250 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  13,  1900. 
CARDEMCI^EANINCS 
American  I^odesty. — What  the  French  gardener  or  fruit  grower 
can  do  the  American  ought  to  be  able  to  accomplish.  The  first  week 
in  June  of  this  year  we  saw  at  the  central  market  in  Paris  Peaches 
sell  for  as^high  as  2'40  dols.  each  and  Melons  for  5  dole,  apiece.  Of 
course  this  stuff  was  grown  under  glass  and  represented  rare  skill  in 
horticulture,  but,  says  the  “  American  Agriculturist,”  we  lead  the 
world  in  most  lines  where  acuteness  and  energy  are  required,  and  we 
ought  to  get  as  high  prices  for  our  produce  as  anyone  in  the  world. 
Peach  Princess  of  Wales. — This  is  a  fine  Peach  for  late  work 
despite  its  somewhat  pale  colour  under  any  but  the  best  conditions. 
To  do  it  well  it  requires  ample  light  and  a  little  warmth  at  the  finish 
should  the  weather  prove  dull.  The  fruits  are  large,  consequently  free 
thinning  is  necessary,  as  it  is  useless  growing  skins  and  stones.  The 
flavour  of  Princess  of  Wales  Peach  is  improved  if  the  fruit  is  gathered 
a  day  or  two  before  it  reaches  its  full  development,  or  just  as  it  parts 
from  the  tree  easily,  and  finished  in  a  warm  fruit  room.  It  must  not  be 
confounded  with  Prince  of  Wales,  a  smaller,  but  brighter  Peach  of 
superior  flavour. — R. 
Xondon  Wild  Plowers. — For  the  past  fortnight  one  of  the 
railway  embankments  of  the  grimiest  and  gloomiest  parts  of 
Bermondsey  has  been  gay  with  the  brilliant  blooming  of  the  common 
or  yellow  Toad  Flax  (Linaria  vulgaris).  The  plant  is  a  common  one 
by  dry  roadsides  and  on  waste  ground  in  many  country  districts. 
One  species  of  the  Toad  Flax  family  grows  wild  within  London— 
namely,  the  pretty  Ivy-leaved  Toad  Flax,  or  Roving  Jenny  (Linaria 
cymhalaria).  This  little  climbing  plant  may  be  found  on  old  walls 
if  diligently  looked  for.  It  is  an  alien  in  England,  having  been 
introduced  from  abroad,  but  it  has  now  obtained  a  firm  foothold  all 
over  the  country.  Another  naturalised  plant  to  be  seen  about  the 
railway  lines  close  to  London  is  the  beautiful  rose-coloured  Willow 
Herb.  Wild  flowers  do  not  receive  the  attention  they  deserve  from 
those  who  have  excellent  opportunities  of  cultivating  them  in  and  about 
London.  Toad  Flaxes,  Loosestrife,  Bedstraw,  St.  John’s  Worts,  Stitch - 
worts.  Willow  Herbs,  Celandines,  even  one  or  two  species  of  the 
lovely  wild  English  Orchids,  might  be  induced  to  take  kindly  to  the 
soil  and  soot'of  London.  In  conclusion,  a  word  may  well  be  said  in 
praise  of  those  who  look  after  the  railway  embankments  at  Surbiton. 
There  are  few  spring  sights  in  suburban  London  more  charming  than 
the  turf  there  spangled  with  Primroses  throughout  the  month  of  May. 
But  we  want  the  wild  flowers,  not  so  much  in  the  suburbs,  where  they 
can  be  reached  easily,  as  in  the  teeming  city  itself. 
Some  September  Plants. — The  large,  bright  blue  flowers  of  the 
wild  Succory  are  to  be  seen  growing  at  the  present  time  in  cultivated 
fields  and  elsewhere.  I  found  the  flower  in  something  like  abundance 
the  other  day  growing  in  the  grassy  roadside ;  it  blossoms  from  June 
till  October,  and  is  very  striking,  and  not  a  particularly  familar  wild 
flower.  The  blossoms  wither  very  soon  after  they  are  picked.  Like 
most  other  wild  English  flowers,  says  a  correspondent  in  a  daily 
contemporary,  the  Succory  was  once  made  use  of  by  the  rural  folk. 
The  roots  were  regarded  as  edible,  and  were  sometimes  used  as  a 
substitute  for  Coffee.  Both  species  cf  Cat’s-tail,  or  Reed  Mace,  are  now 
to  be  seen  at  their  best,  the  fine  brown  catkin  being  an  ornament  to 
many,  a  lake  and  stream  side.  The  smaller  and  slenderer  Reed  Mace 
is  not  seen  so  frequently  as  the  larger  one,  but  it  is  gathered  and  sold 
to  those  who  like  these  plants  as  ornaments  for  their  rooms.  The 
smaller  Reed  Maces  are  often  sold  for  a  halfpenny  apiece,  while  good 
specimens  of  the  larger  species  will  fetch  a  penny.  The  leaves  of  the 
greater  Reed  Mace  are  the  so-called  “  flags,”  which  are  used  extensively 
in  the  making  of  mats  and  chair  bottoms.  Now  in  the  dying  days  of 
summer  there  are  few  things  finer  in  our  English  flora  than  the  berries 
of  the  Water  Elder.  These  are  of  an  intense  red,  and  grow  in  close 
heavy  masses,  so  that  you  can  see  the  bush  all  aglow  at  a  distance  of 
several  hundred  yards.  The  effect  is  finer  than  that  of  the  red  berries 
of  the  misnamed  Mountain  Ash,  which  are  also  to  be  seen  in  their  glory 
about  now.  The  Water  Elder  is  by  no  means  confined  to  moist  situations. 
It  will  grow  in  many  dry  spots. 
Making  Cacti  Bloom. — In  contradistinction  to  the  general  run 
of  plants,  most  of  the  succulent  plants,  and  especially  the  larger  Cacti, 
can  now  scarcely  have  too  much  sun,  and  too  little  water,  provided  the 
shoots  and  stems  are  just  kept  plump.  The  best  place  for  these  in 
August  and  September  is  the  south  front  of  a  wall  or  fence,  where  the 
sun  will  play  freely  on  them,  and  if  rains  are  anticipated  it  would  be 
well  to  have  tiles  or  slates  placed  over  the  pots,  to  throw  heavy  rains 
off  them.  Little  water  at  the  roots  will  now  be  wanted,  provided  the 
stems  do  not  shrivel,  and  then  next  spring  and  summer  there  will  be 
sure  to  be  abundance  of  bloom.  Such  succulents  are  pretty  well  dried 
up  in  the  dry  season  in  their  tropical  or  next  to  tropical  homes,  and  the 
natural  conditions  in  which  they  bloom  most  profusely  present  us  with 
the  key  to  their  successful  culture. — F. 
Wood-pulp  from  Canada.-  Canada  is,  according  to  Mr.  George 
Johnson,  statistician  in  the  Department  of  Agriculture  at  Ottawa,  the 
possessor  of  the  largest  forests  of  Spruce  Fir  in  the  world,  and  the 
supply  of  wood  for  pulp  making  is  practically  unlimited.  The  country 
moreover,  possesses  widely  distributed  water  power,  and  a  favourable 
condition  of  the  labour  market.  The  area  covered  with  forest  is  about 
1,400,000  square  miles.  Taking  half  this  area,  or  450,000,000  acres 
as  under  Spruce,  which  is  capable  of  producing  4,500,000,000  tons  of 
ground  pulp,  we  have  a  quantity  sufficient  to  keep  the  paper  mills  of  the 
United  States  of  America  going  at  their  present  rate  for  fifty  years 
taking  900,000  tons  of  pulp-wood  as  the  quantity  annually  consumed  in 
these  mills.  But  Spruce  reproduces  itself  to  pulp-wood  size  in  every 
thirty  years.  Hence,  it  is  evident  that  the  Spruce  woods  of  Canada  will 
meet  all  demands  made  upon  them  for  ages  to  come. 
Transplanting  Magnolias.  —  Moist  weather  at  the  end  of 
September  or  'beginning  of  October  is  a  good  time  to  transplant 
evergreen  Magnolias,  which  are  now  flowering.  The  end  of  March  and 
beginning  of  April  are  the  next  best  periods.  It  will  be  necessary  to 
dig  out  a  trench  at  least  a  yard  from  the  stem  if  the  tree  is  of  moderate 
size,  varying  the  distance  of  course  with  the  size  of  the  tree,  so  that  in 
any  case  most  of  the  fibres,  or  a  good  proportion  of  them,  will  be 
preserved  along  with  a  good  ball.  If  a  trench  is  dug  out  around  the 
tree  at  some  distance  from  the  stem,  and  only  thick  roots  are  found, 
and  the  soil  towards  the  trunk  comes  away  freely,  and  is  not  plentifully 
filled  with  fibres,  then  fill  up  the  trench  again,  and  let  the  tree  remain 
until  that  time  twelve  months  ;  but  if  the  soil  from  the  trench  towards 
the  centre  of  the  ball  be  full  of  roots,  the  soil  coming  away  with 
difficulty,  and  requiring  to  be  picked  out  with  a  fork,  then  work  away 
any  loose  soil  from  amongst  the  roots,  and  move  the  tree  at  once  wii  h 
a  good  ball ;  after  planting,  spread  a  little  fresh  and  moderately  rich 
soil  under  and  around  the  loots,  and  lay  them  carefully  out.  Give 
a  good  watering,  stake,  and  tie  with  rope,  interposing  a  hayband 
between  the  rope  and  the  trunk  to  prevent  the  former  cutting  the 
bark. — P.  J. 
The  “  Geranium  ”  In  a  Wew  Xlght  — Who  would  have  thought 
the  Geranium  possessed  medicinal  properties  ?  Yet  we  learn  that  an 
army  sister,  writing  home  from  South  Africa,  tells  of  a  wonderful  new 
cure  for  dysentery.  Several  of  the  army  medical  men  have,  she  says, 
adopted  the  native  treatment  for  dysentery  with  remarkable  results, 
some  of  the  most  hopeless  cases  in  the  camp  having  recovered  almost 
immediately  when  they  were  put  on  the  treatment.  The  cure  is  simple 
enough,  consisting  merely  of  a  liquid  extract  of  the  Pelargonium,  or 
Geranium  root.  Everybody  at  home  is  familiar  with  the  charming 
flower,  hut  it  will  be  news  to  most  that  the  root  contains  an  antidote  to 
the  dreaded  disease  of  dysentery.  The  effect  in  the  cases  so  far  has 
been  almost  magical.  A  new  draw  will  be  added  to  the  British 
Pharmacopoeia,  but  it  is  as  old  as  the  hills  to  South  African  natives. 
Kaffirs  and  Zulus  have  known  of  the  Geranium  root  cure  for  dysentery 
ever  since  they  have  known  anything,  but  this  is  the  first  time  that 
European  doctors  have  resorted  to  it.  It  has  been  used  to  a  slight 
extent  by  the  Boers;  but  the  Dutchman  pins  his  faith  firmly  to  patent 
mixtures.  To  cure  dysentery  the  native  simply  chews  the  Geranium 
root  just  as  it  is.  There  are  upwards  of  150  different  kinds  of  wild 
Geranium  in  South  Africa,  and  each  seems  to  possess  the  power  of 
cutting  short  the  progress  of  a  dysenteric  attack.  In  camp  we  prepare 
the  anti-dysenteric  mixture  by  boiling  4  ozs.  of  Geranium  root  for 
twenty  minutes  in  a  pint  of  milk.  One  to  two  tablespoonfuls  are  given 
every  two  hours  till  all  the  symptoms  of  this  campaign  scourge  are 
gone.  This  usually  takes  place  in  from  thirty-six  to  forty-eight  hours. 
So  far  it  has  not  failed  in  one  case. 
