850 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 10, 1903. 
Readers’ Competition—continued. 
this way, rather than to give them flies to eat, for there is 
great danger of over-feeding them. the plants flower about 
june, July, and August, and the flowers, standing well above 
the leaves, give a very pleasing effect. Ihe plants will pro¬ 
bably die down for the winter, or only small leaves 1 will be 
left, but if kept out of the way of frost, though not necessarily 
in heat, they will come up again in March or April. 
H. R. D. 
Sowing Cyclamen Seed. 
Those who require good, strong plants of Cyclamen for flower¬ 
ing in November, 1904, should commence the first sowing by 
the middle of this month, again in January and February, but 
October must be the main and chief sowing. The best soil 
for sowing will consist of good sound loam with a free admix- 
ture of leaf soil and enough silver sand to keep the whole open 
and ensure free drainage. The seed may be sown in pots or 
pans, as the grower may wish, pressing the mixture firmly, 
inserting the seed 1 in. apart and ^ in. deep, covering the pots 
or pans with squares of glass, placing damp moss on the top 
of this, to check rapid evaporation. The first sowing may be 
made in a temperature of 45 to 50 degrees ; the later sowing 
should be placed in heat at once, such as a plant stove or pro¬ 
pagating house. 
Cyclamen seed germinates very slowly, some starting into 
growtli before others commence ; therefore, a little patience is 
required in waiting for their appearance. When the seedlings 
are large enough to handle, transfer them to small pots, such 
as thumbs ; as the plants increase in size and pots become full 
of roots, shift the plants as required into larger pots, 48’s being 
generally large enough for the final shift. 
WTien potting care must be taken to keep the crown of the 
corm clear of the soil, and place the plants near the glass. As 
the sun increases in strength it will be necessary to provide 
shades. The plants must never be allowed to suffer from want 
of water, keejung a sharp look-out for the appearance of 
aphis, which to avoid will require occasicnal fumigation. 
Avoid cold draughts during August and September. The plants 
will make very free growth, which, with the assistance of liquid 
manure, increases the size and colour of the flowers, which in 
gathering will need a sharp jerk to take the spike clean from 
the base of the corm. A knife should not be used, as bleeding 
will follow, and, of course, considerably weaken the plant. 
Studley Castle. Wm. Jas. Penton. 
Practice v. Theory. 
I am afraid that I have selectel a very contentious text this 
week. What made me determine to use it was the recollection 
of a good story, told some years ago, of a gardener in the east of 
Scotland who was a very prolific writer in a gardening journal. 
One day he sent his outside staff to some work, and, thinking 
that they were taking rather long to finish it, he remonstrated 
with the foreman for his tardiness. The man explained that 
they wei'e probably taking a good while on the job, but he was 
working according to the advice given in the journal of the 
previous week, which was signed by himself. “Oh! but I 
want none of that nonsense,” retorted the enraged scribe. “ That 
advice is all well enough for the paper, but we have not time 
here for it.” 
I am sure the “ G.W.” contributors are of a different stamp, 
but the story will help to illustrate my text. 
With the help of a fair dressing of nitrate of soda and sul¬ 
phate of ammonia used in equal proportions, I for several years 
grew very fine Onions. In theory I was told that I was all wrong, 
as the one chemical “killed” the other. In practice it acted 
like magic. 
We all know the theory of the Pea being able to assimilate 
enough from the atmosphere to make it independent of the 
manure we give it. I know a garden where manure is a ven 
scarce commodity, and more miserable-looking Peas one could 
scarcely imagine. For my own part, I give heavy dressings of 
stable manure, and I see no finer Peas anywhere. To grow 
Mushrooms successfully, we are told to go through a long course 
of drying, turning, and sweetening the droppings. I worked 
for some time with a large Mushroom company, who make a 
v >ry good profit every year. The droppings were shaken from 
the litter, and almost immediately made into beds. The only 
real care taken was to see that the heat was declining before 
the beds were spawned, and finer crops of Mushrooms no private 
grower ever produced. 
In practical gardening a great deal depends on the amount 
of time that can be spent attending to any particular thing. 
It must not be supposed that I am sneering at theory. Far 
from it; but I would like to show that we- -a great many of 
us—are often compelled by force of circumstances to take a 
much shorter road than theory lays down for us. I must say, 
too, that the results are, for the most part, very satisfactory'. 
In plenty of gardens I know, for instance, that simply for the 
want of time the ground is practically never trenched. In 
theory such gardens should present a very poor appearance ; 
in truth, however, you can see little difference from others well 
manured, and therefore better cultivated. 
It must not be thought that I approve of poor culture. Truth, 
however, compels me to state facts, and it really appears to me 
that there is more than the proverbial grain of truth in the 
proverb, “An ounce of practice is worth a pound of theory.” 
What say the “G.W.” critics? C- Blais. 
Preston, Linlithgow. 
Streptocarpus. 
This popular genus has during the past few years earned the 
reputation of being one of the most decorative flowering plants 
for greenhouse cultivation. The “ Strep,” as it is commonly 
called, has gained well-desei'ved popularity, for the beautiful 
and varied colours are admired by all who see them. The 
flowers vary in colour from the purest white to the deepest red 
or violet, some flowers being most beautifully blotched and 
shaded. There are two sections of Streptocarpus in cultivation, 
known as Veitch’s hybrid and achimeniflorus, and these two 
sections include the most beautiful and pleasing colours that 
could possibly be desired. Here we have a splendid example 
of the value of careful hybridisation and selection. 
S. achimeniflorus derives its name fiom the resemblance that 
the flowers bear to the Achiinenes. The different varieties pro¬ 
duce an abundance of flowers over a long period, for generally 
this section commences to flower at the latter end of March, 
and will continue to do so until September or later. 
The most important varieties of the achimeniflorus section 
are:—S. a. albus, which is a fine white form, which may also 
be obtained with a yellow throat ; S. a. roseus is one of the 
latest additions to this section, the flowers being of a beautiful 
rose colour, possessing either a white or yellow throat ; S. a. 
giganteus is a large flowering variety of a very pleasing shade 
of lavender blue, and recently a fringed petalled variety has 
been obtained with a distinct yellow threat; S. a. pallidus 
is somewhat similar to giganteus, but the flowers are of a 
much lighter shade. Besides the named varieties there are 
other colours to be found, such as rosy-mauve or varying shades 
of colour, many of them most prettily pencilled. In the hybrid 
strain, which is more often met with, the following colours may 
be obtained : white violet, rose, and magenta. An excellent 
exhibit of these hybrids might have been seen at the last Temple 
show, staged by Mr. E. Beckett. 
Probably the best-known variety of this section is Virgil, 
being a good white with a deep maroon throat; it is exceedingly 
easy to grow, and seeds freely. Leda and While Lady are 
splendid white varieties, the former having a yellow throat. 
Blush is perhaps the most delicate colour of all ; this is com¬ 
paratively a new variety. The flowers of the hybrid strain may 
be obtained all the year round ; young plants from seed sown 
in the previous January will flower from July till October, com¬ 
mencing again in March, and continuing to flower until the 
autumn. The Streptocarpus is more commonly known as the 
Cape Primrose. With the Editor’s permission, I will continue 
my notes on the Streptocarpus in a later issue. 
H. COWLET. 
*** The prize last week in the Readers’ Competition was 
awarded to “ Albion ” for his article on “ Autumn and 
Winter Flowering Begonias,” page 831. 
