July 15, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
727 
mottled salmon trusses are of enormous size, 6 to 
S in. across, and the dwarf spreading habit makes it 
really an acquisition. Villa de Poitiers is another 
fine thing of a clear scarlet hue. Golden Gate is a 
much admired addition to the scarlet and orange 
group. Jean Picard is light rose ; and Jeanne d’Arc, 
a very distinct lavender-pink with a fine habit. The 
colour is not a common one,and,being tasteful, ought 
to recommend itself. Aime Henriot, is somewhat 
peach-pink with well formed flowers and good trusses. 
Charles Gounod has fine, large,bright scarlet flowers 
with a strikingly fine white centre. Le Conetable, is 
a deep pinky-rose. M. Caro fakes on a soft lilac-pink 
tone; and Dr. Despress among deep crimsons, stands 
well out. The double Jacoby, as will be concluded, 
is a splendid plant in its section. 
With the salmon varieties we found Nydia a good 
plant, one with a first-class habit of growth and 
very free flowering ; while Hermine, one of the best 
of the double whites, is also free and very worthy. 
We do not often see the new race of Picotee edged 
varieties, but in Mdme. Alcide Bruneau and 
Fraicheur two splendid varieties are presented. Of 
the single flowered zonals, Nicholas II. may be 
mentioned ; Hec'a, a brilliant scarlet; and Rudyard 
Kipling, which is a rich crimson-purple. Mrs. 
Simpson is worthy of special notice, because of its 
great purity of white and the brilliant scarlet-pink 
ring surrounding a large white eye. It is a specially 
good winter variety. Mrs. W. Partridge is salmon ; 
Countess de Morello, orange scarlet, and one with a 
future before it, and very adaptable for park and 
garden bedding. N. H. Tilmaut, Mdme. Coralie 
Bazac, Lilacina, Pink Domino, and Mrs. French are 
all extra choice varieties of pink or rose hues. 
Achievement and Ryecroft Surprise are A i types of 
double flowered, Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums. 
The regal and decorative Pelargoniums were just 
over at our visit, but the following were distinguish¬ 
able for their great beauty :—Alice Hayes, Queen of 
Whites, Duchess of Portland, Vivid, Sir Visto, 
Glory of the West, Empress of India, Jubilee, Rose 
Queen, Mrs. John Stone, Spotted Beauty, Persim¬ 
mon, Mrs. Innes Rogers, President Harrison, 
Edward Perkins, and Queen Victoria. 
In a ramble through the other houses at Swanley, 
the comparatively new species of Ajuga, A. metallica 
crispa, was brought to view. The chief distinction 
is in its curiously crispy-curled metallic foliage. It 
is a suitable plant for edging, or for carpet bedding, 
Panicum sulcatum is another plant unsurpassed for 
its decorative value in the conservatory during 
winter. Seeds should be sown early in the season 
to produce the soft, arching, ribbed, tall, Curculigo- 
like foliage, by September. Cyperus alternifolius 
variegatus is also a capital subject. The tuberous 
Begonias (but, indeed, Begonias of all classes, for 
there is a very complete and thoroughly well-grown 
collection at the Swanley Nurseries), we say, were 
delicious, rather a funny word to use in this present 
sense, but it sums up our regard of what we saw. 
We will run over a list of varieties and ask the 
reader to refer to Messrs. Cannells’ Floral Guide for 
descriptions. Major Rourke, Lady Groove, Capt. 
Bedingfield, Duchess of Westminster, Countess 
Carina, La France, Mrs. T. Wood, Mrs. Francis 
Willand, Lady Esther Smith, and Miss Violet Ken- 
nard were all excellent varieties. One of the bed¬ 
ding forms, at least, one we think will be suitable 
for this purpose is Cannells’ Scarlet, a new variety 
of very great merit. The blooms are borne on 
dwarf stems, above a grounding of irregular obloDg 
leaves. The whole plant is dwarf, brilliant, and 
graceful; suitable for pot culture or bedding. 
Fuchsias as standards, Fuchsias as dwarfs, 
Fuchsias in all forms and of all the best and different 
varieties are also in extensive cultivation, and quality 
goes with quantity. 
The Gloxinias have been remarkably fine this 
season, some of the plants carrying from thirty to 
forty blooms at one time, and large, too, they were. 
Every shade of colour is to be found, but the “ seifs” 
were our favourites. Some whites as pure as snow, 
and the dark blue violets and brilliant crimsons were 
handsomely grand. All the ranges were filled with 
a goodly stock of florist’s plants, as Primulas in all 
their kinds, Cyclamens, Streptocarpuses, and well- 
balanced heads of Cock’s-combs ; pot Roses of great 
strength, Clematises, and Cacti, of which there is one 
of the best, if not really the finest collection in 
England, outside of Botanic Gardens. The Chrys¬ 
anthemums are a fine, stout, sturdy lot just being 
arranged in long lines for staking. Further notice 
must be held over. 
Tfie OrcTUd Brower’s Calendar. 
Aerides.— I wonder when this interesting class of 
plants will again become popular Just now they 
seem very much in the background, and until some¬ 
one takes them in hand and brings them before the 
notice of the public, by putting up a group of them 
at the H.R.S. meetings at the Drill Hall, they will, 
I fear, be at a discount for some time to come. But 
who is to take the task in hand unless it be the 
" Orchid King” ! Or Messrs. B. S. Williams, who, 
be it said to their credit, have not entirely discarded 
these and Vandas, for they have always had a fair 
stock of each genus as long as I can remember. 
Just now, all the rage is for Odontoglossum crispum 
—very nice, too. I fancy, however, I can detect a 
slight re-action in favour of East Indian Orchids, 
and it only wants some of the leading lights to set 
the fashion to make Aerides, Saccolabiums, Vandas, 
&c., almost as popular as ever. Their culture differs 
somewhat from most other Orchids on account of 
the entire absence of anything in which to store up 
moisture other than the leaves, The inference is then 
that in their native home they receive plenty of 
moisture at all times, either from rains or heavy 
night dews, which ascend after a hot day. 
My experience with all this section is that they do 
best in an old-fashioned house, where the sash bars 
are large, the glass thick, and the walls and floors 
such that they retain a large amount of moisture. A 
house that dries up quickly is quite unsuited to their 
requirements, so that it is easily seen that the 
modern, light, airy structure does not do. 
I well remember seeing the Vandas, &c., at Mr. 
Hanbury's, Ware—some twenty years ago—great 
plants in tubs, the picture of health, and, if my 
memory serves me right, the house in which they 
were grown was similar to the one indicated above, 
that is, one that is naturally moist and does not 
require damping down every half hour. With such 
a structure you can admit an abundance of fresh air 
through the bottom ventilators, whch in itself is a 
plant food. 
Vanda caerulea. —This, to me, is about as 
refractory an Orchid as I ever came across. I think 
we have tried it in every conceivable way; but have 
not thoroughly mastered its peculiarities as yet. 
We have treated the plants cool in the summer, and 
there is certainly an improvement as regards clean, 
spotless growths; but the flowers, where are they ? 
No; cool treatment will not do; for, nice as it is to 
see plants growing well, we do not like to go on year 
in and year out without any return as regards flower 
spikes. They are done well at the Bush Hill Nur¬ 
sery, of Messrs. Low & Co., who, I believe, afford 
them a rather brisk heat.— S. C. 
- -»3i « - -- 
HARDY FMU GARDEN. 
The chief work in the orchard during July will be 
that of pruning, pinchmg, and budding. Every one 
of us knows how much the quality of the fruit de¬ 
pends on its having plenty of light and air when 
swelling and ripening. Apple trees of all forms will 
now be so far advanced as to make it unprofitable 
to delay the pinching of the shoots any longer. Yet 
I do not believe in very early or frequent stopping. 
After this time, such fruit trees as Apples, Pears, 
Apricots, Peaches, and Plums, if pinched back to 
about half the present length of the shoots, will 
plump up the portion left, and it will do good to the 
buds. Towards the end of the month, Currants, 
Red and White, may be boldly pruned to within four 
buds from the base. Peach tree shoots must be 
regulated. It is certainly the better plan to leave 
the young shoots at comparative liberty to reap the 
full advantage which freedom to dew and rain, wind 
and sun, gives to them. They can be partly laid in, 
having a sling cf raffia around near the base of the 
shoot, just to incline it towards its future position 
against the wall. Dead twigs or long budless shoots 
may at this time be removed, and fresh wood laid in. 
Towards the centres of Peach and Nectarine trees 
the young shoots may be converted to spurs. See that 
a goodly furnishing is always secured and retained. 
At this time nearly all crops, except those on the 
verge of ripening, will require much attention to 
watering and feeding. During the dry weather, 
those who had mulched their trees will have found 
much benefit. Figs will require regulating, and 
pinching back of the laterals to the fourth leaf. 
Apple fruits may now be thinned, for on many 
varieties, such as Golden Spire, Wellington, and 
Quarrendens, the trees are heavy this year. Pro¬ 
tection must be given to all trees now fruiting. 
Strawberries may now be layered. I prefer to 
layer them (for forcing) into the fruiting pots 
right away. A number of 5-in. and 6-in. pots may 
be got ready. One good crock should cover the 
bottom, then roughly sifted ashes over it, and a 
layer of fibrous loam on the top of the ashes. Old 
Melon-house soil, with a liberal percentage of lumpy 
loam, having “ body ” In it, and about a quarter of 
humic material as found in dry cow manure, rotten 
dung, and leaf-soil, all properly turned and filled 
firmly into the pots, leaving an inch of space at the top 
for water. Take the end plantlet on a runner, and 
after having half plunged the pot in the soil, peg the 
plant down in the pot. See attentively to the sup¬ 
ply of water, and pinch off the other plantlets from 
the runner. In three weeks this latter may be cut 
and the plants then taken and set along the sides of 
a path.— J.H .D. 
«— —a— 
(gleanings from Ifje Dtutlb 
of Srienc^. 
Apples cast away on Iona.—Some of Darwin’s 
many experiments consisted in testing the vitality 
of various seeds after floating for a longer or shorter 
period in salt water, to imitate Nature’s plan of dis¬ 
seminating various large seeds by the agency of seas 
and oceans. Something has recently happened off 
the west coast of Scotland that would interest him. 
Some time ago the Dominion liner “Labrador” 
carrying Apples as part of her cargo, was wrecked, 
and the Apples in course of time were strewn on the 
western shores of the islands of Iona and Mull. The 
storms and tempestuous seas, that often prevail 
there, had the effect of washing the Apples high upon 
the beach, where the pips have since germinated, 
giving rise to thousands of seedlings. 
The vitality of the seeds had been preserved by the 
fleshy portion of the Apples, otherwise it is to be 
feared the seeds would not have retained their ger- 
minative faculty for any length of time, if at all. The 
seedlings are now making vigorous growth, and the 
natives have been tempted to transfer numbers of 
them to their gardens. It is, however, very doubt¬ 
ful what they will give rise to, seeing that by far the 
larger proportion of seedlings that are raised inten¬ 
tionally only give seedlings that are practically 
worthless, being, in fact, no better than Crabs. 
There need be no desire, however, to dissuade the 
islanders from tending the trees, because one or two 
really first-class varieties may result, and such 
would no doubt be widely disseminated in course of 
time in British gardens, as well as in Iona and Mull. 
Such varieties would be a fitting memorial of the ill- 
fated ship, and an interesting event resulting from 
the wreck. Iona, it may be remembered, was the last 
refuge of druidism and the birthplace of Christianity 
in Britain. 
At the meeting of the Scientific Committee of the 
Royal Horticultural Society on the 27th ult., the 
undermentioned subjects were brought up. 
Cattleya monstrous —Dr. Masters observed 
that the specimen brought to the last meeting was 
characterised by having a sepal in a petaloid 
condition; but the same feature occurred in three 
flowers on the spike. 
Catasetum rostrianum malformed—A 
spray bearing two flowers with the lateral petals 
bearing characters of the lip, was sent by Sir Trevor 
Lawrence. 
Carnations diseased.—Specimens were sent by 
Mrs. E. Mackay, which proved to be attacked both 
by bacteria and Puccinia dianthi. Mr. Webber 
observed that the disease known as bacteriosis is now 
generally regarded in America as a result, and not a 
cause; that it followsupon some lesion to the foliage,as 
by punctures, &c., by insects. The same observation 
might apply to the presence of the Puccinia. No 
remedy could be suggested. It is best to destroy the 
plants entirely. 
