November  29,  1900.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
491 
Gooseberry  Red  'Warrington, — Such  a  valuable  bush  fruit  as 
this  should  be  planted  in  every  garden.  It  is  valued  most  of  all  by  us 
for  its  delicious  ripe  fruit,  much  of  which  is  made  into  jam,  and  still 
more  is  eaten  fresh  picked  from  the  bushes  at  almost  every  meal  during 
the  long  time  it  continues  good  after  it  is  ripe.  Its  robust  growth  is 
somewhat  drooping,  but  by  judicious  pruning  the  bushes  become 
sufficiently  erect  to  keep  the  fruit  from  contact  with  the  ground,  and 
they  soon  become  handsome  in  form,  and  so  large  that  a  single  bush 
yields  no  inconsiderable  quantity  of  fruit.  Plant  two  or  three  rows  of 
them  side  by  side,  so  that  the  fruit  may  easily  be  protected  from  the 
ravages  of  birds,  and  you  will  have  an  abundant  supply  of  late  summer 
fruit,  that  is  as  much  in  demand  as  Strawberries  are  in  their  season. 
— L.  E. 
Rubus  moluccanus. — Though  popularly  known  as  the  Himalayan 
Blackberry,  this  species  is  not  confined  solely  to  the  Himalayas,  being 
found  throughout  Northern  India  and  the  Malay  Peninsula.  From  a 
foliage  point  of  view  it  is  one  of  the  most  ornamental  of  the  genus,  the 
leaves  being  in  shape  very  like  those  of  Vitis  Coignetise,  and  8  inches 
across.  In  addition  to  the  size  they  are  very  prettily  veined  and 
serrated,  and  are  intensely  hairy,  especially  on  the  under  surface. 
The  flowers  are  pink,  somewhat  inconspicuous,  and  produced  in  short, 
dense,  terminal  racemes  of  twelve  or  more,  from  side  shoots  from  last 
year’s  wood.  The  flowers  are  succeeded  by  dense  clusters  of  large, 
black,  roundish  berries,  of  a  somewhat  insipid  flavour.  In  places  not 
visited  by  severe  frosts  it  does  well  out  of  doors,  and  quickly  attains  a 
large  size,  shoots  20  to  30  feet  long  being  made  in  one  year.  In  the 
Himalayan  house  at  Kew  a  large  plant  bears  a  number  of  clusters 
of  fruit,  and  forms  an  object  of  great  attraction  to  visitors. — D. 
.A.nytblng'  from  Peat. — For  twelve  years  Herr  Zschorher,  of  Vienna, 
has  been  investigating  the  properties  of  peat,  with  a  view  to  making  use 
of  it  in  industrial  processes  ;  and  the  results  obtained  are  astonishing. 
A  building  has  been  exhibited  in  which  everything,  from  the  carpets  on 
the  floor  to  the  curtains  on  the  windows  and  the  paper  on  the  walls, 
was  made  from  peat.  The  fibres  of  the  remains  of  the  reeds  and 
grasses  of  which  peat  is  composed  have,  of  course,  their  original 
physical  and  chemical  characters  changed  ;  but  the  fibrous  structure 
remains  intact,  and  the  fibres  themselves  are  very  durable,  elastic  and 
non-conductors  of  heat.  Fabrics  woven  from  them,  says  a  writer  in 
“  Leisure  Hour,”  are  found  to  have  the  toughness  of  linen  with  the 
warmth  of  wool.  There  is  no  textile  fabric  that  cannot  be  woven  from 
these  fibres.  Blankets  and  other  coverings  used  for  horses  and  cattle 
have  been  found  in  use  to  excel  in  warmth  and  cleanliness.  Paper  of 
several  qualities  has  been  made,  and  the  uses  to  which  peat  fibre  has 
already  been  applied  indicate  possibilities  that  may  render  the  peat 
bogs  of  Ireland  a  valuable  addition  to  the  resources  of  that  country. 
Fucbsla  trlpbylla  superba. — Under  the  above  name,  and 
also  under  the  name  of  F.  triphylla  var.  hybrida,  a  hybrid  between 
F.  triphylla  and  F.  boliviana  is  sometimes  seen  in  gardens.  It  was 
raised  by  M.  Lemoine  of  Nancy  a  few  years  ago,  and  according  to 
his  catalogue  the  name  heading  this  note  is  the  correct  one. 
Although  neither  of  the  parents  can  be  considered  an  altogether 
satisfactory  garden  plant,  the  good  qualities  of  both  have  been 
transmitted  to  the  offspring  with  few  of  the  shortcomings,  and  a  very 
good  garden  plant  is  the  result.  In  habit  it  assumes  the  bushiness 
of  triphylla  with  more  freedom  of  growth.  The  inflorescence  and 
foliage  are  nearer  those  of  the  other  parent,  the  leaves  being  almost 
as  large,  while  the  flowers  are  red  and  nearly  3  inches  long,  and 
produced  in  the  same  terminal,  indefinite  inflorescence  of  boliviana. 
To  grow  it  well  it  should  be  given  more  heat  when  started  in  spring 
than  is  usually  given  to  Fuchsias,  otherwise  flowers  will  be  produced 
at  the  expense  of  growth.  If  kept  growing  without  allowing  any 
flowers  until  the  end  of  May,  bushy  plants  a  foot  or  more  high  may 
be  had  which  will  flower  throughout  summer  and  autumn  with  the 
greatest  freedom.  A  group  of  plants  in  the  temperate  house  at  Kew 
are  at  the  present  time  full  of  flower,  the  same  plants  having  been  in 
blossom  for  nearly  four  months. — W.  D. 
Carnations  In  Pots, — The  first  essential  for  success  is  healthy 
cuttings,  sturdy  and  strong.  With  weakly  cuttings  or  growths  from 
unhealthy  plants  it  is  almost  impossible  to  produce  satisfactory  results. 
The  next  point  is  to  allow  no  check  to  the  plants  in  their  early  stages 
of  growth,  and  especially  must  care  be  taken  that  they  are  not 
permitted  to  be  root-bound  in  small  pots  before  they  are  shifted  into 
larger.  The  want  of  timely  potting  results  in  many  failures.  The 
plants  ought  to  be  shifted,  always  before  the  roots  are  matted,  into  8  or 
9-inch  pots,  or  even  larger,  and  be  grown  in  frames  during  the  early 
part  of  the  season,  and  afterwards  in  the  open  air,  great  care  being 
exercised  in  watering  them.  If  the  plants  must  be  grown  in  small  pots 
liquid  manure  is  essential  after  the  pots  are  filled  with  roots. — E.  C. 
Streptocarpus  Fannlnl. — Of  the  many  species  of  Streptocarpus 
in  cultivation  none  has  a  better  constitution  than  this  Australian 
species.  Many  of  the  South  African  species  flower  well  once  and  then 
gradually  dwindle  away,  it  becoming  necessary  to  grow  a  fresh  stock 
of  plants  from  seeds  each  year.  Others  will  flower  for  two  or  three 
seasons  and  then  disappear,  but  the  one  under  notice  will  keep 
growing  and  flowering  for  quite  a  number  of  years,  provided  it  is 
divided  occasionally.  It  can  also  be  grown  much  cooler  than  many 
others,  and  thrives  well  in  light  and  shade.  It  makes  a  mass  of  bright 
green  leaves  9  to  15  inches  long  and  4  to  5  inches  wide.  The  flowers 
are  pale  lilac,  medium  sized,  and  borne  profusely  on  stems  9  to  15  inches 
high,  the  flowering  season  ranging  from  eight  to  ten  weeks,  commencing 
in  July.  For  planting  out  in  large  houses  it  is  an  admirable  plant, 
growing  and  flowering  well  in  shade  and  making  an  excellent  companion 
for  Begonia  Rex  and  Ferns.  A  mixture  of  peat  and  loam  is  the  soil 
which  suits  them  best. — R.  G.  K. 
A  Wote  on  IMClldew. — It  is  generally  considered  that  mildew  is 
the  result  of  a  peculiar  state  of  the  atmosphere.  As  regards  vineries  I 
am  of  opinion  that  a  close  moist  atmosphere  will  produce  mildew.  I 
believe  this  from  two  cases  which  have  come  under  my  own  observation. 
It  both  cases  a  close  confined  atmosphere  started  it,  and  when  once  the 
Vine  mildew  becomes  established,  there  is  the  risk  of  its  spreading 
through  every  vinery,  and  it  may  reach  Vines  also  in  other  places  in  the 
vicinity  of  those  affecteck  Proper  ventilation  of  vineries  is  most 
important  in  order  to  prevent  it.  If  it  should  make  its  appearance 
dust  the  bunches  or  the  house  with  sulphur.  Vine  mildew  is  very 
different  to  the  kind  that  affects  the  Rose  and  Peach  tree,  though  no 
doubt  the  same  kind  of  influences  will  generate  either.  Peach  trees 
sometimes  may  only  be  affected  in  one  or  two  cases  in  a  garden,  and 
the  variety  Royal  George  is  a  likely  one  to  be  affected.  It  may  be 
considered  singular  how  one  Peach  tree  may  be  much  affected  with 
mildew  and  another  beside  it  not  touched.  The  probability  is  that  the 
case  would  be  different  in  a  vinery,  for  as  I  have  just  noted,  the 
mildew  would  go  over  the  whole  house.  With  Roses  in  pots  in  a  Peach 
house  I  have  observed  that  with  want  of  ventilation  the  mildew  soon 
makes  its  appearance,  and  curls  up  and  whitens  the  leaves  of  the  Rose 
plants  when  the  Peaches  are  not  affected.  This  shows  that  Roses  are 
more  liable  to  mildew  under  a  close  atmosphere  than  Peach  trees,  being 
affected  with  it  in  an  atmosphere  in  which  Peaches  are  exempt. — M.  R. 
Artemisia  trldentata. — In  many  books  dealing  with  life  and 
scenes  in  the  United  States  mention  is  sometimes  made  of  this  plant 
under  the  name  of  the  Sage  Bush,  it  being  spoken  of  as  covering  the 
ground  almost  exclusively  in  some  parts.  More  especially  is  this  the 
case  with  those  works  which  deal  with  the  Western  States,  where  it  is 
often  called  hard  names  by  those  who  have  had  to  ride  through  its  stiff 
unyielding  stems.  As  an  ornamental  plant  for  the  garden  it  is  worthy 
of  a  place  from  its  distinct  habit  and  freedom  of  growth.  It  will  grow 
practically  anywhere  and  in  any  soil ;  if  anything,  it  prefers  a  dry, 
sandy  soil  to  any  other.  It  forms  with  age  a  spieading  bush  4  to  6  feet 
high,  with  thick  woody  stems,  but  is  seen  to  the  best  advantage  in  a 
young  state,  and  as  cuttings  are  very  easy  to  root,  it  is  perhaps  best 
to  keep  a  young  stock  to  replace  old  stools  that  get  ragged.  The 
leaves  are  1  to  2  inches  long,  widening  gradually  from  base  to  tip,  where 
they  are  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  wide,  and  ending  in  a  twice-cleft 
blunt  end.  The  leaves  and  young  stems  are  covered  with  a  dense  white 
tomentum,  which  gives  the  plant  a  hoary  appearance.  The  flowers  are 
small,  greenish  yellow,  and  inconspicuous,  borne  in  racemes  about  a  foot 
long,  which  appear  in  June  or  July,  but  the  flowers  do  not  expand  until 
September.  The  beauty  of  the  plant  lies,  however,  in  its  peculiarly 
shaped  leaves  and  whitened  appearance.  If  the  flower  stems  are  cut 
away  as  soon  as  they  appear  the  plant  is  improved  rather  than  otherwise 
by  their  absence. — C. 
