444 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 30, 188». 
very shabby and die. When growing they require a moist cool bouse, 
with plenty of air, but not cutting draughts. After the growths are 
made the plants may be stood outside to ripen the young wood. 
During the winter keep them at the coolest end of a greenhouse till 
they are in flower, when they may be taken to the conservatory. 
Amongst the most beautiful of this class are Erica, Epacris, Boronia, 
Camellia, Correa, Diosma, Pimelea, Mitraria, Eriostemon, Adenandra, 
Chorozema, Leschenaultia, Abelia, Metrosideros, Linum trigynum, 
Indigofera, and Swainsonia. 
The following hardwooded plants require treatment something 
similar to the preceding, bat flower at different seasons :—Acacia, 
Brugmansia, Coronilla, Cytisus, Daphne, Erythrina, Hydrangea, and 
Nerium Oleander. Khododendrons of the javanicum and jasminiflorum 
type, Libonias, Sericographis, Pleromas, and Justicias are also very 
useful, but they require a warmer temperature to grow them well, and 
must not be stood outside. 
Bulbous Plants. —In this case I will mention first those that are 
known as Dutch flower roots, which include Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissi, 
&c. These are imported annually from Holland, and the best bulbs 
selected for conservatory and greenhouse decoration. These should be 
potted at various times for succession, the first being potted as soon as 
received and plunged in a bed of coal ashe3, cocoa-nut fibre refuse, or 
decayed leaf mould. The crowns of the bulbs in the case of Hyacinths 
may be covered with inverted pot3 before they are covered with ashes. 
From the plunge bed they should be taken into a warm house a few at 
a time to bring them into bloom, when they may be employed for 
decorative purposes in the conservator}". Besides the foregoing many 
other bulbous plants may be usefully employed, of which the following 
are amongst the best :— 
Vallota purpurea is very nearly allied to the Amaryllis, but unlike 
that it is evergreen, therefore it should never be totally dried off during 
the winter. It commences to make fresh growth in the spring, and 
flowers towards the end of the summer. They should not be potted 
too often, but when necessary a compost of turfy loam, leaf mould, and 
sand will be very suitable. 
Amaryllis formosissima is a deciduous bulb, flowering in the summer. 
It requires a warm house to grow in, but when in flower stands well in 
the conservatory. 
Nerine Fothergilli.—The secret of growing this Nerine to perfec¬ 
tion is in giving a good long season of rest in a place where the sun 
can shine with all its force on the bulbs. During this ripening process 
the plants should be turned at least once or twice a week, so that the 
bulbs may be ripened all round. When so treated almost every bulb 
will throw up a strong spike of flowers. 
Liliums. —These make a magnificent display during the summer. 
The bulbs should be potted in the spring, and given a start in a 
cool house or frame, after which they may be placed outside. The 
most serviceable species are L. auratum, L. lancifolium or speciosum, 
and L. Harrisi. 
Lachenalias, Triteleias, Ixias, Sparaxis, Freesias, Gladiolus The Bride, 
and numerous other things are very serviceable. They should be potted 
in the autumn, and kept on a shelf in a cool house until flowering. 
Spring Forcing Plants. —A large number cf plants that are 
perfectly hardy in this country are annually forced to produce a supply 
of bloom from Christmas onwards through the spring. In October and 
November the plants should be lifted and put into pots of various sizes, 
according to the quantity of roots forming the ball. After potting they 
can be plunged over the rim in a bed of ashes outside until they are 
required to be forced. The following are very useful for this purpose : 
Azalea mollis, Spirsea japonica and S. Thunbergi, Dielytra spectabilis. 
Deutzia gracilis and D. crenata, Viburnum plicatum, Lilacs, Staphylea 
colchica, double Prunus sinensis, Rhododendrons, Christmas Roses, Lily 
of the Valley, Schizostylis coccineus, &c. 
Annuals. —There are several annuals that may be made useful for 
the conservatory, including Balsams, Cockscombs, Celosia pyramidalis, 
Gomphrenas, Salpiglossis, Schizanthus, Browallia elata, Dianthus, 
Asters, Stocks, &c. Seeds of these should be sown in the spring and the 
plants grown without check, or they will come into bloom prematurely. 
Celosias and Gomphrenas require more heat to grow them than the 
others. 
Orchids. —The Orchids that will grow and thrive in a conservatory 
are very few indeed. Nevertheless there are several that when in bloom 
will last in that state a very long time. The most serviceable are the 
following :—Cypripedium insigne, Dendrobium nobile, Odontoglossums 
in variety, and several species of Masdevallia. 
Ferns. —These form an indispensable class of plants to any garden 
structure where decorative effect is desired. They should be arranged 
according to the taste of those concerned. They are propagated from 
spores or by division. The best time to repot the plants is in spring 
before the young fronds push up. A compost of fibrous loam, peat, and 
sharp sand is the most suitable. All fronds that have any insect deposit 
on them should then be removed and at once burnt, so as to give the 
young ones a clean start. The genera best adapted for conservatory 
work are :—Adiantum, Asplenium, Davallia, Microlepia, Woodwardia, 
Polypodium, Nephrodium, and Lastrea. Gonioph’ebium subauriculatum 
is very suitable for a hanging basket, and Platycerium alcicorne looks 
well suspended from the roof. 
Those who wish to have their conservatories always gay will never 
be without bloom if they grow the plants mentioned in this essay. But 
a certain amount of forethought and care will be always necessary to 
have them exactly at the time they are wanted. 
PRIZES AT THE BIRMINGHAM CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW. 
From the advertisement column of the Journal I note the very 
handsome prizes offered for cut blooms at the Birmingham Show on 
November 20th next. They are certainly much the largest ever offered 
that I am aware of, and the Committee of the Society deserve success 
for their spirited policy. They should have a large competition and a 
crowded attendance of the public, which will do much to justify the 
outlay, as it is idle to think that providing attraction for the outside 
public is the last consideration. The manner in which the class ia 
framed regarding the number of blooms asked for, and the way in which, 
they must be shown, commends itself to Chrysanthemum growers 
as being the truest test of cultivation where the class is one for distinct 
varieties, and not one where duplicate blooms can be staged. I am quite 
aware that it is much easier to fill a class of the same number of blooms 
where duplicates to the extent of twelve are admissible, but there 
is more credit to a man who can win with distinct varieties of the same, 
number. At the Birmingham Show this policy of distinctness has been 
adopted many years, I believe, with the result that a good competition 
has generally been procured. I have seen there as many as eleven 
stands of forty-eights staged in this class, thus showing that it is possible 
to obtain competitors, even when this large number of varieties is asked 
for, and at a time when there is such a cry about the larger varieties, 
such as the “ Queen ” family, monopolising the stands. The allotment 
of prizes should please exhibitors by the manner in which the amount 
is apportioned. I think it is a wise step on the part of any Committee 
to give a good second and third prize as well as a handsome first, 
because it is much more likely to induce a better competition than, 
where the first prize is the only consideration worth looking after. 
So far all that I have said has been in praise of the efforts and 
manner in which this handsome class has been put forward, but I must 
now write in quite another strain upon the only subject not mentioned 1 
before, but which is perhaps the most important of all—date, especially 
when the notice is largely displayed that the special invitation is for 
growers in all parts ; and particularly is this important when we consider 
that whoever wins the first prize in this class will be considered the 
champion of the season ! Tbe Committee ought to know that the date 
is much too late to bring together growers on au equal footing from all 
the parts of the country named. They also should know that the date 
is suitable only for growers in the midland and northern counties, and 
perhaps not for the former should we have an early season then for them, 
it would be fully late. It is out of the question to expect growers from the 
south to compete on equal terms with their more favoured brethren in 
the parts named. Every Chrysanthemum grower knows well what even 
a week means to blooms after they have reached that stage of develop¬ 
ment when they can do no more towards improvement. The fact of the 
leading shows being held in the south of England fully a week earlier 
goes to prove that a date as late as the 20th of November is of no use to 
them if they wish for good competition and the best blooms. Of course 
the Birmingham Committee have a full right to fix their date at a time 
which suits themselves, and no doubt they have based their view3 
upon past experience regarding the time to hold their show, but I 
trust they will not be disappointed if competition is limited to a line a 
very few miles south of their town, embracing, however, all northern 
counties. 
Of course the merest novice in Chrysanthemum culture knows the 
difference between large and small blooms for exhibition. Therefore in 
this way growers in the southern counties are much handicapped by tha 
late fixture of dates, it being a well known fact that the largest blooms 
are those produced from crown buds, and it is well known, too, that it is 
impossible to defer the development of crown blooms to so late a date 
as the 20th around and south of the metropolis. Another deterrent in¬ 
fluence on the success of the Show in question is the fixing of three 
