May  18,  1899. 
JOUEXAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
405 
CiNERAKIAS. 
With  re;2^ard  to  Cinerarias,  there  are  only  two  or  three  left  now  in 
the  house,  as  they  also  fonaed  part  of  the  early  spring'  arrangement. 
What  a  difference  there  is  now  in  the  cultivation  of  these  flowers  to 
that  which  I  can  remember.  Wo  know  nothing  now  of  named 
varieties  or  of  propagatius  from  cuttings,  nor  are  wc  troubleil  now 
with  the  lanky  plants  which  used  to  be  grown.  The  raisers  of 
seedlings  have  vied  with  one  another  in  endeavouring  to  produce  dwarf, 
sturdy  plants,  with  brilliant  heads  of  bloom.  We  continually  see 
large  collections  of  these  at  the  Drill  Hall,  and  very  show}^  and 
beautiful  they  are.  Of  course,  being  seedling  plants  there  is  no 
necessity  for  trying  to  keep  them  on,  and  they  are  thrown  aside  when 
their  bloom  is  over. 
Fuchsia  splendens. 
There  is  one  species  of  Fuchsia  which  I  have  grown  for  many  years 
that  I  rarely  meet  with — viz..  Fuchsia  splendens  (fig.  89).  It  is 
an  evergreen  species  from 
Mexico,  with  brilliant  showy 
scarlet  and  green  flowers, 
and  has  the  valuable  property 
of  blooming  throughout  the 
winter.  It  requires  no 
particular  treatment,  and  is 
valuable  for  cutting,  and 
altogether  is  one  of  the  best 
of  this  beautiful  tribe.  I 
have  mentioned  Cyclamens, 
t'ut  they,  really  formeil  part 
of  my  first  houseful,  and  the 
I  w  that  I  have  now  are 
I'lie  later  blooming  plants. 
They  are  of  Messrs.  Sutton's 
strains;  and  'V'ulcan,  a  very 
dark  crimson  variety,  the 
darkest  that  I  know,  and 
Dutterfly,  a  pure  white  of 
somewhat  more  expanded 
petals  than  the  ordinary 
white  varieties,  are,  I  think, 
their  two  best,  though  the 
whole  strain  is  good.  After 
iho  plants  have  done  flower¬ 
ing  I  stand  them  out  along 
with  the  Azaleas.  It  suits 
me  better  not  to  keep  the 
rubers  beyond  three  years, 
though  I  have  known  them 
kept  much  longer,  but  then 
they  occupy  more  room. 
Cape  Bulbs. 
I  always  grow,  at  this  season  of  the  year,  a  few  pots  of  those 
charming  Cajre  bulbs  Ixias,  Sparaxis  and  Babianas.  The  first  of  these 
I  find  very  difficult  to  keep  from  year  to  year,  and  there  is  one  kind, 
I.  viridiflora,  with  its  peculiar  striking  green  flowers,  which  I  find 
impossible  to  retain  ;  it  may  be  most  likely  from  some  want  of  skill  in 
my  management  of  them,  but  for  years  I  have  tried  to  keep  them,  but 
have  utterly  failed  to  do  so.  With  the  other  two  I  have  no  difficulty, 
and  yet  they  are  very  closely  allied,  and  come  Irom  the  same  part  of 
the  world.  Tliere  is  another  bulb  which  I  find  particularly  useful  at 
this  season — viz..  Allium  neapolitanum  var.  Hermetic!  elegans  ;  it  is  an 
improvement  on  the  type  in  the  manner  in  which  it  throws  up  its 
trusses  of  blooms.  I  find  it  increases  very  rapidly,  and  that  it  is  per¬ 
fectly  hardy,  and  comes  up  in  all  sorts  of  places  in  my  garden. 
SCHIZANTHUS. 
As  I  have  already  said,  I  enlist  hardy  herbaceous  plants  like  the 
Doronicum  for  the  adornment  of  the  house,  so  also  the  annuals  help 
me,  for  I  find  no  more  effective  or  useful  plant  than  the  varieties  of 
Schizanthus.  I  sow  the  seed  of  the.se  somewhere  about  August,  and 
when  fit,  pot  them  off  three  or  four  in  a  pot,  and  their  bright  colours 
and  elegant  foliage  not  only  make  them  pleasant  objects  in  the  house, 
but  they  are  very  light  and  graceful  for  cutting  and  placing  in  vases. 
They  vary  very  much  in  colour.  I  think  the  most  striking  one  is 
S.  retusus,  but  it  seems  also  to  be  a  difficult  one,  because  the  seeds 
do  not  germinate  so  well  as  the  other  varieties.  Another  plant  which 
I  find  very  useful  is  Agathea  coelestis,  which  I  owe  to  the  kindness  of 
a  friend.  Some  people  call  it  a  blue  Marguerite,  the  colour  is  bright, 
and  the  plant  is  of  very  easy  culture  ;  I  make  fresh  cuttings  of  it  every 
year,  so  as  to  have  small  plants. 
Two  Primulas. 
There  are  two  Primulas  which  help  to  make  up  my  mass  of  bloom, 
one  is  Primula  obconica,  about  which  we  have  heard  a  good  deal  as 
to  its  irritating  powers  on  the  skin  ;  it,  too,  is  of  easy  cultivation,  very 
free  flowering,  and  easily  propagated  bv  the  division  of  the  roots  ;  the 
other  is  P.  vertioillata,  or  Dusty  Miller  as  some  people  call  it;  its 
whorls  of  yellow  flowers  make  a  pleasant  variety  amongst  the  other 
plants  I  hive  named.  There  are  other  things  of  which  I  have  only 
single  plant.s,  and,  as  these  die  off  from  year  to  year,  I  do  not  think 
it  is  worth  while  to  mention  them.  Of  course  all  the  plants  mentioned 
in  this  notice  will  in  a  very  short  time  be  put  out  of  the  house,  and 
I  may  then,  perhaps,  be  atile  to  show  how  I  have  filled  up  tlieir  places, 
and  still  keep  my  house  gay  witli  bloom,  but  I  think  that  what  I  have 
already  said  justifies  my  remark,  that  I  have  very  great  reason  to  be 
satisfied  ■with  my  small  greenhouse. 
Of  course  I  could  not  have  carried  out  all  these  arrangements  had 
it  not  been  for  the  care  and  energy  displayed  by  my  excellent 
gardener,  who  takes  as  much  pride  in  our  little  greenhouse  as  its 
owner. — D.,  Deal. 
PEACH  BUDS  DROPPING. 
Peaches  grown  in  the  open  air  may  receive  rough  treatment  by 
being  frozen  af.  night  whilst  in  bloom,  and  within  twenty-four  hours 
saturated  with  winter  rain,  also  undergo  several  weeks  ot  drought  in  the 
summer,  and  yet  will  not  drop  their  buds.  That  to  iny  mind  proves  it  is 
the  artificial  treatment  under  glass  which  causes  disaster.  I  have  at 
various  times  grown  nearly  all  the  varieties  supplied  by  nurser3'men  in 
this  countr}’,  and  at  the  present  time  I  have  upwards  of  a  dozen  sorts 
planted  under  glass.  These  are  without  exception  started  gent!}'  into 
growth  in  December,  so  as  to  obtain  ripe  fruit  as  early  as  possible  ;  and  I 
have  no  hesiiation  in  saying  Ihst  it  is  impossible  to  grow  some  varieties 
of  Peaches  on  the  above  lines  without  many  of  the  buds  dropping. 
Watering  and  ventilation  may  be  carefully  attended  to,  still  the  fact 
remains  that  certain  varieties  will  always  cast  their  buds.  I  have  heard 
gardeners  affirm  that  it  small-flowered  varieties  are  grown  there  will  be 
no  trouble  with  buds  dropping  or  the  fruit  not  setting  ;  but  Sea  Eagle,  a 
large  flowering  late  Peach,  does  not  give  trouble  in  this  respect,  and  is  a 
very  free  setter  whtn  forced,  while  the  same  may  ho  said  of  Dymond. 
Among  the  small-flowcnne  varieties  that  may  be  depended  on  are  Belle- 
garde.  Crimson  Galaiide,  Belle  de  Done,  Boyal  Gcorge,'and  Barrington. 
Some  of  the  woivt  varieties  to  cast  the  buds  include  A  Bee,  the 
different  forms  of  Grosso  Mignonne,  and  Alexander.  The  latter,  when 
grown  under  glass  does  not  cast  its  buds  like  the  other  varieties 
mentioned,  but  the}’  appear  to  remain  in  a  dormant  slate,  so  that  there 
is  often  a  difficulty  in  furnishing  the  tree  with  young  growth.  It  is, 
however,  not  stirpns  ng  that  this  should  lie  the  case  when  one  take.s  into 
consideration  ihe  long  season  of  rest  it  has  after  being  forced  ;  our 
fruit  was  all  gathered  in  April  this  year.  Some  trees  of  Alexander  that 
had  been  grown  under  glass  for  several  years  were  lifted  two  years  ago 
and  planted  against  an  open  wall,  and  m  this  position  they  thrive  remark¬ 
ably  well ;  every  bud  will  form  a  shoot  if  necessary,  cleirly  demonstrating 
that  it  is  more  at  home  in  that  position  than  when  grown  under  glass. 
— S.,  Yorks. 
ON  SPRAYING  FRUIT  TREES. 
In  my  last  note  on  this  subject,  of  April  27th.  page  385,  I  bogged 
leave  to  give  the  results  of  a  second  dressing  of  caustic  soda  and  pearl- 
ash,  for  the  extermination  of  American  blight.  The  solution  consisted  of 
1  lb.  caustic  soda  and  1  lb.  of  pearlash  to  5  gallons  water,  instead  of 
10  gallons,  as  heretofore. 
Mr.  Hooper’s  remarks  on  spraying  in  Nova  Scotia  induced  me  to  try 
this  strength.  Instead  of  using  it  in  April,  ,<ay  from  20th  to  25lh,  before 
the  leaves  expanded,  I  was  delayed  until  1st  May,  which  I  think 
rather  too  late.  Its  effects  were  uninistakeable.  It  was  present  death  to 
blight,  to  the  iresii  growths  of  leaves,  grass,  and  everything  in  a  young 
and  tender  state.  A  trail  of  ants  passing  up  and  down  the  tree  stems 
was  killed  instantly  the  spray  touched  them  The  American  blight 
turned  black,  and  when  examined  next  day  had  quite  dried  up.  What¬ 
ever  good  the  solution  at  this  strength  may  be  in  winter,  I  have  no 
hesitation  in  declaring  it  too  strong  for  spring  use.  On  re-perusing  Mr, 
Hooper’s  article  I  note  he  uses  caustic  potash,  whilst  I  used  caustic  soda. 
These  substances  are  not  identical,  although  both  are  of  a  burning  nature  ; 
I  point  this  out  lest  they  should  be  taken  for  one  and  the  same  mineral, 
just  as  pinching  and  summer  pruning  are  taken  by  some  to  bo  synony¬ 
mous,  but  are  not  so. 
My  trees  arc  freer  from  the  grub  of  the  codlin  moth  than  in  former 
years.  This  1  attribute  to  the  overhead  spray.  Should,  however,  this 
pest  re-appear  the  Vermorel  would  at  once  be  brought  into  action,  charged 
with  the  following  solution  of  Bordeaux  mixture  and  Paris  green — viz.. 
Combine  G  lbs.  copper  sulphate  and  4  lbs.  quicklime  with  water  enough  to 
make  50  gallons.  The  copper  sulphate  is  dissolved  in  water  (hot,  if 
prompt  action  be  wanted),  and  diluted  to  about  25  gallons.  The  fresh 
lime  is  slaked  in  water,  diluted  to  25  gallons,  and  strained  into  tho 
copper  solution  ;  after  which  the  whole  is  thoroughly  stirred  with  a  stick. 
Both  the  copper  and  lime  mixture  may  he  kept  in  strong  solution,  as 
stock  mixtures  ;  but  when  combined  should  be  promptly  used,  as  the 
Bordeaux  mixture  deteriorates  by  standing. 
It  is  one  of  the  very  best  combined  insecticides  and  fungicides  when 
4  ozs.  of  Baris  green  has  been  well  stirred  into  it — viz.,  4  ozs.  per  50 
gallon?.  As  Bans  green  is  a  heavy  powder,  it  must  a’ ways  be  stirred  before 
the  knapsack  sprayer  is  filled  with  it. — Jno.  Miles,  Southampton. 
Fig.  89.— Fuchsia  splendens. 
