182 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Nov. 22nd, 1884. 
THE GOLDEN MARGUERITE. 
If I were asked to name the most floriferous plant, 
and the one alike most useful for cut flowers and for 
using as a decorative plant, I should at once answer 
Chrysanthemum frutescens Etoile d’Or. Although it is 
only of recent date that the different forms of the Paris 
Daisy have come into popular favour,it is surprising how 
few gardens there are of any pretensions in which it is 
not to be found. The cultural requirements of the plant 
we may therefore presume are fully understood by 
professional men, though perhaps not by amateurs, to 
whom the following remarks may be of use. The 
Marguerites are at once easy to cultivate and certain 
to yield an abundant return for any pains bestowed on 
them. I find them answer well by putting in the 
cuttings early in March, six or eight cuttings in a 6-in. 
pot, using a compost of three-parts loam to one part 
of leaf-soil with sand added. 
When rooted, which will be in about a fortnight, if 
placed in a little heat—bottom heat is not altogether 
necessary, but if at command will insure a more 
speedy root action—they will require to be gradually 
hardened off previous to putting them singly into 3-in. 
pots; and at this potting and each succeeding shift 
1 use a similar compost to that recommended above, 
substituting, however, rotten dung for leaf-soil, and 
placing them in a little heat until they have taken 
hold of the new compost, when they may at once be 
put into a frame, and afterwards as the season 
advances be plunged out-of-doors and treated in every 
way similar to the ordinary Chrysanthemums; in 
fact, I always pot them on at the same time as the 
latter, and I keep them well pinched back until 
the middle of September, which makes them dwarf 
and bushy. 
I find them most serviceable when occupying 8-in. or 
9-in. pots, a size alike useful for producing quantities 
of flowers and for using for any other purpose for 
which they may be required. It is not necessary to 
stop pinching at the date I mentioned, as the cultivator 
may require them earlier or later and so can vary the 
time of stopping to suit his own convenience. I 
continue to give them Weak liquid manure from the 
time the pots are fairly filled with roots until they are 
turned out-of-doors in the spring. The old plants 
may then be sheltered from cold cutting winds and 
frost and afterwards be planted out in borders, when 
they will soon be in flower again, the peculiar shade 
of yellow being valued even in the summer when so 
many more things are open for choice. 
While I have been endeavouring to show their 
utility as winter-flowering subjects, it may not be out 
of place to call attention not only to the fact that the 
old plants may be planted out, but that they make 
very nice bedding-plants and help to tone down the 
glare produced by Pelargoniums, besides using them to 
advantage in mixing with sub-tropical arrangements. 
For these purposes I propagate them at the same time 
as I do those for producing cut flowers for winter use, 
and allow them to remain in the 3-in. pots until they 
are required for them summer quarters. Should the 
stock of plants grown in pots be insufficient these 
may be taken up and potted, as recommended in a 
recent number of The Gardening World, on taking 
up Chrysanthemums and potting from the open 
ground.— E. Dumper. 
“THE BOTANICAL MAGAZINE.” 
The November number of this work contains the 
following:— 
Cbfntjji leucophylluji (t. 6783).—It is evident that 
Tropical Africa is the head-quarters of this ornamental 
genus. The present species occurs in Damara-land, 
whence it was brought to England by a Danish sea 
captain. The bulb was purchased for the Kew 
collection, and flowered in August, 1881. It is a large 
and ornamental species ; the bulb is ovoid, and nearly 
6 ins. broad; the leaves are lanceolate, 1 ft. 6 ins. to 
2 ft. by 5 ins. to 6 ins. broad, whitish green ; twelve to 
fourteen in number, and recurving from a distichous 
column about a foot high. The scape, which is thrown 
up from just below the leaves, is 1 ft. long, stout, 
much flattened, spreading, and bears from forty to 
fifty pinkish flowers, with recurving segments of 
early 2 ins. long. 
Dexdrobiuh ABtrsfGuii (t. 6784).—A very curious 
Dendrobium, which was described forty years ago by 
Dr. Lindley ; who received it from Messrs. Loddiges 
in 1842, and from Messrs. Yeitch in 1846. The native 
country remained a mystery until recently, when Mr. 
Ford, the Superintendent of the Hong Kong Botanical 
Garden, found it growing on the Lo-fau-shan 
Mountains, on the Chinese coast, just opposite to 
Hong Kong. A plant, sent by Mr. Ford, flowered at 
Kew last July. The stems are 1 ft. to 2 ft. long, 
slender, and pendulous; the leaves elliptical-lanceolate, 
24 ins. to 3 ins. long, green above and red-brown 
beneath. The drooping flowers are solitary, or in a 
few flowered raceme. 1 in. to R ins. in diameter, and 
the segments pale Transparent rose; the small white 
lip is boat-shaped, abruptly terminating in a short 
hooked tip—hence the name. The column is short, 
villose in front, and the anthers dark purple. It is a 
pretty, though not very showy species; not closely 
allied to any other; and is remarkable for the shape 
of the lip and the purple anthers. 
Pinguicula hirtiflora (t. 6785).—Closely allied to 
the common Butter-wort of our bogs—P. vulgaris— 
which differs in the brighter blue of its flowers, and in 
the refuse corolla-lobes. P. hirtiflora has the corolla- 
tube white, with lilac or rose-coloured lobes. It has a 
somewhat restricted range in the mountains of Italy 
and Greece, attaining an elevation of 6,000 ft. The 
specimen figured flowered in a cool pit at Kew in 
February last; having been received from Miss E. M. 
Owen, of Gorey, Ireland. 
Tulip a prexiulina (t. 6786).—A native of East 
Algeria. Mr. Elwes obtained it, in 1882, on the Aures 
Mountains, on ridges in open glades in the cedar 
forest, at an elevation of 6,000 ft. The leaves are 
three to six in number, 6 ins. to 8 ins. long, and very 
narrow. The flowers are very fragrant, funnel-shaped, 
and the segments oblong-lanceolate, acute, 1J ins. 
long, pale primrose, and more or less suffused with 
red on the back of the outer segments; anthers 
orange-yellow. 
Ibis hexagona (t. 6787).—A native of the Southern 
United States. The plate was prehared’ from a 
specimen flowered by Mr. B. I. Lynch and which 
was exhibited before the Boyal Horticultural 
Society in June last. The leaves are sword¬ 
shaped, 2 ft. to 3 ft. long by 1 in. broad; the 
flower-stems 2 ft. to 3 ft. long, with two or three 
clusters of flowers. The flowers are bright lilac ; the 
outer segments 3 ins. long, with obovate blade, 1 in. 
to lj; ins. broad, and a bright yellow keel; inner 
segments oblanceolate. It will probably require 
protection in winter. 
Bavexea Hildebeandtii (t. 6776).—This is the 
name of the Palm figured in the September number 
(mentioned in our columns on pp. 41 and 87). It is a 
native of the Comoro Islands, E. Africa. The plant 
figured is a male, which last summer flowered for the 
first time, at Kew, whilst quite small. The female 
flowers and fruit were furnished by Mr. Wendland. 
PEACHES AND NECTARINES. 
Select Varieties. —The season having now arrived 
when all kinds of fruit-trees and bushes should be 
planted, a few remarks, with notices of the best kinds 
of Peaches and Nectarines, followed on by others 
relating to Apples, Pears, Plums, Cherries, &e., will 
perhaps be of use to many in making selections to 
replace worthless sorts or to add to them stock. Taking 
Peaches first, the one I would specially recommend 
for early work, either for forcing or growing outdoors, 
is Alexander, which, in favourable summers, ripens on 
open walls by the middle of July, and not only is it a 
very precocious variety, but the fruit is large, well 
coloured, and of excellent flavour. Hale’s Early is 
so much like the Alexander, but not so early, that 
it is useless growing the two; but Early Bivers 
is quite a distinct kind, having large pale-skinned 
fruit, not of high quality, and yet it is useful for coming 
in to keep up a succession. 
Beatrice and Louise are both small and poor 
compared with the two named, and therefore not 
worth planting, the next best being Early Grosse 
Mignonue, which is a first-class Peach and a very free 
bearer. The next deserving of notice, taking them in 
their order of ripening, is Dr. Hogg, which bears large 
fruit that colours with deep crimson on the sunny side, 
and has yellowish-white flesh, that is melting, juicy, 
and of very rich flavour. Outdoors it ripens about the 
middle of August, and as it is so early and good in 
every respect, it- is deserving of cultivation even in the 
smallest collection, and what renders it more valuable 
is that it is firm and travels well without bruising. 
Boyal George has stood the test of many years, and 
for its season there are none better either for growing 
indoors or out, as it is a capital forcer, free setter, and 
one that bears fruit very handsome and fine, its only 
fault being that it is a little subject to mildew on the 
points of the shoots. To speak in praise of the 
Noblesse is like painting the Lily, as that sterling old 
kind is the standard of excellence and unsurpassed by 
any other Peach in existence, its fruit beingnot only large 
and rich-looking, but luscious and full of sweet juice. 
, Alexandra, a seedling from it, has all its good qualities, 
and is said to be hardier, and may therefore be better 
to plant. Violette Hative is a fine Peach, that bears 
large, rich, melting fruit, that colours well, and the 
tree is hardy and prolific indoors or out. Bellegarde 
is one of the best and a great bearer and forces well, 
swelling up its fruit to a large size, and finishing it 
with high colour and flavour. 
Goshawk is another first-class Peach, ripening about 
the same time, the fruit being the same size and 
shape as that of the Noblesse, but carrying more 
colour. Dymond is also a very fine ldnd, and is one 
of the best for exhibition, as it is large and showy and 
delicious in flavour. Grosse Mignonne finishes up all 
that are desirable of the early summer sorts, and 
coming to those that succeed them and ripen imme¬ 
diately after, the first deserving mention is the 
Barrington, which is a grand Peach and a sure bearer. 
The fruit of this kind is very large, roundish obovate in 
shape, and has yellowish skin, that colours deeply when 
exposed to the sun, the flesh being firm, and delicious in 
flavour. Sea Eagle is also a remarkably fine September 
Peach that bears large fruit, with pale skin and rich 
refreshing juice, and to succeed these none are equal 
to the Walburton Admirable, which has the good 
qualities of the Noblesse, and though ripening so 
much later is little inferior. To give the fruit a fair 
chance the trees should be planted on a south wall, 
that they may have all the sun we get, to ripen and 
bring it up to the mark. Princess of Wales is a very 
large handsome Peach that ripens just after the 
Walburton, but though more showy is not equal in 
flavour. Lord Palmerston is still later than the 
Princess, and is even larger and finer looking, as 
besides its^ great size, it has a delicate creamy white 
skin, flushed and suffused with pink, which gives it a 
rich and imposing appearance. Although there are 
many others, those enumerated above are the veiy 
best, and afford sufficient variety for even the largest 
of gardens. 
Nectarines are not so numerous, and the earliest 
and finest of all of them is Lord Napier, which has 
not been out many years, but is fast making its way 
as the favourite for forcing, as it is earlier and finer 
than the old Elruge, and sets just as freely indoors or 
out. The fruit is large and round, and when fully 
exposed to the sun, colours deeply, and the flesh is 
firm and delicious in flavour. To succeed the Lord 
Napier, Elruge is still worth growing, and Hardwieke 
Seedling is a very hardy free-bearing kind, having 
large showy-looking fruit of excellent quality. 
Violette Hative is likewise a fine Nectarine, and one 
that forces well, as it sets its flowers freely under 
glass, and bears rich fruit that ripens after the Elruge. 
To succeed the trio named, Pitmaston Orange is as 
good as any, and this, with Humboldt and Pine Apple, 
complete the list of Nectarines, as they are the cieam, 
and last on in succession as late as they ripen. 
Cultivation. —To grow Peaches and Nectarines 
well, either indoors or out, they must have good soil, 
but not of a rich nature, as in that they would soon 
become too strong and produce gross shoots', which, if 
they ripen, seldom bear fruit. That which suits the 
trees best is fresh turfy loam, which should be got 
from some old pasture, or waste place by the roadside, 
and, when carted, chopped up roughly, and if not 
sandy, it will be improved by the addition of a little 
sharp grit, which will help to keep it open and porous. 
Another thing that benefits Peaches and Nectarines 
greatly is chalk or lime rubble, as some calcareous 
matter of that kind is necessary to assist the fruit in 
stoning, and therefore if the soil lacks the ingredient, 
it should be added, and, at the mixing, be stirred up 
together. Soot also, in small quantities, is tery 
