March 28, 1889. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
257 
- Daffodils are very beautiful just now. The well known 
pallidns prsecox is of course amongst them ; it is one of the earliest and 
most useful. A little earlier and decidedly more showy is Ard Righ 
(Irish King), and this delightful Daffodil is in its turn surpassed— so at 
least thought Mr. Ware’s foreman—by Golden Spur, a variety of 
spurius ; it is a little earlier than Ard Righ, and equally as rich in 
colour. Both are very desirable. More delicately beautiful than any 
of these is the charming Cyclamineus. A. thick clump under a hand- 
light was a picture of slender loveliness. Though thus protected it 
must not be inferred that the Cyclamen-flowered Daffodil is tender. 
On the contrary, it is as hardy as the common Daffodil. It has now 
been in bloom four weeks. 
— Not less attractive are the varieties of Chionodoxa. These 
are now comparatively numerous, but gigantea, Lucilire, and sardensis 
are the best three. The former is no meagre improvement on Lucilim, but 
distinctly larger, bolder, and more vigorous both in flower and leafage. 
C. Timolusi is here also. Mr. Elwes, writing in a contemporary, doubts 
the distinctness of this plant. He is probably justified in doing so, for 
as grown at Tottenham it is merely an inferior form of Lucilire. As 
represented by the three above named, the Chionodoxas are decidedly 
attractive, and still more attention will probably be paid to them in 
the future. 
- Anemone blanda is undoubtedly the gem of the rockwork. 
It has been called the Winter Windflower, a name that is not only 
alliterative but expressive, which is more than most “ English names ’ 
for flowers are. They generally mean nothing. Anemone blanda has 
been in bloom all the winter on tke rockwork at Tottenham, and it is 
very cheerful still in its bright garb of blue. This beautiful native of 
Mount Parnassus must not be confounded with A. apennina blanda, a 
plant of later and inferior beauty. 
- Clematis indivisa.—T his is well known for its great freedom 
of flowering ; few roof plants excel it in this particular, as is well exem¬ 
plified by a plant in Messrs. W. Paul & Son’s Nurseries, Waltham Cross, 
which has been in bloom for five or six weeks, and is still bearing thou¬ 
sands of flowers. This beautiful white Clematis is not less useful as a 
specimen plant. It may be trained on a trellis in a pot, and will clothe 
it in a thick mass of flowers, or it may be planted out of doors and 
pegged down in a bed. .There are few more widely useful or more easily 
grown plants. 
- Primula Waltham White is an exceedingly free-flowering 
variety of P. sinensis alba. It is not perfection as a florists’ variety, but 
for conservatory decoration it is admirably adapted from its hardy 
vigorous character and profusion of bloom. 
-The Royal Horticultural Society's Journal.—W e have 
received, somewhat late, owing perhaps, to an apparent lack of uniformity 
in distribution, part i., vol. xi., of the Journal of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society. There are reports on Hungarian Grapes and Burmese 
Potatoes, also on Tomatoes, Stocks, Asters, Rhubarb, and the cool 
storage of fruit. The records of experiments on grafting Apples are 
interesting and suggestive, and the proceedings at the different meetings 
are narrated. 
-Early Rhubarb.—As several notes have been published on 
this subject we cite the following paragraph from the report above 
mentioned :—“ Early Red— Syn., Early Albert, Royal Albert, Prince 
Albert, Mitchell’s Royal Albert, Crimson Perfection.—This is the earliest 
variety of Rhubarb, commencing to grow in the open ground early in 
February. The young leafstalks, as they first appear, are of a very 
beautiful pale crimson, gradually becoming of a mottled pale green as 
they grow older. Average size 18 to 24 inches long, and 1 to 1| inch 
broad, quite smooth, concave on the upper side and rounded on the 
under ; slightly ribbed, the edges quite sharp. Leaves small, smooth, 
pale green. Much grown for forcing for the market.” It would be 
interesting to know how far the Yaxley Vicar’s Rhubarb differs from 
this variety with its many synonyms. Tobolsk, which was so precocious 
with “ Handy Andy,” is described as of “ no value ” in the report. 
Hawke’s Champagne is mentioned as a very favourite variety from its 
high colour, and is said to be fit for use “ nearly as soon as Early 
Red.” 
- Relative Precocity of Apple Stocks.—T his is well shown 
in the tabulated results in the Royal Horticultural Society’s Journal, and 
the facts adduced by the experiments differ very materially from the 
quackery that is circulated in newspapers and magazines on the certainty 
of Apple trees bearing good crops every year. The table shows that 
during a period of five years “ the Doucin and the French Paradise 
produced during the years of observation the greatest number of flowers. 
The French Paradise produced, relatively to the size of the tree, more 
flowers than the Doucin—the latter being more vigorous. A so-called 
French Paradise and Pommier Franc produced no flowers at all during 
the five years noted, and the Crab and English Paradise comparatively 
few. In 1880, the season following the extremely wet one of 1879, 
Apple blossom was remarkably scarce. In 1883, having become crowded, 
the trees were transplanted, which operation induced an abundance of 
blossom on every one the following year ; very little fruit was, however, 
obtained, the total crop produced by these eighteen trees in thirteen 
years not amounting to a single bushel, and yet the trees are every 
season pretty well covered with blossom.” 
■- The sixth meeting of L’Orchideenne was held at Brussels on 
the 10th inst. in the pavilion of L’Horticulture Internationale, with 
even greater success than any of the preceding, when eighty-five species 
and varieties of beautiful Orchids were exhibited. First-class diplomas 
were awarded to Odontoglossum Wilckeanum var. albens from M. 
Vuylsteke of Loochristi, O. Lucienianum var. cordatum of M. Linden of 
Brussels, 0. Pescatorei var. Lindeni of M. Warocqud of Mariemont. A 
second-class diploma was awarded to Odontoglossum Rossi var. Mommi 
of M. Charle at Forest. First-class certificates of merit were awarded 
to Odontoglossum Andersoni var. Waroqu^anum of M. G. AVarocque; 
0. Halli var. leucoglossum of M. Peeters, Brussels; 0. President 
Zhaldua of M. Vuylsteke. Second-class certificates of merit were 
awarded to Odontoglossum Pescatorei var. maculatum of M. Halkin, 
Brussels ; Cypripedium bellatulum var. Marias of M. J. Hye of Ghent. 
First-class cultural certificate was awarded to Dendrobium Hilli of 
M. Linden, and Cypripedium villosum of M. Peeters. A second-class 
cultural certificate was awarded to Cattleya amethystoglossa of M. 
Peeters of Brussels. 
-National Chrysanthemum Society.— At the last meeting 
of the Committee it was resolved that conferences should take place in 
connection with the September and Januiry Exhibitions, and also one 
at Hull in connection with the provincial Show of the Society. It was 
suggested, as there is a large increase in the number of new varieties of 
the Chrysanthemum, a supplement to the Catalogue should be prepared, 
and the matter has been left to the Schedule Sub-Committee. It was 
resolved that a new design should be prepared for the Society’s Certifi¬ 
cate of Merit. The Secretary having brought forward the matter of 
the proposed celebration of the centenary of the introduction to Europe, 
a Sub-Committee, consisting of Messrs. Harman Payne, Briscoe Ironside, 
G. Gordon, L. Castle, R. Dean, J. Laing, and B. Wynne, with power to 
add to their number, was appointed to prepare a scheme and submit the 
same to a meeting of the Committee to be held in the autumn. The 
Secretary was requested to make arrangements for the annual outing of 
the Society during the summer. Three new members were elected, and 
the Chrysanthemum Association and Green Street District Cottage 
Garden Society were admitted to affiliation. Mr. G. Kipling sent from 
Knebworth Gardens some p.’etty blooms of Japanese Chrysanthemums, 
and Mr. R. Owen, nurseryman, Maidenhead, a collection of bloomsof 
Primula sinensis. 
--- The Woolly Aphis on Auriculas.—T he notes on Auriculas 
from “ J. M.,” though they may not be entirely accurate, practically or 
theoretically, will do this good, that they will enable himself as well as 
your readers to learn how he differs from the most eminent and success¬ 
ful growers, such as the Rev. F. D. Horner, Mr. William Bolton (vide 
page 213) and others. I may be permitted to draw attention to the 
above point, as a small grower and admirer of the Auricula, with the 
view to further discussion. “ J. M.,” page 212, says the woolly aphis has 
made no headway in Scotland, and recommends “those who receive 
plants there from England, to take them 200 yards away from their 
collection, shake out all the soil and barn it, and wash the roots care¬ 
fully, for,” he adds, “ if the plant is put in the frame with woolly aphis 
on it, the pest will rapidly spread.” I am an old reader and contributor 
to the Journal, and it is now many years since, in its columns—I believe 
for the first time— 11 D., Deal,” drew attention to the woolly aphis as 
noticed on his Auricula collection. He then thought, reasonably enough, 
that this insect should feed on the Auricula tissues, and ultimately 
seriously injure or destroy them. He has since told in the Journal how 
he visited the famous collection of Mr. Ben. Simonite, Sheffield, and how 
that practical man, on noticing the aphis, left a plant to its fate without 
repotting it, and after some interval examined the plant with a power¬ 
ful glass, and came to the conclusion—as seemingly does your respected 
