836 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 24, 1901. 
a difficulty in cultivating it successfully, but this 
difficulty would largely disappear if it were planted 
among the stones of a rockery in a rather elevated 
position where the creeping underground stems 
may ramble at will and be kept rather dry in 
winter. Those that come in contact with the stones 
outlive the winter and come up freely in spring, 
whereas those in the open, especially in a heavy and 
wet soil, are liable to perish. 
Rubus arcticus. 
Few of the Brambles are really of an ornamental 
character, that is, compared with the number of 
them in existence. The subject of this note is 
herbaceous in character, and if not decidedly showy 
it is at least pretty and interesting. Like many 
ether mountain plants it succeeds best when grown 
UDder cool and moist conditions. A peaty soil at 
the foot of the rockery where the sun shines only for 
a part of the day will meet its requirements admir¬ 
ably. The stems vary from 3 in. to 6 in. in height, 
are clothed with leaves consisting of three leaflets, 
and terminate in a solitary rose-coloured flower.— 
Alchemilla. 
TRIALS AT MESSRS. WEBB & SONS’ 
SEED FARM. 
(Concluded from p. 8ig.) 
After the party of visitors had inspected the flowers 
and vegetables as detailed in last week’s issue, all 
proceeded to the cornfields adjoining to inspect 
some of the multitudinous trials being conducted. 
The corn in most cases was ready for harvesting ; 
and the binder was hard at work in another field, 
while the corn was almost ready for stacking in tome 
of the earlier fields. 
Farm Crops. 
Our intention here is merel> to give a brief statistical 
account of the maoy trials of farm crops conducted 
by Messrs. Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge, 
on their extensive seed farms at Kinver, in conjunc¬ 
tion with purely garden products. 
Mangolds extend to sixty-two trials, among 
them being Webbs’ New Smhhfield Yellow Globe, 
a sort which appears to be distinctly in advance of 
all others so far as can be seen at this early 
stage. 
Of Swedes and Turnips, there are eighty- 
nine trials. At the time of the visit the stock seed 
of Swede and Turnip was harvested and stored in 
the large barns at Kinver. 
OF Potatos, over 100 different sorts are 
growing, whicn include several seedlings of Messrs. 
Webbs’ own raising. 
Grasses and Clovers occupy innumerable 
plots, there beiDg several new Clovers and other 
forage plants under trial. 
Wheat numbers eighty-seven trials, represent¬ 
ing Messrs. Webb & Sons’ special crosses, and also 
many varieties obtained from foreign countries— 
from China to Peru. Many cf these show very 
decided characteristics, which are certainly interest¬ 
ing and novel. There are also plots of the different 
sorts recently introduced by Webb & Sons, which, 
to the most casual observer, glancing down the 
rows, show unmistakable superiority in all points, 
notably Webbs' Mont Blanc White Wheat and 
Webbs’ Standard Red Wheat. The variety named 
Mont Blanc is a beardless Wheat, producing very 
heavy heads, and having a fine appearance, as it 
stands of equal height all over the ground. Windsor 
Forest is another fine Wheat that atiracted our 
attention, the white heads being of great length. 
Many of the foreign Wheats, some of them no 
doubt very hardy, have a peculiar appearance by 
comparison with those most favoured in this 
country. Very singular is a bearded Wheat, named 
Harrison's sans Barbe, with brown heads ody 1 in. 
to 15 in. long and very dense. A foreign Wheat, 
bearded, and covered with gray-blue down, and 
named Tain's Defiance, is even more strange in 
appearance, as it can be detected a long distance 
off. 
Barley numbers forty-three trials ; amongst 
these is one which is considered by experts to be a 
very valuable cross. It combines the produciive- 
ness and stoutness of s>raw of the Burton Malting, 
W'ith the superbly fioe quality of the Kinver 
Chevalier. A field of the latter coming under 
notice was very true to the type. 
Oats include eighteen plots represertmg the 
best selections from Webb & Sons’ trials of last 
year (cumberiag nearly 100 distinct varieties and 
cross breeds), one or two of which show such pro¬ 
nounced value as to merit a further growth for their 
qualities to fully develop 
Glass Houses at Wordsley. 
In tte glasshouses at Wordsley—three new ones are 
just being added—are thousands of plants of Webb 
& Sons’ special strains of Gloxinias, Begonias, &c., 
which are being fertilised for seed purposes, whilst 
a multitude of seedling Primulas and other florists' 
flowers are following for the proper season. And in 
mentioning Gloxinias especially, it should be stated 
that there are here several seedlings which are being 
brought on, of great promise ; they display both 
novel shades of colour and distinctive form. 
Apart from the flowers in this department are to 
be seen many varieties of Tomatos growing in pots, 
and amongst them is a particularly fine new cross 
showing abundance of fruit and sturdy growth. The 
fruit, which hangs in profusion, is egg shaped, large 
in size, very firm in the flesh, and should prove a 
novelty of great value. 
The Chemical Works at Saltney, Chester, 
are seven acres in extent. Here Webb & Sons 
manufacture artificial manures for both farm and 
garden crops on a scale which is unapproached by 
any other firm in the trade. 
gardening fjfiscellang. 
CANNAS. 
The majority of people admire these gorgeous 
flowers, and yet when they look at them closely they 
do not find anything remarkable about them beyond 
the fact that they are pretty, etc. A keener observer 
will notice that the flower is of a remarkable kind 
and differs from most others in its construction. It 
is in a very interesting stage of evolution and when 
examined it will be found that many of its curious 
petals are really stamens, or represent such, and as 
the centre of the flower is reached perfect stamens 
are found. A most simple instance of this is found 
in the Water Lilies. Starting with the outer whorl 
of petals and making to the centre will show every 
transition from petal to stamen, and in about the 
middle whorl it will be found that they are neither 
one nor the other, but both, and from this point the 
stamen gets more perfect as you near the middle. 
Botanically all the floral organs are but modified 
leaves. This maybe particularly proved by examin¬ 
ing the floweis of Rosa viridiflora where many of 
both the stamens and petals develop into green 
leaves. A careful observer may find numerous 
other instances. 
PETUNIAS. 
This genus of plants, so closely allied to the 
Tobacco plant, is too well known to need any 
cultural details, but there are several interesting 
points about the genus which may be of interest. It 
is owing to its affinity with Nicotiana that it bears 
the name of Petunia, having derived it from the 
Brazilian word petun —tobacco. It is supposed that 
only two species are concerned in producing the race 
of garden Petunias which we have at the present 
day. They are supposed to have been produced 
from P. nectaginiflora and P violacea. Somehow 
the two colours will not mix properly, hence we see 
the curiously marked flowers. In some the purple 
colour predominates, in others the white will be the 
prevailing shade; but even wten we have a pure 
white flower we must not be led to believe that the 
purple has been obliterated entirely, for it is still in 
the blood, and perhaps in the next generation may 
be more in evidence than the white. This is what 
the French call a false hybrid — that is, it appears to 
be a true species but is really a disguised hybrid. 
When saving seed of Petunias this fact should be 
borne in mind and it will perhaps te the means of 
savmg a lot of disappointment. 
OLEARIA HAASTII. 
This belorgs to a large genus of plants numbering 
neuly a hundred species, and is in our opinion 
one of the best. In habit and general appearance it 
is much like a small Olive, and from this it takes its 
name, from olea, an Olive tree. It is interesting 
botanically as being one of the few shrubby Com¬ 
posites. The whole genus is indigenous to Austra¬ 
lasia, sixty-three being found in the large island 
continent. It is well adapted to cultivation in or 
near towns, as it does not seem to be greatly affected 
by smoke, &c.,and is therefore a most desirable ever¬ 
green, and as it will thrive in almost any soil it ought 
to be far more popular than it is at present. Those 
who wish to see the species mentioned at its best 
should visit Kew, where several large clumps are 
now in full bloom, and making a pretty feature with 
their wealth of small white heads of Daisy-like 
flowers. It may be easily propagated by cuttings 
taken when the growths are half ripened. It seldom 
exceeds 3 ft. in height, and to produce the best 
results should be grown in the most sunny position 
possible. 
GYPSOPHILA PANICULATA FL. PL. 
We have often spoken of the common form of this 
plant as exceptionally useful both for pot culture, bor¬ 
der culture, and for all kinds of decorative work, and 
have many times said that it could not be beaten, 
but in this we were mistaken for the variety above 
mentioned is a most decided improvement. It has 
just the same habit and floriferous habit as charac¬ 
terises the old variety, but differs in being double. 
It is not often that real artistic beauty can be found 
in double flowers, but this is an exception as the 
individual blooms are so small, and are borne in 
such a graceful manner that they still retain the 
light and elegant appearance of the original type. 
It is quite new, and when shown recently at the 
Royal Horticultural Society’s fortnightly meeting 
the committee recognised its good qualities, and 
gave it an Award of Merit. As the name denotes, 
the Gypsophilas are lime-loving plants, and 
to grow them to perfection, if the soil is not naturally 
of a calcareous nature it should be made so by the 
incorporation of mortar, lime rubble, <&c. 
SAPONARIA OFFICINALIS. 
In our highly civilised times we do not think that 
at one time soap was an unknown luxury, and in 
fact is only quite a modern production. The question 
arises when this is p Anted out, How did our fore¬ 
fathers wash themselves clean ? Like in numerous 
other instances before art was brought to bear on 
the subject they looked to Nature for their various 
requirements. When Nature is looked into more 
deeply she will be found to be more beneficent than 
she at first appears to be, and if turned to will supply 
almost anythieg we need. The leaves of the above 
plant were found to be a good substance for eradi¬ 
cating grease and for general washing purposes as 
they will produce a lather which is very similar to 
that produced by our soap, and prove just as 
efficacious in the removal of dirt from the flesh. It 
is not a native of this country but has become 
naturalised. To bear out the above remarks it will 
be seen by anyone who takes the trouble to look it 
up that it is only found still in the neighbourhood of 
villages with a few exceptions, thus showing that it 
is most probably an escape from gardens generations 
ago. In districts where it is found it is known as 
Bouncing Bet and the Common Soap wort. 
ASTEROIDEAE. 
Probably no plants are more difficult to work on 
botanically,than the Asteroideae tribe of Compositae. 
Bentham found that there were ninety genera, but 
the species were so closely allied to each other that 
it was almost impossible to separate them; and 
anyone who wishes to study the great doctrine of 
evolution which is now causing so much interest 
should set to work on this tribe at once, as they will 
find about 10,000 species and each runs into the 
other with such minute divisions that one cannot 
possibly fiad a better class of plants to work on. 
Asa Gray was a great worker on this family, and it 
is to him that Kew owes toe arrangement of its large 
collection of Asters. He studied them closely in 
their own habitats and when on a visit to England 
he undertook the great and trying work of naming 
and separating the collection of Asters at Kew into 
their proper species. It is in the herbaceous ground 
in this eTjbhshment that the student will find food 
for the study of the subject. 
LOBELIACEAE AND COMPOSITAE. 
Botany as yet is only a very incomplete science, 
and to study it at the present day the student must 
accept many theories with very little foundation, and 
