724 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 11 1896. 
his kind correction of my statement through these 
columns a few weeks ago, as to the originators of this 
trial of Violas, the honour of which I gave to the 
National Viola Society. It seems that such is not 
the case, as Mr. Dean pointed out, but is an outcome 
of the Birmingham Conference. It is most gratify¬ 
ing to hear of such extended interest being taken on 
behalf of the Viola, and this will do much to raise it 
to a still higher standard of perfection.— Coila. 
“FRUIT GROWING.” 
I thank you very much for the liberty you have 
given me to publish my comments on your 
review of my book on “ Fruit Growing.” I would 
treat of what you say in regard to “ punctuation,” 
which I recite : "As a book the chief fault to this 
is the bad punctuation. Many sentences read well 
enough if the reader disregards the colons and semi¬ 
colons, which occasionally separate subject and 
predicate.” 
Could you point out any book in which the proper 
rules are given for punctuation ? Because I have 
my own ideas on this question, and they are based 
on the writings of acknowledged purity and excell¬ 
ence—viz., our British classics, and I had to impress 
this on the printer who printed the book. Now you 
say the colons and semi colons separate subject and 
predicate. I have yet to learn that these marks 
entirely separate anything, and this I ask you to 
point out on good authority that they do. As a pupil 
of a grammar school I learned that it was only a 
” period ” that separated any writing ; but that other 
marks were merely pauses, varying in force, to be 
used according to the mind of the writer, thus, the 
comma as one unit of pause, the semi-colon as two, 
and the colon as three : and this is how I have used 
them, not as you say to separate anything. I think 
if you refer to the writings of Dean Swift (who is 
acknowledged the standard of purity for the English 
language) to Addison's writings, 'and to other 
classics, you will find their methods of punctuation 
correspond with my own, but that the modern 
method is to use commas almost exclusively, with the 
result the work is very abominable. I have used 
them in the method so as to sufficiently emphasize 
the point dividing the sense conveyed, not as a 
separation as you say. And judged by acknowledged 
classical writing you are entirely wrong to say that 
colons and semi-colons separate anything. But now 
I will criticise the sentence in which you criticise my 
writing. It is this; sentences according to my 
classical dictionary convey complete ideas. And 
complete ideas should be in one sentence, and that 
should be punctuated by a period. In your criticism 
you make two sentences of one idea by placing a 
period at the end of the word “punctuation” : I 
showed this to a good printer and he said it was 
wrongly placed, for the sense following the period 
refers to the previous sense and is naturally 
connected with it; therefore it cannot be separated, 
which your punctuation does, and is therefore 
decidedly wrong ; your period should have been a 
colon and not a period. I consider the modern 
punctuation abominable. So you see I have a 
method in my madness; and I will ask you to 
produce your authority for your criticism. Next as 
to the point of manures, you cast a slur on the 
professors I have cited, not me, for you do not point 
out by your own or by the authority of any standard 
wherein I differ from the most advanced teaching ; 
please do so. 
And last, will you kindly point out which part of your 
review I can use as a testimony of the worth of my 
book, so as to be of use to advertise it and your paper 
together. I am pressed for time this morning, so 
conclude.— B. Wells, Crawley. 
[We are not schoolmasters and have no intention 
of drilling our readers in punctuation, though we take 
the liberty of pointing out errors occasionally, Rules 
for punctuation were given in the grammars we 
used at school, and we should suspect that modern 
grammars would also do the same. We often find 
many ideas in one sentence, especially in compound 
sentences. As to colons separating subject and pre¬ 
dicate, we open your book at random and find the 
following, forming part of a very compound sentence 
on p. 31: —“if birds are to be so indiscriminately 
preserved ; those who want the birds so much; must 
also want cherries.” At the bottom of the same page 
and the top of the next is the following : —“ Fruit 
bushes as Raspberries; Gooseberries ; or Black 
Currants: alone; seem the only tree crops suitable 
to plant as a temporary mixture with-large growing 
trees.” The modern punctuation may be abominable, 
but we intend to continue its use all the same. On 
p. 19 you give a list of the mineral elements of plant 
food, mentioning soda, manganese, aluminium and 
silicon, which are not considered essential to the 
well-being of plants in Vine's Physiology of Plants, 
Henfrey's Elementary Botany, nor in other books we 
could name. The practical details of your ex¬ 
perience in fruit growing, are the most valuable part 
of the book to cultivators ; but we have no objection 
to your using any portion of our review. Ed.] 
--i— - 
Hardening ||iscellany. 
GRADUS PEA. 
“ Of all the Peas I have eaten, this variety is cer¬ 
tainly the best. Personally, I used to grow it as an 
early Pea, and found it was in full bearing within a 
week of " Exonian,” which, in my opinion is among 
the best of early Peas. I have heard it stated that 
the Pea is somewhat of a rogue. This is not my 
experience, nor is it that of a relative of mine living 
in Norfolk, to whom some two years ago I sent some 
seed, and who has sent me up this week a plentiful 
supply of the Peas. The pods are well filled, and 
the Peas themselves of considerable size. They 
were the sweetest Pea I have ever eaten. Perhaps, 
Mr. Editor, you will be able to corroborate my 
statement”— J. C. Stogdon, July 3. 
[We have on more than one occasion used the 
Gradus Pea, and consider it a culinary variety of 
first-class quality.— Ed.] . 
PTERIS SERRULATA VOLUTA. 
The typical form of this Pteris was introduced from 
India to this country in 1770. It also grows wild in 
abundance in China and Japan. The variety 
originated in England, but a figure of it appears in 
the May number of the Bullettino della R. Societa 
Toscana di Orticultufa. It reminds one of some of the 
forms of Croton, but the long, revolute pinnae are, 
of course, very much narrower and more graceful. 
The terminal pinna are relatively few, so that a 
plant of this variety is less dense and more graceful 
than some of the heavily crested and other forms 
already in cultivation. It also possesses a consider¬ 
able amount of distinctness and on that account will 
appeal to the lover of Ferns. 
THE NUTKA SOUND BRAMBLE. 
Our native Brambles all bear a more or less close 
resemblance to one another, but many of the exotic 
species are remarkably distinct and often highly 
ornamental. The leaves of the species under notice 
are the largest of the palmate leaved forms that have 
come under our notice with exception, perhaps, of 
those of Rubus odoratus. Botanically, the plant 
under notice is known as R. nutkaensis, and hasfive- 
lobed leaves that have a tropical aspect on vigorous 
young shoots. Size can therefore be secured by 
annually cutting down the stems in spring, so as to 
encourage strong growing shoots from the base. 
This method of treatment answers admirably in the 
subtropical garden, where luxuriance of foliage is the 
chief and primary consideration. It must be 
remembered, however, that flowers cannot be 
expected, if the stems are annually cut down in the 
manner described. The individual blooms are of 
large size, and white with a tuft of yellow stamens in 
the centre recalling those of a white Rose, or 
Anemone japonica alba. 
PRIMULA JAPONICA. 
For planting in damp positions by the sides of orna¬ 
mental ponds or streams this is one of the most 
showy and useful plants that can be employed. A 
considerable range of colour is manifested in the 
flowers, some superb shades of crimson, maroon, 
rose, and lilac, up to white, being obtainable. The 
flowers are fully an inch in diameter, and are borne 
on long scapes from 1 ft. to 2 ft. high, each scape 
carrying five or six many flowered whorls. The 
leaves also are rather large, especially when the 
plant is growing freely. In shape they are oblong- 
spathulate, with somewhat irregularly-toothed 
margins. It was introduced from Japan in 1871, so 
that it has made very fair use of its time, for it has 
become a general favourite. Possibly the ready 
way with which it lends itself to pot-culture has 
been one of the strongest points in its favour. It 
never needs, and does not like fire-heat, and as it 
loses all its leaves in the winter, the pots containing 
the roots can easily be stored on a shelf or in a cold 
frame. A rich soil is the one thiDg necessary to 
success in pot-culture, and hence the compost should 
consist in great part of rich fibrous loam. It is 
somewhat difficult to induce the seeds to germinate, 
unless they are sown after they are ripe, when much 
better results are obtained. 
A DOUBLE BUTTERCUP. 
While botanising in the Caterham Valley, Surrey, 
last week I picked up a double flower of Ranunculus 
acris. On examination it proved to consist of two 
blooms completely joined together so as to appear as 
one. There were two receptacles, however, the only 
evidence I had that two blooms were united. 
The composite flower had sixteen petals, or just six 
more than I should have expected, so that it was 
really semi-double even from a gardener’s point of 
view, and of a bright golden-yellow. There is a 
double form of this Buttercup in cultivation, which 
passes by the name of Yellow Batchelor’s Buttons 
in some gardens.— John Stogdon. 
CAMPANULA GARGANICA VAR HIRSUTA. 
Campanula garganica exhibits a great tendency to 
variation, and certainly not the least handsome of 
the numerous forms into which it loves to sport 
is the above. The plant is of rather straggling 
habit, and the leaves and stems are thickly covered 
with numerous soft downy hairs. The corolla is 
deeply five-cleft, rotate, with segments spreading. 
In colour it is light violet blue. The leaves are 
cordate in shape, and the margins serrate. Some 
fine pans of it were conspicuous objects in the Alpine 
House at Kew a few weeks ago. When growing 
on the rockery the plant loves a light sandy loam. 
-- 
NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY AT THE 
CRYSTAL PALACE. 
The great annual show of this society was held as 
usual at the Crystal Palace on the 4th inst. Not¬ 
withstanding the rain on ttie previous night, the day 
opened fine, and continued so throughout, with an 
unclouded sky and a soft wind blowing from the 
west. The attendance of visitors was very great, 
especially in the afternoon. On the whole it was a 
good show, considering the untoward weather with 
which cultivators have had to put up with in the 
shape of long-continued drought, cold winds at 
critical periods, and even hail in many cases, which 
battered the Roses about while still in bud. The 
earliness of the season prevented the southern 
growers from retaining the leading award for 
seventy-two Roses, as they managed to do at Read¬ 
ing. After the first two classes there was a consider¬ 
able falling away in the size and quality of the 
blooms; but these defects were again retrieved in 
coming to the leading and larger exhibits amongst 
the amateurs, who well sustained their reputation, 
as a result, no doubt, of constant attention to the 
plants, and which few nurserymen can afford to give. 
The Tea and Noisette Roses showed the effects of 
the peculiar season more than any other types. 
Garden Roses turned out well, but had little staying 
power towards the close of the show. 
Nurserymen. 
The premier award for seventy-two distinct varieties 
of Roses was carried off by Messrs. Harkness & 
Sons, Bedale, Yorks, and Hitchin, Herts. Most of 
the blooms were large and beautifully fresh, includ¬ 
ing amongst hybrid perpetuals fine samples of Ulrich 
Brunner, A. K. Williams, Comte de Raimbaud, 
Comtesse de Ludre, Dr. Andry, Due de Rohan, 
Marchioness of Londonderry, Captain Hayward, 
Etienne Levet, Marie Baumann, Charles Lefebvre, 
Madame Haussman, Madame J. Bomaire, Victor 
Hugo, Pride of Reigate, Helen Keller, Suzanna 
Marie Rodocanachi, Gustave PigaDeau, John Stuart 
Mill, Paul Neyron, Merveille de Lyon, Madame 
Eugene Verdier, Earl of Dufferin, Senateur Vaisse, 
Horace Vernet, and others. Beautiful Teas were 
Catherine Mermet, Innocente Pirola, The Bride, 
