October  22,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
371 
Hedysarum  multijugum. 
Heclysariim  multijugum  is  one  of  our  prettiest  of  hardy  flower¬ 
ing  shrubs.  It  was  introduced  from  China  about  1880,  is  per¬ 
fectly  hardy,  and  blooms  in  June.  The  flowers  are  borne  in 
clusters,  and  are  of  a  very  bright  carmine  red.  They  are  borne 
well  above  the  foliage,  and  can  therefore  be  seen  a  long  way  off. 
The  bushes  are  round  and  dense,  and  the  branches,  as  well  as 
the  under  side  of  the  foliage,  white  with  silvery  grey  hair. 
Pentas  carnea. 
One  of  the  plants  which  should  be  revivified  is  Pentas  carnea, 
according  to  “  Die  Gardenvelt.”  It  belongs  to  the  Rubiaceae, 
and  comes  from  tropical  Africa.  It  is  a  free  bloomer.  Not  in 
the  summer  only  in  a  cool  house  or  sheltered  spot  in  the  garden 
does  it  develop  its  magnificent,  rosy  lilac,  upright  clusters  of 
flowers,  but  in  the  fall  and  winter  also  it  is  perpetually  in  bloom. 
It  is  easily  raised  from  seeds  or  cuttings,  and  thrives  best  in  a 
rich,  sandy  soil. 
The  New  Potato,  Sutton  s  Discovery. 
We  have  received  the  following  letters :  — 
“  Notwithstanding  such  a  bad  season,  I  cannot  speak  too 
highly  of  ‘  Discovery  ’  Potato.  In  the  lib,  we  had  eleven  Potatoes 
which  we  cut  up  into  sets  of  one  eye  each.  We  have  now  lifted 
741b  of  good  sound  tubers.  With  us  this  is  a  splendid  crop  for 
such  a  terrible  year.” — Mr.  G.  Carpenter,  The  Gardens,  West 
Hall,  Byfleet. 
“  I  have  this  week  dug  the  produce  of  lib  of  seed  of  the  new 
Potato,  ‘  Discovery.’  The  result  is  exactly  501b,  and  not  one 
diseased  tuber,  although  they  have  been  perfectly  saturated  with 
wet  the  Avhole  season,  and  with  heavy  soil  combined.  I  think 
this  is  a  pretty  fair  test,  and  I  have  not  subjected  them  to  any 
artificial  treatment.  The  eating  qualities  I  consider  excellent, 
and  wish  I  had  my  whole  Potato  breaks  planted  with  the  same 
this  disastrous  season.” — Mr.  G.  R.  George,  The  Gardens, 
Wavendon  House,  Woburn. 
Aster,  Coombe-Fishacre  White. 
The  many  who  appreciate  the  valuable  Starwort  (perennial 
Aster)  called  Coombe-Fishacre,  which  makes  a  pretty  bush  in  the 
garden  with  its  multitude  of  flO'Wers,  will  do  well  to  secure  the 
white  one  named  Coombe-Fishacre  White.  Like  the  other  it  was 
raised  by  Mr.  T.  H.  Archer-Hind,  of  Coombe-Fishacre  House, 
Newton  Abbot.  It  may  be  said  to  be  a  white  counterpart  of 
the  original  one,  and  it  makes  a  capital  companion  tO'  it.  Mr. 
Archer-Hind  is  still  raising  new  Starworts,  and  a  box  of  flowers 
of  his  new  seedlings,  as,  yet  unnamed,  reached  me  the  other  day. 
It  was  difficult  to  select  from  so  many  beautiful  ones,  but  I 
endeavoured  to  do  so,  to  my  own  satisfaction  at  least,  and  I 
hope  to  see  some  of  them  in  my  garden  next  year.  It  is  as  well 
to  remark  that  Mr.  Archer-Hind,  like  the  writer,  does  not  sell 
plants. — S.  Arnott. 
Hibiscus  syriacus. 
A  good  sized  specimen  of  this  beautiful  autumn  flowering 
shrub  flowered  profu.sely  here  last  sea.son.  I  do  not  think  this 
is  a  very  common  plant  in  the  North  of  England,  but  is  grown 
more  in  the  South,  where  it  is  warmer.  It  is  quite  hardy,  having 
withstood  most  severe  winters  without  protection  ;  but  the  wood 
mu.st  be  well  ripened,  or  it  will  not  bloom  very  well.  This  shrub 
has  a  very  nice  habit,  the  branches  growing  upright,  giving  it 
a  compact  outline  ;  the  leaves,  which  are  wedge  shaped,  are  three 
iobed  and  toothed.  Ours  is  the  single  blue  variety,  with  claret 
coloured  strips,  catalogued  under  the  name  of  Coeleste.  There 
are  many  forms  of  it  in  cultivation,  some  with  double  flowers, 
and  in  a  variety  of  colours.  Its  flowering  time  is  August  and 
September.  A  well  drained  and  rather  light  soil  is  best,  and  it 
should  have  a  sunny  position,  so  that  the  wood  may  get  well 
ripened.  It  is  sometimes  found  under  the  name  Altha?a  frutex — 
J.  S.  Fpex,  Yorks. 
“The  Pierson  Fern. ’’ 
Much  has  been  written  in  praise  of  this  exceedingly  handsome 
Fern — Nephrolepis  Piersoni.  It  is  an  American  variety  (or 
species?),  and  has  come  to  this  country  through  Mr.  H.  B.  May, 
of  Edmonton,  London.  He  .staged  well  grown,  nicely  crested 
plants  at  a  recent  meeting.  From  seeing  those  plants,  we  can 
thoroughly  recommend  this  as  a  valuable  addition  to  decorative 
Ferns,  and  for  ornamental  uses.  It  received  “the  fir.st  and  only 
gold  medal  ever  given  by  the  American  Societj^  of  Florists  to 
any  plant.” 
Culinary  Pea,  Alderman. 
Out  of  a  very  large  number  of  varieties  grown  this  season, 
this  has  proved  itself  indi.spensable  in  ever^^  way.  Its  heavy 
cropping  qualities,  coupled  with  the  extra  large  pods  filled  with 
peas  of  the  most  delicious  flavour,  being  eminently  .suitable  to 
all  who  have  a  large  demand  made  upon  their  resources.  Grow¬ 
ing  to  a  height  of  5ft  it  may  not  be  suitable  for  those  who  are 
short  of  space  and  sticks ;  but  where  at  all  possible  it  is  worth  an 
effort  to  try  it.  As  an  exhibition  variety  I  consider  it  of  the 
finest,  possessing  the  highest  points  of  colour,  size,  and  flayour. 
— R. 
Pansies. 
The  colours  exhibited  by  Pansies  are  mo.st  extraordinary. 
Some  are  as  near  black  as  flowers  can  be.  The  richest  purples  are 
common,  with  clear  yellow,  intense  violets,  lavenders,  tender 
dove  colours,  rich  maroons  and  browns.  On  the  lower  petal, 
which  in  the  Violets  is  hollowed  behind  into  a  nectar-bearing 
spur,  there  can  be  usually  seen,’  when  the  ground  tint  is  not  too 
dark  to  obscure  them,  the  so-called  “guiding  lines”  to  which 
Sprengel  first  called  attention.  He  claimed  for  them  a  signifi¬ 
cance  which  science  has  of  late  reaffirmed,  maintaining  that  they 
serve  as  so  many  clues  or  lines  of  direction  to  assist  insects  in 
finding  the  nectar. — (“  American  Botanist.”) 
Potato,  The  Crofter. 
Tliis  fine  white,  round  maincrop  Potato  was  sent  out  by 
Messrs.  Dobbie,  of  Rothesay,  in  1898,  and  it  is  singular  that  it 
has  not  been  much  more  heard  of  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lan¬ 
cashire  and  Cheshire.  I  have  no  hesitation  in  writing  this  note 
after  seeing  many  varieties  lifted  and  cooked  on  the  .same  day, 
the  “  Crofter  ”  turning  up  with  tubers  beautifully  white, 
extremely  heavy,  and  an  ab.sence  of  small  ones.  On  its  bring 
cooked  one  could  not  have  wished  for  a  finer  sample,  floury,  and 
with  a  flavour  such  as  we  used  to  get  in  some  of  the  older  varie¬ 
ties.  The  flesh  is  firm,  and  skin  slightly  netted,  shallow  in  the 
eye,  and  of  much  value  in  an  exhibition  collection. — R.  P.  R. 
Experimental  Potato  Growing. 
For  many  years  the  esteemed  editor  of  the  “  Ormskirk 
Advertiser,”  Mr.  W.  L.  Hutton,  has  offered  valuable  prizes  at 
the  Liverpool  Grain,  Root,  and  Fruit  Show,  for  the  newest  varie¬ 
ties  of  Potatoes.  These  he  undertakes  tO'  have  planted  the 
following  sea.son  with  a  view  to  their  being  te.sted  for  market 
purposes.  The  land  on  which  they  are  planted  is  cf  a  strong 
nature,  situated  at  Aughton,  near  Ormskirk,  and  is  a  good 
Potato  growing  di.strict.  Mr.  Henry  Jenkinson,  of  Bold  Lane, 
Aughton,  has  had  the  stock  under  his  charge  this  season,  and 
every  facility  for  intelligent  cultivation  has  been  afforded. 
In  such  a  season  as  the  present,  the  growth  has  been 
abundant  ;  but  owing  to  the  veiy  wet  weather  disease  has  been 
unusually  prevalent.  The  lifting  of  the  crop  has  been  most  care¬ 
fully  done,  and  the  weighing  thoroughly  carried  out  vrith  the 
following  results  :  — 
Weiglit 
U'e 
gilt  nroduced. 
Ilf  seed 
fS  )  mil. 
.Small. 
Diseased. 
Name. 
in  lbs. 
Ih.s. 
lbs. 
lbs. 
Kar^y  May . 
2 
11 
2 
8 
New  Maiestic 
3\ 
2S 
1 
16 
F.dward  VIT. 
2(1 
2 
14 
Fvlde  Wonder 
G 
24 
13 
Coronation  Ivi<lnev 
..  2! 
2S 
1 
17 
Maddock’s  Excelsior 
0=1 
30 
2 
7 
F.uterprise . 
38 
3 
12 
Carlotonians 
24 
21 
2 
6 
Niven’.s  Table  Talk 
34 
51 
•1 
26 
General  Buller 
2* 
17 
2 
9 
Seedling  (unnamed) 
n 
29 
2 
5 
» 
30 
332 
234 
129 
“  Table  Talk  ”  proved  itself  a  good  cropper,  excellent  in  shape, 
and  of  fine  quality. — R.  P.  R. 
