422 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March. 8, 1890. 
fruit earlier than June, and, therefore, forcing was not 
begun till the end of the year, but the trees showed 
such a proclivity to expand the flower-buds that it was 
difficult to restrain their vigour. The thermometer 
oftenstood over 50° in the open during the eveningsof De¬ 
cember, so that little rest could be secured for the trees. 
I have noticed from the writings of some of the large 
growers, whose names have been so long before the 
public, that they consider absolute rest to be imperative 
to the health and fruitfulness of the trees, and I know 
that many of the best growers extant take the lights, 
for a short time, off all their Peach houses. I never 
had to do with houses which had portable lights, and 
the “ Mums” always were in such quantity that every 
bit of space had to be filled with plants to supply 
hundreds of cut blooms every week. But as it is bud¬ 
dropping and its causes which we are now contemplat¬ 
ing, I will relate what I know as being very conducive 
to that misfortune— i.e., neglect of watering while the 
trees are in a resting condition ; a superabundance of 
moisture where drainage is imperfect; a close dank 
atmosphere when growth has ceased ; wet surfaces by 
water from pot plants while the fibry roots are struggling 
with drought ; gross roots pumping up sap to the 
branches when they should be at rest; active roots far 
from the influence of sun and air, and embedded in un¬ 
wholesome soil; the indiscreet use of paraffin and other 
substances as insecticides ; and the injudicious use of 
fire-heat when it could have been dispensed with. 
In regard to lifting the roots, or pruning them, I 
think it is well, when the borders are formed, to guard 
against the necessity of lifting the trees, by ramming 
a space underneath each trunk 3 ft. or 4 ft. in 
diameter, or less, using material which the roots will 
not penetrate, but are induced to grow outwards, into 
soil which should be as firm as it can be rammed. If 
the trees misbehave by making gross, unfruitful wood, 
we attack the root or roots doing the mischief as soon 
as the crop is gathered, and often do such work in 
June or July. Two trees in particular, which are in 
excellent condition (Royal George), were examined 
and root pruned two seasons in succession during July ; 
by September the gross roots were converted into a 
mass of fibres, with wood and foliage all we could desire. 
This is a very old practice with us. Another is to 
remove the young wood-buds with the point of a 
knife as soon as they can be manipulated. The tree 
by this practice receives no check (as when disbudding 
takes place), and much labour is saved. "We often 
receive censure for such practices, but it is some¬ 
times more esteemed than praise.— Stirling. 
-- 
SNOWDROPS. 
I doubt if any of our hardy plants afford more real 
pleasure than the Snowdrop, for wherever it may be 
seen, as the harbinger of spring, it is a favourite 
with all. I always think, however, that it generally 
seems to be most out of place when seen in the open 
border, without a carpeting of some kind to keep the 
splashes of dirt from soiling the blossoms. How much 
happier the Snowdrop always looks when seen above 
grass or on a mossy bed ! 
In the garden and pleasure grounds now under my 
charge there are enormous quantities of Snowdrops, 
growing in all sorts of positions—under tall forest trees, 
under shrubs, in large masses on grass, between the 
stones on rockeries, in wet places and in dry places ; 
all the picture of robust health, and very beautiful. 
I noticed to-day a large mass, all aglow with blooms, 
under some very large strong-growing Laurels, and 
others growing up even between the stems of the Nut 
bushes. The blooms were not, of course, so large as 
on those more favourably situated, but they were none 
the less pleasing. From observations made in various 
parts I have noted that the Snowdrop does well even 
under the most adverse conditions, and is in no sense 
fastidious. As an instance of this I may mention that 
when at Didlington Hall, Norfolk, last spring, I saw 
a large mass in most lovely bloom. It was many yards 
in extent, and in a shrubbery where rubbish is thrown. 
At Didlington, Snowdrops are largely grown in a 
natural way on grass, and on asking how these came 
to be in such a position, was told that at one time spring 
bedding was largely carried out there, and that these 
were the small offsets, not wanted when the flower 
garden was planted in the autumn, and had been 
thrown where I then saw them. There was no desire 
expressed to find them a better place, as the blooms 
came in useful for gathering, and saved those in the 
dressed grounds. On examining this glorious bed I 
found the bulbs had for associates quite a host of 
Nettles, indeed, the ground was a mass of their roots, 
and the Snowdrops evidently enjoyed their company, 
notwithstanding that the rampantly-growing roots of 
the Nettles must take all the moisture out of the 
ground in the summer. This may perhaps be an advan¬ 
tage, however, in giving the bulbs a good rest in the 
summer. At any rate, certain it is that the Snowdrops 
make their growth, bloom, and ripen their foliage before 
the Nettles get up ; and that they 'certainly do not 
want particularly good soil. 
I am not, of course, advocating that Snowdrops 
should be planted among such vile weedsonly 
showing that being treated as rubbish they will thrive 
under such apparently unfavourable conditions. The 
soil on the Didlington estate appears to be most 
suitable to them, as they may be seen in large masses 
in a wild state in the woods. Everyone who has a 
garden should plant Snowdrops in a natural way on 
the grass, in shrubberies, or under large deciduous 
trees, but when planted on grass care should be taken 
not to cut off the leaves with the mowing machine 
before they have ripened.— Con. 
-- 
CHINESE PRIMULAS AT 
FOREST HILL. 
A houseful of Primulas is an interesting sight at any 
season, but all the more so during the winter and 
spring months. At the present time several houses 
are more or less solely devoted to these useful subjects 
in the nurseries of Messrs. James Carter & Co., at 
Forest Hill. Amongst a great number of sorts of 
different quality, and grown for various purposes by 
way of experiment, we shall confine ourselves to those 
standard and proved kinds which are grown solely for 
seed-bearing purposes. It may here be stated that the 
plants are sown late, and grown to moderate dimen¬ 
sions in 48-size pots, so as to secure a single and good 
truss of bloom. These are regularly gone over with a 
camel-hair brush, and fertilised artificially, so as to 
secure each variety true to name. An interesting point 
to be noted in connection with this work is, that those 
flowers which have taken throw off their corollas in the 
course of twenty-four hours. When about a dozen 
fruits have set, all the remaining buds and blooms are 
removed. By this means a moderate quantity of good 
seed is obtained. 
Fern-leaved Yarieties. 
One of the finest, if not the best variety of this class, is 
Holborn Elaine Improved. The flowers are pure white, 
with a five-angled orange eye. ;It is floriferous and 
robust, with red tinted foliage, and is grown in great 
quantity. Holborn Rose is another good thing, with 
large rosy purple flowers, and a yellow eye margined 
with crimson, as in the sort named Auriculeeflora. As 
the name implies, Ruby is of a rich deep rosy ruby, 
with a small white speck at the base of each segment 
of the corolla. A large quantity of Holborn Queen 
testifies to the estimation in which it is held. It is 
floriferous, with light green foliage, and large pure 
white flowers with an orange-yellow angled eye. 
Ordinary-leaved Types. 
This class is by far the most numerous variety, which 
is probably to be accounted for by the brilliancy or 
well-defined colours occurring in it. Holborn Magenta 
Improved is notable for its intense magenta-purple 
flowers, which are very effective when seen in a mass, 
as are those of Vermilion, with fiery crimson flowers. 
A great quantity of this variety is grown. There are two 
forms of Holborn Elaine, namely, that above mentioned, 
and the ordinary cordate and lobed form, also with white 
flowers. An improved form of that named Salmon, of 
a deep salmon-red, is now grown in the place of the old 
one. Carnation is certainly a novelty in its way, with 
white flowers, and a pencilling of lavender-grey round 
the margin of the petals. It is sometimes spoken of as 
the Picotee-edged variety. Holborn Blue Improved is 
such an advance upon the original that the latter will 
soon be entirely replaced by it. The larger flowers 
measure 2i ins. across, are of a deep blue, of great sub¬ 
stance, undulated and (curiously enough) almost pure 
white on the reverse. The foliage is also of thicker 
texture than the old Holborn Blue. Holborn Carmine 
has large flat flowers of a rich carmine, and carries a 
truss of great size. What is known as Holborn Fawn 
is a rosy purple variety, with a white laced edge. It 
is rather attractive in its way, and is grown in large 
quantity. Those who like spotted flowers will find 
something to their liking in Holborn Venus, the 
corolla of which is white variously mottled and striped 
with purple. 
Semi-double Kinds. 
The leading qualifications that recommend this type to 
horticulturists, are that the flowers are more durable 
either on the plants or in the cut state than the single 
ones, and that they can readily be raised from seed. 
The Prince of Wales is a dwarf, floriferous, deep sal¬ 
mon-coloured variety of this sort. That named Double 
Blue is also of this type, and has bright blue flowers, 
more or less tinted with purple, especially at the edges 
of the segments. The semi-double flowers of Apple 
Blossom are pink and white, and the foliage corresponds 
in being of a soft pale green. Carmine Empress is 
of an intense fiery crimson-like vermilion, but semi¬ 
double and more durable, while the reverse is of a 
silvery white. For cut-flower purposes, the most useful 
of the semi-double kinds is Snowflake. The flowers are 
white tinted with blush, and produced with great 
freedom. The foliage is pale green. 
Besides the new and improved kinds there are 
numerous forms under tidal, of which it would be pre¬ 
mature to speak ; but the kinds we have mentioned 
present a fine mass of bloom, owing to the remarkably 
even size of the plants, and the way in which each kind 
is grouped by itself. 
-^- 
TRITELEIAS. 
“ G. B. G’s.” note on Triteleia uniflora, at p. 406, is 
well timed, as it calls attention to a very pretty, early- 
flowering plant of a thoroughly hardy character. We 
are indebted to North America for several useful sub¬ 
jects, the above among them. It is a refined Garlic, 
and the fact that the plucked flowers emit from their 
stems a strong smell of Garlic has, perhaps, something 
to do with the want of popular regard for it. But it 
should be said that what might be thought by many a 
disagreeable perfume soon passes away. I have seen 
a peduncle produce twin flowers where strongly grown. 
T. uniflora has a dash of porcelain in its divisions, and 
this deepened to such an extent as to lead to the pro¬ 
duction of a handsome variety named Violacea, of a 
charming violet-blue tint, and it is quite as free- 
flowering as the type. 
Triteleia laxa well deserves attention also. It is of a 
taller and more robust growth, throwing up short stems 
bearing umbels of bright purple blossoms, but flowering 
later in point of time than T. uniflora. T. laxa makes 
a capital pot plant also, but I do not regard it as so hardy 
as the former. On one occasion I left soipe pots of it 
out all the winter standing upon an ash bed, and the 
whole of the bulbs were destroyed ; thus Host everyone 
I had. The bulbs of T. laxa are much more expensive 
than those of the older form, but both do well in the 
open border. In planting Triteleias in the open, the 
bulbs should be placed about 2 ins. apart, as they soon 
increase in number, and they should be quite 3 ins. 
below the surface of the soil.— R. D. 
-- 
LASIANDRA MACRANTHA. 
The subject of these remarks stands unrivalled for its 
unique colour and freedom of blooming during the 
dull, sunless months of winter, and for these reasons 
I beg to submit a plea for its more extended cultiva¬ 
tion. Seen in good condition, with a profusion of its 
large purplish flowers and glossy, semi-hirsute foliage, 
it never fails to attract attention, or to draw out 
remarks as to its culture, or the effect it lends in 
producing a conspicuous appearance to the whole 
arrangement of the structure it may occupy. Plants 
from three to six years old bloom with more freedom 
than do younger ones, and for this reason, where 
such a colour is in request, there should always be a 
few old plants. These may be prevented from becom¬ 
ing leggy by cutting hard back annually much in the 
way of Fuchsias, placed in some forcing house, and 
started into growth. When this has been accomplished 
the roots should be shaken out of the soil, and potted 
afresh in a compost of fibrous loam two parts, with ono 
part of peat, and some nodules of charcoal and sharp 
sand, in pots perhaps a size larger than they occupied ; 
but great care must be exercised in this, as if not 
thoroughly pot-bound early in the autumn they do not 
bloom so freely, indeed, perhaps not at all. Once 
thoroughly pot-bound they will be much benefited by 
frequent applications of weak liquid manure, and a 
top-dressing of fresh soil. 
To keep these blooming steadily all winter, a tem¬ 
perature of 50° or 55° is requisite ; but they will bloom 
in 5° less, still not so freely, and consequently never 
havo the same appearance nor contribute the same 
striking effect. Arranged amongst the ordinary winter 
blooming plauts, they stand out in bold relief, and form 
a contrast at once pleasing and effective. While urging 
the advisability of always having a few old plants, it 
must not be inferred that I do not approve of young 
ones. On the contrary, there should, I think, be a 
