212 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  15.  1898. 
bulbs,  is  now  a  mass  of  flower  buds,  and  will  continue  in  bloom  now 
for  some  weeks. 
I  have  never  been  able  to  do  anything  with  the  delicately  coloured 
variety  known  as  punctatum.  This  is  another  of  those  curious  things 
we  meet  with  in  gardening,  for  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  it 
should  be  the  only  delicate  variety  in  a  group  generally  so  vigorous. 
There  is  some  little  confusion  about  the  white  varieties  of  Lilium 
speciosum.  There  are  four  which  I  have  grown  in  my  garden — the 
original  album,  album  Krsetzeri,  album  novum,  and  one  which  I  had 
from  Mr.  Ant.  Roozen,  and  which  I  do  not  see  in  other  catalogues, 
under  the  name  of  Vestale.  Some  of  these  differ  in  their  broader 
petals  and  foliage,  while  album  novum  differs  from  Krsetzeri  in  having 
the  anthers  a  golden  yellow'  instead  of  brown.  On  the  whole,  how¬ 
ever,  I  think  Yestale  to  be  the  best  of  the  four.  It  is  of  the  purest 
white,  and  has  nothing  of  that  green  stripe  which  is  found  in  the 
centre  of  the  petals  of  Krsetzeri.  It  is  a  large  flower,  and  although 
it  has  not  behaved  so  well  this  year,  I  am  inclined  to  attribute  its 
failure  to  the  drought,  which  has  been  very  trying  to  so  many  of  the 
plants  in  the  herbaceous  border.  It  may,  of  course,  be  owung  to  the 
Lilv  mite,  but  I  have  not  yet  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  the 
bulbs,  but  both  my  clumps  of  this  and  Krsetzeri  are  weak  this  year. 
Lilium  tigrinum  and  its  Varieties. 
The  two  best  forms  of  tigrinum  are.  I  think,  splendens  and 
Fortunei.  I  have  never  cared  much  for  the  double  form,  tigrinum 
flore-pleno.  My  plants  of  these  two  fine  varieties  are  not  quite  what  I 
should  w'ish  them  to  be.  I  do  not  know  why  this  should  be  the  case, 
but  I  have  seen  plants  of  the  common  Tiger  in  cottagers’  gardens  in 
my  parish  which  are  far  more  vigorous  than  mine.  There  is  another 
Lily  whose  behaviour  never  does  satisfy  me — viz.,  superbum  ;  it  is  a 
North  American  species,  and  is  spoken  of  sometimes  as  Swamp  Lily. 
If  this  name  designates  correctly  its  habitat  it  will  sufficiently  account 
for  its  comparative  failure  with  me.  Our  climate  in  East  Kent  is  dry, 
the  average  rainfall  not  being  above  28  inches,  and  during  the  last 
three  years  it  has  been  considerably  below  the  average.  My  garden 
lies  in  a  very  warm  and  sheltered  position  and  the  soil  is  light,  and  all 
these  conditions  militate  against  the  success  of  the  plants.  I  cannot 
find  a  moist  situation  for  it  in  all  my  garden,  and  hence  instead  of 
having  a  plant  5  or  6  feet  high  it  is  never  much  more  than  half  that. 
“It  will  thus  be  seen  that  even  in  a  small  garden  like  mine  there  are 
many  of  this  most  beautiful  class  of  plants  to  delight  us  in  the  early 
autumn,  and  while  one  sees  the  stems  of  the  early  flowering  species 
dying  off,  for  I  never  allow  them  to  be  "cut  away,  the  later  ones 
which  I  have  mentioned  cheer  us  with  their  beautiful  and  fragrant 
blossoms. — D.,  Deal. 
FIGS  UNDER  GLASS. 
On  previous  occasions  I  have  contributed  to  the  pages  of  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  notes  on  these  luscious  fruits,  and  I  am  now  sending  a  few 
more.  I  do  this  as  I  have  long  been  of  the  opinion  that  in  many  gardens 
Figs  are  not  given  the  attention  they  deserve  when  we  consider  how 
highly  good  fruits  are  appreciated  by  almost  everyone. 
Earliest  Forced  Trees  in  Pots. 
The  trees  that  have  been  forced  early,  or  started  and  grown  on  with 
a  view  to  that  purpose  for  the  first  time,  will  have  the  wood  matured,  and 
require  attention  at  the  roots.  As  it  is  not  advisable  to  increase  the  pot 
room  in  the  case  of  established  trees,  remove  a  few  inches  of  soil  from  the 
base,  also  the  loose  surface,  and  reduce  the  sides  of  the  ball  about  an  inch, 
cutting  off  the  straggling  roots.  The  trees  may  then  be  returned  to  the 
same  size  of  pot,  providing  thorough  drainage,  and  potting  firmly  in  a 
compost  of  four  parts  of  turfy  loam,  one  part  of  old  mortar  rubbish,  and  a 
part  of  thoroughly  decayed  manure.  Ram  the  soil  firmly,  afford  a  good 
watering,  and  place  the  trees  where  they  can  have  air,  with  shelter  from 
heavy  rains  and  snow,  also  safety  from  frost. 
This  method  answers  for  trees  not  allowed  to  root  to  any  great  extent 
from  the  pots,  but  trees  that  are  in  large  pots,  and  have  been  stood  on 
brick  pedestals  to  prevent  their  sinking  with  the  fermenting  materials, 
require  different  treatment.  In  their  case  all  the  fermenting  materials, 
whether  Beech  or  Oak  leaves  or  other  substances,  should  be  removed, 
and  all  the  surface  dressing  from  amongst  the  roots,  with  a  hand  fork. 
Shorten  the  strongest  roots,  and  attend  to  the  drainage,  then  place  the 
trees  in  position  on  the  loose  brick  pedestals,  and  surface-dress  with  the 
compost  named,  rammed  firmly  into  the  pots.  Supply  water  to  settle  the 
soil,  and  after  this  keep  the  house  cool,  dry,  and  well  ventilated  until  the 
time  of  starting  in  November  or  December.  This  is  a  preferable  plan  to 
repotting  annually,  as  the  trees  are  less  liable  to  cast  their  first  crop  of 
fruit,  and  it  is  not  advisable  to  disturb  trees  in  18  or  20-inch  pots  at  the 
roots  more  than  can  be  helped.  In  the  case  of  trees  that  are  not  in  as 
large  pots  as  desired,  or  when  it  is  thought  desirable  to  increase  the  root 
space,  a  liberal  shift  may  be  given,  the  sides  of  the  ball  loosened  with  a 
hand-fork,  and  straggling  roots  cut  back,  also  the  matted  roots  in  the 
drainage. 
'Succession  Houses.' 
Those  in  which  the  trees  have  ripened  the  second  crops  of  fruit  must 
be  kept  drier  as  the  days  become  shorter.  A  little  fire  heat  is  necessary, 
with  a  free  circulation  of  air  to  prevent  damp.  The  wood  must  be  fully 
exposed  to  the  influence  of  sun  and  air.  Thin  all  soft  and  useless 
wood,  and  allow  the  points  of  the  shoots  to  stand  out  well  to  the  glass 
and  light.  Supplies  of  water  must  be  discontinued  for  borders  that  have 
been  properly  mulched  and  watered  up  to  the  middle  of  the  month. 
Lifting  Over-Luxuriant  Trees. 
When  the  trees  grow  too  vigorously  for  fruit  production  they  should 
be  root-pruned  or  lifted  as  soon  as  the  leaves  have  begun  to  turn  yellow, 
attending  to  it  shortly  after  the  second  crop  of  fruit  has  been  gathered. 
In  the  case  of  very  luxuriant  trees  it  is  advisable  to  make  a  trench  at  a 
distance  of  about  one-third  from  the  stem  that  the  branches  cover  of 
trellis,  cutting  off  all  roots  down  to  the  drainage,  and  leave  this  open  for 
a  fortnight.  The  treatment  will  induce  bud  formation  and  the  ripening  of 
the  wood.  Afterwards  the  trees  may  be  lifted  or  have  the  soil  carefully 
removed  from  amongst  the  roots,  fresh  supplied,  and  the  whole  made 
firm,  including  the  trench. 
In  other  cases  carefully  lift  the  trees  and  cut  back  all  long  roots, 
reserving  the  fibres  only.  Good  drainage  is  necessary.  A  foot  of  brick¬ 
bats  with  a  thin  layer  of  old  mortar  rubbish  over  them,  and  then  a  couple 
of  feet  depth  of  soil,  composed  of  good  turfy  loam  four  parts,  and  one 
part  each  of  old  mortar  rubbish  and  road  scrapings,  form  a  good  compost 
for  Figs.  A  border  of  4  to  6  feet  wide  is  very  much  better  than  one 
with  a  great  width,  indeed  one-third  the  width  of  the  trellis  is  ample. 
Place  the  soil  together  firmly,  spread  out  the  roots  evenly,  work  in  the 
soil  amongst  them  in  layers  as  they  rise,  and  keep  them  well  up,  not 
covering  the  topmost  more  than  2  or  3  inches.  The  soil  may  be  moist 
when  used,  but  it  ought  not  to  be  wet.  Give  a  moderate  watering,  and 
keep  cool  and  dry. — Grower. 
BEGONIA  PRESIDENT  CARNOT. 
AMONG  shrubby  Begonias  there  are  a  great  number  of  beautiful 
plants,  each  of  which  can  lay  claim  to  a  foremost  place  in  the  stove  or 
warm  greenhouse  ;  but  of  the  whole  section  probably  no  single  one  stands 
out  more  prominently  or  deserves  a  greater  amount  of  admiration  from 
horticulturists  generally  than  the  one  under  notice.  The  flowers  are 
produced — a  great  number  together -in  pendulous  trusses,  the  male  and 
female  flowers  being  borne  on  separate  trusses.  The  former  are  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  across,  and  produced  twenty  or  more  together,  and 
are  bright  rosy  pink  in  colour.  The  latter  are  similar  in  colour,  but 
much  more  striking.  They  are  2^  inches  long  by  inch  across  the  open 
petals.  The  ovary  is  upwards  of  inch  in  length,  with  highly  developed 
wings  the  same  colour  as  the  petals. 
If  grown  in  6-inch  pots,  plants  1J  to  2  feet  high,  with  four  or  five 
stems,  can  lie  had  in  a  few  months  from  cuttings.  These  when  in  flower 
make  serviceable  decorative  plants  for  a  considerable  time,  as  the  flowers 
last  well  and  are  produced  at  almost  all  times  throughout  the  year. 
Although  doing  well  in  pots,  it  is  seen  to  far  greater  advantage  if  room 
can  be  afforded  it  against  a  wall,  pillar,  or  on  a  roof,  the  latter  being  the 
more  preferable  place,  the  pendulous  racemes  being  then  seen  to  the  best 
advantage.  When  planted  out  the  growths  are  much  stronger,  and  the 
foliage  and  flowers  correspondingly  large.  When  grown  in  this  manner 
the  leaves  are  often  10  or  11  inches  long  by  6  inches  in  width,  while  the 
female  trusses  are  often  9  inches  to  1  foot  in  depth  by  the  same  in  width, 
and  contain  upwards  of  sixty  flowers. — W.  D. 
HORTICULTURAL  SHOWS. 
DERBY. — September  7th  and  8th. 
The  Derbyshire  Agricultural  and  Horticultural  Society  held  its 
thirty-seventh  exhibition  in  the  Cattle  Market  and  Bass  Recreation 
Grounds  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday  of  last  week.  The  heat  was 
intense,  and  was  very  trying.  An  enormous  concourse  of  people  crowded 
the  Show  on  both  days,  and  many  of  the  visitors  were  taken  off  the 
grounds  in  a  fainting  condition,  being  completely  overcome  with  the  heat. 
The  horticultural  department  has  been  for  several  years  a  source  of  attrac¬ 
tion  to  the  general  public,  but  we  regret  to  say  there  has  been  a  great 
falling  off  in  the  number  of  entries  compared  with  previous  years.  Fruit 
and  vegetables  for  many  seasons  were  a  strong  feature.  Only  two  years 
ago  upwards  of  200  bunches  of  Grapes  were  staged  for  competition, 
compared  with  thirty-three  bunches  on  the  present  occasion,  and  vege¬ 
tables  were  always  to  be  seen  here  in  perfection.  For  some  unknown 
reason  these  classes  have  been  struck  out  of  the  schedule,  which  is  to  be 
regretted,  and  much  commented  upon  by  the  public.  This  department, 
as  on  former  occasions,  wa3  held  in  three  large  marquees. 
Division  I.  was  in  a  large  circular  tent,  with  the  groups  in  the 
centre,  and  a  table  running  round  the  tent,  and  on  this  occasion  presented 
a  sad  contrast  compared  with  former  years.  Instead  of  being  laden 
with  Grapes,  Peaches,  and  other  choice  dessert  fruits  three  parts  of  the 
space  were  unoccupied,  and  presented  a  dismal  appearance.  We  trust  that 
strenuous  efforts  may  be  made  to  revive  this  grand  old  country  show. 
However,  if  we  lacked  quantity  we  had  at  least  quality,  and  in  the  list  of 
competitors  we  find  many  eminent  and  well-known  exhibitors  in  the 
horticultural  world. 
The  groups  of  plants  on  space  of  200  feet  (segment  of  a  circle)  were 
exceptionally  fine,  and  had  a  very  striking  effect.  Mr.  J.  Edmonds,  Best- 
wood,  was  placed  first  with  a  beautifully  blended  arrangement,  backed  by 
a  fine  specimen  of  Phoenix  rupicola,  and  interspersed  with  Palms,  includ- 
