March 28, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
483 
success. But as it is so frequently found growing on 
other trees besides the Oak in our times, I shall take 
occasion at once to overturn their opinions in relation 
to this plant by showing how it may be propagated 
from seed upon any tree whatever. About Christ¬ 
mas when the berries are ripe they may easily be 
made to stick upon the smooth bark of any tree you 
have a mind to propagate them upon, whether it be 
the Oak, Ash, Apple, Pear, Plum, Rose, Gooseberry, 
or Currant, etc. 
" The viscous juice which encompasseth each seed 
will bind it fast to the part you place it upon, and 
with this small trouble you may expect young plants 
the following year, provided the birds don’t devour 
the seeds you have sown, therefore a net would do 
well to secure them. I have seen twenty plants of 
Mistltto growing upon as many different sorts of 
trees and shrubs in one garden, which were 
propagated in the same manner I have mentioned. 
And, I believe, it would be very useful in correcting 
the too great vigour of some fruit trees and bring 
them to bear by taking from them the superabundant 
juices which are destructive to prolificity in plants." 
John Ford, i, Hope Villas, Heathfield Road, Bromley, 
Kent. 
I was much interested in the article on the host 
plants of the Mistleto by S. A. Sewell (p. 452) I 
find on turning up "Nicholson's Encyclopaedia" 
some more names of host plants which will still 
extend the list, namely, the Mountain Ash, and he 
says it has been found on the Cedar of Lebanon and 
on the Larch. I may say I have seen it myself on 
the Larch in Morayshire, N.B. I have also seen it 
at the same place on the Laburnum.— W. H. W. 
--— 
PEA NOTES. 
In Scottish gardens early Peas were often raised by 
sowing seed of choice early sorts (Sangster’s No. 1 
long remained a favourite) during November. They 
were generally sown in double rows. In low-lying parts 
they were run along the surface and earth drawn over 
them. Red lead, as a preventive against mice, was 
sprinkled among the seed. Furze chopped-into short 
pieces was also used over the seed, effectually keeping 
mice and rats at bay. The growing of Peas for 
Reproduction of Gerarde's Engraving of the 
Tomato Plant (See p. 481). 
early supply is practised by many with good results, 
by sowing the seed in a frame in rows thickly, over 
rough leaf mould or chopped turf and covering it 
with light soil. It is only protected from snow, 
severe frost, and heavy rains. January and February 
suit well for early sowing, and the plants are put 
in the ground at the end of March or early in April, 
and some kindly soil placed next the roots, which are 
placed in the soil entire, after being carefully lifted 
in tufts. The worst evil which befalls Peas during 
their early growth under protection is that which 
results by coddling them too much, because they 
suffer when planted out. We have found little 
difference in the period of gathering from the sowing 
in autumn and those sown during February. When 
they come through the ground we have the tops 
covered with fine ashes and a little soot mixed with 
soil; slugs are thus warded off and small birds attack 
them under much difficulty. Last season we picked 
some of Chelsea Gem on the last day of May. They 
were grown on a sloping ridge thrown up to the sun. 
This is a valuable early dwarf variety. — M. Temple, 
Canon, N.B. 
-•+»- 
CARTER’S CINERARIAS. 
A long, low, span-roofed house is devoted to the 
cultivation of this popular and useful class of plants 
in the nursery of Messrs. J. Carter & Co., Forest 
Hill. Between 700 and 800 plants are grown this 
year. Being stood on ashes on the benches close to 
the glass and under a skilled cultivator, they have 
attained greater vigour, and are in better condition 
than we have ever seen them here before. They 
were put into their flowering pots (24-size) in 
November last, and are now at their best. The 
foliage is healthy, vigorous and clean, though the 
plants have been fumigated only twice. Some of the 
leaves we measured were 12 in. to 14 in. wide, and 
the plants 2 ft. n in., though it may be taken for 
granted that these are exceptional as far as the 
general collection is concerned. 
The number of plants grown, and the varied 
character of the strain has insured a remarkable 
amount of variety. Indeed, the high state of 
perfection to which the garden Cineraria has now 
attained, places at the disposal of the gardener a 
means of furnishing his houses with plants, scarcely 
two of which are exactly alike in the matter of the 
colour of the flowers, while the foliage is also subject 
to variations of minor importance. To describe the 
colours would be a difficult task even if we could find 
names for the different shades. Some are white 
with a violet disc and others white with a purple disc. 
The various shades of blue from pale sky tints to bright 
blue and dark violet, almost black colours, should 
satisfy the most fastidious in this respect. Another 
seriesof colours runs from pink to rose, deep rose, lilac, 
purple, plum-purple, carmine, magenta, blue-purple, 
and dark violet-purple with a velvety gloss. Then 
we meet with a similar or even greater range of 
colours where there is a combination of two on the 
rays. Let us say that the palest have white flowers 
with a narrow outer zone of rose, purple, lilac, 
porcelain blue, sky blue, crimson, or of some other 
shade. Then these are varied to infinity by the 
different areas occupied by any two respective colours. 
Some of the lighter shades are extremely pretty, 
though we admit that it is all a matter of opinion as 
to which is best. Selfs and bicolors are, however, 
fairly evenly distributed. 
The Calceolarias are not as far advanced, but will 
be in bloom in May. About 500 plants are grown 
this year. At present they are in batches of various 
sizes in 24, 32, 48, and 60-sized pots. All are healthy 
and the leaves of all the larger plants cover the pots 
more or less completely. They are well cared for 
in a cool, span-roofed house, well ventilated, and 
which allows the plants to come along slowly. This 
is conducive to good results as every cultivator of 
soft-wooded plants knows. 
NOTES ON HARDY PRIMULAS. 
Primula denticulata alba. —This white flowered 
form of P. denticulata is now in flower, and without 
question it is a grand addition to the list of new 
Primulas. It is much earlier in flower than the type, 
as P. denticulata is now only commencing to flower, 
while the white form has been in bloom since the 
middle of February. It exactly resembles the type 
with the exception of colour, the flowers being of 
the purest white, freely produced and quite as easily 
grown, only requiring an open situation and good 
rich garden soil, while its hardiness has been 
thoroughly proved. As it flowers so early in the 
season, it is a good plan to protect the flowers when 
expanding by placing a handlight or pieces of glass 
over them. Although it was introduced to this 
country from the Himalayas in 1886, it is as yet a 
comparative stranger in our gardens, but when 
known to lovers of hardy plants, will become a great 
favourite. 
Besides the white form there are several others of 
equal merit, such as Pi denticulata cashmeriana 
which is a later variety with large purple and yellow 
flowers, and bailing from Cashmir. P. denticulata 
purpurea is a very fine dark purple form introduced 
from the Himalayas in 1873. P. dinticulata 
pulcherrima has dark Lilac flowers, quite distinct 
from all others both in flower and growth. The type 
is too well-known to need more than a passing 
comment, but it is well described in the Botanical 
Magazine, t. 3,959, — E. Scaplehorn, Woking. 
Potatos Grafted with Tomatos (See p. 481). 
SPRING FLOWERS AT HOLLOWAY. 
Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son have for long been 
celebrated, and justly so, for the trouble and pains 
taken by them iu the improvement of all kinds of 
popular flowers, and seldom indeed is it that a visit 
to their establishment at Victoria and Paradise Nur¬ 
series, Upper Holloway, is not fraught with a great 
deal of interest and pleasure. For a few weeks past 
several of the houses have been gay with a profusion 
of Dutch bulbs, flowering away with the greatest of 
freedom, as if London smoke and London fog were 
hundreds of miles away instead of surrounding them 
on every hand. 
Hyacinths. 
These, as a matter of course, take a prominent part 
in the display. Gorgeous in the number, variety, 
and comprehensiveness of the colour they exhibit 
the long, substantial, healthy green leaves, sur. 
mounted by the huge, well-finished flower spikes, 
are eloquent evidences of cultural skill of no mean 
order on the part of those who have had to look after 
them. We were informed that a large number of 
these self-same plants had officiated at two large 
shows, and that some of them had been in full bloom 
for at least a fortnight. Despite all this it was really 
astonishing to see whai little harm they had taken, 
and how well they had lasted. Another point that 
struck us very forcibly was the longevity of many of 
the varieties, which, although ihey were introduced 
a great many years ago, are even at the present day 
able to hold their own at any or all of the great 
shows with any others of more rtecent introduction. 
King of the Blues is an excellent instance of this. I 
remember well, said Mr. Williams, when that variety 
first came out in 1866, thirty years ago, and yet to¬ 
day it is a type of what a good Hyacinth should be 
with a huge, perfectly-conical flower spike. 
The chief of the varieties on view were singles. 
Doubles, we were told in answer to a query, were 
not much in demand with the general public, the 
flowers being of rather too heavy a character to 
please the aesthetic taste. Among good standard 
varieties that have done well this season, and which 
were most in evidence at the time of our visit might 
be mentioned the following, all of them singles, 
except where otherwise stated : Alba maxima, 
white; Lord Derby, light blue Grandeur a 
