41 
September 19, 1891. THE G/\R.DItNII\iG vV O R. L I J . 
In the nurserymen’s class for sixty blooms of 
Dahlias, Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co., Salisbury, 
carried off the first award with many fine blooms ; 
Mr. F. W. Seale, Vine Nursery, Sevenoaks, came in 
second; and Mr. C. Turner, Slough, was a good 
third. There were seven entries. Mr. A. Rawlings, 
Romford, had the best thirty-six blooms, many of 
which were in fine condition; Mr. C. Turner was 
second ; and Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co., third. 
Mr. G. Humphries, Chippenham, had the best 
twenty-four and the best twelve blooms. In the 
amateurs’ classes Mr. J. T. West, gardener to W. 
Keith, Esq., Cornwalls, Brentford, took the first 
award for twenty-four, and also that for eighteen 
blooms. The best exhibit of twelve blooms came 
from Mr. A. Ocock, Havering Park, Romford. Mr. 
T. Vagg, gardener to J. Theobald, Esq., Havering, 
Romford, had the best six. Pompon Dahlias, as 
usual, were showy, and the prizes for twenty-four 
bunches were taken by Messrs. Keynes, Williams & 
Co., Mr. C. Turner, and Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, 
Crawley, in the order named. Mr. F .W. Seale had 
the best twelve bunches; and Mr. H. Glasscock, 
Rye Street, Bishop's Stortford. Messrs. J. Cheal & 
Sons had the best twenty-four single Dahlias and 
the best twelve Cactus varieties, as well as the best 
nine of the latter class. Mr. T. W. Girdlestone had 
the best twelve bunches of single Dahlias, as well as 
the best six bunches. Mr. H. Glasscock had the best 
six bunches of Cactus Dahlias. 
In the miscellaneous class an extensive collection 
of the leading kinds of Dahlias was shown by Mr. 
T. S. Ware. Mr. G. Phippen, Reading, had a fine 
group of Cactus Dahlias and Lilies. Messrs. W. 
Paul & Son had a collection of 160 dishes of Apples 
and Pears, and cut Roses. A beautiful collection of 
Tea and H. P. Roses was shown by Messrs. D. 
Prior & Son, Colchester. Dahlias and other cut 
flowers were shown by Mr. W. Salmon, West Nor¬ 
wood, and by Mr. J. T. West. 
Preston and Fulwood Horticultural Society.- —The 
monthly meeting of this society was held on Satur¬ 
day evening, Sept. 5th, in the Commercial Room of 
the Old Legs of Man, Preston. Mr. Alderman 
Walmsley occupied the chair. Mr. Atherton, the 
secretary, read a letter from R. W. Hanbury, 
Esq., M.P., accepting the office of President 
for the coming year. Mr. S. H. Stott exhibited 
twelve magnificent hybrid perpetual Roses and 
twelve Teas, said to be the best seen in the North this 
year. Mr. J. Wilding, Walton, had twenty-four show 
Dahlias, twelve Pompons, and thirty-six singles, and 
they were certainly a most creditable lot. Sydney A. 
Hermon, Esq., St. Anne-on-the Sea, sent twenty-four 
beautiful tuberous Begonias, single and double. Mr. 
Atherton contributed Hasmanthus puniceus and 
Eucomis Regi, and Crinum pallidium was brought by 
Mr. Wm. Morris, who is noted for his “ back yard ” 
exotics and greenhouse plants. 
Mr. A. Waters, The Gardens, Hopwood Hall, 
read his paper on " Watering and Syringing, their 
use and abuse.” In the discussion that followed 
Messrs. Troughton, Payne, Stott, Roberts, Whitwell 
and Spellman took part. The consensus of opinion 
was that more plants were lost through injudicious 
watering, generally by giving too much, than 
by any other cause, and that it was easier to teach a 
young man or a beginner every operation than 
watering, and that only patient observation and long 
practice would make a careful hand with the water 
pot. 
Hawick Horticultural Mutual Improvement Asso¬ 
ciation. —The monthly meeting of the above 
was held on Friday last. Mr. Geo. Wood, vice-pre¬ 
sident, occupied the chair. Mr. Robert Laird, of 
Messrs. R. B. Laird & Sons, nurserymen, Edinburgh, 
contributed a paper on "Ornamental Grasses." 
He dwelt at length on the uses they could be 
put to, for house and church decoration at festive 
seasons, enumerating the most useful and easiest 
grown, not forgetting to mention many of our native 
Grasses so familiar to every one interested in a coun¬ 
try ramble. On the table was exhibited a very fine 
collection of dried Grasses, which helped to illustrate 
the subject. The paper proved to be very interesting 
and led to a useful discussion. Mr. Laird received 
the cordial thanks of the Association. The following 
exhibits were on the table, namely, from Mr. John¬ 
stone, Sillerbithall Gardens, a fine lot of vegetables, 
comprising Marrows, Tomatos, Onions, Potatos, 
Leeks, etc. Mr. Forbes, Buccleuch Nursery, had 
a collection of ornamental Grasses, and Mr. Wood, 
Summerfield Nursery, had some fine Chrysanthemum 
blooms, and a spike of Agave coccinea. The exhibits 
were minutely examined, and their respective merits 
discussed. The usual votes of thanks followed. 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN. 
Flowering Stove Plants. —The temperature of 
the stove must still be maintained at a pretty high 
figure to the end of next month in order to prolong 
the flowering season of such things as Allamandas, 
Ixoras, Dipladenias, Vinca rosea, Bougainvilleas, and 
such things as have hitherto been the ornament of 
that house. The high temperature will also aid in 
ripening the wood, thereby enabling the plants to 
pass the winter in greater safety. A free circulation 
of air by ventilation will also preserve the flowers 
from damping. 
Pandanus Veitchii. —A young stock of this plant 
should always be grown on to take the place of over¬ 
grown and unserviceable plants. If there are young 
plants of sufficient size, the suckers should be taken 
from the large ones and the latter thrown away to 
reduce the crowding in the stove, which always takes 
place towards the end of the season and in winter. 
Dracaenas. —Tall and leggy plants that are 
getting beyond being useful may be ringed or partly 
cut through just below the head of leaves, and a bit 
of sphagnum tied round the cut portion. Then pre¬ 
pare a compost of sandy loam and leaf soil, and, after 
splitting a pot in half and tying it round the portion 
covered by the moss, fill it with the compost. Keep 
the soil moist and roots will soon be emitted, after 
which the head may be severed as a separate plant. 
Greenhouse Plants. — Preparations for the 
housing of such greenhouse plants as are now stand¬ 
ing in the open air, should be made so that the plants 
may be taken indoors, or at least the more tender of 
them, by the end of the month. After that it becomes 
unsafe to leave them exposed. Thoroughly clean 
and wash the houses intended for their reception, and 
after the plants have been housed and properly ar¬ 
ranged with regard to light and general appearance, 
attend carefully to watering and ventilation. 
Tea Roses in Pots. —Those which were repotted 
or top-dressed some time ago with the intention of 
flowering them early, should now be removed to a 
house where growth will be gently stimulated. If 
the shoots are at all crowded, thin them out, and all 
weak shoots incapable of producing flowers should 
be cut away to allow plenty of light to those that 
remain, with a free circulation of air amongst them. 
Make the pots and plants neat and clean before 
taking them indoors. Dust with sulphur on the 
slightest appearance of mildew. 
Chrysanthemums. —Plants intended for exhi¬ 
bition purposes will require almost constant attention 
in the matter of disbudding and looking after their 
insect enemies, such as aphides, both green and 
brown, and small green, four-winged insects, the 
plant bugs allied to aphides, which often do irrepara¬ 
ble injury to the buds, causing the flowers to 
become deformed. Liberal but judicious feeding 
with artificial and other manures should be continued 
till the flower-buds begin to expand. 
Propagating Roses. —Hybrid perpetual and other 
hardy kinds may be inserted as cuttings in the open 
ground in the south of England, but they do better 
in a cold frame in the northern counties. Tea and 
China Roses and Bourbons should receive the latter 
treatment all over the country. Select those shoots 
which are quite firm, pulling them off with a heel of 
the old wood. The heel should be dressed with a 
sharp knife, cutting off as little as possible, and 
shortening the shoots to 9 in. or 12 in., according to 
their strength and ripeness. This work is best done 
during the remainder of this month and the next, 
and no artificial heat should be given. Small 
pots may be used in the frames, inserting one cutting 
in each. 
Trees and Shrubs. —Propagate such things as 
Hollies, Barberries, Yews, and other berried subjects 
by keeping the berries amongst sand for a year and 
then sowing them. By this process the ground that 
would be occupied for a year with the seeds may be 
utilised for something else, and the labour of weed¬ 
ing avoided. Privet, Aucubas, Weigelas, Cherry 
Laurel, and Laurustinus may be increased by means 
of cuttings in the open ground. 
Auriculas. —Offsets and seedling plants may be 
potted on as they require it. Old plants should now 
receive their final potting, and after they have 
taken to the fresh soil they should be fully exposed 
to light and air. No more water should be given 
than is sufficient to prevent the leaves from flagging, 
otherwise the plants will start into bloom and 
probably throw up flower scapes later in autumn, 
thereby ruining the prospects of a good production 
of bloom in spring. 
QuesTions add AnsroeRs 
Cubic Contents of Hothouses. —Omega : To 
find the cubic contents of a span-roofed house, meas¬ 
ure (1) the length, the width, and the height from 
the ground to the eaves, multiply them together, 
and that will give the cubic contents of the lower 
part of the house. Then (2) find the half of the ver¬ 
tical height of the roof in the centre, measuring from 
a rod placed across the house between the eaves, 
multiply the length by the width of the house by this 
ascertained height, and add the product to that of 
the lower portion of the house, and the two sums 
will be the cubic contents. The cubic contents of a 
lean-to may be found in exactly the same way, only 
in this case, measure half the height of the back 
wall from a level with the eaves of the house to the 
point where the glass of the roof touches the back 
wall. Should the roof slope down to the ground, 
and the house be consequently without eaves, then 
find the length, width, and half the entire height of 
the back wall up to the glass, and multiply them to¬ 
gether ; the one product in this case will be the 
cubic contents. For a quarter-span find (1) the cubic 
contents of the roof from the eaves to the ridge, as in 
the case of the span-roofed house ; (2) find the height 
of the front, and also the back wall; add them together, 
and divide by two to get the average height; then 
multiply this by the length and also by the width of 
the house. Add the contents of the roof to those of 
the basal part and the sum will be the entire con¬ 
tents of the house. 
Hot-Water Piping. —Omega : For a greenhouse 
the temperature of which is not kept higher than 
45 0 in winter, 126 ft. of 4 in. piping will be sufficient 
to heat 1,000 cubic feet of air. This is making 
allowance for a low outside temperature in winter. 
To keep it up to 50° use 150 ft. of piping. A vinery 
being forced in winter to keep it up to 65° will 
require 229 ft. of piping ; and for 70° 259 ft. of piping 
will be sufficient for 1,000 cubic feet of air. To give 
an idea of what you intend doing you ought to find 
the cubic contents of your houses, and state what 
temperature you intend keeping up as well as the 
season at which you intend to start the house. 
Remember always that a few extra feet of piping 
will save driving your boiler in severe weather, 
besides being more economical in fuel. Three-inch 
piping would be quite sufficient for a very small 
greenhouse. To economise space, it would be best 
to place the pipes round the outside of the house, 
and less heat would be required by so doing. But 
there are other considerations to be dealt with and it 
would be necessary for us to know what you want to 
grow in the span-roofed house, and also whether you 
intend to have any staging in it. 
Cyclamens for Winter.— J. Carter : You have 
done well in repotting your plants, and the soil used 
is a good one with exception of the rotted cow dung. 
Few good cultivators care about using it at all for 
Cyclamens. Some market gardeners who grow them 
well omit the leaf soil, using good fibrous loam 
entirely, with sufficient sand to keep the whole 
porous and open. Good drainage is also essential. 
Thomson’s Vine Manure is a much better fertiliser 
than cow dung for Cyclamens. The latter should be 
kept on shelves or on front benches close to the 
glass during winter, in a temperature of about 50°, 
which will keep them growing slowly and flowering 
for many weeks together. They also delight in a free 
circulation of air, which prevents them from getting 
drawn. A higher temperature is often accorded them 
during the early stages, but they should not be 
hurried after they attain to flowering size. 
Food for a Turtle. —Frank : The food of turtles 
is mostly of a vegetable nature, and when kept in 
captivity they are generally fed with Lettuce. Other 
vegetable food may, however, be given when Lettuces 
are difficult to obtain. Like other creatures of alike 
nature, however, turtles live a long time upon very 
little or no food at all in the winter time, provided 
they be kept in a dry, moderately warm place. 
Orchids. — H . T. : Perhaps Mr. Lewis Castle's 
Orchids : their Structure, History, and Cultivation 
(171, Fleet Street) would suit you. We do not know 
of any cheap work on Orchids, with illustrations. 
Names of Plants. — G. Winter : Achimenes tubi- 
flora, sometimes called Dolichodeira tubiflora. Nemo : 
1, Adiantum diaphanum : 2, Pteris longiflora; 3, 
Nephrodium molle. R. L. : 1, Polygonum cuspi- 
datum ; 2, Rudbeckia speciosa; 3, Helenium 
autumnale; 4, Campanula carpatica alba; 5, Sedum 
rupestre. J. B. : 1, Spiroea Salicifolia ; 2, Ligustrum 
japonicum; 3, Lilium tigrinum; 4, Cupres$us 
nutkaenis ; 5, Lonicera flexuosa aureo-reticulata ; 6, 
Jasminum revolutum. H. Calder: 1, Pernettya 
mucronata ; 2, Veronica longifolia; 3, Physalis 
Alkekengi; 4, Rubus discolor. Castra : 1, Origanum 
vulgare; 2. Asplenium marinum. H. B. : 1, Lycium 
barbarum ; 2, Eucocnis chinensis punctata; 3, Cyperus 
alternifolius ; 4, Juniperus variegata; 5, Euphorbia 
splendens. W. M 1, Cornus alba; 2, Picea 
orientalis ; 3, Pinus Peuce; 4, Thuya orientalis ; 5, 
Juniperus virginiana var. ; 6, Cryptomeria elegans. 
Miss Walsh: 1, Corydalis lutea; 2, Lysimachia 
punctata ; 3, Sedum Telephium ; 4, Pentstemon cam- 
panulatus; 5, Lilium tigrinum ; 6, Veronica Teucrium 
rupestris (V. T. prostrata flowers very early) ; 7, 
Phalaris arundinacea variegata; 8, Holcus laqatu 
