170 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 25, 18 . 
to insure a quantity of good blooms, is to peg down the strong shoots, 
made from the base of the plant, forming a kind of arch—a somewhat 
effective arrangement. 
Amongst the bedding plants, of which there are a quantity grown 
and effectively disposed, we noticed a good Coleus named Palmer’s 
Favourite, a sport from a very old sort named Taylor’s Pet, upon which 
it is a great improvement. 
The roof of the conservatory attached to the mansion is covered with a 
very fine Mar6chal Kiel Rose that had borne over 2000 blooms this season. 
We also noted in this structure a very good example of the Japanese 
Quince, Eriobotrya japonica. Specimen Azaleas were looking well for 
next season’s flowering, and the usual plants grown for conservatory 
decoration were also well represented. 
In the fruit department houses are devoted to the culture of Grapes, 
Black Hamburgh and Foster’s Seedling being the standard sorts grown, 
and these are admirably done. There are three Peach houses, lean-to. 
From a tree of Yellow Admirable some twenty dozen fruits had been 
taken. Barrington is much esteemed here. In these houses some young 
trees planted last autumn are doing wonderfully well. In the early 
Peach house some fine examples of Sutton’s Perfection Tomato, bright, 
solid, and beautiful, arrested attention. In a keen competition at 
Chiswick recently, a dish from here gained first honours. Melons are 
great favourites. We noticed a very promising variety named Thames 
Ditton Hero, raised here. It is of excellent flavour, and is a cross 
between Scarlet Premier and High Cross Hybrid. It is one of the 
hardiest and most prolific sorts grown, not less than fifty fruits having 
been cut from two plants occupying one light. We believe that it has 
made its appearance at several of the local shows this season with dis¬ 
tinction, and we shall doubtless hear more about it another season. 
In the kitchen garden we noticed some of the finest Asparagus beds 
we have ever seen, only planted last April twelvemonths. We believe 
that it is Mr. Palmer s intention to contribute to the Journal some notes 
explaining the system of culture that has produced such satisfactory 
results. The favourite Pea grown is Sutton’s Duke of Albany, of which 
Mr. Palmer has a very high opinion. Yeitch’s Mammoth Scarlet Runner 
Bean was seen in perfection, and Autumn Giant Cauliflower. A hint 
regarding the clubbing to which Cauliflowers are sometimes subject may 
not be out of place here. If the plants are inclined to club, the practice, 
and a successful one, carried out here with a view to its prevention, is 
to cover the ground around the roots with a mixture of soot and native 
guano, then water in well, afterwards either mould up with earth or 
mulch with dung, the latter preferred. The good effect of this course 
of procedure is soon evident, the ground being full of young roots from 
the main stem. Nourishment is also given by this system to the plants 
and good root action insured—that great preventive of clnbbing. Apples 
are a good crop this season, Plums and Pears average. Apricots appeared 
to be plentiful, for on a wall we noted some fine fruit. Cherries, too, 
on walls, fine, and plenty of them. In making a tour of the garden we 
cams across some good beds of Violets, the health of the plants being, 
doubtless, attributable to the damp shady situation in which they are 
planted, the sorts grown being The Czar, Marie Louise, Victoria Regina, 
Comte de Brazza, De Parme, and Belle de Chatenay. 
In a range of glass in the kitchen garden, divided into two plant 
houses, we observed some fine specimen Coleuses highly coloured, some 
good examples of Pelargoniums well flowered, and numerous Egg 
Plants carrying their healthy characteristic fruits. What a fine wall 
plant Ficus is 1 quite a dense mass of it forms a pretty and effective 
feature in the house. The useful and fragrant Stephanotis floribunda 
covering the roof was noticeable on account of its just coming into 
flower again for the second time this season. Much more might be said 
did space permit of this pleasant Thames side retreat, but enough has 
been written to show that advantage has been taken of its favoured 
position to render it enjoyable by its owner, who has done much to 
improve the property since it came into his possession some twenty 
years ago, and it is a credit to his gardener, Mr. Palmer.—B. C. 
OXALIS BRASILIENSIS. 
Many species of the genus Oxalis are pretty enough to be worth 
growing as greenhouse plants, and one of the prettiest of them is that 
here figured. It was exhibited recently by the Royal Gardens, Kew, 
at one of the fortnightly meetings of the Royal Horticultural Society at 
South Kensington, several pans filled with plants bearing umbels of rich 
rosy purple flowers being shown. The exceptional size of the flowers 
and their attractive colour, as well as their abundance on the 'plants, 
revealed in this species a greenhouse flowering plant worthy of atten¬ 
tion. It has Tulip-shaped tubers about 1 inch long, short-stalked leaves 
of the ordinary Wood Sorrel type, and graceful peduncles about 6 inches 
high, bearing umbels of from three to eight flowers. It should be 
planted in rich loam in well drained pans or pots, and started into 
growth in February. The flowers are developed early in June. By 
August the leaves will have withered, and the tubers should then be 
kept dry till the return of February. About six tubers in a 5-inch pot 
are sufficient ; larger pans or pots, if used, may have the tubers planted 
about 2 inches apart. The secret of growing and flowering many of the 
exotic Oxalises is in allowing them plenty of pot room, thin planting, 
rich soil, a good dry rest, and, whilst growing, a position near the glass 
in full sunshine in a greenhouse. O. brasiliensis is, as the name denotes, 
a native of Brazil, from whence tubers were sent to Kew some years ago 
by the late Charles Darwin. The late Mr. Giles Munby grew a fine 
collection of Oxalises, and many of the kinds grown by him are now at 
Kew, where every spring they make an effective display with their 
white, yellow, pink, and red flowers. 0. variabilis, 0..speciosa, O. lutea> 
O. floribunda, and that here figured we have noted as being particularly 
pretty pot plants. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
Autumn Onions. —This is the term usually applied to the Giant 
Rocca type of Onion that is sown in the autumn and grown during the 
winter to bulb in spring or early summer. They are a grand class of 
Onions and should be grown in all gardens. Me have experimented year 
after year with the object of finding out the most suitable date to sow 
them, and have come to the conclusion that from the 25th to the 30th 
August is a safe period in the south. By safe we mean this :—If they 
are sown too early many of them will run to flower in the spring and 
never bulb well ; and, if sown too late they are very apt to ^suffer in 
winter, by being too small as well as being late in bulbing, but the 
point to aim at is to make sure of the majority bulbing without a hitch, 
and if sown during the period we name this will be secured. As to the 
best variety, they are all good if well treated. The Giant Rocca is an 
old one and good. The White Tripolis are quick in growth, but not very 
hardy ; a firm strong rich soil suits them best. If sown in rows many of 
them may be allowed to remain in the seed ground to bulb ; these and 
the others can be drawn up for use as salad in winter or to transplant in 
spring. As a rule the best bulbs arc produced by the plants that are 
left undisturbed in the seed rows, and this is particularly the case if the 
ground is well manured before sowing. We manure heavily, and dress 
at the same time with a good quantity of soot to prevent grubs from 
doing harm. An eye should always be kept to this. The best way of sow¬ 
ing we have tried is to draw drills 18 inches apart, 2 inches deep, and not 
sow too thickly. They are covered, trodden down with the feet, and the 
