May 1, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
549 
varieties, and costing more than those grown in beds. 
These plants, having been grown under glass, ought 
not to he turned out into the cold ground, to be 
buffeted by east winds, and suffer other hardships. A 
bed so warmed as that just described is the very thing 
for them. They can be turned out of their pots, the 
crocks removed after the spikes have been cut away 
just below the lowest flowers, and the balls of earth put 
into the soil of the bed complete ; a little finely sifted 
sandy soil being placed at the bottom of each. They 
can be crowded very close together, but taking care 
not to press them together so as to break the balls of 
soil. After a good watering, the lights should be 
drawn on, and the frame kept rather close until mild 
weather sets in ; then the lights can be removed, and 
remain off altogether. When the leaves turn yellow, 
water can be withheld ; and in dilb time the bulbs 
will ripen off 
It is obvious that in the case of plants lifted from the 
open ground it is difficult to remove them with balls of 
earth adhering to the roots. A good supply of finely 
sifted soil from the potting bench should be at hand 
in a moist state, and the bulbs planted in it, in all 
cases keeping the crown of the bulbs 2 ins. to 3 ins. 
below the soil. This is the great point—to keep up 
root and leaf action from the time the bloom is over 
until the bulbs naturally go to rest; and that rest 
should be perfect. Let them be perfectly dry, and the 
sun shine upon them, and the bulbs will come out of 
the soil hard and sound. 
But what is to be done in the case of those who have 
no means of making up such a bed—what can they do ? 
Some years ago an Irish clergyman, at Balliuasloe, 
proved a very successful cultivator in the open ground, 
and he succeeded in flowering the same root for fifteen 
consecutive years to a great degree of perfection. He 
planted in this way in October: the soil in the beds 
was dug out fully two spades deep, and then there 
was placed in the bottom one spade deep of fresh cow- 
dung, separated as much as possible from the straw ; 
this was mixed with an equal portion of half-decayed 
leaves, about one year old. The remainder of the bed 
was then filled up with thoroughly decomposed leaf- 
mould, fully two years old, three-parts, and one-part 
of sea-sand, or, if that could not be obtained, good 
pit-sand. As a matter of course, the bed was raised 
to the usual height in the centre, the substratum of 
leaf-mould and cow-dung being raised in proportion, 
so as to bring it in the centre as well as at the edges 
within about 16 ins. or 18 ins. of the surface. The 
bulbs were planted the first week in November. A 
hole was made, and a bulb deposited in each, and at 
such a depth as that the crown of the root, whether it 
was large or small, was 2 ins. below the surface. The 
hole made, some sand was placed at the bottom, the 
root was placed in the sand and covered all round with 
it, and over also. The beds 'were so fine that this 
clergyman used to place an awning over them to protect 
them as much as possible. 
His after practice will afford some instruction for 
those who wish to know how to treat bulbs after they 
are lifted from the bed. Every stem was cut away as 
soon as the beauty of the flower was past; the bulbs 
were taken up as soon as the foliage turned yellow, and 
dried in an airy dry loft, the withered foliage and all 
the offsets were then removed, the bulbs cleaned, and 
each wrapped in silver paper and placed in paper bags, 
duly labelled, until planting time came round. All 
offsets were treated with similar care, and in due time 
they grew into size and bloomed. 
But this clergyman could allow' his bulbs to remain 
in the beds much longer than those who have to lift 
their roots preparatory to putting out the Summer 
bedding plants. This they can do—let them lift the 
bulbs very carefully, and replant them very carefully 
in light garden soil in a shady position, covering with 
hand-lights or something of the kind for a few days, 
and sprinkling them overhead occasionally. The object 
in sheltering is to prevent the foliage being damaged by 
wind and sun. 
But this course of removal must mean a serious check. 
Now attempts should be made to make them strong for 
future use ; how to do this can be set forth in a fev r 
words. In September let a bed be prepared, deep, 
well-drained, and consist of about equal parts of loam, 
leaf-mould, sand, and rotten dung ; in this bed the 
bulbs may be planted 4 in., at least, below the surface, 
where they can remain. When they flower, let them 
carry but one spike of bloom, and allow it to expand 
only enough to determine if the variety be correct. In 
July, the bulbs, when ripened, can be taken up and 
put away carefully for next season’s planting, when 
they will yield a highly effective head of bloom.— E.D. 
GOLD-LACED POLYANTHUSES. 
If the gold-laced Polyanthuses exhibited at South 
Kensington last week are to be accepted as of the best 
of their kind produceable here in the south, it is most 
certain that for many years not the least advance has 
been made with them. The best flowers were of black 
ground, the old and very beautiful Cheshire Favourite; 
and the best of the red ground was that probably older, 
though not always so refined, George the 4tli. Too 
often this latter kind is seen with William the 4tli, and 
some other red-grounds after pushing in warmth, and 
is in such case almost always coarse. In the present 
instance, a small plant grown in a cold house in the 
south produced some of the most perfect pips yet seen 
at South Kensington. Still, it is an undoubted fact, that 
perhaps because most common black-grounds invariably 
produce the best average flowers, there is, perhaps, 
less tendency in the black-grounds to run and more to 
keep itself clearly defined. Hence we saw the other 
day, in the Cheshire Favourite, the very best black- 
ground flower in the show, and it is probably the best 
black-ground in cultivation. 
Gold-laced Polyanthus. 
That gold-laced Polyanthuses, as a rule, exhibit purer 
markings and more constancy in the north than in the 
south, is well understood by growers as resulting from 
the cooler temperature, especially in the summer, when 
the plants are less distressed by thrip and retain their 
foliage, thus promoting the production of good flower- 
trusses in the crowns. It cannot, however, be too 
clearly understood, that much good results from the 
plants being rather under than' over potted ; hence 
repottings should always be done as soon as the 
blooming is over. The pots should be always rather 
small than large, especially if the plants are divided, 
and of course dis-rooted. In the case of established 
plants that it is not proposed to divide, a shift into 
pots a size larger is beneficial, but a mere size larger for 
the year is ample. As a rule, it is found the strong 
single crowns, well established, give the best blooms, 
for in exhibiting gold-laced Polyanthuses, half-a-dozen 
really first-class pips are worth more than a score of 
indifferent ones ; in fact, indifferent ones are worthless. 
Good sweet turfy loam with which is incorporated one- 
fourth proportion of manure from an old hot bed and a little 
sharp white sand to keep the soil fairly porous, makes 
about the best composition ; nostrums and composts of 
strong stimulants, are worse than useless. Quick 
growth, even if obtained, is far from being conducive to 
the production of the finest quality in the flowers. 
It may be a matter for difference of opinion as to 
whether a pure gold-laced flow r er is or is not a more 
perfectly formed flower than is a high class edged 
Auricula. Whilst the latter is admittedly a won¬ 
derful combination of points in a small compass, 
yet it lacks altogether that perfect outline of edging or 
lacing found in the Polyanthus. A perfect laced 
Polyanthus must be mathematically perfect in its 
ground, its hue of centre, and lacing, its clearly defined 
outlines of those features, the clean cutting of the 
lacing through the centres of the petals, and, not least, 
the form and prominence of the eye or thrum-tube. A 
first-rate edged Auricula has its mathematical exact¬ 
ness defined in the eye and paste, but beyond these 
there is only a perfect irregularity in the markings, 
which whilst beautiful is not yet what is seen in the 
perfect Polyanthus. Hence it does seem after all that 
the gold-laced Polyanthus is the most perfect in its 
markings of these ancient florists’ flowers, but there 
seems to be good reason to hold that advance in the 
Polyanthus is hardly possible. This conclusion seems 
justified, as has been set out earlier in this paper, by the 
fact that really old kinds in spite of the fact that tens of 
thousands of seedlings have been raised during the past 
half century still remain the best, indeed, some that 
are lamented as probably dead, Kingfisher and Lord 
Lincoln w T ere probably the best of their respective 
sections, and no human agency has so far been enabled 
to reproduce them. 
Mr. Barlow gave to us a charming though small 
flowered red ground in Sunrise that might have v'orthily 
replaced Kingfisher, but it all too soon became Sunset, 
for it died away. This raisers best black-ground so 
far seems to have been John Bright, but it is a poor 
compliment to so eminent a statesman to associate 
with his name, what is at the best but a rough and un¬ 
certain kind ; compared with either Cheshire Favourite 
or Exile, it is but third-rate indeed. Having regard to 
this too evident incapacity of the gold-laced Polyanthus 
to develop further good qualities or even to perpetuate 
in its progeny the virtues of the father of the tribe, 
it is no wonder that few grow' it, and that those few 
seem rather to be dwindling than increasing. Really 
the variety seems more interesting as a momento of a 
past floral age, and as affording evidence of the in¬ 
exhaustible patience and ingenuity of the old florists 
than as suiting modern tastes, which whilst always 
ready to accept anything refined and beautiful; still 
prefers progressive flow'ers to those which have prac¬ 
tically become fossilized. Thus the fancy or border 
strains, so called, with their robust habits, free and 
progressive qualities, large and very beautiful flowers 
in wondrous variety, are rapidly becoming popular, and 
presenting to the old gold-laced section very formidable 
rivals. — Florist. 
- ~>X<- - 
PROVINCIAL SHOWS. 
It is a pleasing feature of the progress of horticultural 
practice to notice in some country towns that spring 
shows are becoming very popular, and with commendable 
perseverance they are well supported by the amateur 
class of cultivators—many of w'hose exhibits are 
most skilfully produced, and would not be discreditable 
to any professional growers. The exhibition which, 
lately took place at Falkirk was well supported by 
practical gardeners of the district, and many enthu¬ 
siastic amateur growers were prominently to the front 
w'ith spring flowers, which justly excited the admiration 
of the public who had the privilege of witnessing such 
a floral display after such an exceptionally long and 
dreary winter as the past. Hyacinths, Tulips, Lily of 
the Valley, Narcissus, Spiraeas, Primulas (especially the 
hardy class), Deutzias, Cyclamens, Scillas, and Callas 
were among the lots which gave a lively and showy 
character to the Town Hall. The Hyacinths generally 
were of good size and form, but evidently the manipu¬ 
lation of the staging, kc ., was at fault; the stakes 
necessary to keep the flowers erect and safe from break¬ 
age were not well placed, and were larger than 
necessary. 
A lesson taken from the exhibition held in the 
"Waverly Market, at Edinburgh, would improve matters 
materially. At the Metropolitan exhibitions most of the 
exhibitors are veterans at their work, and practice, 
accompanied by emulation, has done much to develop 
taste, and remove clumsy exhibiting. Among the best 
Hyacinths at Falkirk—and some were really good— 
were King of Blues, General Havelock, Lord Macaulay, 
Charles Dickens, Von Schiller, kc. Many of the good 
old kinds being well represented, show that the newer 
names—and many were present—do not always hold 
the best positions on exhibition tables. Bouquets were 
a prominent feature, and well done many of them 
