3 8 ° 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 8, 1907. 
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 f>af>er only. 
Two Prizes of 2s. bd. each will be 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the best. 
in the same way as Begonias. The leaves 
are spotted white, which adds greatly to 
their beauty, but the spots are not seen 
during the first year’s growth. I may 
mention that this sort of Richardia will 
endure much more heat than the white 
one. If well grown the first year, many 
of them will flower in the second year. 
Seed may be obtained by leaving a few 
fine heads until they are well ripened; then 
cut and dry them, rub out the seeds, and 
store in a cool place until the spring, 
when it may be sown and grown as stated 
above. ' H. ROWLES. 
-♦+> - 
- Pansies. - 
TRIMARDEAU STRAIN. 
/ ♦+> 
A Letter to the Editor. 
Sir,—At last after much difficulty I 
have discovered the names of the four 
different varieties of this beautiful strain 
of Pansies. It is perhaps the most 
gigantic of all, and if treated liberally, 
gives blooms larger than a crown piece. 
In cultivation it appears to be a peculi¬ 
arity of this flower, that it thrives best if 
fed on fresh not decayed manure, in fact 
horse droppings freshly gathered and 
applied at once. 
This wrinkle I gained last autumn from 
an old cottage garden far away in the 
country kept by an old woman. She was 
very fond of flowers, and proud of her 
mainy successes, but could not tell me any 
name. She kindly gave me a bloom of 
No. 4, which I showed to several horti¬ 
cultural friends, but none could give any 
name. At last I applied to a local seeds¬ 
man in a large way of business, and he 
gave me valuable information and a 
packet of seed of No. 4. He stated that 
Trimardeau was the name of a strain or 
family of giant blooming Pansies, consist¬ 
ing of four separate members, as 
follows:— 
1st, Heaths Strain. 
2nd, Trimardeau German mixed. 
3rd, Parisian large strain. 
4th, Large Golden Yellow. 
Now for method of cultivation, this is 
simple enough, and three or four points 
remembered, no plants repay better. 
The four points are fresh horse droppings. 
In the countrv and suburbs the boys col¬ 
lect this in small carts at 2d. each. A 
light loamy soil is required for growing 
them in boxes, but no manure must be 
used till they are planted out. In the 
boxes make six or eight holes in the 
bottom for drainage, using crocks, stones, 
and pieces of brick, etc. The third point 
is watering. Pansies are much given to 
drink from their earliest infancy, but the 
liquor must be good and carefully pre¬ 
pared. Fresh water mav be used from a 
pond or tub exposed to the sun till tepid 
or made so by hot water. The boxes 
should be kept in a warm but shady 
place, carefully shading the plants when 
young, and when big enough, prick out 
and plant where they are to bloom per¬ 
manently. If plenty of room be given 
between each plant, in the second year 
there will be a fine display as a reward for 
vour efforts. C. R. F. 
Manure for Plants. 
A good manure for pot plants, vines, 
fruit, and Tomatos under glass is made 
by adding j^oz. of saltpetre to a gallon 
of water. 
T. JKRRAM. 
Walthamstow. 
Doronicums in the Greenhouse. 
Having a considerable number of 
■Doronicums growing in my garden and 
the greenhouse able to accommodate more 
stock, I tried the experiment of potting 
and placing a couple of plants inside. 
The result was most surprising. The 
flowers are greatly enhanced in beauty 
and appearance, in fact the transforma¬ 
tion is almost beyond belief, the differ¬ 
ence between the greenhouse flowers and 
those growing outside being so great that 
they seem to be of a different variety 01- 
species. 
I intend to pot up a larger number of 
plants next spring. 
A peculiarity I notice is that whereas 
the open air flowers close during dull 
weather and at nightfall, those inside re¬ 
main fully expanded. 
James L. Gray. 
Dundee. 
Sweet Peas. 
Very soon these flowers will be with us 
in plenty, and if we expect them to stay 
any length of time, the plants will have to 
be attended to. They should be-liberally 
watered with both clear and liquid man¬ 
ure, syringed overhead in the evening, 
and the soil up each side of the row kept 
well stirred. If the soil is light a mulch 
will be beneficial. The straggling leaders 
should be laid on the stakes. 
But doubtless the chief point is to keep 
gathering the flowers. Do not grudge 
an appreciative receiver a good bunch, 
nor yet forget the little sick ones in the 
adjacent hospital, as every bunch taken 
off will be doubly replaced, for if pods 
are allowed to form on the plants, flower- 
n g will very soon cease. Therefore hunt 
out and remove every pod which may 
have f( rmed. 
J. R. B. 
Lily of the Valley Fortin’s Variety. 
The Lily of the Valley is undoubtedly 
and deservedly amongst the most popular 
of flowers, and since the art of retarding 
plants has come into operation, it is with 
us practically all the year round. I have 
nothing to say against the old variety, but 
the Fortin's variety entirely eclipses it in 
size, whilst its fragrance is equal to that 
of the old form, and like it, it is of the 
purest white. Both leaves, spikes, and 
individual flowers are half as large again 
a : s the older form. 
The best time to plant is in the autumn, 
just after the foliage has died down, and 
my advice, especially to those who intend 
to make a new bed, is secure a supply, 
however modest, of the Fortin’s variety, 
and the results will both please and 
astonish you. Plant in deeply wrought, 
light, rich soil. 
c. c. 
Bedding Calceolarias. 
The bedding Calceolarias that have 
been wintered in frames should be re¬ 
moved at once, or many will spoil and go 
off after being put into beds and borders. 
Transplant to the open ground, planting 
12 inches between the rows, and 6 inches 
from plant to plant. Here they will make 
sturdy plants by bedding out time. They 
can be lifted with good balls of soil, when 
there will be but few failures, compared 
to those left where they were struck. It 
has been recommended to plant out early, 
but this can not be done while beds are 
filled with spring flowering plants. Trans¬ 
planting will be found a good method, in 
that it causes them to make bushy growth 
with plenty of roots. They should be 
lifted with a fork in preference to a trowel, 
as the latter is apt to damage their roots. 
G. Waller. 
Surbiton. 
Salsafy >and Scorzonera, 
During the winter and early spring 
months a dish of either Salsafy or Scor¬ 
zonera is frequently of great service, an 
experienced cook being able to convert 
either into a fairly tempting dish. Owners 
of small gardens may well be content with 
one kind only, and the preference should 
be given to Salsafy. Both when sown 
early are liable to run to seed, Scorzonera 
being the worst offender in this respect, 
the roots being worthless in consequence. 
Quite shallow drills should be drawn out 
12 inches apart, the seed being sown 
thinly and covered with fine soil. When 
the seed is sown at the present time (May 
6th) fewer plants bolt, and the majority 
form clear, straight, and fairly thick 
roots, which keep well. 
Salsafy. 
Hamilton, N.B.. 
-- 
Insects’ See-Saw. 
Among the many curious Orchids shown 
at the Temple Show in May was a Bulbo- 
phvllum I.obbii, which has a tongue on 
a beautifullv balanced swivel. An insect 
alights on the tongue, and is thrown, as 
on a see-saw, head over heels into the 
middle of the flower. It creeps out 
covered with pollen; goes to another 
flower, experiences another such shock, 
and so fertilises the species. 
