680 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 26, 1905. 
Supplementary Replies 
iBY OUR READERS 
To Answers in the “ G. W.” Enquire Within. 
Mildew on Roses, 
The most effectual cure for mildew on Roses 
(see page 650) out of doors that I know of is 
soft soap, two ounces to the gallon of water. 
The soap should not be boiled, but it is im¬ 
portant that it be thoroughly dissolved, xhis 
can be effected by pouring boiling water over 
it and stirring it briskly a few minutes. Rut 
a better plan is to place it in an old saucepan 
with water and allow 7 it to remain on a fire till 
it simmers. A pound of soap can thus be 
easily dissolved in half a gallon of water. A 
half-pint will then contain sufficient soap for a 
gallon ; or to put it in another way, one part 
of the soapsuds can be mixed with fifteen 
parts of water. The plants should be thoroughly 
drenched with a syringe two or three evenings 
within a week, and mildew, in whatever stage 
it may be, will generally be killed. This 
strength must not be used on young growth m 
spring before the flower buds are visible, or 
the shoots will be blind, but after the buds are 
as thick as a lead-pencil it will not harm them, 
nor should it be used when the buds are ex¬ 
panding, or it will make coloured ones pale. 
If the suds stand a day or two they will need 
stirring up from the bottom. Wm. Taylor. 
Apples Unhealthy. 
The description given points to exhaustion 
of nourishment. Badly nourished'trees invite 
attack from all kinds of fungoid diseases, 
which often fail to obtain a footing on those in 
better circumstances. While following the 
advice given attend also to the roots. . Early in 
September take out a trench at a distance of 
5ft., more or less according to the size of the 
tree, and 2ft. in depth. Remove the soil with 
fork and shovel towards the bole until the 
roots are laid bare for some distance, the 
longest and those which go down into the 
poorer subsoil may be shortened, and the 
remainder relaid in a mixture of good loam, 
two-thirds, the other third consisting of wood 
ashes and manure with a small proportion of 
lime rubble. If the soil is light and gets very 
dry in summer a top-dressing of 3m. of cow 
manure in March.will be of great benefit. 
China Asters in Pots. 
I presume your correspondent “A. B. R. 
wishes, for some reason, to grow his Asters 
in pots for conservatory work. Except for 
early or very late flowering this is not desir¬ 
able, as so many early-flowering Chrysanthe¬ 
mums can be had to take their place, and a 
better display for cutting or exhibition pur¬ 
poses can be obtained in the open border by 
covering with frame sashes at night and in 
rainy weather, from the time they begin to 
flower. If “ A. B. R.” is still bent on having 
his way, I assure him that by careful liberal 
treatment he can add interest and pleasure 
to his conservatory. Sowing the seed in the 
ordinary way, pricking out into boxes or a 
frame and potting into flowering pots (with¬ 
out any intermediate shift), one plant to a 
5-in. or three to a 6-in. or 7-in. pot, I have 
found to be very serviceable. After potting 
half plunge the pots in the open in coal ashes, 
and after active root, growth takes place 
water frequently with weak liquid manure 
or some good fertiliser, avoiding ammonia, 
trusting rather to potash as a stimulant. The 
best varieties for early work are Queen of the 
Market, White Mignonne, White Lady, Vic¬ 
toria, and Comet. Late Branching White, as 
its name implies, is a splendid late white 
variety. I have yet to discover prevention or 
cure for the fungus which often destroys a 
whole outside plantation, attacking the 
plants at all stages of growth at the ground 
line. It is then we wish we had some in pots, 
as pot culture does not seem congenial to its 
development.—J. B. 
Hydrangea hortensis. 
Very interesting are “A. J.’s” remarks in 
the “ G. W.,” August 19th, page 662, on the 
above subject. Here we are situated between 
twenty and thirty miles inland, and there¬ 
fore do not think the sea has any influence 
" whatever on the variation of blue and pink 
flowers produced on the same plant. I may 
also say the freak is not common in this 
locality. 
The-pi ants -in question were all wintered in 
cold frames, and potted on early in the spring. 
Xo peat was used for the operation ; leaf 
mould, loam and silver sand, with a sprink¬ 
ling of Chelsea horticultural manure, formed 
the mixture. Immediately the weather per¬ 
mitted they were stood in the open, and there 
allowed to remain till the flowers showed 
signs of colour, when they were removed to a 
cool greenhouse. The result was blue and 
pink flowers on the same plant. 
I do not think there are any traces of iron 
in the-soil, as I obtain my loam from “ down ” 
land, of which the subsoil at the depth of one 
foot is composed of pure chalk. 
I enclose two small trusses taken from the 
same plants for the Editor’s inspection; all 
the plants are in robust condition._ Wm 
Penton. 
[Idle specimens sent were remarkable for 
their vigour and the size of the leaves. The 
pink flowers were.very decided in colour, but 
the blue flowers were of various light shades 
of blue, though decided enough and pretty. 
The most intense blue we have seen in a 
Hydrangea was in the case of the blue H. 
hortensis rosea, normally bright rose, but 
frequently giving rise to intense blue flowers. 
—Ed.j 
The Showy Cone Flower. 
(Rudbeckia specioso). 
Of all the species of Cone flower in gar¬ 
dens none of them is more generally useful 
than R. speciosa, that being due to several 
qualities which it possesses. The flower 
heads are of large size, with rich golden- 
yellow rays and a brown button-like disc 
in the centre. The stems are usually 18 in. 
high, or when more vigorous they may be 
2 ft. It is also perfectly hardy and of the 
easiest cultivation, while it may be propa¬ 
gated to any extent simply by the division 
of the clumps after it has done flowering, or 
some time in March, when growth is just 
commencing. 
Each crown will make a flowering plant 
during the summer, and patches of any size 
or even beds may be made up of these 
little crowns. The more room that this plant 
has, the more freely it grows and multi¬ 
plies, so that cultivators will have no diffi¬ 
culty in getting all the stock they require. 
When this has been obtained, division every 
year is not a necessity, as the same clumps 
will continue to flower satisfactorily in the 
same positions for a number of years. It 
is difficult to imagine a more beautiful flower 
of this class than R. speciosa during July, 
August and September. 
SO/AE - - - 
NEW GARDEN PLANTS 
Which re ceived awards at the Meet¬ 
ing of the R.H.S. on I5th August. 
One of the most conspicuous and telling 
plants at the meeting of the R.H.S. on 15th 
August was Buddleia variabilis magnifica. 
The ordinary form of the shrub is a very 
vigorous grower, and for that reason, pro- 
ably, is liable to be cut down in winter in the 
case of severe frost, owing to the vigorous 
shoots not being properly ripened. Never¬ 
theless, the plant springs up again with re¬ 
newed vigour from the base in spring and 
flowers splendidly in the course of the sum¬ 
mer. The spikes of the variety under notice 
are 12 in. to 18 in. long. The flowers are 
larger than in the type and darker in colour, 
being an intense heliotrope-purple with an 
orange eye. The flowers are violet in the bud 
state, and when expanded they are fragrant. 
A first class certificate was accorded to this 
variety when shown by Messrs. J. Veitch and 
Sons, Limited. Chelsea, London. 
Amongst a wealth of hardy Gladioli, two 
new varieties were shown by Messrs. Kelway 
and Son, Langport, Somerset. The better of 
the two was that named Peace Envoy, being 
a very large creamy-white flower, changing to 
pure white when fully expanded, with a 
purple zone in the throat and six rays. 
Sometimes the lower segment has a large 
purple blotch on the middle. The other 
Gladiolus, named French Fleet, was a well- 
expanded bloom of salmon colour, closely 
flaked and shaded with scarlet. The two 
lower segments have a very large velvety- 
crimson blotch, giving the flower a distinctive 
appearance. An award of merit was accorded 
to each of the above. 
Cactus Dahlia William Marshall is a very 
large bloom with long, slender, regularly- 
curved florets, the edges of which are revolute 
at the sides, giving them a slender and grace¬ 
ful appearance. The colour is light buff-red, 
with the shorter florets in the centre clear 
yellow. Another Cactus Dahlia, named T. A. 
Havemeyer, is even larger, and of a deep 
crimson throughout. The florets are not of 
the same type as the jirevious one, because, 
although they are incurved, as well as rolled 
back at the edges, they are thickened above 
the middle and bent so as to produce a foot¬ 
like portion at the end of each floret. An 
award of merit was accorded each of the above 
Dahlias when shown by Messrs. Stredwick 
and Co., St. Leonard's. 
A beautiful greenhouse plant is Chironia 
exifera, about 12 in. to 15 in. high, bushy, 
branched, and nearly flat on the top. The 
flowers are very numerous, but disposed 
singly at the ends of each twiggy branch. 
They are about the size of a shilling, of a 
beautiful rose, with yellow anthers, and pro¬ 
duced in succession over a long period. At 
a little distance, the colour and shape of 
the flowers remind us of many of the Pinks. 
An award of merit was accorded it when 
shown by Messrs. H. Low and Co., Bush Hill 
Park, Enfield. 
A very richly-coloured Laeliocattleya was 
exhibited by Major Hoi ford, C.I.E., C.V.O. 
(gardener, Mr. H. G. Alexander), Weston- 
birt, Tetburv, Gloucestershire. This was 
named Lc. Berthe Fournier Westonbirt var. 
The sepals are of a uniform deep purple, 
while the petals are several shades darker 
and richer. The lip is orbicular, with a very 
wavy and crisped rich crimson-purple blade, 
and a dull buff-orange throat inside the tube. 
A first-class certificate was awarded it. 
