NoTember  22  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
467 
Kalmla  grlauca. — Kaltnia  glauoa,  a  free-floweriog  dwarf  shrub, 
with  reddish  blooms  appearing  in  April  and  May,  makes  a  good  bed. 
Ifc  likes  a  peat,  as  do  all  the  American  plants,  and  these  are  admirably 
adapted  for  planting  in  groups,  the  foliage  being  as  effective  as  the 
flowers,  which,  as  is  well  known,  are  amongst  the  handsomest  we  have. 
They  all  form  close  balls,  and  on  this  account  may  be  transplanted  with 
as  much  certainty  in  May  or  June,  immediately  after  flowering,  as  at 
any  other  period  of  the  year,  it  being  desirable  at  that  time  to  plant 
them  in  prepared  beds  of  peat  soil ;  but  in  autumn  they  may  be 
removed  to  the  flower  beds  with  as  much  soil  adhering  to  the  roots  as 
possible,  and  planted  in  their  winter  quarters  in  ordinary  soil,  where 
they  will  bloom  nearly  (I  think  quite)  as  well  without  as  with  peat  soil. 
They  certainly  are  grown  more  safely  in  pots  in  sandy  peat  soil. — A. 
Begonias  In  Beds. — Seedling  tuberous  Begonias  are  becoming 
more  popular  as  bedding  plants  every  year.  If  they  are  planted  in  beds 
about  the  first  week  in  June  they  will  continue  to  bloom  till  the  frost 
cuts  them  down,  when  they  can  be  lifted  and  put  in  a  dry,  airy  shed  till 
the  tops  die  off,  and  then  be  stored  away  in  sand  for  the  winter.  In 
spring  they  should  be  overhauled  to  see  if  they  are  inclined  to  start  into 
growth ;  and  if  so,  they  should  be  placed  thickly  in  boxes,  using  plenty 
of  leaf  soil  and  sand  with  the  loam,  and  putting  the  compost  through  a 
half-inch  sieve,  taking  care  to  provide  free  drainage.  They  should  be 
placed  in  a  cool  house  to  give  them  a  start,  and  from  there  be  removed 
to  a  cold  frame,  but  from  which  frost  is  excluded,  keeping  them  near 
the  glass  so  they  do  not  get  drawn,  giving  plenty  of  air  to  thoroughly 
harden  them.  When  hardened,  they  should  be  placed  in  the  open  air 
for  a  week  or  ten  days  previous  to  their  being  planted  out  in  the  beds. 
A  slight  covering  should  be  placed  over  them  at  night  if  cold. — T.  F.  R. 
Tbe  Seeding  of  Bulbs. — Bulbous  flowers,  like  all  others,  can 
reproduce  themselves  from  seed.  If  this  seed  is  allowed  to  mature  and 
then  taken  care  of  and  sown  at  the  right  time,  interesting  results  can 
be  obtained,  and  possibly  new  varieties  which  will  be  worth  perpetuating. 
But,  as  a  rule,  amateurs  do  not  care  to  wait  three  or  four  years  for  a 
bulb  to  flower,  and  in  this  case  it  is  better  to  cut  off  the  seeds  of  all 
bulbous  plants  as  soon  as  ever  they  have  finished  flowering.  If  the  seeds 
are  left  on — and  some  bulbs,  like  Gladioli,  Tiger  Lilies,  and  Tulips, 
sometimes  produce  enormous  fruits — the  leaves,  instead  of  devoting 
their  whole  energy  to  making  food  to  store  away  in  the  bulb,  have  to 
supply  a  deal  of  nutriment  to  the  seed  vessels,  the  seeds  in  which,  of 
course,  like  the  bulb,  store  up  food  material  for  future  growth.  The 
result  is  that,  except  in  the  case  of  very  strong  bulbs  and  bulbs  in  very 
favourable  positions,  the  bulbs  get  smaller  year  by  year.  By  cutting  off 
the  seed  vessels  all  the  food  material  which  would  have  gone  into  the 
useless  seeds  will  go  into  the  bulbs,  resulting  in  finer  growth  next 
year. — P. 
Jottings  on  Vines. — Young  Pine  plants  need  liberal  ventilation 
at  this  ,time  of  year  to  prevent  a  soft  attenuated  growth.  Little  water 
will  be  required,  but  the  plants  should  be  examined  about  every  ten  days. 
In  the  fruiting  department  no  opportunity  should  be  lost  of  closing  the 
house  at  85’,  keeping  the  night  temperature  at  70°,  or  a  few  degrees 
less  in  severe  weather.  Remove  all  superfluous  suckers,  retaining  one 
only,  or  at  most  two  if  stock  be  required,  on  each  plant.  Suckers  that 
appear  on  successional  plants  before  the  fruit  is  visible  should  be 
removed  ;  exceptions  are  when  the  stock  is  to  be  increased,  and  then 
the  fruit  is  more  or  less  sacrificed  in  its  favour.  At  this  time  of  year 
it  is  usual  to  make  new  beds  of  fermenting  material  for  the  young 
plants.  Tan  is  the  best,  but  it  is  diflicult  to  procure  in  some  places. 
In  most  country  places  Oak  or  Beech  leaves  can  be  had  for  the  collecting, 
and  this  being  done  whilst  they  are  fairly  dry,  they  form  an  excellent 
substitute.  Those  intended  for  use  later  cannot  be  too  dry,  placing 
them  in  stacks  forming  a  span  roof,  and  thatching  roughly.  In  forming 
beds  of  leaves  they  must  be  put  together  as  firmly  as  possible.  Thrown 
in  any  way  the  material  settles  very  unevenly,  and  gives  far  more 
trouble  afterwards  than  that  needed  to  do  the  work  properly  at  first. — 
Practice. 
Wallflower  Golden  Beauty. —  Amongst  yellow  Wallflowers 
Dickson’s  Golden  Beauty  occupies  a  foremost  position  amongst  present 
day  varieties.  Belvoir  Castle  was  at  one  time  a  great  favourite  of 
mine,  but  the  newer  form  certainly  is  superior.  The  rich  golden  yellow 
colour  is  so  intense  that  it  strikes  the  ordinary  person  at  once  by  its. 
intensity.  The  petals  possess  much  substance,  the  habit  of  growth  is 
all  that  is  desirable,  being  compact,  with  dark  green  leaves.  Growers 
of  Wallflowers  would  do  well  to  add  this  to  their  list  for  next  season  a, 
display. — E.  M. 
Hypericum  uralum. — This  Himalayan  plant  is  one  of  the  prettiest 
of  its  genus,  and,  flowering  as  it  does  from  the  beginning  of  September 
until  cut  off  by  frost,  has  an  additional  value  in  the  garden  at  a  time 
when  flowers  are  getting  scarce.  The  slender  branches  are  opposite 
and  decussate,  each  one  terminating  in  from  three  to  ten  flower  buds, 
of  which  only  one  or  two  are  open  at  a  time.  The  flowers  are  inverted, 
but  their  deep  golden  yellow  colour  is  quite  as  conspicuous  on  the  back 
as  the  front  of  the  flower.  The  edges  of  the  petals  are  rounded  and 
reflexed.  Seen  from  a  short  distance  the  plant  forms  a  pleasing 
picture  with  its  spots  of  yellow,  mingled  with  tender  green  of  the 
foliage.  The  leaves  are  about  an  inch  long,  sessile,  ovate  lancolate  in 
shape,  and  slightly  shining.  It  forms  a  bush  about  3  feet  in  height,  and 
strikes  readily  from  cuttings. — C. 
I^uttallla  ceraslformls.  —  This  is  a  deciduous  shrub  from 
California,  closely  allied  to  tbe  Prunus,  though  differing  somewhat  in 
its  general  appearance.  It  forms  when  well  developed  a  plant  about 
5  feet  high,  and  7  or  8  feet  in  diameter,  spreading  by  suckers,  which 
root  and  form  small  plants  closely  clustered  around  and  still  connected 
with  their  parent.  It  will  grow  in  almost  any  soil,  is  perfectly  hardy — 
at  least  in  the  southern  half  of  England — and  is  a  distinct  and  striking 
plant  whether  in  flower  or  leaf.  The  flowers,  which  appear  in  the 
early  spring,  are  borne  on  the  leafless  branches  in  short  racemes  from 
nearly  every  joint  of  the  younger  wood,  and  give  the  plant  a  general 
appearance  not  unlike  that  of  the  common  Flowering  Currant. 
Individually  the  flowers  are  very  small,  and  of  a  pure  white,  the  two 
sexes  being  on  different  plants,  so  that  if  fruit  is  required  both  should 
be  planted  together.  The  male  form  is  not  scented,  but  the  female 
has  a  faint,  distinct  odour,  somewhat  resembling  that  of  Hawthorn. 
The  leaves  are  about  2  inches  long,  smooth  on  both  sides,  and  of  a 
glaucous  hue  beneath.  It  can  be  propagated  by  detaching  the  suckers 
when  they  have  attained  a  fair  size,  or  by  seeds,  which,  however,  are 
rarely  produced  in  this  country.  It  is  sometimes  known  under  the 
name  of  Prunus  californioa. —  Kewite. 
Wholesale  Cider  IVXaklng. — One  of  the  largest  cider  mills  in 
existence,  says  the  “  American  Agriculturist,”  is  located  in  Middlesex 
Co.,  Mas?.,  where  it  has  been  established  for  generations.  The  big 
graters  and  presses  are  capable  of  working  up  no  less  than  8000  bushels 
of  Apples  every  twenty -four  hours  during  the  cider-making  season  of 
seven  weeks.  Long  lines  of  teams  are  always  waiting  for  their  turn  to 
unload,  taking  positions  and  securing  numbered  tickets  a  long  time  in 
advance.  Some  of  the  Apples  are  shipped  on  freight  cars,  the  mills 
siding  directly  upon  the  railroad,  and  these  Apples,  after  freight  is  paid, 
net  shippers  6  to  8  cents  per  bushel.  Whether  shipped  on  oars  or 
brought  in  waggons,  the  Apples  are  first  weighed  in  bulk  and  then 
hoisted  to  the  top  of  the  mill.  Unloading  cars  is  hastened  by  two  steam 
shovels,  each  of  which  does  the  work  of  four  men  with  scoops.  A  car 
contains  500  to  800  bushels,  so  that  from  ten  to  sixteen  carloads  would 
be  needed  each  twenty-four  hours.  The  steam  shovels  unload  1200 
bushels  per  hour.  The  graters  are  cylinders  set  with  fine-toothed 
blades,  which  crush  the  Apples  to  the  finest  pulp.  The  smallest  cells  of 
the  fruit  are  crushed,  and  the  juice  can  be  pressed  out  much  more 
quickly  and  completely  than  from  pulp  which  is  merely  ground.  The 
steam  press  leaves  the  pomace  almost  dry  enough  to  burn,  but  dairymen 
make  it  the  staple  winter  feed,  paying  50  cents  per  ton  at  the  mill. 
The  cider  flows  into  vats  in  the  cellar  to  work  off  impurities.  Next  it 
is  pumped  into  shallow  metal  tanks,  partly  filled  with  very  clear  white 
sand,  through  which  it  filters  and  becomes  purified.  After  this  process 
it  will  keep  for  a  year  without  much  fermentation.  It  is  kept  in  the 
storage  building  in  large  wooden  tanks,  with  an  aggregate  capacity  of 
43,000  gallons.  These  tanks  are  frequently  cleaned  during  the  year,  to 
remove  any  possible  cause  of  souring  or  spoiling  the  cider.  When 
wanted  for  sale  it  is  drawn  off  into  barrels.  The  entire  product  is  sold 
in  the  English  and  American  markets.  We  wonder  how  it  compares 
with  the  excellent  brands  of  Messrs.  Bulmer,  Watkins,  and  others,  and 
if  their  supplies  are  inadequate  to  British  demands. 
