18i 
JOURNAL OF EORTICULTUP^ AXL COTTAGE GARDEXER 
: lOr* Iv, 1=*S. 
stTiriiiieE; ani sf f rtalk. This i= -arell. A ?-yA t .-nz is 
of little tise ;f crtishe'i and half hidden ^zz'jZlZ the f tlAje. I: shtald zy 
pnshed np boldlj, looking the gre'a'er ch-eerfclij in the fa.ce. and if cm 
there is something w hold it bj. A good ollectijn of plants ^rill 
tertifr to ■a'hat is being done in this It is Terr gratifring that 
fonage is being thonght of. A •reli groirn Tnberons Be^onA is nand- 
5ome hr its leares alone, and thej are a hne foil Ijz the f.jT>r^zi. Tne 
ideal plant is dwarf, -with ample follige compactlj arranged, and the 
flowers borne w=ll abore it on snbstantial stems. 
Of the imptcrement in the blooms it aeems almost snperhnons to 
speak. Snre.T the most oeantifnl HohThock is not so fair as some of 
the doable Begonias are. Sojosmb in form, in softnesj and ptritr of none, 
tbej lack onlr fragrance to eonah if not echpse. eren the Eoee. The 
rlngies, too, are a sight to see—a f »d of crimson, carmine, scarlet, 
orange, salmon. r:-se. p’nk, blnsh, and white of a de'icacj that the 
painter’s bmsh conld not reproince. .4 collection of them in pots 
pro rides a beantifnl displaj. Tnere is room for a good nnmber of tlants 
a foot high and through in manj estabitshments, and when freelj 
famished witn their charming flower thej are striking in t'neir richness 
and ditersitj. Ott of ‘doors thej are eonallj ralnabLe. Large breadths 
of tnem are grown in some of the norseries, and an. acre of Begonias 
prsisents eitraordinarj featnres. First the gronnd is tinged and rinted 
with sper’its of colonr a- the earlj rarieties commence to bloom, then as 
the summer wears on it is warmed with a deeper glow, nntil at length 
the dereiojoed beauty of the flowers clothes it in a hundred hues Tne 
sun does not bum the flowers away, nor the rain quick j dash them to 
pieces. Tneir substance and endurance enable them to make a brare 
fight wit’n the elements, and the plants flower on unweariedlj. As time 
goes on they must take higher rank as garden flow-ms, not to the 
exclusion of standard annuals and perennials, f or then they might become 
as tiresome as Zona. Pelargoniums once were, 'out to be used, as the 
Latter m’ght be, for imparting brig’ntness and life where wimm*h of 
colour is wanted. 
Our seeds are sown the first week in February in pans of “erj finely 
sifted soil, consisting of one part each of loam, pean leaf mould, and 
sand, presse'i down quite smooth, and a little sand sprinkled over the 
surface. Tne seeds are scattered thinly in the pans and corered 
8lignt,T Wiih dry sand to keep them from being shifted in watering. 
Tne 5eed= being rery minute, water must be applied with the finest 
rosed pot. or they are liable to 'ce washed otst the sides of the pan. A 
square of glass is afterwards placed on the y&zx to prevent evaporation, 
but it must 'oe removed as soon as the seedlings appear. A slight hot¬ 
bed in a Melon or Cucumber house is a good position to favour the seeds 
germinating ouicklv. 
Begonias are very slow-growing plants in their earlier stages, thus 
water must i>“ given iudiciously, otherwise the surface soil becomes sour. 
The little plants must be pricked out into well-drained pans as soon as 
they are large enoug'a to handle, nsing a soil similar to that aoove 
mentioned : and later on, when fairly strong, they shonld be potted into 
3-inch pots, and eventually shifted again into^inch and 7-inca pots, in 
which tney flower. For this final potting a more substantial compost is 
necessary. We use two parts good turfy Ic^m, one of well-decayed hot¬ 
bed or cow manure to one of road grit, and in addition to this we mix a 
little artificial manure in the proportion of about a 3-iEch p>otful to a 
barrowful of soil; this induces the p ants to grow quicker than when 
solid manure only is used. We never water with liquid manure until 
the plants commence flowering, at which time the pehs are filled with 
roots; stimulants are given frequently from this time onwards ; liquid 
cow manure and -oot suit them admirably. From a packet of seeds 
•we have obtained five do 2 en plants, quite half the num'oer being double 
flowering sorts. AH are remarkably good, equal to those represented 
by fig. 27, and scarcely two are alike. 
In planting Begonias, some kind of carpeting plant is used, such 
as Mesembryanthemum cordifolinm variegatum or Sedums. Koniga 
Tariegata i? very pretty, but •with ns it grows too taU. Besides showing 
off the Begonia flowers to advantage, it also serves to prevent t’neir being 
^’ashed -with soil during heavy rains. After the stems have died do'wn 
in the autumn, t’ne tubsrs must be lifted and stored away in boxes of 
sand, dry soil, or cocoa-nut fibre refuse anywhere from the reach of 
frost, nntil the spring, -w'nen they -wfll show signs of starting into 
growth again. Tney should then be watered and p'laced in a greenhouse 
or pit, potting them singly into 4 or -o-inch pots when t'ney have made 
an inch of growth preparatory to p’anting in the flowering 'teds. 
Where it is neceesary to increase the stock in the spring, the plant* 
should be staned early, -when tn’&e.'s with two or three shoots may be 
divided, or the gro-wths may be taken off and struck in small pots filled 
•with sandy soil; these, if kept clc«e andnottco moist, will strike readily 
and be fit for planting -with t’ne others in May. During -Julv and 
August t’ney can be struck like Pelargoniums in an open border.—W. 
BLACK BEYO>'T. 
I?f rep’y to “.S. S.,” page 154, this name L* sometimes applied to 
Tamus communii, the only B.ritish representative of the Di'Mcorilae or 
Yam family. It is not uncommon in ima.uy parts of England, and is an 
elegant perennial climV.^ -with glossy heart-shaped lea-res, which often 
turn to a purplish colour in the autumn, when the plant Is thicklv 
gtuddei throughout the greater |>art of its length -with cluster! of bright 
scar et berries ; these remain for some time after tne leave- have falll^ 
and I have always teen told they are very poisonooi. Tne p’ant njtualiy 
grows in hedgerowi, and “ S. fi.” wfll probably Lave no difficulty in 
i procuring a plant in his neig’u'Dour'u»d a few weeks 'aence, but at this 
‘ seas-cn of the year it is very dim cult to flni, as it die down to the root- 
[ stock every winter. — W, E,* Dite 2=, X-'ffev Gsrifiu. .nuj’*/vW. 
R-z “ S. 5.’s” inquiry fur Black Erytny, Tamtu cimmun's (t’age 
1'>4) I send Bentham's descriptiun of the plant, whereby he may kiacw 
if he has ob&e.’-vei it gruw-_ng in hi* neighbunrbtod. If, htwever, 'ne 
does not recognise any member cf his w-.ld fora answering thereto I 
i s'na'.l be happy to forward a root to him or his trieid, if he 'wili famish 
me witn the aiirsss, 
! From Bentham's "Hani’ctck of British Flora," Tamns communis 
! 'Blac'x Bryoav)—-An elegant climber, twining to a consiiera'ole 
^ heart-shaped leaves, -with a tarring po'inh and somerlmes aimuet three- 
' lobed, hut otherwise entire. Fiew^ smaZh of a yello-wish green; the males 
in slender racems. often brancheL and longer than the leaves. The 
^ females in much shorter and clt&er racemes. Berries scarlet, often very 
! “la hedges, open woods, and 'Dns'ny places, dispersed over neatrly the 
j w'nole of Euglacod, a-nd c ./mm:n in seme conntis, but not found in 
j Scotland or Delani F.owers spring and early snmmer.”—THOltAS 
j SltTTE Ihr Gard-nu, Hrihtr^ Hul, Brist-zi. 
j EOYAJ. HOETICTLTCEAX SOCIETY. 
! M A-e ~H dxK. 
* T3Z cold weather did not prevent the bringing tegetber of an 
^ attractive Exhibition on the above da-oe, although frosty air and cutting 
•winig are adverse to the safe conduct of indoor plants to and fro. Tne 
Drill Hall was surpristng'j well furnished with flowers, and presented 
quite a gay apjoearance, c: nsidering the time of year and the unpropitious 
FeriT CoJOfiTTES.—Present : P. Crowley, Esq., in the chair, with 
Dr. Hogg and Measrs. T. Francis Elvers, -Joan I^e. A. H. Pearroa, 
. H. J. Pearson, J. Smith. H Balderson, F. Q. Lane. J. Hudson, G. Wyihes, 
G. Clyff-, G. Taber, Sidney Ford, C. Boss, J. CbeaL G, Bunyard, 
W, Warren, A. Dean, -J. A_ Lalng, Harrison Wsr, and J. Wright. 
A dish of Improved A-hmead’s Kernel Apple was sent by Mr. 
J. Watkins, Pomona Farm. HereforL Tne fmits were cf good size, and 
the tree is said to bear mere freely than its prototype. Tne quality wag 
excellent, and an award of merit was accorded. Seedling Apples were 
sent from Monmoaths'nire, mtner attracrlve in appearance, bat failiag in 
I qnality, and passed. They were raised from Alfristim, Mr. Payne, 
! garden-er to Sir Thomas Farrer, Bart., Ahinger Hall, Surrey, sent 
splendid fmits of Annie Eliza’oesh Apple grfwn on the sand, an'i a vote 
I o' thanks was accorded. 
j Dishes of very Large Florida Oranges in three varieties. “ Eusset©,” 
I “Karel,” and “Brights” as gm-wn by J. T. Hopwoci, Esq., Kef.c® 
Hah, Stamford, on his estate at Biglow, Orange County, Florida, were 
examined ’oy the Committee. Fne Bassets and Karel were considered of 
good qnality, and a vote of thanks acoordei Mr. W. Poupart. Twicken¬ 
ham, sent a sample of Seakale as gro-wn by kim for market, being a 
joortion of the produce of sixteen acres of roots forced in pits covered 
•with wxden s’natters protescted by litter, the heat being afforded by 
hot-water pipes, A cultural commendation was awarded. 
Flokai, Comkittee.—P resent: Messrs. W. Marshall (in the chair)» 
B. Wynne, C. F. Batue, H. Herbst, B. Dean, H. B. May, Walter Furzei 
W. C. Leac’n, G. Phippen, EL H. D'Omorain, T. W. Girdiestone, W. Bain, 
C. J. Salter, K, Davis, T. Baines, C. Koble, Harry Turner, .J. Fraser, 
G. Paul, B. Owen, C. T. Druery, G. Gordon, G. Ktcholson, F. Bose, and 
B. B. Lowe. 
A selection of Kew Holland plants came Dorn Meers. Hugh Low 
and Co., Enfield, comprising Ericas melant'nera and perrsoluta al'oa, 
Boronia megastigma and B. heterophylla, Acacias arma.ta and Drum- 
iD'oridi, Eriostemon linearifolium, Pullenia stricta, Epacris D'lad-em, 
Chorozema LowL C. cordata splendens, Gene^ylli* toiipifera, Genijta 
fragrans, G, Atleeaaa, and many otner attractive plants, the whole form¬ 
ing a Terr 'orlght display, and admira'&’.y illustrating the value of thia 
once popular but now too negieeted class of p’jints. A silver Flora medal 
•was awarded. A beautiful collection of Camellia bl»ms came from 
Messrs. Wm. Paul k Son, and reminded visitors of the great nsefulnese 
of t’nese magnificent flower* at the present season. Tne excellence of 
f'oe Waltham Cross flowers is well known, and t’ne varieties exhibited 
on the present occasion comprised such b^utiful varie^ie* as Doncke- 
laari, Comte»e de Hainaut, Adelina Benvenut^ Lady Hume’s Blush, 
j Alba Plena, Mat'notiana, Countess of Derb-y, Fimbriata, and Montironh 
Tcie silver-gilt Banksian medal that was a'warded was well merited. 
Cinerarias of an excellent strain were eihiWted by Messrs. J. Veitch 
and Sons Chelsea, the flowers being sho'wn wit’nout dressing, but being 
■ none the leas conspicuous for admirable form. They were smooth, 
j round, ruV.etantial flowers, -with a conrlderable diversity of well marked 
■ colours, inclading a fine rich purple, with a suffusion of magenta, bright 
blue, magenta, -white, re^e, and c'nocolate. Several new AmaryEise* 
were exhibited by the Chelsea firm, and they also showed Amygdaioi 
Davidiana ai’oa (see certificated plants). Messrs. Cotbush k Bon, Higb- 
gate, exhibited a collection of tne miniature Eichardia setuiopica Little 
Gem, which has been commented upon before. Specimens a foot high 
in bloom are very attractive, and a vote of thanks was accorded. 
A delightful display of spring flowers came Dom Mr. Phippen of 
Beading, who not only exhibits good material, bit invariably displays 
