Oct. 11th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
91 
Arum Lilies.—These are remarkably well grown 
by Mr. Cooper, gardener to the Eight Hon. Joseph 
Chamberlain, M.P., at Highbury, Moor Green, Bir¬ 
mingham, where they form fine handsome plants send¬ 
ing up a continuous succession of spathes for use all 
through the dull season. Mr. Cooper’s plan is to 
plant them out in a well-manured part of the open 
garden in the end of May, keep them well watered all 
through the summer, and lift and pot them in the 
middle of September. They are then placed in a cool 
vinery until they show flower, when they are brought 
on for use as required. Plants so managed are very 
different from the weak ones cultivated in pots which 
one sees in many places, as they produce much larger 
flowers, and a much longer succession of them.— J. B. 
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Eucharis amazonica is also grown into large 
specimens by Mr. Cooper, and his plants supply 
plenty of flowers the greater part of the year. His 
treatment of them is to give them heat, moisture, and 
shade while growing and flowering, and as they go off 
blooming to give them a rest in a cool house for a 
time, but not to quite dry them off. The rest is 
required in the end of the summer and autumn, and 
before the cold weather comes they are returned to 
the warm-houses.— J. B. 
Monster Lily Bulbs.—Messrs. Collins Bros. & 
Gabriel, 39, Waterloo Eoad, S.E., have submitted for 
our inspection a very remarkable sample of home¬ 
grown bulbs of Lilium auratum. The largest weighed 
lib. 8^ozs., and measured 16 ins. in circumference. 
Another turned the scale at 1 lb. 5| ozs., and was only 
a quarter of an inch less in girth than the first, while 
two others were only three-quarters of an ounce less 
in weight than the last mentioned bulb. The Messrs. 
Collins have exhibited large bulbs before, when 
a doubt was expressed as to whether the accident of 
seasons rather than any particular method of treat¬ 
ment had not been the cause of the wondrous develop¬ 
ment. However, here they are again, and larger than 
before, so that there is no longer any room for doubting 
the possession by the Messrs. Collins of a “ wrinkle ” 
in cultivating Lily bulbs that other growers would like 
to know. Owing to the heat and drought home-grown 
Lily bulbs are reported to be small this year in most 
parts of England. 
Crocus speciosus.—This can be seen just now in 
perfection on the rock-work in the Chiswick Gardens 
of the Royal Horticultural Society. It has been 
planted, and let alone, and the result is many flowers of 
a rich bright violet hue. It is one of the best of the 
autumn-flowered Crocuses. 
-- 
Rondeletia speciosa.—This is one of the some¬ 
what limited number of autumn-flowering stove 
plants. It is of moderate size, with small elliptical 
leaves, and red corymbs of verbena-like flowers at the 
tips of the young shoots. It may be propagated by 
cuttings of the well-ripened wood, and does well in a 
mixture of peat and loam. It commences flowering 
earlier in the season, but continues to do so for about 
two months. It was introduced from the West Indies 
in 1830. 
- ►$< - 
Tuberous Begonias.—The value of these charm¬ 
ing plants, for autumn as well as summer decorative 
purposes was well illustrated at the Crystal Palace 
during the past week, where Messrs. John Laing & 
Co. had a fine collection of medium-sized specimens 
most profusely bloomed. The colours for the most 
part consisted of scarlet and crimson shades, such as 
will not be produced by any other plants until the 
winter-blooming Zonal Pelargoniums come into 
blossom, hence their value to gardeners who have to 
make a display while shooting parties are the order 
of the day. 
-- 
Mutisias.—By an unfortunate slip the descriptions 
of the two new Mutisias figured “Regel’s Gartenflora” 
this work, and noticed in last week’s issue, were 
transposed. The first description applies to M. 
versicolor (fig. 2) and the second to M. breviflora 
(fig. 1). If readers will kindly transpose the names 
and numbers of the figures this will meet the case. 
Tomato Golden Queen.—This Tomato is the 
finest and richest coloured of all the yellow section, 
and is the product of a cross between Green Gage and 
the large red Stamfordian. Curiously enough we 
learn that the cross gave both red and yellow forms, 
of which the one named above is the finest. It is really 
a yellow form of Perfection, which is perhaps the 
finest and handsomest of all the Excelsior type. Why 
yellow Tomatos should not be as well favoured as 
red ones we fail to understand, for except in colour of 
skin it would puzzle the severest Tomato critic to tell 
in what respect a red form differed from a yellow one. 
Still further, we think rich, clear, golden tints to be 
preferable to some of the sickly red hues that are 
occasionally seen in Tomatos. The Golden Queen is 
wondrously prolific and handsome. It is in the hands 
of Mr. B. S. Williams, of Holloway, who will send it 
out. 
-- 
Mulching Garden Crops. — The value of 
mulching garden crops is, I think, very little under¬ 
stood, and often when attempted is not half done, 
and done in many instances too late. As I have 
during the past season put the practice to a practical 
test, a few lines on the subject may not be out of 
place in your Columns. We have here a sharp shallow 
soil, resting on a subsoil of sand and pea gravel. Our 
average rainfall is one of the smallest in the country, 
so that in a season like the past the utility of the 
mulching where adopted is proved in some instances 
in a very striking manner. The most successful 
results are seen here in some rows of Peas which were 
sown imjnediately after a shower of rain in June, and 
a good mulch of long litter put on each row at the 
time of sowing. The litter was never taken off, but the 
Peas were allowed to come up through it, and were 
not moulded up in the usual way. Shortly after they 
came up the entire surface of the soil was thickly 
strewn with litter, and the Peas had but one watering. 
We have been gathering through August and Sep¬ 
tember from the rows so treated the best Peas of the 
season; and they are still in flower, and all being 
well will continue to flower for some time to come. 
Although quite satisfied with the result in this 
instance, there is not the slightest doubt but that it 
would have been far better if, having had the ground 
in readiness for some time beforehand, instead of 
mulching after the seed was sown it had been done 
some six or eight weeks previous so as to keep the 
moisture in the ground. That, I think, should be the 
practice of all who are similarly situated to myself. 
Another advantage connected with mulching is that 
if laid on pretty thick it is a great check to the growth 
of all small annual weeds.— W. B. G. 
Cauliflowers.—It has been well said that there 
is little except capacity to withstand hard weather to 
distinguish the Broccoli from the Cauliflower. It is 
true that the latter has, as a rule, a shorter season, 
indeed there are no exceptions, for the Autumn Giant, 
perhaps the kind which of all others needs a long 
season, is yet much more precocious than is the 
earliest of Broccolis. There is with this variety in all 
its characteristics such near approach to any early 
kind of Broccoli that some of refined taste decline to 
admit it to be a cauliflower, though in that respect, 
perhaps, they are a little too epicurean. What is 
the fact in relation to this Cauliflower is that, owing 
to its rapid development when its season arrives and 
the moderate price at which seed in quantity may be 
obtained, it has become, more even than Broccoli of 
any kind, a people’s vegetable, for rare indeed is the 
season when the markets are not almost glutted with 
its huge heads. Just now it is very cheap, indeed we 
hear of heads selling as low as Is. per dozen, really a 
price that can pay no one, but is most unreproductive. 
Still, whatever may be said as to the flavour of the 
Autumn Giant, it is a great advance upon the old 
Walcheren Cauliflower for autumn work, and is for 
tenderness and flavour an equally long advance upon 
the best of true Broccolis. There are three good 
Cauliflowers which may be sown during the year. 
Early London now, to winter in frames; Snowball, or 
Early Dwarf Erfurt, to sow in January for planting 
out early in April; the same kind sown again in 
April for later summer cutting; and the Autumn 
Giant in both March and April out in the open for 
early and late autumn use. 
-- 
Vegetables at the Crystal Palace.—In con¬ 
nection with the Show of Hardy Fruits, and the 
grand exhibition of the International Potato Com¬ 
mittees (reported in another column), held during the 
past week at the Crystal Palace, there was a small 
display of Vegetables, which merits a brief notice in 
these columns. The first prize offered by the Palace 
Company for a Collection of Vegetables arranged for 
effect, and not including more than four dishes, 
distinct, of any sort, was won by Mr. Waterman, 
gardener to H. A. Brassey, Esq., M.P., Preston Hall, 
Aylesford, with a most creditable assortment of about 
thirty sorts, including salading materials. Another 
Kent man, Mr. Neighbour, gardener at Bickley Park, 
was an excellent second, and Mr. J. H. Goodaere, of 
Elvaston, was third. Mr. Neighbour was an easy 
first with a collection of twelve dishes, beating Mr. 
C. J. Waite, The Gardens, Glenhurst, Esher, the only 
other prize winner. The Amateurs’ Class was poorly 
contested, the samples exhibited being, in quality, a 
long way behind those shown some time ago at the 
Health Exhibition. The prize winners were Mr. T. 
Beckett, Cole Hatch Farm, Penny Amersham ; Mr. L. 
Harris, Braddenham, High Wycombe; and Mr. W. 
Patchell, Bandon Hill, Beddington; and the best 
samples shown were of Carter’s Champion Runner 
Bean, Moore’s Cream Vegetable Marrow, Snowball 
Turnip, and the Trentham Fillbasket Tomato. Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons’ prizes for a Collection were won by Mr. 
Meads, gardener to Viscount Barrington, Becket Park, 
Shrivenham, with a particularly good lot; Mr. C. J. 
Waite ; and Mr. C. Osman, South MetropolitanSchools, 
Sutton. Some very fine Onions, the Rousham Park and 
the Anglo-white strains of the White Spanish Onion, 
the latter distinct from the former in its more rounded 
base, came from Mr. H. Deverill, seed merchant, Corn 
Hill, Banbury. 
Ornamental Gourds were largely exhibited on the 
same occasion, forming a display which for numbers 
and variety we have rarely seen equalled, and which 
were a great source of attraction to the visitors. Mr. 
Barron sent from the Royal Horticultural Society’s 
Garden at Chiswick a very interesting collection, 
which included a specimen of Vilmorin’s Yellow 
Mammoth, weighing 74 lbs.; large examples of the 
Variegated Turban, a striking variety by reason of 
its strange form; the Red Etamp Mammoth, the 
Canada Crook Necked Squash, the Negalston Gourd, 
the Bush Scollop, the Messina Gourd, and the 
Valparaiso Squash. Among the smaller sorts are 
the prettily stripped Coloquinte Plate Rayee, the 
Early Bush Crook-neck, Coloquinte poire blanche, 
Coloquinte pomme hative, and Coloquinte Galense. 
Very fine collections of ornamental Pumpkins and 
Gourds were contributed by Mr. C. Osman, and Mr. T. 
Glen, gardener to Mrs. Montefiore, North Park, 
Crawley ; but the heaviest Mammoth Gourd shown 
was a monster weighing 80 lbs., sent by Mr. George 
Sturgess, gardener to Dr. Freshfield, Mint House, 
Redhill. 
New Vegetables.—Cabbage, Earliest Vesuvius: 
A short-stemmed Italian variety, with flat and very 
firm heads and few loose leaves, of a bluish-grey 
colour, somewhat resembling the Brunswick in shape 
and colour, but superior in flavour. It is said to be 
the earliest and most productive variety known.— 
Early Mongibello : A short-stemmed Cabbage, with the 
green leaves traversed by violet-coloured veins, and 
forming solid heads in three months ; a very distinct 
Cabbage, much appreciated in Italy, and there pre¬ 
ferred to any other, being particularly adapted for 
spring culture.—Lettuce, Potenza Cos : A very distinct 
variety for spring sowing, and the earliest of all Cos 
Lettuces, of Italian origin and grown almost exclu¬ 
sively in some parts of Italy, it grows nearly two feet 
high, forming very solid, self-folding heads surrounded 
by brownish-bronzed leaves, and stands long before it 
runs to seed. All introduced by Dammann & Co.— 
Florist and Pomologist. 
