August 3, 1907. 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
5 T 5 
rhe Italian . . 
- Squill - 
(Scilla italica). 
Most readers are familiar with the 
luebell or nodding Squill, and many 
ossess the Spanish Squill in their gar- 
ens, even though they are unaware of 
lie fact. The Italian Squill is another 
lat might well be added to collections 
n account of its distinct, upright habit 
if growth, hardiness, and free flowering 
raracter. The accompanying illustra- 
on represents a pot of bulbs, but when 
rown in the open air the stems are more 
urdy and the flowers larger. It will be 
;en also that the flowers belong to quite 
different type from the English Blue- 
all. They are starry and of a light 
[ue colour, but darker ones may be 
■und amongst them when recently im- 
rrted bulbs are obtained. The flowers 
re produced in long racemes, which 
immente opening at the base and 
radually expand in succession as the 
em develops. 
Although these plants may be raised 
om seeds, bulbs are usually inexpen- 
ve, and when once a small stock has 
aen obtained, increase takes place by 
f-sets. When clumps of it get crowded 
\f this increase, the bulbs should be 
fted and sorted into at least two sizes, 
e large ones to give effect, while the 
nail ones may be planted in good soil 
lywhere to increase in size. 
Kotschy’s 
Burnt . . 
Candytuft. 
(Aethionema Kotschyi). 
The species of Aethionema are similar 
habit to the perennial Candytufts, 
tough they are finer in the leaf than 
ost of those in cultivation. Several of 
.em also require to be planted in care- 
lly selected situations on the rockery 
id left undisturbed so long as they re¬ 
gain healthy and vigorous. They dis- 
tce being moved, as the root-system is 
it very highly developed, and those 
ey do have get more or less broken in 
e operation of lifting. 
Some of the species are annuals, and 
quire to be raised frojri seed annually, 
he perennials are, fiowever, hardier, 
id may be propagated from seeds or 
om cuttings. The present is the best 
ue to insert cuttings, using those shoots 
pich have not flowered, taking them off 
pout 2 in. in length, clearing the lower 
trt of leaves, and then inserting them 
mly in light, sandy soil. In making 
P a compost for them, old potting bench 
il will answer the purpose, but it should 
ive an equal portion of leaf mould and 
lother of sand added to it. The pot- 
ag bench soil should be sifted in order 
take out stones, roots and other matter 
uch would interfere with the rooting of 
e cuttings; in fact, a soil for cuttings 
ould be as fine as for seeds, making 
re that there is plenty of sand in it, 
Maclaren and Sons. 
The Italian Squill (Scilla italica). 
otherwise tender things are liable to 
damp off. 
As soon as these cuttings have rooted, 
they may be potted off separately in 
thumb pots and wintered in a cold frame, 
plunged in asTies. Those who raise a 
stock of plants in this way can afford to 
make experiments with some of them, 
planting them out in likely places on the 
rockery, where the soil should be fairly 
dry in winter and where the plants would 
flower in early summer after they get 
well established. 
Ae. Kotschyi is a perennial' producing 
a number of slender wiry stems, which 
bend out from the crown for a short way 
and rise to the height of 3 in. W'hen about 
to flower. These stems are densely 
covered with linear, glaucous leaves, and 
terminate in a dense raceme or truss of 
pale pink flowers, with rosy veins. The 
plant is, therefore, well adapted for cul¬ 
tivation in pots, owing to its neat habit 
and dwarfness. It will also be seen that 
a small' plant produces quite a number 
of trusses of bloom. Some cultivators 
are of opinion that this plant should more 
correctly be termed Ae. jucunda. In 
habit and general appearance, it is not 
unlike Ae. pulchellum, w'hich, being a 
more commonly cultivated species, would 
serve to give readers an idea of this one. 
Aethionema Kotschyi. 
Maclaren and Sons. 
