Nov. 29th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
203 
Marigolds were shown numerously and very finely, 
and it is not too much to say they were the admira¬ 
tion of all who saw them. Whether the single 
varieties, finely as they are marked, will ever be as 
much thought of, remains to be seen.— R. D. 
--H*- 
Salvia Blue Beard. —This is one of the novelties 
in flower seeds of the present season. It is a free- 
growing and handsome hardy annual, having flowers 
of a bright purple-colour, with the lower lip white. 
It is, however, to the beautiful deep mauve-purple 
bracts with which it is furnished at the apex of the 
spikes, that it is mostly remarkable for as a decora¬ 
tive plant, and which gives the plant a most effective 
and unique appearance. But what species is it 
related to ?— E. W. 
Sibthorpia europsea variegata. —The varie¬ 
gated variety of this rare and local British plant is a 
charming little gem, producing a dense carpet of 
silvery-white. The leaves almost exactly resemble 
those of the variegated bedding Pelargoniums, except 
in size, which varies from a sixth to a third of an inch 
in diameter. There is a large pan of it in the Heath- 
house at Kew, where it grows very freely under a 
hand-glass. Though a British plant it does not do 
well outside in many places, indeed it only occurs in 
the south and south-west, and is more at home on the 
western coasts of Europe. As a companion plant to 
the charming Nertera depressa it has perhaps few 
equals. 
The Euonymus as a wall and pillar plant.— 
The practice of clipping and stopping back the 
Euonymus so generally prevails, that many plant 
lovers have never seen how beautiful they are when 
allowed to run up pillars, trained to fill up open 
spaces on walls, or to run over rockeries. All the 
varieties readily lend themselves to such uses, but the 
common green one on account of its sturdy growth 
and bright green foliage is the best. A fine example 
of what the Euonymus may be made to do existed in 
front of a house in Belsize Park, where, planted in 
rustic boxes in front of all the windows and at the 
comers of the house and balustrade at the entrance, it 
was trained to cover the whole of the stonework of the 
bay windows, to screen the fronts and run up at the 
sides to the tops of the other windows, and to line out 
other salient points about the house. The effect was 
charming and unique all the year round, and the 
whole arrangement well worth imitating. Recently 
I went out of my way to take another look at it, 
but, alas ! I found but the ruins, the house being 
either empty or left untended by reason of the owner’s 
absence for a long period. Let us hope that the 
Euonymuses will live until they get a new master.— J. 
Chrysanthemums in Private Gardens. —Two 
of the finest displays of Chrysanthemums that we 
have seen in private gardens this season were at 
Sundridge Park, near Bromley, and Mrs. Montefoire’s, 
Worth Park, near Crawley. Mr. Lyon grows a con¬ 
siderable number of plants at Sundridge, and grows 
them well without doing much in the way of dis¬ 
budding, and a handsome span-roofed house about 
50 ft. long and 20 ft. wide, at the time of our visit, 
was a complete mass of blooms—a glorious show in 
every respect. The number of varieties grown is 
about one hundred, which includes all the best, so 
that w T e need not now stay to enumerate but two of 
them, which are special favourites on account of their 
value for cutting. They are both Pompons, and by 
reason of their stiff, wiry habit, and remarkably free- 
flowering qualities, are highly appreciated. The first is 
Grace Barling, a beautiful white, in size and shape 
closely resembling the flat-petalled double white 
Baisy; and Solomon, rosy-red, with a light centre. 
At Worth Park, Mr. Glen also grows a good collection, 
but goes strongly for quality of the flowers, and in the 
Japanese section especially had a superb lot of blooms, 
from which he could have made a selection that would 
have placed him high up in the prize-list at any 
Chrysanthemum Show. 
Eremurus Bungei. —This is a shorvy bulbous 
plant from Persia, growing to the height of 18 ins.; 
with grass-like leaves, about a quarter of an inch wide; 
and producing racemes, 4 ins. to 6 ins. long, of yellow 
flowers with orange-coloured anthers. It is figured in 
the October number of The Gartenflora, 
Seakale, Rhubarb, and Asparagus. —Except¬ 
ing French Beans, no vegetables are so highly prized 
during the winter as Seakale, Rhubarb, and Asparagus 
which, early in the season, are considered great 
luxuries and can only be enjoyed by the few, as to 
have either they must be forced, and although the 
first-named may be brought on almost anywhere, 
Asparagus can only be grown really well under glass, 
where it can have full light and plenty of sun. To 
get either in fit for use at Christmas, they must be 
started at once. The surest and easiest w y ay of 
managing the Seakale and Rhubarb is to dig the 
roots up, after which they may be packed closely in 
fine soil in any large tub, when, after being watered, 
they should have another tub of the same size turned 
over them and then be buried in a heap of warm leaves, 
or carried and stood somewhere out of the way in any 
hot-house, in either of which places the Kale or 
Rhubarb will soon start, and quickly after be ready for 
cutting or pulling. 
Where large quantities are required, it is a good plan 
to make use of a deep pit, and fill it with fresh dung 
and leaves that have been fermented and sweetened 
by being turned over, when the Rhubarb may be 
placed in the high part at the back, and the Kale laid 
in at the front. Managed in this way, they can both 
be forced well together, as the blanching necessary for 
the Seakale by kee ping it dark improves the colour of 
the Rhubarb, which comes of a deep pink, and of a 
delicate flavour. 
To exclude the light, the sashes should be put on 
and covered thickly with mats or straw, or shutters 
may be used and straw thrown over them, as it matters 
not what is used so long as darkness is secured and 
the air kept out, that the temperature inside may be 
regular from beginning to end. A Mushroom-house is 
also a good place for forcing these two esculents, as 
there all the conditions are favourable, and nothing is 
necessary but to pack the roots well round with soil 
and let the heads come gently on till ready for use. 
Later in the winter, both Rhubarb and Seakale may be 
forced where it stands, as there all that is needful is to 
turn pots over the crowns, and pile around them dung 
and leaves, which afford the requisite heat and excite 
the plants when, through not being disturbed, they 
push up fine crowns. 
The best Seakale and Rhubarb I have ever had was 
from beds and roots simply covered with litter, the 
Rhubarb being protected first with long brushy sticks 
stuck round, and the Kale by spreading the straw a foot 
thick over the ground. Protected in that way both 
come on very strong and slowly, the Kale being so 
tender and crisp as to hardly bear the touching, and 
the Rhubarb the same. This plan of growing Kale 
will be found much better, and far more cleanly than 
burying it under heaps of earth or ashes, both of 
which stain the delicate leaves and injure its colour, 
besides which it is a difficult matter to get the grit 
out, as it drops down into the heart. 
To have really good Asparagus at this early season, 
a hot-water pit is necessary, as besides having warmth 
below there must be heat above, or the heads assume 
a sickly hue, and are then of inferior flavour. To 
have the fermentation of the bed lasting, fresh leaves 
and dung should be got together and turned over, and 
after being well sweated, the pit may be filled and the 
bed trodden down regularly, to prevent future sinking, 
and as soon as this is done, the next thing is to put 
6 ins. or so of rotten leaves over the top, when all 
will be ready to put on the plants. These ought to be 
at least four or five years old, and very strong, as it is 
useless to think of obtaining large Aspiaragus without, 
for if it is not there, packed away in the crowns, it 
cannot by any possibility be brought out, however 
good the management may be, or the care and 
attention bestowed on it. 
In digging up the plants, it is important to secure 
all the roots that can be got, and, to do this, a fork 
should be employed to move the earth and work it out 
from among them, when the plants may be lifted 
entire, and at once carried off to the pit, where they 
should be placed as thickly as they can stand, and 
covered with fine soil, after which a heavy watering 
will be requisite to wash it amongst them. The pit 
may then have the lights put on and be kept close till 
the heads show, when air will be necessary to prevent 
them running up weak, and to give them full flavour. 
— Alpha. 
->-$-<- 
New Varieties of Potatos. —Amongst the novel¬ 
ties to be put into commerce next season, we note the 
following half-dozen varieties of Potatos, which will 
be sent out by Mr. R. Bean:—London Hero, a white 
round, from Advance and London Kidney; Snowball, 
a white round from Woodstock Kidney and Magnum 
Bonum ; Chairman, a white round, from Advance and 
Woodstock Kidney; President, another white round, 
from Woodstock Kidney and Magnum Bonum ; Rufus, 
a coloured round, from Early Rose and Bountiful; 
and Rosebud, a coloured round, from Woodstock 
Kidney and Beauty of Hebron. 
The Girtford Giant Scarlet Runner.— Mr. 
Gilbert, of Burghley, states in The Gardeners' 1 
Chronicle, that he finds none of the varieties of 
Scarlet Runner so abundant as Girtford Giant, which 
sets its fruit freely in the early part of the season, 
when many of the other varieties as a rule set so badly. 
On these grounds, Mr. Gilbert strongly recommends 
gardeners to give this Bean a trial, and remarks that 
it is, besides being a free-setter, large in size and 
excellent in flavour. 
GARDEN RUBBISH. 
Some maintain that there is no such thing as 
rubbish, and hold with the opinion expressed by 
Lord Palmerston as regards dirt, that it is only matter 
in the wrong place, and there really is much truth in 
the remark, for when so-called rubbish is collected 
and wheeled to some out-of-the-way place and made a 
heap of, it becomes, as described by the writer on 
“ Home Manures for the Garden,” at p. 188, one of the 
most valuable mixtures anyone can have in a garden, 
for what can be more beneficial to land than the various 
gatherings of vegetable refuse that are swept up or 
collected during the year ? The thing in saving all 
such matter is to keep separate that which will rot 
from that which Is of slow decay, as the latter may be 
dealt with by the action of fire so as to char or burn, 
as ashes are of great use for various purposes, such as 
scattering over young seedling plants, from which 
they keep the fly, and are very stimulating on account 
of the large amount of potash they contain, which 
is carried gradually to the roots by the rain. 
Hedge trimmings, sticks, and leaves that fall, Pea 
and Bean haulm, prunings and rakings, may all be 
turned to account in the way referred to, as fire will 
soon reduce them; but if to be charred the process 
must be carried on slowly by smothering, and pre¬ 
venting the heap getting into a flame. Cabbage and 
Broccoli leaves and stumps, trimmings of Celery, and 
such like, besides weeds of all kinds when hoed and 
raked up, as well as the mowings from grass, should 
be shot together, as when decomposed they form very 
rich manure, and of a kind that can be taken up at 
once and assimilated by plants, which feed greedily on 
it and make a quick growth. 
The best place to collect and rot all such material 
is a hole where the slops from the house may be 
thrown on it, and if there is any unpleasant smell 
after, all that is necessary is to throw some earth over, 
which at once acts as a deodorizer and keeps the 
scent down. Before using stores of this kind of 
matter, the heaps should be turned, and it is a good 
plan at the same time to salt and lime them, as the 
former will kill all slugs and insect eggs, and the lime 
acts as a sweetener and renders it more fit for the 
plants.— A. 
Cattle Poisoned by Acokns. —In addition to a 
number of valuable beasts lost by Mr. Gadding, 
Brinslade, Marlborough, through their over-feeding 
on acorns in Savernake Forest, Mr. Maichnent and 
Mr. Redman, two other farmers living near there, 
have experienced similar misfortune. Professor 
Robertson, of London, has visited the locality to 
investigate the matter, and has arrived at the 
conclusion that the ill effects were caused by blood- 
poisoning, produced by a surfeit either of acorns or 
beech-nuts. 
