298 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January 11, 1890. 
Cotoneaster microphylla, 6 ins. to 9 ins. ; 7, Abies 
exeelsa Remontii, single specimens, 15 ins. ; 8, Retino- 
spora leptoclada, single specimens, 9 ins. ; 9, Erica 
carnea, or Pink Daisy ; 10, Euonymus radicans 
variegatus. 
B. —1, New Silver-striped Box, single specimen, 
2 ft. ; 2, Osmanthus illicifolius, 9 ins- ; 3, Erica 
carnea alba ; 4, Cotoneaster microphylla, 6 ins. to 
9 ins. ; 5, Diplopappus chrysophyllus, 9 ins. ; 6, 
Golden Yew (old gold), single specimens, 18 ins. ; 7, 
Veronica Traversii, 9 ins.; 8, Skimmia japonica, 9 ins.; 
8, Erica carnea or Pink Daisy ; 10, Euonymus radicans 
variegatus. 
C. —1, Cupressus Lawsoniana erecta viridis, single 
specimens, 2 ft. ; 2, Osmanthus illicifolius variegatus, 
12 ins. ; 3, Buxus sempervirens obcordata-variegata, 
12 ins. ; 4, Calluna vulgaris aurea ; 5, E. Mediterranea 
alba or White Daisy ; 6, E. Mediterranea, E. carnea or 
Red Daisy ; 7, Retinospora plumosa aurea, 9 ins. to 12 
ins.; 8, Euonymus radicans variegatus; 9, Cupressus 
Lawsoniana nana, single specimen, 6 ins. ; 10, 
Cotoneaster microph 3 T lla, 9 ins. 
D. —1, Silver Queen Holly, about 2 ft. ; 2, Berberis 
aquifolium, 1 ft. ; 3, Cupressus Lawsoniana lutea, 1 ft.; 
4, Cotoneaster microphylla, 9 ins. ; 5, Santolina 
chamrecyparissus or Retinospora squarrosa; 6, Thujopsis 
compacta, 12 ins. to 15 ins. ; 7, Daphne cneorum 
major, or Erica carnea ; 8, Euonymus radicans variegata 
or White Daisy.— Q. Thomson, January 3rd. 
-- 
The Amateurs’ Garden, 
CYTISUS EACEMOSTTS. 
Amongst hard-wooded plants few are more easily grown 
than Cytisus racemosus, which enlivens the greenhouse 
during the greater part of winter from Christmas 
onwards. Naturally it flowers most freely in spring, 
but if slightly forced, by keeping it in a warmer place 
than that necessary for merely preserving it from frost, 
the flowers come on early, and appear as bright in mid¬ 
winter as in spring. The brilliant yellow pea-shaped 
flowers are borne in long close racemes, and the closely 
branching stems are densely clothed with the elegant 
foliage. Each leaf has three leaflets like Clover or 
Broom, and the whole plant, in fact, resembles the 
latter in miniature, with this exception, that the foliage 
here is evergreen. In the young state especially it is 
covered with silky hairs, which add greatly to its in¬ 
teresting character. Although a hard-wooded subject, 
there is far less difficulty in growing it than in the case 
of a Heath. It must, of course, always be kept moist, 
even in winter, to sustain the foliage and flowers, but it 
will not suffer in the same way as a Heath by an over¬ 
dose, nor by partial neglect. 
Window Plants in Flower. 
Under natural conditions, there would be few plants to 
grace the window at the present inclement season 
without the aid of fire-heat. With good treatment the 
Chinese Primula might be kept in bloom for weeks 
together, provided the room be kept warm by means of 
a fire. Cinerarias are more liable to injury outside a 
hothouse, consequently they are but short-lived if 
brought, into the fluctuating atmosphere o'f a room. 
The foliage, moreover, is more liable to suffer than the 
flowers, and must be protected both from frost and 
drought. Forced flowers are now getting plentiful, and 
those most suitable for windows are Hyacinths, Tulips, 
and Narcissi, the Paper White being most plentiful at 
present. The large-flowering Hyacinths are now in 
bloom, and are welcome at this season, though not so . 
fine as later on, when they come into bloom naturally. 
The Roman Hyacinths are still in perfection, and by 
growing different batches may be had till spring, if 
considered desirable. Amongst Heaths, Erica hyemalis, 
E. gracilis and E. Caffra are the most plentiful, par¬ 
ticularly the first named. The red-berried Solanum 
capsicastrum, popularly known as the Jerusalem Cherry, 
is plentiful, and well adapted for window work. 
Watering. 
The principal work at present in the greenhouse or con¬ 
servatory is watering and firing. With regard to 
watering, it is not the amount required that determines 
the difficulty, but when to give it or not to do so. 
No directions can be laid down as to how often a 
certain plant must be watered, because that depends 
entirely upon the kind of plant, the state of growth at 
the time, and the atmospheric conditions as to heat 
and moisture. To state the facts briefly, every plant 
cultivator must learn by close observation and experi¬ 
ence when the soil is positively too dry for the health 
of the plants at any given stage of their growth. Most 
practical men cm tell by the appearance of the soil as 
to what condition it is in ; when becoming grey or 
brown it is certainly dry, and if it can readily be 
crumbled into dust between the fingers it is much too 
dry for such things as Primulas, Camellias, Chrysan¬ 
themums, or Ferns in a growing condition. Another 
way by which it may be determined is to rap the pot 
with the knuckles, a piece of wood, or whatever may 
be handy. Should it ring with a sharp sound, then the 
soil inside is dry, and has contracted away from the 
sides of the pot. On the other hand, if the sound be 
dull then no watering is required. Another but less 
expeditious way is to lift the pot and judge by its 
weight. If unusually heavy for its size something must 
be wrong with the drainage, which should therefore be 
examined. Finally, allowances must be made for the 
kind of plant, and its state of growth. After watering 
all those' things that are really dry, carefully wipe up 
all superfluous moisture from the floor of the greenhouse. 
Hardy Flowers in Blooji. 
The Christmas Roses are now in the heyday of per¬ 
fection, and a few of the Lenten Roses are making their 
appearance. The early Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis 
preecox) will soon make its appearance in sheltered 
places. In very mild seasons it peeps through the 
ground by Christmas. Then the pale lilac Crocus 
Imperati, with its grey stripes, will soon be gay, as it is 
in some places. C. Sieberi, a blue species, commences 
flowering this month. The Winter Heliotrope (Petasites 
fragrans) is not a bright flower, but its odour is strong, 
and greatly resembles the true Heliotrope. 
-- 
STIFF SOILS. 
My experience of stiff clay soils is precisely' the same as 
that of Mr. Kipling. How often after digging up a 
breadth in the winter, that the spring planting might 
be facilitated, have I found heavy rain succeeding, ren¬ 
dering the con lition of the moved soil many times worse 
than before ! Nay, it has very often happened, when we 
have had heavy rainfalls in February and March, that 
the soil dug beforehand his become so saturated and 
clammy that nothing could be done with it until it had 
become thoroughly dry again, and then, when dr} T , so 
hard baked that sowing or planting was absolutely out 
of the question. It is a terrible worry to be afflicted 
with clay soil in a wet season. There is an idea pre¬ 
vailing that such soil is holding. It is scrong, but no 
soil which bakes hard is ever holding in wet weather, 
because the surface cannot be pulverised and freely 
stirred, whilst it cracks and splits in all directions, 
admitting hot air deep down amongst the roots, which 
are as if held in an iron vice, or are torn asunder by 
sheer force. 
Just now it is raining in torrents after the break-up 
of the new year’s frost. A little rain after frost is 
acceptable, but a down-pour before the surface of the 
thawed soil has become dry, is most harmful, and 
therefore I look with dread upon the probable condition 
of the soil, which has been trenched during the hard 
weather. It will be said, perhaps, that the frost will 
have thoroughly pulverised it. It is, of course, the 
case, but unhappily the finer and more powdered the 
frost has made the surface the more pasty will it become 
under the beating rain, and presently it will form a 
sort of coating of fine clay, through which the rain will 
not readily pass, and thus become as clammy as is worked 
brick clay. Draining cannot remedy this vicious 
tenacity of clay soils. It is the surface which becomes 
most clammy. I have been manuring and dressing clay 
soil here for years without making upon it any very 
appreciable alteration, and it seems as impervious to 
improvement as the blackamoor is to soap. If it be 
possible to add to such soil a heavy dressing of some 
3 ins. in thickness of road trimmings, which is so 
gritty, a slight change is effected for a few years, but 
in time the grit seems naturally to become absorbed in 
the clay, or else percolates to the bottom. 
The wholesale exchange of several inches of the stiff 
soil for as much fine or peaty soil, is about the only 
means available for converting clay soil into one that 
is tractable and free. I have invariably found that 
soil left undug from the autumn till the spring is 
found to be the most workable ; but then how is the 
aeration, said to be so essential for soils, to be produced ? 
Perhaps there is a good deal of quackery in the oft- 
repeated and stale adjuration to throw up soil roughly 
during the winter, that it may become aerated, 
sweetened, and fertile. There is a lot of humbug 
found in stereotyped phrases which flow freely from the 
pens of shallow writers, who, after all, never stop to 
think whether there is sense or reason in what they 
are proclaiming. My own impression has long been 
that the earthworms in untouched soil perform most 
valuable work in opening myriads of channels for the 
admission of air and the free passage of moisture, and 
thus it happens that after heavy rains, soil untouched 
will work drier than will ground which has been 
recently made. 
It is not at all pleasing to have to write in this strain, 
because every gardener knows, apart from the aerating 
theory, that soil trenched or dug in the winter, if it be 
in good condition for the reception of crops in the 
spring, means so much labour advanced and time 
gained at a critical period of the year. If in all gardens 
where there are portions of the soil left fallow for the 
winter, and it is of that stiff unyielding clayey nature 
under comment, no doubt good would result could each 
such piece be sown thickly at Michaelmas with Rye or 
other cereal of a hardy nature, as not only do the 
worms seem to work all the more freely in such case, 
but the roots running so thickly through the soil serve 
to keep it partially open, whilst the green crop dug in 
forms a valuable manure. It also furnishes to the soil 
a sweet and pleasant change from the eternal appli¬ 
cation of artificial manures. 
It is most difficult to lay down any fixed rules with, 
regard to the treatment of soils, as they differ so much, 
not only in texture, but also in situation and surround¬ 
ings. It often takes a gardener several years to become 
thoroughly familiar with all the various characteristics 
of the soil he has to work, and therefore it is wise to set 
about making the discovery of these peculiarities as 
quickly and as practically as possible.— A. D 
-- 
kRDENING jfhSCELLANY. 
The Late Captain Maxwell. 
I WAS very sorry to see the announcement of the death 
of Captain Maxwell, of Terregles. I had known him 
for many years, and frequently spent hours with him 
amongst his pet Orchids. Nothing pleased him better 
than to converse with those connected with the pro¬ 
fession, and to discuss the merits and demerits of 
plant culture. Orchids were his special favourites, and 
he had established a fine collection of good varieties, 
which have been specially alluded to in various journals 
upon more than one occasion. It was in his Orchid house 
that I first saw the Orchid flower holder, which is now 
so much used and so highly spoken of. Knowing from 
his own experience how useful the contrivance was, he 
pressed me to take it up and introduce it to the public, 
which I did, associating his name with it as the 
inventor .—Alfred Outram. 
The First Electric Thermometer. 
Your note last week on the tell-tale thermometers used 
at Syon House (p. 283), reminded me of an interesting 
fact that I had come across some months previously 
when poring over the pages of an old volume (ix.) of 
Chambers’s Papers for the People. In a paper on 
“Electrical Communications,” p. 15, I read that a 
Mr. Smee—I presume the late Mr. Alfred Smee, the 
author of “My Garden”—was the first to reduce to 
practice the idea, formulated by 'Wheatstone, of using 
tell-tale thermometers. As the statement may be of 
interest to others, I append a copy:—“Behind my 
house,” observes Mr. Smee, “ is a small hothouse ; and I 
conceived the idea of constructing a simple telegraph 
which should inform ms of the temperature. Now 
my plants would be injured if the heat fell below 50° 
or rose above 90°, and I therefore wished to have some 
contrivance which should inform me in my own study 
whether the temperature were remaining or not within 
these limits. For this purpose a thermometer was 
made for me, into which two platinum wires were 
inserted, which came in contact respectively with the 
mercury at those two points. By this contrivance, 
when the heat either fell below or rose above those two 
points, the mercury and platinum were not in contact, 
and a voltaic current could not be maintained. Tele¬ 
graphic communications ivere laid down from these two 
platinum wires to my dwelling-house, and a pair of large 
zinc and copper plates were sunk into the ground for 
a battery. By attaching the wires to a galvanometer, 
we can always ask how the temperature is ; and by 
attaching an alarum, a gardener might be warned of 
an accident at any time of the night.” Perhaps the 
present esteemed owner of My Garden would say if I am 
right in my assumption that his father was the Mr. 
Smee alluded to.— JV. 
