December  10,  1903.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
531 
Tulip  is  so  difficult  to  make  perfect  that  it  will  always  be  left 
to  the  devoted  few.  Then,  what  more  interesting  to  Imperialists 
(as  all  of  us  ought  to  be)  than  Mr.  Pickstone’s  iiaper,  given  before 
the  Horticultural  Club,  and  printed  here,  on  “Fruit  Culture  at 
the  Cape?  ”  It  is  readable  from  end  to  end,  and  supj)lies  a  host 
of  facts.  And  to  the  would-be  emigrant  or  young  man  bent  on 
going  abroad,  what  more  cheering  than  the  message  given  in 
Mr.  Hunt’s  paper  entitled,  “  Horticulture  in  New  Zealand  ?  ” — 
namely,  “  A  hearty  British  welcome  awaits  the  new  settler.”  Mr. 
Hunt  says  :  “  What  New  Zealand  wants  is  strong,  hardy  young 
men  for  country  life,  who  will  help  to  break  down  and  bring  the 
bush  into  cultivation  .  .  .  :  and  as  there  is  a  surplus  of  young 
gardeners  at  home  (so  it  is  said),  what  better  move  than  to  make 
a  healthy  home  in  “Britain  of  the  Southern  Seas?  ” 
Daffodil  enthusiasts  are  under  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  Mr.  W. 
Bartholomew  for  his  painstaking  researches  into  the  rooting  of 
the  Narci.ssus.  He  has  gone  minutely,  patiently,  and  per¬ 
sistently  into  the  rooting  propensities  (or  lack  of  them)  in  a 
large  number  of  Daffodils,  showing  by  text  and  photo  how  long 
this  or  that  variety  was  ere  it  began  to  root  in  the  soil,  how 
many  and  how  strong  wei'e  those  roots,  and  other  facts  about 
them.  Happily  Daffodil  growers  will  appreciate  these  interest¬ 
ing  tabulations,  and  that  is  sufficient.  We  might  a.sk.  Could 
not  many  other  amateurs  with  leisure  and  means,  add  profit¬ 
ably  to  their  own  and  others’  knowledge  by  experiments  witb 
other  plants?  Great  things  arise  from  small  beginnings. 
Bottling  fruit  is  not  forgotten,  and  Miss  Edith  Bradley, 
whose  bottled  fruit  beat  that  of  Austin  and  Co.  (trade  suppliers) 
this  year,  explains  her  proce.ss.  There  are  other  papers  of  value, 
and  the  volume,  like  the  others  before  it,  is  well  worth  a  guinea, 
though  only  ten  shillings  is  charged.  But  we  may  again  point 
out  to  the  many  practical  gardeners  who  are  readers  of  the 
Journal  of  Horticulture,  and  rvho  have  not  yet  become  Fellows 
of  the  National  Society — the  R.H.S. — that  here  is  a  cheap  and 
easy  means  of  getting  a  library  together: — pay  one  guinea  to 
become  a  Fellow',  and  you  receive  a  quarterly  Journal,  which  is 
a  mine  of  information,  put  in  a  convenient  and  permanent  form. 
Under  gardeners  also  may 
join.  The  Secretary’s  address 
is  117,  Victoria  Street,  West¬ 
minster,  S.'W. 
Various  Publications. 
The  Manubing  of  Mar¬ 
ket  Garden  Crops. — This 
is  a  fairly  elaborate  essay  by 
Bernard  Dyer,  D.Se.,  and 
F.  W.  E.  Slirivell,  on  Manuring. 
It  is  reprinted  from  the  .Jour¬ 
nal  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  and  costs  Is.,  post 
free,  from  Vinton  &  Co.,  Ltd., 
9,  New  Bridge  Street,  Ludgate 
Circus,  E.C.  Various  kitchen 
garden  and  fruit  crops,  and 
the  manures  for  them,  are 
discussed  seriatim.  The  book 
is  illustrated.  Size  5^  in.  x 
in.,  pp.  120. 
The  Farmer’s  Business 
Hand  Book. — The  price  of 
this  work  is  4s.  6d.,  from  Mac¬ 
millan  &  Co.,  Ltd.  It  is  one 
of  the  Rural  Science  Series, 
of  which  L.  H.  Bailey  is  the 
genei'al  editor.  The  author  in 
this  ease  is  Isaac  Phillips 
Roberts,  Prof,  of  Agriculture 
in  Cornell  University,  and 
though,  of  course,  written 
specially  for  American  farm¬ 
ers,  the  hints  on  how  to  keep 
accounts,  the  kinds  of  ac¬ 
counts,  the  ledger,  the  trial 
balance,  accounts  with  parti¬ 
cular  fields  and  crops,  &c., 
Ac.  It  is  a  very  useful  com¬ 
panion,  indeed  a  farmer’s 
business  book.  Size,  7  in.  by  5 
in.  Pp.  300,  with  a  good  index. 
Packing  and  Selling  Fruit 
AND  Vegetables. — A  very  in¬ 
teresting,  useful,  and  complete  illustrated  essay,  by  R.  Lewis  Castle, 
a  well-known  horticulturist.  This  was  written  for  the  Fruiterers’ 
Company,  and  won  their  gold  medal  prize.  It  is  now  published  in 
convenient  book  form  of  over  140  pages,  about  8  in.  by  fi  in.,  by  Messrs. 
Collingridge,  Aldersgate  Street ;  Is.  2^(1.,  post  free.  It  is  practical. 
Pictorial  Practical  Bulb  Growing. — Mr.  Walter  P.  Wright  has 
produced  a  series  of  shilling  books  dealing  with  various  garden 
departments.  This  illustrated  book  (pp.  1.52;  Cassell  and  Co.) 
treats  also  of  Cannas,  Dahlias,  Begonias,  besides  true  bulbous  genera. 
Notes  on  Hardy  Plants. 
Anemone  alpina  and  its  variety  sulphurea- 
The  genus  Anemone  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  of  the  many 
beautiful  genera  which  combine  to  give  our  gardens  their  highest 
attractions.  It  comprises  many  of  our  most  delightful  flowers,  and  it 
may  safely  be  said  that  there  are  few'  members  of  the  genus  which  do 
not  commend  themselves  to  the  lover  of  flowers.  Some  are  of  com¬ 
paratively  tall  stature,  while  others,  typified  by  such  plants  as  A. 
nemorosa,  our  common  Wood  Anemone,  are  flowers  of  lowly  mien, 
yet  of  high  beauty  in  our  eyes. 
Among  the  most  pleasing  of  the  taller  Anemones  w'hich  can  be 
used  with  profit  in  borders  and  in  rockeries  alike,  we  must  place  the 
beautiful  Anemone  alpina,  with  its  form  sulphurea,  frequently  con¬ 
sidered  to  be  a  distinct  species,  but  placed  by  the  best  of  present 
authorities  of  the  day  as  a  variety  only  of  A.  alpina.  Both  of  these 
are  very  beautiful  flowers,  with  finely  divided  and  elegant  foliage,  from 
which  arise  on  tallish  stems  pretty  flat  cup  or  saucer-like  blossoms  of 
considerable  size. 
Anemone  alpina  is  widely  distributed,  and  is  said  to  occur  in  the 
Caucasus  and  in  North  America,  as  well  as  being  plentiful  in  the 
European  Alps  on  snowy  ranges,  and  on  the  lower  mountains  and 
the  slopes  of  the  valleys.  In  its  stature  it  varies  greatly  according 
to  its  position,  the  character  of  the  soil,  and  the  amount  of  moisture 
available  for  the  plant  in  its  growing  season.  From  four  or  five  inches 
to  between  two  and  three  feet  may  seem  a  wide  range  of  stature,  but 
this  is  found  in  this  Alpine  Anemone  in  the  various  places  where  it 
grows  in  a  wild  state.  It  is  not  very  fastidious,  yet  many  seem  to  fail 
with  it,  though  it  will  thrive  as  well  in  the  border  as  anywhere,  making 
a  pretty  effect  with  its  white  flowers  deeply  tinged  with  blue  on  the 
outside.  Following  the  flowers  come  the  round  heads  of  silken-awned 
seeds,  which  are  very  ornamental  for  a  long  time  after  the  plant 
has  finished  its  flowering,  which  begins  in  the  end  of  April  or  early 
in  May. 
Cf  equal  value  is  the  variety  sulphurea.  whose  flowers  are,  however, 
of  a  pale,  sulphur  yellow,  of 
an  unobtrusive  but  pleasing 
hue.  It  corresponds  otherwise 
to  the  typical  Anemone  alpina, 
so  that  one  need  not  burden 
these  notes  with  further  detail. 
It  may  be  said,  however,  that 
while  A.  alpina  has  its  habitats 
in  calcareous  soils,  sulphurea 
is  found  on  a  granite  forma¬ 
tion.  This  may  be  of  service 
to  some  who  have  had  difficulty 
in  growing  these  Anemones, 
but  it  may  also  be  of  some 
assistance  to  say  that  I  have 
found  no  difficulty  in  cultivat¬ 
ing  A.  a.  sulphurea  in  soil  in 
which  there  is  a  good  deal  of 
calcareous  matter.  As  has 
been  previously  remarked,  A. 
alpina  will  thrive  well  in  the 
open  border,  and  the  finest 
display  of  plants  of  the  type 
I  have  yet  seen  were  plants 
raised  from  seeds,  and  growing 
in  an  open  bed  of  cool  soil  in 
a  nursery  in  a  cold  locality. 
The  easiest  method  of  rais¬ 
ing  a  stock  of  A.  alpina  is  by 
means  of  seeds,  ivliich  are  best 
sown  whenever  properly  ripe. 
An  established  plant  ivill  soon 
give  plenty  of  seeds,  and  these 
are  best  sown  in  a  cold  frame, 
pricking  out  the  young  plants 
in  favourable  weather  when 
they  have  attained  sufficient 
size  to  handle.  A  mass  or 
groups  of  the  Alpine  Anemoi.e 
in  a  large  rock-garden  or  in 
the  “MTld  Garden”  is  a  sight 
w'orth  seeing,  but  there  are 
few  places  in  this  country 
where  it  can  lie  met  with. 
That  there  are  not  many  is 
much  to  the  loss  of  those  who  have  plenty  of  room  for  such  a  dis¬ 
play,  but  who  have  not  gone  to  the  trouble  of  securing  it.  To  the 
many,  however,  one  or  a  few  plants  can  be  recommended  as  aiding 
the  interest  and  attraction  of  any  garden  of  hardy  flowers. — 
S.  Arnott. 
- »  mtm  t  — 
Mr.  Peter  Barr. — The  veteran  seedsman  and  florist  sails  this 
week  for  Cairo.  He  intends  to  visit  Egypt,  Palestine,  and  Greece, 
returning  in  May  or  June  next  year. 
Laelia  anceps  Oweniana. 
