January 25, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
59 
AN UNCOMMON 
Japanese Plant. 
(Conandron 
ramondioides). 
Since lovers of alpine plants have 
learned how to grow Ramondia pyrenaica 
successfully on a rockery out-of-doors, 
they have been making an endeavour to 
(1 'livate other allied plants all belonging 
to the Gesneraceae. 
Very few of the plants belonging to 
t 1 order are European, but they are 
haidy, so that attempts will be made to 
(rv species of the same family from other 
cm otries having a climate similar to oui 
o.vn, at least on the mountains. 
One of these is the plant under notice, 
which has a somewhat similar habit to 
that of Haberlea, but is larger in the 
lc f. The flowers are produced in cymes, 
r>- ' a.e not. unlike those of a Solanum, 
being dark lilac-purple with a deep 
orange base surrounded by a white line. 
The anthers stand out prominently in the 
centre, and complete the resemblance to 
Solanum. The large, oblong leaves are 
wrinkled, light green, and glossy. The 
whole plant does not exceed a height of 
6 in., notwithstanding the size of the 
leaves as they spread near the ground, 
yet not so compactly as the well-known 
Ramondia. 
The accompanying illustration was pre¬ 
pared from a photograph taken in the 
Alpine house at Kew about the second 
week in June. The pan was filled with 
a peaty soil in which were pieces of old 
wood to keep the soil open and porous. 
The pan in which it was growing was also 
stood in a saucer of water, and this would 
lead us to suppose that it grows in wet 
situations in its native country. Possibly 
pieces of porous stone would answer the 
same purpose, provided the plant is in 
sufficient contact with water to keep the 
soil in a moist condition. The species 
was figured in “The Botanical Magazine,” 
t. 6484. 
-- 
Autumn Colouring in Foliage. 
Autumn colouring of leaves is not due 
to frost as is popularly supposed, but to 
oxidation, which is caused by the action 
of light and heat, somewhat similar to the 
rust on iron. With leaves it is due to the 
fact that in fulfilling their mission they 
become choked by their own excretions, 
and the acids thus formed are acted on by 
the oxygen. 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution. 
Mr. Geo. J. Ingram (175, Victoria 
Street, S.W.), secretary of this Institution, 
reminds us that the sixty-eighth annual 
general meeting of the members and sub¬ 
scribers will be held at “Simpson's,” 101, 
Strand, London, at 2.45 p.m., January 
23rd,/when officers for the year 1908 will 
be elected, and eighteen pensioners on 
the funds. Mr. Harry J. Veitch, F.L.S., 
V.M.S., will preside, and the poll will be 
open frpm 3 o’clock until 4 o’clock. On 
the evening of the same day, and in the 
same place, the annual friendly supper 
will take place. Mr. Martin H. Foquet 
Sutton, of Reading, occupying the chair. 
Conandron ramondioides. 
Maclaren and Sons. 
- 3 0INTS which Phzzle THE 1' 
BY AN OLD HAND. 
In the course of many years’ practice 
as a horticultural adviser, the writer has 
been struck by the frequency with which 
certain questions have been asked by 
persons beginning to take an interest in 
gardening matters, or wishful of improv¬ 
ing their knowledge of the same. Cer¬ 
tain technical phrases, certain cultural 
operations, always bother the beginner 
and the amateur in general, and with a 
view to helping such, the editor has given 
his kind permission for the writing of a 
series of brief, pithy, and lucid articles 
under the above title. 
In order to make these articles imme¬ 
diately helpful to readers, subjects and 
questions will, as far as possible, be 
selected dealing with garden operations 
seasonable at or near the date of the cur¬ 
rent issue. Just now, for instance, one 
may read in garden calendars the advice 
to top-dress lawns. This immediately 
suggests.the question: — 
What is Top-dressing? 
In this particular case top-dressing 
means scattering some kind of rich 
material over the surface, that is, the 
grass of the lawn, with a view to improv¬ 
ing the growth. Horse manure is a 
great favourite for this purpose, but it 
must be old and short.' that is, devoid of 
straw. If one finds that the manure is 
much easier picked up with a shovel than 
with a fork, then it is in good condition 
for top-dressing lawns. Of this material, 
a layer an inch thick all over the lawn 
will work wonders, but it should be 
scratched over with a rake occasionally, 
as well to work it into the soil as to pre¬ 
vent it bleaching the grass. 
Almost equal to the above, and more 
readily obtainable, is old soil from the 
potting shed. This should be sifted 
through a half inch square meshed sieve, 
to remove crocks and roots, and have 
sufficient soot mixed with it to make it 
decidedly black in colour; or enough 
bone flour may be used to give it a white 
tinge, say 4 ozs. of bone flour to a bushel 
of soil. Of either of these mixtures, -a 
layer in. thick all over the lawn will 
suffice. 
The top-dressing of Vine and Peach 
borders is very similar to the above, the 
main difference being in the materials 
used. Pot plants are also top-dressed 
when they remain long in the same sized 
pots, as Tomatos, Chrysanthemums, 
Roses, etc. Here top-dressing generally 
takes the form of fibrous loam, chopped 
into pieces as large as Walnuts, or per¬ 
haps hen’s eggs, and liberally sprinkled 
with artificial manure. Natural manures 
are also used for top-dressing, but need^ 
care in their application, as they lie so 
flat and close to the soil as to impede the 
free passage of water. Fowl manure and 
sheep's, droppings do not lie so close as 
horse, cow, or pig manure, and are there¬ 
fore preferable. Top-dressings are only 
given to pot plants when the pots are 
well filled with roots and when it is not 
advisable to allow larger sized pots. 
