May 8, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
571 
aii'l P. eortusa Matthioli, afford instances of this densely 
matted and comparatively superficial root development. 
They have few, if any, large root or conduit fibres ; 
but, on the contrary, an intricate mass of fine fibrous 
roots, penetrating in every direction, and availing 
themselves, as it were, of every scrap of soil within 
reach. Surely we have here an indication of the neces¬ 
sity in cultivation of supplying these plants with ample 
depth and breadth of light, rich, moist, not to say wet 
soil. The utility of a mulch in hot dry weather is also 
indicated as a means of preventing the drying up of 
the surface roots. 
In some of the Androsaces we find provision for 
keeping the roots moist and free from the risk of 
drought. In seedling plants of A. elongata, for in¬ 
stance, the caulicle is very long and the slender radicle 
descends vertically for a long distance without branch¬ 
ing, and then gives off near its tip a leash of much 
branched fine filaments. 
In Soldanella we have a tuft of rather thick fibres, 
which descend vertically into the soil, and are un¬ 
branched till near the points, where they give off 
numerous relatively short horizontal fibres. — Paper read 
at the Primula Conference. 
(To' he continued). 
-->£<—-- 
FRUITS, FLOWERS & VEGETABLES, 
St. Brigld’s Anemones—Choice Spring 
Flowers. —I feel some hesitation in differing from 
your correspondent, “Q,” p. 556, in his notes on 
Choice Spring Flowers, when alluding to Anemones he 
says, “seeds can he sown in spring in a shallow box, 
using sandy soil, and placed in a cold frame shaded from 
the sun . . . and subsequently transplanted. ” I 
think, after many years experience, much the best plan 
is that recommended by Mr. Burbidge, Trinity College 
Gardens, when stating the best method of treating seed 
of the St. Brigid’s strain of Anemones, raised on the 
Hill of Howth, drawn attention to by him, and now 
put into commerce by Messrs. James Carter & Co., 
High Holborn, London, for the first time this season. 
I may just state, I think, it will he generally admitted 
no Dutch strain of the Crown Anemones (A. coronaria), 
single, semi-double, or double can approach in size and 
brilliancy those found in numbers of Irish gardens, and 
of those Irish strains—maintained by a rigid process of 
seedling selection—St. Brigid’s is one of the best. 
Briefly, sow any time to the end of the present month; 
mix sand with the woolly seed; have the bed or border 
with a warm southern aspect, as rich as possible with 
old hotbed or cow manure; don’t transplant except the 
superfluous plants. The present moist weather just 
suits seed sowing, cover very slightly with sandy soil, 
and when the plants are large enough thin out the weak 
ones.— IP. J. Murphy, Clonmel. 
Peas not Vegetating.—I notice that your 
much esteemed correspondent, Mr. R. Gilbert, has been 
rather unfortunate this season in some of his Peas not 
vegetating, and especially the two new ones, British 
Lion and Alfred the Great, as no doubt during the 
season he would have given us his impartial opinion of 
them. Hew Peas are like new books, there seems to be 
no end to them, and as Mr. Gilbert has before remarked, 
one cannot purchase them all as they make their ap¬ 
pearance, and especially when offered in small packets 
at the rate of £1 per quart. But what one has not 
another may have, and all gain by an interchange of 
opinions as to their merits. I might say that my 
samples of seed have been very good and sound, and all 
that have been sown are now showing themselves, with 
the exception of He Plus Ultra and other general 
cropping sorts which were sown last week, hut which 
appear to be swelling nicely. It certainly looks curious 
that there should have been these failures in the hands 
of such a veteran as Mr. Gilbert; hut the best of men 
cannot always succeed.— B. L. 
Charcoal “Nuts” for Covering Stages.— 
The adoption of charcoal ! 1 nuts ” are now becoming 
general for the covering of stages in plant-houses, and 
charcoal has certainly some good qualities to recom¬ 
mend it. It does not become green or dirty so readily as 
in the case of spar, gravel, and other material which is 
often used, though a good absorbant of moisture, and 
by its use there is a saving of time and labour in ob¬ 
viating the frequent overhauling and washing of spar, 
and the continual scratching of the surface as required 
with sand, &c. It harmonises fairly well with the 
plants and flowers, and is not so glaring to the eye as 
spar, sand, &c. Its use for the drainage of plant pots I 
prefer to crocks, especially for first shifts in the case of 
Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, C'hrsyanthemums, &c., as when 
in repotting any of these, the whole ball of soil and 
charcoal are turned in, so that there is no picking out 
of the crocks between the rootlets which frequently get 
amongst the drainage, and are often broken.— B. L. 
Tiger Flowers. —Judging by the remarks of your 
correspohdent, “Reader,” at p. 555, anent Tigridias, it 
would appear that he lias some experience of wintering 
them in heated structure, seeing that he gives instruc¬ 
tions for their treatment under such conditions. Permit 
me to say that I consider artificial heat during the rest¬ 
ing period of Tigridias, i. e. , from Hovember to the end of 
March, both unnecessary, and at the same time injurious, 
and that any wintered under such conditions would 
not surprise me by partial or total failure as the result. 
Tigridias are so nearly akin to hardy that they cannot 
be kept too cool in winter time, and any application of 
artificial heat cannot do other than keep them in con¬ 
stant excitement, while occasional waterings would 
only accelerate the same. Anyone possessing a cellar 
or shed from which frost may he excluded and where 
Potatos, Dahlias, Gladioli, tuberous Begonias, and such 
things can he wintered in safety, need not fear for 
Tigridias'; and in such a place they will not, if properly 
and gradually ripened off and lifted about the middle 
of Hovember, need a spot of water during the time 
above stated. The point to be specially aimed at in stor¬ 
ing these and similar half-hardy bulbs away for resting 
is to place them in as cool a place as possible, consistent 
with safety and where theatmosphere is uniformly moist; 
this will keep them sound and plump—a thing to be 
desired—and if placed in boxes, and covered with cocoa- 
nut fibre, better still. This is far better than heated 
structures, or even a cold frame, as in the latter, if left 
in the soil, they not invariably deteriorate. — E. Jenkins. 
Primula rosea and P. obconica. —How 
that this class of plants is prominently before the 
public, it may be worth while calling attention to the 
great difference there is in beauty, size, colour, &c., in 
some plants over others, although obtained from 
the same packet of seed or bought from the same 
source. This was most marked at the show at 
South Kensington in the case of plants of the above 
named kinds. In P. rosea the colour is most vivid, 
hut in this respect the plants that were obtained here 
when first sent out quite eclipse all those that have 
been obtained since, and are quite equal to the im¬ 
proved form called grandiflora, which we are increasing 
at the expense of the others. In P. obconica the 
difference is just as marked, as from a packet of seed 
we obtained a goodly number of plants, among which 
there was one that out-distanced all the others (I 
observed the same form in one of the collections at the 
show), the blooms are as large again, and far better 
shaped ; we are seeding this, and the trade should 
increase these good ones in preference to the others, 
although they may have to charge more for them, but 
the public would he the gainers by their so doing. It 
may be worth asking if any reader of The Gardening 
World has tried crossing this latter with rosea, and 
with what results ? Ho garden is complete without 
obconica, rosea, denticulata, Cashmeriana, viscosa, 
nivalis, and intermedia.— Con. 
Violets. —Your correspondent “M. T.,” in his 
Scottish notes last week, has some remarks on Yiolets. 
I should like to know what sorts he has seen growing 
in the north. Here we succeed fairly well with Victoria 
Regina and The Czar. I had a few plants of Marie 
Louise sent me three or four years ago, and prepared 
for them what I considered a good bed on a south 
border, and placed a frame over them in order to give 
them a fair start ; but they only made slow progress, 
and by autumn were smothered with red spider, which 
rather surprised me in this moist cold climate. Last 
year The Czar was similarly affected on a west aspect, 
but on north and east borders they kept moderately 
clean ; likewise, some on a south border, but shaded by 
trees during the middle of the day. When practising 
in Kent, I grew the Heapolitan, I believe, as well as 
it can be grown, both in pots and planted in frames, 
and the plants were always prepared on a south aspect 
and generally succeeded our winter Lettuce, hut red 
spider never gave us any trouble. Bickley and Chisle- 
hurst in Kent were notorious for the Heapolitan Violet. 
Last year I called upon an old acquaintance (Mr. 
Neighbour, Bickley Park), who must have grown the 
Neapolitan well years before I was horn, and I found 
the frames and jiits that were so familiar to me filled 
with Marie Louise, which he considered better in every 
way. If one could be informed of the varieties that 
succeed in certain localities in the north, it might afford 
a useful hint as to other localities in which they might 
succeed also. I think it is useless trying them within 
a radius of three or four miles of large manufacturing 
towns, and I doubt if many are grown within a dozen 
miles of The Gardening World office. — JF. P. It ., 
Preston. 
Collinsia verna.—Has this beautiful species be¬ 
come lost to gardens ? I have not seen it in flower for 
years ; the last time was at Messrs. Barr & Son’s bulb 
grounds at Tooting, where it was growing on the sides 
of some bulb beds, in the light sandy soil peculiar to 
that garden. It is such a pretty blue Collinsia, and 
perfectly hardy ; hut the seed must be sown as soon as 
ripe, or it will not germinate. That is the rub. There 
are now so many plants of easy culture, that who will 
take thought for a plant that gives a little extra trouble, 
however pretty it may be ? If anyone went to a seed 
shop and asked for Collinsia verna, they would, 
probably, be supplied with C. grandiflora or C. violacea, 
hut they would not get the true thing. I do not know 
whether Messrs. Ban- & Son grow it still, but, perhaps, 
seed of the true thing can he got from them ; but it 
should be applied for in August, and sown immediately, 
and then a little seed should be sown annually. It is 
the only Collinsia that can he had in bloom in the 
month of April.— R. B. 
Birds and Gooseberries.—When looking over 
a large piece of Whitesmith Gooseberries a few days 
ago in one of the London market-gardens, it was 
curious to notice how many of the fruits were destitute 
of blossoms at the end of them. The Whitesmith is 
one of the earliest to flower, and the blossoms appear 
to put forth a sugary secretion, which the sparrows and 
tomtits devour. Some of the berries swell after being 
so attacked, hut many others do not. 
Keen’s Seedling Strawberry is one of my 
favourites. It is of robust habit and an excellent 
cropper. It has sustained its reputation for many 
years, and by many is still considered of the first 
quality. I have seen this variety on many sorts of 
soils, and in widely different parts of the country, and 
I think it will succeed in any soil that has been pro¬ 
perly cultivated and duly prepared for it. Black Prince 
is a great cropper and very early ; in most places it is 
the earliest variety grown. For jam making it is 
more suitable than many of the larger fruited kinds ; 
it is an advantage to replant this sort frequently, to 
have it in perfection. It is sometimes used for edgings, 
for which it is very well suited. Sir Joseph Paxton is 
a good kind of Strawberry, and of a hardy constitution. 
It stands a wet season better than most kinds of Straw¬ 
berries. If permitted, I might, in another note, have 
something to say on the different kinds of Strawberries 
and sorts of soils I have seen them grown in.— J. R. 
[We should be pleased to have our correspondent’s 
experience.— Ed. ] 
-- 
ORCHID NO TES AND GLEANINGS. 
Orchid Flowers. —What is the best means of 
preserving cut Orchids for use as required ?— A. H. L. 
[Where it is not absolutely necessary to allow the 
flower-spikes to remain whole, there is no doubt that 
the utmost limit of duration can be secured by removing 
each flower singly, and placing them, a number to¬ 
gether, in shallow dishes of water, the end of each 
flower-stalk being placed in the water, and each flower 
supporting itself either on the side of the dish or against 
a neighbouring flower. So arranged, and placed in a 
cool shady room, it is wonderful how long some of the 
varieties last. For example, I have kept good in this 
way Dendrobium infundibulum and D. Jamesianum for 
eight weeks ; Odontoglossum crispum, Pescatorei, 
Rossii, Cervantesii, &c., for from three to six weeks ; 
and many other things for even longer periods. It 
seems that the single flowers keep so much longer than 
the sprays, because each draws its own support of water 
without its having to pass through a joint or be stinted 
by having to pass through the harder main stem. The 
nearness to which the flowers are brought to the water, 
too, of course helps to preserve them, and with many 
flowers which wither quickly—as, for instance, Mas- 
devallia ehimama and its varieties—they may be speedily 
and perfectly restored by being carefully floated into 
form on the surface of a basin of water. To preserve 
single flowers or sprays, much assistance maybe gained 
by placing the stems in howls half full of water on 
which green moss has been placed for the sprays to 
rest on. 
