326 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 19, 1895. 
house much earlier than do those which have not 
been so treated. The flowers that we see in the 
market during the earliest part of the forcing season 
are usually produced from crowns of the previous 
season which have been kept in the manner described 
trom starting into growth at the usual time. 
The forcing of Lily of the Valley presents no 
particular difficulties if the requisite heat and mois¬ 
ture be given them. For ordinary clumps for forcing 
can be obtained at a reasonable price from most of 
the nurserymen. These may be potted up some 
time during the autumn in pots or boxes filled with 
any light compost; we have seen them bloomed very 
successfully in leaf soil alone. Where it is desired 
to have numbers of them in bloom for table decora¬ 
tion or kindred purposes it is advisable to use single 
crowns instead of the clumps that are used for the 
rougher work. By selecting the crowns in this way, 
and using only the strongest, more uniform results 
are obtained, and the flowers, moreover, are of better 
quality. 
A very good plan for growing Lilies of the Valley 
so as to allow of their being utilised for table decora¬ 
tion that recently came before our notice is worthy 
of mention. Cone-shaped pieces of framework, 
about a foot in height and composed of strong wire, 
had been lined with moss, which served to keep in 
its place the Cocoanut fibre refuse with which the 
receptacle was filled. The plants were growing 
and blooming away in this as happily as possible, 
and illustrated an easy and effective method of 
utilising forced Lilies of the Valley to good purpose 
as decorative subjects for the dinner-table. 
Taking into consideration and making allowance 
for the manifest love of the plant for moist and shady 
places when growing in a wild state, a shady moist 
situation should if possible be chosen as the site 
upon which to make permanent plantations. Almost 
any out-of-the-way corner may be utilised, providing 
the soil is deep enough and rich enough to support 
them. Another point which may render growing 
them in such a situation desirable is that they pre¬ 
sent a somewhat untidy appearance during a part of 
the year when, as a rule, things generally are 
expected to be at their best Plantations, such as 
these, should not be allowed to stay too long without 
the crowns being thinned out, or the flowers will 
gradually degenerate in size and substance and 
become weak and poor. Liberal or top-dressings of 
well-decayed manure should be given each autumn 
without fail, undue disturbance ought, however, to 
be avoided until it is desired to replant any part of 
the plantation. Where woods, and damp, and 
shady places abound, exceedingly fine effects may be 
obtained by naturalising quantities of them in suit¬ 
able positions, an operation which presents no great 
difficulty in its performance, as once planted they 
will take care of themselves. 
- — — 
CYCLAMENS AT READING. 
It is pleasant in the early days of January, with a 
coating of snow on the ground, a keen frost, an east 
wind, and the trees encased in a hoary coating of 
rime, to walk into the Portland Road Nursery of 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, where the Cycla¬ 
mens and Chinese Primulas are now in all their 
glory independent of season or weather. The low, 
span-roofed houses are practically all aglow with the 
most varied and charming hues arranged in masses 
of a colour. This in itself gives a fine effect, but 
the primary object is to keep the colours and strains 
together, because the flowers are being fertilised for 
the production of seed. 
We were in the fortunate position to witness two 
contemporary stages of growth by which the ultimate 
success is secured, the two being separated by an 
interval of twelve months in point of time. Those 
in bloom were sown in November, 1893, while those 
that will take their place this time next year were 
sown (we should say planted) in November last. The 
object of this is to bring them on for winter and 
spring flowering ; but the present is a more suitable 
time for amateurs to sow their main batches. Those 
who desire early supplies of bloom may also sow in 
November to secure that end. A large number of 
pans were well drained and filled with compost con¬ 
sisting of three parts of leaf soil, one part of loam, 
and a sprinkling of silver sand ; then a small quantity 
of more loamy soil was placed over the top and 
pressed down evenly. The seeds were then put in 
singly with a dibber, at regular distances of about 
11 in. each way, and at regular depth, so that no 
transplanting is required till the seedlings have made 
four or more leaves. This is a great advantage, in¬ 
asmuch as the plants receive no check in their early 
stages. A growing temperature of 56° is maintained 
by night and 60? by day. The seedlings are potted 
off separately when they have acquired the above 
specified size. At present they have only one leaf, 
in various stages of development, and a few have 
not yet germinated : but as every seed is expected to 
produce a plant, the patient and successful grower is 
seldom disappointed by waiting, as he knows that 
backward seedlings beat up upon the more forward 
during August and September. Amateurs would do 
well to remember this fact as well as the grower's 
successful method of planting the seeds singly. 
In April the young plants are placed in cold 
frames, upon old, spent hot-beds. In June and July 
they are transferred to their flowering pots, never 
larger than 48-size. Larger plants could be pro¬ 
duced in large pots, but such are always furnished 
with a greater proportion of foliage, and as one 
plant is only allowed to bear a limited number of 
pods, in order to ensure the quality of the seed and 
keep up the standard of perfection, there would be 
no object in using larger pots in this case. Nor is it 
necessary, seeing that such a floriferous display can 
be produced in 48-size pots. A batch of plants, 
flowering for the second time may, however, be seen 
in larger pots in one of the houses, and wonderful 
they are for two-vear-old plants. The young ones 
could be made to flower in October and November if 
kept in a high temperature on purpose, but as the 
process of fertilisation is not commenced till after 
the new year, the plants are retarded rather than 
hurried 
In the matter of insect enemies it is always well 
to take speedy and active remedies against them, 
particularly during the early stages of growth, but 
most of all during the heat of summer. Thrips are 
sometimes very destructive to the leaves and flower 
buds, piercing them to suck the juices in their initial 
stages, and if allowed to prolong their mischievous 
work, the plants never surmount the injury, though 
they may not show the effects till weeks afterwards. 
The remedy here is fir tree oil of medium strength, 
say one part of oil to three of water. Into this the 
plants are dipped till every leaf is submersed and the 
crown of the plant as well, for it is there that the 
greatest harm is done when injury is effected at all. 
Green-fly is destroyed by means of the fumes from 
burning Lethorion Cones. The pans containing the 
seeds and the young seedlings are placed in a house 
where they are directly under the eye the whole 
time. They could be reared in heated frames, but 
during severe weather, when there is a difficulty in 
opening the frames on account of the cold and frost, 
the seeds and seedlings may be undergoing the pro¬ 
cess of demolition by mice, slugs, woodlice, and all 
the hosts of enemies over whose barbarian forces the 
grower has no chance of exercising any control. 
The Persicum Strain. 
Few gardeners have any idea of what the old 
Cyclamen persicum was like, even although they 
have been associated with the culture of the im¬ 
proved varieties for many years. Here they may 
see a plant of what we conceive comes very near 
the wild original. The flowers are small, the seg¬ 
ments oblong, narrow, much twisted, and pale pink 
with a dark mouth. The flowers have the recom¬ 
mendation of being fragrant, though not one in a 
thousand of the cultivated and improved varieties 
are scented. The darkest of the modern varieties is 
Vulcan, with flowers of a dark crimson, uniformly 
true, exceedingly floriferous, and when dying off they 
assume a deep violet tint beautiful even in death. 
The leaves are of a deep purple-red underneath 
and distinct in that respect. The flowers are pro¬ 
duced as early as those of any of the lighter varie¬ 
ties, and as freely, while the contrast is bold and 
striking. White Butterfly still maintains its interest 
for the cultivator and the amateur on the outlook for 
meritorious varieties. Album is also pure white, but 
different in form and very floriferous ; while both are 
the purest and most chaste of winter flowers. 
Roseum Album is white with a purple or rosy base, 
and is usually considered the type of the species, but 
the size of the flowers is several times greater than 
that of the original wilding. Roseum is a shade 
darker, being rose with a dark purple mouth. The 
queen of the lighter coloured varieties is undoubtedly 
Salmon Queen, the novelty of the season. The 
beautiful salmon hue of the flowers deepens to 
chocolate at the mouth, and the mass of bloom is set 
off by the silvery-veined foliage. Phoenix is lighter 
and brighter than Vulcan, and may be compared to 
the Rose, Chas. Lefebvre, as contrasted with the 
maroon-crimson sorts. Very choice also is a plum- 
purple seedling which when fading assumes a decided 
tint of blue, and makes one long for a variety of that 
colour. It is more pronounced than in the fading 
flowers of Vulcan. Another seedling, a sister to 
Salmon Queen, is crimson at the mouth, fading to 
pale pink, which is faintest at the margin of 
the segments. Both of these seedlings are grown in 
some quantity, but have not yet been named. 
The Giganteum Strain. 
The leading feature of this strain is the great size 
of the flowers. When the strain first originated, 
there was a falling off in the number of flowers, but 
that cannot be applied to the varieties grown here 
and which Messrs. Sutton & Sons have brought to 
a state of great floriferousness and beauty. Giant 
White is very pure, and its popularity is fully 
attested by a batch of plants occupying the whole of 
one side of a house. Some of the plants measure 
20 in. through. Giant Crimson and White is white 
with a crimson base and very attractive. On the 
contrary, Giant Crimson is a dark variety whose 
large flowers are borne on stout scapes that require 
no staking. Giant Purple supplies a shade of colour 
that is indispensable for contrast with the lighter 
sorts. Giant Cherry Red is another pleasing colour 
on account of its brilliancy best seen by contrast 
with other kinds. Giant Rose completes a half dozen 
of the giant strain that would be difficult to beat 
and could scarcely have been imagined a few years 
ago. We were much interested with a variety 
with flowers having six, ten, fifteen, twenty, and 
sometimes thirty segments. Those of our readers 
who have opportunity of visiting Reading should 
not miss seeing for themselves the grand display 
of Cyclamens whose cultivation we have detailed 
above as it is pursued by the far-famed Reading 
firm. 
THE PLANT HOUSES. 
The Stove. 
As long as the severe weather holds it will not be 
advisable to excite the plants any more than can be 
helped. A sparing use of the watering-can must be 
practised above all things until things show signs of 
moving somewhat as the season proceeds. The 
great problem will now be how to maintain the 
requisite heat in the house without making the 
atmosphere smell too strongly of fire-heat. This 
can be much better performed in houses which have 
been furnished with an abundance of piping in the 
first instance. Where, however, houses are not so 
well supplied with piping, and as a natural conse¬ 
quence what there is has to be kept extremely hot to 
maintain anything like the necessary temperature, 
great care must be exercised that the damping down 
is well looked after, otherwise the parched and arid 
atmosphere in the house that will inevitably result 
will cause many of the foliage plants to lose a great 
deal of colour. 
Complete the work of cleaning, for very soon jobs 
will multiply apace, and other important operations 
will call for attention, leaving little time for the use 
of the sponge. Any plants that require heading 
down or pruning back may now be attended to, so 
as to allow them time to break before potting is 
commenced. 
Potting. —In most establishments it is the usual 
thing to look over the whole of the stove plants in 
the spring, shifting into larger pots those that 
require it, top-dressing any which it is not thought 
advisable to shift, examining the drainage to see that 
it is in working order. Preparations should be made 
so that when once started the work may be carried 
on to a finish with as little hindrance as possible, 
•for the potting usually occupies some time, and it is 
advisable to get as much of it done as circumstances 
will allow before the sun acquires very great power. 
It should be seen, therefore, that a sufficiency of 
clean pots of suitable sizes are to hand, and the pre¬ 
paration of the compost will need serious attention. 
Loam, which should be of as fibrous a nature as 
possible, may be chopped up roughly with a spade, 
afterwards picking it over by hand, a sharp eye 
meanwhile being kept for worms or wireworms. 
Leaf soil, too, must be freed from all sticks, stones, 
