ilay  14,  1903; 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
427 
and  a  door,  from  the  plant  compartment,' 
and  are  all  at  the  corridor  end. 
The  Glass  Stre-ctukes 
vary  in  width  according  to  the  class  of 
plants  they  enclose;  all  are  span-roofed, 
and  180ft  long,  mimbers  being  divided 
into  compartments.  The  houses  for  pot 
Vines,  and  the  larger  classes  of  green¬ 
house  plants  (such  as  Acacias,  Abutilons, 
and  Camellias)  ai-e  180ft  long  by  21ft 
■wide.  The  new  Chr3-santhemum  house, 
however,  which  is  just  being  built,  will 
be  360ft  long  and  21ft  wide^ — truly,  a 
magnificent  “  crystal  palace.” 
These  notes  may  very  well  conclude 
here  in  the  meantime.  I  had  the  pri¬ 
vilege  to  visit  Clibran’s  last  week,  and 
have  quite  a  budget  of  very  interesting 
notes  from  thence.  So  very  varied  and 
so  complete  seemed  the  nursery  collec¬ 
tion  that  I  was  tempted  to  say,  “  This 
is  a  botanic  garden.”  My  cicerone,  Mr. 
Girdlmm,  replied  that  “  When  three  hun¬ 
dred  individuals  are  to  be  maintained,  a 
firm  must  do  so?ne  business.”  Every¬ 
thing  is  supplied,  from  Cabbage  aiid 
Golden  Feather  Pyrethrum  plants  to 
Orchids,  Roses,  Dahlias,  Vines,  shrubs, 
and  forest  trees. 
Hippeastrums  at  Aigburth  Nurseries. 
Messrs.  Robert  P.  Ker  and  Sons,  of 
Aigburth  Nurseries,  Grassendale,  Liver¬ 
pool,  are  prime  specialists  in  Hippeas¬ 
trums  (or  Amaiyllis),  and  at  the  present 
moment  they  are  able  to  show  a  repre- 
.sentative  collection  full  of  flower.  I 
need  mention  onl.v  one  or  two  of  the 
choicest  vaneties.  though  a  score  could 
easily  be  selected.  Those  I  name  are, 
therefore,  model  flowers.  First  there  is 
The  Queen,  the  crimson  veins  of  which, 
on  a  snow  white  ground,  stand  out 
brightly  and  distinct.  The  blooms  are 
bold,  round  in  form,  well  opened,  and 
very  stout.  Lady  Cromer  furnishes 
another  splendid  blossom,  with  broad 
%vhite  beams  down  the  middle  of  each 
finel^^  recurring  crimson-scarlet  segment. 
Melpomene  might  be  described  in  much 
the  same  terms,  j^et  it  is  quite  distinct, 
and  a  beautiful  subject.  Lastly,  Prim¬ 
rose  Queen,  as  seen  by  me,  was  white 
in  colour  (the  flowers  absolutely  fresh), 
and  of  perfect  form;  indeed,  this  is, 
without  doubt,  one  of  the  finest  Hipptastrums  of  the  present  year 
of  grace.  Mr.  Ranger,  nursery  manager  for  twenty-five  years  at 
the  Aigburth  nurseries,  is  exceedingh'  well  satisfied  with  Primrose 
Queen,  and  he  has  others  of  its  tribe  under  special  supervision. 
The  Hippeastrums  at  Messrs.  Ker  and  Sons’  establishment, 
are  grown  in  a  huge  span-roofed  house,  having  a  central  bed  and 
side  stages.  Thousands  of  large  sized  bulbs  are  being  grown  on 
ill  Gin  and  Tin  pots  in  this  house,  each  pot  being  plunged  to  its 
rim  in  moderately  fine  ashes.  The  bed  and  the  stages  are  heated 
from  below.  Each  pot  represents  a  cross,  or  variety  as  the  case 
may  be,  and  is  recorded  under  an  alphabetical  letter  and  a 
numeral.  Thus  there  are  Al,  Bl,  Cl,  throughout  the  twenty-six 
letters,  when  the  record  again  begins  A2,  B'2,  C2,  and  .so  on  till 
it  has  run  thirteen  times  through  the  alphabet — A13,  B13,  013, 
&c.,  which  gives  one  an  idea  of  the  numbers  of  seedling  bulbs. 
Mr.  Ranger  pointed  to  a  beautiful  rose-purple  flowered  seed¬ 
ling  representing  a  light  and  very  chaste  colour,  the  result,  as  he 
said,  ‘‘of  a  happy  fertilisation.”  He  made  certain  crosses  with 
the  definite  aim  in  view  of  reaching  a  light  rose  shade,  and  these, 
as  it  happened,  just  responded  as  he  had  desired.  Pure  whit&s 
and  deep  crimson-plum  varieties  are  also  being  sought  after.  It 
is  not  generally  known  that  the  Messrs.  Ker  were  the  first  to 
stage  Hippeastrums  at  continental  exhibitions,  and  when  they  did 
so  some  years  ago,  the  Dutch  growers  were  astonished  to  see  the 
English  strain  surpassing  theirs.  The  Aigburth  Hippea.strums 
have  lieen  so  far  as  St.  Petersburg  and  Antwerp,  Ghent  and 
Haarlem,  besides  shows  in  all  parts  of  England. 
Wallflowers  at  Chester. 
The  immense  importance  of  Wallflowers  as  bedding  subjects 
for  the  springtime  (so  often  miserabl.y  dreary)  can  hardlj'  be  over¬ 
estimated,  and  indeed  the.v  deserve  an  unqualified  eulogium.  This 
thought  occurred  to  me  when  visiting  Messrs.  Dickson’s  nurseries 
New  Cactus  Dahlia,  Vesuvius,  (See  page  425.) 
at  Chester  recently,  where  large  patches  of  the  most  brilliantly 
flowered  Wallflowers  are  now  at  their  best.  The  plants  are  dwarf, 
stocky,  and  very  floriferous,  the  spikes  being  both  long  and  broad. 
At  the  distance  of  flOOyds  the  display  was  dazzlingh'  showj’’,  and 
the  fragrance  came  on  the  wings  of  the  air,  with  clear  percepti¬ 
bility  after  the  soft  rains  of  the  preceding  days.  Some  of  the 
varieties  are  named,  Dickson’s  Dark  Blood  Red,  Eastern  Queen, 
Ruby  Gem,  Golden  Beauty,  and  Harbinger,  all  being  distinct 
and  beautiful. — Wandering  Willie. 
- - 
London's  Fruit  and  Flower  Supplies. 
In  spite  of  the  continuous  and  rapid  development  of  flower 
and  fruit  production  under  glass  around  London  (observes  the 
“  Globe  ”),  the  supply  is  wholly  inadequate  to  cope  with  the 
local  demand.  There  is  even  some  reason  to  believe  that  the 
disparity  is  increasing  rather  than  diminishing.  It  is  clearly 
evident  that  there  is  no  occasion  for  market  gardeners  in  the 
Home  Counties  to  be  discouraged  by  fear  of  over-production 
from  extending  their  glass  houses.  These  cost  far  less  to  con¬ 
struct  than  was  formerly  the  case,  while  when  artificial  heating 
is  required  to  quicken  growth,  very  inferior  coals  at  low  prices 
suffice.  There  is,  of  course,  some  difference  of  climate  in  favour 
of  the  French  grower;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  he  has  to  pay 
a  good  deal  more  for  transport  and  handling  charges.  The 
English  market-gardener,  is,  happily,  quite  abreast  of  his  Gallic 
competitor  in  knowledge  of  commercial  botany  in  all  its  depart¬ 
ments,  while  the  skill  of  his  assistants  has,  as  a  rule,  greatly 
improved.  On  the  face  of  matters,  consequently,  there  appears 
no  valid  reason  for  the  enormous  increase  of  Continental  impor¬ 
tations.  The  most  plausible  explanation  is  that  although  home 
production  has  increased  largely  and  steadily  during  recent 
3’ears,  the  desire  of  Londoners  for  fruit  and  flowers  has  developed 
out  of  all  proportion  to  the  local  supply. 
