February 16,1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
395 
CLEMATIS INDIVISA LOBATA. 
Among the list of easily grown greenhouse climbers 
the above beautiful plant holds a prominent position 
as being likely to give every satisfaction to those 
who essay to cultivate it. It is of additional value 
in that it flowers so early in the year (March and 
April usually), and this is no doubt in a great 
measure accountable for its popularity. The flowers 
are white or creamy-white in colour, about an inch 
in diameter, and profusely produced in long panicled 
inflorescences. The leaflets are ovate, smooth, and 
in fact only differ from those of C. lobata in being 
lobed, entire leaflets being characteristic of the 
species. In its culture the one great evil to guard 
against is mildew, which is very partial indeed to 
the plant, so much so that it is a comparative rarity 
to see a specimen which is not affected by it in a 
greater or less degree. The border in which it is 
planted should therefore be perfectly drained, and 
on no account must a draughty corner be allotted to 
it, while the water supply must receive the closest 
attention and most careful judgment, particularly 
avoiding a cold and wet condition of the soil during 
the winter months, which is of itself almost sufficient 
to cause an attack of mildew. 
THE SEVERE WEATHER. 
A few years ago a writer in one of the gardening 
papers wrote as follows :—“ There is something re¬ 
markable in the peculiar wave of cold at present 
passing over the British Isles.” That expression 
can be very appropriately repeated now. On the 
morning of the 4th inst. I registered i6 c of frost; 
5th, 22 0 of frost; 6th, zero ; 30° of frost at 8 a m. ; 
7th, i° below zero, 25 0 of frost at 8 a m.; 8th, 2° 
below zero, 30° of frost at 8 a m. ; gth, lowest at 8 
a.m., 24° of frost; 10th, 28° of frost. The ground 
is covered with snow, and bright sunshine has fol¬ 
lowed the above readings. The thermometer stands 
4 ft. from the ground and in a sheltered position.— 
Geo. Potts, The Gardens, Fanning Woods, Thrapston, 
Feb. 10 th. 
We have had a long spell of very hard weather in 
this locality since the commencement of the year, 
but more especially the last three weeks ; the frost 
ranged from 14 0 to 28°, but the climax was reached 
last week. The thermometer on Thursday at 12 
noon stood at 14 0 , at 6 p m., 26°, and on Friday 
morning 40° of frost were registered, or 8° below 
zero; on Saturday, the gth, 32° ; and on Sunday 
(10th inst) 38 q or 6 s below zero, Fahr. Such severe 
weather has not occurred since i860. At Chats- 
worth, on the 8th, io^ were registered. It has been 
with the utmost difficulty that King Frost has been 
kept at bay.— E. Austin, Beiry Hill, Chesterfield. 
We have very severe weather here in Ireland, 
frost and snow for the last thirteen days in suc¬ 
cession ; the severest and coldest that was ever 
experienced by the oldest inhabitant. Practically, 
there is nothing doing in this country. The labour¬ 
ing classes are half starving for the want of work.— 
P. B. O'K., Co. Cavan. 
The weather is very severe here. On the 8th we 
registered 34° of frost, on the 10th 34 0 again, and on 
the nth 33 0 .— John Forbes, Hawick. 
HOW TO TRAP ANTS. 
As the season is approaching when these trouble¬ 
some insects become very numerous and annoying to 
the gardener, it is a source of some pleasure to get 
rid of them as quickly as possible. After trying 
various remedies, such as pouring hot water on them, 
dusting with lime, placing saucers of treacle about, 
smoking, etc., I find the most effectual way of catch¬ 
ing them is to save a few ripe Tomatos and just pull 
them a little apart on the underneath side and lay in 
their haunts, going round with a can of hot water 
into which I wash them out, as the bait will do for 
several times. In this way vast numbers may soon 
be got rid of.— H. L. 
ERIA CINNABARINA. 
Few of the Erias are of any horticultural value, 
though a good many of them at one time or 
other have found their way into collections, where 
Orchids of botanical interest are esteemed. 
Notwithstanding the many species known to 
science, in any particular genus, we may always 
live in hope that something better will turn up, for 
the unexpected nearly always turns up amongst fresh 
importations. That under notice is the most orna¬ 
mental species of Eria known, and though of 
moderate size, the rich cinnabar-orange colour of 
the flowers, bracts, pedicels and scape, in fact of the 
whole inflorescence, contrasts beautifully with the 
dark green foliage. The pseudo bulbs are ovoid, sur¬ 
mounted with two or three leaves, which are persis¬ 
tent so that the scape proceeds from the axil of one 
of them ; it is about 3 in. or 4 in. long and bears a 
raceme of six flowers or thereby. The bulb of the 
Erias in cultivation have short and stumpy stems, 
not unlike those of a Dendrobium shortened, thick¬ 
ened and excavated into cavities along the sides, 
so that in this case they more resemble those of an 
Oncidium. The species is a native of Borneo, from 
whence it was introduced by Messrs. Linden, 
L’Horticulture Internationale, Brussels, and with 
whom it flowered in April last. It will require the 
same cultural treatment as that accorded to East 
Indian Dendrobiums. There is a coloured plate of 
it in Lindendia PI. 448. 
SEEDS FOR EXCHANGE. 
Before us is the list of seeds for i8g5, offered 
for exchange by Mr. F. W. Moore, the Curator 
of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin. 
The list runs to 17 pages of names in three 
columns upon each page, representing a vast 
amount of labour in harvesting, cleaning, assort¬ 
ing and packing away the seeds. As might be 
expected from a botanic garden, a large number of 
the seeds are purely of botanical interest; but on the 
other hand there are many highly ornamental subjects 
worthy of a place in the most select collections and 
the most circumscribed gardens. Many of the more 
recent garden varieties or hybrids of Delphininms 
are enumerated, and though seedlings may not turn 
out true to the parents yet something good may be 
expected from them, and the bulk of them would 
doubtless prove useful for ordinary decorative pur¬ 
poses. The names are arranged according to the 
natural system, and alphabetically under each order. 
Amongst the rarer plants we notice Myosurus 
minimus, Caltha radicans, Althaea Hohenackeri, 
Geranium Lowei, Galega biloba, Pisum maritimum 
(Lathyrus maritimus) Gallenia stipulacea, Dipsacus 
fullonum, Cineraria gigantea, Primula Poissonii and 
others. The species of Veronica are very numerous 
and so are those of Salvia, Saxifraga, Hieracium, 
Iris, Carex and many others. The grasses are also 
remarkably well represented. 
-———* 
HINTS ON POTTING, 
While reading the article of “G” on p.380 of last 
week’s issue it struck me that it savoured somewhat 
of the critic. If not so I apologise. However, there 
are two or three points in his otherwise able article 
that should in fairness be cleared up. "G” knows as 
well as I do that to treat this subject properly, he 
would at least need a full week’s issue. This being 
so, there are certain regulations in reference to 
potting, regarding the use of the rammer, that must 
be left to the gardener himself. To lay down a hard 
and fast rule that everything should be rammed, is 
not what I intended nor even mentioned. Light 
potting, firm filling and ramming are three quite 
distinct things and are understood as such. It 
W'ould be too long a proceeding to enumerate the 
different subjects that require the different and 
various treatments. This is left to be found out. 
My belief is in firm potting for the generality of 
things; ramming is quite different as applied to subjects 
requiring the last shift. Spiraeas being now on the 
wing, seem to me as wanting a deal of hard work with 
the rammer. Every particle of soil that ycu can 
get round these should be utilised. Why ? some 
will ask, To prevent flagging during hot sunshine, 
I reply. Concerning the soil, no mateiial 
however good, should be used when wet. Young 
gardeners note this carefully. It is not ready 
for use, if, when you grasp a handful it holds together; 
it should be free, but not too much so. My idea of a 
very free material is very much like lime with too 
much sand. 
To glance back to the subject of ramming, I re¬ 
commend it for Tomatos, and quite agree with “ G,” 
but not till they are ready for their fruiting quarters 
in pots, boxes, or borders. To ram or even firm 
Tomatos whilst in a young state, and especially at 
this time of year, is quite a mistake. The result 
would be that they would not move at all Again, 
as to crocking, something special is needed for those 
subjects that require good drainage. For instance, 
it would be complete waste of time to crock a pot 
for a clump of Spiraea as one would for Dracaenas 
superba. Crotons of all kinds and many thousands of 
stove subjects. 
I can assure “ G ” that many things can be grown 
well without the moss. To convince him, in all 
good feeling, that there is such a thing as something 
special, I will recommend him to use “ Porter’s 
Crocks,” which I have had submitted for my opinion, 
and I should say they are a first-class article. 
Different kinds of loam, river sand, silver sand, 
peat, leaf soil, Clay’s, Thomson’s, and silicate 
manures, light potting, firm, and ramming or heavy 
pottings are what plants require, some more than 
others. There are many little additions to things 
in our trade which occur to many when the job is 
completed which would be termed something special. 
— J. G. Pettinger, Strawberry Dale Nursery, Harrogate. 
-•*-- 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
Anthurium Perfection.— The large, shield like 
leaves of this garden hybrid are oblong and cordate 
at the base, dark green and leathery. The spathes 
are cordate, of a brilliant vermilion scarlet, leathery 
in texture and 8 in. long by 5J in. in diameter at the 
widest part. The cylindrical, straight spadix is 
yellow, changing to flesh colour as it advances in 
bloom. An Award of Merit v/as accorded it by the 
Royal Horticultural Society on the 12th inst., when 
exhibited by Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., (gardener, 
Mr. W. Bain), Burford Lodge, Dorking. 
-►*-- 
SOCIETIES. 
Royal Horticultural, 12 th February .—As might have 
been expected from the severe nature of the weather 
the exhibits were few and small on Tuesday last, the 
occasion of the annual general meeting. They were 
pretty well divided between Orchids and greenhouse 
subjects, and consisted to a large extent of cut 
flowers. Orchids were, in fact, the principal features 
of the meeting and the most interesting. There 
were also some Apples and an interesting collection 
of Oranges. A small collection of cut flowers of 
Orchids was exhibited by Fred. Hardy, Esq., 
Tyntesfield, Ashton - on - Mersey, Cheshire. The 
Cattleyas were most conspicuous, including C. 
labiata Trianaei, C. I. Percivaliana and their forms, 
also Dendrobium Schneiderianum, some Odonto- 
glossums and Phalaenopsis. Cattleya labiata 
Percivaliana magnifica was really splendid. Walter 
Cobb, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Howse), Dulcote Park, 
Tunbridge Wells, showed a finely blotched Odonto- 
glossum named O. crispum La Gascogne, with four¬ 
teen flowers on a spike. Messrs. F. Sander & Co,, 
St. Albans, also exhibited a collection of cut flowers 
of Orchids, including Laelia anceps Schroderiana 
The Dell var., Phaius amabilis, P. Marthae, Den¬ 
drobium luteolum, and the elegant little D. 
Egertoniae. They also had five fine umbels of 
Haemanthus Kalbreyerii. Four fine Cypripediums, 
including C. Rothschildianum, also a fine spike of 
the rare and interesting C. Vanda (Stauropsis) 
gigantea with fleshy and tawny spotted flowers were 
exhibited by F. Wigan, Esq. (grower, Mr. W. H. 
Young), Clare Lawn, East Sheen. He also had fine 
blooms of Laelia pumila praestans. Some beautiful 
Cattleya flowers were shown by E. Ashworth, Esq. 
(gardener, H. Holbrook), Harefield Hall, Wilmslow. 
A Silver Banksian Medal was awarded to Mr. Hy. 
Chapman, gardener to R. I. Measures, Esq., Cam¬ 
bridge Lodge, Camberwell, for a collection of Orchid 
flowers beautifully dried and mounted on sheets of 
paper. The Cattleyas, Oncidiums, Cypripediums, 
Coelogynes, Dendrobiums, and others were splendidly 
done with their natural colours wonderfully well 
retained. A Cultural Commendation was awarded 
to Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, (grower, Mr. W. H. 
White), Burford Lodge, Dorking, for a grand spike 
of Odontoglossum coronarium miniatum. A Bronze 
Banksian Medal was awarded to Mr. M. Seavy, 
Photographic Artist, Camberwell, New Road, for a 
collection of photographs of Orchids. A small 
collection of cut flowers of Orchids was shown by 
Walter C. Walker, Esq. (gardener, Mr. George 
