38 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January n, 1908. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
Readers are invited to contribute to this 
column short letters discussing any gar. 
dgning subject. 
Letters should not exceed 150 words each 
Streptocai-pus from Seed. 
A good time to sow the above seeds is 
;n the month of February in a hotbed if 
possible. Seedlings pricked off when they 
an be handled and then potted first into 
jo and then i-nlo 48 size pots will bloom 
well the first autumn and winter, and al¬ 
most constantly if more pot room is given 
them. Afterwards the plants may be 
divided or repotted like any other her¬ 
baceous plant. Light, rich, sandy loam 
suits them best — two parts of loam, one of 
fine old, dried leaf mould, and nearly 
one of silver sand. The plants get 
shabby if they are kept long below 45 de¬ 
grees, and flourish better in a temperature 
from 50 to 55 degrees. A regular stove 
heat is rather too much for them. 
F. F. 
Leamington Spa. 
Anchusa Italica Dropmore var. 
This variety.of the Anchusa is the best; 
it makes a splendid display of lovely blue 
flowers for the herbaceous border or for 
planting as a specimen, also for cutting 
for the house. It also has a very long 
continued period of flower. The best 
method of increase is by root cuttings, as 
this is much quicker than from seeds. 
This should be done in winter, not, later 
than March, by taking pieces off roots an 
inch long or so and inserting them in 
sandy soil in pots. As the plants begin 
to grow they can be treated as seedlings 
and planted out when large enough. The 
plant grow's from 4 ft. to 7 ft. high, and 
quite as much through ; therefore it gives 
a splendid show of rich blue flowers, which 
look well in all gardens where blue 
flowers are scarce. 
H. W. Wakely. 
Dorchester. 
in length, and must be written on one 
side 0f the fafer only. 
Two Prizes of 2s. bd. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the best. 
A Good Onion Crop. 
I have been asked by the kitchen gar¬ 
dener here if this crop of Onions is worth 
a small space in your valuable paper, 
The Gardening World. It is a record 
crop grown here of spring Onions, sown 
on the 4th of March, 1907, on six poles 
and a half of land. When taken up a few 
weeks ago they weighed six lbs. short of 
16 cwt. They were grown from Messrs. 
Sutton and Sons’ seeds. 1 myself not 
being an expert on outside crops, no doubt 
you will be kind enough to pass your 
opinion on it, as I must say I never saw 
such a bed in my life. I shall be pleased 
to send you a photograph of it should 
you care to see it, as each Onion seemed 
to touch each other, several measuring 
15 inches round. 
J. Nibbs. 
Newbury. 
[An average crop of Onions would be 
about 10 tons per acre, but as the above 
would mean 21 tons, 5 cwt. 26 2-3 lbs. per 
acre, the crop was exceptionally heavy.— 
ED.]. 
-h 
A Fine Hardy Fuchsia. 
Fuchsia Riccartoni is a hardy perennial 
shrub which should find a place in every 
amateur’s garden on account of its wond¬ 
rous grace and beauty. Throughout the 
entire summer and autumn it is covered 
with its gracefully-hanging crimson 
flowers, and two or three plants placed be¬ 
neath a window fill to perfection the nar¬ 
row border and hide the naked wall, 
whilst there is no danger of its overgrow¬ 
ing and obstructing the light. It is easily 
propagated, and cuttings taken in summer 
and placed in sandy soil either in the open 
ground or in pot? under a frame seldom 
fail to strike. It is extremely hardy too, 
differing in this respect from its near re¬ 
latives, F. coccinea, with its scarlet sepals, 
and violet petals, and F. gracilis, which 
sometimes attains a height of six feet or 
more, but is hardy only in very warm 
localities. 
G. A. F. 
standing them on ashes. About the end 
of June pinch the shoots again. All buds 
must be picked off until the blooms are 
required. Weak soot water given in a 
clear state is a great benefit to the plants. 
The soil should be two parts loam, 1 part 
leaf mould or rotten manure with a little 
coarse sand. Put the plants into the 
greenhouse the first week in September; 
give them plenty of air except when it is 
frosty or cold winds prevail. Apply a 
little heat about the middle of October. 
All decayed leaves must be kept picked 
off. A sprinkling of Clay's fertiliser over 
the surface of the soil is an excellent 
manure for them. It should be repeated 
about every other week. Keep the plants 
as near as possible to the glass. 
G. WlTTON. 
—— 
Mutisia decurrens. 
/ 
A Letter 
To the Editor. 
Horseradish. 
Sometimes one bed is often allowed to 
stand for several seasons, but the roots 
from the beds made annually or every 
other year are much better than those that 
are allowed to stand for years. Where it 
is intended to make a fresh bed, -the work 
•should now be done. The plants in the 
existing bed should be lifted and the 
roots of serviceable size selected and laid 
out in a convenient place ready for use 
in the: kitchen throughout the winter. 
The smaller ones, about 3 in. in length 
with a crown, should be reserved as sets 
for the new bed, and all pieces, however 
small, should be closely looked for and 
removed, as these would all start into 
growth and give much trouble next year. 
The ground to be planted should be 
trenched quite 2 ft. in depth, manure 
being placed from 18 in. to 2 ft. below 
the surface. As this work can be done 
now, it should not be delayed, for if done 
now it will be one the less operation de¬ 
manding time and labour during the first 
months of the new year. 
' A. V. P. 
Zonal Pelargoniums. 
In order to grow them to get a good 
display of blooms during the winter 
months, take cuttings in March. Put 
them singly into 6o’s and when rooted 
well through, shift them into 4^ in. pots, 
potting them firmly. As soon as growth 
commences, pinch out the tip of the 
shoots-, and that will produce sturdy and 
bushy plants. Keep them.in a greenhouse 
or frame until the middle of May, then 
transfer them into 6-inch pots to flower. 
Place the plants in an open, sunny spot, 
Sir,—I was deeply interested in the 
descriptive article in your issue of De¬ 
cember the 14th, re the above seldom- 
seen plant. I hardly think, somehow, 
your illustration does full justice to this 
magnificent climber. If I remember 
aright, the ray florets were broader, but, 
perhaps, this is a case “where distance 
lends enchantment to the view.” 
[You are quite right. The ray florets 
were past their best and rolled up when 
photographed.—E d.]. 
I saw it some years ago in the gardens 
of Miss Speirs, Laurelhill, Stirling, in 
full beauty. It was planted at the foot 
of a wall facing east — this being the driest 
part of the garden — close to a Pear tree, 
where the shoots threaded their way up 
and among the branches. The brilliantly 
coloured flower heads attracted one's at¬ 
tention from a considerable distance. It 
luxuriated in this position for eight or 
nine years, withstanding the rigours of the 
severest winters, then fell a victim to the 
excessive moisture experienced during the 
winter (I think of 1902-3), practically 
drowned out. Another plant in the 
vicinity growing against a cottage front 
facing west also succumbed at the same 
time. From the foregoing, one may infer 
the plant is fairly hardy, and will succeed 
even in Central Scotland if planted in 
a thoroughly well drained situation. 
Mr. McLennan, the gardener, says if he 
gets another plant it will be planted in 
ordinary garden soil, freely intermixed 
with stones. Grown under these condi¬ 
tions shoots will be sent out a yard from 
the base of the plant. Previous to that 
wet winter, the Mutisia was occasionally 
seen in Scotland. Quite the best plant 
Mr. McLennan ever saw was at Trinity, 
Edinburgh, growing against a villa in a 
dry position. It also flourished at the late 
Mr. Jenner’s, Duddingston ; also with Mr.i 
Chapman, Torbrex Nursery, Stirling. 
Since that fatal winter it has been con 
spicuous by its absence in this locality. 
S. H. 
Stirling. 
A + + 
Henson, a German naturalist, said tha 
there are about 55,000 earthworms in ai 
acre of garden ground. 
