352 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 2, 1S89- 
liave great faith in boiling tubers with their 
coats on, but it is not possible in that case to 
detect, until too late, what disease may be 
dormant in the Potatos. The astringent 
flavour of the skins also boils into the flesh 
of the tubers, and destroys their natural 
quality. On the whole we prefer tubers 
peeled, washed in clean water, placed into 
the saixcepan with just enough water to sub¬ 
merge the tubers, boiled quickly, a pinch of 
salt being added, and the water so equalised, 
that by the time the tubers are well done 
it has practically disappeared; they are 
then in superb condition for dishing up. 
TdAFFODiLS.—We may very soon learn that 
dv our Daffodil friends, the fiery enthusiasts 
of Narcissi fame, have once more begun their 
annual worship of a very varied, very lovely, 
and very interesting flower. Already the 
spear-like points of the leaves are getting well 
through the soil, and there seems to be about 
them an element of strength promising a fine 
bloom. We shall soon sec whether excessive 
moisture, as found last year, has proved to be 
more beneficial than the considerable drought 
of the preceding year, when bulbs, left in the 
ground, or even lifted and stored, received a 
moderate roasting. Also we shall learn whether 
a mild winter is provocative of precocity or 
otherwise. At all events, there seems to be 
great promise now of an early and abundant 
bloom. It seems a pity that our markets 
should be so flooded with foreign flowers before 
those of our own growth come in, as the 
charm incidental to freshness and novelty is 
thereby greatly discounted. 
‘tpLANTiNG. —If nurserymen have not been 
<r doing a good trade in trees and shrubs 
this winter, it cannot be because the weather 
has hindered them. There have been some 
occasional floods of rain or visitations of frost, 
but, on the whole, these have not occupied 
more than one-fourth of the winter season from 
October onwards, whilst all the rest of the time 
has been generally favourable. January, for 
instance, has been as good a month for planting 
as November often is; and that is at once a 
remarkable fact as well as a wonderful gain. 
If stiff soils be still rather sticky, all other soils 
have been working remarkably well; and 
because the winter also has been free from 
wind storms, planting has been exceptionally 
favoured. Gardeners have found the winter, 
so far, wonderfully helpful in promoting oppor¬ 
tunities for alterations and transplanting, all of 
which can be performed with assured safety. 
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Mr. Henry Eekfortl, late gardener to Dr. Sankey, 
at Boreatton Park, Baschureh, and well known as a 
raiser of new varieties of Culinary and Sweet Peas, has 
left Boreatton, and gone to reside at IVem, Salop, 
where he has established himself as a Pea merchant. 
Profitable Frnit Culture on Farms. — A paper on 
this subject will be read by Mr. R. Dean, at a meeting 
of the St. Albans Farmers’ Club, to be held this day 
(Saturday), at half-past four o’clock, in the Council 
Chamber of the Town Hall, St. Albans. 
Preston and Fulwood Horticultural Society.— At 
the twenty-first monthly meeting of this society, to be 
held this (Saturday) evening, Mr. George Blench, of 
The Gardens, Witton Park, Blackburn, will read a 
paper on “The Strawberry: its culture under glass 
and out of doors.” 
The Rose Conference at Chiswick.—In anticipation 
of a number of distinguished foreign horticulturists 
being in England to attend the Rose Conference at 
Chiswick on July 2nd and 3rd, it is proposed that the 
President, Council, and Fellows of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society should welcome them at a reception and 
dinner on the evening of the first day of the conference. 
Fellows willing to co-operate in this matter are requested 
to communicate with the secretary of the society, the 
Rev. W. Wilks, Shirley Vicarage, Croydon. 
To Preserve Parsley—It is not always easy to 
procure Parsley in winter, to the great despair of 
the gardener and the chef ,An agricultural journal 
recommends growers in the season when the precious 
condiment abounds, to dry little bouquets in the 
shade, and place them in a box with a moist cover. 
Parsley thus preserved will be analogous to fresh 
Parsley—the same colour, the same flavour, and the 
same stimulating properties. Here is a method of pre¬ 
servation within the reach of all, and yet we dare not 
guarantee it.— Le Jardin. 
Crystal Palace Flower Shows.—The Crystal Palace 
Company have just completed their fixtures for the 
1889 Flower and Fruit Shows. The Spring Exhibition 
of Plants and Flowers will be held on the 23rd March ; 
the Great Summer Exhibition on May 11th; the 
Hational Rose Society’s Grand Exhibition of Roses on 
July 6th ; the Fruit Exhibition and Grand national 
Dahlia Show on 6th and 7th September; the Great 
Autumn Fruit Show on 10th, 11th, and 12th October, 
and the Grand Chrysanthemum Exhibition on the 8th 
and 9th november. 
1711116 Flowers.—The French paper Le Jardin says 
that white flowers being above all things sought after by 
the florists of Paris, here is a means of procuring them 
with little expense. The Rose Noel, which produces 
beautiful rose-coloured flowers, gives blooms almost en¬ 
tirely white when cultivated in a cellar or any other 
obscure place. The bouquetists of Paris serve them¬ 
selves with flowers prepared in the following way 
to imitate Camellia buds—namely, by fitting a 
Hellebore bud into a completely expanded flower of the 
same plant, and of which the organs of reproduction 
have been cut away. This subterfuge is more innocent 
than the employment of fuchsine to colour wine. 
The Surrey Chrysanthemum Society.—On the 
22nd ult. about fifty members of this society dined 
together at Grove House, Camberwell, the founder of 
the feast being G. Searle, Esq.—a generous supporter 
of the society. The chair was taken by Mr. G. T. 
Houghton, and the vice-chair by Mr. G. Vaughan, 
IVest Dulwich, both of whom are effective workers on 
the society's executive. The dinner was followed by a 
vocal and instrumental concert, interspersed with a 
few short speeches on matters relating to the society’s 
work, and from which it was pleasant to gather that 
after struggling for some years it is now growing into 
strength and usefulness, and gives promise of soon 
attaining a prominent position. It has a most energetic 
secretary in Mr. Springett. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—The members of the 
Council who retire at the forthcoming annual meeting 
are Mr. W. T. Thistelton Dyer, Prof. M. Foster, 
Dr. Hogg, Sir E. C. Loder, Bart., Mr. H. J. Veitch, 
and Mr. G. F. Wilson, and the gentlemen nominated 
(by eight members of the existing Council) to succeed 
them, are Mr. J. R. Bourne, agent to the Duke of 
Bedford ; Mr. W. Coleman, Eastnor Castle Gardens, 
Ledbury ; Sidney CourtaulJ, Esq , Booking Place, 
Braintree ; Mr. H. J. Pearson, Beeston, Notts. ; 
Mr. T. F. Rivers, Sawbridgeworth ; and Sir Charles 
Strickland, Bart., Hildenley, Malton. Sir Charles 
Strickland and Mr. Courtauld are the only two who 
have been members of the governing body before. The 
officers recommended by the Council for election are 
Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P., as President, 
Mr. D. Morris as treasurer ; Rev. W. Wilks, M.A., 
as secretary ; and Messrs. G. Deal, W. Richards and 
H. Turner as auditors. 
Gardeners' Orphan Fund.—At the committee meet¬ 
ing on the 25th ult., the honorary secretary stated that 
among other sums received during 'the month were 
5 guineas each from Mr. Deal and Mrs. Barron, £5 
from Mr. Macmillan, £7 6s. 10d, collected in money 
boxes by Mr. J. Hughes, Birmingham ; £2 7s. 8 d. 
collected by Mr. Divers, Ketton Hall, Stamford ; and 
£5 5s. from Mr. Rose, as the result of an entertain¬ 
ment given at Lockinge, kc. The receipts from all 
sources during the preceding six months amounted to 
£549 3s. 6d., which showed a satisfactory increase on 
the subscriptions and collections made by local secre¬ 
taries during the corresponding half of last year. It 
was also announced that arrangements have been made 
for a ticket benefit, in aid of the fund, to take place 
at the Royal Princess’s Theatre, Oxford Street, the 
tickets sold being available for either of the afternoon 
performances on the 6 th and 9 th inst., or the evening 
performances on the 6th, 7th, and 8th. An intimation 
was also received to the effect that the committee of 
the Croydon Horticultural Society have decided to 
hold a Rose fair and sale of Roses in connection with 
their exhibition on July 3rd. This is an excellent and 
eminently practical scheme, which we trust other com¬ 
mittees will adopt. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
I note that in a contemporary Mr. Molyneux suggests 
that some varieties of the “Rundle ” class should be 
staged in triplets, which is a very excellent suggestion, 
but what is wanted is more variety than he stipulates, 
viz., Mrs. G. Rundle, Mrs. Dixon, and Mr. G. Glenny. 
No doubt these would make very attractive stands, 
but why not have other varieties with more colour, 
leaving it to the framers of schedules to enumerate the 
sorts that exhibitors may show, say in this way, “a 
stand of twelve in not less than six or eight varieties,” 
which should be named. That would be thirty-six 
blooms, and staged in the way Mr. Molyneux suggests, 
I am convinced would be an improvement on those 
stands shown at Portsmouth, which he mentions. I 
name a few which I venture to think might come into 
such a class in addition to the above:—Pink Pearl, 
Lord Derby, Eve, Crimson Velvet, Abbe Passaglia, 
Rev. J. Dix, Mrs. Halliburton, Mr. Cullingford, and 
Plenipo. It would be the means of keeping these 
smaller but none the less beautiful varieties before the 
Chrysanthemum-growing public, and perhaps Mr. 
Molyneux would mention other varieties that are now 
considered too small for the best stands, and which, 
good and pretty as they are, stand no chance in com¬ 
petition with the larger varieties.— Southdown. 
Late-Flowered Chrysanthemums. 
In Mr. Kipling's paper, read at the last meeting of the 
N. C. S., he asks growers to give the names of any 
varieties that flower late, in addition to those he 
mentioned. I will add Edouard Audiguier and Florence 
Percy. I saw at Christmas last some blooms of both 
those varieties. Edouard Audiguier had bloomed early 
in November, and numerous side shoots showing, they 
were allowed to develop, and were found very useful. 
This variety had been grown on the single-stem system, 
but Florence Percy had been cultivated for ordinary 
decoration and the shoots stopped. Late in autumn 
they were placed in a house having a northern aspect, 
from which frost is merely excluded, with the result 
that a nice lot of bloom was forthcoming when par¬ 
ticularly wanted. Several of the singles are late 
flowering—notably, Alba lutea and America.— South- 
down. 
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GARDENIAS. 
Among the useful plants of the present day these hold 
a foremost place for two reasons, one being the rich 
perfume they yield, and the other, the rich appearance 
the blooms possess when cut and blended with other 
flowers of a similar character. To grow Gardenias to 
perfection, one thing essential is that they should be 
kept free from insects of any kind, and in a mixed 
collection this will be found a difficult matter. Both 
mealy bug and brown scale are very partial to them, 
not to speak of green and black fly, which will almost 
worry them if not looked after. When possible, these 
plants should have a house to themselves where they 
can have special treatment. 
In selecting wood for cuttings, which strike very 
freely, some of the most vigorous shoots should be 
taken and inserted in well-drained pots, plunged in a 
good bottom heat, and kept close in a case or under a 
bell-glass. When rooted, pot off into small pots, and 
return to a very warm growing house, shading from 
sun until the young plants are well established. When 
they are well filled with roots they will require shifting 
into larger pots. Never let the young stock become pot- 
bound until you have the plants large enough to suit 
your requirements, taking the precaution at the same 
time that the plants are being potted on, to pinch out 
the points of all the strongest shoots, which will cause 
them to form good bushy plants. 
Young and thrifty plants may be expected to yield 
one crop of flowers in a year, but a supply of these may 
be looked for at various times, according to the vigour 
of the plants, as they advance in size. If planted out 
in a good, well-drained border, their shoots will be 
more vigorous, and consequently more flowers may be 
expected, but if grown in large pots the growth will be 
shorter and firmer, but still a fair supply of flowers 
may be cut from a plant in a 12-in. pot in a season. 
The syringe should be always at work amongst these 
plants, and if a small quantity of paraffin oil be put 
into the water at times and kept well mixed up it will 
have a great tendency to keep down the ravages of 
insect pests. For a compost in which to grow them, 
I prefer equal parts of peat and loam, with an occasional 
dose of liquid manure when well established in their 
pots. At all times pot firmly, and in the case of young 
plants, where practicable, they will benefit by being 
plunged in a steady bottom heat. — IF. G. 
