sandy peat soil and two parts sand answers as well as pots. The cuttings should be divested of their leaves to one-third of their length, and inserted to that depth. If pots be employed, the mixture is the same, and the drainage should consist of a layer of crocks 2 inches in depth. A moderate bottom heat and top heat of 50° to 55° Fahr. are necessary. Of Eucalyptus, choose as cuttings shoots found on old stems and furnished with a swelling. Those species with but little powder or wax on the leaves, and which have hard leaves, must receive much moisture; E. cordata, E. perfoliata, and E. pulverulenta, a lesser quantity. F. M.

THE ROSARY.

NEW ROSES OF BRITISH ORIGIN. SEVERAL new varieties of merit have recently been sent out by Messrs. Wm. Paul & Sons, of Waltham Cross. Of these, one of the most attractive by reason of its brightness is Warrior, a new scarlet-crimson Hybrid Tea. The buds are of blood-red colour, and the variety somewhat resembles the beautiful Papa Gontier in its characteristics. Celia, also raised by this firm, is a highly decorative and extremely floriferous Rose; so much so, that disbudding is advisable if large flowers are required for exhibition purposes. Dora is a Hybrid Tea of exquisite form; the colour is of the shade termed "silvery blush." Amongst the more notable Roses recently introduced by the Irish Rosarians, Messrs. Alex. Dickson, of Newtownards, may be mentioned the variety Lena, a garden hybrid of unique beauty (it is figured in the firm's autumn catalogue); the colour is a rich shade of apricot, with a delicate suggestion of primrose at the edges of the petals as the flowers expand. Mrs. G. W. Kershaw, of strong, vigorous habit and freeflowering tendencies, with large, impressive rosepink blooms; and Mrs. Myles Kennedy, a creamy-white Rose of quite unique grace and distinction, with buff and pink suffusions, described by the raisers, not without expressive"a glorified Souvenir d'Elise Vardon." ness, as This variety was given the Gold Medal of the National Rose Society. Mrs. Peter Blair, a grandly decorative Rose, endowed with splendid foliage; and William Shean, a pure pink variety with flowers of grand dimensions, have also been raised by the Newtownards firm, who have likewise recently given us the beautiful Lady Rossmore, with blooms of a beautiful crimson that is shaded with claret. It was raised by Dr. J. Campbell Hall.

To Mr. Hugh Dickson, of the Belmont Nurseries, Belfast, whose finest seedling, so far, is J. B. Clark, we are indebted for Lady Overtown, with petals of a pale salmon colour, shading to silvery pink; and Mrs. A. M. Kirker, pure bright cerise, a Rose of great value for garden decoration. Both of these are Hybrid Perpetuals, a class that has of late years been some. what neglected in favour of the more delicately coloured Hybrid Teas, which, drawing many of their most fascinating attributes from the Tea varieties, are generally supposed to be more graceful in form and in aspect more refined. Not a few varieties of merit have of late years been sent out by Messrs. George Paul & Sons, of Cheshunt; prominent among these is Nellie Johnstone, of exceedingly bright and luminous colour, with long, pointed buds and petals of the purest pink colouring, with tender violet modification on their outsides. The blooms are fragrant. It is a supposed cross between Madame Berkeley and Catherine Mermet. Richmond is a most interesting derivative from the variety named after Lady Battersea. Two Roses from Colchester are also acquisitions. These are Nance Christy, raised by Messrs. B. R. Cant & Sons, and named after one of the heroines of Mr. S. R. Crockett, the famous novelist. The plant is of vigorous growth, and the flowers are salmon-pink in shade and semi-double. other is Mrs. O. G. Orpen, a climbing Rose of great attractiveness, of lustrous, roseate hue. David R. Williamson.

The

The Week's Work.

THE FLOWER GARDEN.

By A. C. BARTLETT, Gardener to Mrs. FORD, Pencarrow, Cornwall.

Window boxes.-Two sets of boxes, one for summer and another for winter use, are more economical and convenient than when the same boxes have to do duty all the year round. If duplicate boxes are available, the summer boxes may now be furnished, after which they should be placed in a cool house for a week or two to partially establish the plants before they are placed in the windows, about the middle of May. At this date no danger from frost need be feared, as the heat radiated from the walls will protect the plants at night-time. The compost used in the boxes should be rich, and should contain sufficient plant-food to last the season, for window boxes cannot be surfaced with manures nor soaked with liquid manure. A good general mixture consists of fibrous loam, with the addition of leaf-mould, bone-meal, and sand. Place as few crocks in the bottom of the box as practicable, rather using as drainage a layer of coarse broken loam. Plant firmly. The selection of plants will, of course, depend upon the owner's taste, but if possible the boxes should be furnished with something different from the ubiquitous white Marguerites and pink ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, which, while forming a pretty combination. lack distinctness, and on repetition becomes wearisome. To many people occasional plants of Heliotropes; Lippia citriodora, and scented-leaved Pelargoniums of the less perfumed class, are acceptable in a window box. For a north window such plants as Begonias, Calceolarias, Fuchsias, and Pansies are recommended.

Zinnias.-Seeds of this annual should now be sown. Place the seed-boxes in a gentle bottom heat, and as soon as the seedlings are large enough to be handled, transplant them singly. When these plants are rooted do not subject them to a high temperature.

Campanulas.-Sow in moderate heat seeds of both the blue and white varieties of C. pyramidalis in pans of light soil. Last year's seedlings which were planted in nursery beds are now throwing up their flower-spikes. The pre

sent is a suitable time to lift and plant Campanulas in small groups in the herbaceous borders, and also in large beds of miscellaneous plants in the flower garden.

Annuals.-Seeds of Sweet Peas and other flowering plants should be sown in the open ground to provide a succession to the first sowings.

Hardy Bamboos may be planted at any time during the next few weeks. Shelter from winds is essential, an ideal spot being a gentle slope, and, if possible, one bordering a stream which has a good background of dark foliage to act as a foil to the lighter plumes of the Bamboos. As the roots of Bamboos are excessively brittle they should be disturbed as little as possible when planting, and it will be better to smash the pot than to force the plant from it. The young shoots also share this brittle character, and where game or rabbits abound it will be wise to place some wire-netting around the choicer varieties for a time.

FRUITS UNDER GLASS.

By ALEXANDER KIRK, Gardener to J. THOMSON PATON, Esq., Norwood, Alloa, Clackmannanshire.

Pines.

The earliest fruits will now be colouring, they will therefore require a dry atmosphere, and very little moisture at their roots; watering must be discontinued entirely ere the fruits become quite ripe. Plants that are com ing in flower and those that have just passed that stage in the same pit should not be grown in too moist an atmosphere, but it will be neces sary to damp the paths twice daily, and to ventilate freely in order to keep the plants sturdy. The night temperature should be regulated to 75° or 80° Fahr., and the structure should be closed in the afternoon with the inside temperature at 90° Fahr. Maintain a steady bottom heat of 80°. Wherever the plants that have gone out of flower require moisture at their roots, give warm manure water.

Pines which are growing actively in 8-inch pots should now be shifted into other receptacles 2 or 3 inches larger. After potting, plunge the plants in a bottom heat of 85°, and keep the atmosphere close and moist for a few

days, and lightly spray the plants occasionally with the syringe.

Strawberries should be cautiously forced now. As soon as the fruits are all gathered from the earliest batch, remove the plants to a cold frame, where they may become hardened ready for plant. ing outside. Other batches that are swelling their fruits should be given warm manure water twice a week. Thin the fruits on each plant to eight or ten. Syringe the plants early in the day with hot water; this will help to keep down attacks of red spider, for this pest and green fly must never be allowed on the plants. Remove the latest batch of plants into a cool Peach house; these will furnish fruits up to the time the outside crop is ready. Should the plants be at tacked with mildew dip them in a solution of potassium sulphide, using 1 ounce of the chemi cal to a pail of warm water. The variety Royal Sovereign is very subject to attack by mildew, but this remedy will prove effective. It should be done before the plants are in flower.

Figs in pots or in borders.-Trees on which the fruits are swelling will require to be well supplied with tepid manure water. Some growths must be cut out and others pinched at the fourth leaf and, in the case of the wall trees, tied or nailed to the trellis or wall. Syringe on each afternoon and keep the atmosphere of the house moist during the whole of the daytime. Close the structure early in the afternoon, and reduce the quantity of atmospheric moisture as soon as the fruits begin to ripen.

at

Cucumbers should have a night temperature of 70° to 75° Fahr. Close the pit with an inside temperature of 90°, and keep the house moist always, as Cucumbers dislike a dry at mosphere at any time. Give plenty of water their roots, alternated occasionally with manure water. Top-dress and mulch the ridges with from spent manure a mushroom-bed. Syringe freely, especially if red spider or thrip make their appearance, and shade the plants from bright sunshine. Sow for a successional batch.

Early Grapes in pots, which have ripened fruits in bearing, will now require a cool, dry atmosphere and a plentiful supply of ventilation both by day and by night-time. Afford water very carefully and do not allow them to become excessively dry. Treat these vines in pots in much the same manner as that recommended for early vineries in last week's calendar.

THE ORCHID HOUSES.

By W. H. WHITE, Orchid Grower to Sir TREVOR LAWRENC", Bart., Burford, Surrey.

Odontoglossum crispum.-On receiving newly imported plants of this popular Orchid, the grower should carefully examine them, and cut away all dead and diseased parts. A stage in a shady part of the coolest house should be set aside for them, and upon the stage should be placed a thin layer of rough peat mixed with sphagnum-moss. Place the pseudo-bulbs up this compost, and, if possible, in an upright position, but first damp the moss and peat with a fine syringe. No further moisture will be re quired for some considerable time, as that derived from the usual daily damping of the house will generally suffice until growth actively commences. If only a small consignment has been purchased, every piece of growth that will form a plant should be separately potted in as small a receptacle as can conveniently be used, filling up to and around the base of the plant with small crocks, and making the plant as firm as possible. At Burford we twist a thin piece of well-dried Fern rhizome around the rhizome of the Orchid, place the plant in the pot, allow. ing the ends of the rhizome to reach the bottom, and then pack crocks closely around for the pur pose of steadying the plant, and keeping it in its proper position. Stand the pots on a moist bed, and pour water through the crocks occa. sionally to assist the pseudo-bulbs to regain their plumpness. In due time the new shoots will appear, and fresh roots form at the base, when the plants should be potted in well-drained pots and with only a thin layer of moss and peat pressed moderately firm on the surface. After potting, afford gentle waterings, but as the new growths gain strength, moisture may be more frequently and liberally afforded.

Old and well-established plants of Odont glossum crispum, also its congeneric species and hybrids are in various stages of growth. Many are sending up strong flower-spikes, and these

plants will require plenty of water at their roots until after the inflorescences have been cut, when the quantity of water afforded should be only sufficient to keep the pseudo-bulbs in a fairly plump condition.

Afford plenty of atmospheric moisture to plants in the cool house, especially in those houses which are naturally dry, and admit as much fresh air as possible whenever the weather will permit. Shade the plants from the direct rays of the sun, and afford a minimum amount of fire-heat, unless the nights become very cold. As the season advances, artificial heat should be dispensed with, unless a morning frost is apparent, when the valves should be turned on when retiring for the night, for the temperature should not drop below 50° and 55°. Turn the valves off again the first thing in the morning, and throughout the day, when the external air is at a temperature of about 40°, the bottom ventilators should be slightly opened, and when it has risen to 45° more air should be admitted, and at 50° a little top ventilation should be afforded, increasing it in accordance with the outside temperature. On dull, cold days, maintain a temperature ranging between 55° and 60°.

THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN.
By J. MAYNE, Gardener to the Hon. MARK ROLLE,
Bicton, East Devon.

Strawberry beds.-A month having elapsed since the manure was forked into the ground between the plants, it will now be time to lay down clean straw for the fruits to rest upon later, but before doing this work, the flat hoe should be drawn up the rows when the ground is dry enough. The recent rains have improved the appearance of the Strawberry beds, and a mulching of straw applied now will preserve much of the moisture in the soil for some weeks. The littering of Strawberry beds is better done ere the flower-spikes are advanced, for there is always a danger of crippling many of these. Long, strawy litter from the stable yard is often used, but the manure is liable to affect the flavour of the fruits, and many employers object to its use. There is nothing better than clean oat or barley straw, as these are pliant, and can be quickly laid around each plant. After the fruit has been gathered, the straw can be removed and mixed with stable manure. is advisable to scatter a layer of fresh soot around each plant before the straw is applied, for the purpose of warding off slugs. Pinch out the flowers of the perpetual bearing kinds.

It

Raspberries.-Suckers thrown up far from the parent plant should be cut up with the flat hoe, raked off, and wheeled to the rubbish heap. Perhaps of all our hardy fruits, the one under notice thrives best when given a cool, moist rootrun; the plants will therefore benefit by a thick mulching of partly-decayed manure spread evenly a yard in width either side of the canes. Insect pests.-The Plum is one of the first trees to be attacked by insects, the curled growths, and ofttimes withered shoots being an indication that an insect is present. Upon unfolding the damaged leaves, a tiny worm or maggot will be found, and this should be destroyed by squeezing between the finger and thumb.

on the flat and without trenches. Three seeds should be placed in a four-inch pot, and the seedlings eventually thinned to the strongest plant. As soon as large enough, plant in rows 3 feet 6 inches apart. On light soil Cardoons are best grown in trenches prepared as for Celery. This plant is not so generally grown as it should be, for it provides a welcome addition to the commoner vegetables.

Winter vegetables, such as Borecoles, Broccoli, Savoys, &c., should now be sown in shallow drills in a seed bed. A space of 12 inches between the rows should be allowed, but if it is intended to transplant them before their final planting, then a distance of 6 inches will be sufficient. In some gardens, these form the whole of the winter green vegetables, but the list can be added to by the inclusion of the newer Kales, such as Improved Hearting, Hardy Sprouting, and Chou de Russie.

PLANTS UNDER GLASS.

By J. G. WESTON, Gardener to H. J. KING, Esq.,
Eastwell Park, Kent.

Winter-flowering Begonias are almost indispensable subjects in gardens. B. Gloire de Lor. raine may be had in bloom at almost any season of the year, but as a general rule it is most welcome in the autumn and winter months. It is one of the easiest plants to propagate, and its cultivation presents no difficulties. If flowering plants are required for next autumn and winter, the cuttings should now be inserted,

FIG. 113.-BEGONIA GLOIRE DE SCEAUX.

plant for indoor decoration, the warm, dry atmosphere in such situations suiting it when in flower. Cuttings should be inserted at once, and the plants grown without a check all through the season. Watch for Begonia-rust, and also for a very small thrip, which, if left unchecked, will quite cripple the growth of the plants; a spraying with some safe insecticide is the best preventive.

Other valuable additions are the hybrids from B. socotrana and the tuberous Begonias, of which Ensign, John Heal, Mrs. Heal, and Winter Perfection are examples.

PUBLIC PARKS AND GARDENS. By W. W. PETTIGREW, Superintendent of the Parks and Open Spaces in the City of Cardiff. Meteorological instruments in public parks.-As meteorological conditions have such an allimportant bearing upon horticulture, it is but very natural that gardeners should take a practical interest in the subject, and have a placed in few meteorological instruments some more or less suitable position in the garden under their charge. This, coupled with the fact that long experience enables most gardeners to detect those subtle alterations in atmospheric conditions which usually indicate a change in the weather, leads to gardeners being regarded by the general public-rightly or wrongly, as the case may be as authorities upon most matters meteorological.

Interest to the public.-Apart from the bearing that this subject has upon horticulture, it has also much interest for the public, and for this reason one park in every town of importance should be furnished with a collection of standard meteoroligical instruments, the records of which should be available at all times for inspection. The collection of instruments in a public garden has, as a rule, a double advantage over those often found in private gardening establishments. In the latter case, unless the owner of the garden is himself an enthusiast, the collection is generally of a very modest character, consisting merely of a rain gauge, maximum and minimum thermometer, the first of which is perhaps the only one of the three instruments that gives a correct record. In a public park station the instruments are not only more numerous and diverse in character, but by being tested periodi. cally at Kew, their readings can be thoroughly relied upon. The records from apparatus of this description are not merely of passing interest to ordinary observers, but are of permanent value for future comparisons.

Local value of records.-For several years past the Parks and the Health Departments of Cardiff have established a collection of meteorological instruments in one of the parks under their control, from which day by day records of the meteorological conditions obtaining in the immediate district have been supplied to the citizens by the aid of the local Press. Two years ago the Meteorological Office recognised this as a climatological station, and in this way it has become of more than local importance. At the present time the collection of instruments consists of a maximum thermometer, minimum thermometer, dry-bulb and wet-bulb thermometerall four enclosed in a Stevenson screen, a grass minimum thermometer, which indicates terrestrial radiation, two earth thermometers, and a rain gauge. As the Cardiff Naturalists' Society is about to present the Corporation with a barometer, a sunshine recorder, and black-bulo and bright-bulb thermometers, the collection will soon be a fairly complete one and of considerable value to persons interested in meteorology.

Chart board.-In order to enable visitors to have the records of the various instruments day by day, a chart (to be marked each morning at 9 o'clock) will in future be exposed on a board specially prepared for the purpose and placed in close proximity to the site where the readings are taken.

Position for the instruments.-The position for a climatological station must be carefully selected. It should be in the open, and away from trees or other shelter, and, if possible, on flat ground. Care has to be taken when fixing a Stevenson screen that it is so placed that the instruments contained in it are exactly 4 feet above the ground level and facing due north. The black and bright-bulb thermometers-used to record solar radiation-require to be fixed horizontally on a stand 4 feet above the ground, but with their bulbs facing due south.

EDITORIAL NOTICE.

ADVERTISEments should be sent to the PUBLisher, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, w.c. Letters for Publication, as well as specimens and plants for naming, should be addressed to the EDITOR, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London. Communications should be WRITTEN ON ONE SIDE ONLY OF THE PAPER, sent as early in the week as possible, and July signed by the writer. If desired, the signature will not be printed, but kept as a guarantee of good faith. Special Notice to Correspondents.-The Editor does not undertake to pay for any contributions or illustrations, or to return unused communications or illustrations, unless by special arrangement. The Editor does not hold himself responsible for any opinions expressed by his correspondents. Illustrations. - The Editor will be glad to receive and to select photographs or drawings, suitable for reproduction, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, flowers, trees, &c., but he cannot be responsible for loss or injury.

Deterioration in Strawberries.

The following letter in respect to alleged deterioration in varieties of Strawberries is sent us by a correspondent. "It is now becoming plainly apparent that there is an urgent need for new varieties of market Strawberries, both for early and for late cropping, and superior, if possible, to both Royal Sovereign and Sir Joseph Paxton when they were first introduced. For some years past, and particularly during the past two years, both the once magnificent Royal Sovereign and Sir Joseph Paxton, the standard early and late varieties respectively, have shown unmistakable signs of deterioration and loss of stamina. So much has this been felt to be the

one

case this past year or two in some of the great fruit-growing districts that growers are complaining that these varieties are scarcely profitable to grow, and so far they see no sign of any new varieties to take their place. Not of the newer sorts introduced since the two varieties mentioned were raised are of better use for profitable culture, the general fault being that the fruits are too soft to travel the shortest distance to market. In the big fruit-growing district of the eastern counties, covering parts of Cambridgeshire, West Norfolk, and South Lincolnshire, and including the Wisbech district where thousands of acres of Strawberries are grown, not a single acre of any other kind but these two can be met with. But the plantations, especially during the past two years, have become very weak in growth, and barrenness is on the increase, the weight of fruit per acre not being, at most, two-thirds the crop of some few years back and the individual fruits are not as large nor of such luscious quality. Even when the plants used in the making of new plantations are obtained from maiden plants and are not allowed to fruit until the second year (when they should be at their best) the produce is still inferior to that of former years, both in weight and in quality. Mildew is also more prevalent, especially in the case of Royal Sovereign, and during last season some plantations were utterly ruined by this pest. Barren stools are also much more frequently met with.

Many of these troubles may, perhaps, be attributed to the growers themselves as the consequence of bad and careless cultivation, &c. Runners for new plantations are frequently obtained from old and worn-out stools, in some cases as much as five years old, and no attempt at selection is made. In the majority of cases mildew is allowed to attack the whole field before any means are used for checking the fungus There is little doubt but that both Royal Sovereign and Sir Joseph Paxton would have been as good as ever to-day had the growers practised selection when making new plantations. In the absence of new varieties to supersede these kinds there is a great need for some trade grower to make a speciality of selecting and re-selecting runners from stools that show improved qualities. To commence with, runners should be procured from maiden plants; that is, those that are one season planted from the runners and which have not yet fruited. Again, runners should be taken from plants which show extra vigour in foliage and which have developed the largest and finest quality fruits. The first plants on the runners only should be utilised, or, at most, not more than the second ones, and none should be taken that develop later than about August 1. They should be layered into 3-inch pots and immediately the pot is full of roots the plants should be detached from its parent and planted into its permanent quarters, for it is a mistake and a cause of barrenness to allow the runners to remain connected with the old plants until they become pot-bound. Should it not be convenient to practise the potting system, runners may be planted direct from the beds, but with somewhat less success. The same system of selection and pinching, as when pots are used, should be employed, and in no case should the planting be undertaken later than the end of September or the beginning of October, otherwise frost and wet will cripple the plants before they secure a good root-hold. To carry the system of selection still further, it would be necessary to watch closely for stools in any plantation, and no matter of what age, that show a decided advance in cropping qualities, colour of fruits, or other improvement. Such stools should be marked with a stake and be given exceptional treatment with a view to selecting the runners. If methods such as are described above be regularly adopted there would be less cause for complaint in varieties deteriorating, but on the contrary an improvement would be seen. As every cultivated plant is greatly

stimulated by a change of soil and situation, it would be of value if growers arranged with other cultivators a hundred miles or so away to exchange annually a certain quantity of Strawberry plants for stock purposes."

OUR SUPPLEMENTARY ILLUSTRATION. — It would seem as if the process of improvement "' could no further go in the matter of the florists' Hippeastrum. In the magnificent strains exhibited by Major HOLFORD, Messrs. VEITCH & SONS, and Messrs. KER, of Liverpool, we seem, as far as number of flowers, their size, form, and colour are concerned, to have reached a stage when, however much variety in colour may be obtained, yet but little novelty can be expected. It is, therefore, desirable that new blood be introduced so as to extend the limits of variation. To this end Dr. BONAVIA has been experimenting by crossing H. pardinum with an ordinary florists' Hippeastrum. The result is illustrated in our supplementary plate, and is decidedly promising. The colour is white profusely spotted with carmine Even the midribs of the perianth-segments are profusely spotted. The spike bore four flowers and was produced before the leaves. Several seedlings were raised from the same cross, but this was the most heavily spotted.

ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.-The next exhibition of flowers and fruits will be held in the Hall at Vincent Square, Westminster, on Tuesday, April 30, in conjunction with the National Auricula Society's annual show. In the afternoon a lecture on The Amateur, and Horticultural Law "' will be delivered by Mr. H. MORGAN Veitch.

SEED TESTING. Whilst each of our large firms has its own seed-testing department, it is somewhat singular that there should be such a deficiency of public seed-testing stations here as The station at compared with the Continent. Tharandt, in Saxony, has a wide reputation, that at Zurich, under the charge of Dr. STEBLER, IS equally well known. At Hamburg there is a Versuchstation und Samenprüfungs Anstalt. There are several in Sweden, one in Vienna, and a large number in the United States. We might mention others, but we have said enough to show our own defect in this particular. The Royal Agricultural Society has, for nearly forty years, done its best to satisfy the requirements of its members, its laboratory having been conducted by Mr. CARRUTHERS, and much useful work has been done for farmers' associations and even for foreign Governments. Mr. CARRUTHERS, in association with Mr. HANS Gussow, now proposes to extend his operations, and we can but wish him and his associate every success, and recommend those who require information about the purity and germinating power of seeds, or about plant-diseases in general, to aval themselves of the assistance of the gentlemen we have mentioned. To extensive knowledge they add prolonged experience, so that those who apply to the London Botanical Laboratory and Seed Testing Station, 44, Central Hill, Norwood, may be sure that they will obtain, at moderate expense, trained assistance from those highly qualified to give it. Much information of this kind is given weekly in our columns, entailing on us much trouble, expense and loss of time for which no direct return is obtained or evea expected. If some of this work, however, is takes off from us, we shall be left the more free to attend to the more legitimate duties of journalism. The tariff of fees asked by Messrs. CARRUTHERS and Gussow is fixed very low and in some instances too low, as in the case of the "determination of a weed or other plant with report on its qualities and the means for its extermination," or where "a report on a disease affecting the plants of the farm, garden, orchard or forest" is desired For