September 22, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
267 
The Compass Plant. 
Although we seem almost to have a surfeit of yellow flowering com¬ 
posites at this season, one of the most striking for a large garden or 
the shrubbery is one of the Silphiums or Compass Plants. Longfellow in 
“ Evangeline ” speaks of it thus :— 
“ Look at this delicate plant that lifts its hea 1 from the meadow, 
See how its leaves all point to the nor. h, as true as the magnet ; 
It is the Compass Flower, that the finger of God has suspended 
Here on its fragile stalk, to direct the traveller’s journey 
Over the sea-like, pathless, limitless waste of the desert.” 
It seems strange to think of the poet thus describing any of the 
Silphiums as a “ delicate plant,” and speaking of its “ fragile stalk.” 
We can only suppose that he had never seen the flower, or that he had 
another plant in his mind when he wrote. At all events the Silphiums 
are plants of grand effect in suitable positions. One of these, S. per- 
foliatum, was very fine a few days ago in the garden of Mr. James 
Davidson of Summerville, Dumfries. It was 7 or 8 feet high, and bore 
a profusion of flowers. It is, perhaps, a little coarse in habit, but is very 
suitable for large gardens. 
Platycodons. 
Very attractive in the same garden was a well-grown plant of 
Platycodon Mariesi, one of the finest, if not the finest, of our autumn¬ 
flowering Bellworts. It is rather aptly called the Balloon Flower from 
the resemblance of the flowers to a balloon, and the fine blue colour, 
combined with the form of the blooms, will make it an always popular 
plant. P. Mariesi was growing about 1 foot in height. The Platycodons 
are but seldom met with, even in good gardens, and it is desirable that 
they should be brought more prominently before the hardy plant 
grower. The generic name is derived from N a ^V s (broad), and kodon 
(a bell). There are several species or varieties in cultivation, and two 
double or- semi-double forms of P. grandiflorum are still rare, and 
comparatively expensive. Propagation may be effected by means of 
seeds or division in spring, and by cuttings of young shoots placed under 
a handlight in summer. A sandy loam is the most suitable soil. 
Ranunculuses. 
Among the many species of Ranunculuses in cultivation we find a 
large number of very beautiful plants, and I was much pleased with a 
beautiful little member of the genus which I saw recently for the first 
time in the well-tended and interesting garden of Mr. John Burns of 
Woodside, Giflfnock, Renfrewshire. R. Bertoloni, as the plant was 
named, is a very dwarf species, with a beautiful white flower only a 
few inches above the soil, and it appears to be one of the most desirable 
alpine species. I have been unable to obtain any particulars regarding 
R. Bertoloni, but I believe it will be found to be of Italian origin. It 
is perfectly hardy, and was growing well in a good loamy soil. It does 
not seem to be known to the nursery trade generally, and, so far as I am 
aware, the stock is in the hands of one or two firms only in this country. 
In the same garden the tiny little Arenaria balearica was grown in a 
manner I have never seen surpassed, rambling over and covering stones 
in the most delightful way. 
Stokesia cyanea. 
I spent a few days in the vicinity of Glasgow, and had the pleasure 
of seeing a considerable number of gardens containing good collections 
of hardy flowers. In a small greenhouse in the garden of Mr. Watson 
of Alexandria, N.B., I saw a good plant of Stokesia cyanea. It was 
quite a pleasure to see this pretty flower in bloom again. In Scotland, 
at least, it cannot be relied upon to flower outside without protection 
unless pushed on under glass in spring, and then planted out. It is a 
loss to our gardens that we cannot bloom this Stokesia in a natural way ; 
it is so beautiful with its deep coloured Cornflower-like blossoms. 
S. cyanea was introduced from Carolina in 1766, and was named by 
L’Heritier in honour of Dr. Jonathan Stokes, the coadjutor of Withering 
in his “ Arrangement of British Plants.” Doubtless its late blooming 
habit is the cause of its rarity in gardens. 
Rockets. 
Few things gave me more pleasure than to see the careful way in 
which the real double white Scotch Rocket is preserved by many of 
the amateurs around Glasgow. We often have inquiries as to where 
this is to be obtained, and frequently what is known as the French 
double white is substituted for the true plant. The Scotch variety is 
much dwarfer in habit and purer in colour than the other. I had also 
the pleasure of seeing a still rarer plant, the true double crimson Rocket, 
a most exquisite flower indeed, but very scarce, and hardly to be obtained 
anywhere. I need hardly say it is dearly prized by the few who have 
the happiness to possess it. 
But time is flying, and flowers many still brave the breezes. Asters 
of various shades are now in full display. The bright Lilium flavum 
bedecks the rockery and borders with its brilliant yellow flowers. A 
number of Heaths are very pleasing with their sober beauty. Gladioli, 
slowly opening, stand like gaily uniformed sentinels. The silky leaved 
Androsace lanuginosa still shows its pretty and delicate blossoms on the 
rockwork. Campanulas in variety are still attractive. Showy Mont- 
bretias and stately Kniphofias add their welcome colour to the scene, 
and many other flowers come to welcome the cool breezes of September, 
and to close brightly the season of flowers.—S. Arnott. 
HELENIUM AUTUMNALE STRIATUM. 
The number of yellow Composites flowering in late summer and 
autumn is so great that there is danger of some gardens being overdone 
with them. Yellow is a colour that requires to be used with much 
greater care and judgment than are generally exercised if garishness and 
vulgarity are to be avoided. If only for this^ reason a hearty welcome 
would be extended to the beautiful Helenium exhibited by Mr. T. S. 
Ware at the Chiswick Conference on Begonias. It imparts a very 
desirable break in colour while retaining the hardiness and floriferous 
character of its relatives. The flowers are about 2 inches in diameter. 
The disc is maroon and gold, the florets rich red striped with yellow. 
FIG. 37.—HELENIUM AUTUMNALE STRIATUM. 
Its distinctness was readily recognised, and a first-class certificate—an 
honour rarely won by a variety of a hardy plant—was accorded. Fig. 37 
represents Helenium autumnale striatum, which from its rich and 
distinct colour will be a desirable acquisition for any flower garden. 
THE COMMERCIAL VALUE OF ANTMAL MANURES AS 
NITROGENOUS DRESSINGS. 
An important investigation was undertaken a short time ago by two 
well-known French authorities, MM. Muntz and Girard, which had for 
its object a comparison of the value possessed by different manures 
composed of animal matters in their relation to nitrogenous dressings. 
This investigation yielded results which may well be carefully noted 
by practical men ; too often scientific investigations result in much 
literature, but are barren of anything which the practical agriculturist 
can make use of. 
We have known for some time that these nitrogenous materials 
