222 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 4, 1897. 
must be ascertained. Horticultural varieties on 
account ot their delicacy require special care in the 
question of manures; thus was recommended water¬ 
ing with solutions varying from to l per cent, in 
order to avoid all accident. This is somewhat 
troublesome in horticultural establishments where 
workmen are not accustomed to these special manipu¬ 
lations. it would be good to distribute manure to or¬ 
namental plants under a form or in conditions where 
it could be gradually assimilated so as to avoid any 
sudden addition of fertilisers which might burn or 
injure the plant. 
-- 
ARDEN1NG JlSCELLANY. 
PEA, THE GLADSTONE. 
As a whole the past season has not been a good 
one for Peas, but from what I have seen and grown 
of this, I think more of it than the G.O.M’s. poli¬ 
tics. Indeed, a good boiling of the real esculent 
itself, will do more good, possessing greater liber¬ 
ality of strength, and is likewise more digestible. 
The haulm is 3j ft. high, of sturdy habit, bearing 
deep green, long, scimitar-shaped pods with eight 
to ten large peas of excellent flavour. It is a 
desirable variety for those who may rule their own, 
or anybody else's, garden .—B L. 
SPECIMEN BOUVARDIAS. 
The finest plants that ever came under my notice 
were exhibited recently at the Plymouth Chrysan¬ 
themum Show, and grown by Mr. George Chamber¬ 
lain, gardener to Lady Blackford. They stood over 
5 ft. high, nearly 3 ft. through, and were one mass of 
flower. They comprised such sorts as Alfred 
Neuner, Vreelandii, Hogarth, and President Garfield, 
and what is most remarkable concerning them I 
gathered from the grower that they had not been 
re-potted for the past five years. Merely the surface 
soil was removed, and a rich top dressing given each 
spring, using a good percentage of bone-meal. They 
were certainly a credit to the gardener.— J. Mayne, 
Bicton. 
STRIPPING THE LEAVES OF TOMATOS. 
Even in humanity it is an old saying, that those 
who stand humbug will have plenty. TLe same 
might be said of the Tomato, for we invariably find 
plants existing under all sorts of conditions. But 
to my mind nothing is more contemptible than to 
see the plants slashed and denuded of their foliage, 
under the impression of swelling the fruits, especi¬ 
ally when we consider that the leaves are the real 
workers, elaborating the sap for the feeding of the 
same. If we wish to do a little pinching, then be 
judicious with the finger and thumb, when the 
leaves are young. Plenty of good pots, and a good 
covering of clothes on their back, are two first 
essentials to the production of large fruits.— B.L. 
DIGITALIS FERRUGINEA. 
The stately individuality of the Foxgloves either 
when growing in the herbaceous border, in the wild 
garden, or rejoicing by themselves amidst the sur¬ 
roundings in which nature has placed them cannot 
be denied. With the exception of Digitalis pur¬ 
purea, our native Foxglove, we do not cultivate 
them much, however. This species has given rise 
to a number of varied and beautiful colours and 
there is no more honoured occupant of the herba¬ 
ceous border than they. D. ferruginea is a compar¬ 
ative rarity in our gardens, on the other hand, and 
it is very probable that hundreds of gardeners have 
never seen it, although it is a handsome, and withal 
a useful plant. It is biennial in duration, and throws 
up a fine strong raceme the second summer of its 
existence, some time from the middle of July to the 
middle of August usually. The raceme is fully 5 ft. 
in height and occasionally exceeds that height on 
very strong plants. It is densely packed with rela¬ 
tively small rusty coloured flowers—whence the 
specific name “ferruginea.” The lip of the corolla 
is ovate in shape, entire, and bearded. The stem 
itself is glabrous, but very leafy. Propagation is 
effected by seeds which are produced with remark¬ 
able freedom. The plant is a native of Europe, 
being brought here about the end of the sixteenth 
century although to use an Americanism it never 
seems to have “ caught on ” with gardeners generally. 
The only private establishment at which we have 
seen it growing is at Park Place, Henley-on-Thames, 
where Mr. Stanton has accorded it an honoured 
position amongst the fine collection of herbaceous 
plants. One has only to see it there when in flower 
to admit that it is well worthy its place. 
--J-- 
Que$non$ add Answers 
*,* Will our friends who send us newspapers be so good 
as to mark the paragraphs or articles they wish us to see. 
We shall be greatly obliged by their so doing. 
[ Correspondents, please note that we cannot undertake to 
name florists' flowers such as Carnations, Pelargoniums, 
Chrysanthemums, Roses, nor such as are mere garden 
varieties, differing only in the colour of the flower. 
Florists' flowers, as a rule, can only be named by those who 
grow collections of them.] 
Leaves of Apples and Pears.— Sigma: For the 
purpose of manuring the ground the leaves of the 
fruit trees you mention would be as suitable 
as any other kind ; but their actual value 
would depend upon the nature of the soil of your 
garden, and the plants you intend growing in the 
same. If the soil is heavy, that is of a clayey 
nature, the leaves would tend to lighten and improve 
it as much mechnically as chemically. On the 
whole the leaves would be more suitable for flowers 
than vegetables ; but fruit trees and bushes would be 
benefited by the potash they contain. There are 
reasons, in the matter of tidiness, why they should 
not be spread over the surface of beds and left there 
for the winter. The wind would blow them all over 
the place, and the birds would also scrape them up. 
The best plan of all would be to rake them off and 
pile them in a heap in some out of the way corner 
to rot for a year, after which they could be utilised 
for a great variety of purposes in the garden. 
Delphinium cardinale — Choice Plants: This is 
somewhat tender, and is usually grown in pots in a 
cold frame, where it can be protected to some extent 
from frost, wet, and slugs in the winter time. It 
may be planted out in a sunny position to bloom, or 
plunged in the pots out-of-doors in the spring of the 
second year of the seedlings. The flowers are more 
likely to set when thus kept airy. D. brunonianum 
and D. sulphureum (zalil) may be treated in the 
same way. Some cultivators, however, find that the 
latter proves tolerably hardy on rockwork, and 
flowers freely. All the three species should be 
grown in a light, sandy, but rich soil. Neither of 
them possess the hardiness of the ordinary D. formo- 
sum, D. grandiflorum, and D. elatum, so that 
they require a little attention to keep them dry, and 
care to prevent the crowns from being destroyed by 
slugs in their earlier stages, and in winter when at 
rest. 
Runners on Yiolets.— Omega : During the growing 
season you may allow a sufficient number of runners 
to grow for a stock of young plants to bloom the 
following season. All the rest may be cut off to 
concentrate the energies of the old plants on the 
production of flowers. 
Angle of Elevation — Omega : You do not tell us 
the width of your Melon frame. You might do that 
and we will help you next week. 
Flower of Laelia autumnalis.-Lr«.: The flower 
you sent was a very large one for the species, being 
4§ in. across the petals. The sepals are dark pur- 
pie almost to the base, and crimson-purple at the 
tips. The petals are similarly intensified at the 
upper end, but fade much paler towards the base. 
The side lobes are pure white on both faces ; but the 
lamina is intense crimson-purple. The size and 
colours of the flower, here given, show that it is the 
variety L. autumnalis atrorubens, and therefore, one 
of the finest forms of the species, though some are 
slightly darker in hue. 
Names of Fruit.—A'. W. : 1, Pear Thompson 
(there is a little doubt about it as it was decayed ; send 
earlier next year) ; 2, Fearn’s Pippin ; 3, Golden 
Spire; 4, Improved Keswick Codlin. 
Names of Plants.— B. E.: Cymbidium giganteum. 
G. W. : 1, Physalis Alkekengi ; 2, Jasminum nudi- 
florum ; 3, Maxillaria picta ; 4, Oncidium ornitho- 
rhynchum ; 5, Coelogyne speciosa.— W. R. : 1, 
Crataegus Pyracantha ; 2, Griselinia littoralis : 3, 
Retinospora plumosa aurea.— A. C., L. : 1, Begonia 
corallina; 2, Begonia haageana ; 3, Selaginella 
uncinata ; 4, Camellia japonica var. ; 5, Reidia 
glaucescens ; 6, Ruellia loDgifolia.— T. Mitchell : 1, 
Abies nordmanniana ; 2, Abies nobilis ; 3, Hama- 
melis virginica ; 4, Erica carnea. 
Communications Received —A. P—B. L.—John 
Ianson. — C. — Dunfermline Chrysanthemum 
Society.—J. R.-Wm. Yea.—Thos. Dale.—W. P. 
Laird.—J. Bryson.—A. E. S —S. N. S.—W. P.—S. 
Langholt — T. W. — C., Reading.—C. L. — A. 
Marney.—Y. 
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