ERBARIUM Pe x < m4 eq = SRAY ff Received 105 172 431 a Sroy ho2 ive Arch lofroyal t e ‘the Interne journa rg/details/ izec ive.0 t JQ! hi a om—™| = iJ a . ets if larc pee NA LT, OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY ESTABLISHED A.D 1804 ROYAL CHARTERS A.D. 1809, 1860, 1899 EDITED BY THE Bobives Wie Welk Se. M.A. SECRETARY W7.© Lig DOS TLT; 1899 -I900 The whole of the Contents of this Volume are Copyright. For permission to reproduce aiy of the Articles application should be made to the Council of the Society in whom the Copyright vests LONDON Printcd for the Roval horticultural Society BY SPOTTISWOODE & CO., NEW-STREET SQUARE, E.C. CONTENTS OF VOL. XXIII. fn aN. ' PAGE OncomARDS: oF Nova scorrm: . By Mr.C. FH. HOOPER ..0.:ccccsecseass 1s eae en eres nae 1 CoLoun 4np Form or Insrots:”. By Mr. Ho L.T. Bragy,.ciceccciscccucsccees iaeseee om Core THe Wosurn Experiments. By Mr. Spencer U. Pickerine, F.R.S. ............ i ae OBSERVATIONS ON PLants Exurpirep. By the Rev. Professor Grorce HeEnstow, 6 cd ek NS poop ASS eee Panis estate aus BESOIN pst ....08, 62, 100, 269, 281 AspaRAGus. By Mr. GEorGE NORMAN.........cesceeeeees Pang Bienen ieacs Rn iacatCarats wage a ee AupinE Fruoras. By Mr. E. A. NEwEett ARBER, B.A. ....... Tree ee Ri ohe ee winektn ity, a EXAMINATION IN HorTIcULTURE, 1899 ............ Relaiet tae osetia eas BE soci sivcdue te Oe EXAMINATION IN HorRTIcuLTURE, 1900 ..-........... 448 de el Ita REE ara eon Ae Hetvaw caeo KEEPING QUALITIES OF ONIONS ©...........+. Shieh Sate aunee tbat ceeeeey Fee epee ictvevceyeente AO ENG MUS Ree nag lta a0.)F ants ieee < vane Baad, Phogs 4 inlet Mad SEARS A See tetind Saree At poet Cashes w»ed2, 184 ImporTANCE OF Licgot anp Hear. By the Rev. Professor Henstow, V.M.H........ 75 Rock GARDENS .AND STREAMLETS. By Mr. F. W. Meyer ..............: Pero rete eke MoveEeMENTS oF Puant OrGaAns. By the Rev. Professor Henstow, V.M.H........... 96 FERTILISATION BY INsEcTs, &c. By the Rev. Professor Henstow, V.M.H. «........ 102 Tue Dispersat or Sreeps. By Professor Bouucer.......... Futlos wsieaette soxbecegecnunedan) £06 - Prunine Fruit Trees. By Mr. R. P. BRoruHERston ............... Bea dete aa sraisic es eH ELG LEssons FROM THE Drovueur oF 1898. By Mr. E. Mawtey, Sec. R.M.S......... ES Pxuant CompPosiITIoN AND Manures. By M. GrorGEes TRAFFAUT...........cccecceeeeee . 140 InstrvctTionaL Fruir Srations. By Mr. E. Luckwurst ............ SAP ak sade ctutte at Hag 5) Denieei way Opn Arm by ire ESM TOW 22, iiss adem sstisaslecn neh se'seacicesion's ease 155, 386 Report ON Dwarr FRENCH BEANs..... ee POR ee or RE Cem Sa ere geeias sneeaeas van 260 REPORT ON PEAS......... Ba Ser a enter | peepee re Piven dels deeplednen spake dae sens: LOS REporT oN ToMATOS...... ASSES 5 eeeeeeseeeeeecuee sic Waza Sa Samat hea Bact Wiese Arcwoese tO b Report ON LETTUCE.......... Bete ete Tolpa aie nip eae ani sig iea we dawates'siaideahep haces eiakis ciate Sone ine OO REPORT ON POTATOS ...ce..cceceseeseeses sv oiciniat sls yn bo site oe eo es bciaies auaiendecitacen ame Lani REPORT ON VARIOUS VEGETABLES........ ais cateitph canoe 2 Bee i ccies tas SEES Pe sntendenecseeane Guha TUE ORT JON! POMPON: IDAHEDAR UY, sates opis ds soon deo aae'eas <0'o's ie Bn abi eS een aly ede SEY Mp bae oe apie Tue Paris EXHIBITION ONG EOOOi » xn. tas - Meee Me Bice tania Siassicid Holness ares ie ates sane 185 THe Socrety’s Frurr SHow av THE CRYSTAL PALACE ...ce.ccccseccececeueseaeeecs ape he} Scate Insects anD Meaty Bues. By Mr. R. Newsrean, F.E.S. ..............0c0eeee 219 GROWTH OF THE Fruir Trape. By Mr. Gro. Monro, V.M.H.... .:..,........0- Suhre. Seve Fruit-GRowine IN SourH Wates. By Mr. J. BasHAM .............0.0e008 vaicgh Guoapent ne EXPERIMENTS IN Potato-Growine. By Mr. J. S. Gorpon, B.Se. ....... Setewieeete sabe PAPERS SET AT EXAMINATIONS IN HORTICULTURE, 1893-1900 ..... S Beers Soatencae. URS REPORT ’ON DECORATIVE CHRYSANTHEMUMG........e..eeeeeees eter ee Leer Peas Sethe ce . 3lg REPORT ON MISCELLANEOUS FLOWERING PLANTS ..........0ceeceee00s Bia bits ee hick eee 3 Sich, < eee REPORT ON CABBAGES, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, AND KALE...........0ccccccceccsceececes vac) REPORT ON HortTicuLTURAL APPLIANCES............. cote caeeeee Mc teks enas uM eee 337 il CONTENTS. DAG Ture LIBRARY AND BookS PRESENTED AND PUROHASED ...ccecccveccescsesecsccrerecesse 338 PLANTS AND SEEDS PRESENTED ...ccccsccsccse erases ‘on ce deeiea eRe means LAE, « vas cnte eee A Disease AFFECTING Exams. By Sefior ALINO, C.M.S. .....c.ccsescsscesvconescsees we. §=343 Toe Buack Currant Mire. By Jonn H. Wuson, D.Sc. ........... MiGs site anion Saas saan Prunes. By Mr. Sypney C. Lamp .......... Perro mo iokesere es AupIne Puants. By Mr. MicHarL CUTHBERTSON ..... 9 hia tgchiec side oC EM MEERA Lene ok oe oe ER: On a Srreak oF Pate Conour In AN OrnaNGE. By Dr. BONAVIA..............000-... 383 MerrroroLocicaL OBSERVATIONS AT CuHIswick. By Mr. E. Mawtey, Sec. R.M.S.... 391 Tar ORIGINAL CHARTER OF THE Society, 1809 «.......:.....s000. » 10.090 RoR eee 402 THe New CHARTER OF THE SocrEty, 1860 ....... sien eeaeies oceree wes #2 seba/a ke eReenee . 406 Tue SUPPLEMENTAL CHARTER OF THE Society, 1899................. or wo stearic eae Byve-Laws OF THE SOcreETY, 1900 .........scecscceee ao cies oe eae ie re + asp eee ExTRACTS FROM PROCEEDINGS OF THE SOCIETY: Gunvipar, MIRETINGS 2 Rs. pcscgs te ccccdneeomtensBegs reece eres esbear ants sessevece dy [XX MIR goueRen REPpoRT OF THE COUNCIL AND BALANCE-SHEET ......... BA iota orm Rie psoitats toe Sbdesgeee iv DEPUTATION TO “UTRURO.o0- iis creswensre aie nk elo dole Skee assur Gicioly 9's eteudle acpiauars is «ei ete TEMPLE SHOW........ Rd A NA She ee Peaaav ant mae aa a se ee ae aisisiew'nigs tingaet ee CoNFERENCE ON HyYBRIDISATION—AWARDS .........-0. Oh Aiea Pree: ce os seiees Bull ScreNnTIFIC COMMITTEE MEETINGS......sc0cccceccscscceccceeess sievivcecues RAM SOMl Cee ae Fruir AND VEGETABLE CoMMITTEE MEETINGS ........... fasta as . XXxli, ciii, clxxi FLORAL ComMIrren MEETINGS ..0:...0ssessesvscvenacnscserencvane ose cones: XIU, OXIX i pumeene ORCHID COMMITTEE MEETINGS ....scccccesscsrccsscncceeceses eosoox Lvii, cxlil, Claxxwin NARCISSUS COMMITTEE MEETINGS......ccccccssecccccccsccscccess s ssiie sn. s eaepe ante aes aeaena NOTICES TO FELLOWS .ececccecseeeeereeserenees en eeeees Spl eah vddetel sal savesesecs” LOOK, sel TO sod theca g vd lancaem divas bets Waele 0 csphh + nae eee neil ang otnsie ona ve bie see et ADVERTISEMENTS. JOURNAL OF THE RoyaL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. You. XXITE. 1899. Part I. A YEAR AMONG THE ORCHARDS OF NOVA SCOTIA. By Mr. Cecru H. Hooper, M.R.A.C., F.S.1. [Read January 31, 1899.1 .) ©2 16 lbs. 8 lbs. 2 lbs. serries . 114 Trace 7 Ibs. 25 lbs. A YEAR AMONG THE ORCHARDS OF NOVA SCOTIA. 7 The following is given as another useful formula for manuring orchards :— Good rotten barn-yard manure . 10 to 15 tons per acre. (1 ton = 12 lbs. nitrogen, 12 lbs. potash, 6 lbs. phosphoricacid.) Kainit (13 per cent. potash) . 800 to 700 lbs. ; or Muriate of potash (50 per cent. potash) . ! . 100 to 200 lbs. Bone meal (fine ground) . . 100 to 200 lbs. (2 to 8 per cent. nitrogen, 22 per. cent. phosphoric acid) ; or Superphosphate . . 125 to 250 lbs. (16 per cent. phosphoric acid.) ORCHARD TILLAGE. The apple trees are planted 33 to 40 ft. apart, in a few instances with plum trees between, in one direction of the lines. For the first few years the ground is ploughed deeply (8 in.), in order to break up the soil and to encourage the roots to grow down to a sufficient depth to escape injury in case of drought, and to be below the reach of the plough. The whole surface of the orchard is tilled from the beginning. In ploughing, the plough is turned partly out when within a few feet of the trees and runs shallower (4 in. deep), as the roots near the butt are closer to the surface ; immediately round young trees the surface is generally lightly forked over. Between young trees potatos are fre- quently grown, using bone meal and muriate of potash as fertiliser. The deep ploughing needs only to be kept up for a few years in order to establish root growth. The kind of plough in general use has no wheels: it has a sharply curved mould-board. The latter, although it increases the draught, yet is more than compensated for by the more perfect pulverisation of the soil. The ploughing is done either in the fall or early spring. In Canada fall ploughing is not recommended for clay land, as it tends to puddle it and make it become hard and stiff; the frost consequently enters to a greater depth, and root injury may result. In ploughing, one aim is to obtain a level surface. Thus one year the soil is ploughed from the trees, the next towards” them; one year east and west, the following north and south. Most of the farmers whose land runs down to the river bank, dig and haul the salt marsh mud on sleds during winter, and spread it on the orchard land; this is disintegrated by frost and more carefully spread in spring. This mud has manurial value, and also the salt in it probably aids in keeping the land moist. arly tillage saves the moisture accumulated during winter and early spring, and puts the soil into fine condition to warm up and get the trees quickly to work. As thorough cultivation renders plant food available and is the best conservator of moisture, tillage is begun early by ploughing as soon as the snow has thawed and the land is sufficiently dry to be worked. Harrowing follows, which stirs the ground thoroughly to the depth of about 3 in.; this is performed about every two weeks until late in the summer—the drier the soil the oftener it should be done. The varieties of harrow used include the spring tooth, the spike 8 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. tooth, the disc, and acme. If the wood growth of the trees is too luxuriant, it may be checked by lessening the tillage and by with- holding nitrogenous manure. As the orchard trees stop growing about midsummer, vigorous tillage then ceases, so that the new growth may ripen sufficiently to stand the cold of winter; and as the trees can now spare considerable moisture, catch crops are with advantage sown, such as tares and buckwheat. THE CROPPING OF ORCHARD LAND. Young orchards, say for the first twelve years, generally have some crop grown in them, such as early potatos, maize, beans, and other hoed crops. These crops need cultivation during the early part of the season, and are removed about the middle of July or first week of August. Buckwheat and oats are also grown, but are not as satis- factory, as the land cannot be thoroughly worked. Some space is allowed around the trees, so as not to grow crops directly over the roots of the trees. For these crops bone meal and muriate of potash are frequently sown in the drills. In the older orchards the land is generally uncropped, but frequently harrowed. I have seen orchards almost weedless, due to this frequent cultivation. In some cases, after the trees are about twelve years old, clover is sown and left down for three or four years and mown for hay. This is, however, exhaustive unless some fertiliser is used. ORCHARD COVER Crops OR GREEN MANURING. The object of cover crops or green manuring is to gather and return vegetavle matter to the soil, and to protect the roots of the trees from the effects of severe frosts, especially when unprotected by snow. For this purpose the orchards are very thoroughly cultivated during the early part of the season, and after the close of active growth, about July or August, the surface is sown with some crop which will grow quickly and be large enough to protect the soil during winter. Crimson clover (Trifoliwm incarnatum), in parts of Canada and the United States where it stands the winter, is found admirably adapted to supply nitrogenous vegetable matter to orchards at little cost. It is, however, rather a risky crop in Nova Scotia. Mammoth clover is found to be the next best, sowing 14 lbs. per acre. ‘Tares, lucerne, common red clover, peas, buckwheat, rye, and oats are also employed for this purpose. A fair growth will be obtained the same season, which is ploughed in early the following spring, in order not to retard the spring growth of the trees. These crops help to keep down weeds, and, where successfully grown, enrich the soil at less cost than with farmyard manure. Where clover and other plants of the leguminous family are grown, nitrogenous manures may be omitted, as these plants have special power to take up nitrogen. SPRAYING FOR FunGI AND INSECTS. In Canada both insects and fungi, where they do exist, appear to be more plentiful and more destructive than at home. Canker in apple trees A YEAR AMONG THE ORCHARDS OF NOVA SCOTIA. 9 is, however, very rare. Woolly aphis is not common, and it is said to have come from [urope, and that [urope did not derive it from America. For horticultural purposes insects may be divided into two classes : (1) those that chew their food, such as caterpillars ; and (2) those that feed by sucking the juices, such as scale insects and aphides. The chewing insects may be destroyed by distributing poison over those parts of the plant upon which they feed. In Canada spraying is almost universally practised. Useful pumps are manufactured for the purpose, provided with a paddle to agitate the liquid. The pump is usually fitted into a paraffin barrel ; the hose-pipe is Fiag. 1.—OrcHARD SPRAYING IN Nova SCOTIA. 10 to 15 feet long, often lengthened by a light bamboo tube rod 6 to 10 feet long, in order to reach high up into the trees; the spraying nozzles are mostly of the Vermorel pattern. The barrel is mounted on a cart or low waggon (‘‘sloven”’), and drawn by a horse through the orchard, taking two or three persons to drive, pump, and direct the spray. The reproduction of a photograph (fig. 1) illustrates this. In some cases orchards are sprayed quite early in spring to clean the bark of the trees from scale and moss, using } to 1 lb. caustic rock potash to 1 gallon of water, or this may be applied to the trunks with a vegetable fibre (not hair) lime-wash brush either at this time or in June. For spraying with the stronger potash solution men sometimes wear old macintoshes, rubber cloves, and strap a macintosh over the horse. Powdered caustic potash is sold at most grocery shops in Canada, as it is used for soap-making. A 1-lb. tin costs about 5d.; this is a very convenient form for spraying purposes. 10 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, Spraying for fungi, black spot, or scab on apples (Fusicladium maculatwm) may be done before the blossom or foliage opens in order to kill the spores. For this copper sulphate alone (3 lbs. to 40 gallons of water) can be used without lime, as there is no foliage to burn. The first spraying jointly for fungi and insects, caterpillars of the Codlin moth (Carpocapsa pomonella), Tent or Lackey moth (Clisocampa Ameri- cana), Canker or Winter moth (Anisopterix pometaria), is done when the fruit buds begin to unfold, but before the flowers expand ; the second time just as the last blossoms fall; and if caterpillars are numerous or black spot shows on young fruit or leaf, the spraying should be repeated, say once every two or three weeks. 7 The mixture in common use is the Bordeaux mixture as me fungicide, Paris green as the insecticide. To save time for the former, stock solutions of sulphate of copper and lime are made separately ; the Paris green is added direct. The formula commonly adopted is :— For Apple. For Plum and Peach. Copper sulphate. 4 lbs. 3 lbs. Quicklime : 4 lbs. 3 lbs. Water . : : . 40 gallons. 40 gallons. Paris green. 3. Ayoust 3 OZS. Copper sulphate is soluble in cold water, but more readily so in hot. The solution is made by hanging the crystals, contained in a sack or basket, in a barrel of water near the surface, so that it is partly or just covered by the water. Vessels of wood or earthenware should be used for dissolving the sulphate; dissolve 1 lb. of copper sulphate per gallon of water for a stock solution. Thus take 40 lbs. fora 40-gallon barrel. Take, say, one bushel of lime, which is the better for being freshly burnt ; place it in another barrel, and pour about 10 gallons of water on it to slake it; afterwards add enough to make it into a creamy mixture like putty, pour on a little more water to exclude the air and prevent change in character; then cover the mouth of the barrel to prevent evaporation. For making up a 40-gallon barrelful of the spraying mixture, fill the barrel, say, one-third full of water, then add 4 gallons of the copper sulphate solution. Then take some of the lime putty, mix it with water and add it to the solution, straining it through a funnel-shaped box with a fine copper wire mesh strainer at bottom. In order not to add an unnecessary amount of lime, thereby risking the clogging of the machinery, it is advisable to test the mixture so as to ascertain whether the sulphuric acid has been neutralised by the lime. For this purpose a solution of ferrocyanide of potassium (1 oz.in 1 pint of water) is used. After stirring, take a small quantity of the mixture from the barrel in a white saucer or a glass, and add a few drops of the ferrocyanide solution. If a brown colour appears, the mixture needs more lime; if there is sufficient lime no discoloration takes place. Next weigh or measure out about 3 lb. of Paris green, put it into a cup and make it into a paste with nee. add this to the mixture in the barrel. In Nova Scotia, Paris green is sold at most of the hardware stores in A YEAR AMONG THE ORCHARDS OF NOVA SCOTIA. 11 cardboard boxes, containing 1 lb., costing about 9d. It may be tested for its purity by ammonia, which should dissolve it completely, producing a deep blue liquid. When Paris green is used alone without the Bordeaux mixture it is always advisable to add an equal quantity, or twice the quantity, of lime, for the purpose of taking up the soluble arsenic which may exist and might injure the foliage. To spray twenty-year-old trees, planted 40 to the acre, costs about 2s. to 4s. per acre per application for materials,and takes about 15 to 3 gallons per tree to spray thoroughly on both sides. It takes nearly double the quantity to spray when in full leaf that it does before the blossoms open. About four to six applications are generally needed. Professor Bailey tells us that with a 300-gallon tank drawn by two horses with three men, one driving and pumping, the other two standing on the rear platform two or three feet above the tank, directing the spray, each with a hose-pipe, the pump haying an automatic stirrer—with this rig five acres of full-grown apple trees can be thoroughly sprayed in a day. All the working parts of the pump should occasionally be oiled, also the nozzles. In using both copper sulphate and potash, iron vessels should be avoided, preferably using wooden pails. Before working with these uquids it is a good plan to rub the hands over with mutton or some other fat not containing salt. Avoid spraying work when the hands have open cuts or sores, and wash the hands well after work. For spraying it is advisable to wear one’s worst clothes. A broad-brimmed (straw or rush) hat is of advantage in shielding the face from spray. Spray from the windward side, and only when calm. For currant and gooseberry caterpillar, freshly ground white hellebore is used, either as powder, or if used as a liquid, 1 oz. to 8 gallons of water is recommended. The trunks of old apple trees are sometimes scraped with a short- handled triangular hoe or box scraper to clean off loose bark and moss, the dwelling- places of the bark lice, and the winter quarters of the Codlin moth ; this is usually done in Canada about April. Insects, the food of which consists only of the sap or juice of the plant, and which thrust their beaks through the epidermis of the plant before they begin to suck in their food, are unharmed by any poison on the outside of the plant. This class of insect, to which scale and aphis belong, can only be destroyed by some substance which is applied to the insect itself, which either burns or stops the breathing pores of the body, and so kills it. For apple bark scale (Mytilaspis pomorum) the following mixture is used, either in winter or about the middle of June, when the young lice are hatching out :— Paraffin. . : ; . 2 gallons. Rain water ; . 1 gallon. Hard soap ; ’ . $1 1b.; ox Soft soap . ; . 1 quart. 12 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The soap and water are boiled together, then paraffin is added. The mixture is well stirred or agitated with a garden syringe. For use, 1 part of the mixture is added to 9 of water, and applied to the bark either as a spray before the leaf opens or with a brush in summer. Dr. Fletcher recommends a solution of washing soda so strong that no more will dissolve in the water, then dilute the soap to the proper consistency. To counteract mildew on the leaves of gooseberry bushes, potassium sulphide, 8 ozs. to 25 gallons of water, is employed. Fruit TREE BANDING. The placing of bands of sticky material to prevent the ascent of the female Winter moth, in America called the Canker moth, is practised to some extent in Nova Scotia, though it is generally considered that if spraying is thoroughly done at the right periods grease banding is not necessary. The substances chiefly used are bands of tarred roofing paper painted with printers’ ink, or castor oil and resin applied direct to the tree. Professor Craig recommended, for winter use, 2 lbs. castor oil to 3 lbs. of resin warmed together, but not boiled, apphed warm with a 2-in. paint brush; and for spring use, 2 lbs. castor oil to 4lbs.resin. These mixtures are applied after scraping off loose bark, either direct or on the surface of paper. The band is placed about 2 feet from the ground, is about 6 in. wide, and is put on at the end of October or early in November. Grease banding seems specially useful in the case of large trees, which it is difficult to spray thoroughly. APPLE PICKING AND PACKING. The kind of ladder commonly used for apple picking is one fairly broad at the base, but the sides of which at the upper end terminate in a point; this construction is liked, as the ladder can be so conveniently placed among the branches. The baskets used are of a rounded shape, with swing handle, holding a little more than a peck. These are con- venient for emptying the fruit gently into the barrels, in which they are removed from the orchard without sorting. Fallen apples are picked up and sent to Halifax. The barrels of apples are placed either in a special apple-packing house, or more generally in the cellar under the barn or house, ready for sorting and repacking. The apples are sent over to England chiefly between the end of September and the end of March. For sorting, the apples are poured out of the barrels on io a table, usually about 5 feet long and 3 feet wide, with a ledge all round 4 or 5 inches high, covered with carpet, felt, or sacking. The sorting divides the apples into :— 1st. Of good size and quality ; 2nd. Smaller, but of good quality, both shipped to England ; 3rd. Scrubs, which are sound, but scabbed, ill-formed, or other- wise defective, sent to local market; and 4th. Rotten, for pigs. Sometimes the extra good apples are picked out as specially “ selected.” A YEAR AMONG THE ORCHARDS OF NOVA SCOTIA. 13 The barrel most commonly used in Nova Scotia is made of fir staves with birch hoops, holding 120 to 140 lbs. fruit, and costing 10d. Barrels with staves of maple or elm, with elm hoops, are used to a lesser extent, but are commonly used in Ontario and the U.S.A.; these hold 140 to 150 lbs. of apples, and cost 1s. In packing, the bottom and bilge hoops are first nailed, then a thin layer of wood-wool, called ‘‘ Excelsior,’ is placed at the bottom, next a sheet of white paper the same size as the end of the barrel. A layer of ‘“headers’’ is then laid; these are apples of average size, those best coloured being chosen. These are placed stem downwards. The barrel is then filled by carefully emptying in the fruit, using hinge-handled baskets. The barrel is gently shaken each time fruit is added, so as to pack the fruit closely. It is filled 1 or 2 inches above the rim. In order to get the apples tightly packed, so that they do not move after packing and become “ slack”’ in travelling, a round board lined with sacking or saddlers’ felt is placed, padded side downwards, on the top of the apples ; the barrel is rocked on the floor, if of cement, or, if not, on a heavy plank. The apples, thus shaken and pressed, sink to about the level of the rim; any spaces are filled with small apples. Then another piece of white paper is placed on the apples, the chine hoops are knocked up to loosen them, to allow the lid to enter the mouth of the barrel ; then the lid is laid on, and the screw or lever-press is applied to the barrel to press the lid into position, followed by the tightening of the chine hoops and the nailing of the head and hoops. . The name of the apple, together with the owner’s name and address, are stencilled on the top of the barrel; the name of the salesman on the bottom. The cost of sending over to England—London or Liverpool—from the Annapolis Valley, vid Halifax, is about :— Sac. Rail (60 to 160 miles) : ark «8 Steamer (8,000 miles) 2 6 4 2 per barrel. The salesman’s commission in London is usually 5 per cent. Mr. 8. C. Parker tells me the average net price received by the grower was, per barrel, for the crop of 1896, about 4s. 2d. (81) ; for that of 1897, 8s. 4d.; and for 1898, 6s. 3d. The grower considers 8s. per barrel, clear of expenses (barrel, freight, and commission), a very good price, but occasionally they do not pay expenses, due to inferior fruit, bad packing, or glutted market. The apples are sometimes bought on the trees at so much a barrel throughout the orchard; and if packed by the grower, Ls. per barrel is paid for picking, packing, and hauling to the station. There are several large apple buyers who have large stores and packing sheds, capable of holding several thousand barrels. These are generally situated close to a railway station, to enable the barrels to be loaded direct into the cars. The London City, by which I returned, carried 14,050 barrels; the 14 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Furness Line, to which this boat belongs, receives a subsidy from the Canadian Government to run a fortnightly service of steamers. CRANBERRIES. Around Berwick, Waterville, Auburn, Aylesford, and Cambridge, in the middle of the valley, cranberry-growing is fast increasing. Here the soil is moist, but not stagnant ; it consists generally of one or more feet of peaty soil over sand. In 1896 there were about 200 acres of cranberry bog, and in 1897 about 2,500 barrels were raised. They keep well in barrels for fully nine months; when required for shipment they are sorted and cleaned by hand or machinery, and sell in London at 25s. to 35s. per barrel. The cranberry beds take four years to come into bearing, and are said to Fic. 2.—‘‘ NoxpaREIL’’? APPLE TREE, CoRNWALLIS Rectory, Nova Scorta. PropaBLy 150 Years OLD. last about forty years. The crop is said to average about forty barrels per acre. The rows are planted 15 to 24 in. apart; plants 4 or 5 in. apart. Once in three years the bogs are sanded about } in. deep, taking fifty two-horse loads per acre. During the winter the plantations are in many cases flooded, in order to destroy insects. One company owning a large area of cranberry bog which had been badly infested with ‘‘ fire-worm,” at the recommendation of the Canadian Department of Agriculture, sprayed the plantation with arsenate of lead (4 oz. arsenate of soda in 1 quart water, ? oz. acetate of lead in 1 quart, pouring the two together and adding 5 gallons water). This insecticide has been found very effective, and may take the place of Paris green in orchards, as in a trial at the Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, in 1895, the percentage of wormy apples (Codlin moth) was even less than where Paris green was used. A YEAR AMONG THE ORCHARDS OF NOVA SCOTIA. 15 For useful information as to cranberry culture, | would recommend purchasing the Report of the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association for 1897. I believe cranberries would be a remunerative crop on moor and heather land in England and Scotland, as I consider the land is of similar character to that of Nova Scotia, in which cranberries thrive so well. Mr. 8. C. Parker writes to me that, on the recommendation of Messrs. Nothard & Lowe (Tooley Street, London), cranberries have been generally shipped this season in boxes holding 10 lbs.; this package gave good results, netting about 2s. 6d. per box. Notes OF THE YIELDS OF FRUITS. At Cornwallis Rectory there is an old French ‘ Nonpareil’ apple tree, probably 150 years old, measuring 10 ft. girth 1 ft. from the ground. The Rector, the Rev. F. J. H. Axford, told me that during the twenty years he has been there the amount of fruit from it has varied from two barrels up to sixteen, the average being nine barrels. A photograph of this tree (Fig. 2), taken by his daughter, is given. At Wolfville, in 1896, from Mr. Elliot Smith’s orchard twenty barrels were gathered from three ‘ Gravenstein’ trees twenty-five years old. In the same year, from the farms on Canard Street, 50,000 barrels of apples were gathered within a distance of 3} miles along the road. In the Gaspareau Valley, 1,700 barrels were gathered from thirteen acres of orchard belonging to Mr. Gurtridge. Strawberries: 100 bushels, or 3,200 quarts, per acre is said to be an average yield, 5,000 being exceptionally good. Price, usually 5d. to 74d. per quart, but sometimes as low as 25d. Strawberries are grown on the ‘‘matted row ’’ system. Raspberries : 2,000 quarts average, 5,000 very good ; price, 4d. to 6d. per quart. Blackberries : 2,000 average; about the same price as raspberries. Cranberries : 50 to 100 barrels of 150 lbs.; price, 25s. to 30s. Price paid for picking all berries, $d. per quart. Potatos are extensively grown and exported to Cuba in barrels. Burbanks, early and late rose, and Chilis are among the varieties most grown. The average yield is about 200 bushels per acre; price varying from 1s. 3d. to 3s., according to season. VARIETIES OF FRUIT CHIEFLY GROWN IN Nova Scotia. APPLES. ‘Gravenstein’ and ‘Banks’ Red Gravenstein’ are fit for shipping about the middle of September. ‘Baldwin’ and ‘ King of Tomkins County.’ ‘Nonpareil’ commands a high price, and is in its prime in the follow- ing May and June, and it is mostly grown in Annapolis County. ‘ Ribston Pippin,’ the best apple of English origin. ‘Golden Russet,’ ‘ Ben Davis,’ and ‘Northern Spy.’ ‘The Bishop Pippin’ or ‘ Belle Fleur,’ introduced by Bishop Inglis, the first bishop of Nova Scotia, is much grown for home use, but does not stand shipping. ‘Blenheim Orange,’ ‘ Fallawater,’ and ‘ Rhode Island Greening,’ . 16 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. PEARS. ‘Bartlett’ or ‘ Williams’ Bon Chrétien,’ ‘Clapps’ Favourite,’ ‘Flemish Beauty,’ as standards. (In Ontario, ‘ Duchesse d’Angouléme ’ is much grown as a dwarf.) PEACHES. ‘Early Crosby’ and ‘ Karly Alexander.’ PLUMS. ‘Moer’s Arctic,’ ‘Lombard,’ ‘ Greengage, ‘Magnum Bonum,’ and ‘Bradshaw. The wood of the European and American varieties is subject to a very destructive fungoid disease, ‘ Black Knot’ (Plowrightia morbosa), which I trust we may never get in England; but from this disease the Japanese varieties are almost entirely free. ‘ Burbank,’ ‘Wickson,’ and ‘Abundance’ are the most popular Japanese sorts. GOOSEBERRIES AND CURRANTS Are but little grown. The American varieties of gooseberry are small, the best being the ‘Downing.’ [English varieties of gooseberry mildew badly. Red currants fruit well, but black currants do not thrive. RASPBERRIES. ‘ Cuthbert,’ ‘ Marlborough,’ both of American origin. BLACKBERRIES. ‘Snyder,’ of American origin. STRAWBERRIES. Wilson’s and Crescent Seedlings are most grown in alternate rows, ‘Parker Earle,’ a new variety,is highly recommended. European varieties do not thrive on the American Continent. CHERRIES Are largely grown around Bear River and Digby ; it is a district in which wild cherry and oaks grow naturally in the woods. Black and white hearts and French are the varieties most grown. CRANBERRIES Are got wild from the North Mountain and near the lakes. THE ORIGIN OF THE VARIETIES OF FRUIT. Professor Bailey tells us that, speaking generally, fruits of American origin are the best adapted to American conditions, notwithstanding the fact that there are some foreign varieties which thrive over large areas of the country. The strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries, and grapes are almost entirely from wild American plants, and succeed better not because they are superior to those of Kuropean origin, but because they are more perfectly adapted to their surroundings (climate, insects, fungi, &c¢.). , A YEAR .AMONG THE ORCHARDS OF NOVA SCOTIA. 1 Thus, speaking roughly, two-thirds of the best varieties of apples and eleven-twelfths of the best peaches are of American. origin from foreign parents; half of the best plums and a quarter of the best pears are American, the pear and plum being the most peculiarly European of the various fruits. American fruits constantly tend to diverge from the foreign types which were their parents, and they are as a rule better adapted to their environments than foreign varieties are. ORCHARD IMPLEMENTS. Some of the best orchard implements I saw in use in Nova Scotia were :— “Pomona” pump (Gould’s Manufacturing Co., Seneca Falls, New York), of which a figure is given. (Fig. 3.) ‘Eclipse’? pump (Morrill & Morley, Benton Harbour, Michigan). Both Fic. 3.—TuHe “ Pomona’? SPRAYING Pomp. WitH AGITATOR. Attu Work1nG Parts or Brass. of these pumps have hard brass working parts complete, fitted on a 40-gallon barrel, with hose, bamboo rod, and double Vermorel nozzle, £3. 15s.; costing singly about 24s. additional for carriage to London. Orchard spring-tooth harrow (Syracuse Chilled Plough Co., Syracuse, N-Y.),. £ix19s: As an example to us in co-operation amongst farmers and Govern- ment aid to agriculture, I will give a short account of the work of the Cc 18 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association, its school of horticulture, the Nova Scotia Office of Agriculture, and the Canadian Government Depart- ment of Agriculture :— Tur Nova Scotia Fruit GRowERS’ ASSOCIATION Was formed in 1868, when the acreage under fruit was probably about 2.500 acres. In 1898 it was estimated that there were 12,000 acres of bearing orchard, with 8,000 more of young trees. In 1871 apples were first sent to England. In 1896, a good year, it is estimated that 750,000 barrels were produced, of which 450,000 were exported to England. The Association has for its objects :— The increase cf cultivation of the various kinds of fruit. The spreading of information as to the best methods of cultivating, packing, and shipping fruit. : The discussion of subjects of mutual interest : as freight rates by rail and steamer, ventilation on steamer, handling of barrels on embarking and disembarking to prevent damage, condition of fruit on arrival in markets, possible new markets. Once a year, in January, it has a three days’ session at Wolfville, at which papers are read and discussed. I attended it in 1898, and thought it must be very valuable to the farmers, who attend in large numbers. Each member receives the printed report. The yearly subscription is a dollar = 4s. 2d. The Secretary is Mr. 8. C. Parker, Berwick, Nova Scotia. At the Halifax Industrial Exhibition in October there was a fine exhibition of apples, plums, cherries, peaches, and grapes, from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, under the management of the Association. THe ScHoou oF HortTicuttuRE, WoLrFvinue, Nova Scoria, Was established in 1894 by the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers’ Association, assisted by a Government grant. Horticulture, Botany, and Microscopic Botany are taught by an able professor, Mr. F.C. Sears. The school consists of a class-room, with a good collection of English, Canadian, and American books on horticulture, horticultural journals, about twelve good microscopes, and a collection of pressed wild plants. Beneath the class-room is a potting shed or workshop, and, adjoining, a glass-house with economic and ornamental plants and flowers, in which grafting, budding, and propagating are taught during winter. There is also a root cellar, in which apple stocks for root grafting during winter are kept. Surrounding the school are ornamental grounds, with a nursery of young fruit and other trees and plants close by. The horticultural course is at present confined mostly to the propa- gation of plants and to fruit-growing—dealing with wind-breaks, protec- tion from frost, setting out and planting, tillage, manuring, cover crops, renovation of old orchards, grafting, budding, the life histories of fungi and insects, spraying, harvesting, and packing of the fruit, cold storage, &e. The School of Horticulture is attached to the Wolfville University. The classes are held during the winter months, from the beginning of A YEAR AMONG THE ORCHARDS OF NOVA SCOTIA, 19 November to the end of April. Having myself attended the course, I cannot speak too highly of it. The course is free, and farmers are invited to come and look round at any time, attend any lecture, and bring any questions. Although there are such exceptional advantages, there are but few who attend regularly. =A : Fic. 4.—‘‘ KEROWATER’’ SPRAYER. For Mixing AND SPRAYING PARAFFIN AND WATER. The following were the text-books used at the School of Horticulture in winter 1897-8. They are excellent books :— “The Principles of Fruit-Growing,” by Prof. L. H. Bailey, of Cornell University. 5s. “The Spraying of Plants,” by E.G. Lodeman. 4s. ‘‘The Nursery Book,” by Prof. Bailey. 4s. “The Pruning Book,’’ by Prof. Bailey. 5s. All published by Macmillan & Co., London and New York. THE Nova ScoTiA OFFICE OF AGRICULTURE In 1897 issued free to all farmers and others interested in the subject, a useful pamphlet, “Practical Hints to Fruit Growers,’’ upon insects, fungi, spray machinery, insecticides, and fungicides. The Provincial Government has an agricultural and dairy school with model farm at Truro, which deals also with the growth and care of fruit. Lectures on agriculture, dairying, and horticulture are given throughout the province, with field demonstrations which appear to ke well attended, Cea 20 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. judging from the one on spraying which I attended on Mr. Ralph Eaton’s farm, near Kentville. THE CANADIAN DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Issues at frequent intervals valuable bulletins on agricultural and horticultural subjects, sent free to farmers. It has an experimental station in each province for trial of different varieties of corn, vegetables, and fruits. That of Nova Scotiais at Nappan. The central experimental station is near Ottawa, where soils and fertilisers are analysed free to farmers, insects are identified, and advice given on matters connected with agriculture and horticulture. In 1897 it sent over an expert, Mr. J. EK. Starr (himself a large apple grower), to report on the condition of the fruit arriving in England and Scotland from various parts of Canada, to see whether any improvements in packing, cold storage (for grapes, plums, &c.), steamer accommodation, marketing, could be suggested, or new markets found. . In conclusion, I can recommend Nova Scotia as a pleasant country to farm in, and as a delightful holiday resort, where a good deal may be learnt in agricultural methods. The people are very kind and sociable, and willing to give information. And, finally, I would here like to record my best thanks to my friends across the Atlantic, and to my wife for the two photographs illustrating the paper; also to the Gould’s Manufacturing Company for the use of electrotypes illustrating two of their pumps, the ‘‘Pomona”’ and the ‘ Kerowater.’’ This latter has only recently been introduced and patented this year. It mixes and sprays a combined spray of water and paraffin: the proportion of the latter can be regulated from 5 to 25 per cent. THE MEANING AND USE OF THE COLOUR AND FORM OF INSECTS. 21 THE MEANING AND USE OF THE COLOUR AND FORM OF INSECTS.* By Mr. H. L. T. Brake, F.R.H.S. [Delivered ebruary 28, 1899.] We have heard a great deal lately of the dulness of country life and of the monotonous existence of those living in country villages, and it has been urged on that account that many are flocking from the country to the towns. Now, I have lived both in London and in the country, and I must say that I much prefer the latter. In London all the amusements are made for one—they are purely artificial—but in the country a man must have his own resources and must make amusements for himself; and I think that this is best effected by taking a personal interest in one’s surroundings and by studying the many wonderful works of nature which those in London have no opportunity of doing. Iam therefore going to ask you to take a walk, as it were, with me to-day through your gardens and orchards to see whether we cannot find something that will not only be interesting, but also instructive to us, as horticulturists. AndI would invite you to help me in finding the several caterpillars and other insects that may be doing mischief to our fruit trees and other plants. At the same time I shall point out to you how it is that in many instances we are unable to detect these caterpillars. It is not because they are not there ; the mutilated leaves are evidence that they must exist in hundreds; but the fact is that many of these caterpillars have the power of assuming the colour of the leaves on which they feed, or the colour and form of the twigs on which they rest, so as to make it extremely difficult to detect them. For the sake of convenience I propose to divide my lecture into seven divisions, viz. — (1) The uses and meaning of colour in insects. (2) Protective resemblance. (3) Aggressive resemblance. (4) Protective mimicry. (5) Aggressive mimicry. (6) Warning colours. (7) The combination of the different methods of defence which some insects possess. The principal “ use’’ of colour is either to assist an insect in escaping from its enemies or to assist it in capturing its prey. The former is called “protective ’’ and the latter ‘‘ aggressive ’’ resemblance. Mimicry is where one insect which is palatable mimics another insect which is unpalatable, either for the purpose of obtaining an advantage or for the purpose of injuring its prey; and this likewise divides itself into “ protective ’’ and “‘ aggressive ’’ mimicry. Warning colours are assumed by those insects which are wnpalatadble * The lecturer in commencing desired to acknowledge his very great indebtedness to Professor Poulton’s work. 22, JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. to insectivorous animals. ‘They haye therefore no object in concealing themselves. On the contrary, their safety depends upon their displaying their colour in the most conspicuous manner, so that they may not be mistaken for others which are edible. Different Methods of Defence-—Under this heading may be included all those insects which have more than one means of defence, such as a nauseous taste, or an unpleasant smell, or a sting, or the power of assuming a terrifying attitude or of ejecting a poisonous liquid, so that if one line of defence is broken through they can fall back upon another. We will now proceed to examine several insects which afford good examples of the subject under discussion, taking each division in the order I have named. PROTECTIVE RESEMBLANCE. There is no better instance of “ protective resemblance ”’ than that afforded by “ stick’’ caterpillars, or “loopers”’ as they are sometimes called, from the loop-like appearance of their body when they crawl. They are extremely common, some 200 to 300 specimens being found in this country ; but the majority of them are seldom seen, because of their being able to harmonise so cleverly with their surroundings. I will now show you* one of these caterpillars resting on a Currant bush, and by comparing it with the twig itself you at once see how very closely the caterpillar can resemble it, both in form and colour. It possesses three pairs of legs at the upper end of its body and two pairs of claspers at the tail end. These claspers not only enable the cater- pillar to take a firm hold of the twig, but they assist it in making it appear as though actually growing out of it. These caterpillars rest in this position for hours together, and so long as they remain motionless they are unperceived by their enemies. In order to put this theory to the test, Professor Poulton procured an insect-eating lizard and placed it in close juxtaposition to a bush in which he saw one of these caterpillars at rest. Notwithstanding that the lizard was particularly fond of this kind of food, and notwithstanding that it had been purposely kept from food for two or three days, so as to make it hungry, it entirely failed to detect the caterpillar. Mr. Poulton then pricked the insect, so as to make it move, when the lizard immediately saw it, sprang at it, and ate it up with the greatest relish, thus proving that while perfectly motionless in their attitude of rest these caterpillars are safe from the observation of their enemies. We will now pass on to another of these ‘stick’ or “ looper ”’ cater- pillars, viz. the early Thorn moth caterpillar, which is even a still better example of ‘‘ protective resemblance ’ than the former one. Here you observe that the colour and form of the insect are very faithful re- productions of the twig upon which it is resting. It is well known that these caterpillars only come down to feed at night or in the evening, and that in the daytime, when their enemies are about, they remain in this attitude perfectly still, resembling a twig itself growing out of another twig. Of course the caterpillar could not remain in that position—at * The lecture was profusely illustrated by lantern pictures, which greatly added to its interest. THE MEANING AND USE OF THE COLOUR AND FORM OF INSECTS. 23 an acute angle with the main stem—without some means of support. Anyone can satisfy himself on that point by holding out his arm from his body, when he will find how soon the muscles will tire. Nature has therefore provided this caterpillar with the power of spinning for itself a very fine silken thread, one end of which it attaches to the twig and the other end to its mouth, and in that way the caterpillar maintains its position for any length of time it pleases. The next illustration is another very interesting example of protective resemblance. It is that of the caterpillar of the Brimstone moth on the Hawthorn tree. Here the harmony of colour is as perfect as is the resemblance to the form and shape of the twig. Many of the smaller branches of the tree are bent similarly to the attitude assumed by the insect, and at the curve in the branch there is a sight projection which is exactly reproduced in the caterpillar. It is moreover a noteworthy fact that this caterpillar can adjust its colour according to its surround- ings. At one time of the year, when feeding upon the young green leaves, it is greenish in hue, whilst when feeding upon the older leaves it becomes of a brown colour. Altogether this is one of the most perfect forms of protective resemblance that is known amongst this class of insects. Another interesting example is the caterpillar of the large Emerald moth, which, curiously enough, imitates the catkin of the Hazel or Birch on which it feeds instead of the branch of the tree. Here you see it before you short and thick, harmonising in colour as well as in form with the catkin. The rings of its body likewise resemble the overlapping scales of the catkin, while its head is well bent forward, making itself look much more like an eccentric vegetable growth than a living insect. In all the cases we have thus far examined, the caterpillars make themselves harmonise with their surroundings ; but there are some which act differently, though having the same object in view, and make their surroundings resemble themselves. This is the case with the caterpillar now before us. When feeding, it ingeniously eats away portions of the leaf, leaving rough models of itself near the midrib, and then sits down beside it. Here is the caterpillar—green above and dark beneath— harmonising well with its surroundings, whilst the irregular pieces of leaf which are rejected by it when feeding draw one’s eye away from it rather than towards it. We have noticed instances of caterpillars imitating twigs or branches and others imitating the catkin or blossom of a tree. Our next illustra- tion is that of a spider imitating the lichen on a tree. Here it is lying flat against the lichen, and it will be noticed that that part of its body which is similarly coloured to the lichen it places against the lichen, and that part of its body which is coloured brown it places against the bark of the tree. Our next picture represents an insect (another spider, a native of South America) imitating a knot of a tree. Unlike the method adopted by the former spider, it stands prominently out on a large branch of a tree, and by drawing itself well together it succeeds most admirably in making itself look much more like a knot on the tree than an insect, and in this deception it is greatly aided by its being protectively coloured. Another very interesting case (also from South America) is a 24 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. walking-leaf moth. Surrounded as it is in its natural condition of life by so many leaves with which it harmonises both in colour and form, it is an extremely difficult matter to detect it. Its wings closely represent two leaves, and when the moth lies, as it does, with its wings partially open, the narrow strip of its body, which is seen between them, resembles the midrib of the leaf. Moreover, the head resembles in appearance a bud, whilst its legs are the exact counterparts of the stalks of the leaves. My last illustration of “ protective resemblance ”’ is that of a walking- leaf beetle, and the same remarks apply with equal force here. Before leaving this division of my subject I should like to say a few words generally on this question. A friend of mine, when discussing the matter with me the other evening, asked what better instance of protective resemblance could there be than a hare sitting in her form. I reminded him, in reply, that protective resemblance in its highest state must not be fixed, but must be capable of adjustment, and that while the English hare could not alter her colour in response to her surroundings, there were other animals, as well as insects, that could. There are some frogs, for instance, that have that power. A party of three gentlemen, when looking for fossils on the south coast of England, came across a frog in a cavern, and they were much struck by its very dark colour. One of the party, being interested in natural history as well as in geology, placed it out on a light-coloured sandstone and put a temporary barricade round it to prevent it from getting away. In the course of half an hour he looked at it again, and found that in that short space of time the frog had changed from dark to light, corresponding with the colour of the sandstone ; and when, afterwards, it had been replaced in the cavern, in the course of a quarter of an hour it had assumed its original dark colour again. 5o, too, all fishermen know that trout caught in a stream with a dark bottom are much darker than those caught in a stream with a light bottom, and that fish can vary their colour as they pass from dark to light, and vice versd. There is also an instance on record proving that blind creatures are unable to respond to the colour of their surround- ings. M. Pouchet, a Frenchman, onee observed, when gazing into the sea-water, what seemed to him at first to be a single plaice, but a closer scrutiny revealed the fact that there were quite a number of these fish, but that the one which had attracted his attention was very much darker than the others. Prompted by curiosity he succeeded in catching the dark-coloured fish, and was much surprised to find that it was totally blind, the inference being that, as it could not see, it was unable to respond to the colour of its surroundings. AGGRESSIVE RESEMBLANCE. We now pass on to ‘‘aggressive resemblance.” ‘The first illustration of this division is that of an Asiatic lizard, which I have chosen as an interesting variation, as it is unnecessary for my purpose to confine my remarks entirely to insects or to animals of this country. In the illustra- tion, the colour of the lizard harmonises well with the colour of the sand on which it lies. Growing on the sand are little red flowers which insects love to visit. The lizard itself is partial to these insects. On either side THE MEANING AND USE OF THE COLOUR AND FORM OF INSECTS. 25 of its mouth the folds of its skin are similarly coloured to the flowers, and by putting its mouth in a certain attitude it produces a shape very similar to the flower. Insects, attracted by what they suppose to be one of the red flowers, fly within range, and become an easy prey to the lizard. Another clever instance of ‘‘ageressive resemblance”’ is that afforded by the Indian Mantis, a beautiful pink-coloured creature which feeds exclusively on insects. This Mantis is represented in the illustration. There it lies flattened against the leaf of a tree, and by stretching out its wings and placing its legs in front, it makes itself appear, both in form and colour, like a beautiful flower. The deception is complete, as insect after insect has been observed to fly hterally into its open mouth. PROTECTIVE MImIcry. ‘Protective mimicry” is the most important and perhaps the most interesting part of our subject. Protective mimicry is where one insect which is palatable mimics another insect which is unpalatable. In the illustration you have the Gold-tail moth on the right mimicking the Satin moth on the left. Mr. Poulton, in order to test this theory, threw one of these unpalatable Satin moths to a marmoset, which declined alto- gether at first to touch it, but after awhile, prompted no doubt by the ravages of hunger, it was compelled to eat it. In doing so, however, the marmoset showed signs of the greatest possible disgust. Mr. Poulton then offered it one of the palatable Gold-tail moths, but the marmoset could not be induced to eat it, although on a previous occasion it had eaten several Gold-tail moths with evident relish, thus showing that the Gold-tail moth owed its preservation to its resemblance to the Satin moth. Another good example of “ protective mimicry” is the drone fly, which mimics the bee. From a superficial glance the two insects very closely resemble each other, but in reality they are very different. The bee has four wings and the drone fly only two; moreover they belong to different orders, the bee belonging to the Hymenoptera and the drone fly to the Diptera. The bee is provided with a sting, and on that account it is seldom, if ever, interfered with; whereas the drone fly has no such method of defence ; its safety therefore depends upon its power to mimic the bee. A still more remarkable case of “ protective mimicry” is that of a caterpillar mimicking a dangerous-looking animal. The caterpillar before us is that of the large Elephant Hawk moth. It possesses, as you see, an eye-like mark on each of the first three rings of its body, but these markings do not in the normal condition of the insect attract any special attention. Let the caterpillar, however, be apprehensive of danger or suddenly alarmed, and it immediately contracts the first two rings of its body, leaving only one eye-like mark visible, which gives it the appear- ance of some venomous-looking reptile; and the effect is considerably heightened by the suddenness with which it changes its position. In order to prove that such caterpillars create fear and alarm to their natural enemies, Professor Weissman put one of them into a trough containing 26 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. some food for his chickens, and they declined to come near it. Lady Verney also found that the presence of one of these caterpillars, when assuming its terrifying attitude, completely kept off some small birds from the bread crumbs she had thrown out for them. “WARNING COLOURS.”’ We now come to a class of colouring with a meaning exactly opposite to that which we have hitherto examined. The object of ‘ protective colouring ’’ is, as we have seen, to conceal an insect from its enemies, whereas the object of ‘‘ warning colours ” is to render the insect as con- spicuous as possible. The explanation is that those insects which are caudily coloured are, as a rule, unpalatable. All writers on the subject agree that birds, lizards, spiders, and other insectivorous animals decline to eat this class of insects. They have therefore no object in concealment. On the contrary, their safety depends upon their display- ing themselves in as conspicuous a manner as possible, so that they may not, by any possibility, be mistaken for other insects which are palatable. In the slide before us we have the caterpillar of the Magpie moth, which affords a good example of warning colours. It is coloured bright yellow with black markings, and although it belongs to the large class of stick caterpillars, it makes no effort to resemble either the form or colour of its surroundings, but stands prominently out as though it were aware that it had nothing whatever to fear; and the effect is heightened by the fact that they are often found in large numbers together. Another example is the caterpillar of the Cinnabar moth, coloured similarly to the last one, and like it it makes no effort to conceal itself, nor shows the slightest apprehension of danger. The whole army of insects that are met with in a country walk on a summer’s day may be divided into two great classes, viz. (1) those that are protectively coloured, and are therefore difficult to find, and (2) those that are easily seen by their conspicuous markings. And it is a remark- able fact that the former class are palatable, and are much relished by insectivorous birds and animals, whilst the other class are carefully avoided by them. COMBINATION OF DIFFERENT METHODS OF DEFENCE. We now pass on to consider the combination of the different methods of defence which some insects possess, and as an example of this I have selected the caterpillar of the Puss moth. In the majority of the cases we have examined the insects had practically only one method of defence —viz. protective colouring—but there are some insects which are pro- vided with an additional means of defence, such as a sting, or the power of assuming a terrifying attitude, or the means of ejecting a poisonous liquid, so that if one line of defence fails it has another to fall back upon. Now, by a glance at the caterpillar of the Puss moth we see that it harmonises well with the colour of the Willow leaves on which it feeds, and that the veins of the leaf correspond with the lines formed by the rings in the body of the caterpillar; and, further, that the light- coloured line of the midrib of the leaf is reproduced in the transverse THE MEANING AND USE OF THE COLOUR AND FORM OF INSECTS. 27 markings of the caterpillar. In addition to this form of defence this caterpillar, if disturbed, can, as we have seen, suddenly assume a terrifying attitude ; while it has the still further power of ejecting a poisonous or nauseous liquid, which has a most repellent effect on its foes. The greatest enemy that this caterpillar has is the ichneumon fly, and its method of attack is to plant itself, if possible, on the back of the cater- pillar, just behind the head: when once there the fate of the caterpillar is settled, as the ichneumon fly punctures the skin of this caterpillar and deposits her eggs there, and the larvee, which are hatched in a few days from those eggs, literally eat away the inside of the caterpillar until only the bare skin is left. Mr. Poulton records an interesting experiment he made and the combat he witnessed between these two insects, with the result that when the ichneumon fly got within range the caterpillar ejected its poisonous fluid and the ichneumon fly immediately collapsed. I have now come to the close of my lecture, and it is possible that some of you may ask in what way this subject is associated with horti- culture. If so, I may perhaps be allowed to remind you that the animal and vegetable kingdoms are so closely allied, so inseparably interwoven, the one with the other, that it is frequently difficult to know where the one begins and the other leaves off; and, further, that the life of a gardener is a regular combat with insects, and that the study of such a subject stimulates observation. Moreover it gives him an intimate know- ledge of the many devices these insects have of evading his vigilance, and in that way, if in no other, it should prove of great use to him. Sir JoHN Luewetyn, Bart., M.P., chairman of the meeting, in proposing a vote of thanks to the lecturer, said that he had listened to the lecture with the greatest interest, and thought at first sight it might appear to be a subject more nearly akin to entomology than to horticulture. Yet the two sciences were most intimately related, and whatever made the gardener think of the ways and habits of the insects, by which he was always surrounded, must be productive of great good, and would tend to the accumulation of a multitude of facts and observations connected with the life-history of garden friends and pests which must, in some way or other, be capable of being turned to good account. The Rey. Professor Groracz Henstow, V.M.H., in seconding the vote of thanks, also expressed himself as having been greatly interested in the subject treated by the lecturer. But he said he wanted to go a step further. The lecturer, for instance, had told them of cases in which animals, fishes, and insects changed their colours, respectively according to the colours of their immediate surroundings: the fact was indis- putable. Thus Sir Joseph D. Hooker had noticed a lizard in the Himalayas which was infested with ticks. The lizard’s body was covered with scales which in some places were a dark brown and in others of a bright yellow. And he had noticed that a tick on a brown scale was brown-coloured, another on the bright yellow scales was also bright yellow ; but in the case of a tick lying upon two scales of different colours the part of the tick over the brown scale was brown, while the rest of its body over the yellow scales was bright yellow. The lecturer had cited the case of a plaice which was dark-coloured though lying on white sand, while all its fellow plaice were light-coloured ; and he had mentioned that 28 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. the dark-coloured one was quite blind. Prof. Henslow quoted an analogous case in which the eyes of shrimps had been covered, and the result was that these shrimps were not coloured like the normal ones, in imitation of their surroundings. Prof. Henslow then observed that there appear io ° be two distinct kinds of mimicry: (1) automatic and unconscious ; (2) brought about by conscious action of the creatures. As an example of the first he cited colour, mentioning the green-leaf insects and several of the caterpillars shown on the screen by Mr. Blake. The same kind of similarity applies to all desert animals, as may be seen in a case in the entrance hall of the South Kensington Museum. A remarkable illustra- tion of this kind of mimicry has lately been described of domestic mice, which have become established on sandhills in Dublin Bay. Though 14 per cent. are still of the usual dusky slate, the great majority are of the colour of the sandhills, though transitional colouring exists among these mice. That light is not the sole cause would seem probable from the fact that many animals change from brown to white when the temperature is lowered; thus the stoat becomes the “‘ ermine”’ in winter. Good examples may now be seen of this change in Russian hares—grey- white and buff-white—now being offered for sale in the shops. In the case of the shrimps and the plaice described above they had not assumed a light colour, because, being blind, light reflected from the sand had not affected the pigment cells of the skin by acting automatically through the optic nerves of the eyes; while in the normal shrimps and plaice these had become adapted in their colouring most probably by that means. As instances of conscious action, he alluded to the attitudes of cater- pillars when alarmed, as described by Mr. Blake ; and the habits of certain crabs which fix bits of sea-weed all over their carapaces, and of the ‘« stick ’ insect which never arranges its legs symmetrically but irregularly so as to resemble more accurately a twig lying on the ground. Prof. Henslow then alluded to the fact that mimicry in nature is of a very wide extent; for it not only applies in all probability to most families of animals, but to the vegetable kingdom as well. Thus, e.v., the tleshy stems of Cacti, Euphorbias, and Stapelias are almost exactly alike, because they grow under similar conditions, and this case is sufficient to illustrate the general law, that the same or at ieast very similar external forms and colours &c. arise when the beings live under very similar conditions, since all protoplasm—the living basis of life—has the power to respond to external impulses and to build up similar structures. When, however, we try to investigate the immediate causes, and how they work, we appear to be baffled at almost every point. He thanked Mr. Blake very heartily, for, without any doubt, such subjects, handled in the way this had been, set people thinking, and to be made to think was always of the greatest possible service to every one of us. THE WOBURN EXPERIMENTS: THEIR OBJECT AND METHOD. 29 THE WOBURN EXPERIMENTS: THEIR OBJECT AND METHOD. By Mr. Srpencer U. Pickerina, F.R.S. [Read March 14, 1899.] THE title which was suggested to me for a paper to be brought before this Society may be taken to imply that I am not expected to deal with the results which we have so far obtained at the Woburn Experimental Fruit Farm, but rather with the general character of the work and the methods adopted in our experiments. The selection of such a title showed much wisdom on the part of your secretary, for tbe methods employed in any experimental work of this sort must necessarily be of a somewhat novel and unfamiliar character to horticulturists, and, while they may possibly gain something by being introduced to them, we are sure to gain much by hearing their opinions and criticisms on the subject. That these criticisms may not be too severe, perhaps I may be allowed to start by trying to dispel the time-honoured but now erroneous tenet as to the antagonism between practice and theory, and between the practical and scientific man. Such an antagonism should certainly never exist, and is, indeed, in most cases, a mere fiction, arising from a mistaken notion on one side or the other, perhaps on both. If by “ practical man” is meant merely a man who works without understanding the object of what he does, and without drawing conclusions from the results which he obtains, or if by ‘‘scientific man’’ is meant one who theorises on a subject of which he has no knowledge, then the dictum may be true: but such are not the true meaningsof either of these designations. ‘The term “ horticulturist”’ is certainly a wide one, and may, perhaps, embrace many of the above description, but these can hardly be accepted as the embodiment of ‘‘ practice,’ or representatives of a class of which they are merely acci- dental appendages, whilst as to the mere theoriser, he is a being of the past ; the days of alchemy and arm-chair philosophers are gone, and no scientific man can aspire to be called such, unless he bases his conclusions on practical experiments. Indeed, if any man deserves to be called a practical man it is the scientific worker of the present day. We need only look to the marvellous extent to which science has in recent years been directed towards purely practical and commercial ends in the most practical nation in Kurope—Germany-—to recognise the fact that the scientific and the practical worker are mutually dependent on each other, and that it is only by such united action that the highest success can be obtained. Hach, of course, has his own special functions to per- form, and however sound may be the knowledge of the scientific man, it cannot act as a substitute for that technical skill, amounting sometimes to a sort of instinct, which can alone be engendered of long experience in work on which the worker’s livelihood depends. This fact, I think, we have not overlooked in our Woburn Farm. If we examine, however, a little more closely the methods adopted by the scientific worker and the practical horticulturist, we will find that 30 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. they rest on the same broad basis—a basis of trial and error—but that with the practical man the results are reached by a longer process. One horticulturist finds that he obtains greater success when he adopts one method than when he adopts another, and he therefore concludes, per- haps too hastily, that the first method is the correct one; his fellow worker, however, working under slightly different conditions, may come to an opposite conclusion, and it is not till the various experiences of many workers, extending often over a great length of time, are brought together and compared, that the proper method of procedure can be settled. Experience gained in this way must, no doubt, lead to correct conclusions in the end, but it is a slow process, as we must acknowledge when we consider how horticultural practice has varied from generation to generation, and how, even at the present day, eminent authorities hold different opinions on some of the most elementary points of their craft. The object of the scientific worker is simply to shorten this process, and, instead of merely drawing conclusions from what may happen to come under his notice, he carries out experiments specially designed to lead to definite conclusions. Once the facts are established, theory may certainly come in to help us to explain these facts and to suggest further investi- gations; but such theories are not the empty phantasies which are sometimes characterised by such a name, nor can they ever, if true, be opposed to facts, being, indeed, merely the co-ordination of facts themselves. Nothing is so procreative of life and development in any branch of knowledge as a thoroughly good theory, for it knits together hitherto disconnected facts, and explains their meaning and their depen- dence on each other, and, perhaps, the next best thing to a thoroughly good theory is a thoroughly bad one, for it sets everyone to work to upset it, and the result is a healthy spirit of investigation and activity. With rigorous scientific experiments in agriculture we have long been familiar, thanks, in the first place, to devoted English investigators, and more recently to foreign and colonial Governments, who have far out- stripped us in their efforts to place agriculture on a firm basis of knowledge. In horticulture, however, such work is but little known in England, though it forms an important subject for investigation at most of the foreign experimental stations. There are, indeed, many difficulties in dealing with horticulture in the same way as agriculture. Foremost amongst these is the great space occupied by a tree as compared with that occupied by plants used in agriculture. Every tree or plant, just as in the case of an animal, possesses a certain individuality, and exhibits differences in its constitution, and differences in behaviour under the game circumstances ; it is, therefore, impossible to arrive at any reliable conclusions from experiments which are not made on a large number of individuals. In agriculture this is not difficult. A quarter-acre plot of wheat will contain some 300,000 separate plants, and the mean of the results obtained from such a number will render insensible the variations due to the individual personalities of the separate plants; but a single experiment with the same number of trees at 10 feet apart would occupy 700 acres, and to undertake a set of experiments on such a scale would be somewhat impracticable ; while, if a quarter of an acre is assigned to the experiment, we should get into it only 100 trees, and the result THE WOBURN EXPERIMENTS: THEIR OBJECT AND METHOD. 31 would consequently be 8,000 times less certain than in the case of the wheat plot. Another great difficulty is the length of the life of trees. With annual farm crops the experiment can be completed in a year, but with a fruit-tree the life history may extend over fifty years or more, and we can hardly expect certain of our conclusions to be valid unless they are based on observations for at least half this period. There is also another serious difficulty, in the existence of the enormous number of varieties of each sort of fruit-tree. For instance, to do any one experiment properly on all the varieties of Apples known would require a much larger area than could reasonably be devoted to an entire experimental station. Yet we can never feel sure, if we restrict our experiments, as needs we must, that our conclusions may not be fallacious when applied to other existing or forthcoming varieties. There are several other, though less important, difficulties in experiments on fruit-trees as compared with those on agricultural crops. A great deal depends on culture in the form of pruning, and it is quite possible that the adoption of different methods in this respect might lead to contradictory results in different hands, even where the same cultiva- tion of the soil was adopted. As to experiments with manures, also, there is this difficulty, that if the tree is to be allowed to attain maturity, a great deal more space must be allotted to it than it can utilise in its early years. If we manure the whole of this space we shall be unduly enriching the soil which is now unoccupied, whereas a partial manuring of the ground round the stem lands us in the difficulty of determining how much shall be manured, and to what extent the manure is washed out into the neighbouring unmanured soil. Of course, there are other difficulties which apply to experiments in agriculture as well as in horticulture—the great difficulties of the differences of soil, climate, and seasons; the latter only can be surmounted by extending the experiments over a sufficient time, the other two cannot be combatted in any one experimental station. There are some points which we can hope to solve only when we shall have many such stations distributed over the country. Great as these difficulties are, I scarcely think that they should be used as arguments for not attempting experimental work in horticulture. No doubt they may lead us to many uncertain and erroneous conclusions at first, but if only they induce others to start similar work under some- what different circumstances we may be sure that correct conclusions of general application will be arrived at in the end, and our work will not have been valueless. One essential feature of experiments such as ours is that they must be comparative-—that the results of any particular treatment cannot be gauged unless we have another plot under ordinary or normal treatment with which the special plot can be compared. A second essential is that in each experiment one condition of treatment, and one only, must differ from that in the normal plots, for if two or more are altered at the same time it is obvious that we shall not be able to decide to which of these alterations the difference of results is due. This is but an instance of the mathematical principle that one equation can evalue but 32 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. one unknown quantity: yet the truth of it is often lost sight of in horti- cultural work. How often do we hear someone state that, for instance, a certain method of planting is superior to all others, but when he is cross- questioned on the subject it appears that his belief is merely founded on the fact that he has adopted this method and got good results, and if he | is asked whether in the same season and in the same soil he adopted other methods with exactly similar trees, the answer will in nine cases out of ten be, No; and his results, therefore, prove absolutely nothing, except that the method adopted is not altogether bad! In our own experiments on different methods of treatment, as applied to dwarf apple-trees, these are arranged in rows of eighteen, and the treatment adopted in each row differs from the normal treatment in one particular only: the trees in all the experiments (of which there are sixty) were of the same age, and as similar as possible when planted. Yet, even when conducted in this way, experiments on trees can by no means be regarded as perfect, for it is impossible for any two sets of trees to be absolutely comparable. We have in the first place the different individuality of the trees, to which allusion has already been made, and in the second place we have the fact that no two sets of trees can be planted in exactly the same place—and the nature of the soil, even in a suitable piece of ground, is very far from being uniform throughout. To minimise errors due to variation in soil, we have planted at intervals throughout the experimental plots seven or eight sets of trees which are not sub- jected to any special treatment, and which may, therefore, be termed normal plots. The results from these normal plots, we find, vary a good deal in different parts of the ground, but by plotting them out and drawing a curve through them we can get a diagram representing (probably) the normal results which would be obtained in any part of the ground, and this forms a standard of comparison for the results obtained in the experimental plots, whatever their position in the ground may be. It was, of course, impossible to perform all these sixty experiments with any large number of varieties, as the space required would have been too great; so the bulk of our experiments are confined to three varieties only—‘ Bramley’s Seedling,’ ‘ Cox’s Orange Pippin,’ and ‘ Potts’ Seedling,’ all on the paradise stock, six of each in each experiment—but these show very characteristic differences in habit, and the results, where they agree, should be of a fairly general application. Some of the more important experiments are repeated on ‘Stirling Castle,’ as well as on standards of ‘ Bramley,’ ‘ Cox,’ and ‘ Lane’s Prince Albert,’ grown on the crab stock. Even in the case of this limited number of varieties it was difficult in the first instance to obtain the requisite supply of trees of the same age and size. These trees are planted at such distances that they may be left tll they attain maturity without becoming overcrowded, and in applying manure to them we have adopted the plan of manuring the ground round them to a certain distance only, but increasing this distance every year (giving, however, always the same amount of manure per square yard) at such a rate that the whole of the ground will be thus manured when the trees attain their full growth. The application of artificial manures in such a case can be made in a much more satisfactory manner than if THE WOBURN EXPERIMENTS: THEIR OBJECT AND METHOD. 33 dung were used, for when small areas only have to be treated, the great variation in the strength of the latter renders the results very uncertain. Natural manures we have used in some cases, but for the present our manurial experiments are chiefly directed towards ascertaining the more elementary facts as to the relative effects of the three main constituents of all manures—potash, nitrogen, and phosphorus—and this can only be done where we use an artificial manure in which the relative proportion of the constituents can be varied at will. Once the fundamental facts shall have been ascertained, it will be time enough to attack the more compli- cated aspects presented by natural and special manures. In the case of our plots where the manurial treatment is normal, the manure used corresponds in nutritive value to about twelve tons of dung to the acre, and the growth obtained so far has been as vigorous as is required. I cannot help making mention in passing of the interesting and suggestive results, or rather want of results, which we have obtained at present in these experiments—manures, whether artificial or natural, having had little or no effect on our trees, though on other very different crops in the same ground—for instance, wheat and strawberries—their effect has been very considerable. I have mentioned in outline the general principles on which our experiments are inaugurated, but the question arises as to how the results are to be ascertained and compared with each other. With any fruit- tree or fruit-plant the ultimate standard by which success must be measured is the value of the fruit produced from it, not that produced in one year only, of course, nor even in several years, but throughout the life of the tree, and even this quantity, if ascertained, would have to be qualified by considerations based on the length of life and the precocity of the tree. It is needless to say that we have not yet completed such data at the Woburn Fruit Farm, even in the case of the shortest-lived of our fruit-bearing plants—strawberries, and it will be long before we can do so with our trees. In the meantime, however, data are being accumulated. But a difficulty arises in ascertaining the true value of our crops. In the case of every separate experiment the weight and number of fruits produced are recorded—in the case of the small berries, currants and gooseberries, the weight and volume are taken—and from these we can deduce the average size of the fruits; but how are we to adjudicate between two results where in one case we have a larger weight of crop but smaller fruits, and in the other a smaller crop but better-sized fruits ? The value of a crop depends as much on the size as on the quantity, and we want some means of combining these two factors into one expression so as to represent its true value. This, I have suggested, might be done in the case of apples, and some other fruits as well, by grading them into three classes, as would be done for market purposes, and taking the relative values of equal measures of these three grades to be in the pro- portion of 4,2, and 1. By counting the number of apples which make up a bushel of these different grades, we conclude that the relative values of the individual apples of the different sizes are about in the proportion of the squares of these numbers, that is, as 16 to 4 to 1; and, therefore, by dividing the number of apples of each grade by these numbers respectively, and adding the results together, we can get numbers repre- D 34 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. senting the relative values of the crops in comparative experiments. The method is, obviously, not free from objection, but it is the least objection- able which we have at present been able to devise. One evident defect in it is that it takes no account of the colour and quality of the fruit. In the case of trees, however, we have hardly arrived at the stage yet when the crops are of sufficient importance to call for great attention, and growth is the paramount consideration at present. We have been obliged to consider, therefore, how the growth may best be measured. This would seem to be almost as simple a matter as appraising the crops, till one comes to study the question carefully. The height and average spread of the trees have been determined annually, but these have not led to any very satisfactory results, and fail altogether in cases where the systems of pruning are varied. The diameters of the stems at a certain height from the ground are still less satisfactory, for the measurements are too much influenced by the irregularities of the stems and the inequalities of the ground. The number and weight of the twigs removed at the annual prunings have also been recorded, but they afford still less reliable data, since the removal of growth depends not only on the length of new wood formed, but on the position of the branch in the tree. The most satisfactory means of measurement, no doubt, is to ascertain the total increase in weight of the tree by weighing it before planting, and lifting it and weighing it again after the completion of the experiment. This plan we have adopted wherever practicable, but its application is evidently very limited; it can only be adopted where the experiment is complete within two or three years, and even then would not apply in all cases, such as in a comparison between pruned and unpruned trees. The method which we have finally adopted, and which appears to be of more general application, is to determine the weight of the leaves. It is, of course, a matter of common as well as of scientific knowledge that the vigour of a tree is dependent on, and, therefore, may probably be measured by, the leaf area which it exposes. The leaves are the lungs of the tree, and the seat of the manufacture of starch and cellular tissue through the absorption of carbon dioxide and solar energy; and the number, size, texture and colour of the leaves will always give us roughly a fair indi- cation of the health of a tree. Accurate measurement, however, is not an easy matter. The total leaf area of the tree is, doubtless, the proper thing to measure, but, although we have determined this roughly in several cases, the labour which such a determination would entail with the trees, now that they are of a fair size, would be altogether prohibitive. We have therefore adopted the plan of collecting a certain number of leaves (6 or 10) from each tree, taking in every case the sixth leaf from the end of a branch, and determining either the area or the weight of these. Recently we have relied on the weights, taking care, however, that the leaves are properly dried before weighing, and that the weighings, in the case of any set of experiments, are all made under similar conditions. Of course, such a method is obviously open to many sources of doubt and error, and it is not at all apparent that it will yield trustworthy results ; it is only by a critical examination of the results obtained in similar experiments on different varieties, and of these results when compared with those obtained by other methods, that we can feel justi- THE WOBURN EXPERIMENTS: THEIR OBJECT AND METHOD. 35 fied in accepting them. We have, however, compared them in some fifty cases with the values obtained by determining the amount of new wood formed, as measured both by the number of new shoots and by the length of new wood on the tree, also, in a more limited number of cases, with the thickness of the leaf and the total leaf area on the tree. For the details of this comparison we must refer to our first “‘ Report’ (1897*) ; it must be sufficient to say here that the results are highly satisfactory, and that the values obtained by different methods differ only in cases where such differences might reasonably be expected. We are probably well within the limits of the truth when we estimate the error of our mean results with leaf measurement in any single experiment on eighteen trees to be within 5 per cent. of the true values. In certain cases, of course, such a method will and must fail; but it is all-important to have obtained some means of general, though, perhaps, not of universal, application, whereby the results of horticultural methods may be practically gauged. Without such a method no reliable record of results is possible ; personal impressions and recollections are useless in these matters. It is impossible in a short paper of this character to give any general account of all the subjects which are under investigation on our farm, and I have thought it better to try to give a correct idea of the general character of the work by entering into the details of the methods adopted in particular cases. One class of experiment we have intentionally avoided as far as possible, namely, the testing of varieties. It appears to us that very little good can come out of such testings. There is no doubt that the man who could conclusively prove the respective merits of the enormous number of varieties of certain fruits now known, and could reduce the list of valuable ones to five or ten per cent. of its present length, would be a public benefactor; but this could only be done efficiently by means of numerous testing stations throughout the country all under one organisation. For one man to attempt to determine the merits of different varieties by planting them together in one particular field is absurd, and he might just as well leave the question of good and bad varieties to solve itself, as it is bound to do in the course of time. We have, of course, collections of considerable numbers of varieties of most of the hardy fruits, but in making these we have always aimed at doing something more than the mere ‘ testing’’ of varieties. Lor instance, with apples, we have over 100 varieties of the reputedly best sorts in one plot of ground, but each variety is grown side by side on different stocks ; a portion of each lot on each of the stocks will be sub- jected to a different system of pruning, while the whole plot can be divided into two or four similar sections for comparative experiments with different insecticides. A collection of pears, all of the same age at planting, has been made on similar principles. With strawberries we also have a collection of about a hundred varieties, and a fresh lot of each variety has been planted every year, so that we now have plants of all of them in five different ages, side by side, and the results, we hope, will give us data as to the powers of lasting, as well as of those of cropping, of these varieties. * Hyre & Spottiswoode. 36 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. In the same way our collections of other small fruits are so arranged that they may be divided into (generally) six similar sections, on each of which some different form of manurial treatment is being tried. There is one special class of experiment into which, I am glad to say, we have not at present been compelled to enter to any great extent— experiments on diseases and insect-pests. But it is a class of experiment which is most instructive in showing the necessity for the combination of science and practice. In England such diseases and attacks are, for the most part, less serious than they are in other countries—chiefly, I believe, owing to the fact that we rarely grow large plantations of the same variety or kind of fruit; it is natural, therefore, that this subject should have received much less attention at home than it has abroad. But in too many cases we find that the valuable results of our neighbours are entirely unknown or ignored, and remedies are suggested which savour rather of the quack doctor than of the genuine physician. Take for instance the case of canker in apples. How often do we see certain chemical manures prescribed as sure remedies for this disease! Yet it has been placed beyond doubt by the careful work of mycologists that canker consists of a certain fungus living on the contents of the cells of the wood, and nothing is yet known of any remedy which can be effectively introduced into the sap so as to kill this fungus. Of course, proper nourishment either of a tree or of an animal will render it less liable to the attacks of a parasite, whether fungus or insect, and more able to resist such attacks, and inthis indirect way a manure, if ithappens to supply a deficiency in the soil, may do good; but it can be no more regarded as a true cure for the disease than could a special diet be regarded asa cure for small-pox or any other contagious disease in man. Haphazard remedies may, of course, sometimes hit the mark, but the only sound method of combatting these pests is to start by studying the parasite itself, and finding out its life-history, and when and by what it may be best attacked. Unfortunately we have no one at present con- nected with our farm who can claim any special knowledge in such matters, and when need arises we have to go elsewhere for assistance. But there is no difficulty in procuring this. The only infestation which we haye had occasion to study is one which must be looked upon with considerable apprehension in England, for it appears to be spreading at an alarming rate in many cases—the black-currant mite. In this case we have carried out a numerous series of experiments with various insecticides of different strengths, and another series is now in progress— twigs from the bushes under experiment being sent at intervals to an authority on the subject, who reports to us as to their condition. So far, I may mention, every means which we have tried for combatting this pest has failed. Since the initiation of our farm in 1894 we have only published one report on our work there, a report which was necessarily of a descriptive and introductory character. We hope very soon to have sufficient materials for a second report, but from what I have already said it will be evident that work of this sort requires much time, and that our con- clusions, if they are to be valid, must not be drawn hastily. We shall only be saying what every practical man has found out for himself when THE WOBURN EXPERIMENTS: THEIR OBJECT AND METHOD. 387 we state that particular methods of treatment bring about very different results in different seasons, and that no results can be accepted as con- clusive unless they have been obtained throughout a succession of years. Many instances in illustration of this have come under our notice already ; for example, with strawberries, the order of merit of a collection of varieties in the same ground will be very different in one year from what it is in another, and with two similar lots in different situations their relative behaviour in different years will show large discrepancies. In the same way we have found that the actual and relative effects of different manures and liquid dressings on strawberries are largely depen- dent on the season; and we might mention sundry other instances, all illustrative of the great necessity for caution in drawing conclusions. In fact, work such as that undertaken at the farm cannot be hurried if it is to be done properly, and if it is not done properly it had better not be done at all. Fic. 5.— CyPRIPEDIUM CALLOSUM SanDERH. (Journal of Horticulture.) 38 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. OBSERVATIONS ON SOME OF THE PLANTS EXHIBITED. By the Rev. Prof. Gzo. Henstow, M.A., V.M.H. [Delivered March 28, 1899.] ALPINE PLANts.—Prof. Henslow first drew attention to a selection of alpine plants exhibited by Mr. Purnell, several of which, such as Gentians, Androsace, Saxifraga oppositifolia, &¢., are remarkable for their brilliant colours. This is due solely to the climate, as M. Bonnier, having trans- planted several flowering plants from the neighbourhood of Paris to sites in high alpine regions and also within the Arctic circle, found that they soon assumed similarly bright tints to the plants normally growing there. A species of Sempervivum was characterised by having the young central bud covered with long hairs growing from the tips of the leaves, giving the appearance of cotton wool. He explained that this is a contrivance to avoid either a severe chill or too great heat, since it is a bad conductor. He mentioned that in the deserts of Africa numerous plants have their leaves covered with a felt-like mass of hair to protect them from the intense heat. In some species of saxifrage exhibited the leaves were more or less incrusted with lime. This is the result of an exudation of water from a pore in which calcareous matter was dissolved, and then it had evaporated on the surface of the leaf. Mr. Henslow observed that some members of the Tamarisk family absorb salts of magnesia and calcium and deposit them outside ; but as they are highly hygrometric they absorb the heavy dews which occur in the hottest months of the year, and so impart the water to the plant, which receives no rain for nine months. Thus a group of tall Tamarisk trees grows near the edge of the desert outside Cairo, but they never receive any artificial irrigation whatever. Soldanella was interesting as exhibiting visibly the effects of respiration ; for the flower- stalk appears through the snow, coming up through a small tube which it has dissolved for itself. This is due to the heat produced by respira- tion, since all plants respire in order to live, just as animals do, the process consisting of the absorption of oxygen by the living protoplasm and the emission of carbon dioxide, accompanied by vapour and heat. The next point observed was the dwarfing of alpine plants, as shown by the above-mentioned plants, as well as by Thalictrum alpinum, of about 6 to8in. in height. Mr. Henslow took occasion to record the fact that in 1866 he used to collect the English Thalictrwm majus in a small copse on the Surrey side of the Thames, close to Hammersmith Bridge. Insectivorous Puant.—The little Sundew, also exhibited by Mr. Purnell, afforded an opportunity of again describing the marvellous mechanism of the leaves, which catch insects, then secrete a digestive fluid, and so nourish the plant, the chief use being to increase the amount of seed produced. GAULTHERIA PROCUMBENS, a native of cooler parts of North America and covered with scarlet berries, was exhibited by Mr. Ware. It is OBSERVATIONS ON SOME OF THE PLANTS EXHIBITED. 39 called ‘Mountain Tea.’ Mr. Henslow observed that several plants possess the same principle (an alkaloid), which has induced the making of a “tea’’—i.e. a decoction—by various nations, quite independently of each other: as Tea (proper) in China ; Coffee (native of Africa); Cocoa (Tropical America); Paraguay Tea (a species of Holly of South America, the Common Holly being used for Tea by the peasants of the Black Forest}; Guarana, from a plantallied to the Horse-chestnut—a valuable drug for headaches—from Tropical America. CuimpinG Frern.—A fine specimen exhibited by Mr. Hill of Lygodium Japonicum was an illustration of the property of twining acquired by one fern only. Mr. Henslow explained how this has arisen, viz. by plants erowing in a shady place in which the stems get ‘ drawn,” as direct sun- heht arrests elongation. Then, as the elongated stems ‘‘circumnutate,”’ they soon find themselves curling up other plants, and thus acquire the true climbing habit. XNERONEMA Moore, a plant shown by Mr. Veitch, is curious for the way the flowers grow on a horizontal instead of an erect spike, conse- quently they are all turned to the upper side, or ‘“‘secund”’ in botanical language. It is a liliaceous plant, and comes from New Caledonia. New Darropru.—-Mr. Kendall exhibited a remarkably fine Daffodil, named ‘ King Alfred,’ @: propos of the millenary of England’s greatest king. It is believed to be a cross between N. Emperor and N. maxinws. Alluding to hybrid Narcissi, Mr. Henslow observed that the Rev. C. Wolley-Dod had noticed how many natural hybrids among Navrcissi were infertile by having defective pollen, as, e.g., between the Daffodil and .. triandrus, and N. Cyclamineus; though those between the Daffodil and the Poets’—the source of the Incomparabilis section— occur wild in Spain, and seem to be fertile. AZALEA Hysrips.-—A fine collection of A. mollis x sinensis, exhibited by Messrs. P. and G. Cuthbert, illustrated the ease with which species of the same ‘‘section’’ will cross; whereas it is by no means easy to get any useful results from attempting to cross the above species with A. indica. Similar results occur between the Rhododendrons of the Kast, which cross freely together ; but refuse to do so with those of India and America. 40 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ASPARAGUS—RAISING, GROWING, AND FORCING. By Mr. GEorcE Norman, F.R.H.S. [April 18, 1899.] Tue cultivation of Asparagus was understood by the Romans before the Christian era, and Cato, in the “ De rerustica,’’ written about 2,000 years ago, gives instructions as to suitable ground and its preparation; the distance apart to set the seed; annualattention and manuring; gathering the heads; and after eight or nine years, when the plants have become old, the renewing of them. Im fact, his instructions might be adopted successfully at the present day. In the first century a.p. Columella and Pliny both mention Asparagus ; the former says ‘‘that the young shoots were boiled and eaten by the Greeks.’ The latter says, ‘‘Of all garden plants, Asparagus is the one that requires the most delicate attention in its cultivation.” In the sixteenth century Diodorus (1578 4.p.) describes two sorts: the garden, and the wild, called in shops ‘‘sparagus.”’ Gerarde (1597) figures four varieties: (1) garden, the same as now cultivated; (2) marsh; (8) stone, or mountain; (4) wild sperage, a prickly species. A long account of the cultivation of Asparagus is given in a “ New System of Agriculture,” by John Lawrence (1726 4.p.). Miller’s ‘‘ Gardener’s Dictionary,” in several editions of the eighteenth century, gives instructions for sowing and planting in beds, in much the same way as it is done at the present day. Abercrombie, another of the older writers of the iast century, gives his views very fully on its cultivation, and since the time of these worthies, down to the present day, in most works on kitchen gardening, the subject has been extensively written upon, and the information given has been eagerly read by cultivators, as the mode of treatment carried out in most gardens has testified, by being almost uniform for many generations. It has always been much esteemed by those who have had the means of growing it, and the production of it of good quality has been a delight to gardeners in the past, as it will, I doubt not, continue to be in the future. Asparagus officinalis, the variety of our gardens, is a hardy perennial, and is supposed by Miller, Bentham, and others to be a native British plant. It is found growing on the south and west coasts of England, in the fens of Lincolnshire, and on the coast of Wexford and Waterford in Ireland. Itis abundant in the maritime sands on the shores of the Mediterranean, and in many parts of Europe and Asia. It is found growing so near to the sea that in time of gales the sea breaks over it, deluging the soil with salt water, and these natural waterings demonstrate the necessity of salt in its cultivation, and the alluvial surroundings supply it with lime and nitrogen. The soil is generally of a silicious nature, and the situations are warm. The chief districts of England famous for growing Asparagus are ASPARAGUS—RAISING, GROWING, AND FORCING. 41 Cambridgeshire, Worcestershire (especially the Kvesham district), Essex (about Colchester), and in the Thames Valley near London. The best home-grown outdoors Asparagus that is sent to Covent Garden market is produced in these districts. In Scotland, the south-western parts, comprising the counties of Ayr, Wigton, and Kirkcudbright, are specially favourable. The soil in many places is a rich sandy loam, and the maritime situation, together with the influence of the moisture-laden atmosphere from the Gulf Stream, have a very beneficial effect. Its cultivation is, however, almost entirely confined to private gardens. On the cultivation of Asparagus in Scotland, it may be here interesting to quote from a paper on the supply of vegetables to the Edinburgh and Glasgow markets, read before the Scottish Horticultural Association by Mr. J. Searlett, of Inveresk. He says, ‘‘ There is practically no Asparagus erown in Scotland for market. English, French, and Spanish have ousted home-grown to such an extent that the one or two growers who used to bring anything like a quantity have discontinued its cultivation. This is due probably more to the lateness of the home crop, compared with that of other countries, than to any unsuitableness of soil or climate.” Rich sandy soil of good depth is naturally the best adapted for Asparagus, and in sucn soil its cultivation is an easy matter. But in these days, whatever the nature of the soil of a garden may be, the cultivation of Asparagus is looked upon as an absolute necessity, and the fact is often lost sight of that if the soil be of a clayey nature and shallow, the produce under such conditions cannot possibly bear com- parison with that from a soil naturally suitable for the growth of this plant. With labour and materials at command, heavy, clayey soil may be in time brought into a light, porous condition by the addition of sand of the best kind procurable—sea, river, or grit, sandy deposits from drains, road scrapings, burned earth, and lime, brick, and rubble from old buildings, all these are excellent for rendering soil permanently porous. Whatever the soil may be, leaf mould, peat, light fibrous loam, old hot-bed material, sea-weed, and farmyard manure (especially that from cows), I have found to be the best fertilizers. The last-named is practically indispensable, for the soil can scarcely be too highly manured, as good quality depends on cae of growth, which is assisted by richness of soil. Asparagus is a deep-rooting plant. Frequently after doing away with old beds I have found the soil permeated with roots to the depth of thirty inches; consequently in preparing the soil for planting, it should be made thirty inches deep by trenching, adding, and mixing in the materials already named, from the bottom to the surface as the trenching proceeds, in quantities as required according to the nature of the soil. The advantages of deep trenching and increased depth of rooting medium are that the roots descend so that they do not suffer so much from want of moisture in dry seasons, and it also assists the free percolation of water in wet seasons. For although Asparagus is a seaside plant it will not thrive in stagnant ground, and if the subsoil is of a clayey, impervious nature, insufficiently drained, this defect must be remedied by agricultural drains, put in before doing the trenching, or a layer of a few inches of old 42 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. brick, rubble, or cinders will form an effective drainage if placed at the bottom at the time of trenching. In considering the situation of the ground, the best is that with a slight fall to the south, well sheltered on the side whence come the pre- | vailing winds. For climate, the southern parts of the country are the mest favoured. Asparagus, like other things, to be in the fashion must be large; size, which does not sacrifice quality, is due to soil, cultivation, and situation, and not to any special varieties, as thereis believed to be but one. ‘‘ Red Topped * or “‘ Dutch,” and ‘‘ Green Topped,” and the names of places famous for its cultivation, have been given to supposed varieties of it ; but variations in size and in colour are,in my opinion, due entirely to the circumstances under which it is grown. The month of March, when the surface of the ground is dry, is the best time to sow the seed, thinly, in drills an inch deep, the drills a foot apart, at the rate of 5 oz. to 15 yards run of drill. The trenching of the ground should be completed in pecker a six months before the time for planting, so that the ground has time to setile, and in March, when it is in a suitable condition to work on, the surface should be forked over and made even, after which it will become friable and settled by planting time. Asparagus is a plant that is amenable to transplanting, providing it is done at the right time, and reasonable precautions taken not to let the roots become dry. When the shoots are grown to a length of three or four inches is the best time to transplant, but the young shoots had better be longer than this, than transplant before the vital powers have become active. Some growers continue the old beds, and some have introduced the plot system, adopting it from the French ; but, whatever the system, the rows should run in the direction of north and south. I have tried various modes of planting. The one I have found the best and most expeditious is to cut out a trench with a spade by the side of a line, six inches deep, and slanting, in the same way as for laying box. The roots should then be spread out quickly, and carefully covered with soil, leaving the crown of each plant about 2 inches beneath the surface. Care should be taken to separate the plants so as not to have two crowns where there should be but one. After planting, a good watering should be given to settle the soil, and further waterings must be given as often as required, according to the weather, until the plants are well established. The distance apart of the plants depends on the system followed. Both have their peculiar advantages. The bed system is the one generally employed, and it is the best where the soil is shallow and the subsoil is of a cold, clayey nature; but where the soil is light and rests on a dry subsoil the plot system is the best, particularly in dry seasons. A width of 5 feet for a bed, and 24 feet alley between beds, is very suitable for the growth of the plants and for carrying out the necessary work in the different seasons. Three rows are planted in each bed, one in the centre and one on either side, leaving 18 inches between them. The distance between the plants in the rows should be 25 feet. ASPARAGUS—RAISING, GROWING, AND FORCING. 43 With the plot system the distances between the rows should be 4 feet, and 18 inches between the plants in the rows. These distances by some may be considered unnecessarily wide, but they are not so, for if good results are to be obtained the plants must have room for the tops to fully develop without crowding. The French give even more space than this—they allow 4 feet from row to row, and 3 feet in the rows. One-year-old plants are much the best; if older they do not trans- plant so well. Some recommend the sowing of seeds in the permanent beds or plot; by so doing, the ground, according to my experience, is occupied by it one year unnecessarily, as one-year-old plants do equally well. During the season of planting, besides watering, attention to weeding is all that is required. In the autumn or early winter, after the tops are dead and cleared off, a dressing of decayed manure should be spread on the beds, a stake driven in the corner of each bed, the sides marked off, and about 3 inches of soil from the alleys placed over the manure ; or, in the case of the plot, the manure is dug in between the rows. About the same time in each year afterwards a dressing of manure or sea-weed is required to be dug in, and the surface left rough. In the spring, before the shoots begin to push, the surface should be made smooth with a rake, and this is the best time to apply a dressing of salt, not only for its saline qualities as a manure, but it also kills insects and weeds. Of artificial manures I have found nitrate of soda to produce a marked effect when applied early in the spring, to old beds past their best. Where the soil is notof so calcareous a nature as desired, a dressing of fresh lime applied early in the spring will supply the defect. On the cutting of the crop there is but one opinion of the time to begin on a new plantation, and that is not until the third season of growth; and my advice is to cut them but very sparingly, only taking about two early cuttings of the strongest shoots. After the third year they may — be considered in bearing order, and, with liberal and careful management, will continue so for a dozen years or moze. Of how to cut, different rules have been advocated by different growers; some cut all that rises above ground until the middle or end of June, others only take the strongest shoots and leave the others to grow up, and no doubt this latter is the best rule, only then more ground must be devoted to Asparagus, a matter which all growers cannot afford. Personally, I adopt a medium rule, by cutting all that rises till the middle of the season, 7.e. about the middle of May, and after that only the strongest shoots till June 15, and if, by any chance, emergency demands a cutting later, it is very reluctantly supplied. After the cutting season, growth must have time to develop and ripen before the autumn. On the vigour of the growth to a large extent depends not only the size of the shoots the following year, but even the life of the plants. Many beds are ruined through over-cutting. I have even heard a gardener say that to have good Asparagus, beds should be cut from only in alternate seasons. . As so much depends on the maturing of strong growths, care must be taken to protect them against wind. A few pea stakes stuck into the ground amongst them, for the tops to lean against, form a good wind guard. t4 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The taste in England hitherto has been for green Asparagus, and to have it in this condition it is allowed to grow 3 or 4 inches above the surface of the ground, and then cut 2 or 3 inches below it. The French prefer it blanched, and their method seems to be gaining favour in England. To have it in the French style a greater depth of soil is required oyer the roots, and the shoots must be cut when they are seen to be heaving up the surface of the soil. The plot system is the best for this; the soil may be drawn over the rows on both sides, in the way in which potatoes are earthed up, and the time to do this is just before the shoots begin to push. At Hatfield we usually begin to cut Asparagus outdoors about April 15, a few days earlier or later according to the season. Forcine ASPARAGUS. There are two systems in vogue in this country: one is to grow the roots outdoors for three years or more, and then to lift them and force them under glass. The other method is to plant the roots permanently in brick-built beds, pigeon-holed. The former plan is the one most generally followed. Lifted roots are quickly excited into growth with very gentle forcing, and this renders Asparagus very suitable for forcing, and it is most valu- able as a choice vegetable during the winter and early spring months. In fact it is looked upon as one of the gardener’s necessary duties to provide it. When the early days of December come round and it is not included in the vegetables sent up to the mansion, the chef not unusually reminds one of the fact, and if it is not soon present his reminder is repeated. I have forced it in many different structures and positions—in garden frames, with the usual hot-bed heat; in houses over heated chambers, while strawberries over them have occupied their usual position near the glass; and under stages with plants upon them. These are but make- shifts ; nevertheless they have answered the purpose, and show how easy Asparagus is to force. The best structures in which to force it are pits or low houses, with hot-bed material or pipes for bottom heat, and pipes for top heat. Suitable temperatures are 65° to 70° Fahrenheit for bottom heat, and 55° to 60° above. In these temperatures cutting begins in from three to four weeks from the start. The quality from the beginning of cutting onward for a month is about the same, after which time it rapidly declines. To keep up a supply from December till the outdoor cuttings begin, batches of roots must be lifted monthly, beginning early in November. When putting the roots in the forcing quarters, about 4 inches of light soil is laid over the chamber; on this the roots are placed closely together, and about 4 inches of light sifted soil is spread over them. Liberal supplies of water must be given during forcing. The production of very early Asparagus does not so much lie in the forcing as in strong, healthy, well-grown roots, sown and planted out specially for the purpose, when one year old, on a plot of ground prepared in the same way as recommended for the permanent beds, or plot, in rows 2 feet apart, and the plants 1 foot distant in the rows. After being planted the treatment is the same as for the permanent beds. In the spring of the second season after planting a dressing of salt is given, after- ASPARAGUS-—-RAISING, GROWING, AND FORCING, 45 wards weeds are removed that have escaped the effects of the salt, but no cutting whatever must be allowed. During the second season after planting, a sound watering occasionally during dry weather does a great deal of good, but unfortunately our water supply at Hatfield will not allow of this. When doing away with old beds and using up the roots for forcing, a few of the shoots produced may be stronger than those from the three- year-old plants, but they are not nearly so numerous, and, taken as a whole, they are not so satisfactory. The brick bed system has now been in use for many years, and the fact that it is so seldom met with is, I think, a proof that it has not many or great advantages. At the outset it is expensive to construct. One of its few advantages is that the shoots are thicker than from lifted roots, and it is in season for a period of two months before the outdoor. ‘The beds are usually about 6 ft. wide and 4 ft. deep, to allow a foot for drainage, and 3 ft. for soil. The alleys are 18 inches between, and the brickwork is 4} inches pigeon-holed, with piers for strengthening it. Before forcing begins the beds are covered with several inches of leaf mould, and covered over with shutters. The alleys are generally filled with leaves for heating the beds. Mr. Wythes, at Syon House, forces Asparagus on this system, as also does Mr. Owen Thomas, the Queen’s gardener at Windsor, only that he has hot-water pipes to heat the beds instead of leaves. Asparagus is considered by some the finest vegetable grown. It is not only so pleasant to the palate and can be used in so many different ways in cooking, but it can also with ease, by forcing and, outdoor culti- vation, be had in season for seven months out of the twelve—from December to June. The most usual way to send it up to table is as a vegetable pure and simple, and for this purpose only the largest shoots are used, the small ones finding their way into the soup tureen and into many fancy dishes. Every shoot that rises to the surface of the ground can be utilised in some way. My remarks are, of course, more generally applicable to private growers than to market gardeners; and whatever disadvantages some private gardens may have in producing it, they ought certainly to be sur- mounted, for to have Asparagus at its best it should be cooked and eaten as soon as possible after being cut, as it very quickly deteriorates in flavour when once cut. For market in this country it can only be grown at a profit under the most favourable circumstances of position, soil, and climate. Where erowers are so happily situated, and have experience in growing it, I believe they find it a paying crop; but from time to time many have begun to grow it in places where soil and situation have not been suitable, and have been obliged to give it up. It is very largely imported into this country from the South of France, Italy, and Spain. In the early months of the year the largest and best comes from France. Prices vary according to size and demand, some giant shoots fetching as much in Covent Garden market as from 10s. and 12s. to 15s. per 100. Many theusands of cratesfull are brought over daily, and every year the communication from the South of France is quicker, and brings it over in better condition. The best home-grown outdoor Asparagus is sold in Covent Garden from 1s. to 4s. per 100. 46 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. THE BRITISH AND SWISS ALPINE FLORAS. By E. A. NEwEexLL Arser, B.A., F.R.H.S5., Trin. Coll. Camb. (Read May 2, 1899.] Tue flora of the higher mountain ranges of Europe is one of great interest, whether we have regard to its origin, its distribution, or to those special features which distinguish it from all other floras. The extreme beauty and diversity of form and colour which is characteristic of alpine species is such as to impress all who have been privileged to visit alpine regions, whether professedly students of Nature or otherwise. The alpine flora of Switzerland is one of the best known of mountain floras, and many of the commonest plants seen in our rock-gardens are either species or varieties of species belonging to that flora. On the other hand the British alpine flora is smaller and comparatively insignificant, and on this account is rather apt to be overlooked. Many people are perhaps not aware that we have such a flora at allin Britain. If, however, we study the distribution of the plants which make up the British flora, we find that a certain number of species are confined to the summit of our higher mountains, and if we compare this flora with that of Switzerland we shall also find that nearly all these species are represented in the Swiss Alps, and as a rule occur there only at high elevations. I propose in this paper to give a comparative account of the British and Swiss floras, more par- ticularly in relation to their alpine species. Such may, perhaps, be of use to those interested in the cultivation of alpines, and also to others who are familar with our British plants, and who may at some time or other have an opportunity of extending their observations to the flora of the Swiss Highlands. As will be seen shortly, the British flora compares not unfavourably with the richer and more diversified flora of Switzerland; a fact which should stimulate the interest of all lovers of our wild flowers. A COMPARISON OF THE BRITISH AND Swiss FLORAS. Before considering the alpine division of the British and Swiss floras, it will be necessary first of all to shortly compare these two floras as a whole, in order to obtain some idea of the chief points of resemblance and difference which they present. The number of Phanerogamic families, genera, and species represented or occurring in the British Isles and in Switzerland is as follows :— Phanerogams. 1. Families represented in British Isles, 92; Switzerland, 102. Common to both floras, 89. 2. Genera represented in British Isles, 515; Switzerland, 600. Common to both floras, 460. 3. Species* occurring in British Isles, 1,650; Switzerland, 2,350. Common to both floras, 1,250. * The number of species in the genera Rubus, Rosa, Hieracium, and Salix was calculated from Nyman’s ‘ Conspectus Flore Europee.”’ THE BRITISH AND SWISS ALPINE FLORAS. AT These numbers are derived from the ‘ London Catalogue of British Plants’’ (ninth edition, 1895), and from Gremli’s “ Swiss Flora ”’ (translated by Paitson, 1889). In these two works a large number of plants are given under different names, and in addition to this there has been the usual difficulty in discriminating between species, subspecies, and varieties. For, as is well known, the species of one author are frequently regarded as mere varieties by another. The exact number of genera and species recorded in these two works are therefore untrust- worthy as the basis of a comparative study. Some sort of standard is required. The standard which I have adopted here is that of the Index Kewensis, to which I have made constant reference ; only those species which are stated in Index Kewensis to be real species, and not varieties, having been counted. I would, however, specially emphasise the fact that, while these figures have been drawn up with much care, they are not to be regarded as exactly, but only as approximately, correct. These figures present several points of interest. In the first place we see that the families represented in both the floras under consideration are practically identical. There are only three British families not represented in Switzerland, and these contain but four species. The orders are: Frankeniacew, Myricacee, and Eriocaulonee. The genus Frankenia, the Sea Heaths, are essentially maritime plants, and are represented in Britain by two species, one of which is, however, of doubt- ful occurrence. ‘The other species are Myrica Gale, LZ. in Europe con- fined to the northern and north-western districts, and Hvriocaulon septangulare, With., a North American plant occurring in Scotland and Ireland but nowhere else in Kurope. In the Swiss flora there are thirteen families not represented in Britain, including fourteen genera and seventeen species. The great majority of the latter are escapes from cultivation, or ingrowths from the Mediterranean flora, as for example, the Vine, Plane, Walnut, and the American Opuntia. The following orders, unrepresented in Britain, are probably indigenous to Switzerland :— Rutacee : Ruta hortensis, Mill. and Dictamnus albus, L. Asclepiadaces : Vincetoxicum officinale, Miinch. Globulariacez = Selaginiz : Globularia, three species. In all, three orders, four genera, and six species. Turning next to the genera, we find that quite 75 per cent. of Swiss genera are represented in Britain, and nearly 90 per cent. of British genera in Switzerland. There are about 140 genera confined to Switzerland, as compared with Britain. Of these nearly 40 are only represented by naturalised species. This leaves about 100 genera represented in Switzerland by indigenous species, of which none occur in Britain. These genera are distributed among most of the larger families, especially in the Composit, Graminex, and Crucifere. On the other hand there are about fifty-five British genera unrepre- sented in Switzerland, of which ten at least have only naturalised species. The Chenopodiacee is the only family which has a marked increase in genera peculiar to Britain, as compared with Switzerland. Lastly, in regard to species,’we see that 75 per cent. of the British flora 48 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. occurs in Switzerland, and more than 50 per cent. of the total Swiss species in Britain. There are about 1,100 Swiss species which do not occur in Britain, and 150 of these are not indigenous. In thesame way, of the 400 species peculiar to Britain, as compared with Switzerland, at least 50 are naturalised. Many of the former are essentially maritime plants. It must not, however, be thought that maritime plants are necessarily absent from a country which, like Switzerland, has no sea-board. On the contrary there are several species indigenous to Switzerland, such as Glaucium lutewm, Scrop. and Scirpus maritumus, L., which in Britain are almost entirely confined to our coasts. | The great majority of those species which are peculiar to the British flora as compared with the Swiss, and vice versa the Swiss compared with the British, are distributed among the larger of the natural orders and genera. The following are the chief genera which show an increase’ in species peculiar to each of these floras, as compared with one another. In the Swiss flora :— Hieracium Gentiana Senecio Saxifraga Crepis Campanula Potentilla Pedicularis Allium Viola Orobanche Trifolium Arenaria Androsace Rosa Galium Arabis Anemone Ranuneulus Vicia In the British flora :— * Hieracium Potamogeton Fumaria Ranunculus Euphorbia Cochlearia Rubus Hypericum Arenaria Saxifraga Trifolium Juncus To sum up our consideration of these floras as a whole, we may estimate the total flora of Families. Genera. Species. Switzerland 102 600 2350 Britain 92 515 1650 The indigenous flora confined to one country and not represented in ~ the other :— Families. Genera. Species. Switzerland 3 100 950 Britain 3 45 350 We see then that the British and Swiss floras, considered as a whole, are nearly related. In drawing deductions from a comparison of two floras such as these, there are several considerations which must not be overlooked. In the first place it must be remembered that while the 3ritish Isles form a natural botanical division of the earth’s surface, this is not, however, the case with Switzerland. Switzerland, as defined politically to-day, has a flora which is complicated by the presence of an entirely different type of vegetation along its southern border. The Mediterranean flora, as the latter is termed, overlaps the true Swiss flora in many places, particularly in the Rhone Valley. The total Swiss flora is therefore greater than the true Swiss flora by a certain THE BRITISH AND SWISS ALPINE FLORAS. 49) number of Mediterranean species ; and this makes the relationship be- tween the British and the true Swiss floras all the closer. Again, the difference in the climatic conditions of Britain as compared with the Swiss Alps is very great, and to this may be attributed in large measure the differences between their floras. As, however, I shall have occasion to touch upon this subject later in connection with alpine floras, I will postpone its consideration for the present. I think we have seen sufficient from our analyses of these two floras as a whole to realise the point which I wish specially to emphasise, namely, that our British flora is very closely related to that of the Swiss Alps. THe Swiss ALPINE AND SuB-ALPINE ZONEs. We may now pass on to consider what is, perhaps, the most interesting section of these two floras, their alpine division. The word alpine is one which has been much misused. In a botanical sense it is applied to that division of the flora of any country which is situated at or above a certain height above sea-level, the height being mainly dependent on the latitude of the country in question. ‘The term is not therefore confined to those plants which grow at high elevations in Switzerland. On the other hand, the word Alps (in the plural) is generally restricted to the mountain ranges of Southern Europe. In Switzerland, however, the word Alp (in the singular) is synonymous with the German Alp, Alpen, meaning a grassy hill-top or a mountain pasturage. Anyone who has travelled in Switzerland cannot have failed to notice the change which passes over the entire vegetation as one ascends from the lowlands towards the regions of perpetual snow. In the plains the flora bears a striking resemblance to that of our own country, but as we ascend the character of the flora changes with the scenery. The species which are most conspicuous in the lowland flora are one by one left behind, and their place is taken by others which are not to be found in the plains. The deciduous trees are among the first to disappear, the Beech alone remaining at any considerable elevation. If we ascend still higher we reach a region in which Conifers, such as the Larch, Pines, Firs, &c., form the dominating feature in the landscape. But even the Conifers, as a rule, only clothe.the bases of the higher peaks. A com- parison of the floras of the regions of Conifers and Beeches brings out the fact that in both these zones there are a number of species of restricted distribution, in that they rarely descend to the zone below or ascend to the zone above. To take an illustration. There are three species of Vaccinium common in Switzerland. Vaccinium Vitis idea, L., is found more especially in the zone in which the Beech alone, of all the deciduous trees, flourishes. In the higher zone, the region of Conifers, V. wliginoswm, L.,is the more abundant species, and in the lowlands V. Wyrtillus, L., the Bilberry. When, as often happens, all three species occur together, one always predominates. From a study of the distribution of species which have a limited range in regard to elevation, we are able to distinguish between three zones in the Alps—a lowland, a sub-alpine, and an alpine. Each of these may be recognised by the presence of certain characteristic species E 50 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. which flourish most abundantly in one particular zone, although they may sometimes ascend or descend to that above or below. On the other hand, while we are able to distinguish between three such zones, it is not possible to definitely define their limits, and this for | many reasons. If we determine the mean average limits of a sub-alpine plant in one locality, and compare them with the limits of the same plant in another district, we are almost sure to find a considerable discrepancy, owing perhaps to the more favourable situation in regard to aspect, soil, water, &c., of the former over the latter, or vice versa. Then, again, many plants which are essentially lowland species, such as Caltha palustris, L., or Campanula rotundifolia, L., ascend to high elevations in the Alps, and are not more characteristic of one zone than of another in Switzerland. As, however, such plants are among the commonest in the plains of Central and Northern Europe, there can be no doubt as to their lowland origin. The so-called upper limit of alpines is a good illustration of how impossible it is to define these zones. Until a few years ago, it was commonly stated that the upper limit of the alpine zone was the line of perpetual snow. As a matter of fact, alpine species will flourish at any altitude in the Alps, provided they can obtain a minimum of soil in a situation free from snow for a few weeks in the summer. For instance, in one of the tributaries of the Mer de Glace, near Chamonix, there is, as is well known, a rock called the Jardin, at a height of about 9,000 ft. above sea-level. On this oasis in a wilderness of perpetual snow and ice alpine flowers bloom in August, when for a short period the rock is free from snow. All other vegetation has ceased quite 2,000 ft. below. In other places alpines have been gathered at still sreater altitudes—at 12,000 ft. or more. Although it is not possible to accurately define the limits ot the alpine and sub-alpine zones, one is generally able to determine whether one is dealing with one or other of these zones by observing the presence of characteristic sub-alpine or alpine species. In Switzerland the swb- alpine zone is especially characterised by the presence of Vacciniwm Vitis idea, L., Melampyrum sylvaticum, L., Prenanthes purpurea, L., Lonicera alpigena, Li., L. mgra, L., and others. The alpine zone is dis- tinguished by the occurrence of Rhododendron ferrugineum, L., R. hirsu- twm, Li., Pinus Cembra, L., Salix herbacea, L., S. reticulata, L., and many species of Anemone, Bennie Androsace, ke. In studying the flora of any district the knowledge of the elevation at which one is working is often useful in determining the zone. The altitude of any locality can be readily ascertained by reference to maps, &c. The following may be taken as the rough limits of the various zones in Switzerland : * Lowland, 0 to 3,500 feet. Sub-alpine, 8,500 to 5,000 feet. Alpine, above 5,000 feet. It must, however, be remembered that these limits vary in the different * The following centres are within the alpine zone: Zermatt, Saas, Arolla, Zinal, Davos, Upper Engadine, Pontresina, Murren, Belalp, &c. Grindelwald and Chamonix are sub-alpine. THE BRITISH AND SWISS ALPINE FLORAS. 51 mountain groups. In the central Alps of the Bernese Oberland the downward limit of the alpine and sub-alpine zones is considerably lower than in the southern alps of the Vallais. Let us now consider whether it is possible to distinguish an alpine and sub-alpine flora in the mountain regions of Britain. British ALPINE AND SUB-ALPINE ZONES. From a comparison of the British and Swiss floras as a whole, we have seen that a very close relationship exists between them. The Swiss flora is not relatively greater in number of species than we should be led to expect when we take into account its more southern situation. For, as is well known, vegetation generally tends to increase as we leave the Poles and approach the Equator. The latitude ofa central point in the Swiss Alps, such as the Jungfrau, is about 463° N., while that of Ben Nevis is roughly 564° N., a difference of ten degrees. Taking into account this difference in latitude, we should naturally expect to find an alpine flora in Britain at a considerably lower elevation than in the Alps. The height of Ben Nevis, our highest mountain, is about 4,400 feet, while the average height of our loftier hills is between 2,000 and 3,000 feet. Other things being equal, a difference of ten degrees in latitude would probably bring the summits of many of our British mountains well within the alpine zone, although they would be entirely sub-alpine if in the latitudes of the Alps. It must, however, be remembered that latitude is not the only factor which must be taken into account. The climate of Britain is in many respects anomalous ; for, owing to our insular situation and the proximity of the Gulf Stream, our mean average temperature is considerably above that of many places in the same latitude but less favourably situated. While, therefore, we may conclude that the British alpine zone will be found to extend to considerably lower elevations than in the Alps, the effect of climate is too complicated to allow of any exact approximation as to the limits of that zone from a comparison with that of Switzerland. For this we must rely chiefly on observations as to the distribution of our mountain plants in such a region as the Scotch Highlands. If we examine the phanerogamic flora of our highest mountains, we at once arrive at the conclusion that an alpine flora undoubtedly exists in Britain. It is true that the flora is small, and often extremely local in its distribution. The fact remains, however, that in Britain we finda considerable number of species which are for the most part confined to high elevations in our mountain groups. We have therefore the begin- nings of an alpine flora in Britain, which, if our mountains had only been a little higher and more compact, would possibly have rivalled that which is to-day one of the chief glories of the Alps. The close consan- euinity which exists between the British and Swiss floras as a whole, and which, as we shall shortly see, extends to their alpine sections, renders this almost certain. A detailed examination of the flora of our mountains shows that we can divide it into four classes :— | 1. Plants which are only found at high elevations, and do not descend below 2,400 to 2,500 feet. EH 2 52 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 2. Plants which flourish most luxuriantly above 2,400 feet, but which occasionally descend to low elevations, or sometimes even to the sea- level. 3. Plants which are rare or absent in the lowlands, and which are not known to ascend above 2,400 to 2,500 feet. 4, Plants which are typically lowland, and as a rule widely distributed over the plains of Britain, but which ascend to considerable elevations in the mountains. The plants included in Class 1 and Class 2 we may term alpines, and we may roughly estimate the lower limit of the alpine zone at about 2,400 to 2,500 ft. in the typical area of the Scotch Highlands. In the Lake District and in the Welsh mountains the limit is probably some- what higher. The species in Class 2 are in the main restricted to elevations above 2,500 ft. A Inowledge of the elevation at which a species occurs elsewhere, especially in the Swiss Highlands, is often useful in determining whether a plant found at a slight elevation in Britain is alpine or sub-alpine. It must, however, be remembered that this rule is not always to be relied upon, since many species which are restricted to the alpine or sub-alpine zones in Switzerland are commonly met with as typical lowland plants in Britain and Northern Europe generally. The range in altitude in Britain is very limited, even in our highest mountain groups, as compared with the elevations to which plants ascend in the Alps. Even in Switzerland we have seen that the lowland, sub-alpine, and alpine zones pass imperceptibly from one to the other. This is still more marked in Britain, the range of elevation being so short. On this account we can hardly distinguish a sub-alpine zone at all in Britain. We may, however, designate those species which have the distribution indicated in Class 3 as sub-alpine, but it is not possible to fix even rough limits for this zone. Our mountain flora is also too limited for the occurrence of characteristic alpine and sub-alpine species— which we saw to be so useful in the Alps to distinguish between the various zones—to be of any service in Britain. THE British ALPINE FLORA. The British alpine flora is, as has been already stated, comparatively small, and often extremely restricted and local. Thus certain species, such as Hrigeron alpinum, L., Gentiana nivalis, L., and some others are confined to the Breadalbane and Clova Mountains in Scotland. Avrabis alpina is confined to the Island of Skye. Others, again, are still more local, Saxifraga cernua, L., is only found on the summit of Ben Lawers, and Lloydia serotina, Reich.,on the Snowdon range. Several species have become extinct in recent times. On the other hand, such species as Thalictrum alpinum, L., Silene acaulis, L., Dryas octapetala, L., Cerastuum alpinum, L., are comparatively common on many of the mountains of Scotland, England, and North Wales. Several alpines are known in certain places to descend to the sea-level, among others Thalictrwm alpinum, L., Draba incana, L., Saxifraga oppositifolia, L. THE BRITISH AND SWISS ALPINE FLORAS. do The distribution of British alpines, especially in the typical area of the Scotch Highlands, has not been worked out as fully as might be. At present we know little as to the extreme and average limits to which our alpine species descend. Until these details are forthcoming it will not be possible to summarise accurately the extent of our British alpine and sub-alpine flora. In the present state of our knowledge, we may roughly estimate the British alpine flora at about ninety species, of which nearly thirty are confined to elevations above 2,500 ft. The genera Saxifraga, Hieracium, Salix, Juncus, and Carex have the largest number of alpine species. The sub-alpine zone in Britain is ill-defined, owing to the short range of elevation. There are some twenty-five to thirty species which may belong to this zone. Some of these are extremely local, such as Phyllodoce cerulea, Bab., only found on the Sow of Atholl, Perthshire. One sub-alpine Saxifrage, S. Gewm, L., as also the Alpine Saxifraga umbrosa, L., London Pride, is confined to Ireland. Many lowland plants ascend to considerable elevations in the moun- tains of Scotland, the Lake District, and North Wales, just as we saw to be the case in the Alps. Hooker, in his “ British Flora,’ mentions seven lowland species which ascend to 4,000 ft. These are :— Ranunculus acris, L. Achillea millefolium, L. Viola palustris, L. Rumex Acetosa, L. Oxalis acetosella, L. Nestuca ovina, L. Empetrum nigrum, L. There are also at least 120 species which ascend to 2,000 ft., and nearly fifty which reach 3,000 ft. These, together with the alpines given below, make up the phanerogamic flora of our mountains at heights above 2,000 ft. The following tables give the chief alpine and sub-alpine species in Britain. In both cases, especially the sub-alpine, the enumeration is probably not complete, and in the latter a few of those included are perhaps not really sub-alpine, much work being still needed as to the limits of the distribution of these species. The great majority of the species which are alpine or sub-alpine in Britain occur also in Switzerland, and generally at corresponding altitudes. Such species are marked * in Tables I-III. Here, again, we have further proof of the close consanguinity which exists between these two floras. TABLE I. BritisH ALPINES. Not descending below 2,500 ft. *Arabis alpina, L. *Astragalus alpinus, L. Draba rupestris, Br. *Potentilla salisburgensis, Haenke *Cerastium trigynum, Villars Saxifraga rivularis, L. *Arenaria Cherleri, Benth. Z - cernua, L. hirta, Wormsk. AF cespitosa, L. 54 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. TABLE I.—continaed. *Krigeron alpinum, L. *Gentiana nivalis, L. *Myosotis alpestris, Schmidt Veronica humifusa, Dicks Salix Sadleri, Syme *Lloydia serotina, Reichb. *Juncus castaneus, L. Luzula arcuata, Swartz ae Ptee lagopina, Wahl. » alpina, Swartz ee heghy eoebi oieeelon 5 tariflora, Sm. * , frigida Allioni »-. waxatilisp li. *Poa laxa, Henke a ,, salpina, ly. TABLE II. British ALPINES. Descending below 2,500 ft. *Thalictrum alpinum, L. Arabis petreea, Lamk. *Draba incana, L. *Silene acaulis, L. *Lychnis alpina, L. *Sagina Linnei, Presl. *Cerastium alpinum, L. Rubus Chamemorus, L. *Dryas octapetala, L. *Potentilla Sibbaldi, Hall *Alchemilla alpina, L. *Saxifraga oppositifolia, L. 5 nivalis, L. pf MOE stellaris, L. . umbrosa, L. ae. a aizoides, L. ss hypnoides, L. *Sedum Rhodiola, D.C. *Epilobium alsinefolium, Vill. oe ss alpinum, ie Cornus suecica, L. *Galium boreale, L. *Gnaphalium supinum, L. *Saussurea alpina, D.C. *Meracium alpinum, L. ‘3 nigrescens, Willd. - anglicum, Fries. : gothicum, Fries. *Lactuca alpina, Benth. *Vaccinium Myrtillus, L. = uliginosum, L. : + Vitis idea, L. *Arctostaphylos alpina, Spreng. *Loiseleuria procumbens, Desv- *Trientalis europea, L. *Veronica alpina, L. ee Saxailis, tu: *Bartsia alpina, L. *Polvygonum viviparum, L. *Oxyria digyna, Hill *Betula nana, L. Salix lanata, L. ,, Lapponum, L. », Myrsinites, L. * hie Sherbawed, 4 * ».,, - retreulata, 1. *Juniperus communis, var. nana, - Willd. *Listera cordata, Br. *Tofieldia palustris, Huds. *Juncus triglumis, L. >, biglumis, Ti: 55 ae MILES eh, *Luzula spicata, D.C. *Carex pauciflora, Lightf. Sa rupesinis, All, Mou tC Ia, CrOOKd. * ., vaginata, Tausch. i Captaris, uy. Alopecurus alpinus, Sm. *Phleum alpinum, L. *Sesleria caerulea, Scop. *Poa cesia, Sm. Or Or THE BRITISH AND SWISS ALPINE FLORAS. TABLE III. BRITISH SuB-ALPINES. *Trollius Kuropeeus, L. *Carduus heterophyllus, L. *Thlaspi alpestre, L. *Mieracium prenanthoides, Villars Subularia aquatica, L. - crocatum, Fries. *Viola arenaria, D.C. Phyllodoce crerulea, Bab. *Polygala amara, L. *Primula farinosa, L. *Arenaria uliginosa, Schl. *Gentiana verna, L. *Oxytropis campestris, D.C. *Melampyrum sylvaticum, L. *Lathyrus niger, Wimm. *Ajuga pyramidalhis, L. Saxifraga Geum, L. *Salix Arbuscula, L. = a Hirculus, L. *Habenaria viridis, Br. *Sedum villosum, L. * i albida, Br. *Circea alpina, L. *Kobresia caricina, Willd. *Meum athamanticum, Jacq. THe Swiss ALPINE FLORA. A detailed study of the Swiss alpine flora would require a much longer time than we have at our disposal, and in the short period which remains I shall only be able to touch upon some of its most interesting and characteristic features. As is well known, the alpine flora of Switzerland is a comparatively large one. The late Mr. John Ball,* in his paper on ‘‘The Distribution of Plants on the South Side of the Alps,”’ estimated the entire flora of the Alps at 2,010 species, with 835 sub- species belonging to 523 genera and ninety-six natural orders. Of these, 1,117 species in 279 genera and sixty natural orders are confined to the upper oralpine zone. ‘The area included in this estimate is, of course, considerably larger than that which we are here considering, namely, that of the Swiss Republic. In Switzerland the number of species absolutely confined to the alpine zone is given by Dr. Christ f as 294. As to the actual number of species confined to the sub-alpine zone, we are only able at present to give an approximate guess. There is still much work to be done as to the distribution in regard to elevation of the species which make up the entire Swiss flora. There are probably between 150 and 200 sub-alpine species in Switzerland. A provisional and very rough estimate of the distribution in regaid to altitude of the species stated by Gremli to occur in Switzerland is as follows :— Species confined to the alpine zone a ... 800 7 ” alpine and sub-alpine zones 350 ‘ ic sub-alpine zone oe ... 200 Lowland species ae aa se: ee ... 1,500 Total flora’ ... - ... 2,850 _ The flora of the alpine zone thus consists of some 650 species, to which must be added a large number of lowland species, many of which, * Ball, J., Trans. Linn. Soc., 2nd series, Bot., vol. v. 1896. + Christ, H., Za Flora de la Suisse (transl. E. Tiéche, 1883). 56 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. as has already been pointed out, ascend to considerable elevations. The total phanerogamic flora of the Alps above 5,000 ft. is probably at least 900 species. The following families are especially rich in alpine species :— Compositze Cruciferze Leguminosie Caryophyllacere Primulaceze Scrophulariaceze Graminez Ranunculacere Umbelliferee Cyperacese Saxifragez Gentianaceee One family, the Globulariacee (Selaginiz), is represented in Switzer- land entirely by alpine or sub-alpine species. S>S>== > \\\ \\\ \ ANY \\\ \ \\ YW \\ \\ \\\ \\ \ \\ \ \\ \\\\\\\ \\ \ h\\\ \ \\ \ \ \\\\ \\ \W \\\ \ \ \\\ \ ; \ \ \ / i \\\ : \ | || i, \\ \ \ i iy \\ \ \ \ = —| VT \\ \Y a TE \ : \ BH i HH fie \ il 1 ve \ Hy , a \ / ih ” < A ee " \\ \\ \ iif ii: Z Y / / / SSN = NOUS \ Fic. 44.—Narcissus ‘Kine Aurrep.’ (Gardeners’ Chronicle.) Other Exhibits. R. O. Backhouse, Esq., Hereford, sent some very interesting seedlings from Cyclamineus crossed with Obyallaris. M Ixxxll PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. The Rev. G. H. Engleheart, Appleshaw, sent several good hardy - hybrid Tazettas. Messrs. Ware, Hall Farm, Tottenham, sent Daffodils. - Narcissus CoMMITTEE, ApPrizt 18, 1899. J. T. Bexnetr-Poé, Esq., in the Chair, and fifteen members present. Awards Recommended :— Silver-qiult Flora Medal. To Messrs. Barr, of Covent Garden, for Daffodils. Silver Flora Medal. To Messrs. James Veitch, of Chelsea, for Daffodils. Silver Banksian Medal. To Messrs. Bath, of Wisbech, for Daffodils. First-class Certificate. To Narcissus ‘ Edmund’s White’ (votes, 13 for), from the Rev. G. H. Engleheart, Appleshaw. Perianth pure white, with a wide open and very deep cup of lemon colour beautifully fringed. A very lovely flower of the Leedsii class. Award of Merit. To Narcissus intermedius ‘ Sunset’ (votes, 10 for), from Messrs. Barr, said to be a hybrid between Tazetta and Jonquilla; yellow perianth, orange cup, clustered. (Fig. 45.) To Narcissus bicolor ‘Duke of Bedford’ (votes, 9 for), from Messrs. Barr. To Narcissus ‘ Pope’s King’ (votes, unanimous), from Messrs. Pope, King’s Norton. An improvement on ‘ Golden Spur.’ To Narcissus poeticus ‘ Cassandra’ (votes, 8 for), from the Rev. G. H. Engleheart. Perianth very wide and white, with deep crimson eye. To Narcissus ‘ Strongbow’ (votes, 9 for), from the Rev. G. H. Engleheart. A flower of the Nelsoni class, with unusual substance in both perianth and crown; white segments, very broad and flat, rich yellow crown, much expanded. To Narcissus Incomp. ‘ Flambeau ’ (votes, 10 for), from the Rey. G. H. Engleheart. A glorious flower with yellow perianth and glowing orange crown. To Narcissus Incomp. ‘ Brigadier ’ (votes, 9 for), from the Rev. G. H. Engleheart. Not unlike ‘Sir Watkin,’ but with a white perianth. Other Exhibits. Messrs. Pearson, of Chilwell, showed Daffodils. Messrs. G. S. Ware, Tottenham, sent Triandrus pulchellus and other Daffodils. NARCISSUS COMMITTEE, APRIL 18. Ixxx1i Dr. Stuart, Chernside, sent N. obvallaris minor, which appeared to be simply a seminal variety of N. minor. Messrs. Bath, of Wisbech, sent Daffodils. Prizes : Group of Daffodil Blossoms (Polyanthus varieties excluded) ; must include some of each section, Magni-, Medii-, and Parvi-Coronat ; must contain at least forty varieties, distinct, of thirty of which at least three blooms each must be shown. Not more than nine blooms of any one variety. To be staged in bottles, vages, or tubes, not exceeding Fic. 45.—Narcissus InTERMEDIUs ‘ Suxset.’ (Journal of Horticulture.) three inches in diameter at the top (inside measurement), and all the stems must touch the water. Quality of flower will count more than quantity, and correct naming and tasteful arrangement will be given due weight. Any foliage may be used, Daffodil or otherwise. No prize will be awarded unless there are two competitors at least. Open to amateurs and gentlemen’s gardeners only. First Prize a £7. 7s. Silver Cup, presented to the Society by Messrs. Barr & Sons, won by J. T. Bennett- Poé, Esq. ; Second Prize, Silver Flora Medal, won by J. W. Jones, Esq., Invermore, Woking. IxxxiIv PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Narcissus CommiTTer, May 2, 1899. J. T. Bennetrr-Po, Esq., in the Chair, and eleven members present. Awards recommended :— Silver-gilt Flora Medal. To Messrs. Bath, of Wisbech, for Daffodils. y jj Vy lbtddddi li YW Fic. 46.—Rev. Grorcr: H. Enatenrart. (Gardeners’ Chronicle.) Silver Flora Medal. To Messrs. Barr, of Covent Garden, for Daffodils. Silver Banksian Medal. To Messrs. Ware, of Tottenham, for Daffodils. NARCISSUS COMMITTEE, MAY 2. Ixxxv Award of Merit. To Narcissus ‘ Dorothy Kingsmill’ (votes, unanimous), from A. Kingsmill, Esq., Harrow Weald. A most beautiful flower raised some years ago by the Rev. G. H. Engleheart, from ‘ Grandis’ crossed with ‘Triandrus.’ The flower is of the most delicate creamy white, as large as Grandis, but gracefully drooping. To Narcissus ‘ Hesperus’ (votes, 6 for), from the Rey. G. H. Engle- heart. Perianth creamy-buff, with a deep apricot-orange eye. To Narcissus ‘ Marina’ (votes, unanimous), from the Rey. G. H. Engleheart. Wide-spreading creamy perianth, with a large shallow open crown of pale lemon. Other Exhibits. Messrs. Jas. Veitch, of Chelsea, sent Daffodils. Mr. John Waller sent some seedlings. ' Mr. Gilbert, Bourne, Lincolnshire, sent Daffodils. A. L. Melville, Esq., Branston Hall, Lincolnshire, sent an interesting flower supposed to be a sport from Barri conspicuus, the perianth being of the palest yellow, almost white. R. O. Backhouse, Esq., Hereford, brought some most interesting and promising seedlings. Mr. J. Walker, of Thame, sent two flowers of a very beautiful double soft yellow-coloured Incomparable, reminding one of a monster double Odorus. vel a aa Al + = f a . Fic. 47.—La1t10-Carrugya x Ernest ‘ Princess Ones.’ (Journal of Horticulture.) Ixxxvi PROCEEDINGS. OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. NOTICES TO FELLOWS. JULY 21, 1899. Grapes.—Fellows can obtain Black Hamburgh Grapes from early in July and onwards at 2s. 6d. to 1s. per lb., according to season and quality. Muscats from early in August and onwards at from 3s. to 2s. per |b. Carriage will be charged extra as follows: 1 lb., 4d.; 2 lbs., 5d. a lbs. 60:3 4 lbss Fa. S g FA SS Y, / OES KS | ZZ Viz UY, yj A \ NG SS z — Cin 7) ie i 74 I(((; Myra ii 7) aS" — DY TTTTA\ NLL, La TT aun Zo 5 WARE NSS Ss; Slt GN ; y) fp HM \ vas i] [if \u WS ! Ufearcceeg” Fic. 66.—Dovusie Waire Brconta ‘ Mary Pops.’ (Gardeners’ Chronicle.) a hybrid between G. montanum and G. Heldreichi. The Committee asked to see this again. Mr. Godfrey, Exmouth, sent Oriental Poppies. Mr. ‘vowell, Hampton Hill, sent hybrid Cactus-flowered Pelargonium ‘Fire Dragon.’ (fig. 23.) Mr. Barratt, Radclifte-on-Trent, sent a seedling Petunia. FLORAL COMMITIEE, JUNE 13. CXXU1 FLORAL COMMITTEE, JUNE 18, 1899. W. Marshall, Ksq., in the Chair, and twenty-five members, with H. M. Arderne, Esq., South Africa, and §. A. de Graaff, Esq., Holland (visitors). Awards Recommended :— Silver-gilt Flora Medal. To Martin R. Smith, Esq., Warren House, Hayes (gr. Mr. C. Blick), for a group of Malmaison Carnations. To Messrs. F’. Cant, Colchester, for Roses. To Messrs. Cannell, Swanley, for Cannas. Silver Flora Medal. To Mr. J. Russell, Richmond, for Tree Ivies. To Messrs. Ware, Tottenham, for hardy flowers. To Mr. H. B. May, Edmonton, for British Ferns. Silver Banksian Medal. To Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, for Alpine plants, Roses, and Rhodo- dendrons. To Messrs. Wallace, Colchester, for hardy flowers. To Messrs. J. Veitch, Chelsea, for Irises. To Mr. M. Prichard, Christchurch, for hardy plants. To Messrs. Sander, St. Albans, for foliage and flowering plants. To Messrs. Barr, Covent Garden, for hardy plants. Bronze Banksian Medal. To Messrs. Jackman, Woking, for herbaceous plants and Roses. Award of Merit. To Malmaison Carnation ‘ Florizel’ (votes 14 for, 2 against), from Martin R. Smith, Hsq., Warren House, Hayes, Kent (gr. Mr. C. Blick). Flowers of perfect shape, bright rose touched with salmon. ‘he plant is dwarf in habit. To Malmaison Carnation ‘ Lady Rose’ (votes 13 for, 8 against), from M. R. Smith, Esq. Large, well formed, pale rose-pink flowers. The plant is dwarf, with broad glaucous leaves. To Border Carnation ‘ Don Carlos’ (votes, 20 for), from M. R. Smith, Esq. A distinct variety with large handsome flowers, yellow ground, striped and edged with rose pink. To Lupinus arboreus albus ‘Snow Queen’ (votes, 17 for), from Mr. B. Ladhams, Southampton. The pure-white flowers are produced on long slender spikes with great freedom. To Rhododendron ‘ Kssex Scarlet’ (votes, 13 for), from Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt. Medium-sized compact trusses of crimson-scarlet flowers, the upper petals spotted with dark purple. To Border Carnation ‘ Ossian’ (votes, 11 for, 3 against), from Mr. Turner, Slough. Flowers of medium size, yellow ground, flaked with purple and heavily shaded with bright rose. To Border Carnation ‘ Goldfinch ’: (votes, 15 for), from Mr. Turner. Flowers canary-yellow, of good form and substance. L 2 Gxx1V PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. To Border Carnation ‘ Falcon’ (votes, 12 for), from Mr. Turner. Flowers of excellent form, the colour being slightly deeper than the last- named. To Border Carnation ‘Galatea’ (votes, 9 for, 3 against), from Mr. Turner. Flowers pale yellow, edged and flaked with red. ese CONS EA Cge FON NINN we Gena iv Og +h a | ny L x \ VaR RT ALIN Tend. A WALA AA Fic. 67.— ANEMONE SYLVESTRIS FL. PL. (Journal of Horticulture.) To Border Carnation ‘Galileo.’ (votes, 13 for), from Mr. Turner. Flowers large and shapely, yellow, flaked and bordered with rosy purple. To Border Carnation ‘ Agnes Sorrel’ (votes, 15 for, 1 against), from Mr. Turner. Flowers crimson-maroon shaded with scarlet. FLORAL COMMITTEE, JUNE 27. CXXV To Decorative Rose ‘ Purity’ (votes, 19 for), from Messrs. Cooling, Bath. A charming variety of vigorous constitution and very free flowering. The pure-white flowers are of excellent shape, but only slightly scented. To Rose ‘ Cooling’s Yellow Noisette ’ (votes, unanimous), from Messrs. Cooling. A free-flowering and sweet-scented Rose, particularly beautiful in the bud state. With age it becomes rather loose. The colour is rich yellow. Other Exhibits. The Right Hon. Lord Leigh, Stoneleigh Abbey, Kenilworth (gr. Mr. H. Martin), sent plants of Abutilon Sawitzii, which the Committee con- sidered to be similar to A. ‘ Silver Queen,’ which received an Award of Merit on August 11,1896. The exhibitor was requested to show plants of the last-named at the next meeting for comparison with A. Sawitzii. From F. W. Moore, Esq., V. M. H. Glasnevin, Dublin, came flowers of Peonia EKmodi and Fremontia californica. Mrs. E. Powys Rogers, Burncoose, Cornwall, sent specimens of Chrysobactron Hookeri, now known as Anthericum Hookeri. Grantham Fish, Esq., St. Albans (gr. Mr. F. Brewer), sent seedling Gloxinias. J.T. Bennett Poé, Esq., Cheshunt (gr. Mr. Downes), sent a well- grown plant of Ochna multiflora. Messrs. Dains, Brixton Hill, sent Pelargonium ‘ Royal Sovereign.’ Mr. Butler, Normanton Gardens, Stamford, sent a box of Pansies. Mr. W. Simpson, Morpeth, sent a patent plant stand. Messrs. Carter, High Holborn, sent a group of Gloxinias. Messrs. Young, Cheshunt, sent a new Vicla. It was requested that plants be sent to Chiswick for trial. FLORAL ComMIrrEn, JUNE 27, 1899. W. Marswat., Hsq., in the Chair, and nineteen members present. Awards Recommended :— Silver-giult Flora Medal. To Right. Hon. Lord Aldenham, Aldenham House, Elstree, Herts (gr. Mr. KE. Beckett), for foliage and flowering plants. Silver-gilt Banksian Medal. To Sir Charles Pigott, Bart.. Wexham Park, Slough ( Fleming), for Codizmus (Crotons) and Humeas. Silver Flora Medal. To Messrs. W. Paul, Waltham Cross, for Roses. To Messrs. J. Veitch, Chelsea, for Campanulas, Peonies, and Giadioli. To Messrs. Wallace, Colchester, for Lilies and hardy plants. Silver Banksian Medai. To Messrs. Kelway, Langport, for Ponies and Delphiniums. oy von Wd, fo) CXXV1 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. To Mr. May, Edmonton, for Selaginellas. To Messrs. Cutbush, Highgate, for Carnations. To Mr. Prichard, Christchurch, for hardy plants. To Messrs. Barr, Covent Garden, for hardy plants. Bronze Flora Medal. To Messrs. Watkins & Simpson, Exeter Street, Strand, for a new dwarf strain of Hybrid Lantanas. To Mr. Foster, Havant, for Sweet Peas. To Messrs. Jackman, Woking, for hardy plants and Roses. To Messrs. Cannell, Swanley, for Aquilegias and Stocks. To Messrs. Dobbie, Rothesay, for Sweet Peas. Bronze Banksian Medal. To Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, for Ponies, eng and hardy flowering shrubs. To Mr. Russell, Richmond, for flowering and Re ae shrubs. First-class Certificate. To Draczna indivisa Schneideri (votes, 7 for, 3 against), from Messrs. J. Veitch, Chelsea. A very beautiful Dracena, compact in habit, with long narrow, arching, sharply pointed, deep glossy green leaves, the basal portion of which is heavily stained with rose. The midrib is touched with brown, and is very conspicuous. To Davallia illustris (votes, 13 for), from Messrs. J. Veitch. A vigorous Fern, bearing some resemblance to D. Mooreana, with long, graceful, light green, much-divided fronds. Award of Merit. ~To Malmaison Carnation ‘Lady Gerard’ (votes, 11 for), from Lord Gerard, Eastwell Park, Ashford, Kent (gr. Mr. H. Walters). Flowers large, with broad, undulating petals, very pale yellow, and almost scentless. To Delphinium ‘Sir Walter Scott’ (votes, unanimous), from Messrs. Kelway, Langport. A remarkably fine variety, with large semi-double flowers arranged on stout branching spikes; colour rich violet-purple, the outer petals shaded with deep blue. To Border Carnation ‘ Trojan’ (votes, 6 for, 4 against), from Mr. Douglas, Great Bookham, Surrey. Large pure-white flowers of fine form and substance. To Zonal Pelargonium ‘ Fire Dragon’ (votes, 9 for, 3 against), from Mr. E. §. Towell, Llewot, Hampton Hill. This is said to be a cross between Zonal Pelargonium ‘ Raspail’ and Lychnis chalcedonica. The foliage is very similar to an ordinary green-leaved Zonal Pelargonium, and tne single Cactus-like flowers, with blunt petals, are bright scarlet in colour (fig. 23, p. lvi.). Cultural Commendation. To Mr. F. Webber, Tonbridge, for Adiantum cuneatum Showerianum. Other Exhibits. I. W. Moore, Esq., V.M.H., Glasnevin, Dublin, sent flowering sprays of Lonicera Hildebrandati. ROSE SHOW, JUNE 27. CXXVil Lord Rendlesham, Woodbridge, sent Carnations. The Countess of Lonsdale, Barley Thorpe, Oakham, sent flowers of a seedling Pink named ‘ Barley Thorpe Rose,’ which the Committee con- sidered to be the same as ‘ Souvenir de Sale.’ Mr. G. Foster, Glendaragh, Teignmouth, sent flowers of Tree Carna- tion ‘Mrs. G. Foster.’ The Committee asked to see a plant. Mr. T. Jenkinson, Wellington House, Ealing, brought Bedding Pelar- gonium ‘Thomas Jenkinson.’ Mr. Foster, Havant, showed fine varieties of Sweet Peas, which were referred to Chiswick for trial. Messrs. Dobbie, Rothesay, also sent Sweet Peas, which were referred to Chiswick. Mr. J. Lamb, Burton Joyce, sent a large bunch of Pink ‘ Albino,’ which received an Award of Merit on June 15, 1897. Messrs. W. Mauger, Guernsey, sent Gladiolus cardinalis ‘ General Scott.’ ; Messrs. Wood & Ingram, Huntingdon, brought bedding Pelargonium ‘Lady Marshall.’ Mr. J. Douglas, Great Bookham, sent a choice selection of Border Carnations. Messrs. B. 8. Williams, Upper Holloway, sent Tree Carnations. Messrs. Hugh Low, Enfield, brought a plant of Anthurium Andre- anum Lowie. ROSE SHOW, June 27, 1899. JUDGES. OpEN CuassEs.—Rey. A. Foster-Melliar, Rev. J. H. Pemberton, Mr. Linsdell. AMATEUR CuassEs.—Mr. C. E. Cant, Mr. George Paul, Mr. J. D. Pawle. GARDEN Rosres.—Mr. Girdlestone, Mr. Mawley, Mr. Arthur Paul. MixepD VARIETIES. Class 1.—Twenty-four Single Trusses, distinct (Open). First Prize, £3; Second, £2; Third, £1. 1. Mr. B. R. Cant, Colchester. 2. Messrs. Prior, Colchester. 3. Messrs. Frank, Cant, Colchester. Class 2.—Highteen Single Trusses, distinct (Amateurs). First Prize, £3; Second, £2; Third, £1. 1. O. G. Orpen, Esq., West Bergholt. 2. T. B. Haywood, Esq., Reigate (gr. Mr. C. J. Salter). 3. Ei. M. Bethune, Esq., Denne Park, Horsham. Class 3.—Highteen Single Trusses, distinct (Open). First Prize, £2; Second, £1. 10s.; Third, 15s. 1. Mr. C. Turner, Slough. 2. Messrs. J. Burrell, Cambridge. 3. Messrs. G. Cooling, Bath. CXXV1lil PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Phy ewan ot Class 4.—Twelve Single Trusses, distinct (Amateurs). First Prize, £2; Second, £1; Third, 10s. 1. G. W. Cook, Esq., North Finchley. 2. W. Kingston, Esq., Bedford. 3. R. W. Bowyer, Esq., Haileybury College. Class 5.—Six Single Trusses, distinct (Amateurs). First Prize, £1; Second, 15s. 1. Miss B. H. Laneton, Hendon. 2. John Bateman, EKsq., Archway Road, N. Class 6.—Nine Single Trusses of any one variety of H.P., H.T., or H.B. (Amateurs). First Prize, £1; Second, 15s.; Third, 10s. 1. Percy Burnard, Esq., Reigate. 2. T. B. Haywood, Esq. (gr. Mr. C. J. Salter). 3. Rey. I’. Page-Roberts, Scole. Class 7.—Six Single Trusses of any one variety of H.P., H.T., or H.B. (Amateurs). First Prize, 15s.; Second, 10s.; Third, 7s. 6d. 1. G. W. Cook, Esq. 2. E. M. Bethune, Esq. 8. Ernest Wilkins, Sidcup. TEAS AND NOISETTES. Class 8.—Kighteen Single Trusses, not less than 12 varieties or more than 2 trusses of any one variety (Amateurs) First Prize, £3; Second, £1. 10s. 1. Rey. I’. Page-Roberts. 2. O. G, Orpen, Esq. Class 9.—Kighteen Single Trusses, distinct (Open). First Prize, £2. 10s.; Second, £1. 10s. 1. Messrs. Prior. 2. Mr. Prince, Oxford. Class 10.—'l'welve Single Trusses, not less than 9- varieties or more than 2 trusses of any one variety (Amateurs). First Prize, £1. 10s.; Second, £1. 1. Conway Jones, Esq., Hucclecote, Gloucester. 2. Rey. A. Foster-Melliar, Sproughton. Class 11.—Six Single Trusses, not less than 4 varieties (Amateurs). First Prize, £1; Second, 15s. 1. Rev. F. R. Burnside, St. Margaret’s Bay, Dover. 2. H. P. Landon, Esq., Shenfield, Brentwood. Class 12.—Nine Single Trusses of any one variety (Amateurs). First Prize, £1. { O. G. Orpen, Esq. iL. = ( J.C. Trueman, Esq., Swanley, Kent. FLORAL COMMITTEE, JULY 11. CXX1X Class 18.—Six Single Trusses of any one variety (Amateurs). First Prize, £1; Second, 15s. 1. Ho’. Landon, Msq- 2. Miss H. B. Langton. GARDEN ROSES. Class 14.—Thirty-six distinct varieties, not less than three trusses of each (Open). First Prize, £3; Second, £2. 1. Messrs. G. Cooling. 2. Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt. Class 15.—Highteen distinct varieties, not less than three trusses of each (Amateurs). First Prize, £1. 10s.; Second, £1; Third, 10s. 1. Alfred 'Tate, Esq., Downside, Leatherhead. 2. F. W. Campion, Esq., Colley Manor, Reigate. 3. Rev. J. H. Pemberton, Havering, Essex. FLORAL ComMITTEE, JuLy 11, 1899. Hybrid Conference at Chiswick. CHARLES E. SuHxA, Esq., in the Chair, and twenty-one members present. Awards Recommended :— Award of Merit. To Caladium ‘ A. Siebert’ (C. Rufus x C. Albanense) (votes, 10 for, 7 against), from Messrs. Sander, St. Albans. Of dwarf compact habit, with small ovate lanceolate deep pink leaves with narrow deep-green crenate margins. To Delphinium ‘Michel Lando’ (votes, 12 for, 2 against), from Messrs. J. Veitch, Chelsea. A strong growing variety producing long spikes, closely packed with large deep purplish-blue semi-double flowers. To Sweet Wilham ‘Elizabeth’ (votes, 7 for, 4 against), from Vis- countess Enfield, Dancer’s Hill, Barnet. A very free-flowering variety, srowing about 18 inches high, and bears salmon-pink flowers, somewhat resembling those of ‘ Salmon Queen.’ To Decorative Tea Rose ‘Madame Cadeau Ramey ’ (votes, unanimous), from Messrs. W. Paul, Waltham Cross. Buds rather long and pointed. The colour when expanded is cream-white, touched with pink in the centre. To Tea Rose ‘ White Maman Cochet’ (votes, unanimous), from Messrs. W. Paul. This is a charming white form of the well-known ‘ Maman Cochet.’ To Border Carnation ‘ The Baron ’ (votes, 6 for, 3 against), from Mr. J. Douglas, Edenside, Great Bookham. Handsome cream-white flowers heavily striped with deep crimson. To Border Carnation ‘Heather Bell’ (votes, unanimous), from Mr. CXxx . PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Douglas. Flowers very large, petals closely packed in the centre, colour clear yellow-flaked and edged with bright pink. To Border Carnation ‘ Rosalind’ (votes, unanimous), from Mr, Douglas. Flowers deep crimson, large, and sweet-scented. Other Exhibits. W. Nicholson, Esq., Basing Park (gr. Mr. W. Smythe), sent a small plant of Polystichum vestitum venustum, which the Committee asked to see again when more developed. Mr. F. W. Moore, Sompting, sent Carnations. Mr. W. Pfitzer, Stuttgart, brought Tuberous Begonias with large fringed flowers. Messrs. Barr, Covent Garden, sent four new Delphiniums. Mr. Shoesmith, Woking, sent Border Carnation ‘ Mrs. Shoesmith.’ Messrs. R. Veitch, Exeter, sent specimens of Notospartium Carmi- chaeliz, a distinct and pretty New Zealand shrub bearing racemes of small Pea-shaped pink flowers. Messrs. Veitch also sent flowering branches of Robinia neo-mexicana. Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, brought flowers of a hybrid Bourbon Rose called ‘Rev. J.B. M. Camm’; but as there is already a variety (H.P.) of the same name, which received a First-class Certificate in 1875, the exhibitor was requested to rename and submit it again at a subsequent meeting. From Messrs. Pearson, Chilwell, came a plant of Pelargonium ‘ Henry Jacoby’ with variegated leaves. Mr. Whitfield, Eastbourne, sent cut flowers of an Ivy-leaved Pelar- gonium. ‘The Committee asked to see a plant. Sweet Peas were shown by the undermentioned, and requested to be tried at Chiswick :— : Messrs. Laxton, Bedford, 15 varieties. . Mr. Eckford, Wem, Salop, 6 3 ‘ Messrs. Dobbie, Rothesay, 2 The following Awards were recommended to plants growing in the gardens :— Award of Merit. To Caladium mitjana (votes, unanimous), from Mr. McLeod, Roe- hampton. YAY WY S Fie. 79.—Cattueya Harrisonrm apa. (Journal of Horticulture.) unanimous), from Messrs. James Veitch, Chelsea. Flowers deep orange, the base of the lip lighter yellow. To Lelio-Cattleya x Martinetii (C. Mossie ¢ L. tenebrosa g¢) (votes, unanimous), from M. Chas. Maron, Brunoy, France. Flowers pale lilac, lip veined purple. Other Exhibits. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., Burford (gr. Mr. W. H. White), staged an extensive and interesting collection of hybrid Orchids, together with the species from which they were derived. Messrs. James Veitch, Chelsea, arranged a fine group of their hybrid Orchids, and in most cases the parents. N cliv PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Messrs. Hugh Low, Enfield, showed a collection of Orchids. Messrs. F. Sander, St. Albans, showed several hybrids of Cypri- pedium Rothschildianum, &e. ! Mr. De B. Crawshay, Sevenoaks (gr. Mr. 8. Cooke), showed Odonto- glossum x crispo-Hallii, var. Crawshayanum ; O. crispum Crawshayanum, and O. crispum ‘ Mrs. De B. Crawshay.’ Mr. C. C. Hurst, Burbage, Hinckley, showed a number of seedlings of Cypripedium x ‘ Pluto,’ showing remarkable variation in the foliage. M. Chas. Maron, Brunoy, France, exhibited seventeen hybrid Cattleyas and Leelio-Cattleyas. Sir F. Wigan, Bart., showed hybrid Lelio-Cattleyas, &c. C. L. N. Ingram, Esq., Godalming (er. Mr. T. W. Bond), showed Cattleya x ‘ Firebrand’ (Schilleriana x Lawrenceana). Walter Cobb, Esq., Tunbridge Wells (gr. Mr. J. Howes), sent Catasetum callosum bearing male and female flowers; also Cypripedium x P Ansonii. A. H. Smee, Esq. (gr. Mr. Humphreys), showed Microstylis congesta. Mr. Geo. Hansen, Berkeley, California, very kindly sent his work on Hybrid Orchids. ORCHID COMMITTEE, JULY 25, 1899. Harry J. Verrou, Ksq., in the Chair, and fifteen members present. Awards Recommended :— Silver Flora Medal. To Messrs. James Veitch, Chelsea, for a group of Orchids. First-class Certsficate. To Sophro-Cattleya x ‘Queen Empress’ (Cattleya Mossize 2 Sophron- itis grandifloradg) (votes, unanimous), from Messrs. James Veitch, Chelsea. The finest. of the Sophronitis grandiflora hybrids. Sepals bright rosy crimson; petals rosy crimson with darker veining; lip yellow at the base, with purple lines; front lobe and edges of the side lobes bright reddish rosy crimson, the side lobes having a narrow yellow margin. (Fig. 80.) To Disa x Diores, var. Clio superba (Veitchii x grandiflora) (votes, unanimous), from Messrs. James Veitch, Chelsea. Flowers bright magenta-crimson, with yellow and purple markings in the centre. Award of Merit. ‘lo Vanda teres ‘Gunnersbury Park var.’ (votes 8 for, 4 against), from Messrs. de Rothschild, Gunnersbury (gr. Mr. George Reynolds). A pretty light form, with some resemblance to the hybrid V. x‘ Miss Joaquim.’ Other Exhibits. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart. (gr. Mr. W. H. White), showed Stan- hopea aurantiaca, a fine flower of the 8. Wardii class. Orange-ye llow, with blackish spots on the hypochile. . ORCHID COMMITTEE, AUGUST 15. elv Klijah Ashworth, Ksq., Harefield Hall, Wilmslow (gr. Mr. H. Hol- brook), showed Dendrobium x formoso-Lowii,with yellowish-white flowers having brownish-orange lines on the lip. F. A. Rehder, Esq., Gipsy Hill (gr. Mr. Norris), sent Cypripedium x ‘Miss Rehder ’ (Argus x hirsutissimum). Frau Ida Brandt, Riesbach, Zurich (gr. Mr. Schlecht), sent Zygo- petalum (Bollea) Lalindei, and Phalznopsis ‘ Esmeralda.’ Fic. 80. —Sopuro-CattLEya ‘QuEEN Empress. (Journal of Horticulture. fine white Miltonia vexillaria ‘ Daisy Haywood,’ and some good coloured forms. Messrs. Sander showed hybrids of Cypripedium Rothschildianum. Messrs. Hugh Low showed a collection of Orchids. J. Gurney Fowler, Esq. (gr. Mr. Davis), showed Renanthera Storiei. OrcHip CommirrEn, AuausT 15, 1899. Harry J. Verrcu, Esq., in the Chair, and fourteen members present. Awards Recommended. Silver lora Medal. To Messrs. Hugh Low, Enfield, for a fine group of Cattleya ‘ Tildorado’ and other Orchids. clyi PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. (Gardeners’ Chronicle.) Fic. 81.—Scuompurexia Lyonstt. ORCHID COMMITTEE, AUGUST 15. clvil First-class Certificate. To Lelio-Cattleya x Wiganiana (? L. purpurata x L.-C. x Dominiana) (votes, unanimous), from Sir Frederick Wigan, Bart., Clare Lawn, East Sheen (gr. Mr. W. H. Young). Flowers of the largest of its class. Sepals and petals pale rose veined and tinged with purple. Lip almost entirely of a deep claret-purple. Award of Merit. To Schomburgkia Lyonsii (votes, unanimous), from the Right Hon. Lord Rothschild, Tring Park (gr. Mr. E. Hill). A rare old species with white flowers marked with purple. Imported from Jamaica. (Fig. 81.) ‘To Stauropsis lissochiloides var. (votes, unanimous), from the Right Hon. Lord Rothschild. The variety shown had an inflorescence of twenty-seven flowers. Yellow blotched with red, the reverse of the younger flowers, and buds being bright rose colour. To Cattleya x Whitei ‘ Wigan’s var.’ (nat. hyb. Schilleriana x labiata) (votes, unanimous), from Sir Frederick Wigan, Bart. (gr. Mr. W. H. Young). Flowers larger than the original, rose colour, the blade of the lip and tips of the side lobes darker than the other parts. To Lelio-Cattleya x ‘ Berthe Fournier’ (L.-C. x elegans var.? x C. Dowiana aurea) (votes, 6 for, 5 against), from Mrs. Mason, the Firs, Warwick (gr. Mr. Lambert). Sepals and petals cream-white with a lilac tint ; lip reddish-purple with some orange lines at the base. Parentage doubtful. Cultural Conmendation. To Mr. Norman, gr. to the Marquis of Salisbury, Hatfield, for a grand plant of Aérides Sanderianum with thirty-five leaves and four flower spikes, each about 3 ft. in length. To Mr. W. H. Young, gr. to Sir Frederick Wigan, Bart., for a fine plant of Cattleya x ‘ Atlanta ’ (Leopoldii x Warscewiczii). Other Exhibits. M. Jules Hye Leysen, Coupure, Ghent (gr. Mr. Coen), sent Cypri- pedium x Massaianum. The Rey. F. Paynter, Stoke Hill, Guildford (gr. Mr. Cooke), sent Cattleya x (velutina x labiata Warnerii) and some cut spikes of Orchids. Captain Thos. A. Julian, Plymouth, sent Cattleya Harrisoniana violacea and C. Warscewiczil. W. Macdonald, Esq., Pitlochry, N.B., sent a hybrid Cypripedium. C. K. Chrimes, Esq., Selwood, Rotherham (gr. Mr. Mark Watts), showed Cattleya x Hardyana ‘ Mrs. C. E. Chrimes.’ Mrs. Mason, The Firs, Warwick (gr. Mr. Lambert), showed cut spikes of Orchids. De B. Crawshay, Esq., Sevenoaks (gr. Mr. 8. Cooke), showed Odonto- glossum Uroskinnerii and varieties of O. crispum. clvyiil PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. OrcHIp CommiTTEE, AvuGcust 29, 1899. Harry J. Verrcu, Esq., in the Chair, and fourteen members present. Awards Recommended :— | Silver Banksian Medal. To Messrs. Jas. Veitch, Chelsea, for hybrid Lelio-Cattleyas. Award of Merit. To Cypripedium x‘ Captain Holford’ (hirsutissimum ¢ superbiens 9 ), (votes, 6 for, 5 against), from Messrs. J. Veitch, Chelsea. A showy hybrid, equal in size to C. Curtisii, and with the markings of C. superbiens. Dorsal sepal greenish, with obscure chocolate markings ; petals white, tinged with green on the lower half and rose on the outer part, the whole spotted with dark purple; lip dull rose, Other Exhibits. Sir F. Wigan, Bart. (gr. Mr. W. H. Young), showed Cattleya x Hardyana and other Orchids. H. §. Leon, Esq., Bletchley Park (gr. Mr. Hislop), sent Lelio-Cattleya x Bletchleyensis (L. tenebrosa x C. Warscewiezil), bearing a general resemblance to L.-C. x Gottoiana. Jeremiah Colman, Esq., Gatton Park (gr. Mr. King), showed Cattleya x Hardyana ‘ Mrs. J. Colman,’ and Houlletia odoratissima. H. §. Simonds, Esq., Woodthorpe, Beckenham (gr. Mr. G. E. Day), showed two forms of Cattleya x Hardyana. Walter Cobb, Esq., Tunbridge Wells (gr. Mr. J. Howes), sent Zygo- petalum Protheroeanum and Epidendrum prismatocarpum. Mr. A. J. Keeling, Bingley, Yorks., sent Cypripedium x .Bingleyense (Charlesworthii x Harrisianum). Mrs. Mason, Warwick (gr. Mr. Lambert), showed Cattleya superba splendens and C. Harrisoniana. Captain G. W. Law-Schofield (gr. Mr. Shill) sent Cypripedium x Juno ‘ Schofield’s var.’; and C. x superbiens-Morganie. Mr. Ed. Kromer, Bandon Hill, West Croydon, showed Muiltonia Regnellii with six flower spikes. Messrs. F. Sander showed Lelia x pulcherrima (Boothiana [lobata| x purpurata). ee Messrs. Jas. Veitch showed for the first time Cypripedium x ‘Janet’ (glanduliferum x Spicerianum). OrncHID CoMMITTEE, SEPTEMBER 12, 1899. Harry J. Verrcn, Esq., in the Chair, and fourtcen members present. Awards Recommended :— First-class Certificate. To Cattleya labiata Luddemanniana alba (votes, unanimous) from W. Duckworth, Esq., Shawe Hall, Flixton (gr. Mr. H. H. Tindale). A fine albino. Flowers pure white, with a chrome-yellow disc to the lip. (Fig. 82.) ORCHID COMMITTEE, SEPTEMBER 12. clix Award of Merit. To Leelio-Cattleya x callistoglossa, ‘ Leon’s variety’ (L. purpurata Leonie x C. Warscewiczil) (votes, unanimous), from H. S. Leon, Esq. Bletchley Park (gr. Mr. Hislop). Flower richly coloured ; labellum almost wholly claret-purple. To Cattleya x Kienastiana ‘Aurore’ (Luddemanniana x Dowiana aurea) (votes, unanimous), from C. L. N. Ingram, Esq., Elstead House, Godalming (gr. Mr. T. W. Bond). Flower resembling a light-coloured Fie, 82.—CatrTLEYA LABIATA LUDDEMANNIANA ALBA. (Journal of Horticulture. orm of C. x Hardyana; sepals and petals flight rose colour; lip dark yellow, with purple veins and ruby-red blotch in front. Botanical Certificate. To Cryptophoranthus hypodiscus, from F. W. Moore, Esq., V.M.H., The Royal Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin. A very remarkable species intro- duced by Consul F. C. Lehmann. Flowers [nearly as large as those of C. Dayanus; in form like a bird’s head; the basal portion purple, middle cream-white, and the beak-like front-third brownish-purple, elx PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Other Exhibits. M. J. Zollinger-Jenny, Villa Gretin, Zurich, sent a fine Oe of Vanda Sanderiana, and a spike of Cattleya O’Brieniana. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., Burford, showed Cypripedium niveum maculatum, with pure white homer evenly blotched with dark purple. Fred Hardy, Esq., Tyntesfield, Ashton-on-Mersey (gr. Mr. T. Stafford), again showed Sophro-Cattleya x ‘George Hardy’ (S. grandiflora x C. Acklandiz). | C.L. N. Ingram, Esq., Elstead House, Godalming (gr. Mr. T. W. Bond), sent a fine form of Lelio-Cattleya x callistoglossa. Mrs. Temple, Leyswood, Groombridge (gr. Mr. E. Bristow), showed Cattleya Gaskilliana Templee. Col. R. W. Shipway, Grove House, Chiswick (gr. Mr. W. Walters), sent a good form of Cattleya x Hardyana. Messrs. F. Sander, St. Albans, showed a group of Dendrobium for- mosum set up with Acalypha hispida. ORCHID COMMITTEE, SEPTEMBER 26, 1899. Harry J. Verrcn, Esq., in the Chair, and twelve members present. Awards Recommended :— Silver Flora Medal. To Messrs. Jas. Veitch Chelsea, for a group of Orchids. Silver Banksian Medal. To C. H. Feiling, Esq., Southgate (gr. Mr. Canham), for a well- arranged group of Orchids, in which were many varieties of Dendrobium Phalenopsis Schréderianum. To Messrs. Hugh Low, Enfield, for a group of Orchids. Award of Merit. To Cattleya x Weedoniensis (Mendelii x granulosa Schofieldiana) (votes, unanimous), from T. W. Thornton, Esq., Brockhall, Weedon. A very remarkable hybrid, bearing the general characters of Cattleya granu- losa, but with all the parts of the flower broader and handsomer than in that species. Sepals greenish-white tinged with lilac; petals cream-white with a green tinge along the midrib, and a close reticulation of rose colour ; labellum with acute side lobes, as in C. granulosa, that portion being pale yellow, darker on the inside, the ample front lobe crimped and toothed at the margin, the blade bright purple, showing lighter between the veining. The inflorescence bore three large flowers. To Odontoglossum crispum ‘ Basano’ (votes, 6 for, 5 against),* from Walter Cobb, Esq., Dulcote, Tunbridge Wells (gr. Mr. J. Howes). A fine white variety with yellowish cast over the sepals and petals, the lip bearing a conspicuous red-brown blotch. ORCHID COMMITTEE, SEPTEMBER 26. elxi Other Exhibits. Major Joicey, Sunningdale Park (gr. Mr. F. J. Thorne), again showed the fine bronzy-yellow Dendrobium taurinum Amboinense. T. B. Haywood, Esq., Reigate (gr. Mr. C. J. Salter), showed Cypripedium x Fowlerianum ‘ Haywood’s variety’ (Harrisianum super- bum x bellatulum). H. T. Pitt, Esq., Stamford Hill (gr. Mr. Thurgood), sent Cattleya x Hardyana ‘ Rosslyn variety,’ very large and finely coloured. Walter Cobb, Esq. (gr. Mr. J. Howes), also showed a distinct form of C. x Hardyana. W. M. Appleton, Esq., Weston-super-Mare (gr. Mr. J. H. Brooks), sent Cypripedium x ‘ Julia’ (Lawrenceana x exul). The Rev. F. Paynter, Guildford (gr. Mr. Cook), sent a yellow form of Odontoglossum grande and a hybrid Leelio-Cattleya. R. I. Measures, Esq., Camberwell (gr. Mr. H. J. Chapman), showed Cypripedium x ‘ Lachmee.’ | Henry Little, Esq., Barons Halt, Twickenham (gr. Mr. Howard), showed Lelio-Cattleya x elegans Littleana. The same plant which was awarded a F.C.C. August 1885. Messrs. Jas. Veitch showed Cattleya x ‘Chloe’ (bicolor ¢ Bowring- lana @ ). Fic. 83,—Oponroctossum Harryano-crispum. (Journal of Horticulture.) clxii PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. NOTICES TO FELLOWS. NOVEMBER 1, 1899. GRAPES. Fellows can obtain Black Hamburgh Grapes at 1s. 6d. and 1s. per lb. ; Gros Colmar at 2s. 6d. per ]b. Carriage will be charged extra as follows: 1 lb., 4d.; 2 lbs., 5d. ; 3 lbs., 6d.; 4 lbs., 7d.; 5 lbs., 8d. Muscats are all sold. ORDERS FOR sERUIT should be addressed—Swperintendent, R. H. S. Gardens, Chiswick—and must be accompanied by Cheque or Postal Order to secure attention. LETTERS: All letters on all subjects (save above) should be addressed— Secretary, R. H. S. Office, 117 Victoria Street, Westminster. TELEGRAMS. “ HORTENSIA, LONDON,” has been registered for the con- venience of Fellows sending telegrams. THKETS: The 1899 tickets are available for the two meetings in January 1900. Tickets for 1900 will be sent out early in January to all Fellows who have then paid their subscriptions. The Arrangements for 1900 and the Report of the Council will also be sent in January. PLANTS. A List of Plants for Distribution will be sent to every Fellow, enclosed in the Leport of the Council, on or about January 20, and will be the only one issued in 1900. The distribution begins on March 1, and ends on May 1. Fellows having neglected to fill up their Application Form before May 1 must be content to wait till the next year. SUBSCRIPTIONS. All Subscriptions fall due on January 1 of each year. ‘To avoid the inconvenience of remembering this, Fellows can compound by the pay- ment of one lump sum in leu of all further annual payments; or they can, by application to the Society, obtain a form of instruction to their bankers to pay for them every January 1. Fellows whose subscriptions remain unpaid are debarred from all the privileges of the Society; but their subscriptions are nevertheless recoverable at law, the Society being incorporated by Royal Charter. NOTICES TO FELLOWS. elxill HYBRID CONFERENCE. The issue of the Report is unavoidably delayed till the new year. EXAMINATION. The Society’s Annual Examination in the Principles and Practice of Horticulture will be held on Tuesday, April 17, 1900. Candidates should send in their names not later than March 1. A Scholarship of £25 a year is offered in connection with the Examination. MEETINGS AND SHOWS. 1899, November 7, 21; December 5, 19; 1900, January 9, 23; February 13, 27. The following are provisional only—March 13, 27; April 10, 24; May 8, 28, 24, 25 Temple; June 5,19, 27 at Richmond; July 3,17, 31; August 14, 28; September 11, 25; 27, 28, 29 Crystal Palace; October 9, 23; November 6, 20; December 4, 18; 1901, January 15, 29; February 12. NOTICE OF MEETINGS AND SHOWS. A reminder will always be sent, in the week preceding, to any Fellow who will send to the Secretary 24 halfpenny post cards, ready addressed to himself. LECTURES, &c. Any Fellows willing to Lecture or to communicate Papers or Notes on interesting subjects are requested to communicate with the Secretary. NEW FELLOWS. The Secretary feels very grateful to all Fellows who endeavour to enlarge the scope of the Society by the introduction of New Fellows. EOrRPY bP) XKVI, Karly Begonia ‘ Duke of Devon,’ exxi % ‘Miss Bo Tait.\exx nt ‘Miss M. Pope,’ exxi ¥ ‘Miss B. Ray,’ exxi hy: ‘M. Wannot,’ exxxii . ‘Mr. J. Caulfield,’ exxxii a ‘Mrs. L. de Rothschild,’ exxxviii — ‘Caledonia,’ clxxxiv ‘ Sylvia,’ elxxxvi Black Currant Mite, 346 Bog-plants, 93 Books presented, 339 Borecole at Chiswick, 337 British Alpine Flora, 46 Brussels Sprouts at Chiswick, 336 Buds on Roots, 76 Bulbophyllum nutans, exlviii modestum, exlix Bye- laws of the Society, 423 Cabbage ‘ St. Martin’s,’ clxxv Cabbages at Chiswick, 336 Cactus Dahlia ‘ Ajax,’ exxxv 2 Ke ‘ Antler,’ cxxxv ‘Sylph,’ cxxxv americana alba, cxxxv ‘Mrs. Stephenson Clarke,’ CXXXV1 ‘Mrs. J. H. Luscombe,’ CXXXV1 ‘Red Rover,’ exxxix ‘Green’s White,’ exxxix ‘Major Tuppeney,’ cxxxix ‘Major Weston,’ exl ‘. + ‘Uncle Tom,’ cxl ‘Maurice T. Walsh,’ cxl ‘Mrs. J. Crowe,’ cxl - _ ‘ Loadstone,’ ex] ‘ Innovation,’ exl ‘Emperor,’ exl ‘Me. M. Henson,’ exli ‘4 ~ ‘Augustus Hare,’ exli Caladium ‘ A. Siebert,’ exxix be mitjana, Cxxx “ Me. J. Dybowski, cxxxii Campanemia uliginosa, exlvi Campanula Hybrids, ¢ ‘Warley,’ cxxxil 4 isophylla Mayi, exxxili Canna ‘ Beauté Poitevine,’ cxxxvi Carnations Diseased, xxix ‘ Florizel,’ exxili 4 ‘Lady Rose,’ exxili ‘Don Carlos,’ exxili ’ ‘ Ossian,’ Cxxil 9 INDEX. Carnations ‘ Goldfinch,’ exxiii ‘ Falcon,’ exxiv ‘Galatea,’ cxxiv ‘ Galileo,’ exxiv ‘ Agnes Sorrel,’ cxxiv ‘ Lady Gerard,’ exxvi ‘Trojan,’ cxxv1 ‘The Baron,’ exxix ‘Heather Bell,’ exxix ‘Rosalind,’ exxx Caryopteris mastacanthus, exli Castle Coch, 389 Cattleya labiata Luddemanniana elvili Kienastiana ‘ Aurore,’ clix Weedoniensis, clx Dowiana aurea, ‘Little’s var.,’ bb) alba, - elxxxviili i ‘ Princess,’ exe _ labiata, exci Gilmourie, exci alba ‘ Princess of Wales, CX¢@l . vestalis, excl ‘Mrs. J. W. Whiteley,’ cxcii ‘Maggie Raphael,’ cxciv s elatior, excix 4 Trianzi ‘Ernest Ashworth,’ lix ‘Memoria Linden,’ lx ‘Amy Wigan,’ lxi e 5 Amesiana, Ixxii Mossi ‘ Beauty of Bush Hill,’ exhiii Lawrencix, cli Goossensiana, exlili ” exliv 39 ”” ’ 9 99 bP] 99 9 ” %” 35, 9 ” Mendelii ‘ Burford var., as Mossi gloriosa, cxliv ‘Mrs. C. H. Feiling,’ exly A intermedia ‘ Rosslyn var.,’ exliv a Mendelii ‘ Perfection,’ cxlv ‘i Mossiee ‘ Victoria,’ cxlvii ss Eldorado ‘ Glebelands,’ exlviii re Mendelii albescens, cxlviii 3 Gaskelliana formosa, cli Harrisoniana alba, clit Whitei ‘ Wigan’ Ss var.,’ clvii Cerasus pseudo-cerasus ‘J. H. Veitch,’ lv Cherry ‘ Noble,’ cix Charter of 1809, 402 S , 1860, 406 , 1899, 418 Chlorine, 149 Chrysanthemums at Chiswick, 313 Fungus, elxvii +>) ” ° i ‘Florence Molyneux,’ elxxxii Be ‘Miss E. Pilkington,’ elxxxil ‘Miss A. Byron,’ clxxxii ‘R. Hooper Pearson,’ 99 elxxxil 5 ‘Le Grand Dragon,’ elxxil A ‘Mrs. A. Tate,’ clxxxvi i ‘Me. R. Cadbury,’ elxxxvii i ‘Oscar,’ clxxxvii Canker, clxix Ccelogyne pulchella, lxx CCV Committees, Scientific, xix, xevi, elxvii ‘i Fruit and Vegetable, xxxii clii, clxxi A Floral, xlii, cxix, clxxxi a Orchid, lvii, exlii, elxxxviii Narcissus, lxxx Composition of Plants, 140 Cornus macrophylla, exxxii Corylopsis pauciflora, xlvi ie spicata, xlvii Cranberries, 14 Cryptophoranthus hypodiscus, clix Crystal Palace Fruit Show, 187 Cucumber ‘ Achievement,’ cxiv Cupressus Lawsoniana Wisselii, cxxxiv Cymbidium longifolium, cxevi Cypripedium callosum Sander, 37 “A Schofieldianum superbum, lvii e bellatulum ‘Dulcote,’ Iviii “ ‘Miss L. Fowler,’ lix Aa Wiertzianum, |x " ‘Orion,’ lxi + ‘ Surprise,’ lxvii - ‘Talisman? Ixix BS Vipani, cxli fe elanduliferum, exlvi A Stonei candidum, clii e Shillianum, cliii " ‘Captain Holford,’ elviii Ba ‘Milo Westonbirt var..,’ excl 2 ‘ Hera var. Euryades,’ cxciv ¥ ‘Lord Roberts,’ cxeviii ? ‘Hera Kuryades splendens,’ eXx¢evill np conco-callosum, exeviii Daffodil ‘ Dorothy Kingsmill,’ lxxxv s ‘ Hesperus,’ Ixxxv y ‘ Marina,’ Ixxxv a3 ‘ Brigadier,’ 1xxxii 53 ‘Flambeau,’ lxxxii 53 ‘Strongbow,’ Ixxxii if ‘ Cassandra,’ lxxxii 5 ‘ Pope’s King,’ Ixxxii s ‘Duke of Bedford,’ Ilxxxii 7 ‘King Alfred,’ Ixxx = ‘Kdmund’s White,’ lxxxii ‘ Sunset,’ Ixxxii Daffodils, Xvl Hybrid, XXVll, XXVIii Dahlias, see also ‘ Cactus’ », Pompon, 175, exxxvi », Diseased, xxvi » ° Flame,’ cxxxviii » * Veronica,’ cxxxvili 3 ot Daisy,” exxavil » * Empress,’ cxxxix » *Nel Nicholson,’ cxl 2 SE Oblem, ext : Cheerfulness,’ exl Davallia illustris, exxvi Delphinium ‘ Sir Walter Scott,’ exxvi x ‘Michel Lando,’ cxxix ‘ José M. de Heredia,’ exxxii Dendrobium ‘ Juno,’ lxi Ds Wiganiz xanthochilum, lxix 7 ‘ Euterpe,’ lxxii eeyl Dendrobium canaliculatum, lxxii s ‘Clio Vine House var.,’ lxxiv : ‘ Nestor,’ Ixxv Fs ceelogyne, exci is spectabile, cxevil Deputation to Truro, xv Diospyros Kaki, clxxvili Disa Diores Clio superba, cliv Dispersal of Seed, 106 Dracena cannefolia var., Cxix indivisa Schneideri, cxxyi Ps ‘The Queen,’ clxxxvi id lentiginosa, liv a. Russelli, liv Drought, its Lessons, 127 A How to combat, 135 Dunn, The late Mr. Malcom, V.M.H., xli Elm Tree Disease, 343 Engleheart, Rev. G. H., V.M.H., lxxxiv Epi-Cattleya ‘ Mrs. John O’Brien,’ xix, lvii Epidendrum latilabrum, lx elegantulum luteum, Ixxvi Langleyense, cxlviii Epi- Lelia Charlesworthu, cliii Eria extinctoria, cxlviii ,, acervata, clii Erica propendens, xlix Erythronium Johnsoni, li Eucharis Burfordiensis, ¢xxxvili Evolution of Flowers, 104 Examination in Horticulture, 64, 299 As Papers, 306 Experiments at Woburn, 29 in Potato-growing, 283 3? Fertilisation by Insects, &c., 102 Fire-blight on Apple trees, xxiii Floral Com. Meetgs., xlii, exix, clxxxi Flow of Sap, xxviii Flower Movement, 97 Flowering Shrubs, xviii French Beans, 160 ‘Covent Garden cix » ‘Everbearing,’ cix » * Perfection,’ cix ,», Progress, cx » ‘Ne Plus Ultra’ cix » * Stringless,’ cix Fruit & Veg. Com. Meetgs., xxxii, ciii, clxxi Fruit-growing in South Wales, 271 Fruit-protectors, xxxix, Cxvili Fruit Show at Crystal Palace, 187 Fruit Stations, 151 Fruit Trade, Growth of, 263 Fruit, Unit of Measure, 73 early Negro,’ 99 ? General Meetings, i, xiii, 1xxxix, xcii, clxv Germination, 96 Gladiolus nanceianus ‘H. Vaudrier,’ CXXX1V ‘3 Lemoinei ‘J. Dieulafoy,’ CXXX1V “ ‘F. Paynter,’ cxxxv an ‘Lady Montagu,’ cxxxv 9 ‘Burne Jones,’ Cxxxv PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Gladiolus ‘J. H. Veitch,’ exxxvi Gongora gratulabunda, cli Grafting Potatos, xx Grape ‘ Lady Hastings,’ cix » ‘Andover Muscat,’ cix » ‘Diamond Jubilee,’ exvii, clxxiy » ‘Reine Olga,’ elxxii Heat, Importance of, 75 Heliconia Sanderi, cxix Hippeastrum ‘ Sir William,’ xliv ‘ Virginia,’ xlviii . ‘ Murillo,’ xlviii M ‘ Apple Blossom,’ xlvili * Robin,’ xlix Holyhock ‘ Black Knight Imp.,’ cxxxiv 39 Ilex Wilsonii, cxix Insect Form and Colour, 21 Insecticides for Scale and Mealy Bug, 258 Tron, 149 Juniperus Sanderi, cxix Kales at Chiswick, 337 Lelia anceps Rosefieldiensis, lviii - ., Amesiana ‘Crawshay’s,’ lix purpurata ‘ Annie Louise,’ exlii tenebrosa ‘ V. Warburton,’ cli es ss gigantea, clii .». *Mrs.Gratrix, ‘exc Lelio-Cattleya Warnhamensis ‘ Hypatia,’ ; lxili Ernesti ‘ Princess Olga,’ lxv, lxxxv callistoglossa 99 ‘J. Lee- mann,’ lxv ‘Leon’s var.,’ clix Digbyano-Mendelii, ]xvii Myra var. ‘ Etoile d’Or, 29 39 ” lxxi 2 a Aphrodite ‘ Ruth,’ exlii a - - eximia, cl Bs * ‘Me. A. Hye,’ exlil ‘ Lucilla,’ exlviii Dominiana ‘Fire King,’ cl Duvaliana, clii ‘ Adolphus,’ clili Martinetii, cliii Wiganiana, clvii ‘ Bertha Fournier,’ clvii - rs ‘Bryan var. Duchess of York,’ exe % as Wellsiana ignescens, eCx¢vill Lapageria rosea ‘ The Knoll,’ xliii Lathyrus splendens, lv Leafbuds, Expansion of, 97 Leaves, Forms of, 75 ny Structure and Functions, 77 Lettuces, 169 INDEX. Library, 338 Light, Importance of, 75 Lime, 146 Loganberry, cix Lourya campanulata, xxiv Lupinus arboreus ‘ Snow Queen,’ cxxill Magnesia, 149 Mannington Pearmain, xxvi, xxxvi Manures, Plant, 140 Manuring Orchards, 5 Masdevallia Curlei, lix faleata, xi ignea Boddaertii, Ixx Shuttryana var.,’ Ixxiv 35 Turneril, lxxiv Rushtoni, cli ecllaria Sanderiana, 327 Mealy Bugs, 219 Meetings, General, i, xiii, Ixxxix, xcii, elxv i Annual, li . Scientific Com., xix, xcvi, elxvil ig Fruit and Veg. Com., xxxii, clii, c]xxi re Floral, xlii, exix, elxxxi is Orchid, lvii, exlii, elxxxvili Narcissus, 1xxx Melon ‘ Hardy Scarlet,’ exi Meteorologics at Chiswick, 391 Miltonia vexillaria Dulcotensis, exliy . Lindeniz, exlvi Movement of Plant Organs, 96 Narcissus—see Daffodil Narcissus Trimon, xliv + Committee, lxxx Nepenthes Balfouriana, cxxxiil Nerine ‘ Miss Willmott,’ celxxxiv ‘Mrs. Godman,’ 5 ‘Mrs. Berkeley,’ i Nicotiana sylvestris, exxxii Nitrogen, 143 Notices to Fellows, lxxxvi, el]xii, cc Notospartium Carmichaelie, cxxx Nova Scotia Orchards, | Observations on Exhibits, 38, 62, 100, 269, 281 Odontoglossum Ruckerianum ‘ Roch- ford’s,’ lviii ,, Crawshayanum, lxvi es Wilckeanum ‘ Dell var.,’ lxvi -, Cookeanum, Ilxvi 3 Coradinei expansum, Ixvii J crispum ‘ Sultan,’ Ixvili ‘Basano,’ elx 9 PP] >P) ” moortebeekiense, 349 ” a Bs ‘Mrs.J. Leemann,’]xix - eecellers Hyeanum, |xix ok mirandum, lxx - excellens var. nobilius, lxxii crispum Ashworthianum, I|xxiii 3 Adriane ‘ Lady Wigan,’ lxxiv ‘Chamberlain’s ‘ Duke of York,’ lxviii cevll Odontoglossum Andersonianum obstupe- faciens, lxxiv excellens McBeanianum, lxxv triumphans ‘Dulcote var.,’ Ixxvi Andersonianum ‘Mrs. Craw- shay,’ Ixxvi » ‘Raymond Crawshay,’ lxxvl Rosefieldiense, lxxvl Coradinei mirabile, lxxviii luteopurpureum sceptrum, ‘ Dell var.,’ Ixxviii crispum ‘ Purity,’ Ixxviii 3 ‘Seraphim,’ cl polyxanthum, ‘Gatton var.,’ Ixxvili crispum ‘ A. Briscoe,’ exliii * purpurescens, cl triumphans ‘King Alfred,’ exliv Hallii Lairesseanum, exlvi crispum ‘Perle du _ Congo,’ exlvi Ruckerianum » augustum, exlvi » ‘Miss Linden,’ exlvi » ‘Daphne,’ 270,clxxxviii Adriane Ashworthianum, exlvii Coradinei Crawshayanum, exlvili Harryano-crispum, cl, clxi erande ‘ Pitt’s var.,’ clxxxvili loochristyense ‘Canary Bird,’ excl Oncidium varicosum Lindeni, cxevi 9 Forbesii moortebeekiense, cxcvi Onion ‘Ne Plus Ultra,’ xl Onions, Keepin 2 Qualities of, 70 Orange, Streaked, 383 Orchards of Nova Scotia, 1 Orchid Committee, lvii, exlii, clxxxvili Packing Apples, 12 Peony, Tree, ‘ Cecil Rhodes,’ exix » ‘Miss B. Jones,’ cxix Paris ‘Exhibition, 185 Pea ‘ Duke of Gornwall” eviii ,, ‘Alderman Selected,’ evii », ‘Nobleman,’ evil », ‘Harly Morn,’ xl » °* Winifred,’ evii »» ‘Dalby’s Prolific,’ eviii »» ‘Glory of Devon,’ eviii » ‘Dwarf Triumph,’ eviii Pear 39 ‘Emile d’Heyst,’ clxxv ‘Double de Guerre,’ elxxvi », ‘Triomphe de Vienne,’ exyii, 216 » ‘Beurré d’Anjou,’ 213 ” ‘Marguerite Marillat,’ 215, clxxi Peas, 163 Pelargonium, ‘ Fire Dragon,’ lvi, exxvi ‘Cassiope,’ cxxx ‘Countess of Derby,’ exxx ‘Lilian,’ elxxxvi Peridermium Plowrighti, xci Phaio-Calanthe ‘ Niobe,’ lxii Phaius Hybrid, 1]xiii 99 ‘Pheebe,’ lxxvili Phalenopsis ‘ Mrs. James Veitch,’ lxi CCVill PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. ‘ Cassandra,’ lxix * Hermione,’ lxix Sanderiana, ‘ Wigan’s var.,’ exliv Phalzenopsis 33 Phlox ‘ Fiancée,’ ¢xxxiii 5 Mahdi,’ exxxv Phyllocactus ‘ Peacock Improved,’ cxix ‘Nysa,’ cxix : Admiration,’ Cxix Phosphoric Acid, 147 Picking Apples, 12 Plant Organs, Movement of, 96 » sexes, 102 ,, Composition, 140 Plants given to the Gardens, 340 Ploughing Orchards, 7 Pollination, Methods of, 103 Polygonum Baldschuanicum, ¢xxxvii Polystichum angulare divisilobum plumo- sissimum, CX1X 33 Ponds in Gardens, 78 » Plants for, 93, 95 Potash, 145 Potato-grafting, xx, ¢ Potato-growing Experiments, 283 Potatos, 170 ‘ Caradoc Seedling,’ ‘Early Peter,’ cix ‘ Hibberd’s Seedling,’ cix ‘Norbury Park,’ cix ‘ Prolific,’ cix ‘ Ellington’s Seedling,’ xvii ‘ The Sirdar,’ exvil Prunes and Prune- aia 350 Pruning Orchards, 3 ,, its Method, Object, and Time, 119 Prunus persica vulg. alb., fi. pl., xlv Pseudotsuga Douglasii pumila, CXXxll Purslane, ciii c1x Rainfall in 1898, 127 , 1899, 398 Golden Queen,’ evi ‘a x Blackberry ‘ Mahdi,’ cxi Report of the Council, ‘1898-1899, iy Restrepia leopardina, ]xii Retinospora obtusa aurea CXXXVill Rhododendrons, xvi : tise xly ‘ Hercules,’ xlv ‘Essex Scarlet,’ exxiii Rhubarb ‘ The Sutton,’ xxxiv Richardia suffusa, liv ed Pentlandi ‘ Tring var.,’ liv Rivers, Mr. T. Francis, V.M.H., exili Robinia inermis alb. var., CXXXVi Rock-gardens, 78 Plants for, 86 Raspberry ‘ Crippsil, Roots, 96 , Buds on, 76 Rose Show, ¢xxvil ‘Purity,’ cxxv ‘Yellow Noisette,’ cxxv ‘Me. Cadeau Ramey,’ cxxix ‘ White Maman Cochet,’ cxxix ‘J.B. M. Camm,’ cxxxiii ‘Gruss au Topletz,’ exxxv ‘ Corallina,’ cxxxvlil Saccolabium cceleste, exxxix Sap, Flow of, xxviii Seale Insects, 219 Schomburgkia Lyonsii, elvii School of Hort., 18 Scientific Committee, xix, xevi, clxvii Seed Dispersal, 106 Sex in Plants, 102 Sherwood Cup, exviii Shrubs, Flowering, xviii Silica, 148 Sodium, 149 Soil Temperature, 400 Soil, The, 143 Sophro- Cattleya : Queen Empress,’ cliv 2 Chamberlainiana var. triumphans, cxev Sophro-Lelia ix#ta superba, lxix Sophronitis Rossiteriana, lviii Spraying Orchards, 8 x Pump, 17 Stauropis lissochiloides, elvii Stems, 97 Stocks for Apples, 184 Strawberry ‘ Lord Kitchener,’ cvi “A ‘Lady Suffield,’ cix Streamlets in Gardens, 78 ze Plants for, 93 Sulphuric Acid, 148 Sweet Pea Seeds, xxv Sweetwilliam ‘ Elizabeth,’ cxxix Swiss Alpine Flora, 46 Temperature, 1899, 398 Temple Show Awards, xc Thunia Bensoniz superba, cxliv Tomato-potato Grafts, xx Tomato ‘ Winter Beauty,’ xl » ‘Cherry Ripe,’ cix » * The Comet,’ cix » ‘Chiswick Peach,’ exi Tomatos, 167 Topiary Work, cxxi Truro, Deputation to, xv Vanda Kimballiana, exxxvlii ,, teres *‘ Gunnersbury var.,’ Vanilla planifolia, xxxv Vegetables, Sundry, 173 Vilmorin, M. Henry de, 184 Vine, Pearson’s Ironclad, 72 Vines in the Open Air, 155, 386 Viola ‘ Archibald Grant,’ cxxx » ‘Jackanapes,’ cxxxi >. J. do ging” 'exxad ip reser ens CXXxi » ‘Charm,’ exxxi ., ‘Lord Salisbury,’ exxxi Violet ‘ Mrs. T. J. Astor,’ clxxXiv Vitis Thunbergi, exxxii cliv Winter Moth, 12 Woburn Experiments, 29 | Zygo-Colax Amesiana, cxcix