100 
JOUnXAL  OF  HORTTCULTUEE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Februar5’  3,  1898. 
GREENHOUSE  AND  CONSERVATORY 
FLOWERING  SHRUBS. 
Ten  Minutes’  Notes. 
The  older  fashioned  of  these  seem  to  be  conspicuous  by  their  absence 
nowadays.  It  is  my  intention  to  name  a  few,  with  concise  cultural  notes, 
that  flourished  so  well  under  the  treatment  given  them  by  Mr.  Channing 
in  the  conservatory  at  Lillesden,  Ilawkhurst,  Kent,  where  some  years 
ago  1  was  foreman. 
Luculia  geatissima. 
This  was  a  great  favourite,  planted  against  a  shady  wall  in  a  com¬ 
post  of  peat,  loam,  leaf  soil,  and  sharp  sand.  It  grew  luxuriantly,  and 
in  early  winter  was  clothed  with  its  flesh  coloured,  fragrant  flowers. 
The  roots  were  confined,  and  the  border  well  drained.  During  the 
growing  season  this  plant  needs  abundance  of  water,  with  daily 
syringings,  withholding  as  soon  as  the  flower  buds  are  seen  until  such 
time  au  it  starts  in  growth  again.  The  waterings  in  the  intermediate 
space  must  be  guided  by  the  absolute  requirements  of  the  plant  only. 
Pruning  is  not  imperative  where  space  is  unlimited.  The  dead  flowers 
and  irregular  shoots  may  be  removed,  and  the  remainder  tied  in  their 
places  ;  or  it  can  be  spurred  back  in  February  if  preferred.  Propagation 
is  achieved  by  cuttings  taken  with  a  heel  when  the  young  growths  are 
3  or  4  inches  long,  inserting  without  delay  in  previously  prepared  pots 
with  plenty  of  sharp  sand,  placing  them  in  a  close  propagating  pit,  and 
preventing  flagging  by  occasional  dewings.  When  rooted  the  hardening 
process  must  be  very  gradual. 
Habeothamnus  (Cesteum)  elegans. 
An  old  favourite  under  a  new  name.  This  plant  is  good  for  walls, 
pillars,  or  roofs.  Under  the  planted-out  system  and  with  liberal  treat¬ 
ment  it  may  be  said  to  be  always  in  flower  ;  an  open  moderately  rich  soil, 
with  plenty  of  water  during  the  summer  months,  are  its  requirements. 
Do  not  allow  the  growths  to  get  too  crowded,  and  you  will  be  able  to  cut 
armfuls  of  its  dull  red  flowers.  An  occasional  dose  of  liquid  manure 
assists  plants  of  weak  growth.  Cuttings  root  freely  under  ordinary 
treatment.  It  makes  a  suitable  amateur’s  plant,  as  it  is  not  fastidious 
as  regards  temperature,  soil,  or  position.  Occasionally  green  fly  is 
troublesome,  esjiecially  in  the  flowers  ;  fumigation  will  clear  them,  with 
good  syringings  afterwards.  IMealy  bug,  too,  takes  a  liking  to  this  plant  ; 
when  the  attack  is  very  bad  a  radical  cure  is  to  cut  the  plant  hard  back, 
burn  all  refuse,  and  paint  the  pillar  or  rafter  well  with  jiaraffin. 
Loniceea  sempeevieens. 
A  beautiful  evergreen  climber  is  this,  flowering  nearly  all  the  year 
round,  though  naturally  more  profusely  in  spring.  When  pruning  always 
remember  it  flowers  on  the  young  wood.  Its  beautiful  scarlet  and  yellow 
flowers  are  produced  in  whorls.  Partial  shade  seems  to  suit  it  better  than 
too  much  sun.  Ordinary  light  fertile  soil  suits  its  requirements.  Given 
this,  and  in  a  cool  greenhouse,  with  plenty  of  head  room,  it  is  a  most 
desirable  plant  to  grow.  It  is  easily  raised  from  cuttings,  or  root  division 
where  practicable.  Late  pruning  will  retard  the  flowering  season. 
Pleeoma  maceantha,  syn.  Lasiandea. 
One  so  rarely  sees  a  blue  flower  in  winter,  or  perhaps  I  should  be 
more  correct  in  this  instance  in  saying  bluish  purple,  which  this  plant 
produces,  that  the  wonder  is  it  is  not  more  generally  grown.  It  was 
planted  out,  and  covered  nearly  all  the  gable  end  of  the  conservatory, 
where  it  flowered  splendidly  all  the  winter,  the  dark  glossy  leaves 
forming  a  beautiful  contrast  to  the  many  large  flowers.  A  compost  of 
two  parts  loam  with  one  each  of  peat,  leaf  soil,  and  a  sprinkling  of  sharp 
sand,  may  be  recommended.  This  plant  succeeds  best  at  the  warmer 
end  of  a  conservatory,  and  needs  copious  supplies  of  water  during  the 
growing  season,  and  such  rest  as  “  A.D.”  (page  553,  last  vol.)  advocates,  at 
the  proper  season.  The  flowers  will  not  last  when  cut,  but  their  sight  on 
the  plant  is  ample  compensation. 
Choeozemas. 
I  fancy  the  varieties  we  grew  on  balloon  trellis  and  also  as  climbers 
at  Lillesden  must  have  been  C.  Chandler!  and  C.  cordatum  splendens. 
The  plants  in  pots  used  to  be  treated  somewhat  like  Heaths.  A  compost, 
with  peat  predominating,  was  used.  After  flowering  the  pot  plants  were 
stood  under  the  shade  of  a  tree,  the  pots  turned  on  their  sides  during 
heavy  rains,  and  taken  indoors  in  the  autumn.  As  soon  as  growth  com¬ 
menced  the  plants  were  cropped  close  with  a  pair  of  shears.  Careful 
watering  is  needed  at  this  stage.  The  pillar  plant  was  treated  alternately 
with  rest  and  growth  annually,  and  in  its  season  was  a  “  thing  of  beauty.” 
Thrips  were  troublesome  at  times. 
Spaemannia  afeicana. 
These  were  grown  in  large  pots,  and  well  repaid  for  generous  treat¬ 
ment.  As  the  spring  advanced  and  the  season  of  flowering  exhausted 
they  were  cut  hard  back,  a  little  of  the  surface  soil  removed,  and  top- 
dressed  with  rich  compost,  then  placed  on  ashes  outside  in  the  full  sun, 
reducing  water  until  growth  was  on  the  move.  No  more  than  ordinary 
attention  is  needed,  except  giving  the  plants  the  benefit  of  a  little  weak 
liquid  manure  occasionally.  As  autumnal  weather  comes  along  wash  the 
pots,  examine  the  drainage,  and  remove  to  winter  quarters.  Strong 
shoots  should  be  produced,  and  bristling  under  the  leaves  will  be 
found  buds  in  all  stages,  which  the  genial  warmth  of  the  conservatory 
soon  develops  into  a  galaxy  of  curious  white  flowers,  surmounted  by 
yellow  powdery  stamens,  which  remain  erect  after  the  petals  fall.  It  is 
readily  propagated  by  cuttings  in  heat. 
Othee  Plants. 
Other  plants  well  grown  there  were  Lapageria  alba  and  rosea. 
Bougainvillea  glabra  (which  flowered  splendidly),  Stigmaphyllon  ciliatum, 
Bignonia  venusta,  dasminum  grandiHorum,  Mandevilla  suaveolens. 
Plumbago  capensis,  Tecoma  jasminoides,  Boussingaultia  baselloides, 
Thea  viridis.  Clematis  in  variety,  and  last,  but  not  least,  were  the 
splendid  Camellias,  which,  after  receiving  good  support  and  copious 
waterings  and  syringings  during  the  growing  season,  paid  back  a 
thousandfold  with  gorgeous  masses  of  flowers,  to  brighten  the  dull  days 
of  winter. — Geo.  Dyke,  Stubton  Gardens,  Neicark. 
THE  VANISHING  CORN  FIELDS. 
I  HAVE  to  thank  “A.  C.’’  for  his  flattering  remarks  (page  81) 
concerning  the  literary  merit  of  “  A  Dream  of  the  Future,”  and  I  am 
not  surprised  that  he  should  have  described  the  sentence  he  singled  out 
as  a  startling  one.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  small  quantity  of 
corn  grown  in  this  country  creates  a  state  of  affairs  which  may  at  any 
moment  be  turned  into  a  grave  national  danger  unless  steps  are  taken  to 
provide  against  contingencies.  Let  us  admit  that  at  the  present  time 
there  are  thousands  of  acres  of  land  in  Britain  now  laying  idle  which 
ought  to  be  turned  to  account  for  Wheat  growing.  Then  surely  some¬ 
thing  could  be  done  to  enable  farmers  to  grow  Wheat  at  a  slight  profit, 
and  thus  make  our  danger  less  for  a  time,  although  we  could  not  grow 
enough  to  provide  a  full  supply  for  our  teeming  population. 
This,  however,  could  only  be  a  temporary  arrangement,  because  with 
a  population  increasing  so  rapidly  we  should  each  year  produce  a  smaller 
proportion  of  the  Wheat  required.  Perishable  crops,  such  as  vegetables, 
fruit,  and  herbage  for  cattle,  would  have  to  be  more  largely  grown  each 
year,  tiil  in  time,  though  perhaps  at  a  very  distant  date,  the  whole  of 
the  available  land  in  Britain  would  be  required  for  these  purposes.  Then 
what  about  our  supjily  of  corn  ?  Fortunately  grain  has  one  advantage 
—  viz.,  that  it  can  be  stored  for  several  years  without  seriously  deteriorat¬ 
ing  in  quality.  It  is  thus  easy  to  see  that  as  this  little  island  becomes 
more  closely  packed  with  human  beings.  Wheat  is  the  one  necessity  of 
life  which  can  the  most  easily  be  “  stored  ”  ready  for  the  dark  hour  of 
need. 
It  seems  to  me,  therefore,  that  those  who  guide  the  helm  of  State  in 
the  future  will  be  forced  to  consider  it  their  imperative  duty  to  store  up 
a  few  years'  supply  of  corn  regularly,  and  that  such  a  duty  is  second  only 
in  importance  to  that  of  maintaining  British  supremacy  upon  the. “ocean 
wave.”  This  may  not  appear  to  many'  the  right  way  to  march  “onward,” 
because  in  a  modified  form,  and  for  diderent  reasons,  the  practice  of 
storing  grain  was  started  in  the  “  land  of  Pharoahs”  long  ages  ago,  when 
Joseph  was  brought  from  the  dungeon  to  interpret  his  monarch's  dream. 
Still,  it  has  become  a  firm  conviction  with  —  Onvvaed. 
BEST  FLAVOURED  PEARS. 
Among  varieties  which  rank  high  in  flavour,  only  a  limited  number 
seems  generally  known,  as  correspondence  on  the  subject  in  your  paper 
shows  gaps  in  the  supplies.  This  ought  not  to  be  so,  as  really  good 
varieties  exist,  and  might  be  expected  to  appear  on  such  opportunities 
as  are  offered  by  the  Veitch  i)rizes  for  flavour  at  the  Drill  Hall 
meetings,  but  where  only  one  or  two  dishes  figured  on  the  last  occasion. 
Glou  Morg;eau,  named  by  Mr.  G.  Dyke,  is  doubtless  a  fine  Pear  in  its 
season,  but  it  requires  favourable  southern  conditions  on  walls,  or  espaliers 
and  bushes,  as  in  walled  enclosures,  or  where  other  good  shelter  is 
afforded.  In  comparison  with  Beurrti  Ranee  and  Bergamotte  Esperen, 
I  have  found  Marie  Benoist,  Olivier  des  Serres,  Prince  Napoleon,  and 
Doyenn6  d'Alen5on  preferable,  and  as  they  are  in  season  from  January 
to  March  their  appearance  at  the  Drill  Hall  would  not  be  otherwise  than 
opportune.  I  have  grown  them  for  fifteen  years,  and  thus  write  from 
experience. 
The  new  variety  Le  Lectier  should  also  be  included,  for  being  in 
season  in  January  and  February,  as  well  as  President  Barabe,  newly 
introduced  at  the  Drill  Hall,  and  found  to  be  a  first-rate  midwinter  Pear, 
I  think  it  cannot  be  too  highly  praised,  and  reminds  me  of  Thomson’s,  a 
superior  October  and  November  Pear  that  should  be  on  every  garden 
wall  with  a  southern  aspect,  together  with  Beurre  Bose.  For  Nec  Plus 
Meuris  I  have  a  good  word  to  say’,  as  grown  in  bush  form. 
The  younger  branches  of  a  family  alluded  to  by  your  correspondent 
would  doubtless  be  delighted  to  have  Pears  earlier  than  are  provided  by 
Seckle,  which  with  me  is  all  honey  and  water,  ^and  I  should  recommend 
bushes  of  Citron  des  Carmes  and  Doyenn6  d’Ete  to  eat  from  the  tree  in 
.luly  and  August  respectively,  with  Jargonelle  and  Brock  worth  Park  to 
follow.  T’ne  somewhat  later  best  sorts  not  mentioned  by  Mr.  Dyke  are 
Madame  Treyve,  Louise  Bonne  de  Jersey,  Beurr6  Hardy,  and  Emile 
d’Heyst,  while  if  very  large  Pears  are  appreciated  Souvenir  du  Congres, 
Beurre  Diel,  with  the  December  Pear  Nouvelle  Fulvie  (on  a  south  wall) 
should  be  added.  In  appearance.  Marguerite  Marillac,  an  October  Pear, 
cannot  be  beaten,  as  seen  at  the  Crystal  Palme  Fruit  Show. — H.  H.  R., 
Forest  Hill. 
