January 23, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
325 
howl of agony came from the kitchen; that little 
sucker had caught a bigger one, and the negro cook 
was gasping and spitting and rubbing her tongue 
with a piece of fat bacon, and ejaculating: “Fer 
Gawd's sake, what kind of a sweet tater is dat ?" A 
wooden man could not eat the Calla Lily bulb, and 
at 4 p.m. my tongue is still tingling. 
SIX GOOD * GENTIANS. 
These hardy Alpine flowers are very easily culti¬ 
vated in almost any moist situation, while the deep 
lue of some of the varieties is not surpassed by any 
other flower. Wherever Alpine subjects are valued 
Gentians are particularly deserving of a place. The 
most generally grown species is the Gentianella, or 
Gentiana acaulis. A good 
rich loam, with a little 
peat or leaf soil inter¬ 
mixed with it, and upon 
a cool subsoil, will grow 
the majority of the Genti¬ 
ans to perfection. I have 
found that where the soil 
is light and rather dry 
that a tile placed beneath 
the plant, say a foot or 
fifteen inches, and the 
upper soil made of clayey 
loam and peat, intermixed 
with the natural soil, will 
generally cause them to 
thrive well. Gentians like 
a cool, moist soil, but the 
majority of them prefer it 
to be well drained. As all 
of the Gentians are very 
sensitive of any root dis¬ 
turbance, such as that 
caused by being trans- 
plantedor divided for stock 
purposes, they should not 
be disturbed more often 
than one can help. 
Seeds are the best means 
of increasing these for this 
reason; but the Gen¬ 
tianella may be divided 
without much harm accru¬ 
ing, and the best time for 
this operation is early 
spring. Seeds are very 
slow of germination, and 
being minute they require 
careful attention, without 
any undue coddling. If 
sown as soon as ripened 
they will generally com¬ 
mence growth about the 
following spring, but this 
is by no means certain ; 
while old seed, say a few 
months only from matura¬ 
tion, will often be as long 
as one and a-half to two 
years before it begins to 
grow. 
The best compost for 
seedlings is loam and sand 
dressed down very fine, 
and in pots or pans that 
have been thoroughly well 
drained, as the seeds must 
be kept moist but not wet. 
A cool and moist frame or 
pit is the best place for them. I give a slight water¬ 
ing at the time of sowing, and then stand them in 
some secluded corner and lay a square of shaded 
glass over the pan. Should the surface of the soil 
become too dry at any time, you cannot be too care¬ 
ful in giving water, and using a very fine rose on the 
watering can. With the best of luck it generally 
takes three to four years to raise good flowering 
plants. 
Plant very firmly. The best row of Gentians I 
ever saw were planted up a long row of several 
hundred yards in a nursery, and the foreman told me 
that he planted them after the wheel of a loaded 
dung cart had travelled over the edge of the path a 
number of times. He was quite certain, from 
previous observations, that the firmness of the soil 
Jiad a great cjeal to do with their great success. 
and keeping in flower from two to three months. It 
is also a very useful medicinal plant, as the Gentian 
of commerce is made from its roots. The flowers 
are yellow, and are veined and spotted very prettily. 
It is a good kind for the shrubbery, as when the 
long flower spikes are up, the whole plant reaches 
some five feet high. A native of Europe and intro¬ 
duced to this couutry in 1596. 
G. Pneumonanthc (the wind flower).—This is another 
native species, found in North Britain and upon the 
Welsh hills. The flower is funnel-shaped and five- 
cleit , corolla deep blue, while the accessory seg¬ 
ments are green. It grows a little less than a foot 
in height, and is a very pretty and showy species. 
G. ornata, a variety from the Himalayas, having a 
white corolla tube striped 
with blue; while the lobes 
are a most intense blue, 
five in number, and tri¬ 
angular-ovate in shape. 
Gentians are very hardy, 
but they should not be 
planted out into the open 
the first winter after ger¬ 
mination. Thechiefpoints 
are to keep them moist and 
cool without being wet, to 
disturb them as little as 
possible, and to enrich 
the soil by an annual 
dressing of rich loam and 
manure. A few stones 
placed around them when 
they are in a somewhat 
dry situation are very 
beneficial, as these retain 
the moisture to a great 
extent.— Experience. 
ASTER COR- 
DIFOLIUS. 
We are now in a position 
to give an illustration of 
this beautiful perennial 
Aster, which should find a 
place in every collection 
of hardy border flowers. 
The figure was executed 
from a photograph taken 
in the gardens of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, 
Chiswick, in October last, 
when the collection of 
Asters and Sunflowers on 
trial there were in full 
bloom.There are compara¬ 
tively few hardy plants 
to compete with those 
autumn floweringsubjects 
at that time, and their 
presence is therefore in¬ 
valuable where outdoor 
decoration is attempted at 
that season of the year. 
The accompanying figure 
shows the habit of the 
plant and its extremely 
floriferous character. The 
individual flower heads 
are small, but this is 
more than compensated 
for by their great number. 
The stems vary from 2 ft. to 3 ft. in height, 
and become very much branched in the upper por¬ 
tion, the small branches ending in a profusion of 
blossom. The rays are lilac or pale blue, while the 
disc is purple, making a beautiful contrast. A num¬ 
ber of the larger flowering species can be appreciated 
for the size of their individual blooms, which are 
sometimes of rich colours; but the beauty of A. 
cordifolius consists in the graceful habit of the plant 
and the elegance of the myriads of flower heads. 
The leaves are heart-shaped, a form which is by no 
means common amongst Asters, so that the species is 
altogether very distinct. A. Drummondi is perhaps 
the only one with which it may be confused, but that 
is a much taller and more leggy plant, and not nearly 
so floriferous. A. cordifolius is a North American 
plant, from whence it was introduced in 1759, and is 
perfectly hardy. 
First among the Gentians must come the well-known 
Gentianella. 
Gentiana acaulis .—This is a native of Europe, being 
found more plentifully in the Alps and Pyrenees. 
It is the most useful of all blue flowers for the 
rockery. The flowers are carried on short stems of 
some two inches high, and are a couple of inches in 
length by one across. The colour of this species is 
blue, with five yellow marks inside, Further 
description of this very popular Gentian is unneces¬ 
sary. 
G. verna .—A very common variety on the Alps 
and other European mountain ranges, and also to be 
frequently met with in this country. Some few 
years ago,when living on the borders of Ashdown 
Aster cordifolius. 
Forest, in Sussex, I often came across a nice patch 
or two of this very pretty and dwarf Gentian. 
Flowers of distinct tubular or salver shape, five-cleft, 
and with five accessory segments of bifid form. The 
corolla of the flower is a most intense azure-blue, 
while the throat of the bloom is a light colour. It 
forms dense tufts of evergreen foliage, and is one of 
the finest for a moist rockery. 
G. alpina. — This very much resembles the 
Gentianella ; the leaves are smaller and the blooms 
are not so intense a blue, while the lobe of each petal 
has a white spot upon it. It flowers about a month 
to six weeks later than G. acaulis, and is therefore 
well worth planting with it to form a succession of 
flowers. 
G. lutea .—This is a tail growing species, the flower 
stems reaching two and a-half to three feet in height, 
