April  2’,  1897.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  WS 
rej  dicing.  Perhaps  we  are  too  pro»aic  a  people  to  embody  sentiment 
in  visible  form  by  wearing  the  national  flower  ;  or  perhaps  i,t  is 
owing  to  the  unfortunately  early  date  (April  23rd)  fixed  for  the 
festival  of  our  patron  saint,  St.  George  ;  or,  again,  to  there  being 
no  mythological  connection  with  him  and  the  floral  emblem,  that  so 
little  is  thought  of  either  ;  but  wherever  the  missing  link  may  be 
we  may,  I  think,  regard  it  as  the  flaw  which  causes  the  Saint’s  day 
to  pass  unheeded,  and  the  floral  emblem,  as  such,  to  be  unregarded. 
There  is,  however,  for  the  latter  a  fine  opportunity  this  year  to  do 
it  justice. 
Is  there  any  Rose  in  particular  to  which  has  been  accorded  the 
honour  of  being  our  representative  flower?  I  think  not;  and  if 
not  it  is  a  question  worth  settling  for  good  and  all,  and  no  better 
time  than  the  present  (the  present  year)  could  be  found  for  doing 
so  ;  but  with  ail  resoecc  to  Continental  raisers  Our  Rose  must  be 
of  British  breed  and  birth.  Possibly  among  homo  specialists  there 
is  something  good — very  good,  worthy  of  the  year  and  the  object, 
and  ere  1897  passes  a  Victoria  Imperatrice,  Grand  National,  or 
Merry  England  will  make  its  debut  and  receive  a  hearty  welcome. 
Apropos  of  this,  one  wishes  that  some  new  and  noble  product 
of  the  vegetable  kingdom  might  emphatically  and  indelibly  mark 
for  all  time  the  horticulturists’  loyalty  of  bearing  the  name  of  the 
illustrious  lady,  our  Queen.  Such  we  have  truly  in  that  grand 
annual  Lily,  that  queen  of  the  water  nymphs,  the  Victoria  regia  ; 
but  one  would  like  that  name  to  be  honoured  by  some  grand  old 
family  of  trees,  9uch  as  the  Wellingtonia,  yet  scarcely  dare  hope  of 
there  being  anything  fo  grand  and  noble  and  capably  patriarchal 
destined  to  reach  the  shores  and  flourish  in  the  climate  of  Old 
England. 
Possibly  we,  ss  gardeners,  should  “  be  satisfied  in  well-doing,” 
and  possibly,  too,  there  is  something  akin  to  vulgarity  in  ambition’s 
desire  to  blow  a  loud  horticultural  blast  on  the  trumpet  of  fame. 
If  so  it  is,  I  think,  pardonable.  Probably  landmarks  of  the  long 
past  shed  a  light  upon  the  subject,  and  we  may  by  analogy  see  what 
future  generations  may  regard  as  the  most  valuable,  as  probably 
they  will  be  the  most  lasting,  mementoes  of  Victorian  horticulture. 
This  will  be,  as  it  is  now,  found  in  the  scriptures  of  gardening 
work  and  thought.  If  we  now  regard  the  avidity  with  which 
the  early  examples  of  the  then  standard  works,  or  even  the  stray 
scraps  of  horticultural  literature,  are  sought  for  to  tell  us  of  those 
things,  of  those  fashions,  of  those  men  and  their  manual  works 
preserved  to  us  by  this  means  from  oblivion,  then  I  think  we 
may  here  look  for  and  hope  to  find  satisfaction  for  our  feelings. 
Generations  yet  unborn  must,  one  may  reasonably  expect,  prize 
the  standard  literature  of  present-day  teachings,  which  it  is  safe  to 
say  represent  a  degree  of  excellence  previously  undreamt  of. 
Looking  upon  a  gardener’s  library  of  tb-day,  embellished  as  it  is  by 
all  that,  modern  science  and  art  can  now  accomplish  in  reproducing 
form  and  colour  of  luscious  fruits  ;  fruit  alori^.  in  its  literature, 
possesses  all  th*t  can  satisfy  Macaulay’s  New  Zealander  when  he 
arrives  Can  it  be  otherwise  that  our  floral  treasures,  so  largely 
increased,  so  vastly  improved,  with  the  present  popular  section  of 
hardy  plants  so  marvellously  augmented,  will  not  inspire  som- 
master  hand  to  tell  of  them  up  to  date  ;  to  be  a  guide  to  the  presen  i , 
a  monumental  work  worthy  of  this  advanced  subject,  worthy  of  a 
cause  paramount  if  passive  of  this  unique  Victorian  era. 
It  is  on  these  lines  we  may,  I  think,  hope  to  find,  or  rather  for 
our  Nova  Zealandic  friend,  to  discover  that  horticultural  aureole 
surrounding  Victoria,  rather  than  in  the  variorum  of  great  shows, 
big  prizes,  or  even  those  most  commendable  schemes  already  well 
in  hand  with  which  we  gardeners  would  honour  the  Queen — God 
bless  her. — One  of  Them. 
VIOLETS. 
The  popularity  of  many  flowers  seems  to  ebb  and  flow  with  the 
tide  of  fashion,  but  “sweet  Violets”  are  always  in  demand  during 
winter  and  spring.  The  most  fastidioui  never  seem  to  tire  of 
them,  but  rather  to  require  an  almost  unlimited  supply  of  large, 
highly  coloured  flowers. 
Plants  growing  in  frames  will  now  have  practically  finished 
flowering,  and  the  time  has  arrived  for  taking  the  necessary  steps 
to  secure  an  abundant  supply  for  next  season.  Methods  of  pro¬ 
cedure  seem  to  vary  with  different  cultivators,  and  each  pins  his 
faith  upon  his  own  particular  plan.  Some  maintain  that  by 
dividing  the  old  plants  and  planting  single  crowns  the  best  results 
are  obtained  ;  others  aver  that  there  is  nothing  like  raising  young 
plants  from  runners  each  year.  Good  results  are  without  doubt 
obtained  by  either  practice,  and  it  is  often  necessary  to  employ 
both  crowns  and  runners  to  secure  the  requisite  number  of  plants. 
During  the  past  season  I  have  thoroughly  tested  several  methods, 
and  have  fully  convinced  myself  that  the  young  plants  produce  the 
finest  flowers,  and  for  that  reason  I  intend  to  depend  entirely  upon 
plants  raised  from  runners  in  the  future.  Close  observation  should, 
I  think,  show  anyone  why  such  is  the  case.  It  happens  in  this  way. 
When  plants  are  divided  and  the  crowns  inserted  they  form  too 
dense  a  mass  during  the  summer,  for  although  the  runners  may  be 
regularly  removed  suckers  spring  up  from  the  base  of  the  crowns, 
and  by  the  time  they  are  ready  for  planting  in  frames  the  plants 
are  often  from  9  to  12  inches  in  diameter.  Grand  plants,  one  is 
naturally  led  to  think  ;  and  so  they  a^e  in  a  certain  sense,  for  all 
goes  well  with  them  till  winter  comes  with  its  short,  dull,  wet,  and 
cold  days.  Then  damping  begins,  for  no  matter  at  how  great  *a 
distance  the  plants  may  be  set  apart  the  mass  of  crowns  forming 
the  plant  does  not  admit  of  a  sufficient  quantity  of  air  and  light 
to  play  arourd  every  leaf  to  enable  them  to  perform  their  functions 
properly,  and  thus  produce  flowers  freely. 
The  type  of  plant  we  should  aim  at  securing  is  a  moderate 
sized  one  with  a  single  plump  crown,  and  few  but  thick  leathery 
leaves.  A  good  sized  frame  will  accommodate  a  large  number  of 
these,  and  yet  allow  every  leaf  to  be  fully  exposed  to  light.  The 
number  of  flowers  produced  per  plant  may  not  be  great,  but  in  a 
given  space  they  will  be  as  numerous  as  when  big  plants  are 
grown,  but  the  size  and  colour  of  the  blooms  will  be  infinitely 
more  satisfactory. 
In  raising  a  stock  of  plants  from  runners  various  methods  will 
suggest  themselves  to  different  cultivators,  according  to  the  circum¬ 
stances  in  which  they  are  placed.  The  plan  I  adopt  is  the  following. 
The  plants  are  lifted  from  a  frame  where  they  passed  the  winter  ; 
the  soil  is  then  forked  up,  pressed  firmly,  levelled  with  a  rake,  and 
given  a  sprinkling  of  sand  on  the  surface.  Strong  runners  are  next 
selected,  many  of  which  have  already  emitted  roots.  These  are 
then  planted  a  couple  of  inches  apart  in  the  prepared  frame,  watered 
thoroughly,  and  kept  close  and  well  shaded  till  they  begin  to  grow 
freely.  They  are  syringed  on  the  afternoons  of  bright  days, 
more  air  being  gradually  admitted  and  shade  withheld  as  growth 
progresses.  With  this  treatment  the  plants  wi'l  be  ready  for 
planting  in  their  summer  quarters  by  the  end  of  May. 
A  border  having  a  north  or  west  aspect  is  a  capital  position  for 
them.  If  the  soil  of  this  border  has  been  dug  during  the  spring, 
all  the  preparation  required  is  to  dress  with  soot,  tread  firmly,  and 
level  with  the  rake  ;  the  plants  are  then  set  a  foot  apart,  taking 
care  to  leave  the  crowns  slightly  above  the  surface  of  the  soil  ; 
a  thorough  watering  is  given,  and  repeated  when  required  for  a 
week  or  two  should  the  weather  prove  dry.  Culture  during  the 
summer  months  consists  of  persistently  removing  runners  as  they 
appear,  so  as  to  induce  the  plants  to  develop  sturdy  single  crowns, 
and  should  drought  set  in  an  occasional  watering  will  be  necessary, 
sometimes  with  weak  liquid  manure.  The  hoe  must  also,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  be  kept  going  among  them,  with  the  object  of 
keening  down  weeds  and  securing  a  loose  surface  to  the  soil. 
Violets  should  be  placed  in  their  winter  quarters  early  in 
September,  so  as  to  become  well  established  before  wintry  weather 
comes.  Every  spare  pit  and  frame  ought  to  be  filled  with  them, 
as  few  flowers  are  so  much  appreciated  during  the  autumn  and 
winter  months.  In  very  cold  districts  it  is  a  good  plan  to  make  up 
a  hotbed  for  placing  a  few  frames  upon,  as  by  so  doing  a  supply  of 
flowers  is  obtained  during  very  severe  weather,  when  the  plants 
are  almost  at  a  standstill  in  cold  frames  ;  for  the  bulk  of  the 
plants,  however,  hotbeds  are  not  necessary. 
The  only  preparation  needed  is  to  place  a  few  inches  of  clinkers 
at  the  bottom  to  serve  as  drainage,  over  these  a  layer  of  leave*,  to 
be  followed  by  9  inches  of  good  light  garden  soil,  with  which  a 
little  soot  and  salt  ha*  been  mixed.  If  the  surface  of  the  soil  is 
from  6  to  9  inches  from  the  glass,  the  plants  will  have  ample  room 
to  develop  without  coming  in  contact  with  it.  In  planting  I  allow 
the  plant*  to  stand  just  clear  of  each  other,  and  I  find  that  by 
keeping  the  runners  regularly  removed  throughout  the  winter  the 
space  given  is  sufficient  to  prevent  damping.  In  order  to  secure 
plenty  of  runners  for  spring  planting  three  of  the  strongest  runners 
are  allowed  to  develop  on  each  plant  in  a  couple  of  lights.  In  these 
the  plants  are  allowed  more  space  when  planted  in  the  frames. 
Good  double  varieties  are  Comte  Brazza,  white  ;  De  Parme, 
lavender  purple  ;  Lady  Hume  Campbell,  lavender  ;  Marie  Louise, 
lavender  blue  ;  and  Parmaeasis  fl.-pl.,  white,  striped  rose.  In 
Princesse  des  Grilles  we  have  the  finest  of  all  singles,  producing 
flowers  as  large  as  a  florin.  It  is  a  new  variety,  which  should  be 
secured  by  all. — D.  W. 
Spirjea.  Thunbergi.  —  This  charming  Chinese  species  is  the 
earliest  of  the  shrubby  section  to  open  its  flowers  out  of  doors.  The 
flowers  are  pure  white,  about  quarter  of  an  inch  across,  star-shaped,  and 
produced  thickly  all  along  the  previous  year’s  growth.  The  habit  of  the 
plant  is  all  that  can  be  desired.  The  growths  are  long,  twiggy,  and 
somewhat  pendulous,  and  at  the  end  of  March  are  thickly  clothed  with 
pale  green  leaves  and  pure  white  flower*,  which  make  a. striking  corn 
trast.  When  mature  the  bushes  attain  a  height  of  3  feet,  with  a  diameter 
of  3  to  4  feet. — W.  P. 
