414 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 5, 1885. 
But, should this meet the eye of anyone who has seen the 
article referred to, the information will, I am sure, interest 
more than—A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. 
John Carter, Hollycro F t and Willow Bank Nurseries, Keighley.— Cata¬ 
logue of Forest, Fruit, and Ornamental Trees and Shrubs. 
Charles Van Geert, Antwerp. —Select List of Ornamental Trees and 
Shrubs. 
T. Laxtc n, Bedford. —Lists of Novelties. 
%* All correspondence should be directed either to “The Editor” 
or to “ The Publisher.” Letters addressed to Dr. Hogg or 
members of the staff often remain unopened unavoidably. We 
request that no one will write privately to any of our correspon¬ 
dents, as doing so subjects them to unjustifiable trouble and 
expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions relat¬ 
ing to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should never 
send more than two or three questions at once. All articles in¬ 
tended for insertion should be written on one side of the paper 
only. We cannot reply to questions through the post, and we 
do not undertake to return rejected communications. 
Dessert Apples (F. J.). —We know of no Apple bearing the name of 
Phcebe, it must either be a local variety or there has been some mistake in 
labelling. 
Garden Labels (IV. K.). —Your notes, or at least those written on one 
side of the paper, were published on page 380 last week. We are obliged 
by your supplementary letter, which is too late for insertion this week. 
The Silver Tree (IV. A.).—The plant of which you sent a leaf is a 
member of the natural order Proteace®, and iB known to botanists as Leuca- 
dendron argenteum. It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, where it is 
known to the Dutch colonists as Witteboom, or Silver Tree, a name which 
it owes to the silvery appearance of the leaves. The plant is in cultivation, 
and may be seen at Kew and in a few other establishments where large collec¬ 
tions of old and curious plants are grown. It was introduced towards the 
close of the seventeenth century, so that it is by no means a novelty. 
Leaves are imported for decorative purposes with the Cape Everlasting 
Flowers, and may be frequently seen in Covent Garden Market. A figure of 
the plant was published in the “ Botanical Register ” in 1826, but it does 
not show the peculiar whiteness of the foliage. 
Tenant’s Greenhouse (A. L >.).—If you do not embed the bricks in 
mortar nor rest the sill in mortar on them, nor secure any part of the house 
to the landlord’s building with nails, your house will be a tenant’s fixture, 
and you can remove it and the bricks at any time. We do not know 
whether any Building Acts apply in your district. Where these are in 
operation a rather heavy fine can be imposed on anyone who erects a green¬ 
house without giving notice to the surveyor, whose duty it is to sanction 
the plans, and he can claim a fee for his usually unwelcome “ assistance.” 
Our small manual on greenhouse plants is reprinting. 
Exhibiting Chrysanthemums (E. TV).—Annie Salter, Alma, Christine, 
and King of Crimsons are reflexed varieties, the blooms opening out more or 
less flat, and the florets turning back rather than otherwise. If yorr 
exhibit such varieties in the class you mention you will be disqualified, or 
ought to be. Incurved flowers are those in which the florets turn upwards 
and meet in the centre of the bloom, curving inwards like the fingers of 
your half-closed hand. Those alone are eligible for staging with Japanese 
blooms in the class indicated. The name of the shrub of which you have 
sent a spray is Cotoneaster microphylla. 
Chrysanthemums for Grouping (Hall). —Everything depends on the 
wording of the schedule in respect of the class in which you desire to 
exhibit. We have many times seen Chrysanthemums effectively associated 
with stove and greenhouse plants in groups arranged for effect at autumn 
shows; in fact, such mixed groups are invited in the schedules of some 
show's, while in others Chrysanthemums are excluded. The arrangement of 
the plants is purely a question of taste on the part of the exhibitor. The 
ground is marked out, and competitors have to occupy the space the most 
effectively. 
Table Plants for Exhibition (Idem). —A great deal more depends on the 
freshness and condition of plants than on any particular kinds for securing 
prizes. Cocos Weddelliana, Geonoma gracilis, Aralia Yeitchi, A. elegantis- 
sima, Reidia glaucescens, Croton interruptus aureus, and slender-leaved 
Dracaenas are suitable for the purpose in question. 
Eriobotrya japonica (Medicas).' —This, commonly called the Loquat, 
grows very well planted out and trained to south walls in the south of 
England, but except in very favourable situations needs the protection of 
glass. We figured fruit of it in 1881 grown in Lady Parker’s conservatory 
at Richmond, Surrey. The tree was then 9 or 10 feet high, in a pot about 
14 inches in diameter, and it bore a dozen bunches of eight or t-.n fruits 
each at the ends of the branches, where the long rich dark green leases 
were clustered as they usually are in specimens of moderate size. The tree 
had been previously in a stove, where it flowered late in the autumn, and 
having received careful attention a crop of fruits was set which gradually 
advanced to about the size of Apricots, and became fully ripe towards the 
end of March, then assuming a fine orange tint. They were not only larger 
than many we have seen, but possessed a much richer flavour, than any we 
have previously tasted. As they each contained a single seed, it is probable 
the variety is that referred to by Fortune as the one most highly valued by 
the natives of China and Japan. There is a great difference in the quality 
of the varieties, some being comparatively worthless ; and wherever tins or 
any other foreign fruit is intended to be grown, a point of great importance 
which is frequently overlooked is the selection of the variety. The.great 
defect in most of the fruits of the Loquat which are occasionally seen in the 
metiopolitan markets is their insipidity or even unpleasant flavour, due 
probably to their having been gathered in an unripe condition. The first 
record we have of a tree producing fruits in England occurs in the third 
volume of the Horticultural Society’s Transactions, published in 18-2.. A 
letter is there printed from Lord Bagot of Blythfield, Staffordshire, which 
was read before the Society in 1819, and recounts the fruiting of a tree in 
one of his lordship’s houses. Fruits were produced during several years, 
generally of very fine quality and extremely numerous, as many as twenty- 
one having been borne on one branch. The method adopted was to place 
the trees out of doors during the summer, removing, them to a warm tan 
bed in September. The flowers generally expanded in December, and the 
fruit was ripe by April. But on one exceptional occasion the flowers appeared 
in early summer. From that time until the present there have been few 
records of the production of fruit under glass. Loudon mentions one oi 
two instances, and others have been noticed at wide intervals, but it is still 
an event of considerable interest. There are scarcely any well-authenticated 
instances of trees maturing fruit out of doors in England, though m the 
south of France, Malta, and neighbouring regions it is produced in great 
freedom. 
Judging Chrysanthemums (A New Censor). —Generally speaking as was 
once suggested by)Mr. Bardney, the rules published in the “ Rosanans rear 
Book ” for the guidance of judges may be taken as the foundation for 
judging Chrysanthemums. Definition of Blooms. —1, A good Chrysanthe¬ 
mum must have form, size, brightness, substance, and be at the time 
judging in the most perfect phase of its possible beauty. 2, A Baa Chrys¬ 
anthemum.—All blooms shall be considered bad that have fauitv shape, 
confusion of petals, removal of lower petals, faded colour, and which are 
oversized to the extent of coarseness, or undersized so as to render them 
puny, according to the character of each variety. 3, Form shall imply 
petals abundant and of good substance, regularly and gracefully disposed 
■within a circular symmetrical outline. 4, Brightness shall include fresh- 
ness of colour, brilliancy, and purity. Judging. — 1 , Judging shall be by 
points. Three points shall be given for the best blooms, two for mediums, 
one for those not so good but not bad enough to cut out, and an extra point 
for a very superior bloom. 2, One point shall be taken off from the box for 
every case of decided badness. 3, Where stands are equal in respect oi 
blooms judges shall proceed to consider the general evenness, variety, 
arrangement, and setting up, the boxes being placed side by side and m the 
same light for that purpose. Those rules form a good base, but Chrysan¬ 
themum judges must be familiar with the standard character of the several 
varieties, and estimate their merits accordingly—that is to say, a bloom or 
Cherub, for instance, may deserve as many points as one of Empress or 
India, or more, if the former, though larger, be not good of its kind, while 
the latter, though decidedly smaller, is first-rate. They have to take into 
consideration size with symmetry and solidity, length and breadth of petal, 
also freshness and colour. The mere circumference of a flower is in itself 
not at all a reliable test, as loose flat examples may girth much more than 
others of twice their depth and firmness, yet these latter wouldbe the more 
meritorious. We consider that six points should be the standard for a per¬ 
fect bloom, one in w’hich a fault cannot be found, as the slightly differing 
gradations in merit can scarcely be expressed when only three points are 
allowed as a maximum. We hope you have an experienced judge as a 
colleague. 
Spiraea japonica in Pots (S. P. F.). —The following is the practice of a 
first-rate grower of these plants:—Pot the clumps as soon as they are 
received into 5 and G inch pots, according to the size of the roots. One 
large crock may be placed at the base of the pots, but for those required for 
late flowering this is not important. They do not need very much soil to 
grow them to perfection, provided the crowns are strong and have been well 
ripened, for upon this depends whether they flower well or badly. Any 
good fertile soil will do for them ; but we prefer, where obtainable, good fibry 
loam .to which has been added one-seventh of decayed manure. In potting 
leave plenty of room for water, for an abundant supply will be needed when 
the plants are in active growth. After potting you may stand the pots 
outside until the approach of severe weather, when they will need the pro¬ 
tection of a cold house or frame. This is not really necessary with those 
required for late or spring flowering, for they will be safe if the pots are 
plunged in coal ashes and the surface covered about 2 inches deep, so as to 
protect the pots from the action of the weather. Spirreas are perfectly 
hardy, so that a very little protection to preserve the pots will keep the 
crowns in perfect condition. With the exception of a few required very 
late we prefer giving them protection under glass, for they start naturally 
into growth early in the spring, and thus render the work of forcing com¬ 
paratively easy. These plants are easily forced into bloom in a temperature 
of 60° to 65°, which will be necessary early in the season ; later a lower 
temperature w'ill suffice. It is a good plan to bring them forward after the 
first batch or two under slightly cooler conditions, so that they will not 
become drawn up w'eaklv. After the plants have started into growth they 
should be given a circulation of air daily when favourable. When growth 
has fairly commenced the plants should be arranged as close to the glass as 
possible to keep them dwarf and sturdy. Before they come into full flower 
gradually inure them to cooler treatment to harden both the flowers and 
foliage, by which means they will be preserved in good condition for nearly 
double the length of time than if fully developed in strong heat. If wanted 
