868 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 7, 1891. 
equally well. Stand the plants in a warm house until new roots are 
formed, or the same position in the hotbed frame will answer, as but 
little heat will be available by that time. Afterwards gradually inure 
the plants to a cold frame, where they may be plunged in ashes for the 
remainder of the summer, drawing off the lights entirely during iiae 
weather. In these pots they may remain until the new year, when a 
shift into 4 and 5-inch pots will be advisable, using a similar compost to 
that previously employed. Prune the stems to within about four eyes 
of the base, when useful little plants, each carrying the same number 
of shoots and flowers, if they are disbudded to one on each shoot, will 
be had the following May in an ordinary greenhouse. These are ex¬ 
tremely useful for either conservatory or vase decoration. If a few 
cuttings are struck in this manner every year a constant supply may be 
kept up. As all varieties do not succeed equally well upon their own 
roots, I append the names of a few that can be relied upon, in addition 
to those previouslj’' named—La France, Baroness Rothschild, Magna 
Charta, Edouard Morren, John Hopper, Comtesse de Serenye, Marquise 
de Castellane, Her Majesty, Captain Christy, Emilie Hausberg, Madame 
Lacharme, and Merveille de Lyon.—E. Molyneux. 
THE EAELY BED EHUBARB. 
I CANNOT accept the opinion of your contributo? (page 355) who 
believes “ the Yaxley Vicar’s Rhubarb to be the Old Early Red.” He 
does not say that he has seen any of the Yaxley Rhubarb, and perhaps 
the fact is that he never has. The Vicar’s “ good faith ” indeed ! Never 
prophesy unless you are quite sure. On my part I write to say that I 
have seen and tasted the Old Early Red, and am certain that it is not the 
same as mine, for my own is greatly its superior. 
A few weeks since I bought in London, on 7th April, some of the 
Rhubarb which was sold as “natural Rhubarb,” “ grown,” it was said, 
“ by the acre at Isleworth,” done up by two osier withs into a bundle 
containing eight thick sticks, 5 to 7 inches long ; sixteen medium sticks, 
5 to 6 inches, and fifteen thin and poor, 7 to 4 inches long; in all 
thirty-nine stems. None of the stalks were as thick as my thickest, 
and unlike mine, at that particular time, they were, in a curious way, 
uniformly red from the bottom of the leaf to the root end of the stem, 
and of a much deeper red than mine. My Rhubarb is really of a 
beautiful pink, and peculiarly crisp, in both respects unlike the Old 
Early Red. A mere glance could see that the London Rhubarb was of 
an entirely different sort of growth to mine. I had some of it cooked 
by stewing, and some was baked. After both modes of cooking the 
flavour was so much inferior to that which I am cultivating that I have 
no hesitation whatever in saying that my Rhubarb is quite distinct. 
The London product was considered in my household to have a nauseous 
flavour, whether stewed or baked. 
This year in Notts some of the Yaxley Rhubarb was sent to table 
on March 23rd. From a Suffolk garden some of it was sent to table 
on March 12th. From my own garden it was sent to table on Thursday, 
March 5th. Has anyone this year grown Rhubarb in Gre.t Britain of 
any other sort or kind, giant, medium, or dwarf, and sent it to table 
unforced and palatable as early? Kindly give us the replies in print 
if any reply comes in.—W. H. Sewell, Yaxley Vicarage, Stiffollt. 
[Most assuredly the writer of the remarks on page 355 had seen, 
handled, and tasted the Yaxley Vicar’s Rhubarb, or he would not have 
been in a position to arrive at a definite opinion on the subject. But 
it seems the Vicar has not yet had an opportunity to compare the true 
Early Red with his own. The small deep red Rhubarb referred to as 
having been bought in London and grown at Isleworth is not the Early 
Red in question, but a totally distinct and inferior variety, of which 
large quantities are grown in the Thames valley. The Vicar’s 
description of his own Rhubarb equally applies to the Early Red in its 
first stages, but the stalks become green towards the top with age ; so do 
those of the Vicar’s, for his Rhubarb is the Early Red, though he does not 
appear to know it. He thinks the small Early Crimson is the Early Red, 
and that being so, it is only natural that he “cannot accept the opinion ” 
expressed on the page quoted. The writer of that opinion did not 
‘ prophesy.” He had carefully compared a genuine sample of the 
Yaxley Rhubarb with a genuine sample of the Early Red, both cooked 
and uncooked, and could detect no difference between them. The Vicar 
appears to be the prophet in this case, for by his own evidence he 
does not know the Early Red, yet asserts his own is “quite distinct” 
from it. It is distinct from the small Rhubarb known in the market as 
Early Crimson, which is quite another thing. This is either the Tobolsk or 
a form of it, and is “ uniformly red from the bottom of the leaf to the 
root end of the stem.” 
Had the Vicar, as was suggested to him in 1889 (page 10, vol. xvii.), sent 
roots of his variety to Chiswick to be grown in the collection there the 
point would have been settled conclusively ; but he did not do so. Had 
his Rhubarb proved distinct in character, and decidedly earlier than the 
Early Red, as grown side by side, it would have been officially acknow¬ 
ledged, and made known as a matter of public interest. No one is 
justified in selling an old variety of Rhubarb, or anything else, under a 
new name, however firmly convinced the vendor may be of the distinct¬ 
ness and superiority of his pet product, and it is not to be supposed that 
the Vicar of Yaxley would knowingly do anything of the kind. His 
Rhubarb is all the same an old variety extensively grown under one or 
other of the names published last week. 
Obviously, the time at which Rhubarb may be gathered in different 
districts proves nothing in determining the earliness of any particular 
variety, and the only evidence that is worth anything is that elerivei 
from an examination of varieties grown side by side under similar soil 
and climstic conditions. 
Mr. Pownall has told us (March 26th, page 246) that he had the true- 
Early Red from Chiswick and the Yaxley Rhubarb from Yaxley, and 
described them as “ very similar in character,” though the latter was 
slightly the earlier yet not quite so early as Hawkes’ Champagne. The 
trifling lead of one variety over another may be merely accidental, 
and one crown of any of them will push stalks 2 or 3 inches longer on 
a given date than will others from the same stool. The true characters' 
of varieties cannot be determined at that stage because they are not 
developed, but they can a few weeks afterwards, and the writer of the- 
note of last week will be somewhat surprised if at the present time, 
now that the growth is considerably advanced, Mr. Pownall can point 
out differences sufficiently w’ell marked that would justify him in re- 
commendiug that the two alleged varieties may be properly sold as 
distinct. 
Since the Vicar has suggested it as a “ fact ” that the author of the 
note had “ never seen ” his Rhubarb, it now rests with ilr. Sewell to with¬ 
draw the curious imputation if he think good to do so, and he is assured 
that the most conclusive proof can be adduced that his Rhubarb was very 
closely examined and carefully compared without the least prejudice 
with other early varieties, and no other conclusion could be arrived at 
than that the Yaxley Rhubarb is none other than the Early Red as grown 
at Chiswick and in several London market gardens. 
The Vicar can now, if he likes, appeal to Mr. Pownall for his opinion 
as founded on experience of the two varieties (?) growing side by side with) 
their essential characters now fairly developed, and if he does this.- 
Mr. Pownall will greatly oblige by sending a copy of his reply for 
publication in the Journal of Horticulture, in which he will agree that, 
under the circumstances, it ought to appear.— The Whiter of the 
NOTE ON PAGE 355.] 
GOLDEN LILIES. 
“ To gild refined gold, to paint the Lily.” 
Well, if this be “ wastefirl and ridiculous excess,” how much more 
so to praise the Lily of Gold, the marvellous flower from the great 
country of the East, from the home of that other “ golden flower,” the 
Chrysanthemum—Japan. The glory of the Golden Lilies is not of our- 
making. They came to •us with a brilliancy that dazzled ; they showed 
us stately growth, and great hanging blossoms of cream and purple and 
gold, redolent with a rich fragrance. They followed a long line of 
relatives from other lands and eclipsed them all. The Golden Lily was 
recognised as the queen of her tribe. All this was only thirty years 
ago, but the richest promise of those days has been abundantly fulfilled, 
and now the Golden-rayed Lily of Japan, the beautiful and majestic 
auratum, is one of the most prized of all bulbous flowers. 
Were it not that this grand Lily is amenable to cultiva+ion in almost 
any garden it would be astonishing to note the enormous quantities that 
are every year imported. There would be no room for them if the many 
thousands of amateur gardens were not open. At one time the profes¬ 
sional gardeners were alone considered by the trade, but they do not 
have it all their own way now. Dealers know that there is a vast and 
spreading field open in another direction, in which the demand 
for certain popular flowers is almost inexhaustible. Lilium auratum is- 
one of these.. Many gardeners prefer home-grown bulbs, which can be- 
bought in the autumn, hut the great bulk of the importations which 
arrive aboirt midwinter are absorbed by the amateur element. May it 
increase and multiply. 
It would be reviving an old controversy to discuss the respective 
merits of home grown and imported bulbs, and as a matter of fact there- 
is no direct comparison between them. It is a question of time and 
price as much as anything. If you must pot early, say in Oc'ober or 
early in November, it is a case of Hobson’s choice, for only home bulb& 
are then procurable, and the recollection of this fact may save a certain 
amount of hesitation. It may also be well to bear in mind that really 
good home-grown bulbs cost Is. fid. to 3s. each. Those who do not mind 
waiting until December, when the imported bulbs begin to arrive, will 
be able to procure fine bulbs at fid., 9d., and Is. each, and these give 
very good returns if properly treated. I believe that at no very distant 
date the trade in home-grown Liliums will practically die out. The 
enterprise of British dealers in opening up direct communication with 
the bulb beds of distant Japan has brought into the market Liliuna 
auratum bulbs at one-third the price of those which are grown here. 
They are later, as before stated, but they come early enough to meet the 
wants of amateurs, and it is this class which becomes responsible for the 
great bulk of the importations. One of the largest bulb dealers in the 
country told me last autumn that the home-grown bulbs were not of 
much use to him, the trade was now too small to be remunerative. 
Imported bulbs paid him much better. These arrive encased in clay, 
and it would be hard to imagine more uninviting-looking objects before 
the hard dry casing is removed. Naturally the bulbs have not the fresh, 
clean appearance of the home-grown, as they are soiled by the clay, and 
often somewhat dried from their long voyage, but they quickly freshen 
up under proper treatment. Trade dealers usually place them in damp 
cocoa-nut fibre refu ie immediately they are unpacked, and send them 
out in much improved condition, but those who buy at the auctions 
have to take their chance. Just before Christmas I purchased a small 
box of imported auratums from a big dealer. He counted them out of 
a large case without selection, and as he was making a reduction in 
