538 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 21, 1888. 
“R. V.” has, I notice, an opportunity of going to the 
Museum, so it may be useful if I put him in the way 
of perusing Emmerton’s work in the most expeditious 
manner, as to many men a save of time is a save of 
money. 
First let him fill up his form in this manner— 
Press 
Mark. 
Name of author, &c. 
Place. 
Date. 
Size. 
7054 
b.b. 
Emmerton, Isaac, 
a plain and 
practical treatise 
on the culture 
and management 
of the Auricula, 
&c. 
London. 
1819. 
12mo. 
adding his signature and seat. 
If he will then take his ticket to the superintendent’s 
desk, and ask for the book to be supplied without 
delay, “ E. Y.” will have no necessity to search the 
catalogue at all. I may observe that in looking for 
books at the British Museum the name of the author 
is the most important thing to seek for. In the case 
of weekly or monthly works, they should be found 
under the letter P., and the sub-heading, Periodical 
Publications. The reference books are ranged on the 
shelves round the reading room, and may be taken and 
used by the readers without going through the formality 
of filling up a ticket. "B. Y.,” no doubt, is aware of 
this, but I mention it in case other subscribers to The 
Gardening IVobld should have any difficulty in find¬ 
ing horticultural books when there.— C. Harman 
Payne. 
-- 
ARDENING 
ISCELLANY. 
Royal Horticultural Society. 
Your obliging insertion of my letters continues to bring 
in names of candidates for Fellowship. In this neigh¬ 
bourhood, within a walk from my house, thirty-nine 
owners of gardens themselves, and two of their friends 
have added their names to the list of guinea and £2 2s. 
Fellows, while some have not yet answered, and others 
have not yet been written to. I have little doubt that 
we shall make the number up to fifty owners of gardens. 
Surely this proves that, if ladies and gentlemen are 
shown that they owe a debt to the society for the work 
it has done, and is doing, to improve horticulture, and 
that if friends of the society will take a little trouble 
each in her or his own district, a very large increase 
in the number of Fellows will result. An influential 
friend, who feels as strongly as I do the importance of 
moderate subscriptions, has done in his neighbourhood, 
Chislehurst, what we are doing here .—George F. Wilson, 
Heatherlank, Weyhridge Heath. 
Paris Universal Exhibition, 1889. 
Amongst the attractions at next year’s Paris Exhibition 
it is proposed to have flower shows, as well as a constant 
succession of flowers and plants on exhibition. For 
the purpose of properly displaying the collections 
which will be formed, it is desired to provide a number 
of hothouses and conservatories, which it is suggested 
should be erected by exhibitors. The director-general 
of the exhibition, M. Berger, has just written to the 
Lord Mayor’s Committee to ask if any English 
constructors are inclined to exhibit buildings of this 
character. Might I venture to ask the privilege of 
being allowed, through your columns, to draw the 
attention of those interested to this fact, and to say 
that I shall be glad to give them any further information 
as to the conditions under which the buildings will 
have to be put up, if they will communicate with me 
at the offices of the British Section Committee, 2, 
Yalbrook (Mansion House), E.C.— H. T. Wood, 
Hon. Secretary. 
Negundo aceroides for forcing. 
Evert cultivator knows the value of this tree for the 
ornamentation of parks, pleasure grounds and shrub 
berries ; but it is equally satisfactory to note that it 
may be forced for the sake of its foliage, in the 
ornamentation of greenhouses and conservatories 
during winter and early spring, when it does much to 
brighten up a collection of plants just as much as 
flowers. Although not perfectly hardy in all parts of 
the country, as evidenced by the poor growth in some 
seasons, especially in the more northern counties, yet it 
thrives grandly as far north as Edinburgh, and will do 
well in most of the English counties far enough removed 
from the deleterious influences of smoke. Under glass, 
however, a free growth is made, and provided it is well 
exposed to light, after being fairly started into growth, 
the foliage will be such as to reward the cultivator 
who uses it for this purpose. We noticed it recently 
forced, and very conspicuous amongst a collection of 
foliage and flowering plants in the nursery of Messrs. 
Win. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, London. 
Spring. 
The appearance at last of spring-like weather ought 
certainly to well back up the heat of last summer and 
the dry autumn in assisting us to obtain a good fruit 
season, as the blossom should now—at least, we may 
hope so—escape being cut off by frosts, as it is later 
this year than it has been in more favourable seasons. 
It is to be hoped that the dull leaden skies and_ cold 
winds will give place to genial weather, and that more 
bright sunshine will be registered, the quantity of 
which has been very meagre so far. The 13th was a 
beautiful day, with a mild west wind and bright 
sunshine, so much so that I saw a fine specimen of the 
brimstone butterfly (Gonepteryx Ehamni) flitting about 
a hedgerow bank. The small tortoiseshell (Yanessa 
Urticre) is generally seen as early as any, so we may 
expect to see nature on the move all at once, especially 
after a few seasonable showers, and to hear the familiar 
cuckoo at no distant date.— Geo. Potts, Junr., April 
16</i. 
Hoya imperialis. 
Few cultivators succeed in growing this plant, and 
fewer are able to flower it, the complaint being that it 
is liable to die off. We have had evidence of this even 
in the case of those who succeed in flowering it, if the 
plant is disturbed in any way or re-potted. Mr. J. 
Hudson, Gunnersbury House, Acton, succeeded in 
flowering it last year, and the plant is now blooming 
again from the same flower-stalk which gave the bloom 
on the last occasion. Several of the Hoyas behave in 
this manner, so that cultivators take extreme care not 
to cut off the flower-stems, except in cases of actual 
necessity, when the umbel of flowers is required in a 
whole state. The apex of the axis becomes some¬ 
what slightly elongated during the next season, and 
another umbel of flowers is then developed equally as 
strong as the first. That at Gunnersbury House bears 
nine flowers, which almost constitute the limited 
number that this magnificent species produces. The 
individual flowers often measure about 3 ins. across, 
while the combined umbel extends to 8 ins. or 9 ins. 
Truly, it merits the specific title which has been given 
it. The corolla is of a fleshy or waxy consistency, 
with a shining lustre, and reddish brown in colour. 
In all these respects it excels H. campanulata in 
grandeur. 
Euphorbia fulgens. 
By right of botanical priority this is the oldest and, 
therefore, most correct name of the plant widely 
cultivated under the name of E. jacquinceflora. Being 
a native of Mexico the same treatment accorded to the 
Poinsettia will answer in this case. During the time 
the plants are making their growth, a temperature of 
from 65° to 75° should be maintained in order to 
induce the formation of vigorous shoots, from which a 
large amount of the brilliant scarlet bracts, constituting 
the ornamental part of this plant, may be obtained. 
A cooler temperature will suffice when the plants are 
in flower ; but the best results follow vigorous growth 
induced by a temperature akin to that of its native 
home. The bracts, popularly termed flowers, also 
attain a larger size under such treatment, and of this 
we were reminded the other day on seeing some fine 
specimens at Gunnersbury House, Acton, where they 
are grown in a warm pit along with Gardenias, which 
have been planted out in a bed enjoying a little bottom 
heat, and show both by the vigour of their shoots and 
the size of the flowers or buds that the cultural treat¬ 
ment is according to their liking. 
Potatos. 
Your correspondent, “ Caledonian,” will find Mr. W. 
Child’s remarks as to the heavy cropping qualities of 
Beauty of Hebron and the Yicar of Laleliam quite 
correct. I like the first-named, for it comes in early, 
and being such a heavy cropper is a good one to have 
to supply in quantity, and so save the best of all 
Potatos, the Ashleaf, for early work. I find, as a rule, 
that I soon get asked for new Potatos for the servant’s 
hall when they find out I am getting them from outside 
for the dining room. The Yicar of Laleham I have 
found, after growing and showing it for the last nine 
years, and without change of seed, even almost or quite 
as good as it was the first year I had it; and that is 
what we cannot say for many of our fine show sorts. 
Your correspondent will not find many exhibition 
collections of Potatos without the Yicar of Laleham 
among them, in England at least.— Salopian. 
Rhododendron balsaminsefloram album. 
It is rather singular that out of a single capsule we 
should have obtained five distinct varieties, all perfectly 
double and equally worthy of preservation for decorative 
purposes ; yet such is the case, and they all serve to 
mark the improvement that is being made by Messrs. 
J. Yeitch & Sons, Chelsea, amongst this class of Ehodo- 
dendrons. The five different colours are yellow, orange, 
rose, flesh, and white, the latter being the colour of the 
variety under notice. The flowers are perfectly double, 
and similar to those of a Gardenia, though scarcely so 
large. Owing to their being perfectly double, they last 
a long time in perfection before dropping off. 
Carnations and Sparrows. 
Sparrows may have many redeeming qualifications to 
recommend them to the mercy of horticulturists, but 
their mischievous propensities seem to fully outweigh 
their good ones. The town sparrow is also more badly 
behaved than his country cousin. "Ye have recently 
noticed some of his pranks, which threaten to lead to a 
war of extermination. In some gardens all the seed 
beds have to be netted in order to keep him at bay, and 
in others thread has to be fastened on pegs all over the 
ground. Crocuses—and particularly the yellow ones— 
are special marks for his destructiveness, and these will 
be attacked up to the very doors of human habitations. 
Peas are also wantonly destroyed unless closely pro¬ 
tected. Apparently, one of his more recent raids has 
been directed against Carnations, both under glass and 
planted out in the open ground, and long lines of 
them have had all their younger leaves torn off and 
presumably eaten. The crown or growing bud is 
protected only by its deep-seated nature, otherwise 
the prospect of bloom this season would be greatly 
endangered. The plants themselves present the 
appearance of having been destroyed by rats or 
mice. 
Saxifraga Sibtliorpii. 
For the lower and damper parts of a rockery this 
dwarf yellow-flowered species would find a most 
suitable home, and prove both bright and attractive 
from spring onwards through great part of summer. 
The cheerful bright green of the reniform shallowly- 
lobed leaves does much to brighten places of the rock- 
work unsuitable for various other yet desirable subjects. 
Add to these the flowers, which are yellow, with an 
orange blotch occupying the lower half of the petals, 
and we have an attractive and desirable species among 
the smaller kinds. There is no difficulty attached to 
its preservation, as it scatters seeds plentifully about, 
and these germinate with such freedom that it requires 
a little weeding out to keep it within bounds. But 
from this very fact it inserts itself in the crevices of 
rockwork in shady or moist places, which it renders 
very gay. There can be no question as to its hardiness, 
as we have seen it taking care of itself many miles 
north of the Tweed. Seeds of it were sent to the Eoyal 
Horticultural Society some years ago under the name 
of Saxifraga Huetti ; and at present a large quantity 
of it may be seen in flower in pots in a cold frame with 
a northern aspect. 
Calathea Warscewiczii. 
Rarely do the flowers of this genus become very con¬ 
spicuous, because they are mostly hidden amongst the 
foliage. In the plant under notice, however, we have 
a good exception, as the flower-stem is leafy, and 
carries the dense cone-like head of blooms clear above 
the foliage. The bracts of the inflorescence are, as is 
the general rule, the most conspicuous part of the 
same. In the young state these are white, but 
gradually change to a pale yellow tint, while the tip or 
upper half is of a bright purple. The species is a 
native of Tropical America, from whence it was intro¬ 
duced in 1879, and flowers regularly about this time 
every year ; but the evergreen foliage is, of course, the 
most conspicuous, lasting, and ornamental part of the 
plant, and for which alone it merits cultivation. They 
are about 2 ft. in length, including the petioles, and 
6 ins. to 8 ins. in diameter, deep metallic-green, with 
