September S3, 1888. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
275 
Androsaces. —Setting aside preliminaries I will briefly endeavour to 
give my experience in regard to some of the so-called fastidious alpines, and 
how they may be propagated with success. To my mind, the work of the 
propagator is such as anyone can enjoy, not because it is easy and 
eimple—which, luckily, in many departments of gardening it really is, 
but because it is often beset and surrounded with difficulties, and which 
only close attention, patience, and care will overcome, and seeing that 
theee particulars are of such importance among the Androsaces, I will 
first briefly allude to them. They are, taken as a whole, a race of plants 
difficult to establish, and still more difficult to preserve through our 
English winters of constant change of damp, and fog, and smoke, all of 
which are foreign to them in their wind-swept mountain home. Many of 
the collected plants, too, arrive in such a bad state as to be almost worthless 
when they come to hand. This is especially the case with those of woolly 
tufts of rosettes, and which at any time are impatient of confinement and 
damp overhead. Still there are exceptions even to this, for in A. lanu¬ 
ginosa and A. sarmentosa we find downy leaves, if not tufted growth. It is 
worthy of note, too, that while these are two of the best for general 
purposes they are the most readily increased. The really difficult 
members of this genus are A. Chamcejasme, A. helvetica, A. imbricata, and 
A. glacialis. All these, if planted out on the rockery, should be afforded 
full sun, and abundance of water in summertime. They should be planted 
in equal parts of loam and peat with plenty of sharp grit added, and some 
broken brick rubbish may also be added with advantage. In winter time 
it is well to protect them from excessive rains with pieces of glass so 
placed as to throw off the rain, and at the same time being raised above 
and clear of the plants, admit abundance of air on all sides. These may be 
propagated by division, though great care is requisite, but what I consider 
the better way would be to procure fresh seeds, either collected or home- 
saved, and by raising seedlings at home they may become acclimatised 
and be better able to endure our changeable climate. The woolly-leaved 
kinds of tufted growth I have never tried to root from cuttings, but such 
species as A. carnea, A. Cbamrejasme, A. pyrenaica, A. villosa (this sends 
forth runners), and A. Yitaliana may be increased tolerably free by division 
and also by seeds when procurable. As before stated A. lanuginosa and 
A. sarmentosa are readily increased. The former is of trailing habit of 
growth, and produces umbels of pleasing delicate rose-coloured flowers. It is, 
in fact, one of the most charming of this family, and as a remarkable fact 
every inch of stem will root, if cut up into lengths and inserted in sandy 
soil, and kept close in handlights or bellglasses. Given the higher positions 
on the rockery, and allow it to trail freely, it is a most delightful little 
plant. Quite distinct in every respect is A. sarmentosa, which has large 
spreading rosettes of leaves. This gives off Strawberry-like runners, which 
terminate with small rosettes, which in turn emit roots freely. These 
tiny rosettes may be pegged down, previously loosing the soil beneath 
them, or if allowed to ramble at will invariably root freely and soon form 
a pleasing feature on any rockery. Sandy loam suits it admirably. It 
comes from the Himalayas, and produces umbels of rose-coloured flowers 
with a white eye. 
Omphalodes Lucille.— For another instance where propagation is 
anything but easy and well understood we may turn to Omphalodes 
Lucilise, one of the most charming alpines and one very slow to increase. 
This plant forms tufts of obovate spathulate leaves that assume a glaucous 
hue, and from which issue its exquisite though sweetly modest sky-blue 
flowers. It comes from Mount Taurus, and as a rock plant it is unique ; 
it is perfectly hardy and frost-resisting, and its greatest enemies are damp 
and slugs. The latter attack it in a remarkable manner, and especially so 
if the plants are weak. Tt is now fourteen years since I first made its 
acquaintance, at which time I had never dreamt of rooting cuttings of it, 
and from what I could gather, to attempt it would be waste of time. 
Seeds were sown, but as these never came abundantly, and what did 
mature often took two seasons to germinate, progress was very slow. 
Then if seedlings are obtained you must be very careful or some slug will 
destroy it. I was not satisfied with the progress the seedlings made, and 
at length in 1875 determined to make an attempt with cuttings. This, 
however, was not without mature consideration, for those of your readers 
who are acquainted with this plant will know that the growths forming 
the tuft are very compact and close together, and to sever those from the 
main body of the plant was by no means an easy task. A slip of the knife 
might have cost me the plant, and I possessed but one. This I planted 
out in a square handlight in equal parts of peat and loam made rather 
sandy, and to induce it to make longer growths than usual I kept it rather 
close for several days. When I deemed them of sufficient length I 
exposed them to full air and light that the growths might become hardened 
and eventually I succeeded in detaching some thirteen cuttings, all of 
which rooted in about a month and made good plants, and of which I was 
not a little proud. This was my first experiment with this plant, and up 
to the present time I have never discovered a better way of propagating 
it, and so far as my experience goes it may be rooted any time from April 
to August inclusive, provided that cuttings of the right stamp are pro¬ 
curable. The cuttings I prefer are those slipped off with a heel attached, 
and even these are very short ; in fact, so short that I have many times 
been compelled to tie small pegs to the cuttings, the latter having insuffi¬ 
cient stem to hold themselves erect. I half fill the pots with drainage and 
use very sandy peaty soil for cuttings, with half an inch of clear sand on 
the surface. Seeeral years ago I saw this plant on the rockery of the 
late Mr. James Atkins at Painswick growing most freely and thriving in 
a remarkable manner. Evidently the situation suited it, for it was rambling 
about freely. It is worth any care, but when taking any special care of 
it, just admit of sufficient discretion that it shall not be killed by 
kindness. 
Arnebia echioides. —The introduction of this interesting alpine 
brought with it many difficulties. It was said of it that it was “a rare 
seeder, and that cuttings would not strike,” and to divide it was scarcely 
possible. It does seed, however, though not so freely as many members of 
the same order, and, as regards the cuttings, I have never tried them, 
simply because it is not a plant which produces the right material for 
cuttings, but there is a way beyond this by which it may be increased 
freely. In the month of January or February lift the plant by digging 
all round it, and take care of every scrap of root; cut these into lengths 
an inch or so long, and insert them around the interior of some pots or 
pans, and place them in slight warmth, gentle bottom heat if possible, the 
apex of the root should be just visible ; they will not be long before signs 
of life are apparent, and you will observe small greenish buds first issue 
from the root and then slowly and surely develope into leaf. The largest 
roots will be studded with growth buds, and if the most is required of a 
good plant these larger ones may be cut in quarters, and in time you will 
have an abundance of young plants. There are many plants which can 
be propagated most readily from root cuttings, but which exhibit some 
indication by breaks on the main roots ; the Arnebia, however, does not, 
though with a little assistance it breaks well. To those who are un¬ 
acquainted with it the following brief description will give some idea. 
The plant grows 15 inches high, having roughish leaves. On first opening 
its flowers are of a chrome yellow ; on the second day fire dark spots 
appear near the throat of the corolla, which ultimately assume a blackish 
hue. This is a peculiar and interesting fact, inasmuch as upon one plant 
and at the same time it is possible to have the flowers in all stages ; it is 
also most floriferous, commencing early in June and continuing till late 
in October with slight intermissions. It is a most interesting and valuable 
rock plant, and is a native of the Ural Mountains. 
Onosma TAURICA. —I will next refer to Onosma taurica, which for 
many years was considered a very difficult alpine to increase. I have, 
however, before stated in these columns the best method of increasing it 
— i.e., strip the cuttings off the main portion of the plant by the heel, and 
without further preparation insert them in sandy loam and cover with a 
bellglass or handlight. In careful hands every cutting will root, and I 
make it a rule never to touch a cutting with a knife. Of those I have put 
in this season I have not a single failure. So long as cuttings are pro¬ 
curable they may be inserted from June to the end of September. The 
last batch, however, are always best if allowed to stand over the winter 
in the store pots ; so in view of this do not insert them so thickly as those 
which are to be potted off at once. It is, perhaps without exception the 
best rock plant we possess; its golden drooping tubular flowers are 
deliciously sweet-scented, and when in fine condition— i.e., some 2 feet 
across, it will yield an enormous number of flowers. In planting it, 
choose a not over-rich soil, for in such it grows too vigorously and is 
liable to decay at the collar, and for this reason it is well to place a few 
stones round the collar of the plant, so that it may be dry always; the air 
filtering, as it were, between the stones, will materially assist to keep it 
from decaying. Overhanging a ledge of rock, with its roots running 
deeply into some fissure of rock, it always appears extremely happy, and 
though it does not make so much growth in this position as it does on an 
even surface, it is certainly a longer liver. It forms a compact tuft of 
linear-lanceolate leaves, and is a true perennial alpine, the leaves and also 
the flower stems being densely covered with short stiff hairs. It grows 
from a foot to 15 inches high.—J. H. E. 
EXHIBITING BLACK CURRANTS—CARTER’S CHAMPION. 
In answer to your Lincolnshire correspondent in reference to Carter’s 
Currant, I suppose he means “ Dunnett’s Black Champion Currant.” I 
have to confess that I have not been able to get bunches the size of Grapes 
from it, but I had fruit from it this year from two small bushes, which I 
exhibited at our local show in August in a pretty fair competition, of Lee’s 
Prolific and Black Naples, and was easily first in both the gentlemen’s 
gardeners’ class and the amateurs’ class. I visited two other shows 
afterwards, Alnwick, the largest in our county, being one of them, and I 
am quite satisfied that the “ Champion ” is the best Black Currant I have 
yet seen. 
As regards exhibiting Black Currants in bunches, my opinion is that it 
is not advisable ; as, for instance, at one show where I happened to be in 
which the rules required the above condition complied with, the public 
were quite astonished at what they considered such “shocking judgment,” 
in a dish of large Currants not being placed, while two others, “ slovenly 
picked,” were first aud second.— John Bunn, Felton , Northumberland. 
PIT-MOUND GARDENING IN THE BLACK COUNTRY. 
A series of articles appeared in one of the Black Country newspapers 
recently in reference to reclaiming much of the pit-mound surface for 
gardening purposes, and as the writer’s words descriptive of the surround¬ 
ings are so aptly illustrative I quote them here :—“ Up to the close of 
the last century, and before the invention of James Watt had met with 
one of its earlier applications in the raising of coal from the mines, mining 
operations in this locality ( i.e .. the Wolverhampton district) had not been 
carried on upon any scale sufficiently large enough to have marred the 
beauties of the surrounding scenery. But with the introduction of steam 
power and the development of pumping machinery, the hidden treasures 
of Mother Earth were not only more easily wrested from her, but they 
were mote eagerly sought for in every direction. Then as va9t caverns 
began to stretch far and wide their glocmy windings below, so a synchro¬ 
nous change came o’er the spirit of the surface above. The sky line 
