814 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
a time. Gros Colman is now grown in it, the roots 
being in a border outside. Ferns, including Pteris 
umbrosa in fine form, Aralias, etc., were temporarily 
accommodated here. 
A few of the other houses have had a varied 
history, changing with the changing times. One of 
them was originally devoted to Melons and Cucum¬ 
bers, then to Pineapples, then to Muscat of 
Alexandria Grape, and is now a plant house. When 
occupied with Pineapples, as many as 500 of them 
would be in fruit at a time. The cultivation of this 
fine exotic fruit was ruined by the heavy importations 
of it from St. Michael. The house gives shelter, at 
present, to a fine lot of Palms in excellent condition, 
and as clean as could be desired. The species most 
abundantly grown are Kentia fosteriana, K. belmore- 
ana, Phoenix tenuis, and Latania borbonica. The 
large plants of the latter and Kentia belmoreana were 
noteworthy. The house has now stood for twenty- 
eight years, but is yet quite sound, having been built 
of the best wood. Had this not been the case, the 
moisture needed for the varied tropical occupants in 
it at one time or another would have completely 
rotted it by this time. 
The house originally employed for the propagation 
of Vines and afterwards Pineapples is also used as 
a plant house. Palms are the subjects chiefly grown, 
Kentias being the most abundantly represented. 
Latanias, Cocos weddeliana and Geonoma gracilis, 
of various sizes and ages, were all in very fine form, 
being clean, healthy and well furnished with dark 
green foliage. Great masses of the British Maiden¬ 
hair growing upon a side wall made the same highly 
ornamental indeed. The next division contained a 
lot of useful Orchids, such as Cypripedium barrisi- 
anum, C. ashworthianum, C. grande, C. Sedeni, C. 
lawrenceanum, C. oenanthum superbum, and Vanda 
suavis. Fine foliaged plants, in the shape of varie¬ 
ties of Begonia rex, also found a place in this house. 
The durability of the leaves of these Begonias, when 
cut and placed in water, is remarkable. A leaf given 
to a lady in the locality was placed in water upon 
the mantelpiece in May, and was equally fresh in 
September. 
Green and variegated Aspidistras were the feature 
of another division, and so useful are they that stock 
cannot be increased fast enough to meet the demands. 
India Rubber plants, Palms, Dracaenas, and other 
stove subjects were prominent here. Dracaenas in 
pans, and surrounded by Ferns growing in the same 
soil would make useful ornaments for dwelling rooms 
on occasion. Kentia belmoreana and K. fosteriana 
filled all the available space of the next compartment, 
where we noticed a remarkable variety of the first- 
named, having narrow and densely arranged pinnae. 
Coelogynes, Anthurium andrearum, Vandas, etc., 
filled the next division. Interesting also was a 
houseful of market stuff in ornamental baskets, filled 
with Pterises, Palms, India Rubber Plants, Aspleni- 
ums, Adiantum cuneatum, A. c. Pacottii, and 
Begonia rex in variety. They practically constituted 
baskets filled and ready for use in the drawing room 
or where they might otherwise be required. 
By this time we had reached the main range of 
vineries, a massive block of large and high-roofed 
houses, giving accommodation for a great length of 
rod. Three long houses running parallel are con¬ 
nected at one end by a vinery standing at right angles 
to them. Gros Colman, heavy in bunch and berry, 
had nearly finished colouring in this house. 
This is practically the home of the Duke of 
Buccleuch, for we have never seen it grown better than 
at Clovenfords. Successive young rods are run up, 
the best bunches being obtained from them. This is 
practically what is known as the long rod system of 
culture. The few remaining bunches still hanging in 
September were of large size, and the berries of a 
rich amber colour. Owing to the thinness of the 
skin of the berry, the soil of the border is kept very 
dry and covered with a layer of dry hay to prevent 
moisture arising and cracking the same after the 
berries have reached the stage of maturity. The 
variety is almost too delicate for ordinary market 
work ; but the deliciously rich flavour of the berries 
as grown here, bunches ranging from z\ lbs. to 3 lbs. 
in weight, sell readily to private customers in the 
locality. In fact there is no difficulty in disposing 
of the crop in this house. The roots are grown both 
in inside and outside borders. 
In passing through another house of Gios Colman 
where the crop was still hanging we noted enormously 
strong old stems. The house was first planted with 
Muscats, which now constitute the root system. 
These were inarched with Barbarossa, but the 
bunches of the latter proved too big for market 
purposes, and this was inarched in turn with Gros 
Colman, which now carries the yearly harvest. At 
the time we speak of the rod bore a heavy crop of 
medium sized bunches, consisting of massive and 
tempting looking berries. The extension system is 
a good deal practised here. The leaves at this time 
were remarkable for their varied and handsome 
colours, due perhaps to the influence of the piece of 
Barbarossa stem intervening between the Muscat roots 
and the Gros Colman top One eye of the latter 
variety has produced a branch bearing white leaves 
of a beautiful satiny lustre for the last five years. 
How often this will be repeated time only can tell, 
but the curiosity is always spared and attracts great 
attention on the part of visitors. This branch is 
situated about the middle of the rod and is annually 
cut back at pruning time. The parallel houses are 
independent of one another, and the spaces between 
them are occupied with good soil, so that the roots 
range outside as well as inside. 
Another house of Gros Colman contained old and 
a few young Vines, the latter carrying large bunches. 
The old rods were carrying Grapes massive in bunch 
and berry. Some Vines of Lady Downes carried 
broader shouldered bunches than usual, and the 
berries were "as black as ony slae.’’ This variety 
has been discarded in another house, not being 
esteemed, apparently, by the market people. Coopers' 
Black, likewise, is only . grown to a small extent. 
These houses are each 200 ft. long, 34 ft. wide, 18 ft. 
high, and the range requires three boilers to heat 
them, which will give some idea of their extent, or 
the cubic contents that require to be kept up at given 
temperatures according to the stage of the Vines. 
The beds of the propagating pit were filled with 
Palm seeds as thickly as they could be placed, and 
in all stages of germination. Small cross shelves 
were suspended at close intervals above the beds, so 
as to admit light to the Palm seedlings below, while 
accommodating Dracaenas, Ficus, Cocos, &c. Sela- 
ginella emiliana and Episcia fulgida are also grown 
in the same house. An old Pine pit, now used as a 
plant house, contained large quantities of Pandanus 
Veitchii, Pterises, Asparagus, Cocos weddeliana in 
Various useful sizes for decorative purposes, and 
other subjects. The next house was similarly filled. 
A fine batch of Hydrangeas in the open air, and 
grown in 48-size pots, were remarkable for the size, 
Vigour and fleshy character of their leaves, so some¬ 
thing good may be expected from them in spring. 
The conservatory situated at the back of the late Mr. 
Wm. Thomson’s house was gay with a great variety of 
subjects, including a fine tree of Araucaria imbricata, 
originally in a 5 in. pot and now in a tub and standing 
about 10 ft. high. Flowering plans were represented 
by Liliumspeciosum, L. s. album, tuberous Begonias 
and zonal Pelargoniums all flowering very profusely. 
Kentias and other Palms supplied greenery. 
CHORIZEMA CORDATA. 
The Chorizema cordata is a native of Van Diemen’s 
Land, the home of so many of the Pea flowering 
plants. The species under notice is a lovely plant 
for table and house decoration. It is easily grown 
in a mixture of good peat and a sprinkling of silver 
sand to keep the soil open. It is easily grown and 
flowers freely in small pots 4 in. or 5 in. in diameter. 
It is also easily propagated from half ripened wood in 
silver sand under a bell glass. 
Chorizema Henchmanii is a lovely plant and also 
flowers in small pots. It requires plenty of drainage 
grown in Exeter peat. Tne sods should be broken 
on the potting bench with a bent stick, then put 
through an inch sieve. Pick out the Heath roots 
but retain the Fern roots, which form the drainage. 
Add a good sprinkling of silver sand and broken flints. 
The roots cling round them in summer, and in 
winter they do not absorb the moisture. 
At the first horticultural exhibition at Cheltenham 
I was awarded the first prize for twelve plants. 
There were twelve exhibitors, among them several 
London men, Cole, &c. Two of my most telling 
plants were Chorizema Henchmanii and Acro- 
phyllum venosum, a beautiful, flowering plant like a 
Spiraea, hardly, I believe, now to be found in the 
trade. I was offered £13 for it from Mr. Humphry 
Brown, a great exhibitor. 
January 14, 18S9. 
The Chorizema when done flowering wants to bh 
cut down below the flower spikes. After it breaks 
place it out of doors, when it will make growths a foot 
in length. When in flower it is a very telling plant. 
The rage at present is for fine foliage plants. Allow 
me to put in a plea for flowering plants.— William 
Carmichael, 14, Pitt Street, Edinburgh. 
-•*»-— 
BEGONIA GLOIRE DE LORRAINE. 
I should imagine one of the most popular and in¬ 
structive departures made by the R.H.S., is the 
series of floral demonstrations given by the Rev. 
Prof. Henslow at some of the Drill Hall meetings. 
Those having opportunities of hearing these lectures 
will bear me out that the educational value is con¬ 
siderable, stimulating to further research, not infre¬ 
quently creating an interest not hitherto felt in this 
most interesting and fascinating branch of botany. 
Less favoured people, unable to avail themselves of 
these valuable object lessons, cannot do better than 
consult the Gardening World, where an accurate 
account of all that transpires at the R.H.S. meetings 
will be found, as well as faithful descriptions of all 
new and interesting exhibits. 
In seeking the report of the latest R.H.S. meeting 
I was greatly interested in the account given by the 
lecturer of the history of some hybrids, notably 
Begonia Gloire de Lorraine, one plant of which he 
found having two pistillate flowers. During this 
autumn I have found ten such flowers on as many 
plants growing here. Careful examinations have failed 
to discover any perfect stamens, however, on the 
staminate flowers produced in such abundance. 
It would add to the value of such information if 
other readers would record any such instances. It 
appears to me that this is the first year female 
flowers have appeared on this hybrid. One would 
like to know how many years have elapsed since 
this hybrid has been produced, before showing 
female flowers. With the educational advantages of 
to-day, young men can take a very pleasurable study 
of the behaviour of hybrids under cultivation. An 
elementary knowledge enables one to follow these 
instructive lectures, and also to study inde¬ 
pendently and record results of observations cor¬ 
rectly. The interchange of notes and opinions would 
be of considerable interest and value to those in¬ 
terested. I hope others will record similar instances 
when noticed.— A. P. 
Noticing in your recent number (p. 284) a report of 
Professor Henslow's lecture of the Royal Horticult¬ 
ural Society’s meeting on the 13th inst., in which he 
noted the fact of the extreme rarity of the produc¬ 
tion of female flowers by Begonia Gloire de 
Lorraine, I proceeded to examine the solitary speci¬ 
men of this variety which I possess, and was some¬ 
what surprised to find on it no less than eleven 
female blossoms. Subsequently I examined about 
five dozen specimens at the Oxford Botanic Garden, 
and found on them five female flowers only. It 
would seem, therefore, that the occurrence is of 
somewhat less rarity than the professor believed. 
Why my specimen (which is from the same stock as 
those in the Botanic Gardens) should show such an 
abnormal proportion of female flowers it is difficult 
to say; I am inclined to think it is a question of 
temperature. The house in which my plant is 
growing often gets as low as 40° (a temperature far 
too low for the well-doing of this variety, from the 
horticultural point of view), and possibly this low 
temperature by checking the superabundant growth, 
may be conducive to the production of female 
blooms. I may add that the female flowers were in 
all cases the terminal ones.— J. Rose, Oxjord. 
-■ ! — 
Treatment of Manure.—-M. Deherain, a well-known 
French agriculturist, finds by experiment that the 
habit of leaving manure in small heaps on fields 
exposed to the air is bad, since a current of air robs 
the dung of its ammonia, and the organic matter 
burns, through the influence of bacteria, thus dis¬ 
engaging nitrogen in a free state. In a few days 
one-fourth of the nitrogen is lost. If rain falls the 
ground under the heap gets too much manure, and the 
rest of the field too little. When the weather suits at 
all the manure should be spread as soon as it is brought 
into the field, and not left in small heaps.— Irish 
Farming World. 
