312 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 18, 1894. 
in the same little baskets and boxes in which the 
grower had placed it; so that before nine o’clock 
that morning these little boxes of foreign fruit and 
butter had arrived (clean and undamaged) at the 
private hotels, etc., where the contents were to be 
eaten. Our Kent fruit is well grown, but it is 
carelessly gathered, badly packed, slowly conveyed, 
badly sold, and very often damaged before the con¬ 
sumer sees it. 
sunflowers. 
In reply to “W. W.,” in your issue of the 6th inst. 
as to large Sunflowers, I may say that in the garden 
of A. O. Hedley, Esq., The Nook, Grindon, last 
summer were growing some gigantic Sunflowers, 
one with a stem g ft. 6 in. long, and a flower had 
upwards of 6o in. in circumference, made up as 
follows : the diameter of the disc 12 in. and the 
length of the guard petals 4J in., there were several 
others with discs upwards of 10 in. in diameter, but 
as the above was the tallest particular notice was 
taken of it and the bloom measured, unfortunately 
the weight w’as not taken. The seeds were sown in 
the position in which the plants bloomed, in loam 
of a clayey nature trenched two years previously, 
and had had no special attention as to watering, 
feeding, etc., after they were sown.— jf. T. Richardson, 
Grindon Hall Gardens. 
THE FRUITING OF THE WHITE JASMINE. 
The mention made of the fruiting of Jasminum 
officinale, at p. 288, has resulted in showing that the 
production of fruit in this country is not so rare an 
occurrence as, at first thought, might be considered. 
Mr. Robert Ballantine, Linton Lodge, Victoria 
Park Road, South Hackney, sends us specimens 
showing that it has fruited in that densely 
populated part of the metropoli.=. He says that 
it fruited freely last autumn in his garden, grown 
upon a west aspect wall. The bulk of the fruit has 
now disappeared, probably through insect agency. 
The berries are oval, about the size of a medium¬ 
sized pea, jet black, and shining. No doubt the fine 
season has been the principal factor in developing 
and ripening the fruit; and it is just possible that 
careful observation upon other large plants of the 
White Jasmine would show that fruiting has been 
fairly general whenever the plants are grown in 
favourable positions as to sunlight and air. Even 
the usually smoky and cloudy atmosphere of London 
left little to be desired, as far as clear sunshine was 
concerned, last summer. 
CYRTANTHUS LUTESCENS. 
Some of the Cape bulbs prove troublesome in cultiva¬ 
tion, but that under notice is very easily grown and 
flowers regularly every winter in a cool greenhouse. 
The flowers are curved, tubular, widening gradually 
to a small six-lobed lamina, and permanently 
drooping. They are borne in umbels on scapes 
about 15 in. to 18 in. high and exceeding the leaves, 
which are fully developed at the same time. The 
bulbs thrive in a compost of good friable loam a 
little leaf soil and sand. During the growing season 
they should have a copious supply of water, and for 
that reason the pots should be well drained. During 
winter they may be stored in a house where the 
night temperature is kept about 40°, and the flowers 
will come on slowly, lasting a long time in good 
condition. December to February may be considered 
the usual time for the flowers to appear, and they 
serve to give variety at a dull period of the year, 
with comparatively little trouble or expense. The 
species is a native of Cape Colony, the Eastern 
Provinces, Natal and Transvaal. 
LACHENALIA PENDULA. 
This may be considered as one of the more popular 
of the South African bulbs, for it is frequently grown, 
and even forced, by those who want to keep up a 
display during the early part of the year. April is 
said to be the natural flowering season, so that when 
it can be flowered as early as December and January 
it shows that the bulbs are very amenable to forcing. 
The flowers are the largest in the genus and pendent 
upon the stalks, although there may be doubts in 
the mind of some as to its being the most attractive. 
The colours are a mixture of deep purple, red and 
yellow. The scapes are spotted with purple and the 
strap-shaped leaves sometimes exhibit a certain 
amount of spotting. When allowed to come on 
slowly in a well-lighted and well-ventilated house, 
the flowers are larger and more durable. 
URCEOCHARIS CLIBRANI. 
The generic name here given may puzzle many, but 
it will be clear when we state that the plant itself is 
a hybrid between Urceolina and a Eucharis, and 
Urceocharis is compound of the first part of 
Urceolina, and the latter part of Eucharis. The 
bigeneric hybrid shows a strange combination of the 
characters of the two genera. The form of the 
flowers generally is that of Urceolina, but the 
structure and colour belong to Eucharis. The two 
genera are evidently closely allied, notwithstanding 
the differences in their outward appearance, and the 
fact that they will hybridise with one another serves 
to confirm this view. A flowering specimen may be 
seen in the stove at Kew. The scape is 2 ft. high, 
and bears eight flowers, some of which are fully 
expanded. The tube is § in. long, and the drooping 
perianth is campanulate with the segments revolute 
at the tips. The corona is rather deep, narrow, and 
cup-shaped, with a tooth between every two 
stamens, and showing a slight shade of green. The 
rest of the flower is wholly white. The chief com¬ 
plaint against Urceolina pendula i»that the flowers 
are produced in advance of the leaves, and the long 
scapes are therefore leafless and have nothing to 
hide their nakedness. This is remedied in Urceo¬ 
charis Clibrani, whose flowers and leaves are con¬ 
temporaneous. The latter are oblong and of the 
same texture as those of Eucharis, but they are 
narrower. The plant as a whole may therefore be 
considered as a white-flowered Urceolina with 
leaves and flowers coming together, though struc¬ 
turally intermediate between the two. The com¬ 
bination is a happy one, and the plant is pretty and 
apparently of robust constitution. 
Carrots. 
Were I asked which were the best two Carrots in 
cultivation, I should say without hesitation Summer 
Favourite and Scarlet Perfection; the former 
belongs to the horn section, comes into use very 
early, is a bright cochineal-scarlet in colour, and a 
first-class show variety. Scarlet Perfection is mid¬ 
way in length between the Long Surrey and Inter¬ 
mediate ; it is of a beautiful colour and grand flavour, 
and I consider the best main crop Carrot grown. 
Those who have not grown either of the above, I 
would strongly recommend to do so. I have often 
wondered how it is that so many gardeners de^ 
pend on one sowing of Carrots. I should strongly 
recommend a pinch of seed to be sown on a hot-bed, 
for early work, to be followed with a few rows of 
Scarlet Perfection in April and a sowing of Summer 
Favourite in the first week in July. I have a beauti¬ 
ful bed that was sown on the 4th of July last year on 
a south border after a crop of American Wonder 
Pea.— Ihos. Cockerill, Gate House, Wirksworth, 
Derby. 
- -i- - 
SOCIETIES. 
Lee, Blackheath, and Lewisham.—The annual 
meeting of this Society was held on the 8th inst., 
and was well attended. The balance sheet showed a 
surplus in hand of over £62, of which sum /50 has 
been invested as the nucleus of a reserve fund. In 
their report the committee acknowledge the obliga¬ 
tion of the Society to Mrs. Penn and the President, 
Mr. John Penn, M.P., for all their kindness, and for 
the use of their grounds ; and to the Treasurer, Mr. 
M. N. Buttanshaw, for his energy and support. 
“ The winter lectures, now in course of delivery, 
have had a good beginning and been well attended ; 
it is hoped that the remaining meetings, to be held in 
the first three months of new year, will be 
equally patronised. Several classes have been added 
to the schedule for 1894, more especially in the 
Cottagers’ division, the exhibits by them at the 
exhibition in July having been remarkably good and 
shown in such numbers that it was thought advisable 
to still further encourage them. The surplus 
collected for the Lee Tradesmen’s prizes forms an 
extra class in the new schedule. The hope expressed 
in the last report, that the new Committee might be 
more successful than their predecessors, has been 
realized, and they can only wish that their successors 
may be even more successful than themselves. 
The dates fixed for the exhibition in 1894, are 
Wednesday and Thursday, July 4th and 5th. 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN. 
Dipladenias. —When the buds begin to shoot 
out again, the plants may be repotted. A compost 
of two-thirds of peat to one of loam with plenty of 
clean, sharp sand, will meet their requirements 
admirably. As the shoots lengthen, stand the plants 
where they will get plenty of light to prevent undue 
elongation. If the soil is fairly moist, as it should be 
when used, very little watering will be required for 
some time until the days lengthen and the plants 
have made some growth. The cultivator’s judg¬ 
ment alone will determine when the soil is sufficiently 
dry to require watering. No forcing should be 
attempted. 
Palms and Dracaenas. —A considerable amount 
of work can be got over at this early period of the 
year, when little is pressing, by repotting such of 
the Palms and Dracaenas as require it, even although 
no progress may be made by them for some time. 
A good substantial and fibrous loam with a little 
peat added is more suitable than a light soil, as 
they should never be over potted especially in the 
case of Palms, which thrive best in under than over 
sized pots, if care is taken to feed and keep them 
duly supplied with water. 
Caladiums. —A batch may now be put into heat 
to start them for early work. A good compost for 
them is turfy loam, fibrous peat, and leaf soil in 
equal proportions, thoroughly incorporated and 
mixed with some well decomposed cow manure. 
Sand to keep it open and porous must not be over¬ 
looked. Drain the pots well, as copious supplies of 
water are necessary when the plant is in full growth. 
A little bottom heat will be found of great advantage 
in the early stages at least, and the soil should be 
damped occasionally with the syringe, but little other 
watering given till growth is in active progress. 
Stove Ferns. —Look over the stock of plants to 
note those that are in any \\ay infested with insects. 
Many of them are liable to thrips, and should be 
dipped into some insecticide such as strong tobacco 
water, which may be made by putting an ounce of 
nicotine soap into each gallon of water used. Scale 
should be sponged off wherever possible with a 
strong solution of gishurst compound or soft soap. 
It is a mistake to cut off green fronds where it can 
be avoided, for every one removed at this period of 
the year means a loss to the plant. 
Vines. —The weather since the end of the year 
has taken an unfavourable turn, and forcing has 
become a more difficult matter. No effort should 
be made to maintain a high temperature under 
such conditions, otherwise the leaves will get thin 
and flabby, and the shoots drawn and slender owing 
to the necessity of keeping the ventilators closed to 
exclude cold cutting winds. Vines that are showing 
the flower bunches should not have a higher night 
temperature than 60°, although a rise of 10° by day 
would prove beneficial. Those who desire to exhibit 
Muscats in the early part of August should close the 
house without further delay, in order to get the 
berries properly finished by the required time. 
Melons. —Some seeds may be sown now with the 
view of getting ripe fruit by the beginning of May. 
The best plan is to sow singly in small pots, so that 
the plants may not experience a check when trans¬ 
ferring them to larger pots. Use a compost of light 
loam and leaf soil, plunging the pots in bottom heat 
up to the rim, and placing a piece of glass 
over the top. A frame over the bed is almost a 
necessity at this early period of the year. 
Cucumbers. —In order to obtain a spring supply 
of fruit, some seeds should now be sown. Similar 
treatment given to Melons will also apply here. 
Telegraph has been found to be the most reliable 
variety to grow for early work. Maintain a night 
temperature of 65° to 70° according to the nature of 
the weather, allowing it to drop to the lower figure 
on frosty nights, but with a considerable rise during 
the day especially from sun heat. 
Hardy Fruit Trees.— While frost prevails the 
opportunity should not be lost of getting manure 
wheeled on to all vacant ground which is intended 
to be dug or trenched and cropped. The walks do 
not get cut up in frosty weather, and whatever man¬ 
ure drops on the paths, may be swept up at the end 
of each day’s work, so that everything is kept trim 
and tidy. Fruit trees should not be neglected, 
wherever it is possible to get or spare any manure 
for them. 
