January  6,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
15 
not  really  lead.  Larger  shows,  as  far  as  Chrysanthemums  alone  are 
concerned,  are  held  in  the  provinces,  and  other  societies  offer  larger 
rizes,  and  have,  according  to  the  Secretary  of  the  N.C.S.,  a  much 
etter  attendance,  also,  what  is  still  of  further  importance,  are  self- 
supporting. 
It  is  true  that  other  societies  have  not  the  run  of  the  daily  and 
horticultural  press  the  same  as  the  N.C.S.  This  has  a  great  deal  to 
do  with  the  standing  of  this  Society.  Then  as  to  the  affiliation  of 
provincial  societies  with  the  “  National.”  What,  I  ask,  do  they  gain 
by  it  1  and  where  is  the  assistance  which  Mr.  Dean  mentions  as  rendered 
to  them  in  a  letter  of  his  in  a  former  number  of  the  Journal  ? 
The  N.C.S.  is  only  “  national  ”  in  name,  and  were  it  not  for  the 
constant  flow  of  novelties  and  the  enterprise  of  provincial  societies,  the 
N.C.S.  would  dwindle  away.  Without  in  any  way  wishing  to  become 
personal,  I  ask  anyone  to  analyse  the  Committee  of  the  N.C.S.,  and  it  will 
be  found  that  its  members  reside  either  in  London  or  within  a  few  miles 
radius,  and  whilst  admitting  that  some  are  good  growers,  there  are  a 
large  number  who  are  not,  and  never  have  been,  although  they  are  capital 
“  penmen.”  Surely  there  would  be  no  serious  difficulty  in  the  way  of  a 
Midland  society,  and  if  care  be  taken  in  the  selection  of  the  committee, 
certificates  awarded  by  this  society  would  have  equal  weight,  or  more, 
than  those  of  the  N.C.S.  Now  that  the  Birmingham  Society  has  migrated, 
or  rather  its  exhibition  has,  to  a  splendid  building,  why  does  not  its 
executive  consider  the  matter  of  a  great  national  society  in  the  centre  of 
England  ?— Peovincial. 
Late  White  Cheysanthemum  Elaine  Squelch. 
One  of  the  best  late  white  Chrysanthemums  is  a  seedling  named 
Elaine  Squelch,  which  I  have  recently  seen  at  Boxhurst,  Dorking,  raised 
by  Mr.  Squelch.  The  plants  are  dwarf ;  flowers  of  good  substance,  petals 
rather  broad,  and  pure  ivory  white.  It  is  a  great  addition  to  tbe  late 
white  varieties,  and  will  be  useful  for  market  purposes. — C.  B.,  Kingston. 
WINTER  FLOWERS. 
It  is  bleak  and  dreary  outside  in  the  garden  at  the  present  time, 
but  within  the  greenhouse  it  is  so  bright,  cheery,  and  warm  that  it  is  like 
stepping  suddenly  from  winter  into  summer  ;  a  delicious  fragrance,  too, 
Alls  the  air,  for  there  is  a  row  of  Koman  Hyacinths  in  full  flower.  Plants 
which  give  us  flowers  in  November  and  December  are  especially  precious. 
Chrysanthemums  are  our  chief  resource,  and  I  have  been  more  than  ever 
pleased  this  year  with  mine  ;  but  to  make  a  house  of  any  size  look  gay 
you  must  have  small  as  well  as  large  plants,  and  except  under  very 
careful  treatment  Chrysanthemums  are  apt  to  become  “  leggy.” 
I  know  of  no  plant  so  pure  and  sweet  as  the  Roman  Hyacinth,  unless 
it  be  another  bulb,  the  Paper  White  Narcissus.  But  this  latter  is  not 
nearly  so  free-flowering  as  the  Hyacinth.  The  double  Roman  Narcissus 
has  behaved  unusually  well  with  me  this  year  in  the  matter  of  flowering. 
Nearly  every  bulb  is  throwing  up  a  spike.  It  has  had  exactly  the  same 
treatment  as  the  Paper  White,  but  is  some  weeks  in  advance  of  it.  The 
fragrance  is  delicious,  but  the  flower  itself,  like  a  great  many  other  double 
flowers,  is  wanting  in  grace  and  beauty.  If  you  wish  to  secure  an 
abundance  of  sweet  white  flowers  in  November  and  December  obtain  the 
Roman  Hyacinth. 
I  have  never  succeeded  so  well  with  the  Richardias  as  this  year.  They 
were  planted  out  in  the  kitchen  garden,  and  then  produced  so  many  of 
their  large  white  spathes  that  I  half  sighed  as  I  gathered  them  to  think 
that  in  the  winter  they  would  be  exhausted,  and  we  should  have  no  more  ; 
but  it  has  not  been  so.  They  have  been  arranged  in  large  pots  on  a  back 
shelf  in  the  vinery,  and  there  they  have  continued  producing  their  spathes. 
In  a  controversy,  therefore,  about  what  is  the  best  to  do  with  the 
Richardias  in  summer,  I  should  decidedly  give  my  vote  in  favour  of  the 
planting-out  ;  but  I  fancy  in  most  seasons  a  trench  would  be  of  great 
service  in  keeping  sufficient  water  about  the  roots  ;  moreover,  I  do  not 
think  that  the  situation  should  be  a  warm  one,  but  only  half  exposed  to 
the  sun.  One  very  great  advantage  of  the  Richardia  is  that  the  spathes 
last  so  long  in  the  room.  In  these  days  of  room  decoration,  when  large 
stately  growing  plants  are  so  useful  for  that  purpose,  few  are  more 
welcome  than  the  Richardia.  At  this  time  of  the  year  to  have  the  dark 
glossy  leaves  and  tongue-shaped  spathes  ornamenting  some  bright  corner 
in  the  drawing-room  is  indeed  gratifying. 
Double  Primulas  are  also  early  winter  flowers  almost  invaluable. 
The  double  fringed  are  nearly  as  pretty  as  single  flowers,  with  the  great 
advantage  of  standing  so  well  after  being  cut.  The  old  Double  White 
seems  to  be  more  floriferous  than  the  large  and  beautifully  fringed 
specimens  of  more  recent  days.  But  the  latter  make  up  for  quantity  by 
the  richness  and  fulness  of  a  single  truss.  I  find  that  they  like  deep 
potting,  and  that  they  are  less  likely  to  damp-off  when  so  treated  than 
when  the  rootstock  is  above  ground,  and  the  plant  consequently  unsteady. 
With  a  very  little  care  they  can  be  made  to  flower  during  the  whole  winter. 
Two  words,  I  should  say,  give  the  chief  requisites  for  successful  culti- 
vation^viz.,  warmth  and  air.  Cyclamens  require  much  less  of  the  latter  ; 
in  fact,  I  never  succeeded  so  well  with  any  as  with  some  which  I  shut  up 
in  a  cold  frame  in  early  spring  and  kept  close  during  the  hottest  days  of 
April.  They  came  on  quickly  and  flowered,  as  Cyclamen  will  flower  when 
well  treated,  till  they  became  a  mass  of  starry  blossoms.  But  they  are 
sulky,  and  the  special  aversion  of  my  factotum,  who  declares  he  can  make 
nothing  of  them.  He  begged  me  to  buy  a  packet  of  seed  a  few  years  ago, 
because  he  thought  he  could  do  better  with  younger  corms.  But  it  was 
only  the  same  thing  again.  I  have  taken  them  in  hand  myself  now,  and 
I  hope  to  have  Cyclamens  again  this  winter.  I  am  sure  one  great  secret 
is  to  give  them  proper  treatment  in  summer,  and  I  believe  that  treatment 
is  to  plant  them  out  in  a  sunny  position  and  to  give  abundance  of  water. 
I  must  not  forget  to  mention  as  a  first-rate  plant  for  this  season 
Abutilon  Boule  de  Neige.  It  flowers  freely,  is  easily  grown,  and  has 
good  foliage.  The  only  quality  about  it  at  all  objectionable  is  that  it  does 
not  seem  to  like  a  visit  to  the  drawing-room.  It  is  essentially  a  conser- 
servatory  plant.  Perhaps  some  would  find  fault  with  it  for  not  having 
any  scent ;  but  the  globe-shaped  bells  are  lovely  enough  to  do  without 
that.  Give  this  Abutilon  plenty  of  water  and  good  heat  and  you  will 
have  abundance  of  flowers.  A  few  days  ago  the  border  between  the 
white  cloth  outside  and  the  satin  centre  of  a  large  dinner  table  was  com¬ 
posed  of  flowers  of  Luculia  gratissima.  This  made  a  lovely  border,  and 
the  scent  was  quite  delicious.  It  is  an  old-fashioned  plant,  but  that  only 
makes  it  the  more  valuable. — P. 
HARDY  SHRUBS  FOR  FORCING. 
Dueing  winter  and  spring,  when  outside  flowers  are  over  and 
Chrysanthemums  are  past,  the  inside  resources  of  most  establishments 
are  strained  to  their  utmost  to  meet  the  demand  for  cut  flowers  and 
flowering  decorative  plants.  In  those  gardens  where  a  sufficient  number  of 
reserve  houses  and  pits  are  at  hand  the  demand  can,  to  a  certain  extent, 
be  met  by  large  quantities— Ericas,  Genistas,  Cyclamen,  Primulas, 
Carnations,  Cinerarias,  and  others  being  grown ;  but  even  then  forcing 
has  to  be  resorted  to.  In  those  establishments,  however,  and  they  are 
many,  where  reserve  houses  are  limited,  forcing  becomes  a  necessity. 
Bulbous  plants  are  possibly  most  in  favour,  but  these  do  not  wholly  fill 
the  gap  made  by  the  dearth  of  flowers  outside,  so  hardy  shrubs  are 
called  into  requisition.  It  is  my  intention  to  enumerate  those  most 
suitable  for  the  purpose.  Several — such  as  the  Rhododendron,  Lilac,  and 
Deutzia  gracilis -are  old  favourites,  but  there  are  many  others  which 
have  equal  calls  on  our  attention,  but  are  rarely  seen. 
Commencing  with  Cytisus,  there  are  several  species  which  can  be 
admitted  to  the  greenhouse  for  early  spring  work.  The  best  are 
C.  biflorus,  prsecox,  scoparius,  Andreanus,  pendulus,  and  albus.  It  is 
best  to  grow  stocks  of  these  for  the  purpose  of  forcing,  and  keep  them 
in  pots,  as  they  do  not  lift  very  well.  They  give  little  trouble,  and 
after  two  or  three  years,  if  they  begin  to  deteriorate,  they  should  be 
thrown  away  and  young  ones  brought  on.  C.  biflorus  and  scoparius 
should  be  grown  from  seeds,  also  albus  if  desired  ;  but  all  flower  better  if 
grown  from  cuttings  or  grafts.  The  latter  method  is  preferable,  as  good 
plants  can  be  had  quicker.  C.  scoparius  or  the  Laburnum  can  be  used 
as  stocks.  C.  scoparius  pendulus  makes  an  effective  plant  when  grafted 
on  tall  Laburnum  stems,  the  long,  slender  growths  having  a  pleasing 
effect  when  covered  with  bright  golden  blossoms. 
Several  species  of  Prunus  are  acceptable.  The  one  most  frequently 
forced  is  P.  japonica,  and  it  is  a  beautiful  plant,  the  long  growths  being 
covered  with  pure  double  white  blossoms.  The  (  hinese  P.  triloba  is 
worthy  of  note,  as  also  is  the  pretty  pink  flowered  P.  nana,  from  South- 
Russia.  Dwarf  plants  of  P.  cerasifera  atropurpurea,  or,  as  it  is  commonly 
called,  P.  Pissardi,  are  worth  attention,  the  bronze  leaves  and  white 
flowers  being  pleasing.  Double  flowered  Cherries  may  also  be  used, 
Prunus  cerasus  Rhexi  fl.-pl.  and  serrulata  being  the  best.  Short-stemmed 
bushy  plants  will  be  found  most  serviceable. 
The  genus  Pyrus  offers  contributions  in  various  coloured  varieties  of 
P.  japonica,  the  scarlet  flowered  Maulei,  the  small  flowered  and  scented 
arbutifolia,  and  nigra,  also  Malus  floribunda.  Amelanchier  canadensis 
is  specially  worthy  of  notice  ;  it  forces  well,  and  dwarf  bushy  plants 
thickly  covered  with  racemes  of  pure  white  blossoms  make  a  perfect 
picture.  Choisya  ternata,  a  fairly  well  known  evergreen  shrub  vvhich 
produces  good  sized  heads  of  sweetly  scented  white  flowers,  is  indispens¬ 
able,  as  also  is  Viburnum  Tinus, 
A  number  of  Lilacs  can  be  used.  The  varieties  of  Syringa  vulgaris 
are  usually  selected  for  this  wofir.  The  dwarf  grovving  and  sweetly 
scented  S.  persica  is  not  often  seen,  but  forces  well,  and  is  in  every  w  ay  a 
desirable  shrub.  Good  plants  of  Corylopsis  spicata,  when  covered  with 
their  catkin-like  yellow  flowers,  are  attractive.  Among  Deutzias  we 
find  several  which  are  suitable,  such  as  D.  gracilis,  crenata,  and 
Lemoinei. 
The  rich  genus  Magnolia  provides  several  very  good  subjects  in 
the  white  M.  conspicua,  stellata,  and  the  purplish  obovata.  They  force 
well,  are  striking  when  in  flower,  and  last  a  considerable  time.  Spirfeas 
confusa,  Thunbergi,  and  arguta,  all  producing  neat  white  blossoms,  are 
useful  for  variety.  Kerria  japonica,  with  the  double-flowered  form, 
produces  large  quantities  of  bright  yellow  flowers.  Hydrangea  paniculata, 
with  its  large  terminal  panicles  of  sterile  flowers,  is  well  known 
as  a  good  plant  for  this  work.  The  sterile  form  of  Viburnum  Opulus  can 
be  satisfactorily  used,  as  also  can  Philadelphus  Lemoinei.  The  tree 
Pseony,  Pmonia  Moutan,  of  w  hich  a  large  number  of  garden  varieties 
can  be  had,  should  be  used  in  quantity,  the  flowers  being  both  large  and 
handsome.  Roses,  particularly  the  Tea  section,  are  always  acceptable, 
and  are  easily  managed.  No  establishment  should  be  without  a  selection 
of  the  best  for  spring  work. 
The  genus  Rhododendron  produces  many  beautiful  forms  for  the  pur¬ 
pose.  Of  the  earlier  flowering  varieties  of  the  evergreen  section,  such  as 
Cunningham’s  White,  altaclarense,  Nohleanum,  pr8ecox,  and  Rosy  Bell,  are 
the  best  to  force.  Of  the  deciduous  forms  R.  sinense  (Azalea  molle)  and 
R.  flavum  (Azalea  pontica),  with  their  respective  varieties,  are  the  inost 
useful.  Daphne  Mezereum  can  be  had  in  midwinter  with  little  forcing, 
