September 11, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
241 
have not grown this plant well may improve it by adopting similar 
treatment. 
- A Golden Wedding. — With the celebration of a golden 
wedding we are convinced that maturity has been reached by those 
whose wedded lives have reached half a century. The present case is 
that of Mr. and Mrs. W. Heath of the College Nurseries, Cheltenham, 
« well-known and much-respected nurseryman. In honour of the 
occasion Mr. Treseder (Manager) gave a dinner, of which some fifty 
workmen and a few friends partook. Justice having been done to the 
repast, and the usual loyal toasts given, Mr. J. Frost proposed the toast 
of the evening, “ The health of Mr. and Mrs. Heath,” which was enthu¬ 
siastically received, after which Mr. Frost presented them with a hand¬ 
some silver salver, bearing the following inscription ;—“ Presented by 
the employes of Messrs. Heath & Son to Mr. and Mrs. W. Heath on the 
occasion of their golden wedding day, September 1st, 1884.” Mr. Heath 
briefly responded. In congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Heath on the joyous 
event we hope they may long live and prosper. Mr. Heath in his early 
days grew and exhibited hardwooded plants successfully, and his name 
is at present associated among growers of the choicest plants and flowers. 
- Caution !—Our passing summer has been a tropical one. Me- 
thinks I hear the murmuring of many voices to the effect that that is 
no news. Perhaps not, but what follows may be. With the tropical 
heat many hardy plants have had a good “ baking,” many considerably 
injured, too. But to the point. My words of warning are to the 
uninitiated, and are these : Take care that a variety of plants, such as 
Pinguiculas, Saxifraga Maweana, S. gibraltarica, S. granulata and 
varieties, Sedum retorridum, and such plants are not lost sight of. Only 
the other day I was just in time to save a fine pot of Saxifraga granulata 
plena from being cast away as dead by an amateur simply because he 
was unaware of the nature of the plant, nor had he (though a learned 
man) taken the trouble to inquire into the meaning of its specific name, 
which alone would have convinced him that some little granules or 
small bulbs were hidden beneath the soil. So it is with many plants. 
Most of those cited above, however, lie loosely on the surface, hence 
the danger. They are frequently lost and declared dead, owing to their 
belonging to a group of plants which, as a rule, do not die down, and 
thus their characteristic rest is mistaken for the last dissolution. With 
the autumnal rains, however, most of them commence active growth. 
- It would form a curious and interesting statistic to learn how 
many hardy herbaceous perennials or like plants there are which have 
apparently been really benefited by the scorching summer. I know of 
two. These are Zauschneria californica and Tritomas generally. Both 
the former and the members of the latter genus are above the average 
from a decorative standpoint; Anemone japonica and varieties are as 
usual ; the decussata section of Phloxes very much below the average ; 
Dodecatheons I never saw in a worse condition, though I do not consider 
them permanently injured. 
- Longevity of Fern Spores.—S pending an hour or two at 
Bath recently I was much interested by a short visit to the old Roman 
Baths there, and which have excited considerable enthusiasm among 
antiquaries. On a wall, said to have stood there more than 1750 years, 
is an inscription to the effect that they were founded 860 years before 
the birth of Christ. But I did not wish to speak of its antiquity ; I was 
more particularly interested in one or two seedling Ferns among the 
ruins, which, according to Professor Oliver, F.R.S., is the barren form 
of the common Brake, Pteris aquilina, which, he says, is rarely met in 
this state. It is not an unusual occurrence for seeds to retain vitality 
for thousands of years under certain conditions ; still there is a certain 
amount of interest attaching to this, and where we have evidences of 
the longevity even in the case of a minute particle such as a Fern spore. 
- The Fruit Trade in New Orleans and Honduras.—A n 
American paper says that eight years ag > a steamer was rarely seen in 
a port of Spanish Honduras, and all the trading was carried on in 
schooners. Now there are six steamers plying regularly between New 
Orleans alone and the Honduras ports, all engaged in the fruit trade, 
and there is not a day but a steamer is seen landing at short intervals 
along the coast and at the Bay islands, taking on the cargoes of Bananas, 
Cocoa Nuts, Pine Apples, Limes, Lemons, and Oranges. A steamer will 
bring to New Orleans 15,000 to 20,000 bunches of Bananas, and an equal 
number of Cocoa Nuts. The effect of this trade has been to stimulate 
the cultivation of fruit in that lazy country and increase the price. 
Cocoa Nuts now bring 20 to 30 dollars (about £4 to £G) per thousand 
on the coast, and at these prices the cultivation is very profitable. Land 
is cheap ; it may be had for nothing in some places, and for a trifle in 
the best regions. It requires seven years for a Cocoa Nut tree to bear, 
but from that time on it yields a never-failing crop of 120 to 150 nuts 
a year. The Banana bears a crop of bunches nine months from the time 
the sprout is planted, and as the soil is very rich the yield is large— 
larger than that of any other article of food grown in the same area. 
LILIUM HARRISII. 
How quiet this has become ! Twelve short months ago its praises 
were sounded far and wide as something which must at once and for ever 
shut out all its relations. But why ? Are we not sufficiently old to trust to 
older and well-tried members before admitting any newcomers? It was 
reputedly a distinct species, the principal groundwork for this assumption 
being that it was a profuse bloomer, or an approach to it at least. But 
I never regarded it as a novelty; indeed, the first plant I saw of it was 
so peculiarly like L. longiflorum eximium that I took it for that variety. 
However, I got a few bulbs, which certainly were distinct from longi¬ 
florum type, and in this appears to me the most distinct character of the 
plant, the bulbs being somewhat conical and not roundish, with some¬ 
what flattened tops as in longiflorum, and the growth like a slender 
Krameri. But while we have such excellent kinds as longiflorum, with 
the varieties eximium, Wilsoni, Takesimm, and others, we need not crave 
for the Bermuda Lily. I like novelties when good and distinct, but who 
cares to pay a long price for the mere creation of a name ? I wonder 
who !—An Old Hand. 
BUTTONHOLE BOUQUETS. 
I HAVE waited a week to see if anyone should give to “ A Young 
Scotch Gardener ” the information he requires respecting the making of 
buttonhole bouquets for exhibition, and after the very able and instructive 
article that appeared in last week’s issue I should not have attempted to 
write these remarks had not the Editor still desired the opinions of corre¬ 
spondents. 
The subject is one in which I have always taken a particular interest, 
and when visiting many of the best exhibitions, where bouquets of all 
styles are a strong feature, and the awards made by some of our most 
competent judges, I have been able to pick up many valuable hims, which 
I have found useful in my own practice. As a rule, the competition is 
very close, so that it is always best to set up several bouquets for the 
judges to select from. 
In making them up the principal points to be aimed at are simplicity 
and lightness in arrangement, a judicious blending or accurate contrasting 
of colours, together with a neatness and fini-h about the whole. I have 
always found it best to confine myself to one kind of Fern for each 
buttonhole, and I think there is nothing better for the purpose than either 
Adiantum gracillincum or A. cuneatum. 
The stem of each spray should have some very fine whe twisted 
around it, so that it can be placed exactly where required. Small Ivy 
leaves are sometimes placed underneath to keep the Fern in position, but 
if it is wired in the way described they are not required. 
In arranging colours there are two distinct styles to be borne in mind. 
One is to blend together in pleasing harmony several shades of one colour, 
or several colours resembling each other ; such, for instance, as the deli¬ 
cate and lovely shades of i)iuk and rose, or the more decided tints of 
scarlet and crimson, with a liberal admixture of white and green. And it 
is generally considered that when the colour of the flower is rich and 
full the accompanying green should also be of a deep hue. The other 
style of arrangement is to contrast two colours—scarlet or purple, or 
crimson and blue, set in a white ground always look well; or any one 
colour might be used with the white and green. 
But it matters not how well chosen the colours may be if the flowers 
are not arranged in a light and graceful manner, and I have found the 
following flowers very useful when well arranged to give the essential 
element of ligbtne s and grace:—Spirma japonica, Rhyncospermum jas- 
minoides, Lily of the Valley, Foi'get-me-not, different varieties of Jasminum, 
with Plumbago capensis and P. rosea. 
In conclusion, I may state I should not have penned these lines had it 
not been for the timely encouragement and useful hints given to young 
aspirants by “ An Old Scribe,” so I hope that even a relentless editor 
will not be too hard on the first contribution of —A Young Scribe. 
[While editors are compelled to be relentless they are also apprecia¬ 
tive, and more similarly well-written letters from “ A Yoimg Scribe ” will 
find ready admittance in these columns ] 
Corns.— I am not desirous of turning your Journal into a medical 
journal, as that would spoil a very good work, but I cannot allow the 
articles on corns in last week’s number to pass without recommending a 
remedy that has proved a greater comfort to me than plaisters, caustics, 
and a host of other things. It is ” Celandine.” I have bad corns for 
nearly half a century, and for the last few months have walked with 
more comfort than I can remember. A bottle co.sts !«, and is well 
worth it. There are directions with each bottle, and I will not take up 
your space by giving any, but I may say it must be kept well corked and 
, not standing upright, and in a cool place. I shall be happy to give any 
