Pee ee MEMOIRS OF THE ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY A. D. RICHARDSON, Honorary Editor The Society does not hold itself responsible for the statements or views expressed by the authors of the papers L CONTENTS PORTRAIT OF PRESIDENT INTRODUCTORY NOTE ALPINE PLANTS (with Illustrations). By ROBERT LINDSAY . HYBRIDISATION (with oe By Joun H. Wixsovn, D. ae F.R.S.E. ‘ . : : : ROSES PAST AND PRESENT. By the late HucH Dickson IN MEMORIAM—HUGH DICKSON 3 : HERBACEOUS PLANTS (with Illustrations). By R. P. BROTHERSTON MODERN BEE-KEEPING—Its HELps aNnD HINDRANCES. By the Rev. J. W. BLAKE, M.A. 4 A : j POTATO PROBLEMS AND DEVELOPMENTS. By W. P. Wricut CLASSIFICATION OF APPLES (with Illustrations). By P. Murray THOMSON : : : : : : : THE BLACK CURRANT GALL MITE (with eee Bye ‘MURRAY THOMSON : < 5 : CULTIVATION OF CARNATIONS ALL THE YEAR ROUND. By DanreL Kipp SCOTTISH CHALLENGE TROPHY FOR GRAPES (with Illustrations) 82 PRINTED BY NEILL AND COMPANY, LIMITED BELLEVUE, EDINBURGH 1905 76 Alex. Pollock, ie. TARBOLTON, AYRSHIRE. Telegrams—‘‘ POLLOCK, TARBOLTON.” RUSTIC SUMMER HOUSES, SEATS, CHAIRS, TABLES, VASES, Etc. New. . . REVOLVING RUSTIC HOUSES, Invention. For Invalids, and the Open-Air Cure of Consumption. Awarded Two Silver Medals (First Prizes) for our Manufactures, Scottish Arboricultural Society’s Show, Dumfries, 1903. "4061 ‘mosse[n suOMIgIgX JeuOHeUse}UT ‘eUIO[dIq eAesoWeUIUWIOD papiemYy RUSTIC WORK of EVERY DESCRIPTION Undertaken in any part of the Country. Will Exhibit ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S SHOWS, Waverley Market, Edinburgh, 1905. Will also Exhibit AYR AGRICULTURAL SHOW, April 1905, HIGHLAND SOCIETY’S SHOW, GLASGOW, 1905. ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUES FREE. THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD BALFOUR OF BURLEIGH, K.T. PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIETY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Za ANIC. 6 Ne i bs yf \c >| 3) We 5 ue s i 9 NA am au }2] . N x mt) Bree OY INBUS http://archive.org/details/memoirsofroyv1p100roya INTRODUCTORY NOTE. THE Caledonian Horticultural Society was founded on dth December 1809, at a meeting held in the Hall of the Royal College of Physicians, Edinburgh, and two years later it resolved to publish its Horticultural Papers. The publication of these papers was forthwith commenced, and on 22nd August 1814 the first volume was completed, and, under the title Memoirs of the Caledonian Horticultural Society, was dedicated to His Royal Highness George, Prince of Wales, Regent of the British Empire. The career of the Society's Memoirs was not, however, destined to be of long duration, for in 1829, apparently solely owing to want of support on the part of the horticultural public, with the completion of the fourth volume the venture came to an end, In the beginning of the twentieth century the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society essays another venture of the same kind, and, relying on the wider interest which Horticul- ture can now lay claim to amongst all classes, and taking into account the vast 1mportance to which it has attained in the interval from a national-economic point of view, the Society trusts that, in their modernised garb, the Memoirs will meet with greater appreciation on the part of its members, and of the public generally, than did their predecessors in the early part of last century. In bringing the first part of the new series of the Memoirs under notice, the Society desires it to be known that in the initiation of the project it has received much encouragement and assistance from within its own ranks, that some of the ili 1V INTRODUCTORY NOTE. best authorities in their respective departments of horticulture, botany, and allied subjects have contributed papers of great value, and that others have promised contributions in the future. It is hoped, therefore, that the interest which the Society feels will be awakened by the appearance of the first part of the Memoirs will be sustained as the succeeding parts appear, and that from time to time articles will be forthcoming which will be of value alike to professional horticulturists and to that large section of the public which takes such a deep interest in horticulture as a health-giving pastime, and as a distraction from the worries and anxieties of business and professional life. Epinpura, February 1905. MEMOIRS OF THE ROW AT: “CALEDON TAN ORT LOULIU RAL SOCTET Y. ALPINE PLANTS. By ROBERT Linpsay, Kaimes Lodge, Murrayfield. THERE is no branch of horticulture more fascinating than the cultivation of Alpine plants. And there is this advantage in Alpine gardening that it adapts itself admirably to the time and means at the grower’s disposal. The man of means who can employ many skilled gardeners will find a rock-garden of quite as absorbing interest as a range of hothouses filled with exotics; of infinitely greater interest if he explores the slopes and recesses of Alpine regions and brings home his plants as the prizes of his own trowel. But the cultivation of Alpines is pre-eminently the thing for the owner of a small garden. If I possessed one square yard of soil, and no more, I would not plant on it a Laurel or Laurustinus; I should make it into an Alpine garden and have a score of interesting plants instead of one. Here I had better say what an Alpine is. Definitions, as we know, are sometimes difficult, and I cannot pretend to give such a definition as will enable one to decide in every case whether a given plant is an Alpine or not; but for practical purposes it is possible to say nearly enough what an Alpine is. An Alpine is, properly speaking, a mountain plant. For the most part, Alpines are of small stature. The regions they in- habit are swept by violent and nipping winds, and if they raise 1 2 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. their heads there is trouble for them in the air, therefore an instinct, the accumulated experience of many generations, tells them to he low and hug the warm ground. In most Alpines modifications of the tissues occur in order to protect them against the rigours of high altitudes; in one it is a thickening of the leaf, in another a growth of down, in many a combina- tion of the two. A large proportion of Alpines are céespitose, that is, they grow into a compact matted turf, and it is this neat turfy habit, combined with their lovely shades of colour, ranging from silver-grey through emerald to bronze, that gives Fig. 1. Leontopodium alpinum—Edelweiss. (Photo by D. S. Fish.) to such plants a charm all the year round, a charm which belongs to plants of more straggling growth only at certain seasons. But though a sturdy squatness and spareness of habit is characteristic of the Alpine flora, there are many Alpines ample enough in their dimensions. Some of our most handsome shrubs, such as Rhododendron ferrugimeum and many of the New Zealand Veronicas, for example, are mountain plants. There are also numerous dwarf-growing herbaceous plants, not Alpines in the strict meaning of the term, that are frequently cultivated along with real Alpines. These plants are often found in Alpine meadows and valleys, sometimes in bogs, and even at the seashore. As a rule, they are easier to grow and are of more rampant ALPINE PLANTS. 3 growth than true Alpines, consequently when associated with them they require careful. watching lest they overshadow and choke them, but both kinds grow well together if this precau- tion is taken. It might be supposed that growing on the high, exposed, bleak portions of the earth, Aipines would show the Fig. 2. Primula sikkimensis, N. India, 12,000 to 17,000 feet. (Photo by D. S. Fish.) same parsimony in bloom that they do in other parts of the plant. Nature, however, for reasons of her own, has not so ordered it. No doubt amongst Alpines there are many cases of inconspicuous inflorescence, where Nature has sufficiently ensured reproduc- tion without any obtrusive display of colour. But in a large proportion of Alpines the size of the flower is out of all pro- + ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. portion to the size of the plant, while the colours are often rich and even dazzling. The Alpine Pink (Dianthus alpinus) has foliage very little higher than the grass on a mown lawn, ° but each stem produces a glowing pink flower as large as a florin; and again, the large azure cup of Gentianella rises from a plant that is little higher than a lichen. It frequently happens, however, that the blossom is as diminutive as the plant which carries it; but in that case profusion of bloom often makes up for what the flowers lack in individual size, a kind of compensation very specially noticeable in such families of Fig. 3. Anemone alpina—Alpine Windflower. (Photo by D. 8S. Fish.) plants as the Silenes, Saxifrages, and Sedums, in some of which one can scarcely see the leaves for flowers. The question of the cultivation of Alpines resolves itself into one of soil, position, and shelter. In respect of soil, for the great majority of Alpines depth and mechanical condition are of more importance than its chemical pro- perties. Most Alpines have long roots, out of all proportion to the size of the part above ground. Nature has found it necessary to give to the wildings which she places in her arid slopes and cliffs long wiry roots that can strike down till they reach perennial sources of moisture. One has only to dig up a Hepatica or a Hellebore in order to understand the O1 ALPINE PLANTS. immense development of root that may be necessary to com- paratively small plants, therefore let the soil for Alpines be deep. Also let it be well drained; for though everyone who has explored Alpine or sub-Alpine country knows that bogs are of frequent occurrence there, and that the bog vegetation is of the greatest interest, yet the great bulk of our Alpines crow in situations where, however plentiful the supply of moisture, the drainage is perfect. As to the chemical character of the soil to be used, that will depend on what it is desired to grow. Some Alpines are fastidious as to soil, and part of the interest in growing these plants lies in the very difficulty of meeting their requirements. Some Alpines like peat, some grit, some limestone, and those who grow Alpines on a large scale take care to provide suitable soil for such fastidious subjects. But most Alpines grow well in ordinary garden soil, provided it is deep enough and open enough. Soil that is open and gritty will grow most things well, whereas soil, however deep, that cakes and cracks on the surface, and in wet weather has the consistency of dough, will grow little that is more delicately rooted than a Horse Radish. Of equal importance to the question of soil is that of exposure. As there are plants that require particular soils, so there are plants that require particular exposures, where they can get the morning sun, or the afternoon sun, or no sun at all; but my own experience is that most flowering plants are happiest with abundance of air and sunshine, therefore it is safe to construct the Alpine garden in an exposed place where no shadows from trees will fall upon it. The ideal spot for the Alpine garden would be a rocky slope, such as one may see in any Alpine district, where the rocks jut out from a deep and friable soil, affording numerous nooks and niches in which the Alpines may le snugly sheltered from the wind, and catch every drop of rain and every beam of sunshine. It is Nature that the cultivator of Alpines would fain imitate when he makes his rock-work, large or small; but it is a hbellous imitation in most cases, a caricature of Nature to be deprecated rather than encouraged; yet in growing Alpines, in whatever kind of soil, there is much virtue in a stone. To be con- vinced of this, one has only to note how the long roots of a delicate Alpine will hug the stone beside which it is planted, and there is an overground as well as an underground use for stones, for 4) ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. Fig. 4. Steep rock-work bank at Kaimes Lodge, Murrayfield. (Photo by P. M. Thomson.) ALPINE PLANTS. 7 the slight protection which they give above ground is just the protection the plant requires to make it thrive, to say nothing of the fact that the leaves and stems, as well as the roots, of many plants love to follow the surface of a stone. Further, the rock- work system of growing Alpines has this advantage also that it enables the cultivator to protect the weaker and more delicate, and therefore more precious, Alpines from an invasion of their coarser neighbours. For one Alpine that is lost through unsuit- ability of soil and exposure, ten are lost through being Fig. 5. Primula nivalis of gardens, (Photo by D. S. Fish.) throttled by some rampant Crucifer or Composite neighbour ; therefore it is a useful protection to a tender Alpine to be fenced with a stone wall of its own, beyond which no neighbour may encroach. But in yvrowing Alpines, care should be taken that the stones are used to grow the Alpines, aud that the Alpines are not used merely as an adjunct to the stones. The main consideration should be that as the rockery is to be the home of living plants nothing should be allowed to interfere with their ultimate development. If one has abundant means at command, one may aim at 8 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. making a miniature facsimile of the real rocks and mountains, otherwise this slavish imitation should be left severely alone, and the aim should rather be to hide the stonework as much as possible with the living green plants. Hundreds of pretty and interesting Alpines may be grown without any special Alpine garden. The formal and stiff box edging, not a very attractive thing in itself, however neatly kept, occupies in many gardens space which would hold quite a large collection of Alpines. A Fig. 6. Sempervivum arachnoideum Laggeri. Photo by D. S. Fish.) stone or tile edging is not in itself so neat, perhaps, as a well-kept box or ivy edging, but when the stone or tile is planted with a varied collection of minute compact-growing Alpines-——Sedums, Saxifrages, Gentians, etc.—the edging becomes one of the most interesting things in the garden. By utilising this waste space, even the smallest garden may have its assortment of interesting Alpines. Where, however, an Alpine garden is constructed, a supply of good porous stone is very desirable. At the same time it is necessary to remember that such construction is in no respect essential to the successful cultivation of Alpines, and ALPINE PLANTS. 9 that they may be grown to perfection without the aid of rock- work at all. They may be grown very successfully in pots; indeed, some of the finest Alpines I ever saw were grown in pots, and the exhibits of Alpines we see at our flower shows from time to time abundantly testify that they may be grown to perfection in this way. Yet there is much need for improve- ment, particularly in the choice of plants for exhibition. How frequently does one see a good collection of Alpines spoiled by the inclusion of one or more tender plants. Primula verticillata seems to be a common offender in this respect, and as there are hundreds of good hardy Alpines to choose from, there is no excuse for this practice. It may be of use, therefore, to append a list of suitable Alpines for cultivating for exhibition in pots. These are so numerous that it is difficult to make a selection without leaving out many good things. No attempt will be made to make an exhaustive list; those interested in this form of horticulture will have no difti- culty in adding hundreds of other choice plants to it. The hybridist has been here, as elsewhere, and has evolved out of the raw material many of the best and most useful plants for the rock garden—Aubrietias, Campanulas, Helianthemums, Phloxes, Saxifrages, etc., have in turn afforded good results. If the hybridist has not been able in all cases to improve the individual flower to any great extent—we must remember that some of them can hardly be improved upon— he has in many cases given us hybrids much easier to cultivate (being to the manner born, so to speak) than are the pure species, and there can be no question that their value in adorning the rockery is great indeed. Further, the beauty of Alpines is by no means confined to the flower of the plant. In many cases the flower holds but a secondary place to beautiful foliage or character of growth. Many Saxifrages and Sempervivums illustrate what is meant. In whatever way Alpines may be grown, whether on ruck-work, in the open borders, or in pots, the necessity for frequently dividing and thus increasing the stock should never be lost sight of, as most plants, when allowed to remain in the same spot for a long time, will be found to deteriorate and ultimately die out altogether. In some cases this mode of increase will not be possible; then recourse must be had to cuttings, or even to grafting; but the best way of all is by raising plants from 10 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. seed, whenever it can be obtained. Not only is it the most natural method of increasing the stock, but we have the chance of getting, by natural selection, improved varieties better fitted in some respects than their parents to withstand the Fig. 7. Helianthemum. (Photo by D. 8. Fish.) rigours of our uncertain climate. Besides, seedlings are usually stronger, and therefore better able to stand. By one or other of these means a supply of vigorous young plants may be obtained, to take the places of older plants that may become exhausted or worn: out. A large number of Alpines are of com- paratively easy culture, but there are a few that refuse to ALPINE PLANTS. ital be tamed, which seem always to go from bad to worse, and are never presentable for two seasons together. Of these, Fig. 8. Saxifraga ‘‘ Dr. Ramsay,” Saxifraga M‘Nabiana x , Saxifraga lantoscana superba, (Photo by D. 8. Fish.) Gentiana bavarica and Eritrichium nanum may be cited as examples. 12. ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. List oF PLANTS FOR A ROCKERY. Those marked thus * Adonis pyrenaica, vernalis. Alyssum saxatile and varieties. *Androsace carnea and varieties. *“Chumbyi. *coronopifolia. “lanuginosa, *sarmentosa, *villosa. Anemone alpina, apennina. blanda and varieties. Hepatica and varieties. nemorosa and varieties. ranunculoides. Arabis albida, fl. pl. Arenaria montana. balearica. laricifolia. * Arnebia echioides. *Asperula cynanchica. *hirta. *nitida. Aster alpinus and varieties. Astragalus alpinus, Atragene alpina, Aubrietia deltoidea and varieties. Bruckenthalia spiculifolia. *Bryanthus erectus. Calluna vulgaris and varieties. *Campanula abietina. barbata, *oarganica and varieties. *pulla. turbinata and varieties. *Casslope fastigiata. tetragona. speciosum and varieties. *Cheiranthus Allioni, alpinus. *Chionodoxa Lucilie and _ varie- ties. “Colchicum autumnale and _ varie- ties. *Cornus canadensis. Crocus Boryi. Imperati. speciosus. vernus and varieties. a ( Cyananthus lobatus. Cyclamen Coum, *europeum *“Cytisus Ardoini. “decumbens. “Daphne alpina, Cneorum. are suitable for Pots. *Dianthus alpinus. * Atkinsoni. Fischeri. integer. “neglectus, *Draba Aizoon. *Mawil. “pyrenaica. *Dryas octopetala. *Kdraianthus serpyllifolia. *Epilobium obcordatum, Erica carnea and varieties. australis. ramulosa, “Krigeron aurantiacus. *Erinus alpinus and varieties. *BRrodium Reichardi. Galanthus nivalis and varieties, Gentiana acaulis. asclepiadea, *septemfida cordifolia, “verna, *Globularia cordifolia. “nana. Helianthemum vulgare and varieties. fo) Hippocrepis comosa. *Hutchinsia alpina. * Hypericum nummulariun. verticillatum, *Tberis correefolia and varieties. petra. suxatilis and varieties. “Tris cristata, “iberica. reticulata and varieties. verna. *Leontopodium alpinum, Leuecojum vernum aud variety. Linaria alpina. origanifolia, “Linum alpinum. campanulatum, *salsoloides. *“Lychnis alpina. Viscaria and varieties. Menziesia empetriformis, Mertensia primuloides Mimulus Burnettii. *Mitella cordifolia, *Morisia hypogiea, Myosotis alpestris. * Muscari armeniacum. Narcissus poeticus and varieties. Pseudo-narcissus and varieties. triandrus and varieties. ALPINE (Hnothera marginata, Olearia nummularifolia, Ononis rotundifolia, Onosma taurica, “Oxalis enneaphylla. *Papaver alpinum. Pentstemon Menziesi. procerum. Scouleri. Phlox amcena. setacea and varieties. *Potentilla alchemilloides. formosa. “nitida. Leschenaultiana, lanuginosa. *Polygala Chamebuxus. *Polygonum vaccinifolium. Pratia angulata. Primula. *calycina, *capitata. *carniolica, ‘ciliata purpurata and varieties. decora. *denticulata and varieties. *Dinyana. *Forsterl, *frondosa. “hirsuta and varieties, “marginata and varieties. “minima and varieties, *rosea and varieties. “scotica, *Sieboldi and varieties, *venusta, Ramondia pyrenaica, Rhododendron ferrugineum. lepidotum, Kamtchaticum., Rhodothamnus Chamecistus. *Saponaria ocymoides, Saxifraga apiculata, *aretioides and varieties. *Burseriana and varieties. *calyciflora. PLANTS. ilps Saxifraga Cotyledon and varieties. lantoscana and varieties. *oppositifolia and varieties. *porophylla, Rheii and varieties. *squarrosa, valdensis. *Willkommiana. Scabiosa Pterocephala. Scilla bifolia and varieties. sibirica and varieties. *Sedum cyaneum, *“pulchellum. *rupestre. spectabile. *Sempervivum Hookerii. *arachnoideum. “arenarium. *montanum., “triste. *Silene acaulis and varieties. alpestris. *Pumilo. Schafta, *Soldanella montana, *Synthyris reniformis, “Teucrium pyrenaicum. *Thymus Serpylum and varieties. * Trifolium alpinum, uniflorum. Trillium grandiflorum. Trollius. *acaulis. europeus and varieties Veronica Armstrongii. Fairfieldii. cupressoides. Hectori *“linifolia. pimeleoides. lycopodioides. *alauco-cerulea rupestris. salicornioides. saxatilis and varieties. Vinea herbacea. HYBRIDISATION. By Joun H. Witson, D.Sc., F.R.S.E., Lecturer in Agriculture, St Andrews University. \EFLECTIONS. Ir is one of the privileges of a hybridist’s life that his work so often by its very nature leads beyond the confines of strictly utilitarian and commercial matters to the realm of reflection and philosophic speculation. He deals with the living plant. As time goes on, he becomes more and more familiar with what, in a well-worn figure of speech, is termed the mechanism of the flower. The similarity of function, if not in structure, existing between plants and animals becomes daily more obvious to him. He cannot be long engaged observing the habits of plants until he comes to realise “how akin they are to human things.” One of the most interesting reflections bearing on plant improvement is that made occasionally to the hybridist by good folks who retain remnants of pre-Darwinian philosophy, such as led our worthy forefathers to abjure the introduction of fanners to winnow the grain as being, in their opinion, an interference with providential means of securing the same object by waiting on a fair wind to blow through the barn door. Oftener than once we have heard the suggestion pretty plainly put that it was an intervention with the ways of Providence to attempt to change the forms of plants. We are afraid that a famous Californian hybridist had never had such a suggestion made to him, else he would have paused before issuing his fine catalogue of new cross-bred plants under the title of “New Creations.” But what would our gardens and fields be full of to-day if we had reasoned ourselves into the belef that we should leave plants as we find them? The answer is briefly, Weeds. Even although we were debarred from practising the hybridist’s art, the mere cultivation of the wild plants in the garden would HYBRIDISATION. 15 most certainly in time bring about changes in their appearance and nature. Without improvement deliberately carried out by the hand of man, what would our Apples, Gooseberries, and the great majority of garden fruits be like, and where would our Pansies and Auriculas be? Moreover, when did improvement of plants useful to man begin? Who can point for certain to the truly wild Wheat or Oat ? Although in a dim way recognised by the ancients, it is only in comparatively recent times that the functions of the floral organs have been clearly demonstrated, and the possibilities of improvement by crossing suggested. The revelation has not been sudden, but by long and laborious investigation and experiment. Obdurate dogmatism has had to be overcome and contorted vision of plain facts corrected. Every child at school is nowadays made familiar with the structure and general funetions of the flower. The hybridist now works with absolute freedom, no barriers being set to his achievements save those that Nature herself has set. Another reflection one sometimes hears expressed, and one well worth expressing, is that some plants cannot be improved upon. Or, again, the hope may find utterance that nobody will attempt to cross this or that. There are plants which, no doubt, have attained so near to what is considered the perfection of beauty that it does seem presumptuous to try to improve on them. It were hard to add grace or beauty of colour to the Purple Foxglove, or give an added modesty or pleasanter perfume to the Primrose. NEw. INTRODUCTIONS. We are unspeakably indebted to travellers for the intro- duction of beautiful and useful plants from foreign countries. Every garden of any size in our country contains the lovely wildings of other climes, those from temperate regions being grown in the open, and those from sub-tropical or tropical regions under glass. While many plants, both native and foreign, introduced into cultivation are undeniably fine, perhaps an equal number of them are susceptible of improve- ment in the eyes of the plant-breeder. Some get a cordial welcome on account of being suitable for the purpose of improving plants already in cultivation. We may here recall 16 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. experiments carried out by us a good many years ago. A Gladiolus was sent to us from South Africa. It was found wild there. No doubt if one could have seen it in the veldt it would have been pronounced to be in perfect accord with its surroundings. But when fiowered in the garden at home it compared unfavourably with its domesticated neighbours. Its perianth did not open out well, and the colour consisted of crimson flakes and speckles on a rather dull yellowish back- ground. In short, it did not conform well to the ideal garden Gladiolus. By crossing with other gladioli the characters of the Cape species were modified, but, on the other hand, it was found to be unsuitable for crossing with varieties already in favour, with the view to their improvement. UNASSISTED CROSSES. It is a well-known circumstance that crossing occurs in nature. A natural hybrid of common occurrence is that between the Primrose and Cowslip, the resultant plant being indistinguishable from the Oxlip. The hybrid shows many intermediate characters in shape, colour, and time of flowering. Another and even more familiar wild hybrid is Gewm dnter- medium. It is often met with in one’s country rambles. Its parents are the Water Avens (Geum rivale) aud Herb-Bennet (Geum urbanum). In some groups, as in Willows, Roses, etc., natural crossing is so prevalent as to lead to confusion and trouble in classification. Seeing that such events happen in the open, it is not surprising that crossing should take place among the more carefully protected plants of the garden. It is highly probable that many good things have been lost through the garden being hoed and eleaned too assiduously. Among many ex- amples which might be named, we may specially refer to the now very familiar Logan Berry (fig. 1), a cross between a Bramble and a Raspberry which sprang up in a private garden in California. An interesting hybrid was noticed by the late Professor Henslow in his garden at Cambridge in 1831. Its parents were obviously Digitalis lutea and D. purpurea (the Purple Foxglove), both of which were cultivated in the garden. The same cross has occurred spontaneously elsewhere. We have HYBRIDISATION. EV) repeated the cross deliberately, and found the hybrid plant to agree closely with the description given of the above. The hybrid, although less massive, is, when at its best, not without a good deal of the stately mien of the Foxglove. The flowers (fig. 2, 6) are smaller, and are borne in great profusion. It is somewhat puzzling to find the plant so distinctly perennial. An explanation in part is afforded by the fact that it never bears seed. The capsules swell and give great promise of seed, Fig. 1. Logan Berry. but the promise is not fulfilled. There is thus no drain on the streneth of the plant, such as its parents are subjected to, both bearing a large quantity of seed. The one parent is usually biennial, the other persists for a few years, but not nearly so long as the hybrid. Such, at anyrate, has been the case with our plants. Inability to bear seed is a common characteristic of cross-bred plants. PopuLaR DELUSIONS. Speaking of Foxgloves, one is reminded of the astonishing announcement repeatedly made in the public prints that a cross 9 18 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. Fig, 2. a. Digitalis lutea: c, D. purpurea; b, Hybrid. co) Fig. 8. Floral monstrosity (peloria) of Foxglove. HYBRIDISATION, 19 has been found between a Foxglove and a Canterbury Bell, the latter being a Campanula. Such a cross is held by all botanists to be an utter impossibility, because the plants stand so far apart in genealogical relationship. It would be equally impos- sible, we would suppose, to cross the Apple and the Orange, or the Gooseberry and the Grape. The bell-like “flower” borne by the Foxglove occurs at the top of the inflorescence, all the Fig. 4. Flower of Strawberry-Raspberry. flowers beneath it being of the ordinary glove-finger shape (fig. 3). It ig easy to see that the great bell at the top is composed of a number of flowers fused together, but how this happens has never been satisfactorily explained. Another popular delusion, and one of more recent origin, has reference to the so-called Strawberry-Raspberry (figs. 4, 5). The Bramble and Raspberry are quite closely related, but it is a different matter with the Strawberry and Raspberry. Although they fall under the same great family of the Roses, they are 20 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. essentially distinct in habit, and in form of flower and fruit. Botanists refer them to separate genera. Experience has shown, however, that the arbitrary lmits imposed by generic distinction may now and again be passed, bigeneric hybrids being the result. In a conversation we had with Mr Luther Burbank at Santa Rosa, California, we learned that he had succeeded in crossing such genera as Lilium and Trillium, and Amaryllis and Crinum, as well as the Strawberry and Rasp- berry. Referring to the last, Mr Burbank states that “out of Fig. 5. Fruit of Strawberry-Raspberry. seven or eight hundred of these curious hybrids, not one has ever produced a berry, though blooming with the greatest profusion.” The plants produced canes which were thornless or nearly so, and the leaves were invariably trifoliate. The plant in the market under the name of the Strawhberry-Rasp- berry is a pure species (Rubus rosefolius, syn., sorbifolius), and native of China and Japan. It is not without features which one would associate with the cross inferred by its popular name. One lesson connected with the story of the plant is, that grant- ing reasonable limits of consanguinity, we cannot be at all sure what will cross until we try. HYBRIDISATION. 21 ({OOSEBERRY CROSSES. It was long considered impossible to cross the Black Currant with the Gooseberry. This has been accomplished oftener than once in recent years. Our own experiment was quite successful. The hybrid plants bear a multitude of flowers (fig. 6), and are diligently visited by bees, but fruit with us is an extremely scarce commodity. There is reason to believe that they can by some means be brought to bear more freely. It is not un- Fig. 6. Flowering shoot of Black-currant-Gooseberry hybrid. (Block lent by Royal Horticultural Society, vol. xxiv. Jour. R. H. S., fig. 78.) interesting to find that the leaves are in great favour with the Gooseberry Sawfly caterpillar. Another cross of ours in the same family is of even greater interest, viz. that having the Gooseberry and Flowering Currant as parents. Our plant shows the blending of both distinctly (fig. 7). Itis now a fine strong bush, but is evidently determined to be in no hurry even to flower. It would be rash, however, to hold that it will never flower. In illustration of this remark, we would point to a hybrid between the Sweet Briar and Burnet Rose which grew with us on its own roots for some ten years 22 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. before it flowered. Its first effort to flower was disappointing, but its second, accomplished during the past summer of 1904, was productive of a fine mass of bloom and a large number of hips. GRAFT HYBRIDISATION. The hybrids we have referred to have all been produced by fertilisation of the flower of one kind of plant with the pollen Fig. 7. «, leaf of Flowering Currant ; c¢, leaf of Gooseberry ; b, leaves of Hybrid. of another; but it is well that we should mention another method which has sometimes brought about similar results, viz. the grafting of one kind on another. The most interesting of all graft hybrids is the widely distributed Laburnum (Cytisus) Adami. It is stated to be the accidental outcome of budding the dwarf, shrubby, purple-flowered Cytisus purpureus on a stock of Common Laburnum. This happened in France over seventy years ago. There arose in the neighbourhood of the junction a shoot which bore flowers resembling Laburnum ones, but reddish in colour (fig. 8,4). From this shoot have sprung HYBRIDISATION, 23 all the plants of Adam’s Laburnum in cultivation. Propagation is usually effected by grafting or budding it on the Common Laburnum. In place, however, of the crown of the grafted tree becoming a mass of Adam’s Laburnum, there may, and do often, appear shoots of both the originals, that is, Common Laburnum Fig. 8. a, Flowering branch of Cytisus purpureus ; c, inflorescence of Common ’ Laburnum ; 0, inflorescence of Adam’s Laburnum. and Cytisus purpureus, pure and simple. The latter forms dense tufts of twigs which look not unlike “ witches’ brooms” or masses of mistletoe. The originals in that position bear seed which, when sown, reproduces the respective species on their own roots; the hybrid produces only imperfect seed, incapable of germination. The Common Laburnum is naturally the strongest partner, and in many cases the other two members of the company disappear from the composite tree altogether. 24 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. MENDEL’S THEORY. Up till five years ago the art of hybridising was in a larger measure than now empirical. General principles were, of course, obvious enough, and were followed faithfully by many workers, otherwise we could not have had the truly fine results now instanced in every garden. A new light, however, has been shed on the problems of heredity, as evidenced by hybridisation. We refer to the outcome of the labours of Gregor Mendel, Abbot of Briinn. His investigations were carried on in the garden of the convent. The results were published in a periodical so seldom referred to that they lay hidden there for over thirty years. Mendel worked out his theory for the most part with varieties of peas. He showed that there are well-defined principles exhibited by many hybrid plants in respect of the variation appearing in the progeny, In simple cases, as, for instance, when a hybrid plant is self- fertilised, the progeny of that plant will exhibit characters by which it is possible to pick out a certain number which can be relied on to breed true. Moreover, in the light of the principies enunciated, the lines of variation can so far be anticipated. It is certain that the facts reached will become of very general application in the routine work of the commercial hybridist. Where the hybrids are sterile, or where they are best per- petuated by cuttings or other vegetative parts, the question of variation may, of course, be neglected. In illustration of this class of hybrids we may instance Potatoes, many of which, although raised from seed, refuse to bear seed in their turn, or they may even fail to bear flowers. It is usually of no advantage to a variety of Potato that it should bear flowers. Most Potatoes, like a lady famous in Scottish song, are blessed with a “lang pedigree.” This is rendered patent when crosses between distinct varieties are effected. A cross of ours, between a red variety and a white one, resulted in plants which bore respectively purple, red, pink-eyed, and white tubers. Again, in the case of a white one being crossed with another white one, varieties appeared, which probably showed what some of the early progenitors were like, but which the market grower has no use for at the present day. HYBRIDISATION. 25 EXPERIENCES, A suggestion made by the uninitiated that plant-breeding runs the risk of being overdone, is not likely to be realised just yet. From a scientific standpoint the work is exacting, and can be followed out by comparatively few. From the economic side one finds that more than the ordinary endowment of patience and perseverance is required to bring results of any real value to full fruition. Almost any hybrid is of interest to science, but special features are needed to fit a plant to make its way in the market, where its merits are measured, not by the number of theoretical points it illustrates, but in terms of the coin of the realm. It may be worth while to refer here to experiences encountered by beginners in crossing. Mistakes arise through ignorance of fundamental facts of floral biology. On one occasion we were told of quite a galaxy of crosses in a line we had followed. A request for samples disclosed the fact that there was not a single cross in the lot. Another mistake lies in counting the chickens before they are hatched. In experimenting with Passion-tlowers, for instance, one finds beautiful plump fruit, full of promise of new things. When they are opened all that one may find inside is air, Again, there is danger in relying too implicitly on seed saved of supposed crosses. It may never germinate, or the seedlings may die off early. The seed sown may grow and produce plants which, to one’s dismay, may reproduce faithfully the characters of the seed parent, self-fertilisation having occurred somehow. In ordinary cases considerable care has to be taken to obviate the possibility of self-fertilisation, or insect pollination. Some hybridists, rather than take the trouble to protect the flowers worked with, prefer to spend the time in pollinating a larger number ot flowers. This method has its disadvantages. Occasion is almost certain to arise for severe weeding out of seedlings, or for making larger bonfires of what is commonly called “yubbish.” It is a mistake to cross everything that happens to be about. For advancement one should choose the finest forms only, and with definite intention. One plant will be calculated to give improvement in size, another in colour, another in quality, 26 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. and so on. The blending of certain colours, good in themselves, may result in quite undesirable shades. Size may be sacrificed to substance, or beauty to fertility. THE Hypripist’s Hops. Where it is possible to carry on the work satisfactorily, the hybridist’s calling is undoubtedly an attractive one. There is a constant possibility of something turning up which will widen the bounds of human knowledge or add to the material interests of mankind. Such successes occur often enough to keep enthusiasm going. At present a stronger wave than usual is passing over us. The hybridist’s hope has been recently voiced by two outstanding workers. Mr Burbank, in a paper read at the International Plant-Breeding Conference, held at New York, says: “ Plant-breeding is in its earliest infancy. Its possibilities, and even its fundamental principles, are understood but by few; in the past it has been mostly dabbling with tremendous forces, which have been only partially appreciated, and it has yet to approach the precision which we expect in the handling of steam or electricity, and notwith- standing the occasional sneers of the ignorant, these silent forces embodied in plant life have yet a part to play in the regeneration of the race which, by comparison, will dwarf into insignificance the services which steam and electricity have so far given.” Mr W. Bateson, F.R.S., in his Presidential Address at the recent meeting of the British Association, touch- ing on the same theme, said: “We may truly say that even our present knowledge of heredity, limited as it is, will be found of extraordinary use. Though only a beginning has been made, the powers of the breeder of plants and animals are vastly increased. Breeding is the greatest industry to which science has ever yet been applied.” ROSES PAST AND PRESENT? By the late Hucu Dickson, Royal Nurseries, Belfast. No flower has withstood the vagaries of fashion like the Rose. In the early fifties Roses were quite as popular as they are to-day. In those days, and probably for many years before my time, the Camellia was perhaps the most popular flower grown, and certainly it is one of the choicest of Nature’s gifts. But fashion has now relegated the Camellia to the background, on the plea that it is stiff and formal, and wanting in grace— strictures which have been passed upon it often by those who have no title to criticise in matters floricultural. No critic, however, has had the fortitude to assail the Rose; no one questions its right to the title “ Queen of Flowers.” Fifty years ago Roses were, as at present, divided into sections, and probably as many varieties were grown then as now. The largest section at that time was the Gallicas. These were of French extraction, and they included many beautiful varieties, notably ‘ Boula de Nanteuil’ and Peacock’s beautiful strain of ‘Louis Quatorze, two fine crimson Roses. The Gallicas, however, were not as a rule strong growers, and propagation was slow. Another section in vogue then was the Hybrid Bourbons: These were better growers than the Gallicas, and the best varieties were ‘Charles Lawson, sent out by Messrs P. Lawson & Son in 1855, ‘ Coupe @Hébé, and ‘ Paul Ricaut.’ The Hybrid Chinas, represented by ‘ Blairii, ‘Chénédolé, and ‘Madame Plantier, in those days occupied a prominent position in all our winning stands, but owing to their being only summer- flowering types, they have been superseded by other and better kinds. Hybrid Chinas are still, however, to be found in old- fashioned gardens. Fifty years ago the Tea Roses were as great favourites as ‘ Read at a meeting of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, July 1900 ; revised for publication, 1904. 28 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. they are now, and although supposed to be a little tender they, strange to say, have held their position as well as any other section. We had then ‘Niphetos, with its beautiful paper-white buds, ‘Safrano, ‘Madame Bravy,’ ‘ Devoniensis,’ and ‘Souvenir d’un Ami, and these fine old sorts are still a power in the Tea section. Chinas were popular in the fifties, and for bedding and general decoration they are still indispensable. These have been improved very considerably by the introduction of new varieties, notably ‘Madame Laurette Messimy, ‘Madame Eugene Resal,’ ‘Queen Mab, ‘Jean Bach Sisley,’ and several others. The Austrian Briars have undergone little change, nothing having been added to this section from 1837 to 1900, but in the last-named year M. Pernet-Ducher’s ‘Soleil d’Or’ came as a welcome break. During the last century the Mosses have made no advance. The old Pink Moss, dating from 1596, has never yet been excelled, and, in bud, it still remains the best Moss Rose. Like the Mosses, the old Provence Roses, which for sweetness of perfume are excelled by none, have no change to record. The Bourbons, great favourites in my early days, are now almost extinct, with the exception of those fine old garden sorts, ‘Souvenir de la Malmaison’ and ‘ Acidalie.’ Half a century ago the Hybrid Perpetuals were little more than in their infancy; but their many good properties, especially their free and perpetual flowering habit, and their delicious per- ‘fume, gave them a position which was soon recognised by Rose enthusiasts, consequently they rapidly grew in public favour, and soon assumed the premier position. The leading varieties then in commerce were ‘Géant des Batailles,’ a variety which caused quite a sensation for years, ‘Lord Raglan, ‘ Louis Peyronny,’ ‘Prince Léon,’ ‘Madame Vidot, and ‘Madame Rivers.’ These are now nearly all gone, having served their day and generation. In those days the mode of propagation was not calculated to foster or encourage rose-growing. All, or nearly all, were propagated from layers. Large “stool” grounds had a place in every nursery—Messrs Lawson had several acres—and from these were taken every autumn thousands of rooted, or rather ROSES PAST AND PRESENT. 29 partially rooted, plants. Many of these were weak and poor, and as a result a very large percentage died the first year after planting, only those of vigorous growth succeeding, Rose-budding was not much practised then. There were no Manetti, seedling Briar, and cutting Briar “stocks,” such as we now work, The Manetti, although it had been in England for twenty years, had at that time scarcely reached Scotland. The cutting and seeding Briars, as at present handled, were unknown. The only budding done was on standard Briars taken from the hedgerows, and then, as now, the number of sorts which succeeded as standards was very limited. When I left Edinburgh in 1855 I took with me a hundred plants of the best Roses I knew (all from layers), and a hundred small Manetti stocks. These I planted at Newtownards, the home of my boyhood, and after many years of careful work there I established from this slender stock the “Great Irish 2088.” I cannot leave this part of my subject without referring to two of my old masters—John Duguid, of Messrs Lawson & Sons, one of Scotland’s best authorities on Roses, who taught me my A B C in rose-growing, and who was one of the most systematic nurserymen I ever knew; and John Lamont, of Messrs Dickson & Sons, for whose many acts of kindness I shall ever retain a grateful remembrance. As there is no standing still in the floral world, so there is no monotony in the labours of the persevering and keen florist. Disappointments, no doubt, frequently occur, but these are softened by the introduction every year of new varieties which raise fresh hopes and add additional incentives to our labour of love. Those who have pursued the laborious, often rough and disappointing, paths of competition know well that the goal of their ambition is not reached without “hard earning.” The Roses of the past decade have undoubtedly been the Hybrid Perpetuals. They meet everyday wants and require- ments, they are hardy, and with ordinary care will succeed anywhere, though no doubt the better they are treated the better will the results be. The majority of the new Roses in this section emanated from French sources; but occasionally English introductions, such as Messrs Paul’s great success 30) ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. ‘Duke of Edinburgh, which appeared in 1868, were recorded. The French introductions, however, became most unsatisfactory and disappointing, and for a time progress was slow. About 1880, Mr Bennett, an English farmer near Salisbury, who knew something about crossing Shorthorn cattle, but little or nothing about Roses, conceived the idea that he could cross Roses, and in a very short time he came to the front as a raiser, putting our great English Rose growers in the shade. His suc- cesses were marvellous, and several of his introductions, such as ‘Her Majesty,’ ‘Mrs John Laing,’ and ‘ Captain Hayward,’ were enough to make his name immortal among rosarians. About this time also Messrs Alex. Dickson & Son, of Newtownards, brought Ireland forward as one of the leading centres for new Roses, their introductions to the Hybrid Perpetual section— ‘Earl Dufferin,” ‘Helen Keller,’ ‘Mrs Sharman Crawford, and ‘Margaret Dickson’—being marvels of hybridisation; and to the list must be added Messrs Cocker’s fine Rose ‘ Mrs Cocker,’ Messrs Cant’s ‘Ben Cant, and my own seedling ‘Hugh Dickson, all of which have received the hall-mark of the National Rose Society—their coveted gold medal. The Hybrid Tea section is an entirely new creation. The first mention of this as a separate section occurs in 1884, and it then contained six varieties, of which two only are now generally grown. The Hybrid Teas resulted from crossing of the Hybrid Perpetuals and Teas, and as a class they bid fair in a few years to outdistance all others. Their long pointed buds show the Tea character, and the delicate tinting and increased vigour the admixture of the Hybrid Perpetual, and the finest of the introductions in future may be looked for in this section. Marvellous strides have been made in improving the habit and growth, as well as the flower, of this type. ‘Mrs W. J. Grant, ‘Killarney, ‘Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, ‘ Marquise Litta, and ‘Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, are some of the loveliest of the Roses belonging to this attractive section. Since this paper was written the Hybrid Tea section has received some splendid additions, far surpassing anything which was anticipated even at that date. Such results are marvels of skill in hybridisation, and open up possibilities undreamed of but a few years ago. France, England, Ireland, and Germany have contributed to this list of beautiful Roses, and we are only now at ROSES PAST AND PRESENT. oil the flood-tide. ‘Liberty, ‘Madame Ravary, ‘ Bessie Brown,’ ‘Caroline Testout,’ ‘Helene Guillot, ‘J. B. Clark,’ ‘Lady Quartus Ewart, ‘Dean Hole, ‘Madame Abel Chatenay,’ ‘Etoile de France,” ‘Mildred Grant, ‘Madame Jules Grolez,’ ‘Dorothy, ‘Frau Lila Rautenstraugh, and many others of equal merit must convince all careful observers that the Hybrid Tea is the Rose of the future. The Polyantha section has been enormously enlarged and greatly enriched of recent years, especially in the climbing kinds. The now well-known ‘Crimson Rambler, the pioneer of this glorious race of hardy pillar Roses, which slipped through the fingers of Scotch growers, and was eventually sent out via London (it was in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh for years before it reached England), has been succeeded by such valuable sorts as ‘Leuchtstern, ‘ Aglaia,” ‘Gardenieflora, ‘Gruss an Zabern, and ‘ Queen Alexandra.’ The Japanese Losa rugosa and its varieties are from the point of view of the general cultivator plants of comparatively recent date. Where plenty of room can be given to them they are excellent subjects for the shrubbery, to which they properly belong. The finest of the newer varieties are ‘ Belle Poitevine, ‘ Blanche Double de Coubert, ‘Madame Georges Bruant,’ and ‘Conrad F. Meyer.’ Of the many species of Roses available for the wild garden, few are more beautiful than the delightful Hybrid Sweet Briars raised by Lord Penzance, possessing as they do the per- fume of the Sweet-briar, with delicate tints of apricot, pink, and crimson in their flowers. The section Wichuriana, which we owe to the exertions of Dawson, has opened up a new race of creeping or prostrate growing Roses which are of endless use in the rock garden, or for covering sloping banks and tree-stumps, and no species of the genus fosa makes so delight- ful a standard as a Wichuriana. The old Ayrshire Roses have received no additions since 1840, and now they are practically the same as our fathers knew them. We have now in general cultivation species of the genus ftosa from almost every country in the world. Some of these are very beautiful, and also useful, and all are extremely interesting. We have fosa nitida, Rosa rubiginosa, Rosa 32 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. levigata, Fiosa macranthu, Rosa gallica, the curious Losa Watsoniana, and many others. Each and every one of these has in its own sphere a distinctive and peculiar beauty and usefulness, and we welcome them all to our gardens. Sn Memoriam. HUGH DICKSON. To the above paper on Roses a melancholy interest attaches owing to the passing away of its genial author on the 5th of May last To the horticulturist, and to the rose-grower in particular, the name of Hugh Dickson was a household word—was, in fact, Synonymous with the plants amongst which so much of his life-work lay, of which he was so successful an exhibitor, and of which he was so competent a judge. An Ulster-Scot, he was a fine representative of that intelligent, industrious, and resourceful race of people, and in his work among his favourite plants he brought to bear, with great success, those rare horti- cultural acquirements which he in so marked a degree possessed. Great as is his loss to local horticulture, the loss to horticulture at large is even greater, and to those who enjoyed his personal acquaintance it seems irreparable. Horticulture is so much the poorer by his death, and the Royal Caledonian Horti- cultural Society has been robbed of one of its most beloved and respected members, as well as of one of its most successful exhibitors. Ars longa, vita brevis. HERBACEOUS PLANTS By R. P. Broruerston, The Gardens, Tyninghame, Prestonkirk. THE Scottish type of herbaceous or mixed border is one of straight lmes—a parallelogram with the longer sides very much extended. As borders furnished with the flowers suited to this method of planting are almost always inside the vegetable or walled garden, or just outside its walls, the reason for these straight lines is apparent; they are adapted to their surround- ings, a point of no little importance in flower-gardening. Instances where borders have been formed on curved lines exhibit in some cases the mistake of departing from simple outlines, the accompanying sketch of a flower border backed by a shrubbery, with grass in front, and a walk passing not far from it, showing good and bad curves. A common error in the formation of new borders is that of making them too narrow. A short border, at the same time very wide, no doubt resolves itself into a mere flower-bed, but the vast majority of borders are of adequate length to allow for a greater width than usually exists. A narrew border, say of less than 75 feet, permits of little variation in arrangement, while a border of 13 to 15 feet in width is sufficiently spacious to vary every few yards in planting. Though not essential that these borders shall have some back- ing, as of shrubs, hedge or wall, it is nevertheless advantageous, if for nothing else than protection from fierce winds. Borders in kitchen gardens are best backed by a hedge, preferably of Yew, systematically chpped; the Yew forming an impenetrable defence against high winds, the most destructive agents the herbaceous grower has to fear. In good soil the Yew grows fairly rapidly, a nice hedge being possible in five or six years, and a perfect one, 6 to 7 feet in height, in ten years. It has often been objected against the Yew as a hedging subject that its roots, extending across the border, abstract the fertility from the soil and leave the legitimate occupants in a semi-starved » 34 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. condition. On this account Apples, Pears, Roses and other less soil-exhausting plants have been substituted. But in reality the Yew, when properly treated, is no more addicted to appropri- ating the sustenance of the plants it protects than any other shelter-plant. All the gardener has to do to obviate disaster is to prune sthe roots of the Yew as regularly as he does its Fig. 1. A, plain line—proper contour ; B, dotted line—contour to be avoided. shoots, with the difference that a biennial operation is suffi- cient to meet the case, the accompanying illustration show- ing the method of root-pruning best adapted to this end (fig. 2). On the vegetable side the roots are trimmed back within the bounds of the alley; and if there is no alley on the border side, the roots must be cut in a line with the face of the hedge. Borders outside gardens are not infrequently placed immedi- HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 39 ately in front of one or other of the walls, these serving at once as a shelter and for cultivating and exhibiting the beauties of the finer and less hardy climbers. As an edging to walks, though there are many suitable plants —ey. Thrift, Pinks, Gentianella, and grass—none is quite so satisfactory as a good variety of dwarf Box. I prefer it to be square-trimmed, as being neat and at the same time unobtru- sive. Desirable proportions are 6 inches high on the walk side, and not more than 4 inches wide, less than that when newly cut, as it ought to be once a year. The roots of the Box, like those of the Yew, require to be cut back once in every two Fig. 2. A A, trench, depth and width of spade; B B, line shows where spade is pressed through soil and roots; C, Box edging with line showing cut made by spade. years. Thisis effected by means of a sharp spade pressed deeply down in a line with the inner edge of the Box (fig. 2). With regard to the preparation of the soil previous to planting, if naturally ‘poor’ it cannot be too thorough. — It has been my fortune on two occasions to have to prepare borders with very poor soil as a basis. In both instances a clear working space was effected by excavating and wheeling away a more than usual amount of soil for what is technically called the ‘opening. After which the soil, in one instance to a depth of 3 feet, was turned over spadeful by spadeful and mixed with fresh material and rotted manure in the process, the workmen, while turning over the soil, standing in the bottom of the trench. Though’a more laborious process, it is much 36 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. more effective in securing a deep tilth of fertile soil than mere trenching. Soil that has been in cultivation for a long sertes of years requires nothing beyond deep digging, with the addition of a proportion of rotted manure. The Tyninghame borders when prepared for replanting are merely dug—quite sufficient preparation. One point, however, must be empha- sised. It is that all the plants usually arranged in herbaceous borders flourish best in a very fertile soil, consequently manure, but manure in a well-rotted condition, must be applied, not only annually, but sometimes twice a year, if one plant happens to be replaced by another. In addition to other manures derived from animals, summer surface-dressings of sifted pigeon manure are valuable; and as a further aid I employ superphosphate of lime, appled in April at the rate of one pound to every sixteen square yards of surface. In addition, when water is apphed in dry weather superphosphate is added to the liquid. Pure water alone is of slight value, while the manure-strengthened water, as well as reviving the plants, acts distinctly as a food. As a means to render the soil less subject to over dryness in dry weather, and to wetness in rainy weather, it is a commendable practice to compress that newly dug by trampling! In firm soil, too, plants grow less stragely, and moreover are more floriferous. There exists in some quarters a prejudice against cultivating borders by digging while the plants are at rest, lest valuable roots should be destroyed. Where large masses of dwarf plants along with bulbs occupy every foot of the front portion of the border, digging, because of the impossibility of finding space for the entrance of a tool, 1s out of the question. But with the larger growing plants the case is different; and wherever bulbs are not in the way, the ground between the plants should be lightly dug and a dressing of rotted manure incorporated with the soil. Severe the roots leads to no harm; and if anyone should say that the operation is a barbarous one, put it scientifi- cally, and say it is merely root-pruning you are about ! In arranging the plants ina mixed border I think we can do better than imitate the old-fashioned borders into which every hardy plant it was possible to secure was introduced. As 1 Unless the surface layer be kept quite loose, a compact soil parts with its moisture much more readily than a loose one.—Hon, Ed. HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 37 opposed to our modern methods of rigidly selecting material, it was emphatically a collection; and one of the chief accom- plishments of a young gardener in those days was the knowledge he possessed of hardy plants, accompanied with a_ correct memorising of their botanical names, Collections, as distinct from selections, are still cultivated, and it must be confessed that a border of this kind, if less attractive from the decorative point of view, is at the same time not without interest. There are, too, borders furnished with a strict adherence to the principle that none but hardy herbaceous plants shall be admitted. Now, I confess to thinking it a pity to be too exacting in this matter, and see no objection, but on the con- trary deem it an advantage, to admit any nice plant that might otherwise be neglected, or relegated to some obscure position where its beauty is wasted because unseen. It is a fact that in many gardens such truly delightful flowers as Sweet- Williams, Heliotrope, Marigolds, and Pinks find no place because there is found no place to grow them. Accommodation for these and others equally desirable can usually be found in a mixed border. In what one may be permitted to call up-to-date arrange- ments, the massing of some one particular colour and_ its affinities finds favour with some people. Others, again, without being so particular as to colour, group all the plants in masses, but each, I think, has disadvantages that render them un- satisfactory for general adoption. We certainly need colour, especially in autumn, and massing is the best method to secure it; but in addition to colour, which appeals to one sense only, a perfect arrangement can alone be produced by giving form a place too. One Lily stem crowned with its perfect flowers is, from this point of view, as desirable as a big clump of Lilies. I would therefore urge those who are formulating a scheme of planting to fully consider this question of form, and to give it its due place in determining methods of arrangement. If this is done, such plants as Carnations, Gladioli, Liliwm candidum, Campanula pyramidalis, Irises generally, Spirwa Filipendula fl. pl., Montbretias, Love-lies-bleeding, and Anemone japonica will be disposed so that their form is as little as possible obseured by other plants. This, too, gives the key- note to the whole arrangement, for if these, and plants of a kindred nature, are allotted the more prominent positions, it 38 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. is clear that those with colour only as a recommendation must be disposed in the less prominent ones, and to fill up back- grounds. In addition to these, what may well be termed first- class plants, there are others of undeniable merit of which one or two specimens is a sufficient number to grow. Such, for instance, are the species of Hryngiwm, Statice latifolia, and Echinops spherocephalus. To exclude these and kindred subjects, if detracting nothing from the general effect of the border, certainly lessens its interest. A large number of spring flowering bulbs can be admitted by planting them among others that flower later. Those close to the front of the border may in some instances be arranged to push through a carpet of some dwarf-habited plant. Jyis reticulata, I, Krelagei, Scilla precox, and Chionodoxas do well in this way. The larger growing plants, if not too closely planted, permit of the planting of Daffodils in the inter- spaces. Tulips, though equally effective, do not succeed so well, but common Fritillaries and Crown Imperials thrive planted in the same way. The introduction of only a limited number of these adds very materially to the good effect of the borders in the early part of the year, and they may be added to at any time. In planting all kinds of flowers, endeavour to diverge as far as convenient from straight lines. As it is quite impossible to convey a clear idea of methods of arrangement in writing, many people failing to pick them up even after inspection, the accompanying chart has been prepared as being easier to comprehend. At the same time, it must be added that, arrange as carefully as one may, there is certain to be some plant misplaced which, if left, continues a source of offence. Points will be noted, too, that are deficient in effect. In these instances never hesitate to remove objectionable plants even if in flower, and replace with better, and in the same way introduce suitable plants where it is apparent they are required. The border represented is about 15 feet in width, and the arrangement shown breaks the planting into groups with long and wide bays of comparatively dwarf plants hemmed in by those of taller and bolder growth. It is given simply as an aid, and by no means intended to be copied literally. White is largely used, and it is very important to do so, and all white-flowered plants as a rule should have prominent positions accorded them. HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 39 1. Crimson Pentstemons. 2. Primula nivalis. . Lilium candidum. Iris germanica, Erigeron speciosus. . Helianthus multiflorus fl. pl. . Boltonia asteroides. . Lysimachia clethroides. . Pyrethrum ‘ Carl Vogt.’ 10. Gladiolus byzantinus. 11. Iris pallida. 12. Chrysanthemum (Pyrethrum) uliginosum. 3. Solidago canadensis, 14. Achillea Ptarmica ‘ The Pearl.’ 15. Hollyhocks, rose, double. 16. White Phlox ‘ Bridesmaid.’ 17. Rudbeckia speciosa. 18. Thymus lanuginosus. 19. Aster amethystinus. 20. Echinops Ritro. 21. Campanula pyramidalis alba. 21a. Sweet- Williams. 22. Dwarf Tradescantia virginica. 23. Lilium candidum. : 24, Aconitum autumnale. 25, Spireea Aruncus, 26. Blue Delphinium. 27. Aster ‘ Pluto.’ 28. Kniphofia aloides, 29, Galtonia candicans. 30. Aster Linosyris. 31. Mertensia sibirica. . Campanula persicifolia, double white. . Verbena. . White Carnation and Verbena. . Eupatorium Fraseri. . Phlox ‘ Coquelicot.’ . Celsia cretica. Salvia patens, Anemone ‘ Reine Charlotte.’ Statice latifolia. 41. Lupinus polyphyllus bicolor, 42. Helianthus ‘ Miss Mellish.’ 3. Spireea venusta. 44. Aster ‘ Purity.’ 45, Gladiolus Childsi, with carpeting. 46. Chrysanthemum ‘Gustave Grunerwald.’ 46a. Light blue Delphinium, 47, Anemone angulosa superba. 48. Helleborus maximus. 49. Iris florentina. 50. Branching Larkspur, blue. 51. Montbretia ‘ Brillant.’ 2. Double white Hollyhock. 53. Anemone japonica, common rose form. 4, Scabiosa caucasica. 5. Lilium tigrinum splendens. 56. Spirea Filipendula fl. pl. 7 8 9 ~) Oe Cok co CONT DO SOMONH Oe w/b m Co CO CO WH OO OO WH OD . Thalictrum adiantifolium. . Saxifraga (Megasea) crassifolia. . Dwarf crimson double Sweet- William. TTT LLL LL LLL LLL LL LLL LLL LLL | LLLLY | (a RESAARASARAN ERE S VERN eee! 40 ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY MEMOIRS. 60. Aster Tradescanti. 69. Aster Novee Anglia. 61. Delphinium, blue. 70, Ginothera Lamarckiana. 62. Shasta Daisy. 71. Saxifraga Andrewsii. 63. Antirrhinum, florist, striped. 72. Anemone Hepatica. 64. Chrysanthemum Edward VII. 73. Lilium candidum, 65. Phlox, pink. 74. Aster ‘ Lady Trevelyan.’ 66. Aster ‘John Wood,’ 75. Campanula turbinata. 67. Aconitum japonicum. 76. Iceland Poppies. 68. Scabiosa primulina. 77. French Marigolds. In addition to the plants above named, undernoted is a short list of desirable plants for the border :-— Aconitum autumnale album. Funkia Sieboldiana. Adonis vernalis. ; Galega officinalis alba. Alstroemeria aurea. Gentiana acaulis, aurantiaca, asclepiadea. chilensis. Pneumonanthe alba. peruviana, septemfida. Anemone alpina sulphurea, Geranium armenum. japonica Honorine Jobert. sanguineum. », Lord Ardilaun. Gypsophylla paniculata fl. pl. » Mont Rose, Helenium pumilum magnificum. narcissiflora, Heliopsis scabra ‘Ernest Ladhams.’ Anthericum Liliago major. Helleborus niger angustifolius. Armeria Cephalotes. odorus. vulgaris alba. Hemerocallis ‘ Apricot.’ Astilbe chinensis. aurantiaca major. a Davidiana. flava. Thunbergii and varieties. fulva. Bocconia cordata. Heuchera brizoides gracillima. japonica microcarpa. sanguinea, Bupthalmum salicifolium. 3 alba. Campanula carpatica. cylindrica, garganica, Incarvillea Delavayi. grandis alba, Ivis, English. ,, Van Houttei. Spanish. persicifolia and varieties. pallida and varieties. pusilla alba. pumila and varieties. urticifolia alba fl. pl. sibirica, Catananche cerulea, stylosa. a alba. rh alba. Cimicifuga racemosa, Kniphofia caulescens. Clematis Davidiana. Macowanii. Commelina ccelestis. rufa. Coreopsis grandiflora. Tuckii. Cuphea strigulosa (not hardy). Lilium canadense. Dianthus deltoides. croceum, a alba. chaleedonicum. ‘Fettes Mount.’ Martagon. “Charles IT.’ a dalmaticum. Evigeron mucronatum. pardalinum., Eryngium amethystinum. Lychnis alpina alba. giganteum, chalcedonica, double red. Oliverianum superbum. fulgens, planum. Viscaria splendens, Francoa appendiculata. Lythrum Salicaria superbum. ramosa (not quite hardy). Monarda didyma, sonchifolia, fistulosa alba, HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 41 Montbretia (Tritonia) ‘ Anneau d’Or,’ ‘ Eldorado,’ ‘Feu d’artifice.’ ‘ Germania.’ ‘Incandescent.’ ‘ Lothario.’ ‘ Messidor. ’ sulphurea, * Toison d’Or,’ ‘ Tragedie.’ Oreocome (Selinum) Candollei, ‘Orobus vernus, Papaver orientale ‘ Blush Queen.’ i ‘Salmon Queen.’ Pentstemon barbatus. Phlomis samia, Polygonum amplexicaule oxyphyllum. Brunonis (affine). Ranunculus aconitifolius fl. pl. acris fl. pl. Ranunculus amplexicaulis. Rudbeckia californica. purpurea. Sanguisorba canadensis. Scabiosa caucasica alba. taraxacifolia, Sedum spectabile. Scilla nutans alba. Sidalcea Listeri. Spirea kamtschatica gigantea. palmata elegans. Ulmaria fl. pl. Tiarella cordifolia. purpurea major. Trollius Fortunei fl. pl. ,, napellifolius. Veronica longifolia subsessilis. spicata, . alba. - rosea. MODERN BEEKEEPING—ITS HELPS AND HINDRANCES. By the Rev. J. W. Buakg, M.A., President of Midlothian Beekeepers’ Association. IN complying with the request to write something on bee- keeping for a publication connected mainly with horticulture, one naturally looks at the matter first of all in its relation to the flowers of our fields and gardens. Every one who has looked into botanical matters knows what a close connection exists between bees and flowers, and how mutually dependent they are on one another. The most careless observer cannot help being struck with the wonderful diligence of the bee as it pursues its unremitting task, and while it accumulates a store of food, also carries from one plant to another the fertilising pollen which enables many various plants to produce fruit and seed. There is no more interesting and instructive subject of investigation than the mutual relation of insects and flowers ; for in pursuing it we are brought face to face with an endless succession of wonderful adaptations and numerous instances of the marvellous provisions of Nature for carrying out her beneficent purposes. In apiculture (or beekeeping) we have ample opportunities of following out these engrossing subjects, for in no department of knowledge do Nature and science go more happily and usefully hand in hand. The keeping of bees for the sake of their honey has been practised from the earliest times. In the classical writers of Greece and Rome we find many references to this pursuit, and one famous Roman poet (Virgil) devotes a long poem to the matter of profitable beekeeping. It has been left to a later age, however, to go into this subject on the lines of scientific procedure, and with the aid of past experience to lay down the laws which are now generally accepted as being at the foundation of all successful beekeeping. The old system, under which bees were killed off at the end MODERN BEEKEEPING. 45 of the season in order to secure the honey, was at once a cruel and an expensive one. We can well remember in our boyhood the scenes which were often enacted when the bees were to be ‘smeekit. A hole was dug in the garden, and the doomed bees were held over it until the fumes of burning sulphur had stupefied and asphyxiated every unfortunate inmate of the skep. This holocaust having taken place, the honey was dug out of the skep, often in ancient combs, mixed up with pollen and young brood, altogether an unsightly mess. It was possible, no doubt, to get pure uncontaminated honey in ‘ bonnets, or small skeps placed on the tops of the larger ones, but a great deal of the honey secured at the end of the season was of the uninviting nature which we have described. According to the modern system, we gather our honey without the loss of a single bee, and it is stored in neat cases or sections, or in bottles of pure liquid extracted from the comb. These improvements, and many others, are due to the substitution of the bar-frame hive for the straw skep. The skep, no doubt, formed a very snug and comfortable home for the hive bee, but it had many in- conveniences. It was impossible to tell what was going on inside it, or at what stage the stock of bees had arrived. The size of the hive remained always the same, and could not be varied according to the number of its inhabitants. These difficulties, and others which we cannot enlarge on here, have been overcome by the plan of inducing the bees to build each comb in a separate frame. This is the fundamental principle of the frame hive. Another advantage gained is the entire separation of the brood-nests from the surplus honey. With proper management and the use of the ‘queen-excluder, we can harvest our honey without a single cell being contami- nated with pollen or brood. It must be felt by all beekeepers, however, that even with the best and most modern apphances beekeeping, like ‘ gowft,’ “taks a heid.” In other words, without careful and thoughtful management, your hives, in an average season, will not leave you much profit. In our opinion the great maxim for beekeepers is, “ Keep your hives strong.”