158 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
February  25,  19C4. 
Chrysanthemum,  Guy  Hamilton. 
Enclosed  you  will  find  two  blooms  of  this  vai’iety,  which  has 
been  in  flower  since  a  fortnight  before  Christinas.  I  think  this 
speaks  avcU  for  the  keeping  qualities  of  this  Avell-known  variety. 
I  liave  had  several  plants  of  it,  and  none  of  them  exceed  3ft, 
pot  and  all.  They  carry  from  four  to  six  good  blooms.  Of 
course  you  will  see  by  these  that  they  are  now  far  past. — James 
Tow’ell,  The  Gardens,  Dunbarton  House,  Gilford,  Ireland. 
[The  blooms  had  evidently  been  fresh  when  despatched. — Ed.] 
Aster,  Diadem. 
With  reference  to  this  Aster,  iMessrs.  J.  Yeitch  and  Sons, 
Limited,  Chelsea  (to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the  mse  of  the 
illustration),  observe  that  it  is  a  lovely  A.ster  of  strikingly 
attractive  appearance  and  the  latest  flowering  variety.  The 
plant  grows  about  lOin  high,  is  of  pyramidal  and  compact 
habit,  much  branched,  and  bears  a  profusion  of  double  flowers 
of  rather  .small  size,  measuring  11  to  l[in  in  diameter;  these 
are  quite  unique  in  colour,  the  two  or  three  outer  rows  of  petals 
being  pure  white,  and  forming  a  distinctly  defined  band  or 
margin,  in  charming  contrast  to  the  inner  petals,  which  are 
bright  rosy  crinrson,  deepening  to  rich  purple-ciumson  towards 
the  centre. 
Delphiniums. 
Delphinium  affords  an  admirable  instance  of  the  great  varia¬ 
tion  that  is  obtainable  within  the  range  of  a  few  species. 
Another  excellent  example  is  found  in  Primula  sinensis,  the 
Chinese  Primrose,  in  which  the  number  of  garden  varieties  is 
very  great.  Such  pla.stic  material  as  these  plants  may  be  said 
to  be  composed  of  answers  readily  to  man’s  selective  and  direc¬ 
tive  influences,  to  furnish  new  forms  and  fresh  colours.  The 
garden  varieties  of  Delphinium  have  arisen  chiefly  from  the 
hybridising  of  D.  grandiflorum,  formo.sum,  lasiostachyum, 
chielanthum,  elatum,  and  peregrinum,  but  the  varieties  from 
the.«e  are  yearly  being  altered  according  to  the  florists’  standards 
of  the  time.  Blue.s  and  purples  largely  predominate  in  the 
genus,  but  shades  of  yellow  are  not  wanting;  and  in  the  dwarf 
D.  nudicaule  the  grower  has  a  brilliant  scarlet.  All  are  of  easy 
culture  from  seed  or  by  division.  It  is  advisable  to  lift,  divide, 
and  replant  any  clumps  that  are  three,  four,  or  five  years  old. 
A  friable  loam,  enriched  with  well-rotted  dung,  may  be  dug  into 
the  soil,  and  the  crowns  can  be  planted  at  the  present  time.  We 
dare  not  take  upon  ourselves  the  responsibility  of  recommending 
a  selection,  but  we  invite  some  of  our  experienced  readers  to  give 
us  of  their  knowledge. 
Manure  for  Tomatoes. 
Writing  to  the  editor  of  the  “Hereford  Times,”  the  under¬ 
signed  says :  “  In  1902  I  carried  out  experiments  with  various 
manures,  with  the  object  of  determining  as  far  as  possible  the 
most  profitable  mixture  for  Potatoes  and  Kidney  Beans.  The 
results  obtained  were  communicated  to  the  Press,  and  the  large 
number  of  inquiries  that  I  received  in  consequence  frt  ni  marker 
gardeners  in  various  parts  of  the  country  were  ample  evidence 
of  the  interest  taken  in  such  experiments.  During  the  past  year 
I  could  only  find  time  for  a  very  simple  experiment,  and  fixed 
on  Tomatoes.  In  my  Potato  experiment  I  had  found  a  complete 
manure,  consisting  of  nitrate,  potash,  and  phosphate  most 
profitable  on  my  land,  and  that  potash  w'as  the  most  important 
con.stituent.  On  the  Tomato  I  determined  to  test  the  value  of 
potash  in  a  complete  manure  for  this  crop.  Accordingly  two 
equal  strips  in  a  glass  house  received  equal  quantities  of  tirrf 
loam  containing  what  I  considered  to  be  plenty  of  lime  and 
nitrogen.  To  the  soil  on  both  strips  I  also  applied  super¬ 
phosphates  at  the  rate  of  12ozs  per  square  yard,  and  to  one  of 
the  strips  only  sulphate  of  jjotash  at  the  rate  of  Gozs  per  square 
yard.  The  yield  of  Tomatoes  from  the  former  strip  was  211b 
per  square  yard,  and  from  the  latter,  which  had  received  the 
potash,  it  was  371b  per  square  yard,  and  the  fruit  was  finer  in 
both  appearance  and  flavour,  and  worth  quite  a  penny  per 
pound  more.  The  variety  of  Tomato  grown  was  Li,ster’s  Prolific. 
— J.  O.  Holmes,  Droitwich.” 
Ancient  Trees. 
With  r<  gard  to  “  The  Oldest  Tree,”  Profe.ssor  Rhys  Davids,  ' 
in  his  book  on  Buddhism  (p  232),  claims  that  the  celebrated 
Bo-tree  planted  in  245  b.c.  by  Anuradha-pura  in  Ceylon  is  the 
eldest  historical  tree  in  the  world.  He  quotes  Sir  Emerson 
Tcnnent,  who  remarks  that  the  ages  of  the  Baobabs  of  Senegal, 
the  Eucalyptus  of  Tasmania,  the  Dragon  Tree  of  Oratava,  the 
Wellingtonia  of  California,  and  the  Chestnut  of  Mount  Etna 
have  been  estimated  to  be  anything  between  one  and  four 
theusand  years  ;  but  that  such  estimates  are  matter  of  conjecture, 
when  as  the  age  of  this  Bo-tree  is  matter  of  record,  and  seems 
to  fulfil  the  prophecy  that  was  pronounced  when  it  was  planted, 
that  it  would  “flourish  and  be  greeji  for  ever”  (Ceylon  ii.  pp. 
613  and  foil.).  The  Bo-tree  under  which  Guatama,  the  founder 
of  Buddhism,  sat  and  meditated  and  first  became  enlighteii'^d  — 
became  Buddha — occupies  in  the  Buddhist  mind  much  the  same 
positicn  as  the  cross  does  among  Christians. — G.  H. 
Productive  Brussels  Sprouts. 
The  season  for  productive  Brussels  Sprouts  has  been  much 
more  influenced  by  flood  and  rain  than  that  of  frost,  and  though 
extremes  of  cither  are  b,y  no  means  to  be  desired,  there  are 
advantages  to  be  derived  probably  in  some  way  from  both.  In 
a  rainy  one,  such  as  that  of  1903-4,  one  may  see  in  the  daily 
evidence  in  the  vegetable  garden  as  compared  with  a  corre¬ 
sponding  frosty  period  of  winter  in  other  years.  Broccoli  and 
Brussels  Sprouts  .show  fateful  marks  as  quickly  as  almost  any¬ 
thing,  hardy  though  they  are  commonly  accounted.  In  the 
fine  garden  attached  to  Leighton  House,  AVestbury,  I  saw 
recently  as  fine  a  bed  of  Sprouts  as  anyone  could  Avish  for. 
There  Avere  ample  and  to  spare  of  fresh,  solid,  and  freely  clothed 
stems,  Avhich  clearly  displayed  good  cultiA^ation,  and  the  absence 
of  typically  Avinter  Aveather  in  frost  records.  We  have  seen 
good  Sprout  beds  at  Leighton  before,  but  this  year’s  crop  excels 
even  Mr.  Bound’s  best  efforts  in  the  past.  The  varieties  on 
inquiry  I  found  to  be  the  tAvo  old  favourites.  Paragon  and 
A^eitch’s  Exhibition.  The  soil  of  Leighton  is  so  fertile  and  Avell 
tilled  that  probably  any  of  the  many  strains  Avould  have  given 
an  equally  good  re.sult.  From  the  stems  a  second  groAvth  of 
Sprouts  Avere  fast  deA’eloping  from  the  surface  that  had  already 
afforded  an  autumn  yield.  This  does  not  occur  on  poor  ground, 
nor  in  long  continued  spells  of  frost. — W.  S. 
Allosorus  cPlspus. 
The  .scientific  name  Allosorus  crispus  is  that  preferred  by  us 
for  this  Fern.  Others  prefer  to  use  one  of  the  folloAving — 
Cryptogramma  crispa,  Pteris  cri.sp)a,  Osmunda  crispa,  the  first 
of  these  three  being,  hoAvever,  now  mostly  used,  Avhen  Allosorus 
is  passed  over. 
This  elegant  little  plant,  Avhich  has  considerable  fir.st-sight 
resemblance  to  a  tuft  of  Parsley,  and  is  hence  sometimes  called 
Mountain  Par.sley,  groAvs  in  a  dense  tuft,  throAving  up  its  fronds 
in  May  or  June,  and  losing  them  in  the  course  of  the  autumn. 
The  fronds  average  about  Gin  in  height,  and  are  generally  some- 
Avhat  three-cornered  in  outline,  Avith  a  longish,  slender,  smooth 
stalk.  They  are,  as  already  stated,  of  tAvo  kinds;  both  kinds 
being  tAvice  or  thrice  pinnate,  and  of  a  pale  green  colour.  The 
segments  into  aa  hich  the  sterile  fronds  are  cut,  are  more  or  less 
Avedge-shaped,  and  notched  or  cleft  at  the  end.  The  fertile 
fronds  haA-e  the  segments  of  an  oval  or  oblong  or  linear  form. 
The  divisions  of  the  fertile  frond  liaA^e  a  slightly  tortuous  inidA^ein, 
lAi'oducing  simple  or  forked  venules,  Avhich  extend  nearly  to  the 
margin,  each,  for  the  most  part,  bearing  near  its  extremity  a 
circular  sorus.  There  is  no  true  indusium,  but  the  sori  are 
covered  by  the  reflexed  and  partially  bleached  margins,  Avhich 
.sometimes  almost  meet  behind,  so  that  the  spore-cases  are  quite 
concealed.  The  patches  of  spore-cases  are  at  first  distinct,  but 
ultimately  they  spread  out  and  become  more  or  less  confused  and 
blended.  The  Rock  Brakes  is  a  mountain  Fern,  choosing  to  groAV 
in  stony  .situations.  It  is  comparatively  rare  and  local ;  most 
abundant  in  the  north  of  England  and  Wales,  and  less  plentiful 
in  Scotland  and  Ireland.  This  plant  groAA's  readily  in  iJots,  and 
also  in  a  AA^ardian  case  not  too  confined ;  for  either  of  these  modes 
of  cultivation  its  small  size  and  elegant  a.spect  render  it  a  very 
desirable  object.  It  is,  hoAvever,  very  im]Datient  of  root  moisture. 
— (From  Aloore’s  “  British  Ferns.”) 
