April 1, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
out to be real, and we may give this old writer t he benefit of 
the doubt until the contrary can be proved. Of the Feathered 
Hyacinth, two forms were figured, including the one which 
we know, and the other, having very much’ curled branches, 
must have been very different from that which we now culti¬ 
vate. 
The allied genus Omithogalum was fairly well represented 
l,y S ome of the best of the European and Asiatic species. We 
aie surprised, however, to find the great Star Flower of Arabia 
(O. arabicum) correctly described and figured. Notwith¬ 
standing its great beauty, it is by no means so> frequently cul¬ 
tivated at the present day as we should expect. The species 
of Scilla were also well represented in those days, as might be 
expected. 
Many a quaint remark is made by this enthusiastic gardener 
and apothecary in relation to many of the flowers which ho 
described in his “ Garden of Pleasant Flowers.” This may be 
illustrated by reference to the species of Allium which he 
named Moly or wild Garlick. The species known to him were 
so numerous that he selected only a few for his book, and they 
were such as had beauty of stateliness, form or colour, and 
-are accepted ot with the lovers of these delights.” Only the 
warden Garlick seemed to be strong enough for table use, and 
in describing their uses, he said the others merely furnished a 
garden of variety. 
A list of spring flowers would certainly not be complete were 
we to omit reference to the Fritillaries, which in those ancient 
times were named the Chequered Daffodil. Eight species were 
figured, and twelve of them described, including the common 
F. Meleagris and the Crown Imperial. In reference to the 
first of these, we may again refer to the delightful disregard of 
spelling which prevailed amongst early authors. Even Par¬ 
kinson could not refrain from spelling the common name in 
two different forms in the same small paragraph. In describ¬ 
ing the meaning of Meleagris, be said it had regard to the 
chequered character of the flowers resembling the feathers of 
the Ginny Hen. In the same paragraph lie spelt it Ginnie 
Hen. In reference to the uses of Fritillaries, he said they 
were merely “ ornaments for the gardens of the curious lovers 
of these delights, and to be worn of them abroad.” 
A reference to'.spring flowers would be incomplete if we over¬ 
looked the Saxifragas,, Wallflowers, Primroses, Polyanthuses, 
and Auriculas, or Bear’s Ears, but a. reference must suffice. 
Lilium Hansoni. 
(,See Supplement.) 
On this occasion, our remarks relate to a very handsome 
species of Lilium belonging to the section Martagon which has 
been described as by far the most striking and graceful form 
belonging to the section. This may or may not be a. matter 
of opinion, but only those who have seen a large clump of the 
plants progressing from the bud to' the fully expanded stage 
can fully appreciate the beauty and distinct appearance of the 
species. We well remember the impression it had upon us 
when first we saw it iff the half-expanded stage; and to' under¬ 
stand this, reference must be made to' the enormous thickness 
or texture of the segments of the flower. This prevents them 
from having the same form in the bud stage as other species 
have, belonging to the Martagon section, with thin segments. 
When the flowers have' about reached the full size ready for 
expansion, the great thickness of the six segments causes the 
buds to assume a nearly globular form, so* that at a little 
distance these drooping buds resemble yellow fruits rather 
than flowers. These flowers vary from four to twelve in 
number, being arranged in the form of an umbel, though really 
a short raceme. A large bed of plants is remarkably effective 
at any time after the buds are half grown until the flowers 
finally drop. When fully expanded they are of a rich reddish- 
orange spotted with crimson on the lower half. 
The stems grow about 3 ft. to' 1 ft. in height when planted in 
a bed or border amongst shrubs. The leaves are decidedly in 
whorls on the lower part of the stem, but. owing to' peculiarities 
267 
and irregularities of growth, some of the,, whorls !„;■ i, 
uiore or less broken up and scattered along tin- top ..i 
Usually the foliage is neater than that of the ordinal" ],. 
Martagon, which stands as the typo of the : i<• i , Imi 
from (lie lact that the leaves are whorled and tin- -■ "iw-i t 
tin' flowers reflexed there is no danger of confusing L. Han oi 
with any of the Martagons, so distinct and well marked i , 
even in the eyes of the casual beholder. 
It was unknown to science previous to 1860, when Mu i- 
mowicz discovered it in Japan. Consignments of hullo were 
sent to this countiy iii the winter of 1860-70, hut for -nine 
reason or other were not flowered for eight years afterwards. 
Probably the bulbs were in bad condition, as was quite po-.-ible 
in those days. Besides the lack of experience in packing on 
the part of the sender, the bulbs had to cross the Equator 
twice in order to reach this countiy, and that would readily 
explain why they should reach us in had condition. 
Given a peat bed or one in which a large quantity of peat 
or leaf-mould is incorporated, there is no difficulty in cultivat¬ 
ing this beautiful Japanese Lily. In the warmer and drier 
parts of the south, it is necessary to have the ground more or 
less shaded by means of shrubs, but the cultivator while plant¬ 
ing it amongst shrubbery must remember that the stems and 
foliage must be freely exposed to light while the ground is 
shaded, otherwise the growth of the plant will be injured or 
prevented by the lack of light as much as by any other neces¬ 
sary. The shrubs should therefore be pruned back if they 
encroach at all upon the space required by the Lily. Our 
illustration was prepared from a specimen given us by Messrs. 
T. S. Ware, Limited, Ware’s Nurseries, Feltham, Middlesex. 
The Variegation of Leaves. 
The disappearance of chlorophyll from places which it nor¬ 
mally occupies in leaves produces variegation which, when 
yellow, is regarded as resulting from organic weakness. Varie¬ 
gated plants are often more feeble than their congeners with 
green leaves. In most cases the origin of the variegation of 
leaves is unknown. It is regarded in general as being the 
result of some disease or a constitutional weakness of the 
plant. That is the view that has usually been held with regard 
to variegation. 
For the purpose of seeing how far that point was well 
founded M. Jules Burvenich made some cultural experiments 
which he publishes in the “ Bulletin du Cercle d’arboriculture 
de Belgique.” He sowed some seeds of Zea japonica foliis 
variegatis in very rich soil, well manured, and also in a sandy 
soil without manure; arriving at a threefold conclusion. The 
first was that rich manure had considerable influence upon 
the variegation of the variegated Maize. That was the residr 
of the experiments made last year. A poor soil hindered 
variegation from being produced on the seedlings of the 
variety just named. The third conclusion was that an ex¬ 
aggerated or excessively nourishing ingredient had an equal 
result in diminishing the production of variegated leaves. It 
would thus seem that the two experiments, excessively rich 
and excessively poor soil, had the effect of diminishing the 
amount of variegation which appeared in the leaves. 
M. Burvenich does not think that the experiments, so far, 
are definite with regard to other plants, and has decided to 
continue his trials. Those who would make experiments for 
themselves he counsels to select material for such experiments 
from many variegated plants which are propagated by means 
of seeds. He indicates such plants as Amarantus amabilis 
tricolor, Humulus japonicus fol. var., Lavatera arborea fob 
van, and others of that character. Plants multiplied by 
means of cuttings may also be employed, such as Pelargo¬ 
niums, Fuchsia, Abutilon, Malvastrum, Euonymus. Fury a, 
Veronica, Coprosma, and others of that kind. 
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