July 19, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
63 
coster or flower girl who sells, verily the subject of our varied, con¬ 
tinuous, and increasing Covent Garden flower supply is worthy the pen 
of a Thackery or a Dickens, and I would some more able pen had intro¬ 
duced it to your notice, and I trust market friends will not fail to 
supply material to fill any weak spot in the design of carpet bedding I 
have had the pleasure of planting for your survey.—J. Assbee. 
DROOPING DISEASE IN TOMATOES. 
I TAKE it Mr. F. Williams (page 9) is alluding to the Phytopthora 
i nfestans when he speaks of the drooping disease in Tomatoes ; at least 
I do not know any other disease which makes the plants droop. I have 
not experienced the good result mentioned by your correspondent by 
top-dressing or earthing up the plants, though I have tried it this season. 
It seems to me almost impossible to outgrow it, for the moment we see a 
plant drooping brown patches of the fungi can be seen on the stem, 
showing quite clearly the tissue is destroyed and incapable of 
taking up or rather passing along further supplies of food. In all 
probability the earthing up as described by your correspondent would 
answer, provided the diseased parts were near the roots or low on 
the stem. 
At the present time I have only had ten attacked in a house con¬ 
taining about 400 plants, so I cannot complain of its ravages. I have 
grown many plants in pots, so that I can always fill a blank space, and 
my method of procedure is briefly this : when a plant is noticed drooping 
it is pulled up at once and promptly put in the fire, then one of the 
large plants in pots is used to fill up the vacancy. By this method no 
space is lost, and as the plants are large they do not make any 
noticeable difference in the house. I trust entirely to chemical manures for 
feeding purposes, because I find animal manure added to the loam 
causes the plants to grow grossly, whereas by planting out in firm loam 
a sturdy growth follows, and a good set results from such treatment. 
Immediately the first truss of bloom sets the feeding commences. 
I am under the impression that this particular fungoid pest can be 
almost avoided by careful and constant attention in ventilating and 
watering. While a light buoyant atmosphere is maintained very little 
trouble will be given ; but allow the air to become charged with 
moisture and the ventilators closed for a few hours in the early morning, 
and the disease will readily appear. I have no doubt spraying with a 
Bordeaux mixture will prove very helpful where the plants are grown 
in single rows, so that the work may be done thoroughly, but I question 
its utility where the plants are grown thickly, as in market culture.— 
Jas. B. Riding. 
ACHIMENES. 
These popular flowering plants are never seen even in a second rate 
condition, without calling forth expressions of admiration at their great 
beauty and richly coloured flowers. Their profuseness of flowering 
must ever place them in a foremost position amongst indoor plants, for 
when seen to perfection they are undoubtedly superb ornaments. 
To ensure success in the cultivation of Achimenes the corms should 
be placed in pans of light rich open soil, and started in a stove heat 
or warm pit. Water moderately until growth has fairly commenced, 
after which it may be applied with greater freedom. Many cultivators 
place the corms in the pots in which they are to flower, but as far as my 
experience goes this method of procedure is totally erroneous, as much 
better results are achieved when they are started in pans as recom¬ 
mended. When the shoots are about 2 or 3 inches in height the 
plants may be transferred to pots, pans, or baskets, whichever it is 
intended to grow them in. If grown in pots eight to ten plants may 
be placed in a 6-inch pot, and when well established and before they 
become root-bound they may be shifted into 8 or 10-inch pots, which 
size will be large enough for ordinary decorative purposes. 
As the growths lengthen place a neat stake to each, otherwise there 
is a tendency of them dropping over, thereby greatly deteriorating the 
general appearance and value of the plant. Some growers make a 
practice of pinching the tops of the shoots in order to induce sturdy 
growth; but such proceedings are quite unnecessary, for by so doing 
not only is the main shoot upon which the best flowers are invariably 
obtained removed, but the season of flowering is also very materially 
shortened. If the process of watering and feeding is carefully and 
regularly attended to side shoots will be readily obtained as soon as the 
main leader commences to unfold its flowers. These shoots form a 
succession to the main growths, extending the flowering period throughout 
the whole of the autumn and winter. Achimenes require whilst growing 
a tolerably high temperature, combined with a moist humid atmosphere, 
till such a time that the flowers commence to open, when they may be 
removed to the greenhouse or conservatory with impunity. 
Many of the varieties are admirably adapted for growing in 
suspended baskets, but where this method of cultivation is adopted it 
is very essential that rather more than ordinary care should be exercised 
in placing the plants in the basket. The best way of effecting this end 
is to line the basket with moss and insert the young plants through it 
by making a hole with the finger, commencing at the bottom of 
the basket, and filling in with soil as the work proceeds. Having 
filled in all around the basket, place a few plants in the top, 
carefully watering them in so as not to wash the soil over the 
sides of the basket. If the foregoing instructions are assiduously 
carried out the effect produced when the plants are in flower will be one 
not easily to be forgotten, so profusely do they bloom that they almost 
conceal both leaves and suspender ; in fact they look like a huge ball 
of flower. Achimenes delight in a light rich open soil, a compost of 
good fibry loam, leaf soil and peat, with about a sixth part of silver 
sand to keep it porous, and a little dried cow manure suiting them 
admirably. Thorough drainage is an indispensable item towards suc¬ 
cessful cultivation, for to allow the soil to become at all sodden or sour 
is only to court failure. As soon as the flowering season commencea 
liquid manure or some of the numerous chemical mixtures will prove 
very beneficial both in enlarging the bloom and also in prolonging the 
flowering season. 
The following are some of the leading varieties:—Achimenes 
coccinea, scarlet; A. grandiflora, violet and purple ; A. longiflora, violet; 
A. longiflora major, blue; A. Masterpiece, rose shaded violet; A. Lady 
Lyttleton, magenta shaded crimson ; A. Harry Williams, cerise ; A. 
Marvel, blue ; and A. longiflora alba, white. The last two named are 
truly magnificent varieties, and should find a place in every collection 
of indoor flowering plants.— Geo. Parrant. 
BEGONIAS AT FOREST HILL. 
The results of patient and judicious hybridisation are invariably of 
a satisfactory character, but it rarely happens that greater success is 
achieved in any class of plants than has been attained in tuberous 
Begonias. It is less than three decades since the originators of these 
now popular flowers were first taken in hand, and the pioneers in the 
movement cannot be other than gratified with the outcome of their 
labour. Be that as it may, it is certain the general public are satisfied 
in this respect, for had it been otherwise tuberous Begonias would 
certainly not have found their way into so many gardens. Nor is the 
popularity which characterises these plants a matter of surprise when 
their utility for decorative purposes is taken into consideration. For 
the embellishment of the flower garden their usefulness is well known, 
and in thousands of gardens they have proved admirable substitutes for 
Zonal Pelargoniums, inasmuch as their habit and variety of colour 
warrant them a position in the most choice arrangements. Scarcely 
less can be said of them for the ornamentation of greenhouses and 
conservatories. For this purpose they may, as every gardener knows, be 
cultivated in small or large pots, while those of a pendulous nature 
make excellent basket plants. When covered with blossom and 
suspended in baskets in a greenhouse they produce a beautiful effect, 
such as may now be seen in the nurseries of Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, 
Forest Hill, S.E., to whom all admirers of tuberous Begonias are 
indebted. 
It is needless to dilate at length upon the successful efforts of the 
above-mentioned firm to improve these flowers, because that is already 
well known, and therefore it will be sufficient for the present to remark 
that Messrs. Laing not only maintain the high reputation they have so 
long held in this matter, but are still carefully hybridising, which each 
year results in the production of some sterling novelties. A visit to the 
Stanstead Park Nurseries will corroborate this statement, for there are 
some remarkable blooms in the newer varieties that have recently 
flowered. At one time size of bloom and brilliant colour appeared to 
constitute the chief desiderata in raising new kinds, but nowadays the 
hybridiser has happily other objects in view. Whilst size is an admirable 
feature in its way, it should not approach coarseness; and brilliancy 
ought never to give place to gaudiness. A line must be drawn between 
these characteristics, and fortunately this has been done, for latterly the 
blooms have become more refined in appearance, and certainly a greater 
range of colour has been obtained. These features are noticeable in 
both the double and single varieties, the flowers of the former being 
particularly neat in form and varied in colour. At this period of the 
year it is, of course, the plants in pots that make such an effective 
display at Forest Hill, those which are planted in the open ground being 
at their best later in the summer. Several large span-roofed houses are 
filled with tuberous Begonias, and the effect these produce can be 
better imagined than described. It may interest some readers, however, 
to know the names of some of the newer varieties. 
Among the double flowered Begonias of recent introduction Earl of 
Cranbrook may be noticed as being especially attractive. This variety 
produces a large flower of excellent form, the colour being rich crimson 
scarlet. Lord Esher, too, is a splendid variety with fine bright scarlet 
blooms, the same applying to Earl of Warwick. The plant of the last 
named kind appeared to be unusually dwarf and compact in habit, a 
feature to be observed in many of the later introductions. As a white 
flower Countess of Craven will prove useful, the blooms being large and 
handsome. The variety known a short time since as Lady Brooke may 
now be recognised as Countess of Warwick, the huge flowers of a bright 
salmon scarlet shade standing out prominently amongst the rest. The 
plant, too, is dwarf in habit, and exceedingly floriferous. Lady Theodora 
Guest has blooms delicately tinted apricot shade, the petals being also 
beautifully fringed. One of the finest yellows is Mrs. Regnart, this 
being a magnificent fiower with broad petals. Baron Schroder is an 
older variety, but it can well hold its own, the flowers being large and 
bright scarlet. 
The single varieties are also very fine this year, and several new 
varieties were pointed out as being above the average merit. One of 
these was the Grand Duchess of Hesse, a pure white of great substance, 
the flowers being large and of excellent form. As a companion to the last 
named the Grand Duke of Hesse may be particularised, this being a 
brilliant scarlet, and apparently very free flowering. Countess of 
