44 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 15, 1894. 
Giant will give ample returns for any space it may 
take up. In the larger gardens of private gentle¬ 
men, where the Cauliflower is one of the most 
important vegetables grown, a good autumn variety 
like the above is indispensable. As its name implies, 
its heads are of large size, pure white, and of 
splendid flavour. It is a heavy feeder, and generous 
treatment will therefore be necessary. If planted 
on a south border it will form a good succession crop 
to early Potatos, and will yield a supply for a great 
part of the autumn until their career is cut short by 
winter's frosty breath. It is advisable when frost 
threatens, to pull up such plants as have good heads 
by the roots and hang them in a shed out of harm’s 
way. They will keep in good condition for a week 
or two if treated in this way, and an awkward break 
in the succession may often thus be avoided.—.?. 
HYPERICUM PATULUM. 
The two large beds filled with this pretty little 
Japanese plant, situate on either side of the path 
leading to the southern entrance of the succulent 
house at Kew, affords a particularly pleasing sight 
just now. The plants are nearly 2 ft. in height, 
about the same distance through, and are flowering 
profusely. How strange it is that plants of this de¬ 
scription remain unknown quantities to the horti¬ 
cultural world generally. Indeed, one rarely sees 
them outside the bounds of botanic gardens. This 
Hypericum is perfectly hardy, a most profuse 
bloomer, and attains a maximum height of about 
6 ft.— G. 
HARDY FUCHSIAS. 
The most commonly met with are F. gracilis and 
F. Riccartoni, and very beautiful they are; at the 
same time we cannot help thinking that among the 
hundreds of varieties that have been raised since the 
introduction of the plant, there are some equally 
hardy. We have often noticed several kinds, 
including one with a double white corolla in a 
fore court garden which passed through several 
winters with a covering of ashes under a flower 
pot. We noticed recently in the nurseries of Messrs. 
J. Laing & Sons several of these old varieties, one 
purporting to be the old F. globosa, a fine old thing, 
if true, and well worth looking up. Can anyone say 
if Earl Beaconsfield has been tested as a hardy 
variety.— IV.B.G. 
CARNATION SALISBURY. 
This is a very free flowering white variety. Its 
blooms are not particularly large, but are of a handy 
size, and sufficiently double for all purposes, added 
to which it is not liable to burst its calyx. In con¬ 
stitution it is one of the hardiest sorts I grow. It 
is a great favourite too at Elvetham Park, as it is 
one of the few varieties that will grow and thrive in 
low-lying situations.— Con. 
CALCEOLARIA AMPLEXICAULIS. 
This I consider to be one of the finest Calceolarias 
in cultivation. True, it is not a new one, for I 
remember its being used for bedding purposes at 
least from twenty-five to thirty years ago, at Rood 
Ashton. It is especially suitable for the filling of 
large beds, and for growing in masses in borders. 
A few neat stakes will be necessary to keep the 
plants in an upright position when heavy with 
bloom. We treat it like this in our garden, and it 
looks splendid, indeed, it is impossible to beat it.-— 
Con. 
A WALK IN THE COUNTRY. 
As I know many places mentioned, I have read these 
articles with much interest, but in connection with 
the Pilgrim’s Way (p. 24) I must join issue with the 
writer. I used to know well some miles of the 
Pilgrim’s Road, and so far from its being on the top 
of the hillsides, it was invariably so much hollowed 
out that travellers would be completely screened 
from the sight of marauding bands who infested the 
summit. Such, at least, was the reason I have 
always heard given for the manner in which the.road 
is excavated. From many points along the North 
Downs it would be impossible for a stranger to tell 
that a road lay below him, and even knowing that it 
did so, to guess where it ran.— E. Coll. Nov. [We 
forwarded your letter to Mr. Stogdon, who kindly 
replies :—“ I find that at Titsey the elevation of the 
Pilgrim’s Way is 539 ft. above the level of the sea. 
A little further westward it runs quite at the top of 
the hill by a place called Hiltop Cottage, the eleva¬ 
tion close by being marked as 671 ft, on the Ordnance 
Survey Map. The Way itself was probably in 
existence in many parts before the advent of the 
Romans, and a good account of it is contained in an 
appendix to Dean Stanley’s Canterbury ."— Ed.] 
-- 
WINDOW PLANTS. 
The use of plants for the embellishment of our 
homes is almost universal, and what would the 
homes of the poorer classes be without them. Dull 
and cheerless as too many of them are both in their 
surroundings and interiors, it may be from no fault 
of their occupiers, who are often, alas, quite help¬ 
less and at the mercy of those who care but little how 
the poor fare, whose only bit of brightness often con¬ 
sists of a few plants which are both lovingly and 
carefully cherished, the windows being so crowded 
with them, that the rooms are often in a state of 
semi-darkness. In some working class districts very 
many of the newer houses have bay windows, which 
add much to the appearance of the house itself, and 
the extra amount of pleasure derivable from the 
better cultivation of a few plants in these, is well 
shown by the number of instances met with, in a few 
minutes’ walk. In such cases the accommodation 
afforded is put to good use, and really artistic 
arrangements may be seen in artisans' windows, 
when plants grace his windows, which not so many 
years since could only be obtained by the well-to-do 
members of society. 
Surely if the.greatest good to the greatest number 
is the beau ideal to be aimed at, the realm of horti¬ 
culture is well on the road to its attainment. It is 
quite true that in many instances these displays are 
not the product of the householder’s own skill, and 
many will ask what can anyone do satisfactorily 
without the aid of a glass structure and at a dis¬ 
advantage as respects proper soil. Now as regards 
the latter, we have found that a great deal may be 
done with tea leaves and road scrapings, or more 
properly horse droppings collected with a fair 
amount of grit with them, the tea leaves dried before 
using and the droppings well broken up and inter¬ 
mixed with garden soil will often be the only 
material within the reach of very many, and from 
actual experience we may add that Pelargoniums, 
Fuchsias, Hyacinths, and other bulbs will do fairly 
well in it. 
Windows like these during the summer months 
may be kept quite gay with flowering plants by 
having a surplus to draw from as they become 
exhausted indoors, growing on outside, for there are 
many things which during the summer months will 
do best outside up to near the time they commence 
flowering, because the growths will be more stocky 
and free flowering for their stay outside, and those 
which have done service in the window may 
recoup their energies and possibly serve another 
turn in the window before winter sets in. A very 
common error is over-crowding, too many things 
only spoil the effect, and half kill each other. One 
frequent mistake made is not providing sufficient 
drainage, owing to which the water given cannot 
pass away as quickly as it should do. Another mis¬ 
take is over-filling the pots with soil; but a greater 
evil than either is over-watering. Some literally 
drown their plants and rot the roots from this excess. 
Just a very few delight in this treatment, being of a 
semi-aquatic character. The Arum, Musk and 
Cyperus or umbrella plant, as it is frequently called, 
are the most common cases of the kind. 
We have often been asked, “ How often shall I 
water my plants.” To this the only reasonable 
answer is, “ When they require it,” which will vary 
very much according to the positions they are placed 
in and atmospheric conditions, with the amount of 
foliage and its relative proportion to the size of pot 
the plant is growing in. Some will readily judge by 
weight, others by rapping the pots, which, should 
the balls of the plants be dry, will ring, and if wet, 
the sound is dull and heavy. A golden rule is when 
watering to give enough to thoroughly soak the ball, 
so that the water passes right through. Those who 
constantly water the same plants will soon learn to 
tell at a glance if they are dry or not, and if in doubt, 
feeling the soil with the finger will soon satisfy them 
as to its condition. If too dry it will not soil the 
finger, and if wet it will do so sufficiently for the 
operator to know that no more water is required at 
the time.— IV. B. G. 
SOCIETIES. 
Royal Horticultural, Sept. nth .—The exhibits on the 
occasion of the meeting on Tuesday last were very 
numerous, and in some cases quite extensive. Hardy 
herbaceous plants and Dahlias were amongst the 
most prominent features of the show, but Roses, 
China Asters, and stove and greenhouse flowers 
were also conspicuous and noteworthy. Orchids 
were somewhat scattered about, but they quite 
maintained their reputation. A showy and interest¬ 
ing group of Orchids was exhibited by Messrs. 
Hugh Low & Co., Clapton, including many flowering 
specimens of Cypripedium Shuttleworthii, some of 
which were very dark and rich in colour. They 
also had Vanda caerulea, Laelia tenebrosa, and 
Saccolabium coelleste. (Silver Banksian Medal.) 
A group of Orchids was also exhibited by R. I. 
Measures, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Hy. Chapman), 
Cambridge Road, Flodden Road, Camberwell. 
Cypripediums and Vandas were the leading features 
of this group, but he had some fine forms of Cattleya 
aurea, including a spike of C. a. chrysotoxa bearing 
two flowers which differed very much from one 
another in colour. (Silver Banksian Medal.) A 
mixed and varied group of Orchids, including the 
curious green flowered Coelogyne Meyeriana, also 
Calanthe Laucheana, Catasetum fimbriatum. and 
Odontoglossum Schroderianum, was exhibited by 
Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans. (Silver 
Banksian Medal.) A mixed group of Orchids was 
also staged by Messrs. W. L. Lewis & Co., 
Southgate. Cattleyas in five specific forms, 
as well as some hybrids and varieties, 
Oncidiums, Cypripediums, and Habenaria carnea 
nivosa, and several other things were pro¬ 
minent in the group, which was backed up with 
Palms and interspersed with Maidenhair Ferns 
(Silver Banksian Medal). An interesting collection 
of Orchids chiefly in the cut state, including forms 
of Cattleya guttata, C. Statteriana, and C. granulosa, 
was exhibited by Thos. Statter, Esq. (gardener, Mr. 
R. Johnson), Stand Hall, Whitfield, Manchester. 
The most handsome, new, and valuable sort in his 
exhibit was that named Cattleya gigas Countess of 
Derby (Silver Banksian Medal). Cattleya guttata 
phoenicoptera, C. g. Leopoldii, and C. Alexandra, 
were exhibited by Walter C. Walker, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. G. Cragg), Percy Lodge, Winchmore Hill. A 
fine bunch of flowers of Cattleya Gaskelliana albens 
odorata and a plant of Odontoglossum aspersum 
rubrum, were exhibited by Sir Trevor Lawrence, 
Bart, (grower, Mr. W. H. White), Burford Lodge, 
Dorking. A fine new Cypripedium, named C. 
Metiore, was shown by M. Jules Hye-Lysen, 8, Le 
Coupure, Ghent. Two fine branching spikes of 
Renanthera coccinea were shown by J. A. Miller, 
Esq. (gardener, Mr. D. Fairweather), Bifrons Park, 
Canterbury. Cypripedium Shuttleworthii and a 
large piece of Cattleya Loddigesii Glebeland's var. 
were staged by J. Gurney Fowler, Esq., Glebelands, 
South Woodford. A piece of Oncidium Forbesii 
grandiflorum was shown by E. J. Wickenden, Esq., 
Heathfield. Flowers of Cattleya Gaskelliana were 
shown by Sir Charles Piggot, Bart, (gardener, Mr. 
Capp), Wexham Park, Slough. Laelia tenebrosa 
Robert Castle and L. purpurata Mrs. Taylor 
Leyland were shown by Messrs. F. Horsman & Co., 
Mark’s Tey, Colchester. 
A Silver Floral Medal was awarded to Mr. Eric 
F. Such, The Nurseries, Maidenhead, for a fine 
collection of Cactus, Decorative, Show, and Fancy 
Dahlias. Miss Mary Morgan, St. Katherine, Apollo, 
and Kynerith were some of the best varieties in the 
Cactus and decorative section, and Hon. Mrs. P. 
Wynham, W. H. Williams, Mr. Harris, R. T. 
Rawlings, J. Walker, Mrs. Saunders, and Mrs. W. 
Slack, were some of the best show and fancy sorts. 
Mr. John Walker of Thame, Oxon, was awarded a 
Silver Banksian Medal for seventy-two superb blooms 
of show and fancy Dahlias. He had blooms of 
Maud Fellowes, James Cocker, Duke of Fife, Willie 
Garratt, Mrs. Langtry, Chorister, and Queen of the 
Belgians, in very fine condition. A fine lot of Quilled 
Asters comprising thirty-six bunches of from six to ten 
blooms in each, were also exhibited by Mr. Walker. 
A Silver Banksian Medal was given to Mrs. Craw¬ 
ford, Gatton, Reigate, for two exceedingly fine and 
well-flowered plants of Eucharis amazonica carry¬ 
ing considerably over 200 blooms between them. 
Messrs. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, staged a fine 
