578 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 11, 1889. 
flowers. Reine des Roses was another grand plant, 
with lovely rose-coloured flowers ; Dr. Moore, a pretty 
semi-double variety, with blooms of deep rose shaded 
with violet; and Stella, a fine old variety, with bright 
orange-scarlet flowers, looked very brilliant ; but the 
most noteworthy of all was a magnificent specimen of 
Fielder’s White, about 0 ft. high by 4j ft. in diameter, 
trained in pyramidal shape, and literally covered with 
its pure white flowers—the finest I have ever seen. 
The Rhododendrons were represented by some noble 
specimens. A plant of R. formosum, over 6 ft. high 
and 4J ft. in diameter, trained in pyramidal form, had 
hundreds of bloom buds, which would be a gorgeous 
sight in a few days. A magnificent specimen of 
Princess Alice was completely covered with bloom, while 
equally good was a fine plant of Countess of Haddington, 
and another of R. Beadoni, which was from 4 ft. to 
5 ft. in diameter. Their beauty was enhanced by 
several well-grown plants of Chorozema splendens, a 
pretty and useful subject, both for cut flowers and 
indoor decoration. 
Adjoining this was a similar house, well filled with 
specimen Heaths, all of equal size and quality ; in fact, 
such a fine collection is seldom seen in private gardens 
in these days. Amongst splendid plants of Erica 
jemula and E. Kingstoniana I noticed a very fine 
plant of E. perspicua nana, about 4 ft. through ; two 
large plants of E. Cavendishiana, completely covered 
with rich bright yellow flowers ; several specimens of 
E. profusa, E. depressa, E. caffra, E. persoluta, and E. 
Parmentierii. In the same house was a splendid plant, 
about 3 ft. in diameter, of the beautifully-scented 
Boronia megastigma, which is seldom met with in such 
a healthy condition. 
Hear this was the stove, a spacious span-roofed house. 
The centre bed was almost devoted to specimen Crotons, 
averaging from 4 ft. to 6 ft. in height, and from 3 ft. 
to 4 ft. in diameter. These were all looking very 
healthy and perfectly clean, a noticeable feature 
throughout the whole garden. A few of the best were 
Croton picturatum, Prince of Wales, Evansianum, and 
a grand plant of Baron J. Rothschild, beautifully 
coloured and well trained. There were others of 
Disraeli, Williamsii, and Earl of Derby. In addition to 
these were fine plants of Anthurium Yeitchii, A. erys- 
tallinum, and a few good specimens of A. Andreanum, 
which were carrying several of their brilliant spathes, 
lighting up the whole house. Good plants of Alocasia 
Lowii and A. metallica gave great relief to the trained 
specimens. The side stages were well furnished with 
pretty useful plants for table decoration, which seem 
to be in great demand. Orchids are not extensively 
grown ; the principal in bloom then, were a few fine 
plants of Cypripedium Lawrenceanum and C. barbatum. 
Tuberous Begonias are also largely and well grown, 
and several good plants are already in bloom. Her¬ 
baceous Calceolarias seem a special favourite with Mr. 
Ford, and a finer collection of plants would be difficult 
to find. There are about fifty specimens in 24 and 16- 
size pots, and averaging about 2 ft. across, the foliage 
looking beautifully healthy and clean. Those of your 
readers who were fortunate enough to see the dozen 
plants exhibited by Mr. Ford, and gaining the first prize 
at the Crystal Palace spring show, can form but a faint 
idea of what is in store for them in the future. Two new 
houses for Melons and Cucumbers have recently been 
erected. The former Mr. Ford informed me had only 
been planted eleven weeks, and were then carrying a 
grand crop of extra fine fruit. Cucumbers could be 
counted by the hundred, Telegraph being the principal 
variety grown. Another span-roofed house attached to 
these was full of Gardenias and Eucharis grandiflora, 
looking, like everything else, the picture of health. 
There were other plant and Tomatos houses, two 
vineries and Peach houses. These contained moder¬ 
ately good crops of fruit. One vinery, planted two 
years ago, had rods the leading shoots of which have 
already made growths from 10 ft., to 12 ft. in length. 
Wherever the eye turns, everything looks beautifully 
healthy and clean ; nothing seems neglected. Mr. 
Ford’s future career as an exhibitor looks very promising, 
and credit is due to him for the efficient manner in 
which the gardens in every department are conducted. — 
J. Gr, 
Azalea, Madame Yandee Ciujyssen. _Red 
varieties are so common that something of a softer 
and more pleasing tone is desirable amongst the glare 
produced by a houseful of dark-coloured varieties. We 
noticed a batch of plants of this varietv the other day 
in the nursery of Messrs. Hooper & Co., Maida Yale. 
They were of various sizes, and were well furnished 
with large semi-double flowers of a pleasing rose colour, 
and would prove very attractive either for cut-flower 
purposes or for conservatory decoration. 
TOMATOS FOR FORCING. 
It is not necessary for us to allude to the fact 
that this popular esculent is making such headway 
that it bids fair to appear ere long with the 
dessert among other fruits, and it is certain that 
its appearance, when dished up with taste as other 
fruits are, will not impair the general effect of a well- 
appointed dinner-table. The taste ■which has been 
acquired by many of late years of eating Tomatos in a 
raw state in salads and otherwise has gone further, and 
palates which at one time would have recoiled from an 
uncooked Tomato now relish them heartily, consuming 
finely-ripened fruits as they would Peaches. Their 
wholesomeness is beyond a doubt, but some care is 
necessary in ripening the fruit to make it palatable with 
those who object to acids. Much of the same care is 
necessary as is practised with other fruits—Melons 
especially—by keeping them as dry as possible, with a 
circulation of air passing among the ripening fruit at 
all times when the state of the weather will permit. 
Where plants are grown and fruited in pots they are 
very manageable, especially when they have to fruit 
during winter and onwards under glass. They can be 
removed bodily to a structure where they can have 
abundance of light and air. In many places in the 
northern part of the kingdom Tomatos cannot be grown 
satisfactorily, but if they are started in good time, in 
order to attain a large size before they are planted out, 
many difficulties may be overcome. If established in 
large pots, with holes knocked in the bottom for the 
emission of roots, little check is sustained at planting 
time. Among a number of favourite kinds for early 
forcing, free cropping and good quality, we find none to 
surpass the old Orangefield. It was fruiting profusely at 
the middle of April, outdistancing other popular 
kinds.— M. __ 
The Amateurs' Garden. 
-- 4 —-- 
Cyclamens. 
It is a bad practice to dry off the corms of Cyclamens 
when they go out of flower, thereby destroying the 
foliage and preventing it from performing its proper 
functions, and from laying up a store of nutrient 
material in the rootstock for the future production of 
flowers. In fact, when subjected to the old process of 
baking, they can only produce, at best, but a few 
small and indifferent flowers compared with the scores 
that a good specimen is capable of producing during 
the course of the winter. As they go out of flower they 
should be placed in a house or pit kept moderately 
warm. Supply the plants with plenty of moisture, and 
in every way encourage the growth of foliage till the 
latter dies away naturally. After this the corms must 
still be kept moderately moist till growth recommences 
towards the end of summer. A rich harvest of bloom 
will be the result of such treatment. Amateurs may 
frequently find it difficult to supply the requisite 
conditions, but by standing the plants on a shelf near 
the glass in a greenhouse and attending to them with 
water, the results will be highly satisfactory. 
Herbaceous Borders. 
There are some growers who say that herbaceous 
borders should not be disturbed or dug, and, in fact, 
that they should be covered with an undergrowth of 
various creeping or dwarf plants. All of this, though 
apparently novel and pleasing at first sight, soon 
becomes weedy and disagreeable to the eye ; in fact, it 
is only evidence of bad gardening, and should not be 
permitted within the precincts of well-kept gardens. 
There all should be neat and tidy, and the ground 
should seldom be occupied with more than one kind of 
plant in any particular spot. When one plant is seen 
growing up through a carpet of something else it 
generally betokens neglect. Herbaceous subjects, 
again, are generally gross feeders, and repay liberal 
treatment. If the borders have not yet been dug, the 
work may now be done with advantage. It can now be 
seen where bulbs are planted, so that there will be no 
danger of digging them up. Give the borders a good 
coating of partly-decayed manure. Old hot-bed material 
will prove excellent, and heavy soil will be much bene¬ 
fited by a large quantity of partly-decayed leaf-soil, or 
the decayed heaps that pass under the name of garden 
rubbish, and consist of the weeds raked off the borders, 
last year’s decayed stems and leaves of plants, as well 
as the prunings of fruit and other trees that have been 
burned in a smouldering heap. In digging this in, 
avoid cutting the main roots. 
Weeding and Hoeing. 
Y'henever opportunity offers, and the surface soil is 
dry, keep the hoe at work amongst all growing crops, 
beds and borders. The heavy rains and hail of last 
month have battered the soil until it has assumed a 
baked appearance, which is not merely unsightly, but 
is very inimical to the growth of plants. Should wet 
weather prevail, the weeds should be removed with a 
coarse toothed rake where there is convenience to do so, 
otherwise they must be removed by hand. A marked 
improvement in the growth of plants can soon be 
observed where hoeing has been given. 
Crowding in Frames. 
All available space for the raising of plants for summer 
bedding gets unavoidably crowded at this season of the 
year. Growers may find a means of relieving this state 
of matters to a certain extent, by transferring such 
things as Stocks, Asters, Saponaria calabrica, Phlox 
Drummondi, African and French Marigolds in boxes, 
to some sheltered place in the open air where they can 
be covered up at night, by means of mats or other light 
material that may be laid over a specially constructed 
but light framework, however rude. It is well to 
remember that the plants should be pretty well ad¬ 
vanced before putting them out in this way, because 
progress will not be so rapid under the conditions 
mentioned. 
Cucumbers. 
Those intending to grow Cucumbers in frames should 
now have the hot-beds made up without further delay, 
so that the plants may be inserted as soon as possible, 
to give them a long growing season. Those who have 
not yet tried their hand at this kind of culture will 
find the process easy enough. Get a quantity of farm¬ 
yard manure, from the cow-stables preferable, and if 
possible some dry Oak or Beech leaves. This mixed 
with the manure will prevent it heating excessively, 
while the heat will last much longer. The whole 
should be shaken up loosely in a conical heap, with a 
layer of dung and leaves alternately. After a few days 
it will be found that the heap has fermented or heated, 
when the whole may be shaken up afresh, making a 
new heap and placing all the rank material in the 
centre. After it has again fermented the bed may be 
made up, by building up a square heap with the dung 
and treading it down moderately firm. Place on the 
frame, together with a mound of rich loam with which 
a good quantity of well-rotted manure is mixed. Cover 
with the sash, and as soon as all danger of violent 
heating is over the Cucumbers may be planted out. To 
prevent the leaves getting scalded by the hot vapour 
arising from the dung, a little air may be left on all 
night. Cover the frame with a mat at night, which 
will economise the heat and encourage the plants to 
grow. 
- -—>Ar< --— 
THE FLORA OF SCOTLAND. 
At the April meeting of the members of the Natural 
History Society of Aberdeen, held in Marischal 
College, Aberdeen, Dr. James W. H. Trail, Pro¬ 
fessor of Botany in the Aberdeen University, read an 
interesting and educational paper, entitled “Man’s 
Unintentional Agency in the Distribution of Plants,” 
in the course of which he described, in a clear 
and lucid manner, the unconscious effects of man 
on the floras of North' America, South Africa, St. 
Helena, and Scotland. In speaking of Scotland, 
the learned professor said :—It is very noteworthy 
how few immigrants have been able to establish them¬ 
selves in Scotland, within this century, with a fair 
prospect of becoming permanent residents. I have 
published {Scot. Nat., 1884, pp. 243-58) a list of intro¬ 
duced plants and casuals observed in north-east Scot¬ 
land, in which are enumerated all the species that I 
had myself observed, and all of which I could get 
authentic information as having been found in this 
district. All kinds of which even one example had 
been found growing where it had not been intentionally 
planted, were included, without regard to their mode 
of immigration, whether as escaped garden plants, or 
among rubbish thrown into sand-pits, in ballast, or 
introduced with imports of commerce ; and it was thus 
exhaustive, as far as I could make it so. Many of the 
plants named in it are among the species that have 
spread most rapidly and widely in North America ; yet 
with us they have been unable to secure a footing, and 
have usually died out in a year or two. There are in 
the list 140 species that have either died out at once or 
lingered on for a few years, restricted to a few yards of 
ground. 
The few that can be said to have become really 
naturalised within this century in north-east Scotland 
are Trifolium hybridum and T. agrarium, both of 
these being found along the borders of fields, into 
