April 7, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
265 
the leaves are turning yellow through the maggot. If the Onions are 
syringed about once a week the fly will not be able to do much damage 
to the crop. 
A little gas lime sprinkled between the rows, about half a pound per 
square yard, not to be allowed near the plants, acts as a deterrent to the 
fly. Soot is also a preventive, as well as a good stimulant. Apply early as 
with the oil, and repeat as often as possible. Nitrate of soda is valuable 
for Onions, applying two or three ounces to the square yard, at three 
different times, in showery weather. It is a good plan to keep the soil 
firm near the plants. After the middle of July the fly will not give 
much more trouble. 
Your correspondent mentioned tying the Onions in bunches of seven 
or eight for winter use. If he had a large quantity to store in that way 
I think he would require a large amount of wall space. Why not rope 
the Onions ? A stone or two take up little space. Cranston’s Excelsior 
and Ailsa Craig are good varieties for exhibition.—F. C. 
FORCING DWARF BEANS. 
How seldom do we see this delicious vegetable forced in a satis¬ 
factory manner. The plants are generally grown in pots, and are much 
too crowded to give good results. I will describe the treatment I have 
found best suited for the purpose of bringing the pods to perfection for 
use. The Beans are sown in 4-inch pots and plunged in cocoa fibre 
refuse in a warm house ; temperature 65° to 70°. During this time the 
plants are becoming established, which is from twelve to fourteen days. 
A hotbed is prepared of leaves and manure. This is covered with old 
potting soil in which the Beans are to be planted. This is done in a 
slanting manner, so that the roots are not buried too deeply, yet the 
stems are covered with soil. The plants are grown as near the glass as 
possible to keep them sturdy, and are supplied with warm water as 
needed. As the growth advances small stakes are employed to keep the 
plants upright. A little air is admitted on bright days, and the syringe 
is freely used both night and morning. We are now gathering Beans 
daily, of which I send sample. We planted on February 22nd and 
gathered March 24th. 
I strongly recommend those who have not adopted this method to 
give it a trial, and with proper attention good results will follow. I 
chiefly grow Ne Plus Ultra for forcing.—W. Hunt, Shrover Hall. 
[The pods received were good in size, colour, and quality ; the leaves 
robust, and of a deep green hue, free from any trace of red spider.] 
LAPEYROUSIA. 
In this genus we seem to lose the prevailing characters of the Irid 
family, at least as regards their general aspect. In the place of a 
perianth with the inner and outer series of divisions differing consider¬ 
ably in appearance, the petals and sepals are similar in form, colour, 
and direction. This imparts a most distinctive effect to the flowers ; 
and a casual observer would scarcely suspect them to be allies of the 
Irises. Though the flowers are smaller than those of many others in the 
order, they are brightly coloured in some forms, and are produced in 
suflBcient numbers to render them equally as attractive and pleasing 
as many of more pretentions. Seventeen or eighteen species are known, 
but few are in cultivation, and to these the preceding remarks chiefly 
apply, as, judging by figures that have been published, some are far 
from ornamental either in form or colouring. They are all natives of 
the Cape, with small bulbs, and bearing racemes or corymbs of flowers 
in spring—May and onwards. They are best grown in the cool house, 
though L, corymbosa is occasionally grown outside in warm sheltered 
positions. 
Probably the latter is the most widely known species, and either 
under the names of Ixia or Ovieda it may be found in many collections 
both in England and on the continent. This is partly due to its own 
attractions, and partly to the fact that it has been longest in cultivation. 
It is one among the numerous plants discovered by Thunberg at the 
Cape of Good Hope, where it was chiefly found in sandy positions in 
Swartland, and subsequently introduced a few years before the close of 
the eighteenth century. The specific name was applied in reference to 
the inflorescence, which is corymbose in form—a good distinguishing 
mark, as in most of the others it is spicate or racemose. The flowers 
are composed of six ovate segments, bright blue in colour, with a 
white and dark blue-angled band encircling the central portion of the 
flower, and near the base of the segments. The angles are acute, and 
extend about half the length of the petals, thus giving a peculiar star- 
like appearance to the flowers. These are clustered on lax slender 
stems, the leaves being very narrow and tapering. The woodcut 
^fig. 44) conveys a fair idea of a corymb of the flowers. This form 
varies considerably in the depth of the colouring, and it is said there 
is a variety with fine white flowers. 
As an example of a distinct section of the genus, and one which is 
.scarcely represented in gardens, L. fissifolia deserves a few words of 
description. It rarely exceeds 7 or 8 inches in height, with tapering 
stem-clasping leaves, which towards the upper part of the stem become 
small, much like foliaceous bracts. The flowers are produced from the 
axils of the leaves, chiefly near the apex of the stem ; they have very 
narrow tubes, 2 inches or more in length, expanding into six small 
ovate lobes, varying in colour from very pale pink to bright rose. They 
are also pleasantly fragrant—a quality the first-named species does not 
possess—and they are remarkable for their brittleness. It is a delicate 
FIG. 44.— LAPEYROUSIA CORYMBOSA. 
little plant, far from imposing, yet pretty, and well deserves a place in 
a collection of Cape bulbs. It is still in cultivation in a few gardens, 
but it is rarely seen, which is to be regretted, as many less interesting 
plants have been preserved and hold a place in gardens. Bulbs were 
introduced by Messrs. Lee & Kennedy in 1809, and an excellent 
coloured figure was published in the “ Botanical Magazine” of the same 
year.___ 
K WOKK^foiitheWEEK.. ^ 
m 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. — Earliest House .—The very early 
varieties, Alexander and Waterloo, are often confounded with each 
other, but are distinct. Alexander was raised in Illinois, U.S.A., and 
is widely grown in America as the best early variety. “ Fruit medium 
to large, greenish white, nearly covered with deep red ; flesh firm, juicy 
and sweet, bears transportation well; pit (stone) partly free.” Waterloo 
was raised in New York State, U.S.A., “ Fruit medium to large, round; 
pale green, marbled with red ; flesh adhering to pit (stone), greenish 
white, juicy, vinous.” Early Beatrice is evidently of this race, and 
