April 11, 1896. 
509 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Maize is being put forward as a crop that might b 
tried in Essex. At present it is grown in enormous 
quantity in America, China, India, Italy and Austro- 
Hungary. 
The first Cabbages grown in Great Britain are 
said to have been raised in the vicinity of the Abbey 
of Arbroath, from seeds obtained from Artois, in 
France. 
Chemical analysis shows what elements of plant 
food, and what quantity, are present in any given soil, 
but it does not state how much of the same is 
soluble and readily available for immediate use. 
The Tenby Daffodil is still one of the earliest to 
bloom, both out of doors and under glass. Those 
who would succeed with it should plant it in 
moderately rich soil without manure of any kind. 
The establishment of a College of Viticulture is 
recommended at Otago, New Zealand, for the 
instruction of those who desire to grow vines. Mr. 
Romeo Bragato, Viticultural expert to the Colony, in 
a report recently issued says he was much struck 
with the excellence and flavour of the Grapes which 
he saw in several of the districts he had visited. He 
declares that Hawke’s Bay and Wairapara 
Provinces are pre-eminently suited to the vine. 
Royal Botanic Society.—As a result of the 
discussion at the last Fellows’ Meeting the Council 
have decided to open the Regent’s Park Gardens 
on Easter Monday at a charge of sixpence, when a 
band formed one of the attractions. The Council 
are, however, still opposed to the proposal to have 
musical promenades in the coming season on 
Saturdays and Mondays the days the gardens are 
now open to the public. It is believed, however, 
that a large majority of the Fellows would, if con¬ 
sulted, disapprove of this decision, and accordingly 
a motion will be submitted at an early meeting that 
a vote of all the Fellows be taken on the proposal. 
The Longton Chrysanthemum Society held their 
annual dinner on the 25th ult., at the Heathcote 
Arms Hotel, Longton, under the presidency of 
Councillor }. L. Johnson. During the course of the 
evening it transpired that there was a balance of 
£14 17s. to the credit of the society, being an 
increase over that of last year. The society has 
made a steady increase since its inauguration six 
years ago. The number of exhibiting members has 
also greatly increased, as well as the annual 
subscribers. Mr. R. Cock, lecturer to the County 
Council, was presented with a china tea service as a 
token of appreciation from the members for his 
assistance. 
Ealing Gardeners’ Society.—On the 31st ult., at 
the Public Buildings, Ealing, S. A. Sewell, Esq., 
F.R.H.S., gave an interesting and chatty paper on 
“ Garden Weeds," which was listened to with 
evident satisfaction. The definition of a weed, 
amongst other things, was much discussed, and 
tended to show that even " weeds ” were not always 
" plants in the wrong place’’ to some people. Mr. 
H. Burgess presided. At a subsequent committee 
meeting it transpired that the smoking concert 
which was organised by this Society on the iSth ult. 
on behalf of the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund 
resulted in a balance of nearly £20. This was largely 
due to the activity of a few earnest members, among 
whom we must not forget to make honourable men¬ 
tion of Mr. W. Roberts, the energetic and successful 
secretary. 
How the Indians save the corn crop—Our con¬ 
temporary, The West Indian Home Builder says that, 
"The original American was taught to bury corn in 
the earth below the depth of frost. The frozen earth 
above excluded the air, and the corn (Indian) came 
out in the spring sweet and containing its full normal 
moisture, every grain ready to germinate when 
planted in the moist earth as the temperature rose to 
the proper degree for planting.” Our contemporary 
continues : "In the dry climate of ancient Egypt, the 
cereals were kept intact by sealing them up in air¬ 
tight jars and other receptacles. Herculaneum and 
Pompeii, uncovered in recent times, disclosed lessons 
taught by Nature centuries ago and forgotten by man, 
out of which have grown the canning industry in all 
its varied forms. These methods are all effective, 
but so expensive as to be inapplicable except to a 
comparatively limited extent.’’ 
Spruce trees without roots are of more value as 
Christmas trees than for planting. 
The Coffee tree in a state of nature will attain a 
height of 20 ft., but under cultivation is restricted to 
a fourth of that height to facilitate the gathering of 
the berries. 
The sweepings of the streets of Italian cities are 
taken to a factory, pressed into blocks of a cubic 
yard in dimensions, and then sold for fertilising 
purposes. 
Scientific men at Moscow have ascertained that of 
597 trees struck by lightning, 302 of them were 
White Poplars. The advice is that they be planted 
as lightning conductors. 
Daffodils on the chalky soil extending from 
Bordeaux to Galicia have sulphur-coloured flowers, 
while those on the granite soil of lower elevations 
extending from Galicia to Esertmadura have golden 
flowers. 
A millionaire of San Francisco has spent hundreds 
of thousands of dollars in laying out a magnificent 
site for a public park named Sutro Heights. He has 
constructed various kinds of baths in which 
20,000 people can bathe. The water is brought 
from the Pacific in tunnels through the rocks. The 
park is beautifully planted, and has neither game- 
keepers nor attendants. This worthy citizen is Mr. 
Adolphe Sutro, who is worth £2,000,000. 
--*■- 
CALADIUMS AT CHELSEA, 
The interest in this class of plants has been greatly 
revived within the last few years; and we are not 
surprised at the fact, considering their ornamental 
value for stove decoration. Progress is strongly in 
evidence in the numerous recent introductions from 
the Continent, as well as in the numerous fine things 
raised by the late Mr. Bause, and which are notable 
for their dwarf habits. 
We recently inspected the valuable collection in 
the nursery of Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, 
and noted many valuable and very beautiful acquisi¬ 
tions to this class of plants. Both exhibition and 
decorative varieties are extensively grown, and 
amongst the former we noted George Berger, with 
large shield-like carmine leaves, with ebony-black 
and shining petioles. Gaspard Crayer has deep 
carmine leaves with a broad green margin and ebony- 
black leaf-stalks, which add much to the beauty of 
the plant. The huge leaves of Mrs. Harry J. Veitch 
are very effective on the exhibition table ; they are 
red and olive-green, but ultimately much marbled 
and netted with silvery-white. Very bold and hand¬ 
some is Cardinal, with its large, soft, uniform red 
leaves. It is moderate in height. Every exhibitor 
knows the telling appearance of Candidum, whose 
leaves are mostly white, marked with dark olive 
nerves and subtranslucent. Rose Laing may also be 
placed amongst the exhibition kinds on account of 
the size of its soft, rosy subtransparent leaves often 
resembling a fancy sun-shade or parasol. 
The other varieties we mention might also appro¬ 
priately be ultilised for the exhibition table, but their 
dwarf habit in most cases makes them suitable for 
decorative purposes. They are thus of great import¬ 
ance in an establishment where home use is the 
leading object of their cultivation. The leaves of 
Mons. Jules Picot are of a soft subtranslucent pink 
with the principal veins of a dark olive-green. 
Duchess of Fife is quite new, with leaves almost of 
a transparent white, beautifully lined with red and 
green veins. Another curious combination is seen 
in Botafogue, having bright red leaves with a broad, 
creamy-yellow edge. Then again, the subtrans¬ 
parent rose leaves of Lady Mosely have a beautiful 
contrast in their dark, glossy carmine nerves. Those 
of Lord Rosebery are suffused and shaded with 
rose on a creamy-yellow ground. A pleasing colour 
is also presented by F. W. Moore, which has soft 
red leaves with green edges. The leaves of Lord 
Derby are of a soft pink and translucent, so that the 
outlines of an object may be seen through them 
when held close to the under-surface. Those of 
Ladas, on the other hand, are red and closely netted 
with deep red, while there is a very narrow green 
margin. 
The above only include a small fraction of the 
varieties to be seen at Chelsea, but many of the 
most beautiful are new and not in sufficient quantity to 
put into commerce. The old exhibition varieties are 
being overshadowed and ousted from cultivation by 
the beauty and infinite variety of the newcomers. 
JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS COMPRESSA 
Many years ago I had a specimen of the above sent 
to me by a botanical friend, it being then 4 in. high, 
and as pretty a miniature Conifer as could be desired. 
To-day it is hardly an inch taller, very little wider 
in spread, and of as beautiful a blue-green as when 
originally received. Considering that it has been 
growing in the richest of leaf soil for several years 
and has hardly increased in size, one cannot but 
wonder at the thickly-produced foliage remaining so 
fresh and healthy. For rock work it is a gem and 
must be considered as the dwarfest Conifer known.— 
A. D. Webster. 
-- 
DAFFODILS AT LONG DITTON. 
That the interest in this class of spring flowers is 
still on the increase one has only to visit the nursery 
of Messrs. Barr & Son, at Long Ditton, Surrey, as 
we did last week, to observe the fact independently 
of other evidence. Not only are the three fields largely 
occupied with Daffodils, as usual, but three acres of an 
adjoining field have been secured and occupied with 
these attractive spring flowers. Seeing that so much 
of the same ground is annually occupied with the 
same crop one could scarcely feel surprised if it were 
to show signs of exhaustion. Apparently Daffodils 
are not so exhaustive of plant food in the soil as 
some cultivated crops, so that the balance of fertility 
is easily restored. Messrs. Barr are conducting some 
experiments with various manures in order to deter¬ 
mine what effect the several kinds have upon 
Daffodils. This should prove interesting as well as 
valuable to those who go in largely for this kind of 
culture. 
At present we are chiefly concerned with a few of 
the finest in bloom at the present time. The trumpet 
varieties are the most effective in the eyes of 
cultivators, but there is such beauty and grace in 
many of the other kinds that in no case of outdoor 
culture could they be omitted. Some of the most 
recent introductions in the way of trumpet Daffodils 
have a fascination for all who see them on account 
of their bold, handsome, and imposing appearance. 
They not only possess size but refinement. Glory 
of Leiden has sulphur segments and a huge trumpet 
widening from the base to the mouth. Monarch is 
like a glorified Emperor in size (the colour being 
similar), but the flowers are not so drooping. In like 
manner we have a glorified Empress in Weardale, 
which differs chiefly in size. It may be looked upon 
as the grandest Daffodil in commerce, the chief fault 
about it being that it increases slowly notwithstand¬ 
ing its great vigour. Let us mention Madame de 
Graaff to make four of this imperial type. It has a 
pale lemon tube, but ultimately becomes almost 
white. 
Snowflake heads the list of the pure white 
Daffodils which have descended from Narcissus 
moschatus, the wild type; the latter is a pigmy by 
comparison. Captain Nelson is a huge golden 
flower. Backhousei has primrose segments and a 
yellow trumpet of almost equal length, and the 
blooms stand up boldly as if looking at you. Snow¬ 
flake, above mentioned, possesses the same recom¬ 
mendation. The golden Princeps is well known, 
and being early is now almost out of bloom. Very 
choice is J. B. M. Camm, with its white segments 
and clear yellow trumpet. Mrs. Elwes is also an 
early golden sort. The huge and deeply-lobed crown 
of Townshend Boscawen is very noticeable. 
Horsfieldi has less green about*it and is somewhat 
earlier than Empress. Needless to say these two, as 
well as Emperor, are very extensively grown, 
especially the last named. Some beds of Narcissus 
Johnstoni Queen of Spain, recently imported, are 
very graceful and charming. Another form of the 
same type with a more spreading trumpet is to be 
named King of Spain. Very pretty is Sancta Maria 
with golden flowers and somewhat twisted segments. 
Those in flower now were late-planted bulbs. All of 
the above belong to the Ajax or trumpet section. 
The Narcissus incomparabilis type, with the 
crown of medium length, still holds an important 
place in the collection on account of the many fine 
varieties which are suitable for bedding and other 
decorative purposes. Sir Watkin is still waiting 
for a white companion of the same magnificent 
