400 
May  21,  1903. 
JOUl;NAL  OF  HORTICULTURE 
Cactus  Dahlia,  Etna. 
This  is  another  of  Messrs.  Strechvick’s  best  novelties  of  la.st 
year.  The  form  and  beautiful  build  of  the  flower  i.s  well  shown 
on  page  444,  the  colour  being  light  lilac,  quite  a  unique  shade. 
Finger  and  Toe  in  Turnips, 
This  di.sease,  known  scientifically  as  Plasmodiophora  brassicse, 
and  also  as  Anbury,  Club  Root,  and  “Grub,”  attacks  crop.s 
belonging  to'  the  order  Crucifers?,  such  as  Turnips,  Swedes, 
C'abbages,  Kohl  Rabi,  Rape,* or  Radishes.  The  cause  of  thei,  trouble 
is  a  fungus  capable  of  existing  for  years  in  a  quiescent  condition 
in  the  soil.  It  is  extremely  infectious,  as  may  be  readily  proved 
by  taking  some  portions  of  diseased  root,  or  soil,  and  spreading 
such  material  on  ground  oh  which  cruciferous  plants  are  to  be 
grown.  In  the  great  majority  of  cases  such  treatment  will  be 
followed  by  an  attack ’of  the  disease.  Disea.sed  roots  may  bo 
spread  on  a  grass  field  to  be  consumed  by  stock,  and  a  year  or 
two  later  this  field  may  be  under  Turnips,  when  serious  infection 
may  be  revealed.  The  refuse  of  the  root  house  is  a  fruitful  source 
.of  infection  on  a  small  scale,  and  such  material  should  never  be 
put  either  amongst  the  dung  or  on  a  tillage  field.  This  disease 
is  practically  unknown  on  soils  naturally  containing  a  high  per¬ 
centage  of  lime.  The  artificial  application  of  burned  lime  has 
long  been  practised  as  a  preventive,  and  this  substance  is  still 
the  most  effective  agent  that  is  known.  The  usual  custom  is  to 
apply,  five  to  seven  tons  per  acre,  the  dressing  being  given  in  the 
autumn  either  six  months  or  eighteen  months  before  a  Turnip 
crop  is  to  be  grown.  On  the  whole  the  better  of  these  two 
.systems  would  appear  to  be  that  of  applying  the  lime  eighteen 
months  ahead  of  the  Turnip  crop.  Another  system  is  to  put  on 
a  small  dressing,  say  one  to  two  tons,  directly  after  a  Turnip 
crop  is  removed.  Other  forms  of  lime  are  more  or  less  effective, 
though  none  is  so  powerful  as  common  burned  limestone,  Avhich 
is  subsequently  slaked  before  spreading.  If  gas  lime  be  used  it 
should  not  he  put  on  later  than  eighteen  months  ahead. — (Board 
,of  Agriculture.) 
Violet  Frames  in  an  American  Nursery. 
We  have  reproduced  from  the  American  trade  journal,  the 
Florists’  Exchange,”  a  photograph  of  the  new  range  of  frames 
erected  by  Mr.  R.  M.  Eisenhart,  of  Torresdale,  a  suburb  of 
Philadelphia,  Pa.  This  grower  has  gradually  turned  his  atten¬ 
tion  to  Violets  until  now  his  whole  place,  with  the  exception  of  a 
house  of  Garnations,  for  which  flower  he  still  has  a  lingering  fond¬ 
ness,  is  given  up  to  the  culture  of  this  one  speciality.  While 
the  establisbnient  is  not  on  a  mammoth  scale,  the  ground  area 
of  the  houses  is  20,000ft,  and  every  inch  of  space  is  made  to 
count.  After  years  of  experience,  in  which  Mr.  Eisenhart  says 
he  has  run  the  entire  gamut  of  diseases,  he  is  now  able  to  steer 
clear  of  the  worst  and  is  almost  sure  of  a  profitable  crop.  Doubles 
and  singles  are  both  included  in  his  list,  but  his  principal  variety 
is  Lady  Campbell,  the  light  double.  He  has  tried  Marie  Louise, 
but  for  some  reason  it  does  not  do  well  with  him  and,  in  fact, 
with  no  one  around  Philadelphia.  Nearly  all  Violet  growers 
there  have  given  it  up.  The  “Florists’  Exchange”  says:  — 
“  The  new  range  of  houses,  holding  7,000  plants,  finished  last 
autumn,  has  given  great  satisfaction.  It  is  made  on  the  Dietsch 
plan  and  consists  of  sections  14ft  wide  and  112ft  long,  the  entire 
width  being  5Gft.  Jennings’  iron  gutters  are  used,  and  the 
ventilator,  which  is  continuous,  is  the  Lord  and  Burnham  iDatent, 
and  works  very  sati.sfactorily.  In  addition  to  the  top  there  are 
side  ventilators.  Hot  water  under  pressure  is  partly  carried 
through  pipes  underneath  the  gutters,  which  in’events  any 
disastrous  drip.  The  old  irlants  are  taken  up  in  April  and 
divided  into  good  single  crowns,  which  are  planted  outdoors. 
Through  September  the  runnei’s  are  removed  and  the  plants 
placed  inside  the  first  week  in  October.  The  beds  are  on  the 
ground,  the  surface  being  one  foot  above  the  walks.  Good  soil 
is  used  for  the  beds,  well  manured  and  loosened  up  with  sand. 
AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
The  temperature  is  kept  at  45deg  at  night  and  gets  up  to  60deg 
or  65deg  through  the  day.  Plenty  of  fresh  air  is  essential  in 
growing  Violets.  Never  syringe  in  December  and  January. 
Never  smoke ;  use  tobacco  dust.  For  single  Mr.  Eisenhart 
grows  Princess  of  Wales,  Luxonne,  and  California.  Last  fall  he 
commenced  to  pick  his  singles  on  September  7,  and  will  con¬ 
tinue  until  about  April  15,  depending  on  the  season.”  The  build 
of  these  frames  may  serve  as  a  useful  guide  in  case  home  growers 
may  care  to  pattern  after  and  try  their  merits. 
The  Ceanothuses. 
For  the  .shining  brightness  of  their  foliage  and  the  sprightly 
grace  of  the  evergresn  twiggy  growths  and  the  bushy  character 
of  these  shrubs,  they  deserve  to  be  accommodated  wherever  the 
soil  and  position  of  gardens  is  suitable,  for  them.  They  are 
hardier  than  is  .sometimes  allowed.  On  warm  south  walls,  well 
sheltered,  and  with  dry%  porous  sandy  soil,  we  have  found  C. 
azureus  to  succeed  to  perfectipn  north  of  Edinburgh  on  the  east 
coast :  and  others  do  fairly  well  in  the  Edinburgh  Botanic 
Garden.  There  are  about  thirty  species  altogether,  but  the  best 
for  garden  purposes  are  C.  azureus,  with  its  better  known 
varieties,  particularly  Gloire  de  Versailles,  Arnoldi,  Ceres,  and 
Carmen.  There  are  also  C.  dentatus,  divaricatus,  floribundus, 
integerrimus,  papillosus,  Veitchianus.  and  veiutinus,  all  of  them 
verj'  good.  At  Holland  House  (and  in  a  few  other  gardens)  the 
Ceanothuses  are  kept  together  in  clumps,  and  their  different 
characteri.stics  can  thus-  be  easily  compared  and  their  relative 
hardiness  tested.  On  page  451  we  figure  C.  papillosus. 
Floral  Decorations. 
One  of  the  prettiest  floral  designs  seen  by  me  for  a  long  time 
was  a  floral  hat  in  Brooks’s  depot  at  Regent’s  Street,  London, 
recently.  The  hat  was  of  that  broad-rimmed,  graceful  pattern, 
with  a  slight  upward  curve  in  front  and  droop  at  the  back,  worn 
by  young  ladies  at  the  present  time.  The  edge  or  rim  w'as  closely 
set  with  the  individual  elongated  tubular  rosy  flowers  of  Erica 
prolifera  placed  end  on. 
This  at  once  was  a  stroke  of  true  artistic  sen.se;  and  the  top 
of  the  hat  was  adorned  with  well  opened  pink  and  Safrano  Roses, 
Asparagus  plumosus  being  closely  pressed  to  the  under  rim,  and 
appeared  very  like  a  piece  of  green  velvet  lining.  A  long  pink 
veil  hung  down  behind.  This  hat,  held  out  by  a  rod,  6ft  high  in 
the  centre  of  the  window,  was  the  object  of  keen  interest  and 
admiration.  Other  desigils  worthy  of  note  were  a  tiny  motor 
car  (the  motor  cars  are  of  basket  work,  and  easily  obtainable  from 
makers)  decorated  with  pink  Carnations,  pink  Pelargoniums,  and 
Lily  of  the  Valley. 
The  full-blown  blooms,  of  Mrs.  J.  Laing  Rose,  arranged  with 
white  Caladium  leaves,  and  long  broad  sprays  of  Asparagus 
plumo.sus,  was  effective.  Hydrangea  Hortensia  of  a  bluey  hue, 
and  slaty  blue  Spanish  Irises,  were  harmonised  in  a  basket,  while 
wreaths,  crosses,  and  other  designs  in  seasonable  flowers,  further 
assisted  the  bright  and  beautiful  display. — D. 
Rudbeckia  californica. 
Whilst  agreeing  with  eveiy  word  of  the  note  about  R. 
laciniata  on  page  420,  I  think  covering  the  flowers  of  the 
double  variety  with  glass  could  only  be  done  by  growing  it  in 
a  greenhouse.  The  type  reaches  a  height  of  7ft  in  my  garden, 
but  the  double  variety,  which  has  the  extraordinary  vigour  often 
shown  by  a  newly  created  double,  is  seldom  less  than  Oft  high. 
But  I  am  writing  about  another  very  ornamental  Rudbeckia, 
which  used  to  be  common,  but  has  now  almost  disappeared  from 
nurseries,  though  not  from  their  catalogues — R.  californica. 
It  great  enemy  is  slugs,  which  will  go  through  fire  and  water 
to  get  at  it,  and  dive  under  or  climb  over  any  barriers.  Having 
lost  my  plants  entirely  owing  to  slugs,  I  tried  four  leading 
nurseries  in  whose  catalogues  the  name  appeared.  They  all 
sent  me  R.  laciniata,  and  on  my  remonstrating  assured  me  that 
it  was  the  R.  californica  of  “  the  trade.”  At  last  I  got  some 
rather  scrappy  pieces  from  Mr.  Burrell,  of  Cambridge ;  but  no 
sooner  had  I  fed  them  up  to  flowering  size  than  the  slugs  found 
them  out,  and,  in  .spite  of  traps  and  lures,  will  not  leave  them. 
The  plant  is  di.stinguished  by  its  large  entire  leaves,  and  the 
flowers  have  a  very  tall  and  broad  black  cone,  each  flower  being 
twice  the  size  of  those  of  R.  laciniata,  though  the  rays  are  fewer 
in  number. — C.  Wolley  Dod,  Edge  Hall. 
