March 8, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
427 
ARDENING 
ISCELLANY. 
—^— 
Chain Pumps, 
I Alt glad that my note on chain pumps should have 
led to such a clear, full description of them by Mr. 
Kipling (p. 407). I think he is right in supposing it 
possible that the heavy labour in working his pump is 
exceptional. When I told my gardener that it had 
been suggested that the pump was hard to work, he 
said, “ We have emptied the tank to-day, and the boy 
(quite a young one) did the pumping.” I believe our 
lift is about 15 ft., and the sewage is carried away in a 
water barrow. — George F. Wilson, HeatherbanJc, 
Weybridge Heath. 
Hyacinthus candicans in Pots. 
It may not be generally known by amateurs and 
young growers that this makes a grand pot plant for 
autumn decoration. It is easily grown, requiring but 
little attention, and if five or six bulbs are put in a 
10-in. pot, most imposing specimens are obtained for 
embellishing large rooms, &e. We have to-day potted 
up our stock, some in 10-in. pots as noted above, and 
others—the larger bulbs—singly in 6-in. pots, using a 
mixture of loam and leaf-soil, which answered well last 
year. The bulbs are now cheap, and it should be 
grown in every garden.— Con. 
The Cornelian Cherry. 
Such is the vernacular name for Cornus mas, otherwise 
known as C. mascula. Wherever planted it is now 
making its presence noticeable by its myriads of small 
yellow flowers, borne in clusters and surrounded by a 
four-leaved involucre of small size, and therefore much 
less conspicuous than in C. canadensis or C. florida. 
The number of flowers, however, and the fact of the 
branches being leafless at this time, combine to make 
the plant not only attractive but conspicuous from a 
distance, especially in the case of tall old specimens. 
It is most frequently seen as a small bushy shrub, 
mixed with similar habited subjects in the shrubbery. 
If allowed, however, to assume its natural size, it will in 
time reach a height of 12 ft. or 15 ft. ; and those who 
have the opportunity of seeing it in that condition are 
led to think well of it. The variegated varieties, C. 
m. variegata and C. m. elegantissima, are chiefly valued 
for their foliage, and are more often seen as dwarf bushes 
than as small trees ; but they also flower well even in 
that state. 
Nuttallia cerasiformis. 
A mild spring has the effect of bringing this shrub into 
leaf and flower at a very early period. Although cold 
piercing winds have prevailed for some time past, the 
warmth that preceded awakened the buds which are 
now so prominent, and the wonder is that they do not 
get destroyed. The racemes of bloom have been visible 
for some time past, and on the return of milder weather 
the leaves will unfold, and the white flowers expand. 
Should this happen during an abundance of bloom of 
all kinds, the Nuttallia would probably receive little 
attention ; but seeing that most hardy shrubs are still 
at rest, the Nuttallia is brought into prominence hy its 
young leafy shoots of a delicate green, and drooping 
racemes just showing. It is closely allied to the Cherry, 
but differs in the flowers being often solely male. 
Most of the trees in this country seem to be wholly 
males, so that fruit is never produced, although the 
shrub may flower abundantly. It is a native of Cali¬ 
fornia, but is perfectly hardy—at least, in the south of 
this country, and may bo readily propagated from 
suckers. 
Calathea vittata. 
There seems no reason why this beautiful-leaved 
subject should not be more extensively grown for 
decorative purposes in the stove than is at present the 
case. It is always of close and neat habit, not exceed¬ 
ing 9 ins. or 12 ins. in height. The leaves are ovate, 
elongated or oblong, somewhat leathery, light green, 
and marked transversely on each side of the midrib 
with creamy white stripes in pairs, with a narrow green 
line between them, and a broader green band between 
each pair. The striping is wholly confined to the upper 
surface. There is a beautiful variety with rose instead 
of white lines, namely, C. v. roseo-lineata, generally 
grown in gardens under the name of Maranta roseo- 
lineata, just as the type is called M. albo-lineata. We 
noted the typical form recently in the nursery of Messrs. 
B. S. Williams & Son, Upper Holloway. 
Amaryllis, Mrs. W. Lee. 
This is evidently a variety of Hippeastrum reticulatum, 
a Brazilian species requiring a stove temperature, and 
well known in many an establishment for the silvery 
white stripe traversing the centre of the strap-shaped 
leaf longitudinally. In this variety, however, the 
stripe is much paler than in the type, and pale 
greenish yellow. The flowers are borne in numbers 
ranging from four to six on a common scape. This 
exceeds what occurs amongst the greater number of 
improved kinds in cultivation at the present day, and 
which have two or four flowers, generally the smaller 
number, particularly where the flowers are large and 
flat. The tube in the present instance, as might be 
expected, is of considerable length, with a six-parted, 
spreading or funnel-shaped lamina, which is closely 
reticulated with deep rose on a paler rose ground, and 
therefore considerably darker than in the type, which 
is pink and white. It was flowering the other week in 
the Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, Upper Holloway. 
Rubbish Heaps. 
The correspondence anent the inevitable rubbish heap, 
which has appeared in your valued pages of late, seems 
to me to be of a seasonable and opportune character at 
the present time. I cordially endorse the remarks of 
“A Kitchen Gardener ” in your last issue, as in my 
opinion the burning of all accumulated rubbish is the 
most preferable course to pursue. Iu many gardens 
there are plenty of out-of-the-way places where these 
heaps may be allowed to accumulate without much 
objection to the olfactory organs, and by the addition 
of lime, soot, &c., as the heap progresses, the compost 
is rendered free from vermin, especially if advantage 
is taken to turn it over once or twice before using it. 
In some gardens space is limited, and in that case the 
safest plan is to burn it as it accumulates, and use the 
ashes for dressing Onion beds. In fact, the ashes from 
these heaps make a first-rate dressing for many crops. 
— J. S. T. 
The Weather in Yorkshire. 
"We are now shivering in real winter weather. From 
the 23rd to the 23 th we experienced a regular cold wave 
from the N.E. Heavy clouds hung for some time over 
the district, but being, I suppose, ashamed to discharge 
their fleecy contents because of their lateness of arrival, 
they passed on, leaving those coming along in the rear 
to cover the country several inches deep with snow on 
March 1st. The intensity of frost has increased from 
5° at first to 16° this Monday morning, and there is 
every indication of its reaching an even lower figure, 
for though somewhat modified by the sun in the day¬ 
time, the wind still remains in the N.E. If not too 
powerfully applied, an atmospheric brake put on in 
March and April is not a bad thing.— L. B., Hudders¬ 
field. 
Asplenium longissimum. 
For hanging baskets in a stove this Fern is admirably 
adapted, on account of its pendulous habit. The 
fronds vary immensely iD length, according to the age 
and vigour of the plant, from 6 ins. to 8 ft. They are 
proliferous at the apex, that is, they develop a young 
plant there in the same way as Woodwardia radicans, 
and may readily be propagated by that means, so that 
no difficulty would be experienced in keeping up a 
stock of small plants should they be preferred to large 
ones. The handsome effect, however, produced by 
fronds from 6 ft. to 8 ft. in length cannot be disputed, 
and for large houses are certainly to be desired. The 
fronds are pinnate, with leathery pinnae from 2 ins. to 
4 ins. long, shallowly toothed and unequally auricled 
at the base, the larger auricle being on the upper or 
anterior side. There are some young specimens in 
suspended baskets, with fronds from 6 ins. to 12 ins. 
long, in the Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, Upper 
Holloway. 
Dicksonia Sedeni. 
Under this name a Tree Fern of great promise is grown 
at Periville, Highbury New Park. As yet it is only 
in a small state, with a stem about 1 ft. high. The 
fronds are two or three times pinnate, but at present it 
would be premature to give an idea of what their 
ultimate size or outline may be. The ultimate seg¬ 
ments are upeurved, at least in the young state, giving 
the frond a crisped appearance, as seen in Nephrodium 
feeniseii. The petioles are densely covered with pale 
grey, chaffy hairs, as they are in species generally seen 
in gardens under the name of Cibotium. 
Ants in Hothouses. 
The season will soon be coming round when insect 
pests will be found troublesome in plant houses, and 
when ants make a habitation there it is very difficult 
to dislodge them. Not long since I was conversing with 
a gardener who at one time was much troubled with 
ants in his plant houses, and he hit upon the following 
plan for capturing them, which operated to considerably 
thin their ranks. He obtained a piece of sponge having 
large cavities, and this he cut into pieces about the size 
of a lawn-tennis ball, dipped them into a mixture 
of treacle and water, and then laid them about the 
haunts of the ants ; this proved a powerful attraction, 
and they soon filled the cavities of the sponge. The 
traps were then dropped into boiling water with certain 
death to the marauders. If this practice be closely 
followed the enemy will be well-nigh exterminated.— 
B. D. 
Plant Cleanliness. 
It is very important that all plants in stoves or green¬ 
houses should be kept in a healthy state by frequent 
attention in the matter of washing the foliage, and 
especially so when new growth is commencing. Keep¬ 
ing plants in a cleanly state is half the battle in 
cultivation, for it may be readily observed, when dirt 
and vermin are allowed to exist, that not only have the 
houses an untidy appearance, but the plants themselves 
cannot thrive. It is frequently observed, when taking 
over a new place, that mealy-bug, thrip, or red-spider 
has to be battled with, and I think this partly arises 
from insufficient attention being given to house-work. 
I find the “Demon Insecticide ” a first-rate remedy for 
applying to plants by way of sponging ; it readily 
mixes with water, and is quite safe when used as 
directed. For the benefit of your readers I may men¬ 
tion that it may be obtained of Messrs. Deighton & 
Smith, chemists, Bridgenorth, the manufacturers of this 
and several other useful articles for garden use. There 
are many days when outdoor work cannot profitably 
be carried on, which might be used with advantage 
among plants indoors. It should be borne in mind 
that much may be gained by remembering the old 
proverb, “ Prevention is better than cure.'’— J. S. T. 
Azalea Madame Herman Jeidell. 
Even when not in flower the leaves of this Azalea are 
strikingly distinct from the majority of those of the 
Azalea indica type, and more resemble those of a 
species of true Rhododendron, although, strictly 
speaking, all are Rhododendrons, even including the 
deciduous kinds. They are elliptic or obovate, leathery, 
deep olive-green above and paler beneath ; whereas the 
type and the greater number of its forms have lanceo¬ 
late, light green leaves tapering to the base. The 
flowers are large, semi-double, or even fuller and pure 
white, with the exception of a stray stripe of purple 
appearing on some of the petals. The segments of the 
flower are broad and rounded, giving the latter much 
the appearance of the popular Deutsche Perle. Besides 
the differences already mentioned, Madame Herman 
Jeidell is much more robust in constitution. We noted 
it at Periville, Highbury New Park, and in the same 
house was another one closely similar in character, and 
differing only in having a greater amount of red upon 
the flower. This was named Louise Vervaene. 
Variegated Myrtle. 
Myetus communis variegata is not new, although it 
is far from being common. It might, however, enjoy 
a more extended cultivation for the ornamentation of 
greenhouses during winter where little or no heat is 
employed. The leaves are similar in size to those of 
the type—that is, it is a broad-leaved form, with a pale 
yellow or creamy yellow margin of varying width. It 
also flowers as freely as the typical green form, and 
therefore would recommend itself to various cultivators. 
Trained or pruned to a pyramidal form, merely re¬ 
moving the long straggling shoots, it would occupy 
little space, and be sufficiently ornamental to warrant 
house room and good culture. We noted it recently 
at Periville, Highbury New Park. 
Peperomia brevipes. 
In wardens this is nearly always grown under the name 
of P. prostrata. Comparatively few of the 400 species 
belonging to this genus are ever seen under cultivation, 
except iu botanic gardens. The few that are grown ifi 
private establishments are valued for the beauty of 
their foliage, with the exception of P. resedieflora, 
which is an elegant flowering plant. That under 
notice has slender, creeping, or prostrate thread-like 
stems, bearing small, orbicular, thick and fleshy deep 
green leaves, reticulated with silvery grey veins. Its 
beauty consists in this graceful character, and the fact 
that it may be grown in small pans or baskets suspended 
from the roof of a stove. We noted it at Upper Hol¬ 
loway, in the nursery of Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son. 
