January 28, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
347 
attractiveness of colour. Curiously enough the calyx 
is normal and not petaloid, differing in that respect 
from the petaloid calyx so characteristic of A. amcena. 
As decorative plants these Azaleas certainly possess 
great merit. —Ed.] 
Liquid Manure. 
Allow me to say a good word in favour of Messrs. 
Wood & Sons’ Liquid Manure Powder, which I have 
found to be a capital artificial manure. I applied it 
to my Chrysanthemums last season with very good 
results, and in the case of one specimen plant, that 
became unhealthy from some unknown cause, it had a 
wonderfully invigorating effect, for in about three 
weeks it regained its usual health. I exhibited it at 
the Birmingham show, and won the first prize with it 
in a good competition. I have also seen very good 
results from its use in the case of a house of Tea Roses 
belonging to a neighbour of mine.— IV. S. Dyer, The 
Gardens, Park Souse, Edgbaston, Birmingham. 
tSolanum, Empress. 
The variety of this name is one of the garden hybrids 
raised by Mr. B. S. Williams, Victoria and Paradise 
Nurseries, Upper Holloway, and is sometimes grown 
under the name of S. hybridum Empress. Whatever 
name it may be known by, there can be no doubt that 
the berries are much larger than those of the common 
S. capsicastrum, now so extensively grown everywhere. 
A number of plants grown at Style Hall, Chiswick, 
bear silent witness that the habit is as compact as that 
of the type, while the leaves are as well coloured and 
equally persistent. Some of the plants are those of last 
year, cut down, planted out in a frame, and allowed to 
grow away with little or no attention, till they were 
lifted in autumn and potted. They are now perfect 
pictures of what Solanums of this kind should be, and 
carry from three to seven large berries in a cluster, 
seldom less. Those raised from cuttings, and now 
about a year old, are smaller, but otherwise useful 
decorative plants. 
Chimonanthus fragrans grandiflorus. 
The weather has been very propitious during the 
latter part of January for winter-flowering subjects, 
such as Jasminum nudiflorum, Christmas Roses, 
Viburnum tinus, and the subject of this note ; but all 
are late owing to the continued low temperature ex¬ 
perienced till recently. On an east-aspect wall in the 
Royal Plorticultural Society’s Gardens, Chiswick, there 
is an old specimen that seldom or never fails to produce 
flower-buds every year, although severe frost may 
destroy them and prevent their opening. The fragrance 
diffused by them at the present time is very acceptable, 
and their colour, although by no means striking, 
demands attention when outdoor flowers of any kind 
are few. An old plant is continually losing large 
branches from time to time, which reminds us how 
difficult it is to propagate by cuttings, layers, or other 
artificial means. It is unfortunate that the plant so 
seldom ripens seeds in this country, otherwise such a 
sweet-scented winter-flowering subject would soon 
become disseminated. Seedling plants take some time 
to arrive at a flowering state, but they last longer in a 
flourishing condition. 
Tuberous-rooted Begonias. 
Anyone contemplating the growing of these as bedding 
plants during the ensuing summer, should lose no time 
in arriving at something like a definite conclusion re¬ 
garding their future intentions, i.e., whether they will 
grow young plants raised from the current year’s sowing 
or purchase tubers. The latter, of course, will be found 
much the better plan if it is desired to have a good dis¬ 
play, but if this is subordinate to expense we would say 
sow seed at once in heat, employing for the purpose 
shallow pans well drained, using a compost of finely 
sifted loam, peat, leaf-soil and silver sand ; press the 
soil down firmly, give a light sprinkling of tepid 
water through a fine rose pot, sow the seed on the 
surface, cover the pan with a pane of glass, and place 
in a temperature of 70°. "When large enough to handle, 
prick out into pans or small thumb pots, shift into 
larger when necessary, and if all goes well after being 
duly hardened off, they should make nice serviceable 
stuff for planting out in July. Tubers of older growth 
should be started in heat about the second week in 
February in boxes, and when they have made shoots 
i in. long may be potted into 4-in. and 6-in. pots, and 
hardened off in due course preparatory to planting out. 
These plants for bedding-out purposes have become 
exceedingly popular of late years, and this is not at all 
to be wondered at, seeing what lovely flowers they are, 
and how well they stand against rain, being in this 
respect infinitely superior to Pelargoniums, which in the 
event of a few days’ heavy rain require some little 
time to recover themselves. Some few years ago Messrs. 
Laing & Sons, of Forest Hill, supplied us with our first 
batch of tubers, and never shall we forget the words 
of praise bestowed upon them, the first summer we had 
them in the flower garden, by all who saw them. “Oh, 
how pretty! Where did you get them from?” “Laing, of 
Forest Hill”; and such expressions were of frequent 
occurrence. In purchasing tubers, my advice is, obtain 
the best sorts, they are certainly the most satisfactory 
in the long run. After being cut down in the autumn 
they should be stored away for the winter in some cool 
place secure from frost. — J. S. 
Easter Beurre Pear. 
I have a pyramid tree of this on the Quince, and the 
buds are already opening at the points. The tree, as 
usual, is laden with buds, but it is the first to blossom, 
although one of the latest. The killing frost of early 
spring always destroys a fair promise of fruit. The tree 
is a grand sight when in full bloom, though the 
blossoms are not nearly so large as some of them—the 
Jargonelle for instance. I rarely have more than a 
dozen Pears, although I ought to have as many dozens. 
— P. D. 
Pogonopus caracasensis. 
A VERY little examination serves to show the close 
relationship of this plant to the Mussrendas, several of 
which are occasionally grown as decorative plants in 
the stove in this country. Their chief recommendations 
reside in the attractive character of one of the calyx 
lobes, which becomes largely developed, and resembles, 
more or less, a white flower. In the species of Pogonopus 
under notice, and which seems to be best known in 
gardens under the name of Howardia, one of the calyx 
lobes developes to a considerable size, resembling a 
rosy pink spa the. From a decorative point of view, 
these enlarged organs are the most important because 
most highly coloured and much more persistent than 
the flowers themselves, which have a pale almost white 
tube, and a small more darkly-coloured lamina, but 
fall away early, especially during sunless and foggy 
weather, leaving the enlarged calyx lobes standing 
alone. A flowering specimen may be seen in the 
Begonia house at Kew. 
Curious Position for Ficus repens minima. 
As is now pretty generally known, the plant called 
Ficus minima is merely a variety of the East Indian 
F. repens. Notwithstanding the high temperature of 
the habitat from which it comes, it is apparently a 
plant adapted to withstand considerable variations in 
temperature and a great amount of bad usage in that 
respect. Cases illustrative of this are continually 
cropping up. Plants grown for the purpose of covering 
a wall in one of the propagating pits in the gardens of 
the Royal Horticultural Society, Chiswick, have found 
their way outside, during the summer or growing 
season probably, and have covered part of a stone wall 
outside with a green carpet of stems and leaves. At 
the present time, even after the severe frosts, fogs and 
what not, to which they have been subjected, they do 
not seem to have suffered in any material way, so that 
should we have no severer weather between this and 
April, they will outlive our winter under the present 
conditions. Their immunity from damage by frost 
may be ascribed to the shelter afforded by the wall 
(which has a northern aspect), and to the heat arising 
from the pit itself; but it would be interesting 
to determine whether the moisture supplied by the 
roots from the interior of the building has any 
effect in keeping up the temperature of the stems and 
leaves. 
Winter Heliotrope. 
The flower heads of this unassuming composite, 
Petasites fragrans, have little to recommend them in 
the way of colour, but their hardy character and 
fragrance have much to recommend them. Like its 
near cousin, the common Butterbur (P. vulgaris) of 
woods and river banks, it constitutes an unsocial kind 
of vegetation, at least when growing vigorously. It 
monopolises the whole of the available space at 
command, thus preventing other low-growing vegetation 
from enjoying a proper share of light, and should 
therefore be planted by itself on a shady bank or other 
unoccupied place, where it may ramble at will in a half 
wild sort of state, and appear to best advantage. Those 
who can give it such a position may grow it largely, and 
obtain any quantity of flowers with the least trouble. 
The smell of the flowers resembles that of the common 
or Peruvian Heliotrope, hence its popular name. A 
cool nook on the rockery is occupied by it in the gardens 
of the Royal Horticultural Society at Chiswick. In 
several parts of Wales it grows in a semi-wild condition, 
having escaped, no doubt, from cultivation. 
A Perennial Winter-flowering Tobacco. 
It seems strange that many truly perennial plants 
should pass in current garden literature as annuals, 
even if they should prove so in our climate when 
unprotected. Tropreolum majus and T. minus, together 
with Phaseolus multiflorus and Ricinus communis, in 
its various forms, to which specific names are generally 
attached, are all perennials in the true sense of the word. 
No one would ever dream of calling bedding Pelar¬ 
goniums and Lobelias annuals simply because they 
cannot outlive our winter without protection ; and it 
seems a mystery why the above - mentioned plants 
should not enjoy the same distinction. Nicotiana 
affinis is another misunderstood plant, frequently 
described and generally believed to be an annual. In 
sheltered places or where it has been afforded a little 
protection in the open air, the roots survive the winter, 
and form fine plants next summer. Plants grown in 
a window have flowered more than once in succession, 
and the leaves of the flower stems when allowed to 
remain are so persistent as to be almost evergreen, 
furnishing abundant evidence of the perennial character 
of this sweetly scented night-flowering Tobacco. That 
it can be flowered in winter there is evidence in a fine 
batch approaching the flowering stage at Devonhurst, 
Chiswick, and in flowering specimens at Style Hall, 
Gunnersbury. 
Araucaria excelsa. 
On the lawn at Fair Oak Lodge, Bishopstoke, is a 
noble specimen of Araucaria excelsa, as beautiful a 
shaped and luxuriant a tree as I have ever come across. 
I have seen larger ones, but such a model as this 
specimen would be difficult to match ; I should say it 
is between 30 ft. and 40 ft. high.— A. 0. 
Thick-leaved Ragwort. 
No one who has seen Othonna crassifolia would suggest 
such a name as Ragwort, -which could only be applied 
after a study of the genus, many of the species of 
which have variously ragged and cut leaves. Othonna 
claims a no very distant relationship with Senecio, to 
the members of which genus the English name Ragwort 
is more frequently applied. The leaves of the plant 
under notice are pale green, succulent and cylindrical 
or rather thinly ellipsoid, and suggest the succulent 
house as the best place in which to grow it. Moreover 
it is so accommodating to different temperatures that 
the professional gardener may grow it in his stove, or 
the amateur may consign it to his window, where no 
basket plant is more worthy of a place. Erect-growing 
species would be entirely out of place in such a 
position ; but in this case the slender, truly pendent 
stems trail or hang down for a distance of from 1 ft. to 
3 ft., and the cooler the temperature the more 
numerous and better coloured will be the leaves. A 
free exposure to sunlight is, however, necessary to 
ensure the production of its yellow flower heads. 
Large numbers of plants, arranged along the front 
staging of a house in which winter-flowering Pelar¬ 
goniums are grown, now constitute a beautiful fringe 
to the same in Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons’ Nurseries, 
Swanlev, Kent. 
Cucumber for Exhibition. 
In reply to your correspondent, “H. N.” (p. 331), as to 
a Cucumber for the above purpose, I would recommend 
him to try Sutton’s Purley Park Hero, a short-necked 
dark green variety, which carries a good bloom, and 
grows 18 to 20 ins. long. As Telegraph has been tried, 
and I presume in “H. N.V’ease has been found wanting, 
it is a result at which I am rather surprised. Of course, 
there is “Telegraph” and “Telegraph,” and I am in¬ 
clined to think if “H. N.” has been disappointed in that 
sterling variety, an inferior strain has been grown, as 
Sutton’s Improved Telegraph is a first-rate variety, and 
has good credentials as an exhibition Cucumber. To 
have Cucumbers grown in a frame fit for exhibition 
during July and August, the plants should not be 
started too early ; if planted in the beginning of May 
they will be in their flush of vigour during the months 
“H. N. ” requires them; as better Cucumbers are produced 
on young plants than on those that have been in 
bearing some time .—George Potts, jwnr. 
