October  17,  1895. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
367 
The  standard  varieties  of  Japanese  are  well  represented.  Newer  ones 
rapidly  developing  fine  blooms  are  Wilfred  Marshall,  Duchess  of 
Wellington,  Emily  Doone,  Mrs.  E.  Gr.  Hill,  Mrs.  W.  S.  TrafiEord,  Good 
Gracious,  Commandant  Blusset,  International,  L’lsere,  Robert  Flowerday, 
John  Macher,  Hairy  Wonder,  Duchess  of  York,  M.  C.  Molin,  Mrs.  W.  H. 
Leea,  Silver  Cloud,  W.  G.  Newitt,  Lily  Love,  Madame  Carnot  and 
Mermaid.  Incurved,  C.  B.  Whitnall,  Lord  Rosebery,  Owen’s  Crimson, 
Mr.  J.  Kearn  and  Globe  d’Or,  with  the  older  varieties  will  all  turn  out 
well. 
Otteespool,  Aiqbtjrth. — The  home  where  that  well-known  grower, 
Mr.  David  Lindsay,  made  his  name  as  one  of  the  leading  growers,  is  now 
in  charge  of  Mr.  Geo.  Dutton,  who  grows  his  plants  well,  and  who 
■figured  prominently  last  season  at  the  principal  shows.  The  incurved 
are  most  promising.  Queens  and  Princesses  especially  so,  being  fairly 
strong  and  well  ripened.  Japanese  are  looking  all  right,  most  of  the  older 
varieties  coming  clean.  Of  the  newer  ones  Wilfred  Marshall,  Col. 
Ghase,  Madame  Cambon  and  Commandant  Blusset  figure  most  prominenty. 
Cleveley,  Alleeton. — Mr.  Cromwell,  although  not  an  exhibitor, 
is  too  well  known  as  a  most  successful  cultivator  to  be  omitted  from 
this  list.  The  large  corridor,  which  is  filled  during  the  season,  and  the 
various  receptions  held  by  Mr.  T.  Sutton  Timmis,  so  that  visitors  may 
see  the  display,  makes  it  quite  imperative  that  only  the  highest  quality 
must  be  aimed  at.  The  corridor  at  present  is  a  picture,  containing  as  it 
does  fifty  plants  each  of  Mons.  William  Holmes,  Bouquet  des  Dames 
and  Gorgeous — red,  white  and  yellow,  carrying  three  or  four  blooms  each 
•of  excellent  quality,  and  which  will  be  over  in  time  for  the  general 
collection  to  be  staged.  These  number  500  plants,  and  so  far  give 
every  promise  to  develop  blooms  of  high  merit.  Those  showing  most 
prominently  amongst  newer  Japanese  are  International,  Mons.  C.  Molin, 
Mrs.  W.  H.  Lees,  Louise,  Golden  Gate,  Mons.  Panckoucke,  Duchess  of 
York,  Niveus,  Miss  Maggie  Blenkiron,  and  others.  The  incurved  are 
looking  remarkably  well,  the  Princess  family  having  good  clean  buds 
well  timed.  The  early  blooms  of  the  Queen  family  are  somewhat 
irregular,  the  hot  September  weather  seeming  to  have  had  a  marked 
effect  on  them.  Another  100  bush  plants  are  retarded  so  as  to  be 
in  grand  form  at  Christmas.  Taking  the  collection  of  750  plants 
altogether,  there  is  every  promise  of  a  grand  display. 
Boscobel,  Birkenhead. — To  know  and  te  speak  with  Mr.  C.  Jt 
Procter,  the  esteemed  President  of  the  Birkenhead  Chrysanthemum 
Society,  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  that  flowers  of  all  kinds  are  deeply 
cherished  by  him,  and  none  more  than  the  Chrysanthemum.  Mr. 
J.  Williams,  his  head  gardener,  can  grow  them  to  the  highest  perfection, 
and  his  successes  are  well  known.  Japanese  are  a  speciality,  and  there 
is  abundant  promise  of  fine  blooms.  Marie  Hoste,  G.  C.  Schwabe, 
W.  H.  Lincoln  (very  good),  Col.  W.  B.  Smith,  E.  Molyneux,  Vi  viand 
Morel,  Chas.  Davis,  Mrs.  C.  H.  Payne,  and  Florence  Davis  are  excellent. 
Newer  varieties  are  Duchess  of  York,  Wilfred  Marshall,  Duke  of  York, 
Sir  E.  J.  Smith,  Mons.  Panckoucke,  M.  G.  Biron,  Mons.  C.  Molin,  Miss 
Rita  Schrceter,  and  Madame  C.  Molin.  All  the  incurved  section  look 
well.  That  terror  of  last  year.  Golden  Wedding,  will  be  right  this  time, 
being  represented  by  good  buds.  Fifty  grown,  one  shoot  to  a  6-inch 
pot,  for  grouping  are  now  showing  buds  equal  to  any  others. 
Blacklow  House,  Roby. — The  collection  this  year  is  quite  up  to 
the  usual  standard,  the  incurved  section  giving  every  promise  of  hand¬ 
some  flowers.  All  the  well-known  varieties  are  in  fine  condition.  The 
best  of  the  newer  ones  are  William  Tunnington,  Owen’s  Crimson, 
J.  Agate,  John  Fulford,  and  R.  C.  Kingston.  Globe  d’Or  is  opening 
some  enormous  blooms,  at  present  much  resembling  an  incurved 
Japanese,  but  time  will  tell.  The  Japanese,  too,  are  fine  and  strong, 
everything  in  the  older  varieties  being  well  represented.  The  most 
taking  amongst  newer  sorts  are  Wilfred  Marshall,  Duchess  of  York, 
Miss  Goschen,  Hairy  Wonder,  Triomphe  de  St.  Laurent,  Commandant 
Blussett,  Philadelphia,  Duchess  of  Wellington,  Madame  Paul  Lacroix, 
International,  Miss  Maggie  Blenkiron,  and  Mrs.  W.  H.  Lees.  Three 
hundred  and  twenty  are  grown  for  large  blooms,  and  100  in  bush  form. 
Anemones  and  Reflexed  in  variety  are  most  satisfactory. — R.  P.  R. 
CULTURE  OF  Y ALLOT A  PURPUREA. 
Though  this  showy  Lily  is,  as  a  rule,  easily  cultivated,  yet  I  am 
induced  to  pen  these  notes  for  the  benefit  of  those  of  your  readers  who 
may  have  found  any  difficulty  in  flowering  it. 
The  few  plants  grown  here  were  taken  in  hand  the  first  week  in 
March,  shook  out,  and  potted  in  good  compost,  consisting  of  fresh  loam, 
decayed  manure,  with  a  good  sprinkling  of  sand.  The  pots  used  were 
from  4  and  6  inches,  according  to  size  of  bulbs.  The  bulbs  were  soon 
induced  to  make  fresh  roots,  and  kept  growing  in  a  temperate  house  till 
full  growth  was  completed.  They  were  then  kept  on  the  dry  side  for 
about  a  month,  when  the  plants  were  transferred  and  plunged  over  the 
rims  of  the  pots  in  a  shady  corner  of  the  gardens  in  moderately  poor 
soil,  no  further  care  being  taken  than  to  await  the  appearance  of  flower 
spikes. 
The  result  is  with  me  that  good,  sturdy  spikes  have  thrown  up  on  all 
the  strongest  bulbs,  several  having  two,  and  even  bulbs  of  moderate  size 
one.  Most  of  the  spikes  show  three  to  five  blooms  on  each.  A  good 
number,  if  grown  to  flower  in  a  similar  manner,  should  have  a  pleasing 
effect  for  the  decorating  of  conservatories,  blended  with  the  earlier 
flowered  Chrysanthemums.  I  may  here  mention  that  offsets  taken  from 
the  old  bulbs  and  treated  as  above  stated  have  developed  into  good  a 
size, — H.  C,,  Blackley, 
Weather  in  London. — The  weather  throughout  the  metropolis 
has  on  the  whole  been  dry  and  pleasant  during  the  past  week. 
Slight  fogs  have  prevailed  in  the  morning,  but  on  most  days  the  sun 
has  afterwards  asserted  its  power  for  a  short  time.  On  Tuesday  evening 
rain  fell  heavily,  while  at  the  time  of  going  to  press  on  Wednesday  it 
was  dull  and  cold. 
- More  Trees  in  London. — The  London  County  Council  is 
preparing  to  plant  trees  on  the  numerous  open  spaces  under  its 
control,  and  especially  in  Parliament  Fields,  which  are  at  present 
somewhat  bare.  Twenty  years  hence  Parliament  Hill  will  be  approached 
through  a  well-wooded  avenue,  which  will  add  much  to  the  beauty  of 
this  famous  eminence. 
-  Zonal  Pelargoniums  for  Exhibition. — After  reading 
“  Exhibitor’s  ”  reply  on  page  341  to  “  Subscriber  ”  on  the  above  subject 
I  must  beg  to  differ  from  him  in  its  taking  two  years  to  produce  a  good 
specimen  from  3  to  4  feet  in  diameter.  I  have  seen  plants  in  9-inch 
pots  5  feet  through,  carrying  eighty  to  100  good  trusses  of  bloom,  grown 
in  eighteen  months  from  the  time  of  inserting  the  cutting. — Devon. 
-  Public  Park  for  Bath.— At  a  meeting  of  the  Bath  City 
Council  lately  the  Mayor  announced  the  gift  of  Henrietta  Park  to  the 
city  from  Captain  Forester,  who  inherited  the  Bathwick  estate  from  the 
late  Duke  of  Cleveland.  The  park,  which  was  formerly  a  private  one 
belonging  to  the  estate,  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  and  will 
probably  be  laid  out  by  the  Council  as  a  public  pleasure  ground.  A 
resolution  was  passed  gratefully  acknowledging  the  gift. 
-  Apple  St.  Edmund’s  Pippin. — I  was  inquired  of  the  other 
day  at  Reading  as  to  the  cropping  qualities  of  this  exceedingly  hand¬ 
some  dessert  Apple.  That  information  I  could  not  give,  as  I  had  not 
noticed  it  previous  to  its  being  exhibited  at  the  recent  Crystal  Palace 
show  in  such  beautiful  form  by  Mr.  M‘Kenzie.  I  therefore  read  with 
interest  mention  of  its  free-cropping  qualities  in  the  excellent  report  of 
Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons’  fruit  nursery  at  Langley  of  last  week’s  issue. 
That  notice,  and  the  beautiful  as  well  as  distinct  appearance  of  the 
fruit,  should  it  be  also,  as  it  seems  to  be,  a  good  keeper,  create  a  demand 
for  the  variety.  Really  it  seems  more  fitly  described  as  a  Golden 
Russet.  The  latter  appellation,  in  any  case,  would  more  correctly 
describe  it  than  “  Pippin  ”  does. — A.  D. 
- Bristol  Amateur  Horticultural  Society. — This  young 
Society,  which  was  formed  about  two  years  ago  for  the  purpose  of 
encouraging  a  love  for  and  instilling  a  knowledge  of  horticulture  amongst 
the  amateurs  of  the  district,  has  had  a  most  successful  session,  and  the 
last  lecture  for  the  year  was  given  at  Colston  Hall  by  Mr.  W.  J.  Pollard, 
a  member  of  the  Society,  on  the  subject  of  “  The  Life  of  a  Plant.” 
The  lecture,  which  was  profusely  illustrated  with  oxyhydrogen  illumi¬ 
nated  views,  was  an  attempt  to  place  the  gist  of  the  scientific  phase  of 
plant  life  before  an  audience  of  enthusiastic  growers,  and  the  reception 
accorded  it  fully  justified  the  policy  of  the  Committee  in  giving  the 
members  an  opportunity  of  learning  the  cause  and  effect  of  plant  life 
and  development,  as  well  as  placing  technical  advice  and  instruction 
before  them.  At  the  close  of  the  lecture  a  vote  of  thanks  was  awarded 
the  lecturer. 
-  Hybrid  Streptocaepuses.  —  For  some  time  past  Messrs. 
J.  Veitch  «&  Sons,  Royal  Exotic  Nursery,  Chelsea,  have  been  paying 
close  attention  to  the  hybridisation  of  the  Streptocarpus,  and  their 
splendid  success  is  well  known  throughout  the  whole  of  the  gardening 
world.  A  few  days  ago  this  firm  forwarded  to  us  a  box  containing  a 
number  of  blooms  taken  from  plants  grown  in  pits  in  the  Chelsea 
nursery,  writing  that  ”  the  flowers  are  now  much  smaller  than  they 
have  been,  but  they  are  fairly  representative  of  the  colours  we  have 
obtained.”  The  range  of  colour  was  very  extended,  much  more  so  than 
we  have  previously  seen,  and  though  the  blooms  were  somewhat 
shrivelled  on  arrival,  it  was  very  easy  to  see  to  what  size  and  substance 
they  had  attained.  Considering  the  distinct  appearance  of  Streptocarpns, 
combined  with  their  floriferousness  and  ease  of  culture,  it  is  surprising 
they  are  not  far  more  extensively  ■grown.  ^ 
