416 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  28,  1897. 
gardeners  of  the  countiy  for  the  great  support  they  had  given,  and 
v.hioh  was  so  well  exemplified  in  the  show  at  the  Drill  Hall.  It  was 
a  beautiful  and  characteristic  illustration.  lie  desired  to  endorse  what 
had  been  said  with  regard  to  the  Secretary,  who  had  done  his  work 
admirably,  and  at  one  period,  notwithstanding  very  serious  physical 
obstacles.  He  desired  to  quote  the  following  passage  from  an  article 
in  the  .lournal  “The  Koyal  Horticultural  Society  has  spent  during 
the  ninety-two  vears  of  its  existence  not  less  than  £400,000.  That  it  has 
made  mistakes  and  wasted  money  its  best  friends  will  not  deny,  but  it 
may  confidently  be  asserted  that  it  has  done  and  is  doing  good  work  such 
as  no  other  society  could  do  — good  work  of  great  value  to  the  community. 
The  productions  of  the  Society  and  the  lessons  it  has  taught  have 
embellished  the  land  and  smiled  on  the  visitor  from  every  park  and  garden 
in  the  kingdom.”  So  long  as  the  Society  stuck  to  that  work  it  would 
have  the  very  hearty  and  cordial  support  of  the  horticulturists  of  the 
kingdom.  (Applause.) 
The  gathering  then  adjourned  to  the  Drill  Hall,  where  the  President 
distributed  the  medals. 
SEASONABLE  HINTS  ON  FLORISTS’  FLOWERS. 
Although  the  seasons  come  round  in  their  unvarying  course,  it  does 
not  follow  that  in  our  changeable  climate  the  conditions  are  quite  the 
same  year  after  year,  hence  the  directions  for  one  season  are  not  suitable 
for  others.  In  1896  we  had  during  September  and  October  a  great 
quantity  of  very  heavy  rain,  while  in  the  present  year  October  has 
hitherto  been,  and  promises  to  continue,  a  very  fine  month,  and  to  the 
florist  above  all  others  these  conditions  make  a  good  deal  of  difference  in 
his  operations,  for  his  being  such  very  highly  bred  flowers  they  are  more 
susceptible  to  the  influence  of  cold  and  damp  than  the  species  from  which 
they  originated.  It  is  the  same  way  in  the  animal  kingdom;  the  beau¬ 
tiful  and  highly  bred  Channel  Islands  cattle  have  a  delicacy  of  constitution 
from  which  the  more  common  kinds  are  free,  and  require,  consequently, 
greater  attention  and  care  ;  so  that  the  florist  must  be  prepared  to  find 
that  he  cannot  grow  his  plants  in  any  rough  and  ready  way,  but  that  they 
reiiuire  the  close  attention  which  only  he  who  loves  them  will  give  them. 
Take  for  example 
Auriculas. 
I  sometimes  hear  people  say,  “  Oh,  the  Auricula  ;  yes,  I  have  grown 
that  for  many  years,  and  it  is  quite  hardy  but  when  one  comes  to 
inquire  it  is  found  that  the  Auriculas  to  which  the  speaker  alludes  are 
either  alpines  or  border  varieties,  and  not  the  highly  bred  edged  varieties 
which  are  the  delight  of  the  true  Auricula  lover.  Woe  be  to  the  grower 
that  tempts  to  cultivate  these  as  if  they  could  hold  their  own  against  the 
uncertainties  of  our  winter  months.  The  past  season  has  been  on  the 
whole  a  good  one  for  them.  I  have  already  given  my  estimate  of  the 
spring  exhibitions.  The  flowers  were  late,  and,  consequently,  the  northern 
growers  were  not  in  the  running,  and  so  we  had  no  new  varieties  about 
which  to  write.  Everyone  who  grows  the  plant  knows  how  difficult  it  is  to 
obtain  a  good  variety.  It  is  not  so  with  other  flowers.  Every  season  brings 
forth  dozens  of  new  Roses,  while  with  regard  to  other  flowers,  such  as  the 
Gladiolus,  Pelargoniums,  Chrysanthemums,  and  others,  we  have  to  look 
through  our  lists  and  see  what  we  have  to  get  rid  of ;  but  in  the 
Auricula  we  still  cherish  the  old  established  favourites  of  thirty  or  forty 
years  ago,  and  very  few  are  the  additions  made  to  our  lists. 
I  am  afraid  that  the  beautiful  autumn  weather  we  are  having  will 
stimulate  them  to  throw  up  autumn  blooms.  Where  this  is  the  case  they 
should  be  pinched  off.  The  plants  ought  now  to  be  in  their  winter 
quarters.  I  believe  a  pit  to  be  the  best  place  for  them,  for  they  are  much 
more  accessible,  and  there  is  no  necessity,  as  when  they  are  in  frames,  of 
lifting  up  the  lights  to  look  at  them.  All  decaying  foliage  ought  to  be 
removed,  and  should  there  be  an  appearance  of  green  fly  it  will  be 
desirable  to  give  them  a  slight  smoking  before  shutting  them  up.  Water 
should  be  given  very  sparingly  for  two  reasons  ;  the  plants  ought  not  to 
be  stimulated,  and  watering  may  engender  damp;  and  we  must  bear  in 
mind  that,  however  fine  the  weather  may  be  now,  we  must  be  prepared  for 
a  spell  of  cold  more  or  less  severe,  and  so  have  mats  or  other  material 
ready  to  cover  them  with  when  it  comes. 
Carnations  and  Picotees. 
No  two  seasons  can  be  more  diverse  as  far  as  these  flowers  are 
concerned  than  1896  and  1897.  In  the  former  even  so  experienced  a 
cultivator  as  Mr.  Turner  of  Slough  had  to  complain  of  the  difficulty  of 
getting  layers  to  root,  while  this  year  they  have  everywhere  rooted  most 
readily.  The  taste  for  what  are  called  border  Carnations  seems  to  be  on 
the  increase.  No  doubt  they  are  most  effective  in  the  open  ground,  and 
the  improvement  that  has  taken  place  in  them  is  very  marked ;  still  it 
would  be  a  sore  thing  for  the  beautiful  flakes  and  bizarres  and  the 
delicately  marked  Picotees  to  be  neglected. 
The  question  of  wintering  these  is  a  matter  of  some  importance.  There 
are  those  who  advocate  planting  them  in  the  autumn  and  left  unprotected 
during  the  winter.  This  seems  to  me  a  risky  proceeding.  It  may  some¬ 
times  answer,  but  I  have  known  even  the  old  Clove  to  be  killed  by  frost, 
and  I  therefore  always  recommend  that  they  should  be  potted  and  kept 
i  n  cold  frames  during  the  winter.  If  kept  tolerably  dry  and  given  plenty 
of  air  I  do  not  think  that  there  is  any  fear  of  their  contracting  that  fatal 
fungoid  disease  called  spot,  and  then  by  the  time  they  are  ready  to  be 
planted  out  the  pots  will  be  full  of  roots.  It  is  best  to  pot  them  singly, 
as  the  roots  become  less  disturbed  when  they  have  to  be  placed  in  the 
beds.  Now  is  the  best  time  to  obtain  new  varieties  ;  they  are  to  be  had 
from  all  nurserymen  who  cater  for  the  florist,  and  lovers  of  the  beautiful 
wiU  not  fail  to  include  in  their  orders  some  of  the  fine  yellow  varieties 
raised  by  Mr.  Douglas  and  others. 
I  can  remember  the  time  when  three  or  four  only  of  these  were  to  be 
had,  and  they  were  difficult  to  keep.  They  were  flowers,  however,  which 
were  more  in  accord  with  the  exacting  demands  of  the  florist  than  any  of 
those  of  recent  years.  The  same  remark  with  regard  to  green  fly  applies 
to  these,  and  frames  or  pits  containing  them  should  be  fumigated.  Old 
and  experienced  growers  know  this  well,  and  take  no,  little  pains  to 
remedy  this  evil,  but  novices  are  inclined  to  think  a  few  green  fly  will  do 
no  harm  ;  this  is,  however,  a  mistake,  and  no  pains  ought  to  be  grudged 
to  get  rid  of  the  varmint. 
Gladiolus. 
It  will  now  be  time  for  the  lifting  and  storing  of  these  bulbs.  For  those 
who  grow  a  named  collection  it  is  a  troublesome  process.  Dry  weather 
ought  to  be  chosen  for  doing  it.  so  that  a  large  quantity  of  earth  may  not 
cling  to  the  roots.  It  has  been  by  some  supposed  that  the  varieties 
degenerate.  This  is  not  the  case.  The  individual  corm  may  do  so,  and 
after  three  or  four  seasons  may  not  be  worth  much  ;  but  they  nearly  all 
produce  a  quantity  of  spawn,  and  this,  when  taken  care  of,  will  be  found 
to  produce  as  good  flowers  as  ever. 
This  was  exemplified  by  the  fine  collection  shown  by  Mr.  Burrill  at 
the  Drill  Hall  in  September,  when  a  grand  spike  of  Orphde,  a  variety 
which  came  out  about  thirty  or  forty  years  ago,  was  exhibited  with  four¬ 
teen  splendid  blooms,  and  therefore  anyone  who  wishes  to  continue  their 
stock  or  increase  it  had  better  take  care  of  all  the  spawn,  rubbing  it 
carefully  off  the  corms  and  putting  it  by  carefully  in  paper  bags  until  the 
spring.  But  what  a  long  time,  it  may  be  said,  we  shall  have  to  wait  for 
flowers.  Not  so.  The  same  authority  informed  me  that  many  of  the 
beautiful  spikes  shown  by  him  were  produced  from  corms  not  larger  than 
a  Cob  nut,  and  this  in  their  second  year. 
Care  should  be  taken  when  the  bulbs  are  taiken  up  that  they  should 
be  placed  in  a  dry  cool  situation,  where  they  will  be  free  from  frost,  and 
where  they  can  be  looked  at  from  time  to  time.  This  should  be  a 
favourable  season  for  harvesting  them,  being  so  bright  and  dry.  As 
usual,  several  new  varieties  have  been  exhibited,  amongst  them  some  of 
Child’s  American  varieties,  of  which  one  has  not  formed  a  very  favourable 
opinion.  Several  of  the  Lemoinei  section  have  been  exhibited  in  good 
form  ;  these  may  be  left  in  the  ground,  and  with  slight  protection  o^  coal 
ashes  or  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse,  may  pass  through  the  winter  unharmed. 
Pansies. 
The  past  has  been  a  more  favourable  season  for  them  in  the  South  ot 
England,  as  they  like  both  coolness  and  moisture,  and  for  this  reason  they 
do  so  much  better  in  the  North  of  England  and  in  Scotland  than  with 
us.  The  Fancy  varieties  are  those  most  in  favour;  their  size  and  varied 
colouring  give  them  a  great  advantage  over  what  are  called  the  Show 
varieties.  In  truth,  if  one  wants  to  see  these  or  the  Violas,  called  bv 
some  by  the  absurd  name  of  Tufted  Pansies,  they  must  go  to  Scotland. 
And  these  agajn  are,  at  any  rate  with  us,  plants  that  cannot  very  well  be 
left  in  beds  during  the  winter  ;  they  should  now  be  placed  in  pots  singly, 
if  possible,  and  then  in  the  spring  they  may  be  transferred  into  the  pots  in 
which  they  may  flower. 
Pinks. 
An  attempt  is  made  to  revive  an  interest  in  these  in  and  about  the 
metropolis,  but  I  think  it  is  doomed  to  failure.  The  fact  is  that  there  is  so 
little  variety  amongst  them  that  they  will  not  suit  the  taste  of  the  present 
lay.  Those,  however,  who  grow  them  will  now  see  to  their  being  planted 
in  beds.  They  will  succeed  in  any  good  garden  soil,  and  when  planted 
should  be  firmly  pressed  in  ;  they  may  be  planted  about  a  foot  apart.  It 
is  long,  however,  since  I  have  seen  in  any  amateur’s  garden  a  bed  of  these 
sweet  and  prettily  marked  flowers, 
Roses. 
There  will  be  several  things  to  engage  the  attention  of  Rose  growers 
at  the  present  moment.  He  will  look  through  his  beds  to  see  if  there  are 
any  weak  or  sickly  plants  to  cast  out ;  he  will  also  see  what  varieties  he 
may  wish  to  discard  and  what  new  ones  to  add.  There  need  be  no  hurry, 
however,  in  filling  up  the  beds  or  in  making  new  ones.  The  mild  open 
weather  of  this  autumn  has  kept  the  plants,  especially  the  Teas,  in  full 
growth,  and  even  in  my  small  garden  I  can  cut  handfuls  of  these  refined 
and  beautiful  flowers  every  day.  If  anyone  is  ignorant  of  the  proper  way 
of  planting  let  them  procure  the  little  tractate  issued  by  the  National 
Rose  Society,  where  they  will  find  every  detail  carefully  marked  out  for 
them. 
There  is  evidently  a  tendency  towards  the  growth  of  what  are  called 
garden  Roses,  and  many  perhaps  will  wish  to  add  to  their  collections,  but 
they  must  be  careful  to  remember  that  many  of  them  are  summer-blooming 
Roses,  In  fact,  for  a  continuance  of  blooming,  there  is  no  class  so  depend¬ 
able  as  the  Tea-scented  Roses,  although  they  lack  the  brilliancy  which 
characterises  some  of  the  Hybrid  Perpetuals,  nor  is  their  perfume  com¬ 
parable  to  that  emitted  by  the  darker  coloured  varieties  of  the  Hybrid 
Perpetual  class.—  !)..  Deal. 
A  Fine  Eucharis  Bloom.— I  am  sending  you  a  scape  of  Eucharis 
amazonica,  the  second  flower  of  which  consists  of  a  double  row  of 
segments,  ten  in  all.  I  should  like  to  know  if  similar  instances  occur. 
The  bulbs  wore  all  repotted  last  spring. — Geo.  Weekes.  [We  have  had 
similar  examples  sent  to  us  from  time  to  time.  The  bloom  is  very 
symmetrical,  of  great  substance,  and  4^  inches  in  diameter.  There  were 
nine  blooms  and  buds  on  the  scape,  representing  excellent  cultivation.] 
