726 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 10. 1904. 
* 
Mr. Robert Sydenliam, Tenby Street., Birmingham, sends 
us a well-filled catalogue of 128 pages. He ha® numerous illus¬ 
trations of those plants which he has been cultivating so suc¬ 
cessfully in ornamental and unchained pots for household de¬ 
coration. Onet would naturally conclude that pots without 
drainage would be difficult to manage, but it seems that he 
can turn them to useful account with various bulbs intended 
for dwelling-rooms to avoid spilling of water about the house. 
His bulb list also contains a long and valuable essay : “ How 
I Came to Grow Bulbs.” 
Messrs. William Cut-bush and Son, High-gate, London, send 
their catalogue, which is adorned with Daffodils on, both covers, 
and includes a highly ornate coloured picture of a, Dutch bulb 
farm, where the bulbs are grown. All the common and! some 
of the rarer bulbs are illustrated by means of woodcuts or re¬ 
production® from photographs. They alsoi send us their ca,tar 
logue of double, tree and Malmaison Carnations, which they 
grow so extensively and exhibit so successfully. Several of 
the finer groups they have put up- are represented by photon 
graphs. 
Messrs. Dickson, Brown and Tate, 43 and 45, Corporation 
Street, Manchester, also -send out a well got up catalogue of 
flowering bulbs, with photographic representations- cf 
Hyacinths, Tulips-, Daffodils, Polyanthus, Narcissi, Lilies, 
Irises 1 , etc. A picture of one of the parks at Manchester also 
gives a, beautiful view of this provincial park. 
Mr. H. N. Ellison, F.R.H.S., 3 and 3 a, Bull Street, West 
Bromwich, sends us a catalogue of various bulbs that are useful 
in, tire flower garden in spring, or which may be used for 
forcing purposes. Besides the more popular bulb®, he has col¬ 
lections of named varietiesi of Double Persian and Double 
French Ranunculus. An,emeu,e® are also represented' by 
various types, named and otherwise, belonging to the' Poppy 
and St. Brigid types. Mr. Ellison alsoi goes in largely for the 
cultivation of Cacti, which is, a, much more special occupation 
than that of bulbs, seeing that fewer cultivators undertake 
this class of plants. His object is to send, out sound and 
reliable bulbs. 
Messrs,. Dobbiie and Co>., florists to H.M. the King, Rothesay, 
send us their autumn catalogue, which includes, a, great variety 
of bulbs, such as Darwin bulbs, as well as many of the more 
popular May flowering species, varieties!, and hybrids, of Tulip. 
Daffodils, Polyanthus, Narcissi, Ixias, Lily of the Valley, and 
various, other subjects are either described or illustrated. 
Readers, will find 1 something special to them,selves in, lists of 
new Pansies and Violas, of recent, introduction or introduced 
this year for the first time, as well as standard and. useful 
varieties. 
Messrs. Dickson and Robinson,, Cathedral Street, Man- 
catalogue of bulbs, tuberous-rooted plants, Strawberries, and 
other fruits. Very largely represented are garden, varieties 
and species -of Tulip, Crocuses, and Daffodils, the latter being 
grouped into their respective types. Several of these bulb® 
are represented by woodcuts. 
Messrs. Dickson and Robin,son,, Cathedral Street, Man¬ 
chester, send us a well got up, catalogue of bulbs, Photo¬ 
graphic illustrations represent, the field cultivation, of Tulips 
and Hyacinths and various type® in' Holland. Single flowers, 
are also, well pictured by photographs of several excellent varie¬ 
ties. The printing and paper of this catalogue are excellent. 
Messrs. Frank Dicks and Co., Deansgate, Manchester, send 
us a catalogue of bulbs, Rose® and flowering plants, the latter 
being such as are, often used for forcing purposes. A great- 
variety of these latter subjects are described which have been, 
specially grown and prepared for forcing. A large, number of 
Roses are, also, illustrated. 
Fruit from Ireland.— Ireland is making a bold bid, for a 
leading position in the British fruit markets. Orchard cultiva¬ 
tion is being encouraged by the authorities, and arrangements 
are being actively prosecuted for the drying and packing of 
fruit in American fashion for exportation. 
Round the Nurseries. 
Begonias at Bath.” 
The tuberous Begonia, which many years ago was predicted 
as “ the flower of the future,,” still bolds favour with the public 
as -an exhibition, decorative, and bedding plant. Indeed, at 
our great summer shows perhaps no other flower is so much 
admired by visitors. It grace® alike, the, rich man’s conserva¬ 
tory and the poor man’s small greenhouse or garden, as it- is 
so easily grown, and -can be kept in bl-oom for such a, long 
period — from June to October — without forcing. My ac¬ 
quaintance, with the, tuberous Begonia,, as a, grower and raiser 
on ,a small scale, dates back some sixteen or seventeen years. 
I remember how badly I got the “ Begonia, fever ” after 
seeing the beautiful coloured plate® of the “ Royal ” and 
“Jubilee” sets sent out by Messrs. John Laing and Sons 
about that time, and how I purchased the best I -could obtain 
and hybridised year after year with some success; but, alas, 
there came a- time when my employment, necessitated me 
leaving the count,ry and work in the town, and I had to clear 
off the greater part of my collection “ for an old song.” 
I now have a, fairly large back garden for a, working man 
in a 'town, and the old longing for the, tuberous Begonia,, of 
which I still grow a, few, prompted me to go, over to, Bath—a 
six hours’ railway journey there,—to see the collection of 
Messrs,. Blaokmore and Langdon (which firm I noticed bad been 
well to, tbe front at the large exhibitions during the past year 
■or two) hit, Twerton Hill Nursery, Bath. I went on -one of tbe 
hottest, days last month, saw, and admired—I hardly know 
if that is a, strong enough term. How I wished I was a 
millionaire! How I coveted -some of those Begonias! Here, 
was just what I 'bad been, working for years ago, erect, Camellia 
or Rose-shaped flowers with one centre, good -colours, and 
plenty of substance and size, which left, nothing to- be desired. 
I wonder when improvement will stop. 
There, were, Begonias in, thousands,, in bouses aud outside, 
though the outside display is better early in September. 
For tbe benefit, of those- readers of The Gardening World 
who, are unable to pay a, visit f,o tbe nursery, I giv-e tbe names 
of a, few of the novelties which I noted:—Phantasy, rosy 
salmon,, flushed white; Mrs. Mogeir, soft, isialmon, rosebud 
centre-extra; Mrs. Arthur Hall, large salmon; John Milburn, 
fine crimson ; Countess Cromer, white, wavy petals,; Countess 
of Warwick, orange,, fine in every way; Mrs. Oathcart, -erect 
rose; Sir Thomas Lipion, grand scarlet; 'Mrs. Portman 
Dalton, blush, suffused pink, like a Rosebud ; and Marchioness 
of Bath, grand white. 
Single Begonias were also, represented by large -erect round 
flowering varieties of good colour, particularly noticeable 
being The, Queen,, white centre, with broad carmine edge. 
Named singles are, not so, largely grown as doubles, however, 
it, being found that seedlings, from such a, good strain, produce 
a, large percentage, of fine flowers, and single named varieties, 
cannot be, propagated so rapidly as double®. 
In the, beds, outside were thousands of double seedlings, 
many of which will no doubt be -selected and named after 
a,not,her se,a,son’s trial. I was particularly struck with the 
large, percentage of good doubles in the, beds of seedlings. 
Messrs. Blackmore and Langdon also make a, speciality of 
Carnations and Picotees, have raised several fine, new varieties, 
and have, done well on the exhibition boards. The stock 
looked remarkably healthy, which is more than can be said 
of many collections of these plants. 
C. L. 
Castanopsis Chrysophylla. —Dr. Masters showed fruiting 
specimens of this handsome Californian Chestnut at the meeting 
of the R.II.S. Scientific Committee on August 23rd. It lias the 
lower surface of the leaves of a golden yellow colour, and the 
bristles of the husk are of a rich purplish brown. The specimen 
was received from Mr. Lindsay, of Edinburgh. [This little tree 
or shrub is also fruiting on the rockery at Kew.-—E d.] 
