August 15, 1908. 
TUB GARDENING WORLD 
533 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
Readers are invited to contribute to this 
column short letters, discussing any 
gardening subject. 
Letters should not exceed 150 words 
each in length, and must be written 
on one side of the paper only. 
Two Ptizes of ?s. 6d. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the 
best. 
WO Good Erigerons. 
For either cutting or for the ornamenta- 
on of the herbaceous borders Engeron 
ioulteri and E. speciosus easily hold 
aeir own in the estimation of those who 
ave grown these charming “ Fleabanes.” 
faving long stems they are suitable m 
very respect for table work and have the 
nerit of being very lasting. E. Coulten 
ias white flow'ers with a golden centre, 
nd although not such a strong grower as 
L. speciosus, it produces its flowers very 
reely. E- speciosus, a native of W estern 
N'orth America, gives us many flowers 
vith a bright yellow disc, and two year 
ild plants with me at the present time 
measure two feet through and are simply 
smothered with bloom. The ordinary 
reatment meted out to the rank and file 
if perennials suits these Composites ad¬ 
mirably, and all who do not grow them 
should give them a trial. 
J. W. Watson. 
Sheffield. 
The Cineraria. 
There are two methods of obtaining 
,'oung plants of Cinerarias—the one from 
aid plants, the other from seed. In re¬ 
gard to the first, we will suppose the old 
plants, after blooming, have been cut 
down near to the pots, and are standing 
in a shaded, sheltered place, the young 
growth round the stem being strong and 
healthy. About the beginning of August 
the old plants should be turned out of 
the pots, the soil gently removed, and the 
shoots taken off with the point of a knife 
with the young rootlets adhering, and se¬ 
lecting them from the roots, not from the 
stem, as the latter too frequently emit 
suckers at the base. These should be 
iplanted singly into pots three inches in 
diameter, in a mixture composed of leaf 
mould, sand and loam,- in equal parts, 
sifted somewhat finely. The plants should 
have a good watering, and be removed 
to a cool frame. 
S. E. Gent. 
Norfolk. 
The Blue Hydrangea. 
Various reasons are given as to why 
Hvdrangeas have blue flowers at one time 
and pink at another. Some think they 
have discovered the secret of developing 
blue flowers at will by watering with alum 
water; others again recommend steel and 
iron filings for mixing with the potting 
compost, as the most likely method, 
for when we have at last satisfied our¬ 
selves that we are to have blue flow'ers 
they come pink. I myself think that very 
much depends on treatment, and the kind 
of season w f e get, for plenty of exposure 
to sun and air appears to develop the 
blue to a great extent, not that it can 
be expected to do so in every plant; but 
they may produce all pink one year, and 
the cuttings from these, if exposed as 
above, as soon as the flower buds are 
formed, produce blue flowers on the ma- 
jorily of the plants. 
H. Arnold. 
Sweat Peas and House Flies. 
It may not be generally knowm that 
Sw'eet Peas are an excellent fly-killer. 
Where these flowers are grown in any 
quantity they should be liberallv cut, 
placed in v'ide-mouthed vases, and set in 
window sills and on tables now that flies 
are getting troublesome. It will be no¬ 
ticed that in a short time numbers of the 
pests are lying dead or in a deep stupor, 
completely overcome by the strong scent 
of the Sweet Peas. It is more convenient 
to place a rather large mat under each 
vase of flow'ers as this is easily raised and 
the flies removed. It is better to take 
them to the kitchen and shake the insects 
right into the fire, by that means ensur¬ 
ing their destruction ; if they are merely 
dropped into an empty parlour grate those 
that are not quite dead will revive when 
removed from the close vicinity of the 
Peas. It is a plan that is worth trying 
by everyone for it serves the double pur¬ 
pose of acting as an excellent insecticide 
and filling the rooms with delightful fra- 
Cuitivation of Wallflowers. 
Wallflowers are often sown late wdth 
the result that the growth is not thor¬ 
oughly ripened, and the plants present a 
feeble show of bloom. Sow the seed in 
June, in a sunny place, on rather poor, 
but sw'eet and w'ell-prepared soil. When 
the plants are two inches high, transplant 
into rows six inches asunder, allowing 
three inches apart in the row. In about 
three weeks transplant again nine inches 
apart every way, and w'ater them when 
needful to help them to new growth. 
When the beds are cleared of their sum¬ 
mer occupants, the best plants may be 
transferred to them to afford cheerful 
green leafage all through the winter, and 
a grand bloom of Wallflowers in the 
spring, as frost will not hurt the single 
varieties; but the double varieties will not 
always stand the rigours of a hard winter. 
Miss D. Sparkes. 
Putney. 
Coronilla glauca. 
The bright vellorv flow'ers of Coronilla 
glauca constitute a splendid display of 
colour in our houses and conservatories. 
It roots freely from cuttings of the cur¬ 
rent season’s growth in pots of coarse 
sand placed under a bell-glass and kept 
shaded from the sun. When nicely 
rooted transfer them into small pots in 
a compost of two parts loam, one of leaf 
soil, half of peat, and a good sprinkling 
of sharp sand. River sand must not be 
used as it constitutes a rust in the foliage, 
but keep close and near the glass until 
nicely started, and then admit air on all 
suitable occasions, and eventually pot 
into three or four-inch pots for flowering, 
according to the size of the plants, using 
the same compost as above advocated. 
During winter a temperature of fifty-five 
will keep them in good condition ready 
to flower the following spring. 
H. Stevens. 
Suffolk. 
-*+*- 
Carnation Hercules. 
The above may rightly be entitled a 
Malmaison Carnation, seeing that it was 
the result of a cross between a tree Car¬ 
nation and a Malmaison variety. The 
bloom is of huge size, with slightly in¬ 
curved petals of a dark velvety maroon 
and fragrant. Aw'ard of Merit by the 
R.H.S. in July when shown by Mr James 
Douglas, Edenside, Gt. Bookham, Surrey. 
Nelumbium speciosum Osiris. 
The flowers of this Sacred Bean are 
semi-double, with two or three rows of 
petals of a soft, rosy red, and creamy at 
the base. The centre of the flower is filled 
up with a great bunch of yellow anthers. 
First-class Certificate by the R.H.S. in 
July when shown by Leopold de Roth¬ 
schild, Esq. (gardener, Mr. James Hud¬ 
son), Gunnersbury House, Acton. 
Picturesque and Historical Country Near 
London. 
Railway enterprise has brought within 
a short distance of the Metropolis a 
tract of country with its quaint villages 
and towns, the charms and romances of 
which are practically unknown to. the 
Londoner. Its bracing climate and pic¬ 
turesque scenery' will prove an irresistible 
attraction to all who love the country life, 
and being also particularly rich in his¬ 
torical associations is of quite peculiar in¬ 
terest. In half an hour from Marylebone 
may be reached the old-world villages of 
Ruislip and Ickenham, Gerrard's Cross 
for Stoke Poges, the scene of Gray’s 
Elegy, also Penn’s Meeting House at Jor¬ 
dans and Milton’s Cottage at Chalfont 
St. Giles. At Beaconsfield picturesque 
scenery and historical associations are 
wonderfully blended. Here Edmund 
Burke and Edmund Waller lie buried. 
The Milton and Penn country' can be 
easily reached, and Hughenden, with its 
modern associations of Earl Beaconsfield, 
is close to High Wycombe. Just beyond 
is the Hampden country, .a district made 
famous for all time. 
A very pleasant day' or half-day can be 
spent in Shakespeare s country, and it is 
worth noting that the Great Central route 
is the shortest and quickest from London. 
A day trip costs no more than 12s. 6d., 
covering ’ rail, conveyance to hotel, 
luncheon at “Ye Peacock,” now known as 
the “Golden Lion,” a drive which in¬ 
cludes Ann Hathaway’s cottage at Shot- 
tery, and tea before returning. F.ull par¬ 
ticulars of excursion arrangements and 
reduced fares for convenient and interest¬ 
ing walking and cycling tours in “Beechy” 
Bucks are contained in the A.B.C. pro¬ 
gramme, obtainable free at Marylebone 
station and town offices, Dean and Daw¬ 
son’s Agencies, or by post from Publicity 
Department, 216, Marylebone Road, 
N.W. 
