remains were standing until 1737, when it must have been full one thousand years old. It was then destroyed, and where it stood was erected a triangular stone with these three inscrip tions : "Here stood the Oak tree on which an arrow, shot by Sir Walter Tyrrel at a stag, glanced and struck King William II., surnamed Rufus, in the breast; of which stroke he instantly died, on the 2nd of August, 1100. "King William II., surnamed Rufus, being slain, as before related, was laid in a cart belonging to one Purkess, and drawn from hence to Winchester, and buried in the cathedral church of that city. "That the spot where an event so memorable had happened might not hereafter be unknown, this stone was set up by John, Lord Delaware, who has seen the tree growing in this place, anno 1745." The Oak at Boscobel also no longer exists; enthusiastic cavaliers cut it down piecemeal for relics. We have Charles II.'s own account of the tree; he says, "It was a great Oak in a pretty plain place where we might see round about us, that had been lopt three or four years before, and being grown out again very bushy and thick, could not be seen through." The King had as his companion a Captain Careless, and adds, "We carried up with us some victuals-viz., bread, cheese, small beer, and nothing else, and here we stayed all day." On what is still known as "The Abbot's Oak" at Woburn Abbey were hung, by the order of Henry VIII., not only Roger Hobbs its Abbot, but the vicar of the neighbouring parish of Puddington, for denying the King's ecclesiastical supremacy. On that tree is an inscription which says "Oh, 'twas a ruthless deed! enough to pale Freedom's bright fires, that doom'd to shameful death In Windsor Forest are many Oaks of interest-Pope's, Herne's, and many others, but they are associated with our literature rather than our history. at top, with several cracks resembling loopholes through which the light shines into its cavity, it gives us an idea of the winding staircase in a lofty Gothic turret, which, detached from the other ruins of some venerable pile, hangs tottering to its fall, and affects the mind of a beholder after the same manner by its greatness and sublimity. "More than half a century has elapsed since this account was written, but the Gothic turret with its irregular loopholes is still remaining, although somewhat lower in altitude; and Queen Elizabeth's Oak will probably witness the revolutions of more than another century before its leafy honours are mingled with the dust. It measures 34 feet in girth at 5 feet from the ground. Mr. Davy imagines it to have been five or six hundred years old at the time he saw it; and its present appearance is sufficiently venerable to bear out the conjecture." MEDINILLA MAGNIFICA. THIS truly grand and ornamental melastomaceous plant is again being much sought after by amateurs, and the wonder is to me however it came to be pushed on one side at all, for when a well-grown plant is in flower the effect it produces is most gorgeous. This is undoubtedly the finest known species of the genus. There are, however, several other kinds which, although they produce much smaller panicles of bloom, are yet well deserving a place in every stove on account of the gay and pleasing effect they help to produce during winter, a season never too prolific in handsome flowers. I allude to such species as M. speciosa, Sieboldiana, javanensis, and a few others. Medinilla magnifica may be reckoned amongst the easiest of plants to cultivate. The soil should consist of two parts good fibrous peat, one part loam, and sufficient sand to make the whole feel gritty when taken in the hand. To this may be added with considerable advantage a little thoroughly decomposed manure, whilst the drainage must be both ample and in good working order. It requires a moist atmosphere and the temperature of the stove, as will be well understood when we state that it is found growing in company with Pitcher-plants in the mountain forests of Java, at an altitude of about 3000 feet. During the growing season a liberal supply of water both from Fairlop is also gone. It became celebrated from an annual the watering pot and syringe is essential to its well-being, but festival held beneath it by one Daniel Day, whose epitaph it will naturally occur to the cultivator that less is necessary might have justly been "Good Day," as Douglas Jerrold sug-in winter. On no account, however, must the plants suffer gested "Good Knight" for that of Charles Knight who has from the want of moisture at the roots, otherwise it will lead just gone on before us. to the casting the leaves, which will render it anything but a credit to the cultivator or ornament to the stove. The Oak at Morley, in Cheshire, beneath which Edward the Black Prince dined, was only felled early in the present century. The "Haunted Oak" in Mannan Park, Merionethshire, was destroyed in 1813. In it, as the legend tells, the body of Howel Sele was hidden. Owen Glendower was his murderer, and confessed to the crime when on his deathbed. Some thirty years since a remnant of the "Parliament Oak" was living in Clipstone Park, Northamptonshire, and was so called because a parliament in 1290 was held beneath its branches by Edward I. Near Stoneleigh Abbey, Warwickshire; at Wolverhampton; and at many other places occur "Gospel Oaks," so called, says Brand, "From the custom of having the Gospel read under or near them by the clergyman attending the parochial perambulations. Those near the town were visited for the same purpose by the processioners before mentioned, and are still preserved with the strictest care and attention. One of these Gospel trees was till lately standing at Stratford-on-Avon, and a representation of it may be seen in Halliwell's Life of Shakespeare, p. 159. The following is from Herrick's Hesperides, p. 18. "Dearest, bury me Under that Holy-Oke, or Gospel Tree, Where (though thou see'st not) thou may'st think upon The Oak of which we give a portrait is known as Queen Elizabeth's Oak, and is at Huntingfield, near Halesworth, in Suffolk. Strutt, writing in 1830, says "Queen Elizabeth is reported to have been much pleased with the retirement of this park, which was filled with tall and massy timbers, and to have been particularly amused and entertained with the solemnity of its walks and bowers. But this Oak, from which the tradition is that she shot a buck with her own hand, was her favourite tree. It is still in some degree of vigour, though most of its boughs are broken off, and those which remain are approaching to a total decay, as well as its vast trunk. The principal arm, now bald with dry antiquity, shoots up to a great height above the leafage, and, being hollow and truncated The plant attains a height of upwards of 3 feet with age, and then forms a fine much-branched shrub. It is perfectly smooth throughout, the stems and branches being fourwinged; leaves opposite, from 6 to 10 inches long, broadly ovate, and clasping the stem at the base, whilst the colour is deep shining green. The panicles are terminal and pendulous, some 18 inches long, ornamented with large bright mauve pink bracts which are arranged in whorls of four. The numerous flowers are rosy pink tinged with purple, and the effect produced by a plant bearing some dozens of such panicles of blossom must be seen to be appreciated. Its usual time of flowering is the end of April and May, but if required later in the season it must be kept in a somewhat lower temperature and shaded from the effects of the sun. By this means it may be retarded for a considerable time, and that, too, without injury. It seems to have had the name of Medinilla bracteata erroneously tacked on to it upon its first introduction.EXPERTO CREDE. NOTES AND GLEANINGS. A NEW list of Fellows of the ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY is published. It may be had free by Fellows on application, or by post for 13d. The charge to the public is 18. 1d. THERE are in the garden of Mr. Linden, at Ghent, the finest specimens of LARIX KEMPFERI and SCIADOPITYS VERTICILLATA We have ever seen. The former is a little over 20 feet high, and the same in diameter at the base; and the latter feet high, and 4 feet wide at the base, with a straight stem and leading shoot. MR. MARTIN SUTTON's prize essay on "Permanent Pastures" has now reached a tenth edition. M. JEAN VERSCHAFFELT, the eminent nurseryman of Ghent, was one of the gentlemen who were decorated by His Majesty on the occasion of the Great Horticultural Exhibition | tion of the leaves of the floures, which do seeme to expresse now being held in that city. CULVERKEYS. In your answers to correspondents you state your inability to discover the meaning of the word, and ask if any of your readers can throw light on its derivation. Prior, in his popular names of British plants, second edition, 1870, refers to "Culverkeys" as a "name found in Walton's Angler,' and the same, probably, as Culverkayes in Aubrey's 'Wilts,' one no longer used or understood. Being applied to a meadow plant, it cannot be, as supposed by the commentators, the Columbine, but far more probably, as suggested by Mr. E. King in 'Notes and Queries, 2nd vol., s. vii., 303, the Bluebell or common Hyacinth." So far Prior, who, I presume, refers to the above-quoted lines. If so, I do not agree with him that all the plants named must necessarily be deemed meadow plants, and consequently I differ with him in the conclusion that " Culverkeyes cannot be the Columbine; on the contrary, I incline to think there are more reasons for supposing it to be the Columbine than in concluding it to be any other plant. Unde derivatur? Culfre (A. S., Anglo-Saxon), Latin, Columba, means pigeon or dove, and hence our English plant Columbine, from the supposed resemblance of its flowers to the heads of a flock of pigeons feeding. It is not a strained but a very natural conclusion, that Culverkeyes is derived from Culfre, and, therefore, it is most probably, as supposed by the commentators, the common Columbine; at all events, I shall think so until some better reason be given for believing it to be the Bluebell. The word Culverkeys is quite unknown in this part of the world (Northumberland), though, curiously enough, there is a little fishing village on the north coast not far from the ruins of Tynemouth Priory, which has precisely the same derivation. "Cullercoats" has long been a puzzle to northern etymologists, but it is now generally agreed that Cullercoats, or Culvercoats, is derived from the same Anglo-Saxon word Culfre, and that it is synonymous with dovecotes, being the place where the monks of Tynemouth formerly kept their pigeons. Can you enlighten us as to the meaning of "Gander Grass?" -JOHN P. MULCASTER, Benwell, Northumberland. [We are obliged by this interesting communication, although it does not solve the difficulty. The derivation of Columbine is well known; but though that name refers to a fancied resemblance of the flower to a part of the pigeon, it is not at all a consequence that it is a synonym of Culverkeys. The exact name, Culverkeys, is known in joinery to refer to a joint resembling a pigeon's tail; but, then, Vervain was called by old herbalists Columbaris, yet no part of it that we know resembles a part of a pigeon. There are difficulties, also as to the place of growth and time of flowering to reconcile with that of the other wild flowers with which the poet associates Culverkeys. We never had any doubt as to the derivation of the name, but what we wish to know is if a plant in any part of the British islands is known by the name. As long since as 1861 we published the following in this Journal :Gander Grass is, without much doubt, identified as the Stander Grass or Satyrium, and it is worth remarking that in Dutch this plant is called Kullekenskruyd, which, though so very different, yet is the nearest name of a plant to Culverkeys that we know. In another passage Walton says, "Looking down the meadows I could see a girl cropping Culverkeys and Cowslips to make garlands." From these two passages we gather that the Culverkey was azure or blue-flowered, bloomed at the same time as the Cowslip, and grew in meadows. We may conclude that it had long stalks, or it would not have served for garland-making. Now, the wild Hyacinth or Harebell (Hyacinthus non-scriptus), agrees with these characteristics; but no authority we know ever called it the Culverkeys. Can any of our readers inform us of its being so called in any portion of the British islands, or of any other flower that is so called? It has been suggested that the Columbine is the flower meant by Davors and Walton, because culver is the old Saxon name for a dove, and is a synonyme of columba, from which the name Columbine is derived; but none of our old herbalists apply the name of Culverkeys to it. The only one of them who approaches to such an application is Lyte, who, in his translation of Dodoen's "Herbal," published in 1578, says, "It is called in English Columbine, of the shape and propor the figure of a dove or culver." But the Columbine does not grow in meadows, nor is it found wild so commonly or so abundantly as to be a garland flower. The best guide would be the discovery of some locality where the name of Culverkeys, or a name like it, is still applied to a flower.—EDS.] WORK FOR THE WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN. EVERYTHING Connected with this department should now be kept in good order. Weeds must be destroyed; hand-weed where practicable, as it more effectually answers the purpose than hoeing and raking when the soil is moist. Cut the Box edgings, and keep the walks well rolled. A warm sheltered border may now be chosen for sowing Basil in the open ground, but as it is rather a tender annual it is generally preferable to Earth-up the early crops of Beans, but before doing so lay a sow in pans or on a slight hotbed, and afterwards plant it out. little soot close to the stems; timely earthing will also prevent the wind damaging them. Make a sowing for the first crop of Borecole. What is commonly called the Scotch Kale is the best variety. Most of the varieties of Broccoli may be sown at the end of the week; by sowing early there is time for a second sowing in case of failure. Pull up any Cabbages that are running to seed in the autumn plantation, and fill-up from the reserve-bed, at the same time stir the soil between the plants, and earth them up. Thin-out the Carrots sown in frames, and give a plentiful supply of water when dry. In sowing the main crops put in the seed rather thickly, as it is more liable to fail than any other kitchen garden crop. The main sowing of Celery for the winter crop should now be made; continue to prick-out from the early sowings, and pay attention to air and water. Clean and earth-up any Celery that may have stood the winter, for if it is of no other use it will do for soups. Keep a brisk heat in the beds of Cucumbers as the days lengthen and fine weather increases, bearing in mind that light and heat should be in proportion to each other. Give air daily in greater or less degree, and keep the lights free from dirt. If green fly or thrips appear recourse must be had to fumigation. In mild weather give air night and day to Lettuce plants in frames. Loosen the soil about those planted in the open ground. Sow Silver-skinned Onions on a poor dry piece of ground to produce bulbs for pickling. Plant in beds the autumn-sown or those sown in boxes in the early part of the year. Draw shallow drills, and lay the roots of the plants in them at regular distances, after which cover them with light fine soil. Sow any of the approved sorts of Peas for succession, but after the early part of the season, Knight's Green Marrow, which we have so repeatedly recommended, should be sown exclusively for the table of the wealthy. Other prolific and quick-bearing sorts may be sown when a large quantity is wanted at each successive gathering. Keep-up a succession of Radishes by sowing a few once a-fortnight. Remove the covering from Sea-kale immemediately it is done with. If there is any yet remaining to be covered let this be done before it grows much. Thin-out the Turnips sown in frames, and give them water when necessary. FRUIT GARDEN. For protecting Peaches and Apricots a temporary wood coping of from 12 to 15 inches in width is a great advantage. Screens of woollen netting or thin bunting are preferable to thicker materials, as when the latter are used they must be drawn-up from unobstructed bright sunshine, or from slight frosts. Where or aside once a-day, and the blossom or fruit is apt to suffer these materials are wanting or too expensive, a good substitute will be found in straw ropes twisted roughly so as to leave part of the straw hanging out; these, 18 inches from each other and fastened to poles 9 feet apart, constitute a good protection. Finish all sorts of pruning and nailing as soon as possible. Planting should now be attended to in favourable weather. All young trees should have their roots immersed in a puddle of loam and water as soon as taken up, to prevent the young fibres being dried-up. FLOWER GARDEN. Newly-planted trees and shrubs require strict attention in regard to water. It is better to give them a thorough soaking at once than to give a little water frequently repeated; and after the surface of the ground is dry fork or hoe it over, and then mulch with short grass to prevent the evaporation of moisture. The same remarks apply to newly-planted annuals, which must be shaded as well as watered. Turf which has been recently laid requires strict attention. It will be a good plan, after giving it a good soaking of water, to dress it over with old tan or leaf mould, and then shade the ground by covering it with pea-sticks cessional crop of Sweet Peas and any other annuals that were or any refuse branches that may be lying about. Put in a sucsown early in the year. Sow Ten-week Stocks for transplanting. The finer kinds of Gladioluses which have been brought forward in pots may now be planted out, giving them a deep, rich, and well-drained soil; but it will be as well to protect them by an inverted pot at night until all danger of frost is over. Attend to covering half-hardy trees and shrubs, or, as the sap is moving, one night's sharp frost, which we are not unlikely to have, will seriously injure them. The consummation of the florist's hopes, a good general bloom of Auriculas, is rapidly approaching; his constant attention to their various wants, such as shading from the mid-day sun, watering, &c., is imperative. As the trusses rise the plant will sometimes produce two; should there be more hearts than one, in this case it is best to remove the weaker, and with a sharp-pointed pair of small scissors thin-out mis-shapen buds from the centre of the truss; leave it so that the best may have room to expand freely and equally. It is highly important just now that the pots should never be allowed to get too dry, though indiscriminate watering must be avoided. The present fine weather has brought the Tulips on fast, and they are looking well. Some growers, however, complain of many of the bulbs missing bloom, having only put up a single leaf. The beds must be kept free from weeds, and the surface loose. Polyanthuses usually flower at the same time as the Auricula, or, perhaps, rather earlier. Plants on the border must have their trusses shaded with small boards or other covers, as some of the varieties are apt to have the lace or edging of the flowers blanched by too much sun. Plants in flower may be taken up with a ball of soil and potted with perfect safety for exhibition. Snails are very apt to mount the stems and eat out the thrums, leaving their slimy track as a proof of their delinquency. Seedling Ranunculuses may now have plenty of air and morning sun, but never let them be exposed to a thorough draught. Frames covered with calico coated with some transparent composition will doubtless answer admirably for their protection. The potting of Carnations should now proceed rapidly; well drain the pots, putting a little moss over the broken tiles, cinders, pots, or whatever may be used for this purpose, that the soil may not run in and prevent the free egress of water; fill in your compost, and, according to the size of your pots, place in them one or two layers, giving them a gentle watering to settle the soil, after which place them in the shade for a few days. GREENHOUSE AND CONSERVATORY. No opportunity should now be lost to pot all plants that require shifting. Plants that have been growing for some weeks, particularly young ones, will now require to be stopped, more or less, in order to make them bushy. Never make use of a stick to give form to a plant that can be managed by pruning or stopping. Many plants will require to be slightly shaded in the middle of the day, but this should be removed early. Use the syringe every day the sun is out strong. Be cautious in watering newly-potted plants, and guard against insects. Roses and all scented flowers that retain their sweetness after drying should be gathered as they begin to fade, and carefully dried at this early season; these, if placed here and there through the rooms, will be better liked by many persons than fresh flowers. Orange trees require particular attention when they are making their young wood. Stop luxuriant growth at the fourth or fifth joint; no other part of the head should be allowed to grow stronger than the rest. Young trees may require some of their stronger branches to be tied down for a time, which will strengthen the others. Climbers for the conservatory should soon be planted if additions are to be made to them this season, and see that the young growths of the old ones do not get entangled for want of training. Plants in the greenhouse will want all the air that can be given them, and they will be very liable to become very dry on that account. Water them late in the afternoon, and damp the paths and all empty spaces freely; give them, besides, a gentle syringing three or four times a-week when the weather is fine. These plants require constant attention now to stopping and regulating their growth. PITS AND FRAMES. Proceed with the potting-off all plants for bedding-out; those which have become established and hardened may be removed into temporary pits and covered with mats. Some neat and very convenient permanent structures for protecting plants in small pots may be seen in the nursery of Messrs. Rivers. They consist of pits 3 feet wide, formed of large paving tiles placed on edge and cemented together. They may be covered either with shutters, mats, or a large tarpaulin to extend over five or six ranges. Where flower-gardening is extensively practised, 500 or 600 feet of pits of this kind would be invaluable, and would not be very expensive.-W. KEANE. DOINGS OF THE LAST WEEK. KITCHEN GARDEN. A FEW fine sunny days before and on this the 29th of March have raised our hopes of getting ground well prepared for Onions, Carrots, and other crops. Light ground can be worked almost at any time, whilst on stiff soils like ours one must watch for the opportunity. One thing is in our favour, that when plants take hold they grow and cost but little trouble afterwards. In making level and finer the ground that had been frequently turned for Önions, Carrots, &c., we did not move it deeply, nor did we turn it over, to the surprise of some of our first-rate labourers. In levelling it with steel forks we kept the surface as much as possible to the surface, so that the driest should remain at the top. We shall be able to tread, rake, and do what we like with it on Monday if we have no great amount of rain to-morrow. Such a trifling matter may seem to be of no moment, but little things are often the foundations of success. Some years ago in similar close, stiff soil, with the surface becoming dryish, we saw, instead of a breaking and mere levelling of the surface, that the soil was turned over fully 6 inches deep, bringing up the wet soil to the surface; and simple and trifling though it looked, it made a difference in sowing small seeds of eight or ten days. Of Lettuces on ridges, where a row was planted at the apex and two rows on each side, we have not lost a plant during the winter, though some of the larger leaves have been pretty well riddled by snails and slugs. Those on the flat ground have not stood nearly so well, though as well as could be expected. Endive.-We referred lately to covering this with pots, and they have answered very fairly; but though the pots were pressed firmly to the ground, on lifting them off some of the plants getting white were surrounded with from a dozen to a score of black, yellow-bellied, and softer light-coloured slugs. We detected none previously, and even now, unless they were close to the plants and unperceived, we hardly know how they could have found their way underneath the pots. We discovered none on the exposed plants. As this covering with pots did not in some cases blanch the Endive soon enough for us, we had a lot planted thickly in small boxes, say 7 inches wide, 6 inches deep, and 18 inches long, and placed in the Mushroom house. We covered the plants with a slate, or, better still, with a box of a similar size, and from the little extra heat in five or six days they have become extremely tender, and of a creamy-white colour. It is worth noting that in winter and early spring, though Endive and Lettuces are often mixed in the salad bowl, most people of refined taste would prefer that each should be served separately, as then the flavour is more distinct. Chicory and Dandelions make a fine salad in winter, but just as in the above case, with the exception of a little fine-shreded Celery, each is best used separately, and not mixed with Lettuces or Endive. The proper arrangement of condiments and sweet herbs, and having the bulk of the salad dry instead of wet, will ever add to the attractiveness of this dish of raw vegetables. Disliking to see anything fit for human food or animal food wasted, we have often been vexed to see barrowloads of Lettuces beginning to bolt taken to the rubbish-heap, when the bulk of the plants would have been enjoyed by working men, even with the help of a little pepper and salt. If a little oil, vinegar, and mustard could be added, all the better. If to these could be added the yolk of an egg well beaten up, and some sprigs of Tarragon, Balm, Mint, Thyme, &c., there would be a veritable feast. To hard-working men Lettuces are most grateful in hot weather with the help of salt and pepper alone, and if some young Onions can be added all the better. It is strange, but true, that our northern neighbours, as a rule, have not learned to appreciate the Lettuce and Endive. With something like extra intellect and strength they seem to care but little for those varieties even of food that give alike pleasure and nourishment. For ourselves we could rarely venture on Lettuces except in the evening. Even a moderate tasting of them at lunch or midday meals had a tendency to make us rather sleepy in the afternoon, which was not at all desirable. There is just enough of a sedative principle in them to make a person repose without much waking if they are partaken of about 8 P.M., late enough for anyone to eat anything, unless under exceptional circumstances. ORNAMENTAL DEPARTMENT. Shading the fernery and top of the conservatory by painting the glass with milk holding bruised fine whiting in it. It is best not to use too much whiting at first, as if enough is not employed you can easily add another coating. This should be put on outside when the glass is dry and the sun is shining; it will then stand a long time, and be a great help to plants in bloom, it will likewise save a considerable amount of watering. Too much shade would be hurtful to the plants. For other pits and frames, in order that the plants beneath them should not feel the great change too much, we merely sprinkled the outside of the glass with the syringe with water slightly coloured with whiting. This will wash-off with the first shower, but it is easy thus to dull the fierce rays of the sun on a great amount of glass in a few minutes. Of course, proper shading would be better, as it could all be removed when the sun was clouded; but a too thick shade is almost as bad as none in the end. We proceeded with propagating, potting, and regulating, as stated in previous weeks' notices, and found much more watering required; though in the dull cold weather we found keeping the floors dry an advantage, in the late sunny days the damping of the floors and stages frequently was just as great an advantage for keeping all safe.-R. F. TRADE CATALOGUES RECEIVED. S. Dixon & Co., Amhurst Nurseries, Anton Street, Amhurst Road, Hackney, E., and 48, Moorgate Street, London.-Descriptive Catalogue of Chrysanthemums, Fuchsias, Geraniums, &c. George Rawlings, Old-Church, Romford, Essex.-Descriptive Catalogue of Dahlias. TO CORRESPONDENTS. We request that no one will write privately to any of the correspondents of the "Journal of Horticulture, Cottage Gardener, and Country Gentleman." By so doing they are subjected to unjustifiable trouble and expense. All communications should therefore be addressed solely to The Editors of the Journal of Horticulture, &c., 171, Fleet Street, London, E.C. We also request that correspondents will not mix up on the same sheet questions relating to Gardening and those on Poultry and Bee subjects, if they expect to get them answered promptly and conveniently, but write them on separate communications. Also never to send more than two or three questions at once. N.B.-Many questions must remain unanswered until next week. BOOKS (B. H.).-Mr. Thomson's book is published by Messrs. Blackwood' Any bookseller can obtain it for you; the price is 78. 6d. EGLANTINE (Constance).-There is no real doubt as to the Sweet Briar being the Eglantine. Our oldest herbalist, Lyte, calls it "the Eglentine or Sweete Brier." Some poets, who were not florists, have applied the name to the Honeysuckle. WHITE POPPY SEED (L. C.).-There must be abundance in the Poppy heads sold by druggists. PRIMULA JAPONICA (W. I. H.).-We do not know where you can purchase seed. Buy some plants, and try to raise seed. VERBENAS AND DAHLIAS FOR BEDS (H.)-Verbenas for bedding are-La Grande Boule de Neige, Melindres splendens, Blondin, Géant des Batailles, Basilisk, Royalty, Violet King, Mauve Queen, Lord Raglan, Crimson King, Sportsman, and Conqueror. Dahlias for bedding are-Pretty Polly, 3 feet; Rising Sun, 3 feet; Alba floribunda nana, 2 feet; Little Lina, 3 feet; Gem of the Dwarfs, 2 feet; Little Gem, 3 feet; Fireball, 2 feet; Little Bobby, 2 feet; White Bedder; Captain Ingram, 2 feet; Pluton, 2 feet; and Prince of Wales. GRUB EATING CYCLAMENS (W. H. B.).-We do not know the grub which attacks the corms of these plants, or eats-off the leaves and flower-stems. Send us a specimen. CUTTING-DOWN ECHEVERIA METALLICA (H. F.).-The "leggy" plants, you may cut off a little below the leaves as you propose, and place in a sweet hotbed, watering very sparingly until the plants have made fresh shoots, and when they are an inch long water more freely. The tops removed will strike well in sand in a hotbed. LAWN DEVOID OF CLOVER (F. J.).-For thickening a lawn we know of nothing that will do so better than Clover. You may sow about the middle of April 8 lbs. of Suckling Clover, and 4 lbs. of White Clover (Trifolium repens), per acre. Scratch the lawn with an iron rake before sowing, and roll well after sowing. Clover withstands drought better than any of the Grasses. SOIL LEAVING THE POTS (Idem).—It is a result of using wet soil for potting, with the pots dry or new. When the soil dries there is an interval between it and the pot, which will mostly be closed when the soil is thoroughly moistened, but it runs through without effecting this; therefore, loosen the surface around the sides of the pots with a pointed piece of wood, and so close the space. It will result in the thorough moistening of the soil, and this effected there will not be a vacant space. STRAWBERRY CULTURE (Idem).—The littery portions of the manure given in autumn may be removed now, and the space between the rows pointed-over with a fork, not going so deep as to interfere with the roots. When the plants come into flower water freely in dry weather, and afterwards until the fruit is ripe, giving a thorough supply of water once or twice a-week, rather than driblets and often. After the fruit begins to swell apply once a-week guano water, using 2 ozs. of guano to the gallon of water. Place clean straw between the rows for the fruit to rest on, or put slates about the plants or other material to keep the fruit clean. If you do not want runners, remove them as they appear. GREEN-FLESHED PINE APPLE (Correspondent).-There is a Pine Apple which is green-fleshed when ripe. Your friends who have been to Brazil and to Natal were quite right in saying that it is very delicious. Whether it is in cultivation in England we cannot say, but in Martyn's edition of Miller's Dictionary it is thus spoken of:-"The Green Pine is at present the most rare in Europe. This has been esteemed the best sort known by some of the most curious persons in America, many of whom have thrown out all the others from their gardens, to cultivate this only. The fruit, if suffered to ripen well, is of an olive colour; to have it green it must be cut before it is ripe, when it is not fit to be eaten. Plants of this may be procured from Barbadoes and Montserrat; but the fruit of the Sugar-loaf is much to be preferred to it. Loureiro mentions a variety that occurs in Cochin-China, not inferior in flavour to the best Pines, which continues quite green when ripe, with a white flesh." CANNA CULTURE (A Young Reader).-We presume you wish to raise plants from seed, in which case they should be sown at once in light rich soil, such as two parts turfy loam with a third of leaf soil and some sharp sand. Cover the seeds about a quarter of an inch deep with fine soil. Place in a hotbed of 70 to 750, and keep moist. When the plants are a few inches high pot-off singly in 3-inch pots, return them to the hotbed, and when the pots are full of roots shift into 6-inch pots, and then they may be removed to a warm greenhouse or other house with a gentle heat for a short time, and then to a cold frame, and be well hardened-off before planting out, for which they will hardly be fit before July. They should have a warm and sheltered position out of doors, rich light soil, and abundance of water in dry weather. If you wish to grow roots, they should be procured at once, potted, and placed in a hotbed, watering sparingly until they begin to grow, then water more freely, and at the close of May place in a cold frame, and harden well off preparatory to planting out in June. AURICULAS (Idem).-Green-edged: Apollo (Beeston), Col. Taylor (Leigh), Sir John Moore (Lightbody), Lord Palmerston (Campbell), Lady Mildmay (Turner), and Waterloo (Smith). Grey-edged: Richard Headly (Lightbody), Unique (Maclean), Duke of Cambridge (Dickson), Lancashire Hero (Cheetham), Perfection (Bone), and Maria (Chapman). White-edged Ne Plus Ultra (Smith), Model (Gairns), True Briton (Hepworth), White Rival (Traill), Mary Ann (Fletcher), and Fair Flora (Lightbody). Selfs: Metropolitan (Parker), Squire Smith (Chapman), North Star (Richmond), Meteor Flag (Lightbody), Mary Gray (Spalding), and Royal Purple (Headly). PASSIFLORA FOR COOL GREENHOUSE (Mr. O.).-We do not know of a Passiflora with scarlet flowers for a cool greenhouse. Tacsonia Van-Volxemi has bright crimson flowers, and is one of the finest of greenhouse climbers. KEEPING PERILLA NANKINENSIS DWARF (A Constant Subscriber).-To keep Perilla at 6 inches in height, stop it when 3 inches high, continue stopping it, and the little shoots will be very pretty if the stopping be done well so as not to show the work. HERBACEOUS PEONIES (L. T.).-Any of the principal florists who advertise in our Journal could supply them. CAMELLIA CULTURE (Bob.).-We know of no separate work. If you can refer to our twelfth volume, new series, you will there find many communications on the subject. In No. 317, of that volume, there is a special com. munication on the subject. BOX FOR SHOWING ROSES (Cornubia).-We take the following from the Rev. S. R. Hole's "Book on Roses ": 6 .. 2 ft. 2 ins. ditto 1 ft. 6 ins. ditto Height. 6 ins. back, 4 ins front. ditto ditto ditto The tubes Moss is still the best material to use for setting the Roses on. TEA ROSES CONTESTING WITH HYBRID PERPETUALS (Idem).-A Tea Rose does not necessarily count more than a Hybrid Perpetual, though it helps to set off a stand, especially if it is large and fine, but we have seen many stands crippled from exhibitors having a fancy for Teas, and showing weak blooms with drooping heads, which would have graced a gentleman's buttonhole or helped-out a lady's bouquet, but which did not fulfil their intended office in the stand. There is no definite law, much depends on the individual opinions of the judges. JEAN SISLEY GERANIUM (Celia).-This variety has succeeded very fairly as a bedder-out, better than most of the pure Zonals, and the colour is bright. It is, however, best as a pot plant. Christine Geranium ought to have a good soil, rich, though not too rich. When the soil is poor it is apt to run to seed, and at all times the individual flowers and trusses are so small as to make it hardly worth growing. Try Maid of Kent, Rose Rendatler, and Pink Queen (Downie, Laird, & Laing). Julians is a name for some flower used by very ancient writers, but no one knows which flower they applied it to. WOOD FUEL (G. J. S.).—We are surprised that you have heard so little of heating greenhouses, &c., by wood. We have often used it largely, both for boilers and flues, but without the help of cinders and ashes the heat is not easily kept regular. For all houses where only temporary fires to guard against frost are necessary, wood answers admirably, but bulk for bulk it will not compare with coal. We must for comparison take weight not buik; then a weight of well-dried wood will do almost as much as fair coal. When fresh sappy wood is used, double the weight will be required. When, there |