October 2, 1881. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
801 
Neapolitans for pot culture. There are two distinct types—New York, 
Marie Louise, Marguerite de Savoie, and Venice form one ; Marie Louise 
(old var.) and Da Parme another. All are autumn and winter bloomers. 
I may state that Count Brazzi’s Neapolitan belongs to the same type 
as New York, ice., and is a winter and spring bloomer; whilst Neapolitan 
(I have two forms of it), Duke of Edinburgh, and Duchess of Edinburgh 
belong to the other or lavender blue, conspicuous white-eyed type. 
None of the last four is in bloom, in fact they are winter and spring 
bloomers. ^ ® 
I also send Violet Patrie, which is of a different race altogether. Its 
flowers are deep bluish-purple ; one of the most double, prettiest, and 
sweetest of Violets ; neat in habit, and blooming from late summer to 
spring. The white Neapolitan (Count Brazzi’s) is not in flower or likely 
to be for some time ; and the only other double in bloom is Viola odorata 
rubra plena var. Its footstalks are twice as long as the old variety, and 
the flowers are twice the size, the colour being rose.—G. Abbey. 
[There is undoubtedly “ a ” great similarity between the Neapolitan 
varieties sent, though alt are beautiful; Violet Patrie is, however, very 
handsome, full, and rich in colour.) 
FORCING FLOWERS. 
The time is fast approaebing when flower-forcing will have 
to be taken in hand as a part of ordinary routine work, and 
before that time is upon us it may be worth while to discuss 
some of the salient points to be attended to, and some of the 
difficulties to be attac hed and overcome. I think the first point 
that wants clearing up a little is the term “ forcing ” itself, and 
the particular meaning we ought to attach to it. 1 believe I am 
safe in saying that to many people “ forcing ” conveys a meaning 
which represents an impossibility. They have this idea that all 
that is re][uired in order to “ force ” plants into flower is so 
msch heat, and an amount of moisture corresponding to that. 
NTow this is an erroneous view. As a mere statement of fact 
plants cannot be “ forced ” into flower at all. Forcing is a 
process, which to be attended with any success, must commence, 
not at the end of the plant’s year, but at the beginning; not at 
the time of its winter rest, bat at the period of its quickening 
into new life in spring. The only really successful forcers arc 
those who recognise this fact and act on it. That being so, it 
will be at once apparent to those who in past years have been 
attempting to force plants without having previously prepared 
them for the process that failure was to be expected. They had 
begun at the wrong end of the plant’s annual life, and the plants 
were iiot ready to meet the wishes of its cultivator. 
If it be asked. What is the use of stating these things now ? 
I may answer that when this phase of the question is compre¬ 
hended there is much less fear of failures throughout the winter 
and spring, because attempts to force imperfectly prepared plants 
too early in the season will be left out of the year’s programmes, 
and more care will be taken to start home prepared plants earlier 
for another season. In the matter of bought produce, such as 
Hyacinths, Tulips, and other bulbs, we have in a great degree to 
depend for success on the state of the previous season in Holland. 
If the bulbs have been early ripened so much easier will they be 
to force into flower. But no one would think of attempting to 
flower any other than early varieties—that is, sorts which make 
and finish their growth early in the season, leaving later growing 
ones for later flovvering. ^ Thus there is no difficulty in blooming 
Hyacinths at Christmas if we select such sorts as Crown Princess 
^d Homerus, and to follow them, better varieties like Charles 
Dickens, King of Blues, Grandeur a Merveille, Von Schiller, &c., 
and just so with Tulips and Narcissus, select early sorts. 
_ It is necessary to warn those who have not had much expe¬ 
rience in forcing against employing too much heal. They 
imagine that the greater the amount of heat the quicker will 
the flowers appear. Now it is my experience that the more 
genial the temperature in the earlier stage the better the results. 
Too much heat invariably destroys the plants. After the flower 
spike and leafage has become thoroughly started a higher tem¬ 
perature does not do harm; but as a rule “ slow and sure” is 
a safe axiom. Lily of the Valley is annually massacred in 
great quantities. People buy crowns or clumps, and perforce will 
have flowers early, only to find that the buds will not move, yet 
by growing on the same plants year after year they get into an 
earJy-nowei'ing condition, and there is no difficulty whatever in 
having both flowers and foliage from November onwards, and 
even earlier if wanted. I have noticed the same early-flowering 
habit induced and perpetuated in many other plants which have 
been brought on in a good temperature and never checked by 
■^nt of water. Lily of the Nile (Richardia) is an example of 
this, so are Azaleas such as Narcissaeflora, and none of these 
require much heat to bring them into flower when wanted. 
With home-grown plants such as Pelargoniums Roses, Bou- 
vai’dias. Carnations, and in a less degree even Chrysanthemums, 
very much more flower can be taken from one set of plants than 
it is at all common to attempt. Too generally when the first set 
of flowers has been removed from Chrysanthemums the plants 
are considered to be over, yet given high feeding and a little heat 
it is wonderful what an amount of bloom can be produced right 
down the stem of the plants. I may say that I have found a 
little heat judiciously applied to Chrysanthemums in cold and 
unfavourable weather to be of much use. There is no doubt 
that these can be well grown under very cold treatment, but a 
greater amount of Hower can be secured by keeping the plant 
growing. And so with the other plants named; the same set may 
be flowered continuously all through the winter and spring 
months, if sufficient heat is given to keep them going on, and 
occasional applications of manure to keep up the stamina of the 
plants. But—and this is a matter of importance—the flowers as 
they become developed require to be removed, otherwise a stand¬ 
still at once results. It is hardly worth while perhaps to enlarge 
on the importance of keeping all these quite close to the glass, 
especially through the weeks of midwinter, but it may be said 
that it is simply a matter of either success or failure. Of much 
importance also is the growing of plants in small pots and using 
a very simple compost. I do not doubt that plants can be well 
managed in good-sized pots, and with compost of a very mixed 
nature, but there is less danger of hurting the plants by any 
neglect when the former conditions are foil )wed, and in fact 
the whole course of treatment is much simplified.—B. 
AUTUMN TREATMENT OF RASPBERRIES. 
Few small fruits that we cultivate are more generally neglected than 
Raspberries. It would be difficult to name any from which a heavier or 
more certain crop of fruit can be obtained, provided they are looked after 
and well cared for. The management of the Raspberry on the whole is 
comparatively easy, for when once planted they seldom fail, and very 
rarely die in whatever soil or situation they are planted. To have the 
best return possible from the plants for the labour required and the 
ground they occupy, attention is needed as soon as the fruit has been 
gathered. The old fruiting canes should at once be removed, so that 
light and air can reach the young canes which are required to bear fruit 
another year. Where the old canes have not been removed no more 
time should be lost, or the canes will fail to plump Jup their lower eyes, 
and thus fruit abundantly the whole or greater portion of their length. 
When the canes only fruit near their tops it is certain that they have 
been mismanaged, and air and light, which is of so much importance in, 
thoroughly maturing the canes, have been excluded. The canes will 
fruit as well near their base as they will towards the top if the rows 
are sufficiently far apart, and the old canes removed directly the fruits 
have been gathered. 
The young canes should be well thinned, leaving only those that are 
required to furnish the trellis for the following year; the canes being 
secured to the trellis, so that after-tying during the winter will not be 
needed. As soon as the canes have turned brown they may be shortened 
to the required length. There is no advantage gained by leaving this to 
be done during the winter ; on the contrary, the lower buds plump very 
much when the necessary pruning is done some time before the foliage 
falls. Work of this description should always be attended to before the 
cold days of winter. At this season of the year a man will accomplish 
more than double the amount of tying than he would during cold weather. 
The annual dressing of manure may also be wheeled on before the ap¬ 
proach of heavy autumn rains, or at the latest by the time the foliage 
falls, so that it can be pointed-in with a fork, to make the quarter devoted 
to these fruits look neat. I do not advise digging amongst Raspberries, 
but the ground may be pricked over, so that the manure can be partially 
hidden in positions where its appearance upon the surface is objection¬ 
able.—L. 
USEFUL TEA-SCENTED ROSES. 
The following estimate of Tea-scented Roses is not given from an 
exhibition point of view, but they are named as useful varieties for cutting. 
Where flowers are in great demand none is more useful or acceptable 
than good Tea-scented Roses; and what lovely and delicate tints of 
colour we now have amongst them. Three of the best are Madame 
Lambard, colour bright red early in the season, changing to a lighter 
colour in the autumn ; Marie Van' Houtte, yellowish white, edged and 
lined with bright rose ; and Madame Falcot, apricot-yellow. These have 
given us the largest number of good useful blooms, “ and still they come.” 
Etoile de Lyon, deep yellow, is another very useful Rose ; with one 
bloom nearly full blown, a bud by its side just opening, and a full-sized 
dark green leaf, what could be more lovely as a dress flower for a lady ? 
The foregoing Roses named are very useful hardy varieties. William 
Allen Richardson, we believe, will be the buttonhole Rose of the future ; 
the colour is deep orange-yellow, the edge of the petals changing to a 
lighter colour. This Rose has been noticed in the Journal several times 
this season, and it deserves all that has been said in its favour. Anna 
Ollivier, rosy flesh ; Souvenir d’un Ami, deep rose ; Madame Ghedane 
I Guinoisseau, lemon ; Catherine Mermet, fleshy rose ; Rubens, white, tinted 
rose ; Perle des Jardins, orange-yellow ; Hom^re, blush, edged with deep 
rose; Beaut6 de TEurope, coppery yellow, all these have given a 
