480 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  21, 1895. 
-  A  Milk-white  Calla. — Mr.  W.  J.  Godfrey  sends  us  from 
Exmouth  samples  of  Callas,  including  one  of  four  that  he  originated 
from  seed  named  “  The  Godfrey  Calla.”  One  of  the  spathes  is  particu¬ 
larly  fine  and  free  from  the  greenish  tinge  of  the  type  ;  in  fact,  a  clear  milk 
white .  The  plant  is  said  to  be  d warf er  in  habit  and  extremely  fioriferoug* 
-  Gaedening  Appointment. — The  vacancy  at  Glewston  Court 
consequent  upon  Mr.  S.  T.  Wright’s  appointment  as  Superintendent  at 
the  Eoyal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens,  at  Chiswick,  has  been  filled 
by  the  selection  of  Mr.  A.  Bayford,  who  has  been  foreman  for  nearly 
five  years  at  Madresfield  Court  Gardens,  and  previously  three  years  at 
Floors  Castle. 
-  Home-grown  Coffee. — This  was  served  to  the  Fellows  of  the 
Royal  Botanic  Society  who  were  present  at  the  meeting  held  on  the 
9th  inst.  The  Coffee  trees  growing  in  the  plant  stove  in  the  gardens 
having  fruited  very  freely  this  year,  the  Secretary  made  the  experiment 
of  roasting  and  grinding  the  berries  and  preparing  coffee.  The  beverage 
offered  to  the  Fellows  was  of  excellent  quality,  and  a  very  favourable 
opinion  was  expressed  upon  it. 
-  Schoolboys’  Gardens  at  Hampton. — A  local  paper  states 
that  Mr.  W.  Denning,  a  well-known  horticulturist  and  member  of  the 
local  District  Council,  has  intimated  it  as  his  intention  to  propose  that 
in  connection  with  the  Hampton  allotments  one  or  more  plots  shall  be 
set  apart  for  the  best  boys  attending  the  local  schools  who  may  be 
recommended  by  the  head  teachers,  and  who  may  desire  to  practise 
gardening  on  such  plots.  We  hope  Mr.  Denning  will  be  successful  ;  but 
remembering  that  in  the  County  of  Surrey,  and  established  by.  the 
County  Council,  are  no  less  than  450  of  these  school  or  boys’  gardens 
situate  in  twenty-nine  centres,  it  is  pertinent  to  ask,  What  is  the 
Middlesex  County  Council  doing  with  its  technical  education  fund  that 
so  important  a  matter  should  be  left  for  a  local  council  to  promote  1 
Obviously  the  county  authority  of  Middlesex  needs  a  stimulus. 
-  The  Value  of  Acorns. — “  In  my  neighbourhood,”  writes  a 
gardener  in  the  Midlands,  “  some  of  the  children  manage  to  add  several 
shillings  weekly  to  their  parents’  earnings  by  collecting  the  acorns,  and 
selling  them  to  the  farmers  or  others  who  keep  pigs.  They  obtain  lOd. 
and  Is.  per  bushel  for  them,  and  I  know  one  family  of  three  girls  who 
collected  4  bushels  in  a  week,  which  they  sold  for  the  former  price, 
Ss.  4d.  being  a  substantial  addition  to  the  rural  weekly  wage  of  123. 
At  the  same  time  cottagers  and  farmers  were  selling  Potatoes  at  Is. 
per  bushel.” 
-  Quercus  COCCINEA. — The  Scarlet  Oak  always  comes  into 
mind  with  the  thought  of  the  splendours  of  our  autumn  forests.  No 
other  American  tree  flames  into  more  brilliant  colour  or  retains  it  longer 
than  this  Oak,  which  often  is  in  full  glow  after  the  leaves  of  its 
companions  have  fallen,  and  not  infrequently  its  scarlet  tints  are 
retained  until  the  ground  is  white  with  snow.  The  tree,  however,  is 
beautiful  at  all  seasons  of  the  year.  At  its  best  it  is  70  or  80  feet  high, 
with  a  trunk  2  or  3  feet  through,  comparatively  small  branches,  and  a 
somewhat  open  head,  so  that  it  has  not  the  appearance  of  rugged 
strength  which  characterises  some  other  Oaks.  It  has  a  certain  grace  of 
outline,  however,  and  its  thin  glossy  leaves  and  dark  smooth  bark  are 
distinct  and  attractive.  It  is  not  so  commonly  planted  in  pleasure 
grounds  as  the  Pin  Oak  or  the  Red  Oak,  but  it  can  be  moved  without 
difficulty ;  it  will  grow  rapidly  on  thin  light  soil,  and  it  makes  an 
admirable  street  tree. — (“  Garden  and  Forest.”) 
-  Sweet  Gum. — In  the  basin  of  the  Lower  Mississippi  and  in 
the  maritime  region  of  the  Southern  Atlantic  States  the  Liquidambar, 
or  Sweet  Gum,  is  one  of  the  most  common  forest  trees  of  low  rich 
lands,  where  it  develops  into  tall,  straight  trunks,  free  from  branches, 
to  the  height  of  70  or  80  feet  above  the  ground.  The  smooth  and 
satiny  wood,  however,  is  difficult  to  season,  and  shrinks  so  badly  in 
drying  that  the  commercial  demand  for  gum  lumber  has  been  limited. 
For  special  uses,  as,  for  example,  for  door  panels  or  veneers  in  cabinet 
work,  it  is  utilised  to  some  extent,  and  in  England  the  clear  timber  is 
considerably  used  under  the  name  of  Satin  Walnut.  Nevertheless,  this 
is  in  a  large  measure  a  neglected  wood,  because  of  its  tendency  to  warp, 
which  renders  it  unprofitable  for  careless  dealers  and  consumers  to 
handle.  A  recent  number  of  the  North-western  Lumberman  states  that 
gum  logs  when  quarter  sawed  become  tractable  and  reliable.  The  wood 
loses  in  this  way  its  characteristic  grain  effects,  but  it  still  could  be 
finished  with  a  fine  rich  surface,  and  it  could  be  largely  employed  for 
flooring  and  other  plain  use  where  durability  is  required.  The  vast 
amount  of  this  timber  which  is  still  standing  certainly  makes  it  worth 
while  to  study  and  experiment  with  the  wood  so  as  to  discover  how  it 
can  be  manufactured  and  dried  in  the  most  profitable  way. 
- Anthracite  Coal. — We  have  received  information  of  much 
interest  on  this  subject  from  correspondents,  in  reply  to  “W.  S.’s” 
query  on  page  435,  but,  owing  to  the  Chrysanthemum  shows  being  so 
numerous,  we  are  compelled  to  hold  it  over  until  a  later  issue. 
-  Railway  Rates. — The  rate  for  the  carriage  of  manure  over 
the  South-Eastern  Railway  has  been  reduced  25  per  cent,  in  the  case 
of  loads  of  not  less  than  six  tons.  We  are  informed  that  the  Directors 
of  this  Company  have  under  consideration  the  question  of  reducing  the 
rates  for  garden  and  farm  produce, 
- A  Large  Bramley’s  Seedling  Apple.  —  Mr.  G.  Summers, 
Sandbeck  Park  Gardens,  Rotherham,  writes  ; — “  I  read  remarks  re  large 
Apples  on  page  435.  From  a  small  tree  worked  on  the  Paradise  stock 
of  Bramley’s  Seedling  Apple,  and  transplanted  last  spring,  I  lately 
gathered  a  fruit  that  weighed  23  ozs,,  which  is  the  largest  Apple  of  this 
variety  that  I  have  known  grown  so  far  north.” 
-  Coreopsis  delphinifolia. — Although  one  of  the  smallest 
members  of  this  beautiful  genus,  this  species,  has,  says  an  American  con¬ 
temporary,  great  value  as  a  decorative  plant.  It  grows  to  a  height  of  10 
or  12  inches,  and  measures  often  as  much  across.  It  is  very  bushy,  and 
produces  innumerable  small  heads  of  pale  yellow  flowers  in  August  and 
September.  The  leaves  are  small,  three-parted  or  linear  and  smooth. 
The  heads  are  produced  in  leafy  corymbs,  and  measure  about  an  inch 
across.  It  grows  in  dry  barren  soil,  and  is  a  typical  plant  of  some  of  the 
poor  sandy  diatriccs  of  the  south.  Like  all  the  Coreopses,  it  is  easily 
increased  by  seeds.  This  is  a  most  useful  plant  for  naturalising  in  large 
parks  and  grounds  where  rocky  and  gravelly  soil  abounds.  It  will  add 
life  and  colour  to  the  landscape  without  obstructing  the  scenery  in  any 
way. 
ADIANTUM  CUNEATUM. 
Introduced  into  British  gardens  from  Brazil  about  1820  the 
Adiantum  cuneatum  has  enjoyed  an  unbroken  spell  of  popularity  until 
the  present  time,  and  is  now,  if  anything,  more  esteemed  than  ever  by 
the  great  majority  of  plant  lovers.  That  it  will  grow  freely  under  a 
great  variety  of  circumstances  has  been  proved,  and  this,  no  doubt,  has 
had  a  great  share  in  popularising  it.  But  t’nere  always  seems  to  be  just 
an  ideal  (if  the  term  is  permissible)  kind  of  treatment  for  this  as  for  all 
other  plants,  which  can  only  be  discovered  by  long  experience  in  their 
cultivation. 
Many  growers  advocate  cool,  and  some  few  even  cold  treatment ;  but 
my  experience  points  to  neither  of  these  methods  if  the  very  best  results 
are  desired.  At  the  same  time  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  cool  treat¬ 
ment  has  far  more  to  recommend  it  than  the  stifling  stove  temperature 
so  often  used,  which  causes  a  rapid  growth  of  long,  weak  fronds,  generally 
of  a  very  poor  colour  and  of  no  lasting  quality  when  cut.  In  either  case 
it  only  remains  for  the  advocates  of  the  extreme  systems  to  try  the 
mean  to  prove  its  value  above  either.  Given  a  temperature  of  60°  to  65° 
in  which  to  make  its  growth,  and  a  gradual  reduction  to  55°  with 
abundance  of  air  in  which  to  mature  it,  and  the  best  results  may 
confidently  be  anticipated.  Of  course,  the  question  of  soil  is  an 
important  one,  and  must  receive  careful  consideration.  Too  often  this 
grand  Fern  is  treated  to  a  compost  in  which  peat  is  the  predominating 
element.  Use  a  good  fairly  heavy  loam,  with  plenty  of  fibre  for 
preference.  To  this  add  a  little  flaky  leaf  mould  and  enough  sharp 
sand  to  render  the  whole  porous,  as  anything  approaching  stagnation 
or  sourness  in  the  soil  is  fatal  to  successful  cultivation. 
In  many  instances  old  plants  are  split  up  and  divided  to  form  young 
stock,  and  the  mistake  in  so  doing  cannot  be  too  strongly  pointed  out. 
A  far  better  plan  will  be  found  in  raising  young  plants  from  spores 
annually,  an  operation  if  properly  gone  about  entailing  no  more  trouble 
than  that  expended  in  raising  many  another  far  less  valuable  plant. 
Prepare  a  pan  by  placing  a  good  layer  of  crocks  over  the  bottom,  making 
the  drainage  secure  by  adding  a  covering  of  moss.  On  this  place  about 
half  an  inch  of  finely  sifted  loam,  and  water  the  whole  with  boiling 
water  to  kill  anything  that  may  be  living  in  the  soil  or  moss.  When 
cool,  the  spores  should  be  scattered  thinly  and  evenly  over  the  surface, 
and  the  pan  be  covered  with  a  sheet  of  glass.  The  best  position  is 
where  a  large  amount  of  moisture  is  constantly  maintained,  and  in  my 
experience  the  space  below  the  path  gratings  in  a  stove  or  intermediate 
house  is  without  a  rival  for  these.  Owing  to  the  constant  damping  of 
the  pathway  scarcely  any  attention  is  needed  as  regards  watering. 
Afford  a  light  shade  as  protection  from  the  brightest  sun  at  all  times. 
When  the  first  young  frond  is  discernible  springing  from  the  prothallus, 
prick  them  out  in  small  clumps  into  other  pans,  still  covering  for  a  time 
with  glass  to  prevent  excessive  evaporation.  Do  not  allow  them  at  any 
time  to  become  crowded,  but  keep  gently  growing  by  succe-ssive  prickings 
into  other  pans. 
A  mistake  very  prevalent  amongst  growers  is  that  of  commencing 
pot  culture  far  too  soon,  as  many  seedlings,  and  particularly  Ferns  in 
a  young  state,  grow  far  better  and  reach  a  useful  size  much  quicker 
when  grown  in  pans  or  boxes  until  large  enough  to  easily  fill  a  3-inch 
pot.  Small  shifts  and  rather  firm  potting  should  always  be  the  rule, 
for  with  the  help  of  feeding  large  plants  may  easily  be  obtained  in 
comparatively  small  pots. — Filices. 
