14 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  4,  1901. 
CARDER.  GLEANINGS 
Upward  Sap  Flow. — The  garden  Mignonette,  writes  Dr.  B.  D. 
Halsted,  is  a  good  subject  by  which  to  illustrate  the  upward  flow  of 
liquid  in  cut  stems.  This  is  because  the  petals  are  delicately  fringed 
with  white,  and  with  these  the  liquid  will  pass  and  quiokly  show  a 
beautiful  colour.  Methyl-blue  has  proved  the  most  striking  colour  for 
illustration. 
Pelargonium  Leopard. — Ivy -leaved  varieties  of  Pelargonium 
are  seldom  shown  for  certificate,  but  in  the  one  illustrated  on  page  17 
we  have  a  distinct  acquisition  to  the  section.  Mr.  H.  B.  May  of 
Dyson’s  LaDe  Nurseries,  Upper  Edmonton,  exhibited  a  plant  at  the 
Drill  Hall  meeting  on  June  4th,  when  the  Floral  Committee  recom- 
mended  an  award  of  merit.  The  habit  is  of  the  ordinary  character ; 
the  trusses  are  of  average  size,  with  large  flowers,  but  the  chief  quality 
lies  in  the  pretty  purple  blotches  on  a  bright  rose  ground.  It  ought  to 
find  a  ready  demand  amongst  recent  novelties. 
The  First  Wasp  Nest.— The  fruit  grower  awaits  the  advent  of 
this  voracious  robber  with  unmixed  feelings  of  dread.  The  season  has 
been  apparently  a  most  favoured  one  for  the  nesting  of  the  queens; 
many  of  them  were  trapped,  but  a  greater  number  evaded  this,  and  their 
progeny  will  be  sure  to  be  a  source  of  trouble  later.  It  is  well  to  be 
provided  with  a  store  of  the  needful  means  of  dealing  with  them, 
whichever  form  it  may  take.  Cyanide  of  potassium  is  the  favourite  of 
many,  because  it  is  so  simple  and  yet  effective.  Weed  killers,  tar,  and 
petroleum  are  each  used  by  some.  Soott’s  and  Davis’  destroyers  are 
good  for  dealing  with  them  on  choice  fruit  on  walls  or  in  the  vinery. 
We  found  and  destroyed  the  first  nest  on  June  25th.  In  some  seasons 
they  have  been  earlier  found. — W.  S. 
Double  Primula  obconlca. — A  double-flowered  form  of  Primula 
obconica,  recently  exhibited  in  Paris,  was  illustrated  in  the  “  Revue 
Horticole  ”  dated  May  16th.  It  is  the  first  recorded  break  in  this 
direction,  and  is  regarded  as  the  forerunner  of  great  things. 
New  Ivy-leaved  Pelargoniums. — Mr.  J.  G.  Hawley  of  Swinton 
kindly  sends  us  a  boxful  of  cut  trusses  of  the  new  Ivy-leaved  Pelargoniums 
Mrs.  Hawley  and  Col.  Baden  Powell.  The  former  bears  rose-scarlet 
trusses  of  semi-double  flowers,  the  latter  is  a  pale  rose-lilac  novelty  with 
larger,  well  spread  semi-duplex  blooms.  Both  are  distinctive,  though 
not  finer  than  some  of  the  newer  blotched  varieties  that  were  recently 
certificated  by  the  Floral  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultura 
Society. 
A  Good  Regal  Pelargonium. — Mrs.  H.  J.  Jones  Pelargonium  is  one 
of  the  most  exquisitely  beautiful  decorative  varieties  I  have  seen.  In 
habit  it  is  very  compact,  and  a  robust  grower,  while  the  large  trusses 
are  well  thrown  up  over  the  foliage.  The  flowers  are  perfect  in  form, 
and  of  good  substanoe  and  size;  the  upper  petals  are  heavily  blotched 
maroon,  shading  off  to  a  beautiful  deep  rose  at  the  margin,  while  the 
-three  lower  petals  are  broadly  margined  a  soft  flesh  pink,  centre  satiny 
white.  In  the  sun  the  flowers  have  an  appearance  of  silver  dust  having 
been  sprinkled  over  them. — H.  A.  L. 
Cutting  off  Seed  Pods. — Many  of  us  know  things  quite  well, 
yet  do  not  mind  our  attention  being  called  to  them.  On  the  list  is 
the  cutting  off  of  seed  pods.  When  a  plant  flowers  it  should  form 
seed  pods  to  perfect  its  mission.  But  if  we  prefer  flowers  to  seed  we 
cut  off  the  decayed  blossoms,  preventing  the  plant  wasting  its  energies 
on  seed-producing,  and  then  it  starts  the  work  afresh,  and  more  flowers 
come.  Rhododendrons  and  Azaleas  are  particularly  of  this  class. 
Left  to  themselves  seed  pods  succeed  the  flowers,  and  these  tax  the 
plants  heavily  to  perfect  them.  Cut  off  these  seed  pods  just  as  soon 
as  the  flowers  fade,  and  the  chances  for  good  growth  and  bloom  for 
the  next  year  are  greatly  improved.  Taking  two  plants,  one  so  treated 
and  one  not,  would  be  an  object  lesson  worth  notioing. 
- - 
Potash  as  a  Fruit  Tree  Fertiliser. — The  ashes  of  most  fruits 
contain  large  quantities  of  potash.  For  this  reason  the  use  of  potash 
as  a  fertiliser  in  orchards  is  usually  attended  with  benefioial  results. 
Apples  and  most  of  our  other  larger  fruits  remove  from  the  land  in 
which  they  are  grown  large  quantities  of  potash  from  year  to  year, 
and  unless  this  constituent  is  replaced  in  some  form  or  other,  there 
is  a  liability  that  it  may  become  exhausted,  and  the  crop  may 
consequently  suffer.  In  countries  abroad,  where  much  more  attention 
is  paid  to  fruit  culture  than  nearer  home,  and  where  orchards 
extending  to  hundreds  of  acres  are  sometimes  kept,  this  problem  has 
been  much  more  strikingly  brought  home  to  fruit  growers  than  in  the 
United  Kingdom.  In  America  potash  in  various  forms  (very 
frequently  in  the  shape  of  wood  ashes),  is  largely  employed  by  fruit 
growers  in  maintaining  the  productive  capacities  of  their  orchards. 
A  Useful  Spring  Bedder. — The  reference  is  to  Alyssum  saxatile, 
which  we  consider  to  be  of  great  importance  where  spring  bedding  is 
oarried  out  to  any  extent.  Of  course  we  must  have  our  Tulips, 
Wallflowers,  Myosotis,  &c.,  but  a  corner  should  be  left  for  this  most 
beautiful  and  easily  grown  subjeot.  Whether  it  be  planted  in  the 
herbaceous  border,  rockery,  or  in  the  flower  garden  proper,  it  matters 
not ;  it  seems  as  much  at  home  in  a  sunny  as  a  Bhady  position,  and 
iB  admired  by  all  who  see  this  old-fashioned  and  common  garden  plant. 
The  best  plan  we  have  experienced  is  raising  this  Alyssum  from  seed 
about  every  second  or  third  year,  especially  if  the  plants  are  intended 
for  the  herbaceous  border,  where  only  a  small  amount  of  room  can  be 
given  them  ;  also,  if  required  for  the  annual  spring  bedding,  they  are 
best  raised  annually,  similar  to  Wallflowers.  They  do  not  care  for 
replanting  when  once  they  are  established,  hence  the  reason  for  keeping 
a  stock  of  young  plants  at  hand,  which  produce  larger  flowers  than 
older  subjects.  The  seed  may  be  sown  outside,  but  a  better  method 
is  to  prepare  seed  pans  and  sow  in  these.  When  the  plants  are 
sufficiently  large  enough  to  be  handled,  prick  them  out  on  a  nice 
border  in  well  worked  soil,  and  they  will  make  bushy  little  plants  by 
the  autumn.  This  plant,  if  used  in  conjunction  with  blue  Myosotisi 
makes  a  delightful  combination,  and  again  when  used  with  the  common 
red  double  Daisy,  the  latter  making  a  capital  edging,  and  showing  the 
Alyssum  to  perfection. — J.  8.  A. 
Hr.  T.  Cook. 
We  had  much  pleasure  in  announcing  last  week  that  his  Majesty 
the  King  had  been  pleased  to  appoint  Mr.  T.  H.  Cook  (head  gardener  to 
the  Earl  of  Wemyss  and  March,  at  Gosford)  to  be  head  gardener  at 
the  Royal  Gardens,  Sandringham.  As  our  readers  will  remember,  the 
vacancy  at  Sandringham  has  been  caused  by  the  transference  of 
Mr.  McKellar  to  the  Royal  Gardens  at  Windsor  in  succession  to 
Mr.  Owen  Thomas,  who  retires  on  a  pension.  Mr.  Cook  had  the  honour 
of  an  interview  with  the  King  on  the  17th  inst.  at  Sandringham,  with 
the  result  as  already  stated,  and  the  appointment  may  be  regarded  as 
one  of  the  best  in  the  country. 
Mr.  Cook,  who  is  only  thirty-two  years  of  age,  is  not  unknown  to 
the  gardening  world,  for  his  name  was  recently  brought  very  prominently 
to  the  front  on  account  of  his  being  on  the  short  “  leet  ”  of  four,  out  of 
134  applicants,  for  the  post  of  city  gardener  at  Edinburgh.  He 
commenced  his  gardening  career  under  his  father  in  Ireland,  but 
before  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age  he  removed  from  home  and  entered 
the  gardens  of  the  Marquis  of  Bute  at  Cardiff  Castle,  where  he  remained 
under  Mr.  A.  Pettigrew  for  nearly  six  years.  From  here  he  went  as 
outside  foreman  to  Whittinghame  Gardens,  the  seat  of  A.  J. 
Balfour,  Esq.,  a  position  he  held  for  nearly  two  years,  leaving  to  take 
up  a  similar  post  at  Gosford,  where  ultimately  he  was  appointed  head 
gardener  in  1893.  His  abilities  are  such  that,  during  the  time  he  has 
had  charge,  the  gardens  at  Gosford  have  been  regarded  as  amongst  the 
best  in  Scotland. 
As  may  be  imagined,  Mr.  Cook  is  a  thorough  enthusiastic  gardener, 
and  whatever  he  takes  in  hand  he  oarries  out  to  a  successful  issue,  and 
his  assistance  was  always  of  the  greatest  value  to  the  various  horti¬ 
cultural  societies  with  which  he  was  associated.  Although  he  has 
never  been  oarried  away  over  exhibiting,  yet  he  was  not  unknown  as  a 
successful  competitor  at  the  Edinburgh  Flower  Shows.  In  taking  up  the 
duties  of  head  gardener  at  Sandringham,  he  follows  a  very  able  man, 
and  fills  a  most  difficult  position ;  but,  from  what  we  know  of  Mr.  Cook, 
we  feel  sure  that  the  high  reputation  of  the  Sandringham  gardens  will 
be  efficiently  maintained  by  him,  and  he  has  our  hearty  congratulations 
and  best  wishes.  J 
