November 6, 18$$. 
THE GARDENING WORLt) 
155 
alba, C. labiata Peetersi, with splashed sepals and 
petals ; and ten grand plants of C. Mossiae 
Wageneri, especially one splendid piece in a basket. 
Other good things are Oncidium Papilio majus, 
Lycaste Skinneri, Calanthe Veitchi and C. vestita, 
the two latter now throwing up their flower spikes. 
A large batch of Cattleya Trianaei is now in sheath. 
In a tall span-roofed house is a grand batch of 300 
plants of the white Anguloa eburnea iu robust 
vigour. Very rarely, if ever, have we seen so many 
of them all in one house. The foliage and pseudo¬ 
bulbs are enough to send an Orchid lover crazy. 
They fill the central and one of the side stages of the 
house. On the other side is a fine lot of Laelia 
purpurata. The lip of Cymbidium lowianum Rajah 
is remarkable in being nearly white. Laelia 
praestans, and Cattleya citrina on cork suspended 
from the roof are also noteworthy. 
Another house is filled with Odontoglossum crisp- 
urn, O. Pescatorei, O. triumphans, O. Rossii majus 
and Cymbidium eburneum in rude health. Else¬ 
where is a houseful of Cattleya Mossiae, Coelogyne 
cristata, C. c. lemoniana and others in good order. 
Palms, Ferns, &c. 
The early flowering form of Poinsettia pulcherrima 
is grown in great quantity for decorative purposes. 
P. p. alba is useful by way of contrast. Amongst 
Chrysanthemums are bushy specimens of the crim¬ 
son John Shrimpton. Kentia belmoreana in 48-sized 
pots, is grown cool, making dwarf, neat and sturdy 
specimens fit for anything. Other houses contain 
smaller plants in 6o-size, and [thumb pots, in the 
same useful condition. They are fit for decorative 
purposes under any condition to which Palms are 
put, and calculated to withstand low temperatures 
and dry atmospheres. Mr. P. McArthur can supply 
about a quarter of a million of them. Geonoma 
gracilis and Cobaea scandens variegata are also use¬ 
ful subjects. One cool house is filled with late 
Chrysanthemums, Eucalyptus globulus, Pelar¬ 
goniums, &c. 
The Fern house contains an assortment of decora¬ 
tive species and varieties of useful market size in 48- 
sized pots. We need only mention such as Pteris 
Wimsettii, P. cretica major, P. c. cristata, Cyrtomium 
falcatum, Asplenium fabianum and that charming 
dwarf Fern A. Colensoi, so graceful and so hardy. A 
large batch is ready to put into 48-sized pots. Very 
sturdy and well-grown stuff of Adiantum Victoriae 
may be seen in market size, grown cool and calcu¬ 
lated to withstand a dry atmosphere as well as a 
Pteris. Highly coloured plants of Aralia Sieboldi 
variegata are in remarkably fine condition. Those 
who want a hardy subject for cool houses or dwelling 
rooms might well give it a trial. Festuca glauca in 
pots also finds admirers for decorative purposes. A 
batch of Dendrobium crassinode barberianum is 
being rested in this house in pots suspended from the 
roof. The stems are stout and the plants of good 
size. 
The Palm house contains an assortment of Palms 
for decorative purposes in various sizes from large 
specimens in tubs to seedlings in thumb pots. A 
grand plant of Kentia belmoreana, with a tall stem 
and large head, grown in a tub is about as high as 
the roof of the house will permit, although the tub is 
sunk in the floor of the house. A fine batch of 700 
to 800 small specimens of Cycas revoluta, recently 
imported, is being established. The plants are of 
small size, suitable for decorative purposes in rela¬ 
tively small pots, and are throwing up heads of four 
to six leaves of a fine dark green hue. A large batch 
of seedlings in another house, will turn out to be 
Corypha australis, we believe, when the plants are 
large enough to determine. The seeds were sent 
home without name, but the seedlings will soon be 
in proper form. 
-- 2 «- 
BOLTONIA DECUKRENS. 
Of the three Boltonias in general cultivation B. 
decurrens is by no means the least handsome. It 
closely resembles B. latisquama in style and habit of 
growth, but is scarcely so tall. The flowers, too, 
have long, reflexing, flesh coloured, instead of white 
ray florets, but they are both pretty and effective. 
The whole plant, indeed, has a warm and cheerful 
appearance in the autumn flower garden, and pre¬ 
serves its beauty until well on into the autumn. We 
had the pleasure of seeing it in capital condition 
during a visit to the Long Ditton Nurseries, where 
hardy plants of all kinds thrive under the fostering 
care of Mr. J. W. Barr. 
BEGONIAS AND DAHLIAS AT 
FOREST HILL. 
September is the month for seeing seedling tuberous 
Begonias in the open air; but cuttings rooted in the 
previous autumn, and young tubers come into bloom 
much earlier, making, in fact, a summer display- 
Some little time ago we paid a visit of inspection to 
the nurseries of Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, 
when Begonias, Dahlias, and perennial Asters were 
the chief items of interest. 
Tuberous Begonias. 
Most of the older plants grown in the open air this 
year were transferred to the Rutland Nursery where 
they made a grand display till late in the season. By 
old plants we mean seedlings of last year and cuttings 
taken from named sorts and rooted during 1896. 
A few of these named sorts were planted in the 
Stanstead Park Nursery, and during the mild, moist 
weatherof thelatterpart of summermadefinegrowth- 
The same may be said of the seedlings of this year, 
which covered the ground closely during September 
and flowered grandly. They were arranged as usual 
in long beds, in the leading colours, such as white, 
pink, rose, scarlet, crimson, yellow, and bronze. 
Masses of a colour are more effective than mixtures. 
Some small beds were planted with named kinds 
of erect habit, and specially adapted for bedding 
purposes. Laing’s Golden Ball forms dwarf and 
bushy plants, about 6 in. high, bearing a profu¬ 
sion of small yellow flowers that are globular and 
perfectly double. The variety is also very popular 
with some growers as a pot plant. Duke of York is 
a charming salmon-pink variety with large flowers of 
fine form, which flowers as profusely as any. 
Lafayette is an early variety with small, scarlet 
flowers that are highly effective for this kind of work. 
Henshaw Russell is a large scarlet variety of telling 
aspect. Stanstead Gem is a scarlet of grand form. 
All of the above named kinds are double, and were 
exceptionally fine this year. 
Several houses were filled with pot plants, many 
of which were being utilised for seed raising by 
cross-fertilisation. Three houses were filled with 
double varieties, many of them being the most recent 
selections from this year’s seedlings. We noted some 
grand varieties amongst them in various shades of 
colour, and have no doubt they will even be finer 
next year. 
In one of the houses and in some heated frames 
were batches of Streptocarpus of a large flowering 
strain. A large proportion of them were of some or 
other shade of blue, such as porcelain, violet, white 
with violet lines, sky blue in various tints, and purple. 
The white varieties were very numerous, and the 
violet lines and bands made a beautiful contrast with 
the white. The gayest house was that in which the 
plants were arranged amongst Maidenhair Ferns. 
They were accompanied by a late batch of Gloxinias. 
Dahlias. 
A large plantation of these had withstood a tremen¬ 
dous downpour of rain and hail, while the leaves of 
the Cannas close by were torn into shreds. Single, 
Pompon, show, decorative, and Cactus varieties were 
all well represented, the plants being masses of 
bloom. Beauty of Watford, a golden-yellow single 
variety with a crimson zone was very handsome 
indeed. 
Cactus varieties included most of the best varieties. 
Mrs. Peart is a beautiful white variety, but it is 
excelled in purity by Mrs. Francis Fell. Very fine also 
are Princess Ena, golden buff; Mrs. Allhusson, rich 
pink with a creamy centre; Illuminator, scarlet; 
Mahalacheris, white; the Queen, very large, and 
white, with broad florets; Mrs. W. B. Wright, 
crimson with violet tips ; and George Dayrell Reed, 
scarlet, tipped violet. Starfish is considered the 
best scarlet, the long, narrow florets being very fine. 
Cycle is another magnificent form having carmine- 
scarlet florets, tipped violet. Bridesmaid may be 
likened to the Rose Marie Van Houtte in colour. 
The narrow crimson florets of Dr. Jameson are also 
fine. The rich purple of Purple King is excellent of 
its kind ; and African is amongst the darkest of the 
maroon-crimson kinds. 
We may best describe Mrs. H. Pomeroy as yellow, 
overlaid with salmon-pink. The buff yellow of 
Kingsley Foster is also pretty. Markiss may be 
likened to African in being of a dark maroon-crimson. 
A very charming Dahlia is that named Mrs. E. 
Cannell, which is of a bright salmon-red, overlying 
yellow. Cinderella is rather difficult to describe, 
being of a rich purple, overlaid with some dark 
colour in the centre. Of dark coloured varieties 
Harry Stredwick is very fine of its kind, being 
crimson with a maroon-crimson centre. Fantasy is 
a remarkably fantastic variety in having incurved 
orange-scarlet florets, making heads of great beauty. 
Apollo is a rich scarlet and very late variety 
Altogether there were six rows of new varieties, 
many of which carried a great profusion of flowers 
well above the foliage. They, as well as the Pompon 
sorts, are very useful for cut flowers. 
The perennial Asters have been showy for weeks 
past, some of the most conspicuous being Aster 
Novi-Belgii, Aster Novae-Angliae, and their varieties, 
and the charming A. diffusus horizontalis. 
»»■-- 
THE PROGRESS OF VEGETABLE CUL¬ 
TIVATION DURING QUEEN VICTORIA’S 
REIGN. 
(Continued from p. 140J. 
The Cucumber 
Was represented by numerous sorts at the time of 
the accession of the Queen. Chief among them 
were Early Frame and White and Black Spine, 
besides the so-called Long Prickly and Short Prickly 
Ridge Cucumbers. Snow, Cuthill, Mills, and Con¬ 
stantine were among the earliest improvers of this 
popular esculent, and by 1842 many varieties were 
available. 
Kelway's Victory and Phenomenon, Syon House 
and Victory of Bath appeared during the fifties, and 
a few years later Berkshire Champion and Man¬ 
chester Prize. It was then that Thomas Lockie took 
the Cucumber in hand, and Blue Gown (and its 
sport Tender and True) Royal Windsor, and the 
deservedly popular Lockie’s Perfection were the 
leading varieties raised by him. Meanwhile other 
sorts,including Telegraph and Cardiff Castle.obtained 
a leading place, and it will be a long time before 
Telegraph is superseded for general cultivation, 
I have not enquired from the Messrs. Rochford 
how many years the Rochford Cucumber has been 
in their family, but it is probably more sought after 
by growers for market than other variety. In recent 
years the palm for raising improved varieties must 
certainly be given to Mr. Mortimer, whose wonderful 
exhibits at the Drill Hall and elsewhere have been 
greatly admired. Sutton’s Ai, Peerless, Progressi 
and Matchless are results of his painstaking work. 
Notwithstanding the almost endless varieties now 
procurable, it is generally admitted that none of them 
supply the ideal type required for cultivation on a 
large scale. For productiveness no sort equals the 
best strain of Telegraph, but the somewhat pale 
colour, especially when the plants are bearing a 
heavy crop, lessens its value for market purposes, 
and if the Council of the R.H.S. should see their way 
to undertake a series of trials at Chiswick I would 
'gladly offer a prize of £5 5s. for the seedling 
Cucumber, raised since 1896, which shall combine 
.the productiveness and excellent form of Telegraph, 
with the dark colour of Rochford’s Cucumber. 
The Leek 
In 1837 was represented in this country by the 
Common and Flag types, although it is on record 
that in the previous year four Scotch Leeks were 
produced in Edinburgh with a circumference of 9 in. 
or more. A Scotch gardener, now living, informs me 
that although he came to England in 1854 it was 
several years before he saw Leeks grown here. The 
Musselburgh was one of the first improved forms, 
followed by Ayton Castle and Henry's Prize. The 
greatest triumph, however, is found in The Lyon, 
and the better selections of this good variety, such as 
Prizetaker, appear to present as perfect a form of 
Leek as it is possible to obtain or desire. 
In this connection may be mentioned the excellent 
work done by the Messrs. Dobbie, who have intro¬ 
duced one or two very fine selections of Leek, as 
well as of several other vegetables. 
Lettuce. 
The number of varieties, both Cos and Cabbage, has 
wonderfully increased during the past twenty years, 
and they embrace many types and shades of colour. 
In 1837 several of the leading varieties of the pre¬ 
sent day were in use, including amongst the Cabbage 
varieties Brown Dutch, Bro.vn and White Silesian, 
Drumhead, Grand Admiral, Hammersmith, and one 
or two others, and in the Cos, While Seeded and 
Black Seeded Bath, Florence, Green, White, and 
Spotted. 
