THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 10, 1886. 
708 
and access to their library are given, and altogether 
the society promises to be active and useful in the 
future. 
The Liverpool Boiler Contest. —The awards 
made by the judges in the boiler competition, carried 
out in the Royal Horticultural Society’s show ground 
at Liverpool last week, were as follows :—Boilers for 
heating 2,000 ft., first, Messrs. F. & J. Mee, Liverpool, 
Silver Medal. Boilers for heating 1,000 ft., first, 
Mr. S. Deard, Harlow, Silver Medal ; second, Mr. J. 
Witherspoon, Red Rose Vineries, Durham, Bronze 
Medal. Boilers for heating 500 ft., first, Mr. S. Deard, 
Silver Medal ; equal second, Mr. J. G. Wagstaff, Man¬ 
chester, and Mr. T. Wood, Bristol, Bronze Medals. 
Stocks for Seed. —Messrs. James Carter & Co. 
are this season growing nearly 10,000 Stocks, in pots, 
and mainly for seed, on the continental plan. The 
plants are now in flower and present such a mass of 
double blooms as has probably never been seen in this 
country before. The collection, which may be seen in 
the Forest Hill nursery, comprises all the leading 
shades of colour, and is well worth inspection. 
The Scottish Horticultural Association. 
—The monthly meeting of this association was held in 
their rooms, St. Andrews Square, Edinburgh, on Tues¬ 
day last. Mr. Milne, the president of the association, 
occupied the chair, and after discharging the ordinary 
business, read a paper w-ritten by Mr. Dean, of Elie, 
Fifeshire, on the Primrose. The paper proved in¬ 
teresting in its details of the history and merits of this 
more than ever popular flower, and led up to a little 
bright discussion. The proceedings were brought to a 
close by votes of thanks to the writer of the paper, and 
to the chairman. 
A Rose Show in Edinburgh. —We learn that 
the horticultural committee of the International Exhi¬ 
bition, Edinburgh, intend holding a grand show of Roses 
(non competitive) in the Exhibition Building, West 
Meadow, on the 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, and 24th inst. 
The leading nurserymen throughout the country have 
been requested to assist in carrying out the design, by 
sending exhibits, and the committee have the satis¬ 
faction of having received favourable replies from most 
of them. It is not desired to limit the display ex¬ 
clusively to Roses, but cut flowers of any kind, or 
flowering plants will be provided for by a liberal allow¬ 
ance of space. Shows for other classes of cut flowers 
will be taken up and provided for in the course of the 
season, and will be duly announced. There will be 
a trial of lawn mowers on the occasion of the Rose 
show, should the weather in the meantime be such as 
•will lead up to a favourable condition of the grass for 
that purpose. 
Mr. Walter Tedder, of the Frame Ground, 
Kensington Gardens, has been appointed gardener to 
W. Johnson, Esq., the Birches, Mitcham. 
--- 
COTTAGE GARDENING. 
Through the kindness of one of its fellows, the 
Royal Horticultural Society in the year 1870 offered 
prizes for the best essay on cottage gardening, suitable 
for general distribution amongst cottagers. That prize 
was won by Mr. E. W. Badger, of Birmingham, a well- 
known amateur horticulturist of that town, and a 
copy of the last edition lies before me. The present 
essay is considerably enlarged and revised, and being 
published at the small charge of 3 d. makes an admir¬ 
able little book to place in the hands of cottagers, and 
local horticultural committees will do wisely if they 
will purchase a few hundred for distribution in then- 
respective districts. There can be no doubt, whatever, 
but that gardening knowledge amongst the bond fide 
cottager class is of a somewhat crude kind. Even the 
intelligent educated amateur gardener too often exhibits 
ignorance which is bitter, distressing, and ludicrous, 
but they have no excuses, the w-ealth of gardening 
papers and books before them removes excuse for lack 
of knowledge. 
The poor and uneducated man may well assert that 
lie' cannot afford time to read up books that are both 
costly and technical, and his opportunities, too seldom, 
are in the direction of taking even a penny weekly 
gardening paper, hence a book which may be obtained 
so cheaply, and is of such simple and yet sensible 
character, and which can always be kept in the cottager’s 
limited library for reference, seems the very thing 
needful in myriads of cases. Perhaps, in relation to this 
subject, I may be justified in taking some exception 
to Mr. Badger’s selections of gardening books recom¬ 
mended evidently for cottagers perusal, but all of which 
are so costly as to be far beyond the reach of those 
catered for. There are few branches of garden literature 
morenegleetedthanis found in cheap but really practical 
books for the million. The larger portionfff cheap gar¬ 
dening books are rubbish, evidently written by people 
who know little of what they are writing about, and 
sadly want teaching themselves. The list of gardening 
papers with their prices is so far useful, that it shows 
how considerable is the press which is weekly issued in 
the interest of gardening. Perhaps it would have been 
more useful had the publishing offices of each been added, 
as giving to cottagers information they would probably 
desire to have. However, these are small matters 
easily revised in another edition. 
Under the heading transplanting, it is advised that 
Cabbage plants should be taken from the seed-bed when 
2 ins. in height, and be dibbled out in a bed, rendering 
a later transplanting needful. I prefer to advise to 
sow seed rather thinner, and then one transplanting 
will answer better than two and be less labour. Under 
the heading Beans, the Mazagan is advised, but no one 
grows that kind now; the Seville should be substituted 
for early work, but Giant Long-pod and Taylor’s Broad 
kind are enough for any cottager. Then it is advised 
to sow seed of Early Dwarf Erfurt Cauliflower in August, 
to stand the winter in frames ; sown so early, all the 
plants of that kind would be then in the frames. 
November in a frame is the time and place to sow such 
an early kind, and Early London may be sown in 
September. 
In such an important matter as a selection of Potatos, 
a revision of sorts named is much needed. Potatos 
come and go, but gardening goes on for ever, and the 
sorts of one day are soon forgotten. Ashleaf Kidney 
is all very well in high-class gardens, but the mass of 
cottagers will find Beauty of Hebron far more profitable 
for a first early, than London Hero, Prime Minister, 
white round, Chancellor, and Magnum Bonum, 
white kidney ; other fine kinds, coloured, are White 
Elephant, Vicar of Laleham, Reading Russett, and 
the Dean (and we notice that cottagers, as a rule, have 
a partiality for coloured kinds), those named being 
especially large croppers and good keepers. However, 
there is so little room for criticism of this kind, that 
I gladly pass away from them to commendation of a 
general character, because the little book so thoroughly 
merits it. We get first some unpretentious and simple 
“hints on cultivation,” the very basis, we may say, 
of success in gardening ; then comes selection of crops 
to be grown, with fairly copious notes respecting them 
all, here and there needing a little reason, yet full 
of help and suggestion 
Fruits suitable for cottage gardens follow with hints 
as to culture and training. Flowers find a place also, 
and finally comes a calendar of operations in the 
garden for each month of the year, which is of 
exceeding benefit, because, even if the instructions be 
not strictly followed, they at least are helpful to the 
memory, and prevent the loss of a season. There is a 
peculiar interest in the renewed appearance of this 
essay just now, because allotments and plots of land 
for the working classes is not only one of the needs of 
the day, but seems likely to find early remedy, hence 
working men may hope in getting land to get useful 
knowledge with it. I can with pleasure endorse your 
recommendation of Mr. Badger’s little manual.— X. 
-- 
PANCRATIUM CARIBzEUM. 
Seeing a correspondent calling attention to that 
good old plant, Humea elegans, in a recent number, I 
beg to submit to your notice another good useful 
subject that has long been a favourite of mine, although 
I know there are more striking members of the genus. 
Pancratium caribseum was introduced from the West 
Indies in 1730, and is not now much grown by 
gardeners. It appears to be a lesser form of Pancratium 
iragrans, or rather a narrower petalled form ; and the 
freeness with which it produces its sweet-scented white 
flowers, fully compensates for any loss in size. 
Grown in an ordinary stove or warm conservatory, it 
is one of the easiest members of the genus to manage. 
It is an evergreen plant, and when not in bloom, its 
foliage is handsome, and on that account as well, it 
deserves more attention than it now gets. — T. S. Brown. 
DOUBLE-FLOWERING 
BEGONIAS. 
Elegant, useful, easily grown, and generally desir¬ 
able as the single flowering kinds of Tuberous Begonias 
arc now universally admitted to be, I think they are, 
in some respects, surpassed in value by the double¬ 
flowering varieties, as they now exist. It is more 
particularly as greenhouse plants that these excel, for 
outside -work they are not nearly so valuable as the 
singles, their heavy and delicately textured blossoms 
being easily disfigured by rough weather or hot sun¬ 
shine, and as the flowers are not so freely and rapidly 
produced as those of the single kinds, but remain a long 
while on the plants, if once injured they do not soon 
recover. 
1 hough requiring a little more care in some respects 
than the single Begonias, these double forms are by no 
means difficult plants to grow, and given a light and 
airy greenhouse in a fairly open position, they are really 
very little more trouble thau choice Zonal Pelargoniums. 
It is only fair to say, however, that they do not flourish 
as a rule where the air is laden with smoke to any 
extent, and though with care they may be done fairly 
well in most suburban gardens, yet under such circum¬ 
stances they do not attain to anything like the vigour 
and beauty which characterises them when grown in 
pure country air. The flowers of the newer varieties, 
when in good condition, are strikingly full, large, and 
rich in colour, some of the blooms resembling the Rose 
in form, others the Hollyhock, Camellia, Pteonv, and 
Ranunculus, while several, when under favourable cir¬ 
cumstances, attain very nearly in size to that of the 
first four subjects named. 
As regards colour, we have now many pure white 
forms, an infinite variety of most lovely shades of blush, 
cream, salmon, rose, and pink, brilliant reds and scar¬ 
lets, and a few rich crimsons of various degrees of 
depth, while some have a decided purplish tinge, others 
incline to orange, and there are now a few with pure 
yellow blossoms, which are very novel and beautiful. 
One of the most noteworthy characteristics of the 
double Begonia is the remarkably enduring quality of 
the blooms, a single flower, on a plant in good condition, 
and which is judiciously watered and carefully shaded 
from sunshine, often remaining in beauty a month or 
five weeks. Except some Orchids, there is hardlvanother 
flower of so persistent a nature. The time is taken up 
by the slow and gradual development of the central 
mass of petals. When the outer petals of the bloom 
first expand, and the flower is to all intents and pur¬ 
poses “open, these are comparatively small, at least 
in most cases, but day by day they elongate and unfold, 
and in about three-weeks the centre is perfectly filled 
up, aud the bloom, if thoroughly double, presents the 
appearance of two-thirds of a ball. In some cases the 
centre consists, not of numerous petals only, but of a 
number of tiny florets, dach on its own footstalk, and 
as these gradually unfold, and the stems lengthen, a 
most unique and beautiful effect is produced. 
The raising of double Begonias from seed is a tedious 
and somewhat delicate process, and to those who have 
not plenty of time to bestow, and are not, to some 
extent, aufait at this kind of thing, we should recom¬ 
mend the purchase of a few dormant tubers in the 
spiing of the year, or at the present time of some young 
plants just showing or coming into bloom. I do not,’ 
as a rule, recommend the purchase of named varieties, 
for these are generally expensive and seldom possess 
the vigour of seedlings, of which good examples may bo 
purchased for half the cost of named kinds, while 
under ordinary treatment they will prove much more 
satisfactory. There are, however, a few named kinds 
of so great excellence, which also possess the rare 
quality of retaining their vigour after repeated propa¬ 
gation from cuttings, that they should find a place in 
every collection. A few examples of this class are 
Rosamonde (pink), Pamniaeflora (salmon), Louis Bouchet 
(orange-scarlet), and Gloire de Nancy (bright deep 
scailet). These, with some others, are casilv grown, 
and even when grown from cuttings continuously 
make fine plants, aud produce abundance of handsome 
blooms, though, as a general rule, double Begonias, 
when propagated in this manner continuously, lose 
their constitution iu a comparatively short time. 
If a start is made with dormant tubers in the spring, 
they should be placed singly in pots only slightly 
larger than the diameter of the bulbs, using good 
drainage fresh clean ashes are best for this in all 
stages—and an open porous compost, consisting of 
