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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  3,  1896. 
Burbidge  are  verj  good  whites.  The  white  forms  are  very  graceful,  but 
their  constitutions  are  weak.  They  are  very  impatient  of  manures  any¬ 
where  near  to  them  ;  nice  sweet  sandy  soil  is  what  saits  them  best.  If 
planted  five  or  six  bulbs  in  a  7-lnch  pot  they  make  a  grand  display  for 
the  conservatory  or  drawing  room. 
I  had  some  Empress  and  Horsefieldi  balbs  in  pots  this  spring  with 
as  many  as  fifteen  fully  expanded  blooms  on  them  ;  the  two  colours  were 
simply  grand  surrounded  with  their  Leek-like  foliage.  Not  only  are  they 
^naost  beautiful  for  the  conservatory,  but  when  cut  and  arranged  in  vases 
w'itfa  a  little  of  their  own  foliage  they  look  very  stately  and  attractive. 
It  is  not,  however,  wise  to  use  the  foliage  of  any  good  varieties,  as  it 
weakens  the  bulbs  to  remove  their  leaves.  When  the  latter  are  required 
to  mix  with  cat  flowers  they  should  be  taken  from  the  commonest  sorts. 
The  bulbs  should  be  potted  about  the  middle  of  October,  or  earlier,  if 
possible,  and  placed  on  ashes  in  a  southern  position  or  aspect.  Water  them 
well  with  a  can  with  the  rose  on,  put  a  little  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse  on  the 
top,  and  then  cover  the  whole  with  about  6  inches  of  ashes,  the  same  as 
you  would  do  with  Hyacinths  and  Tulips.  When  they  have  commenced 
to  grow  they  should  be  taken  out  of  the  plunging  material  and  brought 
on  as  cool  as  possible  in  a  cold  frame.  Let  them  be  as  near  the  glass  as 
possible  to  prevent  them  becoming  drawn.  When  the  flower  buds 
begin  to  show  remove  them  to  the  greenhouse,  and  place  the  pots  on  a 
shelf  as  near  to  the  glass  as  possible.  Give  the  strongest  growing 
varieties  a  little  weak  manure  water  once  or  twice  a  week  ;  it  is  very 
beneficial.  For  pot  culture  the  Polyanthus  Narcissus  is  very  useful. 
They  differ  from  the  other  sections  of  Narcissi  by  having  from  ten  to 
twelve  blooms  on  each  stem  ;  they  are  very  sweet  scented.  Her  Majesty, 
Bazleman,  Bathurst,  and  Gloriosa  are  four  very  good  sorts. 
Another  variety  is  the  Chinese  Sacred  Narcissus,  belonging  to  the 
Polyanthus  type.  They  aie  best  grown  in  shallow  bowls  or  basins,  with 
the  bulbs  immersed  about  half  their  depth  in  water.  They  require  to 
b  kept  in  an  upright  position  by  the  aid  of  small  stones  or  gravel.  They 
should  be  placed  in  a  dark  room  or  Mushroom  house,  where  they  will 
soon  begin  to  root.  When  properly  rooted  they  should  be  brought  to 
the  light.  Soon  after  their  flower  spikes  appear  they  will  require 
supporting.  I  find  wire  cut  into  lengths  very  useful  for  this  work,  as  it 
is  nut  so  conspicuous  as  stakes. 
Narcissi  Pests. 
The  iiext  points.to  deal  with  are  the  insects  and  the  diseases  to  which 
this  family  is  subject.  The  first  is  the  fiy  Meroden  equestris.  This  fly 
varies  in  colour  from  red-brown  t  -  black.  It  is  very  quick  on  the  wing, 
but  very  early  in  the  morning.  On  dull  damp  days  it  may  be  caught  on 
the  foliage  in  a  sleepy  condition.  It  is  far  more  troublesome  to  Con¬ 
tinental  growers  than  it  is  in  England,  The  female  deposits  her  eggs  in 
the  ground,  which  soon  hatch  into  small  round  grubs.  The  larva  feed 
on  the  inner  portion  of  the  bulb.  When  the  fly  is  on  the  wing  it  makes 
a  peculiar  humming  noise  quite  distinct  from  that  produced  by  the  hive 
b-es. 
The  basal  rot,  a  disease  about  which  there  has  been  many  different 
opinions,  Dr.  Crawford  said  in  his  interesting  paper  given  at  the  Narcissi 
Conference  this  spring,  that  it  is  due  to  a  fungus  chiefly  caused  by  the 
use  of  too  nitrogenous  manures  in  the  soil.  It  is  quite  probable  that  it 
is  30,  for  many  varieties  addicted  to  rot  are  far  more  healthy  if  grown  in 
turfy  loam  free  from  manure.  It  seems  to  be  more  prevalent  with 
whites,  sulphurs,  and  clear  yellows.  All  the  spurins  breed  seem  to  be 
very  bad. 
Hybridisation. 
The  latter  part  of  my  subject  refers  to  hybridisation,  which  is  very 
interesting— not  only  in  this  class  of  plants,  but  in  all.  By  crossing  the 
different  species  or  forms  we  get  some  lovely  hybrids.  Some  are 
splendid  in  form  and  colour  combined,  with  sweet  scented  properties. 
There  is  no  very  great  diffirulty  in  hybridis’ng  the  Narcissi,  as  there  is 
in  some  of  our  stove  and  greenhouie  plants.  All  that  is  necessary  is  to 
remove  the  stamens  of  the  flower  you  are  going  to  operate  on  with  a  ' 
pair  of  tweezers  or  sharp-pointed  scissors  before  it  is  fully  expanded. 
Morning  is  the  best  time,  as  the  pollen  is  not  so  ripe  as  later  in 
the  day,  w'hen  the  flowers  are  expanded.  Dust  the  pollen  of  the  variety 
you  are  going  to  cross  with  on  the  stigma  of  the  flower  that  is  to  be 
the  seed-bearing  plant ;  label  it,  and  put.  a  stake  to  each  flower  so 
hybridised,  so  that  the  wind  m^y  not  break  it  off.  Some  seasons  the 
seed  is  longer  in  ripening  than  others,  as  it  depends  upon  what  amount 
of  sun  we  have.  For  instance,  the  seed  this  year  was  ripe  a  fortnight 
earlier  than  last  season. 
When  the  seed  approaches  ripeness  it  should  be  looked  at  every 
nay ;  if  left  it  will  soon  drop  out  of  the  pods.  Last  year  I  was  only 
just  in  time  to  save  the  seed  from  Weardale  Perfection  ;  the  pod  had 
opened,  and  would  have  emptied  its  contents  on  the  path  had  I  delayed 
a  short  time  longer.  This  unique  gem  is  a  very  fertile  seed  bearer. 
Each  flower  is  almost  certain  to  form  a  seed  pod. 
When  the  seed  is  ripe  it  is  of  a  black  colour  ;  it  should  be  sown 
at  once.  Some  growers  of  note  sow  the  seed  in  pans  plunged  in  ashes 
in  a  cold  frame.  Our  method  is  to  make  little  pockets  with  stoneS'  or 
thick  slates  in  the  natural  soil  in  the  kitchen  garden,  to  which  we  mix 
a  quantity  of  red  sand.  We  level  the  soil  and  press  it  down  wfth  the  i 
hand,  and  then  sow  the  seeds,  which  are  also  slightly  pressed  into  the 
soil,  and  then  covered  with  about  half  an  inch'  df  sand  j  we  afterwards 
give  them  a  good  watering  from  a  rose  can,  and  nail  a  little  tiffany  on 
to  four  pieces  of  wood  to  shade  them  until  they  have  germinated . 
The  plants  when  a  year  old  are  about  the  size  or  an  ordinary  lead 
pencil  round  the  bulb  ;  at  two  years  the  thickness  of  a  man’s  little 
finger  ;  at  three  years  they  are  about  1  inch  in  circumference.  They  are 
better  left  in  the  seed  pans  or  pockets  until  the  third  year,  when  they 
may  be  transplanted  in  a  nursery  bed  or  open  quarters.  The  usual  time 
of  flowering  is  from  four  to  six  years  after  sowing  the  seed.  It  is  a  very 
slow  business,  but  after  the  first  four  years  there  will  be  a  fresh  batch 
coming  on  yearly.  Many  of  our  best  forms  and  varieties  are  chance 
cross-fertilised,  so  the  moral  seems  to  be,  sow  all  the  seed  you  can  get 
each  year,  as  it  may  produce  something  good.  Think  of  John  Horsefield, 
the  Lancashire  weaver,  and  sow  every  pod  that  ripens. 
The  Narcissus  flower  is  not  in  its  best  form  until  it  is  nine  years  old. 
It  keeps  on  improving  each  year  until  it  attains  that  age,  so  it  is  not 
wise  to  form  any  idea  as  to  the  quality  of  a  flower  until  it  has  attained 
its  full  development. 
In  concluding  my  essay  I  will  just  make  a  few  remarks  about  the 
cutting  of  the  flowers  either  for  room  decoration  or  for  sending  away  as 
presents.  In  the  first  place  cut  them  with  as  long  stems  as  you  can. 
This  enables  yon  when  the  blooms  are  for  vases  to  cut  off  a  small  piece 
every  day,  and  they  will  last  much  longer  if  this  is  done.  If  yon  want 
a  particular  variety  in  flower  on  a  certain  date  gather  it  in  the  bud  or 
in  a  half-expanded  state,  and  place  it  in  a  vase  of  water  placed  in  a 
temperature  from  55°  to  65°  of  heat,  according  to  the  time  you  want  the 
fully  expanded  flowers.  When  they  are  fully  open  do  not  let  them  stay 
long  in  the  heat,  or  it  will  draw  the  perianths  out  of  form  and  shape. 
For  packing  to  send  away  they  are  better  gathered  in  the  bud  state,  and 
placed  with  their  backs  downwards.  When  they  arrive  at  their  destina¬ 
tion  they  will  unfold  their  golden  heads  just  the  same  as  if  they  were  on 
the  bulbs. 
There  is  no  flower  known  about  which  more  poetry  has  been  written, 
than  the  Diffodil.  I  quote  two  verses  from  Herrick’s  well-knowu  lines. 
“  Fair  Daffodil,  we  weep  to  see 
Tou  haste  away  so  soon ; 
As  yet  the  early  rising  sun 
Has  not  attained  its  noon. 
Stay,  stay, 
Until  the  hastening  day 
Has  run 
But  to  the  evensong; 
And  having  prayed  together  we 
Will  go  with  you  along.  ' 
“  We  have  short  time  to  stay  as  you, 
We  have  as  short  a  spring, 
As  quick  a  growth  to  meet  decay 
As  you  or  anything. 
We  die 
As  your  hours  do,  and  dry 
Away 
Like  to  the  summer’s  rain, 
Or  as  the  pearls  of  morning  dew, 
Ne’er  to  be  found  again.” 
— (^Pai}er  read  hy  Mr  Thos.  W.  Birkenshaw,  Uead  Gardener  to  IF.  A  - 
Milner,  Esq.,  Totlcy  Hall,  Sheffield,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Sheffield  Chrys- 
anthemum  Society  held  August  the  12th,  1S96.') 
VIOLAS. 
Owing  to  the  welcome  rain  which  we  have  had  recently  Violas  have 
somewhat  recovered  from  the  effects  of  a  dry  hot  season.  Of  the  nevr 
varieties  to  bo  sent  out  next  season  the  following  are  all  ray  less  var.eties  r 
— Gerald  Thompson,  bright  yellow  ;  large  noble  flower  with  a  Irroad 
margin  of  pure  white.  Gertrude  Neil,  sulphur  yellow,  with  a  narrow" 
Picotee  edge  of  white  ;  very  sweet  and  choice.  Sweet  Bathina,  pure 
white,  with  a  wire  edge  of  violet ;  a  pretty  variety,  Mrs.  Forsyth,  sky 
blue  ;  a  peculiar  shade,  very  distinct.  Clara  Hatfield,  bright  yellow  ;  a 
charming  flower  of  fine  form  and  habit.  Katie  Kay,  yellow,  of  a  darker 
shade.  Molly  Pope,  dense  yellow,  one  of  the  finest  and  most  distinct 
Violas  ever  raised.  Triumph,  pure  white  ;  as  its  name  indicates  this 
sweet  variety  will  be  welcomed  as  a  “  Triumph,”  and  is  the  only  pure 
white  Viola  yet  sent  out.  Instead  of  the  orange  eye  generally  seen  in 
Violas  the  eye  of  Triumph  is  white.  Miniatures  —  Edgar  Waterfall,., 
intense  blue  ;  a  sweet  variety  of  fine  form.  Hilda  Hatfitld,  shaded 
lavender ;  very  sweet  and  choice.  Una  Clarissa,  white  with  yellow  brow 
and  lip  ;  a  model  flower  of  fine  habit.  Effie  Merrill,  white  circular 
flower,  very  fine. 
From  the  remarks  of  a  contemporary  it  seems  the  miniature  type 
has  not  received  the  attention  they  so  justly  deserve.  It  was  thought 
that  some  of  the  varieties  when  well  grown  were  too  large  to  be 
distinct  from  the  large  flowering  type.  These  remarks  deserve  careful 
attention,  for  my  exper'ence/is  that  a  “  miniature  ”  Viola,  with  the 
properties  as  laid  down  at  the  first  Viola  Conference,  will  always  remain 
true  as  to  habit  and  size  of  flower.  There  are,  however,  some  varieties 
sent  out  during  the  last  two  years  as  “  miniatures  ”  which  ought  not  to 
be  classed  with  this  charming  type.  They  are  medium-sized  flowers, 
but  not  large  enough  to  be  accepted  in  the  large  flowering  rayless  type, 
and  have  unfortunately  been  introduced  as  “  miniatures.” 
;  If  this  is  allowed  to  go  oh  we  shall  very  soon  not  be  able  to  recognise 
the  type  of  the  pretty  miniature  flowers.  Cld  Gold,  Picco,  Ethel 
Buckby,  with  the  above  new  varieties,  are  models  of  what  a  miniature 
flower  ought  to  be,  and  it  is  hoped  that  raisers  of  new  varieties  will  be 
qareful  ,tp  .test  all  tbeir  plants  before  sending  them  out,  and  see  that  they 
possess  all  the  properties  as  laid  dowti  by  the  Conference  held  in 
Birmingham. —  George  Steel,  Cornkill’On-Tweed.  "" 
[With  these  notes  Mr.  Steel  sent  flowers  of  exceptional  beauty,, 
provipg  the  excellent  culture  to  which  the  plants  bad  been  subjected.] 
