26 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 13, 1893. 
decidedly better ia flavour than is supposed to be the case when 
thoroughly ripened. Some plants of Noble are grown, but this variety 
does not meet with much favour. Instead of its being earlier in ripening 
it was this year behind the old favourite. A variety rather highly 
spoken of for its earliness is Eleanor.* Locally it is named Melton and 
Garnier’s. It crops heavily and comes in quickly, but travels badly and 
soon decays after being gathered. Lucas is a favourite with some for its 
large size, but is looked upon as being “ soft.” Perhaps the earliest sort 
of all is Princess Frederick William, but owing to its extremely small 
fruit but few plants are grown, Alice Maud is much liked by some 
growers for the earliest pickings. 
Strawberries in pots are found to pay by some with one or two small 
houses. Those that get the fruit ripe by the Ist of April realise Ss, 
per lb. Noble is highly spoken of for this purpose, owing to its free 
setting qualities. Sir Joseph Paxton, however, is preferred for its 
flavour. The plants are afterwards sold for putting out in the 
quarters ; they give a full crop of fruit the following year, the price 
obtained _ being about 4s. per 100 plants.—E. Molyneux, Swanmore 
JParlt, Bishops Waltham, 
[* Eleanor is a large late Arm Strawberry.—E d ] 
BORDER CARNATIONS AT CHELSEA. 
Most lovers of border Carnations in the neighbourhood of London 
like to inspect the collection in the nursery of Messrs. Veitch & Sons at 
Chelsea, for a representative display of new and select varieties is always 
to be found there. It would be too much to expect that in such a 
parching season as the present the plants would be as vigorous and 
luxuriant as in former years. They have suffered, like everything else, 
from the drought, notwithstanding that the beds were carefully re-made, 
strong plants put out, and mulching resorted to. Moreover, the flowers 
have lost colour very rapidly in the fierce sun glare. “ Here to-day and 
f one to-morrow ” has been the rule. Considering the disadvantages 
ander w'hich the plants have had to fight the bloom is surprisingly good, 
few varieties being completely out of character, though not a few are 
undersized. 
One of the most beautiful and promising of the novelties is Border 
Maid, a dwarf grower and very free bloomer. The centre of the flower 
is deep rose, the margins of the petals much paler. Few varieties have 
a more pleasing appearance, and, what is little less desirable, the flowers 
are very sweet. That it will become very popular as a general border 
and cut flower variety there can be no doubt, and it is quite within the 
bounds of probability that it will also become a favourite as a winter 
sort. Some plants in pots are noteworthy for neat habit and freedom of 
blooming. Near it at Chelsea are a quartette of good older varieties— 
Magnum Bonum, scarlet; W. P. Milner, white ; Alice Ayres, white 
with carmine flakes ; and Celia, rose, all of which have good qualities 
to recommend them. W. P, Milner has hardly so good a flower as Mrs. 
Frank Watts, but it blooms more freely, and for cutting purposes is 
therefore quite as desirable. It is gratifying to notice how profusely 
the delightful Alice Ayres is producing its flowers under difficulties. A 
dark Fancy named Lord Beaconsfield is quite likely to win a good deal 
of admiration, and so is a purple self sport from it called William Tovey, 
which has a good flower and blooms freely. 
The bizarres, flakes, and Picotees are too numerous for all to be 
referred to under name, and moreover most of them are well known ; 
it will suffice to say that a complete collection of the best varieties is 
open to inspection. But there are many seifs and Fancies besides those 
already named which are worth a special reference. Beauty of Foxhall 
is one. It has a good flower, of which the colour is purple, is a capital 
doer, and an excellent winter bloomer. Lothair is another fine sort. 
The flowers are of a soft blush hue, at first showing a core, but sub¬ 
sequently developing admirable character and form. Brilliant is now 
pretty well known, and is very difficult to excel in colour. Germania, 
too, is so familiar as to need no description, but there is a lemon-coloured 
seedling from it of beautiful form and quality, besides being a good doer. 
Rose Celestial is another of the time-tried sorts which have won lasting 
popularity, and in the same category may be classed the lovely Fancy 
Almira and Mrs. Reynolds Hole. Winter Cheer is even more sought 
after than this trio. A grander Carnation was perhaps never seen out, 
for it is as good out of doors in summer as it is in pots in winter. The 
large array of rose-coloured sorts is supplemented by Dr. Parker, an 
excellent variety for cutting; and Grant Allen, which blossoms up the 
stem very much like Alice Ayres, and possesses splendid colour. 
The Picotee Carl Schurz, w'hite with broad purple margin, has 
meritorious qualities, and so has the self Cantab, which might be classed 
.■»9 a scarlet Clove, possessing a full rich Clove perfume. It was raised 
by Gifford, and another of his seedlings is Sultan, a fine crimson variety. 
A third from the same raiser is Maggie Lawie, a free, beautiful, and 
very fragrant variety of the familiar Miss Joliffe colour. It ought to 
become a great favourite. Florence, buff, very free ; Crimson Pet, 
which possesses an excellent bloom ; and Empress, white with a stout 
smooth petal, all win admiration, and at least as much falls to the share 
of a Fancy emanating from Guernsey, and called The Lady. It is 
yellow with a deep crimson suffusion, and blossoms in sheaf-like pro¬ 
fusion. A pair of excellent varieties originating with Turner are Ruby 
and Queen of Bedders. The former is noteworthy for its brilliant colour 
and splendid petal, the latter for dwarf habit, free blooming, and bright 
shade of rosy red. Cara Roma is a good purple, having rich colour and 
fine shape. 
The season is not only earlier but will certainly be much shorter than 
usual this year. Should the maggot supplement the effects of the 
drought by extra vigour, 1893 will be a year which Carnation lovers will 
not look back to with unmixed pleasure. 
SCORCHED LEAVES IN VINERIES. 
In’ this neighbourhood I have heard complaints of Vine leaves being 
scorched by the excessive sunheat. Not even during the Jubilee year 
was the sun so powerful as upon June 17th and the two following days. 
I do not allude to the scorching of the leaves in vineries caused by 
neglect in airing the house properly. Scorching perhaps takes place 
between the hours of twelve and two, and when sufficient air is admitted 
for all ordinary circumstances. 
Several reasons are advanced as to the burning of the leaves, but in 
my opinion in nine cases out of ten the right theory is not hit upon. 
I allude to the question of dryness at the roots of the Vines, and if this 
occurs scorching of the leaves will take place if every ventilator is wide 
open. When the roots are devoid of a sufficiency of moisture the foliage 
is robbed of its enduring power, rendered flabby, weak in tissue matter, 
and susceptible to the power of the sun. Very often the glass is blamed 
for the injury caused ; it is said to be full of blisters or defects caused 
in the process of blowing, but it is strange these spots have not been 
found before when probably the vinery has been in existence twenty 
or more years. Experienced persons know that where any defective 
spots are present in the glass they hav» damaging effect upon the foliage, 
and the usual plan of dealing with these is to smear them over with 
white paint. 
Varieties differ in their susceptibility to scorching. Perhaps Muscat 
of Alexandria is the most liable to be injured, Madresfield Court 
following, and then Mrs. Pince. Black Hamburgh is the least sus¬ 
ceptible of any to this foliage defect. The varieties named possess 
slender leafstalks, more so than any other sort that I am acquainted 
with. This fact may have some bearing on the cause of why these 
slightly built leaf-stemmed kinds are more liable than those with stout 
leafstalks to scorching. Very often the damage done is owing to the 
outside border being covered during the winter, thus no rain can get 
near enough to it, and by the time the hot days of June come round 
the soil in the border is very dry in seasons like the present. Where 
the soil is light in character and the border raised well above the sur¬ 
rounding surface it is surprising what a quantity of water Vines will 
absorb, even when in an outside border. 
The best way to prevent scorching of the leaves if the border is in 
want of water, whether it be an inside or an outside one, is to slightly 
shade the glass outside by aid of liquid whitening syringed on. This 
has the effect of providing a slight shade, and is easily taken off after a 
day or two after the border has been well soaked. Of course a careful 
cultivator who has water at hand will never allow the Vines to suffer 
at the roots, but water in sufficient quantity is not available everywhere 
this season. I know a garden at the present time not far from here 
where every drop of water has to be carted over a mile. The person in 
charge cannot very well be blamed if a few Vine leaves should be 
scorched under such conditions.—S. P. H. 
NIGHT-BLOOMING CEREUS. 
May I, through the pages of your Journal, thank Mr. G. W. Cummins 
(page 6) for his kindly correction of my error as to the name of the second 
variety of Night-blooming Cereus that was formerly in the collection of 
my father, the late Mr. C. M. Major? Having referred to the references 
he gave I am quite satisfied that it must have been C. Macdonaldim and 
not C. nycticalus, as I was previously inclined to think. I have also 
no doubt now that the variety we lost must have been C. Maynardi.— 
Maek B. F. Major. 
I AM not responsible for about four lines in the note that appeared 
in the Journal last week (page 6)—viz., “ The variety referred to 
(C. Macdonaldiae) is the result of a cross between C. grandiflorus and 
C. speciosissimus.It was raised by Mr. Kenny, gardener to 
Viscount Maynard, Easton Lodge, Dunmow.” According to the Journal 
for June 19th, 1884, this belongs to the history of C. grandiflorus 
Maynardi, and C. Macdonaldiae is described as a species introduced from 
Honduras to Kew by Mrs. General Macdonald, and first flowered in the 
Royal Gardens in 1851.—G. W. CtJMMixs. 
[The accidental omission of the specific names supplied by our 
correspondent led to the error, which we thank him for correcting.] 
I HAVE been much interested in the articles respecting the Night¬ 
flowering Cereus, and a few particulars of some plants I have here 
might be useful. I have four Cereus nycticalus which have opened 
as many as 111 blooms in one night. The largest plant opened fifty- 
four blooms on June 19th, and fifty-five on Saturday, July Ist. On 
several intervening nights there were from three to twelve flowers, 
and there are several yet to open. I measured one bloom on Saturday, 
July 1st. It was 9| inches diameter; but, unlike Mr. Major’s plant, 
mine has white petals. I have one plant of C. hexagonus, which 
has opened fifty-six blooms this year, and has ninety more to expand. 
I have not seen more than eight open at once. They remain open until 
about ten o’clock the following day. The plant is 30 feet high, has 
two side branches about half-way up 8 feet long. The flowers are 
the same in colour as C. nycticalus, but smaller.—A. Parrott, Crymlyn 
Burroivs, Swansea, 
