760 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 30, 1887. 
GARDENERS AND THE 
TWELFTH. 
There are a great many gardeners who keep their 
minds fixed upon the 12th of August quite as closely as 
any keeper of a grouse-moor, and, perhaps, more so on 
this date than any other in the calendar ; for to them 
it means the commencement, in real earnest, of the 
denudation of their gardens of the crops which, during 
the summer, they have been arduously cultivating for 
the eventful season. Where the gardens are of large 
dimensions, there is less difficulty in meeting the heavy 
demands made upon them ; but in the case of those of 
moderate size, the gardener has an anxious time of it, 
for sometimes, do what he may, he cannot help running 
short. In all cases where shooting or other parties are 
expected, the gardener should have timely notice from 
his employer as to what fruit, vegetables, and flowers 
will be expected, so that he can time his produce accord¬ 
ingly. Seed-time and harvest will come and go, and 
happy is the man who, having toiled through the 
season, can complacently look round and satisfy himself 
that all will be well when the 12th comes. 
It is true, that nature greatly aids in this matter, 
as in July, August, and September fruits and vege¬ 
tables are plentiful ; but if the sorts most wanted 
have not been sown at the right time there is great risk 
of failure. Failure or no, on the 9 th, 10 th, or 11th the 
order is given ; sieves, hampers and pads are got ready, 
and gathering and packing proceeds in proportion with 
the distance from home to the moors. The nearer the 
moors the less packing will be required, and the fresher 
will be the vegetables, and vice versd, for all depends 
upon the distance and the means of transit. Where 
the moors are within driving distance, all must be 
ready on the morning of the 11th, and the choice fruits 
should in all cases, if possible, accompany the host or 
party in coach or carriage, where the roads are not of 
the best character—and many of them are rough over 
the moorland ranges, severely taxing the skill of the 
packer. In the stronger vehicle, which is to take 
the wines, vegetables, and other good things for 
man and beast, the cases of wines, &c., should be 
placed in the body of the trap, then the hampers, 
and then the Peas in bags on the top, where they will 
travel best. 
If some of your readers were to see the loads that 
have to be sent to the moors, I am afraid they would 
imagine the party did not intend to return for a month, 
but I should state that a party ranges from six to 
twelve, and in some cases twenty guns. The sportsmen 
are accompanied by the keepers and beaters, whose 
duty it is to drive the game in certain directions, and 
within range of the guns ; these drivers, with other 
servants, may bring up the total to thirty or forty. 
One and all are up at early dawn, and the shooting 
becomes fast and furious, as each one is striving to 
bag the largest head of game. The excitement, the 
invigorating exercise, and the exhilarating air whets 
the appetites of all, consequently, great is the 
consumption which follows, and woe to the gardener 
whose hampers are not found equal to the occasion. — 
B.L. 
-- 
BALSAMS OUTDOORS. 
Amongst the difficulties engendered by an untoward 
season, I can but comment upon the remarkable way 
in which a large number of Balsams planted out at the 
beginning of June have thriven. The difficulties 
found at planting time were greater than usual, for the 
soil was very rough and lumpy, and could not be got 
into a friable state. It is no easy matter to get 
Balsam plants lifted from the seed-bed and dibbled 
out into soil very much like a bed of half bricks, to 
root and thrive ; but it had to be accomplished. 
Shallow drills some 14 ins. apart were drawn with a 
hoe, and then the bottoms of the drills chopped with 
the corner of the hoe to break the soil, after which 
water was run along the drills to soften in, and the 
plants at once dibbled out, being watered in. 
The exceedingly dry nature of the soil was the 
saviour of the plants from slugs, for their stems are 
soft and succulent. Still, no one would wisely put 
out plants that had other than stout well-seasoned 
stems. However, with one or two other waterings 
and an occasional hoeing, but without a drop of rain 
since, and under often burning heat, the plants have 
thriven wonderfully, and just now are coming into 
bloom profusely and beautifully. I think Balsams 
which do well out of doors are really very charming 
plants. Last year my lot quite surprised those not 
accustomed to see them out of pots, whilst the quality 
was first rate. The trial really settles two things— 
first, that yearling seed reproduces the finest double 
quality in Balsams, the old story about needing aged 
seed to give double flowers being all moonshine ; and, 
second, that quality equally as fine can be found on 
outdoor plants as on those grown under glass. 
How I find from long experience that Balsams main¬ 
tain colours and characters remarkably well, even 
though grown close together. The same may be said 
of Asters, Stocks, &c., but we have, of late, been so 
horribly frightened with that florist’s nightmare—the 
busy bee—and of its wondrous doings amongst flowers, 
that it is well to cite cases when we can to show that 
this same bee is but a scarecrow at the best, and that 
its evil influences in the direction of cross-fertilisation 
are, if not romantic, at least very problematical. 
Whilst the dibbling out of such soft-stemmed plants 
as Balsams may seem rather risky, the plan invariably 
has better results than come from turning out of pots. 
Then the plants make so much growth that they 
become literally a bunch or cluster of shoots, and the 
flowers are hidden. When dibbled out the plants 
throw a few side shoots until late in the season, and 
the clusters of fine double flowers which adorn the 
main stem of the plant are fully seen. 
Very many persons who like Balsams as pot plants 
find it difficult to raise them without inducing 
lankiness, which puts the plants out of all fair 
proportion. They may, however, get over their 
difficulty by planting out into the open ground, and 
then lifting and potting the plants just as they come 
into bloom. Balsams lift well, having clumps of 
roots which soon attach themselves to fresh soil, 
especially when the plants are shaded for a couple of 
days and well watered. Whether in pots or in the 
open ground, Balsam culture greatly needs reviving. — 
A BRITISH RAIN-TREE, 
APHIDES AND LADYBIRDS. 
When any peculiar phenomenon of natural history is 
observed in a foreign country, and recorded, we look 
upon it with all the interest, and listen to it with that 
keenness, which a traveller’s tale is calculated to inspire; 
but when the same or a similar thing occurs in our 
midst, it produces little sensation or we ignore it 
altogether. Pithecolobium Saman, a native of Brazil 
and Venezuela, is popularly known as the Rain-tree, 
from the circumstance that when infested with certain 
insects it exudes a liquid material sufficient to wet 
the ground beneath it. 
This happens in our native Lime tree, Tilia vulgaris, 
when infested with aphides, as it is to a great extent 
this year, doubtless due in a great measure to the 
lengthened droughty weather we are and have been 
experiencing, and which is very favourable to the 
increase of these insects. The trees glitter with the 
exuded liquid, as if there had been a shower, or they 
had recently been heavily syringed. When the leaves 
are curled, or in anyway formed into cavities, the liquid 
collects there, and is constantly falling on the ground 
in considerable quantity. Where the trees are grown 
on grass, or where there is a quantity of dust or other 
loose material, the moisture quickly dries up so as to be 
unobservable; but should the trees overhang pavement, 
great wet patches may be seen forming broken or 
interrupted rings round the circumference of the tree 
as far as the branches extend, and are more conspicuous 
where the drip is greatest, when the tree is agitated by 
the wind. For the trees to exhibit such a quantity of 
exuded moisture in the hottest and driest weather we 
experience in this country is remarkable, but that the 
pavement underneath them should remain wet till a 
late hour of the day is even more so. 
Contemporaneously with this, another interesting 
phenomenon in the economy of nature is observable. 
Great numbers of coccinellae, or different species of 
ladybirds, locate themselves upon the trees, attendant 
on the aphides, which afford them an almost inex¬ 
haustible supply of food. The ladybirds may be noted 
in all stages of development from the dull-coloured, 
ugly-looking larvte up to the perfect, winged, brightty- 
coloured insect, which may be red with black spots, or 
black with red spots, according to the kind. At a 
certain stage of the larva, white sucker-like disks or 
tubercles are protruded at the hinder end of the body, 
and by means of these they fix themselves to the leaves 
of the trees preparatory to making their exit from the 
larva-skin or encasement. At an early stage of this 
they are readily removable from the leaf; but after a 
time the disks become black and hard, so that the 
insects can only be removed by force. They do not 
seem to possess the power of changing their position, 
even if desirable when disturbed,_ till they have com¬ 
pleted their metamorphosis, and emerge from their 
narrow house of confinement as perfect insects. The 
object in being thus fixed is to enable them to quit the 
“old clo’.”— Taxus. 
-- 
LILIUM PHILIPPINENSE. 
This rare Lilium belongs to a type of the genus well 
represented in gardens by L. longiflorum, of which 
there are many forms, some having longer and more 
slender tubes than the type. The limit of this 
elongation of the tube is reached in the shape of 
L. philippinense, which is remarkable not only for its 
length, but also its slender character. The whole 
flower is narrowly funnel-shaped, and from 7 ins. to 
8 ins. long, its six segments spreading near the tip 
only. The inner ones are much the broader, while the 
whole perianth is pure white, with the exception of a 
greenish tint towards the base of the tube, and 
deliciously fragrant, as are the flowers of L. longiflorum, 
which is never too powerful, as we experience in the 
odour of L. auratum and L. pyrenaicum. The stems 
range about 2 ft. in height, and are elegantly clothed 
with slender linear acute leaves from the base to within 
a short distance of the flower, only one of which 
terminates the stem as a rule, although cultivation 
may in time cause the development of a greater 
number. 
This fine Lilium is a native of the Philippine Islands, 
and at present is the only representative of the genus 
from that quarter of the world ; but as the interior 
has not yet been thoroughly explored, more may 
probably be discovered. Coming as it does from that 
part of the globe, it will be the safest plan to afford it 
greenhouse treatment till it becomes more plentiful. 
From its dwarf accommodating size, and the elegance 
of its foliage, it is very suitable for this purpose, and 
will form an acquisition as a greenhouse or conservatory 
subject, where its presence will be acceptable, both 
for its odour and chaste beauty. 
-- 
THE GARDENERS’ ORPHAN 
FUND. 
"While we are pondering over the leading events which 
have taken place during the present season—and they are 
numerous—it is with much regret that we find so few, 
comparatively, of the horticulturists in the northern 
part of the kingdom identifying themselves with that 
laudable movement known as the Gardeners’ Orphan 
Fand. Many of the gentlemen who are appointed to 
the management of this institution are known to us 
personally, and all the names recorded in the horti¬ 
cultural magazines as having taken an interest in the 
movement are as familiar as household words. It must 
be gratifying to most gardeners throughout the kingdom 
to learn that so many gentlemen of high standing have 
disinterestedly given their services to the advancement 
of this noble cause, and with no expected reward 
beyond the satisfaction of knowing that they are doing 
something for the benefit of their race. 
Although northern horticulturists have not hitherto 
associated themselves in proportionately large numbers 
with this benefit fund, it cannot be from apathy or 
want of due sensibility of the advantages to the helpless 
“bairnies” which must accrue from such a philanthropic 
institution. When we so frequently witness the spon¬ 
taneous liberality and warmth of feeling manifested by 
Scotchmen towards suffering humanity, it gives cause 
for disappointment when we notice the national cha¬ 
racteristic exemplified less by gardeners in the instance 
indicated than we had reason to expect. "We hope, 
however, to see the list of contributors largely augmented 
by our northern friends who have not yet offered their 
tangible support. "Whether one may have a family or 
not, it should be looked upon as a privilege, as well as 
a duty, to aid the establishment of a national Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund.— Caledonian. 
