THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. 
901 
% A PLEA FOR NERINES 
spring the plants should be kept perfectly 
dry in a fiume or greenhouse, close to the 
glass, until they ^ow the first signs of 
flowering or of growth, when they may be 
actively started by dipping each pot into 
a pail of water or otherwise thoroughly 
moistening the soil. 
A word or two as to hybridising and 
seed-sowing. The pistil of the nerine is 
prominently risible lK»tareeu its six stamens, 
and the pollen from the anthers of another 
variety can be transferred to the stigma 
by means of a camel-hair brush. I always 
The nerine is an autumn-blooming Cape working between every leaf and scale, until 
plant which should appeal to all lovers of now I have the collection clean — at 
bulbous flowers. Once understood, its re- lea^, I hope so, and I touch wood as I 
quirements are few, therefore it should be write this! 
^ more grown than at present. Any Seedlings that are coming into flower for keep a record of the varieties or species 
amateur having even a small amount of the first time at the moment are principally used, and this adds immensely to the in¬ 
glass to spare should secure and cultivate from crosses made betaveen N. flexuosa terest of st'edling-mising. The seetls are 
a little collection of nerines, and he will albo, N. sarniensis, and N. Planti, and ripe os soon as thev are easily detachable. 
I be more than repaid by the charm of the there are some very charming things among There are some folks who delay jmthering 
! gilt-snanied flowers, which continue in them. N. flexuosa alba (seed) x N. sarni- see<ls until they fall, thinking that they 
' succession right through the dull autumn ensis (pollen) is giving pretty rose-pink will wither and harden; this is a m^ke, 
i months. flowers, with a darker line down the centre for they remain gre^ and fleshy ™ 
The with which nerines can be hy- of each petal; while the reverse cross has last. After gathering, seeds should bo 
[ bridiised, or cross-fertilised and grown from 
[ seeds, is remarkable, and if carSul records 
: are kept the fascination of the seedlings 
when they begin to come into flower at 
about the third year from sowing is some¬ 
thing delightful to count upon and look 
forward to. 
The first of the species to open, and per¬ 
haps the handsomest of all, is N. Fother- 
gilli, which bears umbels of large scarlet 
flowers, borne erect, and which glitter in 
the sun as though gold-speoked. N. sar- 
niensis (or N. corusca) comes a little later, 
bearing heads of orange-scarlet flowers. 
The only pure white matural kind with 
which I am acquainted is N. flexuc^ 
alba, believed by some to he a white 
form of N. crispa (or N. undulata); 
the last-named is rather a poor flower, and 
scarcely worth cultivating for its own sake, 
though I have seen some very pretty hy¬ 
brids from it. N. Planti is a good nerine, 
the flowers crimson-scarlet, and the spike 
well-formed; I imagine it to be a 
hybrid. Later on come N. ManseUi and 
N. Bowdeni, with pinkish flowers, the 
latter being, perhaps, the largest flowered 
of all. 
But to add to these there are now the 
; numerous hybrids raised during the last 
_ twenty years by Mr. H. J. Elwes and 
others, some of which are gradually begin- 
\ ning to find their way into the market, 
5 though it should be borne in mind that a 
i long time is needed to work up the stock 
of a nerine, increase from offsets being in 
ffiost cases a very slow process. This was 
brought home to me the other day when 
I was looking at the stock of a nerine 
raised about twenty years ago, of which I 
to be the fortunate possessor. It 
consists only of seventy bulhs and small 
offsets, all told. 
The nerine would gain in popularity, to 
luy thinking, if it were more shown by 
the trade at the London shows, as well as 
at provincial autumn shows, ^yond an , handsome scarlet-crim. 
occasional display made by Mr. Elwes, and «hadinc to white in the centre; 
Peripatetic Lhibits by^ Messrs, Barr, 
CHRYSANTHEMUM MARY MORRIS. 
, __ frAPfloweriuff single variety with reddish, terra-cotta blooms. A.M.. 
r/stev— The Ganiens. Woburn Place, Addlestone. 
November 18. l^^pagT.^Hampton. (See New Plants.) 
sown as soon as possible in pots or pans, 
using a fairly light compost, and covering 
the seeds with about half or a quarter of 
an inch of finely-sifted soil. We never dry 
off our young seedlings like we do the 
Veitch, and one or two others, I think that m 'both ^ un ^ 
Mr. G. Reuthe, of Keston, is about its only flexuo^ alba is muen moa , _^_^ 
regular exhibitor, and on recent oooasions idlings should be still more fully-grown bulbs, but keep them growing 
I have not failed to notice in front of his Next y crosses were much steadily all the time. 
stands a foregathering of those who are interesting a ^ complaint is sometimes made that the 
interested in these things. to results may be expected to nerine is a “ nak^ flowering thing, com- 
I started my collection of nerines about «tement as to res y . bloom before the leaves are pro- 
ten years ago, amd at once began to cr^^ cases we leave our nerines in pei ly developed; but I would like such 
breed them About as soon as my first In three years, and after critics to see an exhibit of finely-flowered 
seedlings were beginning to flower thf !SV^Tod^de and rep^ them, while in plants, <aref«lly interspersed with adian- 
whole lot was visited by a severe attack i^Tugust. As is well known, turns and other ferns, such as is occ^.on- 
ot mealy-bug which put the plants f to be well watered during ally set up by Mr. Elwes at the ^yal 
into bad health. I tried^various remedies good and strong tt,ii In all mv fler,e.,H,,.ral 
without success, until someone recom- 
and sturdy bulbs, and 
blended methylated spirit. We went age liquid manure 
carefully over ever'y plant with this, my ? the leaves 
®au and I using a oamel-hair brush, and visa 
_ Horticultural Hall. In all my floricultural 
occasional experience I have seen no more charming 
not inad- sight. F. Herbert Chapman. 
fade away in late 
iignt 
Ry 
