124: 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
occupy  one  house,  damping  down  should  never  be 
for  f  ^  we  except  the  excellent  practice  of  sprinkling  the  plants 
damnf^a  Ih^fT  P’^°ting.  On  the  other  hand,  in  some  structures 
dampiDg  the  floors  and  stapes  at  noon  during  bripbt  weather  is  of 
great  tanefit  to  the  plants.  To  instanee  a  case  be.ring  Tt  his  8“^^ 
jnent  let  me  nrention  the  fact  that  I  have  one  long^onse  in  wb  eh 
the  plants  never  thrive  satisfactorily  during  hot  weather  unless 
P.o,stnre.s  freely  distributed  on  the  flLs  and^stages.  TOs' honsi  is 
a  lo  ^  ^  plants  are  growing  m  borders  formed  on  the 
fa^hef  a  low  the  hot  water  pipes  are  located  Far 
sidfe  6iageS  hhdef  whicu  ....  -XL  i  .  v 
tmaVoidable  tdasohs  tbe  plalits  have  to  p®  close  to  the 
glass,  and  as  the  house  gets  eiceedingly  hot  during  bright  weather, 
unless  damping  down  is  resorted  to  the  leaves  get  thin,  and  pften^ 
scorched.  I  have  always  been  greatly  opposed  to  the  ^iraCtice  of 
damping  Tomato  houses,  because  a  moist  atmosphere  favours  the 
spread  of  fungoid  diseases,  but  one  has  to  be  continually  adapting 
their  general  practice  to  the  requirements  of  special  circumstances. 
And  in  the  case  just  instanced  nothing  but  good  results  followed, 
whereas  in  an  ordinary  Tomato  house  damping  dovi'n  might  be  attended 
with  disastrous  results,  as  the  difficulty  usually  experienced  is  to  keep 
the  atmosphere  dry  enough. 
During  May  and  June  that  troublesome  disease  known  as  stripe 
gives  cultivators  in  some  districts  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  The  first 
signs  of  it  come  in  the  form  cf  thin  dark  streaks,  which  mark  the 
stem  just  below  the  points  ;  these  streaks  soon  spread,  and  the  stem 
get  blackened  all  round,  and  the  discolouration  penetrates  the  tissues 
quite  to  the  centre.  The  best  w^ay  to  deal  with  plants  so  affected  is  to 
pull  them  out,  renew  the  soil,  and  replant.  Plants  only  slightly 
attacked,  however,  grow  quite  out  of  the  disease  in  time,  and  1 
Can  now  point  to  a  few  plants  which,  although  badly  affected  at  one 
Jime,  are  now  carryinsr  good  crons,  and  which  show  little  trace  of 
former  disease  beyonJ  a  few  dark  marks  In  t^  stem,  and  a  thinness 
of  foliage  at  that  point.  When  the  disease  first  appeared  I  dressed 
the  border  heavily  with  hewly  slaked  lime,  and  eventually,  after 
having  procured  some  Veltha  I  applied  that  to  the  border.  The  pre¬ 
paration  quickly  had  the  effect  of  bringing  the  plants  into  a  healthy 
condition,  the  leaves  assuming  a  deep  green  colour.  For  various 
reasons  1  have  not  yet  been  able  to  give  Veltha  a  thorough  trial, 
as  the  beds  and  housrs  should  have  been  dressed  before  the  stock 
was  planted,  and  diseased  plants  sprayed  with  emulsion  ;  but  judging 
by  the  satisfactory  result  of  my  imperfect  experiment  Veltha  is,  1 
think,  destined  to  become  a  valuable  asset  in  successful  'J’omato 
culture. — H.  D. 
Agapantlins  umbellatns. 
This  is  an  imposing  plant,  especially  when  in  flower.  Strong, 
erect  stems  are  thrown  up,  one  from  each  matured  crown.  The  first 
indication  of  flowering  is  the  bold  knob  in  the  centre  of  the  crown  of 
leaves.  The  stem  advances  in  length,  and  the  knob  increases  in  size, 
eventually  bursting  its  outer  covering  or  case,  and  the  umbel  of  flowers 
immediately  begins  to  develop  blooms  of  a  rich  blue.  The  umbel  or 
head  is  attractive  and  conspicuous.  The  plants  are  almost  hardy,  and 
splendidly  adapted  for  growing  in  large  pots  or  tubs  in  a  conservatory, 
greenhouse,  or  outdoors  in  summer,  where  it  is  frequently  employed  as 
a  bold  and  striking  plant  for  decorating  terrace  steps  and  similar 
positions. 
The  Agapanthus  only  requires  simple  treatment,  no  heat  beyond 
protection  from  hard  frost,  good  soil,  liberal  root  room,  plenty  of  air  and 
water,  and^  stimulants  when  developing  flowers.  The  propagation  of 
the  plant  is  effected  chiefly  by  division  and  offsets,  which  may  be 
detached  from  strong  plants.  The  readiest  manner  of  establishing 
plants  is  by  division.  Young  stock  in  the  early  stages  of  growth  only 
requires  a  light  sandy  soil,  but  when  repotting  into  larger  pots  or 
placing  in  tubs  to  remain  several  years,  a  richer  and  stronger  mixture 
should  be  prepared.  The  following  ingredients  form  a  suitable  compost. 
Half-decayed  strong  loam  chopped  up  roughly  three  parts,  decomposed 
cow  manure  one  part,  with  a  little  sand  and  charcoal.  The  roots  are 
very  strong  and  fleshy,  hence  when  repotting  it  is  desirable  to  give 
liberal  shifts,  unless  the  roots  are  materially  reduced  or  division  effected, 
when  of  course  less  room  is  needed.  The  roots  always  have  a  tendency 
to  mat  themselves  round  the  drainage,  so  it  is  usually  best  to  slice  them 
off  just  above  the  layer  of  crocks.  The  base  of  the  ball  will  then  have 
free  access  to  the  fresh  soil,  and  new  fibres  will  quickly  be  produced. 
When  draining  the  receptacles  for  the  final  potting,  place  the  crocks 
carefully  so  that  a  small  number  will  suffice,  yet  always  have  suflicient 
to  drain  away  superfluous  water. 
During  the  period  of  growth  and  flowering  water  is  required  in 
liberal  quantities,  supplementing  the  applications  after  the  flower 
spikes  show  with  weak  solutions  of  guano,  soot  water,"  animal,  and 
chemical  manures.  Any  of  the  above  will  supply  rich  and  nourishing 
stimulating  food,  capable  of  increasing  the  depth  of  colour  in  the 
August  9,  1900. 
flowers.  As  all  the  flowers  do  not  open  at  once  those  which  are  first 
past  their  best  should  be  clipped  off  and  not  be  allowed  to  form  seed 
pods.  A  fair-sized  plant  with  half  a  dozen  spikes  of  bloom  is  a  useful 
decorative  plant  at  this  season.  The  flower  stems  being  strong  and 
erect  do  not  need  support,  but  when  growing  too  closely  they  ought 
to  be  spaced  out  with  a  few  light  stakes. — E.  D.  S. 
London’s  Planes. 
It  was  Leigh  Hunt  who,  in  asserting  that  -  ,  n-  ,■ 
L  i.  ■  r  ^  i.1,  i.  1.  j  be  difiioult  to  find 
a  street  in  London  that  had  not  lbs  tree  or  .  , 
f  T  j  »  Tir  j  i.u  •  crees,  spoke  of  the  Metropolis 
as  “leafy  London.  Had  the  express-  _  ,  .  ,  »  , 
£  I,,  -*00  been  in  particular  reference  to 
the  magnificent  avenue  of  Planes  ^  „  j  ..t,  r. 
„  ,  ,  „  ...  TT  adorns  the  Brunei’s  monumental 
Embankment  from  the  Houses.  ^  Blacktriars 
Bridge  m  the  east,  nor  affirmed,  would  hare  disputed  it. 
In  making  refej^g^oe  to  these  Planes  a  few  years  ago.  Sir  Herbert 
Maxw^,,  designated  them  as  “  London  Pride,”  and  if  they  differ  in « 
majesty  from  the  plant  generally  known  by  that  name,  they  have 
certainly  more  right  to  it  if  the  title  be  strictly  interpreted.  There  is 
probably  not  a  single  Londoner  who  is  not  inordinately  proud  of  that 
splendid  avenue,  and  who  would  not  resent  any  remarks  that  might  be 
construed  as  disparaging  to  it.  Many  persons  will  retain  vivid  recol¬ 
lections  of  the  opening  of  the  Embankfiaent  itself  and  of  the  planting 
on  December  31st,  1868,  of  the  first  of  those  Planes  (Platanus  orientalia 
^cerifolia^  which  were  to  form  in  later  years  the  noblest  boulevard  in 
London. 
This  term  “  boulevard  ”  it  is  true  has  become  somewhat  perverted 
from  its  original  Parisian  meaning;  but  used  in  the  sense  of  a  grand 
city  avenue  lined  with  trees  it  supplies  an  obvious  deficiency  in  our 
own  tongue.  “Bulwark”  and  “boulevard”  are  in  reality  one  and 
the  same.  In  old  Paris  the  boulevards  were  the  fortifications,  or 
bulwarks,  and  the  equivalent  of  the  old  walls  of  the  City  of  London. 
When  the  old  walls  and  moat  of  Paris  were  abolished,  some  century 
and  a  half  ago,  they  were  not  over-built,  but  turned  into  beautifully 
planted  walks  for  the  delectation  of  the  citizens.  Immediately  before 
the  Revolution  these  boulevards  practically  defined  the  limits  of  the 
city ;  but  with  the  modern  extension  of  streets  and  houses  their 
original  signification  has  been  forgotten,  as  they  have  taken  on  more 
and  more  the  character  of  mere  urban  thoroughfares,  like  our 
Embankment. 
Amongst  horticulturists  of  the  present  day  there  is  probably  none 
who  knows  more  about  the  Embankment  Planes  than  the  veteran 
Mr.  William  Paul,  V.M.H.,  who  was,  we  believe,  consulted  by  the 
late  Mr.  Alexander  McKenzie  as  to  the  best  trees  for  the  purpose. 
The  Tree  of  the  Gods  (Ailantus  glaudnlosa)  was  mentioned,  but  the 
decision  was  eventually  made  in  favour  of  the  Plane,  whose  hard 
smooth  leaves  render  it  peculiarly  adapted  for  throwing  off  the  dele¬ 
terious  substances  in  the  atmosphere,  and  which  play  sad  havoc  with 
Limes  and  others  with  rougher  leafage.  It  may  naturally  be  assumed 
that  the  magnificent  Planes  in  Berkeley  Square,  the  ancient  specimen 
(said  to  have  been  planted  immediately  after  the  Great  Fire,  1666) 
in  Wood  Street,  the  several  in  the  grounds  of  Buckingham  Palace 
and  elsewhere,  were  taken  as  indicative  of  the  suitability  of  the  trees 
to  the  climate  by  Mr.  McKenzie  before  the  planting  was  commenced, 
arid  time  has  proved  the  wisdom  of  the  choice.  All  have  not  grown 
alike,  but,  generally  speaking,  they  have  thriven  most  satisfactorily, 
and  the  time  has  now  come  when  a  certain  amount  of  thinning  and 
some  substitutions  have  become  essential  to  allow  of  the  further 
development  and  expansion  of  the  individuals. 
As  has  been  said,  the  planting  commenced  on  December  31st,  1868, 
but  when  it  was  completed  we  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain. 
Perhaps  Mr.  Paul  will  enlighten  us  on  this  point  ?  When  the  avenue, 
broken  only  where  absolutely  necessary,  such  as  for  the  bridges,  was 
finished  there  were  541  trees,  some  of  which  have  been  removed  by  the 
London  County  Council,  under  whose  supervision  the  trees  now  come. 
The  Council’s  adviser  saw,  as  every  horticulturist  and  arboriculturist 
had  seen,  that  the  excellent  progress  made  by  the  trees  was  becoming 
jeopardised  by  crowding,  and  it  was  resolved  that  each  alternate  tree 
should  be  removed.  This,  of  course,  was  essential  to  maintain  the 
avenue  in  its  integrity,  but  it  will  obviously  involve  the  removal  of 
some  excellent  trees,  and  the  retention  for  the  moment  of  others  that 
are  inferior.  Here,  then,  will  come  the  substitutions,  for  where  a  bad 
