December 12, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
231 
HARDENING fllSCELLANY. 
“TACT AND PATRONAGE" FOR 
GARDENERS. 
In your valuable paper. The Gardening World, 
for November 14th, p. 164, Mr. W. Napper, of Chel¬ 
sea, has something to say as to the above, in allusion 
in part to what I may have written elsewhere. This 
is what Mr. Napper says: “ I quite expect that the 
men of mark mentioned by Mr. Burbidge owe their 
distinction in a large measure to tact and patron¬ 
age. For instance, there would have been no Sir 
Joseph Paxton had there not been also a Duke of 
Devonshire; and my lamented friend, John Dominy, 
would probably have gone down to his grave a poor, 
obscure Devonshire gardener instead of a wealthy 
Orchid specialist and hybridiser but for the great 
house of Veitch." Now in all deference to Mr. Nap- 
per’s logic, I differ altogether from his conclusions, and 
venture to suggest that he has put the cart before the 
horse in the above paragraph. Both Paxton and 
Dominy were men whom it was an honour to em¬ 
ploy ; but both were original and innate men of mark. 
They were not made men of mark by patronage. Pax¬ 
ton did quite as much honour to the Duke of Devon¬ 
shire as ever the Duke did to him; and Dominy also 
did quite as much for the house of Veitch as ever it 
did—and it did much—for Dominy, but not until his 
work was done. Both Paxton and Dominy were 
born gardeners and gentlemen to boot, and it was a 
simple impossibility for any employer to patronise 
them. No man is or can be " patronised ’’ who is 
worth his salt; and " tact " is simply common sense 
and not to be confounded with toadyism, by which 
weak men sometimes try to get the goodwill of their 
employers, and generally fail to do so. I have as 
much sympathy for unhealthy, or overworked, or 
unfortunate gardeners as anyone, but I have no 
sympathy for the men who want and look ior patron¬ 
age, because I know they are the men who will never 
get it. I was never patronised in my life, nor was 
the Editor of Gardening World, nor any man who 
has self-respect and independence. “Good luck is 
good looking after,” I am sure.— F. W. Burbidge. 
AMASONIA PUNICEA. 
Botanically the correct name of this is considered 
to be A. calycina. The floral bracts are of a bright 
crimson-red, and, although not so large as those of a 
Poinsettia, they are equally showy in their way, and 
the plants are as easy, if not more easy to manage. 
Six species are known to science, and all of them 
are natives of tropical South America, and mostly of 
Brazil. They belong to the Verbena family and are 
closely allied to Clerodendron, but differ in being 
dwarf and of stiff, erect, shrubby habit. The plant 
under notice seems to be the only one in cultivation, 
and the wonder is that it is not more extensively 
grown for winter flowering. A fine batch of it may 
be seen in the nursery of Messrs. J. Veitch and Sons, 
Chelsea, where the earliest plants have been flowering 
for the past two or three months. Young plants 
raised from cuttings vary from 12 in. to 18 in. in 
height, and are now in full bloom. The bracts are 
lanceolate, the lower ones being the largest, sub¬ 
tending the flowers of the one-sided raceme. The 
calyx is of the same bright colour as the bracts, but 
the long tubular corolla is pale yellow. The largest 
plants are about 2 ft. high, and consist of last year’s 
specimens which were cut down and restarted. 
They were the earliest to commence flowering, and 
the lowest bracts dropped away after a time, while a 
little higher up they increased in size, became leaf¬ 
like and green, but partly retain their rich colouring 
still. Fruits are now of some size in their axils, 
while the uppermost are still brilliant and continue 
developing flowers. A plant which continues in 
flower for such a length of time should indeed be an 
acquisition to gardens. The oblong-elliptic leaves 
are of a rich dark green and constitute a fine 
contrast to the bracts. 
IPOMCEA HORSFALLI/E. 
The bulk of stove climbers are flowerless and resting 
in winter, sometimes even deciduous, and may be cut 
back. A pleasing variation from this state of matters 
is introduced to the stove by the culture of this fine 
evergreen, winter-flowering species. The leaves are 
digitate and consist of five lanceolate, wavy, dark 
green, finger-like leaflets. The flowers are produced 
in great quantity in cymes from the axils of the leaves, 
and continue to be produced in succession all through 
the dull winter months, and the more especially if 
the weather is tolerably open and the light moderately 
good. The calyx is black, and, while yet in bud, 
resembles so many globular and shining fruits about 
the size of large peas. The individual flowers are 
large, funnel, or almost salver shaped, with a deep 
rose, rich, and glossy corolla, more or less plaited at 
the edges. We noted it in fine condition in one of 
the stoves in the nursery of Messrs. J. Veitch & 
Sons, Chelsea. Plants may be grown in a moderately 
large pot or even planted out; but perhaps it would 
flower best in a pot. Cuttings do not root very 
readily, consequently it should be propagated by 
layering, a method of treatment which suits it very 
well. 
COTONEASTER FRIG1DA. 
In the interesting note on Cotoneasters, p. 212, I do 
not see that C. frigida is mentioned. This makes a fine 
tree with beautiful and abundant berries. My first 
specimen eame from a Chiswick ballot many years 
ago. It is now a tree in our cottage garden near 
here. Several plants bought at a nursery—if I remem¬ 
ber rightly, Messrs. Richard Smith & Co. of Wor¬ 
cester—have grown very fast, and have this year been 
covered with berries, and been much admired.— 
George F. Wilson, Heatlierbank, Wcybridge. [We have 
an illustration of this species prepared for a future 
issue, hence the omission Mr. Wilson refers to. Ed.] 
HARDY CYCLAMENS: SUN v. SHADE. 
Though what I have to say does not specially refer 
to hardy Cyclamens, it may interest Mr. G. F. 
Wilson (p. 212) to know that, while learning my 
business at a nursery, we had a fine lot of Cyclamens 
and placed them in a cool Rose house where they were 
shaded by the Roses. For a time they seemed to do 
fairly well, but soon I saw that they did not like 
their situation ; the leaves lost their lustrous hue and 
seemed to be flagging, so we changed them into a 
different house, placing them within a foot of the 
glass, and in less than a month a great difference was 
perceptible. When they flowered I never saw 
better ; they were a mass of bloom, the leaves a 
beautiful colour, and the corms much increased in 
size. I have always found that Cyclamens are much 
brighter, healthier, and stronger when grown and 
flowered with the sun’s rays upon them, and do not 
think that there are many flowers that are the better 
for shading.—C. Butlin, The Gardens, Leonard Stanley, 
Gloucestershire. 
DROOPING URN FLOWER. 
Such is the popular name very aptly applied to 
Urceolina pendula, better known in gardens as U. 
aurea, from its colour. It is a greenhouse, bulbous 
plant, inhabiting the Andes of South America, as do 
the few other species known. The scapes vary from 
12 in. to 15 in. in height, bearing an umbel of long 
stalked drooping flowers, with the mouth of the latter 
downwards. The perianth is urn-shaped, or much 
inflated in the middle, and bright yellow, with six 
small green segments at the closed mouth. The 
leaves are produced after flowering is over, but the 
naked scapes, if considered desirable, may be partly 
hidden by standing a dwarf plant or two in front. 
The plant flowers at various seasons, according to the 
time the bulbs are started and the treatment they 
receive. We noted it in perfection the other day 
in the nusrery of Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
MANURE FOR STRAWBERRIES. 
Being a grower of Strawberries to a considerable 
extent, and finding it troublesome to apply farmyard 
manure to all my plants, I should be glad if some of 
your experienced growers would say what, if any, 
artificial manure they have found it advantageous to 
use, and the best means and time to apply it. Do 
the Kentish growers top dress all their Strawberries 
with farmyard manure ? Any information on the 
subject would be welcome.— M. C. H., Nenagh, Co. 
Tyrone. [Mr. Cannell informs us that fish manure is 
largely used in the Swanley district, and put on the 
ground early in spring.— Ed.] 
APHELANDRA PUNCTATA. 
All the species of Aphelandra in cultivation are 
highly ornamental, on account of their flowers alone ; 
some have in addition beautifully variegated foliage ; 
while a third set add still another excellent point in 
the bright colouring of the bracts, The species 
under notice has all these qualifications to recom¬ 
mend it. The green leaves are silvery-white along 
the midrib and principal veins, while numerous 
silvery spots are spread over the leaves on each side 
of the midrib and stronger veins. The bracts are 
arranged in a dense four-ranked spike, terminating 
the stems and branches, and are spiny serrate, bright 
yellow and tipped with green, thus making a 
beautiful contrast. They are moreover more inclined 
to get green at the tips as they are getting old, and 
when the plant has been in bloom for some time. 
The flowers are also tubular and bright yellow, more 
or less conspicuously tipped with green while yet in 
bud, but assume their wonted brightness when fully 
expanded. The plant requires stove treatment, is 
propagated by cuttings, like other winter flowering 
subjects, and is now in full bloom in the nursery of 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons at Chelsea. 
CINERARIAS. 
I was much pleased by the timely remarks of your 
correspondent “ Vesutrus ” anent the culture of 
Cinerarias, in last week’s Gardening World. There 
is no other class of winter-flowering plants that so 
well repays any extra attention as the Cineraria when 
it is well grown. By having two batches they can be 
had in flower from November till May, or longer. 
We put in our seed here about the end of April, and 
from the time they were pricked off into boxes and 
then into pots they |were kept growing on, shifted 
into larger pots as they required it, until we had the 
bulk of them into 8-in. pots. We have some forty 
pots in flower at the present time, and it is those who 
hive large quantities of cut flowers to supply at 
Christmas that can fully appreciate the value of a 
good batch of plants in flower at this time. In the 
last shift, that is their flowering pots, I believe in 
potting them pretty firmly in a compost of about two 
parts of good fibrous loam, broken down with the 
hands, and not too fine either ; one part leaf soil, a 
good sprinkling of sharp river sand, and as a manure 
there is nothing I like so well for Cinerarias or Cal¬ 
ceolarias either as Thomson’s Vine and plant manure, 
I use it pretty freely, and when we see Cinerarias with 
fine healthy foliage covering the entire pot, we come 
to the conclusion that they get something that suits 
them to a nicety. At the same time I do not know 
that it really makes so much difference what we 
give them as there is in how and when to give it, and 
that can only be found out by careful observation.—> 
P. McCowan, The Gardens, Crossbasket, High Blantyre, 
N. B. 
-- 
CH RYSANTHEMUM 
WILLIAM WESTLAKE. 
The myriads of new and so-called new Chrysan¬ 
themums which are placed upon the market every 
year are quite bewildering. One need be a specialist 
in this direction to be able to comprehend a tithe of 
them. Where are we going to stop ? and what 
rough-and-ready method shall we adopt to classify 
or distinguish them ? All, as flowers, are beautiful 
and welcome; although the florist and exhibitor 
necessarily agree to limit the numbers in respect to 
their particular requirements. 
The above so-called new variety is, notwithstand¬ 
ing its name, alike suitable to the exigencies of both 
sections of the gardening fraternity. My own 
opinion, however, with regard to its new title is dis¬ 
tinctly unfavourable, as I have grown it for many 
years under the style of “ Aigle d'or.” Judge of my 
surprise then, on visiting the National Society's 
Exhibition recently, to come across an old friend 
under a new name ? Moreover it has been certifi¬ 
cated ; and one of our leading trade growers has 
acquired the supposed stock, and is offering the 
same at a very enhanced price. Until I became 
re-acquainted with it at the Royal Aquarium, I had 
no idea that I possessed so much valuable property. 
My own impression is that it is a superior form of 
the above mentioned variety, which my erstwhile 
friend, Mr. W. Westlake, having duly admired, 
cuttings were transferred in due course. He still 
further distributed cuttings to a gardener at Hornsey, 
and the latter, not recognising it as Aigle d’or, rushed 
it into the market under its present name without 
consulting me. 
Business instincts would seen to be particularly 
keen in some quarters; and, rather than lose a 
doubtful honour, a very questionable proceeding is 
perpetrated. It will, however, have one good result, 
viz., the dissemination or re-introduction of a very 
useful pompon for any purpose; for neither the nur¬ 
seryman’s description, nor the notice which appeared 
in the Garden, is at all exaggerated. At the present 
time some lifted stools are flowering finely with 
C. B, Green, Acton, W, 
