THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 7,1888. 
716 
I am induced to make these remarks because I have 
proved the efficacy of treating such subjects in the 
manner described, in preference to the system of 
drawing from the seed bed or pan. They are then 
so small that they are withered up by the sun, and 
soon disappear under the attacks of slugs, whose depre¬ 
dations are very numerous this showery weather on 
Marigolds, Stocks and Phlox Drummondi in the 
evening. A slight dusting of lime and soot will act 
as a preventive against their ravages.— Geo. Potts, Jun., 
Northiam. 
-—>*€«- 
ARDENING 
ISCELLANY. 
Strawberry, John Ruskin. 
Some specimens of a new variety, said to be a cross 
between Black Prince and Dr. Hogg, have been sent us 
by Mr. J. H. Fraser, station-master, Annan, N.B. The 
berries are of good shape and fair average size, inter¬ 
mediate, as it were, between the two parents, and 
measure from ins. to ins. long by 1 in. to 1J ins. 
across the base. They are bluntly conical, not com¬ 
pressed on the sides as in Dr. Hogg, are of a bright 
scarlet colour when fully ripe, with small yellow carpels, 
popularly termed seeds, rather deeply embedded in the 
flesh of the berry (so called). Coming as it does from 
that northern district it is undoubtedly an early 
variety, and is described by the sender as having been 
grown “ upon an exposed piece of poor soil, open to all 
weathers.” They arrived in a somewhat bruised con¬ 
dition from being too loosely packed, but judging from 
the firmness of the skin where not damaged, we believe 
it would travel well if packed by experienced hands. 
It is large enough for an early Strawberry, and rich 
enough in flavour, but the specimens we tasted had a 
slight acidity, which, however, might prove acceptable 
to many. In freshly gathered and perfectly ripe 
specimens the quality would, no doubt, be greatly 
improved. The plants were flowering profusely about 
the 2'2nd of May, and the berries were ripe about the 
26th of June. 
Impatiens Sultani. 
There is a fine batch of seedlings of this beautiful 
garden Balsam at Gunnersbury Park, Acton, one of the 
seats of the Messrs. Rothschild. The plants are nearly 
flat-topped and splendidly flowered, the blooms being 
of the richest carmine. The health of the plants is 
evidenced not only by the wealth of flowers, but also by 
the dark green colour of the foliage. Many growers, 
although they manage to cultivate it thoroughly well 
and flower it, fail to obtain dark and healthy-looking 
foliage. Seedlings always make the best-formed, bushy, 
and close-habited plants, whereas those raised from 
cuttings are more straggling in habit and erect. 
Growing alongside of this batch are some specimens of 
the variegated variety (I. S. variegata) ; but the pale 
green of the ground-colour of the foliage is detrimental 
to it by comparison with the ordinary form. The 
margin is distinctly yellow, however, and to see it to 
best advantage it should be grown by itself, or in con¬ 
junction with other and different kinds of plants. The 
whole group is beautifully arranged with well-grown 
plants of Maidenhair Fern. 
Gloxinias at Gunnersbury Park, Acton. 
An annually-increasing quantity of these is grown 
here, and for some time past the old plants have been 
extremely gay. A great length of a pit is occupied 
with seedlings, which are in a very vigorous condition, 
and rapidly approaching the flowering stage. A suc¬ 
cession of bloom will be kept up till the end of summer, 
and no doubt many fine varieties added to the per¬ 
manent collection. Those grown are chiefly of the 
spotted, mottled, and zoned strain, and a large batch 
of them tastefully arranged is very effective. Very few 
self-coloured varieties are grown, but of these there are 
some rich and striking colours. As an instance of what 
is most prevalent in the collection, we noted a few of 
the most telling colours. A very sweet variety w T as 
spotted with deep rose on a pure white ground, the 
markings in the throat being much finer. Precisely 
similar in its way was another one, with violet markings 
on a white ground. Perfectly distinct in their way are 
those with the pale, usually white ground-colour, 
marbled instead of spotted with rose or violet, while in 
many instances marbling and spotting in various ways 
are connected together. The zoned and edged varieties 
are very attractive, especially w 7 hen the zones are well 
defined. For instance, in one case the lamina was 
suffused with rose, this being banded with a pale 
lavender zone and edged with white. In another case 
the lamina was suffused with pale violet, and banded 
with rose, and a more uncommon variety was crimson 
with a rose-coloured margin. 
Strelitzia ReginaB. 
There are several much larger species of this singular 
genus, known as the Bird’s-tongue or Bird of Paradise 
Flower, but that under notice is the most useful, 
horticulturally, of any in cultivation. This depends 
not only on the brilliancy of the flowers, but the 
accommodating size of the plant itself, and the fact 
that under proper treatment it will flower annually, 
lasting a long time in perfection. The outer three 
segments are orange-coloured, and diverge in such a way 
as to resemble a bird’s head, while two of the inner 
segments are of an intense blue, and so shaped and 
brought together as to resemble an arrow-shaped dart, 
not inaptly compared to a bird’s tongue. The third 
segment is very short, and sometimes, but erroneously, 
described as absent. The plant requires a good amount 
of root room owing to its large fleshy roots, and delights 
in a compost consisting of two parts of loam, one part of 
leaf soil, and a quantity of sharp sand. During summer 
the plant must be liberally supplied with water, but in 
winter should be allowed to rest. It flowers in April 
under cool treatment, or even later, as we noticed it in 
flower the other day in Messrs. Hooper & Co.’s Pine 
Apple Nursery, Maida Vale. 
Fuchsia aucubsefolia. 
Variegated Fuchsias are not particularly plentiful in 
gardens, although there seems no reason why they 
should not be more plentifully employed for decorative 
purposes either in the greenhouse, conservatory, or even 
in the flower garden. Sunray, an old and well-known 
variety, has found a home in many establishments 
throughout the country, but although it may be rather 
more tender than the green-leaved varieties, yet it is 
worthy of a little more trouble on account of the beau¬ 
tiful red variegation of the foliage. As a companion to 
this, Aucubaefolia appears equally deserving of a place 
on account of its distinctiveness. It grows freely 
enough, even out of doors, and a pretty effect would be 
produced by growing the two for bedding purposes. 
It is variously but distinctly blotched with creamy 
yellow, and the leaves are often wholly of that colour, 
with the exception of the margin. The variegation is, 
however, irregular. The tube and sepals of the pendent 
flowers are crimson, while the corolla is purple and 
sufficiently ornamental to add to the value of the 
plant. We noticed the variety in the nursery of 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, where several 
others are grown. 
Lomaria discolor. 
A considerable amount of variation is exhibited by 
this Australian Fern, and being adapted for cool-house 
culture, might more frequently be met with in collec¬ 
tions than it is at present. The short upright caudex 
or stem carrying a vasiform tuft of leaves on the top, 
gives the plant a tree-like aspect. It is nevertheless of 
slow growth, and therefore takes many years to outgrow 
the accommodation of even a moderate-sized house. 
One variety we noted in the Pine Apple Nursery of 
Messrs. Hooper Si Co., Maida Vale, was named L. d. 
bipinnatifida, which had twice-cut, lance-shaped, and 
beautifully-archiug fronds. Another form in a fruiting 
stage was notable for the erect character of the fertile 
fronds, with their narrow or linear fertile pinnae, -while 
the basal part of some were broad, like the ordinary 
barren ones, and without sori. A third form of this 
Fern had its barren fronds from two to three times cut. 
The lower pinnre of the fertile frond in this case were 
very short,] reminding one of the contracted frond 
occurring in our native Lomaria spicant contractum. 
Zephyranthes Treatise. 
This is a lovely but fragile bulbous plant. The leaves 
are narrow and developed with the flowers ; the perianth 
is clear white, with a slight tinge of pink or rose colour 
in the tube. In some varieties the whole of the flower 
is tinged with pink, but the white form is decidedly the 
best. This plant succeeds best as a cool-frame bulb, 
planted in sandy soil ; if grown in the open, it must be 
in a warm border, where some protection can be given 
in the winter. In Mr. Baker’s new work on the 
Amaryllidefe, the time of flowering is given as April 
and May, but the bulbs will bloom much later in an 
ordinary cold frame, some of ours being in flower now, 
and also earlier if placed in a warm greenhouse. I have 
seen plants in flower as early as February in South-west 
Georgia, where it grows in profusion in the sandy soil 
of the clearings. It seemed also equally at home on 
dry elevated spots as in damp swampy ground. 
L. Treatise is certainly a plant that deserves to be more 
generally grown, and will, in time, be as popular as 
some of the better known species of this charming 
genus of plants.— J. W. 0., Pinner. 
On Destroying Snails* Slugs, &c. 
Many and various are the methods adopted by those 
who have charge of gardens to get rid of snails and 
slugs. The inevitable law of nature is that when one 
thing preys upon another something in turn preys 
upon it, and thus preserves the balance. So it is with 
slugs, whose greatest enemies we have found to be 
young ducks. We have not been without ducks for 
many years, and prior to their introduction into the 
garden we had sad work with our vegetables and young 
flowering plants, and were it only to protect these 
alone, a few would be kept at this time of year. “ Oh,” 
someone will say, “ if ducks are all, bother them.’ 
"Well, the answer is, you cannot have both, and I 
prefer the ducks, which are up late and early, delighting 
in showers and catching his enemies when the gardener 
is tired or reposing, or even taking shelter from passing 
showers. No doubt there are places where the birds 
would be objectionable, but speaking for ourselves, we 
would not be without them, and it is very rarely that 
we are troubled with these destructive garden pests. 
Four years ago a young duck only a month old got on 
to its back, and was subsequently found dead. Out of 
curiosity we opened its stomach, and found that it 
contained seventy-four small snails, two worms, and 
five caterpillars. As the bird was one of eleven, what 
would the lot contain at that rate ? Simply 891. Of 
course, as I mentioned in a former volume, when they 
get too weighty, say six or seven weeks old, they are 
excluded from the garden, successional hatchings 
taking their place, as young ones are more active, and 
not so likely to nibble or lay down on your salad beds, 
which after a spell round the garden they are extremely 
fond of doing.— B. Lockwood. 
-- 
The Gard eners’ C alendar. 
THE STOVE. 
Winter-flowering Plants.— Most of these should 
now receive their final shift, so that ample time may 
be allowed them to complete their growth and ripen 
their wood, and be generally prepared for the work 
they are called upon to perform, in the production of 
an abundance of bloom. If potting is delayed till late 
in the season, the plants are excited into fresh growth 
at a period when the sun is losing in power, and a 
cloudy time with shortening days is anything but 
favourable to the proper development of flower buds. 
The most popular plants for this purpose are Euphorbia 
Jacquiniseflora, Bouvardias, Centropogon Lucyanus, 
Begonia insignis, which generally flowers about 
Christmas, B. semperflorens and a great number of 
hybrids of soft-wooded sub-shrubby kinds which keep 
up a show during the greater part of the winter, and 
many of which are only now becoming known to the 
horticultural world generally. Sericographis Ghies- 
breghtiana, Libonia floribunda, L. penrhosiensis, and 
Reinwardtia trigyna, better known as Linum, 
Peristrophe speciosa and Eranthemum nervosum are 
things which must not be overlooked, considering the 
great variety and quantity of bloom they produce 
during the dull winter and spring months. Reinwardtia 
tetragyna is a much prettier or more showy plant when 
well grown than is R. trigyna ; but it is not at all 
common at the present time. The flowers are large, 
and of a beautiful soft primrose-yellow. 
Insects in the Stove. —During the growing period, 
and while the foliage of evergreen subjects is still 
young and tender, a sharp look-out should be kept for 
vermin of all kinds, otherwise the leaves, if they get 
damaged at this time, will never assume the same 
healthy and clean appearance as plants that have 
escaped injury. Dracrenas are particularly subject to 
the attacks of thrip of various kinds which may be 
more or less peculiar to them, while Crotons and 
Ixoras are also attacked till they are w'holly disfigured. 
Crotons often lose their leaves when neglected or left 
in a filthy condition. Scale and mealy-bug also do 
much harm, and increase very rapidly at this season of 
the year. There is nothing better than washing the 
leaves thoroughly with Gishurst’s Compound, Fir Tree 
Oil, or some similarly effective insecticide, using a 
small brush in the axils of the leaves of the Dracrenas, 
