February 4, 1893. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
361 
Qardefierp’ IpipjoVepiept |p?ociatiopp. 
Devon and Exeter, January 25th .—At this 
meeting, a large one over which Mr. G. Lonsdale 
presided, Mr. E. Sparks, gardener to Lord Idsleigh, 
The Pynes, read a paper on the Zonal Pelargonium 
which teemed with practical knowledge, useful sug¬ 
gestions, and much information that is essential to 
the successful culture of this useful class of plants. 
In taking cuttings from old plants, he recommended 
taking them off at the joint with a slanting cut, 
placing the cuttings singly in small thumb-size pots, 
using a compost consisting of two parts fibrous loam, 
one part well decayed leaf mould,and one sharp sand. 
August or September—or earlier, if possible—is the 
best time to do this. In April these cuttings, now 
rooted, should be shifted into 6-in pots, using for 
compost two-thirds fibrous loam, one-third well- 
rotted cow manure, and a little coarse sand. If 
wanted for exhibition in August, shorten the growth 
in April by cutting off straggling shoots. They will 
then break into new and sturdy growth. At this 
season they want assistance in the way of manure in 
liquid form. Of course, the very large specimens 
seen at shows are two and three year old plants, 
which have been cut hard back in autumn and trained 
in spring. It is well to pinch off the early flowers, 
as this will eventually produce stronger trusses and 
larger blooms. The plants should be, when grown 
indoors, shaded from hot sunshine, which causes 
them to drop their petals. Mr. Sparks emphasised 
the fact that early cuttings were best, as owing to 
the sap vessels being still free and open, they grew 
more vigorously, and became well established 
before the winter set in. Among those taking part 
in the discussion were Messrs. Rowland, Weeks, 
Webber, Truscott, Andrews, Luxton, Bartlett, and 
others. Mr. Hope (Hon. Secretary) announctd a 
further contribution of books to the association, and 
said that the volumes were of more than ordinary 
interest and value, inasmuch as they were standard 
works which were getting more scarce every day, 
being years ago out of print. The books were—four 
volumes of the “Horticultural Cabinet,” illustrated 
with hand-coloured plates; three volumes “Gardener's 
Magazine,” by Loudon; “ Loudon’s Encyclopaedia 
of Agriculture;” “Fruits and Trees of America,’’ 
with illustrations ; and Adam Smith’s “Wealth of 
Nations ” (1799 edition, two volumes). The donor 
was Miss Croker, of Bovey Tracey, and she was 
awarded a hearty vote of thanks by the associati n 
for her acceptable donation. 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN. 
Palms. —Where it is necessary to repot some of 
the Palms that are getting too large, that operation 
may now be effected. Be careful never to overpot, 
as no advantage is gained by it. The roots and like¬ 
wise the foliage can be maintained in a healthy 
condition much easier in relatively small than large 
pots by a plentiful supply of water and liquid 
manure. Large pots induce a rapid and coarse 
growth, which is undesirable in the case of Palms for 
decorative purposes, and in other cases the plants 
get into bad condition. 
Ixoras. —If the plants were cut down after having 
flowered last autumn they will now be in a condition 
fit forrepotting. They succeed best if repotted just 
as the buds begin to move again, but in any case 
they ought to be cut down a week or two before the 
operation. Use a compost of fibrous peat, a little 
leaf soil and plenty of sand, and pot very firmly. 
Water down the soil with a rosed watering pot, but 
no more need be given for some time afterwards, as 
very little water is really required at present. 
Aspleniums — Old plants of this class should be 
repotted before they commence to make fresh 
growth, reducing the ball in all cases where the 
plants are as large as desirable, so as to get them 
into the same sized pot with a quantity of fresh soil. 
Young stock of many of them, including A. bulbi- 
ferum, A. b. minus, better known as A. Collensoi, A. 
viviparum, and others, may be obtained by removing 
some of the old fronds and pegging them down on 
the bed of coco-nut fibre in the propagating pit, or by 
pegging them on sandy soil in pans, where the little 
plants will soon strike root and may be potted 
separately. Small plants in 48-size pots always 
come in handy for decorative purposes. 
Tree Ferns. — Where necessary to do so, tree 
ferns should be potted before they begin to make 
fresh growth, as they do not then experience a check, 
but starting away freely at their proper time make 
good heads. 
Cycads. —Early pottiDg is also a matter of con¬ 
sequence with this class of plants. Cycas revoluta, 
C. circinalis, and some of the Zamias are the kinds 
most frequently grown in private collections. They 
do not frequently require repotting, but when the 
pots get altogether too small for the mass of r ots, 
a slightly smaller size should be given, using a 
compost of good substantial and holding loam with 
plenty of silver sand. Pot very firmly. 
Tree Carnation. — By taking oft cuttings now, 
they will be rooted and ready to grow away strongly 
by the advent of finer weather and clearer skies. 
Cuttings of various sizes may be used, but if they 
are sufficiently long to be pulled off with the basal 
joint they root well and form useful stocky plants. 
Cuttings of immoderate length should not be 
employed. 
Annuals for pot work —A sowing may now be 
made of such things as Rhodanthe, Acroclinium 
roseum, Ten-Weeks Stocks and Mignonette. As 
soon as well up, keep them near the glass to prevent 
their getting drawn. Should the Stocks show signs 
of damping have them pricked off into other boxes 
and placed in a cooler, better ventilated house. The 
Mignonette will form a succession to that sown in 
autumn. 
Peaches. —The fruits in the earliest house should 
now be fairly well set, except perhaps on late trees if 
there are any in the house. At all events, when this 
stage has been reached the night temperature might 
be raised to 55° with a corresponding rise by day, 
especially from sun heat. When the fruit is well 
set the trees may be syringed twice a day with 
water of the same temperature as the house. The 
afternoon syringing should be given early enough in 
the afternoon for the foliage to get dry before night. 
. Attend regularly to disbudding every day, doing the 
upper part of the trees first and where growth 
happens to be strongest. 
Melons. — Hitherto we have escaped the intense 
fogs that have in former years proved so disastrous 
to young Melons in the neighbourhood and suburbs 
of large towns. It would be well, however, where 
the early production of Melons is an important 
matter, to make another sowing in case of any 
mishap to the first lot of plants. A bottom heat of 
8o° and a top heat of 70° to 75 0 will meet the 
requirements of young plants at present. 
Cucumbers. —A lower night temperature may be 
maintained for Cucumbers than in the case of 
Melons ; and a relatively low degree is preferable on 
frosty and windy nights than to render the atmos¬ 
phere arid by the overheating of the pipes. A 
temperature of 50° to 55 0 will be quite sufficient to 
tide them over a stormy time. 
Forcing pits and frames — See that Radishes 
are sufficiently thinned out to allow the leaves to 
develop sufficiently to form useful sized roots. Short 
Horn Carrots should be thinned to 2 in. apart, 
and then gradually thin as required for use. Keep 
shifting early sown Tomatos as the pots get filled 
with roots. Earth up Potatos in good time. 
-<-T-- 
©bituan?. 
American papers announce the death, on December 
30th last, of that distinguished horticuituralist Mr. 
Thomas Hogg. His father (says Garden and Forest), 
whose name was also Thomas Hogg, was ardently 
devoted to horticulture and had charge of the green¬ 
houses belonging to William Kent, Esq., of London, 
who had the largest private collection of plants then in 
England. In this situation he became intimate with 
Macnab, of Edinburgh ; Aiton, of Kew; Pursh, 
Goldie, Don and other collectors of note. Thomas 
Hogg, the younger, was born in London on the 6th 
of February, 1820, and was brought to this country 
by his father when only nine months old. In the 
spring of 1822 Thomas Hogg, senior, took a piece of 
ground in this city where Twenty-third Street and 
Broadway now meet, but which was then quite out 
of the city, and commenced business as a nurseryman 
and florist, the only other nurseries then about New 
York being those of Messrs. Prince, of Flushing, and 
Floy & Wilson, in this city. In 1840 the nurseries 
were removed to Seventy-ninth Street and the East 
River, and here young Thomas Hogg and his brother 
James, who had been brouzht up to the business, 
assisted their father and took charge of the very flour¬ 
ishing establishment at his death in 1855. In 1862 
Thomas Hogg received an appointment from President 
Lincoln as United States Marshal, under which he 
went to Japan where he remained eight years. He then 
resigned and after a short visit to America he returned 
to Japan late in 1873 and remained there for two ye irs 
longer in the Customs service of the Japanese Gov¬ 
ernment. His close relations with the authorities 
gave him opportunities for exploring the islands 
which other foreigners did not possess, and he 
collected many plants and seeds of horticultural 
value and sent them home. 
Questions add snsmeRs. 
%* Correspondents are requested, in order to avoid delay, 
to address all communications to "The Editor” 
or "The Publisher,” and not to any person by 
name, unless the correspondence is of a private 
character. Telegrams may be addressed “ Bambusa, 
London." 
Chinese Sacred Lily. — A. G : Yes.it may be 
grown in soil precisely in the same way as the other 
varieties of Polyanthus Narcissus, and naturally the 
bulbs would be in better condition when so grown, 
especially if not forced, than when bloomed in water 
and fine gravel. The latter is merely pi iced there to 
keep the bulbs steady, and certainly serves to add to 
their elegant appearance when in flower. The 
flowers and leaves grow at the expense of the bulbs 
when grown in sand, so that the bulbs are not of 
great value for flowering a second year. Even those 
grown in soil in pots get so far deteriorated that it is 
scarcely worth the trouble of growing on a second 
year if good effect is desired. Of course you might 
manage them so well as to get a fairly good return 
the following year, but it is the opinion of those who 
have grown the bulbs, that they are sufficiently cheap 
to render them not worth the trouble cf growing a 
second year. 
Table Decorations. — W. Henderson : There is no 
goodjnodern book on the subject, and the best of 
the older works is Miss Hassard’s, which was 
published by Macmillan & Co.; but we do not know 
if it is now in print 
Names of Plants.— A. Grigor : Cattleya 
Walkeriana. 
Carnations. — J. H. B. Lincoln : We cannot learn 
that any of the varieties named are in the trade, ex¬ 
cept Sir Henry Calcraft, and that can be obtained 
from Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. 
St Brigids Anemones. — R. Herd : You need not 
yet feel alarmed at the non-appearance of your 
Anemones above ground, as their earliness in one 
season is no criterion as to their appearance the 
next. Some years they flower pretty freely during 
October and November ; the next year they may not 
do much till March. It all depends upon the age of 
the plants and the nature of the weather. Seedlings 
that have made good growth in summer are likely to 
flower in autumn, if the weather is at all propitious. 
After a few years they appear to settle down to the 
conditions of our climate, and to flower some time in 
spring, earlier or latter, according to the nature of 
the weather. It is a good plan, therefore, to fre¬ 
quently raise plants from seeds. 
Egg Plants in the Open Air. — Alex. Wilson: 
Sow the seeds in pots or pans in a gentle heat about 
the middle of April, in a moderately light compost. 
As soon as they have made a few rough leaves, pot 
them off separately in small 60-size pots, and replace 
them in beat till re-established. Harden them off so 
as to be fit for planting out in June. To get the 
most satisfactory results, they must be planted in a 
warm situation, either on a warm border, against a 
wall, or on a trellis. During the prevalence of warm 
and droughty weather, give them copious supplies of 
water, and when a sufficient number of fruits are set, 
give them weak liquid manure, to increase the size 
of the fruits. If the latter are required for exhibi¬ 
tion^ they should be thinned out so as to leave only 
a few fruits on each plant, and only one if the latter 
is not very strong. The smaller fruiting kinds are, 
however, most suitable for outdoor planting, as they 
give the largest return. They may also be used for 
decorative purposes in the flower garden. 
New Zealand Flax. — New Subscriber : The New 
Zealand Flax (Phormimum tenax) is a native of New 
Zealand, was introduced in 1798, and is the hardier 
of the two known species. Rich loamy soil suits it 
very well, but we have seen it planted in sandy soil, 
and also in rich soil on the margins of streams and 
ponds. Of course it makes the finer growth when 
planted under such conditions. We are not sure 
whether it would answer first rate as a covert for 
game. It might not afford the kind of shelter that 
game would readily take to ; but there would be no 
harm in trying it upon a small scale at first. The 
plant can readily be produced from seeds, which 
sometimes ripen in this country; but as there is 
such a small and uncertain demand for the seeds, we 
doubt if any' seedsman in this country keeps them. 
You might apply to Messrs. Vilmorin-Andrieux & 
Co., 4, Quai de la Megisserie, Paris. 
