September 5, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
753 
of all deal. Many seedlings have been, raised, and we noted a 
very fi ne one from Nymphaea. chromatella, having larger and 
better flowers. The blooms of N. marliaeaea flammea are of 
an intense carmine-red, especially in the centre. Those of N. 
andreana, are bright rose with orange stamens. N. gloriosa 
has crimson flowers and rich orange-scarlet stamens, giving the 
flower a very striking appearance. Thei delicate flesh flowers 
of N. marliaeaea. carnea are veiy pretty, but even prettier are 
those of N. tuberosa rosea, the colour being very similar and 
the form of the last-named lovely. 
Two of the finest white Water Lilies are N. gladstoniana and 
N. William Doogue, both having very broad petals, and well 
worthy of being added to a collection. The last-named, however, 
has the largest flowers, as they vary from 6 in. to 8 in. in 
width, according to the vigour of the plant. The sepals are 
white or delicate flesh, and the pure white petals are broad, 
blunt, and produced in three rows, giving them a semi-double 
appearance. The leaves are 6 in. to 12 in. in diameter, orbicu¬ 
lar, and dark green. Our illustration of this shows the general 
appearance of a bloom as it lies upon the water. 
Very pretty are the miniature flowers of N. pygmaea, helvola 
with soft clear yellow colour, like a small star lying upon the 
water, and bronzy-marbled leaves. A profuse and continuous 
floweTer is N. Laydekeri prolifera, with soft rosy petals, tipped 
with white. Beautiful as it is, we like N. L. rosea prolifera 
much better, as the flowers are of a clear uniform rose colour, 
with orange stamens. These two keep on flowering all the 
summer. Very handsome also is N. colossea, with flesh-col¬ 
oured sepals, and three to four rows of delicate flesh petals, 
which are broad and well formed. The leaves are very broad, 
of a deep metallic green, and bronzy beneath. We also give 
an illustration of this variety, which will show the general 
contour of the flower and relative breadth of the petals. 
Under glass several of the Pontederias are grown, including 
P. crassipes, with pale lilac flowers and a blue blotch; P. c. 
major, with longer spikes of dark sky-blue flowers:, and P. 
azurea, which creeps over the water and bears blue-fringed 
flowers. Zizania, aquatica or Canadian Rice has been flowering 
for some time under glass, but outside it will take about two 
months yet to come into bloom. 
Out of doors the hardy aquatics are much more numerous., 
including the paper plant of the ancients, Cyperus Papyrus, 
Scirpus Tabernaemontani zebrin.us, Juncus spiralis, and the 
Water Soldier (Stratiotes aloides), sometimes used for aquaria 
in dwelling-houses. We were much taken with Villarsia. in- 
dica, which has small circular leaves floating on the water and 
throws up white flowers singly, the inner face of which is 
densely covered with fringes all over, giving the flowers a fluffy 
appearance. A fine Buttercup is Ranunculus Lingua grandi- 
flora, which has been flowering for some weeks past. 
Other more or less well-known aquatics are the Flowering 
Rush (Butomus umbella.tus), Sagittaria variabilis, Azolla caro- 
liniana., and Hydrocharis Mcrsus-ranae, several of the above 
being British plants: A water Lobelia, also British, is a curious, 
little species, known as L. Dortmanna. Jussieua. repens, better 
known as J. grandiflora, has made stems -U ft. in height, but 
flowers' are only just showing in the bud state: The rich red 
; stems are certainly a. fine feature of this plant at the present 
time. An uncommon Saxifraga. is S. aquatica, having compact 
tufts of large palmately-lobed leave® and very distinct from 
the general run of plants. 
Harvest or the Hedgerows. —The Mushroom “ season ” in 
Cumberland has not turned out as successful as was anticipated, 
the cold nights having retarded the growth of the much-sought 
esculent. As a recompense to the gatherers, however, there 
are prospects of a heavy “ crop ” of Blackberries, and as the 
gathering of this luscious fruit, for the purpose of manufac¬ 
turing it into jam, has become quite an industry, a successful 
season will doubtless result if the frost only keeps away. One 
dealer alone requires 100 tons of the wild Unit, which is gathered 
from the hedgerows and waste lands. Quantities of the fruit 
are sent to the jam manufactories in the Newcastle district. 
Readers’ Competition: 
Early Scabious. 
Last year I sent you some notes on this beautiful and use¬ 
ful half-hardy annual as a pot plant. I now beg to off er some 
hints as to how an early supply of it may be obtained out of 
doors, as under ordinary treatment it does not come in till the 
season is well advanced. The seed should be sown in boxes 
or pans, about the second week of August, placing them in a 
cold frame. As soon as the seedlings show the rough leaf they 
should be potted up into 3in. pots, three in a pot, and re¬ 
turned to the frame. At housing time, that is, early in Octo¬ 
ber, they should be placed on a shelf near the glass in a cool 
house, but they will winter quite well, on a shelf in an airy 
frame. Early in February shift them into 5in. pots, using 
a fairly rich compost, and return them to the same quarters. 
Towards the end of March they should be placed in a cold 
frame, and gradually hardened off. 
They may be planted out in the second week in May either 
in the mixed beds or borders or in a bed by themselves, where, 
if staked with slender stakes, they will furnish a useful supply 
of cut flowers from the middle of July onwards. 
If the colours are sown separately the effect is better than 
when sown in mixture, especially if they are to be planted out 
in clumps. The rich dark sorts find most admirers, as they 
supply shades of colour hardly obtainable in any other flower. 
Chas. Comfort. 
Broomfield, Davidson’s Mains, Midlothian. 
Layering. 
This method of propagation is so often used with Carnations 
that it is rather surprising it is not more often employed in the 
increase of other plants that are found to be difficult to deal 
with. More especially is this the case with hardy trees and 
shrubs, many of which, though difficult to strike from cuttings, 
are readily increased when layered, and soon form good plants. 
There are some, however, which cannot be increased by layer¬ 
ing, as they will not form roots, but their numbers are com¬ 
paratively few. The list given below does not comprise all 
that can be layered, but includes the majority of those that 
are usually found most difficult to propagate. Many shrubs 
that can be easily rooted from cuttings or that can be divided 
are not mentioned, as it is not worth while taking the trouble 
to layer them when they can be increased quue as readily by 
easier methods. 
The following genera make good plants from layers, viz. : — 
Andromeda, Aucuba, Azalea, Berberis, Bruckenthalia, Buxus, 
Calophaca, Calycanthus, Cassandra, Ceanothus, Chimonanthus, 
Cistus, Clethra, Cornus, Cydonia, Daboecia, Erica, Exochorda, 
Garrya, Gaultheria, Hamamelis, Hippophae, Ilex, Jainesia, 
Kalmia, Ledum, Leucothoe, Lyonia, Magnolia, Menziesia, 
Myrica, Nuttallia, Oxydendron, Phillyrea, Pieris, Prunus 
(dwarf, such as P. nana, P. triloba, P. jaq>onica, etc.), Rhodo¬ 
dendron, Robinia, Styrax, Tilia, Vaccinium, and Zenobia. 
A jflant that is loose and spreading is best for layering, as it 
is less trouble to bend the shoots down, and such plants can 
also be better spared than more shapely ones. To prepare it, 
the shoots should be cleared of all leaves and short side branches 
to within a foot or a little less of the top, but every bit that 
is long enough should be utilised, as the smaller branches root 
quite as readily as the larger ones. The plant being prepared, 
the ground should be dug over, mixing in some fine soil, and 
throwing out large stones, bits of stick, etc., that may be in 
the way when layering. A sufficient quantity of stout hooked 
pegs from 15 in. to 18 in. in length should be cut, to hold 
down the stouter shoots. A small wooden mallet to drive the 
hooks home, and a layering-paddle, as it is called, are the only 
tools required. This latter can be made cut of an old flat 
trowel by cutting about 3 in. of the point off. 
None of the plants mentioned above need tongueing at all, 
with the exception of Exochorda, which will not root without. 
All that the others require is to be put in deep enough and 
firm enough to keep moist, and not move. In laying, the posi¬ 
tion the shoot will occupy should be ascertained, and a nick 
6 in. or so deep and a foot in length should be made with the 
paddle, and the shoot bent down into the cut, and the soil 
firmly pressed over it with the hands. The point of the shoot 
should be left as nearly upright as possible. 
Layering of hardy trees and shrubs can be done at any time 
