186 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  27,  1902. 
gives  plenty  of  lateral  growths  for  bearing,  which  must  not  he 
crowded,  and  should  be  stopped  at  a  joint  or  two  beyond  the 
show  for  fruit.  With  a  protection  of  double  mats  over  the  lights 
at  night,  and  the  linings  of  the  beds  properly  attended  to,  the 
temperature  will  be  maintained  at  60deg  to  65deg  at  night.  A 
little  air  may  be  given  at  75deg,  allowing  the  temperature  to 
rise  to  85deg  or  90deg  with  sun  heat.  If  the  sun  be  powerful, 
and  the  plants  show  indications  of  flagging,  shade  for  a  few 
days.  Attend  to  the  linings  as  required,  and  protect  with  a 
double  thickness  of  mats  at  night.  Do  not  apply  more  water 
than  is  necessary  to  keep  the  plants  gently  growing,  very  little 
being  required  in  pits  and  frames  where  the  heat  is  derived  from 
fermenting  materials. 
Red  Spider  and  White  Fly. 
Where  red  spider  has  appeared  on  the  winter  fruiting  plants, 
or  white  fly  is  present,  coat  the  hot-water  pipes  with  a  cream 
formed  of  flow’ers  of  sulphur  and  skim  milk,  heating  the  hot-water 
pipes  to  as  near  boiling  point  as  possible  without  making  the 
water  boil  for  a  couple  of  hours  on  a  calm  evening,  taking  care 
that  the  house  is  kept  close ;  and  then  allo'W  the  pipes  and  house 
to  cool  down  to  their  regular  temperature.  The  foliage  must 
be  kept  dry,  or  be  so  when  the  hot-water  pipes  are  sulphured 
and  heated.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  the  same  process  may 
be  repeated.  It  is  generally  effectual  against  thrips  and  mildew, 
as  well  as  red  spider  and  white  fly. — G.  A. 
Plant  Notes. 
Javanese  Rhododendron  Princess  Royal. 
The  full  and  proper  title  of  this  section  of  Rhododendrons  is 
the  .Javanico-jasminiflorum  hybrids;  and  the  variety  flgured  on 
page  lfi7  is  one  of  the  first  five  that  Messrs.  James  Veitch  and 
Sons,  Limited,  of  Chelsea,  ever  raised.  Princess  Royal  variety 
was  tlie  first  hybrid  the  firm  secured,  which  was  in  1850,  and  in 
these  earlier  clays  this  was  of  sufficient  interest  to  ensure  a 
Botanical  Certificate  for  Messrs  Veitch.  The  colour  of  the  floivers 
is  pink,  with  a  darker  centre.  Of  course,  since  that  time  there 
Saxifraga  apicuEata. 
Rhododendron  Princess  Royal. 
The  earliest  raised  Javanicum  jasminifiorum  hybrid  ;  1850. 
have  been  larger  numbers  of  grand  varieties  raised  at  Chelsea. 
We  need  only  refer  to  the  beautiful  and  handsome  R.  Cloth  of 
Gold  figured  on  page  221  of  the  Journal  of  HorticuUure,  for 
March  14,  1901,  and  to  the  lately  certificated  varieties  that  have 
been  described  in  these  pages.  R.  Princess  Royal  is,  however, 
still  a  great  favourite,  and  on  account  of  its  history  it  is  very 
interesting.  This  recent  race  of  Rhododendrons  are  of  such 
merit  that  we  should  like  to  see  them  grown  in  every  garden. 
In  the  Botanic  Gardens  at  Kew,  Edinburgh,  and  elsewhere,  fine 
collections  can  be  seen  in  vigorous  condition.  The  plants  are 
apt  to  get  lanky  if  not  tied  in.  An  intermediate  temperature 
and  abundance  of  moisture  are  requisites  to  their  successful 
culture. 
Saxifrafa  apiculata. 
Of  the  Kabschia  section  of  the  genus  Saxifraga  the  species 
apiculata  furnishes  one  of  the  most  charming  rock  plants  the 
hardy  iilantsman  employs.  Its  stems  form  dense  rosettes  thickly 
crowded  with  thick  linear  acute  leaves,  and  produce  numerous 
flower  stalks,  each  bearing  from  six  to  nine  primrose-yellow 
flowers,  which  are  bright  from  this  month  until  Febiuiary — that 
is,  by  successional  development.  In  a  great  many  respects 
S.  apiculata  resembles  the  beautiful  ally  S.  sancta.  Both  plants 
are  useful  for  carpet  bedding.  S.  luteo-purpureo,  as  Mr.  Arnott 
tells  us,  is  a  synonym  of  this  species. 
Heliotropes  from  Seeds. 
Judging  from  the  fact  that  there  is  not  often  a  reference  to 
the  raising  of  these  popular  sweet  smelling  flowers  from  seeds, 
and,  perhaps,  a  still  more  rare  occurrence  to  find  them  so  treated, 
it  is  not  common  knowledge  what  beautiful  plants  may  be  had 
by  this  mode  of  culture.  Heliotropes  have  become  familiarised 
by  the  very  select  few  of  very  ordinary,  though  none  the  less 
sweet  old-established  kinds.  There  are  to  be  had  from  some 
specialists  quite  a  goodly  assortment  of  variety,  all  hearing  large 
and  freely  branched  heads  differing  in  their  habit,  shape,  and 
colour.  On  visiting  a  gardening  friend  last  autumn  I  received 
quite  an  eye-opener  in  a  batch  of  seedling  Heliotropes  growing  in 
one  of  the  borders  of  his  kitchen  garden.  The  heads  of  flower 
were  on  many  of  the  plants,  I  should  say,  almost,  if  not  quite  a 
foot  across,  the  colours  varied,  and  all  sweetly  scented.  I  at 
once  made  a  resolution  to  adopt  a  similar  course,  though  already 
in  possession  of  at  least  a  dozen  varieties  named.  There  is 
admittedly  a  great  fascination  in  seed  raising  in  any  kind  of  plant, 
because  in  the  unfolding  of  the  flowers  from  day  to  day  one  looks 
for,  and  often  finds,  features  that  are  not  already  possessed  in 
existing  stock.  This  is  quite  as  true  of  Heliotropes  as  of  other 
flowers,  and  I  feel  fully  persuaded  that  if  seedsmen  generally 
supplied  a  strain  of  such  high  character  as  those  I  have  referred  to 
they  would  have  no  lack  of  admirers  and  cultivators.  It  would 
seem  that  Continental  growers  have  given  more  attention  to  the 
raising  of  improved  Heliotropes  than  British  hybridists. — W.  S. 
