876 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 26, im 
- Flowers at Dulwich Park.—T a this park are to be found 
numerous remarkable evidences of the abnormal season. The Dahlias 
are still blooming profusely ; .^onal Pelargoniums are almost as bright 
as ever; Weigela rosea is ilo^vering here and there, as also are the 
Guelder Eoses. The beautiful Gentiana acaulis is blooming in different 
places on the rockeries ; whilst Eoses, especially of the Monthly types, 
are numerous.—W. J. K. 
- Horticulture in Germany.— A continental contemporary 
says that Dr. L. Wittmack has been charged to furnish for the exposition 
at Chicago statistical instructions upon horticulture in the German 
empire. His highly remarkable work comprehends all branches of 
horticulture. Amongst other things, it is stated that Germany con¬ 
tained in 1892,17,699 horticultural establishments and nurseries, employ¬ 
ing about 45,000 employes. 
- Dahlias from Tottenham. —Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale Farm 
Nurseries, Tottenham, N., sent us last week a box of Dahlia blooms, 
comprising those of the decorative. Cactus, and Pompon types. The 
flowers were exceedingly fresh and beautiful for the late period. Among 
the Cactus and decorative varieties were Mrs. F. Vince, purplish pink ; 
Mary Picton, lemon yellow ; Baron Schroder, bright magenta ; St. 
Catherine, yellow suffused red ; Beauty of Arundel, magenta, deep 
centre ; and Mrs. Keith, salmon pink, lemon yellow centre. Of the fine 
selection of Pompons, Eevenge, Eva, Marion, and Little Sweetheart 
were the best. 
- Ligustrum Ibota. —Our transatlantic contemporary, the 
“ Garden and Forest,” has an excellent illustration of this plant in the 
issue for October 11th, and remarks that the North China and Japanese 
Ligustrum Ibota is certainly one of the best exotic shrubs introduced 
into our gardens for many years. The long, slender, arching branches 
give to it a light and graceful habit in marked contrast with that of 
the other species of this genus, which are usually stiff and rigid in 
habit. Late in the month of June, from the end of short lateral 
branches, the clusters of white flowers hang in great profusion, giving 
to the plants a charming effect of grace and lightness. The flowers are 
followed by abundant blue-black berries, which remain on the branches 
until the beginning of winter, and make the plant interesting during 
several of the autumn months. Ic America Ligustrum Ibota promises 
to grow to a height of 8 or 10 feet, although, as it appears in the moun¬ 
tains of Japan, where it is by no means a common plant, it rarely rises 
to half that height. Ligustrum Ibota will, perhaps, become as com¬ 
pletely naturalised in some parts as Ligustrum vulgare and Berberis 
vulgaris have become naturalised in eastern New England, for when 
they are planted in semi-wild situations numerous seedlings spring up, 
and are able to hold their own against the encroachments of native 
plants. This Japanese Ligustrum may be safely used whenever large, 
hardy, fast-growing shrubs are needed. 
- The Ehine Tineyarus.—A German official return relating 
to the value of the Government vineyards in what was formerly the 
Duchy of Nassau, now a part of the Prussian district of Wiesbaden, is 
summarised in a recent report from the United States Consul at 
ilayence. The total net profit from all the crown vineyards during the 
last twenty-four years amounted to £94,225, or £3,926 per year in round 
numbers. These vineyards have an aggregate area of about 192 acres, 
which would make the average net profit annually per acre about £20. 
Taking the estimated value of the vineyards to be approximately £628 
an acre, 3j per cent, would be the average annual rate of income derived 
from them. But these vineyards are amongst the very best in the 
country, and their produce commands commensurately high prices. 
The expenses connected with the management of them are great, and 
the capital they represent is considerable, but their wines are of the 
finest, and are in great demand. These wines bring the highest prices 
in the market, being sold for the most part directly to the consumer, 
thus giving the coffers of the crown the benefit that would otherwise 
accrue to the wine-dealer. The ordinary wine-grower is not so favour¬ 
ably situated as the Government, and cannot as a rule make so much 
out of his property. His wine is much inferior, and his ability to fix his 
own prices feeble in comparison. It cannot, therefore, be supposed that 
he makes as much as 3| per cent, a year on the average out of his vine¬ 
yards. The vineyards, in fact, are not paying, as only from 2 to 
3 per cent, per annum can be made out of them on the average. Many 
are worked at a loss, as the yield had been inferior in quality or in 
quantity for some years. The difficulty is that they have been bought 
at such high valuations that there is no money in them for their owners. 
The dealer it is who makes the profit. 
- WooLTON Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society.— 
The second meeting of the above Society was held on Thursday last, 
Mr. E. G. Waterman reading a very able paper on “ Soils and Eotation 
of Crops.” As showing the mildness of the season, Mr. Stoney stated 
that he had that day gathered fine ripe Strawberries outdoors, the 
variety being Due de Malakoff. Prizes will be given for essays on 
various subjects during the ensuing season. The concert recently held 
in the Parochial Hall, after all expenses—which were heavy—^had been 
paid, left a balance of over £5. A vote of thanks to Chairman and 
Lecturer closed the meeting. 
- Autumn Easpberries. —Mr. W. H. Godden, Ledgers, War- 
lingham, Surrey, writes :—“ In last week’s issue (page 355) Mr. Free¬ 
man gives an instance of gathering ripe Strawberries in the open. I 
gathered a dish of ripe Easpberries on the 18th inst. weighing If lb., 
very fine fruit and well coloured, and the flavour was fairly good. I 
consider this wonderful, considering I am nearly 600 feet above sea level, 
and clay subsoil.” Mr. W. Stanton, The Gardens, Billington Manor, 
Leighton Buzzard, also writes : “ On October 19th I found a large 
cluster of Easpberries quite ripe, and of fair size. We have had only 
two slight frosts here. We have had an abundant supply of Eunner 
Beans up till the present.” 
- Lime Salts in Plants. —At a meeting of the biological 
section of the British Association Dr. J. Clark gave the result of 
investigations on the action of lime on germination in plants, and the 
existence of lime salts in plant tissue. He had experimented with a 
number of seeds of Alpine plants with the object of germinating them, 
and he found that the presence of carbonate of lime in the soil greatly 
assisted the germination of the seeds of these plants. According to his 
conclusions upon the question one must in many cases either have a 
high temperature, to enable the plant to utilise the reserve food supply 
in the seed, or introduce lime into the soil, which lime helped the 
transference of food from the seed to the growing parts of the 
seedling. 
- Uraria crinita. —This, remarks Mr. G. Nicholson in a recent 
issue of the “ Garden and Forest,” is a striking plant with pinnate 
leaves, not unlike those of the Wistaria, and tall dense racemes of small 
rose-purple flowers ; seeds of this species sown early in the present 
year have produced stocky, handsome plants with racemes more than 
a foot in length and about 1^ inch in thickness. The flowers 
themselves are small and last but a short time, but the very numerous 
rosy-pink bracts are as attractive, or even more so, before the flowers 
open, than the latter are when at their best. The species occurs in a 
wild state from Ceylon, the Himalaya to China. A figure has been pre¬ 
pared for the “ Botanical Magazine.” The specific name has been given, 
owing to the long bristles which clothe the pedicels and sepals. The 
plant is of easy cultivation in a light, warm house. 
- Large Soft Apples.—M y experience with regard to large 
Apples is in accord with that of your correspondent “ A.” (page 355). 
Very soon after gathering all my largest specimens, of several varieties, 
began to decay, the worst being Winter Hawthornden and Nelson’s 
Glory. Some became quite mealy and cracked, others were spotted with 
dard coloured spots. On the rind being removed these spots were of a 
brown colour, and penetrated the flesh to a considerable depth. Pears, 
too, are ripening very rapidly, owing, I suppose, to the warm weather we 
are having. Marie Louise Pears are all ripe and gone, the quality having 
been excellent. I have to-day (October 21st) a dish of Huyshe’s Prince 
of Wales quite ripe, which is too early for that variety ; and I regret to 
find Huyshe’s Victoria, which usually stands me in good stead about 
Christmas, much further advanced in ripening than is desirable.—T. S,, 
Bristol. 
- Sternbergia lutea is a plant of the season which seems to 
be much neglected, yet the bulbs are easily secured. They increase 
rapidly, and a clump in flower is as effective, and not less pleasing, than 
the Crocus in the spring. The bulbs start into growth in early September, 
making about 6 inches of leaf growth, the flowers appear in late 
September. These are something over 2 inches in diameter, are borne 
on 6-inch scapes, are of a clear deep yellow, and Crocus-like in effect. 
The leaves are persistent during the winter, and complete their growth 
in the spring, when the bulbs ripen and become dormant. It is needless 
to say that bulbs of this kind should be protected from the careless 
spader. The autumn-flowering hardy bulbs, says a correspondent in an 
American contemporary, have an unexpectedness in coming into evidence 
which we are apt to associate with the flowers of spring, and some of 
them are scarcely less pleasing than those always favourite flowers. 
