484 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 4th, 1885. 
rose, with dark carmine blotch, double, and 
very striking ; Phoebus, deep salmon-red, semi¬ 
double, very fine ; Sigismund Pucker, rosy-pink, 
edged with white, very fine; and Souvenir 
de Madame Eudolphe Abel, salmon, edged 
with white, semi - double, of fino form and 
substance. 
Telegraph Posts. —It tends rather to our 
humiliation when we learn that, with all our 
boasted knowledge of forestry and immense 
breadths of woodland, and still millions of acres 
of land so far unreclaimed, that it is hardly 
producing a profitable tree, so that when the 
Postal authorities require substantial poles for 
the Telegraph service, they should be unable to 
meet their requirements at home, but, of necessity, 
must get their poles from the forests of Norway. 
There are not wanting patriotic citizens who would 
so far hamper the Government in this matter 
by proposing to put a protective tax upon Nor¬ 
way Pine, on the ground that our home woods 
and forests needed such protection. But the 
case of the authorities is unanswerable in so far 
that were we dependent upon home-grown poles, 
the wires would never be secure—would, in fact, 
be in danger of falling at any moment—simply 
because the home - grown poles would lack 
endurance. It is true the Government might 
give an impetus to a home industry by having 
the needed 20,000 poles of iron, but the cost 
would be four times that now incurred for the 
Norway poles—a formidable item. English 
Larch has been employed in the past with 
indifferent results, as they soon decayed. Curi¬ 
ously enough the wood has a grain so close that 
it fails to absorb the creosote with which it is 
pickled, and yet is incapable of resisting mois¬ 
ture for any length of time. Of course our 
forefathers could never have contemplated such 
a use for poles as that of elevating telegraph 
wires, but once the demand has been created, it 
is evident that as long as our present system of 
inter-telegraph communication exists, so long 
will Pine-poles be needed, unless we eventually 
incur the enormous expense incidental to iron 
supports. What we should now consider is, the 
possibility of growing suitable poles at home 
either from Norway Pines or some other suitable 
fir. This is a problem which authorities in 
forestry should be able to solve for the benefit 
of home-trade and native industry. 
A New Cycad. —Zamia tonkinensis is the 
name of a new Cycad, which is figured in the 
February number of the Illustration Horticole. 
It is, as its name implies, a native of Tonkin, and 
is now in the possession of the Compagnie Conti- 
nentale d’Horticulture of Ghent. This firm 
obtained for it a Certificate of Merit at the 
horticultural meeting of the Casino, at Ghent, in 
December last. It is said to be one of the most 
elegant species of the genus, and much like the 
well-known Cycas eircinalis. The numerous 
fronds are gracefully arching, bright green, 
pinnate, with about thirty-six pairs of lanceolate 
leaflets, and the petioles spiny below the leaflets. 
It will, doubtless, require similar treatment to the 
afore-mentioned Cyeas. 
American Inventions. — Messrs. 0. T. Presby & 
Aaron Hall, N.Y., have invented a Cultivator, the 
teeth of which are attachable as desired, and are so 
held to their work by a clamp that they will yield on 
striking a large stone or other obstacle, and thus 
prevent breakage. Mr. W. P. Brown, Lanesville, has 
patented a Wheel Cultivator provided with plow beams 
with flexible joints, and with lifting spring and 
draught connection that tends to lower the ploughs 
into the ground, and some other improvements are 
added in construction to make the appliance light and 
strong. 
IJUsrcIIam 
On Wednesday and Thursday next the Spring 
Show of the Boyal Caledonian Horticultural Society 
will be held in the Waverley Market, Edinburgh. 
In connection with the formation of the proposed 
Foresters’ and Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution in 
Scotland, Forestry suggests the establishment of a 
Foresters’ and Gardeners’ Club, embracing lodging 
accommodation, on a commercial basis. 
M. Charles Joly, of Paris, has just published 
a modest brochure of six pages on Vine Culture in 
California. 
Old exhibitors at the Crystal Palace Flower Shows 
will hear with regret of the death recently of the 
former superintendent of the Natural History Depart¬ 
ment, Mr. F. W. Wilson, at the comparatively early 
age of fifty-one years. If ever there was a Mark 
Tapleyamong Flower Showmanagers, “Fred. Wilson ” 
was the man, for he had the most imperturbable of 
tempers, and always “ came out strong.” Some of 
his Natural History yarns will long be remembered. 
The Silver Banksian Medal of the Boyal Horti¬ 
cultural Society offered for competition at the late 
Clifton Spring Show for the best specimen Orchid, 
was won by Mr. E. Miller, with a specimen of 
Phalfenopsis Schilleriana bearing over sixty flowers. 
Mr. George Weblet, on resigning his post of 
honorary secretary to the Clifton Spring Show Society, 
after sixteen years good service, was lately presented 
by his horticultural friends with an illuminated 
address, accompanied by a silver cake-basket, fruit 
spoons, and album, as a small acknowledgment of 
his valuable services. 
A plant of the Monster of Delight,Monstera deliciosa, 
a Mexican fruit not often seen in this country, is at 
present bearing two fine fruits in Messrs. James 
Carter & Co.’s nursery at Forest Hill. 
Mr. B. Ashton, lately gardener at Kirkliam Abbey, 
York, has been engaged as gardener to Lord Howard 
of Glossop. 
A specimen of Dendrobium Wardianum, with nearly 
thirty flowering bulbs, was exhibited at the late 
Liverpool Show by Dr. Walker. 
Mr. A. Stevens, formerly gardener at Holywell 
Park, Sevenoaks, has been engaged as gardener to 
James Bateman, Esq., Moor Park, Farnham, Surrey. 
It is rumoured that Mr. Charles Sharpe, of Slea¬ 
ford, who was a candidate for South Lincolnshire at 
the last general election, has had a considerable 
amount of pressure brought to bear upon him with a 
view to inducing him to become the Liberal candidate 
for the Spalding division of the county. 
A fine plant of Dendrobium fimbriatum giganteum, 
with over thirty spikes of drooping, golden blossoms, 
was shown last week at Liverpool by Mr. G. Black- 
more. 
Mrs. McKeith, widow of Mr. Archibald McKeith 
(who died about nine years ago, after serving the firm 
of Messrs. Downie & Laird, now Messrs. B. B. Laird 
& Sons, for twenty-six years as nursery manager), 
died at the W T est Coates Nursery on the 18th ult. 
The Orchid Album. —The March number of this 
publication contains coloured plates and descriptions 
of the handsomely spotted Cypripedium Godefroyse; 
the very beautiful Cattleya Mendelii Jamesiana ; the 
graceful and very distinct white flowered Angrsecum 
Kotschyi; and a very good form of Vanda suavis. 
Boyal Botanic Society. —At a meeting of this 
Society held last Saturday, Dr. Cogswell said that the 
curious felted balls brought by the secretary from the 
shores of the Mediterranean, and described by him at 
the last meeting as formed from “ sea-wrack ” by the 
rolling action of the sea, had proved very interesting 
to many scientific friends. He would like to know if 
they contained iodine, or could be put to any economic 
use.—Professor Bentley said that iodine was now 
obtained so readily from a variety of sources that it 
would not pay to use balls of sea-wrack for the 
purpose. The dried plant was in use for stuffing 
mattresses.—Mr. Henry Maudslay said that in his 
travels over a considerable portion of the world he had 
constantly met with similar balls formed of a great 
variety of substances on the sea beach. He believed 
they assisted in the formation of soil on coral islands. 
He had often seen them of more than a foot in 
diameter. 
CYCLAMENS. 
The truly superb, as well as extensive, collection 
of these favourite winter and spring flowers, shown 
last week at South Kensington by Mr. Bichard Clark 
of Twickenham, furnishes an excellent text upon 
which to pen a few notes. Mr. Clark is one of the 
two or three, we may say certainly not more than 
half-a-dozen, of market plant-growers who turn out 
Cyclamens, to use a modem colloquialism, “ About 
as good as they make ’em.” , It is one of the odd 
features of this plant, and we have previously 
remarked upon it, that only very few can grow it well, 
and those few are not, as a rule, ordinary plant- 
growers, but Cyclamen specialists. The fact is, the 
Cyclamen needs special houses, special culture, 
and special knowledge; and although it is evident 
that to those who have all the secrets of their culture 
at their fingers’ ends, it is as simple as ABC, and 
the plants may be turned out in first-class form almost 
as early as if they were Cabbages, yet myriads of good 
gardeners and ordinarily good plantsmen utterly fail 
with Cyclamens, and fail, first, because they have not 
the special houses, and secondly, the special knowledge 
that is required. 
Mr. Clark, for instance, tons out some 12,000 to 
15,000 plants yearly, and grows nothing else beyond 
Strawberries in pots for the spring-time. Cyclamen 
growers in the market-trade are useful men, and 
of course know their worth, but then they are not, as 
a rule, so very clever in other directions. Now the 
group of Cyclamens which Mr. Clark put up at South 
Kensington, comprising some 200 plants, were finely 
grown and perfectly flowered. Nearly all were in the usual 
market 48-sized pots, from out of which in market plant 
establishments such wonderful results are obtained. 
The collection comprised several forms and colours, 
the most striking of which were the block of rich 
crimson flowers of a rich blood-red hue, of good form, 
and though not so large as are those of light colours, 
yet are wonderfully effective. From out of this batch 
have been selected from time to time some forms 
having singular density of colour and stoutness of 
petal; indeed one, a seedling of recent raising and 
carrying only three open blooms, surpassed all we 
have before seen in form, colour, and general quality. 
Bather lighter are the reds, though very striking and 
effective indeed, as seen in this group, shown up in a 
mass between other masses of paler colours. The rose- 
coloured section named Bose Queen, have a delicate 
flush of violet on a red ground, and are very beautiful. 
The persicums of Mr. Clark are a very fine strain, 
his Giganteum compactum rivalling for size and form 
any strain in existence. The Persicums may be 
always recognized by their coloured bases, such for 
instance as seen in the charming new colour, Bosy 
Morn, the flowers being of a bright flesh-pink with a 
deep red base. The true p. giganteum compactum 
has blooms of great size, and generally of a pale flesh 
or white ground, with base of crimson, purple, or rose. 
A grand form, selected specially, is named Monarch, 
the petals being some 11 ins. in depth. A pretty form 
has a flesh-coloured base, which runs up into and 
suffuses the white petals, giving a pleasing delicate 
tint. 
Finally, there are the whites, a splendid strain, 
pure as snow, and blooms of great size. What 
admirable compact habits have been secured to all 
these best strains of Cyclamen now, the blooms 
standing upon stout erect stems with entire evenness, 
just as though grown in a mould. It was once 
remarked that in the course of improvement the 
Cyclamen was in danger of having one of its most 
striking features, the twist in the petals of the flowers, 
improved clean away. That danger seems to be at 
present remote, but it is certain that exceptional 
cases of stoutness and breadth of petal are almost 
of necessity accompanied with less of twist and more 
of flatness. 
It does seem as if, judging Cyclamen blooms by our 
casual notions of what they should be, that there is 
now very little room for improvement in the best forms. 
Minute divergencies may arise which may bring them 
a trifle nearer to the florist’s ideal, but still it must be 
admitted there is not much room for advance on 
existing recognized lines. Double flowers do not at 
present exhibit any features for which to crave. They 
are loose, very irregular and sprawling, and, to use a 
familiar phrase, are all over the shop. It is not at 
