230 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 10, 1898. 
gathering and storing; packing and market¬ 
ing. General knowledge of fruits, and selec¬ 
tion of varieties. 
(7) Vegetable culture: tubers and roots; green 
vegetables: fruits and seeds; rotation of 
crops, and selection of varieties. 
(8) Flower culture, outside and under glass. 
(9) Manures and their application. 
(10) Improvement of plants by cross-breeding, 
hybridisation and selection. 
(11) Arboriculture: trees and shrubs and their cul¬ 
ture. 
(12) Insect and fungus pests: prevention and treat¬ 
ment. 
3. Lecturers and teachers wishing their students 
to sit for the examination would do well to send to 
the Secretary, Royal Horticultural Society, 117, 
Victoria Street, Westminster, two copies of the 
syllabus on which their lectures have been based, at 
least one month before date of examination. 
4. Students and young gardeners not having had 
the advantage of attending lectures, but wishing to 
present themselves at some one of the centres for 
examination might with advantage consult some of 
the following works: “Primer of Botany" 
(Macmillan, Ltd.), by Sir ]. D. Hooker, K.C.S.I.; 
“ Botany for Beginners" and " Plant Life’’(Brad¬ 
bury, Agnew & Co.), by M. T. Masters, M.D., 
F.R.S. ; "Popular Gardening" 4 Vols. (Cassell & 
Co.), edited by D. T. Fish ; " Epitome of Garden¬ 
ing ” (Adam Black & Co.), by T. Moore and H. T. 
Masters; "Agriculture," Parts i. & ii. (John 
Murray), by W. Fream, LL.D. ; " Prize Essay on 
Fruit Culture," by J. Wright: "Physiology of 
Plants,” by Professor Sorauer (Longmans, Green & 
Co.); “ Structural Botany," by Dr. D. H. Scott 
(Adam Black & Co.) ; " Natural History of Plants," 
by Kerner & Oliver (Blackie & Son). 
5. The examination will be held simultaneously 
in as many different centres in Great Britain and 
Ireland as circumstances may demand. The time 
allowed for the examination is 2J hours, the hour 
fixed being generally from 7 to 9.30 p.m. 
6. The examination will for the most part be based 
on the above outline syllabus of " Elementary 
Principles of Horticultural Operations and Practice," 
but arrangements will be made, as far as possible, to 
frame the questions so as to cover the ground of any 
syllabus sent up for that purpose. It will, however, 
in all cases, be absolutely essential for students to 
exhibit a sufficient knowledge of the “ Elementary 
Principles" named in the above syllabus. 
(To be continued). 
-- 
BEECHHILL NURSERY. 
The nursery of Mr. John Downie, at Beechhill, 
Murrayfield, Midlothian, is moderate in size, but 
every corner is well kept and fully occupied. About 
the middle of September last we had an hour to in¬ 
spect the various collections got together ; but this 
is soon spent when conversation lapses into discus- 
s'ons on the merits of a variety. 
The Houses. 
Decorative work is a leading feature of this nursery, 
so that the glasshouses are chiefly occupied with 
plants of a suitable size for that purpose. Amongst 
a collection of well-grown Crotons very beautiful 
varieties are Golden Ring, Catherine, Reidii, Gor- 
doni, and others, all very highly coloured. The soft 
salmon flowers of Ixora Princeps, and the deep 
orange of I. Prince of Orange, mark them out as use¬ 
ful stove subjects. Very hardy is Dracaena stricta 
argentea variegata for house decoration. The 
variegated Alocasia macrorrhiza variegata finds its 
way into many gardens. 
A collection of zonal Pelargoniums includes all the 
best varieties for pot culture, including such fine 
things as Mrs. D’Ombrain, rich salmon-pink ; Lady 
Reid, some shades lighter ; Countess of Derby, 
white with a salmon eye; and the free-flowering 
Achievement, a hybrid between an Ivy-leaved and a 
zonal Pelaagonium. In another house is a fine batch 
of Araucaria excelsa in 48-size pots, and in fine 
healthy condition. The Fern house contains many 
choice and useful subjects, including Didymoclaena 
truncatula, whose young fronds are tinted 
with bronze ; Pteris nemoralis, white and bronze; 
Nephrolepis longifolia Mariesi, N. Duffii, 
N. davallioides furcans, N. d. plumosa, Adiantum 
Victoriae, Asplenium viviparum and Aspidium tri- 
falcatum, none of which are so common as they 
might be. 
Table plants are a speciality here, and the propa¬ 
gating pit is kept busy with such things as Dra¬ 
caenas, Aralias, Caladiums, Cocos weddeliana, 
Geonoma gracilis, &c. The narrow-leaved and 
highly-coloured varieties of Dracaena are both use¬ 
ful and indispensable for table work. In this cate¬ 
gory we should place Nigra Rubra, sidneyanum, 
Mrs. Laird, Elegantissima, Splendens, Miss Glen- 
dinning, and others of that character. The broader 
and strongly blotched leaves of Dracaena godseffiana 
strongly resemble those of an Aucuba. Quite of 
another type is D. indivisa variegata, with its long, 
narrow, white-edged leaves, that stand a deal of bad 
usage with comparative impunity. Aralia elegan¬ 
tissima, A. Veitchi, and A. gracillima are still 
universally esteemed for this purpose. Begonia 
President Carnot now enjoys a wide reputation for 
the beauty of its huge bunches of rosy-carmine fruits 
and flowers. 
Some of the houses are devoted to the culture of 
Palms, and the Kentia house contains samples rang¬ 
ing from seedlings up to specimens 10 ft. to 12 ft. 
high. The back wall of the structure is green with 
the creeping shoots of Ficus repens. The next 
house contains a fine tree of Araucaria excelsa, 7 ft. 
to 8 ft. high; and along with it are Aspidistras, 
Corypha australis, Latanias, Chamaerops, Phoenix 
rupicola, Licuala peltata, fruiting plants of Citrus 
sinensis, and others of a similar kind suitable for 
decorative work. 
Tuberous Begonias are still well grown here, and 
greatly improved in the quality of the flowers since 
they were first taken in hand. Rosebud, rosy-pink ; 
Beatrice, rose; Mrs. Richmond, delicate pink; and 
Wm. Allan Richardson, rich salmon, are some of 
the doubles of an interesting character, noted at 
random. The single varieties are represented by 
orange, crimson, scarlet, pink, rose and other dis¬ 
tinct colours, in flowers of shapely aud circular 
form. The seedlings of this year in frames, both 
single and double, are represented by good strains. 
The best of the modern varieties of Canna are 
kept in stock, including Italia, Austria, Burbank, 
America, and others o t the newest race of hybrids. 
Very pretty are the standard specimens of Ligus- 
trum ovalifolium robustum marginatum, grafted on 
stems several feet high. Along with the above are 
some of the best decorative Ferns, now so abun¬ 
dantly used for market purposes. Cyclamens were 
making good growth in frames. Begonia Gloire de 
Lorraine has been used for some years in this estab¬ 
lishment, and is often put to excellent use in groups. 
Some of the Cypripediums are also grown for cut 
flowers. 
The Open Ground. 
The collections of hardy ornamental trees and shrubs, 
include fine foliage and flowering subjects, and 
Conifers. No establishment can now be considered 
complete that does not contain some of the many 
fine Conifers now at the planter’s command. Great 
attention is paid to them here in order to make the 
collection as complete as possible. Retinosporas 
are numerous, including R. pisifera, R. p. aurea, R. 
squarrosa, R. filifera, R. sulphurea, R. plumosa 
argentea, R. lutescens, and others, whose special 
characteristics are generally indicated by the name, 
and which represent forms of great beauty for 
garden and lawn decoration. The glaucous foliage 
of Picea nobilis glauca, Abies pungens variegata, A. 
parryana glauca, Cupressus lawsoniana Fraseri, and 
C. 1 . Allumi, cannet be ignored for scenic effect in 
the pleasure grounds at any time of the year, parti¬ 
cularly after the trees have attained some size, and if 
they are planted in prominent and suitable positions 
for the display of their peculiar characteristics. 
None of the Cypresses, perhaps, are more variable 
in the seedling bed than C. lawsoniana, and for that 
reason a large number of beautiful garden forms 
have received special names. Besides those already 
mentioned, the list may be extended by adding C. 1 . 
lutescens, C. 1 . stricta variegata, C. 1 . elegantissima, 
C. 1 . erecta viridis, C. 1 . lutea, C. 1 . variegata alba, 
C. 1 . nana variegata, and C. 1 . McNabiana, the 
latter having drooping and glaucous branches and 
foliage. All of the above are kept together in 
plantations of a sort, and the effect, it must be 
admitted, is pleasing. 
Other handsome Conifers are Thuya gigantea, T. 
orientalis variegata, Libocedrus chilensis, L. c. 
viridis, Thujopsis dolobrata variegata, Cupressus 
nutkaensis (Thujopsis borealis), C. n. lutea, Crypto- 
meria elegans, Juniperus japonica, J. j. aurea varie¬ 
gata, J. hibernica and J. h. compacta, the latter 
being a pigmy only 6 in. high. Abies alba aurea is 
a beautiful, and A. excelsa inverta a curious, Spruce. 
The whipcord Arbor-Vitae (Thuya japonica filifera 
erecta), is notable for its upright habit. The 
Maidenhair tree might well be more often planted 
than it is, for it is a handsome subject that stands 
the smoke of towns well. The same might be said 
of the Deodar and Douglas Fir to some extent. 
Cupressus Silver! is a silvery, and free growing bush. 
The weeping Yew, Thuya Lobbii semperaurea, and 
the Funeral Cypress are all very distinct garden 
forms. The last named is notable for the manner in 
which all the branches are directed towards one side 
of the stem, ascending the latter in a spiral manner 
as the top is approached. 
Fine foliaged subjects include Aucubas, Prunus 
Pissardi, Cherry Laurels in quantity and variety, 
and Hollies in many beautiful varieties. There are 
two very distinct varieties of the broad-leaved 
Privet, namely, Ligustrum robustum marginatum 
and L. aureum. Both are, of course, varieties of 
the well-known L. ovalifolium ; and while the former 
has a silvery margin to the leaves after they are 
mature, the latter is broadly margined with golden- 
yellow. 
Such flowering subjects as Olearia Haastii, 
Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora, Olearia macro- 
donta, Hedysarum multijugum, Catalpa syringae- 
folia, Veronica Traversii, and Syringa persica 
laciniata, require no recommendation. They all 
succeed well at Beechhill, especially Olearia macro- 
donta, which flowers freely. Less well known are 
the beautiful garden hybrid Thorn, Crataegus 
Carrieri, Caragana pygmaea gracilis, and C. p. 
erecta aurantiaca. A fine collection of hardy hybrid 
Rhododendrons of the ponticum type may also be 
noted. 
At the time of which we speak the Cactus Dahlias 
were in full bloom, as were the Pentstemons, both 
seedlings and named varieties. Showy also were 
Anemone japonica alba, A. j. Lady Ardilaun, and A. 
j. elegans. A plantation of Downie's Red Beet was 
ripening a fine crop of seed. 
THE PUNT HOUSES. 
The Stove. 
Although the majority of stove plants are grow¬ 
ing more or less the whole of the year round, at this 
season they are as near to rest as they ever are, and 
nothing should be done to unduly excite them. Less 
water will be needed at the root, and thus greater 
care must be exercised in watering. Some of the 
Aroids particularly, are very impatient of a lot of 
stagnant water about their roots just now, and when 
this condition is allowed to obtain for any length of 
time many of the thick, fleshy roots rot off, leaving 
the plants practically crippled. 
Up to the present the weather has been so mild 
that there has been do difficulty in keeping up the 
temperature of the house; in fact, during the past 
week some little care has been necessary to prevent 
the night temperature from rising too high. To 
allow this would not only be a waste of fuel, but would 
be positively injurious to the plants. It will be quite 
time enough to fire hard when the cold weather 
comes. A night temperature of from 58° to 60 9 
Fahr. is ample, and the latter figure should not be 
exceeded in a house holding a heterogeneous col¬ 
lection. 
Poinsettias. —These are one of the few instances 
of plants that will benefit just now by manurial 
stimulant. A little of this will help to enlarge and 
colour the bracts, but the manure should be knocked 
off as soon as the flower-heads are fully developed. 
A good batch of Poinsettias is of great value at this 
season of the year, and the bright scarlet bracts are 
highly decorative, whether cn the plants or off them. 
When used for dinner-table decoration the effect 
they produce is really gorgeous. 
Nymphaeas. —These handsome aquatics kept in 
growth later this year than usual, but they are at 
rest, or nearly so, at last. The water in the taDk 
should be lowered until it is about half its usual 
depth and the heat should be turned off the pipes 
used to warm it, as the warmth of the house will 
suffice to keep up the temperature of the water as 
high as is desirable. Keep a small stream of lresh 
