March 28, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
479 
Cyclamen, Sunray. 
The flowers of this variety were of medium size, and 
belong to the typical strain of Cyclamen persicum. 
The segments were of a bright rose, and deep purple at 
the base around the mouth of the flowers, which were 
produced in great abundance. The heart-shaped leaves 
were of the ordinary size, and slightly splashed with 
grey. A plant was shown at the Crystal Palace on the 
21st inst. by the St. George’s Nursery Co., Hanwell, 
and was awarded a First Class Certificate. 
Camellia, Beauty of Waltham. 
The flowers of this variety are of medium size, but 
very pretty and attractive on account of their delicacy 
of colour, and the regularity with which the petals are 
arranged round the centre. They may be described as 
of a warm blush or flesh colour, with darker veins, and 
therefore pleasing to the eye. Cut flowers of the variety 
were shown at the Crystal Palace on the 21st inst. and 
at the Drill Hall on Tuesday by Messrs. Paul & Son, 
Waltham Cross, and a First Class Certificate was 
awarded at both places. 
Rose, Danmark. 
This is a hybrid perpetual variety, very much after the 
same style as La France, as far as the flower is con¬ 
cerned, but somewhat different in colour. The flowers 
are also considerably smaller, but that may be the 
result of forcing and the conditions of growth. The 
petals are revolute at the edges, or rolled back in the same 
way as those of La France, lilac-rose externally and much 
paler internally. The leaves are dark green, and consist 
of three to five, but generally five leaflets. The flowers 
are very fragrant. Some plants were exhibited at the 
Crystal Palace on the 21st inst. and at the Drill Hall 
on Tuesday by Messrs. William Paul & Son, and First 
Class Certificates were awarded the variety. 
The Juniper-leaved Saxifrage. 
Anything that will give a little pleasing colouring on 
the rockery at the present time is acceptable, however 
diminutive and unassuming the plant itself may be 
At this season of the year it has no competitors 
amongst its own class, with the exception, perhaps, of 
J. sancta, another yellow-flowered and dwarf, tufted- 
growing species, and S. Burseriana, with its large 
white flowers. S. sancta is flowering on the rockery 
at Kew, while S. juniperifolia is flowering on the old 
rockery amongst the collection of Saxifrages. The 
leaves of the latter are awl-shaped, sharp pointed like 
those of a Juniper, and densely arranged in small, 
tufted rosettes, from amongst which the scapes rise to a 
height of 2 ins. or 3 ins., bearing at the top a dense 
head or spike of flowers. The petals are yellow, but 
they are very short, not much exceeding the length of 
the calyx. The flowers, however, are rendered promi¬ 
nent by the stamens, the anthers of which are bright 
yellow, and extend far beyond the corolla. Another 
advantage which may be added to the value of this 
species is its hardiness, for it had been flowering before 
the last snowstorm, and when the snow melted the 
flowers seemed none the worse, except that the scapes 
had been partly broken down by the weight of snow. 
Amaryllis at Clement Park. 
The Amaryllis is exceedingly well grown at Clement 
Park, Lochee, and at the present time many fine 
plants of the leading varieties may be seen in bloom 
there. They are not grown in large pots, but chiefly 
in 5-in. and 6-in. ones, and I noticed some of them with 
three spikes of four blooms each. One plant in a 6-in. 
pot had a spike measuring 5 ins. in circumference with 
six magnificent blooms. Mr. Muir, the gardener, is 
certainly to be congratulated upon his success. — Rexii. 
The Hawfinch. 
W HEN I saw “M.’s” article on the Finches in your issue 
for March 7 th I read it very carefully, but was 
disappointed in seeing no mention of the Hawfinch. I 
have often thought of writing to ask for information 
about this bird, as there must be many gardeners as well 
as myself who find them very destructive in the early 
summer. They come into the garden just when the 
first Peas are ready to gather, and unless disturbed 
continue about the Pea ranks for about six weeks, 
destroying many a dish of Peas. Last summer I caught 
two young ones, and have them at the present time. 
One of them is of the normal type, brown head and 
body, black wings barred with white, a large black 
blotch on the throat underneath the beak, and a broad 
bluish grey ring round the neck. Its plumage is 
beautifully soft, and altogether I think it is one of the 
most beautiful of British birds. The other is apparently 
an albino, having a creamy white head and body with 
a nearly pure white ring round the neck. The back of 
the wing feathers is tinted with a little brown, and it 
has the black blotch under the beak. Very few people 
seem to know anything about these birds, or where they 
come from. Can “M.”or any other reader give me 
any information about them 1 I should also like to 
know whether the Hawfinch is ever exhibited at any 
of the bird shows about the country. — T., Nottingham. 
New Bertolonias. 
The leaves of Madame Leon Say are ovate, five-nerved, 
undulated at the margin, thinly hairy, rugose between 
the nerves where they are raised, and more or less 
rugose. The nerves are grey, and the interspaces 
between them variegated with olive-green and grey, the 
latter colour shining through a pale soft rose. The 
plant shown at the Drill Hall on Tuesday last by 
Messrs. Linden, Parc Leopold, Brussels, was only about 
4 ins. high, and well furnished with leaves. It was 
shown at the same time as the variety Baron Adolphe 
de Rothschild, by the same firm, and both received 
First Class Certificates. The latter had leaves similar 
in all respects to those of the former, except in colour, 
which was a warm rosy purple, irregularly blotched 
between the nerves with a deep bright green. 
Acacia Drummondi. 
A. Drummondi is one of the most floriferous species 
in a small state, and one of the most easily managed. 
In fact it may be and is grown much in the same way 
as the common Cytisus racemosus. After flowering the 
shoots may be trimmed back in order to retain the 
compact and bushy form of the plant. Then the 
plants should be placed in a rather warm and moist 
atmosphere to encourage all the buds to start equally. 
A short time under this treatment will suffice, as plants 
of this class altogether dislike a close and confined 
atmosphere. After the shoots have made a start a 
greenhouse temperature will be quite sufficient, and 
after the weather becomes fine the plants should be 
stood in a sunny but well-sheltered position out-of- 
doors, and well supplied with water, especially in dry 
weather. Under these conditions the wood gets well 
ripened, and plenty of flowers may be expected in the 
ensuing spring. These flowers are produced in 
cylindrical spikes resembling catkins, drooping from 
the axils of the leaves, and are of a beautiful pale 
lemon colour. The leaves are of a rich dark green, bi- 
pinnate, and consist of one pair of pinnse with 
numerous leaflets. The plant, both in the matter of 
flowers and foliage, is therefore very distinct from the 
bulk of the popular Acacias in cultivation. 
Boronia elatior. 
There is a considerable number of these old-fashioned, 
hard-wooded plants in cultivation, although at present 
they are not so widely disseminated in British gardens 
as they ought to be. The time will surely come again 
when plants of this class will be received with more 
favour than now. A well-arranged group of them is 
highly effective, and many of them can be used for cut 
flowers in the same way as the more favoured soft- 
wooded subjects. The chief difference is that they can¬ 
not be thrown away, and a fresh batch raised from seed 
in the same way as Primulas, Cyclamens, Cinerarias and 
others of that class. The houses are therefore occupied 
with them for a greater length of time, but can be 
placed in the open air during the summer to their 
advantage. In the way of bright flowers, this species 
has no competitors amongst its congeners, with the 
exception, perhaps, of B. heterophylla, which is of 
more recent introduction and notable also for its frag¬ 
rance. The flowers of B. heterophylla are rosy carmine, 
and produced in clusters from the axils of the 
leaves all along the shoots of last year. In its native 
habitats of Western Australia it attains a height of 4 ft., 
but under cultivation may be kept to about 18 ins. by 
judicious pruning after the flowering period is over and 
by the frequent raising of young plants from cuttings. 
The Coarse-fringed Saxifrage. 
The proper botanical name of this plant is Saxifraga 
Stracheyi thysanodes ; but we often see it in gardens 
under the name of S. ciliata and S. thysanodes. The 
habit of the plant is that of S. Stracheyi, but the leaves 
have a coarser appearance owing to their being covered 
on both sides, but especially on the under surface, with 
coarse hairs, which therefore render the leaves rougher 
and less polished than in the type. The flowers, how¬ 
ever, are produced in short compact panicles, and are 
pure white and very pretty. The variety is perhaps 
more widely distributed in gardens than i3 the type or 
any other of its varieties, such as S. S. Milesii and 
S. S. alba. Unfortunately it is less hardy than the 
type and is most tender of all the Saxifrages of the 
Megasea type, and is a native of India. By the use of 
a few evergreen branches it would be the better able to 
withstand such a winter as the past. Although the 
leaves get cut down the fleshy rootstock survives, and 
commences to grow again freely enough on the return 
of warm weather. It might, however, be grown to 
advantage in pots and pans and taken indoors during 
winter, say to the hardy plant house or the ordinary 
greenhouse, where it will flower beautifully during 
March whatever the nature of the weather outside. 
Chionodoxa grandiflora. 
The flowers of this plant are of large size, pale but 
bright blue, fading almost to white at the very base, 
and having white anthers. The leaves are broad and 
produced in pairs to a bulb, while the flower scapes 
bear one to two, very rarely three flowers. The bulbs 
are as large as those of Muscari comosum, and therefore 
much exceed those of Chionodoxas generally. A well- 
flowered pot of it was exhibited by Mr. T. S. Ware, 
Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham, at the Drill Hall, 
on Tuesday last, when a First Class Certificate was 
awarded it. 
-- 
CINERARIAS FOR WINTER 
FLOWERING. 
Specimens of these are of course seen to the greatest 
advantage during the spring months, but it is possible 
to produce good plants in 7-in. or 8-in. pots, with a 
fair show of blooms at the end of November ; and in 
1S89 we saw a number of plants staged at the latter 
period which would have been worthy of notice in 
March. For early blooming the seed should be sown 
not later than the middle of April. When the seedlings 
are of sufficient size they should be pricked out into 
boxes in preference to potting off singly, the former 
method being better calculated to maintain the young 
plants in an equable condition of moisture during the 
driest period of the season. 
When the boxes are filled with roots, transfer the 
plants to 4J-in. or 5-in. pots, according to their sizes, 
using a compost of light friable loam, bone meal or 
horse droppings, the latter comprising a fourth part of 
the mixture, with enough sand to ensure porosity. 
Presuming that a frame is in readiness for the plants, 
provided with a firmly-beaten floor of ashes and turned 
towards the north, let them be placed level and in 
zigzag order, row after row, keeping the largest always 
to the back of the frame, so that all can be easily seen, 
and their wants attended to when necessary. 
Over dryness must be strictly guarded against, and 
in order to prevent this as much as possible shading 
may have to be resorted to on very bright days. Slugs 
and snails have been among our worst enemies in 
Cineraria culture, and it is impossible to exercise too 
much vigilance in trapping these dreaded pests, or 
better still, apprehending them on the premises. 
Generally speaking, 7-in. pots will be large enough in 
which to flower plants for early winter exhibitions or 
conservatory work, and 5J-in. for furnishing stands for 
room decoration, the same compost being used as for 
the first potting. On the first signs of frost being 
observed in autumn the cultivator must be on the alert, 
and have sufficient covering handy to throw over the 
frame at night,‘as we have had plants injured quite 
unexpectedly. In the meantime arrangements should 
be made for having the plants placed in a plant-house 
not too far from the glass, where they will have a free 
circulation of air and not be overcrowded. When the 
flower stems appear weak liquid manure may with 
advantage be applied once or twice weekly. 
In the first years of the existence of the Caledonian 
Horticultural Society a prize was offered for the best 
single specimen Cineraria in bloom at the Chrysanthe¬ 
mum Show in December. The method of culture in 
general practice for this purpose, according to informa¬ 
tion from a successful cultivator under whom I served 
in the FAinburgh district, was as follows :—One year old 
plants were planted out on a prepared bed in June or 
early in July, where they were cultivated till within six 
or eight weeks prior to the show. They were then usually 
showing flower, and were accordingly lifted, potted, 
and housed in order to finally prepare them for the 
exhibition. 
When named varieties are wanted to be kept up, the 
planting-out system referred to is a good one for propa- 
