September 13, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
247 
- United Horticultueal Benefit and Provident Society. 
—We are informed that the annual dinner of the above mentioned 
Society will take place on Tuesday, October 9th, at 6 P.M. at the Cannon 
Street Hotel. Arnold Moss, Esq., has kindly consented to preside on the 
occasion. 
- Anchdsa ITALICA. — Respecting: Mr. Arnott’s note (page 224) 
and a previous one from Mr. Henslow on this old and showy favourite, 
whilst thanking them for their courtesy I must express regret that a 
somewhat careless reference to my “ Paxton ” led me into error. 1 find 
that Mr. Arnott’s correction is perfectly right.—E. K. 
- Flowers in the Streets.—O ne of the best developments of 
later London has been the cultivation of flowers in window-boxes. 
Perhaps the most remarkable success in that line is the luxuriant growth 
of Sunflowers at Messrs. W, H. Smith & Sons’ headquarters in Arundel 
Btreet. The street is narrow and the houses high, so that not much 
sunlight gets in, but in the window balcony in the third storey of Messrs. 
Smith’s offices, just over the principal entrance, there is a bed of healthy- 
looking Sundowers in full bloom. If one happens to cast an eye 
upwards walking up the street, says a daily paper, it comes quite as a 
pleasant surprise to see the floral freshness of Smith’s front. 
- Introducing New Plants.—T here is always sympathy for 
the raisers of new plants and fruits. It is well understood that they 
seldom receive anything like the equivalent which other good 
service to progressive horticulture seems to require, but the party who 
has to make old acquaintance with the new plant is seldom thought of, 
and yet, as a rule, the first introducer to commerce of the new plant 
gets as little for his work as the original raiser does. Almost any large 
fi.rm could give their experience in confirmation of this point. The 
popular Jaoan Ivy is a good illustration. According to “ Meehan’s 
Monthly ” the first nurseryman probably to offer it for sale in America 
was Mr. John Charlton of Rochester, N.Y., w’ao spent heavy sums of 
money in advertising it, with very few to respond. Hundreds of pounds 
have since been made on the sales of this plant, but very little from this 
is represented in Mr. Charlton's bank account. That was in 18G8. Few 
plants have achieved so wide a popularity—it is seen everywhere, in 
every part of the country. 
- How Plants Grow.—I n a recent issue of the Philadelphia 
Academy’s “ Proceedings,” is a paper on rhythmic growth in plants. 
Growth is not continuous, but is a series of advances and rests, and 
some portions of plants rest longer than others, and again longer at 
one lime than at another time, and many of the characteristics of 
plants are wholly dependent on the duration and force of the growth 
cycles. For instance, says an American contemporary, some plants 
form lateral flower buds during the growth of the flower spike, which 
continue growth and development as the flower spike advances. There 
will then be immature buds at the top of the spike, while the lowermost 
buds on the spike advance to full blossoming. The Hyacinth illustrates 
this class. Compound flowers, of which the Aster family is an illustra¬ 
tion, make buds which are partially developed and then rest till the 
terminal bud is reached, which then blossoms, and the others successively 
downward follow. The author of the paper cited shows an intermediate 
class in the Willows. The catkin is formed as in the second class noted. 
The lower florets in the catkin rest after being partially formed until 
the catkin has assumed its full length, but the new growth cycle is not 
from the top down or bottom up, but from the centre of the catkin. 
- Musa Cavendishi. —Mr. T. Sharpe, Virginia Water, sends us 
the following interesting account of growing and exhibiting a large 
bunch of this Musa many years ago :—“ The plants produced in eighteen 
months from the sucker, bunches of fruit weighing from 60 to 80 lbs. 
It was a curious sight to watch the huge bunch protruding from the 
centre of the tree, the point resembling, in colour and shape, a bullock’s 
heart. Then came the long stem and flowers of a purplish colour, 
followed by the setting and swelling of the fruit. The best bunches 
were grown from four plants grown in a bed about 10 feet wide and 
15 feet long, and 3 feet deep, filled with turfy loam and supplied with 
bottom heat. Oae sucker was planted near each corner of the bed, and 
the quick growth of these was marvellous. I well remember Mr. J. 
Carr, the head gardener, exhibiting one of these bunches, weighing, I 
think, 76 lbs., at the Crystal Palace in September, previous to the great 
International Show at Kensington. It was conveyed to the Palace by 
road in a van, and suspended in an iron frame 4 feet 6 inches in height, 
and about 3 feet through. The show lasted two days, and I was sent 
with Mr. Jacob Rose (now a worthy pensioner of the Gardeners’ Royal 
Benevolent Society) to convey the fruit back to Weybridge. It was put 
the train safely at the Palace, and we arrived at Clapham Junction 
about 8.30 p.ii,, where we had to change. When the first train arrived 
for Weybridge we found that the guard’s van only had a single door, 
through which we could not take our precious charge. Train after train 
arrived, but still the same single doors. Here was a fix I Mr. J. Carr 
had grown a bunch of fruit that could not be taken in a railway train. 
Were ever two wielders of the spade placed in the same plight ? The 
stationmaster suggested that we should place it on the engine, but I 
knew that Mr. Hinds thought more of this bunch than of the railway 
train, so we did not risk it. This went on until after midnight, when a 
train arrived with double doors, so that ended our trouble. We arrired 
at Byfleet Lodge about 2 AM. So much for tropical fruit growing.” 
- Gardening Appointments. —Mr. Benj. Greaves, who for the 
last thirty-four and a half years has been head gardener to Fred. 
Pennington, Esq., has been appointed head gardener to Alexander 
Hargreaves-Brown, Esq., M.P., who has purchased the Broome Hall 
estate from Fred. Pennington, Esq. The garden staff has also been 
re-engaged. Mr. W. Silk, for the last four years foreman at Csssiobuiy, 
Watford, has been appointed head gardener to Panmure Gordon, Esq , 
Loudwater House, Rickmansworth. Mr. T. Odd, late head gardener to 
James McCall, Esq , Evington House, Leicester, as head gardener and 
bailiff to the Hon. and Rev. J. Pratt, Tendring Rectory, Colchester. 
- Preserving Flowers. —The preservation of flowers in their 
natural hape is not a new thing. The owners of Orchids and other 
choice flowers who wish to compare the flowers of an early blooming 
species with those that bloom late in the season, dry them in a way that 
preserves, not only their shape, but the markings and colours fairly well. 
The process, as explained in “ The Orchid Review ” some time ago, is to 
cut off the ovary to facilitate drying, and place the flower in a box, on 
a layer of sand half an inch deep, the box being gradually filled to a 
depth of at least 2 inches, so as to prevent shrivelling. The sand must 
be gently filtered in so as not to disturb the shape of the flower. The 
box is then set in a warm and dry place for a few days, and when the 
operation is complete the sand is filtered out again and the flowers are 
arranged in shallow cabinet drawers. Fleshy flowers lose their colours 
as in ordinary methods of drying, the advantage being that the parts 
are not broken, as is unavoidable when they are pressed between sheets 
of paper. 
- SauromATUMS. —Writing to a recent issue of the “ Garden 
and Forest” an English correspondent says: “A border fllled with 
several species of Sauromatum is an object of exceptional attraction and 
interest in early summer. It is on the south side of a tropical plant 
house, from which, probably, it gets a little warmth in the winter ; other¬ 
wise it is exposed to the weather, summer and winter. The tubers are 
buried 6 inches below the surface, and from these there spring in May 
or June the singular flowers, at first a straight green rod a foot long, 
which gradually unrolls and reveals a long fleshy purple spadix, which 
curves over till its tip touches the ground. The spathe is strap-shaped, 
curled, a foot long, green outside, greenish-yellow, with purple blotches 
inside. After the flowers come the handsome pedate leaves on tall 
spotted snake-like stalks. These die down in the autumn, and are suc¬ 
ceeded by cone-like clusters of crimson-purple fruits pushed up just above 
the soil. The species thus grown are S. guttatam, S. punctatum, and 
S. pedatum. They are all Himalayan.” 
- Margaret Pinks —Now being the time when almost 
any plant will prove serviceable for producing a supply of bloom 
during the winter months, 1 think it is a pity these Pinks are not 
more generally grown. They are of very simple culture ; in fact, if the 
following cultural directions are pursued I am positive they will 
prove satisfactory to all who follow them. In the first place the seeds 
should be sown in February, using well drained shallow pans filled with 
light sandy soil. A hotbed will be found very suitable for the germi¬ 
nation of the seeds. When the young seedlings are large enough to 
handle prick them off into boxes, using a similar mixture as before^ 
keeping them close and shaded from the sun. When they are ready 
give them another shift into 3-inch pots, keeping them close until they 
are established, then harden them ready for planting out of doors. 
By the end of August they will have made good bushy plants. It is an 
excellent plan to cut them round with a spade a few days before 
lifting ; this prevents them feeling the check of removal quite so 
much. After potting stand them in a cool pit, and keep close, again 
shading from the sun until established. They will amply repay for 
the trouble taken with them. I have a number in 6 and 7-inch pots, 
some plants of which will soon be a mass of flower under the above 
treatment.—G. Hagon. 
