August 4, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
779 
glossum Rossii and 0. Cervantesi in variety ; Lycaste 
Skinneri, in quantity ; and Zygopetalum crinitum all 
formed a nice combination. 
Another house leading from the one mentioned 
contained many good Odontoglossum Alexandra, 0. 
Pescatorei, 0. Eossii (fine forms), 0. triumphans, 0. 
pulchellum majus, and Cattleya citrinaand Sophronitis 
grandiflora suspended close together, the combination 
of the two being charming. A distinct and beautiful 
form of Dendrobium nobile, of pendulous habit, was 
well flowered. On tho centre stage stood magnificent 
specimens of Coelogyne cristata, 3 ft. through ; Cypri- 
pedium insigne and C. villosum, fine plants, some of 
the latter having upwards of fifty expanded flowers. 
The next division to this presented a glorious sight 
to me. The whole length of this division on the left 
side has the old neglected Thunbergia Harrisii trained 
along it. Here it is to be seen most magnificent. 
Thousands of its pale blue flowers are gracefully 
hanging from the roof of this house, it having been in 
flower a long time and will continue so. To show you 
the prolific manner in which this plant is flowering I 
may state that upon one branched raceme over 900 
flowers have been expanded. Considering the period 
of the year, and the manner of its flowering, let me 
advise plant lovers to try it. I repeat I never saw or 
expected to see this grand old plant like this. In this 
house Mr. Smith grows his Odontoglossum Roezlii and 
O. vexillarium, which are doing well. Of the former 
nice plants were in bloom. The next division contains 
a collection of Phalsencpsis Schilleriana, P. amabilis, 
P. grandiflora, &c., in quantities, flowering very freely. 
Another house is devoted to Odontoglossiuns and 
Masdevallias, of which there are a fine lot of healthy 
plants. 
Other houses are devoted to Roses, Liliums, Car¬ 
nations, and other florists’ flowers, which are grown 
extensively and well for cutting purposes. A house of 
Vines attracted my attention, a fine lot of rods carrying 
an extraordinary good crop of well-shouldered bunches, 
which, should they continue to make the satisfactory 
progress they have been doing, will reflect great credit 
upon the cultivator. I do not remember seeing such a 
fine house of Grapes in the States before. I must con¬ 
gratulate Mr. Smith upon being the possessor of such 
a unique collection of plants. I trust his labours may 
be rewarded by another gem equal to his Cattleya 
Triame. Mr. Norman, Mr. Smith’s intelligent gar¬ 
dener, is another of English training, whose practical 
knowledge is appreciated by his worthy employer as it 
should be.— A. Ontram. 
-- 
ARDENING IflSCELLANY. 
The Golden-rayed Japan Lily. 
The success attained by different cultivators of Lilium 
Auratum and its numerous beautiful varieties is very 
variable and conflicting, whether in pots or out of 
doors. There seems no reason why good healthy bulbs 
should not flower annually in the open ground for an 
indefinite number of years in all the more favoured 
parts of this island. Still, the complaint is that whether 
in pots or out of doors, they seldom live more than a 
year or two after their introduction. They either 
degenerate year by year till they refuse to come up at 
all, or they do not appear the second season after 
having flowered. In many cases the bulb rots through 
excessive stimulation—that is, high feeding—especially 
when large quantities of crude manure are used in the 
soil with the intention, of course, of obtaining as large 
flowers as possible. At Devonhurst, Chiswick, Mr. 
Wright has a bed of Rhododendrons, in which some 
large clumps of this Lily have been grown undisturbed 
for the last four seasons. A considerable quantity of 
peat had been used for the good of the Rhododendrons, 
and in this the bulbs were planted. The former are 
just sufficiently close to ensure that protection from 
both wind and sun which the Lilies seem to enjoy. 
The place is exposed to gusts of wind from the north 
and east, so that staking is necessary to prevent the 
Lilies being dashed about and broken when in flower. 
Each stem carries from twelve to twenty-one blooms of 
good size. 
Seedling Carnations. 
From Mr. W. J. Murphy, Clonmel, Ireland, come 
some very bright-coloured self Carnations, raised from 
seeds of Messrs. J. Carter & Co.’s strain. One 
of them is a good-sized bloom for a seedling, in 
general appearance resembling Mary Morris, though a 
shade or two darker, and faintly flaked with deeper 
rose, with occasionally a pale but decided scarlet flake. 
The whole is, however, so harmoniously blended that 
at a little distance off the flower seems of a uniform 
deep rosy pink. Another bloom is of a warm or fiery 
scarlet, with fewer but much broader, rounded, and 
nearly flat petals. It is also strongly fragrant, after 
the style of the old Clove. Under favourable conditions 
as to weather, however, the odour would, no doubt, be 
greatly improved, as well as the general development 
of the flower. The calyx under the petals opens 
regularly and does not split. A third bloom is a dark 
maroon-crimson, fully and regularly double, but is less 
pleasing than the others. 
The Rosy-Flowered Yarrow. 
In going over the fields, lanes and by roadsides one 
often meets with pretty rose and pink tints of the 
common Yarrow or Milfoil (Achillea millefolium), but 
it is rare to get so decisive a colour as that presented 
by the old-fashioned border flower, variously named A. 
m. roseum, or A. m. rubrum in gardens. The odour 
given off by that plant is by no means agreeable to some 
people, because it is too powerful ; but the close set 
arrangement of the flower-heads in a flat-topped 
corymb renders them conspicuous in a collection of 
hardy border subjects, and for cut-flower purposes the 
trusses are very handsome. At some local shows, where 
prizes are given for collections of cut specimens of hardy 
herbaceous plants, great stress is laid upon particular 
kinds, such as Phygelius capensis, Aquilegia Skinneri, 
Alstroemeria aurea, and the subject of this note, so that 
in some localities at least it is held in proper estimation. 
It is also valued for bouquet work on account of the 
smallness, neatness, and pleasing colour of the short 
rays ; but on account of the odour we should not 
recommend it for the latter purpose. Its culture and 
propagation is of the easiest, and it will thrive in a 
comparatively dry place, provided it has been well 
established before a period of protracted drought. 
Impatiens fulva. 
Most British floras now include this plant, which 
although of North American origin, has become natur¬ 
alised in this country within the last half century, and 
is now spreading rapidly. One is naturally disinclined 
to mention localities where it is to be found ; but we 
noticed it recently within the precincts of the grounds 
of Chiswick House, Chiswick, where it is of course well 
protected from any inroads that may be made upon it 
by those who are not very scrupulously conscientious 
about whether such interesting wild plants are extermi¬ 
nated or not. Mr. May, the gardener, is sufficiently 
alive to its value, and gives standing instructions to 
his workmen never to destroy it, as well as a host of 
other ornamental subjects that have established them¬ 
selves spontaneously or have originally been planted 
in the grounds. The Balsam in question has come up 
in considerable quantities in various places near the 
lake, and is a very conspicuous plant, independently of 
the flowers, which are large and also showy. Both the 
calyx and corolla are deep golden yellow, or even 
orange, heavily spotted all over with reddish brown. 
The species belongs to the type having large saccate 
flowers, especially the spurred sepal ; the sac being 
widely open at the mouth, and the spur hooked. It 
likes to be in the vicinity of water. 
Pieris floribunda. 
In gardens this plant would be more familiar to 
gardeners under the name of Andromeda floribunda, 
and has also another synonym in Leucothoe floribunda. 
Being an evergreen, it is admirably suitable for planting 
in beds, as well as for mixing amongst the occupants 
of the mixed shrubbery. We frequently see it under 
these conditions, but seldom have we the opportunity 
of seeing such a large specimen as that in the grounds 
of Chiswick House, Chiswick. It must have been 
planted many years ago, perhaps when the planting 
of beautiful hardy trees and shrubs received more 
attention than it does at present, although a reaction 
seems to be setting in slowly but steadily. The bush 
(for it is a solitary specimen) stands 7 ft. high, and 
measures 12 ft. in diameter ; it is surrounded by tall 
clumps of Rhododendrons on three sides, but shelter 
is also afforded by the neighbouring trees, which, 
although by no means close to the plant, yet effectually 
screen it from winds coming from any quarter. The 
shelter thus afforded it may have something to do 
with its present size, although unnecessary as far as 
frost is concerned ; and the roots, no doubt, find a 
congenial home in the rich alluvial soil. 
Trials at Chiswick. 
A MEETING of the Fruit and Vegetable Committee of 
the Royal Horticultural Society was held at Chiswick on 
July 26th, when the collection of Peas growing in the 
garden was further examined. Dr. Hogg, from Messrs. 
J. Veitch & Sons, was noted as a very fine stock. 
Midsummer Green was condemned as worthless. Op¬ 
timum (Laxton), a tall green Marrow, having large 
handsome pods resembling Telegraph, was approved. 
Prince of Wales was noted for its extraordinary cropping 
qualities. Pride of Kent (Divers) and Gloria Mundi 
(Yates) were considered to be Ne Plus Ultra. The 
Abbot (Hurst & Son), a wrinkled green Marrow resem¬ 
bling Telegraph in appearance, but of superior quality, 
was greatly approved and received a First Class Certi¬ 
ficate. Reliable (Laxton), a dwarf green wrinkled 
Marrow of the Scimitar type, was approved for its free- 
cropping qualities and well-filled pods. Empress 
(Eckford), a tall green wrinkled Marrow, was approved 
as being a good cropper and of good quality. Ne 
Plu3 Ultra Seedling (Culverwell) was considered a 
good stock of the old variety. A collection of autumn- 
sown Onions was inspected, and the various types 
and selections of White Spanish were noted as being 
superior to the Tripoli section this season. Bailey’s 
selected White Spanish (Veitch) was highly com¬ 
mended by the committee, being considered the best 
selection. Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons submitted 
examples of Raspberry Superlative, referred from the 
meeting at Westminster, together with examples of 
Lord Beaconsfield and Semper Fidelis for comparison. 
They were considered quite distinct. Superlative 
being far superior, was awarded a First Class Certificate. 
Mr. T. F. Rivers submitted examples of a seedling 
Nectarine raised from the Nectarine Peach. It was 
remarkable for its enormous size, being 104 inches in 
circumference, and 10 ozs. in weight. 
The Variegated Pine Apple. 
Although not a new plant, Ananassa sativa variegata 
might be more often grown and to better advantage 
than it is at present. In the first instance, the leaves 
are 2 ft. or 3 ft. long, and distinctly reflexed, not erect, 
as in the forms cultivated for their fruit ; so that it 
should be grown in a pot, hung up to the roof of a stove 
or warm conservatory, to show it off to best advantage. 
When growing vigorously the leaves not only become 
reflexed, but are more or less twisted and regularly 
arranged, overlapping one another, hiding the pot in 
which it is grown from the eye of the beholder beneath. 
The centre of each is of a deep green colour, while the 
broad margin is creamy yellow more or less suffused 
with red in the young state, while the spiny serratures 
at the edge are of a bright red. As the leaves get older 
the broad border simply changes to a uniform but 
distinct creamy white. There are some fine specimens 
in the Victoria and Paradise Nurseries of Mr. B. S. 
Williams, Upper Holloway. Some are fruiting, the 
fruit being of a deep red, while the terminal tuft of 
leaves is coloured like the ordinary foliage. 
Early Cauliflowers. 
By a judicious selection of varieties, and keeping the 
plants gently moving onwards, spring-sown Cauliflowers 
are not usually long behind those grown from autumn- 
sown seeds, and for our own part we give preference to 
the plan of making a sowing of a good strain of the 
Erfurt type in the second or third week in January. 
On referring to my note-book, I find that on January 
19th this year we sowed a pinch of seed in a box, and 
placed it on a double row of 4-in. pipes. The seedlings 
were up in a few days, and were then put on a central 
shelf in a small span-roofed vinery, just under the top 
ventilators. When sufficiently strong, the best were 
pricked out singly into 4-in. pots, using any material 
at hand that was moderately rich and porous, and 
replaced on the shelf. Finally they were shifted into 
6-in. pots, and then removed into a span-roofed un¬ 
heated pit, and given an abundance of air without 
causing a check. They were gradually inured to the 
vicissitudes of the weather, and in April were planted 
out on a warm border 2 ft. apart, and in trenches 
nearly filled with warm sweet manure, which at first 
causes a slight root action. If the nights were chilly, 
nightcaps, in the shape of inverted 8-in. pots, were 
placed over each plant. Thus, in spite of the cold 
season we have had, we began cutting in June, or in 
the short space of less than five months, nor have 10 
per cent, of the plants become abortive or buttoned. 
The very best sort yet tried is Snowball, a dwarf 
variety, feathered with leaves to the ground, and 
