May[26, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
61.3 
Travelling Structures Co.’s premises at 2 and 3 , 
V/hite Street, Moorgate Street, E.C., some three 
minutes’ walk from Moorgate Street Station. Here 
were to be seen several models, as well as large and 
small houses, completely fitted for work, which were 
very critically inspected as to the style, quality of 
materials and workmanship, and the utility of the 
system thoroughly discussed; and while on the 
latter point we cannot at present go so far as the 
inventor in his idea as to the use of the larger 
houses for Vines, &c., which can be made in complete 
sections 50 ft. long and 25 ft. wide between the rails, 
and any height up to 5 ft. 6 in. at the sides; 
smaller sizes than this, and especially the 
low frames and the plant protectors, which are 
smaller still, will undoubtedly prove extremely use¬ 
ful. A house that one can walk upright in gives one 
the idea of an ideal structure for Roses for instance ; 
others would bring on early crops of Tomatos and 
finish off later ones, leaving the ground free when 
the crop is gathered for immediate cropping with 
something else; for forcing Strawberry beds in 
sections, forcing Daffodils, Lily of the Valley, and a 
host of other things, bringing on Violets, early 
vegetables and salads in spring, giving protection in 
autumn and winter to other things if required ; and, 
in fact, need never be out of use in the hands of a 
thoughtful man. A big house could be used to pro¬ 
tect fruit trees grown orchard house fashion until 
the blooms are set, then if pushed on to the next 
section would make a Tomato house for the summer 
and autumn, and then at the end of October could 
be pushed over a collection of Chrysanthemums 
standing as they are grown, and so save all the heavy 
labour involved in housing the plants in an ordinary 
way. Worked in this way, either large or small, 
and they are most easily moved, they will certainly 
save labour and facilitate many operations that are 
now both slow and costly, to say nothing of the saving 
effected in the first outlay on plants through one 
house being made to do the work of two or three, 
and the consequent further saving in the cost of 
repairing and painting. The houses are amply 
ventilated top and bottom, and, as we have said 
before, are easily moved along the light iron rails 
laid tramway fashion attached to wooden plates 
resting on vertical posts driven into the ground ; 
they are made in sections of uniform size with 
interchangeable parts,are easily fixed and taken down, 
and therefore are tenant’s fixtures, a very important 
matter to many. There is no question as to the 
utility of the system, but whether it will become 
popular or not will depend upon the question of 
cost. The illustrations show end and side views of 
houses already erected, and the end view further 
illustrates the manner in which the ends are raised 
to pass over growing crops. 
THE IVY-LEAVED PELARGONIUM. 
I THINK I never before fully admired the beauty of 
Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums as decorative plants 
until I was at Mr. H. J. Jones’ Ryecroft Nursery, 
Lewisham, a few days ago, where I saw a consider¬ 
able number of small plants of good size for any 
decorative purpose, and blooming abundantly. 
That the Ivy-leaved Pelargonium has been greatly 
improved of late years there can be no doubt, and 
it does seem that, as if with this improvement in 
the size, doubleness, and newness of tint in the 
flower, there has also come a marvellous freedom of 
bloom. There is no Pelargonium Society to offer 
prizes for the encouragement of raising seedlings, 
but the work goes on, with this apparent advantage, 
that we obtain now our acquisitions at intervals ; but 
they are really good, and not one occasionally 
among a shoal of mediocrities, as often happens when 
a particular flower is prominently patronised. 
Probably we shall never know with anything 
like accuracy who first set about the improvement 
of Pelargonium peltatum—the progenitor, there is 
no doubt, of the present family. I think it is likely 
that some Continental florist took the work in hand 
and gave us some perceptible improvements 
in the first instance ; then the formation of a 
Pelargonium Society in London some years 
ago, and the offering of prizes for new forms of 
the Pelargonium, gave an immense impetus to 
their production, and among introducers a high 
place must be given to M. Victor Lemoine, of 
Nancy, France. There is no doubt that by crossing 
some of the fine varieties of the zonal Pelargonium 
with the ivy-leaved type there were obtained the 
splendid double varieties seen in the present day. 
At the Ryecroft Nursery, Mr. Jones has a collec¬ 
tion of something like two dozen varieties. P'rom 
these I selected six as representing the very cream of 
the whole, and I give the first place to Ryecroft 
Surprise. I think this is a seedling raised by Mr. 
Jones, and certainly sent out by him within the last 
few years. He described it as " the most remarkable, 
and without doubt the finest variety yet introduced.” 
Large and small plants alike were in full bloom on 
the occasion of my visit, and all were profuse in 
their floral service. This variety is said to have 
originated from a cross between Madame Thibaut, 
having deep rosy-pink flowers, and Souvenir de 
Charles Turner, deep pink, having slight maroon 
margins on some of the segments. The good quali¬ 
ties of both of these are found in the child, the 
effective maroon marking being inherited. Of vigor¬ 
ous growth and remarkably free, it produces large 
and striking trusses of full double flowers, and the 
colour is a delightful salmon-pink. I think it will 
hold its own for years to come. Other fine and 
striking varieties are Beauty of Castle Hill, soft pink. 
sometimes deepening to delicate rose ; Jeanne d’Arc, 
blush white, decidedly the best white, and I have 
included it in a select list because of its colour ; 
Liberty, light magenta, and having an excellent 
habit ; Percy Surman, shaded magenta, Ryecroft 
Scarlet, very bright, and Souvenir de Charles 
Turner, with its large and finely formed deep, pink 
flowers. That makes seven varieties. 
I often wonder that gardeners who have to pro¬ 
vide so much cut bloom do not grow these Ivy¬ 
leaved Pelargoniums more than they do, and I some¬ 
times think that amateurs with small greenhouses 
bother themselves over plants that are not half so 
satisfying as some of these Ivy-leaved Pelar¬ 
goniums would prove to be. They can be used in so 
many ways. They make excellent hanging baskets 
of themselves, or they can be mixed with advantage 
with other plants. In conservatories they can be 
grown as pyramids, or trained to pillars or trellises : 
they can be employed in the flower garden in many 
ways that will commend themselves to an observant 
gardener. 
It may be said that to have them at their best they 
require a warmer treatment than the ordinary zonals, 
and that makes them so useful in the amateur's 
small greenhouse. They require a free, open soil, 
and the pots should have ample drainage, and be 
well looked after in the matter of water.—R. D. 
[Mr. Jones is also paying much attention to the de¬ 
corative section of show Pelargoniums, and has a 
grand houseful in bloom now, of which we have 
some notes for an early issue.— Ed.] 
THE LATE FROST. 
Great destruction has been caused by the very 
severe frost of the last two or three nights, and I 
fear that reports will reach you that much damage 
has been done. Many acres of Strawberries are 
grown in this locality, and these have suffered 
cruelly. One friend is a great sufferer. He also, I 
understand, has had seven acres of Scarlet Runner 
Beans completely destroyed. Potatos, where up, 
are black to the ground. Allotment gardens abound 
in this neighbourhood, and the owners of these are 
great sufferers, being over-anxious to get their crops 
in as early as possible. I see that Peas in some 
places where exposed to the early sun's rays, and 
which were growing very freely, have not escaped 
injury. Those who may have bedded out the more 
tender and succulent plants will have cause to regret 
having done so. For some years past it has not 
really been prudent to trust our tender vegetable and 
floral subjects to the probable cruel embrace of the 
ice king, and it is better to defer planting until later 
on, when the danger is past. But fruits that cannot 
be placed under some kind of protection have to 
undergo these blasting and trying ordeals.—G. Fry, 
Lewisham, May 22 nd. 
I read your leader on ” The Weather and the 
Country,” and entirely concur in your remarks, but 
cannot help thinking that you are favoured with 
different weather to what we have here. The wind 
will stick in the N. and N.E. Yesterday (Sunday) 
storm clouds came over, and when the sun was 
obscured it was very cold. We had showers of rain 
and sleet mingled with snowflakes, and last night or 
early this morning we had a frost of 4 °. The 
Potatos are blackened the second time within this 
last month, and I noticed it even touched some of 
the late Broccoli that we are now cutting. Vegetable 
Marrows were covered up, and Beans protected, or 
they would have shared a similar fate. The weather 
is colder and more ungenial than it was two months 
ago. Early bedders-out in cold localities have my 
sympathy.— The Gardens, Farming Woods, Brigstock, 
Thrapston, May 2 \st. 
-- 
DIANTHUS CALLIZONUS. 
The flowers of this beautiful Alpine Pink are 
proportionately large for the size of the plant, and 
therefore very conspicuous when seen in the mass. 
The petals are broadly wedge-shaped, crenate at the 
outer edge, rose coloured, and having a deep purple 
zone at the base marked with small white spots and 
bearded. The specific name applies to this beautiful 
zone, and that is, in fact, what it means. The 
flower stems are only 3 in. to 6 in. high, and one- 
flowered, while the leaves are short, lanceolate, and 
green, like those of D. alpinus. The plant is 
evidently perfectly hardy, and can easily be 
propagated bv cuttings. Being so dwarf and choice 
it is more adapted for rockwork than the ordinary 
border. A broad patch of it may be seen on the 
rockery at Kew. 
