September  2,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
217 
state,  and  to  get  them  up  and  away  the  soil  must  be  duly  attended  to  in 
watering,  never  making  it  too  wet.  Another  point  is  to  thin  the  plants  so 
that  they  stand  clear  of  each  other  for  the  winter,  and  any  spare  ones 
then  placed  in  pots,  and  these  plunged  in  ashes  under  a  wall  facing  south 
or  other  good  aspect,  will  come  in  finely  for  window  box  or  other  decora¬ 
tion,  and  from  variety  alone  prove  very  attractive.  The  more  tender 
should  be  moved  to  the  fiowering  quarters  in  March  or  April.  Most, 
however,  do  well  in  borders  fronting  shrubs,  and  with  proper  attention 
give  a  profusion  of  bright  flowers  during  the  early  summer  months. — 
G.  Abbey. 
HARDY  CILERODENDliONS. 
Although  most  of  the  species  of  Clerodendron  require  a  stove  or 
greenhouse  temperature,  there  are  two  which  are  perfectly  hardy  in  the 
southern  counties  and  in  favoured  parts  of  the  midlands  of  this  country. 
The  species  under  notice  are  C.  foetidum,  a  Chinese  shrub,  and  C.  tricho- 
tomuin  from  Japan.  Both  ai’e  good  late  fiowering  shrubs,  and  are  well 
worthy  of  notice. 
The  habits  of  the  two  differ  in  various  respects.  C.  foetidum  makes  a 
(quantity  of  soft  sappy  growths  each  year,  which  during  winter  die  down 
to  the  ground.  When  growing  in  faii’ly  good  ground  the  growths 
average  4^  to  5  feet  in  height.  The  leaves  are  large  and  handsome. 
They  are  cordate,  with  serrated  margins  and  acuminate  apices.  The 
leafstalks  are  long,  and  the  blades  6  to  9  inches  across,  dark  gi'een  above, 
silvery  beneath.  The  veins  are  very  pi’ominent,  and,  like  both  surfaces  of 
the  leaf,  are  thickly  covered  with  purplish  hairs.  The  flowers  are  rose 
coloured  and  produced  during  the  latter  part  of  August  and  September 
in  lai’ge  terminal  corymbs.  The  great  drawback  to  this  plant  is  the  most 
unpleasant  odour  given  off  when  it  is  rubbed. 
C.  trichotomum  makes  a  bush  8  or  more  feet  in  height,  with  a  large 
spread.  The  leaves  are  light  green,  and  much  thinner  than  the  former, 
but  like  that  the  veins  are  very  pronounced.  The  leafstalk  is  several 
inches  in  length,  but  like  the  blade  is  found  to  vai-y  considerably  on 
different  leaves  on  the  same  plant.  The  blades  are  ovate  and  acuminate, 
sometimes  9  inches  long  by  6  inches  wide,  dwindling  on  various  parts  of 
the  stem  to  half  that  size.  The  flowers  are  produced  terminally  in  large 
loose  cymes.  The  individual  flowers  are  striking  in  appearance.  The 
calyx,  which  is  made  up  of  five  sepals,  is  angular,  the  points  and  margins 
being  red,  and  correspond  in  colour  with  the  two  bracts  which  ai’e  found 
at  the  base  of  each  flower  and  the  tube  of  the  corolla.  The  free  portions 
of  the  corolla  are  white,  star  shaped,  and  about  1  inch  across.  Trom  the 
mouth  of  the  corolla  tiiljc  the  stamens  and  style  protrude  1  to  inch. 
The  flowering  period  of  this  is  August  and  September.  An  additional 
recommendation  for  this  is  that  the  flowers  are  veiy  sweetly  scented.  A 
bush  in  flower  makes  its  pi’csence  known  several  yards  away.  They 
thrive  in  any  good  soil,  sandy  soil  being  preferable  to  very  heavy ;  liberal 
top-dressings  of  farmyard  manure  will  be  found  beneficial  once  a  year. 
Both  species  throw  up  suckers  readily,  and  can  be  (luickly  propagated  by 
division  in  spring.-D.  K. 
CULTURE  OF  HYACINTHS. 
Now  the  bulb  season  is  with  us,  a  few  remarks  on  Hyacinth  culture 
may  be  welcome  to  some  readers  of  the  Journal.  Roman  Hyacinths 
being  the  earliest,  a  word  or  two  may  be  devoted  to  my  system  of 
cultivating  these  most  beautiful  early  and  late  flowers.  The  spikes  of 
white  fragrant  blooms  are  charming  to  see,  and  are  useful  in  many  ways, 
especially  for  wreaths,  sprays,  buttonholes,  and  all  kinds  of  decorations. 
Select  medium  size  hard  bulbs,  as  I  find  these  start  more  freely  than 
larger  softer  ones.  A  compost  of  equal  parts  of  leaf  soil  and  loam 
with  a  good  sprinkling  of  sharp  sand  is  excellent  ;  then  get  some  bo.xes, 
about  2  feet  by  I  foot,  and  3  inches  deep,  inside  measurement,  well  drain 
and  half  fill  with  the  compost.  A  box  will  be  found  to  hold  about  fifty 
bulbs.  Cover  with  more  compost,  just  leaving  the  crowns  clear  of  every¬ 
thing,  and  the  bulbs  firmly  placed. 
Take  a  corresponding  box,  and  reverse  it  over  the  one  just  finished  ; 
fill  another  box,  place  on  the  top,  with  another  reversed  over,  and  so 
keep  on  till  all  are  finished,  as  they  then  stand  in  one  heap  instead  of 
occupying  so  much  space,  which  is  often  needed  for  other  things. 
They  also  keep  themselves  dark,  but  it  is  better  to  throw  over  them  a 
cloth  or  mat.  If  done  like  this,  the  compost  being  moist,  they  will  stand 
in  any  shed  if  not  too  dry,  and  will  not  require  water.  Growth  soon 
commences,  and  when  well  on  the  move  transfer  them  to  good  cool,  airy, 
and  light  quarters,  shading  gently  for  a  few  days,  also  giving  a  copious 
watering.  8uch,  in  brief,  is  my  method  of  procedure,  and  the  majority 
produce  three  spikes  of  bloom,  perfect  in  all  respects.  If  they  are 
re(]uired  for  succession,  a  little  heat  brings  them  into  bloom  in  about  ten 
days,  while  if  necessary  when  the  flowers  are  opening  they  can  be  potted, 
five  bulbs  in  a  5-inch  pot,  taking  care  to  pot  evenly. 
Dutch  Hyacinths  should  be  good,  hard  bulbs,  potted  into  a  thoroughly 
sound  compost  of  equal  parts  of  loam,  leaf  soil,  and  decomposed  manure, 
with  a  little  sand.  Pot  singly  in  clean  5-inch  pots,  with  a  little  manure 
over  the  crocks.  The  crowns  must  be  left  exposed,  and  all  must  be  put 
in  a  cold  frame  for  two  or  three  days.  Then  water  them  well  twice 
over  ;  two  days  after  this  get  clean  4-iuch  pots,  and  reverse  them  over 
each  bulb  with  a  piece  of  slate  or  tile  placed  on  the  holes,  fill  in  between 
with  cocoa-nut  fibre  or  leaf  soil ;  keep  the  lights  off  in  dry  weather, 
except  at  nights. 
When  the  growth  is  about  an  inch  or  more  up  the  pieces  of  slate  or 
tile  should  be  taken  away,  for  a  few  days  first  ;  then  remove  the  pots, 
but  choose  a  dull  day  if  possible,  or  shade  thinly,  as  if  the  pots  are 
removed  too  soon  the  growth  does  not  come  nearly  so  strong.  If  any 
badly  formed  ones  are  found  these  should  be  forced,  and  the  remainder 
well  fed  and  naturally  brought  along,  always  being  careful  not  to  allow 
water  to  get  into  the  flowers  or  growths.  If  the  above  system  is  carried 
out  the  grower  may  rest  assured  as  to  the  results. — R.  Bassil, 
Pamjbourne. 
CYCLAMEN  PERSICUM. 
I  CONSiDElt  that  the  Cyclamen  at  fifteen  months’  growth  ought  to  be 
at  least  1  foot  in  diameter,  having  a  dense  mass  of  thick  variegated 
leaves  standing  almost  erect,  and  the  flowers  not  more  than  2  or  3  inches 
above  the  foliage.  The  flowers  themselves  should  be  broad  in  the  petals, 
about  2  inches  in  length,  nearly  round  at  the  ends,  and  having  a  slight 
regular  twist  in  each  segment  of  the  corolla. 
1  will  give  a  description  of  how  I  proceed  from  the  commencement,  as 
I  generally  prefer  raising  my  own  plants  from  seed.  The  seeds  are  sown 
in  .1  une,  and  put  in  an  old  Cucumber  or  Melon  frame,  with  a  temperature 
of  about  G5°  or  thereabouts.  In  six  weeks  the  first  leaf  will  be  seen 
pushing  itself  through  the  soil ;  and  when  such  is  an  inch  in  length  the 
plants  may  be  transplanted  to  a  pan,  still  retained  in  the  pit,  and  care¬ 
fully  shaded  from  hot  sun  with  thin  canvas,  as  a  glaring  sun  1  consider 
at  all  times  highly  detrimental  to  them,  but  especially  when  the  plants 
are  young.  Towards  the  end  of  September  I  select  a  few  of  the  strongest 
plants  and  put  them  in  small  pots,  still  retaining  all  in  the  frames  close  to 
the  glass  until  the  end  of  October,  or  even  much  later,  according  to  the 
mildness  of  the  season,  as  I  find  the  young  plants  do  better  kept  close  in 
an  old  Melon  frame,  where  a  little  heat  still  remains  in  the  fermenting 
material.  As  soon  as  frost  or  cold  weather  sets  in,  all  the  Cyclamens  are 
placed  on  a  shelf  in  the  conservatory,  where  the  thermometer  is  not 
allowed  to  fall  below  45°.  Through  the  winter  they  do  not  grow  much, 
but  if  the  above  temperature  is  maintained  they  will  be  found  to  have 
increased  a  little,  which  is  all  that  is  desirable.  Those  plants  potted  in 
autumn  will  require  a  shift  into  a  size  larger  pot  in  Api’il  j  those  in  the 
pans  should  be  potted,  and  either  retained  in  the  conservatory,  or,  what 
is  better,  put  in  a  frame  with  a  little  bottom  heat  for  a  month  or  six 
weeks,  then  about  the  end  of  May  put  out  in  a  cold  frame  facing  south¬ 
east,  kept  close  for  a  few  days,  but  eventually  fully  exposed  during  the 
daytime.  When  the  plants  are  in  this  cool  frame  they  should  never  be 
too  much  crowded,  but  allowed  some  few  inches  between  the  leaves,  so 
that  air  may  freely  circulate,  and  prevent  that  drawn  appearance  which 
must  at  all  times  be  carefully  guarded  against.  The  system  I  am 
advocating,  it  will  readily  be  seen,  is  never  to  allow  Cyclamens  entire  rest, 
but  to  always  keep  them  growing,  however  slowly,  and  not,  as  is  the 
custom  with  some  growers  I  know,  to  let  them  partially  die  during  the 
summer  months. 
In  the  management  of  old  plants,  if  retained,  I  should  adopt  much  the 
same  system  as  with  the  young  ones,  except  that  they  are  not  in  spring 
introduced  to  a  frame, with  bottom  heat,  but  partially  shaken  out  of  their 
soil,  potted  lightly,  not  pressed  too  hard,  then  placed  in  a  cool  frame  and 
kept  close  for  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks.  If  the  weather  is  hot  during 
the  months  of  .1  une,  .1  uly,  August,  and  September,  invariably  sprinkle 
water  overhead  once  in  the  forenoon,  besides  the  usual  watering  on  the 
soil  ;  but  it  must  be  done  with  a  watering  pot  having  a  fine  rose,  other¬ 
wise  the  foliage  will  be  bent  down  by  the  weight  of  water,  and  eventually 
the  leaves  will  not  be  erect  and  compact,  which  they  ought  to  be. 
Another  caution  I  must  also  give  in  reference  to  watering  over  the  foliage, 
and  that  is  never  to  close  up  the  lights  for  the  night  until  the  plants  are 
quite  dry,  otherwise  you  will  have  them  tall,  which,  as  I  said  before,  must 
of  all  things  be  avoided.  My  plants  are  generally  taken  into  the  con¬ 
servatory  in  full  bloom  early  in  October,  when  they  continue  to  throw  up 
flowers  until  the  end  of  April,  if  not  wished  to  seed  from. 
About  Christmas  a  little  liquid  manure  is  weekly  applied  with  un¬ 
doubted  advantage,  and  the  bloom  will  be  much  prolonged  by  this  timely 
stimulus.  Should  you  wish  the  Cyclamen  to  flower  for  some  months,  it 
is  of  the  greatest  importance  that  all  blossoms  should  be  removed  as 
soon  as  the  tips  of  the  reflexed  limbs  become  tinted  with  brown.  As 
soon,  then,  as  the  ends  of  petals  become  discoloured,  they  should  be 
pulled  out  by  giving  a  sharp  snatch  to  the  bloom,  so  as  to  detach  i  t 
close  to  the  corm  ;  for  if  not  entirely  removed  the  remaining  portion 
decays,  and  the  decomposition  spreads  over  the  whole  leaf  as  well  as 
flower-stalks,  and  the  plant  will  not  completely  recover  that  season,  even 
if  the  evil  be  detected  in  its  earlier  stages.  I  mention  this  because 
occasionally,  with  extreme  vigilance,  it  will  occur  in  the  most  unsuspected 
way,  and  I  would  advise  some  of  the  blooms  and  leaves  to  be  removed 
and  the  centre  dusted  over  with  sulphur,  as  the  only  means  of  saving 
the  plant,  which  is  sometimes  of  conse(iuence  if  a  well-known  good 
variety. 
The  soil  best  suited  to  the  Cyclamen  in  all  stages  ip  one  composed  of  two- 
fifths  coarse  leaf  mould,  the  same  quantity  of  very  light  soft  yellow  loam, 
one-fifth  dry  cow  manure,  and  sufficient  fine  white  sand  to  prevent  running 
together.  The  cow  manure  should  be  collected  in  fine  weather,  and  it 
would  be  advisable,  after  rubbing  small,  to  pour  some  nearly  boiling 
water  over  it  to  kill  all  seeds,  which  are  very  troublesome  if  not  destroyed 
in  this  way.  The  leaf  mould  should  also  be  well  wetted,  and  mixed  with  cow 
manure  and  sand  ;  the  loam  should  be  ground  down  quite  fine  in  a  dry 
state,  and  mixed  with  the  other  ingredients,  and  you  will  then  have  the 
very  best  compost  it  is  possible  to  make  for  growing  the  Cyclamen  in. 
— S.  H, 
