36 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 15, 1900. 
age as the Nancieanus strain. G. Childsii 
Columbia is a grand orange-salmon bloom 
with violet stripes. G. Atlas holds its 
flowers well, the colour being soft pink, 
striped and splashed with purple. Other 
grand Gladioli include Emperor Nicholas, 
James H. Veitch, President Faure, Nuage 
(blue, with crimson blotch at the base), and 
Le Chat Noir (the black cat), with violet- 
purple flowers, almost black in bud, are the 
cream of a very fine collection, as far as 
they are at present in bloom. Romneya 
Coulteri, cut to the ground and covered up 
in winter, makes huge bushes, 6 ft. high, 
and blooms well, but the fighting of the 
caterpillars which attack, it is a very trying 
task. Another lovely Poppywort from the 
opposite side of the globe (China) strongly 
recalls Sanguinaria canadensis, but it has 
only four white petals and blooms in August 
instead of April. This is the rare Eomecon 
chionantha. The New Zealand Glory Pea 
(Clianthus Dampieri) is flowering magnifi¬ 
cently in a handlight without the top. 
There are two plants about 2J ft. high, but 
the larger one nearly fills the handlight. 
We have never seen it finer. 
Pelargonium endlicherianum is said to 
be the only hardy species, but it does not 
look particularly happy. Montbretias 
flower well, and include the large-flowered 
Imperialis and M. crocosmiaeflora flore 
pleno, with orange and double yellow 
flowers respectively. Pentstemons are great 
favourites in this Surrey garden, and, it 
must be said, they have been brought to 
great perfection here by Mr. W. Bain, the 
gardener, who is as enthusiastic amongst 
the hardy plants as his employer. Mr. 
Bain raises a fresh lot annually from seeds 
of the best varieties, and these come into 
bloom about the end of August. Cuttings 
are taken from the best, and these, flowering - 
earlier the following summer, supply seeds. 
The flowers are of enormous size and beau¬ 
tiful colours, the late blooming seedlings 
giving the finest spikes. The Mexican 
Lobelias and their hybrids receive marked 
attention here. The best of the lighter 
colours is L, Rivoirei, soft salmon-pink. 
L. atrosanguinea has nearly black foliage, 
but it greatly neutralises the glowing crim¬ 
son flowers. L. Queen Victoriae and L. 
Firefly are fiery scarlet forms of first-class 
merit, the latter differing from the former 
by its slightly narrower leaves. Lilium 
auratum rubro-vittatum, with its central 
red rays, is a grand Lily. Handsome also 
in its way is Lilium thunbergianum wil- 
sonianum, with its huge orange and richly 
spotted flowers. Platycodon grandiflorum 
semiduplex, recently honoured with a First- 
class Certificate from the R.H.S., is a grand 
subject. A batch of seedlings was raised 
and gave rise to several very distinct things, 
including the semi-double blue and a semi¬ 
double white, the two best in the batch. 
The new hybrid Clematis Countess of 
Onslow, with cup shaped, purple flowers and 
scarlet centres to the sepals, is really a 
grand thing and flowers profusely in the 
open air upon an iron arch, the other leg of 
which is occupied by C. Duchess of Albany, 
having blush pink flowers. 
A short walk to the lawn in front of the 
house brings the visitor face to face with 
the precipitous slopes or escarpment of Box 
Hill, clothed to the summit with Beech, 
Yew, and other trees, and presenting a 
feature or picture of the Surrey downs not 
soon to be forgotten. One may go far 
before matching it. Soft and yielding as 
the lawns at Burford have always been they 
are now greatly improved, the grass and 
clover having made excellent growth and a 
delightfully green sward. That rare Cy¬ 
press, Cupressus Arizonica is now forming 
beautifully pyramidal trees of a rich glaucous 
hue. Nymphaea ellisiana, in a tub, has 
dark crimson-red flowers, but in the tank 
on the grass the blooms are of a very pale 
pink, as if the variety were given to sport¬ 
ing. The darkest here is N. Leydekeri pur- 
purata, having dark carmine flowers, those 
of N. L. fulgens being much paler, though 
still dark as is N. robinsoniana. A very 
distinct looking tuberous Begonia is that 
named Fleur de Chrysantbeme, having long, 
narrow, salmon-pink petals, and evidently a 
descendant of B. boliviensis. A large bed 
in front of the mansion contains a glorious 
mass of the new Nicotiana sylvestris, 7 ft. 
to 8 ft. high, the large light green leaves of 
^vhich show off the pendent, tubular, pure 
white flowers to advantage. Cannas are 
freely used here, but this leading favourite 
is Martin Cahuzac, having glowing crimson 
flowers. 
There are some very neat flower beds in 
places upon the grass, including a bed of 
seedling Heliotropes upon a groundwork of 
Verbena Miss Wilmott, having large pink 
flowers. The intense glossy green leaves, 
with silvery-white margins of Coprosma 
baueriana variegata, seem to revel in the 
open air, for they are clean, healthy, and 
evidently happy. Mr. Bain has picked up 
and rooted a sport in which the variegation 
is confined to the centre of the leaf like the 
Holly Milkmaid. Crimson-flowered, fibrous- 
rooted Begonias form the groundwork of 
this bed. Abutilon Darwinii, in the form 
of standards, has a groundwork of Begonia 
Ingrami in another bed. The finely varie¬ 
gated Abutilon Swaitzii furnish the tall 
plants in another bed, the groundwork of 
which is Begonia martiana grandiflora, a 
lovely rose-pink flowered, erect-growing 
variety. The bed is edged with the lovely 
tuberous-rooted Begonia Bavaria, 4 in. to 
6 in. high, and covered with large, rich 
rosy-carmine flowers. Abutilon Swaitzii, 
forming the groundwork of another bed, is 
very fine ; but the standards of Strepto- 
solen have not flowered well this year. 
Charming, however, is Coprosma baueriana 
variegata, over Coleus Verschaffeltii, edged 
with Masterpiece tricolor Pelargonium. 
-- 
Plumbago capensis, as a small pot plant, 
pinched when about 18 iD. high, makes a fine dwarf 
spreading plant. 
Erratum.—In his article last week on "The 
Fruit Garden," it should have read, stone and 
other fruit, not stove and other fruit. 
Weather in London.—Thursday of last week was 
bright and warm, and each day since has been 
equally fine. The mornings have been sharp, frost 
having been registered, and the days are very agree¬ 
able. The eveniDgs are sometimes hazy, a forecast 
of the autumn and winter fogs. 
* 
The Edinburgh Flower Show is being held as we 
go to press, extending over to-morrow (Thursday, 
September 13th). Yet copies of The Gardening 
World will be in the Waverley Market, Edinburgh, 
at 10 o’clock on Thursday morning. Our telegraphic 
report enables us to dispatch some hundreds of copies 
by the night mail. 
Sugar Beet in Warwickshire.—In response to the 
invitation of the Earl of Denbigh a number of local 
agriculturists assembled at the Home Farm, Newn- 
ham Paddox, on Saturday last to inspect the ex¬ 
perimental crops of sugar beet and of Garton’s new 
Monarch white wheat, which his lordship has there 
been growing. Lord Denbigh’s aim is to show that 
it is possible for farmers to grow sugar beet at a 
profit without extra cultivation, and it was stated 
that one of the tenants had arranged to try the effect 
of the root upon his cattle during the coming winter. 
It was intimated that next year his lordship is going 
to experiment with oats, and he offered to supply 
any of his tenants with a quantity of seed under 
certain conditions .—Midland Counties Herald. 
Chinese Gardens.—The Chinese trace back their 
gardens to the remotest antiquity (2,600 B.C.) 
Weeds on Walks may be effectively disposed of 
by employing crude carbolic acid at the rate of one 
ounce to the gallon of water, and liberally applying 
it through a rosed watering-can. 
The Florist’s Exchange, a well known American 
trade paper, published a daily issue during four days 
of the Convention of American Florists held in the 
Grand Central Palace. New York, August 21st to 
24th. The feat is worthy of American enterprise, and 
certifies to the energy and ability of those who con¬ 
duct this florist’s trade paper. 
Cure for Dysentery.—The Kaffirs chew the roots 
of certain species of Pelargoniums as an antistatis to 
dysentery. Some of our British army surgeons and 
medical gentlemen have prepared a decoction by 
b oiling tbe roots in milk. The resulting liquid is 
given to patients at the rate of one to two table- 
spoonluls every two hours, and no failures are on 
record. 
Greek “Currant” crop ruined. — The poor 
Grecians are an unfortunate people. The culturp 
of Currant Vines engages a large portion of the 
nation, and from reports we hear that the dreaded 
Mildew or Blight (Peronospora viticola) has attacked 
and rendered tbe young Grapes useless. Many 
thousands of tons of "Currants ’’ are ruined, and prices 
are expected to rise as high as they did in 1853, 
when the retail price was is. 61 . per pound. 
The Pomegranate in flower. — A specimen of the 
Pomegranate on a south wall in the Royal Gardens, 
Kew, has flowered with moderate success this 
summer. In dry, warm seasons this semi-tropical 
fruiting shrub or tree, flowers wonderfully in the 
warmer parts of England. As a fruiting tree it is 
largely cultivated in the tropics. The doubled 
flowered variety—Punica Granatum fl. pi. has rich 
orange-red blooms, somewhat of a rosette form. 
A Florist’s Awards.—We learn from The Buteman 
newspaper that besides successes obtained at Ayr 
Show, Mr. Michael Cuthbertson, of Rothesay, 
succeeded in winning first prize (a handsome Gold 
Medal) at Crieff Show on Saturday, August 24th, 
for a table of cut flowers. Again at Motherwell 
Show, on Friday, August 31st, he won the first prize 
(the society’s Silver Medal and 30s.) for a table of 
hardy flowers, 10 ft. long, the competition for which 
was very keen. 
Spraying of Cherry Trees. — In Massachusett, 
we learn that fruits of poor quality and appearance 
have grown less and less each year, according as 
spraying has become more universal. “ Monilia," 
which causes the fruits to rot on the trees, or very 
soon after picking, can be largely prevented, says 
Mr. D. W. Beadle in The Canadian Horticulturist for 
June, by spraying after every rain with the copper 
sulphate solution, three ounces to fifty gallons of 
water. 
Damsons Wanted ; not Bullaces.—According to 
a special correspondent to The Chester Courant, 
when in London, if one order Damson pie or pudding 
at dinner, he gets a pie with acrid roundish fruits— 
the fruits of the Bullace (Prunus insititia), which 
grows wild in parts of the country. The Damson 
fruits are recognised by the oval form and their 
palatable lusciousness. The Damson, by the way 
is just a small fruited species of Plum,and has a num¬ 
ber of varieties. The Chester correspondent, true 
to his country, recommends the Cheshire Damson to 
the London marketmen, and thinks there is a fine 
opening for it. 
West Mainland (Orkney) Flower Show.- At a 
meeting of the West Mainland (Orkney) flower show 
committee, held at Dounby on Saturday, August 
26th, Mr. Davidson, the secretary, reported that 
the drawiogs were £6 less than last year. The show 
lasted two days, which innovation the committee 
now decide does not pay. The presence of a phono¬ 
graph amused the visitors. We advise the flower 
show committee next year to get as many phono¬ 
graphs and other attractions as possible, and, of 
course, secure the best horticultural display they 
can. Even country men and women enjoy more 
than what a small vegetable and flower show pro¬ 
vides. 
