JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 5, 1882. ] 
315 
Tenby for many generations. In height it is about the same as 
the common double Daffodil, in colour nearly uniform dark 
yellow. It has a flower of great substance, which lasts for a long 
time, sometimes more than three weeks. In my garden it in¬ 
creases fast, flowers freely, and is one of the best of the single 
Daffodils. The next two, N. maximus and N. spuri'us, flower 
about the same time—a few days later than the beginning of 
Daffodils. The former is one of the largest in flower and in 
height, and one of the brightest in colour, being of a very rich 
golden yellow, elegant in form, and with a stalk sometimes 3 feet 
high. It is called in some catalogues N. obvallaris maximus, but is 
imported from Holland as N. maximus. N. spurius is also sold as 
N. Telamonius, and is often considered to be the single form of 
the common double Daffodil, though the parentage of that is 
uncertain. 
N. bicolor Horsfieldi is a grand Daffodil, which I have selected 
as the representative of the Daffodils which have a white corolla 
round a yellow tube, because it is the most vigorous as well as 
the cheapest of the section. It is the handsomest Daffodil in 
common cultivation, though the flower does not last so long as 
that of N. maximus. N. lorifolius, having a bright primrose 
corolla round a tube of bright yellow, is a well-formed and fine 
flower, and is intermediate in colour between N. spurius and 
N. bicolor. It is strong in growth and increases fast. The last 
I shall mention is added because of its distinctness, being of a 
nearly uniform cream colour. It is rather dwarf in growth, and 
has not the vigour of the others, nor does it increase as fast. Still 
it should be added to the collection I have named, which com¬ 
prises the most distinct as well as the cheapest single Daffodils to 
be found in the catalogues. 
There are several points of importance in the cultivation of 
Daffodils. Those purchased should be obtained as soon as possible 
after they have lost their leaves, and be out of the ground as short 
a time as possible. The soil for Daffodils cannot be too rich, pro¬ 
vided it is of good substance. It is well not only to mix manure 
with the soil, but to give a top-dressing of riddled manure just 
when the leaves appear above ground, and again when the flower¬ 
ing is over. The soil should be well and deeply dug, but should 
not be left too loose beneath and round the bulb, but be pressed 
to a firm consistency. The top of the bulb should be about 
6 inches beneath the surface, and a handful of coarse sand should 
surround it. A position sheltered by bushes or a wall from the 
north-east is best, because Daffodils flower at a time when east 
winds prevail, and the delicate white calyx of such kinds as 
N. Horsfieldi is easily injured by a combination of sun and parch¬ 
ing wind after frosty nights. Many of the taller kinds require 
some support, and it is better to arrange sticks in a triangle, so as 
to make a cradle with tying material, than to tie all the stalks to 
one upright rod. When full grown the leaves may be tied in a 
bunch to save untidiness, but should on no account be removed 
until quite decayed. The bulbs should never be lifted except to 
divide them, which in no case will be required oftener than once 
in three years ; and they should be then moved directly the leaves 
are dead, and replanted immediately.—C. W. Dod. 
FUCHSIA RICARTONI. 
THIS is a fine old plant, and flowers with such profusion in 
autumn that it should have a place in every garden. Its slender 
shoots laden with flowers are very effective when arranged with 
other flowers for decorative purposes. When planted singly in 
shrubbery borders it brightens them wonderfully at this season, 
but its effect in this position is nothing to a large bed planted with 
it. Where a garden of hardy plants is required gay as long in 
autumn as possible, one or more beds should be filled with this 
useful old plant. It contrasts well with beds of Pentstemons, An¬ 
tirrhinums, and such plants that flower profusely in late autumn. 
The growths during the season will require a little regulation, but 
not much. Slightly thinning the shoots may be necessary, and 
stopping others that are likely to outgrow their neighbours. It 
is easily managed when grown in beds, and only requires to be 
cut close down to the ground annually any time after the foliage 
and flowers have been destroyed by frost. Whole beds of such 
plants are much more effective than a miscellaneous collection of 
hardy plants filling the same space, some of them always being 
untidy.—B. N. 
Wasps. — I have waited till the end of September to record the 
year’s experience (in this district at least) of the abundance of spring 
and autumn wasps. In the spring we had a most extraordinary 
quantity. Up to July 30th we had a few about, much under the 
average. I then left home till August 19th, and on my return found 
more than I had left, but far less than usual. They increased some¬ 
what up to September 11th, though never appearing in any quantity. 
On that day a rain of thirty hours began, and since then I have seen 
scarcely any. So much for a heavy-land country. —Duckwing. 
THE LONDON PARKS. 
BATTERSEA. 
Undeniably this is one of the most popular of the London parks, 
as it is the most diversified both in what may be termed its struc¬ 
tural character and floral embellishment. Its bold shrub-clad banks 
with many hues of foliage not only form a fine background to the 
flower border and beds, but are beautiful in themselves, with in one 
part their carpet of Ivy and another an undergrowth of Ferns dis¬ 
posed in the most pleasingly natural manner. There are carpet beds, 
but not in great numbers, in one part; floral panelling in another ; 
subtropical groups luxuriantly picturesque ; long stretches of herba¬ 
ceous borders ; deep lawn recesses curving into the shrubs, conduct¬ 
ing the eye to some fine Musa or specimen Palm, with ribbon borders 
forming bright margins to the shrubberies, and mixed beds of flowers 
in appropriate positions on the lawns. 
Many visitors reach the park by rail from Waterloo to the Queen’s 
Road station. At this, the east entrance, they see in the season a 
fine bed of Roses—the old Moss and Crimson Bedder, which show by 
their health that these are good “ town Roses.” Now the bed, with 
borders stretching on either hand, are brilliant with Calceolarias— 
Gaines’ Yellow, which is the only one that gives satisfaction, and 
hence must be regarded as a geod “ town Calceolaria.” But the 
greater number of sightseers take the river route, and enter the 
grounds from the park pier. They there at the outset see a bright 
arrangement of flowers, and pass on into the centre of the park—the 
subtropical garden. Perhaps a preferable landing place is the rail¬ 
way pier, as the park is then entered at the north-east corner, and its• 
whole extent can be traversed without the necessity of going over 
much ground twice. 
Turning suddenly to the left on entering the gates the wilderness 
is first passed through. At the very approach, however, a bird’s-eye 
view of the park should be had from “Mount Pleasant.” This 
eastern walk is new, and in the spring is beautiful by the fine collec¬ 
tion of flowering shrubs, while dells here and there add to its attrac¬ 
tiveness. One of these has been greatly admired this summer. At 
the base of a weeping Poplar roots have been piled, and these covered 
with Clematis Jackmani. From the soil that was added the common 
Bracken sprung, and was cherished. This has formed a graceful 
margin to the Clematis, which formed a Brobdignagian bouquet 
fringed with this handsome Fern. The effect was most pleasing. 
Other dells of hardy Ferns, the green and variegated Comfrey, 
Helianthemums, Cistuses, Pyracanthas, Sedum spectabile, Coreop¬ 
sises, Tritomas, Yincas and Ivies, the graceful and distinct Tama¬ 
risk planted on the banks in several, overhanging the smaller occu¬ 
pants, and constituting most picturesque and tasteful portions of the 
scenery. Before leaving the eastern side of the park the visitor will 
notice a large bed of single Dahlias bordered with a very handsome 
scarlet Pentstemon, which, as it is unnamed, we can only refer to as 
the Battersea Park Scarlet. It has large and richly coloured flowers, 
which are produced very freely and continuously over a consider¬ 
able period. This, with purple and rose-coloured varieties, both of 
great merit, have been obtained by careful selection, and are now 
propagated exclusively for this park. 
Quitting these beds the visitor should proceed towards the lake, 
taking the path to the right of the boating station, and then turn to 
the left; a charming walk along the margin of the lake is here found, 
which passes the “ waterfall,” the “ rocks,” and other features of 
interest. Indeed, on a fine day this is the most attractive walk in 
the park, and the full beauty of the lake can be admired from several 
points. At one rather prominent corner some large boulders have 
been covered with a luxuriant growth of Clematises, Sweet and 
Everlasting Peas, and Tropseolum peregrinum, which have been 
allowed to trail and twine about unrestrained. The combination of 
rose, white, crimson, and purple Pea flowers, with rich blue Clematis 
and bright yellow Tropseolum, was most striking. Nearer the sub¬ 
tropical garden are the “ snow-clad ” mounds thickly covered with the 
silvery white Antennaria tomentosa, at the base being a dense carpet¬ 
ing of Leptinella scariosa and the dwarf Pyrethrum, which possesses 
what the ladies term a “ dreadful ” name— i.e., Tchihatchewi, Both 
these, however, are useful little plants where it is desired to cover a 
bed with close greenery as a foundation ; but they do not appear to 
have been tried much for carpet beds, and it is doubtful if they would 
equal either the Gibraltar Pennyroyal or the Herniaria for that pur¬ 
pose. On these mounds also numerous succulent plants impart a 
distinctive appearance to them, large-growing Crassulas, Portulacarias, 
Echeverias of the metallica type, and many others being notable. 
A few yards from the mounds are two carpet beds of simple yet 
striking design. One, the better of the two, has a ground of the soft 
grey Sedum acre elegans edged with Echeveria pumila and Ceras- 
tiurn tomentosum, with panels of Alternantheras. The centre is 
A. versicolor grandis, very richly coloured; and in others of irregular 
form are amabilis latifolia, amcena, paronychioides major, and aurea, all 
being of excellent colour, and contrasting admirably with the neutral 
Sedum. The bed corresponding to this has a rather undue pro¬ 
portion of Golden Feather as a groundwork, with Mesembryanthe- 
