554 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 28, 1888. 
state of the weather, some of the principal growers did 
not risk their valuable plants, but the more venturesome 
among them made a fine display. Being invited to act 
as one of the judges, I had a good opportunity of 
examining the various exhibits. Cut Roses were mag¬ 
nificently shown. They are cut with over 1 ft. length 
of stem and placed in vases, when they present a fine 
appearance. This plan obviates the stiff and formal 
aspect of Boses shown in boxes ; and as the compe¬ 
tition is generally for a number of blooms of each sort, 
they are put together in one vase, and make a charming 
display. The competition was very keen indeed, and 
such sorts as William Francis Bennett (commonly 
called “ The Bennett”), Catherine Mermet, Cornelia 
Cook, La France, Niphetos, Papa Gontier, The Bride, 
Perle des Jardins, and Puritan were plentifully repre¬ 
sented. Special prizes were offered for twelve of each 
of these kinds, and as there were many entries in each 
class, a fine display was made. The vases are also 
replenished every day during the show, in accordance 
with a rule laid down by the society, consequently 
fresh blooms are brought in by the various exhibitors, 
and the flowers on the third day were as good as those 
shown on the first. 
Spring-flowering bulbs were also well shown, such as 
Hyacinths, Tulips, and Yiolets and Primroses in pots 
were grandly done; indeed, I never saw such Yiolets in 
pots before. The display of Orchids was fairly good, 
but some of the larger growers did not exhibit. Mr. 
Harris, gardener to II. H. Hunnewell, Esq., cut his 
flowers and brought them in that way. They were 
beautifully arranged, many spikes of flowers of each 
kind, being put in small vases with Fern and Asparagus 
foliage (fifty sorts and over), made a fine display, and 
worthily received a special award. In this section, also, 
Messrs. Morton Bros., florists, exhibited a splendidly- 
grown well-flowered specimen of the old Dendrobium 
nobile, 4 ft. 6 ins. through, with over 1,000 flowers—a 
grand plant. Mr. Mande, curator of the Botanical 
Gardens, contributed a fine collection of flowering and 
fine foliage plants of various sorts, which made a good 
display, and which was greatly admired. The society 
holds a series of shows every month throughout the 
year, when special prizes are offered for plants in 
season. 
There are several first-rate collections of plants in 
this neighbourhood, and Orchid growing is much on 
the increase. In this category stands the collection of 
H. H. Hunnewell, Esq., which is situated at "Wellesley, 
a short distance from Boston, where at all seasons of 
the year something of interest is to be found, especially 
through the summer months, when the bedding is in 
perfection ; for whatever Mr. Harris, the gardener here, 
takes in hand he does well. The houses at all times 
are well worth a visit. Then at Mount Auburn, the 
residence of Robert Pratt, Esq., plant culture is ably 
carried out by Mr. David Allen, who is constantly 
improving the place. Here is to be seen a grand lot of 
Orchids, stove and greenhouse plants, &c., and which 
are grown to perfection ; as also is the Grape Yine. 
From Boston I went to North Easton and other places, 
which will be further alluded to hereafter. 
At Easter the floral decorations in the various places 
of worship are most beautiful, and entering one or two 
of the principal churches, I w r as surprised at the extent 
to which this form of decoration is carried. Majestic 
tree Ferns and graceful Palms and Draeeenas of gigantic 
size are used with great effect, and the altars beautifully 
decorated with flowering plants. I could not help 
noticing the extravagant way in which the fair sex 
wear flowers. It was a common thing to see ladies 
with a dozen Roses worn carelessly in their belts, 
and others with bunches of Violets, containing in some 
cases as many as 200 blooms. On the evening before 
Easter Sunday I noticed many women and children, 
evidently belonging to the artisan class, carrying 
plants home, which shows that a love for flowers at 
Easter extends also to the humble dwellings of the 
toiling masses.—A. Outram. 
[ARDENING MISCELLANY. 
Andp.osace Laggeki. —Of the European species 
of this pretty genus this is certainly one of the 
best and freest flowering, and has been in flower for 
some time at Chiswick in the gardens of the Royal 
Horticultural Society. It comes from the Pyrenees, and 
somewhat resembles its cousin, A. carnea, inhabiting 
the Swiss Alps, but flowers earlier and more abun¬ 
dantly than that species. The small acute leaves are 
produced in dense rosettes, from the centre of which 
the flowering stems rise to the height of 2 ins. to 3 ins., 
hearing an umbel of bright rose-pink flowers, having a 
small yellow eye. 
Sir Watkin Daffodil. 
From Messrs. James Dickson & Sons, Newton 
Nurseries, Chester, comes a large bunch of that mag¬ 
nificent Daffodil, Sir Watkin, which they say is now 
in grand form with them. This we can readily believe, 
judging from the specimens sent, which are of imperial 
and commanding size, fragrant and richly coloured. 
As a garden form it exhibits a grand improvement on 
Narcissus incomparabilis, which is no doubt one of its 
parents. In the proportion of parts, however, there is 
no comparison. The old N. incomparabilis has narrow 
starry pale sulphur segments, but here we have oval 
overlapping segments of enormous breadth, especially 
the outer ones, and all are of a rich canary yellow. 
The huge campanulate-lobed corona is of a deep golden 
yellow, and unites with the enormous segments, which 
have a spread of 4 ins., to make this the finest of all 
the medium-crowned section. The crown is 1 in. in 
depth, with a depth of about ins. at the mouth. All 
growers of Narcissi should possess it. 
The Qualifications of a Gardener. 
I have many times read published comments on the 
qualifications of gardeners, and have often thought it 
would take several lifetimes to drill into a man all that 
may possibly be required of him during a limited 
experience. As a class they have probably to meet a 
greater variety of demands on their skill and energy 
than any other, and it behoves young men on entering 
the profession to brace themselves up to the determi¬ 
nation to acquire all the practical knowledge they 
possibly can of many things not strictly belonging to 
their chosen calling, for they can never tell what may 
be required of them. The inducements held out are, 
I grant, of a very poor order. As a sample of what 
may be expected to happen, I may mention that I once 
advertised on behalf of a very promising young fellow, 
and in reply received an offer of a place at seventeen 
shillings per week, with unfurnished lodgings, no firing 
or vegetables, but it was required that he must be a 
properly qualified gardener, able to dress a pair of 
ponies, wash a trap, feed poultry, a monkey and parrot, 
&c., &e. My answer was that A. B., being a properly 
qualified gardener, had no desire to accept a farm- 
labourer’s place at less than a bricklayer’s-labourer s 
wages.— W. B. G. 
The Earliest-flowering Umhilifer. 
Notwithstanding the great number of species 
belonging to the family of plants which hear their 
flowers, as a rule, in umbels, or sometimes in heads as 
in the case of Eryngium, they are mostly summer- 
flowering subjects. Hacquetia epipactis, better known 
in gardens, perhaps, under the name of Dondia epipactis, 
is amongst the first flowers to greet the approach of 
spring in the open garden, and is certainly the first 
TJmbilifer to brave the cold winds of March and 
April in this country. The flower stems precede the 
leaves, and rise up to the height of 2 ins. or 3 ins., 
bearing simple umbels surrounded by an involucre of 
obovate pale yellow leaves. The flowers themselves 
are small but deep yellow, and, together with the 
surrounding bracts, have a pretty effect on the rockery 
in spring, when flowers are by no means over plentiful. 
When established it does best when left alone, being 
impatient of disturbance. There are several plants of 
it at Chiswick in the Royal Horticultural Society’s 
Gardens ; but that on the rockery is the largest and 
best flowered. 
Hollies at Highgate. 
Amongst a collection of about fifty species and varieties 
of Holly in Messrs. ¥m. Cutbush & Son’s nursery at 
Highgate, London, are many of great beauty and 
interest, the larger number being, as might be expected, 
varieties of Ilex aquifolium. Prominent amongst those 
we noted was Handsworthensis variegata, a fine 
pyramidal specimen, with foliage very distinctly 
margined with a silvery white. Media picta aurea, as 
the name implies, had a large yellow blotch in the 
centre of each leaf ; Aurea picta pendula differs chiefly 
by its pendulous or drooping habit, and if grafted 
standard high, would constitute a beautiful weeping 
Holly. There is a green form of the common species, 
in which the pendent or weeping habit is very pro¬ 
nounced and constant, constituting a useful subject for 
isolating on a lawn. Lutescens is characterised by the 
foliage on all the tops of the shoots being yellow ; but 
a silver-margined variety, named Angustifolia argentea, 
is certainly extremely pretty, and would constitute a 
companion plant to YYaterer’s, a dwarf densely-habited 
hush, with a broad golden yellow margin to the leaves, 
which are spineless. The name given is synonymous 
with Nana aurea and Compacta aurea of other growers. 
It may be stated, however, that spines are sometimes, 
though not abundantly, produced, neither are they 
very strong, and the yellow margin is also subject to 
variation. A very distinct species-is I. dipyrema, from 
Northern India, having elliptic or lanceolate-oblong, 
closely serrated, deep green leaves of some length. In 
strong contrast to any of the above is the small ovate¬ 
leaved I. crenata, from Japan, and which, on the 
whole, closely resembles a Myrtle more than a Holly. 
It is a pretty, interesting, and slow-growing species, 
well suited for some of the smaller but prominent ridges, 
ledges, or projecting angles of a rockery. Being per¬ 
fectly hardy, it requires no protection in winter. 
Acacia cordifolia. 
Those who usually object to the size attained by most 
of the members of this much-neglected genus can have 
nothing to say in the case of A. cordifolia, which 
greatly resembles, both in habit and size, the species 
and garden varieties of Epacris that are annually hard 
pruned back, and never exceed the size of a small bush 
till they get very old. The upright shoots, in the case 
of the Acacia under notice, grow to the height of 
15 ins. or 18 ins., densely clothed with triangular, 
cordate, spiny-pointed leaves—or, rather, phyllodia—of 
a dark green colour, and about the size and general 
appearance of those of an Epacris, but set on edge 
vertically. Flowers are most abundantly produced in 
small globular heads along the greater length of last 
year’s growth, and are of a beautiful soft lemon-yellow 
colour. Fine bushy plants are now flowering freely in 
Messrs. John Laing & Sons’ nursery, at Forest Hill. 
Allium neapolitanum. 
This is a very useful plant for forcing purposes, its 
beautiful snow-white trusses of flowers having a very 
pretty effect when arranged amongst other plants on 
the conservatory stage. It has not the strong disagree¬ 
able smell which is so peculiar to the genus to which it 
belongs, although it can be slightly detected after 
being severed, which makes its common use as a cut 
flower rather objectionable to some, especially when 
used in a small room. It can be more freely used in 
large halls or churches. I saw it a short time ago, at 
a wedding, amongst other flowers on the altar-rails, 
pulpit, and window-sills. It looked very well, the 
strong scent of the white Lilies and other things quite 
overpowering that of the Allium. It forces very freely, 
and successive batches can be utilised by introducing 
them into heat at intervals, as required .—Alfred Gaut, 
The Gardens , Copped Hall, Totteridge. 
Cytisus rhodophena. 
So useful, easily grown and common is C. racemosus, 
that growers in general could scarcely be induced to 
trouble themselves to introduce another yellow-flower¬ 
ing species into their collection, on the score that it 
would not be sufficiently distinct ; but the practised 
eye would require no second inspection to see the 
distinctness of this species, and to determine its 
individual merits. YFe observed some charming little 
bushes of it the other day in the nursery of Messrs. 
John Laing & Sons, Forest Hill. They did not exceed 
9 ins. in height, and formed globular masses one sheet 
of bloom. The racemes are shorter than those of C. 
racemosus, being more numerously produced, and the 
leaves are smaller and finer, densely clothing the short 
twiggy branches that are all but concealed by the 
profusion of bloom. The flowers are similar in size to 
those of the last-named species, but of a different shade 
of yellow, the standard exhibiting a distinct shade of 
orange, and being the largest organ of the flower, has a 
telling eft'ect. On the whole the species exhibits a 
more refined appearance than C. racemosus. 
Those Sparrows ! 
Your note last week anent the destructive propensities 
of sparrows I can fully endorse. They are quite capable, 
and do commit the ravages mentioned, and I think the 
suburban sparrow in no wise lacks the assurance of his 
town brother. Those who feed the birds during hard 
weather find the sparrows devouring the lion’s share ; 
they are in no way shy, self being their dominant cha¬ 
racteristic. In a garden ten miles from town I noticed 
their depredations on Carnations, and have found them 
attacking small plants of Lettuce sown outdoors in 
autumn, and also in spring when starting into growth. 
