490 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 4th, 1885. 
Since the above was written, I have received from 
a friend fine flowers of a giant Daffodil, one which 
I only saw once before. It was then sent to me as 
Narcissus “ Grand Trunk,” from Mr. Smith, of Newiy, 
and now it comes again from an Irish garden, and, 
singularly enough, on the label are the words, “ Came 
mixed with ‘ Sir Watkin,’ what a splendid trunk!” 
There is not a word of complaint, mind, at this 
“ Grand Trank ” Daffodil being mixed with “ Sir 
Watkin,” nor need there be, for it is a great beauty, 
and one of the rarest of all true Daffodils. It may 
now dawn upon our readers, as it has dawned upon 
myself, that this “ Grand Trunk ” Daffodil having 
apparently grown along with it in Wales, may 
possibly be one of the parents of the “ Sir Watkin ” 
variety. But as I have before said, while fully ad¬ 
miring the distinctness and beauty of this new peer¬ 
less Narcissus, every true lover of Daffodils will await 
with interest more light as to its origin and early 
history in Welsh gardens. 
N. obvallabis, seen on the right-hand side,-below 
“ Sir Watkin,” is also a Welsh variety, naturalized, 
even if not really wild, in the meadows near Tenby, in 
South Wales. How it came there no one knows 
to-day, but it is one of the most distinct of all the true 
Daffodils, having a broadly imbricated perianth, and a 
stiff and sturdy trunk a little flanged at the brims. 
Once well planted N. obvallaris increases quickly, and 
its flowers endure a long time fresh and beautiful. It 
will always be a puzzle to us as to how this variety 
originally became naturalized at Tenby. 
N. PAJLLiDrs-piisscox, the flower opposite to the last- 
named, is a beautiful sulphur-white Daffodil, which 
after a lapse of nearly 300 years, was re-introduced into 
cultivation by Messrs. Barr & Son, through the kindness 
of W. B’Arcy G. Osborne, Esq., and has been found, 
both in Holland and England, to be the earliest of 
all Daffodils and one of the handsomest. In 1884 it 
flowered in the open ground at Tooting in January, 
and at the first meeting in-February was awarded a 
First-Class Certificate by the Committee of the Boyal 
Horticultural Society. To many it may be interesting 
to read Parkinson’s quaint description of this Daffodil, 
written in 1629 :—“ Pseudo-Narcissus pallidus prascox, 
the early straw-coloured Daffodil. The leaves of this 
Daffodill are of a meane size, betweene the broadest 
and the narrower kindes, of a grayish-greene colour, 
and not very long : the stalke riseth up a foot high or 
more, whereon standeth one large great flower, 
equalling the greatest Spanish bastard Daffodil in the 
largenesse of his trunke, and having the brimmes 
turned up a little, which maketh it seeme the larger : 
the wings or outer leaves are in a manner as short as 
they are in the greatest Spanish kinde (and not long 
flagging down, like unto the mountain kinds), and 
stand straight out right. All the whole flower is of 
one even colour, that is of a fine pale yellow, some¬ 
what like unto the colour of a Lemon peele or rinde, 
but somewhat whiter, which usually we call a- strawe 
colour ; the greatnesse of the flower, the earlinesse of 
the flowering, and the difference of colour from all the 
rest of this kinde, hath made me entreate of it apart 
by itselfe, as being no lesse worthy."—Parkinson’s 
Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestri-s, edition 1629, 
p. 99. 
This early variety is quite distinct from all other 
Daffodils as noted by Parkinson, but bulbs kindly sent 
to me by theBev. M’olley Dod, from near Bayonne, are 
extremely like it in earliness and colour, and with 
N. pallidus-prscox would seem to be the connecting 
link between the yellow Daffodils and the white ones. 
N. poeticus obnatus. — This variety represented by 
the two flowers on the lower left-hand side of the 
illustration, has during recent years come to the front, 
being grown by the acre near London for the pro¬ 
duction of cut-flowers. It is a bold shapely flower of good 
substance, and is one of the earliest of all the poet’s 
Narcissi to bloom. As shown in our illustration, two 
flowers are sometimes borne on the scape, but this can 
never be depended upon, since experience proves that 
bulbs which give two-flowered scapes one year may 
be single-flowered the next, or vice versd. This 
variety is well worth culture in quantity, and if N. 
poeticus recurvus and N. majalis are grown also, the 
supply cf cut-flowers will be prolonged two or three 
weeks, the latest to bloom being the sweet-scented 
double-flowered, or “ Gardenia Nareisse,” which 
carries the Daffodil season into the time of Boses— 
flowery June. 
N. Macleah. —The small flower at the bottom is 
not a showy kind, and its claim to be regarded as a 
species rests on very slender grounds, it having never 
been found in a truly wild state. It is quite distinct 
in foliage and flower, and will always have the respect 
of Narcissophiles, seeing that the new seedlings of the 
Nelsoni and tridymus types owe to it their parentage. 
The leaves are short, broad, of a greenish hue, and the 
sturdy scapes each bear one, or rarely two flowers, 
these having a white perianth and a deep yellow crown 
or cup. 
N. “ Cambridge Don,” the large flower in the centre, 
is a fine bold flower, well worth a place even in the 
choicest selection, its blossoms being of good sub¬ 
stance, and so enduring fresh and fan - in water for a 
long time. 
N. cernuus pulcher, figured on the right of “ Cam¬ 
bridge Don,” is one of the late Mr. Deed’s seedling 
Daffodils, and a great beauty in its way; but unfor¬ 
tunately, like all the white Daffodils, its bulbs are 
delicate, and apt to decay in cold, wet, or stiff soils. 
In order to enjoy the tender beauty of all the varieties 
of N. cernuus, a special course of culture is in most 
gardens quite essential. A sunny position should be 
chosen, sheltered from biting north and north-east 
winds, which soon shrivel up their beauty. The soil, 
if good, should be thrown out to a depth of IS ins. to 
2 ft., and a foot of drainage placed at the bottom, 
consisting of stones, or builders’ rubbish. Over this 
place a layer of turf, grass-side downwards, and then 
throw back the soil, which will now be a foot or more 
above the ground-level. Each bulb should be sur¬ 
rounded with clean dry sand at planting time (July or 
August). Baised beds or borders are used even in 
Holland and the Seilly Islands for bulbs, and are 
especially suitable for tender Narcissi. 
In conclusion, I would beg of all Narcissus growers 
to cut their flowers in the bud stage, i.e., just as the 
perianth lobes begin to unfold. So treated, they open 
out in water even fresher and better than if left 
exposed to rough weather on the' plant in the open 
air; and besides, one can more thoroughly 1 enjoy their 
grace of form as they open their petals near to the 
eye.— F. W. Bv.rbidge, Trinity College Botanical 
Gardens, Dublin. 
Fruit Culture under Glass.— Vines : The dis¬ 
budding, tying down, and stopping of the shoots at a 
couple of joints beyond the bunches will now require 
prompt attention, as also will the removing of super¬ 
fluous bunches as soon as they appear. Vines having 
long spurs which are allowed to increase in length 
year after year, not only become unsightly but are also 
antagonistic to the production of good Grapes, inas¬ 
much as the sap cannot circulate so freely as could be 
deshed through the tissues of the gnarled shoots; 
therefore a young shoot should be allowed to grow at 
their base for fruiting next year, the old spurs being 
cut close back to the main stem at pruning time. Vines 
thus treated are rendered more vigorous and fruitful. 
Atmospheric Moisture and Temperature.—A dry, 
warm, and somewhat airy atmosphere should be 
maintained in houses in which Grapes 'are beginning 
to colour to give flavour and finish to the berries. The 
same remark applies also to houses in which the 
bunches are in flower, in which case the rods should 
be tapped with the hand twice a day to distribute the 
pollen. But in the case of shy-setting varieties, 
such as Muscat of Alexandria, and Muscat Hamburgh, 
it will be advisable to pass some light soft substance 
over the individual bunches about mid-day, until a 
good set is secured, and for this purpose there is 
nothing more efficient and simple than the tail of a 
rabbit tied on to a stick sufficiently long to reach all 
the bunches from the floor line. The pathways, walls, 
and surface of the border—especially under the 
hot-water pipes, and between them and the front wall 
—should be well damped with tepid water early in the 
morning and again at closing time in the afternoon, 
and once between during bright sunshiny weather. 
These remarks are also applicable to Vines during 
their progress from the opening of the leaves to the 
bunches coming into flower. 
Grapes in the early houses which have completed 
the stoning process and commenced their second 
swelling, should have a night temperature of 60 degs. 
to 65 degs., 70 degs. to 75 degs. in the day-time by 
fire-heat, and 10 degs. higher with sun, and plenty of 
air—running the temperature up to 90 degs. at closing 
time, with the house well charged with moisture. 
The temperature of succession houses should range at 
night from 60 degs. to 65 degs. by the time the 
bunches come into flower, when in the case of 
Muscats it should be raised tt> 70 degs., and 10 degs. 
to 15 degs. higher by day, with sun-heat and a free 
circulation of fresh air. After the berries are set, the 
night temperature may be lowered— that in the 
Muscat-house to 65 degs., and the Black Hamburghs 
and other varieties should range between 60 degs. and 
65 degs. 
Ventilation and Watering the Border. — Open 
the ventilators a little in the morning when the 
thermometer registers 75 degs. to 80 degs. in houses 
in which the vines are swelling their bunches, and 
at 70 degs. to 75 degs. in suceessiona! houses, and 
afterwards increase or decrease the quantity of air 
given according to the rise and fall of the temperature 
in the individual houses until closing time, which 
should range from 2.45 to 3.15 in the afternoon on 
bright sunny days during the next few weeks. If the 
vineries are pretty nearly air-tight, the front and top 
ventilators should be opened a little late in the 
evening, and closed first thing in the morning, except 
houses in which the Grapes are beginning to colour or 
are coming into flower, which should have more or 
less air on day and night. See that a sufficient supply 
of tepid water—say at a temperature of 80 degs.—is 
given to the roots when necessary ; let there be no 
surface waterings, but a thorough soaking of the 
entire mass of roots and soil. Should red spider 
attack the leaves, sponge those so affected carefully 
with soft soapy-water, and if mildew puts in an 
appearance—which it will do if a low humid atmos¬ 
phere prevails—dust the leaves with flowers of 
sulphur, and maintain a rather warm, dry, and airy 
atmosphere for a few days and it will soon disappear. 
— H. TV. Ward, Longford Castle. 
Grafting Apples and Fears.—It often happens 
that Apples and Pears are unsatisfactory through 
being unsuited to the soil or district in which they 
are growing, and an easy remedy for this state of 
things is grafting, which is a very simple operation 
that may be performed now with a certainty of success 
if a few easy rules are observed. The first preliminary 
with the tree to be worked is to behead it, in doing 
which all the smallest and best branches should be 
left from 6 ins. to a foot long, as arms or places for 
inserting the scions. As the branches will have to be 
severed with a saw, it will be necessary to smooth the 
cuts with a knife after, or the jagged bark will not lieaL 
The way to prepare the grafts is to get nice young 
shoots of the sorts of Apples or Pears that are known 
to.be good and to do well in the locality, and shave 
them off on one side at the lower end, in the same 
manner as when making a quill pen, making the cut 
between 2 and 3 ins. long, and the scion double that 
length, when it will be ready for inserting under the 
bark of the stock. To enable this to be done without 
bruising the graft, a slit should be made by drawing 
the point of the knife up the rind at the end of the 
cut back branches, so as to make a slit through, when 
by having a hard piece of wood made the shape and 
size of the graft, the bark may be raised by pushing it 
down under, and after pulling it out, the scion may be 
put in ; and if then tied securely and covered with a 
mixture of equal parts of clay and cow-dung, so as to 
form a large lump or ball around, to keep the grafts 
moist and plump and the ah out, they cannot fail to 
grow.— Alpha. 
Besseba elegans.— The best of this little-known 
genus, producing a pair cf erect radical leaves and 
a scape, about a foot high, supporting a terminal 
umbel of ten to sixteen drooping bell-shaped flowers, 
of bright vermilion on the outside, inside rosy-white 
margined with vermilion, and a line running down 
the centre of each petal of the same colour; a very 
remarkable and telling plant. It is easily grown in 
pots or in a warm house ; or planted out in April in a 
warm dry border, and lifted in autumn, the same as 
the Milla biflora,— T. S. Ware. 
