August 17, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
801 
through the noble park and pleasure grounds, and 
pointed out the principal objects of interest. Leaving 
Hatfield at 2 p.m., the party soon reached Knebworth, 
hut before entering Lord Lytton’s domain, dined 
together at the Lytton Arms, Mr. Ballantine presiding. 
Immediately dinner was over, a few toasts were given, 
including “The National Chrysanthemum Society,” 
with which the name of the late president, Mr. 
Sanderson, was associated, and who was completely 
surprised at the same time (so well had the secret been 
kept) by being presented with a testimonial on vellum, 
beautifully written, and bordered with drawings of his 
favourite flowers. The inscription was as follows :— 
“Presented to Mr. Edward Sanderson by the members 
of the National Chrysanthemum Society, in recognition 
of his services as their president for many years, and 
his unwearied efforts on behalf of the society since its 
formation. They desire also to place on record their 
admiration of his skill as a grower and exhibitor of the 
incurved varieties of the Chrysanthemum, which has 
placed him in the front rank of successful amateurs. 
That he may long be spared to aid the society with his 
advice and experience, and that his future life may be 
a happy one is the earnest desire of every member. 
Signed by R. Ballantine, chairman ; Edward C. Jukes, 
vice-chairman ; J. R. Starling, treasurer ; and W. 
Holmes, secretary.” Mr. Sanderson expressed his 
thanks for the present in his usual genial manner : and 
votes of thanks having been duly accorded to Lords 
Salisbury and Lytton, and also to their gardeners, Mr. 
Norman and Mr. Kipling, the party proceeded under 
the charge of the last-named gentleman to view the 
historical treasures of Knebworth House, and the 
charming flower garden and pleasure grounds, which 
deserved more leisurely inspection than the time 
available allowed. The kindness of Lord and Lady 
Lytton in allowing the party to go through the ancient 
mansion, and the free, courteous manner in which Mr. 
Kipling replied to all inquiries, was highly appreciated 
by the visitors. After partaking of tea, the party left 
for London, much pleased with all they had seen. 
-o-x<-.- 
LETTUCE, NEW YORK. 
Allow me, for the benefit of “B. L.” and other 
readers of The Gardening World, to supplement 
my remarks on the above Lettuce, by stating that the 
crop from which the specimen sent you was taken had 
had no special treatment—merely ordinary cultivation. 
The soil in which the Lettuces grew is a very old 
garden soil, which has been cropped for, I should say, 
over 100 years with vegetables and small fruits—a soil 
rich in humus—some would term it an exhaustive 
soil. The particular site in question was cropped last 
year with early Peas and Spinach between the rows, 
followed by Celery, and for which crops—the latter in 
particular—the ground was well enriched. 
The Celery was all cleared off the ground by the end 
of February in this year. The ridges were levelled 
down, and the ground lightly forked over without any 
manuring. An early crop of Peas (William Hurst) 
was again sown on it, following in the lines the Celery 
had taken, and between the Peas two rows of the New 
York Lettuce planted, the plants being transferred 
from the seed bed. About the middle of June the 
Lettuces had their first and last watering—one of clean 
water and one of weak sewage water—and which con¬ 
stituted all the extra treatment they received. 
To judge from the specimens we are now cutting, 
and which are of a later sowing and grown on a more 
new and stiffer soil (a strong hazel loam), I should say 
it will do equally well on all soils of a fair tilth. As I 
stated in my previous notes, its greatest recommendation 
to the gardener will be its long-staying qualities. I 
left three plants of the first sowing on the ground 
purposely for seeding, and two of them after growing 
to an enormous size have rotted away, and the other is 
just pushing up from its centre what looks like its 
seeding shoot. The time is a little over twenty weeks 
since the seed was first committed to the ground.— 
J. Kipling, Knebworth. 
--- 
PTERIS TREMULA SMITHIANA. 
The fronds of this variety are very much shortened 
and multifid, somewhat after the manner of Asplenium 
Filix-fceruina grandiceps. They are irregular in their 
development, the whole frond in some cases consisting 
of a large multifid tassel, while in other cases there are 
a few lateral pinnae, each terminated by a crest. The 
whole plant, however, is dwarf, with spreading or 
somewhat arching fronds about 1 ft. long, and more 
compact than the older and merely crested variety. It 
will no doubt be appreciated for decorative purposes 
and especially for cutting when it comes to be dissem¬ 
inated in gardens. As a variety it is distinct, compact 
and pretty. A plant was exhibited by Messrs. R. Smith 
& Co., Worcester, at the meeting of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society on Tuesday last, and was awarded a 
First Class Certificate. 
-— >X< -- 
POT-WASHING MACHINE. 
The accompanying illustration shows a simple machine 
which Messrs. Alburger & Bro., Philadelphia, use to 
great advantage in cleaning pots. In every greenhouse 
establishment considerable quantities of pots are used 
several times, and all know that such should be washed 
and cleaned before being used over again. Washing 
and cleaning by hand is the usual method, and a slow 
one it is, but by the use of this simple affair it can be 
done with great rapidity. The brushes on the end of 
the shaft are made of a shape to fit the inside of the 
pot, and several sizes are used, though one brush does 
the work for a number of size3 of pots. The shaft of 
the machine shown is revolved by steam power, but 
one can easily be arianged to be worked by hand 
power, and even in this way two boys—one to hold the 
pots and another to supply the power—can accomplish 
as much work as four or five working by hand. Cer¬ 
tainly such a machine will pay for itself in a very short 
time where a large quantity of pots are to be cleaned 
annually, as the expense of construction is com¬ 
paratively slight. The wheel which supplies the 
power should, of course, be considerably larger than 
A Simple Pot-washing Machine. 
the one on the shaft, thus causing the shaft to revolve 
with sufficient rapidity to be effective and do quick 
work .—American Florist. 
-->X<-- 
MAGNOLIA GRANDIPLORA. 
I saw the other day in one of the western suburbs of 
London a fine old mansion covered completely on the 
front with a remarkable specimen of Magnolia grandi- 
flora, and a handsome cut-leaved Ivy in combination, 
the large, oval-oblong, shining green leaves contrasting 
with the deep green of the Ivy. This grand Magnolia 
flourishes best when trained to a wall, partly on account 
of the shelter, and partly because standards are liable 
to have their branches broken by the snow. 
M. grandiflora is a native of Carolina, from whence it 
was introduced about 1734. This splendid plant 
received the name of Magnolia from Phemier, who so 
named it in honour of Pierre Magnol, Prefect of the 
Botanic Garden at Montpelier, and author of several 
works on plants. Sir John Collinson is thought to 
have reared the first plant of this kind in England at 
Exmouth, Devonshire, some time prior to 1737. It was 
unknown to Miller, when he published the first edition 
of his Gardeners' and Florists' Dictionary, but in a 
later edition he mentions that there were a great many 
plants in England prior to 1739, but the severe winter 
of that year destroyed most of the young ones. 
The South American Swamp Magnolia, M. glauca, 
was the first species known in England, and was one 
of the rare exotic shrubs growing in 1688 in the 
episcopal gardens at Fulham, where it was sent by 
Banister to Bishop Compton. It is found in low 
swampy ground in North America, but not more 
northerly than Pennsylvania. It is known in America 
by the name of the White Laurel—Swamp Sassafras, 
but it is more generally called the Beaver Tree, because 
the root is the most favourite food of the beaver, and is 
therefore employed to catch these animals. It is rather 
more a large bush than a tree ; the perfume of the 
blossoms resembles that of the Lily of the Valley, with 
a mixture of aromatic odour, and its fragrance is so 
great that the trees may be discovered at a distance of 
three-quarters of a mile by the scent of the flowers, 
particularly towards the close of the day. The blossoms 
of this species are similar to those of M. grandiflora ; 
they are about 3 ins. broad, of snowy whiteness, and 
many fragrant and beautiful bouquets are at the proper 
season exposed for sale in the markets at New York 
and Philadelphia. 
M. grandiflora is one of those shrubs the baneful 
emanations of which have procured for them a bad 
name. It is said that the Indians carefully avoid 
sleeping under a Magnolia in bloom, and it is stated 
that the perfume of the flower is so powerful that a 
single blossom placed in a bed-room suffices to cause 
death in one night. But this may be one of the 
exaggerations into which writers have been betrayed in 
reference to plants.— R. D. 
-- 
LYSIMACHIAS. 
L. rtiNCTATA. —Although closely similar in habit and 
general appearance to L. vulgaris, it is readily dis¬ 
tinguishable by its numerous clusters of flowers in the 
axils of the upper leaves, having each bloom on a short 
separate pedicle, while the peduncles of L. vulgaris 
bear a number of flowers each, and the lower ones are 
much longer than the leaves, whereas in L. punctata 
they are shorter than the foliage. The stems vary from 
15 ins. to 18 ins. in height. It is a long-lived and 
easily-grown plant, a native of Europe and Western 
Asia, and was introduced in 1820. The leaves are 
ovate or ovate lanceolate, in whorls of three or four. 
Although not native, it is occasionally found wild in 
Britain. L. verticillata is a synonymous name. 
L. ciliat a. —The stems of this North American 
species vary from 1^ ft. to 3 ft. in height, and are 
erect. Like the two last named, it is pretty common 
in gardens, and most at home in the herbaceous border, 
but is perfectly distinct from either. The leaves are 
opposite, ovate, with strongly ciliate petioles ; hence 
the name Ciliata. The flowers are light yellow, axillary 
and solitary, or few on the upper part of the stem and 
short lateral branches. It was introduced in 1732, 
and is quite hardy. 
L. cuspidata.— The stems of this species are erect, 
1 ft. to 2 ft. high, simple or much branched, and 
covered with rusty hairs. The radical leaves are 
obovate and cuspidate, as the specific name implies, 
while the upper ones are lanceolate-elliptic, and all are 
opposite or in whorls of four. The large yellow flowers 
are produced in terminal umbels, shorter than the 
leaves. The species does not seem to be in cultivation, 
but was collected by Fortune in 1845 on the banks of 
streams at Ningpo and Amoy, in China. 
L. lanceolata. —The stems of this variety are 
erect and more or less branched in different cultivated 
forms, and vary from 12 ins. to 18 ins. in height ; 
the plant is therefore suitable for cultivation on rock- 
work. The flowers are solitary and axillary, on long 
drooping stalks, and are produced in the early part of 
summer. 
L. thyrsiflora. —This species is decidedly aquatic 
in habit, and likes to wade, as it were, in shallow water. 
The lower leaves are reduced to scales in accordance 
with this habit, while the upper leaves are lance-shaped, 
and 2 ins. to 5 ins. long. The stems vary from 1 ft. 
to 2 ft. in height, and are simple, stout, and bear 
dense axillary racemes of small yellow flowers in the 
axils of the upper leaves. It may be planted in bog- 
beds with its feet dipping into water, or may be grown 
in pots and partly submerged in ponds and other sheets 
of ornamental water, or even tanks in connection with 
fountains, &c. One of the most remarkable facts in 
connection with this species is its wide distribution, a 
common occurrence amongst aquatics, whether they are 
flowering or flowerless plants. The species is a native of 
this country, and amongst other places has been picked 
up at Lakeby Car, in Yorkshire, and the Loch of 
Rescobie, Scotland. It also occurs in continental 
Europe, the coast of Mandshuria, Japan, on the banks 
of streams on the Cascade and Rocky Mountains, and 
other parts of North America. It is so distinct from 
other species that it has been placed in another genus 
by some botanists and named Naumbergia thyrsiflora, 
and Lysimachia capitata by others. 
Flowers White. 
L. clethroides. —Of all the white species in culti¬ 
vation this may be considered the best. The stems 
vary from 1| to 3 ft., but usually do not exceed 2 ft., 
and bear a terminal elongating spike or raceme of pure 
white sweet-scented flowers. The foliage is ample and 
good. It is now getting so well known amongst hardy 
plant lovers that further description is hardly necessary. 
It is a native of many parts of Japan, such as the 
Central Mountains, at an elevation of from 2,000 ft. to 
7,000 ft, the Corea, Yokohama, the Corean Archi- 
