Oct. 25th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
125 
B. leiantha, and the flowers are therefore of a bright 
orange scarlet colour, and they are as fully double as 
those which haxe preceded it, and it will be one of the 
best of this section. The other is Vulcan, a new single 
scarlet variety, in size of truss and free-flowering 
qualities it is equal to the single white variety, B. 
Davidsoni, subsequently named Vreelandi; the colour 
is brilliant and very striking. We have received some 
good varieties from America, and therefore may 
confidently look forward for the varieties named above 
as being valuable acquisitions.— E. W. 
Double Black Auricula. — I am under an 
impression that “ B. D.” must go to Belgium for the 
information he requires. I believe Van Houtte first 
sent it out, many years ago, and I received one of the 
first plants that came to this country. As for the old 
double yellow, I well remember seeing in an old farm 
house garden in West Yorkshire, more than fifty 
years ago, a large clump, 2 ft. through of the Double 
Y’ellow and the old Blue Polyanthus, and have 
frequently drawn supplies from there. Being in the 
neighbourhood a few years back, I called to see the 
old garden again, when I found that the old people 
had been gathered to their forefathers, and, to my 
disgust, Cabbages and Onions usurped the place of 
the favourite flowers. There are three distinct 
varieties of Double Auricula in cultivation, one being 
much superior to the others.— Ebor. 
-- 
Lifting Dahlias. — Foresight is an essential 
qualification in gardeners, and those who fail to exer¬ 
cise it are lucky if they do not often bring themselves 
into frequent conflict with those whom they have to 
cater for. The demands of the drawing-room, pantry, 
still-room, and kitchen have at all times to be kept 
well in view. An instance of the judicious exercise of 
foresight came under our notice the other day at 
Worden Hall, near Preston. Mr. Frisby, the gardener, 
having received intimation that an unusual supply of 
flowers would be required about the middle of this 
month, had lifted and potted a number of Single 
Dahlias, and placed them in a partially open shed, 
which, by means of spare lights placed upright to 
preserve the atmosphere as quiescent as possible, 
answered the purpose much better than any glass¬ 
house he could have devoted to them. Indeed, the 
probabilities are that before they had been in such a 
place twelve hours they would have been as worthless 
as if Mr. Frisby had left them in the ground for twelve 
hours longer than he did ; for frost visited this part on 
the 9th inst. which destroyed every Dahlia exposed to 
it, as well as other things that are hardier. There 
had been no previous light frosts for a night or two 
followed by the sharp one; the blow came first and 
the “nipping” after. The snow that fell on the 
morning of the 9th indicated that we might expect a 
frost that night, and so it came in a manner that 
surprised most of us. If the mild moist weather 
we are now experiencing should induce these potted 
Dahlias to form roots and in a measure to re-establish 
themselves, we may reasonably expect more of them 
than was at first anticipated, and their value for 
supplying cut-flowers will be further enhanced. As it 
is, there are few plants that have forced themselves 
into public favour more rapidly than the single Dahlia 
has done. These plants have found their way into 
many amateurs’ and cottagers’ gardens where the 
Dahlia of the florist had not been admitted, and no 
doubt it is the ease with which they may be raised 
from seed that has induced this class of growers to 
cultivate them generally. This is obvious in West 
Lancashire, at all events, where most cottage-gardens 
can sport a few of them.— R. 
->-*<-- 
Cyclamen persicum. —Too much cannot be said 
in praise of this useful winter-flowering plant, and as 
the period of blooming extends throughout the winter 
months, they must be considered as invaluable where 
a supply of flowers is required. When well-grown, 
there are few flowering-plants to surpass it in beauty 
and usefulness as a pot-plant, and it is also very 
useful in a cut state, as the flowers stand well in 
water. Although many varieties of Cyclamen persicum 
have been named, and I find that since 1872, twenty- 
eight First-Class Certificates have been awarded by 
the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, for varieties under different names, yet these 
cannot be perpetuated with certainty, as they can 
only be propagated from seed, and seedlings are sure 
to vary to some extent. 
To secure a good strain of Cyclamen, much care 
must be taken in saving the seed, and plants that are 
intended for this purpose should be selected as soon 
as they begin to flower. In selecting the plants for 
seed, three points should be considered, i.e., distinct¬ 
ness of colour, the form of the flower, which should 
be good, and the habit of plant, which should be neat 
and compact, and each variety should be kept by 
itself as much as possible. It is also desirable that 
a separate camel-hair brush should be kept for each 
variety where it is necessary to fertilize them by that 
means. 
The present is a good time to sow the seeds. In 
preparing the pots or pans, care should be taken that 
they are well drained; any good light compost will 
suit them, but as the seed is rather slow in germinating, 
it is necessary to be careful in watering, as if too much 
water is used the soil will become sour before the 
plants are large enough for pricking off. I like to 
prick them off as soon as the seedlings are large enough 
to handle. They may remain in the store-pots until 
April, when they should be potted off singly in small 
pots, and as soon as they have well filled these with roots 
they may be potted on into their flowering-pots. Five- 
inch pots are a good size for flowering Cyclamens in, 
and the compost should consist of good fibrous loam 
and leaf-mould, with a little silver sand added. It is 
a good plan to mix a little soot with the leaf-mould 
before adding it to the loam to destroy any worms or 
insects, and it will also be beneficial to the plants. 
After the plants are well-established in their flowering- 
pots, a little liquid manure should be given occasion¬ 
ally, and as they begin to show flowers it is of the first 
importance that they should be in a position where 
they will get plenty of light, and where the air can 
circulate between the plants, as if kept too much 
crowded, the flower-buds will remain dormant and 
eventually die off.— H. 
WATER-LILIES AT KEW. 
In the Water-Lily House at Kew we noticed the 
other day quite a number of these beautiful aquatics 
in flower, the colours comprising white, yellow, and 
various shades of red and blue. They are lovely plants, 
and a selection of them are well worth cultivating, 
though from the nature of their surroundings they 
cannot be attempted everywhere. We hope the 
following brief account of the above will prove 
interesting to our readers :—Nymphiea gigantea is a 
large-flowered Australian species, with pale blue 
very numerous petals of a most pleasing shade, and 
numerous long pale yellow anthers. It is one of the 
best.—N. flava is a very pretty little species from the 
South United States, with small leaves and bright 
canary-yellow flowers.—N. ampla, from Jamaica, is 
also a comparatively small species, with white flowers. 
-—N. Lotus is a species of rather wide range, occurring 
in the warmer parts of India and Africa, also in 
Hungary, Java, and the Philippines. Its range of 
coloration is also considerable, as it varies from 
crimson to pure white, and thence to deep blue. 
Formerly these were ranked as distinct species, but as 
there seems to be no good distinguishing character, 
they are now considered as forms of one variable 
species. 
Returning to Kew we notice the following varieties : 
Var. rubra, a fine crimson ; var. Devoniensis, some¬ 
what paler than the last; var. Ortgiesianus, a very 
large pale crimson form; var. dentata, a very fine 
white, with somewhat deeply notched leaves; and 
var. thermalis, a pure white form, occurring wild in 
Hungary.—N. stellata has medium-sized blue flowers, 
somewhat varying in intensity of colouring ; the var. 
versicolor has. very pale blue or lilac flowers. The 
species is a native of the warmer parts of India and 
Africa.—N. zanzibarensis is a large-flowered species, 
with very numerous petals of the most intense violet- 
blue. Its name indicates it to be of Tropical African 
origin; and it is sometimes rightly or wrongly con¬ 
sidered a variety of N. stellata. It is perhaps 
unsurpassed in the genus for effect. 
We also observed three fine spikes of the beautiful 
blue Eichornea ccerulea, and several blossoms of the 
pretty yellow-flowered Limnoeharis Humboldtii in 
the same tank. 
KITCHEN GARDEN WORK. 
The work requiring attention in the kitchen garden 
just now consists in the main of taking up and storing 
roots for the winter; the earthing-up of autumn- 
planted Cabbage, and late plantings of Broccoli, 
Winter Greens, Celery, and Leeks ; and the destruction 
of Weeds, for all of which operations the long spell of 
fine weather lias been most favourable. Such roots as 
Beet and Carrots are best wintered in a dry border, 
having a south or west aspect, in which situation they 
will retain their freshness until the middle of the 
following summer. 
The roots, especially of Beet, which if damaged in 
the process of lifting or in being laid-in would, by 
bleeding, loose its colour and crispness, should bo 
taken up carefully, and, a trench about 12 ins. or 14 ins. 
deep and the same in width having been previously 
opened and the soil taken therefrom, put down where 
the work is likely to be finished, two or three rows of 
the roots may be placed therein perpendicularly, and 
then covered with soil burying the crowns about 1 in. 
under the surface. As the trench so opened is filled 
with roots and soil, another trench is thus formed for 
the next series of rows, and so proceed until all the 
roots are safely laid in. The Beet should be laid in 
without interfering with the leaves which will protect 
the roots from being injured by a few degrees of frost, 
but in the event of its being severe a slight covering of 
litter or Fern will secure them from injury in that 
direction. Carrots can have the tops cut off at the 
time they are being laid-in in the manner recommended 
for Beet, as also can Parsnips be wintered in the same 
way, if the ground in which they were grown in is 
required for other purposes, otherwise they will be 
quite safe in their summer quarters. 
- 1 S~^ *"3 
ORNAMENTAL TREES IN 
AMERICA. 
Many, many years ago (just fifty) in the Preface to 
the first volume of The Magazine of Horticulture , I 
urged upon lovers of trees the riches of our own native 
species. I then stated that the “ immense number of 
indigenious trees, shrubs, and plants which are 
scattered so profusely throughout the woods and 
forests of the country, offered facilities for the beauti¬ 
fying and decoration of the pleasure garden, which 
are too often overlooked. In the desire for exotics, 
.... the lofty and noble trees which add picturesque, 
beauty and grandeur to our woodland scenery seem 
to be too much neglected,” and later I endeavoured 
to induce them to employ a greater variety in the 
formation of pleasure grounds and parks and the 
very great addition such variety would be to our 
landscape scenery. Abundant as the material was, 
and rich also, giving not only variation of outline, 
but diversity of foliage; not only the verdure of 
summer, but the glorious autumn colouring which 
no other country can claim; not only the formal 
round-headed horse Chestnut, but the pyramidal Oak, 
or canoe Birch ; not only the stately Maple, but the 
massive grandeur of the Magnolia; not only the 
flowing grace of the Elm, but the exurberant richness 
of the weeping Beech; not only the stiffness of the 
Linden, but the fringy luxuriance of the Kentucky 
Coffee tree ; not only the showy scarlet berries of the 
Mountain Ash, but the purple drupes of the elegant 
Supelo. 
Gilpin (whom Loudon so often quotes as his best 
authority), in his classic volume on “ Forest Scenery,” 
remarks, “If a man was disposed to moralize, the 
ramifications and spray of a thriving tree affords a good 
theme,” and he devotes several pages to descriptions of 
the spray of the Oak, Beech, Ash, and Elm, illustrating 
his remarks with engravings. In fact, to a real lover of 
trees a winter view is a study. An Elm forming one of a 
long row near my daily walk, is a never failing source 
of pleasure the winter through. It is -what I might 
justly call the zig-zag, or perhaps, serpent Elm. 
The outline of the head which is about sixty feet 
high, appears, when in leaf, full and round, but the 
main branches which form it, are very large and run 
in every possible direction, looking like huge anacondas 
curled beneath the leaves. Yet these limbs contort 
and twist in a regular order of their own, and only in 
winter, except by close observation, show their peculiar 
