November  30,  1899. 
■JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
483 
correspondent,  except  that  I  exposed  them  to  the  autumn  rains, 
inducing  them  to  start  into  growth  at  once,  which  may  have  been 
the  cause  of  failure;  but  I  notice  that  pieces  in  pots,  kept  dry  after 
flowering,  and  exposed  to  all  sun,  and  also  imported  pieces  not 
planted,  show  signs  of  activity  when  the  month  of  November  is 
approaching. 
A  gentleman  who  annually  spends  a  few  weeks  abroad  during 
March  and  April  has  given  me  a  glowing  description  of  I.  Susiana  as 
seen  in  the  gardens  and  shops  of  the  South  of  France.  He  has  seen 
the  plants  growing  in  pots,  a  mass  of  rhizomes  even  hanging  over  the 
sides.  What  is  the  mystery — is  it  climate  ? 
I  do  not  quite  follow  your  correspondent  on  one  or  two  points. 
How  does  he  propose  to  keep  them  dry  in  winter  when  planted  out  in 
a  bordt  r  as  he  proposes  ?  Does  he  suggest  they  should  be  dormant 
until  spring,  which  I  take  it  is  a  difficult  matter  if  they  are  to  remain 
in  rthe  border  all  the  winter.  Again,  I  have  some  pieces  just  im¬ 
ported,  would  he  recommend  they  should  be  planted  now  or  in  spring? 
It  may  be  an  easy  matter  with  numerous  readers  of  the  Journal  to 
grow  successfully  this  section  of  the  Iris  family;  if  so,  I  am  sure  there 
are  many  who,  like  myself,  would  feel  grateful  if  they  will  enlighten  us 
upon  their  methods  of  cultivation. — F.  Whicker,  Kidderminster. 
CUPRESSUS  MAOROCARPA  LUTEA. 
This  is  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most  distinct  of  the  true 
Cypresses,  aud  from  its  striking  habit,  freedom  of  growth,  and  rich 
golden  colour,  should  become  a  popular  plant  when  it  is  more  widely 
known.  It  is  of  comparatively  recent  introduction,  is  hardy  except  in 
very  exposed  situations,  and  will  thrive  in  any  soil,  provided  it  is 
deep  and  well  drained. 
Like  the  other  members  ot  this  section  of  Cupressus,  it  is  seen  to 
the  best  advantage  in  a  young  state  ;  when  older,  most  of  them  get 
into  a  ragged  and  rough-looking  condition.  It  is  of  a  columnar  habit, 
and  grows  rapidly  when  once  established,  forming  a  handsome 
feathery  looking  plant  8  to  10  feet  high  in  a  few  years.  The  central 
stem  is  comparatively  slender,  and  the  side  branches  are  short  and 
much  divided,  and  covered  with  small  scale-like  leaves. 
It  forms  a  good  plant  for  house  or  conservatory  decoration  in  pots, 
but  when  this  is  done  it  should  have  plenty  of  light  and  air  and 
occasional  waterings  with  liquid  manure.  It  is  easily  raised  from 
cuttings  ta><en  with  a  heel  in  August,  or  it  can  be  grafted  on  Cupressus 
macrocarpa  or  C.  semper virens.  — C. 
POTATOES  AT  BIRMINGHAM. 
At  the  Cattle,  Poultry,  and  Root  Show,  held  on  November  25th,  27th, 
28th,  29th,  and  30tn,  there  was  a  representative  show  of  Potatoes,  the 
quality  throughout  being  remarkably  good,  while  the  size  of  even  the 
largest  tubers  was  such  as  might  well  be  accepted  as  a  model.  The 
following  are  the  names  of  the  successful  exhibitors  and  varieties. 
For  twelve  varieties,  distinct,  Mr.  Benjamin  Scott,  Scotforth, 
Lancaster,  was  awarded  the  first  prize  for  The  Dean,  Satisfaction, 
Distinction,  new  ;  General  Roberts,  Mr.  Bresee,  fine  ;  Windsor  Castle, 
Hurst’s  Market  Favourite,  fine  var.  ;  Reading  Russet,  Edgecote  Purple, 
Up-to-Date,  and  Pink  Perfection.  The  second  and  third  prizes  were 
awarded  to  Mr.  Stephen  Parker,  Scotforth,  Lancaster  ;  and  Mr.  D.  H. 
Wells,  Tysoe,  Kineton,  respectively. 
For  six  varieties,  distinct,  Mr.  Stephen  Parker  led  the  way  with  The 
Dean,  Reliance,  Satisfaction,  General  Roberts,  Scottish  Triumph,  and 
Reading  Giant  ;  the  second  and  third  prizes  going  to  Mr.  D.  H.  Wells. 
For  four  varieties,  distinct,  two  white  and  two  coloured,  the  first  prize 
was  accorded  to  Mr.  F.  Williams,  Tbombury,  with  Ideal,  The  Dean, 
Satisfaction,  and  Pink  Perfection  ;  the  second  to  Mr.  Stephen  Parker, 
and  the  third  to  the  Duke  of  Portland,  Welbeck  Abbey.  For  four 
varieties,  distinct,  most  suitable  for  field  culture,  Mr.  B.  Parker  scored 
with  Royal  Sovereign,  Up-to-Date,  Satisfaction,  and  Reading  Giant, 
while  Mr.  F.  Williams  and  Mr.  D,  H.  Wells  followed  in  the  order 
named. 
For  two  varieties,  kidney  shaped,  Mr.  F.  Williams  was  to  the  front 
with  Satisfaction  and  Reliance  ;  the  second  and  third  awards  going  to 
Mr.  F.  Williams  and  Mr.  Stephen  T.  Parker.  For  two  varieties,  round, 
the  last  named  exhibitor  secured  the  first  prize  with  Scottish  Triumph 
and  Cigarette  ;  the  second  prize  going  to  the  Duke  of  Portland,  and  the 
third  to  Mr.  F.  Williams.  For  one  kidney  variety,  Mr.  B.  Parker  and 
Mr.  D.  H.  Wells  were  the  respective  winners.  For  one  round  variety, 
Sir.  Thomas  Penn,  Thame,  Oxon,  was  first  with  Satisfaction,  and  Mr. 
Benjamin  Parker  second.  For  the  handsomest  dish  of  any  variety  in  the 
show,  Mr.  Stephen  T.  Parker  was  placed  first  with  General  Roberts,  and 
Mr.  F.  Wil'iams  second  with  Mottled  Kidney.  For  the  best  new 
variety  not  yet  in  commerce  Mr.  D.  H.  Welis  was  first  with  fine  examples 
of  Webb’s  Wordsley  Seedling,  the  second  prize  going  to  Mr.  B.  Parker 
with  an  unnamed  variety.  It  may  be  remarked  that  in  each  class  twelve 
tubers  constituted  a  dish.  There  were  altogether  sixty-six  entries. 
AUSTRALIAN  BEAUTY  SPOTS. 
Some  of  the  loveliest  scenes  on  earth  are  to  be  found  in  Australia,  too 
frequently  associated  with  ideas  of  arid  deserts,  impenetrable  forests,  and 
dismal  monotony  of  landscape.  No  country  is  richer  in  the  elements  of 
the  picturesque  than  is  New  South  Wales,  and  Sydney  holiday  makers 
rejoice  in  the  possession  of  facilities  for  reaching,  at  a  nominal  cost, 
localities  more  suggestive  of  the  wonders  of  fairyland,  such  as  the  world- 
famed  Jenolan  Caves,  rather  than  the  prosaic  surroundings  of  an 
Australian  metropolis.  The  Blue  Mountains,  on  the  further  side  of 
which  the  Jenolan  Caves  are  situated,  take  their  rise  between  thirty 
and  forty  miles  from  Sydney,  and  form  portion  of  extensive  ranges,  con¬ 
stituting,  as  it  were,  the  backbone  of  the  colony,  running  into  Victoria  on 
the  south,  and  into  Queensland  on  the  north,  the  highest  altitude  being 
3494  feet  above  sea-level. 
Here  are  to  be  lound  scores  of  beautiful  localities,  wheie  streams  ol 
cool,  transparent  water  roll  largely  through  bowers  of  bush  and  fern,  aDd 
myriads  of  wild  flowers  impart  an  irresistible  charm  to  the  scene.  Theie 
are  immense  gorges,  rivalled  only  by  those  of  Central  India,  stupendous 
waterfalls,  romantic  glens,  and  precipitous  cliffs  in  all  directions.  The 
Wentworth  Falls,  so  named  after  the  well-known  Australian  statesman, 
have  been  described  by  many  writers,  including  Darwin,  who,  in  his 
“Naturalist’s  Voyage,”  says  : — “  Following  down  a  little  valley  and  its 
tiny  rill  of  water,  an  immense  gulf  unexpectedly  opens  through  the  trees 
which  border  the  pathway,  at  a  depth  of  perhaps  1500  feet.  Walking  on 
a  few  yards,  one  stands  on  the  brink  of  a  vast  precipice,  and  below  one 
sees  a  grand  bay  or  gulf — for  I  know  not  what  other  name  to  give  to  it — 
thickly  covered  with  forest  The  point  of  view  is  situate  as  if  at  the  head 
of  a  bay,  the  line  of  cliS  diverging  on  each  side,  and  showing  headland 
behind  headland,  as  on  a  low  seacoast.  These  cliffs  are  composed  of 
horizontal  strata  of  whitish  sandstone,  and  are  so  absolutely  vertical  that 
in  many  places  a  person  standing  on  the  edge  and  throwing  down  a  stone 
can  see  it  strike  the  trees  in  the  abyss  below.  So  unbroken  is  the  line  of 
cliff,  that  in  order  to  reach  the  foot  of  the  waterfall  formed  by  this  little 
stream,  it  is  necessary  to  go  sixteen  miles  round.” 
Govett’s  Leap,  a  tremendous  rent  or  depression  in  the  earth,  is  said  to 
be  the  deepest  chasm  with  perpendicular  cliffs  in  the  known  world.  “It 
is,”  says  a  writer,  “  almost  surrounded  with  these  cliffs,  which  are  believed 
to  be  nowhere  less  than  3000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  full 
sublimity  and  majestic  grandeur  of  the  scene  is  not  realised  at  a  first 
glance.  After  contemplating  it  for  a  time  the  mind  becomes  filled  with 
awe  and  wonder  as  it  vainly  strives  to  comprehend. 
* - The  vast  immeasurable  abyss 
Outrageous  as  a  sea,  dark,  wasteful,  wild. 
The  trees  in  the  valley  below,  although  50  to  70  feet  high,  or  perhaps 
more,  are  undistinguishable  in  their  individuality. 
Standing  on  the  abrupt  precipitous  wall  one  cannot  help  feeling  a 
strong  desire  to  reach  the  depth  of  the  gorge.  But  the  closer  one  seeks 
for  a  spot  at  which  a  descent  can  be  made,  the  more  certain  does  it  appear 
that  such  an  object  is  unattainable.  It  is  recorded  that  Sir  Thomas 
Mitchell  (formerly  Surveyor-General  for  the  colony)  endeavoured,  first 
by  walking  and  then  by  crawling  between  the  great  fragments  of  sand¬ 
stone,  to  ascend  the  gorge  through  which  the  River  Grose  joins  the 
Nepean,  but  in  vain.  Over  the  tops  of  this  cliff  a  stream  “  pours  itself 
headlong,  over  a  perpendicular  wall  of  dark  tinted  rock,  520  feet  in  sheer 
descent,  on  to  a  mass  of  black  fragments  of  stone,  which  ha3,  in  the 
course  of  ages,  accumulated  at  the  base  of  the  cataract.  This  descending 
mass  of  water — white  and  misty  as  the  driven  snow — sways  to  and  fro 
as  the  wind  blows,  like  the  veil  of  a  bride  ;  the  vast  height  of  the  water¬ 
fall,  the  contrast  pf  colour,  and  the  undulating  motion  so  produced 
imparting  a  very  singular  and  most  charming  effect.  When  the  sun 
attains  to  a  certain  altitude  a  rainbow  plays  for  hours  around  the  cloudy 
folds  of  this  fairy  veil.”  » 
The  Ivatoomba  Falls  can  be  seen  from  several  points  of  view,  one  of  the 
finest  being  from  the  edge  of  a  cliff  overlooking  the  valley  into  which  the 
waters  descend,  from  which  the  numerous  mounds,  thickly  covered  with 
timber,  “  rising  like  waves  in  a  deep  sea.  Afar  off,  on  the  opposite  side, 
groups  of  rocks  resembling  some  old  baronial  castle  are  seen,  their 
heads  mantled  with  a  wreath  of  white  fleecy  clouds,  and  in  the  centre 
of  the  valley  the  course  of  a  creek  is  clearly  marked,  its  waters,  as  they 
flow  onwards,  being  hidden  by  a  thick  growth  of  brushwood.” 
If  the  tourist  desires  to  reach  the  bottom  of  the  valley,  he  can  do  so 
by  following  a  well-defined  track,  overhung  with  Ferns  and  flowering 
shrubs,  and  tor  some  distance  comparatively  easy  of  descent.  As  he 
proceeds,  a  fine  view  of  a  section  of  the  valley  is  obtained,  and  “  through 
an  opening  in  the  thick  growth  of  Ferns  and  umbrageous  trees  the 
water,  resembling  a  beautiful  bridal  veil,  is  seen  tumbling  down  upon 
the  dark  depths  of  rock  below.” 
There  are  scores  of  other  places  which  possess  a  strange  fascination 
for  pen  and  pencil.  Among  these  is  Sassafras,  or  Flying  Fox  Gully,  a 
favourite  resort  of  the  Fern-hunter,  being  one  of  the  finest  places  on  the 
mountains  for  almost  every  description  of  Fern  and  Lycopod.  The 
place  is  so  named  from  the  multitudes  of  the  strange  combination  of 
birds  and  animals  by  which  it  was  formerly  infested,  and  is  reached  by 
descending  from  the  head  of  the  gully  aud  following  the  course  of  a 
stream,  which  increases  in  force  as  it  flows  onwards.  From  the  stream, 
the  sides  of  the  gully,  thickly  clothed  with  Sassafras  trees,  run  up  in 
places  to  the  height  of  300  or  400  feet.  There  are  several  pretty 
minature  waterfalls,  also  several  large  pools.  The  Staghorn,  Birds’- 
nest,  und  other  Ferns  growing  here  in  profusion,  add  considerably  to  the 
