522 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 14, 1888. 
the Rev. F. D. Horner terms it. I think, too, that 
the act of re-potting will not infrequently hasten the 
production of bloom. 
I am now busy potting off young stock. I generally 
re-pot my flowering plants in June, or thereabouts, and 
any rooted offsets are placed round the sides of small 
pots. Here they remain until the autumn or early 
spring, according to their size, and then they are placed 
singly in small pots. The bulk of this work is done 
just now. I find that in an Auricula house like mine, 
which is exposed to the action of frost for days together, 
the plants winter better when well established than 
when re-potted in autumn. For young stock I make 
up a mixture of good yellow fibrous loam, some leaf-soil, 
some well-decomposed manure from an old Mushroom- 
bed, together with a little sand, and they soon get to 
work in such a compost. I use the soil nicely moist, 
though not wet enough to make it in any degree sticky, 
and then the plants do not need water for a few days. 
They are then placed in a cool frame on a dry bottom, 
kept a little close for two or three days, and shaded 
from the sun, after which they are allowed a free supply 
of air. 
One objection urged against early potting is that the 
soil in the pots becomes impoverished by the following 
spring, the act of giving water tending to wash the 
goodness out of it. There may be a little force in 
this, but if rain-water be used for watering it is the 
means of conveying fertilising properties into the soil. 
I find it to be a good practice to go over the early 
potted plants in September or October, and remove the 
surface soil where it appears sodden or worn out, adding a 
little fresh compost as a top-dressing. I can scarcely 
term this autumn top-dressing, though it partakes of 
the nature of this process. Plants treated in this way 
do not suffer so much from a surface growth of green 
as in the case of those not so treated, and there is this 
additional advantage that the young roots that are 
put forth near the surface in spring have some good 
helpful soil at hand for them to work in. 
I am not at all sure that the practice of re-potting 
young stock so early in the year is one that will meet 
with general approval. But I am always careful to 
transfer the plants with balls of soil adhering to their 
roots, so that any check that is sustained may be 
as lightly felt as possible.— E. D. 
Sympathy. 
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin !’’ 
Florists are not without sympathy. The world is not 
one universal rush, grasp, and tear after illusions. 
My little work in floriculture has been an immeasurable 
enjoyment to me—enjoyment which has been an ex¬ 
ceeding great reward; but I have never consciously 
even thought it implied desert. Yet rarely a day 
passes without some token of the kindness and sympathy 
of my fellows, and what a glorious inheritance it is ! 
To-day a gentleman—a prominent member of the 
University, known to me only yesterday—writes : “ My 
wife and I have been reading your book with great 
interest. My life has been too absorbed to permit of 
my truly cultivating plants ; I have only looked on 
and admired. I used to send Fuchsias and Achimenes 
to Chiswick in the far off old days ; but in my old age 
I will try and pet your Carnations. Your book 
reminds me of ‘ the days when 1 was young ’—when I 
met men of enthusiasm and sympathy, such as Loddiges, 
Ward (Ward’s case), Quecket, Reade, and a lot of 
other men, and we formed the Microscopical Society. 
‘ Naturalists ’ they were in the best sense—hearty 
men who had a hobby. Ward grew the finest Ferns 
grown in that day in a large cupboard with a glass roof 
in Wellelose Square ; but, I fear, the spirit of those days 
has evaporated a good deal. The order of the present is 
one long struggle for existence, so I have to thank you 
for showing me that the ‘more excellent way’ does 
yet linger here. Some time ago I got a letter from an 
enthusiastic cultivator of the Auricula. He said, ‘ 1 
teach my plants to Icnow me.’ I envied him and you.” 
My brothers have the key to all success in those three 
italicised words.— E. S. D. 
Emmerton’s Treatise on Florists’ Flowers. 
I have to thank your correspondents, Mr. Keen, Mr. 
Harman Payne, and Mr. Fife for their kindly responses 
to my solicitations concerning Emmerton’s Treatise. 
I have lost a good deal of time looking after a copy on 
the old bookstalls, but I never could describe it for 
want of the proper title, to obtain which I spent two 
hours at the British Museum, but even with the aid of 
an official to hunt over the catalogues I failed to find 
it. It has occurred to me whilst seeking for this and 
other old books, that if there existed some bond of 
union between florists residing in any particular district 
of London, considerable mutual assistance could be 
rendered by the exchange of old floral literature and 
floral ideas generally. I know of no better way of 
passing time that has to be spent by the fireside, while 
the winter’s frost has possession of the garden, than in 
perusing those old past-masters in floriculture— 
Emmerton, Hogg, Maddock, Main, the pages of the 
Florist, Floricultural Cabinet, kc. — E. V. 
Carnation Soil affected with, Grille. 
A feiend of mine, who is a great lover of Carnations, 
has been of late years much troubled with grubs in his 
soil, and last summer they made sad havoc with his 
named varieties in pots. This year he wrote to inform 
me he is baking his soil, so as to destroy any vermin 
that may be in it, and this is the best thing he can do. 
Baking the soil is much better than scalding it, as it is 
difficult'to carry out the latter process without waste of 
the soil. The Rev. F. D. Horner not only recommends, 
but practises baking of any soil affected with insects, 
and he has on not a few occasions recommended me to 
follow the same course. I have baked soil with great 
advantage. I had some rich yellow loam sent to me a 
few years ago that was much infested with wireworms, 
but by baking it I completely destroyed the enemy, 
and any larvae that was in it. — E. D. 
Cinerarias. 
Few winter and spring-flowering plants repay good 
culture better than these deservedly popular plants. 
They are easily grown and last a long time in bloom 
under favourable conditions, and may be had for 
several months if a few suecessional sowings are made. 
A pinch of seed may be sown now for early winter 
bloom, but the principal sowing should not be made 
till the end of June. The plants from the latter sowing 
will bloom in the spring and be much more satisfactory 
than the early sown ones, as they rarely open their 
flowers well in the dull months of winter. The soil I 
find best suited to them is good turfy loam, with a little 
leaf-soil, horse-droppings and sand well mixed together ; 
in this compost they make strong sturdy growth, which 
is able to carry a good head of bloom. The seed should 
be sown in a warm house and hardened off as soon as 
they attain size, as the less fire-heat they get the better. 
A cold frame is the best place for them through the 
summer and autumn, with the lights drawn off on mild 
nights, as the night dews are a great help to them ; 
but they must be moved to safer quarters before frosts 
set in. A house where frost is just excluded suits 
them nicely. Should green-fly put in an appearance, 
fumigate at once ; but if little fire-heat is given they 
will generally keep free from green-fly. I enclose 
blooms of a few varieties I think well worth saving.— 
TV. Cotterell, Yotes Court, Maidstone. [The semi-double 
white variety we consider the most valuable of the 
blooms sent and deserving of preservation. The rays 
are very numerous, broad, and of good substance. For 
cut flower purposes the flowers would no doubt prove 
lasting and invaluable. The variety with reddish 
purple rays and a white base is a distinct and good 
flower and worthy of cultivation ; but the other one, 
which measures 3| ins. in diameter, lacks substance to 
support its enormous rays, which might also be more 
numerous.—E d.] 
-- 
Gardening §£iscellany. 
The Late Mr. John Hoiiingworth. 
"Who that has had any experience of the exhibitions 
held in London during the past thirty years does not 
remember honest John Hollingworth ? He and his 
brother Thomas, proprietors of the Turkey Paper Mills 
at Maidstone, were thoroughly manly representatives 
of the good old English country gentlemen—bluff, 
hearty, genial, and kindly disposed. They were the 
Brothers Cheeryble of Maidstone—supporters of every 
good and worthy cause, and dispensing charity privately 
to a large extent. I have vivid remembrances of John ; 
his tall commanding presence and hearty greetings 
singled him out as a man of mark in the floricultural 
world, and it always seemed to be almost the height of 
happiness with him to attend a flower show. On one 
occasion he was at a horticultural dinner at Anderton’s 
Hotel, Fleet Street, and electrified the company by 
leading the Kentish fire in true Kentish fashion. I had 
also occasional opportunities of meeting him at the 
exhibitions of the Maidstone Horticultural Society, and 
he rarely absented himself (except with good cause) 
from the luncheon to the judges. A Conservative of 
the old type, he looked with something like aversion 
upon some of the newer ideas his party came to advocate 
in later days ; but he was always loyal in his political 
associations, and uniformly courteous to those who 
differed from him. He was buried on the 7th inst., in 
the presence of the mayor, councillors, magistrates, and 
a large assembly, the places of business in the town 
being darkened between the hours of one and two 
o’clock. Mr. Hollingworth’s love for the Rose was not 
forgotten by the many friends who sent wreaths, and 
among them especially Mr. George Bunyard, whose 
floral tribute was composed of red and copper-coloured 
Roses. The workpeople at the Turkey Paper Mills 
contributed a large and very handsome wreath, with a 
cross in the centre, composed entirely of Niphetos 
Roses. He was one of those men of whom it may 
truly be said that the world is poorer for the loss of 
them.— E. D. — 
The Season and the Drought. 
Yohe remarks, in last week’s issue, on the lateness of 
the spring were most opportune. The coming summer 
will prove whether it is best to sow early or late, at all 
events in this district. Yesterday, April 9th, was the 
first day this season that we were able to get on our 
heavy land to sow Onions, Parsnips, Peas, Beans, &c., 
so that the hot summer will be upon us before the small 
seedlings will have had time to get a good root-hold. 
If we should get another hot summer, we shall in this 
locality lose our crops ; for, although there has been 
much snow and a fair quantity of rain in many districts, 
we have had very little rain and but little snow here 
—certainly not more than 2J ins. at any time, and 
that, with what rain we have had, came about the 
middle of March, just as we had got the land ready to 
put in our seeds. Since then both snow and frosty 
nights have troubled our poor Apricots in full bloom. 
We registered 20° of frost on February 26th; March 
23rd, 12° ; March 27th, 11°, with frost and sleet; 
April 8th, we registered 11° of frost, so that Apricots 
have had a very hard time of it. Me have, however, 
more late blooms to open yet, and hope still to get a 
crop. Springs have risen slightly since the middle of 
March, but up till then the wells were as dry, and all 
the springs here as low as at the end of last summer. 
Our average rainfall, previous to 1S87, was about 2J 
ins. per month, but the monthly average for 1887 was 
not quite If ins., and the average for the first three 
wet months of this year is not equal to f in. for each 
month, so that, broadly speaking, we are now 14 ins. 
short of the average for the past fifteen months. Me 
have, therefore, much reason to dread another hot dry 
season. — Salopian. 
Early Daffodils in the South of Ireland. 
Peobably, from our insular position, the action of the 
Gulf Stream, and our “living (as D’lsraeli—he was 
not then Lord Beaconsfield—put it) in the vicinity of a 
melancholy ocean,” our climate is much milder than 
might be expected. Besides the interesting collection 
of Daffodils sent you by Mr. Hartland from his garden 
at Temple Hill, Cork ( vide p. 505), without any pretence 
of having a complete collection, I have to-day also in 
bloom N. Lorifolius Emperor, an immense flower that 
I am tempted to send you, with a very long deep yellow 
trumpet; Sir Matkin seems small growing beside it. 
I have had this in bloom for a month. It opened in 
the border with N. pallidus praecox, aud like the rest out¬ 
doors, has been several times frozen. N. bicolor Empress 
has this year come more delicate. Mithout comment, I 
give names :—N. B. Horsfieldi, splendid ; N. moschatus 
cernuus, quite hardy here; N. rugilobus, N. princeps 
magnificus ; several N. incomparabilis, such as N. i. 
Leedsi, N. i. Mary Anderson, N. i. albidus, N. i. 
Fitzjames, &c. ; N. Macleayi (Diomedes minor); double 
forms of N. incomparabilis, opening to-day ; and eight 
of N. tazetta, very sweet ; also Tratus Cantus, Yan 
Sion, &e. — TV. J. Murphy, Clonmel. 
Potatos. 
Not noticing any reply to your correspondent “Cale¬ 
donian” regarding Beauty of Hebron and Yicar of 
Laleliam Potatos, I venture to give him my experience 
of them. The first-named I grew when introduced 
some seven or eight years since, if I remember rightly. 
It is a very heavy cropper, and in light or open soils of 
good quality it resembles the Late Rose, but is rather 
paler in colour and fit to lift much earlier ; it is also a 
good keeper. Regarding the Yicar, my acquaintance 
is of a more recent date, having only grown it the past 
two seasons ; but so pleased am I with it that I have 
planted every tuber I could spare. I am afraid, 
however, that if “Caledonian” does not procure his 
