Dec. 13th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
entrance is packed from floor to apex of roof with a 
mass of lovely blooms. The plants here number 
about 300, and the colours vary from the pure white 
of the large Anemone Fleur de Marie to the very deep 
rich velvety-crimson of Pere Delaux, including all the 
delicate intermediate shades, such as Mdlle. Moulise 
and Princess Teck. 
The sight was one to fill a lover of flowers with 
ecstacy and to linger long in the memory. But, 
perhaps, the most effective display, after all, was that 
in the conservatory, where the plants were so arranged 
as to form an unbroken bank of bloom, commencing 
at about 2 ft. from the ground and running up to 
12 ft. Growers of Chrysanthemums will know what 
this means when they are told that fine specimens of 
the best varieties already named, and scores of others, 
were lit up with grand plants of such fine sorts as 
Thunberg, laden with immense flowers. It is scarcely 
a matter for surprise, therefore, that Mr. Patton took 
eleven prizes—six firsts and five seconds—at the recent 
Chrysanthemum Show held at Taunton. When an 
employer takes a real delight in his flowers and spares 
no expense in their culture, and when his gardener 
manifests not only intelligent interest but genuine 
pleasure in his work, honours are easily obtained if 
they are sought. Mr. Patton has generously tin-own 
open his houses to the inspection of the public, who 
have thus an opportunity of seeing, free of charge, a 
grand lot of plants, that could scarcely have been 
surpassed by the combined exhibits at the recent 
Taunton and Yeovil Shows. The readiness with which 
Mr. Simmons imparts information to less experienced 
gardeners and enthusiastic amateurs, as to the selec¬ 
tion of sorts and the secrets of successful culture, 
makes the privilege of visiting Hilhnore just now all 
the more valuable and enjoyable. 
Another year, perhaps, opportunities may offer for 
extending the system of educational tours referred to 
above, and it may be possible to visit the famous 
collections of Mr. J. Carver, at Chilton Polden ; Mr. 
C. L. Collard, Wiveliscombe; Mr. W. Marshall, at 
Staplegrove, &c. The result of such trips can 
scarcely fail to be highly valuable.— C. T. 
— g 7 ^- - a —• 
CHRISTMAS ROSES. 
These valuable plants are in bloom much earlier 
than usual this year, they having been brought on by 
the mildness of the weather; but though out of season 
they are always acceptable, as there is nothing in the 
way of hardy flowers to equal them, and they are of 
great service either indoors or out, for when taken up 
and potted they last a long time in a room, where the 
blossoms come of a more pure white than they do when 
exposed in the open. The way to manage them 
when required for windows or greenhouses, is to take 
them up with as many roots and as much ball as can 
be had, so as to disturb them as little as possible, and 
if there is more soil than can be thrust into the pots 
the plants are to be placed in, some of it may be 
worked away, which, if care be exercised, may be done 
without hurting the roots. All that is necessary after 
the potting is to give a good watering, and if the plants 
are then placed under the protection of glass in a cold 
frame, or at once placed in the greenhouse or window, 
they will expand their fine blossoms in rapid succession 
and make a capital show. 
In cases where Christmas Koses are only required 
for cutting, a purpose for which they are specially 
adapted, the best way is to leave them where they 
grow, and protect them there instead of disturbing the 
plants. If they are in isolated positions or stand 
singly, nothing answers better for covering them than 
a handlight, the top of which may be tilted slightly to 
change the air and prevent any damping. There seems 
to be a general complaint -with many that they cannot 
get Christmas Koses to grow, and others appear to 
have a difficulty in propagating them; but their 
increase is easy enough, as all that is needful is to dig 
the plants up and divide them. The proper time for 
doing this is as soon as they have done flowering, as 
then the crowns begin to start and make fresh leaves, 
when the plants may be pulled apart with safety, but in 
carrying out that operation care should be taken to 
secure eyes, or buds, and roots to each piece. 
The next thing is to pick out a suitable place to 
plant them, the margin of a Rhododendron bed being 
a good situation, as they like peat and shade, although 
they will grow freely in almost any soil where they 
once become established and are left undisturbed. It 
is the digging about such things as the Hellebores and 
the denuding them of their foliage that tells so much 
against them and weakens them so seriously, for 
without plenty of healthy big leaves they cannot form 
strong crowns. A frequent cause of the dwindling to 
which Hellebores are subject in some places is the 
attack of slugs, which feed on them underground and 
take out the heart of the buds ; to prevent which a 
sprinkling of lime and soot should be given occa¬ 
sionally, or traps of tempting bait set and frequently 
searched that the slugs may be taken and killed.— 
Alpha. 
AN ANCIENT PEAR-TREE. 
At Newburgh-on-Tay, Fife, there exists a grand old 
Pear-tree, which is perhaps the largest in the kingdom, 
at all events, in Scotland. Sir Robert Sibbald, in his 
History of Fife, written nearly two hundred years ago, 
takes notice of it and some others near it. He says :— 
“ Almost contiguous to New Burgh E., and formerly 
within Earneside Wood, are the ruins and seat of the 
Abbacy of Lindores, a right sweet situation and of 
most rich soil: witness the vastly big old Pear-trees 
there.” 
ANCIENT PEAB-TKEE AT NEWBURGH. 
Some of these trees still survive, but the one here 
illustrated is that which strikes the eye as being 
particularly noticeable ; it is only a few feet back from 
the public road, and in an open field. The trunk of 
the tree is 18 ft. in circumference at one foot from 
the ground, has a height of about 44 ft., and formerly 
a spread of branches of 53 ft., but one half of the tree 
has lately been torn off by lightning. However, the 
remainder of the tree seems to be perfectly healthy, 
and bears a good crop of fruit; in fact, one year as 
much as 2,268 lbs. -was gathered. The tree is locally 
called Beurre, but is correctly the Hazel, or Hessel. 
—Leonard Barron, Chiswick. 
At the last meeting of the Chambre Syndicale des 
Hortieulteurs of Ghent, Certificates of Merit were 
awarded to the Compagnie Continentale d’Horticulture 
for Caraguata cardinalis, Vriesia Pastuchoffiania, 
Carludovica Plumieri, and Zamia Tonkinensis ; and 
to Mr. Ed. Pynaert for Caraguata sanguinea. Cultural 
Certificates were accorded to M. Ad. D’Haene for 
Croton volutus, to M. Ed. Pynaert for Schismato- 
glottis Robellini, and to M. Aug. Van Geert for 
Cattleya maxima. Specimens of Tillandsia musaica 
Geonoma species nova, Cypripeclium Spicerianum, 
Sonerila Mad. Y. Alesch, and Pescatorea Sanderiana 
received Honourable Mention. 
229 
THE POINSETTIA. 
Poinsettia pulcherrdia is one of those beautiful 
plants which materially assist in cheering the dull 
days and long evenings of winter (when used indoors) 
with its beautiful scarlet bracts, and which are 
greatly admired by all who see them. Unfor¬ 
tunately these plants are not always seen in the 
best condition. We have often met with them in 
gardens, where their bracts have entirely failed to 
develop, from some unknown cause or other, yet their 
culture in reality is of the simplest kind. When I 
took charge of these gardens, I was told that Poinsettias 
would not do here, as they had been tried in several 
places, and in different ways, but without success. Of 
course I did not credit the statement, but it lead me to 
give a little more attention to the plants myself than 
perhaps I otherwise would have done. 
The plants were rested by first gradually with¬ 
holding water, then laying them on then- sides under 
a stage in an intermediate temperature, where they 
remained till the latter part of May, or the beginning 
of June, when they received several waterings to 
moisten the balls of roots. We next removed them 
to a Melon-frame which had a slight bottom heat from 
fermenting material. The plants being rather tall 
they were laid on their sides in this pit, so as to causa 
them to break along the stems, so that we might take 
a maximum number of cuttings. In this moist pit, 
with the humid dung and leaves, and the regular 
syringing of the Melon plants every afternoon, the 
cuttings soon became sufficiently long to be taken off 
with a heel of old wood. This done, we proceeded to 
dip the heel of each cutting in some dry sand as it was 
removed from the plant to prevent over-bleeding and 
13 prevent the cuttings messing one another when laid 
together. When inserted in sandy soil in pots, the 
pots of cuttings were plunged in the fermenting 
material at the foot of the same frame. 
After these cuttings had been removed the old 
plants were cut down and kept a little dry until they 
broke again near their base. Part of the stock was 
removed to a cool pit and hardened, with a view of 
taking the cuttings off them later in the season, 
and which was eventually done in the manner above 
described. When the cuttings were rooted they 
were potted off several in a pot, round the sides, 
though I much prefer placing them singly in small 
pots. These, when potted, were returned to the same 
pit, or a similar one, until they got a little hold of the 
soil. As time went on and the plants progressed the 
old ones were potted up, and the young ones potted on 
as required, and the whole of them plunged thinly in 
a tliree-liglit box on a slight hotbed. Here they were 
attended to as to water, the chief aim being to keep 
the plants as near to the glass as possible without 
touching it. The warmth of the bed soon decreased, 
plenty of air was admitted by day, and, during favour¬ 
able weather, at night also. The frame was raised a 
little at a time as the plants increased in size, and if 
one showed a disposition to grow away from the rest, 
it was plunged deeper into the bed, so as not to 
sacrifice the well-being of the whole for an individual 
or two. 
The plants were kept in this frame as long as it was 
safe in the autumn, when they were removed to the 
plant-stove, and here again raised so as to bring their 
heads as near the glass as possible. The young and 
dwarf plants were placed on shelves, with their heads 
only just below the glass, and from these we had the 
nicest lot of heads that one could wish for, the bracts 
in some cases measuring more in diameter than the 
plants were high. From the taller, stronger, and older 
plants we had bracts well proportioned and filled out, 
and some of the best measured 18 ins. across. I 
am aware that larger have been had, but it must be 
remembered that none of these plants exceeded 3 ft. 
in height. 
The cold-pit system of culture differs little from 
the above, the exception being the very slight heat 
given off by the fermenting materials, but there 
are not many pits that can be raised or lowered 
according to the size and height of the plants. I 
know of several growers who succeed admirably on 
the pit system of culture—viz., Mr. Thirlby, at the 
Broadlands, Romsey, and Mr. Budd, at Lockerley 
Hall, in the same neighbourhood. 
The planting-out system in the south of England 
is a good and reliable one, as I can state from experi- 
