150 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 7, 1885. 
water overhead. It comes from the south of France 
and Spain, and, as a consequence, prefers warm sunny 
positions. 
Lysimachia clethroides.— In common with the 
other species of this genus, this is a moisture-loving, 
very showy, and ornamental plant. It grows 2 ft. to 
3 ft. high, stems erect and furnished with racemes of 
pure white flowers. A somewhat peculiar change takes 
place with the flower-stems, which first assume a hori¬ 
zontal position, but as the flowers develope gradually 
become quite erect. It is very useful for cutting, and 
is easily increased by division. 
Lysimachia nummulapja (Creeping Jenny).— A 
familiar plant known by a familiar name, and though a 
native of many of our moist meadows and pastures, it 
has merits which deserve to be more generally known. 
Hot unfrequently do we see this plant used in large 
towns and cities, where its long drooping stems and 
golden cupped blossoms hang suspended from the 
windows of the humble poor. This, however, is only 
a tithe of the many uses to which it adapts itself. Not 
that it is select, but rather from its commonness is it that 
I mention it here, for were it less common it would be 
eagerly sought after, seeing that we have so few plants 
possessing such a pleasing drooping habit as this ; and 
whether required for moist sloping banks, for baskets, 
window-boxes, vases, or the rockwork, it is well suited, 
and should be more frequently employed where effective 
drooping plants are needed. There is also a golden¬ 
leaved variety of this plant, not quite so vigorous, pro¬ 
bably, but still one of the brightest rock ornaments 
which can be used ; the latter may be had cheaply, and 
is as readily increased as the original green form, the 
flowers and foliage of the latter being nearly, if not 
quite, identical in colour. 
Malva moschata alba.— Visitors to the Inventions 
Exhibition during the past summer could hardly help 
noticing in Mr. Ware’s extensive collection of hardy cut 
flov’ers this very useful plant, either for the flower 
garden or for naturalising. Its flowers are pure white, 
fragrant, about 2 ins. across, and borne plentifully on 
numerous branching spikes ; these are qualities which 
recommend it to all lovers of good things. A few seeds 
thrown into the shrubbery will be sure to find a footing, 
and springing up, do much to beautify its surroundings. 
For the third row in the border, for the higher portions 
of the rock, or the woodland walk, one and all these 
provide a home for this free-flowering perennial, which 
is easily reproduced from seeds. 
Matricaria inopora flore plena. —This is not a 
true perennial probably, though a very useful plant for 
providing quantities of pme white cut flowers. It is not 
unlike a small Pompon Chrysanthemum in general 
aspect, being pure white, and having during summer 
innumerable flowers on a single plant, makes it very 
acceptable. From a packet of seed there may be many 
and various forms ; discard the singles and semi-doubles, 
and propagate by means of cuttings the best double 
white forms only ; in this way a fine stock may be kept 
up vdth little trouble. It is but recently that the value 
of this plant has been made known, and during the 
past five years it has made rapid progress, and has 
been widely distributed either in plants or seeds. 
Meconopsis acttleata. — The genus Meconopsis 
belongs to the somewdiat extensive order Papaveraceae, 
and contains many beautiful and rare plants ; none 
more beautiful as a whole, probably, than the family 
now 7 under notice. The whole group inhabit for the 
most part the Himalayan Mountains, where they 
are. found growing at elevations varying from 10,000 
to 15, 000 ft. For some time they were not understood 
by cultivators, and failure and loss ensued, but that 
difficulty being overcome, they rank now among 
our finest hardy flowers. The species in question, now 
known as the Prickly Poppy, growls 2 J ft. high, having 
purple flowers about 2 ins. across, and in the centre 
of each flow T er is a tuft of golden stamens, which con¬ 
trast well with the body colour of the flower ; the 
leaves are heart-shaped, of a brownish yellow 7 , and 
covered with short stiff hairs. 
Meconopsis Cambrica, Welsh Poppy.— For a free- 
flowering and attractive plant of dwarf habit suited for 
rockery, border, old wall, or ruins, we have few to 
equal this handsome native perennial ; it is a most 
abundant bloomer, of neat growth, forming compact 
pale green tufts of leaves,, and producing quantities of 
bright yellow flowers ; a good plant for naturalising on 
large rockeries. 
Meconopsis nepalense. —This is also a species of 
Himalayan origin, which attains a height of 3 ft. when 
well grown. The flowers are produced from the upper 
portions of the stem, and also from the axils of the 
leaves, and are of a pale sulphur-yellow. It is a noble 
and stately plant, and one always admired when seen 
in good condition. The leaves are densely covered with 
bristly hairs. 
Meconopsis Wallichi. —This is without doubt the 
finest of all Himalayan Poppies at present known ; it 
is perfectly hardy, and one of the grandest and stateliest 
ornaments for the rock garden. The flowers are very 
large, often 3 ins. or more across, and borne in great 
quantities, the colour being a pale blue, shading to 
lavender. To those unacquainted with its grandeur, I 
may remark that it will form rosettes from 2 ft. to 3 ft. 
across of its distinct leaves, and grow to 6 ft. high in 
good rich loamy soil. It seems indifferent as to 
situation, for I have grown it partially shaded at the 
foot of a rockery, and I have also seen it in a variety of 
gardens, scarcely occupying a similar position in any 
two of these. Such plants as these will continue to 
produce flowers in succession for six weeks together. 
The first and tu 7 o last named are best treated as bien¬ 
nials, and given every encouragement, always planting 
them out, as they may remain for several years without 
showing signs of flowering if kept in pots, and that 
only a miserable attempt. They seed freely, and trans¬ 
plant readily, and a little seed sown annually will keep 
up a stock of flowering plants. Nothing is more 
effective than these when planted high up the rockery, 
or on the level surface in groups, allowing plenty of 
room for development. — J. 
-- 
MILDEW. 
The Journal Ojjicid publishes a report addressed to 
the Minister of Agriculture by M. Prillieux, Inspector- 
General of Agricultural Instruction, as to the results 
obtained by the use of a mixture of lime and sulphate 
of copper in counteracting mildew. It appears that it 
has long been the custom in some parts of the Medoc 
to sprinkle the vines bordering roads with lime w 7 ater, to 
which a little salt of copper was added. At one time 
verdigris was used, but it was expensive, and for that 
reason sulphate of copper w 7 as substituted. The purpose 
of using it was to prevent children and other depredators 
from pulling the ripe Grapes which were within their 
reach. They were afraid to eat the bunches which had 
been taken from vines sprinkled with verdigris. A belt 
five or six yards wide was treated in this way along the 
sides of the thoroughfares. 
When mildew spread to a serious extent in the Medoc, 
it was remarked that the vines which had been sprinkled 
with the mixture, suffered less from the disease than 
the others. The leaves attacked by the Oidium 
withered and fell off prematurely everywhere, except 
along the roads, where they remained green, and where 
the Grapes ripened. M. Prillieux gives a long account 
of the visits which he made to the various places in the 
Medoc, where the sprinkling had been practised. 
At Dauzac, the property of M. Johnston, the largest 
number of stocks could be observed, and there they had 
been carefully sprinkled by M. Millardet, Professor of 
the Faculty of Sciences, and M. Gay on, Professor of 
Chemistry at Bordeaux. After studying the results in 
this and a large number of other places, it was discovered 
that the sprinkling of vines with a liquid containing 
about eight per cent, of sulphate of copper mixed with 
lime water, checked the progress of mildew and enabled 
the vine v 7 hich had been attacked to ripen its fruit. 
The treatment is easily applied, and cheap. M. 
Prillieux hopes that next year all vine growers will 
employ it. The earliest application gives the best result. 
The action of the mixture is not yet understood, but 
MM. Millardet and Gayon hope soon to be able to throw 
light on it. 
It seems to M. Prillieux not impossible that this unex¬ 
pected remedy may prove useful in the case of the Po¬ 
tato disease. The hypotliesishas already been supported. 
At Chateau Longoa, belonging to Messrs. Barton, Torna- 
tos were attacked by a disease to all appearance due to the 
development of the Peronospora of the Potato, which is 
also known to attack the Tomato. M. Jouet, the steward 
on the estate, who is a scientific agriculturist, treated 
the Tomatos like the vines, and he states that he 
succeeded in destroying the disease. Isolated as this fact 
is, hi. Prillieux thinks it should be made known, so that 
the Potato growers may make in their fields, from the first 
appearance of the disease, attempts similar to those 
which have been carried out with such success this year 
as regards the vine in the Medoc.— Times. 
Scottish Gardening. 
Gardeners, Yocng and Old. —It may not be in¬ 
opportune to make a few remarks on this subject, as we 
are so near to the Martinmas term, and so much anxiety 
prevails among a large number of the class of men re¬ 
ferred to, many of whom will shortly be leaving 
appointments which the} 7 may have retained with 
satisfaction to themselves and free from dissatisfaction 
to those who have ruled over them. This may, how¬ 
ever, be more applicable to the’.young men who are 
best known in the north as “journeymen.” Much has 
been written from time to time in the horticultural 
press for the benefit of young gardeners. Censure and 
advice has often been freely administered, but seldom 
has much praise fallen to the lot of the young men col¬ 
lectively. Schemes for self-education have often been 
enunciated, and knowledge of a character suitable to their 
requirements has, without stint, been lucidly placed 
before them ; while for those in the positions of juniors 
moral pastimes and entertainments of an elevating 
character have in some cases been provided. The 
course of practical training necessary to enable the 
young gardener to hold creditably the position that he 
aspires to hold as early as it comes within his reach 
(that of head gardener) must be pursued with vigour, 
and few commence this somewhat chequered and not 
always enviable line of life in Scottish gardens free from 
the desire of some day becoming “ majester horti.” 
Were it not for the diversified views of some writers, 
and the amusing (but well meant) suggestions of others 
which have appeared in print, a non-practical reader 
might be led to suppose that the position to which 
young gardeners aspire to attain has emoluments and 
privileges of a very enviable character; but many who 
have entered the profession, and followed it with spirit, 
know to their cost that it is very far otherwise. It is not 
the question of mental culture that I desire to discuss at 
the present time, or the amount of scholastic education 
which a man requires to enable him to become a horti¬ 
culturist. That question will soon be extinct if School 
Boards work as assiduously everywhere as they are 
doing with the rising generation in this quarter. I 
have already hinted that at this Martinmas period 
much anxiety prevails among a large percentage of our 
young men, and this term (11th of November) has a 
peculiar interest to them. Some of the seniors, too, 
have much cause to look to this term with peculiar 
forebodings, especially if they have to release their 
grasp of positions which they may have for some time 
retained, and new spheres of labour have to be sought. 
I have often witnessed the huge piles of luggage 
belonging to migratory gardeners on Martinmas days, 
being hurled rapidly to those centres where nurserymen 
have at this period accumulative business in hand, 
such as examining letters of recommendation, consider¬ 
ing the moral characters and practical experience of 
men, whom they are supposed to match with the require¬ 
ments of those who want good men well up in general 
garden work. The names of young men are arranged 
so that they cau be dispatched without delay to the 
various places, which their qualifications are likely to 
suit ; and the various nurserymen in whom the men 
have reposed their trust, experience a heavy tax 
on their time and judgment. Them clients who 
have applied to them for men are not exempt from' 
hopes and fears, as they often have to accept “ helps ” 
whom they have not seen, and who may be quite 
strangers to the class of work in which they are to be 
employed. I have heard it expressed over and over 
again, that the whole system of this exchanging or 
bartering of men is wrong, fraught with much expense 
and trouble to young men, and not always satisfactory 
to overseers themselves. 
It is in the first place puzzling to understand why 
there should be this migration of men at all. In the 
southern part of the Kingdom this wholesale “shifting ” 
is unknown, and 1 think it is well that such is the case. 
The aimless practice of making periodical changes by 
young men, is greatly prejudicial to their acquirement 
of practical experience. Efficiency cannot be attained 
by making up their minds to “ shift” as soon as they 
become acquainted with the duties of the place to which 
they have come ; but the custom has prevailed for 
many years, and those most concerned cannot strike out 
of the old rut even had they the desire. The complaint 
which has been most frequently made in the press, is 
that garden operations have for years been degenerating. 
