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fOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  30,  1901. 
CARDEN,  GtfEANINCS 
l*/* ah. 
Tetratbeca  blrsuta. — An  exceedingly  showy  greenhouse  plant  with 
shoots  laden  thickly  with  rosy  mauve  pendent  flowers.  It  is  suitable 
for  greenhouse  decoration  in  spring,  and  may  be  treated  in  all  respeots 
as  Boronias  are.  Messrs.  Veitoh  showed  a  basketful  of  plants  of  this 
subject  at  a  reoent  Drill  Hall  meeting.  The  Tetrathecas  represent  a 
genus  of  Australian  evergreens.  An  illustration  of  T.  hirsuta  is 
furnished  on  page  461. 
Xilnarla. — Linaria  is  a  genus  very  closely  related  in  its  characters 
to  Antirrhinum,  but  having  a  distinct  spur  at  the  base  of  the  corolla. 
L.  vulgaris,  the  common  Toadflax,  is  common  on  hedge  banks  and 
borders  of  fields;  and  L.  Cymbalaria,  the  Ivy -leaved  Toadflax,  although 
not  British,  is  thoroughly  established  on  old  walls  in  many  places.  The 
latter  is  also  a  favourite  window  plant,  and  is  remarkable  for  the 
manner  in  which  its  petals  become  reflexed  after  flowering,  and  press 
their  ripening  capsules  into  the  crevices  of  walls,  &o. 
Tbe  Gorgeous  Tropaeolums.  —  The  following  are  named 
Tropseolums,  and  no  garden  should  be  without  great  masses  of  this 
showy,  annual  genus.  Tom  Thumb  section : — Empress  of  India, 
glowing  crimson;  Prinoe  Henry,  deep  crimson,  very  rich  ;  Chamaeleon, 
glowing  orange,  chooolate  spotted  throat ;  Cloth  of  Gold,  golden  ; 
Ruby  King,  ruby  rose;  Golden  King,  rich  golden  yellow;  and  Beauty, 
a  soft  buff  colour.  There  are  also  T.  Lobbi  fulgens,  brilliant  crimson 
scarlet ;  T.  King  Theodore,  deep  claret  red ;  and  T.  Lobbi  Brilliant,  a 
glowing  crimson  scarlet. 
Tbe  Nasturtiums. — The  Nasturtiums  have  the  advantage  over 
very  many  other  annuals.  They  are  amongst  the  best  of  all  plants  to 
grow  and  bloom  in  light  soil  and  warm,  dry,  sunny  banks,  and,  as  you 
wish  to  secure  flowers  in  such  a  position,  you  cannot  plant  anything 
better  than  them.  If  you  dig  the  soil  and  add  some  manure  to  it  at 
once,  and  sow  the  seed  at  the  middle  of  April,  they  will  be  in  bloom  at 
the  end  of  June,  and  make  a  fine  display  till  the  end  of  summer* 
Make  holes  8  inches  apart  and  2  inches  deep  all  over  the  surface  of 
the  beds.  Drop  a  seed  in  each.  This  is  all  the  attention  they  require. 
There  are  some  self-coloured  varieties  as  well  as  mixed  shades,  and 
they  are  oapable  of  making  a  more  bright  and  interesting  display  than 
those  not  familiar  with  them  know  of.  Being  low  growing  they  are 
also  well  adapted  for  windy  positions. 
Quassine. — This  is  the  latest  development  of  this  useful  garden 
insecticide,  which  in  modern  times  has  been  looked  upon  as  an 
indispensable  sundry  for  the  store.  By  the  use  of  quassia  the  fruit 
grower  is  enabled  to  deal  with  a  formidable  enemy — black  fly — which 
attack  Cherries  so  vigorously,  also  Plum  and  Peach  aphis  and  other 
soft-skinned  insects.  Under  glass,  too,  there  is  a  similar  use  for 
dealing  quickly  and  economically  with  small  insect  colonies,  and 
particularly  in  houses  of  large  size  not  permitting  of  fumigating. 
Quassine  is  a  most  highly  concentrated  form  of  Quassia  bark ;  so 
muoh  so,  that  a  small  phial  containing  about  two  tablespoonfuls  is 
estimated  by  the  vendors,  Messrs.  Thos.  Christy  &  Co.,  as  being  sufficient 
for  20  gallons  of  water.  Repeated  trials,  however,  prove  that  for  thrips 
and  Cherry  fly  it  must  be  made  stronger  than  this  to  be  effectual. 
The  great  feature  of  quassine  is  its  portability ;  the  20  gallon  dose 
can  easily  be  carried  in  the  waistcoat  pocket — a  strong  recommendation 
in  its  favour.  The  use  of  quassia  in  any  extracted  form  renders  the 
foliage  of  plants  or  trees  bitter  and  unpalatable  to  insects,  and  thus  by 
its  use  insect  attaok  can  to  some  extent  be  held  in  suspense,  and  by 
repeated  applications  destroyed  when  in  evidence.  We  found  that  the 
Turnip  fly — such  a  terror  to  the  gardener  always — quitted  the  seed 
beds  at  once  when  lightly  sprayed  over  with  diluted  quassine,  after 
other  measures  failed.  This  preparation  is  easily  and  quickly  soluble 
in  warm  water  to  which  softsoap  is  added.  Only  sufficient  warm  water 
is  needed  to  dissolve  the  quassine  and  soap,  it  can  then  be  added  to 
oold  water  up  to  the  prescribed  quantity.  The  moderate  cost,  together 
with  the  highly  concentrated  nature  of  quassine,  should  make  it  easily 
accessible  to  the  large  body  of  fruit,  plant,  and  vegetable  growers 
dependant  on  insecticides  throughout  Greater  Britain. 
Berlin’s  Gardens. — A  new  municipal  budget  shows  that  300 
streets  in  Berlin  are  planted  with  44,000  trees,  which  represent  a  value 
of  £38,000.  The  oare  of  the  municipal  parks  and  gardens  requires  230 
gardeners,  with  700  assistants,  male  and  female,  principally  the  latter. 
Common  Foxglove. — It  may  come  as  a  surprise  to  some  to  know 
that  the  common  Foxglove,  Digitalis  purpurea,  so  abundant  in  Britain, 
except  in  limestone  districts,  is  an  important  medicinal  plant.  It  is, 
however,  extremely  poisonous,  the  roots,  leaves,  and  seeds  containing 
a  powerfully  poisonous  bitter  principle,  called  digitalin,  to  which  its 
medicinal  properties  are  due. 
Schooled  to  be  Gardeners. — At  Lea  School,  the  birthplace  of 
Florence  Nightingale,  cottage  gardening  is  taught  from  Standard  IV. 
upwards  with  great  success.  A  quarter  of  an  acre  was  given  to  the 
sohool  by  Mrs.  Shore  Nightingale  ten  or  twelve  years  ago.  The  boys  do 
all  the  work  on  it,  growing  Potatoes,  fruit,  and  flowers,  and  take  its 
produce.  There  is  to  be  an  autumn  show,  patronised  by  the  Duke  of 
Devonshire. 
Narcissus  Robert:  Berkeley. — This  is  a  handsome  variety  of 
Narcissus,  which  closely  resembles  the  form  of  inoomparabilis  Sir 
Watkin.  Miss  Willmott  of  Warley  Place,  Great  Warley,  received  a 
first-class  certificate  for  it  on  April  23rd,  when  flowers  appeared  before 
the  Naroissus  Committee  in  the  Drill  Hall,  Westminster.  The  broad 
segments  are  white,  and  the  well  spread  crown  (corona)  pure  yellow,. 
We  furnish  an  illustration  on  page  449. 
Trees  for  Sable  Island. — The  Government  has  sent  Professor 
Saunders  to  Sable  Island  to  carry  out  a  scheme  for  covering  its  sandy 
wastes  with  vegetation.  Sable  Island  lies  at  the  entrance  of  the 
St.  Lawrence,  and  is  a  graveyard  of  shipping.  It  lies  so  low  that  it  is 
practically  indistinguishable  in  any  but  clear  weather ;  and  it  is  hoped 
by  covering  it  with  trees  to  make  it  more  conspicuous  to  mariners. 
Large  shipments  of  evergreen  trees  have  been  sent  from  Halifax,  says 
the  “  Daily  Express,”  and  Professor  Saunders  will  be  given  every  aid  in 
his  work. 
Schoolboy  Gardeners. — Gardening  is  encouraged  in  some  of 
the  sohools  under  the  Norwich  Sohool  Board.  At  Nelson  Street  sohool 
the  vegetable  gardens  cultivated  by  the  scholars  have  yielded  a  profit 
on  the  year’s  working,  £9  having  been  realised  by  sale  of  produce. 
A  portion  of  the  Chapel  Field  Park  has  now  been  granted  by  the 
Corporation  to  furnish  a  flower  garden  for  another  school,  and  the  boys 
are  hard  at  work  at  their  own  beds.  These  plots  will  inolude  a 
botanical  garden,  and  the  trees  in  the  park  will  also  be  labelled  for 
educational  purposes.  The  lads  work  under  a  syllabus  approved  by 
the  Education  Department,  and  they  will  earn  a  grant. 
Gooseberries. — Chemically  this  fruit  oontains  citric  acid,  peotose 
gum,  sugar,  cellulose,  albumen,  mineral  matter,  and  water.  The 
quantity  of  flesh  formers  is  small.  The  pectose  when  heated  makes  a 
capital  jelly.  Mr.  Broadbent  states  that  the  young  leaves  of  the 
Gooseberry  plant  used  as  salads  are  good  for  gravel.  The  red  Goose¬ 
berry  furnishes  an  excellent  jelly,  most  beneficial  for  plethorio  and 
bilious  subjects.  Gooseberry  fool,  so  acceptable  in  early  summer,  is 
made  from  the  unripe  fruit,  which  is  stewed,  then  orusted,  sugar  and 
cream  being  added.  The  juioe  of  the  unripe  fruit  is  excellent  for 
inflammatory  conditions  of  the  blood ;  and  as  a  spring  medicine  the 
Gooseberry  is  much  more  valuable  than  Rhubarb.  Tbe  Gooseberry  is 
more  readily  grown  in  Britain  than  anywhere  else,  owing  to  our  moist 
climate. 
Barly  Strawberries. — Strawberries  from  Plougastel,  six  miles 
from  Brest,  have  already  made  their  appearance  on  the  Brest  market,  and 
the  service  between  Plougastel  and  Plymouth  commenced  on  May  24th, 
Green  Peas  and  other  early  delicacies  also  being  carried.  Last  year  there 
were  exported  from  Plougastel  to  Plymouth  2375  tons  of  Strawberries, 
and  over  400  tons  of  Peas.  One  day  last  week  Strawberries  were  sold 
at  Plougastel  at  Is.  3d.  per  lb.,  and  the  next  day  at  lOd.  Two  vessels 
will  be  engaged  in  the  trade,  so  as  to  permit  of  a  cargo  of  early 
Strawberries,  &o.,  being  landed  at  Plymouth  regularly  each  day. 
Special  trains  will  be  requisitioned  to  convey  the  consignments  of  fruit 
to  the  North  and  Midlands  with  the  least  possible  delay.  The  season 
usually  extends  over  a  period  of  about  six  weeks,  but  in  all  probability 
it  will  only  last  about  a  month  this  year.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
unfavourable  weather  retarded  the  growth  and  ripening  of  the  fruit 
whioh  was  on  the  markets  quite  a  fortnight  earlier  last  year. 
