202 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 27, 1886. 
Hardening Kiscellany. 
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♦ 
Primula floribunda. —Some plants of this lovely 
gem, raised from seeds sown in spring, are now bloom¬ 
ing freely in our cold bouse ; its golden blossoms 
contrast with the last remains of zonal Pelargoniums 
and other things. With the aid of a little genial 
warmth, there can be no difficulty in having it in 
flower all the.year round. P. obconica is bearing it 
company, but the cold temperature does not appear to 
suit it so well as P. floribunda. Both should have a little 
warmth during winter, as they are not hardy enough 
to stand much frost. They form an excellent pair of 
what may, without charge of exaggeration, be termed 
perennial-bloOming Primulas.— R. B. 
Moss-covered Stones. —When pieces of stone, 
especially sandstone, are used about a garden for the 
shelter or general good of plants, they will be found in 
some situations to be completely coated with bright 
green moss. Having at Oakwood a large mound in full 
view of the cottage windows, on which it was desirable 
to put some stoue to prevent the soil washing away 
from the plants, I collected moss-covered pieces of 
stone and sunk them about half tlieir depth in the soil. 
The moss, though dried up in summer, has become 
again bright green, so that in place of bare stone we 
have quite a pretty object to look at when flowers are 
almost over. It is possible that this may give a hint 
useful to some of your readers.— George F. Wilson, 
Heatherbank, Weybridge, Nov. 23rd. 
Abutilon Boule de Neige. —This, I think, is 
the best of the Abutilons. Its flowers are large and 
white; it blooms throughout the whole year, and, 
therefore, is alike desirable for the conservatory or 
garden. Its growth is rapid, small plants attaining 
the height of 4 ft. to 5 ft. during the summer months. 
In autumn it may be cut back to any desired size, 
and potted up for the winter, when it will quickly 
recover its symmetry, and resume its ever-blooming 
habit. Its quick growth and exceeding popularity is 
a sufficient guarantee of its merits.— A. P., OaTcJield 
Gardens. 
Glassification of Pears as to Quality. —Has 
any one classified Pears as to quality ? If they have, as 
the planting season has arrived, and selections must be 
made, I would suggest that you place it before your 
readers. The suggestion is made from recently visiting 
gardens and fruit collections, and finding, in the vast 
majority of cases that all the Pears grown, with few 
exceptions, came either under the head of “gritty” or 
“buttery.” There are, probably, people who like 
those buttery (Beurre) Pears—Messrs. Saunders, of 
Cork, have sixteen in their list—and strange as it 
may seem, others must give a preference to the gritty 
ones, or they would be expunged from fruit catalogues, 
and cease to be grown. For my part, and all the 
gardeners I mentioned the matter to agree, quality 
should be the primary consideration for judges at 
shows, and that they should cut and taste any they 
may have a doubt about, giving a preference to quality, 
and not to size, shape or colour. I may be singular, 
but I would give the premier place to Marie Louise in 
its season.— W. J. Murphy, Clonmel. 
Floral Descriptions. —Simplicity of description 
can hardly be found iu that given by a well-known 
German seed house to the flowers of the pretty Phacelia 
campanularia, as being “ infundibuliform.” If these 
flowers had been described by some matter-of-fact 
person, it would have read “cup-shaped,” aud would 
thus have conveyed the impression rightly, that they 
resembled in form those of the pretty blue Nemophila. 
The learning displayed by the German describer would 
seem to be quite “ profoundibuliform. ”— Rustic. 
Peas : Four-hundredfold, Fortyfold, and 
Champion of England.— It is often asked, 
“What’s in a name?” and the answer is generally, “a 
great deal,” and very frequently, “nothing.” I am very 
partial to a variety I have grown this last three sea¬ 
sons under the name of Four-hundredfold ; it is not 
included in the Pea lists of the generality of catalogues, 
and, in order to obtain it, it has to be specially asked 
for, as was my case last spring. Seeds were sent and 
sown in due course, but when the haulms advanced in 
growth, and cropping time came round, to my disgust 
the sort proved to be not the Four-hundredfold that’ 
I wished for, but Fortyfold. How was this ? The con¬ 
signee, evidently thinking there was a mistake on my 
part of a cipher too many, in order to appease his 
customer added a cipher to the label, making it Four 
Hundredfold. These two Peas are as distinct in 
character as can be ; but close by its side was growing 
another favourite Pea, Champion of England, which 
was the exact counterpart of Fortyfold, alias Four¬ 
hundredfold. This was extremely annoying, one Pea 
under three names, and all coming into bearing at the 
same time. Fortyfold and Champion of England are 
one and the same Pea, and anyone asking for one or 
the other will get it under the name he gives, although 
out of one bag. The sooner this practice is done away 
with the better.— B. S. 
Sharp Work with Beetles. —Noticing the 
figure you gave of Messrs. Birkenhead’s trap in a 
recent number, and seeing it in reality in a seedsman’s 
shop window, the will to have it exerted its force, and 
I soon found myself coming out of the shop with the 
trap in my hand, and 2s. less in my pocket. But 
what of that ? I considered I had bartered well, and 
knowing where an army of beetles existed, I determined, 
if possible, to thin their ranks. I had, in fact, likened 
our place to Bishop Hatto’s tower, which we read of 
in the famous legend on the Rhine, only with this 
difference, the destructive beetles were in one place and 
sensible rats in the other. The following is the result 
of using the trap :^The first morning we caught 12-3 ; 
second, 117 ; third, 134 ; fourth, 75; fifth, 110; sixth, 
94 ; seventh, 123 ; eighth and ninth, 140 ; total, for 
nine mornings, 926. These facts speak for themselves, 
and I conclude the trap is a good thing. How long 
the slaughter is going to last I know not ; but if it 
continues I shall begin to fear that our army is only a 
contingent on its way to Sale to tackle the manufac¬ 
turers. Be this as it may, I can well recommend its 
adoption to such of your readers as are troubled with 
these destructive pests. It’certainly does “ Catch ’em 
all alive, 0 ! X. 1'. 
Remarkable Box Trees.— Should any of your 
readers visit Hiteliin, let them enquire for and wend 
their way to Hermitage Street, where they will find a 
row of remarkable Box trees overhanging the path, 
some twenty-four of which are over 30 ft. high. I have 
never before in my travels seen anything like them, 
and should be pleased if someone in the district would 
give some information respecting their history. It 
would be gratefully received. — A. 0. 
-- 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
We are now experiencing fully the dreary month of 
November, with its short days and almost interminable 
fogs, making it all the more necessary for extra 
vigilance to keep things bright and clean in this de¬ 
partment. Take care that the pipes in almost all 
structures are kept warm in the early part of the day 
to drive out the damp, or mildew will make sad havoc. 
"Where Roses may be planted inside, care must be 
taken that the borders in which they are planted do 
not become too dry ; the heating of the pipes will 
contribute towards this, and when the blossoms appear 
next spring, wonder will be expressed that they are 
not so good as usual. The roots being generally under- 
the stages occupied by plants, are neglected, probably, 
until new growth commences, when the border is 
deluged, as it is found it has become very dry. This 
treatment, allow me to say, is too late for the produc¬ 
tion of good flowers, so kindly take the hint. 
The stock of Gardenias being now at rest, will afford 
a good opportunity to give a thorough cleansing; 
generally speaking, work in this department is not so 
pressing but that time may be devoted, and the work 
thoroughly done. By this means endless trouble will 
be saved when the flowers appear, as nothing is more 
disgusting than the stench from mealy bug, particu¬ 
larly when one is naturally led to hope for a sniff of 
perfume. The Calantlies are throwing up their spikes 
very stoutly, they are nearly 2 ft. high, and promise 
very good. They are staged on the shady side of the 
stove, near to the stock of Anthurium Sclierzerianum, 
which are also making a good growth after their 
potting. A good growth now, and onwards, ensures 
an abundant show of their spathes later on. 
The Ccelogynes, too, are now fast throwing out their 
racemes of flower, and truly beautiful they are, the 
extreme chasteness and delicacy of colouring rendering 
them always acceptable. No one with ever so small 
a stove should be without a few pans of this lovely 
Orchid, and, withal, one so easily grown. A few pots 
of Dendrobium nobile, according to stock, may now be 
induced to start, so that the season of flowering may 
be prolonged, rather than all should be allowed to 
flower at the same time. 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
Although our roots of Asparagus were only put into 
the forcing-pit on the 13th inst., we are enabled to cut 
some very good “grass,” and hope, by successional 
lets, to keep up a continuous supply throughout the 
season. Another batch of roots will be lifted towards 
the end of this week, and by this means good dishes 
can be sent to the kitchen. The pit devoted to French 
Beans has served a good purpose, by enabling us 
to keep up a continuous supply. Those sown in 
pots and grown on in the Cucumber house now furnish 
a supply, consequently, the pit will be turned out, and 
refilled with slightly fermenting material ready for 
planting successional Potatos. It is most necessary 
due attention should be paid to the early preparation 
of pits, for if too much bottom heat prevail the crop is 
certain to fail, and failure at this season is oftentimes 
attended with serious results. We are also cutting 
Sea Kale from the earliest batch, which comes in as a 
most useful adjunct to the dining-table just now, par¬ 
ticularly as the late batch of Cauliflower was injured 
by the frost, and, consequently, the supply shortened. 
We are busy carrying out and completing the 
operations enumerated in last week’s calendar, such as 
connected with the early Vineries and Peach houses. 
The Tomatos which we grew on in pots we have put on 
the kerbs in the Cucumber houses to ripen up the 
fruit; by this means the supply will be maintained 
until the new year. In case of desiring to perpetuate 
any variety, cuttings should be inserted, which will 
prove most valuable for the very earliest supply in the 
spring of next year. "We have made another sowing of 
French Beans in pots, placing them on the shelves in 
the Cucumber house. The Roman Hyacinths we find 
do not open at all well so far ; it is rather early, but 
still they are disappointing. The main batch of bulbs 
must now be attended to, and those sufficiently ad¬ 
vanced removed into the north pits. 
THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 
We are now proceeding with the manuring and 
digging of vacant squares, dressing as before advised; 
according to the crops proposed to occupy them. For 
Potatos we use no manure whatever, always relying 
upon what was given for the preceding crop, together 
with a liberal addition of burnt ashes ; this never fails 
in giving us a good crop of sound clean tubers. The 
border for the earliest planting of Myatt’s will be dug 
and ridged as soon as possible, so that the action of the 
weather may have time to thoroughly pulverize the 
soil. We do not make a November sowing of either 
Peas or Beans ; there is so much risk attending them, 
and so very little to be gained in this district, that for 
first early work we prefer making a good sowing in pots, 
and our first out-door sowing as early in the year as 
the state of the ground and weather will permit. 
We have lifted and stored the Salsafy, Chicory, and 
Jerusalem Artichokes, so that now digging may proceed 
regularly, weather permitting. This is of vast im¬ 
portance on heavy land, as, unless it is turned up early 
in the season, it is most difficult to obtain a good seed¬ 
bed. W T e shall double-dig the Parsnip and Carrot 
squares ; the square devoted to Onions we shall heavily 
manure, and, as the work proceeds, give a good sprinkling 
on the surface of gas lime ; this effectually prevents the 
attacks of grub and wire-worm. As we have a fairly 
good supply of dry soot, a coating will be added to 
assist as a fertilizer. — Walter Child, Croome Court. 
-->£<-- 
Tea Cultivation in Ceylon. —The French Consul- 
General at Calcutta states that recent statistics show 
the cultivation of Tea in Ceylon to have increased very 
considerably ; while, on the contrary, the cultivation 
of Coffee has shown a great falling off, which may be 
attributed, in great measure, to the diseases of the 
Coffee plant. At the present time, the extent of land 
devoted to the cultivation of Tea is nearly as great as 
that under Coffee ; 50,000 acres of Coffee plantations 
have disappeared since 1S83, whilst during the same 
period Tea plantations have increased by 70,000 acres. 
It is estimated that at the end of the year the Coffee 
plant, which occupied 270,000 acres in 1S77, will not 
cover more than 100,000. 
