TUB GARDENING WORLD. 
January 4, 1908. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
fll 
they may be compared to the old Blush 
Malmaison and Princess of Wales, which 
differ only in the lighter and darker colour 
of their flowers. These are described as 
perpetual flowering Carnations, while 
others speak of them as American Carna¬ 
tions and American Tree Carnations, but 
by any other name they would smell as 
sweet. Rose-pink Enchantress should not 
be stopped after the end of August. In 
the matter of temperature it is of the 
easiest to grow, as it may be flowered in 
a house anywhere between 46 and 50 degs. 
Cvpripedium Hannibal. 
The dorsal sepal of this handsome hy¬ 
brid is of large size, orbicular and heavily 
blotched with brownish crimson on a pale 
green ground, while the broad margin is 
pure white. It may help Orchid growers 
to understand its beauty when we say that 
it was obtained from leeanum giganteum 
crossed with nitens magnificum. First- 
class Certificate by the R.H.S. on Novem¬ 
ber 12th, when shown by Major G. L. 
Holford, C.I.E., C.V.O. (grower, Mr. H. 
G. Alexander), Tetbury, Gloucester. 
-- 
HOTBEDS 
And How to Make Them. 
Where quantities of fresh fallen Oak, 
Sweet Chestnut and Beech leaves can be 
collected, with a few cart loads of long 
stable manure at hand, there is little diffi¬ 
culty in building up beds suitable for has¬ 
tening on such vegetables as Asparagus, 
Seakale, Potatos, Carrots and Radishes, 
so acceptable in their turn. The material 
should be collected and thrown together 
into a huge heap, especially so when much 
manure is used, for the rank heat to 
escape, which it will do if moved back 
twice within a fortnight; but where leaves 
form the principal no such preparation is 
required. They can be carted on to the 
site and be made into beds forthwith. 
These should face due south as near as 
possible and not shaded by trees or build¬ 
ings, or much of the sun, so helpful to 
early forcing, will be lost. Let the bed 
be three feet wider and longer than the 
frames to be placed thereon, so that new 
linings can be added in case severe 
weather sets in. The bed should not be less 
'than five feet in height, another three feet 
being all the better, especially if there is 
anything in the nature of a wall likely to 
shade the frames. . It should — that is, the 
bed — be 18 inches higher at the back, so 
that the frame can get every gleam of 
sun. Tread the material well in putting 
together, and keep some of the strawy 
litter on the outsides, or. it may be falling 
away when treading about. Fresh leaves 
alone afford a nice heat, and are more last¬ 
ing than when much manure is used, but 
the former are a bit difficult to get in many 
places, unless out in the country. To pre¬ 
vent any sinking of one corner of the 
boxes, which sometimes occurs, one inch 
boards, six inches in width, should be 
placed immediately under them.; the 
frame usually drops a bit all round, if 
not, it makes it more easy to work in a 
barrow-load or so underneath when there 
is such a board at the bottom. 
Head Gardener. 
Readers are invited to contribute to this 
column short letters discussing any gar - 
dening subject. 
Letttrs should not exceed 1 50 words each 
Begonia Gloire de Lorraine. 
Of this beautiful plant we cannot speak 
too highly. To those that have a 
moderate heat it is easily grown. It is 
very decorative if grown in baskets, as 
Mr. Sherringham directed in these 
columns for Lachenalias; or, if grown in 
small thumb pots, they should be struck 
late, and when they are in flower, if put 
in small vases, and dotted over the dinner 
table, they are much admired. They do 
well here in rather heavy loam and one 
part of leaf mould and sand. 
A. E. Biles. 
Some Grand Roses for Scottish Gardens. 
The Gardening World has many 
readers in Scotland, and I have pleasure 
in giving this list of varieties that have 
done particularly well in this cold, late 
district. The fact that the sorts here 
given flourish and bloom splendidly is 
proof that they will succeed almost any¬ 
where. H.P.’s: Captain Hayward, -Duke 
of Edinburgh, Frau Karl Druschki, 
General Jacqueminot, Madame Victor 
Verdier, Margaret Dickson, Marie Bau¬ 
mann, Mavourneen, Mrs. John Laing, 
Mrs. R. G. Sharman Crawford, Paul 
Neyron, Suzanne Marie Rodocanachi, 
Ulrich Brunner; H.T. : s: Antoine 
Rivoire, Caroline Testout, Clara Watson, 
Dean Hole, Exquisite, Killarney, Lady 
Ashtown, Lady Battersea, La France, Le 
Progres, Liberty, Madame Abel Chate- 
nay, Madame Jules Grolez, Madame 
Ravary, Marquise I.ita, Mrs. W. J. Grant, 
Pharisaer, Prince de Bulgarie, Roso- 
mane Gravereaux, Viscountess Folke¬ 
stone ; Climbers : Dorothy Perkins, Ards 
Rover, Madame Isaac Periere, Gruss an 
Teplitz, Gloire de Margottin, Leucht- 
stern, Gloire de Dijon, and Climbing 
Mrs. W. J. Grant. 
C. Blair. 
Preston House, Linlithgow. 
Raising Minute Flower Seeds. 
When sowing small flower seed it is 
best to mix the seeds with find sand before 
sowing to assist an even distribution. 
Sow thinly in fine but gritty soil; if too 
fine it is liable to become pasty. Just 
press in the seed with something flat, the 
bottom of a glass, will do. Do not water 
the pot at the top, but stand it half way 
up in a pan containing water until the 
water shows signs of having thoroughly 
saturated the soil. Lay a piece of paper 
over the pot during the hours of bright 
sunshine, say from 10 to 4 in the summer. 
After the surface has dried a little, a piece 
of glass may also be laid on, but the mois¬ 
ture should be wiped off each morning, 
and as the seedlings appear it must be 
gradually taken away. 
A. V. P. 
in length, and must be written on one 
side oj the fafer only. 
Two Prizes of 2s. 6 d. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the best. 
Schizostylis coccinea. 
Scarlet flowers during November and 
December, being none too plentiful, any 
plant, therefore, bearing flowers of this 
colour, especially if such be of a hardy 
nature, should be very welcome. Schizo¬ 
stylis coccinea seems to be just the thing 
to enliven the dull borders at this time, 
for it is quite hardy, and may be trusted 
to produce its bright Gladioli-like blooms 
at this season, provided it is not encum¬ 
bered by stronger growing subjects. It 
may also be grown in pots placing five or 
six bulbs in a 5 in. pot, plunging these in 
the open ground for the summer, and 
taking into the greenhouse to bloom dur¬ 
ing late autumn. When in full growth, 
either in the open border or in pots, an 
occasional watering with weak manure 
will much enhance the colour of the 
flowers. 
Worthing. F. A. 
Bracken for Pegs. 
Those who live in districts where Brac¬ 
ken is plentiful should utilise these Ferns 
for making pegs for layering Carnations, 
pegging down Verbenas, etc. The side 
shoots should be cut from moderate¬ 
sized Ferns, with, of course, a portion of 
the main stem. It is best to cut them 
while still green in late summer. They 
dry quite hard' in a few days, and are 
more durable, and less likely to split than 
pegs made from wood. 
A. Malden. 
Schizanthus wisetonensis in Baskets. 
Having been very successful in growing 
this beautiful Orchid-like flower in wire 
baskets, I think a few words on its culti¬ 
vation would not be amiss. I procured a 
few wire baskets, and lined the inside 
round with rough Orchid peat, filling the 
inside up with equal parts of good fibrous 
turfy loam, leaf soil, and silver sand, mix¬ 
ing the whole thoroughly together. Then 
I planted the seedlings rather thickly to¬ 
gether, and placed the baskets in a cool 
frame facing north. I kept them close for 
about ten days, then gave a little air on 
all favourable occasions, keeping-them in 
the pit until they touched the glass. Then 
I transferred them to the flowering house, 
letting them grow naturally without stak¬ 
ing, and it is really surprising the quan¬ 
tity of bloom one can obtain by this way, 
besides the very showy appearance of the 
baskets. I may say I have never been 
successful in pot culture only by this 
method. 
Hollington. J- NlBBS. , 
-- 
- The nitrate beds of South America, 
which yield something like ^13,000,000 a 
year, are nothing but beds of seaweed de¬ 
composed. 
R-oundstone. 
