Feb. 28th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
405 
not be forced.” If intended to bloom in the open 
ground, they may be planted out in light soil, in 
partially shaded situations, and will require only to 
be protected in severe weather. The plants will 
commence to flower in April, and continue to bloom 
for six or eight weeks. Messrs. Barr & Son used to 
grow this lovely Collinsia at Tooting, sowing the 
seeds in the open air in August round the sides of 
their beds of light sandy loam. It is likely that a 
plant that requires the seeds to be sown as soon as 
ripe will not attain to a great popularity. Then it 
may be said, Why take the trouble to notice it ? I 
say it is deserved; first, because of its peculiar 
beauty, being the only blue-flowered Collinsia we 
have, for C. violacea cannot touch it in point of 
colour; secondly, because it is too valuable a plant 
to be altogether neglected; and there are a few (may 
their number be greatly increased) who take a pride 
highly they are appreciated, and how extensively they 
are grown. I counted over twenty stands of twelves, 
staged at one of the Birmingham Shows last year, not 
a single bloom of which would have disgraced the side 
of a finely formed Flake or Bizarre Carnation. Blooming 
as they do from June to the time frost cuts them down, 
it is no wonder that they are held in such general 
repute. 
To grow them fine for exhibition, however, requires 
some little extra care in their cultivation, which, when 
bestowed is amply repaid. My practice is to secure 
the seed from none but the best marked flowers, 
and, this for the first batch of plants I sow in 
a little heat the beginning of March, making a second 
sowing later on. As soon as the plants are large 
enough to handle with two or three rough leaves, 
I prick them out into pans or boxes, and when 
established, remove them to colder quarters, where 
the larger ones being wanting in the correct Carnation 
stripe, and their judgment was commended. 
The dwarf bedding strains of French Marigold are 
most valuable for bedding purposes, but size and 
correctness in marking is wanting in them for 
exhibition purposes, and it is very rare that I have 
ever been able to get anything really good from 
German imported seeds. The best strains I have 
seen out of Staffordshire are those known as Scotch 
striped, and in these of late years considerable 
improvement has been made.— J. Knight, Bilston. 
ZINC POTS FOR PLANTS. 
Thirty years ago I resided in that busy part of 
Staffordshire known as the Potteries, and in the 
gardens where I was located a series of experiments 
were tried, not only with zinc pots, but also with 
DESIGN OF A CARPET BED. 
in cultivating successfully subjects that others fail 
with. It is certain to be again re-introduced before 
long, but let us hope it is not altogether lost to 
cultivation in this country.— Quo. 
MARIGOLDS FOR EXHIBITION. 
Among the few really good things than can be 
recommended for culture almost anywhere French 
Marigolds deserve a foremost place along side of 
Asters and Stocks. In a district like the Black 
Country without the aid of these three popular half- 
hardy annuals, many a cottage and amateur’s garden 
would make a very poor display during the months of 
July, August, and September. French Marigolds are 
the easiest in cultivation of the three, and decidedly 
the most showy. 
I have frequently been struck with the singular 
beauty and chaste markings of the best strains which 
are grown in this district, and the stands annually 
staged at the local Shows in the autumn show how 
they are hardened off, and as soon as danger from 
spring frosts is over they are planted out into their 
blooming quarters, which should be an open sunny 
situation, giving them plenty of room, at least 2 ft. 
apart; the soil having been previously well enriched 
with rotted manure. 
As the plants progress and the first flowers show, all 
single ones are thrown away, and only those that give 
evidence of becoming double allowed to remain. 
Copious applications of liquid manure are given in 
dry weather, and as the side branches progress they 
are thinned out, only leaving about three to each 
plant, a stronger growth is thereby induced and larger 
flowers are the result, the buds being again pinched 
out when so abundant as to weaken the size of 
the blooms. In selecting blooms for exhibition 
only those that show the greatest regularity in the 
marking and are well up in the centre should be 
selected. Where the colours at all run they should be 
discarded. At one Show last year I saw the judges 
gave the prize to the stand with the smallest blooms, 
those hard-burned, highly glazed, and elaborate pots 
and vases made by the celebrated firm, Minton & Co. 
As most of these ornate pots and vases were intended 
especially for the decoration of the drawing-room, 
and were much too valuable and costly to allow of 
the plants being cultivated in them, the light zinc 
pots were used for this purpose, and when the plants 
were sufficiently established or in bloom, they were 
placed inside the others and mossed over. As an 
experiment, it was at first thought desirable to use 
only soft-wooded plants, such as Pelargoniums, 
Cinerarias, Calceolarias, and Primulas. These suc¬ 
ceeded so well that some stove and greenhouse plants, 
such as Begonias, Eucharis, Hexacentris, Justicias, 
Camellias, and Azaleas were also tried, with the result 
that the whole succeeded fairly well. The hard-wooded 
plants, however, did not appear to relish the treatment 
for any length of time without renewal of the compost 
and drainage, the former appearing to have a tendency 
to become sour sooner than in the ordinary pot. It 
was very noticeable that the plants in these pots did 
