1882 ,] 
THE LEAVES OF BULBOUS PLANTS.-STRIPED FANCY PANSIES. 
87 
Nachury, Paul Neyron, Heine du Midi, Yille 
de St. Denis. 
Giant of Battles type. —The founder of 
this family was introduced by Nerard in 1846, 
and doubtless has Bourbon blood in its veins. 
The colours are various shadings of crimson, 
very rich and effective when in perfection, but 
very fleeting ; the sun soon gives them a 
muddy hue. The flowers are bell-shaped, but 
small, and have slight fragrance ; they are 
very freely produced in the spring and summer 
months, but as a rule not in the autumn. 
The shoots are of moderate or short growth, 
short-jointed, erect, very stiff and covered with 
very numerous reddish thorns. The foliage is 
of lustrous dark green, very subject to mildew. 
They are difficult to propagate from cuttings, 
and liable to injury by frost. The leading 
sorts are : Arthur de Sansal, Cardinal Patrizzi, 
Crimson Bedder, Empereur de Maroc, Eugene 
Appert, Eveque de Nimes, Lord Raglan, Louis 
Chaix, Mrs. Standish, Yainqueur de Sol- 
ferino. 
(To le continued.) 
THE LEAVES OF BULBOUS 
PLANTS. 
TljTHE little value set on the leaves of 
fji I bulbous plants, whether grown in pots 
or in the open borders, is one of the 
most singular features of modern gar¬ 
dening. Traces of the feeling are found in 
almost all gardens, large as well as small. 
Possibly much of this feeling originated or 
was strengthened by the fact that so many 
bulbs have been treated as if they were 
annuals. Thousands and tens of thousands 
are imported and bloomed, and then lost or 
destroyed—there is an end of them. And 
with these bulbs it matters nothing what be¬ 
comes of their leaves after they have assisted 
the flowers to expand, and added to their 
beauty by their verdure while the bloom lasts. 
But with bulbs expected to flower many 
times, or in perpetuity, it is altogether different. 
Leaves are as essential to such bulbs as lungs 
or any other vital organs are to us; for in 
many cases the leaves of one year make the 
flowering bulb of the next. In all they make 
the flowers of the succeeding season. This 
being so, it by no means follows that as soon 
as the flowers of bulbs fade the functions of 
the leaves are also completed. On the con¬ 
trary, it often happens that the work of the 
leaves may not be more than half got through. 
Nothing should be done to force the head of 
the leaves to rest prematurely. Drought, 
cold, or excessive heat have often been used 
to dry off leaves at a time when they demanded 
copious supplies of water or rich feeding to 
enable them to create bulbs or blossoms for 
next year. 
Bulbs in pots should have their leaves culti¬ 
vated and carefully ripened for weeks, or it 
may sometimes be months, after the flowers 
have faded, if they are wanted either to 
bloom in pots or in the open air the following 
year. 
Bulbs in the open air should also be pror 
tected from being overrun or starved by other 
bulbs or plants, if they are desired to yield 
an annual harvest of beauty. The chief reason 
why so many choice bulbs degenerate - in the 
open air is because their leaves are utterly 
starved or neglected. In some cases they are 
planted in poor and unsuitable soil at first; in 
a far larger number they are either cut off’ pre¬ 
maturely or smothered. Sometimes bulbs are 
left so long in one spot and increase so fast 
that they smother and choke one another; 
but only give the leaves of bulbs room to 
grow, sufficient food, genial conditions, and 
enough time to ripen, and they will take care 
that the plant shall yield plenty of blossom 
and a good succession of healthy bulbs.— 
D. T. Fish, Hardwicke House. 
STRIPED FANCY PANSIES. 
PRESUME we are indebted in the first 
instance to the continental florists for 
the fine strain of Fancy Pansies now 
obtainable. They, in raising seedlings, 
are attracted by types and colours we might 
be disposed to pass over as of little promise, 
or perhaps worthless, and by improving these, 
they have done useful work which has come 
to be appreciated by English gardeners. 
I have now in my garden some plants of 
distinctly Striped Fancy Pansies that were 
raised from seed imported from Germany in 
1881. As a matter of course a great deal of 
rubbish results; but there are some prizes 
among the blanks, and when a good thing puts 
