300 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. { September 28 , ism. 
that of others of known fertility, and a deficiency, or otherwise, 
noted. 
The method which is best adapted for ascertaining the effect of 
manures is that of field experiments. These are within the power 
of every cultivator, and are to be strongly recommended for more 
reasons than one. A small plot of land, or, in cases where the 
soil varies, representative portions of the several kinds, set apart 
and worked for purely experimental purposes, would tend to give 
an insight into the nature of the soil he has to work, and also 
confidence in the result of operations, far better than any other 
plan that could be adopted. The conditions existing in the soil 
tending to influence the action of manures would exert themselves 
on a small scale as well as on a large, and would influence the 
results, as shown by the increase of produce, quicker growth, and 
earlier maturity in the same degree.— George Gray. —(New 
Zealand Journal .) 
YELLOW COMPOSITE FLOWERS. 
RUDBECKIA. 
From the time when Leopard’s-banes begin to flower in April 
to the sunny days of October when the borders are brightened by 
the later Sunflowers, few gardens where hardy herbaceous plants 
are grown at all are ever without some yellow Composites in 
flower. It is easier to have too many of them than to do without 
them, so it is as well to select the most ornamental kinds. A 
large proportion of them belong to North America, and some are 
in consequence rather difficult to cultivate in cold soils and sunless 
climates like those of West Cheshire, and therefore anything 
which will thrive in my garden has the merit of being quite hardy 
in nearly every part of the kingdom ; though in the extreme north 
of it, or at high elevations above the sea level, many of the late- 
flowering species will hardly flower at all after cold summers. 
I propose to begin by speaking of Rudbeckias, amongst which 
are some of the most ornamental of the class. They are distin¬ 
guished by having the centre of the flower raised as soon as the 
flower opens, either in the form of a cone or of a hemisphere, the 
broadest part of the raised centre being where it touches the base 
of the rays or petals of the flower, whilst in some allied genera, 
like the Helenium, the receptacle of the florets expands like a ball 
from its base. The Rudbeckias are in sad need of a monograph, 
and I am quite unable to give anything like a synopsis of the 
genus, but can only mention some half-dozen kinds which I have 
in cultivation, and which are sold under various names, and I have 
done my best to reduce these names to something like order. 
The first to flower is R. laciniata, which grows with me from 
5 to 7 feet high. It comes out in June and continues in flower 
till September, the flowers being pale yellow, about 4 inches across, 
abundantly produced, elevating their centre into a conical form. 
The leaves are large, much divided into irregular curved straps, 
pointed at the ends. The stem is much branched. Though a 
coarse plant, from its large size it makes a great show for the 
back row of a long border. It requires frequent division to pre¬ 
vent the stalks being overcrowded and to encourage lateral stems. 
R. digitata resembles the last, though quite distinct from it, but is 
thought to be no more than a variety ; with me, however, it grows 
2 feet taller, being from 7 to 9 feet in height. It begins and con¬ 
tinues to flower fully a month later. The flower centre, instead 
of being conical, is hemispherical, and the leaves are divided into 
three broad incised lobes. I have described these two plants by 
the names I have found generally adopted, but in Loudon’s “ En¬ 
cyclopaedia” the two names appear to be transposed. 
R. californica (fig. 48, p. 299) is the handsomest of the tall-growing 
kinds. It grows with me from 5 to G feet high. The leaf is large 
and woolly, not much divided, oblong in form, and pointed at the 
ends. The flowers are borne upright on uprightly branched stalks, 
and are large, of great substance, dark rich yellow in colour, with 
a tall conical black centre rising like a cylindrical column to a 
height of 2 or 3 inches from it. It flowers in July and August, 
and though the flowers are not so abundant as those of the species 
above described, they are far more showy. It is sometimes grown 
as R. columnaris, a name which would seem to suit the form of 
the flower ; but R. columnaris as figured in Curtis’s “ Botanical 
Magazine,” No. 1601, is certainly quite a distinct plant, and one 
which I have never seen in cultivation. 
R. maxima I raised two years ago from seed imported from 
America by Mr. W. Thompson of Ipswich. One or two plants 
have flowered this season, but not well, and I fear that it wants 
warmer summers than it finds in Cheshire. The leaf is large, 
smooth, and glaucous, oval in shape. The flower seems liable to 
be deformed by a mass of leafy bracts. It is large and light 
yellow, and the plant may do well in warmer and more sunny 
parts of the country. The plants are about 4 feet high. 
R. speciosa is commonly called R. Newmanni in gardens, but 
the latter name is repudiated by botanists. It is too well known 
to require description, and is generally thought an indispensable 
autumn plant. The time to divide it is when it is going out of 
flower in autumn. A top-dressing of leaf soil during summer 
will make it root at all the joints, and cause its increase to be un¬ 
limited, and another good dressing when transplanted will make 
every rooted shoot into a large plant by the next year’s flowering 
time. The colour of the disk or flower centre varies from rich 
velvety green to black, and the leaf varies much in roughness. I 
have had a strong-growing rough-leaved form of the plant sent to 
me as R. hirta, but it seemed hardly distinct from R. speciosa, 
though I have never been able to meet with any other R. hirta in 
cultivation. 
R. fulgida resembles a small form of R. speciosa, and I find the 
names confused, but it is a plant which I have never been able to 
keep, as it pines away and dies in cold wet summers. It is in 
eveiy way inferior to R. speciosa, but flowers earlier. 
The latest of the Rudbeckias to flower amongst those which I 
know is R. subtomentosa. It is an elegant and refined plant com¬ 
pared with the larger examples of the genus. It makes a rather 
slender growth of about 4 feet high. The flowers are deep yellow 
with a black centre, borne on lateral branches nearly all up the 
stem, and turned sideways. It increases slowly, but I find that, 
like nearly all the class, it may be grown from side shoots about 
3 inches long if taken off when young. It is better suited to the 
south of England than to the colder counties, where it hardly 
completes its flowering before it is spoilt by the frost; but after 
a warm summer it is one of the neatest and prettiest Composites 
I have. Besides the purple-flowered species, commonly called 
Echinacea, the above are all the Rudbeckias I have ever seen in 
gardens, though I find several others described which I should 
be glad to have an opportunity of obtaining.—C. Wolley Dod. 
APPLES AT THE EXPERIMENTAL ^GARDENS AT 
GIRTFORD IN 1882. 
The garden at Girtford, lying in a valley, is much subject to the 
baneful influence of spring frosts, the effects of which are intensi¬ 
fied by the warm and exciting character of the soil, and the con¬ 
sequence usually is that the blossom of early Apples, as well as 
that of Pears and Plums, is greatly injured ; in|the past spring, 
however, a minimum of harm was experienced from that cause, 
and a fair crop of Apples has been secured. 
The following varieties have during the last four years shown 
themselves constant and reliable bearers at Girtford—viz., Mr. 
Gladstone (Premier), Early Julien, Cellini, Schoolmaster, Mis¬ 
souri Pippin, Stamford Pippin, and Court Pendfi Plat. Mr. Glad¬ 
stone is a very handsome Apple, somewhat of the character of the 
Early Margaret, but larger, higher coloured, and otherwise dis¬ 
tinct, and to my mind is the best of all the early market eating 
Apples, but it must be gathered and consumed as soon as ripe. 
Mr. G. Bunyard, the experienced Kentish grower, also informs 
me this is the opinion he has also formed of it. Early Julien is 
also a most valuable Apple either for cooking or dessert, as it may 
be gathered at the same time as Margaret, but will hang on the 
tree or keep sound for months if gathered. There are no two early 
Apples to equal these. The valuable properties of Cellini, espe¬ 
cially in the dual capacity as a kitchen and table fruit and its 
remarkably handsome appearance, are too well known to need 
comment. 
The large and handsome new Apple Schoolmaster, which comes 
in season in October and continues till January, is also a most 
prodigious bearer, and has not failed during the past four years, 
even when Keswick and Lord Suffield have fallen short; the young 
trees also appear to be productive. Stamford Pippin, my own 
first venture in horticulture, is of all the sorts I have ever seen 
the most prodigious bearer ; and here in 1879 and 1880, when 
very few Apples bore a crop, Stamford Pippin was laden both 
on bush and standard, and this year it baDgs in ropes on the 
boughs, which are almost borne to the ground with fruit. The 
good qualities of this Apple are not as yet, 1 think, generally ap¬ 
preciated, although I know a few pomologists who are well aware 
of its excellent flavour and great productiveness, and say that it 
will bear comparison for quality with the Ribston. I take excep¬ 
tion, however, to its being classed, as it is sometimes treated, as a 
cooking fruit, for although it is adapted for that purpose also, 
there are many other Apples of the same period equally good for 
the kitchen. Missouri Pippin is a medium-sized fruit of handsome 
appearance and good keeping qualities, received here from the 
Continent, but I believe it to be of American origin ; it is also 
wonderfully prolific on very young trees. Court Pendfi Plat, 
which is the latest to blossom of all Apples, is consequently a 
