January 30, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
been, subjected by the florist and hybridist. These operations! 
have completely upset the characters upon, which the botanist 
bases his calculations for the determination of what is a. Be¬ 
gonia,. The alterations are indeed so great that many of the 
varieties' would not, now come under the term Begonia, if the 
botanist, were to adhere to the characters present in these 
florist flowers. 
An Award of Merit was accorded the variety by tbe Royal 
Horticultural Society at the Holland House Show, when it, was 
brought before the committee by Messrs. Blackmore and Lang- 
don, T'werton Hill Nursery, Bath. This is the highest award 
that can be accorded a florists’ flower. It may also be stated 
that so many varieties have already been accorded a. similar 
honour that it, now takes- a, very fine variety indeed to- take the 
fancy of the committee at all. The colour of the variety is- 
certainly striking, novel, and pleasing. 
Pot Roses. 
At, this time of the year, when one’s mind begins to- turn to 
thoughts of brighter days, and with the coming of spring the 
beginning of the rosarian’s year, some of your readers who 
have a cool greenhouse, but who- have not turned it, to any 
specific purpose, may be, interested to know bow easy if, is to 
have Roses some weeks before those in the garden gladden 
one’s gaze. I have found the best plan is to buy plants from 
the open in the autumn; it is really not too late now, but a 
few already in pots, maybe, would be more successful now. 
In patting Roses, be sure that the material they are potted in, 
is good, and a, little sand on the surface will aid the drainage'. 
All new plants' must be close-pruned in, January to two- or three 
eyes and brought a little- nearer to the light, always watching 
for frosts and being careful as 1 to amount of water given. The 
buds will soon be seen to swell, and by the end of February tbe 
plants will, if the greenhouse occupies- a good position,, be in 
full leaf, and pretty indeed is the early foliage of Roses. 
About, this time greenfly may be- found rather troublesome, 
but this can easily be kept in check by removing whenever 
seen, by a gentle pressure of tbe thumb- and first finger. A 
little weak soot water, when the plants are bursting into leaf, 
both improves the colour of the foliage and .purifies the soil. 
As the flower-buds begin, to swell a little artificial manure is 
very helpful towards perfect blooms. By the end of April and 
beginning of May beautiful Roses will be- the result of this 
treatment, and a, more interesting four months could hardly 
be imagined, always watching, always busy, as so much depends 
on the manipulation of the plants to obtain, all light and sun, 
possible'. 
A few of the varieties I have fo-und most suitable, in pots 
are :—Mrs. W. J. Grant, Caroline Tesitout, Duke of Edinburgh, 
Papa Go-nt,ier, Liberty (a, good Rose for pots), K. A. Victoria, 
Frau Karl Druschki (the grand new white H.P.), White Ma.man 
Cochet, Maman. Cochet, Niphetois, Beaut, e Inconst ante; Perle.de 
Jardins, and last, but net least, the fragrant and beautiful 
Sc-uv. de Catharine Gui-llot. The small Polyantha Roses also are 
very useful and pretty in, pots. When finished blooming they 
should be turned out. to- ripen their wood in. a shady spot in the 
garden, to be brought in again in the autumn. 
This method I have found both simple, interesting and very 
successful, and to get lovely Roses- in an unhealed house in 
the month of May is a great pleasure indeed. 
A. D. Cooper. 
Selling Plants without a Licence. —At Highgate, on. the 
16th January, Mr. Fraser Black disagreed with a former decision 
of Mr. Curtis Bennett in connection with the sale of plants by 
unlicensed ba.wkers. Alfred Hardy, who said lie bad been doing 
it for thirty years, and James Lawrence were charged with being 
unlicensed pedlars and hawking plants from door to door. Mr. 
Black said hi- did not like putting an obstacle in the way of a 
man getting an honest living, and did not know why the- police 
were making these' charges," but the practice was illegal. He 
ordered prisoners to pay 3,s. 6cl. costs each. 
99 
Winter Flowering zonal Pelargoniums. 
In a few weeks’ time cuttings should be taken for this work, 
and where flowers are wanted in winter fixes© are indispensable. 
Care should be -taken in, selecting the varieties that will give 
most satisfaction, selecting good stout cuttings. They require 
to be cut through just, under a joint, leaving a, few leaves, and 
have a length of from 4 in. to 5 in. A heel of old wood is of no 
use, but rather a hindrance than otherwise, to rapid rooting. 
Place the cuttings in 3-in. pots, three or four in one pot, in a 
mixture of loam, leaf-soil, and sand, equal parts, and give a 
water to settle the soil round cuttings. In a few weeks’ time 
these will be rooted and should have another shift into 3-in. 
pots, placing one in. a, pot singly. 
In aibont two weeks after -they have been, potted pinch out 
the top; then they will break, throwing a good many shoots. 
When these get. about 5 in. long, pinch again so iasi to throw 
more shoots' out, and keep all flowers off them. When the 
weather is, favourable, remove them out- to a frame and see that 
the frame is- not -too- deep, and keep 1 near the glass. When, 
warmer weather comes remove, the sashes of the frames so as 
to' give plenty of air and light. Re-examine the roots and see 
they do not, get, pot-bound. Give the last shift about the first 
week in September, and through the summer keep all flowers 
off them. If very warm weather, and not much dew at night, 
give a, shower overhead. About, the second week of September 
they can be housed, and prepare a good stimulant, for them with 
horset-droppings steeped in, a barrel, but care should be taken 
how it is' applied, never making it too strong ; and apply this 
once a week, or some fertiliser may be- used or any good 
artificial manure, 1- tea,spoonful to-each plant. 
As the plants grow they should, have proper attention as, to 
staking and tying, so a® to form, well-shaped plants, A good- 
grown plant and a, well-traiined one shonl-d be sound all over, 
and the grower barely able to, see, jthe pot it is growing in,. I 
give the names of a, few that, do' well: Hermine, double, pure' 
white; Colossus,, double, dark; Mrs. Gladstone, pure white ; 
Fraicbeur, deep pink ; Bottle de Neige, pure white; and 
Madame Leon Dalloy, blush white. Singles: King of Crim- 
$• -ns, Sir II. Irving, Volcanic, Mrs. Owen Thomas, Mrs. E. 
Raws,on, Duke of York and many more, just as useful in 
whiter if grown to perfection. I think it will repay any who 
try, as where a, lot of bulbs are not bought, in one is obliged to 
use his brains a, little bit, further afield to meet requirements. 
Flitch wick. 
Rhodanthes. 
How very seldom do we seei these charming little annuals 
given the proper attention they most thoroughly deserve. 
There are several varieties of them, but two well-known forms 
are R. maculata and R. macula.ta, alba. They perform three 
great functions; (1) They are very useful subjects among the 
other annuals in the front, of shrubbery borders; (2) as pot 
plants they succeed admirably and show up to- great advantage 
in the conservatory, and also lighten the appearance of the 
heavier subjects; (3) and last, but not least, if the flowers are 
gathered carefully when fully expanded and hung up- in a, dry 
place, the same as Helichrysums, they will keep in splendid 
condition all winter and look much nicer 1 than the Helichrysums 
on account of their being much lighter ; and by doing this they 
fulfil the greatest function of the three by brightening tbe 
rooms in the dark days of winter, when flowers are so scarce. 
About the culture. In. the first place, a® annuals they are 
sown with the others. Thin out carefully so- that they do not 
get overcrowded. When grown, in pots 32’s or large 48’s do- 
capitally, well filled with a, compost, of two-thirds fibrous, loam 
and one-third leaf-mould, with a sprinkling of bone-meal, a little 
soot and a, dash of sand -to keep it open. Sow a, few seeds ro-und 
the edge, of the pots' and thin, out, evenly, if necessary, to six 
or eight plants and stake early, as they are very tender and 
easily broken if left' too long. The plants do not want cod¬ 
dling ; a nice brisk atmosphere of an ordinary greenhouse will 
suit them splendidly. W. E. R. 
Leamington. 
