January 15, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
317 
TROPAEOLUM SPECIOSUM. 
I can assure “ C.B.G. ” that there are favoured spots 
even in the sunny south (or foggy, shall we say ?) 
where Tropaeolum speciosum will thrive. 1 
remember a few years ago seeing a very healthy 
specimen growing on a wire fence bounding a tennis 
lawn, and that was a very sunny spot in a sunny 
county, or rather in a county noted for the sandy 
character of its soil, and therefore greatly influenced 
by the sud. Last year I was in the same garden, not 
ioo miles from Acton, and although I cannot 
remember seeing this particular fence, I was struck 
with the beauty of several fine examples of 
the Tropaeolum which were growing in Rhodo 
dendron beds, rambling over the heads of 
their supporters and bearing a profusion of 
scarlet flowers. If only I had the pen of "C.B.G.” to 
describe that picture, I would start every reader of 
The Gardening World growing, or trying to grow, 
Tropaeolum speciosum.— A. P. 
BEGONIA GLOIRE DE LORRAINE. 
This " glory " among Begonias has made for itself 
many friends, and secured a good deal of well- 
merited attention. The dense fogs which have done 
so much damage of late to plants in general and 
Begonias in particular have only served to demon¬ 
strate an excellent quality that the plant possesses 
of resisting the influence of the fog, and although we 
would, perhaps, have been been better pleased had 
the fogs been content to leave us alone, and not put 
us and our plants to such a severe ordeal, it is well to 
know the capabilities our floral friends possess in the 
direction indicated. There are a number of sturdy 
little samples of this Begonia in the Begonia house 
at Kew that do not seem to have suffered appreciably, 
despite the fact that in the same house may be seen 
many other plants half stripped of their leaves, and 
generally appearing as very pitiful looking objects 
indeed. 
■ 3 — 
SOCIETIES 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL .—January nth. 
Cyclamen, Chinese Primulas, Orchids, and fine 
foliage plants were the features of the first meeting 
of the year on Tuesday last. A few brightly-coloured 
Carnations also furnished a bit of colour to the 
tables. Fruit was as well represented as anything, 
particularly Apples and Grapes. 
Messrs. Hugh Low & Co., Upper Clapton, London, 
N. E., exhibited a small group of Orchids set up with 
Palms and Maidenhair Ferns. They had a beautiful 
hybrid Cypripedium named Cyp. F. S. Roberts, of 
which C. niveum was one parent, the other being 
unknown. Interesting was a pale yellow Odonfo- 
glossum named O. crispum tackianum. There were 
also several other fine forms of this popular species. 
O. Hallii as well as several forms of O. crispum 
andersoDianum were in good form and interesting. 
Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans, staged a 
small group of Orchids surrounded by well grown 
plants of Dracaena godseffiana. Laelia anceps 
Dawsoni, L. a. sanderiana and L. a. Hillii are all 
gcod forms of this popular Laelia. Several Deadro- 
biums, including D. Johnsoniae and the hybrid 
D. Dulce Oakwood var., and Cypripedium Calypso 
were beautiful and interesting types of their respec¬ 
tive kinds. 
Fred Hardy, Esq , Tyntesfield, exhibited plants of 
Cypripedium insigne Sanderae, C. Calypso, and a 
form of O. crispum andersonianum. 
Captain Holford, Westonbirt, Gloucestershire, 
sent a fine collection of cut flowers of hybrid and 
other Cypripediums, including C. leeanum superbum, 
C. Calypso, C. Niobe, C. insigne citrina, C. Wallace 
Lunt, C. latbamianum, and various others which 
were eagerly inspected bytthe visitors. He also had 
fine bunches of Laelia autumnalis (Silver Banksian 
Medal). 
De B. Crawshay, Esq. (gardener, Mr. S. Cooke), 
Rosefield, Sevenoaks, exhibited cut flowers of Laelia 
anceps amesiana Crawshay's var., a very attractive 
and well formed flower. 
Isaac Carr, Esq., Poolemeade, Swerton on-Avon, 
exbtbited some hybrid Cypripediums, including the 
finely blotched C. Gwendoline. C. L. N. Ingram, 
Esq. (gardener, Mr. T. W. Bond), Elstead House, 
Godaiming, showed the handsomely blotched Cypri¬ 
pedium Magnet. F. A. Rehder, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. Norris), The Avenue, Gipsy Hill, staged the 
hybrid Cypripedium Rehderianum, a very dark sort. 
One of the brightest and prettiest exhibits was the 
large display of Cyclamen made b^ Messrs. Sutton 
& Sons, of Reading. The specimens were dwarf, 
exceptionally free-flowering, and the flowers needed no 
support. The collection consisted of seedling plants 
raised from seed sown in November, 1896, and 
illustrated the various types of this beautiful flower. 
Among the varieties that attracted tte most attention 
were Sutton’s Salmon Queen, flowers of a bright 
salmon colour deepening to crimson-purple at the 
base; Sutton’s White Butterfly, unsurpassed as a 
white variety, with flowers remarkable for their 
great substance and good form ;'and Sutton’s Vulcan, 
of the darkest crimson colour and a charming contrast 
to Butterfly. The “ Giant ” varieties were notice¬ 
able for the extraordinary size of the blooms. The 
forms shown of this strain included Sutton's Giant 
White, with flowers of lovely form and of the purest 
whiteness; Sutton's Giant Crimson, especially dis¬ 
tinct and telling, brightening up the appearance of 
the whole group ; Sutton's Giant Pink and Sutton’s 
Giant Crimson and White. For comparison, a few 
specimens of Cyclamen persicum, the original type, 
were exhibited, which illustrated the great strides 
made in this now popular winter-flowering plant. 
There were also some semi-double forms, and others 
with the margins of the segments charmingly 
laciniated that were both handsome and interesting. 
A Silver Flora Medal was awarded. 
Messrs. John Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, S.E., 
received a Silver Flora Medal for a very showy 
group of flowering and foliage plants. Clivia striata 
aurea was represented by a finely variegated piece. 
There were also two grand plants of Begonia Gloire 
de Lorraine. Nepenthes, Crotons, and Dracaenas 
were all very bright and handsome, and the whole 
of the plants were attractively staged. Dracaena 
Distinction and D. Excellens were two of the finest 
forms. 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent, staged 
a capital table of Chinese Primulas. This was a 
very representative collection, many of the leading 
types being on view. Amongst the singles Eynsford 
Red, Swanley Yellow, Distinction, Cannell’s Pmk, 
Swanley Blue, Eynsford White, Emperor Improved, 
and My Favourite were well shown. A batch of 
double varieties included such well-marked and 
useful varieties as KiDg of Purples, Mrs. R. Crabbe, 
Annie Hillier, and Teronica (Silver Flora Medal.) 
A nice batch of Cyclamen came from Messrs 
Hugh Low and Co., Bush Hill Park, Enfield. The 
plants were exceptionally sturdy, and the flowers 
very large and fine. White, crimson, pink, and 
purple were the colours of the varieties shown. 
Samples of the new tree Carnation Winter Scarlet 
were also on view (Silver Banksian Medal). 
A grand array of Primulas came from Mr. John 
Box, West Wickham. The plants were wonderfully 
vigorous, and the foliage, [more especially of the 
Fern-leaved varieties was really splendid. The 
flowers were also of great size and substance, but 
all the petals were much crimped and gophered. 
The type of the whole exhibit was that class of 
Primula common to the Midlands, where a much 
longer season of growth is afforded the, plants. 
Princess Mary, Queen of Primulas, Rosamond, 
Wickham White, and Cannell’s Pink were some of 
the finest forms forthcoming (Silver Flora Medal). 
Sprays of the winter flowering shrubs, Garrya 
elliptica, Hamamelis arborea, and H. japonica 
zuccariniana were exhibited by Messrs. James Veitch 
and Sons, Ltd., Chelsea. A stand of cut-blooms 
of hybrid Rhododendrons of the Javanico-jasmini- 
florum section was also sent by the Chelsea firm. 
Lord Wolseley, Minerva, Sybil, Aphrodite, Thetis, 
and Amabile were all vastly pretty varieties. 
Four pans of Narcissus monophyllus, full of flower 
were sent by Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale Farm Nurseries, 
Tottenham, N. A pot of Fritillaria oranensis also 
came from the same firm. 
At a meeting of the fruit and vegetable committee 
a Silver Banksian Medal went to Mr. W. J. Empson, 
gardener to Mrs. Wingfield, Ampthill House, Ampt- 
hill, for thirty dishes of excellent Apples and Pears. 
The fruit was in good condition for the advanced 
season of the year. Gascoigne’s Scarlet, Baumann's 
Red Winter Reinette, Beauty of Kent, King of the 
Pippins, and Ribston Pippin were some of the best 
Apples. 
A Silver Knightian Medal went to Mr. J. Bury, 
Petersham Grange, B>fleet, Surrey, fora collection 
of well preserved Grapes. 
Fifteen dishes of Apples were submitted for the 
Veitch flavour prize. Mr. J. C. Tallack, Livermere 
Park Gardens, Bury St. Edmunds, was placed first 
with Margil. Col. Brymer, Islington House, Dorset, 
was second with Claygate Pearmain. 
Two dishes only of Pears were sent. Mr. C. Ross, 
gardener to Captain Carstairs, Welford Park, New¬ 
bury, was first with Josephine de Malines. Mr. Thos. 
Ruchford, Turnford Hall Nurseries, showed the new 
Grape, Turnford Hall. Messrs. T. Francis Rivers 
& Son, Sawbridgeworth, showed Citrons, and a 
bunch of Grape Mrs. Pearson. 
A cultural commendation was awarded to Mr. J. 
Miller, Ruxley Lodge, Surrey, for a splendid box of 
Mushrooms. 
Questions add adsojers 
Will our friends who send us newspapers he so good 
as to mark the paragraphs or articles they wish us to see. 
We shall be greatly obliged bv 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.] 
Climbers for Pillars.— A. C. : Although your dis¬ 
trict is wet we should understand that the tempera¬ 
ture is mild and equable, and that you would have 
little frost or snow. If so a good many climbers 
ought to succeed. Amongst deciduous kinds you 
might well try Tea Rose Gloire de Dijon, Noisette 
Rose Wm. A. Richardson, Wistaria chinensis, 
Jasminum officinale (white), J. revolutum (yellow), 
J. nudiflorum (yellow and flowering in winter), 
Honeysuckle, Aristolochia Sipho, Clematis Jack- 
manni, C. Flammula (small sweet-scented flowers), 
C. Viticella (small purple flowers), Rosa moschata 
(the single Musk Rose) and Lonicera flexuosa aurea 
reticulata. Amongst evergreens you might use 
varieties of the Ayrshire Roses, also Crataegus 
Pyracantha, the broad-leaved Ivy (Hedera Helix 
latifolia), H. H. palmata, and other varieties of Ivy 
which you might feel inclined to use. Passiflora 
caerulea, Clematis montana, and Solanum jasmin- 
oides are somewhat tender, but very handsome 
climbers. They flower profusely in various parts of 
the country where the cold is not too great for them. 
Ampelopsis Veitchi would not produce showy 
flowers, but the foliage is very effective and quite 
distinct from any of the above kinds. 
SIforms in Carrot ground.— A Grampian Reader-. 
We are not quite sure whether you mean that your 
ground is infested with earth worms, or simply the 
grub of the Carnot Fly. If it is the former we 
scarcely think they would do the Carrots harm. Old 
garden soil, rich in vegetable mould, is always more 
or less infested with earthworms ; but this matter 
could be greatly remedied by an application of lime 
which would cause the vegetable mould to decay 
more rapidly and become fit for plant food. Most 
likely, however, you mean the grub of the Carrot 
Fly which makes the roots wormy. We have no 
great faith in dosing the ground with paraffin as we 
consider it inimical to plant life, especially if used in 
any quantity. Should you be determined to use it, 
the best plan would be to wait till the Carrots are 
germinated,and then get a barrow load of river sand 
on which you should pour sufficient paraffin as to 
moisten it or taint it sufficiently to make it offensive 
to the winged state of the fly. Scatter this thinly 
all over the ground between the lines, without letting 
the sand touch the plants. The operation might be 
repeated after an interval of two or three weeks 
while the Carrots are in that stage when the grubs 
do most harm. This will help to drive away the 
mother flies and prevent them from laying their eggs 
there. The only way you could spread paraffin and 
water evenly over the ground would be by the 
syriDge, stirring it all the time, otherwise you cannot 
keep them mixed. Well prepared ground often grows 
better Carrots than attempting to correct it by 
insecticides. Trench the ground 2 ft. or 3 ft. deep if 
the soil is good, otherwise bring some fresh soil and 
spread over the old, mixing the two in trenching. 
Lime would improve heavy or old garden soil rich 
in humus. Wood ashes would be distinctly advan¬ 
tageous in most cases. Trenching is advantageous 
in burying the pupae of the fly. Heavy soil is some¬ 
times improved by a dressing of peat, and burnt clay 
crumbled up finely serves the same purpose and 
promotes the growth of the Carrots. 
Slugs on Strawberry Beds.— Dodford : It is diffi¬ 
cult to deal with slugs on so large a scale as you 
mention, especially when one considers how well 
