Maj 25, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
427 
plant is generally kept in a cistern in the stove, and so treated was 
fruited by A. B. Lambert, Esq., in 1815, and specimens of the fruit sent 
to the Horticultural Society. T. bicornis is cultivated by the Chinese in 
marshes, and the nuts are used as food. 
Scented-leaved Pelargoniums (6'. II.'). — You are right ; the 
scented-leaved Pelargoniums are serviceable for decorative purposes. 
The following note, written by a gardener who grows them well, will 
exactly answer your questions :—Plants propagated now will remain 
useful until this time next year, or longer if desired. Young plants 
generally furnish the best shoots and finest developed leaves, but the 
plants may be kept on for several years and never fail to supply large 
numbers of side shoots. In beginning to propagate them the little side 
shoots should be taken with a small piece of the old wood attached, and 
this should form the heel of the cutting. They may be inserted singly 
into small thumb pots, or a number of them may be kept round the 
edge of a 6-inch pot. Any sandy soil will do for propagating, but they 
are benefitted by the help of a gentle bottom heat, and they should 
always have this if it can be supplied. We prefer putting the cuttings 
singly in the smallest pots, and then shifting them without breaking the 
young roots. This is the quickest way of obtaining large plants, as 
no check is given in repotting. As soon as a number of roots have been 
formed the cuttings should be withdrawn from the influence of the 
bottom heat and be placed in an intermediate temperature. Here they 
will soon grow rapidly, and may be repotted ; .3-inch or 4-inch pots are 
large enough for the plants during their early days. They are placed in 
them from the cutting pots, and remain there until they have become 
bushy little plants. They are then shifted into 6-inch pots, and it is in 
this size that they become useful. At this potting good loam, a quantity 
of bone manure, and a liberal dash of sand should form the rooting 
mixture, and they will do admirably in this and in the 6-inch pots until 
they are a year old, but they must not be kept in a hot place constantly, 
as they luxuriate in a cool temperature. A sudden change from a hot 
place to a cold one should never be allowed, but after the first potting 
they should be gradually withdrawn from the heat, until by the end of 
May they are placed in a cool frame. There they may remain all 
summer, cutting from them as may be necessary, and pinching the points 
out of each of the leading shoots to induce a number of smaller ones 
to be emitted. They will soon come, and should be encouraged to grow 
for winter cutting. In the autumn, or by the end of September, the 
whole of the plants should be transferred to the greenhouse or con¬ 
servatory, where they will be safe from frost and have the benefit of 
a genial atmosphere. 
Oxalls eernua (K C.). —This is an old plant, having been intro¬ 
duced from the Cape of Good Hope in 1767. It is of comparatively easy 
culture, and requires the following treatment :—After blooming the 
plants should be exposed in a sunny corner out of doors, water being 
gradually withheld. By degrees the leaves will assume a yellow tint, 
and finally fall off ; and in this condition the pots containing the bulbs 
should be placed aside and kept perfectly dry until the season arrives 
for repotting them. If the ball of earth be then examined, a strong fibre 
may be traced from the surface-bulb quite to the bottom of the pot, and 
usually terminated by a cluster of young bulbs, each of the size of a 
nut. A pot planted originally with three bulbs will often contain, after 
flowering, a dozen or more full-sized roots, so that abundant facilities 
are offered for its propagation. At the base of the old bulb, which 
perishes, and also upon the short stipe proceeding from it, small offsets 
are often produced ; but they are too minute to be available for the 
ready increase of the plant. At the end of September, about which time 
the roots will begin to grow, they may be repotted in sandy loam, with 
a little peat or leaf mould, planting them, if large, singly in a 4-inch 
pot about an inch below the surface ; but it is preferable to place from 
three to five or six bulbs in one of rather larger diameter, a good 
drainage of potsherds or fragments of charcoal being indispensable. If 
the weather is mild the pots may remain in a warm nook out of doors, 
due precaution being taken to protect the plants from those pe.«ts of the 
gardener—slugs, snails, and worms ; but on the approach of frosts they 
should be removed either to a cold frame, or, in the absence of this, to a 
cool window of south aspect, where plenty of air can be admitted in 
mild weather. A dry hot atmosphere is injurious to the plant; it 
should, therefore, be grown at a comparatively low temperature, and be 
removed to the sitting-room only when about to flower. If potted at the 
period named it usually begins to blossom about the end of March ; but 
this depends in some degree on the temperature in which it has been 
kept. If the roots were preserved in a dry state until January or 
February, we think it highly probable that they might be planted in the 
open borders with the protection of a handlight, and would then flower 
in May and June, but without this covering it would be imprudent to 
risk the bulbs. The treatment of all the winter and spring-flowering 
species may be assimilated to that of the O. cernua. 
Preserving: Fruit (5f. Julitn ).—We told you on page 381 that 
further inquiry should be made into the matter. It was made, and the 
result you will find, if you have not already done so, on page 410. 
However desirous we are to oblige correspondents we could not stop the 
press last week for the insertion of the article, which could not be 
prepared and sent sooner. It will probably not tell you all you want 
to know. No one has a right to expect to be taught everything on 
paper in a few weeks, and there are some things which cannot be 
learned from books alone ; swimming is one of them, and preserving 
fruits and vegetables another. We are not prepared to say that the 
boiling for any particular period is absolutely necessary in the case of 
bottled fruit, but believe it to be most advisable. Why not test the 
matter for yourself, and then give the fruit-preserving fraternity the 
benefit of your experience ? You will most probably find that the fruit 
gently boiled for the period of time in each case, as given on the page cited, 
will be the plumpest, juiciest, and therefore superior, even if it dees not 
keep any better than that which was only just brought to the boil, with 
a view of driving out the air from the bottles. If you will consult an 
expert pastry cook you will learn that parboiled fruit is the best for pies, 
as in this case the baking can be done quickly—the pastry, not the fruit, 
only being studied, and it is then light and wholesome accordingly. 
That, then, is a very good reason why bottled fruit should be boiled 
longer than jou seem to think needful. With regard to the time that 
different kinds of fruit should be boiled during the process of being 
made into jam, we cannot advise other than in general terms. Every¬ 
thing depends upon the state and quality of the fruit, some requiring 
to be boiled very much longer than others owing to the extra “ sloppy ” 
or watery state of the samples to be treated. It must be boiled long 
enough to get rid of the superfluous water it contains, the best part of 
an hour being not too much in many cases. If it is boiled long enough 
for it to set, or prove fairly consistent when tested with a flat stick, 
there will be no difficulty about the preserve keeping. Those who have 
much preserving to do cannot wait for all fruit to be dry when gathered, 
nor is this at all imperative, although thought to be so by many house¬ 
keepers. There is no such thing as a precise time test in jam factories. 
The prices you obtain for produce, whether high or low, do not affect 
the general averages. More will be said on this subject, but all cannot 
be said at once, and there is not much gained, as a rule, by impatience. 
ITames of Plants.—We only undertake to name species of plants, 
not varieties that have originated from seed and termed florists’ flowers. 
Flowering specimens are necessary of flowering plants, and Fern fronds 
should bear spores. Specimens should arrive in a fresh state in firm boxes. 
Slightly damp moss, soft green grass or leaves form the best packing, 
dry wool the worst. Not more than six specimens can be named at 
once, and the numbers should be visible without untying the ligatures, 
it being often difficult to separate them when the paper is damp. 
(71 S., Grantully ).—We have received your letter, but the box referred 
to had not arrived when our pages were made up for press. (Z. F. S .).— 
No. 1 spray from the Public Gardens, Bournemouth is Cerasus serotina, 
the American Bird Cherry. No. 2, Cerasus padus, English Bird Cherry. 
OOYENT GARDEN MARKET.— May 24th. 
The holidays as usual stopping business no quotations can be mude. 
FKUIT. 
s. 
d. 
3. 
d. 
9. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
Apples, half sieve .. .. 
1 
0 
to 3 
6 
Lemons, case . 
10 
0 to 15 
0 
„ Tasmrnian,per case 
6 
0 
12 
0 
Oranges, per 101 .. 
4 
0 
9 
0 
„ Nova Scocia, per 
Peaches, per doz. 
6 
0 
18 
0 
barrel. 
12 
0 
17 
0 
St. Michael Pines, each .. 
2 
0 
5 
0 
Grapes per lb. 
1 
G 
3 
0 
Strawberries, per lb. 
1 
6 
3 
6 
VEGETABLES. 
9. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
s. 
d. 
Asparagus, per bundle 
1 
6 
to 4 
0 
Mustanl and Cress, punnet 
0 
2 
to 0 
0 
Beans, Kidney, per lb. 
0 
6 
1 
0 
Onions, bunch . 
0 
3 
0 
6 
Beet, Red, dozen. 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Parsley, dozen bunches .. 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Carrots, bunch. 
0 
4 
0 
0 
Parsnips, dozen. 
1 
0 
0 
0 
Cauliflowers, dozen ,. .. 
2 
0 
3 
0 
Potatoes, per cwt. 
2 
0 
5 
0 
Oelery, bundle . 
1 
0 
1 
3 
Salsafy, bundle. 
1 
0 
1 
6 
Ooleworts, dozen bunches 
2 
0 
4 
0 
Scorzonera, bundle .. .. 
1 
6 
0 
0 
Cucumbers, dozen .. .. 
2 
6 
4 
0 
Seakale, per basket. .. .. 
1 
3 
1 
6 
Endive, dozen . 
i 
3 
1 
6 
Shallots, per lb. 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Herbs, bunch . 
0 
3 
0 
0 
Spinach, bushel. 
3 
0 
3 
6 
Leeks, bunch . 
0 
2 
0 
0 
Tomatoes, per lb. .. .. 
0 
6 
1 
6 
Lettuce, dozen. 
0 
9 
1 
0 
Turnips, bunch. 
0 
3 
0 
4 
Mushrooms, punnet .. .. 
0 
9 
1 
0 
AVEBAGE WHOLESALE PRIOES.—OUT FLOWERS. 
Orchid Blooms in variety. 
s. d. s. d 8. d. s. d. 
Arum Lilies, 12 blooms .. 1 6 to 3 0 Myosotis, dozen bundles .. 1 6 to 3 0 
Azalea, dozen sprays.. .. 
0 
6 
0 9 
Narciss, var., French, dozen 
Bluebells, dozen bunches .. 
0 
6 
1 0 
bunches.1 
0 
4 
0 
Bouvardias, bunch ., .. 
0 
6 
1 0 
Orchids, per dozen blcoms 3 
0 
12 
6 
Carnations, 12 blooms 
1 
0 
3 0 
Pelargoniums, 12 bunches 6 
0 
9 
0 
Eucharis, dozen. 
3 
0 
4 0 
Pelargoniums, scarlet, doz. 
Gardenias, per dozen 
1 
0 
3 0 
bunches.4 
0 
6 
0 
Iris, various, doz. bunches 
G 
0 
12 0 
Primula (double) 12 sprays 0 
9 
1 
0 
Lilac, white, French, per 
Pyrethrum, dozen bunches 2 
0 
6 
0 
bunch . 
3 
0 
5 0 
Roses (French), per doz. .. 0 
6 
2 
0 
Lilium candidum, dozen 
„ (indoor), dozen .. 0 
9 
2 
0 
blooms . 
0 
6 
1 0 
„ Red, per doz. blooms.. 1 
6 
3 
0 
Lilium longiflorum 12 
„ Tea, white, dozen .. 1 
0 
2 
0 
blooms . 
2 
0 
3 0 
„ Yellow, dozen ,. .. 2 
0 
4 
0 
Lily of Valley, doz. bunches 
3 
0 
6 0 
Spirrea, dozen bunches .. 3 
0 
6 
0 
Maidenhair Fern, dozen 
Tuberoses. 12 blooms.. .. 0 
6 
1 
0 
bunches. 
4 
0 
6 0 
Violets (Eaglish), dozen 
Marguerites, 12 bunches ., 
2 
0 
4 0 
bunches .. ..1 
0 
1 
G 
Mignonette, 12 bunches .. 
3 
0 
6 0 
Wallflowers, doj. bunches 2 
0 
4 
0 
PLANTS 
IN POTS. 
s. 
d. 
s. d. 
s. 
d. 
3. 
d. 
Arbor Vitre (golden) dozen 
6 
0 to 12 0 
Ivy Geraniums.6 
0 to 9 
0 
Arum Lilies, per dozen .. 
8 
0 
12 0 
Lilium Harrissi, per dozen 18 
0 
30 
0 
Aspidistra, per dozen 
18 
0 
3G 0 
Lobelia, per doz.5 
0 
8 
0 
Aspidistra, specimen plant 
5 
0 
10 G 
Lycopodiums, per dozen ., 3 
0 
4 
0 
Azalea, per dozen 
24 
0 
30 0 
Marguerite Daisy, dozen .. 6 
0 
12 
0 
Calceolaria, per dozen 
5 
0 
8 0 
Mignonette, per doz. 6 
0 
9 
(.1 
Cineraria, per dozen .. .. 
G 
0 
9 0 
Musk, per dozen.3 
0 
6 
0 
Dracoena terminalis. dozen 
18 
0 
42 0 
Myrtles, dozen.6 
0 
9 
u 
„ viridis, dozen .. 
9 
0 
24 0 
Nasturtiums, per dozen ,. 4 
0 
6 
0 
Ericas, various. 
1 
0 
0 0 
Palms, in var., each .. .. 1 
0 
15 
0 
Euonvm us, var., dozen .. 
6 
0 
18 0 
,, (specimens) .. ..21 
0 
63 
0 
Evergreens, in var., dozen 
6 
0 
24 0 
Pelargoniums, per dozen.. 9 
0 
18 
0 
Ferns, in variety, dozen .. 
4 
0 
18 0 
„ scarlet,per dozen.. 4 
0 
6 
0 
Ferns (smalT, pf r hundred 
0 
0 
8 0 
Petunia, per dozen .. .. 6 
0 
9 
0 
Ficus eiastica, each .. 
1 
6 
7 6 
„ single, in boxes .. 1 
6 
3 
0 
Foliage plants var., each.. 
2 
0 
10 0 
Saxifrage .12 
0 
18 
0 
Fuchsia, per dozen .. .. 
6 
0 
12 0 
Spiraea, per dozen .. .. G 
0 
12 
0 
Genista, per dozen .. .. 
6 
0 
12 0 
Bedding plants in variety. 
