186 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  3,  1904.' 
Ivy  and  Euonymus  under  Trees. 
Where  grass  will  not  groAv  under  trees  very  often  English 
Ivy  and  Euonynius  radicans  will.  The  Ivy  is  often  seen  in 
positions  of  this  character,  and  well  it  answers;  but  the 
Euonynius  radicaus  is  not  so  avcH  known  in  this  connection. 
It  seems  better  suited  running  along  the  ground  than  it  does 
climhing  walls,  making  a  better  growth  when  close  to  the  soil. 
There  is  a  variegated-leaved  form  of  this  Euonymus  which  is  very 
pretty;  and  both  are  Cjuite  hardy. 
Gannas, 
A  batch  of  the  above  for  summer  flowering  should  now'  be 
started.  Shake  out  all  old  soil  from-the  roots  of  those  that  have 
been  resting  during  the  winter,  and  repot  in  a  loamy  compost 
in  60-sized  pots,  placing  a  single  crown  in  each  pot,  and  afford  a 
moist  temperature  of  about  bodeg  Fahr.  Pot  on  when  neces¬ 
sary  into  48  and  32-sized  pots,  and  keep  well  growing,  and  when 
the  bloom  spikes  appear  feed  with  liquid  cowdung  or  “  wash.” 
The  above  mentioned  temperature  should  be  reduced  lOdeg  when 
the  plants  are  nicely  growing  to  pi’oduce  sturdy  specimens. 
Successional  batches  may  be  started  as  required. — B. 
History  and  Properties  of  Tomatoes. 
The  usual  meeting  of  the  Newport  (Mon.)  Gardeners’  Mutual 
Improvement  Association  was  held  on  February  10,  wdien  Mr. 
Woodward,  gardener  to  E.  Watts,  Esq.,  Highficld,  Bas.saleg, 
read  a  very  instructive  paper  on  “The  Culture  of  the  Tomato.” 
Mr.  oodward  said  the  Tomato  was  introduced  from  Mexico 
in  1696,  just  before  the  Potato  was.  It  was  then  generally 
called  the  Love  Apple,  and  grown  mostly  as  a  curiosity ;  but 
sometimes  used  in  soups  and  pickles.  After  1870  they  began  to 
be  grown  in  quantity  in  the  Channel  Islands,  and  later  in  the 
Canary  Isles;  but  for  equality  there  werci  none  to  beat  British 
grown  fruit.  It  was  thought  at  one  time  that  eating  Tomatoes 
often  produced  cancer,  hut  there  were  no  grounds  for  fear. 
They  contained  valuable  properties  for  the  liver,  also  for 
diarrhoea  and  dyspepsia,  and  good  for  the  brain. 
Plants  at  Liverpool  Botanic  Garden. 
At  no  period  of  the  year  are'  these  gardens  without  some¬ 
thing  interesting  to  the  garden-loving  public,  and  especially  is 
this  the  case  at  this  sea.son.  On  enteidiig  the  long  greenhouse 
we  are  at  once  confronted  on  the  left  by  a  handsome  arrange¬ 
ment  of  choice  bulbs,  Ac.,  including  Hyacinths,  Tulips,  Daffodiis, 
Narcissi,  Lilacs,  Callas,  Azaleas  mollis  and  Deutsche  Perle.  The 
colours  are  admirably  blended,  and  make  an  object  le.sson  for 
many  gardeners,  young  and  old.  No  clashing  of  gaudy  colours 
have  we  here;  all  colours  harmonise  one  with  the  other. 
Chorizema  elegans,  a  magnificent  New  Holland  (Australian) 
climber  is  evidently  at  home  on  the  roof  of  this  house,  for  10ft 
of  roof  space  is  literally  festooned  with  its  long  drooping 
racemes.  Habrothamnus  Newelli  is  also  in  full  flower  on  the 
roof,  the  flowers  being  produced  in  den.se  terminal  clusters. 
In  the  large  Camellia  house  there  is  a  large  show'  of  rarieties 
C.  reticulata,  with  its  large,  semi-double,  rose-coloured  flow'ers, 
showing  up  distinctly  above  all  others.  On  the  front  stage  of 
this  hoiise.  Cinerarias  and  Cyclamens  create  quite  an  effective 
blaze,  ranging  from  the  deepest  blue  to  the  purest  wdiite. 
These  are  intermixed  with  ferns  and  other  foliage.  The  front 
stage  of  the  stove  house  is,  as  u.sual,  clothed  with  orchids: 
Dendrobium  fimbriatum,  Cattleya  Trianse,  C.  Harrisonise,  and 
large  pans  of  Coelogyue  cristata,  C.  c.  lemoniaua,  and  Chats- 
worth  var.  Several  of  the  cristatas  are  carrying  fifty  and  sixty 
rac(?mes  of  w'ell-developed  flowers.  Coffea  arabica  is  carrying  a 
large  crop  of  fruit,  and  a  fine  specimen  of  Seaforthia  elegans 
has  set  several  clusters  of  seeds,  which  are  developing  rapidly. 
Until  recently  succulent  plants  were  not  w'ell  represented  here ; 
but  Mr.  Guttridge  has  now  obtained  from  various  sources  on 
the  Continent  a  representative  collection  of  these  curiou.s,  and 
in  .some  cases  most  beautiful  plants.  Agaves,  Aloes,  Cereus, 
Cotyledons,  Crassulas,  Echinocacti,  Ac.,  are  here. — J.  S. 
The  Double  White  Primula. 
Double  flow'ered  Chinese  Primulas  are  handsome  subjects,  and 
somo  of  them  ought  to  be  grow'n  in  company  with  their  single 
and  stellate  .sister  plants.  The  figure  on  the  opposite  page  shows 
a  considerabl}'  l  educed  subject,  but  it  is  easy  to  conceive  the  fine 
display  such  a  plant,  or  a  batch  of  such  plants,  w'ould  make. 
The  botanical  name  is  in  keeping  with  the  glory  of  the  plant  - 
Primula  sinensis  flore-pleno  alba.  The  old  Double  White  is  well, 
know'll,  but  it  is  still  one  of  the  best. 
Strawberry  St.  Joseph, 
A  correspondent  in  Folkestone  writes  saying  that  he  planted 
St.  Joseph  Strawberry  last  March;  in  June  they  commenced 
to  yield,  and  they  continued  till  November.  He  says  :  “  I  had 
some  few'  ripe  berrias  on  November  10,  and  the  next  day  cut  off 
scores  of  half-ripe  fruit.  On  some  of  the  many  runners  not  more 
than  a  few'  months  old  there  were  both  flowers  and  fruit.  St. 
Joseph  can  now  be  obtained  from  most  growers  at  a  not  ex¬ 
orbitant  rate.  Another  variety,  however — St.  Antoine  de 
Padoue,  of  later  introduction — is  said  to  be  even  better.  But 
either  of  these  have  a  pleasant  fre.sh  ta,sto  derived  from  the 
Hautboy  strain  in  them,  and  why  fruit  grow'ers  have  not  taken 
them  up  for  trade  purposes  is  surprising.  I  am  satisfied  the 
heavy  soil  of  the  East  Cliff  is  admirably  adapted  for  Strawberry 
culture.  The  rootlets  seem  fairly  to  revel  in  it,  and  the  large.st 
and  richest  Strawberry  producing  tract  being  in  North  Kent,  is 
it  beyond  the  range  of  pos.sibility  that  Ea.st  Kent  should  be 
similarly  blessed?  The  county  itself,  unless  coal-getting  should 
one  day  alter  the  fair  face  of  Nature,  w'ill  always  have  to 
depend  on  agriculture.” 
The  Violet  Season  in  the  Riviers, 
The  Violet  season  in  the  Riviera  promises  to  be  bounteous 
this  year.  The  harvc.st  time  for  Parma  Violets  is  February  and 
March.  With  the  exception  of  the  month  of  January,  it  is 
always  harvest  time  for  flowers  in  that  favoured  cj[uarter.  As  a 
rule  the  first  crop  is  sent  for  sale  to  London  or  one  of  the 
European  capitals,  and  the  second  crop  is  distilled  at  Grasse  or 
Nice  or  IMontone.  The  first-named,  which  is  the  headcjuarters 
of  the  industry,  has  thirtj'-five  distilleries  of  oils  and  essences, 
at  which  are  con.sumed  annually  some  1,200  tons  of  Rose  leaves, 
300  tons  of  Orange  flow'ers,  and  probably  as  great  a  quantity  of 
Parma  Violets.  Just  now'  the  price  of  the  Violet  flow'er  is  lid. 
per  lib  at  the  distillery.  Last  season  Rose  leaves  were  3d., 
.Jonquil  Is.  6d.,  Mignonette  4d.,  the  flow'ers  of  the  Bitter 
Orange  2d.,  and  Pinks  l-ld.  per  lb.  In  price  there  is  little  to 
choose  betweeji  the  oil  of  Roses  and  Violets.  The  quotation  just 
now'  to  perfumers  in  this  country  is  a  guinea  per  ounce.  Neroli, 
wdiich  is  an  oil  obtained  from  the  rind  of  the  Bitter  Orange,  is 
10s.  per  ounce;  the  oil  of  Geranium  is  Is.  6d.  iier  ounce,  unless 
it  is  distilled  over  Roses,  when  the  cost  is  double.  Some  1,500 
tons  of  Geranium  leaves  are  treated  at  the  factories  yearly.  It 
usually  takes  1,0001b  of  leaves  to  produce  11b  of  the  essential  oil. 
Cineraria  stellata  at  Leighton. 
One  becomes  accustomed  to  stahvart  and  spreading  types  of 
Cinerarias  from  the  new'  race  of  stellate  forms,  but  w'hen  they 
assume  a  .stature  of  a  King’s  Life'  Guard  the  thought  of  lofty 
greenhouses  rather  than  the  lowly  garden  frame  or  pit  seems  a 
demand  of  the  moment.  In  all  fairness  to  the  u.sual  strains  of 
stellate  Cinerarias  we  do  not  commonly  find  such  giants,  nor 
do  we  need  them,  unless  accommodation  can  be  given  them  as 
specimens  for  the  comservatory.  I  am  not  sure  whether  Mr. 
Bound  looked  upon  such  a  production  w'ith  any  feeling  of  pride, 
but  the  usual  accommodation  of  the  greenhouse  stages  at  Leigh¬ 
ton  were  found  to  be  inadequate  for  this  particular  plant,  which 
already  exceeds  6ft,  and  is  still  making  upw'ard  progress. 
There  is  a  .striking  variedness  of  character  in  these  Cinerarias 
which  seems  somew'hat  difficult  to  under.stand,  for  from  the  same 
sowing  one  may  get  quite  dwarf,  medium,  and  tall  iffants,  as 
well  as  early,  mid.season,  and  late  flow'ering  propensities.  For 
the  time  these  Star  Cinerarias  hold  the  field,  the  true  florists’ 
type  over  which  so  many  years  of  labour  and  scientific  study 
were  spent  .seems  to  have  lost  charm.  Even  these  giants  may  be 
obtained  without  any  extension  in  the  size  of  pots ;  indeed,  large 
plants  are  commonly  found  in  comparatively  small  pots,  smaller, 
in  fact,  than  was  often  used  for  the  old  type. — W.  S. 
