53A 
[ December 13, 1885'. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
prolific, and the fruit of good quality. Universal Savoy, early, 
sweet, and compact. 
I am afraid I have trespassed too far on space, and shall be cut 
down considerably, so pull up and beg the Editor’s pardon.— 
H. S. Easty. 
[Granted.—E d.] 
LILIUM AURATUM. 
There is a probability of this fine plant becoming as common 
as the Dutch Hyacinth ; few owners of a small greenhouse failing 
to grow it, and as it can be had so very cheaply, no doubt more of 
it will be cultivated. The present is the time to secure a stock of 
bulbs, those newly imported being now plump and full of vitality. 
In choosing bulbs, the most vigorous stems will be found to be 
produced by those which are close in the scales and heavy for their 
size. Indeed, if the bulb be of a good medium size it is doubtful 
whether the large bulbs are worth the extra money they realise. 
All things considered, there is perhaps no better time for potting 
the bulbs than this month ; but I have kept them well into spring, 
and secured healthy plants, which flowered late in the season, and 
at a time they were very useful. 
Some growers complain of the difficulty of establishing imported 
plants ; but if managed as I shall presently indicate, I am sure, 
from my own experience, that few losses will occur. Imported 
Lilies, it should never be forgotten, suffer a very great check 
through loss of roots, a healthy plant never being inactive at the 
roots. In endeavouring to establish these it is consequently very 
necessary to treat them gently. I treat them as follows :—The 
compost employed is very open, such, for instance, as a mixture of 
loam two parts, leaf soil one part, and sand one part ; a little loose 
peat is beneficial where it is to be had good. The size of pot is of 
consequence, and here many make the mistake of putting the 
bulbs in those which are too large. A large plant can be most 
successfully grown in a pot 6 inches in diameter, and the following 
autumn will find it filled with roots, ready to be repotted without 
disturbing a root, a point of great importance. I do not use much 
drainage, and place just a little of the compost between that and 
the base of the bulb, so as to leave room for a good surface dressing 
in summer. When the bulb is placed in position a little more 
compost is put in about half way up the bulb, the upper portion 
being left bare. The soil is used in a suitable condition as to 
moisture, so that no watering is needed. 
When all are potted, they are placed in a cool structure and 
thickly covered with dry leaves, and a mat over these to keep 
everything neat and tidy. A covering of bracken may be sub¬ 
stituted for the leaves ; but on the whole, I think leaves preserve a 
condition of steady coolness better than any thing. I find the plants 
may be left until the end of January or the beginning of February, 
when, if the weather is open, it will be necessary to examine the 
soil in case it may be getting dry. A small amount of water given 
to each will put them all right, especially if the leaves are slightly 
damped at the same time, and turned back again over the bulbs. 
By March the rooting process should have proceeded to a good 
extent, and many of the bulbs will be throwing up their growths. 
Another watering will most likely be needed, and then a slight 
surfacing of fresh soil, giving but just enough to bring the soil 
level with the top of the bulb. Those unstarted will be better 
under cover awhile longer. It will be noticed that so far the 
treatment has been of a nature to ensure to the plants a cool moist 
rooting medium. 
I find nothing so damaging as water being continually applied ; 
yet the roots must have an unstinted supply of moisture in order to 
keep the bulbs plump. That being so, a position where the pots 
can stand without danger of continual dryness must be sought out. 
Direct sunshine on the pots is very prejudicial, and where it is im¬ 
possible to avoid this, a thick layer of moss placed on the surface 
of the pots will be found useful. As the stem roots are produced 
some more soil should be placed in the pots, rough bits of turf and 
peat are best then. At the flowering period the plants will do with 
less water, but the soil should never become really dry ; and as 
soon as the new roots from the bulb are seen to be in course of 
production, the plants should be shifted on into larger pots. If 
properly managed the ball will be completely matted with roots, 
and without disturbing any of these place the plant in the new pot, 
so that only a very thin layer of soil will lie between the bottom of 
its ball and the drainage. This time, and in future years, the bulb 
will be, of course, covered with soil. The best place to winter the 
plants I find to be a perfectly cool structure, the pots being plunged 
and covered deeply with ashes. 
As already hinted, the bulb may be for a good time without 
starting. When this is the case, a very efficient method of grow¬ 
ing the plant is to prepare ordinary cutting boxes, or if there are 
very many bulbs, the bottom of a cold frame, by placing a couple 
of inches of sifted leaf mould, and on that the base of the bulbs 
thickly together. A thick layer of moss is laid above the bulbs, 
and an occasional watering given until a good quantity of roots are 
formed, when the plants are lifted carefully with as much soil 
as possible and potted. Yery good results follow this rough and 
ready method.—B. 
OLD GOOSEBERRY BUSHES. 
There are two good reasons why degenerated bushes should be 
discarded, the first being that they occupy much valuable space, and 
the second that they do not give returns sufficiently good to pay 
for their culture. I have seen many old bushes occupy a space 
from 4 feet to 0 feet square. A dozen of them would take up- 
more ground than would accommodate a score to thirty healthy 
trees, and every one of these would give a weight of fruit exceed¬ 
ing that secured from the old ones, while in quality there is no 
comparison. As everybody knows, old bushes only bear small 
fruits, thick in the skin, juiceless, and flavourless, while the young 
ones swell up to their fullest extent, being thin in the skin and full 
of rich pulp, bringing the highest price in the market, and are 
most relished at dessert. Gooseberries can never be too large. 
Possessors of old worn-out bushes may say, “Well, you know, they 
do not Occupy valuable ground, as that piece is good for nothing 
else.” But this is far from being correct. No excuse for harbour¬ 
ing old bushes should be accepted. The fact of the matter is there 
is no part of a garden that cannot be made to produce good Goose- 
berriesj and the bushes in question would, no doubt, give the best 
results before they became incapable of doing so. Apart from 
having healthy bushes, there is no secret in growing the finest 
Gooseberries. I know cottagers who annually have them as fine as 
in the largest gardens, and this is certainly not from extra skill in- 
culture, but they have found that the best fruit is invariably pro¬ 
duced from bushes that have not begun to degenerate, and act 
a ccordingly. Fine young bushes of all the best varieties of Goose¬ 
berries are cheap enough to be within the reach cf all, and the 
present season should be taken advantage of to clear out every bush, 
that is past its best.—A Kitchen Gardener. 
THE NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY. 
The annual general meeting of the above Society was held in the? 
Hotel Windsor, Victoria Street, Westminster, on Thursday last, December 
6th, at 3 P.M., Dr. Robert Hogg, one of the Vice-Presidents, in the chair. 
There was a large attendance of members, those present including the 
following :—The Kev. II. H. D’Ombrain and E. Mawley, Esq. (Hon.. 
Secs.), T. B. Haywood, Esq. (Hon. Treasurer), Colonel F. S. Hore, Captain 
Christy ; the Reverends W. Wilks, J. H. Pemberton, Alan Cheales, H. A, 
Berners, F. E. Burnside, F. Page Roberts, F. Gall, and A. Foster-Melliar; ' 
and Messrs. G. Paul, J. Rawlins, W. J. Jefferies, E. B. Lindsell, R. Ilark- 
ness, J. Brown, G. Bunyard, B. R. Cant, A. Prince, C. E. Cant, W. Paul, 
T. W. Girdlestone, J. Cranston, F. Cant, J. Burrell, W. Rumsey, G. A. 
Marshall, G. Mount, R. E. West, R. Bloxham, A. Slaughter, E. Wilkins,. 
G. Prince, A. Turner, J. D. Pawle, and H. Appleby. 
The business was commenced by Mr. E. Mawley reading the circular¬ 
calling the meeting, and then, at the suggestion of the Chairman, the 
minutes of the last meeting were taken as read. Messrs. G. Paul and A. 
Slaughter were next appointed scrutineers of the ballot for officers and 
members of the General Committee for 1889, and this proposition induced 
Mr. B. R. Cant to make a few observations respecting the desirability of 
more names being submitted for the General Committee to supersede 
some of the members who rarely or never attended the meetings during 
the past year. The Rev. H. D’Ombrain explained that it was the rule 
half the members of the Committee should retire each year, but that 
they should be eligible for re-election. He further pointed out that the 
matter had been before the Executive Committee, and if any suggestions- 
of this character had been made then, or names submitted, they would 
have received every attention. Mr. Cant said he had been unable to- 
attend the Executive Committee meeting in question, and he wished to- 
submit the names of Dr. Budd of Bath, Mr. R. N. G. Baker of Exeter, 
and Mr. H. J. Veitch of Chelsea, as members of the General Committee. 
Mr. Cranston thought it was desirable some alteration should be made 
in the Executive Committee to give others an opportunity of attending.. 
They knew nothing of what had been done, and he considered they were 
justified in expecting a report of the business performed. Mr. D’Ombrain 
said in reply it would be unusual and undesirable to publish reports of 
the Executive Committee meetings. Dr. Ilogg called attention to the 
fact that there was a note on the balloting paper to this effect—“ Mem¬ 
bers are requested to alter any names of either the retiring or newly 
