140 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 1, 1890. 
Ribston Pippin Apple. 
Complaints are often made that this favourite old Apple 
must be degenerating, because many fail to grow and 
fruit it satisfactorily. It seems, however, that soil and 
cultural conditions are responsible for its success or 
failure ; and, as a matter of course, climate is re¬ 
sponsible for the proper ripening of the fruit. We 
have seen the trees bearing heavily many miles north 
of the Tweed ; although, of course, the fruits under 
those conditions never colour very highly, but in fact 
remain green to the last. They, however, ripen per¬ 
fectly in the fruit-room, and are as acceptable as those 
that mature earlier and are more highly coloured in 
the warmer southern counties. In the latter case the 
fruit becomes dull red, and afterwards slightly crimson 
on the exposed side, while the shaded side is dull 
yellow, more or less streaked with red. When grown 
under glass the conditions are considerably changed. 
We noted fruit in the gardens of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society at Chiswick which were wholly 
yellow, larger, and of a lighter shade of colour than 
those grown out of doors. 
A Floriferous Loquat. 
We are well acquainted with the fruit of this plant in 
the market; but although there are many specimens 
in the country, both indoors and out, they seldom 
flower, and less seldom produce fruit. When recently 
visiting the houses and grounds of Mrs. General 
Huysche, Rosenheim, St. Andrews, Guernsey, we noted 
a large specimen just going out of bloom. There were 
some thirty to thirty-six trusses, but just at that stage 
when it is difficult to say how many of the fruits are 
set. The tree frequently ripens a good crop. The 
flowers smell of Hawthorn when at their best, but are 
not particularly showy or conspicuous. The species is 
perhaps best known under the name of Eriobotrya 
japonica, but Photinia japonica is botanically more 
correct. Besides Loquat, there are several other 
English names, such as Japan Medlar and Japan 
Quince. The specimen is grown on the back wall of a 
vinery, and is of considerable size. 
Herbaceous Plants. 
The recent correspondence relating to exhibits often 
found staged as “ Herbaceous Plants” at horticultural 
exhibitions, open up—and very properly too—a knotty 
point, which must frequently perplex many of our best- 
known judges, for I have no recollection of ever seeing 
an exhibitor disqualified on the ground that his 
exhibits contained some which were not true herbaceous 
plants, when for certain the prize-winners have shown 
specimens, perennial both in stalks and roots. The 
expression, “ Herbaceous Plants,” according to custom, 
is generally understood by gardeners and nurserymen 
to comprise hardy border plants, which are neither 
annuals or of the nature of shrubs ; and for all practical 
purposes this is, or should be, near enough ; but to be 
strict and correct, an excellent definition ot the term is 
-—plants which have annual stalks, with biennial or 
with perennial roots.— W. Nappe?-, Chelsea. 
The Peruvian Swamp Lily. 
Such is the popular name of Zephyranthes Candida, 
which was introduced not from Peru, but from Buenos 
Ayres in 1822. 'With us it is, properly speaking, a 
greenhouse plant, although several attempts have been 
made to grow it in sheltered places in the open air. It 
is, moreover, nearly hardy in the south of England, 
and apparently quite at home in the Channel Islands, 
for we saw a large quantity of it bedded out in one of 
the nurseries of Mr. C. B. Saunders, St. Saviour’s Road, 
Jersey. The beds were completely covered with foliage 
of a rich dark green colour, and the white flowers were 
expanding in great plenty. -Ho shelter of any kind is 
required, but on the other hand the beds were in an 
exposed position, quite clear of shrubs and trees, and on 
the same piece of ground where Daffodils, but more 
especially the Poet’s Narcissus, are planted over con¬ 
siderable breadths. 
Schubertia grandiflora. 
The flowers of this species are similar to those of 
Physianthus albens, except in their much greater size. 
The corolla is longer, and therefore more conspicuously 
constricted or narrowed in the middle, from whence it 
widens to the base and apex. It is pure white, sweetly 
fragrant, and therefore doubly acceptable at this season 
of the year. The foliage is dull deep green, and rather 
thickly covered with long grey or brown hairs. The 
plant can readily be grown and flowered in a pot— 
indeed, many plants belonging to the same family, as 
well as other climbers, flower best when they are rather 
restricted in the matter of root room. If grown in a 
small pot, the long slender stems may be accommodated 
by tying them round a framework of wire, of a size and 
shape commensurate with the convenience of the 
grower. A plant has been flowering for some time in 
the stove at Kew. 
Pentstemons. 
A group of several varieties of Pentstemons were shown 
at the Drill Hall, Westminster, on Tuesday last by 
Mr. R. Dean, Ealing. They were cut from the open 
border, and exhibited various colours, such as purple, 
crimson-purple, scarlet, rose-pink, and carmine, all 
generally white in the throat or partly so. Considering 
the lateness of the season they were in very good condi¬ 
tion, and show what might be done with Pentstemons 
with the object of getting cut flowers in autumn, while 
they are equally serviceable for garden decoration. An 
Award of Merit was accorded for the strain. 
Berberis Thunbergii. 
The flowers of this species are small, yellow, and as 
a rule, less conspicuous than those of several others, 
because partially concealed by the foliage. The latter 
is, however, exceedingly ornamental when fading in the 
autumn, as it assumes a bright crimson hue. The 
leaves are small, obovate, entire, and mostly produced 
in fascicles in the axils of spines all along the shoots. 
The spines are mostly simple or single, though occa¬ 
sionally branched. A plant of it in its autumn garb 
was exhibited at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society on Tuesday last by Messrs. Wm. Paul & Son, 
Waltham Cross, who received a First Class Certificate 
for it. 
Potato Disease in Inverness-shire. 
Potato lifting, which is now about over in this district, 
was rather disheartening work this season, the crop 
being so much destroyed by the disease, very few kinds 
escaping its ravages. In the fields one of the varieties 
that withstood it most is The Bruce, a sort raised a 
few years ago and which is apparently a good disease 
resister. Magnum Bonum, Grampian, Blues, Yellow 
Rock, and even Seour-na-Lapich, all suffered to a 
greater or less extent. The crop, apart from the 
disease, is considerably behind that of last year ; the 
summer throughout being so cold and wet did not suit 
them, and they are consequently neither so large nor 
plentiful. In the garden the kinds that withstood the 
disease best are the American Early Rose and Model. 
All other kinds planted, including Walker’s Regent, 
Red [Bog, Fortyfold and Beauty of Hebron were all 
more or less affected, and the earlier kinds, when the 
disease attacked them, became soft and pulpy and 
entirely useless. The later kinds, however, although 
affected with disease, are quite hard, the disease being 
not so very deep into them.— A. McKintosh, Erchless, 
Beauly. 
--5-Z-C-- 
THE NEW AMERICAN 
MULBERRY. 
The New American is one of the very best Mulberries 
for cultivation in the north. It is hardy, vigorous 
and productive, and the fruit is large and of pleasant 
quality. The fruit is black at full maturity, 1J ins. in 
length, and evenly cylindrical. It ripens during July 
and early August. 
I am unable to obtain any information as to the 
origin and history of this Mulberry. Messrs. Ellwanger 
& Barry tell me that they have handled it about ten 
years. A tree upon their grounds at Rochester, N.Y., 
measures several inches in diameter at the top of the 
trunk and is regularly loaded with the long and pretty 
fruits. It is considerably grown in California. 
It is strange that the Mulberry is not more generally 
known and cultivated. It succeeds under any ordi¬ 
nary treatment, and its sweet and juicy fruits, ripen¬ 
ing through four to six weeks, add a pleasant variety to 
the fruit garden. The fruit is unknown in our markets, 
although many inferior ones are common. The New 
American Downing (Downing’s Everbearing), Johnson, 
and Hicks (Hicks’ Everbearing) are the most reliable 
varieties. The Downing originated upon the Hudson 
with the Downings from the seed of the famous Morus 
multicaulis, which was introduced to feed silkworms. 
Of late years the Russian Mulberry has been wudely 
disseminated, and as it is comparatively worthless, it 
will be likely to prejudice many people against the 
Mulberry. The wild species, Morus rubra, has long 
been cultivated to a limited extent, and it is worthy 
of greater attention. 
The Mulberry thrives best in a good sandy loam. 
Three or four trees will ordinarily supply a family. 
The tree requires little pruning or care. It is readily 
propagated by cuttings, either of the recent wood or of 
roots. It is also grafted. It is a long-lived tree, and 
it sometimes attains a considerable size. It is not un¬ 
common to find specimens of the old-fashioned White 
Mulberry ft. in diameter at the base, and 25 ft. high. 
Many of the varieties are hardy in Michigan, New 
York and Massachusetts. 
As ornamental trees, the Mulberries possess merit. 
They are particularly conspicuous because of the 
curious and various lobing of the leaves. Individual 
trees vary much in style of leaf, even of the same 
species, and the lobing of the leaves on the upper 
branches is often different from that on the lower ones. 
A batch of Mulberry seedlings often presents an 
interesting study in this direction. Mulberries are 
among the last trees to leaf out in spring, but in late 
summer, when most other plants have lost their special 
charms, the Mulberry begins to ripen its sweet and 
curious fruits. In most varieties the fruits ripen 
successively through a number of weeks. I picked 
the last fruits from a large Mulberry tree this year in 
September. This habit of continuous ripening obscures 
the amount of fruit which a Mulberry tree bears. A 
member of the Western New York Horticultural 
Society stated at the last meeting that he has a tree 
which bears ten bushels in one season.— L. H. B., in 
The American Garden. 
-- >! -«.- 
ORCHID NO TES ADD GLEANINGS. 
The Orchid Growers’ Calendar. 
Amongst the occupants of the intermediate or Cattleya 
house very few plants require so much room as Cym- 
bidium Lowianum, for when grown in the same compost 
as Chrysanthemums, they increase in size in a sur¬ 
prising manner. Of the popularity of this Orchid there 
can be no doubt, for it is a plant found in the majority 
of collections large or small ; and whether a plant is 
grown in an 8-in. pot, producing a couple of flower 
spikes, or is grown and flowered as luxuriantly as the 
one shown at the Temple, from Baron Schroder’s match¬ 
less collection, it is evident that they are each appreciated 
not only for the beauty of their flowers, but also for 
their enduring character, as they retain their beauty 
for at least three months. Any plants which are not 
pushing up flower spikes at this time may probably be 
helped to do so by keeping them on the dry side for a 
week or two. 
Plants of Coelogyne cristata with forward flower 
spikes should be afforded extra warmth if they are 
required in flower by Christmas. Deudrobium nobile 
and D. heterocarpum, as well as D. Ainsworthii and 
D. splendidissimum grandiflorum, having enjoyed a 
good rest, are now pushing flower buds, and should be 
still kept dry, only water enough being afforded to 
prevent the shrivelling of the bulbs. They will all 
doubtless be welcome next month when their flowers 
are properly developed. Where possible, all watering 
of the plants should be done in the morning now that 
we are near the winter, and very little damping down 
will be needed in the afternoons of dull foggy days, 
except in houses where much fire-heat is used. 
Temperatures will now be as follows :—East Indian 
House, 70° by day, 65° at night; Cattleya house, 65° 
by day, 58° at night; cool or Odontoglossum house, 
55° by day, 4S° at night. — IV. P. 
Orchids in Light and Shade. 
In Mr. Brown’s notes from AriHarroeh, at p. 109, we 
are told that, though the weather has been anything 
but bright in that locality, the growths made by the 
Cattleyas are very satisfactory, and this fact seems to 
have set Mr. Brown considering whether a bright or a 
dull season is the best for the well-being of the inmates 
of the Cattleya house. For my part I am disposed to 
agree with him that the house is darker when shaded 
in bright weather, than when unshaded because of 
the absence of bright sunshine, and therefore the 
balance is on the side of the weather when shading 
need not be used ; but 1 think we shall both agree also 
that after the plants have made their growths, and the 
days are getting shorter, they are all the better for 
such an autumn as we have recently passed through, 
when they may benefit by sun unshaded. As regards 
the white Lselia anceps, it cannot well be too bright 
for the plants if they are to flower freely, and I have been 
much struck with the great amount of fierce sun they 
can stand without scorching, provided they are always 
accustomed to being grown without shade.— W. P. 
