408 
May  12,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
2^ 
CARDEH,  CJ/EANINCS 
Primula  vcrtieilia. 
It  is  impossible  to  say  too  much  in  praise  of  this  beautiful 
species,  so  charming  just  now  l)j'  reason  of  the  couti’ast  ])etwoen 
its  compact  tufts  of  silvery  foliage  and  whorls  of  liright  yellow 
blossoms,  so  deliciously  fragrant.  The  .species  seeds  freely,  and 
it  is  possible  that  if  a  few  of  tlie  large.st  flowers  were  fertilised 
with  pollen  fi'om  otliers,  finer  forms  might  be  obtained.  It  is 
a  plant  of  easy  growth,  but  not  quite  hardj’. 
Decorative  Nephrolepis. 
The  capabilities  of  Ne])hrolepis  are  once  more  being  demon¬ 
strated  in  the  form  of  N.  exaltata  Scotti,  and  the  fortunate 
possessor  of  this  variation  of  the  Boston  fei'ii  seems  destined  to 
liave  a  bn.sy  season  and  to  make  comfoi’table  additions  to  his 
bank  account.  N.  Scotti  is  e.specially  attractive  in  plants  of 
moderate  size ;  its  vei\v  comiiact  gi'owth  showing  to  advantage 
in  a  bin  or  Sin  pot,  and  these  being  sizes  that  are  always  in 
demand  in  the  retail  trade,  there  will  doul)tless  be  little  trouble 
in  disposing  of  them  at  fair  prices.  The  Nephrolepis  are  so 
easily  handled,  propagate  .so  rapidly,  and  grow  to  marketable 
size  in  .so  short  a  time,  that  it  is  no  wonder  they  are  popular  in 
the  trade,  and  when  in  addition  to  tliese  qualifications  is  counted 
their  great  ])eauty,  and  the  fact  that  they  will  give  reasonable 
satisfaction  to  the  puichaser,  we  can  readily  understand  where 
so  many  hou.ses  full  of  tliis  stock  may  go  each  .season. 
The  Papaw  hi  Queensland. 
The  Papaw  fruit  is  widely  di.stributed  over  tropical  Queens¬ 
land,  and  is  most  agreeable  and  nutritious.  Quite  universal  is 
the  knowledge  of  the  unique  prop.ei'ty  that  has  given  to  the 
Papaw  its  world-wide  fame — viz.,'  the  power  of  its  milky  juice 
to  soften  and  dissolve  tough  meat.  The  emanations  from  this 
tree  will  dis.solve  and  digest  albumen,  and  it  is  the  cirstom  of  the 
natives  to  hang  meat  and  chickens  in  the  branches  of  a  tree  to 
render  them  tender  and  edible.  The  uses  of  the  Papaw  are 
numerous  and  varied.  The  bark  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
ropes ;  the  fruit  is  edible,  and  is  sweet,  refreshing,  and  agree¬ 
able.  The  ripe  fruit  is  eaten  as  we  eat  IMelons.  Salt  enhances 
the  flavour,  and  some  users  add  sugar.  The  IMelons  must  be 
perfectly  lipe  when  eaten  raw,  as  the  green  fruit  contains  a 
strongly  marked  acrid  principle.  The  colour  of  the  ripe  fruit  is 
more  or  less  that  of  the  yellow  IMusk  Melon.  The  sweetness  of 
its  resinous,  pulpy  juice  clings  to  the  tongue,  and  remains 
prevalent  for  some  hours.  Excellent  preserves  are  made  of  the 
ripe  fruit,  which,  for  this  purpose,  is  boiled  down  in  sugar,  and 
candied  dike  Citroir).  At  the  sugar  houses  slices  of  the  Papaw 
are  often  seen  seething  in  hot  syrup.  The  slices  of  Melon, 
^oml)ined  with  .some  acid  fruit,  is  made  into  native  tarts.  The 
fruit  is  also  stewed  and  .served  on  the  table.  The  green  fruit 
is  made  into  plain  and  spiced  pickles,  which  ai’o  highly  e.steemed. 
The  fruit  just  before  ripening  is  peeled  and  sliced,  macerated  in 
cold  water,  with  frequent  changes  of  water  for  some  houi  s ;  the 
then  macerated  fruit  is  dropped  into  boilmg  water,  boiled 
sharply,  and  then  served  as  a  vegetable.  The  green  leaves,  or 
slices  of  the  green  fruit  of  the  Papaw,  are  rubbed  over  soiled  and 
spotted  clothes,  and,  by  its  power  of  dissolving  .stains,  Papaw 
lias  acquired  the  name  of  “  IMelon  bleach.”  The  leaves  or  a 
portion  of  the  fruit  are  steeped  in  water,  and  the  treated  war-i-i’ 
is  used  in  washing  coloured  clothing,  especially  black.  ,  The 
colours  are  cleaned  uii  and  held  fast.  The  seeds  are  eaten  as  a 
delicacy.  They  have  quite  an  agreeable  taste,  something  of  the 
•order  of  M  atercress,  and  a  piquancy  slightly  suggestive  of  the 
IBustard  family.  IM acerated  in  vinegar,  they  are  served  as  a 
.condiment.  In  hot  climates  meat  must  be  eaten  immediately 
after  slaughter.  (It  often  reaches  the  pot  in  an  hour  after 
killing.)  The  Papaw  helps  to  overcome  this.  Rubbed  over 
tough  meat,  it  will  i-ender  it  soft,  and  change  a  piece  of  apparent 
leather  to  a  tender,  juicy  .steak.  It  is  put  into  the  pot  with 
meat,  enters  into  cereals,  .soups,  stews,  and  other  dishes,  and 
they  are  made  at  least  more  edible  and  digestible. 
Ranunculus  amplexieaulis. 
The  finest  of  the  European  sub-alpine  dwarfer  Crowfoots, 
and  easily  distinguished  from  others  by  its  slightly  glaucous 
leaves  tliat  sheath  the  stem.  It  is  a  plant  (says  the  Agiicul- 
tural  Economist”)  that  varies  a  good  deal,  reaching  from  9in 
to  loin  in  height,  and  expanding  a  profusion  of  iriire  white 
petahed  but  yellow  centred  flowers  in  May.  Because  it  comes 
from  the  Alps  of  Provence  and  Pyrenees,  it  is  sometimes  stai’ved 
bv  being  grown  in  poor  soil.  Give  it  rich  loam  and  slight  shade, 
and  it  becomes  a  fine  spring-flowering  hardy  plant. 
TuApa  Kaufmanniana. 
The  newer  forms  of  Tulipa  Kaufmanniana,  with  yellow  and 
scarlet  flowers,  will  possibly  attract  some  attention  to  the  older 
varieties,  the  best  of  which  can  hardly  be  surpassed  by  any  early- 
flowering  Tulip.  It  is  a  most  variable  Tulip,  as  was  most 
forcibly  brought  home  to  me  by  seeing  a  bed  of  several  hundreds 
at  the  Comely  Bank  Nurseries  of  Mes.srs.  Cunningham,  Fraser, 
and  Co.,  Edinburgh,  this  spring.  It  is  a  Tulip  I  have  known 
since  almost  the  time  of  its  introduction,  but  I  was  hardly  pre¬ 
pared  to  find  so  much  variation  among  them,  both  in  size, 
stature,  and  colouring.  As  those  who  have  grown  it  know,  'good 
flowers,  when  open  to  the  snn,  resemble  nothing  so  much  as  a 
■Water  Lily  ;  and  some  are  like  a  yellow  Nymphsea,  others  are 
almost  pure  vhite,  ivliile  some  of  the  best  have  a  beautiful 
carmine  zone  at  the  base  of  the  interior,  as  well  as  being  flushed 
with  the  same  colour  on  the  outside.  It  is  a  lovely  Tulip,  of 
perfect  hardiness,  but  I  have  seen  its  foliage  injured  by 
unusually  late  fro.sts,  and,  like  other  Tulips,  it  is  occasionally 
attacked  by  one  of  the  fungoid  diseases -which  are  so  destructive 
at  times. — S.  A  i 
Varieties  of  Dracaenas. 
Some  new  Dracrenas  appear  from  time  to  time,  though  but 
few  of  them  attain  to  commercial  prominence,  so  many  of  the 
members  of  this  family  being  too  tender  to  endure  the  trials  of 
house  decoration.  Among  the  later  introductions  for  which 
great  ])romises  have  been  made  is  Dracama  Kewensis,  the  hardi¬ 
ness  of  v'hich  is  said  to  approach  that  of  an  Aspidistra,  a  recom¬ 
mendation  that  is  certainly  a  strong  one.  The  foliage  of  this 
species  is  light  green  when  young,  changing  to  olive  green  when 
mature,  the  leafstalks  being  red,  and  the  plant  will  flourish 
under  such  conditions  as  would  be  given  to  D.  congesta  or 
D.  basiliensis  ;  namely,  a  night  temperature  of  GOdeg  and  plenty 
of  light.  This  plant  may  prove  of  value  for  window  boxes  and 
similar  decorative  work.  A  Dracaena  that  dates  from  1877  is 
still  one  of  the  most  attractive,  though  by  no  means  common 
after  having  been  in  cultivation  for  over  a  quarter  century. 
Dracaena  Goldieana  is  the  plant  referred  to,  and  it  is  evidently 
attracting  more  attention  the  last  year  or  two,  and  possibly 
may  appear  in  wholesale  quantities  in  due  time.  The  broad 
leaves  of  this  Dracaena  are  transversely  marked  with  blotches 
of  silveiy  white  on  a  dark  green  ground,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
most  distinct  of  foliage  plants,  its  greatest  drawback  having 
been  the  comparative  .slowness  of  propagation  by  means  of 
cuttings. 
Eanly-flowering’  Gladioli. 
The  beautiful  early  flowering  Gladioli  should  be  largely 
planted  for  supplying  cut  bloom  from  May  to  July,  and  for  the 
fine  effect  they  prodiice  in  the  flower  garden.  G.  Colvillei  The 
Bride  is  extensively  grown  in  pots  and  boxes  for  cutting  during 
April,  May,  and  June  ;  and  all  may  be  grown  in  pots  for  indoor, 
decoration.  For  culture  outdoors  Messrs.  Barr  and  Sons  recom¬ 
mend  the  selection  of  a  situation  protected  from  cutting  winds 
and  .shaded  from  the  midday  sun.  Deeply  dig  the  ground, 
workiiig  in  jjlenty  of  rotten  manure  in  the  underspit,  and  see 
that  the  soil  is  made  light  and  friable ;  plant  the  bulbs  from 
October  to  January,  at  a  depth  of  4in  to  5in,  and  in  the  case 
of  the  later  plantings  soak  the  bulbs  in  water  a  few  hours  before 
putting  them  in  the  ground.  After  planting,  cover  with  long 
stiaw  litter  or  other  light  material,  which  remove  in  March. 
Gladiolus  byzantinus  and  the  Colvillei  varieties  are  best  planted 
in  October  or  early  in  November.  If  the  summer  is  dry  and  the 
weather  hot,  give  an  occasional  good  soaking  of  water  or  weak 
liquid  manure.  Culture  for  conservatory  decoration :  Plant 
three  to  five  bulbs,  according  to  size,  in  a  Sin  or  Gin  jDot,  and 
plunge  in  a.shes  up  to  the  rim  of  the  pot  in  a  cold  frame  or  pit, 
withholding  water  till  the  bulbs  have  started  into  growth  ;  of 
the  pots  may  be  buried  in  ashes  out  of  doors  under  a  south  wall, 
and  remain  undisturbed  till  ready  to  remove  indoors. 
