December  19,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
553 
Rembrandt,  and  English  florist  sorts  ;  there  are  also  a  very 
complete  collection  of  Tulipa  species.  The  collection  of 
early  single  and  double  sorts  includes  all  well-known 
varieties.  There  are  about  five,  acres  under  miscellaneous 
bulbs,  and  all  the  leading  sorts  of  Iris,  English  and  Spanish, 
Ixias,  Gladioli,  early  flowering  sorts,  Gandavensis,  Childsii, 
Nanceanus,  and  Lemoine’s  hybrids,  Anemones,  Ranunculus, 
&c.,  are  grown.  The  above  lists  give  our  readers  some 
definite  notion  of  the  importance  of  this  industry  ;  and  as 
affording  a  bird's-eye  view  of  the  site  and  local  conditions 
and  surroundings  of  this  “  Holland  in  Ireland.” 
A  great  deal  of  public  interest  is  now  being  taken  in 
the  bulb  lands  of  Rush,  and  in  March,  April,  or  in  early  May 
you  might  have  seen  many  visitors  eagerly  scanning  and 
admiring  the  strong  and  healthy  gi’owth,  and,  of  course,  the 
flowers.  It  is  no  wonder  that  florists  and  amateurs,  as  well 
as  the  general  public,  do  this,  for  it  is  a  lovely  sight  -when 
Narcissi  give  masses  of  white  or  glowing  yellow,  or  when 
Tulips  paint  the  sandy  plots  with  purple  and  white,  or  crim¬ 
son  and  gold,  or  with  parti-coloured  patches  that  call  to 
mind  gorgeous  Persian  rugs  or  prayer  carpets,  as  the  flowers, 
countless  in  their  numbers,  scintillate  and  sparkle  in  the 
sun.  It  is  really  and  truly  something  more  than  a  mere 
nursery  ground,  and  visitors  enjoy  what  is  really  a  noble 
flower  show  in  the  open  air.  Next  season  we  hear  facilities 
in  the  shape  of  admission  tickets  for  one  day  each  week  are 
to  be  provided,  for  which  privilege,  of  course,  the  usual 
personal  applications  must  be  made.  We  do  not  know 
whether  the  Land  Commission,  or  even  the  Agricultural  and 
Technical  Education  Department,  have  ever  thought  it  worth 
their  while  to  send  their  experts  or  advisers  to  see  the  bulb 
grounds  at  Rush.  There,  however,  in  a  quiet  and  compara¬ 
tively  out-of-the-way  place,  may  be  seen  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  and  practical  object  lessons  on  profitable  land 
culture  to  be  found  in  Ireland  at  the  present  time.  It  is 
the  old  story  of  Columbus  and  the  egg.  Mr.  James 
Bobertson  has  shown  us  how  to  grow  bulbs  extensively, 
intensively,  and  profitably  on  Irish  soil,  and  now,  of  course, 
everyone  will  be  wondering  why  a  thing  apparently  so  simple 
should  not  have  been  attempted  near  Dublin  before. — 
(Mr.  Burbidge,  in  “  The  Irish  Times.’7) 
-  - - - 
Culture  ol  Cob  Huts  and  Filberts. 
It  might  be  worth  while  in  these  days,  when  it  is  a  difficult 
matter  to  know  what  to  plant  for  profit,  to  try  the  experi¬ 
ment  of  planting  largely  the  above  class  of  fruiting  trees. 
We  have  on  various  occasions  had  a  glut  of  different  kinds 
of  fruit,  sometimes  Plums,  Apples,  Cherries,  or  even  Goose¬ 
berries,  but,  to  my  knowledge,  never  a  glut  of  Cob  Nuts  ; 
yet  at  the  present  price  of  9d.  per  pound  one  would  naturally 
suppose  the  cultivating  of  this  class  of  Nut  should  have 
more  attention.  Take,  for  instance,  an  acre  of  trees,  which, 
if  they  have  been  properly  cultivated,  could  produce  from 
a  ton  to  a  ton  and  a  half,  and  possibly  more.  This,  then, 
works  out  (say  a  ton  rate),  at  9d.  per  pound,  £84  per  acre. 
Now,  considering  there  is  not  much  expense  required  after 
the  trees  are  planted,  this  would  be  very  satisfactory.  One 
good  point  in  growing  Nuts  is,  they  will  keep  some  time  in 
good  condition,  and  can  be  sent  any  distance  without  injury. 
That  is  why  we  get  a  fair  quantity  sometimes  from  the  South 
of  Europe. 
Soil  and  Distance  for  Planting. 
The  trees  succeed  best  when  planted  on  stony  ground, 
rlentv  of  which  is  to  bo  found  in  South  Oxford,  Berks, 
Bucks,  and  Hants.  If  planted  on  ground  too  good,  or  on 
ground  which  conLains  much  moisture,  they  will  make  too 
much  wood,  and  the  crops  will  be  small.  Give  the  trees  a 
stony  ground  and  a  south  aspect,  and  there  will  be  little 
chance  of  failure.  The  trees  are  to  be  had  with  single  stems 
and  as  bushes.  The  former  kind  of  tree  is  much  the  best 
to  plant,  at  the  same  time  more  expensive  to  purchase. 
Bush  trees  may  be  planted  8ft  apart,  while  those  known  as 
ha’f-standards  require  to  be  planted  10ft  apart.  In  planting 
a  large  piece  of  ground  a  little  more  distance  than  this  should 
be  allowed  in  two  or  three  places,  to  allow  a  small  cart,  to 
pass  through,  which  will  be  found  convenient  at  times.  The 
best  time  to  plant  is  in  November  and  December,  when 
weather  permits. 
Pruning:  and  Watching  the  Crop. 
After  the  trees  are  established,  and  growing  freely,  a 
little  pruning  is  required  every  year,  which  is  best  done 
during  February,  choosing  mild  weather  for  the  work.  It 
is  important  to  keep  the  head  of  the  tree  from  becoming 
too  crowded  with  wood.  Coarse  wood  is  not  good  for  pro¬ 
ducing  Nuts,  but,  as  a  rule,  the  slender,  twiggy  pieces  are 
the  ones  to  encourage,  and  where  the  Nuts  are  to  be  found. 
Like  other  kinds  of  fruit,  the  Nut  is  influenced  by  the 
weather,  so  that  when  the  trees  are  in  bloom,  if  the  weather 
is  genial  a  good  set  will  result ;  also,  a  dry  summer  suits 
them  better  than  a  wet  one.  It  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
quantities  of  Nuts  sometimes  disappear  with  lightning 
rapidity,  and  a  watch  for  the  time  must  be  kept,  as  squirrels, 
rats,  mice,  and  rooks  will  do  their  best  to  gather  in  a  store, 
to  say  notning  of  people  with  long  fingers,  all  of  whom  enjoy 
Nut  picking.— A.  J.  Long. 
Table  Plants. 
In  many  establishments  where  table  decoration  is  prac¬ 
tised,  both  large  and  small  plants  are  needed.  In  speaking 
of  table  plants  many  people  would  conclude  that  a  plant  in 
a  5in.  pot  was  understood.  I  am  now  only  treating  of  plants 
grown  in  3in  pots,  and  ranging  from  4in  to  9in  in  height.  I 
have  used  such  slants  in  gold  and  silver  decanter  stands, 
and  have  seen  them  used  in  enamelled  earthenware  pots  ; 
and  those  who  have  such  decorations  to  carry  out  need  a 
supply  of  plants  suitably  grown  for  the  purpose  It  is  easy 
in  the  summer,  perhaps,  to  have  more  variety,  but  when 
the  decorations  are  done  in  winter  and  spring  a  little  fore¬ 
thought  is  required.  Codiseum  (Croton),  Heathi  elegans 
and  C.  Johannis  are  my  favourites  amongst  narrow-leaved 
vai’ieties.  They  have  a  considerable  deal  more  of  th  ? 
yellow  colour  than  green  in  their  leaves,  which  makf  s 
them  such  desirable  varieties.  Some  two  dozen  or  more  ol 
each  variety  under  my  observation  were  struck  from  cuttinr  r< 
^in  June,  and  are  now  fine  plants,  9in  high  ;  and  they  wnl 
retain  their  beauty  through  the  winter  h  carefully  y.  aterc  1 
and  given  occasional  stimulants,  arid  also  kept  at  a  minimui  i 
"temnerature  of  60deg. 
Panax  Yictorise,  struck  at  the  same  time  from  tops,  are 
now  fine  feathery  plants  in  3in  pots,  from  6in  to  9in  in 
height.  They  are  grown  under  the  same  conditions  as  the 
Codiseums,  with  the  exception  that  they  are  shaded  from 
strong  sun. 
Dracaena  Sanderiana,  also  struck  from  tops  in  J une,  and 
grown  under  the  same  treatment  as  the  Panax,  with  shade, 
are  now  fine  useful  plants.  Godseffiana,  struck  at  the  same 
time,  and  grown  under  the  same  conditions,  with  shade,  are 
elegant ;  while  Aralia  Veitchi  and  A.  Y.  gracillima  were 
grafted  upon  small  plants  of  Aralia  reticulata  and  A.  Guil- 
foylei,  which  had  been  struck  from  cuttings  in  the  early  spring. 
The  head  of  the  stock  is  taken  off,  leaving  about  an  inch  or 
so  of  stem.  A  cleft  is  then  made  with  a  sharp  knife,  the 
scion  being  cut  into  a  wedge  shape  by  removing  a  thin 
slice  on  each  side,  whence  it  is  inserted  into  the  cleft  of  the 
stock,  both  being  securely  bound  with  raffia,  placed  in  a 
close  propagating  house,  or  case ;  and  they  soon  unite. 
Some  nice  small  plants  under  my  notice  were  so  grafted  in 
July. 
Small  offsets  of  Pandanus  Yeitchi,  taken  when  quite 
small,  and  well  variegated,  were  also  struck.  When  left  too 
long  they  never  assume  the  same  graceful  curve  as  when 
taken  quite  small.  It  is  not  necessary  to  place  them  in  a 
propagating  frame.  They  make  chaste  table  plants. 
Small  young  plants  of  Rex  Begonias  also  furnish  nice 
table  plants.  Mature  leaves,  taken  during  the  summer,  and 
laid  on  moist  shady  stages  on  gravel  or  coal  ashes,  and 
partly  covered  with  the  same.  They  soon  produce  plenty  of 
plants  if  the  leaves  have  their  veins  cut  in  several  places. 
When  the  small  plants  from  the  breaks  in  the  veins  have 
developed  somewhat,  can  be  potted  into  small  pots. 
Dieffenbachia  Bausei,  raised  in  spring  from  eyes  by  cutting 
up  an  old  stem  into  pieces  of  inch  or  so  in  length,  each  with 
an  eye,  and  these  put  into  pots  or  pans,  just  covering  them 
with  light  sandy  soil,  furnish  useful  stock.  I  like  to  coyer  the 
“  sets,”  with  a  piece  of  glass,  and  place  the  pots  in  the 
propagating  house. — F.  Street. 
