Dacember 3, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
491 
portion need no longer be regarded as essential to its well-being 
or success. 
Other instances I have in mind where Saxifraga Burseriana, 
Gentiana puniila, and Edraianthus dalmaticus grow to the 
greatest perfection in loamy soils of ordinary character, by 
which I mean not specially prepared soil, and which receives 
annually a dressing of manure. Here we have three choice 
alpines growing luxuriantly in ordinary soil containing manure. 
There are few growers of alpines which allow them manure, but 
I am assured that they benefit by it. My reasons for dwelling 
more particularly on the food of choice alpines, and in doing so 
to show how indiiferent are many of the so called alpines to the 
soil in which they are placed, is to endeavour to remove the 
opinion that particular soils must be had for certain plants. 
Laying down hard-and-fast rules as regards soil has debarred 
not a few from enjoying these modest beauties of the Alps in 
our gardens at home, and kept many more from attempting 
their cultivation. The majority of alpine plants may be grown 
with complete success in a fairly rich sandy loam; others prefer 
peat, and others peat and loam in equal proportions. Those that 
will not thrive in such soils as these are few, and their failure 
may readily be traced to other causes. Where limestone is 
deemed essential to a few plants, and not easily obtained, it will 
be best supplied in the shape of old mortar rubbish. For such 
plants as the encrusted species of Saxifragas this is agreeable 
to the plants, though by no means essential to their success. 
Lime, too, is very often supplied without thought; for example, 
some waters abound in lime, and when the plants receive copious 
supplies those which are supposed to delight in it and those 
that abhor it all receive it alike. 
One thing which the alpine tourist would always do well to 
note is whether any particular plant or plants prefer wet spongy 
ground to dry rocky soils, and whether they generally grow in 
sunny or shady spots. No doubt they will be found to occur in 
a variety of situations and soils, in which case the most luxuriant 
lants should be examined and noted accordingly. It may not 
e generally known that in a wild state Helleborus niger to a 
considerable extent inhabits soils abounding with granitic 
rock, out to insure success in England we give it a deep and 
thoroughly enriched loam, and these cannot be either too deep 
or too good for these plants. Pinguiculas in their mountain 
home are not unfrequently found on banks of steep stones, not 
singly, but by thousands, the stones being kept moist by 
trickling streams from above. Here it would appear that the 
one great want is supplied by the moisture alone, and without 
which the plants would soon perish. I have seen this mode of 
growing them well illustrated in the York nurseries, and charm¬ 
ingly natural they appear when thus placed, but notwithstand¬ 
ing which they may be grown and flowered equally well in small 
colonies on an even surface in spongy peat and sphagnum moss. 
To these l could add many more instances, all, however, having 
a similar bearing—viz., that elaborate and expensive rockeries 
are not absolutely necessary for the successful culture of alpine 
plants in the lowlands, but I fully realise the value of well-con¬ 
structed rockeries, which, however, are anything but numerous. 
Heaps of stones, a disgrace to the name of rockwork, may occa¬ 
sionally be seen upon which alpines cannot thrive, and the only 
one in nursery gardens known to the writer is that in the York 
nurseries. This is worthy the name, a veritable specimen of 
natural rock, and while such a one cannot easily be imitated, 
there are other means of forming and constructing such places 
as suit the majority of alpines in most gardens.—E. Jenkins. 
(To be continued.) 
The annual general meeting of the National Auricula and 
National Carnation and Picotee Societies will be held, by 
permission of the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society, in the 
Conservatory, South Kensington, as soon after twelve o’clock as possible, 
on Tuesday, December 8th, 1885. The business of the meeting will be 
the election of officers and Committee, receiving the Secretary’s and 
Treasurer’s report, the election of Judges for the ensuing year, and any 
other necessary business as may pertain to the annual general meeting. 
-A grand Show of Orchids at Birmingham is announced 
to be held in the Botanical Garden, Edgbaston, on Wednesday and 
Thursday, May 12th and 13th, 1886, when prizes to the amount of £111 will 
be offered in eleven classes. The first five are for groups of twenty, ten, and 
sixjplants for nurserymen and amateurs, and in the others Odontoglossum. 
Cattleya», Laelias, Masdevallias, and cut Orchid flowers are provided 
for. The Hon. Secretaries are William Southall and Hugh Nettlefold, 
Esq.’s. 
- One of the best stove flowering plants of recent introduction is 
Amasonia punicea, for which plant cultivators are indebted to Messrs. 
J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. It has been shown and certificated at most of 
the leading exhibitions this year, and has attracted much attention, owing 
to ita distinctness and beauty. It lasts in good condition for a sur¬ 
prisingly long time, plants having been in flower for over three months 
at Chelsea, and there are several now which have by no means lost all 
their attractions. The chief beauty resides in the bright red bracts which 
accompany the yellowish tubular flowers in long terminal lacemes, the 
leaves being elliptical, dark green, and bold in appearance. One very 
good quality must not be overlooked—namely, it is most easily grown and 
propagated, and there is no doubt it would make a most effective 
specimen for exhibition. 
- We are informed that the Directors of the Glasgow and 
West of Scotland Horticultural Society have fixed their 1886 
Exhibitions to be held in the St. Andrew’s Hall, Granville Street, Glasgow, 
as follows—Spring, Wednesday, 24th March, 1886. Autumn, Wednesday, 
8th September, 1886. 
- Mr. W. Monk, Forest House, Leytonstone, writes :—“ I wish 
to thank “ D., Deal ,” for his remarks on page 468 in favour of the Trained 
Specimen Chrysanthemums at the Aquarium Exhibition. I am glad 
that someone has spoken out in favour of the cultivation of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums in pots, because Mr. Iggulden last year wrote to say that they are 
not wanted at the shows and ought not to be encouraged. In my opinion 
a show without good specimen plants is not worth visiting.” 
- At the Northampton Chrysanthemum Show we are in¬ 
formed that Mr. W. A. Walter, gardener to Alfred B. Loder, Esq., was 
very successful in the open classes for cut blooms, taking second for 
twenty-four incurves, first for twenty-four Japanese, and in Class A, for 
gardeners within a radius of thirty miles of Northampton, be obtained 
second for twelve Japanese, distinct, second for six, one variety; first for 
twelve incurved, distinct; first for six, distinct; first for six, one variety , 
first for six, Anemone ; and first for six, reflexed; Mr. Underwood 
Delapr^ Abbey, and Mr. W. S. Miller, Whittlebury, taking the remaining 
prizes in the same classes in the order of their names, with the exception 
of twelve Japanese and six one variety Japanese, where Mr. Underwood 
was first with good blooms. 
- Mr. C. Waring writes :—“ At the Newport Horticultural 
Society’s Show, Monmouth, held on the 19th inst, I gained the second 
prize for Japanese Chrysanthemum cut blooms ; they were from cut- 
down plants grown for decoration only. In your report of the Show my 
employer’s name should be Mrs. J. Aikin, it is misprinted Atkins.” 
- “ G.” sends the following paragraph — “ The aphides have 
hitherto been supposed to be the most prolific of living beings ; and it is 
disappointing to find a writer who has been at the pains to count the 
progeny of a single Rose aphis, declaring that the individuals only 
number 32,768,000,000,000,000,000. He, no doubt, did not take a fair 
sample of aphis, and we hope he will try again with a result that will 
do more justice to this interesting insect. If he would also take the 
trouble to wiite the result in words instead of figures, he would gratify 
many persons.” 
-Mr. W. F. Bateman, Kents Bank, Carnforth, writes “As an 
evidence of the mildness of the season, a swallow was seen flitting 
about over the ornamental water at Grange-over-Sands this afternoon ; 
the bird seemed to have a remarkably fine coat of feathers, and there 
seemed plenty of food in the shape of insects in the air.” 
- “ Entomologist ” writes in reference to Apricot branches 
dying :—“ Some few years since examples of branches that had 
perished from an insect depredator were sent to me for examination. The 
wood had been tunnelled by the larvae of a clearwing moth, the special 
foe of the Pear twigs and wood—viz., Sesia myopseforme. I have not 
been able to hear of any similar instances, but as the species, once 
occurred on the Apricot it might do again. Should you hear of any 
