372 T H 
FLORICULTURE. 
Violas and Pansies. 
It will be advisable to look over these where they 
have been out of doors during the severe weather 
and were planted in the autumn, to press them down 
firmly into the ground, and surface with a little 
potting soil or prepared soil. Many plants will in 
damp and colder situations probably be found to be 
injured, but by doing what I recommend, the plants 
can be saved and will throw up young growth 
presently. A large number of new varieties of both 
Pansies and Violas are being introduced this season, 
the popularity of both flowers being now assured, 
and the coming exhibitions where these flowers are 
invited will be of more than ordinary interest to 
lovers of the Pansy and Viola. 
Plants wintered in frames should have an abun¬ 
dance of air, and the lights pulled off in mild 
weather, so as to ensure robust growth, and not 
weakly growth, as when shut up too much. Damp¬ 
ing off should be well looked after, as a great lot of 
injury is soon caused by neglect of this precaution. 
If the weather should be favourable in the middle or 
end of March, and the plants are strong, planting out 
should then be proceeded with, seeing that the 
plants are very firm in the ground. Late planting is 
the cause of so many failures with the Pansy and 
Viola.— W. D. 
Carnations in the United States. 
For thorough-going heartiness and friendship, and 
the enjo} : ment of life, the American florists leave us 
immeasurably behind in their meetings, thinking 
little or nothing of a few hundred miles’ ride to a 
flower show and gathering of florists, where business 
and pleasure go hand in hand, and wholesome fun 
and enjoyment follows the practical work of the day. 
British horticulturists as a rule are thoroughly in 
earnest with their work, but a warmth of feeling and 
a desire to shake off tne cares of our everyday life 
when meeting together is not so strongly developed 
as in the States. 
Go-a-headedness in any flower they take up is a 
fashion over there. Now it is the Carnation which 
seems to be so very popular, and the American Florist 
of January the 19th, in a special, handsomely got up 
double number, gives a descriptive list of about 350 
varieties, almost all unknown on this side of the 
Atlantic, and apparently valuable at present only for 
forcing purposes with the American florists. 
Amongst the 350, Germania is described as “poor 
grower, failed, fine flower, but may be called a 
Remontant; and useless for forcing.” Miss Joliffe 
is described as “ run out, small and discarded ; ” and 
Pride of Penshurst as “ poor for forcing.” So that 
it is quite evident that Carnations to be of value in 
the United States must bear rapid growing in heat. 
Illustrations are given of several varieties, but they 
would not generally recommend themselves to our 
florists here, and the illustrations of “ forms of growth 
are not at all up to our standard of form of plant, and 
the illustrations of flowers of some of their varieties 
do not give us a favourable impression of varieties 
esteemed in America. The blooms are small and 
fringed on the edge, not coming up to our standard 
of refinement and excellence. Such sorts as Ger¬ 
mania and Pride of Penshurst we can quite under¬ 
stand being failures when grown in heat, and with us 
Germania has nothing whatever of the “Remon¬ 
tant” (or Tree Perpetual Carnation) about it. jOh 
dear, yes 1 Mr. Willans grows it splendidly at Blen¬ 
heim for winter blooming.— Ed.] We have a class 
of winter blooming Carnations—the Remontants— 
which are most valuable, in fact they are almost per¬ 
petual bloomers, and they are almost all of good form 
and very varied in colours, but no forcing is applied 
to them to get them into bloom, neither is any needed. 
That the Carnation is an immensely popular 
flower in America is shown by the large number of 
Carnation societies existing there, and it is only a 
question of time with the florists there in getting 
better form into their new varieties, and Mr. John 
Thorpe’s prediction of the coming Carnation flower 
will by and bye be realised. If it were possible to 
transmit in its entirety to New York in the blooming 
season, the annual display of Carnations and Pico- 
tees as seen in Mr. Dodwell's garden at the annual 
meeting very early in August, I venture to think that 
it would prove an “ eye opener,” and an instructive 
lesson to many. The American florists are very 
energetic in their work, and improvement is the 
E GARDENING WOR 
order of the day with them as with us, and they 
have taken the Carnation, the Pansy, and the Chry¬ 
santhemum well in hand.— W. D. 
--— 4 —- 
THE GLASGOW PARKS AND BOTANIC 
GARDEN. 
We have now the pleasure to make the announce¬ 
ment that at the meeting of the Glasgow Town 
Council on the 2nd inst , Mr. James Whitton, gar¬ 
dener to the Earl of Strathmore, at Glamis Castle, 
was appointed to the post of Superintendent of the 
Glasgow Pirks and open spaces at a salary of £300 
per annum ; and Mr. Daniel Dewar, of the Royal 
Gardens, Kew, was at the same time appointed to 
succeed the late Mr. Robert Bullen as Curator of 
the Botanic Garden, at a salary of £200 per annum. 
There were some peculiar developments in the action 
of the Parks Committee preceding these appoint¬ 
ments, but all’s well that ends well, and both our 
friends may be heartily congratulated on their 
success. 
It seems that about the beginning of November 
the Town Council advertised for a Curator for the 
Botanic Garden at a salary of £200 a year, with 
some other emoluments. A few weeks later it was 
intimated that Mr. McLellan, Superintendent of the 
Parks, had retired from that office on a pension of 
Mr. Daniel Dewar, 
Curator, Botanic Garden, Glasgow. 
£200 a year. The Committee then appear to have 
amalgamated the two offices, for on the 10 th of 
December another advertisement appeared, inviting 
application for the post of Curator and Superinten¬ 
dent at a salary of ^300 a year. It was generally 
considered that this was an error of judgment, and 
that the Council would have great difficulty in 
securing the services of a man possessing the 
scientific and practical knowledge that would be re¬ 
quired in the holder of both offices. Yet it is a fact 
that the Council received nearly one hundred appli¬ 
cations, a circumstance which suggests some curious 
reflections, for if it be true that there are so many 
men in the horticultural profession possessing the 
necessary qualifications for such a post, where is an 
outlet to be found for the exercise of their abilities 
at a fair renumeration ? Their prospects are indeed 
not of the brightest. But we are digressing. 
To the surprise of the candidates the next move of 
the Parks Committee was to separate the offices, and 
recommend the appointments that have now been 
made. We cannot help thinking that the Council 
has taken a wise course, in making these appoint¬ 
ments, but it was not creditable to the Parks Com¬ 
mittee to put the applicants to so much trouble and 
annoyance by their shilly-shally conduct. 
Mr. Whitton, the new Parks Superintendent, is a 
very able man, and we doubt not will amply justify 
his appointment. He was foreman to the late Mr. 
George Johnstone, at Glamis Castle, and succeeded 
him on the death of that most excellent practitioner, 
L Y) t ebruary 11, 1893 
having in the meantime been for some six years 
gardener at Coltness, Wishaw. Mr. Dewar, like 
Mr. Whitton, is a native of Scotland, and came to 
Kew some 12 years ago, from the nurseries of Messrs. 
Dicksons & Co., Waterloo Place, Edinburgh. During 
nearly the w'hole of his residence at Kew, he has 
had charge of the Herbaceous department, a fact 
which in itself is the best testimony to his ability. 
We hope sincerely for the success of both in their 
new spheres of labour. 
--J*- 
PROTECTING CELERY. 
Doubtless your correspondent, "H. W.,” is one 
amongst the many w'hose crops has been destroyed 
by the rigorous action of the ice-king this winter. 
The character of the seasons of late years has been 
so variable that really we are at a loss to know 
whether to anticipate good or evil. Should the 
weather be open and mild as a matter of course no 
protection is needed, the plants be they what they 
may being infinitely better left in the ground without 
any protection whatever ; but the transitions in 
temperature are so very sudden and so great, that 
the cultivator runs great risk should he not make 
ample provision by having the fore horse well in 
hand, so as to cope with our ever-varying climate 
In my time I have experienced the immense value 
and convenience of having plenty of cellar-room, 
having had cellars in the open garden well covered 
with earth and the whole covered with trees. In 
these no frost ever entered, and they were always 
warm and dry. I have also found wide passages 
leading to the ice-house of great value, in enabling 
me as occasion required, almost in the twinkling of 
an eye, to store Brocoli, Endive, Celery, &c., walk out¬ 
side and whistle in defiance of the cruel vagaries of 
the clerk of the weather. It has given me the 
greatest consolation, when the scourging influence 
of frost has been devastating the whole country, to 
know that my crops were safely and securely housed. 
I may say that it was my practice to mutilate the 
plants or roots as little as possible, removing only 
such portions as were decayed or that would leave 
the plant without the aid of force, and avoiding the 
making of wounds, as it is much easier to make a 
wound than it is to heal one. I have had deep 
brick forcing pits in which I have stored Broccoli 
that have kept admirably for weeks during the most 
rigorous winters, to wit, for example, the Crimean 
winter of 1854-55. They were planted with the 
roots entire, and put in thickly, but when the leaves 
were dry, giving air if possible, but covering the 
plants with dry clean straw which w r as placed inside, 
no other material being so suitable for the purpose. 
It is the gardener's business and interest to please 
the cook at all seasons, for should he fail to do so, 
his position becomes by no means an enviable one, 
consequently the producing and preserving of all 
garden products is an important matter with him ; 
and as Celery is a wholesome and with most a highly 
favoured esculent, it should be so managed as to be 
supplied under protection as nearly as possible from 
the soil in which it was grown, and I deem it 
essential that to insure this the crops must have 
timely attention, whether it be the protection in the 
open ground or under cover. 
One simple means has been adopted with satisfac¬ 
tory results, viz., by nailing two pieces of boards 
together, thus— a— in short lengths of about 3 ft. On 
the appearance of frost these can be quickly placed 
on the tops of the ridge, and subsequently well 
covered with protecting material. These inverted 
troughs being non-conductors of heat will in them¬ 
selves be of considerable protection, and help to 
exclude the air which assists the frost in penetrating 
the earth, and also prevent the escape of warmth 
husbanded in the soil; and as we sometimes have 
sudden changes from frost to rain, and rain to 
severe frost, the moisture is kept from entering the 
hearts of the plants, so inimical to plants when 
exposed to very severe weather. To allow the frost 
to get hold of the ground before applying remedies 
to preserve crops is to all intents like the trite old 
adage—locking up the stable when the horse has 
vanished .—George Fry. 
-- 
World's Horticultural Congress .—The date for the 
World’s Horticultural Congress has been set by the 
Congress Auxiliary of the World’s Columbian 
Exposition. The Horticultural Congress will begin 
at Chicago August 16, 1893, and continue four days. 
