432 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
May 27, 1905. 
The frame is built- of brick, and stands 39 in. high at back 
and 21 in. in front. It was Tiled with mild fermenting 
materials in spring, on which half hardy annuals were raised. 
The' "lass having been shaded (an important- point), the seed- 
pan was placed in this- frame- with a little air on at back. At 
the first signs of germination the pane of glass was slightly 
raised, and more so- after a- few days, but not finally removed 
till the seedlings were in the “ rough leaf. Water was applied 
by dipping the pan in a- water-tank. In due course the seed¬ 
lings were" pricked off into other pans-, using the same compost 
as before, and also when the plants were potted off into 3-m. 
pots. When potted into 5-in. pots, a rougher and rather richer 
soil was used, some cowdung and wood ashes being introduced. 
In February they received their final shift into 7-in. pots, 
the so-il being the same as at the previous potting, with the 
addition of some bone-meal and a dash of soot. At this stage 
a portion of the old fennenting material had to be removed 
to o-ive the necessary head room. During the winter months 
sin ,r le mats were put on at night, double mats being used m 
hard weather, and on two occasions they remained on day and 
night for several days'. . 
We had as much as 18 degrees of frost on one occasion, and 
the double mat-s were the only protection afforded. In the 
case of severe weather it would be advisable t-o throw some 
wheat-straw or other loo-se litter o-ver the frame. A sufficiency 
of water, air, and shade are the three essentials in Calceolaria 
culture The result of this method of cultivation is a well- 
flowered, compact batch of plants that have never needed nor 
had even a smell of nicotine in any form. C. 
The Sour Cherry (Prunus acida) 
Prunus acida belongs to- the Cera-sus- or Cherry group of the 
o-enus, and together with its varieties forms a set- of exceedingly 
useful subjects. Being a tree of neat- and slow growth, and 
withal very free flowering, it is suitable for the margin of a 
lawn, a dot plant in a group of low-growing shrubs, or other 
similar place. It is a European species, and m time forms a 
tree 30 ft. to 40 ft. high. It is a, very free bloomer, the-in¬ 
dividual blooms being somewhat small. Some of the varieties, 
such as dumosa, humilis, M-orasca, and umbracuhfera form 
dwarf, compact-headed trees that can be kept a-t a height of 
5 ft, or 6 ft with a little pruning and blossom well when less 
than half that height. When in full bloom in May these minia¬ 
ture trees make .very pretty objects, every branch being laden 
with snow-white flowers. Another variety of P. acida of con¬ 
siderable- merit is P. a. semperflorens, the “ All Saints- Cherry. 
This is of more free growth than the others, and is peculiar >} 
reason of the- flowers being borne throughout the greater part- 
of the summer. The fruits o-f this are borne freely, and are 
bright red and very. acid. w - ' 
A Fringed Marechal Niel Rose. 
Marechal Niel, like other Roses, is liable to sport, occa¬ 
sionally, but this consists chiefly in colour. A sport of quite 
another kind lias turned up on a- large plant grown by air. 
H. J. Sheppy, Crescent Gardens, Bath. From this tree lie 
picked eight dozen blooms of the ordinary type, but one bloom 
of "ood form and colour, was notable in having every petal 
more or less deeply crenate, or fringed, as occurs in some 
varieties of tuberous Begonia, or as in tlie Carnation. He 
intends to perpetuate this sport by means of grafting or bud¬ 
ding and, if so, it will add another to the varieties of Marechal 
Niel’already in cultivation. Some local rosarians declare it 
to be a freak, and if Mr. Sheppy fails to reproduce the sport 
in the budded plants, gardeners will then place- it in the cate- 
o-oiy of a freak, or something out of the usual character, which 
may not appear again. No doubt many rosarians will hope 
that the sport can be perpetuated. A photograph of tlie bloom 
was sent us, and showed us all that lie claimed the- flower to- 
be. An account of this Rose also appeared in the “ Morning 
Leader, ’ and in the “Bath Herald.” 
Everlasting Pea Propagation. 
The Everlasting Pea and its varieties are among the most 
useful and beautiful of garden plants. As a rule, we see them 
tied into bundles in the garden, with little thought or care 
bestowed upon ‘them. If planted on a bank and allowed to 
trail just where they would, the sight is not only beautiful 
in itself, hut the great quantity of flowers will be found most 
useful. The Everlasting Pea is as effective as a trailing plant, 
and possibly more so when well placed, as it is when treated 
as a climber. By planting it rather thinly at the foot of a 
Laurel or Conifer hedge, of partition, a sort- of floral fence 
would be created that would prove very attractive. At an" 
rate, the plant is well suited naturally for these latter condi¬ 
tions, and with material to- cling to will give no- trouble in 
training beyond the starting, when care should be taken to 
thinly train out the stems, and thus ensure uniform growth. 
Such a position, planted with the best forms, would show the 
full value of the plant, though it is not a simple matter to 
get a large enough stock in every garden. 
Seeds are plentiful enough, and these germinate freely, but 
there is'no certainty as to seedlings, unless the plants are both 
isolated and protected from the bees, which are quickly at¬ 
tracted to the plant. Where seeds are desired it is well 
worth while to net a plant over with fine gauze, so that the 
seeds- may be mo-re reliable; a vigorous shaking of the bush 
occasionally would ensure fertilisation. To attempt to in¬ 
crease these things by division of the rootstock alone is not 
only uncertain work, but it is very slow also. 
Where specially good stocks or varieties exist of these plants, 
by far the surest and quickest way is from cuttings in the early 
spring-time, just as the plants are starting into growth. As 
a rule, one or two strong shoots take the lead, and to get a 
stock later on these strongest shoots will be cut off at 
3 in. above the ground, treating in a similar way any others 
that are at all rampant. 
At this juncture the soil may be cleared away from the 
crown of the plant, leaving this in a sort of trench, and cover¬ 
ing the old stool with a bell-glass or hand-light. In a week 
or two, if the robust shoots have been checked, young shoots 
will appear 1 about, the base. When these reach 4 in. in length 
take them from the stool with a heel attached, and insert in 
pots in sandy soil. If placed in a frame with gentle warmth 
these young pieces root readily, while cuttings made in the 
ordinary way root just as quickly. When these cuttings are 
well rooted, they should be potted into 4 in. pots, and planted 
out- in good ground when established, or they may, for the 
purpose of propagation, be potted on into larger pots, and, by 
keeping the growth in check and preventing flowering, assist 
a larger number of shoots from the base. While it may seem 
a good deal of trouble to secure such an old favourite as 
this, yet it is worth while, if only for preserving the best white 
forms in all their purity. Seeds may be sown, and seedlings 
raised, as, indeed, they are, in quantity, always in hope of 
getting something better than we already have. 
J. W. J. 
Laurelia aromatica. 
A delicio-usly fragrant evergreen shrub which is hardy in 
Cornwall and Devon, and which grows 30 ft. high in co. Wick¬ 
low, is La-urelia- aromatica (Chilian Swe-et Bay). With certain 
striking differences the general habit of this shrub resembles 
the sweet Bay Laure-l. The- leaves are more fleshy, and are 
se-t opposite on square twigs instead of being alternately 
arranged on round ones, as in the Laurel. It is not quite so 
dense in growth as the Swe-et Bay, but the aromatic perfume 
exhaled by the leaves when pressed is far sweeter. It is well 
worth pot or tub culture in a cool greenho-use o-r conservatory. 
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