310 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
•January 12, 1889. 
as a perpetual-blooming plant, for on large specimens 
there may generally be found some trusses of its 
crimson flowers. It is a very serviceable plant, 
although its general appearance is somewhat repulsive, 
as it is not a pleasant plant to come in contact with 
personally, its spines being rather apt to leave a mark 
in remembrance if you should be disposed to make too 
free with it.— W. G. 
-- 
The Amateurs’ Garden. 
-*?—— 
Cleaning "Window Plants. 
In the summer time it is customary for growers of 
window plants to take the latter out of doors when 
they are dusty or dirty, and water them heavily over¬ 
head with a coarse-rosed watering pot. This must in¬ 
evitably saturate the soil to an injurious extent if done 
in the winter months, and the practice of placing them 
outside during rainy weather is even more impracticable. 
There are, however, several window subjects especially 
valuable at this season on account of their foliage, and 
which may be cleared of dust or any other undesirable 
substances, which not only spoil their appearance for 
decorative purposes, but injure the plants themselves by 
choking up the breathing pores. Amongst them may 
be mentioned the Indiarubber plant, Aralias, Palms, 
Aspidistras, and others with similarly leathery foliage. 
As a rule, it will not be difficult to remove dirt from 
plants which have been grown in a window, and the 
above may be sponged with slightly tepid but clean 
water, or, if necessary, use a little soft-soap. In the 
case of Ferns, the operation will be more difficult on 
account of the fineness of the divisions, and in this 
instance the plants may be laid on their sides and 
heavily syringed with fa weak solution of Nicotine 
Soap. 
Puotecting Poses. 
In the case of tender varieties, it is no longer safe to 
delay using what protection may be required. The 
autumn and early winter have been so mild that the 
covering up of tender Roses and various other 
subjects has been neglected. Before covering them up, 
however, it will be as well to mulch all newly-planted 
Roses if possible, and as many others as can con¬ 
veniently be done. Pig manure is the best that can be 
given, or failing that, horse manure is very good ; and, 
furthermore, the two may be mixed with excellent 
results. Then good-sized Spruce branches may he 
stuck into the ground amongst the bushes, so as to 
overtop the latter, and while a certain amount of 
ventilation is afforded by the branches being more or 
less open at the base, a great amount of frost is warded 
off by the closeness of the foliage of the Spruce branches. 
Roses trained against walls may be treated in the same 
way, by placing evergreen branches amongst those of 
the Roses, or even by thatching them over, as it were, 
and tying on the evergreens by means of tar twine. In 
the case of choice kinds mats may be used, and if the 
plants are in full leaf, the mats may be removed daily. 
Hardy Plants in Season. 
The frost with which we have been visited recently 
will tend greatly to check the flowering of outdoor 
plants for the time being ; but if choice subjects 
yielding a large quantity of cut flowers be protected 
by evergreen branches being stuck amongst them, so 
as to protect the bloom, it will last in fresh condition 
for a much longer time. Christmas Roses may be 
protected with hand-lights where the latter are at 
command. Lenten Roses will soon throw up their 
flowers now, provided the weather be fairly open. The 
Winter Heliotrope (Petasites fragrans) has been flower¬ 
ing freely for some time in sheltered places. Plenty of 
room should be given it when planting out this 
Composite, as it is a vigorous and rambling grower. 
A somewhat sheltered and partly shaded situation will 
suit it, just such as may frequently be found where 
trees and shrubs are grown. In mild open weather a 
few of the Crocuses may be planted, such as C. 
Imperati, and Snowdrops, including Galanthus nivalis 
prsecox, which in some seasons flowers as early as 
Christmas Day. To these may be added Yiolets, 
Primroses and Wallflowers. 
The Greenhouse. 
Unless it is desired to keep up a display of flowering 
plants in the greenhouse everything there should be 
kept as quiet as possible, by keeping them dry and 
the atmosphere cool. By this it must not be under¬ 
stood that the roots of such things as Ferns and ever¬ 
green plants generally should be subjected to a drying- 
off process, but merely kept moist and the atmosphere 
as dry as possible under the circumstances. Of course, 
succulent plants, such as Cacti, Aloes and Echeverias, 
may be kept almost dry for weeks at this time in a 
cool house. Yentilation must receive close attention 
when the weather is sufficiently mild. The matter of 
firing must also be done carefully during severe frost, 
remembering always that a temperature rather below 
the standard is much better than driving the heating 
apparatus in order to keep it up to the stated require¬ 
ment. A heated and dry atmosphere is also productive 
of much trouble through the encouragement of insect 
pests, which are greatly increased thereby. 
-»>=£<«- 
TIMBER PRICES. 
In your issue of January 5th, Mr. A. D. Webster 
complains of the low prices of English-grown timber, 
and having had considerable experience in the building 
trade, with both English and foreign timber, I should 
like to make a few remarks on the subject. I do not 
think, when he says there is no sale for home-grown 
timber, at even the lowest figure, that he can fairly 
include Oak, Ash, Elm, and Beech, &c. He must, I 
think, refer only to the soft woods, viz , Larch and Spruce, 
and blames the architect and joiner for using foreign 
timber when we have plenty rotting or being literally 
given away at home. Now the home-grown Larch 
(which answers to the yellow or red deal imported from 
the Baltic and Russia) is not nearly so durable and does 
not grow sufficiently large to conveniently cut up into 
the same sized deals, planks, or battens as we get from 
northern countries. The wood itself, too, is much 
softer, with more sap, and large and rotten knots, and 
will not stand a strain equal to the other. Take for 
instance a roof ; the timbers, if of home-grown wood, 
would have to be much stronger and heavier than in 
red deal. Again, it decays or perishes much sooner. I 
have frequently seen the healthiest Larch, when felled, 
perfectly rotten at the heart for several feet from the 
root. From twenty-five to thirty years is the average 
growth to be of any good, and then it is only fit for 
common or rough work for any building purposes. 
On a nobleman’s estate in the Midlands, the owner 
of which I may say is a model landlord, and grows a 
great deal of timber, they have almost entirely discarded 
English-grown timber for even farm buildings, finding 
that foreign deal answers their purpose much better, 
being cheaper in the end than converting their own 
timber on the estate. They cut up yearly many 
hundreds of Larch and Spruce solely for posts and rails, 
and rough boarding to supply the tenants with for 
common purposes. 
If our large landowners and timber growers would 
turn their attention to growing Oak, which is more 
durable than any other, and commands the highest 
price of any in the market ; Elm, for coffins ; Ash, for 
wheels and coach-building ; Beech, for furniture 
making, &c., they would find a ready sale for their 
timber, but as each of these trees takes many years to 
arrive at maturity, it is not possible that a gentleman 
planting Oak would ever live to reap the benefit of it 
himself, hence the planting of so much soft wood. 
There is the greatest difficulty in the trade in getting 
seasoned Oak, and there is practically an unlimited 
demand for that of eighty to hundred years’ growth, 
this being about the bestjage for felling Oak. 
With regard to firewood I would say that if the 
home-grown wood were cut into lengths, split to market 
sizes, and properly seasoned, like the wood that is to 
be seen in immense stacks at the docks and wharves 
on the Thames, there is no reason whatever why our 
English-grown timber should not be so used, and 
command as high prices as the ship-loads that daily 
arrive in London from the Baltic ports.— J. Davison. 
-—>X<-°- 
FREESIA REFRAOTA ALBA. 
As this chaste winter-flowering subject again comes into 
bloom it testifies to its growing popularity. In gardens 
it is generally reckoned that there are two species, both 
natives of the C .pe ; but they so nearly approach each 
other in general appearance that they may be regarded 
as one and the same. In a batch of seedlings may be 
found considerable variety, several of which, from time 
to time, get distinctive names; but that named 
F. refracta alba is the best, and when obtained true is 
pure white or almost so. The type may almost be 
regarded as white, but it is just sufficiently tinted with 
yellow, and also marked with orange blotches in the 
throat, as to rob it of its purity. Several intermediate 
forms may be obtained in a batch of seedlings, but a 
stock of plants is so quickly had in this way that 
this eans of propagation is not to be despised. The 
fragrance of the flowers is also so agreeable as to be one 
of their chief recommendations. 
When ripe seeds are obtained, they should be sown 
immediately in light sandy loam in the pots in which 
they are to flower, as they do badly with disturbance 
at the root while making their growth. Under favour¬ 
able conditions they will reach the flowering stage in 
the spring following. For Cape bulbs this is a re¬ 
markably short period, and although the flower-spikes 
can hardly be so good as those obtained from old bulbs, 
yet they well merit any little attention they require 
during the seedling stage. The seeds take a long time 
to germinate, as is the case with plants belonging to 
the Iris family generally ; but they grow away rapidly 
afterwards. In order to flower them successfully in 
the seedling pots it is necessary to sow the seeds thinly, 
and afterwards to thin them out to five or six in a 
5-in. pot, so as to avoid crowding and allow room for 
development. The grassy foliage, it is true, does not 
require much space, but like other seedlings of bulbous 
subjects, they take a long time to reach the flowering 
stage if permitted to starve one another by crowding. 
In August or September they should be shaken out 
and re-potted in richer material, using fibrous loam, 
leaf-soil, well-decayed hot-bed manure, and a good 
porportion of sand to keep the whole porous and open. 
The latter condition is one that must not be neglected 
if good results are expected. The bulbs should be 
sorted into sizes, so as to ensure equality as far as 
possible when they come into flower. After potting, 
no watering will be required till growth commences. 
As in the case of most other Cape bulbs, a frame from 
which the frost is excluded will be warm enough, and, 
in fact, most suitable to their well-being. Of course, if 
an early batch is required, a quantity may be put into 
a warmer house to hasten them. 
They delight in an abundant ventilation at all times 
when the weather is mild, and if kept in a close stuffy 
atmosphere will get drawn and weakly. Those who 
cannot command a heated frame may stand their pots 
on a shelf near the glass, and if close by the ventilators 
so much the better. In any case they must be placed 
in a favourable position near the glass. By difference 
in the treatment of various lots they may he had in 
flower from Christmas till well into spring, when their 
deliciously fragrant flowers are always appreciated.— 
ARDENING |[lSCELLANY, 
Primroses in Winter. 
Those of your readers who are fond of Primroses 
might like to hear of a simple way to have them on 
the table all the winter. Where any quantity are 
grown there are always buds, and if those showing 
colour are picked, even in hard frost, and put in a deep 
plate, the bottom of which has been previously 
covered with tall green moss, they come out well; 
even when the stalks are very short, as they are when 
picked off a bunch, the moss supports them so as to 
keep the flowers out of the water. The moss we use is 
commonly called Fir-tree moss (being like a miniature 
tree). There is now on the table a china plate more 
than a foot across full of Primroses of all colours, the 
buds of some of which were picked after 14° of frost. 
The combination of green and bright colours is very 
pretty.— George, F. Wilson, Heatherbank, TFeybridgi 
Heath, Jan. 5th. 
Primula obconica. 
This is the time to sow this charming Primula. I 
give it nearly the same treatment as the Chinese 
varieties, with this difference, that it delights in a cool 
bottom when growing in its flowering pots. Thoroughly 
decayed manure rubbed through a sieve and mixed 
with sand makes the best compost for raising this or 
any other Primula. Fill the pots three parts full, 
press the compost gently down, give a good watering, 
and allow the pots to drain before sowing the seed, 
covering it lightly with some of the finest of the above 
mixture. After sowing, cover the pots with a pane of 
glass, and shade from bright sunshine. Prick off the 
young plants into pans when large enough, and place 
them again in a warm temperature till they are ready 
to pot into 60’s in some nice light soil, for they are 
not very particular. When the pots are fairly full of 
roots, pot into the flowering size, which should be 
48’s and 32’s, using about equal parts of good loam, 
leaf-soil, or well-decayed manure, with a good sprinkling 
of sand and broken charcoal. Place them on ashes in 
a cold frame, attend to watering and syringing, and 
