative collections of cut florist flowers. Another table 
was furnished by Messrs. T. Methven & Sons, of Leith Walk Nur¬ 
series, similar in style to the one just noted, but without flowers. 
Messrs. Dicksons & Co., Waterloo Place, made up the end table with 
a collection of plants, conspicuous amongst -which were some grand 
Dicksonias, two large basketfuls of Primula capitata, very quaint- 
looking in the mass, and a collection of the fine Pinks for cutting 
which this firm is working up. The other central table was filled with 
