September 26, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
53 
Ixias and Sparaxis should now be potted, and 
about five bulbs placed in each 5 in. pot. Use a 
compost of two parts of good fibrous loam, and one 
part of leaf mould, with a quantity of sand to 
render the soil porous and open. A little well 
decayed cow manure mixed with the soil would 
prove beneficial. 
Sweet Pea, Cupid.—A writer in one of our con¬ 
temporaries, says he recently saw some plants of 
this Sweet Pea, but then he described the flowers as 
pinky-white. We have seen the variety in question 
almost every day for weeks past, but failed to see 
any pink in the flowers. A pink variety is reported, 
but that is quite another thing from Cupid. 
Big Leeks-—At the Peebles Leek Club show the 
leading honours were secured by a man who showed 
six heads weighing in the aggregate 16 lb. 6 oz. He 
also had the best Leek in the show, and this weighed 
3 lb. 12J oz. To grow Leeks like this it is necessary 
to plant them in deep trenches and otherwise treat 
them like Celery, from the time they are reared till 
fit for use. 
Tea-scented and Noisette Roses may be inserted as 
cuttings in pots of sandy soil during the present 
month, and the pots stood in a cold frame. Make 
the s il firm and give it a good watering after insett¬ 
ing the cuttings. If the frame faces the north, little 
or no watering will be required till spring, by which 
time they will be more or less perfectly rooted. Do 
not allow them to get dry, hovever, during open 
weather in winter. 
Hollyhocks in Regent’s Park —A row of Holly¬ 
hocks forming practically a hedge, has been an 
attractive feature to visitors for some time, in the 
garden portion of Regent’s Park The plants have 
evidently been raised from seed, and present a showy 
and picturesque mixture of tall and short plants, 
with single and double flowers in a great variety of 
colours. In short, they form a hedge of brilliant and 
sober colours, admirably set off with other flowers 
and shrubs. 
Syndical Chamber of Belgian Horticulturists.—The 
monthly meeting of the above society was held in 
the Casino, Ghent, on the 6th inst., when Certifi¬ 
cates of Merit were awarded to Pteris biaurita 
argentea, presented by M. Pynaert-Van Geert; to 
Calamus lewisianus and Alocasia gandavensis, 
exhibited by L. De Smet-Duvivier ; to Epipendrum 
prismatocarpum and Laeliocattleya Proserpine, 
staged by M. Jules Hye; to Adiantum Schneideri 
shown by M. A. Vanden Heed; and to a double 
Cactus Dahlia, exhibited by MM. Duriez Brothers. 
Several other subjects were the recipients of Honour¬ 
able Mentions. 
Dutch and Cape Bulbs. —Besides the ordinary run 
of Dutch bulbs which are in universal request during 
the autumn months, Messrs. Ant. Roozen & Son, 
Overveen, Haarlem, Holland, publish a catalogue 
containing Cape and other bulbs as well. The 
catalogue in question runs to 104 pages, exclusive of 
the index, and, according to the numbers under which 
the various subjects are registered, 4,858 species and 
varieties of plants are offered for sale. Here we find 
bulbs from all countries and many other things 
having tubers, rhizomes, corms, or similar rootstocks. 
The new and rare bulbs and plants form a list by 
themselves, and amongst them we note some things 
that are not at all strangers in this country,while many 
are little known or perfect strangers. For instance, 
Sternbergia fischeriana flowers in spring instead of 
autumn ; and S. macrantha produces its leaves in 
spring instead of with the flowers in autumn. 
Amongst the Anemones we notice the rare A. 
Fannini, with white flowers, from Natal. A large 
number of the recently introduced Irises of beautiful 
types are all recorded and described here, together 
with the Kniphofias (Tritomas) coming into the same 
category. Stove, greenhouse and open garden are 
provided for. Moraea robinsoniana in request at 
Australian marriages finds a place here. When well 
established and in a flowering condition it is a stately 
plant. In the main body of the catalogue lengthy 
lists of all the more important bulbous plants and 
their allies are given and described. The list of 
Irises includes many rare and beautiful ones, all 
arranged in their respective sections. Each page 
being closely printed, the preparation of the catalogue 
must have taken a considerable amount of time and 
patience. 
A Small Variety of Wheat was cultivated by the 
lake-dwellers of Western Switzerland. The first 
lake-dwellers of Robenhausen were contemporary 
with the Trojan war if not earlier, and their Wheat 
was cultivated till the Roman conquest. 
Mulberries in the opinion of some good house¬ 
wives, improve the flavour of almost all other fruits 
when made into pies. The dwarf varieties of Rosa 
multiflora that can be raised from seed and flowered 
in four to six months are more often single than 
double, when they come into bloom. 
Cynodon Dactylon or Dog's-tooth Grass is a rare 
plant in this country, but is very important in the far 
east and the far west. In India and several other 
tropical countries it is used for the making of lawns 
of which it is the principal constituent. There it is 
known as the Doob or Doab Grass. In America it 
is known as Scutchgrass or Bermuda Grass, and 
proves the worst weed that infests the lawns. 
Pulling it up is not the best means of getting rid of 
it. Heavy manuring and frequent mowing, running 
the machine in various directions proves the best 
remedy for getting rid oLit. 
Gardeners at Osborne.—About fifty members and 
friends of the Isle of Wight Horticultural Improve¬ 
ment Association met at Newport on the 16th inst., 
and a greater portion of them journeyed in three 
brakes to the Queen’s island home at Osborne. 
The remainder of the party joined the main body at 
the gates of Osborne. Members attended from 
nearly all parts of the island ; and about two and a 
half hours were spent looking over the grounds, well 
kept gardens and conservatories under the escort of 
Mr. Nobbs, the gardener together with several of his 
staff. The weather kept fine during the whole time. 
The visitors were much interested in the collection 
of Chrysanthemums which they greatly admired. 
The plants were grandly developed, and several of 
the gardeners remarked that they had never seen 
better plants. Many of the shrubs came in for a 
considerable amount of attention. Dr. Groves, J.P. 
(president) and Mr. S. Heaton, the secretary, were 
amongst the party, and a large number of other 
influential gentlemen. Before the party departed, 
Dr. Groves thanked Mr. Nobbs and his assistants 
for their kindness and courteous manner in which he 
had received and attended to the visitors. The 
latter now drove back to Newport after having spent 
an enjoyable and profitable afternoon. 
" Grape Culture.”—This is the title of the second of 
a series of handbooks of garden produce issued by 
George Tucker, 1, 2, & 3, Salisbury Court, Fleet 
Street. It is a pamphlet of some thirty-two pages, 
but is designated as a complete guide to the pro¬ 
pagation and culture of grapes, either for pleasure or 
profit. Concise details are given concerning the 
making of vine borders, the soil, vine fertilisers, 
drainage, planting vines, after cultural treatment, 
young vines, thinning grapes, temperature, etc. 
Each of these subjects forms a short chapter. In the 
chapter on market varieties we notice that Black 
Hamburgh is placed first on the list on account of 
its popularity with buyers. Of the grapes grown for 
market it forms 75 per cent, of the whole. In our 
opinion this is the case by reason of its commonness, 
easy culture, and earliness, rather than its actual 
popularity with consumers. It is one of the best 
flavoured grapes in cultivation, but except very late 
and very early in the year, it fetches the lowest price. 
Next in order of merit, according to the handbook, 
come Gros Colman, Muscat of Alexandria, Madres- 
field Court, and Sweetwater, the latter being very 
much neglected within recent years. This the writer 
considers a great mistake, as it is a luscious and 
wholesome Grape containing much sugar and 
juice. If grown by the ton in order to 
supply the cheap fruit shops, it would create 
a huge demand and oreve altogether a finer 
thing than the Spanish Sweetwater, which reaches 
this country packed in sawdust and meets with an 
enormous sale notwithstanding its poor quality. 
The qualities of the leading varieties are recounted, 
and the method of disposing of them dealt with. 
Separate chapters on the packing of Grapes for 
market, packing in cross handle baskets, stringing 
and labelling, and punneted Grapes are also given. 
The author finishes up by saying that in all things, 
quality should be the end and aim of cultivation. 
Mr. Robert Anderson, formerly in partnership with 
a Glasgow firm of seedsmen, has commenced business 
as a seedsman at High Street, Paisley. Mr. 
Anderson has our sincere wishes for his success. 
Like all good men of his profession he is a constant 
reader of The Gardening World. 
Land for a public garden. —The Metropolitan 
Public Gardens Association is still active, and 
through its energy the London County Council 
opened negotiations with the vendors of a vacant piece 
of land in East Street, Walworth. The council offered 
£4,500 for the site ultimately increasing it to £5,000, 
and this the vestry has agreed to accept, though 
£6,000 was the sum originally asked. 
An excursion by the Scottish Arboricultural Society 
was made on Saturday last to Armiston, an account 
of which will be found in next week’s issue of this 
paper. At the monthly meeting of the Scottish 
Horticultural Society, a paper from Mr. A. Stubbs, 
of Ipswich, was read by the assistant secretary, Mr. 
J. H. Murray, on the subject of “ manures and their 
relationship to the soil and plant life.” A vote of 
thanks was accorded the author for his interesting 
paper. 
Poisoned with weed-killer. —Quite recently, two 
children, named Walsh and Cottier, entered the 
Quartermaster's store in Newry Barracks and drank 
something out of a barrel which was proved to be a 
patent poisonous weed-killer. Martha Walsh, 
daughter of the sergeant of the barracks died, but 
the other child is recovering. At the inquest the 
jury censured the military authorities for carelessness 
in not having the poisonous liquid secured in some 
safe position out of the reach of children. 
Channel Islands Revisited.—Owing to unusual 
pressure on our space this week the second chapter 
of this interesting series is unavoidably held over 
until next issue. The Ichthemic Guano Company 
were last week the recipients of the Royal 
Caledonian Society’s Silver Medal for their exhibit. 
At the Edinburgh show this was the highest award 
obtainable, and is the more significant when it is 
remembered that above 2,000 exhibits were staged, 
and the list of special awards included only two 
medals, of which the famous Ipswich firm secured 
one. 
Brentwood Flower Show. — The autumn exhibition 
of the Brentwood Horticultural Society was held in 
the grounds of Middleton Hall by kind permission 
of Mr. J C Tasker, on September 10th. With the 
exception of cut flowers, which were rather sparsely 
represented, the show was up to the average of 
previous years. Messrs. James Douglas, Ilford ; 
Richard Dean, Ealing ; and A. F. Barron, Chiswick, 
officiated as judges. In the competitive classes 
Mr. J. T. West, gardener to Mr. Keith, Brentwood, 
led the way for twenty-four show and fancy Dahlias, 
distinct; and also for twelve Cactus varieties. Mr. 
W. Green, Harold Wood, obtained the first award 
for a collection of fruit comprising six dishes, Mr. T. 
Tullett, gardener to Mr. G. Alexander, Warley Lodge, 
taking a similar prize for a collection of vegetables 
including nine kinds. Mrs. W. Green contributed a 
remarkably pretty floral table that brought her a first 
in its class. Several non-competitive exhibits were 
also forthcoming amongst which Mr. J. T. West's 
magnificent exhibit of Dahlias occupied a foremost 
place. Messrs. D. Prior & Son, Colchester, staged 
a lot of Roses in fine condition for the season. 
IPOMOEA VERSICOLOR. 
This beautiful annual climber, perhaps better known 
as Mina lobata, although by no means new, seems to 
be either forgotten or not as well known as it ought 
to be amongst gardeners and amateurs or otherwise. 
One seldom or never sees it, while it is one of the 
prettiest, and most easily grown creepers we have. 
For arches, trellises, fences, or walls it is invaluable, 
making as it does, when established, rapid growth, 
and continuing to flower till autumn frost appears. 
Its foliage is distinct and handsome, somewhat 
cordate at the base and deeply three-lobed ; and its 
flowers produced on forked racemes standing well out 
from the foliage, are, when first opening, bright rosy- 
crimson, changing to orange, then to pale yellow. 
Its culture is very simple. Seeds sown in gentle 
heat about the middle of April, readily germinate, 
and if potted on and grown in a warm greenhouse or 
vinery, and supported with a slender twig as growth 
progresses, and hardened off, plants from 2 ft. to 3 ft. 
high, may be had fit for planting out at the end of 
