February 15, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
383 
node or two of the old wood, and this must be kept 
up each year in order to keep the plants within due 
limits, as being such strong growers they soon cover 
a great deal of space unless duly restrained. 
A number of species are known, only a compara¬ 
tive few of which, however, are cultivated to any 
large extent. Of these A. Schottii is perhaps the 
best known. The flowers are large, bright yellow in 
■colour, with a number of rich brown mottlings in the 
throat. It was brought from Brazil about the year 
1847. A.. Hendersonii is undoubtedly the one that 
enjoys the highest degree of popularity, but its 
claims to specific rank are somewhat vague. By 
some it is regarded as distinct, by others as merely 
a variety of A. cathartica. The large yellow flowers 
with the characteristic five white spots in the throat 
are too well-known to need further description here. 
A. nobilis, introduced from Brazil in 1867, is a 
grand plant. The flowers are very large, bright 
yellow, and have none of the streaks or mottlings 
characteristic of A. Schottii. A. Chelsonii, a hybrid 
of garden origin, is second to none in merit. The 
flowers are rich butter-yellow and of great size, and 
last well when cut. In growth it is somewhat stiffer 
than the others, and thus should always be trained 
against the roof of the house in the manner described. 
TRUMPET LILIES. 
The name Trumpet Lily is most frequently associa¬ 
ted with Richardia africana, often called R. aethio- 
pica. The reason for this is, of course, not far to 
seek, seeing that it is the oldest and most common 
species as far as cultivation is concerned. There is, 
consequently, no necessity for describing so well- 
known a plant and universally popular. Several 
varieties of it now in cultivation are less widely dis¬ 
tributed, including R. a. compacta and Little Gem. 
The former is much dwarfer than the type, requiring 
less space for its proper development, and the 
flowers are also somewhat reduced in size, though 
still appreciable and highly ornamental. Little 
Gem is the smallest variety, and does not, as a rule, 
much exceed a foot in height. Both leaves and flowers 
are very small, but the plant is decidedly pretty when 
in bloom. 
The leaves of R. albo-maculata are marked with 
oblong, sub-transparent, white blotches, which make 
up in some degree for the smaller size of the greenish- 
white spathes. More interesting is the pale yellow 
spathe of R. melanoleuca, which is characterised by 
a large blackish-purple blotch at the base. Here 
again the leaves are blotched with white, adding con¬ 
siderably to the ornamental character of the plant. 
The flower stems are hispid, a character not met with 
in the common species. It was introduced from 
South Africa in 1869. The little-known R. hastata 
was introduced from the same country in 1859, about 
the same date as R. albo-maculata. It has a 
greenish-yellow spathe, with a longish lamina, and 
flowers during summer. The leaves are without 
spots, and not unlike those of R. africana, than 
which it is much inferior from a decorative point of 
view. 
The introduction of R. hastata, R. melanoleuca 
and R. albo-maculata, was welcomed for the sake of 
the variety which they furnished, but they did not 
cause much excitement amongst growers and the 
flower-loving public generally like that produced by 
R. elliottiana when it made its appearance com¬ 
paratively recently. The large, rich glossy green 
leaves are spotted with white as in the case of the 
two older species above mentioned; but the large 
and handsome spathes are golden-yellow, thus sur¬ 
passing either R. melanoleuca or R. hastata in 
every way. The effective character of the plant 
caused quite a sensation amongst the flower-loving 
public when it was exhibited at the Temple Show in 
1892. 
No less surprising was R. Pentlandi, which received 
a First-class Certificate from the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society on June 21st, 1892. It has green 
leaves like those of R.africana but the spathes are of 
a brighter golden-yellow than those of R. elliottiana, 
without the green shading characteristic of the 
outer face of the latter. There are also some black 
blotches at the base of the spathe internally, so that 
altogether it is a very desirable acquisition to the 
list of useful and ornamental plants. Still another 
yellow Trumpet Lily has made its appearance in R. 
Lutwychei which seems in some respects to be inter¬ 
mediate between the two previously named. It is 
known in gardening circles as Pride of the Congo, 
The leaves are without spots, of a light-green, and 
the leaf stalks are more or less hairy. The spathe 
is light yellow more or less shaded with green on 
the outer face, and there is a black blotch at the 
base of the inner face. 
Another very beautiful plant of recent intro¬ 
duction is R. Rehmani, but it is comparatively a 
scarce plant, and will take some years to get 
very plentifully distributed, unless it increases 
at a fairly rapid rate. The leaves are of a pleasing 
green hue and narrower than most of those of the 
above-mentioned kinds. The flower spathe is rose 
coloured in bud, but changes to a soft rosy-white 
when fully expanded. It has been awarded a First- 
class Certificate on the Continent, and has been 
flowered at the Cambridge Botanic Garden in this 
country. For some time past, however, very little 
has been heard of it, although it may be on the eve 
of coming to the front by being brought before the 
public at some exhibition. Like the rest, it is of 
South African origin. 
On June 6th, 1893, R. aurata, by some authorities 
considered a hybrid, as in the case of R. elliottiana, 
was shown at a meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society at the Drill Hall, Westminster, by Mons. 
J. B. Deleuil, Sainte Anne, Marseilles, when an 
Award of Merit was accorded it. The leaves are 
marked with silvery-white spots. The spathes are 
moderate in size, obliquely funnel-shaped, and 
suddenly narrowed to a point at the apex. They are 
of a soft pale yellow with a blackish-purple blotch 
internally. The spathes may, however, enlarge 
under good cultivation. The first prize was awarded 
to it at the Ghent International Exhibition as the 
best new greenhouse plant from seed. 
Until within the last few years the genus was 
reckoned to consist of five species, of which only 
four were introduced, namely, R. africana, R. hastata 
R. albo-maculata, and R. melanoleuca. Since the 
introduction of the four distinctly yellow sorts, the 
rose one, and the varieties of R. africana, the 
number has mounted up considerably, till very little 
short of a dozen in fact. The whole of them, if 
brought together,would form a beautiful and interest¬ 
ing collection. 
-- 
READING AND DISTRICT GARDENERS’ 
MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT 
ASSOCIATION. 
That the interest in the " Queen of the Autumn ” 
is still greatly on the increase, was amply testified by 
the large attendance of members present at the fort¬ 
nightly meeting of the above Association, which was 
held in the Abbey Hall (by kind permission of 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons) to hear a paper on “ Chry¬ 
santhemums,” by thecelebrated grower and exhibitor, 
Mr. W. H. Lees, Trent Park Gardens, New Barnet. 
Amongst those present were Mr. A. W. Sutton 
(president), Mr. Neve (chairman), Mr. Burton (vice- 
chairman), Mr. J. Pound (Hon. Sec.), Messrs. J. 
Martin, Woolford, Turton, Lees, Bowie, McHattie 
(Strathfieldsaye), Stanton (Henley), Townsend 
(Wellington College), Ashman, Williamson (Woking¬ 
ham), Maxim (Heckfield), Wise (Blackwater), &c., 
&c. Many no doubt were attracted not only by the 
fact that Mr. Lees is a native of Reading, but by the 
great popularity which he has obtained as an 
exhibitor of Chrysanthemums. 
After the formal business had been transacted the 
president said that Mr. Lees needed no introduction 
from him, as he was so well known to all present, 
but it was exceedingly kind of him to come and give 
them his experience in the culture of the Chrysan¬ 
themum. 
Mr. Lees, who received an enthusiastic reception, 
commenced what proved to be a most practical and 
interesting paper by stating that, in accepting the 
invite from the association, he assumed that it was 
their wish that he should speak more especially on 
the production of blooms for exhibition, and there¬ 
fore he cheerfully complied with the request. The 
chief difficulty in speaking about Chrysanthemums 
is that a greater part cannot be very new, although 
there seems to be always something fresh and new 
in the subject to those who are in love with the 
flower, and this is one of the secrets to success. 
The lecturer then dealt briefly with the routine 
points of cultivation, which he did not regard as 
serious stumbling blocks, though of course they 
should not by any means be neglected. Propagation, 
soils, potting, spring and summer quarters, watering, 
dressings, cutting down, stopping, feeding, insects, 
diseases, housing, &c., were all ably dealt with. In 
conclusion Mr. Lees said that Chrysanthemums 
were the most responsive of all plants to generous 
treatment, and to the amateur with his small 
accommodation, or gardeners better situated in this 
respect, the growing of these plants is one of the 
most pleasurable and interesting hobbies anyone can 
undertake. 
Many questions were asked, and an interesting 
discussion ensued in which Messrs. Neve, McHattie, 
Bradley, Turton, Stanton, Ashman, Martin, Wool- 
ford, Dockerill, Goddard, Smith, Maxim, Lees, and 
Bowie took part, A beautiful lot of flowers was 
staged, Messrs. Sutton & Sons sending a collection 
of their choice strains of Cyclamen and Primula, 
whilst Mr. Townsend, gardener to Sir William 
Farrer, Sandhurst Lodge, Wellington College, 
brought a most interesting collection of Helleborus, 
comprising twenty-five varieties. 
The thanks of the meeting were accorded to Mr. 
Lees for his lecture, and to Messrs. Sutton & Sons 
and Sir William Farrer for their kindness in 
sending the flowers. 
-- — - 
BEE CULTURE IN SERVIA. 
Bee culture in Servia is at present in its infancy, but 
a great deal of progress has been made of late years, 
and, at the present time, there are several bee farms 
of considerable size in different parts of the country 
Her Majesty’s Secretary of Legation at Belgrade 
gives in his last report an interesting account of a 
farm he visited at Topschidere, a village about four 
miles from Belgrade. This farm is the property of a 
Servian society called " The Society for Bee and 
Fruit Culture.” It contains about two hundred hives > 
placed in regular rows over the ground, and at an 
equal distance of 6 ft. 6 in. from each other, facing 
north, and in alternating rows. These hives are all 
on the bar-frame principle, and of the pattern 
generally known as Dzierzon hives, and contain 
about eighty pounds of honey in the comb when full. 
They are made of wood, with straw sides, and are 
produced at a cost of 15 francs, or about ns. each 
This farm is under the care of a superintendent, who 
appears thoroughly to understand his business and 
the manipulation of bees. 
The bees appear to be a species of the common 
hive bee (Apis mellifica), but are rather small in size, 
and unusually tractable. The Italian bee (Apis 
ligustica) does not succeed well in Servia, and on 
their introduction became quickly merged with those 
indigenous to the country. The bee farm at 
Topschidere is provided with two centrifugal honey- 
extractors of very simple design, but perfectly 
practical. The honey is extracted from the comb in 
these extractors and put into glass bottles, with screw 
tops of a very neat pattern, imported from Austria, 
containing respectively Jib., ilb., and 2lbs. The 
price of the honey is about gd. per pound, exclusive 
of the bottle, for which an extra charge of 5d. is made- 
The wax is sold to the wax chandlers for making into 
church candles, and realises about is. 3d. per pound. 
The importance of encouraging bee culture appears 
to be fully realised by the members of the agri¬ 
cultural society, and is said that the introduction o* 
a law is in contemplation obliging all priests, school¬ 
masters, and certain other persons holding employ¬ 
ment under Government, to turn their attention to 
the keeping of bees . — Journal of the Society of Arts, 
< 
-- - »- -- 
BEGONIA MANICATA. 
Of all the winter-flowering Begonias this is one of 
the very best known in private establishments, and 
it is certainly not unworthy of the attention bestowed 
upon it. When well grown it is an exceedingly 
handsome plant, the foliage itself being very orna 
mental, even without the added charm of the flowers. 
These latter are a delicate pink in colour, and are 
produced in tall, branching cymes, which, although 
they bear vast numbers of the relatively small 
flowers, are yet not sufficiently crowded with the 
latter to lose their graceful character. As the stem 
is very short and fleshy there is no difficulty in 
having plants clothed with leaves right down to the 
rims of the pots. These come in very nicely for 
house decoration, but they must not be left for very 
long in dark corners or off come the leaves and 
away flies the beauty of the plant. 
