May 20, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
CIS 
health on their arrival at the garden. This result we 
attributed chiefly to the simple manner in which the 
case was constructed. It consisted of a rough square 
wooden box, filled with soil, into which the plants 
(which had previously been grown in pots) were placed, 
two narrow strips of wood were nailed on to the sides 
of the box in an upright position, to which a cross piece 
was attached, constituting a handle. The whole was 
then covered with strong cotton cloth, no glass being 
used. Invol. viii.,p. 482, Transactions of tlw Botanical 
Society, a description is given of this case by the late 
Mr. McNab. In July last, our associate, Mr. John 
Buchanan, when returning to Central Africa, being 
desirous of taking some economic plants out with him 
to that country, an opportunity was thus afforded of 
trying an experiment. This was rendered all the more 
necessary as on previous occasions similar plants sent 
to Central Africa from the garden, packed in Wardian 
cases, although taken every care of on the way out, 
were found to be mostly dead on their arrival. 
On this occasion a case similar to that exhibited was 
prepared. It is 18 ins. long, 12 ins. wide, 16 ins. 
deep, has a ridge roof with a handle fastened on the 
top for carrying. The main difference from an ordi¬ 
nary Wardian case is in the-substitution of cotton 
blinds for glass sashes. The blinds are nailed to the 
top of the ridge and tied down with cords to the sides 
of the case, so that they may be easily rolled up or 
down as required. The advantage of this method is 
the admission of sufficient light and air to maintain the 
plants in a healthy condition ; the fine meshes of the 
cloth act as a shade from strong sunshine, and do not 
admit so much air as to cause the interior to become 
quickly dried up. The plants sent on this trial con¬ 
sisted of India-rubbers, several Tea plants, Cinchonas, 
and Ipecacuanha. They were all turned out of the 
pots in which they had been growing previously, the 
balls of soil slightly reduced, and then wrapped up 
tightly amongst sphagnum moss. The plants were 
then packed in the case firmly, in an upright position, 
using sphagnum for filling-in the interstices. Thin 
strips of wood were placed across the balls, the ends of 
which were nailed to a flange inside the case for that 
purpose, thus preventing the plants from moving, even 
if the case was turned on end. After being well 
watered and allowed to settle for a day, the blinds were 
tied down and the case sent up to London, where Mr. 
Buchanan took it in charge. He was eighty-two days 
on the journey out, and in a letter to Mr. Taylor, 
received in December last, Mr. Buchanan reports that 
all the plants arrived in a perfectly healthy condition, 
except the Cinchonas, and that he had not given up all 
hope even of them. 
I may mention that the Cinchonas referred to were 
not very vigorous plants to begin with ; they were the 
best we had at the time, but were merely young seed¬ 
lings. It would be well to have this method still 
further tested, either by having a few plants sent to a 
distance alone, or, at all events, in charge of someone 
less skilful in the management of plants than Mr. 
Buchanan. For all but very tender plants (where 
special provision would be required), I think much more 
favourable results would be attained by the use of a 
case such as that described, always provided it were 
placed free from danger of sea water getting through 
the canvas, than if the usual Wardian case were used.” 
-->X<-- 
PANSIES. 
This is the weather for Pansies. The showers of 
l'ain which have'fallen during the past three weeks are 
causing them to root, and they are taking a good hold 
upon the soil and getting well established by the 
summer ; that is a great advantage. If Pansies are not 
put out until April, and May is a dry month, they do 
not always get a good hold upon the soil unless they 
are well looked after, and May being a very busy month 
indeed, some neglect is almost inevitable. 
I have, in the matter of Pansy culture, to deal with 
a somewhat stubborn soil. It is stony and light, and 
yet of a nature that causes it to bind together hard in 
summer. When I plant-out my Pansies, I make up a 
compost of fine siftings from the potting-bench, some 
leaf-soil, and cocoa-nut fibre. Now, I may as well 
state here, for the information of amateurs, that those 
who manufacture cocoa-nut fibre sell it in two forms— 
one rough and the other finely sifted. The extra cost 
of the latter over the former is not much, and it is a 
great advantage to be able to procure it in this way ; it 
is this finely-sifted material that I use for Pansy- 
growing. 
My Pansies for spring blooming are planted-out in 
October, but I am sorry to say many succumbed to the 
cold of last winter—not that I would for a moment 
appear to hint that the Pansy is not a thoroughly 
hardy subject; but the prolonged frosts of last winter, 
combined with cutting winds from the north-east 
bringing the fogs over on to the side of London where I 
live, severely told upon the plants. Those that survived 
are no\v doing well, but they are late in flowering— 
decidedly later than usual. 
In planting, I find it of great advantage to make a 
deep hole, and I place the roots of the plants as deep 
down into it as I can, and I then fill up the holes with 
the compost named above, add some of the surface-soil, 
and press all down firmly together. Later on the 
jflants have a good top-dressing of the same. It is only 
by inducing the plants to root freely and deeply that I 
can keep them blooming through the winter. 
A Snow Pansy. 
For late summer and autumn flowering, I depend 
upon seedlings raised from seed sown in March. They 
are put out in July during the dripping— i. c. , showery— 
weather that generally comes the second and third 
weeks in July, that period so useful for gardeners, and 
they, with proper attention, grow into good plants and 
maintain the floral succession until the Chrysanthemum 
time. The plants put out a few weeks ago, and which 
bloom during June, July, and August, are the best 
sorts, and these are well top-dressed, and at the end of 
the summer break up into young growths, especially if 
the flowering-shoots be cut away. When these are 
divided and planted in a nursery-bed for a few weeks, 
they make excellent stuff for planting-out in October 
and November for spring blooming. Strong-growing 
shoots of Pansies—leading growths that stretch away 
from the plants for some distance—-should be pegged- 
down to the soil in order that they be not blown about 
by the wind and broken off from the plants. The 
blossoms, also, are preserved from becoming disfigured 
so much when the shoots are thus held in position as 
when swayed about by wind. 
There are large numbers of named show Pansies 
being sent out every year, and especially by the Scotch 
florists. Here, in the south, we have but little oppor¬ 
tunity for becoming acquainted with them, but I can 
take upon myself to name a few good standard sorts 
that can be depended upon. They are as follows :— 
Yellow Selfs : George Rudd, Captain Hay ter and 
Goinar. Dark Selfs : George Keith, Garry and Harry 
Paul. White Selfs : Mrs. Galloway and Mrs. Dobbie. 
Yellow Grounds : Bailie Cochrane, Comus, E. Daglish, 
James Black, Master Ord and Royalty. White Grounds: 
Captain Spiers, Miss Barr, Miss Baird, Mrs. J. G. Paul, 
Mrs. Isa Clark and Mrs. R. B. Matthews. 
In regard to Fancy varieties, there are now so many, 
and all so good, that I cannot undertake to give a 
selection. Any dealer in Pansies can be safely de¬ 
pended upon to do j ustice to a purchaser. 
The following can be highly recommended as bedding 
varieties : Blue Beard and Blue Stone, the former dark, 
the latter light blue. Yellow : George Rudd and King 
Coffee. White: Hebe and Mrs. Cannell, purple and 
maroon ; Black : Sam and Mrs. Turner. George Rudd 
is not only an excellent exhibition flower, but an ex¬ 
cellent bedder also, making a good growth, and stand¬ 
ing the heat of summer well.-— R. I). 
-- 
VOLUNTARY ALLOTMENTS. 
A meeting of the Land and Glebe Association for 
the Voluntary Extension of Allotments was held on 
Monday at Grosvenor House. The Duke of West¬ 
minster occupied the chair, and, in opening the pro¬ 
ceedings, said he would give a short history of the rise 
and progress of the movement. Lord Toilemache 
became interested in the matter. Then came the cry 
of “three acres and a cow,” and the declaration— 
iterated and reiterated before and during the election— 
that the landlords were doing nothing in the direction 
of allotments. Lord Onslow, the secretary of the 
association, addressed to landlords owning over 3,000 
acres of land inquiries as to what they were actually 
doing. He received replies from owners, in the aggre¬ 
gate, of 2,441,628 acres. Then his lordship had moved 
for a Parliamentary report upon the subject, and Lord 
Spencer had promised one. The speaker argued that 
landlords had not been idle in the matter of giving 
allotments. Lord Onslow afterwards spoke, touching 
upon the work and the progress of the association. He 
contended that Mr. Chamberlain was the true originator 
of the movement. That gentleman had asserted that 
landlords did their best to drive agricultural labourers 
off'their property. Had he (the speaker) not read that 
he would not have been induced to take any action in 
the matter. As it was, when he did read it, he decided 
that the imputation was unfounded, and by way of 
establishing its erroneous character he gathered the 
experiences and views of other landlords. The in¬ 
formation he had thus gathered, and which he had 
embodied in the book now in his hand, disproved Mr. 
Chamberlain’s assertion. As for the association, it 
numbered as its members 340 landlords and 380 
clergymen, the latter owning glebe land, and being 
prepared to promote the extension of allotments. 
He had communicated with Mr. Arch on the subject of 
allotments. Asked what steps he would advise a 
landlord anxious to give allotments to his labourers to 
take, he said, “Let the landlords call together the 
labourers of the village, without the assistance of any 
intermediary, and tell them that he proposed setting 
aside a convenient plot of land for them for allotments; 
that on the one side he would divide it into small plots, 
and on the other into larger ones ; that he should 
invite the labourers to apply for plots of such a size as 
they thought they could conveniently cultivate; that 
the rent would be the same as that for land of similar 
quality similarly situated, with such increase as might 
be necessary to cover outgoings of all kinds ; and that 
the landlord should insist upon the punctual payment 
of rent and upon the proper cultivation of the land.” 
He (the speaker) thought there was great reasonable¬ 
ness in what Mr. Arch said ; and if landlords would 
adopt such proposals there would be no necessity for 
any legislation. 
Lord Carnarvon afterwards moved: “That this 
association pledges itself to use its utmost efforts to 
secure the formation of local committees in the rural 
Parliamentary divisions of England, for the purpose of 
obtaining for labourers, through voluntary action, such 
allotments of land as they may reasonably require. ’ 
He said that the state of the case regarding allotments 
was very different in different parts of England. Some¬ 
where they were to be found in abundance ; elsewhere 
they were scarce and not appreciated. Labourers could 
