614 the gardening world. 
September 21, .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 
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Two Prizes of 2 s. 6 d. each will be < 
awarded each week for the two Letters 
which the Editor considers to be the best. ' 
moisture about the leaves, and that pre¬ 
vents them from giving off moisture too 
rapidly. Roots will be produced during 
August and September, but the pots may 
be kept in a cold frame till spring and 
the little plants placed out in nursery 
rows or into their permanent positions. 
-- 
The Strawberry-Raspberry. 
This introduction has now been placed 
on the London market, and fruiterers who 
have sold it think it is likely to be a suc¬ 
cess. 
£6,000,000 for Flowers. 
According to a well-known American 
florist, £4, 000,000 is annually spent in cut 
flowers in the United States. A Covent 
Garden dealer declares that fully 
/6,ooo,ooo is spent in this country. The 
street hawkers sell about £1,000,000 
worth. 
Strain of Pentstemon. 
For some years past an excellent strain 
of Pentstemon has been grown by Lord 
Aldenham (gardener Mr. E. Beckett), 
Aldenham House, Elstree. A fine lot of 
flowers was exhibited on the 3rd inst., 
when the R.H.S. accorded an Award of 
Merit for the strain. Some of these 
flowers are of huge size, and some of 
them are noted for the beautiful pencil¬ 
ling in the throat, as well as for large 
dark blotches. 
- 4~M - 
Aesculus 
Parviflora. 
A HANDSOME 
FLOWERING SHRUB. 
Although about 90 years have elapsed 
since the introduction of this shrub, it 
is not so common as it ought to be, on 
account of its various good qualities, for 
it thrives under a variety of conditions, 
forms a shapely bush, and blossoms 
freely each year at a time when really 
good" flowering shrubs are scarce. It is 
met with occasionally under its synony¬ 
mous name of Pavia macrostachya, which 
is probably the best known of several 
names under which it has been described 
by various authorities. The South¬ 
eastern United States is its home, South¬ 
ern Carolina and Georgia being specially 
mentioned in regard to it. In the neigh¬ 
bourhood of London it forms a handsome 
bush 8 to 10 feet high, and 12 or more 
feet through, clothed with large, Horse- 
Chestnut-like leaves, which have a glossy 
appearance and are deciduous. The 
flowers are borne in upright, terminal 
panicles, 6 to 10 inches in length, during 
August and September, and are white in 
colour, with stamens which are much 
longer than the corolla, and have a 
thread-like appearance. The plant in¬ 
creases in size by means of shoots, which 
spread out from the root stock, the base 
of a large specimen being a perfect 
thicket of shoots. This spreading habit 
forms a good method of propagation, for 
by detaching branches with a few roots, 
a stock of plants may readily be obtained. 
Loamy soil of a light character suits it 
well, though it thrives in a variety of 
soils. 
W. D. 
Seeds for Immediate Sowing:. 
Throughout the gardening Press there 
is a general note urging us to sow seeds 
of annuals for next year. I am going to 
add to the number by urging readers to 
sow at once the beautiful Violas, V. cor- 
nuta and its variety V. cornuta Papilio. 
The plants so raised will yield millions of 
blossoms during the whole of next season. 
When trimming plants that are exhausted 
a good number of ripe seed pods will be 
found, and if the seed is sown at once in 
a sunny spot .many strong plants will 
spring up that will nearly all'Stand the 
winter. A good plan is to put a bottom¬ 
less wooden box over a small patch and 
lay a sheet of glass over in severe weather, 
lifting it off on every suitable occasion. 
D. V. E. 
An Excellent Rose foir Forming a Large 
Bush. 
There are few Roses bearing double 
blooms that will equal Conrad F. Meyer 
for forming a large bush. This Rose is 
a very strong grower, making a dense 
bush five or six feet high. I have a plant 
of this variety planted last year that has 
sent up six strong stems from the base, 
each over five feet in length ; but it must 
not be pruned much. A good method of 
growing this Rose to form a large bush is 
to get a good plant with three or four 
stems and just shorten the tips the first 
year and each succeeding year to cut out 
one or two of the older stems. This Rose 
has pretty foliage of a tough, leathery 
nature, and is exceedingly hardy and does 
not get nipped by spring frosts. It is a 
hybrid of Rosa rugosa, and bears lovely 
pale-pink blooms. 
F. W. Bluett. 
Harringay. 
Hydrangeas as Lawn Shrubs. 
Hydrangeas planted out may not be 
altogether scarce plants in gardens, but 
they are scarcer than they should be, for 
few flowering shrubs last so long in bloom 
or are so effective when in that condition. 
They may not be suitable for exposed 
positions in the northern counties, as they 
cannot be said to be quite hardy, but 
seeing that they live for many years in 
sheltered corners, it is clear they are 
hardier than many imagine. Soil that 
seems to suit them best is a sandy loam, 
and moderately deep, well drained. They 
commence to flower in August and invari¬ 
ably last in good condition for three 
months. The old flower heads should be 
cut off as soon as they fade, which is all 
the attention they require. To have speci¬ 
mens of Hydrangea in the best condition, 
give them a fair amount of moisture at 
the root while in active growth. 
J. W. J. 
Worcester. 
Fi-eesias from Seed. 
I find that the best flowers from thes< 
beautiful Cape bulbs are obtained, whei 
grown from seed, in the following manner 
The first week in March get some 48 sizt 
pots, drain them well and fill with ligh 
sandy soil. Then dibber in, about 1. 
seeds to the pot, water, and place on , 
shelf at the warm end of the greenhouse 
Don’t place glass over the seed pot. Grov 
them on till the last week in July, thei 
gradually dry off. This will take fron 
three to four weeks. When the leave 
have died down they will come awa^ 
readily from the bulb. They can then b 
potted up again, as advised for theS' 
bulbs in the “G.W. ” Grow those along 
side bought bulbs, and notice the differ 
ence. 
Thos. Francis. 
Bromley Cross, Bolton. 
A Strawberry Barrel. 
Procure an old forty-gallon oil cas 
sound in staves and hoops. With a bra£ 
and bit, one inch or more in diameter 
bore several holes round the barrel si 
inches below the top. Beneath this ro 1 
make another, taking care to place th 
holes alternately with those in the to 
row. In this manner bore as many hole 
as the barrel can conveniently allow 
Place the cask in a sunny corner and fil 
it with earth pressed lightly down. I 
the holes carefully set vigorous Straw 
berry plants. The best results are of 
tained when the barrel is placed in sue 
a position that it can be turned rounc 
thus giving all sides the benefit of the sui 
The weight of the cask can be lessene 
by placing a “core,” or three-sided hollo 
brick pillar in the centre, leaving th 
hollow free from earth. 
J. L. Love. 
Kirkcaldy, N.B. 
Do Rabbits Eat Mushrooms? 
My experience in this direction indues 
me to answer this question in the affirm; 
tive. 
In the grass parks of a large, fine! 
wooded and nicely sheltered estate in th 
vicinity Mushrooms have grown in coi 
siderable quantities for many years, an 
anyone wishing to obtain a few of the ii 
digenous fungi just took the liberty of ei 
tering the parks and gathering them as 
suited themselves. Having been asked i 
get a few for a party the other day, 
betook myself to the grass parks, bi 
found the esteemed esculents very scare 
indeed, and about half of what I did fin 
were severely gnawed by rabbits. TI 
marks of their teeth were distinctly visibl 
on the remaining portions, which wei 
all scrapped out of the ground and lej 
lying in the fields. So, then, the search 
may reasonably be attributed to Bunnk 
J. C. Peebles. 
St. Fort, Fife. 
