280 
October  13,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
things,  foreign  foliage  ;  Lycopodium  and  Ferns  for  flowers  to  rest  on 
are  the  outcome,  to  say  the  least,  of  a  depraved  taste. 
On  the  third  night  the  centre  of  the  table  had  a  richly  chased 
golden  ewer,  which  held  a  large  bunch  of  Chrysanthemum  W.  -II.  Lin¬ 
coln  cut  with  long  stalks,  four  golden  goblets  stood  in  a  line  with  the 
centrepiece,  and  of  the  candelabra  two  held  each  a  fine,  plant  of 
Abutilon  Sellovianum  marmoratum  with  its  charmingly  parti-coloured 
leaves  of  deep  and  pale  green  and  yellow  ;  the  other  two  goblets  held 
each  a  well-flowered  plant  of  the  purple  Justicia  speciosa.  The  glass 
baskets  around  the  margin  were  filled  with  sweet  Violets.  Leaves  of 
the  purple  Strobilanthus  Dyerianus  were  strewn  on  the  cloth.  The 
harmony  of  colour  will  be  noticed  in  the  yellow  Chrysanthemums, 
the  gold  plate,  and  the  purple  leaves  and  flowers,  and  it  is  well  to 
remember,  however  satisfactorily  contrasted  harmonies  may  be  some¬ 
times,  perfected  or  complementary  harmonies  are  tetter. — F.  Street. 
STRAWBERRIES— OLD  PLANTS  v.  STARVED 
RUNNERS. 
The  remarks  by  “A  Midland  Gardener  ”  are  excellent  as  regards 
abstaining  from  the  planting  of  starved  and  spider-infested  runners. 
He,  however,  omits  to  advise  the  securing  of  a  stock  for  autumn 
planting,  obtained  from  Strawberry  specialists,  who,  in  many  cases, 
will  be  able  to  supply  healthy  runners  as  soon  as  the  ground  is  in  a 
suitable  state  to  allow  of  the  work  being  proceeded  with.  It  is  well 
to  take  care  of  the  old  plants,  and  do  all  that  is  possible  to  restore 
some  of  their  lost  vitality  by  manuring,  following,  of  course,  the 
removal  of  useless  runners  and.  weeds.  There  are  numbers  of  cases 
where  Strawberries  have  been  overdone  by  the  severity  of  the  drought, 
and  are  in  such  a  plight  that  runners,  where  they  exist,  are  absolutely 
valueless. 
MO  N  TB  RE  TI  AS . 
There  bulbous  plants,  which  are  of  a  hardy  character  in  suitable 
soils  and  positions,  are  much  more  in  favour  than  formerly,  and  are 
used  more  frequently  in  decorations  where  cut  flowers  are  employed,  as 
well  as  being  introduced  into  bouquets.  The  bulbs  flower  in  summer, 
producing  blooms  of  rich,  bright,  and  r&diaPt  colours.  The  hybrids 
of  M.  crocosmaeflora  are  the  most  popular.  They  are  the  result  of  a  cross 
between  M.  Pottsi  and  Crocosma  aurea.  The  branches  and  spikes  of 
bloom  reaching  the  height  of  3  feet,  and  bearing  over  a  dozen  flowers 
on  a  stem,  are  most  striking  and  effective,  and  cannot  fail  to  add  to 
the  attractions  of  a  well  managed  border. 
Montbretias  for  outdoor  culture  may  be  planted  in  October. 
Choose  a  sunny,  well  drained  border,  the  soil  being  rich  and  fertile 
from  previous  cultivating  and  manuring  rather  than  from  adding 
manure  at  the  time  of  planting.  It  the -soil  is  poor  and  requires 
enriching  the  manure  given  must  be  well  decayed  and  thoroughly 
incorporated  with  the  soil.  Leaf  mould  may  be  added  more  freely 
with  less  danger  of  injuring  the  bulbs. 
Plant  the  bulbs  freely  in  masses  3  inches  deep  and  2  inches  apart. 
Cover  with  some  prepared  compost,  consisting  of  loam  and  a  mixture 
of  sand  and  leaf  mould,  marking  the  centre  of  the  position  with  a 
stick  or  tally.  It  is  satest  to  afford  protection  to  the  bulbs  during 
the  severest  weather  by  a  covering  of  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse  or  dry  litter. 
A  slight  dressing  or  mulch  of  manure  which  is  well  decomposed  will  be 
highly  beneficial  in  spring  and  summer,  serving  to  arrest  evaporation, 
thus  maintaining  the  soil  in  an  equable  condition  as  to  moisture 
for  a  considerable  period.  Eventually,  however,  in  dry,  hot  weather 
occasional  waterings  will  be  necessary,  with  stimulants  during  the 
flowering  period. 
Montbretias  are  also  suitable  for  pot  culture  in  the  greenhouse. 
The  most  suitable  sized  pots  are  4^  or  5  inches  in  diameter.  Use 
them  clean,  dry,  and  well  drained.  The  compost  may  be  loam,  sand, 
leaf  mould,  and  manure.  Mix  three  parts  of  loam  to  one  each  of  the 
other  ingredients,  taking  special  care  that  the  manure  is  fully  decom¬ 
posed  and  the  leaf  soil  sweet,  breaking  up  easily.  Five  bulbs  can  be 
placed  in  the  4|-inch  pot,  and  six  in  the  5-inch  size.  Arrange  the 
bulbs,  half-way  down  in  the  pots  and  then  cover  with  soil.  The  com¬ 
post  if  fairly  moist  will  not  need  watering  after  the  bulbs  are  placed  in 
it  until  growth  begins,  but  the  pots  must  be  covered  at  once  with 
cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse  in  a  cold  frame. 
Watering  should  be  strictly  attended  to  after  growth  begins,  and 
the  pots  are  removed  from  their  covering.  A  cool,  airy  position  on  a 
shelf  near  the  glass  should  be  accorded  the  plants  at  once,  so  that  they 
do  not  become  drawn,  and  this  treatment  ought  to  be  continued  all 
through’  the  early  stages.  As  the  flower  stems  advance  give  the 
plants  a  light  position  on  the  greenhouse  stage,  where  they  can  have 
a  tree  circulation  of  air,  and  a  moist  base  for  the  pots. 
After  the  flowers  fade,  the  supplies  of  water  should  be  gradually 
reduced  until  the  foliage  dies  down,  after  which  keep  the  bulbs  drv 
until  potting  time  again. — E.  D.  S. 
Gordon’s  Garden  at  Khartoum. — The  “Daily  Mail*’  savi 
relative  to  the  above,  ‘  Here  was  an  Englishman  doing  his  duty,  atom 
and  at  the  instant  peril  of  his  life  ;  yet  still  he  loved  his  gnrdei 
The  garden  was  a  yet  more  pathetic  ruin  than  the  palace.  The’palac 
accepted  its  doom  mutely  ;  the  garden  strove  against  it.  Untrimmet 
unwatered,  the  Oranges  and  Citrons  still  struggled  to  bear  their  littl 
hard  green  knobs,  as  if  they  had  been  full  ripe  fruit.  The  Pomegranate 
put  out  their  vermilion  star-flowers,  but  the  fruit  was  small  and  woodi 
1 .  juiceless.  The  Figs  bore  better,  but  they,  too,  were  small  and  withoi 
vigour.  Rankly  overgrown  with  dburra,  a  Vine  still  trailed  over  a  lo 
root  its  dwarfed  leaves  and  limp  tendrils,  but  yielded  not  a  sign  of  Grape 
It  was  all  green,  and  so  far  vivid  and  refreshing  after  Omdurman.  Bi 
it  was  the  green  of  Nature,  not  of  cultivation  ;  leaves  grew  laro-e  an 
Run  grew  small,  and  dwindled  away.  Reluctantly,  despairingly,  Gordon 
garden  was  dropping  back  to  wilderness.” 
Some  varieties  are  much  less  vigorous  than  others,  and  in  light 
soils  those  ol  weak  constitution  have  found  a  difficulty  in  ekeing  out 
an  existence,  to  say  nothing  of  the  impossibility  to  produce  planting 
runners.  I  came  across  some  beds  of  Latest  of  All  almost  leafless  in 
July,  eaten  up  with  red  spider  and  languishing  for  root  moisture.  If 
they  still  exist,  they  cannot  be  expected  to  produce  a  crop  again,  and 
the  ground  would  be  more  profitably  occupied  with  something  else. 
In  deeper  soil,  and  on  young  beds,  there  are  yet  plenty  of  healthy 
runners  to  be  found,  and  I  would  advise,  instead  of  allowing  the  annual1 
planting  to  lapse,  even  for  one  season,  to  either  purchase  from  the 
nurseries  or  find  some  sympathising  friend  to  furnish  the  desired 
number.  Ground-rooted  runners,  when  strong,  do  almost  or  quite  as 
well  as  those  layered  in  pots  for  outdoor  beds. 
The  drought  trom  which  we  have  suffered  so  loDg  has  seriously 
interfered  with  their  planting,  and  as  soon  as  suitable  weather  comes 
every  effort  should  be  made  to  get  them  in  their  places.  August  is 
the  best  month  for  planting  in  the  open,  but  many  remain  yet  to 
be  dealt  with,  because  of  the  extreme  drought.  From  ground 
runners  put  out  last  year  in  August  I  was  able  to  gather  the  finest 
crop  this  summer  I  have  ever  bad,  Latest  of  All  in  particular  giving 
an  extraordinary  crop  of  large  berries.  A  bed  has  already  been  made- 
of  this  from  pot  layers,  and  now,  having  had  half  an  inch  of  rain, 
further  progress  may  be  made  from  ground-rooted  runners. 
Soils,  however,  have  such  a  varying  influence  on  Strawberries  that 
the  routine  of  planting  and  destroying  of  beds  is  beat  decided  by 
results  obtained.  Generally,  however,  it  is  a  good  rule  to  plant  a  new 
bed  each  season,  destroying  a  number  equivalent  to  those  planted., 
This  is  important  as  affecting  the  smallest  gardens,  yet  for  some 
unexplainable  reason  it  is  often  neglected,  old  plants  being  retained  in. 
so  many  cases  long  after  they  have  passed  out  of  a  profitable  state. 
From  young  beds  usually  come  the  earliest  and  finest  fruit,  which 
alone  should  justify  an  annual  renewal  of  a  portion  of  the  stock. 
From  two  to  four  years  may  be  said  to  be  the  limit  of  usefulness,, 
this  depending  largely  on  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  variety. 
There  are  very  few  gardens,  if  any,  where  all  kinds  of  Strawberries 
could  be  said  to  flourish  and  fruit  satisfactorily.  There  are  instances 
where  they  may  be  grown  as  annuals — that  is,  planting  an  entirely 
new  stock  each  year,  and  destroying  all  bearing  beds ;  others,  again,, 
are  not  to  be  depended  on  to  give  a  crop  until  the  second,  and 
sometimes  the  third  year. 
In  uncertain  soils  the  most  important  problem  to  be  solved  is  the 
choice  of  the  most  suitable  variety,  and  this  can  only  be  determined, 
by  actual  trial  and  close  observations  bearing  on  the  matter.  Many 
varieties  I  have  tried  here  that  have  been  found  wanting,  and  probably 
my  selection  is  less  now  than  it  has  been  at  any  time.  At  the  same¬ 
time  trials  are  carried  on  in  small  numbers,  with  a  view  to  ascertain, 
whether  some  of  the  up-to-date  sorts  can  equal  or  surpass  the  older 
standard  varieties  now  doing  excellent  duty. 
Royal  Sovereign,  as  a  matter  of  necessity,  takes  a  good  place,  but' 
its  merits  as  an  outdoor  variety  are  not  very  superior  to  the  older  Sir 
Joseph  Paxton,  and,  unlike  many  growers,  the  latter  I  have  not 
discarded  altogether  in  favour  of  the  newer  comer.  For  forcing,, 
however,  it  has  supplanted  all  the  older  forcing  kinds,  no  other,  except 
a  few  of  Leader,  being  potted  for  next  year’s  growth,  the  latter  being: 
simply  a  trial  batch.  My  mainstay  for  outdoor  crops  is  Latest  of  All ; 
no  other  can  approach  them  in  weight  of  crop  or  size  of  berries.  It  is- 
best,  too,  on  yearling  plants,  but  they  are  reserved  for  a  second  year, 
simply  to  furnish  a  succession,  the  older  ones  being  the  latest  to  ripen. 
Royal  Sovereign,  on  the  other  hand,  gives  only  a  light  crop  the  first 
year,  and  in  this  respect  is  distinctly  inferior  to  Latest  of  All  in  our 
soil. 
Strawberries  wrell  repay  for  good  soil,  this  being  prepared  by  deep¬ 
digging  or  trenching,  working  in  a  good  coat  of  manure  at  the  same 
time.  Early  Potatoes  are  the  best  preparatory  crop,  though  the 
Onion  quarter  would,  when  it  can  be  spared,  provide  a  good  site,  with 
no  other  preparation  beyond  the  clearance  of  the  crop  and  weeds.. 
The  custom  of  putting  in  Cabbage  after  Onions,  however,  has  such  a. 
strong  hold  among  gardeners  that  few  would  care  to  change  their 
routine  and  exchange  Strawberries  for  these. — W.  S  ,  Rood  Ashton. 
