104 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 6, 1891. 
fruit; and that whilst helping the tenants to hold their own in 
these times of agricultural depression, they are also increasing the 
value of their property. In the case of small holdings it has 
been often found that the fruit orchard practically secures the 
rent.” 
Concerning technical education the Rev. T. W. Sharpe, Her 
Majesty’s Inspector of Training Colleges, said he felt certain that 
the introduction of a system of agricultural and horticultural 
training in schools in rural districts would readily be taken up 
by the Education Department. He rejoiced in the fact that the 
Surrey County Council could devote £15,000 per annum to 
purposes of technical education, and was sorry that the London 
County Council did not do something in the same direction. Sir 
Jame3 Whitehead said he had for some years advocated technical 
instruction in regard to agricultural and horticultural pursuits in 
rate and State supported schools. No doubt the Government 
would give certificates and prizes in these branches of instruction, 
in the same way as in the Science and Art Department. 
A practical address on the preparation of the soil for fruit trees 
was delivered by Mr. Joseph Cheal, which cannot now be referred 
to at length. Mr. A. H. Smee followed with a few suggestions 
upon the renewal of old orchards and fruit plantations, and the 
business concluded with a hearty vote of thanks to the Chairman, 
proposed by Mr. Granville Leveson-Gower and seconded by Mr. 
Halsey of the Surrey County Council. 
The Show in connection with which the Conference was held 
was remarkable for splendid collections of vegetables, fruit not 
being sufficiently grown in the district to make a display ; but a 
few excellent collections and individual dishes demonstrated what 
could be done in that direction. —Hon. Sec. 
HARDY FLOWER NOTES. 
Brightly gleams the sun, parching are the winds, and dry as 
dust the sandy soil. Water is failing all round, and as we gaze 
upon the Solway at full tide we can to some small extent realise the 
feelings of Coleridge’s “Ancient Mariner.” The cool and showery 
period soon passed away, and the soil presents no trace of moisture. 
In a season such as this the grower of hardy flowers will realise 
how wisely given is the counsel to disturb as seldom as possible 
herbaceous plants in poor and light soils. Autumn planted flowers 
can barely hold their own, spring planted ones droop and languish, 
while those established for some years show their hardships but 
little. 
How difficult a task have hardy perennials before them just 
now. The Rose scatters her charms in wildest profusion in garden 
and hedgerow. Hybrid Perpetuals, massive blooms of perfect 
beauty ; Teas with buds of the most elegant form ; Climbers 
covering walls and trees with sprays of bloom ; Cabbage Roses 
and old-fashioned Roses of all kinds delight our eyes and load the 
air with perfume. The other day I visited an old garden where 
grow in lavish plenty great masses of old Roses, which must have 
been there for many long years, and which are prized and cherished 
no less than the newer flowers which also find there a congenial 
home. Little wonder is it that the Rose possesses so many legends 
and poetical associations. Some of these legends are so beautiful 
that it is hard to forego the pleasure of quoting them ; but when 
flowers are few and far between and days are short some 
excursions into the legendary lore of the flowers may be more 
acceptable than at present when the garden is full of brightness. 
AVe hardy plantsmen are ofttimes accused of indifference to such 
flowers as these, but few of us are, I think, so wedded to our 
favouiites that we cannot join in admiration for this regal flower. 
Indeed, we might all say as did George Eliot:— 
“ You love the Eoses—so do I. I wish 
The sky would rain down Eoses, as they rain 
From off the shaken bush. Why will it not ? 
Then all the valley would be pink and white 
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light 
As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be 
Like sleeping and yet waking, all at once ! ” 
There are at present few finer or more beautiful flowers than a 
clump of the little Erythraea diffusa, a dwarf alpine or border 
plant, which is literally covered with its charming little bright rosy 
purple flowers, which seem to close about four o’clock every after¬ 
noon. This is a beautiful little plant, having small bright glossy 
green leaves. It has been for a long time in flower, and has every 
appearance of remaining in bloom for a considerable time yet. It 
has been advised that this plant should have a moist position. This 
does not seem at all necessary, as it is growing freely with me in 
dry soil. One of my plants about 9 inches across has at least 160 
fully expanded flowers open to-day. The flowers are small, but are 
of a fine colour. 
The exquisite little Mimulus cupreus Prince Bismarck which I 
flowered last year is well worthy of the award of merit it received 
at the recent meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society. It has 
been in bloom with me for some three months this season, and has 
been much admired, especially by those who are sufficiently ac¬ 
quainted with flowers to appreciate the distinct advance in colour 
achieved by the production of this little plant. I grow it in a half- 
shaded position, and endeavour to give it a soaking with water now 
and again. It stood last winter without any protection, and is one 
of the best of our recent acquisitions among hardy flowers. Seed 
can be obtained, and I have found it come almost true, very few 
“ rogues ” coming among the seedlings. 
Iris juncea, the Rush-leaved Iris, is still in flower, and can well 
hold its own with the Spanish and English Irises now so plentiful 
in our gardens. It lacks their varied hues and markings, but has a 
beauty of its own in its fine yellow flowers with a few narrow 
streaks of brown on the falls. I have seen this catalogued as 
synonymous with I. lusitanica, but this is an error, as they are quite 
distinct. I. juncea is a native of Algeria, and was introduced 
in 1869. 
There are few more graceful plants in our gardens than the 
perennial Campanulas, many of which are now in full flower. The 
weather is not very suitable, however, as the strong sun soon 
destroys the b<dl-like blooms. There can hardly be a finer object 
in the garden than a well-grown plant of C. grandis alba. This 
year it is dwarfed by the absence of moisture, but in former 
years this Campanula has been most beautiful. It has fallen into 
comparative neglect from its habit of spreading freely and giving 
but few spikes of bloom for the space it occupies. The obvious 
remedy is to reduce the size of the plant. Like the biennial 
Canterbury Bells C. grandis will produce a second crop of bloom if 
the first flowers are picked off when past. Few of our garden 
Bellflowers have been so prolific of varieties as C. persicifolia, the 
Peach-leaved Bellflower, and numerous as are the varieties we can 
hardly have too many. Although it is nearly 300 years since its 
introduction it seems to be more popular than ever. It will be 
found that there is considerable variation among plants of the 
ordinary blue or white single varieties. Some are broader at the 
base or more open than others, and several minor differences may 
be seen by careful observation. There is no doubt that C. p. alba 
grandiflora is a grand plant, and I should not like to be without it, 
but it is not of such good form as the typical C. p. alba, and seems 
to me to be more like a hybrid than a pure form of C. persicifolia. 
I am writing this without precise knowledge of the origin of the 
plant, but I think the subject worthy of discussion. The foliage 
is certainly that of C. persicifolia, but to me the flowers seem to 
possess a different character. There are some large varieties of 
C. persicifolia, two of which are mentioned in the “ Cottage 
Gardeners’ Dictionary,” and one of these I have in my garden. 
This has quite the character of C. persicifolia, but the flowers 
are much larger ; C. Hendersoni is very fine just now, and C. Van 
Houttei, C. soldanellaeflora, C. urticaefolia, C. u. alba plena, 
C. macrantha, and a number of others are also well in flower. A 
half-shaded situation seems to suit most of these Campanulas 
much better than a sunny one. 
One of the finest plants I observed last week in a very good 
collection of hardy flowers was a very superior form of Aquilegia 
chrysantha. It is well known that the Aquilegias are very incon¬ 
stant from seed, and most of the plants of A. chrysantha in gardens 
have been raised in this manner, and are very inferior to the one I 
saw, which was a most beautiful plant with large flowers. It had 
come from a garden in Kirkcudbrightshire, where it had been 
grown for a long time. It is one of the good plants we see now 
and again which are difficult to obtain. 
The Alstroemerias are coming well into flower, and are valuable 
for the garden and for cutting purposes. The following prove 
hardy with me if planted deeply, and with the ground well pre¬ 
pared :—A. aurantiaca, A. aurea, A. peruviana, A. chilcensis, 
A. violacea, A. Errembaulti, A. brasiliensis, A. psittacina, and 
A. sulphurea tigrina. Theie seems a great deal of confusion in 
the nomenc'ature of the Alstroemerias, and it is difficult to separate 
the species from the varieties. Mr. Baker’s monograph does rot 
seem in entire agreement with the names I have for those in my 
ga den, but they are distinct enough for garden purposes. Some 
varieties of A. chiloensis and A. peruviana are offered under 
distinctive names, and some of these are sufficiently distinct to 
