442 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March. 12, 1887. 
tings have been in a few weeks, it will be as well to 
take the glasses off for two hours every morning, and 
wipe them out before putting on again. The cuttings 
can also be looked over whilst the glasses are off, and 
should any show signs of damping they must be pulled 
out at once, and the holes have a little dry sand run 
into them. If the pots should get dry when the bell- 
glasses are off, I generally place the glasses on, and 
then give the whole a good watering overhead with a 
fine rosed watering pot. This has the desired effect 
without wetting the cuttings. These cuttings may be 
inserted any time from September till the end of 
November—the period at which to obtain them at 
their best. 
The temperature must not exceed 50° to 55° for this 
class of cuttings, or it will start them into growth 
before they have callused at the bottom. They should 
root first before they begin to grow. As they show 
signs of rooting a little bit of crock must be placed 
under the edge of the bell-glass, and so gradually work 
the latter of. The length of time taken to root this 
class of cuttings will vary from two up to twelve 
months, according as the varieties are hard or soft- 
wooded kinds. 
The little plants will do well in the cutting pot for 
a time till they have made one growth, care being taken 
that they do not get dry ; but if the sorts are wanted 
to be pushed along quickly, I advise potting them off 
as soon as they are fairly rooted, either into small 
thimble pots or four or five on the edge of a 4-in. pot. 
After potting they will require to be kept close till they 
establish themselves, when they may be gradually 
hardened down. In potting use a very sandy mixture 
of peat, and make the little plants quite firm in the pot, 
and exercise care in the watering of them. The bulk of 
greenhouse plants may be rooted somewhat in this 
manner. The more choice the variety, the more care 
must be exercised in putting them in, and in the case 
of large-leaved plants, the necessary sifting of soil need 
not be of so very fine a nature. 
Concerning the modes of propagation by grafting, I 
gave the readers of The Gardening World a lesson 
in YoL II., p. 820, on Camellias, And on layering 
Lapagerias in Vol. II, p. 374. The various modes of 
division are simple enough to anyone ivho will watch 
the growth of the plant they wish to divide ; the best 
time generally being just as the crowns are starting into 
new growth. Shading at all times is necessary for 
cuttings of whatever class till they are rooted, and also 
after they have been newly potted off. 
“Pats” are little flat circular pieces of wood made out of 
mahogany or box wood, and are generally used by pro¬ 
pagators to make the surface both firm and level. They 
are made from 2 ins. to 4 ins. in width, and have a 
screw or handle fixed to the upper surface, by which they 
are used ; they form a very serviceable adjunct for the 
use of the propagator. The above notes are intended 
solely for the use of indoor operations, and do not in 
the least touch upon outside plants, or the various 
modes of propagating them, although the processes are 
somewhat similar, except that heat to a certain extent 
is not necessary.— W. G. 
-->X<-- 
NOTES FROM SOUTH AFRICA. 
Supplementary to my remarks on Lilies at 
p. 292, I may say that I find it best not to disturb 
bulbs which are doing well and flowering strongly, as, 
from my experience, freshly-moved Lilies are more 
likely to suffer from excess of wet. I lost most of my 
old potted plants which I moved in April (too late), 
and which were subjected soon after to very heavy 
rain, whilst the pots exposed in the same way without 
shifting have the bulbs in them quite sound. In 
testing the theory of early shifting now, I am careful 
to put them in a shady place, where they will never be 
delayed. 
This year I began about Christmas moving some of 
the bulbs or clumps bodily with soil, and some quite 
free, devoting much time to the work, and using every 
care ; we shall see how they turn out. Some of the 
bulbs I had to remove because of the encroachment of 
the roots of a Moreton Bay Fig (Ficus macrocarpa). 
By the way, what a grand thing this is here compared 
with the old F. elastica ! Growing together in the park 
of Port Elizabeth, the F. elastica is a poor thing beside 
the other. Of course, the roots go everywhere, and 
sadly interfere with Mr. Wilson’s flower beds near by. 
I have a grand Bougainvillea in front of my house, 
which is now some 20 ft. high, running over the balcony 
and extending laterally 30 ft. This with a Bignonia 
jasminoides and a Tecoma venusta completely occupies 
the ground right and left of my front steps, so that 
nothing else will grow in the border, and I am obliged 
to have everything in pots for that part of the garden. 
It will give you an idea of the richness of our vegetation 
around here if I tell you that in taking out the founda¬ 
tion of my house, 45 ft. by 39 ft., at least twelve 
different orders of plants, and over twenty genera were 
disturbed. Afterwards a Cyrtanthus spiralis came up 
and flowered inside one of the rooms before the walls 
were finished.— R. Hallick, Port Elizabeth. 
--HSH-- 
MAKING A HOT-BED. 
Besides instructions given in former numbers for 
making hot-beds of fermenting manure, the amateur 
possessed of a small greenhouse, and commanding 
a moderate amount of heat, either by means of a flue 
or hot-water pipes, can construct a special frame 
commensurate with his needs or the space at com¬ 
mand. This frame should be placed at the warm 
end of the greenhouse, over the flue or hot-water 
pipes, so as to receive bottom-heat directly from them. 
A structure of this kind would be more under the 
command of the possessor than a frame on a fermenting 
hot-bed out of doors, and the heat could be regulated 
at pleasure. It should be furnished with a moveable 
sash, by which both the moisture and top-heat could 
be controlled according to the want of the cuttings con¬ 
tained in it. The temperature in a frame of this nature, 
heated as above mentioned, would nor be suitable for 
the propagation of stove plants ; but it would seldom 
be necessary for the amateur to deal with such heat- 
loving subjects. The bottom of the frame might be 
filled with stable manure covered with sandy soil, or 
with the latter only, at the pleasure or option of the 
operator. Bedding plants in endless variety—including 
Pelargoniums, Lobelias, Calceolarias, Tropoeolums, 
Gazanias, and others of a like nature—may be propa¬ 
gated with great freedom. Various greenhouse subjects 
may also be rooted under the same treatment. Tuberous- 
rooted Begonias, Cytisus, Coronillas, Fuchsias and 
Hydrangeas will root readily under such treatment.— F. 
-- 
§ARDENING ffflSCELLANY. 
A Lost Grape. —What has become of the Grape, 
Ollerhead’s White, that received the first prize at the 
Manchester show on August 24th, 1881, as the best 
new Grape 1 It was reported to be the result of a cross 
between Muscat of Alexandria and Foster’s Seedling. 
Although it received the above high honour, in addition 
to a number of very flattering testimonials from eminent 
horticulturists, I failed to see any of the Muscat in it, 
but a good deal of “Foster’s.’’ It would be interesting 
to learn what has become of this Grape, as we never 
heard any more of it after it was shown at the Crystal 
Palace the following week. I think we should have 
seen it again if my original opinion had not been correct, 
i.e., that it was a “ Foster’s Seedling.” We grow this 
Grape in three different vineries, early, mid-season and 
late, and in each case it looks quite distinct, and our 
Vines are from eyes taken off the original Vines at 
Baldersby, York.— J. H. Goodacre. 
The Awards of the Floral Committee. — 
Upon what principle does the Floral Committee of the 
Royal Horticultural Society award certificates ; I have 
known an Orchid, described by Professor Reichenbach 
as a natural hybrid, passed over and even re-named as 
a bad variety of one of the parents. I have seen a 
variety of Oncidium, /which Professor Reichenbach 
described as having only once before been seen in 
flower, passed over without a comment. I have known 
a new Cattleya the first time shown, passed over ; and 
on another occasion, by a different exhibitor, receive 
the highest honours. At to-day’s meeting, in a group of 
Lycaste Skinneri, at least three plants were well worthy 
of the highest honours ; last season four Fritillarias, 
dingy in colour and of no floral interest, were awarded 
on the same day First Class Certificates. I am sure, 
had these flowers been sent to the scientific gentlemen 
upstairs, they would not have even considered them 
worthy of botanical recognition. Surely, sir, the 
members must be blindfolded before the plant is placed 
upon the table, in order that the colour and form may 
not disturb the repose of their minds ; or do they have 
recourse to the simpler and more expeditious method of 
pitch and toss, to arrive at a decision whether the 
plant is to receive first-class honours ? I think, sir, the 
council should consider whether the committee might 
not be, with advantage to horticulture, reconstructed; 
at present their decisions resemble the general chaos of 
the Gardens.— The Boy Jones. 
Coronilla glauca.— What a useful plant is this 
for decorative purposes at this season of the year ! I 
saw half-a-dozen pyramidal specimens, 3 ft. by 3 ft., 
the other day in the conservatory at Chapel Hill House, 
Margate, literally covered with bright yellow flowers, 
rendering the plants objects of great beauty.— A. 0. 
Begonia sanguinea. — From the adaptability 
of this species to different kinds of treatment, and the ease 
with which it can be grown, even by amateurs, it might 
be turned to better account for table decorative purposes. 
The upper surface of the leaves is perfectly smooth, and 
of a deep metallic green, while the under surface is of 
uniform deep red, suggesting the specific name. The 
leaves often turn to one side or become somewhat curved, 
so as to show their under surface, producing a striking 
and distinct effect. There are several plants of unusual 
size in an intermediate house in the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society’s Garden at Chiswick. 
Hepatica angulosa. — Although this is now 
included in the genus Anemone, gardening conservatism 
will probably retain Hepatica for many years to come. 
The species under notice produces the largest flowers and 
the most divided leaves of any belonging to this section, 
and few hardy plants excel in beauty the lovely blue of 
this species when seen at its prime, on a mild March 
day, especially if influenced by sunshine. Several of 
the numerous varieties of H. triloba, as well as H. 
angulosa, have been flowering for some time past on 
the rockery at Chiswick. The cultivation of Hepaticas 
in the neighbourhood of London is none of the easiest. 
Scillas. —I should be glad to know why all Scillas, 
but S. siberiea in particular, are not more grown. 
Nothing could be more lovely, few things are hardier, 
and they are not dear, so I cannot think why one so 
seldom meets with them. If planted about 3 ins. deep 
in September, they ought to be one mass of bloom—as 
mine are at present—by the end of February. They 
delight in a rich, well-manured peat, but will do in 
almost any soil, as I have proved, for a few years ago 
I grew them in thick sticky clay, and this year they 
are thriving in a light flinty gravel. In pots they 
make a splendid show, and form a grand contrast to 
Snowdrops, Crocus and Winter Aconites; they are 
most useful as cut flowers, as they last some days, and 
go well with almost any shade of red, plum, or yellow. 
— M., Bournemouth. 
Kitchen Garden : Boot Crops and their 
Uses. —After such winters as the past, and such 
weather as we are now experiencing, when the green 
vegetables are almost nil, it behoves us all, and more 
particularly those who have a large family to supply, 
to pay attention to the root crops. These important 
winter vegetables have not the care bestowed upon them 
that they deserve ; we have here a great quantity to 
supply until the end of May. Most gardeners grow 
these things fairly well, but what I find fault with is 
the way in which they keep them through the winter. 
Their juices, and flavour and freshness should not be 
impaired. I have scores of times seen Turnips and 
Carrots sent into the kitchen in a useless state, by being 
simply dried up. The simpler plan of keeping all kinds of 
roots is to “hill” them like Potatos, taking care only to 
put a few, say from 1| bushels to 2 bushels, in each hill, 
so that one hill can be used at a time. We grow for late 
use that good old field Turnip called “Green-Top,” it 
much hardier than ordinary garden Turnips, and is 
itsflavour is excellent. James’ Carrot, with Hero of 
Kent, the latter a selection from a friend of mine, 
is a full cherry-red colour, not over long, but a shapely 
and handsome root. Parsnips we let stop in the land 
until they start into growth ; the variety we grow is 
Jersey Marrow, not so large as Student or Hollow- 
Crowned, but superior in flavour. Dell’s is our 
favourite Beet, which we do not sow until May, as 
small Beet-roots are much more in request than large 
ones. Salsafy is always sown, but never asked for.— 
Richard Gilbert, Burghley. 
Daffodils for Pot Culture. —These early spring 
flowers appear to be coming fashionable and deservedly 
popular; so much so with us, that they are preferred to 
Camellias, Azaleas, Deutzias, and, in some cases, even 
to the lovely Lily of the Valley. For indoor culture, 
