Jane 21, 1888.] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
517 
■white, maroon, rosy mauve, bright rose, blue, purple, white, rosy 
crimson, and white and crinison jiarti-coloured. In the mixed strain 
there is a combination of these characters, and the plants are useful 
alike for pots, windows, and baskets. 
Mimulus. —Three grand varieties or strains of these are Kuby, 
Queen’s Prize, .and Jubilee, and the groups recently shown at the 
metropolitan exhibitions attr.acte 1 more than ordinary attention. The 
flowers are of great size like enormous Gloxinias, of fine substance and 
richly spotted or marked with crimson, maroon, .and orange. For 
culture in pots or borders they are very valuable, and those who are only 
acquainted with the common garden Mimulus have no idea what an 
improvement has been effected in the size of the flowers and colouring. 
Pyrethrums have been very g.ay, a large space of ground being 
occupied with the best named varieties. Some thousands of Stocks arc 
advancing rapidly, and in another but important department is a trial 
of hybrid Wheats, which will constitute an intere.sting feature for 
agriculturists later in the season. 
TEEE MIGNONETTE. 
In March or April, better the middle of the former, select rather 
more of clean fiO-sized pots than you wish for specimens of Mignonette 
trees, to m<ake allowance for a few not turning out so well as the rest. 
Drain these pots, and fill them to within a quarter of an inch of the 
rims with rich light loam, such as might be made with two jiarts of 
brown hazelly loam, one part of very decomposed sweet leaf mould, half 
a part of heath soil, and less than half a part of silver sand ; then drop 
.a few seeds—say four—in the centre of each pot, covering them evenly. 
The common Mignonette answers very well. The large-flowering 
Mignonette will produce stronger stems and larger trusses ; but we think 
the old common sort blooms in general more profusely—but either 
■will bloom abundantly if well treated. When sown the best phace for 
the pots is the back of a Cucumber or Melon bed, where the pots can be 
plunged, and air given to the young plants as soon as they appear. In 
such circumstances they will not be long before they make their 
appearance. 
As soon as the plants are half an inch in height examine those in 
each pot narrowly, and select the one that seems the most bold and 
luxuri.ant, either pulling the others out, or, what is better, cutting their 
stems below the surface with the point of a penknife, so as not to injure 
the roots of the one plant left in each pot. Were it not for this power 
of selection, and the certainty of getting a good plant, it would be as 
well to sow only one good seed in a pot at once. By the time the plant 
is an inch in height any side shoot that offers to come should be dis¬ 
budded, picking it out, but allowing the leaf next the stem to remain. 
When the centre shoot is from 2 to 3 inches in length a little twig should 
be set against it, and the little stem tied to it to encourage it to mount, 
nipping out every side shoot that shows, but allowing the leaf to remain, 
as that adds strength to the stem, and, besides, gives it a more furnished 
appearance. The little twig stake should be 1 or IJ inch from the 
stem ; and in the process of growth, as a larger and stouter stake 
becomes necessary, the lesser st.ake should be carefully taken out and 
the larger one inserted in the same hole, so as to run as little risk as 
possible of injuring the roots. 
As soon as these little pots are getting full of roots, and before the 
roots meet the sides of the pot, shift each plant into a large IS-sized, 
and plunge the pot. and keep training the main stem and disbudding all 
side shoots as before. As soon as that pot is filled shift into a 32-sized 
pot, and let the soil be a little rougher, and give a little bottom heat as 
before. If the main shoot go on without showing flower it will be all smooth 
sailing, the disbudding of all side shoots being the principal thing ; but 
if the leading shoot show bloom it must be nipped off, and then the 
best-placed shoot that comes you must train off as a continuation of the 
first stem ; and sometimes if you want a tall stem, you may have to do 
this several times before you obtain the desired height. Whatever the 
height of the stem before the head forms, be it 1 foot or a couple of feet 
or more, no flowers should be allowmd to remain until the stem is as high 
as desirable ; nor even then until the head of the tree is pretty well 
formed. 
When the 32-slzed pot is about full of roots I prefer placing the 
plants in their flowerin' pots, and a pot of 12 inches in diameter and 
depth will support a very nice specimen. In this last potting—and the 
pot m<ay be larger if an extra-sized specimen is desirable—the drainage 
must be well attended to, and the soil chosen of a more lumpy character, 
so as to avoid anything like stagnant water ; and to help this still more, 
a feW .additional pieces of fibry heath soil, and some bits of charcoal the 
size of beans, may with advantage be added to the compost. This rough 
material should be squeezed together pretty tight, and the surface 
covered all over with fine materi.al to the depth at the sides of .at least 
half an inch, which will prevent the air entering the soil too freely. 
In all such shiftings care must be taken that the soil in the pot is moist, 
but not deluged, before shifting ; .and this will be best secured by 
■watering thoroughly four hours or so before repotting. After this final 
repotting, if the pots can be partly plunged in a mild heat for a fort¬ 
night or so it will be all in their favour ; but by July they will stand 
well in any pit or house where they can receive moderate attention. 
In such places the jflants will do better when the pots stand on a shelf, 
or on the bottom of another pot reversed ; as when the pots stand on 
the ground the drainage is apt to be injured, and the exhalations th.at 
rise from such wot ground are not at all in their favour. 
Until the he.ad is formed it is .advis.able to have a frill of leaves all 
along the stem, but no side shoots ; that, as above stated, not only fur¬ 
nishes clothing, but gives strength to the stem. As the head swells in> 
diameter the leaves on the stem will most likely be robbed, and will then 
fall off. In general it would be best to have the shortest-stemmed plants 
for winter blooming, and the tallest for spring blooming, as the former 
may be supposed to perfect their heads sooner. In both cases the treat¬ 
ment is much the same, as the plants should not only be kept airy, but 
in a temperature of from 4.5° to 48° or 50° in winter, with a rise from 
sunshine. 
In training m.any c mtrivances may be adopted with wire, &c., for 
supports. 1 will describe a very simple mode. I will suppose that the 
stem is high enough for the lower branches of the future tree. Well, the 
plant is held carefully, the old temporary stake removed, and a stout one, 
fully half an inch in diameter, is inserted firmly in the same place, and 
as much higher above the lower branches as we wish the point of the 
tree to be, say some 15 inches above the lower branches. Well, after 
tying the stem securely to the stake, the next operation is to make that 
secure in the pot, so as to carry the weight of the future head, and no 
simpler plan exists than baking two pieces of wire at right angles from the 
stake across the rim of the pot, and fastening them there. Then two holes 
at right angles a little apart from each other about the level of the 
lower branches, say 18 inches from the pot, will do for putting through 
two stout wires like the spokes of a wheel. A wire fastened to the 
points will form the circumference, and lesser wires between will fur¬ 
nish the means for tying the branches ; 6 or 8 inches higher up other 
two wires should be inserted for a smaller circle, and thus the orbicular 
pj'ramidal head may be easily secured. There must be regular stopping 
and training, and nipping off all flower buds until the head is formed, 
and then each shoot may bloom as it likes. 
When the head is forming, and also when in bloom, clear manure 
water, and not too strong, may be pretty freely used, except in very dark 
weather in winter. To keep the plants long healthj and producing 
abundance of bloom, no bloom should be .allowed to remain when it is 
old or showing signs of seeding. One truss with seeds swelling will 
injure the plant more than a score of half-opened trusses. This con¬ 
tinued pruning away of every flower when past its best, even though 
the point should be fresh, is the secret for keeping plants long in health. 
By such means we have seen a plant of common Mignonette grown in the 
common w.ay, or hanging over the pot, very good after it had been in 
the same pot seven years. When these tree Mignonette plants are a 
full mass of bloom at one time this thinning of flowers must bo done 
freely if the plant is to keep on long afterwards. By this free thinning, 
stopping and tr.aining in summer, and fresh surfacings of good soil, the 
same plant will continue for years ; but there is so much trouble in 
keeping the soil in a healthy state in such large pots through the winter, 
that generally it will be the best plan to sow and grow one season for 
blooming during the earliest part of the next. 
When I was fond of such plants I used to grow some as 
pyramids—that is, the base of the cone on a level with and falling over 
the rim of the pot, and the_ plant gradually lessening in width to the' 
apex. Such plants from 15 "to 20 and 24 inches in height are very 
pretty. The main features of management are the same, with the 
exception of securing the necessary and right-placed side shoots ; and 
to produce them the stem had sometimes to be stopped, as there was 
little risk of that not getting up. 
The above remarks, however, apply only to what are generally called 
tree Mignonette plants. There is but one little point concerning them 
which I have overlooked, and that is carefulness in watering if the last 
shift should be a large one. In that case only the new soil in proximity 
with the ball and the ball itself should be watered, and the bulk of the 
new soil at the sides of the pot should not be deluged until the roots are 
working in it. This rule applies to all large shifts, as otherwise the so3' 
is apt to become soured ; and if so, the Mignonette trees will not 
flourish.—H. R. 
EOYAL OXFOEDSHIEE HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY- 
JUNE 19th. 
This was what is known .as the Commemoration Show, .as it always 
takes place during the week of the Great University Festival of Oxford, 
and it was held as usual in one of the College gardens, that of Worcester, 
a most delightful place for such an exhibition, with a large exjianse of 
smooth green sward, shady walks, and magnificent trees, with the 
addition of a spacious lake. Three large tents were required to contain 
the exhibits, .and even then some of the cottagers’ products had to be 
provided for in the open ground. The d.ay w.os unpleasantly cold, but 
there was a large and fashionable attendance, the cut flowers especially 
appearing to attract great attention. 
Classes open to all England. —One of these was f»r 
nine stove and greenhouse plants in flower, Mr. James Cypher, nursery- 
rcan, Cheltenham, being placed first, with excellent specimens of Lxora 
Williamsi, Dracophyllum gr.acile, Bhoenocoma prolifera Barnesi, Bougain¬ 
villea glabra, Anthurium Schertzerianum Veitchi, Aphelexis spectabilis,. 
Erica depressa, and two Azaleas. Second, Mr. J. F. Mould, nurseryman, 
I’ewsey, Wilts, whose best plants were Genetyllis fuchsioides, Dipl.adenia. 
profusa, Franciscea calycina major, Clerodendron Balfourianum, a very 
fine specimen. Erica Cavendishi.ana, and E. austella. Third, Mr. H. 
James, Castle'Street Nursery, Lower Norwood. Mr. Cypher also had 
the best six Cape Heaths, staging good fresh specimens of depress.-'., 
ventricosa gr.andiflora, tricolor Wilsoni, tricolor clegans, ventricosa 
hirsut.a, and Kingstoni.ana. Second, Mr. II. James, his best specimens- 
