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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  19,  1899. 
Recent  Weather  in  London. — Though  rain  has  been  foretold  on 
more  than  one  occasion,  none  has  (alien  during  the  past  few  days.  On 
Sunday  and  Monday  the  nights  and  mornings  were  frosty  and  the  days 
cool  with  fresh  winds,  though  the  sun  shone  brilliantly  at  times.  On 
Tuesday  it  was  mild  and  pleasant,  while  on  Wednesday  it  opened  foggy, 
but  was  mild  and  pleasant  at  midday. 
-  Dipladenia  ATROPURPtJREA. — This  fine  climbing  plant  has 
obtained  a  bad  name  in  gardens  simply  owing  to  its  being  grown  in  too 
much  heat.  It  would  be  difficult  to  say  how  many  species  of  stove  plants 
so-called  are  in  a  like  predicament.  The  fine  colour  of  this  one  makes  it 
worth  growing  anywhere,  and  the  best  place  for  it  is  a  warm  moist  green¬ 
house  where  the  fires  are  let  out  in  summer,  and  the  winter  minimum  is 
about  55°.  Here  the  plant  will  make  clean  and  vigorous  growth,  quite 
different  from  the  insect  infested  shoots  seen  in  hot  stoves,  and  is  very 
free  flowering. — R. 
-  Apple  Potts’  Seedling.— After  the  earlier  types  of  Apples, 
such  as  the  Codlins,  are  over,  one  feels  rather  loth  to  begin  on  the  late- 
keeping  kinds,  and  as  a  midseason  variety  this  may  be  strongly  recom¬ 
mended,  Apparently  it  is  not  very  particular  either  as  to  soil  or  form  of 
training,  for  in  this  year  of  comparative  scarcity  I  have  met  with  it  on  all 
kinds  of  trees  and  various  soils,  in  nearly  every  case  fruiting  well.  I  am 
not  at  all  fond  of  close  training  or  pruning  of  any  kind,  but  where  con¬ 
venience  for  a  more  natural  method  does  not  exist,  Potts’  Seedling  seems 
able  to  hold  its  own  in  espalier  form.  It  is  one  of  the  finest  cooking 
varieties  in  existence,  comparable  with  the  old  Keswick  Codlin  of  the 
early,  and  Lane’s  Prince  Albert  of  the  later  sorts,  and  this  should  be 
praise  euough. — II. 
-  The  United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident 
Society.— I  was  pleased  to  see  by  the  report,  on  page  318,  of  the  above 
Society’s  annual  dinner,  that  the  United  is  in  a  highly  satisfactory  condi¬ 
tion,  which  is  pleasing  to  the  officers  and  all  connected  with  it.  I  should 
like  to  make  a  suggestion  to  the  Committee  with  reference  to  the  annual 
dinner,  to  the  effect  that  if  they  could  hold  the  dinner  on  one  of  the 
evenings — say  the  second  day  of  the  Crystal  Palace  Fruit  Show— it  would 
give  members  a  chance  of  attending  who  are  in  London  at  the 
time.  I  myself  should  have  been  pleased  to  have  been  there  had  it  been 
arranged  for  the  week  before,  and  doubtless  many  others  would  have  been 
glad  of  the  opportunity  of  a  pleasant  evening  in  company  of  the  officers 
and  brother  members  of  the  Society. — Country  Member. 
-  Dahlias. — The  Devon  and  Exeter  Gardeners’  Association 
opened  its  autumn  session  on  October  11th,  when,  in  the  Guildhall, 
Mr.  Fletcher,  gardener  to  Colonel  Halford  Thompson,  J.P.,  read  a  paper 
on  Dahlias,  from  which  we  extract  the  following  interesting  historical 
remarks.  The  history  of  the  Dahlia  was  neither  a  great  nor  long  one.  So 
far  as  this  country  was  concerned  it  did  not  go  back  beyond  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century.  It  was  a  native  of  Mexico,  and  when  first  brought 
over  here  it  was  looked  upon  and  treated  as  a  hothouse  plant  and  of 
course  killed.  The  first  description  of  the  Dahlia  occurred  in  Francisco 
Hernandez’s  treatise  on  “The  Plants  and  Animals  of  New  Spain,” 
published  in  1615.  No  more  was  heard  of  it  for  130  years.  In  1787 
M.  de  Menouville  was  sent  to  America  by  jLouis  XVI.  to  obtain  a  species 
of  cochineal  insect  and  also  the  plant  it  subsisted  upon.  De  Menouville 
published  an  account  of  his  successful  expedition,  and  one  of  his  items  of 
interest  was  a  description  of  a  garden  at  Guaxsca,  where  plants  were 
seen  with  handsome  flowers  like  Asters  on  stems  a  few  feet  high  and 
leaves  like  those  of  the  Elder  tree.  It  was  evident  he  had  seen  the  single 
Dahlias,  which  the  florists  of  Mexico  were  at  that  time  growing.  There 
were  two  species  of  Dahlias  known  and  described  in  1880 — viz.,  D.  pin- 
natus  and  D.  coccinea,  and  although  there  were  several  other  species  the 
Dahlias  of  our  day  had  chiefly  descended  from  these  two.  In  1790  Abbb 
Cavanille,  the  author  of  the  genus,  dedicated  it  to  Andre  Dahl,  the 
Swedish  botanist,  and  this  fact  he  mentioned  so  that  it  might  help  them 
lo  give  the  name  its  correct  pronunciation.  The  Abbb  Cavanille  was  the 
first  to  obtain  double  flowers,  and  other  botanists  and  florists  taking  it  up 
and  finding  their  subject  so  amenable  to  treatment  it  was  not  long  before 
the  double  Dahlia  became  established  among  us  and  took  up  its  important 
place  in  our  gardens. 
-  Gardening  Appointments.— The  Asylum  Committee  of  the 
Corporation  of  Leicester  have  appeinted  Mr.  Hamshere  to  the  manage¬ 
ment  of  the  gardens,  farm,  and  estate  at  the  Borough  Asylum,  Humber- 
stone.  Mr.  Hamshere  has  been  head  gardener  at  Beaumanor  Park, 
Loughborough,  for  the  past  fourteen  years,  and  is  succeeded  there  by 
Mr.  Alex.  McVinish,  late  head  gardener  at  Lockington  Hall,  Derby. 
-  Nicotiana  SYLVESTRIS. — The  more  I  see  of  this  fine  plant  the 
better  I  like  it.  The  immense  leaves  are  strikingly  handsome,  and 
are  surmounted  with  fine  spikes  of  pure  white  tubular  blossoms,  half  a 
dozen  of  which  make  a  remarkably  fine  show.  It  is  not  quite  so  sweetly 
scented  as  N.  affinis,  but  it  keeps  open  all  day,  and  makes  a  telling  feature 
in  large  beds.  It  should  be  sown  very  early  in  the  new  year,  and  the 
plants  grown  strongly  in  pots,  and  p’anted  out  at  the  end  of  May,  as 
they  need  a  long  growing  season. — B.  S.  E. 
-  New  Hyacinth  Glasses. — Fashion  in  these  requisites  for 
flowering  Hyacinths  in  water  are  constantly  changing.  The  latest  we 
have  seen  are  some  which  have  been  sent  to  us  by  the  makers,  Messrs. 
Stevens  &  Williams,  Brierley  Hill.  They  are  of  vase  form  with  a  frill¬ 
like  receptacle  for  holding  the  bulb.  The  vase-shaped  part  is  4  inches 
high,  2-^  inches  wide  at  the  base,  and  4  inches  near  the  top,  the  cup  a 
little  wider  than  the  base,  and  1J  inch  high.  They  are  more  massive 
in  appearance  than  those  in  general  use,  are  made  in  various  colours  and 
chased  with  an  elegant  floral  design.  They  are  equally  suitable  for  cut 
flowers,  and  comparatively  inexpensive. 
-  Kidderminster  and  District  Horticultural  Society. — 
The  usual  monthly  meeting  of  this  flourishing  Society  was  held  on  Wednes¬ 
day  the  11th  inst.  The  chair  was  taken  by  F.  Hughes,  Esq.  There  was  a 
large  gathering  of  members  to  hear  an  address  on  the  cultivation  of  the 
Chrysanthemum  by  Lord  Dudley’s  able  gardener,  Mr.  A.  Young,  from 
Witley  Court.  Mr.  Young  dealt  with  his  subject  in  a  practical  and 
instructive  manner,  giving  details  as  to  the  propagation  and  general 
cultivation  of  this  popular  flower,  concluding  with  hints  as  to  the  more 
decorative  arrangement  of  large  blooms  both  for  exhibition  and  house 
alornment.  Mr.  Young  being  a  recognised  authority  on  the  subject, 
his  address  was  listened  to  with  great  interest.  Mr.  Young  was 
accorded  a  hearty  vote  of  thanks,  after  which  an  interesting  discussion 
toox  place.  A  pleasing  display  of  Chrysanthemums  was  made  by  some 
of  the  members  present,  prominent  among  which  were  some  remarkably 
fine  blooms  of  Mutual  Friend  exhibited  by  one  ot  the  Hon.  Secs.,  Mr.  F. 
Whicker,  of  Summerhill  Gardens,  a  very,  successful  and  exten.ive 
cultivator. — W.  H.  W.,  Stourport. 
-  Mistakes  in  Eating  Fruit.— Many  who  are  otherwise 
keenly  appreciative  of  the  value  of  fruit  as  a  food,  display  a  great  lack  of 
judgment  in  the  manner  in  which  they  take  advantage  of  their  valuable 
qualities.  As  is  argued  by  a  well-known  food  specialist,  most  people, 
instead  of  taking  fruit  on  an  empty  stomach,  or  in  combination  with 
simple  grain  preparations  such  as  bread,  eat  them  with  oily  foods,  or  take 
them  at  the  end  of  the  meal,  after  the  stomach  is  already  full,  and 
perhaps  the  whole  mass  of  food  washed  down  with  tea,  coffee,  or  other 
liquid.  Fruits,  says  a  contemporary,  to  do  their  best  work  should  be 
eaten  either  on  an  empty  stomach,  cr  simply  with  bread — never  with 
vegetables.  In  the  morning  they  are  not  only  exceedingly  refreshing, 
but  they  serve  as  a  natural  stimulus  to  the  digestive  organs.  The  good 
effects  that  would  follow  the  abundant  use  of  fruits  are  often  more  than 
counterbalanced  by  the  pernicious  habit  of  saturating  them  with  sugar ; 
very  few  fruits,  if  thoroughly  ripe  and  at  their  best,  require  any  sugar, 
particularly  if  eaten  in  the  raw  state.  • 
-  Variegated  Ivy- leaved  Pelargoniums. — The  number  of 
good  varieties  ol  Variegated  Ivy-leaved  Pelargonium  is  surprisingly  small, 
considering  how  long  they  have  been  in  cultivation.  I  know  of  only 
about  three  or  four  that  can  be  called  distinct,  and  these  are  very 
pretty.  One  I  like  very  much  has  a  pink  or  red  marking  in  addition  to 
the  white,  something  like  the  variegated  Ivy  Hedera  marginata  medio. 
This  is  distinctly  pretty  either  as  a  basket  plant  or  on  a  pillar  or  arch  in 
the  conservatory,  the  fresh  pink  of  the  young  leaves  being  very  attractive. 
One  or  two  others  are,  I  think,  sports  from  the  stronger  growing  Ivy¬ 
leaved  kinds,  and  are  not  worth  growing.  To  make  a  variegated  kind 
pretty  it  wants  the  habit  more  or  less  of  the  old  Koenig  Albert,  one  of 
the  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest,  of  the  Ivy-leaved  section,  and  still  one  of  the 
prettiest.  I  have  a  sport  that  originated  from  one  of  the  silver  varie¬ 
gated  Zonals,  but  beyond  putting  a  few  plants  in  the  beds  in  summer 
I  do  not  consider  it  worth  growing,  the  internodes  being  too  long  and  the 
flowers  too  poor.  It  is  best  without  the  latter  in  fact.  The  pretty  clearly 
marked  L’Elegante  is  worth  growing  as  a  basket  plant  and  for  bedding 
out  in  summer. — G. 
