824 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 27, 1892. 
of a wall enables P. australis to make much better 
growth than if planted in the open shrubbery where 
it might not give satisfaction, not being so hardy as 
P. aculeatus. An unsightly wall in a sunny aspect 
would be much improved by it. 
HELIANTHUS MULT1FLORUS BOUQUET 
DOR. 
There are now several fine varieties of this Sun¬ 
flower in cultivation. The subject of this note is one 
of the best of the double forms, it being a matter of 
taste as to which is actually the best for ordinary 
garden decoration. The stems grow about 2 ft. to 
2,^ ft. high, at least in the neighbourhood of London, 
but are probably capable of greater growth than that 
in rich soil, in wet localities, or rainy seasons. The 
flower heads are large, golden-yellow, and the florets 
of which they are made up are nearly flat, in contra¬ 
distinction to those Sunflowers which are tubular or 
quilled. The second or third line in the herbaceous 
border would be a suitable position for it; but it may 
also be grown in shrubberies or in large clumps or 
beds upon the grass. It may be seen in the nursery 
of Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale Farm, Tottenham. 
TOMATO THE CONFERENCE. 
Occasionally we hear it stated that The Conference 
Tomato is not so good as it was w'hen originally sent 
out, in other words that it has degenerated. Of 
course it was sent out before it had been sufficiently 
tested to fix it, and some cultivators are not 
sufficiently careful in selecting the finest types of 
fruits for seed. There is evidence, however, in 
several gardens that it is still true and a useful sort 
for obtaining a good crop of fruit of a useful size for 
table purposes. Its rich and bright red or scarlet 
colour is also greatly in its favour as far as ap¬ 
pearance is concerned. We noted a fine lot of plants 
recently in one of the houses in the Bedfont seed 
grounds of Mr. R. Dean, Ealing. They were grown 
in pots, and each plant carried four to eight bunches 
of fruit with a promise of more to come from the 
flowers. The number of fruits in a bunch ranged 
from five to eleven. 
STRAWBERRY ELTON PINE. 
Although a very old variety and having little at¬ 
traction as to size, this is still a better Straw berry for 
dessert purpose or for preserving than many of the 
new ; er and larger kinds that have little to recommend 
them except size and colour. The British public 
will give preference to large Strawberries, a fact 
which is no great evidence of good taste. The 
variety under notice is also one of the latest Straw¬ 
berries grown, for there were still a few fruits on the 
plants a fortnight ago in the Bedfont seed "grounds of 
Mr. R. Dean, Ealing. The flavour is certainly 
excellent, and it would be well not to lose sight of 
the variety. 
BEGONIA CRIMSON GEM. 
There is a quantity of this Begonia in one of the 
trial beds at Chiswick in the gardens of the Royal 
Horticultural Society ; and when first put out the 
leaves soon assumed a bronzy crimson hue The 
belief was that this hue was merely the effect of the 
sun upon the tender foliage when first transferred 
from the houses to the open ground. There is little 
doubt that the sun and full exposure to the air has 
brought about this beautiful hue; but the fresh 
growth made since then has shown little reversion, 
so that it appears the effect wrill be permanent so 
long as the plant is grown out of doors. This it is 
hoped will be the case, for as a foliage plant, 
independently of the rich colour of the flowers, it will 
be much sought after for bedding purposes. It 
comes from Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading and also 
from Messrs. Vilmorin, Andrieu & Co., Paris. 
PYRUS BACCATA MICROCARPA. 
The fruits of this little Apple or Crab are no larger 
than Peas, but of a deep shining red almost crimson > 
except the shaded side, which is more or less yellow. 
As in the case of the typical form of the Siberian 
Crab, the calyx is deciduous, and dropping away 
leaves the fruit more or less like a small Cherry as to 
form. The leaves are ovate, or sometimes oval and 
drawn out to a long point. It makes a highly 
ornamental little tree for the lawn or pleasure 
grounds either when in flower or in fruit during 
August and September. It may be seen in the 
botanic grounds of the Royal gardens at Kew. 
CULTURE OF FORCING 
BULBS IN AMERICA. 
There is no reason why we should not grow all the 
bulbs we use, as in some parts of our country we 
have soil and cl:mate adapted to every species under 
cultivation. The Gladiolus, Tuberose, and some 
species of Lilies, all of which were imported thirty 
years ago, find such a congenial home here that we 
not only do not import, but have so turned the tables 
that we are now exporting annually more than we 
ever imported. What has been done with the bulbs 
mentioned may as well be done with the Roman 
Hyacinth and Narcissus in variety that are now 
brought from France in such enormous quantities. 
This assertion is not a theory, but simply a state¬ 
ment of what has been done. Let us state the 
matter more in detail. Some four years ago the 
writer was asked, " What shall we do with some fifty 
thousand Roman Hyacinths that have been delayed 
in transit so long that they have made such roots in 
the cases that they are simply packed together like 
a cake ? ” We examined the mats, and they could 
hardly be called bulbs so thoroughly were they 
matted together, and replied, “ Send them to North 
Carolina.” And they w’ere sent to that section 
known as the “ Thermal Belt,” which is a high 
elevation where there is rarely more than six degrees 
of frost and no extreme heat. The bulbs were 
planted by inexperienced hands, under the most dis¬ 
couraging circumstances, as they were so much 
grown as to appear worthless, and at least two 
months too late for good results. Notwithstanding 
all these unfavourable conditions, the bulbs made a 
good root growth in autumn, and in spring flowered 
profusely, and then ripened their bulbs in the most 
satisfactory manner. When ripe they were taken 
up and dried as best they could be without suitable 
buildings— in fact they were dried under the shade 
of trees—and returned to New York. Much to our, 
surprise, after properly cleaning, they were, to all 
appearances, fully as good as the best we had from 
France. These bulbs were sold to the most critical 
trade, and pronounced the best ever grown. 
At the same time a large number of bulbs of the 
Lilium candidum, that had met the same misfortune, 
were sent, and these grew equally well, making 
splendid bulbs. 
The soil in the section referred to is almost 
precisely the same as that in Holland, where the 
growing of bulbs is the leading industry, while the 
climate is decidedly more favourable to the growth 
of bulbs. Besides that, a single acre of ” good bulb 
soil ” in Holland would cost as much as one hundred 
acres in North Caroline. 
Here, too, Lilies of all denominations would find 
a congenial home ; they grow vigorously, increase 
rapidly, make strong healthy bulbs, because they are 
entirely free from that blight that makes such sad 
havoc with bulbs at the North. All that is required 
to make this industry a profitable one in North 
Caroline is willing hands guided by experienced 
heads. Let such undertake the enterprise with a 
spirit that knows no failure and success is assured. 
We need not speak of Tulip culture as Mr. Rolker 
has stated that very plainly and correctly. But we 
will say a word in favour of w hat are generally known 
as " Dutch bulbs," which include Hyacinths, Crocus, 
Narcissus, etc. These can and should all be growm 
in our own country ; there is but one thing to prevent, 
viz., skilled labour ; not in the cultivation—that is, 
in the labour of cultivation, but in the knowledge of 
their cultivation. This is not transferable, and can 
only be gained by years of watchful care, close 
observation and patient industry. Should any of 
the successful Dutch growers remove their plant to 
this country and give the industry the same attention 
they do at home they would benefit our country and 
at the same time produce the bulbs at less than one- 
half the present cost. 
It may be asked : Why do not our florists undertake 
this work, a question we have already answered. We 
have not the knowledge necessary to carry on the en¬ 
terprise successfully. Besides that, our florists lack 
the patience that must be shown, when we consider 
it takes from three to six years to produce the first 
quality of Hyacinths. Other bulbs can be produced 
more rapidly, and with less skill. This is particularly 
true of Roman Hyacinths and the many varieties of 
Narcissus grown in France. They are as easily 
grown as the Gladiolus and the Tuberose, and there 
is no branch of floriculture that can be so easily and 
profitably conducted as the growing of many classes 
of bulbs — which are now wholly imported—in this 
country. — C. L. Allen, in American Florist. 
ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS, 
The Orchid Growers' Calendar 
Clearing Up.— The constant use of the syringe in 
the various departments has caused the stages and 
pots to become green, and as cleanliness is an im¬ 
portant factor in their successful culture it should 
receive the attention of cultivators at the earliest 
opportunity. This also applies to the plants them¬ 
selves which are sure to become a bit dirty through 
being syringed overhead ; especially will this be so if 
the water used be hard. We generally for this work 
select a wet day when very little can be done outside 
and anyone can be set to clean down the stages, but 
where the roots are found clinging to the outsides of 
the pots great care should be exercised so as not to 
damage the points. This work then should be done 
by a competent man. Merely shifting the plants 
about seems to have a beneficial effect on some 
species. 
Cattleya House. —Now is a good time to repot 
any plants of Laelia purpurata, L. elegans, and L. 
crispa that have gone out of flower. All Cattleyas 
and Laslias should be repotted at least once in two 
years. The roots are then more numerous and the 
general condition more robust; whilst if left in the 
same pot for a longer period the compost becomes 
sour, general debility of the plant sets in, and unless 
seen to at once its ultimate decay is certain. 
If the plants have done well they will have got a 
firm hold of the pots ; in such cases it will be neces¬ 
sary to break the pot and carefully detach the roots 
with a sharp knife. The practice of breaking away' 
part of the pot and dropping the other part with the 
plant attached into a larger one we consider a bad 
one, but any of the small crocks that the roots have 
got firmly hold of can be placed in the new' pot with 
advantage. We remove every particle of the old 
compost, and cut away all decayed or bruised roots, 
then repot into as small pot as will conveniently 
take the roots without crowding. 
A few large crocks are placed over the bole first; 
then take the plant in the left hand firmly, place the 
roots in posilion, fill in between with smaller crocks 
until within an inch of the rim of the pot is reached, 
when a layer of good peat, not too dry, should be 
packed firmly about the plant, so that when it is 
finished the plant will stand erect without holding. 
Still with such tall plants it is best to support them 
with a neat stalk, or in shifting them about much 
damage to the roots may be caused by their swaying 
about. Very little water will be required for at 
least a fortnight (except a slight syringe) when the 
pots, unless they arc large ones, may be plunged 
into a pail of water so as to wet the new crocks 
w’ithout saturating the compost. If the plants can 
be placed in a somewhat shady' part of the house for 
a time so much the better. 
Oncidium papilio majus— the Butterfly Orchid, 
is a very hard working Orchid, and if left to its own 
resources would soon flower itself to death. We 
generally meet with it growing and flowering freely 
on a block ; but when so grown it does not last long 
in good health. We find it does well, increasing each 
year in size, when grown in a pot and treated liber¬ 
ally when growing by giving it weak manure water. 
Cool House.— We are making preparations for 
overhauling the Odonioglossums during next month 
by getting a good quantity of moss, peat, crocks, and 
pots ready. The mode adopted by us in carrying out 
this work shall be the subject of the next calendar. 
— C. 
Cattleya (hybrid) Baroness Schroder. 
The above is a beautiful Cattleya that has been 
raised between Cattleya Trianae and Laslia Jonghi- 
ana, and is therefore in botanical parlance a bi¬ 
generic hy brid. Being still quite a young plant the 
pseudobulbs are very short, varying fromi in. to 2 in. 
in length, the latter bemg the youngest and most 
recent production. All terminate in a solitary, ob¬ 
long, rigid, dark green leaf. The single flower pro¬ 
duced on the plant shown at the Begonia and Fruit 
Conference in the gardens of the Royal Horticultural 
Society', Chiswick, on the 23rd and 24th inst, by 
Baron Schroder (gardener, Mr. FI. Ballantine), The 
Dell, Egham, was about the size of a good average 
bloom of Cattleya Gaskelliana. No doubt it will be 
larger, and there will be more of them as the plant 
gets stronger. The oblong sepals and the ovate 
petals are of a warm rose, the latter having darker 
