762 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 27, 1895. 
These may be made from the twigs of half-worn 
Birch brooms, or if desired zinc pegs can be bought 
from most nurserymen, and are the best for the 
purpose. Hairpins are sometimes used. Strip the 
shoots selected for layers of all leaves below the 
third or fourth joint from the tip of the shoot, and 
clear all trimmings away before laying them down. 
Then take the shoot in one hand and make a cut in 
a slanting direction on the under side of the shoot, 
commencing half way between the two joints cleared 
of leaves which are nearest to the untrimmed point. 
Cut half way through, bending the knife gradually, 
and then cut on towards the point of the shoot 
through the joint and about half an inch above it. 
Next holding the layer firmly in one hand and a peg 
in the other thrust the peg into the soil, catching the 
layer as it descends, and bringing the point slightly 
upwards. This allows some of the fine particles of 
the soil to get into the incision and keep it open. 
When all the layers from one plant have been made 
and are in position, place the fine soil firmly about 
them, taking care not to break any of them, bringing 
them into as nearly an upright position as can be 
done without breaking them. The part between the 
layer and the parent plant should be left exposed. 
Leave them for one day without watering, as this 
enables the wounds made in the process to heal 
somewhat, but afterwards water freely whenever 
required to keep them in a healthy, vigorous con¬ 
dition. About the middle of September examine 
them by gently removing the soil from’a few of them 
to see if they are well rooted. If they are, strong 
roots will be found growing from the ends of the split 
j 'dnts ; then cut them closely behind the layering peg 
and lift them with all the soil to which the roots are 
attached. They may either be potted up into large 
6 o pots and kept in cold frames, or an unheated 
greenhouse, through the winter. All late layered or 
unrooted ones must have this treatment; early 
rooted plants may be at once planted out in their 
permanent quarters on light, well drained soil.— 
W. B. G. 
--4-- 
DAY LILIES. 
In my small domain I can boast of at least three 
species of Hemerocallis. The beautiful H. flava 
with clear yellow sweet-scented flowers, has, how¬ 
ever, given place to H. fulva, a stronger growing, 
tawny-coloured flower, equally as beautiful and 
ephemeral as the generic name implies, but quite 
scentless. Then there is H. Kwanso variegata, 
which, if not a species, is sufficiently distinct for 
present purposes, to take specific rank. Moreover, 
the flowers are double and of a bronzy orange- 
coloured tint, and the plant is one I can strongly 
recommend for pot culture in a cool house. Out-of- 
doors it is also very effective ; and planted on rock- 
work, for instance, it retains its variegation better 
and is always interesting in or out of flower. 
Although the Day Lilies are so fugacious in 
character, they are worth growing for the intrinsic 
beauty of their flowers, which, though ephemeral 
individually, are produced in succession over a fairly 
long period. If one be examined it will be found to 
consist of six fleshy segments—three large and three 
small—united at the base with a tube. The larger of 
the divisions have a distinct yellow band running 
down their centres, while on cither side the rich 
dark veins run in complemental and parallel lines. 
The prevailing colour in H. fulva is a dull brick-red, 
which, at the base becomes orange-yellow. The 
usual six prominent Liliaceous filaments are there 
capped with golden anthers. These may be said to 
represent the “ gentlemen "; while the pistil which 
answers to the “ lady,” completes the perfect flower. 
If the floral organs then are so frail, the same canEot 
be said of the plant itself, for it is particularly 
vigorous and easily accommodated, as it will grow 
either in the open border or under the shade of trees. 
But who knows what may not yet be done even in 
respect to the fugacity of the flowers, for science is 
running riot just now over the micro-organisms, 
which seem to be in evidence wherever the micro¬ 
scope is powerful enough to reveal them. In fact 
we have it on the ipse dixit of Dr. Parker, of New 
York, that the “ microbe of death ” has actually been 
discovered ! Moreover, as the “ Japanese Day Lily ” 
was the plant he experimented on, it will doubt¬ 
less interest some of your readers to learn how this 
remarkable result was brought about. 
The Doctor—as far as I can gather—noticed, 
like a good horticulturist, that the blooms of the 
Day Lily were born in the morning and died at 
night. He set to work, therefore, to discover the 
cause, and was at last rewarded—for the Doctor is 
a painstaking microscopist—by a sight that would 
render any ordinary person incapable of articula¬ 
tion ; for there, imbedded in the root, was a curious, 
uncanny, hairlike spiral, which kept continually 
rolling and unrolling, and gyrating about in a fearful 
and marvellous manner ! It was quite different to 
any of those rod-like bacteria with which he was 
acquainted—it must therefore be the "microbe of 
death ” ! 
To determine the question he took a flower in full 
bloom, and, by the aid of a delicate scalpel, 
" extracted the squirming object ” from the root. 
Having thus got rid of so much rralific matter, he 
put the bloom upon the shelf and carefully guarded 
it. Next day he found it in full vigour and “ giving 
no signs whatever of dissolution." To cut a long 
story short, the flower shows no inclination to fade, 
and this “ state of floral immortality has continued 
for months! ” What a boon and a blessing to 
those who love flowers—" Day ” Lilies blooming all 
the year round l—C.B.G, Acton, W. 
_ _ - ♦ - _ 
" ♦ * 
IS GARDENING HARD WORK? 
This interesting and important subject has during 
the last few weeks received considerable ventilation 
through the medium of the columns of the 
Gardening World. The general reply to the 
question would seem to be a ready and absolute 
affirmative, and taking all things fairly into con¬ 
sideration every one will, we think, confess that this 
"yes "is rightfully given. True.it may be urged 
that there are many trades and professions wherein 
those who follow them have to perform much more 
laborious and wearisome tasks. Take for instance, 
dissentient voices will say, the agricultural labourer 
who has to follow the plough from early morn to 
dewy eve, or the blacksmith toiling at his forge 
through the long hours of a hot summer's day. 
Surely a gardener's life is easiness itself when 
compared with theirs. Or, they will continue, look 
at our toiling professional men, who, in spite of 
aching head or wearied brain, are working at high 
pressure to fulfil their allotted tasks. Granted that 
a gardener has a certain amount of brain work to 
perform, it sinks into insignificance besides the 
labours of such hard brain workers as these. The 
clerk too, in a murky London office, poring over a 
dusty ledger, and wrestling with columns of figures 
as long as himself; surely his must be accounted 
harder work than that of the man who has the 
advantage of being able to allow the fresh, pure air 
of heaven to play upon his brow, and is able to hold 
commune with nature in her best moods. Thus 
argue those who know least about it, with what 
amount of truth only those who really know what 
present-day gardening is, from practical experience, 
can adequately gauge. 
Sooth to say, amongst the generality of people, a 
halo of fairy-like brightness is thrown around the 
head of the gardener. He is spoken of as working 
amoDgst the lovely colours and not less charming 
fragrance of the flowers whose wants it is to him a 
labour of love to supply and attend to. He is 
regarded as a specially favoured individual for whom 
the most delicious fruits hang temptingly within 
reach, and about whose footsteps the fair goddess 
Flora weaves her most delightful garlands. True 
the goddess Flora is fair, but like many other things 
of the female persuasion she is captious likewise. 
The beautiful children that pay her homage are, 
moreover, captious too, and many and various are 
the struggles of the gardener in his attempts to grow 
lovely, but delicately constitutioned plants to the 
perfection required of him by his employer. The 
hard-working mechanics have, it is true, to undergo 
great bodily exertion, but they have not at the same 
time to draw so heavily upon their stores of brain 
power. They work, moreover, by certain set rules, 
which are seldom modified or altered to any 
appreciable extent. Last, but by no means least, 
when the leaving-off bell has sounded they are able 
to jump out of their working clothes and their work¬ 
ing associations at the same time, and to wend their 
way homewards with the peaceful assurance that the 
day’s labour is over, and that they are free for a few 
hours. Not so the gardener. His work is never 
done, or at least the worry attaching to it is not. 
With regard to the hard-worked professional meD, 
it is very rare indeed that they have to combine 
great mental with great physical exertion, but this 
the gardener has to do. Any profession, trade, or 
calling, let it be called what it will, in which those 
who follow it have to use both hands and head for a 
practically unlimited time cannot fail to be hard 
work in the most absolute sense. Mr. J. G. 
Pettinger in his recent article has pointed out the 
numerous qualifications of which a modern gardener 
must be possessed if he is to make his mark in the 
world as a practical and successful man. It is 
necessary here to point out that, unlike the skilled 
mechanic who has rules laid down for his guidance, 
that are subject to very little, if any modification, the 
gardener has to use his own judgment in the majority 
of instances as to how he shall treat the subjects under 
his charge. True, in theory there are certain rules 
that are of great service to him, but in putting these 
into practice the operator is obliged to alter and 
modify them to suit existing circumstances, and the 
special environments of the particular plant he is 
dealing with if he would reach that goal of . success 
towards the attainment of which he is striving. Not 
only is the mental strain upon an efficient gardener 
very great, but in very many cases he has to perform 
work of a very heavy and laborious character- 
This of course does not refer to the heads of large 
establishments where plenty of men can be procured, 
but is applicable to the smaller undermanned places 
which outnumber the larger ones in the proportion 
of at least three to one. In places of this kind the 
head gardener has to work with his own hands and 
often very much harder than the men he has under 
him. Constant popping in and out of warm, damp 
houses when the outside temperature is cold and 
raw, sometimes with a coat on, but more often with 
it off—for the gardener as a rule is careless enough 
in matters of this kind—cannot fail to be extremely 
injurious to the toughest constitutions, and leave 
room for little wonder that very many gardeners are 
a prey to rheumatism and its attendant evils. Of 
course, we would not for a moment contend that 
gardening has not its redeeming features, for to do 
so would be take up an untenable position, but, 
having regard to the number and variety of qualifica¬ 
tions it is expected that the gardener should possess, 
it would also be futile to argue that gardening can be 
anything else than hard work, and that the men who 
follow it are not well deserving of more recognition 
in the way of increased pay.— G. 
-- 
THE ERYNGO. 
At the time of writing the Eryngiums or Eryngos 
are in perfect beauty in the nurseries of Messrs. 
Barr & Sons, at Long Ditton. Judging by the 
noble effect of these plants they seem to enjoy the 
continued drought and heat, and are flowering and 
flourishing in the very best condition. They may 
well be termed " hot weather plants,” as their 
appearance and sturdy growth fully confirms the 
term. Single specimens of any of the following, 
planted in nooks, and here and there amongst 
shrubs, or in the centre of beds, or planted on a 
lawD, would give colour and tone to a garden, as 
their silvery-gray and caerulean-blue bracts are 
very effective, no matter where planted, and form a 
picture not soon forgotten. The Alpine species, 
E. alpinum, is a gem, on account of its glistening, 
large, blue, cone-like flower-heads and "blue stems, 
with heart-shaped leaves, much toothed, and of a 
bright sea-green colour. Another very showy sort 
is E. Oliverianum superbum, with large heads of 
glistening blue flowers, with branching habit ; as is 
also the variety E. O. caeruleum, which is a lighter 
blue with silvery-gray bracts. 
The Ivory Thistle, E. giganteum, is perhaps the 
most showy and attractive of the whole genus, for 
its ivory-like heads, and reticulated white leaves on 
a sea-green is most beautiful, while the stem is also 
white. This should take a prominent position in all 
herbaceous collections, as it is most telling. E. 
Amethystinum has very large and beautiful 
heads of amethystine-blue flowers, with loDg, 
showy bracts of the same colour, and finely 
cut spiny foliage. E. hybridum is a seedling of 
exceeding merit, very beautiful and distinct, and a 
tall, stately thistle, with numerous flower-heads of 
bright blue flowers very much branched, with blue 
stems and large, bright, toothed, green leaves ; it is 
a novelty. E. Bourgati is a dwarf plant, with finely 
