168 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
[ February 25, 1886. 
tors I do not agree with, bat when enthusiasts express the opinion 
that it' is surprising how few re illy good eating Potatoes there 
are, we may feel justified in arrivin' at the conclusion that the 
only good the tottering International Society is now doing is the 
keeping of too many sorts before the public, the long lists of 
glowingly described sorts serving to bewilder and, what is still 
worse, to very frequently disappoint those who depend upon the 
■catalogue descriptions. What we want, who cannot grow many 
sorts at a time, is the advice of independent men willing and able 
to gi ve an honest opinion of the merits of all they have tried. 
The list of those retained by Mr. Howard should prove instruc¬ 
tive, these being Adirondack, Alderman, Fidler's Success (late 
Beauty of Eydon), Beauty of Hebron, Chancellor, Cosmopolitan, 
The Dean, London Hero, Duke of Albany, Early Regent, Elling- 
tonia, Fiftyfold, First and Best, Ashtop Fluke, Mr. Breezee, 
Pride of Ontario, Fidler’s Prolific, Queen of the Valley, Reading 
Hero, Reading Russet, Snowflake, Vanguard, Vicar of Laleham, 
Woodstock Kidney, White Elephant, and Scotch Blue, and to 
which are added this season Sutton’s Seedling, Sutton’s Abund¬ 
ance, The Colonel Purple Perfection, Earl and General Gordon, 
these being of promising appearance. 
What Mr. Howard considers a good twelve for both “ table 
and sho-v” are Chancellor, Snowflake or Woodstock Kidney, 
Fidler’s Prolific, Schoolmaster, London Hero, Reading Hero, 
Beauty of Hebron, Edgcott Purple, Mr. Breesee, Vicar of Lale¬ 
ham, Reading Russet, and The Dean. Where table quality is 
the greatest consideration he recommends the Ashleafs, Beauty 
of Hebron, Snowflake, Harvester, Alderman, Early Regent, 
Woodstock Kidney, Reading Russet, Schoolmaster, any of the 
Lapstones, and Reading Hero, and these used somewhat in the 
order given will last “in good eating all the yeir round.” Of 
the foregoing the heaviest croppers are Queen of the Valley, 
Adirondack, Vicar of Laleham, The Dean, Fidler’s Prolific, 
Success, White Elephant, Duke of Albany, Cosmopolitan, Fifty¬ 
fold, and Chancellor. The last named Mr. Howard considers the 
finest cropping white kidney he has yet grown, and is of opinion 
that it will never be surpassed either for heavy cropping or 
exhibition.—W. Iggulden. 
SHRUBBY CALCEOLARIAS. 
Calceolarias are favourite bedding plants here, and in order to 
succeed with them I have been obliged to considerably modify the details 
of their treatment from that usually considered correct. The usual 
method of culture in many instances fails in securing beds of healthy 
plants, free flowering, and bright in colour. Therefore a short note on 
this subject may be of benefit to gardeners and others who have hitherto 
had some trouble with Calceolarias. 
I do not think it matters much which variety is grown, that being 
merely a question of taste. The two I like best are Kayi, a strong¬ 
growing floriferous yellow, which from July till November affords a con¬ 
tinued succession of bright flowers ; and General Havelock, a brownish 
red, sort which under special treatment is as long-continued a flowerer 
as Kayi, This is more of the habit of the herbaceous varieties, and can 
hardly be called “ shrubby.” The flower heads are produced in moderate 
abundance from the dwarf growths which form the plant, and by 
removing the older growths a continued succession of flowers is obtained. 
If, however, the old flower heads are left too long the plant leaves off 
flowering. I have tried a large number of other sorts, but have found 
none to do so well as these. C. amplexicaulis is a beautiful variety, and is 
worthy of cultivation both for its beauty as a plant and for yielding a 
supply of flowers, but as a bedding sort it does not do so well as Kayii. 
There are two main points in the treatment of Calceolarias as bedding 
plants which are of much importance. The first is to take the cuttings 
so late as to insure the plants making no top growth before spring, and 
the second to have the plants put into the flower beds as soon as can be 
safely done after they are well rooted. In order to secure the first of 
these I find the third week in October quite as early as the cut’ings 
should be inserted. They may be left till the beginning of November, 
but, all things considered, perhaps the former is the time to be preferred. 
At the present time the cuttings are beginning to make roots, the tops, as a 
matter of course, being in exactly the same state as when they were 
dibbled into the frames. The appearance is not so good as that of plants 
which were rooted before winter, but they are just in the condition to 
form compact little plants, each having a ball of roots, which can be trans¬ 
planted intact in the beginning of April into the flower beds. 
A layer of old Mushroom-bed manure over the bottom of the bed is a 
great help to securing plenty of short healthy roots at transplanting time. 
The beginning of April is about the time to do this. When planting a 
little manure is worked in amongst the roots, and after the planting is 
finished a layer of the same spread over the beds is of very great advan¬ 
tage. As each plant is put out a few twigs of dead spruce branchlets are 
stuck round it. This serves as a protection from cold, and later on helps 
to supp >rt the plant as it spreads out in growing. The plants are kept 
free from flowers until June, when they are left to come on, so as to be 
well flowering by the beginning of July. If the weather is very dry 
about the end of May a soaking of water is given, and any time after¬ 
wards, if dry weather sets in for any length of time, the beds are soaked 
with water. Under the conditions above noted we lose scarcely any 
plants, and I have never seen plants do so well even when double and 
perhaps treble the amount of labour was expended on them. 
It only remains to add that the last cuttings are those not above 
2 inches in length, and if they can be had as side shoots, which can be 
brokea off from the main growths, these are all the better. The cuttings 
are dibbled into cold frames, protected with straw and mats from frosts, 
and when once the roots are protruded and growth begins the sashes are 
kept as much as possible off the plants.— R. P. Brotherston. 
SOME SINGLE ROSES AS DECORATIVE PLANTS. 
[An article by Mr. T. W. Girdles tone in the “ Boaarian’s Year Book.”] 
(Continued from page 136.) 
Perhaps the most winning of the smaller-growing single Roses is 
R. berberidifolia Hardii (I.), formerly said to have been a hybrid between 
R. berberidifolia (= simplicifolia) and involucrata, but probably a seedling 
from R. clinophylla fertilised by R. berberidifolia. Anyway, the plant 
was raised by M. Hardy, at Paris, in 1844 [Date not certain.—T. W. G.] 
and though not simple-leaved, it follows berberidifolia in its yellow 
flowers, about the size of half-a-crown, with a purple blotch at the base of 
each petal. Its habit is slender, but it grows and flowers freely, and 
makes a most graceful and interesting plant. 
Another Rose that is a first-class plant, in spite of its being afflicted 
with a list of names like a biographical dictionary, is R. Sinica (III.) 
(= laevigata, ternata, triphylla, nivea, camellia, cherokensis 1). It would 
almost seem as if there had been (of course there are not now) people who 
on finding some well-known plant to be possessed of great merit, have got 
up stock, and sent it out afresh with a new name. At any rate, most of 
the best varieties of Apple?, Pears, Chrysanthemums, Roses, appear 
to have such a string of names, that it is like being at a Royal christening 
to hear them talked about. Could some such practice as this have origi¬ 
nated the use of the word “plant,” to signify a “take-in?” this of 
course, sub rosa. But to return ; of all Roses, Sinica is the most easily 
recognisable, with its ternate, dark, glossy foliage, in texture more like 
that of a Camellia than a Rose, and it is admirably adapted for covering 
either a wall or pillar, since, in addition to being practically an evergreen, 
it grows with great vigour, and when established makes a lavish display 
of its beautiful large single white flowers. It is often called the Georgian 
Rose, from the land of its adoption, in North America, but it is believed 
to have been originally introduced from China. 
The other Chinese Rose, R bracteata (IV.) (Macartney) and its pretty 
variety, Maria Leonida, are two very charming Roses, but well-known, 
and perhaps hardly of sufficiently robust constitution to become general 
favourites. From North America, however, have come several species of 
considerable interest, especially two which have a more or less strong 
family likeness in their principal features. These are R. nitida and 
R. lucida (= baltica, rapa) (V.). both characterised by shining leaves 
composed of many (five to eleven) small oblong leaflets, stems more or 
less red and smooth, and rosy flowers succeeded by scarlet setaceous 
Turnip-shaped heps of great brilliancy. The former is the more slender 
plant in all its parts, and the shoots are covered with numerous fine 
prickles of various sizes, which, however, are not always persistent; but 
it is a fairly easy plant to identify, and is very well figured by Redouts. 
R. lucida, on the other hand, is a very variable species, though always 
attractive, with its glossy foliage to set off its rosy flowers or brilliant 
fruit, neither of which vary appreciably. One variety is a vigorous grower 
and makes a large bush, or if trained on a wall attains the height of 10 or 
12 feet, and has obtuse pale-green leaflets with an uneven surface, and 
numerous deciduous prickles on the young growths. But the most beau¬ 
tiful variety does not usually exceed 2 feet in height, although very 
vigorous; its dark red stems armed with pairs of straight prickles support 
pretty rosy flowers, which are succeeded by round heps even more orna¬ 
mental, gleaming among the deep green shining foliage, which itself 
assumes a rich purple colour before reluctantly admitting that it is not 
quite evergreen. In the same group (V.) R. Woodsii is not so interesting, 
but the foliage assumes pretty tints in autumn ; the slender-growing 
R. clinophylla (= laxa) is best known through its beautiful double- 
flowered variety ; and R. rugosa (= ferox, Rsgeliana) is generally culti¬ 
vated, The white-flowered variety of the last-named is deservedly 
popular, but the variety coruscans should be grown rather than the red- 
flowered type. For it must be admiited that the colour of rugosa is of a 
somewhat dingy red, while coruscans, of similar external appearance, has 
flowers of the softest clear pink, with petals of wonderfully silky texture. 
A rich purple semi-double variety called Comte d’Espremenil, sent out by 
Nabonnand, is of interest as being perpetual, flowering freely a second 
time in the autumn. R. kamtschatica, with a habit of growth somewhat 
similar to rugosa, is inferior in every way, having much smaller red 
flowers. 
(To be continued.) 
ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
The usual monthly meeting of this Society wa3 held on Wednesday 
evening, the 17th instant, at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Mr. W. 
Ellis, F.R.A.S., President, in the chair. 
Mr. G. Buchanan, M.Inet.C.E., Captain G. H. Leggett, Dr. H. C. 
Taylor, J.P., and Mr. J. Tolson, were ballotted for and duly elected 
Fellows of the Society. 
The following papers were read :— 
1. “ General Remarks on the Naming of Clouds,” by Capt. H. Toyn- 
