June 14, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
473 
- Cannas.—M r. Cannell told me an interesting story the other 
day regarding one of the finest and most attractive of Gannas yet intro¬ 
duced, Queen Charlotte, which he flowers and shows so finely. The 
stock was obtained from a famous continental raiser, who showed an 
illustration of it simply recently at Antwerp, whereas Mr. Cannell 
showed bunches of the flowers, and these were so much more beautiful 
and brilliant than was the illustration that the exhibitor of the latter 
suffered in consequence. All the same he should later have reaped full 
advantage, because the living presentments showed conclusively how 
little for once an artist had been enabled to present a flower in all its 
native richness. After all the public prefer the living object when they 
propose to purchase, as that is at least truthful and reliable.—D. 
- Paulownia imperialis. —Considerable interest has been 
manifested in a tree of Paulownia imperialis at St. David’s Station, says 
the “ Devon and Exeter Gazette.” It has borne a profusion of violet- 
purple blossoms, which appeared on the leafless tree and gave it a 
remarkable aspect. Another fine specimen stands at the end of Queen 
Street. The leaves are no less remarkable than the flowers, for they are 
exceptionally large. It is a pity there are not more of these trees about, 
for they are admirably adapted for town gardens, and they form a fine 
shade. The specimen at St. David’s may have been planted as a 
memorial tree in connection with the formation of the Great Western 
Railway. Those who are familiar with Paris may remember the fine 
specimens of it on the north side of the Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, 
where the large bushy heads give a cool umbrageous retreat to the pro- 
menaders who seek its shelter. 
- Eucalyptus rostrata. —The “Agricultural Gazette” of 
New South Wales gave recently an interesting account of the Murray 
Red Gum, Eucalyptus rostrata, saying the timber is of a rich red colour, 
darkening with age, close grained, durable, almost as hard as iron 
when thoroughly dry, of interlocked fibre, difficult to split, and when 
sawn will rend and twist if exposed to summer heat. It is largely 
used for paving blocks, street curbings, piles in damp ground, and in 
the construction of wharves and bridges, where it resists the attacks 
of marine borers and white ants. It is also admirable for railway 
sleepers, wheelwright work, engine buffers, and similar purposes. The 
tree grows to a height of 200 feet, with a diameter of from 4 to 6 feet, 
and even more. It requires a girth of from 3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet 
in thirty years. It is propagated from seed, which is now a regular 
article of commerce, and promises to be one of the most successful 
species of Eucalyptus in California. The exudation, or kino, of the 
Red Gum is a useful astringent, which has become a regular article 
of commerce, and is growing in favour with medical men in 
England, America, and Australia. 
- The Swanley Home for Flowers.—M r. Cannell was not 
at all unhappy in the selection of the above appellation for his Swanley 
nursery. It is, however, very bard to say anything new about it, and I 
shall not attempt to do so. But should anyone who has never been to 
Swanley rush to the conclusion that they have seen everything Mr. 
Cannell and his talented sons have to show, either at the Temple or the 
James Street Drill Hall, or at any other show, they are mistaken, and I 
can just now promise them a most delightful disillusioning if they will 
visit the nursery and see for themselves. We have thought we have 
seen grand displays of Begonias at the Temple ; why they are not in it 
for a moment with the really grand show of those flowers now to 
be seen at Swanley. I could but exclaim, “It is magnificent 1 ” and I 
am not subject to excessive rapture. There is one house, for 
instance, of fine plants, double on one side, single on the other, that is 
worth going a hundred miles to see, it is such a beautiful sight. What 
size 1 what colour ! what form ! But if the Begonias be brilliant, what 
is to be said for the Gloxinias ? Not a thousand artists or pictures could 
do these justice. Here form, colours, markings, are of the finest con- 
ceiveable. There may be as good elsewhere; there cannot well be 
better. Anything more charming than one long span-house of Gloxinias 
could hardly be conceived, and such splendid plants, too. Herbaceous 
Calceolarias have been a beautiful show, and large-flowered Pelar¬ 
goniums are still rich. So also are the Zonals, double and single. 
There is one house of both sections the plants in which have been in 
bloom since the Ist of November last, and they are blooming now, 
making literally a mass of colour. What a glorious scarlet is the New 
Improved Raspail [ It will be the finest variety for market work con- 
ceiveable. The new single Madame Jules Chretien, style of New Life, 
but a long way finer and better, is a beauty. However, those who want 
to see a singularly effective floral show just now should take a trip to 
Swanley.—A. D. 
- Rhodotypus kerrioides. — This pretty Japanese shrub is 
closely related to Kerria japonica, from which it differs by having more 
woody stems, larger foliage, and white flowers. The flowers are 1| inch 
in diameter, resembling at first sight a small bloom of Rubus deliciosus, 
and are produced somewhat sparingly from the middle of April until 
the middle of June, the best show being given early in May. It is of 
easy cultivation, thriving well in a diversity of soils and situations, 
which makes it a welcome addition to the shrubbery.—D. 
- Seedless Grapes. —It has been stated in a recent essay by a 
prominent horticulturist that seedless Grapes are produced by growing a 
plant from cuttings for several successive generations; The theory is 
that a plant becomes accustomed to this mode of propagation, and then 
the natural process of producing seeds becomes abortive by disuse. 
While those of wide experience may smile at this speculation, it is 
really one on which many scientific men differ. That there is no ground 
whatever for believing that seedless Grapes can be produced in this way 
is evident from the case of the Red Currant of our gardens. This has 
been continuously propagated by cuttings from the time when the 
Romans had sway in England ; and yet, as it is well known, it produces 
seeds as freely to-day as if it had been raised continuously from seeds 
for a couple of thousand of years. Just how Nature does produce the 
seedless Grapes is not yet well known ; and the honest answer to the 
question as to how seedless Grapes are produced would be to say that 
“ we don’t know.”—(“ Meehans’ Monthly.”) 
SYRINGING “MALMAISON” CARNATIONS. 
I AM pleased to see the discussion on stamping out the diseases 
which attack “ Malmaisons ” and other varieties of Carnations so much 
of late years is still continued, and it will, no doubt, be beneficial 
to many persons, seeing the comparatively few who grow them success¬ 
fully. If such authorities as Mr. Bennet and Mr. Jennings were to give 
their method of treating the disease, they would be conferring a favour 
to those who may not have been as successful. 
Mr. Bardney’s note (page 448) is most opportune, for it has struck 
me, there being two forms of disease, the one may have been mistaken 
for the other; if so the remedy for the one would be the evil to the 
other, at least as far as my experience goes. I have been troubled both 
with helminthosporium and spot, and for the former I followed 
syringing with tepid water, thus washing the spores away, and stood 
the plants on ashes which were damped at least once a day. This had 
the effect of keeping the spores damp, consequently they were not 
distributed by the air, and I may say the plants present a much better 
appearance than they did last year. 
The other disease, called spot, is, in my opinion, mildew in a severe 
form, or gangrene. This attacks Cloves badly as well, especially if the 
season be a dull wet one, and for this I tried precipitated copper 
carbonate; but I am not in a position to give an opinion as to its 
efficacy, as the lime used was stale and dead, but should this disease 
make its appearance this year I shall again try the vitriol. If we have 
remedies to combat the disease which hitherto has been so troublesome 
to Carnations it will greatly facilitate their culture, and make it a 
pleasure instead of bitter disappointment.— H. PROSSER, The Knoll 
Gardens^ Wimborne. 
SOME FINE RHODODENDRONS. 
The Rhododendron garden at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens 
has been a blaze of colour through May and June, many of the large 
old established plants of Blandyanum, John Waterer, Everestianum and 
others being very conspicuous. Amongst more recently introduced kinds 
the following which are now in bloom in these gardens are very fine and 
distinct varieties worthy of the attention. Sigismund Rucker, rosy 
crimson with a black spotted blotch ; Kate Waterer, soft rosy pink with 
a large creamy white and spotted blotch, a charming and distinct 
variety ; Martin H. Sutton, intense scarlet crimson with spotted blotch, 
rich colour and fine ; Purity, white with cream spotted blotch, fine form 
and truss ; Marchioness of Lansdowne, shaded lilac and red with a 
superb dark spotted blotch and extra fine truss ; J. Marshall Brook, rosy 
crimson with light blotch and fine truss; Mrs, W. Agnew, blush 
margined with pale pink, slightly blotched, fine truss and quite distinct; 
W. E. Gladstone, bright beautifully shaded rose, slightly blotched, extra 
fine truss ; Duchess of Bedford, crimson tinted rose with a light blotch, 
a striking variety of fine form and truss; Baron Schroder, delicate 
purple tinted rose with light cream and white spotted blotch, extra fine 
and distinct; Sappho, white, with a rich maroon densely spotted blotch. 
The young early growth of some kinds was killed by the recent severe 
frosts, and this is general throughout the midlands. 
Adjoining the Rhododendron garden is the American plant garden, in 
which several large specimens of Ghent Azaleas are in full beauty, and 
in looking over them my mind was carried back fifty years ago and 
more when these fine old hardy plants were popular and so generally 
planted. The more gaudy Mollis varieties have now so much obscured 
the more modest beauty of the Ghent section, some of which, old glauca 
and viscosissima especially, were so deliciously scented.—W. D. 
