August 11, 1900. 
791 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
dr deep cream, and the edge banded with distinct 
but soft pink. The Messrs. Laing were the first to 
introduce this decided break in Begonias. The 
variety under note has received an A. M , and a 
F.C.C. 
R. B. Parsons, a deep pink; and Princess of 
Wales, a pretty blush pink variety with large and 
lovely flowers, are charming Begonias. And last 
among the doubles we h ne the popular Rose Laing 
variety, which has splenduih built rose-red flowers. 
Single flowered tuberous Begonias have the advan¬ 
tage of being easier to manage, hence the fact of 
their being grown, as a rule, more liberally than the 
somewhat fickle double sorts. Admiral Lord 
Charles Beresford, a bright orange scarlet, with 
finely shaped flowers, is distinct; Earl Brownlee, 
which is very floriferous and has crimson-scarlet 
blooms, is another fine thing ; Dowager Duchess of 
Newcastle is superb. The flowers are as white as 
snow, large, and finely formed; Britannia, a deep 
golden-bronze ; and Lady Ampthill, a lovely salmon 
variety, are all the very choicest sorts. Further we 
have Lady Plowden and Lady Roberts, both of them 
whites, the latter being especially good. Lady Foley 
yields us a grand sa'lmon-scarlet; Marjorie Hoffmann 
is a splendid rose coloured single Begonia with 
beautifully rounded, large-sized flowers. Sunlight, 
white, edged with rose, and which was considered 
good enough to obtain an Award of Merit, may be 
taken as the concluding member of this section. 
The number of species of Begonias suitable for the 
stove and other houses, which the Messrs. LaiDg 
possess, embrace all that are at all of any value as 
ornamental plants. A description of them, however, 
may be given in a separate note. Mixed collections 
of the tuberous Begonias are most generally grown, 
though, of course, where good collections already 
exist only the finest of the new ones are wanted. 
JAPANESE DWARF TREES. 
The most interesting exhibit at the recent Acton 
Horticultural Society's show was that of Mr. S. 
Eida, importer of Japanese works of art, whose 
nursery for the resuscitation and culture of this 
particular phase of Japanese art is situated in the 
Newburgh Road, Acton, and bears the euphonious 
title of " Yamato.” It is, however, from Yokohama, 
in the far distant East, that these curious miniature 
trees and other plants were originally derived. At 
Yamato, when received, they have to undergo a 
special course of culture, and that that culture is of 
the right kind and character was well evidenced in 
the condition, the cleanliness, and [the vigour—con¬ 
sistent with dwarfness—of the specimens staged. 
The collection, which was unique and valuable, 
numbered about fifty plants in all, ranging from 
twenty-five years to 327 years of age. 
Moreover, the curious Japanese pots, vases, 
shallow dishes, &c., in which they were growing 
added still further to their quaintness and their 
charms. 
The smaller plants, such as the Maples (in 
variety), Bamboos, Tamarisks, Pines, Ferns, &c., 
occupied a table, while the larger specimens were 
grouped upon the ground. The Maples varied in 
size, age, and price, the ages ranging from twenty- 
five to sixty-five years, their value being, of course, 
proportionate to their years. A Tamarix chinensis, 
labelled " 125 years old,” called for some comment, 
as the trunk was certainly in a state of decay, and 
yet the foliage was fresh and feathery, and could not 
be mistaken for any other shrub. A Wistaria 
japonica, which had seen seventy-five years, was dis¬ 
tinct and graceful, and although without those pure 
white flowers, for which it is remarkable, the leaves 
and trunk were typical of the genus to which it 
belongs. Several specimens of Salisburia biloba, 
the Maidenhair tree, or Ginkgo, as the Japs call it, 
were well and neatly set up, and called forth many 
comments. Thirty years old it was said to be, and a 
perfect miniature in all its parts. The Adiantum- 
like or fan-shaped leaves were of the healthiest hue ; 
in fact it reflected the skill of the careful culturist. 
This dwarf tree was thirty years old, and stood 
about 12 in. high. Quite another class of plant was 
Lagerstroemia indica, with roundish-ovate leaves, 
numerous branchlets, and a trunk begotten of 180 
years. Nandina domestica, a member of the order 
Berberideae, took high place in point of age, for 
three dwarfs that were noted were labelled 160, 170, 
and 215 years respectively. A good deal of culture had 
presumably been expended on these trees, and yet 
their joint heights would not exceed 5 ft. 
The Junipers, Pines, Thuyas, and other coniferous 
trees are favourite subjects for the art of the 
oriental; but the art—to say nothing of the skill and 
and attention—which must have been lavished from 
generation to generation on one Thuya obtusa, 
which was stated to be “ 286 years old,” is almost, 
if not quite, beyond the comprehension of the occi¬ 
dental mind. At any rate, the tree in question was 
as perfect a specimen, as symmetrical in outline, and 
as proportionate in all respects as the occidental eye 
is ever likely to look upon. It occupied the premier 
position in the show,was the attraction of everybody, 
as, indeed, it well deserved to be; for even if one 
instinctively makes an allowance for discrepancies in 
dates, one must also feel assured that the tree in 
question—judging by its enormous trunk, enormous 
in proportion to its height, its weird and weather-worn 
appearance, and other characteristics of senility—is 
one of those remarkable examples of living heirlooms 
on which none but the skilled and devoted Japanese 
would care to bestow so much patience and labour. 
The dimensions of this Thuya were about 4 ft. high, 
and the same through. 
This really remarkable tree, however, is exceeded 
in the matter of age by a Cycas revoluta, which ran, 
according to the label, into three centuries and 
twenty-seven years—327 years ! 
Now Cycas revoluta is a well-known stove or 
greenhouse plant which produces a crown of dark 
green pinnate leaves, often from a trunk several feet 
high. It was introduced from China in 1737, so 
that it was long known to and cultivated by the 
Japanese before it reached our shores. 
If, then, the recorded age of the above plant be 
approximate only, what a long line of almond-eyed 
gardeners it must represent! That a plant should 
live so long implies a culture that we do not possess, 
but that it should be still in a flourishing condition 
is extraordinary. 
Many other trees and plants, quaint and curious, 
were exhibited by Mr. Eida. 
Some were trained to represent a tea-house, or a 
yacht or junk in full sail; while some Fern rhizomes 
were so manipulated that animals as well as plants 
were represented. 
Mr. W. Polley, the head gardener, has many times 
exhibited well-grown specimens at the Acton show, 
but never before has he been responsible for such a 
notable and unique collection.— C. B. G. 
TIE FLOWER BARREN. 
The Formal Flower Garden. —The beds are 
almost at their best now, and soon the knife will be 
busy making radical thinnings, not to improve the 
effect of the beds or plants, but out of necessity for 
the provision of a supply of cuttings. The beds 
where growth has been steady, are now nicely com¬ 
pact, and hoeing, which is so helpful, cannot now 
be continued. All flower gardens, and in fact all 
parts of any garden, unless those that are always 
certain of a supply of rain, should be furnished with 
water to within 30 ft. of any part. By having water 
taps at distances apart, one man with hose and 
piping can water half an acre of flower garden in a 
single summer's evening. And the results are 
worthy of the first expense. In some districts there 
would be no beautiful gardens at all were there no 
artificial supply, and that on a liberal scale. 
Pegging down should be attended to in the case of 
all such plants as Petunias, Phlox Drummondii, and 
plants of procumbent or straggling growth. Keep 
the edges neatly trimmed and the lawns moderately 
cropped. During the present dry spell it is much 
better to go over the lawns (except those that are 
regularly and thoroughly watered) with a scythe, 
removing the Daisy heads, Plantagos, Dandelions, 
&c., which show up prominently when the lawn 
grass is growing slowly. Lawns are suffering 
severely in some districts, and one should do all 
that possibly can be done to nourish the sward. So 
many dry summers, or dry spells, have visited us of 
recent years that it becomes a study worthy of one’s 
application, to learn from experiment and observa¬ 
tion what are the best, the deepest rooting, and 
most enduring species of lawn grasses to use 
Certainly no one who purposes to sow a lawn (and 
splendid lawns can be formed in one season from a 
sowing of the proper mixture), should go about the 
selection haphazard. 
Stocks. — The present is the best time to sow 
seeds of the various classes of Stocks. East Lothian, 
otherwise termed Intermediate Stocks, which are so 
useful for spring display out of doors, should now be 
got in. This type is most suitable for pot culture. 
Various '* strains " of this type receive distinctive 
names which need not destroy or effect the worth of 
the original title. Thus the Emperor and Pyramidal 
Stocks are simply strains of the East Lothian. 
Brompton or Biennial Stocks are of bushy form and 
sturdy habit, and should also be sown now for next 
year's flowering. A sowing made at once will 
supply flowering plants for June of next year. They 
may be lifted for potting up in February They are 
quite hardy, however, and in all but the most ex¬ 
posed spots they do well. Ten Week Stocks of 
course, are sown in April, or earlier. Further sow¬ 
ings of annuals, biennials, and perennial plants, 
should include Antirrhinums and tuberous-rooted 
Begonias, which should be sown' in pots, boxes, or 
pans, and germinated in a warm temperature (65°), 
to be pricked off and grown on. Tall perennial 
Lobelias may be raised from sowings in frames or in 
pans. It is too late now for an open air sowing. 
Mimulus or Monkey-flower soon germinates and 
makes nice little plants if sown on damp ground. 
Permanent beds in shady corners are generally 
choice features in all gardens that are fortunate to 
possess such. Sow perennial Campanulas on open 
sunny borders. A final sowing of Primroses and 
Polyanthus may be made on a shady, sheltered 
border. Much has been said in favour of this pretty 
spring flower, and collections ought to be more 
complete.— J.H.D. 
--- 
Tfie Qrcnifl Browers’ Calendar. 
Cool Houses. —When there is a lot of Odonto- 
glossums grown there are sure to be some that can 
be repotted much earlier than others, which is very 
advantageous; for with a limited amount of labour 
at hand one has to be up and doing if the collection 
is to be kept in good trim. 
We ourselves are making preparations for the 
autumn, repotting of our favourites, the varieties of 
Odontoglossum crispum, by having a good quantity 
of peat pulled ready for use, and the sphagnum moss 
picked clean of all the rubbish which is usually 
found with it. Pots, too, of various sizes are being 
washed and thoroughly dried in readiness, also 
crocks. Crocks, did I say ? Well, yes, we cannot find 
sufficient rhizomes from the peat to fill all the pots, 
so we have to partially fill them with clean crocks, 
and then put a layer of the rhizomes over them be¬ 
fore placing the plant thereon. We shall commence 
with plants that were imported last season, and have 
as yet not flowered in this country. 
The peat that they are in is not exhausted nor 
sour, and may be, with a slight addition, made to do 
duty again. Some may say : "Well, if such is the 
case why disturb them ? ’ The answer to this is that 
in the short space of a season woodlice will have 
taken possession of some of the pots, and must be 
got rid of. Another reason is the back bulbs may 
have rotted away so that a smaller pot becomes 
necessary. Again, it is really suprising what a little 
new stuff does for them ; plants that appear un¬ 
comfortable beforehand will plump up in no time, 
and say as plainly as possible, thank you. 
The weather, too, now is favourable to the re¬ 
potting of cool stuff, and those plants that are done 
early will have thoroughly established themselves 
again before the dark days of November are on us. 
Work in the Houses. —As pointed out, in¬ 
directly, perhaps, just now and onwards is a great 
time for Odontoglossums. They do more in the 
next two months than at any time. We must, there¬ 
fore, contrive to give them all they require. For the 
past two mouths we have given ours a good supply 
of fresh air day and night, and have not shut them 
up at any time. But now we commence to close the 
ventilators at three o'clock, and give a thorough 
good syringing overhead, so that when you enter the 
house an hour later the plants are all in a sweat. 
About six the bottom vents are opened again and 
left so all night. — S. C. 
-H«- 
President James McKenna has issued a cordial 
invitation to the florists of the United States. 
