538 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  13,  1900 
Winter  Flowerlngr  Beg-onlas. — At  the  Kingston  Show,  a  class 
being  inserted  in  the  schedule  for  six  plants  in  bloom  of  winter, 
flowering  Begonias,  some  eight  or  nine  sets  were  staged,  in  all  cases 
of  Gloire  de  Lorraine.  The  new  class  took  on  strongly,  but  it  is  hoped 
that  another  year  some  growers  may  And  it  possible  to  introduce  one 
or  two  other  varieties  at  least.  If  they  could  obtain  tubers  of 
that  brilliant  crimson  scarlet  hybrid  Mrs.  Heal,  which  Messrs.  Veitch 
and  Sons  showed  so  finely  at  the  last  Drill  Hall  meeting,  with 
Moonlight  and  one  or  two  others,  the  classes  will  be  made  much 
more  interesting.  As  it  was,  most  of  the  plants  were  remarkably 
well  done,  and  the  class  was,  in  that  respect  and  as  a  novelty,  a 
great  success. — D. 
Daphne  Blagayana. — This  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  smaller- 
growing  Daphnes,  and  at  the  same  time  one  of  the  most  diflacult  to  deal 
with.  It  is  a  small,  evergreen,  semi -prostrate  shrub,  and  should  be 
planted  in  a  rockery  or  in  some  position  where  it  will  be  sheltered  from 
injury,  and  is  not  likely  to  be  smothered  by  other  stionger-growing 
plants.  It  is  extremely  difficult  to  establish,  and  should  be  moved  as 
little  as  possible,  though  it  is  thoroughly  hardy,  and  does  not  require 
any  particularly  sheltered  position,  provided  it  is  a  moderately  dry  one. 
The  flowers  open  in  March  and  April,  and  are  borne  in  terminal  clusters 
of  about  twenty  in  each,  individually  small,  pure  white,  and  sweetly 
scented.  The  leaves  are  nearly,  or  quite,  sessile,  leathery  in  texture, 
1^  to  2  inches  long,  of  a  glaucous  hue  beneath,  and  deep  shining  green 
above.  When  well  established  D.  Blagayana  is  one  of  the  prettiest 
of  dwarf  plants,  covering  a  space  of  2  or  3  feet  square,  making  a 
splendid  show  when  covered  with  its  tiusses  of  flowers,  and  at 
the  same  time  loading  the  air  with  its  sweet  perfume.  It  is  a  native 
of  Carniolia. — C. 
American  Iiemons. — The  annual  consumption  of  Lemons  in  the 
United  States  amounts  to  about  5,000,000  boxes.  In  1896,  Italy  and 
Spain  supplied  4,700,000  boxes  of  Lemons,  and  300,000  boxes  were 
grown  in  California.  Last  year  there  were  imported  from  Mediter¬ 
ranean  countries  3,800,000  boxes  of  Lemons,  and  1,200,000  boxes  of 
the  fruit  came  from  the  Pacific  coast.  This  year,  says  a  transatlantic 
authority,  the  importation  of  Lemons  will  be  considerably  smaller 
than  ever  before,  and,  provided  the  present  high  standard  of  the 
Californian  fruit  is  maintained,  the  growers  of  the  State  will  in 
the  course  of  a  few  seasons  succeed  in  driving  the  Mediterranean 
Lemons  from  our  markets,  just  as  they  have  driven  out  foreign 
Prunes  and  Raisins.  Rough  estimates  put  the  capital  invested  in 
California  in  growing  and  curing  Lemons  with  all  the  appurtenances 
at  4,500,000  dels. 
Jottings  on  Fines. — Suckers  ready  for  starting  now  may  be  kept 
until  March,  and  if  there  is  likely  to  be  a  scarcity  of  suckers,  any 
recently  potted  may  be  kept  in  5-inch  pots,  affording  a  light  position  in 
a  moist  pit  with  a  slight  bottom  heat,  and  a  temperature  of  55°  at  night, 
keeping  them  rather  dry  at  the  roots.  Young  stock  suffer  irreparable 
mischief  from  being  kept  too  close  and  warm.  Well  ventilated  span  or 
three-quarters  span-roofed  pits,  or  small  houses  properly  heated  and 
ventilated,  are  the  most  suitable  for  Pine  growing.  A  temperature  of 
b5  at  night  should  not  be  exceeded,  but  a  mean  between  that  and  55° 
a“  night,  which,  with  65°  in  the  daytime,  will  keep  young  stock  gently 
progressing,  admitting  a  little  air  at  the  top  of  the  house  at  65°,  leaving 
it  on  all  day,  but  not  to  lower  the  temperature  below  that  point,  and 
when  the  sun  raises  the  temperature  to  75°  a  free  circulation  of  air 
should  be  allowed.  Keep  the  bottom  heat  steady  at  80°,  avoiding 
anything  approaching  to  a  damp  atmosphere.  Apply  water  only  when 
the  plants  become  dry,  and  then  give  weak  liquid  manure.  Keep  the 
glass  clean,  the  plants  near  to  it,  and  allow  them  plenty  of  room.  In 
the  fruiting  department  65°  will  be  ample  at  night,  5°  lower  in  the 
morning  in  cold  weather,  70°  to  75°  by  day.  Take  every  opportunity 
of  collecting  leaves  whilst  dry.  Oak  and  Beech  being  the  best ;  and 
whenever  a  favourable  opportunity  offers  push  forward  whatever  may 
be  necessary  in  the  renewing  or  augmenting  the  fermenting  beds. 
— Pkactice. 
Tbe  Value  of  Barly  Spraying'. — From  the  School  of  Horticul¬ 
ture  of  Nova  Scotia  comes  a  statement  that  last  spring,  before  the 
Apple  trees  bloomed,  there  was  so  much  wet  weather  that  many 
orchardists  failed  to  spray  their  trees,  but  did  spray  two  or  three  times 
after  the  blossoms  fell.  In  nearly  every  such  case  where  no  early 
spraying  was  done  the  Apples  were  badly  spotted,  no  matter  how  many 
times  they  were  sprayed  after  blossoming.  But  those  who  sprayed 
early  enough  had  Apples  very  free  from  black  spots,  even  though  they 
sprayed  only  once  after  the  blossoms  fell.  The  wet  weather  was  the 
most  favourable  time  for  the  growth  of  the  fungus  that  causes  the 
black  spot.  This  may  explain  why  some  have  reported  small  succet® 
from  spraying,  while  other  who  sprayed  no  more,  but  sprayed  early 
or  between  showers,  report  good  crops  of  clean  fruit. 
Iiagerstroemla  Indlca. — Among  the  many  tropical  and  subtropical 
plants  which  are  said  to  make  a  very  fine  display  in  their  native  places 
many  prove  disappointing  when  grown  under  glass  in  this  country. 
This,  however,  cannot  be  laid  to  the  charge  of  the  plant  under  notice, 
for  it  is  said  to  flower  quite  as  well  here  as  in  India,  where  it  is  one 
of  the  most  favoured  garden  shrubs.  To  grow  it  well  it  should  be 
planted  in  an  intermediate  house  in  loam,  given  a  sunny  position,  and 
dried  off  in  winter.  On  the  approach  of  spring  all  the  previous  year’s 
wood  should  be  shortened  to  get  good,  strong  young  shoots.  If  a  lot 
of  growths  are  made,  all  the  weak  ones  should  be  removed  when  a  few 
inches  long,  by  which  means  the  inflorescences  will  be  greatly  improved. 
Flowering  will  commence  about  the  end  of  July,  every  shoot  being 
terminated  with  large  panicles  of  pretty  fringed  blossoms.  The  flowers 
of  the  typical  plant  aie  pink,  but  variation  may  be  had  by  growing  the 
purple,  deep  red,  and  white  varieties.  It  can  be  readily  rooted  from 
cuttings  of  half-ripe  wood,  and  can  be  grown  and  flowered  as  a  pot 
plant.  If  grown  in  the  latter  way  it  must  be  well  fed  and  thinned  to 
encourage  strong  shoots. — D. 
IText  Season’s  Fruit  Crop. — It  is  remarkable  how  long  the 
leaves  remained  on^^any  fruit  trees  last  autumn.  Some  Peach  trees 
were  almost  in  full  leaf  on  the  21st  of  November,  as  well  as  Gooseberries, 
Raspberries,  Nectarines,  and  Apples.  This  is  very  favourable  for  next 
spring’s  blossom,  as  the  fruit  buds  have  such  a  much  better  chance  of 
maturing.  While  the  leaves  are  on  they  are  elaborating  plant  food, 
and  this  goes  to  swell  the  fruit  buds,  harden  the  young  wood,  and  store 
up  plant  food  in  the  tissues  of  the  trees  for  developing  next  spring’s 
blossom.  The  sunny  September  and  December,  too,  that  we  bad,  gave 
the  young  wood  a  tine  chance  of  ripening,  which  has  a  great  effect  on 
the  fruit  crop  of  the  following  year,  especially  in  the  case  of  those 
trees  which  bear  principally  on  the  young  wood.  Wet  autumns,  when 
the  trees  get  little  sun,  and  the  young  wood  remains  sappy  in  con¬ 
sequence,  are  seldom  followed  by  a  good  show  of  blossom,  and  still 
more  seldom  by  a  good  crop  of  fruit.  Notwithstanding  the  miserable 
November,  it  is  doubtful  if  the  subsoil  has  got  wetted  in  most  places, 
so  that  a  can  or  two  of  water,  especially  of  liquid  manure,  might  well 
be  of  service,  and  be  worth  the  trouble  of  administering  to  the  choicest 
fruit  trees. — A.  P. 
Saving  His  Reputation. — No  craftsman  likes  interference  from 
amateurs,  and  in  this  respect  gardeners  form  no  exception  to  the  rule) 
as  will  be  seen  from  the  following  story.  A  former  Duke  of  Bedford 
planted  the  large  plantation  in  Woburn  Park  to  commemorate  the 
birth  of  his  daughter.  It  was  more  than  100  acres  in  extent,  and  it 
occupied  the  site  of  an  old  rabbit  warren,  which  produced  nothing  in  a 
botanical  way  but  a  few  blades  of  grass  with  the  Heath  and  Ling 
indigenous  to  the  soil,  and  which  had  been  without  a  single  tree  upon  it. 
The  plantation  flourished,  and,  in  the  course  of  a  few  years,  the  Duke, 
perceiving  that  it  required  thinning  in  order  to  admit  a  free  circulation 
of  air  and  so  give  health  and  vigour  to  the  young  trees,  gave  instructions 
to  his  gardener  accordingly,  and  directed  him  as  to  the  mode  and  extent 
of  the  thinning  required.  “  Your  Grace  must  pardon  me,”  said  the 
gardener  after  some  hesitation,  “  if  I  humbly  remonstrate  against  your 
orders,  but  I  cannot  possibly  do  what  you  desire,  it  would  at  once 
destroy  the  young  plantation,  and,  moreover,  it  would  be  seriously 
injurious  to  my  reputation  as  a  planter.”  “Do  as  I  tell  you  ”  said  the 
Duke  impetuously,  “  and  I  will  take  care  of  your  reputation.”  The 
plantation,  which  ran  for  nearly  a  mile  along  a  frequented  high  road, 
was  thinned  according  to  the  Duke’s  instructions,  and  his  Grace  beit  g 
a  man  of  his  word,  caused  a  board  to  be  fixed  in  the  plantation  facing 
the  road  with  the  following  inscription  :  “This  plantation  has  been 
thinned  by  John,  Duke  of  Bedford,  contrary  to  the  advice  and  opinion 
of  his  garderer.” — J.  C. 
