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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  4,  1900. 
soil  too  rich  and  loose,  therefore  if  the  ground  is  recently  dug  and 
manured  compress  it  firmly  together  hy  well  rolling  or  treading- 
Ground  which  is  in  moderately  good  heart,  but  not  recently  disturbed^ 
is  the  best.  The  surface  of  any  soil  may  before  planting  receive  a 
liberal  dressing  of  woo<l  ashes  or  burnt  refuse,  hoeing  it  in.  For 
heavy  soil  it  will  mechanically  improve  the  texture,  rendering  it 
more  open  and  porous,  and  for  light  soils  it  will  add  some  needful 
mineral  matter  to  it.  Should  the  weather  be  dry  when  the  plants 
are  inserted  water  them  in,  otherwise  little  should  be  required,  In 
the  case  of  small  plants,  or  if  not  convenient  to  plant  permanently 
now,  place  6  inches  apart  in  beds  until  spring. — E.  D.  Smith. 
- - 
Daffodils  in  Pots. 
The  Golden  Hoop  Petticoat  Narcissus. 
Continuing  my  notes  (page  288)  on  these  very  valuable  bulbous 
plants,  and  referring  to  the  earliest,  I  must  not  omit  corbularia 
consplcua,  the  Golden  Hoop  Petticoat  Narcissus,  which  is  exceedingly 
free-flowering  and  effective  with  its  flowers  issuing  from  its  tuft  of 
grassy  leaves.  It  is  a  pretty  flower,  and  being  cheap  should  be  grown 
in  quantity.  It  is  very  pleasing  in  the  conservatory  as  a  margin, 
alternating  with  Maidenhair  Ferr  s,  but  it  cannot  endure  much  heat, 
at  least  such  is  my  experience  of  it.  Then,  for  varieties  to  bring  up 
the  succession  we  must  lock  to  the  more  diminutive  N.  nanus,  so 
charming  for  fringing  the  stage  in  the  greenhouse,  wh.le  N.  minor  is 
a  larger  form  much  in  the  same  way. 
Following  these  we  find  in  the.  forms  of  N.  spurius  a  series  of  bold 
and  characteristic  flowers,  many  of  which  are  exceedingly  handsome 
and  far  too  valuable  to  be  tampered  with  in  heat.  The  type,  however, 
is  sufficiently  cheap  and  plentiful  to  allow  of  its  free  but  judicious  u  e 
in  pots,  and  included  with  this  may  be  the  major  form,  also  N.  spurius 
Henry  Irving  and  Golden  Spur.  These  two  latter  are  grand  additions, 
the  last  especially  so  ;  the  flowers  of  this  are  large,  rich  yellow,  wiih  a 
bold  broad  lip,  expanding  trumpet,  much  larger  than  the  better  known 
N.  maximus,  and  altogether  more  vigoreus. 
I  cannot  but  call  attention  to  tne  of  the  best,  yet  one  of  the 
commonest  of  all  the  race,  I  mean  the  old  double  Daffodil  of  gardens, 
N.  telamonius  fl.-pl.  The  great  demand  for  this  variety  alone  is  in 
itself  sufficient  proof  of  the  growing  taste  for  flowers,  a  d  how  eagerh 
even  the  most  commonplace  plants  are  sought  after  when  it  is  found 
that  they  may  be  produced  much  earlier  than  is  their  wont  by  growing 
them  in  slight  warmth.  The  reason  probably  why  this  [articlar 
variety  has  so  quickly  gained  the  favour  of  the  flower-loving  public  is 
on  account  of  its  noble  bloom  and  rich  colour,  a  colour,  too,  which 
seems  to  find  many  admirers  at  the  present  time;  and  since  it  is 
readily  produced  in  quantity  early  in  the  year,  when  flowers  are  so 
much  needed,  there  is  every  probability  of  it  proving  serviceable,  and 
well  managed  it  may  be  had  for  weeks  in  succession. 
Narcissus  bicolor. 
Leaving  the  gold  and  yellow  forms  we  w'ill  just  take  a  glance  at 
some  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  N.  bicolor  group.  Collectively  this 
is  a  grand  section  and  one  always  admired,  and  that  deservedly.  The 
whole  of  this  group  is  distil  guished  by  having  a  white  and  sometimes 
a  sulphur  or  primrose  coloured  perianth  around  a  golden  cup  or  crown, 
and  it  is  not  saying  too  much  when  I  sta'e  that  all  are  good.  The 
best  to  I  e  f(  und  in  the  type  are  N.  bicolor,  and  such  v.irieties  as 
N.  b.  Horsefieldi,  N.  b.  Empress.  All  of  these  are  most  telling  flowers. 
Last  in  flower  of  this  section  is  N.  b.  grandis  (maximus),  an  immense 
flower  with  pure  white  well  imbricated  perianth  and  bold  yellow 
trumpet;  but  the  most  useful,  perhaps,  is  Horsefieldi,  which  is  not 
only  one  of  the  best  of  its  kind,  but  also  an  acquisiiion  in  the  whole 
army  of  spring  bulbs.  This  may  readily  be  flowered  in  March  if 
potted  early  and  placed  in  cold  frames  till  the  end  of  January,  and 
thus  treated  it  wi  1  not  be  bkely  to  sufferj  as  it  will  then  come  on 
fiufiScientiy  fast  In  an  ordinary  greenhouse.  In  the  N.  lorifolius  group 
we  have  good  well  known  varieties  in  Emperor  and  rugilobus,  well 
suited  to  pot  culture. 
Larye  numbers  of  varieties  are  also  found  in  the  N.  incomparabilis 
section,  but  taken  as  a  whole,  while  it  includes  many  valuable  forms 
and  pleasing  tints,  it  is  perhaps  the  least  suited  to  pot  culture  under 
glass.  This  is  mainly  due  to  the  general  want  of  substance  in  the 
perianth  segments,  as  these  when  brought  on  in  heat  quickly  shrivel 
if  med  as  cut  flowers;  therefore  I  do  not  recommend  them.  They 
may,  however,  be  grown  in  cold  frames  or  sheltered  positions  out  of 
doors,  and  especially  so  the  mixed  seedlings  of  the  commoner  forms, 
and  thus  grown  they  are  very  useful,  and  as  a  whole  freely  flowered. 
Amongst  the  true  Narcissi  of  which  portions  may  be  regarded  as 
typical,  we  have  some  of  the  most  useful  of  all,  admired  alike  for  their 
fragrance  as  well  as  for  their  general  decorative  value.  In  the  first 
place  they  may  be  divided  into  early  and  late  groups,  the  best  of  the 
former  being  N.  p.  ornatus,  which  flower  natnrdly  in  March  and 
April,  while  in  the  latter  we  find  N.  poeticus  and  N.  poeticus  recurvus, 
both  single  forms,  and  the  double  white  Gardenia-flowered  Narcissus 
N.  poeticus  fl.-pl.,  which  flower  in  May.  To  select  a  variety  from 
these  no  one  having  previous  experience  would  do  other  than  name 
ornatus.  The  pure  white  perianth  is  of  good  substance  and  well 
formed,  in  some  flowers  they  are  somewhat  imbricated,  the  cup  being 
narrowly  margined  with  scarlet.  With  good  and  careful  treatment 
this  may  be  had  in  flower  from  January  onwards,  and  it  well  lepays 
good  culture. 
Of  the  Double  White  I  cannot  say  much  as  to  its  forcing  properties, 
for  I  have  not  given  it  sufficient  trial  in  quantity.  One  thing'  i» 
certain  ;  well  established  bulbs  must  be  had  or  the  buds  will  go  blind 
in  the  scape  prior  to  expansion.  It  is,  however,  excellent  out  of  doors 
when  established,  and  to  those  already  named,  which  include  some  of 
each  group  suited  to  the  above  named  purpose,  may  be  added  a 
selection  of  the  forms  of  N.  Tazetta,  all  of  which  are  useful,  and  havfr 
in  the  great  majority  of  instances  powerfully  fragrant  flowers. — N. 
- - 
Golonr  Massing  of  Rhododendrons. 
When  seen  in  a  large  mass  or  clump,  no  plants  afford  a  more 
pleasing  picture  with  their  quiet  colouration  than  the  old  Rhododen¬ 
dron  ponticum  and  its  varieties,  with  their  shades  of  mauve  or 
liuht  purple.  For  town  gardens  there  is  no  evergreen  sh'ub  more 
suitable  than  a  large  percentage  of  the  Rhododem  rons,  and  of  which 
there  are  numerous  fine  old  examples,  especially  of  the  politic  varieties, 
in  the  suburbs  of  Birmingham  (especially  does  that  apply  to  Edgbaston 
and  Harborne,  lying  cn  the  south-western  and  western  sn  es  of  the 
city),  some  of  them  being  upwards  of  half  a  century  old,  and  still  in 
vigorous  health  and  having  annual  profusion  of  bloom. 
It  is  owing  to  a  daily  tieholding  and  admiring  some  of  these  fine 
old  veterans  during  their  flowering  period  that  I  am  actuated  in 
venturing  to  draw  attention  to  their  attributes,  esp  cially,  too,  as  I 
do  not  lecollect  ever  having  seen  them  in  more  glorious  arrav  and 
vigour;  and  irrespective  of  the  more  brilliant  and  licher  colouration 
of  their  compeers  the  splendid  hybrids,  the  pontic  vnri  t'es  are  still 
worthy  of  extended  recognition  for  pleasure-ground  ornamental 
purposes.  Of  the  general  adaptation  for  such  as  covert  and  other 
woi  dlaud  purposes  this  class  of  Rhododendrons  it  is  needless  to  remark. 
I  would,  however,  just  allude  to  another  example  of  Rhododen- 
drrn  massing  that  recently  came  under  my  observation,  and  which 
in  time  may  become  a  still  more  prominent  and  unique  hature  of  the 
beautiful  and  extensive  groui  ds  in  which  it  exist.s — viz,  in  the  shape 
of  a  large  bed  containing  upwards  of  four  score  flourishii  g  plants  of 
Purity,  a  white  variety.  The  bed  was  planted  about  four  years  ago 
with  the  plants  of  uniform  height  and  size,  and  whilst  in  flower  a 
most  striking  contrast  is  preseuteu  in  connection  with  the  great  wealth 
of  the  surrounding  Rhod«  denurons  and  other  flowering  and  evergieen 
shrubs  and  trees,  also  rockery  and  water-scapes.  Taken,  however,  by 
itself,  the  monotony  of  the  sheet  of  white  flowers  seemed  t  ■  r  quiro 
relief,  either  by  the  introduction  of  a  few  standar  s  of  the  same 
variety  to  break  tie  surface  of  the  mass,  or  what  would  also  be  a 
p'easing  contrast,  the  introduction  of  a  few  bushy  standaids  of  a  bright 
crim-on,  scarlet,  or  rose  c  loured  variety.  The  intention,  however, 
pr*8umably  is  to  preserve  it  in  its  present  entirety,  in  coutradisfnc- 
tion  to  an  adjoining  large  mass  containing  Itadinii  varieties  in  colours 
of  scarlet,  ciimson,  and  purple,  planted  in  groups. — W.  Gabdiner. 
- <»^»» 
Oar  IllDStrations. 
It  will  be  observed  that  the  illustrations  in  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  on  the  pireserit  ociasion  are  all  repiesentative  of  iruit, 
the  Great  Fruit  Show  being  our  justification  for  this.  The  central 
one  giV' s  a  bini’s  eye  view  of  the  transept,  embodying  several  of  the 
more  important  trade  collections.  Then,  too,  we  have  a  c<  mprel  entive 
view  of  the  choice  fruit  class,  to. ether  with  Rnbus  pi  oenicolasius 
flora  Mes.srs  J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd. ;  Plum  Giai  d  Duke  from 
Messrs.  T.  Rivers  &  Son;  Apple  Stirling  Castle  from  M-ssrs.  J.R. 
Pearson  &  Son  ;  and  Apple  Bl^marck  from  Messrs.  G.  Bunyard 
and  Co.  With  the  exception  of  the  Rubus,  examples  of  all  these 
excellent  fruits  were  seen  in  one  or  other  of  the  sections  of  this  splendid 
show,  of  which  our  report  commences  on  page  312. 
