330 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 22 , 1887. 
in the reader’s possession for sixteen years, has never 
bloomed nor given off a new shoot. The Mamillarias 
are also distinct. The Stapelias are known as the 
Carrion Flowers of Africa from their fcetid smell, which 
causes insects to lay their eggs on them. Various 
other things were shown and described, such as Yuccas 
and Pilocereus senilis. A plant of the latter, shown at 
Preston, was, unfortunately, so badly used by in¬ 
quisitive visitors that it died. Numerous Sem- 
pervivums were exhibited and described, including 
herbaceous and sub-shrubby species, the latter of which 
were compared to the Banyan tree, on account of the 
long roots sent out by the stem. 
The cultural requirements of these plants are few. 
Little or no water is required in the winter season, 
seeing that their fleshy stems transpire but little, but 
require protection from frost. They should have all 
the light and sun possible, and require little or nothing 
else till spring, when growth recommences. They have 
brilliant colours in various shades, and flower chiefly 
during the months of May, June and July. Propaga¬ 
tion is very easy, and when offsets are not obtainable 
they may be struck from cuttings of the upper part of 
the stem, which have been dried by exposure before 
insertion. He cultivated the whole of his fifty species 
in good fibrous loam, mixed with sharp river sand, in 
well-drained pots ; and, after eighteen years’ experience, 
considers this the best all-round compost. He also 
recommended them to be. grown by amateurs having 
only small greenhouses or even a window at command. 
-->£<-- 
ARDEN1NG MISCELLANY. 
Twenty Degrees of Frost, and the wind due 
south. Such was the outlook here in the neighbourhood 
of Birmingham at 7 a.m. this morning. I fear, owing 
to partial but very rapid thaws, it is true of very brief 
duration, but which here considerably reduced in bulk 
the protective covering of snow, the crippled state of 
very many valuable shrubs will be but too evident at 
the break up of this bitterly severe weather. Rosarians 
too, will have sufficient cause for anxiety on the pro¬ 
spective loss of very many of their favourites, for a 
rapid thaw of a few hours’ duration only has been, on 
more than one occasion, succeeded by an intense frost, 
which, with the wood dripping wet, must have told 
heavily against them. It is, however, useless to 
anticipate misfortune, the exact result can only be 
awaited with anxiety, and those members of our craft 
who have taken every human precaution, in the way 
of a good surface-dressing in the autumn, for the former, 
with an additional covering of dry litter for the latter, 
can, whatever the effects of the frost may be, console 
themselves with the thought that nothing has been 
omitted likely to be conducive to the well-being of the 
plants in their charge. In our fickle climate it is 
difficult at all times to know what to do for the best— 
for several succeeding winters all precautions taken may 
appear quite superfluous ; the result may be about 
the same had they not been adopted ; and one does not 
care to see blowing about an otherwise tidy place a 
quantity of loose covering material. Nevertheless, it 
is the only satisfactory method to adopt, for however 
unsightly such a system may appear, there is still 
remaining the inner consciousness that your level best 
has been done to guard against the inroads of an enemy, 
the effects of whose presence can be both seen and felt. 
— J. H. 3., Jan. 17th. 
Ampelopsis japonica. —The American Gar¬ 
deners’ Monthly says that some of the English nursery¬ 
men are selling the common poison Yine, Bhus radicans, 
under this name, and are being badly punished for their 
deceit or ignorance. The newspapers report numbers 
being badly poisoned by handling or cutting it. They 
will be as sorry for introducing this pest after awhile, 
as Am ericans are for importing their sparrows. 
Paeonia Moutan for Forcing. — To have 
flowers of this grand Pseony blooming in mid-winter is 
no small matter ; but that it can be done is evident 
from the specimens sent to our office by Mr. McLean, 
Yinter’s Park, Maidstone. The delicate beauty of the 
flowers surpass anything of the kind bloomed in the 
open ground during April or May. This, of course, 
arises from their not being subjected to low temperatures, 
frosty nights, cold blasting winds and other unfavour¬ 
able contingencies to which they are exposed in the 
open ; even after taking the precaution of protecting 
them with some light awning during the night, especially 
in frosty weather, from the time the buds commence to 
expand or the shoots begin to grow, till the flowering 
period is over. The specimens sent us were from plants 
grown in the open ground, lifted, potted and brought 
into heat, only about a month ago ; so that we have 
evidence that this Paeony is readily amenable to forcing. 
The foliage has a clean healthy glaucous green colour, 
and the petioles furnished with an attractive crimson 
stripe on the upper side ; the flowers diffuse a not dis¬ 
agreeable odour, and the petals are of a delicate rose 
colour, with a much deeper tint towards the base, and 
well-formed, numerous, smaller and more deeply 
coloured towards the centre. 
Utricularia Humboldtii. —This grand plant, 
after repeated attempts, has been successfully imported 
from the Roraima Mountain by Messrs. F. Sander & Co., 
of St. Albans. The plant has stout fleshy roots, and 
bright green leaves borne on long foot-stalks. The 
handsome flowers, which are carried on stout stems, 
often a dozen on a stem, are of a rich blue with white 
centre. They are each 2J ins. to 3 ins. across, and 
showier than any blue flower of recent introduction. 
It was discovered by Schomburgh in 1838.— J. B. 
Rise v. Fall in Hot-water Pipes. —Your 
correspondent, “AY. P. R.,” has not helped to clear 
the gathering mist from about our present system of 
heating, viz., as to the rise in the flow-pipes. He 
takes occasion to refer to what I stated in your issue 
of November 20th, confuting in a certain degree my 
remarks. Read carefully, my meaning is clear : “ The 
valves of this house (namely, the highest) had to be 
left with the least possible openings, increasing the 
openings as levels fell.” This remark substantiates my 
meaning, that rise is conducive to a quick and ready 
circulation. Does “W. P. R.” mean to advance the 
theory that water acts on the rules of contrariness ; 
that is, when piping is placed on different levels with 
valves full open, that the water flows as readily into 
the low levels as the highest ? He does not give 
variations of levels. He says, in a house 170 ft. from 
the boiler, some of the pipes are 18 ins. below the flow 
at their departure from the boiler. It is essential here 
to state the highest level of pipes in this house in 
relation to the boiler ; also the different levels of houses 
in relation to each other ; and the piping that the 
water has the greatest tendency to heat. As he made 
his observations when on a visit, I might add, that I 
learned what I have stated from years of attention 
given to the apparatus as stoker. From the various 
positions of boilers to houses throughout the country, 
no end of controversy arises ; but the question at issue 
is which is the best, rise or fall. A close observation 
will, no doubt, in time elicit the true facts, and remove 
doubts that perplex not a few.— Alexander Mcthven, 
The Gardens, Pclaiv House, Chestcr-le-Street. 
A Cure for Mildew. —The American Gardeners’ 
Monthly states that its excellent French correspondent, 
M. Jean Sisley, says it has been found in that country 
that about six pounds of salt to 100 quarts of water 
has been found a complete cure for mildew and other 
low cryptogamic forms of plant life that bother the 
cultivator. This is likely to be a very valuable hint. 
Salt has always been known to be injurious to vege¬ 
tation, in large quantity, but it has not been known 
that a smaller quantity will kill fungi, and yet not 
harm the higher forms of vegetation. It seems to us 
that even a lesser quantity than that named might be 
used first with the water. 
Should Chrysanthemum Cutting’s be 
■Watered? —To me this seems the most absurd 
question possible to ask, more especially when it comes 
from practical men, which I have good reason to believe 
it does. But since Chrysanthemum growing has become 
so popular with amateurs, such a question would be 
pardonable from them. Even then it is not a question 
of yes or no, but one that requires a great deal of judg¬ 
ment. "Were the question put to me pointedly by an 
amateur, I should be inclined to join in Mr. Boyce’s 
recommendation, “ to inspect very closely before doing 
so,” but at the same time I should be very sorry to say 
yes or no as an answer. But if put to me by a profes¬ 
sional man, I should consider myself in a fix, and the 
only answer I could give would be, “use your own 
judgment.” Taking the case from an amateur’s point 
of view, I should strongly recommend them to be very 
cautious in watering their cuttings ; at the same time 
being equally so in not letting them suffer from want 
of it. If the cuttings receive a good soaking after 
insertion, as they always should do, they will not 
trouble one again with the watering-pot for, at least, 
a week or two, and at the first signs of damping, I have 
found a good remedy in sprinkling a little finely broken 
charcoal over the foliage. Airing and watering are 
undoubtedly the main features of success in striking 
Chrysanthemums, and this, everyone will admit, de¬ 
pends a great deal upon the position in which they are 
placed. If, as in many instances, this should be a 
warm corner of a greenhouse under hand-lights, airing 
should be very limited, and only given when there are 
signs of damping. But if the position be a cold frame, 
airing and watering will be found a far more tedious 
task, simply because one has to watch his opportunitv 
with regard to favourable weather. Drought is un¬ 
doubtedly ruinous to the Chrysanthemums in any stage 
of growth, and excessive watering equally so ; therefore, 
I contend that it is not a question of yes or no as re¬ 
gards the requirements of water, but a question of 
judging for yourself to the best of your ability. — 
Propagator. 
The Blenheim Orange Melon.— My name 
having been incidentally mentioned at. p. 2S1 in con¬ 
nection with the first public appearance of this Melon, 
allow me to correct a clerical error, and to state that it 
was exhibited before “ the autumn of 1880,” viz., both 
at Oxford and at the Royal Horticultural Society's 
Gardens, South Kensington, on June Sth, 1880, where 
it gained first prize in both cases. The judges were 
very pronounced in their praise of its good qualities, 
and the whole of the gardening press commented in 
highly favourable terms thereon. Moreover, the public 
evidently appreciated the taste of it, for by the end of 
the second day’s show, both the fruit and the seeds had 
nearly all (disappeared, whilst there were over thirty 
fruit in competition with the above, which were not 
apparently meddled with. The worst part connected 
with the light-fingered gentry who helped themselves 
to the seed, was that they were bold enough to offer for 
sale that same season Melon seeds asserted to have 
been grown from the seeds they had plundered. Such 
reprehensible conduct needs no comment, but new 
Melon raisers may take a hint. Messrs. Carter pur¬ 
chased the entire true stock, but, doubtless, both they 
and the Melon’s reputation suffered in consequence of 
these spurious seeds, seeing that the only way to keep 
Melons true is to grow one kind only. Blenheim 
Orange was next sent to the Royal Horticultural 
Society, South Kensington, on September 14th, 1880, 
and there gained higher honours, viz., First Class 
Certificate. This fruit was cut from a house with 
sixteen plants and about seventy fruit, averaging 4 lbs. 
each. It. originated by crossing Hero of Bath and 
Read’s Scarlet Flesh, and partakes of the characters of 
both parents, having the broad bands of coarse netting 
of the former with the more delicate and handsome 
fine netting of the latter ; sometimes the fruits are 
most evenly marked, and at other times one or the 
other form of markings predominate. At that time 
orders were received from employers not to grow any 
other kind, and I may add that similar orders are in 
force at this place now. Given a good holding loam 
and generous treatment, the above kind (if true) will 
not fail to please the most fastidious.— IP. Crump, 
Madrcsfield Court. 
Another Good Melon is the AYelford Park 
Seedling, raised by Mr. Charles Ross, of Welford Park, 
Newbury. Grown in the same pit as Blenheim Orange, 
it is six to eight days earlier, and it was pronounced 
to be of better flavour here, which is saving a good 
deal in its favour .—John A. Colthorpe, Summerville, 
Dunmorc East, JPaterford. 
Cement Wash for the Walls of Hot¬ 
houses.— Your correspondent, “B. L.,” in last week’s 
issue, p. 314, caUs attention to the lime-washing of 
walls in fruit houses and elsewhere, after the annual 
scrubbing of woodwork and glass, which is usually 
carried out at this season of the year, and recommends 
the addition of some alum boiled and mixed with the 
lime-wash to increase its adhesiveness. I consider the 
use of lime-wasli, either plain or coloured, rather 
objectionable in hothouses, more especially on the back 
walls of lean-to Peach houses ; for with the daily- 
syringing the skin soon gets broken, and both foliage 
and fruit get bespattered with the fragments, which 
stick tenaciously to the downy skin of the fruit, requiring 
considerable care in removing it when the fruit is 
