April 9, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
503 
forming a triangular interior ; the front is of glass 
which, is slid down in two grooves ; the box is open 
beliow to admit of the flower spike, and the top has a 
piece of angular glass slid in similar to the front 
piece ; each box is furnished with two hoop-iron clasps 
made to slide up and down a stout stake 6 ft. long, and 
is held in position by means of wedges. As soon as the 
first flowers of a spike show colour, it should be pro¬ 
tected and tied securely. To prevent the first opening 
flowers being too quickly developed, cover the front of 
the glass opposite the flowers -with Rhubarb leaves; and 
make it a rule to have the upper end of the box covered 
and made close with the angle of the glass, which 
induces the flowers on the upper portion of the spike to 
expand at the same time as the flowers at the bottom. 
Staging tor Exhibition. —It is important when 
selecting the spikes for this purpose to prepare those 
with the greatest number of open flowers, showing the 
individual blooms large, full and fresh, with rich and 
pure colours ; the flowers ought all to face one way, 
and the spike ought to be closely set with blooms, 
without crowding. 
Preserving the Bulbs. —The first consideration 
regarding this is to secure perfect ripening by assisting 
the process by means of a covering of litter over the 
entire border early in September, thereby excluding 
frost when the autumn gets advanced. It is most 
advisable, under these circumstances, to allow the 
bulbs to remain till well into the early winter, especially 
late-flowering sorts. The latter have their bulbs to 
renew after the early-flowering sorts have finished. 
I find, in my own experience, that the middle of 
November is quite soon enough to lift the bulbs, and 
this is my mode of procedure. Each plant is lifted 
intact and its name tied securely to its stem, and the 
plant is placed in a flat basket along with the others. 
The basket is then hung up to the rafters above the 
stokehole, in a dry shed, secure from frost, and left 
hano-ing until the foliage on the old stems is perfectly 
withered and dried up ; then the basket is taken down 
and the corms are cut away from their stems, and 
finally placed in paper bags and put away in drawers, 
where they remain until required for re-planting the 
following spring. 
Propagation by Seeds. —The best time to sow the 
seed is early in March, which should be done thinly in 
shallow pans, using a light compost. The following is 
a good one—namely, two-thirds light rich loam, with 
one-third equal portions dried cow-manure and river- 
sand. Place the pans in gentle heat near the glass, 
and cover the surface with stout paper, after having 
thoroughly watered the soil with a fine-rosed watering- 
pot. As soon as the plants have grown a few inches, 
the strongest may be carefully thinned out, and again 
dibbled into another pan. Keep the plants throughout 
thoroughly warm, with a little mild air playing around 
them, and as they acquire strength give more air and 
exposure to sunlight. Gradually harden them off, as 
the autumn approaches, in a cold frame. When the 
ripening process has been accomplished, the young 
corms may be collected and stored like the large ones. 
A considerable number of them will flower the second 
year if they are well tended in the nursery-bed during 
summer. These baby corms should be planted out in 
a bed, as hinted, at the usual time. Place them 2 ins. 
apart in lines 1 ft. asunder, and treat them the fol¬ 
lowing year like full-sized corms. 
List of Fifty Varieties for Exhibition. 
** Adolphe Brogniart, rose - tinted orange and red, 
white blotch. 
**Africain, crimson, shaded maroon, white blotch. 
Anna, cherry-tinted orange, lower petals white. 
Aramis, rose-tinted orange, lower petals striped 
white. 
Archduchess Marie Christine, white tinted with lilac. 
Atlas, shining white, boldly striped violet. 
**Baroness Burdett Coults, delicate lilac, tinged rose, 
flamed purple. 
**Camdeon, slaty lilac, flamed orange, white blotch. 
Camille, magenta-lilac, flamed orange and feathered 
lilac. 
** Caprice, upper petals rose-tinted lilac with white 
bars, lower petals and throat feathered purplish 
crimson. 
m Cafnation, carmine tinged, deeper flesh blotch, 
tinged purple. 
Daubenton, rose-lilac, flamed carmine, white bands, 
with violet-crimson blotch. 
Diamant, carmine-white, throat ivory-white blotched 
and striped carmine. 
*Dumont d’ L'nville, cherry-flaked and striped carmine. 
Edar, bright scarlet, flamed fiery red, white blotch. 
Edith Dombrain, white ground, flamed dark car¬ 
mine, blotch carmine-purple. 
*Esmeralda, glossy white-striped and flaked carmine- 
red, blotch lemon. 
Figaro, orange-red, flamed red, large pure white 
blotch. 
**Giganteus, rose, changing to cherry, blotch dark 
carmine, veined white. 
Hecla, orange-scarlet with white centre. 
**Hercules, brilliant velvety scarlet, flamed and streaked 
with orange-red, violet blotch. 
Hermione, white, thickly set with lilac and carmine 
stripes, large white blotch. 
Hesperidc, white, profusely blotched and flaked 
bright rose-salmon. 
**Horace Vernet, bright purple-red with large white 
blotch 
* Iraperatrice Eugenie, white, flamed violet-rose 
* Jupiter, fiery red shading off to dark crimson 
**La France, pure white, edged carmine, amaranth 
blotch, magnificent closely-set spike 
**La Perle, pure lilac, blotched violet-carmine 
*Le Titien, brilliant rose 
*Le Vesuve, intense fiery red 
Leviathan, delicate bright rose, flamed and striped 
carmine, amaranth blotch 
L’Unique, violet, dark lilac, tinted violet, flamed 
dark carmine 
** Macaulay, bright crimson, tinged violet, carmine 
blotch 
Madame Desportes, pure white, under petals striped 
violet 
* Madame Dombrain, carmine-violet, flamed purple 
Marechal Vaillant, brilliant scarlet, white blotch 
Minerve, rich crimson, carmine feathered, white 
blotch 
Nestor, light yellow, darker lower petals, striped red 
Newton, ground white, shaded crimson 
Ondine, white, tinted lilac, violet blotch 
* Orpheus, cherry-rose, flamed carmine, purple blotch 
Parmentier, amaranth-flamed flesh, tinged lilac, white 
bands 
Pepita, golden yellow, striped carmine over edge of 
petals 
*Princess Mary of Cambridge, white, with large 
carmine blotch 
**Rayon d’Or, creamy yellow, tinged purple (extra) ; 
the best exhibition yellow extant 
Roseta, delicate creamy rose blotch, and marbled 
cherry-carmine 
Seduction, rose-salmon, large white blotch 
* Shakespeare, white, suffused carmine, rose blotch 
*Sir Joseph Paxton, scarlet-rose, tinged orange, white 
ground 
Tour du Monde, cherry-red, darking towards the 
edges, white blotch, edged rose-lilac 
Those indicated by two asterisks would form an ex¬ 
cellent dozen, and those with one are well adapted for 
a 24-stand.— A. Kerr. 
-- 
ARDENING fiOTES FROM 
Scotland. 
Vegetable Notes. —Peas in many cases will be 
planted out from the boxes, pots, or whatever they 
have been grown in during the winter, preparatory 
for early supplies. I think, however, if growers 
have had such sharp frosts as are generally reported 
from various parts of the country, they (will wish that 
their Peas had remained where they can be protected. 
Where broom is abundant, the tops answer admirably 
for protection, by placing them along the sides of the 
stakes. 
We find there is not much gained by sowing under 
glass protection much before February, as the Peas are 
liable to grow tall and weakly before suitable weather 
permits of their being planted out in safety, and conse¬ 
quently they are of less value for producing abundant 
crops. Any kinds may now be sown ; late and second 
early kinds sown at the same time make a good succes¬ 
sion. Cauliflower is always a difficult vegetable to deal 
with for earliest supply, and where there is means to 
allow a few hundreds, or quantity commensurate with 
the demand, to be potted and protected under glass 
lights, the supply for first cutting is greatly accelerated. 
In sheltered positions with the use of hand-lights and 
cloches, the attention needed by earliest supplies is 
reduced. Much is often done by pots without bottoms 
placed over early Cauliflowers and other plants. A 
builder near us is very proud of his early Cabbages this 
season, which have been protected by tops of chimney 
pots placed over them.— Caledonian. 
Royal Horticultural Society of Aber¬ 
deen. —Town Councillor Lyon, chairman of the acting 
directors of the Royal Horticultural Society of Aberdeen, 
has just received from Dr. F. Maitland Moir, Aberdeen, 
a beautiful silver cup, to be competed for at the summer 
exhibition, for the best Scotch Thistle. This will be 
quite a new feature and a strong competition is 
anticipated. 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
Protecting Fruit Trees. —In the case of early- 
flowering trees, especially such as Peaches, Plums, 
Pears and Cherries, it is always safe and desirable, not 
to say necessary, to provide against late spring frosts. 
This, of course, refers to trees on the open wall, and 
which are otherwise wholly unprotected. In some 
private gardens the walls, especially those on which 
Peaches are trained, are protected either temporarily 
or permanently with glass ; while in other cases the 
glass casing is sufficiently wide to admit of a row of 
small specimens of Cherry or Pear trees being grown 
along the front close to the glass, and either in pots or 
planted out. Amateurs are generally unprovided with 
any of these means of protecting early-flowering and 
choice fruit trees, but many have recourse to other 
means, which, if less efficient than are those mentioned 
above, will yet ensure a crop with tolerable certainty. 
Spring frosts, though sufficiently intense to destroy 
fully expanded flowers and the embryo fruit, are easily 
warded off by means of some light shading material, 
such as tiffany. Mats would answer, but they are 
heavy and cumbersome, and should wind prevail 
cannot be held in position without destroying the 
bloom. This must be carefully guarded against what¬ 
ever be the form of protection. A light framework of 
wood should project from the top of the wall, suffi¬ 
ciently far to carry the tiffany clear of the blossom. 
This framework need not be expensive nor elaborate ; 
but may consist of a single rod, supported here and 
there with other and shorter ones, secured to the top of 
the wall. In the absence of tiffany, old fish-netting of 
any sort will answer admirably if two or three folds are 
used. The whole length of a wall may thus be pro¬ 
tected, or single trees only. The protection had better 
be removed every morning to prevent any undue ex¬ 
citement of growth or excessive shading. On east- 
aspect walls it may remain till the sun has gradually 
dispelled any frost that may have occurred during the 
night. 
The Flower Garden. —Numerous hardy flowers, 
notwithstanding the lateness of the season, are now 
creating a fine display in the beds and borders. Neat¬ 
ness in this part of the gardener’s domain, whether 
amateur or professional, should always be the order of 
the day, but especially so when various hardy flowers, 
and a few hours of sunshine induce the owners and all 
concerned to walk out and inspect them. Therefore, 
keep the walks clean, the lawns swept and rolled, and 
all borders finely dug or forked over. In many cases 
where no labels mark bulbs in borders, it is frequently 
advisable to delay digging till the leaves of such things 
push above ground, and disclose their whereabouts. 
They are now sufficiently advanced, so that no further 
delay is excusable in making all such borders present a 
clean and well-maintained appearance. If the soil is 
sandy, or in any way requires fertilising, a good top¬ 
dressing of some kind of well-rotted manure carefully 
and equally forked into the ground will increase its 
retentiveness for moisture, and materially assist the 
growth of the plants and the development of flowers, 
as herbaceous plants delight in rich soils. 
Planting. —The planting of all kinds of herbaceous 
and Alpine plants, including those usually regarded as 
florists’ flowers, may now be prosecuted with vigour. 
A better time than the present could not be had for 
getting such work accomplished. Growth has just 
commenced, and the weather becoming favourable, no 
opportunity should be lost—when the soil is in work¬ 
able condition—of getting all hardy subjects trans¬ 
planted, re-planted, or planted out, as the case may be. 
Where herbaceous plants require re-arranging in the 
proper lines, according to their height, now is the time 
to execute it; and if all plants for this purpose were 
marked last summer and autumn, there will be no 
difficulty in adjusting them into proper position, both 
with regard to height and colour. As far as the latter 
is concerned, there is generally little danger of the same 
colours clashing because they come at different seasons. 
In dividing many herbaceous plants, the spade may be 
used ; but where the crowns are few, and the root- 
stock tuberous, it is much safer to lift the whole clump 
and divide it carefully with a knife or some similar in¬ 
strument. The use of the spade for this purpose is a 
barbarous practice, often resulting in the destruction of 
valuable plants, and is, in any case, ruinous to them. 
Blanks that may have occurred amongst Alpine plants, 
either through the dampness or severity of our climate, 
may now be made good, provided those to be used have 
any claim to hardiness.— F. 
