February 25 , 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
411 
purpurea, which is now pushing up its flower steins 
where protected by a frame. The flowers are of a deep 
violet-purple colour, with the usual golden blotch on 
the falls. Last of all comes the typical form, which is 
not yet showing itself unless forced. We noticed all 
these beautiful and early-flowering Irises the other day 
in Mr. T. S. Ware’s nurseries, The Hale Farm, 
Tottenham. - ■ 
Solanum ovigerum or Egg Plant. 
I have read with much interest the article in The 
Gardening World of February 11th, p. 379, on the 
cultivation of Solanum ovigerum, and quite concur with 
the remarks there laid down that the Egg Plant is 
not so extensively cultivated in private gardens as it 
deserves to be, taking into account its easy culture, 
and the ample remuneration it gives the cultivator. 
As a decorative subject it is much admired by one and 
all who may have the pleasure of seeing plants well 
managed during their growing season, and carrying 
from ten to twelve well-matured fruits. Another great 
feature regarding the above-mentioned plant is, that it 
is a great acquisition to our list of vegetables, especially 
the purple varieties, which if properly cooked are 
delicious. In the gardens here we grow three to four 
dozen annually, and they are sought after very much 
as a vegetable during the time they are in season, as 
they are greatly appreciated by the family when served 
in the dining-room as a vegetable.— A. B. Blackwood. 
Peas for Exhibition in June. 
Will you allow me space to ask a question in your 
columns respecting the new Peas—Sutton’s Matchless 
Marrowfat, and Sutton’s Main Crop Marrowfat. I find 
that the Messrs. Sutton are offering prizes for com¬ 
petition at the Diss Horticultural Society’s show, to be 
held early in June, and what I wish to know is, can 
these Peas be bought, sown and grown ready for 
exhibition by that time ? If Messrs. Sutton, Mr. 
Wildsmith, or others who have spoken so highly of 
these varieties will kindly give me some idea as to the 
time of gathering, &c., I shall be much obliged, as we 
seldom get good Marrowfat Peas early in June, and 
especially when sowing cannot be done out of doors till 
the end of the month of February.— J. L. P. 
Cabbage for Spring Sowing. 
Last spring I had a trial of some fine new Cabbages; 
we sowed the seeds in pans in February, pricked them 
out when large enough, hardened them off and finally 
planted them out row for row. First and Best (Yeitch) 
was the earliest of all, and proved to be a grand 
Cabbage for gentlemen’s gardeners to grow for table— 
fine, cone-shaped heads, dwarf and compact, fine flavour 
and colour. Next came 'Waite’s Jubilee, a Cabbage of a 
much hardier appearance, dwarf, compact, very solid, 
flat-topped, close-hearted, and by appearance in a more 
favourable season would grow to a larger size than mine 
were. It is a fine variety for market growers, being of 
a bright green colour, and remaining in good condition 
for cutting a long time before splitting. — J. L. P. 
Cabbage Lettuce. 
We have so many new things sent out nowadays that 
one hardly knows what to select for trial. Last year I 
grew Yeitch’s Perfect Gem, Waite’s New Summer 
Lettuce, All the Year Pound, Early Paris Market, and 
Victoria side by side. Early Paris Market was the first 
in the market by some days ; All the Year Round and 
Victoria came in about the same time, and these 
varieties sell well. Perfect Gem is a fine Lettuce of 
splendid flavour, and stands well, but the colour is 
against its sale in this part. Waite’s New Summer is 
a good Lettuce, and appears to stand a long time. The 
Jubilee year was very dry, and therefore the trial was 
not perhaps a fair one, but the above are all excellent 
varieties.— J. L. P. —*— 
Over-feeding Market Plants. 
It may not be out of place to mention in your columns 
a matter that is being much commented upon in this 
part—Guildford, Surrey. It is the question of over¬ 
feeding market plants ; and I ask, Why do our large 
trade growers give so much manure to their soft-wooded 
stuff? I am sure if they knew how much the public 
rate them for so doing, they would hesitate to sell 
plants that die so soon after leaving their hands, and so 
cause much disappointment. Clay’s Fertiliser and other 
concentrated manures are used so freely, that the plants 
are very short-lived when the supply ceases. Last 
autumn a neighbour bought two dozen of the old double 
white Primula from a London firm, and I told him 
they were diseased and not good plants as soon as they 
arrived, but he had faith in the firm that supplied them. 
However, to his great annoyance, in less than two 
months all w T ere dead, and as he had distributed them 
among his best customers, you may imagine the result 
to him. I tried to root two of the plants afresh, but 
utterly failed ; disease had got into their constitution, 
and no amount of coaxiDg would induce them to root. 
It is much to be regretted that less manure is not used, 
and that healthier plants are not sent out. It must 
injure the trade in the long run, for when plants die so 
soon, it must end in ladies and gentlemen refusing to 
open their purses and spend money in buying them. — 
Jacob Rose. — 
Musa ensete. 
On noticing strong specimens of this the other day 
in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, it 
reminded us how comparatively little use is made of 
the most telling subjects for sub-tropical gardening. 
It is easily raised from seed, and is fit for planting out 
the first season if sown in February. The huge leaves 
have a magnificent effect, which is greatly heightened 
by their massive red or crimson midribs, which, of 
course, are best developed on the underside, but are 
■well shown off by all the younger leaves, which still 
retain a semi-erect position. Another good recom¬ 
mendation of this plant is that it can be lifted in 
autumn, and potted up without any fear of losing it, 
so that the same specimens may be retained for a 
number of years until by their size they become difficult 
to accommodate in winter in the houses at the cul¬ 
tivator’s disposal. When such large specimens as 
those at Chiswick are planted out, they soon develop 
leaves of imposing appearance, producing a tropical 
effect in the flower garden for the greater part of our 
summer, and until it becomes necessary to house them 
from frost. — 
Ardisia polycephala. 
The young leaves of this species, no less than the fruit, 
are very ornamental. They are of a reddish crimson 
colour, and shine with a metallic lustre until fully 
developed, when they assume their ordinary leathery, 
smooth, deep green character. The contrast is great 
between the leaves of this species and those of A. 
mammilata, or Ardisias generally ; but this is equally 
true of the fruit when compared with that of the species 
already in cultivation. The berries when mature are jet 
black, and are produced in a sort of umbel, terminating 
short lateral branches. Owing to the more lax habit of 
the plant, the berries are shown off to best advantage. 
As an ornamental-berried subject for winter decoration it 
might be grown by way of contrast to the several red- 
berried species already in cultivation. 
Thuja gigantea. 
This tree thrives very luxuriantly at Hafodunos, in 
North Wales, and this is all the more to be wondered 
at, as the site is exposed and in a romantic mountain 
valley at fully 900 ft. altitude. We were quite surprised 
to see how well a number of these trees did at this 
altitude, the growths being long and well matured, 
while the foliage was of the most healthy description 
and abundantly produced ; indeed, we could not help 
expressing our opinion that it was very questionable 
whether any other of the so-called new and rare 
Conifers, excepting, perhaps, the Austrian and Corsican 
Pines, could have succeeded so well under similar 
conditions. Even in the park at the same place, and 
at altitudes ranging from 700 ft. to 900 ft., this fine 
tree was everywhere to be seen in the most luxuriant 
condition, clearly demonstrating its great value for 
high-lying and breezy situations. The soil here is of 
rich sandy loam, resting on broken whin-stone rock. 
In Kent, on the chalky downs, the giant Arbor-vitfe is 
likewise quite at home, and there keeps pace in growth 
with other limestone-loving Conifers — notably, the 
Austrian Pine—thus showing that this tree is by no 
means difficult to please in regard to soil. At Bromley, 
ten miles from London, we not long ago noted a 
number of these trees thriving apace in light gravelly 
soil, resting at only a few inches on chalk, and there 
growing with the greatest freedom, making annually 
a long and strong growth.— A. D. W. 
Peristrophe angustifolia aurea variegata. 
We noticed the other day a batch of the above at the 
nurseries of Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, and 
think it well to draw attention to its merits as a 
decorative plant. Those we saw were in 48-sized pots, 
neatly trained to sticks about 12 ins. high, and were 
particularly bright and attractive. It was introduced 
some fifteen or sixteen years ago, and, we think, has 
not attained the amount of popularity it merits as a 
stove plant of easy culture, for to those who have house 
furnishing to do it is a valuable acquisition for use 
during the dull winter months. Its propagation is as 
easy and simple as that of a Coleus, and when over¬ 
grown and done with, the old plants can be thrown 
away with little regret. Its use would often spare moie 
valuable plants the distressing ordeal of the dry heated 
air of the drawing room.— IV. B. G. 
Bullfinches. 
IYiiile conversing with a very old friend recently, ho 
gave as a reason why the bullfinches selected some 
varieties of Pears in preference to others that the 
rounded and blunt fruit buds of Williams’ Bon Chretien, 
and others with similar buds, were more accessible, and 
presented a better front for them to direct their 
operations upon ; while the sharp-pointed buds of 
Marie Louise and others were seldom visited by them. 
He has been a pretty close observer of birds and their 
habits, and says that upon one occasion he found the 
chaffinches busy among the Gooseberry caterpillars. 
He shot a few to make quite certain as to what they 
were after, and found the caterpillars in their crops. 
Can any of your readers give confirmatory evidence of 
the good offices performed by this destructive visitor to 
our seed beds ?— W. B. G. 
Rose pruning. 
The mildness of the season especially during last month 
has naturally caused Roses to be more forward than 
what they were last year at this time, and may have 
made some growers anxious about pruning their plants, 
but this operation should be deferred to about the 
middle of next month. Many Roses have breaks an 
inch long, but as they are top buds on the shoots they 
should be allowed to remain, as the desired end is to 
keep the basal buds, or those to be left at pruning time, 
dormant. Early Rose pruning is often attended with 
evil results, as the buds break too precociously, and 
with frosts and cutting winds in March the young 
growths are crippled — if not actually destroyed 
—to such an extent that a poor show of flowers may be 
anticipated. In all work connected with the garden it 
is advisable to keep well abreast of the times, but Rose 
pruning is an operation that is often performed too 
early—actuated probably by a desire to obtain early 
blooms—with the first break of the new growth ; but 
the weather we are now having will retard them from 
that activity which will be preferable some weeks later 
on.— Geo. Potts, Junr., Feb. 18 th. 
Camellia reticulata. 
Notwithstanding the confined area of the frame in 
which it is growing, the old specimen in the gardens 
of the Royal Horticultural Society at Chiswick con¬ 
tinues to flourish, and yearly produces a large quantity 
of bloom that is much appreciated for cut flower 
purposes. Owing to the limited space at command 
the branches have to be rigidly tied down annually to 
keep the flowers from destroying themselves against 
the glass as they expand. It is a pity that a cool 
house- of some considerable dimensions could not be 
devoted to the culture of such noble subjects. Hard- 
wooded subjects eDjoy but a limited amount of attention 
at present in this country, and before long, if matters 
do not mend, it will be difficult to get young men who 
understand their culture. Truly do we want horti¬ 
cultural schools for more reasons than one. 
The Weather in Lancashire. 
We have just experienced the most severe week we 
have had this winter. The first ten days of February 
were very pleasant, and outdoor work could be carried 
on with satisfaction. On Saturday, the 11th, however, 
a marked change took place, and a cold north-west 
wind blew in strong gusts, with heavy and blinding 
showers of hail and frozen snow. The heavy clouds 
quickly passing along, with patches of clear blue sky, 
seemed to indicate a coming change. The following 
day snow fell pretty thickly, which, at night, was 
followed by sharp frost. Monday again was very 
wintry, snow continually falling ; but at no time has 
it been very thick with us. On Tuesday morning the 
surprise of many was great indeed ; the glass indicated 
20° of frost, whilst just about a mile from us 22° and 
24° were registered. Tuesday and "Wednesday were 
again very cold, some 8° and 10° being recorded close 
to the town, whilst on Friday 16°, and on Saturday 
10°. These readings, with the ground all covered with 
snow, has given the country a very wintry aspect. 
Again this morning we had a fall of snow, but as the 
sun has been shining very brightly, much has already 
