June 4, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
629 
gardens, one frequently notices the wires or other 
apparatus for suspending Odontoglossums and other 
Orchids over the running streams in the open air 
during summer. 
-- 
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 
Seasonable Notes. —Where the directions given on 
pp. 421 and 520 of The Gardening World have been 
followed, the more forward plants will now be ready 
for another shift, this time into their blooming pots ; 
but before doing so, carefully go over the plants that 
have been previously stopped, and if it be seen that 
they require another stopping, it should be at once 
done, as after this date the plants should not be 
checked. The soil for this final potting should be 
made up as follows :—Three parts good turfy loam and 
one part well-decayed manure, to which should be 
added a sufficient quantity of coarse sand or (which does 
equally as well) sifted ballast to keep the whole porous. 
A handful of bone dust and a little soot added to each 
pot will be of great benefit to the plants. The size of 
the pots for this final potting should be either 8£-in. 
or 11-in., the larger size to be used for the strongest 
growers and also for large specimens. The pots should 
be perfectly clean and well crocked ; over the crocks 
a few rough pieces of turf should be placed to ensure 
perfect drainage, then put in some soil and press it well 
down. The plant to be potted should be carefully 
turned out of the pot, the pieces of crock removed, and 
when placed in the flowering pot, the soil should be 
carefully worked all round the roots, so that the space 
between the roots and the side of the pot may be 
completely filled up ; when this is done the soil should 
be well rammed down, leaving a space of J in. from the 
top of the pot for top-dressing the plants later on. 
Care should be taken not to over water any of the plants 
at this stage of their growth. 
The plants should then be stood in their summer 
quarters on a good bed of ashes to prevent worms from 
entering the pots, and stakes put to them to prevent 
their getting broken. A strong stake should then be 
driven into the ground at each end of the row of plants, 
and some stout wire securely fastened to one stake, and 
from that be secured to the stake at the other end of 
the row. The stakes to which the plants are tied 
should then be fastened to this wire to prevent the 
plants being blown over by the wind. The plants in¬ 
tended for producing specimen blooms will shortly 
throw out side shoots, and from three to six (according 
to the variety) should be retained, and all others 
pinched off. On these shoots the flower-buds will in 
due course appear. Till then the plants will not 
require any manure-water, but after hot days the 
plants should be well syringed, not only the foliage 
but the pots and the ground on which they stand. 
Plants in the borders should have stakes put to them 
to prevent their getting broken, and as soon as they 
show their bloom buds, a little blood and bone manure 
should be sprinkled around the plants and watered in. 
This will be found an excellent plan to adopt with plants 
in the borders. 
If rooted cuttings of the early-flowering varieties are 
potted at once into 3-iu. pots, and stopped as soon as 
the roots have reached the sides, they will then make 
very useful plants for blooming in 4|-in. pots, and will 
come in very conveniently later on for distributing 
amongst other plants in the conservatory. — JV. E. 
Boyce, Archway Road, Highgate. 
-- 
CHAMiEPEUCE DIACANTHA AND 
C. CASSABON^l. 
The first of these makes the handsomest and most 
striking plant, and is possibly the most commonly- 
grown species. It makes a handsome pot plant, but 
notwithstanding its beauty, may not become a general 
favourite, owing to the formidable array of spines with 
which the tips and margins of the leaves are armed. 
This makes it disagreeable to handle, especially when 
a good development of the leaves have been made, as 
these lie over and cover the surface of the pot in all 
directions. The plant is, however, decidedly orna¬ 
mental in character, and for this reason may, with 
great propriety, be used in the decoration of the con¬ 
servatory during the winter and spring months. The 
leaves are of a bright shining green, marked with a 
broad silvery line along the mid-rib and all the principal 
veins. 
The most popular use, however, to which it may be 
put during summer is in carpet or sub-tropical bedding, 
especially the former. No more striking and uncommon¬ 
looking plant can be used for the centres of circles or 
squares, or for dotting about at regular intervals in the 
groundwork of any design. C. cassabonse may be used 
for the same purposes as the other, but is less orna¬ 
mental ; although some might prefer it because of a 
greener tint and much less spiny. As a rule, growth 
is not so strong, and the plant is more serviceable for 
the margins or dividing-lines of large carpet-beds, where 
the plants used are not kept down to the strict orthodox 
limit. The deep green leaves are much less deeply 
divided than in C. diacantha, with less distinct silvery 
veins. 
The cultivation of both are simple. Should plants 
of a limited size be required, seeds—which are easily 
obtainable—should be sown in February and brought 
on slowly in the temperature of an intermediate house, 
as the plants are all but hardy. Indeed, if they are 
grown in a dry situation on a rockery or similar position 
they will outlive all but the severest winters in the 
neighbourhood of London unprotected. After being 
planted out, they will form dense compact rosettes of 
leaves during the course of summer. If required for 
conservatory decoration, they should be grown on in 
pots. They are useless for planting out a second 
year, as they are biennial, running to flower and seed. 
They are admissible, however, and very ornamental in 
CHAMiEPEUCE CASSABON.E. 
this state for the rockery. They may also be sown in 
September to obtain larger plants, and wintered in the 
greenhouse. 
-->x<—- 
THE PORTLAND NURSERY, 
READING-. 
This might appropriately be termed the trial grouuds 
of the florists’ flowers grown by Messrs. Sutton & Sons, 
as distinguished from the much larger trial grounds that 
lie between Reading and Earley. What a charming 
nursery this is, and how well everything is ordered, 
how trim, clean and neat! It is impossible to find a 
disorderly character. I am glad always when I think 
that a large number of gardeners visit the place during 
the year ; and what high conceptions of plant culture 
they can derive from what they see if they will only 
exert their ordinary powers of observation. Whatever 
is done is not only done at the right time, but done 
well. There is no stint of attention, and there is the 
largest reward in the shape of success. 
Cyclamen and Primula sinensis are now seeding. 
Both are in those suitable span-roofed houses that are 
to be seen in this nursery. The Cyclamens are kept 
fairly moist, because there is a strain upon them as 
seed-producers, and it is necessary the seed be nourished. 
When the seed harvest is over they will go to a cold 
frame, be rested a bit, then they will start into growth 
and be re-potted to flower next spring. No plant is 
neglected, so there is no check. A good harvest 
of Primula seeds of the choicest kinds is being gathered. 
All the flowers are carefully fertilised artificially, and 
it is only by doing this that they bear and mature 
seeds. 
Then there are hundreds of little Cyclamens, sown in 
November, that are pushing on into size rapidly, to be 
re-potted presently and grown on until they are finally 
put into 5-in. pots to flower. These are all results 
from special crosses, made for the production of fine 
varieties. 
Herbaceous Calceolarias, of which there is a very fine 
strain grown in this nursery, are now rapidly going out 
of flower and forming plump seed-pods ; the flowers of 
these also are carefully fertilised. One good feature in 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons’ strain of Calceolarias is the 
excellent variety found among them—not too many 
seifs, as is seen in some strains; and yet just enough of 
fine and striking self colours to form a just proportion. 
One bright yellow self, named Cloth of Gold, is so good 
and distinct that it is to be regretted it produces so 
little seed, for it is of a fine glow of colour. One fine 
plant of Calceolaria—the flowers large and finely- 
formed, with bronzy brown spots on a golden ground— 
was particularly attractive. 
Gloxinias are in splendid form just now. In at¬ 
tempting to describe the fine varieties, one is in danger 
of being accused of exaggeration, for the flowers are 
very large, very stout, and grandly coloured. Here 
are some of the prettiest spotted varieties I have ever 
seen ; and so large and solid too. They are varieties 
that bloomed for the first time last year, and are being 
further tested. How gallantly they come out of the 
trial ! Here are plants of Gloxinias from seed raised in 
January last; and there are some of high quality, three 
or four years old. A calendar of Gloxinia culture can 
be putin a few words : Sow in January, upinFebruary, 
pricked off in March, potted in April, shifted in May, 
put into 32-sized pots in July, and then in flower. 
There are hundreds of plants going through the process, 
and it is found by experience that the most forward of 
the seedlings being the strongest, are merely normal 
types ; the later and more retarded plants are those 
that show the highest attainments in quality. As a 
matter of course, the fine specimens in bloom now are, 
as above stated, plants that bloomed in previous years. 
There are among them some of the finest pure white 
varieties I have ever seen. But anyone interested in 
Gloxinias, and desirous of seeing some of the very 
finest types should run down to Reading. They will 
be repaid for their journey. 
Here is a house of twenty-four sorts of Cucumbers for 
trial; the plants are in pairs, and as the house runs 
from east to west, one is on the north and one on the 
south side. They are planted in stout wooden boxes 
resting on bricks, in a hot-bed made up of manure and 
loam ; there is a hot-water pipe running along at the 
back of the boxes with troughs of water on it, and the 
pipe also passes through a tank ; there is, therefore, 
always plenty of moisture in the atmosphere. There is 
about 2 ft. 6 ins. of manure and soil, and the plants 
were originally 4 ins. or so below the box edge, so as to 
admit of surface soiling, which is occasionally done as 
required. The house will be an instructive and interest¬ 
ing sight when the fruits are far enough advanced to 
admit of comparisons being made. 
Begonias of the tuberous-rooted section are a great 
feature, and they are extensively grown here. There 
are many fine plants of selected seedlings of last year 
just coming into flower that will be objects of great 
beauty presently. Then there are many hundreds of 
seedlings obtained from seed sown in January, now in 
thumbs and small 60-sized pots, ready for potting into 
large 60’s. Some of the more advanced are already in 
larger pots. Messrs. Sutton & Sons have a wonderful 
strain of Begonias, and I have never elsewhere seen 
a collection so rich in pale and deep yellow, golden, 
orange and nankeen tints. In the case of the Begoniar, 
