January 15, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
315 
The author is at his best when he describes the 
method of treatment by which he succeeds in culti¬ 
vating any of our troublesome favourites. For 
instance, he experienced great difficulty with 
Cassiope tetragona, for many years trying it in various 
positions and soils. Then he hit upon the plan of 
digging out a hole about 18 in. in diameter and of 
similar depth. This was filled with sandy peat made 
firm, and the surface of a neighbouring walk so 
sloped that all the surface water would run into the 
hollow cavity formed, thus transforming it into a 
miniature bog. A partially shaded position was 
selected for this and the Cassiope rewarded him with 
satisfactory growth. He propagates it by division, 
and plants the pieces deeper in the soil than they 
had been previously, by which means the old and 
dead leaves are buried, and fresh roots are emitted 
higher up the stems. His excursions into descriptive 
matter and his method of cultural treatment are rather 
lengthy, but in our opinion are the most valuable 
part of the book; and space permitting, we consider 
that the method by which success is attained should 
always form the feature of books meant to guide or 
assist the amateur or even the young professional 
gardener. Mr. Wood says that Anemone alpina 
closely resembles A. sulphurea, and is considered to 
be the parent of the latter; yet he describes A. 
sulphurea as if it were a distinct species. He could 
have improved upon his descriptions if he had 
placed A. sulphurea under A. alpina as a variety of 
the latter, which, indeed, it is. He might have men¬ 
tioned a larger number of the Michaelmas Daisies or 
Starworts than he has, for many of the showiest and 
most floriferous October flowering species and 
varieties that fill the cut flower vase are omitted. 
They have now a much greater number of admirers 
and cultivators than they had a few years ago, and 
this result is largely due to the excellent qualities 
and undoubted beauty of many of them having been 
brought to the notice of the public by various culti¬ 
vators iu different parts of the country, and to the 
trial of them that was made by the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society at Chiswick. The author will have a 
surprise in store when he comes to make the 
acquaintance of Heuchera sanguinea ; for it is the 
finest and most handsome of all the Heucheras with¬ 
out detracting from the merits of those he has 
recorded. 
The book is admirably printed on good paper and 
is freely illustrated throughout with woodcuts of 
well-known and many, to amateurs, little known 
hardy plants worthy of a place in every co'lec’ion of 
any pretentions. 
Work in the Garden. 
My Garden Diary for i8gS. Publishers, Sutton and 
Sons, Reading. 
This annual publication of some 28 pages has its 
front cover adorned with a garden scene in April, 
when Tulips, Wallflowers, Doronicums, Apple 
blossom, &c., enliven the scene. Pale and dark blue 
and pink varieties of Myosotis alpestris Victoriae 
brighten the back cover in a tasteful and artistic 
way. 
The diary is purely a calendar of operations that 
may be conducted in the garden, and the left-hand 
pages record this work for each month of the year. 
Even for the month of January it is remarkable 
what a number of things claim the attention of every 
gardener who desires to be up-to-date in supplying 
the necessaries (we shall not say luxuries) of modern 
establishments. Eleven paragraphs serve the pur¬ 
pose of reminders (pointers our American contem¬ 
poraries would say) of the work that might or should 
be done even at this early period of the year. Peas, 
Dwarf Beans, Cucumbers, Carrots, Lettuce, Radi¬ 
shes, Potatos, Cabbages, Cauliflower, Strawberries, 
Artichokes, Celery, Rhubarb, Seakale, Longpod 
Beans, and numerous flowers require attention 
during the present month. At the bottom of the 
same pages, various events and matters in connection 
with them are recorded for the benefit of those 
concerned. The mean temperature for the month 
the height of the barometer and the rainfall taken 
from the monthly averages at Greenwich during the 
last 55 years are items for which many may find 
a use while conducting their garden operations. 
The right-hand pages furnish the days of the 
month and week, together with the rising and setting 
of the sun and moon. A considerable amount of 
blank space on these pages is intended for notes and 
memoranda, which might be rendered not only in¬ 
teresting but useful by diligent and keen observers 
for future reference. These diaries could of 
course be filed every year for future use, so that 
records made in them would come in useful at any 
future time. Incidentally we note that the day 
lengthens 1 h. 11 min. during the month of January, 
to wit, 25 min. in the morning and 46 min. in the 
afternoon. During the shorter month of February, 
the day gains 1 h. 41 min. by the close of the month 
—the gain being 52 min. in the morning, and 4g 
min. in the afternoon. The unfortunate part of it 
is that within the smoky compass of London we 
often fail to discover either sunrise or sunset. 
Under favourable circumstances, however, gardeners 
can calculate upon that increase of daylight. 
Holiday Walks. 
A district fresh to English holiday makers, and 
reached as easily as the Ardennes, will be opened up 
in " New Walks by the Rhine,” by Percy Lindley, 
whose " Walks in the Ardennes ” and “ Walks in 
Holland ” did so much to popularise new Belgian 
and Dutch touring grounds. Starting from the 
Rhine mouth at the Hook of Holland, “ New Walks 
by the Rhine” will cover the picturesque wooded 
and rocky side valleys of Rhineland, from the 
Ahrthal, near Cologne, to the Neckarthal and the 
“ Blue Alsatian Mountains ” of the Vosges ; and will 
include the districts of the Taunus, Eifel, Odenwald, 
Hunsruck, and the Palatinate. Living is said to be 
as inexpensive in some of these districts as in the 
Ardennes. Mr. J. F. Weedon will supply the illustra¬ 
tions. The handbook will be published shortly. 
-—- 
DAPHNE INDICA RUBRA. 
Flowers that are possessed of an agreeable 
fragrance in addition to a fair share of beauty, and 
that flower in the winter months, are unfortunately 
all too rare, but among the number this pretty 
Daphne occupies a very high position. A small 
plant with two or three flowers will scent a house, 
so strong, and yet so agreeable, is the perfume. 
Amongst gardeners generally Daphnes are looked 
upon as being somewhat difficult to grow, and there 
is no doubt that they are intractable to some extent 
unless their wants are pretty closely looked after. 
Occasionally we come across a miserable looking 
plant or two of the type, D. indica, in private 
gardens, and it is the exception indeed to see them 
looking really happy. The variety under notice is 
not more fortunate. Mistaken kindness with water 
is, we presume, the most fruitful cause of sickliness 
among the plants, which are, moreover, allowed to 
remain for years in the same pot until the drainage is 
choked up, and the soil, as a natural consequence, 
sour and waterlogged. As if to increase the bur¬ 
den laid upon these poor plants every scrap of 
flower is eagerly cut off them as soon as it makes 
its appearance, and the result is that they soon 
look bare and scraggy. 
If they are to do really well more reasonable 
treatment must be accorded them. The pots must 
be well drained to start with, using as a compost 
fibrous loam and peat in equal proportions, with 
plenty of clean, sharp sand. Pot fairly firmly. 
The plants are naturally of slow growth, and it is 
thus a mistake to overpot, but the drainage must 
be kept clear or failure will result. Even during 
the growing season water should not be given be¬ 
fore it is required, and during the winter months, 
while the plants are enjoying a partial rest in the 
greenhouse before being taken into a gentle heat at 
the beginning of the year to induce them to flower, 
even less water will be required. At this stage of 
their career, indeed, too much care cannot be 
exercised. 
Then again caution must be observed in cutting 
the flowers. Those on weakly plants should not 
be cut at all, and on the stronger plants those 
should be selected from the most vigorous shoots 
which have plump buds in the axils of their 
leaves, which will subsequently break into growth. 
The practice of indiscriminately hacking off each 
scrap of flower cannot be too strongly condemned. 
After flowering is over and the plants commence 
to break into growth they should be potted, if this 
is necessary, taking care to avoid too large a shift. 
A gentle heat and an occasional syringing will 
assist them much at this time, and lay the founda¬ 
tion for well furnished plants. As the pots be¬ 
come filled with roots, liquid cow-manure, with a 
little soot mixed, may be applied with advantage, 
but if an error is to be made in the giving of 
stimulants let it be on the side of weakness. 
As the growths harden and mature themselves the 
plants may be placed amongst the ordinary green¬ 
house hard-wooded plants for the autumn, to enjoy 
their partial rest, during which they must not be 
excited in any way. 
If this course of treatment were followed we should 
not hear so many complaints about the plants being 
“ miffy ” doers. 
With regard to the propagation of the plants, 
grafting is usually employed, the common D. 
Mezereum being the favourite stock. Plants are 
obtained much quicker by this method than by cut¬ 
tings, but grafted plants almost invariably go gouty 
and deformed at the point where the scion was 
inserted upon the stock, and as the years go by this 
infirmity becomes aggravated with each succeeding 
season. Cuttings, although much slower in making 
plants are really more satisfactory in the long run, 
and for private establishments that have to be, as 
nearly as possible, self-supporting, this system of in¬ 
creasing the stock is to be preferred to grafting. 
The cuttings should be composed of points, some 
three inches in len gth, of the half-matured shoots of 
the current season’s growth. Take these off about 
the middle of August and insert them in pots or 
pans filled with sandy soil. Place them in a cool 
house, and cover them with bell-glasses. Shade 
carefully, and keep moist until a callus is formed, 
then remove them into a gentle heat, where they 
will root. They should be kept gently moving all 
the winter, although growth will be very slow. The 
young plants should be ready for potting off into 
3-inch pots some time during March. Their subse¬ 
quent treatment will be the same as that advocated 
for the older plants. 
As the varietal name denotes D. i. rubra has more 
colour in the flower than has the type, but otherwise 
there is little or no difference. 
At the time of writing there is a fine batch of 
plants in flower at Chelsea, with Messrs. Jas. Veitch 
& Sons, Ltd. We found upon inspection that all 
these have resulted from grafts. They are all full 
of flower, and a peep into the house they occupy 
affords a treat to the visitors’ senses of both sight 
and smell. 
-- 
GRAND YORKSHIRE GALA. 
Tiie annual meeting of the guarantors and life mem¬ 
bers of the Grand Yorkshire Gala was held at 
Harker’s Hotel, York, on the 7th inst., under the 
presidency of Aid. Sir Joseph Terry, when there was 
a good attendance. 
The chairman, on rising, read letters from several 
important absentees regretting their inability to 
attend. Referring to the Gala of last June when 
the flower tents were wrecked by a disastrous gale, 
he said that the circumstance had prevented the 
public from seeing the usual beautiful floral exhibi¬ 
tion. If it had not been for the disaster he believed 
that the show would have been of an exceptional 
character, and would no doubt have been immensely 
appreciated. The damage done by the storm of 
wind amounted to £600, a catastrophe which had 
never been previously experienced. The circum¬ 
stances every where created regret, and expressions 
of sympathy had been received from many, including 
exhibitors. Mr. Atkinson, of Sheffield, had sent the 
society a donation of five guineas. Continuing, he 
said he sincerely hoped they might never again ex¬ 
perience similar conditions. The coming season he 
trusted would be so eminently successful as to recoup 
them for the loss of the past. 
With regard to the coming fete he announced that 
they had been again able to make satisfactory 
arrangements with the Bootham Asylum authorities. 
The Lord Mayor (Mr. Edwin Gray) and the City 
Sheriff (Mr. Harold Copperthwaite) had been 
elected life members, and the former had consented 
to act as president for the current year. He then 
formally proposed that his lordship be so elected. 
The proposition was seconded by Aid. Border, and 
carried with unanimity. 
Aid. Sir Christopher Milward proposed the re- 
election of Sir Joseph Terry as chairman of the 
council, seeing that he had been associated with the 
society for many years, and had always taken a great 
interest in its welfare. He was sure the audience 
would join with him in congratulating Sir Joseph on 
the fact that he had attained his seventieth birthday. 
