November 10, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
163 
parents from marrying. They therefore agreed to meet 
at the tomb of Ninus under a white Mulberry tree. 
Thisbe reached the trysting place first, but was 
compelled to seek safety in a cave, owing to the 
arrival of a lioness, who besmeared with blood a veil 
which the virgin dropped in her flight. Soon after¬ 
wards Pyramus reached the spot, and finding the 
bloody veil, concluded that Thisbe had been torn to 
pieces. Overcome with grief he stabbed himself with 
his sword, and Thisbe shortly returning, and behold¬ 
ing her lover in his death throes, threw herself upon 
the fatal weapon. "With her last breath she prayed 
that her ashes should be mingled with her lover’s in 
one urn, and that the fruit of the white Mulberry tree 
under which the tragedy occurred should bear witness 
to their constancy by ever after assuming the colour of 
their blood.” In Germany, at Iserlohn, the mothers, 
to deter the children from eating the Mulberries, sing 
to them that the Devil requires them for the purpose 
of blacking his boots. This fact goes to show some 
prejudice against or dislike of the fruit, and this is all 
the more curious because, according to old folk lore, 
to dream of Mulberries is of good import: they denote 
marriage, many children, and all sorts of prosperity, 
and they are also regarded as particularly favourable to 
sailors and farmers.— E. D. 
-->X<-- 
CONCERNING- PINKS. 
I am very much attached to the garden Pink. It is a 
very hardy, free-growing, sweet-scented, and prettily- 
coloured flower as a rule, although very varied indeed. 
It seems like heterodoxy to say so, but with all the 
beauty found in the double forms, I like the pretty 
singles immensely, and those who have not possessed a 
few plants of the single fimbriated or laciniated- 
flowered singles cannot know how much in pretty 
flowers they have lost. The selected best of these 
singles have flowers about 1J ins. across, flat, round, 
deeply serrated edges, and of white or reddish tints of 
colour. A broad heavy belt of dark colour usually 
surrounds the centre or tube. The plants are easily 
raised from seed, and when large will furnish a won¬ 
drous profusion of flowers, well suited for bouquets or 
vase decoration. Because of these pretty singles and 
their irregular outlines, I have learned to have some¬ 
thing of a preference for serrated-edged petals in the 
double forms, and, with all due respect to the opinions 
of so experienced a florist as Mr. Thurstan, yet think 
that of the pair of exceedingly dissimilar petals figured 
in your last, I prefer the pretty, fan-shaped, serrated 
petal of the past, to the more formal-shaped one of the 
perfect laced pink. 
I am vain enough to think that my opinion will be 
largely shared in, not that I dislike a smooth-edged 
petal, but I prefer them in self flowers, such as Lord 
Lyon or Derby Day, both beautiful kinds, but some¬ 
how-none the less very “miffy,’’ for in many gardens 
in which they were once found they have proved short¬ 
lived. That we have plenty of Pinks that have good 
constitutions is certain, such kinds as Mrs. Sinkins, 
Anne Boleyn, Mrs. Dark, and many others bearing 
evidence. There are very many, perhaps, common 
Pinks which seem to have no names, and yet find 
special favour in diverse localities, but because raised 
from seed are largely reproductions of older sorts. 
These are very helpful in furnishing flowers in bunches 
in quantity for market sale or for the making up of 
common nosegays, and the substance of the flower or 
margin of petal interest the growers but slightly, pro¬ 
vided the flowers are plentiful, and have distinctive 
colours. 
For one grower of the Pink as a florists’ flower we have, 
perhaps, a hundred who grow it solely as an ordinary 
garden flower. These, if wanting to increase stock, 
sometimes take the trouble to propagate by means of 
cuttings, or, perhaps as often, do so roughly by 
division. All these, however, if pinched off during 
the month of July, and put into sandy soil under 
handlights, so soon make root that a wealth of strong 
young plants is furnished in about three months, and 
if need be all the old plants may be destroyed. I put 
in cuttings this year in a frame looking north, and 
without covering, and everyone in due course made 
root, a fact which should encourage those who have no 
handlights or frames, to try their luck with some 
cuttings in a little wooden frame placed beneath a 
shady wall or tree. Even some cuttings put in under 
glass in pans so late as the end of August, have done 
very well, and made good root. Thus it is evident 
that Pink cuttings, even of the best kinds, may soon 
he induced to make root without very special care, and 
once rooted good plants soon follow. 
Pointed indications on the part of writers that this, 
that, or the other convenience is specially needful for 
the proper performance of this or that operation is too 
apt to lead to the abandonment of the work by those 
who, if otherwise encouraged, would try and doubtless 
be successful with such means as they may have at 
their disposal. Amateur growers of Pinks may further 
find solace in the fact that seed is obtainable, and will 
reproduce many very pretty forms. I have saved seed 
from Anne Boleyn this year, in spite of the rain and 
previously bad saved seed, and sown it, as also German 
seed, and shall have hundreds of seedling plants to 
flower next year ; possibly many will prove worthless, 
but if only two or three turn out good, ample reward 
will be found. 
Rather an odd experience last year, was the getting 
of seed from the pretty rose-coloured Mule Pink, which, 
being a hybrid, I neither expected it to seed, nor found 
it to seed previously. Possibly the abundant pollen 
found in a near bed of single Pinks last year led to 
this unusual progenitiveness. What the seedling 
plants will produce next year in the way of flowers 
will naturally be interesting to note. We want in 
common or hardy border Pinks, deeper hues, such as 
Lord Lyon gives, but none too readily. A pretty 
rose-coloured variety has seeded and given some of 
darker hue ; and these, again, I hope will in time seed 
and give still darker ones. The most free type of Pink 
in cultivation is the old white double, and if we could 
obtain a variety otherwise like it, but of a bright red 
or deep red hue, the product would be a veritable prize 
indeed to the raiser.— Leo. 
- -»->$*■=■ - 
NOTES ON VEGETABLES. 
Veitch’s Main-Crop Onion. 
On the whole, the Onion crop seems to have been any¬ 
thing but satisfactory this season, and the bulbs have 
neither been large nor particularly firm. The variety 
under notice, however, has given great satisfaction at 
Tower House, Chiswick, where the crop was considered 
a good one. The bulbs are of medium size, because 
they had not been thinned to that extent necessary to 
obtain size, and when the crop was lifted the bulbs 
abutted closely upon one another. In shape they are 
somewhat ovoid and very deep, not flattened, and 
nearly of a straw colour. The necks are thin, and 
apparently the bulbs will keep well for a long time 
after they get thoroughly dried.—Pi 
Potato, King of Russets. 
In my reply to “ W. S.” at p. 130 I omitted to state 
that King of Russets was obtained by crossing two 
seedlings of my own—Progress and Purple King—and 
that it takes after the former in colour, and the last- 
named in shape. —James Lye , The Garden, Clyfle Hall, 
Market Lavington. 
Scarlet Model Carrot. 
The deep rich red colour of this Carrot, no less than its 
handsome shape, should commend it for exhibition 
purposes. It is one of the short, or early horn types ; 
but is more striking and attractive than many of that 
type in cultivation, inasmuch as the roots, popularly 
so called, are about 6 ins. in length, and taper gradually 
from a broad crown till near the tip, when they 
suddenly contract into a short slender tap root. We 
saw some of them the other day at Tower House, 
Chiswick, where it has given great satisfaction, both as 
a crop and also with regard to the clean and sound 
appearance of the roots. 
---- 
otes from Scotland. 
Late-flowering Plants growing in the open, 
which withstood the severe frosts in the early part of 
October, should be specially valuable at this time of 
the year where cut flowers are in demand, and of these 
we have now in flower, quite fresh, a large number of 
species and varieties. The Asters, or Michaelmas 
Daisies, are no doubt in the front rank, and illustrate 
the lateness of the season in a marked degree, many of 
the early-flowering species being only in bloom now. 
I give a selection of the best hardy plants we have in 
flower. With many varieties of early-flowering Chry¬ 
santhemums and tall Lobelias, the borders have quite 
a gay appearance. The finest of the Asters are 
A. amellus bessarabicus, a very fine variety, purplish 
blue, with orange centre ; A. cordifolius, pale lavender, 
flowers small, but produced in great abundance ; A. 
aumosus, purple, an early-flowering species, very fine ; 
A. formosissimus, a beautiful species, producing large 
rosy purple flowers very freely ; A. ericoides, small 
white flowers with yellow centre, very elegant; A. 
longifolius, var. formosus, a very fine dwarf variety 
with rose-coloured flowers ; A. Isevis, lilac with yellow 
centre, a very distinct species ; A. saluginosa, a hand¬ 
some species, having been in bloom since July, flowers 
violet-purple, a most useful plant; A. Shortii, flowers 
lilac, produced in great abundance, a very elegant 
species; A. versicolor, white changing to rose, an 
early-flowering species. 
Of other plants, Anemone japonica and its variety 
alba ; Autumn Crocuses (Colchicum) in variety ; 
Achillea Eupatorium, a fine species growing about 4 ft. 
high, with large heads of yellow flowers, lasting a long 
time in good condition ; A. aurea, a pretty dwarf¬ 
growing species, having been in flower since early 
summer ; Chrysanthemum maximum, a splendid 
autumn-flowering plant, useful for cutting purposes ; 
Doronicum plantagineum excelsum, a fine variety, 
with flowers about 3£ ins. across, flowering more or 
less throughout the season ; Echinops ritro, with 
curious heads of blue flowers and Thistle-like foliage ; 
Geum coccineum fi. pi., a first class border plant, 
producing its bright red flowers in great profusion for 
a long time ; Gypsophila paniculata, this is a very 
elegant and graceful plant, most useful in a cut state 
for arranging with other flowers. I do not think that 
it is generally known that the flowers of this plant can 
be dried as an everlasting, for as such it is specially 
valuable. 
Of perennial Sunflowers (Helianthus) we have the 
small-flowered H. Buttoris, H. multiflorus fl. pi., H. 
m. major, and H. m. maximus, the latter a very fine 
bold variety, growing about 7 ft. high. Helenium 
autumnale, large yellow flowers, growing 5 ft. high 
Rudbeckia Kewmanii, this is one of our best autumn¬ 
flowering plants ; the flowers are bright golden yellow 
with a black disk, most useful for cutting purposes. 
Stenactis speciosa, a very useful border plant, pro¬ 
ducing its violet flowers for a long time in succession ; 
Sedurn spectabile, this, the finest of the late-flowering 
species, is not so highly coloured this season, no doubt 
owing to so much cloudy wet weather. This plant is 
also most useful for conservatory decoration at this 
time of year. By inserting the tops as cuttings just as 
they show the flower formation, they make nice 
compact heads of bloom, which have an uncommon 
appearance and attract much attention when in flower. 
The fine Tritomas have done no good with us this 
season, as also many other late-flowering species.— 
J. C. B., Kelso. 
The Fruit Conference at Dunkeld. — In 
response to numerous requests for the publication in a 
convenient form of a report of the proceedings at the 
conference held at Dunkeld in August last, Mr. P. W. 
Fairgrieve has just issued an excellent report collated 
from various sources, which will enable those present 
and others interested in the subject of hardy fruit 
culture to digest at their leisure the facts and inferences 
brought out on that interesting occasion. In the 
preface Mr. Fairgrieve says: “Although the season 
has been very unfavourable for the cultivation of fruit, 
I was encouraged to hold the conference, not only from 
the fact that the fruit here has been successfully shown 
at all the larger exhibitions in the country, but also 
because there are here at present a large number of 
young trees, as well as older ones, bearing fine crops ; 
and it is most important to growers that the trees 
should be seen at the various stages — and if this 
conference had not taken place just now this point 
could not have been obtained—and I have frequently 
heard professional visitors to the gardens express sur¬ 
prise at the luxuriance of the foliage both in the young 
and the old wall trees. 
“ Several correspondents have asked me to publish 
one or two facts regarding fruit culture. All that need 
be said here is that great attention ought to be paid to 
the judicious selection of varieties. In cold localities 
this is eminently important ; indeed, the want of 
attention to this point is the chief cause of failure. 
Several correspondents have also inquired as to whether 
wire should be used on the walls, but I have never 
used it myself. I am often asked by letter if we have 
flues in our walls. We have not. I am also in receipt 
of many letters regarding our mode of protecting trees 
on walls from frost in spring, and in reply I have to 
say that I will be happy to arrange with the Scottish 
Horticultural Association for the exhibition during the 
winter season of a model of the apparatus which 1 use. 
I mi Hit also arrange to have it exhibited in Aberdeen 
and ^Dundee if the fruit growers in these districts 
desired it. The apparatus has already been exhibited 
in Edinburgh, but, considering the gi eater interest now 
taken in the cultivation of fruit, its exhibition again, 
for a time, might be useful. 
