830 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 24, 1901. 
health and full of flower, planted four years ago and 
covering a space 6 ft. by 15 ft.—the only Roses I 
saw except Gloire de Dijon, but Tropaeolum 
speciosum was frequently noticed in front gardens. 
The owner of those Rose trees perhaps almost 
wished he had not planted them, for since then (a 
year or so ago) he has been defendant in a breach of 
promise case, which created much amusement at the 
time, for he and the lady had kept company over 
thirty years, and which cost him alarge fee in damages, 
and now visitors to Bettws are told that the breach 
of promise gentleman lives in the house covered 
with beautiful Roses, and if you wish to see the lady 
you must go to a certain other place. Curiosity led 
the writer, like a good many more, to follow up the 
trail and see the lady.— W. P. R., Preston. 
FRUIT AND FLOWERS IN QUEENS¬ 
LAND. 
Half an hour's stroll in the grounds of the Acclima¬ 
tisation Society at Brisbane will secure an in¬ 
spection, amongst others, of the following :— 
Strawberries, imported from England, France, the 
United States, and New Zealand, grow alongside 
Pineapples which have come from Florida, the West 
Indies, and Singapore; also Bowen Park seedling 
plants of both Pines and Strawberries, the whole in 
full fruit. 
English and Himalayan Blackberries, just through 
with their spring and early summer crop, stand 
within a stone cast of Mangoes from Bombay and 
the Mauritius, and a Custard Apple from Brazil, all 
promising a satisfactory harvest for the coming mid 
and late summer. 
Just on the margin of a large patch of tall sugar- 
canes, consisting mostly of Bowen Park, West 
Indian, and Demeraran selected seedlings, can be 
seen Rock and Musk Melons, maturing on the same 
strip of land that ripened Tomatos during the recent 
mild winter, and which will probably be called upon 
again directly to carry an early winter crop of 
Cauliflowers. 
The filling of one section of the grounds is sug¬ 
gestive of an extensive itinerary owing to flourishing 
examples of the following coming under review:— 
Side by side are Rhubarb from Siberia, English 
Apples and French Lavender, Spanish Chestnuts 
and Italian Olives, a Mulberry from Constantinople, 
Smyrna Figs, Persian and Soudanese Date Palms, 
Henna from Egypt, Coflee and Castor Oil from 
Arabia, a hedge of Kai Apples from Cape Colony, 
Jackfruit and Tamarinds, Teak and the Toddy Palm 
from India, Cinnamon from Ceylon; and many 
East Indian representatives, such as Ginger, Croton 
Oil, Pachouli, Nux vomica, and Rice; Arenga 
saccharifera from the Philippines, Litchi-Litchi and 
Tea from China. Central Asian Buckwheat and 
Japanese Cumquats and Persimmons, California 
Redwood, Rondoletia and Monstera from Mexico, 
Limes from Tahiti, Taro from the South Seas, 
Central Australian Saltbush, Flax from New Zea¬ 
land, Mate from Paraguay, and Green-heart from 
British Guiana, with many plants from intervening 
portions of South America, including Cocaine, 
Tobacco, Guavas, and Tapioca; Granadillas, Log¬ 
wood, Guttapercha, and Mahogany from quite 
tropical and Central America, Allspice and Alligator 
Pears from the West Indies, and Pecan Nuts from 
Texas. 
A flower border in the same grounds further 
emphasises the lesson, for in it in their season can 
be seen, in sp'endid flower, Daisies and Hibiscus, 
Ranunculus and Frangipani, Snowflakes and 
Ipomoea Horsfalliae, Jonquils and Gardenias, Lark¬ 
spur aad Poinsettias, Geraniums, Fuschias, Hydran¬ 
geas, Wallflower, Sweet Peas, Dahlias, Freesias, 
Chrysanthemums, Hollyhocks and English Ivy, 
along with Azaleas, various Orchids, Allamanda, 
Gelsemium, and the Rangoon creeper. 
Without entering the shelter and glass houses, 
wherein it is usual to protect plants designed for the 
tropical north, such as Cocoa and Vanilla—and 
passing the packing shed, through which may be 
seen in the winter time such plants as Cherries and 
other stone fruits destined for the elevated inland 
portions of Southern Queensland—should further 
evidence be required to carry conviction, one 
minute’s longer stroll over a sward composed mainly 
of tropical Buffalo Grass and English Clover will 
take the visitor to a pond, within which, flanked on 
one side by Burmese Bamboos, and on the other 
by a weeping Willow, can be seen growing from 
seeds ripened in the open air, and soon now to be in 
full bloom together, the British white Water Lily, 
culled originally in a tiny Welsh streamlet, and the 
giant Brazilian " Victoria Regia " from the mighty 
Amazon. 
- 
THE MARKINGS ON FLOWERS. 
Many flowers have a , characteristic darkening 
the lower petals, especially the tubular flowers. 
Take the Gladioli for an example. Why should the 
marks be there ? is the question asked by the more 
inquiring and more observant section of flower 
lovers of to-day. Have they always been there or 
have they been caused by some outside agency ? It 
is a generally accepted theory that insects have been 
the primary cause of the marking by irritating the 
part of the flower on which they alight, and that in 
the course of ages the marking has become heredi¬ 
tary. 
What grounds are there for this strange theory ? 
will be naturally asked by the sceptics. There are 
many. Carefully examine any flower with this class 
of irregular marking and it will be found that the 
nectaries, the object of the insects’ visits, are always 
closely associated with the marks, and are just 
where the working of the insect would, in its 
endeavours to obtain the nectar, most irritate the 
petals. The case of Orchids will help to clench 
this theory. It is not the lower segments which are 
marked in this case, although they hold the lower 
position, but the top ones, as the flower is produced 
up-side down. This shows that it is the alighting 
platform of the insect visitors which is most gener¬ 
ally darkened and not necessarily the lower petal of 
a flower. 
Look again at the Gesneraceae order. It will be 
found that the marking is on the place where the 
flower would te most irritated by insects. As a 
proof again take the wild, original Gloxinia; it is 
marked on the lower portion of the interior of the 
tube, but under cultivation when the plant was in¬ 
duced to produce erect instead of drooping flowers 
this characteristic disappeared and the marking took 
no definite position, but was either scattered all over 
the flower or was entirely wanting. Instances 
might be multiplied by observing other plants ; 
look, for instance, at the Antirrhinum and Digitalis. 
The sceptic might point out the marking on the 
Pelargonium as an exception, but let him examine 
the peculiar position of the nectary and he will see 
that it is the upper petals which will be irritated 
the most. In conclusion we will point out the great 
genus Rhododendron as a final example of ground 
for the theory of the markings having been evolved 
by visits of nectar seekers. 
HINTS ON DAHLIA CULTURE. 
The Dahlia season is now coming on us. Those 
who require th:m for exhibition should lose no time 
this dry and hot weather before they mulch them 
with old stable manure round the roots. Liberal 
watering should then be given if the weather be 
very dry. A little lime or soot should be put round 
the plants to prevent the slugs from eating them off. 
Also pots with a little hay in should be put on the 
stakes to catch the earwigs, and after a dull day the 
pots should be looked over and the earwigs emptied 
out into a pail of paraffin oil and water to kill them. 
Most of the Cactus and double varieties require 
thinning and disbudding to produce fine blooms. 
In disbudding them care should be taken to leave 
only the best buds; the side laterals and buds 
should be taken off. Singles and pompons do 
not require thinning out. — T. Prior, Burnt Heath, 
Ardleigh, Essex. 
BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN TINTS. 
The beautiful tints of autumn are beginning to 
show on many of the trees and shrubs already. 
Some people wonder how those tints are produced. 
The answer may be given in a general way that the 
leaves are ripening off, or, for lack of sap in the 
leaf the rays of the sun have a stronger influence in 
changing the colour. In proof of this anyone having 
an observant eye, taking particular notice of the 
trees in autumn, must have seen that in a wet year 
the leaves never assume so high a colour, and are 
often frosted down before they get bronzed at all; 
but in a dry summer the reverse happens. In some 
dry seasons I have seen the Rowan and Beech tree 
leaves as bright as scarlet Geraniums, especially 
where the soil was thin, and near the rock. Wild 
shrubs and also many weeds display gorgeous hues 
in a dry season such as this, although soil, too, has a 
great deal to do with it. I have noticed that certain 
varieties of Pears colour extremely pretty in some 
gardens, some bright yellow, others purplish 
crimson ; and the same sorts in other gardens where 
the soil was clayey, did not take on the rich hues at 
all. The most lustrous autumn foliage is to be seen 
where the air is very dry ; and it is said that in 
America the forests display indescribable magnifi¬ 
cence in the fall of the year.— J. C. Dick, The 
Gardens, Champfleurie, Linlithgow. 
FREESIAS. 
There are few things more fragrant than Freesias, 
but they are not always grown satisfactorily, and 
failures in most cases may be traced to late planting. 
The best bulbs come from the Channel Islands. 
They arrive here in a dormant state early in August. 
They should be potted at once, not late in autumn, 
as is often done. Their roots are very brittle, so it 
is best to put them into the pots in which they are to 
flower. I put eight bulbs in a 5-in. pot, but they 
are seen to the best advantage when grouped 
together in batches of eighteen to twenty. 
Pans answer for this purpose best ; good turfy 
loam with three parts leaf mould and sand suits 
them well. In potting put $ in. of soil over the 
bulbs; use clean pots carefully crocked, as one of 
the secrets of success is that the water will pass 
through freely. Place them in a cold frame or under 
a south wall ; cover with ashes until growth com¬ 
mences. About the end of September they must be 
taken into the greenhouse, which must be light and 
airy (not draughty), and placed close to the glass. 
Temporary shelves that can be lowered as the plants 
grow are much the best. After flowering they must be 
supplied with water until the leaves turn yellow; and 
when dormant shake the soil away from them, 
pick out the largest bulbs and pot them again.— F 
Ross, Strathtyrum Gardens, St. Andrew's, N B. 
PROPAGATION OF ERICAS. 
Ericas, more familiarly known as Heaths, are great 
favourites with every lover of flowers. Autumn is the 
best time for putting cuttiDgs in, as they get rooted 
before the damp weather sets in. Those little wiry 
shootlets which are formed at the base of the plant 
should be selected as cuttings. These are about 
i£ in. or so long. Pull them gently from the plant, 
as by so doing a portion of the old wood is attached, 
and assists the cutting in callusing and forming 
roots ; be careful when removing the cuttings not to 
pinch the tips or the plants will perish. Strip the 
lower half of the cutting of its foliage, pulling it 
away with finger and thumb, one or two leaves at a 
time. Then with a sharp knife make a clean cut at 
the base. Some 5-in. pots should be got ready and 
filled with crocks to within z in. of the top ; these 
should be covered with a layer of peat fibre, and 
then fill the pots to within J in. of the top with an 
equal mixture of finely sifted peat and silver 
sand, finishing off with silver sand. Sprinkle with 
water so that the cuttings can be put in firmly, 
dibbling them J in. apart, leaving a margin round 
the pot for a bell glass. Water well, and after it 
has drained off cover with a bell glass, and stand in 
a house with a temperature of 55 0 to 6o° on a 
dry stage. They also do very well if stood on a stage 
with ashes on. They should be shaded from sun¬ 
shine, and should also be shielded from root drip. 
They should be watered as the sand approaches dry¬ 
ness. Always take care not to replace the bell glass 
till the water has drained off. The glass should be 
wiped when necessary. When rooted the cuttings 
will commence to grow, after which the glass should 
be removed, and the young plants exposed a little 
so that they may become hardened. They should 
be gradually hardened off, finally transferring them 
to a cool frame ready for potting.—T. W. Dollery, 
The Gardens, Whitburn, Sunderland. 
-- 
To Kill Wood-lice.— Half-a-pound of sugar and 
a teaspoonful of Paris green make a very good 
poison for wood-lice, but must be used with care,' 
