September 23 , 1880 . ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 277 
must be assisted with a little fire heat at night, and sufficient 
ventilation to keep them dwarf and as stocky as possible. These 
useful plants are not grown for winter decoration nearly so much 
as they deserve ; they will last fully four months for decoration 
in the conservatory during winter, and are invaluable for cutting 
and for associating with groups of plants for room decoration. 
Epiphyllums are amongst the most lovely of winter-flowering 
plants, and where a succession of choice flowers are required they 
should be grown in numbers. They are of easy culture, and with 
ordinary care small plants can be flowered as well as those of 
larger size. They require heat and moisture while growing. Fre¬ 
quently they are insufficiently supplied with water, and have a 
hard struggle to exist. If still in heat and growth is completed, a 
cool temperature is of the greatest importance to harden their 
growth and ensure a regular head of bloom. At this stage a drier 
condition of the atmosphere and the soil is essential, but when 
required to bloom they must be introduced into stove heat. Ca- 
lanthes and Dendrobium nobile must now be well exposed to the 
sun to mature their pseudo-bulbs, as upon this depends future 
success. Plants of the Dendrobium should be removed to a cool 
sunny position near the glass as soon as the growths are amber 
colour. Water will only be necessary in sufficient quantities to 
keep the growths from shrivelling. 
Azaleas will be maturing their buds, and those of the amoena 
type and all early-flowering varieties must be kept cool for the 
present. Heaths of the softwooded type and Epacrises will now 
be developing their bloom buds, and must not be permitted to 
suffer through insufficient supply of water. Ventilation must be 
liberal, and the plants protected from heavy rains. In dull damp 
weather they are very subject to mildew, which spreads quickly 
and soon disfigures the plants if its progress is not arrested. 
Solan urns, Salvias, and Callas that are planted out should be 
lifted now and repotted in good loam, with a seventh of manure. 
They should be placed in a shady position until they recover, 
freely syringed and supplied with abundance of water. They 
can remain outside until the appearance of frost. Those most 
useful winter-flowering plants Zonal Pelargoniums, are in much 
finer condition and better ripened than they ■were last year. 
Their treatment for the present will consist in removing the 
flowers and liberally supplying the plants with liquid manure. 
The shoots should not be stopped after this date ; in fact, 
stopping should have been discontinued some time ago. 
Roses for early blooming will now need attention, as their 
growth will be matured and the foliage fallen off some varieties, 
such as Gloire de Dijon and Lamarque, that have been grown 
almost similarly to Vines in pots and trained under the roof of a 
plant house. When ripened as above indicated, it is wise to take 
the plants from under the roof and place them outside, which will 
prevent any of the buds starting into growth. After being outside 
and exposed to a few slight frosts they start into growth when in¬ 
troduced into heat with greater freedom. This is a good time to 
repot these Roses. The roots should be carefully uncoiled from 
the sides of the ball, and as much of the old exhausted soil re¬ 
moved as possible without much injury. They can be replaced in 
the same sized pot, and tied round four stakes placed near the 
sides of the pots, or trained in any shape according to the taste of 
the cultivator. It is far better to repot now than in the spring 
just after the plants have bloomed, which causes a severe check 
by interfering with the roots after they have commenced working. 
Hybrid Perpetuals that have been subject to forcing should also 
be repotted if they require it. It is a good plan to repot them 
every year before the foliage falls, they then become established 
before forcing time arrives. 
Where Clerodendron Balfourianum is employed for early 
forcing, young plants should be annually grown for the purpose and 
trained under the roof of plant stoves until ripe, which is prefer¬ 
able to training them round stakes, thus hiding the wood from 
light and air by their own foliage. If ripe they can now be taken 
down and trained round stakes and placed in a cooler position, 
giving them less water at the roots. It is necessary to mention here 
that Clerodendrons require a minimum temperature of 50° to 55°. 
The cuttings are obtained as early in the year as possible from 
young shoots when a few inches in length, they are inserted 
singly in pots and placed in the propagating pit or frame. They 
quickly produce roots and are potted-on afterwards as they require 
it in a compost of loam and peat equal parts, and plenty of coarse 
sand. They are grown in 6, 7, and 8-inch pots. The smallest are 
useful for room or table decoration. If intending cultivators 
have not an early plant from which to obtain cuttings, it is a good 
plan to employ the wood that is ripened now, which strikes as 
readily as the young shoots if cut off below a joint, a pair of 
leaves being retained. The cuttings can be inserted round the 
sides of a 5-inch pot, or singly in small pots. The young plants 
should be kept slowly growing through the winter. This allows 
cultivators with moderate accommodation a long season in which 
to produce satisfactory plants.—W m. Bardney. 
THE SCOTCH CHAMPION POTATO. 
I WAS pleased to see the remarks of Mr. John Taylor in your 
last issue relative to the qualities of this Potato ; for though Mr. 
Beachey has a long list of complaints against it, and Mr. Luck- 
hurst thinks it far below the standard of a really good Potato, 
most of those who have grown the Champion and thoroughly 
tested it will continue to do so until something better is pro¬ 
vided. That it has some objectionable qualities I admit, one being 
its length of haulm, which renders it unfit for small gardens 
because it takes up so much room, another its deep eyes; but 
these objections are insignificant when compared with its good 
qualities. Two acres of Champions have been grown on the farm 
here for five years, and they have never failed to produce a heavy 
crop of good tubers. Some years the disease shows itself amongst 
them, but never to do much damage ; whilst other varieties, such 
as Snowflake, Early Rose, and others, are destroyed with it. As 
to quality, w T e never have any complaint on that score after 
we begin the Champions, which is as soon as they are large enough. 
We have already begun using them this year, but they have not 
yet obtained their full size. No wonder Mr. Beachey complains of 
a poor crop when he talks of cutting the tops off and taking up 
the tubers in August. When cooked they are white and mealy. 
Mr. Beachey must either have a bad cook or he has not the right 
Potato, for whether baked or boiled they are always good. There 
is no need to peel them if a cut or two is made through the skin, 
thus avoiding the waste that would occur by cutting out the deep 
eyes.—A. Barker, Ulndlip. 
MORE ABOUT VIOLETS. 
Since 1 last sent you an account of Violet Argenteaflora in June 
and July I have gathered about a hundred blooms every second day 
from three dozen plants, and still they are being produced. The 
principal part of the flowers have been produced from the runners, 
and now the crowns of the plants and the runners are showing 
flow r ers plentifully, so that I hope for a full hardest of blooms 
through the winter. The flowers are not large as Mr. Beachey 
remarks, and have not the substance of Victoria Regina, but they 
have capital footstalks, admitting of their being made up into 
bunches 6 inches in diameter, which is unattainable with any 
other of the small-flowered single varieties. Bouquets of this size 
have a very elegant appearance and are much appreciated, not the 
least of their merits being the neat foliage and delicious scent. 
Victoria Regina commenced flowering early in August, but it 
was not until September 3rd that the blooms were abundant. 
This is a very useful Violet, and unrivalled in purples. In con¬ 
trast with Argenteaflora the effect is pleasing. Here on the north¬ 
east coast, over three hundred miles further north than Mr. Beachey, 
and 540 feet above the sea level, it is necessary to plant in frames 
to ensure the free flowering of single as well as double Violets in 
autumn and onwards. 
De Parme was gathered for bunching at the same date as 
Victoria Regina, but from its shorter footstalks cannot be made up 
into bunches of more than 4 inches in diameter, the doubles not 
being so readily bunched as the singles. New York (odorata 
pendula) also was gathered on September 3rd, it and De Parme 
being very similar in foliage and colour. New York is a deeper 
mauve colour with a partially red and white eye, De Parme having 
a white centre. Both are very sweet and beautiful. All the Nea¬ 
politan Violets have a tendency to lose the centre growths or 
crown, which can only be obviated by planting fresh-rooted runners 
or suckers in spring, and not allowing them to produce offsets 
during the summer. Double Violets last twice as long in water 
as the singles. 
Prince Consort showed its first blooms on September 9th, but it 
is not good until October, when it gives flowers one-half larger 
than Victoria Regina, and of a paler or bluish purple. It has 
splendid foliage, fine rounded petals, and is the finest in form of 
any. It is not so free to produce runners as many, being in every 
respect the prince of Violets. 
Princess of Prussia is an intense purple, very glossy ; flowers of 
great substance, petals well rounded, and very sweet. Plant not 
so vigorous as Victoria Regina, sparse in foliage as compared with 
that variety, but forms very full crowns from which spring noble 
flowers. It evidently is a grand autumn bloomer if not the best, 
and runners are very sparsely produced. I had the blooms of a 
lovely soft rose Violet sent me in spring by Mr. Lee, and a more 
beautiful associate for Jylue and white Violets it were not possible 
