SOi 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 1«, 1891. 
tona sinensis, L. australis, Wastingfconia filifcra, Cocos plumosa, Phoenix 
rupicola, Jlyophorbc Yerschaffolti, and other Palms occasionally met 
with are all very graceful and desirable objects in P>ombay gardens, but 
none of them surpass in grandeur of foliage or magnificence of flowering 
the Talipot Palm (Gorypha umbraculifera), which, however, unfortu¬ 
nately is very rare in Bombay gardens. Tliough not belonging to the 
natural order of Palms, Cycas, commonly called Sago Palms, must be 
mentioned here as very common in Bombay gardens, and nothing may 
perhaps be compared to the beauty of the light green feathery, grace¬ 
fully arching mown of new leaves, contrasting beautifully with the 
spreading and recurve dark green leaves of the Cycas circinalis, though 
the mueh smaller C. revoluta is not without effect. The Screw Palms 
(Pandanus) form other most picturesque objeets of our gardens, while 
the allied but very differently shapied Carludovica palmata is a frequent 
ornament. Tbe Traveller’s Palm (Ravenala madagascarensi.s) with its 
peculiar flattened crown of Plantain-like leaves is perhaps one of the 
most characteristic of tropical plants. 
(To be continued.! 
Events of the Week. —The Royal Society meet at 4.30 r.M. to-day 
(Thursday), also the Linnean Society at 8 p.m. The Quckett Club 
have a meeting on Friday, April 17th, at 8 p.m., and the Society of 
Arts on Wednesday, April 22nd, at 8 P.M. The Royal Horticultural 
Society’s Committees will meet on Tuesday, April 21st, at 12 noon, in 
the Drill Hall, James Street, when there will be an Exhibition of 
Daffodils, Orchids, fruits, and vegetables ; the National Auricula and 
Primula Society’s Show will also be held on the same day, and a lecture 
on Cape Bulbs will be delivered by Mr. J. O’Brien at 3 p.m. The Royal 
Botanic Society's second spring Show of the season will be held on 
Wednesd.ay, April 22nd. 
-The Gaedenees’ Royal Benevolent Institution.—J ust 
as we are going to press we learn that Mr. George Ingram, Secretary to 
the Working Boys’ Homes, Buckingham Street, Strand, has been 
appointed Secretary to the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution as 
successor to the late Mr. E. R. Cutler. 
- The We a thee. —Somewhat more favourable weather has to 
be recorded in the metropolitan district this week, but the winds still 
continue cold. Rain has fallen on several days; there have been occa¬ 
sional glimpses of sunshine, but the temperature has averaged rather 
low generally. 
- The Weathee in the Noeth, Apeil 13th.—T he weather 
during the past tw'o weeks has been on the whole dry, but with bitterly 
cold easterly winds throughout. Slight frosts have occurred on one or 
two mornings. Vegetation lias made very little progress. Within the 
last day or two a slight tinge of green is observable on our hedges, but 
everything is late.—B. D., S, Perthshire. 
- Biemingham GAEDENEE.S’ ASSOCIATION.— At the closing 
meeting of the winter session, Mr. H. E. Milner, the w^ell-know'n land¬ 
scape gardener, read a paper on “ The Influence of Art in Practical 
Landscape Gardening,” and gave much valuable advice as to the 
formation of pleasure grounds, terraces, planting, and the formation of 
ornamental pools of water, or the development of existing sheets of 
w^ater. The great experience Mr. Milner has had in this kind of work 
enabled him to treat the subject in a masterly manner, and to the entire 
satisfaction of his audience. A cordial vote of thanks was given, the 
proposer sptaking of the high position Mr. Milner’s father held as a 
landscape gardener, and as an old pupil and friend of the late Sir 
Joseph Paxton. 
- The show fixtures of the Noefolk and Noew'ich Hoeticul- 
tueal Society for 1891 are as follows :—Spring Flower Show, St. 
Andrew’s Hall, Norwich, April 23rd ; Rose Show, Catton Park, Norwich, 
July 2nd ; Chrysanthemum Showq St. Andrew’s and Blackfriars’ Halls, 
Norwich, November 19th and 20th. 
- Andeomeda floeibunda. —This North American shrub is 
now in full flower, and no plant better exemplifies the difference existing 
bctw'een those planted in suitable soil and those which arc not. Where 
sandy peat mixed wdth leaf soil is employed it grow^s freely and flowers 
profusely; the leaves also are of a deep green colour, which fact alone 
betokens health. In a heavy retentive soil, and especially that in which 
chalk is mixed, it does not make any headway, but will remain about 
the same size for many years ; but if replanted in better soil a difference 
will soon be discernible. The pure white flowers are somewhat marred 
in appearance by their drooping habit, and the p.ale green calyx which 
partly obscures the flowers when looked at from above. But in spite 
of this, for the rcckcry or small beds this is a capital early flowering 
shrub.—E. M. 
- Gaedening Appointment. —Mr. Albert Baxter, foreman at 
The Gardens, Canford Manor, Wimborne, has been appointed gardener 
to Lord Rodney, Berrington Hall, Leominster, Herefordshire. 
- We arc requested to state that Messes. Waltee Caeson and 
Sons, of anti-corrosion paint renown, have found it necessary, in conse¬ 
quence of the great extension of their business, to remove from La Belle 
Sauvage Yard to the Grove Works, Battersea. 
- Ranunculus anemonoides.—F or flowering on the rockery 
in the spring months this is a usefirl plant. Its parsley-like foliage 
forms a good contra.st to its hlu.sh-white coloured flowers, about the size 
of a shilling, which are freely borne singly on stout footstalks, and 
which last fresh a long time. Where the soil is shallow this Ranunculus 
will flourish, hence its value where early flowering hardy plants are 
appreciated. 
•- Chionodoxa Lucili^.—T his early flowering bulb is more 
attractive than ever this year, as the clumps appear to have throw'n up 
more flower spikes. We have it growing in several places on the 
rockery, where it has a good root run, which it seems to enjoy. Many 
seedling plants from the originals here are now flowering well. I 
consider it far more showy than Scilla sibirica. The Chionodoxa flowers 
stand more erect, so that they can be seen easily. The outer part of the 
petals is a deep blue, which fades to pure white in the centre. The 
slender looking spikes vary in the number of the flowers they carry, 
ranging from six to eighteen. Seedlings should not be disturbed for 
three years. —S. 
- The Weathee in Maech.—T his was a cold month all 
through, with snow on the 9th at night, which was 4 inches deep at 
9 A.M. on the lOth, and lasted in some places until the IGth ; we had 
sleet occasionally all through the month. The total rainfall was l'2l inch, 
which fell on twenty days, the greatest daily fall being 0 22. Snow on 
the 9th. Barometer highest, 30'32 at 9 P.M. on the 3rd ; lowest, 29 24 at 
at 9 P.M. on the 15th. The wind was in a westerly direction seventeen 
daj'S. Highest shade temperature was 63° on the 1st; lowest, 21° on 
the 12th ; lowest on grass, 16° on the 12th ; mean temperature of the 
month 40 05°, The garden spring ran 12 gallons per minute on the 31st. 
Grass fields commenced to become green again during the last week of 
the month. —W. H. Divees, Ketton Hall Gardens, Stamford. 
- Aspaeagus plumosus. — Propagation by division of the 
crowns of this Asparagus is a slow method, and divided plants often 
have strong crowns and quickly run up tall, which renders them unfit 
for decoration in small pots. Small handsome plants can only be 
obtained by this method when a plant makes quantities of small crowns 
instead of large ones. Useful plants can, however, be obtained in a very 
short time by cutting up one of the stems when matured. Portions 
1 inch long with a joint and a “leaf” form a capital cutting. The 
smaller the plants needed at first the smaller should be the stems 
selected for cutting. Insert each piece singly in thumb pots in sandy 
soil, burying the stem half an inch deep. If these arc placed in brisk 
heat under handlights, shaded and kept moist, they will be rooted and 
pushing up crowns in a month. Large qirantities from one plant c.an 
be raised by this method in a short time, and wall be found invaluable 
either in the conservatory, in rooms, for the table or any purpose for 
which decorative plants arc required. In a cut state there is no 
comparison between the fronds of Ferns and these for lasting.—0. M. 
- I HAVE read Mr. Laing’s account of his visit to U.S.A. with 
interest, especially that relating to Mr. Henderson’s system op heating 
BY STEAM. Would any correspondent kindly inform me where I can 
obtain particulars of this mode of heating, also a little explanation as 
to the following (I could give it a fair trial, as I am about to heat 
10,000 feet of glass):—1, What is the pressure on pipes and boilers? 
2, Whether good ordinary hot water (vertical, with plenty room for 
steam chamber) would do ? 3, On what principle does it work ? Does 
the steam have vent and escape, or condense and flow back again into 
