April  29,  1897 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
865 
-  Antholyza  iETHloPlCA. — This  is  a  showy  buloous  plant, 
common,  says  a  writer  in  a  transatlantic  contemporary,  in  the  gardens  of 
Southern  California,  and  it  blooms  freely  during  the  winter  months.  It 
belongs  to  the  Iris  family,  and  produces  a  spike  of  flowers  with  foliage 
like  that  of  Gladiolus.  It  is  a  native  of  South  Africa,  and  is  commonly 
known  in  gardens  by  the  name  Watsonia,  a  nearly  related  genus.  The 
spike  of  flowers  is  generally  over  4  feet  high,  with  as  many  as  thirty 
flowers  of  a  dull  brick  colour  or  Chinese  red,  the  prominent  anthers 
and  markings  in  the  divisions  of  the  corolla  of  a  deep  maroon.  The 
flower  is  more  than  2  inches  long,  and  nearly  an  inch  across. 
-  Double  Daisies. — Although  we  obtain  these  freely  from  seed 
yet  is  the  product' rarely  satisfying,  as  sowing  to  secure  doubles  we  like 
to  have  the  flowers  as  fully  so  as  possible.  So  far  from  producing  good 
bedding  effects  in  the  spring  the  Giant  White  and  the  rich  King  of 
Crimsons  have  proved  to  be  the  very  best.  I  do  not  overlook  Mr. 
Cannell’s  very  fine  white  The  Bride,  but  include  it  amongst  the  Giant 
Whites.  I  saw  the  other  day  a  very  pretty  soft  delicate  pink  flowered 
double  that  I  much  admired,  but  there  were  very  few  plants  of  it.  It 
is  the  best  of  that  hue  I  have  seen.  Some  years  ago  there  was  a  large 
variety  of  Daisies  in  commerce,  but  many  of  these,  including  the  pretty 
aucubsefolia,  seem  to  have  died  out.  As  hardy  carpeting  or  clumping 
flowering  plants  in  the  spring  double  Daisies  deserve  wider  culture. 
—A.  K. 
-  The  Golden-tipped  Stonecrop. — This  is  one  of  the  very 
hardiest  of  plants,  as  indeed  all  the  Stonecrops  are  ;  but.  it  is  more,  for 
in  the  late  winter  and  spring  it  is  of  all  the  fami’y  the  most  effective.  I 
grew  it  many  years  ago.  When  recently  over  in  Middlesex  I  came  across 
a  buge  patch  of  it,  every  tip  of  the  mossy  growth  being  creamy  white, 
and  presenting  a  very  striking  feature  in  the  nursery.  For  vases  or 
rockwork,  where  in  conjunction  with  similar  hardy  plants  it  can  grow 
untouched,  this  Sedum  is  at  home.  Still  it  can  be  got  into  good  sized 
clumps  by  dibbling  out  pieces  10  inches  apart  in  the  spring.  After 
the  variegation  is  over,  and  by  the  autumn,  these  pieces  will  have  deve¬ 
loped  into  clumps  several  inches  across  ;  then  lifted  with  a  spade,  and 
placed  on  loose  soil  and  gently  pressed  in,  they  furnish  very  acceptable 
life  and  colour  in  late  winter  and  spring. — D. 
-  Leeds  Flower  Show.— HeadiDgley  Athletic  Grounds  bid 
fair  to  be  en  fete  on  July  7tb,  8th,  and  9th,  on  the  occasion  of  the  Leeds 
annual  flower  show  and  gala.  There  are  so  many  excellent  gardeners 
around  Leeds,  and,  indeed,  all  over  Yorkshire,  that  a  magnificent  show 
should  reward  the  Committee  for  its  enterprise  in  offering  such  hand¬ 
some  prizes  as  it  has  done  in  several  of  the  six  dozen  classes  scheduled, 
some  of  which  are  open  and  others  restricted.  The  sum  of  £36  is 
offered  in  an  open  class  for  a  group  of  plants  arranged  for  effect,  while 
half  that  amount  goes  to  a  group  for  amateurs  residing  within  seven 
miles  of  Leeds.  Six  stove  and  greenhouse  plants  take  £9  10s.,  and  half 
a  dozen  Orchids  in  flower  £10.  Then  there  are  Rose  classes  both  for  cut 
blooms  and  plants  in  pots,  while  fruits  are  also  generously  remembered. 
Growers  who  would  like  to  comp  te  should  write  for  all  particulars  to 
Mr.  W.  B.  Pindar,  Middleton,  Leeds. 
-  Currants  and  Patriotism. — Rather  a  Btrange  conjunction 
this,  one  might  be  tempted  to  say,  but  that  the  one  affects  the  other 
to-day  must  be  admitted.  In  Greece  the  Currant  crop  is  one  of  great 
importance,  and  the  Greeks,  fired  with  patriotism,  are  to  a  man  in  arms 
against  the  Turk  and  in  favour  of  the  Cretan.  Admitting  this,  it 
naturally  follows  that  the  growers  of  Currants,  and  the  men  who  prepare 
them  for  market,  as  well  as  those  who  see  to  their  sale,  have  had  to  give 
up  fruit  culture  and  take  to  the  field  of  war.  “  Pity  ’tis,  ’tis  true  the 
Currant  crop  has  to  be  left  to  itself — to  be  matured,  sold,  and  sent  away 
to,  amongst  other  places,  the  United  Kingdom.  This  means,  that  unless 
gentle  peace  quickly  returns  the  year’s  crop  will  be  valueless,  and  the 
gallant  little  country  a  loser — a  loser  where  it  can  least  afford  to  lose — 
and' English  matrons  will  greatly  miss  the  universal  favourite,  the 
juvenile  consumers  of  puddings. will  by  this  remember  the  year  of  grace 
1897.  True,  all  Currants  are  not  grown  in  Greece,  nor  do  all  puddings 
contain  Currants,  but  Greek  Currants,  like  Currant  puddings,  are 
universal  favourites,  and  the  loss  will  be  felt  by  an  extensive,  ifi 
juvenile,  army  of  consumers.  The  attention  of  buyers  is  being  drawn 
to  the  possibilities  of  the  Greco-Turkishembroglio  by  circulars  emanating 
from  the  larger  dealers  in  foreign  and  colonial  fruits,  fresh  and  dry,  and 
it  is  well,  we  think,  to  make  a  note  here  of  the  state  of  things  now 
existing  in  Greece  as  possibly  afEecting  the  supply  here,  and  piice,  of  oar 
humble  but  excellent  friend,  the  Greek  Currant.  —  ("Gardeners’ 
Chronicle.”) 
-  National  Viola  Society.— The  annual  Show  of  this  Society 
will,  as  was  the  case  last  year,  be  held  in  the  Royal  Botanic  Society’s 
Garden,  Regent’s  Park,  and  the  date  fixed  is  Saturday,  July  17th.  There 
are  open  and  amateurs’  classes  to  the  number  of  twenty-five,  while 
special  prizes  are  ofEered  in  three  classes  beyond.  Gold,  silver,  and 
bronze  medals  are  offered  for  a  collection  of  Violas  as  well  as  for  a 
collection  of  Pansies,  but  with  one  exception  all  the  remainder  are  money 
prizes.  The  Society  is  doing  good  work  in  arousing  and  increasing  the 
interest  in  these  very  beautiful  flowers,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
Show  will  be  an  unqualified  success.  The  Hon.  Secretary  is  Mr.  A.  J. 
Rowberry,  The  Crescent,  South  Woodford,  Essex. 
-  Irish  Potato  Crop. — The  total  produce  of  the  Irish  Potato 
crop  in  1896  was  2,701,000  tons,  as  compared  with  3,472,015  in  1895. 
The  yield  per  acre  in  the  two  years  was  3-8  and  4  9  tons  respectively 
The  average  crop  in  the  years  1886-95  was  2,744,963  tons,  and  the 
average  yield  in  these  years  3  6  tons.  The  Champion  still  continues  to 
form  by  far  the  largest  proportion  of  the  Irish  Potato  crop,  but  the 
quantity,  as  compared  with  other  kinds,  continues  to  show  a  continued 
tendency  to  decrease,  which  seemed  to  set  in  after  1893.  This  variety  in 
1896  formed  75  per  cent,  of  the  total  crop,  against  an  average  during  the 
ten  years  1884-93  of  79  3  p6r  cent.  The  Champion  was  first  introduced 
in  quantity  into  Ireland  after  the  failure  of  the  Potato  crop  in  1879. 
The  average  price  for  Potatoes  in  Ireland,  says  a  contemporary,  was 
2s.  lfd.,  or  the  lowest  since  1891, 
-  The  Yellow  Root  (Xanthorrhiza  apiifolia)  — Although 
perhaps  of  more  botanical  than  horticultural  interest,  this  little  shrub 
is  worthy  of  mention,  especially  when  (as  this  season)  it  is  in  flower  by 
the  middle  of  March.  Its  nearest  allies  among  hardy  shrubs  are  the 
Clematis  and  the  Moutan  Pseony,  a  relationship  of  which  its  general 
aspect  gives  but  little  indication.  It  is  a  deciduous  plant,  and  only 
grows  2  feet  to  3  feet  high.  Its  leaves  are  pinnate,  and  the  flowers,  which 
appear  before  the  leaves  at  the  end  of  each  branch  in  erect  compound 
racemes,  are  small,  but  numerous,  each  one  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in 
diameter,  and  of  a  dull,  lurid  purple.  The  species  (which  in  itself  con¬ 
stitutes  a  genus)  is  a  native  of  the  South-eastern  United  States,  and  has 
been  in  cultivation  120  years.  The  popular  name  of  Yellow  Root  refers 
to  the  colour  of  its  thick  creeping  roots,  which  in  bygone  times  furnished 
the  Red  Indians  of  North  America  with  a  yellow  dye.  The  plant  has 
also  some  medicinal  value  as  a  tonic. — (“  Garden.”) 
_  Kalosanthes  Culture. — The  Kalosanthes  is  a  most  useful 
sweet-scented  summer-blooming  plant.  It  may  be  grown  into  large 
specimens  for  exhibition,  or  in  48  or  32-size  pots  for  the  decoration  of 
the  conservatory.  The  cuttings  should  be  taken  now  and  inserted 
singly  in  small  60-pots  ;  place  them  in  an  intermediate  temperature, 
when  they  will  soon  root.  Transfer  them  into  larger  pots,  employing  a 
compost  of  two  parts  turfy  loam,  one  of  peat,  and  one  of  leaf  soil,  with 
a  good  sprinkling  of  silver  sand  to  keep  the  soil  open.  As  the  season 
advances  place  them  in  a  cold  frame  or  pit,  and  close  early  to  encourage 
free  growth.  Stop  them  twice  during  the  season  to  make  them  bushy. 
In  the  autumn  place  them  in  a  light  airy  house  and  gradually  withhold 
water,  which  will  cause  them  to  form  flower  buds.  If  extra  large  plants 
are  required  do  not  let  them  bloom,  but  pinch  the  points  out  and  shift 
into  larger  pots.  Whilst  the  flower  buds  are  opening  ventilate  freely, 
which  will  improve  the  colour.  Some  growers  place  their  exhibition 
plants  in  the  open  air  whilst  the  flowers  are  opening  ;  but  they  are 
protected  from  wind  and  wet,  and  shaded  from  bright  sun.— Gardener. 
_  Queensland. — In  these  days,  when  so  many  men  of  all 
classes,  tired  of  the  strife  and  Btrain  of  commercial  life,  are  turning 
naturally  for  relief  to  the  land  and  its  quieter  pursuits,  we  hear  in  this 
connection  too  much  of  England’s  expensive  and  overcrowded  acres  and 
too  little  of  the  millions  of  cheap,  rich,  sparsely  settled  lands  of  our 
colonies.  In  the  matter  of  fruit-growing,  for  instance,  Queensland  offers 
particularly  strong  inducements  to  the  small  capitalist-cultivator.  The 
soil  produces  readily,  on  the  coast,  every  tropical  fruit,  and  on  the  high 
table-lands  every  product  that  is  grown  in  the  temperate  zones.  For 
these,  as  has  been  said,  there  are  good  and  growing  local  markets,  while 
facilities  for  export  to  the  United  Kingdom  are  ever  on  the  increase. 
Amongst  the  fruits  that  may  be  profitably  raised  the  Banana  takes  a 
foremost  place.  This  is  a  fruit  which  crops  plentifully  and  soon,  grows 
nowhere  in  the  world  better  than  in  Northern  Queensland,  and  the  land 
needs  little  preparation  for  it.  The  prospects  of  Queensland  as  a 
fruit-growing  country  are,  in  fact,  exceedingly  bright,  and  good 
openings  for  fruit-growers  with  energy  and  a  little  capital  are  to  be 
found  there. 
