Augusts, 1887. THE GARDENING WORLD. 789 
by a knowledge of whicli they could analyse soils, 
manures and plants, and could make for themselves, 
from the materials at hand, a compost suitable to the 
requirements of any plant. 
Analyses showed that plants varied quite as much in 
their composition as manures, and it ought to be their 
object to have within reach all variety of substances 
required, for if there was a lack or deficiency of any 
the plant suffered ; whereas, if all the substances were 
present, the plant could absorb sufficient for its work 
and leave the surplus. This statement raised the 
question of the selection of food by plants. He believed 
that they had the power to select food for themselves ; 
but if the materials present in the soil were too strong 
and powerful for the life which existed at the tips of 
the roots, they were injurious, and entirely destroyed 
some plants. 
It having been decided to postpone the discussion of 
the paper until the next meeting, a hearty vote of 
thanks was accorded to Mr. Heaton. 
The meeting was made the more attractive by 
members bringing interesting and beautiful specimens 
of plant and fruit culture, which were closely examined. 
The exhibits included a grand bunch of Gaillardias, 
brought by Mr. Frisby, gardener to the Misses 
Ffarington, Leyland ; a number of double Hollyhocks, 
Carnations, and Niphetos Roses, by Mr. E. Payne, 
Fulwood ; spikes of Eucomis regia and Aloe albo- 
spinus, also Tea Roses, by the secretary, Mr. John 
Atherton ; beautiful cuttings of Pancratium fragrans, 
Allamauda grandiflora, Lapageria rosea and L. alba, 
by Alderman Forshaw, FuUvo id ; and two fine Peaches, 
as well as several kinds of vegetables, from R. Smith, 
Esq., Longridge. A vote of thanks to these gentlemen 
and the chairman having been accorded, the meeting 
closed. --—- 
VIOLAS. 
I have become acquainted with some of the more 
recently introduced Violas, and there can be no doubt 
that the newer kinds present some charming shades of 
colours not hithe'rto seen in these flowers ; as early 
decorative plants they are of great beauty and useful¬ 
ness. Some flowers received recently from Mr. John 
Downie, florist, Edinburgh, contain some lovely 
varieties, and amongst them the following are most 
noticeable :— 
Archie Grant, an old but excellent variety of sturdy 
habit, with large blue-violet flowers. 
Arthenj. —White tinted with lilac, with a large 
distinct rosy purple centre ; a beautiful variety. 
Bullion. —A most valuable yellow, good-sized flowers 
of a bright yellow colour, and almost free from any 
dark markings. 
Countess of Hopetoun.—A very fine white, quite free 
from any dark markings, an abundant bloomer, and 
of close sturdy habit; a valuable decorative variety. 
Countess of Kintore.— Light rosy purple with large 
white blotches ; a handsome variety, growing in 
popularity. 
Duke of Albany. —Violet-purple under petals, with 
lilac-tinted upper petals ; a charming variety. 
Evelyn.—A pale-shaded lilac, with deeper-coloured 
centre, closely resembling Duchess of Albany, but 
brighter and of fine form. 
Garland.—A light yellow self with rayed centre, but 
inferior to Bullion and others. 
Lady Amery. —Rich violet lower petals, with the 
same colour in the base of the top petals, and a broad 
margin of silvery lilac ; a beautiful variety of very fine 
form. 
Mrs. J. Brodie. —Rich violet-purple, the under petals 
bordered with blue-purple, the top petals bordered with 
pale lilac ; fine form. 
Meta. —Eight shaded rosy purple, with small blue- 
purple blotch. 
Mrs. Tosh. —Rosy purple lower petals, lighter at the 
margin, shaded lilac and light purple top petals; good 
form. 
Owen Cameron.—A Holyrood style of flower, with 
lip bronze-colour in the centre ; large and showy. 
Oracle. — Blue-purple under petals, with small dark 
blotch, top petals deep lilac veined with purple ; fine 
form and a distinct variety. 
Pytho. —Rich violet under petals, with a slight 
margin of blue-lilac, top petals blue-purple with a light 
blue margin ; very fine form, distinct and handsome. 
Rimini Donaldson.— Resembling Pilrig Park in colour 
and marking, and not an acquisition. 
Skylark. —White, with a narrow margin of bright 
ccerulean blue ; a charming and distinct variety. 
Spark. —Resembling Duchess of Albany in style, but 
with a deeper-coloured centre and of good form ; very 
pretty. 
Scotia. —There is a strong shade of blue in this 
flower, with a dark blotch. This variety possesses a 
good deal of the Pansy breed, and is large and showy. 
The Mearns. —Rich shaded purple under petals, with 
brighter-coloured margin, darker centre, and Countess 
of Kintore top petals ; a very fine flower in every 
respect. 
Topsy. —Almost black, quite a self, of fine form, and 
a very promising acquisition. 
Virginale. —Snowy white, a decided self, and an 
excellent variety. 
Of older valuable varieties, which are cheap, I may 
mention Ardwell Gem, as a sulphur-yellow ; Mrs. Gray, 
white, and very fragrant; Queen of Lilacs, blue-lilac ; 
Lady Diana, light purple ; Queen of Spring, beautiful 
light yellow ; Golden Queen of Spring, deep yellow ; 
Queen of Violets, deep purple ; True Blue, the best 
blue; Spotted Gem, rich purple, with large white 
blotches ; and Ethel Baxter, a most lovely shaded 
rosy lilac. 
Violas ought to he planted in the autumn. It is a 
great mistake to plant late in the spring, and even 
when done at that season it should not be after the 
first week in April ; but I strongly recommend early 
autumn planting, so that the plants may become firmly 
established before winter, and mulching with leaf-soil 
or very rotten manure throughout the latter season, 
not removing it. — IF. D. 
--iOK-- 
HERBACEOUS PLANTS AT 
BURFORD LODGE. 
Burford Lodge, Dorking, the seat of Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart., M.P., &c., is beautifully situated at 
the foot of Box Hill, a considerable elevation forming 
part of the far-famed Surrey Downs, sloping abruptly 
towards this interesting residence, and beautifully 
wooded at this part with Yews, Beeches, Pines, and the 
Box, the latter being indigenous. After inspecting 
the herbaceous plants we visited the various plant 
houses, including the magnificent collection of Orchids 
under the charge of Mr. Bickerstaff, but forbear from 
making anything but a passing reference to them at 
present, although greatly tempted to go farther. 
Under the guidance of Mr. Baines, the courteous 
gardener, we made a survey of the outdoor department, 
which proved an interesting and enjoyable floral treat; 
for, notwithstanding the thirsty nature of the soil, its 
calcareous character, and the prolonged drought to 
which it has been subjected, everything showed a 
remarkable freshness under the conditions—due to the 
combined skill and attention bestowed on their culture. 
Almost the first thing to rivet our attention upon 
entering the garden was a large bed of Salpiglossis 
sinuata, in all shades of purple, yellow, and straw- 
colour, some exhibiting intensely dark crimson or 
maroon tints, and all more or less conspicuously 
veined and reticulated with a different tint from the 
other parts of the flowers, giving the latter a variegated 
appearance. The dry weather has suited them ad¬ 
mirably, causing them to bloom most profusely. Mr. 
Baines finds them highly useful for cut-flower purposes, 
and for this reason their culture should be more 
generally adopted. In the same breath, we might 
mention the fact that Petunias are equally profuse this 
year in the open air, and both are closely-allied, 
irregular-flowered members of the Solanum family. 
Many of the most useful garden subjects are grown 
in quantity—generally in beds, which gives us a good 
estimate of what hardy flowers are capable of producing 
in a mass, besides the economising of space where the 
latter is limited, and quantities of bloom for decorative 
purposes are required. A bed of the numerous hybrid 
varieties of Phlox maculata—better known in gardens 1 
as P. decussata—and P. paniculata, sometimes described 
as autumn Phloxes, are now in the height of their 
beauty, having made growths about 3 ft. to 3J ft. in 
height. They are more adapted to the English climate 
than P. glaberrima suffruticosa and ics varieties, which 
flower earlier, and are more suitable for the northern 
part of the island, where they are known as summer 
Phloxes ; the beautiful P. Drummondi is also grown. 
Spiraea venusta, a grand old plant, now past its best, 
has been fine, its rosy flowers being almost equal to 
those of S. palmata. Fora mass of scarlet flowers, few 
can equal, far less excel, Lychnis chalcedonica plena ; 
and whether the season is wet or dry, it never seems 
disappointing. A bed of plants, ranging from 2 ft. to 
3 ft. in height, is now both brilliant and pleasing. 
Blue colours were represented by a variety of subjects ; 
but we were especially charmed with a bed of Platycodon 
grandiflorum pumilum, large-flowered, intensely blue 
in colour, and remarkably dwarf, being only from 
6 ins. to 9 ins. high, whereas it usually grows double 
that height. It is rather impatient of root disturbance, 
some of the plants having died through recent trans¬ 
planting. A bed of comparatively new varieties of 
Delphinium was also noteworthy, as furnishing shades 
of blue of a charming kind, often harmoniously 
blending with purple and white. Of this character is 
a semi-double large-flowered variety, named Copernic, 
with blue sepals, and large, flattened, nearly regular, 
purple petals, while a few of the latter were white, 
and nearly of the normal small size. L’Etoile was 
equally large, semi-double, and even more attractive, 
being wholly of a brilliant blue, with the exception of 
the central small white petals. In this category may 
be classed a bed of seedling Iris Kaempferi, in vigorous 
health, although at the time of our visit they had 
finished flowering with the exception of a white form. 
Mr. Baines finds they do best in his soil when raised 
from English-grown seeds. Charming bits of blue 
were dotted about the borders in the form of Gentiana 
septemfida, G. s. cordifolia (widely disseminated in 
gardens under the name of G. gelida), and G. 
asclepiadea, an inhabitant of British gardens since 
1629, withal a fine thing, and elegant, but inferior in 
point of beauty to the wider-mouthed flowers of G. 
septemfida. An unusually dark-flowered form of G. 
cruciata also merits the attention it receives. The 
Blue Globe Thistle, Echinops ritro, is too conspicuous 
and decided in tone to be overlooked wherever it 
occurs in a collection. 
Yellow flowers are generally over-plentifully supplied 
by Composites, especially in autumn, but this is not 
the case at Burford Lodge, for with the exception of 
Helianthus (Harpalium) rigidus, one of the best of 
Sunflowers, most of the yellow-flowered subjects be¬ 
longed to a great variety of other natural orders. Two 
beds of Alstroemeria aurantiaca exhibited a consider¬ 
able range of colouring, the occupants of one being 
seedlings. The latter attain a flowering condition the 
same year as they are sown —a noteworthy fact among 
perennials. For cut-flower purposes they are elegant 
and useful. Strictly speaking, Celsia cretica is a 
biennial, but here it is treated as an annual and 
flowered the same year from seed, and the large yellow 
flowers are very handsome. Notwithstanding the 
perishable nature of its flowers, as of all other Poppies, 
Papaver nudicaule is now receiving a share of that 
attention it well merits in gardens. The yellow, white 
and orange flowers, that seem to spring indifferently 
from seeds collected off either of these forms, are 
charming for indoor work, whether used by them¬ 
selves or in combination with those of another kind. 
Tropseolum polyphyllum is both a curious aud orna¬ 
mental plant, that loves to trail on the ground, and 
refuses to grow at all if tied to a stake, or suffers much 
root disturbance. The glaucous deeply-lobed leaves 
doubtless resent interference in regard to their arrange¬ 
ment to catch or shun the incident rays of light. Its 
yellow flowers are both plentiful and pretty, showing 
themselves above the foliage of the procumbent stems. 
A varied assortment of other subjects, some of con¬ 
siderable value and indispensable from various points 
of view, are scattered about the garden promiscuously. 
Sturt’s Glory Pei, Clianthus Dampieri, is notorious for 
the difficulty some experience in its cultivation, and 
will always command admiration from the magnificence 
of its crimson-scarlet flowers, furnished with a black 
blotch on the standard. Mr. Baines succeeds admirably 
iu its cultivation, both in and out of doors, where an 
old plant is now flowering. Other specimens in various 
stages of advancement may be seen in the greenhouse, 
where they pass the winter safely. More serviceable in 
its way, perhaps, for the quantity of useful flowers it 
produces, is Lathyrus latifolius, the so-called Ever¬ 
lasting Pea, which surely would be more appropriately 
designated the Perennial Pea. The Lily-like flowers 
of Yucca filamentosa, the drooping white bells of 
Galtonia candicans, the elegant spikes of Liatris spicata, 
the myriad-flowered Gypsophila paniculata, and the 
beds of Carnations and Picotees, all have their uses and 
