November 12, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
ICO 
CYCLAMENS AT ISLEWORTH, 
"Whatever is worth growing is worth growing well, 
and this can only be done by giving it special attention, 
as has been repeatedly shown by those who take these 
and similar things in hand. Cyclamen persicum has 
been brought to such perfection of recent years, that it 
would seem incapable of further improvement. It is 
true the range of colour is limited, and nothing even 
appears to have occurred outside an improvement 
of which we find in the original species ; that is, we 
have never been able to obtain a yellow, scarlet, or 
blue variety, and, it would seem, there is no chance of 
obtaining such. But, as it is, we find all shades and 
tints, from pure white, through rose and magenta, to 
the deepest dark crimson. The latter shade is hand¬ 
some indeed by daylight, but neither handsome nor 
effective by artificial light, inasmuch as it becomes 
nearly black, and 
is, consequently, 
unpopular for 
evening decora¬ 
tions. 
At Holly Lodge, 
Isleworth, the Cy¬ 
clamen is almost 
the only thing in 
a floral way that 
Mr. W. "Warren 
grows extensively 
under glass ; be¬ 
sides what are 
grown in frames, 
eleven low span- 
oofed houses and 
pits are fully oc¬ 
cupied with Cycla¬ 
mens in various 
stages of develop- 
ment. Each 
house contains 
from thirty to 110 
dozen plants, and 
there would be in 
all about 8,400 
plants in bloom or 
in an advanced 
stage. The largest 
and most forward 
specimens, occu¬ 
pying one house, 
are in 40-size pots, 
but all the rest 
are in 48’s ; they 
are potted in good 
loam, and none 
gets, nor requires 
any, artificial feed¬ 
ing or otherwise, 
and the treatment 
speaks for itself. 
They are now 
about seventeen 
months old ; and 
another large 
batch of some 
12,000, sown in 
June last, are now 
in pans, pricked 
out at the rate of 
three dozen plants 
to each pan, and 
have from two to 
four leaves each. 
Among the old plants may be noticed many pecu¬ 
liarities in the habit, size and colour of the foliage. 
Mr. Warren finds that, as a rule, when the foliage is 
very vigorous and robust, it is at the expense of the 
produce of flowers. One specimen struck us as par¬ 
ticularly beautiful — the leaves being comparable to 
those of a Begonia or Asarum japonicum, they being of 
great size, and with a broad and distinct grey margin ; 
while the green disc was marked with silvery veins. A 
leaf on another plant measured over 6 ins. each way. 
The type of C. persicum is the most precocious, and 
produces, if anything, a greater amount of flowers ; 
while the giganteum type has more robust foliage with 
strong scapes standing about 6 ins. clear above the 
leaves. The individual flowers measured from 11 ins. 
to 2 ins. in length, while the segments of the corolla 
are correspondingly broad and overlapping ; the flowers 
are generally of two colours, except when pure white; 
and when white, rose or magenta with a crimson 
mouth, or some shade of crimson with a darker mouth, 
they are indeed handsome. Many of the deep crimson 
varieties are characterised by dwarf habit, and some 
show fimbriated petals. When the sun shines a faint 
but delicious fragrance pervades the house. 
-- 
A SELECTION OF PEARS. 
The planting season is upon us, and, doubtless, 
by many will be deferred for various reasons for a 
considerable time to come ; but to aid those who may 
not yet have decided as to the varieties to select, I 
venture to give a selection, which, after some years of 
careful observation, I have found to succeed best in the 
midlands. One and all may be relied on to give a 
regular supply of fruit for dessert, although some 
seasons certainly cause a very great variation as to the 
time particular varieties come into use. Notably is this 
Japanese Chrysanthemum, Macaulay. 
the case with that fine old kind, Easter Beurre, as we 
have frequently sent this to table in November in first- 
rate condition, eliciting the inquiry as to what stock 
we had of it; and I may here state that nothing is a surer 
criterion of the excellence of a particular fruit than 
such an inquiry in other seasons. We have kept it in 
perfectly good condition until the end of March. 
Another old variety subject to similar vagaries is 
Beurrd Ranee, with us always of the best quality, and 
no grittiness or hardness at the core, so frequently to be 
met with ; this variety we have often used in 
November, and in other seasons it has not been fit for 
use until the middle and end of January. One great 
advantage with this fruit is that it keeps after being 
“fit” for a considerable time ; but with Easter Beurre 
such is not the case, and, therefore, we have trees 
planted on walls with different aspects, and by this 
means the season is prolonged. Passe Crassane is another 
variety of the greatest excellence with us, and of large 
size. This should not be gathered until quite ready, or 
it is apt to be rather watery ; but when well grown it 
is a most delicious Pear for use through November and 
December with us. This variety I must admit is, in 
unfavourable positions or cold wet seasons, very liable 
to be gritty, but where the subsoil is gravel or chalk it 
may be always relied upon for dessert. 
Bishop’s Thumb, another old variety, generally 
supplies us with a good crop of highly coloured fruit, 
which is always admired when used as dessert, on 
account of its high colour. In some seasons it is of 
excellent quality, and in others coming in finely for 
stewing. Glou Morceau is an old and trusted friend, 
always to be relied upon, but greatly varying, according 
to aspect and soil. To grow this variety to perfection 
it should be planted on a south wall with a good deep 
bedding of loam (if not natural it must be provided), 
and then fruit of 
good quality will 
be obtained—not 
the soft, watery 
fruit so frequently 
sent to table, but 
a fruit containing 
all the properties 
desirable, truly 
rich and buttery, 
as described in 
our nurserymen’s 
catalogues, often 
only obtainable in 
a warmer climate 
than ours is. 
Yet another va¬ 
riable one I shall 
name in Josephine 
de Malines, which 
is of better quality 
here than I have 
ever previously 
met with; fre¬ 
quently I have 
gathered fruits 
weighing 8 ozs. 
each, prettily 
coloured, and of 
splendid flavour. 
This we find does 
much the best on 
a west wall. 
Thinking so 
highly of it we 
planted it on a 
south wall, and it 
is a complete 
failure as to 
the quality of 
the fruit; but 
Doyenne du 
Comice, planted 
by its side, has 
given us fruit 
perfect in every 
respect. This, I 
am bound to say, 
is one of the finest 
dessert varieties, 
but I have never 
seen it in such a 
grand condition as 
we have grown it 
here on a south 
wall, it being 
coloured as highly as a Peach, and weighing 12 ozs. 
each, and even more “buttery” than the finest Glou 
Morceau. 
Beurre Diel is never what I call good with us, and 
although liked by some on account of its perfume is 
much too gritty to be relied upon. Marie Louise and 
Louise Bonne of Jersey are alike always to be relied 
upon both for crop and quality ; but we notice a 
singularity with regard to the former, that it is always 
of the best quality and earlier from an east than a west 
wall ; no Pear can excel this variety when well grown. 
Louise Bonne we find does best on the west wall, but 
is equally reliable as a pyramid, and it very frequently 
happens that from the latter source fruit is gathered 
which keeps far better and longer than that from the 
wall, which is a decided advantage with such a high- 
class dessert variety. 
Van Mons (although generally cropping well), 
Gansel’s Bergamot, "Williams’ Bon Chretien and 
