April 7, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
255 
are taken to the greenhouse, and afEord a great profusion of flowers 
from Christmas until March. We have had several sprays with 
fourteen blooms, and a number with twelve and thirteen, these 
producing three and four branchlets, having eight, five, and four 
blooms respectively. They do not require any staking until the 
flowers commence expanding, when the largest sprays become 
heavy, and are liable to bend down. From the time the flower 
spikes show until the seed is nearly ripe we give Clay’s fertiliser at 
intervals of two or three weeks with abundance of water. 
As soon as the flowering ceases the pots are placed on a shelf 
in a late vinery, and the plants receive every attention until the 
seed is ripe and the grass becomes yellow, when water is gradually 
withheld. The soil is allowed to get thoroughly dry or baked with 
the sun, and the bulbs remain in this resting state until about a 
week before they are repotted. We have a number of bulbs as 
large as Filbert nuts. By adopting the routine described we have 
no difficulty in growing Freesias successfully. 
The failure we had with them was five years ago. From 
250 bulbs we did not have one spray of bloom. The sole cause 
of this failure was the bulbs not having been thoroughly matured 
the season before. Owing to want of space on the shelf the 
plants were put under a stage in a greenhouse as soon as they were 
out of bloom, where the foliage quickly became yellow and died off. 
In due course the bulbs were shaken out of the soil and appeared 
ripe and sound, but nineteen out of twenty never grew and 
produced foliage, but formed small white bulbs at the top of the 
old ones without making a single root. After waiting several 
months they were thrown away, and a new stock bought the 
following season. Since then we have never had a failure. 
—C. Brooks, Red Rice. 
HARDY FLOWER NOTES 
Snowdrops. 
So beautiful and so valuable is the Snowdrop, that even at this 
late period a few further remarks, inspired by a desire to do 
justice to Galanthus Fosteri, and to notice some more of Mr. 
Wm. Thomson’s seedlings, may still be welcome. A short time ago 
I spoke of G. Fosteri as a variable species, as perhaps hardly 
deserving the encomiums lavished upon it, and generally as a 
somewhat disappointing Snowdrop. Since that time I have flowered 
a superior form, and have to say frankly that I have to modify to 
a great extent my former opinion. This form is much purer in 
colour and with brighter markings and finer leaves, but, like the 
others I have grown, hardly in keeping in point of size with the 
name of the King of Snowdrops. It is, however, a gem of its 
kind, and I shall endeavour to increase my stock of this superior 
variety. The receipt of another box of blooms from Mr. Thomson, 
together with particulars of their foliage, leads me also to think 
that they, too, are worthy of some space. With the others came 
a specimen of the typical G. plicatus, one of the parents of the 
crosses, which I was glad to have for comparison, as my flowers of 
that species were over. Perhaps the finest of the flowers was one 
marked No. 2, a pure white flower of large size, with long outer 
petals, and with the green marking of the inner petals almost 
identical with those of G. plicatus. This flower is particularly 
beautiful when in bud, reminding one of the long ear-drops worn 
by ladies. This variety has, it appears, foliage as large as that of 
G. plicatus, but a little darker. Two flowers marked No. 3 have 
the green markings on the tube similar in form to those of 
G. nivalis, but larger and deeper in colour, and one of these has a 
green stripe about one-sixteenth of an inch broad down the centre 
of the inside of one of the outer petals, on the outside of the same 
petal being also a narrow green stripe al)out one-eighth of an inch 
in length. The other flower had a short narrow green stripe on 
two of the petals. The foliage of this is a little darker and slightly 
larger than the other, and appears from its general appearance to 
be a distinct cross. It is possible that some interesting results 
might be obtained by seedlings from these forms. Several other 
flowers from plants with long, broad, and dark leaves five-eighths 
of an inch broad were also enclosed. These varied very much in 
form, size, and shape of markings, one very beautiful ear-drop¬ 
shaped one, and one with wide expanded mouth, being very 
noticeable among the others. I trust some other readers of the 
Journal will take up the work of raising Snowdrops, and thus add 
a new interest to this flower so dear to all. 
Crocuses. 
From the Snowdrop to the Crocus causes almost no break in 
our train of thought, so inseparably are they connected in our 
minds with the opening season, and no pen can do justice to the 
vividness and beauty of the masses of colour now decorating the 
garden. To see the Crocus at its best it must be grown in masses 
or broad lines of one colour, and not in the single lines or 
bunches of four or five we so often see ; and to make the picture 
still more perfect it is better to plant the named varieties, as these 
will flower together, where mixed—whites or purples or stripes, so 
often sold in this way at a lower price—produce a comparatively 
disappointing effect. Early in the season a few in the clump will 
be in advance of the others, and stand out in conspicuous loneliness, 
and later these early flowers will be past, and their absence will 
leave a gap in the mass, depriving it of some of its beauty. Then, 
too, mix as you will, the darker striped varieties have a habit of 
congregating together, and the same with the lighter ones, and thus 
at times a curious piebald-looking appearance is produced. By all 
means pay a few pence per 100 more and have named varieties. 
Chionodoxas. 
I do not know that I have ever seen Chionodoxa Lucilise—the 
Glory of the Snow—so fine with me as this season. The wet autumn 
seems to have suited it to perfection, and its charming Nemophila- 
like blue and white flowers are very delightful. When longer 
established the newer C. gigantea will be a grand addition to our 
garden flowers. Even comparatively recently planted bulbs have 
produced very fine flowers, with large open petals of a most 
beautiful colour. It must be remembered that the Glory of the 
Snow requires to be established for a few years before it displays 
its beauties in the full perfection of their charms. This, however, 
need not deter anyone from purchasing, as the first season they 
will give satisfaction, especially if home-grown bulbs are planted. 
Another thing greatly in its favour is the readiness with which it 
grows from seed. This should be sown as soon as ripe. When this 
is the practice followed the seedlings will appear the next spring, 
but if kept until the spring before sowing the young plants will 
not appear until the following year. I have at present a largo 
number of seedlings of C. sardensis, and a considerable number of 
young seedling plants of C. gigantea and C. Luciliae, and am very 
desirous of seeing their flowers to see if they give much evidence 
of sporting from the original colour or form. I believe Mr. Allen 
of Shepton Mallet has seedlings between C. Lucilise and one of the 
Scillas ; and although my plants of C. Luciliae, from which I saved 
the seed, were not fertilised artificially, they were grown close to 
Scilla sibirica, and I am in hope that the bees may have done 
something in the way of carrying the pollen. I have been 
somewhat disappointed with C. cretensis, which seems a small- 
flowered species, but another year or two may cause it to improve. 
C. Tmolusi I have not grown, so can express no opinion on the 
disputed question of its identity with C. sardensis.—S. Arnott. 
NEW VIOLAS. 
I HAD a very pleasant 1st of April surprise in a box of Viola 
blooms sent to me by Messrs. Bobbie & Co. of Rothesay, who have 
introduced several fine new varieties raised by Mr. Baxter and 
others. The plants from which the blooms had been gathered 
were in frames, and many of the flowers were much paler in colour 
than they would have been if grown out of doors, but it was 
sufficient proof that in pots under glass they are very lovely objects 
for early greenhouse decoration. No one who has not seen some 
of the more recent introductions can form any idea of the 
exquisite colours, combined with form and substance, which exist 
in many of them, especially in Neptune, a grand flower, rich 
shaded violet purple, with shaded white and lilac clouded top 
petals, and bright yellow eye. Dorothy Tennant, shaded lilac, 
veined with purple, and darker centre—a handsome flower of fine 
form and substance. H. M. Stanley, lilac rose, clouded and 
blotched with rich violet purple—a truly lovely variety of fine 
form and substance, and rich in colour. 
In yellows Bullion, dark rich gold; and Wonder, a lighter 
shade of yellow, are both first class, and should be in every 
colleriion. In whites, blooms of Countess of Wharncliffe, snow 
white in colour, and free from any ray or blotch, were sent. 
This is a great desideratum in seifs. The Countess of 
Wharncliffe is of the same habit and form as Countess of 
Hopetoun, but much purer in colour. Blooms of Lady Dun- 
donald, clear white, with blue rayed centre, and neat form ; and of 
Snowflake, which is not so pure in the white as either of the 
preceding or so good, although a showy bedding variety, were 
also sent. Two very pretty pale lilac tinted white varieties were 
included—viz., Quaker Maid, delicate pale lilac, flushed with white, 
with small yellow centre ; and Gipsy Queen, a little lighter in 
colour than the Quaker Maid, and striped and flushed with blue 
lilac—a charming variety. 
A bloom of Bridesmaid (one of my recently raised new 
varieties) went to prove still further what a beautiful variety this 
