May 28, 188?. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
419 
effect; 2, “ On an Improved Method of Preparing Ozone Paper, and 
other Forms of the Test, with Starch and Potassium Iodide,” by Dr. 
C. H. Blackley, F.R.Met.Soc. 3, “Notes on the Climate of Akassa, 
Niger Territory,” by Mr. F. Bussell, F.R.G.S. 4, “ Wind Storm at 
Sydney, New South Wales, on January 27th, 1889,” by Mr. H. C. 
Russell, F.R.S. 
- The National Dahlia Society’s schedule of classes and 
arrangements for the present year is now issued, and it is announced 
that the annual Exhibition will be held at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, 
September Gth and 7th next. With regard to the Centenary Celebration 
and Conference, it is stated that “ According to the ‘Hortus Kewensis,’ 
Dahlia variabilis was first sent to the Royal Gardens by Lady Bute in 
1789 ; and in consideration of this fact the present Marquis of Bute 
has this year very kindly made a donation of £10 to the prize fund of 
the Society. The year 1889 being, therefore, the centenary of the 
introduction of the Dahlia into England, the Committee are naturally 
anxious that an event so interesting to Dahlia growers should be suitably 
commemorated. With this object in view, and in order to obtain a 
representation of the marvellous development of the Dahlia during the 
century that it has been under cultivation in the gardens of Great 
Britain, the Committee have added to the schedule a novel and impor¬ 
tant class open to all exhibitors. In this, ‘ The Centenary Class,’ will 
be represented, as far as practicable, every known kind, form, and type 
of Dahlia. In addition a National Dahlia Conference will be held at 
the Crystal Palace at 3 o’clock on the first day of the Society’s exhibi¬ 
tion, when the following papers will be read and discussion invited :— 
‘History of the Dahlia,’ by Mr. Shirley Hibberd ; ' Development of the 
Show Flower,’ by Mr. n. Turner; ‘ On Cultivation,’ by Mr. J. T. 
West ; ‘ Decorative, Pompon, and Single Dahlias,’ by Mr. J. Cheal.” 
The class specially referred to is for “ a collection of Dahlia blooms to 
occupy a length of staging not exceeding 24 feet.” The prizes are 
£G, £4, £3, and £2. Twenty-three other classes are provided for 
Dahlias of all sections from nurserymen and amateurs, the prizes 
ranging from £6 to 5s. 
- Thebe are nearly one hundred varieties of Dbacjenas in 
cultivation at the present time, and of these D. Goldieana is the most 
beautiful. It is a native of Western Tropical Africa. The plant is of 
erect habit, the leaves being marbled and irregularly banded with dark 
green and silver-grey in alternate straight or furcate transverse bands, 
the colours being about equally distributed. The back of the unfolded 
leaves and the stem where visible at the upper joints is of a pale reddish 
purple. A good stock of any of the varieties may be worked up in a 
very short time by anyone having a few old and probably bare-stemmed 
plants, and a stove or hot-water pit in which to strike them. Cut off the 
top of each plant a few joints below the bottom leaves, and insert it in 
a bottle of water containing a piece or two of charcoal, and place in 
stoves. The contact with warm water will cause the stems to emit roots 
in the course of a few weeks. They should then be placed in suitable 
sized pots, using a mixture of peat and loam and a sprinkling of silver 
sand, and grown on in the ordinary way. The old stems may then be 
cut into pieces about three-quarters of an inch long, removing the bark 
from one side with a sharp knife before inserting the pieces closely together 
in 4^-inch pots filled with light mould and surfaced with sand, on which 
the barked side of pieces should be placed, and then covered with half¬ 
inch thick of light soil, watered, placed in heat, and covered with glass 
When the “ eyes ” have pushed into growth, remove the glass and pot 
the little plants singly as soon as they have made a couple inches of 
growth, giving them water to settle the soil, and growing them in a 
moist warm atmosphere. But the easiest way to secure young 
plants to take the place of the old ones (where quantities are not the 
object) is to cut down the plants to within G inches of the soil, and to 
take off the young plants which afterwards spring from the beheaded 
stems when about 2 inches long, with a little of the old wood 
attached, and strike them in the usual way.—II. W. Waed. 
NOTES AT FARINGTON HOUSE. 
In the garden attached to the residence oE John Eccles, Esq., 
Preston, Lancashire, the value of Libonia floribunda for conservatory 
decoration is well demonstrated by examples. Many of the plants are 
fully 2 feet high and as much in diameter, covered with their small but 
attractive red and yellow flowers. The plants vary in age from two to 
four years, and have greenhouse treatment throughout the year. They 
lose some of their foliage during the cool days of autumn by this treat¬ 
ment as the flowers are appearing, which they would not do if a little 
beat could be given them at that stage. This is impossible, and even 
if it could be applied it is questionable if any advantage would be gained, 
for the plants are profusely flowered. The secret appears to be abun¬ 
dance of water, with liberal syringing during the summer, and exposing 
the growth to full sunshine to thoroughly ripen it. 
Primula sinensis is also remarkably well grown, and the gardener, 
Mr. Waters, attributes his success to having the plants in cool quarters. 
He thus secures sturdy compact plants that produce bold trusses of fine 
flowers. These plants are frequently raised too early for spring flower¬ 
ing, April and May being suitable months. They enjoy a cool base and 
shade from the sun. Primula obconica is well grown, and raising the 
plants from seed annually cannot be too strongly recommended, for 
they grow with freedom and flower much more profusely than plants 
that are subjected to division. This plant produces seed freely in cool 
airy quarters, especially if a few late sown plants are reserved for the 
purpose—that is, plants which commence flowering at this period of the 
year. 
The old Acacia armata, discarded from many a garden now-a-days, 
is one mass of its small ball-like yellow flowers. Small plants are 
attractive, but large specimens, such as those at Farington House, are 
invaluable in conservatories where large plants can be accommodated. 
The beautiful Chorozema cordatum splendens appears to have shared 
the fate of many grand old greenhouse plants. The demand for flowers 
in a cut state, and plants that can be raised quickly for decorative 
purposes, has been the main cause of many that are not so suitable for 
these purposes being cast aside. I was pleased to meet with a plant 
nearly 4 feet through in these gardens, and covered with its small but 
brilliant pea-shaped blossoms. Mr. Waters has spent some care on this 
plant to bring it to its present excellent condition. It has no “coddling,” 
for he has no time for that. Cool greenhouse treatment throughout the 
summer, plenty of water, and a liberal use of the syringe to keep the 
foliage free from spider, are the chief points in culture. It is of easy 
culture, easily increasel by cuttings, or can be as easily raised from 
seed. 
I was not aware that we had a scented double Camellia. There is 
one at Farington House flowering freely. The flowers are rose pink in 
colour, while their formation resembles that of the old C. japonica. I 
know that the white single-flowered C. oleifera is fragrant. It is much 
to be regretted that the Camellia has not been improved in this respect. 
It has been said times almost without number that when Vines are 
given inside as well as outside borders, they soon find their way to 
the latter, and leave the former practically rootless. The very opposite 
is the case with the early vinery at Farington House. For some years 
I have not seen an early house of Vines—old Vines, too, with young 
rods run up during the past four years—looking better. They have 
been hard forced for several years in succession, and carried heavy crops 
of fruit, ripe the first week in May—not a bunch or two, but 15 or 20 lbs. 
cut about that time for the market. The Vines have improved very 
much during the past four years, and each year have been capable of 
carrying heavier crops of fruit. This is mainly due to a light dressing 
of lime ; a good mulching of loam and manure on the surface annually 
before the Vines are started, abundance of water being given to the 
inside border, and the surface liberally and freely damped daily. The 
roots have increased considerably on the surface, and with their increase 
the Vines have shown their capacity for doing more work. Not only is 
the crop a heavy one, but the bunches will be large, and the berries 
large too, if like those of last year. The foliage is very large, leathery, 
and nearly black. 
Mr. Waters is a firm believer in the cause of Peach buds falling as 
advanced by “Utilitarian,” and to obviate the evils pointed out on 
page 211 the wood is left much thicker in the early trees than in the 
late ones. The result is that scarcely a bud falls, except on one tree, 
and that is Walburton’s Late Admirable, on which he has never suc¬ 
ceeded in getting a full crop. The buds fell this year as they have done 
in years past. This variety should never have been in this house, but 
there it is, and the best has to be made of it. But it is generally getting 
less, and may some day disappear altogether as the others extend. The 
crop of fruit is an excellent one, but the trees are not beauties. The 
mutilation of their branches shows that they have undergone some hard 
treatment in the past, but now they are furnished with young fruitful 
wood. The roots were in the same unsatisfactory condition ; long strong 
fibreless stems had been laid into a new border ; the trees have been 
lifted, and the roots cut hard back, with the .result that they have 
abundance of feeders on the surface.— Visitoe. 
STRAWBERRY SIR CHARLES NAPIER. 
While paying a visit recently to the well-kept gardens at Mereworth 
Castle I had the pleasure of seeing this fine variety in good condition. 
Mr. Markham, the head gardener, forces a large number of plants, and 
he evidently knows how to manage them. He does not believe in a crop 
of small fruit, but allows them to carry from seven to nine fruits each. 
Many when ripe I should say would turn the scales at oz., if not 
more, and all were looking as healthy as they possibly could do, not a 
sign of red spider anywhere. Being a late variety this is not forced 
early ; the first plants were colouring at the time of my visit. 
Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury is used for early work ; of this there 
was a quantity ripe, although when I saw them a good many had been 
gathered. But while writing about the Strawberries I must not forget 
to mention a few of the many other fruits grown. Peaches were looking 
remarkably well indoors, all carrying good crops of. fruit; these are 
also grown rather extensively on the walls, and judging from present 
appearance there is likely to be a good crop, as they appear to besetting 
