THE GARDENING WORLD 
667 
June 19, 1897. 
maDy with whose names I am not familiar, and which 
would take an abler pen than mine to treat of in 
decent order.— Read by Dr. Ernest D'Ombrain, of 
Melbourne, at a recent meeting of the Horticultural Club. 
--*•- 
THE “ LODDON LILY.’’ 
What is the Loddon Lily ? Doubtless the question 
has been often asked locally; so, with intent to solve 
the mystery, I made a special visit to the Loddon, 
the other day, at the invitation of Mr. Geo. 
Kingcombe, a friend of mine, whose love for Nature 
generally, and for boating and camping out particu¬ 
larly, has several times redounded to my advantage. 
Well, then, after a short search among the osier beds 
and eyots on the river, just below Shiplake Lock, 
where the Loddon comes down to the Thames, we 
soon succeeded in discovering the object of our 
quest—the so-called “ Loddon Lily,” which turned 
out to be none other than the Summer Snowflake 
(Leucoium aestivum). 
Local names, however interesting they may be, 
are rarely accurate, as in this case ; for the plant is 
not confined to the Loddon or the Thames ; neither 
does it accord with the technical view of what a Lily 
is. But notwithstanding all this " a local habitation 
and a name ” are not to be despised, for the plant is 
much sought after in the district for the sake of its 
pure white, bell-shaped flowers, which are produced 
in drooping umbels of from four to eight in number. 
On examination it will be found that the tip of each 
segment of the perianth is spotted with green both 
inside and out, and that the flowers themselves very 
much resemble the Snowdrop (Galanthus) to which 
it is allied. The plant, therefore, is not a Lily, but 
an Amaryllis. The flowers, moreover, have a faint 
perfume of Violets, hence its generic name which is 
derived from leukos white, and ion, a Violet, so that it 
might be called the " White-water Violet ” with as 
much propriety as the Loddon Lily, although it 
will, seemingly, grow as well out of the water 
as in it. Still, I think, notwithstanding its inaccuracy, 
I prefer its local name, for it is certainly an elegant 
plant, and the term "Lily ” conveys to the mind a 
sense of stately beauty, which the suggested one does 
not. Moreover, on second thoughts, the suggested 
name will not do, as it is already appropriated by 
Hottonia palustris—also a local plant—which, in 
common parlance, is known as the " Water Violet ” ; 
and although its flowers are lilac-coloured when 
young and fresh, they pale off ultimately a “ silvery- 
white.” Anyhow, the Summer Snowflake is a fine 
subject and grows from i ft. to 2 ft. high, according 
to soil and situation. 
Its leaves are long and linear, and in botanical as 
well as in the language of boatmen, are said to be 
II keeled.” The Summer Snowflake is comparatively 
rare is a wild state, although in its local habitats it 
may abound, as I know it does in some parts of the 
Loddon, at Shiplake Lock, at Wargrave, and on the 
river-front of Park Place, Henley-on-Thames; but 
whether it is native to the latter place, or a floral 
acquisition, I am unaware.—C. B. G., Acton, W. 
«l » 
CLEMATIS MONTANA. 
In a short note upon this Clematis, appearing on p. 
650 of a recent issue, C.B.G. calls attention to the 
way in which it adds to the natural attractions of the 
pretty village of Wargrave. Truth to tell the plant 
thrives amazingly in the locality, and has been utilised 
with admirable taste at Park Place, the grounds of 
which slope down to the river, and in close proximity 
to the village in question. 
I have seen Clematis montana growing in a num¬ 
ber of localities, but never with the utter abandon 
that it seems to display at Park Place. In the 
garden the men’s bothies and the gardener's office are 
literally wreathed with it, and the glint of its myriad 
flowers arrest and fascinate the eye at that period of 
the year when the joyous sprirgtime is fast merging 
into the glory of summer-tide. In the large square 
sunk tank immediately in front of Mr. Stanton's 
house and flanked on either side by ranges of glass 
houses another glorious picture presents itself. The 
environs of the tank are clasped in a loving embrace 
by the long sprays of the Clematis, which droop over 
until they nearly touch the cool water below where 
gold fish disport themselves amongst water Lilies 
and Horse-tails. Not content .even with this the 
growths have twined over and amongst huge clumps 
of the Evergreen Thorn (Crataegus Pyracantha) as 
if the latter were only placed there to give them the 
support they need. Although accidental the effect 
is striking, for the lively green of the young leaves of 
the Crataegus which has now thrown off its sombre 
winter hue is starred as with many stars, and the 
bright sun of early June smiles lovingly over all. 
C. B. G. makes the statement that it is not quite 
hardy, although I fail to see from whence he draws 
his conclusions. Certainly with regard to Wargrave, 
Park Place, and district there can be no question of 
its absolute hardiness. The winters of 1890-91 and 
1894-5 were severe enough to cut down many things 
that are ordinarily regarded as being hardy, but 
Clematis montana suffered very little indeed, if at all. 
Possibly in the north of England the winters may be 
too long for it, but perhaps C. B. G. can tell us more 
about that.— Viator. 
-- 
NOTICES OF BOOKS. 
How to grow Begonias ; By G. A. Farmi, F.R.H.S , 
Author of “ Through the Kalahari Desert,” &c., 
Illustrated. Price 2s. London : Sampson Low, 
Marston & Company, Limited, St. Dunstan’s 
House, Fetter Lane, Fleet Street, E.C. 
This is meant as a hand-book for amateurs, and 
succeeds best when dealing with cultivation alone. 
It runs to 135 pages, but the latter part of the book 
from p. 80 is occupied with lists of tuberous 
Begonias raised by the author and various well- 
known trade growers. There is no general index to 
the book, though a short list of contents gives the 
headings of the chapters. One article deals with the 
" Origin of the present Begonia,” but it furnishes 
nothing new, and the author has been rather careless 
in the spelling of names. Three out of six of the 
original species from which the modern tuberous 
race has descended, have been mis-spelt. -For 
instance we find such a statement as 11 In the same 
year Rosa Flora was brought from Brazil.” We 
take it that the author means Begonia rosaeflora. 
In speaking of the diseases to which the Begonia is 
subject, the author says, "The worst is the fungus 
cladespora—the same that causes the potato rot.” 
All this is new to us including the fungus. 
The amateur will find the practical cultural 
directions most suited to his requirements especially 
when he is undertaking the culture of this showy 
class of plants for the first time. The seeds are 
very minute and the seedlings equally so when they 
first make their appearance, and require careful 
nursing into life and vigour. The author gives 
details of the various methods and contrivances he 
employs in bringing the plants from their tender 
early stages, till fit to plant in the open ground, and 
how the latter operation should be performed. We 
felt most interest in the author’s numerous experi¬ 
ments to obtain a race of scented Begonias by 
hybridising B. Baumanii with varieties of the 
tuberous race. He has obtained numerous single 
varieties more or less after the type of B. Baumanii 
itself that are scented ; but he has been less success¬ 
ful with doubles possessing this quality. He is con¬ 
fident, however, that he will yet succeed in getting 
scented varieties of all colours with double flowers 
from the doubles now in his'possession crossed with 
the typical B. Baumanii. We hope he will. 
Queensland Past and Present. An Epitome of 
its Resources and Development. By Thornhill 
Weedon, Fellow of the Royal Statistical 
Society, London ; Compiler of General Statistics. 
First issue. Brisbane : By Authority : Edmund 
Gregory, Government Printer, William Street. 
1896. 
Hitherto the Statistical Register, a voluminous work 
has done duty in setting forth the resources of this 
important colony of the British Empire ; but it fails 
to satisfy the growing need of an epitome or abridge¬ 
ment of the larger work so as to furnish the desired 
information in a concise form, and handy for 
reference by all interested in the same. 
The book runs to 240 pages, including a good 
index, and deals with such matters as geography, 
history, constitution and government, population and 
vital statistics, social and intellectual, law and de¬ 
fence, intercommunication, production, trade and 
commerce, crown lands, finance, accumulation, &c. 
Though but a small portion of the island-continent, 
Queensland extends for 1,300 miles north and south, 
and 900 miles east and west, and includes within 
this vast territory great variations of soil and climate, 
and supporting a vegetation characteristic of both 
temperate and torrid zones. 
The agricultural products of Queensland are 
wheat, maize, oats, barley, rye, rice, potatos, sugar, 
cotton, arrowroot, tobacco, coffee, &c. All tropical 
fruits can be grown in the colony as well as most 
European fruits. Grapes are extensively cultivated 
for wine-makiDg as well as for table use. The 
acreage under vines has increased slightly during the 
years from 1891 to 1895. The total weight of pro¬ 
duce fluctuates somewhat from year to year, and the 
largest acreage of vineyards does not always give the 
heaviest return. This would be determined by the 
character of the season, as in this country. Thus 
1,667 acres in 1894 gave 4.572,556 lbs. of grapes ; but 
in the following year 1,782 acres of bearing Vines 
only gave 4,254,795 lbs. of grapes. Bananas and 
Pineapples are also grown, the former being next in 
importance to the Grape. They are largely culti¬ 
vated in the Northern seaboard districts, from 
whence they are shipped to the southern colonies. 
These arrangements are the reverse of what would 
prevail in Europe. In Queensland the Bananas are 
grown in the tropical North and shipped to the 
relatively cooler South. 
» l- 
THE BEST TWELVE ORCHIDS FOR 
BEGINNERS. 
Oncidiums. —This is a numerous family, many of 
them of surpassing beauty and usefulness as cut 
flowers. I have a great partiality for O.macranthum 
and O. tigrinum and would much rather someone 
else decided which of the two are the best. There 
is one thing in favour of O. tigrinum that should not 
be lost sight of, and that is it comes into flower 
during the autumn months, when there are not too 
many flowers about; and for this reason I shall give 
it the preference over its great rival O. macran- 
thum. 
Being a cool house Orchid, it should be accommo¬ 
dated with a position at the warmest end and near 
the glass of the Odontoglossum house. The fact of 
its being a native of Mexico points to a course of 
rather warmer treatment as being the most correct; 
but we have been so successful in growing and flower¬ 
ing this species under cool treatment now for several 
years without their in the least losing vigour, that 
we can with confidence recommend its adoption. 
The variety O. t. UDguiculatum is not to -be com¬ 
pared to the true O. tigrinum as it is altogether an 
inferior variety. It is easily recognisable in an im¬ 
ported state by its tall, large, flat pseudobulbs, as 
compared with those of the best form, which are 
short and round in lorm and generally darker in 
colour. The treatment is very simple, so that 
amateurs may have no fear of doing it well if the 
following mode of procedure is adopted : 
The present time is the season to do the repotting— 
as a matter of fact ours will be potted next week. 
The compost best suited to their requirements con¬ 
sists of peat and moss in equal parts, added to which 
some finely powdered crocks are useful. Pot rather 
firmly, and avoid over-large pots, as ‘00 much com¬ 
post about the roots is a mistake, and for that reason, 
too, the drainage must be ample. 
Watering. —This m#st be done carefully until 
the growths are well up, and the spikes—which come 
up early—are in sight. Then they must have liberal 
treatment, as regards moisture, right up to the time 
that the flowers begin to expand, when the plants 
should be gradually allowed to become dry. This 
will enable the bulbs to ripen up well, and to pass 
through the winter months successfully. There is 
no Oncidium that takes such a long season of rest— 
from December to May ours get—with just enough 
water to keep them from shrivelling. We attribute 
our success more to this systematic resting than to 
any other cause. 
Insects. —Grown cool the plants are singularly 
free at all times from white scale which sometimes 
attacks this species when grown in a higher tempera¬ 
ture ; and the only trouble with us is to keep the 
slugs from eating the spikes, which to them no doubt 
is like Asparagus to us.— C. 
Phlox is taken direct from Greek phlox, a flame, 
many of the species of the genus having red, purple 
or crimson flowers, 
