December 3, 1837. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
219 
IjARDENING gllSCELLANY. 
The Apprentice System. —This to me has 
ever been a subject of a puzzling nature, and it would 
be well if it were thoroughly ventilated. It is usual, I 
believe, to serve three } r ears ; and, as a rule, in good 
gardens—if the intellect be keen—a good deal of 
practical knowledge may soon be acquired ; but should 
the pupil be dull, the reverse is sure to happen, and 
nothing or very little comes of it. I think myself that 
three years is long enough in one place, provided an 
improver’s situation is found for the youth on leaving. 
I think very little of that man who throws you out to 
fight for yourself; not but what an energetic and 
persevering young man will soon find an opening, as is 
frequently the case. One cannot lay down hard and 
fast rules for our guidance in these matters, but I 
should like to see a freer intercourse between the 
gardener and the apprentice. The apprentice is 
frequently looked upon as a mere lad, and treated too 
much in the way “A Young Gardener” describes on 
p. 202. As a rule, a better state of things exists at the 
present date than in the past. Gardening and scientific 
books are provided, instruction is given on various 
subjects to the young men, and far greater comforts are 
provided, for which the young men of the present day 
ought to be thankful. I can assure them it was not 
so twenty or twenty-five years ago.— J. S. T. 
Pinus macrocarpa. —1 have often admired 
this noble Pine, and advised its being planted where- 
ever there is a desire for rapid furnishing, or for blocking 
out unsightly corners. This Pine has many good 
qualities to recommend it to the planters of the 
present day. It is perfectly hardy, of rapid growth, 
and will bear any torture in the way of cutting back to 
keep it within bounds. In the gardens of Sir ¥m. 
"Wallace, Bart., of Lochryan, there are some fine 
specimens, but, perhaps, two of the finest have to day 
(Nov. 18th) been rooted out. They were noble speci¬ 
mens rising to a height of 40 ft. 6 ins., as straight as 
could be measured, and 37 ft. from tip to tip of the 
branches on the ground. Lochryan stands on the 
shores of the Loch, and the terrible gale of Dec. 
11th, some four years ago, completely destroyed the 
one side. The gale, driving from the north or north¬ 
east, was so heavily charged with salt, that it killed 
almost everything exposed to its force. Hollies 
lost their leaves, Wellingtonias were killed back to 
the stem, all of which have so far recovered. But 
this Pine seems to be deficient of this good quality. 
Sir William, who takes a great deal of interest in the 
many fine specimens he possesses, gave these two noble 
specimens a reprieve, in the expectation that they would 
recover. This, however, proved hopeless ; hence a very 
reluctant sacrifice had to be made. Would any of vour 
readers say whether they ever had any experience of 
this Pine breaking away on being closely cut back ?— 
James Cocker, gardener, Lochryan. 
Winter-flowering Plants in the Inter¬ 
mediate House. —Being usually considered a quiet 
period for flowers, anything which tends to make the 
house gay and cheerful in appearance during the winter 
months is specially valuable. Among many useful 
plants for this purpose the following can be recom¬ 
mended on account of their general utility and attrac¬ 
tiveness :—Centropogon Lucyanus : On account of this 
plant flowering in the dull season, it is a very desirable 
subject to grow. Its rose-coloured blooms, produced 
all along the stem, render it very pretty. Besides 
being easy to propagate, its cultural requirements are 
simple, and it makes a good basket plant by reason of 
its semi-procumbent habit, and in this w r ay it is seen to 
great advantage. If grown in pots, it will require 
stakes ; but these should be painted green, so as to 
render them as inconspicuous as possible. Libonia 
floribunda : This is a handsome plant for decorative 
purposes, its scarlet yellow-tipped flowers rendering it 
very pretty. Cuttings struck in spring make nice 
plants for flowering the following winter; and if a 
show be desired, the old ones cut back will furnish an 
immense quantity of bloom. Libonia Penrhosiensis : 
This is dwarfer in habit than the preceding, the foliage 
of a darker green, and its flowers, which are deeper 
coloured, contrast well together. This elegant plant 
was obtained by crossing L. floribunda with Serico- 
graphis Ghiesbreghtiana. Thyrsacantha rutilans : A 
very effective subject when grown to perfection. Its 
drooping racemes of red flowers are extremely striking, 
and more so when the pots are elevated. It is increased 
by cuttings, which should be pinched to procure a 
bushy habit of growth. Reinwardtia (Linum) tri- 
gynum : A very old winter-flowering subject, deserving 
of more extensive cultivation. The flowers are bright 
yellow, a colour which is rather scarce now, making it 
especially welcome. Red-spider is the worst enemy 
this plant has to contend with ; but it may be kept in 
check by the use of the syringe. This and Setiagynum 
are the only two members of the genus worthy of 
mention. Sericographis Ghiesbreghtiana : This is not 
so commonly grown as it deserves to be, but is none the 
less beautiful. Flowers scarlet, produced freely. When 
grouped together a fine display is the consequence, and 
as a decorative plant it is an acquisition. Cuttings 
placed in a close warm frame will soon strike, and, 
with due attention, will make nice plants in a few 
months. All the above will succeed in a compost of 
good loam, leaf-soil, and silver-sand ; while a little 
peat may be added if deemed advisable. The same 
treatment will suit the whole, and if weak manure- 
water be given when the pots are pretty full of roots, 
it will be found beneficial to them. — F. E. S. 
The Yellow-green Furcroea. —Such is the 
name applied to a plant belonging to the Amaryllis 
family, and closely allied to the Agave ; but there is 
comparatively little yellow in them, while the green 
colouring matter is by no means very distinctly defined 
or very conspicuous. In the dull foggy light of a 
November day the flowers appear almost white, and a 
broad margin to each segment is actually so. The 
giant peduncle or flower-stem rises to the height of 
12 ft. to 16 ft. ; and a specimen in the Palm-house at 
Kew is about the latter height, naked below and 
branched above, bearing numerous long lateral racemes, 
with drooping flowers that measure when fully ex¬ 
panded close upon 3 ins. in diameter. This description 
will show that the inflorescence is very different from 
that of the rigid cylindrical or candelabra-like flower- 
stems of the Agaves. Being a native of Mexico it 
associates well with Cycads and similar things from 
dry warm regions. The botanical name of the species 
is Furcroea flavo-viridis ; but many cultivators would 
best recognise it under the name of Fourcroya, by which 
it is usually called in gardens. 
Pentas carnea. —Yery few of the immediate 
relations of this plant seem to be in cultivation, and 
those which may be mentioned are the Houstonias, 
hardy, ornamental, and most interesting rockery 
plants. About six or eight species of Pentas are known 
to science, natives of tropical and sub-tropical Africa, 
and Madagascar. Few of these known species are in 
cultivation, the present one, which is a native of South 
Africa, and its variety, P. c. kermesina, being the 
commonest. The general aspect of the flowers is 
comparable to that of the Bouvardias, members of the 
same family, and better known in gardens, but the 
leaves are much larger, and the corolla is composed of 
five instead of four lobes as we find in Bouvardias. 
The flowers are, moreover, flesh-coloured, as the specific 
name implies, while in the variety above mentioned 
they are carmine-rose, tinted with violet in the throat. 
The value of these plants lies in their habit of flower¬ 
ing in winter, when anything that will contribute to 
the decoration of the stove or warm conservatory is 
most appreciated. They are easily cultivated in a 
compost of loam, leaf-soil, and sand, in a stove 
temperature; and propagation is easily effected by 
cuttings in spring. P. carnea has been flowering for 
some time at Homefield, Ealing. 
Runner Beans. —When gathering our runner 
Bean seeds in 1886, we found among the White Dutch 
a few pods of seeds which were jet black. These we 
carefully selected, and last spring sowed them at one 
end of a row to see what the result would be. We now 
find very few black seeds, the majority being wdiite, 
and the remainder of the ground colour of the ordinary 
scarlet seeds, but sparingly spotted. Have any of your 
readers had a similar experience, and on what principle 
can this variation in the colour of seed be accounted for? 
There were somewhere about eighteen seeds sown, some 
plants flowering like the Painted Lady, others scarlet, 
but we thought of a deeper shade than usual, and the 
remainder white. We are not prepared to say that the 
seeds were gathered from one bine, only that we have 
every reason to believe they were from the White Dutch 
alone. — W. B. O. 
Viola, Blue Bell. —Some years ago there was a 
good demand in the nurseries for Viola Blue Bell, and 
we believe in some large gardens it was extensively 
used as a bedding plant. We are unable to say if it still 
retains its popularity with those who then grew it, but 
if so, is the variety grown at Kew, and largely used in the 
Geometrical Garden in front of the Palm House, the 
samel We thought it particularly good, and well 
worth anyone’s while who has to do with that style of 
gardening to obtain it. The effect produced by it was 
particularly good, but we could not feel certain as to its 
identity. Will any reader who can settle the point 
oblige with a few lines on the subject.— W. B. G. 
A Useful Winter-bedding Plant. —There 
are many widely diverse subjects well suited to fill beds, 
vases, or window boxes in winter, but the great mass of 
them are only effective at short distances, that is, as far 
as colour is concerned. The variegated form of the 
oval-leaved Privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium variegatum', 
assumes a fine golden-yellow hue over great part of the 
individual leaves, which collectively become conspicuous 
a considerable distance away when plants are grown in 
beds, lines, or masses. There are several variegated 
forms of this species, but the above-named is the best, 
as the broad variegated margin assumes the fine golden 
tint mentioned as the young growth matures, while 
towards spring it changes to white. There is also a 
variegated form of the common Privet, but it is less 
decided and the leaves are narrower than in this case, 
and not so effective for either of the above-mentioned 
purposes to which the oval-shaped Privet can be put. 
Being a Japanese plant it is quite hardy. 
Nephrolepis rufescens tripinnatiflda.— 
This beautiful new stove Fern will, when well known, 
become a general favourite ; it is a verj 1, free grower, its 
beautiful fronds, which are semi-erect, growing between 
2 ft. or 3 ft.; the stem and ribs have the appearance of 
having been dusted over with rust, and the tips of the 
young fronds during the summer months are quite 
silvery. They lose this silvery appearance, however, 
in the autumn. I put a small plant in a thumb pot in 
June ; it now has eleven fronds, the highest of which is 
23 ins., and each successive frond grows higher than the 
last. It stands well in the drawing-room and on the 
dinner-table ; for the latter purpose it will be invaluable, 
and being easily increased it can always be had in small 
pots. I think it will take the place of many Palms 
that are now used. It does well in peat and leaf-soil, 
with a liberal dash of silver-sand, and seems to have a 
decided objection to the syringe. It increases freely 
from the rhizomes.— G. 
Ipomeea Learn. —I received some seeds of this un¬ 
common plant from Sir S. Baker (collected by him in 
Ceylon), sowed them last June, and the plants are now 
a mass of large exquisite turquoise-blue flowers. Though 
lasting but a day, there is such a supply of bloom that 
the plant is most desirable.— John T. Poe, Bivcrston, 
Nenagh. 
Aralia Sieboldii. —"With reference to the para¬ 
graph concerning this subject in your issue of November 
19th, p. 181, it may interest some lovers of this valuable 
winter decorative plant to know that for some years 
past three fine specimens planted out in the grounds 
here have stood without any protection whatever, and 
have flowered every season. Just now one of them is 
showing thirteen blooms and another nine. They also 
flowered last year ; but on the 13th of December, when 
the glass fell to 22°, the blooms were killed. The 
plants, however, suffered nothing, and this year they 
are flowering as strong as ever. Should the weather 
prove not too severe, I have hopes that they will 
mature seeds. Just now the Myrtles and Laurestinus 
are in fine flower. There is also a plant of the Acacia 
dealbata, or Black Wattle, planted out, showing fine 
flower-spikes, which we hope to see matured. —James 
Cocker, Lochryan, WigtonsMrc. 
Nerine undulata. —Although not so showy as 
N. Fothergillii, and some of the others, this is still 
worth growing if potted in sandy loam, and not re¬ 
potted oftener than every three or four years ; it will 
be sure to grow and flower freely in an ordinary green¬ 
house. One advantage over all others I know is that 
it lasts longer in pots or in a cut state, and it is by 
many in this neighbourhood called the “ Fly Lily.” 
The flowers are smaller than the better known N. 
Fothergillii, and are of a soft pink colour.— E. D. 
-- 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
The Stoves.— This is now a rather quiet time in 
this department. It will be advisable to look over the 
occupants of the stoves and thoroughly clean them, 
particularly Gardenias, Ixoras, and others subject to 
mealy-bug. The plants being dormant, the work can 
be more thoroughly done than when making new 
growth, added to which there is but little fear of injury 
from the solution used. We find nothing better than 
