January 1, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
285 
deeper purple, and have a yellow tbroafl The 
anthers are jellow, and the slightly lobed stigmas 
crimson-red in hue. This species flowers from 
October to November, is very hardy, and 
especially suitable for planting in grass or in 
suitable parts of the wild garden. Small offsets 
flower the next year after planting. Saffron is 
collected in Sicily from wild plants of this species, 
although the supply of the commodity thus obtained 
does not affect the market to any appreciable 
degree 
C. asturicus. —According to " Maw ” this is the 
common species in the north of Spain, where it is 
distributed over the country, lying between 2° and 
7 0 west longitude. The flowers have a bearded 
throat, as in C. vernus, but in other respects 
approach closely to C. nudiflorus. The segments 
of the flowers are linear-lanceolate in shape, and the 
flowers stellate and dwarf in stature. The colour is 
purple with a white throat. The stigma is much 
divided, and, like the anthers, yellow. 
C. cancellatus is a charming flower, light mauve 
in colour, shading to white with age. The blooms 
are prettily striated with rich lilac, and look exceed¬ 
ingly chaste and pretty. This species runs through 
29 0 of longitude, and 8° of latitude, i.e., from northern 
Palestine to Armenia. The eastern forms have blue 
flowers with various markings, whilst the western 
forms are white or pale. 
C. salzmanni is noteworthy, because it is the 
only autumn-flowering species common to both 
Europe and Africa. It is chiefly to be found in the 
neighbourhood of Tangier, between latitudes 35 0 , 
30', and 36°, 30'N . It has also been discovered 
in Tetuan and in Beni Hosmar, which “ Maw ” 
states to be the most south-westerly point at which 
any Crocuses have been gathered. The flowers are 
produced in October and November, according to 
the season. They are very large, the segments 
being lanceolate in shape. The colour is a pretty 
shade of light lilac. The plant bears a general re¬ 
semblance both to C. Clusii and to C. asturicus, but 
the leaves attain their full development at the flower¬ 
ing time, and this at once sets it apart from the 
latter species. 
C. serotinus is supposed by some to be the 
finest of the autumn-flowering Crocuses. The 
flowers are of medium size, and the segments ovate- 
lanceolate in shape. The colour is pale lilac, and 
exceedingly delicate and pretty. 
• C. cilicius lilacinus.— " Maw ” takes this to toe 
a variety of C. cancellatus. The flowers are small, 
light mauve in colour, striated with purple-blue. 
The base is yellow. The segments are linear and 
obtusely pointed. The whole plant is very distinct 
and pretty. The long, feathery, orange-yellow 
stigmata are not the least charm. 
C. HADRIATICUS CHRYSOBELONICUS.— This L not 
far from C. sativus, as evidenced by the character of 
the stigmas, the colour of the flowers being the chief 
distinction. The plant is very dwarf, and the 
flowers being very near the ground are particularly 
liable to become splashed with mud. The flowers 
are white, with an orange-yellow blotch at the base. 
The type is a native of Albania and the Morea, and 
is distributed over the ground lying between 36^° and 
40° North latitude. 
C medius is one of the very finest of the autumn¬ 
flowering Crocuses. The flowers are large and nearly 
globose in shape. The colour is rich purple, with 
lines of deeper purple, and a white throat. The 
anthers are short and yellow, and the stigmata bright 
coral-red, giving a handsome set off to the 
whole flower. The plant is hardy and a most robust 
grower. It is confined to a narrow belt of the 
Riviera between latitude 45 0 and 47 0 north. It has 
been found in quantity at Mentone in the Holly 
Wood, on the north-east side of the cemetery. The 
leaves remain quite dormant until spring, but the 
flowers are produced in October and November. 
C. pulchellus, a native of the shores of the 
Bosphorus, is well named, for it is a most beautiful 
form. The white anthers serve to distinguish it 
readily from C. speciosus, which has orange-yellow 
anthers. The colour of the flowers is light lilac, 
with a prominent yellow base. The stigmata are 
very loDg and feathery. 
C zonatus is a small but very pretty flower that 
produces a very brilliant effect when seen in the 
mass. The flowers are of medium size, and globular 
in shape, the individual segments being broad and 
massive. The colour is a delicate light mauve, with 
striations of purple. The conspicuous feature is an 
orange-yellow central zone of rather irregular out¬ 
line. 
C. vallicola comes near to C zonatus, but lacks 
the conspicuous zone, which is replaced by a ring of 
faint yellow spots at the base. The colour of the 
flower is French-white or mauve, veined strongly 
with lilac. This is a very rare species, but also an 
uncommonly pretty one. 
-—J-- 
Hardening J|iscellany. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM THE WHITE MRS. 
FILKINS. 
From yellow to white is not a common line of 
sporting amongst Chrysanthemums, nor, perhaps 
amongst any other class of flowers. A bloom ot 
Chrysanthemum, the White Mrs. Filkins, comes 
from Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent, 
which we should understand to be a sport from the 
yellow or typical variety. In any case only one 
bloom could he spared owing to the predilection of 
the ladies who would have this new comer for its 
graceful and delicate beauty. Now and again we 
have a growl from the man who loves small flowers 
in preference to the giants of the show boards,which 
have lost all modesty, as he says, on account of their 
inordinate size and lack of beauty. Well here is his 
opportunity, and that of everybody else concerned. 
The yellow Mrs. Filkins is now well known, and the 
white form need no longer be a stranger. We forget 
whether this belongs to the feathery, fluffy or plumy 
section, but that is a secondary matter ; the heads 
are light, graceful, pure white, and made up of 
florels that are deeply cut into five slender fringes, 
that are nothing, if not fine, in texture, refined and 
light as a feather. We would compare it to a white 
variety of the Sweet Sultan, only less lumpy. 
THE WINTER CALVILLE BLANC 
APPLE. 
A reader of I'Agricultwe Modeme, enquires why the 
Paris market is not better supplied with the fruit, so 
much appreciated, of the Calville Blanc Apple, that 
queen of winter Apples, and what are the cultural 
needs of the tree 
The following are the practical remarks we think 
good to give our readers on this interesting question : 
— Never plant the Calville Blanc as standard or half 
standard trees, this variety, the most delicate of the 
many kinds of Apples grown requires, on the con¬ 
trary, small size and good exposure to the east 
either in espalier or counter-espalier form. In 
espalier take the vertical cordon with a single branch 
or the small U or three branched candelabrum In 
the first case plant the trees at a distance of 30 cen¬ 
timetres (1179 inches) from each other; in the 
second 60 c. (23 5 inches), and in the third 90 c. (35-3 
inches). For the Apple tree in counter-espalier the 
horizontal cordon is generally employed either uni¬ 
lateral or bilateral, which is more common. But we 
think the small fan should always be preferred ; it 
is easily obtained and guided. Its initial point is a 
one-year-old scion, cut down when completely rooted 
to two lateral buds at about a foot from the ground. 
The two branches which shoot from this cutting are 
then guided obliquely at an angle of about 45 0 ; they 
intercross with those of the neighbouring trees and 
together form very graceful squares. This shape is 
very productive, consequently to be recommended, 
especially for the Calville Blanc d’Hiver. 
It is besides very wisely employed on a large scale 
at the Versailles National School of Horticulture, 
where results are excellent, as also in the principal 
arboricultural establishments about Paris where its 
superiority is recognised. In rich clayey soils plant 
Calville Blanc grafted on the Paradise stock. In 
poorer soils siliciousor calcareous adopt the Doucin 
stock. For the small fan let the distance between 
each tree be 27J ins. on the Paradise, and 39 in. on 
the Doucin ; give this form a height of 39 in. to 
47 in- 
Here is another piece of advice which certainly is 
of value. Do you want Calville Blanc winter Apples 
with wax-coloured skins ? If so put each Apple in 
a paper bag as soon as i t is the size of a wain ut. The 
fruit will grow regularly under this cover, unspotted 
and marvellously fine in the late autumn. These 
bags are removed successively beginning after the 
first fifteen days of September, firstly tearing the 
bags at the top so as to accustom the fruit to the air. 
This curious method is not known enough and 
deserves all possible popularity. Finally, if you 
want to grow an exquisite Apple in standard form 
with all the qualities of the Calville Blanc, its 
form though more elongated, plant the Lineous 
Pippin variety the real name of which, according to 
M. F. Jamin, of Bourg-la-reine, is Lincoln Pippin, 
and Belle fleur jaune, according to M. Baltet, of 
Troyes, who adds that by its good quality this fruit 
deserves the name of Calville Reinette. You can 
always distinguish the Lineous Pippin Apple by the 
size of the seed cells.— L'Agricultwe Modeme, Oct. 
3rd, 1897. 
LAND TRANSFER IN AUSTRALIA. 
The sale of real property in Australia is greatly facil¬ 
itated by the cheap and expeditious manner in 
which land is transferred under the Real Property 
or Torrens Act, which had made the process as easy 
as the purchase of a commodity in a retailer's estab¬ 
lishment, no matter whether the land transferred 
consists of only a few sq-iare feet or several thousand 
acres. The system has been adopted by all the 
Australasian colonies. It came into force in New 
South Wales as far back as 1862, dealings in real 
estate before that year having been regulated by the 
Deeds Registration Act of 1843. The Real Property 
Act completely revolutionised the procedure in 
regard to land transfers, and was modelled on the 
lines of legislation in South Australia adopted at the 
instance of Sir R. R. Torrens—hence the popular 
name of "Torrens’ Act." The chief features of the 
Act are the transferring of real property by registra¬ 
tion of title instead of deeds ; the absolute indefeasi¬ 
bility of the title when registered ; and the protec¬ 
tion afforded to owners against possessory claims, as 
a title issued under the Act stands good notwith¬ 
standing aDy length of adverse possession. From 
the pissing of Torrens’ Act all lands sold by the 
Crown were conveyed to the purchasers under its 
provisions, and the provisions of the old law were 
restricted to transactions in respect of grants already 
issued. The area for which grants under the old 
system had been issued in 1862 was 7,478.794 acres ; 
since then 1,150,115 acres have been brought under 
the provisions of Torrens’ Act, so that the area still 
under the Deeds Registration Act is 6,328,679 
acres. Lands are allowed to be placed under 
Torrens’ Act only when their titles are found to be 
unchangeable; but thousands of acres are brought 
under the Act during the course of every year, so 
that it is merely a question of time when the whole 
of the lands of the colony will be under a uniform 
system. The area of Crown lands conveyed and of 
private lands brought under the Torrens’ or Real 
Property Act during the period it has been in force 
was 18,489,691 acres, of the estimated value of 
£40,077,517. Where private lands have been 
brought within the provisions of the Act all previous 
deeds have been cancelled. The transfers and con¬ 
veyances of private lands which take place during 
ordinary years indicate in some measure the condi¬ 
tion of business; but in some years they cannot be 
relied upon as giving more than an indication of 
speculation or inflation. During 1888, when the land 
boom was at its height, land to the value of 
£11,068,873 changed hands ; but thence the amount 
annually became less until 1895, when it stood at 
£3,674,837. With the revival of trade and industry 
in 1896 there was an increase, the figures for that 
year being £4,221,330, with every prospect of a 
further increase in 1897. As already mentioned, the 
Real Property Act provides that on the issue of a 
certificate the title of the person named on the certi¬ 
ficate is indefeasible. Provision is, however, made 
for error in transfer, by which persons might be de¬ 
prived of their rightful property, as should the 
transfer be made to the wrong person the holder of 
the certificate cannot be dispossessed of his property 
unless he has acted fraudulently. To indemnify the 
Government for compensating persons who, through 
error, may have been deprived of their properties, an 
assurance fund has been created by a contribution of 
one halfpenny in the pound on the declared capital 
value being levied on property first brought under 
the Act, and upon transmissions of titles of estates 
