218 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 18, 18S6. 
bed of American plants, on sloping banks—anywhere, in fact, will its 
bright golden flowers produce a striking effect in the dawn of spring. If 
allowed to remain unmolested for a few years it will form a dense mass, 
and, like the Snowdrop which bears it company, will thrive in almost 
any barren spot, where even grass fails to find food sufficient for an 
existence. 
No flower is more charming at this season than Iris reticulata, with 
its fragrant violet and gold flowers; but while it seems to battle with 
wind and rain, frost and snow, it is not advisable to expose it to all the 
damaging influences, therefore I would urge that some protection be 
given it, such as a cold frame. It may be increased by the offsets of the 
bulbs and also by seeds, and very interesting is it, in adopting the latter 
method, to mark the variation of its offspring. It seeds somewhat freely, 
and those who wish to have a stock of this pleasing plant in their gardens 
should save all the seeds possible. Years ago the late Mr. Atkins of 
Painswick was a most successful cultivator of this and many other choice 
plants, and I well remember a patch several feet square and which con¬ 
tained hundreds of bulbs in flower at the time of my visit. The value of 
such plants when well established cannot be over-estimated. There are 
varieties of this Iris equally lovely, though rarer, while others are not in 
commerce; among these being I. reticulata cyanea and I. reticulata 
purpurea (Krelagei). The former received a certificate of the first class 
at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society on the 9th ult., 
and to have it in perfection at such a time and in such a season as the 
present is in itself sufficient recommendation. I cannot overlook the 
lovely I. persica and I. stylosa, the former delicate in colour and possessing 
a fragrance unsurpassed. The colour is blue blotched with purple, 
yellow, and white; it is of diminutive growth, only a few inches high, 
and comes in early February; it may be planted in light, though deep 
rich sandy soil, in small clumps, either in the herbaceous border, the 
rockery, or in company with the Netted Tris in a cold frame. Whether I 
am justified in including I. stylosa within the limits of these notes I 
Fijf. 41. -A Curious Cineraria. 
know not, for we can hardly refer to it as spring flowering, for during 
my own experience I have had it in flower from November to April. My 
experience of this lovely and chaste gem is as a winter flower, at least 
from established clumps. From those which have recently been removed 
flowers issue at intervals during the period stated, but come when they 
may the delicate beauty of its flowers is ever welcome. These are of a 
pleasing and beautiful light blue with yellow blotches, the flowers issuing 
from a tuft of leaves in an unexpected manner, which would seem to make 
them doubly welcome. 
We have the trio of Giant Snowdrops in Galanthus Elwesii, G. lati- 
folius, and G. plicatus. These all come in early February, and are so 
widely distinct from the rest as to merit the name of “ giant.” In the 
first we have the best of the large-flowered varieties, and which has been 
in excellent condition for a month past. The foliage is large, the sepals 
pure white and much winged in its latter stages, while the bells are 
white margined with green. All the above are as easily cultivated as the 
common Snowdrop, and should find a home in all gardens. G. Elwesii is 
fully 10 inches high, and it will even exceed this height when well 
established. 
Turning from the Snowdrops, I will next mention the white Hoop 
Petticoat Narcissus. N. monophyllus, the earliest of its relatives, even 
with 10° of frost last night, has been flowering in the open, protected only 
by a light temporarily placed on some brickbats to keep it clear of the 
flowers. It isa flower of glistening whiteness, of pleasing fragrance, and 
its height is only 4 to 6 inches, thus making it a charming pot plant for 
the conservatory. It is not impossible to construct an indoor rockery 
where such plants as these may be at home, having portable lights, which 
may be at any time removed. Such a structure would be a boon in a 
hardy plant garden, giving just the assistance so many plants need— i.e., 
protection from the change of temperature, drenching rains, and winds, 
and might well embrace all the best among hardy bulbs, and more espe¬ 
cially the first of our spring flowers. Such a structure may be erected at 
comparatively small cost, and, I may add, be unheated. Later on in the 
season the other members of the Hoop Petticoat Narciss will be coming 
on— e.g ., N. bulbocodium, with varieties Greahii citrinus, a large hand¬ 
some form, and conspicuus, the large golden. Succeeding these we have 
N. nanus and minor, and ere these are past the innumerable host of 
Narcissus and Daffodils will be making considerable headway, rendering 
a garden with a fair complement of them most enjoyable.—-J. H. E. 
A CURIOUS CINERARIA. 
Last season we had a very curious seedling Cineraria sent to us by a 
friend. Its ray or outer florets were involute (fig. 41) somewhat as are 
those of double Dahlias. The colour was peculiar, being bright rosy pink, 
margined with bright crimson. The friend who sent it promised to save 
seed, but some accident happened to the plant, and so no seed was forth¬ 
coming. Why the outer florets should have curled their margins inwards 
in this fashion is past explanation, but it may serve as an example of the 
vagaries often observable in plant life, and for which we know no cause. 
Some plants are remarkable for their variable-shaped florets—to wit, the 
Chrysanthemum. Everyone expects the Chrysanthemum to exhibit this 
variability, but no one, so far as we know, has yet tried to obtain similar 
results from other composite flowers. There is a variety of the common 
Ox-eye Daisy which has tubular or quilled ray florets instead of flat ones, 
and we see no good reason why such varieties of Cinerarias should not 
some day become popular, just as Betteridge’s Quilled Asters are now. 
Our illustration is an example of how Nature, the dear old nurse, gets in 
the thin edge of the wedge when she wants to effect a change. A florist 
would laugh at a flower of this sort, and tell you that it was like a wind¬ 
mill, or that there was too much daylight to be seen through the florets, 
but Nature is the greatest florist after all, if we could but understand her 
reasons as clearly as we see her variations.—F. W. B. 
ARTIFICIAL FERTILISATION OF ROSES. 
A letter written by the late H. B. Ellwanger, author of “ The 
Rose,” in reply to a private correspondent several years ago, appears in 
the American Florist. 
“ Your letters duly received. This is my first opportunity of answering. 
Gdo^ral Jacqueminot for many reasons would make an excellent female 
parent. I have this winter fertilised five or six flowers of this variety, 
and now have seed pods forming, one fertilised by Solfaterre, an-ther by 
Safrano. Roses should be fertilised on a sunny day. Before the flower 
is fully blown which you intend to fertilise the petals should be carefully 
pulled off and the stamens then cut off with a fine pair of scissors (em¬ 
broidery scissors). The pistils are ready for fertilisation at the same time 
when the stamens are ready to drop their pollen, hence the necessity of 
cutting off the stamens three or four hours before the pollen ripens ; if 
this is not done you are not at all certain whether any cross has been pro¬ 
duced or not. Removing the petals hastens the ripening of the pollen, 
and without this you could not remove the slamens of many of the full 
sorts. It is my opinion that the male parent has more potency, as a 
general rule, than the female, and should advise you to make crosses with 
this in mind. Thus, from Safrano as a male parent and G6n6rat Jacque¬ 
minot as female parent (which cross I have made), I should expect a 
flower less full than Jacqueminot, but which would give a beautiful bud, 
perhaps a little fuller than Safrano. I have made many crosses, using 
varieties of Bourbon, Bengal, Hybrid Perpetual, Noisette, and Tea. I 
have used Solfaterre a good deal as a male parent on account of its colour 
and vigorous growth, though Safrano will give twice the amount o' pollen. 
Besides G6m)ral Jacqueminot, you will find La Reine and Baron de Bon- 
stetten excellent female parents among the Hybrid Perpetuals. The seed 
is best gathered late in autumn before any hard frost, the heps placed in 
sand in pots (covered with glass or something else to protect from mice) 
and planted in January under glass. Most of them will come up in a few 
weeks, and when up for a few days can be picked out and potted in small 
pots. 
“ I presume Bennett makes the Tea Rose the female parent because it is 
the more tender, and the male parent being more potent in its influence 
he uses for such the Hybrid Perpetuals, which are hardier than the Teas. 
The most of them, judging merely from their appearance and breeding, 
will be as hardy as the Victor Verdier type, and perhaps more so. You 
will find that Niphetos will make but an indifferent female parent, and 
will not be a male parent at all, but in the first way will be worth experi¬ 
menting with. I am very glad to know that you are interesting yourself 
in this matter. 1 have several correspondents now in this country who 
are taking hold of the productions of seedling Roses from artificial 
fecundation, and I am positive that among us we will produce many 
varieties of great value. I hope you will keep me informed of any pro¬ 
gress you make.” 
NOTES ON PEAS. 
I SEE in the Journal of Horticulture, March 4tb, page 166, “A 
Kitchen Gardener” makes a few remarks upon growing Peas He also 
says that he has had the satisfaction of surpassing one of my be-t collec¬ 
tions at South Kensington, which I have no doubt is true, but your corre¬ 
spondent, I think, makes a mistake when he says he has not had time 
to grow for exhibition since beating my collection, and then a'terwards 
admits taking a prize with Wordsley Wonder at South Kensington in 
1S84. The year in which he beat my best collection of Peas must have 
been before 1884, as in that year, and also in 1885, I had the honour of 
taking all the first prizes at South Kensington when I exhibited. 
