106 
T1IE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 17, 1851 
GASTRONEMA CLAVATUM. 
“ I lately wrote respecting the management of a hulb sup¬ 
posed to he Gastronema clavatum, and the number (No.470) 
which contains your reply, owing to a mistake, I have only 
lust received. ($eeVol.XVIII., p.415.) Since I wrote the bulb 
has Towered, and does not agree with the description given 
at p. 478, Vol. IX., of The Cottage Gardener. It is similar 
to Zephyr an thes Atamasco. I bought it o! Carter, in Holboin. 
It was labelled Amaryllis unijiora, and Gyrtanthus unifiorus 
is in the catalogue as a synonyme. If the party alluded to 
in Mr. Beaton’s article had it of him true to name mine 
should be true likewise. It was the aforesaid article that 
induced me to purchase it, and under that name. "Vv hatever 
it may be I consider myself very far from being repaid for 
nursing it five years. 
“ Gyrtanthus unijlorus has been in two of Carter’s catalogues 
since I had mine. If it is not the same as stated at p. 477, 
Vol. IX., it would prevent disappointment to others to make 
it known.”— W. J. Wilson. 
[Your present account is so different from the former 
that we suspect you have meant one kind of bulb, and now 
speak of the dowers of a very different kind, else how can 
we reconcile a bulb growing so fast as to split the pot, with 
the dower like that of Zephyranthes Atamasco? There is not 
such a thing in the world. The dowers of G. clavatum, 
until they are ready to expand, are very like those of 
Z. Atamasco , and also like several Habranthi which dower 
in the autumn. You said your bulb was green all the year 
round, but no evergreen bulb yet described lias a Ilabranthus 
or Zephyrantlies dower. All Habranthi rest in summer 
and grow in winter, but all the Zephyrantlies do the reverse, 
Candida excepted, which, by the by, is not a true Zephyranth. 
Neither of them is from the Cape. No African bulb can 
be likened to your descriptions. There is some mistake. 
Why did you not show your dower to some botanist near 
you ? There are plenty of them about Hackney. Messrs. 
Low’s people up at Clapton could tell you the very name, 
and all the names of your bulb if it had any, if they saw 
the pot and plant with the dower on it. Cut dowers of bulbs 
might deceive the most experienced, as many come so near 
each other. Can you give us the size and colour of the bulb ; 
the length, and breadth, and shape of point of the leaves; 
the height of the dower-scape ? Were the dowers in an 
envelope (spathe) ? How many dowers in the umbel ? If 
more than one did they all dower at once or in succession *? 
Did they keep open, or close and open with the sun ? Are 
there any seeds ?] 
COMPLEMENTARY COLOURS. 
“At p. 53, Vol. II., of Ti-ie Cottage Gardener there is 
a plan given for finding the complementary colours, which I 
am about to adopt. Will you favour me with the names of 
the colours which should be used for the red, blue, and 
yellow ? 
“ p. 262, Vol. II., there is another plan, which gives 
each colour two complementary ones. Are there really two? 
This plan likewise gives indigo and blue, the other only 
blue. I should be glad of a hint or two on the subject. I 
shall probably have a further inquiry to make thereon.”— 
W. J. W. 
and so set that there should be a large cavity below the bottom of the 
pot to secure plenty of drainage. If taken into the greenhouse, they 
will bloom much earlier. Among the many hundreds of Begonias it 
would be difficult to know your varieties or species. The first we suspect 
to be blanda. When done flowering the flower-stems should be cut 
down, and strong sucker-lilce shoots will spring from the base; and from 
these, either in the shape of rooted divisions or taken off separately and 
struck, it is easily propagated, requires very moderate watering, and a 
temperature from 45° to 55° in winter. The second we cannot guess at. 
The third is the hardiest of the group, Evansiana or bicolor, and when 
well grown one of the most beautiful. We have had masses of it four 
feet iu height, and as much in diameter, studded all over with its panicles 
of bright pink flowers. It is easily propagated by dividing the corm- 
like roots, and also by tuberous-like conns that grow on the stems. It 
merely requires to be kept from frost in winter in any out-of-the-way 
place, but the better the shoots are ripened before they decay, the.better 
will the roots flower the next year. Full directions have been given of 
its treatment. 
Muscat Vink Dying Suddenly {Muscat). — It may be owing to 
the rain, and to the pleasant fact of being so well matured. It the leaves 
above are yet greenish we should attribute the falling of the leaves to 
this ; but if all have suddenly followed the lower ones, and earlier than 
others in the same house, then we should examine the stem right down 
to the roots, and see if it has not been nibbled by a mouse, &c., and it 
not then examine the roots, and see if there is any appearance of 
fungus on them, and if so, apply some quicklime over the border. 
List of Verbenas (A Constant Purchaser ). If you refer to our 
No. 449 you will find a descriptive list of the best twenty-nine. 
Ferns Fading {Alice Knight).— Without knowing how they have 
been treated we cannot give an opinion as to the cause. Perhaps they 
have not bad fresh air daily, perhaps they are dying naturally, perhaps 
the sea air affects them. All these are possible causes of the lading. 
p EA8 for Sowing in November { J . Robinson).— Sow Sangster s 
No. 1 and Champion of England. 
Primula {G. S.).— Your specimen was quite dried up. 
Apples for Rydf. {Vectis).— For dessert- Devonshire Quarrendon, 
Early Nonpareil, Golden Winter Pearmain, Margille, Cockle Pippin, 
Braddick’s Nonpareil. For culinary use— Keswick Codlin, Hawthornden, 
Bedfordshire Foundling, Blenheim Pippin, Dumclow's Seedling, York- 
sliire Gveenin 
Names of Pears {Campbell)—N o. 1. Chaumontelle. 2. Napoleon. 
3. Doyenne Gris. 4. Comte de Lamy. 5. Beurre d’Aremberg. 6. 
Beurre d’Aremberg. 8. Glout Morceau. 9* Nelis d’Hiver. 10. Nelis 
d’Hiver. 11. Easter Beurre. 14. Moccas. . 
Boiled Laurel Leaves {W. C.). —If they retained any of their 
prussic acid, which they would if not dry, we think your Bantam was 
poisoned by them, as they were found in its crop. 
Leaf Mould {Crux).—' The leaves of trees for forming this ought to 
be kept quite distinct from the leaves of kitchen vegetables. 
Giving Air {Harrie).— It depends upon the temperature, See. Buy 
“ Greenhouses for the Many.” At p. 47 full directions are given. It 
will cost vou 6d. . 
Names of Plants {Wilfrid D. Lee),—We think your fungus is Clava- 
riaflava. (J. 31.).— No. 1 appears, to be the Lycopodium Helveticum ; 
No. 2, Lycopodium ccesium. The middle of March is late for commencing 
forcing the Vine even in Cumberland ; yet we think a covering of dung 
and some arrangement for throwing off the excessive rains from the 
border would be useful to keep the roots from being chilled. Such 
covering might be taken away at the end of April. 
Heating from a House Fire {H. C. S.). — As a general rule we 
object to the pipes ever going lower than the boiler. If your boiler was 
open it would not do at all. If it had a close lid, and was supplied with 
a pipe communicating with a cistern above it,^ then there would be moie 
chance of its answering; but even then the plan is not to he recom¬ 
mended. If the top of your kitchen boiler had been a foot below the 
level of the floor in the greenhouse there would have been no difficulty. 
If the drawing room is used in winter it would be easiest to heat from 
thence. We saw a house so heated the other day. 
1 
>■ 71'. ft C, 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
[Most of what has "been written on complementary colours 
has no practical bearing on flower gardening at all, and the 
same remark applies to all the rules of the great painters, 
which go no deeper into our colours than that of arranging 
flowers in a bouquet. The reason for this is that our colours 
must he given or arranged on an ever-varying green, as the 
ground colour, the green of the leaves, and no two kinds of 
them are ever of the same tint of green. Just consider, for 
one moment, a rainbow with the green ribbon taken out of 
it, and violet, indigo, blue, yellow, orange, and red were 
given each on a green ribbon, and each ribbon of a different 
shade of green, and you may see a glimpse of the absurdity 
of the attempt.] 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Spiraeas in Pots, &c. {M. F .),—There will be no difficulty what¬ 
ever in growing the Spiraeas and Berberis in pots. If they remain out 
of doors the pots had better be plunged to protect them from frost, 
November 25th and 26th. Gloucestershire. Sec., Mr. E. Trmder 
Cirencester. 
November 30th, and December 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Birmingham. 
Sec., Mr. John Morgan. Entries close the 2nd of November. 
December 8tli and 9th. Crewe. Secs., S. Sheppard and D. Mar- 
getts, Esqs. Entries close November 26 th. 
December 16th and 17th. Nottinghamshire. Entries close No¬ 
vember 18th. Hon. Sec., Mr. R. Hawksley, jun., Southwell. 
December 30th and 31st. Burnley and East Lancashire. 
Entries close December 1st. Secs., Mr. Angus Sutherland and Mr. 
Ralph Landless. 
January 1st, 1858. Paisley. Poultry, Pigeons, and Fancy Birds. 
Sec., Mr. W. Houston, 14, Barr Street, Paisley. 
January 4th, 1858. Kirkcaldy Poultry and Fancy Bird 
Show. Sec., Mr. Bonthron, jun., Thistle Street. 
January 9th, 11th, 12th, and 13th, 1858. Crystal Palace. Sec. 
Mr. W. Houghton. Entries close December 12th. , J 
January 13th and 14th. Dublin. Secs., T. M. Hutton and R. P. 
Williams, Esqs., Council Rooms, 212, Great Brunswick Street. 
Entries close November 21st. 
January 19th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd, 1858. Nottingham Central. 
Sec., Mr. Etherington, jun., Notintone Place, Sneinton, near Notting¬ 
ham. 
February 3rd and 4th, 1858. Preston and North Lancashire. 
Secs., Mr. R. Teebay and Mr. H. Oakey, 25, Fishergate, Preston. 
Entries close January 18th. _ . 
N.B .—Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
