March  5,  1903. 
JOURNAL  CF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
199 
This  is  a  greenhouse  plant,  often  grown  in  considerable  quan¬ 
tities  in  private  gardens  because  it  is  so  useful  for  decorative 
purposes.  After  a  few  years,  however,  the  plants  get  leggy,  and 
iiUhougli  a  few  specimens  with  long  stems  are  invaluable,  only  a 
very  limited  number  are  required;  many  have  theirefore  to  bo 
ccnsigned  to  the  rubbish  heap.  Such  plants  might  with  advan¬ 
tage  be  often  tried  in  the  open  air,  as  their  bold  leaves  form  a 
striking  contrast  to  the  .show  of  the  usual  occupants  of  shrub¬ 
beries.  In  a  friend’s  garden  I  have  watched  a  plant  in  the  open 
air,  which  has  not  been  injured  in  the  least  by  the  frosts  of  the 
last  two  winters.  It  is  sheltered  on  the  north  and  east  by  a 
.sloping  bank  covered  with  shrubs,  but  has  received  no  other 
protection.  Far  more  sheltered  positions  might  be  found  in 
hosts  of  gardens  in  the  South,  We.st,  and  Midlands.  A  large  bed 
formed  of  Bamboos  and  this  Aralia  would,  I  think,  form  a  striking 
feature  in  any  large  garden. — Warwick. 
Seasonable  Hints  for  Bee-keepers. 
Many  of  those  who  have  had  little  experience  in  bee-keeping 
will  be  desirous  to  overhaul  their  stocks,  and  by  so  doing  may  do 
more  harm  than  good.  Still  if  the  weather  remain  open,  the 
hives  may  be  examined  with  profit  on  a  warm  day.  Never  open 
a  hive  without  some  definite  object  in  view,  e, specially  at  this 
tini?  of  the  year.  When  you  do  so,  let  your  movements  be  slow, 
and  all  the  quilts  lifted  with  care.  It  is  useless  to  think  that  you 
can  perform  the  work  efficiently  if  you  are  in  a  hurry,  for  the 
beas  resent  haste.  I  can  say  with  the  dying  Scot,  who  had  his 
sons  around  his  bed :  “  My  sons,  remember  ‘  Honesty  is  the  best 
policy,’  for  I  have  tried  them  both.”  I  have  tried  hurrying  and 
the  leisurel3^  movement.s,  and  know  which  pays  best.  When  j'ou 
examine  the  hives  note  whether  the  bees  have  a  good  supplj’-  of 
food  ;  if  they  have  not,  then  give  them  a  cake  of  candy  beneath  the 
quilt.  If  the  weather  be  very  favourable  then  jmu  might  remove 
all  dead  bees  and  comb  debris  from  the  hive  floors.  Where  the 
.stock  of  food  is  low  the  penalty'  of  imiierfect  autumn  feeding  is 
being  felt.  There  is  no  economy'  in  stinting  them  of  food  during 
September.  Should  the  quilts  be  damp  then  replace  them  by 
cli\v,  keep  the  bees  warm,  retain  ver,y  narrow  entrances,  and  on 
no  account  commence  stimulative  feeding. — Hybla. 
Soils  for  Fruit  Trees. 
An  important  point  in  connection  with  the  fruit  growing  of  the 
future  will  be  a  systematic  method  of  describing  the  exact  kind 
of  soil  in  which  specially  good  kinds  of  Apples  and  Pears  succeed 
really  well,  because  in  innumerable  districts  one  or  more  kinds 
gain  a  great  local  reputation  when  grown  beside  others  which  are 
usually  considered  equally  good  in  regard  to  their  cropping  capa¬ 
bilities.  In  other  districts  special  varieties  have  a  decided 
liartialitj’  for  certain  localities,  and  those  of  the  finest  quality 
sometimes  grow  the  best  in  districts  not  at  present  noted  as  fruit¬ 
growing  centres.  Let  me  take  as  an  instance  the  well-known 
Cox’s  Orange  Pippin.  Many  fruit  growers  have  “  bit  their 
fingers”  over  it,  because  after  planting  it  largely  they  have  been 
unable  to  get  the  trees  to  grow  and  crop  satisfactorily.  Yet  I 
think  I  can  describe  the  kind  of  soil  in  which  no  one  need  fear  to 
plant  it,  as  I  am  intere.sted  in  the  management  of  trees  which 
are  evidently  growing  in  a  soil  which  suits  them  to  perfection. 
This  maj-  be  described  as  a  medium  loam,  about  2ft  in  depth,  with 
sand  and  gravel  beneath.  The  loam  is  not  in  the.  least  heavjy 
neither  is  it  light,  although  it  seems  to  contain  a  great  deal  of 
•sand.  There  is  a  kind  of  “  clingincss  ”  about  it  which  prevents 
it  from  drjdng,  verj'  rapidlj".  I  have  seldom  seen  Cox’s  .satisfac¬ 
tory  in  stiff  soil,  except  in  private  gardens  when  special  attention 
has  been  given  to  draining  the  sites,  and  in  adding  opening 
material  to  the  natural  soil.  I  have  also  known  it  fail  entirely 
in  fruit  plantations  where  the  soil  is  stony  and  quite  suitable  for 
many  other  varieties.  These  are  points  worth  thrashing  out 
among  cultivators  generally.— H.  1). 
A  Ccod  Eo'-'fler  Plant— the  Orange  Hawkweed. 
Hicraciuin  auiantiacum,  the  Orange  Hawkweed,  or,  as  it  is 
called  in  some  localities,  “  Grim  the  Collier,”  on  account  of  the 
grimy  or  soot.v  appearance  of  the  calj'ces  of  the  flowers  and  the 
sooty  hairs  on  the  stems  of  the  blooms,  is  a  beautiful  native 
plant.  Its  main  value  lies  in  the  fine  orange  colour  of  the 
blooms,  which  are  rather  .smaller  than  those  of  the  common 
Dandelion.  I  do  not  know  any  perennial  hardy  flower  of  the 
same  colour  among  its  class.  It  is  very  easily  grown  anywhere, 
and  does  not  mind  having  a  little  slfade  at  least,  though  I  have 
never  grown  it  in  deep  shade.  Its  fault  is  its  rapid  increase, 
especially  if  allowed  to  seed,  as  its  seeds  are  borne  to  great 
tristances  b,v  their  feathery  awns,  like  those  of  the  Dandelion. 
— S.  A. 
Hieracium  Bornmuelleri. 
This  is  a  new  species,  compai’atively  speaking  at  lea.st,  as  it 
lias  onl.y  ccine  into  a  few  gardens  within  the  last  year  or  two. 
It  has  longer  and  thicker  leaves  than  H.  aurantiacum,  and 
these  are  rather  felt-like  in  their  appearance  from  the  greyish 
pubescenc?  or  tomentum  which  covers  their  upper  surface.  The 
flowers  are  large  and  of  a  bright  yellow  colour.  I  look  uiion  this 
as  a  good  border  or  rcckerj"  jierennial.  It  will  grow  to  nearly 
a  foot  in  height  if  the  flowers  are  kept  erect,  though  they  will 
not  do  so  here  unless  supported  or  in  a  .sheltei'ed  place.  It 
seems  as  accommodating  as  anj'  other  Hawkweed  in  the  matter 
of  soil,  but  from  its  recent  introduction  it  has  not  been  so  well 
proved  as  the  others.  The  best  of  all  the  Hieraclums  I  know, 
however,  is  H.  villosum,  sometimes  catalogued  as  H.  valde- 
pilosum,  a  name  apparently  without  botanical  authority.  I 
think  it  is  better  as  a  rockery  than  as  a  border  flower,  as  its 
stems  are  not  verj^  stiff,  and  have  a  tendency  to  fall  over  to  one 
side  and  so  to  become  decumbent.  The  flowers  are  of  a  fino 
clear  yellow,  and,  although  rather  smaller  than  those  of  H. 
Bornmuelleri,  are  larger  than  those  of  H.  aurantiacum.  Pre- 
bablj’^  to  most  growers  of  flc'wers  the  principal  charm  of  the 
Villous  Hawkweed  will  lie  in  its  foliage,  which  is  of  a  in'ett.y  silk.y 
white,  and  quite  soft  and  downy  to  the  touch.  It  looks  very 
attractive  throughout  the  summer,  even  when  no  flowers  are 
open.  I  find  that  this  Hawkweed  should  have  a  rather  dryer 
soil  than  the  other  two  I  have  named,  and  that  it  also  likes  a 
sunny  position.  In  dry  weather  it  looks  more  pleasing  than  in 
wet.  Like  the  others  of  the  genus,  it  is  easily  raised  from 
seeds,  but  can  also  be  increased  by  division,  preferably  in  spring. 
All  tliree  are  worth  their  place  where  there  is  a  sufficiency  of 
room. — S.  Arnott. 
Trade  Florists’  Designs* 
A  lady’s  spray  ;  Cattleya  Schroderae  alba,  Dendrobium  Wardi- 
anum,  Lily  of  the  Valley,  and  shoots  of  Arundinaria  Fortunei. 
Another  spray  was  compo.sed  of  Coelogyhe  cristata  Lemoniana 
(lemon-coloured  lip),  Lily  of  the  Valley,  and  suitable  greenery. 
A  pretty  bouquet  of  pink  Roses  (Mrs.  John  Laing?).  loosely 
arranged,  and  having  a  spray  bunch  of  "Valley  Lilies”  at  the 
lower  right-hand  side,  with  here  and  there  a  long  flower-spike 
of  Erica  gracilis  throughout,  was  admirably  executed.  It  was 
set  high  up  on  a  pedestal,  and  made  to  face  the  beholder. 
Another  rich  and  charming  bouquet  was  made  of  double  purple 
Violets  with  Valley  Lilies,  each  artfully  wired,  of  course.  A 
wreath  of  white  Stocks  was  crowned  with  a.  huge  spiaj'  bouquet 
of  white  Tulips,  Lilium  speciosum  album,  Eucharis,  and  Lily  of 
the  Valley.  An  oblong  box  receptacle,  a  feu  inches  deep,  and 
lift  long,  with  draped  silk  crimson  ribbon,  and  filled  with 
crimson  Ranunculi,  .scarlet-crimson  Amarjdlis,  and  Lily  of  the 
Valley.  The  top  flowers  were  a  yard  above  the  box,  which  was 
on  a  kand.  A  common  little  Orange  plant  in  fruit,  with  its  pot 
.shrouded  in  florists’  bass  material,  of  an  orange  shade,  A\as 
decidedly  effective.  Another  o-blong  box  was  nicely  filled  with 
an  Azalea  Deutsche  Perle,  uhite  H.yacinths,  tall  Lily  of  the 
Valley  (along  the  back),  all  growing  plants,  and  having  trails  of 
Asparagus  Sprengeri  woven  along  the  front  of  them.  Three  Avhite 
bows  of  silk  ribbon  pinned  to  the  front  of  the  box  at  the  ends, 
and  one  in  the  centre,  further  carried  out  the  scheme.  Hie  use 
of  ribbons  to  assist  effect  is  always  a  part  of  the  London  florists 
arrangements.  A  sonipuhat  bare  and  scraggy  Lilac,  with'  lilac- 
tinted  flowers,  had  mauve-pink  ribbon  boivs  fastened  half-iva.v 
up  its  stems,  and  the  presentment  was  very  good  indeed,  and 
quite  admittable,  the  pot  being  likewise  covered  with  the  same 
sort  of  ribbon. — 1). 
