October 1, 1904. 
The Gardening World 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK : 
“ Such are Daffodils with the green, world they live in.”— Keats. 
Weekly Prize 
FOR 
Short Articles. 
The Proprietors of The Gardening World 
will give a cash prize of Ten Shillings for 
THE BEST PARAGRAPH, Or SHORT ARTICLE, Sent 
by readers during the week. The Editor’s 
judgment must be considered final, and he will 
be at liberty to use any of the contributions 
sent in. The paragraph, or article, must not 
exceed one column in length, but the value, 
rather than the length, of the article will be 
considered in making the award. Competitors 
may send in items of news or comments on 
news; hints of practical interest to gar¬ 
deners or growers of plants, fruits, or flowers; 
successful methods of propagating plants 
usually considered difficult; or contributions 
ON ANY SUBJECT COMING WITHIN THE SPHERE 
of gardening proper. Letters should be 
addressed to The Editor, marked “ Competi¬ 
tion, ’’ anG posted not later than Friday night 
to ensure insertion in the issue of next week. 
The following Coloured 
Plates have appeared in s 
recent numbers :— s 
July 4 —aphelandra aurantiaca !; 
ROEZLII. 
August 1.—BORONIA HETEROPHYLLA. 
September 12.—SIX NEW DAFFODILS. 
October 3 — LILIUM AURATUM PLA- 
TYPHYLLUM SHIRLEY VAR. 
Novembei 14.—ROSE MME. N. LEVA- 
VASSEUR. 
January 2.—HYBRID TEA-SCENTED 
ROSE IRENE. 
January 30. — TUBEROUS BEGONIA 
COUNTESS OF WARWICK. 
February 27-—A FINE STRAIN OF 
GLOXINIAS. 
April 2. — WISTARIA MULTIJUGA 
RUSSELLIAN A. 
May 7 —CACTUS DAHLIA DAINTY. 
June 4.—CACTUS DAHLIA SPITFIRE. 
July 16 —ROSE LADY BATTERSEA. 
Back numbers may be obtained from the 
publishers, price 2Jd. post free. 
This week we present a Coloured 
Plate of 
GEUM HELDREICHI SUPERBUM. 
Next week we shall give a Half-tone 
Plate of 
NEW CONSERVATORY AT OAK HILL. 
The prize last week in the Readers’ 
Competition was awarded to “H. H,,” 
for his article on Tree Carnations,” 
p. 762. 
Views and Reviews. 
Some New Bulbs. 
Most gardeners, and other cultivates, like 
bo add something new bo their collections 
annually—not that the old plants cease to 
be useful or interesting, but because some¬ 
thing better, larger, or improved in some way 
has been raised by the hybridist or intro¬ 
duced from abroad. Some bulbs in cultivar 
tion in this country, perhaps three centuries 
ago or more, still maintain an interest, not 
to say more, for modem cultivators ) but 
we think the same difficulties, and the same 
triumphs in overcoming them, remain for 
tire cultivate in growing them, successfully, 
as was the case in those olden time®. Other 
bulbs there are which always have been diffi¬ 
cult to cultivate in thisi country, and possibly 
those difficulties may continue for years to 
oomei, or may even be insurmountable in the 
case of those bulbs that, are not quite hardy 
in this country. There are bulbs, however, 
which have been introduced and reintro¬ 
duced without ever becoming fairly estab¬ 
lished in this country, notwithstanding their 
beauty, interest, and relative hardiness. 
This, in our opinion, points to the fact 
that cultivators have .still something to learn, 
something to accomplish or master, thereby 
proving that they have made some advance 
upon their ancestors. It is insufficient to 
merely say that such and such bulbs are 
unfitted for culture in this country, if the 
difficulty is one that can be surmounted by 
scientific means, or, in other words, by a 
knowledge of the requirements of such bulbs 
under artificial conditions. 
We have ample evidence in many kind® 
of plants other than bulbs, that in a wild 
state the root system, .and possibly other 
parts of the plants, are in a. highly specialised 
or even highly modified condition. This 
state of mat ters is usually explainable by the 
fact that they have grown under the same 
conditions and amidst the same surroundings 
for long periods of time, so. long, in fact, that 
it would be hazardous to name the number of 
years in figures.' We cannot, then, be sur¬ 
prised if these bulbs', like other plants, have 
become so modified by the conditions under 
which they live in a wild state that their 
cultivation in gardens should be difficult. 
In view of the. above statement and sug¬ 
gestions, we may instance many species of 
Liliums, Dog-tooth Violas, Cal.ocho.rtus, 
Tulips, Brodiaeas, Criminis, and other bulbs, 
many of which have always presented a 
difficulty in their cultivation in British 
gardens. It may be that many of these are 
quite hardy in this country, and are’only 
waiting the discovery of the conditions under 
which they may be successfully grown in 
the open ’by British cultivators. Some of 
these methods may y ; et bei discovered either 
by direct experiment or accidentally. In 
any case we cannot help, thinking that many 
beautiful species belonging to the above 
genera arei capable of being successfully 
grown, flowered and perpetuated in this 
country if suitable conditions! can be found 
for them. This might he in the matter of 
shelter, drainage, composition of the soil, or 
something that can be added 'to the soil by 
artificial means. 
We already know that, many plants in a 
wild state live in company with lower or¬ 
ganisms, the connection between Them being 
termed symbiosis. It may well be that 
many of the bulbs which have hitherto been 
difficult to cultivate for any lengthened period 
in the open, air may require the assistance 
of some of these lower organisms, which 
may be present, in the soils of their native 
habitats. As far as. hardiness is concerned, 
we know that much can be accomplished 
with large bulbs by planting 'them deeply. 
Those cultivators who have already suc¬ 
ceeded with Crinum Powelli plant the bulbs 
so deeply that they are quite out of the 
reach of frost, in the average of winters ait 
least. Bulbs that can. be planted 3 ft. below 
the surface might well be frozen occasionally 
without being injured by frost., because they 
would have time’ to thaw gradually without 
contact with the fluctuations of the atmos¬ 
phere. 
Most of the Daffodils are of the easiest 
culture except a. few of the rarer and little- 
known species, so that the amateur as well 
■as the professional has no. difficulty in keep¬ 
ing his garden ga.y with them. There re- 
mains, therefore, the work of gradually .sup¬ 
planting all the older and inferior ones which 
have been superseded by newer, larger and 
finer flowers of better texture. Few of the 
Daffodils in themselves are unworthy of 
cultivation, but they are outflanked by a 
wbolei hoist of hybrids and varieties capable 
of embellishing the gardens and grounds of 
private estates and public parks as they 
have never been before. In face of these 
facts, there is ample excuse and even heed, 
therefore, for acquiring some of the novelties 
