498 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 6, 1889. 
man to build the temple at Jerusalem, although liis 
father was not. 
Now it passes my comprehension to understand why 
I should not be considered a “true blue” Primrose, 
when older people were satisfied with Primula elatior 
coerulea as the blue Polyanthus, a very watery blue 
indeed. My distant relative, the blue Primula, or 
Holborn Blue if you like, in its garb ot slaty mauve and 
purple staining, and whose ancestors hailed from China, is 
nowhere in it. I lay no claim to the blue of the 
Gentian, the Bluebell, the prostrate Gromwell (Litho- 
spermum prostratum), sky-blue or what not, as I have 
no desire to sail under false colours ; but as a blue 
Primrose I am more blue than any blue-eyed Saxon— 
Anglican or continental—and a blue Primrose is not 
now such a myth as the blue Dahlia or the blue Rose.— 
Blue Gem. 
-- 
TUBEROUS BEGONIAS. 
Where large numbers of Begonias are grown, either for 
planting out or for conservatory decoration, all will 
now be busy in this department. The two leading 
points calling for attention are the raising of seedlings 
and the starting of last year’s or older tubers, so as to 
have batches at different stages to come in for use in 
prime condition at different times. 
It is not at all necessary to make different sowings 
of seeds, because if a good batch is sown about the 
middle of January, the seedlings may be pricked off 
singly in boxes as soon as they become fit to handle. 
The pans in which they were sown should still be kept 
in the propagating pit, and will afford several more 
batches of seedlings from time to time for a period of 
several weeks, as the seeds germinate very unequally. 
As in the case of other flowers so with the Begonia, the 
smaller and less vigorous seedlings often afford a large 
percentage of really first-class flowering kinds. There¬ 
fore, nothing is lost by waiting till these slowly 
vegetating sorts develop into flowering specimens. If 
the intention is to plant out these seedlings for late 
flowering, they should be pricked off into boxes in 
lines about 1 in. or 1J in. apart each way. 
Water them immediately to settle the soil, which 
should be light but rich, consisting largely of 
leaf-soil, with a small proportion of loam and plenty of 
sand. Leave the boxes in the propagating pit or other 
warm-house till they are fairly established and growing, 
after which they may be removed to cooler quarters. 
In all cases keep them near the light to preserve a 
dwarf, sturdy habit, otherwise if neglected in this 
respect they will become drawn and spindly at the 
very outset, and can never give satisfaction during 
the rest of the season. A quantity may be potted up 
for flowering in pots, and they will come in useful after 
the old tubers are getting leggy and useless for decora¬ 
tive purposes. 
The first batch of tubers may be introduced to heat 
during January or February to commence flowering 
during April and May ; and later batches may be 
treated similarly as spring advances. The old tubers 
may be placed in moist coco-nut fibre in the propagating 
pit till they sprout, after which they should be potted 
up singly in small pots, according to the size of the 
tubers. If they have been wintered in the pots in 
which they were grown last year it is a good plan to 
start them into fresh growth before re-potting. The 
earliest batch will now be showing their first flowers, 
while later batches should be growing slowly on shelves 
near the light, to be followed by those now being 
started in a warm house. A larger quantity of loam 
together with some well-rotted cow-dung should be 
used in the compost in which old tubers are grown. 
--- 
NOTES ON VEGETABLES. 
Mushrooms in a Vinery. 
At Amberley Court, the residence of Major Turnor, 
Mr. Wagstaff, the gardener, has an excellent crop of 
Mushrooms growing in a vinery. A well-prepared 
border was made eighteen months ago, and young 
Vines planted out at the back and front of the house, a 
space of 4 ft. being left along the centre of the house, 
to be filled in with suitable soil when the Vines 
require it. This space Mr. Wagstaff has utilised for 
growing Mushrooms, and just now the beds are 
smothered with “buttons ” and “grillers.” I thought 
it a novel aud most useful way of procuring a crop of 
this delicious edible.— W. Driver, Longfords. 
Sutton’s Duke of Connaught Cucumber. 
This is really a good and serviceable variety. I saw the 
other day at Amberley Court a capital crop of fruits 
growing in a small house. Telegraph and other kinds 
were sown on the same day, and planted out with the 
Duke, but they are not ready, while of the Duke of 
Connaught, Mr. Wagstaff, the gardener, informed me 
he had been cutting fine handsome fruit, and good in 
quality, for a fortnight. I should think, by its fine 
appearance and early and free-bearing habit, it would 
become a useful variety for market purposes.— W. 
Driver, Longfords. 
-—>X<-- 
CINERARIAS AT FOREST HILL. 
A large quantity of Cinerarias is annually grown by 
Messrs. J. Carter & Co., at their Forest Hill nursery, 
for the purpose of seed saving. Four houses are at 
present occupied with seedling plants, which will be at 
their best in a week or two ; they exhibit great range of 
variety as far a3 colour goes, and a special feature to be 
noted is their dwarf habit, which ranges from 6 ins. to 
8 ins. or 12 ins. 
The self and two-coloured flowers are pretty evenly 
distributed, without a marked preponderance of either. 
The two colours of course refer to the rays, exclusive of 
the disc or central portion, which frequently differs in 
colour from the rays, giving the flowers a characteristic 
appearance, as occurs in a pure white variety with a 
prominent blue disc. Other self-coloured kinds have 
dark crimson, dark purple, rose, violet-purple, reddish 
crimson, dark plum-purple, and blue rays, in various 
shades, and white with a purple disc. All these colours 
are also exhibited by flower-heads where the rays are 
white for a greater or less part at the base, giving the 
whole head a zoned appearance. 
Greatest value is laid upon those kinds having bioad 
overlapping rays, instead of narrow ones which stand 
free of each other and give the head a starry appearance. 
All growers of Cinerarias experience great difficulty in 
keeping the strain up to a high standard, a circumstance 
owing, no doubt, to the liking which bees have for the 
pollen, which is globular, spiny, and easily carried 
about in large quantities on their hairy bodies. During 
fine days it is impossible to keep them out of the 
houses without going to great trouble in covering the 
ventilators with something to exclude them. There is 
little doubt that Cinerarias are, with the present high 
system of cultivation, largely inclined to sport into 
different colours when raised from seeds. But it is 
impossible to overlook the effects of interference from 
the bees which visit them for the sake of pollen. 
Last year the seed from marked plants was sown, 
and the results are indeed surprising. From a plant 
with white rays tipped with blue, this year’s seedlings 
exhibit deep rose, blue with a white zone, deep blue, 
purple and several other shades. From another kind 
has arisen varieties with plum-purple, blue, white with 
blue tip, and rose with a white zone. A plant made 
its appearance amongst last year’s seedlings, having 
the rays striped with purple on a white ground, and 
giving rise to hope of a new break or strain amongst 
Cinerarias. But “the best laid schemes of mice and 
men gang aft agley,” as in this instance, where seed¬ 
lings of one plant are now in flower exhibiting plum- 
purple, deep blue, crimson, rose, violet-purple, white 
with a purple tip, deep purple with a white zone, and 
other shades of colour. The quality is, however, 
generally good, and all the rogues are by this time, no 
doubt, vigorously weeded out. Many of them are 
very pretty, but not coming up to the florists’ standard, 
will be utilised for cut-flower purposes. 
Only a few double kinds and Emperor Frederick are 
perpetuated by cuttings. Of the latter there is a good 
stock of healthy plants now in flower with its crimson- 
maroon heads. A peculiarity of the variety is that it 
produces no pollen so far as can be ascertained, but the 
bees would seem to have found some, or sports have 
occurred amongst other kinds showing rose-coloured 
rays with a white claw, and purple with a white claw, 
the latter organ being the most striking and char¬ 
acteristic feature of Emperor Frederick. A blue kind 
with the rays involute in the middle was very pretty, 
but there is great doubt whether it will prove constant. 
-=►>:£<=- 
THE FOREST HILL NURSERIES. 
Among many excellent things seen in flower in the 
Messrs. Laing’s establishment besides the Olivias are 
some of the best kinds of Orchids, and the large plant 
of Clematis indivisa lobata, trained under the roof of 
one of the greenhouses, is worth a journey to see. 
There are literally thousands of blooms on it, and as an 
early-flowering greenhouse plant there is nothing to 
equal it. Where cut flowers are in demand, too, it is 
invaluable. Another grand feature in this nursery is 
the collection of Caladiums, for which it has been long 
famous. It is questionable whether a similar display 
can at the present time be found elsewhere. The 
diversity of marking and colouration of foliage are 
simply marvellous. 
As is well known to many of your readers, Begonias are 
grown not only well, but in immense quantities, and 
looking at the preparations being made for the coming 
season, it would seem as if they are fully determined to 
maintain their ground against all comers. Some of the 
plants are already in bloom, looking remarkably bright 
and healthy, and many thousands of seedlings are 
pricked off into boxes. To those unacquainted with 
the Begonia trade, the thousands seen here in all stages 
of growth are simply marvellous, and the stock grown 
during the coming summer will in all probability amount 
to 100,000.— IV. B. G. 
-->X<~- 
THE ATMOSPHERIC CONDI¬ 
TIONS OF PLANT HOUSES.* 
In treating of this subject I shall deal chiefly with three 
of the more imporfait factors influencing the well-being 
of plant life in plant houses, and, therefore, under 
artificial conditions. These agencies are temperature, 
moisture, and air, in the consideration of which it will 
be seen that they are all intimately connected with one 
another, as their combined effects determine the 
results, either good or bad, according to their influence 
on the different classes of subjects grown. The degree 
of heat and moisture best suited to any plant or class of 
plants can only be determined in each specific case by a 
close study of the plants themselves in a state of nature, 
or what is more important, in the case of those 
grown in plant houses by direct experiment. In 
a house of mixed plants from various parts of the 
globe it would be impossible to give each species 
its optimum requirements with regard to heat 
and moisture, even if these had been scientifically 
determined ; therefore we must always content ourselves 
with approximately the best conditions. Ventilation is 
merely a secondary factor used to modify the former 
two on certain occasions, because, seeing that glass 
structures are not air-tight, we can often dispense with 
ventilation altogether,particularly when the temperature 
of the external air is considerably lower than that 
internally. Under these conditions the discrepancy 
on the two sides of the glass roof will induce an 
exchange of air. Ventilation, however, in the hands 
of a skilful plantsman is an important factor in the 
proper development of plant growth aud structure, and 
we shall therefore require to make frequent reference to 
it. 
The Psychrometer. 
Various instruments have been invented from time to 
time for the purpose of ascertaining the exact degree of 
humidity in the atmosphere at any given temperature. 
The primitive ones have been improved upon until 
resulting in the production of a very perfect, although, 
at the same time, a very simple instrument. This is 
the psychrometer, better known, perhaps, under the 
name of the hygrometer, or dry and wet bulb ther¬ 
mometer. It consists of two thermometers, which 
should be exactly alike in construction, graduated to 
degrees and tenths of a degree, in order that the read¬ 
ings may be precisely accurate. These should be 
mounted on one stand in close proximity to each other, 
and on the same level. The bulb ot one should be left 
uncovered, that of the other being wrapped in a piece 
of muslin. A small glass vessel should be stood about 
3 ins. away from the latter, and kept replenished from 
time to time with soft rain or distilled water. A 
cotton wick, loosely coiled round the muslin-covered 
bulb, should dip into the glass vessel for the purpose of 
supplying the muslin covering with moisture. This 
will constitute the wet-bulb thermometer, which will, 
or should generally, stand at a somewhat lower degree 
of temperature thau that indicated by the dry bulb 
thermometer, and in xerophyllous or drought-loving 
plant houses should always exhibit a considerably lower 
temperature. Unfortunately, the plant houses in this 
country are rarely provided with this useful instrument. 
The difference between the two thermometers indi¬ 
cates the degree of humidity of the atmosphere in the 
house or the open air where the experiment is being 
conducted, or, in other words, it indicates the rapidity 
of evaporation going on from the wet bulb. This may 
sound paradoxical when it is stated that moisture at 
the same temperature as the atmosphere of a house 
should cause the thermometer with which it is in 
contact to indicate a lower temperature than another 
*A paper read by Mr. John Fraser, at the last meeting of the 
Chiswick Gardeners' Mutual Improvement Association, 
