DALHOUSIE DISHES
Charles William Cowan (1835-1920) succeeded his father
at
Jane Kelly: Penicuik Pottery at Valleyfield
off 17 High Street Penicuik EH26 8HS
Cowan children outside Valleyfield
House
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TRANSACTIONS OF THE
SCOTTISH HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION
1897
Meetings are held in the Association's Rooms, No. 5 St
Month, at 7-30 p.m. (prompt), with the exceptIon
of the
January
Meeting which is held on the SECOND Tuesday.
ABSTRACT OF PAPER ON
THE DAFFODIL.
By R. J. SHILLINGTON,
Meeting,
--In writing this paper on the Daffodil it is not my
intention to give its history. To do so
in a brief paper such as this would be impossible, and serve no useful purpose.
Therefore I will confine the few remarks I have to make, to the cultivation of Daffodils for
cut flowers and conservatory decoration. Daffodils can be had in flower at a
time when flowers are scarce in the majority of places--viz., the middle of
January. To have them by this time we must have them potted by 10th August, andfor a later supply the 10th September answers well. The
soil I use for potting consists of good old loam, very little sand, a
sprinkling of soot, and just a dash of burned refuse. But, if the soil be heavy or retentive, add lime rubble and
a little spent mushroom manure. I have used this, and can recommend it. I use pots eight inch in diameter, and put as
many bulbs in the pot as I can, the more bulbs the more flower, and just as
good. I prefer to plunge the pots in an open space in the kitchen garden, as a
bed of coal ashes may become rather dry at this season of the year, whereas the
Daffodil delights in moisture during all stages of growth. I plunge them deep enough to allow the top of
the pot to be six inches below the surface.
Boards or slates ought to be placed at the bottom for the pots to rest
upon, and as a guard against worms. As a
rule I lift those that were potted in August about the beginning of October,
and place in a cold frame. They ought to
be slightly shaded for a few days after lifting. Use the syringe on bright days and give
air—no matter how little--both night and day.
In the course of ten days or so, remove a few pots to a cool greenhouse
or vinery--either will do—standing the pots as close to the glass as
possible. I find a temperature of 45'
suits them well until the flower stalk rises a few inches, after which they
will bear a few degrees higher, say 50'.
As regards stimulants, a little soot water with just a pinch of guano is
all that I give, and good results follow.
Now, what sorts are we to grow to get the best return
for our labour.
Trumpets find most favour for pots, and I think justly so. The sorts I consider best are-- Henry Irving, Golden Spur, Princeps, Maximus, Horsfieldii, Emperor, Empress, Grandee, and Cyclamineus. The last-named is a splendid flower for
bouquets or glasses, and does best in shallow pans without drainage. If pure
white flowers are in dernand, Albicans
and Colleen Bawn are best.
The INCOMPARABLIS section are
smaller in size of flower, but nevertheless are well worthy of a place. Sir Watkin
is best of these, followed by Beauty, Guyther,
Cynosure, Frank Miles, and Titan.
In the Leedsii section, Duchess of
I will now pass to the Daffodil grown in the
garden. Some of the strong growing sorts
do first-rate in the herbaceous border--such as Emperor, Empress, Horsfieldii, Sir Watkin, Grandis, and Maximus. I find the last named doing better here than
in any other place where I have tried it, and ought to be planted nine inches
deep. Those who wish to grow a
collection should, if possible, give them a site shaded from the morning
sun. Beds four feet wide, with a slight
incline from back to front are best. A
border that has been cleared of early peas, spinach, or cauliflower suits them
well, all that is required is to fork it over, tread firm, and form the
beds--no manure of any sort. Trumpets may be planted seven inches between the
rows and two inches between the bulbs.
The Incomparablis, or star narcissus, five
inches between the rows, except Sir Watkin, which
requires a little more. I find all the star narcissus do best in a light, sandy soil, while
trumpets seem to do in all soils.
Two things are essential to all narcissus,
good drainage and a fair amount of moisture.
Some of the finer sorts we grow in cold frames, all the white trumpets
are grown in this way, the compost being old red rock, silver sand, and
charcoal. Another frame is made up of
good loam, sand, charcoal, and a little of the old rock. The stronger growing
sorts are planted in this, such as Madame Plemp,
Glory of
If you wish to lift your bulbs, the proper time to do
so is as soon as the foliage dies down, leave them outside for a week or so,
when they can be cleaned and placed in shallow boxes, removed to an open shed
until such time as they can be again planted.
There is a rather wide difference of opinion as regards the proper time
to plant the bulbs. I have found from
experience that their season of actual rest is very short, not more than three
weeks. That being so, we plant as soon as
we have the bulbs dried and cleaned.
What I mean by this is, that if you lift one-half of your narcissus as
soon as the foliage dies down, and leave the remaining half undisturbed for
three weeks, you will find they have made a considerable number of fresh
roots. In short, we make a point of
having all narcissus in the ground by 1st September, weather permitting.
The third method of growing the narcissus is to
naturalise them. There is no way in
which they show their graceful flowers to such perfection as when planted in
the grass. All narcissus
will thrive in this way, I think, without exception, and, in an ordinary
season, a wealth of flowers can be had from the first week of March on to the
middle of May, and this without a break.
You don't need to mind as to the nature and quality of the soil,
providing that it is not sour. They are
growing here in red clay, blue clay, gravel, light sandy soil, and in a dark
sandy soil that you might pronounce fit for nothing ; all thrive well, and
flower well, and that is all we require.
For the benefit of those who might wish to plant a few
in this way, I will give a short list of varieties that I think best to start
with. The Tenby
Daffodil is the earliest and one of the best, followed by Scoticus
and Golden Spur, Emperor,
Empress, Horsfieldii, and Grandee.
These are just a few, and can be added to at will. The Incomparablis,
or star section, are far more numerous in varieties. These are the most chaste
of all Daffodils for planting in the grass, hardly any two sorts coming into
flower at the same time. Sir Watkin is, perhaps, the best of this group, at least it
finds most favour owing to its large flowers and strong constitution. Duchess of
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