JOURNAL  OR  trORTIGULTURE  Am  COTTAGE  GARDEmtL 
Odtobet  29,  1898. 
412 
house  occasionally.  It  is  a  detail  iu  culture  which,  if  neglected, 
paves  the  way  for  insect  pests  and  the  consequent  loss  of  vigour 
in  the  plants  infested. 
Watering  is  admittedly  one  of  the  most  important  factors  in 
securing  success  in  the  culture  of  pot  plants  of  all  descriptions  ; 
but  there  are  few  which  suffer  so  much  from  careless  or  irregular 
watering  as  do  Carnations.  Overdoses  frequently  kill  them  out¬ 
right,  and  an  insufiicient  supply  so  enfeebles  them  as  to  cause 
many  of  the  huds  to  go  blind,  and  prevents  others  from  developing 
into  anything  hotter  than  “  flimsy  flowers."  Given  vigorous  plants 
in  6  or  6-inch  pots,  with  the  soil  closely  permeated  with  roots, 
more  water  is  necessary  than  many  imagine,  provided  a  buoyant 
atmosphere  is  maintained  by  the  aid  of  fire  heat,  as  previously 
advised  ;  under  such  conditions  a  good  waterer  will  know  at  a 
glance,  by  the  appearance  of  each  plant  and  the  surface  soil, 
whether  or  not  water  ii  required.  The  teit  of  tapping  may  be 
sometimes  required,  but  not  often  ;  indeed,  many  planta  will 
require  water  long  before  they  have  reached  that  state  of  dryness 
at  the  roots  which  is  indicated  by  the  sharp  ringing  sound  given 
out  when  the  pot  is  struck  with  the  knuckles  or  a  stick.  These 
remarks  apply  to  strong  plants  with  plenty  of  roots  ;  weaker  ones 
not  so  well  rooted  ought,  of  course,  to  get  considerably  drier  before 
being  watered. 
It  is,  I  think,  through  treating  vigorous  and  weakly  plants  alike 
that  the  greatest  errors  in  watering  occur.  Frequent  applications 
of  liquid  manure  are  of  immense  benefit  in  helping  to  develop  the 
flowers  to  their  fullest  size,  and  in  bringing  out  the  rich  colouring  ; 
but  it  must  at  all  times  be  used  in  a  greatly  dilated  state.  Draining 
from  stables  or  cowsheds  is  an  excellent  form  of  liquid  manure  ; 
a  quart  of  this  placed  in  a  3  gallon  can,  the  can  afterwards  being 
filled  with  water,  is  the  strength  at  which  I  invariably  use  it. 
Freshly  gathered  sheep  manure  placed  in  a  bag,  with  a  little  soot 
added,  the  bag  being  then  immersed  in  water,  forms  another  safe 
and  stimulating  liquid,  which  should  be  used  three  times  weekly. 
In  addition  to  this  form  of  feeding,  if  some  reliable  kind  of 
artificial  manure  is  occasionally  given  in  the  form  of  a  top-dressing, 
the  best  results  may  be  anticipated.  The  following  are  some  of 
the  best  varieties  to  grow — La  Vilette,  pink  and  yellow  ;  Mrs. 
Leopold  de  Rothschild,  pink  ;  Uriah  Pike,  crimson  ;  Alegati^re, 
red  ;  Charles  I.,  fawn  yellow  ;  Coronet,  bright  scarlet ;  Duke  of 
York,  crimson  ;  F.  Tokormy  and  Juliette,  rose  ;  King  of  Scirlets, 
Lizzie  McGowan,  Lucifer,  bright  red  ;  Miss  Jolliffe,  pink  ;  and 
Mrs.  A.  Hemsley,  crimron.  I  find  it  also  an  excellent  plan  to  grow 
a  good  number  of  Marguerite  Carnations  for  winter  flowering^ 
If  the  seed  is  sown  in  February  very  fine  plants  with  quantities 
of  buds  are  obtained  by  September.  I  am  aware  that  plants 
raised  from  seed  sown  at  the  time  indicated  will  often  flower 
as  early  as  July,  but  I  remove  any  very  early  flower  stems  as  soon 
as  they  show  themselves  so  as  to  secure  strong  plants  for  winter 
work,  and  in  almost  all  the  plants  we  raise  I  find  some  worthy 
of  being  grown  as  named  varieties. 
These  of  course  are  carefully  propagated  by  cuttings,  but  the 
majority  of  the  plants  receive  ruthless  treatment  from  the  knife, 
for  whenever  a  flower  with  a  few  opening  buds  around  it  is  ready 
it  is  cut  with  its  full  length  of  stem  for  arranging  in  vases.  It  is 
for  supplying  flowers  of  this  description  that  Marguerite  Carnations 
are  so  much  prized,  as  no  one  likes  to  subject  the  named  varieties 
of  winter  flowering  Carnations  to  so  severe  an  ordeal. — Carnation 
Grower. 
LICK. 
Very  pertinently,  Mr.  Editor,  you  ask  what  has  “  An  Old  Boy  ” 
to  say  upon  “A.  L  G.’s”  able  article  on  page  404?  If  I  can 
only  say  half  of  what  I  think  upon  the  “luck”  phase  of  the 
question,  I  trust  that  this  peg  which  exists  in  many  a  bothy, 
and  is  so  handy  to  bang  excuses  upon,  will  no  longer  remain,  in 
apite  of  “  A.  L.  G.’s  ”  poetical  props.  If  we  must  have  luck  in  our 
lives,  let  it,  at  least,  be  clearly  understood  what  it  is  (call  it  what 
W*  will)|  whether  it  is  that  apparently  intangible  agent  which 
places  silver  spoons  in  babies’  mouths  or  reinstates  the  gardener 
into  the  lost  position. 
Luck — good  luck  of  course — has  done  this  we  will  say,  but  it  is 
not  a  gift  showered  down  by  the  gods  upon  us  mortals  until  it  has 
been  earned  or  merited  by  direct  or  indirect  means.  The  birth¬ 
right  which  the  infant  enjoys  has  been  wrought  for,  or  fought  for, 
and  won  by  these  or  other  means  of  ascendancy  in  the  social  scale 
prior  to  its  birth.  The  gardener’s  son  rose  again  upon  his  father’s 
merits,  with  the  help  of  those  friends  whose  action  showed  the 
motive  power — viz.,  it  was  esteem  for  the  father  which  helped  the 
“  luck.” 
Take  a  dozen  of  our  so  -called  lucky  gardeners  and  measure  their 
dynamic  force  of  character — pluck,  prudence,  patience,  perseverance, 
and  a  host  of  virtues — tons  of  good  solid  material  against  this 
shadowy  substance  “luck.”  We  will,  for  present  purposes,  say 
that  “  luck  ”  was  strong  enough  to  place  them  in  position  ;  then, 
what  a  poor  weak  thing  it  is  that  it  cannot  help  them  there.  What 
is  the  life  story  of  our  self-made  men  ?  They  were,  of  course, 
prepared  for  the  opportunity  and  seized  it,  may  be  said.  Well,  I 
will  say  that  the  bulk  of  them  created  it  by  sheer  force  of 
character. 
I  should  be  sorry  to  leave  this  stumbling-block  to  trip  up  our 
boys,  which  I  feel  it  is,  unfortunately,  able  to  do,  and  know  it 
often  does.  If  they  question  my  counsel  I  would  ask  them  to 
catch  a  specimen,  say  the  lucky  man  who  wins  the  cup  or  the  first 
position  in  a  keen  contest,  or  even  the  man  whose  “  accident  did 
in  five  minutes  what  twenty  years’  tenacity  of  purpose  failed  to  do.” 
Put  him  under  the  X  rays  and  find  out  where  the  luck  wins  or 
“  the  tenacity  of  purpose  ”  fail*. 
Respecting  “A.  L.  G.’s  ”  apostrophical  quotation,  commencing 
“  I  pray  thee  cease  thy  counsel  .  .  .  ,”  I  have  only  to  say  that 
if  I  had  not  felt  so  much  I  should  have  said  less,  and  it  is  that 
fellow  feeling  which  prompted  the  “  counsel  ”  that  those  who  view 
the  world  so  fair  may  escape  from  some  at  least  of  its  delusions. 
Touching  the  other  points  of  his  disagreement  I  have  only  to  add 
that  while  respecting  his  opinion  I  hold  my  own. 
Boys,  I  would  not  trust  “  luck  ”  if  I  were  you  (and  knew  what 
I  know  now).  “In  ourselves  our  safety  lies,”  and  though  my  able 
controversialist  quotes  Addison’s  fine  lines,  “  ’Tis  not  in  mortals  to 
command  success,”  tack  on  "the  ending  which  he  has  omitted, 
“  we’ll  do  more  .  .  .  we’ll  deserve  it.”  That’s  all,  Mr.  Editor 
(for  the  present).  For  Mr.  Craven  and  “  S.  Junior’s”  kindly 
appreciation  pray  squeeze  in  the  thanks  of — An  Old  Boy. 
[Yes,  and  they  must  suflice  for  others  who  have  written  letters 
of  thanks,  for  which  space  cannot  be  afforded.] 
PRIMULA  OBCONICA— ITS  DANGEROUS 
CHARACTERISTICS. 
There  is  one  serious  drawback  to  the  indiscriminate  cultivation 
of  this  valuable  and  useful  greenhouse  plant  that  cannot  be  too 
well  known.  I  allude  to  the  irritation  and  itching  that  affect 
many  persons  who  handle  the  plant.  This  dangerous  feature  has 
been  pointed  out  in  the  horticultural  paperi,  but  it  appears  that 
greater  publicity  is  required,  as  well  as  more  information  on  the 
subject 
Whilst  there  are  numbers  of  persons  who  can  handle  the  plants 
with  impunity,  there  are  many  others  who  are  affected  with  a  rash, 
generally  on  their  bauds  and  between  the  fingers,  that  is  exceedingly 
painful.  When  this  occurs  the  affected  parts  give  the  impression 
that  the  disease  is  eczema,  which  it  resembles.  The  medical  pro¬ 
fession  have  been  at  fault  when  applied  to  in  some  of  these  cases, 
and  have  in  two  instances  that  have  come  under  my  observation 
considered  the  patient  to  be  suffering  from  eczema. 
Another  instani’e  has  recently  come  under  my  notice  which 
differs  from  the  ordinary  symptoms  of  which  I  have  beard  or  known, 
inasmuch  as  it  affected  the  forehead  and  eyes,  as  well  as  the  bands. 
The  family  doctor  was  called  in,  prescribed  for  the  patient,  but  was 
pnzzled  that  the  complaint  did  not  respond  to  his  treatment  and 
cease  to  exist.  He  then  took  bis  patient  to  a  physican,  and  the 
trio — at  least,  two  of  them — bad  a  consultation.  The  medicos 
gave  advice,  and  prescribed  remedies  ;  but  the  malady  remained 
obstinate.  The  irritation  and  suppuration  was  intermittent.  Soon 
after  apparent  recovery  it  broke  out  as  badly  as  before,  and  this 
sort  of  see- saw  went  on  for  over  two  years. 
The  cause  of  all  this  suffering  and  expense  was  Primula 
obconica,  and  the  explanation  is  this:  The  patient  ii  a  very 
enthusiastic  amateur  gardener,  and  particularly  fond  of  Primula 
obconica,  so  that  he  used  to  give  the  plants  in  his  greenhouse 
special  attention.  He  had  professional  assistance  once  a  week  in 
the  management  of  his  plants  and  greenhouses,  but  he  reserved 
these  Primulas  for  his  own  pleasure  (?).  He  has  a  habit  of 
