264 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  28,  1901. 
into  flower,  and  some  nice,  bright  morning,  fertilise  these  with  care, 
and  do  not  fail  to  label  or  book  the  cross  you  have  made,  for  it  will  be 
instructive  and  useful  in  three  years  hence,  when  the  plants 
are  iD  flower.  I  once  had  to  pay  dearly  for  not  labelling  those  1 
had  crossed,  having  inadvertently  cut  their  blooms  for  drawing-room 
decoration. 
1  will  now  just  explain  my  mode  of  fertilisation.  In  the  first 
place  leave  only  one  or  two  pods  of  seed,  for  it  is  very  exhausting  to 
the  plants  to  leave  more.  One  pod  will  give  you  fifty  or  sixty  seeds, 
and  by  leaving  only  one  pod  of  seed  the  plant  will  bloom  again  next 
season.  In  a  few  days  you  will  observe  the  pods  swell  ;  give  the 
plant  a  nice  light  place,  and  keep  your  eye  upon  it,  or  you  may  find 
the  pod  burst  and  the  seed  fall  to  the  floor.  So  soon  as  the  seed  is 
ripe  and  dry,  at  once  sow  in  pans  or  boxes.  Avoid  sowing  too 
thickly,  for  quite  90  per  cent,  will  germinate ;  place  in  a  temperature 
of  about  60°  so  soon  as  they  are  up,  and  at  all  times  give  them  all 
the  light  possible.  When  you  can  see  that  they  have  made  minute 
bulbs,  at  once  pot  them  singly  into  60-size  pots,  using  soil  not  too 
heavy,  say  two  parts  loam,  one  leaf  mould,  and  a  little  well  rotted 
manure.  That  from  old  Mushroom  beds  is  what  I  use,  adding  sufficient 
sand  to  keep  the  whole  open  and  sweet ;  have  clean  pots,  and  crock 
carefully. 
When  potted,  replace  in  the  same  temperature,  upon  a  shelf,  where 
they  will  enjoy  plenty  of  sun  and  air,  watering  carefully,  and  when 
the  weather  permits  do  not  be  afraid  to  use  the  syringe  freely,  to  keep 
down  red  spider,  which  insect  is  very  fond  of  these  plants.  I  consider 
that  this  pest  is  the  very  worst  we  have  to  battle  with.  Use  clean 
water  and  a  good  syringe,  and,  by  wearing  a  pair  of  clogs,  you  can  then 
paddle  in  water  without  wetting  your  feet,  and  what  can  be  nicer 
when  you  have  finished  your  watering  and  syringing  than  to  change 
your  clogs  to  nice,  dry,  clean  boots  ? 
The  young  plants  should  remain  in  these  pots  till  March,  and  if 
all  has  gone  on  well  and  nothing  has  been  neglected,  they  will  require 
potting°on  into  4£  or  5-inch  pots.  This  time  the  soil  should  be 
heavier,  say  three  "parts  loam,  one  of  mould,  and  one  of  well-rotted 
manure,  with  sufficient  sand  to  keep  the  whole  open.  Grow  on  in  an 
intermediate  temperature,  only  shading  enough  to  prevent  scorching. 
Syringe  heavily  throughout  the  summer  months,  and  by  the  end  of 
August  or  middle  of  September  they  will  have  finished  their  growth. 
Put  them  in  a  light  house  and  winter  them  at  a  temperature  of  45°  to 
50 0  giving  juBt  sufficient  water  to  keep  them  moving  at  the  roots. 
Do*  not  incite  them  to  make  leaves  at  this  dull  time  of  the  year. 
Here  they  should  remain  till  March,  then  again  repot  into  6  or  7-inch 
pots,  according  to  the  roots  they  may  possess,  though  a  few  may  not 
require  it  at  all.  I  do  not  believe  in  potting  unless  it  is  necessary. 
Use  soil  as  at  the  last  potting,  and  a  few  handfuls  of  bonemeal  or  dust 
may  be  added  with  advantage. 
Grow  them  on  again  in  an  intermediate  temperature  the  same  as 
last  season,  with  plenty  of  light,  air,  and  shade.  The  plants  will  be 
two  and  a  half  years  old  in  the  autumn,  so  by  degrees  withhold  water 
altogether,  but  do  not  allow  the  bulbs  to  shrivel.  In  February  top-dress 
and°ram  the  soil  round  the  sides  of  the  pots,  as  they  will  not  require 
potting  during  the  spring.  Afford  a  thorough  soaking  with  water,  also 
stove  heat,  and  the  bloom  spikes  will  soon  appear.  They  will  be  in  full 
beauty  in  six  or  eight  weeks’  time,  according  to  the  weather.  As  the 
blooms  open  remove  to  a  cooler  h<  use,  for  they  will  last  much  longer 
here,  especially  if  shaded  from  bright  sunshine.  If  the  plants  are 
arranged  with  Ferns  or  Spiraeas  it  adds  greatly  to  the  effect  of  the 
flowers,  for  they  do  not  always  have  their  own  foliage  when  in  flower. 
Seeing  they  are  in  a  cooler  house  do  not  overwater,  so  as  to  avoid 
premature  decay  of  the  roots. 
Thus  the  grower  will  now  have  good  flowering  bulbs,  which  he 
may  grow  on  again  as  during  the  previous  summer.  To  the  unpotted 
plants  give  several  applications  of  manure  water,  with  winter 
treatment  as  last  year.  In  spring  the  bulbs  will  require  different 
treatment.  Have  all  the  old  soil  shaken  out  from  the  roots,  and 
thoroughly  clean  the  bulbs  by  taking  all  the  old  loose  skin  off  ; 
also  sponge  them  with  soapy  water,  and  give  a  good  dusting  over  with 
tobacco  powder,  after  which  pot  them  up  again.  This  may  be  done 
annually,  for  I  have  proved  to  my  own  satisfaction  that  it  is  both  good 
and  necessary  for  the  welfare  of  the  bulbs.  I  may  add  that  my 
present  complement  of  Hippeastrums  numbers  about  300  plants  in 
various  stages  of  growth,  from  two  years  upwards,  exclusive  of 
younger  seedlings.  Once  all  my  plants  were  in  very  bad  state  through 
overwatering  them,  and  not  cleaning  aB  I  have  advised,  besides 
wintering  them  in  a  very  damp  house.  They  were  all  “rusty,” 
similar  to  the  appearance  left  after  attacks  by  mites. 
The  Hippeastrum  is  subject  to  red  spider,  thrips,  and  mealy  bug. 
For  the  two  former  fumigate  and  syringe  heavily,  and  for  the  latter 
nothing  beats  sponging  with  softsoap  and  water.  The  majority  of 
growers  usua  ly  plunge  their  flowering  bulbs  of  Hippeastrum  in  a 
hotbed,  but  it  is  a  system  I  have  never  practised  and  really  do  not 
think  it  is  at  all  necessary. — A.  Cryer. 
Certificated  Plants. — No.  8. 
The  Fritillaria. 
While  several  forms  of  Fritillaria  received  awards  during  last 
forty  years  covered  by  the  R.H.S.  list  of  certificated  plants,  none  of 
them  can  be  said  to  have  become  popular,  because  requiring  special 
cultivation.  It  is  curious  to  note  that  no  form  of  F.  imperialis 
(Crown  Imperial)  has  been  so  distinguished,  and  yet  it  is  the  type  one 
finds  most  commonly  in  gardens.  Mr.  F.  W.  Burbidge,  in  his 
“  Propagation  and  Improvement  of  Cultivated  Plants,”  laments  that 
little  or  nothing  has  been  done  to  improve  the  genus.  The  Dutch 
lists  show  no  novelties,  unless  it  be  in  the  direction  of  tho'e  with 
variegated  foliage,  and  to  these  home  growers  appear  to  attach  but  little 
importance.  The  large-flowered  forms  of  the  single  yellow  and  the 
single  red  are  really  gorgeous  plants  in  the  border,  when  fully 
established  in  suitable  soil. 
The  Fuchsia. 
We  appear  to  have’almost  reached  the  extreme  limits  of  improve¬ 
ment  in  the  Fuchsia.  The  list  under  notice  does  not  contain  the 
awards  to  any  florists’  flowers  made  since  1887,  a  fact  I  omitted  to 
mention  earlier  in  the  course  of  these  articles.  John  Salter,  while  he 
was  at  Versailles,  France,  raised  a  number  of  varieties,  so  did 
Cripps,  Harrison,  Standish,  and  others.  Such  species  and  hybrids 
as  corymbiflora,  dependens,  fulgens,  Standishi,  Dominiana,  &c.,  were 
popular  plants  in  conservatories  in  the  forties  and  fifties,  and  then  it  was 
that  Mayle,  Smith,  Banks,  and  others  began  to  raise  the  progenitors  of 
the  fine  decorative  varieties  grown  in  the  present  day.  One  sometimes 
meets  with  the  old  Venus  Victrix,  said  to  have  been  the  first  white 
sepalled  Fuchsia  raised.  Its  home  was  in  Kent,  and  it  was  distributed 
at  a  high  price  by  Mr.  Thomas  Cripps,  a  nurseryman  at  Tunbridge 
Wells.  0d6  of  the  most  prolific  of  raisers  during  the  fifties  and 
onwards  was  Mr.  Edward  Banks  of  Deal.  It  is  claimed  for  him  that 
he  obtained  the  first  white  corollaed  variety,  which  was  succeeded  in 
1857,  or  thereabouts,  by  a  French  introduction  named  Madame 
Corneillisen.  I  well  remember  with  what  interest  the  blooming  of 
this  variety  was  looked  for.  The  latest  most  successful  raiser  is  Mr. 
James  Lye  of  Market  Lavington,  Wilts,  his  progeny  being  remarkable 
for  their  vigorous  growth  and  freedom  of  bloom.  Invaluable  as  the 
Fuchsia  is  as  a  decorative  plant,  it  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be  generally 
cultivated  so  well  as  its  merits  demand,  though  at  Trowbridge,  Bath, 
and  elsewhere  large  and  imposing  specimens  are  grown  for  exhibition 
purposes.  F.  triphylla  should  be  noted  as  a  charming  plant  for  a 
warm  greenhouse. 
The  Gladiolus. 
One  of  the  foremost  flowers  of  the  past  half  century  is  the 
Gladiolus.  Few  contemporary  horticulturists  probably  remember 
G.  pscittacinus,  a  somewhat  small,  pale-coloured  species,  introduced 
many  years  ago  from  South-Eastern  Africa.  Tnis,  according  to  Van 
Houtte,  having  been  crossed  with  G.  cardinalis,  produced  G.  ganda- 
vensis,  the  advent  of  which  was  hailed  with  marked  approval ;  this, 
in  its  turn  crossed  with  the  pale-coloured  G.  floribundus,  and  with  the 
more  brilliant  G.  ramosus,  no  doubt  proved  the  remote  parents  of  the 
splendid  varieties  of  the  present  day.  One  of  the  first  to  take  in 
band  the  improvement  of  the  Gladiolus  was  Mons.  Souchet.  He 
availed  himself  of  the  assistance  of  several  species  as  parents,  but 
more  recently  G.  gandavensis.  Mr.  John  Standish  raised,  in  the  early 
seventies,  some  fine  varieties,  but  it  has  been  reserved  for  Messrs. 
Kelway  &  Son,  Langport,  and  Messrs.  Burrell  &  Co.  of  Cambridge,  to 
perfect  the  flower  as  we  see  it  in  the  present  day.  Such  growers  as 
Messrs.  J.  Douglas,  S.  Dobree,  W.  H.  Fowler,  the  Rev.  H.  H. 
D'Ombrain,  and  others  brought  the  Gladiolus  to  a  high  level  of 
beauty  as  an  exhibition  subject. 
The  section  known  as  Lemoinei  originated  with  M.  Victor  Lemoine 
of  Nancy,  France,  by  crossing  the  Cape  species,  G.  purpureo-auratus, 
on  to  some  of  the  fine  forms  of  G.  gandavensis  hybrids,  and  they  are 
popularly  known  as  Butterfly  hybrids.  By  further  originating  a 
cross  between  the  large  blotched  Lemoinei  varieties  and  G.  Saundersi, 
a  rich  crimson  species  obtained  from  the  Cape,  M.  Lemoine  produced 
the  section  known  as  IN  anceianus,  the  flowers  of  which  show  extra¬ 
ordinary  dimensions,  and  are  termed  by  some  Giant  Gladioli.  A 
section  of  large  flowered  varieties,  known  as  Childsi,  which  is  reported 
to  have  been  raised  in  the  United  States,  came  from  a  cross  between 
G.  Saundersi  and  G.  gandavensis ;  large  flowers  are  the  prevailing 
characteristic.  A  white  variety  of  G.  Colvillei,  also  a  hybrid,  is  very 
largely  grown  under  the  name  of  The  Bride  ;  and  the  varieties  of  the 
early  flowering  and  dwarf  growing  G.  ramosus  are  very  handsome. 
Two  crimson  flowered  varieties  of  tne  gandavensis  type — G.  bowiensis, 
the  origin  of  which  is  unknown,  and  G.  brenchleyensis,  a  richer 
crimson  than  bowiensis — raised  by  Mr.  Hooker,  a  nurseryman  at 
Brenchley,  were  highly  popular  for  many  years.  The  latter  is  still 
much  cultivated. 
The  Gloxinia. 
This  splendid  genus  has  not  only  undergone  a  great  improvement 
in  the  size  and  form  of  the  flowers  during  the  past  fifty  years,  but 
