698 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 29, 1895. 
at Tottenham, for the samples sent us were really 
good. I. Prestios has flowers dead white in colour 
with a rich carmine blotch in the centre. I. 
Theseus has likewise a bright rosy blotch in the 
centre, the segments also being prettily tipped and 
flushed with the same hue. Of Liliums quite a 
number greeted our gaze, of which L. colchicum 
was certainly not the least worthy of mention, the 
flowers being of exceedingly fine substance, and the 
characteristic brown spots upon the yellow segments 
being really charming. A very pretty variety is L. 
elegans sanguineum growing to a height of from one 
to one and a half feet, and producing large flowers 
of bright red hue slightly flushed with orange, a few 
black spots being apparent, whilst L. e. Prince of 
Orange is certainly not inferior to it in beauty. L. 
pomponium bears large numbers of rather small 
flowers of a bright red hue slightly tinged with 
orange, and the segments much reflexed. The 
leaves are very distinct, being long, narrowly linear, 
deeply furrowed, and tapering to a fine point. Very 
pretty is L. Martagon album, the white Turk’s 
Cap Lily, the long racemes of which bear numbers 
of the white flowers with their green centres. 
Irises also made a brave show I juncea has both 
standards and falls of a rich deep yellow hue. A 
collection of Spanish Iris comprised some exceed¬ 
ingly pretty varieties. The rich bronzy-yellow hue 
of Inula glandulosa was lying side by side with the 
intense blue of Campanula glomerata dahurica. 
Spiraea Filipendula plena should prove a useful 
plant for cutting, for the flowers, although very 
double, have not lost a whit of their natural grace 
in so becoming. Polemonium Richardsoni album is a 
gem, the term album being no misnomer in this 
instance. It should prove a very useful subject. 
Lychnis vespertina plena is a distinct departure 
from the type, the flowers being large, very double, 
and pure white, whilst to judge from appearances 
the plant itself is a vigorous grower. Very hand¬ 
some is Achillea serrata plena for the leaves are of a 
dark shining green, and very deeply serrated ; 
whilst the flowers, which are freely produced on 
stout stems, are pure white and nicely double. The 
comparatively rarely met with Erigeron salsuginosus 
was also well represented. This is a comparatively 
strong growing variety the ray florets being of a 
light purple colour, and the dick florets bright 
yellow. A pretty plant, but one which is not so 
frequently seen as might be, is Gillenia trifoliata. 
This genus comes very close to Spiraea, indeed the 
plant in question was at one time known as Spiraea 
trifoliata. The petals are ligulate, in colour white 
and flushed with rose, whilst the calyx is persistent, 
and assumes a deep red hue in its later stages. 
-*5-- 
TOMATO CROPS. 
The weather up to now has been extremely favour¬ 
able to Tomatos, and, where their culture is 
thoroughly understood, we may look forward to 
obtaining quite an average yield, and in many places 
even more. The more I see of these plants in going 
from place to place I can quite see that compara¬ 
tively few growers thoroughly understand them. I 
will try to explain my meaning for I am sure that 
forty-nine out of fifty failures if honestly looked into 
will be accounted for by errors in cultural practice as 
I shall endeavour to point out. About the time for 
sowing the seed I wrote an article or two in the 
Gardening World on the treatment of Tomatos, 
pointing out the necessity of keeping the top growth 
within due bounds and of confining the root run to a 
limited space. 
My own experience again this season tells me that 
this is the only way to secure good results right from 
the ground. For instance, in one large house with 
five beds, each 30 ft. long, 2 ft. 6 in. wide, and 9 in. 
deep, we have this season planted two rows of plants, 
first shovelling all the old soil out of the beds except 
about 3 in. at the bottom. The plants when ready 
for putting out were in 60-sized pots. They were 
placed at a distance of 18 in. apart in the row. The 
roots were just covered with the 3 in. of soil left from 
last year’s top-dressings. They were growing 
steadily when put in and have kept so ever since. 
Since planting they have had two top-dressings ; the 
last being on Saturday, 15th inst. Every truss is fairly 
set with fruit right from the bottom upwards, and 
there is every appearance of a good crop. 
The main thing to watch is top-dressing at the 
proper time, for if this is not properly attended to 
the plants soon begin to go back. Now for the 
opposite side to the question : let any plants be put 
into soil a foot or so deep with any amount of root 
run, the result is, as I have seen many a time, sueh 
superabundant vigour that cannot possibly be 
checked, and, if grown on the single stem system, 
the more lateral pinching is done the more is the 
strength thrown into the main stem, ending with the 
result that the plants are played out before they 
start to set their fruit. I have also about a couple 
of dozen of plants in ten and twelve-inch pots, 
which were nine inches in height when placed in 
their fruiting pots. The pots were well crocked, and 
when ramming was finished were barely half full. 
They went like this for three weeks ora month, and 
have just been top-dressed for the last time. Now 
this is the most fruitful crop we have, for the plants 
are now showing their seven and eight trusses each, 
with five or six fruits set, besides having any amount 
of strength left. Of course, they are well looked 
after, and are given any amount of stimulants ; for 
when plants have got plenty of fruit on them you 
can hardly overdo them in the giving of manure- 
water. 
As to varieties : up to now I see nothing special 
in many of the new ones that I am giving a trial to. 
Some very good varieties of my own saving, Prelude, 
Improved, and Challenger, are miles in front of any 
of them in point of excellence.— J. G. Pettinger, 
Strawberry Dale Nursery, Harrogate. 
« <« - 
STRAWBERRY ROYAL SOVEREIGN. 
All to whom we have spoken about this Strawberry 
are unanimous as to its earliness, great size, fine 
appearance and vigorous constitution. It is the 
opinion of many that it will be one of the Strawberries 
of the future—indeed some say “ the” Strawberry. 
Well, at all events, we have seen it in different 
gardens and under widely different conditions, and 
must confess to a very high opinion of it. Messrs. H. 
Cannell & Sons, Swanley, got 200 plants of it ini8g3, 
which, like the present, unfortunately, was uncom¬ 
monly dry, and about half of the plants perished. 
Nevertheless the remainder have done their duty ad¬ 
mirably as we can testify. Last year these 100 runners 
planted at Swanley produced three crops of runners 
from which a sufficient number was obtained to 
plant three acres of ground at Eynsford where we 
inspected them. So vigorous is this variety in fertile 
and fairly moist soil, that it requires to be planted 
about 3ft. apart each way or at least 3ft. asunder in 
the lines, and 2ft. from plant to plant, in order to 
give them the full advantage of space to ripen their 
fruits by exposure to sunshine, and afford space to 
gather without treading upon the fruits. 
Several other varieties alongside of this one 
including Empress of India, White Knight, Sensa¬ 
tion, Cardinal, Lord Suffield, Gunton Park and La 
France, and subjected to the same exhaustive pro¬ 
cess of producing runners, have fared very badly, 
many of them being dead, while others are greatly 
weakened and not half so productive as Royal 
Sovereign, which greatly excels them in weight of 
crop and other respects. The ripe fruits might be 
gathered in handfuls. The fruits grown and 
illustrated by the raiser were conical, and so might be 
the average run of them, but many of them here are 
of enormous size and more or less flattened or 
cockscomb-shaped. They are dark red or scarlet as 
the popular description goes, with the seedlike 
achenes moderately deeply inserted on the surface. 
The flavour is brisk as a Strawberry is reckoned, 
rich and pleasant in flavour when fully ripened, and 
gives one the idea that it is made up of something 
more agreeable to the palate than mere sugar and 
water. If the future good behaviour of this magnifi¬ 
cent variety is maintained it will indeed be an 
acquisition to horticulture. 
- • * - . - 
POTATOS. 
The Potato crop, which is always an interesting 
topic, is generally looking promising in the Stirling 
district, but on high lands where the soil is light this 
cannot long continue if the weather does not change, 
and a supply of rain comes to the rescue. We find 
on examining the early kidney varieties on June 10th 
(such as Veitch’s Improved Ashleaf, Old Ashleaf— 
but I fear not the true variety—and Rivers' Ashleaf 
alongside of Sharpe’s Victor), that they have tubers 
over an inch long; but the last-named variety has 
nicely-formed tubers over two inches long, and 
could be sent for use if such was necessary. They 
will be ready in good time to succeed some which 
were sprouted and protected with wire pea trainers 
and mats placed over them at night. Owing to the 
dry sunny weather Potatos forced in pits and 
frames are of good quality. Though Sharpe’s 
Victor is not equal in quality to the kidney sorts 
forced, it is really worth growing in pots, and planted 
out in structures, by reason of its dwarf habit and, 
extreme earliness.— M. T., Stirlingshire, N.B. 
-- 
KILLING WEEDS. 
These either in garden paths or on the cultivated 
ground have to be dealt with sooner or later, and 
here if anywhere a stitch in time saves nine. There 
are few gardens the soil of which has not been 
allowed to be become full of seeds of weeds. The 
ground is turned up, the crops put in, and the weeds 
spring up in advance of them, and often get above 
the crops. Hard work at hoeing and hand-weeding 
follows. Now much of this might often be avoided 
by taking time by the forelock and destroying the 
weeds when very small. One good rule is to have 
the ground ready for cropping a little in advance of 
the required time; many weeds will then be in 
evidence, and can be dealt with as follows: —Take a 
steel rake and go over the surface, working it 2 in. 
down and crossways till every little seedliDg weed is 
disturbed. 
If a bright, sunny, and windy day can be chosen 
for the job all the better; the sun and wind will 
make short work with all which come under their 
influence. If you can afford time to do this again 
after a few days previous to cropping the ground all 
the better. There are few of these small seeded weeds 
which will germinate and find their way through 
2 in. of soil, There are soils on which this plan can 
only be occasionally carried out on account of their 
texture ; but, when this is so, the early repeated use 
of the hoe when the weeds are very small will 
render the after labour in keeping them down far less 
laborious. The plan of filling in the drills with 
burnt earth and ashes is a great help in keeping 
crops clear of weeds, enabling the workman to see 
where to ply his hoe among the weeds long before 
the crops of Carrots or whatever else it may be can 
be seen.— W. B. G. 
- I »- 
CONSERVATORY. 
This should now be gay with flower, although a 
little time must be spent each day in the removal of 
old blossoms and yellow leaves if the display is to 
be kept up. Herbaceous Calceolarias, for instance, 
look exceedingly untidy as soon as their blooms 
begin to fall. By means of an occasional picking 
over, however, they may be made to look present¬ 
able for a few weeks longer. As Pelargoniums go 
out of flower they may be removed to some out-of- 
the-way corner outside, where they can ripen their 
wood. Fuchsias ought now to be a blaze of bloom, 
and these are really a host in themselves. Coleuses, 
too, have had a rare time of it lately, for the warm 
bright weather is just what they need to develop 
their brilliant colours to the full. Where the con¬ 
servatory is in close proximity to the mansion it will 
be obvious that the application of manure-water will 
be impossible, but care must be taken, however, that 
plenty of clear water is used. Where practicable 
the afternoon is always the best time of the day to 
give water. In some cases it is not possible to do 
this, and the early mornings have to be made the 
most of, looking the plants over again about four 
o’clock in the afternoons of very hot days. 
Large Palms. —It often happens that large plants 
of these have to stand in corridors opening from the 
drawing-room into the conservatory, where it is not 
possible for them to receive the daily syringings 
which are of so much value in keeping the leaves 
clean and the plants healthy. Small wonder is it 
then that plants upon whose fronds deposits of 
dust are allowed to remain for weeks together look 
sickly and yellow. If they can be removed in the 
mornings to a place where the syringe can be. plied 
vigorously upon them this should receive attention 
at least twice or thrice a week. Where, however, 
their large size or the position in which they are 
placed precludes the possibility of shifting them in 
this way, they must be gone lightly over with the 
sponge as often as time will permit. A piece of soft 
