VI. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 19, 1903. 
Peas in December.— Mr. Emms, of Farnborougli, Kent, has 
gathered two dishes of Peas in the open during the early part of 
this month. 
* * * 
Prolific Tomatos. —The fruits of Tomato Hipper I are mode¬ 
rate in size, but globular and perfectly smooth, and produced 
on short-jointed stems, so that the bunches touch one another- 
One bunch, of which we have a photograph, weighed 4 lb. i oz. 
These fruits are of good flavour, and of a rich crimson colour. 
Many growers who have tried it speak in very favourable terms 
of its general good qualities, and particularly of its fertility. 
Another good variety is Tuckswood Favourite, a cross between 
Holmes’ Supreme and Lawrenson’s No. 3. It possesses the free 
setting qualities of both parents and the short-jointed stems of 
the former. The fruit is smooth and of medium size, though 
larger than that of Hipper I. The clusters on plants grown in 
pot's last season touched one another along the length of the 
steins. The above are varieties being put into commerce by Mr. 
Robert Holmes, Tuckswood Farm, Norwich, Tuckswood 
Favourite being quite new. 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
The Editor invites enquiries for reply in this column. These 
enquiries may cover any branch of garc'enmg. Questions should be 
put as briefly as possible, and written on one side of the paper only ; 
a separate sheet of paper should he used for each question. 
Readers are also invited to nice their fellow (/ardent rs the benefit 
o* their experience by sending supplementary replies . 
Replies cannot be sent by post, even if a stamped, addressed 
envelope is cnclostd, and the return of specimens cannot be undertaken. 
Anonymous communications arc treated in the usual editorial manner , 
Address letters: The Editor, “The Gardening World.” 37 and 
38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
Heaths in a Clay Soil. (W. A.) 
Remove the soil to the depth of 2g ft., and make a small 
drain at the bottom, of this to make sure that the superfluous 
moisture will drain a-way in winter. Place 6 in. of rubble over 
the bottom of this to act as drainage, and on the top of this 
green sod might be placed to keep the soil out of the drainage. 
Then get some friable garden soil and mix this with leaf soil 
in equal proportions- Add a large proportion of sharp river 
sand or that obtained from a gravel pit, sufficient to make the 
soil porous. That may he carried out at the present time, and 
the soil will have settled down sufficiently for planting in March 
or April. 
Study of Wild Flowei’S. (S. J.) 
If you intend to go into the study of wild flowers seriously, it 
would be worth your while getting “ The Student’s Flora of 
the British Islands,” by Sir J. D. Hooker, published by Messrs. 
Macmillan and Co., Bedford Street, London, W.C. This is, of 
course, somewhat technical, but it is undoubtedly the proper 
book in the end, if you apply yourself so as to get acquainted 
with the terms used in the descriptions. The book contains 
no illustrations, but merely descriptive matter. The price is 
10s. 6d., with postage extra. For those who like a more popular 
book, “ Flowers of the Fields,” by C. A. Jones, is the most 
generally recommended, as fewer technical terms are used, 
and, if we remember rightly, there are some illustrations. The 
text is less difficult to follow fo" a beginner, but it is not 
so scientifically definite. It is published by the Society for 
Promoting Christian Knowledge, Northumberland Avenue, 
London, S.W., and the price is 5s., with postage extra. 
Preserving Berries for Winter Decoration. (A, T. P.) 
It is rather late in the season now to take this into considera¬ 
tion, although there may be a few berries still in sufficiently 
good form to afford you an opportunity to try your hand at 
the work, and get experience for another year. One method of 
preserving the berries is to get some gum arabic, and dissolve 
it in either hot or cold water till it forms a very thin paste. 
The berries may then he dipped into this so as to cover them 
with just a thin film of the gum, not sufficient to obscure the 
colour, but just enough to preserve the moisture and prevent 
the berries from decaying or shrivelling so rapidly as they 
would do under natural conditions. If properly accomplished, 
the gum should dry hard and form a thin skin over the berries. 
This is most suitable for soft or pulpy berries, but there are 
some which keep for a considerable length of time without 
any further preparation than keeping them in a dry, cool place. 
Coloured fruits of a dry nature may be preserved by simply 
- drying them in an airy, cool situation. 
Hardiness of Aralia Sieboldi. (W. W.) 
The correct name of this plant is Fatsia japonica, which is 
fairly hardy in all the southern parts of the country, and 
even much further north in the vicinity of the sea coast. In 
any case, however, it must not be planted in windy situations, 
especially where severe frosts are likely to occur. The chief 
danger arises from the fact that the leaves are evergreen, and 
when frozen they are very liable to he broken off by the wind. 
This occurs, however, with the common Laurel, so that, in 
selecting positions for it, let it be sheltered from the effects 1 
of wind, and in warm places if possible, but always well ex¬ 
posed to sunlight, as it hardens the tissues. 
Names of Plants. 
(W. D.) 1, Euphorbia fulgens ; 2, Oplismenus Burmani varie- 
gata ; 3, Mariscus natalensis ; 4. Carex Morovii variegata ; 5, 
Carex brunnea variegata; 6, Epacris longiflora.—(D. A. A., 
Coleraine.) We cannot undertake to name florists’ flowers, such 
as Chrysanthemums, Carnations, etc., which require to be 
compared with others where a good collection of the same is 
grown. Some friend or acquaintance with a collection might 
help you earlier in the season.—(R. M.) 1, Cytisus fragrans ; 
2, Cotyledon bracteosa ; 3, Aloe mitraeformis ; 4, Phyllanthus 
pulcher ; 5, Aralia elegantissima ; 6, Ardisia crenata.— (W. W.) 
1, Petasites fragrans ; 2, Nepeta Gleclioma variegata ; 3, Sib- ■ 
thorpia peregrina ; 4 Acalypha marginata.—(T. M. R.) 1, 
Pinus austriaca; 2, Cupressus nutkatensis ; 3, Impatiens jl 
Sultani; 4, Erica gracilis ; 5, Asplenium ebeneum.—(J. R.) 1, jj 
Jasminum nudiflorum ; 2, Lonicera fragrantissima ; 3, Veronica i 
Traversii.—(Chas. Mair.) 1, Cassinia fulvida; 2, Santolina. j 
Chamaecyparissus ; 3, Curculigo recurvata. 
Communications Received. 
J. K. D. H. J.—K. M.—Wm. Jas. Penton.— W. Anstiss.— I 
T. H. B. Japonica.—R. Thatcher.—John C. Dick.—J v C. 
T. B. Byram.—A. Hemsley.—A. M.—P. R. J. J. B.—A. C. B. 
B. W.—E. A. S.—F. R.— J. H.—E. W. H.—Mummer.—* ■ 
W. M‘L. H.—A. B. W. M.--H. D. —R, E. D.—A. F.—B. T. 
Trade Catalogues Received. 
Stttton and Sons, The Royal Seed Establishment, Reading. 
England.—Sutton’s Amateurs’ Guide in Horticulture for 1904. 
James Veitch and Sons, Limited, Chelsea, London.—Cata 
logue of Seeds, 1904; also New Chrysanthemums for 1904 ; 
List of Border Carnations and Picot.ees ; and New Herbaceous 
Perennial, Senecio Tanguticus. 
Dicksons and Co., Nurserymen, Edinburgh. — Dicksons’ 
Nursery Catalogue. 
A. Rayner, South Street, Chichester.—Special Cheap Lines i 
in Greenhouses ; also Special Cheap Lines in Sheds. 
CONTENTS OF THIS WEEK. 
PAGE 
Asparagus beds, prepara - 
t on of .f. 1013 
Bradley Bros., Mess's. 104L 
Chrysanthemums, concern¬ 
ing. 1040 
Editor’s table, on the. 1049 
Flowers from Wee t wood 
Grange . 1049 
Fruit under glass . 1040 
Grape Reine Olga . 1037 
Howberry Park, conserva¬ 
tory at . 1046 
Kew, the best flowering plants 
at . 1048 
Kitchen garden, the . 1038 
Letters to the Editor. 1049 
Midland Carnation and 
Pieotee Society . 1047 
Mistletoe losing in favour . 1037 
News of the week . 1052 
Orchids, among the . 1039 
Orchids in the north of 
England . 1042 
Plants, notes on hardy. 1038 
Potatos, prizes for. 1037 
Salvia splendens. 1043 
PAGE 
Scottish rural life in the 
olden days. 
Shrubs in flower in Novem¬ 
ber . 
Societies: — 
National Rise. 
National Sweet Pea . 
Stove and g eenhouse. the . 
Strawberries from Broad- 
stairs . 
Sweet Pea, audit of the „„ 
Tomato Hanwell Victory... 
Tulips and Hyacinths, se¬ 
lect varieties of . 
Vegetables, timing. 
Watercress in cold frames . 
Watercress, polluted. 
ILLUSTRATIONS. 
1042 
1047 
10.1 I 
1050 
1039 
1044 . 
1045 
1041 
1043 
1044 
1044 
1037 
- 
Howberry Park, the new 
conservatory at (see Sup¬ 
plement). 
Howberry Park, the smok¬ 
ing-room at. 
1047 
Howberry Park, range of 
plant houses at . 1048 
Tomato Hanwell Victory... 1041 
