March 7th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
429 
had continued to receive every care and attention 
from the members. During the year eighteen new 
members had been added to the roll, the total 
membership being now 431. Forty-four exhibits 
had been laid before the members, four certificates 
had been awarded for meritorious productions, and 
thirteen papers had been communicated from 
members. The treasurer in his report stated that 
the income during the year, including a balance 
from the previous year of £15, had been £33 7s. 6 d .; 
while the expenditure had been £24, leaving a balance 
in hand of £9 7s. 6 d. The reports were adopted. 
-■■ c ^C a CT~ - '—S '— 
SPECIES OF CROCUS. 
Pbobably the beauty and the variety of the forms 
of Crocus vernus, found just now in our gardens in all 
the fullness of their spring charms, serve to divert the 
attention of lovers of flowers from a contemplation of 
the attractions of not a few of the species, and yet 
they are very beautiful and worthy of all attention. 
Take the beautiful autumn-flowering C. speciosus, for 
instance, which puts up its lovely large purplish-blue 
flowers, finely striped interially with deep purple lines, 
in autumn, succeeded in spring by its foliage. Why, 
even in the smallest garden, there are odd but suitable 
nooks and corners where some bulbs of this beautiful 
species can be permanently planted and where the 
bulbs can establish themselves and renovate as they do 
naturally. We have no variety of C. vernus having 
such a lovely hue of blue as this. And in early spring 
there is C. Imperatonious or C. Imperati, the fore¬ 
runner of the C. vernus varieties and exquisitely 
beautiful. This has been charming on the rockwork 
at the Chiswick Gardens of the Eoyal Horticultural 
Society, where Mr. Barron has naturalized fine 
clumps of it. It is a lovely species, with buff, dark 
striped, sepals, and the inner petals of a delicate 
shade of lilac-rose. This is now flowering with me 
in pots in a cold frame, and should not be disturbed 
for two or three years. 
C. aureus, the true form, is a charming species also, 
earlier to flower than the ordinary yellow spring 
Crocus and of a deep golden colour. C. aureus 
sulphurius striatus has sulphur striped on the golden 
ground, and is both distinct and attractive. C. 
biflorus is not so attractive as some others, but it is 
very pretty, the flowers are creamy-white, with dark 
lines on the sepals. It is a little earlier in flowering 
than the ordinary spring Crocuses and very free. 
This species was largely imported from Holland under 
the name of the Scotch Crocus, and the bulbs had a 
peculiar appearance, being destitute of the outer 
covering of loose skin characteristic of the varieties 
of C. vernus, and very hard and smooth. C. Sieberi or 
nivalis is an autumn and winter-flowering species, 
producing pale violet coloured flowers ; it also is a 
perfect gem. I had forgotten C. biflorus argenteus, 
with a distinct and pleasing silvery hue ; C. Susianus, 
or more properly C. reticulatus, is the Cloth of Gold 
of seed lists, the golden yellow flowers have the sepals 
heavily marked with deep lines ; C. nudiflorus, which 
is known also as C. multifidus, is not unlike C. 
speciosus, but has taller and redder purple flowers 
that are not striped, it is very handsome and attrac¬ 
tive. Lastly, I must name C. pusillus, a species 
bearing medium-sized flowers, white, with a delicate 
suffusion of blue, and three distinct bands of bluish- 
purple externally. This is also a charming Crocus. 
My purpose is to impress upon amateurs the value 
of some of these pretty Crocuses for flowering in pots 
in autumn, winter and spring. How often in getting 
about the suburbs of London does one see small green¬ 
houses being built to villa residences, but almost 
invariably without means of artificial heating. What 
is the use of trying to keep tender plants through the 
winter in such structures by the aid merely of a 
petroleum stove ? How often such efforts result in 
dismal failure. On the other hand there are many 
early flowering hardy plants that can be grown in pots 
and make of floral service during the winter and early 
spring that will thrive without the necessity of fire- 
heat. There are these Crocusses, Hepaticas, Auri¬ 
culas, Primroses, Polyanthuses, Cyclamen coum, 
Saxifrages, species of Primulas, and things too 
numerous to mention that are objects of great beauty 
when well managed. During summer I stand such 
subjects as these in an open frame on a bed of cocoa 
fibre, and place some over the surface of the soil 
also. One great thing is to keep them well watered 
in dry weather. It is also necessary to have on hand 
some good yellow loam, leaf-mould, a little peat, some 
silver sand, and pieces of sandstone for the alpine 
plants. Such things yield an immense amount of 
pleasure : try them and see.— Quo. 
CROTONS. 
Among fine-foliaged plants these are quite unrivalled, 
as besides their many forms of leaf their markings and 
colouring are unique, especially when seen under 
artificial light, as then they show up splendidly, which 
makes them of great value for table decoration, a 
purpose for which they are well adapted; and more 
particularly is this so with the spare-habited pendulous 
kinds, such as C. angustifolius, C. majesticum, and C. 
interuptum, which are remarkably graceful and light 
in appearance. To keep up a good supply of small 
neat specimens it is necessary to put in cuttings fre¬ 
quently, and discard any that have got large or that 
have been frequently used, as they are worthless, after 
they have received a check through losing or getting 
their young roots chilled, and it is better to throw 
them away than attempt to grow them on again after 
that. 
The easiest way of propagating Crotons is to take off 
the tops of any of the half-ripe shoots and insert them 
separately in small bottles of water without removing 
the leaves, and if they are then stood in a close .place 
where they can get a brisk moist heat, they will soon 
root and be ready for potting. To keep the water pure 
and sweet, fresh should be poured in frequently ; and 
it is a good plan to have pieces of charcoal in the 
bottles, as when confined under a high temperature it 
quickly becomes tainted, and the cuttings then fail to 
strike, as they rot at the base. So readily do Crotons 
root in water, that quite large pieces may be taken off 
safely, as they do not flag if kept syringed, but remain 
fresh and make plants at once, feathered down to the 
pots with nice healthy leaves. The soil best adapted 
for growing them is a mixture of peat and loam, in 
about equal parts, or they will do well in either sepa¬ 
rately, if fibry and good. As they require a great deal of 
water, it is important that the pots be properly drained, 
and as the plants do not require much root room, these 
may be small, to fit any vases, and thus save risk in 
turning them out. 
If fine specimens are needed, they must be potted 
on, and have the ends of the leading shoots stopped 
occasionally to cause them to break back, and keep 
well furnished below. What prevents them remaining 
in this desirable state is crowding the plants, instead 
of which they should be stood thin and elevated, that 
they may have full light and air round them; besides 
which it is essential that they be kept clean, or the foliage 
soon suffers, and remains shabby after. The insects 
that affect Crotons most are mealy-bug, thrip, and 
red spider, the former of which is very troublesome 
and most difficult to get rid of by any known remedy 
without hurting the plants. The way I have been 
most successful with it is by laying these on their 
side, and well washing them frequently by using 
water with great force from the garden engine, and 
thus knocking them out of the ends of the shoots. 
Bed spider may be vanquished in the same manner, 
as they cannot stand water, and thrip may be 
destroyed by fumigating with tobacco, but to do this 
it is necessary to smoke the house daily four or five 
times in succession. 
To keep the plants in a high state of health, the 
atmosphere cannot well be too moist, and the more 
they are syringed during the growing season the 
better they do. This being so, the leaves should be 
well wetted, both above and below, every night and 
morning, and if done with highly clarified soot-water, 
that will be a great help in making them clean, as it 
is obnoxious to all the parasites mentioned above. 
Besides being of great value for syringing on over¬ 
head, clear soot water is one of the best stimulants 
the plants can have, as it not only helps them in 
their growth, but it improves the foliage greatly by 
giving more colour. This is often spoiled by too 
much shade, and though it is necessary to break the 
force of the sun in summer, the blinds should only 
be down during the heat of the day, when the solar 
rays are fierce, as it is light that gives the tints so 
much admired in the leaves of these very beautiful 
plants. The temperature requisite to grow Crotons 
well is from 65 degs. to 75 degs. during winter, with 
an increase of 5 degs. to 20 degs. after. If gradually 
hardened, plants will stand well in a warm conserva¬ 
tory or greenhouse by the middle of June, but they 
must not be left there longer than two months or so 
if they are to be kept, or the roots will suffer, and 
when the plants are returned to heat again they will 
shed many leaves. 
In addition to those referred to as being very elegant 
for table decoration, the most distinct sorts are Wies- 
manii, Queen Victoria, Disraeli, Mortii, Lord Derby, 
Nevillite, Hawkeri, and Kothschildii. The leaves of 
the first-named are long and narrow, deep green, 
mottled and barred with rich yellow. Queen Victoria 
has leaves about a foot long and an inch-and-a-half 
wide, mottled throughout with yellow and green, the 
midrib and veins being crimson when they attain a 
little age, at which time this fine variety is very 
effective. Disraeli has rather short leaves, broad at 
the base, and deeply lobed above, the points being 
highly coloured with a mixture of crimson and yellow. 
Lord Derby somewhat resembles the last-mentioned 
in the form of its foliage, but is not so bright, and 
Nevilli® partakes of the form and habit of Queen 
Victoria, the midrib being banded with orange, and 
the leaves splashed and marked with the same, which 
gradually becomes suffused with red, when the green 
deepens with age. Hawkeri has ovate lanceolate 
leaves, margined with green, and the midrib banded 
with yellow. The leaves of Bothschildii are from nine 
inches to a foot long, two inches or so wide, and 
beautifully veined with deep crimson.— Alpha. 
— cr~ —- 
THE GLOBE FLOWER. 
The common name of the Trollius is derived from 
the globular form of the blossoms. Trol is also the 
German name for round, hence Trollius, globular or 
round flowered. The group comprised in this genus 
represents a charming collection of spring-flowering 
border perennials allied to the Banunculus ; in their 
habit of growth forming tufts of large handsome 
foliage, from which issue branching stems bearing 
many large globular flowers, varying from creamy- 
white to deep orange. T. europreus is, as its name 
implies, a native of Europe and Britain. It is common 
in gardens, especially in the midland and northern 
districts of England, and grows wild in the mountains 
of Scotland, Wales, and the north of England. It 
may be likened to an aristocratic Buttercup, but the 
petals, though larger and more numerous than those 
of any of the Buttercups are of a paler hue. They are 
cupped, and meet in the centre, so as to enclose the 
stamens and carpels in a perfect globe. This will 
grow in almost any soil or situation, but in a moist 
shady spot it flourishes and forms luxuriant speci¬ 
mens. 
Some of the working men of Lancashire are keen 
botanists, and in searching for wild-flowers they have 
come upon natural seedlings from T. europasus, with 
flowers of deep yellow and even deep-orange colour, 
and they can be seen in their gardens. This species 
can be increased by means of division of the roots. 
According to Kalm, a decoction of the whole plant is 
said to cure scrofula. There is a white-flowered 
variety of this, but it appears to be somewhat scarce. 
T. asiaticus is a native of Siberia, and is known as the 
Asiatic Globe flower. The character of the plant is 
somewhat similar to that of T. europasus, but the 
flowers are of a deeper yellow colour, the petals are 
somewhat more open and fewer than those of the 
common species ; while the leaves are more deeply 
divided and cut larger and of a paler green. It 
requires similar treatment, and can be increased by 
root division. 
T. japonicus flore pleno is a highly ornamental 
border plant, a native of Japan, and produces bright 
orange flowers. T. napellifolius, is the napellus- 
leaved Globe flower, a native of various parts of 
Europe; it is more showy than either europaaus or 
asiaticus, the flowers are orange-yellow, and it is of 
strong growth. By some, this is considered to be a 
variety of T. europams, from which it appears to differ 
in its colour, in not being quite so tall, and in having 
a greater number of lobes in its leaves. It does well 
in good moist sandy loam, and is increased by division 
