151 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 28, 18S9. 
a pillar or short rafter, but they require a position where they can be 
readily seen, as they are not of very strong growth. They can be planted 
out or placed in pots, a compost of loam, peat, and sand suiting them 
well, with plenty of water when in growth, and a well marked period of 
rest subsequently.—C. 
EVENING NOTES. 
Longevity of Bulbs. —Last April I had six bulbs brought me 
that were collected by a son of my employer while travelling for the 
benefit of his health in 1883. The disease proved fatal on returning 
home. All his worldly goods were stored away until last April, when 
the bulbs under notice were discovered, among other things, wrapped in 
paper in a portmanteau. They were brought to me to ascertain if any 
vitality remained in them. The bulbs were shrivelled so that I could 
not recognise them. They were all put in a 10-ineh pot and placed in 
a vinery. Water was given every time the soil was dry. The bulbs 
commenced swelling at once, but it was fully three months before they 
made any foliage. The first proved to be a Scilla, the remaining five 
are Ornithogalum alliaceum. I have never heard of bulbs remaining 
alive over so long a period, and am led to wonder if it is an unusual 
occurrence. 
Libonia flobibunda. —We generally grow these well. This season, 
however, we beat the record. The plants are three years old, and were 
about 2 feet high, and about the same diameter at the base, forming 
perfect pyramids in 7-inch pots, and were the admiration of all be¬ 
holders. Each year after flowering the plants are cut back to within a 
couple of inches of the base of the previous year’s growth. They are 
then removed to a house where a night temperature of 50° i3 main¬ 
tained, and syringed twice a day. As soon as the new growths are an 
inch in length the plants are turned out of the pots, the ba'ls reduced 
considerably, and the plants repotted firmly in pots one size larger in 
fibry loam and leaf mould, two parts of the former to one of the latter. 
A handful of half-inch bones is placed over the drainage of each pot. 
The plants are then returned to the same house and treated as before, 
giving liquid manure at every alternate watering when established. At 
the end of June they are removed to a cold pit for a few weeks, and 
then stood in a sunny position outside until frosts appear, when they 
are placed in the greenhouse to flower. 
Cyclamens. —For three seasons I have had Cyclamens that are a 
disgrace to me. As far as I can see the sole cause of this failure is a 
small mite or maggot that commences to bore its way from the bottom 
of the corm until it reaches the centre, when the plant dies. The 
plants go on very well until autumn from seed. The mischief is first 
seen by the flower buds withering instead of opening, then the foliage 
goes, and soon after the, corm decays. I have tried every system of 
culture with them that I have seen advocated in the Journal, but all to 
no purpose. The seedlings now look as healthy as possible. I am 
keeping them well away from the old plants. The latter, as a last 
resource, I am going to wash with softsoap and paraffin, unless the 
Editor can suggest anything better. I am sending a few corms for in¬ 
spection. on a former occasion, when in another part of the globe, I 
was fortunate enough to obtain a complimentary foot-note on my cul¬ 
ture of Cyclamen when sending him a sample. Now they will not please 
the grower, much less the Editor.— Handy Andy. 
[The roots of the plants received are eaten off, possibly by the larvae 
of a weevil. As every system of culture has been tried which has been 
advocated in the Journal, the soil has been roasted, then moistened 
before using, and if that will not destroy grubs in soil we do not know 
what will without rendering it unsuitable for plant growth. We have 
known the plan to answer well in many instances, and scorching the 
soil increases its fertility. We recently inspected some remarkably well 
grown Cyclamens in a private garden, and the gardener remarked that 
when in a previous situation he was quite unable to grow Cyclamens 
“ fit to be seen.”] _ 
Forget-me-nots in Pots. —Allow me to corroborate “W. S.’s” 
statement, page 238, respecting the effectiveness of this beautiful 
spring flower as a pot plant. Few objects could be more charming for 
amateurs with small greenhouses than a few well flowered pots of Forget- 
me-not interspersed amongst other plants ; whilst for large conservatories 
without stages they are more effective if planted thickly in round seed 
pans or baskets. As stated by “ W. S.,” they are easily grown, either by 
dividing the old plants after flowering, or from seed. The latter should 
be sown early in July in the open ground, and when large enough 
transplanted 4 inches asunder. The latter end of September they should 
be potted in two parts each of loam and leaf mould and one part sand. 
Myosotis dissitiflora will be found the best for early flowering. M. grandi- 
flora Blue Perfection is a greatly improved form of this species ; the 
flowers are much larger, ancl it blooms more continuously. It is grand 
for pot culture, but we have not tested its qualities as a bedder. For 
bedding purposes M. dissitiflora is much too tender with us, except in 
sheltered situations. After trying many varieties we find nothing to 
equal E. alpestris for bedding. It is nearly as early as M. dissitiflora, 
perfectly hardy, and blooms profusely. For bedding purposes the seeds 
are sown the end of July in an open border, and the plants are planted 
in their flowering quarters in October and November. Planted as a 
groundwork to yellow Wallflowers they have a charming effect. Forget- 
me-nots are excellent for spring bedding, and considering they are so 
easily grown it is a pity so many flower beds should remain bare all the 
winter and spring.—J. II. W., Leicester. 
Rhubarb.— Like many another reader of the Journal I was greatly 
surprised to read of the Rev. W. H. Sewell (page 157) having gathered 
Rhubarb from the open ground so early as February 14th, but the 
climax was reached on reading “ Handy Andy’s ’’ remarks on page 201. 
where he states he has gathered stalks at least a foot long since February 
20th from the open ground. His garden must be indeed a sheltered and 
warm one, or he must have a very precocious variety in Tobolsk. We 
grow four varieties of Rhubarb—namely, Kershaw’s Paragon, John¬ 
ston’s St. Martin’s, Myatt’s Victoria, and Stott’s Monarch. The first 
named was sent out a few years since with a considerable flourish of 
trumpets, claiming to be very early, ready to gather in the open about 
the middle of February I think. We have four strong plants which 
have been planted where they now are two or three years, and the leaf¬ 
stalks to-day (March 22nd) are about 3 or 4 inches long, while John¬ 
ston’s St. Martin’s is slightly later. Still later is Victoria, and latest of 
all is Stott’s Monarch, the leaves of which are not yet unfolded. Paragon 
is the best in point of colour we have, while Monarch is the palest, but 
it grows to a very great size, though late in starting.—T. WiNKWORTH. 
Potatoes Sporting. —I notice in your advertisement columns two- 
Potatoes which are described as sports. How do Potatoes sport 2 Does- 
the sportive plant show by its foliage during summer that a change has 
taken place either in the whole plant or a part of it, or is it observable 
in the tubers only ? I have never seen any account of a Potato sport 
either in your pages or the pages of your contemporaries, so should be 
glad of any information tending to enlighten, the more so as none of 
mv gardener friends seems to know anything of such a phenomenon, 
—T. W. 
THE DEUTZIA. 
[Reid by Mr. E. D. Smith, at a meet inf? of the Sheffield Floral and Horticultural Sourly. 
I HAVE headed my paper “ The Deutzia ” in order to embrace as 
far as possible all the varieties of Deutzias, both well known and little 
known, and to make some slight allusion to each, but the cultural 
details are for the most part chiefly applicable to the well known 
Deutzia gracilis, which at this time of the year is so conspicuous in 
many greenhouses and conservatories. 
The Deutzia belongs to the same nautral order of plants as the. 
Syringa or Mock Orange of our shrubberies, and like it is a hardy 
deciduous shrub. Deutzia is a rather peculiar name, but from what II 
can learn it was originally derived from a Dutch surname Deutz, the 
owner of which was a Sheriff of Amsterdam, but the reason for naming the 
plant after this gentleman is, as far as I am aware, shrouded in mystery. 
The specific name gracilis, which is given to our most popular and best 
known variety, means slender, alluding to the graceful delicate curves 
the flowering shoots make when allowed to hang naturally and un¬ 
supported by stakes. A more practical, and, perhaps, a more descriptive 
name for Deutzia gracilis is the Japanese Snowflower, and when a 
plant is crowded with good long flowering shoots, and each shoot is 
laden with snowy white bloom thickly clustered together, the name of 
Snowflower is very appropriate. 
The native home of the Deutzia is Japan and the Himalayan Mour> 
tains, which divide southern China from northern India, so that its 
native habitats are not very widely distributed. According to the 
Gardeners’ Dictionary ” there are six species of Deutzias, but a writer 
in a gardening paper a short time since stated that “ Maximowicz,” who, 
I presume, is a Russian botanist, “ in his revision of the genus Deutzia 
describes nine species—three of Asiatic, three belonging to the tempe¬ 
rate Himalayan region, two to northern China, and four to Japan.” 
All, I believe, are white flowered with the exception of one, Deutzia 
sanguinea, which, as its name implies, has red flowers which bloom in 
April. The next best known species to D. gracilis is the double flowered 
or sci l oped variety named D. crenata flore pleno. This was a valuable 
introduction from Japan in 1863, and is considered more useful for very 
early forcing than D. gracilis. Another is D. corymbosa, or corymb¬ 
flowering, which means that all the flowers reach the same height, but 
the pedicels or stalks of the flowers do not spring from the same base. 
This is a native of the Himalayas, and grows to the height of 5 feet, 
bearing white flowers. Then there is D. scabra, or rough-leaved 
Deutzia, growing to the height of 6 feet, flowering in May ; a native of 
Japan, whence it came in 1833. The leaves are covered with beautiful 
scales, which gave origin to the name of scabra, hence from their rough¬ 
ness the leaves are used in Japan for polishing purposes. The broad- 
stamened Deutzia, or D. staminea, was introduced in 1841 from the 
Himalayas, and bears white flowers, which develope in April on bushes 
3 feet high. 
There is also another variety of recent introduction named D. parvi- 
flora. A writer in the Garden of last year thus describes it — “ This, 
although but little known in gardens, is by far the most beautiful of 
the three or four species now cultivated. It is a native of northern 
China and the Amoor country, and was sent a few years ago to this 
country. It is a stout shrub with stems 4 or 5 feet high. The corymbs 
of handsome white flowers appear generally during the first week in 
June, and are produced in the greatest profusion, quite covering for 
several feet the upper portions of the stems. It is one of the hardiest 
and most desirable Asiatic shrubs of recent introduction.” Of course 
