July 22, 1880. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 78 
to issue from bottom to top of each stem, and these are now bloom¬ 
ing and fruiting most abundantly—in fact the crop is much larger 
than that from the first main stems. Those wishing to save 
seed from any new or good variety of Pea or Bean should adopt 
this plan, as in good soil it more than doubles the produce.— 
A Kitchen Gaedenee. 
LA DUCHESSE DE MORNY ROSE. 
I shall be glad to have the opinions of rosarians upon the 
following point—whether the above Rose should be shown as a 
light Hybrid Perpetual and gain honours against such light 
Roses as La France. Some comment evidently took place at the 
National Rose Society’s Show, held in Manchester on the 17th, 
when La Duchesse de Morny was placed before La France. 
Some contended that this should not have been so, and that the 
Rose in question was not a light Rose. I ask, Can a Rose that 
answers to the description of “ bright but delicate rose colour, 
the reverse of the petals silvery,” be called a dark Rose ? If so 
we might as well say Alfred Colomb and Marie Baumann cannot 
be called dark where such varieties as Duke of Edinburgh and 
Charles Lefebvre come. If I understand the schedule rightly 
Hybrid Perpetuals are divided only into light and dark, and no 
more minute distinction made. Under such conditions I think 
Mr. Jowitt is justified in exhibiting La Duchesse de Morny as a 
light Rose.—A Lancashiee Geowee. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The following is an epitome of the lecture delivered on the plants 
exhibited at the last Meeting by the Rev. G. Henslow, Secretary to 
the Scientific Committee, and for which we had not space in our last 
issue. The first group of plants to which attention was drawn was a 
fine series of Iris Ksempferi from Japan, exhibited by Messrs. Yeitch. 
The lecturer explained how the process of becoming “double” was 
earned out—first by the three inner petals, usually small, being much 
enlarged, an extra number of stamens appearing as small petals, and 
the style becoming more petaloid, so that probably by continued cul¬ 
tivation flowers resembling Pseonies, only purple, might be expected 
to be produced. The lecturer described the fertilisation by insects of 
the Iris and Crocus. 
The chief display was made by Begonias, consisting of variations 
from hybrids between B. boliviensis and B. Veitchii and other species. 
Allusion was made to the tendency to change the sex ; the stamens 
especially putting on stigmas, while one specimen exhibited showed 
the pistil surrounded by stamens. The stems of some species con¬ 
tain probably potassium oxalate, and are used like Rhubarb, and may 
also be employed like salts of lemon for extracting ink, though the 
juice is liable to leave a red stain instead. 
A beautiful species of Utricularia and another of Nepenthes fur¬ 
nished materials for a short digression on the habits of the carni¬ 
vorous species of those genera. 
With regard to Orchids, a remarkable species of Nanodes—viz., 
N. Medusae, was exhibited by Sir T. Lawrence ; N. discolor is another 
very small species about 1 to 2 inches high. A fine Phalaenopsis 
furnished an illustration of the fertilisation by insects, the caudicle 
of the pollinia undergoing a remarkable curving process, while at the 
same time they are depressed ; the object being apparently to shorten 
the distance between the disk and pollen so as to hit the stigma more 
accurately and effectively. 
Gloxinias furnished an illustration of reversion ; for it is presumable 
that all irregular flowers were in their ancestral state regular, and 
horticulturists now endeavour to select those which assume an erect 
habit and regularly circular outline, in other words, which are revert¬ 
ing to the ancestral type. 
Pelargoniums are remarkable for illustrating the fact that physio¬ 
logical differences are often more pronounced than morphological; 
for it is found that the forms with fine well-pronounced spots— i.e., 
one on each petal, will not cross with those possessing only two 
marked spots, the other three petals having none or faintly marked 
only. A similar refusal to cross resides in the Zonal Pelargonium and 
the smooth-leaved scarlet varieties. 
SCHIZANTHUS AND LOBELIA ERINUS IN POTS. 
In a situation I held many years ago there was a conservatory 
which held about three hundred plants and had to be kept gay 
with flowers throughout the year. With the exception of some 
Camellias and a few others, all the plants were removed as soon 
as they had done flowering, and others coming into flower were 
brought from the vineries and a plant pit to take their places. 
Some plants commonly used as outdoor plants were grown in pots 
for this structure. None answered better or were more admired 
by my employers and their friends than the Schizanthus, which is 
a well-known annual, and Lobelia Erinus white and blue. Both 
were grown as annuals from seed sown in July, two or three 
plants being placed in a 4-inch pot as soon a3 they were large 
enough. The plants were well exposed to light and air, were 
shifted into larger pots as they required it, and had good soil to 
grow in. About April they were finally potted into pots 11 inches 
in diameter. By May, when the Schizanthus plants began to 
flower, they were 3 feet or more in diameter and the same in 
height. When in full flower they were no mean ornaments for 
the conservatory and sitting-room, being pyramids of butterfly-like 
flowers. Azaleas and Pelargoniums flowering in the same house 
at the same time were not more admired than the Schizanthus. As 
the roots of the Schizanthus plants are brittle some care is necessary 
to keep the balls unbroken in shifting them into larger pots. In 
growing Schizanthus plants in pots the shoots should never be 
stopped by pinching their points off, and they seldom need 
training or tying. The varieties of S. pinnatus are the best for 
pot culture and show. S. retusus and its varieties I could never 
grow into fine plants. 
Well-grown plants of Lobelia Erinus gracilis, blue and white, 
in flower are very charming. They come into flower about the 
end of May and last till August. With us they were treated like 
the Schizanthus, and grew into handsome specimens, measuring 
about 3 feet across ; and by reason of their trailing habit of growth, 
their pots (11-inch) were quite hidden from view by foliage and 
flower. Two or three of such plants were grown annually, one- 
third of them blue, one-third white, and the other third blue and 
white together. The lady of the family I served liked the white 
plants very much, and had every year two of them in her sitting- 
room. By uplifting the tangled mass of shoots with her fingers 
she made her two plants look much larger and better than those 
in the conservatory ; they were in shape somewhat like an umbrella 
fully expanded. Lobelias for pot culture should not be topped. 
Lobelia speciosa and some others are not well adapted for culture 
in pots, their growth not being sufficiently slender and pendulous. 
—A. Pettigeew. 
NOTES AROUND MANCHESTER.—No. 2. 
Didsbuey, a village three or four miles south of Manchester, is 
one of the most healthful and pleasant suburbs of that city, being 
situated in an open district comparatively free from the poison¬ 
vomiting factory chimneys which are so abundant in neighbouring 
and less-favoured localities. In consequence of this immunity 
from one of the greatest enemies to vegetation—viz., smoke, the 
plants and shrubs of all kinds have some chance of thriving and 
rewarding their cultivators for the care bestowed upon them. 
Residents have not been slow to take advantage of these oppor¬ 
tunities, and all the numerous villas in the neighbourhood have 
gardens, varying in size and importance, but equally indicating 
by their neat fresh appearance the attention they receive. The 
majority merely contain lawns, shrubberies, and flower borders in 
the typical and somewhat formal style so prevalent in gardens of 
that character round London and large towns generally ; but 
there are some occupied by gentlemen who have acquired col¬ 
lections of plants of considerable value and extent, and one of 
the most remarkable of these establishments I will now briefly 
describe. 
BBOCKHUTtST. 
It is very doubtful if a better example could be found of the 
admirable effects that can be produced in gardens of moderate 
extent by the exercise of artistic ingenuity and care in their 
design and arrangement than is shown in the one under notice. 
Although by no means specially favoured in regard to position, 
except that the garden slopes down to the valley of the Mersey, 
yet it has been rendered both highly attractive and interesting. 
Mr. W. Brockbank, the genial proprietor, is a gentleman who has 
devoted much time and care to the iormation of a collection of 
alpine and herbaceous plants, florists’ flowers, &c., and he now 
possesses nearly eight hundred distinct forms, exclusive of a large 
number of Auriculas. Some of these are grown in houses and 
frames, but the majority are planted on the rockery, which forms 
the chief feature of the garden. Not content with the con¬ 
ventional heap of stones that passes for a rockery, Mr. Brockbank 
has succeeded in producing something which, if only on a mo¬ 
derate scale, has the merit of possessing some pretensions to 
naturalness. What may be termed the framework is composed of 
huge blocks of Rochdale flagstone arranged to imitate the stratifi¬ 
cation of rocks, and, being upon the steep portion of the incline, 
they are disposed so that they appear to be the natural outcrop of 
a geological formation. Smaller pieces are employed to fill-up 
and form sheltered nooks and corners suited to the various 
requirements of the alpine treasures that are planted in them. 
Paths wind about at different levels—not obtrusive, broad, gra¬ 
velled paths, but in judicious accordance with the general design, 
which altogether is admirable and worthy of adoption by all who 
can obtain the necessary materials. 
