May 18, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
595 
Snowflake, named Leucojum plicatile, is a useful early 
summer-flowering border plant. In the same box came 
a beautiful piece of a dwarf Alpine Forget-me-not, 
namely, Myosotis Rehsteineri. It is allied to, and 
may be considered a mountain form of M. caespitosa, 
also known as M. lingulata, a moisture-loving British 
species. The stems only rise from 1 in. to 3 ins. above 
the soil, and produce a profusion of pretty, bright blue 
flowers, with a yellow eye. For spring flowering it 
will prove a charming little subject for lovers of this 
class of plants, and will form a substitute for Eritrichum 
nanum, which has hitherto proved a shy plant to grow, 
and frequently dies out. M. Rehsteineri would appear 
to be of easy cultivation, and may be extensively pro¬ 
pagated merely by division. It is strictly perennial 
and quite new to British gardens. 
-->X<-- 
ALLOTMENT GARDENING-. 
Ox the 9th inst., in the Arboretum Rooms, Nottingham, 
Mr. J. Wright (Journal of Horticulture ) delivered an 
admirable lecture on this subject, under the auspices of 
the Notts Horticultural and Botanical Society, and 
during the course of his address, said that he had, on 
the occasion of a recent visit to Nottingham, a passing 
glance of the most extensive, complete, and perfect 
system of garden allotments that had ever come under 
his notice in this country. It was something like the 
realisation of a dream ; something he had pictured in 
his mind for years as desirable ; something which he 
had sought for by long travel but failed to find accom¬ 
plished until his short but pleasant visit to their busy 
town. He had read about the Nottingham gardens, 
and the gardening instinct possessed by their owners 
and occupants, but was almost overwhelmed with 
surprise and gratification when he saw the magnitude 
of the scheme and the splendid accomplishment of an 
idea, fraught, he was sure, with good to many in various 
ways ; and he desired to lend a helping hand. He had 
practical experience of gardening work, and his con¬ 
viction, deep-rooted by long practice, and strengthened 
by observation, not in this country alone, but over the 
great system of small cultures by the Belgian peasantry 
in the plains of Flanders—was that the man who 
flinches from real labour, who evades the rougher duties 
connected with gardening, and skims over the surface 
lightly, making it smooth yet deceptive, was not the 
man to win substantial success. He might keep up an 
appearance for a few years, but his easy method was 
Ike sowing seeds by the wayside, which grew for a 
time, but only to be scorched up through lack of the 
nourishment that was essential to full free growth and 
maturation. The man, however, who did not read shut 
himself up in a very small world. Perusing the records 
of the work of others enabled men to practice what 
they would not otherwise have thought about, and they 
saw ways pointed out which led straight to an object 
that otherwise could not be found except by groping 
and losing their time in tortuous paths. 
The profit derivable from cultivation depended on 
the zeal, enterprise, good judgment, and aptitude of 
individuals much more than on methods. Yet methods 
of procedure must be pointed out, and never before 
was there such a demand, such a thirsting for know¬ 
ledge on matters of gardening. Having dwelt on the 
importance of practice, he said the first thing was to have 
a good foundation, and the character of the soil was a 
most important consideration It varied from clay, 
representing density, retention of moisture, and heavi¬ 
ness, to sand, representing porosity, poverty, and 
lightness. When the two were mixed they had loam, 
and “ a good holding soil ” was very desirable. They 
must remember that plants did not feed on the soil ; 
the soil was only the larder which held the food. The 
knowledge of what constituted the food of crops was 
most valuable, and he knew farmers and gardeners 
having that knowledge who had been saving money all 
through the time of depression. The reason water¬ 
logged land was bad was because the air could not get 
down. Hoeing was of the utmost importance, in order 
to admit the warm air in spring. Manure was valuable 
simply in proportion as it contained nitrogen, phos¬ 
phoric acid, and potash. If it had become dry, the 
nitrogen had left it; and if it was damp and a dark 
liquid ran from it, its essence was gone. 
A good chemical manure was superphosphate of lime 
six parts, chlorate of potash two parts, sulphate of 
ammonia two parts, mixed and applied early in the 
proportion of three or four ounces per square yard. 
They should not water early on a bright day, as the 
water ought to go away by drainage and not by 
evaporation. "When the water went away by evapora¬ 
tion, an enormous loss of food ensued. The best 
procurable seed ought to be used, and sown not very 
close together. 
After referring to the subject of cropping, he said 
there was room for the cultivation in this country of 
Asparagus and Sea Kale. Touching on flowers, he said 
where Violets grew well the giant varieties were highly 
profitable, two of the best being Wellsiana and 
Odoratissima. As a double pale blue, Marie Louise 
was a great favourite, and paid for a little protection. 
They should be planted 1 ft. apart in April or May, 
and grown much the same as Strawberries, in removing 
the runners and watering. Daffodils were money¬ 
making flowers, both by sale of blooms and bulbs. 
They grew very well under trees planted close together 
in August in rows 1 ft. asunder. Cheap scarlet 
Gladioli, the spikes cut when the first flowers open, 
were very remunerative. Pinks, Carnations, free- 
flowering Roses, Spanish Irises, Pyrethrums, when 
produced in abundance, and a market could be found 
for them, give a good return to the cultivator. 
Referring to the advantages of glass in gardens, he 
said greenhouses were enjoyable, and might be made 
profitable, and so might simple glass shelters. None 
would be the worse for trying to excel in garden culture. 
It appealed to all, to men and to women of every rank 
and class, from the brawny gladiator to the gentle child. 
He had had pleasure in awarding prizes to children for 
growing plants in the London slums, and believed he 
was helping them to look beyond and above their 
dismal surroundings ; and he had shared in making an 
ex-pugilistic champion happy, in according him first 
honours for Chrysanthemums. Gardening, no matter 
how small a scale, was health-giving, wholesome, 
mind-elevating employment, and the greater the 
number who could engage in it the greater the sum of 
human happiness, for homes could not be what they 
ought when deprived of what was so beautiful and 
good—the produce of the garden. 
-- 
THE LANCE-LEAVED LILIES. 
Glorious as is Lilium auratum, and varied also as well 
as comparatively cheap, I am pleased to know that it 
has by no means driven L. speciosum, or L. lancifolium 
as it used to be called, quite from the field. Practically 
it is confined to two varieties, the pure white and rose- 
coloured, but of the latter there are many variations. 
I have before me a catalogue of Lilies which gives 
fifteen varieties of L. speciosum, but no one believes 
them to be distinct. Another list is more modest, for 
it gives but three—album, roseum, and rubrum. Now 
it may be assumed that the original types were album 
and roseum. Those who have grown the rose-coloured 
variety in quantity know that it varies in character, 
being faintly marked in some cases or densely so in 
others. The pale-coloured varieties are frequently 
called punctatum ; intermediate ones roseum ; and the 
deep-coloured ones rubrum. The Dutch growers go 
among their Lilies of the roseum type, and mark all 
the deep-coloured ones, and these are sent to this 
country as rubrum. Those who make a specialty of 
Lilies are content with small differences, so that they 
can make additions to their collections ; the gardener 
with limited means will be content with roseum and 
album, but hoping to have as much variety among the 
former as possible. Roseum is, perhaps, the earliest to 
bloom ; album the latest. 
Now, not only are these Lilies very useful in beds, 
but they are also most acceptable exhibition and 
decorative plants. I have seen in Yorkshire magni¬ 
ficent examples of these Lilies grown for exhibition. I 
remember one exhibitor in particular, living near Leeds, 
who turned out wonderful specimens. He potted his 
bulbs about the first or second week in February, 
adopting the plan of placing three large-sized bulbs in 
a 12-in. pot, and when using a still larger pot he would 
place five in it, but not more. When potting, a good- 
sized crock was placed at the bottom, with 1 in. of 
rough crocks over that, and then some fibrous soil. 
The compost used was one made up of fibrous turf 
thoroughly decomposed leaf-soil, good rotten frame 
manure, and some rough sand mixed with it. Now, 
this compost was not sifted, but chopped up, as the 
Lily appears to like a fibrous rough compost. In 
potting, the pots v f ere so filled up that when the 
bulbs were planted and just covered, about 3 ins. was 
left above them. The reason for this is briefly stated. 
Those who have given attention to the growth of Lilies 
must have observed the quantity of young fleshy roots 
sent out from the base of the flower-stem, and to the 
full development of these roots especial attention should 
be directed. As soon as two or three of the lower 
leaves began to show a yellowish appearance, the pots 
were filled to the brim with a compost similar to that 
used for potting them, but a little more manure was 
added. Such a compost makes an efficient top¬ 
dressing, and the stem-roots just above the bulb soon 
become firmly matted in it. The plants gaining thereby 
additional sustenance, will be both plentiful and large. 
Treated in this way, no liquid manure is required at 
any stage of the growth. 
It will thus be seen that one main feature in the suc¬ 
cessful culture of this Lily is to fully develop the stem- 
roots—a point probably too often lost sight of. When 
potted they were placed in a cool shed, and as soon as 
the surface soil became dry, and showed signs of 
cracking upon the surface, or coming away from the 
sides of the pot, sufficient water was given to moisten 
the soil without saturating it; and another point kept 
in view was not to over water, in order that there 
should be no danger from frost. We frequently hear 
of imported Lilies dying away, and of many kept 
by the cultivator through the winter suffering in the 
same way, and I think one main cause is giving water 
directly or soon after they are planted or potted, and 
before the bulbs are in a sufficiently forward position to 
utilise it. One need not wonder that they rot away in 
soil so needlessly wet. When danger from frost had 
passed away, the pots were placed in a partially shaded 
place in the garden, exposed to the weather, and kept 
well watered when required. Here they remained until 
the flowers began to expand, when they were taken 
under cover and protected from the weather. 
I have seen exhibition pots of Lilies treated in this 
way, that were astonishing in the number of flower 
stems, and in the size and beauty of their blossoms. 
Imagine three bulbs producing several stout stems that 
bore from forty-five to fifty large and well-coloured 
flowers ; and pots with five bulbs have been known to 
carry between seventy and eighty blossoms. 
When flowering is over, the best plan is to place the 
pots upon their sides in the open, and as soon as frosty 
weather threatens, to remove them to a dry shed. The 
bulbs keep best in the soil in which they are grown ; 
and they should be kept quite dormant until potting 
time comes round.— JR. D. 
-»>X-o- 
JfoTES from Scotland. 
-- 
Scottish Horticultural Association. —The 
monthly meeting of the association was held in Edin¬ 
burgh on the 7th inst., Professor Bayley Balfour pre¬ 
siding. There was a large attendance. Mr. W. E. 
Dixon read a paper on the Nepenthes or Pitcher plant, 
in which he dealt chiefly with its history and geo¬ 
graphical distribution. Borneo, he said, was its head¬ 
quarters, and 140 species were known to botanists. 
There was a large collection of exhibits. Mr. M’Hattie, 
Newbattle, was granted a First Class Certificate for a 
new seedling Anthurium. Messrs. Ireland & Thomson 
showed some seedling hose-in-hose Gloxinias ; 
and Mr. Dunn, Dalkeith, showed some Chrysan¬ 
themums in flower, showing that these now almost 
bridge the year. Several other plants and flowers 
shown were of considerable interest. 
The Edinburgh Primula and Auricula 
Show, held in the Calton Convening Rooms on the 
7th inst., may best be described as small and good, the 
display being an interesting one to the local florists, if 
not of great extent. Valuable aid was contributed to 
the exhibition by Mr. Lindsay, of the Royal Botanic 
Garden ; Captain Cowan, of Valleyfield ; Messrs. 
Dicksons & Co.; and Messrs. James Dickson & Sons, 
Mr. James Black, East Calder, was the leading ex¬ 
hibitor of Auriculas, taking first prizes for the following 
classes :—Six dissimilar plants, four plants, two plants, 
one grey-edge plant, premier white-edge, and the 
premier Auricula in the show, which was the same as 
that with which he took the premier grey, Walker’s 
John Simonite. Mr. W. Kilgour, Blair Drummond, 
was first for one green-edge plant, one white-edge, one 
self, and the premier grey. Mr. W. Straton, Broughty 
Ferry, was first for the premier green and the premier 
self. Mr. John Menzies, Duns, was first for six dis¬ 
similar and four dissimilar Alpines. Mr. W. Storrie, 
Lenzie, was first for two dissimilar Alpines ; Mr. John 
C. Harley, Carriden, for three dissimilar gold-laced 
Polyanthus ; Mr. W. Fotheringham for six dissimilar 
fancy Polyanthus ; Mr. A. R. Henderson, Ciermiston, 
for six pots of Primroses, and three pots of Primulas ; 
and Messrs. Laird &; Sons, for a collection of Primulas 
and Auriculas. Messrs. Laird’s collection contained a 
number of fine specimens of the better varieties of 
named staged Auriculas and Alpines. Very few 
species of Primulas were staged. 
