378 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 12, 1887. 
better, in good fibry loam, of a sandy nature, -which, 
if it does not exist naturally, can be added ; one 
seventh of decayed cow-manure; one 6-in. pot-full 
of 4-in. bones ; and one 10-inch pot-full of charcoal, 
broken to the size of cob nuts, may be added to each 
barrowful of loam. A little soot may be added, or it 
may be supplied in liquid form from time to time, when 
the flowers-buds commence swelling. This system 
of limiting the root-run of the plants, proves not only 
favourable for lifting them, but fertile soil can be added 
when the plants need it. If the whole of the border 
were made at first, considerable expense for loam would 
be incurred over the system advised, and in addition to 
this, many of the most fertilising properties of the soil 
would be washed away before the plants could take 
possession of them. Camellias may be planted out at 
almost any season of the year, but the best time, 
undoubtedly, is just as they give over flowering and 
show signs of starting into growth. I may here state, 
that the brick wall surrounding the plants need not be 
visible on the surface, but for the sake of appearance it 
should be kept just below, and any roots that ramble 
over, can be cut back annually after flowering with 
the spade. 
The best time to lift these plants is just as they com¬ 
plete their growth, that is, as soon as the foliage of the 
season’s growth is developed and the flower buds show 
signs of forming. The roots are active at this stage, 
and if the plants are kept close, shaded and well 
syringed for a fortnight after the operation, they will 
have commenced making new roots. Two plants, 6 ft. 
high and 3 ft. through at the base, and from IS ins. to 
2 ft. at the top, lifted early in June last year, set a 
more than usual quantity of flower-buds, and no per¬ 
ceptible difference in the size of the flowers have been 
observed. 
It is surprising how well Camellias do on the back 
walls of Peach houses and vineries, when planted out. 
The treatment given to Peaches, whether in early or 
late houses, seems to suit them exactly. Some walls 
here are covered, and the plants are literally laden with 
flowers annually ; the roots are not limited in these 
cases. They have a very neat, attractive appearance, 
and add much to the ornamental appearance of houses 
in private gardens, and yield an enormous supply of 
flowers for cutting. For covering walls, or the ends of 
houses (inside) no better or more useful plant than the 
Camellia can be grown.— Saxon. 
->A<- 
A Call upon the Benevolent.—A fund has 
been opened on behalf of Mr. F. K. Burridge, now of 
Emlen Road, Ipswich, and formerly a noted seed 
grower, of the Lexden Road, Colchester, who is in 
reduced and distressed circumstances, owing to failure 
in business. His case is being taken up by Hr. 
Richard Dean, Ranelagh Road, Ealing, who is issuing 
a special appeal to the members of the seed trade, and 
the case is supported by Mr. 'William Thompson, seeds¬ 
man, Tavern Street, Ipswich. Any contributions to 
the fund can be forwarded to Mr. R. Dean, at the 
above address, who will acknowledge the same. Mr. 
F. K. Burridge will be known to some as the raiser of 
Cosmidium Burridgeanum and Chrysanthemum tricolor 
Burridgeanum. 
Daffodils : Early Blooming.— I think that 
this season is one of the earliest ever known for Daffodils 
grown in the open ah. Narcissus pallidus prsecox, 
with me, has been in flower for the last month. X. 
corbularia citrina, FT. intermedius, X. pseudo-narcissus, 
FT. Soleil d’Or, FT. Tazetta, and FT. papyraceus are 
all in full bloom ; and FI. moschatus, X. muticus, 
X. juncifolius, X. jonquilla, &e., well on in bud. — 
W. D. G. 0., Biarritz. 
Gardenia Stanleyana is not generally met 
with in good form, but when it is, old plant growers 
look at it with pleasure. A good specimen is now in 
flower in one of the stoves at the Botanic Gardens, 
Birmingham ; and on one shoot are eighteen buds on 
the point of opening. Its habit is very peculiar, 
especially in the position of its flowers ; and these have 
a long thin tube surmounted by a broad open corolla, 
which is densely spotted and marked with a rich 
crimson-chocolate colour. Gardenia citriodora is also 
well done here, and the flowers are by no means a bad 
substitute for Orange blossoms. 
Libonia Penrbosieusis. —There are few more 
satisfactory, as well as pleasing winter-blooming plants, 
than Libonia Penrhosiensis, a garden hybrid. It is 
a dwarf bushy plant with a profusion of bright orange 
and red tube-shaped crowns ; a truly valuable plant 
for general use, and of easy culture. Good examples of 
it are now numerous at the Botanic Gardens, Birming¬ 
ham, and at the residence of the Rt. Hon. Joseph 
Chamberlain, M.P., at Highbury. 
Degeneration of The Champion Potato. 
—On this subject, Mr. IV. J. Murphy, of Clonmel, 
writes to the Irish Farm : —“ I have definitely come to 
the conclusion that The Champion, or ‘ Scotch Cham¬ 
pion,’ is no longer reliable. At first it was a heaven¬ 
sent blessing ; but for reasons I shall immediately give, 
probably no other variety ever degenerated so rapidly. 
I have grown it every year since its introduction, and 
nearly every year imported several tons direct from 
Forfarshire, for the sake of ‘change of seed.’ Xo 
manure was spared, and cultivation was not neglected, 
yet last year the crop would not pay for ‘seed,’ labour 
and- manure. Why is this so ? Degeneration has been 
produced by its peculiar precocious habit of throwing 
out buds months before they can be utilised, which are 
invariably rubbed off, the weak second or third growths 
being used.” 
Chrysanthemum lacustre.— Mr. James Per- 
cival, of Smithy Bridge, near Rochdale, has kindly 
sent me a plant of the true form of Chrysanthemum 
lacustre, pointing out to me that in a paragraph which 
lately appeared in The Gardening "World, I made 
C. lacustre and C. maximum to be identical, whereas 
they are quite distinct. What he has sent me as 
C. lacustre is apparently a form of C. leucanthemum ; 
and he states that it flowers from June to September. 
He says that it is far superior to C. maximum, which 
I believe I am now growing under the name of 
C. lacustre. Mr. Percival further informs me that the 
true form of C. lacustre throws up its flowering-stems 
from the bottom, and does not branch as in the case of 
C. maximum. Its flowers are a third part larger, and 
considerably better than any of the so-called Mar¬ 
guerites. I am obliged to Mr. Percival, both for the 
plant and for the correction.— B. D. 
Scented Snowdrops. —Is any reader of The 
Gardening 'World acquainted with a form of the 
Snowdrop, double or single, that is perfumed ? In¬ 
quiries are made of me as to whether such an one exists, 
but I am unable to say. Can any reader give me this 
information ?— A. B. C. 
Daffodil Yellow King or Ard-Rigli. —A 
box of blooms of this charming early-flowering trumpet 
Daffodil has come to hand in excellent condition, from 
Mr. W. Baylor Hartland, of Patrick Street, Cork, who 
is an ardent admirer and a large grower of Daffodils. 
Mr. Hartland states that he has been cutting blooms 
of this variety in a cold house since December 20th, and 
that in a week’s time thousands of flowers will be had 
in the open air. Fine as they are from a cold house, it 
is said they come even finer from the open ground. 
Flay we not ask, cannot this fine native Daffodil be 
largely grown for the London market ? Many parts of 
Ireland, and especially county Cork, where it appears to 
abound, is well suited from its climate to produce the 
Daffodil early in the season and in large quantities, and 
surely they would find a ready sale at remunerative 
prices in the London market. Mr. Hartland strongly 
advocates the establishment of flower and fruit gardens 
in Ireland for supplying the English markets ; and we 
venture to hope that his exertions in this direction will 
be recognised by his countrymen, and be rewarded by 
seeing his suggestions carried into effect. 
Chrysanthemum La Belle Blonde.— In 
answer to Mr. Kemp’s inquiry in your last issue as to 
the whereabouts of this variety, allow me to inform 
him that I still retain it amongst my stock. It is a 
free-blooming variety, and a useful one for greenhouse 
or conservatory decoration.—IF. E. Boyce, Archway 
Hoad, Hiyhcjate. 
Two Useful Hardy Ferns. —Except in a few 
gardens the merits of British Ferns and their varieties 
have been much neglected, or altogether overlooked in 
recent years. Why this should be is difficult to con¬ 
ceive, seeing to what good purpose some of them might 
be put for indoor decoration during winter. The strong 
robust habit and healthy green appearance of Scolo- 
pendrium vulgare crispum and Polypodium vulgare 
cambricum is well exemplified by some specimens 
grown in a greenhouse at Merton Lodge, Chiswick. 
Both varieties mentioned are remarkable and barren 
forms of the respective species. They are sufficiently 
useful for garden purposes to merit a more general cul¬ 
tivation than they now enj oy. Although both are British 
and hardy Ferns, it is necessary to afford them pro¬ 
tection from frost in winter if their fronds are to be 
retained. Even in the climate of London, Polypodium 
vulgare cambricum gets killed down by frost if left 
unprotected. A greenhouse or structure of any sort 
where frost is merely excluded will grow the Ferns 
above mentioned, and induce them to retain their 
fronds till fresh ones are produced in spring. During 
this time the much-divided fronds of the Polypody 
and the strongly undulated ones of the Hart’s Tongue, 
constitute a source of pleasure to all concerned by their 
wealth of greener}'. 
A Dinner-table Decoration. — At this season 
a table decorated with very low bowls filled with 
various Lycopods and Crocus flowers has a very pleasing 
and charming effect. In the course of time, with the 
warmth of the room, the Crocus flowers gradually 
become fully developed, when the effect is very fine. — 
Geo. Bolas, Hopton. 
Camellia Buds Dropping. — A well-known and 
able gardener states that, in his belief, nine cases out of 
ten of Camellia buds dropping, rises from the use of 
cold water, and he goes further and remarks that the 
mischief created in plant houses during the winter 
months, from this cause alone, is incredible. If any 
one will give Camellias water during the winter of a 
temperature of about 60°, and if the plants are stunted, 
an occasional dose of liquid manure, the roots will be 
kept active and will draw up plenty of sap to assist the 
opening flowers. 
Gooseberry Bushes and Bullfinches.— 
I was very pleased to read the remarks of Mr. J. 
Horsefield on this subject, as I can vouch for the safety 
of the remedy recommended. During the late spell of 
severe weather, the bullfinches made their annual 
attack, although, I must say, they began their depre¬ 
dations much earlier than usual, no doubt owing to 
the scarcity of food. As soon as this was noticed, a 
mixture of soot and lime, as recommended by Mr. 
Horsefield, was applied in like manner ; the ground 
underneath the bushes, before this, was thickly strewn 
with buds, but after this date, I can safely say, the 
birds did not touch one of them, although they con¬ 
tinued their operations on a small batch of bushes in 
a different part of the garden, which did not receive 
the dressing. I can, therefore, speak with the fullest 
confidence of this efficacious method. The plan 
suggested by your correspondent, of not pruning the 
trees till the buds are well advanced, I am not prepared 
to say would prove detrimental or not ; but I would 
rather have a crop of medium-sized fruit than run the 
risk of losing the whole. — James B. Riding. 
Pancratium fragrans. — What lovely things 
these are when in flower, especially at this time of 
year ! They generally flower in the autumn, but I 
have a plant carrying twelve individual blooms on a 
spike, and their fragrance fills the whole house. — 
J. Maync, Stouford Lodge, Ivy-bridge. 
Violet Marie Louise.— Mr. John Crawford, of 
The Gardens, Coddington Hall, Xewark-on-Trent, sent 
me, a few days ago, a bunch of lovely blooms of this 
Yiolet, so richly coloured, and so delightfully sweetly 
perfumed, that when they were taken out of the box 
they filled the room with their delicious scent. In 
a note that accompanied the Violets, Mr. Crawford 
states that he cultivates this Yiolet in frames, 
elevated upon beds with very little heat beneath, and 
in the same way he grows the Old Xeapolitan and 
Comte de Brazza ; and he adds, “ I have had a nice lot 
of blooms all the winter, even during that unfavourable 
time through which we so recently passed ; and now 
that the days are lengthening, and the sun strengthen¬ 
ing, my beds are literally smothered with blooms and 
buds.” A prettier and more seasonable bouquet for 
presentation to a lady than one of these beautiful Violets 
it would be difficult to find. — R. D. 
Gros Colmar Grape. — At p. 344 “ Yitis ” asks 
for opinions as to when this Grape is at its best, and 
when is the right time to start it. Like your corre¬ 
spondent, my experience is that it does much better in 
an early house than in a late one ; we have it in both, 
and find it superior in finish when started at the Xew 
