68 
houses which have in their time done wonders, 
but which now have become stiff and stunted, the 
shoots, though plentiful, being small and the 
blooms small also. There is in such case a lack 
of confidence in the recuperative power of the 
plants to recruit growth, and thus they are left 
to linger on till they die. Now there are few 
Eoses that will hear hard pruning so well as 
Marechal Niel, and if such old plants were cut 
back very hard indeed, literally to stumps, they 
would break with great force, and push strong 
shoots that would in a couple of seasons cover all 
the space formerly occupied by the old head, and 
produce splendid blooms. It is very much a 
question of courage and submitting for the pre¬ 
sent to a little sacrifice for the sake of future 
gain. Then Marechal Niel is a most profitable 
Bose to work upon old stocks of other kinds, the 
which may be undesirable or make ample growth 
but give little bloom. If such old plants as these 
be cut very hard back, literally sawn than cut, 
and a few stout young shoots be encouraged to 
break out early in the summer, these will be fit 
for budding close back about July, and then, with 
such powerful root force behind the buds, the 
growth i,s wonderful. We have seen splendid 
growths from 12 ft-, to 15 ft. in length made the 
same autumn, and then shortened back one-third, 
to produce from every bud splendid blooms the 
following season. A few good buds thus put in 
will fill a house in a short time. We saw but 
the other day buds put iu quite late in August, 
which, having started in a couple of weeks, 
were then making some 2 ft. of growth, and 
would in a cool house probably reach 8 ft. or 9 ft. 
in a few weeks, so strong were they. Of course it 
is better to bud earlier, but it is better still to 
bud late than to leave an old and useless kind 
growing that repays for its room with few or no 
blooms. It is very probable that good results 
would follow from so hard pruning Marechal Niel 
as to compel it to make new long rods every 
summer, for with the force exercised by well- 
established roots and a powerful rush of sap to new 
growths, the development of such shoots is won¬ 
derful, indeed at the rate of a foot length in the 
week. From such growths would be obtained in 
the following spring the very finest of flowers. 
Impatiens Sultani. —It would be interesting 
to learn from any of our readers who have culti¬ 
vated this singularly pretty Balsam how it 
answers as awinter-hlooming plant. It has been 
suggested that blooming tops, now so abundant 
on plants, if taken off and put in as cuttings in 
smah pots singly, and placed in gentle warmth 
would soon make root and form pretty, though 
small, flowering plants for the winter. It is an 
undoubted fact that few plants obtained from 
seed, as this Balsam is, bloom so long and con¬ 
tinuously, indeed it seems as if it would bloom for 
ever. It is marvellous that plants should reach 
the size in quite small pots that this Impatiens 
Sultani will. We do not find that it seeds freely, 
perhaps it may do so under peculiar conditions, 
but what these conditions are we cannot say, but 
would be pleased to learn. It is chiefly in regard 
to its usefulness as a winter blooming plant, 
however, that we would like to hear more. 
Eucalyptus Gtjnnii. —Last week we called 
attention to the value of the Blue Gum tree 
(Eucalyptus globulus) as a decorative plant, 
which, like many other of our most ornamental 
plants, is not sufficiently hardy to stand the 
rigours of our more severe winters. There is, 
however, as we have since been reminded, another 
species of this striking genus, E. Gunnii, which 
has braved the three recent severe winters with¬ 
out succumbing, though the young shoots have 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Oct. 4th, 18S4. 
been killed back. We allude to the plant standing 
in the wild garden near the No. 1 Museum, 
at Eew; and which for a long time bore the 
erroneous name of E. polyanthemos, under which 
name it has formerly been mentioned in the 
Horticultural periodicals. The other day we saw 
this old plant, which, though bearing traces of 
the recent struggles it has gone through by its 
stunted appearance, is still growing vigorously. 
It is not nearly so rapid a grower as E. globulus, 
and has much smaller leaves, which is to some 
extent compensated for by its greater hardiness. 
The secret of this greater hardiness is that its 
native habitat is further south, in Tasmania, 
where it grows at a considerable elevation in the 
mountains. There are some young trees about, 
and it is to be hoped that it will soon become 
more common in cultivation. 
The Civil Status of the Gardener in the 
present day is one to which we may briefly refer 
without in any way impinging upon the delicate 
ground of party politics. In the generality of 
cases he is a man destitute of some of the most 
important rights of citizenship. He is very often 
the occupier of a house without being a house¬ 
holder. It is true that by occupying his house 
rent free as a part of the salary paid to him he is 
not called upon to pay rates and taxes, though he 
does it indirectly, and he is debarred from some of 
the primeHuties of citizenship. We think we may 
venture to congratulate many Gardeners, we trust 
by far the large majority, that they are on the eve 
of having granted them one most important privi¬ 
lege, that of voting at elections for representatives 
in Parliament. There are hundreds of Gardeners 
up and down the' country of keen intellect and 
good understanding who take a warm interest 
in public questions, but who hitherto, except in 
extreme eases, cannot endorse their opinion by 
their vote. The Franchise Bill now before the 
country contains what is known as the Service 
Clause, and under that clause Gardeners, Game- 
keepers, Sub-agents, and the immediate depen¬ 
dents of the gentry throughout the country, will 
be admitted to the franchise. They are not 
householders in the eye of the law, and, speaking 
generally, they hold their houses in connection 
with their offices. That they are fit to exercise 
the franchise is manifest. Let us hope it will not 
be long before they are in the enjoyment of it. 
-- 
“ Begel’s Gartenfloba.” —The August number of 
this Magazine contains the following coloured plates : 
Lonicera Maacki (t. 1162): a neat, compact bush, 
with bright green, oblong to oblong-lanceolate leaves, 
2 in. to 2J in. long ; flowers, § in. long; white with 
yellow anthers, arranged in numerous axillary clusters. 
This pretty plant is common in Southern Mands- 
churia, becoming rare in Southern Amur. It also 
occurs in the northern part of the island of Nippon, 
in Japan. In its native home it is said to attain 
a height of 10 ft. to 15 ft.—Mutisia brevifiora 
(t. 1163, fig. 1), a singular plant, with pale green, 
grass-like leaves, 2J in. long, and hooked at the 
tip ; flower-heads, in. long by 2 in. broad ; the ray 
florets 1 line broad, orange-coloured, with broad, 
transverse, brown bars, and the disc florets yellow 7 .— 
M. versicolor (t. 1163, fig. 2): a bolder looking plant 
than the last; the leaves are pale green, oblong, 
remotely dentate, 2 in. to 24 in. long by 1 in. broad, 
mid-rib prolonged beyond the lamina into a hook. 
Flower-heads, 1J in. long by 1 in. broad; the ray 
florets £ in. broad, brick-red in colour; the disc 
florets pale yellow. Both the species are natives of 
Chili, occurring near the town of San Fernando, and 
flowering in January. The genus Mutisia belongs to 
the remarkable tribe of Compositas called Mutisiefe, 
which is characterized by the bilabiate disc florets. 
All the species of the genus are American, and climb 
by means of theh hooked leaves.—Habranthus pune- 
tatus (t. 1163, fig. 3) : a pretty though not very showy 
plant. The scape bears a solitary flower, 24 in. long, 
■with elegantly recurving segments, which are white, 
with deep rose-coloured spots near the base. The 
anthers are deep yellow. It is a native of the Cor¬ 
dillera de Bengo, South America. 
(gamming |Histel(ann. 
The Eleventh Grand International Potato Exhibi¬ 
tion will be held at the Crystal Palace on Wednesday, 
Thursday, and Friday next. 
The Lawson Seed and Nursery Company, Edin¬ 
burgh, have disposed of then London house to Messrs. 
Nutting & Sons, of Barbican. 
The late Mr. Bentham has left £1,000 to the 
Linnean Society, a similar amount to the Scientific 
Belief Fund of the Boyal Society, and a considerable 
residual sum in trust for the promotion of botanical 
research. The Gardeners’ Chronicle states that the 
trustees are Sir J. D. Hooker, Professor Oliver, and 
Mr. Thiselton Dyer. 
Ox Tuesday evening next, Mr. Gordon, Boyal 
Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, will read a paper on 
“ The Claims of Sylviculture,” at the monthly meeting 
of the Scottish Horticultural Association. 
Ox Tuesday evening also, Mr. Bernard Dyer, F.C.S., 
will commence a series of weekly lectures, on soils, 
plant life, manures, tillage operations, &c., at the 
City of London College, Moorfields. 
The fifth edition of Dr. Hogg’s Fruit Manual was 
published on Wednesday. A new edition, brought 
up to date, has been wanted so long that we gladly 
welcome its appearance. It is published, as before, 
at 171, Fleet Street. 
Mb. B. S. Dunbar, late of the Thames Bank Iron 
Co., has taken extensive premises at 4x, Upper Thames 
Street, E.C., and commenced business on his own 
account. 
Messrs. Cannell & Sons have recently been awarded 
a medal and a certificate of a highly complimentary 
character at Frankfurt, Germany, for a fine collection 
of Dahlias sent over from Swanley. 
Mr. Wildshith, Heckfield, won the first prize at 
South Kensington lasf week in the class for Certifi¬ 
cated Grapes, and not Mr. Woodbridge, as inadver¬ 
tently stated by us. 
The Lincoln Chrysanthemum Society will hold its 
next exhibition on November 18th and 19th. 
In consequence of the favourable season and the 
forward state of the plants, the Middle Temple Chry¬ 
santhemum Show will take place about a fortnight 
earlier than usual this year, when the gardens will, as 
usual, be thrown open to the public. 
Mr. Nicholas Slattery, late gardener to Sir Bichard 
Musgrave, has been appointed steward and gardener 
to the Bight Hon. Lord Emly-Tervoe, Clarina, 
Limerick, in succession to Mr. Timothy O'Bourke. 
At the Horton meeting of the Boyal South Bucks 
Agricultural Society, held on Wednesday, the piece of 
plate, value five guineas, presented by Messrs. Sutton, 
for the best five acres of purple top Swedes and three 
acres of Mangold went to Mr. W. King, of Denham, 
who also gained a prize of ten guineas, given by Messrs. 
Carter for Swedes; Mr. J. Bayner, of Colnbrook, 
receiving the ten guinea prize given by the latter firm 
for the best three acres of Mangold. Messrs. Webb’s 
prizes for purple top Swedes and Mangold were won 
by Mr. J. Headington, of Cippenham Court, and Mr. 
H. S. Cancell, of Stoke Poges. 
Kellixey Hill, one of the most beautiful resorts 
around Dublin, was on Monday night the scene of a 
great conflagration. Some acres of furze took fire 
and extended to the woods covering the side of the 
hill. The first was visible for several miles around, 
whole acres of the hill presenting one sheet of flame. 
This, Saturday, evening, a total eclipse of the 
moon takes place, all the phases of which will be 
visible in London, as the first contact with the fringe 
of the earth’s shadow takes place at 71i. 15m. pal, 
about two hours after moonrise. 
The elegant Dioscorea retusa may now be seen 
in the stove at Kew. It is a small climber, and 
is trained in balloon fashion. The leaves are bright 
green, and composed of five narrowly lanceolate 
leaflets, and the numerous pendulous white spikes 
form a pretty contrast with the foliage. It is a 
graceful plant of very simple cultivation, and was 
introduced a few years ago from the Cape of Good 
Hope. 
