360 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  24,  1902. 
Alpine  Auriculas. 
These  charming  easily  grown  flowers  are  becoming  greater 
favourites  every  year,  and  deservedly  so,  for  the  variety  of 
colour  is  so  great,  their  fragrance  is  so  delicious,  and  the  quality 
so  much  improved  of  late  years,  that  flower  lovers  cannot  help 
but  admire  them.  The  labours  of  Messrs.  Gorton,  Pohlman,  and 
Beswick  in  the  North,  and  Messrs.  Turner,  Douglas,  Phillips,  and 
Keen  in  the  South,  have  turned  the  frilled  and  notched  flowers 
of  twenty  years  ago  into  smooth,  circular,  regular  varieties  that 
no  florist  can  despise.  The  Auricula  Societies  now  recognise  the 
Alpine,  and  encourage  its  cultivation  by  offering  prizes^  equally 
wdth  the  show  varieties.  A  great  advantage  that  presents 
itself  to  an  amateur  wishing  to  start  growing  Alpines  is  that  he 
need  not  empty  his  pockets  and  wait  years  before  he  can  get 
together  a  first-rate  collection,  as  he  must  do  if  he  tries  to  get 
a  collection  of  show  Auriculas  together. 
The  best  varieties,  such  as  Judith,  Duke  of  York,  Mrs.  Gorton, 
Patience.  Mrs.  M.  Smith,  Mrs.  Correll,  Pluto,  amongst  others, 
can  readily  be  got,  and  the  amateur,  by  raising  seed  from  these, 
will  in  two  or  three  years  get  many  good  varieties.  Raising  new 
Alpines  is  a  far  easier  and  a  far  more  .satisfactorj’  business  than 
raising  new  show  Auriculas.  The  seedlings  bloom  earlier,  and 
there  is  a  larger  proportion  of  good  things  in  Alpines.  Careful 
cross  fertilization  is,  of  course,  essential  to  success.  I  find  it^best 
to  cross  yellow  grounds  that  are  permanent  with  loermanent 
yellow  grounds,  and  cream  grounds  with  cream  grounds.  I  have 
made  the  following  crosses  lately  :  — 
Tlielis  X  Exoui.tu  for  whitd  centre  and  blue  pur[)Ie  edge-i. 
Miv.  Horton  X  Duke  of  York  fur  yellow  centre,  red  and  scarlet  edges. 
.John  Allen  x  Duke  of  York  for  yellow  centre,  red  and  purple  edges. 
Roland  x  Mrs.  il.  Smith  for  yellow  centre,  bro«n  and  tawny  edges. 
Kright  Eyes  x  Mrs.  M.  .Smith  for  yellow  centre,  salmon,  brick  brown  edges. 
I  do  not  consider  Bright  Eyes,  Roland,  and  John  Allen  first 
rate  sorts,  but  I  have  found  them  very  useful  as  seed  parents. 
Exonian  is  not  liked  in  the  South,  but  from  its  distinct  purple 
and  lavender  edge  I  consider  it  as  a  valuable  kind  to  cross  with 
such  varieties  as  Patience  and  Thetis.  The  idea  in  seedling 
raising  ought  to  be  to  get  the  reds  more  scarlet,  the  browns 
more  rich,  the  blues  bluer,  as  to  the  edge.  There  is  no  reason 
why  this  should  not  be  done.  It  would  also  be  very  desirable  if 
we  could  get  the  blues  with  a  good  yellow  centre  and  the  scarlets 
with  a  good  white  centre,  but  I  don’t  think  that  thi.s  will  ever 
be  accomplished,  as  pure  blue  seems  to  be  incompatible  with  a 
good  yellow  centre,  and  scarlet  seems  to  need  the  yellow  ground 
for  its  composition. — J.  W.  B.' 
Certillcated  Plants. 
(Continued  from  page  323.) 
Time  was  when  Nerium  Oleander  found  a  place  in  almost 
even.-  greenhouse,  where  it  was  wintered,  but  often  stood  out  in 
the  open  during  summer  to  bloom.  As  far  back  as  1874  Messrs. 
E.  G.  Henderson  and  Son,  then  at  the  Wellington  Road  Nur- 
.sery,  St.  John’s  Wood,  received  a  Certificate  of  Merit  for  Dr. 
Golfin,  and  it  may  be  assumed  that  improvements  commenced  a 
few  years  previously,  the  French  florists  raising  several  vaVieties, 
the  most  consiDicuous  being  Professor  Ducharte,  Madonna  grandi- 
florum,  Mons.  Balaguier,  and  Soeur  Agnes,  all  of  which  were 
awarded  Certificates  of  Merit  during  the  early  eighties;  but 
their  culture  appears  to  be  now  of  a  limited  character. 
Nlcotiana. 
When,  a  few  years  ago,  sub-tropical  gardening  was  more 
popular,  or  more  generally  followed,  the  varieties  of  the 
common  Tobacco  were  much  employed  on  account  of  their  bold 
and  handsome  leafage.  They  are  still  cultivated  in  borders  for 
the  same  reason ;  and  though  so  useful,  but  few  have  obtained 
the  distinction  of  awards.  Even  N.  affinis,  the  delicious  Night- 
scented  Tobacco,  now  so  much  grown,  has  never  been  recognised, 
useful  as  it  is.  N.  collosea  is  a  gigantic  form  of  a  large-leaved 
Tobacco,  which  ULakes  an  imposing  garden  plant,  and  a  varie¬ 
gated  form  of  it  obtained  an  Award  of  Merit  in  1893,  though,  as 
is  the  way  with  some  variegated  forms  of  common  plants,  it  was 
not  persistent,  and  it  is  scarcely  seen  in  seed  lists  now.  N.  syl- 
vestris,  regarded  as  a  distinct  species,  is  a  comparatively  new 
annual  form,  and  produces  long  pure  white  highly  fragrant 
flowers.  It  received  an  Award  of  Merit  in  1899,  when  shown  by 
Mr.  J.  Hudson. 
Nierembergia. 
IMany  years  ago,  Nierembergia  gracilis  and  a  similar  form, 
N.  filicaulis,  were  popular  pot  plants  for  the  greenhouse,  and 
were  also  employed  as  edging  plants  to  large  vases  on  terraces 
and  in  flower  gardens.  N.  Veitchi,  a  branching  prostrate  form 
from  South  America,  gained  a  Certificate  of  Merit  for  Messrs. 
A'eitch  and  Sons,  but  appears  to  have  largely  gone  out  of  culti¬ 
vation  with  the  other  two.  N.  rivulai'is,  sometimes  termed  the 
“  Cup  Flower,”  is  a  hardy  perennial,  which  does  well  planted  in 
a  sunny,  border  near  a  wall,  or  on  rockwork.  This  received  a 
First  Class  Certificate  of  Merit  when  introduced  from  La  Plata 
by  Messrs.  Veitch  and  Sons  in  1866.  It  requires  a  fairly  moist 
position,  where  it  freely  produces  it-si  large  white  cup-like 
blossoms. 
Nymphaea. 
The  growth  in  numbers  of  the  group  of  hardy  Water  Lilies 
has  been  something  phenomenal  during  the  past  ten  years,  and 
that  they  are  becoming  very  popular  is  shown  bs^  the  demand 
for  ijlants  with  which  to  decorate  the  edges  of  ponds  and  stretches 
of  ornamental  water.  In  this  country,  as  in  North  America,  the 
culture  of  these  Lilies  has  rapidly  extended ;  the  range  of 
colours  they  present  varies  from  shades  of  crimson,  rose^pink, 
yellow,  cream,  and  pure  white.  M.  Marliac  has  produced  some 
wonderful  varieties  by  means  of  intercrossing  some  of  the  most 
popular  hardy  species.  In  1851  M.  Ortgies  obtained  seeds  from 
*  N.  rubra  crossed  with  another  species,  and  two  years  after 
M.  Bouche,  of  the  Berlin  Botanic  Garden,  raised  a  pretty  hybrid. 
But  nothing  new  appears  to  have  challenged  the  attention  of 
the  Floral  Cdmmittee  until  within  the  last  ten  years._  In  1895 
Laydekeri  rosea  (Veitch),  Marliacea  chromatella  (Veitch),  and 
odorata  rubra  (Veitch)  received  awards.  In  the  follow-ing  year 
Marliacea  carnea  and  a  species  named  Robinsoniana  were  so 
honoured,  both  shown  by  Mr.  James  Hudson,  Gunnei'sbury 
House  Gardens,  who  has  formed  a  large  and  valuable  collection 
of  hardy  Water  Lilies,  as  well  as  one  of  the  tender  species  and 
varieties.  Since  1896  Gloriosa  (Hudson),  Marliacea  albida  (Hud¬ 
son),  Marliacea  flammea  (Hudson),  Sulphurea  grandiflora 
(Hudson),  Odorata  rosacea  (Hudson),  with  Marliacea  ignea 
(Ei-eeman-Mitford)  have  all  gained  awards,  in  addition  to  others 
since  the  publication  of  the  list  of  certificated  plants.  English 
and  American  catalogues  now  give  descriptive  lists  of  some  forty 
or  more  varieties. — R.  Dean,  ^'.M.H. 
- - 
The  Grange,  Bishop’s  Stortford, 
Bishop’s  Stortford  is  in  Hertfordshire,  but  lies  very  close  upon 
the  sunny  meads  of  Essex.  One  feature  that  struck  me  more 
than  any  other  was — quite  a  minor  one — the  luxuriance  of  the 
vi^ild  Violets  all  over  the  district.  Now-,  that  may  seem  an  im¬ 
material  little  fact  to  call  attention  to,  and  yet  a  long  and 
beautiful  sermon  might  philosophically  be  concocted  upon  the 
theme  of  wdld  Violets  and  their  attributes.  But  being  busy,  or 
lazy,  or  both,  I  cannot  w-rite  that  sermon,  though  I  can  remark 
that  only  in  healthy  soils,  and  with  healthy  air,  do  we  ever  find 
the  sweet  little  Violets  thriving  luxuriantly.  And  Conifers  do 
w-ell  at  and  around  Bishop’s  Stortford,  while  Roses  are  strong 
and  plentiful.  Both  of  these  are  found  in  some  quantity  at 
Mr.  J.  B.  Barker’s  residence,  the  name  of  which  heads  this 
article,  and  is  doubtless  the  best  known,  as  it  is  the  principal 
estate  near  by  the  township.  Lying  about  one  mile  from  the 
centre  of  the  town,  this  estate,  consisting  of  the  private  grounds 
and  farms,  commands  a  breezy  stretch  of  Hertford  scenery,  and 
the  house  itself  receives  dignity  from  its  pleasantly  elevated 
site.  Mr.  Barker,  in  common  with  Sir  Richard  Gilbey,  and  other 
relatives  in  the  district,  takes  an  enthusiastic  interest  in  the 
town  of  Bishop’s  Stortford,  and  I  was  shown  whole  streets  that 
these  tw-o  gentlemen  had  been  instrumental  in  remodelling  and 
improving.  Then  the  agricultural  experiments  that  are  carried 
on  are  noticed  and  appreciated  far  and  near,  though  Mr.  Barker’s 
special  pride  in  this  direction  is  in  horse-breeding,  his  stud  being 
both  extensive  and  of  renowned  quality. 
He  enjoys  his  garden,  too,  and  so  does  Mrs.  Barker,  though, 
being  invalided,  her  wonted  activity  is  reduced  meanwdiile.  And 
it  is  a  pleasant  garden,  comprising  on  the  west  side  a  large  park 
of  about  eight  or  nine  acres.  This  is  divided  from  the  more 
immediate  surroundings  of  the  house  by  a  Ha!  Ha! — a  sunk-fence. 
The  whole  surface  of  the  park  is  kept  smooth  by  mow-ing  and 
firm  by  rolling.  Here  it  is  that  the  local  flower  show  and  fete 
is  yearly  centred,  for  Mr.  Barker  likes  to  w^elcome  the  towns¬ 
folk  within  the  precincts  at  least  once  a  year.  His  gardener, 
by  the  way,  has  a  capital  record,  as  a  rule,  at  this  show,  thougli 
contesting  against  the  produce  from  gardens  throughout  Herts 
and  Essex.  The  presence  of  well-balanced,  ti'im,  and  shapely 
Sequoias*  (or  Wellingtonias)  and  Pine  trees.  Planes,  and  Elms 
*  Apropos  of  the  name  .Sequoia  and  its  synonym,  Wellingtonia,  there  is  an 
interesting  story  attached.  These  “big  trees”  of  California  were  first  discovered 
in  18il ;  but  specimen  cones  and  seeds  of  them,  together  with  descriptions,  were 
not  brought  to  England  till  late  in  the  autumn  of  1853.  The  materials  brought 
home  were  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  late  Dr.  Lindley  for  determination,  and  he, 
be  ievii'g  the  tree  to  be  generically  distinct  from  the  Redwood  (Seejuoia  semper- 
virens),  created  a  new  genus,  which  he  named  the  Wellirgtonia.  This  name,  he 
said,  being  that  of  the  greatest  of  modern  heroes,  was  the  most  appropriate  for 
the  most  gigantic  tree  that  had  been  revealed  by  modern  discover^  The  name 
was  challenged,  however,  both  by  Americans  and  Europeans  The  former  stoutly 
obje.'ted  to  their  greatest  tree  being  named  after  our  English  general;  and, 
finally,  after  cousiderable  discussion,  it  was  agreed  to  adopt  for  the  genus  the 
name  of  a  tribe  of  American  Indians,  the  Cheroukees  (?)  The  characters  of  the 
genus  were  found  too  closely  to  approximate  with  those  of  the  Redwood,  and  this- 
also  made  the  Hlt^ration  inevitable.— W.  W. 
