April 21, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
535 
this end in view put some plants in baskets, and hung 
them up in the fernery, where they certainly obtained 
a drier atmosphere and a greater amount of light than 
where grown on the stage. Still, though they were 
thus treated for some considerable time, I never 
managed to observe any spores on them, nor on a score 
of large specimens we grew in a house, the whole front 
of which was devoted to this variety. I notice also 
that peat is advised to be used among the soil. Now 
if there was any thing I found unsuitable it was peat. 
Hy mixture was yellow fibrous loam, leaf-soil, and 
sand. If a little limestone broken small was mixed 
with it so much the better. Plenty of light may be 
given, but not strong sunshine. Water freely when 
growth has commenced, pot on as the plants require, 
and occasionally divide an old plant, and start away 
with a number of fresh young pieces.— P. S. TV. 
[Spores have been found on A. Farleyense, but we have 
no evidence of young plants of the same having been 
obtained from the spores. For reference to this subject 
see The Gardening World, vol. iii, p. 296. Accord¬ 
ing to the testimony of another observer and cultivator, 
if young plants should be obtained from spores of a 
fertile frond of A. Farleyense, they would turn out to 
be A. Ghiesbreghti, of which the former is supposed to 
be merely a barren seedling. A. Ghiesbreghti, popu¬ 
larly known as A. scutum, is itself a seedling from 
A. tenerum, and is said to have originated in Mr. 
B. S. Williams’ nursery at Holloway some years ago. 
For this observer’s evidence see The Gardening 
World, vol. iii, p. 328, and for the cultivation of 
A. Farleyense see p. 475 of the same volume.—E d.] 
-- 
NOTES ON HARDY PLANTS. 
Iris Persica. —This lovely little Iris is flowering now 
in a sheltered nook. Its charm to a plant lover is its 
exquisite colour, and its soft delicate perfume ; flower¬ 
ing so early gives it an interest that would, perhaps, 
be wanting if it delayed disclosing its beauty until the 
more gaudy members of the family were in flower. 
Narcissus nanus angustifolius. — This hardy 
little Daffodil has quite as good a claim on gardeners 
as the giants of the bicolor section. Our earliest flower 
opened about the end of the first week in March, and 
long before the month was spent they were in full 
beauty. In size of flower it comes between Minor and 
Minimus, but is earlier than either. It is a good plan 
to grow it amongst the mossy Saxifrages and Sedums, 
which prevents the flowers being spoiled by rain. 
Iberis sttlosa. —In the rock garden this perennial 
Candytuft has been flowering for the last month quite 
freely. It is a very dwarf plant, compact, and of a 
pleasing pinkish white colour, easily grown from seed. 
It is a welcome addition to our early spring flowers, 
especially as it comes in long before I. gibraltarica, 
and is far more hardy. In Easter week a plant of this 
species was in the Cape house at Kew, flowering as well 
as it would have done outside, but certainly not 
better, and giving visitors rather a mistaken notion 
about its hardiness.— J. TV. 0., Pinner. 
-- 
NEW PLANTS CERTIFICATED 
By the Royal Botanic Society.— April 18 th. 
PUSCHKINIA LIBANOTICA COUP ACT A. 
In this variety we have the best form of the striped 
Squill, which differs from the type in the flowers being 
more numerous and more densely arranged on the 
scape. The blooms resemble those of a Scilla, but the 
basal portion is cup-shaped and of a beautiful sky-blue 
externally, while the segments are white with a sky- 
blue midrib. The accepted botanical name of the 
plant is P. scilloides compacta. Botanical Certificate. 
Exhibited by Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale Farm Nurseries, 
Tottenham, and also by Messrs. Barr & Son, Covent 
Garden. 
Oncidium undulatum. 
This is one of the twining species belonging to the 
section Microchila, with a small lip—in this case brown. 
The sepals are triangular, clawed, and brown, while the 
petals are similar in shape, but smaller, brown at the 
base, white upwards, and somewhat blotched. The 
habit is similar to that of 0. macranthum. Botanical 
Certificate. Exhibited by Mr. B. S. Williams, Vic¬ 
toria and Paradise Nurseries, Upper Holloway. 
Anthurium Scherzerianum atrosanguineum. 
The varietal name takes its rise from the deep crimson 
or blood-coloured spathe. This organ is also of large 
size, oblong in outline, and twisted somewhat, so that 
it stands out horizontally ; the scarlet spadix is 
spirally coiled. Botanical Certificate. Exhibited by 
Mr. B. S. Williams, Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, 
Upper Holloway. 
CORDTLINE AUSTRALIS VARIEGATA. 
For description of this plant see p. 519. Botanical 
Certificate. Exhibited by Mr. B. S. Williams. 
Selaginella cuspidata crispa. 
For description see p. 519. Botanical Certificate. 
Exhibited by Mr. B. S. Williams. 
Double Violet, Victoria. 
A fine group of plants was exhibited, showing them 
to be very floriferous and hardy. Last year’s leaves lie 
side by side with those developed since spring, and both 
kinds are quite healthy. The flowers are of handsome 
size, deep violet-blue, perfectly double, and highly 
fragrant. The leaves are specially suitable for mount¬ 
ing the flowers with. Floricultural Certificate. Exhi¬ 
bited by Mr. J. Chambers, Westlake Nursery, Isleworth. 
Double Cinerarias. 
Aspasia. —The flower heads of this form are freely 
produced on branching panicles, and individually are 
large in size, almost globular, and deep blue, with the 
tips of the florets tinted with violet-purple. 
Rosinie. — In this form the panicles of heads are 
broader, and the heads themselves are larger, sub- 
globular, perfectly double and deep purple, sometimes 
showing the white underside of the florets by their 
being incurved at the margins. 
Faust. —The globular heads in this case are slightly 
smaller than those of Rosinie, and paler in colour— 
being of a cheerful or pleasing, soft rosy tint. In all 
the three cases the plants were exceedingly dwarf, with 
good foliage. Floricultural Certificates. All exhibited 
by Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent. 
Amaryllis. 
Aspasia. —Four large flowers were produced on a scape 
about 15 ins. in height. They are white, striated and 
suffused with scarlet, especially on the upper part of 
the segments. The filaments of the stamens are white. 
Exquisite. —The flowers of this variety are notable 
for their size and great regularity, the segments being 
very broad and much imbricated, intense scarlet, and 
deep crimson towards the base. 
Thackeray. —Of the three, this is certainly the 
finest variety, having very large, rounded and regular 
flowers, with broad much imbricated segments, of an 
intense crimson colour from base to apex. The tube is 
short, the perianth flattened out, and four flowers were 
borne on a scape about 18 ins. high. Floricultural 
Certificates. All exhibited by Messrs. J. Veitch & 
Sons, Chelsea. 
Monarch. —The flowers of which four were borne 
on a scape about 2 ft. in height, have a short tube 
with a widely expanded limb of a brilliant scarlet, with 
a white six-rayed star on the basal half. 
Albert Victor. —While the flowers of this variety 
are equally as large perhaps as those of the last-named, 
they are less expanded, but with broad imbricated 
segments of a deep crimson, with the white mid-ribs 
margined at the base with crimson lines. Floricultural 
Certificates. Exhibited by Mr. J. Douglas, gardener 
to Francis Whitbourn, Esq., Great Gearies, Ilford. 
Auriculas. 
Map.mion. —This name has been given to a seedling, 
a new variety of the show Auricula belonging to the 
grey-edged class. The throat is yellow, the paste 
white, the body colour black, and the broad edge grey, 
as already mentioned. The foliage is ample and mealy, 
while the flowers are large, and all give evidence of 
robust constitution. 
Emperor Frederick. —The flowers of this Alpine 
variety of Auricula are of good size and substance. 
They have a broad, well-defined, golden yellow paste, 
with a body colour of deep brownish or blackish purple, 
fading into a broad, dull brownish purple margin. It 
is of vigorous constitution. Floricultural Certificates. 
Both exhibited by Mr. J. Douglas, gardener to Francis 
Whitbourn, Esq., Great Gearies, Ilford. 
Roses. 
Rosa polyantha minutifolia alba. —In this we have 
an exceedingly pretty and attractive subject for culti- 
tion in pots, to be used in the decoration of the conser¬ 
vatory, or for the purpose of bouquet or button-hole 
bouquet making. A group of plants was exhibited not 
exceeding 6 ins. in height, well branched, with broad, 
corymbose or flat-topped panicles of small, perfectly 
double, and pure white flowers. The leaves are small, 
with proportionately small leaflets of a deep green 
colour. 
Duchess of Rutland. — The plants of this new 
seedling hybrid perpetual Rose are of the same type as 
Baroness Rothschild, and have evidently been flowered 
for the first time, as the straight stems terminate in a 
single flower of large size and compact form, sub- 
conical when expanding, and clear delicate pink, 
becoming much paler as they expand, with the petals 
revolute at the margins when the flower becomes more 
open, but still very compact. The leaves and leaflets 
are of large size, good substance, light green, and 
closely covering the stems. Floricultural Certificates. 
Both exhibited by Mr. Henry Bennett, Shepperton, 
Middlesex. 
Cyclamens. 
Lord Hillingdon. —The foliage of this variety is 
ample and beautifully marbled. The flowers are 
much above the average size, with broad imbricating 
segments of a soft pink colour, with a deep crimson- 
purple mouth. The segments are also regularly 
reflexed, as in the type. 
Dixon Hartland. —The foliage of this variety is 
similarly ample to that of the last variety, and the 
flowers equally large, suffused with pink on a white 
ground, and thinly spotted with purple, with a deep 
purple 'mouth. Floricultural Certificates. Both ex¬ 
hibited by Mr. John Odell, nurseryman, Gould’s Green, 
Hillingdon, Middlesex. 
Narcissi. 
N. bicolor J. B. M. Camm. —While retaining evidence 
of its being a variety of N. bicolor, the pale yellow 
corona, fading with age to a pale lemon, almost 
obliterates its affinity as far as colour is concerned. 
The flowers on the whole are of average size, with 
spreading pure white segments, and very distinct. 
N. Leedsi Duchess of Westminster. —The typical 
form of this is one of the garden hybrids with coronas 
about half the length of the segments. In this case it 
is narrowly cup-shaped, or even campanulate, and pale 
yellow, fading to lemon. The segments are pure white. 
Floricultural Certificates. Both exhibited by Messrs. 
Barr & Son, King Street, Covent Garden. 
- ~>X<- 
Motes from 
The West Coates Winter G-arden, Edin¬ 
burgh. —A visit at this season of the year to Messrs. 
R. B. Laird & Sons’ winter garden, Edinburgh, always 
affords a considerable amount of pleasure to those who 
love forced flowers. We noticed the other day when 
passing through, a display of Rhododendrons which was 
truly magnificent, the plants grown in tubs and 
pots, having attained a great size, and they were 
superbly covered with flower; in particular, Auguste 
Van Geert, which was exceptionally fine, the plants 
measuring 10 ft. in height by 6 ft. in diameter, with 
trusses of bloom of immense size and splendour. 
Everestianum, 12 ft. by 6 ft., and Mrs. John Clutton, 
8 ft. by 6 ft., were so covered with bloom as nearly to 
hide the foliage; Maculosum, 12 ft. by 6 ft., and many 
other equally grand sorts. Nor should the greenhouse 
Rhododendrons be lost sight of, fine specimens of 
Countess of Haddington, 7 ft. high ; Fragrantissima, 
5 ft. high, with its pure white flowers perfuming the 
whole house; Lady Alice Fitzwilliam and many others. 
On the side table were great quantities of very fine 
Hyacinths, Narcissus, Heaths and Clivias, with numer¬ 
ous Scilla prseeox in pots in full flower and very chaste ; 
here and there a large standard or bush of Azalea 
mollis, in all the glory of those shades of rosy salmon 
wh.ch are not to be found in any other tribe of plants 
in such perfection. 
The collection of half-specimen Indian Azaleas is 
most meritorious, the plants averaging about 3 ft., by 2J 
ft., being covered with bloom, but not tied in such per¬ 
fect cones as is usually the case. This gives them a 
light feathery appearance, with sufficient foliage peep¬ 
ing out to show the flowers to their greatest advantage. 
Empress of India, a double variety, is superb amongst 
the newer kinds, while Flambeau for intensity of colour 
is quite unequalled in the whole group. What a pity 
it is not a larger flower ! No doubt our Continental 
friends will ere long do something in this direction. 
And who can overlook the magnificent Mdlle. Iris 
Lefebvre, such size of blooms and purity of colour; nor 
can the eye fail to be attracted by the beauty of La 
Victoria and Kcenigen Cleopatra, or the immensity of 
the flowers of Charmer, Due de Nassau, and Marechal 
McMahon. These are just a few of the special points 
of interest to be seen, but there are many others deserv¬ 
ing attention in this establishment. 
A Kentish Fruit Growers’ Society. —A daily paper 
states that it is proposed to establish a fruit growers’ 
society among East Kent agriculturists upon the 
Canadian plan, with a view to develop the fruit industry. 
(COTLAND. 
