February 27, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
409 
HOW JAMES LYE GROWS HIS 
SPECIMEN FUCHSIAS. 
On one occasion when visiting this worthy florist I 
interviewed, him, and got from him some details as to 
the mode he adopts in order to grow such fine specimen 
plants as those described a few weeks ago when his 
portrait was given in The Gardening World. His 
mode of culture may be set down as follows: —About the 
end of October his specimen plants are cut back—that 
s when they have done flowering and the wood is ripe. 
They are pruned back to the shape required, but in doing 
this the main branches left to make the frame are left 
two or three joints longer than they were the previous 
year ; by doing this the plants increase in size as they 
age. The pruning done, the plants are placed in their 
winter quarters to rest through the dead season of the 
year, and they are kept moderately dry about the roots, 
so that they make but little growth. At Clyffe Hall, 
the specimens are win¬ 
tered in an ordinary 
greenhouse from which 
frost is excluded, but 
only enough warmth 
maintained to do this. 
About the last week in 
January, or the first week 
in February, the plants 
are shaken out of their 
old soil, and the roots 
slightly cut back, and 
they are re-potted in the 
pots in which they are to 
flower. F ormerly, he 
gave his plants two 
shifts, but he finds they do 
much better with only 
one. His show plants 
are generally in 16-in. 
pots. Then as to the 
compost that he uses, it 
is made up of three parts 
of good yellow loam, with 
a fourth part of good 
rotten cow or horse- 
manure, and then a pro¬ 
portion of about one-fifth 
of the whole of leaf- 
mould, silver sand, and 
peat is added. This is, 
of course, well mixed 
together and seasoned 
before being used. 
At Clylfe Hall the 
specimens are grown 
under glass until the first 
week in June; meanwhile 
they are pinched back 
and otherwise trained so 
as to assume good sym¬ 
metrical proportions ; 
carefully watered and 
syringed, and well looked 
after in the matter of 
cleanliness. The plants 
are then placed in the 
open air, on a sheltered border—that is, where there is 
shelter on the east, north east, and north west—and the 
position selected is one where they can enjoy the full 
power of light and sunshine ; on sunny days they are 
well syringed once or twice a day to keep down red 
spider, and ensure cleanliness and a healthy foliage. 
Mr. Lye sometimes finds the sand fly troublesome, and 
he searches for them and quietly crushes them out of 
existence ; if left in the soil they so affect the plants as 
to cause the buds to drop. 
As a matter of course pinching back is necessary 
during the summer in order to ensure a good outline, 
the last stopping being given some seven or eight weeks 
before the day of exhibition. A week or ten days 
before the show the specimens are placed under glass, 
in order to assist them to flower finely, and such 
shading as may be required is given. 
An examination of one of these fine specimen 
Fuchsias shows that the branches are tied in somewhat 
closely and this is rendered necessary for the plants to 
be taken in vans to the place of exhibition. They are 
then of a more formal shape than is generally seen in 
the case of Fuchsias for house decoration ; but as they 
sometimes travel fifty miles to and from a flower show, 
the necessity for close tying will at once be perceived. 
The plants are too tall to be sent by rail ; the gauge of 
a railway arch is too limited to admit of a truck con¬ 
taining the plants passing under it. 
Every year some young plants have to be grown on 
to take the place of those specimens that have become 
too old'to be of further use for show purposes. The 
strongest cuttings are selected in March and April, 
struck and potted singly in small pots. As soon as the 
roots reach the sides of the pots another shift is given, 
and shifts as required are afforded the plants until the 
first or second week in July, when they are allowed to 
flower. And as it will be certain to be the desire of some 
of the readers of The Gardening World to know the 
age of the plants when they are first shown as prize 
specimens I may state that at eighteen months old Mr. 
Lye has shown Fuchsias 7 ft. to 8 ft. high and 4 ft. in 
diameter. The show plants range from two to five and 
Primula floribunda : Flowers Yellow. 
six years old. Something depends upon the variety, 
and that is a matter of experience. A successful 
exhibitor finds out for himself many valuable wrinkles, 
and he is able to turn them to good account. 
Of the varieties of Mr. Lye’s own raising, named in the 
account of his doings which accompanied his portrait 
recently given, the following light varieties have proved 
very fine and suitable for exhibition purposes : Beauty 
of Wilts, Blushing Bride, Beauty of the West, Lye’s 
Favourite, Arabella Improved, Beaut}’’ of Swanley, Mrs. 
James Lye, Pink Perfection, Harriet Lye, Mrs. Bright, 
Mrs. King, and Star of Wilts ; and the following dark 
varieties: Charming, Elegance, James Lye, Royal Stan¬ 
dard, Hon. Mrs. Hay, Henry Brook, Final, Mr. 
Hooper Taylor, Spitfire, Duke of Albany, Lye’s Rival, 
and Crimson Globe. Three other varieties not of his 
own raising, are also grown by Mr. Lye, viz. : Albo 
coccinea, a charming and distinct tricolored Fuchsia, 
remarkably free and effective ; Marginata, a pretty and 
attractive light variety, and Doels’ Favourite, a very 
free-flowering dark Fuchsia, and an excellent grower. 
It has been stated that Mr. Lye is a raiser of 
Fuchsias from seeds, and in attempting this, he is care¬ 
ful to fertilize the best varieties. The process of ferti¬ 
lization is done about the month of September, when 
the flowors have been expanded about three or four days, 
and the pollen is fit and dry, he takes a feather or a 
rabbit’s tail, and by this means he is able to convey the 
pollen to the flowers he is desirous of crossing. The 
plants are housed and guarded by tiffany to prevent 
winged insects from affecting the blossoms operated 
upon. When the berries are ripe they are gathered 
and laid by carefully on a piece of slate or board, and 
placed on a warm shelf in the greenhouse in order to 
shrivel. As soon as dry enough, the berries are opened 
with a small penknife, and the seeds laid on a piece of 
brown paper to dry. 
The seed is sown in the month of March in a com¬ 
post made of three-fourths of nice mellow loam and 
one of leaf mould, with the addition of a good sprinkling 
of silver sand. The seed is sown in well-drained pots 
or pans, and placed in a Cucumber-house or Melon 
frame, whatever is suit¬ 
able for the purpose, in 
a temperature of about 
70°. The seeds soon ger¬ 
minate, and when the 
plants are large enough 
to handle they are potted 
singly in small pots and 
placed in the Cucumber- 
house or frame to get 
them established in their 
pots. They are then 
hardened off and moved 
into a cold frame where 
they are kept during the 
summer, the lights being 
thrown open at night to 
prevent the plants be¬ 
coming drawn ; many of 
them will flow T er in the 
month of September. 
It is not a good plan 
to overpot seedlings, as 
they grow to wood, and 
take longer to flower. 
Those that do not bloom 
the same summer flower 
early in the following 
one, and the best are 
selected and subjected to 
another season’s trial 
Every variety is tho¬ 
roughly tried before it is 
named and sent out. 
I think I have now 
given full details of the 
mode of culture adopted 
by our champion Fuchsia 
grower. I often wish we 
had opportunity of seeing 
these superb plants in 
London, but that is not 
possible for the reason 
above stated. One thing, 
there is not an oppor¬ 
tunity forseeing specimen 
plants of this character in 
London ; but it is high time better specimens of Fuchsias 
were seen at some country shows. They are generally 
of an indifferent character, and I say it with something 
akin to shame that I am occasionally called upon to 
make awards to Fuchsias at provincial shows that 
should not have been taken there; and I always do this 
under protest, but I am told that the prizes must be 
awarded.— It. D. 
_ -- 
DUKE OF BUCCLEUCH GRAPE. 
Your correspondent, “ T. Yv. B„” asks for informa¬ 
tion about the treatment which this Grape requires 
in order that it may be had in perfection. Ho doubt 
the Duke sometimes is a “rum’un,” as “T. W. B.’s” 
friend said ; but it has also proved itself a very fine 
Grape at many places throughout the country, and 
there need be little fear that “ T. W. B.,” having been 
so far successful, will not continue so, and be the proud 
possessor this summer of the Duke in fine condition. 
“ T. W. B.’s ” success will be made more certain if he 
attends to the following hints :—First, be sure to 
assist the setting operation by the use ol a feather or 
