398 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 13, 1905. 
one of the most profitable Potatos grown in the east of Scot¬ 
land for the London market. The “ Maincrop does not yield, 
and never has yielded, so heavily as some varieties, but the 
quality is uniformly good. The “ Langworthv very closely 
resembles " Maincrop in these and other characteristics. 
Sutton's Early Regent and Sutton's Ringleader, both raised by 
Mr. Robert Fenn, have been widely grown for more than 
twenty years, and show little, if any, signs of deterioration. 
Sutton’s Discovery so- far has not shown any signs of deteriora¬ 
tion, no single case of a diseased tuber having yet been re¬ 
corded, so far as 1 am aware, in England. 
I have nevertheless no hesitation whatever in affirming that 
all who have had much experience in raising and introducing 
seedling Potatos know perfectly well that it is not a question 
whether Potatos do or do- not deteriorate; the great, question 
in introducing a seedling Potato is whether it possesses sucli a 
constitutional vigour as w r ill enable it to maintain its produc¬ 
tiveness and “ quality ” for a reasonable number of years. A 
Potato- seed-berry may contain from two to three hundred fer¬ 
tile seeds, and no two of these are likely to produce plants 
exactly identical, as great- variation will be seen in the shape 
of the tubers, the colour of the skin, the depth of the eyes, the 
colour of the flesh, the colour, form, character, and height of 
the foliage; the time of maturity, whether medium, early, or 
late; and the degree of productiveness. It is equally true that 
a similar variation exists as to the extent- to which the several 
seedlings will be able to- maintain their original productiveness 
and quality. Seedling Potatos- are not- as a rule put into com¬ 
merce until the fifth or sixth year; and it often happens that 
those which show the greatest promise in their second o-r third 
year have been entirely surpassed in the fifth or sixth year by 
seedlings which gave little or no promise in the first, second, or 
third year. I remember the case of three or four out of .a, 
large batch of seedlings which gave extraordinary promise, and 
these were grown on to- produce stock, but by the sixth year 
they had manifested such marked signs of deterioration that 
they were not- put into- commerce at all ; whereas others which 
showed little or no- promise at- the beginning became very 
popular varieties. 
Then as regards disease, many seedlings are very often quite 
free for four or five years, and in the sixth or seventh year 
succumb to- attack. If all this be true of seedling Potatos 
before they are distributed, it naturally follows to- a greater 
or less extent the same tendency to deteriorate will be seen 
during the years succeeding the introduction into commerce. 
Those who have facilities for raising and testing simultaneously 
several hundreds of seedlings can, nevertheless, form a fairly 
accurate opinion by the fifth, sixth, or seventh year as to 
which out of so many seedlings is most likely to maintain its 
original vigour for a period sufficiently long. Where a com¬ 
paratively small number of seedlings is raised year by year, 
it must in a great measure be guess-work as to what the future 
has in store for the seedlings. Undoubtedly pedigree in cro-ss- 
ino- is of great value, but- even when the Potatos raised are the 
result of distinct cross-fertilisation, very few of the seedlings 
will exhibit the distinctive characteristics of either parent, 
although the qualities of both may be combined in many of 
the seedlings. I am, of course, only speaking of Potato- crosses 
and Potato seedlings. 
On the other hand, a “ natural seedling," i.e., a Potato raised 
from the seed-berry of a plant without cross-fertilisation, will 
often bear a very close resemblance to its parent, in some 
cases so clo-se as to be scarcely distinguishable, but the- expe¬ 
rience of twenty-five or thirtv years would certainly lead me to 
say that such “natural seedlings” are far more likely to de¬ 
teriorate than tho-se obtained by cross-fertilisation. 
It must not be forgotten that it is extremely difficult to 
secure exactlv the parentage which Potato-raisers often desire, 
in the first place because many Potatos produce few, if any, 
flowers, and some others which do flower produce little or no 
pollen, and also where pollen is produced it may not be avail¬ 
able exactly at the right moment. But for these difficulties 
the judicious selection of parents mieht- have a still greater 
effect upon the seedling- Potatos introduced into commerce. 
(To be continued.') 
Acacias as Decorative Plants. 
The genus Acacia is a- large and varied one, and comprises 
some-of the- most beautiful trees and shrubs which it is possible 
to behold. I do not, however, intend to deal in this article 
with other than that section which is suitable for the embel¬ 
lishment of the greenhouse- or conservatory, for which purpose 
they are admirably adapted ; and yet, while this is so, I find 
-o-n taking a- retrospect of the past, that in all my experience I 
have ne-ver seen mo-re than a few isolated specimens in private 
establishments. Why is this? The reason seems hard to 
explain, for surely there is diversification enough to- please the 
most fastidious, both in habit, leaf, and flower; they are also 
inexpensive, easily grown, require veiy little fire-heat, and the 
flowering period extends from Christmas to the end of May. 
Acacias vary in height from 1 ft. to 20 ft., the dwarfer kinds 
making nice bushy plants suitable for arranging with other 
flowering or foliage plants, while some of the taller species 
form splendid tree-like- specimens, and if arranged so that they 
stand well above the other occupants -of the stage, have a- grand 
appearance; there are also- other varieties which a-re specially 
suited for clothing pillars, rafters, etc. The flowers are in 
small, fluffy balls, in racemes or panicles, and vary in colour 
from white to deepest orange-; there are also a few varieties 
which have pink or red flowers-, and which are for the most 
part exquisitely perfumed. 
None of the greenho-use varieties should be subjected to 
much fire-heat; in fact, they do not require it, and as long as 
the temperature is kept at a- few degrees above freezing in 
frosty weather they will be quite happy. They may be pro¬ 
pagated from cuttings o-r seed ; the former consists o-f the half- 
ripened growths made after pruning. These may be taken any 
time during the summer, but the earlier the better, care being 
taken to- secure a, heel with them, if possible. A bed should be- 
made up for them in the open, in the same way as for Carna¬ 
tion cuttings, the compost for which should consist of equal 
parts peat and sand, with ^ in. of clean sand on the surface. 
Make the whole fairly firm, and insert the cuttings as soon as 
made, taking care to- make each one firm with the- dibble-r; 
qive a good watering, and place the bell-gla-sses o-r handlights 
over them; carefully shade from bright sunshine, and dew 
them over with the syringe daily to prevent- flagging. When 
nicely rooted pot- off and keep close in a cold frame or house 
until established. 
Seeds may be obtained of most of the leading seedsmen at 
about- 6d. per packet. The above-mentioned compost will also- 
be suitable for the seed, taking care that- the pots are well 
drained, and when finished off the- seeds should be- about J in. 
below the surface. A temperature of 55 to- 60 deg. will be 
high enough in which to- raise them. Keep moist, and shade 
from sun until the seedlings appear, and when large enough to 
handle-, po-t off and keep close for a few days until they are 
thoroughly established. They should afterwards be gradually 
hardened off—a- remark which applies also- to cuttings. The 
compost for the final potting should be equal parts loam and 
peat, o-r loam and leaf-soil, with a liberal quantity of sand. 
After flowering they require rather hard pruning, following 
which they will be ready to go out- 0-f doors as soon as the 
weather permits, usually about- the end of May. As soon as 
they have restarted, those that require repotting should be 
attended to, afterwards placing the po-ts in full sunshine on a 
layer of ashes, a-nd moulding up with the same material to- keep 
the pots cooler. They will require no- further attention save 
watering and keeping clean until October, when they should 
be housed, giving them ample ventilation at all times. Ihe 
following is a list of a few of the- best varieties; but theie aie 
many others equally meritorious suitable for bush plants. 
Acacia cordata, A. obliqua (ovata), A. albicans, A. heteio- 
phylla, A. famesiana, A. lophantha, A. lophantha speciosa 
(pink, one of the finest), A. armata-, A. grandis, A. Drummoodi 
(very fine) A. pla-typte-ra A. Nemu (pink). Suitable foi tiee 
specimens-:—A. longifolia, A. lophantha, A. Drummo-ni, 
verticillata. Suitable for pillars:—A. ricea-na (resembling a 
Weeping: Willow, very handsome), A. Dealbata, A. Leprosa. 
1 * J Mimosa. 
