536 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 24, 1886. 
seen at exhibitions are, however, by no means desirable, 
and it is a mistake to encourage those who grow such 
monsters, the same remark applying equally to Carrots 
and Turnips. Several varieties of Parsnip have been 
named and sent out, but a good strain of the Ho.llow- 
crowned or the Student is quite sufficient, and the seed 
should be sown in drills 18 ins. apart, thinning-out the 
plants to about half that distance apart. 
Carrots require similar treatment and soil, one 
variety, James’s Intermediate, being amply sufficient 
to follow the early crops of the Horn variety. Of what 
may be termed the smaller crops, Lettuces, Radishes, 
and Parsley are the most important, and the two former 
should be sown at intervals throughout the spring and 
early summer months : any Cabbage or Cos varieties 
will answer, but the White Paris Cos gives us the most 
satisfaction for general use and quality. An abundant 
supply of Lettuce plants can be obtained from a bed one 
yard square, but the best plan is to sow small quantities 
in succession about every fortnight. Parsley can be 
sown in rows thinly and in soil that has not been too 
recently enriched with manure, it will—if the strain be 
good—yield plenty of well-curled leaves. In rich soil 
the plants grow very strongly, the leaves are usually 
less curled, and they are apt to run up to seed if the 
weather is dry and hot. 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
Flowers are now plentiful in this house, and a few 
notes upon these plants we have in bloom will indicate 
what can be had at this time of year. Lachenalias are 
great favourites with us, and with pots and baskets of 
these we have a gay show. Nelsoni is the most ad¬ 
mired ; but some of tricolor and quadricolor are also 
grown, and help to increase the variety, though the 
first-named is much the most effective. Cinerarias are 
now at their best, and w T e have marked a few of the 
best for seed, as, though we always purchase some every 
year, we like to have a little home-saved seed which 
yields us good varieties, and by continual selection the 
strain has improved greatly. 
April is a suitable month for sowing seed for next 
year’s supply ; ordinary pans and a light finely sifted 
compost of leaf-mould, loam and sand is the best. 
Press this rather firm, render the surface, quite smooth, 
water it gently, and allow it to drain for a short time 
before sowing the seeds very thinly, covering them with 
a very light dusting of the finest soil. Place a piece 
of glass over the pan, and in a warm shady corner of 
the greenhouse or frame the seeds will soon germinate. 
Auriculas and Polyanthuses are useful in the house now, 
not the choice-named florists’ varieties, but such as can 
be raised from seed of a good strain ; the Alpine 
Auriculas being charming both for their colours and 
their fragrance. 
Later in the season these will also be attractive in 
the borders, for we do not consider them complete 
without such flowers ; and though there are Daffodils, 
Scillas, Chionodoxas, and other flowers in good numbers 
now, we shall be glad to get a change like they afford. 
In the greenhouse Azaleas of the indica varieties are 
still flowering freely, with Cytisus, early Rhododendrons 
of the Countess of Haddington type, which is one of 
{he best, and several other useful plants.— Scolylus. 
-->x<-- 
JACKS IN THE GREEN. 
Lest readers should assume that the above appellation 
refers to the sooty tribe of sweeps on May-day, let me 
undeceive them by stating that the reference is rather 
to those interesting members of the Polyanthus family 
which show abnormal green collars of various forms, 
and are regarded usually as floral curiosities. By 
diverse designations have these things been known— 
Jack’s in the Green, Jack’s an Ape, Galligaskins, 
&c.—in all cases signifying something grotesque. 
Really there is not, florally, so much that is odd in 
these Jack’s in the Green as there is in the hose-in-hose 
forms of the Polyanthus, because the latter have the 
calyx, which is normally green and composed of divided 
parts or sheaths, converted into an actual floral pip, so 
that there is the normal pip and the calyx pip, or the 
two duplicated ; but one is grown out of the other. 
This form of the Polyanthus is now developing some 
curious and exceedingly effective kinds, especially when 
pure white, yellow, cream, red, and crimson. 
These colours being self, and produced by this 
doubling of the pips creates much more striking effects 
than results from ordinary growers ; indeed, for spring 
bedding, nothing florally can well exceed those hose- 
in-hosed duplexed Polyanthuses. They do not seed so 
freely as ordinary Polyanthuses, chiefly, no doubt, 
because the tubes of the pips are so much longer than 
are those of single pips, and perhaps the peculiar habit 
of converting the green calyx into flowers detracts from 
fertility. Thus we find in the border Polyanthus this 
diversity of flowers, that some have one pip, as is the 
case with all ordinary flowers, some have two or duplex 
pips, without a calyx, and others have the single pip, 
supported by an abnormally big green calyx or collar. 
In some instances, seedling forms give these collar- 
lobes quite 1 in. long —indeed, resembling small leaves. 
The enlargement of the calyx tends somewhat to cramp 
or cup the flower, hence plants of these are rarely so 
effective as are those of ordinary forms. All kinds 
come freely from seed, and some strains which have 
sportive tendencies will give all the forms from a packet 
of mixed seed. It is a good time to sow seed now, as 
there is a year at least during which the plants may be 
enabled to become strong and grow freely, blooming 
abundantly next spring.— A. D. 
-—*>X<—- 
LINDENIA.* 
Judging by the many and costly publications devoted 
to the interests of the Orchid tribe, it is evidently 
intended that they should not languish for want of 
being well described and depicted. If the handsome 
work—the first seven numbers of which are before us— 
does as much for Orchids on the continent as that ex¬ 
cellent publication, The Orchid Album, with its life¬ 
like coloured plates, and clever cultural notes, has done 
for them at home, and in America and the colonies, a 
much more extensive hold will be gained by them in 
France, Germany and Belgium than they now enjoy, 
although signs of such a desirable7event have steadily 
been progressing in certain gardens on the continent. 
"With such a well-known director as Mr. J. Linden, 
such editors-in-chief as Mr. Lucien Linden and Mr. 
Emile Rodigas, the success of the work should be equal 
to its merits, and we shall have much pleasure in 
briefly noticing each issue as it arrives. 
Each of the numbers contain four excellent coloured 
plates accompanied by letterpress, giving the name 
and its authorities, followed by the scientific description 
and a note of its native habitat. Then follows a 
cleverly -written article (in the French language) em¬ 
bodying all that is known respecting the plant and its 
habits, and the best manner in which to cultivate it. 
The subjects already illustrated and described are 
Aerides Reichenbaclii, Trichopilia suavis alba, Odonto- 
glossum nevadense, Dendrobium Falconeri, Cattleya 
nobilior var. Hugueneyi, Cypripedium Druryi, Epiden- 
drum paniculatum, Phalsenopsis Stuartiana var. punct- 
ulata, Cleisostoma Guiberti, Selenepedum reticulatum, 
Aerides maculosum var. formosum, Cattleya maxima 
var. Hrubyana, Odontoglossum vexillarium var. pur- 
pureum, Aerides odoratum var. Demidoffi, Masdevallia 
Roezli, Oncidium Lanceanum var. superbum, Odonto¬ 
glossum ramosissimum, Cypripedium tessellatum var. 
porphyreum, Cattleya guttata var. Leopardina, On¬ 
cidium Limminghii, Cypripedium selligerum majus, 
Phalfenopsis Sanderiana, Trichocentrum tigrinum var. 
splendens, Spathoglottis augustorum, Odontoglossum 
rubescens, Catasetum tigrinum, and Cattleya aurea, the 
whole of which are amply dealt with, and showily 
illustrated. In some instances, however, as for ex¬ 
ample in the Dendrobium Falconeri, whose jointed 
growth is not well rendered, the botanical details are 
not well worked out, and in others, as notably in the 
illustration of Trichocentrum tigrinum var. splendens, 
which is very stiff and angular, the picture is not 
artistic. 
It also will not fail to be observed the partiality ex¬ 
hibited towards figuring varietal forms or so-called 
varieties. Those illustrated as Phalaenopsis Stuartiana 
punctulata and Oncidium Lanceanum superbum, are only 
what we should call ordinary forms in this country. 
In such a case, too, as that of the plant illustrated as 
Cattleya nobilior, var. Hugueneyi, the matter is pushed 
to extremity, for C. nobilior itself is a very doubtful 
species, and apparently only a local form of Cattleya 
Walkeriana. These little matters, however, which should 
in fairness be mentioned, and for which we know Mr. 
Linden will forgive us with a smile, saying that the 
figuring of fine varieties needs no excuse, -we do not 
* Lindenia. Iconograhie des Orchidees, vol. i. J. Linden, Ghent. 
advance as being detrimental to a work which, in 
common with all others, must have slight defects in the 
opinions of some. The Lindenia is a work of excellent 
merit, the subjects treated of being represented at the 
full size and in their best forms and colours, which, 
together with the general descriptions and instructions 
conveyed with each, renders them of great service to 
all Orchid-growers. It will, no doubt, obtain a good 
place among such publications in the race for public 
patronage. 
--—- 
THE POINSETTIA.* 
Poinsettia pulcheruima is a native of Mexico, 
and was introduced about 1831. Of all winter deco¬ 
rative plants none surpass the Poinsettia, its brilliantly 
coloured bracts and dark green foliage, produced as 
the} 7 are at a dull and dreary season of the year, 
rendering it doubly valuable. It may be fairly 
described as the Aurora Borealis of the plant stove, 
lighting up the house as that singular phenomenon 
lights up the dark, bleak regions of the North. As a 
table plant, when well grown, it has no equal ; and 
for cutting, when colour is required, it is unsurpassed ; 
besides, the length of time it remains in beauty is of 
the utmost importance to the floral decorator. Long 
after it has lost its leaves, it is very useful if used with 
other plants for the decoration of conservatories, as the 
pots and portions of the stems can be hid amongst plants 
of a more bushy nature, and the heads standing well 
out above the other plants, make the arrangement very 
effective. 
About the middle of April, place the old plants in a 
temperature of about 55°, giving plenty of air during 
sunshine, with the object of keeping the young growths 
as short and as thick as possible. The plants should 
have been pruned back to good firm wood before being 
placed in the temperature named. By the latter end 
of May or beginning of June the top growths will be 
about 3 ins. long. Having prepared a hot-bed and 
pots with nice sandy soil, take the cuttings off with a 
heel and insert in single pots. Plunge the pots in the 
hot-bed and leave a little air on the frame, the object 
being to avoid growth until the cuttings are rooted, 
which won’t be long in a good bottom heat. "When the 
pots are nicely filled with roots give them the final 
shift into 4-in. and 6-in. pots. The compost should be 
good turfy loam and leaf-soil with a little bone-dust 
and silver sand ; when potted, put them in bottom 
heat as before. A pit with a pipe running through it 
will be better than a frame, as the heat from the pipe 
will enable you to give more air. "What with the 
bottom heat and plenty of air, the plants will become 
very sturdy. Poinsettias grown in this way -will often 
produce the appearance of a bulb at the bottom of the 
stem. Plants that do this always produce fine bracts ; 
also under this treatment cuttings can be put in up to 
the latter end of July and do well. At the beginning 
of September the plants should be removed to a house, 
and as near the glass as possible, with a temperature 
from 55° to 60°, care being taken that the growth is 
complete before giving them more heat. 
The growth being completed, give them a temperature 
of 65° to 70°, with air if possible. This is the time for 
feeding, and guano, liquid manure from the farm-yard, 
and soot are all good stimulants for the Poinsettia. 
Feed until the bracts have attained their full size. 
The roots of the Poinsettia are its most tender parts, 
and should never be watered with cold water, nor should 
they be left in cold frames after the 1st of September, 
or the roots will begin to die, and the bottom leaves 
turn yellow and fall off, a sure indication that more 
heat was required. The Poinsettia is grown from 
cuttings of well ripened wood of two or three eyes, and 
make very good heads, but plants treated in this way 
grow much taller. Old plants are pruned back to one 
or two eyes ; all the old soil shaken from the roots and 
re-potted, and they will do well. But my object is to 
grow them from young growths, make the bracts large, 
and keep the plants short, say from 12 ins. to 20 ins. 
high. I believe the secret of success is to keep the 
cuttings from drawing when being rooted ; grow in a 
pit during the season with plenty of air, the roots in 
bottom heat if possible, and not to place them in strong 
heat before growth is complete. After flowering, 
withhold water, and keep them in a temperature of not 
less than 40°. 
* A paper read by Mr. John Marsden, Westbourne, before the 
members of the Sheffield and Hallamsliire Gardeners’ Mutual 
Improvement Society. 
