May 29, 1886. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
619 
of being an easy thing to cultivate. It can be grown 
readily in a 6-in. pot, singly, or planted in threes in 
the 12-in. size. The great point in its culture that 
must be attended to is to give it bountiful supplies of 
moisture during the growing season. It is a gross 
feeder, and, therefore, should have an occasional appli¬ 
cation of something stimulating. I have tried most 
sorts of manures on them, and find that “Clay’s ” suits 
them, perhaps, better than anything else. At the 
commencement of summer, when their season is over, 
I plant them out on a rich piece of ground, and lift 
them again about the third week in August, when they 
are potted up and placed in a frame on a good moist 
bottom-heat at starting. Keeping them safe from 
frost, they soon begin to throw up their flower-scapes. 
The best compost is turfy loam, not too heavy, mixed 
with a little well-rotted cow-dung and a good sprinkling 
of sand, and in potting it is not a good plan to make 
the compost too firm about the roots.— J. M. 
Fuchsia Venus Victrix “Improved.”—I 
have ever grown the original variety with considerable 
interest, from the fact of there being a kind of local re¬ 
lationship existing between us, the variety having 
been raised in close proximity to my native place, and 
sent out by a gentlemen (Mr. Thomas Cripps) whom I 
knew when I commenced my gardening career. Con¬ 
sequently, it may be assumed that when I saw an 
announcement of an improved variety, I was at once, as 
it were, under magnetic influence, and was induced 
without loss of time to purchase the plant, which tvas 
forwarded in due course. This was about six or eight 
weeks ago ; it was a nice sturdy little plant, and was 
potted with all care. New growth commenced ; when, 
anon, two bloom buds showed themselves, which I was 
very much pleased to see. Although the plant was 
then only about 4 ins. high, it is now nearly 1 ft. 
high, and no more bloom buds have shown themselves 
but the two which are now fully developed, for the 
production of which I am ready to think that the 
plant in its early or cutting state must have received a 
check, it might have been before it was taken off the 
parent plant, thus, being stunted in growiuh and the for¬ 
mation of bloom buds resulting thereby. The plant, at 
all events, is now making vigorous growth, with no 
additional flower buds to be seen. As regards pedigree, 
whatever relationship may exist, I should think this 
variety is very many generations removed in advance 
of the original, as the growth, and the general character 
of the plant is of a more decidedly robust description, 
apparently being immensely free in growth, which is a 
desideratum, when equally free in blooming. The 
blooms before me are telling and effective, the tube 
very short ; sepals well recurved, broad and uniform in 
style ; the colour by no means white, having a greenish 
hue on the outer or upper surface, with a density of 
that colour on the tips, the under surface being suffused 
with a shade of pink or carmine; the corolla of medium 
size, and of a rich violet-purple, contrasts with the tube 
and sepals most effectively, although the latter lacks 
purity of white. Nevertheless, it is, as far as I am able 
to judge, a variety that will be sure to give satisfaction, 
and well worthy of being added to any collection 
however select. A friend of mine who purchased Rose 
of Castile ‘Improved,’ took off the top and sent me 
the cutting a few weeks ago. This is now a nice plant 
about 9 ins. high, showing bloom buds in the apex, and 
the plant appears equally robust in growth and habit, 
and so similar in character, that one would fancy that both 
were the issue of the same parent. Be that as it may, 
I am pleased to accept these two varieties as being in 
advance of all other similar light varieties, and the 
pioneers of still greater successes, which I have every 
confidence in believing will result. I have a double 
white corollad variety named “Mrs. Short,” that is 
said to be of extraordinary merit as regards size and 
other qualifications. The plant, after travelling the 
other week many miles through the post, is in excellent 
condition and growing admirably. As time rolls on, I 
may have more to say under the above heading, the out¬ 
come of being pleasureably affected or subjected by a 
malady that may be with some propriety designated 
Fuchsia on the brain .—George Fry. 
Anemone Robinsoniana.—In the note on 
“ Choice Hardy Plants,” at p. 567, “R. D.,” writing 
about this little gem, cites it as being an American 
introduction. I have always understood that the 
variety associated with the name of Mr. Robinson was 
found by that gentleman among the wild wood 
Anemones in Kent, and if this be so its origin cannot 
be American. The two plants— i.e., Anemone nemorosa 
ccerulea and A. nemorosa Robinsoniana—are very 
distinct, though hundreds of the former have been 
sold for the latter, and stated by some to be synonymous. 
In the first-named variety we have a facsimile of the 
wood Anemone in general appearances, and differing 
only from the type in its light sky-blue flowers. In 
the latter plant we find an altogether distinct variety, 
inasmuch as it is considerably stronger, generally 
growing, when well established, fully 8 ins. or 9 ins. 
high, ' and having delicate lovely mauve-coloured 
blossoms as large as a florin. I also remember once 
meeting with the plant last described under the name 
of Anemone purpurea. The American form is certainly 
a most distinct and superior plant; and what appears 
to me not quite obvious is whether this last-named, or 
the sky-blue form of our native wood Anemone, is the 
true Robinsoniana. Both cannot be, as the plants are 
very distinct, and I should feel obliged if any of your 
correspondents knowing the facts would authorita¬ 
tively decide the matter. What I myself regard 
as Robinsoniana, and which has flowered gloriously 
this spring, is a most lovely plant, fully 9 ins. high, 
and the flowers are as large as a florin. In fact, it 
is as distinct in its flowers as regards size from the 
blue wood Anemone, A. n. CEerulea, as A. apennina 
is from A. blanda. Mr. Robinson, in Alpine Flowers , 
speaking of the forms of A. nemorosa, says, “I have a 
single blue variety which has flowered densely in a 
fully-exposed position, and produced the most exquisite 
cushions of cferulean blue imaginable.” The colour 
there cited fully agrees with A n. cferulea, and in 
doing so absolutely disagrees with the subject of these 
remarks.— E. Jenkins. 
Peas not Vegetating.—My experience of Peas 
this year, bought of various firms, is that they ger¬ 
minate well. I have sown in small pots and kept an 
account of the number of Peas of the following sorts 
put in each size, four being the greatest number in the 
largest pots :—Sharpe’s Paragon, Duke of Albany, 
Wordsley Wonder, Stourbridge Marrow, Prodigy, 
Sharpe’s Triumph, John Bull, Webb’s Marrow, Cul- 
verwell’s Giant Marrow, Pride of the Market, Telephone, 
Telegraph, and Stratagem ; twelve of these thirteen 
sorts came up well, scarcely a Pea missed. Wordsley 
Wonder, the one that did not come up well, I did not 
get so soon as the others by a day or two, so soaked the 
Peas in water before sowing to try to gain time, and must 
have left them in the water too long. I made another 
sowing, but without soaking the Peas, and they came 
up and proved to be quite as good as the other sorts. 
I think gardeners are too apt to lay the blame on the 
seedsmen’s shoulders before giving the seeds a fair 
trial, although I know well that bad seeds are sold 
very cheap now in almost every town, by those who 
never first try their germinating power themselves; 
such seeds are dear at any price.— Salopian. 
Gloriosa superba. — This magnificent stove 
climber is just commencing to flower with us. It is 
very easily managed, and seldom fails to produce a fine 
display of its brilliantly-coloured, quaintly-formed 
flowers. I need not enter into cultural details, for 
they were fully explained by a correspondent in the 
columns of this journal a short time since. I have 
never forgotten once seeing this plant in flower in Mr. 
John Fraser’s Lea Bridge Road Nursery ; it was trained 
on the roof of a three-quarter span stove. The plant 
was, I think, in a 10-in. pot, and at the time I saw it 
was a mass of bloom, presenting a strikingly beautiful 
appearance.— J. S. B. 
Pansies. —I am a great admirer of Pansies (show 
and fancy), and have grown them for a number of 
years, but somehow have never succeeded very well 
with them ; perhaps some of your readers could throw 
a little light on the subject as regards the best soil, 
treatment, and best varieties to grow. I know it would 
interest a great many readers of The Gardening 
World as well as myself. It has always been a mystery 
to me that so little has been said about the Pansy, and 
especially as it is so much grown now-a-days.— Pansy, 
Dumfries. 
Pulmonaria saecliarata grandiflora -Apart 
from the peculiarly striking shot-silk kind of flowers, 
this fine Lungwort produces, in early spring—flowers 
having a mixture of colours of rose, blue and lavender— 
it is really worth growing on account of its richly 
spotted leaves, which are thrown up as soon as flower¬ 
ing is over. It is said that the name of Lungwort w T as 
given on account of its leaves being blotched with 
white ; but the species named above appears to be for¬ 
tunate in having the handsomest leaves of any I am 
acquainted with. I have seen stove ornamental plants, 
the foliage of which were inferior to this hardy plant, 
but the fact that a plant is hardy appears to lower it in 
the estimation of some persons. No Sonerilla I am 
acquainted with can compare with the above Pulmonaria 
for its marked leaves ; but in saying this much, I must 
not be understood as running dotvn the Sonerillas, for 
anyone who has seen the fine specimens of these 
produced at the Whitsun Show of the Manchester 
Horticultural and Botanical Society will know how to 
appreciate them. I find this Pulmonaria to be, as 
might be supposed, perfectly hardy, and it does well in 
ordinary garden soil ; it blooms very early, and with 
great freedom, and if let alone, soon grows into a large 
size. It is a native of Europe, but why called the 
Sugared Lungwort I am unable to say.— 11. D. 
Lady Downe’s Grape. —I send you a few berries 
of Lady Downe’s, as a sample of the last dish sent to 
my employer’s table on the 20th inst., and which have 
been cut from the Vines and kept in bottles for the last 
five months, though we have no regular Grape room. 
From two Vineries, and by no means large ones, we 
manage to keep up a daily supply of Grapes for eleven 
months out of the twelve, and have done so for the last 
six years—a fact which I mention only in the hope 
that it may encourage other small growers to try and 
do the same, as what can be done here can be repeated 
elsewhere.— Con. [A very good sample indeed, the 
berries being plump, fresh, and very sugary.—E d.] 
Notes on the Fuchsia. —We inadvertently 
omitted to state in our last, when inserting Mr. Fry's 
interesting notes on the Fuchsia, that the article in 
question was written for publication in the catalogue of 
Mr. H. J. Jones, Hope Nursery, Loampit Vale, 
Lewisham, and by him communicated to us for wider 
publicity. 
Red Currants: Effects of Heat.—I send you 
a few bunches of Red Currants, from a tree on a north 
wall, one branch of which is trained against a chimney, 
and which is bearing ripe fruits (sample enclosed) while 
on the other branches the fruits are only of the normal 
size at this season. The branch against the chimney 
flowered and set its fruits before the other part of the 
tree commenced to grow.— Con. 
Black Beetles. —If your correspondent “Onslow” 
has not already tried Hester’s Magic Paste, I think that 
if he will give it a trial it will effectually rid his houses 
of the pest of black beetles of which he complains in 
your last issue. I have had many years experience of 
this remedy, have recommended it to many friends, and 
have never known it to fail. It is to be had from 
Messrs. Hester Brothers, Rosebery Cottage, Mayfield 
Road, Dalston, N.E. — IV. E. G. 
-- 
ORCHID NOT ES AND GLEANINGS. 
Reichenbachia.* —We have before us a copy of 
Part I. of this magnificent new work which is dedicated 
by special permission to Her Majesty the Queen, and 
which has been named in honour of Prof. Reichenbach, 
the greatest living authority on Orchids. The botanical 
descriptions by Prof. Reichenbach are printed in Latin, 
and are accompanied by analytical details of the con¬ 
struction of the flowers, while the general text is 
published in English, French, and German, an 
advantage which will command for it a wide European 
circulation. The plates measure 21 in. by 15 in., and 
are drawn in the most artistic manner, three of them 
by that clever young artist, Mr. H. G. Moon, and 
the fourth by the veteran, W. H. Fitch, while the work 
of the chromo-lithographer has been carried out most 
admirably, so that the general effect of the plates in 
each case is all that can be desired. The plants figured 
in this number are Odontoglossum crispum, a fine 
example from Baron Schroder’s garden ; Cattleya 
Percivaliana, from Lord Rothschild’s collection, at 
Tring Park; the grand new Cypripedium Sander- 
ianum, a wonderful species from the Malayan Archi¬ 
pelago, with the general appearance of C. laevigatum but 
with extraordinary long petals, like C. caudatum, and 
handsomely marked after the manner of Masdevallia 
chimsera—a truly marvellous Orchid ; and Odonto¬ 
glossum Rossii, sketched from a plant at Blenheim 
Palace. The whole of the subjects illustrated, are 
fairly and admirably rendered, and “Reichenbachia” 
must be regarded without doubt as the best work of 
its kind on Orchids yet issued, and one of the finest 
illustrated library books ever published. 
•Reichenbachia, Orchids illustrated and described by F. Sander, 
with the assistance of scientific authority. St. Albans: F. 
Sander & Co. London : Sotheran & Co. 
