June 7, 1883.] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
powder is a simple preventive, or cure when attacked, of any 
harm from these. Any mildew must at once be destroyed 
with sulphur. 
I may further note that for cutting the Mrs. Rundle type 
does not require the buds to be thinned. The terminal bud 
will have four or five buds clustering thickly round its base. 
These are all developed together, and the result is a very pretty 
bunch of flowers. Large-flowering kinds, however, require 
disbudding. If too many flowers are left none of them 
develope properly. Rich surface dressing applied when the 
plants are housed is of the greatest advantage. Fresh roots 
are formed, which aid the development of the flowers very 
much. The atmosphere, too, must be kept buoyant during the 
time they are perfecting their flowers. This is much the best 
means of escaping mildew, at the same time that a little rise 
in the temperature keeps the roots moving, and a more plenti¬ 
ful supply of good flowers is a consequence.—R. P. B. 
MR. VAN HOUTTE’S NURSERY AT GHENT. 
When describing some of the Belgian nurseries about two 
years ago this, the largest of them all, in consequence of a domestic 
calamity referred to at the time was passed without notice, on 
that account it claims attention now. The period of inspection 
was in April, when acres of Hyacinths were flowering in the 
grounds, Azaleas under glass affording a feast of beauty, and 
Imantophyllums gorgeous by their brilliant heads. 
At that particular time numbers of men of many nationalities 
were visiting the Royal Nurseries at Gendbrugge, a suburb of 
Ghent, and all appeared to be alike impressed with their condi¬ 
tion, the admirable order that prevailed, the diversified character 
of the wonderful stock of plants, and the business-like appearance 
that pervaded the establishment. This is emphatically a great 
trade emporium, and everything is subservient to the production 
of the greatest number of plants in the best possible condition. 
There are no imposing structures, such as elaborate “ winter gar¬ 
dens,” nor Crystal-Palace-like erections to catch the eye of 
passers-by, for none is needed. The houses are long, low, and 
numerous — work-a-day pit-like erections which plants enjoy. 
They are, in fact, made for plants to live in, not for patrons to 
look at, for these are scattered over, no doubt, every civilised 
country on the face of the earth. The plants, too, are of all kinds, 
hardy and tender, rare and popular, requiring for their enumera¬ 
tion half a dozen closely printed catalogues—a fact that shows in 
the most forcible manner how utterly futile it would be to attempt 
anything like a detailed account of the contents of the nurseries. 
Passing the Palms, bewildering in numbers and variety, also 
Ferns and new and old stove and greenhouse plants, a pause may 
be made at a few of the more prominent genera which arrested 
the attention and evoked the admiration of visitors in April. 
AZALEAS. 
For forming an idea of the number of these plants that are 
grown here the nursery must be visited in September. They may 
then be seen growing in prepared beds in the open air in scores of 
thousands, some being then taken up and potted, but vast quan¬ 
tities “ mossed ” and sent by train and steamer to all the capitals 
of Europe and the chief cities of America. In the autumn, then, 
the greatness of the trade in these plants is seen, but in the spring 
the beauty of the varieties can be appreciated and the merits of 
the new forms estimated. Thousands of seedlings are flowered 
every year, raised by the industrious foreman, Mr. Francois de 
Taye, who has presumably done more than any man in Europe 
in improving these, the most beautiful and popular of spring- 
flowering plants. In the classes for new Azaleas at the Ghent 
Show it was surprising to observe the great number sent by M. Van 
Houtte, which decidedly obtained the lion’s share of the honours 
that were awarded. As it was impossible to enumerate all the 
varieties in the report of the Exhibition, and as they are far too 
meritorious to be overlooked, they are described now. 
M. Eugene Lippens .—Large double flower, white, shaded and 
blotched greenish-yellow at the bottom of the throat, large 
rounded lobes. Very fine and free flowering. 
J. J. Moser. —Semi-double, well-formed flower, rose or pink 
ground, with flesh-coloured reflex, bordered white, maculated 
with deep rose and dotted with white. 
Mrs. B. S. Williams. —Medium-sized flower, white, double row 
of lobes, quite new in shape, slightly convex and well rounded, 
blotch greenish-sulphur. Very beautiful. 
Mrs. Arthur Veitch. —Large, beaptifu 1 , semi-double white, 
round lobes, with well-prominent veins and very slight sulphur 
blotch. 
John Lyall. —Very large and double, well rounded and undu¬ 
lated lobes, colour lively reddish salmon. A first-class variety. 
Chas. B. Brigham. —Medium, well-formed, single flower, un¬ 
dulated lobes ; colour deep carmine, with blood-red blotch. 
Souvenir du Prince Henry. —Large, semi-double, well-formed 
flower ; colour rosy carmine, darker at the border, deep carmine 
blotch. 
A. W. Moore. —Double, full, and well-formed flower ; colour a 
very lively lake-carmine. A charming variety. 
John Ilawhesmorth. —Large flower of fine shape, with well- 
rounded lobes ; colour fiery red, large blotch of blackish blood- 
red at the bottom of the three superior lobes. Very effective. 
Bavid Milne Home. —Large single flower, with undulated 
lobes, large and well-rounded, snow white, and a beautiful 
variety. 
Madame Aug. Lemoinier. —Large well-formed flower ; colour 
soft rose, striped with carmine in the interior, with white at the 
borders, and deep carmine blotch on the three upper lobes. 
Comte de Paris. —Border of lobes white, with a star-like interior 
of carmine-rose, blotch deep carmine. Of first-class merit, quite 
new, and very fine. 
Th. Beimers. —Large, double, and well-formed flower ; beautiful 
lilac-rose. 
Baron Nathaniel de Bothschild. —Large double flower of per¬ 
fect form ; colour light amaranth, blotched with blood-red. Very 
rich and striking. 
Madame A. Van Wassenhove. —Large and very double well- 
formed flower ; colour flesh, bordered with white. 
Madame Alfred Chaber. —Very large single flower ; colour 
bright rose, with white reflex, and very deep carmine blotch. 
John T. D. Llewelyn. —Double medium-sized flower ; flesh- 
coloured, bordered with white ; lower petals flat, slightly un¬ 
dulated ; upper petals reflexed and blotched with light carmine. 
The above are the cream of the newer Azaleas raised in this 
nursery, and they will undoubtedly form a very beautiful and 
superior collection. 
RHODODENDRONS. 
Intermixed with seedling Azaleas in the houses devoted to them 
were many new Rhododendrons of great merit, and the following 
trio are worthy of being added to all collections. 
Madame Wilhelmine Van Houtte. —Centre of flower white, 
very slightly flesh-coloured, borders carmine-rose, upper divisions 
dotted with deep blood-red on a rose shaded with orange ground. 
Quite new in colour and attractive. 
Mdlle. Marie Van Houtte. —Flowers white, the borders very 
slightly shaded with flesh colour and blotched with bright 
chestnut; fine bouquet-like truss. 
Baron George de Saint Gcnois. —Truss good and flowers well 
formed, white, bordered with rose. Distinct and attractive, 
IMANTOPHYLLUMS. 
When the newer varieties of these brilliant and effective plants 
become generally known they can scarcely fail to be extensively 
cultivated in this country. We have no such groups in England 
as were exhibited at Ghent, and it is noteworthy that plants from 
this nursery won the Van Houtte memorial medal, as well as other 
prizes offered for these plants. Attractive as the groups were in 
the Exhibition, the larger collection in the nursery, including 
many seedlings, was still more imposing. There is undoubtedly 
a great similarity between many varieties, but the following are 
distinct, and rank as the finest in commerce :— 
Madame L. Van Houtte. —Robust plant, with very large leaves 
and fine truss of thirty-five to forty well-formed flowers, each 
measuring nearly 4 inches in diameter ; colour bright orange red. 
A first-class variety. 
Mademoiselle Marie Van Houtte. —-The same as the foregoing, 
but flowers of a lighter orange, washed with creamy white in the 
interior of the throat. Very beautiful. 
Madame Bonner. —Dwarfer in growth than the two preceding, 
yet vigorous. Flowers of excellent shape, with large petals ; 
colour red orange, washed with creamy white in the centre of the 
throat, extending to the rest of the petals as if flaked like a 
Gladio'us. 
M. Ch. Van Eechhautc. —Plant very dwarf. Flowers less per¬ 
fect in form than the others, but of a very bright orange scarlet 
colour, and highly elfective. 
Madame Peeters. —Plant vigorous, with large trusses of round 
pale orange-coloured flowers. Very distinct. 
These must be regarded as decided acquisitions, and for con- 
