41 G 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
May  16,  1901. 
Gerbera  Jamesool. — A  leading  American  florist  paper  has  been 
asked  by  one  of  its  correspondents  to  make  the  announcement  that  he 
has  no  stock  of  this  plant  for  sale,  and  does  not  know  from  whom  it  can 
be  procured  in  America.  It  is  obtainable  from  European  dealers  in 
hardy  plants.  During  the  last  few  Drill  Hall  meetings  some  beautiful 
plants  of  Gerbera  Jamesoni  have  been  exhibited. 
Florida  Wild  Flowers. — Florida  is  regarded  as  the  land  of 
flowers.  This  fact  gave  origin  to  the  name  of  the  State.  But  there  is 
nothing  so  handsome  but  can  be  made  more  beautiful.  A  correspondent 
to  “  Meehans’  Monthly,”  under  the  date  of  April  15th,  writes  that  the 
pretty  wild  flower  of  Texas,  the  Drummond  Phlox,  has  become 
abundantly  naturalised  in  the  State,  and  that  the  many  shades  of 
colour  we  find  in  gardens  follow  them  as  they  extend  their  territory. 
The  effect  of  this  as  an  early  spring  wild  flower  is  described  as 
charming. 
Tropaeolum  Sunlight. — What  many  a  show  group  of  foliage  and 
flowering  plants  stands  in  need  of  is  a  subject  at  once  light,  brilliant, 
and  graceful.  Tropaeolum  Sunlight  is  a  plant  that  produces  a  profusion 
of  deep  golden  yellow  flowers  on  long  curving  stalks,  and  can  be  trained 
in  a  pyramidal  form,  in  which  shape  the  upper  laterals  droop,  and 
display  to  the  fullest  the  beauty  of  the  foliage  and  flowers.  There  is 
at  Byecroft  a  considerable  number  of  plants  in  one  of  the  houses, 
and  these  at  present  are  indeed  charming.  It  is  an  easily  grown  plant, 
and  very  amenable  to  culture  in  pots. 
Propagation  of  Hyacinths  from  Bulbils.  —  The  method  of 
propagation  is  very  interesting.  It  was  discovered,  so  the  story  runs> 
by  an  accident,  and  was  due  to  the  depredations  of  marauding  mice.  A 
Dutch  faimer  found  that  some  of  his  bulbs  had  been  attacked  by  mice, 
which  had  nibbled  away  the  centre  of  the  bottom  of  the  bulb  around 
which  the  roots  grow.  This,  it  might  have  been  apprehended,  would 
have  irretrievably  damaged  the  bulbs,  but  instead  of  that  it  was  found 
that  around  the  injured  spot  some  twenty  or  thirty  new  baby  bulbs  had 
begun  to  form.  The  accident  set  up  a  train  of  thought,  which  led  to 
the  adoption  of  new  methods.  The  central  part  within  the  bulb’s  ring 
of  roots  is  now  cut  away,  and  the  bulb  is  left  for  a  time  in  the  sun. 
Then  it  is  planted  out,  and  in  due  time  the  little  bulbs  begin  to  appear. 
They  feed  upon  the  devoted  parent  until  they  have  practioally  consumed 
it,  but  in  sacrificing  the  head  of  the  family  the  farmer  secureB  a  score  or 
two  of  its  cffsprings,  whose  bringing  up  is  now  his  next  oare.  For  six 
or  seven  long  years  he  must  tend  them.  Every  year  they  are  planted  in 
fresh  ground  carefully  prepared,  so  that  every  one  of  their  needs  may 
be  supplied,  and  at  last  there  oomes  the  time  when  they  bloom  in 
perfection  and  are  picked  from  the  soil  for  the  storeroom. 
Artificial  Pollination  of  Carnations. — An  account  is  given 
in  “  Garter  flora  ”  of  cross-pollinating  Dianthus chinensis  with  the  pollen 
of  D.  Caryophyllus  for  the  purpose  of  combining  the  vigorous  growing 
habit  and  strong  stems  of  the  first  with  the  rich  colour  and  odour  of  the 
latter.  Incidentally  pollen  from  D.  barbatus  and  D.  plumarius  was  also 
used  to  fertilise  the  Chinese  Carnation.  The  pollen  of  D.  barbatus  was 
effective,  and  seventy  good  seeds  were  obtained;  but  that  of  D.  plumarius 
exerted  no  influence  whatever.  Some  100  seeds  were  obtained  when 
D.  chinensis  was  pollinated  by  D.  Caryophyllus.  These  were  sown. 
None  of  the  resulting  Carnations  were  alike  in  type,  form,  or  leaf 
formation.  Out  of  sixty  blossoms  only  three  were  well  filled.  Ten  of 
the  more  promising  plants  were  set  in  pots,  pollinated  with  D.  Caryo¬ 
phyllus,  and  the  seed  harvested  in  the  fall.  This  seed,  when  sown  the 
following  spring,  produced  plants  which  blossomed  at  intervals  between 
June  1st  and  September  30th.  Selected  plants  were  again  pollinated 
with  D.  Caryophyllus  and  the  operation  repeated  three  times.  The 
result  of  the  experiment  at  the  end  of  six  years  is  a  plant  which  blossoms 
earlier  than  D.  Caiyophyllus  and  has  a  stronger  stem.  It  is  believed 
that  after  a  few  years  this  strain  can  be  so  fixed  as  to  come  true  to 
seed.  The  experiment  is  further  believed  to  show  that  it  requires  at 
least  ten  years  before  satisfactory  results  can  be  obtained  in  cross- 
pollinating  Carnations. 
Aralla  splnosa. — Of  the  large  ornamental  shrubs  there  are  few 
more  ungainly  in  their  winter  aspect  than  Hercules’  Club,  Aralia 
spinosa.  They  look  like  curious  walking  canes  prepared  for  giants,  and 
driven  into  the  ground  without  order  or  system,  but  when  in  leaf  and 
flower  they  are  delightful,  and  especially  in  flowering  time.  The  huge 
masses  of  white  flowers  have  a  slightly  rosy  tint,  and  attract  the  attention 
of  even  the  most  callous  to  the  charms  of  Nature. 
A  Botanical  Problem. — It  is  impossible  for  man  to  say  why  the 
Maple  tree  and  Sugar  cane  have  so  much  sweeter  sap  than  other  plants. 
One  can  as  easily  explain  the  superabundance  of  cow’s  milk.  The 
creature  does  not  need  for  itself  or  its  offspring  so  great  an  excess,  and 
man  gets  the  benefit  of  the  overproduction.  These  and  other  phenomena 
are  controlled  by  the  mysterious  law  of  h  eredity,  which  imperatively 
compels  the  Oak  to  shape  its  leaves  after  one  pattern  and  the  Locust 
by  another,  but  without  vouchsafing  any  reason  why. 
“  Don'ts  ”  for  Grape-thinners. — Don’t  (1)  work  with  dirty 
scissors,  (2)  rub  the  berries  with  the  head,  nor  (3)  thin  through  the 
bunch  ;  rather  thin  on  the  outside  and  have  less  accidents  and  no  dirty 
berries.  Don’t  open  the  scissor-blades  more  than  necessary,  as  other 
berries  that  are  required  in  the  formation  of  the  bunch  are  apt  by 
mistake  to  be  taken  out.  Don’t  commence  thinning  from  the  top  of 
bunch,  but  work  up  from  base,  and  never  hold  the  scissors  loosely,  but 
grip  firmly  and  insure  steadiness.  Don’t  leave  a  lot  of  inside  berries, 
as  these  are  only  crowded  in  and  soon  (when  ripe)  decay,  and  cause  the 
loss  of  the  whole  bunch. — W.  H.  It. 
The  Xawson  Carnation. — Writing  to  an  American  contemporary, 
a  correspondent  refers  to  Carnation  Mrs.  Thomas  W.  Lawson  thus  : — 
“  Mrs.  Lawson  is  an  early  and,  by  reason  of  its  exceptional  vitality  # 
continuous  bloomer,  throwing  up  its  growths  in  rapid  succession,  so 
that  it  comes  as  near  being  continuous  as  any  variety  yet  produced, 
Its  productiveness  is  wonderful  considering  the  quality  of  the  flower, 
and  to  stimulate  this  a  liberal  supply  of  nourishment  is  necessary.  I 
find  an  occasional  top-dressing  of  pulverised  sheep  manure  every  two 
weeks  suits  the  plants  admirably,  commencing  to  give  the  applications 
early  in  November,  and  continuing  them  all  through  the  winter  and 
spring  season.  Should  the  soil  appear  to  be  overfed  or  sour  withhold 
the  sheep  manure,  and  substitute  a  good  dusting  of  air-slaked  lime.” 
Prunes  versus  Oatmeal. — In  an  editorial  on  rearing  children,  a 
Philadelphia  newspaper  recently  contained  the  expressions  : — “  More 
especially  they  were  not  to  be  ‘  pampered  ’  with  delicate  food,  and  as 
the  Queen’s  children  learned  to  eat  oatmeal,  nearly  all  the  children  of 
the  British  Islands  and  many  in  America  were  put  upon  a  diet  which 
a  ploughman  can  digest,  but  which  has  made  three-fifths  of  the  Scotch 
life-long  dyspeptics.  A  minority  throve  under  this  treatment,  as  it 
would  under  any  ;  the  majority  either  were  weakened  for  life,  or  went 
early  to  swell  the  bills  of  mortality.  Prunes  are  the  correct  breakfast 
food.  Think  it  over.  Farmers  are  beginning  to  rig  up  the  reapers  and 
mowers  ready  for  the  opening  crop  of  hay,  for  it  is  surely  going  to 
come.  In  a  water  famine  you  do  not  get  the  fruit ;  but  in  a  car  famine 
yon  get  it,  and  wish  you  had  not.”  We  read,  however,  in  the  same 
paper  that  “  Prune  trees  are  very  poor  selling  with  nurserymen  this 
year,”  whioh  perhaps  affords  a  reason  why  good  oatmeal  is  condemned 
in  favour  of  Prunes. 
Lack  of  Colour  In  Purple-leaved  Trees. — It  is  not  generally 
known  that  trees  and  shrubs  with  purple  coloured  leaves  are  rarely 
of  as  good  a  colour  the  season  succeeding  a  planting  as  they  are 
before  and  after  it.  There  is  something  in  the  transplanting  which 
lessens  the  colour.  This  is  notably  the  case  with  the  blood-leaved 
Beech,  the  Japan  blood  Maple,  the  purple  Filbert,  and  like  kinds.  It 
is  not  at  all  exceptional  for  nurserymen  to  be  berated,  as  Joseph 
Meehan  says  in  “The  Florists’  Exchange,”  by  customers  who  believe 
they  have  been  imposed  on,  and  have  received  something  of  an 
inferior  colour.  The  best  type  of  purple  Beech  will  be  of  no  better 
colour  than  the  copper  Beech,  and  only  when  full  confidence  exists 
will  customers  be  satisfied  that  they  possess  the  real  thing.  After 
the  tree  reoovers  from  its  transplanting  the  usual  colour  returns  to 
its  foliage.  There  is  much  to  be  discovered  concerning  the  colouring 
of  leaves.  In  the  cases  mentioned,  injury  to  them  in  transplanting 
lessens  the  intensity  of  colour,  but  what  is  called  autumn  colouring  is 
increased  by  injuring  the  branches.  Take  a  red  Maple,  scarlet  Oak> 
or  anything  that  colours  brightly  in  autumn,  and  injure  a  branch,  and 
the  foliage  on  that  branch  will  be  much  more  brilliant  than  seen  on 
any  other  part  of  the  tree. 
