JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ Jane 21 ,1888, 
50 i 
cannot say of misfortune, but of misjudgnient, from which it took 
me long to recover ; and though difficulties arise now and then 
I have learned to make the best of them, and am happy and well- 
to-do in comparison with an old hothyite, who once had a gentle¬ 
man’s life as the head of a great garden, and who is now glad to 
work as a labourer for 14s. a week. He took a first step by an 
ill-judged resignation, and, as is not infrequently the case, all his 
after steps were downwards. There are numbers of similar 
reverses of fortune, and they should teach a lesson in these days, 
when so many men are waiting and watching for vacancies, and 
regretting their precipitancy in making vacancies for others. No 
gardener should hastily resign a charge on the mere chance of 
obtaining another w'ho is not in a position to wait for a year at 
least without employment. His clear duty is to do the very best 
he can, even if he cannot do as he wishes, for his employer, as he 
will then be doing the best for himself, till the time comes for 
taking a certain step onwards and upwards in the march of life.— 
Ax Old Servant. 
PETUNIAS. 
The usefulness and beauty of Petunias have been amply 
proved by many cultivators. They are cheap, easily grown, and the 
flowers present exceptionally rich, varied, or delicate colours, re¬ 
commendations that entitle them to general attention. There is, 
however, a suspicion that Petunias have been somewhat neglected 
in recent years—why, it would be difficult to say, but it is a kind 
of re-action that seems to follow popularity ; and flooding the 
markets and catalogues with scores of named varieties invariably 
has some tendency in this direction, as pui’chasers become tired of 
the minute differences found sufficient for new names and special 
prices. A different method is now being adopted in the trade, only 
the select few of unquestionably distinct varieties receive par¬ 
ticular designations, the others are classed under a general name as 
a special strain. This is far preferable in all respects ; it gives 
greater satisfaction to purchasers, as in a packet or two of such 
selected seed they obtain all the varieties desired, and it is assisting 
materially in restoring Petunias to the popularity they so well 
merit. 
Numerous as are the forms of cultivated Petunias they have all 
been obtained from the union of two species, the remarkable break¬ 
ing up and combination of their characters having been accom¬ 
plished within a few years after their introduction. The first of 
the two known was P. nyctaginiflora, which was found late in the 
eighteenth century by Commerson on the shores of the Rio de la 
Plata, South America. Upon the specimens then collected the 
botanist Jussieu based the first published description, figures, and 
name, the latter being chosen from the resemblance of the flowers 
to the Marvel of Peru. Possibly plants may have been raised soon 
after on the Continent, but the plant does not seem to have been 
grown in England until the second decade of the present century, 
when Mr. Robert Sweet and Mr. Anderson of the Chelsea Botanic 
Gardens both cultivated it and assisted in bringing it into notice, 
illustrations appearing about the same time in the “ Botanical 
Magazine ” and “ The British Flower Garden.” In both cases the 
plant figured has broad ovate hairy leaves, with five-lobed rather 
bell-shaped flowers, pure white, with a few greenish veins. Mr. 
Sweet seems to have been very successful with it both from seeds 
and cuttings, and a year or two later he gives the following account 
of a remarkable plant“In October, 1820,1 turned out of a pot 
a seedling plant about G inches high, with two or three shoots, into 
a border by the side of a wall facing the south, where it continued 
to grow rapidly all last winter, and never had a leaf injured. In 
very severe frosty weather I covered it with a mat, but left it ex¬ 
posed whenever the Aveather was milder. By the middle of March 
it was 18 inches high with numerous branches, about half of which 
I Avas obliged to cut away in the beginning of April, when I first 
tied it up to a stick. After this it grew very fast, and by the end 
of May began to be covered with flowers. By the middle of July 
it Avas above 6 feet high with many hundreds of its large white 
flowers open every day, each flower continuing in perfection two 
or three days, and by the middle of August it was 8 feet high and 
bushy in proportion, covered with flowers from the ground to the 
top, some thousands being expanded at one time, so that at a dis¬ 
tance it appeared like a white sheet.” 
P. nyctaginiflora rapidly extended in general favour and soon 
became well knoAAm, but does not seem to have produced a single 
variation until another species, P. violacea, also named Nierem- 
bergia phoenicea, Avas introduced, when some surprising results were 
■quickly secured. This was obtained from Buenos Ayres, Avhence 
seeds were sent by Mr. Tweedie to the GlasgoAV Botanic Garden 
in 1830. It was of rather more slender groAvth than the other 
species, with smaller ovate leaA'es and reddish-purple flowers of 
moderate size, and was figured in several publications under the 
tAvo names giA'en. The idea of crossing these tAVO distinct Petunias 
apparently occurred to several cultivators about the same time, and 
seedlings Avere recorded as floAvering in different gardens in 1835 
and 1836. In the former year an illustration was given in Sweets 
“ British Flower Garden ” (new series, plate 208), of one of these 
hybrids under the name of Nierembergia Atkinsiana, raised by Mr. 
Atkins, a nurseryman at Northampton. The plant shown is inter¬ 
mediate in habit and size of flowers betAveen the two species, but 
the colour is a uniform reddish-purple without any of the markings 
subsequently obtained. In 1830 floAvers from a similar hybrid in 
the Manchester Botanic Gardens, but raised at ChatsAVorth,. Areie 
figured in “ Paxton’s Magazine ” (t. 173), where it is said Petunias 
could then be “ purchased at moderate prices at almost every nnr- 
sery around London and in other places.” In this cross P. nyctagini- 
flora was the seed parent, and it differs slightly from the on& 
figured by Sweet; the leaves are somewhat rhomboid, smaller than 
those of the seed parent, the flowers large of a deep blue purple,, 
A'ery handsome and similar to some of the purple coloured seifs 
still in cultivation. 
It is rather strange and interesting that from the first crosses* 
between these species of Petunias only self-coloured reddish or 
bluish purple flowered seedlings were obtained, and these residts- 
have been confirmed by subsequent experiments. A second crossmg 
between the seedlings produced a remarkable change ; the fixity of 
characters seemed quite lost, the colours were astonishingly varied, 
from AA'hite to the deepest crimson and purple, while stiU further 
intercrossing resulted in the colours running into veins, feathers,, 
zones, and spots in a most diversified manner, such as are seen noAV 
in the best strains of seed. Not only this, but fringed flowers and 
double flowers in endless variety have been produced by a con¬ 
tinuation of the crossing. As long ago as 1844, when a beautiful 
variety named punctata, edged with purplish blue, and dotted Avith 
crimson in a white throat like a Gloxinia, was figured in “ Paxton s: 
Magazine,” it Avas said “ the amazing numbers of beautifid 
varieties defy all attempts at classifying or even computing,” and in 
florists’ catalogues from that date to 1860 as many as seventy named 
varieties were often described. Now, it is rare that a list of named 
forms is seen, and from good seed the grower can raise his own 
new varieties and name them at his pleasure. 
Seeds sown in moderate heat early in the spring yield plants- 
that floAver profusely during the summer months in the conserva¬ 
tory or greenhouse. They require a compost of light turfy loam^ 
a little leaf soil, and a small proportion of well-decayed manure, a 
free porous soil without rank or coarse material suiting them best. 
Much care is needed in supplying water, as it is easy to give too 
much, and one of the enemies of Petunias under glass is mildeAV, to 
which they are particularly liable in dull weather if kept too close 
or too moist. To form specimens quickly several plants may be 
placed together in 32-sized pots, and secured to neat inconspicuous 
stakes. For baskets they are also well adapted, and in AvinduAV 
boxes they look well. When out of doors, hoAvever, they are soon 
damaged in stormy Avet weather owing to the delicate texture of 
the flowers, and bedraggled mud-spattered Petunias have an exceed¬ 
ingly woe-begone aspect. —-L. C. 
VEGETABLES EOR EXHIBITION. 
CUCUMBERS. 
(^Continued from i)agc 4S4.) 
I il.AA'E had very fine fruit from plants in pits and frames, but 
they were obtained from quite young plants. Those cut from old 
plants, or Avhich say have quite filled the frames, are rarely of 
good colour, and greenish yelloAV fruits stand but a poor chance* 
to win prizes at an exhibition where the competition is at all 
keen. A gentle hotbed, formed largely of old hotbeds, such as 
stable manure and leaves, with about an equal portion of fresh and 
slightly prepared heating material well mixed with it, is very suit¬ 
able, a depth of from 3 to 4 feet, according to circumstances, being 
ample. I prefer pits with a hot-water pipe round for top heaL 
this being of good service in dull weather, but a frame set on a 
hotbed answers nearly as well. Sufficient short manure, and leav^^ 
if these are available, should be thrown into the frame to raise the 
soil AA'hen put in well up to the light, and the same remark applies 
to the pits, a good mound of turfy loam or compost to be placed 
in the centre of each light, and if the trial stake kept plunged in 
the centre of the bed can be borne in the palm of the hand the 
planting may safely be done. One plant to each mound is sufficient, 
this being stopped at the second or third joint two or three days 
prior to planting. They ought to be planted in k sloping direction. 
