September 29, 1892. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
wall, thoroughly watered, and kept syringed four times a day, 
iNotwithstanding these attentions the plants flagged so badly that I 
reduced the growth on some of them by about one-half. I soon 
regretted having done so, however, for those not reduced had 
-thoroughly recovered in a fortnight from the time of lifting 
without as far as I can see—the loss of one flower bud, and only a 
very few leaves. These plants are now flowering freely, and 
promise to continue doing so for a long time to come. I mention 
this to prevent others from being discouraged should their plants 
Jlag badly after being lifted. When this happens some are inclined 
to believe the thing cannot be done satisfactorily, and therefore 
discontinue the necessary attention, when, of course, unsatisfactory 
results follow. J 
Plants potted up now should be placed where they are safe 
rom frost; deep cold pits, where they can be kept close, as well as 
syringed ana shaded, are the best positions for them. Vineries or 
± ea.ch houses, where there is plenty of foliage overhead, and no 
iruit hanging to prevent syringing being done, are fairly good 
positions, or they may be placed in a shady place in the open air 
tor a couple of weeks yet if no very sharp frosts occur. While in 
the latter position it will be necessary to devise some means of 
covering with mats or canvas whenever frosts threaten, at other 
times the cool night air and heavy dew will help them wonderfully 
towards recovery.—H. Dunkin. 
WHEN ANNUALS ARE NOT ANNUALS. 
„ , f . oIlo y in g very interesting extract is from a number of 
contributions to the life histories of plants, by Mr. Thomas Meehan, 
at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Perhaps 
some rea e ^ s will note with surprise the American savant’s con- 
elusions that any annual may be made perennial: ”— 
Prof. Theo. Holm, of the Smithsonian Institution, is the author 
ot a suggestive paper on the vitality of some annual plants. He 
notes a number of species generally recognised as annual which 
frequently furnish biennial or perennial individuals. Such obser- 
va ions are especially useful, for it is deviation from general rule 
that furnishes us with keys to unlock the great treasure-box of 
Natures secrets. If we can show that annuals are not always 
annuals, but sometimes become perennials, we have the opportunity 
to watch the process, and learn as the work goes on. 
orticulturists must have long known, without giving the 
matter serious thought, that annuals become perennials under 
some circumstances. Petunias, Gaillardias, and indeed I can think 
ot no annual plant of any kind whatever, that the horticulturist 
cares to preserve, that he cannot preserve from cuttings when he 
so desires. Even in the case of those annuals which throw up 
only a single flower scape, he plucks off the flower head 
before the flower buds expand, cuts up this flower stem into 
sections, and raises plants which will live continuously for many 
anau ally treated in the same way. Annuals or biennials 
will live for many years if the flower buds are plucked out as soon 
as ey appear. The author of this paper has seen Mignonette six 
years old that has been treated in this manner. Annual parts of 
perennial plants also live over when propagated in the same way. 
Perennial Phlox, Hollyhock, and similar plants are raised from 
sections of the flower stems which have had their flower heads 
desired^ & wee ^ s before they were cut into the segments 
,. is worthy of remark that few plants except those which we 
distinctly recognise as ligneous, have perennial parts. The Potato 
hyes only through the tubers it makes annually, and even the 
strawberry plant will be found to be dead below the addition of 
the past year. Gladioli, Lilies, many terrestrial Orchids, and 
numerous other plants, only live over through the additions of the 
preceding year. The older portions die after new portions have 
been formed. In brief, the power to produce offshoots or stolons 
is really the only difference between the annual or perennial 
herbaceous plant. 
It may now be further noted that, morphologically, there is no 
ifference between a stolon and a flower scape, a rhizome or a 
permanent flower stem. The Strawberry is one of the best illus- 
of ftis The “ Bush Alpine ” never makes a “ runner ”— 
all that would be stolons becoming erect flower scapes. The tran¬ 
sitions between flower scapes and stolons may be seen at any time 
y t e careful observer. But the flower scape is an annual, while 
the stolons remain over until another season 
f T 7 - n0W c ^ Sider th T e causea inducing the annual or the 
more enduring conditions. It is now well understood that though 
the wprodnoti 76 condition of a pant is a natural outgrowth of the 
vegetative, there is a certain antagonism between them. The 
husbandman must root-prune, or take off a ring of bark, or practise 
some such severe measure, before an extra vigorous tree can be 
made productive. On the other hand even sound trees have been 
led to death s door by over-bearing. Annuals die from no other 
cause than by the heavy draft on vital power through bearing seed 
so early and profusely, with nothing but a single rootstock to provide 
nutrition for the whole. 
u ‘? >ro ^ essor -^- 0 i II1 i he is not clear whether it is climate, soil, 
cultivation, or other cause which leads the annual occasionally into 
the perennial class, quotes Lange as showing that Carex cyperoides, 
under normal conditions truly annual, is “ able to vegetate several 
years when it happens to live without flowering.” Several years 
ago I had a number of plants of the Caraway, Carum Carui, trans¬ 
planted after they had commenced to push up flower stalks. As 
the flower stalks withered, they were plucked out to the base. All 
the plants became bushy perennials ! Profiting by the hint I have 
some plants, with the stems annually plucked out, that are now 
four years old. 
Going back to the Strawberry, why does the scape die the same 
season, and the stolons endure ? Is it not that the stolons, sending 
out roots at the end which form leavesinstead of flowers, are under 
more favourable conditions of nutrition ? The scape is drawing 
heavily on vitality which the unfavourable conditions of nutrition 
do little to sustain. 
I have little doubt but that any annual may be made perennial 
by persistently destroying the flower buds as they appear. When 
we see in a state of nature, some few plants survive while numbers 
perish the season of their birth we may reasonably look for some 
circumstances which in these plants led them to bear seeds less 
profusely than others, or to some other condition which aided the 
vegetative in its struggle with the reproductive forces. 
CUCUMBERS AT FARNHAM, SURREY. 
Photographic pictures of crops of hanging Cucumbers sometimes 
shown have elicited much credulous surprise, because of the astounding 
abundance of the crop. Of course these pictures do not represent crops in 
course of cutting for consumption, because in such cases the fruits are cut as 
soon as ready. Plenty of counterparts of these Cucumber pictures may, 
however, be found in houses where plants are grown to produce seed, and 
especially was this the case at Mr. Mortimer’s Swiss Nursery, Farnham, 
recently, where many large, long houses are devoted to Cucumber 
production for seed purposes. It is not at all improbable that he has 
this season fully 5000 fruits to clear out, and will thus harvest 
considerably over half a million seeds. The varieties grown almost 
exclusively, and each one in separate houses, are Telegraph, Improved 
Telegraph, Tender and True, Lockie’s Perfection, Epicurean, Matchless, 
and Success. The latter variety, which is one of the largest and 
certainly handsomest of Cucumbers, was certificated during the present 
year by the Fruit Committee, and it will be very difficult to excel it in 
beauty as well as in length and general appearance. It may be of some 
interest to state that the immediate parents of this variety were Express 
and Prizewinner, the latter a handsome variety but not sufficiently free. 
Its parentage is not known. Express is the product of Tender and 
True X Purley Park Hero, which is one of Mr. Mortimer’s earliest 
seedlings. Success runs about 24 to 30 inches in length, is slightly 
spiny, very even throughout, has hardly any handle, and is particularly 
handsome and productive. Last year the Fruit Committee certificated 
Matchless, which, whilst also very handsome and green in colour, was 
found to be rather too short for exhibition purposes. When the 
other day at Reading a brace of Success were shown no other fruits 
could at all compare with them in form or beauty. Matchless 
came from Express also x Lockie’s Perfection. Purley Park Hero 
came from Improved Telegraph x Model. It would be very 
interesting were the various pedigrees of all fruits and vegetables 
carefully recorded. 
The houses in which the Cucumbers are grown at Farnham are both 
lean-to and span. The borders for soil are very shallow, not more than 
5 to G inches deep and 18 inches wide. The soil is the best stiff turfy 
loam the district will afford, and to it is added a moderate portion of 
horse droppings ; a couple of dressings of Thomson’s manure (one of 
the best for Cucumbers) are given during the season. Prior to the 
planting of the Cucumbers in some of the houses a crop of early 
Tomatoes is secured, and as soon as the Cucumb-rs are off the houses are 
filled with plants for the winter, especially Chrysanthemums. Even 
Tomatoes do not get surplus soil, for in one house of Perfection—a large 
span, 60 feet by 10 feet—the plants have only a shallow 18-inch wide 
border, and the plants are 16 inches apart. Coleuses for seed are very 
largely grown ; the varieties are of all descriptions, whilst the major 
portion are seedlings. The long spikes of tiny blue flowers bear a very 
pleasing appearance. Seed is sown the third week in March, the plants 
flowering in large 32’s ; of course, for the production of flower the 
plants are not stopped. Other houses are devoted to the growing for 
seed of beautiful Celosias in various colours, also of a very fine dwarf 
crimson race of Cockscombs. A very large stock of small sturdy 
Fuchsias in great variety is kept, and from these are propagated in the 
spring tens of thousands of cuttings, which are sent out to the trade 
in a rooted state. Somewhat stunted plants in 32’s and 48’s seem to 
give the stoutest and most liberal supply of cuttings when wanted in 
the spring.—A. D. 
