156 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August £0, 1891. 
- Messes. Fisher & Sharpe, 172, Queen 'Victoria Street, 
London, E.C., send us some excellent samples of Bamboos for 
Staking Purposes in all s’zes, from IS inches to 7 feet long, and pro¬ 
portionate thickness. They are adapted for supporting plants of all 
kinds, both in pots and in the open borders. They are very durable, 
l ght, yet strong, and have a good appearance. 
- Nicotiana affinis.—S urely the truth is that this is simply 
a hardy annual. Years ago I raised a few plants from seed, and planted 
them out in light soil on a warm border. Since then, though I have 
never sown or planted any more, I have never been without them ; 
they come up, evidently self-sown seedlings, here, there and everywhere. 
There is nothing perennial about them.—L. G., Chester. 
- Hardiness of Nicotiana affinis and Tuberous 
Begonias. — Your correspondent, “ W. I.” in your impression of 
August 6th, states that the above Nicotiana withstood the winters 
of 1890 and 1891. It has lived through several winters at this place, 
as also have some Begonias. Their tubers are somewhat similar to 
Potatoes, which often pass through the winter unhurt. I believe all 
the Begonias would survive our winters if they are on well-drained 
beds and covered with cinder ashes. The Salvia patens will survive 
some winters, but the last one was too much for it.—J. Perkins, 
lliornham Hall. 
- A Prolific Currant Tree.—I showed a Red Currant tree 
at Patching, Sussex. The tree measured 5 feet 6 inches through, 3 feet 
6 inches high. Weight of Currants gathered from it, 174 lbs. I think 
this a very good crop, and should like to hear your opinion of it.— 
H. Bowman. [We shall be glad to hear from correspondents who may 
happen to have weighed their crops how our correspondent’s yield 
compares with their owd. We have gathered a greater weight from 
bushes, both of Black and Red Currants.] 
- Mushroom Spawn in Old Beds.—“ A. W.” writes“ May 
1 invite the experience of your readers on the following matter ?—In 
clearing away some Mushroom beds I have found some spawn, which 
seems to me to be in splendid condition. I am about making up some 
more beds. Shall I be safe in using it for them with a chance of a good 
crop ? I have cut many fine Mushrooms. The largest was 11 inches 
over, and weighed 1 lb. 9 ozs. ; the next 1 lb. 5 ozs., 1 lb. 3 ozs., and 
many 1 lb. My beds have been down nine months, and I still get a few 
Mushrooms.”— A. Wyatt. 
- Fruit Crops in Bedfordshire.—A pples on old trees are 
half a crop, but on younger trees they are better, but still very small. 
Pears are fairly good, but very small. Most varieties of Plums are 
plentiful. Peaches on unprotected walls good average crop, the trees 
clean and healthy. The same remark applies to most fruit trees. 
Gooseberries, Raspberries, and Currants are good average crops ; 
also Strawberries, but the early varieties suffered a good deal from the 
late frosts, and also from the very damp weather during the fruiting 
season. Walnuts are mostly good.— G. R. Allis, Old Warden Park. 
- Modes of Chrysanthemum Culture.—I was much obliged 
to Mr. Jameson for his kindly criticism of my paper. In answer to his 
query as to where free sandy loam is to be obtained near Hull, I can 
only reply that, when visiting a brother of mine a few years since, at 
that time resident near Brough, I was shown a very fine sample, and 
given to understand it was obtained in the neighbourhood, from the 
banks of the Humber. From this fact, and that of the Humber being a 
tidal river, I had formed the opinion that such was not difficult to obtain 
in the neighbourhood of Hull. If it is an error I thank Mr. Jameson 
for drawing attention to it. I fully agree with him that the question of 
benefit derived by the plants from salt at the roots is one deserving 
investigation and carefully conducted experiments.—W. K. W. 
- The Weather last Month. — July was changeable and 
unsettled, with many showers and thunder on the 6th, 7tb, 8th, and 17th, 
but not one entire bright day all through the month ; very bad weather 
for haymaking, and not much of it was carried at the end of the month. 
The wind was in a westerly direction twenty-seven days. Barometer, 
highest 30 38 on the 14th at noon ; lowest 29’59 on the 30th at 9 A.M. 
Rain fell on sixteen days, the greatest daily fall being 0'56 on the 8th. 
Total for the month, 2-60 inches. Highest shade temperature was 80° 
on the 17th, lowest 41° on the 13th and 28th ; lowest on the grass, 37° 
on the 28th. Mean maximum temperature, 67-87° ; mean minimum, 
49 93°. Mean temperature of the month, 58-91°. The garden spring 
ran 20 gallons per minute on the 31st.— W. II. Divers, ICetton Hall 
Gardens , Stamford, 
- Early Apples.—M r. G. Bunyard sends us samples of the 
following early Apples for comparison :—Mr. Gladstone, rich crimson, 
angular, 2| inches wide and high, flesh white, tender, juicy, excellent. 
Early Red Juneating (Margaret), more uniform in shape than the 
preceding, but not so highly coloured; and though sweet and tender, not 
on the whole quite so good. Tetofsky, yellow, slightly angular, 2 inches 
high and 2J inches wide, flesh greenish white, firm, sweet, juicy, and 
pleasantly flavoured. Cardinal, also known as Peter the Great ; fruits 
uniform, 2f inches wide, 24 inches high, yellowish green on the shaded, 
flushed with crimson on the sun side, flesh firm, and fruits therefore 
heavy. An early cooking Apple of good promise, the tree being a 
healthy grower and free bearer. 
- Daisies on Lawns. —After using various means for years in 
trying to get rid of the Daisies on our lawn, including grubbing them 
up at much expense with the little tool provided for the purpose, 
I gave up the hope of ever exterminating them ; but to encourage a 
better growth of herbage I made a thin sowing of White Clover, 
and over that, in early spring, a top-dressing of ground bones. To my 
surprise not a single Daisy has appeared this year, and the lawn is 
beautiful. I mentioned the fact to a friend of mine, and was amused 
to learn that, like myself, he had pursued the same course with like- 
results. I think this experience is deserving of publication, and trust 
you will be of the same opinion.—A. Z. 
- Aster Harbinger. —This is, I believe,one of Messrs. Sutton’s- 
introductions, and is, I should imagine, quite correctly named. It is 
only recently I have been privileged to make the acquaintance of the 
variety growing in a neighbour’s garden, and to those by whom white 
Asters are required as early as possible in the summer the variety under 
notice should commend itself. The seeds in this instance were sown on 
March 30th in a frame with only a slight bottom heat from a partially 
spent hotbed. The seedlings grewsturdily, assisted as they were by cool- 
surroundings, and were finally planted in a well manured and prepared 
border towards the end of May. There they grew vigorously after they 
were once established, and the first blooms were ready for cutting by the 
first week in July. The habit of the plants is extremely free and 
branching, every bloom being supported by a rather long stem, which is 
an advantage for cutting purposes. The flowers are a pure white ancls 
reflexed, like the Chrysanthemum flowered, but are larger. Considering 
how late Asters as a rule are this year, it must be readily understood 
how valuable Harbinger is for decorative work in a cut state or even in- 
pots.—W. S. 
- Eryngium giganteum and Telekia speciosissima. — 
The Eryngium named is one of the most striking plants in the- 
herbaceous border at the present time. Its steel blue cone-like flowers 
show most conspicuously, and form a distinct contrast to such plants as- 
Gaillardias, Campanulas, and Chrysanthemum segetum. It gives very 
little trouble in the way of propagating, for it seeds freely, and 
if the seedlings are taken care of they will grow into flowering 
p’ants by the second season. This Eryngium being of a biennial nature 
it is necessary to have young plants continually comiDg on to take the 
place of those which bloom, as all these die as soon as they have 
finished flowering. Another beautiful plant which is just now at 
its best is Telekia speciosissima, its bright golden flowers, which are- 
borne on stout flower stalks and carried up well above its handsome- 
foliage, make it a fine plant for large borders or the shrubbery border. 
The florets remind one of threads of golden silk. This plant also 
makes a fine object for planting in clumps on the grass in the pleasure 
ground.—T. A. 
- Literary Piracy.—T he death of a great man in America, 
Mr. James Russell Lowell, whose writings made him a citizen of the 
world, has brought forth the reproduction of the following lines of his 
in condemnation of literary piracy : — 
“ In vain we call old notions fudge, 
And bend our conscience to our dealing ; 
The Ten Commandments will not budge, 
And stealing will continue stealing.” 
It used to be customary to make some slight acknowledgment of the 
source from which information was extracted, and is yet in many 
quarters, but new ways have become established in these latter days, and 
Mr. Lowell’s rebuke is timely. We commend it to the notice of a 
Birmingham paper, which is supplied with information almost weekly, 
dished up in various curious ways from our columns by some ingenious 
compiler. We cannot think the editor of the paper in question is aware 
of the practice of his subordinate, and it is not conceivable that the 
proprietors could approve of the method of obtaining news if it were 
brought before them, 
