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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  13,  1903. 
CARDOTWEAmHcS 
Safracenia  Stevensi. 
Though  tlie  Sarraceiiias  ai'e  so  beautiful  and  interesting,  they 
are  not  much  cultivated.  Their  requireanents  are  simple,  an 
intermediate  temperature  and  a  plentiful  supply  of  moisture  at 
the  root  being  what  they  like.  The  compost  should  be  fibrous 
peat,  chopped  sphagnum,  some  sherds,  and  charcoal  pieces.  S. 
Stevensi,  which  we  figure  on  another  page,  is.  hybrid  from  S. 
flava  and  S.  purpurea.  It  is  purple,  with  crimson  veins,  the  lid 
being  crimson  and  crisped.  Tire  chief  trade  grower  of  Sarra- 
ceiiias  is  Mr.  A.  J.  A.  Brucie,  of  Chorltoir-cum-Hardy,  near 
Manchester. 
Roman  Hyacinths, 
A  batch  of  medium  sized,  firm  bulbs  ought  to  be  secured 
from  a  reliable  nurseryman  and  foidliwith  potted.  Sin  pots  being 
the  best  size,  these  usually  holding  four  bulbs.  Extra  large 
bulbs  will  not  be  easily  accommodated,  and  should  have  larger 
pots.  See  that  the  pots  are  clean,  dry,  and  moderately  well 
crocked.  Make  ui)  a  comjDost  of  loam,  leaf  soil,  sand,  and  a 
little  decomposed  manure  mixed  in.  Fill  the  pots  loosely  with 
soil,  and  work  it  down  so  that  the  bulbs,  when  arranged,  have 
their  tips  just  below  the  surface.  Do  not  press  in  the  bulbs  too 
firmly,  or  make  the  base  hard  on  which  they  rest;  for  if  the 
roots,  when  forming,  meet  with  too  firm  material,  they  will  force 
the  bulbs  out  of  the  pots.  Give  a  gentle  watering  after  potting, 
and  when  the  soil  has  drained  place  the  pots  in  a  sheltered  corner 
outside,  or  in  a  frame,  and  cover  with  clean,  fine  ashes  a  few 
inches  above  the  pots.  Here  they  may  remain  for  several  weeks 
until  roots  begin  to  form  freely,  which  will  be  known  by  growth 
commencing.  Then  bring  out  the  ^ot^and  gradually  expose  the 
growth  to  full  light.  Give  water  as  required,  with  cool,  airy 
treatment,  until  later  on  in  the  autumn,  when  the  pots  may  be 
transferred  to  a  greenhouse  shelf.  Early  potted  bulbs  making 
good  growth  will  bloom  freely  in  November  and  December  with¬ 
out  much  forcing.  The  object  should  be  to  secure  plenty  of 
roots,  good  growth  then  following  and  flowers  produced  in  plenty. 
Successional  batches  of  bulbs  should  be  potted  to  prolong  the 
season. — E.  D.  S. 
Trer  Carnations 
Provided  one  has  an  ordinary  warm  greenhouse,  even  the 
veriest  amateur  need  not  desirair  of  having  a  good  supply  of  these 
popular  buttonhole  flower.s  during  the  winter  months.  Between 
now*  and  September  good  plants,  costing  about  Is.  6d.  or  2s.  6d. 
each,  should  be  obtained  and  housed,  heat  being  given  from 
October  onwards.  Naturally,  as  the  popularity  of  a  flower  in¬ 
creases,  ,so  does  the  number  of  varieties.  Amoirg  the  sorts  seen 
in  florists’  window.s  the  most  popular,  perhaps,  is  the  pink  Mrs. 
Leopold  de  Rothschild  or  Mdlle.  Therese  Franco.  It  is  vigorous 
in  growth  and  free  florvering,  but  inclined  to  splitting,  which 
s]roils  the  beauty  of  an  otherwise  perfect  flower.  A  better 
flower,  I  consider,  and  a  more  pleasing  shade  of  pink,  is  Miss 
Jolliffe  Improved;  but  in  the  opinion  of  mo,st  I  suppose  the 
popular  “Frarrco”  holds  sway.  Wm.  Robiirsorr,  for  a  dazzling 
.scarlet,  is  imecj[ualled,  and  its  strong,  sturdy  appearance  when 
well  grown  is  a  good  addition  to  a  greenhouse. 
Mrs.  Thos.  Lawson  is  a  sweetly  scented,  rosy  cerise  pink.  It 
is  hardly  a  colour  likely  to  please  in  the  daytime,  but  under  an 
artificial  light  it  assumes  an  unexpected  richness.  Uriah  Pike, 
though  not  classed  by  some  growers  as  a  winter  flowering  Car¬ 
nation,  is  admired  as  much  for  its  strong  Clove  scent  as  for  its; 
rich  crimson  colour.  Earl  Roberts,  a  pure  yellow,  is  the  best  of 
this  colour,  producing  well  formed  blooms.  For  a  white  one  is 
at  a  lo.ks  for  a  really  fine  variety,  but  Deutsche  Braut,  La  Niege, 
or  Miss  Mary  Godfrey  may  be  mentioned.  Judging  by  appear¬ 
ances  it  seems  to  be  that  yellow  or  white  is  not  a  popular 
colour  in  a  winter  Carnation. 
Other  good  varieties  are  Counte,ss  of  Warwick,  crimson; 
Winter  Cheer,  crimson  scarlet;  John  Peed,  very  deep  pink; 
Ddrs.  Richard  Ley,  salmon  pink;  Pride  of  Exmouth,  salmon 
pink;  Western  King,  rich  apricot. — J.  W. 
Cereus  grandlllorus. 
From  Messrs.  Cannell  and  Sons  we  have  received  a, very 
large  flower  of  this  night-flowering  Cereus.  This  Swanley  firm 
have  perhaps  the  be.st  trade  collection  of  Cacti  in  the  Uniteid 
Kingdom. 
Cornus  brachypoda  variegata. 
Though  now  a  dozen  years  or  more  known  to  us,  we  find  only 
a  few  samples  of  this  decorative  shrub  about  in  gardens  or  parks. 
It  was  certificated  when  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  and  Sons,  Ltd.,  sent 
it  before  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Floral  Committee  in 
1894.  The  leaves  are  nearly  4in  long,  the  centre  of  each  being 
pale  green,  blotched  with  a  deeper  shade,  and  the  deep  margin 
is  creamy  white.  As  a  soft,  dwarf  shrub  it  is  effective. 
The  Fruit  Crops. 
Exceptionally  large  consignments  are  arriving  from  Germany, 
where  the  weather  this  year  has  been  much  more  conducive  to 
fruit  culture  than  in  England.  Plums  and  Green  Gages,  which 
usually  sell  at  from  £8  to  £16  a  ton,  are  fetching  from  £32  to 
£64.  Dealers  are  fearful  lest,  foreign  fruit,  which  is  geirerally 
excellent  in  quality,  should  eventually  oust  home  grown  pro¬ 
ducts.  The  first  consignment  of  Californian  Pears,  comprising 
10,000  cases,  has  arrived  at  Covent  Garden,  and  is  realising 
about  10s.  per  case  of  seventy  Pears. 
Vitality  of  Seeds. 
Last  year  a  systematic  effort  was  begun  in  the  Department 
of  Agriculture  to  determine  how  long  seed  vitality  was  retained 
under  differeiit  conditions  of  storage  and  climate.  To  this  end 
boxes  containing  five  packages  each  w’ere  sent  to  different  parts 
of  the  country,  and  to  the  M^est  Indies,  and  arrangements  made 
to  have  them  stored.  All  possible  variations  of  climate  were 
selected  for  tests,  and  the  experiments  are  being  conducted  wdtli 
as  much  uniformity  as  possible.  It  is  now  nearly  a  year  since 
the  seeds  were  sent  out,  and  instructions  are  issued  directing 
that  the  first  of  the  five  packages  be  returned  to  Washington 
with  a  statement  of  the  conditions  under  which  it  was  stored, 
the  temijerature  variations  it  was  subjected  to,  and  the  relative 
humidity  of  the  place.  Next  year  the  second  package  of  seeds 
will  be  called  in,  and  so  on  for  the  five  years.  The  seeds,  after 
being  returned,  are  to  be  carefully  tested  to  ascertain  how  well 
they  withstood  the  conditions  imposed  upon  them. — (“  Ameri¬ 
can  Gardening.”) 
Vitis,  syn,  fimpelopsis. 
Surely  there  is  nothing  to  equal  the  well  known  Ampelopsis 
(Vitis  of  Linn.)  and  its  varieties,  for  rapidly  covering  blank 
walls,  arches,  and  trellises.  Its  best  recommendation,  perhaps, 
is  that  it  adapts  itself  in  most  of  its  kinds  to  either  a  sunny  or 
shady  aspect.  C’are  should  be  exercised  when  planting  to 
secure  strong  plants,  and  to  see  that  they  are  carefully  planted 
without  disturbing  the  roots  any  more  than  can  possibly  be 
helped.  The  plants  are  usually  obtained  in  pots,  and  if  strong, 
the  roots  will  often  be  found  to  have  grown  considerably  through 
the  drainage  hole.  It  is  very  much  better  to  place  the  plant, 
as  received,  in  position  and  smash  the  pot  before  covering  over, 
making  firm,  leaving  the  roots  to  break  through  themselves 
when  growth  in  their  new  quarters  commences.  Ampelopsis 
hederacea,  the  common  Virginian  Creeper,  is  perhaps  the  most 
vigorous  grower.  If  care  is  taken  in  training  it  many  an  un¬ 
sightly  place  may  be  covered  up,  where  the  more  popular  A. 
Veitchi  (V.  inconstans)  would  be  a  failure  on  account  of  its  up¬ 
ward  growth.  A.  Veitchi  is  undoubtedly,  an  exceedingly  pretty 
species,  gaining  its  popularity  no  doubt  through  its  self-clinging 
propensity,  though  there  are  others  quite  as  effective  in  growth 
and  colouriilg  as  the  original.  A.  Veitchi  purpurea  is  quite  as 
hardy  and  vigorous,  the  difference  being  in  the  colour,  which  is 
of  a  purplish  shade  throughout  the  summer.  A.  Veitchi  atro- 
purpurea  is  even  darker  in  colour.  A.  japonica  Hoggi  is  a  large- 
leaved,  self-clinging  variety,  very  vigorous,  and  has  an  attractive 
rich  dark  colour.  A.  sempervirens  is'  a  very  close  growing  ever¬ 
green  kind,  but  a  weak  climber,  requiring  a  southern  aspect. 
There  is  a  variegated  form,  A.  quinquefolia  variegata,  which  re¬ 
quires  glass  protection;  it  is  also  exceedingly  graceful  when 
suspended.  It  should  always  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  Am¬ 
pelopsis  is  a  strong  grower,  and  the  better  the  cultivation  the 
quicker  will  it  spread,  and  the  better  the  result  in  other  respects. 
• — J.  W.  J.,  Oswestry. 
