April 27, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
337 
- OPENiNa OP A Public Park at Coldstream. —Wednesday 
last witnessed the opening of the Home Park for the use of the inhabi¬ 
tants of Coldstream. The park is the gift of the Right Hon. the Earl 
of Home of The Hirsel, and in order to show the appreciation of the 
general public for the generous gift, and of the great boon which it is 
expected to confer upon the inhabitants, a general holiday was 
observed. 
- Carnations in America. —The popularity of the Carnation in 
America may be judged by the fact that according to Mr. Richard T. 
Lombard of Wayland, Massachusetts, in a paper recently read before 
the Horticultural Society of that State, nearly 4000 florists are engaged 
wholly or in part in growing Carnations for cut flowers. It is estimated 
that fully 200,000,000 of these flowers were sold last year, yielding above 
1,000,000 dols. to the growers. 
- Labelling of Foreign Fruit. —The Government, says a 
daily contemporary, have decided to appoint a select Committee to 
inquire into the extent to which foreign fruit is sold as English grown. 
A large quantity of inferior fruit from abroad is sent to this country, 
where it is labelled “ English grown.” The Merchandise Marks Act 
might well be extended in this case, as it has become the custom to 
export English made packages to the continent to be filled with 
Tomatoes, early Potatoes, and fruit. 
- Hastening Cabbages.— I presume “A. D.” (page 316) 
alludes to the market supply when referring to the stationary manner 
of the autumn planted Cabbages, as in private gardens there is no 
occasion to allow them to remain long in this state. In the case of the 
plantation of any one variety a portion ought to be hastened on by 
giving them a thorough soaking of liquid manure if dry weather is 
experienced during the latter half of March. In the absence of liquid 
manure a sprinkling of nitrate of soda on the soil about the roots, 
washing it in with clear water, answers the same purpose as the liquid 
manure. In addition to hastening for use a portion of the stock it 
prevents a glut at one time, this being the only fault of Ellam’s Early 
that I have experienced—viz., the whole crop “turning in” simul¬ 
taneously.—E. M. 
- Weather at Swanmobe. —Another week has passed since 
my last note, and still no rain has fallen. With the exception of the 
slight shower recorded of 0 04 inch on the 16th, fifty-two dry days have 
been experienced. The sun has increased in power ; to-day (24th) the 
thermometer registered 84° in the shade, with a minimum temperature 
this morning of 44°. On the 20th, 84° were also registered, the mini¬ 
mum being 52°. On Friday the readings were 82° shade maximum, 
54° minimum ; on Saturday, 79°, 54° ; and on Sunday, 80°, 42°. What 
a contrast in the temperature as compared with the last two years at 
the same date 1 On April 20th, 1891, the readings were 56° and 32° ; 
on the 24 th of same month and year the register was 68° and 31°. On 
the same dates in 1892, 51° and 31°, 68° and 42° were the figures 
recorded. Thermometer in shade to-day (25th inst.) registered 87°, 
minimum 49®. In 1891, 57° and 31° was the reading ; 1892, 61° and 39°. 
The grass on the lawns here is now quite burnt, in many places 
equally as bad as in the Jubilee year. The temperatures have been 
registered by a corrected thermometer.— E. Molyneux, 
- Winter Tomatoes. —I saw the sample of Tomato “ Lady 
Bird,” placed before the Fruit Committee of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, at the Drill Hall, on the 14th ult. Somewhen last autumn 
this variety, it will no doubt be remembered, obtained a certificate of 
merit as a winter-fruiting variety. It was a most astounding award, 
because when on one or two occasions during the previous winter 
samples were shown, they were so very poor as to be unworthy of 
notice. Now, again, when fruits of the variety are sent, small deeply 
corrugated, like many of the old or outdoor sorts, and in the month of 
March also, they are found to be so poor as to merit no notice—indeed 
those I saw would not have sold, even at the present time, retail at 
more than 3d. per pound, so inferior were they to the best imported 
fruits, and yet this is a variety that has been awarded a first-class 
certificate because of its winter fruiting merits. Can such an award be 
justified 1 If this be the best winter-fruiting Tomato we have, then bad 
must be the worst. The variety has no special merit as a summer fruiter 
beyond many others. If anyone can give us a variety of Tomato that 
will not only set and fruit freely in winter, but also give good hand¬ 
some fruits four to the pound, they will render the home grower much 
service.— A Looker-on. 
- A World’s Horticultural Congress will be held in 
Chicago in August, and, says the “ Garden and Forest,” papers are to be 
read on the following subjects :—Technical Horticultural Education, 
Relation of Experiment Stations to Commercial Horticulture, Horti¬ 
culture in its General Relation to Art, Improvement of Public Grounds 
(schoolyards, cemeteries, highways, the development and preservation 
of natural beauty). 
- Paid Secretaries of Horticultural Societies. — 
Apropos of your remarks on page 318 anent paid Secretaries, it 
may be interesting to state that by mere chance I was recently 
glancing through the annual report of the “ West of Scotland 
Rosarians’ Society,” and came across the following item in the 
balance-sheet :—“ Salaries of Secretaries and Treasurers, £7 7s.” Here 
we have an instance of at least two gentlemen (I do not know how 
many more) sharing 7 guineas as salaries, whereas the Secretary of 
the National Chrysanthemum Society objects to about £50 per annum 
being termed a salary.— One Interested. 
- Agapetes buxipolia. —Although easily grown and of hand¬ 
some appearance, this plant has not hitherto received the recognition it 
deserves. It has been in cultivation for about forty years, but is still 
rarely met with outside botanical establishments. It is closely related 
to Vaccinium, but is superior to any of the Vacciniums usually grown 
under glass. It is of shrubby habit, and the long, slender branches are 
covered with small, dark green, Box-like leaves. The flowers are pro¬ 
duced singly in the axils of the leaves on the ripened wood. They are 
tubular, fully an inch in length, and of a bright red colour. The plant 
is naturally an epiphyte, and in its native habitat (Bhotan) is found 
growing on the trunks of trees. It succeeds admirably, however, either 
planted out in beds or in pots in sandy peat. It will thrive in any 
ordinary greenhouse. Although it attains a height of 4 or 5 feet, small 
plants flower freely, and are very attractive. Propagation is readily 
effected by inserting cuttings of half-ripened shoots in fine peat and 
sand in a mild bottom heat.—A. B. 
- Flowers in Masses. —Looking at a mass of Alyssum saxatile, 
Iberis gibraltarica, and Phlox setacea on the rockery here to-day I 
thought how much more effective are such plants when growing in 
masses of, say, 4 feet square, as compared with the higgledy-piggledy 
method of arrangement—a plant here and there by itself. Not only 
does this method of planting apply to rockery plants, but to trees and 
shrubs, as well as to many things in the herbaceous border. Gladiolus 
brenchleyensis is more effective when growing in clumps of five or even 
three, as compared with single plants. The Narcissi, again, are much 
grander planted in clumps, as for example, Horsefieldi, Sir Watkin, or 
even the Pheasant’s Eye variety. In a like manner note the effect of 
half a dozen plants of the Spanish Broom, Gorse, a clump of Spiraea 
ariaefolia, S. prunifolia fl.-pl., or even a mass of Dogwood in the winter, 
in comparison with single bushes. Perhaps on the rockery the massing 
system of planting is the more effective as compared with isolated 
roots. Gentiana acaulis or verna are distinct proofs of this argument. 
Aubrietias afford excellent instances of the benefit derived in following 
the massing system.—E. M., Swamiore Park. 
- Late Queen Broccoli. — Mr. \V. Strugnell, Rood Ashton 
Gardens, writes :—“ I can fully endorse the remarks of Mr. Dunkin 
(page 296) as to the value and hardiness of the Late Queen Broccoli, 
and in many gardens I fear this is the only one remaining to any extent 
for furnishing a supply this spring. Even this has suffered in our case 
much more considerably than is usual for the variety; but the weather 
at the end of the last and commencement of the present year was of so 
severe a nature that without any protection from enow the results are 
not surprising. Broccoli is so valuable a crop that it can scarcely be 
ventured on to dispense with even midseason varieties, but as intimated 
by Mr. Dunkin it is a question for serious thought whether it is wise 
or not to occupy so much space with them. The dry weather experienced 
up to the time of writing (April 18th) has proved a great hindrance to 
the germination of the earlier sown seeds of Broccoli and other winter 
vegetables, and if it continues artificial watering must be resorted to, 
to obtain any plants at all from outdoor sowings. Assistance have been 
provided in the case of the midseason sowings by soaking the drills 
previous to depositing the seeds ; but this will have to be further 
supplemented by watering if rain does not come soon. Next to Late 
Queen Veitch’s Model has proved the hardiest with us, and these, 
though small, will be valuable as a change to forced vegetables and 
the long continued supply of winter greens, which are fast reaching the 
end of their tether.” 
