632 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 4, 1887. 
they are at present, and the height they are, from 
previous experience, likely to attain. Where the beds 
can he inspected from all sides, the tallest plants 
should occupy the centre, while smaller specimens, or 
dwarfer-growing varieties, should always be placed 
exteriorly to these. In the case of beds or borders 
open to inspection from one side only, the taller plants 
should occupy the hack. Colours should also be 
studied and made to harmonise as much as possible, 
and not made too conspicuous by violent or glaring 
contrast.— F. __ 
SMALL AURICULA GROWERS. 
I have read with very great pleasure the correspond¬ 
ence in your valuable paper from small Auricula 
growers. I am one, and although I do not possess 
“lean-to or span-roof houses, pipes, boilers, stoves and 
ventilators as good a spunkahs,” I have been daily 
delighted for a few—very few— weeks past with a frame 
full of flowering plants, the greater number of which 
have been very good. Especially good has been George 
Lightbody, Lancashire Hero (gray and green), .Richard 
Headley, C. E. Brown, John Waterston, Acme, 
Conservative, Smiling Beauty, Beauty, Pizarro, Mrs. 
Douglas, C. J. Perry, Topsy, and a few others ; and 
all grown in cold frames. I fancy I hear your corre¬ 
spondent, “ C. A. G.,” ask, “ How did you manage to 
get good blooms without artificial heat ? ” Well, I did 
not use matting. I -covered the light frame with 
canvas and a thick carpet which I appropriated for 
the occasion, and over all tied a piece of tarpaulin, 
which kept the lot dry. I used the covering for about 
a month, commencing at the end of March, and the 
plants were very much benefited by it. 
I fear “ C. A. G.” did not shed tears enough over 
her honoured band to bring them up to show form—in 
other words, did not give them sufficient water. My 
experience is that Auriculas ought never to get dry, 
not even in the coldest weather ; if they do, the roots 
next the sides of the pots shrivel, and the plants have 
to make new roots at the time all their energies ought 
to be devoted to foliage and flowers, the result being a 
poor bloom. 
For the last four shows I have not had a plant fit to 
stage, the date being a week or ten days too soon for 
me. I most cordially agree with “ C. A. G.V’very 
practical suggestion, supported too by your other 
correspondents, “ Pi. D."' and “ J. K.,” that the London 
show should be held in. future in the first week in May. 
Only think for a moment what a gain a later show 
would be to the possessors of lean-to or span-roof 
houses, what a saving of wear and tear of pipes, boilers 
and stoves, and what a reduction in the bill for fuel! 
Surely the growers, rich in the resources which are of 
priceless value in a cold late spring, will hail with joy 
the very reasonable proposal of “C. A. G.,” and do 
their utmost to bring about such a happy arrangement, 
whereby the small growers may, peradventure, be 
enabled to exhibit in the company of the giants, with a 
remote possibility of winning a few of the minor prizes. 
— T. Fife, Southern Hill, Reading. 
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LATE-KEEPING APPLES. 
Seldom do we have the pleasure of inspecting so 
many well-preserved Apples so late in the season as 
Mr. A. H. Smee, The Grange, Haekbridge, permitted 
us to inspect last week, assisted by his assiduous 
gardener, Mr. Cummins. The house or fruit-room in 
which the specimens were located is a new one on 
approved principles, fitted up with hot-water pipes 
connected with the boiler of a stove. It may not be 
unseasonable to remark that no fire-heat has been used 
since Christmas. The roof is furnished with a few 
large windows, which, however, are darkened when 
light is not wanted in the interior. Two ventilators 
at each end, consisting of perforated zinc, allow a free 
play of air at all times ; and on certain occasions the 
door is left open, while an inner one of lattice-work 
prevents access to the interior. Two steps take us 
down to the floor, which consists of concrete. No fire- 
heat is used, except in the case of severe frost or when 
the newly-collected or ripening fruit becomes sweaty, 
when artificial heat is employed to drive out the 
moisture. 
Some of the fruit lies exposed on shelves of narrow 
laths, hut a considerable quantity is wrapped up in 
paper (each fruit separately), and stored in boxes. The 
green colour of London Pippin has now given place to 
pale yellow, flushed with red. It may be used eith er 
for table or culinary purposes, being one of the first 
quality. Although Beauty of Kent is only reckoned a 
mid-season variety, some fine specimens spoke of the 
treatment bestowed on this much-lauded Apple. Golden 
Noble is no less beautiful or appreciated, and the rich 
yellow smooth-skinned fruit is still very tempting. 
This, too, is only reckoned a mid-season variety, and 
seeing that it fruits abundantly, might be grown more 
extensively for market as well as for private purposes. 
Fall Pippin, as grown here, is a firm medium-sized 
Apple with a shining yellow skin. It is a culinary 
variety, and will evidently remain in perfection for 
some time to come. Another culinary Apple deserving 
notice here, is Northern Greening. The medium-sized 
specimens are green, and from their firmness seem 
destined to keep good for months, while the quality is 
much superior to that of thelast variety. "Winter Coleman 
or Norfolk Beefing is a round or somewhat flattened 
Apple of a bronzy red colour, late keeping, and excellent 
for culinary purposes. An excellent late-keeping variety 
that fruits abundantly, and is destined to become more 
frequent in gardens, is Lane’s Prince Albert. Dumelow’s 
Seedling, generally known as "Wellington, is well 
known, and needs no recommendation, suffice to say 
the specimens at the Grange were in excellent condition. 
Wallington Beauty would seem to be a new or local 
variety, but even now the large fruit presents a fine 
appearance, suggestive of the name. A Sussex Apple 
named Orange Blossom is small but firm, and in good 
condition. A firm, red, and flattened fruit, of medium 
size, is that named Lord Burghley. It is a late-keeping 
dessert Apple, yet in fine condition. The Clove Pippin, 
a mid-season variety, has now assumed a fine yellow 
colour, and being large, is serviceable, although not 
of first quality. It may be used either for dessert or 
culinary purposes as well as Dutch Mignonne, and 
both are in excellent keeping order. The latter is now 
of a fine yellow colour, and suffused with russet. The 
fruits of the variety, Allen’s Everlasting, are rather 
small but very firm, and of the usual flattened 
character. It is, further, an Apple of the finest 
quality. Hoary Morning deserves a place in every 
collection, from its decidedly ornamental character. 
Although now somewhat faded, the bright red colour, 
longitudinally striped with a darker shade, makes it a 
favourite with many. It is a culinary Apple of large 
size, and reckoned a mid-season variety, but still 
preserves a handsome presentable appearance. These 
by no means exhaust the number in Mr. Smee’s fruit- 
room, but serve to give an idea of what can be grown 
and preserved in excellence, even at this late season, in 
“My Garden.” __ 
AUBRIETIAS. 
Since Mons. Aubriet gave his name to this genus, 
and Aubrietia deltoidea became cultivated in English 
gardens, what a world of service this and the varieties 
raised from it have rendered ! At this season of the 
year the Aubrietias are in the full glow of their vernal 
beauty. Travellers by the Great Western Railway to 
Reading can, as they pass Messrs. Sutton & Sons’ 
Seed Trial Farms at Earley, look upon large patches of 
exceedingly pleasant lilac and violet colours furnished 
by such varieties as Graeca, Hendersoni, and others. 
The soil is covered by patches of foliage, and this is 
hidden by the wealth of blossom overlying it. Now, 
Aubrietias, that invariably flower very freely, appear 
this season to be blooming with something like a 
wonderful profusion of blossom, as if nature had 
generously endowed them with floral wealth as it has 
the fruit trees. Aubrietias can be used in many ways, 
excepting on a cold, moist, sunless aspect, where they 
will not do so well ; but on any open sunny spot—on 
rockwoi'k, sloping borders, raised edgings, and such¬ 
like—Aubrietias can be used with great advantage. I 
have a bed of Auriculas with a sloping edge 18 ins. 
or so in depth, and this is covered with patches of the 
last new Aubrietia — the deep-coloured A. violacea. 
They are in the full blaze of the sun, and form a floral 
picture of great merit. But if one would see Aubrietias 
in all their glory, they should visit Belvoir Castle in 
April, and view with what wonderful effect Mr. W. 
Ingram uses them on the warm slopes upon which he 
lays down such a grand display of floral beauty in 
spring. To realise the splendour of the pictures Mr. 
Ingram traces upon the soil in spring they must be 
seen to be appreciated. 
A few years ago, Mr. Ingram was successful in 
raising some pink Aubrietias, but I do not think he 
named any. Probably, he found some difficulty in 
fixing anything in the way of distinct and striking 
colours ; and yet I know he had great hopes they would 
have proved useful in his unrivalled spring garden. 
Aubrietia deltoidea, or the purple Aubrietia, came to 
us from the Levant in 1710 ; but A. purpurea—from 
which, no doubt, most of our fine varieties have been 
obtained—we got from Greece in 1820. Such kinds as 
A. grandiflora, A. Hendersoni, A. Campbelli, A. graca, 
and A. violacea have appeared from time to time, and 
fine large-flowered violet and purple varieties have 
taken the place of the pale violet A. deltoidea. "When 
planted out permanently—and especially so in places 
where the plants suffer from drought—Aubrietias 
decline in quality, as might be expected ; but when 
they are cultivated as Mr. Ingram does them, they 
show distinct and striking colours. 
Aubrietias vary a good deal from seed, and anyone 
raising seedlings should select the largest and deepest- 
coloured varieties, and then propagate them by means 
of division. If anyone would pull away from the 
parent plants little rosette-like tufts of leaves, with 
long stems attached to them, and dibble them out in a 
cool moist corner, they would soon make root and grow 
into nice useful plants. Seed can be easily obtained, 
for the Aubrietias produce it freely on well-established 
plants, and if a sowing be made in a pan or shallow 
box in early spring, and the plants, when large enough, 
pricked out into a nursery-bed, they will make excellent 
stuff for blooming the following spring. Frequent 
top-dressings of soil greatly help the plants, and enable 
them to root themselves more freely in the soil.— Quo. 
I am constantly in receipt of applications from plant 
lovers for deep-coloured forms of the Aubrietia. There 
can be no doubt but that the pretty lilac-blue Grseca 
and similar pale-liued kinds produce a very pleasing 
effect when found in a good mass ; but still the 
popular taste runs for dark-coloured forms. I presume 
that arises from the comparative absence of red amongst 
spring flowers, which these dark-coloured Aubrietias 
help to compensate for. I have had to remark this 
year what has been an unusual feature in association 
with these pleasing plants. A few weeks since, 
when a mass of Aubrietia violacea—one of the finest 
and deepest-coloured forms in cultivation—was in 
full flower, some dry parching winds and bright sun¬ 
shine, allied to white frosts at night, materially affected 
the colours of the flowers, so that they were much 
paler than usual, and, indeed, quite out of character. 
But we have now had rains, cloudy skies, and an 
absence of white frosts, and the flowers are again of 
their normal hue—indeed, for the end of May, wonder¬ 
fully coloured, almost the hue of Beetroot. This fact 
evidences that the best bf Aubrietias will vary greatly 
in diverse positions, according to warmth or otherwise. 
Many who have seen this bed of A. violacea have re¬ 
marked, “That is the best colour I have ever seen ” ; 
and I think it is true, for I have not seen it equalled. 
Aubrietias are blooming late this year, because the 
autumn growth suffered so much from the snow ; hut 
they have an astonishing capacity for recovery. I 
like especially to plant them on the margin or top of a 
slope, where they can run down and cover the stone, 
or soil for about 2 ft. in depth. The effect produced 
then is wonderful, the plants in such case suffering less 
from snow than when growing flat on the ground.— A.D. 
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ADIANTUM SCHIZOPHYLLUM. 
The accompanying illustration is an exact repre¬ 
sentation of this new Fern as we saw it at the Great 
"Whitsuntide Show, at Manchester, where it was 
certificated by the judges. It is perfectly distinct and 
would never be mistaken for A. gracillimum, having 
longer and narrower, not triangular fronds as in that 
form. Another peculiarity is, that they branch in a 
varying degree, and are at all times slender, drooping 
gracefully all round the pot in which it is grown. The 
stipes and rachis are slender and ebony-black, while 
the whole length of the frond does not seem to exceed 
1 ft. The narrowly cuneate pinnules afford the most 
constant and characteristic features of this Maidenhair, 
and constitute it a very distinct form of A. cemulum, 
of which it. is a seedling, originating about two years 
ago in a batch of seedlings raised by Mr. B. S. "Williams, 
Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, Upper Holloway. 
The specific name, meaning cut-leaf, may refer to the 
branching character of the fronds or to the pinnules, 
which are also occasionally deeply incised at the 
margin. The whole plant is compact, graceful, and 
sure to become a general favourite for decorative work. 
