372 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 9,1895. 
made upon them in June. Then the ques¬ 
tion for the present is to work out the 
arrangements for the bedding stuff in stock, 
and which will vary according to the kinds 
which are most popular at present, or 
clamour for recognition, or according to the 
tastes and inclinations of those who are 
responsible for the ordering of the flower 
garden. That the latter may vary within 
limits from year to year, it is necessary to 
work out new designs beforehand so that 
nothing can interfere with nor hinder their 
accomplishment when the proper time 
arises. 
There are many cognate questions to be 
considered in making these fresh arrange¬ 
ments, and their ultimate effectiveness and 
success will depend upon the calculations 
and skill which the deviser can bring to 
bear upon them before they are put into 
operation. No rotation of cropping is 
studied as a rule as in the case of vegetables ; 
but appropriateness of position is of para¬ 
mount importance. For instance, certain 
subjects will grow and flower well in posi¬ 
tions shaded to some extent by trees and 
buildings, such as foliage plants, Pansies, 
Violas, and Calceolarias ; but Pelargoniums, 
Petunias, Zinnias, Gazanias, Lobelias, 
tuberous and other Begonias, Verbenas, 
and all the succulent tribe revel in the sun¬ 
shine. Some things thrive satisfactorily in 
a dry position, while others like a tolerable 
supply of moisture, particularly during times 
of drought, and if so supplied will succeed 
even though exposed to bright sunshine all 
day long. The effect of exhaustion can 
always be overcome by the use of good 
farmyard manure, though it is possible to 
overdo the soil by frequent application 
unless occasional trenching is resorted to. 
In many private establishments on the other 
hand there is a difficulty in getting a suffi¬ 
cient supply for the garden, and in such 
cases it may be economised in the flower 
garden by applying it those beds only in 
which it is intended to plant vigorous grow¬ 
ing subjects like Cannas, Ricinus, Wigan- 
dias, Begonias, and others of that nature. 
It is frequently the case that all the beds 
are manured alike with whatever the 
cultivator has most at his command. To 
make the soil as rich for Pelargoniums, 
Petunias, Tropaeolums, Verbenas, and 
similar things, as for Begonias and sub¬ 
tropical subjects, is to court failure, because 
every experienced gardener knows that 
Pelargoniums may be made to grow like 
Cabbages, but in wet seasons particularly 
the display they make is relatively poor 
indeed. Soil of medium richness, and a 
position relatively sheltered from boisterous 
winds, but well exposed to air and sun¬ 
shine, enable Pelargoniums to give the 
greatest satisfaction. The stems are 
dwarfer, the internodes shorter, and the 
flowers more profuse under such conditions. 
All these things are more or less familiar 
to the average gardener, but are points for 
the rising generation to master ; and while 
the head gardener is planning new arrange¬ 
ments, his under gardeners and apprentices 
should also be encouraged to make plans 
of the flower garden, even from old copies, 
and try to attribute reasons and understand 
the why and the wherefore of every detail 
connected with the same. 
True it is that Pelargoniums are not held 
in the same esteem, nor monopolise the 
hot-houses and flower garden to anything 
like the same extent as they did compara¬ 
tively a few years ago ; but everything has 
its day and generation, and they who profit 
by the experience tobegained fromthepopu- 
lar subjects of the day, and are ever ready to 
appropriate any new ideas that may turn 
up and turn them to account, are laying up 
a useful store of knowledge that can hardly 
fail to be serviceable to them on some future 
and as yet unforeseen occasion. The great 
point with young gardeners is to induce 
them to think for themselves. Much valu¬ 
able time has been irreparably lost through 
carelessness and inattentiveness in youth, 
and afterwards regretted when other press¬ 
ing and accumulative matters absolutely 
prevent the desirable time for studying 
what might have been acquired in youth. 
It is very difficult to curb the youthful 
inclination against a desire for mere amuse¬ 
ment, and in some cases more so than in 
others; though in many cases a good ex¬ 
ample set by elders and superiors would be 
sufficient to turn the bent of the young 
man's inclination, and encourage him to a 
studious and diligent application of his 
energies to the requirement of the science 
and technicalities of his profession. Well 
grounded in this, the gardener is able in 
after life not merely to follow his avocation 
with a blind slavishness to precedent and 
the traditions of the past, but is in a 
position to make advances, to improve upon 
old ideals, and even to invent new ones and 
add to the science of gardening to his own 
and all men’s advantage. This should be 
the aim and purpose of every young gar¬ 
dener ; hence the advisability of utilising 
the long winter evenings to the fullest 
advantage. 
-- 
Farningham Rose and Horticultural Society.—The 
annual exhibition of this society has been fixed for 
July 3rd. 
Winter Flowers.—A Daily News correspondent 
writes—"It may interest your readers to know that 
in the seven weeks, ended with the 31st of December 
last, I counted 144 distinct species of wild plants in 
bloom or bud in a portion of the county of Somerset." 
M. Charles de Bosschere, one of the contributors to 
the Revue de L'Horticultural Beige, has been named 
corresponding member of the National Horticultural 
Society of France, in testimony to the esteem for his 
works in horticulture. 
To Prolong the Flowering of Orchids.— M. Ernest 
Bergman, of Ferrieres, speaks in great praise of a 
method he has discovered of prolonging the flowers 
of Orchids for a longer period than they would 
under ordinary circumstances. It is sufficient to 
cover the flowering specimens in the evening with 
pieces of silk paper. The night steam or vapour 
in condensing cannot deposit itself on the flowers, 
and the latter keep for a much longer time. 
Zinc Labels.—Various kinds of ink are used for 
writing upon large labels. The Revue de L'Horticul- 
lure Beige says that here is one of the best:— 
" Dissolve one part of sulphate of copper and one 
part of chloride of calcium in thirty-six times their 
volume of pure water. Allow the writing to dry 
for two minutes, then wash with a good quantity of 
water, dry it and wipe with a piece of cloth soaked 
in oil. 
Royal Gardeners’Orphan Fund.— By an unfortunate 
printer’s error which appeared in our last issue, and 
which we hasten to correct, Mr. Matthew Todd, 
Maitland Street, Edinburgh, was credited with 
having sent to the Honorary Secretary the sum of 
£3 ios., instead of £13 10s., as the proceeds of the 
sale of flowers made by him on behalf of the Fund 
at the last Edinburgh Chrysanthemum Show. Mr. 
Todd’s annual contribution to the Fund is so warmly 
appreciated by every well-wisher of the charity that 
we should be sorry if by any inadvertence of ours 
his friends should imagine that his devoted efforts 
were not worthy of all encouragement. 
Roses from New Zealand. —On Thursday morning 
of last week, and during a passing squall of wind 
and snow, we had a cube-shaped block of ice 
brought into our office, in the centre of which 
was a fine bunch of Roses as bright and fresh in 
colour apparently as if only just gathered, and as pleas¬ 
ing to see as a glint of sunshine on a very wintry day. 
The blooms had been gathered some eight weeks 
previously in the garden of Mr. Capper (editor of 
the New Zealand Journal, Truth), at Christchurch, 
Canterbury, and were brought over in the block of 
ice as a momento of his last trip out by Mr. R. J. 
Bales, the Smoke-room Steward of that magnificent 
liner, the R.M.S. "Gothic," who was naturally 
pleased with the success of his experiment, and the 
commander of the " Gothic ” is to be congratulated 
on having at least one devoted lover of flowers in his 
ship’s complement. The block was subsequently 
taken to the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, where 
Mr. Wilkinson promptly placed it on public view. 
Long Duration of Flowering. —On the 13th of May, 
1894, at the International Horticultural Exhibition 
at Antwerp, we noticed (says the Revue de L'Horti- 
culiure Beige), in the general collection of exotic 
Orchids of M. Vuylsteke, the presence in a good 
variety of Cypridedium Chamberlainianum well 
flowered. At the Chrysanthemum exhibition in the 
same city, the plant turned up again with two new 
flowers expanded and three buds upon the same 
raceme. " On Christmas Day, we received from 
M. Vuylsteke, the flower coming from the first of the 
three buds. It is certain then that to-day, mid- 
January, the specimen yet flowers, which makes an 
uninterrupted flowering of eight months! " We 
have little doubt this could be matched in England 
amongst the Cypripediums, but a case comes to our 
knowledge where Masdevallia ochthodes, in an 
amateur’s collection, flowered uninterruptedly for a 
period of five years. 
The Midland Carnation and Picotee Society—The 
fourth annual report of this flourishing midland 
Society will be found of more than usual interest to 
the Carnation cult, and is a most creditable 
production in all respects. The cash statement for 
the past year shows the total receipts from all sources 
to have been £229 8s. 9d., while the expenditure 
amounted to £182 17s. iod., including some £120 
awarded in cash prizes and medals, and of £5 5s. 
and £5 respectively, generously contributed to the 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution and the 
Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, leaving a cash 
balance in hand of £46 ios. nd. The prize-winners 
and the winning flowers at the last exhibition are 
given in detail, and there is also a full list of what 
eighteen successful exhibitors consider to be the best 
varieties to grow. Saturday being with many a very 
awkward day for attending an exhibition, especially 
when it precedes a bank holiday, it has been decided 
to hold the show this year on a Wednesday, and the 
experiment is to be tried of continuing it over a 
second day, the dates fixed upon being July 31st and 
August 1st. The schedule is a very attractive and 
comprehensive one, and the value of the prizes, 
medals, &c., offered, is about £135. 
Curtis, Sanford & Co., Limited. —We learn from a 
prospectus before us that the Devon Rosery, 
Torquay, in almalgamation with the South Devon 
Fruit Farm, is to be converted into a limited 
liability company, which will be known as " Curtis, 
Sanford & Co." The authorised capital of the com¬ 
pany is £40,000, divided into 7,363 ordinary shares, 
and 370 deferred shares of £5 each. Of the 
£31,850 now issued no less than £20,350 are taken 
by the vendors, leaving only £11,500 for public sub¬ 
scription. Of the shares taken up Mr. F. W. 
Sanford has secured 947, the representatives of the 
late Mr. Henry Curtis 660, Capt. Bainbridge 440, 
Mr. W. H. Morris 353, Mr. S. W. Herbert 220, Dr. 
Morgan 220, Mr. Alfred Chandler 220, Mr. Peyto 
Shrubb 177, Mr. J. N. Whitehead, Admiral Ward, 
Mr. J. Conron, Mr. J. Coulthurst no each. These 
are all included in the vendors, and shews their 
confidence in the concern they are selling. The 
Devon Rosery was established in 1844, and its 
average annual profit during the past thirteen years 
has been £1,442. Mr. F. W. Sanford, who for close 
on thirty years has been the managing partner at the 
Rosery, is the managing director, and Mr. A. 
Chandler, the secretary, has been secretary and 
cashier there for fourteen years. The services of 
the active partners in both concerns have been 
secured for five years. 
Universal Exhibition at Amsterdam—Under the 
name of Universal Exhibition of the Inn and 
Traveller, an exhibition will be held at Amsterdam 
from the 1st May to the 1st November of the present 
year. It is under the high patronage of Her 
Majesty the Queen Regent of the Netherlands. A 
programme, now before us, gives the special rules 
and the details of the horticultural section of the 
exhibition, which will be held in the grounds behind 
the National Museum. Everyone occupied with the 
culture of plants—amateurs, horticulturists, nursery- 
