964 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 21, 1903. 
the aid of sun-heat during the day. The moisture in the atmo¬ 
sphere should also be reduced to the minimum degree, espe¬ 
cially during spells of cold, unfavourable outside conditions. 
It is not advisable to damp down the houses until the normal 
condition of temperature: has been reached in the mornings. 
Plants take little harm from cold providing there is a corres¬ 
ponding dryness about them, but nothing is more detrimental 
to their well-being than cold temperatures and moist condi¬ 
tions, either at the; roots or in, the atmosphere. H. J. 
Notes on Hardy Plants. 
Anemone japonica and its Varieties. —There are few, if any, 
herbaceous plants more valuable than the Japanese Anemones 
for the embellishment of flower borders in the autumn, or for 
massing purposes in, any position in the garden; and with the 
many excellent varieties now in cultivation a splendid selec¬ 
tion of form and colour is obtainable. The Japanese 
Anemones, to bei grown successfully, need 'a deep, fairly rich 
soil, a, moderately stiff loam suiting them to perfection, but 
this,' before planting, should be well prepared by thoroughly 
trenching to a, depth of fully J ft., as Anemones, when well 
established, root deeply, and a liberal quantity of half-decayed 
manure should be incorporated. Autumn is the best time for 
planting, and when this is, performed the soil should be pressed 
firmly about the roots, and the plants placed not too closely 
together, allowing sufficient room, for increasing, and for the 
foliage to develop and be seen, to the best advantage. There 
are several positions for which these Anemone'S are: admirably 
adapted, and I think they might be used with much better 
results in many gardens than they are at the present time. A 
good mass in the herbaceous border, providing it is of suffi¬ 
cient width, -makes a good show when, the large majority of 
hardy plants have commenced to change colour and decay, but 
this bears no comparison to a, bed or mass when judiciously 
placed .on the lawn, in the pleasure grounds, by the side of 
AvO'Odland walks, or in the wilderness, where one has more 
space at command, and the larger the quantity the better the 
effect. In all cases, however, the position chosen should be 
a thoroughly open one, so that all the air and sun possible is 
able to reach the plant®. Under these conditions the Japanese 
Anemone will go on year after year -successfully without any 
division or replanting being necessary, though an annual top- 
dressing of some light manure or good compost will be bene¬ 
ficial if applied before the crowns- start into active growth. 
There are many varieties, several of which differ by name only, 
but a good selection will be found among the following. For 
massing purposes the old white variety Honorine Jobert is 
still excellent, having large, bold foliage, and when well estab¬ 
lished will, grow to a. height of fully 5 ft., and the flowers, 
though single, are produced in large quantities 1 , and make a fine 
display. 
A. j. rubra has the deepest coloured flowers, semi-double in 
formation, and, though not nearly such a robust grower as the 
preceding, it. is a very floriferous a,nd pleasing variety. 
A. j. Mont Rose is a charming form, and perhaps the best of 
the pale pink varieties." It has a large number of petals, pink 
on the edge® and paler in the centre, and the habit is also good. 
It flower® with remarkable freedom. 
A. j. ljueen Charlotte is of large size, silvery pink in colour, 
and taller than the preceding. An excellent new variety. A. j. 
Lord Ardilaun resembles the first named in habit and size, but 
the flowers are semi-double. 
A. j. Prince Henrich is a fine semi-double rich pink, with 
large, well-formed flowers. 
A. j. Couronne Virginale is a large rose-pink flower with 
several rows of petals, and is also 'a. robust grower. 
A. j. Whirlwind, though an old variety, is a general favourite 
on account of its pleasing appearance when cut. The flowers 
are curiously formed, giving them a semi-double formation, and 
produced with great freedom. The foliage and stem should 
be left till late autumn before cutting them down, as these 
require a long time to die down, especially in a season like 
the present, and next year’s results largely depend upon the 
way they are ripened. Also bear in mind that they very much 
resent being disturbed, so that the permanent position should, 
if possible, be cho'Sen when first planted. 
Ajuga reptans purpurea. — One of the most charming autumn 
and winter foliaged plants is the red-leaved Ajuga, and a good 
patch on the rockery is a pleasing sight all through the dull 
season, when the foliage assumes a 'bright red colour. It ; s 
easily propagated by division or from the runners 1 , which are 
produced freely around the plant, and a good loamy soil suits 
it well. A. E. Thatcher. 
Aldenliam House Gardens., Elstree. 
Bottling Fruit. 
The Croydon and District Horticultural Mutual Improvement 
Society held its meeting at the Sunflower Temperance Hotel, 
George Street, on Friday, November 6th. The subject of fruit 
bottling or fruit sterilising had been placed in capable hands, 
and the society is to be: congratulated on having an exponent 
of this art in Mr. R. B. Leech, of Wood Hall Gardens 1 , Dulwich. 
In his opening remarks he rightly alluded to the great waste 
of fruit which occurs in years of plenty, when perhaps, if the 
knowledge of preserving became' more widely circulated, there 
would be ample supplies of this valuable commodity for years 
of famine, 'such as we are experiencing this year. 
The first thing to' understand, lie said, was that decay is 
carried on by -life, and in fruit it. is to a fungus that this decay 
is attributable. Therefore when commencing to preserve fruit 
we have to combat this lower order of plant life. The best 
vessels for bottling, lie explained, are some made expressly fur 
this purpose. They are wide at the neck to admit the fruit, 
and fitted with rubber rings and screw capsules, so that all air 
is excluded from the fruit when properly sterilised. The 
vessels are filled with fruit and a syrup made of 1 lb. pure cane 
sugar, over which a quart of boiling water has been poured, 
added, and the whole allowed to cool, so that three parts of 
the fruit in each bottle has been covered. The capsule should 
be slightly screwed down and the bottles placed in a. boiler with 
cold water reaching half-way up the bottles. The water should 
then be gradually 'brought to a heat of 160 deg., and kept 
at this temperature for from ten. to thirty minutes, according 
to the' size of fruit. The maximum time would be sufficient for 
most fruits that are fairly ripe, although 'the lecturer recom¬ 
mended using fruit that is not too ripe. The capsules must 
then be .screwed down perfectly tight and 'the bottles allowed 
to cool, being careful not to give them too severe change of tem¬ 
perature, as that might cause them to crack. The bottles 
could then be stored away for some length of time, and to 
verify this lie exhibited some fruit that he had treated with this 
process some three or four years ago, and which was perfectly 
sound. 
Some: excellent plants and cut blooms of Chrysanthemums 
were exhibited by Mr. W. Collins, gardener to Alderman 
Barrow, J.P., Engadine, Park Hill Road, and Mr. W. Bentley, 
gardener to Mr. G. Curling, Elginhouse, Addiscombe, which 
were much appreciated, and showed splendid cultivation of this 
popular flower. The next meeting will be on Tuesday, Novem¬ 
ber 17th, when Mr. H. 0. Ether mg ton, manager at Mr. J. It. 
Box ® Nurseries, A\ est Wickham, will continue his discourse on 
“ How Plants Grow.” 
Porto Rico and Fruit Pests. —Leading fruit growers in Porto 
Rico held a meeting a few days ago, and arranged for the ap¬ 
pointment of a commission to inspect all fruit buds, all cut¬ 
tings, seeds, and -q^lier means of propagating fruits. As things 
are now, the fruit trees and Vines are remarkably free from 
disease. The Oranges have the old form of scale, which is 
common wherever Orange trees grow, but there is no San Jose 
scale, and the white fly is unknown. 
