September 24, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
269 
flowers, after Duchess of Westminster and the newer seedlings raised 
by Mr. T. W. Girdlestone. 
Godetias have for years been a specialty in these nurseries, and very 
shortly, unless 1 am a false prophet, we shall have a pure yellow one ; 
already it is far yellower than Lacharme’s yellow H.P. Rose Gloire 
Lyonnaise. Immense breadths of Godetias are grown, Duke and 
Duchess of Fife, Bridesmaid, and General Gordon among the newer 
kinds being very noticeable. A rapid look through the houses to see 
some grand Coleuses, Tuberous Begonias, Zonals, Lilies (magnificent), 
especially speciosum Kraetzeri and auratum rubro-vittatum, Balsams, a 
grand strain (of which Mr. Bishop, the Superintendent of this depart¬ 
ment, has reason to be very proud), Crotons, &c. At last I was obliged 
to tear myself away from the flowers and my courteous and friendly 
guides. To Mr. George Daniels and Messrs. Forder, Upstone, and 
Bishop my best thanks are due for many pleasant hours spent in the 
city of gardens. 
After seeing what I did I was not surprised to find that Messrs. 
Daniels Bros, found it necessary to have a distinct business department 
for their home counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire.— 
Casual Yisitob. 
Laege and Small Geowebs. 
I eegeet that “ An Exhibitor ” in his last letter has shown a 
want of courtesy in his statements concerning myself. It is certainly a 
good way to get the last word, as I cannot follow him into personalities ; 
but on the contrary, if I have made any wrong statement I am ready to 
apologise. I was certainly under the impression that the matter in 
question did not come before the last general meeting. I heard nothing 
of it, either as a committeeman or as a private member. If I think 
that no just grievance exists, and he and others think differently, it does 
not therefore necessarily follow that either 1 or they are right. I am 
quite willing that the matter should be thoroughly ventilated and tested ; 
that it should be properly brought before a representative meeting, 
advocates heard on both sides, and a vote taken, and I, for one, will 
loyally submit to the result.— W. R. Raillem. 
P.S.—Please allow me to correct a statement in the account of our 
visit to Mr. B. R. Cant. He does unfasten the ties of his budded stan¬ 
dard stocks. He fancies he may be a little deaf, I don’t think he is, but 
am sure that 1 am ; hence perhaps the misconception. 
THE JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. . 
Paet 2 of vol. xiii. of this Journal is just to hand, and contains 
several papers of considerable interest, together with reports of the 
Society’s proceedings from February 10th to May 12th, 1891 ; also in¬ 
cluding a report of the Temple Show. The papers comprise the follow¬ 
ing :—“ Persian Cyclamen,” by Mr. W. Warren; “Hardy Cyclamen,” 
by the Rev. W. Wilks, a very interesting review of the species, their 
character, and culture ; “ The Germination of Cyclamen ” is well treated 
by Dr. M. T. Masters, and illustrated. To “ Snowdrops ” three excellent 
papers are devoted by Mr. James Allen, Mr. D. Melville, and Mr. F. W. 
Burbidge, the illustrations being numerous. These are followed by the 
“ Cultivation of Hardy Bulbs and Plants,” by Herr Max Leichtlin • 
“ Lachenalias,” by Mr. F. W. Moore, an exhaustive essay on these useful 
plants; “ Cape Bulbs,” by Mr. James O’Brien; and an important 
illustrated chapter on “ Hybrid Rhododendrons,” by the Rev. Prof. 
Henslow. 
The remarks by Mr. Warren on the culture of Persian Cyclamen 
are brief, and give the outlines of such successful practice that we are 
tempted to reproduce them. 
I have been honoured by receiving an invitation to read a paper on 
the cultivation of the Persian Cyclamen, and I will at once proceed to 
describe the method cf cultivation as pursued at Worton Gardens, Isle- 
worth, without for a moment assuming that it is necessarily the best or 
the only desirable method. First, let me say that the old corms left 
from the previous season are not considered worth the trouble of further 
cultivation, but are sold for the purpose of extracting the cyclamine 
they contain. With regard to the plants reserved for seed, of course the 
best are selected—viz., those that combine the qualities of large, good¬ 
shaped, five-petalled flowers, bold foliage, 'and dwarf growth. The 
flowers of the selected plants are daily hybridised (when there is any 
pollen) with the finger, and the plants, potted in 48’s, are not allowed to 
bear more than six seed-pods, or the seed and its offspring would be weak. 
We cannot always be sure of obtaining six pods, as occasionally some of 
them decay unexpectedly. The seed ripens about the middle of May, 
when it is collected and placed in the sun, so that it may be well 
matured, otherwise it germinates slowly. 
The first week in June the seed is sown in pans 1 foot square (as 
these are found to afford more available space), with plenty of crocks 
for drainage. The most suitable soil is a mixture of two-thirds Hamp¬ 
shire yellow fibrous loam, one-sixth decayed leaves (not leaf mould) 
rubbed through a half-inch sieve, and one-sixth coarse Thames sand ; 
the decayed leaves, or the coarse siftings of the loam, being placed over 
the crocks. The seeds are carefully sown, so that two are not close 
together, otherwise the seedlings weaken each other as they develop. 
The pans are then placed in a one-pipe pit, which is covered with mats 
to keep it dark, and kept at a temperature of about 75° Fahr. The- 
pans are daily looked over to see that the soil does not become dry, as 
is often the case at the sides of the pans. In about six weeks the young 
plants appear ; the pans are then taken to a greenhouse and placed at 
near the glass as possible, damped morning and evening, and shaded 
from the sun. One hundred pans are generally sown, so as to give 
an abundant supply, and enable us to reject the weakest plants,, 
although it is found that the most precocious plants produce the worst 
blooms. 
About the end of September the seedlings are pricked out in the 
same sized pans, three dozen in each, with the same soil and treatment 
as before. Towards the end of November they are transplanted into 
thumb-pots, no change being made either in soil or treatment. The 
plants in these two stages are kept at a temperature of 60° Fahr., and 
the thermometer may without injury be allowed to register as much as 
70°. When the external conditions are favourable, air may be freely 
admitted to them. At the beginning of March they are repotted into 
60's, or 4-inch pots, using the same soil as before, and still continuing 
the same treatment, with the exception of potting them a little firmer. 
By the end of April last year as many as 750 dozen plants had been 
potted off in this manner. About the end of May they are transferred 
to 48’s, in which pots they are to bloom, but some few dozen are 
placed in 32’s, or they bloom before they are required for market 
purposes. 
It is necessary to keep the plants well up in the pots, but the conn 
should nevertheless be covered with the soil. At the last po'ting the 
soil is changed, being composed of five-sixths loam, one-twelfth Thame® 
sand, and one-twelfth decayed leaves. The plants are then potted as 
firmly as possible without pressing the corms, whilst in all the former 
stages (except when they are placed in 4-inch pots) they are transplanted 
and potted as lightly as possible. It is surprising what a quantity of 
water Cyclamen will take with advantage during the summer months ; 
hence it is necessary that the drainage for both pots and pans should be 
as perfect as possible. The plants are not left too long in the pans 
and various sized pots before they are repotted, otherwise they are 
found to be slow at starting again after transplanting. As the sun’s 
power decreases, it is essential that great care be taken with the 
watering. Overhead damping is discontinued for fear of fog, and only 
those plants are watered which are seen to be dry. Some of the 
plants at the beginning of October have a good show of bloom ; they 
are then staked with Currant prunings, on account of their neutral 
colours, and are tied round with dark carpet-thread, after which they 
are despatched to Covent Garden Market. 
It is of the utmost importance that the plants be kept in every stage 
of their growth free from aphis or green fly, caterpillars (which latter 
vary in size, colour, and number according to the heat of the weather), 
and thrips. Incessant care is required to keep these pests in subjection, 
as without it the plants may soon be spoiled, in which case all previous- 
effort and expense are lost. Mice, too, as the autumn approaches, are- 
very mischievous ; but they may be trapped before they have time to 
make aDy noticeable depredations. 
Most of the greenhouses at Worton Gardens contain about 3000 cubic 
feet. Upon an average the Cyclamen plants are placed about 18 inches 
from the glass upon beds of damp ashes, as it is found that they thrive 
so much better in such a position during the summer than when placed 
on dry shelves. In September, however, as the plants become larger 
and the weather cooler, they are placed on shelves ; the floor of the 
greenhouses is kept wet, and effort is made, by shading, to prevent the 
plants becoming limp. The plants are kept in a temperature of about 
50° Fahr., and plenty of air given to them, even at night, if the external 
temperature will then admit of ventilation. To keep the plants per¬ 
fectly free from insect pests in the first three stages of growth, Clibraa 
and Sons’ fumigating rolls are used, for the plants are so lightly potted 
that if dipped in any solution t)ie soil would fall away. In the la9t two- 
stages George’s tobacco juice is used, and the solution is made in the 
proportion of four parts of soft water to one of tobacco juice. 
USEFUL HARDY PLANTS. 
We now have such an abundance of effective plants suitable for 
culture in borders and to yield supplies of flowers for cutting purpose® 
that it is difficult to make a selection of the best. The following will, 
however, be found of special value for the particular situations and 
purposes named. 
Senecio elegans. 
The old-fashioned Senecio elegans, now called Jacobiea, but which is 
really a species of Groundsel or Ragweed, is a delightful addition to the 
borders, especially the newer varieties. Those with double flowers are 
perhaps the greater favourites generally. The colours vary from crimson 
to pure white, and any tint can be had separately. They grow from 
9 inches to 1 foot high, the deep green of the leaves providing a good 
base for the flowers. Although they succeed well in most cases sown 
where they are to flower I generally manage them best when sown in a 
cold frame early in April, afterwards planting them out. In a younger 
