856 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 22, 1904. 
Potaxos AT THE- Ceystax Palace—A daily contemporary 
fathers the statement that the Crystal Palace covered Potatos 
worth £1,000.000 at the recent show. 
* * * 
A Large Cauliflower. —Mr. J. Smith, of Donington Road, 
Grantham, has had on view a remarkable Cauliflower, which 
measured 3 ft. 7 in. in girth, and without leaves weighed 13 lbs. 
* * * 
Gardeners Entertaining a Friend. On the occasion of 
Mr. W. Black, gardener to Sir R. Waldie Griffith, leaving 
Kelso for Hants, he was entertained by his friends at the 
Cross Keys Hotel on the 8th inst. 
* * * 
The Story of the Plants.— The opening lecture of a series 
entitled “The Story of the Plants,” arranged by Newport 
Technical Education Committee, was given at Blyth Hall, New¬ 
port, on the 11th inst., by Professor S. Macdougall. 
* * * 
Horticultural Lecturer to the Lancashire C.C.—Mr. J. J- 
Craven lias recently been appointed horticultural lecturer to the 
Lancashire County Council. Mr. Craven will be remembered as 
a successful Grape exhibitor at Shrewsbury Show a few years ago, 
when he had charge of the Allerton Priory Gardens, Liverpool. 
Since leaving there he ha® been in business in the south, and 
latterly as gardener in Cheshire. 
* * * 
Victoria Regia at Birmingham.— The plant of this queen 
of Water Lilies has been a great success in the Botanical 
Gardens at Birmingham this year, but it is reported that the 
visitors have ruined the fine leaves by using them as trays 
for cigarette ends and spent matches. This is a new phase of 
-the usual foolish practice of trying the strength of the leaves 
by pushing the point of an umbrella through them. 
Fatal Acorns. —Mr. Yates, the Cheshire Coroner, held an 
inquest at Wilmslow on the 11th inst., touching the death of a 
schoolboy named Percival, the son of a local tradesman. The 
father stated that his boy came home from school complaining 
of a pain in the stomach, and he died unexpectedly in the night. 
He afterwards learned that the deceased had been eating acorns. 
Dr. Finney, who had made a post-mortem, said he found a 
perforation and appendicitis, and this had probably been set 
up by the acorn-eating. The jury returned a verdict in accord¬ 
ance with the medical evidence. The Coroner said he hoped 
the case would be a warning to other children. 
* * * 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
The Editor invites enquiries jor reply in this column. These 
enquiries may cover any branch of gardening. Questions should be put 
as briefly as possible, and written on one side of the paper only; a 
separate sheet of paper should be used for each question. 
Readers are also invited to give their fellow gardeners the benefit 
of their experience by sending supplementary replies. 
Replies cannot be sent by post, even if a stamped, addressed 
envelope is enclosed, and the return of specimens cannot be undertaken. 
Anonymous communications are treated in the usual editorial manner. 
Address letters: The Editor, "The Gardening World,” 37 and 
38, Shoe Lane, London, E.C. 
Hardy Flowering Shrubs. 
Could you suggest, through your valuable paper, one or two 
names of the best hardy flowering shrubs to bloom in or about 
August ? It is for competition, and for myself I think Hydrangea 
paniculata about the best for pot culture, so if you could suggest 
one or two suitable I should feel obliged. They do not need to be 
evergreen. I saw the names of a good few in the “ G.W.” lately, 
but they were too many to pick from. (W. Y. Bryson.) 
Hardy flowering shrubs are rather scarce in August, but a few 
of the later ones would no doubt come in at the proper time with 
you owing to the different latitude. You mention a Hydrangea, 
which answers admirably, but we should advise you to be sure 
that you have the best form—namely, H. paniculata grandiflora. 
Several of the Spiraeas flower rather late, and a considerable 
number of them can be so treated in spring as to make them 
flower later than they would otherwise do. This is a matter for 
experiment, however. The best plan would be' to' get several of 
the varieties of S. japonioa and cut' some' of them down rather 
severely in March, while' the others might be left in the natural 
form. Tire cutting back has the effect of making them flower in 
August and September in the south, but your latitude might not 
necessitates this treatment. For instance, you might have a few 
plants of Spiraea japonica Anthony Waterer. Several other 
varieties are also good, including the white one, S. j. alba, which 
naturally flowers late, and is very dwarf. It would also afford 
variety if you were to get S. discolor, best known in gardens as 
S. ariaefolia. We could name' various others, though we think 
the above three would be sufficient to make a trial. A splendid 
evergreen shrub is Olearia. Haastii, which flowers in July and 
August. 
Trays for Chrysanthemums. 
Will you let me know the size of trays for showing one dozen 
blooms of incurved and Japanese Chrysanthemums, separate 
dozens; also the size for nine 1 of each variety, the eighteen to be 
shown together P (J. M.) 
We should advise' you to use regular sizes of travs, because you 
can always put two of them together when necessary, whether 
they are of the' same size or different. The only regulation that 
you must observe is to have the blooms all at regular distances 
apart. For Japanese blooms the' distance from hole- to hole must 
be 7 in., measuring from the centre of each hole 1 . A box to hold 
twelve blooms would be 28 in. long ■'■nd 21 in. wide. A box to 
hold six blooms would be 14 in. from left to right, and from back 
to front it would be 21 in. A tray for three blooms would be 
7 in. from left to right, and 21 in. from back to' front. You thus 
see that by using regular sizes’, boxes for twelve, six, and three 
blooms could be put together in any combination desired, or used 
for exhibiting either number separately. There would be 31 in. 
from the centre of the hole to the edge of the tray, and 7 in. 
between every two' blooms in either direction of the tray. Oil the 
same principle you can make trays suitable for incurved Chrysan¬ 
themums, allowing 3 in. from the edge of the box to the centre 
of the first hole, and 6 in. between'every or any other two. For 
incurved Chrysanthemums' you will find that a. box 24 in. long and 
18 in. wide will hold a dozen blooms. You can calculate all other 
sizes in the same manner. The back of the box must be higher 
than the front, so that' it' must have legs to support it along the 
back. 
Fern Specialists. 
Could you suggest the names of any other Fern specialist than 
J. and W. Birkenhead and Stansfield? I have tried both these 
firms for two dwarf British Ferns, and cannot get them. (W. Y. 
Bryson.) 
Most of the British Fern specialists at the present day are 
amateurs, the business in that class of plants not being sufficient 
to tempt nurserymen to undertake them. You might, however, 
try Charles T. Druery, Esq., F.L.S., Shaa Road, Acton, London, 
W., or Mr. C. B. Green, 11, Myrtle Road, Acton, London, W., 
who have good collections of British Ferns, and would possibly 
be able to assist you. 
Lobelia Queen Victoria. 
Will you kindly inform me, in Saturday’s number of The 
Gardening World, how to successfully treat Lobelia Queen 
Victoria in winter? We are obliged to lift it every autumn in 
this country. I have adopted the plan of planting in boxes, 
and a great many roots die in winter. Will you kindly ex¬ 
plain the best way to keep and store the above, and much 
oblige? (Lobelia C. Queen Victoria.) 
It is just possible that you keep the crowns of this plant 
too dry in winter, and at the same time too warm. In a state 
of nature we believe that Lobelias of this class are practically 
bog plants, and therefore require a continuous supply of mois¬ 
ture at all times of the year, though in winter it is only neces¬ 
sary that the soil should simply remain damp. We should 
imagine that the boxes are too liable to get dry through the 
idea that they must not be watered in winter. If you could 
construct a frame in a sheltered position near a wall or green¬ 
house you could keep the Lobelia in this without trouble. The 
plan is to put 4 in. or 6 in. of soil in the frame, and plant out 
the crowns as soon as they are lifted in autumn. This has been 
successfully done near London, and in your situation the 
climate should be quite as mild. In very severe weather some 
mats or dry bracken might be placed over the frame, but this 
should be removed as soon as the severe frost goes, so that the 
