552 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 30, 1887. 
The weather has now become favourable for the planting 
out of many things that required the protection of 
frames or hand-lights during winter. These may now 
be planted outside, in a great many instances in their 
permanent quarters. Cauliflowers that have been so 
protected, if well hardened off, can be removed, while 
the lights may be occupied with Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, 
Cupheas, Lobelias, Pyrethrum, Verbenas, Alyssum 
maritimum variegatum, and other popular bedding 
plants of that nature. The same applies to Stocks, 
Asters, Marigolds, Saponaria calabrica, Dianthus 
chinensis and its varieties, Zinnias, single Dahlias, 
Phlox Drummondi, and a host of things, including 
many fine everlastings that have been raised from 
seeds. All these will be greatly improved in health 
and robustness of habit if removed to cool quarters as 
soon as fairly established in pots, pans, or boxes, as 
the case may be. It will be desirable to keep the cold 
frames closer for a day or two if the plants placed in 
them have been taken from warm quarters, or if it is 
requisite to get them as large as possible before planting 
time arrives.— F. 
-- 
HOLME ISLAND. 
Holme Island, Grange-over-Sands, now in the 
possession of E. G. Wrigley, Esq., has been famed for 
its collections of plants under previous owners ; but the 
specimens now to be seen there, and the thoroughly 
healthy condition which they are in, give every indi¬ 
cation that in a short time a larger and more varied 
collection will be got together than has hitherto been 
the case. A capital Mareehal Niel Pose, planted seven 
years ago, still retains unusual vigour, and at the same 
time remarkable freedom from canker. The cause of 
this most troublesome ailment would still seem to be 
shrouded in doubt and uncertainty, since plants are 
affected whether grown on their own roots or worked 
on the brier. The one, however, at Holme Island is 
clean in the stem, without any cracking or protuberance 
of a suspicious character. The blooms this season 
have been of good size and quality, and come up to the 
average number of one or two previous seasons— 
viz., 800. This plant, which is on its own roots, is 
not trained on the roof, but on the back wall of the 
house, and covers a space 24 ft. by 10 ft. As the 
island is of a very rocky nature, it is possible that the 
long wiry roots of the plant—in some cases, perhaps, 
running as far as some of the shoots—may have got 
down to the limestone, and finds on this hard substance 
some food of a beneficial and strengthening character. 
Passing away from this we noticed in other erections 
a capital house of Black Hamburghs now coming nicely 
on. A later vinery equally satisfactory, some good 
pots of Strawberries full of fruit. In another house is 
a stout Tomato, four years old, planted out and trained 
on the roof. This plant bears a capital crop of fruit, 
some of them partaking very much of the character of 
Vick’s Criterion, others being more like Dickson’s 
Large Red. On the roof of an intermediate house is a 
large Ipomsa Horsfalli growing well ; and on the roof 
of the conservatory is a well-flowered plant of Clianthus 
puniceus. A number of plants of Sparmanniana 
Africana were in bloom, and if the individual flowers 
were rather small, the quantity made up any deficiency 
that might otherwise have been imagined. We 
observed many nice Ferns in the Fernery ; among 
other good things were some capitally grown Adiantum 
Farleyense. 
Passing into a low pit, much like au old Cucumber 
house, we noticed a nice lot of Amaryllis in flower. In 
another division of the same range were some ten 
clumps of Eucharis amazonica planted out in the 
centre bed, a space measuring 16 ft. by 8 ft. This bed 
is full, since many of the masses measure 4 ft. to 5 ft. 
through. The method of culture adopted by Mr. 
Tulett would seem to be most satisfactory, as the plants 
bloom four times a year, and 300 blooms have been 
cut from them on each occasion, making a grand total 
of from 1,200 to 1,300 blooms in one year. During 
the summer season these plants are treated to a good 
share of heat and moisture with occasional waterings of 
liquid manure, and withal are kept in the shade, no 
direct sunlight being permitted to fall on the plants. 
Several houses are devoted to Orchids. Some 700 
Odontoglossums, the greater part Alexandras, recently 
imported, are breaking and growing well ; a low span- 
roof house, having little or no side light, would certainly 
seem the best structure in which to establish these 
choice, yet sometimes disappointing favourites. A 
grand batch of O. Pescatorei have made stout bulbs, 
and starting again give promise of fine and plump 
pieces in a very short time. Masdevallias were also 
growing and flowering well The Cattleya house con¬ 
tains a number of healthy specimens breaking and 
rooting freely ; C. Mossife, Mendelii, Gaskelliana, &c., 
&c., will soon make an effective display. Dendrobiums 
have mostly flowered and are now well away in growth. 
Cypripediums are good, C. Sedeni being represented by 
two large specimens that have produced spikes 3 ft. 
long, with several laterals. A very extensive hardy 
Fernery has been formed among the clefts of the rocks, 
in which almost every species and variety it is possible 
to get has been obtained and planted.— IV. Swan, 
Hoivick, Preston. 
-- 
CAMELLIAS. 
It is said that the finest Camellia plant in England is 
that at the seat of the late Sir John Broughton, at 
Thames Bank, Kingston, Surrey. This, some forty 
years ago, was a splendid bush, and produced, it was 
computed, 1,000 blooms in a season ; and considering 
its further growth since then, it must now produce 
many more. This variety is C. reticulata, the large 
blossoms of which have been known to reach nearly 
1 ft. in dimensions. The Camellias at Chatsworth, 
it is well knowm, are very fine. It is said that an 
abundance of soot-water in the growing season is a great 
advantage to Camellias ; and there is no doubt that in 
the midland districts and further north, it is best if 
kept constantly within doors. One fact connected with 
the cultivation of the Camellia must not be omitted, 
and it is this, it will not grow in soil from the limestone 
formation ; like the Rhododendron and other American 
plants it seems to abhor lime. In tough fibrous loam 
from the sandstone formation, taking the fine soil out, 
and using it rough and making it as firm as possible in 
the pots, the Camellia will grow like a Willow. I 
remember the late Mr. W. P. Ayres once recommending 
the use of upland peat, poor as it is, such as can be had 
in Sherwood Forest, Notts. If this be laid up for a few 
months to rot, and then broken to pieces about the size 
of pigeons’ eggs, the fine soil being taken away, it will 
be found as good a material as need be used for this plant. 
Cleanliness—meaning thereby a regular washing of 
the foliage and a timely thinning of the blossom buds— 
has much to do with success in the culture of the 
Camellia. There is no doubt that the dropping of the 
buds frequently arises from so many being produced on 
the plant and the inability of the plants to carry them; 
but the act of dropping need not be taken as implying 
any inherent weakness in the plants. Therefore, the 
blossom-buds, when they are numerous, should always 
be boldly thinned, reducing them to not more than two 
upon each branchlet, and let those be of a size to give 
a succession of bloom for the longest time. If this 
were done more than it is, we should probably hear 
less of the dropping of Camellia buds. — E. D. 
-- 
WATERCRESS CULTURE IN 
GARDENS. 
On a fairly moist border under a wall with a north 
aspect, I have found no difficulty in growing these. 
The last time I grew them the seeds were sown thinly 
in boxes in March, and placed in a Peach house with a 
temperature of 50° to 55°, where the moisture and shade 
seemed to assist the germination of the seed. At the 
end of May they were planted out on well-manured 
ground, in such an aspect as I have indicated, about 
9 ins. apart, and before the end of the season they had 
well covered the ground in spite of frequent pickings. 
A few plants were left unpinched, and they flowered and 
seeded, and the following season the ground was covered 
with seedlings which grew large enough to pick from, 
but they failed to ripen seed ; at any rate no plants 
came up the following season, and as plenty of cress 
could be got when required from a distant part of the 
estate, no further attempt to raise plants was made. 
I have also succeeded in growing them in pans 
placed in a shady corner, where the watering-pots 
passed by two or three times daily ; but on the approach 
of frost the pans should be taken into a greenhouse or 
pit, as the plants under this artificial culture, as well 
as in the border, soon succumb to it. Never have I 
seen or heard of such a systematic arrangement for 
their culture under glass as I saw at Roby Hall, near 
Liverpool, last November. In a lean-to pit there is a 
tank 28 ft. long by 4 ft. wide, in three divisions, 
planted with FTatercress, and by doing so at intervals 
a daily supply is secured for nine months in the year. 
About 6 ins. of drainage is placed at the bottom, and 
on that turves with the green side down, to prevent 
the soil intermixing with the drainage. The compost 
consists of light loam, old mortar, rubble and chalk, to 
the depth of about 6 ins., firmly pressed and watered 
previous to inserting the cuttings. The healthiest 
and strongest pieces are used for the purpose, and they 
are usually secured by taking the tops of the plants in 
the last-planted division, and inserting them firmly, 
watering, and keeping them close and shaded in hot 
weather for three or four days. By the turn of a tap 
the whole are flooded. This is practised every other 
day or so ; but if omitted they are syringed in the 
afternoon. Each division is provided with a plug-hole 
about mid-way, to let out the stagnant water ; and Mr. 
Jones, the gardener, considers this change of water an 
important factor in the plant’s welfare. 
In case of a supply in the tanks falling short, there 
is an auxiliary arrangement, the produce of which 
w'ould be sufficient for an ordinary establishment. A 
side stage runs the length of the pit, filled with pans 
18 ins. in diameter and planted with Watercress. The 
pans, which need to be well drained, are filled with 
compost similar to that used for the beds, but broken 
smaller and piled up into a blunt cone ; from twenty 
to twenty-five strong cuttings are inserted in each, 
and they are placed in a temperature of 60 s to 65® for 
a week or so ; and, at the time of my visit, numbers 
of them were in the Cucumber house, which seemed to 
suit them admirably. Mr. Jones informed me that 
after being moved into a cooler place or into the Water¬ 
cress pit they grow most luxuriantly, and frequently 
extend 6 ins. or 8 ins. over the sides. When intro¬ 
duced into the Cress house the pans are placed in 
saucers filled with water, which is frequently changed. 
The plants from the pans flourish famously when 
planted in the beds. Such is the substance of the 
details of culture given to me by Mr. Jones. — TP.P.E. 
■ - ->X<~ - 
MUSHROOMS AND MUSHROOM- 
LIKE FUNGI. 
By the courtesy of the publishers—Messrs. Black¬ 
wood & Sons, of Edinburgh—we are enabled to print 
six of the one hundred and two illustrations which 
have been drawn and engraved by Mr. W. G. Smith 
for the Rev. John Stevenson’s two new and excellent 
volumes named British Fungi. These two volumes 
are so cheap and so good that everyone who is interested 
in or studies the larger fungi should purchase them, 
for the books fill a place that, till these were published, 
was vacant. Mr. Berkeley’s volume, named Outlines 
of Fungology, is now quite out of date, although the 
coloured plates by Mr. Fitch are beautiful and very 
useful. The same may be said of Dr. Cooke’s two 
volumes, named British Fungi, which have not only 
become somewhat out of date, but are out of print, and 
it is now almost impossible to secure copies. Those 
who bought Dr. Cooke’s volumes would seem to have a 
constant use for them. 
Mr. J. Stevenson has given much fuller characters 
of all the fungi described than have ever been given 
before in this country, and he also describes a very 
large number of British species for the first time in 
handbook form. Added to this, he has given, with 
Mr. Smith’s aid, an illustration, with sectional details, 
from nature, of every genus and sub-genus described. 
None of the microscopic species of fungi are noticed in 
Mr. Stevenson’s volumes, the work being devoted to 
the larger and chiefly to the Mushroom-like fungi. No 
such exhaustive and scholarly work has hitherto 
appeared in this country, and we have no doubt the 
volumes will have a large and well-deserved sale, both 
here and in the colonies. 
The Rev. John Stevenson is well known as a practical 
observer of, and writer on, fungi, chiefly, perhaps, in 
connection with the Scottish Cryptogamic Society and 
the Woolhope Club at Hereford. The author has 
supplied a glossary of terms, and he has given a 
translation or explanation of all the generic, sub- 
generic, and specific names. The books are beautifully 
printed, and they reflect great credit on the persons 
concerned in their production. It will probably be a 
good many years before these volumes are superseded 
by anything better, more complete, or more exhaustive 
of the subject. 
