333 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 25, 1889. 
Wm. Wilks—not his fault then—and Bicolor minor became fitted to an 
imaginary name for an illustration of Iledoute under the term nobilis. 
There was evidently a blunder from the start somewhere, and what was 
then variiformis is now sold as the Grasse Daffodil, and what was first 
Bicolor of Collins became Noble of Redoutd.—W. B. H., Cork. 
- Conical Mushroom Beds. —The conical or haycock system, 
as described in the fifth edition of “ Mushrooms for the Million,” is 
excellent. Our bed was made in an open shed, the only advantage over 
outdoor culture being that we had no necessity to protect the bed from 
heavy rains. As the material was found drier than we wished, it was 
given a few gallons of sewage direct from the stables. After the usual 
preparation, a cone-shaped bed was made ; it was spawned when the 
heat declined to about 80°, and in three days was cased with good 
loam, then covered with long litter, no further trouble being required. 
When the covering is removed for gathering the crop, we find it an 
advantage before re-covering to place a little fresh litter from the 
stables next the Mushrooms, as the ammonia it contains benefits the 
crop. Given spawn from a reliable source, I do not see how anyone can 
fail in growing excellent crops of Mushrooms, if the instructions in 
the book are carefully followed.— Wm. Maybury, East Kent .—[Finer 
Mushrooms could not be desired than a few samples we received from 
our correspondent.] 
-Referring to Primroses in Suburban Gardens an 
amateur writes, “ My garden is situated just outside the smoke radius of 
the great metropolis, and 1 have succeeded in establishing a colony of 
Primroses that every year yields a wealth of flowers of inestimable value. 
Nearer to town I have often tried in vain to induce these plants to thrive ; 
the invariable result was that they struggled through one season and 
then dwindled away. Now we have them in beds and borders all over 
the garden, scattered self-sown seedlings, fine vigorous roots, and the 
varieties innumerable. Many are of the Polyanthus type, derived from 
Gilbert’s Harbinger, and these have wonderfully large flowers, many 
being nearly 2 inches in diameter, while the repeated selection of seed¬ 
lings has resulted in the production of crimson flowered varieties of the 
same strain. We thus have them ranging in colour from pure white 
through the numerous shades of yellow to some curious intermediate and 
indescribable shades, and the richer colours just mentioned. They are 
rarely transplanted, but have fairly good garden soil, and we lift a 
few roots each year for pots in the window. They give no trouble, and 
no spring flowers are more eagerly welcomed than Primroses.” 
- The “ Kew Bulletin ” for April gives a useful descriptive list 
of the New Garden Plants of 1888, a continuation of the plan com¬ 
menced in this publication for the corresponding month last year, when 
the plants described in English and foreign periodicals up to the end of 
1887 were included, the list being similar in all respects to those 
formerly published in the “ Gardeners’ Year Book.” It is said in the in¬ 
troduction that “ the compilation and publication of a complete annual 
list of new garden plants is indispensable to the maintenance of a 
correct nomenclature, especially in the smaller botanical establishments 
in correspondence with Kew, as these, for the most part, are only 
scantily provided with horticultural periodicals.” Thirty-seven pages 
of descriptions are given in double columns, some 700 or 800 names 
being given, but in the case of garden hybrids and varieties the descrip¬ 
tions are either omitted or extremely brief. It need scarcely be said 
that the list has been evidently compiled and revised with great care, 
but the printers have taken a few liberties, one rather curious mistake 
occurring in the description of Eria bicolor, which is said to have 
“ stout stems very timid at the base,” tumid apparently being the word 
intended. 
HOT-WATER PIPES LEAKING. 
_ Mr. Bardney is a remarkable horticultural philosopher. Well 
might “ S. II.” confess his astonishment at such a reversal as depicted 
by Mr. Bardney. Surely the latter does not wish to be considered 
ignorant of one of the first laws of Nature. The cracked pipe is already 
on its first course of expansion and sub-division. Bodies are capable 
of existing in three states—solid, liquid, and gaseous, according to the 
heat applied. The fact is Mr. Bardney works too much upon effect, or 
secondary causes, instead of looking to the water within the pipes, 
which is rendered thinner, and is forcibly propelled by heat through the 
crack. The cooler the water the more inert and solid it becomes, hence 
the reason it does not percolate so freely when cold. 
Mr. Bardney mentions cases where pipes have righted themselves 
when hot ; in such the very cause is effecting, or will effect, its own cure. 
If it be a sectional crack contraction of the pipes is taking place, 
thereby driving the force of expansion backwards to the crack, swelling 
them up, thus acting, as it were, the parts of clips without a circle. 
If the cracks are longitudinal, then contraction is sideways. Allowing 
for expansion, where a crack occurs it will always be found that when 
pipes are hot far more water escapes than when they are cold. Con¬ 
traction by clips, or clamps, as recommended, is a very good remedy, 
or at least it strengthens the part.—B. L. 
CHRYSANTHEMUMS IN APRIL. 
With this I enclose blooms of the following Chrysanthemums, 
which we have still in flow T er in the greenhouse :—King of Denmark, 
Comte de Germiny, Fair Maid of Guernsey, and M. John Laing. It 
may not be out of place to say that we had quantities of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums for cutting until the end of March, and now, April 6th, we are 
able to keep the drawing-room glasses gay with them.— James 
Mathison, Currie Kill Gardens, Midlothian. 
[The flowers are fresh and bright, and excellent for vases.] 
BRIGHTON AND EOYE CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY. 
An excellent balance sheet is issued by the Committee of this Society, 
which is affiliated with the National Chrysanthemum Society. We 
note that notwithstanding a disbursement of £115 Is. as prize money, 
the balance in hand has increased from £43 3s. 9d. iu 1887 to 
£88 6s. lOd. The sum of £238 19s. 6d. as door receipts is a sufficient 
proof that the efforts of the Committee to arrange a good show have not 
gone unrewarded. The Show this year will take place on November 5th 
and 6tb. In the plant classes (open), prizes of £5, £3 15s., £2 10s., 
and £1 5s. are offered for a group of Chrysanthemums occupying a space 
not exceeding 100 square feet. In the cut bloom classes, a silver cup, 
value £10, and £7 in cash are offered as first prize for forty-eight blooms, 
with a second prize of £6, a third of £3, and a fourth of £2. The 
Secretary is Mr. Mark Longhurst, 18, Church Road, Hove. 
BOURNEMOUTH AND DISTRICT CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY. 
This Society appears to be in a very flourishing condition. The 
statement of accounts for the year ending 31st December, 1888, shows a 
balance on the right side of £39 13s. Id., as against a sum of £13 2s. at 
the end of the previous year. The Show is a two-days one, and the 
payments at the doors during the last Exhibition amounted to 
£111 19s. 9d., by which it is evident that much local interest is centred 
in it. The schedule for the present year’s Show is also published. In 
the open division the chief class is that for thirty-six cut blooms, 
eighteen Japanese and eighteen incurved, and the first prize is a silver 
cup value eight guineas, offered by the President, to become the pro¬ 
perty of any exhibitor winning it twice consecutively or three times in 
all, with a money prize of £3. In the local division a silver cup value 
£5, and a money prize of £3, are offered as first prize for a group of 
Chrysanthemums arranged for effect. Mr. C. Brown, Carnarvon, Caven¬ 
dish Road, Bournemouth, is the Honorary Secretary. 
SNAKE’S HEAD LILIES. 
English names are more appropriate in some cases than others, and 
it could not be expected that so distinct and charming a plant as 
Fritillaria Meleagris would escape its due share of popular names, and 
accordingly we find many names bestowed upon it which mostly refer to 
the peculiar markings of the flowers, like Chequered Daffodil, Guinea 
Hen Flower, and numerous others of similar character. Lily is a 
favourite title applied to many plants which have not even a distinct 
relation to the true Lilies, tut in this matter the Snake’s Head Lilies 
have some tolerably just claim to the designation, for they are rather 
closely related to theii aristocratic namesakes, and though less imposingly 
handsome, they possess attractions of no mean order. 
Snake’s Head Lilies rank amongst the most beautiful and distinct of 
our native bulbous plants, and in the peculiar marking of their flowers 
they are unrivalled. In the ordinary variegation of colours in flowers 
we have the different tints broken up into a series of irregular bands or 
streaks, radiating from the centre to the points of the petals, like the 
Carnations ; in a few the colours are disposed in rings, as in the Picotee 
and Auricula ; while in still fewer they are in more or less regular 
squares over the surface of the flower. This, however, is very uncommon, 
and the Fritillaria Meleagris is one of the most remarkab'e examples of 
this chequering or draught-board-like colouring. 
The tints vary from deep purple, alternating with a paler shade of 
purple, yellow, or white, to flowers that are of a uniform pure white 
colour, all tesselating being lost; while one form (F. Moggridgi), known 
