310 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 15, 1887. 
Begonias, paid special attention to them, and produced 
some grand varieties, many of which are still recognised 
as standard kinds. If someone with sufficient leisure 
could take them in hand, they would find much en¬ 
couragement in this interesting' pursuit, which could 
he carried out at little expense. 
I would suggest securing a dozen or more of the best 
named varieties obtainable, taking care that a varied 
assortment of colours and form of flowers are in¬ 
cluded, so that ample material may he available for 
cross-breeding. It should be remembered that while 
some have long tubular flowers, others are much shorter, 
with wide, open mouths. Increasing the size of the 
long tubular flowers, by cross-breeding them with the 
■wide-mouthed varieties, affords the greatest scope for 
the further development of this race of plants. I 
think no very striking departure can be expected in 
colour. 
Anyone starting afresh with them should pro¬ 
cure their plants well established in 60-size pots in 
the spring, and plant them out about the beginning of 
April, if the weather he favourable, on well-prepared 
and manured ground ; it cannot be too rich for them. 
Should bad weather set in after planting, protect them 
at night by turning a flower-pot over them. Keep 
them well watered in dry weather, and they will yield 
a profusion of flowers from June till October. 
If sowings of seed are made from carefully cross-bred 
plants during February or March, a great variety of 
form and colour will appear among the seedlings, many 
of which will equal the parent flowers, and some im¬ 
proved forms may be expected. To keep up the 
collection, cuttings should be taken in July, the side 
shoots being the best for this purpose. Insert them in 
finely sifted sandy soil, either in pots or under a hand- 
light in a shady position. Keep them close till rooted ; 
then pot them singly into 60-sized pots, and place the 
pots in a cold frame, or on a light airy shelf in a cool 
house for the winter. 
I have often considered that if they could be success¬ 
fully grown in pots into fair-sized specimens, and shown 
at the summer exhibitions they would excite a great 
amount of attention. This, I think, might be managed 
by growing on a collection during one summer in 48 
or 32-size pots, and keeping them dwarf and bushy by 
pinching at intervals. In the spring of the next year 
shift them on without stopping in 24 or 16-sized pots, 
and plunge them in a bed of ashes or cocoa-nut fibre 
with full exposure. Give them occasional doses of 
weak liquid manure. If thoroughly well done, they 
would be formidable rivals to many more highly es¬ 
teemed subjects on the exhibition table. — W. B. G. 
-- 
TRAINING PEAR TREES. 
I observe that Mr. T. Francis Eivers, in the pleasant 
paper on Pears, which you published in your last, 
deprecates two kinds of training, viz., vase-shaped and 
arched cordons. 'With the former style I have no 
sympathy, hut with respect to the latter, after the ad¬ 
mirable results I have seen from year to year at 
Heckfield, I should say that Mr. Eivers had not 
practised the plan which he condemned. I think, on 
further consideration, so practised a cultivator as he is 
must admit that the objection that portions of the trees 
must be growing in the shade has no tangible basis. 
As much might be said almost against any trees found 
on a north wall, or with respect to that portion of trees 
which is in contact with walls, even on those fully ex¬ 
posed to the sun. Literally, it is found that only the 
most infinitesimal part of an arch-trained cordon tree is 
in complete shade, for one tree does not shade another, 
and the sun, or at least the light, has the fullest play 
upon almost the entire surface. 
Again, with arched trees there is the natural tendency 
on the part of the shoots, buds and leaves to turn up to 
the light, hence the objection that some portion of 
the tree is in shade is minimised to the utmost. 
Practically no part is in shade, any more than it can 
he said that the inner side of the branches of any 
ordinary tree are in shade. After the undoubtedly satis¬ 
factory results of this arched system of training yearly 
seen at Heckfield, I have come to the conviction that 
it is both pleasing and highly profitable ; and were I 
about to plant cordon Pears largely, should follow suit 
decidedly. I believe Mr. 'Wildsmith will say that 
he finds this method of training gives him his most 
regular and best crops. The arched or bent forms of 
the trees, in checking the ordinary rapid ascent of the 
sap, promotes fertility, and that is something. 
As a rule, on walls, cordons are obliquely trained for 
the same end, hut it is not quite so effective as is the 
arched style of growth. If trees be planted at 3 ft. 
apart, on either side of a 5 ft. path and, of course, 
opposite to each other, once the stems have become 
stout they will need little extraneous support. The 
neatest support will be found in iron arches, which, 
when fixed in the soil, give a clear middle height of 
from ft. to 7 ft. I do not know that there is a 
special reason for planting in any particular aspect, 
because the sun will find its way in and around the 
arches, let the paths run which way they will. 
Horizontal cordons are popular, and often very pro¬ 
ductive, but it is obvious that when trained near the 
soil all the undersides of the branches must be much 
more in shade than are the undersides of arched trees. 
It would he fair to object to the plan were the trees but 
1 ft. apart, but no one would plant so close. It is 
apparent that, with intervals of 3 ft., ample room for 
light and air to circulate is afforded.— A. D. 
-->*«■- 
A PEW GOOD TABLE PLANTS. 
It would be well, at the present time, for growers of 
table plants to examine their stock, and see how they 
stand for variety, both for exhibition purposes and for 
home use. Too much sameness is often kept up in this 
matter, the everlasting Palm being always to the fore. 
If a little more variety could be introduced, in many 
cases it would be duly appreciated by those who some¬ 
times witness the attempts that are made at decorating 
a table with foliage plants amongst silver ornaments, 
fruit, &e. In many cases the table plant is too heavy 
in foliage to be graceful, and at other times it is in too 
large a pot to be effective. A 5-in. to 6-in. pot is at all 
times large enough for a plant to be grown in that 
should grace a table, and many plants that I shall 
enumerate can be grown in even smaller pots. Plants 
with light and graceful foliage should be used in 
preference to those with heavy and cumbersome 
leaves. 
A great evil, in many cases, arises from the practice 
of taking choice stove plants direct from the stove into 
the dining-room ; whereas if a little forethought were 
to be exercised, and plants that are intended to be 
used for this purpose were placed in an intermediate 
house for a few days beforehand, they would not suffer 
near so seriously as they generally do when taken 
direct from the stove. Plants that are accustomed to 
greenhouse and intermediate treatment do not suffer 
the same as plants from a stove usually do. Another 
cause of plants suffering from use at dinner-tables for 
an occasional night is, that before they are removed 
to the room care is not taken that they have sufficient 
water at the roots before they are so used ; this, in all 
cases, should be avoided. The general height required 
for table plants is from 9 ins. to 18 ins., and this size 
generally suits most people, unless it is a very large 
table indeed. 
The following stove and greenhouse plants are 
suitable for this kind of work, and all can be grown in 
pots ranging from small 60’s to 48’s (London size). I 
will take the stove plants first, and in this class the 
Aralias undoubtedly hold the premier place, the 
varieties Yeitchii and Yeitchii gracillima, with elegan- 
tissima, being the chief favourites. Dracaena angusri- 
folia, a splendid variety with long curved leaves, and 
very highly coloured, is another exceedingly handsome 
variety, and, possibly, the best amongst the narrow¬ 
leaved kinds with high coloured foliage ; D. rubra 
marginata and D. Wiesmanni are both very serviceable 
plants, and should be always kept in stock for this 
purpose. Crotons next claim attention, the best to 
my mind being Chelsoni, Miesmanni and angusti- 
folium variegatum, all making the most graceful table 
plants. 
The following also make excellent specimens used in 
a small condition for this purpose :—Paullinia thalic- 
trifolia is really one of the most useful plants when 
grown on a single stem, and supported with a neat 
green stake, and running about 12 ins. to 18 ins. high ; 
the foliage resembles an Adiantum, and is very graceful 
indeed. Asparagus plumosus, and the variety nanus, 
may also he grown, and treated in the same manner as 
the preceding. Aphelandra Chamissoniana, when kept 
in a small pot, and grown up about 1 ft. high, more 
especially if it is strong enough to carry a head of 
its fine yellow flowers, is a good plant for the purpose, 
as also is Eranthemum reticulatum, with its leaves beau¬ 
tifully netted over with a deep golden colour. This 
makes one of the best golden-leaved plants we have, 
when kept in a very small pot and close to the light, 
hut if potted on into a rich soil it loses its character 
and becomes quite green. But yet even here we cannot 
get on without the everlasting Palm. YTe must have 
Cocos Weddelliana, Geonoma gracilis, and Euterpe 
edulis ; but here we stop till we, begin to recommend 
heavier foliaged plants for table decoration. Two 
species of Selaginella make handsome table plants 
when grown on single stems about 1 ft. high, and 
clothed from the pot to the apex with their beautiful 
pinnae, looking really charming ; these two varieties 
are, S. iVallichi, and the new species provisionally 
named S. cognata. — W. G. 
-—- 
NEW PLANTS CERTIFICATED, 
By the Floral Committee of the R.H.S. 
January 11th, 1S87. 
Kalaxchce carnea. 
Few of these Crassulaceous plants have been intro¬ 
duced into cultivation, those we havebeing characterised 
by yellow sweet-scented flowers. K. carnea is also very 
fragrant, with cymose panicles of pale rose-coloured 
flowers on a white ground. The plant is of easy culture, 
has a good habit, and is free-flowering. Its natural 
season of flowering is January and February, and it 
should become a favourite for decorative and market 
work. Exhibited by Messrs. James Yeitch & Sons. 
Korolkowia discolor. 
The genus Korolkowia, founded by Kegel, is included 
in Fritillaria in the Genera Plantarum. The perianth 
of the plant in question varies, with yellowish green, 
purplish or purplish-green segments externally, and 
yellow internally. The segments spread at right 
angles, or are revolute above the middle like some 
Lilies. The plant is hardy, and of good habit. 
Exhibited by Mr. T. S. "Ware. 
Cypripedium Leeaxum superbum. 
The petals and labellum of this form are of a shining 
brown, but its greatest attractions are centred in the 
upper sepal; the basal part of this organ is green, 
while all the rest is pure white, attractively spotted 
with lilac or mauve-lilac. The cut flowers shown were 
large and handsome. Exhibited by Mr. Ballantine, 
gardener to Baron Schroder. 
Ljelia anceps Saxderiaxa. 
Y7ith the exception of the labellum the flowers of this 
fine variety are pure white ; the labellum is charac¬ 
terised by a purple blotch at the tip, a medium longi¬ 
tudinal yellow band, with deep purple ascending lines 
on the lateral lobes. A tery fine variety, exhibited by 
Baron Schroder’s gardener, and also by C. G. Hill, 
Esq., Arnott Hill, Arnold, Nottingham. 
LlELIA ANCEPS STELLA. 
The flowers of this variety resemble those of L. a. 
Sanderiana, but differ in the absence of the purple 
blotch at the apex of the labellum. Owing to the basal 
purple blotches being partly hidden, the flowers appear 
almost pure white. Exhibited by Mr. Ballantine, 
gardener to Baron Schroder. 
Barkeria Yaxxeriaxa. 
The flowers of this epiphytal Orchid are produced 
in a raceme at the end of long flower stalks, and being 
closely arranged, are very effective. The sepals and 
petals are warm rosy purple, and the somewhat darker 
labellum is furnished with a white blotch about the 
middle. Exhibited by W. Yanner, Esq., Camden 
Mood, Chislehurst. 
PTERIS TREMULA VAR. FLACCIDA. 
The variety here named is a highly developed form 
of the popular decorative and useful P. tremula—a 
native of Australia, Yan Diemen’s Land and New 
Zealand. It is a greenhouse plant, and the variety 
under notice exhibits a great development of the basal 
pinnules on the posterior side of the respective pinnae. 
A very fine variety for decorative purposes. Exhibited 
by Mr. H. B. May, Dyson’s Lane Nursery, Edmonton. 
Chrysanthemum Golden Gem. 
This is a new decorative Japanese variety that will 
doubtless prove of great value for mid-winter flowering 
purposes, and the deep yellow flower heads are slightly 
