32 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
January iS, 1908. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
Readers are invited to contribute to this 
column short letters discussing any gar. 
dening subject. 
Letters should not exceed 150 words each 
in length, and must be written on one 
side of the faper only. 
Two Prizes of zs. tid. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the best. 
Carnivorous Plants. 
Drosera, together with Cephalotus, 
Darlingtonia and Dionaea, are commonly 
known as insectivorous plants. 
The Sarracenias have tubular leaves, 
very much of a pitcher shape in growth, 
coming up from the roots. 
The Cephalotus is a smaller plant, 
bearing its pitchers on the ends of leaves 
or directly on the stem. 
The Darlingtonia has tubular leaves, 
with the tops in a sort of hood shape, 
making the general effect look much like 
the head of a snake. 
The Dionaea is a small plant, pos¬ 
sessed of two-lobed leaves, fringed with 
hair, and hair in the'middle of each lobe. 
When an unlucky insect alights on one 
of the lobes and comes in .ontact with 
the hairs, the lobes close, and the miser¬ 
able fly is trapped till it is dead, and then 
the juices given forth by the lobes, set 
to work upon the body of the fly, separate 
it from the skin, and dissolve it for the 
sustenance of the plant. 
Hortulanus. 
Walsall. 
Heleniums. 
These are among the most useful of 
herbaceous plants, as they continue in 
flower over a long period. They are also 
very useful for cutting, as they remain a 
long time fresh. The following are some 
of the best sorts to grow: — Helenium 
autumnale, H. superbum, H. Bolanderi, 
H. grandiflora, H. Hooperi, H. pumilum, 
H. magnificum, H. grandicephalum stria¬ 
tum, and H. cupreum, which latter is 
one of the best. From this variety I cut 
a bunch of flowers on' August 8th for show- 
purposes, and there were still flowers on 
the plants at the end of November, look¬ 
ing quite fresh. Propagation by division 
in autumn is the best way to increase 
these splendid plants; this should be done 
every two years to get fine heads of 
flowers. 
H. W. Wakely. 
Dorchester. 
How to Grow Pansies. 
It will be advisable to examine the 
Pansy beds after every frost, for these 
plants are very apt to be thrown out of 
the ground by frost; when this happens, 
the plants should be immediately pressed 
down into the soil and a proper dressing 
given to the bed. Some of the Pansies 
may, during the winter, show blooms, but 
if the flowers be not in request, it will 
add greatly to the strengthening of the 
plants to pick off the buds as they ap¬ 
pear. All seedling plants must be well 
protected, or they will succumb to the 
frost, but those that are more valued will 
successfully resist it. If the Pansies are 
in pots, fresh air should be given them on 
every occasion when the weather is genial 
and carefully protected from the north¬ 
east wind and from too much wet and 
cold. Little watering will be necessary, 
for it is an invariable rule in the manage¬ 
ment of plants to be sparing of moisture 
when they are not in a growing state. 
The best compost for the Pansy is loam, 
leaf mould and well rotted cow manure, 
in equal parts. 
W. Court. 
Tunbridge Wells. 
Onions. 
Many have tried to grow Onions, but 
have failed simply because the beds have 
been too soft 01 not properly settled prior 
to sowing the seed./ For successful cul¬ 
ture, the beds should be made two months 
before the seed is sown, i.e., made in 
January to be ready for March. 
The soil should be well broken up and 
incorporated with plenty of decayed 
stable manure. On the surface sprinkle 
soot and lime, and in March just smooth 
the top of the bed by taking off a very 
thin layer of soil, and then sow the seed, 
and cover with fine sandy soil, mixed with 
a little soot and lime. If these simple 
rules are carefully followed, the crop of 
Onions will come up to all expectations. 
Often have beginners failed, the result of 
making the bed and sowing immediately 
after. 
Joseph Floyd. 
Westhoughton. 
St. Bernard’s Lily. 
The scientific name of this somewhat 
neglected but beautiful border flower is 
Anthericum Liliago. It is, of course, a 
bulbous plant, with flowers of purest white 
about 13 inches across. The flowers are 
borne in a scape on stems from 12 inches 
to 18 inches high. It is a native of the 
south of Europe,.and is therefore fairly 
hardy in this country, in well-drained 
soils. In inland districts it would be well 
to protect it with a little coal ashes dur¬ 
ing winter. It flowers from May to June, 
according to locality and season. The 
flowers, which are freely produced, have 
a look of refinement, beyond the bulk of 
outdoor flowers. Where the soil is at 
all heavy some sand and leaf mould 
should be incorporated with it whei\plant- 
ing. There is a major form. 
C. C. 
Amasonia punicca. 
This pretty stove plant is not grown so 
largely as its merits entitle it to be. Pro¬ 
pagation by cuttings is possible, but 
slow; the best way of raising a batch from 
an old plant is to cut the stems up into 
eyes (similar to the plan adopted for 
Vines), every joint providing an eye. A 
suitable soil is peat and loam in equal 
parts, with silver sand added. The eyes, 
with the bud uppermost, should be in¬ 
serted firmly on the surface of the soil 
in a seed pan. Plunge the pan in a pro¬ 
pagating frame, and when the plants 
have rooted shift them into 3-inch pots, 
and afford the plants a stove temperature, 
being careful not to over-water them. 
Transfer them later into 5-inch pots, in 
which they may be allowed to flower, as 
they require but little root room. 
J. M. T. 
Hamilton, N.B. 
Chrysanthemum coronarium. 
What annuals are we going to grow in 
the coming spring and summer? Such 
thoughts will soon be occupying our at¬ 
tention now. One of the best, in fact, the 
best as far as my experience goes, is Chry- ; 
santhemum coronarihm. I planted a bed 
of this annual last year and it bloomed 
from July until the frost ended its career. 
It is easily grown, very floriferous, and 
the bed was a mass of beautiful yellow 
bloom for months. The flowers have a 
long stem which lend themselves to cut¬ 
ting purposes, and they keep for a fort¬ 
night at least in a cut state. There is a 
white variety also which I intend growing 
in the coming season. 
J. T. Gray. 
Dundee. 
-- 
THE LARGE=FLOWERED . . 
Dragon’s Head 
(Dracocephalum grandiflorum.) 
To say that this is the finest species in 
the genus would be a rather mild way of 
expressing our admiration, and such a 
remark must be backed up with all the 
adjectives at our command in order to 
make it effective. The 8 or 10 species of 
Dracocephalum which are in cultivation 
are scarcely known in gardens, and the 
plant under notice is, perhaps, known to 
the smallest number of amateurs. The 
fact is there are several spurious forms 
sold under this name. Probably the 
number of gardens and nurseries pos- i 
sessed of the true species number less 
than half a hundred. This may seem 
strange, especially as the plant is very 
distinct in appearance, and once seen, no 
other species could be mistaken for it. 
The flowers are fully two inches long, 
and the height of the entire plant is under 
six inches. The stems are creeping, only 
the flower spike grows erect. From five ■ 
to eight flowers are produced on e^ch 
spike. The beauty of the plant is ''in¬ 
vested in the colour of these large hori¬ 
zontal tubular flowers. They are a rich 
deep blue of a particularly full and 
bright shade. Hardly a Gentian blue, 
and yet the shade reminds one of Litho- 
spermum and Gentiana acaulis. The 
plant requires good soil and an annual 
top-dressing with gritty compost. It is 
propagated by cuttings and seeds, bloom¬ 
ing for three or four months in late sum¬ 
mer and autumn. 
Erica, 
