844 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 22, 1904. 
tions, giving rise to many beautiful flowers of as fine a quality 
as could be found amongst the other colours. Some beds were 
devoted to salmon, and salmon-pink shades, amongst' which we 
noted a, considerable number of soft and pleasing shades. 
Singles are grown in by far the largest numbers, because 
more popular for bedding purposes than the doubles, and much 
more likely to carry their flowers erect whether the weather is 
dry or wet. The selection indoors practically conform to those 
outside, and the' single® have been planted in fifteen colours. 
Ten beds! were devoted to rosy-red, which were very true to 
colour. Owing to the large number of plants when, put out in 
June, they had to bei planted rather thickly, with the result, 
that the beds; were packed! so full with flowers and leave® that 
the same quantity might well have served to cover twice the 
extent of ground, at least after the middle of August. In 
examining the bronzy strain,, the shades of this colour were 
plentiful, and the leave® notable for their rich dark green 
colour. 
A very telling colour is rose, and as the plants 1 are uniform 
in colour and very florifercus, ten beds had been, planted to 
meet the requirements 1 for bedding purposes. Six bedsi were 
devoted to the orange strain, which contained many fine varie¬ 
ties with large circular flowers of a peculiarly rich colour. 
Some beds: were devoted to a, fancy strain, and here we noted 
scarlet, carmine and crimson flowers with a large white centre, 
while others' were mottled, marbled or shaded. The magenta 
strain is very distinct in. its way, and looks as if tinted with 
blue. Appier blossom is thei name given to a strain, with rosy- 
pink and white flowersi of good shape. Soane, people have a 
fancy for striped flowers, and here we noted a decided break 
in this respect, the flowers being flaked with scarlet and rose. 
The salmonrpink strain consists of shades corresponding to, 
that name, and find many admirers on account of the delicacy 
of colour. The leaves are of a light green,, a® if conforming 
to the pale hue of the flowers. 
Eighteen beds were devoted to thei crimsons, a, very popular 
.colour and remarkably uniform, while the plants are very flor- 
iferous. It, is much ini demand for bedding purposes. Of 
yellows there were nine beds of a' wonderfully uniform hue. 
Another shade that find's many admirers is pink. Seventeen 
beds are devoted to this, and we may describe the flowers as 
rosy-pink and the plants very vigorous. Salmon isi also- a fine 
strain of recent origin, and fifteen beds were devoted to' it. 
Very uniform and effective were the fourteen bedsi devoted to' 
white. The light, green, foliage is. notable like almost all the 
others here for belonging to the broad-leaved type of Begonia, 
of which B. Veitchi was the original. Scarlet is evidently the 
most popular of all, for twenty-four bed's were devoted to. it, 
and well deserved that, prominence. The shapely flowers, pro¬ 
duced in great abundance, were of a, bright orange-scarlet, re¬ 
calling the zonal Pelargoniums, and this strain might very well 
be used as a substitute for Pelargoniums in the flower garden. 
Curly Kale in Architecture.— For years past many writers 
have been inducing us to believe that the famous Corinthian 
capital was copied from the leaf of Acanthus mollis. Others 
were as positive that it was cojried from the leaf of the Globe 
Artichoke. Now they say that the handsome capital of a pillar 
of Melrose Abbey, now a famous ruin, was adorned exclusively 
with the chiselled presentments of Curly Kale. 
* * * 
Potato Up-to-Date. —It cannot all be true that is said about 
this variety of Potato. One writer says that £12,000,000 has 
been made from this variety alone since its introduction a few 
years ago, and for that reason farmers keep on growing it, not¬ 
withstanding the fact that it is well-nigh worn out. Questions 
that might be asked are: What, is meant by a few years and 
what is the life of a Potato when expressed in figures? We 
saw a dish of the old Scotch Blue Potato, a kidney variety, at 
the Edinburgh Show last month. This was in its prime before 
the advent of the Potato disease in 1845. If Up-to-Date is 
already outworn, how long will the new varieties last that have 
been so severely subjected to express multiplication or propa¬ 
gation ? irr 
Notes on the Illustrations in this Issue. 
Haemanthus multiflorus. 
Some of the oldest, introductions of the species of Haeman- 
tlms, are amongst, the most beautiful, but for some reason or 
other they disappear more or less from cultivation for a time, 
and then turn up again. The stovei species are amongst the 
most beautiful, and it may account for the varying fortune® of 
this beautiful race of African, bulbs that they require more heat 
than subjects which can be turned out in. the open, garden to 
take care of themselves. The above species was first described 
by 4 at let in his Jardin du Roi, in 1608, but since, then 
several botanists have described the. same, or very similar 
forms' of the same specie® under different names. One of the 
best, known in gardens is H. Kalbreyeri, and that is the only 
one w ith which we shall trouble our readers, as synonyms are 
difficult to remember. 
In its native country it, enjoys a. veiy wide distribution, in 
tropical Africa, extending from Abyssinia as far south as 
Delagoa Bay. Wei noted it in the nursery of Messrs. J. Veitcli 
and Son®;, Limited, Chelsea., on April 15th last, when in. full 
bloom., as shown in, our illustration taken in that nursery. 
Some of thei species of Haemanthus; are deciduous, while others 
are evergreen.. Some of them push up their flower scape®, in 
advance of the leaves', which some would consider a. defect, 
notwithstanding- the beauty of the flowers. That under notice 
would take, an intermediate position, as the leaves and flowers 
_ push up, at the same time, though the flowers, come into, bloom 
before the leaves are fully expanded. The latter have, an 
oblong blade 6 in. to 12 in, long, with short sheathing leaf¬ 
stalks. 
The flower-stalks are somewhat peculiar in this instance as 
in. several other species of the genus, inasmuch as they arise 
from the bulb quite separately from the crown of three or four 
leaves. We meet with similar instances amongst the Amaryllis, 
The flowers of Haemanthus are produced in an, umbel which 
varies greatly according to colour and the number of the 
flowers. In this instance,, the spathe consists of six to eight 
r alve®, which reflex as 1 the flowers develop. The, latter are very 
numerous, and when, in full bloom form a. globular mass. The 
segments of these flowers, are very narrow, as may be, seen by 
reference to. the illustration, but, they are, rosy-scarlet, spread¬ 
ing, and 1 in. long or slightly more. The stamens number six 
to each flower, so. that in the aggregate they are very numerous 
and constitute not, the least ornamental part of the, flower, as 
they are scarlet and 1J in. to' 14 in. long, and surmounted by 
the small yellow anthers. Our illustration represents every¬ 
thing we have described with the exception of the bulb, so that 
it will give, a, fair conception of a. plant of this species when in 
full bloom, and we consider it so. highly ornamental that we 
are surprised bulbs of this class, are not- more frequently 
grown for the embellishment of the, stove during winter and 
spring. 
Iris sieheana. 
The above bulbous Iris, belonging to the Juno section, has 
been, recently given, this name by Mr. R. Irwin Lynch, of the 
Cambridge, Botanic, Garden. For the past year or two. it has 
been knocking about ini gardens under the name of I. Hauss- 
knechtii, a name, which was given to; it by Siehe himself, the 
collector, in, 1901. It has also been named I. persica magna 
in garden®, and the author admits that it presents a very close 
resemblance to, I. persica, purpurea,, but that the wings of the 
falls are, much more, obtuse, and the lip less rounded. All of 
this, we admit, is perfectly correct, but, Sir Michael Foster, in 
his book on " Bulbous Irises,” give® a drawing of I. persica 
and I. p. purpurea,, in which lie, shows that the latter possesses 
these characters just described as applicable to I. sieheana. In 
smaller particulars, it, may be different, and in our opinion the 
colour is different from that given in the description of I. p. 
purpurea. The difference in this respect may be more 
apparent than real, as authors vary in their description of 
colours, 
