THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February T6 y 1901. 
•394 
ally diminishing in size as they pass down into the 
throat or tube of the flower. The accompanying 
figure shows a bloom of handsome proportions, and 
made up of seven segments. This latter feature is, 
of course,'not new, as we frequently meet with such 
high development, and much imbricated segments 
in collections in this country. 
For summer and more particularly for winter 
flowering the Tydaeas are appreciated in many 
private establishments. The plants belong to the 
same family as the Gloxinias, and are similar in 
habit to some of the latter, but are'usually taller 
and more woolly or hairy than the ordinary garden 
race of Gloxinias. Many of the old types are 12 in. 
to 15 in. high and branched with nodding or droop¬ 
ing flowers. The strain known as Tydaea hybrida 
grandiflora or Heinemann's new large-flowered 
dwarf varieties is much dwarfer than the old types 
as may be seen by reference to the accompanying 
illustration. The lower flower shows the character¬ 
istic markings of these strange but beautiful flowers. 
The spots, lines and markings often, as in this case, 
cover the greater portion of the surface of the 
flower. For the above four illustrations we are in¬ 
debted to Mr. F. C. Heinemann, Erfurt, Germany, 
who includes the Pink Leoparded Gloxinia and the 
dwarf mixed strain of Tydaeas amongst his 
novelties. 
OMPHALODES. 
Omphalodes verna, when in bloom, displays that 
superb shade of blue which is not common in the 
flower garden at any time. It loves to be planted 
amongst stones in ordinary soil, and succeeds well in 
comparative shade or in an open situation. In fact 
it will do well anywhere except in wet soil. However, 
its qualities merit the choicest portion of the hardy 
rock garden. In sheltered positions it often shows 
its earliest spikes of brilliant blue Forget-me-Not- 
like flowers in January and February ; and during 
March and April it is a very carpet of beautiful blue, 
which when under-planted with white Fritillarias 
and the Meleagris type, and fringed with alternating 
masses of Winter Aconite (Eranthis hiemalis) and 
giant Snowdrops is beautiful in the extreme, yielding 
a variety of colours in different shades and a pleasant 
blending of foliage, which alone would be attractive. 
Omphalodes succeeds in the same soil for many 
years, and is easily propagated by division during 
September, at which period the best rooted plants 
can be employed for spring bedding, placing them 
10 in. apart And filling in the spaces in due course 
with white Hyacinths, having a 9 in. margin filled 
with single red Hepatica and golden Crocuses alter¬ 
nately. These produce an effect inspring by no means 
to be despised. Alba is a white variety of the abave. 
O. Luciliae has larger flowers but paler blue than 
verna, andis'the most improved and best suited to 
high culture.— H. H. Gibson, The Gardens, Glen cairn, 
Belfast. 
SPRING FLOWERING CROCUSES. 
Spring flowering Crocuses will always have a larger 
share of attention than their autumn relatives, 
simply because they stand so much mojre isolated by 
their season of flowering. The autumn has many 
charms in flower and leaf; the spring has not. Of 
the twenty-four autumn species of Crocus twenty-two 
are in cultivation. 
They are seen to greatest advantage when planted 
in clumps amongst the grass. Mr. George Maw 
enumerates forty-three species of the spring flower¬ 
ing Crocuses, though additions have been made to 
the lists in recent years. Nigh twenty years ago, 
there were quite forty species in cultivation. Among 
yellow flowering species we have C. chrysanthus, C. 
Olivieri,C.aureus with its numerous varieties, and C. 
garganicus of an orange shade and having brown 
stripes on the outer segments. Another striking and 
pretty species of this group is C. Balansae, whose 
outer segments are often suffused with bright 
chestnut. 
Those with purple feathered markings on a light 
ground, are represented by C. Imperati, and C. 
biflorus and the very handsome C. versicolor with 
"itsprimrose scented flowers. It is heavily feathered 
with rich purple, some of the forms being almost 
suffused with this colour. C. nevadensis, and C. 
etruscus are other members of the group. C. aerius 
is a charming plant with lavender-purple flowers. 
C, tommasinianus is also very like the latter. . One 
of the deepest purple members is C. bannaticus, 
exceedingly rich coloured. 
These few notes describe some of the species now 
in flower, though the list by no means includes all 
that we have. Crocuses gro* well and show up to 
the best advantage when planted around the margins 
of shrubs such as Mahonias, where the grass is very 
short.— V.M. 
THE APIARY. 
Now that we are fairly into spring, bee-keepers, like 
gardeners, are beginning to awake to the various 
responsibilities of the coming season. 11 Hope 
springs eternal in tbe human breast ”—and I think 
that the bee-keeper has an extra supply, so that, 
despite the bad season of 1900, we are looking 
forward to better times in 190c. Stocks that were 
strong in bees in the autumn, headed by a young 
queen with plenty of food, should give a good 
account of themselves once the season is on. In the 
meantime, they should be left alone. Where the 
least doubt exists in regard to amount of food in 
hive, a cake of candy should be given—for which I 
give our own recipe—the first warm day. In a few 
strong stocks the open weather will have started the 
queens to lay, and an addition of nice dry quilts on 
top will help to prevent chilled brood when a cold 
spell comes. When snow is on the ground, shade 
all entrances with boards or slates to prevent the 
sun from bringing the bees out to certain death. 
Where stocks have to be removed two or three 
hundred yards, it is best to wait until the bees have 
been confined by the weather for two or three weeks 
before they are shifted. When in their new position, 
place a board or a few branches against the entrance 
—anything that will prevent a free flight. The bees 
will then mark the new position and come back to 
it. The obstacles may be removed after two or 
three (flying) days. Now is the time for bee-keepers 
to map out what stocks are to be kept for extracted 
honey—how many for sections and how many for 
queen rearing. This all depends on whatever there 
is the greatest demand for in the neighbourhood. 
In some districts it is extracted or run honey, 
others, sections ; others, again, a little of both, and 
the bee-keeper will have to work accordingly. Every -' 
one, if he has not stocks to spare for rearing queens, 
should purchase from a reliable dealer a queen now 
and again, and he will be surprised to see the 
improvement in the strain of his bees. Dealers’ 
catalogues should be produced and lists examined, 
and the various goods that may be required jotted 
down ready to send off, as there is nothing like 
being in time. Always see that the bees have never 
to wait for more room, as a day or two lost when 
honey is coming in is sometimes a season and shows 
very bad management indeed. 
Recipe for Soft Candy. 
To ro lb. of sugar add one teaspoonful of cream of 
tartar and two pints of water; put in jelly pan and 
place on brisk fire. Stir until melted, and boil for 
ten minutes; remove and place in a tub of cold 
water. For medicated, pour in one tablespoonful 
of naphthol beta when removed from the fire 
Moulds can be prepared by placing sheets of paper 
over soup p’ates. When the moulds are ready, go 
to the candy and stir until it begins to turn white, 
and before it has quite set, pour into the mould. Ydu 
perhaps will not make it quite the thing right away, 
but with a little perseverance all difficulties can 
easily be overcome.— Doonfoot. 
---f- 
CALANTHES- 
That very popular section of Calanthes, which in¬ 
cludes C. Veitchii and C. vestita, are now showing 
their young growths, and should be at once polted" 
up in a compost of equal parts good fibrous loam 
and peat, some well decayed cow manure, and suffi¬ 
cient charcoal and silver sand being added to make 
the soil porous. Provide good drainage, and pot so 
that the base of the new growth is on a level with 
the surface of the soil. Place in a temperature of 
65° to 70°; a shelf in a Cucumber house will do 
admirably. Withhold water until new roots are pro¬ 
duced, but as growth advances copious supplies will 
be needed, and when the pots become filled with 
roots a weekly application of liquid cow manure will 
be found very beneficial. By September the pseudo¬ 
bulbs will have completed their growth, and flower 
spikes will be showing at their base. The water 
supply should be gradually diminished until the 
foliage dies off, when it may be withheld altogether, 
the store of nourishment in the pseudo-bulbs being 
sufficient for the development of the flower spikes. 
Flowering as they do at a dull period of the year it 
is not surprising that these plants should be 
generally grown, especially as their light and grace¬ 
ful sprays of flowers are invaluable for all kinds of 
floral decoration.— E. C. 
WARMING POTTING COMPOSTS. 
The potting season is now on. Where a number of 
plants in one house require to be potted, the best 
plan is to erect a temporary bench within the house. 
This saves a great deal of shifting and prevents the 
harm that might result from the cold checks to 
which warm house plants would be subjected. 
Then, again, the pottiog soil requires to be warmed. 
To place tropical plants into cold soil, invites 
failure. The shifting into a cold shed would not do 
much harm to warm-house plants, if the soil for 
potting was warmed, especially as they would be 
replaced in the warm house immediately. But the 
use of cold soil under any conditions ought not to be 
thought of. If compost is prepared and placed in a 
warm house for one night it will be in nice condition 
by next day. Otherwise scil can be heated or 
warmed rather by being placed in baskets over hot 
water pipes or upon the top of boilers. Again, 
bricks made red hot in a furnace can ba taken out 
and buried in the compost. This is probably the 
quickest method of any for heating the soil. The 
bricks are of immense service when the soil 
happens to be damp through having been exposed in 
bad accommodation. Three or four red hot bricks 
buried in a barrow load of damp leaf mould will be 
found to have brought it into a workable condition. 
Any charring that occurs will be gcod rather than 
otherwise. Success in a great measure depends cn 
the proper condition of the soil at pottiDg time.— 
L. T. 
MIGNONETTE POT CULTURE. 
Two sowings of seed should be made, the first 
about the m'ddle of June and the second about the 
middle of July. Take as many 6-in. pots as there 
are specimens required, and after draining them 
well fill to v. ithin an inch of the top with a mixture 
of loam and well decayed manure well broken up. 
Press it down rather firmly, sow the seed thinly, and 
cover with finely sifted sail. Place them in a frame 
or under hand-lights. After the seedlings are up 
give more air night and day. The plants will soon 
become strong enough for the first thinning to take 
place, which should consist of the weakest plants. 
In a short time a second thinning will be required, 
leaving irom five to seven of the strongest plants at 
regular distances over the surface of the pot. 
They may be allowed to grow until they have 
rooted well, but at tbe same time must not be 
allowed to get pot-bound, as if so the stems become 
hard, and they will attempt to bloom, and their 
future growth will be checked in consequence. At 
this stage they will be fit to put into the pots in 
which they are intended to flower- This large shift 
is necessary, because Mignonette does not thrive 
well whenJrequently shifted ; 8£-in or 10-in. pots 
will~be found a good size for specimen plants. The 
pots should be perfectly drained and quite clean. 
As to soil, nothing is better than turfy loam, well 
decayed ; this will without any addition, grow the 
plants well. Pot them firmly, and water at once. 
Keep the sun from them, and stand the plants out of 
doors, or in a cold frame on a cool bottom of asbes, 
and protect from strong winds. Stake each plant 
firmly, and when they have grown an inch or two 
pinch out the top of every shoot; this will cause 
them to break 2 in. or 3 in. down the stem. These 
shoots in due time will need stopping and tyiDg as 
the plants advance, until they have formed the out¬ 
line of good specimens, when they may be allowed to 
flower. At the latter part of the summer, when the 
plants are taken under cover, they should have a 
light, airy place, in greenhouse temperature. When 
the plants are well set with bloom give occasional 
waterings of weak liquid manure.— Walter Hogarth, 
The Gardens, Norton House, Ratho, Midlothian... 
-- 
Oranges will be imported in greater quantities 
than ever during the forthcoming season. Incieased 
shipments will come from California; Florida, the 
Spanish possessions, and Australia. 
