378 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 12, 1898. 
week of November. Pancratium fragrans also does 
well here, for we measured bulbs from 3 in. to 4 in. 
in diameter. Croton Weismanni Improved is a 
highly decorative subject, producing long and richly- 
coloured leaves. Dracaena goldieana, D. Frederick!, 
Schizocasia sanderiana and Davallia mooreana were 
also in fine form. 
Even at that late period of the year a number of 
Orchids were flowering in the cool house, including 
Odontoglossum crispum, O. maculatum, a beauti¬ 
fully spotted form of O. nebulosum, and several 
Masdevallias. After producing excellent crops in 
pits, the Tomatos were cleared out to make way for 
Chinese Primulas, which were rapidly advancing to 
the flowering stage. A fine lot of zonal Pelargoniums 
was also housed here. The Peach house is well 
occupied with trees trained against the front glass, 
while the back wall is usefully occupied with 
Camellias. Mr. Saunders is as enthusiastic over 
hardy subjects as well as those under glass, and as 
the shades of eve were falling he pointed to the old 
flower stems of Yucca filamentosa, which flowers 
finely in the open border even in . this northern 
latitude. 
■»!» 
BRUSSELS SPROUT, VEITCH’S 
MARKET FAVOURITE. 
I know of no crop in the garden during the winter of 
so much importance as a good patch of Brussels 
Sprouts, and this the more so if the strain is a good 
one. It makes all the difference what the strain is, 
as is clear to all those who move freely about in 
gardens; and there are good, bad, and indifferent 
strains (or selections) in Brussels Sprouts. Rather 
than sow some seed,if given to me,I would go to a good 
firm and pay a good price, and sow a kind that would 
give pleasure and profit. By obtaining the best 
article you get the cheapest. In a good selected 
strain well rogued when the sprouts are on them, 
and the best kept for seed, you can rely on every 
plant being a counterpart of its neighbour, and this 
may be had from any really good seed house. 
The value of a close selection was strongly im¬ 
pressed on me in December, when visiting Didling- 
ton Hall, Norfolk, as I walked through the kitchen 
garden and saw a large breadth of Sprouts under the 
above name. It was astonishing to observe the uni¬ 
formity of the whole lot. They were equal in height, 
which was of medium proportions ; and every plant 
appeared to be a counterpart of its neighbour. They 
were covered the whole length of the stem (except a 
few inches at the bottom) with sprouts of medium size 
and very closely packed, which is a great accommo¬ 
dation in two ways, viz ; better to eat and very much 
more frost proof.— J.C., Chard. 
— .« ■ 
STANSTEAD PARK NURSERIES, 
FOREST HILL. 
In the well equipped and managed glass department 
of the Stanstead Park Nurseries of Messrs. John 
Laing & Sons, at Forest Hill, there is always some¬ 
thing of interest, and in the busy seasons of the year 
a little more than something. Just now things are 
beginning to move apace after the comparative 
stagnation of winter. The Forest Hill Clivias are 
celebrated the country over as among the best of 
their kind. At the time of our visit they were look¬ 
ing remarkably well, and bidding fair, if strength 
and apparent healthiness count for anything, to give 
a capital account of themselves. Some of the 
earlier plants were throwing up a truss of bloom 
here and there, but we were informed the plants 
would not be in full flower until at least the 
beginning of March, when they will well repay a 
visit. On the side stages of the house they occupied 
we found a miscellaneous collection of flowering 
plants that included Ericas, Epacrises, Tulips, 
Acacia Drummondii, and Roman Hyacinths, all of 
which appeared to great advantage by reason of the 
contrast afforded by their bright colours and the 
deep, almost black-green of the Clivias. 
In another house devoted to flowering plants we 
found the supporting pillars prettily wreathed with 
the twining growths of Cobaea scandens variegata. 
Here were batches of the Otaheite Orange — clean, 
shapely plants with heavy loads of fruit—Azaleas, 
Chinese Primulas, and Cyclamen were all gay and 
full of flower. 
Stove foliage plants are a speciality with the 
Messrs. Laing, their collection being a very compre¬ 
hensive one. Palms, of course, form a staple in this 
direction, evidence being observable on all hands 
of the popularity of such subjects as Cocos 
weddeliana, Areca lutescens, and the Kentias. 
Geonoma gracilis is a highly decorative Palm that 
is not so much grown as it might be, for it is very 
handsome in build and general appearance. G. 
imperialis resembles it somewhat, but the pinnae 
are broader and more drooping. In the young state 
especially it is exceedingly graceful, as was well 
evidenced by the fine stock of plants we saw of it. 
Of Dracaenas we noted all the best and most 
useful types. D. sanderiana is both handsome and 
distinct, but it needs to be continually propagated, 
for it is only in the young state that it is to be seen 
to the best advantage, the old plants having a great 
tendency to become " leggy ” and bare of leaves at 
the bases of the stems. Three young plants in a 
forty-eight pot is a capital way to grow it, and when 
the variegation is well marked, as it was in the cases 
before us nothing prettier could be desired. D. 
godseffiana scarcely looks like a Dracaena at all upon 
first sight, the elliptic-shaped leaves thickly dotted 
with variegated areas, and the small wiry-like stems 
serving to give it a unique character in the genus. It 
is a vastly pretty plant, however, and will become 
popular when it becomes more widely known. D. 
goldieana, D. rubra, D. pendula, and D. Doucettii 
are all well-known forms. Of the latter particularly 
there is a good stock at Forest Hill, some of the 
plants being real models of symmetry. Distinction 
is a novelty that has been appropiately named. The 
leaves are narrow, pendulous in habit, and bright 
green in colour with a rose or rose-white margin. It 
makes a splendid table plant. Excellent has rather 
wider, more erect green leaves with a broad white 
marginal band. These two forms constitute a pair 
of highly promising subjects. 
On all sides the Crotons were displaying ex¬ 
ceptionally brilliant colouration, the winter having 
apparently had little or no prejudicial effect upon 
them. Chelsoni, Queen Victoria, Thompson!, and 
Reedii were all in grand condition. A very hand¬ 
some form called Davisi caught our eye. It bears a 
. certain resemblance to Weismanni in build, but the 
leaves are relatively shorter and broader, but not 
sufficiently so to rob it of the elegance that charac¬ 
terises Weismanni. The colours in the two 
varieties are the same, but the distribution is 
different, both green and gold being present in larger 
areas. 
Lea amabilis splendens is a subject that should be 
in every collection of stove plants. The bronze, 
green, and white of its leaves are not easy to beat, 
and the habit is distinct from that of anything else. 
The foliage of this variety is finer and more hand¬ 
somely marked than that of the type. 
Speaking of plants that are not too commonly met 
with, we may make mention of Centradenia rosea, 
with its fine bushy habit, and general beauty and 
usefulness. No matter whether in or out of flower, 
it is always attractive, for the bright rosy hue 
developed upon the under surface of the leaves con¬ 
trasts agreeably with the olive-green of the upper 
surface. We noticed some fine plants of it, just 
bursting into flower, which will be a perfect picture 
in another week or so. The flowers are bright pink, 
and produced in sub-corymbose racemes. 
Than Begonia Arthur Malet it would be exceed¬ 
ingly difficult to find a brighter plant for the winter 
decoration of the warmer houses. The leaves are of 
noble dimensions, and exhibit a peculiar shade of 
bronze purple that is at once striking and beautiful. 
A nice batch of plants in one of the stoves was a 
special feature of the establishment. Begonia Gloire 
de Lorraine was giving evidence in several places of 
its beauty and free flowering qualities. Acokanthera, 
better known in gardens as Toxicophloea, spectabilis, 
was flowering very freely, and the fragrance of its 
pure white blossoms was much in evidence. 
The Darlingtonias constitute a most interesting 
and rather curious section of plants. We noticed 
three forms in excellent condition, viz., S. Courtii, 
S. Drummondii, and S. D. alba. With these were 
associated other bog and aquatic plants, such as the 
curious Pontederia crassipes, with its swollen 
bladder-ltke stems or rhizomes filled with air for the 
apparent purpose of keeping the plant, with its heavy 
succulent leaves, afloat. Here, too, were noticed 
the curious lace-leaf or lattice-leaf plant, Ouvirandra 
fenestralis. Caladiums, not long potted up, were 
growing away finely, and throwing up strong hand¬ 
somely sized leaves. In another house hybrid 
Streptocarpuses were just starting into new growth, 
after an early potting. 
Ferns are grown to a considerable extent at Forest 
Hill, for there is always a demand for them. Pteris 
Wimsettii is an especially prime favourite, and such 
forms as P. tremula, and P. argyraea also take well. 
The genera Nephrolepis, Adiantum, and Asplenium 
are also well represented. 
There is a large number of pits attached to the 
larger houses, and serve as feeders for the larger 
houses. We observed, amongst other things, fine 
collections of border Carnations and Pentstemons, 
both of which popular plants have been assiduously 
cultivated and improved by the Messrs. Laing. The 
plants appeared to be in perfect health, and like 
other things were showing the effects of the very 
early season. 
-. f — - 
RETINOSPORAS. 
Notwithstanding that the authorities at Kew have 
placed the above Conifers under “ Cupressus,” we 
still cling to the first name, and catalogue our 
collection under it. That the majority of them 
are well suited for planting in suburban gardens or 
small lawns most arboriculturists will admit, on 
account of their finely divided and feathery branches 
and the compact habit of most of the varieties. 
They eDjoy a fairly moist soil, and thrive better, 
I consider, where they are slighly protected from the 
wind. 
I append the names of a few, with remarks 
thereon, that we have thriving in the arboretum 
here. R. obtusa makes a grand specimen of com¬ 
pact growth and pretty foliage, and is at present 
nearly covered with its brown coDes, which make it 
look very conspicuous. This tree] stands over 30 ft. 
high, and is said to reach nearly 100 ft,, so should 
not be planted unless a good space can be given for 
the plant to develop. R. 0. gracilis aurea is a very 
pretty shrub of rather spreading nature, though 
graceful. Ours is only a young tree, about 4 ft. 
high. R. o. tetragona aurea is represented in a 
young state, standing 5 ft. high, with a horizontal 
growth. R. pisifera is a strong grower, and of com¬ 
pact habit in a young state ; but our largest tree is 
of irregular growth, aDd reaches a height of 30 ft. 
R. p. aurea in our soil strongly resembles Cupressus 
lawsoniana at present in a small plant. R. p. 
plumosa makes a splendid specimen, is very com¬ 
pact, has feathery foliage, and is altogether a very 
pleasiog Conifer, about 13 ft, in height. R. 
lycopodioides is another pretty one, with beautiful 
dark green foliage, especially in our tree, which 
stands 12 ft. high. R. leptoclada is an erect and 
slender growing species, with light green foliage, 
and reaches 8 ft. in height. R. squarrosa I consider 
one of the prettiest; it makes a good specimen, and 
is at all times attractive on account of its feathery- 
like foliage of a glaucous green, sometimes almost 
of a pale blue colour, which greatly adds to its 
beauty.— jf. Mayne, Bicton. 
-- 
EXTRAORDINARY OAK. 
Origin of Quercus Cerris lucombeana. 
Under the heading “ A New and Singular Species of 
Oak" a letter appears in the Scots' Magazine, dated 
February 24th, 1773, at Exeter, from John Zephaniah 
Holwell, Esq., F.R.S. In the letter he describes a 
visit to the nursery of Mr. Lucombe, of St. 
Thomas, and to which place he was evidently 
attracted by a report of the discovery of a new 
species of Oak, " discovered and propagated by that 
ingenious gardener.” Mr. Zephaniah goes on to 
relate how the “ingenious gardener" happened to 
discover the Oak, which was, to all appearance, at 
that time destined to revolutionise Oak growing in 
the future. “A parcel of Acorns,” says the writer, 
" saved from a tree of his own growth of the Iron or 
Wainscot species," produced the new Oak which had 
the peculiarity of retaining its leaves all the winter. 
This feature of the plant was considered phenomenal, 
and caused Mr. Lucombe to propagate the species 
by grafting to the extent of “some thousands " in 
the short time of seven years. 
“ I," says the writer, " had the pleasure of seeing 
these eight days ago in high flourishing beauty and 
verdure, notwithstanding the severity of the past 
winter. The various qualities which it possessed or 
