December 31, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
285 
the heating apparatus. I consider that if the lights 
are removed .from Peach houses during the autumn 
months it will help the trees considerably, especially 
where results are not satisfactory ; and I can call to 
mind other instances where it has been beneficial to 
trees that have not previously done well. Peaches 
will not bear strong forcing during the dull winter 
months, for the buds will be sure to drop ; but as soon 
as the fruits are set they can be pushed along more 
rapidly with a high temperature.— Alfred Gaut. 
As your correspondent “ D. C.” (p. 268), invites the 
opinions of practical men on this subject, I venture to 
offer mine. I think the dropping of the buds is caused 
by either too high a temperature at starting, or from 
the roots being kept too dry at some period within the 
twelve months previous to starting. My experience 
teaches me that Peach trees require an enormous 
quantity of water. The only time that I allow the 
soil to become anything like dry, is while the fruits 
are finishing off. In houses where several sorts are 
grown so as to form a succession, as soon as the fruit is 
gathered from a tree it receives a copious watering, not 
waiting till the house has been altogether cleared of its 
fruit. As to heat, I never allow the temperature to 
exceed 45° by fire-heat till the trees are in bloom. By 
adopting this course of treatment, trees which previously 
dropped their buds, retained them, and bore heavy 
crops of fruit.— G. 
Richardia sethiopica. — Richardia sethiopica, 
commonly called Calla aethiopica, is a very distinct 
and attractive subject for greenhouse decoration, both 
on account of its handsome dark green foliage and 
elegant white flower spathes ; and as it comes into 
flower just as the Chrysanthemums are going out, it 
becomes doubly attractive to us, and the spathes last 
a considerable time in beauty. It is easily cultivated, 
and the spathes are greatly favoured, and justly so, for 
cutting purposes. Few things are more attractive in a 
greenhouse than a group of these plants in flower. 
Spring is the best time to propagate from suckers, as 
by so doing they will have time to establish themselves, 
so as to flower in the following spring. The best com¬ 
post is good loam and cow manure, using rather more 
of the loam than the manure. The best plan to 
follow with established plants after flowering is to 
plant them in the garden about May. A piece of 
ground should be prepared by adding a good dressing 
of manure, and then the plants should be divided and 
planted a little more than 1 ft. apart. The only 
attention they will require afterwards is to let them 
have an abundance of water ; too much can scarcely be 
given during the summer months. They should be 
taken up and potted about October in the above- 
mentioned compost. A 5-in. or 6-in. pot will be quite 
large enough to flower single crowns, putting one or 
two in a larger pot, when a saving of room will be 
made. The best time to have them in flower is just 
as the Chrysanthemums are getting over, which may 
easily be accomplished by the humblest gardener. In 
most greenhouses may now be seen some of these 
beautiful plants in flower. The Richardia is very 
much subject to that pest of the gardener, viz. green-fly ; 
therefore frequent fumigation will have to be resorted 
to. —IF. C. G. 
The Nomenclature of Fruit Trees.— The 
details of systems adopted by “ N. H. P.” and Mr. R. 
Stevens, which appeared in The Gardening World, 
pp. 247 and 268, were very interesting and instructive to 
myself, as a move in the right direction. It is greatly 
to be regretted that a better system of securing a 
perpetual nomenclature of fruit trees in orchards and 
gardens is not carried out more extensively than it 
is ; but by bringing the subject to the front in your 
valuable paper, no doubt many may feel it their duty to 
adopt one or other of the systems advocated, as a 
better means of procuring the desired result. I have 
lately been appointed to my present place, and I find a 
state of chaos in such matters, not a tree with a label 
attached, or any means of knowing its name, unless by 
the fruit, which many of your readers will agree with 
me is a very haphazard way of arriving at the true 
name, because the fruit varies much in different 
districts. I may mention that I have drawn a plan of 
the orchard and garden, and numbered the trees similar 
to Mr. R. Stevens’ system ; but I intend hanging the 
plan up in the fruit room for future reference, and 
when the name is ascertained correctly it will be 
marked on the plan, which I think will be to the 
interest of employer, employed, and horticulture 
generally. I well remember in one place where I lived, 
the head gardener considered it a very important 
matter to pay great attention to the labels attached to 
the fruit trees ; and it may have inculcated the same 
feeling in myself. Perhaps everyone does not perceive 
the importance of the subject in the same degree ; but 
when once the idea is realised that it is for the benefit 
of successors, as well as for the present gardener, the 
matter will acquire that importance attached to it both 
by myself and other correspondents.— J. S. T. 
The Cherry House at Wycombe Abbey. 
—I was much interested in this when paying Mr. 
Miles a visit early last summer. His Cherry house is 
a rather narrow lean-to, with plants trained up the 
front and on the back wall also ; the trees are started 
into growth in October, the temperature being kept 
low by night and from 40° to 50° by day. Cherries 
require a great deal of care in bringing them on until 
after they have stored, and then they may be pretty 
much left to take their own way ; but after storing 
Cherries require plenty of air if the fruit is to be highly 
flavoured. Mr. Miles says that Cherries with proper 
treatment are certain to do well if planted in good 
loam and surfaced occasionally. The earliest Cherry 
Mr. Miles grows is Early Rivers, which is about a week 
earlier than the Black Tartarian ; but this last is a 
grand Cherry, fruiting in dense clusters, and very fine 
in flavour. Two other fine varieties at Wycombe 
Abbey are Governor Wood and Elton ; they come in 
at the same time as the Black Tartarian, are both good 
croppers, and of excellent quality.— R. D. 
Dividing Tuberous Begonias. — Tuberous 
Begonias can be divided with success if done carefully 
at the right time. Last spring we had some tubers of 
a semi-erect character, which were about 6 ins. in 
diameter, with six or eight growths springing from 
each tuber, and being rather short of this colour—a 
bright scarlet—for bedding purposes, and there being 
not sufficient time to increase the stock, and get the 
plants strong enough by propagation from cuttings, we 
divided the tubers into three parts, according to the 
number of shoots on each. Care was taken to retain 
to each part some of the outside ; and all had roots 
attached. The cutting was done at the time when the 
plants were being transplanted into other boxes to give 
more root and head room. Around each part which 
was cut we placed silver sand, the parts soon healed 
over, and the plants so treated flowered freely, and at 
taking-up time, in the autumn, showed no signs of 
decay or other ill effects. — E. M. 
Forcing Plants. — This is a very important 
matter in connection with gardening, and one that 
requires great care and attention if good results are 
desired. There being a great scarcity of flowers outside, 
it is necessary to make up the deficiency by forcing 
plants, either for cut flowers or table decoration, or 
both. By careful management, and introducing them 
in batches, a succession can be obtained. There are 
many subjects for this purpose, and some of the most 
useful are given here. Lily of the Valley, broken into 
single crowns or clumps, plunged in cocoa-nut fibre or 
ashes with good bottom heat, show up readily, and 
their value needs no comment. Lilac forces well, the 
white being especially valuable. Spiraea japonica, an 
old favourite, is very useful in many ways. Deutzia 
gracilis is a pretty white-flowering shrub. Hard 
forcing is not advisable for this, as the buds are apt 
to go blind. Dielytra spectabilis makes a valuable 
addition to the conservatory. Azaleas of the A. mollis 
and A. indica type are very showy if well set with 
flower-buds. Richardia mthiopica is always in demand, 
its spathes of creamy white being very handsome. 
Bulbs must not be overlooked. The lovely Roman 
Hyacinths generally commence the season’s forcing, 
and, by the plan advocated above, can be had in flower 
two to three months. Tulips, Narcissus and Crocus 
force easily, and repay any trouble bestowed on them. 
More might be enumerated, but the above cannot be 
superseded by anything which has been excluded from 
these remarks.— F. R. S. 
Impatiens Mariana. —The habit of this plant 
is very different from that which we find in other 
species of Balsam grown in gardens ; but those which 
are cultivated, in most cases, are kept solely for the 
beauty of their flowers. We have a pleasing bit of 
variety in this plant, which merits cultivation on 
account of the natural variegation of the foliage. The 
ovate leaves are about the size of those of I. flaccida, 
and of a bright pleasing green, furnished with a broad 
silvery grey band along the centre and the principal 
lateral veins. The hairy stems assume a low pro¬ 
cumbent habit, almost skirting the soil, and in this 
respect the plant, together with its silvery grey-banded 
leaves, may be compared to the Fittonias or some of 
the dwarf variegated Eranthemums or Chamseran- 
themum. At all events, the present plant may be 
used for decorative purposes in a similar way to those 
plants. It may be seen in the nurseries of Messrs. 
H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent. 
Aralia Sieboldi not Flowering. —Can any¬ 
one explain why it is my plants of this have not 
bloomed this season 1 I have some in pots under 
glass, and a particularly strong one in the open 
ground, but for some reason not a flower has appeared 
this year. I wonder why ! For this reason I appeal 
to you and your readers, whether some solution of the 
problem may be forthcoming. Hitherto the plants 
have always bloomed at the end of October and 
beginning of November.— R. I). 
-->X<-- 
The Gardeners’ Calendar. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
The Stove.— A start may now be made by putting 
in proper order some of the occupants of the stoves, 
particularly so where specimens are required to be at 
their best early in the season, so that they may not be 
unduly hurried ; many of them will only require the 
surface soil to be removed as deeply as possible without 
injury to the roots, and this may readily be done with 
a pointed stick, afterwards filling the pot with the 
very best compost obtainable, but by all means avoid 
adding manure, unless it be of a lasting character, such 
as fine bones, as when growth proceeds it is far better 
to feed them with it in a liquid state, than run the risk 
of the soil becoming soured by adding it when potting. 
Allamandas, Clerodendrons (of the climbing 
section) and many others, w’hich, as a rule, make too 
rampant a growth, when treated in this way keep 
in perfect condition for several years, and will flower 
much more freely than if potted annually. Should 
they be required to start at once they may be placed at 
the warmest end of the house and lightly syringed 
overhead two or three times a day. Stephanotis, if 
trained to the roof, as is frequently the case, should be 
taken down and thoroughly cleansed, the roof being 
washed at the same time. All weakly growths should 
be pruned away, leaving room for the new growths as 
made to be thoroughly exposed to the light, or little 
flower may be expected. The general stock of stove 
plants may remain over for a time before potting on, 
but the soil may at any time be prepared, so that the 
work may be completed as rapidly as possible. 
Dracaenas. —Any old or leggy Dracaenas, the stock 
of which it is necessary to increase, may be at once cut 
up into eyes and put into pans ; placed in strong bottom 
heat they start readily and make capital plants by the 
end of summer. D. gracilis is, however, much better 
when propagated from cuttings, which strike freely and 
make excellent plants for table and house decoration. 
Simply take the head off the plant, and plunge the 
stem in bottom-heat. Some of the Imantophyllums 
which have been in the cool houses may now be placed 
in a gentle heat, giving them a watering of rather warm 
water. If well established they will quickly throw up 
their trusses of flowers, which are very striking, and 
last fresh a long time when not subject to syringing. 
Epiphyllums, too, may be similarly treated, dwarfs 
in small pots being very useful for staging along the 
front row. The stock of bedding Pelargoniums should 
be carefully gone over, and if any doubt exists as to 
quantity let them be placed in some of the many houses 
which will be started about this time, and which afford 
just the temperature to start them into gentle growth. 
When sufficiently advanced cuttings may be taken off 
and inserted singly in small pots, and will be found 
very serviceable for the edging of beds, and so on ; but 
they will not, as a rule, flower so freely as autumn- 
struck plants. Lobelias should if possible be placed on 
a shelf near the glass in a gentle heat, where they will 
quickly give the necessary supply of cuttings. 
THE FORCING HOUSES. 
Cucumbers.— The house of Cucumbers lately planted 
are making a good start, and will form a good succes¬ 
sion to the winter-fruiting house, upon which it is never 
safe to depend when once the sun obtains much power. 
Allow the plants to grow freely for a time, that they 
may possess as much root as possible, after which they 
may be pruned back somewhat to keep them within 
bounds, and also to assist in the production of fruit 
by the first week in February. We put in a few pots 
of cuttings, but the bottom heat being low, most of 
them damped off, so that we have had recourse to 
sowing seed ; these will be encouraged to grow as 
