March 18. 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Seaweed as Food. —The late Sir .James Murray, M.D., of 
Dublin, had a high opinion of certain seaweeds as food, because 
the food was full of iodine, making it useful for such complaints 
as rheumatism and throat ailments. The seaweed referred to 
was Laver (Ulva), also termed Sloke in Ireland. It is also con¬ 
sidered tasty in company with roast beef. 
•ir dfe Hr 
Flower. Crob Destruction at Nice.— About the beginning of 
January a severe frost occurred, doing great damage to grow- 
in.' crops in and around Nice. It is new estimated that the 
dam aw was over two million francs, about 1.054,590 fir. 
worth of damage being done to the flower crops. The rest of 
the loss entailed consisted of fruit, vegetables, and other plants. 
•* * * 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
The Editor invites enquiries for reply "lumn. Thes‘ 
enquiries may cover any branch oj ya'dening. Question! should be r„,i 
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 
enveope 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. 
Scarcity of Onions.— Lor some years past onions were pro¬ 
curable at the rate of 3 lbs. for a Id. Quite recently 1 lb. cost 
■ 3d., that now being minced to 2J>d. a lb. The previous cheap¬ 
ness of onions was due to the fact that we obtained enormous 
supplies from Holland and Belgium, but it seems that the 
supply has fallen off because the growers there can gel heller 
prices from the Germans for pickling purposes. 
* * * 
Cai.ifornian Bio Trees. —The Senate of the United States, 
sitting at Washington on the 3rd inst., passed a joint resolu¬ 
tion accepting California’s recession of the Yosemite Valley as 
an addition to the Yosemite National Dark. The big trees are 
now, therefore, under Government protection, for which all 
tree lovers will be thankful, as the world’s giants will thus be 
preserved as lung as they can stand. 
Hj * -ii- * 
Crossing Sweet IT, as.— Mr Percy Wate-rer, the president of 
the Sweet Pea Society, has been giving one of his chief favourites 
a considerable amount of attention for the purpose of raising 
new varieties by crossing desirable kinds, while, excluding 
insects which would stultify bis endeavours. In the early stage 
of the flower he carefully removes the five petals of the corolla 
and then removes the anthers. This flower he covers up with a 
paper bag so as to exclude insects. It is left in this condition 
for two days, after which it is pollinated. In the meantime tlie- 
other parent selected is covered in a similar way to prevent the 
access of insects. After pollination the flowers are again covered 
up. * * 
Linaria Cymbalaria globosa.— The creeping, trailing, or 
hanging character of the common Ivy-leaved Toad Flax, accord¬ 
ing to its situation or habitat, is well known. A new variety and 
distinct is recorded by “ Moller’s Deutsche Gartner Zeitung ” 
under the- above headinsj, and differs entirely from the type in 
its habit and growth. The plant has short stems, and forms a 
globular ball so that it may be conveniently used in carpet- 
bedding designs, where .its individual characteristics would 
stand out in contrast to the dwarf plants which may form the 
groundwork of the design. In the making of panels or bosses 
in complicated carpet-bedding designs this new variety could 
be employed to advantage on account of its outline and remark¬ 
ably easy cultivation. 
Potatos in the Past. —There is much in the Potato boom 
that counts for good. Up to recent times the Potato roused 
no interest, except in the few. Its vast importance was ad¬ 
mitted in a languid sort of way, but never really thought about 
—never vividly and powerfuly realised. People ate Potatos with¬ 
out thinking whether they were good or bad. They grew Potat-os 
without reflecting. They suffered uncomplainingly from abomin¬ 
able cookery, and sustained, losses from disease without a mur¬ 
mur. Probably, if pressed, they would have conveyed a vague 
impression that bad cookery and Potato disease were a part 
of the divine order of things, and must be tolerated in a meek 
and chastened spirit.— Walter P. Wright, in the “ Lincoln¬ 
shire, Boston, and Spalding Free Press.” 
* * * 
Purchasing Fruit Trees. —A nurseryman of Limerick re¬ 
cently accused the Department of Agriculture of having im¬ 
ported thousands of fruit trees from France, regardless of their 
suitability, and merely because they were cheap. An official 
of the Department denies the statement, but said that the fruit 
tiees were simply purchased by the county committees, and. 
provided they were certified to be sound and suitable, the in¬ 
structor of agriculture would not interfere. It would seem that 
trees infested with disease have been imported into Ireland, 
and this having come to the knowledge of the Department, it 
1S V, he l r ) n ^ en ^ 10n invite tenders from nurserymen, and to 
su nut the trees to examination to see whether they are free 
tiom disease before purchase is made. 
Green Carnation. 
A story is going the round of the. papers thal a Carnation 
grower lias succeeded in raising a given one after sum • \. n- 
experiments. Is there any chance of this being fme ? (I). \\ . I > i 
I here is no reason why there should not be a green Carnal i n 
any more than in the case of Chrysanthemums, Dahlias, .-md 
Hoses. Green flowers have been produced by all of these, and 
take place by what is termed reversion. The coloured petals 
are replaced by what are practically given leaves, su that in 
this instance the flower has given rise to ;£ degenerate form <u- 
variety. This usually occurs from seeds rather than by sporting. 
There is what is known as Wheatear Carnation, in ’which lie 
flowers are replaced by green bracts. There is also the chance 
that the flowers mentioned did not grow in that colour naturallv. 
but. were dyed by means of aniline. This is a trick frequentlv 
carried out by florists in this country. According to Richard 
Bradley, a green Carnation existed 200 years ago,'’although w. 
do not agree with him as to the method by which it was produo I. 
Fuddling a Pond. 
We wish to make a small pond to grow Water Lilies and other 
water plants. How can it be treated to make it hold water l 
The subsoil is rather gravelly. (T. B. J.) 
After taking out the soil to the intended depth, w hich should 
at least be not less than 3 ft,, a quantity of good unctuous clav 
should be prepared by breaking it down and mixing it with water 
until it has acquired the proper workable consistency. This 
might then be placed over the bottom of the pond to a depth 
of 9 in. or 12 in. This might be laid down in two layers, in 
order that the first may be beaten down with a proper stamping 
tool before the other is placed over it. The clay might then be 
allowed to settle for a few days, when it could be covered over 
with fine gravel to conceal the clay at least towards the edges 
of the pond. While puddling the pond you must not forget to 
apply the clay to the sides in the same way, otherwise the water 
will percolate through the banks. Sometimes a layer of cement 
is placed over the clay, but, owing to the subsequent subsiding 
of the clay, the cement is liable to crack, becoming, therefore, 
useless. Another plan could be made even more effective, 
although somewhat more expensive. This would consist in 
placing a layer of concrete all over the bottom and sides of the 
pond, and then cover it with a smooth layer of cement, after tIn¬ 
concrete has been allowed to settle and become dry and solid. 
There will then be no fear of the cement cracking. 
Snowdrops Discoloured. 
I enclose some Snowdrops, trusting you will let me know the 
cause of their being discoloured through The Gardening World. 
Thanking you for past favours. (David Rodger.) 
If the Snowdrops have been grown under glass: we suspect 
that you have subjected them to too high a temperature, or that 
there has been an escape of sulphur fumes from the heating 
apparatus. There is no evidence of disease in the flowers, so 
that the yellow colour is evidently due to one Qr other of the 
causes we have described. Snowdrops are very impatient of 
forcing, as they are accustomed to low temperatures .luring the 
flowering period. You do not say whether they are grown under 
glass or taken from the open. If they were grown in the open 
they must either have come through great depth of soil or there 
is an absence of some necessary constituent in the soil. Snow¬ 
drops are subject to some fungoid diseases, but there is no 
evidence of this in the blooms you send. 
Coleus Thyrsoideus. 
What is the best method of propagating Coleus thyrsoideus so 
as to gel bushy plants ? (C. R.) 
The plants produce seeds, and we believe these would be 
obtainable from seedsmen. It is equally free of growth when 
raised from cuttings, and you can make certain of bushy plants 
by stopping the rcoted cuttings once or twice during the process 
