October 7, lb99. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
89 
is not specially needful, but they think it best to 
make ‘‘safety doubly sure.” Plant now, adding 
some light rich soil. 
Statice latifolia. — J. Samuels, Thirsh : Statice 
latifolia is broad-leaved. The flower heads or 
panicles are more or less of an everlasting nature. 
It flowers at various times from June cnwards, and 
is largely sold in bunches at 6d. apiece for room de¬ 
coration. It can be propagated by seeds in spring¬ 
time. Messrs. Barr & Sons cr any other seedsmen 
will supply you. 
Grubs in Soil. —S. Harding, D. : When the land is 
rich and not well worked these will always be 
found. Decaying vegetables, weeds, and foul 
material generally greatly tend to produce an infest¬ 
ation. We would advise you to clear the ground, 
draw up all the old vegetable roots, and if you care 
to scrape the surface do so. Gas-lime, however, may 
be spread on the land right away, at the rate of 
J cwt. per rod (30J sq. yds.), where it should remain 
for six weeks or two months. It will then have lost 
much of the hurtful properties, and can be pointed 
into the land. If you cannot apply it until the spring 
then only use half the quantity, and let it lie not 
less than three weeks exposed. Salt, at the rate of 
7 lbs. per rod is also a good ingredient for use against 
grubs, wireworms included. 
Ivies. — R. S.: Ask any trader in these plants to 
supply you with what you want. There are plenty 
of different varieties (from 40 to 50) suitable for all 
kinds of purposes. They can be planted any time 
during the year if due precautions are taken, but 
you will find the present a very good time to plant. 
You will find a Dumber of varieties mentioned in this 
week’s report of Messrs. John Russell's and Cut- 
bush’s groups of Ivies put up at the fruit show, 
Crystal Palace, last week. 
RED CURRANT THE COMET. 
On July 28, 1896, an exhibit of this variety was 
brought before the Royal Horticultural Society by 
Mr. H. Becker, F.R.H.S., the well-known nursery¬ 
man, of Jersey, and received an Award of Merit. It 
gets the credit of being the largest Red Currant in 
cultivation, and when first placed before the public, 
on the above mentioned occasion, it certainly pre¬ 
sented a handsome appearance. The variety would 
appear to have originated in Jersey, where it was 
grown without any special attention being given it, 
till Mr. Becker recognised its merits, took it in 
hanj, and put it into commerce with the above 
commendation of the Royal Horticultural Society in 
addition to its own intrinsic merits. The accom¬ 
panying illustration, lent us by Mr. Becker, shows a 
young bush carrying a heavy load of fruit, both the 
berries and racemes giving some idea of the size 
which characterises them. The berries are of a 
rich red, with a glossy, sub-transparent skiD, 
that heightens the effect considerably. The 
juice is almost without acidity, soft to the palate 
and likely to be highly acceptable to the palate 
of those who object to the tartness of other varie¬ 
ties in cultivation. The racemes or strings are 6 in. 
to 8 in. long, and carry from twelve to twenty-six 
berries each. The large size of the racemes and 
berries, together with the bright colour of the latter, 
makes the variety highly suitable for exhibition pur¬ 
poses. All these recommendations should certainly 
pave the way for the addition of this handsome 
variety to the collections in private gardens. Many 
people are fond of Red and White Currants for 
dessert purposes, and the latler being the less acid 
is often given the preference. The new variety 
should fulfil such a requirement admirably. 
The total acreage of Orchards in England in 1898 
was 220,220 acres. 
MILLBANK HOUSE, EDINBURGH. 
Few indeed amongst horticulturists have not heard 
of Millbank in its palmy days when specimen 
Heaths, Azaleas and other plants were grown to 
perfection. Time makes many changes, and Mill- 
bank has changed hands some years ago, likewise 
the veteran grower has departed to new scenes of 
labour, and the plants have found new homes in 
different parts of the country. The present pro¬ 
prietor is William Currie, Esq., who has already 
gotall the glass departments well stocked. 
The first house we entered was filled with some 
well-grown Pelargoniums, Fuchsias and Begonias, 
the roof being beautifully draped with Cobaea 
scandens variegata. Swainsonia galegifolia alba had 
been a mass of bloom. Lapageria alba with its 
pendulous blooms of pearly-white looked happy. A 
nice span-house contained a splendid example of 
Wistaria, planted out in one end of the house, and 
must have been very fine when in flower. Many 
more greenhouse plants found a home here. 
We next entered a vinery, in two divisions. No. 1 
contained some good young Vines, which promised 
well for another year, the wood being finely 
ripened and the buds nice and plump. In No. 2 
vinery the crop had been cut, but the Vines were 
all free from insects, considering the tropical summer 
gone past. Double Pelargoniums covered the back 
walls of both vineries, and are of considerable value 
when in bloom for cutting. Another house contained 
Palms and Ferns. Another close at hand is a span- 
house in two divisions, one for Melons and the other 
for Tomatos. The crop of Melons had just been 
cleared and the house filled with useful varieties of 
Ferns. 
The Tomato crop in the next division had been 
very fine and what was left bore convincing evidence 
of that by the fine fruits of Laird's Supreme, and 
Stirling Castle, a model fruit. Monarch and Golden 
Eagle are highly spoken of here. 
Red Currant The Comet. 
