May 16, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
589 
Weather in the South of Ireland.—Owing to the 
long continued drought, crops are at a standstill; 
farmers are beginning to look serious. The heat has 
been excessive for the last fortnight.— Castleboro. 
Seeds of Fatsia japonica, otherwise known as 
Aralia Sieboldi, may be sown in heat or in a cold 
frame during the summer. They germinate freely 
under either condition provided they are good. 
Old seeds soon loose their vitality and then are 
useless under whatever conditions they may be sown. 
This fact should be remembered by those who have 
seeds of this subject so useful for so many purposes. 
The wild garden style of planting still finds great 
favour with the visitors frequenting Kew Gardens. 
The Daffodils and other Narcissi, Hyacinths, and 
early Tulips are over, but their place is taken by late 
Tulips, by Scilla nutrans in various colours, Saxi- 
fraga granulata and various other subjects. The 
Saxifrage is peculiarly well adapted for this kind of 
work, and its large white flowers look handsome 
amongst the grass. Indeed, it grows wild in various 
• parts of the Thames Valley including the stone wall 
by the ha-ha bounding Kew Gardens by the river 
side. 
The steamer Blanche Rock, 171 tons net register, 
left Jersey on the 8th inst with the first cargo of new 
Potatos for the Manchester market. Arrangements 
have also been made for an express service of five 
steamers per week from Jersey while the season lasts, 
the sailing days being Monday, Tuesday, Wednes¬ 
day, Friday, and Saturday. By the canal route, the 
fast steamers last year repeatedly accomplished the 
voyage from St. Helier io the Pomona docks, Man¬ 
chester, in less than fifty hours, a saving of some five 
hours or more on the old method when the vessels 
discharged at Holyhead, and the Potatos were 
forwarded thence by special train. Each vessel has 
a carrying capacity of about 500 tons. 
Cosmos refusing to bloom.—A would-be cultivator 
of this beautiful class of plants with finely-divided 
fern-like foliage, gives his experience with them in 
American Gardening. He lives in the State of Iowa. 
By the middle of August they were 4 ft. high, and he 
began to look for buds; but a month later they were 
6 ft. high without the sign of a flower. The first 
frost in October cut them down. The seeds were 
sown in March. Resolved to give them another 
trial he got a new strain of seeds and sowed them in 
January last, so that by the beginning of April the 
seedlings were 6 in. high. They are guaranteed by 
the seedsman to bloom in August or earlier. They 
never bloom till autumn in Britain, but they do 
flower freely as a rule in company with Dahlias. 
The wild Cherry tree (Prunus Cerasus) occurs in 
copses, thickets and hedges in various parts of 
England, but never extending very far north, and 
was formerly more plentiful than it is at present. As 
an orchard tree the Cherry is said to have been 
introduced and largely ‘planted in England during 
the time of Henry VIII. Probably the first of them 
were planted in the neighbourhood of Sittingbourne, 
Kent, which has ever since been noted for the 
luxuriance and fruitful character of its Cherry 
orchards. When the old abbeys and baronial 
residences of those days were falling into decay, the 
Cherry trees continued to increase in vigour attaining 
with age a great height in those localities that were 
most favourable to their growth. 
Grapes grown on a walking-stick.—In a recent issue 
of Borderland are some portions of the autobiography 
of a magician signing himself “ Tantriadelto.” The 
stories draw so much upon the imagination that 
Baron Munchausen may now take a back seat. On 
one occasion Mr. Jacob of Simla, was the host, and 
was called upon to show one of his tricks. He told 
a servant to bring in all the sahib’s walking-sticks, 
and selecting a thick Grape-vine stick with a silver 
band, he stood it on its knob in a glass bowl of water 
holding it upright for a few minutes. Scores of 
shoots like rootlets issued from the knob of the 
stick till the bowl was filled and held the stick 
upright. During the next few minutes, while Jacob 
stood over it muttering his incantations, a continuous 
crackling sound was heard, and young shoots rapidly 
grew forth, developing leaves, then expanding flowers 
which in turn were followed by small bunches of 
Grapes. In the course of ten minutes the walking- 
stick was transformed into a standard vine bearing 
ripe Black Hamburgh Grapes, of which the company 
partook ; and one sceptical individual pocketed 
some. Jacob then ordered the vine to be covered 
with a sheet, and in a few minutes nothing was to be 
seen but the walking-stick. The Grapes that were 
pocketed still remained and were eaten by two of 
the company who declared them to be English Black 
Hamburgh. 
Orchids at the Sale Rooms.—Amongst the Orchids 
in bloom sold at the rooms of Messrs. Protheroe and 
Morris, Cheapside, on the 8th inst., was a splendid 
piece of Cattleya Mossiae with twelve spikes in 
bloom, and which was sold for three guineas. A 
relatively small piece of C. Mendelii with a richly- 
coloured lip created some lively bidding and was 
knocked down for five guineas. It was a particularly 
fine variety and showed that the demand tor anything 
good still runs high amongst connoisseurs and those 
who already have good collections, the high standard 
of which must be kept up. The ordinary form of C. 
intermedia fetched three guineas, showing that 
collections are not yet overstocked with this pale- 
flowered but beautiful species. Two piece sof C. 
skinneri alba, bearing two flowers each, also created 
some lively bidding. One fetched eight guineas, and 
the other seven and a half. For small plants this is 
a pretty good test of the demand for the variety. 
Complimentary Supper.—Mr. James Grieve, Jun., 
and Mr. Alexander Jack have been in the employ¬ 
ment of Messrs. Dobbie & Co., Rothesay, for some 
years past, and on the occasion of their leaving 
to fill ether positions, a complimentary supper 
was given in their honour on the 8th inst., 
in Crichton's Restaurant, Victoria Street, 
Rothesay. Mr. Grieve goes to Edinburgh to join 
the firm of Mr. James Grieve & Sons, of which his 
father is principal as mentioned by us last autumn. 
The chair was occupied by Mr. William 
Cuthbertson ; and besides the guests of the evening, 
Mr. James Dobbie, the founder of the firm, Mr. 
James Grieve of Edinburgh, Mr. Burnie, and about 
50 of the staff of Messrs. Dobbie & Co., sat down 
to an excellent supper. The chairman said that where 
100 of a staff were employed, there must necessarily 
be frequent changes, but the present changes were 
pleasant for all concerned since the guests of the 
evening were leaving to better themselves. They 
had very considerately consulted the firm’s con¬ 
venience in delaying their departure till the hurry 
of the spring business was over. He wished them 
abundant success in their new spheres of life, and 
called upon Mr. Macfie, a fellow-worker of Mr. 
Grieve, to make a presentation of some horticultural 
works to the latter. Mr. George Dickson in a like 
manner presented Mr. Jack with a beautifully 
engraved, gold-mounted, stylographic pen. Mr. 
Grieve and Mr. Jack suitably acknowledged the 
presents, and said they would long remember their 
services with Messrs. Dobbie & Co. Mr. Grieve, 
Sen. made a stirring speech during the evening; 
Mr. Dobbie and Mr. Burnie also addressed the 
meeting. The remainder of the evening was devoted 
to vocal and instrumental music, and was highly 
enjoyable. 
-— ■** - 
THE ROBIN. 
Next to the house sparrow the robin is perhaps our 
most familiar bird friend, and whilst opinions some¬ 
what vary as to how far the sparrow is entitled to be 
classed among the friends of the cultivator of 
the soil, there are few who do not at 
all times give “ Bobby Red-breast ” a most cordial 
welcome. His full black eye and inquiring sidelong 
turn of the head, while listening to the various sounds 
in his immediate neighbourhood , have a very engaging 
air about them, and his warble,although heard all the 
year round, is doubly welcome when our other bird 
songsters are silent. He is a constant attendant in 
winter, when either spade or fork is at work, picking 
up what to him are delicate morsels, and which, were 
it not for him and others of the. feathered tribes, 
would soon become an intolerable scourge. Recently, 
when raking down a piece of ground preparatory to 
seed-sowing we had the company of one whose 
quick eye discerned every mite of insect life when 
exposed to view— worms, larvae of the Celery fly, 
wood-lice, and other grubs. After this who can 
grudge him a few Red Currants later on ?— W. B. G. 
POTATO, THE FLOUNDER, &c. 
In your issue of the 9th inst., I notice a reference to 
a Potato named the “ Flounder.” I was wondering 
if this Potato should be the same, or have any con¬ 
nection with one of the same name which was pretty 
widely spread over the northern counties of Scot¬ 
land some forty years ago. I never had the pleasure 
of seeing the Potato myself, but from hearsay it was 
represented as a very large hollow-cored and un¬ 
shapely tuber. It was eventually grown, on account 
of its rapid deterioration, for cattle only, and as far 
as I am aware, has ceased to exist long ago. 
Speaking about Potatos, my earliest recollection 
is of one which locally went under the name of 
“ Lady Ramsey.” It was a kidney of a pale blue 
colour with small hollow white eyes, and was about 
the size and shape of the old Ashleaf Kidney. I am 
not aware that it is now cultivated. Then there 
were the “ Orkney Reds.” An excellent Potato at 
first, but which soon deteriorated in quality; and 
the " Irish Cups,” or, I think, as some called them 
“ Red Rocs,” a splendid mealy Potato, but 
succumbed latterly to the disease. 
" Rocs,” 11 Jersey Blues,” ” Blackbearts," •' Glen- 
bervies,” and many others were also familiar friends 
in the days of boyhood. All of which seem to have 
disappeared from cultivation. The ” Roc ” and 
“Jersey Blues” were considered in those days 
excellent Potatos. 
It seems to be a fact beyond question that the life 
period, so to speak, of any variety of Potato is 
limited. I know of none, however, which maintained 
its place in the struggle for existence, so well as the 
“ Forty Folds.” These, though by no means com¬ 
parable to many of the finer kinds which are now in 
cultivation, still seem to find much favour in many 
quarters till this moment.— D. Chisholm , Granton. 
f 
TIE PLANT HOUSES. 
The Stove. 
As all plants in this department should now be 
growing away with the freedom that comes of free 
root action the labour of watering will be increased 
to a corresponding extent. There are no plants that 
need a more abundant supply of water than the 
occupants of the stove, and hence a liberal and yet 
judicious hand must guide the watering-pot. 
Stove Aquatics. —These are a charming class of 
plants, although but comparatively few stoves are 
sufficiently roomy to admit of their culture being 
carried on to any great extent, still where it is 
possible, the introduction of a miniature lake 
wherein they may disport themselves looks exceed¬ 
ingly pretty. Nymphaeas will need careful watching 
now, for green fly is very fond of the young leaves, 
and will soon cripple them unless remedial measures 
are taken. The best method of combating this 
little pest is to sponge the leaves with weak tobacco 
water. The stately Cyperus Papyrus, although a 
noble decorative plant, has yet to be watched very 
carefully for mealy bug, which finds congenial 
surroundings in the huge heads, and once ensconced 
there needs a deal of persuasion to cause it to 
shift. 
Climbers will need to be gone over pretty 
frequently now to tie in and regulate their growth. 
The shoots of Aristolochias should be allowed to 
hang from the roof with only sufficient tying to dis¬ 
tribute the growth evenly over tjie area covered by 
the plant. Bignonias that are blooming if they 
have been tied in rather closely up to the present 
may be untied and the flowering^growths allowed to 
hang down. 
Anthuriums. —The leaves of many of the 
Anthuriums, such as for instance A. Veitchii and A. 
crystallinum are somewhat heavy and there is a 
good deal of strain upon the petioles. It will be 
advisable to afford them some support, otherwise 
they are very liable to get broken whilst being 
syringed. Plenty of water at the root during the 
summer is a sine qua non to the well-being of 
Anthuriums as indeed it is co Aroids generally. 
Temperature.— Throughout the summer the 
warmest stove should not be allowed to fall much 
below 70° Fahr. by night and may rise to over 8o° 
during the day; 65° by night will be a good 
temperature to maintain in the intermediate house, 
with a rise to 75 0 by day. 
