800 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 15, 1891. 
a large number of layers can be put down in 
one day. 
In nurseries and private gardens where layering is 
done on a large scale, everything is prepared for him 
who layers : the plants are clean, the shoots to be 
layered trimmed, the old soil removed and fresh 
added; and all the operator has to do is to 
put down the layers. The usual plan is to stand the 
plants where the layers can be fully exposed to the 
sun, watering them as required through a fine rose 
watering pot. An expert layerer can lay down a 
large number in a day. I have heard Mr. Dodwell 
say he has put down as many as a thousand a day, 
but making a long day in doing so. It is a case in 
which practice makes perfect. One thing is, very 
important care should be taken that the ball of soil 
in the pot is thoroughly saturated with moisture 
before layering is performed. 
I think a good deal of layering will have to be 
done this season in the early days of September. It 
is inevitable it be so, for the reason above stated. 
Layering in the open ground should be done as soon 
as possible, but especially as the season is so retarded ; 
it is a great deal the best plan to lift any plants of 
special value from the open ground and place them 
in pots for the convenience of layering. I am doing 
this in the case of some promising seedlings. Layers 
in pots are much more under control than those in 
the open ; the pots can be screened from drenching 
late summer and early autumn showers, which can¬ 
not be done in the case of layers put down in the 
open; and they are also subject to the action of 
worms, a sadly disturbing influence. 
Unless the weather should change for the better— 
and as I write I am afraid there is but little hope of 
its doing so there is poor chance of many of the 
layers failing to put forth roots. When this occurs, 
Mr. Dodwell’s plan is well worth following. He 
takes off all layers not yet rooted in the autumn, 
holding that they will make no effort to root while 
attached to the parent plants, and places them in a 
prepared bed in a cold frame. This practice appears 
to force the unrooted layers to make some effort, and 
in due course they put forth roots, and make plants 
by the spring.— R. D. 
) ♦ t 
A COLLECTION OF SWEET 
PEAS. 
The improvements in the way of variety of beautiful 
colours that have been effected in the Sweet Pea 
(Lathyrus odoratus) since it was fitst introduced from 
Sicily in 1700 must be something mp-vellous. Some 
old books state that the species was white, and others 
say variegated, but the probability is that it was 
somewhat variable even in a state of nature. No 
matter when the variability first appeared, it has 
since been turned to good account. The Sweet Pea 
has been a favourite from time immemorial, but it is 
probable that most of the varieties now in cultivation 
are comparatively recent selections. Some of them 
may, and probably have existed for many years in a 
nameless state, or in colours closely resembling those 
now in favour. Many growers still give preference 
to Sweet Peas in mixture, and no one can blame them, 
for they are certainly handsome grown in that way ; 
but to preserve the varieties true to name, and indeed 
as a mixture, they must be obtained annually or at 
least every few years by those who grow the kinds 
separately. Mix them then if considered desirable. 
When sown in mixture, and seeds preserved from the 
same annually, the weaker kinds gradually succumb 
to the stronger until only a few of the coarser sorts 
monopolise the rows. The pale and white varieties 
are generally dwarfer, and of weaker constitution, 
than the rose, red, or purple sorts ; hence the neces¬ 
sity of keeping them separate in order to perpetuate 
them. 
For some few years past a collection has been 
grown in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural 
Society at Chiswick, and this year the number 
of varieties has been materially increased. The 
possible range of variation would be difficult to 
determine ; but even now a thoroughly representa¬ 
tive collection would include a large number of 
really distinct and beautiful kinds. The flower 
stalks of the wild plant usually carry only two 
blooms each, but those of the plants at Chiswick 
frequently have three and four forming a raceme, 
and all kinds alike are fragrant. There are two 
pure white varieties, named respectively Mrs. 
Sankey and The Bride, the latter being dwarf by 
comparison with any of the others. The flowers of 
Mrs. Gladstone are of a delicate pink, but the 
standard is tinted with salmon before expansion. 
Another beautiful but pale variety is Isa Eckford ; 
the standard is salmon fading to blush, and the wings 
blush fading almost to white. Primrose is of that 
colour in the bud, but ultimately fades to a creamy- 
white. Somewhat similar is Queen of England, 
which is pale yellow fading to a creamy-yellow, and 
ultimately pure white. 
In strong contrast to the above is the rich rosy- 
carmine of Splendour, or the crimson of Cardinal; 
the wings of the latter are of an intense red, shaded 
with purple. The standard of Apple Blossom is 
carmine fading to rose, with darker veins, and the 
wings are blush or white. Captain of the Blues is a 
showy, dark blue kind, more or less netted with 
purple. 
A curious but distinct variety is Princess of Wales, 
closely shaded, striated and mottled with indigo, and 
shaded purple on a white ground. Of the same style is 
Senator, only the colours are several shades darker 
and more decided. One or other of the two 
should certainly find a place in collections. The 
standard of Carmen Sylva is suffused and netted 
with red on a white ground, while the wings are pale 
blue. Equally distinct is Countess of Radnor, when 
obtained true, as the flowers are of a beautiful 
lavender hue, more or less shaded with pale purple 
on first expansion, Vesuvius is of the same type as 
Carmen Sylva, but the flowers are several shades 
darker. 
There are now several sorts of the same strain as 
Boreatton, differing from one another in shading and 
also in the depth of tint of the colours pervading the 
different parts of the flower. For want of a better 
term, the standard may be described as maroon- 
crimson with a metallic lustre, while the wings are 
of an intense or blackish-purple. Maroon itself has a 
maroon-purple standard and deep purple wings 
shaded with blue. Several shades paler than either 
of the above is Purple Prince, which may be 
described as deep purple shaded with maroon. 
Indigo King has a maroon-purple standard and blue 
wings ; while Monarch is closely similar to Purple 
Prince. All the five kinds agree in the peculiar and 
metallic lustre of the standard, but differ in other 
particulars. 
Peach Blossom is sometimes confused with Apple 
Blossom, but the two are quite distinct; the former 
has a rosy-carmine standard, and rosy wings netted 
with darker veins. Empress of India may be dis¬ 
tinguished by its beautifully netted rosy standard, 
and white wings sometimes netted with pink. The 
standard of Miss Hunt is deep rose, and the wings 
pale purple. Delight is all but a white sort, the 
standard only being stained with pink along the centre. 
Much darker is Jeannie Sea, the wings being rose 
and the standard rosy-scarlet. Quite distinct from 
the'latter is Princess Victoria, which has a carmine 
standard fading to rosy-purple, and the wings are 
ultimately lilac-purple. The wings of Duchess of Edin¬ 
burgh are rosy-purple, and the standard carmine. 
Painted Lady is not very cons tant, and wan ts rigid selec¬ 
tion for a few generations to fix it if possible. The rosy- 
carmine standard is not always netted with a darker 
hue, and the wings are often merely of a blush hue, 
fading to white. The flowers of The Queen are 
splashed and netted with rose on a white ground, but 
the wings are sometimes white. All the above kinds 
are grown separately in their respective colours, and 
one line consists of a mixture of the same, and 
during the latter part of July they were simply 
charming. 
—-■*—- 
Dahlia Zimpani. —The dwarfhabit of this plant might 
be an inducement to try whether a series of varieties 
might be obtained from it having flowers of different 
colours. The stems are 10 ins. to 12 ins. high, and bear 
deeply-lobed or pinnatifid dark green leaves. The 
peduncle is often nearly twice as long as this, and 
therefore offers convenience for mixing amongst cut 
flowers. The rays are of a dark or blackish-maroon, 
and therefore rather dull to be attractive, although 
very striking in their way. It would be highly desir¬ 
able to get scarlet, crimson, purple, and other shades 
of colour, which would prove far more attractive 
and showy when used for decorative purposes under 
artificial light. Flowering specimens may be seen in 
the Trial Grounds of Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons at 
Chiswick. 
Hardening Miscellany. 
FIRST FRUITS. 
The first fruits to ripen are generally those which 
have been injured in some way, thus causing them to 
wither and fall. Red Astrachan Apple and Doyenne 
d’ Ete Pear, naturally ripen early, but owing to their 
being attacked with the grub of the Codlin Moth or 
something similar, a number of the fruits in the gardens 
of the Royal Horticultural Society at Chiswick, 
dropped as early as the last week in July. It is no 
great advantage, of course, to have fruit ripened in 
this way except for early consumption, and then the 
consumer might object to the presence of the agent 
which had thus been the means of forwarding the 
fruit. The circumstance reminds us of the caprifica- 
tion of the Fig, or the process by which the maturity 
of Figs is hastened by some cultivators on the 
Continent and in the East. Spring Figs in which a 
species of gnat has laid its eggs, are placed amongst 
the boughs of autumn ripening Figs. A multitude of 
gnats are hatched out from the former, and in turn 
lay their eggs in the autumn Figs, which, as a result 
of the injury, ripen about a fortnight earlier than 
they otherwise would do. 
THE PAPER MULBERRY. 
There is a beautiful and healthy, round-headed tree of 
Broussonetia papyrifera, otherwise known as the 
Lace-bark tree, in Battersea Park. It is about 18 ft. 
or 20 ft. high, and is now laden with a good crop of 
fruit about half-grown. Whether this will ripen or 
not is a question ; but it seems that it would do so 
provided a male tree had been planted in the vicinity. 
Fruiting trees of an ornamental character should be 
planted in groups, when, as in this case, the plants are 
male and female. The orange fruit is highly orna¬ 
mental in autumn. The tree bears a strong 
resemblance to a Catalpa, but may be recognised 
by its dark-green and hairy foliage. The leaves of 
adult trees are generally heart-shaped, and entire, 
not showing the peculiarly lobed character of young 
trees, and therefore liable to be overlooked by those 
who have only seen young trees. — Taxus. 
ASPERULA ORIENTALIS. 
We find this hardy annual being more and more 
extensively used for border decoration and also for 
cut flower purposes. The flowers are sky blue, 
tubular, slightly inflated at the four lobed lamina and 
borne in heads terminating the numerous shoots. 
They are slightly fragrant, but more useful on 
account of their colour and small size, which favours 
their employment amongst other cut flowers of a 
heavier and denser type and which they serve to 
lighten and brighten up considerably. When cut 
they last well in water. The heads have a somewhat 
curious effect owing to the bristly hairs with which 
the bracts of the head are beset. This is no doubt 
what suggested the name A. azurea-setosa sometimes 
applied to it. Gardeners also sometimes call it A, 
coerulea, and we have also seen it under the name of 
A. arvensis coerulea. It is grown amongst other 
annuals at Gunnersbury House, Acton, 
HAAGE'S DOUBLE ZINNIA. 
Improvement has not yet been carried to the 
same extent in Z. Haageana as in the better known 
Z. elegans. From what we have seen of it however, 
there seems good reason to hope that something good 
may yet be made of it for bedding purposes. A 
double form of it may be seen in the Trial Grounds 
of Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons at Chiswick, under 
the name of Z. Haageana imbricata flore pleno. 
Some of the flowers are fully double, while others 
are only semi-double, and others quite single. The 
question seems to be whether selection would not in 
time fix and improve the double form; and this seems 
quite feasible. The rays of the flowers are golden, 
yellow, or orange, very broad and imbricated, so that 
when the heads are quite full they present an 
appearance not unlike Z. elegans when of the same 
hue. The florets of the double form have an orange 
stripe down the centre, so that in time we shall 
possibly have a race of striped flowers. Those 
under notice may be compared to Calendula offici¬ 
nalis Meteor, only the flower heads are somewhat 
different in form and the plant itself greatly different 
in appearance. The latter is dwarf, decumbent, 
spreading, and bushy, with dark greenpvate leave?’ 
