April  11,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
.>  1 1 
racemosa,  A’c.  That  charming  blue  flower,  Commelina  calestis, 
is  here  effectively  employed.  The  plant  is  not  nearly  so  much 
grown  as  its  merits  deserve.  Tlte  colour  at  this  season  is  quite 
unique.  IMr.  Oclee  pi'e.serves  tlie  crowns  yearly  in  paper  hags 
after  drying  them. 
Whole  beds  of  Fuidvia  grandiflora  are  here  to  he  .seen,  and 
gorgeous  they  must  be  when  in  fidl  flower,  the  blossoms  quite 
rivalling  Pancratium  fragrans,  while  in  foliage  the  effect  is 
hold.  Clematis  flammula  is  here  a  great  favourite,  and  rightly 
so,  flowering  so  freely  as  it  does,  and  emitting  its  pleasing 
perfume  so  freely.  C.  Lady  Caroline  Neville  is  a  variety  of 
such  sterling  merit  as  here  seen  that  the  wonder  to  me  is  that 
it  is  not  more  often  seen.  Snapdragons  are  evidently  great 
favourites,  and  rightly  so,  so  good  are  the  strains  of  white  and 
yellow.  Verbena  venosa  in  a  mass  presented  a  colour  not  found 
in  many  other  plants,  and  not  nearly  often  enough  employed 
as  its  merits  deserve.  Stock  Princess  Alice  once  more  demon¬ 
strates  its  value,  if  this  were  nece.ssary.  A  large-trussed  pink 
flowering  Geranium,  Crema,  was  effectively  employed,  and  so 
was  Verona,  with  its  leaves  of  a  golden  colour  and  pink  flowers. 
Gadding  and  Gatliering. 
CIibr>an3  oT  AltPinoham. 
The  nuisery,  seed,  and  florist  business  of  ^Messrs.  Wihiam 
Clibran  and  Son,  is  one  of  the  largest  in  Kngland,  since  .somo 
300  persons  are  (>mi)loyed  throughout  the  departments.  During 
the  last  two  years  the  fiiun  has  been  establishing  itself  in  new 
nurseries  at  fiale,  a  short  distance  from  .Manche.ster,  and  are 
now  well  settled.  At  this  place,  vhich  is  the  headcpiarters  of 
the  firm,  there  are  plant  houses  to  the  number  of  thirty,  divided 
into  fourteen  departments,  as  for  instance  those  devoted  to 
Ro.ses,  to  Cainations,  to  Chrysanthemums,  to  stove  plants, 
greenhouse  plants,  ferns,  forcing,  propagating,  packing,  business 
transactions,  Ac.  In  my  notes  in  the  Journdl  of  Hoiiiculfun- 
for  May  14  last  yeai'  the  main  features  of  the  new  inirsery 
were  briefly  described,  as  the  great  packing  shed,  light,  dry, 
airy,  and  covering  half  an  acre,  with  its  overhead  travelling 
crane  for  the  transposition  of  heavy  packages;  and  it  was  then 
pointed  out  that  one  special  feature  of  the  place  was  it;  small 
Chrysanthemum,  Mrs.  Filkins. 
forming  quite  a  pleasing  contrast.  Dianthuses  in  variety  were 
remarkable  for  the  size  of  their  flowers. 
Many  more  subjects  might  be  enumerated,  but  I  fear  I  have 
already  trespassed  too  far  on  space ;  enough  has  been  said  to 
show  what  a  wealth  of  flower  can  be  obtained  with  a  minimum 
of  labour  and  convenience  expended. 
In  the  grounds  huge  masses  of  Tritomas  shed  a  glow  of 
colour,  so  agreeably  do  they  contrast  with  the  scenery  around. 
Hydrangea  paniculata  grandiflora  is  another  plant  effectively 
employed  in  the  same  way. 
In  the  kitchen  garden  the  crops  are  alike  for  their  high 
state  of  cultivation.  On  the  walls,  too,  there  is  really  a  good 
sprinkling  of  Pears,  Apples,  Peaches,  and  Nectarines,  more 
than  is  common  this  .season.  A  Wanderer. 
The  “Journal”  in  Egypt. 
"Writing  under  date  of  March  27  from  the  Government 
Gardens,  Delta  Barrage,  Egypt,  Mr.  Walter  Draper  thanks  us 
for  the  Journal  of  Horticiiltui'f  of  March  10,  and  adds,  “  It  is 
tlie  best  gardenin'^  p.apcr  I  have  scon.” 
iron  railway  tracks  for  “  buggies,”  which  are  laid  along  the 
l^aths  of  every  house,  and  down  the  extensive  corridor,  and  upon 
the  paths  outside;  in  fact,  everywhere  that  buggies  with  loads 
of  plants  can  tiaverse.  In  no  other  nur.sery  have  I  seen  a 
similar  device  to  facilitate  the  removal  of  batches  of  plants. 
And  it  must  be  remembered  that  each  of  the  thirty  span-roofed 
hou.ses  are  180ft  in  length,  though  the  width  varies,  the 
propagating  house's  being  of  average  size,  while  the  pot  Vino 
and  Chrysanthemum  houses  are  large  and  spacious  .structures. 
Being  situated  by  the  side  of  a  main  trunk  railway,  the  firm 
have  an  admirable  service  of  trains  for  the  despatch  of  goods, 
and  the  hint  was  dropped  that  they  hope  in  the  near  future  to 
liave  a  siding  of  their  own,  .so  that  “  imports”  and  ‘'exports” 
may  he  facilitated.  Even  now  the  coke  used  for  firing  is  shot 
down  from  the  railway  embankment,  and  is  filled  into  little 
waggons,  which  are  drawn  up  a  specially-built  incline  by  means 
of  an  endle.ss  chain  worked  by  a  11  horse-jiower  gas  engine. 
This  engine  is  situated  in  a  wooden  shed,  and  the  cost  of  working 
is  only  Id.  per  hour;  and  besides  hauling  the  coke  trucks,  the 
same  engine  (made  by  Crossley  Bros.,  Ltd.,  .Manchester)  drives 
a  revolving  circular  brush  upon  which  pots  are  cleaned,  and 
also  supplies  the  power  for  breaking  crocks  in  a  sjiecially-adapted 
machine.  This  machine  is  r‘'a!ly  a  streug  madi'  tvpe  of  biscuit 
