February 20, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE G^iRDENER. 
171 
developed themselves rapidly, and became during the summer good 
bushes 2 feet high, full of leaves, but no flowers. We let them at 
rest till now, and without any protection. After this long and 
severe winter we could judge of the hardiness of this vegetable, 
and were surprised to see that, after having been frozen hard like 
stones during several weeks, the tubers had not suffered in the 
least, and are healthy and fresh like early Potatoes in June. We 
tried one of the tubers raw, and found it palatable, having a soft 
flesh and an agreeable flavour, something like a Hazel nut. 
In preparing a dish of them for the table we admired their 
extreme tenderness, and the total absence of peel or fibrous matter ; 
they melt in the mouth like Cauliflowers or Broccoli. As to flavour, 
w© should range it between that of Cauliflowers and Salsafy or 
Scorzonera, and at this season when scarcely any fresh vegetables 
are left, it gave us a great deal of pleasure. 
The following is the way in which they were prepared :—We 
let them boil in water, set them to drain, and then stew them in a 
pan with butter, pepper, salt, a yolk of an egg, and some lemon 
juice. Coupled with cutlets, or with cold meat, they make an ex- 
•cellent dish. My cook, who could not be induced to articulate the 
difficult names of Stachys tuberifera or Crosnes du Japon, at once 
termed them Catstails.— Charles Van Geert, Antwerp. 
SPEING PLANTING. 
When I read Mr. J. Wright’s leading article in the Journal of the 
12th inst. on the above subject I felt somewhat consoled, as I have 
recently been replanting some rather large Pear trees which I intended to 
remove in the autumn. At the commencement of the planting season I 
had a number of fruit trees and Roses from nurserymen, and by the 
time their planting was completed severe frost set in. When the ground 
became workable again 1 set about the Pear trees and carried out my 
previous intention. I do not know what the age of the trees may 
be, but some of them appear at the least twenty years old, and 
I am inclined to think their roots have never been seen since they 
were planted until now, for they had gone right away from the 
trees for several feet without showing any sign of having been pruned. 
'The heads of the trees are vigorous, but have not borne any fruit for 
some years. I carefully lifted the roots and notched the largest of 
them with a sharp knife, hoping they may callus and make some small 
roots therefrom. The trees were then replanted in a mixture of stiff 
loam and decayed manure. I am not an advocate for spring planting, 
■especially such large trees as these, but have hopes that the trees will 
succeed. My views are entirely in unison with Mr. Wright’s respecting 
shortening the branches, and the heads of these Pear trees have been 
reduced correspondingly with the roots. I am an advocate of early 
autumn planting, and will give a reason for my preference. Some Rose 
trees which I planted at the end of October had to be taken up again a 
week or more ago in consequence of a little alteration. When I took 
them up I found many of them had already made numerous white roots 
•half an inch long. There are some fruit trees which I believe will 
respond as well to spring planting as autumn planting. Peach trees to 
wit. I have a dozen of these to replant, and the work cannot be done 
■until the first or second week in March, inconsequence of a horticultural 
builder not finishing the erection of a Peach house for which he has had 
The order for three months, but I shall not feel at all uneasy if I can have 
The trees planted by the time mentioned.—R. M. 
ERYTHRONIUM GRANDIFLORIUM. 
The common “ Dog’s-tooth Violet,” Erythronium Dens-canis, is a 
favourite with all lovers of hardy plants, and the “large-flowered’ 
-species has nearly an equal popularity, but deserves to be still more 
widely known. At Mr. T. S. Ware’s nursery, Tottenham, we have 
-frequently noticed this Erythronium in early spring, and the beautiful 
•effect, especially in contrast with several other beds of the older species 
in variety, was sufficient to recommend the plant most strongly. It is 
well known that most members of this genus produce their flowers 
singly, but in E. grandiflorum we have a spike or raceme bearing three 
ifour, or more creamy white flowers of good size. There has been some 
confusion between this and E. giganteum, but they are quite distinct 
and easily recognised. On April 2Gth, 1881, Mr. G. F. Wilson exhibited 
flowers of both species at South Kensington, and was awarded a certifi¬ 
cate for E. giganteum. In a note appended to them he observed that 
'they were quite distinct, the latter-named “ having only one flower to 
The stem, the flower being also of different shape, colour, and marking.’^ 
'It is, indeed, much larger, pure white, with a ring of red in the centre^ 
A coloured figure of the plant, described by Pursh as E. grandiflorum 
was given in the Botanical Register ” in 1836, but the flowers are 
■smaller, bright yellow with red anthers—very different from Mr. Ware’s 
,plant. Under the same plate reference is made to another also, found 
by Mr. Douglas, and described as having “an irregularly branched 
>scape.” This is named E. giganteum, whereas the one now grown 
under that name has only “one flower on a stem,” as Mr. Wilson has 
stated. 
E. grandiflorum is a thoroughly useful plairt, free, and easily grown 
in any moist shady border if the soil is not too heavy. A variety named 
albiflorum, rather dwarfer and later in flowering, also grow-n in Mr. 
FIG. 32. —ERYTHRONIUM GRANDIFLORUM. 
Ware’s collection, is a pretty companion for the above. The woodcut 
(fig. 32) shows a spike and leaf of nearly their natural size, and conveys 
the information required by “ A Journal Reader.” 
THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
Interpretation of By-laws. 
May I trouble you to insert the following statement in your next 
issu. 0 * 
In October last Mr. Morris, a member of Council and Treasurer of 
the Society, announced to us his incapacity to continue in office owing 
to his projected absence from England until March, 1891. The Council 
at once had recourse to the by-laws of the Society regulating the 
election of Council, and have conformed strictly thereto. 
By-law 68 reads thus “ If any member of the Council dies or 
becomes incapacitated from any cause whatever in the interval 
