April 23, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
539 
scarcely known to gardeners in tliis country, although 
it is more extensively used on the Continent. It 
naturally makes its growth in winter, and consequently 
is more calculated to withstand our winters. It occurs 
frequently on the hanks of the Thames near London, 
and (lowers in spring. By making successional sowings 
from August to October, a supply may be obtained all 
through the winter and spring. This is to be used as a 
substitute for Spinach, and for this purpose it is much 
esteemed at Devonhurst, Chiswick. Other species, 
however, are cultivated for the same purpose, and as 
they resemble each other closely previous to the 
flowering and fruiting stages, it would be difficult at 
present to say to what species that grown at Devonhurst 
belongs. 
Carnations, Picotees and Pinks. —Sparrows 
are very troublesome at this period of the year, as they 
appear to delight in picking out the points of the shoots 
of the plants ; whether they do it with a view of obtain¬ 
ing food or from mere wantonness, I cannot say, but 
they do it. Plants in the open ground have had a bad 
time of it of late, owing to the drought and cold winds 
combined ; and a warm rain is sadly needed. When 
this falls I shall follow it with a good top-dressing of 
yellow loam, pressing the surface firmly about the 
roots. What few plants I grow in pots are doing well; 
they are in the open air, but they move vigorously, 
if slowly, and they are full of promise. They take 
water freely, aDd look as healthy as one can desire. 
As the shoots lengthen stakes are placed against them 
to keep them from being blown about by the wind. 
The plants are now entirely in the open air, and 
flourishing as well as one can desire.— R. D. 
Paraffin Oil.—I thank Mr. E. Bell very much 
indeed for the courteous manner in which he dealt 
with my note on paraffin oil (p. 522), although I regret 
we cannot see his way clear to agree with me on every 
point. It is always interesting and most instructive 
to exchange opinions and ideas, from which many 
useful lessons may be learned. I am very fond of cats, 
but I cannot depend upon them entirely to keep the 
rats, mice, and birds off the seeds and young seedlings. 
I am afraid that while pussy is out visiting, or quietly 
taking his noonday nap in the sun, the robbers will 
appear, 'with the usual results, if no other protection is 
afforded. It would also be a matter for consideration 
as to how many cats are required to the acre, and how 
we should induce them to remain at the posts allotted 
to them. I have always found the mixture, in the 
proportion I recommended (p. 487) quite strong enough, 
both for the seeds and young seedlings, and have laid 
Peas treated in this manner in places infested by rats, 
who have never touched them ; but in the north the 
cats are evidently more voracious, and the rats less 
fastidious in their tastes than ours are. I do not even 
find it necessary to steep the seeds for any length of 
time, the motive being to give them a slight taste of 
paraffin oil, which is very much disliked by animals 
and insects of every kind. I must confess that I have 
never tried pure paraffin oil, having once seen a large 
quantity of stove plants injured by a strong application 
of paraffin and water, which has always made me very 
careful; but I should not suppose that Peas and Beans 
would be hurt much, as the germs are protected by 
strong and thick coats, and I think it unnecessary to 
use a stronger application than I have recommended. 
I do not wish to condemn nets, guards, red lead, or any 
other protections or remedies, my only object being to 
point out the great value of paraffin oil to the gardener. 
In the case of valuable crops, we use both nets and 
paraffin oil in order to make sure, as the birds have 
often sharper eyes than our own, and will find out the 
young seedlings first. It is, of course, necessary in 
most cases to syringe the seed-beds several times ; but 
it will not take up much time, as four gallons will go a 
long way. It is not always convenient to use nets, and 
oftentimes we have not a sufficient quantity at our 
disposal, especially in the fruit season, when they are 
required elsewhere ; and in the case of large breadths 
of Turnips netting cannot always be done. I find that 
by using soft-soap, paraffin will mix readily with 
water [Milk answers the same purpose.— Ed.] ; but in 
using it on pot plants, a heavy syringing with clear 
water must afterwards be given to wash them clean. 
"We use paraffin oil very liberally in our stoves, fruit 
and plant houses, on seeds and seedlings, but 
cannot find anything to equal it as an insecticide.— 
Alfred Gaut, The Gardens, Copped Hall, Totteridge. 
Glou Morceau Pear.— Although usually con¬ 
sidered in season from December to January, it is no 
less gratifying to find it in good serviceable condition 
up till April. Owing to the exceptionally cool condition 
of Mr. Beaton’s fruit room at Style Hall, Gunnersbury, 
several varieties of both Apples and Pears have kept 
extremely well considering that it is now the third 
week in April. The Pear under notice is obovoid, 
suddenly narrowed from the widest part to an obtuse 
point. The skin is now a pale yellow more or less 
studded with russet dots ; and the buttery, rich and 
abundant sugary juice has not yet lost its flavour, but 
continue to constitute the Pear what it always is when 
mature and in season, an excellent dessert variety. 
Mr. Beaton’s fruit room is underground, but is open at 
all times, so that an interchange of temperatures and 
air is always possible. It opens with a north aspect, 
however, and, it is needless to say, the atmosphere of 
the room feels very cold, and from its being free from 
all drying influences, the long-keeping properties of 
the fruit is to be attributed. 
Azalea Criterion. —The extreme variation with 
regard to colour occurring amongst Indian Azaleas is 
well known to most people having any connection with 
gardening, but one can always make a selection of the 
more ornamental and useful. That under notice is a 
very old and most useful single variety, that seldom or 
never fails under good treatment to flower with great 
profusion every spring. The flowers are of medium or 
large size, of a rich salmon pink, with a white margin, 
and somewhat spotted. Mr. Ford, of Parkside, 
Eavenscourt Park, takes especial pride in a large 
specimen of this variety, which blooms regularly about 
Eastertide, and is serviceable for church decoration, 
having been used for that purpose for the last twelve 
or fifteen years. 
Cissus discolor. —It is rather surprising this 
handsome climber is not more frequently utilised for 
decorative purposes considering the beauty of the 
leaves, especially in a young and healthy condition. 
A plant in one of the warmer houses at The Chestnuts, 
Gunnersbury, is now in fine condition, although it is 
the object of no special attention, as many things 
claim Mr. Webb’s (the gardener) attention at this busy 
season. The metallic hue of the deep green leaves-is 
enlivened or marbled with grey, purple and bronze 
markings. 
Round Flanders Spinach. —Out of seven 
sorts that were sown in autumn to weather it in the 
open ground in the Eoyal Plorticultural Society’s 
Gardens, that under notice must be considered the 
hardiest ; and judging from the quantity sown, it is 
evidently reckoned amongst the best. It is no small 
matter to know what may be reckoned upon, with 
some degree of certainty, to produce a crop for use as a 
green vegetable about this time- after such a trying 
winter as the past has been, and succeeded by a spring 
which has been both dry, cold, stormy, and altogether 
unpropitious to growth. Some of the kinds sown have 
scarcely advanced beyond the germinating period, while 
others have either been killed outright, or have failed 
to germinate. Prickly Flanders is another sort that 
has made equal progress, but to all appearance is a 
trifle more delicate, judging from the blanks occurring 
amongst them. Viroflay, Monstrous Bound, is also fit 
for use, but is sadly thinned out. Does it never occur 
to gardeners to try some of our native Chenopodiums as 
a substitute for Spinach ? 
Tracheolospermum (Rhynchospermum) 
jasminoides. —Whether grown in a pot or planted 
out, this useful greenhouse climber amply repays the 
little trouble it requires, and may be made to produce 
great quantities of bloom at different seasons, according 
to the treatment it receives. When grown in a pot ox- 
tub it may be trained in various fashions so as to be 
moveable ; but a greater quantity of its deliciously 
scented bloom is, doubtless, obtained when planted out 
as at Mr. Starling’s place, The Chestnuts, Gunnersbury, 
where it is now a mass of bloom trained on the end of 
a warm or intermediate house. The odour emanating 
from the flowers pervades the whole house. 
Calathea zebrina. —While essentially a foliage 
plant, and universally grown as such, the dense cone¬ 
like heads of flowers are curious and interesting, if not 
decidedly attractive. The condensed nature of the 
bracts distinguish this genus from those that are to be 
considered Marantas, where the flowers are more 
scattered. It is an old inhabitant of our stoves, and 
some large plants have been flowering for some time at 
The Chestnuts, Gunnersbury, where the velvety green 
and purple striped character of the leaves is well 
exhibited. 
Primula rosea. —Amongst all the introductions 
of Himalayan Primulas, the species under notice is one 
of the most distinct and useful, succeeding under a 
great variety of treatment, and hardier than most 
species from that part of the world, now enjoying the 
attention of British cultivatoi-s. The soft rose colour 
of the ordinary form is very telling amongst a collection 
-of hardy plants, but it opens with better grace, and 
lasts longer in good condition when enjoying the pro¬ 
tection of a cool greenhouse or other structure as at 
Parkside, Eavenscourt Park, where it is now flowering. 
Davallia elegans. —Under whatever form this 
may be grown, it is certainly an extremely useful and 
ornamental Fern. The method of culture or the training 
of the rhizomes over pots, tree Fern stems or other 
structures give facility for a great variety of appearance 
resulting from such devices independently of the beauty 
of the finely-cut fronds themselves. The latter are 
somewhat coriaceous in texture, but notwithstanding 
are more or less strictly deciduous according to the 
temperature in which the plant is grown. For this 
reason the young fronds have a fine effect in spring 
when fully developed. A large specimen is now in fine 
condition at Parkside, Eavenscourt Park, where Mr. 
Aitken pays special attention to some of the more 
popular decorative Ferns. 
Golden Noble Apple. —It is unusual for this 
handsome Apple to retain its plump and sound 
character so late in the season, but we were delighted 
the other week to see it maintain so fine an appearance 
in Mr. Hudson’s fruit room at Gunnersbury House, 
Acton. The clear golden yellow colour of the skin 
contrasted well with the red-skinned Winter Queening 
alongside of it. The usual duration of this Apple in 
season is generally reckoned from September or 
October to February, and it is highly satisfactory to 
find it in excellent condition for another month or 
even later. It is a valuable Apple for cooking pur¬ 
poses, and when baked becomes melting and pleasantly 
acid with a fine clear amber colour. 
Two-spathed Richardia setbiopica.— Some 
very curious freaks of nature are to be seen in the 
conservatoi-y at Style Hall, Gunnersbury. Two of the 
most perfect spathes occurring on one peduncle or 
flower stalk, are pure white with the exception of the 
outer one, w-hioh is somewhat larger and partly green 
on the back. Both are furnished with short but 
distinct sheaths similar to those of the true leaves ; but 
the fact is evident, and forcibly demonstrates that the 
ordinary spathe is merely a modified leaf, not many 
stages removed from the green unmodified foliage 
leaves, and serves the double pixrpose of protecting the 
young flowers, and attracting insects. Another plane 
shows two spathes, one of which is exactly intermediate 
between a true leaf and the ordinary white spathe. 
This is stalked like an ordinary leaf, green beneath 
and white above ; several female flowers are curiously 
seated on the peduncle a little way below the upper 
spathe, and quite unprotected by it. Mr. Beaton 
grows a considerable quantity of this Bichardia, some of 
which are conspicuous for the huge size of their spathes. 
Narcissus obvallaris.— The Tenby Daffodil 
never fails in the open ground to make its appearance 
amongst the earliest of the fonns of N. Pseudo- 
Narcissus ; but like all other kinds of vegetation, it is 
many weeks behind its usual time this season. Last 
week in the Eoyal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, 
Chiswick, N. pallidus praecox, and one or two other 
forms were all that had dared expose their blooms to 
the cold ungenial winds so prevalent and long-con¬ 
tinued during winter and spring. The broad short 
segments of the flower, and its short wide-mouthed 
corona render this Daffodil very distinct, and its 
earliness and hardiness add to its value. 
Saxifraga retusa bryoides.—Of the many 
distinct forms of Saxifrage, natives of the Pyrenees, 
the present claims the attention of all lovers of Alpine 
plants from the neatness of its trailing moss-like stems, 
and its attractive purple flowers. The latter are 
produced in clusters of four terminating stems about 
1 in. or so in height. March and April are the usual 
flowering months of this Alpine, so that few com¬ 
petitors detract from its well merited notice. Speci- 
