268 
might often be done with advantage in 
April, provided the other work on the 
establishment would permit of its being 
done. 
-f+4- 
Sweet Pea 
. . NORA UNWIN. 
A Letter 
To the Editor. 
Dear Sir, — In a very interesting letter 
which appeared in your issue dated 6th 
April, “ Horti ” asks whether I am certain 
that several growers staged a waved white 
as Nora Unwin. My reply is that I am sure 
I saw it at least twice (probably three or 
four times), for I wrote a noite to that effect 
at the time, and also noted that some of 
the flowers thus exhibited were not pure 
white. I regret that I did not note the 
name of any firm, but I believe that Mr. 
Bolton, for one, exhibited a bunch under 
that name. 
There is a difference of opinion as to the 
relative merits of Dorothy Eckford and 
Nora Unwin, and we must wait to see what 
the coming season will bring before we 
can speak with certainty. When I saw 
Nora Unwin growing in large quantities 
last year at Histon, it certainly seemed a 
very' satisfactory variety, and not one 
flower showed a trace of pink. 
According to information which I re¬ 
ceived from Messrs. Bakers, Mr. Syden¬ 
ham did not purchase their stock of Mrs. 
Charles Foster, although their stock was 
grown in California, together with that 
which the Birmingham enthusiast pur¬ 
chased from Mr. Bolton. 
Too much has been written about 
George Stark, seeing that the name was 
given to that which was only the first 
year’s result of a cross between Scarlet 
Gem (not Coccinea as “ Horti ” says), and 
Enchantress, and the first year’s result is 
but little criterion of the ultimate results 
of a cross between two varieties. 
G. F. Drayson. 
Clematis 
(orientalis tangutica). 
For years past lovers of Clematis have 
desired a yellow-flowered variety of good 
colour, hardy constitution, and free flower¬ 
ing propensity. This desire is well met 
by Clematis orientalis tangutica, a plant 
of remarkable character, and quite dis¬ 
tinct appearance. The colour of the 
flowers is a somewhat unusual shade of 
yellow, which, however, is bright and 
pleasing. The blossoms are very- freely 
produced, and the plant makes plenty of 
growth, draped with pretty’- foliage. It is 
a plant that deserves a good situation, and 
liberal treatment. It is admirably adapted 
for growing over a rough tree-stump or a 
few branches fixed in the ground, so that 
in the herbaceous border, or in the front 
of a shrubbery, one may make a con¬ 
spicuous object of this unique plant. 
Doubtless hybridists will make good use 
of the yellow-flowered Clematis, and we 
anticipate something good as the result of 
experiments in breeding from so charm¬ 
ing a subject. 
Heather Bell. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
April 20, 1907. 
PRIZE LETTER COMPETITION. 
Readers are invited to cofitribute to this 
column short letters discussing any gar¬ 
dening subject. 
Letters should not exceed /50 is>ords each 
A Handy Garden Basket. 
A present a husband can make for his 
wife. Obtain an olblong fairly deep 
wooden box, paint it, and make a handle 
across it out of three strips of wood firmly 
nailed on. Cut strips of leather or strong 
webbing and nail on the outside in suit¬ 
able places to hold trowel, shreds,■ ham¬ 
mer, nails, bass, and garden gloves. The 
inside is, of course, for dead flowers, 
ieaves, etc. A cover should be made of 
American cloth, well stuffed with small 
rags, or even hay, with a bit of serge for 
the top. This will, when taken off the 
basket, made an excellent kneeling mat. 
D. E. 
in length, and must be written on one 
side of the paper only. 
Two Prizes of 2s. 6 d. each will be 
awitrded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the best. 
Economy in Planting: Seeds. 
Those desiring good results from Peas, 
Beans, etc., might adopt the following 
plan: Get some clean sawdust and mix 
this with w.ater in same way as if making 
a bran mash. Place in a box a good layer 
of the damp sawdust. Next put seeds at 
regular intervals until the box is com¬ 
fortably Ailed. Cover over with another 
layer of sawdust and put aside to sprout. 
As soon as half-an-inch to one inch of 
growth is made plant out in a spot pre¬ 
pared for them. In this way seed is 
economised, and there is no waste of 
ground through failure of seed to ger¬ 
minate. This plan has been tested for 
many years with excellent results. At 
least a fortnight’s time is often gained, in 
addition to the greater certainty of ger¬ 
mination, since the boxes enjoy a more 
equable temperature. 
Albert A. Kerridge. 
Chippenham. 
A Method of Propagating Roses. 
When pruning Roses in April do ns 
throw the so-called useless wood away, bu 
use it to increase your stock. Well croc! 
an Sin. pot, and then fill with a mixture 0 
three parts loam to one of sand. Take ; 
clean 3m. pot and stop up the hole wit! 
cement and place in the centre of the soi 
in the larger pot. From the priming 
select the strongest shoots, and cut inti 
pieces six inches long, and insert t\v 
inches deep in the soil with the ends point 
mg outwards. If the small pot is kep 
full of water the cuttings will root in . 
short time. To examine them take ou 
the small pot carefully and any root 
formed will be seen in the cavity. Thi 
method is most useful to the amateur wh 
is at work during the day. 
J. Fowler. 
Darwen. 
Handy Overalls for a Gardener. 
These may be easily made by a wife fo 
her husband. Every gardener knows hoi 
the ordinary apron proves awkward ii 
catching on to plants, breaking branches 
or pulling them over, and yet some soi 
of protection must be provided to kee 
one’s nether garments from dirt and water 
The following is a method of making over 
ails which are both useful and neat. Cu 
out two legs of the chosen material, am 
the size required to slip over the trouser 
easily and a trifle to spare, but do no 
join up as for trousers. Make a couple 0 
buttonholes in the top of each to faste: 
on to the brace buttons of trousers, an. 
there you are ! Serge, cotton, or Ameri 
can cloth all do well, the latter for rougl 
wear or in wet weather. 
■D. E. 
Painting Greenhouses. 
Seeing the time is coming for painting 
and cleaning the greenhouses, etc., a few 
hints might be handy to those who- have 
to do the work themselves. First wash all 
glass and woodwork with a solution of 
washing soda, scraping all loose paint and 
puttv at the same time, then washing the 
whole lot down with clean water. Clean 
out all gutters, etc., a half-worn white¬ 
wash brush being used. It will then be 
found that one coat of paint will be as 
bright as two coats painted on the top of 
the dirt. For shading the glass a good 
thing is some of the washable distempers 
sold by painters; being used thin it goes a 
long way, and to save unsightly brush 
marks make a soft linen pad and gently 
dab the surface of the glass, only doing 
a pane or two at a time, also choosing a 
dry day before the sun gets too strong. 
For doing the roof nails driven into the 
beams and flooring boards laid across are 
usually enough, or pieces of wood cut to 
the angle may he used as brackets. 
Sonlaw. 
Fife. 
Worthing. 
Sauromatum guttatum, or Monarch o 
the East. 
This is a beautiful bulbous flower, at 
tracting immediate attention. The onh 
treatment required is to simply place the 
large, flat, pound bulb on a table or shell 
in a warm room or greenhouse. Ver 
soon the bulb begins to show a head, am 
within a few weeks, sometimes after 8 0 
10 days, according to season and tempera 
ture, a curiously formed flower 16 or r 
inches long develops. The flowers, whid 
are spotted dark red on a yellowisl 
orange-red ground, are entirely differen 
from any other as to colouring and shape 
After flowering, this bulb should b 
planted in open ground, where it the) 
throws up elegant dark green wide ex¬ 
panded foliage, which forms a fine sub 
ject in the garden, particularly whe) 
planted in May in a moist and shelters 
place. 
W. SherringhaM. 
Dorset. 
