LIBRARY OF THE MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE ijf^.. DATE.?LT_aiTi3l3. I I I ' I I June 29, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE % WizM^ lllustratth iDurnal OP HORTICULTUEE AND ALLIED SUBJECTS. (ESTABLISHED IN 1841.) VOL. LL-THIRD SERIES. JANUARY TO JUNE, 1912. LONDON : 41, WELLINGTON STREET, COVENT GARDEN, W.C. 1912. The Gardeners' Chronicle,] rev [June 29, 1912. INDEX OF CONTENTS JANUARY TO JUNE, 1912. (FOR Special Headings see under Books; Certificates; Law Notes; Norsery Notes; Oeitoarv; Plant Portraits; Plants, New; Scientific Committee; Societies; and Illustrations.) Aberdeen city gardeners, 338 Aberdeen florists and master gar- deners, 225; and the Town Coun- cU, 173 Aberdeen market gardeners' stances, 415 Aberdeen University, agriculture at the, 378 Acacia Baileyana and Iris stylosa, 76; A. Baileyana flowerinf^ out-of- doors, 59; A. dealbata, lb2 Academy, Royal, pictures at the, 331 Adams's, the late H. J., collection of Orchids, 281 Africa, fruit trade of South, 282 ; gardening in West, 256 Agar, Madeline (fiarden Design in Theory and Practice), 407 Agricultural education and the Board of Agriculture, 58 Agricultural statistics, 25 Agriculture at Aberdeen University, 378 ; in the Transvaal, 395 ; North of England CoUege of, 225; scholarships for, in Staffordshire, 262 ; school of, at Cambridge, 155 Albino flowers, 167 Alcohol from plants, 300 Alexandra Day, 429 Algae in ponds, 382 Almond, the flowering of the, 139 Aloe dichotoma and A. Bainesii, 425 Alpine garden, the, 81, 98, 117, 135, 277 Alpine Pinks, the four great, 195 Amaryllis (see Hippeastrum) America, forcing Roses in, 85 ; new plants in, 25 ; notes from, 85, 116, 165 ; public horticultural educa- tion in, 396 ; seeds and plants im- ported into, 354 American Association of Park Superintendents, 242 American Gooseberry mildew, 262 American Sweet Peas, 21 Ampelopsis quinquefolia berries, poisoning by, 204 Androcymbium melanthoides, 13 Androsace Henryi, 354 Anemone coronaria and Plum rust disease, 263 Anthemie Cupaniana, 117, 174 Antirrhinums as bedding plants, 91, 142 Ant plants, 156 Aphyllanthes monspeliensis, 134, 173, 208 Apiary, the (see " Bees ") Apple, abnormal flowers of, 402 ; a sporting, 25 ; bark of, destroyed, 130 Apple-culture in the Clydeside fruit farms, 225 ; in Ireland, 90 Apples Blenheim Pippin, 64; from Australia, 156; in grass land, 44, 76 ; in Ontario, 222 ; instruction in packing, 89 ; late dessert varieties of, 285, 323 ; Senlis, 25 ; the colour- ing of, 13, 28, 44, 59, 76, 83, 90, 124 Apricot paste, the manufacture of, in Syria, 353 Arbutus Unedo in South Scotland, 142 Archer, Mr. W. E., 319 Arches, garden, 255 Argentina, the Maize crop in, 224 Arnold Arboretum, map of, 413 Arsenic in plants, 378 Ashridge Park, Beeches at, 57 Ash tree, a famous, at Ruthin Castle, 4 Asparagus, the treatment of, 27 Athyrium filix-fcemina, 257 Attar of Roses, 253 Australia, Apples from, 156 ; gar- dening employment in, 15, 224; Potato-growing in Western, 89 ; proposed new botanic garden in, 378 Austria and the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition, 188 Autumn flowers in the soTilh-west, 36 Autumn tints, planting for, 51 Avocado Pear, the, in California, 150 B Bacterial flora of the soil, the, 378 BagateUe, trials of Roses at, 51 Balcombe House Gardens, Sussex, archway of Pear trees at, 301 Balfour professorship of Genetics, the, 171 Barnes, Mr. G. F., 224 Barren soil, treatment of, 241 " Barr" memorial fund, the, 241 Basic slag for lawns, 96 Bateson, Professor, on Genetics, 57, 74, 89, 104, 120, 139, 337 Bath, Broom Botanical Garden, 424 Batsford, Gloucestershire, 163, 188 Beccari, Dr. 0. (Asiatic Palms — Lepidocaryece), 273 Beech, weeping, in John Waterer & Son's, nursery, 114 Beeches at Ashridge Park, 56 Bees, the management of, 39, 87, 119, 201, 259, 317, 363, 411, 427 Beet, sugar, salt as a manure for, 262 Begonia Gloire de Lorraine, 47 ; B. luxurians, 29 Belffium, horticultural education in, 399 ; market gardening in, 414 Belsize Court, Hampstead, Orchids at, 253 Benevolent Institution, Gardeners' Royal, 9, 45, 56, 156, 319, 393; (annual meeting), 62 Berberis Bealei, 164 Berlin, Orchid show at, 204 Big bud, spraying for, 58, 106, 142 Bilberry, the, Vaccinium Myrtillus, 232 Birds and fruit-buds, 227, 246, 265, 285 Birds, curious nesting places of, 379, 397, 415, 431 ; eggs, a lecture on, 78; in fruit nets, 430; protect- ing crops from, 156 Birmingham, flower shows at, 263 Blickling Hall, Norfolk, 157 Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, the, 395 ; and agricultural educa- tion, 58 ; horticultural branch of the, 412, 428 ; returns, 74 Bog land, reclaiming, in Ireland, 141 Bonfires and rubbish heaps, 392 Books, Notices of : — Agricul- tural Bulletin of the Straits and Federated Malay States, 105 ; Annual and Biennial Garden Plants {A. E. Speer), 69; An- nuals, Hardy and Half-hardy {Charles H. Curtis), 359 ; Asiatic Palms — Lepidocarye.-B (Dr. Odoardo Beccari), 273 ; Book about Roses (S. Reynolds Hole), 240; A Botanical Expedition to Newfoundland and Southern Labrador (M. L. Fernald), 88; Botanical Majazine, 9, 105, 187, 241, 319, 394; British Fern Gazette (Chas. T. Drucry). 171; British Journal Photographic Al- manac (George E. Brown), 9; Bulletin of Agricultural Statis- tics, 25 ; Carnation Year Book, 223; City Gardener (Thomas Fairchild), 65 ; Critical Review of the Genus Eucalyptus (/. H. Maiden), 391; Englishwoman's Year Book and Directory (G. E. Mitton), 9 ; Enumeratio Plan- tarum Formosanarum (/. Matsu- mura and B. Hayata), 8; Fleurs des champs et des bois, des haies, et des murs (Henry Correvon), 389 ; Flora of the Upper Gangetic Plain (J. F. Duthie), 156; Gar- den Design in Theory and Prac- tice (Madeline Agar), 407 ; Gar- dening for the Ignorant [Mrs. C. W. Earle and Miss Ethel Case), 389 ; Gardening Year Book and Interleaved Diary (George Gor- don, V.M.H.), 123; Histoire des Legumes (Georges Gibault), 19 ; Horticultural Directory, 9 ; House- hold Book of Lady Grisell Baillie (Lady Grisell Baillie), 356 ; Icones Plantarum Formosanarum nee non Contributiones ad Floram Formosanam, or Icones of the Plants of Formosa, &c. (B. Hayata), 394; Illustrated Ency- clopaedia of Gardening ( Walter P. Wright), 19; Irises (W. Rickat- son Dykes), 333; Journal of Genetics, 24 ; Journal of the R.H.S. Club (John Eraser), 41; Kew Guild Journal (H. Cowley), 140 ; Lawns, (Sutton Jk Sons, Reading), 123 ; Meteorological Instruments and Weather Fore- casts, 187 ; Modern Culture of Sweet Peas (Thomas Steven- son), 223 ; Monograph of the Mycetozoa (Arthur Lister), 187; My Garden Diary (Sutton <£• Sons), 9; Natural History of Clay (Alfred B. Searle), 133; Orchid Review, 57, 87; Orchid World, 9, 89 ; Orchidaceen von Deutsch-Neu-Guinea (Dr. Rudolf Schlechter), 50 ; Perpetual Car- nations (Laurence J. Cook), 251; Plant-E Wilsonianae (C. S. Sargent), 69 ; Profitable Poul- try-keeping, 253 ; Publications received, 25, 74, 105, 173, 188, 219, 243, 264, 283, 303, 320, 338, 358, 378, 414; Re- port on the Dune Areas of New Zealand (/. Cockayne), 25; Re- sultats de I'Expeditiou Scien- tifique Neerlandaise a la Nou- veUe Guinee en 1907 et 1909 [Dr. E. A. Lorentz), 275; Rosea (H. R. Darlington), 40 ; Roses and Rose Gardens (Walter P. Wright), 292 ; Scottish Botanical Review, 141; Small Holders' Hand- book [W. M. Elkington), 389; Small Holder's Year Book, 9 ; The Complete Gardener (H. H. Thomas), 243; The Plums of New York (U. P. Hedrick), 167; The Profitable Culture of Vegetables (Thomas Smith), 196; Types of British Vegetation (A. G. Tansley), 114; Vie a la Campagne (Andri le Notre), 25, 264; Vine-growing in England (H. M. Tod), 183; Vinton's Agri- cultural Almanac and Diary, 9 ; Webster's Forester's Diary [A. D. Webster). 9 ; Who's Who Year Book, 9 ; Who's Who? 9 ; Woburn Experimental Fruit Farm Report [Duke of Bedford and Spencer U. Pickering), 17; Writers' and Artists* Year Book, 9 Books, old garden, 10 Botanic garden, proposed new Aus- tralian, 378 Botanical appointment, 429 Bowling green, dressing for a, 112 Brambles, Chinese, 123, 147, 165 Brasso-Cattleya Wellesleyse, 135 Bread Fruit and the mutiny of the " Bounty," 302 Broccoli in a French garden, 257 BromeUads, epiphytic, the food of, 187 Bruges Exhibition, 301 Brussels International Exhibition, awards to British jurors at the, 188 Bryntirion Gardens, Dolgelly, N. Wales, rainfall in, 246 Buddleia asiatica, 123 Bud-dropping in Peach tree, 292 Bulb-garden, the 19, 164, 181 Bulbs in the L.C.C. parks, 123 Bulgaria, botanising in, 252, 274 BurcheUia capensis, 292 Cabbage, Finger-and-Toe disease of, cure for, 354 Calceolaria, the herbaceous, 359; C. Clibranii, 425; C. virgata, 50 Calceolarias, distinct species of shrubbery, 373; HoUyhocka and, 44 Calder, Mr. C. C., 171 California, plant diseases in, 187 ; the Avocado Pear in, 150 Cambridge agricultural mono- graphs, 140 Camellia cuspidata, 262 Camellias, the propagation of, from cuttings, 326 Campbell, Dr., retirement of, 283 Canada, fish hatcheries in, 264 ; forest areas in, 241 ; population of, 243, 378; railways in, 263; street trees in, 3, 77; Tobacco growing in, 172 ; vegetable grow- ing in, 140 Canadian rockeries, the, 368 Canvas as a protective substitute for glass, 96 Carbon-assimilation by plants, 263 Carbondioxide and nitrogen in plant-houses, 76 Carnation, Baroness de Brienen, 254 ; Mrs. A. F. Dutton, 244 Carnations, a conference on, 171 ; border, in pots, 416; in America, 116 ; perpetual-flowering, 133, 158, 209; perpetual-flowering, as bedding plants, 210; perpetual- flowering, in winter, 100; propa- gating, 422 Carson, Mr. D., 353 Case, Miss Ethel (Gardening for the Ignorant), 389 Castello di Poggio Gherardo, Italy, the gardens at, 315 CaterpUlars on Apple trees, 370 Cattleya DLrce " Westonbirt va- riety," 226; C. Gudrun and LaeUo- Cattleya Norma, 164; C. Maggie Raphael alba " Orchidhurst va- riety," 75; C. Mossiie, 405 Cauliflowers, the culture of, 182 Caustic alkali on vines, 64 Celery, leaf -spot in, 172 Celsia cretica, 322 Cement, Portland, 172 Certificated Fruits and Veqe- TABLES : — Apple : Oatlands. Seedling, 127; Pear: Mrs. Seden, 30 Certificated Plants : — Ane- mone Pulsatilla rosea " Mrs. Van der Elst," 210; Araucaria ex- celsa elegantissima aurea, 306; Auricula Cleveley Gem, 307 ; A. Mars, 307 ; A. Mrs. Neville Chamberlain, 325 ; A. Mrs. W. H. The Gardeners' Chronicle,] INDEX. [June 29, 1912. 111. Parton, 307; A. " Roxborough," 266 ; Begonias : Golden Shower, 417; James Baird, 417; Princfss Victoria Louise, i'upp., May 25, p. xvi. ; F. W. Walker, 417; Brasso-Cattleya - Laeiia " Beard- woodensis," 369; Brasso-Cattleya Cliftonii Leeraan's variety, 325; B.-C. Maggie, 342; B.-C. Poca- hontas albens, 175; B.-C. Ruthcr- fordii, 110; B.C. "The King," Supp., June 1, p. xxi. ; B.-C. Veitchii var. Luptonii, 369 ; Brasso-La-lio - Cattleya " Baron Honin," 14; Brasso-Laelia Lee- anum, 175 ; Calanthe Baron Schro- der variety albiflora, 126 ; Calceo- laria Veitchii, Supp., May 25, p. xvi. ; Camellia cuspidata. 228 ; Carnations : Attraction, 380 ; C. Blick, 417 ; Cyclops, 417 ; Duchess of Devonshire, 248 ; Lady Aling- ton, 249 : Lady Meyer. 126 ; Ladv Northcliffe, 193, 209, 308; Mar- garet Lennox, 380 ; Mrs. Husan Morris, 417; Queen Mary, 380; Regina, 341 ; Sunstar, 341 ; Tri- umph, 91, 308: Wivelsfield Won- der, 29; Wodenethe, 266; Catt- leya Brenda, 126 ; C. Cappei, 193 ; C. Catiline, 30; C. Dirce magni- fica, Supp., June 1, p. xxi.; C. Dirce Westonbirt variety, 192; C. Lady Dillon magnificum, 110; C. " Maggie," 268; C. Mag- gie Raphael alba Orchidhurst variety, 30; C. Maggie Raphael variety " pulcherrima," 77; C. Mendelii The Knowle variety, 341; C. M. " Thule," 267: C. M. variety Queen Mary, Supp., June 1, p. xxi. ; C. Mossiae variety Mme. Jules Hye, Supp., June 1, p. xxi. ; C. Osiris, 268 ; C. " Purity," 110 ; C. Schriiderse enficldensis, 229 ; C. S. Glebelands, 307; C. S. variety CEnone, 268; C. S. variety lumi- nosa, 268; C. Suzanne Hye •' Gratrix's variety," 229; C. Trianae varietv -^da le Doux. 268 ; C. T. variety Britannia, 14 ; C. T. variety Iris," 268 ; Celmisia specta- bilis argentea. Supp.. May 25, p. xvi. ; Celsia cretica Cliveden variety, 306 ; Cereus ameca'nsis, 339 ; Cheiranthes mutabilis Kee- ley's variety, 306 ; Cineraria hybrida, 266 ; C. Pompadour (strain), 306 ; Corylopsis multiflora, 160; C. Veitchiana, 190; Cym- bidium Parishii Sanderse Ruther- ford's varietv, 229 ; C. Pauwelsii, 229, 268; C.'P. The Dell variety, 229; C. rosefieldiense, 30; C. Schlegelii, 62 ; C. Woodhamsia- num Fowler's variety, 340 ; Cypri- pedium Actsus "Ashlandense," 31; C. A. Major, 77; C. A. variety Dunbar, 77 ; C. Alcibiades Gratrix's variety, 110; ('. Annie Measures variety Diabolus, 369 ; C. Archimedes " nigrum," 175 ; C. " Aurora Borealis," 31 : C. Bernal Bagshaw, 31 : C. birkda- lense, 128; C. "Black Knight," 110 ; C. " Carola," 193; C. " Dora Jameson," 31; C. "Draco," 128; C. "Duke of Marlborough," 62; C. Faira; Maudiae, 14; C. Goweri magnificum Schofield's variety, 42f : C. Greyi Claytoniense, 342 ; C. "Hazel Vicars," 31; C. Helen n. "Westonbirt variety," 31; C. Hercules, 128; C. Hortonensis, 369; C. " Jasper," 77; C. Jucun- dum, 30, 77 : C. Juno var. Heben- cea, 14 ; C. Leeanum variety Frederick Arnold, 14; C. Lion, 77; C. Lucernale, 128: C. " Ma- gog," 31; C. " Mrs. Mabel War- ing," 14; C. Nora, 61; C. nitens " Beeckensis," 30 : C. Nubia, 128; C. Pallas Athenai, 14; C. Prince Albert variety Alport Derbj', 229; C. Princess Wil- helmma, 110 ; C. Reginald Young, 14; C. Roger Sander, 229; C. Royal Sovereign, 31 ; C. San- Actseus Westfield variety, 30; C. caudatum "Sanderse," 77; C. seedling variety, 77; C. Simonii variety The Mousme, 175; C. The Chairman, 229 ; C. Thompsonii X C. Rupert, 175; C. viridissi- mum, 14 ; Delphiniums : Colonel Crabbe, 417; Cymbeline, 417; Darius, 417; Dr. Bergman, 417; Dr. Lodwidge, 417; Drake, 417; Dusky Monarch, 380, 418; Henry Smeathan, 417 ; Jessica, 417 ; J. S. Sargent, 417; Lavanda, 417, 418; Lizzie Van Veen, 417; Lovely, 417; Mme. E. Geny, 417; Mrs. James Kelway, 417; Mr. J. S. Brunton, 417 ; Royal Standard, 417 ; Smoke of War, 417 ; Tagalie, 417 ; Dendrobium chessingtonense, 193; D. Cybelle, 193; D. Dal- housianum lutcum, Supp., June 1, p. xxi. ; D. Goldei, 381 ; D. Golden King superbum, 151; D. nobile variety Leeana, 229 ; D. n. Thwaites's variety, 193; D. Othello West Point variety, 175; Deutzia longifolia, 306 ; D. Veitchii, Supp., May 25, p. xvi; Echium trunctatum, 305; Elseo- carpus cyaneus, 380 ; Eremurus Lemon Queen, 417; E. Tuber- genii, Supp., May 25, p. xvi; Freesia " Le Phare." 266; F. Tubergenii "Gem," 342; F. T. Robinetta, 342 ; Gladioli : Cardi- nal, 418 ; Innocence, 418 ; Queen Mary, 418; Rosina, 380; Hippe- astrums : Musigny, 190; Pink Perfect, 193; Rose du Barri, 190; Ruby Queen, 193; Hydran- gea Sargentiana, Supp., May 25, p. xvi. ; Iris squsdens variety Nibelungen, Supp., May 25, p. xvi ; I. variegata variety Ossian, Supp., May 25, p. xvi; Laeiia purpurata Schroderse, Supp., June 1, p. xxi; Laelio-Cattleya ama- bilis, 62, 175; L.-C. Aphrodite Cowan's variety, 381; L.-C. Apollo, 340; L.-C. Baroness Emma, 418; L.-C. Bella alba. 30; L.-C. Bella alba variety Leeana, 229; L.-C. Bertram, 268; L.-C. Frederick Boyle, Veitch's variety, 229: L.-C. X Ganymede. South- fields variety, 418; L.-C. Gladia- tor, Supp., June 1, p. xxi; L.-C. Lustre variety Buddha, Supp., June 1, p. xxi ; L.-C. Lustre variety Lavingo, Supp., June 1, p. xxi; L.-C. MacBeaniana, 229; L.-C. Martinettii, 421; L.-C. Mrs. W. Hopkins, 30; L.-C. Myrrha grandis, 77; L.-C. Grama, 229; L.-C. Trimyra, 229; L.-C. Ulysses, Supp., June 1, p. xxi; L.-C. Ulysses alba, Supp., June 1, p. xxi ; Lastrea patens variety Mayi, Supp., May 25, p. xvi; Lavatera Olbia, 417, 418; Lepto- spermum scoparium variety Bos- cawenii, Supp., May 25, p. xvi ; L. s. variety Nichollii, Supp., May 25, p. xv ; Lewisia Howellii, 306 ; Lilium davuricum variety luteum, Supp., May 25, p. xvi ; L. myriophyllum, Supp., May 25, p. xvi ; Lithospermum Froebellii, 418 ; Lycaste variety Susan, 229 ; Miltonia Bleuana "Rising Sun," 418 ; M. Hyeana variety Vogel- zang, Supp." June 1, p. xxi ; M. Hypatia, 421 ; M. Jules Hye de Crom, Supp., June 1, p. xxi ; M. radiola, 421 ; M. vexillaria Snow- flake, 380; Narcissi : Albert Vis, 342 ; Bedouin, 342 ; Campernel rugulosus maximus. 342 ; Colos- sus, 342 ; Cra-sus, 229 : Deepdale, 308; Flame, 308; fl. pi. Glacier, 342; Golden Lion. 342: Great Warley, 342; Helios, 191; Holbein, 342; Isis. 342; Killie- crankie, 229 ; Laurens Koslar, 342; March Glory, 342; Mount Erebus, 342 ; Mrs. Ernest H. Kre- o ; 508 lage, 267 ; PedesUl, 229 ; Plenipo, 342; polyanthus No. 67, 342; Robespierre, 191 ; Rubalite, 191 ; St. Bavo, 342 ; Seville, 267 ; Silver Spangle, 267; Solo, 342; South Pole, 342; Sunrise, 342; Thac- keray, 342 ; Trafalgar, 308 ; Tres- serve, 342; and Vulcans, 342; Odontioda Bradfihawiae Lady Col- man, Supp., June 1. p. xxi. ; O.B. Rawdon varietv, 341 ; 0. Chante- cleer, Supp.. June 1, p. xxi. ; O. Charlesworthii Ward's variety, 229 ; 0. Cooksoniae Fowler's vajiety, 418; 0. Cooksonii. 175; 0. C. Cobb's variety, 229 ; O. eboraicuni, 193; 0. Diana Ash- worth's varietv 325 ; O. Hyeanum variety Willie", 325 ; 0. K'eighley- ense Ward's variety, 175 ; 0. Mrs. F. M. Ogilvie, Supp., June 1, p. xxi. ; 0. Queen Mary, Supp., June 1, p. xxi ; O. St. Alban, 418 ; O. Schriideri variety Leeana, 229 ; 0. splendens, 229 ; O. /Esopus 31 ; Odontoglossum Adrianae variety Vulcan, 128; 0. amabile Ash- worth's variety " Nubian," 175; 0. a. Duke of Portland, Supp., June 1, p. xxi. ; 0. a. Princess May, Supp.. June 1, p. xxi. ; 0. a. variety Monarch, 229 ; O. a. variety Wardii, 342 ; 0. ardentis- simuni variety Carmen, Supp.^ June 1, p. xxi. ; 0. a. variety Nor- man, 110 ; 0. a. variety Plumpton- ense, 268 ; 0. Cobbiae . 229 ; O. Confidence, 175; 0. crispum " .\nami," 31 ; O. c. " Kutcrpe," 128 ; 0. c. variety Eric, 110 ; 0. c. variety Ethel, 229 ; O. c. variety George, 325; 0. c. James McNab, Supp., June 1, p. xxi. ; 0. c. Leeana Ashlands variety, 325 ; O. c. variety Madouxiana, 268 ; 0. c. Perfect Gem, 342; O. c. Queen of the Morn, 30 ; O. c. variety Blanche, 14 ; 0. c. "Saga," 267; 0. c. "Samuel Gratrix," 192; 0. c. xanthotes " Golden Gem," 31 ; 0. c. x. " Gratrixae," 77; 0. c. x. " Lady of the Snow," 325; 0. c. x. va- riety Perfecta, 77; 0. "Delhi," 77; O. X Eric, 77; 0. eximium variety exquisitum, Supp., June 1, p. xxi.; 0. e. King George V., Supp., June 1, p. xxi. ; 0. e. Plurapton Hall va- riety, 14 : 0. e. " Rutherfordia- nurn," 342 ; O. e. variety The Premier, 325 ; 0. e. variety xanthotes, 325; 0. X George V., 110; 0. " Harmac," 110; 0. Her Majestv, Supp., June 1, p. xxi. ; 0. Hilda, 342 ; 0. x His Majesty, 229 ; 0. illustrissimum, 175 ; 0. " In Memoriam King Edward," 193; 0. Jasper, 128, 161; O. Lambeauianum Holford's va- riety, 175; 0. L. Princess Marv. 380; 0. Luci-Masereel, 110; 0. majesticura variety James Whit- ton, Supp., June 1, p. x.xi. ; 0. "Memoria Lily Neumann," 92 ; 0. Merlin, 92; 0. Milkv Way, 77; 0. Miranda, 110; O. or- phanum, 128 ; 0. percultum variety " purpurescens," 128; 0. Prince Edward, Ward's variety, 110 ; 0. Prince of Wales, 268 ; 0. Promereus " variety Delhi," 229; 0. Rossii variety Immaculatnm, 229 ; 0. Ruby King. 14 ; 0. Tele- machus, 268; 0. Tliais Glebe variety, 380; O. The Moor, 325; O. triumphans Ward's variety, 193 ; 0. Uro-Skinneri Burford variety, 307 ; 0. Vulcan, 126 ; O. Wilkeanum variety Jasper, 128 ; 0. Wilkeanum var. plumptonense, 369; 0. Zulu, 175; Oxalis ennea- phylla variety rosea, Supp., May 25, p. xvi. ; Papaver orien- talis variety Edna Perry, Svpp., Mav 25, p. xvi. ; P. o. " Perry's White," Supp., May 25, p. xvi. ; Pelargonium Ambrosea, 228 ; P. Champion, 380 ; Petunia Brown's Purple (strain), 339; Philad'-lphus Bouquet Blanc, 417 ; P. Voie Lactee, 417 ; Phyllocactus Cooper- mannii, 339 ; Poly[)odium Vid- genii, Supp., May 25, p. xvi.; Primula Julia, 228; P. Knuthi- ana, 191 ; P. Mrs. James Doug- las, 228; P. Warieyensis, 228; Prunus Pissardii Moseri fl. pi., 190 ; Pseudotsuga (Abies) Doug- lasii " Fletcheriana," 190; Pteris Parkeri, 160 ; Pyrethrum Queen Mary, Supp., May 25, p. xvi. ; Rhododendron " Cornu- bia," 150; R. indicum "Blush- ing Bride," 160; Ribes lauri- folium, 126 ; Rodgersia tabularis, 418; Roses: Effective, 417; Mrs. E. Alord, 228 ; Mrs. C. Reed, 228 ; Pink Pearl, 417; Rose Queen, 191; Saxifraga "Comet," 306; S. " Mrs. J. T. Tottenham," 305 ; Silene Hookeri, 380 ; Sophro- Cattleya Saxa " Low's variety," 77 ; S.-C. WeUesle)d Lee'e variety, 110 ; Sophro - Cattleya - Laelia " Sandhage," 325; SophroLselio- Cattleya Marathon variety Salome, 175; Sweet Peas: Brunette, 421; Supp., Mav 25, p. xvi. ; Decorator, 421 ; Dotbie's Lavender George Herbert, 380 ; Dobbie's Scarlet, 421 : Lavender George Herbert, 421 ; Mav Camp- bell, 380; Melba, Supp., May 25, p. xvi. ; Mrs. Cuthbertson, Supp., May 25, p. xvi.; Thomas Stevenson, 380, 421 ; Tropjeolum albitlorum, 339; Tulips: Grena- dier, 306; Velvet King, 306; Viburnum Davidii, 228; Viola Craven Gem, 341 ; WaUenbergia gentianoides, 380 ; vinc^flora, 418 ; Zygocolax Charlesworthii Cobb's variety, 62; Zygopetalum Armstrongae, Supp., June 1, p. xxi ; Zygopetalum Mackayi " Charlesworthii," 62, 175 Ceylon Agricultural Departiment, 281 Chalk-loving plants, 367 Channel Islands directory, 89 Charlock, spraying to destroy, 157 Chelsea, historical horticulture of, 327 Chelsea Hospital, 327, 353 Chelsea physic garden, 328 ; plan of, 329 ; renovation of the, 366 Chesterfield, new public park for, 263 Children and gardening, 141 ; in the royal parks, 281 China, Rhododendrons in, 291; the flora of, 25 Chinese species of Rubus, new, 147, 165 ; Rosa, 123, 204 Chrysanthemum Golden King, 234; C. King of the Plumes, 24, 227 Cinerarias, the seeding of, 95, 124 Citrons in Devon and C-ornwall, 338 Cladosporiura fulvum (Tomato-leaf rust), 140 Clarke, Thaddeus, 80 Clarkia elegans, 323, 338 Cleistogamic flowers, 105 Clematis Jouiniana, 34; C. Henry Wood, a fine plant of, 415 Clianthus Dampieri, the grafting of, 356; C. puniceus magnificus, 294 Climbers for a north wall, 80 Clydeside fruit farms, Apple-cul- ture in the, 225 Cobaea scandens variety " Deutscher Ruhm," 74 Cockayne, J. {Eeport on the Dunt Areas of New Zealand), 25 Cocoons on Japanese trees, 212 Co^logyne speciosa alba, 254 Coldes"t spot on earth, the, 140 Cole, Mr. Silas, testimonial to, 123 Coleus thyrsoideus, 412 Colonial note. 292 Colour in Apples, 13, 28, 44, 59, 76, 83, 90, 124 Colour of Primrose, the develop, ment of, 264 Concert, " Geo. Monro," 73, 204 IV. The Gardeners' Chronicle,] INDEX. [June 29, 1912. Cones, abcormal development of, on young Larch trees, 285 Conference, on legislation in connec- tion with plant diseases and pests, 408 ; on Orchids, forthcoming, 300 Conifers, at Dropmore, damage to, 245, 264 ; excluded from America, 429 ; raising from seeds, 158 Cook, Laurence J. (Perpetual Car- nations), 251 Coorg, the flora of, 243 Clipper sulphate for pond weeds. 243 Corn crops, condition of the, 303, 378 Cornus florida variety rubra, 372 ; C. NuttalUi, 331 Cornwall, damage by fro.st in, 320 Correvon, Henry [Fleurs des champs et des bois, des haies et des murs), 389 Cotton breeding, 24 Cow manure for Boses and Potatos, 112 Cox, !\Ir. Tom, long service of, 353 Cranberry, the, 232 Crassula, M. Fritzer, 130 Creatinine, a beneficent compound in soils, 187 Crickets in Cucumber houses, 290 Crocuses at Hampton Court, 173 Crops, prospects of the, 414 Cross, Sir Alexander, 412 Crozier, Mr. J. D., 10, 26 ( 'ucumber cankei', 155 Cucumbers, carriage rates for, 377 Culture of Mushrooms in boxes, 361 Currant bud-mite, spraying to de- stroy, 58, 106, 124, 142, 173 Curtis, Charles H. {Annuals, Hardy and Half -Hardy). 359 Cyaniding plant-houses, 101 Cypripedium spectabile, 18 Cvpripediums at Oakwood gardens, Crayford, 44 Cytisus Dallimorei, 198 Daffodils, prizes for, 224 Dahlias, a conference on, 176 Dahlias, Collarette, 189, 296 Dairy-research, 154 Dalhousie Castle Gardens, 397 Daphne indica, 245, 285 Darlington. H. R. (Bnsps), 40 Delhi, gardening at, 366 Dendrobium Golden Ray superbum, 154 ; D. Primulinum giganteum, 254; D. spurium, 423 Deutzia longifolia, 409 Development grant, forestry and the, 55 Devon, North, weather in, 323 Dianthus alpinus, 195 ; D. barba- tus, rust disease of, 44 ; D. cal- lizonus, 195, 227 ; D. glacialis, 195; D. neglectus, 195 Diniorphotheca aurantiaca, 52 Dinner, abandonment of proposed gardeners' 123 ; complimentary, to Cumberland landscape gar- deners, li?7 Diplosis pyrivora (Pear midge), 355 Disas, 312 Disease resistance of plants, 412 Diseases, Californian plant, 187 DracEena Victoria flowering, 80 Dropmore, damage to Conifers at, 245, 264 Drought and tree-growth, the, 58 Duthie, J. F. (Flora of the Upper Gangetir J-'lain), 156 Dykes, W. Rickatson (Irises), 333 Earle, Mrs. C. W. (Gardening for the Ignorant), 389 Echium candicans, 368 Edinburgh, an experimental garden for, 10 ; Botanic Garden, the rock- garden at, 277; Botanic Garden and the Edinburgh Corporation, 173 ; Chrysanthemum show, 142 ; distress committee and market gardening, 42 ; forestry in, 58 ; Fruit and Flower traders and the Shops Act, 188 ; Princes Street Gardens, proposed alterations to, 142 ; public golf links, 75 ; Spring Show, receipts at the, 252 ; Uni- versity, forestry at, 10 Education, a gardener's, 376, 398, 416, 430 ^ Egypt, chemical fertilisers in, 222 Electricity and plant culture, 8, 90 Elkington, W. M. (The Small Holder's Handbook), 389 Elms, British. 199, 216, 234 Elsholtzia Stauntonii, 21 Elwes, Mr. H. J., visit to Formosa, 105 Equisetum arv«nse, horses poisoned by, 301 Eremurue, the culture of, 64 Eschscholtzia caespitosa, 275 Estates, the break-up of, 74 Ether used in forcing, 359 Eucalyptus, the genus, 391 Eucharis grandiflora, 141 Evershot, Dorset, Orchids from, 313 Evolution of Primula obconica, 186 Ewing, Mr. James, 429 Exhibiting, hints on, 311. 328-; flowers in South Africa, 372 Exhibition, Roval International Horticultural, 14, 42, 66. 85. 88, 105, 139, 154, 172, 188, 206, 242, 282, 302, 303, 304, 318, 320. 330, 336. 337, 343. 348. 349, 352. 357, 379, 396, 397, 398, 408, 413; re- port of the, Supp., May 25, June 1, 8 Exhibitions, arrangement of flowers at, 416 Exportation of plants, the Board of Agriculture certificates for the, 89 Fagus pendula, a specimen of, 114 Fairchild lecture, the, 378 Fairchild's City Gardener. 65 Fairy rings, the cause of, 263 Farmers, French, weather guides for, 74 " Farrer " cup, 304, 318 Fernald, M. L. (A Bolanieal Ex- pedition to Newfoundland and Southern Labrador), 88 Fernery, the, 257 Fern, the Lady, 257 Fertiliser, chemical, in Egypt, 222; sulphur as a, 392 ; the value of limestone as a. 143 Ficus repens fruiting, 416 Fielder, Mr. C. R., appointed in- spector of gardens, 322 Fig trees in pots, 326 Fiji Islands, plants of the, 107 "Finger and toe" disease, 354 Fir, Douglas, a new species of. 396 Fish hatcheries in Canada, 264 Flax fibre, new method of treat- ing, 303 Flora of Gazaland, notes on the economic, 283, 296, 321, 332: of Hong Kong, the, 202; of New- foundland and Southern Labra- dor, 88; of New Guinea, 275 Florists' flowers. 12, 21, 100, 117, 133, 234. 296, 315, 359 Florists' grievances, 173 Flnwer-parden, the management of, 6, 23, 38, 54, 71, 86. 103, 118, 137, 152, 168, 184, 201, 220, 238, 258. 278, 298. 316, 334, 350, 362, 374, 390, 411, 426 Flower-pot with perforated dome for drainage, 265, 320 Flowers, autumn, in the south-west, 36 ; cleistogamic, 105 ; exhibiting, 416; in season. 24, 123, 156, 171, 204, 281, 393, 429; in south-wes- tern Scotland, 284; purple, with white varieties. 167; the mode of exhibiting, in South Africa. 372 ; the preservation of cut, 205 Fodder plant, a new, 172. 207 Forcing Strawberries. 208, 226, 245, 250, 284, 304, 338, 367; by etherisation, 359 Foreign correspondence, 66, 132, 150, 167, 257 Forest and ornamental trees in 1911, 138 Forest areas in Canada, 241 Forest, a submerged, 263 ; trees, exotic, 277, 523, 338, 357 ; trees, manuring, 395 Forestry, 158. 277; advisory com- mittee on, 134 ; and the Develop- ment Grant, 55 ; at Cambridge, 396 ; at Edinburgh University, 10 ; information for landowners, 303; in Edinburgh, 58; in Scot- land, 263 ; notes, 134 ; report of Mr. Burden's visit to America, 187 Formosa, illustration of the plants of, 394; Mr. Elwes's visit to, 105 ; new Rose from, 253 ; the flora of, 8 Forrest, Mr. George, sails for China, 105 Forsythias, 283 Frames, cold, the protection of plants in, 90 France, Mushroom growing in, 241 " Fream " medal, the, 396 French flower garden, notes from a. 37 French garden, Broccoli in a, 257 "French" gardening, 55; instruc- tion in. 23, 102, 152, 185 French International Horticultural Congress, 257 Friend or foe ! 276 Fritillaria imperialis alba, 310 Frost, and the fruit crops, 265, 285, 304, 320, 322 Fruit associations in Ontario, co- operative, 354 Fruit buds and the birds, 227, 246, 265, 285 Fruit crops, the, 323, 337, 415 ; and frost, 265, 285, 304, 322; in Ire- land 322 Fruit garden, the market, 3, 83, 148, 218, 294, 383 Fruit-growing in Tasmania, 353; re- search in, 271 Fruit trade of South Africa, 58, 282 Fruit trees, a winter wash for, 130 ; in grass land, 17, 44, 60, 76, 106 ; protecting from hares, 24; spray- ing, in summer, 290; training young standard, 28 Fruits, observations and experi- ments in the pollination of, 245 ; the artificial ripening of, 156 Fruits under glass, the culture of, 7, 23. 39. 55, 70, 87, 103, 118, 136, 153, 168, 185, 200, 220, 238, 258, 279, 298, 317, 335, 350, 362, 374. 391, 410, 426 Fuel, trees for, 159 Fumigation with cyanide, 101 Fungi, parasitic, the losses caused by, 123 ; the nature of, 183, 198, 215; causing phyllody, 264 Galanthtjs Elwesii poculiformis, 33 Galls, new work on, 366 Games in the L.C.C. parks, 105, 124 Garden cities, a lecture on, 108, 127 Gardeners, and the Insurance Act, 415, 430; certificated, 60; the education of, 376, 398, 416, 430 ; wages of jobbing, 173 Gardeners' Royal Benevolent In«ti- tution, 9,45,56,62,319,392, 432; (Worcester Auxiliary), 42, 429^ Gardening conditions in Australia, 224; in India, 82 Gardening school, 42, 187, 246 Garden produce of 200 years ago, 356 Garden tools, notes on the history of, 371 Gazaland, notes on the economic flora of, 283, 296, 321, 332 Geffrye's garden, London, 302 Genetics. Balfour professorship of, 171 ; Professor Bateson on, 57, 74, 89, 104, 120, 139, 337 Germany, "horticultural education in, 598 ; Potato importations into, 204 Gibault, Georges, Histoire des Legumes, 19; honour for, 25 Ginsing, 212 Cxladioli, high prices for, 181 Glasshouses for market purposes, 146 ; for Tomato growing, 178 Glebelands, South Woodford, Or- chids at, 237 Golf links, the deterioration of, 186 Gooseberry mildew, American, 262 Gcffdon, George (Gardeninq Year Booh), 123 Grafting, Clianthus Dampieri on Colutea, 356 ; Potatos used instead of wax in, 123 Gramme and Samphire, 212 Grape Black Frankenthal, 48 Grass land, fruit trees in, 17, 44, 60, 76, 106 ; the manuring of. 253 Grass, the use of lawn sands on, 182 Greenhouse, plants for a, 16, 32 Grey, Lady, and the gardens at Rideaux Hall, Canada, 123 Grieve, Mr. James, 262 H Habenaria conopsea aJba, 68, 90. 107, 167 ' ' Hafod, Cardiganshire, 214 Halesia tetraptera, 73 Hales, Mr. William, 318 Hales, Stephen, memorial to, 73 Hampton Court, Crocuses at, 173 Hampton, Mr. Alfred J., presenta- tion to, 262 Hardy flower border, 5, 44 Hardy fruit garden, operations in the, 6, 25, 59, 54, 70, 87, 102, 118, 156, 153, 168, 184, 200, 221, 238, 258. 278, 299. 317, 334, 551, 562, 374, 391, 426 Hares, protecting fruit trees from, Hayata, B. (Illustrations of the Plants of Formosa), 394; and J. Matsumura (Enumeratio Planta- rum Formosanarum), 8 Haystacks, the temperature of, 396 Hay, when to cut, 395 Heating installation at the Bank of England, 413 Hedrick, U. P. (The Plums of New Yorl:), 167 Helianthi, a new fodder plant, 172, 207 Helianthus lenticularis, a red variety of, 353 ; H. macrophyllus, a new fodder plant, 172 Heliophila scandens. 42 Helleborus angustifolius, 5 Hengrave Hall, Suffolk, 5 Herbaceous border, the, 52 Herbaceous flowers at the York Show, 429 Herring boxes for seedlings, 52 Hibiscus hybrids, 57 Hints on exhibiting, 328 Hippeastrum Hathor, 292, 322 Hippeastrums in Jamaica, 224 : pot- ting, 130 ; white-flowered, 322 Hoe. a handy, Supp., June 8, p. xlii. Hole, S. Reynolds (A Booh About Boses), 240 Holland House show, the, 413 Hollyhock rust, the, 280 Hollyhocks and Calceolarias, 44 Holyrood Palace Gardens, 413 Holyrood park-keepers, 578 Hong Kong, the flora of, 202 Hooker, Sir Joseph, bust of, 187 ; estate of, 204 ; last published work of, 9 ; library of, 519 ; the life of, 11, 26, 45 Horses poisoned by Equisettun arvense, 301 Horticultural branch of the Board of Agriculture, 412, 428 Horticultural produce in U.S.A., the importation of. 554 Horticulture, need for a national institute of. 72, 90, 428; State department for, 412 The Gardeners' Chronicle,] INDEX. [June 29, 1912. Hoya bella, 368 Hughea, Mr. Thomas, golden wed- ding of, 319 Humus, 373 Hyacinth, a proliferous, 142; H. Paul Kruger, 181 Hybrid trees and shrubs, 414 Hydrangeas, blue-flowered, 422 Hymenanth«Ta crassifolia, 142 I Ideal Homes Exhibition, 282 Imperial College of Science and Technology, 301 Implements, garden, notes on the history of, 371 India, gardening in, 82 Insects, collecting and preserving, 289 ; stings, remedy for, 353 Institute of horticulture, need for a national, 72, 90, 428 Insurance Act, the, 73; and com- mercial travellers, 415; and gar- deners, 415, 430 ; and the Scottish fruit trade, 188 International Exhibition, Bruges, 301 ; New York, 337 International Horticultural Exhibi- tion, Chelsea, 14, 42, 85, 88, 139, 154 172, 188, 206. 242, 282. 303, 320, 330, 336, 352, 379, 396, 397 ; and the R.H.S., 431; Austrian visitors to, 188; boy scouts and eoldiers at the, 304; certificates at, 318; conferences at the, 336, 398, 408; Con- tinental visitors to, 105; Dutch view of the, 413; French students to visit the, 66; judges' luncheon at the, 357 ; list of func- tions at the, 336; list of jurors at the, 343 ; Orchids at the, 348, 349 ; railway facilities for reaching the, 337; report of the, Supp., May 25, June 1, 8; some of the functions at the, Hupp., June 1, p. xxxii. ; the gardener and the, 379 ; the large tent, 302 ; visit of the King and Queen, 357 ; " who's who " of the, Supp., May 25, p. ii. International Horticultural Exhibi- tion of 1866, reminiscences of the, 347 ; Orchids at the, 348 Ireland, the fruit crops in, 322; notes from, 90, 141. 157, 173, 205, 414; sale of trees in, by the De- partment of Agriculture, 222, 225. 246, 322 ; the season in, 157 Irises, notes on, 274 Iris hvbrids, some new. 274 Iris sivlosa, 60, 76: I. Susiana, 19; I. tuberosa, 227, 257 Irrigation, overhead, 264 Italian garden, an, 515 Italy, Poplar trees grown for wood- pulp in, 242 jAM.MC.t, Hippeastrums in. 224 Jamesia americana. 367 Japanese trees, cocoons on, 212 Johnstone, Mr. John, 378 Label, the Saughton, 27 Laelia superbiens, hybrids of, 151 Laelio-Cattleya Aphrodite " Lord Faber," 405; L.-C. Helius, 333; L.-C. MacBeaniana, 237 ; L.-C. Norma, 164 Laird, Mr. Robert, the late, 10 Lambert, Mr. John, 89 Lambourne, Mr. John, 241 Land purchase. State-aided, 69 Landscape gardeners, compliment- ary dinner to, 187 Land under cultivation in Great Britain, the area of, 88 Larch, abnormal development of cones on, 285 Larch sawfly, the large, 205 Larkspurs and Antirrhinums as bed- ding plants, 142 Law Notes:— Action against a horticultural society, 63 ; Fail- ure of a " French " gardener, 249 ; of a market gardener, 269 ; of a nurseryman, 346 ; Goose- berry-niUdew Act, prosecution under the, 401 ; Shop Hours Act, prosecution under the, 433; Thefts from Nurseries, 15 Lawn sands, 182 Lawn, the renovation of, 178 Lawns, basic slag for, 96 Leaf-curl of Peach trees, 139 Leaf-spot of Celery, 172 Leaks in pipes, simple method of re- pairing, 263 Lecanora esculenta (Manna), 366 Lemon curing, 396 Leonardslee, Rhododendrons at, 361 Leptospermum bullatum, 100. 142; L. scoparium, 142 ; L. s. Nichollii, 397 Lettuce Petite Noire. 151 Lewisia Howellii, 349 Lewis, Mr. Thomas, 188 Lightning, trees destroyed by, 257 Lilies and sunshine, 131, 159 Lilies, Oriental and Californian. 164 Lilium longiflorum as a pot plant, 43; L. sulphurenm. 19; L. sul- phureura and L. Fortunei, 77 Lilv season in Scotland, prospects o'f the, 406 Limestone as a fertiliser. 76, 143 Lime sulphur as a summer wash, 384 Linnean medal, award of the, 281 Lister, Arthur (A Monograph oj the Mycetozoa), 187 Literature, old garden, 10 L.C.C. parks, bulbs in the, 123; committee of the, 172, 188; em- ployees, 104, 140. 204. 213; gar- deners, and the R.H.S. examina- tion. 262; games in the, 105 London parks department, changes in the, 241 London's open spaces, 10, 24, 204 Longevity of seeds, 205 Lonicera fragrantissima and L. Standishii. 142 Lorentz, Dr. H. A. {The Flora of New Oiii)ica), 275 Lyne, Mr. R. N., 281 K Kaintt and Pear trees, 125 Kew gardens, conditions of employ- ment at, 64 ; earlier opening of, 281 ; theft from, 319 ; visitors to during 1911, 155 Kew gardeners social evening, 41 Kew Guild dinner, 366 KUburn Grange acquired for a public park. 24 Kirkmaiden Manse, flowers at, 208 nitchen carden. the manaeement of. 6. 22. 38. 55. 70, 87. 103. 119, 136, 153, 160, 185, 200, 221, 239. 259. 279, 299, 317, 335, 350, 362, 375, S90, 410, 427 M M'Gregor, Mr. Malcolm, 142 M'Hattie. Mr. John W., awarded the Neill prize, 394, 413 M'Kinnon, Mr. John, fatal acci- dent to, 42 Madresfield Court gardens and the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent In- stitution, 319 Magnolia salicifolia, 222. 245, 285 Magnolias in Ireland, 205 JNIaiden, J. H. {Critical Review of the Genus Eucalyptus), 391 Maize crop in Argentina, 224 Jlalayan and Papuan Orchids, 302 Malcolm, Mr. John, awarded the " Fream " medal. 395 "Mallow Marvels," 57 Manchester, horticulture in, 170, 189, 207, 226, 246, 264 Manna plant, the, 366 Manure, limestone as a, 76 Manures, artificial, for Potatos, 112 ; phosphatic, 74 ; the effect of, on tobacco, 262 Manuring forest trees, 395; of grassland, 263 Marasmius oreades causing Fairy- rings, 263 Market fruit garden, the, 3, 83, 148, 218, 294, 383 Market gardening, 15 ; and the Edinburgh Distress Committee, 42; in Belgium, 414; on the Murieston Estate, Edinburgh, 107 Market prices, 430 -Matthiola, origin of the cultivated, 205 Medal of the North of England Horticultural Society, 224; of the International Exhibition, 337 Medinella magnifica, 396 Megaclinium leucorrhachis, 405 Melons, Cantaloupe, 370 Meteorological forecasts, 187 Mildew, American Gooseberry, 262 Millipedes, 276 Missouri botanical garden, 283 Monographs, Cambridge agricul- tural, 140 " Monro " concert, the, 204 Monstera deliciosa, 48 Monterey Pine, the, 13 Mora;a sinensis, 37 Moraine gardening, 251, 323, 338 Movement in plants, 49, 75 Murieston estate, Edinburgh, mar- ket-gardening on the, 107 Mushroom-growing in France, 241 Mushrooms, a disease of, 212 ; the culture of, in boxes, 361 Mutiny of the " Bounty," the, and the Bread Fruit tree, 302 Mycetozoa, monograph of the, 187 Myrica Gale, root nodules of, 262 .\lyrtus communis, seedlings of. 338 N Nannorbhops Ritchieana, 66, 132 Narcissus Crcesus, 337 ; N. Mrs. Ernest H. Krelage, 294; N. Uinone, 294 ; for forcing, 181 National Institute of Horticulture, need for a. 70, 90. 428 " Neill " prize, the, 394, 413 Nematus Ericksonii, the large Larch sawfly, 205 Nepenthes, new species of, 353 Nesting-places, 379, 397, 415, 431 _ Newfoundland, a botanical expedi- tion to, 88 Newstead, Professor R., 155 New York international flower show, 1913, 337 New Zealand, notes from, 98; the sand dunes of, 25 Nicotine as a spray fluid, 219 Nicotine extract from home-grown Tobacco, 260 Nitrogen and carbon-dioxide in plant houses, 76 Nitrogen in rain-water, 141 Nova Scotia, state aid in, 263 Novelties of 1911, 1, 20 Nursery, fire at a, 58 Nursery Notes: — Bull & Sons, WilUam, Chelsea, 332; Sander & Sons, St. Albans, 254; Sutton & Sons, Reading, 115 Nut flowering in December, 14 Oak. a curious, 26 ; a sleeping, 25 Oakbrook, Ilammersmith, Pine- apples at, 59 Oakwood gardens, Crayford, Cypri- pediums at, 44 Oat and Wheat crops, the, 141 Obituary: — Adams, Herbert J., 162 : Baillie. William, 32 ; Barry, William, 208; Beaton, John, 310; Binot, Pedro Maria, 15; Birch, George, 46 ; Blacklock, James, 269; Bowler, John, 63; Box, James, 325; Brooker, Henry, 46; Brown, A. R., 32 ; Bruant, Georges, 342 ; Burton, F. M., 358 ; Carleton, William, 46; Childs, Thomas, 15; Davidson, A., 310; Deacon, John, 46 ; Deal, William, 15; Denning, C, 46; Denni- son, Robert, 207; Doig, J., 32; Durand, il. Theophile, 46; Easter, John, 310 ; Ellison, C. C, 193; Farquharson, Jlrs., 358; Fenn, Robert, 208; Fyfe, W., 434; Galvin, Thomas, 96; Cara- way, W. A., 145; Gow, William, 231 ; Grahame, Archibald, 32 ; Hampton, George, 178; Hay, Lawrence, 414; Haycraft, John, 433; HiUier, W. H., 433; Holmes, Joseph, 401; Inch, Robert, 15; Inglefield, G. A., 96; Innes, Robert, 310; Jennings, William John, 414; Jones, T., 310, 322; Keating, John, 342 ; Lawlor. Michael H., 269; Lister, Lord, 111 ; Lyall, John B., 269 ; Mclvay, James, 193 ; McKenna, Patrick, 269; M'Kinnon, John, 42; M'Lean, Alexander, 325; Mathias, Havward, 128 ; Maw, George, 111; Molden, Thomas, 111; Mor- rison, William, 325 ; Mortensen, M. L., Ill; Muir, Thomas, 145; ilurphy, Michael, 63 ; Newrock, Charles, 325; Ogg, Peter, 310; Pentland, Francis, 231 ; Piper, George Wren, 269; Purves, Thomas, 63 ; Ranger, Hugh, 381 ; Riddell, Andrew, 15; Robson, J. M., 96; Rowan, M., 32; Rvan, Martin E., 310; Soabrook, F. W., 342; Shingler, William, 381; Sim, Thomas, 145; Smith, Charles, 358; Smith, Jonathan, 285; Strasburger, Prof. Eduard. 414; Swift, Thomas. Ill ; Thomson, William, 208; Uzzell, Mrs., 46; Watson, William, 46; Wilkinson, Mrs. Thomas, 15 ; Wood, Elijah A., 433 O'Brien, Constance {The Guild of the Garden Lovers), 407 Odontoglossum crispum " Samuel Gratrix," 197; 0. hybrids, 313; 0. jasper, 197 ; 0. Memoria Lily Neumann, 99 ; 0. Vulcan Craw- shayanum, 164 Oncidium anthocrone, 135 Ontario, Apple-growing in, 222 ; co-operative fruit associations m, 354 ; employment in, 80 ; the Tomato industry in, 242 Orange, a hardy, 171 Oranges, seedling, 64 Orchid conference, R.H.S., 300 Orchid houses, management of the, 7. 22, 39, 54, 71, 86, 102, 118, 137, 152, 168, 184, 201, 221, 238, 258, 279, 298, 316, 334, 351, 363, 374, 390, 411, 427 Orchid notes and gleanings, 35, 50, 135, 164, 197, 237, 253, 312, 405, 423 Orchid show at Berlin, 204 Orchids, a sale of, 356 ; at Belsize Court, Hampstead, 253 ; at Broadlands, 35 ; at Glebelands, South Woodford, 237; at the Iii- ternational Horticultural Exhibi- tion, 206; at Westfield, Woking, 67 ; from Evershot, Dorset, 313 ; in 1866 and 1912, 349; new, in 1911, 1 ; of New Guinea, 50 ; new Malayan and Papuan, 302 Orphan fund. Royal Gardeners', 154 ; festival dinner, 281, 341 ; an- nual meeting, 109 Ostrowskia magnifica, 396 Paisley, new public park at, 10 Palm, Afghan Mountain. 66. 132 Papaw in Queensland, the, 156 VI. TBe Gardeners' Chronicle,] INDEX. [June 29, 1912. Pai-asites, flowering plants as, 73 Pai'asitic fungi caiLsing phyllody, 254; the losses caused by, 123; the nature of, 183, 198, 215 Paris spring show, 9 Pai-k presented to Chesterfield, 263 ; new, at Paisley, 10 Park Superintendents, American Association of, 242 Parks, children in the royal, 281 ; cost of the royal, 223 ; "games in public, 124; school classes in the London, 241; the L.C.C., 104, 105, 172, 188, 204, 241, 353; the management of public, 137, 299; the teaching of school children in the L.C.C., 10; the valuation of public, in Scotland, 10 Pasteur, Louis,' memorial to, 73 Pastui'es, the renovation of, 25 Paulownia imperialis, 431 Payne, Mr. C. Harman, 58 Peach tree, bud-dropping in, 292 Pear Avocado, in California, 150 Pear midge, the, 356 Pear tree, a prolific, 199 Pear trees, at Balcombe House Gar- dens, 301 ; and kainit, 125 Peas and Beans, thiips on, 397 Peas, culinary, high prices for 123 ; green, preserving, 382 Perkins, Dr. R. C. L., awarded the Linnean Medal, 281 Pests, plant, the vacuum cleaner as a destroyer of, 74 Philadelphus microphyllus in Scot- land, 225 Phloxes, herbaceous, 233, 285 Phosphate nutrition of plants, the, 140 Phosphatio manures, 74 Phyllody caused by a fungus, 264 Pickering, Spencer U., and the Duke of Bedford (Thirletnth Report of the Woiurn Experi- mental Fruit Farm, 17 Pictures at the Royal Academy, 331 ; at the Royal Institute Gal- leries, 27 Pigeon manure as a fertiliser, 346 Pigments, plant and animal, 172 Pineapples at Oakbrook, 59 Pinguicula gypsicola, 58 Pinks, the four great Alpine, 195 Pin OS radiata, 13 Pipes, a simple method of repairing leaks in, 263 Plant and animal pigments, 172 Plant collecting, perils in, 262 Plant cultm-e, electricity and, 90 Plant diseases and pests, legislation in connection with, a conference on, 408 Plant label, the Saughton, 27 Plant-names, pronunciation of, 77 Plant notes, 42, 292 Plant novelties of 1911, 20 Plant Portraits : — Agave protuberans, 241 ; Begonia dich- roa, 9 ; Berberis Wilsonse, 9 ; Brachychiton acerifolius, 394 ; Brunfelsia undulata, 187 ; Calceo- laria cana, 10; C. Forgetii, 319; Campanula arvatica, 241 ; Cereus Silvestrii, 187; Corokia coton- easter, 187 ; Crassula Barklyi, 105 ; Daphne retusa, 241 ; Davidia involucrata variety Vilmoriniana, 319 ; Disa lugens, 9 ; Dombeya calantha, 187 ; EUiottia racemosa, 9 ; Hypocalymma robustum, 319 ; Iris chrysographes, 319,; Ixora lutea, 394 ; Leptospermum sooparium variety NichoUii, 105 ; Lycium pallidum, 394; Magnolia Kobus, 241 ; Olearia chathamica, 105 ; Perovskia atriplicifolia, 394 ; Rupicola Sprengelioides, 394 ; Saxifraga lingulata, 319; Schom- burgkia Lueddemanii, 241 ; Stan- hopia peruviana, 105 ; Syringa Julianie, 187; Stranvsesia undu- lata, 105 Plants, and the production of alcohol, 300; carbon-assimilation by, 263 ; conditions regulating the exportation of, 89 ; disease resistance of, 412; for a cold greenhouse, 32 ; for a dry border, 159 ; for growing under trees, 204, 257; movement in, 49; new, in U.S.A., 25; parasites amongst flowering, 73 ; toxic excreta of, 124; the cultivation of, under glass, 7, 22, 38, 54, 70, 80, 86, 102, 119, 136, 152, 160, 184, 200, 220, 239, 258, 278, 298, 316, 335, 351, 363, 375, 391, 410, 426 Plants, New or Noteworthy: — Calceolaria virgata, 50 ; Coton- easter amoena, 2 ; C. Harroviana, 3 ; Cotyledon racemosa, 344 ; Cupressus formosensis, 132 ; Epi- dendrum StaUforthianum, 114 ; Iris tenuissima, 18 ; Lselio-Cattleya Mossemiliana, 18; LUium Brownii leucanthum, 404; L. myriophyl- lum, 272; L. Sargentis, 385; Mesembryanthemum decorum, 403; Nannorrhops Ritchieana, 66; Rehmannias, hybrid, 218 ; Rhodo- dendron adenopodum, 252 ; R. Delavayi album, 252 ; R. Far- gesii, 252 ; Ulmus Plotii, 35 Plasmodiophora brassicse, cure for, 354 Plum, Count Althann's Gage, 189 Plum rust (Puccinia Pruni) on Anemone, 263 Poisoning with Virginian Creeper berries, 204 Poisons in the soil, 154 Pollination of hardy fruits 245 Polygonum Baldschuanicum, 431 Pond weeds destroyed by copper sulphate, 242, 382 Pope, i\Ir. Samuel, 155 Poplar, wood-pulp from, 242 Portland cement, the uses of, 172 Potash, the world's supply of, 120 Potassium in plants, 157 Potato and floral sterility, 13, 28 ; growing, grant for experiments in, 142; in Western Australia, 89 Potatos, artificial manures for, 112 ; cow manure for, 112; drying, in Germany, 224 ; importation of, into Germany, 204 ; select varie- ties of, 134; used instead of grafting wax, 123 ; wart-disease of, the present distribution of, 104 Pottery, visit to a, 206 Pragnell, Sir George, 412 Prain, Sir David, 412 Preservation of cut flowers, the, 205 Primrose, colour of, 264 Primula amoena, 98 ; P. a. (acaulis rubra), 33; P. Forrestii in China, 240 ; P. Juli», 293 ; P. Knuthiana, 366 ; P. obconica, the evolution of, 185; P. pinnatifida in China, 320; P. rosea, seeding of, 246, 255, 323; P. secundiflora, 281; P. uniflora, 407; P. vincaeflora and P. Wattii, 286 Pronunciation of plant names, the, 77 Pruning fruit trees in summer, 219; Roses, 196 Pseudotsuga .sinensis, 396 Puccinia malvacearum (Hollyhock rust), 280; P. pruni on Anemone coronaria, 253 Purdom, Mr. W., 188, 262 Queensland, the Papaw in, 155 Quercus rubra, a dormant tree of, 25 Railvfat grievances, 244 Railways in Canada, 253 Rainfall in N. Wales, 245; in 1911, the, 58 Rain-water, nitrogen in, 141 Ranunculus, the, 117; R. asiaticoB, 281 ; R. Lyallii, 428 Rat-catching, a theory of, 28, 44, 59 Rattans and Rotangs, the, 273 Red spider on vines, 256, 304 Rehmannia angulata, 246 Rehmannias, hybrid, 218 Rhaphiolepis japonica, 431 Rhododendron Broughtonii aurenm, 53 ; R. Falconeri, 357 ; R. Vaseyi, 313 ; R. Victorianum, 406 ; R. Yodogawa, 241 Rhododendrons, at Leonardslee, 361 ; at the Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, 377; in China, 291; sheep poisoned by, 112 Rhubarb damaged in transit, 105 Rideau Hall, Ottawa, 123 Rock-garden at Edinburgh, 277 Rock-gardens, the development in, since 1865, 355 Rosa, new Chinese species of, 123 ; R. gigantea, 314 ; the, as a flowering shrub, 324, 340, 369 Rosary, the, 5, 25, 34, 50, 68, 99, 115, 151, 195, 214, 235, 293, 360, 387 Rose, a new, from Formosa, 263 Rose garden, work in the, 5, 99, 151, 214, 293, 350 Roses: Caroline Testout and its sports, 236; Frau Karl Druschki, some seedling varieties of, 34; Irish Klegance, 123 ; Mme. Hector Leuilliot, 59, 245; The Orleans, 214; William Allen Richardson, 26, 44 Roses, American forcing. 85; Chinese, 204; cow manure for, 112 ; fragrant, 25 ; introduced in 1909, 116; new, of the N.R.S. catalogue, 50, 68, 99, 116 ; random thoughts on pruning, 197 ; some early, 423; trials of, at Baga- telle, 51 Rothamsted expei-iment station, 157 R.H.S. and the International Horti- cultural Exhibition, the, 431 ; Daffodil show. 139; examination and the L.C.C. gardeners, 252; examination of public parks em- ployes, 155 ; Gardens Club, 396 Rubber pest, a, 157 Rubbish heaps and bonfires, 392 Rubus, Chinese species of, 123, 147, 165 Russia, importation of cut flowers in, 253 Ruthin Castle, Ash tree at, 4 St. Faoan's Castle, Cardiff, 179 Sale of nursery stock by the Irish Department of Agriculture, 222, 225, 246, 322 Salt as a manure for Sugar Beet, 252 Sand dunes of New Zealand, 25 Sander, Mr. F., 9 Sanguinaria canadensis, 284 Sankey & Son's pottery, 206 Sargent, C. S. {^Plantm Wilsoni- ance), 69 Sarracenias out-of-doors, 198 Saussurea gossypiphora and S. len- coma, 85 Saw-fly, the large Larch, 205 Saxifraga, a hybrid, 357 ; S. x kewensis, 247 ; S. lanto.scana and S. cochkaris, 174 ; S. Probynii, 379 Scabious, the culture of, 12 Schizocodon soldanelloides, 348 Schlecter, Dr. Rudolf (Die Orchida- cecn ron Deutsch-N eu-Gitinea , 50 School classes in the London parks, 241 ; popularity of, 223 School gardening, 42 School-gardens, number of, 187, 246 Science, Imperial College of, 301 ; horticultural, 364 Scientific Committee:— Acorns with two or three radicles, 45 ; Afzelia cuanzensis, fruits of, 400 ; Amygdalus X prsecox, 175 ; Ar- senic in drainage water, 323 ; Ar- tKicarpus, fruit of, 323 ; Aster liki- angensis, 400 ; Athyrium with bulbiferous suri, 208 ; Beans, beetles in, 208; Botanical certifi- cates, awards of, 400; Ccelogyne venu.sta, 143 ; Camellia Tuckiana, 208 ; Carpentaria californica at- tacked with Cladosporium her- barum, 286 ; Catasetum Randii, 108 ; Cattleya, an abnormal, 108 ; Chrysophlyctis endobiotica, 108; Cladosporium herbarura attacking Carpentaria, 285; Clivia miniata with foliose bract, 247 ; Cypripe- dium, a malformed, 45; Daphne odora, 45; Disa sagittalis, 174; Draba rupestris, 247 ; Dracaena Goldieana, 45 ; Elaagnus sp. fruit- ing, 247 ; Fumigation with hydro- cyanic acid gas, 143 ^ Galanthus Elwesii variety poculiformis, 93 ; Galls on Oak, 174; Gooseberry, racemose form, 285 ; Grapes killed by fog, 174; Hyacinth, a bi- coloured, 286; a double, 175; Hippeastrum Forgetii, 108 ; Hy- drocyanic acid gas, fumigation with, 143; Irises, uncommoir, 324; Jack-fruit, the, 323 ; Lilium can- didura affected with Uromyces, 285 ; Malformed Narcissus, 175 ; Malformed Orchids, 208 ; Nandina domestica, fruits of, 93 ; Nai'- cissus, a malformed, 175, 247; N. Calanthinus, hybrids of, 175,' 208; seedlings of, 174; sport- ing of, 247; Oak, galls on, 174; Odontioda "Carmen," 400; 0. " Firminii," 45; Oncoba Routledgei, 143 ; Orange, a new hardy, 143; "Navel," 45; with yellow stripe, 323; Orchid, a hy- brid, 358; 0. mascula, albino form of, 323 ; Orchids, malformed, 208; Tasmanian, 286; Osyris alba parasitic on vine roots, 208 ; Petrea volubilis, dried in- florescence of, 286, 368; Potato canker, Chrysophlyctis endo- biotica, 108 ; Primrose, a double-flowered, 324 ; Primula Knuthiana, 175 ; Primulas, rare, 368; Pyronia x, 143; Ranunculus Ficaria, abnormal flowers of, 286 ; Raspberry canes attacked with Hendersonia rubi, 93 ; Ruscus acu- leatus, variation in, 92 ; Saxifraga majuscula, 400 ; Saxifragas, hybrid, 323; Scelochilus variega- tus, 45 ; Schomburgkia Luedde- manii, 247; Scilla hispanica with long bracts, 323 ; Senecio Lyallii, 400 ; Snowdrops, drawings of, 208 ; Stachys palustris, 286 ; Sweet Peas, variation in, 400; with leafy tendrils, 400; Tulip, " Par- rot," a new break in, 324; dis- eased, 143, 174 ; with displaced perianth segment, 323 ; with fim- briated edges, 368 ; Vine roots, Osyris alba parasitic on, 208 ; Violets, with branched peduncles, 143 ; Wallflowers, rogue, 286 Scotland, early flowers in, 227 ; flowers in south-west, 284; fores- try in, 263; notes from, 10, 25, 42, 58, 75. 107, 142, 158, 173, 188, 225, 244, 322, 338, 378, 397, 415 ; Lily season in, 405 Scottish fruit trade and the Insur- ance Act, 188 ; manse garden, in a, 208 ; prison allotments, 322 Searle, Alfred B. (The Natural His- tory of Clai/), 133 Seeds, the longevity of, 205 Senecio glastifolius var. Twickel, 393 Septoria petroselini on Celery, 1'72 Sewage sickness- in soil. 170 Shade, plants for, 204, 257 ShadweU, new park at, 10, 204 Sheep poisoned by Rhododendron, 112 Shirley Horticultural Society, fail- ure of the, 187, 227 Shops Act and the Edinburgh fruit and flower traders, 188 Shrubs, hardy, to flower during July, August, and September, 112; hvbrid. 414; seaside, in Ira- land, 157, 205 Xlie Gardeners' Chronicle ] INDEX. [June 29, 1912. vii. Silver-leaf disease, 243 Singleton, Mr. Robert, 301 Small holdings, o8 ; committee on cheaper buildings for, 105 Smith, Mr. W. W., 171 Smith, Thomas (77ip Profitablt Cul- ture of Veijetahles), 196 Snowdrop tree, the, 73 Snow in the Midlands, 44 Societies: — Aberdeen Chrys., 338; Aberdeen Warehouse Hort., 281 ; American Association of Park Superintendents, 242; An- cient Society of York Florists, 127 ; Association of Economic Bio- logists, 244; Barnsley Paxton, 129; Bath and West of England Agricultural, 370; Bath Gar- deners', 79, 128, 211, 288, 401; Baughurst and Tadley Gardeners', 79; Biochemical Club, 319; Bir- mingham Botanical and Hort., 421; Birmingham Hort., 110; Blackburn and Dietrict Hort., 14; Bournemouth Hort., 109; Bournemouth Spring Flower Show, 210; Brighton Hort., 78: Brighton, Hove and Sussex Hort., 208 ; British Gardeners' Associa- tion, 42, 75, 78, 154, 192; (An- nual Meeting), 370; (London Branch). 45; Bristol and District Gardeners', 129, 269, 310; Bury Hort., 95; Canterbury Rose, 211; Chelmsford and District Gar- deners', 128; Chesterheld Chrys., 140; Chester Paxton, 128; Cleve- don and District Hort., 421; Colchester Rose, 429; Cornwall Daffodil and Spring-flower, 268; Coventry Chrys., 14; Croydon and District Hort., 79, 128, 211, 269, 288; Debating, 46, 79, 128, 211, 269, 288, 310, 345, 401, 421; Devon and Exeter Gardeners', 128; Devon Daffodil and Spring-flower, 288 ; Don- caster Gardeners', 128; Dresden Botanical and Hort., 105; Dur- ham, Northumberland and New- castle Incorporated Botanical and Hort., 162 ; Edinburgh Mar- ket Gardeners', 45; Essex Agri., 413; Ghent Hort., 127; Glasgow and West of Scotland Hort., 107; Glasgow Fruit Trade Benevolent, 78; Haarlem Bulb Growers', 342; Hants. Spring Flower, 285 ; Hasie- mere District Chrys., 78; Here- fordshire Fruit Growers and Horticulturists, 108 ; Hereford- shire Fruit, Root, Grain, and Chrys., 108: Herefordshire Spring Flower, 286; Hort. Club, 42, 78, 210, 324, 340, 368, 432 (Annual Meet, and Dinner), 144 ; Irish Forestry, 173; Irish Rose and Floral, " 414 ; Kent Commercial Fruit Show, 110 ; Kilmarnock Hort., 129; Lee, Blackheath and Lewisham Hort., 128; Leeds Gar- deners' Friendly Benefit, 127 : Leeds Professional Gardeners', 77; Lincolnshire Daffodil, 325: Linnean, 15, 78, 123, 161, 210, 325, 337, 400; Liverpool Hort., 78, 89, 230 ; Manchester and North of England Orchid, 14, 31, 77, 110, 128. 175, 193, 229, 268, 325, 342, 369; Manchester Botani- cal, 162; Midland DaffodU, 307; Nat. Auricula and Primula (Midland Section), 324; (Southern Section), 307; Nat. Chrys., 45, 128, 155, 429; (Annual Meeting), 94; Nat. Dahha, 140, 176; Nat. Gladiolus, 369 ; Nat. Hardy Plant, 210 ; Nat. Horticidtural of France, 242; Nat. Rose, 337; Nat. Sweet Pea, 30 ; N. of England Horti- cultural, 63, 193, 341 ; N. of Scot- land Hort. and Arboricultural, 247, 288 ; Nursery and Seed Trade, 309, 348; Nurserymen, Market Gardeners' and General Hailstorm Insurance, 247; Ox- ford and District Gardeners', 79 : Perpetual-flowering Carnation, 209, 340; Reading and District Rose and Sweet Pea, 15; Reading Gardeners', 46, 79, 129, 211, 129, 269, 288; Richmond Hort., 432; Royal, 155 ; Roval Caledonian Hort., 45, 262, 248; Royal Hort., 29, 45, 60, 91, 125, 143, 159, 174, 189, 208, 227, 247, 265, 286, 305, 323, 339, 358, 379, 400, 416 ; (An- nual Meeting), 107, 124; Royal Hort. of Ireland, 15, 157, 249, 286 : Royal Institution, 340; Royal Meteorological, 77, 230, 286, 301, 381, 429 ; Royal Nat. Tulip, 342 ; Royal Scottit^h Arboricultural, 110, 247 ; Roval Society of Edin- burgh, 230: St. German's Hort., 262; Sandy Hort., 95; Scottish Hort., 63, 108, 127, 143, 144, 175, 244, 247, 341, 400; Shropshire Hort., 309; Societe Fran^aise d'Horticulture de Londres, 42, 231 ; Southampton and District Gardeners', 310 ; Southampton Roval Hort.. 77, 155; Southern Counties Agri,. 401 : Stirling and Dis. Gardeners', 128, 269, 433; Stirling Chrys., 45: Surveyors' Institution. "l4, 155; Torquay District Gardeners', 230; Ulster Hort., 63; United Hort. Benefit and Provident. 155, 175, 268, 421; Vienna Royal Hort., 171: Wargrave and District Gar- deners', 79, 211, 288; Watford Hort., 283; Western New York Hort., 302; Wevbridge and Dis- trict Hort., 79. 129 : Wolverhamp- ton Hort., 129 ; Women's Agri. and Hort. International Union, 39, 242 ; Yorkshire Gala. 419, 429 Soil, barren, treatment of, 241 ; con- stituent, a beneficent, 187 ; fertility, gome factors of, 150 ; method of sterilising, 130, 146 ; poisons in the, 154 ; sewage sick- ness in, 170 ; the bacterial flora of the. 378 ; the partial sterilisa- tion of glasshouse. 97, 113 Solanum jasminoides, 142, 158, 173 ; S. tuberosum, 124 South Africa, fruit trade of, 58, 282 : mode of exhibiting flowers in, 372 South-Eastern Agricultural Col- lege, Wye, grants to, 204 Soya Bean in Scotland, 173 Speer, A. E. [Annual and Biennial Garden Plants], 69 Spraying, compulsory, 140 ; for big- bud, 58, 106, 124, 142, 173; fruit trees, 84, 290 Spring flowers in the south-west, 386 Standard fruit trees, training, 23 Starling, the, as friend or foe, 413 State-aided land purchase, 69 Stereum purpureum causing silver- leaf disease, 243 Sterilisation, partial, of greenhouse soils, 97, 113 ; methods of, 130 Stevenson, Thomas (The Modern Culture of Sweet Peas), 223 Stocks, the origin of cultivated, 205 Siove plants, a select list of, 16 Strawberries, etherisation and the forcing of, 359 ; failure of forced, 208, 226, 245, 250, 284, 304, 338, 367; record, 397, 415, 430; the cau.ses determining the yield of, 10 Strawberrv leaf-spot, 219 Streak disease of Sweet Psa, 52, 84, 124 Street trees in Canada, 3, 77 Strobilanthes Dyerianus, 68 ; S. Kunthianus and varieties, 41 Sulphur as a fertiliser, 392 ; for use with copper-containing spray fluids, 140 Sunflower, the red-flowered, 353 Sunshine, Lilies and, 159 Superphosphates, the w^orld's con- sumption of, 42 Sweet Peas, a lecture on, 143 ; American novelties in, 21 ; culture of, in Scotland, 158; dis- ease of, 36, 52, 84, 124; early, 304; for the garden, 90; in America, 116 ; in Ireland, 141 : Mrs. Routzahn, sport of, 27; novelties at the R.H.S. show, 315 ; Senator Spencer, 60 ; sport in, 14, 27 ; streak disease of. 101 Sweet William, rust disease of, 44 Tanslet, a. G. (Types of British Vegetation). 114 Tar, road, effect of, on trees, 223 Tasmania, fruit-growing in, 353 Thomas, H. H. (The Complete Gardener), 243 Thrips on Peas and Beans, 397 Thyra wood, 130 Tobacco, home-grown, and nicotine extraction, 260 ; the culture of, in Canada, 172; the effect of manures on, 262 Tod, H. M. (Vine Growing in England), 183 Tomato, a giant, 430 ; industry in Ontario, the, 242 ; leaf rust of, 140 Tomatos, glasshouses for, 178 ; the outdoor cultivation of, 403 Tools, garden, notes on the history of, 371 Tough, Mr. William, 338 Town gardening, 318 ; a lecture on, 108, 127 Toxic excretions of plants, 124 Transvaal, agriculture in the, 395 Tree-growth, the drought and, 58 Trees, and road tar, 223; and shrubs, 11, 51, 164, 283, 331, 372; exotic forest, 277 : forest and orna- menUl, in 1911, 138, 159 ; for fuel, 159 ; hybrid, 414 ; sale of, in Ireland " bv the Department of Agriculture. 222. 225, 246, 322; street, in Canada, 3, 77 ; treat- ment of decav in, 64; what to plant under, 204, 257 Trelease, Dr., retirement of, 165 Tulipa Kaufmanniana, 217 Tulip, the, 234 Tulips, branched, 382 Turnip, the, 213 U Udaipub, the gardens of, 222 Ulmus Plotii, 35 Vacttom cleaner as a destroyer of plant pests, the, 74 Vegetable crops in Canada, 140 ; in Ireland, 205 Vegetables, 134, 182 Veitch, Sir Harry J., 366 Vienna Horticultural Society, 171 Vines, red-spider on, 256, 304 ; re- potting, 48 ; the culture of, in the colonies, a lecture on, 319; the making and planting of borders for, 3216 ; treatment of young, 145 Violas, a trial of, 226, 260 Violets, British, a monograph of, 171 Virginian creeper berries, poison- ing with. 204 Vitex Agnus-castus, 52 W Wahlenbergia lobelioides and W. gracilis, 326 Wallace, Dr. Alfred Russell, 413 Wallflowers, rogue, 285 Wandsworth Conunon, 394 Ward, Mr. William. 57 Wart disease of Potatos, the present distribution of, 104 Wash, winter, for fruit trees, 130 Water gardening, 16 Watering, an automatic system of, 10 Waverley Market, Edinburgh, the heating of, 10 Weather guides for French farmers, 74 Weather in 1911, 41, 58; in North Devon, 323 Weathers, Mr. J., 42 Weeds, a lecture on, 210 West Africa, gardening in, 256 West Indies, notes from, 224 Western Australia, Potato-growing in, 89 Wheat crop, the, 141, 205 Williams, Mr. Richard, 429 Wilson, Mr. E. H., on the flora of China, 25: honour for, 104 Wines, Cape, 394 Winter, the mild. 29 Wisley, trial of Violas at, 226, 260 Woodiice in glasshouses, 346 Wye CoUege, grants to, 204 Ybw hedge, treatment of a, 270 Yucca, a hybrid, 167; with abnor- mal, horn-like growths, 45 ; Y. gloriosa in Upper HaU Gardens, Ledbury, 139; Y. Whipplei, 106, 167 Z ZAcnxRiAS, the late Professor, 74 Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park, floral decorations at the, 302 Zygopetalum Mackayi " Charles- worthii," 83 . SUPPLEMENTARY ILLUSTRATIONS. Beech, the ■■Queen," at Ashbidoe Park, Berkhamsted (.January 27) Blicklinq Hall, Norfolk, the " Ea3T " garden at (March 9) COLEUS THTRSOIDEUS (COLOURED PLATE) (June 22) Halesia tetraptera (February 3) Hknqrave Hall, Suffolk, views of (.January 6) Narcissus Crcesus (oOLonRED plate) (May 18) Portraits op the Directors, International Horticultural Exhi- bition (May 2.5) Primula Porrestii growing in its Chinese habitat (April 13) Pbimula Knuthuna (coloured plate) (June 1) ■PMMCIiA SEOONDIFLORA GBOWINa WILD IN CHINA (April 27) Primula vinc.efloea and P. pinnatifida growing wild in Chima (May 11) Ranunculus Lyallii (June 29) Rhododendron forest on the Sung-kwei Pass, China (May i) St. Pagan's Castle, Cardiff (March 23) Saussubea leucoma growing wild in China (February 10) Strobilanthes Kunthianus growing wild on the Nilgibi Mountains, Southern India (Januarv 20) Yucca gloriosa at Upper Hall Gardens, Ledbubt (March 2) Yucca Whipplei flowering in Aldwick Manor Gaedens, Sussex (February 17) (For List of General luustrations in the text see next page.) viii. The Gardeners' Chronicle,] INDEX. [June 29, 1912. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Acacia Baileyana, 59 Achillea Kellereri, 252 Alocasia Jlicholitziana, a pot plant of, Supp., May 25, p. xvi. Aloe Bainesii, 425 ; A. dichotomaj 424 Androcymbium melanthoides, 13 Androsace Henryi, 354 Anthemis cupaniana, 117 Archways, 255 Ash tree at Ruthin Castle, 4 B " Baer " memorial cup, the, 266 Beckett, Mr. Edwin, portrait of, 5 Beech, a weeping, 115 ; with gnarled trunk, 57 Beekeeping, method of fixing comb in a frame, 259 Begonia luxurians, 28 Blickling Hall, Norfolk, 156, 157 Box for packing bouquets, Supp., June 8, p. xlii. Brambles, new Chinese species of, 147, 148, 149, 166, 167 Brasso-Cattleya Digbyano - Mossise " Westonbirt variety," Supp., May 25, p. vii. ; B.-C. WeUesleyse, 135 Bulb planters, Supp., June 8, p. xlii. Bulgaria, view of the Vitosha Moun- tain, 253 ; wild flowers in, 253 Bull & Sons' nursery, 332 C Calceolahia Veitehii, Supp., June 1, p. xxii. ; C. virgata, 50 CamelUa cuspidata, a flowering spray of, 261 Carnations Baroness de Brienen, 254 ; Mrs. A. F. Button, 244 Cattleya Brenda, 155 ; C. Dirce Wes- tonbirt variety, 226 j C. Maggie Raphael alba Orchidhurst variety, 75 Ceratolobus Forgetiana, a plant of, Supp., May 25, p. xv. " Chase " continuous cloche, the, Supp., .June 8, p. xl. Chelsea Physic Garden, Haynes's plan of, 329 Cherry Governor Wood, Supp., June 1, p. xxviii. Chinese plants shown by Hon. Vicary Gibbs, Supp., June 1, p. xxvi. Chrysanthemum leaf miner, 290 Chrysanthemums rooted in sterilised and unsterilised soils, 97 Citrus japonica fructu ellipticus, Supp., June 1, p. xxxi. Clematis Jouiniana, 34 ; C. Mrs. Henry Wood, a well-flowered plant of, 415 Collier, Mr. J., portrait of, 7 Cotoiieaster amoena, 2 Cox, Mr. Tom, portrait of, 353 Crisp, Sir Frank, portrait of, 144 Cup, offered by Mr. Farrer for Alpines, 304 ; presented to Mr. William Crump, 42; the " Barr " Memorial, 256 Cups presented at the International Horticultural Exhibition, 282 ; by French Hort. Society, 343 ; by Horticultural Club, 124 ; by King George, 320 ; bv Lady Colman, 283 ; by Messrs. 'Bull & Sons, 14 ; by Messrs. George Bunyard & Co., 189 ; bv Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, Ltd., 283: by Messrs. R. W;allace & Co., 283; by Sir Jere- miah Colman, 282 ; by Messrs. Sutton k Sons, 243 ; by the Daily Mail, 344 ; by the Fruiterers' Company, 343 ; by the Gar- deners' Chronicle, Ltd., 303; by the R.H.S. of Ireland, 139; by the Yokohama Nursery Co., 89; by Mr. J. Gurney Fowler, 282; by Mr. W. Duncan Tucker, 320; by Mrs. H. D. Greene, 321 ; tiountv, East Suffolk, 321; Glas- gow, 206; Herefordshire and Slonmouthshire, 206 ; Lancashire, 303; Leicestershire and Rutland, 172 ; Somersetshire, 303 ; War- wickshire, 243 ; Western Counties of Scotland, 188 ; Yorkshke, 344 Cupressus formosensis, C. obtusa, and C. pisifera, foliage, seeds and cone scales of, 132 Cypripedium spectabile, 18 Cytisus DaUimorei, 198 Dahxias : Diadem, 296 ; Holyrood, 297 Deacon, Mr. John, portrait of the late, 46 Dendrobium Apollo albens, Supp., May 25, p. viii Deutzia longifolia, a flowering shoot of, 409 ; D. Veitehii, Supp., June 1, p. xix Diploma of the International Horti- cultural Exhibition, 242 Disa sagittalis, 312 Durand, M. Theophile, portrait of the late, 46 EcHiTJM candicans, 358 Eli'eocarpus cyaneua, 393 Elliottia racemosa, 11 Elm, Plot's, foliage of, 234 ; map showing distribution of the small- leaved, in England, 216 Elsholtzia Stauntonii, 21 Epidendrum Stallforthianum, in- florescence of, 114 Eschscholtzia caespitosa, 275 Euchajis grandiflora, 141 Fagus pendula, 115 "Farrer" cup for rock -plants, 304 Ferns, Messrs. May's group of, Supp., June 8, p. xlvi. Fountain in Sajjan Niwas Gardens, Udaipur, India, 82 Fruit-cleaner and grader, the " Becker," Supp., June 8, p. xlii. Fruit exhibited by H.M. the King, Supp., June 1, p. xxvii. Fruit-tray, Messrs. Glover's, Supp., June 8, p. xlii. Fruit trees exhibited by Mr. Leo- pold de Rothschild, Supp., June 1, p. xxix. Fyfe, W., portrait of the late, 434 " Gabdeneks' Chronicle " cup, the, 303 Geranium macrorrhizum in Bul- garia, 253 Gow, W., portrait of the late, 231 H Habenaria conopsea alba, 68 Hafod, Cardiganshire, 214, 215 Hampton, George, portrait of the late, 178 Harriss, Mr. E., portrait of, 7 Henslow, Mr. T. G., portrait of, Supp., May 25, p. iv. Holland, exhibits from, at the In- ternational Exhibition, Supp., June 8, p. xxxvii. Horticultural Club cup, 205 I India, view in the Sajjan Niwas gardens at Udaipur, 82 Inglefield, Mr. G. A., portrait of the late, 90 International Horticultural Exhibi- tion, medal of the, 337 ; plan of the, 331 Iris " Nibelungen," Supp., June 1, p. XX ; ' I. Susiana in a border out-of-doors, 20 Italian well-head, an old, Supp., June 8, p. xli Jennings, William John, portrait of the late, 414 Jordan, Mr. F., portrait of, 6 K King George V and Queen Mary at the International Exhibition, Supp., June 1, p. xxiv. L L.ELIA anceps " G. D. Owen," 67 Lselio-Cattleya Aphrodite "Lord Faber, 405; L.-C. Canhamiana, Supp., May 25, p. vi ; L.-C. Gladi- ator, Supp., May 25, p. ix. ; L.-C. HeUus, 333 ; L.-C. Lustre "Lavingo," 373; L.-C. " Mac- Beaniana," 237; L.-C. Salome, Supp., May 25, p. x Lastrea patens variety Mayi, 386 Leptospermum bullatum, 100 Lettuces in frames and cloches, 151 Lewisia Howellii, 349 Lilium davuricum variety luteujn, Supp., June 1, p. xxi; L. longi- florum, a pot plant of, 43 ; L. myriophyUum (Wilson), 273; L. myriophyUum, a flowering bulb of, 272 ; L. sulphureum, 19 Llewelyn, Sir John T. D., 144 M IMcHattie, Mr. J., portrait of, 394 Magnolia salicifolia, 223 Map, of the London underground railways, 330 ; showing the distri- bution of the small-leaved Elm in England, 216 Medal, of the International Horti- cultural Exhibition, 337 ; of the N. of England Hort. Society, 224 Melittis melissophyllum growing wild in Bulgaria, 253 Millipedes, 276 Miltonia Jules Hye de Crom, Supp., June 1, p. XXV ; M. vexillaria " Snowflake," 400 Morsea sinensis, 37 N Nannorrhops Ritchieana, 66 Narcissus Mrs. E. H. Krelage, 294 ; N. CEnone, 295 Oak tree, a curious, 25 Odontioda CooksonisB Fowler's variety, 418; 0. Queen Mary, Supp., June 1, p. XXV. Odontoglossum crispum Saga, 267 ; O. c. " Samuel Gratrix," 197 ; 0. Jasper, 196 ; 0. Meraoria Lily Neumann, 99; 0. Merlin, 92; 0. Uro-Skinneri Burford variety, 307 Onosma tauricum, 274 Orange, a hardy, Supp., June 1, p. xxxi. ; Japanese, 171 Orchids, exhibited by Sir George Holford at the International Ex- hibition, Supp., June 1, p. xviii. ; at a Berlin show, 203 Oxalis enneaphylla variety rosea, Supp., June 1, p. XXV. P Paulownia imperialis, 430, 431 Pears : Mrs. Seden, 35 ; Souvenir du Congres, 199 Petrea volubilis, 287 Philadelphus microphvllus, 225 Plot's Elm, foliage of, 234 Plum, Early Transparent Gage, Supp., June 1, p. XXX. Plymouth, Earl, portrait of, 192 Polvpodium Vidgenii, 387 Potatos, tuber-bearing species of, Supp., June 8, p. xlvii. Primula Juliae, 293 ; P. uniflora, 407; P. Wattii, 286 R Railways, map of the London underground, 330 Rehmannia kewensis, 218 Rhododendron Aucklandii in Sir Edmund Loder's Garden, Leon- ardslee, 361 ; R. Broughtonii aureum, a bed of, 53; R. charto- phyllum in its Chinese habitat, 291; R. Loderi, 360; R. Vaseyi, 313; R. Victorianum, 406 Rosa gigantea, 314 Rose garden arranged by Mr. R. C. Notcutt at the Chelsea Show, Supp., June 8, p. xxxvi. Roses : Irish Elegance, 121 ; Mme. Edouard Herriot, Supp., June 8, p. XXXV. Rubus, a white-stemmed, 147 ; R. bambusarum, a fruiting spray of, 148 ; R. biflorus variety quinquc- florus, 149 ; R. chroosepalus, 166 ; R. corchorifolius, 149 ; R. corea- nus, 149 ; R. Lambertianus, 166 ; R. lasiostylus, 167 ; R. omeiensis, 149 ; R. Parkeri, 166 ; R. Play- fairii, 165, 166 ; R. Swinhoii, 166 ; R. thibetanus, 149 Ruthin Castle, Ash tree at, 4 S St. Fagan's Castle, views at, 179, 180, 181, 182 Sajjan Niwas gardens, Udaipur, In- dia, view in the, 82 Sanguinaria canadensis growing in Cambridge botanic garden, 284 Saussurea gossypiphora in its Chinese habitat, 85 Saxifraga cochlearis growing on rocks near Tenda, 174 ; S. hybrida (S. cochlearis x lantoscana), 367 ; S. X kewensis, 247 ; S. rotundi- folia in Bulgaria, 253 Schizocodon soldanelloides, 348 Solanums, tuber -bearing, Supp., June 8, p. xlvii. Specimen indoor plants, a collection of, Supp., June 8, p. xlviii. Sterilisers for soU, the Harrow and Gridiron, 146 Stevenson, Mr. Thomas, portrait of, 7 Strawberry King George V., Supp., June 1, p. xxviii. Strawberry leaf-spot disease, 219 Street tre«s in Winnipeg, 3 Sweet Peas : Dobbie's 'True Laven- der, Supp., June 8, p. xxxviii. ; Melba, Supp., June 1, p. xxiii. T Tent, framework of the large, at the International Exhibition, 302 Thomas, Mr. Owen, portrait of, Supp., May 25, p. iv. Tomatos grown in partially-sterilised soil, 98, 113 Trees, street, in Winnipeg, 3 Tulipa Kaufmanniana, 217 Tutcher, Mr. W. J., portrait of, 202 U Ulmus campestris variety vimi- nalis (Loudon), foliage of, 236 ; U. Plotii (Druce), foliage of, 235 ; U. satiVa, map showing the distri- bution in England of the small- leaved variety of, 216 V Veitch, Sir Harry J., portrait of, 365 Vitex Agnus-castus on a west wall, 52 W Wade, Mr., cup presented to, 42 Weston, Mr. J. G., portrait of, 6 Winnipeg, street trees in, 3 Wright, Mr. S. T., portrait of, Supp., May 25, p. iv. Yucca Whipplei, flowers of, 106 Ztgopetalttm Mackayi Charlcs- worthii, 83 Jancahy 6, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. THE ®arbcncrs'Cbroulclc No. 1,306.~SATUBDAY, Ja7iuary 6, 19r.L CONTENTS. Androcymbium melan- thoidea Apples, colour in Abh tree, a famous Books, notices of — Annuals and Director- ies Botanical Magazine .,. Old Garden Literature The Flora of Formosa The Orchid World ... Electro-culture Florists' flowers — Scabious Gardeners' Royal Bene- volent Institution Hardy flower border— Helleborus an gust i- foltus HeuKrave Hall, Suffolk Hooker, Sir Joseph, the late. 11 ; last published work of International Horticul- tural Exhibition, en- tries for Law note — Thefts from nurseries London's open spaces ... Market fruit garden, the Nut, flowering of the ... Obituary — Binot, Pedro Maria .. Childs, Thomas Deal, William Inch, Robert Riddell, Andrew Wilkinson, Mrs. Thomas Novelties of 1911— Orchids Paris spring show Parks, London , school- classes m the Finns radiata (Monterey Pine) Plants, new or note- worthy— Two new Chinese Cotoneasters. Potato and floral sterility, the Rosary, the — Cultural hints for January Scotland, notes from ... Societies — Blackburn and District Horticultural Coventry Chrys. Linnean 9, Manchester and North of England Orchid... Reading and District Rose and Sweet Pea Royal Horticultural ... Royal Horticultural of Ireland Surveyors' Institution Sirawherrics, causes do- terminint: the yield of Sweet Pea sport, a Trees and shrubs— Klliottia racemosa Trees, street Water garden, the form- ation of u Week's work, the .. i ILLUSTRATIONS. Androcymbium melanthoides — -.13 Ash tree at Ruthin 4 Beckett, Mr. E., portrait of 0 Collier, Mr. J., portrait of 7 Cotoneaster amcena ... 2 Cup to be presented by Messrs, Bull & Sons at the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition 14 Elliottia racemosa . .. 11 Harriss, Mr. E., portrait of 7 Hengrave Hall, Suffolk {Supplementary Illustration) Jordan, Mr. P., portrait of 6 Stevenson, Mr. Thomas, portrait of 7 Trees, street, in Wiunipeg 3 Weston, Mr. J. G., portrait of 6 NOVELTIES OF 191 1. NEW ORCHIDS. IN the large number of Orchids pre- sented to public notice during the past year hybrids have again largely outnumbered the new species and varie- ties introduced from their native coun- tries. Many distinct and beautiful hy- brids have received Awards from the Or- chid Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society, but these certificated plants re- present only a very small proportion of the seedlings that are i-aised. Many hy- bridists find that the further they carry the work of hj'bridisation between hy- brids the greater the proportion of seed- lings which possess but little merit com- pared with existing sorts ; even a cher- ished cross may produce only seedlings which possess but little value. If we consider the amateur Orchid- raisers first, Lt.-Col. Sir George L. HoLFORD, K.C.V.O., Westonbirt (gr. Mr. H. G. Alexander), has certainly taken the lead, not only for the good quality of his new Orchids but also for superb cultiva- tion. His First-class Certificates com- menced with the first show of the year, the subject gaining the award being the handsome Lselio-Cattleya Cranstouniae. Then followed L.-C. lurainosa aurea, and it is worth notice that in both these crosses Laelia tenebrosa " Walton Grange variety " was one of the parents, and stamped its fine characters on the pro- geny. The handsome Odontoglossum crispum Peacock secured a First-class Certificate on January 31, and Cypripe- dium Lucifer on October 10. At the meeting on November 21 Sir George Holford obtained three First-class Certifi- cates for La;lio-Cattleya Prince of Orange, Brasso-Cattleya Digbyano- Mossise " Holford's variety," and Cypri- pedium Chapmanii " Westonbirt variety " respectively. Awards of Merit were also obtained for Brasso-Cattleya Euterpe, Cymbidium .Mexanderi, a charming hy- brid between C. insigne and C. eburneo- Lowianum ; Cypripedium Draco and C. Lord Wolmer, both " Westonbirt varie- ties." A few testimonies to Mr. Alexan- der's skill in Orchid cultivation were the specimens of Laelia anceps Chamber- la iniana, -with 12 spikes, and Cattleya Triauce Hydra, with 96 flowers ; this latter plant was probably the finest single specimen of its kind ever seen. Sir Trevor L.a.wrence, Bart., K.C.V.O., Burford (gr. Mr. W. H. White), has ex- celled during the past year in showing many fine species exceptionally well grown and profusely flowered, a marked example being the specimen of the blue Den- drobiuni Victoria Regina, for which a First-class Certificate and a Cultural Commendation wei-e awarded on July 18. .\ wards of ilerit were also obtained for the remarkable mahogany-red Odontoglossum Swietenicolor, Epidendrum Laucheanum, Trichopilia Lehmannii, Cattleya Mossia; aureola, Catasetum Cliftonii, and the two pretty hybrids Coelogyne burfordiensis and Odontoglossum ramos-Edwardii. Botanical Certificates were awarded for Dendrobium Annae, a pretty new Javan species ; Maxillaria callichroma, Dendro- bium delicatum, Platyclinis glumacea valida and some others. Mr. White secured Cultural Commendations for Zygopetalum maxillare, with 13 flower spikes ; Dendrobium glomeratum with 30 flowers ; Maxillaria picta, M. phoeni- canthera, and Triehosma sauvis. Sir Jeremiah C'oluan', Bart., V.M.H., Gatton Park (gr. Mr. Collier), has raised some excellent Odontiodas, and continued his former successes by winning First- class Certificates for Odontioda Vuyl- stekeae Lady Colman, and O. Bradshawiae " Gatton Park variety," both hybrids exhibiting a brilliant red colour. Awards of Merit were also obtained for Catasetum Cliftonii, Oncidium Claesii, and Cypripe- dium insigne " Gatton Park variety," and Botanical Certificates for Bulbophyl- lum galbinum and Collabium nebulosum. J. GuRNEY Fowler, Esq., Glebelands, South Woodford (gr. Mr. J. Da\-is), secured a First-class Certificate for Odontoglossum illustre variety "Europa," a showy large flower ; Awards of Merit for O. crispum Alcyone, O. Halseyanum and the scarlet Odontioda Cooksoniae ; and a Certificate of Appreciation for Odontocidium Fowleri, a pretty and very interesting bigeneric hybrid between Odontoglossum cirrhosum and Oncidium sarcodes. Fine examples of the cultural success at Glebelands were given in several large specimens shown at the Olympia exhibition, the best two being Oncidium macranthum, with over 300 flowers, and Anguloa Cliftonii, with six large, yellow and purple blooms. Francis Wellesley, Esq., Westfield, Woking (gr. Mr. Hopkins), always shows well-grown specimens. At the Temple Show he was awarded a First-class Certificate for his beautiful Laelio- Cattleya Morningtoniae (Pallas x Fascina- tor), and at later shows. Awards of Merit for Cattleya Freya var. " Mrs. Frederick Sassoon " (Dowiana aurea X Mantinii nigricans), and L.-C. Denganii. The golden-yellow sepal and petals of L.-C. Denganii are tinged with Indian red, and the lip is a ruby-claret shade. De B. Crawshav, Esq., Rosefield, Sevenoaks (gr. Mr. Stables), has produced a large number of new hybrid Odonto- glossums from crosses effected between all the available species. Those for which he received Awards are equal to the best, and they compiise Odontoglossum rose- fieldiense (Harryanum X Lambeauianum), O. harvengtense Crawshayanum, and two forms of his fine Odontioda rosefieldiensis (O. triumphans x C. Noezliana). Mrs. Norman Cookson, Oakwood, Wylam (gr. Mr. H. J. Chapman), exhibited tiie best whfte Calanthe in C. Cooksoniae, and the pretty hybrid Cypripedium Sibyl superbum. W. R. Lee, Esq., Plumpton Hall, Hey- wood, Manchester, on November 21, ob- tained two First-class Certificates for Odontoglossum Chione and O. Thais, two grand additions to a favourite genus. Other noteworthy plants from amateur collections were the very fine and darkly- coloured Odontoglossum mirum " The Dell variety," for which Baron Bruno Schroder (gr. Mr. J. E. Shill), received a First-class Certificate at the Temple Show ; the hand- some Odontioda Boltonii of William Bolton, Esq., Warrington ; Miltonia Hyeana, of F. M. Ogilvie, Esq. ; Sophro- Laelio-Cattleya Goodsonii, of H. S. Good- son, Esq. ; the handsome Odontoglossum illustrissimum Queen Mary, for which William Thompson, Esq., secured a First- class Ceitificate, May 9 ; and the rose- purple Odontoglossum Godmanii of F. Du Cane Godman, Esq. Nurserymen. Messrs. J. Charlesworth & Co. have shown valuable novelties which gained nine First-class Certificates and 11 Awards of Merit. The First-class Certificates were for Odontoglossum Harwoodii (Wiganianum x maculatum auriferuni) and O. Harwoodii " The Shrubbery variet}'," the two highest awards to the same cross testifying to its fine and distinct character ; Odontoglossum Jeanette, a distinct O. Rossii cross of the O. Smithii class, O. Ossulstonii " Shrubbery variety," Laelio-Cattleya Germania, THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 6, 1912. L.-C. Sylvia, L.-C. Martinetii King George v., Odontioda Euterpe, Sophro-Lslio-Cattleya Jeanette, and Sophro-Cattleya Lotte Jliiller, al! of fine colour, the last-named being one of the prettiest and brightest yet shown. I'he Awards of ^lerit were for Odontoglossum Olympia, 0. JSIariie (Uro-Sliinneri x Queen Alexandra), a very attractive hybrid, Cattleya Dupreana. C. Rhoda ilhiminata, Cypripedium Act8eus Durbar, Trichopilia Gouldii, a pretty and fragrant white flower spotted with pink ; the neat little bigeneric hybrid Oncidioda Cybele, and to prove that interest in fine species has not waned awards were given for the rare Houlletia Wallisii. Gongora leucochila, and Miltonia War- scewiczii picta. Messrs. Sander & Sons, St. Albans, are among the most frequent exhibitors of good plants, their Orchid collectors ensuring a good proportion of new species, while their extensive operations in Orchid raising keep that department a source of interest. Their First-class Certificates in 1911 were for Oncidium corynephorum var. ^Mulleri and Odontioda Lambeauiana at the Temple Show; Cattleya Ashtonii alba, a pure white form out of an otherwise coloured batch ; Odonto- glossum ardentissimum Queen JIary. and at the last show of the year Cypripedium Royal Sover- eign, a large, showy and distinct flower. Messrs. Sander's Awards of Merit were for Cymbidium Gottianum, a C. insigne cross ; Dia-Cattleya Sanderae, a beautiful white flower ; Odontioda Cattleya Venus lutescens and Brasso-Cattleya Leucothcea. Messrs. Mansell & Hatcher received Awards for the white Cattleya Mossise Queen Mary and A'anda Kimballiana alba, and Botanical Certifi- cates for Grobya fascifera and Eria flava. ilr. E. V. Low gained an Award cf Merit for Cypripedium aureuni laekenense ; Messrs. Has- sall & Co. for Cypripedium Carola (Thompsonii X Euryades) _: and Mr. W. J. Biggs for his dis- tinctly-coloured Lselio-Cattlcya W. J. Biggs, whose derivation is a problem. Gongora Tracy- ana is recorded from Tr.acy's Nurseries, Twickenham, and other exhibitors have shown promising novelties which only require develop- ment. Continental Exhibits. The Awards to Continental exhibitors have been few. Orchidists look for Monsieur Chas. Vuylsteke, of Loochristi, C^hent, to show them his newest and best at the Temple Show, and they are never disappointed. Last year he had some specially good Odontoglossum and Odon- tiodas, the fine new Odontioda Coronation secur- ing a First-class Certificate. Monsieur Firmin Lambeau, the leading ama- teur on the Continent, secured First-class Certi- ficates for Cypripedium Vogelsang and Miltonia Bleuana Peetersise, tw'o superb novelties. Monsieur Henri Graire, Amiens, has shown some pretty hybrids of Odontoglossum Bcssii and Odontiodas, the brightly-coloured 0. ignea Laelio-Cattkya Fascinator-Mossiee, July 1, p. 422. Lselio-Cattleya Germania, May 27, p. 325. Loilio-Cattleya Martinetii King Georg«, July 15 p. 25, L»lio-Cattleya Nella, Dec. 30, p. 174 Lycaste LocoJta, April 29, p. 260. MasdevdlHa pacliyuia. Feb. 11, p. 89. Miltonia BIcuana I'ceteirsia?. May 6, p. 274. Odontcgkssum Ceres magnificum, Jan. 7, p. 12. Odontoglcssum Chione, Dec. 9, p. 411. Odontoglossum crisirum Coronation, May 20, p. 315. Oclcntoglossum crispum Peacock, Feb. 11, p. 92. Odontoglcssum Grcganisc (Supp.), Feb. 4. Odontogloc^um Harwcodii, Feb. 18. p. 98. Odontoglossum Harwoodii " The Shrubbery variety," Sept. 30, p. 243. Odontoglossum iliu^trissimura Quo3n Marv, June 10, p. 363. Odont«glcs.'Um Jeanette. April 1. p. 194. Odontoglossum Black Prince. " The Dell variety." May 27. p. 332. Odontoglossum Swietenicolor, April 8, p. 210. Odontioda Rosefieldiensis, May 20, p. 308. Odontioda Vuylstekefe Ladv Colman, April 8, p. 213. Orch:a italici, Aug. 2{, p. 153. Sophro-Lffilio-Cattleya Jeanette, Sept. 23, p. 229. (To he continued.) NEW OR NOTEWORTHY PLANTS. TWO NEW CHINESE COTONEASTERS. In the autumn of 1899, when collecting in the nf ighbourhood of Mengtsze, Yunnan, for Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, Ltd., I had the good for- tun-3 to secure ripe seeds of two ornamental' species of Cotoneaster. Plants raised from these seeds flowered during the summer of 1902 in th« Fig. I. — COTONEASTER AMCENA (sP. NOV.). Bradshawiae " Sander's variety " ; Odontoglos- sum mirum Bruggense, 0. exiniium King G«orge, 0. amabile The Queen, 0. amabile Empress of India; and Cypripedium Charles Sladden, a worthy hybrid between C. bellatulum and C. glaucophyllum and the first cross obtained from the latter species. Messrs. J as. Veitch & .Sons, Chelsea, were awarded a First-class Certificate for Cymbidium langleyense (Lowianum x Devonianu'm), a re- markable cross between two distinct sections of the genus ; and at the last meeting in the year a similar Award for Lselio-Cattleya Nella (L,-C, Dominiana x C. labiata), florally"one of the best and finest coloured hybrids. Jlessrs. Armstrong & Brown, Tunbridge Wells, secured a First-cl&ss Certificate for Cypri- pedium Royal George (Harrisianum superbuin X Minos Youngii), a large and perfect flower, and an Award of Merit for C. Duke of Connaught (Beryl x nitens " Ball's variety "), a stately flower of distinct colour. Among the many hybrids of C. Fairrieanum shown by the firm C. Capt. Spender Clay (villosum auriierum X Fairrieanum) and C. Mrs. Spender Clay (Actaeus X Fairrieanum) were the most remarlc- able, being novel in form and distinct in colour. Odontioda Cupid and La?lio-Cattleya Phyllis were also good novelties. Messrs. J, & A. A. McBean secured the highest award for Lfelio-Cattleya St. Gothard " McBean's variety," and Awards of Merit for taking an Award of Merit ; Monsieur Theodore Pauwels secured a First-class Certificate for Brasso-Cattleya Scnateur de Bast, and an Award of Merit for Cymbidium I'auwelsii. Monsieur Maurice Mertens, of Ghent, has shown regu- larly, but has seldom entered any plants to go before the Committee. The following new and rare Orchids have been illustrated in the Gardeners' Chronicle in 1911 :— Angreecum p«llucidum, Jan. 14, p. 18. Brasso-Cattleya Dlgbyano-Mossiie " Holfords variety." Dec. 2, p. 393. Brasso-Cattleya Digbyano-Mossix " Westoubirt variety," (Coloured Supp.). Jan. 7. Brasso-Cattleya Senateur de Bast. March 4, p. 137. Bulbophyllum cylindraceum, Jan. 7, p. 3. Bulbophyllum tremulum. May 13, p. 291. Calanthe Cookscnia;. Nov. 18. p. 3£0. Cattleya Trianas Hydra. Feb. 18. p. 108, Ccelogyne bnrlordiensis. May 27, p. 331. Cymbidium Gottianum, Mar. 25, p. ItO. Cymbidium langleyense, Mar. 11, p. 146. Cypripedium Ohapmanli " Westoubirt variety," Dec. 16, p. 431. Cypripedium Chas. Sladdin. Jan. 28. p. ,50. Cypripedium Duke of Connaught, Feb. 11, p. 83. OypriiJedium Lucifer, Oct. 21, p. 293. Cypripedium luteum, June 24, p. 402. Cypripedium Reiyal George, Oct. 14, p. 281. Cypripedium Sibyl superbum, Nov. 18, p. 351. Cypripedium spcH-tabile at Cork, Nov. 4, p. 315. Cypripedium tibeticum, June 24. p. 403. Cypripedium Vogelsang. May 20. p. 309. Dendrobiuni aggre^atuni at Rangoon, Aug. 5, p, 82. Dendrobium Goldiei, Jan. 21, p, 36. Denelrobium Victoria Regina. July 22, p, 57. Dia-Cattleya Sander.-e, May 13, p. 290. Houlletia Wallisii, Sept. 2, p. 177. La?lia anceps Chamberlainiana, Feb. 4, p. 78. La;lio-Cattleya Cranstounie " Westonbirt variety," Jan. 14, p. 27. Coombe Wood nursery, and were identified with the then little-known Cotoneaster .Franchetii, Buis, and C. pannosa Franch. also from Yunnan. 1'hese were already introduced to INIonsieur Maurice Vilmorin's famous garden through the agency of Roman Catholic priests, and have since become distributed. A more intimate knowledge proves them to be quite distinct from those I secured for Messrs. Veitch, and these latter have now received specific rank under the names of C. amoena and C. Harroviana. Cotoneaster -imosna* is allied to C. Franch- etii, but is easily distinguished by its twiggy, more dwarf, compact habit, smaller leaves and aristate sepals equalling the petals in length. The fruits are closely clustered together, ovoid, dull red on the exposed side, yellowish on the other ; the foliage is retained until late in the year. In a wild state this plant grows 3 feet to 5 feet high. The fruits are scarlet on one side and orange- yellow on the other. The illilstration (fig. 1) is from a spr.ay cut dur- ing the last week in October from a plant fruiting in the Cotoneaster collection in Kew Gardens. Unfortunately the birds had taken some of the fruits before the photograph was obtained. * Cotoneaster amcena. — E. H. Wilson in Wilsonian£B " (ined.), Hort. Veitch. et UovU Kew. ' PlantcB January 6, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. CoTONEASTEK HARHOViANAt bears some resem- l)l.ince to C. pannosa, but is a stronger-growing and altogether more vigorous plant, with largor, n.ore coriaceous, shining, green loaves, ultimately glabrescent below (not permanently tomentose as in C. pannosa), and larger, more numerously- flowered cymes. There are also important floral distinctions between the two species. C. Harro- viana forms a laxly-branched shrub, 6 feet to 7 feet high, with spreading, pendent branchlets. Every branch and short lateral branchlet ter- minates in a large corymb of pure-white, flat flowers, opening almost simultaneously. The flowers are followed by rather small, ovoid, bril- liantly-red fruits. Altogether, this new-comer is one of the very finest of its family, and I have great pleasure in associating its name with Mr. George Harrow, the courteous and efficient manager of Messrs. Veitch's Coombe Wood nur- sery. To this gentleman's enthusiasm, care, and skill, recent plant introductions from China owe much. E. H. Wilson, Ainuld ArOvrcliim, U.S.A. STREET TREES IN CANADA. Some time ago (see Gardeners' C/ironlrlr, vol. xli.x., p. 324), I remarked upon the effects of electric shocks upon .street trees, and called at- tention to the growing danger in England from tlie ever-increasing number of power wires placed close to avenue trees. During the last few weeks, I have been making a tour of the large towns in the North American continent, and have seen terrible effects in the street trees of many of the towns, especially in the Dominion of Canada near to the great power centre at Niagara. Along some of the roads here, there is a voltage of 250,000, and practically one tree in three is more or less damaged, especially in Montreal, where the effects of the tussock moth are also to be noted. Out in the beautiful Cote de Nieges district one finds whole rows of trees damaged by burning and shocks. Trees thus injured fall an easy prey to the ravages of the tussock moth larv£E, and as this insect has two broods in a year, the second liatching just as the tree recovers from its first defolia- tion, the trees are often killed outright in one season. The female moth does not fly, and sel- dom moves from the cocoon which produced her, but on this cocoon she lays her eggs; conse- ry old vines it is advisable not to shorten the shoots too much. Early Peaches and Nectarines in Pots. — Trees of Peach and Nectarine which were placed under glass early in November will be on the point of blooming. At this stage they should be fumigated with a nicotine compound to de- stroy any aphides that may be present. Whilst the trees are in flower a minimum temperature of 55° should be maintained in order to create a warm, dry atmosphere suitable for the free dispersal of the pollen. At this time of the year the flowers need to be pollinated by gently dusting them with a rabbit's tail on a stick. Keep the atmosphere dry till the flowering is finished, and endeavour, by paying careful atten- tion to the ventilation, to keep the temperature equable. During the time the trees are in flower the house should never be quite closed. Although it is necessary at this season to be sparing in applying water to the roots, the soil must never be allowed to become dry ; when water is neces- sary give sufficient to wet the mass of soil and roots completely. If the trees were repotted in the autumn they will not need stimulants until the fruits have stoned. Fresh batches of trees may be placed into heat as required, and all the trees which are at present out-of-doors should be placed in a cool house. In the case of early Peach trees planted in permanent borders, make sure before the flowers appear that the roots are not suffering for want of moisture THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 6, 1912. EDITORIAL NOTICE. ADVERTI5EMENTS should be sent to the PUB- LISHER, 41, Wellingrton Street, Covent Garden, Letters for Publication, as well as specimens of plants for tuifning, should be addressed to the EDI TORS, 41, Wellington 5treet, Covent Garden, London. Communications should be writtkn on onk side only op THE PAPER, sent as early in the iveek as possible and duly signed by the writer. If desire. i, the sif^nature will not be printed, but kept as a guarau.re of good faith. APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. SATURDAY, JANUARY 6— Soc. Franpaise d'Hort. de Londres meet. MONDAY, JANUARY 8— Roy. Hort. Soc. Exam, of Public Parks' Employes. United Hort. Benefit and Prov. Soc. meet. TUESDAY, JANUARY 9- Roy. Hort. Soc. Coms. meet. WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 10— Deal, Walmer and District Hort. Soc. Ann. Meet. THURSDAY, JANUARY 11— Manchester and North of England Orchid Soc, meet. Bolton Hort. and Chrys. Soc. Ann. Meet. British Gardeners' AssDC. (London Branch) meet. (Lecture on *' Chrysanthemums " by Mr. Cooper.) Average Mean Temperature for the ensuing week deduced from observations during the last Fifty Years at Greenwich— 37-9°. Actual Temperai uuks : — London.— H'eLlmsdayt Januayy 3 (6 p.m.): Max. 51"; Min. 46°. Gartientfs' Chrontcle Office. 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London — Thursday, January 4 (10 A.M.) : Bar. 29-8"; Temp. 52°: Weather— Dull, Provinces.- irf[iiifsrf(i>, January 3 : Max 50° Ire- land W. ; Min, 40° Scotland N. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY- Rose Trees, Fruit Trees, Perennials, &c., at Stevens's Auction Rooms. 38. King Street, Covent Garden, at 12,30, MONDAY AND FRIDAY— Herbaceous and Border Plants, Liliums and Hardy Bulbs, at 12 : Roses and Fruit Trees, at 1.30 ; at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.G., by Protheroe & Morris. WEDNESDAY— Japanese Liliums and other Hardy Bulbs, Perennials and Herbaceous Plants, at 12; Roses and Fruit Trees, at 1.30; Palms and Plants, at 5. Trade Sale of Miscellaneous Plants and Bulbs, at 12; 2,370 cases Japanese Liliimis, at 2 30 ; at 07 & 68, Cheap- side, E.G., by Protheroe & Morris. FRIDAY— Choice Imported Dendrobiums, also Established Orchids, at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.G., by Protheroe & Mortis, at 12.45. The application of electricity c'lTiture' *'° horticultural practices is brought a definite step nearer general realisation by the experiments which have been carried out cf lecent years, both in this country and abroad. With the chief of the experiments carried on at home our readers are familiar ; but the results of other experiments carried out else'where have but recently become available for consideration, and it is cf these that we now propose to speak. The experiments in question were conducted at the Imperial Biological Station at Dahlem (Germany), and in them not only were the plants subjected to different modes of elec- trification compared with others growing under normal conditions, but they were compared also with plants covered with wire cages so arranged as to exclude natural atmospheric electricity. By these means it was possible both to determine the effects of the electric currents to which the plants were sub- mitted, and ascertain the effects of the electricity normally present in the air. As the result of growing plants (dwarf French Beans) beneath insulating wire cages, and hence screened from atmo- spheric electricity, the yield, as compared with the normally exposed control, showed a reduction of 13.5 per cent. Further ex- periments of this kind zJ:e in progress in order to determine to what extent, if any, this reduction of yield is to be attributed to the reduced light-intensity owing to shading by the wired network of the cage. The experiments in electrification were of two kinds. In one the atmospheric electricity was intensified by currents pass- ing along overhead wires, and in the other high-tension electricity was applied. The plants used in the experiments in- cluded Spinach, Radish, Corn Salad, and Cabbage Lettuce. The results were generally in favour of the former mode of electrification, that is of electrification by intensifying the atmo- spheric electricity. The increased growths under these conditions ranged from 15-40 per cent. The high-tension electricity (direct current) caused, when a strong current was employed, a yield of 90-105 per cent, as compared with the normal control ; in other words, a slight average decrease. The weak high-tension current, however, affected the yield more favourably, and produced, in some cases,, as much as 25 per cent, increase. With eleotfified Strawberries a hastening of the crop by several days was observed. Certain conclusions with respect to the time of application of the current are note- worthy. In summer it is best applied in early morning and evening ; in spring and autumn from 7.30 until 9.30, and two hours before dusk ; and in winter only in the morning from 9.30 until 11.30. It is useless to apply electricity during rain, but foggy weather is a particularly suitable occasion for its application. The Dahkm report concludes with a very definite caution. It points out that the whole question of the utilisation of electricity for augmenting the growth and speeding up the development of plants is in an experimental stage, and suggests that growers should be cautious in adopting schemes of electrification for these pur- poses, since the stage at which electricity can be used on a commercial scale with assured results has not yet been reached. Nevertheless, with the results of the Dahlem experiments and those of Sir Oliver Lodge, Professor Priestley and others, it can scarcely be doubted that the near future may see a widespread adop- tion of this new agent for the forcing of plants. Since the Island of Formosa The Flora ^^^^^^ formally ceded by China Fopn>38a. t° Japan in 1895, the new rulers have accomplished mar- vels in the development of its resources. A botanical survey has been instituted, and Japanese botanists have been exceed- ingly active in the investigation of the flora of the island, and in publishing the results. Formosa lies partly within the Tropics, and has an area of about 15,000 square miles. The elevation of the highest point. Mount Morrison, is usually given as about 12,850 feet, though Dr. Hayata cites an elevation of 13,094 feet on the same moun- tain. Previous to the Japanese occupa- tion, the botany of the densely-wooded in- terior was known but very imperfectly, and doubtless much yet remains to be done before the survey is completed. The total number of species of flowering plants and Ferns already recorded from the island is 2,660, belonging to 836 genera and 156 families ; so that nearly three- fourths of the families of the world are represented. There are three im- portant publications of the Botanical Survey* two of which have already been noticed in these columns, and the third, now to be considered, is not the least im- portant, as Dr. Hayata brought over the whole of his material to Kew in order to make comparative studies. He also visited Paris, Berlin and St. Petersburg, where many types of eastern plants are preserved. The following note in his in- troduction is characteristic of the Japa- nese devotion to duty: " During my stay at Kew, I was away from my work for a little more than a week, when I went to Brussels to take part in the International Botanical Congress." Dr. Hayata's two independent contributions to the botany of Formosa add 660 species, 135 genera-, and three families to those previously known ; and a large proportion of the species are new. The collections dealt with in the present work, as well as those in his Flora Montana, are in greater part from the mountain region; but the genuine Alpine element is very small. Arabis Morrisonensis, from an altitude of upwards of 13,000 feet, is one of the few recorded from a great elevation. The paucity of peculiar genera in the For- mosan flora is a little surprising, after the rich harvest yielded by Central and Western China. There are new species of almost all the genera of wide distribution from Clematis to Arundinaria in the clas- sification of Bentham and Hooker's Genera Plantarum. The descriptions are in Latin and the notes in English, so that it is an open book to western botanists, and the book is purely botanical, syste- matic and geographical. Even approxi- mate dimensions of the new trees are not given. Of the dozen species of Quercus and five of Castanopsis described there is no indication in any instance whether it is a shrub or tree. A new Beech, Fagus Hayatse, is described as " arbor excelsa." The omission of all details of size is un- fortunate. Among the imperfectly-known trees is a Sweet Chestnut, designated Castanea sativa. Mill. var. formosana, Hayata, sp. nov. ! The author probably intended describing it as a new species, and then changed his mind, but omitted to delete. There are large numbers of new Orchids, and few Liliacese, excepting Smilax. Lilium konishii is the only new Lily, " near L. japonicuni, but differs from it in having narrower leaves." Under Scirpus triquetra we read : " The present plant is one of the most useful in For- mosa. It is the principal source of the • I. Enumeratio Flantarurn Forinnsattnrum, by J. Matsu- mura and B. Hayata. Octavo, pp. 702, with 18 plates. 1906. II. Flora Montatui Formosa:, by B. Hayata. Octavo, pp. 260, with 41 plates. 1908. III, Matcniils for a Flora of Formosa, &c., principally made at the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,, by B, Hayata. Octavo, pp. 171. 1911. January 6, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. nmterial of which the mats called taiko- mushiro are made." And this is the only reference we have noted to applied botany. We understand that Dr. Hayata is engaged on a comprehensive series of illustrations of the plants of Formosa, which should afford some idea of their decorative value. It should be mentioned that Mr. Takiya Kawakami, Botanist to the For- mosa Government, has published a List of the rianis of Formosa, which is really a concordance of Latin and Japanese names. Our Almanac. — With our issue for next week we propose to publish the Ganhners' Chronicle Almanac In order to make it as useful as possible for reference, we shall be obliged if Secretaries of Horticultural, Botanical and Allied Societies, or any (f our correspondents, will send us IMMEDIATE INFORMATION of alt fixtures for 1912. Royal Horticultural Society.— The next meeting of the Cmnniittees of this Society will be held on the 9lh inst. in the Society's Hall, Vincent Square, Westminster. Royal International Horticultural Exhibition, 1912. — We are askej to announce that with reference to Non-competitive E.\- hibits, applications for space must reach the Secretary, Jlr. T. Geoffbey W. Henslow, 7, Victoria Street, S.W., on or before January 13. Entries fur th« Competitive Classes must be sent on or before February 1 next. LiNNEAN Society. — The next general meeting will be held on Thursday, January 18, at 8 p.m. Paper: Dr. A. Anstruther Lawson. F.L.S. — " Some Features of the JIarine Flora of St. An- drew's." Exhibition: Miss E. L. Tcrneb, F.L.S. — Lantern Slides of Bittern and Nest. Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institu- tion.— The seventy-second annual general meeting of the members and subscribers of this Institu- tion will be held at " Simpson's," 101, Strand, London, on Thursday, the 18th inst., at 2.45 p.m., for the purpose of receiving the report of the Committee and the accounts of the Institution for the year 1911 ; electing officers for the year 1912 ; and for the election of 20 annuitants on the funds. There ai'e 71 candidates. The chair will be taken by Harry J. Veitch, Esq., F.L.S., V.M.H., Treasurer and Chairman of the Com- mittee, at 2.45 o'clock. The poll will be open at 3 o'clock and close at 4 o'clock precisely, after which hour no voting papers can be received. During the year 1911 Esther Plummer, M.iry Chapman. Mary Clement, Harriet Barnfield, Sar.\h a. Clark, Selina Cookson, Ellen Blandford, and Ellen Gough, widows of an- nuitants, were placed on the funds without elec- tion in accordance with Rule HI., 13. George J. Ingram, Secrclari/. The "Orchid World." — The number of this monthly periodica! for January gives a good portrait of H. T. Pitt, Esq., RossljTi, Stamfoi-d Hill (gr. Jlr. Thuk- Gooa), whose appreciation of finely-blotched varieties of Odontoglossum crispum is well known. Mr. Pitt paid £1,500 for 0. crispum F. K. Sander in 1903, and proportionately high prices for other varieties ; some of these are illus- trated in the present issue of the Orchid World. Mr. Ed. Kromer continues the account of his travels *.hroui;h British Guiana, and Mr. J. M. Black makes some interesting remarks on colour in hybridisation, giving suggestions for securing wholly yellow flowers. Paris Spring Show.— In consequence of the Royal International Horticultural Show, London, 1912, being fixed for May 22, the National Horti- cultural Society of France will hold its annual spring show in Paris rather earlier than usual. The Paris Show will open on May 15 and close on the 22nd of the same month. Mr. F. Sander.— The many friends of Mr. F. Sander, head of the firm of Messrs. Sander & Sons, of St. Albans, Bruges and New York, will be glad to learn that after a long, and at one time serious illness, he has now recovered from the operation which the doctors considered necessary. He is assured that he will be stronger than ever, and consequently it is to be hoped that he will again take a prominent place in horticultural gatherings. Directories, Almanacs, Diaries, and other Annuals. — Farmers, smallholders, and all who are interested in the land, and in the breeding of cattle, should procure a copy of Vinton's Agricultural Almanac and Diary. It contains extremely useful statistical informa- tion, a diary for the year, and much other in- teresting matter. The progress of agriculture during the past year is described, and a calendar of work for each month provided. Webster's Forester's Diary is an extremely use- ful and handsome pocket book, bound in red leather. To all who have the management of wotidlands it is an indispensable companion, con- taining as it does a mass of information on forestry in a compendious form. The llorlirultural Directory forms an invalu- able work of reference to all who seek the ad- dresses of gardeners, nurserymen, and horticul- tural traders generally. The directory of foreign and Continental nurserymen should prove of utility, especially in view of the ap- proaching International Exhibition. The ,'?mnll Iluldir's Year Booh forms a guide, suitable alike for the farmer and the amateur. Valuable information is given as to the work to be do:ie each month, and dairy work is fully dealt with in a concise article. Directions are given with regard to the acquisition and tenure of land, a point which is often a stumbling block in the way of the wouldbe small holder. There is a good index, and a comprehensive directory. My Garden Diary is a dainty little diary and memorandum book, published by Messrs. Sutton & Sons, the well-known seed experts of Reading. Horticulturists will find it of the greatest utility ; for each month the calendar is given, with re- minders of the work to be done in the garden. Ample space is left for memoranda, a feature which is too often lacking in works of this nature. The book has a most artistic cover, and a, fine frontispiece, altogether a charming com- panion for amateur or professional gardeners throughout the year. Who'-s Who again makes its welcome appear- ance. It comes to us in company with a trio of most useful works of reference from the hands of the same experts, Messrs. A. and C. Black, WJto's Who Year Bool;, the Writers' and Artists' Year Bool', and the Englishwomu/i's Year Book and Directory. With these four books, no one need be at a loss for information of the most varied kind. Who's Who Year Book consists of tabular information which, not being quite so full as the biographical particulars in the larger work, is easier of reference. It contains matter which is unicjue — lists of Freemasons, of Presi- dents of Societies, of American ladies bearing titles, &c. The Writers' and Artists' Year Book is chiefly of interest to those who desire to earn money by the pen or brush. Editors ought to be especially grateful to Messrs. Black for sparing them thousands of letters asking for informa- tion which this little book so well supplies to the literary aspirant. The Engli.'-htvoman's Year Book and Directory is worth far more than the price asked for this volume. The section on pro- fessions alone is of absorbing interest. The ar- ticles are thoroughly practical, and are written by experts. The " Woman's Whittaker " has at- tained to the front rank among directories, a place which it well deserves. The British Journal Photographic Almanac for 1912 is more fascinating than ever. Messrs. Henry Greenwood & Co. are to be congratu- lated on having collected in so efficient a manner all the latest and most interesting information on a popular hobby. The work is a record of ad- vances in all branches of photography, including colour photography, that latest development of the art, which promises so much for the near future. Sir Joseph Hookers last Published Work. — The third part of the thirtieth volume of Hooker's leones I'lantarum. plates 2,951-2.976, is to hand, dated December, 1911. All the plates represent species of Impatiens from the moun- tains of India, Eastern Tibet, and China, de- scribed by Sir Joseph Hooker, and all, except three or four, were previously unpublished. Some of the species are founded, on single specimens belonging to foreign herbaria ; hence the figures have a special value. As in previous parts of the Icones, the analyses of the flowers were drawn by Sir Joseph himself, and the main figures by Miss M. Smith. Among the species figured in this part there are several remarkable for some peculiarity in their floral structure. The terminology employed in the description of the flowers differs a little from that in ordinary usage. The outermost, usually quite small organs, of which there may be two or four, are called sepals; the large petalon-spurred, posticous sepal is termed the labellum ; the upper or posticous petal, the standard ; and the lateral petals, each theoretically consisting of two petals fused together, wings. Specially interesting among the species figured are : I. Prainii, I. Kingii, I. cirrhipetala, I. recurvicornis, and I. robusta. The most remarkable of all is I. cirrhipetala, which has relatively large geniculate sepals and spirally-twisted lateral petals or wings. The " Botanical Magazine." — The issus for January contains illustrations and descrip- tions of the following plants : — Begonia dichroa, tab. 8412. — The flowers of this rather lax-growing Begonia are described as shining orange-scarlet and distinct from all other cultivated species of shrubby Begonias. There is some doubt as to the plant being a good species, and it may yet prove to be a hybrid, although specimens at Kew have been raised from seed exactly like the parents. The Kew plant was received from Messrs. Haagde & Schmidt, Erfurt. Elliottia racemosa, tab. 8413 (see p. 11, fig. 10). Bereeris W1LS0N.E, tab. 8414. — A fruiting branch of this handsome Barberry was figured in Gardeners' Chronicle, November 30, 1907, p. 372, when a description of the plant was given by Mr. Hermann Spooner. The plant makes an exceUent subject for the rock garden, and a specimen we noticed in September last, at Messrs. R. Wallace & Co.'s Nursery at Col- chester, on a low rockery appeared very beauti- ful with its delightful coral-red berries. DisA lugens, tab. 8415 (see Gardener.s' Chronicle, vol. xxiv., p. 232). — The flowers of 10 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 6, 1912. this Orchid are a metallic greenish-purple colour, thd large, multifid lip being gi'eenish. The plant is suitable as a greenhouse subject, and grows well in a mixture of sand, peat, loam and char- coal, but it is not easy to maintain in a good condition after it has flowered. Calceolaria cana, tab. 8415. — All the Calceolarias, of which about 200 species are recognised, are natives of America, but C. cana is the only species found in Peru. The flowers are not so showy as some of the kinds grown in gardens, but they have a Violet-like perfume, and their season extends from June to October. The scapes grow to a height of about 1 foot 6 inches ; the flower-buds are yellow, but the open blooms are white, suffused with rose or purple ; the throat being yellowish, marked with purplish-brown. The leaves are covered with a white tomentum, and the plant, when not in flower, has the appearance of a Stachys or a Gnaphalinm. Old Garden Literature. — To those of our readers who are interested in ancient horticul- tural literature, we may draw attention to the recently-issued Botanical Catalo(/ues of Jlr. Bernard Quaritch. In these we notice such bibliographical rarities as W. Gary's Herbal; Lyte's Niewe Herball ; Fcch's De Historia Stirpium ; Le Grant Herbier ; The Grett Herball; Hortus Sanitatis; Gerarde's Herbal; Parkinson's Theahrum Botanicum; Turner's Herbal; Hortus Floridus; Sowerby's Encj- li.i compliment to the American botanist Stephen Elliot, who died in the year 1830. He discovered the plant growing at Waynesboi'o on the Savan- nali river. Since that time specimens have been lound growing in two other places on the banks of the same river, at Hamburg, South Carolina, and near Augusta. Georgia, by llr. P. J. Berk- mans, who sent the specimen to Kew, from which the flowering shoot illustrated in fig. 10 was photographed. Collectors in the same localities of more recent date have failed tx) discover tliig Elliottia, and if the plant exists wild at the ))resent time it must be extremely rare. In 1894 Mr. Berkmans first sent living plants to Kew, but these failed to become established. Eight years later the same gentleman sent two more specimens, one of which flowered in July last, so that it has taken nine years to reach the flowering stage. Elliottia racemosa Muehl. is stated to grow wild in wet, sandy woods. At Kew the two plants are growing in sandy loam and peat, in company with the Mediter- ranean Heath sheltered (but not shaded) on ;ill sides with tall trees. Ten feet is given as the height of Elliottia racemosa in a wild state ; the larger of the two Kew plants exceeds 5 feet in height, but no doubt in time this will be considerably exceeded as the plant added 11 inches to its statnre last year. It is a deciduous bush distinctly pyramidal in growth with a main central stem, from which arise tiers or whorls of small branches. These in turn produce their branches from one point, so that, generally speaking, the growths all over the plant are in whorls, al- though without looking at the bush closely, especially near the base, this character is not readily discernible. One of these tiers of growths is added to the height of the plant each Near. With two exceptions, the whole of the racemes of flowers, some 20 in number, were pro- duced by the tier of growths made near the summit last year. A racemose panicle rather than raceme more correctly describes the arrangement of the flowers, which are borne on slender pedicels two- thirds of an inch or rather more in length, Generally singly, sometimes in pairs, and occa- sionally three together. The racemes are ter- minal, erect, and vary in length from 5 to 9 inches and 24 to 3 inches in diameter. The largest raceme produced in all 104 flowers, but not more than about 20 of this number were open at any one time. The development of the buds is singular. At first erect, during the process of growth, they become inverted, changing again when opening to a horizontal position. The flowers are pure white, about an inch across, and fragrant. The leaves are 4 inches long, 2 inches broad in the centre, and tapering to both ends, being not unlike those of several species of Arbutus. The fruits are not known either from wild specimens or cultivated plants. Various means of propagation, including cut- tings of hard and soft wood, root cuttings and root grafting, have been tried, but so far without success. The upright habit of the plant makes layering difficult, but not impossible, and this wdl be tried. It is said that the Elliottias pro- duce suckers in a wild state, but none has de- veloped on the Kew specimens, although the roots of one of the plants were cut about for propagat- ing purposes so much as to seriously imperil {Phoiogiaph by C. P. liaJjUi. Fig. io. — elliottia racemosa : flowers white with red anthers. the existence of the plant. Everv effort was made to obtain seeds, the flowers being artificially pollinated. Some of the anthers were removed and placed en the stigmas, in others the buds were opened and pollination effected, pollen was also placed on the stigmas of some of the flowers after the petals had fallen, and the flowers on one raceme were pollinated from those of another raceme. This was done in the early morning, under the scorching rays of the mid-day sun, and also late in the afternoon, but all to no purpose. A. Osborne, December, 1911. THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH HOOKER. (Continued jrom page 409, vol. I.) Syria, Palestine and Sinai. In the autumn of 1850, Hooker accompanied Captain Washington, Hydrographer of the Navy, to Syria, in order, among other things, to investi- gate the Cedars on Mount Lebanon. The Rev. G. Washington and Mr. Daniel Hanbury were also of the party. Hooker made this jour- ney the subject of a series of three lectures, delivered, in the first instance, before the staff of Kew, and repeated in London. It also gave rise to a paper " On the Cedars cf Lebanon, Taurus, Algeria, and India," The Natural History Bevirw, vol. ii., 1852, pp. 11-18, plates, 1-3, illustrating Cedrus Libaiii, C. atlan- tica, and C. deodara. Hooker regarded them as races of one species, but he was puzzled by the fact that G. atlantica and C. deodara were nnich nearer to each other in botanical characters than to the geographically intermediate C. Libani. Very definite particulars of the Lebanon Cedars were obtained. Approximately, there were in the grove visited 400 trees, ranging, it was esti- mated, between 22 and 800 years of age, but they had no means of verifying the ages. The total absence of seedlings and young trees was remark- able, pointing to the early extinction of the Lebanon Cedar. A'ery inucli larger groves were discovered by later explorers of Lebanon. Sir Joseph contributed the article on the "Botany of Syria and Palestine" to Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, ii., 1863. This is an in- teresting and popular sketch of the vegetation, both from a scenic and economic standpoint, though no special concordance with biblical name-s is given. " Plants of the Peninsula of Sinai," by J. D. Hooker, in E. H. Palmer's Drfcrt of the Exncluf; 1871. A rough list of the plants, without com- ment or explanation. North and South America. In 1877 Hooker visited the United States, where he met with a hearty welcome, and, accom- panied by his old friend, Dr. Asa (!ray. made a considerable tour of the country, including Cali- fornia and the Rocky Mountains. There is a manuscript diary of this journey in the Kew library, and the following papers contain some of the botanical results, which also included a herbarium of about a thousand species, presented to Kew. " Notes on the Botany of the Rocky Moun- tains," Nature, vol. xvi. (1877), pp. 539-540. This volume of Nature is dedicated to Sir Joseph Hooker, and his portrait is supplemented by a highly-eulogistic appreciation of his life and work from the pen of Asa Gray, the leading American botanist of his day. " The Distribution of the North American Flora.'' Proceedinqs of the Royal Institute, vol. viii. (1879), pp. 568-580. A lecture delivered before the Royal Institution of Great Britain, April 12. 1878. discusses more especiall,v the close relationships of the floras of Eastern North .\merica and Japan. Hooker w-as also a contributor to Salvin and Godman's Biologia Centrali Anifricana-Bolan i/, vol. i., "Introduction," 1888, pp. Ixii.-l.wiii., "A Commentary" on Mr. Hemsley's " Intro- est time for planting, and the placing of the roots about 4 inches deep in a mix- ture of leaf-mould and peat. A north border is an advantage, as cool conditions suit the plants during hot weather. C. spectabile is a native of North America, where it is known as the Mocas- sin flower; the petals and sepals are white, the large, pouched lip being a bright shade of rose. fliiwer, and by the peculiar character of the spathes. The leaves are linear, aruminate, about 12 inches or 14 inches long by j inch wide, and the rhizome is evidently of the slender, wide-creeping kind that is so characteristic of the Western .\merican species. The stems are about a foot in height, clothed with three or four reduced leaves, and each bears a single head of two flowers, enclosed in somewhat broad, acuminate, rigid spathes, about 2 inches long. The com- paratively broad ovary is borne on a pedicel about -| inch long, and passes abruptly into a perianth tube of over an inch in length. Both the standards and the falls are narrow and tapering, about 1^ inch long, and another curious feature is that the narrow crests are almost as long as the styles themselves. In some ways this Iris is an approach to I. Purdyi, which, however, has a much shorter stem, both absolutely and relatively to the leaves, much broader and more inflated, bract- like stem leaves, and much broader and more substantial segments. The only other species * I. tntuissimit, 5;p. nov,, Apogon. — Caulispedatis.foliosus, nionocephaltis foliis Hneanbus siibsequalis ; spathae biflora?, valvis rigidis, ovalis, aciimhiatis ; pedicellus ovatio sub- ffiqiiaiis; tubus ovario tripio longior ; setlnienta omnia tenuis- sima, acuminata ; stigmatum cristse stigtuatibus sequilonga. The stalk, which rises from a large sheath, bears from two to five blossoms, of a diameter of about 14 cm. By reason of its ample dimen- sions, the aspect of the plant differs from that re- sulting from another cross of similar parentage, namely, L.-C. Lucasiana, which is distinguished by thick-set, compact growth. The sepals and petals in the two hybrids are similar, but the lip of L.-C. Mo.ssemiliana more closely resembles that of La?lia callistoglossa var. inversa Cogn. Not only is the lip similar to that of the Gloxinia, but the colour also recalls this flower, the delicate hue deepening in parts to an intense violet-mauve. The golden, purple-striped patch in the throat is reduced to very small dimensions. The plant always flowers in December, but we learn from j\lr. Karthaus that his first seedlings only flowered after having been in cultivation for six years ; and even then bore only two flowers on each spike. At present the best specimens are producing five blossoms, of good size, on each spray. Mr. Karthaus desires the plant to bear the name of the late Mr. Emil Mosse, of Berlin, who was a keen amateur and untiring cultivator of garden Orchids. He was the publisher of the last volume of Orchit, a pulilication now com- bined with the Garten Zeitung. F. Kranzlin. January 13, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE 19 THE BULB GARDEN. LILIUM SULPHUREUM. L:lium sulphuketjm is a handsome species, native of the higher regions of Burma. The har- diness of the plant has from time to time been doubted, but the accompanying illustration (see fig 14) shows a group planted two years ago in a N'orthamptonshiie garden, and afforded normal conditions of cultivation. Grown at Cheddar in quantity, and in all sizes ranging from one-year bulblets to mature speci- mens, it is a plant of great promise, and I can I'ecommend it to all who will give it the necessary- attention at the start. It is necessary to remove from imported bulbs dried and damaged outer scales ; pot the bulbs and start them into growth in a temperate heat and plant them in the open garden, say, when the stems are 6 inches high. The first season's flowers will be good, but late in developing, and laggard plants may not de- velop all their flowers if the autumn is unusually ■cold, but the next season's growth is a month earlier, and each subsequent year's growth de- velops earlier still ; the end of August being the species of Magnolia would be enhanced in effect in the autumn season by a sprinkling of these Lilies amongst them. All Lilies, save those of the cup-flowered race, should have an environment of low-growing shrubs. Last season at Heligan, in Cornwall, a beauti- ful floral scene was provided by grouping L. sulphureum amongst broad rifts of Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora, whUst a further good combination in another section of this grand gar- den was Lilium tigrinum Fortunei and the lesser Rhododendrons. Lilium sulphureum does not develop the disease which is common with the Japanese species L. auratum. It is a long-lived plant, and given genial soil and suroundings, should continue to flower for many years. Georgt B. Malltit, Cheddar. NOTICES OF BOOKS. History of Vegetables. • For many years past M. Gibault, the Librarian of the National Horticultural Society of France, has been a contributor to the Frencli Fig. 14. — LILILM SCLPHLREUM IN A NORTHAMPTONSHIRE GARDEN. earliest period for the general display. Home- grown bulbs with thick, unblemished scales and stout, white mots need no preparation, and may be planted directly they are received in the places allotted to them. Shelter from strong winds, a fairly rich, deep soil, and, if possible, a carpeting plant, such as Lysimachia aurea or Lythrum virgatum, are prac- tically all their cultural needs. My finest plants this year reached a height of 7 feet to 8 feet, but in less tropical summers they have grown even taller. The stems are exceedingly graceful, and bear flowers varying in number from two to six. The flowers average from 10 inches to 12 inches in length, are funnel-shaped, brushed with dull carmine or light purple on their exteriors, and flushed and suffused pale chrome-yellow inter- nally. The fragrance of the blossoms is delicious, and the poise of the inflorescence is exceedingly gi-aceful. Where shrubberies are brightened by rift openings filled with low-growing flowering shrubs, this Lily may be grouped in such rifts in splen- did environment. Groups of Rhododendrons. Azaleas, Kalmias, Andromedas and the dwarfer horticultural Press chiefly on matters relating to the historical, literary, and antiquarian side of horticulture, and in this respect he has probably no rival in Europe. The volume under notice professes to be a his- tory of vegetables, but it is a great deal more, for the author has packed into each chapter an immense amount of information from the very earliest times to the present on the subjects with which he deals. The references, historical, etymological, and even archaeological, represent long years of labour and patient skill in collat- ing them. It is doubtful if M. Gibault has left anything unsaid that deswves to be said on the subject, and as a work of reference the Histoire des Legumes is bound to take a prominent place. All well-known vegetables are dealt with, and in addition there is a chapter at the end that treats of vegetables that are no longer used for culinary purposes. JI. Gibault lays under con- tribution the classical authors who have written on gardening, beside many other of mediaeval " Histoire des Legumes, by Georges Gibault. (Librairie Hortico!e, Paris.) Five francs. and modern times, who have in various climes and in diverse tongues dealt with vege- table culture in every way. The names of 95 kinds of vegetables appear in the index, and among these numerous headings are articles on the Garlick, Artichoke, Asparagus, Beet, Carrot, Chervil, Endive, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Spinach, Bean, Lettuce, Turnip, Onion, Parsnip, Leek, Pea, Potato, Radish, and Witloof. A New Encvclop/eoia.' Those who want an inexpensive epitome cf gardening may purchase this new volume of " Every Man's Library." Manifestly, it would be not quite fair to subject the contents of an ency- clopaedia at Is. to a severe analysis, especially when the author introduces it to his readers as " a guide to the culture of popular plants and to garden practice," and who assures them that " the term "^ " popular plauts " has a real mean- ing in my mind." Bulbs, the flower-garden, fruit, the greenhouse, and the kitchen garden are treated in a more comprehensive manner than other items. But the exigencies of space have caused the writer to treat of even these in very brief manner. Familiar names are absent from the book, lists of varieties are abbreviated exces- sively, and we are left to wonder why, instead of one volume, the promoters did not see fit to give the author a free hand and make this only an instalment of a better proportioned work. J.'. V. B. IRIS SUSIANA. The accompanying illu.stration (fig. 15) shows Iris susiana flowering splendidly, and affords an idea of what might be gained if some means could be found of satisfying the requirements of the ether oncocyclus Irises. Unfortunately, the diffi- culty in England lies chiefly in the climate, which induces the rhizomes to make fresh growths in autumn, only to do its bes-t to destroy them in winter. It is for this reason that, if lasting suc- cess in the cultivation of oncocyclus Irises is to be obtained, there is the greatest chance of iibtaining it by growing thom in a position such as that in which these specimens of I. susiana are flourishing; that is to say, where they have the shelter and warmth of a greenhouse wall. -Moreover, in such a position it is comparatively easy in simimer to arrange some sort of roof over the plants, so that they can be kept dry and their rhizomes thoroughly ripened. This covering in summer is perhaps less essen- tial in the case of I. susiana than in that of any rl its kind, for in some dry positions it has been known to flourish and flower for several years in succession. This greater amenability to cultiva- tion is probably due to the fact that I. susiana has been in cultivation in Western Europe since the latter half of the 16th century, when it was first brought from Constantinople to Vienna. At the present day it is largely grown in market gardens in the South of France, and its cut flowers sold in the bud state, in which they travel well. It is unfortunate for us that this partial accli- matisation has only been carried out in the case of I. susiana, which is perhaps the least pleasing of all the oncocyclus Irises. The flowers are of great size, it is true, but the colouring of black purple veins and dots on a grey-white ground is somewhat sombre. The native habitat of I. susiana is unknown, so far as I am aware. It is not improbably con- fined to a small area, and it may even be that the species no longer exists in the wild state. Many of the other oncocyclus species appear to be ex- tremely local in their distribution, and tliere is no small danger that ruthless collection by the trade dealers may result in their extermination. li'. B. Dj/tes, Charterhouse. Godalming. * /In Illustrated Eucyclopadia of Gardening, by Walter P. Wright. (London : J. M. Dent & Sons. Ltd.) Price Is. net. 20 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 13, 1912. NOVELTIES OF 1911. (Concluded from p. 2.) The appended list of new and noteworthy plants illustrated in the Gardeners' Chronicle during 1911 includes many of the Certificated plants of the year-, novelties of equally good qualities which failed for one reason or another to secure awards, and novelties of other years, and which are now proving their value as gar- den plants. Foremost among the novelties are the new Chinese shrubs contained in the fine group shown by the Hon. Vicahy Gibes, Aldenham House, Elstree (gr. Mr. E. Beckett), of which Cornus paucinervis and Itea ilicifolia obtained Awards of Merit. A large number of new and rare Chinese shrubs, which it is hoped to accli- matise, are on trial at Aldenham, and if success attends the trials the new acquisitions v. ill Nymphipas have been augmented by the ad- dition of several fine novelties. Those for which Leopold de Rothschild. Esq. (gr. Mr. Hud- son), received Awards of ilerit, were N. Mrs. Richmond, large and of a charming rose-pink colour ; N. Gladstoniana, the best and largest pure white : and N. stellata rosea, a novel tint of the tolerably hardy blue Nymphaea. The Earl of W.iRwicK (gr. ]\Ir. Lister) also gained Awards for Nymphsea Listeri and N. Lord Brooke, both of them valuable acquisitions. H. J. Elwes, Esq. (gr. Mr. Walters), who has done so much in raising Nerines of new tints, received Awards of ilerit for four novelties in these flowers, namely, N. Jlrs. Balfour, N. Miss Gibbs, N. Mrs. Meade Wolds, and N. Snow- flake, all w-orthy of the good things which have previously been shown from the Colesborne gardens. Messrs. R. YziTCir & Pons, Exetor, obtained Fig. la- -IRIS SUSIANA IN MR. PRENTI6 S GARDEN AT BOKDE,\, KENT. (See p. 19.) add greatly to the interest of those famous gardens. Awards of Merit were also obtained for Asters Amethyst and Profusion, two Michaelmas Daisies of novel colouring, exhibited from the Aldenham House Gardens. Messrs. Jas. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, continue to reap the benefit of the many fine Chinese highland shrubs sent them by their collector, Mr. Wilson. An interesting incident at the last Temple Show was the exhibit of flowering sprays of the remarkable Davidia involucrata, which secured a First-class Certificate. Other promising shrubs of the same class were Berberis verruculosa, Buddleia officinalis, and Lonicera nitida ; all of which were accorded Awards of Merit. In decorative plants Messrs. "Veitch re- ceived Awards for Dracaena Deremensis Warneckii (a fine, ornamental foliage plant), Mussa;nda crythrophylla, some pretty flowering Cannas of which Terra Cotla was the best, and four new winter-flowering Begonias, continua- tions of their useful strain of B. socotrana hy- brids, but exhibiting new colours. an Award of Merit for Nerine Veitchii, a pale blush-pink variety of the N. Bowdenii class. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., Burford, secured two of the very -few First-class Certifi- cates given by the Floral Conunittee in 1911, for Philadelphus Lemoinei virginal, which produces perfect bouquets of snow-white fragrant flowers, and the bright yellow Zephyranthes aurea. Sir Trevor received also an Award of Merit for the hand.some Crinum Johnstonii, which it is hoped will prove hardy. The past season has been noteworthy for the large number of new or little known Primulas which have been shown for awards, for Rhodo- dendrons of good quality, and other good shrubs, including Oncoba Routledgei, introduced by Mr. Shea, an exceptionally fine greenhouse shrub, which may prove hardy in sheltered situations. 0. Routledgei was among the most important new plants of the year, and well deserved the First-class Certificate awarded. Roses, Carnations, Sweet Peas, Chrysanthemums, Daffodils and other florists' flowers have been well exploited. and each has given many novelties, a fair pro- portion of which will stand the test of lime as desirable garden plants. Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Messrs. Jas. Veitch & Sons, Messrs. Clierans, Messrs. Webb & Sons, Messrs. Jas. Carter & Co., Messrs. Barr & Sons, Messrs. Doebie & Co., and other seed growers have made wonderful exhibitions of the showy flowers they cultivate from seeds. The efforts of seed growers are directed to improve the strains of the flowers of which they offer seeds or plants, and hence but little is seen of them as single specimens at the Royal Horticul- tural Society's meetings. Years of careful selec- tion are necessary to perfect and fix a fine strain of a popular flower, but eventually it becomes available to every garden lover at a very small cost. The following new and noteworthy plants have been illustrated in the Gardeners' Chruiiide in 1911; — Acacia melanoxylon, Aug. 12, p. 105. Ac.pti.vUa squaiTosa, Aug. 12, p. 106. .-Vdiantum tenerum Faileyense fertile, Feb. 4, pp. 73. 74. Adeuium obe&um. July 22. p. 47. A^tliiuuetiia KoUcliyana. Nov. 4, p. 317. Aloe dichotoma. Sept. 16, p. 201. Aloe Peaisonii, Sept. 9. p. 190. Amaryllis Belladonna and A. Parkeri, Sept. 16. p. 211. Apice tiiberosa, Jan. 7, p. 4. Apple Charles Eyre, Oct. 14, p. 279. Aiiitolochia biasiliensis, Oct. 28, p. 301. Anstulocbia Kewensis tSnpp.l, Oct. 28. Aristolochia trilobata, Oct. 28, p. 300. Aimeria caispitosa, Apiil 8, p. 211. Augea capensis, Aug. 19, p. 125. Auricula Henry Wilson, May -0, p. 317. Bambu&a fastuosa, Oct. 28, p. 308. Banana King of Thousands, Dee. 23, p. 4^2. Begonia Altrinctiam Pink, Dec. 9. p. 421. Begonia Gloire de Sceaux, June 10, p. 373. Begonia Glory of Cincinnati, Deo. 30, p. 4*:9. Begonia Mrs. Leopold de Rothschild, Dec. 23, p. 454. Beaumontia fragrans (Supp.), May 20. Beiaumontia grandiflora. May 20, p. 306. Berberis Tliunbergii Silver Beauty, Jan. 7. p. 10. Boniaria patacuecnsis, April 15, p. 227. Buddleia officinalis (Supp.), .\pril 1. Calliantliemum nitaifolium, Sept. 23, p. 219. Campanula acutangnla, Sept. 23. p. 220. Campanula lactiflora, Dec. 16, p. 438. C^ma&sia Leiclitlinii, Aug. 19, p. 122. (Janarina Campanula, April 22, p. 249. Carnation Herbert Newman, July 29, p. 78. Oarnations King George and Queen Mary. July 1, p. 427. Carnation Wivelsfleld Wonder, Dec. 9, p. 424. ('hrysanthemnm Miss Margaret Walker, Nov. U, p. 313. Ciirysanthemum Caprice du Printemps. Dee. 2, p. 399. Chrs-santlienium Yellow Cap, Dec. 2. p. 398. Cineraria Beauty of Cambridge, May 20. p. 307. Citrus medica. Deo. 23, p. 459. Clematis Tliunbergii, Oct. 7, p. 253. CoUetia cruciata, Oct. 7, p. 255. Cornus paucinervis, Aug. 5, p. 95. Cotyledon linearis, Aug. 1«, p. 135. Cratagus geninio&a. Jan. 21, p. 37. Crata-go-m&spilus Asnieresii, Sept. 9, p. 185. Cyananthus niicrophyllus, Jan. 21, p. 42. CytUuB Adaniii, Sept. 2, p. 1C2. C^ytisus purpurcus. Sept 2, p. 163. Orinum John.stonii (Snpp.), Sept. 2. Dahlia Leslie Seale, May 6, p, 277. Dahlia Mrs. Douglas Fleming. May 6, p. 283. Dalilia Mme. van den Dael, May 6. p. 2W. Dahlia Sweetbriar, May 6, p. '-S3. Davidia involucrat*, May 27. p. 329. Delphinium Moerheimii, Nov, 18. p. 352. Dianthus neglectus, June 24. p. 415. Diospyros Kaki at Kew (Supp.l. Jan. 21. Doliohodiena tnbifiora, Oct. 7, p. 254. Draba Dedeana and pyrenalca. July 8, p. 5. Draciena Deremensis Waincckii, July 15, p. 23. K< hiinK-actus macrodiscus. Aug. 19, p. 135. Kritncliium nanum, July 8, p. 5. Kuphnibia Dregeana, Sept. 9. p. 191. Eupliurbia .si:ecies, Aug. 19. p. 135. Ficus lyrata (panduratal, Sept. 30, p. 23i Fokienia Hodginsii, Feb. 4, p. 66. Frecaia Conquest, April 1, p. 196. Galanthu-s Melvillei major, Jan. 21. p. 34. Galanthus William Thomson, Jan. 21, p. 35. Gaya Lyallii (Supp.l. Sept. 23. Grevillea robusta conipacta, June 10, p. 375. Helenium autumnale Rivei-ton Beauty, Nov. 25, p. 373. Hippeastrum Queen Mary, March 18, p. 169. Hippeastrums at Messrs. William Bull's. May 20, p. 3I& Homeria oollinl, Dec. 30, p. 476. Hydrangea Mme. E. Moulliere. April 1, p. 2C4. Inoarvillea Intea (Snpp.). Aug. 19. Ipomcca rubro-ccerulea, Aug. 12, p. 112. Iris Luna, June 10, p. 365. Isopvrum grandiflorum (Supp.), Dec. 2. Itea'ilicifclia, Aug. 5, p. 96. Juglans cathavensis (Supp.), Sept. 9. Kigelia pinnata (Supp.), Aug. 12. Lageiiophora Fortteri. Feb. 4, p. 69. Lewisia CJotvledon, May 27, p. 337. Ligustrum ovalifolium multifloruni. Sept. 30, p. 2j7. Lilium leuoanthum (Supp.), April LSI. Lilium tenuifolium Golden Gleam, May 27, p, 336. Linum Lowii, Nov. 4, p. 318. Linum narbonense, Dec. 30, p. 468. Loranthus amplexifolius. Aug. 12, p. 104. Lycopodium squarrosum, Sept. 23, p, 218. Mandevilla suaveolens fruit, Jan. 14, p. 30. Meconopsis Delavayi, July 22. p. 51. Meconopsis hybrid, July 15, p. 22. Meconopsis integrifolia in riiina (Snpp,), Nov. \u Medinilla magnifica, April 15, p. 226. Mescmbryanthenium digitiforme. Aug. 19, p. 1-5. Mussienda crythrophylla, Aug. 5, p, 91, Mutisia decurrens, Dec. 23, p. 4(0. Mut.i.sia ilicifolia. Dec. 23, p. 449. Narcissus Coronation, May 6, p. 286. Narcissus Miss Willmott, May 6, p, 27.5. Narcissus Queen of Hearts, May 6, p. 2i5. Narcissus Socrates, May 6. p. 275. Nerium odorum (Supp.), July 8, Januaby 13, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 21 Nympbaea Mrs. Richmond. Sept. 2, p. 176. (Enothcia ova-ta, June 24, p. 418. Olearia Forsteri. Jan. 28, p. 52. Olearia Haaslii, Jan. -8, p. 62. Olearia insignia, Jan, 28, p. 53. Olearia macrodonta, Jan. i;8, p. 57. Olearia myrsinoides, Jan. 28, p. 59. Olearia semidentata (Supp.), Jan. 28. Oncoba Routledgei. May '11, pp. 323-4 and Supp. Ophioglossum pendulum (Supp.), July 29. Opuntia miss-ouriensis, Nov. 11, p. 340. OeraaDthus armatus. Aug. 12, p. 113. Osteomelcs anthyllidifolia, Dec. 16. p. 433. Oxalis enneaphyila, June 24, p. 414. Paliuius australu;, Nov. 25, p. 377. Pelargonium Lord Bute, July 22, p. 44. Pelargonium Souvenir de Chas. Turner, Nov. 11, p. 333. Pentstemon oampanulatus, Aug. 5, p. 93. Philadelphus hirsutua. Aug. 5, p. 83. Philadelphus Lenioinei virginal, July 8, p. 6. Phoenix Roebelinii, inflorescence ol male flowers, July 22, p. 42. Pinguicala Rosei, Feb. U, p. 82. Plagianthua Lyallii, July 22. p. 5G. Pleiocarpa mutica, April 22, p. 242. Plum Blackbird, Sept. 16, p. 198. Plum Prosperity. Sept. 16. p. 199. Polypodium iridioidee raniosum. July 29, p. 71. Polypodium rigidulum Vidgenii, July 29, p. 72. Portulacaria namaquensis, Sept. 9, p. 191. Primula Beesiana (Supp.), Sept. 30. Primula dryadifolia, Sept. 16. p. 207. Primula Gagnepainii, Aug. 12, p. 102. Primula lichiangenfids (Supp.), Deo. 30. Primula menibranifolia, Sept. 16. p. 207. Primula Reidii. April 1, p. 195. Primula Winteri, March 4, p. 130. Pyrus floribunda, Dec. 2, p. 390. RAvenala madagascaricnsia, Dec. 23, p. 4G0. Rhododendron Corona, May 27, p. 3S4. Rhoddendron irroratum (Supp.), June 3. Rhododendron Pengaer (Supp.), July 1. Rhododendron Smirnowii, Juno 24. p. 417. Rhododendron Bublanccolatum, June 3, p. 342. Rhododendron Wightii, Oct. 14, p. 269. Roee Marcella, April 22, p. 231. Rose Oloire de Chedane Guinoisseau, Oct. 7. p. 263. Rose Heinrirh Munch. Nov. 11, p. 335. Rose Mme. Hector Leuilliot, Dec. 9, p. 412. RoEO Orleans Ro£e, May 27, p. 324. Rose Sylvia, June 3, p. 344. Roee Portia. May 27, p. 333. Sausaurea Veitohiana, Aug. 5. p. 85. Saxitraga bursicnlata, March 11. p. 158. Sarifraga lingulata Albertii, Nov. 4, p. 316. Saxifraga Obristii, April 15, p. 229. Saxifraga Petraschii, March 18, p. 172. Saiifra^^a Sundpmiannii, April 13. p. 228. Schizandra rhinensis. July 8, p. 2. Sedum piloeum, June 3. p. 347. Senecio Heriticri. Nov. 11. p. 332. Solandra Hartwegii, June 17, p. 383. Solannm tubingense. Sept. 2, p. 161. Spathodca campanulata, Dec. 23, p. 4.38. SymphoricArpus occidcntalis (Supp.), Feb. 18. Svmphvtum prret-'rinum, Aug. 19, p. 127. Thlaspi rotundifnliuni, Feb. 25. p. 116. TrachTmene ccprulea, Feb. 23, p. 114. Tuhpa Batalinii. June 17. p. 382. Ulmus Plotii. Dec. 9. p. 408. Utricularia montana, June 24, p. 405. Veltheimia viridifoHa, March 18, p. 164. FLORISTS^ FLOWERS. SWEET PEA NOVELTIES FROM AMERICA. Among the many novelties in Sweet Peas for 1912 offered to the general public, those men- tioned below come from America : — Margaret Madison. — This is the result of a cross between the varieties Mrs. Geo. Higginson, Junr. and White Spencer, and is described in America as the leading novelty for 1912. It is a clear, self-coloured azure-blue flower, and was certificated by the National Sweet Pea Society of America under No. 3875. Vermilion Brilliant is an Irish-American, as it originated at Newtownards, Ii'eland. The colour is described in the name. Vermilion Bril- liant was awarded the Silver Cup given by the Philadelphia North American at the National Sweet Pea Society's Show held in Philadelphia, June 29, 1911, for the best variety not in com- merce. It was also grown in the trials of the N.S.P.S. at Guildford, but in its class the award was given to another variety, namely " Red SUr.'' Rainbow Spencer. — The ground colour is ivory-white, flaked and lightly streaked with rose, beautifully waved, and of true Spencer form. Pearl Grey Spencer. — This variety might be described as a pearl or dove-grey, suffused with light rose, showing a trifle more of the delicate rose shading on the standard. The old grandi- flora " Lady Nina Balfour " is the nearest to this colour that has heretofore been exhibited. Natona, being of a light buff-pink, is best described as " Venus Spencer." As the season advances the flowers show a little more of the pink shading. Duke of Claeence Spencer. — The English counterpart of this is " Arthur Green," sent out in 1911, so that description is unnecessary. Gaiety Spencer. — A striped or flaked variety after the style of '• America Spencer," but per- haps a little brigter. Irish Belle is of good Spencer form ; the colour is rich lilac flushed with pink, which gives the flower a very distinct and soft tone. Captivation Spencer. — A beautifully waved flower of true Spencer form ; the rich rosy-wine red-coloured flowers make a delightful vase. There are also several double Spencer varieties to be introduced in 1912, but whether they will become popular or not with the public the future will decide. Among the varieties are " Duplex Spencer," a double form of " Constance Oliver," which gives many double and triple standards, and has nearly always four flowers on each stem. For cutting and market it has no superior. Duplex Crimson King is a giant blood-red. Duplex Xenophon is a selection out of " Phenomenal " ; the colour is a very delicate light blue. Duplex Mary Garden, a lovely soft buff suffused with salmon-pink. J. B. J/. Mrs. Greswolde Williams, seedling, pink on openine, but develops to a soft mauve. Young & Co. My Favourite, seedling, clear shade of old lose-pink. Stuart Low &. Co. Pluto, seedling, brilliant velvety-crimson. H. Burnett. Princess, seedling, pure glistening white, lightly striped pink. C. Wall. Queen, seedling, yellow ground, light-pink markings. Young k Co. Queen Mary, seedling, pale pink. A. Smith. Salmon Britannia, sport, salmon-pink. W. H. Page. Sultan, seedling, crimson. H. Burnett. Sunstar. seedling, deep yellow, with lew pink stripes. C. Engelmann. Una Wallace, seedling, bright cerise. W. E. Wallace. White Chief, seedling, white. H. Burnett. Wivelsfield Wonder, origin, America, white, marked delicate rose-pink at edge of petals, .^llwood Bros. Correspondence regarding registration of varie- ties should be addressed to the Secretary to the Society's Floral Committee. Mr. Hayward Mathias, Lucerne, Stubbington, Farehara, Hants. ELSNOLTZIA STAUNTONII. This is one of the hardy shrubs recently intro- duced from China whicli may be advantageously added to the list of autumn-flowering plants. Suc- ceeding in any soil except heavy clay, and attaining under ordinarily favourable condi- tions a height of about 5 feet, its growth has been compared with that of Perowskia atriplicifolia, Fig. i6. — elsholtzia stauntonii: flowers rose-coloured, tinged with magenta. REGISTERED CARNATIONS. Below is a list of Carnations registered by the Perpetual-flowering Carnation Society from January 1 to December 31, 1911. The names of raisers are given and the colours and descriptions are those of the raisers themselves : — Afonwen. seedling, pink ground overlaid with mauve. W. J. Smith. .\tmah. seedling, salmon-red. C. Engelmann. British Triumph, seedling, brilliant crimson. C. Engelmann. (This variety was originally registered " Triumph." but as it has since transpired that the name was already appropriated in America, the variety has been re-registered as '■ British Triumph.") Cheltonia, seedling, red. Young & Co. Constance, seedling, white, very heavily lined with pink. Bertie E. Bell. Coronation, seedling, soft light pink. Bertie E. Bell. Fairmount, origin, Calilornia, heliotrope, AUwood Bros. Frank Godding, seedling, deep cerise, F. W. Godding. Hon. I^ady Audley Neeld. seedling, rich carmine, with white margin. Y^oung U Co. Judith, seedling, pure white. Bertie E. Bell. La Rayonnante, origin, France, yellow, AUwood Bros. Lady Fuller, seedling, warm salmon. Charles Wall. Lady Northcliffe, seedling, clear salmon-pink. C. Engelmann. (This variety was originally registered " Al." which name is herewith cancelled.) Mandarin, seedling, orange-vellow marked cerise-pink. H. Burnett. Mrs. C. F. Raphael, seedling, cherry-red, H. Burnett. Mrs. F. C. Harwood, seedling, purple. F. C. Harwood. but it resembles much more nearly in its strag- gling habit. Caryopteris 5Iastacanthus. The plant is exceedingly floriferous, every branch being ter- minated by what strongly resembles a vigorous spike of pink Heather. The colour, as seen in the fervid imaginations of catalogue compilers, has been heralded far and wide as brilliant carmine, but it may be more accurately described as light rose, with a slight yet decidsd tinge of magenta. In winter the Elsholtzia presents an appearance of withered twigs, courting the presentment of extinction as perfectly and convincingly as Jamesia americana, so that the inexpert might be tempted to relegate it forthwith to the rubbish heap. The name of this plant is proving a veritable pitfall to horticultural orthographers, with whom it generally figures as Eschscholtzia Staun- tonii, and in one south-country nurs-ary, in addi- tion to this original error, the order " Papa- veraceie " had been carefully inscribed within brackets on the label, thus making confusion worse confounded. T. Arnold Hyde, Ringing- lomc Vicarage, H^ilhe, Kent. 2'2 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 13, 1912. The Week's Work. THE ORCHID HOUSES. By J. Collier, Gardener to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Batt., Gallon Park, Keigaie. Cypripedium. — Many of the Cypripediums have passed out of bloom, particularly those of the C. Fairrieanum section. As soou as po.ssible after blooming the plants should be examined, and those that require repotting should receive attention, also any that need to be divided. It is much the best time to divide when repotting, as it can then be better seen how to carry out the operation without cutting through the roots, and on a divided plant every root is valuable. When the plants are broken up, the strong growths should be selected to make the larger specimens and the weaker growths potted into smaller pots. A growth that has flowered is most valuable for propagating purposes, as it will often break with two or three shoots, whereas a new shoot will complete its growth before giving uff-shoots. Care should be taken, in potting^the plants, not to break the roots ; spread them out and work the compost carefully between them. Cypripe- diums are unlike most other Orchids, and they benefit by a fair amount of pot room. Better flowers are obtained from plants with plenty of material for the roots to feed upon than from those that are pot-bound. The compost I recom- mend for the majority of Cypripediums is as follows: — Good fibrous loam, three-fifths; peat or Al fibre, one-fifth; and Sphagnum-moss, one- fifth; all broken up and sifted through a i-inch sieve to remove the small particles. J\lix the materials in bulk, and pass them through a 1-inch sieve. This is the best method of tho- roughly mixing all the ingredients together. To such a compost should be added a good sprinkling of crushed crocks and some silver sand. The compost should be allowed to warm through before being used. Plants that have been newly potted should be placed in rather more heat than IS required for established specimens. They should be sprayed two or three times daily until the roots have become active. If the potting material is already moist, the plants will not require much water, as the syringe will keep them going until they produce new roots. At Gatton we have a house containing about 300 of the more hardy class of these plants that have been making a very fine show for some time past. The collection includes the best varieties of the C. insigne type with many of the finest varieties of C. Leeanum, C. Sallieri", C. Actsus, C. Thom- sonii, C. Euryade.«, C. Mens, de Curte. C. Swin- burnii, C. G. F. Moore, and others. The night temperature of this house during the winter months is from 52° to 55°. Many Cypripediums such as C. niveum and its many hybrids, C. bellatulum and hybrids, C. callosum and its varietv Sanderae, C. Maudiae, C. Alcibiades, C. Earl Tankerville, and C. Beeckmani require a higher temperature. Cypripedium seedlings should be placed in the warmest house, and an endeavour should be made to encourage growth. Xliey should be kept potted on as they require it, using a compost similar to that already men- tioned, and endeavouring always to prevent the plants from suffering in any way. Thrips are very injurious to Cypripediums if allowed to attack the young leaves ; they should be destroyed by frequent fumigations. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. By Edwin Beckett, Gardener to the Hon. Vicary Gibbs, Aldenham House, Hertfordshire. Seakale.— The stools of Scakale may now be lifted carefully and the roots trimmed, preserv- ing the stronger thongs to furnish next year's supply. These should be cut into pieces about 6 inches long, tied into small bundles, and placed in boxes filled with fine soil. Stand the boxes in a cool place, so that the roots may start into growth gently. Introduce into heat sufficient crowns to provide a regular supply to meet the demands of the establishment. Seakale is appre- ciated in most households, and it will be doubly valuable this year in many places, owing to a Bcarcitv of other winter vegetables. A tempera- ture of 55° to 60° should be maintained in the forcing pit, and the darkest place available under such conditions should be selected to ensure per- fect blanching of the growths. The main stock of roots should be stored in sand or fine ashes, and under a north wall for preference. Rhubarb. — Strong roots of any variety of Rhubarb suitable for forcing should be lifted as required and grown under the same conditions as Seakale. Rhubarb may be forced readily if the plants are lifted and allowed to remain exposed to the weather for about 10 days before they are placed in heat. Chicory. — Chicory is a useful plant for fur- nishing a regular supply of blanched foliage dur- ing winter and spring, and its cultivation is an easy matter. The plants are best, at this season of the year, lifted as required and placed in the darkest part of the Mushroom-house, or a simi- lar structure, at intervals of about 10 days. The blanched leaves are highly esteemed either cooked as a vegetable or for use as a salad. -The large- leaved Witloof and Christmas Salad are both desirable varieties. Dandelion. — The large-leaved variety of Dan- delion provides an excellent winter crop, and may be treated precisely in the same manner as the foregoing. French Beans.— French Beans should be sown at intervals of about a fortnight. Five seeds may either be sown in a 5 inch or 5 inch pot, to be transferred later to larger pots, or they may be sown directly in well-drained pots having a diameter of 7 inches. Use a compost of a moderately light texture mixed with a fair amount of road grit. Water the seeds immedi- ately they are sown, and germinate them in the forcing-house. Earlier-raised plants should be afforded all the sunlight possible, and for this reason the plants should be stood on shelves near to the roof glass. Maintain a temperature of from 50° to 65°. The shoots should be Etopped by pinching immediately they are long enough to pinch out the tops. Wlienever the weather permits, the foliage should be syringed once or twice daily to keep the pl.ants free from red spider. The growths should be supported either by tying each plant separately to a neat stake or placing fine twigs from old Birch brooms in the pots. Plants in full bearing should receive moderate supplies of liquid manure, which should always be warmed to the temperature of the house before it is applied. Ne Plus Ultra and Canadian Wonder are two excellent varieties for forcing. PoTATOS.— No time should be lost before com- mencing the forcing of the earliest batch of Potatos. I have found it a capital plan to grow this crop cither in 8-inch pots or shallow boxes. Under this system tubers are more readily formed, owing to the growth being impeded, whilst the plants may be moved easily from one structure to another. Sharpe's Victor Express and ilay Queen are two excellent valuable varie- ties for early forcing. Carrots. — Young Carrots are always in de- mand, and seeds should be sown now on mild hotbeds or in slightly-heated pits in a well-pre- pared mixture, to provide an early supply. Any of the stump-rooted kinds are suitable for sowing in January and February. PLANTS UNDER GLASS. By Thomas Stevenson, Gardener to \l. Mocatta, Esq., Woburn I'lace, Addleslone, Surrey. Forcing Plants and Bulbs. — Late Chry- santhemums are a little earlier than usual this season, and these forming one of the staple supplies of cut blooms during the month of .lanuary will be much missed if they fail to hold out ; therefore, every endeavour must be made to forward .some of the early forcing shrubs and bulbs. Indian Azaleas are among the plants that may be easily forced into bloom at this season, and, as manv of them are very forward in bud, they may be introduced into a moderately warm house when the atmosphere is kept fair-ly moist by light dampings. Other plants that may be brought forward are Azalea mollis, Prunus in variety, Deutsia gracilis. Labur- nums, and Wistarias. If a house can be devoted to this class of plant, so much the better, for as those plants fairlv advanced in bloom are drafted out into the flowering house, others may be brought in and so keep up a good succession. A temperature of 50° at night, allowing a rise during the day Avhen there is a little sun, is quite sufficient to begin with, advancing it 5° towards the end of the month. Where a special house is not available, a Peach house or vinery just started will prove a good substitute. Good batches of Tulips, Narcissi, and Hyacinths should now be placed in this house, the quantity depending on the demand for such subjects. I prefer good batches of one plant rather than a few specimens of several varieties ; then if there should be a sudden demand for floral decoration there will be sufficient of one kind at hand to make a good display. Tulips may be allowed a few degrees more heat than Narcissus or Hya- cinths, and they should be put under a canvas shading in the house to draw them up a little, taking it off as the blooms begin to show colour. Later in the season it is not necessary, but at this season of the year the practice is to be commended. If the bulbs were potted up early they should all be ready for taking out of the ashes : there is no advantage in keeping them there after the growth has attained some 3 or 4 inches. In the case of Hyacinths it is often harmful, the points of the flower-spikes being very susceptible to injury if left in too long. After removal from the a.shes they sliould be left in the cold frames and the lights covered for a time with mats. Those required to flower late should be given all the air possible ; if these can be put in a frame on the north side of a wall it will prolong the bulb season for some two or three weeks. LiLiuMS AND Spir/eas should be potted up as soon as they are received from the nursery and placed in a cool, dry frame. Some of the early imported clumps of Astilbe (Spirfea) j japonica may be placed in heat, but the pink I varieties do "not succeed with early forcing, for 1 the flowers present a washed-out colour early in the season. Richardia africana. — Callas will now be growing freely, and as there is usually some dearth of large-flowering plants towards the end of the month, they may with advantage be given an intermediate temperature and a weekly appli- cation of manure water. Freesia. — Freesias should be placed as near as possible to the glass. Too high a temperature is not good for them, the flowers coming thin and not keeping well when cut ; 50" at night is quite warm enough. Successional batches should be brought in as required, taking care to stake the plants before there is danger of them being broken down. If bulbs are potted now they will givti good results during iNIay and June, thus prolonging the teasou of bloom. Cleansing Operations. — As the cleansing operations progress and the houses become free of the smell of paint, lime, &c., batches of Cinerarias, Cyclamen, I'rimulas in variety, and any soft-wooded plants that may have been wintering in frames or pits should be brought in and arranged so that each plant is exposed to the light and air. No matter how carefully they have been treated in the frames, they are apt to keep a little soft, but, with a little extra space and air, the foliage will soon stiffen up ; in the case of Cinerarias I have sometimes found it necessary to spray clear water beneath them occasionally for a few days after taking them in. After a few days indoors all these subjects should be fumigated to ensure their being quite clean, but it will be found that Primulas do not like much of this treatment, being apt to turn a little at the edges of the foliage if they do not happen to be absolutely dry at the time of the operation. Pot Roses. — Wherever possible all pot Boses should be got under cover, except perhaps some of the climbing varieties, such as Dorothy Per- kins, Hiawatha, Tausendschiin, Excelsa, Para- dise, and those that have been recently potted, and even these would be better for being pro- tected from heavy rain and severe frosts. Keep them quite cool and allow them to become fairly dry before pruning, or they may bleed badly. Some of the Teas and hybrid Teas do not require so much pruning as do the H.P.s and flower better if some of the stronger growths are left fairly long, but Hybrid Perpetuals must be pruned fairly hard if high-class blooms ,nre re- quired, and gardeners cannot afford to ]iroduce Roses of poor quality now that such quantities of good, long-stemmed blooms may be seen as early as February in most florists' windows. Januaby 13, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 23 THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunuuknholme, W'arter Priory, Yorkstiire. Apricots. — These are generally the first trees that require protection from frost, and the buds are now swelling fast. The latest rains will, however, have put matters right below the sur- face. Few, I imagine, who treat their trees methodically will be in arrears with the pruning and tying of these trees, especially where the old spurs required thinning. Should, however, this be the case, the work must be completed at the earliest opportunity. Board or some other material «huuld be placed on the borders to pre- vent treading the soil into a pasty mass, and, as soon as the operations ai'e completed and the trees syringed, ihe ne.xt question will be that of providing protection for the flowers. Those who have permanent fixtures may almost di.^pense with extra coverings, but the majority are obliged to depend on any rough-and-ready materials. Two or three folds of fish-netting make a very good protection, and the netting catches the atmo- spheric moisture before it reaches the blossoms. The careful gardener will soon be fixing his poles, but will defer putting on the nets until the flowers are ready to open, which will possibly be in Feb- ruary this year, unless frosts come quickly to check them. The largest flowers produce the finest fruits, and all possible cai'e should be taken of the first flowers that open. Pruning and Training Apples. — This work is invariably left to the last, and yet I see no reason for this, as Apples, Pears, and Plums may be pruned immediately after the leaves fall. It is a question if this practice is not preferable if American blight is present, as the trees may at once veceive a dressing of some compound, which can be reji^ated occasionally through the winter months. The Paradise stock is now gener- ally used for bush and cordon trees, which are the best trees for garden cultivation. Pruning is often overdone ; still, the knife cannot be dis- pensed with altogether ; but, beyond shortening extra strong shoots to preserve the balance of the trees, and the thinning out occasionally of crowded spurs, the less trees on Paradise stocks are pruned tlie better. Pinch in all side shoots in June, July and August if necessary, and as long as the balance of the tree is maintained, allow the terminal shoots to grow, suppressing only those that are running away. In training, do not attempt to twist the trees into fancy shapes ; beyond judiciously thinning the shoots and occasionally tying a branch here and there to prevent crowding, which should always be prevented, the trees may safely be left to form perfect specimens. By good cultivation and care- ful attention to pinching and other details the trees soon become complete cordons of healthy spur wood. THE FLOWER GARDEN. By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady Northcote, Eastweil Park, Kent. Protecting Tender Shrubs and Plants. — Very cold weather may occur at any time now, and protecting material should be got in readi- ness. It is a mistake to coddle plants unneces- sarily, as this makes them tender and more susceptible to injury by frost; it is better to leave them exposed until the weatlier is very cold. Branches of evergreens, such as Laurel and Rhododendron, may be utilised to ward off much of the frost, tying them round the stems of such tender plants as Palms and Cordylines, and working in a little dry Bracken Fern between the evergreens and the branches. A piece of wire netting may be enclosed around a plant needing protection, and filled in with dry leaves, placing a few shoots of evergreen over the net- ting to render it less conspicuous. Eryngium pandanifolium survived for several winters quite unharmed when protected in this manner ; but left exposed for one winter, the plant was crippled and unsatisfactory the next season. Ornamental Grasses. — Wlien replanting herbaceous borders or in front of shrubberies, a free use should be made of the many beautiful ornamental grasses. Grasses are. as a rule, very strong-rooting subjects, not at all fastidious as to soil, and, when once established, will thrive ill almost any position. Many of them may be iilanted under the shade of large trees, and will fl lurish where other plants would fail. The Eulalias. though a small family, are particularly useful subjects. E. gracillima has light, elegant foliage, and a single plant is charmiii"; in a bor- der. E. zebrina, with its yellow bars across the leaves, is a very striking plant, and about half- a-dozen specimens should be grouped to form a bold clump. The flower-spikes appear in autumn, when the plants are at their best condi- tion ; but they often remain attractive till mid- winter. They are excellent subjects for the waterside, and associate well with Gynerium (Pampas Grass) and Bamboos. Arundo conspicua makes an ideal specimen, throwing up its stately plumes quite early in the season, and, on this account, is often called the summer-flowering Pampas. This species is very distinct from A. Donax (the Giant Reed), which is not planted as often as its merits deserve. This plant thrives best in a fairly warm and sheltered situation, where, with a liberal treatment and plenty of moisture, it will attain to a height exceeding 12 feet. After cutting the growths down in winter, a heavy mulch of manure should be ap- plied. The variegated form is much more ten- der than the type, and requires an extra warm corner, with protection in winter. The ordinary Pampas Grass ((!ynerium argentium) should be planted in bold groups by the water side, or on the edge of a shrubbery, with a background of dark foliage. We have planted it largely in com- bination with the stronger-growing form's of Kni- phofia (Torch Lily), which, if planted in the foreground, provides brilliant colouring in the autiiinn. Several of the small perennial grasses are useful edging plants. Festuca glauca has bluish, thread-like foliage, and is a very attrac- tive plant. Dactylis gloinerata elegantissima is a dwarf Grass, with silver variegation, and is, perhaps, used for edging purposes more than any other kind. Several species of Carex are worth growing, C. japonica jiendula being one of the best for gardens. This plant will thrive in a shady place. C. Jlorrowii is a compact-growing plant, suitable for planting in the front of a flower border. Apera arundinacea is also a very elegant plant. FRUITS UNDER GLASS. By E. Harriss, Fruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, Windsor. Strawberries in Pots.— The plants which were placed into gentle heat eaily in December will now be showing their flower-spikes, and the temperature must be increased to about 60°. They should occupy a position quite close to the roof- glass, where they will get the full benefit of light ; the gla.ss must also be kept quite clean. The plants may now 1» watered occa'sionally with diluted liipiid inamire and soot-water, but stimu- lants should be withheld for a time when the flowering period arrives. Except when the flowers are opening, the foliage must be vigo- rously syringed with luke-warin water twice a day, paying particular attention to the under- side of the loiives, where red spider may be pre- .sent. It is advisable also to fumigate the plants before they come into flower, to destroy aphides, which, if allowed to remain, are injurious to the ripe fruits. During the flowering period the atmosphere must be kept dry, and air carefully admitted more or less in accord- ance with outside conditions. The flowers must be pollinated at mid-day by passing a camel's-hair brush lightlv over them. When the fruits have set, the atmosphere must again be kept moist and syringing resumed as before. Stimulants must also be given more often and with increased strength. To bring on succes- sional batches of plants, there is no place better than a shelf near to the glass in a Peach house or vinery Avhich has just been closed ; but they should not be placed too near the permanent occu- pants of the house, as Strawberries are very sub- ject to attacks of red spider. Before placing the plants indoors, lay them on their sides and tho- roughly drench the foliage with an insecticide. Tomato. — The season has been very favour- able for the winter fruiting plants which are still carrying plenty of fruits. These late fruits may- be assisted to ripen more readily by removing most of the foliage, thus exposing them to the light. The old p!ants may be encoui-aged to set further fruits if necessary by selecting some of the strongest shoots near the base of the plants and training them tliinly over the trellis. Top- dress the roots with a mixture of fibrous loam, well-decayed horse manure, and wood ashes. If white fly is present on the foliage, gather all the ripe fruits, then fumigate the house with a nico- tine vaporising compound. The young plants, which were raised here from seed sown on Octo- ber 6 were potted into their fruiting jK)ts on the 4th inst. They are already showing two trusses of flowers, and give promise of furnishing ripe fruits at a very early date. The potting materials for Tomatos at this time of year should be much lighter than later on when growth is quicker. A suitable compost is one consisting of good fibrous loaiT;, manure from a spent mush- room bed, and a good sprinkling of old mortar rubble and wood ashes. To every barrow-load of soil add one 8-inch potful of crushed bones. The plants should be potted firm, but not excessively so. Another batch of plants should be raised now for succession. Sow the seeds thinly in pans in a light compost, and place them in a warm house till the seedlings are through. Then keep them growing quite near to the glass in a mini- mum temperature of 60°. THE FRENCH GARDEN. By Paul Aoiiatias. Winter Crops.— The last of the three batches of Chicory Witloof have been placed in trenches as previously described. The paths between the frames have been lined with dry manure. The first batch is ready for cutting, and a constant supply of this crop is assured till the end of February. The Cabbage Lettuces planted in frames in the middle of September have proved, a very good and useful crop. When the frames are cleared the soil will be stirred and some black soil added previous to planting Passion Lettuces, which will be ready for the market in April. Spring Crops. -The first batch of Lettuce " Little Gott " is very forward. Ventilation is afforded day and night to keep the plants in check until the hotbeds have been made. The plants of the other varieties are of medium size, which is preferable at this time of the year ; as Lettuces grow very rapidly during January and often become drawn should the final planting be delayed. The Cos Lettuces are well esta- blished after their second tran.splanting. Venti- lation is afforded whenever the weather is favour- able. The Cauliflowers have grown too luxuri- antly, though ventilation was given freely, and it has become necessary to replant them" deeper,. setting 180 instead of 250 plants as hitherto in each light. Crops Grown Without Heat. — These crops a^ a complement to those on the hotbeds, are always remunerative, especially where black soil is plentiful. The ground should be well manured and prepared at an early date. The frames need to be set straight and level and sunk 2 inches in the ground, so as to economise the black soil and have the plants close to the glass. A path 9 inches or 10 inches wide should be provided between each row of frames. I'rom three to six barrow loads of black soil may be placed in each frame. The lights should be placed on the frame to keep the soil in a good condition until the time of l^lanting arrives. Hotbeds.— The extent of the hotheds for the coming season should be decided upon, taking into consideration the markets and local requirement.-;. At this establishment two-fifths of the hotbeds are devoted to growing Straw- berries and Turnips and the remainder to Car- rots. Lettuces (56 per light) will be grown before the Turnips are sown or the .Strawberries forced. Xo Radishes will be sown as an inter- crop. The first hotbed will be made on the 16th of the present month. A quicker growth with less manure is more certain than when start- ing at an earlier date, and should snow fall or severe ficst set in, the work may be delayed with advantage. In this case preparation must be made to hasten the making of the hotbeds, all frames and lights being placed handy. Some fine soil should be brought under shelter for cover- ing the seeds. Seeds. — The purchase of seeds this year will represent an important item in the working ex- penses. The wholesale rate is trebled on the Carrots and Radishes, whilst Turnip and Cauli- flower seeds are very dear. Great care must be taken to prevent waste when sowing; trial sow- ings will repay the trouble. A certain number of seeds should be placed on a piece of cloth or felt, kept damp by infiltration and placed in a warm house. In a few days the seeds will germinate, and the percentage of good seeds may then bo easilv ascertained. 24 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Jakuary 13, 1912. EDITORIAL NOTICE, ADVERTISEMENTS should be sent to the PUB- LISHER. 41, Wellington Street. Covent Garden, Letters for Publication, m well as spectmem of plants for namxng^ should be addressed to the EDI TORS, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London. C om mum cal tons should be wRiTTiiN on onk side onlv of THF PAPER, sent as early in the rveek as possible and duly signed by the writer. 1/ desired, the signature will not be printed, but kept as a guarantee of good faith. Special Notice to Correspondents.— 2/ji Editors do not undertake to pay for any cant n but ions or illustrations, or to return unused cotninunications or illustrations, unless by special arrangement. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for any opinions expressed by tfieir correspon- dents. 'Local tiews,— Correspondents ivill greatly oblige by sending to thf Editors early tntelligence oj local events likely to be of interest to our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to bring under the notice of horticulturists. illustrations.- The Editors will be glad to receive and to select photographs or drawings, suitable for reproduction, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, Jlojvers, trees, &c., but they cannot be responsible for loss or iniury. newspapers.— Correspondents sending newspapers should be careful to mark the paragraphs they wish the Editors to see. APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. MONDAY, JANUARY IB- Nat, Chrys. Soc. Executive Cora. meet. TUESDAY, JANUARY, 16- Scottish Hort. Assoc. Ann. Meet. ■WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17- Roy. Meteoroloflica! Soc. Ann. Meet. North of England Hort. Soc. Ann". Meet, at Leeds. (Lecture by Mr. \V. Cuthbertsonon " The Development of the Sweet Pea.") THURSDAY, JANUARY 18— Gard. Roy. Benev. Inst. Ann. Meet, and election of pensioners at Simpson's Restaurant, Strand, at 2 45 p.m. Ltnnean Soc. meet. Meeting at Preston in support of Roy. Int. Hort. Exh. Average Mean Temcehaturk for the ensuing week deduced from observations during the last Eitty Years at Greenwich— 37-9". Actual Temperatukks ; — Lounos. — H'eilius:iay, January W (6 p.m.) : Max. 49"; Min. 39". Gardeners' Chtonicle Otfice. 41, Wellitigton Street, Covent Garden, London —Tlniisiiay . Jamuny 11 (10 a.m.) : Bar. 29-9" ; Temp. 47" ; lleallur— Dull. Provinces. — H'ediiesiiay, January 70: Max 51" Sligo; Min. 34*^ Yorkshire. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. MONDAY AND WLDXESDAY- Rose Trees, Fruit Trees, Perennials, &c.. at 12.30, at Stevens's Auction Rooms, 38, King Street, Covent Garden. •MONDAY AND FRIDAY— Liliums and other Hnrdy Bulbs, Herbaceous Plants, &c., at 12; Roses and Fruit trees, at 1.30; at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris. WEDNESDAY— Herbaceous Plants and Perennials, Liliums and Hardy Plants, at 12; Roses and Fruit Trees, at 1.30; Palms and Plants at 5 ; at 67 & 63, Cheapside, B.C., by Protheroe & M jrris. Mr. H. M. Leake contributes, Cotton . I Journal of Genetics*, a Breeding. , , , .i u„ valuable paper on the results of his experiments in the breeding of the •Cotton plant. Though his main problem is the production of races of Cotton which shall be an improvement— from the com- mercial point of vie-w— on the poor types commonly in cultivation in India, Mr. Leake resolved very wisely to attack the problem on Mendelian lines. At the outset of his experiments, he dis- ■covered that, contrary to general opinion, cross-pollination occurs not uncommonly in Cotton fli^wers. Thus the old method of " plant-tc-plant " breeding had to be discarded and the usual precautions of •emasculation and covering adopted. The task of finding improved races of Cotton suitable for the United Provinces is rendered peculiarly difficult owing to the extremes of climate characteristic of those regions. The winter is so severe as to give a severe check to the growth of the • No. 3, Vol. i. Cotton plant, and the hot, dry summer follows so* quickly on the vanished track of winter that the plants have barely time to produce fruit before they are scorched. Further, though the races of Cotton generally grown in the Central Provinces are precocious as to flowering, their staple is poor ; whereas Cottons of good staple are generally late with respect to time of flowering. As a result of his investigations on the various types of Cotton, Mr. Leake has discovered that they may be classified according to their modes of branching into two groups. In one group — the sympodial — the flowers are borne on the secondary branches, and in the other — the monopodia! — they are borne on the branches of the third order. As might perhaps be expected, the sympodial type is " early " and the raonopodial type is " late " : a difference of something like two months separating the main periods of flowering of the two classes. The cross between a sympodial (early) and monopodial (late) plant gives an inter- mediate (Fi), the period of flowering of which is nearer to that of the early than to that of the late parent. In F2, complete segregation does not appear to take place, though from the practical point of view this would seem to be unimportant, for early plants arise in F2, and there is no evident reason why such " earlies " should not bear characters which give to them the high quality possessed by the monopodial, or late, parent. One reason for the apparent lack of segregation in F^ has been discovered already by Mr. Leake, who finds that the presence of red sap in the plant induces a prolongation of the vegetative period and hence a retartlation of the time of flower- ing. Superficially-informed critics of Men- delian investigation may be pleased to discover what looks like a breaking down of the fundamental Mendelian law of segregation ; but we for our part are pre- pared to maintain that that pleasure will be short-lived. In such difficult matters, as the mode of inheritance of " time of flowering " the ex- perimenter soon discovers that his task is to elucidate the behaviour of a number of separate yet mutually interacting charac- ters. Thus in the case of the common Pea (Pisum sativum) we know that time of flowering of an Ft between early and late varieties is intermediate, and that com- plete segregation does not appear to occur in F.,. But we know also that vari- ous morphological factore interfere with the proper expression of the character for earliness or lateness. Among these dis- turbing characters are the node at which flower formation occurs and also the ex- tent to which branching takes place at the ground level. Thus a Pea may possess the character for earliness and also that for flowering at a high node. The inevitable result is a compromise — for Mendelian law is not magic — and the plant flowers when it can, that is later than " it would like " to flower. To determine the mode of inheritance of such a character as precocity or tardi- ness of flowering, the first thing the ex- perimenter has to do is to produce pure strains, from which the disturbing charac- ters are absent : in the case of Pisum sativum he must raise a strain of un- branched, low-flowering early varieties and another of unbi'anched low-flowering later sorts, cross them and raise very large numbers of F^ plants. Mr. Leake has made a notable contribu- tion to the problem, to which he is devot- ing himself, and we are convinced that not only will it result in an amelioration of the quality of the Cotton of the vast United Provinces of India but also in the vindica- tion of the serviceableness of the method of Mendelian analysis to the elucidation of the laws of heredity. International Horticultural Exhibi- tion.— A meeting in support of tliis exhibition will be held in the Town Hall, Preston, on the 18th inst. The Mayor, Councillor R. S. Simpson, J.P., will preside, and Mr. Edward White and others will address the meeting. Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institu- tion.— In cotmection witli the seventy-second Annual General Meeting of tlie members of this institution, which we announced last week for the 18th inst., we are asked to state further that tlie usual Friendly Supper will also be held at Simpson's on the same day at 6 p.m., when the chair will be taken by S. M. Segar, Esq., a. member of tlie committee. Royal Meteorological Society. — An ordinary meeting of this society will be held at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Great George Street. Westminster, on the 17th inst., followed by the annual general meeting at 7.45 p.m. The Womens Agricultural and Horti- cultural International Union. — We are asked to state that the room placed at the dis- posal of the Union by the hon. .secretary, Mrs. Chamberlain, having become inadequate for the requirements, a new and enlarged office has been secured at 45, Queen Aune Chambers, Westmin- ster, S.W., where full information concerning the object of the Union may be obtained. Flowers in Season. — We have received from Mr. H. .Titniper, of Dyrham Park Gardens, Barnet, blooms of Chrysanthemum " King of the Plumes." The flowers are a rich yellow colour, and have fimbriated florets. This excellent late variety is very serviceable for conservatory and greenhouse decoration. " Irish Gardening." — Mr. C F. Ball, of Glas- nevin Botanic Gardens, has been appointed editor of Irish Gardening, one of the most attractive of our contemporaries. The new editor has our best wishes in the enterprise he has undertaken. LONDON'S Open Spaces. — The Parks Com- mittee of the London County Council have prepared a scheme for laying out Kilburn Grange as a public open space, which includes the pro- vision of a pond for boating, lawn-tennis courts, and a large grass area for general recreation. Protecting Fruit Trees from Hares. — A correspondent writing in the Aijrioillurnl Gazette of New South Wales of November 2, 1911, states that the best method of protecting young fruit-trees from injury from hares is by means of a band of paper wound twice around the stem of the tree and tied lightl}' at the top, bottoiti, and middle. January 13, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 25 M. Georges Gibault. — The National Horti- cultural Society of France has, upon a report written by M. Ph. de Vilmorin, awarded the Gold JNIedal of the Society to M. Georges Gibault for his work Illstoire des Legumes, a review of which appears on p. 19. A " Sporting ■■ Apple. — M. Gustave Bivii:RE records in the Journal de la Sociite Nufiunah d' Horticulture de France (November, 1911) the sudden appearance during the past year of red fruits on a tree of the Cider Apple Senlis, which variety is characterised by yellow fruits. ]\Ir. RiviisRB recalls the fact tliat his father ob- served a similar " mutation " in 1871, in the case of an Apple of the variety Menagere. In that case also a yellow-fruited tree bore fruits with dark red skins, side by side with those of the normal yellow colour. New Plants Collected for U.S.A. — The list of seeds and plants imported October 1 to December 31, 1910, and listed in Bull. No. 227, Bureau of Plant Industry, contains those col- lected by Mr. F. N. Meyer in Central Asia. Among them, mention may be made of eight new Roses from Russian Turkestan, and of several new species of Cherry. The latter include Prunus prostrata, a bush Cherry, from 1 foot to 8 feet in height, which grows on stony and sterile mountain slopes in Turkestan ; Prunus microcarpa, a Cherry which grows as a tall bush up to 10 feet high ; and several species of Plums, the hardiness and early-fruiting quality of which may render them of value for hybridi- sation. The Sand Dunes of New Zealand.'— The problem of reclaiming land for the purposes of cultivation presents aspects of peculiar fascina- tion alike to the botanist, the agriculturist, and the forester ; and the special knowledge apper- taining to these several crafts is necessary for successful reclamation. The botanist notes the peculiar local conditions and learns from the local associations of plants which of the lat- ter to press into his service. The agi'iculturist may take over the partially reclaimed dune and convert it into remunerative pasture, and the forester must be at hand to form shelter belts and perchance to convert the dune land into forest. Dr. Cockayne combines in himself the (jualities of botanist, agriculturist, and forester, and as the result of his practical experience in New Zealand has produced a valuable report on the geology, botany, and reclamation of the dun© areas of the Dominion. As in Europe, so in New Zealand Marram grass (Ammopliila arundinacea) is easily first among sand-building grasses, and is the pioneer in the work of re- clamation. M'here it has done its work, Lupinus arboreus, the Tree-Lupin, serves in New Zealand to fix both sand and nitrogen, and so to render the soil suitable for pasture grasses. Not any seed mixture serves, however, for sowing down the dune pasture. There the special difficulty to be overcome is the shifting by winds of the sur- face layers of the sand ; and to this end plants which yield a rich supply of humus are utilized. When they have done their work, grasses, clovers, and fodder plants may be sown with good prospects of success. In New Zealand more has been done in the way of establishing dune pastures than in afforestation of these areas. Dr. Cockayne enumerates the various trees which are capable of growing in the sand of the dunes of the Dominion and the trees, such as species of V'^i's and Olearia Traversii. which may be planted furthest seaward to protect the more delicate trees, which would in their absence be destroyed by the salt-laden winds. • Rcprtrt on the Dune Areas of New Zealnnii. &c., by J. Cockayne. (New Zealand ; Deparlment of Lands.) 1911. "Bulletin" of Agricultural Statistics. — The Bulletin of Agricultural Statistics of the International Agricultural Institute for Decem- ber has just been published. The first part of the Bulletin contains tables showing the production of the more important cereal crops in the North- ern Hemisphere, after making such alterations and additions as have been rendered necessary by the new official data received at the Institute up to December 19, 1911. The most important addi- tions consist in the returns of area and produc- tion of the cereal crops in Germany, Austria and Bulgaria, while the principal alterations refer to the figures for Russia and the United States. The second part of the Bulletin contains informa- tion regarding the sowing of winter cereals in the Northern Hemisphere. Winter sowing is now almost finished ; the seeds are, in general, germinating well, and development is uniform. Further information is given as to the cereal crops in the Southern Hemisphere for the crop year 1911-12. In Argentine it is expected that the whole of the area sown with Wheat and Oats in that country will he harvested, which means a considerable increase over the area harvested in the previous year. The coming Wheat crop in Australia is estimated at only 79.2 per cent, of last year's crop. In Chile, on the contrary, an out-turn of Wheat 7 per cent, above last year's production is predicted, and a crop of Barley remarkably above last year's output is expected. The harvest estimates in New Zealand are also generally good. The most interesting figures of Cotton production are those of the United States, where the crop is 66,432.073 cwts., or 130.3 per cent, of last year's production, and in India, where the crop works out at 11,075,450 cwts., or 81 per cent, of last year's crop. The Bulletin also contains information as to the production of Sugar Beet and of wine in 1911 in a few countries of the Northern Hemisphere. The production of Sugar is 558,390,447 cwts., or 75.7 per cent, of last year's production in tho following group of 11 countries :■ — Prussia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Den- mark, France, Hungary (not including Croatia and Slavonia), Italy, Rjumania, Russian Empire, Servia and Canada. The production of wine is 2,388,833,156 gallons, or 136.4 per cent, of last year's production in the following group of coun- tries: — Spain, France (43 departments), Hungary (includhig Croatia and Slavonia), Italy, Luxem- burg, Roumania, Switzerland, Algeria and Tunis. The Kingdom of Flowers. — The National Geographic Magazine of the United Slates for November, 1911, contains an admirably illus- trated article by Mr. E. H. Wilson on the flora of China, bearing the above title. It is almost superfluous to state that the article is as full of interesting information as only an enthusiastic and accomplished traveller could produce. The illustrations are mostly of individual trees and scenic; a few domestic and industrial. All are from the author's own photographs. Extracts without the illustrations would have relatively little interest, but it may be noted that " Dr. S/VRGEnt's enterprise has resulted in the acquisi- tion of some thousands of seedlings, covering about 1,200 species of plants new to cultivation. These embrace ornamental trees and shrubs, ever- green and deciduous in character ; new Lilies, Irises, Paeonies, and other striking herbs ; new conifers of probable value as timber trees for afforestation work, and many economic plants valuable to the ijlant-breeder as a source of new races of fruits, more especially berries. These new introductions contain not only new forms of genera already known to us in this country and in Europe, but also several entirely new genera." It may be added that Mr. Wilson formed a her- barium of some 50,000 sheets of specimens, which will be distributed to the botanical centres of the world. Truly a grand enterprise ! A "Sleeping" Oak.— A correspondent to the German Dendrological Society {Mitt. d. Deulsclien Dendrolog. Gesell., 1911) records an interesting case of an Oak which remained 20 months without leaves. A specimen of Red Oak (Quercus rubra), about 10 feet in height, was planted in November, 1909, and remained leafless throughout the following year (1910). It awoke in June of the next year (1911), and produced, after a sleep of 20 months, a healthy crown of leaves. The Renovation of Poor Pastures. — Farmers' Bulletin No. 22 of the County Council of the County Palatine of Lancaster contains the report of an experiment carried out at several centres by Messrs. T. Milburn and R. C. Gault, on the modes of renovation of poor pasture land. The chief conclusions reached as a result of the experiments are : — (1) That phosphatic manures were the most effective agents in ameliorating the pastures. (2) That the several phosphatic manures used — basic slag, super-lime and boiled bones — did equally well. (3) Sowing white Dutch Clover has not proved efficacious in effecting speedy improvement. " Le Jardin."— The 25th volume of Le Jardin is dedicated to M. Anatoi.e CoHnoNNiER, the eminent Grape grower, of Bailleul, whose large establishment is one of the wonders of modern French horticulture. "La Vie a la Campagne." — The issue for January 1 of this excellent journal contains a full paged portrait of the great French gardener, Andre Le Notre, with an illustrated article on his gardens. In the same issue there are several other articles of practical interest to horticul- turists. Publications Received. — The Housing Reformer, vol, I., Mo. 1. December. (Cardiff: 4, Park Place ) Price Id — National Insurance Act. A full explanatory digest by " An Old Par- liamentarv Hand." (Loudon: Wm. MacDonald & Co ) Price 6d.— 7Ae North of England Horticultural Society. Monthly Magazine and Circular for December. Secretary, The Kev. J. Bernard Hall, Kawdon, Leeds — Sweet Peas: Cultural Notes by Thomas Stevenson. (Mos^ley : Hallam's)— 7/ie Brifi»/i V^eather Chart, 1912, edited by Miss Jenkins Price, large size Cd. ; small size Id. — The British Astronomical Weather Almanac, 1912, edited by Miss Jen- kins. (London : K. Morgan. 65. Westow Street, Norwood, S.E ) Price ii. THE ROSARY. FRAGRANT ROSES. I WOULD advise Rose growers to add the new Hybrid Briar Juliet to their collections, on ac- count of its extraordinary and pleasing fragrance. Apart from this quality, its colour is unique, and I predict for it a future of great popularity. Magna Charta is one of the older types of flower, but this variety also is particularly rich in fra- grance. It is, in point of fact, among Hybrid Perpetuals that we get the most fragrant flowers. Many of the newer H.T. sorts are devoid of scent, and this inevitably lessens their popularity, although it would be difficult to select in any other sections varieties more pleasing than Liberty and Richmond. The new Claudius is highly fragrant ; it is spoken of as a H.T., but to me it has all the appearance of a H.P. However this may be, it is a beautiful variety from every point of view. A. K. Williams, General Jacqueminot, Marie Baumann, Senateur Vaisse, and Xavier Olibo are a few varieties that occur to my memory as hav- ing quite distinctive scents. Going further back, the old Geant des batailles, Eugene Appert, and Chenedole were remarkable for their fragrance ; 26 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [JANU.UIY 13, 1912. but, unfortunately, in consequence of the present craze for novelty in Roses, these old varieties are neglected. ROSE WILLIAM ALLAN RICHARDSON. Roses are grown abundantly in this neighbour- hood, but the variety above named seems to be greatly losing in popularity. Twenty years ago every cottage gardener had a plant of this fine Rose, and on many a garden wall one or more magnificent specimens were to be found. Gra- dually, however — from some cause apparently un- known— the colouring degenerated, and now it is the exception rather than the rule to see a flower of the correct hue, although an abundance of new plants have been put in. The loss of colour has been the chief factor in the growing unpopularity of this variety. It has been stated by !Mr. Piper in these columns that many of the flowers pro- duced are of no deeper a yellow than those of Lamarque, but he has not given any reason for this loss of colour. Many growers never recom- mend the plant, on accoimt of this defect ; and I myself should be unable to point to a single speci- men that produces blooms of the true, original colour. I always prefer to recommend Claire Jacquier, a much more constant climber, which was introduced by Bernaix in 1888. E. Molyneux, Hwantnore, Bishop's Waltham. A CURIOUS OAK. Nearly every species of tree that has long been cultivated in, or is a native of, the British Isles, has produced a number of varieties show- ing great diversity of growth. Tlie dwarf and weeping forms are the more common, and next to these those of a fastigiate or erect-growing habit. Weeping trees frequently show con- siderable variation. Take the common Ash for example : the ordinary variety pendula lias all its branches weeping ; var. pendula Went- worthii has tlie trunk and leading shoot erect, whilst the branches are very pendulous ; aurea pendula (the young shoots are yellow) has all its branches arching or weeping, but much stiffer and more umbrella-like than the common variety pendula. Among the weeping Beeches there is an even greater diversity of form. Of the common Oak the most striking deviation from the type is the variety fastigiata. (Cypress Oak) with a spire-like growth as marked as that of the Lombardy Poplar (see Garde'Mrs' Chronicle, March 9, 1907, p. 149). There is also a' very elegant weeping variety (pendula) of the same type as the Wentworth Ash, having an erect-growing head and the branches only weeping. In the remarkable variation of the common Oak shown in fig. 17, the bi-anches grow- out horizontally at first, then take a right-angled turn, the whole ultimately forming a dense inter- lacing mass of branches and twigs. So far as we can learn the tree has never been trained or mutilated in any way. SCOTLAND. PRESENTATION TO MR. J. D. CROZIER. On p. 10 it was announced that Mr. John D. Crozier, forester, Durris, Aberdeen, had been appointed to the staff of the Irish Forestry Department. Prior to leaving to take up his appointment, Mr. Crozier was entertained to a complimentary luncheon and presented with a token of esteem by a number of gentlemen connected with the Aberdeen branch of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society. The function took place in the Imperial Hotel, Aberdeen, and was very largely attended by those interested in forestry. Mr. C. S. France presided, and Mr. A. Robson was croupier. Apologies for absence were read from Sir John Stirling Maxwell, President of the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society, Mr. Irvine, of Drum, and Mr. S. J. Gammell, of Drumtochty, the present and past presidents of the Aberdeen branch. THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH HOOKER. (Continued from p. IS.) The Linnean Society. Sir Joseph was elected a Fellow in 1842, yet in spite of this early election he was never the " Father " of the Society, for Frederick Holsey •lason, who was elected in 1837. is still living. The previous " Father " was Thomson Hodgson Archer-Hind, who was elected in March, 1834, and died in January, 1911. Hooker never became president, but he was a staunch supporter of the Society for a loug series of years, both as a Councillor and a contributor to the publications. He served on the Council during five terms, be- tween 1846 and 1884, and was a Vice-President from 1861 to 1874, and from 1882-1884 ; the year preceding his retirement from the Directorship of Kew. His contributions rank with the most important published by the Society, and the import. And there were delegates from various universities and other learned bodies, entrusted with greetings and congratulations and learned effusions. Altogether it was a memorable meeting. In this connection it may be mentioned that Hooker contributed an Introductory Letter to the notable volume entitled Darwin and Modern Science, Cambridge, 1909. President of the Royal Society, 1873 lo 1878. Hooker was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1847, and he served five biennial terms on the Council, between 1853 and 1885. He also acted as Vice-president during four terms, between 1857 and 1886. He was chosen President in 1873, and held this post until 1878. The Copley, Royal and Darwin Medals were suc- cessively awarded to him. Apart from his Annual Addresses, he contributed comparatively little to the Society's publications, most of his work com- ^^, ■■/ Fig. 17. — A CURIOUS oak tree in MR. henry B. may's garden at CHINGFORDo principal ones are noticed in this review. Hooker was awarded the Linnean Medal in 1888, but the culminating event in the bestowal of medals was the presentation of the Darwin- Wallace Medals, on the occasion of the Darwin- Wallace celebration at the Society's rooms, on July 1, 1908, to Wallace and Hooker. A highly- distinguished company had assembled to witness the auspicious and unparalleled ceremony, and the President, Dr. D. H. Scott, made the pre- sentations with a few happily-chosen words. Both recipients were present and replied in speeches of enduring interest and of the utmost value in historical truth. These two veterans, the one in his eighty-eighth year, the other in his ninety-second year, and both still hale and hearty, together with the surrounding company of naturalists of all ages, formed a never-to-be- forgotten scene. There were other recipients of the medal, including some distinguished foreigners, and there were other speeches of great ing within the province of the Linnean ratlier than the Royal Society. One of the exceptions is the Botany of Kcrgiiden. Island, in which he- dealt with the collections of vascular plants made by the " Transit of Venus " Expedition during 1874 and 1875. Nevertheless, his period of office was an unusually active one, both in natural and physical science, and the results are admirably summarised in his successive Addresses. Of ex- peditions, for example, there were the British Polar, the Transit of Venus, the Total Solar Eclipse of 1875, and the continuation of the Voyage of the " Challenger." These expeditions gave the Council of the Society much work, as the manning of the scientific staffs and the plan- ning of their operations, as well as the publication of results, were largely effected on the sugges- tions and recommendation of this body. Dr. I. B. Balfour's Botany of Rodrigiirz was another valuable outcome of the " Transit of Venus " Expedition. Meteorology and the exhibition of January 13, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 27 scientific instruments were engaging the atten- tion of the Council in 1875. In his Address for the same year, the President gave an instance of the unwisdom of tlie House of Lords. He said : " In my last year's Address, I announced that arrangements had been made by the Cunn- cil for the administration, under the authority of the Trustees of the Gilchrist Bequest, of a grant of £1,000 per annum in promoting original research, thus aiding in the fulfilment of the wishes of the testator, that the proceeds cf his large fortune should be devoted ' to the benefit, advancement and propagation of educa- tion and learning.' The scheme for the adminis- tration of this grant was approved by the Trustees and laid before you in detail ; but since then its operation has been frustrated by a most unexpected judicial decision formally given in the House of Lords as to the meaning to be assigned to the terms of the Gilchrist Heqnest, namely, that ' the promotion of original re- search ' could not be held to be ' benefiting the advancement and propagation of education and learning,' for that it was expressly laid down by the Law Lords that ' learning is to be con- sirned as synonymous with education,' and the wh(]le fund is to be devoted to the propagation of knowlctlgc." The President continued that he " could eidy hope for a more enlightcneil jxis- terity, the outcome of a more liberal and scien- tific education." The following year, 1876, the President had a much more welcome announce- ment to make concerning the finances of the Society, which had been so much improved by the liberal bpqupsts and donations of Dircks, C'ar- rington, Handley. Wheatstone and Jodrell. Some of the pi'ovisions of a proposed Vivisection Bill before Parliament caused much stir in the profession, and they were successfully opposed by the Society. The return of the " Challen- ger " this year, after a voyage of 69,000 miles, was an event of almost exciting importance. No expedition ever returned with such a wealth of collections and observations. Apart from micro- scopic organisms, the deep-sea specimens fit for mounting were estimated at 100.000. The Polar Expedition had furnished evidence that there was no cessation of animal or vegetable life in the highest latitudes reached. Indeed, in some considerably lower latitudes the conditions were less favourable to life. The Presidential Ad- dress for 1877 includes a summary of the more important discoveries by the various expeditions in all the branches of science investigated. One of the principal features of Sir Joseph's last Presidential Address is a review of Darwin's experiment with carnivorous plants. The equally im]iortant researches by Downes and Blunt on the influence of light on bacteria were, it was stated, yirlding the most interesting results towards the conclusion that exposure to strong solar light checks and even arrests the development of such organisms. The presentation by the Royal Society of the Copley Medal to Sir .Joseph Hooker, at the an- niversary dinner in 1887. was the occasion of a brief and highly appreciative eulogy of Hooker by Sir JMichael Foster, and an equally remark- able reply by Sir Joseph to the " Toast of the Medallists." Some incidents of Sir Joseph's childhood, and a contrast of the botanical teach- ing of that day and in the 'eighties were among the topics of his speech. iNsnLAE Floras. As already mentioned. Hooker's studies of insular Horas began on the outward voyage of the Antarctic Expedition, and his first important contribution to the literature of the subject has already been passed in review. This was fol- lowed by : — " An Enumeration of the Plants of the Galapagos Archipelago," Transactions of the L'nuiean Society, vol. xx. (1851), pp. 163-234. "On the Vegetation of the Galapagos Archipelago," /ftid, pp. 235-262. Embodies "all that was then known of the botany of this in- teresting group of islands, uicluding Darwin's most important collection of dried plants, made on the voyage of the "Beagle." It is now known that the endemic element in the flora is by no means so large and so highly characterised as was assumed then. Out of a total of 253 species of vascular plants, 123 were regarded as endemic. The vegetation is compared with that of some other tropical islands and with that of continental America. An abridged Report of these two papers appeared in the Journal of the. Proceedings of the Linnean Society, vol i. (1849), pp. 276-279 and 313-314. Other papers dealing with insular floras are : — " Notes on Madeira Plants," London Journal of Botany, vol. vi. (1847), pp. 125-139. " On the Discovery of Phylica arborea . . . in Amsterdam Island in the South Indian Ocean, with an Enumeration of the Phanerogams and Vascular Cryptogams of that Island and of St. Paul," Journal of the Linnean Society, vol. xiv. (1875), pp. 474-480. Hooker dealt with the subject of insular floras in a general and popular style in an address before the British Association at Nottingham, in 1866. He described the nature and composition of the vascular floras of the Canaries, Azores, Madeira, Saint Helena, Ascension, and Kerguelen Island, and followed with an'examina- lion of the alternative theories of their origin, whether derived or remnants of former more ex- tensive Horas. While accepting no theory as de- serving of finality, he expressed himself as strongly in favour of Darwin's theory of trans- oceanic migration, a theory now regarded by a section of botanists as unsound beyond certain limits. This paper was reprinted in the Gardeners' Chronicle, January, 1867. Carnivorous ob Insectivorous Plants. Darwin's book on Insectirorous Plants was not published till 1876, but he and Hooker had separately carried on a series of experimental in- vestigations in this branch of biological inquiry during a number of years, and " Carnivorous Plants " was the title of an address delivered by Hooker before the British Association at Belfast in 1874. This seems to have been the first occa- sion of the subject being brought before the public. Darlingtonia, Dioniea, Drosera, Nepenthes, and Sarracenia were the plants on which the successfvd experiments were made. The address appeared in the Association's annual Report, and a translation was given in La lievue Scicnii/ique, 1874, pp. 481-489. "The term " carnivorous " was employed, because it was dis- covered that certain plants were capable of ab- sorbing and assimilating other animal substances besides insects. Phytooeogeaphy. Sir Joseph's address to the Geographical Sec- tion of the British A.ssociation, at Vork, in 1881 {Xaturc, vol. xxiv. [1831], pp. 443-448) is an ad- mirable essay on geographical distribution, in which he dealt mainly with plants. The leading featm-e of this essay is the history of the de- velopment of the science of phvtogeography. Be- ginning with Tournefort (early eighteenth cen- tury), to whom has been ascribed the earliest correlation of altitudinal and latitudinal distri- bution of plants, and continuing with Linnaeus, the author briefly reviews the work of Stromeyer. Humboldt, Schouw, Lyell. Forbes, De CandoUe, Darwin, Wallace, A. Gray, 'Thiselton-Dyer, Saporta and others. Prominence is given to the theory of the probable northern origin of all the successive phases of plant-life. 11'. Bottlny Hemsley. (To be continued.) HOME CORRESPONDENCE. NEW INVENTION. SAUGHTON PLANT LABEL. W^E have received from ilr. W. Hunt, of 13, Weslfield Road, Edinburgh, samples of his " Saughton " plant label. The label consists of a wood slab, about 2^ inches by li inch, covered with glass, both glass and w'ood being held to- gether by means of a japanned tin frame, having the two ends open so as to admit of sliding the label in and out. The wood is painted white, the glass protecting it from the weather. The chief disadvantage would seem to be the inevitable swelling of the wood (which is not sufficiently covered to prevent the damp from penetrating) and the consequent difficulty of sliding the label in an out of the frame. Possibly two coats of paint would prevent such swelling. (The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents.) "Garden by the Sea," and "Poppies on THE Rockies." — The Sketch Society at the Koyal Institute Galleries, in Piccadilly, is holding its third exhibition. The hanging is admirable, for each member's works are grouped together, thus conveying a distinct impression of the artist's different styles and techniques. As a congenial subject should be noted the " Garden by the Sea," by Fred. Whitehead, a pleasing colour combination of Sea Pinks and pale-yellow flowers harmonising with the sandy foreground, and set off by the dull-grey sky and dunes of the dis- tance. Geoffray Strahan, in his several ex- hibits painted at Rye, Dorset, and elsewhere, shows a feeling for the underlying and varying t spirit of nature in movement which is quite apart from the dull level of surface tone and harmony which of late have contented so many un- aspiring painters. His distinctive gifts and genius are manifested especially in a breezy sketch. " The Storm," in which a shepherd boy fights his way through tall Reeds against the wind — Reeds which catch on the under leaves the reflected light of the clouds overhead and flash like silver across the gloom of the landscape. Cyrus Cuneo, as one of the most successful ex- hibitors, carries off a palm in his brilliant sketch of " Sunset," and again in an uimsual scene en- titled " Poppies in the Rockies." These arc the Yellow and Orange Poppies of the variety we at- tribute to Iceland. Here they flourish wild on the steep, grey cliffs of the new world. Miss A. M. Youngman shows a capital study of a remarkably fine specimen of the "Dande- lion," and another of " Pyrus japonica." " An Old-world Cottage and its Garden," by Mr. Bernard Evans, exemplifies the value of clipped Box trees in giving an appearance of support and substantial background to the airy and lighter effects of our gaily-colonred old English flowers. Again, the sloping, grey-thatched roof of tho cottage enhances the cheerful reds .ind yellows of the parterres below. J. Shaw Crompton is responsible for an admirable study of what all good gardeners abhor, "Weeds." Mary L. Hreakell. Treatment of Asparagus. — The treat- ment of Asparagus beds described by Mr. D. Calthorpe (see p. 469, vol. 1.) doubtless re- sults in the plants making strong gi'owth. The winter dressing which many give the beds is both a waste of time and material, for the roots do not need protecting, and the loss of the soluble parts of the manure which form the drej^sing — through being washed by rain and the drainage of the moisture from the beds — is deplorable. Where there is no forcing depart- ment the earlier Asparagus can be produced out- doors the more valuable it becomes, and on this account the dressing of the beds in spring is open to objection, for it excludes the sun-heat from the crowns and consequently growth is retarded. Where the old practice of dressing the beds in winter is still carried out the object of raking it off in spring is to allow the sun-heat to pene- trate more readily to the crowns, but why such dressings are put on is beyond my conception. The best time to dress the beds is after the crop has been taken ; they should then be given a heavy dressing of rotted manure, which stimu- lates the growths that have been retained and causes strong buds to form which will give a good crop the following season ; the dressing also forms a mulch which obviates the necessity of giving the beds such frequent waterings, as would other- wise be required, and by the following spring there is no occasion to rake the beds, for the sum- mer dressing of manure has been reduced to a thin layer of black humus that absorbs the sun- heat readily. All that is needed is a light forking of the surface of the beds to render them more porous, strong growths are then freely produced, and, if weak sprinklings of nitrate of soda — in solution — are given, growth is hastened. F. V.' Sweet Pea Sport. — If I used the word " Mrs. Routzahn is a dark-coloured flower,'' 1 used an expifs'^ion which conveys a wrong im- pression. T term "dark-coloured" in Sweet. Peas is gc: lly understood to refer to maroons and possi' deep crimsons. Mrs. Routzahn is a deep p' on cream ground. W. Cuthbertson. 28 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 13, 1912. Training Young Standard Fruit Trees. — The remarks on this subject by Mr. A. Petts (see p. 475, vol 1.) axe opportune, but if he had tackled the old, well-worn subject of prun- ing versus non-pruning the same season as plant- ing he would have gone at once to the crux of the question. Few advocate the non-pruning method outside of a nursery ; there, of course, they have ample opportunity of testing the sub- ject more fully than anyone else, because they plant later than others, as they have to make up their quarters of fruit trees of all sorts after others have had their pick of the trees. When such late planting, as is frequently the case, has to be done, I would not say but that the non- pruning method is best for that season, but where trees are planted, of any form of training, before the end of March they should be pruned at once. How to obtain a maximum of growth the first season is the main point to study, as the sooner a large area is properly covered with the tree the earlier is a full crop of fruit obtained. I am a strong advocate of close pruning to induce extra vigour and quick progress of the tree, having seen so many practical illustrations in coppice work and the remaking of hedges, apart from experience in fruit-tree growth. Trees that are not pruned when planted make so little progress for two or three years that I regard this treat- ment as causing a gross waste of time. Those who plant two fruit trees can test the matter for themselves if so inclined ; they will find the ex- perience thus gained of distinct value. M. The Potato and Floral Sterility. — Tlio letter on this subject from Mr. A. Dean (p. 13) notes a circumstance of considerable importance to those interested in the breeding of Potatos. The absence of pollen in many modern Potatos seems to me to be a sure sign of degeneracy, and is not, as Mr. Dean suggests, the result of ex- haustion caused by excessive tuberation. I ques- tion very much if we are getting such heavy crops at the present time as were secured by our forefathers, and there is room for considerable improvement among Potatos by means of scien- tific hybridisation. I have spent considerable time among Potatos when the plants were in flower, and the paucity of pollen in many varie- ties and its sterility in others were features which I could not fail to observe. One of the heaviest-cropping and best-known main-crop varieties in commerce will not, I find, yield a grain of pollen out of thousands of flowers, while another similar sort, but of a much later intro- duction, will yield it in plenty. Excessive pro- pagation by asexual methods has much to do with floral sterility. George M. Taylor, Mid- lothian. A Theory of Rat-catching. — It is an un- fortunate circumstance that the most destructive of rodents should be the most difficult to trap. The caution and the cunning of the common rat render all forms of wire trap practically useless, even in the hands of those well acquainted with the habits and peculiarities of the animal. It is confidently asserted — in the writer's opinion with but small justification — that the use of certain essential oils, such as oil of aniseed, increases to a great degree the catching power of a wire trap ; yet it will be found that rats so caught belong almost exclusively to a young and inexperienced generation. The " clam " or steel trap is effec- tive but brutal. The " break-neck " is an im- proved form, but rats appear to avoid this style of trap like the plague once they have seen or heard it catch a comrade, or, worse still, if it is " sprung " prematurely, as often happens. Per- haps the most effective form of spring trap is a modification of the " clam " or gin, made entirely of copper wire ; but even this is open to the vital objection that it cannot be relied upon. The only method of overcoming the difficulty — always supposing that expert rat-catchers cannot be em- ployed— is to meet the rat on his own ground, and match human against murine cunning. The reason that so many traps and other devices fail ia that the subject is approached in an unimagi- native way. We expect to catch rats year after year with the same old traps, by the same old tricks. Variety and a bewildering combination of devices, new and old, are essentials. This principle was tacitly adopted by the inventor of the following scheme. For it ilie writer is in- debted to a German, whose woH- appeared in 1741. He says (in fairly close -nslation): — " Take a cask and beat the top out In the bot- tom place a brick on end, and pour water to the level of the top of the brick. Cover the cask with a skin, fastened at the edges. On this place corn, tallow, or other things beloved of rats. Make access to the top of the cask easy by means of boards. The cask must remain in this condi- tion for several nights and the bait must be con- stantly renewed. After this period has elapsed, cut the skin in the form of a cross and put bait on as before. The rats, accustomed to feast in security, approach confidently to the bait, and several at least must fall through into the water. These swim about seeking an exit, and find the brick, whereon one probably takes his stand. The others, finding no other means of salvation, fight desperately for a place on the brick. The noise and commotion below give the rats above on the boards and the top of the cask the idea that their struggling comrades are fighting for some rare delicacy, and in they rush pell-mell to the fray. The result is that a large number of rats either kill each other or are drowned, since the skin above them prevents their jumping out, even if they are fortunate enough to get the brick or the bodies of other rats to spring from." The above method has one drawback — it is in- human; that struggling, biting, shrieking maaa tice was to roast live rats in an iron pot in front of a roaring fire, when their squealing was said to attract all the other rats in the house. Tarring a live rat and letting it escape is a practice un- happily not dead yet. If ordinary traps be used at all, they should be in as great a variety as the market will allow. They should be baited and not set for several nights to inspire confidence. Oil of aniseed fairly well masks the human smell which makes rats so cautious. In a wire trap the bait should be poisoned to prevent the night- long agony of captivity. Even rat-catching has, or should have, its ethics in a civilized age. Sydney U. Kenwood, B.A. The Colouring of Apples. — Colour is influenced to some extent by the root conditions of the trees ; if the soil does not contain a suffi- ciency of moisture at a time when the colour is developing, naturally the tree cannot perform its function. Apples, as a rule, colour remarkably well here where the soil is of a heavy, moisture- retaining character ; but last season was an ex- ception in the lack of colour in many varieties, particularly in Bramley's Seedling. When we get a normal season for moisture regularly through the various months this Apple colours [Photograph by G, E. Low, Fig. iS. — BEGONIA luxurians; flowers cream coloured. (See p. 39). of rats is not pleasant to contemplate. The pre- sent writer would suggest corrosive sublimate or other non-odorous poison in the water. The plan has great advantages over poisons, since the bodies remain in i^itu and can be disposed of. The same old German has other quaint schemes. One is to cut a sponge into small cubes and to throw these for a few seconds into melted fat. When removed from the fat the cubes are put in places frequented by rats, and water is supplied near at hand. The idea is that the rats, having eaten the pieces of sponge, will be overcome by sudden and great thirst ; they will rush to the water, drink deeply, and die as the result of the swell- ing of the bits of sponge. The present writer offers this scheme with all due reserve ; he has never tried it, and includes it here chiefly as a contribution to that variety of methods which he recommends. The depredations of rats are apt to induce a complete inhumanity in dealing with them. Thus an old writer has the following simple recipe for blinding rats, and remarks quite coolly: — "Its results are extraordinary." Dry common spurge, rub it through a clean sieve, and nix with an equal part of flour. Rats are said to eat it greedily. Another barbarous prac- richly ; but last year was an exception, mainly because there was drought in August and September. The average rainfall here for the year is 30 inches ; in September we were 12 inches behind the proper quantity up to that period, and although that deficiency has now been more than made up, the experience is sufficient to convince me that if trees do not ob- tain sufficient moisture at the root the fruit will be deficient in colour. An absence of sun, too, has an effect upon colour. It is useless to say that sun has no effect upon the colour of Apples. How many times have we found a green or a yellow blotch, as the case may be, on a single Apple, while the remainder of the fruit has been a brilliant red, this blotch of green caused by a single leaf covering that portion of the fruit. Again, where trees are covered with nets to protect the fruit from birds, how often the fruit bears the impress of the nets, denoting clearly whether tlie nets are square meshed or otherwise. Wliy are these significant signs so prevalent if the sun has but little to do with the colouring process, and the latter is developed from within? Take another example of the effect which the sun has upon the colour January 13, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 29 or otherwi^K'. How seldom do we see highly- coloured fruit from trees grown near to towns such as Birmingham, Shefheld, Leeds, or Hull? Generally the fruit from those localities is green ; the only tint of colour of many sorts is the yellow the fruit assumes with age. No varieties will display this lack of colour, more decisively from trees near towns, where they obtain less sun than in the open country, than Cox"s Orange Pippin, Worcester Pearmain, Lane's Prince Albert, and Bramley's .Seedling. Again, if the colour comes from within, and the sun and root moisture have little to do with colour, how is it that abroad, where the sun is brilliant and irrigation is largely practised, we get the most intensely -coloured fruit ? I do not think anyone will say that pale-coloured fruit is equal in point of flavour to that which is brilliantly coloured. No Apples will prove this more conclusively than Cox's Orange Pippin or Blenheim Pippin. E. Molyniiux. The Mild Winter. — I am enclosing examples of shrubs and other plants in flower on New Year's Day in a garden two miles from the city of Birmingham. .Some, such iis the Veronicas and Arbutus, have been flowering for some time past ; Primroses and Hepaticas are just throwing up their blooms. All varieties of Berberis, be- sides the two enclosed, are forward in showing their blo&.som, and I fear there will be a pcKir dis- play at the proper sea.son. Jasmiuum nudiflorum is flowering profusely in this district. C. ]). A., Birtiiimjhani. [The specimens sent were Ber- beris Darwinii, B. japonica Bealii, Escallcmia langleyensis, Menzie.sia purpurea, Helleborus niger, H. atrorubens, Vcrunica .speciosa. V. sali- cifolia, J.asminum nudiflurum. Cassinia lepto- phylla. Arbutus Unedo. Viburnum Tinus (Laurestinus), Arabis albida (1. pi., and Hepatica triloba ccerulea. — Eds.] BEGONIA LUXURIANS. Begonia luxurians is a native of Chili. It is not a showy species, but is worth cultivating on account of its distinct foliage. At th-e Edinburgli Botanic Gardens this Begonia is used for cover- ing a back wall, and on account of its strong growth is well suited for this purpose. When grown as a pot plant it requires to be stopped fre- quently, otherwise the plant soon becomes bare at the base. An intermediate temperature is suited to its requirements. The deep green leaves are serrated, about 3 inches to 6 inches long by nearly an inch broad ; the under surface is quite glabrous, but stiff, short hairs are scattered over the upper surface, and both stem and leaf stalk are freely covered with hairs. The leaf stalks have a reddish tint and pointed membraneous stipules are found at the younger nodes. The flowers are small, of a creamy colour, freely produced on a branched in- florescence. C. F. Ball. socie:ti£:s. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL. January 9. — The first meeting of 1912 was held on Tuesday last in the Society's Hall at Westminster. The exhibition was a small one, but two Gold Medals were awarded, these being given to exhibits of fruit. The Fruit and Vege- table Committee also granted an Award of Merit to a new Pear raised by Jlessrs. Jas. Veitch & Sons. The exhibits of Orchids were again excellent, and the Orchid Committee recommended one First-class Certificate and eight Awards of Merit to novelties. The principal exhibits before the Floral Com- mittee were Carnations, Camellias, and other greenhouse plants, including Ferns and Pelar- goniums. The Floral Committee granted an Award of Merit to a variety of Carnation. There was no lecture on this occasion. Floral Committee. Presc7it : Messrs. W. Marshall and Henry B. May (Chairmen) ; and Messrs. Jno. Green, H. ,1. Jones, Chas. Dixon, W. Bain. .J. F. McLeod, J. Dickson, A. Turner, Herbert ,1. Cutbush, Charles E. Shea, Chas. E. Pearson, W. P. Thomson, E. H. Jenkins, W. J. James, G. Reuthe, C. Blick, .T. Jennings, W. J. Bean, J. T. BennettPoe, Chas. T. Druery, E. A. Bowles, W. B. Craw- field, Walter T. Ware, Rev. F. Page-Roberts, W. G. Baker, James Hudson, and R. Hooper Pearson. .Messrs. Wm. Paul & Son. Waltham Cro.ss, Hertfordshire, filled a corner of the hall with a group of Camellias in pots. The plants made a fine show and attracted much attention. In addi- tion to such well-known sorts as alba plena, Donckelaari elegans, Eugene Massina, Lady Hume's Blush, fimbriata. and Apollo, there were several seedlings, principally with semi-double flowers. One of the finest of these was named Snowfiake, but the neatest white single was Kotope. (.Silver-gilt Banksian Medal.) Messrs. Wm. Cutbush & Son. Highgate, Lon- don, filled a table with greenhouse flowering plants and Carnations. There were bright batches of Liliums, Ericas, JIanettia bicolor. Be- gonias and Rhododendron prsecox in a setting of Palms and Ferns, and a background of Orange trees in fruit. Next to these was a small rockery, on which we noticed the striking yellow Iris Dan- fordia> shown splendidly. The Carnations were exhibited in large sheaves ai ranged in tall vases, the more noticeable varieties being Lord Roth- schild (vinous-red), Mrs. Drummond Astor (a yel- low-ground fancy flaked with deep rose) and Mrs. Lucy MacKinnon (a sweetly-scented flower of very large size). (.Silver-gilt Banksian Medal.) .Messrs. .James Veitch & Sons. Ltd.. King's Rcjad. CheLsea, showed a splendid assortment of greenhouse flowering plants, the various subjects being mingled to produce the best colour effects. For instance, a charming combination was seen in a batch of the white Mo.schosma ripariuni set off with the rich blue-flowered Cnleus thyrsoidens. Freesias in |)a|p shades of yellow and cream blended well with the rich-red Begonia Winter Cheer, whilst Exacnm macranthum (dark blue) associated well with Camplli.is. Besides those named, there were Azaleas, Daphne odora (indica) rubra. .Manettia bicolor. Primula inahcoides, and Rhododendrons of the javanico-jasminiflorum type. (Silver Flora Medal.) iMcssrs. Stuart Low & Co., Bush Hill Park, Enfield, showed large pans of Cyclamen in dis- tinct sorts, including Rose Queen. Salmon King, Giant White and Eileen Low (purplish-rose with white tipped cresting). Intermingled .amongst the Cyclamen were similar nans filled with Daphne odora (indica) rubra. Next to these were v.i^ses of Carnations, a prominent place being afforded the beautiful pink variety named Baro- nesse de Brienen. Other clioice sorts were Scar- let Glow, Beacon. White ^Vonder, R. F. Felton, Mav Diiy, and Ladv Alington. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent, showed Zonal-leaved Pelargoniums better than ever. The exhibit was a very extensive one, and embraced all the finer varieties in cultivation. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. H. B. May & Sons, The Nurseries, Upper Edmonton, showed exotic Fenis and a comprehensive collection of crested and plumose forms of hardy Polypodiums. Amongst these latter we noticed such choice varieties as P. vul- gai'e cambricum, P. v. Prest& R k: s X s. Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices. MANCHESTER AND NORTH OF ENGLAND ORCHID. December 28. — Cumm'Me.t jjrcscnt : Rev. J. Crombleiiolme (in the Chair) ; and Messrs. R. Ashworth, C. Parker, Z. A. Ward, J. C. Cowan, J. Cypher, J. Evans, W. Holmes, A. J. Keeling, D. McLeod, and H. Arthur (secretary). The following Medals were awarded for collec- tions of Orchids : — Silver Medals to W. R. Lee, Esq., Heywood (gr. Mr. Branch), for a group composed princi pally of Cypripediums ; Z. A, Ward, Esq., Northenden (gr. i\Ir. Weatherby), for Odonto- glossums and Cypripediums; R. Le Doux, Esq,, West Derby (gr. Mr. Fletcher) ; Col. J. Ruther- ford, M.P., Blackburn (gr. Mr. Lupton), for a miscellaneous group; R, ASHWOUTIl, Esq., New- church (gr. Mr. Gilden), for a mi.\ed group; J. McCartney, Esq., Bolton (gr. Mr. Hotmes), for a general collection ; Messrs. J. CvrnER & Sons, Cheltenham, for an excellent exhibit of Cypripe- dimns ; and Mr. J. Ev.\ns, Congleton, for a small but choice group, lironze Midtils to Rev. J. Crombleholme, Clayton-le-Moors (gr. Mr. .Marshall), for Cypripediums; the Liverpool Orchid Co., Gateacre, Liverpool, for Cypripe- diums; and 0. 0. Wrigley, Esq., Bury (gr. Mr. Rogers). A Cultural Commendation was granted to Mr. Wriuley. Other exhibitors were : S. Gratrix, Esq., Whalley Range (gr. Mr. Brown); J. J. HoLDEN, Esq., Southport (gr. Mr. .Johnson); H. J. Bromielow, Esq., Raun Lea (gr. .Mr. Morgan) ; Messrs. A. J. Keeling & Sons, Bradford; Messrs. Hassall & Co., South- gate; and W. Shackleton, Esq., Great Horton. AWARDS. Fikst-class Certificates. OdontOf/los^um crixpum " Anami," 0. c. Xan- thntes variety "Golden Gem," and Cypripedium Helen II. " Westonhirt " variety, all shown by W. R. Lee, Esq. Cypripedium Ifoyal Sovereign (Hera robustum x Urania, variety "Martin Cahuzac"), and C. Helen II. " Westonbirt" variety, both from S. Gratrix, Esq. Awards of Merit. Cypripedium M agog ("Adiastus" x " Eury- ades splendens"), from S. Gratrix, Esq.; O. .liirora Borealia, from J. J. Holden, Esq.; C. Ilrrmd Bagshaw (Alcibiades X Standard), C. Hazel Viears (Lord Ossulston x Actajus Lang- leyense), and C. Dora Jameson, all from R. Le Doux, Esq. ; C. Actenus AMandense Nos. 1 and 2 and Odontoglossum ^sopus, from Richard Ashworth, Esq. GARDENING APPOINTMENTS. Mr. H. FiNCHER, for the past 4 years Foreman at Bettes- hanger Hark Gardens, Easlry, Kent, and previously at Somerleyton, as Gardener to Captain Townshead, Caldecote Hall, Nuneaton. Mr. J. G. P. Cocks, as Gardener to L. Schlentheim, Esq., Cheam House, Cheam, Surrey. COVENT GARDEN, January 10. [We cannot accept any responsibility for the subjoined reports. Ttiey are furnistied to us regularly every Wednesday, by the kindness of several of tbe principal salesmen, who are responsible for the quotations. It must be remembered that these quotations do not repre- sent the prices on any particular day, but only the general averages for the week preceding the date of our report. The prices depend upon the quality of the samples, the way in which they are packed, the supply in the market, and the demand, and they may rtiictuate, not only from day to day, but occasionally several times in one day. — Eds.1 Cut Flowers, Ac: Average Wholesale Prices. ?.d. s,d. s.d. s.d. Arums (Ricbardias) 2 6-30 Lily of the Valley, Azalea, per dozen p. dz. bunches: bunches 4 0-50 — extra special ... 15 0-18 0 Camellias, per box — special 10 0-12 0 of 18'sand 24's... 16-20 — ordinary 8 0 — Carnations, p. doz. blooms, best Marguerite, per doz. bunches : American var. 2 0-30 — Yellow 16-2 0 — smaller, per doz. bunches 18 0-iii 0 N'arcis=us, per doz. bunches : — Golden Spur... — Carola, crim- son, extra large C h ry siinihemum sprays, all colours, perd/. 5 0 — 8 0-90 — Henry living 4 0-50 — Paper while — — Soleil d'Or ... 16-20 2 0-30 bunches 6 0-10 0 Orchids, Cattleya, — blooms p. doz : per doz. 12 0 - White 2 0-30 — Odontoglossun Yellow 2 0-30 crispum 3 0-40 Bronze 2 0-30 Pe 1 argoni ii ni s. Fink 2 0-80 p.dz. bunches Eucharis, per doz, 26 — — Double Scarlet 8 0-12 0 Euphorbia pul- Roses, 12 blooms, cherrima{Poin- — Brides maid. 3 6-40 settia),perdoz. — C. Merniet 3 6-40 blooms Free s ia refracia 10 0-12 0 — Liberty — M me. Abel 5 0-60 alba, p.dz. bun. 2 0 — Chatenay — Niphetos 5 0-80 Gardenia, per doz. 6 0-90 2 6-36 Iielleborus{Christ- — Riclunond 5 0-60 nias Roses), p. dozen 16-20 Tuberose, gross . . 60 - Hyacinth (Roman), — long, p. bunch 16 — pr. doz. bnch^. 60-8 0 Tulips, per dozen Mlium auratiini bunches : per bunch — long iflorum, 4 0-50 — while 6 0-80 — yellow 7 0-90 long, per doz. 3 0-36 — scarlet 8 0-10 0 — slioit, per doz. 2 6-30 — bronze .. 9 0-10 0 — 1 a ncifoliuni — pink 10 0-15 0 alba, long 20-2 6 Violets, per dozen — — short 16-20 bunches 13-20 — speciosum rub- — Princess of rum, dz. bloom Wales, perdoz. — long 2 0 — bunches 30-40 — short „. 0 9-10 — Parma 3 0-36 Cut Foliage, Ac: Ave rage Wholesale Prices. s.d. s,d. s.d. s.d A d ian t imi i*ern Croton foliage, var- (Maidenhair), ious, per dozen best, per doz. bunches 12 0 15 0 bunches 60-8 0 Cycas leaves, arti- Agrostis (Fairy Grass), per dz ficial, per doz. Eulalia japonica, 3 0-ia 0 bunches 2 0-40 per bunch 10-16 A spara^ us plu- Moss, per gross ... mosus, long 6 0 — trails, pr.^doz. 16-20 Myrtle, dz. bclis. — medium, doz. (Engl ish), bunches 12 0-18 0 small-leaved... 6 0 — — Sprengeri 10 0 12 0 — French 1 0 - Carnation foliage. Smilax, per bunch doz. bunches... 4 0- of 6 trails 10-13 Plants In Pots &0. : Ave rage Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. s.d. s,d. Aralia Sieboldil, p. Ferns, in thumbs, dozen 6 0-7 0 per 100 8 0-12 0 Aiaucaria excelsa, — in small and per dozen 18 0-21 0 large 60's 12 0-20 0 Asparagus plumo- — in 48'=, per dz. 60 — sus nanus, per — choicer sorts, dozen 10 0-12 0 per dozen 8 0-12 0 — Sprengeri 3 0-90 — in 32's, per Aspidistra, p. dz., dozen 10 0-18 0 green 21 0-30 0 Ficiis elastica, per — variegated ... 30 0-60 0 dozen 9 0-12 0 Azaleas, per dozen 36 0-43 0 Geonoma gracilis, Chrysanthe mum, 60's, per dozen 6 0-80 in pots, white. — larger, each ... 2 6-76 per dozen Kentia Behnore- — Yellow, p. doz. 8 0-12 0 ana, per dozen 5 0-42 0 — Pink, per doz. — Fosteriana, — Bronze, p. dz. 60's, per dozen 4 0-60 Cocos Weddeli- — larger, p. dozen 18 0-60 0 ana, per dozen: Latania borhouica, — GO'S ... 6 0-12 0 per dozen 2 0-30 0 — larger, each ... 2 6-10 6 L i 1 i u m 1 0 n g i - Croton, per dozen 18 0-30 0 floruni, per Cyclamen, in 4J dozen 20 0^21 0 inch pots (48's), — lancifolium ru- per dozen 10 0-12 0 brum in pots. Cyperus alterni- per dozen 15 0-18 0 fotins, per doz. 50-60 — Ia n c i f oi ium — laxns, per doz. 4 0-50 alba 15 0-18 0 Dracsena. green, Marguerites, white, per dozen 10 0-12 0 per dozen 8 0-10 0 Ericas, per dozen : Pandanus Veitchii, — hyemalis 10 0-12 0 per dozen 36 0-48 0 — alba 10 0-12 0 Phoenix rupicola, — melanthera ... 18 0-24 q - each 2 6-21 0 — white and Solanums 6 0-10 0 pink, small ... 3 6-60 — white 10 0-12 0 .Apples (English cookers, per bushel — Cox's, per doz. — Nova Scotian per barrel — Wenatchee.per case — Cal i f orn ian Newtowns, pr. case — Oregon {Hood River), p. case — Canadian, per barrel .. — American, per barrel .Apricots (Cape), p. case Bananas, bunch : — Doubles — No. 1 „ ... — Extra — Giant „ ... — Loose, per dz. — Red coloured... — Jamaica Giants, per ton — Jan)aica Ordi- nary, per box (9 doz.) Cranberries, per case (30 qts.)... — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) Dates (Tunis) do/. boxes Grape Fruii, case : — 96-s \ — ^0•s I — 64's r — 54's j Grapes (English), per lb. : — Muscat of Alex- andria — Cannon Hall Muscat — Black Alicante — GrosColman... — (Guernsey), Gros Colman — (Belgian), Gros Colman, p. lb. — Almeria, p. bri. s.d. s.d. 4 0-50 3 0-40 14 0-24 0 10 0-16 0 9 0-13 0 16 0-18 0 20 0 — 19 0-13 6 4 0-60 10 0 12 0 « 0-10 0 10 0-12 (1 14 018 0 0 6-10 5 6-66 £10-£12 4 0-50 10 Oil 0 9 6- 4 6-5 6 22 0-24 0 3 0-80 3 0-80 10-20 10-26 0 8-10 0 8-10 11 6-15 6 06 54 0 I s.d. s.d. Lemons — (Naples), case 26 0-30 0 — Messma, per case 4 0-15 0 Limes, per case ... 4 0 — Mangoes, per doz. 4 0-60 Nuts, Almonds.per bag 52 6 — — Brazils, new, percwt. ...85 0-100 0 — bpaiiish, per sack 40 0 42 0 — Barcelona, per bag 35 6-36 6 — Chestnuts, per bag 3 6-10 0 — Cocoanuts (100) 19 0-23 0 — English Cobs per lb — Walnut (Naples) kiln dried, c w t. cases ... — French Gren- obles, per bag — Boeris, per bag Oranges, Jamaica per case — Californian ... — Denia, case ... — Valencia — Jaffa, p. case... — Mandarins, per box — Biiter, per J chest, 400 to 50U 14 0-16 0 Peaches (Cape), pr. case 12 0-20 0 Pears (Californian), per case ... 10 6 16 6 — Clou Morceau 10 0-12 6 — Easter Beurre 8 0 — — Winter Nelis 10 6-10 6 — Doyenne d u Cornice, per case 18 0--20 0 — White Cornice 11 0 — — (French), per crate 7 6-86 — (American) per barrel, 180 lbs. 25 0-26 0 — cases 7 0 ~ Pineapples, St. Miohael ... 2 9-60 6 6-70 6 0-70 9 0-11 0 14 0-16 0 12 o-ai 6 12 0 — 9 0 - 0 6-36 Vegetables : Average Wholesale Prices. Artichokes(GIobe), per dozen — Ground, per J bushel Asparagus, Sprue.. — Cavaillon — Paris Green ... Aubergines, p. dz. Beans, Madeira, per basket — Guernsey, Dwarf, per lb. Beetroot, per bushel : — Long Brussel Sprouts, per J bushel ... — half bags Celeriac, per doz. Cabbages (English), per tally Cauliflowers, p. dz. — (Italian), p. pad — (Cornish), per crate Celery, per. dozen bundles — (washed), per dozen bundles Carrots (English), pr. doz. bun... — per cvvt. — (washed) p. bag Chicory, per lb. .. Cucumbers, p. doz. Endive, per dozen Greens, per bag ... Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross s d. s.d. 3 0-40 10-13 09 — 8 0- 4 0-46 16-20 5 0 — 2 0-26 2 6-30 10-16 2 0-26 2 6-30 5 0-60 16-20 16-20 3 6-40 8 0-12 0 12 0-18 0 2 0-30 3 0-40 4 0-50 0 4 — 12 0-18 0 2 0 — 10-16 7 0 — Horseradish, 12 bimdles Leeks, per doz. ..'. Lettuce (French), per doz. Mint, per dozen bunches Mushrooms, culti- vated, p. lb. ... Muslardand Cress, per dozen puji- nets Onions (Dutch) per bag — English — (Spanish), per case Parsley, A sieve ... — per doz. bun. Parsnips, per bag Radishes (English), per dozen Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles Savoys, per tally... Spinach, per bushel Seakale, p. punnet Tomatos (Canary Islands), per bundle Turnips (English), Eerdz. bunches ags (washed) — (unwashed) ... Turnip Tops, per bag Watercress, p. dz. bunches s.d. =.d. 11 0-12 0 2 0-26 10-13 2 6-50 0 6-08 1 0 — 8 0-86 9 0-96 8 0-86 10-16 2 0 — 5 0-56 0 9-10 10-12 5 0- H 0 4 0-70 0 10- 1 3 12 0-14 0 16-20 4 0-46 3 0-36 16-20 0 6-0 fii Remarks. — Grapes are a limited supply, and are meeting with a moderate demand. Consignments of seedless Oranges received from California this week amounted to about 1,200 cases. The last shiptnents of Apples from Washington State are to hand. The total shipments of -Apples from the Colonies this week amounted to 28,164 packages, including barrels, boxes and cases. Apricots and Peaches from the Cape arrived in an unsatisfactory con- dition. It is anticipated that next week about 8,000 boxes will arrive, including the first consignments of Plums and Pears. It is expected that the output of fruit from the " Rhodes" fruit farms will show a very considerable increase on past sea.ions' shipments. English Asparagus is now available. Tomatos from Teneriffe are a full supply and are meeting with a slow demand. Cauli- flowers and Broccoli are a record supply, and in finer con- dition than they have been for many seasons past. Other vegetables are much in excess of the demand. A few days frost would no doubt cause an improvement in the vege- table trade. E. H. R.,Cuvent Garden, January 10, 1912. 32 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 13, 1912. Potatos. percwt. per cwt. E.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. Rents— Lincolns— Queen's 4 0-46 Mamcrops .. 4 0-43 Up-to-Date 4 0-46 Blacklands . 2 9-83 Lincolns— L'p-to-Date British Queen ... 4 0-46 3 9-46 Bedfords — Up-to-Date .. 3 9 4 0 4 0-43 King Edward ... 3 9-43 Epicure 30-36 Dunbars- Northern Star ... 3 0-3 9 Up-lo-Date .. 4 9-50 Evergoods 3 0-39 Maincrop .. 5 3-56 Remarks. — Trade shows nc improvement and consign- ments are still very large. Stocks in London are increas- ing. Prices promi se to dec line still lower. Eilward /. Newborn^ Coveitt Gu rjen ami S *. t'ancras, Januar_ 10, I9IZ. (Dbituavjj. M. Rowan. — We regret to announce the death of ^Ir. Rowan, who was for many years an auditor for the Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund. William Baillie. — Mr. William Baillie, of the Millfield Kurseries, Haddington, died on the 4th inst. at Haddington, aged 72 years. Mr. Baillie was a prominent public man, being a member of the Haddington Town Council ; a bailie of the burgh; and dean of guild, also a member of the parish councd and school board. J. DoiG.— We regret to record the death of Mr. J. Doig, late of Warren House Gardens, Stanmore, and for several years gardener to E. J. Johnstone, Esq., Rougham Hall, Bury St. Edmunds, which occurred on January 5, at the Royal Tunbridge Wells Hospital, after a few days illness. The cause of death was blood poison- ing, attributed to a scratch on the arm by a thorn. Archibald Grahame. — The death of Mr. Archibald Grahame, formerly Superintendent of Hampton Court Gardens, occurred on the 6th inst., at his home at Hampton-on-Thames. Jlr. Grahame had charge of the famous Hampton Court Gardens for a period of some 20 years, and on his retirement in 1897 was succeeded by ilr. J. A. Gardiner, now Superintendent of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. A. R. Brown. — The death of Mr. A. R. Brown, Superintendent and Garden Instructor of the Chertsey School of Handicrafts, occurred a few days ago. Deceased took great interest in the instruction of youths in the principles of horticulture, and during his long period of office, many hundreds of lads came under his tuition. Not only had each lad a plot to cultivate, but all had to work in association on the large area of land attached to the school. Mr. Brown had good training as a gardener, and this helped him in the position he filled so well. He was a keen supporter of the Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund and the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Basic Slag and Club Root : Basic Slag. Basic slag is useful to prevent land from getting in- fected with " Club Root," but it does not con- tain sufficient lime to check that disease when the ground has become infested. In the latter case, quick-lime should be applied at the rate of about 2 lbs. per square yard when the green crop is removed, and a dressing of half that amount should be repeated immediately before sowing or planting again. The land should be rested for as long a time as possible between two crops of 'he Brassica tribe. Boiler : E. W. It will be advisable to lower the boiler as you suggest, or even to a greater depth if this is i^racticable. Cedrus atlantica glavca : Perplexed. It will be quite safe to transplant the specimen of Cedrus (14 feet high) if care be taken in carrying out the operation. Autumn and April are the best seasons to do the work. Lift the specimen with a good hall of earth attached to the roots, and be careful not to injure these latter. All bruised roots should be cut oS with a sharp knife, not chopped off with a spade, as is too oftt-n practised. Spread the fibious roots cut in all directions, and work the fine soil be- tween them. If the tree has to be conveyed any great distance the rootlets should be pro- tected from drying winds by means of mats or tiffany bound round the ball of soil. Select mild, moist weather for transplanting, and give a good watering immediately after the operation is completed. Chrysanthemums : E. T . Vi' . We assume that you require what are termed "decorative" varieties of Chrysanthemum. We enumerate 18 double-flowering varieties and 12 single varieties, which should provide blooms over a season of from three to four months. Doubles : La Pactole, Mme. JIarie Masse, Horace Martin, Soleil d'Octobre, Market Red, Caprice du Printemps, Kathleen Thompson, Soiu-ce d'Or, Mrs. Roots. Foshmiter, .Moneymaker, December Gold, Alice Byron, Princess Vic- toria, Yellow Victoria, White Cheer. Mdlle. Louise Charvet, and ilaud Jefferies. Sinyles: Ladysmith, jNIiss Mary Pope, Kitty Bounie, Hilda Lawrence, JIary Richardson, Al- trincham Yellow, Edith Pagrani, Bronze Pagiam, White Pagram, Jlr. H. WiUiams, Sylvia Slade, and Merstham Jewel. G-ardener's Notice: British Nurseryman. (IJ In our opinion an employer is not justified in putting an employee on " short time " and ac- cordingly deducting from the agreed weekly wages unless and until the old agreement for service is finished and a new one began on the fresh terms. For instance, if a servant is sub- ject to a week's notice and is informed by the employer that the new conditions will come into effect in a week's time, then the fact that the servant continued in the situation would imply that he had entered into a new contract of service oil the fresh terms, and the deduc- tions would therefore be quite legal and reason- able. (2) The week's notice to terminate the contract of service can be given at any time by either party, and there is no necessity to wait until the end of the week or other pay-day. (3'j The best book for your purpose is The Art and Craft of Garden Makimj, by Thomas H. Mawson, which can be obtained from our pub- lishing department, price, including postage, 35s. 8d. Heliotrope : H. S. Wilton. Stand the flowers in a cool, dark place, and cut off the ends of the stems each morning. Herrixg Bo.xes : E. F. C. The boxes used for plants are about 15 inches long, 12 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. They are made of boards ^ inch thick, and the boards forming the bottom are fixed sufficiently far apart to admit of surplus water passing through when applied at the roots of the plants. The boxes may be obtained from any fishmonger at from Is. 9d. to 2s. per dozen. We have seen early Tomatos cultivated successfully in herring boxes placed on shelves sus- pended from the rafters on either side in Cucumber houses 15 feet wide ; the shelves were supported by 2-inch square upright posts fixed at short intervals w'ith a narrow strip of 1 inch board, the same width of the shelves, nailed on the top of each so as to relieve the roof of the weight of the shelves and boxes. Potsherds to the depth of 1 inch should be placed in the bottom of each box, following this with a layer of half-rotten manure as much to keep the drainage clear as for provid- ing food for the plants. The boxes should be only half filled with the compost, and the plants should be planted at 3 inches from the ends of the individual boxes, two plants being set in each box. Afterwards top-dress with the same kind of compost as the plants extend in growth and roots are produced from the stems. Stop the plants when they have shown three or tour good clusters of flowers, and after the fruit has set give liberal supplies of weak liquid maiuu'e at the roots in addition to occasional surface-dressings of an approved fertili.ser. With regard to the other matter you refer to, we need only say that your seedsman would be able to procure for you the two new vegetables mentioned in our issue for Decem- ber 50, p. 470. Model Carrot is well known to most gardeners, and you appear to know where to obtain it. Iris susiana: W. R. An article on the culti- vation of this Iris is given on p. IP of this issue. Lapageria alua : J. C. Flowers of Lapageria alba often assume a blush tint, especially when the plants are afforded cool treatment. N-AMES OF Plants : /. M. The fruit is that of the Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), the leaf probably Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa). The specimens could not possibly be from the same tree. — II'. S. Cattleya Trian-ie. — Cnn.' Wellington 5treet, Covent Garden, London. Communtcatwtis should bs wRiTTtuN on on k side only of THK PAPERi s-ciU OS early in i)u nxtck as possibU and duly signed by the u'rit£>\ Ijkisired^ the signaiurt lOiU noi be printed, but keptas a guarantee of j;ocd faith, 5pecla] Notice to Correspondents. — Ths Editors do not undtttake td pay for any cantributwtisor iliustrattons^ or to rtlu} n unused comniuniL-atiov^ or iUustraUons^ unJsss by speciaJ arrangetneni^ The Editors do not hold thejfiselves responsible fo* any opinions expresse^i by their correspon- dents. Local News. — Cotrespotuients will greatlyoblige by sending to the Editcis early intei! i-gence of local events likely to be of interest to our readers^ or of atiy matters which it is desirabie to bring under the notice of horticulturists. l!ltt6trations. - The Editors u'%11 be glad to receive ami to select photographs or drawings, suitable for reproduction, of gardens, or of retnarkable pUtnts, flowers, trees, e-c, but they cannot be responsible for loss or injury. APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. TUESDAY, JANUARY 23— Roy. Hort. Soc. Corns, meet. (Lecture by Mr, H. Morgan Veitcb on " Horticulture and the Proposed Taxation of Land Values.") Horticultural Club. (Lec- ture by Mr. Cbas. E. Pearson on " Evolution of Colour in Birds' Eggs.") WED.VESDAY, JANUARY 24— Roy. Botanic Soc. meet. THURSDAY, JANUARY 25- Mancbester and North of England Orchid Soc. meet. Average Mean Temperature for the ensuing week deduced from observations during the last Fifty Years at Greenwich— ST'S". Actual Temperatures: — Loudon.— il'ediiisday^ January J7 (6 p.m.): Mux. 38°; Min. 33". Canleticis' Chronicle Office, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London —Thursday, January 18 (10 A.M.) : Bar. 29'6'' ; Temp. 37° : Weather— Rain, with fog. Provinces. — Wedneiday^ fanuary 17: Max 45° Sligo; Min. 28° Yorkshire. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY— Rose Trees, Fruit Trees, Perennials, &c., at 12.S0, at Stevens's Auction Rooms, 38, Kuig Street, Covent Garden. MONDAY AND FRIDAY— Liliums and Hardy Bulbs, Herbaceous Plants, at 12; Roses. Fruit Trees. &c., at 1.30; at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris. WEDNESDAY— Perennials and Herbaceous Plants, Hardy Bulbs and Roots, at 12; Roses and Fruit Trees, at 1.30; Palms and Plants, at 6; Trade Sale of Miscellaneous Bulbs and Roots, at 12; Consignment of Japanese Liliums, at 2.80, at Protheroe & Morris's rooms. FRIDAY — Orchids, at Protheroe & Morris's rooms, at 12.15. The censorious chide us for Roses.* our many faults, telling us — among the many other things —that the times are frivolous, and almost in the same breath deploring the multipli- cation of books. For our part, we dare scarcely hope that the former charge will be levelled against us, and with respect to the latter, we frankly confess that we re- joice in the fact that of the making of books on horticulture there is no end. No stu- dent of Nature believes that economy and parsimony are synonymous. Nature her- self is prolific, and sows not with the drill, but with the lavish hand ; yet her apparent extravagance but just suffices: so the mul- titude of books on gardening is none too large for the multitude of gardeners. The poor specimens soon succumb in the battle of books. The hann they do perishes with them, and is, in any case, small, in com- parison with the good which the good books do. The public is the best censor, and the test of fitness which it applies is •"Present-day Gardening Series": Roses, by H. R. Darlington; double volume, price 2s. 6d. and 3s. 6d. the only sound one. It asks that each new book on gardening shall have some plain, direct information to impart or that it shall bring into the Study something of the sweetness and light of the garden. Few experienced gardeners will, upon reflection, deplore the publication of large numbers of gardening books, for we all know that horticulture is not,, and never will be, an exact science. Every good gar- dener is a discoverer, has learned what he knows from the garden, and has only used books to prune his tree of knowledge. Hence every good gardener carries in his head at least one good book on gardening, and has garnered experience which the wise among his fellows would be glad to share. Gardening books, moreover, are not merely vehicles for the dissemination of knowledge. They have other and no less worthy roles to fulfill. It is their function not only to impart information, but also both to serve as mediums of exchange of enjoyment and to discharge a missionary service — to convert the " heathen " who do not garden to a fervent belief in gardening. A book, therefore, which succeeds in any one of these roles is a good book, and de- serves a welcome. Further, one which is successful in all three of the parts which garden books may play merits a three-fold welcome. Such a book is Mr. H. K. Dar- lington's volume on Roses. It is a model of lucid exposition and a mine of valuable information. It has, moreover, that subtle charm which the Rose knows how to bestow on those who devote themselves to its cult. With a royal arrogance, the flower refused to accept the limitations of space within which other flowers are confined in "Present-day Gardening." As the blossom- ing of the Rose has ceased to be restricted by time, the flower now repudiating Omar's plaint " Alas that spring should vanish with the Rose," so has the queen of flowers ex- tended an editor's conception of space and claimed a double volume of some 2U0 pages. That this extension of territory was essential for the proper treatment of the Rose is proved by the facts that there is not a superlluous word in Mr. Darling- ton's pages, and that, in spite of the space at his command, the author has been com- pelled to resort to hard pruning in his treatment of the Rose. As Mr. Darlington states in the preface, affairs of theoretical interest, such as the history of the Rose, have had, perforce, to be omitted, nor could space be found for such subjects as hybridisation and the raising of new varie- ties. Only a rosarian who believed in hard pruning could have had the courage — and discretion — to cut out such promis- ing branches of his subject ; but in coming to this decision Mr. Darlington was wise. For after all, the matters just referred to are subjects for special treatment, and require a separate treatise. They most certainly could not be dealt with ade- quately, even within the already liberal space at his command. Thanks to a refreshingly temperate use of adjectives, Mr. Darlington is able, in the first five chapters of his book, to deal with the essentials of situation, soils, beds, borders, planting, and transplanting of Roses, and to devote a considerable amount of space to the consideration of the art of pruning. To this subject we do not know a better guide than Mr. Darlington, who brings a severely judicial mind to bear on the diflicult I problem of how to treat members of " the different classes of Roses. Though, as we have indicated, the author has received his training in the school of hard pruning, he states with impartiality the case of the early school, which believes in beginning to prune Hybrid Perpetuals in February and finishing early in March. Then, hav- ing given the arguments of the late school, he sums up the case in the, at first sight, cryptic aphorism, " the longer the later," adding the explanation that the later in the year the pruning is carried out the less severe it should be. Mr. Darlington holds equally sound views on the subject of manures for Roses. Like Omar Khayyam, he might exclaim: " I sometimes think that never blows so red the Rose as where some buried Csesar bled " ; in other words, the ancient and the modern writer agree that natural manures are to be preferred, though Mr. Darlington is alive to the uses of artificials as acces- sories to natural manures. The most difficult of all subjects, and one full of pitfalls to the amateur — that of the selection of Roses — is dealt with in a series of chapters, which commence with the ., Sweet Briars, and deal consecutively with] China Roses, Polyantha Pompons, Ramblers, and Rugosas. The reader who has mastered the views of the author on the many and several parts which Roses should play in the garden, in J beds and borders, pillars and pergolas, in \ hedges and houses, will find his task of selection rendered surprisingly easy. A charming and all-too-brief chajitcr by Mr. Darlington on " Fragrance in Roses " reminds us that even though, as in the re- treat of the fair Lady Corisande, no flower without perfume was admitted to the gar- den, the latter might yet be a garden of Roses ; for a wealth of choice of sweet- smelling Roses is presented among the H.P.s, and fragrance may be had com- bined with beauty in such Hybrid Teas ■ as La France, its variety Augustine " Guinoisseau, and not a few others. In- deed, from any class fragrant Roses are not lacking, and though all may not be enumerated here, mention must be made of the Sweet Briar, with " leaves very greene and sweete in smell above the leaves of any other kind of Rose." Of these and of the scent from sheltering hedges of Lord Penzance's Sweet Briars, Mr. Darlington speaks with a judgment and enthusiasm which would appear to be family characteristics. Later chapters are devoted to Rose species and British Roses. The variation among some of the indigenous species will surprise many readers, and may be taken as a symbol of the vast potentialities of the genus which it has been left in large mea- sure to the present generations of rosarians to discover. Last chapter of all — except for that de- voted to the calendar — the common task, the daily round — is concerned with the fly January 20, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 41 in rosarian amber, the diseases of the Rose. Here, if anywhere, the measured word and judicial phrase might be ex- pected to give place to some expression of wrath ; but in dealing with his worst foes, " the worm i' the bud," Mr. Darlington's sweet reasonableness rarely deserts him. He has, however, an evident grudge — as who has not ? — against the Rose Shoot- boring Sawfly, that " most exasperating insect " which will not be caught till after it has done its worst : evidently it bores even Mr. Darlington. As the reader of this notice will have inferred, we have read Mr. Darlington's volume with no ordinary pleasure, and we regard it as a work of high merit. We commend it most heartily to all rosarians, and, in doing so, draw their attention not only to the excellence of the text, but to the beauty and fidelity of the coloured jilates of such Roses as Hugh Dickson, Hia- watha, Mrs. John Laing, Mme. Eavaiy, Dorothy Perkins, The Lyon Rose, Frau Karl Druschki, and Juliet. The publishers, Messrs. Jack, the editor, and the photographer, Mr. Waltham, have laid the horticultural world under a real debt of gratitude by applying, with such a large measure of success, colour photo- graphy to the illustration of the subjects treated of in this excellent series of " Pre- sent-day Gardening." F. K. Our Supplementary Illustration repre- sents species of Stiubilaiithes growing wild upon the Nilgiri Jlountains of South India. In Sx-p- toniber of last year, writes Mr. C. A. Barber, almost the whole of the range between 6,000 feet and 7,000 feet was clothed with a brilliant mantle of purplish-blue, and the pictures give some idea of the effect of this clothing, alternating with masses of rock, and bits of forest with enveloping mist. Several species of Strobilanthes were pre- sent in abundance, but the chief among them was S. Kunthianus, a tall, bushy shrub, some- times 8 feet to 10 feet in height, and covered with a profusion of bright-blue, bell-like flowers. It is the habit with these plants to cover great ttretches of country, and all of them to flower together at regular intervals, separated by a rumber of barren years. As in the case of the Bamboo, they grow for a number of years with only an occasional blossom, until, at the appointed time of maturity, they all burst into flower, mature their seed, die down and dis- appear. The ne.xt year the ground is covered by a vast number of tiny seedlings. The last year when this occurred was 1898, so the period would appear to be one of 12 years. So striking is the phenomenon, that the European visitors to the hills have suggested that it has given the name to the hills, "Nilgiri" or the "Blue Mountains." But the name is very old, at least 800 years, and the knowledge of the hills dates from the time when the first venturesome civil sei-vant climbed the mountain sides, camped near a lake and founded Ootacamuad. The dwellers of the plains never ventured to explore the great wall of mountains, whose prevailing colour was a dark or bright blue, according to the weather. Viewed from the plains, the range is a very striking object, and it is much more probable that the name was given because of tile prevailing colour. National Dahlia Society. — Tliis Society will hold a conference on Dahlias at Carr's Restaurant, Strand, on Friday, March 8, at 6.30 p.m. "Journal" of the R.H.S. Club. — This little publication records the doings of the mem- bers of the Royal Horticultural Society's Gar- dens Club, an association of past and present officers, students, and employes of the Royal Horticultural Society. The volume for 1911 is the fourth number, and the contents are no less interesting than in the earlier issues. Mr. .lonN Fraser is the new editor. The opening article is by the President, Mr. E. Augustus Bowles, who writes in a delightful strain on " Garden Messmates." giving his experience of plant associations, or shall we say, the inter- cropping of flowering plants. The association of Tulips with Carnations or of Daffodils with Michaelmas Daisies may seem unorthodox, but Mr. Bowr.Es makes a good case for such group- ings. He has also something to say about the mutual assistance of neighbouring plants, and suggests that " When you examine the crowd- ing of plants in Alpine pastures it is much pleasanler to try to believe that mutual assis- tance is a reason for cloi-e association, rather than that a fierce struggle for existence is con- stantly stimulating weaker members of the com- munity." Notes from various parts of the world by former students of the gardens pro- vide interesting reading, and there are descrip- tions of places nearer home, including a note on the Cambridge Botanic Garden, by Mr. W. G. Kent. Amongst other contributors Mr. Ernest M. Be.ir gives his experiences of commercial fruit-growing, Mr. Harry L. Foster enumerates a list of birds observed at Sutton Park, Surrey, whilst Mr. \V. J. Luc.is has an interesting article on Cockroaches. The doings of the Wisley men show that a keen interest is main- tained in the debating society, which secures an average attendence of 30 at the meetings. Kew Gardeners' Social Evening. — The fifteenth annual social gathering of the past and present employes of Kew Gardens, was held on the 12th insl. at the Boat House, Kew, the com- pany numbering 110. The musical programme included songs by Messrs. Briscoe, Gardner, and James. The Surveyors Institution. — The next ordinary general meeting of the members will be held at the Institution on Monday, the 22nd inst., when a paper will be read by Jlr. Julian C. Rogers, entitled "An Evening in The In- stitution Library." The Weather in 1911. — It behoves the gar- dener to become a close student of the weather, and it is not surprising that many gardeners are expert meteorologists, keeping daily records of the rainfall, sunshine, temperatures, and other meteorological conditions. In accordance with their practice several correspondents have for- warded their records for the past year. At Dyr- ham Park Gardens, Barnet, the maximum tem- perature was recorded by Mr. H. Juniper on August 9, when the thermometer registered 100°. The coldest d.ay was February 1, with 19° of fro.^t. The rainfall for the year amounted to 25.041 inches as compared with 30.081 inches in 1910. The wettest month was December, when 5.004 inches of rain were recorded. August being the driest month with only .063 inch. Mr. WiLMOT H. Yates, of Rotherfield Park Gar- dens, Hamp.'shire, states that the lainfall for De- cember registered 11.98 inches, and that the num- ber of da\s on which rain was recorded was 25. The heaviest rainfall in 24 hours was recorded on December 12, when 1.35 inch fell. Not- withstanding the prolonged drought the i-ainfall for 1911 amounted to 41.02 inches. At Norbury Park, Dorking, Surrey, according to statistics compiled by Mr. G. Kent, the rainfall for 1911 was 30.07 inches ; December was the wettest month with 7.95 inches, followed closely by November with 5.12 inches. The driest month was August, when .61 inch of rain fell. Mr. T. Edw.irds sends us the following records from The Royal Gardens, Windsor. The total amount registered for 1911 was 23.04. The wettest month was December, when 5.49 inches were registered. November was also a very wet month. The greatest rainfall in 24 hours occurred on October 24, when .85 inch fell. Rain fell in measurable quantity on 171 days, but there were only 23 wet days during the whole of July, August and September. A very wet year at Windsor was 1903, when 36.41 inches of rain fell, but in 1898 only 17.25 inches were registered. The average jearly rain- fall at Windsor is 24.96 inches. Rain fell in Davenham Gardens. Malvern, writes Mr. C. A. B.iTEORD, on 156 days. During Decem- ber there were 24 wet days, the total rainfall for the month measuring 5.42 inches. July was the driest month, with only .24 inch. The total rainfall for the year was 21.23 inches, compared with 32.89 inches for 1910. Mr. A. J. Morris, of Compton Bassett Gardens, Wiltshire, states that the total rainfall for the year just closed has amounted to 27.70 inches, compared with 37.40 inches in 1910. December [b.ll inches), November (3.73 inche.«), and October (2.50 inches) were the three wettest months. In July no rain was registered, August being the next driest month, with only 1.23 inch. On May 11 1.95 inch of rain fell in one hour. No rain fell from June 29 to August 20. In December Mr. Morris states that rain fell each day with the exception of the 5th, 29th, and 31st. Mr. P. Hills, of the Gardens, Kinloch Castle, Rhum, states that he suspects more rain fell at Rhum than in any other part of the United Kingdom. The total rainfall for the year was 114.28 inches. The amount registered in December was 17.82 inches, rain falling on every day of the month. In November 12.65 inches fell, and in February 12.27 inches, there being 19 wet days in that month. The driest month was March, with 11 days of rain, when 4.54 inches fell. Mr. W'. A. Cook, of Leonardslee Gardens, Sus- sex, gives 34.87 inches as the total amount of rain for the year at Leonardslee. December was the wettest month with 8.05 inches of rain. November was also a wet month with 6.36 inches ; the driest months were January, when only 1.43 inch fell, and July 1.09 inch. The greatest fall in 24 hours occurred on August 22, when 1.44 inch fell. There were 24 wet days in December, and 142 during the whole year. The amount of rainfall registered in the gardens of Lowther Castle, Westmor- land, was 38.11 inches. Mr. F. Clarke, the gardener, states that December was the wettest month with 9 inches of rain, but in November there were 4.82 inches. The greatest rain- fall in 24 hours. 1.57 inch, was registered on June 24 ; the number of wet days in 1911 totalled 180. Mr. W'. R. Roberts states that at Bailrigg Gardens, Lancaster, the rainfall was only .38 inch less than in 1910, the amounts respectively being 41.95 inches and 42.53 inches. December was the wettest month, with 7.50 inches, and July the driest, only .94 inch being registered. The greate.st rainfall in 24 hours occurred on June 24, when 1.38 inch fell. There were 29 wet days in December, and 190 rainy days during the whole year. Mr. Wm. Crump, of Madresfield Court Gardens, \Vorces- ter, states that the average rainfall in that dis- trict for the past 29 years is 25.01 inches, but in 1911 only 21.32 inches were registered. November and December were the wettest months, with 2.73 inches and 5.81 inches respectively. The greatest fall in 24 hours occurred on Decem- ber 20, when .64 inch was registered There were 25 wet days in December, and 153 rainy days in the whole year. At Hill House Gardens, 42 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 20, 1912. Harrow Weald, Middlesex, the rainfall amounted to 24.30 inches, which is 1.34 inch below the average for the past 20 years. Rain was re- corded on 177 days. Mr. Thomas Huntek, the gardener, states that July was drier than this month has been since records have been kept at Hill House, there being only .46 inch of rain registered that month, or 2.06 inches below the average. December had 29 rainy days, and a total fall of 4.97 inches, or 2.62 inches above the average. Writing from Osberton Gardens, Worksop, Mr. James B. Allan states that 1911 was the driest and hottest year on record. The hottest day was August 9, when the thermometer registered 97° in the shade. The coldest day was January 31, when 18° of frost was registered. The heaviest rainfall occurred on June 24. when 1.24 inch fell in 24 hours. The rainfall in these gardens for the year amounted to 19.37 inches. July was the driest month with .14 inch, and December the wettest month with 4.81 inches of rain. International Horticultural Exhibi- tion, 1912.— A meeting of the Worcestershire Committee of the Royal International Horticul- tural Exhibition was held at the Grown Hotel, Worcester, on the 10th inst. Mr. F. Davis, of Pershore, occupied the chair, and those present included Messrs. Harry J. Veitch, G. J. Ingram, W. Crump (hon. local secretary), A. ,YpUNG, W. S. HURLSTONB, E. BlACKWELL, C. A. Bayford, J. Whitk, J. Gough, E. J. Parsons, J. Jones, G. F. Hooper, J. W. Clarke, W. Coyle, A. A. Pettiorew, J. Williams, and J. Hawkes. The minutes — which stated that a donation of £100 had been promised to the Worcestershire Fund, with a guarantee of £500, also a donation of £10 10s. — were adopted. The suggestion was made that a Worcestershire China cup should be one of the prizes at the exhibition, and the hope was ex- pressed that some enthusiastic supporter would make an offer of one. Another suggestion was that a trip to London should be arranged for one day of the show. Mr. John Weathers. — Mr John Weathers, general secretary of the British Gardeners' Association and editor of the E.G. A. Journal, has resigned these offices as from the 9th inst. In another paragraph it will be seen that a general meeting of the Association will be held at Carr's Restaurant on the 25th inst. to consider the secretary's resignation and other business. British Gardeners' Association. — A general meeting of the members of the British Gardeners' Association will be held at Carr'.^ Restaurant, 264, Strand, on Thursday, January 25, at 7 p.m., by order of the Executive Council, " to consider alterations of rules, receive the resignation of the general secretary, and to con- firm the sub-committee's report, as adopted by the Executive Council." Perpetual - F LOW E r I NG Carnation Society. — A Carnation conference will be held in connection with the spring show of this Society, in the Royal Horticultural Hall, on March 21. The Teaching of Gardening in Schools. ■ — At the recent conference of Lnndon County Council teachers, Mrs. G. E. Click, Headmistress of the Manor Lane School for Infants, de- scribed an experiment in garden work whiih is being carried on by the children attending that school. Each scholar had a few square feet of soil to cultivate. Flowers and fruits of several kinds were produced in addition to small crops of Wheat, Barley, and Maize, and Mrs. Click reported that the teachers found that the garden was of assistance to them in almost every part of the work of the school. Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institu- tion (Worcester Auxiliary). — The annual festival of the Worcester Auxiliary of the Gar- deners' Royal Benevolent Institution was held at Worcester on the 10th inst. The Mayor, Alderman E. Thom.A-S, presided. The finan- cial statement showed total receipts amount- ing to £116 6s. 9d., and a balance in hand of £5 7s. lOd., after paymg expenses and con- tributing £100 to the funds of the institution. Earl BE.iuCH.iMP was re-elected president and Fig. 22. — gardeners' royal benevolent institution. Cup presented to Mr. Crump by the Worcester Auxiliary. thanked for his kindness in throwing open his gardens to the public in the interests of the charity. Mr. C. W. Dyson Perrins was also thanked for similar help. Mr. Hurlstone, the oldest subscribing member and for many years a member of the committee, was elected a life member. The loving cup and fruit bowl offered by Councillors A. Usher and A. A. Preece (see figs. 22 and 23) to members who (1) had intro- duced the greatest number of new subscribers, and (2) collected the largest amount on collecting cards during the year were won respectively by • •< i ti ■r — 1 " ■1 ^ W>' ■- p'^ i ^ &drdr.hi-an i. ■^s^' /JM-^.- Fig. 23. — gardeners' royal benevolent institution. Truit bowl presented to Mr. Wade by the Worcester Auxiliary. Mr. Crump and Mr. Wade. The presentation of these gifts had resulted in e.xtra receipts amounting to £56 12s. Amongst the speakers at this meeting were JMr. Harry J. Veitch, treasurer of the Institution and chairman of com- mittee, and Mr. G. J. Ingram, secretary. Mr. Veitch gave some interesting particulars relat- ing to the excellent work done by the charity on behalf of necessitous gardeners and gardeners' widows. Horticultural Club. — The next meeting of the members of the Horticultural Club will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, the 23rd inst., at the Hotel Windsor, Westminster. A lecture will be given by Mr. Chas. E. Pearson en " The Evolution of Colour in Birds' Eggs." The lecture wUl be illustrated by lantern slides. Societe Francaise D'Horticulture DE-' Londres. — We are informed that N. N. Sher- wood, Esq., will preside at the annual dinner of this Society, which will be held at the Cafe Royal, Regent Street, on Saturday, ftlarch 30J Further particulars may be obtained on applica^ tion to Mr. G. Schneider, 3, Meredyth Road> Barnes, S.W. SCOTLAND. FATAL ACCIDENT TO A GARDENER. Mr. John M'Kinnon, gardener to R. Kerr, Esq., Westfield, Greenock, lo^t his life by drown- ing in the River Clyde at Gourock on the 10th inst. Mr. and Mrs. M'Kinnon landed by the- Caledonian steamer from Dunoon in the evening, and, after coming ashore, walked past the railway station and along the pier to the westernmost part and over the quay into the river. They raised cries of distress, and Mrs. M'Kinnon was rescued, little the worse for her mishap. ' A further search resulted in finding Mr. M'Kinnon in an unconscious condition. Efforts were made to restore him, but these were of no avail. Mr, M'Kinnon was about 50 years of age. EDINBURGH DISTRESS COMMITTEE AND' MARKET GARDENING. While opinions may differ regarding the com- petition of such bodies as the Edinburgh Distres.s Committee with private enterprise in the culti- vation of produce for market, there can be no question of the excellence of the work being performed by this committee at their farm of -Murieston. The committee was fortunate in securing the services of IMr. Cairns as superin- tendent, and the quality of the vegetables and fruit he has exliibited attests to the excellence of his methods of cultivation. Strawberries grown at Murieston were of such high quality that they were supplied daily for the royal table on the occasion of the visit of His Majesty King George to Edinburgh last summer. Corre- spoiident. PLANT NOTE. 1 HELIOPHILA SCANDENS. The genus Heliophila belongs to South- Africa. H. scandens is a perennial climber v/ith white flowers, the only climbing species of the genus, and, with the exception of the Peruvian Cremolobus, the only climbing member of the natural order Crucifera\ This makes it extremely interesting from a botanical point of view, but it is also of interest horti- cultnrally as a white flowered climber flowering freely in the depth of winter. From this point of view there is nothing to compete with it, and for lighting up a conservatory at this time of the year it is certainly of value. It is slender in habit, sparingly branched ; the leaves are Ij inch or 2 inches long, elliptic or oblong- lanceolate, acuminate, and pale green ; the flowers are in racemes, pure white, and borne in considerable numbers. They do not appear to be fragrant, as has been stated. The plant was introduced to Kew some years ago from the Botanical Gardens of Durban, in whi(-h locality, as well as at JManda in Natal, it inhabits shady places among shrubs. In a corridor at tlie Botanic Garden, Cambridge, it flourishes and flowers every year. The culture does not appear to be difiicult, and the plant strikes readily from cuttings. li. Irwin Lynch, Botanic Garden, Cambridge. January 20, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 43 THE LIFE OF SIR JOSEPH HOOKER. (Concluded from page 27.) CuRTis's " Botanical Magazine." T:iE Hookers, father and son, edited this perio- dical, founded in 1787, from 1826 to 1904, vols, liv. to c.NXX., and Sir Joseph, volumes xci. to c.\.\x., containing plates 5,486 to 7,991. Xo other botanical or horticultural periodical in the world can show an unbroken existence of 125 years, for it is still appearing regularly on the first of each month. The TJvtaiiical Mcnjazine nui.p. Mr. McHattie, the senior vice-president, occupied the chair, and there was a small attendance of members. The report by the council stated that the mem- bers were to be congratulated on the quality of the spring and autumn shows, but the attendance wa.s disappointing, especially at the autumn exhi- bition, and the financial result was, therefore, not satisfactory. The hope was expressed that the heating of the Waverley Market might have a beneficial effect on the attendance at future spring shows. The accounts showed an increase in the funds of £23. Mr. J. Stewart Clark, of Dundas, was re- elected president, and Mr. D. W. Thomson, Edin- burgh, was elected a vice president. The vacancies in the council were filled by the elec- tion of Messrs. W. Galloway, Gosford ; J. Phil- lips, Granton Road Nursery. Edinburgh ; and Robert Craig Cowan, Eskhill, Musselburgh. A member drew attention to the fact that cer- tain ground belonging to the Heriot Trust, which was now under nursery crop, was likely to be utilised otherwise, and he thought that the society should endeavour to encourage the esta- blishment of allotments on the site by bringing the matter to the notice of the Town Council and otherwise. The chairman stated that the council would keep the matter in view. STIRLING CHRYSANTHEMUM. January 13. — The annual general meeting of the above society was held in Stirling on this date. Mr. Kinross, the president, occupied the chair, and there was a good attendance. The report and balance-sheet were submitted respec- tively by the secretary and treasurer, and adopted. The society commenced the year with a deficit of more than £7, but this had been made good, and for the first time for several years the accounts showed a profit. The officers, including the members of the committee, were elected. Mr. Geo. Petrie, The Gardens, 27, Park Terrace, Stirling, was appointed secretary. NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM. January 15. — A meeting of the Executive Committee of the above Society was held on Monday last at Carr's Restaurant, Strand. Mr. Thomas Bevan occunied the chair. A prize of two guineas will be offered for the best seedling plant of Anemone. Anemone Pom- pon, or Pompon Chrysanthemums submitted to the Floral Committee during 1913. The competi- tion for the Affiliated Societies Shield will be ar- ranged .so that societies at a distance from the Jletropolis will compete on equal terms with those nearer to the place of exhibition. In 1912 the class will consist of three vases of Japanese, three of Incurved, and three of Single varieties. In 1913 the class will be the same, with the addi- tion of three vases of Pompons. A supplementarv show will b? held at the Essex Hall, Strand, on" November 20. 1912, when the competition for the Holmes Memorial Challenge Cup for 36 cut blooms of Incurved varieties will take place. At this show prizes amounting to £10 10s.. subscribed by members of Covent Garden Market, will be offered for market Chrysanthe- mums. Special prizes at this show are also offered by Jlr. Bevan and Messrs. W. Wells & Co. During 1911 no fewer than 38 First-class Certificates, 33 Commendations, and 1 Award for colour were granted by the Floral Committee. The annual meeting will take place at Carr's Restaurant on February 5, at 7 p.m. EDINBURGH MARKET GARDENERS'. January 12. — The annual dinner of the mem- bers of the above association was held in the Imperial Hotel, ilarket Street, Edinburgli, on this date, under the chairmanship of the pre- sident, i\lr. David King. In proposing the toast of the "Fruit Growers," Mr. Thomas Russell, Glasgow, stated that the fruit which came to Glasgow from the East Lothian market gardeners was of very fine quality. Some of the land in the east of Scot- land, however, was rented at £10 an acre, while fruit farmers in Ayrshire paid £2 10s. to £3 an acre for land for similar purposes, and the re- sults were quite as satisfactory as regards the quantity grown as in the case of the higher- priced land. Mr. Russell said that the labour que.stign also was a serious one, and unless they had ordinary agricultural rents thev could not compete with growers who rented cheaper land. Mr. George Sinclair, East Linton, who replied, thought the opportunity should be taken under the Scottish Small Holdings Act to increase the area for growing fruit, and he would prefer to see some of the best laud in Mid and East Lothian used for that purpose, instead of sending growers to the Highlands. GARDENERS' ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. January 18. — The seventy-second annual general meeting of the subscribers of this Insti- tution is being held at Simpson's Restaurant, 101, Strand, under the chairmanship of the treasurer and chairman of committee, Mr. Harry J. Veitch, as these pages are being prepared for the press. The annual report read by the sec- retary is a record of good work done during the past year, and reviews the great benefits con- ferred by the Institution in the past 72 years. Although the voting list contained the names of 71 candidates, all of whose claims have been care- fully considered by the committee, the committee was only in a position to recommend the election of 20. RESULT OF THE BALLOT. No. of Votes. Field, Jane ... 3,670 Anton, James ... 3.501 Payne, Henry ... 3,386 Bolton, John ... 3,233 Hill, John ... 3,205 McMaster, Samuel ... 3,176 Dunstall. David ... 3,128 Baillie, Marie ... 3,087 Baker, Julia ... 3,054 Elworthv, Maria ... 3,039 Lamkin, Emma ... 3,009 Todd, Richard W. ... 2,899 Goldsmith. Elizabeth ... 2,823 Watson. Richard J. ... 2,677 Osborne. Thomas ... 2,674 Frost. Thomas ... 2,611 Charlton, James ... 2.599 Keen, Amos J ... 2,563 Mackay, Maria ... 2,561 Hobbs, William ... 2,527 Pensioners elected after the Poll* *Barnes, Henry, age 72. 'Garratt, Mary A., age 66. tChisholm, George D., age 58. * These candidates were elected by the annual general meeting by virtue of the privilege given the Committee in Rule III., Clause 10. t This candidate was selected to receive a year's pension (£20) kindly given by Mr. Arthur W. Sutton. 46 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 20, 1912. Obituavi). M. Theophile Durand.— We regret to an- nounce the death, on Friday, the 12th inst., of Theophile Durand, Director of the Belgian State Botanical Garden. Monsieur- Durand has had a brilliant career, but was hardly past the prime of life. He was born at Saint Josse-ten- Noode, near Brussels, in 1855, and entered the Brussels Botanic Garden in 1880. Here his talents were soon appreciated, and in 1895 he was appointed keeper of the Herbarium. In 1902 he was made Director of the gardens, a post which he occupied for 10 years. M. Durand was an enthusiastic worker, and a keen man of science. He achieved many distinctions of various kinds, among others the Cross of " Chevalier de I'Ordre de Leopold " and " Officer de rOrdre de la Couronne. M. Durand was elected in 1904 a- corresponding member of the Academ}-, and was for a number of years president of the Royal Geographical Societv of Belgium, and general secretary of the " Societe Botanique." He was a prolific writer, his works having considerable horticultural interest. Amongst other w-orks. he was the author of Etudes sur la flore du Cnngo, and a life of Frangois Crepin, whjch he wrote in collabora- tion with MM. Schinz and Errera. He has also written extensively on the Flora of Liege, THE LATE M. THEOPHILE DURAND. which he studied in an exhaustive manner. He leaves a son and two daughters, his wife having predeceased him by some three years. The funeral, which took place on Monday, the 15th inst., was attended by many scientists and the whole of the gardening staff at Brussels Botanic Gardens. William Watson. — The death of Mr. William Wat.s«n, founder of the business of ^lessrs. Wm. Watson & Sons, occurred on the 8th inst. at Simla Lodge, Clontarf. We learn from The Farmers' Gazette that Mr. Watson, who was 78 years of age, was born at Douglas, Lanarkshire, and settled in Ireland in 1856. As an amateur he was very successful in breeding tricolour and bronze-leaved Pelargoniums. He was the first to cultivate Primula japonica and Todea superba in large quantities. At a later period Carnations became one of the leading specialities of the firm. Mr. Watson was hon. secretary of the Dublin Horticultural Club till 1877. and the year before his retirement from that office was chiefly responsible for a large and most successful Rose show held in Dublin under the club's auspices. '■' On his retirement, Mr. Watson was presented with a handsome gold watch and an illuminated address. Moving to Clontarf in 1881 he started the Clontarf Nur- series, and was joined later in the business by his sons James and John. Deceased is sur- vived bv five sons and five daughters. John Deacon. — The death of Mr. John Deacon, gardener to the Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, M.P., at Highbury, near Birming- ham, occurred uiicler painful circumstances on Thursday, the 11th inst. About 9 a.m. Mr. Deacon was seen by one of the under gardeners near the ornamental lake at the lower portion of the grounds attached to Highbury. Half an hour or so later, a member of the garden staff, in passing the lake, observed the body of Mr. Deacon, whose head and shoulders were under the landing stage of the boat-house. The body was taken out of the water and artificial respira- tion attempted, but without success. At the in- quest, held on the 12th inst., a verdict of death by misadventure was returned. In expressing sympathy with the widow, the foreman and other members of the jury referred to Mr. Deacon's kindly, unostentatious manner, the loss sustained to local horticultural societies and in- stitutions, and the estimation in which he was held in and around Birmingham. Mr. Deacon, who was born at Milton Abbott, Tavistock, Devonshire. 54 years ago, commenced his garden- ing career in 1874 in the gardens of the Duke of Bedford, at Endsleigh, Tavistock, under the late Mr. Cornelius. In" 1878 he went to Mr. Pole Carew's estate at Anthony, near Devonport, where he remained until 1880, when he entered the Royal Gardens, Kew. which he left the following year to become foreman at Leighara Court, Streatham. His next position was as foreman at Dover House Gardens. Roe- hampton. 1883-85. From 1885 until 1888 Mr. Deacon gained additional experience in the estab- lishments of Jlessrs. Wills and Sejjar. South Kensington, and Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son. Upper Holloway. Three years after he was appointed head gardener at Bowden Hill, Calne, Wiltshire, leaving there in 1893 to take charge of the Highbury garden, a position he held with the entire confidence of his garden- loving employer for upwards of 18 years. Of the many alterations and improvements initiated by Mr. Chamberlain and carried to a successful issue by Mr. Deacon, special reference .'■hould be made to the Dutch garden. Italian garden. Old English garden, the remodelling of the shrub- bery borders and extensive planting operations. A descriptive account of the Highbury gardens appeared in the issues of the Gardeners' C/irnnirfe November 26. 1904. and Decem- ber 2, 1904. The funeral took place at Brand- wood End Cemetery. King's Heath, on the 15th inst., and was attended by the widow and rela- tives, and l)y Mr. Neville Chamberlain and a large number of friends. Mrs. Uzzell. -Jfrs. Uzzell. widow of tlie'ate Mr. George Uzzell, nurseryman, Hampton, died on the 10th inst. at the age of 91 years 9 months. Mr. Uzzell was gardener to the late Dowager Duchess of Northmnberland. and was a pioneer in the flower-growing industry at Hampton, com- mencing in business about 46 years ago. Mrs. Uzzell carried on the business after iiis death, and she was probably the oldest lady gardener in England. She took an active interest in the business up to the last, and was busy preparing and inserting cuttings within 10 days of her death. Her grandson, Mr. George Uzzell, jun., is gardener to Lord Rendel, Chateau de Thorenc, Cannes, France. William Carlton. — We regret to announce the death of Mr. William Carlton, of 30, Haw- thorn Road, Hillsborough, at the age of 71. For 25 years he held the office of collector to the Sheffield Chrysanthemum Society, and for a number of \ears served the now defunct Shef- field Floral Society in a similar capacity. At one time he was a successful grower of Ro.ses and Pansies, and was closely identified with many horticultural shows in the district. Many years ago he carried on the business of a draper. The funeral took place at Eastrington, near Selby, on Friday, the 5th inst., the mourners including the treasurer and secretary of the SheflSeld Chrysanthemum Society. C. Denning. — Mr. C. Denning, of the Laurel Nursery. New Eltham, and younger brother of the late Mr. W. Denning, of Hampton, died sud- denly on the 13th inst. Mr. Denning was pre- viously for some years gardener at Ash Grove, Sevenoaks, which place he left some five years ago. George Birch. — Mr. George Birch died on ;he 27th ult., at Northampton, where he had lived retired for the past 20 years. Mr. Birch was a capable gardener, and excelled as a fruit- grower. He was for a period of 30 years gardener at Hatherop Castle, Gloucestershire, being 10 years in the service of the late Sir Thomas Baz- ley, Bart., and 20 years with the present Sir Thomas S. Bazley. Deceased's only son. Henry Birch, died a few years since, whilst head gar- dener lat Castle Ashby, Northami^tonshire. Henry Brooker. — Mr. Henry Brooker, gardener at Gate House, East Hoathly, died on 2nd inst., following an accident. DEBATING SOCIETIES. READING GARDENERS*.— The annual meeting of the members of tliis a'^socKaion was held on the 8ih inst.; the president, Mr. F. B. Farhtt, occupied the chair. The hon. secretary submitted the report. The financial statement showed that iheie was a balance in hand of if50 lis. The receipts amounted to i'92 16s. lid., and the expenditure was £42 5s lid. The president stated that the report would compare very favourably with that of any previous year. The report and balance sheet were adopted. Mr. I'arfitt was re-elected president and Mr. Leonard Sutton vice- president, whilst Messrs. A. C. Bartholomew and M. J. Sut- ton were reappointed trustees. The new chairman is Mr. .^^^^^. 'L..- ^-W--: THR LATE JOHN DFACON. F. G. Drew and the vice-chairman Mr. E. Black well. The secretary and treasurer were reelected. The following grants were made :— Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund, £3 3s. ; Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution, f 2 2s. ; Royal Berk'-hire Hospital, £1 is. ; and University College, Reading, £3. BRITISH GARDENERS* ASSOCIATION (London Branch.)— At the meeting,' ot the London Branch of the British Gardeners' Association, held on tlie llth inst., Mr. K. P. Cooper read a paper on "The Cultivation of Chrjsan- thenuiins." The paper gave rise to an intereflting dis- cussion. GARDENING APPOINTMENTS. Mr. W. Stevens, for the past 7J years Gardener to E. Stagey, Esq., Audley House, New Barnel. and formerly at Cowdray Park and Wykehurst ParkGardfns, as Gardener to Col. Barham, Hole Park, Rolvenden, Kent. Mr. G. Humphrey, as Gardener to H. Phillips, Esq., Royston, Hertfordshire, Mr. J. Watson, Junr., for the past 4^ years Gardener to H. CoMPTON. Esq., Eastcott, KinRston Hill, Surrey, as Gardener to H. Marx, Esq., at same place. (Thanks for donation to the R.G.G.F. box.— Eds.) Mr. Chas. J. PoPLE, for the past 3 years General Foreman at Breckenbrough Hall, and previously Foreman at Thorp Perrow and at E-^hton Hall, a-; Gardener to G. B. Jackson, Esq., The White House, Saltburn-by-the-Sea. Mr. F. J. Reed, for the past 2 years Gardener to J. Colman, Esq., J. P., Wick Hall, Hove, Sussex, as Gardener to W. S. Page, Esq., Oaklands, Hutlon, Brentwood, Essex. January 20, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 47 M: A R K E T S. COVENT GARDEN, Janiuuy 17. [We cacinot accept any responsibility for the subjoined reports. Tbey are furnislied to us regularly every Wednesday, by Hie liiiidiiess of several of tiie principal salesmen, who are responsible for the quotations. It must be renieniberetl iliat these quotations do not repre- sent the prices on any particular day, but only the general averages for the week precedint; the date of out report. The prices depenti upon the quality of the samples, the way in which they are pacUed, the supply in the market, and the demand, and they may fluctuate, not only from day to day, but occasionally several times in one day. — Eds.1 Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices (continued). B.d. Cut Flowers, &c.: Average Wholesale Prices. E.d. s.d. 2 G- 3 0 Aiiiins (Kichardias) Azalea, per dozen i>unclies ... 4 0- S 0 Camellias, per box of 18'saiid24"s... 1 G- 2 0 Carnations, p. doz. blooms, best American var. 1 G 2 0 — smaller, per doz. bunches 18 0-21 0 — Carola, crim- son, extra large GO — Eucharis, per doz, 2 0 — ?■ re c s i a refracla alba, p.dz. bun. 16-20 Gjrdeni'', per doz. G U- 9 0 llellebori's(Chript- mas Roses), p dozen 16-20 Hyacinth (Roman), pr. doz. bnchs. 6 0-80 Liliiiiii aiiratiiiii per bunch ... 4 0-50 — I o n g i fl orum, long, per doz. 3 0-36 — shoit. per doz. 3 U- 4 U — 1 a lici f o ii n ni alba, long ... 2 0-26 — — short ,. 16-20 — speciosum rub- rum, dz. blooms : — long 2 0 — — short 0 9-10 l.ily of the Valley, p. dz. bunches : — extra special ... 15 0-18 0 — special 10 0-12 0 — ordinary ... 8 0 — Marguerite, per doz. bunches : — Yellow 2 0-2 G s.d. s,d. Narcissus, per doz. bunches : — Golden Spur.. — Henry Irving — Paper white ... — Soleil d'Or .. Orchids, Cattleya, per doz. — Odontoglossum crispuiu F e ! argon i inn s, p. dz. bunches : — Double Scarlet Roses, 12 blooms, — Brides maid, — C. Mermet — Liberty — M me. Abel Chatenay — Nipheios — Richmond Tuberose, gross . . — long, p. bunch Tulips, per bunch : — double pink ... yellow scarlet — pr. doz. bnchs : — white — yellow — scarlet — bronze .. — pink \'iolets, per dozen bunches — Princess of Wales, per doz. bunches — Parma . 5 0-60 3 0-40 16-20 2 0-26 3 0-40 8 0-12 0 4 0- 4 0- 5 0- 6 0 5 0 6 0 6 0- 2 (i- 5 0- 8 0 3 6 6 0 8 0 2 0 - 1 3- 1 3- 1 S- 1 6 1 6 1 6 6 0-80 7 0-90 8 0-10 0 9 0-10 0 10 0-15 0 13-20 3 0- 1 6- 4 0 a 0 &c.: s.d Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. s.d Croton foliage, var- ious, per dozen bunches ... 12 0-15 0 Cycas leaves, arti- ficial, per doz. 3 0-12 0 Eiilalia japonica, per bunch Moss, per gross ... Myrtle, dz. bchs. (Engl ish„ small-leaved ... — Frencli Smilax, per bunch of 6 trails ... 10-13 Cut Foliage, A d i a n t iini Fern (M aidenhair), best, per doz. bunches ... 6 0-80 Agiostis {Fairy Grass), per dz bunches ... 2 0-40 Asparagus plu- mosiis, long trails, pr.^doz. 16-20 — medium, doz. biiiiclies ... 12 0-lS 0 — bpiengeri ... 10 0 12 0 Carnation foliage, doz. bunches... 4 0 — Plants In Pots, &c, s.d. s.d. Aralia Sieboldii, p. do/en 6 0-70 Aiiiucaria excelsa, per dozen ... 18 0-21 0 Asparagus pluino- sus nanus, per dozen 10 0-12 0 — Sprengeci ... 8 0-90 Aspidistra, p. dz., green 21 0-JlO 0 — variegated ... HO O-OO 0 Azaleas, per dozen 36 0-42 0 t'ocos Weddeii- ana, per dozen: — GO'S 6 0-12 0 — larger, each .. 2 6-10 6 Croion. per dozen 18 0-30 0 Cyclamen, in 4^ inch pots(48'&), per dozen ... 10 0-12 0 C y p er u s alterni- folins, per doz. 5 0-60 — laxns, per doz. 4 0-50 Dracaena, green, per dozen ... 10 0-12 0 Erica'i, per dozen : — hyemalis ... 10 0-12 0 — alba 10 0-12 C — melanthera ... 18 0-24 0 Ferns, in thumbs, per 100 8 0-12 ( — in small and large GO'S ... 12 0-20 0 Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices 10-16 6 0 — 6 0 1 0 Average Wholesale Prices. s,d. s.d. Ferns, in 48' = , per dozen ... — choicer sorts, per dozen — Ill 32's, per dozen ... ['"iciis elastica, per dozen Geonoma gracilis, 60's, per dozen — larger, each ... Keniia Belmore- ana, per dozen — Fosteriana, GO'S, per dozen — larger, per dozen I.atania borbonica, per dozen I. i 1 i u m i o n g i- flonim, per dozen 20 0-24 0 — lancifoUum ru- brum in pots, per dozen .. 15 0-18 0 — la n c i f o 1 ium alba 15 0-18 0 Marguerites, white, per dozen ... 8 O-IO 0 Pandanus Veitchii, per dozen ... 36 0-48 0 Phoenix rupicola, each 2 6-21 0 60 — 8 0-12 0 10 0-18 0 9 0-12 0 6 0-80 2 6-76 5 0-42 0 4 0-60 18 0-60 0 12 0-30 0 Applfs (English cookers) per bm^hel — Cox's Orange Pippin, per dz. — Nova Scoiian, per barrel — Ca I i f or n ian Newiowns, pr. case — Oregon (Hood River), p. case s.d. s.d. 6 0-70 3 0-40 18 6-20 0 9 0-13 0 16 0-20 U Apples (Canadian), per barrel — American, per barrel Apricots (Cape), p. case Bananas, bunch : — Doubles — No. I „ ... — Extra — Giant „ ... — Loose, per dz. s.d. s.d. 20 0-30 0 2 6-80 10 0 12 0 8 0-10 0 10 0-12 0 14 0-18 0 0 6-10 i.d. 5 6-66 ;eiO-£l2 Bananas, per doz. : — Red coloured... — JamaicaGiants, per ton — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per box (U doz.) Cranberries, per case (30 qts — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) Dales (Tunis) doz, boxes Grape Fruit, case : — 'Jfi's ... — t-O's ... — 64's ... — 54's ... Grapes (English), per lb. ; — .Muscat ofAlex- andria .. — Cannon Hall Muscat — Black Alicante — Gros Colman... — (Beli^iaii), Gros Colman, p. lb. — Alineria, per barrel Per dozen lbs. Lemons : — (Naples), case 26 0-30 0 — Messina, per case Limes, per case ... Mangoes, per doz. Nuts, Almonds, per bag — Brazils, new, percwi. ...85 0-100 0 — Spanish, per sack 40 0 42 0 — Barcelona, per bag 35 6-36 6 4 0-50 10 0-11 0 4 6-56 22 0-24 0 3 0-80 4 0- a 0 0 10-2 G 1 0- 2 G 0 9-13 11 6-15 G 3 0-46 6 0-15 0 4 0 — 4 0-60 52 6 — s.d. s.d. 3 6-19 0 THE WEATHER. Nuts, Chestnuts, per bag — Cocoanuts UOO) 18 0-23 0 — English Cobs perib 0 5-06 — Walnut s (Naples) kiln dried, cw t. cases 54 0 — — French Gren- obles, per bag 6 6-70 — B o e r i s , per bag 6 0-70 Oranges, Jamaica per case ... 9 0-11 0 — Caiifornian ... lo 0-lG 0 — Denia,case ... 12 0-33 6 — Valencia ... 10 0-12 0 — Jafifa, per case 9 6 — — Mandarins, per box ... 0 6-36 — Bitter, per A chest ... .." 16 0-18 6 Peaches (Cape), pr. case .. ... 3 0-60 Pears (Caiifornian), per ca«e ... 10 6 16 6 — Glou .Morceau 10 0-12 G — Easier Beurrc HO — — Winter Nelis 13 0 — — Doyenn6 d n C o in i ce, per case 18 0-20 0 — White Comice 110 — — iF'rench), per crate 7 6-86 — (American) per barrel, 180 lbs. 25 0-26 0 — cases 7 0 — Pineapples, St. Michael ... 2 6-40 Plums (Cape), per case 6 0-80 Vegetables : Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Artichokes(Globe), pel dozen .. 3 0-40 — Ground, per A bushel ... 10-13 Asp.iragii«:, Sprue.. 0 9 — — t:availlon ... 3 0 — — Paris Green ... 4 0-46 Aidiergines, p. dz. 16-20 Bean-i, .Madeira, per basket 2 0-50 — Guernsey, Dwarf, per lb. 3 6-40 Beetroot, p. bshl. : — Long . . ... 2 6-30 Biu'isel Sprouts, per \ bushel ... 10-16 — half bags ... 2 0-26 Celennc, per doz. 2 G- 3 0 Cabb.iges(English), per tally ... 4 0- Caulitlowers, p. dz. I 0- — (Italian), p. pad 1 6- — (Cornish), per crate 5 0- Celery. per. dozen bundles ... 8 0-15 0 — (washed), per dozen bundles 12 0-18 0 Carrots (Englishl, pr. doz. bun... 2 0-30 — per cwt. ... 3 0-40 — (washed) p. bag 4 0-50 Cliicorv, per lb. ..0 4 — Cucumbers, p. doz. 12 0-18 0 l-"ndive, per dozen 2 0 — Greens, per bag ... 10-16 Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross 7 0 — 12 H orse radish, bundles Leeks, per doz. ... Lettuce (French), per doz. Mini, per dozen bunches Miishrooiiis, culti- vated, p. ib. ... Miisiardand ('ress, pr. dz. i)iiiinels Onions (Dutch) per bag — English — (Spanish), per ca*e Parsley, h sieve ... — per doz. bun. Parsnips, per bag Radishes(English), per dozen Rhubarb, forced, s.d. s.d. 11 0-12 0 2 0-26 8 0-86 9 0-96 7 6- 1 0- 2 0 5 0- 8 0 1 6 6 0 1 3 i per dozen ... 0 9-10 2 0 ; per 12 bundles 0 10 1 0 6 0 ! Savoys, per tally . 5 0-80 Spinach, per bushel 4 0-70 Seakale. p. punnet 0 10-1 3 Tomatos (Canary Islands), per bundle 12 0-14 0 Turnips (English), perdz. bunches 2 0-26 — bags (washed) 4 0-46 — (unwashed) ... 3 0-36 Turnip Tops, per bag 2 0 — Watercress, p. dz. bunches ... 0 6-0 6) Remarks. — Black Alicante and Gros Colman Grapes are a good supply for the time of year, whilst Muscat of Alex- andria and Canon Hall Muscat are obtainable in fairly large quantities, the prices of the Muscat varieties ranging from 4s, to 10s. per lb. There are large supplies of Gros Colman Grapes from Belgium, and these are selling cheaply. Over- seas arrivals of Apples, Oranges, Ac, per ss. " Sardinian '* and "New York" amounted to 10,000 packages, the bulk consisting of Apples. A further consignment of Washington Navel Oranges is expected to arrive next week. Ship- ments of fruit received from Cape Colony this week amounted to 10,000 boxes, principally Peaches. The majority of the fruits arrived in a very unsatisfactory condition. Tomatos are arriving from Teneriffe in an excellent condition, and are selling freely. French Beans and Cucumbers are obtainable in only limited quantities, and both are consequently very dear. Seville Sour and Palermo Bitter Oranges are arriving in cases each containing from '200 to 400 fruits. Outdoor vegetables are an almost unlimited supply and prices are low. E. H. R., Cuvent Garden, /anuary 17, 1912. Potatos. Rents— Queen's ... Up-to-Date Lincolns— Up-to-Date British Queen . King Edward . Epicure ... Northern Star . Evergoods per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 0-46 4 0-46 4 0-46 39-4 6 3 6-43 3 0-36 3 9-36 2 9-36 Lincolns— Maincropa Blacklands Bedfords — Up-to-Date Puritan ... Dunbars— Up-to-Date Maincrop per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 0-43 2 6-33 3 9- 4 0- 4 0 4 3 4 6-50 5 3-56 Remarks. — Trade is still very quiet, and stocks in London are larger than at any other time this season, but the greater number of the tubers are of inferior quality. Only best Potatos are in demand. Ediuard /. Neicbornt Covent Garden and St, I'ancras, January 17, 1912. The Following Summary Record of the weather throiis^hout the British Islands, for the week ending January 13, is furnished from the Meteorological OfTice : — GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. The u-eatlter.—A generally unsettled condition prevailed, with much snow and sleet early in the period in the more northern districts, and occasional rain subsequently. In the east and south of England rain was less frequent than else- where. The temperature was lower than during preceding weeks, but was again above the average except in England N.E. The highest of the maxima were recorded at most stations either on the 9th or 13ih, and were as high as SS** or 54" in most districts. In ICngland N.E., liowever, there was no higher reading than 48'^. Tlie lowest of the minima occurred on the Hth at almost every station, and langed from 1.3** in Scotland E., and 17** in England N.F. to 28** in Ireland S., and ID 35° in the English Channel, The lowest grass readings reported were 10" at Balmoral, 12" at Buxton, 15" at Glasgow and Newton Rigg, and 16° at Harrogate. The mean temperature of the sea. — On nearly all parts of the coast the water was warmer than during the correspond* ing week of last year, and at most stations it exceeded the average. The means for the week langed from 49" at Scilly anil Salcombe to about 41" at Cromarty and Burnmouih, and to 40" at Scarborough. The rain/all was above the average generally, but below it in Scotland N. and the English Channel, and about equal to it in ICngland S.E. In the norihern parts of the kingdom much of tlie precipitation on Sunday and Monday was in the form of snow. At Crathes as much as 1*7W inch of snow fell on the latter day, followetl by I'OO inch of rain on Wednes- day. In the neighbourhood of Crieff the depth of snow on Monday was 10 inches. The bri-iht sunshine was below the normal in the eastern districts, but above it over Ireland, England N.W,, and Scotland W. and N. The percentage of the possible duration ranged from 25 per cent in Ireland S. and 21 in Ireland N. and Scotland W. to 11 or 10 over all the eastern and south- eastern counties of England. THE WEATHER IN WEST HERTS. Week ending January 17. The seventh warm and wet week in succession.— The weather has recently been very warm for inid-winler, indeed, during the last seven weeks there have been only four unseasonably cold days, and but five cold nights. In ihe past week the day temperatures were as a rule only sliglitly above the average, but several of the nights proved exceptionally warm for the time of year. The ground is now 4" warmer than is seasonable, both at 1 and 2 feet deep. Rain has fallen on five days of the week, but the toial measurement only amounted to half-an-inch. Two gallons of rain water have passed through the bare soil percolaiion gauge during the week, but only one gallon through the gauge on whicii short grass is growing. On six days of the week no sunshine at all was recorded, and on the remaning day the duration only amounted to five minutes. The winds proved as a rule light, and the direction exclusively some point of the compass between south and east. The mean amount of moisture in the air at 3 p.m. exceeded a reasonable quaniiiy for that hour by 8 per cent. E. M., Beitihamhtcd, /anuary 17, 1912. SCHEDULES RECEIVED. Borough of Reigate & District Horticultural Society's twenty sixth annual show, to be held in the ground-^ of ** Ihe Frenches, " Rediiill, on Wednesday, July 10. Secre- tary, Mr. F. Phillips, The Gardens, Craigendowie, Reigaie. Leicester Abbey Park Flower Show, to be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 6, 7. Secretary, Mr. J, Staynes, Town Hail, Leicester. CATALOGUES RECEIVED. MISCELLANEOUS. Blackmore & Langdon, Twerton Hill Nursery, Bath — Begonias. W. H. & L. CoLLiNGRiUGE— Books ou Gardening, Live Stock, &c. Hallam's, 172, Alcester Road, Moseley— Sweet Peas. Thomas S. Ware, Ltd., Feltham, Middlesex- Begonias. The Tllly Nvrskries, Kildare, Ireland— Bulbs. Gilbert Si Son, Dyke, Bourne, Lincolnshire— Sweet Peas and Anemones. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Apples Diseased: Q. H. B., Sidcup. An ex- cellent winter wash for fruit trees is 1 lb. sul- phate of copper (bluestone) in 25 gallons of water. This wash must not be used after the buds have commenced t« swell. Begonia Gloire de Lorraine ; //. M. Butler. After the plants have finished flowering, the shoots should be cut back to within 15 inches of the base, and the roots kept comparatively dry. Fresh growths will develop if the plants are syringed frequently, and when the shoots are some 2^ inches long they may be taken eft and inserted in sand or leaf-soil, either in pans, pots, or dibbled in a propagating box. Ob- serve the usual conditions for rooting cuttings, 48 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 20, 1912. keeping the atmosphere moist and close until roots have formed. This Begonia needs a tem- perature cf about 55° at night time, alltroing warm air to circulate frctly amongst the plants at all times ; if crowded or afforded too much ctmospheiic moisture, the leaves will be in- jured by damping, a common trouble which many growers experience. With regard to leaf-cuttings, ilr. John Fleming, a successful cultivator of this Begonia, recommends them for very early propagation, inserting the leaves, with about an inch of the stem at- tax;hed, in Cocoanut fibre and providing shade from sunshine. Each leaf will produce two or three growths, and these growths should be inserted singly when large enough. ,See Gardeners' Chroiitch. January 10, 1903, p. 29.) Books: Rerjtdar Render: Carnations and Pinks, by T. H. Cook, James Douglas, V.M.H., and J. F. McLeod, price Is. 9d. : Roses, by H. R. Darlington, with eight full-page coloured platen, price 2s. lOd.. special presentation edition price 3s. lOd. These works are obtain- able from our publishing department ; the prices include postage. The best book on stove plants is Greenhouse and Store Plants, by Thomas Baines. This work is out of print, but you may be able to obtain a copy from the second-hand booksellers. Perhaps Messrs. Weldon, booksellers, Great Queen Street, London, may be able to supply a copy. —R. V. G. J. The Handy Book on Graftinij and Budding, by James Udale, price 7d., and Graftinij and Buddimj, by Charles Baltet, price 2s. 9d., including postage. — T). S. L. B. liolnnic Gazette, published by the University of Chicago Press, Illinois, U.S.A. Write to the Liverpool Orchid & Nursery Company, Ltd., Gateacre Nurseries, Gateacre, near Liverpool. Cape Gooseberry: Monslera. The Cape Goose- berry Physalis peruviana having finished fruit- ing should now be cut back somewhat severely if the plants are to be grown another season. Propagation is readily effected either fi'om seed or cuttings. As your i)!ants are planted in a border, do not feed them until the flowers appear, otherwise they will grow too strongly. Keep a sharp look-out for green fly and red spider, as this plant is particularly susceptible to attacks from these pest.';. Cattleya Diseased: Bola. The trouble is an ordinary case of Orchid disease, and usually follows as the result of some wrong treatment of the plants. Improper ventilation or heat- ing of the house may be responsible. Every root on the pseudo-bulb has been dead for a considerable time. It is not a leading bulb, and pi'obably the new growth may have roots present, but it is clear that the root-action is defective. Plants which are not freed from the old pseudo-bulbs occasionally are liable to become unhealthy. Cyclamen Leaves : Foliarje. The rusty appear- ance of the leaves has been caused by some insect, probably mites. Dip the foliage in tobacco water at intervals. Glasgow and Edinburgh Public Parks : R. V. G. J. The addresses of the respective superintendents are Jlr. James Whitton, Superintendent of Parks and Curator of Botanic Gardens, City Chambers, Glasgow ; Mr. John McIIattie, Superintendent of Edin- burgh City Parks and Gardens, Edinburgh ; and Mr. W. W. Robertson, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh. Grape Black Feankenthal : /. G. This Grape is synonymous with Black Hamburgh, and re- quires to be pruned hard ; that is, close spur pruned, when the limit of extension has been reached. In this way more compact bunches are obtained ; it has often been proved that elongated and somewhat straggling bunches are developed on long spurs of this variety. The Chasselas varieties of the Grape vine on the contrary often produce better bunches in every respect under the long spur system of pruning. In no case should the number of growing shoots be excessive, as sufficient room must be allowed for a proper leaf development to ensure perfect finish of the bunches. The leaves of the Black Frankenthal vine are of only moderate size when compared with .some of the Chasselas varieties, and this fact must be taken into consideratjon when aljowing space for the growths. Hedychium : Monslera. Hedychiums are free- growing plants ; some of them require stove treatment, others succeed in the greenhouse. Any re-potting they require should be done just as "the growth recommences early in the year. As you are not sure w'hat species it is, but that the " flowers are white and sweet-scented," we believe the plant to be Hedychium coro- narium. a species that requires a sunny position in the stove. This plant is a gross feeder, and it is only by high feeding that you will be able to grow it to its best. After growth is finished, or about the end of October, reduce the water supply at the roots and keep them on the dry side until the middle or end of January, when they should be shaken out or potted on as required. For compost use a rich, turfy loam with a sprinkling of bone-meal and enough sharp sand to keep the whole porous. Horticultural Trade Papers : T. L. S. The Horticultural Advertiser, published by A. & C. Pearson, Lowdham, Notts. ; Horticultural Trade Journal, published by the Horticultural Printing Co., Junction Street, Burnley; and Nurseri/man and Seedsman, Cable Printing and Publishing Company, Hatton House, Great Queen Street, London. Humea : Humea, Yorkshire. There is no disease present in your plants ; the young leaves have been injured by some external cause, such as excessive fumi:;ation. In.irching Vines : T. 11'. C. The best time to inarch the vine is after both the stock and the scion have started into active growth. Make a downward cut, about one inch in length, in the stock, and a corresponding incision in an upward direction in the vine to be inarched. Slip the tongue made in the pot vine into the slit made in the stock and bind them, not too tightly, with matting. Tie a small quantity of Moss around the junction and syringe this with tepid water two or three times daily for about a week, after which time the Moss may be removed. The matting may be severed a few days later. Start the pot vine (Lady Downes) at the same time as the established vine (Black Hamburgh). The flavour of the Lady Downes Grapes will probably be im- proved by inarchins. Inspection of Gooseberry Plantations : L. R. M. Write to the Secretary, Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, 4, Whitehall Place, London. Monster.! deliciosa : Monslera. The fruits usually remain on the plant for .a year before they become fully ripe. You will be able to tell when the fruit is ripe by the strong scent given off and the cracking and falling away of the outer wall or covering of the spadix. The fruits should be cut and laid carefully in a warm, dry place as soon as they commence to crack ; they are not edible, however, for at least a week from this stage, as, like the Med- lar, they contain a tannin-like substance and also numerous minute prickly bodies, which, however, disappear when the fruit is dead ripe. The plant thrives in an ordinary stove, and should be exposed to full sun throughout the whole year. It is not fastidious as to soil, but prefers one rich in humus. If your plant is at all root-bound, feed the roots liberally with cow-manure. An excellent position for this plant is on a damp wall or on a stout, wooden post, to either of which the roots firmly attach themselves. Names of Fruits : J . Harris. Castle Major. — E. D. Histon Favourite. — H. L. M. Annie Elizabeth. — T . R. H. A species of Tacsonia, probably T. Van Volxemii. Names of Plants: Ignoramu.%. Agathsea coeles- tis. — Scot. No. 2 (from last week) is Rham- nus hybrida = R. sempervirens of gardens. — F. C. The plant to which you refer is pro- bably Pelargonium citiiodorum. Send us a specimen for identification. — f'. I. Berks. Buddleia asiatica. — //. S., Herts. 1 and 2, garden forms of Rhododendron arboreum ; 3, Pellionea pulchra ; 4, Cypripedium insigne Chantinii ; 5, C. insigne. — A'. .7. IF., Peters- field. Saccolabium giganteum. — W. 11'., Dub- lin. Chimonanthus fragrans. — R. T. 1, On- oidium sphacelatum ; 2, Odontoglossum Lind- leyanum ; 3, Cypripedium insigne ; 4, Dendro- bium moniliforme ; 5, Brassia caudata. Odour of Fallen Le.wes : C. T. Several fungi have a pleasant odour, some resembling Rue, TaiTagon, or Melilot, and it is possible that their mycelium might occur in certain de- caying leaves. Send us specimens of leaves in which you have noticed a pleasant odour for investigation. Repotting Vines : E. S. The vines may be afforded pots two sizes larger than they are now occupying, and the work should be done at once, as the plants will de- velop fresh roots before the time for forcing arrives. It would be better to allow the vine to break into growth natui'ally in March. In repotting, reduce the balls of old soil con- siderably by means of a pointed stick. Shorten the roots with a sharp knife. Place potsherds to the depth if a couple of inches in the bot- tom of each 10-inch or 11-inch pot, arranging the large pieces at the base and the small ones at the top. Cover these with pieces of thin turf or half-rotted manure in order to prevent the finer particles of soil from choking the drainage. Use a compost consisting of five parts of the best loamy soil obtainable and one part each of old lime-rubble or wood ashes and horse-droppings, with the addition of a 10-inch potful each of soot and bone- meal. In potting, w-ork the compost well into the space between the roots and the sides of the individual pots with a flat, blunt rammer, so as to make the new soil moderately firm about the roots. The compost should be used in a fairly dry condition. Afterwards give sufficient water to moisten the whole ball of earth and roots. When the bunches of Grapes have been thinned give copious supplies of weak liquid manure, with occasional surface dressings of a suitable plant food before apply- ing clear water. Schomburgkia undulata : Enquirer. The fail- ure of your plant of Schomburgkia undulata to develop its flower-spike is probably due to too- much moisture at the roots after the completion of the season's growth. At that period very careful watering is needed, only sufficient mois- ture to keep the pseudo-bulbs plump being re- quired. The tieatment of Schomburgkia should be similar to that afforded Cattleyas ; there- fore, they should enjoy plenty of light and air and an intermediate temperature, avoid- ing at all times a hot, stagnant atmosphere. Schomburgkias are shy-flowering Orchids, and especially when the growths are not strong or matured thoroughly. Foggy weather may have the effect of destro\ ing a tender flower- spike. Grow the plant under cooler condi- tions, in a light, airy situation, afford water with care, and the plant should then flower satisfactorily. Stock Beauty of Nice : T. W. C. The plants are attacked by Peronspora parasitica. Your best plan would be to remove and burn all the plants which show traces of disease, and to spray the remainder with liver of sulphur .solu- tion at a strength of 1 ounce in 3 gallons of water. SuLPH.iTE of Ikon : .7. S. It is improbable that applications of sulphate or iron will cause your Apples to assume a deeper colour. But if you wish t-o test its effects for colouring, its appli- cation will do no harm: 2 ounces mixed with about half-a-barrow load of dry, fine soil will be sufficient for each 6 square yards of ground, making the first application when the leaf-buds are bursting. Vine Unhealthy : Interested. There is no dis- ease present in the portion of vine received. The unhealthy appearance suggests eelworm at the roots, which causes the latter to present a warted or rusted appearance. Violet Leaves: E. R., Salisbury. The Violets are attacked by Cercospora violse. It will he best to spray the plants on alternate days with a solution of liver of sulphur. Admit fresh air to the plants as freely as possible. Communications Received.— X. Y. Z.— J. H., AWng- tlon-G. G.-E. G. W. -G. S.-G. M. & Co.-T. L. S.~ E. A. P. D.— G. P. & Son— J. H.— G. G., Soiitligate — G. B.— R, D, D — L. G. C.-T. S.-A B. D.-S. A.- A. O. — E. H. J.-E. M.-E. M. H.-F. M.— W. 0., Exeler— W. R. D.-W. G. M.-O. C— T. M , Denmark - C. G.— A. B., VentimiRlia-D. C.-J. C. C- S. G. D.. Pcnnsyl- vania--G. P. M.-F. .J. R.-R. W. N.-W. B.-E. P.— R. A. R.-H. T. G., Ottawa-W. R -F. R.-K. A. T.— G. A., Versailles — A Jonrneynian— H. H. R.— A. B. W. — O. & Co , Ltd.— W. F.— Ins— A. W. P.-Practice-Z. Y. Supplement to the "Gardeners" Chronicle." Strobilanthes Kunthianus and other species growing wild on THE Nilgiri Mountains, Southern India. Printed by Temple Press Ltd., London, E.C. Januaby 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 49 THE 6arbcners'Cbroniclc No. 1,300.— SATURDAY, Januarij 27, 1913. CONTENTS. Acacia Baileyana 59 Pinguicula gypsicola ... 58 AsviL'uUural etlucation... 58 Plants, movement in ... 4U Api'les, ilie colouring of 69 Plants, new or note- Autumn tints, plant:^ for 51 worthy- Beech trees in Aihridge Calceolaria virgata ... 50 Park 56 Rats, destruction of 59 Benevolent In3titution, Rhododendron Brough- Gar(leners' Royal 56 & 62 tonii aureum ... 53 Big-tniil, spraying for 58 Rosary, the — Bookj, notices of — New Roses of the Irish Farming World 57 N.R.S. "Catalogue" 50 The Orchid Review ... 57 Rose Madame Hector The Orchids of New Lenilliot 59 Guinea 50 Trials at Bagatelle ... 51 Dimorphotheca auran^ Scotland, notes from ... 58 tiaca 62 Small holdings 53 Drought and tree-growth 58 Societies — Forestry and the Develop Gardeners' Royal meut Grant 55 Benevolent Institu- Fruit trade of South tion G2 Africa, the 58 North of England Hort. 6;j Fruit trees in grass land 60 Royal Horticultural ... 60 "Gardeners, certificated GO Scottish Horticultural 6:1 Oenetics, lectures on 57 58 Ulster Horticultural ... 63 Hibiscus hybrids 57 Sweet Pea, diseases of .. 52 Iris stylosa 60 Sweet Pea Senator Spen- Law note - cer 60 Action against a horti- Vitex Agnuscastus 52 cultural society 63 Ward, Mr. William 67 Obituary- Weather in 1911, the ... 58 Bowler, John ... 63 Week's work, the — Murphy, Michael 63 Flower garden, the ... 54 Purves, Thomas 63 French Garden, the ... 65 Payne. Mr. C. Harman, Fruits under glass ... 65 honour for 58 Hardy fruit garden ... 54 Pineapple culture at Kitchen garden, the ... 55 Oakbrook Gardens, Orchid houses, the .. 51 Hammersmith 59 Plants under glass ... 64 ILLUSTRATIONS. Acacia Baileyana 59 Beech, a veteran ... ... ... -.. 57 Beech " The Queen," in Ashridge Park {Supplemen- tary Iduscration) Calceolaria virgata in the rock garden at Kew... — 60 Rhododendron Broughtonii aureum 63 Vitex Agnuscastus 6i MOVEMENT IN PLANTS. THE day has long gone by when the plant could be contrasted with the animal as an oiganism devoid of movement, but few people perhaps are aware of the important part which motile ■organs of various kinds actually play in the economy of plants. We are most of us familiar with the numerous manifestations grouped as sleep movements, and are aware that the leaves of Clover, False Acacia, and of many other trees and herbs, assume a very different position at night from that which they maintain during the daytime. Again, the rapid, and often un- desired, opening out of Tulip or Crocus flowers in a w-arm room, and their closure when the temperature falls, is a feature known to many people who, nevertheless, ■would be puzzled to explain how the •change is brought about. Dionaea musci- I pula (Venus's Fly-trap), Mimosa pudica I <" Humble '' or Sensative Plant), and I some species of Oxalis afford examples of ( movements which, in their rapidity of exe- cution, accord but ill with our general ■conception of the lethargic vegetable and suggest rather, the lively animal. All these movements depend primarily upon the living protoplasm, wliich is arranged in such a way as to provide the mechanical means that render them possible. Briefly explained, the motile structure consists of cells which are lined internally with proto- plasm, and each cell contains so much sap that it is kept very tensely expanded. Now if we imagine that the cells which •compose one of the two longitudinal halves •of any organ, say the base of a leaf-stalk, •are suddenly rendered flaccid by the escape of the water that kept thsm turgid, these cells will at the same time, of course, become somewhat smaller. If this escape of liquid is confined to the cells of one side the necessary consequence will be that the cells on the two sides will no longer bs equal in size, and the organ will bend over towards the flaccid side. One may illustrate this bending movement by damping a sheet of paper on one surface, when it will be observed to curl up with the damp side outermost. This is because the water forces its way between the par- ticles of paper, and so causes a swelling of the area affected. If the sheet of paper be totally immersed in water it becomes flat again, because the water has caused the whole piece to swell equally. Simi- larly, if the wet sheet be held in front of a fire, it will curl so that the surface next the grate will be concave, because the water is evaporating faster from this than from the outer side. We can easily prove that this difference in water content is the substantial reason why a Tulip flower, for example, opens in a warm room. A petal should be picked from a moderately young flower and a longitudinal slice be cut out of the middle with a sharp knife. If it is put into a glass of water the slice will, in about half a minute, begin to curve rapidly in the sense of closing the petal. This is be- cause the cells on the outer side have the capac ty of taking in water and swelling more than tho.se on the inner side. But these same cells also part with water more easily. By transferring the slice to another glass containing a weak solution (3 or 4 per cent.) of common salt, water is withdrawn from the cells of the slice, but much more quickly from the cells of the outer (lower) side, and the slice straightens out. It is possible to repeat this experiment with the same slice a number of times, and the result is always the same. The straightened-out position is reached as soon as the salt has with- drawn the excess of water fiom the cells that previously kept them turgid. Th?i-e experiments show that in a mechanism of this sort (and it applies to nearly all the mechanisms in w'hich living protoplasm is concerned), the movement depends on a disturbance of equilibrium between the forces tending to stretch each surface to the uttermost. But we do not know why or how it comes about that the protoplasm shows this difference of sensitivity on the two sur- faces. Indeed, whenever we try to get behind the immediate physical cause of any manifestation of life, we are always prevented from penetrating further into the mystery because we do not know enough about the protoplasm itself. In the Sensitive Plant and the Venus's Fly-trap the mechanism is more compli- cated. The actual movement depends, as before, on a difference of turgidity on the part of the two surfaces of the motile organ, but the mechanism may be actuated by stimulating another part of the plant. In the Fly-trap the stiff hairs (three or four on each leaf lobe), situated on the upper surface of the leaf, form the " triggers." When any one of these is touched a change in the protoplasm occurs, and an impulse is instantaneously transmitted to the motile cells of the leaf, and causes them to lose water. Much the same occurs in Mimosa, where, as is well known, injury to one of the leaflets causes an impulse to travel down the leaf- stalk, with the result that the pairs of leaflets are successively affected and change their positions. The movement has been very clearly shown to depend, in this plant, on the exudation of the watery solution of salts from the cells concerned. There are very many other examples which might be quoted of what we may term vital movements, inasmuch as they depend on the living active protoplasm for their occurrence, but space will not allow of their being dealt with here. A further series of plant movements de- pends upon certain physical properties of the water which is present in the cells con- cerned in producing those movements. To this series belong those movements which result in splitting open the anthers of a stamen, in scattering the spores of a Fern or a Selaginella, or in dispersing the contents of the " fruit " of a liverwort. It is a remarkable fact that when a liquid is contained in a per- fectly closed vessel, the walls of which it can wet, it demands tremendous force to break the continuity of that liquid. The reason why this fact was long un- known is largely due to the need of com- plete cleanliness in the apparatus and liquid used for experimental investiga- tion. As a matter of fact, the recognition of this great cohesiveness of water was largely due, in the first instance, to botanical researches on the behaviour of water in plants. This is not the place to attempt to dis- cuss the evidence on which our knowledge of this property of liquids is based, and it must suffice to say that in the case of water present in plant cells it is not possible, provided air is excluded from passing through the walls, to cause a space to ap- pear without exerting a force of hundreds of pounds to the square inch. Bearing this in mind then, it will be seen that if water evaporates from such a cell, and air cannot get in to take its place, the wall must be subjected to a tremendous pull, and any weaker part of it w ill tend to be sucked inwards. Now, in the light of this, the structure of the anther, so far as its opening mechanism is concerned, becomes intelli- gible. Just below the epidermis is the so- called fibrous cell layer which is respon- sible for the dehiscence, or splitting open, of the pollen sac. The individual cells of this layer form a sheet of tissue, inter- rupted by a line usuallj' running parallel with, and between, the two pollen sacs situated on each side of the stamen which forms the line of dehiscence. The cells themselves are constructed on the strictest mechanical principles. The otherwise thin membrane is thickened to- wards the pollen cavity, whilst prongs or bars of thickening also extend over the side walls, leaving the intermediate portions, 50 3 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [January 27, 1912. and generally (though not invariably) the outer wall as a thin skin. Now when the stamen ripens, and the supply of water from within is gradually cut oft', evapora- tion continues at the outside. The cells contain less and less ^rater, but owing to the great cohesive power of the contained liquid, and the imperviousness of the wet membranes to the passage of air, the side walls are gradually drawn together. And this drawing together is most prominent on the thin outer surface, which, as a whole, contracts in consequence. Presently the anther walls split open and begin to cui-1 back, so that the outer, contracted, surface comes to lie on the inner side of the curve, and the anther thus dehisces. In some stamens, e.g., the Castor Oil plant, when this backward curvature has reached a ccl'tain stage, the internal co- hesion of the water is broken, and the cells spring back to their former shape. In doing so, they cause the pollen to be forcibly flicked out from ths stamen. Generally, however, this does not happen, and only if the anther gets wetted do the walls recover their original positions. A mechanism like that of the Castor Oil plant is responsible for the jerking out of the four megaspores from the large sporangia of a Selaginella. If one shakes out these sporangia from the plant on to a plate when they are ripe, the scattering of the spores may be easily watched. The sporangium opens slowly, revealing the four spores beautifully packed inside. Sud- denly the two valves of the sporangium violently change their shape and position, and the spores are propelled to a con- siderable distance. Essentially the same process can be seen when a Fern sporan- gium slowly opens, and, after curling back- wards, suddenly springs forward again, and hurls the spores as from a catapult. In both examples water evaporates from the cells, and distortion is produced owing to the consequent approximation of the cell- walls in the motile region. Then the in- ternal cohesion of the water gives way, and the elastic walls recover their original form with an almost explosive violence. /. Bretland Farmer. (To he continued.) ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. THE ROSARY. NEW OR NOTEWORTHY PLANTS. CALCEOLARIA YIRGATA. Calceol.\ria virgata (see fig. 27) is a native of the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, where it is found at elevations of from 8,000 feet to 13,000 feet. It forms a bushy plant, growing from 1 foot to li foot high. The leaves are ovate and shortly stalked. During the summer and autumn months the somewhat small, white flowers are produced in great numbers. The species was introduced to cultivation by Messrs. Sander & Sons, St. Albans, in 1910 and specimens have flowered freely dur- ing the past two summers in the open at Kew gardens, both in a bed and in a shaded place in the rock-garden, where it was an effective and attractive subject. Up to the present the plant has not been grown out-of-doors during the win- ter, but it will probably prove tender, like the closely-allied C. alba, except in the more favoured parts of Great Britain. Cuttings root readily : those struck in the autumn furnish good flowering plants the following summer. 11'. /. THE ORCHIDS OF NEW GUINEA.' In hardly any country of th« game size are there so many Orchids as in New Guinea. When all the species collected during the last few years are described, there will be nearly 1,000, and when the difficulties of the country are considered, the successes of plant col- lectors are remarkable. Amongst these are many well worthy of culture in our stoves, as they possess striking beauty, although most of them are difficult to grow. How- ever, many Orchids which showed for a long time the same difficulty are now easily cultivated, since we know the climatic conditions of their native habitats. So it will be with the Orchids of New Guinea, as there is now in the press a work by one of the best orchidologists, who has spent some years in that island. This scientific work, of which the first two numbers are already published, will be very NEW ROSES OP THE N.R.S. "CATALOGUE."- (Continued from p. 451, vol. I.) II.— ROSES OF 1910. In the previous article on this subject I dealt with the new Roses brought out in 1911, the names of which appear in the N.R.S. Cataloijue. In the present article I propose to give some account of the Roses therein mentioned and brought out in the year 1910. Of these perhaps we know a trifle more than of those of 1911, but the difference in our knowledge of them is not great. We have not yet had time to study them in our gardens, and this is the only real test of a Rose. Some few of them that made a particular impression on us we have no doubt got there ; but they have, been subjected to a summer of quite unusual character and our observation of them must necessarily be inadequate, and any judgment or opinion founded thereon can only be provisional, and subject to many reservations. Not only does the cver-propaga- Phoiog}ap}i by [V. Iivinf;. Fig. 27. — calceolaria virgata in the rock-garden at kew. f valuable to cultivators. To the descriiition of each genus is added an explanation of the distribution of the various species, and to each species is appended a description of its locality. Thus, the author points out that the two species of Paphiopedilum, hitherto known, namely, P. glanduliferura and P. praestans, are epiphytes, growing on large trees in Dutch Guinea, whilst the new one, P. violaceum is a terrestrial species, which loves the half shaded places on the slopes of the mountains, where it grows in the humus on rocks. The localities where the species is growing are : on rocky slopes of the Finisterre mount.ains. 1.200 metres above sea level, where the plants flower in May ; in the humus of the forests of the Maboro at 1,300 metres ; on rocks at the Govidjoa brook, 1,000 metres, where flowering takes place in June. Similar notes are added to the account of each genus and species. The author will give in a concluding chapter descriptions of the climatic conditions of all the localities. B. <" Die Orchidaccen von Dculsc/i-Neu-Guiiiea, by Dr. Rudolf Schlechteri Berlin-Wilmersdoif, F. Fedde. 19U. tion to which nearly all new Roses are subjected often cause them to behave in an abnormal manner, but what the amateur really wants to know is how the Rose is likely to behave in his garden when it becomes established. It is just this which it is practically impossible to tell him for a few years after the Rose is first put in commerce. I must therefore ask my readers to accept any statement I may make in this article as subject to revision in the light of fuller know- ledge of the varieties. Alexandra Zarifi, T. — This Rose is single- flowered, and best described as a chestnut- coloured Irish Elegance ; it is equally free-flower- ing, and much resembles it in habit of growth, but the buds are terra cotta in colour and the flowers are a bright chestnut on a pale-pink ground, passing, as the flowers age, to a clear buff. It is a decorative Ruse, and should make a good bedding variety of the taller type of bed- ding Rose. The foliage is good and shiny, and is a distinct feature of the Rose. It received a , card of Commendation from the N.R.S. in 1910. It, may be remarked that though Irish Elegance is cla.ssed among the H.T.s in the N.R.S. , January 27, 19.12.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 51 Catalogue., several growers place it among the Teas, a po3ii,.on which its foliage might perhaps justify. Alice Cory-Wright, H.T., is of a deep pink colour, rather after the type of a deeper-coloured Caroline Testout. Alice de Rothschild, T., was brought out as a dwarf bedding ^larechal Niel. The Cuta!i>/juc calls it " a very promising novelty ; the colour deepens as the flower expands." I think the hot summer was rather against forming a fair opinion of this Rose, for those flowers I have seen have borne little resemblance to Marechal Niel, but since that variety does not come a good colour when opened in hot weather and unshaded, I reserve my opinion for another year. Aethdr R. Goodwin, H.T. — Here we have a Ro.se of very distinct character, and when in the bud stage it is most beautiful. The buds are of a coppery orange, and open rather too rapidly to a flat but symmetrically-disposed flower paler than the buds, with a rather curious salmon- pink flush which, though slight, is well defined. Many admire the flower when thus expanded, but 10 mo much of its beauty is then lost, and the flat form of the flower does not greatly please me. Still, it is well worth growing for its beau- tiful and distinct buds, and I propose increasing my stock of this variety somewhat this autumn. The plant is a good grower, and seems quite satisfactory. Ariel, Wich., is without doubt a beautiful summer-flowering single Rose. It is described not inappropriately as a single-flowered Tea Rambler, and the flowers are of a shade of cop- pery pink very like that variety. It is classed as a VVichuraiana, and the bright, ruddy-brown items and the beautiful shiny foliage may per- haps suggest this origin, but the strong upright habit of growth seems to me to make it more neas'Iy resemble the Ramblers, i.e., the Jlnlti- flora scandons section, and I think it is for uses similar to those for which Crimson Rambler and Blush Rambler are appropriate that it will best be employed. Be.\dte de Lyon, Austrian Hyb. — This Rose is certainly of a distinct colour. The raiser's description is coral red slightly shaded with yellow, but this hardly describes the colour. As the Rose has been shown here it is of a crushed strawberry of a rather dull tint, a colour that has not particularly appealed to me, but I am prepared to assume I have not yet seen this Rose at its best. The plant app?ars to be a strong jjrower, and it is said to be hardy. Cl.iuwus, H.T. — This Rose has a fiiie shape and large flower which is very fragrant. Tiie colour is a bright carmine rose, which is not particularly attractive to me, but I am growing the Rose for its fragrance. It secured a Gold Medal at the autumn show. Ethel Malcolm, H.T., is whits-shaded blush of good shape, and said to be free-flower- ii:g. It is a strong grower and will probably make a useful Rose for exhibition. It received a Gold Medal at the Luton show, 1910. Lady Hilungdon. T. — This Rose is of a wou- •derful colour, particularly when grown under glass. The Catuhijuc describes it as bright , fawn-yellow suffused orange, but I should rather put it the other way, bright orange with a fawn .shading. I have had it growing next to Lena this year, and have often been struck with the general resemblance in tint of the two Roses. Under glass the orange colour is more pro- nounced. It se?ms a good grower for a Tea- •scented Rose, opens readily, and, I think, will make a beautiful decorative Rose for the garden, but it is too thin to be of any use as an exhibition Rose. Flowers of this Rose evidently grown under glass appeared in many of the ladies' decorative exhibits at the Festival of Empire show at the end of September last year. The flower lasts well in water when cut, but tlie petals are of rather thin substance, and it is probable that, like all Roses of this character, it will succeed best when grown und'Sr glass. Lady Pirrie, H.T. — A Gold Medal was awarded this Rose at the summer show, 1910. Its colour is its chief claim to distinction ; this is deep coppery-salmon on the outside of the petals, with a lighter shade of apricot on the inside. In 1910 I thought this variety one of the most promising of the new Roses, but was rather disappointed with its behaviour last summer, so perhaps it requires a cooler season. It is a garden Rose, not full enough for exhibi- tion, and, from its habit, may possibly make a good bedder. Judgment reserved. Lieut. Chaure. H.T., is a seedling from Liberty crossed wath Etoile de France, and, like the latter variety, it seems a strong and tall grower, but it is a better colour, being at its best a good, rich crimson. The flowers arc car- ried well, are fairly full with deep petals, and the buds are long and foliage good. Taken all round, it is a promising garden Rose. H7u7e Kose. (To he continued.) TRIALS AT BAGATELLE. We have received particulars from Paris of the annual exhibition of new Roses, which will take place, as in previous years, at the Bagatelle Rosary, Bois de Boulogne. For the benefit of those desiring to compete, we give the following brief directions : The plants should have been, as far as pos- sible, raised in pots, and at least five specimens of each variety must be sent. These are to be de-spatched before April 15 next, consigned to Monsieur le Conservateur des Promenades de Paris (Roseraie do Bagatelle, au Bois de Boulogne, a Paris), en gare de Neuilly-Porte- Maillot, Paris. They must be accompanied by a note giving details sf any special cultural treat- ment the plants are to receive. The Roses will be placed in the ground as soon as they arrive at Bagatelle, and will remain there until the month of October in the following year, in order to enable the jury to study the plants during two seasons. The name and address of each exhibitor wil! be printed in the small catalogue published by the Librairic Horticole. 26, Rue Jacob, Paris. We give below a list of awards made during the past five years : — developed exceptional beauty, especially the Horse Chestnut, which appeared like sheets of gold blotched with bright red. I was so im- pressed with the great diversity of colouring and charm of the autumn foliage that I made notes of the more conspicuous subjects, and these notes may be useful to readers of the Gardeners' Chronicle, whilst the planting season is still with us. The Thorns (Cratiegus species) were strik- ingly in evidence. There is a wealth of species and varieties of these plants, suitable for gar- dens, many possessing beautiful flowers and showy fruits, but their greatest value is in the autumn colouring of the foliage. The American species and varieties of Crataegus number between 400 and 500, and many of these have been introduced to British gardens, thanks to Professor C. S. Sargent, of the Arnold Arboretum. A few of the more conspicuous members last autumn were Crata-gus speciosa (yeUow), 0. Baxteri (scarlet), C. lUinoiensis, C. Douglasii, C. tormentosa, C. regalis, C. ornata (producing varying shades of scarlet), C. prunifolia (intense scarlet, one of the best of all the Thorns for coloured leafage), C. cuprea (coppery-red), C. Dodgei (orange), C. chippewaensis (red to brown), C. rubicunda (bronze), C. benigna (yellow), C. densiflora, C. pruinosa (dark brown), and C. Maineana (red). At Aldenham these Thorns are planted on cither sides of grass paths in the pleasure grounds alternately with ornamental Oaks. The Oaks also, in their autumn garb, were exceedingly beau- tiful, a few of the choicer being Quercus palus- tris, Q. te.xana, Q. velutina, Q. Phellos, and its variety latifolia ; Q. cuneata, Q. alba, Q. rubra, and its variety Schrefeldii ; and Q. tinctoria. Other striliing features were the masses of plants grown in beds for effect at the different seasons. On the south side of the residence, below the terrace, and near to the park, a large bed of Berberis Thunbergii produced an in- describably beautiful effect for several weeks, the glowing colours of the leaves ranging from yellow to scarlet. The bed contains some four dozen plants, many of them being as much as 6 feet to 7 fo-et through. Other beds equally con- spicuous were planted with Cornus alba, the foliage of which was intensely coloured, although the plants are intended to provide a display of Vl-.AR. Awa:(D. Name of Ruse. Name of Winner. 1937 Bacatelle Gold Medal Marqnise de Sinety Pernet Ducher, Lyon. Coninieiided Mine. Edmond SablayrolUs ... Bonnaire, Lyon. Commended Mme. Constant Souperl Soupert A: Noiting. Luxembourg. Commended Mis. Peter Blair Dickson & Sons. Ireland. 1903 Bagatelle Gold Medal Rhea Reid E. G. Hill, Richmond, U.S.A. Silver-gilt Medal (Ministry of Agr.) Dorothy Page Roberts Dickson 5: Sons, Ireland. Silver-gilt Meda! (Hort. Soc. of France) Mme. Segond Weber Soupert & Notting, Luxembourg. Silver-gilt Medal (Rose Section of Mrs. Dudley Cross W. Paul & Sons, linglaud. S.N.H.F.) Silver-gilt Medal (Society of Rose Lovers) Frau Oberhofgartner Singer ... P. Lambert, Germany. 1909 Bagatelle Gold Medal (French Roses) ... Lyon Rose ... Fernet Ducher, Lyon. Bagatelle Gold Medal (Foreign Roses) ... Mme. Segond Weber Soupert & Notiing, Luxembourg. 1910 Bagatelle Certificate, No. 1 Molly Shariiian Crawford Dickson & Sons, Ireland. Bagatelle Certificate Mile. Marie Mascuraud Bernaix, Lyon. Bagatelle Certificate Lady Alice Stanley MacGredy, Ireland. Bagatelle Certificate Commandeur Jules Gravereaui Croibier, Lyon. 1911 Bagatelle Gold Medal (French Roses) ... Ueaute de Lyon ... Pernet Ducher, Lyon. Bagatelle Gold Medal (Foreign Roses) ... Jonkheer J. L. Mock Leenders & Co., Holland. Bagatelle Certificate, No. 1 Viscountess Enfield Pernet Ducher. Lyon. Bagatelle Certificate May Miller E. G. Hill, Richtnond, U.S.A. Bagatelle Certificate William Speed Dickson & Sons, Ireland. Bagatelle Certificate D^sir6 Bergera Barbier & Co., Orleans. After 1908 no m.edals were awarded except the Bagatelle Gold Medal. PLANTING FOR AUTUMN TINTS. It was generally anticipatad early in the season of 1911 that the autumn tinting of the foliage would not be so pronounced as in ordinary years, owing to the deficiency of moisture. But this opinion proved erroneous, for the foliage was never more beautifully coloured. It is true that the leaf changes took place much later than usual, but the process was sudden, and for a considerable time the land- scape presented a combination of glowing tints. Even manv of the commoner kinds of trees colour in autumn and winter with their red bark ; Rhus typhina, which was very showy both in masses and as occasional specimens in the wood- land ; Rhus Cotinus, the old inflorescences giving an additional charm to the beautiful tinted foliage, and R. glabra laciniata ; Pyrus nigra planted in masses was another very striking sub- ject. Of the larger ornamental trees that were especially brilliant may be named Cladrastis tinctoria, Parrotia persica, Liquidambar sty- raciflua, Liriodendron tulipifera, Kiielreuteria paniculata, Gleditschia sinensis. Ginkgo biloba, Fraxinus Ornus, F. excelsior aurea, Amelan- chier canadensis, A. oligocarpa, A. asiatica, and A. vulgaris. Some rare colouring was also provided by the smaller trees and shrubs. The Japanese Maples were remarkably 52 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Janu^vey 27, 1912. showy, one named Osakasuki being especially gorgeous. Spiraeas, grown as isolated specimens, were also attractive, whilst S. prunifolia mas.sed in a bed near to the waterside showed up con- spicuously. Rhus copallina, both standard and bush plants, provided excellent colouring, and the Viburnums, including V. Lentago and V. OpuUis, were equally as beautiful. jNIention must also be made of the handsome Stuartia pseudo- Camellia, Zelkova acuminata, Rosa nitida and R. rugosa, which was splendid seen in the mass in beds. Beside these may be mentioned Pyrus alni folia, P. Tschonoskii, Prunus Sargentii, P. orthosepala, P. Maximowiczii ; many of the Hypericums; Enkianthus japonicus, Euonymus americanus, E. alatus, E. europseus atropur- pureus, E. Sieboldianus, Cornus Nuttallii, C. alba , atrosanguinea, Berberis vulgaris, B. v. amurensis, B. diaphana, B. virescens, and B. dictyophylla. Amongst the more beautiful of the climbers were noticed the following : — Vitis inconstans (Ampelopsis Yeitchii) ; Rhus toxicodendron, which, trained to a single pole or a tripod formed of stout branches, gives a mag- nificent display of colour in the shrubberies in late autumn ; ornamental Vines, especially V. Coignetiee, V. Thunbergii, V. armata Veitchii, and V. vinifera purpurea. Several of the new species of Rubus introduced by Mr. E. H. Wilson from China have been excellent, and especially R. Lambertianus, R. massiliensis, R. Playfairiauus. and R. coreanus. Other new plants from the same source include several un- determined species of Berberis. Cotoneaster, Cornus, Cerasus, Ci-ata;gus, Pyrus, Prunus, Staphylea, Spiraea, and Betula, at present grown under numbers. Mention must also be made of Diervilla japonica, Liquidambar formosana, Rhus vernicifera, Staphylea bumalda. Vibur- num fcEtidum (scarlet), V. ichangense (bronze), Vitis pentagona (yellow), V. hcterophylla Delavayana, V. betulifolia (red), V. Thomsonii, Acer Henry i (red), and A. oblongum (deep yel- low). The foregoing is not a complete list of the many beautiful plants grown at Aldenham that are worthy of cultivation tor their autumn tint- ing, but it represents many of the choicer .species and varieties. Edwin Beckett. HERBACEOUS BORDER. VITEX AGNUS-CASTUS. It is recorded that Vitex Agnus-castus was in- troduced into the British Isles in 1670 from the Mediterranean region, where the plant is com- monly known as the " Chaste " tree. Despite the fact that most nurserymen dealing in trees and shrubs offer the plant in their catalogue.!, it is comparatively little grown in gardens. Th.^ reason for this may be that, being a south Euro- pean shrub, the plants do not succeed well i:i exposed positions ; but whatever may be the short- comings of Vitex Agnus-castus in this direction, a glance at the illustration (fig. 28) affords suffi- cient evidence of its value as a subject for a wall, and it need only bcr grown in the open garden in comparatively mild localities. A deciduous shrub belonging to the natural order Verbenaceoe, Vitex Agnus-castus grows to a height of some 6 feet or more in favourable posi- tions in the open, but against a wall this height is exceeded, the plant illustrated, on a west wall at Kew, being about 14 feet high. The flowering season extends from the end of August until October. The individual blossom.^ are on the small side, but the profusion with which they are produced on the long, slender terminal and axil- lary panicles more than compensates for any de- ficiency in size. They are white tinged v.ith lilac. The foliolate leaves are generally in fives. The plants thrive best in light, well-drained soils. Cuttings root readily in sandy soil in a close frame if inserted towards the end of the summer or early in autumn. To obtain long panicles of blossoms, more particularly on wall specimens, fairly hard pruning is necessary in March, similar to that afforded the varieties of Buddleia variabilis. A. 0. DIMORPHOTHECA AURANTIACA. At the R.H.S. Temple Flower Show in 1908 Dimorphotheca aurantiaca, a beautiful, half- hardy annual, of small stature, received an Award of ilerit from the Floral Committee, and since then its popularity has increased enormously with each succeeding year. The flowers are a rich orange-gold colour, and measure from 2 inches to 3 inches in diameter; at the time of its introduction the height was given as 15 inches, but probably from 9 inches to 12 inches would be more accurate. The plant is of a rather spreading habit and very suitable for massing in beds, while it is effective planted in groups in the front of herbaceous borders. Select the sunniest position in the garden for planting, as the sim has much to do with the plant's well-being. The seed should be sown in SWEET PEA DISEASE. (Continued from p. 36.) I AJi afraid it must be admitted that there is no actual cure for the streak. Tomato stripe, which is closely allied to it, is considered to be quite incurable, and until a cure is found for stripe, it is hopeless to expect that one will be found for the streak. The problem is, therefore, how to prevent its appearance, and it is towards the attainment of this object that all our experi- ments should be directed. As I said before, I have always held the opinion that the disease may be carried in the seed. This opinion was confirmed by a report made some time ago that the seeds of Tomatos and Potato sets may — and often do — coirtain my- celium or the gei-ms of disease. In 1910 I had to delay sowing Sweet Peas until April ; I then sowed on soil which had produced hithert" no- .,'**^'St „v< .\^:^ -.^l... vCST*^,-^..;^ -^ W ■^-tf '% v---*^ Km.:^^^^-: W^^f^^m^. [Photograph by E. J. Wallis. Fig. 28. — VITEX agnus-castus on a west-wall: flowers, white tinged with lilac. sandy soil in early spring in a temperature of from 55° to 65°, and the seedlings, when large enough to handle, transplanted into boxes or small pots. After being thoroughly hardened off, they should be planted in their flowering quarters at about the end of May or beginning of June. Dimorphotheca aurantiaca is also a suitable subject for the cool greenhouse. In habit, growth and foliage, as well as in height and size of bloom, the hyb)-ids of the plant are similar to the type, iiut th'e flowers vary in colour. Some are pure white, others bln?h-white, red, light orange, sulphur yellow, bright golden- yellow, and beautiful .salmon shades from deli- cate salmon to deep salmony-orange. There are varieties with different-coloured zones, such as white with a broad sulphur-yellow zone, or soft salmon with a deep salmony-red inner circle, and these greatly enhance the beauty of the flowers. /. B. M. thing but Potatos and fruit. The ground had been heavily manured for the Potatos, and nothing was given to the Sweet Peas but a little dried blood. They bloomed abundantly for a short time, beginning in July ; but by the middle of August many of the plants were affected by disease. In order to test whether the disease was transmitted in the seed, I saved a pod or two of Czarina from a plant wliich took the disease rather late. As a rule, a diseased plant fails to produce seed, but it frequently happens that the plant is attacked after the pods are near- ing matiu-ity. The seed I saved was sown the following Februai-y. It grew very slowly, but seemed healthy ; the plants were set out ni the middle of April, and remained healthy until they were 15 inches or 18 inches high. Then they suc- cumbed, collapsing quite suddenly, and I con- sider that their fate tends to bear out the theory that the disease was latent in the seed. January 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 53 The great difficulty in the matter is that we have not really known the nature of the disease, and that we have sown and watered and tended blindly, hoping against hope that the crop would be healthy, but utterly unable to ensure it. Ex- perience dashes our hopes again and again ; a wet summer leads us to believe that damp, chilly weather favours the progress of the disease. This, again, is contradicted by its rampant pro- gress in the hottest, driest season known for 70 years. In tlie Sweet Pea Aniiiml for 1909, Mr. George Jlasses saj's : — " Ttic disease is of a pliysiolof^ical nature . . . plants sufferutg from it i:a\ing an absence of root notiulcs'' After some generalisations, we are further told tliat "a suitable quantity if the proper sort of manure would attain the AN, Gartlener to Lady NuNliUUNHOLME, Warter Priory, Yorksliire. Bush Fruits. — Bush fruits do best in a deep soil. Bastard trenching should be practised where the subsoil is poor and manure scarce, but when the top soil is deep and dung and burnt garden refuse plentiful, trenching the ground 2 feet deep is best. In double digging or bastard trenching, allow the top soil to remain on top, simply breaking up the subsoil and en- riching it with manure or any other suitable material that is available. If possible, bush fruits should be planted in squares, as then wire netting may be placed around the plantation, and fish nets on the top to protect the buds as well as the fruit from birds. Plant in rows at 6 feet apart, allowing 5 feet between the plants in the rows. Black Currants may be grown in moist, shady positions, where they will bear freely, and succeed better generally than other bush fruits. Pruning Bush Fruits. — The pruning of the bushes may be deferred till later in districts where bullfinches are numerous : but it is best to prune now, and trust to an occasional sprinkling of limewash or some other wash not in- jurious to the buds to act as a deterrent to the birds. Quassia extract, with about 2 ounces of Paris Green added to each 30 gallons of extract, is a suitable wash to save the buds from the birds, and it will also destroy the eggs of the sawfly and other insect pests. Before commenc- ing to prune Gooseberries, take into considera- tion the purpose for which the fruit is required. If the berries are intended for use before they are ripe, the shoots will not require much prun- ing, but if choice dessert fruits are required, con- siderable thinning is necessary, shortening the side shoots to two or three buds. In pruning, first remove any branches that are too close to the ground, also those that cross each other, or overcrowd the bushes. Finally, thin the young shoots to 6 inches apart, shortening the leading branches to about one-third of their length. Well-established plants of Red and White Cur- rant should have the side shoots shortened to two buds, leaving 5 inches or 5 inches of the lead- ing growths for extension. Remove worn-out branches, and train young growths from the base to take their places. The shoots of Black Cur- rants do not require stopping, the removal of some of the older and unsuitably placed branches being all the pruning they require. In many cases beneiicial results follow the removal of all the old wood, treating the trees liberally afterwards. Some of the shuots may be saved for making cut- tings ; the others should be collected and burned. If caterpillars have been troublesome on Goose- berry bushes, remove the soil below the bushes 2 inches or 3 inches deep, and give a good dress- ing of lime. Afterwards apply manure or fresh soil to replace that which was removed. Deep digging is not necessary or advantageous in fruit plantations, but shallow forking will give a neat appearance to the garden. THE FLOWER GARDEN. By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady Nokthcote, Eastwell Park, Kent. Pruning Climbers. — Advantage should be taken of mild weather to attend to the pruning and regulating of climbers, making them trim and tidy. Many climbing species are afforded warm situations on walls, where they start intO' growth much earlier than in the open. These wall plants should be attended to first, or young shoots may develop and be injured when the work is done. Considerable experience is needed to prune climbers and shrubs, and the work should be done by a responsible person. An in- experienced operator may remove all the flower- ing growths. Such plants as Jasminum nudi- florum, Chimonanthus fragrans, and species of Forsythia flower best on strong, well-ripened wood of the previous year's growth, and if these young growths are cut off, the display of flowers is rediiced considerably. The pruning of such plants should be left until the flowering is over. Lonicera and Ampelopsis. — If Honey- suckles and Virginian Creepers have filled their allotted spaces, they may be closely clipped or pruned. If required for extension, the stronger growths may be retained. Climbers are largely grown by nurserymen in pots, therefore they may be purchased and planted at almost any season, but it is best to plant them now, so that they may become established early in the year. Polygonum Baldschuanicum. — This beautiful plant is suitable for growing on walls, and is very handsome when trained on dead trees or on tall poles, such as Larch or Spruce shoots roughly trimmed. The blooms last for several months, whilst the long, slender shoots are very attractive when clothed with the foliage. If it is necessary to restrict the growth of the plant, the shoots may be pruned back to the hard wood ; but in the wild garden this Polygonum may be allowed to grow naturally. Ornamental Vines. — The various species of Vitis may be planted at almost any time. Vitis Coignetis, V. Thunbergii, V. armata, V. Thomp- sonii, and V. heterophylla variegata are all desir- able species. In most of these species the foliage assumes brilliant hues in autumn. Established plants should now be pruned, cutting the shoots iaack to hard wood, but retaining a few of the strongest branches, where necessary, for exten- sion. Januaky 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. Ivy. — Ivy on walls should be trimmed just before growth commences in the spring, clipping the leaves and shoots closely. The plants will present a bare appearance after the operation, but new growth develops quickly, giving a fresh crop of green leaves in a few weeks. Turfing Operations. — The mild winter has been favourable for the relaying of turf. All work of this nature should be completed as speedily as possible to allow the grass to become established before drying winds prevail. When making turf paths, see that the soil is properly drained, as paths need to dry quickly in damp weather. To make them tirm and pleasant to walk on, place a thick layer of coarse ashes di- rectly under the turf. A moderate amount of treading is beneficial to newly-laid sods, and when the grass is fairly dry a light roller may be employed with advantage. manured ground. The white variety is much to be preferred to the purple sort, and, provided the soil is well enriched annually, this crop may be cultivated on the same site for many years in succession. Chinese Artichokes. — Stachys tuberifera should be planted during the next three weeks in an open, sunny position. The best medium is a light, open soil : heavy ground should have leaf- soil, fine mortar rubbish, road grit, and burnt garden-refuse incorporated with it. Globe Artichokes. — See that the crowns of Globe Artichokes are well protected from the ci'd. If fine cinder ashes are employed, in ad- aition to straw or long litter, these materials must be removed whenever the weather is favourable. The large, smooth, green variety is the best sort. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. Cy Edwin Beckbtt. Gaidener to the Hon. VlCARV GiBBS, ,\ldenliaia House, Henfordsliire. The Weather.— Up till the time of writing the weatlier has been anything but favourable for all outside operations in connection with the kitchen garden. The rainfall has been unusually heavy, and the prevailing mild weather has di'l-vyed the work in this direction, consequently every endeavour should be made to make good the arrears at the earliest possible moment. Trenching and Digging. — It is essential for the ultimate success of the various crops that ground operations be completed as speedily as possible, for nothing tends to sweeten and improve the condition of the soil more than the influence of frosty weather, which we may rea- sonably e.xpect during the next two months. At the same time it is unwise (and particularly in the case of retentive soil.s) to attempt to dig ground when it is in a sodden condition. U will be far better to defer the work until the conditions are favourable, meantime hurrying forward other matters which need to be done sooner or later. Onions. — Seedling Onions raised from seeds sown in heat either at the end of 1911 or the beginning of the present month should be pricked off into boxes. See that the boxes are well drained, and use a moderately-rich, fibrous compost, in a fairly dry condition, making the soil very firm. After the plants have been watered thoroughly, place them in a house hav- ing a genial temperature, as near to the roof glass as possible : do not hasten the plants un- duly into growth. On bright days the plants should be sprayed two or three times daily. Stir the surface soil frequently with a pointed stick. A further sowing of Onions may be made thinly in moderately shallow boxes. If the seeds are placed regularly, at a sufficient distance apart, the seedlings may remain undisturbed until the time for planting. This sowing should furnish good bulbs, and the plants will be almost sure to escape injury by the Onion fly. Autumn-sown Onions. — Should the weather remain open and the ground become suffi- ciently dry, the beds may be prepared and the plants transplanted, allowing distances of 15 inches between the rows and 12 inches from plant to plant. By planting at this early date, and especially on light soils, the results will be much better than if the work is left till later. Lettuce. — Cos or Ca'jbage Lettuces raised from seed sown late in the autumn may be trans- planted into cold frames in a sheltered position. Care should be taken that the soil introduced into the frames does not contain wireworm. If the presence of this pest is suspected, traps of some vegetable, preferably Carrot, should be inserted in the soil. Seedling Lettuce raised in heat should be pricked off into boxes as soon as they are large enough. Some of the forcing varieties of Lettuce may be grown in a tempera- ture of from 50° to 55°, for furnishing salad, much in the .same way as Mustard and Cress is grown. Jerusalem Artichokes. ~ If ground Arti- chokes have not been lifted they should be dug up, selecting th.e largest tubers for consumption and the smaller ones for planting in well- FRUITS UNDER GLASS. By E. Harriss, Fruil Foreman, The Royal Gardens, Windsor. Fig Trees in Pots. — With the lengthening days, it will be safe to afford the trees which were started in November a slightly-increased temperature ; but no attempt should be made to force them by means of artificial heat. On very cold nights it is better for the temperature to fall to 55° than to be above 60°. The warmth from the sun should be taken full advantage of to maintain the reipiisite temperature, closing the house early in the afternoon, after spraying the trees with lukewarm water and damping the b.are surfaces. The Fig is subject to attacks of red spider, but this pest may be kept in check by keeping the atmosphere moist and vigorously syringing the trees twice daily. Should the insect appear on the foliage, care- fully sponge the leaves which are infested w-ith a weak solution of soft soap and sulphur. Pinch the shoots at the third or fourth leaf, and, shoulil the trees be crowded with growths, cut out the weak, unfruitful branches. The shoots should then be regulated carefully and secured to neat stakes. Trees that were not repotted last year should be afforded weak liquid manure, and the soil sprinkled occasionally with some fertiliser. Those which were repotted will not require food till the roots are more active. Fig Trees in Borders. — The date at which Fig trees planted in borders should be started into growth must be regulated by the time when the fruits are required. It must be remembered that the Fig resents hard forcing, and that it is always better to start the trees a little earlier, bringing them on gradually, than to have to hasten them later on. Trees growing in well-drained borders will require copious sup- plies of water at the roots, and when growth is active they will also require plenty of stimu- lants. Syringe the branches thoroughly both morning and afternoon during fine weather, and keep the atmosphere moist by frequently damp- ing the paths and the floor. Admit plenty of fresh air before noon when the weather is favour- able. Stop the shoots at the fourth or fifth leaf, and remove sujierfiuous erowths that obstruct the light. Late trees that have not been pruned and cleansed should be attended to at once. At this pruning, the removal of some of the older branches will make room for younger shoots, thus giving a better appearance and furnishing the tree with fruiting wood. It is also some- times an advantage to shorten old branches to encourage young growths to develop nearer to the base of the tree. The branches should be given a thorough cleansing whilst the trees are dormant. The house and trellis-work should be well scrubbed with strong soapy water. After- wards remove a little of the surface soil of the border, and apply a top-dressing of fresh loam mixed with plenty of old lime rubble. Planting must be no longer delayed. The roots of Fig trees need to be confined inside the house ; should the walls have open arches through wliich they can grow, these should be built up with bricks. The bottom of the border should be covered with a layer of concrete to prevent the roots from penetrating into the subsoil. For young trees, a border 4 feet wide and 3 feet deep, including 9 inches of drainage materials, will be ample size for several years. Mix plenty of broken bricks and old mortar rubble with the loam, and ram the soil to make it firm. THE FRENCH GARDEN. By Paul .\quatia5. Hotbeds. — The making of the hotbeds for the frames is nearing completion. Paths, 9 inches wide, are provided between the frames, and the paths are filled with very dry manure, which has been previously broken up with the fork. No fresh manure is used in the alleys, as it would probably cause too great a fermentation of the bed, to the detriment of the Lettuces and other seedlings. Short manure is preferable for the outside paths, as short manure helps in the building of strong and firm linings. Seeds of Radish and Carrot will be sown as soon as the beds are completed, and before the lights are placed on the frames. When fermentation has provided suitable heat, the Lettuces will be planted ; they should not be set deeply to facili- tate the removal of decaying leaves. The hot- beds on which cloches are placed will be started as soon as some of the latter are available. Beds 9 inches in thickness are suitable. The materials for fermentation should consist of three parts of dry and one part of fresh manure. The hardier the Cos Lettuces are grown the better will be the results. Where available, a good layer of black soil should be placed on the manure. The soil should be levelled and raked over before the cinches are placed in position, three rows on each bed. Plant three batches of Cos Lettuces on every bed : one under the cloches, the second ill the spaces between the glasses on the south side, and the third in the spaces on the north side, making nine rows in all. We shall not plant the third batch here, as the Cos Lettuces grown on unheated beds under cloches will be ready at the same time as these. Instead, we shall m.ike a thin sowing of " Chantenay " Car- rots, a variety much in demand in the north. Crops in Unheated Frames.— The plant- ing of crops in unheated frames should be done without further delay, if the work has not been done already. The best kinds for a succession are Lettuces Little Gott (white seed), and Pas- sion, planting 30 and 25 plants respectively in each light. The paths between the range of frames should be filled with dry manure when possible. Cloches may also be used. They are set in three rows, allowing a 10-inch path "after every three rows. Either Carrots or Radishes may be sown as an intercrop. Each cloche may cover (a) one Cos Lettuce and two Passion Let- tuces, or (b) one Cauliflower and two Passion Lettuces. Strawberries. — The plants intended for forcing should have dead leaves removed, the top soil stirred, and the pots filled up with some fresh compost mi.xed with bonemeal. Nursery Beds. — Lettuces sown in cold frames in December are ready to be transplanted under cloches. Mats should be employed to cover the cloches at night till the plants are well established. A hotbed to accommodate a frame of three lights will be prepared for the first sowing of Cauliflower intended for planting in April and JIay. Cabbage Early Etampes is sown as a succession to those pl<;nted in the autumn. General Work. — The wet weather has- caused a delay in tillage operations, but the beds intended for the first batch of Lettuces and Cos Lettuces must be prepared at once, digging the ground deeply and manuring it freely. Should the soil be very friable, the ground may be simply raked over and seeds of either Radish or .Spinach sown broadcast and covered with a layer of black soil. Forestry and the Development Grant. — The Development Commissioners have made the following grants for forestry to the University of Edinburgh and the East of Scotland Agricul- tural College. To the University, a contribution of .€4.500 for building purposes; £2,000 for equipment of museums and laboratories ; £500 a year for five years to provide tor increase of teaching staff. An annual subsidy is also pro- mised to the above-mentioned institutions as a contribution toward the establishment and main- tenance of a forest garden and experimental plantations. 56 THE GA RDENERS' CHR ON I CLE, [Janu.^ry 27, 1912. EDITORIAL NOTICE. ADVERTI5EMfiNTS should be seat to the PUB- LlStlBR, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, W.C Letters for Publication, as well as spectmetis of plants for tiamtng, should be addressed to the EDITORS, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London. CommunicaitotiS shottUi be written on osk side only of THK PAPER, sent as early in the week as possible and duly signed by the writer. 1/ desired, the signature will not be printed, but kept as a guarantee of good faith, Special Notice to Correspondents.— TA* Editors do not undertake to pay for any contributions or illustrations, or to return unused communications or illustrations, unless by special arrangement. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for any opinions expressed by their correspon- dents. Local Hews,— Correspondents will ereatly oblige bysetidingto the EdilofS early intelligence of local events likely to be oj interest to our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to bring utuier the notice of horticulturists. (llustrations. - The Editors will be glad to receive and to select photogtaphs or drawings, suitable for reproduction, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, flowers, trees, &c.^ but they cannot be responsible for loss or injury. Tifws{>&pers.— Correspondents sending tiewspapers should be caie/ul to viatk the paragraphs they wish tlte Editors to see. APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1— Linnean Soc. meet. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3- Soc. FraD9aise d'flort. de Londres meet. Average Mean Temperature for the ensuing -week deduced from observations during the last Fifty Years at Greenwich-38-4°, Actual Temperatures: — LoHDOU.— Wedntsday, January 24 (6 p.m.): Max. 47"; Min. 39". GarJemis' Chronicle 0£Bce. 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London — Thiirsttay. January 25 (10 A.M.) : Bar. 29-3''; Temp. 42"'; l\cathtr— Dull. Provinces.— ll'f(ii«srf', January 24: Max 42° Mid- lands; Min. 83° Yorkshire. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY- Rose Trees, Fruit Trees, Perennials, &c., at 12.30, at Stevens's Auction Rooms, 38, King Street, Covent Garden. MONDAY AND FRIDAY— He: baceous and other Plants, Hardy D'llbs, &c., at 12; 2.000 Roses and Fruit Trees, at 1.30 ; at 67 & 68, Cheap- side, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris. TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY and FRIDAY— Nursery Stock at the Nurseries, South Woodford, by order of Mr. J. Fraser, by Proiheroe & Morris, at 11.30. WEDNESDAY— Japanese Lilies and other Hardy Bulbs, Perennials and Other Plants, at 12; Roses and Fruit Trees, at 1.30; Palms and Plants, at 5 ; at 67 & 63, Cheapside, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris. There are few people who '''•'^ are more responsive to the Cardeners- j . ^j charity than those Benevolent. , „ , e,^ who for pleasure or pront are connected with horticulture. Thanks to this generous spirit horticulture is .able to maintain two great charities for the relief of aged gardeners, gar- deners' widows, and the orphan children of gardeners who fall out of the ranks •early in life before they have opportuni- ties to provide for those dependent upon them. In each instance the charity is supported by voluntary contributions sub- scribed in many cases by men who are but moderately recompensed for the skilled services which they render to their employers. Such thoughts as these arise in the minds of those who read the annual re- port of the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution which we print on another page. Notwithstanding that last year -witnessed the Coronation, and that money was raised for many purposes in connec- tion with that national event, the Benevo- lent Institution received a greater mea- sure of support than in any previous year ; and the Committee acted in the same liberal spirit by making a larger annual grant in the relief of distress than they had ever made before. These facts should inspire a feeling of profound grate- fulness, which will be increased by the knowledge that 23 new pensioners were added to the list of beneficiaries at the annual meeting. Mr. Harry Yeitch, whose unsparing labours on behalf of this Institution de- serve the lasting thanks of all who are interested in gardening, or who have sympathy with philanthropic work, was able to point to willing colleagues at Worcester, at Reading and other places where local auxiliaries are achieving excel- lent work in making known the objects of the charity, and in the collection of funds. Mr. Arthur Sutton, Mr. Sherwood and Mr. Monro, only to mention a few of the men who constantly exhibit a liberality that deserves public recognition, are still working for the interests of the Institu- tion, but nevertheless gaps occur in the ranks from time to time. Last j'ear death claimed two members of the Committee in Mr. James Douglas, whose services ex- tended over a very long period, and Mr. James Walker, who was elected a mem- ber only a year or so ago. These sad, inevitable events make it all important that others should undertake a share of the work that still remains to be done. More and more workers are needed : the receipts increase, but the number of necessitous cases increases more rapidly ! So much is this the case that, notwith- standing the splendid work the In- stitution achieves it would appear that only a small proportion of the num- ber of applicants for assistance can be granted permanent relief. It is true that £1,000 is distributed in re- lief every month, and that 23 pen- sioners were elected at the recent, meet- ing, but these were selected from a list of 71 candidates ! Only one in three was successful in his appeal to the suffrage of the subscribers. Surely whilst this stgtte of things exists there are urgent needs for the creation of fresh auxiliaries in all parts of the country, for hard workers who will support and further the efforts of the Committee and Secretary in Lon- don, and for large-hearted employers who will give of their plenty towards the sup- port of a class of men that contributes so much to the amenities of their estates. How long some of the candidates have to wait was evident from an incident that transpired at the meeting. The election of the 20 candidates had taken place and a candidate had been selected to receive the year's pension volunteered by Mr. Arthur Sutton, when the meeting generously de- termined by vote to place on the funds two of the most necessitous cases of those still unprovided for. The selection fell on a gardener aged 86 and a gardener's widow, and directly the resolution was adopted there rose from the body of the room a subscriber to return thanks on be- half of the widow. He stated that he had attended four annual meetings in the in- terests of the widow, who, but for the kindly act of the Committee and members, would have been condemned to yet another weary period of waiting. We are not unmindful of the fact that the Victoria Era Fund gives some assists ance during this period of suspense to candidates who have subscribed to the In- stitution, but the amount of help which it is capable of rendering is not adequate, as is shown by the gift of £-20 by Mr. Sherwood to the unsuccessful candi- dates last week. Nor do we forget that the Institution has in its Samaritan Fund a further means of relieving acute distress even in cases where the applicant for relief has never assisted the Institu- tion by contributions. All these agencies are beneficient, but they are not sufficient, and fresh sources of income are urgently required. The Committee will do well to consider whether it is possible to make a collection at the forthcoming Inter- na,tional Show. It is reasonable to assume that the exhibition will be visited, by many wealthy people of this and other lands. The circumstances would there- fore appear to be propitious for making an international appeal on behalf of the gardening charities. It may also be found useful to have a stall for the distributing of literature. In any case, no opportunity of obtaining further support must be allowed to slip whilst there are so many candidates whose poignant voices the Committee hears year by year with sympathy, but whose pleading goes unanswered for lack of funds. Our Supplementary Illustration. — It would be difficult to show two tree trunks of the same speuies more diverse in their general aspect than those we now illustrate in fig. 30 and Supplementary Illustration^ The Queen Beech in Ashridge Park is, of its type of tree, no doubt tlie finest Beech in the British Mes. According to Mr. Elwes {7'rees of Great Jiritain niid Ireland, p. 20), it is be- tween 130 feet and 135 feet high, and has at- tained a greater height than any other deciduous tree in Great Britain except the Elm. Its trunk is, as may be seen from the illustration, a per- fectly straight and slightly tapering column. To the first branch it measures about 80 feet, and its girth at 5 feet is 12 feet 3 inches. Loudon knew the tree, and in his Arhorclum and Fruli- cetum, vol. iii., p. 1,977, he gives a figure of it. At that time (1837) it was 100 feet high and 10 feet in girth at 2 feet from the ground. To have assumed its present form and developed this beautiful trunk it must, of course, have been drawn up by companion trees growing pretty close to, it in its early days. Ashridge Park is remarkable for the number, variety and quality of its Beeches. There could be no greater con- trast between the grace and regal height of the Queen Beech and the twisted, gnarled, contorted veteran whose trunk is the subject of the other illustration. Many of the Beeches on this de- mesne were pollarded when young, and this may be one of them. It suggests, at any rate, the rugged giants of a similar type at Burnham, which are known to have been pollarded in earlier times. The beauty and the peculiarities of tree trunks afford, in the winter season especially, material for very pleasing study. We allude more Januaby 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. hi particularly to specific peculiarities than to indi- vidual characteristics. Many trees have bark so characteristic that their identity is recognizable by it alone. The smooth, blue-grey bark of the Beech is an instance ; yet many are not able to distinguish it from the bark of the Hornbeam, distinct as the two are when properly examined. As.sociated with the study of the trunk is that of the branching, and we can suggest no better winter study than that connected with the per- manent characteristics of the hardy trees. 'The Orchid Review."— The January num- ber of The. Orchid Uevhw is printed on f.rfc paper, and in other directions improvements ?.re noticed, the editor showing that he intends to maintain for the journal a leading place in literature dealing with Orchids. There is a beautiful illustration of Cypripedium Lord Wolmer " Westonbirt variety," and the text in- cludes a variety of interesting subjects. Amongst other articles is one on the vexed question of Cypripedium vtnus Paphiopedilum, which is Fig. 30. — VETERAN BEECH AT ASHRIDGE PARK. (See page 56, and Supplementary Illuslration.) "Irish Farming World- Directory and Annual.— This is a useful publication issued by tlie Ir'uh Farming World, and contains much of general interest not only to the farmer, but also to the gardener. The" list of stewards and gardeners in Ireland is, so far as we know, the only one of its kind published. Other lists in- clude the Officers of the Department of Agricul- ture, the Council of Agriculture, County Com- mittees of Agriculture, Breed Registration Socie- ties, and Agricultural Societies, with dates of the principal .=hows in 1912. A garden calendar is furnished, and many experts are recognised among the contributors of articles dealing with agriculture. ably dealt with by the editor. In dealing with the nomenclature of these plants it must be re- membered that the only names used in gardens are Cypripedium and Selenipedium (names ac- knowledged in Index Kcwensis). The number contains a portrait of the late Sir Joseph Hooker, and illustrations of several Cypripe- diums besides the one mentioned. Mr. William Ward.— The many friends of Mr. William Wasd, general manager for Messrs. J. Backhouse & Son, Ltd., York, will learn with regret that he has been compelled, by reasons of ill-health, to retire for the present from active business. Hibiscus Hybrids. — An account of the origin of the new Hibiscus hybrids, known in America as Meehan's Mallow Marvels, is given by Mr. E. Hemming in Mitt. d. Deutschtn Dendrolng. GesM., 20, 1911. The object which the late Thomas Meehan had in view in devoting him- self to the hybridisation of Hibiscus species was to obtain plants with good red flowers, which should possess the hardiness of Hibiscus moscheutos, a species widely distributed in the States of East America. After numerous ex- periments and many failures, Meehan succeeded in obtaining red-flowered hybrids by crossing the tender H. coccineus with H. militaris, which is hardy in the neighbourhood of Philadelphia. The hybrids thus obtained proved hardy, and among them were some red-flowered seedlings, which were used for cross-breeding with H. moscheutos. The offspring of this latter cross showed considerable range of colour, some being pale rose, others red or scarlet. Selections from among the best of the mongrels thus obtained have yielded the Mallow Marvels, for which Mr. Hemming predicts a brilliant future. They are vigorous growers, reaching in the course of three years a height of 6-8 feet and a breadth of 5-6 feet. An open, sunny position suits these semi-shrubby hybrids best, and they thrive most in a deep, rich, moist soil. The plants begin to flower at the beginning of August, and remain in flower for several weeks. Since frost kills tliem down to the root-stock, Mr. Hemming re- commends that the plants be cut down in autumn to within 5 inches of the ground level. Treated thus, the plants withstand a hard win- ter, and throw up somewhat tardy but vigorous shoots in the following year. Professor Bateson on " Genetics." — Professor Bateson. in his opening lecture at the Royal Institution, expressed his intention of dealing with the broader problems of biology in the light of genetic discoveries. The progress that had been made in the study of variation and heredity, by means of Mendelian analysis, shows that variation can no longer be regarded as an indefinite phenomenon. Considering the relation of variation to evolution, though evolu- tion is a generally-accepted theory at the pre- sent day, it is still impossible to give a definite answer to the question, " How precisely has evolution proceeded?" It is scarcely possible to Say definitely how any domestic animal or plant has arisen. Thus, it is generally believed that the Cochin China fowl has come from Callus bankiva, the Indian jungle fowl ; but no one knows by what exact process of addition or sub- traction of elements this evolutionary process has come about. In a broad consideration of the nature of specific difference, it appears that in all classes of living things there are good , species, with sharply-defined fixed characters, and others in which there is little fixity, and in which the systematist finds it impossible to de- cide which are species and which are varieties. Dakwin expressed the hope that with the help of his views, such difficulties would pass away. But it is not too much to say that the theory of natural selection fails exactly at the point where it is most wanted to help u.s, namely, the meaning of specific difference. Professor B.iXESON strongly urged all workers in this field to dismiss from their minds pre-conceptions as to how evolution has proceeded, and as to the part played by utility of structures, and to study the properties of ani- mals and plants exactly as they would those of inorganic substances. The doctrine that the degree of fixity of a specific character is a mea- sure of its utility to the organism can no longer be held. The lecturer concluded with the sug- gestion that toleration is of as great importance aa selection in the evolution of specific forms. B§ THE GARD ENER S' CHR 0 NI CL E. [Janjjahy 27, 1912. Mr. Harman Payne.- Our old correspondent Mr. Harmah Payne has just been the recipient of an unusual honour for an English horticul- turist. Among the French New Year's honours his name is included with those upon whom the Government has bestowed the " Palmes acade- miques." This decoration carries with it the title of " Officier de I'lnstruction publique," and is an acknowledgement of his services as a writer in 'the French horticultural Press. Pinguicula gypsicola. — A new species of Pinguicula was discovered by Mr. C. A. Puepus in 1910 during a plant-collecting expedition in Mexico. The species in question, P. gypsicola, recognised as new and named by Bkandegee, is the subject of an interesting article by Mr. A. PuRPUs in MoUer's Deutsche Gdrlner-Zeitung (January 6, 1912). The plant was discovered in the Mexican highlands, growing on gypsum rocks and hills in company with species of Cac- tus, Hechtia, Agave and other di-y -climate plants. Mr. A. PuRPUS, who has grown the plant in con- siderable numbers in the Botanical Gardens at Darmstadt, recommends cultivating P. gypsicola in pans containing layers of crocks, coarse sand, sifted turfy loam and chopped Sphagnum. Water must be provided sparingly during the growing period, and not at all, except for an oc- casional syringing, during the season of rest (from the end of November to the middle of Jlay). During the resting period the plant presents the aspect of a Sempervivum. The old leaves die down and the young, short, spathulatc leaves, covered with white, bristle-like hairs, form a close rosette. When growth is resumed the leaves become long and lanceolate, assume a yellow-green colour, except toward the lip, which is reddish ; the upper surface of the leaf is covered with glandular hairs, which secrete a thin, slimy fluid, capable of entrapping and digesting small insects. The flowers are violet- like, about an inch in diameter, of a dark to light red-violet colour, and are borne throughout the summer. Spraying for Big-Bud. — The efficacy of various sprays in combating big-bud in Black Currants has been tested by officers of the Board of Agriculture at Harvington, Worcester, and the conclusions to which the tests lead are pub- lished in the Jounial of the Board for January, 1912. The materials used were : — (1) Lime and sulphur in dry form — one part lime (air-slaked) to four of sulphur. (2) Quassia and soft soap (2 lbs. Quassia chips, 1 lb. soft soap and 10 gal- lons of water). The chips were boiled for two hours, and then the soft soap was added. (3) Soft soap at the rate of 1 lb. to 10 gallons of water. Three sprayings were tried : on April 20, May 4 and May 25. Microscopical examina- tion of the buds in September showed that the sprays had had a certain effect, though not enough to eradicate the pest. Of the substances used, a mixture of lime and sulphur was most effective. Thus the proportion of big-bud to normal (unaffected) buds which in unsprayed bushes was 55.7 per cent, was reduced by lime and sulphur to 45.5 per cent. South African Fruit Trade. — The values of the fresh fruits exported from the South African Colonies during the seven months ended September 30, 1911, are as follow : — Apples, £1,174; Pears, £4,104; Bananas, £253; Pineapples, £600; Oranges, £4,972; Naartjes, £1,555; Lemons, £55; Grapes, £10,427; Nuts, £82 ; miscellaneous, £2,409. The total value is £25,651, of which £21,532 represents shipments via Cape Town. Delagoa Bay sent fruit of the value of £1,409, whilst Durban came third with £1,333. Lectures on Genetics. — The first of a course of seven lectures on genetics was de- livered by Dr. Keeble, in the Imperial College of Science, South Kensington, on Thursday, January 18, at 5 o'clock. The subsequent lec- tures will be given on Thursdays as follow ; — January 25, February 1, 8, 15, 23 and 29. Dr. Keeble commenced his course by urging on biologists the importance of the study of genetics. He then proceeded to deal with con- crete cases of variation, as exhibited by the be- haviour of a pure species, Primula sinensis. The variations of this species were described and illustrated by a beautiful series of lantern slides, representing the plants in their natural colours. The slides, which had been prepared by the Lumiere process of colour-photography, were put at the disposal of the lecturer by Messrs. Sutton & Sons. The Drought and Tree-Grovi/th. — The Royal English Arboricultural Society is conduct- ing an enquiry into the effects of the abnormal drought of last summer on trees. It was noticed amongst other injuries that many trees had the foliage and shoots affected or killed, in others vertical cracks formed in the bark or stem, whilst on some the bark died in patches on one or more sides of the stem. Those willing to furnish information on the subject, whether members of the society or not, are invited to write to the secretary, Mr. Edward Davidson, Haydon Bridge-on-Tyne, Northumberland, for a form. The following data should be furnished : The year of planting, the season — whether autumn, winter, spring — should be stated, if known ; the method of planting, notching, pit- ting, &.C. ; the character of the soil, and the slope and exposure of the land. Small Holdings. — We learn from the Jouriial of the Royal Society of Arts that the President of the Board of Agriculture has been visiting the estate purchased by the Northumberland County Council from Lord Ridley for the pur- poses of the Act. The estate contains 871 acres of arable land, and about 12 under wood, the aver- age annual rental being about 34s. per acre. The tenants speak very hopefully of their prospects, and there are nearly 400 applicants still waiting for land. The county council could absorb 20,(X)0 acres if they could be obtained, and many of the actual tenants are earning a liveli- hood out of land which was practically derelict. In another part of the county, an estate is in oc- cupation of small holders, many of whom are minsrs who work the regulation eight hours in the pits, and devote the remainder of the day to the cultivation of land and the breeding of stock. The Weather in 1911. — Supplementing tl.e records of the weather published in the last issue, Mr. E. Matthews states that at Ardtornish the mean temperature for the year was 47.7°. August was the hottest month with a mean temperature of 59.9°. In this month also occurred the highest temperature for the year, 84° on the 12th. The coldest day was Febru- ary 1, when the thermometer registered 20.5°, and on the ground level only 19°. The mean re- lative humidity for the year was 82 (100 = satu- ration). June was the driest month as regards atmospheric moisture, with a mean humidity of 75, Rain fell on 240 days. The total rainfall for the year was 80.52 inches, this being in excess of the average by 9.13 inches, and exceeding the rainfall of 1910 by 6.61 inches. May was the driest month with only 4.11 inches. In Decem- ber; 16.55 inches of rain fell, or more than half an inch each day. There were 12 days during the year when the rainfall exceeded 1 inch, and the wettest day was on December 23, when 2.57 inches were registered. The drought lasted 21 days, from May 25 to June 15. At Waltham Hall Gardens, Lincolnshire, Mr. C. Prankish states the total rainfall for 1911 was 25.41 inches, as compared with 28.15 inches in 1910. The driest month was July, when only .56 inch was registered. The heaviest rainfall was registered J in June, when 5.30 inches fell in three days, f September, October. November, and December were very wet months, rain falling on 92 days out of a possible 122 days. Agricultural Education and the Board of Agriculture (see leading article in issue for November 4, vol. 1.). — The Board of Education, has issued the following Memorandum : — We have had under consideration the arrangements- for the promotion of agricultural education made by our predecessors as Presidents of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Board of Education, and published in the Memorandum [Cd. 4,886] of September 22, 1909 ; and have come to the conclusion that, in view of the large additional sums which have become available since 1909 for the purposes of agricultural edu- cation and research under the Development and) Road Improvement Funds Act, 1909, those arrangements now require some modification. It no longer appears possible to delimit the spheres of work of our two Boards by assigning to the Board of Agriculture the responsibility for the Universities and Colleges in which advanced work is being done, and to the Board of Educa- tion the responsibility for farm schools and such other provision for agricultural education as is ' on a lower plane than that of agricultural col- ' leges. It has therefore been decided that, in future, the responsibility for farm institutes, as well as for the agricultural work of Universities and Colleges, shall be transferred to the Board of Agriculture, and that this Board shall be re- garded as the Government Department concerned with this branch of educational work for the purposes of the Development Fund. The appli- cation for an advance from the Development Fund in aid of farm institutes, which has been made by the Board of Education, will therefore be withdrawn by them, and the Circular 778 on "Aid from the Development Fund for the Pi'ovision and Maintenance of Farm Institutes " issued by them on July 14 last, is hereby can- celled. A fresh application for an advance in aid of farm institutes will, in due course, be put forward by the Board of Agriculture. Fre- quent consultation and co-operation between the two Boards and their respective officers will be still necessary under the redistribution of func- tions, and the existing arrangements will be simplified and strengtiiened. Waller Hunciman, Prrxiilent of the Board of Agriculture and Fiylicriri'. Jnxrii/i A. Pcase, President of the Board of Ediiration. SCOTLAND. FIRE AT A NURSERY. Messrs. Taylor Brothers, Cedar Grove Nur- series, Dirleton, East Lothian, sustained a seri- ous loss through a fire which broke out there on the morning of January 17. The dwelling house, a timber structure, was totally destroyed, to- gether with several of the greenhouses, the- stables with two horses, the cowhouse, office, stores and workshop. The loss is estimated at upwards of £1,500. FORESTRY IN EDINBURGH^ At the meeting of the Highland and Agricul- tural Society of Scotland, held in Edinburgh on the 10th inst., it was resolved, on the motion of Mr. R. C. Munro-Ferguson, M.P., of Raith, to- make the usual annual grant of £50 towards the salary of the lecturer on forestry at the Edin- burgh University. January 27, 1912] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. ® 59 HOME CORRESPONDENCE. ^J^he Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents.) Rose Mme. Hector Leuilliot.— I was ex- tremely interested in the criticism (see vol. 1., p. 335) by White Rose on my notes on the finely- coloured Hybrid Tea Rose, Mme. Hector Leuil- liot. I do not think that climatic conditions are responsible for the shy-flowering propensi- ties sometimes attributed to this Rose, neither do I think it is a question of soil. In Jlid- Lothian we are not blessed with the glorious climate of, say, Essex, or even the North of London, but, notwithstanding this, we can flower Mme. Hector Leuilliot satisfactorily. Then, as to soil, I find this Rose grows strongly on a stiff, clayey loam, although the position is €.\posed. On the other hand, in a ."iomewhat sheltered position, some seven miles from tho exposed place, and on a light soil upon a gravel subsoil, it also grows well, but not so strongly as in the conditions already described. With plants grown under glaas in pots I also find no paucity of flowers, but an absolute immunity from mildew. I believe the secret of success lies in the treatment accorded in the pruning, and the time also at which this opera- tion is performed. These notes are based upon experience of plants budded low on the seedling briar. As to the pruning, I can better illustrate what I mean on this subject if I refer While Rose to The Handbook on Pruning Rosen, issued by The National Rose Society. In that book we are told to prune this Rose according to instruction six, the method being illustrated by reference to plates numbered 7, 8 and 9. Plate 7 represents a plant (unpruned) of a Rose requiring light pruning, while plate 8 represents tlie same plant pruned for exhibition purposes, plate 9 giving a representation of the same plant tieated for garden purposes. To begin with, plate 7, while it may represent a Rose requiring light pruning, certainly does not do justice to any plant of Mme. Hector Leuilliot I have seen, and appears more like some of the strong-grow- ing and robust Hybrid Perpetuals. If the plants are pruned according to instruction five, as repre- sented by plate 8 in The Handhoolc, the results will be disiustrous. The pruning for garden pur- poses, as recommended by plate 9, is much nearer the treatment required by this Rose, yet it is too severe, and two more " eyes,'' at least, should be left upon the laterals. 7'/ie Jlcindhook recommends that the pruning of Hybrid Teas should be done in March : here wo find tliat it is best done from the middle to the end of April. Gustave Regis and Mme. Hector Leuilliot seem to require almost similar treat, ment, and careful observation will soon teach the student the requisite experience for a suc- cessful operation. If, as is sometimes the case, the Rose grows too strongly, a judicious root- pruning will be useful. George M. Tat/lor, Mid- Lot h ion. Destruction of Rats.— I have read with much interest tho remarks of Mr. Kenwood (p. 28) and E. M. (p. 44) respecting rat-catching. Perhaps my own experience may be acceptable. I have with two ferrets and one crossbred bull terrier caught 85 rats during the last ten weeks. I have hunted one hour every weekday, from one till two p.m.. It is a mistake to wait too long between the hunts. W. Currell, East CUff Lodge Garden!:, Ramernicum, Stanhopea Shultleworthii (a deep-yellow flower with a blackish spot on each side" of the lip), and various hybrids. Messrs. Sander & Sons, St. Albans, received a Silver Flora Medal for an interesting group of showy hybrids and rare species, Cvmbidinm ery- throstylum and other Cvmbidium.s", a fine blush- tinted form of Pha'K -opsis allied to P. leucorrhoda, a selection of Odontoglossums and Odontiodas ;' the handsome clear-yellow-flowered Oncidium Jamesonii, which has, in addition to fully- developed flowers, others with rudimentary organs only ; Odontoglossum Grogaiiiffl : and other hybrid Odontoglossums were all interest- ing plants. Messrs. Armstrong and Brown, Tunbridge Wells, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal for a group, in the centre of which was their fine white Cattleya JIaggie Raphael alba " Orchid- hurst variety," for which an Award of Merit was gained at the last meeting. The flowers were uniformly good, the pretty, rose-coloured labellums being veined with gold in varying degrees. Lielio-Cattleya Wilhelmina, of "rich colour, and other Laslio-Cattleyas, showy Cypri- pediums. together with excellent specimens of Jfasdevallia tovarensis and M. Schroderiana com- pleted the collection. Messrs. Stuart Low & Co., Bush Hill Park, Enfield, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal for an effective group of Calanthe Veitchii, good Odontoglossums, Cattleyas, Lselio-Cattleyas, and other Orchids. The following plants were spe- cially noteworthy, viz., Dendrobium cymbi- dioides, Angrsecum superbum. and A. citratum. Messrs. J. Cypher & Sons. Cheltenham, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal for a group of choice Cypripediums, C. Mrs. F. Du C. Godman (Mrs. Wm. Mostyn X insigne), a bold flower with large, white dorsal sepal, blotched with purple ; C. aureum Surprise, C. Victor, C. Actseus Sybil (a light form of good shape), C. Beeckmanii (a clear white), C. Venus, C. Leeanura Corona, C. Vandyke, C. Thompsonii, and C. aureum Lang- leyense being a selection. Messrs. J. & A. A. McBean, Cooksbridge, were awarded a Silver Banksian Medal for a group in which forms of Odontoglossum crispum were well displayed, also whitfe Lselia anceps, a good specimen of Cattleya chocoensis alba, Cattleya Maggie Raphael alba, Cypripedium Earl of Ta'ii- kerville, Brasso-Cattleya Mrs. J. Leemann, and Sophro-Cattleya X Thwaitesii. Mr. E. V. Low, Vale Bridge, Haywards Heath, staged a collection for which a Silver Banksian Medal was given. The best plants were Cypri- pedium Laconia (Leeanum x Sallieri aureum), a flower of fine shape, coloured greenish-j'eUow, the dorsal sepal having a white tip and a faint purple band through the middle of the dorsal sepal, the petals and lip being also tinged with the same colour; C. Ulysses (Mrs. Wm. Mostyn X Thompsonii), fine in shape and of good colour ; C. Actfeus Langleyense, and C. Waterloo. Messrs. Jas. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, showed Cypripedium Idina (insigne Harefield Hall x Countess of Carnarvon), Odontoglossum Doris (an evenly-spotted flower), and the favourite Cypripedium Act.-eus Langleyense. De B. Crawshay, fJsq., Rosefield, Sevenoaks (gr. Mr. Stables), sent his home-raised Odonto- glossum harvengtense Crawshayanum, which far surpasses all of its class; 0. Yula (Adrianae x Lambeauianum) ; and Zygopetalum brachy- petalum Crawshayanum. Pantia Ralli, Esq., Ashtead Park, Ep.som, showed three white forms of Cattleya Trianje, " Ralli's variety," a fine albino, of good form; Cymbidium grandiflorum, Lycaste Balliae, and other Orchids. H. S. GooDSON, Esq., Fairlawn, Putney (gr. Mr. G. E. Day), showed Laelio-Cattleya \Vellsi- ana " Goodson's variety," the showy Odontioda Cooksoniae, Royal Scarlet, and Odontoglossum Ceres " Goodson's variety." Francis Wellesley, Esq., Westfield, Woking (gr. Mr. Hopkins), showed Cypripedium Thalia ■The Baron (insigne Sander.-e x Baron Schroder), which, contrary to what might be expected, is the darkest of the Thalias, and with consider- able character of C. Baron Schroder, especially in the heavy chocolate-purple blotching. Mr. Wellesley also showed C. King Emperor, a hybrid of C. Beeckmanii, yellow in colour, and with uniform, small, dark spots. Mr. W. A. Manda, St. Albans, showed forms of Cattleya Trianse. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., K.C.V.O. (gr. Mr. W. H. White), exhibited Zygopetalum brachypetalum. Sir Wm. Marriott, Down House, Blandford, sent flowers of a hybrid between Lailia anceps Sanderiana and Cattleya Aclandiw, in shape nearest to La?iia anceps, but larger, and of a pale pink colour. C. J. Phillips, Esq., The Glebe, Sevenoaks, showed Cymbidium Pauwelsii, " Phillips's variety," a better form of the plant, which gained an Award of Jlerit last year ; the bright-red front to the lip is a very attractive feature. Messrs. Hassall & Co., Southgate, staged a small group, in which were noted Cattleya Blackii (Gaskelliana alba X Jlendelii alba), a good white flower, which, in the variety shown, had a slight pink tint on the lip ; a distinct Ly- caste Skinneri, with bright, rose-pink petals and pure-white lip ; Cattleya Octave Doin, Odonto- glossum Aireworth, 0. eximium, 0. ardentissi- mum, 0. Lambeauianum, and other hybrids. Sir Julius Wernher, Luton Hoo (gr. Mr. Metcalfe), staged Calanthe Vulcan, a very fine hybrid, with flowers of a deep magenta rose, and evidently a better grower than most of the other dark Calanthes. AWARDS. First-class Certificate. Cypripedium Nora (Mons. de Curtc X aureum (Edipc). from Lt.-Col. Sir George L. Holford, K.C.V.O., Westonbirt (gr. Mr. H. G. Alexan- der). A flower of perfect shape, and with all the segments well balanced. The round dorsal sepal bears heavy lines of deep rose-piirple, feathered in the upper part, the centre being coloured rose- purple, surrounded by a white margin. The petals and lip are yellow, tinged and marked with purple. THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Janitaby 27, 1912. Awards of Merit. Cypriprdium Duk-r of Marlboromjh (parentage unknown), from the Duke of Marlborough, Blenheim Palace (gr. Mr. Hunter). The dorsal sepal is white, with a dark middle line, and purple spotting rising from the small, green base. The petals and lip are yellow tinged with purple. C'l/mbiclium SchlegcUi (in.;ir/7ie, x Wiijani- aninn), from Messrs. J. & A. A. JIcBE.-iN, Cooks- bridge. A plant having the elegant habit of C. insigne, but with large flowers, and nearest to Wiganianum. The sepals and petals are cream- white, slightly spotted with purple. The broad, white lip is blotched with red and crimped. Zygocolax Charlesworthii " CoWs variety " (Colux jui/osiis X Z. Pf_rre7ioudii), from Walter Cobb, Esq., Rusper (gr. Jlr. C. J. Salter). A larger and lighter form than those previously shown. The flowers are white, the sepals and petals barred with violet, and the lip blotched with deeper violet. Zygopetalum Machayi Charlesivorthii, from Messrs. Charlesworth & Co. A very remark- able plant, being the first albino of the species. The sepals and petals are pale pea-green, whilst the large lip is pure white. Lalio-Cattleya ainahUis (L.C. Fascinator X C. Luddiiiminniana Utanleyi), from Messrs. Charlesworth & Co. A charming, pure-white flower, with clear -purple veining in the lip. Cultural Commendation. To Mr. Branson, gr. to George Hanbury, Esq., Blythewood, Burnham, for e.xceptionally well-grown spikes of Calanthe William Murray, each inflorescence being about 4 feet in length, and carrying numerous, large flowers. Fruit and Vegetable Committee. Present: J. Cheal. Y.sf\. (in the Chair); and Messrs. C. G. A. Ni.x, H. Somers Rivers, J. Harrison, P. D. Tuckett, A. Dean, J. Willard, J. Vert, J. Davis, and A. R. Allan. Messrs. Geo. Bunyard & Co., Ltd., Maid- stone, exhibited an e.xtraordinarily good collec- tion of Apples, embracing some 180 dishes. Most of the fruits were coloured to a high degree, and the quality generally was superb, especially considering the" length" of time they have been stored. The following varie- ties are a selection : — Culinary: Lady Henniker, Norfolk Beauty, Lord Derby, Baumann's Red Reinette, Calville des Femmes (a large, round, green Apple, of fine appearance), Beauty of Kent, Waltham Abbey Seedling, Smart's Prince Arthur, Royal Jubilee, ;\Icre de .Menage. Striped Beefing, Lane's Prince Albert, Hambling's Seed- ling. Dessert : Christmas Pearmain, Fearn's Pippin, Hubbard's Pearmain, Duke of Devon- shire, King Harry, Easter Orange, New Bess Pool, Scarlet Nonpareil, American Mother, Egre- mont Russet, Wealthy, Rosemary Russet, Cornish Aromatic, Ross Nonpareil, Rival, and Aromatic Russ'et. (Gold Medal.) Messrs. W. Seabrook & Sons, Chelmsford, staged a collection of 48 baskets and dislies of clean, richly-coloured fruits of Apples, including the varieties : — Culinary: Lord Derby, Bram- ley's Seedling, Warner's King, Dimielow's Seed- ling, Bismarck, Golden Noble, Beauty of Kent, Newton Wonder, The Queen. Dessert: Ribston Pippin, King of the Pippins, Worcester Pear- main, Fearn's Pippin, and Barnack Beauty. (Silver Knightian Medal.) Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, set up a col- lection of root vegetables, all of great ex- cellence and of much interest. Selected Ailsa Craig Onions were perfect in form and finish. Good bulbs of the long, deep Cocoa- nut, the broader Sutton's Al, and Giant Red Rocca were also staged. Bedfordshire Champion Onions were exhibited in ropes. Tender anrl True Par.snips were wonderfully fine and clean. Beet were represented by Sutton's Black, a very long, dark root ; Pineapple, and the richly- coloured Blood Red varieties. Carrots included Scarlet Intermediate and Favourite, the latter a stout, short, stump-rooted Carrot of great excel- lence. Besides these there were white and led Artichoke tubers and Potatos. (Silver Knightian Medal.) Mr. W. E. Sands. Hillsborough, Co. Down, Ireland, staged a collection of Potatos, embracing 36 varieties, grown at Hillsborough, and including several Irish-raised varieties. The tubers were not large, but they were of even size, although they had " lost their autumn freshness. White varieties were repre- sented by Duchess of Cornwall, Lady Llewelyn, White Pebble, Conquest, Erin's Queen, Erin's Best, Irish Hero, The Factor, Leinster Wonder, Eclipse, and Favourite. The coloured varieties were Epicure. Flourball, and Shamrock. (Silver Banksian Medal.) The Superintendent, Jlr. S. T. Wright, ex- hibited from the Society's Gardens at Wisley a collection of forced Rhubarb under 22 diveVse names. One of the earliest, longest stemmed, and richest-coloured sorts bore no name : it has been grown at Wisley for the past 14 years, and has never been recognised. Other good varieties were Hawke's Champagne, Early Red, Collis's Ruby, and Crimson Perfection, GARDENERS' ROYAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. (ANNUAL MEETING.) The Results of the election were recorded in our last issue. January 18. — The 74th annual general meeting of the subscribers to this Institution took place on the above date. The proceedings were re- ported in our last issue, and we now reproduce the report of the Executive Committee for 1911. REPORT OP THE COMMITTEE. The Committee have much pleasure in submitting their annual report— the 72nd— together with a balance-sheet (as audited) showing receipts and expenditure for the year 1911. and. in doing so. desire as in former years to express their thankfulness at having been enabled to maintain the gxKi work of benefiting those horticulturists or their widows who. through sheer calamity and misfortune, have been obliged to seek assistance. Established in the year 1839, the chajity has since that time distributed in relief no less a sum than £137 000 whihit during the past year £4.344 was disbursed in per- manent assistance alone, being JEIM more than in any other year of its history. At the commencement of 1911 there were 246 persons— 140 men and 106 widows— in receipt of annuities of £20 and ±16 a year re3pe<.tivtly. During the «-ar 13 men and 10 widows have passed away. Of the men, eight left widows- one of whom (Harriet Goughl has since died— whose oases, being in every way deserving, have been placed on the funds in succession to their late husbands for the widow's allowance of £16 a year, in abean_E, M W. C, Eamai;ate_H. H. R. _H. T A. B. W L. J., Brussels— G. G J. H. A — C. H P G. M. T W. H. A C, T. D H. R. D A Journeyman—A. H, T .J. H C. 0 E. R. Supplement to the " Gardeners' Chronicle." Photograph by J. T. Newman. THE QUEEN BEECH, IN x^sHRiDGE Park, Berkhamsted, the residence of Earl Brownlow. Printed by Temple Press Ltd. » London»E.C. FebrUxVry 3, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 65 THE 6arbcueis'CbronicIe No. 1,310.SATUBDAY, February 3, 1912. CONTENTS. Acacia Baileyana and 1 Parasites, flowering Irisstylosa 76! plants as 73 Apples, the colouring of 16 Pasteur, Louis, memorial Api'le trees in grass land 76 of 73 Board of Agriculture and j Plants, movement in ... 75 Fisheries statistics ... 74 Plants, new or note- Books, notices of— worthy— Annual and Biennial Nannorrhops Ritchie- Garden Plants 69 ana G6 Plant* Wilsomanffi ... 69 Pronunciation, the, of The City Gardener ... 65 plant names 77 Carbon dioxide or nitro- Rosary, the — gen 76 New Roses of the Cattley a Maggie Raphael N.R.8. "Catalosue" 68 alba " Orch idhurst Scotland, notes from ... 75 variety " 75 Societies - Cobffia scandens var. Brighton Hort. 78 Deutscher Ruhm 74 British Gardeners' Estates, the break-up of 74 Association ... 75 78 Foreign correspondence- Glasgow Ftuit Trade French visitors lo the B-nevolent 78 London Inter- Haslemere Chrys. 78 national Exhibition 66 Horticultural Club ... 78 Genetics, Prof. Battson Leeds Professional on 74 Gardeners' 77 "George Monro" con- Linnean , 78 cert, the 73 Liverpool Hort. 78 Habenaria cnnopsea alba 68 Manchester and N. of Halesift tetraptera 73 England 0 -hid 77 Hales, Stcplien, mem- National Chrys. 73 orial to 73 Royal Horticultural ... 73 Institute of horticulture. Royal Meteorological . 77 need for a national ... 72 Southampton Hort. ... 77 Insurance Act, 1911, the 73 South African fruits. Land purchase. State- R.H.S. exhibition of, aided 69 abandoned 75 Liliam sulphureum and Strobilantlies Dyerianus 68 L. Fortune! 77 Trees, street, in Canada 77 Limestone, the value of. Vacuum cleaner, the, as as a fertiliser 76 a destroyer of plant Manures, phosphatic ... 74 pests 74 Obituary- Weather guides for Clarke, Thaddeus 80 French farmers 74 Orchid notes and glean- Week's work, the 70 71 ings - Zacharias, Prof essor, the Orchids at Weslfield .. ILLU 67 late NATIONS. 74 Cattleya Maggie Raphae all a " Orchidhurst variety " 75 Habenaria connpsea alba in Mr. Bowles's garden ... 68 Halesia tetraptera (Suppiem sntary Illustration) La^lia anceps " G. D. Owen 67 Nannorihops Eitchieana C6 "THE CITY GARDENER." WHEN The City Gardener was pub- lished in 1722, a galaxy of horti- cultural stars was scintillating in the Metropolitan firmament, and it is remarkable that many of these were not content merely to shine among their contemporaries, but elected to Uluminate by means of books the succeed- ing ages. Thomas Fairchild was undoubt- edly the most noteworthy of this group. Although his writings are but meagre in e.Ytent, they have the merit of absolute originality. We find the explanation in the originality of the man. He was not merely a gardener or nurseryman intent on producing material for sale. He went deep into the mysteries of the crude science of the period. The generation of plants and the circulation of sap were questions which he did not a little to solve in a practical manner. He raised the earliest known hybrid Dianthuses. He grafted Daphne Laureola on D. Mezereum, Evergreen Oak on English Oak, and when the scions continued to carry their foliage over winter he claimed to have established the theory of the movement of the sap. Another of his experiments which con- firmed that view was the budding of a variegated Jasmine on the common species, when a variegated growth emanated from the stock below the bud. Whitmill, a neighbour nurseryman, was engaged at the same time in making simi- lar experiments, but whereas Fairchild conducted his on plants botanically re- lated, Wiiitmill. tried the Eg upon the Mulberry, the Passiflora on a Vine, and the Laurel upon the Plum. Fairchild's collection of exotics and other plants was unsurpassed, C'atesby being one of the botanists of the period who consigned novelties to him ; hence we find the former referring to Aster grandi- florus as " Catesby's Virginian .A.ster," and another as " Catesby's new blue Star- wort." And it is perhaps worth recording that he consigned plants to Catesby in America, as we gather from a letter of instructions from the latter to Fairchild. Miller states that he was the only person whom he knew to have the Winter Aconite and the Christmas Rose, and Bradley, treating of the last-named, the Green Hellebore and Adonis vernalis, states " they are hardly to be met with, unless at Mr. Fairchild's at Hoxton." In one of Bradley's monthly tracts (March, 1721) a stove of Fairchild's, with three flues, is illustrated and described, with a series of heated frames in front that were in- tended to force early bulbs. We are also indebted to Bradley for " A Catalogue of Plants flowering in Mr. Fairchild's Gar- den at Hoxton." There we find that he had two mules, and not one, as is usually supposed, and of " Sweet Pease " he had scarlet and common. A list of .50 varie- ties of Grapes completes the catalogue, which the exigencies of space preclude us from dipping into further. Pulteney de- scribes Fairchild, Miller and Knowlton as the three greatest gardeners of their day, but the two last were young men when the former was aged, and we may safely affirm that Fairchild, as a florist and a general practitioner, was easily first. His memory is kept green by means of a legacy, amounting to £25, which he left to pro- vide for the preaching of a sermon every Whitsun Tuesday in Shoreditch Church, " On the wonderful works of God in the Creation." Beside The City Gardener he pub- lished an article in the Philosophical Transactions for 1724, " On the different and sometimes contrary motion of the Sap in Plants." He died an old man in 1729 ; Pulteney says in November, but October 10 is the correct date. The City Gardener is an unpretentious little volume of 70 pages, but it is cram- med with information of a very varied character. The title page reads : — " The City Gardener. Containing the most Ex- perienced Method of Cultivating and Ordering such Ever-greens, Fruit-Trees, flowering Shrubs, Flowers, Exotick Plants, &c., as will be Ornamental, and thrive best in the London Gardens. By Thomas Fairchild, Gardener of Hoxton, London : Printed for T. Woodward, at the Half-Moon against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleet-street, and J. Peele, at Locke's Head in Pater-noster Row. M.DCC.XXIL (Price One Shilling)." It is dedicated to The Governors of the Hospitals of Bethlem and Bridewell. There are two illustrations, one, the frontispiece, is a rude representation of part of a flower garden with green- houses ; Agave americana, Opuntia and other plants in tubs, and some figures. The other is a design for a London square. The volume is divided into six parts, which comprise an introduction. " Chap. I. — Of Squares, and large open Places in London and Westminster: The Plants proper to adorn them. Chap. II. — Of making and adorning Squares ; and how to dispose the several Plants in them. Chap. III.— Of the Part of London next the Piiver Thames ; how far we may promise ourselves Success in Gardening there. Chap IV. — Of Court- Yards and close Places in the CITY. Chap. V. — Ornaments and Decorations for Balconies, and the Outsides of Windows in large Streets." The introduction is intended to demon- strate the inherent love which all men cherish for flowers and gardens, so that even in a city like London, when people could get nothing better they were content with a nosegay, while others furnished " their Rooms or Chambers with Basons of Flowers and Boughpots, rather than not have something of a garden before them." Basons, as we gather later and elsewhere, were filled with plants. Boughpots are mentioned very early, and were still in use in the middle of last century, the word, sometimes spelled Bowpot, occur- ing frequently in all kinds of books. Latterly the pots were stood on window- sills, but at this time they stood in the fire-place during the summer months, and were kept fui-nished with branches of trees. A few years later, in the preface to the Diinriad, we find the remark "and chang'd from day to day, in like manner as when the old boughs wither, we thrustl new ones into a chimney " (fire-place). The object of Fairchild was to show how public squares, private " closes," and even fire-places mght be beautified with living plants, and in the course of his disquisition he furnishes a great deal of information regarding the more popular plants of the period, and also on things which ai-e overlooked by other writers. Unfortunately most of the plants he names are in the vernacular, and they are difficult for the ordinary reader to identify, but on the whole it might have been worse had he used botanical names as " Citissus 2 Clutis " for " Cytisus secundus Clusii." This plant, Cytisus sessilifolius, he in- forms his readers, was thriving in gardens along with the Scorpion Bladder Senna in Lincoln's Inn Fields. White Jasmine was common, White and Red Provence- Roses succeeded, but were not common. The Syringa (Philadelphus) grew in Soho Square, and Althaea frutex (Hibiscus syriacus) in other parts. Apples on Para^ dise Stocks were a success, and Pears in " allies " about Barbican, Bishopsgate, kc. In Leicester Fields a vine bore Grapes annually ; " At the Rose Tavern Without Temple bar there is a Vine that covers an Arbour where the Sun rarely comes and has had ripe Grapes upon it " (but that was almost country at that period). In many " close " places they were known to fruit. Mulberries were not uncommon, and Fairchild instances " two large Mull- berry-Trees growing in a little yard at Sam's coffee-house in Ludgate Street, two 66 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [February 3, 1912. likewise at the Hall belonging to the Worship- ful Company of Clothworkers." Figs also were a success, and " prospered extremely as in Dr. Bennett's Garden at Cripplegate," and elsewhere in tlie vicinity, as well as in the Rolls Garden, Chancery Lane. The Virginian Acaci.i (Robinia Pseud-acacia) was established at Russel House and Westminster, where it remained till cut down in 1801. The Bladder Senna grew " well in a Court in Crutched Fryers." Hops grew " very vigorously " in a close alley near White- cross Street. The Privet at several places, and White Thorns of large proportions, Jlezereon, Horse Chestnuts, Almonds, and MoreUo Cherries are among others mentioned. The Creeper of Virginia was very common, and there was "hardly a Street, Court, or Alley in London without some examples." Of flowers he mentions Auriculas and Carna- tions being cultivated in pots by Mr. Heymens, at Whitehall, and for the adornment of balconies he notes quite a large selection of plants, includ- ing Guelder Roses, Lilacs, common hardy flowers. Apples on the Paradise, Aloes, Fig Marigolds, which "Mr. Jobber, a very curious gentleman in Norfolk Street," cultivated success- fully. It is incidentally remarked that water could be carried as high above the streets as a balcony to furnish a jet for a fountain as a " Plummer " at the "upper end of the Hay Market" had working for a "long Time." In the few paragraphs devoted to Chambers, Fairchild deemed that it -would be not impossible to replace boughs, &c., with plants. He remarks "The Chimneys which are gene*-ally dress'd in Summer with fading Bough Pots might be as well adorn'd at once with living Plants, as I have observ'd at her Grace's, the late excellent Dutchess of Beaufort." Among the plants men- tioned are "Campanulas" (Campanula pyrami- dalis, which received the name of " Chimney Bellflowers " on account of the great esteem in which they were held for furnishing fireplaces. He thought Aloes and Torch Thistles, then rare, would " add an extraordinary Gaiety " if mixed with the plants he had already recommended. It is noted how purchasers were cheated by " Higglers in Plants " and others, and how he had seen plants " to be sold in the markets that were as uncertain of growth as a Piece of Noah's Ark." I cannot conclude without recording how in the part relating to furnishing Squares, Fair- child recommends planting lines of the same flower — really a Ribbon border. U. P. Brolheiston. FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. PROPOSED VISIT TO THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL SHOW. A FEW of my comrades and myself of the Ecole Nationale d'Horticulture de Versailles would like to visit the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition, which is to take place in London in May next. It has been the custom for many years for the students of our school to make a journey, for tlieir instruction, in the last year of their studies. This year, however, the authorities object to our journey to London on account of the high prices a.sked in the hotels. For this reason I should like to get information of some means of lodging about 20 young men at a reason- able price for about a week. I should be much obliged for any information or suggestions that will enable us to visit that remarkable exhibition. Gualave Adrian, elive a I'Ecole Nationale d'Horticulture de. Versailles. [We have forwarded the above note to the president and founder of the Societe Fran^aise d'Horticulture de Londres, Mr. George Schneider, 3, Meredyth Road, Barnes, whose kindly interest in gardeners and others from the Continent is 60 well known. Mr. Schneider states that his so«iety will do what is possible for the visitors. — Eds.] NEW OR NOTEWORTHY PLANTS. AFGHAN MOUNTAIN PAL^.i. (NaNNOERHOPS RlTCHlEANA.) At the last meeting of the Linnean Society a, letter was read from Dr. G. Henderson, stating that Nannorrhops Ritchieana, of which he sent a quantity of seeds for trial in British gardens, grows in the Khyber Pass, where it is some- times covered with snow in winter, whilst the summer is very hot. In 1885 (see Gardeners' Chronicle, November 20, 1886, p. 552) some par- ticulars w-ere given of this Palm, seeds of which Nannorrhops used to be Chama-rops, and the main difference between N. Ritchieana and the European Chamaerops humilis is in the foliage, the latter having a spiny petiole, whereas, in the Nannorrhops the leaves are unarmed. Aitchison said that, on the higher hills in Afghanistan, N. Ritchieana was dwarf and stunted, but in sheltered situations it grew to a height of 15 feet to 25 feet, which is exactly what happens in the case of Chamajrops humilis in Europe. The leaves are about 3 feet long, the petiole being half as long as the palmate blade, which is stiff and tough in texture, and is covered with a whitish powder. The leaf divi- sions niimber from 8 to 15, and they are about a Fig. 32. — NANNORRHOPS RITCHIEANA. h.ad been sent to Kew by the late Surgeon-major Aitcliison, who was with the troops under General Roberts in Afghanistan. These seeds were distributed, some being sown at Kew ; but, although we had the advantage of particulars as to climatic conditions supplied by Dr. Aitchison, none of the plants raised here were estab- lished, nor is there any report of success elsewhere, so that it is doubtful if this Palm is in cultivation anywhere in Europe. Seeing that another effort is to be made to accomplish what we failed to do 25 years ago, it is worth while to give some particulars of this Palm from information furnished partly by Dr. Aitchison, who had seen it growing wild in the Kurara Valley. foot long. The inflorescence is terminal, erect, and paniculate. The fruit is a roundish berry, about the size of a Grape, and the hard, bony seed is covered with an edible pulp, and known to the Afghans by the same name as the fruit of the Date. The stem of this Palm is sometimes branched, owing, it was thought by Dr. Aitchison, to the early abortion of the inflorescence. With respect to the hardiness of this Palm, we must not overlook the fact that, for a con- siderable period every year, it is covered with snow, this covering, no doubt, serving as a pro- tection from severe frost. Plants which, in nature, are snowed under during the cold season, and are not exposed until the sun is powerful enough to melt the snow, after which there is. Febeuary 3, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 67 no further danger from cold, are not nearly so liable to be frostbitten as those that have to support less froct without any covering of any kind. It is for this reason that so many plants from the liigh Alpine regions, where snow never fails to blanket them down, have a worse time •of it in this country, where alternations of snow, frost, sunshine, fog, rain, &c., characterise our winter spell. So far as winter conditions are likely to affect it, the Nannorrhops will probably be most comfor("ible in the south and west of the British islands, although it may miss the great sun heat of summer which it gets in Afghanistan. It may prove to be a child of extremes, to which intermediates are not congenial. If it can be made to live with us, as the Chusan and European Palms (Chamserops Fortunii and C. humilis) do, so much the better. We are so clever nowadays that we might even succeed in turning it to account for producing home-grown Dates ! Anyhow, it ought to be an interesting •companion to the Yuccas, Bamboos, and the two C'hamairops, the ligneous representatives of the Monocotyledons that have made their home in the British Islands. TI'. IT. ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. ORCHIDS AT WESTFIELD, WOKING. Mr. Francis Wellesley's collection of Orchids in his gardens at Westfield, Woking, includes many remarkably fine hybrid Cypri- pediums, an equally good selection of handsome hybrid Cattleyas and Laelio-Cattleyas, and choice C'attleyas of the C. labiata section among which are rare white forms, some not to be found in any other establishment. Select varieties of Cattleya Mendelii number moi'e than 30. the most prized of these being C. M. His Majesty the King, which has been awarded the First class Certifi- cate of the Royal Horticultural Society, and of which the late King Edward was presented with the only plant that has been parted with by Mr. Wellesley. Others of special merit are C. M. alba Venus de Medici, C. M. Majestica, the largest coloured iNIendelii, and the varieties Cwenda, Lady Wolseley, Golden Queen, and W. J. Mills. Of Cattleya Mossia; there are many white petalled forms, the finest white variety being C. Mossise alba Purity. The best col- oured form of C. Trianffi is The Premier, which has obtained the First-class Certificate of the R.H.S., and has been pronounced the best of its kind. The plants, in the care of Mr. W. Hopkins, the gardener, thrive in the most satis- factory manner, and especially the white forms of Cattleya labiata and C. Gaskelliana; C. G. Armstrongise grows and flowers with the greatest luxuriance. At present the larger Cypripedium house pro- vides the finest display of flowers with new and rare hybrid Cypripediums in bloom. Many are hybrids raised at Westfield, and selected from large quantities of seedlings which have flowered. In raising seedling Orchids Mr. Wellesley has found it a most difficult matter to obtain a cross between two hybrids of C. Fairrieanum. Another well-known raiser. Mr. Seden, made the attempt repeatedly and always failed. Mr. Wellesley ■continued the experiment, and finally succeeded in securing a tiny plant between C. Niobe and C. Arlhurianimi. The seedling grew slowly to about an inch in height, but its stature never in- creased, and it loses one little leaf as regularly as it develops another. Among the best Cypripe- diums in flower are C. San-Actreus "Westfield variety," which received the R.H.S. Award of Jlerit on January 9. The prevailing colour is yellow, but the upper two-thirds of the clear white dorsal sepal has lines of small purple spots ; C. King Emperor (Beeckmanii x Sallieri), the flower being mainly a bright yellow colour with a glossy surface ; C. guildfordense (exul x Calypso), resembling a large, darklv-spotted C. Earl of Tankerville; C. Thalia "The Baron (insigne Sanderae X Baron Schroder), a dark coloured hybrid with much of the character of C. Baron Schriider, though of larger size and finer in colour ; C. W. J. Mills (Actseus Langley- ense x Sallieri Hyeanum), yellow with a slight purple tinge and a fine white dorsal sepal, with purple spotting ; two handsome and quite dis- similar hybrids raised by the late James Douglas between C. Leeanum and C. Druryii, being C. Princess Louise, a grand flower, bearing some resemblance to C. Leeanum J. Gurney Fowler, but with broader and darker petals and lip, and fine purple spotting on the large whit« dorsal sepal ; and C. Duke of Argyl with showy white dorsal sepal measuring 3j inches across, the purple spotting being confined to a small area above the greenish -yellow base. Other hand- some Cypripediums were C. Troilus "Westfield variety," with very dark blotching on the dorsal sepal ; C. Memoria Mostynii (Act.-eusLangleyense X aureum Surprise), of fine form and clear yellow colour, the upper part of the dorsal sepal being snow-white ; C. Delhi (Earl Tankerville X insigne Harefield Hall), with the shape of C. Earl of TankervUle, which it far surpasses in the size and with the greater part of the dorsal sepal of the purest white; C. Thalia Mrs. Francis Wellesley, which, however, was not in such good form as usual, probably owing to the very hot summer, which, while favouring Cattleyas and Lselias, affected certain Cypripediums adversely. There were • also observed C. Fulshawense "Bromilow's variety"; C. Waterloo; C. elatior Rex, a fine hybrid raised by Messrs. Yeitch ; C. The Premier; C. Memoria Jerninghamise, a beautiful flower; C. Actaeus Langleyense ; C. Germaine Opoix "Westfield variety"; C. Mi's. Wm. Mostyn, and several hybrids of the last- named, all bearing rich rose-purple spotting in the dorsal sepals. There were only a few plants in flower in the house devot«d to Cattleyas and Lselio-Cattleyas. L.-C. Ophir "Westfield variety" had large buds showing its buttercup-yellow colour, whilst the very fine L.-C. Mrs. W. Hopkins, which secured the R.H.S. Award of Merit, represents a fine and distinct hybrid of glowing Indian yellow and violet-crimson colour; L.-C. Denganii, another good hybrid for which the R.H.S. Award of Merit was also obtained, having similar rich FiO. 33.^I,ALIA ANCEPS "G: D. OWEN." (Rshibiled by Lieut. -Col. Sir George Holford at the R.H.S. meeting on January 23. See p. 61 nnle.) and rich marking of the upper sepal : C. Little Gem, raised by Messrs. James Veitch & Sons between C. Baron Schroder and C. Harrisianum superbum. the latter giving good shape and fine colour to the hybrid. The best example of this is in the original C. Royal George (Harrisianum superbum X Minos Youngii), for which Messrs. Armstrong & Brown, of Junbridge Wells, were awarded a First-class Certificate at the Royal Horticultural Society's meeting on October 10, 1911, the plant being purchased by Mr. Wellesley at a very substantial price. Mr. Wellesley regards it as the best; Cypripedium in his coUection, and prides himself in having the stock of the true variety. Several strong plants of the very handsome and rather puzzling C. Mr. F. Sander were also in bloom, the handsome and finely-marked flowers showing some features of C. nitens. A curious point about this plant is that the leaves show slight reticulation, as though the barbatum section took part in the cross, though in the flower there is no indication of this. Other very fine forms noted were C. Miss Alice Wallace, clear yellow like C. Bianca, colour: and L.-C. Morningtonise, which secured a First class Certificate at the last Temple Show. The last-named is an improvement on others of its class in shape, and is delicately fragrant. Among Brassavola hybrids noted were a strong plant of the original Brasso-La;l ia Digbyano-purpurata King Edward VII., which gained the R.H.S. First-class Certificate in 1902; the handsome Brasso-Cattleya Mrs. Francis Wellesley, the largest and brightest rose-tinted Brasso-Cattleya ; and the laz-ge, pure white, fragrant B.C. Wellesleyse (C. Jlossiae Wageneri X B. glauca), one of the best varieties of its class. Odontoglossums are not extensively grown at Westfield, although the fine, healthy plants com- prising the small selection would appear to warrant their greater inclusion. The best noted were the hybrid 0. Armstrongise, shown at the Temple Show, 1909, and the nearest to blue in the colour of its blotching ; 0. crispum Mrs. Francis Wellesley, a perfectly formed white variety ; and 0. c. Mrs. Wm. Mostyn, a heavily- blotched flower. /. B. 68 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Febetjary 3, 1912. THE ROSARY. NEW ROSES OFTHE N.E.S. "CATALOGUE." 11,— ROSES OF 1910. (Continited from p. 51.) The M.tRCHiONESs op Watekford, H.T., is a bicolor Rose, the outside of the petals salmon- rose, the inside lighter and more silvery. Mary Countess of Ilchestee, H.T. — Sev- •eral of my friends think this Rose has a future as a good garden Rose, but I have little per- sonal knowledge of it. The colour is carmine, and the plant seems to flower freely. Mks. a. E. Coxhead, H.T. — This Rose has many good qualities as an exhibition Rose. The form is good, and it is very fragrant, but I do not like the colour, which is claret-red. Such as it is, however, it keeps well. It received a card of Commendation from the N.R.S. But for the colour it would be a grand Rcjse. Mrs. Foley Hobbs, T., is likely to make a good exhibition Rose. It is ivory-white, some- times nearly self-coloured, sometimes with a tinge of pink in the centre, which is very delicate and pleasing. I think the pink colour is pro- bably more often noticed in Roses grown under glass or when we get hot weather early in the season. The flower is fragrant. Mr. Fred Straker, H.T., is a decorative Rose. The colour of the flower is salmon-pink with a yellow base to the petals, and the buds are orange-crimson. The colour is both striking and delicate, and I have thought so well of this Rose that I planted a good batch of it last autumn. It is not full enough for exhibition. Mrs. Herbert Stevens, T., is another good Tea-scented Rose with pointed white flowers. Some call them white shaded with fawn, and others say shaded with yellow, but the flowers I have seen have been as nearly white as may be. This Rose has been compared, not altogether inaptly, to Innocente Pirola, and if it prove as useful as that old favourite, it will be a useful garden Rose, for it is hardy for a Tea. It was well shown last autumn, and may perhaps give exhibition flowers from time to time. ' Mrs. Leonard Petrie, H.T., promises to make a good decorative Rose for the garden. It is described as sulphur-yellow, but that hardly expresses the colour shade. To my mind it is rather a soft honey-yellow ; that is, it has a brownish shade, neither pink nor orange, which is quite attractive. Mrs. Maynard Sinton, H.T., is a gold medal Rose and fragrant. Beside this, it will suffice to say that it will probably make an exhibition Rose for the back row. That is, it is a large flower ; colour, white, tinged pink. Rayon d'Or, Austrian Hyb. — It is probably a long time since any new Rose created so much interest as this has done. The chief points about it seem to be its fine, deep, canary-yellow colour and its bright, glossy, green foliage, which looks well in the garden and is quite mildew- proof. It is free-flowering and perpetual, but not a very strong grower. So far as I can judge from one year's experience, it does not seem affected by that ugly habit of shedding its leaves in the early autumn which is so disagreeable a feature of some of its relatives, such as the Lyons Rose. The flower itself is not very shapely, and the petals are rather floppy, so perhaps we may hail its advent principally as a herald of good thintrs to come, a prospect that seems to be held out to us by its raiser in a really wonderful simile. " Such as the swallow is the pleasant messenger ■of spring, Rayon d'Or bids us fair for a next and future introduction of a marvellous set of deep yellow-coloured Roses which will add a new charm to the pleiads of these magnificent pc- petual-fiowering varieties which nowadays adorn our gardens." Recuerdo de a. Peluffo, T., a cross batwecn those two grand Roses Mme. Melanie Soupert and Mme. Constant Soupert, ought to be a good Rose, and I think it is so. The Catalogue, calls the colour light yellow w'ith a pink edge, but the flowers I have seen are rather a chrome or slightly brownish-yellow, with a deeper centre. The flowers are large and well formed, and the plants I have seem strong growers. Sheilagh Wilson, H.T., is a Rose I know chiefly by repute, though I put some plants in my garden last autumn. It is said to be a perpetual-flowering Carmine Pillar, and some have said it is even better than that bright and admirable Rose. I hope to see this year. It has received a card of Commendation. Shower of Gold. Wich. — This is a beautiful Rose, with golden-yellow flowers, and magnifi- cent foliage even for a Wichuraiana. I think it is the best of its class that we have had for some years, and all who have not got it should try it. [Pholosiaph by /. A. /aiiui. Fig. 34. — THE WHITE VARIETY OF HABENARIA CONOPSEA IN MR. BOWLES's GARDEN. Theresa, H.T. — This Rose is a pretty colour when it first opens, showing a mixture of several shades of orange-apricot. It makes a well-grown and shapely bush, and is fairly fragrant. That is all I can say in its favour, for I have found the colour quickly deteriorate and the plant badly given to mildew. Perhaps last summer was too hot for it, seeing that it was better early in the year than later, but it has been a disappoint- ment, though I propose to give it another chance. Viscountess Enfield, H.T., another of the Pernet Ducher Roses, is promising. Coppery old gold is the Cataloijtir description, but the flowers in my garden have been nearer a strawberry pink. The plants in my garden have not been quite so strong-growing as Arthur R. Goodwin, but it seems hardy enough. The points on which I am a little uncertain are (1) whether it is sufficiently free-flowering, and (2) whether it will keep its colour. I put in some more plants last autumn to determine these questions, and if the answer is favourable, it will be a useful addition to our garden Roses. I have seen it in exhibition boxes more than once, but think it will not often be grown for that purpose. Of Georges Reimers, said to be an improved Richmond ; Mrs. W. Easlea, well spoken of as a garden Rose ; and Reliance I have as yet no personal knowledge. White Base. (To be continued.) HABENARIA CONOPSEA ALBA. The accompanying illustration shows one of my greatest treasures, a family group, mother and daughter, of the white form of the fragrant Orchis. The photograph w-as taken in my rock gar- den in June, 1909, and it was six years earlier that I found the plant growing wild in one of the most delightful meadows I know of in Eng- land. I was there entomologising with its owner, who had invited me to stay with him for a day or two among the rare varieties of one of the Burnet moths that he had discovered there. The insects were not so plentiful, however, as we had known them a year or so earlier, this family having an unexplained habit of disappear- ing and reappearing suddenly in their habitats. The meadow was left unmown for some seasons to give the moths every chance, and its floral wealth was surprising, even for a Sussex upland, but the chiefest jewel was this snow-white Orchis. My kind host generously overruled my reluc- tance to remove such a treasure from his keep- ing, by saying that, very probably, if left there, lie would never chance to find it again, so it has found a home and many admirers in my rock garden. Fortunately, this species will thrive in a garden, and even increase, as the two flower- spikes of the picture show. When I found it, the single plant bore a spike no larger than that of the smaller plant now shown, and lately, when I replanted it, I found four separate plants. ]\Ir. A. D. Webster, in his delightful book, British Orchids, records one found by Mr. Reambottom in Ireland, and I quote his account of it to show I am not alone in praising its beauty. " The whole plant measured 21 inches in length, with shining, green, lanceolate leaves, and had a most magnificent spike of paper-white flowers. The flower-spike alone was 6 inches in length, remarkably compact, and deliciously fra- grant. Half-a-dozen such flowers as this would certainly grace a spare corner in any Alpine gar- den." E. A. Bowles, Wallharti Cross. PLANT NOTE. STROBILANTHES DYERIANUS. Strobilanthes Dyerianus is the most gener- ally cultivated species of the genus, being largely grown in plant stoves as an ornamental foliage plant. But I have often considered the plant well worthy of cultivating as a flowering subject. The supplementary illustration (Gardeners'' Chronicle, January 20, 1912) shows its confreres flowering as profusely in India as Buttercups in an English meadow. For decorative purposes young, quickly-grown plants of S. Dyerianus should be relied upon, growing them in tropical conditions. Cuttings should be pinched when rooted to induce from six to eight growths to break. Plants treated in this manner will flower satisfactorily in 5-inch pots. After the flower- heads appear the plants may, with advantage, be given cooler and more airy quarters, and they will remain in a good condition for a long time. Fred. W. Jeffery, Woodend Gardens, Renfrew- shire. February 3, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 69 NOTICES OF BOOKS. Further Contributions to the Flora OF China. • This useful publication is another tribute to the activity and success of Mr. E. H. Wilson, both as a collector of herbarium specimens and an introducer of plants into cultivation by seeds and other means of propagation. Judg- ing from the present publication, his later jour- neys have been as fruitful as the earlier ones. The families dealt with in this part are : Pinacese, SaxifragaceiE, Rosaceae, Aquifoliacese, Aceracese, Vitaceae, and Caprifoliaceie — all families of great interest to horticulturists. The contributors are mostly specialists, and their investigations, in many instances, ai-e not limited to Wilson's col- lections, but include all available material and sources of information. Finns scipioniformis, Masters, and P. Mastersiana, Hayata, are identi- fied with P. Armandii, Franchet. P. Henryi, blasters, is referred to P. densiflora, and P. pro- minens. Masters, is regarded as a synonym of the same authors' P. densata. P. Wilsonii is a new species of the affinity of the last-named. About a dozen new species of Deutzia and several hy- brids are described ; supplemented by a key to the 33 Chinese species enumerated. The primary cliaracters employed in this classification are taken from the aestivation, inflorescence, the various modifications of hairs in the indumentum, the structure of the stamens, &c. Hydrangea is another genus described in some detail. Includ- ing nine new ones, 26 species are recorded from China, and there is a key to them. The primary divisions in the classifications adopted are based on the seeds and petals. Of Ribes 15 species are enumerated, and of Rubus about 40, including one new one. R. inno- minatus is still retained as a valid species, though it has been (falsely) identified with another species in some horticultural publica- tions. A critical revision of the section Padus of the genus Prunus includes a dozen new species, and a key to the whole of the Chinese species. A considerable number of novelties in Acer are des- cribed, especially varieties of A. tetramerum, to which A. betulifolium is reduced. Another impor- tant reduction is that of A. la>tum, with its numerous varieties, to R. cappadocicum, though the latter is based " only on a single leaf without flowers or fruit." This, in spite of the fact that the name A. Isetum h:is been in use during 80 years ! Planchon's classification of the Vitace« is adopted. No new species are described. This part closes with the Caprifoliaceae represented in China by the genera Adoxa, Sambucus, Vibur- num, Triosteum, Symphoricarpos, Dipelta, Abelia, Linnoea, Lonicera, DierviUa, Kolkwitzia. and Leycesteria. By far the greatest concen- tration of genera and species of this family is in Western China. Symphoricarpos sinensis. Rehder, adds another, otherwise North American genus, to the Chinese Flora. The same author retains Abelia as generically distinct from Linnaea, a course which probably most botanists will approve. A synoptical key is given to 27 species of Abelia, all Chinese except the Mexican A. coriacea. Half a dozen new species of Lonicera and one of Viburnum brings the representation of these genera in China up to about 100 of the former and 75 of the latter. Considering how little of Western and Central China has even yet been explored, it may be safely assumed that it supports the richest temperate Flora of the world. W . Bolting Hemshy. Annuals and Biennials.* It is not imprtjbable that Jlr. Speer's book may be of use tu many people who want to get a general idea of the character of the bewildering number of plant seeds w'hich confront them in the annually-issued lists of nurserymen and seedsmen. An account of height, period of flowering, colour, &c., is given for a very large number of species, and notes as to origin and date of introduction of many are added. Hints as to conditions of sowing, place in the border, and such-like points will be of use to many an amateur, even if the book does not go very deeply or critically into the plants themselves. As a "handy guide," it can be safely recom- mended, but why does its author indulge in such wild vagaries in the matter of pronunciation of names? We fail to find any excuse for ins'ignis (p. 50), nor do we see why, on the same page (29), we should find Bel'lis and Be Ilium ! The illus- trations are good in many instances, they are artistically reproduced, and the paper is light — a matter of importance when a book is intended for use. J. B. F. * Publications r/ the Arnold Arboretum, No. ^.— Planlae WilsoiiianEB. An enumeration of the woody plants collected in Western China for the Arnold Arboretum, of Harvard University, durinR the years 1907, 19U8 and 1910, bv E. H. Wilson. Edited bv C. S. Sargent. Part I., July 81, 1911. 8vo., pp. 114. (Cambridge: U.S.A., The University Presf.) STATE-AIDED LAND PURCHASE. REPORT OF THE DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE. The Departmental Committee appointed by the Board of Agriculture in March. 1911, to enquire into the position of tenant farmers on the occa- sion of change of ownership cf their holdings has now issued its report. The Committee recom- mends : — " (1) That the period of notice of intention to claim compensation for disturbance under section 11 of the Agricultural Holdings Act, 1908, should be amended. " (2) That in the absence of agreement, two years' notice should be recpiired to determine the tenancy of an agricultural holding. " (3)" That, except when notice to quit is given for one of the purposes referred to in section 23 of the Agricultural Holdings Act. 1908, or where the tenancy is for a period of 12 months or less, notices to quit for less than 12 months should be made void by statute. " (4) That the tenant should be empowered to demand extended notice in the case of a sale. " (5) That the Small Holdings Act. 1910, should be amended to provide for payment of compensation for disturbance in all ca~*es when land is actually acquired for small holdings. " (6) That, if special legislation be enacted for W'ales. effect should be given to certain recom- mendations of the Welsh Land Commission, unanimously adopted by them. " (7) That a scheme of State-aided purchase .should be instituted on the lines cf Sir Edward Holden's scheme. " (8) That a scheme of State purchase should be instituted as supplem.entary to Sir Edward Holden's scheme of State aided purchase." The Scheme of St.vte-aided Purchase. The Departmental Committee was impressed by the general agreement among the witnesses which appeared before it that tenants .should be en- abled to purchase their farms by means of money advanced by the State, The general considera- tions on which the Committee bases its recom- mendations for State-aided purchases are as fol- low ; — " In considering whether a scheme of State- aided purchase is desirable, the Committee have endeavoured to keep in view four main require- ments which they are of opinion should be satis- fied before it is possible to recommend its adop- tion. Tlie primary requirement is to ensure as far as possible that no loss should be incurred by the State, and the Committee are glad to say that this view- was agreed to by all the witnesses. Although the tenant farmer is eager to take ad- vantage of the State credit of which he would have the benetit. it is. the Committee think, clearly under^tcod that any scheme must be con- ducted on commercial lines, and that the State should be safeguarded in every way possible^ » Annual and Biennial Garden Plants, by A. E. Speer H.R.H.S., with illustration? by the author. (London: Jehu Murray.) 1911. Price 7s. 6J. The second consideration is that care should be exercised in selecting the tenants to whom ad- vances should be made. In the third place, care must also be taken that the purchase price to be paid for the farm in no case exceeds the proper market value of the property. Fourthly, the scheme should be framed in such a way as to ensure that the annual payments in respect of interest on the loan and the sinking fund for its- repayment, should not exceed an amount which the farmer can afford to pay with a reasonable probability of success." Sir Edward Holden's Scheme. " The Committee have carefully considered the schemes which were submitted to them for deal- ing with this important question, and they have come to the conclusion that the proposal put before them by Sir Edw-ard Holden, Bart., a member of the Committee, complies with the re- quirements which we have mentioned. The scheme provides for the establishment of a Land Bank or Institution to lend money to the farmer to enable him to purchase his holding. It is pro- pored that the directorate of the institution should consist of representatives of three Depart- ments of the State — the Treasury, the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Board of Trade — a member of the Government, an agricultural land agent, two practical bankers, and a practical farmer. In order to assist the institution in its transaction.^, it is suggested that an advisory committee consisting of two or three members should be set up in each of the different districts where land is likely to come into the market. It is recommended that the State should advance the sum of £500.000 to constitute the capital of the bank or institution, which will pay the State 3^ per cent, interc-t on the loan, this interest to be cumulative. The institution will then lend to the farmer four-fifths of the purchase money to be repaid by annual instalments spread over a period of 75 years or such period as may be arranged between the purchaser and the institu- tion. Additional money will be obtained when necessary by the issue of bonds to carry interest at 3^ per cent, or such a rate of interest as would cause them to be taken up whenever issued." Certain obvious and necessary safeguards, if money is to be lent out of the public purse, are then considered, the Committee recommend- ing that a purchaser should be put under coven- ant (1) to keep the buildings in repair ; (2) to^ farm in a husbandlike manner; (3) to use the holding for agricultural purposes only ; and (4) to insure against fire. " The Committee recommended that in the first instance the scheme should be limited to sitting tenants, subject to the approval by the institu- tion of the purchase price proposed to be paid." The State as Landlord. Seeing that, broadly speaking, purchase is- only an acceptable proposition to the average farmer as an alternative to being dispossessed, the Committee favours the acquisition and man- agement of landed estates by the State. " Under a scheme of State-aided purchase, the State would undoubtedly incur a risk, not merely as regards reduction in value, but also of depreciation owing to bad cultivation, as, in the latter case, the personal remedy against the occupier is valueless in the majority of cases, whilst any profit on the transaction due to appre- ciation in the price of land would, in the absence of restriction on the tenant's right to sell after the expiration of a short period, benefit the in- dividual farmer, and it is an open question how far State funds should be utilized to benefit some members of the by no means large class of farmers who desire to purchase their holdings. If, how- ever, the .State purchases and lets to the tenants, it takes the profit, if any, as well as the risk, and, whilst obtaining for the tenant security of tenure, he will be left free and untrammelled to apply the whole of his capital to his business, which is primarily agricultural and not land- owning." Five members of the Ck)mmittee di/isent from the recommendations with respect to State pur- chase, and Mr. Trustram Eve, the secretary of the Farmers' Club, proposes that tenants should be enabled to purchase their holdings by volun- tary methods from their landlords by means of reducible mortgages to be arranged by the State. 70 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. [February 3, 1912. ^ The Week's Work. THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady N'lnblunholme, Warier Priory, Yorksinre. Insect Pests. — One of the most important and necessary operations in the culture of hardy fruits is the annual spraying of the trees. This is now the rule rather than the exception in all well-managed gardens, and those who have regularly practised spraying know that the ti'ees make clean and healthy growth, without which fine fruit cannot be expected. American blight and mussel-scale are two of the most persistent pests, and when established are also the most difficult to eradicate. The woolly aphis spreads from tree to tree with great rapidity, and only by constant attention to winter spraying and care during the season of growth can it be kept in check, ilussel-scale attacks every part of the tree including the fruit, and if not kept in check it also increases rapidly. February is one of the best months for winter spraying, for it is best practised after all pruning has been completed, and the prunings carefully raked up and burnt. There are now so many cheap and effective pre- parations on the market that it is not worth while to prepare home-made washes uTiless large quantities are required. Select a mild day for carrying out the work, using a knapsack sprayer; an ordinary garden syringe will answer equally well where only a small number of trees have to be sprayed. Gloves and an old suit of clothes should be worn by the operater. The Pear Midge. — This tiny insect ismost de- structive in some seasons, especially on Williams's Bon Chretien Pears, and is most difficult to eradicate, especially in the case of trees growing in grass land. In cultivated gardens the surface soil should be rei.'.oved to a depth of 2 inches and taken to the garden fire ; all fallen and deformed fruit should also be gathered and destroyed. Give the soil a good dressing of Kainit — 1 lb. or 2 lbs. to the square yard, or a dressing of vaporite afterwards worked well into the ground in the spring. Apply a dressing of fresh soil to replace that which was removed, and repeat the operation the following spring. The Pear slug should be treated in a similar manner. This creature buries itself a little deeper in the ground than the Pear Midge. Kainit, lime or soot may be applied to grass orchards with beneficial results where this pest is troublesome. FRUITS UNDER GLASS. By E. Harriss, Fruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, Windsor. Early "Muscat- Grapes. — It is not a difficult matter to keep Muscat of Alexandria Grapes until the end of January, but to have them ripe by the end of May or early in June the conditions under which they are grown must be very favourable. The roots of the vines should be restricted to inside borders to prevent any check to root action during the critical stage of flowering. The borders should be well drained and not too deep, conditions that neces- sitate frequent waterings at the roots. At this date the roots are growing actively, and an application of diluted li(juid manure will be beneficial. An occasional sprinkling of some suitable fertiliser will encourage the roots to grow near to the surface. A night temperature of 55° should be maintained, with a rise of two or three degrees during the day. During sunny weather the thermometer may be allowed to regis- ter 80° or 85°. When this temperature is leached, admit a little fresh air through the top ventilators, closing them again about 2 p.m., after damping all the bare surfaces in the house, to create a moist atmosphere. When the vines are approaching the flowering stage, laterals which require "stopping" should be pinched, and all superfluous growths removed. The tying of the shoots to the wires should be de- ferred till the bunches have set, except where the shoots are touching the roof -glass. Such shoots may be pulled down a little towards the trellis and secured with a piece of raffia. When the flowers begin to shed their pollen, the at- mosphere should be kept dry and the tempera- ture maintained as equable as possible. The minimum temperature may range from 65° to 70°, according to the condition of the weather. The vinery at this stage should never be quite closed. The flowers should be pollinated during the middle of the day by passing a rabbit's tail gently over them. It is a good plan to have vines of Black Hamburgh flowering in another vinery at the same time as the Muscats, so that the pollen from this free-setting black Grape may be used for pollinating the Muscats. I have found this to be of great assistance in set- ting Muscat Grapes at this early date. See that the borders are sufficiently moist before the vines flower. Late "Muscat- Grapes — In southern districts the beginning of March will be soon enough to start late Muscat of Alexandria Grapes into growth, but in colder districts it may be necessary to start them earlier. A great deal depends upon the nature of the soil and the situation of the vineries. In any case it is neces- sary to have the bunches perfectly finished in order to keep them for as long a period as pos- sible. If the vines were infested with either red spider or mealy bug last year, the house should be cleansed thoroughly with strong, soapy water. Afterwards remove the loose bark from the rods and scrub the vines two or three times with a solution of soft soap and sulphur. Before starting young vines into growth, dress the cut surfaces with styptic to prevent bleeding, re- membering that young vines break into growth evenly if they are started very gradually. Propagation by " Eyes • — Choose moder- ately-strong, well-ripened shoots from which to select the buds. Leave half an inch of wood on either side of the buds, and insert them in 3-ineh pots, in loam mixed with a small quantity of finely-crushed mortar rubble. JIake the soil fairly firm, and leave the bud just level with the surface. Plunge the pots in a hotbed, and lightly spra.y the buds two or three times each day. A hotbed which has been prepared for Cticumbers is suitable. Avoid having the soil too wet, as much moisture is not required until the buds are bursting into growth. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. By Edwin Beckett, Gardener to the Hon. Vicaky Gibbs, .^Idenbam House, Herltordshire. Parsnips. — The Parsnip requires a long season of growth, and it is not too soon to sow the main batch. The weather has been very un- favourable for all ground operations, and no attempt should be made to sow seeds of any kind until the soil is in a fairly dry condition, but directly opportunity permits, make a good sow- ing of this vegetable. Avoid ground that has been recently manured, rather select a quarter of the garden that was liberally dressed with dung last season. Such land will only need digging and making ready for the seed sowing. Before forking the ground sprinkle it with wood-ashes and soot, and level the surface with a wooden rake. JIake the drills about Ij inch deep, allow- ing a distance of 18 inches between the rows. Sow the seed thinly, press it firmly into the ground, and then, with a rake, make the bed level again. In order to obtain extra fine roots for exhibition purposes, bore, with an iron bar, holes 4 feet in depth at 20 inches apart, allowing 2 feet between the rows. It is necessary that the ground be deeply dug or even trenched in order that the roots may grow without hindrance. Fill the holes with finely sifted soil, old potting loam being suitable, taking care that every particle of the hole is fiUed, using a thin stick for the purpose. A seed or two should be sown over each station and covered as advised for ordinary sowing- Shallots. — Shallots should be grown on ground that has been well worked and liberally enriched with farmyard manure. A border near to the kitchen garden path is a very suitable place to grow Shallots. When the ground is in a workable condition, lightly dig the surface and afterwards make a fine tilth by means of a wooden rake. Plant in straight lines 1 foot apart, simply pressing the bulbs into the soil at every 10 inches. For general purposes the common variety may be grown, but Large Red and Giant yield much larger bulbs suitable for exhibition. In their cases allow a few more inches between the individual plants. Celery.— Make a small sowing of Celery for the earliest supplies. The plants should be ready for consumption during August and September. It is our practice to sow the seeds thinly in small pans or 6-inch pots filled with finely-sifted loam, leaf-mould, and manure from an old Mushroom bed, adding the necessary quantity of sand or road grit to keep the soil open. Use plenty of crocks in the pots for drainage purposes. Water the soil carefully through a fine rose, and then stand the pots in a forcing house, where a tem- perature of 55° is maintained at night time. Directly the seedlings appear, stand the pots near to the roof-glass, and transplant thctn as soon as they are large enough into shallow boxes filled with the same compost as before, but in a slightly coarser condition. The plants should be grown on in the same house. Parsley. — There has been little dif&culty this winter in obtaining a supply of Parsley. Plants in frames should be afforded an abun- dance of fresh air whenever the weather is favourable, the soil stirred occasionally, and decayed and decaying leaves removed. Jlake a sowing at the end of this month to furnish plants for setting out-of-doors in April. Sow the seeds evenly and thinly in shallow boxes, and germinate them in gentle warmth. ToMATOS. — Young Tomato plants should be repotted as soon as they reijuire larger re.- ceptacles, using clean pots with efficient drain- age. Do not employ manure in the compost unless it be bone-meal, which is beneficial. The compost may consist of good fibrous loam. Keep the stems well down in the soil, and allow plenty of space for top-dressings later. Water should be afforded with great care until the roots have grown freely in the new soil. Place suitable sup- ports to the plants, and stand them in a light position to favour a sturdy growth. PLANTS UNDER GLASS. By Thomas Stevenson, Gardener to E. Mocatta, Esq., Woburn Flace, Addlestone, Surrey. Clarkia elegans. - Several annuals are suit- able for greenhouse cultivation, and the varieties of Clarkia elegans may be especially recom- mended. Plants of Clarkia raised from seed sown in the autumn should be potted into 3-inch pots (60"s). Specimens that have been grown in pots of this size during the winter may be placed five or six in each Sj-inch pot (24's). The single plants are best for conservatory or greenhouse decoration, and they make fine bushy speci- mens from 4 feet to 5 feet in 6-inch pots (32's). Afford the plants a cool treatment until they are well rooted in their flowering pots, when warmer conditions may be allowed them. But avoid too much warmth, as this would cause the shoots to become spindly and the plants to lose their best form. Seeds may be sown now to provide a suc- cessional batch, but the plants will not be so large as those raised in the autiunn. Still, they will make beautiful decorative subjects, and, being easily cultivated, will afford a good return for the trouble. Most varieties are suitable for pot- culture, but for choice select Firefly, Carnation Flake, Double Salmon, and Carmine Queen. ScHiZANTHUS. — The Schizanthus is another annual which is very valuable for greenhouse decoration. It is now time to place the plants in their flowering pots; if large specimens are required pots from 7 inches to 9 inches in diameter should be employed, choosing the larger growing kinds, such as pinnatus, roseus and its variety, also the larger-flowered hybrids for the purpose. S. retiisus and S. wisetoniensis may be cultivated in either 4i-inch or 6-inch pots, in which they will bloom satisfactorily. Like Clarkia, Schizanthus requires a cool treatment, and succeeds best in a light, airy house. Pelargonium. — The Pelargoniums are all showy-flowering plants, and, although they are not cultivated so extensively as in former years, they are almost indispensable for conservatory and greenhouse decoration. Those of the Show and Fancy sections make useful pot-plants, whilst the regal varieties provide, in addition, a valu- able supply of cut blooms. They may be had in flower at almost all seasons of the year, but it is Feebuary 3, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. after the bulbous plants are over that they are especially valuable, their flowers continuing until blossoms out-of-doors are plentiful. Old plants tliat were started in September and October should be well rooted, and ready for planting in their flowering pots. As a rooting medium employ rich, friable loam mixed with a small amount of well-rotted manure, lime rubble and bonemeal. Pot firmly, as this favours a stocky growth. Plants raised from cuttings inserted last summer may also require potting, in which case the same compost may be used. Young plants last for a longer time in flower than older specimens. Plants of Zonal-leaved Pelargoniums that have been flowering throughout the winter should be afforded a little concentrated manure, after which, if growth is not too vigorous, they will probably provide a fine display for some considerable time. The atmospheric temperature should range from 50° to 55°. Maintain a rather dry atmosphere, and on no account open the side ventilators during damp, foggy weather. are not strong growers, therefore little pruning is necessary, the principal requirement being the removal of weak and worn-out shoots. The flowers are produced on shoots of the previous year. Planting Roses. — Though the orthodox time for planting Koses is past, the work may still be done, with every prospect of success. Climbing Ro.ses may be purchased from the nur- serymen in pots. If strong pot plants are pro- cured and planted carefully in good soil, a fair show of bloom may be expected the first season, but a little extra attention is needed when the planting is done very late in the season. THE FLOWER GARDEN. By J. G. WtsroN, Gardeiitr to Lady NoKtHCOTE, Edslwell I'arli, Kl-iu. Pruning Climbing Roses. — All the prun- ing necessary for climbing Roses is the removal of weak and superfluous shoots, together with dead and diseased branches. Plants growing in tlic wild garden, or in other places where their restraint is unnecessary, only need to be di- vested of dead or worn-out branches ; but speci- mens growing on pergolas, chains, pillars, or walls need a more severe pruning. The best time for the work is immediately after the flowers are over, as the plants then have prac- tically the whole of the season in wdiich to develop their growth. If the old flowering slujots were removed entirely, and the new shoots that developed from the base of the plant thinned according to the amount of space to be furnished, all that is necessary now is to cut off the unripened ends of the branches and to make till! plants tidy and sccme before growth re- commences. The thinning of the shoots of climbing Roses is often deferred until the plants are given a general overhauling in the winter, and where this is practised the pruning must be done very sparingly, cutting out only old and weak shoots, but retaining as much of the strong wood as possible. There is a wealth of beautiful varieties, and amongst novelties may be recommended Climbing Polyaiitha's "American Pillar," Lyon Rambler, and the newer Wichuraiana hvbrids, Excelsa, Shower of Gold, and Milky Way. Wichuraiana Roses. — These beautiful Roses are perfectly hardy, and therefore adapted for planting in exposed situations, where tender varieties would not thrive. Many are nearly evergreen, for they retain their dark-green, glossy foliage well into the winter. They are not particular as to soil, but some loam should be used when planting in order to give them a good start. Dorothy Perkins, Hiawatha. Gerbe Rose, Jersey Beauty, Paradise, White Dorothy, Minnehaha, Edmond Proust, and Gardenia are all desirable varieties. Climbing Polyantha Roses. — A few ex- ceptionally good varieties nf this type of Rose are Tausendschon, Electra, Philadelphia Rambler, Queen Alexandra, Rubin, Climbing White Pet, and Flower of Fairfield. Penzance Briars. — These Roses are prac- tically all vigorous growers, and may be recom- mended for forming hedges or screens. They are seen at their best when allowed to grow at will, very little pruning being necessary. Anne of Geierstein, Lady Penzance, Catherine Seyton, Lucy Bertram, Brenda, and Lucy Ashton are all sterling varieties. Ayrshire and Evergreen Roses. — These older Roses are very hardy, having robust con- stitutions. Such varieties as Dundee Rambler, Queen of the Belgians, Felicite-Perpetue, and Rampant will thrive in almost any situation. Austrian Briars. -The Austrian Briars are a quite small section of the Rose family, but the plants are very beautiful, and a good specimen in bloom always attracts attention. The plants PUBLIC PARKS AND GARDENS. By Chief Officer. Advertising Public Parks. — At first sightit may appear somewhat absurd to suggest the necessity or even the advisability of advertising among its own residents the public parks of any town. One may be very readily excused for re- garding such a proposal as unworthy of a moment's con.^ideration. To most people a public park is, as it were, its own advertisement, and if it is not patronised or if its management is not quite understood by the public then they have only themselves to blame. This, however, is quite "the wrong attitude for public authori- ties to take up, for, without the slightest doubt, the more widely the parks of a town are adver- tised among the residents, and the more the latter know regarding the management, the greater will the parks be appreciated, and the easier will the public be controlled when visiting them. It is always found that where parks are properly advertised the public are enabled to make the greater use of them, and as a consequence one is justified in concluding that the general health and happiness of the people are proportionately increased. Suitable Methods. — Ordinary advertising methods, although very useful in their way, are not, so far as parks are concerned, the most suc- cessful in attaining the end in view. Cheaper, and as a rule more efficacious, ways are always at hand provided the chief of the Parks Department sees fit to make use of them. One of the easiest modes is to enlist the help and sympathy of the journalists associated with the local papers. In- teresting paragraphs relating to the parks and the doings therein always tend to keep the eyes of the public fastened on the Parks Department. In this connection it is always well when the meetings of the Parks Committee are open to the Press, for although this has its drawbacks in other ways, it helps in a very real manner to keep the" residents in touch with the work car- ried on in the parks. Popular Lectures. — Another most useful method of advertising the parks is by making them the subject of popular lectures. If the chief officer or one of his assistants is able to give interesting lectures relating to the parks it is an admirable system of advertising them. Once it becomes known that a public official is able and willing to lecture — especially when he is in a position to illustrate his subject by the aid of lantern slides — his help is sought by all kinds of societies in the town. Church literary societies, naturalist societies, ratepayers associa- tions, and numerous other public bodies are anxious to secure the assistance of a lecturer who gives his services free. Lectures on parks and park management, delivered before audiences such as are gathered at meetings of this varied charac- ter (io an immense amount of good. On occasions of this kind it is possible not only to enlighten the public regarding what is actually being done in their interests in the parks, but also to edu- cate them to appreciate the very restrictions which have to be enforced upon them when using the parks or other open spaces. Lectures of a similar character delivered to juveniles in the " Children's Halls " of public libraries — as they often are in large municipalities — tend very naturally to educate the younger generation to a right and proper regard for the parks and open spaces in their own and other towns. No one who has the slightest experience of such matters will deny that this is a condition of things greatly to be desired, therefore no opportunity should be lost in attempting to bring it about. "Wardism." — When dealing with the ques- tion of " wardism " in our last month's article^ we took occasion to state that later on we would touch upon a very useful mtans of combating it. The means we alluded to was the judicious in- fluencing of public opinion in a right direction,, and there is no more powerful method of doing so than by the aid of the Press, as already indicated, and through pubbc lectures. Where this is well and wisely done, there is but little fear of " wardism " becoming a real danger to the managing authority of a parks department. A WARNl^G. — One note of warning, however, is needed in concluding this subject of park adver- vertisement, or more harm than good may arise from it. It is this : let it be clearly understood that it is the parks and their work that have to be advertised, not the work of the officials. How- ever much an official may have done in working out a successful policy of management, he must bear in mind that without the assistance of the committee in authority over him it could hardly have been carried out, and naturally it is their efforts which deserve commendation. A lecturer or a writer who never loses an opportunity of praising his own efforts soon ceases to carry any weight with his audience or his readers. THE ORCHID HOUSES. By J. Collier, Gardener lo Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart.,. Gatloa Park, Reigate. Oncidium. — Most of the winter-flowering Oncidiums, such as 0. concolor, 0. Forbesii, and those of the vericosum section, will soon have finished flowering, when the plants should be kept rather dry at the roots, but not so dry as to cause the growths to shrivel. The plants will soon commence to grow afresh, and any that re- quire potting should be attended to as soon as- roots develop from the young growths. These Orchids are best grown in pans suspended from the roof rafters, in a temperature ranging from 52" to 55°, allowing it to rise to 60° or 62° as the season advances. A suitable rooting medium is a mixture of good fibrous peat or Al fibre, half- decayed Oak leaves, rubbed through a ^-inch- sieve, and Sphagnum-moss, in equal quantities, adding plenty of crushed crocks to keep the com- post porous. The pans should be only just large enough to accommodate the plants, as they need a restricted space for their roots. Pot moder- ately firmly, and place the base of the young shoot well down into the compost, so that the young roots may soon get well into it, thus mini- mising the danger of damage by slugs or wood- lice. Both these pests are particularly fond of the young roots of Oncidiums. Plants of 0. macranthum and 0. lamelligerum are sending up their flower-spikes. These should be trained along the roof of the house, or around sticks, and when they have reached a reasonable- length the tip may be pinched off, as this will cause the spikes to branch and the flowers to de- velop finer. 0. Cavendishianum, 0. flexuosum, 0. Kramerianum, and 0. papilio require a highei" temperature than the others mentioned. L/ELIA. — Lffilias of the Anceps type, also Li. autumnalis and L. Gouldiana, should be afforded but little water at the roofs after the flowers are- over, it being only necessary to keep the pseudo- bulbs from shrivelling. Grow the plants in a. house having an intermediate temperature, stand- ing them in a light position near to the roof -glass. Specimens that need repotting should be at- tended to just before young roots begin to push from the new pseudo-bulbs. The old roots, should not be di.-5turbed more than is necessary, as root disturbance may result in unsatisfactory blooming. The following season, plants that have- overgrown their receptacles may, if there are numerous pseudo-bulbs behind the leading growth, be broken up and made into shapely specimens, retaining two or three pseudo-bulbs behind each lead. I prefer pans to grow them in, but I have seen these plants doing well in teakwood baskets. A suitable compost consists of good fibrous peat and Osmunda fibre in equal parts, and a quantity of Sphagnum-moss. Cattleya. — Most Cattle}-as are now at their season of rest, but plants of C. Trianse and its varieties are pushing up their flower-buds, and will require an increased amount of water at the roots. As soon as the flowers have developed,, the supply of moisture should be reduced again,, affording but very little until new roots appear^ 72 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Febbhaky 3, 1912. APPOINTMENTS FOR FEBRUARY. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3— Soc. Fran^aise d'Hort. de Londres meet. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5— Nat. Cbrys. Soc. Ann. Meet, at Can's Restaurant, Strand, at 7 p.m. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 6 - Roy. Hort. Soc. Corns. Meet. (Lecture at 3 p.m. by Sir Everard im Thuru on " Plants of Fiji and Other South Sea Islands.") Scottish Hort. Soc. meet. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8— Manchester & N. of England Orchid Soc. meet. British Card. Assoc. (London Branch) meet. (Lecture by Mr. Edward Chitty on " Stove Plants.") FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9— Roy. Gard. Orphan Fund Ann. Meet, and election of candidates at Simpson's Restaurant, Strand, at 3 p.m. Roy. Scottish Arboricuttural Soc. Ann. Meet. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12- United Hort. Benelit and Prov. Soc. Com. meet, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13- Roy. Hort. Soc. Ann. Meet, (no exhibition.) THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15- Linnean Soc. meet. Croydon and District Hort. Mutual Improvement Soc. Ann. Dinner. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19- Nat. Chrys. Soc. Executive Com. meet. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20- Roy. Hort. Soc. Coms. meet. (Lecture at 3 p.m. by Mr. VV. Cuthbertson on "New Sweet Pea?.") Horti- cuhural Club Ann. Meet. 5.15 p.m., and Dinner 6 p.m. N. of England Hort. Soc. meet, at Leeds. {Lecture by Mr. Pulham, Junr., on " The R.H.S. Rock Garden.") WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21- Roy. Meteorological Soc. meet. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22- Manchester & N. of England Orchid Soc. and N. of England Hort. Society's joint show at Manchester. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28- Roy. Botanic Soc. meet. Average Mean Temperature for the ensuing week deduced from observations during the last Fifty Years at Greenwich— SB'S'*. Actual Temperatures: — London. — Wcd}ie5ilay^ Jamtary 31 (6 p.m.): Max. 40°; Min. 33". Garihiiets' Chronicle Office, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London — Thursday, February 1 (10 A.M.) : Bar. 301" ; Temp. 89° ; Weather— Dull. Provinces. — Wednesday, January 31 : Max 42" Dorset- shire ; Min. 31" Scotland, N.E. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK, MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY- Rose Trees, Fruit Trees, Perennials, &c., at 12.r0, at Stevens's Auction Rooms, 38, King Street, Covtnt Garden. MONDAY and FRIDAl'- Herbaceous and Border Plants, Hardy Bulbs, &c., at 12; Roses, Fruit Trees &c, at 1.30; at 67 & 68, Cheap- side, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris. WEDNESDAY— Perennials, Rock and other Plants, Hardy Bulbs, &c., at 12 ; Roses and Fruit Trees, at 1.30 ; Palms and Plants, at 5. Trade Sale of Miscellaneous Plants and Bulbs, at 12 ; 1,066 cases Japanese Liliuins, at 2.30 ; at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.C, by Protheroe & Morris. FPIDAY— Orchids, at 12.45, at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.G., by Protheroe & Morris. A widespread feeling exist,s National among men interested in Institute horticulture that the present of Horti- time is auspicious for the culture, putting forth of an effort to consolidate and advance horticulturaf in- terests. Correspondents, representative of very varied branches of horticulture, are urging us constantly that the time is ripe for an attempt to provide for the organised advancement of horticultural science. It has been pi-oposed again and again that a, horticultural branch of the Board of Agriculture should be estab- lished. A vast sum of money is to be spent by this Board in the establishment of Farm Institutes. The Royal Horticul- tural Society is, as it has always been, in full and active sympathy with the desire to advance the interests of horticulture, and has appointed a committee, which is now engaged in considering the question of a National Diploma. The authorities of the International Horticultural Ex- hibition have provided for the publica- tion of a report on horticultuial education. There is a general desire for the methodisation and extension of horticultural research, and a strong feel- ing exists that horticulture must secure a liberal measure of financial help from the funds at the disposal of the develop- ment commissioners. The omens, therefore, are propitious, and we cannot be charged with pre- matureness if we proceed to enquire how^ these desires and aspirations may be best achieved. Are we to acquiesce in the habit of our race of letting things take their course, or are we to profit by the example of other branches of art, science, and industry, and to endeavour to shape the course of our evolution ? Are we, in short, to " go on as we are," or should we seek to establish some great National Institution of Horticulture by which the needs of horticulture and of horticulturists can be formulated and secured ? The simplest way in which we may present this problem to our minds is to consider what vital, useful purposes may be fulfilled by a National Institute of Horticulture. Let us assume that the institute is in existence, that it is ade- quately endowed, that its foundation was approved by the Departments of State concerned with horticulture, that the Royal Horticultural Society is lending the institute its powerful and whole-hearted assistance, and lastly — and most impor- tant of all — that the institute has the strenuous support of all sections of the horticultural community. Nor, let it be noted, arc these assumptions extravagant, for the sole aim of the institute is the advancement of the art, science, and in- dustry of British horticulture. The National Institute in being, how does it proceed to justify its existence? In the first place, it would concern itself with the great and increaisingly important problem of horticultural education. To it would fall the duty of granting national diplomas of different degrees to the different groups of horticulturists. But the moment it began to consider the ques- tion of national diplomas it would be brought face to face with the more funda- mental problem of horticultural educa- tion— that is, of horticultural training. The institute would have the sad ex- ample of the old University of London before it. That University was guilty of the unforgivable sin of initiating degrees in arts and science and of letting educa- tional training take care of itself. The constrained e.xaminationed Israelites who served that Pharaoh were compelled to make bricks without straw. In the light of that sad example the institute would recognise that something more than diplomas is wanted, and would proceed to obtain the co-operation of provincial Universities, County Council Education Committees and the like, whereby its schemes of training could be put into operation and brought within tlie reach of gardeners in all parts of the country. In the train of such a system would come the provision of scholarships enabling capable young men to pursue their studies in the most suitable places at home or abroad. The schemes of training would have reference to gardeners primarily, but also secondarily to instructors and experts in special branches of horticul- tural art and science ; whence it follows immediately that the National Institute would find itself concerned not only with education but also with research. It> would thus appeal to every horticulturist, for there is none who does not recognise that the time has come when research should cease its infantile dilettantism and settle down to steady business. By no means should the researcher be wor- ried by boards or institutes. He must retain his individual freedom ; neverthe- less such individual freedom is not incon- sistent with a clear-headed and per- sistent effort in a definite direction. The extension of research would result in benefits not only to the science of horticulture, but also to the horticultural industry, and those engaged in that in- dustry would have a two-fold reason for supporting the institute : first, because of their disinterested regard for horticul- ture, and second because they could lay their occasional difficulties before the institute and obtain help from its re- search department. The material for research thus provided would further be of the utmost value to the staff, for the problems which beset the grower are very practical problems, and would keep the investigators in constant touch with reality. The great firm.s might be found willing to do what their col- leagues in America have done, namely, endow special fellowships for a teiTn of years in order to secure the investigation of definite and important problems. It may appear to some that this programme is so vast as to be chimerical ; but a knowledge of existing facilities will show that the function of the institute with respect to research would be at all events in large measure that of a coherer. It would link up existing institutions and persuade them to sketch in outline plans- of campaign with respect to education and research, and provide for the carry- ing out of the operations decided upon. The country possesses in its existing institutions no inconsideiable materials for such a scheme. For example, Kew is, of all places in the world, best fitted for the indispensable work of systematic mycology. It is not the func- tion of an institution such as Kew to un- dertake the work of devising remedies for diseases, but it would be the function of such an institution to do for fungi what its herbarium does for the higher plants. In addition to the systematical side of mycology, Kew might also undertake the recording of the space — and time — be- haviour of parasitic fungi : tracing their marches and countermarches up and down the country. It is not for us to do more than out- line provisional suggestions enough to develop our thesis that the National Febeuaby 3, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 73 Institute of Horticulture has a great work before it. Other institutions exist which would be willing to specialize in the working out of life histories of plant pests. The Imperial College of Science and Technology — to mention only one — has a Professor of Plant Pathology, and is already actively engaged in this branch of mycological work. Yet other institutions are in being which are dealing with and might, if financial aid were forthcoming, deal yet more effectively with remedial measures. For experimental work in plant breed- ing the institute would look naturally, and not in vain, to the John Innes Insti- tution. Kothamsted, no doubt, would co-operate with the institute by under- taking the elucidation of soil problems from the horticultural standpoint. The Wisley Gardens might become the School of Landscape Gardening of the country, beside carrying out the other duties placed upon them by the R.H.S. Simi- larly, the work of training instructors could be performed by one or several ex- isting institutions, which it is safe to assume would gladly undertake such an important branch of education. Thus the National Institute would be an institute of practical horticulture, and would be concerned with the further- ance of the interests of gardeners, of com- mercial men or growers, fruit growers, nurserymen, seedsmen, instructors, and experts. Endowment would be essential ; but it is not to be doubted that the institute would receive a large measure of financial support. Would not the Royal Horticultural Society aid it, not only with counsel but with grants \ Would not the Departments of State intent on the furtherance of agricul- ture welcome the foundation of such an institute and provide it liberally with funds? Might not the institute look with confidence to the Development Com- missioners for similar and considerable help ? Private munificence would, we feel sure, be forthcoming, for no more generous men exist tiian hoiticulturists. Lastly, were the proposal for the establishment of Kuch an institute to meet with a warm and general welcome from the world of horticulture, it might be that the authori- ties of the International Exhibition of 1912 would consent to create the institute by making it its heir. We can imagine no more lasting or impressive way of re- cording the triumphs of the 1912 Exhibi- tion than by contributing to the endow- ment of a National Institute of Horticul- ture. Our Supplementary Illustration. — The Snowdriip Tree (Halesia tetraptera) is one of those old-fashioned plants which seem in some danger of being overlooked among the many new species now competing for notice. Yet a glance at the picture of a tree (see Supple- ment), in bloom in Sir Edmund Loder's garden at Leonard.slee, makes one doubtful if any tree, of present-century introduetion, from China or elsewhere, is capable of making a more charming display. Halesia tetraptera is a native of the south-eastern United States, and has been in English gardens since 1756, when it was intro- duced by Mr. J. E. Ellis. It is a deciduous, small tree or shrub, reaching 20 to 30 feet in heiglit in this country. Its leaves are oval to obovate, 2 to 5 inches long, f to 2^ inches wide, with abrupt, slender points and minutely-toothed mar- gins ; tliey are covered beneath with thick, grey, stellate down, less so above. The flowers appear in May on the leafless shoots, in clusters usually of three or four blossoms, pendulous on slender, downy stalks, i to § inch long. The corolla is pure white, bell-shaped, j to | inch long and wide, shallovvly four-lobed. The tree derives its specific name from the fruit, which has a Pear-shaped body, traversed lengthwise by four wings, and terminated by an awl-shaped point ; and its popular one from the likeness of its nodding, pure-white flower to that of a Snow- drop. It is also known by the pretty name of "Silver-bell Tree." In the south of England it is perfectly hardy, but does best in a sheltered spot, and likes a warm, deep, well-drained, loamy soil. It can be increa.sed by cuttings, but plants raised from seed thrive better. Two forms are in cultivation, the better one of which has a larger corolla, more deeply lobed than the other. Halesia hispida, a Japanese species, was illus- trated in (iunhniTi Chronicle, August 7, 1909. Royal Horticultural Society.— The next meeting of the Committees of this Society will take place on Tuesday, the 6th inst. In the afternoon a lecture on " Plants of Fiji and Other South Sea Islands " will be delivered by Sir EVERARD IM ThURN, K.C.M.G. National Chrysanthemum Society. — The annual general meeting of the members of this Society will be held at Carr's Restaurant, 264, Strand, London, on Monday next, the 5th inst., at 7 p.m. The President, Sir Albert Rollit, LL.D., D.C.L., will occupy the chair. "George Monro- Concert. — The IGth annual concert, promoted by Mr. Geo. Monro, of Covent Garden, in aid of the gardening and other charities, will be held on the 15th inst. at Queen's Hall, Langham Place, London. The band of H.M. Coldstream Guards has been engaged, and the programme includes the names of many well-known artistes. The balance sheet of last year's concert shows that the sum of £43 Is. was distributed, including donations of £12 12s. to the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution, £8 8s. to the Wholesale Fruit and Potato Trades Benevolent Society, and £2 2s. to the Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund. Sums of money were also sent to hospitals, the Surgical Aid Society, the National Lifeboat Institute and other institutions. Tickets for the concert may be obtained from the secretary, Mr. H. Baker, 42, King Street, Covent Garden, London. Spring Exhibition at Bradford. — An exhibition of spring flowering plants, including bulbs and shrubs, will be h?ld in the Central Baths, Bradford, on JIarch 14. It will be under the auspices of the North of England Horticultural Society, in conjunction with the Saltaire, Shipley and District Rose Society, the Bradford Chrysanthemum Society, the Bradford and District Paxton Horticultural Society, the Lidget Green Horticultural Society, and the Thornton Mechanics' Institute Horticultural Society. The schedule includes classes for traders ; amateurs employing a regular gardener or gar- deners ; amateurs not employing a regular gar- dener or gardeners ; allotment holders, and school children. A lecture, illustrated by lant'crn slides, will be given by Mr. W. F. Giles, of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, on " Salad Plants, British and Continental." The N.E.H.S. Medals will be awarded at the discretion of the judges. National Insurance Act, 1911. — The National Insurance Advisory Council, of No. 3, Northampton Square, London, E.G., is prepared to advise enquirers, whether employers or em- ployed, male or female, who are desirous of ascertaining their position under the National Insurance Act. Special attention will be given to enquiries from registered friendly societies of less than 5,000 members, and unregistered socie- ties, slate clubs and yearly clubs, &c., as to the best manner in which to become approved ; ar- rangements can be made for speakers to be sent if desired. Any person desirous of making an enquiry, whether on his own behalf or on the behalf of any other person of either sex, or any society or club, should forward a letter contain- ing full particulars and a stamped, addressed envelope for reply, to the secretary, at the above address. No charge will be made for any infor- mation given in response to any enquiry. Sweet Pea Lecture at the North of England Horticultural Society. — Owing to an unfortunate transposition Mr. Ci'thbert- SON was made to say (p. 53) exactly the reverse of what he intended. It is the Spencer or Waved type of Sweet Pea that has open keels, whereas the older type has compressed or clamped keels, which have the eftect of squeezing together the reproductive organs and assisting fertilisation. Hence it is that the older type seeds so much more freely than the Spencer type. Memorial to Stephen Hales. — The grave of Stki'HEN Hales, the father of the science of Vegetable Physiology, lies beneath the tower of the church at Teddington, of which parish Hales was for 51 years the faithful vicar. The grave- stone, which is near the entrance of the church, had become so defaced by the hand of time and the feet of parishioners, that the inscription is no longer legible. Hence, in order to preserve Hales's memory in the minds of those who attend the church, and to testify to his pious memory, the leading botanists, at the suggestion of Francis Dabwin, than whom none is more able to appreciate H.\les's greatness, have erected an insciibed tablet on the wall near the grave. The inscription is : " Beneath is the grave of Stephen Hales. The epitaph, now partly obliterated, but recovered from a record of 1795, is herewith inscribed by the piety of cer- tain botanists, a.d. 1911. ' Here is interr'd the body of Stephen H.\les, D.D., Clerk of the Closet to the Princess of Wales, who was Minis ter of this Parish 51 years. He died the 4th of January, 1761, in the 84th year of his age.' " Louis Pasteur. — Horticulturists with a leaning to science well know the debt of grati- tude which the world owes to Louis Pasteur, and they will be glad to learn that, through the generosity of an American millionaire, the inhabitants of Pasteur's native town — Dole — have been enabled to purchase the house in which that great man was born. Those who hold that the tanner's son of Dole was the greatest man of science of his century will rejoice to know- that the tannery, his birthplace, will serve for all time as a memorial both of the humble origin and immortal achievement of Pasteur. Flowering Plants as Parasites. — Accord- ing to Dr. MacDougal, of the Desert Labora- tory, Tucson, Arizona, nearly one-half of the flowering plants of the world are parasites in the sense that they either live entirely on other organisms, or else depend upon partnerships struck up between themselves and the fungi of the soil. It is no wonder that the fungi revenge themselves by attacking in turn the flowering plants. The art of the horticulturist consists in turning the many phases of this struggle to his own advantage. 74 THE GARD ENER S' CHR O NI CL E. [February 3, 1912. Professor Bateson on Genetics. — In his second lecture Professor Bateson dealt with the question of meristic phenomena, i.e., the division and repetition of parts, including also the formation of pattern. The repetition of parts, or reduplication, is one of the most characteristic features of living organisms. Yet we have no exact knowledge of the process. The division of a cell into two similar halves can be watched with the aid of a good microscope, but there is no clue as to what are the essential forces which come into play. It is by means of division that the phenomena of heredity are carried through, and the resemblance between two halves of a dividing cell is the simplest case we can imagine analogous to heredity. Photographs were shown of meristic variation in man and animals. They included a case of the reduplication of the nostrils of a woman, of the bonnes of a horse's foot, and also of homologous triplets, i.e., triplets that presumably arise from the division of a single egg eel) The members of the set exactly resembled one another. Such meristic variations point strongly to the view that we are concerned with a mechanical phenomenon. The resem- blance between one tooth and another, one vertebra and another, should be considered as comparable with such repetitions as the ripples on sand caused by the wind, or any other simple mechanical repetition. In the same way that a ripple on the sand forks and reduplicates itself, so when a part divides in the living creature it can do it in such a way as to make a reduplica- tion. But there is a striking difference between waves which can be produced mechanically and the reduplications of living organisms, because, in the former, we have not to take into account the chemical changes which accompany the latter. It is for the physicist to expLiin this repetition accompanied by chemical differentiation ; it is to the geometrical structure of the organism that attention must now be turned. Such cases as that of the Flaked Carnations must be connected with the geometrical design of the plant. This Carnation has coloured flakes on a white ground, and almost certainly cannot breed true. It throws whites, self-coloured, and flaked plants. On the other hand. Picotee varieties, in which the red pigment forms a regularly arranged edging to the petals, probably can breed true. In the flaked form the pigment elements are not in order, not geometrically arranged, and the germ cells are in similar disorder. The Break-up of Estates.— In the course of their report on land ownership, summarised elsewhere (p. 69), the Departmental Committee of the Board of Agriculture states that, as is generally known, unusually large numbers of estates ai'e being broken up and sold at the pre- sent time. The sales of agricultural land in 1910 realised 1^ million pounds, and in 1911 over 2 million pounds. The Committee believes that these sales are lik-sly to continue. Among the reasons which were suggested by witnesses before the Connnittee were, first, a feeling of apprehension among landowners as to the course of legislation and land taxation, though the Com- mittee points out that no evidence was put before it to show that purely agricultural land had been adversely affected by existing legislation, except in the case of the death duties. Second, there is evidence that at the present time a consider- able amount of agricultural land is let at rents below its present value. Owing to a large mea- sure of agricultural prosperity, and to a growing demand for agricultural land, the landlord often prefers to realise by sale rather than to increase his rents. Third, not a few estates are mort- gaged, and either the owner prefers to sell and realise the difference between the mortgage and sale price, or in other cases the mortgagees are realising their securities. Bequest to Linnean Society. — By the will of Mr. Francis Tagart, late of Stoke Bishop, Bristol, recently proved, a sum of £500 is be- queathed to the Linnean Society. The testator, who died on November 25 last, aged 92, was a director of the Surrey Commercial Dock Ccmpany. Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. -- Tlie Bidhtin of Agricultural Statistics for .Janu- ary has just been publislied by the International Institute of Agriculture. The final returns of the cereal harvest in 1911 are given for Norway, Sweden, and Canada. In the last-named country the Wheat harvest is given as 115.604.000 cwts., and Oats as 105,669,000 cwts., being 143.9 per cent, and 107.6 per cent, respectively of the pre- vious year's crops. Figures for the production of wine in the whole of France have now been received, and show a total production of 987,482,000 gallons, as compared with 627,659,000 gallons in 1910. The production of wine in Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, Luxemburg, Roumania, Switzerland, Algeria, and Tunia is now given as 141.2 per cent, of last year's pro- duction, as compared with 136.4 per cent., as stated last month. The Late Professor Zacharias. — The many friends of the late Professor Eduard Zacharias have decided to perpetuate his memory by a likeness in relief, and are inviting those who share their esteem for the life and work of Zacharias to subscribe to the memorial. Professor Zacharias, who died last year, took a long and honourable part in the intellectual life of Hamburg, where he held the post of Director of the Botanical "State-Institute." His contri- butions to the advancement of botanical science , were both numerous and important, and gained for the late professor a world-wide reputation. Subscriptions toward the cost of the memorial may be sent to the Deutsche Bank, Hamburg, or to Professor H. Fitting, Director der Botanis- chen Staats-Institute, of that city. Weather Guides for French Farmers. — The. Slniidard reports that a French Commis- sion is studying the question of establishing pro- vincial meteorological stations to serve the in- terests of farmers and of agriculture generally. The proposed scheme suggests that there should he numerous advertising stations connected with the existent meteorological stations, and that these advertising stations .should receive and post conspicuously every day a telegram showing the atmospheric conditions and giving the fore- casts. The advertising stations would proceed to deduce the atmospheric effects on the crops in their various districts and to issue the re- quisite warnings and directions with regard to frost, haU, or the probable germination of an insect pest. The advertisements might consist of signals by sound, or by light at night, and so the most distant farms would be kept in touch witli expected meteorological conditions. Phosphatic Manures. — .An article of par- ticular interest to horticulturists, dealing with the use of pho.sphatic fertilisers in France, is published in Nature. It appears from soil surveys undertaken some years ago by M. EiSLER that, out of the total agricul- tural area of 122,500,000 acres in France, no fewer than 90,000,000 acres are so deficient in phos- phates as to be unable to yield profitable crops without the liberal addition of phosphatic fer- tili.sers. Hence it is not surprising to learn that French cultivators use annually a quarter of a million tons of basic slag on grass land and about li million tons on arable land — this in addition to the pho:-phate contained in guano, which manure is used freely. Even so, the quantities of phosphate employed are insufficient, and, un- fortunately, the increase in price of phosphatic I fertilisers tends to restrict their more genriil use. The French supplies of rock phosphutr, from which superphosphate is prepared by treat- ment with sulphuric acid, are insufficient to m< 1 1 the demand, and phosphates are imported iiitu France from North America, Africa and else- where. When it is remembered that the world's, consumption of phosphates has increased from 4^ million tons in 1898 to 10 million tons in 1908, it is easy to see that the price of the commodity is likely to increase considerably in the future. In illustration of the value of phosphates in in- creasing not only yield but quality, mention may ■ be made of the observations of IMiintz, which show that dairy produce — and particularly but- ter— is only obtained from pastures rich in phos- phates. Again, as shown by iSI. Paturel, the quality of wine appears to depend in the most, intimate way on the supply of phosphates to the vines producing it. Analyses prove that it is possible to grade wines according to the quantity of phosphoric acid they contain. Wines of the first class are found to be richest and those of the other classes progressively poorer in phos- phoric acid. The Vacuum Cleaner as a Destroyer OF Plant Pests. — It appears tliat the ingenious Americans have discovered a new u.se for the vacuum cleaner in sweeping iip the larvse of- the Alfalfa beetle. According to the Wc.ftminfiler Gazette, the only successful means of getting rid of this pest, which does so much damage- to Lucerne and Alfalfa, is to turn the vacuum cleaner on to the affected fields. Will some enterprising horticulturist take the hint and ascertain whether this new "insecticide" is capable of use in our plant houses? Cob/ea scandens var. Deutscher Ruhm. — Mr. D. TiNZMANN, writing in Moller's- Deutsche Garlner-Zeitung (No. 3, 1912), ex- presses a high opinion of this new variegated- leaved variety of Coba:a scandens. The grey- green leaves have a broad, irregular, white mar- gin, the outer edges of which are of a delicate- rose colour. The brightness of the foliage and young buds, the freedom of flowering, and the attractiveness of the lilac-red flowers make the Deutscher Ruhm variety of the utmost value as- a climber. It grows freely in the open, and though it is necessary to bring it indoors into a. cool house or frost-proof room during the winter, a well-established plant reaches during a season a length of from 6 yards to 12 yards. The new variety may be raised from cuttings. Established plants require to be cut back hard in autumn. Deutscher Ruhm does well in the open, and appears to be an excellent subject for pergolas or balconies. Publications Received. — The Uses of Potash in English Agriculture and Industry. (The Agricultural Offices of the Potash Syndi- cate, 117, Victoria Street, London.) Gratis. — West Virginia University Agricultural Experi- ment Station, Morgantown. W. Va. Bulletin 135: West Virfiwa as a Poultry State, hy Horace AtwooH— Board of Agriculture and Fish- eries, Agiicultuial Statistics, 1911. Acreage and Live-stock Returns of Great Britain. (London : Evre & Spottiswoode, Ltd ) Price 5Jd. —Saturday' in My Garden, by F. H. Farthing, (London : Grant Bicliards, Limited.) Price 3s, 6d, net.— " Press " Directory 1912. Gu rnsey, Alderney and Sark. (Guernsey: Guernsey Press Company, Ltd) Price 6d. — Kew Bulletin: Additional Series IX. The Useful Plants of Nigeria. Part II. (London: Darling & Son.) Price 2s. dd^ Rural Development and Small Holdings. Renort of the Proceedings of the National Congress held at the Festival of Empire, Crystal Palace. (London ; P. S. King & Son ) Price 2s. net.— 5ma// Greenhouses, by T. W Sanders (London: Agriculturaland Horticultural Association.) Price Id.— Garden Design : In Theory and Practice, by Madeline Agar. (London: Sidgwiok & Jackson, Ltd ) Price7s.6d. Februaby 3, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 75 CATTLEYA MAGGIE RAPHAEL ALBA "ORGHIDHURST VARIETY." T.IE fine white variety of Cattleya Maggie Rapliael, shown in fig. 35, was e.xhibit<;d by Messrs. Armstrong & Brown, Orchidhurst, Tun- bridge Wells, at a meeting of the lioyal Horti- cultural Society, on January 9, when it received a*i Award of Jlerit from the Orchid Committee. The illustration shows the llower reduced in size, but it well portrays the fine shape of the blossom. The delicate gold veining on the light magenta- crimson-tinted lip is one of the chief beauties of the variety. The sepals and petals are pure white and of fine substance, consequent on the cross being obtained between a specially-good form of C. Dowiana aurea and the best, pure- white variety of Cattleya Trian;e alba. in all of them, and perhaps the hygroscopic type is the most baffling of the three, inasmucli as it has been prepared lon^ before it can be of any use to tlie plant, and its operation is not, so to speak, duo to contemporary response on the part of the living substance. Moreover, like the eye of an animal, every part has to be adjusted with due regard to all the others, or the mechanism would not work. Thus again we are confronted with the elemental mystery that always opposes us whenever we try to get really face to face with the fundamental secrets of Nature. /. BretliiiKl Farmer. HOME CORRESPONDENCE. {The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents.) Proposed Exhibition of South African Fruits. — The following cablegram was received on January 22 by the High Commissioner in London for the Union of South Africa from the Department of Agriculture, Pretoria; — "Owing to unforeseen circumstances, regret Government compelled to abandon exhibition." No further explanation has yet come to hand, but it is neces- sary to abandon the exhibition accordingly. All notices appearing in the Society's " Book of Ar- rangements," on Fellows' tickets, and elsewhere MOVEMENT IN PLANTS. (Concluded from p. 50.) Finally, another series of movements is due to liygroscopic changes in certain etUs or cell-walls. These mechanisms are quits comparable with the wetted iiaper above mentioned. But the wonderful feature in them is this: the walls arc so constructed that when water is soaked up by them ex- pansion takes place differently on the two sides of the membrane or sheet of cellular tissue. A strip of cslluloid coated with gelatine, like the films used in i)hoto- graphy, illustrates in a general way how they are constructed. Such a film when dry commonly rolls tightly up with the gelatine inside, and unrolls when wet. This is because the gelatine soaks up much more water, and gives out correspondingly more, than the celluloid part of the film. Now, when a Rose of Jericho (Anastatica) plant is ob.served in its dry state the twigs are all bent inwards, but a brief immersion in water causes them to unroll and spread out. This is because there is a difference in the structure of the thick mechanical cells of the upper and lower side of the branches. The cells on the upper side are so constructed as to elongate by nearly 8 per cent, of their length when wet (con- tracting to a corresponding extent when dry), while those on the under side do not enlarge in this way. A mental picture of the finer structure of the walls may be formed if they are imagined to be built; up of long, narrow bricks, which are placed one above another with the long axis run- ning transversely on the upper side of the branch, and longitudinall.v on the lower side. It will be plain that there will be many more interstices in a given length of the upper than the lower surface between which water can penetrate and fores the bricks further apart, and it is this circum- stance that rnabl:s the hygroscopic move- ments to take place. Some of these hygroscopic movements are very complex. The inrolling of the valves of a Campanula or Poppy capsule depends on this kind of structure, and so do the very beautiful movements of a Moss peristome. Indeed, the various species of Mosses afford some of the most wonder- fully adapted mechanisms for ensuring the proper dispersion of the spores that can well be imagined. It is of course quite impossible, within reasonable limits of space, to do more than merely touch upon the varied forms of the motile mechanisms of plants. They exhibit almost endless variety in detail, though they fall into the three chief types, proto- plasmic, water-cohesion, and hygroscopic, which I have briefly indicated. But the purposefulness of the arrangements forms the really marvellous feature :^ ^^. r' % FiQ. 35.- -CATTLEYA MAGGIE RAPHAEL ALBA "ORCHIDHURST VARIETY ; SEPALS AND PETALS WHITE, LIP VEINED WITH GOLD ON MAGENTA GROUND. SCOTLAND. EDINBURGH PUBLIC GOLF LINKS. Although the charge to golfers for playing the whole round on the Braid Hills course was raised in March last from twopence to three- pence, the fees fur the year amounted to £932, against about £600 in 19"l0. The Saughton Park course, where there are only nine holes, for play- ing over which one penny is charged, has yielded a revenue of upwards of £250, nearly 63,000 rounds having been played. The Portobello courses have also increased in favour with players, upwards of 27,000 rounds at twopence and nearly 16,000 at one penny producing an in- come of close on £300. are cancelled. II'. Wilh, Secretai-y Roijal Hor- ticultural Society. The Promise of the B.G.A.— I rejoice in being able to assure readers that all is well with the E.G. -A.. The Chronicle showed a lively interest in its birth ; indeed, the then worthy editor, the late Dr. Masters, actually presided at that auspicious event. Rumour has been busy lately with respect to the health and character of the stripling, but she proves in this, what she so often is, a base slanderer. There was a difference over trifles between the worthy hon. secretary and the executive council, which had the very excel- lent result of leading the council to decide 76 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Febbuaey 3, 1912. that a paid secretary, an oiEce, and other pro- gressive steps were needed to enable the Asso- ciation to push on. There are nearly 2,000 mem- bers, the funds are about £400, and, more im- portant than either, a resolute earnest spirit appears to have taken possession of the members, which is of good omen. A special general meet- ing was held a few days ago, and whilst I am unable to give a report of the proceedings — the council having decided to do this in the next number of the B.G.A. Journal — I may express the delight I felt at the way the work was done. An earnest business council and about 80 mem- bers, some of them delegates from distant branches, sat down to consider ways and means, and it was soon evident that here was a body of men, most of them on the sunny side of 40, who were capable of doing things well. Of the original members, I mean the organising com- mittee, only three of us were present, and it was very encouraging to discover tliat the present set of active promoters of the cause have at least as much fire as, and perhaps more wisdom than, the early set had. What a chance there is this year to increase the membership to 5.000 or even 10,000 ! For the great Internatii.nal Horticultural Exhibition wiU draw all good gardeners London- wards, in heart if not in person (they will not all be able to afford it), and if the B.G.A. could arrange the right kind of camp or headquarters — but I am gonig too far ; no doubt this band of stalwarts have an eye on what the year promises and will plan accordingly. My object now is to assure distant members of and sympathisers with the B.G.A. that it is stronger now than it ever was, and judging the present generation of gar- deners by those that were present at the meeting mentioned above. I am convinced that the effort to form an association of professional gardeners to make the most of their calling and of them- selves is going to succeed. IF. 11'. The Colouring of Apples.— The other day as I was rusliing off to lecture, I stuffed Mr. W. Dyke's Science mid Practice of Mtinurinij in my pocket, and in the train looked up his remarks on "colour" in fruits. He saj's (p. 45) : "A potash fertiliser, like muriate or sulphate of potash, will cause the growth to be of a thick, firm texture, and the fruit will be of a better flavour and colour.'' He also says {p. 104), on the colouring of Grapes: "Some growers have a difficulty in getting Grapes to properly colour. This is often due to an unbalanced condition of the soil food. A great improvement is found to follow the application of this mixture : One part sulphate of potash, one part sulphate of mag- nesia, 2 ounces to the square yard after the second swelling." At the lecture" which was on "iSIanures," two or three first-class gardeners confirmed this use of potash to obtain a deeper colour. /. Bernard fJall. Carbon-dioxide or Nitrogen.- The old practice, carried out by many experienced gar- deners, of " damping down " vineries with weak manure-water before closing them for the night suggested to the writer that experiments might be undertaken to find out the reason for the practice. Vines treated in this way resist the ravages of red spider much longer than those which are not treated ; the foliage is of a firmer texture and a better colour. Two tlieories can be advanced for this : the first, that the vapour from the manure- water contains carbon-dioxide; and the second, that the vapour contains nitrogen or some com- pound of nitrogen which is readily absorbed by the plant through the foliage. To test these theories, experiments were carried out during the summer of 1910. The first, a Cucumber house, 120 feet by 12 feet, planted with a row on each side at 2 feet 5 inches apart, in made-up borders, was top-dressed with manure, obtained from a " cattle court," to a depth of 2 inches; no ven- tilation was allowed, not even on the hottest day of summer. A temperature of 70° to 75° Fahr. was maintained by fire-heat, and sometimes on the hottest days a temperature of 110° Fahr. was reached. This was only made possible by kecp- ing_ the atmosphere thoroughly saturated with moisture. Had this not been done, the foliage would have been scalded. It was realised when arranging this experiment that it would not give a certain result, and that it would only show that heat and moisture, combined with manure, would be beneficial or otherwise to the plants. The resulting crop was satisfactory in every way, the absence of misshapen Cucumbers being quite remarkable. To find out if it was the heat and moisture or the manure which was supplying the vitality, two more houses were observed at the same time as the first. One was treated in the same way as the first, except that no manure was used. This house did not give anything like such good results, neither as regards the health and vitality of the plants nor the resulting crop ; not even with the top-dressings of soil which it fre- quently received. These two experiments alone would go to prove that it was the manure which was the stimulating cause. But this con- clusion proved to be wrong by the third house of the series, which was top-dressed with manure the same as the first, the only difference being that it was wholly dependent on solar heat. Houses treated in this way require ventilation, as it is so much easier to keep the atmosphere at saturation point, and if ventilation is not prac- tised, many of the embryo Cucumbers " damp " off. This house was not different from others which were being given exactly the same treat- ment, except that they were not dressed with manure. From the result of these experiments it would seem that a combination of heat, mois- ture, and manure would give a result which could not be obtained when these three essentials were used separately. In the second experiment it is proved that heat and moisture alone would not provide as good results ; and in the third that manure alone makes little or no difference to the resulting crop, probably because it had not suffi- cient time in a cold house to be converted into plant-food. The question naturally arises : What is the vital force? Is it carbon-dioxide, or is it some product of nitrogen? Another form of cul- ture which the writer uses seems to point to the latter theory. A great difficulty — in fact, the only difficulty — in forcing Tulips "for the Christmas and New Year festivitives is tho poor, badly- coloured foliage and the length, or want of it, in the stem. Or, to put it more plainly, a want of vitality. This, to a great extent, can be remedied by the application of sulphate of ammonia con- taining 20 per cent, nitrogen, at the rate of 1 ounce to 2 gallons of water. This sprayed on to the hot-water pipes every evening or late after- noon, will work wonders in Tulip-forcing, pro- viding everything else is suitable. The foliage is of a much better colour, the stems longer, and there is an absence of yellow-tipped foliage when they are treated in this way. This naturally leaves the impression that it is the nitrogen which supplies the stimulant. I am not in a position to verify this. I might say it was nitrogen or .some pro- duct of nitrogen from the results of the last method of culture, but the doubt arises : Does the sulphate of ammonia change its chemical com- por.ition by vaporisation? H. E. N. Apple Trees in Grass Land (see p. 44).— No .single ; early morning and at eventime the blossoms diffused a pleasant fragrance that was not over- powering as in the case of some other Liliums. The bulbs were planted in a heavy loam with which was incorporated a good dressing of partly decayed leaf mould before "planting ; and decayed leaves are also pricked into the soil in antunni every year. We place a collar of perforated zinc around the ..tems to guard the vouns: !;rowths against slugs. The plant produces bulbils freely. offering a ready means of increasing the stock. Lilium Fortunei appears to be unpalatable to the slugs. The pl.-int grows strong, and the flowers are placed well apart in a more or less pyramidal head. In the autumn this Lily gives a pbasing colour effect above the dark green foliage of dwarf growing Rhododendrons. B. ir. Norman, Hd'ujan Gardens. .Si. AiL'^lell. CATALOGUES RECEIVED. SEEDS. Gee Sc Sons, Riggle^wade Chas. W. Bufadmore, Wuichester, John R. Bo.x, Croydon. Charles Turner, Slough. MISCELLANEOUS. The Liverpool Orchm) and Ncrserv Co., Ltd., Gale- acre, near Liverpool — Orchids. A. Ll. GwiLLiM, Sidcup, Kent — Begonias. FOREIGN. A, Dallinges, Chene-Bourg, Geneva— Seeds. CoNVERS B. Fleu, Junr.. Gernianlown, Philadelphia, U.S.A.— Seeds of .\merican Trees and Shrubs. Henrv a. Dreer, 714, Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, U.S.A.-Seeds. ^ Wilhelm Pfitzer, Militarstrasse, 74, Stuttgart, Germany —Seeds. Yokohama Nursery Co, Ltd., 21-35, Nakamura, Yoko- hama, Japan. (London address: Craven House, Kings- way)-Japanese Lily Bulbs, Plants and Seeds. SOCIETIES. MANCHESTER AND NORTH OF ENGLAND ORCHID. jANU.\ny 12. — Committee present: Rev. J. Crombleholme (in the Chair) ; and Messrs. R. Ashworth, W. R, Lee, C. Parker, H. Thorp, Z. A. Ward, J. C. Cowan, J. Cypher, J. Evans, W. Holmes, A. J. Keeling, D. JlcLeod, and H. Arthur (secretary). The following .Medals were awarded for collec- tions of Orchids : — SiUer-ijttt Medals to Z. A. Ward, Esq., Northenden (gr. Sir. Weatherby), for a group consisting principally of Odontoglossums. .S'l/t-cr Uedais to W. H. Lek, Esq., Heywood (gr. Mr. Branch), for a mixed group ; Col. J. Rutherford, Blackburn (gr. Mr. Lupton), for a miscellaneous group ; W. J. Hargreaves, Esq., Burnley, for a group of Cypripediums; J. McCartney. Esq., Bolton (ar. jlr. Holmes), for a collection of miscellaneous plants. Bronze Medals to Rev. J. Crombleholme, Clay- ton-le-Moors (gr. Mr. Marshall), for small but pretty Cypriix-diums ; G. H. Pearce, Esq., Monton Grange (gr. Mr. C. Mace), for Cypripe- diums. Other exhibitors were : O. 0. Wrigley, Esq.. Bury (gr. Mr. Rogers); S. Gratrix, Esq., Whalley Rmge (gr. Jlr. Brown) ; J. J. Holden. Esq., .Southport (gr. Mr. Johnson); H. ,1. Bromilow, Esq., Rann Lea (gr. Mr. Morgan) ; J. H. Craven, Esq.. Keighley (gr. Mr. Corney) ; R. Le Doux, Esq., West Derby (gr. Mr. Fletcher); H. Thorp, Esq.. Middleton; Messrs. .1. Cypher & Sons. Cheltenham; Messrs. Sander & Sons. St. Albans; Messrs. Stuart Low & Co., Enfield; Messrs. A. J. Keeling & Sons, Bradford ; Jlessrs. Hassall & Co., Southgate; Messrs. Charlesworth & Co., Hay- wards Heath ; Mr. W. Sh.vckleton, Great Ho'r- ton, and .Mr. D. .McLeod. Chorlton-cum-Hardy. AWARDS. First-class Certificates. J^ivlioCatth ya Myrrha r/randis (Gottoiana X Dowiana Rosita), Ci/pripedium Aclaus rariiti/ "Durbar," Odontoglos.^um crispum xanthotrs variety " Pcr/rrta," all shown by W. R. Lee, Esq. Odontiiijhissum Delhi (augustum x exi- mium), a fine flower, from J. J. Holden, Esq. Odontoglussiim crispum xanthotes Gratrixoe, from S. Gratrix, Esq. Awards of Merit. Caltleya Magr/ie liaphael variety " pulcher- rima " and Odontnglossum " Milky Way," both from W. R. Lee, Esq. Cypripedium Jasper (Ale ibiades x Hitchensae). a fine large flower, and Odonlmjlossum X Krir, a variety with deep purple blotches; both from Z. .\. Ward. 1^1- Cy/iri jjcdium .'s'eedling (hirsutissimum X aureum Hyeanum), exhibited by S. Gratrix, Esq. ('. Aii:ius Major (Leeanum giganteum x Harefield Hall), a well-shaped flower, from Col. J. Ruthfrford, M.P. (_'. caudatum Sandenr and C Jucundum, a noble flower, fnmi Messrs. Sander & Sons. Sophro-Catfhya S'axa " Low's " variety (Sophronitis grandiflora x Cattleya Triana^) : Cypripedium Lion (iSIrs. Mostyn X Euryades), a fine and round flower, from .Messrs. A. J. Keeling & Sons. LEEDS PROFESSIONAL GARDENERS. The forty-fifth annual report and statement of aea in May. WARGRAVE AND DISTRICT GARDENERS'.- At the meetinji of this association liehl on Janu.iry 'lA, a lecture on "Roses" was delivered by the Rev. 1-. I'.iije- Roberts, ex-president of the National Rose Society. After the lecturer had given a short account of the Mendehan theory and hybridi'^ing Roses he dealt with soils, and gave advice as to what Roses to plant in different soils. The way to form a Rose bed or Rose garden was next described, and the principles of manuring, watering, pruning and budding were explained in detail. The many enemies of the Rose, with the best reineilies for dealing wiih them, were next brought under review, and the lecturer showed 50 fine iatitern views of Roses. Rose gardens and specimen exhibition flowers. READING GARDENERS*.— The opening meeting of the 1912 ses-ion was held on Monday the 2'2nd ult., the president, Mr. F. B. Parfitt, occupying the chair. Mr. W. Marshall, Henle)-on-Tbanjes, showing lantern views of direct colour photography. A large audience was aug- mented by members of the Reading Natural History Society, about twenty members with their president (Mr. W. E. butler) being present. Several of the horti- cultural studfnis from the University College were alio among the company. BAUGHURST AND TADLEY GARDENERS'.— The annual [ueeiing of iliis society was held on January 11. Mr. F. Stokes, of Inhurst House, presided. The balance- sheet was approved. The re-election of officers and com- mittee took place, with one exception, Mr. Wells, of Tadley, taking the pUice of Mr. A. Stacey, who had left the neigh- bourhood. The seventh exhibition was hxed for July 25. WEYBRIDGE AND DISTRICT HORTICULTU- RAL.—This society commenced the new year with great success, there being more than 50 members present at the opening meeting, Mr. Rowe presided. Mr. ^Iills, the Gar- dens, Combe House, Croydon, delivered a lecture on "Spring-flowering Plants for Spring Bedding and Rock Gardens." illustrated by over 100 lantern slides. BRISTOL AND DISTRICT GARDENERS*. -A V ell-attended meuti-ig of this association was ht-'ld on the 25th ult., A. Perryn, Esq., presiding. Mr. Strug- nell, gardener to Walter Long, Esq., delivered a lecture on " Hardy Fruits." Speaking of the colouration of fruit, Mr. Strugnell said it was chiefly inlluenced by sunshine and vapour. OXFORD AND DISTRICT GARDENERS*. -The members of the Oxford and District Gardeners' Mutual Improvement Association held iheir first meeting of the spring session on Wednesday, January 17, when Mr. H. E. Heaton of Cremingham Park, read a paper on " Gardeners and Gardening," CROYDON & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL.— The 12th annual dinner of this society will be held at the Greyhound Hotel, Croydon, on the 15th inst. The secretary is Mr. H. Boshier, 62, High Street, Croydon. s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. Arums (Richardiasj e 0-6 0 Narcissus, per doz. Azalea, per dozen bunches: bunches 3 0-40 — Double Van Camellias, per box Sion 4 0-60 of 18'saiid 24"s 16-20 — Golden Spur... 4 0-50 Carnations, p. doz. — Henry Irving 2 6 ;j 0 blooms, best — Paper white ... 2 6-30 American var. 1 G- 2 0 — Poeticus 3 0-40 — smaller, per — Princeps 3 6-50 doz. bnncfies 8 0-21 0 — Sir Waikin ... 4 0-60 — Carola, crim- — Soleil d'Or ... 10-16 son, extra large 6 0 — Orchids, Cattleya, Euchana, per doz, 2 0-26 per doz. 12 0 — F ree s i a refracta — Odontoglossum alba, p.dz. bun. 16-20 crispum 3 0-40 Gardenia, pei doz. 6 0-90 Pelargoniums, Helleborus (Christ- p. dz. bunches : mas Roses), p. — Double Scarlet 8 0-12 0 dozen 1 G- a 0 Roses, 12 blooms. Hyacinth (Roman), — Brides maid, 4 0-50 pr. doz. bnchs. 60-8 0 — C. Mermet ... 4 0-50 Lilac, per bunch — Liberty 5 0-60 white 2 6-30 — M me. Abel — mauve 30-3 6 Chatenay 5 0-80 Lilium aurattim — Niphetos 2 6-36 per bimch — lo ngi florum. 4 0-50 — Richmond ... 5 0-60 Tuberose, gross ... 9 0-10 0 long, per doz. 4 0-50 — long, p. bunch 2 0 — — short, per doz. 4 0-46 Tulips, per buncb : — double pink ... — 1 a nci folium 10-16 alba, long 20-26 yellow 10-16 — — short 16-20 scarlet 13-16 — speciosum rub- — pr. doz. bnchs : rum, dz. blooms — while 7 0-80 — long 2 0 — — yellow 70-9 0 — short 0 9-10 — scarlet 6 0-10 0 Lily of the Valley, — bronze .. 8 0-90 p. dz. bunches: — pink 9 0-15 0 — extra special ... 15 0-18 tJ Violets, per dozen — special 10 0-12 0 bunches 13-20 — ordinary 80 - — Princess of Maignerite, per Wales, perdoz. doz. bunches: bunches 3 0-40 — Yellow 2 0-20 — Parma ... 3 0-26 Gut PoUag«, Ac: Aver age Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. A d la n t nm I"crn Croton foliage, var- (Maidenhair), ious, per dozen best, per doz. bunches 12 0-15 0 bunches 60-8 0 Cycas leaves, arti- Agrostis (F.iiry ficial, per doz. 3 0-12 0 Grass), per dz Eulalia japonica. bunches 2 0-40 per bunch 10-16 A sparag us plu- mosus, long Moss, per gross ... 6 0 — trails, pr. J doz. 16-20 Myrtle, dz. bchs. — niediiiin, doz, bunches 12 0-18 0 { E n ji 1 i s h), small-leaved... 6 0- — Sprengeri 10 0 12 0 — French l 0 — Carnation foliage, Sinilax, per bunch doz. bunches... 4 0 — of 6 trails 10-13 Plants In Pots , Ag. : Ave rage Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. Aratia Sieboldii, p. Ferns, in 48'e, per dozen 6 0-7 0 dozen 60 - Araucaria excelsa, per dozen 18 0-21 0 — choicer sorts per dozen 8 0 12 0 — in3:J's, pr. doz. 10 0-18 0 Asparagus plume- Ficus elastica, per sus nanus, per dozen 10 0-12 0 dozen Geonoma gracilis. 9 0-12 0 — Sprengeri 8 0-90 60's, per dozen 6 0-80 Aspidistra, p. dz.. — larger, each ... 2 6-76 green 21 0-30 0 Hyacinths white & — variegated 30 0-60 0 clrd.,p. dz. pots 10 0-12 0 Azaleas, per Kentia BeUnore- dozen ... 36 0-42 0 ana, per dozen 6 0-42 0 Cocos Weddeli- — Foster ian a. ana, per dozen: 60's, per dozen 4 0-60 — 60*s 6 0-12 (' — larger, per doz. 18 0 60 0 — larger, each ... 2 G-IO C l.atania borbonica, Croton, per dozen 18 0-30 I per dozen 12 0-30 0 Cyperus alterni- l.i 1 ium lo ngi- folius, per doz. 5 0- 6 C florum, per — laxus, per dor. 4 0- 5 ( dozen 20 0-24 0 Daffodil s, per — lancifolium ru- dozen 6 0- 8 ( brum in pots, Dracaena, green per dozen 15 0 13 0 per dozen 10 0-12 ( — lancif ol ium Ericas, per dozen : alba 15 0-18 0 — hyemalis 10 0-12 ( ^larguerites, white — alba 10 0-12 ( per dozen 8 0-10 0 Ferns, in thumbs 'andanus Veitchii, per 100 8 0 12 per dozen 36 0-48 0 — in small anc 'hcenix rupicola large 60's 12 0-20 I each 2 6-21 0 Fruit: Average i^iiolesale Prices. s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. Apples (English Apples (Canadian), cookers) pet per barrel 20 0 — bushel 4 0-76 — Oregon {Hood — Nova Scotian River), p. case 16 0-18 6 per barrel 13 0-20 0 — American, per — Cal i f orniai barrel 20 0-32 0 Newtowns, pr. Apricots (Cape), p case 9 0-12 6 case 6 0-70 Bananas, bunch — Doubles — No. 1 „ — Extra ... — Giant „ — Loose, per dz. — Red coloured... — Jamaica Giants per ton — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per box (9 doz.) Cranberries, per case (30 qts.)... 10 0 11 0 — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) Dates (Tunis) doz. boxes Grape Fruit, case: — U6's ... — ^-O's ... — 64*s ... — 54's ... Grapes (English), per lb. : — Muscat ofAlex- andria .. — Cannon Hall Muscat — Black Alicante — GrosColman... — (Bekian), Gros Colman, p. lb. — Almeria, p.brl. 11 6-15 6 Per dozen lbs. 3 0-46 Lemons : — (Naples), case 26 0-30 0 — Messina, per case Limes, per case ... Mangoes, per doz. Nuts, Almonds, per bag 52 6 — — Brazils, new, percwt. ...85 0-100 0 Vegetables : Average Wholesale Prices. 10 0 12 0 8 0-10 0 10 0-12 0 14 0 18 0 0 fi- 1 0 5 6-66 jeio-£i2 4 0-50 9 6- 4 6-56 18 0-24 0 3 0-80 4 0-10 0 14-26 10-26 0 9-13 6 0-15 0 4 0 — 4 0-60 s.d. s.d. Nuts, Spanish, per sack 40 0 42 0 — Barcelona, per bag 35 6-36 6 — Chestnuts, per bag 3 6-19 0 — Cocoa nuts (ino) 18 0-23 0 — English Cobs per lb 0 5-06 — Walnut s (Naples) kiln dried, cwt. cases 61 0 — — French Gren- obles, per bag 6 6-70 — Boeri«, perbaK 60-70 Nectarines (Cape) per bos 15 0-19 0 Oranges, Jamaica per case 9 0-11 0 — Californian ... 18 0-20 0 " Denia, case ... 14 0-33 6 — Valencia 10 0-12 0 — Jaffa, per case 9 6- — Mandarins, per box 0 6-36 — Bitter, par J chest 16 0-18 6 — Seville Sour J chest 15 0-18 0 Peaches (Cape), pr. case 4 0-80 Pears (Californian), per case 10 6 16 6 — Glou Morceau 11 6-12 6 — Easter Beurrc 8 6 — — Winter Nelis 12 6-13 6 — (American) per barrel, ISO lbs. 25 0-26 0 — cases 7 0 — Pineapples, St. Michael 2 6-40 Plums (Cape), per case 2 6- 6 0 — Apple, per box 10 0-12 0 Arttchokes{G1obe), per dozen — Ground, per J bushel Asparagus, Sprue.. — Cavaillon — Paris Green ... Beans, Madeira, per basket — Guernsey, Dwarf, per lb. Beetroot, p. bshl. : — Long Brussel Sprouts, per A bushel ... — half bags Celeriac, per doz. Cabbages (English), per tally Cauliflowers, p. dz. — (Italian), p. pad — (Cornish), per crate Celery, per. dozen bundles — (washed), per dozen bundles Carrots (English), pr. doz. bun. .. — per cwt. — (washed) p. bag Chicory, per lb. .. Cucumbers, p. doz. Endive, per dozen Greens, per bag ... Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross s.d. s J. 3 0- 40 1 fl- 1 3 og 3 0 — 4 B- 5 0 4 0- 6 0 3 6- 4 0 2 6- 30 1 6- 2 0 3 6-4 0 2 C- 3 0 4 0- R 0 2 6- 36 1 6- 2 0 9 0-11 0 10 0- 14 0 la 0-18 0 1 6- 2 0 3 0- 4 0 4 0- 5 0 0 4 — 9 0-15 0 1 20 — 1 6- 7 n 2 0 H o r seradish, 12 bundles Leeks, per doz. ... Lettuce (French), perdoz. Mint, per dozen bunches Mushrooms, culti- vated, p. lb. ... Miistardand Cress, pr. ilz. punnets Onions (Dutch) per bag — English — (Spanish), per case Parsley, i sieve ... — per doz. bmi. Parsnips, per bag Radishes(English), per dozen Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles Savoys, per tally .. Spinach, per bushel... Seakale. p. punnet Tomatos (Canary Islands), per bundle Turnips (English), perdz. bunches — bags (washed) — (unwashed) ... Turnip Tops, per bag Watercress, p. dz. bunches s.d. s.d. 11 0-12 0 2 6-30 10-13 6 0-70 0 10-1 3 10-16 8 0-86 9 0-96 7 6-80 2 0-26 3 0-36 5 0-56 0 10-1 0 0 10-1 0 7 0-10 0 4 0 5 0 0 9-10 12 0-15 0 2 0-26 4 0-46 3 6-40 26-30 0 6-0 6i Remarks Supplies of hot-house Grapes are scarcer, and a general rise in their prices is anticipated. Consignments of Cape fruits received this week per ss. " Edinburgh Castle" amounted to 8,483 boxes, consisting of Pears, Peaches, Apricots, Plums and Nectarines. Shipments of fruits from other countries amounted to 10,000 packages, consisting principally of Anpjes.' Only Bramley's Seedling and Dumelow's Seedling (Wellington's) are available from home sources. Teneriffe Tomatos are available in fairly large quantities, some of the samples being quite equal to home-grown produce. Supplies of vegetables have de- creased during the past week, consequently their prices have increased. A continuance of the present wintry weaiher will no doubt b[ ing about an improvement in trade. E. H, R., Covent Garden, January 31, 1912. Potato s. percwt. s.d. s.d. Kents- Lincolns — Qneen's . 4 0-46 Maincrops Up-lo-Date 4 0-46 Blacklands Lincolns- Up-lo-Dale British Queen . . 4 0-46 . 3 9-46 Bed fords - Up-to-Dale Puritan ... King Edward .. . 3 6-43 Epicure ... . 3 0-36 Dunbars— Northern Star . . 2 9-36 Up-to-Date Evergoods . 2 9-36 Maincrop per cwt s.d. s.d. 4 0-43 2 6-33 3 9-40 4 0-43 4 9-53 5 3-56 Remarks.— Trade has improved a little. Supplies are not quite so large and prices for best quality tubers are slightly firmer. Ethvanl /. Newborn^ Covent Garden and St, Pancras, January 31, 1912. 80 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Febeuary 3, 1912. THE WEATHER. The Following Summary Record of the weather throughout the British Islands, for the week ending January 27, is furnished from the Meteorological Office: — GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. The weather. — T>ut\ng the greater part of the period the conditions continued very unsettled over ail the southern, eastern, and south-wesiern parts of England, with much cloud and frequent falls of rain, while slight precipitation also occurred in the east of Scotland. In Ireland and the extreme north and north west of Great Britain the w^eather was mostly fair, and late in the week a marked improvement took place over the whole Kingdom. Much mist and fog was experienced from time to time in England. The temperature was below the average except in the English Channel, the deficit ranging from a small fi action of a degree in England S.E. to more than 5° in Scotland N. and W, The highest of the maxima, recorded in most places early in the week, varied from 55° in England N.W. and 53" in Ireland S. to 44'^ in Scotland E., and to 42" in Scotland N. On Saturday the thermometer in many parts of England failed to exceed 34" or 35*^. The lowest of the minima occurred on the 23rd in various Scotti-^h localities, but more generally on the 27th, ranged from 18^ in Scotland E. and 21« in Scotland W. to 2y° in England S.E., and to 39° in the English Channel. The lowest grass readings were 15" at Balmoral and HilHngton, and 17" at Newton Rigg, Llan- gammarch Wells, and Maikree Castle. The rainfall exceeded the average in the eastern and central parts of England and also in the English Channel, but was below it elsewhere. In Scotland N. and VV., Ireland N. and England N.W., the fall was very slight; in many localities in the north the precipitation was in the form of snow. The bri-^ht sutishine was above the normal in Scotland and also in Ireland N. and the western districts of England, below it elsewhere. The percentage of the possible duration ranged from 28 in Ireland N. to 17 in England E. and N.E., and to 7 in England S.E. THE WEATHER IN WEST HEKTS. Week etuiins Junuary 31. 1 he sharpest frost for two years. — The past week was very cold, and more particularly so during the four days and nights ending the 30th. During that cold period the liighest day temperatures at no time exceeded 39", and on the four nights the exposed thermometer registered from 16" to 23" of frost. In order to find as low a reading as the tempera- ture last named we have to go back to January 27, 1910, or for two years. The ground, which had been above the average in temperature both at 1 and 2 feet deep during the previous six weeks, is now 1° colder at 2 feet deep and 4** colder at 1 foot deep, than is seasonable. Rain fell on the first day of the week to the depth of a quarter of an inch, but since then there has been no measurable fall. So that those six days formed the driest period experienced here since the beginning of September last, or for nearly five months. There was a little percolation through both the soil gauges in the early part of the weeic, but since then, owing to the frost, none at ail has come through either gauge. The sun shone on an average for 3 hours 35 minutes a day, or for nearly twice the avera^ie duration for the end of January. On two days the sun was shining brightly for five hours a day. Calms and light airs alone prevailed during the week, the direction of the light airs being mostly some point between north and east. Tlie mean amount of moisture in the air at 3 p.m. fell short of a seasonable quantity for that hour by as much as 13 per cent. The last Rose of the season flowering in the open ground in my garden was destroyed by 20" of frost on the night of the 27th inst., which is 45 days later than the average date of its destruction in the previous 26 years, and 11 days later than the latest date previously recorded. E. A/,, Berkham- sted, January 31, 1912. ©bituar)). GARDENING APPOINTMENTS. [C^rrtipofidenti art requested to writm Ihm mamtm of ptrtmaa sad plMC0t Jif itgibly m% posMtble. No chat^t ti mnJe for these anuouticemeuts, but if a stnall contribufwn IS sent, to ke plaeed \n our collecting H<>k- fur lite Gatdenen* Orphan Fund, it will be thanhhtlly received, atid tin etchnowled^fnent made in these columns.] Mr, A. T. GoouALL, for SJ years Gardener to Sir Osmond Williams, Bart., Deudraeth Castle, Penrhyndeudraeth, N. Wales, and previously Foreman at Quenby Hall, Leicester, as Gardener to Miss Ratliff, The Cottage, Coundon, Coventry. (Thanks for Is. which has been placed in the R.G.O.F. box.) Mr, John Kvdd. from Mr. John Downie's Nurseries, Edinburgh, and previously 4 years Gardener to Lord Rathdunnell, Drumcar, Dunleer, Ire'aud, as Gardener to William D. Jamks, Esq., Greywal s, Gullane, Scot- land. Mr. F. Clayton, for the past 2 years Gardener at Anthony House Gardens, Torpoint, and previously at Wynyavd Park, Asloii Clinton, and Westonbiit, as Gardener to the Earl of St. Germans, Port Eliot, St. Germans, Cornwall. Mr. C. W. Abbott, recently Gardener to C. N. Watney, Esq., " Ivy Hatch Court," and previously Gardener at Bed well Park, as Gardener to Mrs. N. Watney, *' Valence," Westerham, Kent. (Thanks for 2s. which has been placed in the R.G.O.F. box.) Mr. J. Brown, previously Gardener to H. L. Kingsford, Esq., Wood, Okehampton, Devonshire, as Gardener to W. L. Lethbridge, Esq., at the same place. SCHEDULE RECEIVED. Southampton Royal Horticultural Society's Rose 6how to be held at the Royal Pier on Wednesday, June 2fi ; Jubilee Show on Tuesday and Wednesday, July 16and 17; and .Autumn Show on Tuesday and Wednesday, November C and 6. Secretary, Mr. C. S. Fuidge, 7, Silverdale Road, Archer's Road, Southampton, Thaddeus Clarke. — The Ameriean horti- cultural papers record the death of Mr. Thad- deus Clarke, landscape gardener at Woon- socket, Rhodes Island, U.S.A. Mr. Clarke, who was 75 years of age, was a native of Co. Cavan, Ireland. ENQUIRY. DraC-i:na Victoria Fi.o'.vering. — We have a plant of Dracaena Victoria in flower. Can any reader inform me if this is unusual? H. T. iioTredboiidcnL *,* T/ie Editors unll he glad to receive, for consideration, lan/e pholoijrapJis of horticultural subjects, suitable for reproduction in tliis Journal. Apple Mere de Menage : Erin. The swell ings on the branches are caused by the woolly aphis (American blight). Spray the tree thoroughly with paraffin emulsion. Apple Trees Diseased : .Vac, Colchester. The Apple tree — Peasgood's Nonesuch — is at- tacked by canker (Nectria ditissima). This is a well-known disease, the fungus entering into the living tissue by means of ruptures in the bark, such as are caused by wounds, the woolly aphis, or by " gummosis." The fungus gener- ally attacks trees that are in a bad condition of health, due to neglect or from having been planted in badly-drained or unsuitable soils. All badly-diseased branches should be cut out and burnt, but in slight attacks the disease may be checked by removing the affected parts and coating the wounds with tar. Trees that are badly diseased should not be allowed to re- main as a source of infection for others, but should be rooted out and burnt. Carnations Dying : /. Y. and .Y. Y. Z. There is no disease present on the plants. The soil has been kept too wet. Employment in Ontario : G. G. Your letter has been shown to the Ontario Government Agent, and he informs us that his Government would have no difficulty in providing a situa- tion for a competent gardener in the province at the wages stated (37s. 5d. per week), and that the chances of promotion are good. If you have not .secured a position, you are asked to communicate with the Ontario Government Agent, when he will, if everything is satisfac- tory, give you an introduction to the Director of Colonization, who has been appointed by the Government to look after the interests of new settlers, and who will provide you with a situation such as you require. The address is 163, Strand, London, \V.C. Gardenia and Begonia Unhealthy : F. 7?. C. The plants are not affected with disease. The trouble must be looked for in some wrong cul- tural treatment. Loam : H. H. B. A- Co. We cannot undertake to analyse your samples of soil, but, from a super- ficial examination, we shoidd say that No. 3 is the most suitable for the potting of plants. No. 1 and No. 2 are without much fibre, but they both contain a considerable amount of decayed vegetable matter, especially No. 1, which, apparently, consists largely of manure. Names of Fruits : Acker. 1, Minchull Crab ; 2, Newton Wonder. — T. Clarke. Y'our Apple resembles a well-kept fruit of Wyken Pippin. — Hortus. 1, Josephine de Malines ; 2, Baronne de Mello. Names of Plants ; II'. <(• S. Spartina alterni- flora. — Foreman. 1, Eleagnus macrophylla ; 2, E. glabra. — W. E. 1, Ilex crenata ; 2, Sequoia .sempervirens. — Ignorninus : Lselia anceps San- deriana. — H'. /. F., Cohham. Ma.xillaria por- phyrostele. — H. P. 1, Catasetum Darwini- anum ; 2. Oncidium ansiferum. — /''. A. L. Erica melanthera. — T. E., Harpendcn. Croton discolor. — G. B., Heading. Ruellia macrantha. — F. H. D. Justicia chryso- stephana. — D. H., Sussex. Eupatorium Pur- pusii var. monticola. — II'. ers as Ampelopsis Veitchii, A. muralis, Hedera Helix atropur- purea, Bridgesia spicata, or non-clinging shrubs like Ampelopsis hederacea, Aristolochia Sipho, Wistaria sinensis, Clematis Jackmanii, Cotoneaster horizontalis, Forsythia suspensa, Lycium enropteum would soon mask the wall, jiagnolias would make very little growth .d produce but few flowers on a north wall. Potatos with Black Centres: A. C. W. The black centres in the tubers, commonly known as " sprain," are not caused by a fungus. The cause of the injury is unknown ; it may pos- sibly be due to the manure. " Sprain " is not contac'ious, and the Potatos can be used as "sets" if necessary. Vine : E. D. Your best plan is to inarch the vine. You will find the method of inarching vines described in the issue for January 20, p. 48. Yew Unhealthy: ,V. C, G. G. The cause of the browning and eruptions present on the leaves is due to imperfect root action. There is no disease present. Communications Hf^ceiveri. — W. A. M — W. P. H._ J. R. J .J. B. M.. Portobello—Traveller—J. B. H — J. R. C .J. M., Palkivk_G. S _R. .1 W W. D. A. _ R. R., Salisbury _T. M., Deninark_R. T. S Riader— B. A. B.-S. & 8ons_A. & B.^.J, A T._T. P. Ltd.— E. W., Harrogate—R. L. C _F. J._F. C. S._N. R. S. _ G. L. J.— a. E. rJ.— H. O. B._T E A. C. W._Valley _J. R. G S. A., Battersea— L. C. a 0 u A U a ft) ■B u (IS U u X e g «> »^ a. s CO o z in CJ UJ ^ a Di OS c § c >< CQ p" < • K t/) u a; w o « p: H u o en K Q Q a; 5 < 2 O O z W Ji <; w p^ Q w < H _w Oh 'as < Q csi o H J Q Z D < Q a 00 OS W •Ji <: z :^ z < X a. <: « o o H O X 0. < o FEliRUAKY 10, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 81 THE ^arbcucrs'Cbroniclc JVo. I.SII.SATUBDAY, February 10, 1912. CONTENTS. A'pine house, the American notes ... AntiiTJniium Apple-racking, demon- strations in Apples, colour in Books, notice-; of— ABotanical Expedition toNewfountllatuland Southern Labrador... The Orchid Review ... The Orchid World ... •Canvas as a substitute for glas? Oianiiel Islands, the Cinerarias from seed ... 1- lectricity and plant culture Genetics, Professor Bate- son on the subject of Habenaria conopsea alba India, notes from— Gardening in the Indian Empire International Horticul- tural Exhibition Ireland, notes from — Apple growing in Treland Lambert, Mr. John, pre- sentation to 90 90 82 89 Land under cultivation, the area of, in Great Britain Liverpool Horticultural Association Market fruit garden, the National Institute of Horticulture ... Obituary— Galvin, Thomas Inglelield, G A. Robson, J. M. Plants, the exportation of Plants, the protection of, in cold frames Potato-growing in Weatern Australia ... Saussiirea gossypiphora and 8. leucoma Societies — Bury Horticultural ... National Chrj'santhe- mum Royal Horticultural .. (Scieotific Committee) Sandy Horticultural ... Sweet Pea disease Sweet Peas for the gar- den Week's work, the 86, Zygnpetalum Mack ay i Charlesworthii ILLUSTRATIONS. Cup to be presented by tlie Vnkobaina Nursery Co , Ltd., at the Interrmiional Exhibition India, view in the Sajjan Niwas Gardens in Inglefield, Mr. G. A., portrait of the late Odontoglossum " Merlin " Saussurea gossypiphora in its Chinese habitat Saussurea leucoma (Supplementary Illustration) Zygopetalum Mackayi Charlesworthii THE ALPINE HOUSE. THERE is seldom imich pleasure to be found in the outsids garden in January. Perhaps t!ie snow is lying in melting patches and the sun is shining so fitfully that it is easy to see that he is barely awakened for the year's work lying before him. Crocuses and Narcissi may push adventurous heads above the surface of the ground, but one is rather sorry for their temerity, think- ing of what they have to go through before they can bloom. Mild weather may have pushed the Rose shoots on, but one knows too well they will be blackened be- fore long. So one turns with relief into a little span-roofed house, the cheerful ]ook of which is in marked contrast with the outside gloom. It is the Alpine house, and it is because this little house has given me so much pleasure in the past and has such possibilities of pleasure in it for all who care to take up a most satisfying branch of gardening — one, too, involving a minimum of expenditure— that I am tempted to write this article, for I think the subject has not received the attention it deserves. Many cannot afford expen- sive heated structures, with their endless bills for repairs and repainting, but the Alpine house needs no heat but that which the sun will supply, and paint lasts twice as long as in a hothouse, while, as I shall presently show, this house can give, if well managed, a display of bloom the while year round: a display always interesting and at times unique in its beauty. Let nie now justify my praise of the Alpine house, but I must premise that one condition is necessary for its realization, that is, an ample accommodation in the way of frames for the plants not yet in bloom or foliage, for the whole point of the Alpine house is that it should, so far as possible, contain only blooming plants and plants decorative in foliage. I am writing especially in the interest of those with moderate or even small-sized gardens ; those with large gardens can simply double or quadruple the quantities of plants grown. The house then need not be more than, say, 20 feet long by 10 feet broad, span- roofed, with staging on each side. The staging should be on tressels, a double set being provided, one of ordinary height and one low, so that the full value of the house for the whole year round may be obtained. If, however, it is not of im- portance to get the use of the house after the Alpines proper go out, say in June, then slightly better conditions for the Al- pines may be obtained with permanent staging. My own house is 30 feet long, and though I have not frames enough to keep both sides of this house in the best condition of display, it has compensating advantages, as the quieter side holds the plants advancing into bloom, and especi- ally is useful to keep safe from slugs those plants, such as the bulbous Irises or Adonis, whose tender and succulent heads would be surely taken off as thej' push through the soil if left in the frames ; at any rate, in this garden that frequently takes place. Success in any branch of gardening is only obtained by constant forethought. How often have visitors to my garden said, '' Oh, why have I not got those beau- tiful flowers?" And I have had to sug- gest, as politely as possible that it was because they had not taken the trouble to think beforehand, to provide in October for the beauty of May, or because they had left the preparation of their Rose-beds until a few months before the time they wanted their blooms : all this applies to the Alpine house, and no success will be achieved without constant thought, but to the real lover of a garden that is only an enhancement of the pleasure. Broadly, this is the way 1 work my Al- pine house : Alpines from the end of December to June, then Carnations, then Chrysanthemums ; but if there is plenty of other glass, the Carnations and Chrysan- themums may be left out. It is of the Alpines only that I wish to write. And at once I must admit that the term " Alpine " is not quite accurate: although Alpine plants form a large proportion of the plants grown, 3'et the full beauty of the house w-ould not be obtained unless other plants suitable for pot culture and hardy enough to stand such cold as they are liable to in an unheated house were also utilised. Now let us look into the house and see what there is generally to be found there at that cheerless time, the middle of January. Note, first of all there are no pots of bare soil or even of pushing heads. All the occupants consist either of plants in bloom and coming into bloom or of plants with pleasing foliage. Consequently, the whole bank, even now, looks cheerful and grow- ing. The following plants are in bloom: Christmas Roses, which, of course, have been flowering since December, and which, with me, are invariably ruined out-of doors by black spots caused by slugs. Some pots of Iri.s Danfordije give a bright bit of yellow. Many of the bulbous Irises, after blooming in the pots and being planted out in summer, increase nicely and do well— my soil is a sandy loam— but so far Daufordiae dies out. Here is the first flower of I. histrioides, which always, in its early days, looks as if it would be a fort- night after I. reticulata, but manages to bloom a fortnight sooner. Histrioides and reticulata increase rapidly out-of-doors in this garden. Here are pots of Snow- drops; they go on many years without repotting. Galanthus Elwesii is capital in pots. Here are pots of Cyclamen Coum— the colour is not first-rate, but the flowers are bright and dainty. Here are some pots of Adonis amurensis, a good and early bloomer. Here are some Lenten Roses. These are generally in bloom by Christmas. On a hard, frosty morn- ing, when frost has got into the' house, they droop their heads, but soon hold them up again as the house thaws, and are not a bit the worse. Erica carnea alba is in bloom, and one can examine carefully the charming flowers of Crocus Imperati, with their delicate black-purple feathering on a buff ground outside and gay purple inside. I have a patch or two out-of-doors ; they are just as advanced in bloom as those inside, but snow, rain and sparrows have more or less ruined them. Here is a bright spot in Eranthis cilicica, which seems to do better each year in its pot. Generally by this time some Hepaticas are in bloom, but for some unknown reason they are late this year. If such a pleasant picture can be realised by the middle of January, I must leave to the imagination of my readers the conception of the increasing beauties of each advancing month until April and May bring the culmination. To enumerate the plants grown would be too like a catalogue. Among many others, the fol- lowing have proved very satisfactory : Ordinary Crocuses (for these, fresh bulbs should be obtained each year, but they cost next to nothing), Narcissus cycla- mineus and minimus, and, of course, all Narcissi, but cyclamineus will go on im- proving in the same pot for years. All the Saxifrages — though the mossy section is the least suitable. All the Scillas. Chionodoxa sardensis is very useful. Scilla messeniaca is good for this work. Iberis Little Gem comes early. Various Tulip species, such as Kaufmanniana, Ostrowskiana, prKstans, linifolia, &c. Anemones, such as Pulsatilla, magellanica and especially A. blanda. All the large, hardy Primrose family, including Auri- culas. Fully to describe all the Primulas 82 THE GARD ENER S' CHR O Nl CL E. [February 10, 1912. would want an article to itself, but P. viscosa. P. nivalis, P. Sieboldii, and P. japonica must not be omitted. I think the charming biennial Primula malacoides will go through most winters with the shelter of a cold house. Arabis aubrietioides is an effsctive pot plant — cuttings strike easily and make good httle flowering plants, but slugs are very partial to them. Eamon- dias and Shortias must not be omitted, especially the charming Shortia uni- flora, which can be easily propagated. Many members of the Dianthus family are suitable. Soldanellas, Oxalis ennea- phylla, Moltkia petrsea, Gentians, sev- eral of the Corydalis species. C. angusti- folia is very early, and C. cheilanthifolia and alba are satisfactory. Androsaces and countless others will combine to give a fresh and changing color picture every week. A few dwarf shrubs should be in- cluded to make a background. The Japa- nese Maples are excellent for the purpose, and the answer, on any day of the year, is " to-day." It takes time to make up a good collection, and if expense is an object the stock must be worked up by propaga- tion, to which many plants are very amen- able. Therefore, a commencement may be made any day ; but, again I repeat, there will be no success without endless fore- thought and care. T. Raffles BuUey, Brackley, Liscard. INDIA. GARDENING IN THE INDIAN EMPIRE. Gardening, after English methods, is now " booming " throughout India, and the requi- .»^ing season, and dees considerable damage. It is ^ "Twd plan to fumigate the hcuse before the tt>:es flu. -r and again when the fruits are all set. This treat- ment should keep the plants free from aphis all through the season. Any trees requiring pruning should be attended to at once. Queen Pineapples. — Preparations mu?' now be made for repotting and startii • the suckers which were rooted last summer. A hot-bed should be prepared in which to plunge them when potted in a shallow house or pit. taking care that the plants are quite near to the glass whtn pluneed. A hot- bei about 4 feet deep, consisting chiefly cf Oak or Beech leaves, will, if well made, retain sufficient heat to keep the roots active all through the grow- ing sea-»on. Build up the bed in layers, and make each layer firm by treading. Be careful to make the bed of an uniform firmness throughout. The compost for potting should be prepared several days before it is needed, and must be warmed through before being used. It should consist chiefly of rich, friable loam, with the fine par- ticles shaken out. To each barrow-load of the loam add one 8-inch potful of i-inch bones and a 6-inch potful of soot. A little charcoal should be added to loam which is heavy and deficient in fibre. Before moving the plants, remove two or three of the lower leaves, then tie the remainder together till the plants are plunged in the new hot-bed. Make sure the roots are thoroughly moistened before potting, and carefuUv " tease " out some of the roots on the outside 'of the ball with a pointed stick. The strongest plants mav be potted into 12-inch pots, and each pot should be carefully and amplv drained. The soil should be rammed quite firmly. Special care should ba taken not to shake the planU more than can be avoided, as the roots are easilv damaged. The plants will not require water for two or three weeks, when the roots should be growing freely in the new soil. They must, however, be fre- quently syringed, and the atmosphere kept moist by damping the bare surfaces in the house at fre- quent intervals. Except on very cold nights, the minimum temperature may be kept at 70°. Take full advantage of the sun's rays during the day, admitting fresh air only on the' most favour- able ociisions. On very cold nichts the roof of the house should be covered with mats or tiffany. Charlotte Rothschild and Smooth Cayenne Pines.— The method of cultivating these two varieties of Pineapple practised at Frogmore for many years, was to plant them out in 3 pit. This system involves less trouble and expense than when pots are employed. The plante develop much more rapidly and the fruits also grow to a larger size than "those grown in poU. To obtain fruits all the year round, a pit should be planted in March and another in Sep- tember. Preparations should be made for putting out the plants sevtral days before planting time, so that the soil may beco'me th< rough Iv warmed. .\ hot-bed should be made as advised for Queen Pines. On this place a bed of soil about \ foot deep. Put the plants out about 2 feet apart and keep the pit close and moist till the roots are active. Shade the plants during bright sunshine till they have become established, after which shading should be discontinued. The plants enjoy a high temperature, provided the atmo- sphere is moist. THE APIARY. By Chloris. Diseases. — Biekeepers should continue to bring pressure to bear upon the Legislature to pass an Act to assist in ridding this country of bee diseases. I believe there is no country of first or second-rate importance, with the exception of Great Britain, that is with- out a law compelling the lazy and indifferent bee- keeper to keep his hives in "a hygienic condition. It has been noted by those who' have made close enquiries into the working of such legislation that bee diseases may be reduced to a neglii^ible quantity. Any Act woold first, naturally, abolish all hives that could not be easily ov'erhauled ; thus we should see an end of the ofd straw skeps. These may add beauty to the old-world sarden, but we must sacrifice something, and as such hives cannot be properly inspected for the detec- tion of disease in its earliest stages, they should be abolished. Compulsory inspection should be one of the previsions of a'ny Bill on the subject, and the notification ff disease should be made compiJsory. Materials, such as wax. in the form of foundation should be inspected for dis- ease, whilst the importation of foreign queens would also require to be dealt with. If such an Act were passed, there is scarcely any doubt but that the number of beekeepers would trreatlv increase in this country, for wherever such lesii- lation has been adopted beekeeping has increased by leaps and bounds. Thrifty and industrious beekeepers hare nothing to lose, but everything to gain bv the passing of such a law. There is considerable scope for beekeepers in this country, as large quantities of honey are imported yearly into Great Britain and to the value of" from £1.000 to £5.000 each month. 88 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [February 10, 1912. EDITORIAL NOTICE. ADVERTISEMRNTS should be sent to the PUB- LISHER, 41, Wellington Street. Covent Garden, W.C Letters lor Publication, a% well as specimens of plants for tiamtng, shnuid be aiidyessei.1 to the EDI TORS, 41. Wellington Street, Covent Qarden, London. Cominuntcatio7is should be written os onjc sidk onlv of THE PAPER, sent as eatly in the week as possible and duly sig,ned by the writer. I/destred, the signature will not be printed, but kepi as a guarantee of good faith. Special Notice to Correspondents.— 3Viff Ed. tors do not undertake to pay /or any contributions or illustrations, or to return unused conununicalions or illustrations, unless by special arranganent. Tke Editors do not hold themselves responsible for any opinions expressed by their correspon- dents. Local ti&ws.—Correspondents will greatly oblige by sending to thr Editois early intelligence of local events likely to be cf intetestio our readers, or of any matters ivhichit isdesiralne to bring under the notice of horticulturists. APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12- United Hort. Benefit and Prov. Soc. Com. meet. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 13- Roy. Hort. Soc. Ann. Meet, (no exhibition.) -THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15- Linnean Soc. meet. Croydon and District Hort. Mutual Improvement Soc. Ann. Dinner. Average Mean Temperature for tlie ensuing week deduced from oljservations during the last Fifty Years at Greenwich— 39-2°. Actual Temperatukes:— London. — [Vectnesdayt February 7 (6 p.m.): Max. 50^; Min. 40^. Carileners' Chronicle Office, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London — Thurstttiy, February 8 (10 A.M.) : Bar. 29-0" ; Temp. 49" ; Wealher— Dull. Provinces. — U'edrtesday, February?: Max 51** Corn- wall; Min. 39" Lincolnshire. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. MONDAY AND WEDXESDAY- Kose Trees, Fruit Trees, Perennials, &-c., at 12.80, at Stevens's Auction Rooms, 38, Kmg Street, Covent Garden. MONDAY AND FRIDAY— Herbaceous and other Plants, Hardy Bulbs, Sec, at 12 ; Roses and Fruit Trees, at 1.30; at 67 & 63, Cheapside, E.G., by Protheroe & Morris. WEDNESDAY— Perennials and Border Plants, Lilies and Hardy Bulbs, at 12; Roses and Fruit Trees, at 1.30; Palms and Plants, at 5 ; at 67 & 6», Cheapside, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris. The Area of Land under Part 1 of the annual volume of agricultural statistics Cultivation issued by the Board of in Great Agriculture is devoted to Britain. acreage and live stock re- turns, and is prefaced by a valuable and interesting survey of the state of Great Britain with respect to the extent of the area under cultivation, the number of small holdings, and the amount of laud under various crops. The most important point brought rut in the report is the apparent reduction in the amount of land which passed out of cultivation during the present year as compared with the amount in recent years. Thus at the present time the area under cultivation in Great Britain amounts to 56,214,419 acres, of which 32,094,658 acres are under crops or perma- nent pasture, and constitute the " culti- vated area," whilst the remaind'^r, 12,875,660 acres, are " mountain and iieath land used for grazing." The shrinkage of the cultivated area lias declined by 51,272 acres, whereas the area returned as mountain and heath land has — it is curious to record — in- creased by 31,434 acres. Hence, the year 1911 has seen a withdrawal from agricul- tural or pastoral purposes of about 50,000 acres. This amount compares favourably with the average of the past 10 years ; for dur- ing this period the cultivated area has been reduced by .S23,000, and the rough grazing area by 55,000. Thus the average for the 10 years amounts to 37,800 acres. The report holds that the present shrink- age is attributed not to the abandonment of land, but to the encroachment of towns upon the cultivated area. Another noteworthy fact is that, though the decrease of the farming area during the' past 10 years amounted to only 0.8 per cent, of the total, the reduction of area of arable land reached the high figure of 6 per cent. During the years 1901-1911 the areas of land withdrawn from the plough amounted to : in Eng- land, 661,000 acres; in Wales, 158,000 acres ; and in Scotland, 123,000 acres. It is satisfactory to observe that this re- duction was less during 1911 than in any year since 1902. The number of holdings of from one to five acres increased during the past year by 2,085 in England and Wales and the holdings of from five to 50 acres also show an increase of 1,001. Thus the total increase in the number of small holdings amounted during 1911 to 3,686. The total number of holdings of from one to 50 acres was 292,488 in 1911, whereas in 1903 it was 290,671. The pre- sent number is still considerably less than it was 20 years ago. For example, there were in 1890, 309,290 holdings of from one to 50 acres. This number fell rapidly dur- ing the next few years, till, in 1895, it was reduced to 299,378. The fall con- tinued down to 1008, when the number was 287,176. Since that year, however, as the report points out, the tide has turned, and in the past three years there has been an increase of 5,312, or nearly 2 per cent. A table showing the extent of land under fruit crops in 1911 demonstrates the fact that the area under small fruit and orchards was almost identical in amount with that of the previous year. The figures are: for 1911, small fruit and orchards combined, 334,995; and for 1910, 234,082 acres. The oldest English Newfoundland.* colony still possesses no book entitled to the de- signation of "Flora," but Mr. Fernald, an American, has given the world some- thing much better than the ordinary "Flora" in the form of a narrative of a series of botanical excursions in New- foundland, liliodora, it may be men- tioned, is the journal of the New England Botanical Club, and it is mainly to the activity of members of this club that we are indebted for the recent scientific in- vestigation of the vegetation of Newfound- land. Mr. Fernald opens his narrative with a condensed historical summary of botanical discovery in the island, and then proceeds to an interesting and in- structive account of the journeys accom- plished by himself and companions. Large * " A Botanical Expedition to Newfoundland and Southern Labrador." by M. L. Fernald, Rhodora, vol. xiii. (1911), l'(>. 1(10 1G2, with a iniinber of views and maps illustrating the distribution of various cbaracleriitic plants. numbers of plants were dried, but it is what the author says of the living plants that is of more importance. It is some- thing to be read and something that can- not be given in brief — word pictures of plant-life and plant-associations. New- foundland is about four-fifths of the size of England, and its mountains rise to a height of 2,000 feet. Lakes are numerous and extensive, and rivers abound. Although situated nearly wholly in a lower latitude than England, its climate is more rigorous. Im- mense areas of the interior are still in a state of nature, thus affording good botanising grounds. We cannot follow the author on any of his interesting trips, but a few extracts may be made from his chapter on "The Geographic Origin of the Flora of Newfoundland." So far as known, the indigenous species and recog- nised varieties of flowering plants and Ferns on the island number 783, while there are about 200 species evidently intro- duced by man. The indigenous plants are divided into four classes, namely, (i.) boreal, (ii.) western or Canadian types not included in i., (iii.) south-western types, and (iv.) endemic species or species un- known on the American Continent. The striking feature of an analysis of the flora is the fact that, of the indigenous plants of Newfoundland, 94.5 per cent, are iden- tical either with species found to the north of the Straits of Belle Isle or with plants which occur along the Atlantic seaboard to the south-west, while only 3.5 per cent. are most typically Canadian plants, which on the Continent find their greatest development in latitudes and climatic zones parallel witii those of central and southern Newfoundland. A large propor- tion— some 340 species — of the plants which abound on the Continent at the western edge of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which might be expected to occur in ap- propriate habitats in Newfoundland, seem to be absent. In this connection the author points out how little has been effected by birds, winds and currents in the potential conveyance of plants from the mainland to the island Another in- teresting fact is the presence in Newfound- land of a number of Carolina plants which do not occur in Eastern Canada. Royal International Horticultural Exhibition. — Particularsof the liberal reductions the International Exliibition authorities allow in the case of professional gardeners who obtain their tickets before the opening of the exliibi- tion have already been published in our issue for October 28, 1911. Tlie hon. Press secretary (Mr. R. Hooper Ph.vrson) now desires to state that application forms for these cheap tickets have been sent to the county .sec- retaries. All who have the requisite qualifi- cations should apply at once to the secretary for the county in which they reside ; the secre- tary will then send a form, which the applicant must fill up and return to him. Since the issue of the last published list of presentation cups and other special prizes, the directors have been in- formed, through Mr. Jas. Wuitton, one of the secretaries for Scotland, that the City of Glas- gow will offer a silver cup for the best exhibit of hardy trees and shrubs suitable for planting Febkuary 10, 1912.] THE GA RDENERS CHR 0 Nl CLE. 83 in congested areas. The que.stion of the suit- ■ability of particular trees for cultivation in densely-populated towns possesses great interest for all who are engaged in public gardening. Ar- jrangemeuts for the social functions in comiection with the exhibition are nearing cumpletion, and the reception committee, through the chairman, Sir Albert K. Rollit, has presented its report I to the directors. The Right Hon. \V.\lter RcNCiMAN, P.C., jM.P., will speak at the lunch to be given on the opening day to the members of the jury and administration. The Silver Cup, illustrated in fig 39, -will be offered by the Yokohama NuiisEny Co., Ltd., at the Royal International Horticultural E.\hibition in May ne.Kt, for the best exhibit of Pieonia Moutan. The height of the cup is 18 inches. Liverpool Horticultural Association. — I This society will liold a spring flower show on ; Wednesday and Thursday, March 27 and 28, a Sweet Pea show on Wednesday, July 17, and a Chrysanthemum show on Wednesday and Thursday, November 13 and 14. The exhibi- tions will be held in the Corn Exchange, Bruns- wick Street, Liverpool. Particulars may be obtained from the secretary, Mr. Harold .Sadler. Mr. John Lambert. — At Welshpool re- cently Mr. John Lambert, late of Powis Castle Gardens, was presented by the Mayor with a purse of gold subscribed by friends to mark the occasion of his retirement from his charge at Powis Castle. Professor Bateson on Genetics. — Con- tinuing his discussion of meristir variation, Pro- fessor Bateson said that the nature of the dis- turbance which gives rise to such variations is unknown. The consequences of the disturbance are not chaotic, but there are at least traces of orderliness in the variations that result. The organism seems always to aim at producing order. For instance, in the hind foot of the polydactyle cat, not only are the extra toes on the radial side formed like those of the other side, but the normal index is reversed. Similar cases in other animals were given. Aji interest- ing discovery was made by Tornier, when study- ing the regeneration processes of the Tadpole. He made a cut in the bud, from which, normally, a single leg would develop. In addition to the single limb, there developed an extra pair, and these bore a normal right and left-handed rela- tion to each other. If the buds of both legs were cut, two extra pairs of legs were formed. These extra pairs may be compared to the twin larvae, that may arise from the division of a rsingle egg cell. The one half of the egg cell re- generates the otker half, giving rise to a complete larva. Another case of orderly phenomena in re- generation is that of the earth-worm. It the tail is cut off at a certain point it is regenerated, and similarly with the head. But if the cut is made behind these critical points there is no such regeneration. The tail may be cut off between the two critical points, but instead of the growth •of a new head a new tail is formed, the mirror image of the first tail. In Planarians, the head may be cut oft, and another head, the miiror image of the first, will be regenerated. Scientists have compared the orderly structures of the liv- ing organism with the shapes of crystals. But this comparison cannot be fairly made, for crystalline form is ultimately molecular, and B form in animals and plants is not molecular. ji -'Some remarkable photographs of complex, waves ■and patterns caused by agitation of the surface of mercury were shown. These patterns were compared with the repetitions and reduplica- tions found in the living organism. It was pointed out that these mechanically-produced effects must not be looked upon as directly analogous to the similar effects in the organism. Yet it must not be considered as improbable that it is to some similar mechanical device that meristic phenomena are due. The "Orchid Review.- -The February issue of the Orchid I/cview contains a fine portrait and biographical notice of !Mr. Harry J. Veitch, F.L.S., V.M.H., figures of Oncidium Krameri- anum, Cypripedium San-Acta-us " Westfield var.," and the handsome new liybrid Odonto- glossum Delhi. There are articles on the " Orchids of Panama," " Hybridisation of Zygo- petalum JIackayi," and " Fertilisation and Secondary Hybrids." In the leading article, under the title " Our Note Book," is a discussion of some of the phenomena of inheritance, illus- trated chiefly by the rostellum of an Orchid. Fig. 3g. — royal international show. (Cup to be offered by the Yokohama Nursery Company.) The " Orchid World.-— The February issue of this publication gives an account of the Duke of Marlborough's Orchids at Blenheim Palace, with an excellent portrait of the Duke, and views in some of the Orchid houses. Mr. Kromer continues the story of his Orchid collecting in British Guiana. Current events and the reports of the Orchid Committee make up a very interest- ing number. Apple Packii g at Massachusetts Agri- cultural College.— Mr. F. C. Sears. Pro- fessor of Pomology at the Massachusetts Agri- cultural College, sends us particulars of a school of Apple packing, arranged to take place at the College from February 12 to 24. The packing school will be under the personal direction of Professor Se.\ks ; the instruction in pack- ing will be given by John B. Castner, expert box packer of Hood River, Oregon. The work will consist of grading and packing Apples in boxes and barrels, those registering performing the operations themselves until they are familiar with the different packs used on the commercial market. Special lectures and demonstrations will be arranged for those who attend on the sub- jects of planting, fertilising, pruning, spraying, and the management of orchards. The Channel Islands. — The Guernsey Press Company have issued a directory of Guern- sey, Alderney, and Sark. Agriculture and horticulture are important industries in the Channel Islands. Nurserymen may be interested to learn that the authorities forbid the importa- tion of Gooseberry and Currant bushes, or cut- tings of the same ; whilst Potatos are not allowed to be imported unless the consignment is accom- panied by a declaration. It is also forbidden to import vines, unless special permission is obtained from the Royal Court. Potato-Growing in Western Australia. — The Government of Western Australia recently placed an order with Messrs. St;Ti0N & Sons, Reading, for 165 tons of seed Potatos to be shipped to the Western State of the Common- wealth. The object of this importation is to im- prove the type of Potato grown in the State, and to secure immunity from disease. The selection was carried out under the inspection of the Board of Agriculture. The first consignment of 30 tons was despatched by the s.s. "Masunda." The balance of the order, namely, 135 tons, was shipped on the steamer " Jeanara " on Monday, February 5. The tubers, after being carefully ex- amined and hand-picked by Messrs. Sutton's staff, were packed in boxes (in specially-prepared material) with a view to preserving them during the protracted journey, each box containing 1 cwt. The total consignment, therefore, con- sisted of no fewer than 3,300 cases. The Exportation of Plants. — The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries announce that they are prepared to issue the certificates required by the Governments of the countries and colonies to which plants are to be exported under certain conditions. The conditions require, among other things, that where consignments of plants or bulbs are only admitted on production of a certi- ficate by the Board, or by one of their inspectors, that the contents have been declared to be healthy or tree from certain specified pests, application should be made to the Board a few days before the consignment is to be despatched. When the parcel is to be sent by parcel post the plants ."hould be sent ready packed in a box, with the lid not nailed down, to the Secretary of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, 4, Whitehall Place, London, S.W., marked " Plants (or bulbs) for export." If the parcel is to be despatched by the Board a prepaid adhesive label should be en- closed, and the Customs declaration form should be filled up and affi.xed. No charge is made tor the certificate unless the parcel is over 7 lbs. in weight or the inspector is required for any reason to travel to the place where the consignment is to be examined. In this case a charge of £2 2s. will be made. Where a certificate is required that the nursery in which a consignment has been grown has been found to be free from certain specified pests, application for the attendance of an inspector must be made before May 1 each year. A fee of £2 2s. will be charged for the certificate. Where a certificate is required that no disease of a certain kind has been reported from the neighbourhood in which the plants were grown a declaration by the grower must be sent not less than three days before despatch, stating that the plants (in most cases Potatos) were grown on a particular farm, naming the parish and county, and that the disease has not occurred on those premises. No charge is made for this certificate. Applications for further particulars may be made to the Board. 93 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Febrdaby 10, 1912. Electricity and Plant Culture. — Sir Aechibald Btjchan, Hepburn, sends us the fcDowing extracts on this subject from the Scott's Magazine for 1747, these, being amongst the earliest references to a subject that is occupy- ing much attention at the present day, will be read with interest: — " Scott's Magazine for 1747, Caledonian Mercury, February 20. Mr. Demain- bray's Experiments in Electricity. Edinbro', February 19. Sir,— On the 17th of January last Jlr. BouTCHER favoured ni« with two Jlyrtles of the greatest equality of growth, vigour, et cetera he could chouse ; these I placed in the same room and allowed them an equal quantity of water. On electrifying one of them, it has produced sev- eral shoots full 3 inches long, the other shrub which I did not electrify hath not shown any alteration since I first had it. As the business of my school (a boarding school for ladies) does not allow me the necessary time ef attending this NOW CERTAIN discovery I submit it to those whose whole leisure will permit them to pursue a hint that may hereafter be highly btneficial to society. — Yom's, Stephen Demainbr.it." " Electrical Queries and Experiments. Proposed Office of Or- dinance in the Tower. London, March 10, 1746-47. Electricity as appears by all experi- ments is a kind of fluid lambent fire produced by collecting and giving a vibrative motion and new direction to the fluids of aether and air, which being the two catholic agents of nature whereby the generation, growth, and corruption of all bodies are affected, there is no doubt that the said general causes properly applied will serve as the only best universal means for preserving the health, and curing of the diseases of animals and vegitables. Some of the probable uses of this wonderful power of nature are hereunder sug- gested, but as the truth thereof must be discov- ered by experiments the following are proposed to the curious. — Yours, D. Stephenson." " No. 1. — If all plants that grow in pots, boxes are daily and frequently electrified, will they not Lave a better circulation, growth, and nutrition, and their flower, fruit and seed, be more perfect than those not electrified, and will not this prac- tice greatly advance all the branches of gardining, as the nursery, gi-eenhouse, et cetera? Xo. 2. — Although such vegitables and trees as are rooted in the ground cannot be made to retain or confine the fetherial fires, yet as it may be deter- mined so as to produce strong instantaneous notions and concussions therein, will not the applications of such shocks, either to the trunk or the whole trees, or any of its branches con- tribute to its vegitation? No. 16. — The surpris- ing great force of the selherial fire, when col- lected is sufficiently manifest from the effects of thunder and lightening, is it not therefore pos- sible with a proper apparatus to collect, condense and accumulate this elementary fire in such quan- tities as to acquire a power therefrom capable of surmounting any resistence and producing any effects of force, such as raising water? " HOME CORRESPONDENCE. IRELAND. APPLE GROWING IN IRELAND. The Rt. Hon. T. W. Russell gave some in- teresting statistics recently at the meeting of the Irish Agricultural Society. He said that in 1900 the outout of Apples from Ireland was slichtlv over the' value of £20,000. In 1909, after the Irish Agricultural Society had amalgamated with the Horticultural Society, and sent its missionaries far and wide through Ireland to instruct the farmers how to grow Apples for market, the total income was well over £3,000,000. This is a very gratify- ing result, but it can be still improved upon, for there are thousands of acres which could be utilised for fruit-growing, and the climate equals any other in the world. When the Irish farmer awakes to this fact, and he will sooner or later, we shall find that Ireland will produce as good Apples, both for dessert and coi kin;; purposes, as now come to Britain from Canada and elsewhere. W. A. Maxwell, Coolfin Gardens, Banaghtr. [The Editots do not hold themselves responsible for the opinio7is expressed by correspondents.) A National Institute of Horticulture. — The leader in your issue cf February 3 (see p. 72) appears to me to indicate that at last we, as horticulturists, are awaking to a sense of re- sponsibility. In spite of many appeals from those who are anxious to advance the cause of horti- culture, and obtain for its advancement a just share from our national funds, but little head- way has been made. I think that the idtas outlined by the article in question are thoroughly practical. We have ideal positions or centres in almost every county for the advancement of agriculture, so why, in all justice, should not similar help be forthcoming in the case of the sistei-^cience of horticulture? When the vast market establishments, the huge quantities of produce put on the markets, and the ever-in- creasing demand for a greater supply are con- sidered, there can be but one opinion, namely, that a golden opportunity for increasing horticul- tural etficiency is lost through lack of organisa- tion. Why is this so, and how is it that horticul- ture suffers so much neglect? The answer is that agriculture is represented powerfully in both Houses of Parliament by large land owners, who work for one common cause, namely, the ad- vancement of agriculture. The essential require- ment at the present time is united action on the part of all interested in the several branches of horticulture. John Dunvg/iue, Barilvn Hill Oar- dens. Leeds. Sweet Peas for the Garden,- Sweet Peas are so consistently recommended from the ex- hibitor's standpoint, and so many people want them solely for decorative purposes at home, that I am tempted to make some notes relating to the subject. Size is not essential. Thus we find that Zephyr, Nettie Jenkins, and Zarina are selected by the flower-gatherer when varieties of nearly the same tints, though larger, are left. Then there is the question of colour, which causes a serious limitation. The striped varieties do not appeal to the best taste, nor the so-called carmine John Ingnian and its associates, nor the Fancies, such as Charles Foster, and last the chocolate-coloured. Some of these I do not object to, personally, but I know that they prove distasteful to others. There is yet another point. In the N.S.P.S. classification list we find varieties arranged in order of merit which, for the purposes of which I write, should be at least equal in merit, and in the case of those who have space, and require a large assortment in some cases, might very well be all grown. For instance, Clara Curtis, Para- dise Ivory and Isobel Malcolm are tabulated as above noted. Now it is clear that all three are worth growing. Certainly the two first varieties, which are quite distinct. So with the salmon shades, of which four are named. Melba. placed third, is so distinct and so much to be preferred for its colour, that whatever may be said of the others, it certainly ought to stand on an equality with any of them. One can quite understand how a judge might pass it over on account of its colour being less bright than some, but then it is a tone that is most excellent on account of its soft quality for decoration. Elsie Herbert and Mrs. Townsend afford other instances in which both varieties should be grown. Of the cream section, I find that some prefer Mrs. Routzahn and others Mrs. H. Dickson; the former vaiiety is. I think, the more neat in form. Constance Oliver is ah~i ^;-,-3ntial. Debbie's Duplex, which I grew last year, was cut so persistently that when the firm wrote me for any seeds there were to spare, only a few pods could be obtained, while many other varieties were carrying heavy crops. I was very much pleased with May Campbell, another of Debbie's novelties, but of the others, I do not care to hazard an opinion ; meanwhile, Elfrida Pearson bids fair to nut to rout all the other blush and pink varieties: yet there are still those who enioy the blushes of the old Gladys Unwin. jSIiuie Chriitie, Queen of Nor- way, Etta Dyke, Dorothy Eckford, Edrom Beauty and Evelyn Henius are indispensable varieties. For a crimson, there is either Maud Holmes or Sunproof Crimson. Thomas Stevenson is one of the most brilliant varieties, and those who care for chocolates or maroons should secure Nubian. I grow one or two varieties so badly fi.xed that on that account many would con- sider them of no value. Audrey Crier is one and Syeira Lee another. Both, wnen true, are ex- tremely beautiful. Besides the varieties already mentioned, the old Lord Nelson, Janet Scott, Lady Grisel Hamilton, and Rose du Barri are valuable for decorative work. H. P. Brothers- ton. The Protection of Plants in Cold Frames.— Our frame ground slopes to the north, is distant from the Thames about 50 yards, and occupies a very cold and exposed position. The frames are raised some 5 inches above the level of the ground, and the interior foundation for the plants consists of rough stones levelled with ashes to prevent surface water reaching the roots. We grow quite a large variety of plants suitable for beds and borders, and among other tender subjects about 1,500 Zonal Pelargoniums ia variety. These were struck singly in small " 60 " pots in the open frame at the end of August, and progressed but slowly until the cooler con- ditions of October prevailed, but they have since developed into very vigorous and healthy plants. During October wire netting supported by Larch .stakes was placed around the three higher sides of a six-light frame containing the Pelargoniums. The netting was the same height as the frame and 18 inches from it. Into this space we put dry Plane leaves as they were col- lected, treading them well down, until the space was quite full. During the recent severe weather Archangel mats were put six thick over the top of the frame, also .spreading lightly between the third and fourth mat a half bundle of meadow hay. For a full week previous to the 6th inst. the plants were not uncovered ; on examination they were found to be quite uninjured by the frost. The Plane leaves, in conjunction with the dry mats and hay, thoroughly protected them. Plants wintered in frames may be planted out earlier in spring, and they make a quicker and better start than those grown in heat. Fog and frost are the only conditions which cause us to close the frames.' Last spring the planting of the beds and borders was completed by May 15. On the 19th we registered 5° of frost on the ground. Among other things, 500 tuberous Begonias were planted out, and a dozen plants only were affected by the cold. In connection with the storage of plants, the methods related above have been" our practice for the past nine years, and we have every I'eason to be satisfied with the re- sult. J. G. S. Colour in Apples. — No one can claim that the addition of rich colouring adds to the edible quality of Apples; indeed, the richer the colour', the drier the flesh and the more inferior the flavour. In the majority of cases those varieties with brown or russcty .skins are amongst the most juicy and pleasant-flavoured of Apples. These rarely show even a tinge of colour externally. As to cooking Apples, many of our finest and best, such as Royal Jubilee, Warner's King, Lord Derby, Hormead Pearmain. Golden Noble, and Bramley's Seed- ling, seldom or never develop red tints. Some popular varieties, such as l^ismarck, Emperor Alexander, Pcasgood's Nonesuch, Prince Albert, and Newton Wonder, develop colour in some cir- cumstances, but no one will claim that such fruits keep better, are more juicy, or better flavoured than less brilliant examples. I have fruits of Newton Wonder unu. uallv highly coloured and others without colour, but the former eat tar drier, and are cf less value for either co''s Hexandrian Plants; Trew's Phintit Selectct; Descourtilz".s Flore, des Antilles; Maund's Botanic Garden; Andrews' Heathery; and many others. The amount expended on books has been between JE800 and i:900. The whole Library is being re-arranged, cla-v^ified, indexed, and catalogued, under tlio supervision of Messrs. Wctfley. The necessity of putting up additional book cases bavin? come to the knowledge of Baron Bruno Schroder— nephew oJE the late Baron, who so generously fitted up the Library at his own experifie— Baron Bruno offeied to take upon him- self the provision of the new oak c-xs-cs-. in order that the whole of the furnishing of the Library might continue to be identified with his family's name. The total cost ex- ce<-ded £100. The Council greatly appreciate this most kind generosity. Plant Nomenclature. The lules adopted by the Brussels Horticultural Congrees held m April, 1910, on plant nomenclature, have been pub- lished in the Journal of the Society, vol. xx.\vii., pt 1 p. 140; and the Standing Committeei^ have been requested to adopt them in the Society's work. Fellows, and especi- ally Exhibitors, are asked to make themselves familiar with, these rules for naming their plants, and to act on their guidance, as by so doing they will materially help to clear up that confusion and duplication of names which not only causes so much difficulty in horticultural work, but is also productive of not a little disappointment and sore- ness to buyers. Plant Collector. The appointment of a Plant Collector will be considered by the Council at an early date. The Exhibition Hall and Lecture Room. The Hall has heea redecorated in plain green and white colours. Inner casement windows have been fixed in the Lecture room to help to exclude the distracting street noises, and an electric fan ventilation system has been installed, the atmo- sphere of the room being greatly improved thereby. Judging Rules Revised. The Society's Code of Rules for Judging, with suggestions to EchcxJule makers, has been further revised, and the new Edition may be obtained from the Society's office, pnce Is. 6d. Luncheon to Colonial Visitors. Taking advantage of the opportunity afforded by the presence of many Colonial visitors in London for the King's Coronution, the Council invited a large number of Kcntlemen from the Dominiona and the Colonies to luncheon at the Olvmpia Flower Show; about 130 were present, and the .sp*oi;hes testified to the esteem in which the Society's work is held in the CT! show of Orohids will abo be held on Novouiber .I .and I), in order to i the expense of pro- moting the International Exhibition: and S To guarantee a fuither sum ot £4.000 aiiainst the contnigency of tliei-e being an ultimate loss on the Exhibition. (M Tin Directore of the International Exhibition Asso- ciation have agreed:— 1 To give to all Fellows of tho Soc ety certain siiecial and dennile privileges over the General Public in regard Ui tho purchase of tickets for tho Exhibi- tion : and 5 To alUw all such tickcte purchased by Fellows of the S^M'iety to be transferable. A statement of the reduction Wi the charge for admission to be made to Fellows having been so rcoi'ntly issued in the last Joiirnnl. it need not lie repeateil here. (t«e Ciirrffiiers' C*iiiiiic(». vol. 1., p. 310.1 TllK USE OF F.R.H.9. Cases of nii.s-nse of the letters F.K.H.S. having recently been brought to the notice ot the Council, a legal opinion hos iH-en obtained with a view to lestricting their use in the future One Fellow, in particular, having neglected to K*v his annual subscripliou for a serias ot year.v a sjiecial evolution ot tW Fellows assembled in General Meeting on November 21 declared his rights and luivilegcs as a Fellow torfoitovl, under B>e-law 24. and he thercujion ceased to lie a Fellow, and coiLseaucntly fortcitevl also his right to append to his name the letters F.R.H.S. Presents. Many gifts have been made to the Society during the year "Baron Bruno Schroder's munificent gift to the "Library has already be»ker. O.M., O.C.S.I.. C.B., F.R.S.- tho foivnirel ot Engli-sh Iwtanists iu the 19tli .-entury-- pas.sevl awav iu Deivml>er after an unusually long life of useful and' active scientific work. Sir Joseph was pic- dc-eased bv onlv a few days by Mr. James Douglas, one of the gr^'atest practical gardeners and florists of Ibis coniitrv and one who tor m.iny years; h,^ workivl whole- heartcvUv on the Council of the So^•icty and on Committeos, and as a judge and an examiner. Sir Joseph Ilov^ker bad lor more than half a century been chairman of our Si'ientific Committee, and only four yean; ago. writing to the President to thank him for the Society's congratula- tions on his IXlth bittbday. he said:— ' It has been a sourco of great regret to me that I am obliged to alvandon all hoi* ot attending tJie Sosiety's meetings. As a botanist. I have thereby lost luucli. tor the Roval Horticultural Society lias ixintribilted more to botanical science as represented bv collections, publications, and experimental research, tiian any other establishment in Europe." The President and Council dosire to put on rec«ird the very higb estesui in which thev have alwav-s held both of these Victoria medallists the one so distinguishes) in Science, the other in tlie practical work of tli« application of Science. Obituary. \niong many other friends whose names will no longer be seen on our ILst an- the Right Hon. Sir Chas. Dilke. Bart., « Director ot tlie ff.irtfoiers' VhrotttcU; Colonel H H Be^idoiue a past Member of the Council; tlvc Dowager Duchess ct Wellington: Earl Spencer. KG.; Tile F.arl of Onslow. G.C.M.G.: Tlw Earl of Cranbrook: Colonel .Vrlhur Csvllins. C.B.. M.V.O.; Sir William Grantham. K.l^., to whom the Society owes much in con- nev'tion with the Temple Show: Sir Fiancis Galton, F.R.S. : Sir John Airxi, Bart.; Sir William Farrer; Ijidy Joicey; Messrs. C, I'lostet, 0«o. Hobday, and James Walker— Mem- bers ot the Society's Commilti-es; and Messrs. G.R. M. Murray. l''.K.S., lato Keei:er ot lictany, Bnti.sh Miiseum, Henry' Bohn, W. E. Guinbleton. John Hobsou, H. 1'. Tiarks, A. W. Weeks, and L. A. de Ornat lot Leiden). Their lo.ss to the Society is much regretted, but their in- nncnco will long remain in the Society's active lite. ANNUAi. Progress. The following table will show the Society's progress in regard to numerical strength during the past year:— Loss BY Death in 1911. £ s. d. Hon. Fellows .. ;;;;;; ,f ;: « « « J °"""»^ ; :: el :: »1 \ I i ", .. ,; ,. .. 78 .. 81 18 0 ItT £210 10 0 Loss BY Resignation. *c. 4 Guineas 2 1 Associates Alliliatod Societios . 0 177 374 , 30 . 17 £ 0 371 14 392 14 15 15 17 17 d. 0 0 £798 0 0 598 Total loss 7C9 £1,018 10 0 Fellows Elected in 1911 Hon. Fellows 7 4 Guineas 2 ., 1 Associates Altlliated Societios Couiniutaticns = £463 Is, Od. Deduct loss Net increase in incjme 0 37 16 1.474 4 771 15 26 5 45 3 d. 0 0 £2,355 3 0 1.018 10 0 £1.336 13 0 New Fellows Sc 1,565 Death and Resignations 769 Numerical increase .„I?f Total on Docember 31, 1910 .. .. 12.043 ToUl on December 31, 1911 .. .■ 12.839 Committees, &c. The Society owes a constantly recurring debt to the Mem- bers of the standing and slK'Ci.il committees, chairmen, judges. wriU-re ot i>apeis tor the Journ.i/. compilers ot extracts, reviewers, lecturers, and the seveial examiners, who, during the liast twelve months have done so much to contribute to tho SiX'iety's u.«lulness. and to lielp maintain its high standing among the practical and scientific institutions of the world. , . , . ..... * ., The Council also acknowletlge their obligations to the Press lor their invaluable assisUancc in reiiortmg upon, BUd calling attention to. the work ot the Society. By Oixler of the C-ouncil. W. WlLKS, Secretary. Royal Horticultural Society. Vincent Siiuare. Westminster, S.W. January 1, 1912. NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM, rEisitiAUV 6. — Tlio aiiiui;il goiu'i;il iiiocliii;.; of the membei's of the Nation.Tl t'hi'vsanthomiim Society was heUI on Moiulay last at (.'art's Restiiiirant. Strand. Mr. Thomas Bevan occu- pied the Chair, in the absence of the President, Sir Albert RoUit, who was indisposed, and the attendance luunhered about 30. The business in- cluded the adoption of the Report for 1911 and the election of oflicers for the ensuini; year. EXTRACTS FROM THE REPORT. At a meeting of the Cominittee held on November 20. it WAS resolved that an expression of the Committee's thanks on behalf ot the members should be suitably en- grvwsed and formally presented to the President at the annual dinner on Novemlier 29. Tlw actual terms of the resolution wore as follow: — " That the Executive Committee, on behalf of the memliei's. desires to place on record it.s sincere apprecia- tion of the very valuable services rendered to the Society by Sir Albert K. Rollit. LLD., D.C.L.. since his appoint- ment as President of the Society in February. 1908. " The Comiuiltec ixarticularly appreciates the President's special ixTSvinal efforts towards increasing the menilx-r- ship of the Sos-iety. being .-ertain that, in addition to the direct results of the President's action, A distinct advan- tage has accrue*! to the Society from the publicity given to tho Society's name and work." This res^ilution was handsomely eugrossetl in black and gold on vellum in book form and bound in royal blue morocvxi. and dniv presented to the President at the annual dinner by the Cliairinan of the Elxecutive Comiuittoe, Mr. Thomas Bevan. _ , „ , Two shows were held as usual at the Crv-stal Palace on October 4 and 5 and November 1, 2 and 1 The early exhibi- tion showed marked traced of the prolonged drought. The conitietition was consequently not keen, and the ouality of the (lowers was hardly up to the usual standard. At tlw November show the same influences were lelt in a smaller dcftroe. Here again the entrios in the competitive classes were not so good as in the previous two or three years, altliough the quality ot the bhxinis staged com- paied very favturahly w tb previous exhibitions. For the third vcar in sucix-ssion tlie Committee arranged a conference. w"liich was held at Carr's Restaurant on De*-ember 4. when the following papers were read :— •' CMiryTsanthemuins for Market." bv Mr. F. W. Ladds; " Soil Preparation and Some Cliemical Foods." by Mr. P. .\. Cragg. The audience numliered over 100 enthusiastic growers, and each paper w.-is followed bv an animated dis- cussion. A full reiHirt of the prvxxx-dings at this cmi- fercniv will be issue^1 iu a publication to be called the rrftasoe/ions of the National Chrvsanthemum Society whicli is referred to more fully in a lawr paragraph. Tho deliberations ot the Floral Cominittee during 1911 have again fornuxl a very important branch of the Society a work. Eight meetings of the Committco were held at E.ssex Hall and the CrysUl I'alace. Two hundred and twenty-seven new varieties were considerei,,,.,.„ 11 was particularly notivNOil that those types ot Chrysan- thcnuinis were not ix-piesented at the show as worthily ns might be desired. At » subsequent meeting oi the lora- uiitleo siiecial attention was drawn to this matter, and it was suggested that steps should be taken t^i arrest the apparent decline in the.se sectioiui. The matter was very fully discus.scd. and oventually a reconimeiHlation was made to the Scli.dulc CommltU-e that ti.ey should take this Question into careful i-oiisideration. with a view to oireriiig in the 1912 schedule special piijes for seeilling plonts to be exhibited in 1913 of Pompons, Anemone PomiKins and Anciiioiie Clirv.santhemums, That rci-ommendation will bo carried into e'lte.'t by the Schedule Oomniittee. The finances ot the Society still i-ontinue in a very liealtliy condition. The accounts show that theie were no ordina'y liabilities on Ueccmber 31 last, whilst the assets aniouiucd '°D*rlng'lhe' year, 22 Fellows and 51 ordinary members have been oddvxl to the Society's roll, and thl-ee horti- cultural societies have been admitted to afliliallon. In May last the Cominittee published a work entitled IM Cullurt'and Kikihilion of Larue <'krii»a,>lhfmiim HiMma rand .SofciuJ HfporlSA which conUiiied a full report of the Droccles, Oranges, Grape Fruit and Cran- berries. Teneriffe Tomatos are a fairly plentiful supply with a limited demand. The hrst shipment of the ne'^ crop of Brazil Nuts is expected to arrive about the end of this month. The following varieties of forced vegetables arc now obtain- able : New Potatos, Beans, Asparagus and Cucumbers. Supplies of outdoor vegetables are fairly pleniiful consider- ing the recent severe weather. E, H. Ii., Cuvent Garden^ February 7, Vjn. Potatos. Artichokes(Gtobe), pei dozeti — Ground, per ) bushel Asparagus, Sprue., — Cavaillon — Paris Green ... Beans, Madeira, per basket... — Guernsey, Dwarf, per lb. Beetroot, p. bslit, : — Long ... Brussel Sjirouts, per ^ bushel ... — half bags Ccleriac, per dor. Cabbag(Ts( English), per tally Cauiillowers, p. dz. — (Italian), p. pad — (Cornish), per crate Celery, per. dozen bundles — (washed), per dozen bundles Carrots (English), pr. doz. bun. .. — per cwt. — (washed) p. bag Chicory, per lb. .. Cucumbers, p. doz. Endive, per dozen Greens, per bag ... Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross s.d. s.d. 8 0- 4 0 1 0- 1 3 09 _ 8U — 4 tt- 60 40-70 4 0-46 2 6- SO 1 0- 1 6 16-2 0 20-30 8 0- 60 2 6- 86 2 0-30 70-9 0 10 0-14 0 12 0-18 0 1 6- 2 0 8 6- 4 6 4 U- S U 0 4 — 9 0-15 0 1 2 0 - 16-20 7 0 — Horseradish, 12 bundles Leeks, per doz. ... Lettuce (French), per doz. .Mint, per dozen bunches Mushrooms, culti- vated, p. lb. ... Miislardund Cress, pr. dz. pmineis Onions (Dutch) per bag — English ^ (Spanish), per case Parsley, A sieve ... — per doz, bun. Parsnips, per bag Kadishc*.(Kngli5h), per dozen Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles Savoys, per laliy... Spinach, per bushel... Scakale, p. punnet Tomatos (Canary Islands], per bund c Turnips (English), Eerdz. bunch's ags (washed) — (unwashed) ... Turnip Tops, per bag Watercress, p. dz. bunches per cwt. per cwt s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. Kents— Lincolna— Queen's 40-4 6 Maincrops ... 4 0-46 L'p-">-t)a'e 40-4 6 Blacklands ... 2 6-33 Lincolna— Up-to-Date British Qiie^^n ... King Edward ... 3 9-46 3 9-43 3!>- 4 6 Bedfoi«s - Up-io-Date Puritan ... ... 3 9-40 ... 4 0-43 Epicure 3 0- 3 f- Dunbars— Northern Star ... 2 9-36 Lp-io-Liate ... 5 0-53 Evergoods 3 0-39 Maincrop ... 5 3-56 Remarks.— Trade is very steady. Consignments have been very small on account of the frosty weather, confe- quently slocks in London are much smaller. With mild weather the supply should be quite equal to the demand. Edward /. Newborn, Covent Garden and St. Pancras, February 7, rjr2. 96 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [February 10, 1912. ©bituarjj. G. A. INGLEFIELD. — We regret to record the death, on the 20th ult., of Mr. G. A. Inglefield, of Tidworth Gardens, Andover, in his 69th year. For 27 years he had been in charge of Tidworth Gardens in the ser- vice of Sir John Kirk, Bart., and latterly the War Office. Mr. Inglefield was a successful exhibitor of Chrysanthemums, fruit and vege- tables. He was a well-known judge at shows in the West of England. Before going to Tidworth, Mr. Inglefield was 13 years gardener to the late Mr. Gaskell, Kiddington Hall, Oxfordshire. Thomas Galvin.— Mr. Thomas Galvin, nur- seryman, Rhode Island, U.S.A., died at his residence, Spring Street, Newport, on the 13th ult. Mr. Galvin was born in London, in 1826, He emigrated to America when 10 years of age, and secured employment as a gardener on an estate near New York. Later, he was engaged in his father's nursery at Newport, to the management of which he succeeded, building up an important business. J. M. RoBSON.— Mr. John Mather Robson, of Beacon Grange Gardens, near Hexham, died after a brief illness on the 26th ult., in his 65th year. He took a prominent part in the Fruit Show and Conference held at Hexham in the autumn of 1910, and was one of the founders of the Hexham and District Horticul- tural Mutual Improvement Society. down over the roof at night-time. String should also be provided to loop up the canvas when rolled up from the inside. Care should be exercised to make the canvas secure when drawn down at night. Canvas should be nailed at the ends ; it will not be necessary to roll this up, therefore the ends may be fixed. Hessian canvas, 72 inches wide, is sold at 5d., 6d., and 7d. per yard, and at ^d. per yard less when rolls of about 100 yards are purchased. With care the canvas will last for several years. Scrim canvas, 54 inches and 72 inches wide, may be obtained at 5d. and 6d. per yard respectively. In fixing the canvas on the roof, allowance 'should be made for covering both ends. Hessian and Scrim canvas may be ob- tained from any of the horticultural sundries- men. Struts should be put to each of the two side upright posts at each end to give stability to the structure. Both the woodwork and the canvas should be stored in a dry place when not required for use. Cinerarias Seeding : IF. B. Great difficulty is experienced by most growers in obtaining seeds true to variety from these plants, as the plants cross-pollinate so freely. But the Cineraria is so readily raised from seeds and good strains produce such high-quality blooms that propagation by any other means is only occasionally carried" out. Even the double varieties come fairly true fi-om seeds, only an occasional plant being single. A few hybrids which are sterile with their own pollen, or cannot be reproduced true from seeds, have, ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Basic Slag for Lawns : Beader. Six ounces per square yard would be far too heavy a dressing, as this is equivalent to about 17 or 18 cwt. per acre, which amount is only used occasionally on grass land in damp climates. A dressing of 1 to 2 ounces per square yard would be quite sufficient, but, in the circumstances you describe, we do not recommend basic slag at all. This is on ac- count of the stimulating effect it has on Clover, whereby the lawn becomes liable to burn, is slippery, and discolours the tennis balls. If you require advice for renovation purposes, we shall be pleased to advise you on receipt of such particulars as the nature of the soil and sub-soil, which grasses at present grow on the lawn, rainfall, aspect, and use to which the lawn is usually put. Brazilian Orchids : T. V. H. We do not know of any special work on the Orchids of Trazil. Flora BrasHiensis, which you might study in some good library, deals fully with the Orchids of the country, and it contains illustra- tions of many of them. The species of Orchids are, to a very great extent, met with only in certain localities, and it would be use- less to desire to collect species not found in the part where you are going. Canvas as a Protective Substitute for Glass ; /. A. T. Improvised houses covered with Hessian canvas are suitable for the harden- ing of bedding plants prior to plant- ing them in the beds. This description of house is used in many market nurseries for protect- ing, in their summer quarters, such autumn- flowering varieties of Chrysanthemums as Soleil d'Octobre and its bronze sport. Source d'Or, and Mrs. J. W. Scott. The houses are made 12 feet wide (the length being according to circumstances), so as to accommodate seven rows of plants. To three rows of upright posts, made of 2-inch square wood, 6 feet long at the sides, and 7 feet long in the middle, are nailed battens 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick. The posts are pointed, and driven into the ground to the depth of 12 inches or 15 inches at inter- vals of 12 feet, the battens being nailed close up to and flush with the top of the individual posts. Other battens are nailed on to a middle line of posts to form the ridge of the span structure, and to the top of this the two 6 feet widths of Hessian canvas are secured by means of large, flat-headed tacks. Short lengths of stout string are attached to the side of both widths of canvas at intervals of 3 feet with which to secure them to the side rails when let THE LATE G. A. INGLEFIELD. of necessity, to be increased by cuttings or suckers. Examples of these are C. Moorei, C. cantabridgensis, and C. Lady Thisclton- Dyer. Selection has been so carefully and systematically carried out during recent years with Cinerarias, that seeds of high-class strains sold in separate colours may be relied upon to produce a very large percentage true to variety. By lightly dusting the flower-heads with a camel-hair brusli, when the pollen grains are mature, pollination is effected. It will soon be noticed that, when pollen is abun- dant, the brush becomes yellow. Plants some- times fail to produce seeds when self-pollinated, but seed readily when pollen from another plant, even although it may be the same colour, is used. Experience proves that seedlings obtained by cross-pollination are more vigorous. A different camel-hair In'ush should be used in the case of plants of distinct colours. Pollination may be carried on at any time when the pollen is mature, the best time being between the hours of 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on a bright, sunny day. The atmosphere of the house in which the plants are growing should be light and fairly dry, at the same time affording free ventilation. Feed- ing with liquid manure should be gradually discontinued before the flowers are fully ex- panded. Cinerarias are found to produce seeds more freely when grown in comparatively small pots. In some nurseries where the plants are grown extensively for seed pro- duction, hives of bees are placed in the houses when the plants are in flower. In addition to bees from outside finding their way into the houses through the open ventilators, various other agencies assist pollination. Moving the plants from one position to another, and the consequent shaking, will distribute the pollen. A slight wind or draught through the open ventilators also assists fertilisation. If plants of the highest excellence are selected for seed pro- duction, measures should be taken to prevent cross-pollination. This may be accomplished by distributing the plants singly in houses some distance apart, or covering each plant separately with fine muslin. A favourite prac- tice adopted in private gardens if any plants of outstanding merit occur among the seed- lings, is to place them in a cool pit or frame, with an ash bottom. When mature, the seeds fall on the ashes, where they soon germinate. When large enough to handle, the seedlings are transferred to shallow boxes filled with a light, sandy compost. Freesias : Tom. If your plants of Freesias have been well cultivated and the old cornis properly dried off and stored there should be no need to pur-chase fresh stock every year. Seme growers raise their plants from seeds and get better stock in that way than the average corms that are offered for sale. The plants when employed for decorative purposes in dwelling rooms or conservatories often receive a check which has a bad effect on the .next season's flow-ering. In such cases it is better to purchase new stock rather than trust to defec- tive corms. Gardens and the Public : G. 11'. The course for you to adopt is to write to the head gar- dener in each case, and he will doubtless give you the information you seek respecting any privileges of inspection available to the public. Names of Plants ; F. T. 1, Cheilantlies ele- gans ; 2, Adiantum hispidulum; 3, Blechnum occidentale ; 4, Pteris hastata. — .-1. li'. ti. 1. Cupressus nootkatensis aureo-variegata ; Z, Tsuga canadensis ; 3,. Cryptomeria japunica ; 4, Cassinia fulvida. Nerine Seeds : If. D. A. Seeds of Nerine germinate freely when placed on the surface of the soil in a seed-pan. They do not require covering with soil, and nothing is gained by placing the seed-pans in a very warm house, for germination is slow and the seeds will keep in better condition on a shelf in a warm green- house. When a root and first leaf appears the seedlings should be transplanted, either in store pans or singly in very small pots. The young plants should be potted on as they re- quire larger receptacles, and they should not be dried off until they are approaching the (lower- ing stage. The seeds should be sown as soon as they mature. Nerine seeds often germinate naturally on the soil in the- pots containing the parent plants. Orchid Leaves Spotted : J. B. and .-1. J. If. No disease is present, nor is the truuble caused by insect pests, but it may be traced to an insufficiency of light. Pear-leaf Blister Mite : B. It. The quantities of paraffin and soft soap for use in each gallon of water or 2 gallons of paraflin and soft soap i lb. Use boiling water. Make the ingredients into a perfect emulsion by boil- ing the soap in the water, and, whilst still boiling, pour it into the paraffin, and churn with a syringe until a white or creamy mixture has been obtained. The mixture should then be pumped with a force of not less than 20 lbs. to the square inch through a fine spray nozzle into another nozzle, which completely emulsifies the oil. When this is finished nearly two-thirds of its bulk will be paraffin, and "before it is applied to the bark of a tree the solution may be diluted with nine times its quantity of soft water made hot, mixing thoroughly again with the syringe. When applied to tender foliage 50 gallons of water may be added to the original emulsion; one gill of oil to each gallon of water is suffi- cient for tender plants. Communications Received. —D. R — A Reader.-J. D. _G. F A. G., Somerset H. C, Switzerland. — E. M — R. J. W._E. M. M._G. L, J._E. O. B._G. B._J. S._ S. E. N.-fi. J. R —H, C. B._C. E. M._T. M._A. H._ C. T. D.-H. F._F. W. 8. .E. A B J. B. M._3. A._ D. R. VV._Pi-of. F. K., Berlin. _J. G. 8 R. P. B _P. J— ' \V. A. M W. P. H .J. R. J C. F., Lincolnshire.— H. W H. A._T. Y. N. C, L Anxiou3._A. D. ^ c o u JS u 'a u « e 4) It u x ei E _^ a. a 3 u < III Z 5 u H <; S o u < u OS D C/3 (/) -J < en w tn z < Febedars 17, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 97 .•^^. THE #arbcners'(!Dbvonlclc No. 1,312— SATURDAY, February 17, 1912. CONTENTS. Agricultural BnlletiB of Rhi.blrb gi-owers, com 105 the Straits anil Feder- ated Malay Stales — Alpine garden, the — Primula amfena ... OP Big-bnds. spraying for.. - 106 Books, notict s of — Tbe Botanical Maga- zine 105 Poblications received 105 Cleistogamic Howers ... 105 Cyanide fumigation ... 101 Fiji Islands, some plants of the 107 Florists' flowers- Perpetual - flowering Carnations 300 Formosa, expedition to \Q^ Forrest. Mr George ... 105 Fi uit trees in grass land lOii liames in L;C.C. parks 105 Genetics, Professor Bateson on 1C4 Ha ben aria oonopsea alba 107 International Exhibi- tion. Continental visi- tors to the l^S r,.C.C. parks employee^ 104 Leplospermum bulla- tum 100 New Zealand, notes from 98 Obituary — Lister, Lord Ill Maw, George Ill Molden, Thomas ... 1 1 Morten-en, M. L. ... Ill Swift, Thomas ... Ill Odontoglossura Memoria Lily Neu- mann 99 Orphan Fund, Royal Gardeners' 109 Potatos, the present dis- tribution of wart dis- ease of 101 105 for 99 107 103 110 109 105 109 lOS 104 110 plaint from Rosary, the — Cultural hints February New Roses of the N.R.S. "Catalogue" Scotland, notes from ... Smnll holdings, suitable buildings for Societies — Birmingham Hort. ... Bournemouth Hort.... Dresden Botanical and Horticultural Herefordshire Fruit Growers" and Hort. Herefordshire Fruit, Root, Grain and Chrys. Horticultural Club ... Kent Com mercial Fruit Show Manchester and North of England Orchid 110 Roval liorticultur''l ' 104, 107 (Scientific Committee) lud Royal Scottish Arbori- cultural 110 Scottish Horticulturnl 108 Soils, partial sterilisa- tion of Surveyors' Institution, the Sweft Pea streak dis- ease Week's work, the— Flower garden, the... French garden, the... Fruits tinder glass — Hardy fruit garden ... Kitchen garden, the... firchid houses, the .. Plants under glass ... Wilson. Mr. E. H. ... Yucca Whiiiikilnilida) for the deterioration of the soil, thus leaving a free field for the beneficent plant-food producsrs which are then able to multiply and make much more plant food than was before possible. Plants grown on these treated soils made healthy, vigorous growth, whilst those on the un- treated soils were badly attacked by eel- worm, &c., and only gave poor returns. The method consists in heating the soil by steam to a temperature of 2du° Fahr., or in adding to it a poisonous liquid which is given time to evaporate before any- thing is planted. The liquids used in the experiments were toluol and carbon bi- sulphide. The three most striking results shown by the plant are (1) a more com- plete utilisation of the reserves of plant food in the soil so that larger crops are obtained ; (2) freedom from the insect and fungus pests that occur in the soil ; (3) 97 104 101 103 102 1(3 1(2 1C3 10-2 lOi 104 1C6 ILLUSTRATIONS. Chrysanthemums rooted in sterilised and unsterilised soils f Flowers of Yucca Whipple! (ntidal J>0 Leptospcrmum buUatum in a Devonshire garden ... 100 Odontoglossum Memoria Lily Neumann ... 99 Tomato plants, showing the effects of growth of, m sterilied and unsterilised soils . — 9** Yucca Whipple! (nitida) (Supplementarj- Illustrttlion) PARTIAL STERILISATION OF GLASS-HOUSE SOILS. FOR some time past Messrs. Russell and Petherbridge have been investi- gating at the Kothamsted Experi- mental Station the important question of partial sterilisation of horticulairal soils. The essential principle of the method of partial sterilization is the subjsction of the soil to treatment whereby some, but not all, of its numerous inhabitants are killed. As is well known, the soil is teeming with microscopic organisms, some of which are beneficial and some detri- mental to the plant. The authors have found that the harmful organisms are in general more readily killed than the use- ful ones, and have thus been able roughly to separate the bad from the good, and leave in the soil a more useful population than it normally possesses. Thus, start- ing with Tomato-sick or Cucumber-sick soils, worn out and infested with eel- worm, it was found possible to destroy the micro-organisms that are responsible Fig. 42. — CHRYSANTHEMUMS ROOTED IN UNTREATED AND TREATED CO.MPOST. (A) Untreated compost, (b) Compost treated with toluol. certain minor changes in the plant due to the rather altered course of nutrition. These effects are not equally valuable to all growers. They may not be worth much to the man who has abundance of virgin soil and manure at his d.sposal, but they are of great importance to growers less favourably situated. Very good results were obtained in cases where the plant was left without regular supplies of manure. Thus, Chry- santhemums struck in partially sterilised compost made much better growth, as shown in Fig. 42, than those struck in un- treated compost ; they had larger leaves, stouter stems, shorter internodes, and generally a sturdier and altogether more promising aspect. The same result fol- lowed when a compost thrown out from a Cucumber border was used in a cold house or frame for the growth of other plants without manure ; heating to 200° Fahr., or treatment with ^ per cent, of toluol led to increases of, from 20 to 200 per cent, in the crop. On the other hand, the treatment led to practically no improvement where the plant was grown in virgin soil free from disease organisms, and regularly and sufficiently manured. In these circum- stances it appeared that the plant was already making maximum growth on the untreated soil for the prevailing condi- tions, and therefore that the extra plant food in the partially sterilised soil was without effect. The gross feeding Cucum- ber, however, benefited by the treatment, and in addition, yielded fruit of higher quality. Partial sterilisation also produces cer- tain secondary effects on the plant, and 'these are due to two causes: (a) the plant does not, as is the case when it is grown in untreated soil, obtain its nitrogen in the form of nitrates, but as ammonia, at any rate until the nitrifying organisms have re- established themselves in the soil ; (b) some of the soil decomposition products have a physiological action on the plant, modifying it in certain ways. The first effect to be noticed is a retardation of ger- mination and seedling growth, which mani- fests itself chiefly in the steamed soil. Ihe precise cause is not yet ascer- tained, and consequently no remedy can be suggested ; the problem is, how- ever, under investigation. The amount of retardation varies with the soil, the seed and the conditions of growth. It was very marked in a turf and a rich Cucumber soil, and was more pronounced the higher the soil had been heated. There were indications, however, that the harmful effects passed off after a time. Often there was no retardation, but an acceleration both of germination and of seedling growth in soil heated only to 139" Fahr. Poor seeds and old seeds ap- peared to be most affected ; Tomatos were specially susceptible, more so perhaps than Cucumbers. Soon after the third and fourth leaves are out, however, the plants make more rapid growth and soon catch up those in the untreated soil. The root action is sometimes, but not always, retarded in the early stages of growth on soils heated to 200° Fahr. Like the retardation of germination, the effect is erratic. The same grower has obtained a good root development in August, and a very poor one in January, in heated soils. Later on, however, the soil heated to 200° Fahr. stimulates root action in a most remarkable way. Fig. 43(c) shows a root of a Tomato plant grown in the heated soil, b, the corresponfJL.''? root in the untreated soil, and a the root in the soil heated to 130° Fahr. When applied as a top dressing to pots contain- ing Tomato plants, or to borders where Cucumbers were growing, the heated soil also caused rapid growth of fibrous roots. Plants grown on steamed soils showed, in comparison with those grown on un- heated soils, larger leaves, stouter stems. 98 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Febeuaey 17, 1912. a darker green colour, shorter joints, and a more vigorous habit. The actual amount of the shortening of the stem depends on the plant : it is not noticeable on Tomatos, but is very distinct in some of the other cases. In spite of the e.xtra growth on the steamed soils the plant is not rank or coarse, a result attributed to the nature of the food it was now taking up. It gives a larger quantity of fruit for every 100 parts of leaf and stem, so that the total amount of fruit is considerably in e.xcess of that on the jilants on the untreated soils. Fur- ther, as fig. 44 shows, the Tomatos grown on heated soil yielded a heavier and better crop than those grown on ordinary soil. E. J. Russell. (To be continued.) something has to go, and as a rule it is the buried log ; out it comes. It is then sawn iiit-o 15-feet lengths and rafted down the river to the mill. "I came across the most delightful lake; hardly anyone goes near it. The bottom is white glass sand, i.e., a sand that the best glass can be made of, and the water absolutely clear. In it were trout 12 lbs. to 15 lbs. ; the lake is 40 feet deep in places. Up to the present only a stray bushman catches the fish. The trout were put light a big fire; get clay and cover the pig with it (or a portion), just like a paste, then put it in front of the fire, and with a. tin billy keep wetting the clay, ending by letting the clay bake hard ; then tap off the clay, which comes away with the pig's .'kin. The white meat then is excellent. A Maori showed me the dodge. " I saw a huge piece of Kauri gum, weighing 243 lbs., dug out by some Australians. I never saw a larger bit. I advised them not to break it ■HBHpra^ M.mmH>i: 1 NEW ZEALAND. I THINK perhaps some readers of the Gar- deners' Chronicle may find interest in the fol- lowing extracts from a letter I have received from a friend, who has just been appointed to the Woods, and Forest Department in the North Island. He writes, dated November 11, 1911, Auckland, New Zealand : — " Nothing but gales of wind and rain here, and it has been pretty bad travelling in the northern forests, where I have been. I think it better to keep clear of the bush until the dry weather sets in. I find that the Kauri forests on the west coast have an old buried forest of Kauri underneath them in places ; it seems incredible that trees, roughly estimated as 2,000 years old, should have similar buried trees right under- The hearts of the buried trunks appearances, sound timber still, that the timber would go to exposure to the air, but the saw-millers say it does not ; anyway, they pay thousands of pounds to get the tim- ber out. The sap wood goes to dust at once -with the bark, bat the centre is being milled. It is rather fun watching the logs being dug out and a wire cable being put on to them. They then .start the winding engine, everybody stands clear ; ABC Fig. 44. — TOMATOS i'rom plants in partially-sterilised soil. (A) Soil healed 10 200" Fahr. (b) Untreated soil, (c) Soil healed 10 130'-' Fahr. neath them, are, to all I expected pieces after there as fry many years ago by an enterprising man. It is a v.ild. sparsely-populated district, very pretty. My duties now take me to these wild, out-of-the-way places. It is rather rough work, but, as long as one has a dry camp and one's own food — which one know's is clean — the life is all right. When I get to know all the spots and how to get at them things will be easy. The low-lying hills were yellow with Pomaderris in flower, but, beyond that and white Manuka, there was nothing in the way of flowers to niterest me. The undergrowth in the bush is so dense that the traveller can only follow cattle tracks. There were a good many wild pigs, and, if fairly young ones are taken, the meat is excellent when they have been feeding on the Fern. It is pre- pared in a simple way : get the pig down to a creek with a good clay bank ; as a rule they run to a creek where' they' bail up. After it is killed. up, but to trade it off to some museum, but I be- lieve they hung it on a pole and so got it "out of the bush'into a town and sold it to a gum buyer, who broke it up. I was asked by a settler to call at his place and see a Waratah (Telopea speciosis- sima)* in flower. You know the Australian shrub. I liad seen many before, but this one- was the most showy thing I had seen. It was about 40 feet high, and on every shoot a glorious scarlet flower. Miles before I arrived at the place I saw it. The settler knew Tasmania, and he and others told me this tree was supposed to be one of the finest specimens known. It lasts in flower for weeks. If it had been near a town I am certain they would have run an excursion to see it. It was the glorious scarlet in a mass that appealed to me. My last plant of Olearia semi-dentatat is dead ; it can- not stand this sub-tropical climate (Auckland)." A. T. B., Lnd(jvan, Cornwall. Tim ALPir^E GARDEN. A B Fig. 43. — roots of tomato plants grown in partially-sterilised soil, (a) Tomato-sick soil heated to 180° Fahr. (B) Some cf Ihe same soil untreated, (c) The same soil heated to 200° Fahr. PRIMULA AMCENA. Regarding the noteon this Primula (seep. 33), I may say that it is a plant 'which I grsw a g<.od number of years ago, after having been at- tracted to it by Mr. Robinson's description, just as Mr. Farrer seems to have been. It was then. a.s now, rather difficult to obtain, but I secured some plants from a correspondent at Broussa, and I established, as I thought, a few of these. They were afterwards lost in a severe winter 16 or 18 years ago. The plant has long borne a reputation for tenderness, which makes me doubt its being the parent of the double-lilac Primrose, which is the freest and best of the flowers of its class. Primula amoena is a delightful plant, which I would gladly possess again, notwithstanding my doubts of its hardi- ness. We have made .some advance in the culti- vation of the Primulas, and it is possible that we did not give the plant the best conditions. I grew it under the sliade of trees and in a shel- tered position. S. Arnott, Dumfries. * Telopea speciosissima (Waratali), a native of New South Wales — is still a rare plant in this country. I have had it out for two winters and it seems to be thriving well ; it has not yet, however, had a severe winter to contend aRainst. If it succeeds it will be a beautiful adjunct to Cornish gardens where so many fine shrubs thrive so well. + Olearia semi dentata. — Native of Chatham Islands, N.Z., was introduced into British gardens by Capt. A, A. Dorrien-Smilh in 1909. There is a good plate of it in the R.H.S. Jot*jjm/, October, 1911. It is early days to say how it will succeed here, but so far it is flourishing well. in a moist situation protected from tlie mid-day sun ; in fact, one is led to believe that what it resents is excessive heat rather than excessive cold. I have no doubt that there will be t^ great demand for this plant when it is put on the matWet. ^ FEBEU.Ajiir 17, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 99 ODONTOGLOSSUM MEMORIA LILY NEUMANN. Our illustration (fig. 45) represents a flower of this handsome hybrid Odontoglossum, to which an Award of Merit was accorded when its owner, J. Giirney Fowler, Esq., Glebelands, South Woodford (gr. Mr. J. Davis), exhibited a magnificent inflorescence at the Royal Horti- cultural Society's meeting on February 6 last. ..Vs to the derivation of the hybrid there ia some doubt. The record on one side is said to be 0. amahile, and on the other a fine hybrid raised by Messrs. Sander & Sons and named 0. Royal Sovereign, but the record was somewhat in doubt, and therefore perhaps it is better to con- clude that the parentage is unknown. As will be seen, it is a very good hybrid, with the flowers of fine shape and segments well dis- played. The colour is deep claret-purple with a few lines of the white ground .showing (hrough, the tips being white tinged with rose. The lip has a yellow crest and white front lobe with rich claret-coloured markinsrs. TIfE ROSAE^Y. CULTURAL HINTS FOR FEBRUARY. It is the practice of many to apply heavy mulchings of manure to Roses in winter, but I do not recommend it. In such a wet season as this the manure becomes a wet mass around the base of the plant, which is the most vital part. It is my experience that the plants are much safer when kept dry. The fertilising properties of the mulch are of little, if any, value to the plants in V inter, seeing that the roots are not active. Instead of these moisture-conserving mulches, I recommend drawing up some of the soil to- wards the stems to throw off the rains. This is a certain protection against injury by frost to the base of the stems of dwarf Roses, and it is useless to protect the upper wood and leave the base exposed to both frost and wet; for this is the part that is soonest injured. If, instead of manures, strawy litter is applied, the latter is either blown to some corner, where it is not wanted, or else battered down by snow or rain. Nurserymen, with their many thou- sands of plants, seldom protect Roses, but they endeavour to keep the plants as dry at the bot- tom as possible. This season being so wet, we have drained the rows on Rose quarters by making small gullies with a spade or hoe. Perhaps the best protective materials for Roses are branches of Fir, Beech or Laurel. These can be applied quickly and they possess the great advantage of staying where they are placed. They do not harbour wet, but form a protection from cold winds and frosts. Tender varieties should not be grown as standards, for in this type of plant the most vital part is where scion and stock unite. This part of the plant will naturally be dry, and it may be protected from frost by tying a small tuft of hay, straw or bracken about it. I have seen cases where the tops of the plants were trussed up with straw much after the manner of bottle protectors. Al- though this undoubtedly protects them, it also has the effect of making the plants tender and it induces a premature growth. Very tender varie- ties I would protect, but these should not be planted, except in warm, sheltered positions. I would warn cultivators against early pruning. Formerly some of the hardy Damask and Gallica Roses, also a few of the Hybrid Perpetuals, were pruned in the last week of February. I do not agree with this early pruning, especially now that we have a large number of varieties half- way between the old ones and those that are sometimes styled tender. Roses under Glass. The plants should be encouraged to make all the growth possible, as the flowers will not be so much prized after a few are available from plants on warm walls and sheltered nooks out- of-doors. Roses that are planted just outside a house and the growth trained inside under the glass, often fail if the outside border and wall are left exposed. This is not to be wondered at when the great difference between the tempera- ture of the house and the border is considered. Good mulchings on the border, kept in place by a few boards, so pitched as to throw off super- fluous moisture, are a great help, as are also mats, or straw hurdles placed against the wall. The young growths are often close to the roof-glass, and a mat placed over the glass in severe weather is very beneficial. There should not be much humidity in the atmosphere of the house for the present, and any drips from con- densed moisture should be prevented, :3tween the veins are dead, owing to lack of vater. If the root of a Pta plant that has been ittacked by the fungus is examined, it will be loen to present a blackened or charred appear- lince, and very frequently to be more or less de- ':ayed en one side, suggesting the idea that it had oeen gnawed by wireworm. In some cases small ulack patches of the Torula form of fruit are pre- lient on the surface. I j Symptoms of the Dise.ise in Asters. ' " So far as my experience goes. Asters are always killed outright during the seedling stage. When the plants are about 3 inches high, they commence to wilt, and soon fall over, as in the disease known as " damping off." The roots of diseased plants are shrivellled and blackened, and all the rootlets are dead. The fungus appears to spread very rapidly in the soil, as whole batches of seedlings collapse simultaneously. • Kew Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information, No. 1, 1912. Symptoms of the Disease in Orchids. *' I have only observed the disease on cultivated species of Cypripedium, of which abundant mate- rial was sent to Kew, and it was stated to be present on most of the plants occupying a large house. The roots are attacked first, then the bases of the leaves, which gradually become brown, and finally assume the condition of a soft rot, when the whol? plant falls over. The snow- white Milowia fruit was produced in abundance when the decayed iJortions were placed under favourable conditions for its growth. It was in all probability the spores of this condition of the fungus that spread the disease from one plant to another in the house, the minute sports being dis- persed by wind, syringing, &c. Preventive JIethods. "It is practically impossible to cure a plant that is once infected, as the mycelium is located in the living tissues of the root, and no substance is known that will check or kill such mycelium, without at the same time killing or materially in- juring the host-plant. Hence the only means of checking the onslaught of the fungus is by the adoption of preventive measures. The great majority of the disease is obviously due to in- fected land. No evidence of the presence of spores on Peas or other seeds is forthcoming, and would not be expected to occur, when it is re- memljered that the fungus, as a parasite, con- fines itself to the root and collar of the stem. Infection of the soil may be brought about by various means. When a diseased crop is grown, the roots in most instances become thoroughly decayed, and too friable to remove even if an attempt was made to do so. It is on such de- cayed roots that the Torula or resting-spore stage of the fungus grows, consequently the soil be- comes infected, and evtn if a crop of some kind is afterwards grown tbat the fungus cannot attack, it finds host-plants in the various kinds of weeds growing along with the crop. In addition, when it is remembered that the fungus can pass through its compk-te course of development as a pure saprophyte, feeding on the humus present in the soil, it will be readily understood that when land is once infected, the fungus is quite capable of holding its ground, and cf quickly extending its area of devastation, unless prompt measures are taken. The infection of a new area is, in the majority of instances, due to the use of manure, on which material the fungus flourishes and re- produces itself at a ra;iid rate. " Commercial formalin (= 40 jjer cent, for- maldehyde), has proved to be the most effective fungicide for sterilising infected soil. In the United States, where Thielavia proves very de- structive in causing a root-rot of Tobacco seed- lings, the soil of the seed-beds is thoroughly soaked with a solution of formalin in w-ater, in the proportion of one pint of formalin to twelve gal- lons of water. One gallon of the mixture should be allowed for each souare foot of surface. After the watering is completed, the soil should be covered for two or three days with coarse sacking or canvas, to keep in the fumes. The watering should be done after all digging has been done and when the seed-beds are in a condition ready for sowing, and a week or ten days should inter- vene between the soaking of the soil and the sowing of seed, to allow for the complete escape of the formaline fumes and the drying of the soil. " When green manure is dug into land intended for seed-beds, it should previously be thoroughly watered with formalin as above. " Professor Benincasa has quite recently con- ducted a series of experiments, as to the best means of checking root -rot of Tobacco in seed- beds. Having proved that infected soil is the usual source of injury, and that heating such soil to a temperature of 90° C. does not completely eradicate the disease, comparative tests were made bv using ordinary garden soil, pure sand, and volcanic ash or pumice for seed-beds. The plants grown in garden soil were badly infected, seed-beds of sand proved very efficient in con- trolling the disease, volcanic ash gave the best results of all, both in arresting the disease and in the rapid and vigorous growth of the seedlings. This result is partly due to the absence of humus,, which favours the continuous growth of the fungus in soil containing organic matter, and also to the physical conditions of such soil. " The author suggests the use of coal ashes, volcanic scoria, or naturally or artificially-pow- dered volcanic rocks, as suitable for the formation of seed-beds." CYANIDE FUMIGATION. Fumigation with hydrocyanic acid, though largely practised in America, does not seem to appeal much to gardeners on this side of the Atlantic. The reasons are not far to seek, for the fumigants commonly used are very effica- cious, and cyaniding has some disadvantages : in fact, its chief recommendation is its extreme cheapness. Until recently the amounts given for ordinary greenhouse fumigation were far in ex- cess of what is necessary, and two extremely im- portant factors, the time of day and the duration, were apt to be ignored. A fumigation which will, if done in the daytime, blacken and scorch half the plants in a house, will, if done at night, have no ill-effects on them. Whether this be due to the closing of the stomata at night or to some deeper cause is not known. A strong dose of, say, one ounce of sodium cyanide to every thousand cubic feet, will kill aphis in 20 minutes ; there is, therefore, no point in prolonging the opera- tion. Experiments at the John Innes Horti- cultural Institution showed that a fumigatinn of 5 ounce of sodium cyanide to every thousand cubic feet for half an hour is quite sufficient to kill all green fly, and even such delicate vegeta- tion as the young fronds of Maidenhair Ferns was unharmed when me fumigations were done at night. Its cost is about one-third that of en ordinary fumigation per unit volume. A quar- ter of an ounce per thousand cubic feet in 30 minutes killed 75 per cent, of the " fly," and in an hour killed all but one or two. There is little doubt, therefore, that in an hour and a half all would have been killed. On the other hand, five ounces for three hours failed to kill red spider, and injured the plants. One ounce for half an hour is said to kill " mealy bug." The method of procedure is very simple. A weight of strong sulphuric rather in excess of the weight of sodium cyanide to be used is poured into an earthenware receptacle containing about twice this weight of water, and when all is ready, the cyanide, roughly powdered, is poured in and the door locked. There is no point in prolonging the fumigation beyond the time necessary to kill insects, as it is only detrimental to the plants : in practice this time is half an hour with half an ounce to the thousand cubic feet, and longer as the charge decreases. It should be noted that if potassium cyanide is used, nearly double the amount is required, and also more acid in proportion. It is also more expensive. A great deal has been said about the danger attending the use of cyanide as a fumigant. As a matter of fact, with reasonable care, there is no danger, but a fumigation of this sort should not be done alone. If care is taken not to inhale the gas, it will do no harm. Plants vary con- siderably in theii' susceptibility to damage by cya- nide ; some, like Primula sinensis, are very resist- ant, while Roses and Gerberas are extremely susceptible. It can only be found by experiment which can safely be fumigated ; it was found, for instance, that Diplacus glutinosus is very suscep- tible, even to small amounts, its rather glutinous young leaves being scorched in the same way as are wet leaves. Needless to say, the drier the house before fumigation the better, as the gas is e.x- tremelv soluble in water. W. 0. Backhouse. 102 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [February 17, 1912. The Week's Work. THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nungurnholme, Warier Priory, YorksLire. MORELLO Cherries. — If the pruning and training of Morello Che'-ry trees have not yet been done, the work should be completed at the first opportunity. The pruning is a simple operation as the trees bear the greater number of their fruits on shoots of the previous season. The growths should be thinned in the same manner as is practised with Peaches, cutting out any old, useless wood, and training the growths at "about 4 inches apart. This Cherry will grow in almo.st any position, and may be trained in any form. It is especially valuable for growing on north walls where few other fruits are profit- able. The Morello Cherry is a prolific cropper ; bush trees planted in the open fruit with great freedom, even in northern districts. It grows well in ordinary soils, provided they are well drained. A difficulty is experienced in the case of trees grown as bushes in the open in protecting the fruits from attacks of birds. A row of trees should be planted, and a simple framework fixed over them provided with tw'O side rails and a central ridge in span form. _A net may then be placed over the framework with little trouble. Miscellaneous Work. — During frosty weather, such as we have experienced recently, work of a preliminary or preparatory character should bo undertaken to save time when the busy season ariives. Manure should be carted to where it is required, and mulchings applied to newly planted trees. Manure should be wheeled to established trees which show signs of weak- ness whilst the ground is hard with frost. An opportunity will also be afforded for placing fresh labels to any of the trees that require it, and a list of names should be prepared accord- ingly. PLANTS UNDER GLASS. By Thomas Strvenson. Gar lielatioii of I'hyllotaxis to ific/tanical Laws. Very little is known about the inheritance of meristic characters. It seems probable that the lower number is dominant over the higher. For instance, in the Tomato, the variety with a two- celled fruit is dominant over the four or five- celled form, which suggests a limiting factor in the two-celled variety." The representation of organic repetition as mechanical in origin is also an assistance when the inter-relation between a series of repeated parts comes to be considered. Their resemblance to each other, as that of the hand to the foot, or that of the leaves of a tree to each other, is then comparable with the like- ness of waves in a series. That a series of such parts, whether leaves, petals, segments of a worm, or any similar structure can in variation all change simultaneously in the same way, ceases to be surprising. The lecturer proceeded to give illustrations of the relationship subsist- ing between members of such a series, and pointed out that differentiation among such re- peated parts is what variation is among brethren. Royal Horticultural Society.— 1 he next meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society will take place on Tuesday in the Vincent Square Hall, Westminster. In the afternoon a lecture on " New Sweet Peas " will be delivered by Mr. W. CUTHBEHTSON, J. P. Horticultural Club. — The annual geueral meeting of the members of the Horticultural Cluh will take place in the club room at the Hotel Windsor, on Tuesday next, the 20th inst., at 5.15 p.m. The chair will be taken by the Presi- dent, Sir John T. D. Llewelyn, Bart. The an- nual dinner will take place at 6 p.m. on the same date, at the Hotel Windsor. Sir Fhank Crisp will preside. After dinner the proceedings will be interspersed with a musical programme kindly provided by Sir Frank Crisp. Members in- tending to be present are asked to write to the hon. secretary, Jlr. R. Hooper Pearson, without delay. Ladies are specially invited. Mr. E. H. Wilson.— At a meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Massachusetts Horti- cultural Society, held on January 13, it was decided to award the Society's Gold Medal to Mr. E. H. Wilson in recognition of his work as a plant collector in Western China. The Surveyors- Institution. — The next ordinary general meeting, being the second of the two afternoon meetings arranged for the convenience of country members, will be held in the Lecture Hall of the Institution on Monday, February 25, wlien a paper will be read by Mr. Leslie S. Wood, entitled " The Tendency Towards Uniformity in Compensation for Agri- cultural Improvements." The chair will be taken at 5 p.m. L.C.C. Parks EwiPLOVEES.^In November last the London County Council approved a scheme for the clafsification and promotion of boy labourers and improvers in the parks de- partment. Certain arrangements have still to be made in connection with the proposed scheme, but it is intended that the new scheme shall be- come operative at the beginning of next April. February 17. 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 105 Mr. George For rest. — Tliis intrepid traveller has just left England by the s.s. " Martabaii " for China in search of new and rare plants ; on this occasion in the interests of Mr. P. D. Williams, an enthusiastic amateur, whose beautiful garden in Cornwall is well known to our readers. It has been our privilege to re- pioduce many beautiful photographs of Chinese plants taken by Mr. Forrest during his pre- vious travels. In wishing Mr. Forrest a suc- cessful trip, we may in the interests of our readers express the hope that he will be able to send us further contributions illustrative of the rich llora of Western China. Continental Visitors to the London International Show. — At the request of our contemporary. La Tribune Hortiioh. of Brus- sels, the Belgian State Railway and the South- Eastern and Chatham Railway Companies have determined to issue cheap tickets (50 per cent, under the usual price) to Belgian visitors to the London show in May. These tickets will be issued from all the leading towns of Belgium direct to London, via Ostend or Calais, from .May 18 up to May 26, and will be available for 14 days. We congratulate our colleague. .Monsieur L. Gentil, editor of La Tiiljiiiie Horlirnlr, On the success of the negotiations on behalf of visitors to the International Exhibition. "The Botanical Magazine.' — The following |.lants are described and illustrated in the February number : — Stanhopea peruviana, tab. 8417. — We are in- debted to ^lesiis. Sander & Sons for the in- troduction of this beautiful Orchid to cultiva- tion, their collector, Mr. Forget, having discovered the plant in Peru. The flowers are a golden-yellow colour, with a few purple spots ; the basal portion of the lip is suffused with dark purple, the terminal portion of the column being spotted with that colour. A speci- men presented by Messrs. San per & Sons to Kew was grown in the Catth-ya house, where it flowered in January, 1910. The blossoms are fragrant, but somewhat fugitive. Stranv.esia unuulata, tab. 8418.— The Ciinese Stranvsesias. though differing in certain characters, appear to be mainly forms of S. un- dulata, which now includes S. Davidiana and S. Henryi. The plant figured in the liutunicul Maijuziiie, is an intermediate form, having leaves like the typical S. undulata, but an in- florescence resembling tliat of S. Davidiana. The plant forms a tree or shrub with lanceolate or oblanceolate leaves, each from Ij to 4 inches long. The flowers, which only last for a day or two, are developed in corymbs, being suc- ceeded by berries of orange-scarlet colour. The species is hardy, and may provide a pleasing substitute for Cratiegus Pyracantha, so com- monly employed as a wall plant for its red berries in winter. Straiivaesia undulata is one of Mr. Wilson's introductions whilst plant-collect- ing for Messrs. James Veitch & Suns. Leptospermum scoparium var. Nichollii, tab. 8419. — An account of this plant was given in Gardeners' Chronicle, June 20, 1908, p. 398, by Capt. A. A. Dorrien-Smith, who brought specimens from New Zealand in that year. L. scoparium is a tender shrub, but it has survived the wintei's at Kew planted against a south wall, and the variety may be expected to succeed in warm districts out-of-doors. Olearia chathamica, tab. 8420. — In a list of New Zealand plants brought to Tresco in May. 1908, by Capt. A. A. Dorrien-Smith. published in Gardeners' Chronicle, January 2, 1909. p. 2, Olearia chathamica is mentioned with 13 other species of Olearia. 0. chathamica is endemic to the Chatham Islands, where it grows in masses on the edges of cliffs, or scattered amongst up- land bogs. The illustration in the Botanical .Maijazine shows the flowers to be something like a mauve-tinted, single-ilowered, Chinese Aster, with a dark centre. A specimen grown at Ludgvan Rectory, near Marazion, Cornwall, has so far proved hardy. Olearia chat- hamica forms a shrub 3 to 7 feet high. The serrated, bright green leaves have a white, woolly reverse. Crassula Barklyi, tab. 8421. — This is an old but uncommon garden plant, specimens having been received at Kew. in 1875, from Little Namaqualand. The plants which furnished the material for the liotimical Maijazine il'u.stration were sent by Professor Pearson from Cape Town, having been collected during the Percy Sladen e.\pedition (see Ga deners' Chronicle, vol. 1., p. 61). The stems are only 1 or 2 inches in height, and the white flowers are produced in terminal heads. The plant appears to have but little value from a garden point of view. Small Holdings (Cheaper Buildings) Committee. -Tl;e HI. Hon. Walter Hinciman, M.P., President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, has appointed a Departmental Committee : (1) To enquire and report as to the nature and character of the buildings which should be provided for use in connection with small agricultural holdings in England and Wales, regard being had : (a) to the convenience and requirements of the occupiers ; (b) to con- siderations of economy, and also the possibility of the reduction of cost by the use of materials and methods of construction different from those ordinarily employed at present : (c) to the special agricultural and building conditions of the different parts of the country ; and (d) to the various requirements of the Public Health Acts and any Orders or Regulations made thereunder. (2) To submit a series of plans and specifications likely to be of assistance to local authorities and landowners for the purpose. Dresden Botanical and Horticultural Societv.— Wc have received from the secretary 1 f this Si ciety a list of the rules and particulars of the administration. The scope of the society is an extremely wide one, and covers every aspect of horticulture. Special committees are appointed to deal with the different branches ; one is concerned entirely with re- search; another with higher education; a third with the interests of market gardeners ; while a fourth makes all arrangements for the monthly shows, and for the excursions which are a feature of the Society. The secretary is Herr Friedrich BoucHE, Grosser Garten, Dresden-A, Germany. Complaint from Rhubarb Growers. — Growers of forced Rhubarb in the Leeds district are complaining of the damage to their produce in transit by the railway companies. It is the custom to send the Rhubarb by passenger trains in Orange boxes or large hampers, and the growers say that, instead of these being carried, they are rolled end over end, with the result that the stems become broken. Games in the L.C.C. Parks.— The Parks Committee of the London County Council has prepared a return showing the extent to which advantage has been taken during the year ended September 30 last of the facilities afforded for the playing of games in the parks and open spaces under the control of the Council. A com- plete record is kept of the number of games played on reserved pitches, and there are as many games of cricket and football played on un- reserved pitches that are necessarily unrecorded. The statistics show that 15,558 games of bowls were played on 100 greens ; 24,728 of cricket on 470 pitches ; 1,120 of croquet on 32 lawns ; 13,395 of football on 317 pitches ; 2,086 of hockey on 48 pitches ; 77 oi lacrosse on 7 pitches ; 134,405 of lawn te.inis on 493 courts ; and 3,114 of quoits on 38 pitches. These pastimes, however, by no means exhaust the list for which the Council provides facilities. There is a golf course at Hainault Forest, and facilities for playing golf are provided free of charge at Blackheath, Clap- ham Common, Streatham Common, and Tooting Common. Games of Rugby, net ball. Badminton, basket ball, hurling, and shinty are also per- mitted at a few places under the Council's con- trol. Cleistogamic Flowers. — As is well known, not a few plants produce, in addition to their ordinary flowers, others which do not open, though they may bear seed. Experiments made by }.[. MoLLiARD (C. R. Ac. Sc, Paris C.L.I., p. 990) indicate that the formation of such cleis- togamic flowers is due to the insufficiency of sugar manufactured by the leaves. In his experi- ments with plants grown in mineral solutions only and others grown in mineral solutions to which glucose was added and all exposed to feeble light, those with mineral salts only produced cleistogamic flowers, whereas those supplied with gluco.=e produced normal flowers. Expedition to Formosa. Jlr. H. J. Elwes, F.R S.. of Colesbiiurne. Gloucestershire, has just started on an expedition to the Island of For- mosa, for the purpose of studying the trees for which the island is famous. Mr. Elwes lately presented a large part of his mag- nificent collection of pohe-arctic butterflies to the Natural History Museum. His present expe- dition will probably extend over the best part of the year, and the result should be of considerable interest for botanists and zoologists. " Agricultural Bulletin of the Straits and Federated Malay States." — Witli the ritirtnient cf Mr. H. X. Ridley, F.R.S., from the Directorship of the Botanic Gardens, Singa- pore, the [lublication of the Agricultural Bulletin of the Straits and Federated ilalaij States ceases. The announcement is made by Jlr. Ridley in the last issue of the journal, where he gives an account of the excellent work done by the periodical in informing planters in tho.se remote parts what is going on in the world of agriculture generally. Mr. Ridley gives credit to the Bulletin, which is not a Govern- ment publication, as having made the first re- cords and observations on Termes gcstroi, Fomes Diplodia, Hymenochccte, Eutype, the Coffee locust, the Coffee caterpillar, and many of the Sugar pests. It is to be regretted that the ^L^Iay planters will lose this useful medium of knowledge for the value of the correlation of ideas and practices in agriculture and horticul- ture is more and more recognised. Sut the planters are not to blame, for they have made a handsome grant annually towards the expenses of the periodical. Publications Received. — Everyday Uses of Portland Cement. (Loudon ; The .Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers. Ltd.) Prico Is. 6d. and 23. 6d. — Present-Day Careening Series, by B. Hooper Pearson ; /rises, by W. Rickatfon Dykes. (London and Ediuburf;h : T. C. and E. C. Jack ) Price Is. 6d, — Perpetual Carna- tions, bv Laurence J. Cook, (Loudon : Cassell & Co.) Price Is. andlsCd —One & All Gardening, 1912, by Edwd. Owen Greening. (London : The Agricultural and HonicuUural Association, Lid.) Pi ice J:A. — H^yths and Legends of Floweis, Trees, Ft aits, and Plants, by Charles JI. Skinner. (London: J. 1;. Lipnincott Compa'iy ) Price 6s- — 7 he Agricu'tural Journal of the Union of South Afrca for January. (Preioria,: The Government Piiiiliug aLd Stationery Office.) Price 2s. per annum. 106 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Febbuaei 17, 1912. YUCCA WHIPPLEI (NITIDA). ^ee fig. 47 and Supplementary Illusti-ation.) (Ve are indebted to Mr. Fletcher, Aldwick Manor, Bognor, Sussex, for the photographs of Yucca Whipple! represented in fig. 47 and the Supplementary Illustration. Our correspondent has also contributed the following note : — " In the article on Yucca gloriosa var. EUacombei, published in GardentTs' Chronicle., October 21, 1911, Mr. Elwes states, so far as he knows, Yucca Whipplei has not yet flowered in this country. I have the pleasure of forwarding now retain any green colouring, and no suckers appeared from the base last year as I had hoped would have been the case." It may be pointed out that there is a close resemblance between Mr. Fletcher's plant and that figured in Gardeners' Chronicle, 1902 (i.), p. 153, as Y. nitida. But it is not by any means certain that Y. Whipplei is not a sufficiently variable species to include this as well as other forms. Dr. Trelease, who has paid special attention to Yuccas, states that the mountain and valley forms of Y. Whipplei vary greatly in amplitude of panicle, &c. His de- HOME CORRESPONDENCE. Fig. 47. — FLOWERS of yucca whipplei (nitid.\). (Se> also Supplementary Illustration.) herewith photographs of a plant of that species which flowered in my garden in the summer of 1910, and was an object of great beauty for several weeks. The plant attained a height of about 10 feet ; the flower-stem, when cut down, measured 8 feet 10 inches in length, and, at the base, 1 foot in circumference. I believe the plant was sent to me by the Royal Horticultural Society some six or eight years ago. It has been planted out for practically the whole time, being protected over its roots by a carpet of a prostrate Veronica, and, in the winter, by a hand light, 80 long as its size allowed. I am afraid the plant is dying after flowering, as but few leaves scription of it is as follows: — " Simple, or, in the mountains, frequently cfespitose. Leaves ascend- ing, rigid, .3 to 1 m. long, about 15 mm. wide, plano-convex, sub-triquetrous, or keeled on both faces, sometimes falcate, striate, glaucous, keenly but finely denticulate, with very slender, pungent end spine. Inflorescence 2 to 5 m. liigh, oblong, long peduncled, glabrous. Flowers Yucca-like, pendent, fragrant. It forms one of the most striking and beautiful features of the coast-range vegetation of Southern California." According to Mr. J. G. Baker, in Gardeners' Chronicle, 1876 (2), p. 196, Y. Whipplei flowered in the collection of the late Mr. Peacock in 1876. {The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents.) Fruit Trees in Grass Land. — The fol- lowing method of planting and tending fruit trees will be found to be free from any of the defects which Mr. Spencer Pickering ascribes to the method of planting trees in grass land. The trees should be planted in properly prepared holes, say, about 3 feet in diameter, and nearly the same depth, the natural soil, where lacking in fertility, being improved b); a small quantity of sliort manure incorporated with it, relaying the top 3 inches of the urassy turf to within 1 foot of the stems of the individual trees. Instead of trenching over the entire area of land to be planted with fruit trees, I should, two years after planting, open a circular trench 2 feet wide at 18 inches from the stems of the trees, and the same depth as the holes in which the trees are planted. Afterwards filling up the trench with the good portion of the excavated soil to which has been added one-fourth its bulk of well-rotted stable manure, decomposed vege- table nuitter or wood ashes. Repeating this operation, say, every third year, until the whole intervening ground space has been practically trenched, the grass turves being relaid after each trench extension had been completed. It will be obvious to all practical horticulturists that trees thus treated have a decided advantage over trees which have been planted in ground which had been trenched all over previous to planting, inasnmch as there is little, if ' any, chance of the soil becoming sodden or sour before the roots reach it. In addition to the beneficial advantage derived by the trees, by doing the trenching in the manner indicated the work can be more conveniently done in places where a limited number of men is employed. I have had to do with the planting and management of orchards in England, Ireland, and Scotland which had been treated on the lines indicated above, and which yielded most satisfactory results. Of course the trees were duly attended to in the matter of pruning, so as to allow plenty of light and air to reach the branches ; the latter being washed overhead with hot liquid lime applied by the garden engine on a calm day, at intervals of two or three years to keep the trees free from lichen and moss growth, and to destroy any insect pests or their larvae that might have effected a lodgement thereon. I fail entirely to see in what possible way grass-surfaced land can be injurious to root and branch growth of fruit trees, or any other kind of tree for the matter of that, provided the soil in which the trees are growing is in the matter of depth and fertility congenial to their requirements. Abundance of conclusive evidence showing that this is not the case may be found in most private and public gardens " and parks throughout the United Kingdom. The deplorable condition of the trees in many orchards in various parts of the country must not be attributed to the fact that the trees are growing in " grass land," but simply and wholly to continuous neglect on the part of the ownei's of such orchards. Perhaps an examina- tion of the soil would reveal insuflicient depth and fertility in which t)ie young trees referred to in the liepovt are planted, thus accounting for the stunted growth of wood, foliage, and fruits. H. W. Ward. Spraying for Big Buds.— I have often read with pleasure the very practical articles from the pen of A Southern Grower in your pages, but I must take exception to his remarks under the above heading in your last issue. What he says about the results of the spraying experiment* undertaken by the Board of Agriculture is quite correct, but he fails to point out that the experi- ment loses all value from the fact that the spray- ing was commenced at least a month too latf^ ] and that consequently a large proportion of tw mibes leavuig the old buds would be safeljtj ensconced in their new quarters before the spray^-i ing commenced. I also hear from the inspector»,l that some of the trials were left in the hands off private growers, and that the sprayings werftP not conducted with any regularity. I do not know" where " scorching of foliage " comes in wiU spraying with soft soap and quassia, but I do know that if properly carried out it is a safe cura for the mite. I have had two inspectors througO a plantation treated under my supervision fo" February 17, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 107 two seasons, and they failed to find a single big bud in the whole plantation. In 1904 I first wrote in the Gardeners' Chronicle a description of how to cure big bud by spraying, and during the years that have passed since then I have often at the R.H.S. i'ruit Shows baen accosted by perfect ttrangers who have thanked me for having enabled them to rid their pLintations of this pest. Seeing that these are tacts, I think it is somewhat late in the day to question the efficacy of spraying, and the tr'fling cost is amply repaid in the clean, healthy growth of foliage and fruit and freedom frcm the filthy aphis which curls up the leaves and disfigures the fruit, besides often crippling the young wood. As at all times during the past eight years, I shall be pleased to give full particulars to anyone still suffering from Black Currant mite in their plantations. A. II. Pearson, Lcwdham. Habenaria conopsea alba. — I have read with great interest the correspondence in your columns concerning Habenaria (Gymnadenia) conopsea alba. I have studied the British Orchids both at home and abroad somewhat care- fully, and find that nearly all the purple and mauve kinds, including the Bee Orchis, may occa- sionally be found with white flowers near Dover. I myself have found the white Gymnadenia conopsea in yet another county, namely Sussex, where it grows in two far distant localities. I have also found white specimens of Orchis maculata in Sussex and in Scotland, and of 0. Morio in O.xfordshire and in Italy. I have also come across very pale blossoms of O. militaris and 0. mascula. 11". Herbert Cox. SCOTLAND. GLASGOW AND WEST OF SCOTLAND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. i As a result of an application to the Highland t and Agricultural Society of Scotland, the direc- ' tors have agreed to give six medals as prizes at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural Society's centenary show in the autumn. MARKET GARDENING ON THE MURIES- TON ESTATE, EDINBURGH. The operations of the Edinburgh Distress Com- mittee on the Muricston Estate, Edinburgh, have so transformed this poor land that it has been rendered of the most fertile character. A considerable portion of the land has been dis- posed of for allotments, and the'committee have ■ now approached the Local Government Board for || power to di.spose of these allotments for market gardens on payment by instalments. socx£:ties. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL. ANNU.VL MEETING. Eebru.\ry 13. — The annual general meeting of tlie Royal Horticultural Society was hekl on Tuesday last in the large hall of the Society, ■Vincent Square, Westminster. The President, Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., pi'esided. There was only a small attendance, and the lecture-room would have provided a more suitable place for the ■ meeting, as the speeches were heard only with difficulty. At the outset. Sir Trevor Lawrence referred to the absence of the secretary, the Rev. W. Wilks, who was prevented from attending owing to an attack of infl.'nza. After the , minutes were read by the assistant secretary, and 30 new members elected without opposition. Sir Trevor Lawrence submitted the Report (see Gardeners' C/ironide. February 10), several items of which he referred to in detail. He said that the rock-garden at Wisley was being fur- nished with suitable plants, many of which had been contributed by the Fellows, to whom he expressed thanks on behalf of the Council. The Wisley school of horticulture was making good progress. The Society's shows, said Sir Trevor Lawrence, had been, with one excep- tion, better than ever, but the Olympia show was, unfortunately, held during the exceptionally hot weather of July, and even early in the morn- ing of the first day the flowers had commenced to flag. In his opinion Olympia was not suited to the holding of a flower show. With regard to the library, a sum of nearly £1,000 had been spent in purchasing books, which included a num- ber of volumes of remarkable quality and beauty. In the Lindley library they should "endeavour to secure one of the finest botanical and horticultural libraries in the world. He regretted that the name of Mr. Harman Payne had been omitted in the report from the list of those who had given the Library Committee most valuable help. Baron Bruno Schroder had provided new oak shelving to accommodate the increasing number of books, and thus the name of Schroder would be further linked in association with the Lindley library. A paragraph in the report refers to the appointment of a plant collector, but Sir Trevor Lawrence said that no definite steps had yet been taken in this matter. It was one which the Society could not well overlook, especially when it was considered that there is scarcely a park or garden which is not ornamented by plants intro- duced by collectors sent out by the Society in former years. Sir Trevor called attention to the special Orchid exhibition arranged for November 5 and 6. He said that some of the more beautiful of the winter-flowering Orchids, such as Calanthes and Dendrobiums, appeared to be pass- ing more or less out of favour and the exhibition would be fully justified if it were the means of giving a fresh popularity to these flowers. Re- ferring to the losses which the Society has sus- tained through death, the President made special reference to Sir .Joseph Huoker and M. \'lctor Lemoine. of Nancy. Sir Joseph Hooker, said Sir Trevor Lawrence, was not only a great botanist, but an eminent man of science generally, and had acted as chairman of the Scientific Com- mittee for more than half a century. Reference was made to the debt which horticulture owes to M. Lenioine. and it was only last spring that he. Sir Trevor Lawrence, had the honour of receiving the Society's First-class Certificate for a beautiful variety of Syringa sent out by the firm of M. Lemoine. Tlie financial position of the Society was such as would give every satisfaction, and a surplus of over £8,400 on the year's work- ing w'as one of the most remarkable circum- stances in the history of tlie Society. IFe, the speaker, could remember the time when the Society was not in the position to pay its ordinary tradesmen's bills. On behalf of the Council, he wished to express a high appreciation of the ser- vices of all the Sticiety's employees. Their w-ork was done not only with energy, but with an in- telligence amounting to perspicacity. The work of their secretary. Rev. W. Wilks, was well known to all, and Sir Trevor proposed, with the sanction of the meeting, to send a telegram of condolence to Mr. Wilks. a proposal that was warmly approved. Sir Trevor Lawrence had also a word of praise for the members of the several committees. Mr. Gurney Fowler seconded the adoption of the Report, and, as treasurer, took the oppor- tunity to refer to some det^ails of the financial statement. He said that the expenditure, as was to be expected, showed certain increases. The re- ceipts from exhibitions show a decrease, the hall lettings were down £316, owing to the build- ing being closed for repainting; the cost of the Journal had gone up £452, whilst the provision for staff pensions and expenditures on the Lindley library and Wisley gardens all showed increases. Sir Trevor Lawrence invited criticism, but there were only two speakers. A Fellow referred to the President's appreciatory remarks upon the seivicos rendered by the staff, and gave personal testimony to the kindness and courtesy be had alw.iys experienced from Mr. Hutchinson, the librarian. The Rev. George H. Engleheart, M.A., criticised the number of awards made dur- ing the past year. He said that the num- ber was becoming very large indeed, and although it must be expected that, as the Society progresses, the number of exhibits will increase accordingly, they should be very jealous of their awards. He said that the Gold iledal should never be cheapened ; but he was sorry, in the course of last summer, to notice a case when it was cheapened. A collection of Chinese plants deservedly received this high award, and at the next meeting an exhibit of Gourds was equally honoured. Mr. Engleheart could not admit that the value of these exhibits was equal. If it is neces- sary to give a Gold Medal, say, to a collection of Apples, it might be advisable to split the Gold Medal, making a large and a small medal. Then, again, with regard to the First-class Certificates,, the awarding of these appeared to present certain anomalies. The award was seldom made to what are known as florists' flowers, and then, gener- ally, only after an Award of Merit had been obtained first. But with regard to Orchids, in 1911, out of 45 First-class Certificates awarded, 37 were given to Orchids. This showed that there was something amiss in relation of the awards given by the different committees. Sir Trevor Lawrence, in reply, said that they endeavoured to secure the best men on the Com- mittees, and, unless some definite rules were laid down, the Council could only leave the question of awards to the judgment of the men who were ap- pointed. With regard to the exhibit of CJourds mentioned by Jlr. Engleheart, he (Sir Trevor Lawrence) considered they were the finest examples he had ever seen. At this stage of the proceedings the report was put to the meeting and carried unanimously. The new councillors, whose names appeared on the list of nomin:itions, were elected ; whilst the president. Sir Trevor Lawrence, the secretary. Rev. W. Wilks, and the vice-presidents were all re-elected. Sir Trevor Lawrence announced that the Victoria .Medal of Honour in Horticulture had been awarded to Colonel Prain and Jlr. E. H. Wilson, neither of whom was present to receive the distinction personally. A vote of thanks to the president, proposed by Sir John Llewelyn and seconded by the Rev. G. H. Engleheart, brought the proceedings to a close. PLANTS OF THE FIJI ISLANDS. February 6.— Sir Everard F. im Thurn, K.C.M.G., C.B., delivered a lecture on this date at the Royal Horticultural Hall. The distinguished lecturer, without the aid of diagrams or lantern slides, held the atten- tion of his appreciative audience for over an hour. As is well known, the Fiji Islands embrace a group of some 200 volcanic islands in the South Pacific. The largest of these islands are Viti Levu and Vanu Levu, and in a great measure the lecturer confined his remarks to the former as being fairly characteristic of the whole, prefiiting his discourse with the intimation that, as his large collection of plant*, especially of Orchids, was at Kew being identified, he did not intend to submit full botanical names of the trees and plants mentioned. The lecturer de- bated the theories of other authorities as to the reason why the vegetation of Fiji is less luxuriant than that of many other tropical regions, and set forth the convincing explanation that this want of stature in the Fijian vegetation is largely due to the frequent hurricanes which sweep over the islands. Probably the root-disturbing effects of the frequent earthquakes for which this region is noted, may also be partly responsible. The gardens of Suva, the chief town of Viti Levu, were described as being luxuriant — too luxuriant — and ill-kept ; such plants as Hibiscus, Ixora, Croton, and Coleus riot in a tangled confusion. Roses and Carnations also find places in many street gardens. The visitor to .Suva, said .Sir Everard, could not fail to be impressed with two tree-s, the Rain tree of South .\jiierica and the native Chestnut. The former tree, which was planted as an avenue, forms widespreading speci- mens of great size, affording a refreshing shade. Humboldt mentions one single tree of this species, the famous Zamang-del-Guayre, which had a head 576 feet in circumference. The Chestnut of Fiji quickly becomes a venerable tree with gnarled branches, densely covered with small Orchids, many Ferns and other epiphytes. The debris of the seashore indicates the pre- ponderating vegetation of the island, and an examination of high-water line showed that the debris is largely composed of the large, square, box-like fruits of Barringtonia (a coast tree bear- ing large, shiny leaves and big, white flowers) ; the round seeds of the Dilo tree (which is used by the natives as a substitute for cocoanut oil for anointing their bodies) ; and the cone-like fruits of the Sago-Palm. These are the trees which preponderate in the flat coastland. The undergrowth is composed largely of Hibiscus ciliatus, which the lecturer aptly described as an 1(8 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Feehuary 17, 1912. ugly bush bearing beautiful flowers. A mass of creepers ramble at will over the undergrowth and up the timber trees. The commonest of these is the beautiful pale-blue Morning Glory : whilst the Moonfiower (Ipomoea Bona-no.\), which opens its large, pure-white flowers at night, forms an interesting feature. Here and there the com- monest Fern in the islands, Acrcstichum aiireum, forms a fitting groundwork for the scented flowers of Crinum asiaticum. Leaving the coastland. the higher ground, which years ago had been cleared for cultiva- tion and allowed to pass back to nature, is filled to overflowing with wildly-luxuriant shrubs. Immense thickets of the wild Orange — always in flower and fruit, but useless — mi-xed with wild Guavas — also unused — vie for supremacy with Lantanas. The lecturer cited tne interesting fact that whilst elsewhere in the tropics, and especially in Ceylon, the indigenous Lantanas have but little range of colour, here in Fiji all possible shades of colour are present, which points strongly to these plants being gaiden escapes. The " Wile-a-Minute " (a species of Mikania) is overpoweringly present. The Sen- sitive Plant (Mimosa pudica), grown in small flower-pots in English hothouses, here becomes a dense shrub 5 feet to 6 feet high, and in spite of its stout spines, is valued as a fodder plant. The natural forests on the mountain sides con- tain nearly the same species as on the lower ground and coastline. A species of Podo- carpus is typical of the mountains ; the Nettle tree (Lapor'tea gigas), with large, heart-shaped, poisonous leaves, attains a great size. Medinillas flourish beneath the shade, and Hoyas twine around the trunks of the lar^e trees, while many epiphytes find a congenial home on the branches. A graphic word-picture was drawn of other de- sirable flowering shrubs ; some of them, for ex- ample, a Carruthersia with beautiful flowers varying from white to a deep red, are as yet un- known to our glasshouses. Ferns, with rich- green fronds, and many terrestrial Orchids, thrive in the dense shade, whilst in the moister places a huge Moss, often 2 feet high, occurs in great patches. This, in brief, is the story told by the lec- turer of the vegetation of the coast and steep, rugged southern hillsides of the island. On the northern slopes, where the rainfall is much less, the vegetation is very different : trees are fewer and smaller, Casuarinas and Pandanus (the Screw- Pines) are much in evidence The Bottle-brush tree (Metrosideros) flourishes, and the Lrushes bear gorgeous flowers of scarlet or yellow. A Bracken, very like our British species, abounds, and many introduced plants are gradually creen- ing up the mountain side, slowly but surely driv- ing before them the native plants, and so chang- ing the character of the vegetation of that region. Scientific Committee. February 6. — Prexenl : Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A.. F.L.S. (in the Chair); Sir Everard im Thurn, Messrs. J. O'Brien. A. Worslev. G. Massee, W. Hales, R. A. Rolfe. G. Wilson, W. T. Ledger, A. D. Michael, and F. J. Chitten- den (hon. secretary). Ahnormal Caffleya. — INIr. Mander. of St. Albans, sent a Cattleya bearing several flowers, every one of which was abnormal, some much more markedly than others. Catasetum lianrlii. — Mr. Rolfe drew atten- tion to a Catasetum shown by Messrs. Charles- worth, which he recognised as Catasetum Randii, --tolfe [Bnt. Mag., t. 7470. where both male and female flowers are shown). This species differs from C. barbatum and its few allies in having the crest of the lip shortly truncal* and broken up into many short filaments, not form- ing a single horn-like tooth. It is a native of the Amazons. Floral drawing-'. — iliss JIassee show-ed some excellent coloured drawings of various types of plants, faithfully coloured and showing dissec- tions of the essential parts very clearly. New Tlippeaslrum. — Mr. Worsley showed a new Hippeastrum, for which he proposed the name of Hippeastrum Forgetii in honour of the collector. The bulbs had been received by Messrs. Sander from Monsieur Forget, their collector in Bolivia, and the plant is closely allied to H. pardinum. but without spots. A full description will appear in the Society's Journal. Chrysophlycti.? endobiotlca. — Mr. H. T. Giis- sow, of the Central Experiment Farm, Ottawa, wrote; — " From Mr. Home's paper on ' Tumour and Canker in the Potato ' in the Society's last Journal we may conclude that all efforts to secure confirmation as to the identity of the Potato disease with Schilberszky's from the dis- coverer himself were futile, and that ' it is neces- sary, therefore, to rely upon Schilberszky's original, somewhat meagre, description.' Early in 1905 I wrote to Professor Schilberszky, sub- mitting a diseased tuber to him, but received no reply. Again in 1909, when I discovered the disease in Newfoundland, I wrote to Professor Schilberszky, and received a letter from him, which I very carefully kept. The following is a translation :— ' Budapest, 12 March, 1910. I have the honour to inform you that I have already sent you a little time ago a statement regarding the Potato tuber which you sent me. I am now appealed to by Dr. v. Degen to write you again in the same connection. I beg to in- form you that the Potato tuber was infected by Chrysophlj ctis endobiotica. The diseased por- tions alone made the identification very easy by their external characteristic appearance. I may say that in one of the infected foci I found masses of bacteria, which I have not examined any closer. It would interest me to have your observations on the spread of this disease in your country. (Signed) Prof. Dr. K. Schilberszky.' " In refer- ence to the foregoing, Mr. A. S. Home wrote: — " It is interesting to find that Professor Schil- berszky has identified the disease which was re- corded by Dr. Giissow, of NcAvfoundland, as that described by himself in Potatos derived from Upper Hungary. There were two points at issue in Britain, concerned both with the disease and the organism : (1) Professor Schilberszky stated in his published description that crater-like de- pressions were formed in some tubers. Symp- toms of this kind were not found in Potato tumour in this country. (2) At first spores of only one kind were found in this country. It is a well-known fact that tumours of a similar form may be caused by different organisms. There was confusion between the tumour in Beetroot, cau.sed by Urophlyctis leproides, and Potato tumour. It was possible, therefore, that the tumour in the Briti.sh disease might have been due to a dif- ferent organism, or perhaps to more than one organism. For these reasons investigators in England desired the per.-;onal assurance of Pro- fes.sor Schilberszky that Potato tumour was due to his Chrysophlyctis endobiotica." SCOTTISH HORTICULTURAL. February 6. — The first monthly meeting of the above association for the current season was held in the Goold Hall, 5, St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh, on this date. Mr. Massie, the Presi- dent, occupied the chair, and there was an at- tendance of about 80 members. The President delivered his opening address, taking as his subject " Garden City Problems." We make the following extracts : — " I have taken as my subject Garden City Pro- blems, not only on account of its national im- portance, but also because I consider it is one about which an association such as ours ought to have something to say. If the slums in our cities were wiped out. and the dwellers therein placed in a suitable environment, it would have such a marked influence in the diminution of poverty and crime, and probably also in the diminution of the burden of taxation, and on the improve- ment of the physical and moral condition of the people generally, that we ourselves would be astonished at the result ; and, further, I believe it is a subject in which we, as horticulturists, must take the deepest interest. For it is largely to horticulture that we must look as the great ameliorating and refining agent which will raise to a higher moral plane the masses of our fellows who are, perforce, compelled at present to live under conditions which are not only a menace to public health but a disgrace to our civilisation and which is rapidly deteriorating the race. When we read that in Liverpool alone (the only city in the United Kingdom whose municipality has made a systematic survey of insanitary dwel- lings in its area) 500 insanitary houses are cleared out every year, and the inhabitants re- housed, and that a street-to-street examination of the whole of the city in September, 1902, re- vealed the fact that, notwithstanding that some 8,000 houses had been dealt with, there still re- mained nearly 10,000 insanitary dwellhigs, we get some idea of the state of affairs in our great cities. The case of Liverpool is only one out of hundreds of the same kind. " But all this may in time be changed, for with the passing three years ago of the Housing and Town Planning Act. there has now been placed in the hands of local authorities a sys- tem of administrative machinery which can uo away with slums. " The second part of the Act deals with town planning, and it is to this that I wish more particularly to draw attention. The object of this part of the Act is to prevent a recurrence of the conditions which have done so much m the past to disfigure our cities and towns, more especially our manufacturing towns. Under this part of the Act municipalities may have the power conferred upon them to prevent haphazard building, and to control the widths of streets and roads, the number of houses to the acre, the height of houses, and the provision of open spaces, gardens, etc. All that is necessary by way of procedure is for the local authority to place before the Local Government Board a prima facie case for the preparation of a town plan, after which a preliminary enquiry is held regarding the need for action, followed by the authorisation of the local authority to prepare a detailed plan ; the issue of provisions relating to co-operation on the part of the local authority with the owners and other persons interested ir> the land, and the formation, if necessary, of a joint body of local authorities, where the land to be planned is in the area of more than one local authority ; the holding of a local and public enquiry to fully consider the idan when prepared ; and, finally, tlie placing of the plan as approved by the Local Government Board on the table of both Houses of Parliament for 30 days and its formal authorisation and publication. Hitherto, the only control exercised over the planning of new areas has been by means of local by-laws. In the event of the plan being adopted, the Local Government Board may suspend the ordinary by-laws." (To be continued. J HEREFORDSHIRE FRUIT, ROOT, GRAIN AND CHRYSANTHEMUM. January 31. — The 21st annual meeting of the- above society was held at the Town Hall, Here- ford, on this date. The Secretary pre.-ented the statement of accounts, showing total receipts during the year amounting to £208 Is. 3d., and expenditure £207 2s. 6d. The .-iociety has now a balance in hand of £46 13s. lOd. Sir Geoffrey Cornewall, of Moccas Court, was elected presi- dent for the ensuing year. The Mayor of Hereford (.Mr. E. L. Wallis) was elected vice-president, Mr. T. Carver was re-elected chairman of committee, Mr. R. M. Whiting, vice-chairman ; Mr. A. C. Harmer, hon. treasurer ; and Mr. E. .S. Jones, secretary. The committees were also elected. HEREFORDSHIRE FRUIT GRO"WERS' AND HORTICULTURISTS. The members of this association recently wit- nessed a spraying demonstration at Warham Court. Petrol and oil engine and hand-pumped sprayers of various kinds were seen at work in an orchard extending over five acres, and the company were hospitablv entertained by Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Powell. ' A dinner was afterwards held at the Mitre Hotel, the president of the a.ssociation, Mr. George Mai-shall, of Breinton. occupying the chair.' Mr. Pewtress, Tillington. said that the Here- fordshire growers have had a most successful sea- son from an exhibition point of view. More and more attention was paid by growers to spraying, manuring, washing and pruning, alo to good packing. The president said they wanten legislation to compel people to spray for the ordinary diseases in order to keep their trees reasonably healthy. Mr. Everall spoke of the loss English fruit growers sustained by the importation of foreign fruit— about £4.000'.000 a year— and said this was incurred because the majority of British growers worked on the methods of their grand- fathers. February 17, 1912.] rilE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 109 EOYAL GARDENERS' ORPHAN FUND. (ANNUAL .MEETING.) Febru.vry 9. — The annual meeting and election in connection with the Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund took place on the above date, at Simpson's Restaurant, Strand, London. The Chairman of the Executive Committee, Jlr. Henry B. May, presided over a moderate attendance. After the minutes of the last meeting had been confirmed, the Chairman submitted the Report of the Execu- tive Committee, which read as follows : — REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. The committee, in presenting its report on the opera- tions of the fund during the past year, has again great pleasure in congratulating the subscribers on its .steadily, increasing prosj.'erity and enhanced usefulness. The ac- counts presented herewith will be found to show an appre- ciable increa.=e in general subsciiptions and donations, a remarkable advance in the piuceeds of the collection made in connection with the annual festival, and a still further increase in the total yearly amount disbursed among the beneficiaries. The total sum rccei\ed in the form of annual contributions still, however. lemains much below what it should be to enable your committee to meet the pressing claims for assistance constantly made upon the fund, and it again appeals for a larger measure of support, from gardeners especially, with the assurance that the smallest contribution will be most thankfully received. At the commencement of the year the number of children receiving the full benefits of the fund was 118, and 27 candi- dates waiting for election were receiving temporary assist- ance. At the an;iual meeting 16 children were elected, 15 by the direct votes of the subscribers and one by special resolution. This was the very sad c;ise of a boy, 14 years of age, who (with five younger brothers and ststers) was left to the mercy of the world through the death of both parents within Ihiec days of each other, and at a time when such a lad most needs control and guidance. Your committee was able to provide a home for him in the School of Handicrafts at Chertsey, where he will be main- tained and instructed in the rudiments of gardening until he is 16 years of age. Your committee thankfully acknow- ledges the readine-ss with which its action was confirmed. During tlie year 18 childicn ceased to receive the benefit.s of the fund. 15 under the operation of the age limit and tliree by retirement on leaving the country with their mothers, two of whom have joined friends in the Colonies and one in the United States. The committee has carefully selected a list of 'JJ candidates to appeal to the sub- scribers at the ensuing annual meeting, and much regrets its inability to prudently recommend the election of more than 18. The total amount disbursed in allowances during the year exceeded by over £^.>a, per bag — Chestnuts, per bag — Cocoanuts (100) — English Cobs per lb — Walnut s (Naples) kiln dried, c w t. cases — French Gren- obles, per bag — Boeris, per bag Nectarines (Cape) per box Oranges, Jamaica per case — Californian ... — Denia, case ... — Valencia — Jaffa, per case — Mandarins, per box — Bitter, p^r J chest — Seville Sou r i chest Peaches (Cape), pr. case Pears (Californian), per ca=e — Glou .Morceau — Easier Beurrc — Winter Nelis — (American) per barrel, 180 lbs. — cases — (Cape) Pineapple!', St. Michael Plums (Cape), per case — Apple, per box s.d. s.d. 35 6-36 6 3 6-19 0 18 0-23 0 0 3 — 6 6-70 6 0-70 7 6-10 0 9 0-10 0 20 0-22 0 14 0-33 6 10 0-12 0 9 6 — 0 6-36 16 0-18 6 15 0-18 0 6 0-12 0 10 6 15 6 11 6-12 6 8 6 — 12 6-13 6 25 0-26 0 7 0 — 3 6-46 2 6-40 2 0-40 4 0-80 Vegetables : Average Wholesale Prices. Artichokes(Globe), per dozen — Ground, per ^bushel Asparagus, Sprue.. — Cavaillon — Paris Green ... Beans, Madeira, per basket — Guernsey, Dwarf, per lb. — French, per packet, lb. Beetroot, p. bshl. : — Long Brussel Sprouts, per h bushel ... — half bags Celeriac, per doz. Cabbages (English), per tally Cauliflo%vers, p. dz. — (Italian), p. pad — (Cornish), per crate Celery, doz. bndls. — (washed), per dozen bundles Carrots (English), pr. doz. bun.... — per cwt. — (washed) p. bag Chicory, per lb. .. Cucumbers, p. doz. luidive, per dozen Greens, per bag ... Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross 3 0-40 10-13 0 9 — .S 0 — 4 6-50 60 — 4 0-46 2 0-26 2 6-30 10-16 16-26 2 6-30 3 0-60 2 6-36 2 0-30 7 0-90 10 0-14 0 12 0-18 0 16-20 3 6-46 4 0-50 0 4 — 9 0-15 0 2 0 — 16-20 7 0 — s.d, s.d. Horseradish, 12 bundles ... 11 0-12 0 Leeks, per doz. ... 3 0-40 Lettuce (French), perdoz. ... 16-20 Mint, per dozen bunches ... 6 0-70 Mushrooms, culti- vated, p. lb. ... 0 10-1 3 Mustard and Cress, pr. dz. punnets 10-16 Onions (Dutch) per bag 8 0-86 — English ... 9 0-96 — (Spanish), per case 8 0-90 Parsley, * sieve ... 2 6-30 — per 5oz. bun. 3 6-40 Parsnips, per bag 6 0-66 Radishes(English), per dozen ... 10-13 Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles 10-13 Savoys, per tally... 7 0-10 0 Spinach, per bushel 5 0-70 Seakale, p. punnet 0 U- 1 0 Tomatos (Canary Islands), per bundle 12 0-14 0 Turnips (English), perdz. bunches 2 0-2 — bags (washed) 6 0-70 — (unwashed) ... 5 0-60 Turnip Tops, per bag 2 6-30 Watercress, p. dz. bunches ... 0 6-0 6^ Remarks.— English hothouse Grapes have met with a very moderate demand. The first shipment of black Grapes from the Cape arrived this week, the variety being Hermi- tage. Consignments of various fruits from Cape Colony, per s.s. " Braemar Castle,'* amounted to about 20,000 cases, consisting of Pears, Plums, Nectarines and Peaches. Many of the Peaches were in a very bad condition. There are moderate supplies of home-grown fruits of Bram ley's Seedling, Dumelow's Seedling (Wellington) and Newton Wonder Apples. Importations of fruits per s.s. " Auapa " totalled 36,129 barrels Apples, and per s.s. " Minnewaska " 2,941 boxes and barrels, consisting of Oranges, Apples, Grape Fruit, Cranberries, &c. New season's Brazil Nuts are due to arrive this next week. Teneriffe Tomatos con- tinue a fairly good supply. The market is well supplied with forced vegetables and salads, with the exception of French Beans, which have been very scarce. Outdoor vegetables continue a good supply. E. H. R., Covent Garden, February 14, 1912. Potatos. Kent3— Queen's ... Up-io-Date Lincolns— I'p-to-Date British Queen . King Edward . Epicure ... Northern Star . Evergoods per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 0-46 4 0-46 3 9-46 3 9-43 4 (^ 4 6 3 0-36 3 9-36 3 0-39 Lincolns— Maincrop3 Blacklands Bedfords - I'p-to-Date Puritan ... Dunbars— Up-to-Dale Maincrop per cwt s.d. s.d. 4 3-46 2 9-33 3 9-40 4 0-43 5 0- 5 3- 5 3 5 6 (f^bituarjj. Remarks.— Trade still remains steady, and supplies are equal to the demands, with the exception of best quality tiibers. Edward /. Newborn^ CoventGanten and St. Pancfas, February lo, 1912. Lord Lister.— Lord Lister, who died last week at an advanced age, was one of the greatest Englishmen of his time. There is scarcely a home throughout the civilised world that is not indebted to Lister, for the revolution wliich he effected in surgery has spared humanity endless suffering and saved innumer- able lives. Hence it is fitting that we join in the national tribute to his memory. But there is an added reason why we should not allow the occasion of Lord Lister's death to pass without acknowledgment of his achievements, for the great reform on which his glory rests consisted in the clear-sighted application of biological dis- covei-y, and has an immediate bearing on the physiology of the lower plants. Pasteur had |H-oved that putrefactions are the outcome of the activity of plant-like micro-organisms, and that these microorganisms are ubiquitous. Lister applied this idea in surgery. The diseases which at that time were the almost inevitable sequels of surgical operations might, he reasoned, be also due to micro-organisms whiih gain access to wounds. If this be so, Lister argued, the micro-organisms must be excluded. He e.xcluded them, and proved by the enor- mously reduced mortality in surgical cases, that liis hypothesis was true. Thus arose the prac- tice of aseptic surgery. The essence of that practice is the institution of a new order of cleanliness only possible when it is recognised tliat to keep a wound clean micro-organisms must be prevented from living in the wounds made by the surgeon. George Maw.— We learn with deep regret of the death of Jlr. George Maw, who was dis- tinguished as botanist, geologist, and traveller. Mr. Maw, who was 79 years of age, died on Wednesday, February 7, at Kenlev, Surrey, having survived by less than two months his old friend and fellow-traveller. Sir Joseph Hooker. Mr. Maw's greatest contribution to botanical science was undoubtedly his classical monograph of the genus Crocus, to which he de- voted no less than 10 years. The older genera- tion of readers of this journal will remember the series of articles on Crocus which ilr. Maw con- tributed to the Gardeners' Chronicle in the years 1877 to 1881. Mr. Maw, in preparing his mono- gr.iph, both studied deeply and travelled widely, visiting the countries of Southern Europe, the Levant, and Asia Minor. The extensive collec- tions of members of the genus Crocus which he made were cultivated at Benthall Hall, Broselev, Shropshire, where .Mr. j\Iaw resided till the year 188G. His great work appeared in the same year, and was illustrated by 67 plates, prepared "from original drawings which Mr. Maw made for the purpose. He accompanied Sir Joseph Hooker and Mr. John BaU in their journey to Morocco, and contributed a sketch of the geology of that coun- try to the volume in which the" travellers de- scribed their experiences of what was then a " new" country. The 30th volume of the Botanical Magazine was dedicated by Sir Joseph Hooker to Mr. Jlaw, as a tribute "to his exer- tions in introducing new plants to English gardens. M. L. MoRTENSEN.— The American Florists' Review reports the death of I\Ir. M. L. Mortensen, of the plant pathological experimental depart- meiit of the Co-operating Danish Agricultural Societies. Mr. Mortensen was only 30 years of age ; he had made a special study of certain diseases in cereals caused by attacks of fungi. Thomas Molden.— Mr. Thomas Jlolden, a well-known gardener of NewiMrt. Rhode Island, U.S.A., died on January 10, aged 74 years. Mr. Molden was born at Fermanagh, Ireland, in 1855. He settled in Newport in 1863. Thomas Swift, — We regret to record the death of Mr. Thomas Swift, for many years in the service of ]\Iessrs. Hurst & Son, Seedsmen, on the 6tli inst. , at his residence at Reigate. Mr. Sv.ift was a native of Huntingdon, and commenced his business career with the old firm of Messrs. Wood & Ingram, Huntingdon. He removed to London and entered the firm of Messrs. Hurst & Son, in 1869, and remained with them up to the time of his retirement, Christmas, 112 THE GA RUENERS' CHRONICLE. [FEEnuAHY 17, 1912. 1909, rising from quit* a junior position to that of principal book-keeper. On his retire- ment he was presented with a silver centre-piece and two silver vases by the past and present members of the staff and was entertained to a complimentary dinner. j\Ii*. Swift was one of the auditors of the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution. TRADE NOTICES. MESSRS. W. CUTBUSH & SON. Mr. Leonard ( utbush, son of Mr. Herbert J. Cutbush, has entered as one of the partners of this hrm. The principals now include Messrs. Herbert J. Cuibush, William H. Cut- bush and Leonaid Cuibush. Mr. Leonard Cuibush has been connected with the firm for some years, and has travelled as its representative in Holland, Belgium and France. CONWAYS, LTD. The above named company has been registered with a capital of ^2,000 in ^1 shares, to carry on the business of florists, nurserymen and seedsmen, lately conducted by Wnj. Conway ik Sons, Ltd.. a: 16 ami 18, Bull Green, and Heath Nurseiy, both in Halifax, and at Bank End FariDi Greetlands, Vorks, Private company, FARNORTH FRENCH GARDEN AND NURSERY, LTD. This company has been registered, with a capital of £1,000 in 950 cumulative preffience shares of £l each, and 1,C00 ordinary shares of Is. each. The new company will control the business at Grange-over- Saiid<:, Lancaster, as the Farnorth Fiench Garden and Nursery. It is a piiv.iie company, with registered ofi&ce at Allaithwaite Lodge, Grange-over-Sands, Lariifunh. GARDENING APPOINTMENTS* Mr. Richard D. Greenham, for the past 3i years General Foreman at Joyce Grove, Heiiley-on-Tliames, Oxford- shire, and previously at Ashiead Park, Surrey, Loppei Hail, Essex, and Powerscourt Gardens, Wicklow, as Gardener to Andrew P.. Muiion, Esq., Upton House, Banbury, Oxon. Mr. T. Green, Headley, E|isom, as Gardener to Major Lloyd, Byams, Marchwood, Hampshire. Mr. C. Drane, previously Foreman at Burwarton Hall, Bridgnorth, Salop, and at WooUon Hall, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, as Gardener to E. Stagey, Esq., Audley House, New Barnet. (Thanks for conthtulion 10 R.G.O.F. box.— Eds). ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Aktificiai. Manures for Potatos : J . E. In view of the fact that you have used heavy dressings of horse mauure for many years, the soil is now doubtless well supplied with well- rotted organic matter. This being the case, the soil, unless a very light one, should be capable of holding sufficient water for the needs of the crop in average seasons. We are, therefore, of opinion that good results will be obtained for the ne.\t few years by the use of less horse manure provided the fertilising ingredients are supplied by means of a well-balanced mixture of artificial manures. If some horse manure is avail- able, only one average cait-load (12 cwt. to 15 cwt.) to each 12 rods of ground, supple- mented by a dressing for each 40 square yards of : — 1, ^-1 lb. sulphate of ammonia (20 per cent, nitriigen) ; 2, 2 lbs. superphosphate (26 per cent, soluble) ; 3, 2 lbs. sulphate of potash (50 per cent, pure potash). Sow in the rows at the time of planting, and where the soil is deficient in lime, replace the sulphate of ammonia by 1 lb. of nitrate of soda. On very light soils, good results have been obtained bv replacing half the superphosphate by 2 lbs. of rape meal. If no dung is available, good crops, though somewhat deficient in quality, can be obtained by the use of twice the artifi- cial dressing recommended above, but it must be remembered that artificials alone are not as a rule suitable for more than about two seasons. Most agree th^it Potatos of the best cooking quality are obtained by tlie combined dressing of dung and artificial manures, besides which it is the cheapest. Arum (Richardia africana) : A Beachr and A'. /'. tt Son. There is no disease present in the plants, the decay is due to some cultural error. Begonia Gi-OIRE de Lorriane: Philn. The in- jury to the Begonias is caused by the Begonia mite. Spray the plants thoroughly, or, if practicable, dip them, including the soil, in a solution of soft-soap and quassia. Bowling Green: F. T. H. If you add more fine loam, the dressing you suggest would be a suitable one for your bowling green, but the lime should be used with caution. You might try the effect of a small quantity of the lime applied at intervals. A suitable manure to apply later would be sulphate of ammonia, mi.\ed with fine soil or sand. The turf should be dressed at the rate of about g ounce of the ammonium salt to the square yard. Sulphate of ammonia will favour the growth of the grass rather than the clovers. Do not apply lime at the same time as the ammonium salt. Cow ^Ianure for Roses and Pot.vtos : L. S. T. Roses : As the soil is somewhat light, try and hasten the maturing of the manure by turning the heap once or twice during the ne.xt month. If possible mi.x a little horse dung with it to give warmth and aid its drying. Regarding the time to apply it to Roses, much depends on the soil, clnuate, season and condition of the manure. Essex is, as you know, famous for its Rose soils, but there are so many varia- tions in climate within the county that it is difficult to advise. Speaking generally, how- ever, the manure should be put on as soon as possible ; that is, as soon as it has mellowed down a little more. In fact, we trust that a surface dressing of stable manure was applied in the late autumn so as to have been a pro- tection during the late frosts. Potatos : There is much difference of opinion as to the most effective time and method of applying dung to Potatos, which depend, to a very great extent, on the district and soil. If the soil available is light, the manure will act primarily as a water-retaining agent. In these cir- cumstances we think it best that it should be applied at the time of planting, or a few weeks previous to planting. It should be in a well- rotted condition, and if put in at planting time we advise its being mixed with the loam at the bottom of the trench. By this means the apparent loss occurring from the non-breaking- down of the lumps, which are so often dug up at the end of a dry summer will, to a large extent, be avoided. An even more effective means of aiding the manure to decompose and at the some time act as a water reservoir for the plant, is to mix one part of manure with two parts of loam some days before planting, and to apply this mixture at thi; bottom of the trench. Employment in Public Parks : Parks. Write to the respective superintendents of the parks for a form of application, or apply personally. Hardy Shrubs to Flower during July, August and September : J . V. The follow- ing plants will be suitable for your purpose ; — ..•Esculus parvifiora, sometimes met with under the name of Pavia macrostachya, grows freely in damp soils, and produces great quantities of fragrant white flowers, with long stamens and red-tipped anthers, from the middle of July on- wards. Hedysarum multijugum, a pea- flowered shrub from South Mongolia, is of rather straggling habit. Its purple flowers are produced in axillary racemes during August and September. Hypericum Hookerianum, a vigorous-growing Nepaul St. John's Wort, dis- plays its clear, yellow flowers towards the end of August, at which time those of H. patulum are on the wane. H. Moserianum continues to flower throughout September. Olearia Haastii, the New Zealand Daisy-bush, forms a neat evergreen, with small box-like leaves and white, fragrant flowers in July and August. Of Escallonias, E. Philippiana from Valdivia is remarkable for the abundance of small, white flowers, borne in long, arcliing shoots, clothed with narrow, pale-green leaves. The hybrid — Langleyensis (E. Philippiana X E. sanguinea) is el^'ective, and its rose-pink flowers are borne with great freedom. Ley- cesteria formosa, an easily-grown, perfectly hardy shrub, should not be "omitted. It ha"s drooping racemes of white flowers, suffused with purple, and the plant flourishes in poor soils. Spira>a Douglasii, a well-known free- growing shrub, produces terminal racemes of rose-coloured or purple flowers. The under- sides of the leaves are white, and have a pleas- ing effect when disturbed by wind. S. Lind- leyana, a tall-growing species, bears an abund- ance of cream-coloured flowers when planted in a sunny position. One of the most dependable of jale-fluwernig Spirasas is S. discolor (S. arijcfolia), whose graceful panicles of whitish flowers hang from the apex of practically every well-ripened shoot. Philadelphus Gor- donianus, a slrong-growing Mock Orange, bears large white, almost scentless, flowers with great freedom. Clerodendron trichotomum will succeed in a warm situation. It bears large heads of white flowers, with reddish- coloured calyx-lobes. The best of the late- flowering Hydrangeas is H. paniculata grandi- flora, which has sterile flowers borne in long panicles. In order to get the best results, the previous year's shoots should hi spurred back in February to within one or two eyes of the old wood. Clethra acuminata, a floriferous North American shrub, is effective in August. The small, white sweet-scented flowers are borne in racemes. Catalpa bignonioides, the Jndian Bean, forms a medium-sized tree, and bears large quantities of white flowers, suf- fused with puce, and dotted with puiple in the yellow throat. Eucryphia pinnatifolia must have a sunny position, perfect drainage, and rich soil. Its deep-green glossv leaves and pure-white single flowers with golden anthers, are effective. The Genistas furnish several • July-flowering shrubs, of which G. hispanica pumila. G. .-Ethnensis and G. ladiata are good examples. Ligustrum sinense and L. Qujhoui are summer-flowering Chinese Privets The flowers are white. Indigofera Gerardiana, a free-growing Himalayan species, bears axillary racemes of rose-coloured, pea-shaped flowers towards the end of August. Amorpha canescens (Lead plant) has grey leaves and bears slender panicles of bluish-purple flowers in autumn. Cvtisus anstriacus bears clusters of y»lIow flowers from Julv to Septem- ber. Zenobia speciosa pnlverulen'ta, Veronica iraversu and V. La Seduisante are other good autumn-flowering shrubs. Hypertrophied Growths on Gooseberry: J. II. II . The outgrowths are dense tufts of roots, usually the result of an excessivelv damp situation, although certain plants pn",- duce such outgrowths in all conditions. Lily-of-the-Valley Failing: Vallvu No disease is present in the plants. The cause of taiUire must be looked for in some wron" cul- tural treatment. ° N.AMES OF Fruits: E. C. 1, Tower of Glamis: 2, French Crab; 3, MinchuU Crab.— y. /,' 0 Annie Elizabeth. Names of Plants: O. Stapler. 1, Picea -Morinda; 2, Thuya canadensis; Abies nobilis ; 4, Cryptomeria japonica : 5, Cupressus pisifera var. plumosa ; 6. Thuya plicata.— //. T. 1, Oncidium oblongatum ; 2, Brassia verrucosa;. 3, Ccelia triptera ; 4, Oncidium sphacelatum.— E. Tull. Ccelogyne speciosa. (This was over- looked last week.)— C. S. d- Co. Genista his- panica.— H. W. Both specimens are forms of Bu.xus sempervirens, the common Box. — D. M. The specimen is insufficient for pur- poses of identification. Send a better shoot when in flower. Nectarine and Vine Roots: L. E. C. There is no fungus disease pre.'-ent on the vine roots, which are rotten, probably due to bad drainage. The Nectarine roots are infected with crown gall, a bacterial disease. A thin sprinkling of superphosphate should be placed over the roots, and the roots covered with soil. Sheep Poisoned by Rhododendrons : C. H. In Gard. Chron., January 31, 1885, p. 150, it was stated that "a well-authenticated case of the poisoning of 10 sheep is reported from West Middlesex; these, with some 200 others, hav- ing broken down a fence in Whitton Park, rear Hounslow, and eaten freely of the Rho- dodendron foliage, which was abundant in the shrubberies." A local veterinary surgeon who examined the dead sheep found the stomachs full of partly-dige.sted Rhododendron leafage, and he expressed opinion that the Rhododen- dron leaves were the cause of death. Communications Received. —A. W. O. (thanks for 29. enclosed (or the R.G.O.F )_T. 8 G. M.T J. H W. P. _H. H. R., Lanes — P. W. J._W- A. L._W. P. R._H. 3. —J. C. &Co.— E. W.&Sons-L. A., Letclnvonll_J. 0._ W. P. H — J. S., Dnrham_\V. B. L H. R. D J. G W. _P. .J._S. E. N._W. G. C._M. W._H. Balker_D. M.— A. E. E._J, W. B.^C. C. W._Chas. Sharp & Co._H. W. — F. R. H. S._R. I. L._E. O. B W. Emptage. Supplement to the " Gardeners* Chronicle.' Photograph by Donald Massey. YUCCA WHIPPLEI (NITIDA), IN ALDWICK MANOR GARDENS, SUSSEX. Printed by Temple Press Ltd., London, B.C. Febetjaet 24, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 113 THE dHibcncrs'Cbronicl No. 1,313.— SATURDAY, February 34, 1912. t Alpine gai-den, the — Anthemis Cupaniana American notes — Carnations Sweet Peas Apples, the colouring of Beech, a fine weeping - Big bud in Black Car- rant, spraying for ... Books, notices of — Gardening Year Book Lawns Types of British Vege- tation Brambles and Roses, new Chinese Bulbs in the L.C.C. parks ■Cinerarias seeding Cole, Mr. Silas, testi- monial to Florists' flowers — The Ranunculus Flowers in season Gardeners' dinner, abandonment of Genetics, Prof. Bateson H7 116 116 124 114 124 123 123 114 123 153 124 123 117 123 123 120 International Exhibition 124 Lady Grey and the gar- dens at Ridcau Hall, Ottawa Nursery notes- Primulas and Cycla- mens at Reading .. Obituary — Mathias, Hayward ... Parasitic fungi, the losses caused by Pear trees, Kainit and Peas, culinary, high price for 123 115 128 123 note- CONTENTS. Plants, now o worthy Epidendium S ta 1 1- forthianum Potash, the world's supply of Potatos instead of graft- ing wax Pnblio parks, games in R.H.S. annual general meeting Rosary, the — New Roses of the N.R.S. "Catalogue" Rose Irish Elegance ... Societies — Ancient Society of York Florists Ghent Hort., Agricul- tural and Botanical Horticultural Club .. Leeds Gardener s' Friendly Benefit ... Manchester & North of England Orchid National Auricula ... National Cbrys. Royal Horticultural . Scottish Horticultural Soils, partial sterilisa- tion of Rolaiium tuberosum ... Sweet Pea disease Toxic excreta of plants Week's work, the— Apiary, the Flo%ver garden, the... Fruits under glass .-. Hardy fruit garden ... Kitchen garden, the.. Orchid houses, tlio .. Plants under glass ... 114 120 123 11!4 123 127 127 124 127 128 123 128 125 127 118 124 124 124 119 118 118 118 119 119 119 ILLUSTRATIONS. Anthemii Cupaniana 117 Beech, a fine specimen of a weeping 1'6 Epidendrum Stallforthianum ... . H'' Rose Irish Elegance ... ... -.- — 121 Tomato plants growing in partially-sterilised soil ... IIB PARTIAL STERILISATION OF GLASS-HOUSE SOILS. (Coiithulcd from p. 9S.) CONSIDEKABLE attention has been devoted to the case of the so-called "sick soil" thrown out from com- mercial Cucumber and Tomato houses. The Cucumber soils were extraordin- arily rich, richer even than farmyard manure, but they contained numbers of eel-worms and fungi. All the eel-worms, including the dangerou.s Heterodera, were killed by heating the soil to 140' Fahr., but not by treatment with toluol or carbon di- sulphide. Fig. 48 shows how badly the soil was infested with Heterodera, and how completely steaming removed the pest. The authors were not able to make many observations on fungous diseases as none appeared on the plants on the untreated soils, but from their experiments they con- clude that steaming kills the disease spores. It does not, however, kill all fungi ; indeed, it gives rise to some sub- stance particularly favourable to certain harmless species which are apt to develop rapidly, especially if the soil is rather dry, but they soon disappear, and are not seen again. The present treatment of sick soils is in the majority of cases merely to throw them out and substitute fresh soil often pur- chased and carted from a distance. The authors' experiments show that this method, which entails the sacrifice of the enormous manurial residues, is unneces- sary, for after partial sterilisation the sick soil again becomes capable of producing hjalthy, vigorous crops. However, from the grower's point of view, the question resolves itself into a matter of cost, and unless the new method can be shown to be cheaper than the old, the grower is not likely to adopt it, in spite of the economy of manurial substances. The question of expense must therefore be considered in some detail. The cost of wheeling out the old borders in a Cucumber house, dumping the soil, and pur- chasing and carting new soil, is put by experienced growers, with whom the authors discussed the subject, at 2s. to 3s. 6d. a ton in a crowded district. In such a case the grower would still be in pocket more at a temperature exceeding 180° Fahr. It is immaterial, so far as present results go, whether dry heat or moist heat is used, that is, whether the soil is baked or steamed, but if steam is used, it must blow through at a sufficient rate to prevent complete condensation, or the soil will be- come too wet. After sterilisation the soil should not be exposed more than necessary to the rain, as plant-food begins rapidly to form and is very liable to be washed out. Where steam heat is used, probably the best plan is to blow high-pressure steam through a harrow-like instrument with jets corresponding to tynes buried in the soil. The implement was arranged to deal with AD c Fig. 48. — TOMATO plants grown in partially-sterilised soil. (A) Soil heated to 130° Fahr. ; (b) Soil untreated ; (c) Soil healed to 2O0'> Fahr. if he paid 2s. a ton to have his old soil treated, because, by so doing, he would recover some of its manurial residues. As a matter of fact, sick soil was sterilised in a large nursery at Is. 6d. a ton, so that, even on the present method, the process is economical. In smaller nurseries, where it is not necessary to work at a great speed, the process can be effected much more cheaply. For a variety of reasons, the authors con- sider that partial sterilisation by heat is the most effective method at present avail- able. The soil should reach a temperature of 200° Fahr., but need not pass 210° Fahr. It should be maintained for an hour or a yard of soil at a time ; steam was blown through at a pressure of 80 to 90 lbs., and raised the temperature of the soil in two or three minutes to 212° Fahr., without materially wetting it. The heating was con- tinued for 15 minutes only, and the soil was then thrown into a heap, but so slowly did it cool that even after five hours the temperature remained at 160° Fahr. The total cost, including the hire of the engine, wages, fuel, and all other charges, was Is. 6d. a cubic yard. The engine dealt with 40 yards of soil per day. Slower methods are cheaper ; indeed, one grower put up a steriliser, utilising the waste heat from his flues, and claimed that the cost is only 5d. 114 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Februaky 24, 1912. a ton when three tons are dealt with in the 24 hours. As the calculated fuel requirement for 100 per cent, efficiency is only Id. per ton of soil, it is obvious that there is considerable possibility of reducing the piesent cost. Chemical treatment is, honvever, much the simplest in principle, and has obvious advantages in that it requires no special apparatus and no carrying out of the soil. The two liquids used by the authors, toluol and carbon disulphide, are not suitable for commercial work, although they have given good results in small glasshouses. The authors are at present investigating a number of commercial waste products which would be avail- able to the grower in case they gave satisfactory results. E. J . Russell. NOTICES OF B! Types of British Vegetation. s. NEW OR NOTEWORTHY PLANTS. EPIDENDRUM STALLFORTHIANUM KRANZ. (§ EUEPIDENDRUM.)*" Epidendrum St.illforthianum is most nearly related to E. e.xasperatum Reich., a native of Costa Rica, a species that has never been intro- duced to cultivation. As will be seen on refer- ence to fig. 49, E. Stallforthianum has the habit of E. nutans, and can be grown in the same con- ditions as that species. It is, however, easily dis- tinguishable from E. nutans and its affinities by the rough rhachis of the panicle, rough ovaries, and the characteristic flower-stalks. Moreover, the sepals show some small external protuberances, but these are not so marked as Reichenbach would seem to indicate in E. ex- asperatum. The flowers in both species are brown and white, the sepals being of a dull brown ; the thin, narrow petals and the lip are pale brown, and contrast pleasingly with the column, which is ivory-white. The colours dis played by this species are somewhat rare amoiu; Epidendrums, which adds much to its interest. The flowers have, unfortunately, a rather dis- agreeable odour, difficult to describe and very peculiar. The inflorescence branches at the base, and thereafter is simple to the top, a character of some botanical interest. In one or two speci- mens which I have seen the principal rhachis was more or less abortive, and the two side branches seemed to spring laterally from a stem terminat- ing in two or three sheaths. Reichenbach, in describing E. exasperatum, draws attention to the peculiarities of the inflorescence in this species, which differed more or less in all tho three specimens which he had under observation. E. Stallforthianum is a plant of considerable interest, though perhaps hardly a " thing oi beauty," and is no less worthy of notice than E. nutans and E. floribundum. It has a slender, graceful stem, and produces its long, showy leaves in plenty. The species was sent to me by Herr Ehinger, gardener to Mr. Stallforth, of Wiesbaden. Mr. Stallforth discovered it at the foot of the Ori- zaba, in Mexico, and brought it over to Europe with a collection of other Orchids. F. Krdnzlin. *Epn)ENDRUM Stallforihianum, AVrtfir. (§Euepiden- drum.)— Caules CO ad 70 cm. alti, infra tereles supra sub- anoipites, foliati infra cataphyllorum vacuus albidis lecti ; internodia inferiora cauli adpressa, lineari-larceolala v. lan- ceolata, acuminata, laete viridia, subtus carinaia, supra sulcata, ad 15 cm. longa, ad 2 cm. lata, folium supremum peduncuhim vaginans, vagina propria basin pedunculi arete ringens, brunnea, acuminnta, panicula nutans v. deflexa oligoclada, uniramosa v. raniis 2 tantuin, rliachis celerum plus minus abortiva, rhachis ut etiam 0,'aria scaberrima. bracteae brevissimae v. subnullae, quam ovaria inullo breviores. Sepala oblonga obtuse acuta, dorsale rectum, lateralia subobliqua, 1 cm. longa, 2 mm. lata, sub anthesi convexa, exius sparse et minute papulosa, brutmea. Petala filiformia, apice paulum dilatala. Labelli basi subcordati lobi lalerales valde varii, plerumque crenutati, interdum Iriiobuli V. tridentati, lobo intermedio lineari, antice in lobulos 2 triangulos acutos exiente; calli per discum S intermedius humilior, latior ad apicem (rectius sinum labulorum) decurrens, laterales basi altiores quam inter- medius, sensim decrescentes, totum labellum 8 ad 9 mm, longum, pallide brunneum, cum gynostemio albo, semilongo arcie connatum, androcliniei margo non denticulatus, Flores irialeolentes. Mexico— the Environs of Orizaba (Mr. Stallforth, of Wies- baden, Germany). British botanists are indebted to Mr. Tansley and to the members of the " Central Committee for the Survey of British Vegetation " for a first attempt to present a comprehensive account of the types of vegetation met with in the British Isles. Although the work of observing and describing these vegetation-units is far from complete, yet, as the editor observes, enough is known to justify the attempt at a preliminary sketch of the subject, which, it is believed, will interest botanists and lovers of nature, as well as atu- . dents of scientific geography. The book is not a work on ecology, but a de- scription of vegetation fioin the ecological poiiit I'lG. 40. — EPIDENDRUM STALLFORTHIANUM: FLOWERS WHITE AND BROWN. of view, in so far as detailed surveys of detached areas make a complete account possible. The stndy of vegetation from this point of view leads inevitably to a study of the relations of tho individual plant to its environment, a branch of botany which evidently comes into close touch with plant physiology. In this country the work of observing, analys- ing and recording the vegetation is making rapid progress, but very little work has yet been done in the domain of experimental ecology, ' Obvious difficulties arise in describing the vegetation of a country such as this, in which a large propor- tion of the surfaee is under cultivation and only comparatively small areas exist under natural or even semi-natural conditions. Taking this into • Types of British l'ej;ctatinn, by members of the Central Committee foe the Survey and Study of Br ti^h Vegetation. Edited by A. G. Tansley, M.A. (Cambridge: University Press). account, and also the amount of exact informa- tion available, the analysis of vegetation ex- pressed in the diagram at the end of the book serves a most useful purpose in showing, not only the chief types of vegetation which occur, but their affinities and possible relationships. As knowledge increases, modifications will no doubt be introduced into this scheme, and it is apparent that nothing so complex as the natural vegetation of a country will yield analytical re- sults so precise that they can be fully expressed in a diagram ; yet it seems clear that it is only by applying the conception of vegetation in relation to habitat that any scheme of classifica- tion is possible. The objection that it is premature to generalise about plant-communities until a fairly complete knowledge of the relations of the individual plant to its environment is available hardly appears to be valid, since a classification of vegetation forms a natural framework into which the results of experimental work can be fitted, and affords a starting point from which problems may be at- tacked. Much discussion has taken place as to the nomenclature to be adopted in describing the plant-groups which can be recognised in a phyto- geographical survey. The plan adopted in this book has the great merit of logical simplicity and the terms employed are used with a definite meaning. Ecological botany has been heavily handi- capped by the cumbrotis nomenclature employed and by the confusion resulting from lack of pre- cision and uniformity in the terms " formation," " association," &c., employed by authors. In the present work " plant- formation." " plant-association," and " plant-society " are used to describe uiiits of vegetation in a descend- ing series, and are defined provisionally as fol- low : — The " plant -formation " is the natural vege- tation occupying a habitat with constant natural characters. Some formations, e.g., that of a salt marsh, are easily determined ; others are less well defined. The " plant-asscciation " is the unit next be- low the formation. If a given formation in- cluded woodland, grassland, and scrub, for in- stance, each of the latter forms a definite asso- ciation. The " plant-society " is a group of plants of one spe:ics or of sn:all groups of species which cccur sometimes as local developments of the plant-association. The subj'ect-matter of the book is arranged in two parts. Part 1. deals with the conditions of vegetation in the British Isles and gives a summary of the chief climatic and soil factors concerned. Part II., comprising the main part of the book, gives an account of the existing vegetation. Fourteen formaticns are recognised and are classi- fied according to the soil conditions with which they are correlated. A summarised account is given of the natural features and distribution of each formation and the characteristic species of its plant^associations, and, where information is available, a more-detailed description is given of special cases. The brx)k is illustrated with M plates of excel- lent photographs and 21 text figures and is ex- tremely well indexed. J/. C. E. A FINE WEEPING BEECH. The accompanying illustration (fig. 50) shows a remarkably fine specimen of the Weeping Beech (Fagus pendula), which may be seen in the home section of Messrs. John Waterer & Sons' nursery at Bagshot, Surrey. This tree is proba- bly 60 to 70 years old, and is still growing vigorously. Its height is from 45 feet to 50 feet, its main leader having recurved until it reaches within 12 feet of the ground. An annual clear- ance of other growth has to be made for its ever- expanding needs. The space occupied by the tree at the present time has a diameter of 80 feet. February 24, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 115 NURSERY NOTES. PRIMULAS AND CYCLAMENS AT READING. Messrs. Sutton & Sons have made a specia- lity of Primula sinensis for many years past, and the number of plants they cultivate has increased very considerably. For e.xample, in 1876 only 4 ounces of seed was saved, whilst in 1911 the quantity reached 120 ounces, and the number of plants grown in pots was about 15,000. Not so many years ago the range of colour in the Chinese Primula was very limited ; at the present day the colours and shades are almost infinite in their variety. One object of the crosses which are now being undertaken at Reading is to eliminate the yellow eye and replace it by a pure white centre. The effect would be very beautiful in the case of, say, Crimson King or Reading Scarlet ; and there seems no reason to suppose that such novelties will be long delayed. In the case of single-flowered varieties, there are no fewer than 20 types or colours; in the double-flowered section the number is about 10. Fern type of leaves ; and we also saw some very pretty lavender and pink shades. On the occa- sion of a recent visit to the London Road nur- series at Reading a batch of 300 or so plants of " Crimson King " in flower made a very brave show. This variety is very valuable during the dull days of autumn and winter, as it blooms quite early in the season; " Brilliant King " is another handsome flower, with blossoms even larger than those of " Crimson King." " Lord Roberts," with its large-fringed flowers of a soft salmon shade, made a very pretty dis- play, and " Firefly " or " Reading Scarlet " and two shades of blue in another variety made quite a striking colour combination. The " Czar " is a variety of a rich violet blue with a yellow eye and dark stems. It has an excellent habit of growth and a most pleasing appearance. It is hoped that in time it will be possible to produce this colour with light stems, and also in double flowers. " Reading Blue," with its bold, upright trasses of blossom, is a very handsome flower, and " Reading Pink " is a pretty variety, with dainty, elegantly -fringed Dlosaon'.s. " Coral Fig. 50. — WEEPING BEECH IN MESSRS. VVATERER AND SONS* NURSERY. (See p. 111.) Single-flowered varieties are naturally the most popular. " The Duchess " takes the first place in this section ; it is very charming, being pure white, with a clear zone of rosy-carmine surround- ing a yellow eye. Immense quantities of this variety are grown in order to supply the demand for seed, and the effect is most pleasing when 400 or 500 plants are seen growing in one clump, all in full flower. Hybrids produced from numer- ous crosses with Duchess vary in colour from blush-white to crimson. They are all interesting, though they differ in merit, and they retain the zone in the centre. Of those with cliaracteristie foliage we may mention the Duchess ivy-leaved form. Among giant forms there is one of a crimson colour with blossoms 3 inches in diameter ! Of the white flowers, "Royal White" may be said to he the best ; it is an extremely handsome type, the purity of the blossoms seeming to be intensified by the dark foliage. Another white variety is "Giant White," which has green stems and the Pink " is one of the best to use for decoratii,n at night ; artificial light seems to set oft to the best advantage its rich, creamy hue. " The Pearl " is one of the oldest varieties, but is still extremely popular. It has the great advantage of flowering very freely, and the blos- soms— a delicate tint, almost white — are very ornamental. " Snow Queen " and " Silver King " are some of the few varieties without the yellow eye. The leaves are respectively pale green and a rich bronze, the latter, especially, forming an ex- cellent foil for the pure-white flowers. " Ro. ''^:fx>>'- .. - ■■^\ ■- r \ ^: ;,/5;- ■.j:aKaflL!R-_ Fig. 52.— Hybrid Tea Rose Irish Elegance : Flower-buds orange-red ; expanded flower shades of apricot-yellow. (See p. 123.) Februaky 24, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 123 American woodpecker (Colaptes). There are two forms: one with red quills, the other with yellow quills. They also differ in other minor' charac- ters. If a line be drawn from British Columbia to the Gulf of Mexico, then east of it is found the yellow-quilled form, and west of it the red-quilled form, in the belt of country where the two species overlap there are some mongrel forms, and there can be no doubt that some of the differences are factorial. But in this, as in many similar cases, we must ask : Why is there no in- termediate population? If one of the species has arisen, by any gradual process of evolution, from the other, or if they have both arisen from a com- mon ancestor, why are there no traces left of the transitional stages of the process? Can these colour-differences have a survival value? The yellow, eastern Colaptes has a scarlet crescent on the neck. The western has none. But it hap- pens that in another American woodpecker (Sphy- ropicus varius) it is the eastern form which has no scarlet crescent, while the western form has this mark. Rose Irish Elegance (see fig. 52). — This Hybrid Tea variety is one of the very best single- flowered Roses for bedding purposes; a suffi- cient reason to warrant its inclusion in every collection. The beauty of the blossom is re- markable both for exquisite form and delicate tinting, including shades of orange and apricot. The buds are a beautiful orange-scarlet colour. The plant is a vigorous grower, and is suitable for growing in bush form. The variety was raised by Messrs. A. Dickson & Sous, and was first distributed in 1905. Flowers in Season. — We have received from Messrs. Robert Veitch & Son, E.xeter, flowering sprays of Buddleia asiatica, fr jm plants grown in a cool greenhouse. The terminal spikes of white, sweet-scented flowers are very graceful. Linnean Society. -The next general meeting of this Society will l>e held on Thursday, March 7, at 8 p.m. The following papers will be read : — " Internodes of Calamites," by Prof. Percy Groom; " Psygmophyllum majus, sp. n., from the Lower Carboniferous Rocks of Newfound- land, together with a Revision of the Genus and Remarks on its Affinities," by Mr. E. A. Newell Arber ; " Historic Doubts about Vaunthomp- sonia," by Rev. T. R. R. Stebbing ; Specimens of Cactoid Euphorbias from South Africa (ex- hibited by permission of the Director, Royal Gar- dens, Kew). will be shown by Dr. Otto Staff, and Miss Ethel M. Phillips will exhibit coloured drawings of Barbados plants. The Losses Caused by Parasitic Fungi. — It is to be doubted whether the extent of the monetary loss caused by parasitic fungi is generally realised. The following figures are, therefore, not without interest. The official esti- mate of the loss due to the attacks of rust on Cereals amounts, in Pru.ssia alone, to about £20,000,000. The loss from this cause amounts to about £3.500.000 in the case of Wheat, to nearly £9,000.000 in that of Rve, and to about £8,000,000 in Oats. " Lawns."*— The fact that Messrs. Sutton & Sons' well-known volume on lawns has reached its eleventh edition speaks both for the excel- lence of the contents and for the wide interest that IS taken in lawns. The information which it contains is thoroughly practical, and we can recommend anvone who has to undertake the task of laying out lawns, and who is new to the work, to make a careful study of the contents of this book before proceeding to the actual work. • By Sutton it Sonf;. Reading Elevjnth edition. ^London: Simpkin, Marshall i- Co.) 1912. National Auricula and Primula Society. — The 36th annual exhibition of this society will be held in the Royal Horticultural Hall, Vincent Square, Westminster, on Tuesday, April 30, in conjunction with the fortnightly meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society. To perpetuate the memory of the late James Douglas, a silver challenge cup is offered for the best exhibit in certain classes for show or Alpine Auriculas. A member offers four special prizes for single speci- mens of fancy Polyanthus and four prizes for single specimens. Primroses. Mr. James Doug- las presents four medals of the Royal Horti- cultural Society, to be awarded in the amateur classes. Mr. T. E. Henwood will present a silver medal to the winner of the 1st prize in Class 10, and Mr. R. Morton a silver medal to the winner of the 1st prize in Class 19. Abandonment of Proposed Gardeners' Dinner. — The proposal to hold a gardeners' dinner during the time of the International Show at Chelsea in Slay next has been abandoned. The promoters met on Tuesday last in the Royal Horticultural Hall, Vincent Square, when the matter was given full con- sideration. It was felt that the proposal had not aroused much enthusiasm, and that the dinner would have to take place on Saturday, an inconvenient day for such an event. High Price for Culinary Peas. — We are informed that two acres of Webb's Senator Peas have been sold by a Cambridgeshire grower for £98. or £49 per acre. On a previous occasion £44 and £41 per acre have been realised for this variety by a grower in the Stourport district. Bulbs in the L.C.C. Parks. — No fewer than 374,750 bulbs have been planted this season in the various parks and public gardens in the control of the London County Council. They include 115,150 Tulips, 78,700' Crocuses, 18.400 Hyacinths, 2,825 Lilies and 159,675 of various kinds. The numbers at the principal parks are Battersea Park 38.250, Finsbury Park 34,650, Victoria Park 30,150 Victoria Embankment and Leicester Square Gardens 25.700. Southwark Park 24,450, Brockwell Park 22,375, and Peck- ham Rye Park 21,075. Mr. Silas Cole. — It is proposed to present a testimonial to Mr. Silas Cole, the raiser of the Countess Spencer type of Sweet Peas. Mr. CoLE is about to engage in business on his cwn ac- count, and it is felt that the present would be an opportune moment to recognize the great work which he accomplished in originating this distinct and beautiful type of the Sweet Pea. Already a sum of nearly £124 has been promised, including two donations of £25 each from Ameri- can seed firms. Subscriptions may be sent to Mr. G. H. Mackereth, Market Place, Ulverston. "Gardening Year Book.'" — This year book and diary contains much helpful and useful mat- ter for gardeners. The diary occupies the first 30 or so pages, and a calendar of garden work follows, well drawn up and of a thoroughly prac- tical nature. The new plants and flowers of the year 1911 are fully described in the next section, and many of them are well illustrated from pho- tographs. Several chapters are devoted to a de- scription of plants and flowers suitable for various uses, with directions for their culture. Insect pests and plant diseases are also dealt with. The rest of the book is occupied with tabular matter, including a comprehensive list of public parks and gardens in the United Kingdom. * ' he Gardening Year Bnok ami Interleaved Diary, 1912. (London : VV. H. & L. Collingridge.) Price Is. Lady Grey and the Gardens at Rideau Hall. — We have read with particular pleasure the article under the above title, which appears in the January number of TIlC Canadian Horti- culturist. The article, which describes the in- terest which Lady CiREY has taken in Canadian horticulture, during the time of office of His Excellency Lord Grey, is from the pen of Mr. W. T. Macoun, Dominion Horticulturist, than whom none is more competent to express an authoritative opinion on subjects appertaining to horticulture. Mr. Macoun pays a fitting, and as we know from personal experience, just tri- bute to the good work which Lady Grey has done in promoting in the Dominion the interests of horticulture. This work consisted both of precept and example. During her chatelaineship of Government House, Ottawa, the grounds of that not very imposing edifice were embellished, and rendered moi-e attractive, by the establish- ment of herbaceous borders, and by the planting of many thousands of bulbs of Narcissus and Tulips in the grass bordering the roads in the park belonging to Government House. More- over, it is due to Lady Grey that Rideau Hall has now a fine range of glasshouses, in which the flowers which she knows and loves so well are cultivated. Thus, and in many other ways, as for example in the encouragement of garden competitions in Ottawa, has Lady Grey played a notable part in fostering a love of horticulture in Canada, and we may add that during the time when she was at Government House every visitor who possessed a knowledge of horticul- ture was sure of a specially warm welcome, and of a very delightful conversation on the subject of horticulture, which Lady Grey has so much at heart. New Chinese Speciesof Rosa and Rubus. — Dr. W. 0. FocKE contributes to Xotcs of the. Royal Botanic Garden, Edinliurgh, "An Enumeration and Description of the Species of Rosa and Rubus discovered and collected by Mr. George Forrest, in Yunnan and Tibet, dur- ing the years 1904, 1905, and 1906." Rosa For- restii, closely allied to R. microphylla, is the only new species of Rosa described, but there are several interesting varieties of various species, notably of R. Banksia", R. damascena, R. Gigan- tea and R. macrophylla. Of R. Banksise there are varieties with single, white, fragrant flowers, double, white, fragrant flowers, and double, rich- yellow scentless flowers. Of R. gigantea, the va- riety erubescens has pink, fragrant flowers. Rubus major, R. hypopitys, R. stimulans, R. trijugus, R. alexeterius, R. stans, and R. subornatus are new species ; all of which, as well as the new Rose, are figured, half natural size, from photo- graphs. As compared with previously known species, there is none particularly striking among the new species of Rubus. Mr. Forrest's field notes copiously supplement the botanical descriptions. Potatos Instead of Grafting Wax. — According to the experiments made by Mr. Ber- GOUNioux, and described in Le Jardin, a Potato is better for vine-grafting than any form of grafting clay wax. The method of use is simple. A scion is chosen of about the same diameter as the stock ; a hole is cut through the Potato just large enough to admit of the passage of the stock and scion. After the sur- faces of stock and scion have been prepared for grafting, the Potato is slipped over the stock, the scion placed in position, and the tuber drawn up and fixed so as to surround the graft. iSIr. Bergounioux states that in the dry and hot weather of last year the grafts bound with ordi- nary materials were generally a failure ; those treated in this novel manner were as generally successful. 124 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [February 24, 1912. Presentation Cup for the Royal Inter- national Exhibition. — A most successful meeting of the Horticultural Club took place on Tuesday last at the Hotel Windsor, Westminster, in connection with the annual dinner. During the proceedings, which we shall describe more fully in our next issue. Sir Frank Crisp, the new president, announced his intention of offer- ing a cup, value £25, for presentation at the Royal International Show to be held in May next. The cup wiU be offered in the name of the Horticultural Club. SOLANUM tuberosum ; A TRUE SPECIES. — The botanical origin of the Potato has been the subject of much speculation and discussion, but, as is so often the case with cultivated plants, little certain knowledge has been gained with respect to it. As the result of a long and careful investigation, involving a study of the anatomy and morphology of the chief cultivated varie- ties, Mr. P. Berthault concludes that they are aU derived from a common ancestor, and that that ancestor is not any of the known wild tuberous solanums. We are driven, therefore, to conclude that our Potatos are varieties of a true species of S. tuberosum, the wild form of which is now either very rare or extinct. Toxic Excreta of Plants.— Experiments made by Mr. Fletcher, the result of which are published in the Journal of Afjricultural Science, appear to confirm the views previously expressed by the author and other writers that the roots of plants excrete substances which are, or raaji be, poisonous to other plants. The experiments in question were carried out at Gizet, Egypt, where the rainfall is practically nil and where, therefore, the water supply is under complete control. Maize and Sesamum were grown in alternate rows. Certain rows were watered at intervals, some every 15 days, others every 10 days, and others again every 2 days, and certain of the last-mentioned were manured every eight days with small quantities of sodium nitrate, potassium sulphate, and sodium phosphate. In every case the Sesamum, which was planted at about li foot from the Maize, developed very badly. This poor development was as marked in the manured rows as in the non -manured. Mr. Fletcher concludes that the poor growth is due not to lack of food materials, but to actual poisoning of the roots of the Sesamum by excreta from the Maize. HOME CORRESPONDENCE. (The Editors do not hold tketnselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents.) Correction: R.H.S. "Journal." — In the report on Sweet Peas at Wisley, 1911, at p. 394 of the Journal (vol. xxxvii., pt. 2) the last sen- tence in the opening paragraph has been trans- posed. It should, as the report itself shows, come after the words " Several varieties were also re- commended on account of their strong growth, and because of their non-burning qualities. They are indicated by the sign P below. These varie- ties . . . ." etc. ]V. Wilks, Secretary. The R.H.S. Annual General Meeting. — I have just returned from tlie meeting in the Royal Horticultural Hall, and have tlie uneasy feeling that I might have put the time to better use. I sat at the back of the small gathering, and, except for the remarks of the president and treasurer, I know but very little of what was said. Judging from the appreciative attention of those near him, Mr. Engleheart made a thoughtful and interesting speech, but practically none of it filtered to the back benchers. No one who has heard Mr. Engleheart speak will for one moment lay any blame on the speaker, for he has an enviable voice and delivery. It seemed to me that the greater portion of his remarks were absorbed by the red curtain be- hind the chairman. It was evident that others besides the writer suffered in this respect. One FeUow put the time to good use by adopting the attitude one associates with prosy sermons ; others looked listless and " out of it." I would suggest to the Council that at their future meet- ings they adopt the plan of some other large bodies (the National Rifle Association, for in- stance), and request speakers to address the meeting from the platform. A Fellow. Games in Public Parks. — I was interested in the paragraph on p. 105, respecting the num- ber of games played in the London County Council parks. The statistics show that 15,558 games of bowls were played on 100 greens. We liave recently made two bowling greens in the Victoria Park, Widnes. The first was opened on Easter Monday last, the second a month later, and both were closed on September 28. During that period 13,972 games were played, which is only 1,085 fewer than on the 100 greens of the L.C.C. i^arks, and the fees amounted to £101 10s 3d. Is this a record? H. Curtis, Victoria Parle, \Yidnes. Colouring of Apples. — In my note on p. 59 I omitted to state, with reference to tlie experi- ment I described, that both the trees which were allowed to send one or two tap-roots into the chalk and those which were not allowed to do so were root-pruned, so that the greater amount of colour produced in the fruits from trees which had a tap-root in the chalk must have been due, in some manner or otlier, to the influence of the chalk. Win. II. Johns. Spraying for Big Buds.— In reply to Mr. A. II. Pearson (see p. 106), one of my objections to all methods of spraying that I have seen is that they could not be effectual, because they extended over only about half the period of the migration of the mites. Probably Mr. Pearson's period of spraying is longer, and if ho would give details in your columns of the dates, and number of sprayings and the strength of the wash used, it would be less trouble to him and would be read by a much greater number of persons than would be the case if he follows up his obliging offer of giving particulars privately to all who ask for them. " Nothing succeeds like success," and if an in- fested plantation is cured by Mr. Pearson's method there is no more to be said, although I am at a loss to understand how that success is attained. If my memory serves, the mites are migrating daily for eight or nine weeks, and it is clear therefore that not a tenth part of them can be killed by contact by spraying three or four times. Is it supposed that the coating of the buds with the spray-stuff deters mites from entering them? I have 27 acres of Black Currants as bottom fruit, and the expense of spraying them three or four times would be heavy ; but if Mr. Pearson will kindly give in your columns the details of his plan, I will try it this season on one piece and give the results next season. (See Gard. Cliron., May 21, 1904, p. 330, Eds.). But my plan of picking" off all big buds annually where there are only a few on a bush, cnttling off badly infested shoots, and cutting to the ground level a badly infested whole bush has left my plantations approxi- mately free from mite. In the oldest one, 8g acres, planted partly six and partly seven years ago, the experienced pickers got only about tliree pints of big buds last week. The cost is trifling, and only experience would con- vince me that I could get equally good results by spraying. As for the incidental advantage of cleansing the bushes of aphis when spraying for mites, I have tried spraying with a very strong decoction of quassia and soft soap for that direct pmpose, and have failed to effect anything like a clearance. Some of the pests are killed, but there are enough left to make up for the mortality in a few days, so rapid is their multiplication. Perhaps this is because I have a patent Black Currant aphis of my own, which no one appears able to identify. It resembles the black dolphin to the naked eye, but is of an olive-green colour as seen through a magnifying lens. It attacks the tops of young shoots, and at once causes the top leaves to curve over it, umbrella fashion, so that it is to a great extent protected from spray fluid. I encounter it effectually, however, by sending women over the plantations two or three times, at fortnightly intervals, with small pots con- taining quassia and soft soap, in which they dip and shake about every infested shoot. I have never been troubled to any extent worth notice with the common Currant aphis, perhaps because my bushes are not at all crowded. A Southern Grower. Cinerarias Seeding.— In "Answers to Cor- respondents " columns, p. 95, it is stated that " great difficulty is experienced by most growers in obtaining seeds true to variety from these plants, as the plants cross-pollinate so freely." Having made a very large number of Cineraria crosses and self-pollinations extending over a series of years, I may strengthen that statement by saying that no seeds are ever produced except by cross-pollination. Reference was made to a few hybrids which are sterile with their own pollen, but I would say that not only are all the plants of all hybrids sterile with their own pollen, but every plant of every species of Cineraria yet intro- duced is absolutely self-sterile. It is not true of all hybrids, but it is true of some hybrids, C. Lyncliii, for instance, that they produce seeds but sparingly, with all the trouble of crossing that may b© taken. This hybrid, in fact, when wanted, should be remade from the parents ; it is easy to procure, and the plant, wlien well grown, is a very fine one. It is C. multiflorus X Garden Cineraria, and by taking good forms of the garden Cineraria, fine vigorous plants may be obtained with beautiful flowers. The crossing of Cinerarias is easily effected. I have had hy- brid plants that have combined all the species of Cineraria in cultivation at the time, not omit- ting the garden Cineraria. A brush is not neces- sary, the best plan being to take a flower- head on which there is ripe pollen by its stalk between the finger and thumb, and pass it over the heads, when it is seen that the female organs are in a receptive condition. A smooth thumb-nail can, in many cases, be used, when the stigmas project, for the purpose of transferring pollen to the stigmas with much greater facility than a camel-liair brush. Better again than a camel-hair brush, when the stigmas do not project, and always far more economical of pollen is an anther with the pollen taken by its stalk between tlie points of fine forceps. Has any reader, after making careful experiment, found any Cineraria that was not self-sterile ? I must admit that exception is possible — that a thousand plants might be sterile and tlie first of the next thousand self-fertile, and also that there might be conditions that would render fertile, plants that are normally self-sterile. Informa- tion of such conditions with regard to any self- sterile plant would be welcome. We know the object of self-sterility, but we do not know what it consists in or how it is attained. One of my reasons for making definite assertion of self- sterility in Cinerarias is that few realise the fact of its existence in any plant, though it is not rare, being found in quite diverse natural Orders, and is quite common in the Compositte. A writer in America, for instance, who has dis- covered a method of depollination for use when the plant's own pollen has reached the stigmas, gives the special instruction necessary for de- pollinating Cinerarias, and the process in that case, according to my experience, is quite unnecessary. H. Irwin Lynch, Botanic Garden, Camhridge. Sweet Pea Disease. — The articles by W. on the above subject raise {he whole question of " streak " in Sweet Peas to a promi- nent place in the Gardeners' Chronicle. Many hundreds of Sweet Pea lovers will have read the notes with interest and perhaps profit. I think, however, that tlie matter is not to be disposed of in the easy manner that IF. seems to indicate. Some 23 years ago I began to grow Sweet Peas systematically in quantity, sowing in November, December, and January, in small "60" pots, five to seven seeds in a pot, getting them through the soil quickly, and then giving all the air possible. By February, the lights were taken away, and pilchard netting was tacked over the cases, which was kept up by laths from off the Peas. 1 usually confined myself each season to 14 distinct varieties. Generally drifts of 3 feet wide were trenched through during the winter in the posi- tions where the rows were to be. During some time in February, or, in late seasons, early February 24, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 125 March, shallow drills were drawn along the trenched land, the soil being drawn up on the cold side for shelter. The groups were put out whole, generally with a trowel, and five Pea plants were allowed to each group. The groups were from 14 inches to 15 inches apart. Moder- ate quantities of cow manure were used, and lime and phosphates, with burnt earth were always given. My practice was to provide the Peas with sticks at the time of planting. iSly Sweet Peas were always the talk of the dis- tricts in which they were grown. " Stripe " did occasionally appear, even as long ago as 22 years, both in the flowers and haulm. For many years I tried to get to the bottom of this trouble both in ray own Peas and in scores of others sent me over a period of 10 years or so. Thielavia has sometimes been found to be present, sometimes Fusarium, and occasionally an Alternaria, with Macrosporium among it. I have often thought that the Alternaria was part and parcel of the Macrosporium. In the ma- jority of cases, however, both on flowers and plants, Botrytis cinerea developed, and I have no hesitation in saying that, from the seedling 2 inches high up to tlie plant in full bloom, for every one plant destroyed by the other diseases named by IF., there are 10 destroyed by Botrytis. Eelworm seems to help on the destruc- tive work greatly, and will often be found de- stroying the nitrogen nodules and reducing the Pea itself to a pulp. When striped blooms pro- duce only Botrytis cinerea, one is bound to come to the conclusion that the fungus does cause j " stripe." Macrosjiorium is found on unhealthy I plants of many kinds, and it is no unusual thing I to find Cladosporium herbarum, Fusarium sp., and Macrosporium all together on yellowing Hop leaves that have eelworm at the roots. I have also found all the pests on Jlarigolds that were failing, the eehvorm at the rout and tlie three fungous diseases on the discoloured leaves. I believe that Thielavia, Fusarium. Macrosporium ur Alternaria can and do cause stripe. Macro- sporium has, however, appeared less often in striped plants than any of the others, so far as my experience goes. I should place the di.seases in the order named: Botrytis. Fusarium, Thie- lavia, Macrosporium, or Alternaria. I have always used permanganate of potash largely for watering Sweet Peas, for stripe in Tftmatos and for sprinkling over the floors of Orchid houses, and I am sure with advantage. This matter calls for investigation by a National Horticultural In- stitute, such as recommended on p. 72. where all such problems could be investigated fully, and where the points could be settled by a committee of experts. Because one man has found Macro- sporium durins the last summer on dead Sweet Pea haulm, killed by stripe, we should not con- clude that all stripe is caused by Macrosporium. F.It.U.S. Kainit and Pear Trees. — The writer of the weekly Calendar on the " Hardy Fruit Gar- den " advises (see p. 70) an application of from 1 lb. to 2 lbs. of Kainit per square yard for the destruction of the Pear midge. If an area of but 6 feet square were so dressed around each tree, from 4 to 5 lbs. of Kainit would be needed. I cannot but think that a mistake as to the quan- tity of dressing has been made. It would be well if others who have suffered from the attacks of the Pear midge would say what they have found to be the best remedy for the pest, that is, if they have found a real remedy. D. The quantity should be 1 lb. to the square yard, ^ lb. in the autumn and j lb. in the spring ; the amount I recommended in Gardeners' Chronicle, February 1, 1908. In 1897 many Pear trees of which I had charge in a Worcestershire garden were badly attacked, and, according to my notes, I dressed a standard tree of Williams' Bon Chretien with 2 lbs. of Kainit to the square yard in October, I also dressed standard trees of Doyenne du Gomice and Van Mons. Leon Leclerc Pears with 1 lb. in October and 1 lb. again in February, repeat- ing the dressings the following season. Other trees I dressed with 1 lb. in October and ^ lb. again in February, also ^ lb. in October and 5 lb. in February. The same beneficial results followed all the dressings without injurious effects. I removed the surface soil before making the second applications, and the quality of the fruits was greatly improved, whilst three years afterwards the Pear midge was entirely exterminated. F. Jordan. SOCIETIES. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL. February 20. — There was a splendid exhibi- tion at the fortnightly meeting of the Society held on Tuesday last in the Society's Hall, Vin- cent Square, Westminster. The weather was fine and very mild, which probably accounted for the large attendance of visitors. Exhibits of Orchids were astonishingly fine for a winter show, and a Gold Medal was awarded to Sir George Holford for a miscellaneous collection of these beautiful flowers. There were, as usual, numerous novelties presented to the Orchid Committee, and this body recommended three Awards of Merit. In tlie floral section, a group of Carnations and Roses shown by Mr. W. E. Wallace, Eaton Bray, was awarded a Gold Jledal, the method of displaying the flowers being an object-lesson in good staging. Other important exhibits in this section were groups of Carnations, forced flowering shrubs. Cyclamens, Ferns, Zonal Pelargoniums, and hardy border flowers. The Floral Committee gave an Award of Merit for a new species of Ribes and a variety of Carnation respectively. The Fruit and Vegetable Committee granted an Award of Merit to a new Apple. At the 3 o'clock meeting of the Fellows, a lecture on " New Sweet Peas " was delivered by ilr. William Cuthbertson. Floral Committee. Present: H. B. May, Esq. (in the Chair); and Jlessrs. Chas. T. Druery, John Green, T. W. Turner, W. J. Bean, G. Reuthe, F. H. Chaoman, John Dickson, C. E. Shea, Chas. E. Pearson, W. G. Baker, W. J. James, J. F. McLeod, J. T. BennettPoe, C. R. Fielder, Chas. Dixon, Herbert J. Cutbush, W. Cuth- bertson, Walter T. Ware, E. 11. Jenkins, John Jennings, E. A. Bowles, and R. C. Notcutt. Mr. L. R. Russell. Richmond, put up a showy group of forced flowering shrubs, such as Wistaria, Lilac, Prunus lobata. Jasminum primulinum, Cerasus Itisahusa (a glorious Japanese Clierry), Azaleas in great assortment, and Magnolias.' Along the edge were well- bloomed plants of Franciscea floribunda and Primulas. Kennedya monophylla, with violet- purple. Pea-shaped blooms, was noticed in the collection of shrubs. (Silver-gilt Banksian Jledal.) A small exhibit of forced shrubs was also staged by Messrs. R. & G. Cuthbert, South- gate. Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent, showed Zonal Pelargoniums, greenhouse Cinerarias, and Cyclamens. The bunches of Pelargonium flowers made a very striking ex- hibit, notable varieties being New York (scar- let), Sir T. Hanbury (crimson), Maxime Kova- lesky (orange-salmon). Snowdrop (white), Hi- bernian (red), and Clevedon (orange). The Cyclamens were flowering abundantly. (Bronze Flora Medal.) Messrs. H. B. May & Sons, The Nurseries, Upper Edmonton, showed epiphytal Ferns, hav- ing fine plants of Polypodium vaccinifolium, P. V. album, P. piloselloides, P. p. minus, Dry- moglossum spathulatum, Davallia heterophylla, Drynaria quercifolium, Niphobolus rupestris, and others. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, showed batches of their choice strains of Primulas, with a central bank formed of their Giant White Cyclamen. All the plants were admirably grown, being compact, well-bloomed specimens of the large-flowered type. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. Geo. Mount & Son, Canterbury, again showed fine blooms of the rich red Rose Richmond. Messrs. Stuart Lov? & Co., Bush Hill Park, Enfield, show^ed choice Carnations, the varieties White Wonder, Gloriosa, Fairmount (an im- proved Jlikado), and Baroness de Brienen being exceptionally good. This firm also exhibited pans of Cyclamens, including their varieties Sal- mon King" and Mrs. Buckston (salmon). They also showed Daphne odora (indica). Boronias, Indian Azaleas and Acacias. (Silver Flora Medal.) . , Messrs. James Veitch & Sons. Ltd., Kmg s Road, Chelsea, staged an assortment of green- house flowering plants, and, as a separate group, a number of forced shrubs. Of these latter plants, specimens of the double-flowered, rose- coloured Almond were deserving of praise. At the opposite end of this group were equally fine plants of Wistaria sinensis, whilst Rhododen- dron indicum (Indian Azaleas) figured largely in both collections. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. W. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, showed great numbers of forced shrubs, presenting a wealth of showy blossoms ; also a rock-garden planted with seasonable subjects and a collection of Carnations. The rock-garden contained splen- did plants in flower of Iris Sindjarensis, I. reti- culata, Hepaticas in variety, Anemone blanda var Ingraraii and Daphne japonica. The most conspicuous of the Carnations w-as the new variety Lady Meyer, which received an Award of Merit. Other choice sorts were Mrs. Lucy Mackinnon (scarlet, scented). Countess of Lathom (rich crimson). Beacon (scarlet), Britannia and Lord Rothschild (crimson, clove-scented). (Silver Flora Medal.) Mr. W. E. Wall.4ce, Eaton Bray, put up a magnificent group of Carnations and a few Roses of the Riclimond variety. The varieties of Car- nations were those most popular for market pur- poses, a selection of the finer sorts being Mar- mion. Lady Audley Nield, Carola, Gloriosa, and Pink Delight. The blooms were arranged in large bunches in vases and epergnes with over- hanging arches of greenerv, there being in all 2,400 Carnations and 150 Roses. (Gold Medal.) Mr. H. Burnett, Guern.sey, again presented a fine group of perpetual-blooming ('arnations in numerous varieties. (Silver Flora Medal.) Jlessrs. Allwood Bros., Wivelsfield Nursery, Haywards Heath, showed varieties of Carnations, having good blooms of Lady Alington, White Wonder, R. F. Felton, and other well-known sorts. Mr. C. Engelmann, Saffron Walden, Essex, showed varieties of perpetual-blooming Carna- tions, having the pink Lady Northcliffe variety in fine condition. Other exhibitors of Carnations were Mr. Bertie E. Bell, Castle Nursery, Guernsey; Messrs. Young & Co., Hatherley, Cheltenham; Messrs. W. Wells & Co., Ltd., Merstham ; and Mr. A. F. Dutton, Iver, Buckinghamshire, who showed Mikado (mauve), Niagara (white, frag- rant), and Mrs, C. W. Ward (a very large cerise- coloured variety). (Silver Banksian Medal.) Mr. G. Reuthe, Keston, Kent, had an inter- esting collection of Alpines and ha.rdy flowers against a baekground of uncommon shrubs. The rare Crocus Tomasinianus (with silvery-blue flowers), Saxifraga Burseriana tridentata (with large, white blossoms), S. Fernandii-Coburgii (yellow), S. Frederici-Augustii, and Androsace pyrenaica are some of the more interesting plants amongst the Alpines, whilst Berberis Aqui- folium Bealii. with its fragrant, yellow blossom, was a conspicuous plant amongst the shrubs. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Messrs. R. Wallace & Co., Colchester, showed early-flowering hardy plants. In the centre of the group was a fine batch of Fritillaria im- peralis chitralensis, some of the umbels bearing four of the rich, yellow blooms. Other plants of interest were Crocus Tomasinianus, C. aureus, C. Imperati. Tulipa Fosteriana, and T. Clusiana. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Mr. jMaurice Prichard, Christchurch, Hamp- shire, exhibited a collection of Alpines, includ- ing the charming Daphne Genkwa, having flowers of a Wistaria-blue colour. There were also excellent plants in flower of Pulmonaria angustifolia aurea. Anemone blanda, Saxifraga oppositifolia, S. apiculata, S. a. alba, and Houstonia serpyllifolia, a tiny plant, with pale- blue, star-shaped blossoms. iSIessrs. Barr & Sons, King Street, Covent Garden, again showed bulbous plants. Narcis- sus Bulbocodium citrinum was especially good. Several hybrids of N. cyclamineus X N. mini- mus were noticed, also large batches of Crocuses, Snowdrops, Scillas, Anemone blanda, and other eai-ly-flowering plants. Messrs. G. & A. Cl.\hk, Ltd., The Nurseries, Dover, arranged a rockery planted with early flowers and shrubs, the latter including two dwarf, glaucous Conifers, of very attractive ap- pearance, both varieties of Juniperus pachy- phlfea named elegantissima and conspicua re- spectively. Ardisia crenulata was shown in fruit. Messrs. John Peed & Son, West Norwood, staged Alpines in pots, the groups being 126 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE:. [February 24, 1912. brightened with flowering specimens of Snow- drops, Scillas, Crocuses, and other early bulbs. Messrs. Whiielegg & Page, Chislehurst, Kent, showed large numbers of well-grown plants of Primula malacoides, and a general col- lection oi hardy plants in pots. Jlr. Clarence Elliott, Stevenage, put up a model rock-garden, in which was planted large patches of Saxifraga Burseriana, Hepatica tri- loba, Primula Allionii, and other choice Alpine plants. A rock-garden e-xhibit was shown by Mr. H. Hemsley, Crawley. Early-flowering plants, such as Saxifraga alpina, Armeria arborescens, Lithospermum prostratum, Noccaea stylosa, and Phlox procumbens gave a pleasing touch of colour to the exhibit. Exhibits of hardy plants were also shown by Guildford Hardy Plant Nursery/ Misses Hopkins, Mere Gardens, Shepperton-on- Thames ; Mr. James Box, Lindfield, Sussex ; and Jlessrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley. Messrs. C. Brooks & Son, Worting, Basing- stoke, showed flowers of Chinese Primulas, including their two new varieties. Queen Mary (pink) and King George V (crimson). They also exhibited a single plant of a giant form of the beautiful Orange King variety. A Silver-gilt Flora Medal was awarded to Miss GuNDRY, Foot's Cray, Kent, for paintings of garden scenes. There were numerous exhibits of horticultural sundries, including garden pottery, vases, horti- cultural books, nesting boxes and models of gar- den furniture. Jlessrs. F. Walters & Co., Bil- ton, Rugby, showed a new form of garden-stake, made of steel, with metal hoops that may be raised or lowered by means of a screw attached. The hoojis are made in various sizes, and, being flexible, the plant is not so liable to damage by strong winds and heavy rains as when string is used. In the case of large plants, such as Dahlias, the hoops are secui'ed to three stakes set in tripod fashion. Awards of Merit. Bihes laurifoliiim. — Three plants of this new species were exhibited by Hon. Vicary Gibbs, Aldenham House, Elstree (gr. Mr. Edwin Beckett). The plants were about 18 inches high, and bore, in the axils of the leaves, racemes of greenish-yelhiw flowers. The in- florescences were about the size of those of Ribes sanguineum, the individual flowers being subtended by yellowish-green, strap-shaped bracts. Carnation Lady Meyer. — This is a variety of the perpetual-blooming type, having flesh-pink petals, distinct in shade from that of any other pink Carnation. The plant is an ex- ceedingly vigorous grower, and blooms with great freedom, whilst the calyces seldom split. Shown by Mr. E. Guile, Newport. Orchid Committee. Present : J. Gurney Fowler, Esq. (in the Chair) ; and Messrs. Jas. O'Brien (hon. -sec), Harry .J. Veitch. Gurney Wilson, J. S. Moss, Stuart Low, R. G. Thwaites. T. Armstrong. A. A. McBean. J. Charlesworth, J. Cypher, J. E. Shill, W. H. Hatcher, C. H. Curtis, "W. P. Bound, A. Dye, W. H. White, R. Brooman-White, W. Bolton, de B. Crawshay, C. J. Lucas. H. G. Alex- ander, R. A. Rolfe, Sir George L. Holford, and Sir Jeremiah Colman. Sir George L. Holford, K.C.V.O., Weston- birt (gr. Mr. H. G. Alexander), staged a magnifi- cent group, for which the Society's Gold Medal was awarded. An outstanding feature in the group were the numerous sprays of white forms of Laelia anceps, which arched over the whole of the group, and among which were Lselia anceps Dawsonii, with eight spikes of 28 flowers ; L. a. alba, nine spikes, 21 flowers ; L. a. Ash- worthiana, seven spikes, 15 flowers ; L. a. Wil- liamsii. five spikes. 23 flowers ; L. a. Sanderiana, six spikes, 25 flowers ; and L. a. Schroderiana, three" spikes, 13 flowers. With these were some of the best coloured forms of L. anceps, L. Gwennie. Cattleya Trianae Hydra, and C. T. Im- perator (two famous varieties), C. Miranda. C. Prince Olaf, C. Chncoensis alba " Westfield variety " (perfect in shape and pure white), C. Percivali.ina Charlesworthii (a pretty white, with very dark labellum), C. P. alba, varieties of C. Maggie Raphael (mostly of the fine, dark type). Cypripedium aureum in great variety, C. Belle- rophon, C. Actajus Undine and Langleyensis, C. Helen II. " Holford's variety," forms of C. Lee- anum, C. Alabaster, C. Alcibiades, C. Rossettii, C. Hera, C. Hindeanum, C. Gracece, C. Boltonii, C. Minos Youngii, C. Scinio, and others, all superbly grown. Among the La?lio-Cattleyas, L.-C. Tigris " Westonbirt variety " (L. Cowanii X L.-C. Dominiana) was a pretty, clear-yellow flower, and L.-C. Clive, L.-C. Epicasta, L.-C. Cornelia, L.-C. Barbarossa, L.-C. Goldfinch, L.-C. Cranstouniie " Westonbirt variety," and L.-C. Pizarro. A very fine show of Brasso- Cattleyas included most of the forms of the season, and the Westonbirt variety of B.-C. Pluto. A selection of handsome Odon- toglossums had for the best the very beau- tiful 0. crispum Peacock, 0. c. Miranda (a very fine, white flower), 0. c. Egret and 0. c. Rose- mary (charming flowers), 0. ardentissimum xanthotes, and other hybrids. In the maze of beautiful flowers, specially fine were Sophro-Catt- leya Chamberlainiana, Sophro-Lselio-Cattleya Danae " Holford's variety " (a rose-coloured flower), Sophro-Lfelia lajta Orpetiana, Lycaste Skinneri "Westonbirt variety," and Miltonia Bleuana. Ivlessrs. Charlesworth & Co., Haywards Heath, were awarded a Silver-gilt Flora Medal for a fine group, the centre of which was of clear, white forms of Odontoglossum ardentissimum, in front of which was a brilliant arrangement of scarlet Odontiodas. nearly all the known varieties being present. On either side were richly- coloured hybrid Odontoglossums, good Cattleya TrianiK, including the best white form, C. Suzanne Hye de Crom (a large wliite flower, with chrome disc to the lip), Miltonioda Ajax, and other new hybrids, including a pretty cross between Odon- toglossum Rossii and 0. ardentissimum, and some showy Brasso-Cattleyas. Messrs. Armstrong & Brown, Tunbridge Wells, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal for a fine group of well-flowered Orchids, in which their form of Cattleya Maggie Raphael alba was prominent. The many hybrid Odontoglossums in- cluded a very wide selection of 0. ardentissimum, varying from the psre white varietv to those of rich, claret colour, with but little wliite showing, one form being probably the best yet produced. Laelio-C^attleya Myra was in great variety, L.-C. Ernestii of "a bright-yellow colour, and other showy Laelio-Cattleyas, Cymbidium insigne (with two spikes), a selection of white Lselia anceps con- trasting well with scarlet Odontiodas and Sophro- nitis. a selection of Cattleya Triana? (including a good white), various Masdevallias, and other in- teresting species were included. Messrs. J. Cypher & Sons, Cheltenham, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal for an effective group, rich in specially fine and rare Cypripe- diums, arranged with Dendrobiums, Calanthes, Masdevallias, scarlet Sophronitis, &c. Specially good were Odontoglossum McNabbianum, and a dark form of 0. Vuylstekei, Masdevallia macrura, Angrsecum citratum, and forms of Lselia anceps. Messrs. Stuart Low & Co.. Enfield, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal for an interesting group, in the centre of which was a noble plant of Angrsecum sesquipedale with seven flowers, around which were Phalsenopsis Schilleriana, good Odontoglossums, several fine specimens of the best form of Trichopilia fragrans, some pretty Den- drobiums, scarlet Renanthera Imschootiana, various Brasso-Cattleyas, Lselia anceps, Onci- diums, and Ma.«idevallias. Messrs. Sander & Sons, St. Albans, secured a Silver Flora Medal for a good group, the back of which was of fine plants of Phalsenopsis Schil- leriana. In the body of the group were good varieties of Cypripedium, the most intere.st- ing being C. (Selenipedium) caudatum San- derse, a Peruvian type, and the best form of the species. Hybrid Odontoglossums and Odon- tiodas, forms of Lselio-Cattleya Myra, L.-C. Ernestii. and others ; Dendrobium superbiens. D. velutinum, and other Dendrob?s. the rare yellow Oncidium .Jamesonii, Pleurothallls Roezlii, and other rare species were also noted. Messrs. J. & A. A. McBean. Cooksbridge, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal for an effective group, in which the whit* forms of Lselia anceps were prominent, the handsome L. a. Schro- deriana being unusually well coloured, the lip resembling Waddoniensis. Some hybrid Odontiodas, one of which was flowering within 3^ years from the seed ; good Odontoglossum Cattleya Chocoensis alba, Cymbidium eburneo- Lowianum auriferum, C. eburneum with six spikes, and other Cymbidiums ; a novel form of Sophro-Lslio-Cattleya Marathon, with rosy- salmon flowers ; and a good selection of hybrid Cypripediums were also noted. Mr. E. V. Low, Vale Bridge, HaywarJs Heath, secured a Silver Banksian Medal fur a select group, in which were several plants of Cypripedium aureum Surprise and other Cypri- pediums, the best of which was C. Mousme (in- signe Harefield Hall x Leeanum Clinkaberry- anum), a very fine flower and nearest to Harefield Hall ; Cymbidium insigne (five spikes), and the very large-flowered Lycaste Skinneri Emperor. Sir .Julius Wernher, Bart., Luton Hoo, Luton (gr. Jlr. A. W. Jletcalfe), was awarded a Silver Banksian Medal for a group of very finely-grown Calanthes, C. Regnieri and C. Baron Schroder albescens being specially good. Messrs. JIansell & Hatcher, Rawdon, Yorks, were awarded a Silver Banksian Medal for an excellent group, in which were the rare natural hybrid Vanda Moorei (Kimballiana X coerulea), light blue with violet lip ; Aerides vandarum, Phalaiuopsis Schilleriana (very fine), Mormodes Lawrenceanum, Cirrhopetalum picturatum, fine Lselio-Cattleya Wellsiana and L.-C. eximia, a selection of hybrid Odontoglossums, the pretty lonopsis paniculata, Angrajcum citratum, and the rare A. bistortum. De B. Crawshay, Esq., Rosefield, Sevenoaks i (gr. Mr. Stables), showed several pretty and in- teresting hybrid Odontoglossums. including 0. Galba (Sceptrum x ardentissimum), 0. Xerxes | (Vuylstekei x illustre), 0. Valeria (Edwar'dii X Vuylstekei), 0. Voluminia (Hallio-crispum X Vuylstekei). and O. Vulcan. (See Awards.) H. .Jennings, Esq., Marlowes, Hemel Hemp- stead, sent Cypripedium Winifred Jennings, a | large, dark flower. The Hon. Lady Neei.d, Grittleton (gr. Mr. J. Pitts), showed Odontoglossum Fascination (Fasci-j nator x Ossulstonii), of good shape and deepJ colour. F. DucANE Godman, Esq., Horsham, senp Odontoglossum Godmanii (Rolfes x Edwardii). Walter Cobb, Esq., Normanhurst, Rusper (gr.l Mr. C. J. Salter), sent Odontioda Bradshawifel " Cobb's variety," and a scarlet form with four| spikes; Cypripedium Euryades " Cobb's variety," with a divided dorsal sepal ; Cattleya Triansl Cobbii, with a dark line on the petals ; and a(| good form of Odontoglossum blandum. Sir .Jeremiah Colman. Bart., Gatton Park (gr.l Mr. Collier), showed the sujierb Dendrobiuml Lady Colman, which had previously gained award ; the white D. Margery Tyrrel Giles ; thM pretty yellow hybrid Dendrobium Golden Ray;| and 15ulbophyllum nigripetalum. W. H. St. Quintin, Esq.. Scampston Hall, sent a pretty white form of Dendrobium Cybele. Mr. W. A. JIanda, St. Albans, sent afine^ plant of Cattleya Schriiderse alba aurantiaca, C. S. a. Purity, C. Trianse picta, and C. T. White J Star. From Tracy's Nursery, Twickenharii, came ai small plant of Odontoglossum Pescatorei Floryl„| of good shape and with reddish snots on the innerf parts of the segments. It flowered from the batch which gave 0. P. Sanderae. AWARDS. Awards of Merit. Cattleya Brenda (DiinKehlurfei Undine X I Gaskelliana alba), from Lieut. -Col. Sir GeoeOhI L. Holford. K.C.V.O. (gr. Mr. H. G. Alexan- der).— A pure-white hybrid and an improvement! on the favourite C. Dusseldorfei Undine, which'] it resembles in form, but is larger. Calanthe Baron Srhruder " var. alhiflnra, i from Baron Bruno Schroder, The Dell, EghamJ (gr. Mr. J. E. Shill).— C. Baron Schrdder, froffl[| its first appearance at The Dell, had the reputa-; tion of being the finest and freest-growing Ca-I lanthe ,yet seen. This new form answers well tol this description, but it differs from the type inl having pure-white sepals and petals and a rose-J pink lip with purple eye. The plant bore two spikes each of about 50 large flowers and buds. Odontnglossum Vvhan (crispum x ^"Jfj! stekei). from de B Crawshay, Esq., Sevenoa (gr. Mr. Stables).— A very fine Odontoglossum,^ with large, pale-yellow flowers, the inner part* of which are effectively blotched with red-brown. February 24, 19i2.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 127 Cultural Commendation to Mr. F. J. Thorne (gr. to Mrs. W. J. JoicEY, Sunningdale Park), for a superb specimen of Lycaste Balliie with upwards of 30 flowers. Mr. Thome has grown the specimen from a small plant purchased as L. Cappei, which is known to be identical with L. Ballise. Fruit and Vegetable Committee. Present : J. Cheal, Esq. (in the Chair) ; and Messrs. A. Dean, G. Wnodward, E. Beckett, A. W. Metcalfe, A. R. Allan, G. Keif, H. .Mark- ham, G. Reynolds, A. CJnibb, A. Bullock, .J. Davis, O. Thomas, .J. Harrison, and H. .S. Rivers. Sir Julius Wernher, Luton Hoo, Luton (gr. Mr. W. A. Metcalfe), showed 10 baskets of very handsome, fimi Apples. There w-ere four baskets of Lane's Prince Albert and six of Annie Eliza- beth, the fruits being of an ideal size for des- sert. (Silver Hanksiaii Medal.) Lord Falmouth. Mereworth Castle, Kent (gr. Mr. Hogbin). staged 24 dishes of distinct varieties of Apples, the fruits being of very high quality. The varieties included Cox's Orange .-ippin, Allington Pippin, Newton Wonder, Calville Malingre, Brabant Belleflleur. Annie Eliza- betli, Striped Beefing. Lane's Prince Albert, Ben's Red, Bramley's Seedling, and Egremont Russet. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Miss G. Sewell, Harcourt Terrace, South Ken- sington, showed a collection of preserves. Bot- tled Apples, Quinces, Lemons, Strawberries, Raspberries, Currants, Dam.sons, Plums, also marmalade.^, jellies, and Cluitneys were included in the exhil)it. (Silver Banksian Medal.) ■^ixty Cabbage Lettuces of the variety Petite Xiiire were shown, as grown, in three large flat linxes, by Mr. Honess, Hopedene Gardens. Holm- l.iuy St. Mary, Dorking. The plants were gener- illy 8 inches in diameter, there being about 4 to 5 inches of firm heart. The plants were excel- lently grown, the leaves being very clean. (Silver Banksia)! Medal.) Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, again set up a collection of vegetables, having 24 dishes and mounds. In the centre of the exhibit was a group of Sutton's Al green curled Kale, flanked on each side by baskets of Early White Broccoli, also of fine New Year Savoy. Other dishes w'ei'e Early Gem Brussels Sprouts, roots of iSalsify and Scor- zonera. Globe Beet. White and Red -Ternsalem .\rtichokes, Stachys tuherifera. Turnip Snowball. Red Intermediate and Earlv Forcing Carrots, and Kohl Rabi. (Silver-gilt Banksian Medal.) Award of Merit. Apple Oathnidx Seedling. — This variety was stated to be raised from Cox's Orange Pippin l«:rossed with Sturmer Pippin. The fruits were |iof a medium size and flattish-round. The skin a green, slightly coloured near the stalk and narked with russet. The eye is almost closed : he flesh is of excellent flavour, crisp and juicy. rile fruits had the appearance of keeping in a ^"Uiid condition for another two months. ^liown by Mr. F. G. Gerrisii, Pendley Manor uirdens, Tring. i ANCIENT SOCIETY OF YORK FLORISTS. Janu.vry 30. — The annual meeting of this ociety was held on this date. The chair was 'ccupied by the president, Mr. Geo. Crombie. .'he secretary, Mr. Dale, read the annual report, vhich contained the following extracts: — "The ommittee, in submitting their annual report nd financial statement, regret to have to again ecord that the past year has not been of a atisfactory character financially. The num- ler of members who have paid' their subscrip- ions is 503 as against 537 'last year. A large umber of resignations have "been received uring the past few years, whilst few new mem- bers have been elected. The total income or eceipts from ordinary sources have been j388 6s. 9d., and expenditure £439 6s. 6d., an xeess of exjienditure over receipts of !50 19s. 9d. This has absorbed the balance of 528 Is. 6d. standing to the credit of the society t the bank at the commencement of the year, |he balance being met bv a special donatior f £25 given by Mr. Arnold S. Rowntree. M.P., living a balance of cash in bank of £2 Is. 9d. Ir. Rowntree very generously came forward at the annual meeting in January, 1911, and undertook to guarantee a sum of £100 to the society. Every effort was made by the com- mittee to curtail the expenditure during the year, and a special appeal to the most prominent citizens for support was issued in the early part of the year in the joint names of Mr. Arnold S. Rowntree, the ex-president, and Jlr. George Crombie, the president for 1911. This met with very little response, and owing to the meagre attendance of the public at the Chrysanthemum show on the third day, the committee had been most reluctantly compelled to appeal to Mr. Rowntree for financial assistance. The amount expended in prizes at the Chrvsanthemum show was £164 8s. 6d., whilst the siim of £29 10s. 3d. was paid in respect of prizes at the minor shows." GHENT HORTICULTURAL, AGRICUL- TURAL AND BOTANICAL. Fedruaky 4. — The niuiithly meeting of this society was held on this date in the grounds of the Casino. Certificates for general good culture and freedom of flowering were awarded for Pel- argoniums, Phylica ericoides alba, and Acacia diffusa, which were shown by M. Firmin de Smet. Cultural Certificates were awarded to Kentia Belmoreana, shown by the firm of De SMET-DuviviER,and Trichomaiies radicans and T. reniforme, both shown by the firm of Louis DE Smet. A Certificate of Merit was granted to a collection of 52 varieties of Abies, 58 varieties of Cypressus, and 30 varieties of Retinospora, shown by M. A. Braeckman. In the section devoted to Orchids, Certificates of Merit were granted to Cypripedium Suzanne Hye, C. Mine. Grosjean, C. Beryl, Miltoiiia bleuana aurea, M. b. Duchesne, and Odonto- glossuin ardeiitissimiim variety Galvani. all from M. F. La.mbeau ; Cypripedium Beeck- ense, shown by JI. van Schoote ; Cattleya Harrisonii alba and Lycastes. shown by yiM. J. Vandeputte & Co. Other noUible ex- hibits of Orchids were a hybrid Cypripedium (C. insigne x C. Leeanum) from JI. F. Demeter ; and Cattleya Triaiue variety Backhousiana, which was shown bv JOL J. Vandeputte et Cie. ' In the section for new plants. Certificates of Merit were awarded to new Conifers, exhibited by M A. Braeckman: Adiaiitum " Roem van Moordrecht " and Pteris De Smedtii, both shown by the firm of L. De Smet-Duvivier : a giouD of Azalea M. Jean Haerens. presented by MJL J. B. Haerens et Wille, who also "showed Azalea Bouton Rose, A. Jlemoire de Louise De Sinet-Duvivier, A. Koning Albert. M. Atro. Haerens presented .-Azalea delicata rosea, A. Brillanta Belgica. A. Excellenta, A. Etoile de Noel and A. Triomphal, all of which received Certificates of Jlerit. LEEDS GARDENERS' FRIENDLY BENEFIT. Febru-'VUY 15. — The annual dinner was held on tliis date. Mr. F. B. Hudson presided, there being about 50 members present. Mr. Geo. Car- ver, the secretary, made an earnest appeal to gardeners to join the society, which will in due time become approved within the meaning of the National Insurance Act. The total income for the vear amounted to £226 10s. l^d., and the exoenditure of £118 7s. O^d.. the balance of £108 3s. Id. bringiut? the accumulated funds up to £1.874 2s. 2id. The sickness during the year only averaged about 7 days per member. The sum of £17 has been paid in death allowances, which, with £53 7s. 6d. paid in sickness benefits, makes a total sum of £70 7s. 6d. paid out of the benefit fund. The Management Fund remains at £50. the sur- plus of £2 2s. 9d. having been transferred to the Distress Fund. There having been no cases of prolonged sickness entitling members to addi- tional benefits from the Surplus Benefit Fund that fund now stands at £52 3s. 3d. Several members in n or circumstances have been assisted in the payment of their contribu- tions, and by grants from the Distress Fund. Three new members were admitted during the year, one member died, and eight lapsed or resigned. The number of financial members at the oresent time is 155. SCOTTISH HORTICULTURAL. (Continued Jrom p. 108.) THE GARDEN CITY MOVEMENT. " Though the garden city idea is by no means new, the ' movement ' is of comparatively recent date. In England the commencement of the movement was due to the success which had at- tended the formation of model industrial vil- lages. In 1903, a pioneer company was formed under the title ' First Ciarden City, Limited,' with a capital of £300,000, to acquire and de- velop an estat-e which had been selected at Letchworth, near Hitchin. This estate consisted of 3,818 acres, and the purchase price was £40 per acre. When the ground was purchased, the population was approximately 450, and a popula- tion of 35,000 is ultimately "aimed at. It is an industrial town with factories, railway sidings, water works, gas works, &c., but all laid out on garden city lines. Each house has a separate garden, and there are parks and open spaces, recreation grounds (cricket, golf, Ac), schools, churches, halls, &c., while the outlying parts of the estate, comprising about 2,500 acres, are de- voted to small holdings for agriculture. The land will ultimately be transferred to the com- munity, or to a trust on its behalf, and the rents, which will increa.se with the city's progress, are expected to provide interest on the purchase money and the cost of all necessary municipal undertakings, so that there will be no rates. In France, a Garden City Association (the Associa- tion des Cites — Jardin de France) was formed in 1905, its object being ' to provide healthy homes for working men, encourage agriculture, check migration to towns, secure for communities un- earned increment on building land, and cheapen industrial production," and under the recent Town Planning Act before referred to, quite a number of town planning schemes on garden city lines are being prepared under the direction of local authorities in various parts of the United Kingdom. " In the case of a garden city scheme like that of Letchworth, where the oiify question is the building up of a garden city de novo, the pro- blem i.s simple, but it is ouite another matter to develop the idea in the case of densely- populated industrial towns, or even in towns like Edinburgh, which are largely residential, but which, neverthfle.ss, have overcrowded slum areas, for it is for the benefit of the dwellers in these slums as much as for any class that the change is required. Under the new Hous- ing and Town Planning Act, slum dwellings can be clo-sed and demoli.shed, and no doubt some difficulty will sometimes have to be faced in find- iiig other accommodation for the people who are dispossessed ; but we have the satisfaction of knowing that difficulties of this sort can never recur under the new order of things, for if local authorities do their duty there will Ibe no new slums. " In garden city sthemes in connection with exi.sting industrial towns the most important factors are therefore cheap dwellings, cheap, easy, and rapid means of carrying the workers to and from the scene of their dailv toil, and, above all, cheap land, for on the last factor the whole thing hangs. Cheap dwellings and cheap means of transit present no insuperable diffi- culties, but the question of buildin^t sites is a more serious one, for under a garden city plan the number of houses to the acre will not exceed from eight to twelve, whereas under some of the existing by-laws as many as 56 may be erected. Recently a statement a'poeared in" The Lanre't which showed that not "fewer than 60.000 tons of soot fell in the administrative area of London in a year, and in a lecture delivered in Edin- burgh recently, the chief sanitary inspector for Leith stated that at least 78 tons of soot were discharged daily from domestic chimneys in Edinburgh and Leith, and this alone is a strong argument for the removal of dwellings to more healthy localities. " It goes without saying. I think, that the ideal garden city must have all the attributes of a garden. I doubt if the ideal garden city is yet in existence. It certainly cannot come into being all at once, for where plants come into the plan, as they must do in this case. Nature re- quires time to finish the work. Even the plainest of brick buildings— the ' little brick boxes with slate lids,' as Mr. Burns, the author of the Town Planning Act, once called the brick and slate- 128 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. [February 24, 1912. roofed houses we see so often in mining villages ■ — may sometimes be made to look prettier ob- jects in the hands of an enthusiastic gardener than the more substantial, dressed stone build- ings. 1 consider that horticulture has a very im- portant part to play in the development of these garden cities, and it is to associations such as ours that people will naturally turn for light and leading in their development. This asso- ciation has already made a move in this direc- tion, for a proposal to offer a prize for villa gar- dening and one for window gardening in the city has been adopted by the committee which deals with these matters, and we are to have papers read on these subjects at our November meet- ing. These are steps in the right direction, and by action of this sort, and in other ways stimu- lating a taste for Horitulture among the citizens, this and other associations can do much to for- ward the Garden City movement. In a city like Edinburgh, or in fact any other large city, the garden city must be largely of the character of a garden suburb surrounding the civic centre. As a matter of fact, Edinburgh does already possess some of these garden suburbs, but, alas, they are disappearing, and there seems to be no power to stay the hand of the despoiler. At the west end of our seaside suburb, Portobello, huge, inelegant blocks of tenement houses are at this moment springing up on the very edge of our main approach to the city from the east, and in the Joppa end of the suburb, which is purely residential, and really a garden suburb in the truest sense of the term, cottages with gardens, such as are being advocated in the formation of garden cities, are being gradually swept away and tenements erected in their places. The same transformation may be seen in some other parts of the suburbs, and, apparently, there is no power to prevent it ; in fact, it was stated by one of the speakers at the Town Planning E.xhibition in March last that Edinburgh could not do with- out her tenements. " There are three distinct types of garden city, and as to which of these is the ideal type there may be differences of opinion. A great deal must depend on local and other circumstances. We have, first, the older cities and towns, with their centres of civic life, and their outlying garden suburbs; secondly, we have the complete indus- trial town with its sites for public works, and its civic buildings. &c.. laid out on a complete gar- den city plan, such as Let-chworth, Bournville, and Port .Sunlight ; and, thirdly, we have the simple garden village, such as New Barswick. From a health point of view, there does not seem to be much to be said for the one in preference to the other, provided thfcre is no overcrowding of the dwellings, for the death rate per 1,000 at Bournville (5.7) is not a great deal lower than that of uncrowded Kelvinside (7.7) ; but when we compare it with crowded Cowcaddens (24.3), the contrast is very striking. To whichever of these types the garden city belongs, it is essential that it be well planned, and there must be economy in everything." (To be continued.) glossums, and W. R. Lee, Esq., Heywood (gr. Mr. Branch), who staged a miscellaneous group. SUver Medals were awarded to R. Ashworth, Esq., Newchurch (gr. Mr. Gilden) for a mixed group; Col. J. RnTHERFORD, M.P., Blackburn (gr. Mr. Lupton), who exhibited a miscellaneous collection; A. W.^rburton, Esq., Haslingden (gr. Mr. Dalgleish) ; Jilessrs. J. Cypher & Sons, Cheltenham, and Messrs. S.4NDER & Sons, St. Albans. Bronze MecUils were awarded to Rev. J. Cromeleholme, Clayton-le-Moors (gr. Mr. Marshall), for a small group of Cypripediums ; J. McCartney. Esq., Bolton (gr. l\Ir. Holmes); and W. J. Hargreaves, Esq., Burnley. Other exhibitors were Wm. Thompson, Esq. (gr. Mr. Stevens); J. J. Holden, Esq., South- port (gr. Mr. Johnson); G. H. Peabce. Esq., Monton Grange (gr. Mr. Mace) ; H. Thorp, Esq., Rhodes; Messrs. Hassall & Co., South- gate; Messrs. A. J. Keeling & Sons; and Mr. W. Shackleton, Great Horton. AWARDS. First-class Certificates. Odontoglossum percvllum variety " pvr- purescens," a fine bronze-purple flower, from W. R. Lee, Esq. Awards of ]\Ierit. Odontoglossum crispum Euterpe,- irom W. R. Lee, Esq, 0. Il'i7/iea»«?« variety "Jasper," 0. Adrianm variety " Vulcan," and 0. X Jasper, all from Z. A. Ward. Esq. Cypripe- dium hirkdahnse (insigne Sanderianum X Thalia magnificum), from J. J. Holden, Esq. O. Hercules (Vandyke X Sultana), C. Draco (insigne X Euryad'es), and C. Nuhia (Niobe Westonbirt variety x Thompsonii). these three from Wm. Thompson, Esq. Odontoglossum Orphanum, from R. Ashworth, Esq., and Ci/pripedium Lucernale (chrysotoximi X Euryades splendens), from A. Warburton, Esq. DEBATING SOCIETIES. NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM. February 19. — The annual dinner of the Floral Committee of this Society was held at Carr's Restaurant, Strand, on Monday evening last. Mr. D. B. Crane occupied the chair. After partaking of an excellent repast, several toasts were duly honoured, including those of " His Majesty llie King," " The National Chry- santhemum Society," "The Exhibitors," "The Market Growers,''' and "The Press." During the evening the question of increased awards for new varieties was raised, and it was stated that a record number of varieties had been presented to the committee for awards during the past year. MANCHESTER AND NORTH OF ENGLAND ORCHID. February 8. — Committee present: Rev. J. Crombleholme (in the Chair) ; and IMessrs. R. Ashworth, W. R. Lee, C. Parker, H. Thorp, Z. A. Ward, J. C. Cowan, J. Cypher, J. Evans, AV. Holmes, A. J. Keeling, D. McLeod, W, Stevens, and H. Arthur (secretary). Silver-gilt Medals were awarded to Z. A. Ward, Esq., Northenden (gr. Mr. Weatherby), for a group composed principally of Odonto- (Dbltuavjj. Hayward Mathias.— Mr. Hayward Mathias, one of the founders and first honorary secretary and treasurer of the Perpetual -flowering Carna- tiou Society, died suddenlv from heart failure at Stubbington on the 10th inst. Mr. Mathias, who was aged 62 years, \\as greatly interested in Car- nations, and was an ardent cultivator of both the border and perpetual-blooming types of the flower. The chairman of the Perpetual-llow^er- ing Carnation Society, Mr. J. S. Brunton, and the hon. secretary. i\Ir. E. F. Hawes. were pre- sent at the funeral. A wreath of white Carna- tions was sent by the Society, in memory of one of its hardest workers. GARDENING APPOINTMENTS. [C«rni^oti(ients artrtqueited to wrltt ih* mmm0B of p0r»»au and plMC0s as l»£lbh ms possible, ^'o charge it made for these annouttcevutits, but if a small contnbntion is sent, to be placed in our collecting Box for the Ganieuits' Orphan Fund, it will be thankfully rectived, auH nn 4ieknotvUd anient madt in these columns.'\ Mr. W. T. DoiDGE, as Gardener to A. St. George Caulfeili), Esq., Vicars Hill, Lyinington, Hampshire. Mr. F. T. Rose, for nearly 2 years Foreman at Canwick Hall Gardens. Lincolnshire, as Gardener to Sir Bache CuNARD, Bart., Nevill Holt, Market Harborough. Mr. E. Wakeham, for the past 4t years Gardener to Mrs. C. BETHELL.Cheain Park, Surrey, and formerly of Nonsuch Park, Cheam, as Gardener and Bailiff to the School of Handicrafts, Chertsey, Surrey. Mr. Artiiuk C. Lehane, for the past 2J years Gardener to John Nelson, Esq., Sherborne, Malvern Wells, as Gardener to F. F. Hall, Esq., Park Hall, Mansfield, Notts. (Thanks for 2s. sent for R.G.O.F. box. -Eds.) Mr. W. Fairrairn, for the past 2^ years Foreman in the Gardens at Gorddinog, Llanfairfechan, North Wales, and previously at Osmaston Manor, and Manderston, N.B., as Gardener to Mrs. Geo. Clark, at Chacombe House, Banbury, Oxfordshire. Mr. James D. Coward, for 25 years Gardener to the late Earl of Winchelsea, and later to Edith Countess of WiNCHELSEA, at Haverholme Priory, Sleaford, as Gar- dener and Bailiff to A. L. Jessop, Esq., Lexham Hall, Swaflham, Norfolk. (Thanks for 2s. enclosed for R.G.O.F.— Eds.) TRADE NOTICE. Messrs. John K. King & Sons, Coggeshall, Essex, have received an official communication informing them that they have been awarded a Diploma and Commemorative Medal in connection with exhibit at the seed competition at the recent Brussels International Exhibition. CHESTER PAXTON.— A meeting of this society was held on the 10th inst., under the chairmanship of Mr. John Wynne, when Mr. T. Edward Miln, son of the Uon. secretary, read a paper entitled, "A Survey of the Historical and Botanical Features of the Cereals of Great Britain." In his opening remarks, Nlr. Miln drew attention to the large increase in the size of the grains of the present day types of cereals compared with those of earlier times. Several original and interesting slides were shown lo prove that this increase of food in the seed was not utilised by the germ in its growth, and must have come about by the continuous selection of the largest and best grains for propagating purposes. The lecturer dealt fully with all the various types and species of the three leading British cereals, viz., Oats, Barley and Wheat, and gave a lucid desciiption of the chief botanical features relating to them. Slides were used to illustrate every known type of these three cereals, and although many are now almost quite out of cultivation, the pictures were none the less intereslin? to the large and appreciative audience. CHELMSFORD AND DISTRICT GARDENERS*. -The eifijhth meeting of the winter session was held in the County Laboratories on the 2nd inst.; the president, Mr. E. H. Christy, presided over a company of about 40. Mr. W. Seabtook, of the Chelmsford Fruit Nurseries, gave a lecture on "The Pruning of Fruit Trees." In dealing with standard Apple trees Mr. Seabrook recommended no pruning the first year after planting, but hard pruning for the next five years in order to lay a good foundation to the trees. In the case of bush Apples he advised pruning the shoots in winter to two buds, and the removal ot all useless growths. In the case of Plums, all strong wood should be cut away, leaving only the short twiggy growths. DEVON AND EXETER GARDENERS*.— The spring session of this society opened with the annual supper of the members, between 40 and 50 being present. Mr. VV. Mackay, honorary secretary and treasurer, presided. At the first ordinary meeting a paper was read by Mr. Geo. Metritt, of Exmouth, one of the oldest members of the society. Mr. Merritt last autumn paid a visit to Canada, spending a con- siderable tune in the province of Quebec, and he gave a lucid description of what he saw there of interest from a gardener's point ot view, Mr. W. Charley, who had been honorary ^ecietary for the past eight years, on retiring from that office, has received a presentation from the members. BATH GARDENERS*.— The fortnightly meeting was held on February 12, Mr. T. Parratt presiding. A paper on "Spring tedding" was read by Mr. E. W. Parsons. The society's silver medal was awarded to Mr. T. .Mien for the highest number of points scored during 1911, and Mr. W, Burt, who was placed second, secured the bronze medal. Two honorary members and one ordinary member were elected. It was decided to consider arrangements for a visit by the members to the International Exhibition to be held at Chelsea in May. LEE, BLACKHEATH, AND LEWISHAM HOR- TICULTURAL.—A meeting of this society was held on Friday, January 20, when a lecture on " Winter-flowering Plants" was delivered by Mr. K. E. Pullen ; Councillor Balsdon occupied the chair. The lecturer stated that in his opinion there were few more beautiful flowers for decor- ative purposes than the Bouvardias. To obtain good strong bushy specimens, the young plants should be placed on an open border in July, they require no more attention until the early autumn, excepting watering and occasionally pinching the long growths to cause the plants to grow into a good shape. When lifted the plants should not be taken directly into the greenhouse, but should be potted, and placed back in tlie holes whence ihey came, giving them a good watering to prevent flagging. After about a fortnight they should be removed to a cold frame until they are brought into the conservatory, admitting plenty of air in the meantime. The culture of Euphorbia jacquiniieflora, E. pulcherrima (Poinsettia), and Genistas was also dealt with by the lecturer. CROYDON AND DISTRICT HORTICULTU- RAL,—At the meeting of this society, held on the Cth inst., a lecture was given by Mr. A. Smith, of the R.H.S. Gardens, Wisley, on "The Water and Wild Gardens." Mr. Smith said that the space for a water garden should be cleaned thoroughly and any tree roots removed. In the case of a big pond the bottom may be of puddled clay, but in smaller gardens it will be found of great advantage to cement the bed of the stream as well as the sides. The surrounding ground on either side of the stream should be well dug and manured ready for the plants. To build rockeries with huge boulders on either side of the water course was to spoil the natural view. It is far better, said Mr. Smith, to |>lant down to the water's edge such subjects as will grow there. Gene- rally one finds in a water garden a rustic wooden bridge standing high above the stream, but in the lecturer's opinion this is an eyesore. A few stepping stones would provide the means of crossing. DONCASTER GARDENERS*.— The annual dinner of this society was held at the Wellington Hotel, Doncaster, on the yth hist., under the presidency of the esmayor (Councillor C. Wightman.) Proposing "Success to the Society," Councillor Morris pointed out that in connection with the Royal Show, to be held in Doncaster in July next, there would be an exhibition. During the even- ing the medals won in competition during the year were presented to the members.— Responding for the officials, the secretary (Mr. W. H. Touns) stated that since he had taken up the work the society's programme and prize list had increased by 100 per cent. The number of classes had increased proportionately. He urged the resuscitation of the Doncaster Chrysanthemum Society. — Mr. Bell said he was sorry the Chrysanthemum Society had fallen through j he considered that another similar society could be started, STIRLING AND DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL. — The opening meeting of this association of the session 1912 was held on February 6; Mr. Jas. Johnston presided. Professor M'Alpine, of Glasgow Agricultural College, gave a lecture on " Seeds and Their Peculiarities.*' The subject was treated in an instructive and entertaining manneri and illustrations were given. FEnRCARY 24, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 129 BARNSLEY PAXTON.-The 29th annual report and balance sheet show that tlie society is in a nourishing condition. Fhere liave been 22 lectures and essays during the year, and two outings of lueinbers. The number of members is 87. The balance sheet shows the income to have been £X\ Os. 6d., and the expenditure XI 15s. 6d^ There is a reserve fund of £12 12a. 3d. The hon. hnancial secretary and treasurer is Mr. S. Newton, and the hon. secretary Mr. I*. Weatherill. READING GARDENERS' ASSOCIATION. -The fortnif^luiy uieeting of this aa^ociation took place on the 5th inst. ; Mr. F. B. Farfitt, J. P., presided. The lecturer was Mr. J. O. White, of Messrs. Sutton lS; Sons, his subject being ** A Chat on Sweet Peas." The lecture was illustrated by a collection of beautiful slides. Apart from the instruction which the slides conveyed, Mr. White gave directions on the preparation of the groimd, the subjects of trenching, manuring, watering and feeding, all being most fully and carefully described. BRISTOL AND DISTRICT GARDENERS*.— The fortnightly meeting of this association was held on February 8, Mr. A. Perry presiding. Mr. Sydney Wills, of New()Oit, read a paper entitled '* Would They hive been Pests if Left .Mone?" Tlie lecturer defended the birds which the ordinary gardener generally looks upon as enemies. He said that man only sees the evil in them and does not lake into account the great amount of good they do. In destroying owls, hawks, sparrows, star- lings, and other birds, the lecturer stated, the balance of nature had been upset, and man had only made things more difficult through having to adjust that balance as best he could. KILMARNOCK HORTICULTURAL.— The usual monthly meeimg of the above association was held on Wednesday, the Hih inst., when Mr. Hill, of Lainshaw, gave a lecture on "Changes in Gardening Customs and Tastes." Mr. R. H. Sillars presided over a large attendance of the members. In the course of his lecture Mr. Hill referred to the new tnethods of training fruit trees, and the different manner in which soil operations were carried out. He also referred to the hue specimen plants of old times. WATFORD HORTICULTURAL. — The February monthly meeting of tins society was held at the St. Andrews Church Kooni, Church Road, on the 9th inst., und?r the chairmanship of Mr. W. Sniith. A bcture on " Insects Injurious to Garden Crops " was delivered by Mr. James Davidson. The life histories of many insect pests were explained by the lecturer ; additional interest being given by a number of drawings and lantern slides. Recipes for the destruction of the various pests enumerated were described by .Mr. Davidson. WEYBRIDGE & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL. — .^i the last monthly meeting of this society, held at tlie Village Hall, the president. Sir Herbert Ellis, in the chair, Mr. Stnith, of the P..H.S. Gardens, Wisley.gave a lecture on "The Cultivation of the Vine." Mr. Sniith paid special attention to the ventilating of vineries, as he said he con- sidered it one of the chief items in successful Grape grow- ing. WOLVERHAMPTON HORTICULTURAL CLUB.— A mt^tting of the above club was held on Wed- nesday, 7th inst-, when Mr. G. H. Thompson, of Grove House, Walsall, delivered a lecture on " Orchids.*' The lecture was illustrated with upwards of 103 limelight views. Mr. Thomp>on said that it was an easy matter, even for amateurs, to grow Orchids in an ordinary greenhou-e. He recommended Osmunda Hbre as being the best potting material to use for most of the species, although peat, leaf-soil, and even loam could be used for a few kinds. M A R K: E T S. Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices (continued). A. s,d. CATALOGUES RECEIVED. SEEDS. DoBiE & Mason, 22, Oak Street, Manchester. John E. Knight, Dudley Street, Wolverhamplon. Frank Dicks & Co., 68, Deansgale, Manchester. James Carter & Co., Kaynes I'ark, Wimbledon. James Cocker & Sons, 130, Union Street, Aberdeen. Sutton & Sons, Reading— Farm Seeds. Dickson & Robinson, Cathedral Street, Manchester — Farm Seeds. W. Drummond & Sons, Ltd., Stirling — Farm Seeds, MISCELLANEOUS. H. J. Jones, Ltd., Ryecroft, Hither Green, Lewisham — New Chrysanthemums. John Forbes, Ltd., Hawick, Scotland— Plants and Seeds. Ransomks, Sims & Jefferies. Ltd., Orwell Works, Ipswich — Lawn Mowers. Barr & Sons, 11-13, King Street, Covent Garden, London- Bulbs and Tubers : Hardy Perennials, Alpines, Rock Plants, Climbers and Aquatics. Young & Co., Hatherley, Cheltenham— Carnations. Harry Barkkr, Rosemount, Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire. — Trees and Plants. R.Wallace & Co., Kilnfield Gardens, Colchester— Bulbs, Tubers and Hardy Plants. Bees Ltd , Liverpool— Garden Plants. Thomas A. Ware, Ltd., Feltham, Middlesex— Begonias. H. C. Slingsby, 142-146, Old Street, London— Trucks, Barrows, Garden Engines, Sprayers. FOREIGN. Lemoine, v. et Fils, Rue du Montet, 134, Nancv— New Plants. Vallerand Fr^res, 28, Avenue Faidherbe, Asnieres, France — Begonias, Gloxinias and Cyclamens. L. Ferard, 15, Rue de L'Arcade, Paris— Nursery Stock. Willy Muller, Nocera Inferiore, Italy — New and Rare Plants; Trees and Shrubs; Greenhouse Plants. COVENT GARDEN, February H. [We cannot accept any responsibility for the subjoined reports. They are furnisned to us regularly every Wednesday, by the kindness of several of the principal salesmen, who are responsible for the quotations. It must be remembered that these quotations do not repre- sent the prices on any particular day, but only the general averages for tlie week preceding the date of out report. The prices depend upon the quality of the samples, the way in which they are paciced, the supply in the market, and the demand, and they may lliictuate, not only from day to day, but occasionally several limes in one day. — Eds.1 Cut Flowers, ftc.: ATerage Wholesale Prices. s.d. 2 6- 4 0 s.d 3 6 Arums (Richardias) Azalea, doz. oiichs. Camellias, per box of IH'sand 24's 2 6 — Carnations, p, doz, blooms, best American var. 16-20 — smaller, per doz. bunches 18 0-21 0 — Carola, crim- son, extra large 6 0 — Eucbaris, per doz. 2 0-30 F re e s i a refracta alba, p.dz. bun. 16-20 Helleborus (Christ- mas Roses), p. dozen 16-20 Hyacinth (Roman), pr. doz. biichs. 4 0-60 Lilac, per bunch white 2 6-30 — mauve 8 0-36 Liliuni aiiraliim rer bunch ... 4 0-60 o n g i II orutn, long, per doz. 2 6-30 — short, per doz. 2 G ~ — I a iici f o li u m alba, long ... 2 6 — — — short 2 0-26 — speciosum rub- rum, dz. blooms : — long 3 6 — — short 0 9-10 Lily of the Valley, p. dz. bunches : — extra special ... 15 0-18 0 — special 10 0-12 0 ordinary Marguerite, per doz. bunches: — Yellow Narcissus, per doz. bunches : — Double Van Sion 8 0 4 0- G 0 Narcissus, per doz. bunches : — Emperor — Empress — Golden Spur... — Henry Irving — Paper white ... — Poeticus — Princeps — Sir Watkin ... — Soleil d'Or ... — Victoria Orchids, Cattleya, per doz. ... 12 0 — Odontoglossum crispum ... 3 0- Pelargoniums, p. dz. bunches : — Double Scarlet Uoses, 12 blouiiis, — Brides maid, — C. Mermet ... — Liberty — Niplietos — Richmond Snowdrops, p. doz. bunches Tulips, per bunch : — doub'e pink ... yellow scarlet — per dozen bunches : — white — yellow — scarlet — bronze .. — pink Violets, per dozen bunches — Princess of Wales, per doz. bundles — Parma .. Wallflowers, per do^cn bunches s.d. s.d. 4 0-50 4 G- G 0 3 0-40 2 0-26 3 6-40 2 0-26 2 6-36 4 0-50 16-20 4 6-50 8 0-12 0 4 0-50 4 0-50 5 0-80 2 6-36 4 0-80 10-20 10-16 10-16 1 a- 1 6 8 0-90 7 0-80 8 0 10 0 6 0- H 0 9 0-12 0 13-20 3 0- 2 0- 4 0 2 6 2 6 Gut Foliage, fto.: Avoraga Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Ad ian t urn Fern (M aidenhair), besl,dz. bnclis. 7 0-80 A g ro St is (Fairy Grass), per dz. bunches ... 2 0-40 A spar ag u s plu- mosus, long trails, pr.Jdoz. 16-20 — medium, doz. buucties ... 12 0-18 0 — Sprengeri ... 10 0 12 0 Carnation foliage, doz. bunches.., 4 0 Plants In Pots, Ac. : Croton foliage, var- ious, per dozen bunches Cycas leaves, arti- ficial, per doz. Eulalia japonica, per bunch Moss, per gross ... Myrtle, dz. hclis. (English), small-leaved... — French Smilax, per bunch of 6 trails 12 0-15 0 3 0-12 0 10-16 6 0 — 6 0 1 0 10-13 s.d. s.d. Average Wholesale Prices. 6 0-70 18 0-21 0 10 0-12 0 8 0-90 Aralia Sieboldii dozen ... Araucaria excelsa, per dozen Asparagus pluuio sus nanus, per dozen — Sprengeri Aspidi tra, p. dz,, green 21 0-30 0 — variegated ... .SO n CO o Azaleas, per doz. 36 0-42 0 Cinerarias, pr. dz. 8 0- 9 U Cocos Weddeli- ana.per dozen: — 60's 6 0-12 0 — larger, each ... 2 6-10 G Croton, per dozen 18 0-30 0 Cyperus alterni- folius, per doz. 6 0-60 — laxus, per doz. 4 0-50 Daffodils, per dozen Dracaena, green, per dozen Ericas, per dozen : — hyeraalis — alba Ferns, in thumbs per 100 — in small and large 60' s — in 48' = , doz, s.d. s.d. 8 0 12 0 10 0-18 0 9 0-12 0 10 0-12 0 6 0-80 2 6-76 Ferns, choicer sorts, per doz. — in 32"s, pr. doz. Ficus elastica, per dozen Genistas, 48's, doz. Geonoma gracilis, 60's, per dozen — larger, each ... Hyacinths white Sc clrd.,p. dz.pots 10 0-12 0 Kentia Belniore- ana, per dozen 5 0-42 0 — Fo s t e ri a 11 a, 60's, per dozen 4 0-60 — larger, per doz. 18 0-GO 0 Latania borbonica, per dozen ... 12 0-30 0 L i 1 i u m 1 o n g i- florum, p. doz, 20 0-24 0 — lancifolium ru- bruin in pots, per dozen — ia n c i f o 1 ium alba Marguerites, white per dozen Pandanus Veitchii, per dozen Phoenix rupicola, each .. ... 2 6-21 0 Spirxa japonica, p. dozen pots .. 10 0-12 0 Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices. 6 0-80 10 0-12 0 10 0-12 0 10 0-12 0 8 0-12 0 12 0-20 0 6 0 — 15 0 18 0 15 0-18 0 8 0-10 0 36 0-48 0 s.d. s.d. Apples (English cookers) bu<;hel 6 (J- 12 0 — Nova Scotian, per barrel ... 17 0-22 0 — C al i f orn ian Newtowns, pr. case -. ... 9 0-11 0 s.d. s.d. Apples (Canadian), per barrel ... 20 0 — — Oregon (Hood River), per case 16 0-18 6 — American, per barrel 20 0-32 0 Bananas, bunch — Doubles ... 10 0 12 0 — No. 1 „ ... 8 0-10 0 — Extra 10 0-12 0 — Giant „ ... 14 0-18 0 — Loose, per dz. 0 fi- 1 0 — Red coloured... 5 6-66 — Jamaica Giants, per ton ... :ei0-£l2 — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per box (9 doz.) ... 4 0-50 Cranberries, per case (30 qts.)... 10 0-11 0 — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) 9 6 — Dates (Tunis) doz. boxes 4 6-56 Grape Fruit, case: — 9fi's I - u-l :;: ;;; i* o-^o » — 54's J Grapes (English), per lb. : — Black Alicante 2 0-30 — GrosColman... 16-30 — {Belgian), Gros Colman, p, lb. 0 9-13 — Almeria,p.brl. 11 6-15 G Per dozen lbs. 3 0- 4 G — (Cape) per case 4 0-10 0 — „ White... 6 0-80 Lemons : — (Naples), case 26 0-30 0 — Messina, per case 7 6-17 0 Limes, per case ... 4 0 — Mangoes, per doz. 4 0-60 Nuts, Almonds, per bag 52 6 — — Brazils, new, percwt, ...85 0-100 0 — Spanish, per sack 40 0 42 0 — Barcelona, bag 33 G jG 6 Vegetables : Average Wholesale Prloes. s.d. s.d. Nuts, Chestnuts, per bag 3 6-19 0 — Cocoanuts (100) 18 0-23 0 — English Cobs per lb 08 - — Walnut s (Naples) kiiti dried, c w t. cases 54 0 — — French Gren- obles, per bag 6 6-70 — Boeris, per bag 6 0-70 Nectarines (Cape) per box 4 0-60 Oranges, Jamaica per case 9 0-10 0 — Calilornian ... 20 0-22 0 — Denia, case ... IG 0-34 0 — Valencia 10 0 12 0 — JafJa, per case 9 0- — Blood, per case 8 0-90 — Mandarins, per box 0 6-36 — Bitter, per J cbest 16 0-18 6 — Seville Sour i chest IS U-18 0 Peaches (Cape), pr. case 30-80 Pears (Californian), per case 10 6 16 6 — Glou Morceau 11 0-12 6 — Easier Beurre 8 0- — Winter Nelis 12 6-13 6 — {American) per barrel, 180 lbs. 25 0-26 0 — cases 7 0 — -(Cape) ^.. 3 0-40 Pineapples, St. Michael 26-60 Plums (Cape), per case 2 0-40 — Apple, per box 5 0-70 Strawberries, p. lb.: — A quality 24 0 — — Equality 16 0 — Art ichokes(G lobe), pei dozen — Ground, per A bushel Asparagus, Sprue.. — Cavaillon — Laurie — Paris Green ... Beans, Madeira, per basket — Guernsey, Dwarf, per lb. s d. S.J. 3 0-40 1 0 — 09 — 3 0 — 6 0-60 4 6-50 5 0-10 0 4 0-46 16-19 2 0-26 3 0-36 — French, per packet, lb. Beetroot, p. bshl, : — Long Broccoli, sprout- ing, per bag Brussel Sprouts, per \ bushel ... — half bags Celeriac, per doz. Cabbages (French) per dozen — (English), per tally Cauliflowers, p. dz. — (Italian), p. pad — (Cornish), per crate 10 0-12 0 Celery, doz. bndls. 10 0-14 0 — (washed), per dozen bundles 10 0-lG 0 Carrots (English), pr. doz. bun.... — per cwt. — (washed) p. bag Chicory, per lb. .. Cucumbers, p. doz. Endive, per dozen Greens, per bag 16-20 2 0-30 2 6-30 2 0-26 6 0 10 0 2 0-26 2 0-30 16-20 3 6-46 4 0-50 0 4 — 8 0-12 0 2 0 — 2 0-30 s.d. s.d. Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross 7 0 — Horseradish, 12 bundles ... 12 0-14 0 Leeks, per doz. .. 2 6-30 Lettuce (French), per doz. ... 16-20 Mint, per dozen bunches .. 5 0-60 Miishrouiiis, culti- vated, p. 11). ... 0 10-1 8 Muslardaud Cress, pr. dz. punnets 10-16 Onions (Dutch) per bag 7 6-80 — English ... 8 6-90 — (Spanish), per case 8 0-90 Parsley, A sieve ... 2 0-26 — per doz. bun. 2 6-30 Parsnips, per bag 5 0-56 i^eas(French)p. pad 5 0-60 UadishesdCnglish), per dozen ... 0 9-10 Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles 0 9-10 Savoys, per tally.. 10 0-12 0 Spinach, per bushel 3 0-40 Seakale.p. punnet 10-13 Tomatos (Canary Islands), per bundle 12 0-16 0 Turnips (English), Eerdz. bunches 2 0-26 ags (washed) 4 6-50 — (unwashed) ... 3 6-40 Turnip Tops, per bag 2 0-26 Watercress, p. dz. bunches 0 6-0 6i Remarks.— Supplies of home-grown Grapes are diminish- ing daily ; and Muscats are no longer obtainaide. One thousand two hundred and fifiy-one boxes of Grapes, principally of Black Hermitage variety, arrived in a sound condition this week from the (Jape. Hothouse Strawberries from the Worthing district are arriving in limited quantities. .\ consignment of Cape fruits, per s.s. "Balmoral Castle," amounting to about 21,000 boxes, consisting of Pears, Plums, Peaches, Nectarines, &c., has been received. Shipments from Nova Scotia this week totalled 6,021 barrels of Apples, and from California, per s.s. '* Oceanic," 4,470 packages, consisting of Apples, Cran- berries, Pears, Oranges and Grape fruit. Supplies of English Apples are now limited to Bramley's Seedling and Dumelow's Seedling (Wellington). Tenerifife Tomatos continue a good supply. Forced vegetables are fairly plentiful. A few early Cabbages have been received from St. Malo. E, H. R., February 21. 1912. Potatos. Kents— Queen's ... Up-to-Date Llncolns— Up-to-Date British Queen . King Edward . Epicure ... Northern Star . Evergoods per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 0-46 4 0-46 3 9-46 3 9-43 4 0-46 3 0-36 2 9-36 3 0-39 Lincolns— Maincrops Biacklands Bedfords- Up-to-Date Puritan ... Dunbars— Up-to-Date Maincrop per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 a- 4 6 2 9-33 3 9-40 4 0-43 5 0-53 5 3-56 Remarks. — Supplies are more numerous, consequentfy the stocks in London have become very large. 130 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [February 24, 1912. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. AcETYi.ENE-GAS REFUSE : Sccthuh. Acetvlene- gas refuse should be mixed with soil in a heap and kopt for a month or two before it is spread ever the ground Address : New Reader : Lieut. -Col. D. Prain, Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Sur- rej. Apple -TREE B.\rk Desteoyed : S. E. N. We are unable to say whether or not the Apple tiee can possibly live, as we do not know how deeply the goat has injured the bark. If the cambian layer is destroyed completely round the tree there is not aiiy hope, but you will do well to covtn- the injured stem with styptic, such as is used tjr ciivering wounds after graft- ing to prevent bleeding. Cal.inthe : Foreman. It is better to retain the deciduous Calanthes in their pots during the resting season, but they must be given a warm and tolerably dry situation and not stored under a stage, where drip and stagnant air would injure them. If space is very limited, however, they may be turned oiit of the pots when the plants are thoroughly matured, and placed upright in bo.xes, their roots covered with a thin l;;yer of Sphagnum-moss. The boxes should be stored on a shelf in a warm house and kept dry until the growth is about to recommence, when the plants must be repotted. Camellia Buds Rotting: J. U'. B. The mil- dew present on the leaves is not injurious, but it is a sign that the atmosphere has been too damp. Excess of moisture and insufficient heat are the causes of the buds falling. Certificate in Botany; E. P. Examinations are held by the Board of Education iu botany, and you should apply to the Board for further information. Address, the Secretary, Board of Education, Whitehall, London, S.W, Cinerarias U.nhealthy : C. W. Your plant of Cineraria is suffering from too much water in the soil , the loam, is apparently satisf-ictory. Crassul,. M. Fritzer ; /''. V. This plant requires abundant light and air. Very little moisture should be afforded, especially during the winter season. The cuttings should be inserted as soon as the plants have finished flowering, say, in June or July. They should be kept on the dry side, in a light, airy house, where they may be allowed to remain throughout the winter, only affording heat sufficient to keep out the frost. If too much moi.sture is afforded, the plants will grow freely, at the expense of flowering. Specimens frequently fail to bloom until they are two years old ; such plants should be used for purposes of propagation. Grubs Infesting Branches of Choisya : G. Ci. The grubs are those of a dipterous fly, possibly a species of Cecidomya or allied genera. The only practical remedy, so far as we know, is to cut away the infested shoots and burn them. Japanese Nursery Firms : H. V. C. Yoko- hama Nurserv Co.. Craven House, Kingsway, London; L. Boehmer & Co., 5 and 28, Bluff, Yokohama ; and The Tokio Nurseries Co,, Komagome, Tokyo. Jasminum and Pelargonium: .-1. W . G. The marks on the Pelargonium leaves are caused by mites. Wash the foliage with Tobacco water. The browning of the Jasminum blooms is not due to* disease. Leaves Injured by a Mining Insect: Hortus. The leaves — which are apparently of Hibiscus syriacus — have been injured by the mining maggot of the Marguerite fly. Spray the plants with quassia extract or other distasteful liquid, in order to prevent the females from depo.siting their eggs upon the leaves. Remove badly- affected leaves and burn them. Names of Plants: Correspondent (no letter was found). 1. 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8, varieties of Cupres- sus Lawsoniana; 3, Thuya dolabrata ; 4, Cupressus. nootkatensis pendula ; 9, Picea morinda; 10, one of the garden forms of Veronica speciosa ; 11, Cryptomeria elegans. The various forms of Lawson Cypress cannot be recognised from small pieces of the branches. It is the most variable Conifer known, and forms showing quite as much variation as those you send may appear in any batch of seedlings. — M. L. Polygonum aviculare "Knot-grass." — C. Stapler. 7, Cryptomeria japonica var. elegans ; 8, Picea pungens var, glauca ; 9, apparently Juniperus virginiana; 10, Pseudotsuga Douglasii ; 11, Thuya dola- brata ; 12, Abies Nordmamiiana. — R. 0. 1, Begonia fuchsioides ; 2, Eranthemum pulchel- lum ; 3, Oncidium flexuosum; 4, Selaginella Wildenovii. — Ajax. Tiarella cordifolia. Peach Dying : H. B. and T. W. C. The symp- toms suggest " die-back," caused by a fungus. It will be best to remove the badly-injured shoots, and wash the branches once a week for three or four weeks with a solution of liver of sulphur, using 1 ounce in 3 gallons of water. Plant Breeding : H. C. B. The best course for you to adopt is to write to some of the nur- serymen who make a speciality of breeding par- ticular strains of plants, and try and make arrangements with them to give you employ- ment in the plant department. There is a special station for research in heredity and plant-breeding at Merton, Surrey. This insti- tution is under the direction of Professor Bate- son, and he would doubtless advise you as to whether it would be possible for you to obtain employment there, and whether such a course would serve your interests. Potatos Diseased : Sterlini. The tubers are affected with winter-rot, caused by a fungus. This disease is usually the result of Potatos not being well air-dried before they are placed in the pit. Potting Hippeastrums : Constant Reader. Different growers adopt different methods, for whilst some only repot their plants every two or three years, others do so annually. In both cases the general practice is to repot or afford surfacings of fresh compost in spring as the bulbs sliow signs of new growth. A mixture of turfy loam, leaf-mould, and silver sand is a suitable rooting medium. When the bulbs are growing freely and whilst the flower-spikes are developing liquid manure should be given. After the period of flower- ing is over and the growth completed, the bulbs should be rested in an airy greenhouse or vinery, but a little water must be afforded occasionally. Rhododendron (Azalea) indicum Withering : A. E. /'. No disease is present in the plant. The trouble is the outcome of root-disturbance, and is of frequent occurrence. Seakale Unhealthy : Seahah. The unsatisfac- tory condition of the Seakale is not due to either fungous or insects iJ6.sts. Seaside Town: E. O. B. The best deciduous trees to plant along the streets of a southern seaside town are the Tree of Heaven (Ailan- thus glandulosa), the False Acacia (Robinia pseudacacia), the Oirnish Elm (Ulmus cornu- Ijiensis), and the Birch (Betula alba). Suit- able evergreen trees include the Holly (Ilex aquifolium, and its varieties), the evergreen Oak (Quercus Ilex), the Cork Oak (Quercus suber), the Austrian Pine (Pinus au.striaca), and Pinus Coulteri. The north screen could well be planted with a few of the evergreen trees named, especially the Ilex and Holly, and any of the following trees and shrubs: Lawson's Cypress (Cupressus Lawsoniana), the Nootka Sound Cypress (Cupressus nootkatensis), the Western Arbor-Vita (Thuya occidentalis), the Box (Buxus sempervirens and B. balearica), the scarlet Thorn (Cratiegus Pyracantha), Furze (Ulex europaeus and its varieties). Junipers (Juniperus species), MvTtles (Myrtus species), Griselinia littoralis, Phillyrsea media, P. an- gustifolia, Cotoneaster microphylla, Euonymus japonicus, and many kinds of Ivy (Hedera Helix). But to plant a screen of shrubs which will be a tasteful blending of the various forms and flowers, and a pleasure to the public, in- stead of the heterogenous muddles of a few different shrubs usually seen in public places, much more than a list of suitable species is required. Before deciding on your selection, it will be advisable to carefully consider the soil and its treatment before planting, also the present and future effect of the grouping of the shrubs you employ. Soil Sterilisation : //. IF. C. It is not e;;sy without suitable appliances to control the tem- perature in the tjrocess of soil sterilisation. Probably the simplest method for you to try is that which you suggest, namely, to build up a wood fire, about a large iron pot, or, better still, to sling the pot ove;- the fire. Then, before lighting the wood, fill the t)ot with j thoroughly moistened soil, plunge the thermo- meter attached to a stick nearly to the bottom of the pot, which should not be covered. Light the fii'e, and when the thermometer registers 200° F. rake away the fire, remove the ther- i mameter, put on the lid, and leave the soil to i cool. If you wish to use chemicals instead of j heat for sterilisation, the soil must be thor- , oughly moistened with toluol, and then spread out in a fairly thin layer, and raked over from time to time till the sterilising substance has evaporated. In this connection you should consult the article in our present issue, p. 113. Thyra Wood: //. Rahjohn. We are unable to trace such a name as Thyra Wood. The nearest approach to it that we can find is " Tyrah," an Indian vernacular name ap- plied to Bambusa khasiana. This is referred to by Sir D. Brandis in Indian Trees, p. 568. The word " Thura " is used in connection with Euphorbia Nivulia in India. If you could obtain a specimen of the wood, or better still of the leaves and the flowers of the tree, we should probably be able to identify it. You should also give, if possible, the name of the country from which the wood was ob- tained. Winter Wash for Fruit Trees : A . ,S. . The formula of your winter wash is the same as that which was found in the Woburn experi- ments most effective for the destruction of scale, except that ^ lb. of lime was used instead of ^ lb. Probably, however, the reduction of the lime improves the consistency of the wash, and its benefit is questionable, because the sul- phuric acid in the iron sulphate would combine with it, converting it into inoperative sulphate of lime (gypsum). The proper way of making the mixture is as follows: — Dissolve i lb. of iron sulphate in boiling water, made up to 8 gallons vTlth cold water, and add to it milk of lime, made by shaking g lb. of quicklime, diluting it and straining the dilnticm. Then add 5 pints of paraffin and 2 lbs. of caustic soda, churning the mixture up thoroughlv by means of a large syringe, and making up to 10 gallons. This winter wash was recom- mended as a general one, and not for scale only, and ther» is probably no better one for tlie destructicm of the woolly aphis, American blight, when the pest is established on large trees. For its eradication on young trees pure methylated spirit, applied with a small brush, is a perfect specific. But so far as scale is con- cerned, lime-sulphur alone has almost entirely superseded other washes in the United States, where scale is very much more common than in this country. It is much less likely to do harm to the bark of trees than the strong solution of cau.stic soda, which you name, if applied year after year, even if the mixture you name has any such action. For example, lime-sulphur would be beneficial where the shoots of Plums and Apples are affected by brown rot or scab, and it is questionable whether the other mixture would have any fungicidal action. A clean solution of Ihiie- sulphur, easy to spray, is now t-o be obtained of Messrs Walter Voss & Co., Millwall, London, showing 31° to 33° of density when tested with the Baume hvdrometer (equal to 1.2719° to 1.2946° as shown on the ordinary hydrometer). The dilution of solutions of these strengths should be at the rate of 9 to 10 gallons of water to 1 gallon of the solution. But it is doubtful whether this wash would have much effect upon the woolly aphis. Cei- tainly it would not be as effective in the de- struction of the pest as a combination of paraffin and caustic soda. It may be men- tioned that the use of iron sulphate in the mixture vou name is only that of an emulsi- fier to the paraffin. Communications Received. —A. K, T., U. S. A. (Thanks, the fact was announced in the lasi issue.)— L. A — R R — C. P. B Mrs. V. J. B. M O, R. 8 A. F., Ouiliiford _.T. H F. H. N H. H. S Botanist_A. G._.I. S. _VV. B. Li._H. W. W._F. W. & Co._F. W. r.-G. M. T. _W. A. M.-W. H. A._PolegatG_R. G. W._W. B._ _J. D. M A. (1., Somerset— H. E H. R., Holland _A. P. R H. H. R Anxious. Y'ovkahire_W. H. Y- (Many tiianks ; the news had already reached us.)— L. S- March 2, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 131 THE iiirbeneis'C/bronicIc No. 1,314— SATURDAY, March 2, 1912. CONTENTS. mond, date of flower- Lilies and sunshine ... 131 ing of the 189 Limestone, the value of 143 phyllauthea Monspel- Obituary — iensis 134 Garaway, W. A. 145 igbud, spraying for ... 142 Muir. Thomas 145 ooks, noiices of - S m, Thomas 145 Kew Guild Journal ... 140 Orchid notes and glean- The Natural History ings 135 of Clay 133 Orphan Fund, Royal The Scottish Botani- Gardeners' 140 cal Review 141 Plants, new or note- oldest spot on earth... 140 worthy — affodil show. R.H.S. . 1S9 Cupressus foimosen- ucharis grandiliora .. 141 sis 132 arming, text b luks on 140 Plants, the phosphate lori3ts' Mowers — nutrition of 140 Perpetual - flowering Potatos, select varieties Carnations ... 133 of 134 oreign correspondence — Rain water, nitrogen in 141 Nannorhops Ritchie- Scotland, notes from . . 142 ana 132 Societies- orestry— Horticultural Club ... 144 Government Advisory National Dahlia 140 Comiuitiee 134 Royal Horticultural... 139 ardeners' Royal Be- (Scientirtc Committee) 143 nevolent Institution ... HO Scottish Horticultural 144 enetics, Prof. Bateson rinlanum jasminoides, on 139 hardiness of ... 141 yacinth, a proliferous 112 Spraying, compulsory... 140 iternational Horticul- Sulphur for use with cop- tural Exhibition 139 per-containing spray eland, notes from ... 141 fluids 140 ew notes 142 Sweet Peas, lecture on 143 arkspurs and Antir- Tomato-leaf rust 140 rhinums 141 Trees, eSeots of the .C.C. Parks, the HO summer of 1911 on ... 138 eaf curl 139 Week's work, the 136 .187 eptoBperuium bulla- Wheat and Oat crops ... 141 tum ; L. Bcoparium... 14!) Yucca gloriusa 139 ILLUSTRATIONS. ^ipliances for sterilising soil . . ... — — 146 raiso-Cattleya Wellesleyie « ... 136 :isp, Sir Frank, portrait of 144 apreaaus (onnoseusis on Mount Morrison ... ... 183 ipressus pisifera, C. lormosensis, and C. obtusa, details of ... 132 ucharis grandittora 141 Irish " oup to be presented at the Internatioual by the R H.S. of Ireland 13'J tewelyn, Sir John T. D., portrait of - 14'1 ucca gloriosa, a specimen plant of (Supplementary Illustration) LILIES AND SUNSHINE. TAKING it all round, 1911 was a won- derful year for Lilies, and but for the *■ ceaseless deluge of November and •ecember, the enthusiast had nothing to amplain of ; indeed, for once in a while, early everything in the way of weather as for the best ; a trifle too dry on ic whole, some may say, in parts of the :untry ; but then, no one ought to bother bout Lilies, or, rather, the more fastidious action of them, who is not in a position ) sive them water when Nature fails him ; nd the individual who, from choice or )rce of circumstance, sits still while the ilies in his garden are wilting in the sun )r want of water, will be well advised to jstrict his operations to the European pecies, such as L. monadelphum, L. can- idum, L. testaceum, L. pomponium, L. lartagon, and L. chalcedonicum, which eem less impatient of drought than the lilies of California, Japan, and China, to lost of which, indeed, prolonged drought leans death. The mild winter of 1910-11 ended in such et fashion, that bournes and springs hose very existence had almost been for- jotten came to life again, the earth seemed harged with moisture, and there could not ave been a better preparation for the 'lonths and months of drought that fol- '\vcd, and which, fatal as it was to so ":iny gardens, would have been more I'lierally destructive but for the unusual t'serve of moisture in the ground. April and May provided rather more wet than usual, while the temperature was below the average, but thanks, no doubt, to the prevailing moisture, Lilies were all growing apace ; indeed, perhaps a trifle too fast, and one began to wonder what would happen at that critical time in May when spring gives place to summer, and in cold wet seasons the dreaded fungus, Botrytis, steals over the garden like a veritable epidemic. But in the nick of time came the sun, and soon put things to rights ; the fatal disease, which the gardener should make up his mind to fight just as systematically as civi- lised nations fight the plague, gave no sign of its existence, and then at the end of May began such a time as it is too much to hope gardeners will see again for many years. L. Hansonii, the yellow martagon of Japan, with its petals thick and waxj' as our common martagon, came first, as, in- deed, it always does, no matter what the season may be like, quickly followed by L. rubellum, evideatly relishing a little patch of subterranean clay into which, rnore suo, its roots had spread ; then L. tenuifolium, smothered in bloom, and the host of June Lilies, including the manj' cups of the ele- gans family, L. monadelphum as beautiful as it is variable, and the really charming " Golden Gleam," now that L. Parkmannii is out of cultivation, probably the only strictly modern hybrid Lily of which one can say anything encouraging. The origin of this interesting little plant does not seem to be generally known, and in order that in years to come doubts may not be thrown on its parentage, such as are occasionally cast on that other well- known hybrid L. testaceum, I give the his- tory of the plant as told me by Mr. Rich- mond, from whose nursery in the United States this Lily is distributed : — " Nineteen years ago a man named E. Huftelen took upon himself the task of hybridising Lilies, and, taking L. tenui- folium for the female parent, worked the pollen of L. Martagon album on to it. " He tried this until he thought it was a failure, but one morning he noticed a light- coloured flower among a batch of his seed- ling L. tenuifolium crosses ; this plant was set by itself and given a chance : and from it has sprung our ' Golden Gleam.' " With July, and rather in advance of their usual time, came all the dainty beauties of the West, glorying in the unique experi- ence of something approaching a Califor- nian summer. L. parviflorum, in the van as ever, was quickly followed by the Panther Lily, and its endless varieties, easy to grow and bril- liant in all their spotted finery of orange, yellow, and scarlet, some of them such as Johnsonii, and especially Roezlii, seem- ingly fixed and coming true from seed. Then, in bewilderingly quick succession, the small flowered L. parvum from the shores of Lake Tahoe, and its exquisite variety luteum, surely one of the most deli- cately beautiful Lilies in existence, with the quaint little L. Bolanderi, still rare, and as yet none too easy to manage ; L. columbianum, from the foothills of the Oregon mountains ; the Washington Lily, obstinate to a degree, but established at last and flowering as freely as its cousin rubescens near by. Towards the end of the month L. mari- timum, coaxed by the sun into showing us something more than usual of its natural glory, was nodding its little red bells over L. Kelloggii, tiny and difiicult as ever, but beautiful beyond compare, and sweet to the senses with its tender fragrance. Meanwhile, L. Parryi, reputed trouble- some to manage but easy enough when raised at home from seed, had been revel- ling all through the month in the unaccus- tomed heat and flowering as surely it sel- dom flowered before ; the sight of 20 or 30 of the lovely yellow bells gently waving to the breeze, half-tipsy pollen-covered bees humming drowsily round them and almost tumbling from bloom to bloom, was to be long remembered, and so, by the way, later on, was the bumper harvest of seed which in due season found its way to the frames, and is now bearing abundant testi- mony, in the shape of thout^ands of seed- lings, to the wonderful summer of 1911. With the last days of July, L. Hum- boldtii and its more southerly form, L. magnificum, generally the last of the Cali- fornians to flower, were blazing away in a warm corner, Bloomerianum, another relative, and, if the truth be told, a poor one, doing its best, but hardly reaching to the knees of the typical plant. In ordinary seasons there is usually a perceptible interval between the midsum- mer Lilies and those that bloom in autumn, but 1911 played odd pranks in the garden, and the early days of August saw many plants in bloom that do not usually flower until later ; it was no surprise, therefore, one morning to find L. Leichtlinii, with all the memories this plant brings of the modest man who did so much for gardens in general and Lilies in particular, open- ing its purple-dotted, citron flowers long before the usual time, and bending low its delicate stem to smile on L. medeoluides —the Wheel Lily -her tiny neighbour from Japan, both, no doubt, and L. Bate- mannia; as well, with the disappointing L. cordifolium in the background, wonder- ing what had come to the English summer that it should suddenly have grown so like their own ; not far away, Kramer's Lily, L. japonicum, was giving us a taste of her quality, perfectly happy in deep leaf-mould overlying a rather heavy but well-drained loam. L. japonicum colchesterense, wonderful in its prolific production of offsets, and the diffident L. Brownii, a common wildling of Western China, were meanwhile running a neck-and-neck race, and bursting into flower just before that wonderful modern Lily, now in commerce as myriophyllum, opened its long vinous-tinted buds to the bees. The world of botanists and gardeners owes much to that wonderful collector of plants — and souls — the Abbe Delavay, hut if in his wanderings in the East the mis- sionary father had never found anything else, his name would go down as the dis- coverer of what is possibly the most satis- factory of all modern Lilies ; seemingly eas.y to manage and not fastidious, a won- derful bloomer and an equally wonderful seeder, one can hardly say too much for L. myriophyllum, and the recollection of 132 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 2, 1912. nt speci-l it, whi^H igorou^H receivlH scores of the beautiful gold-dusted trum- pets standing up bravely to the sun in the garden at Warley Place will not easily fade from the memory. With August Avell into its stride, the dews falling heavy night after night, and seed of many of the earlier species already in the pans, the lover of Lilies might well be forgiven if his gratitude for all the de- lights vouchsafed to him was tinged with just a suspicion of regret that the wonder- ful year was all but gone. True, the Tiger Lily — an excellent vege- table, by the way, and by no means a dear one — L. Henryi, auratum and speoiosum of the many beautiful forms and the simplest culture, were still in the heyday of their glory, while L. sulphureum, long and lank, but lovely, was in its accustomed place, ready as ever for the annual duty of i ing- ing down the curtain on the Lilies' year, but with August merging into September, there comes to gardeners, and especially the early risers, that intangible feeling, born, no doubt, of dewy cobwebs, the wail of the peewit, and a subtle something in the morning air, that the year is on the wane. It is time to take stock, turn to account the many lessons an Italian summer and an interminable drought provides, and gather in the wonderful harvest of seed to which, for once in a way, every hardy species in cultivation has contributed its quota, with the sole exceptions of L. Leichtliuii and L. sutchuenense : if for this alone, forgetful of all else, the Lily grower will long remember the summer of 1911. A. Grove, Henley-on-Thames. FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. NANNORHOPS RITCHIEANA. In your number for February 3 is figured Nannorhops Ritchieana, and IP. 11'. says : "That it is doubtful if this Palm is in cultiva- tion anywhere in Europe." In the Royal Botanic Garden of Rome there is one large plant of this species. It is a fine Bpecimen, not growing tall, but creeping, with large, well-developed foliage. Prof. Tirotta informs me that it was raised from seed 10 or 15 years ago. The Botanical Garden at Rome is very interest- ing for the rare plants which are grown in the open, including species which are seldom seen growing outdoors in Italy. Of the large numbers I mention only a few of the more interesting. Kiggelaria africana, a large, tall tree from Abyssinia ; the new Trachycarpus (Chama;rops) Takil; Pseudopanax crassifolium, a very fine specimen ; Calliandra coccinea and other species ; Quercus incana, the beautiful evergreen Himalaya Oak; Peumus Boldus, Maytenus Boaria, a fine, tall, tree of Dammara Brownii ; the very pretty Pittosporum phyllyrieoides, with long, small lanceolate leaves and yellow, sweet-scented flowers; P. ferrugineum, with dark-brown, quite blackish flowers; Psiadia arabica, Tricuspidaria dependens ; Corynocarpus l.-evigata ; Ficus ulmi- folia ; Carissa and Gordonias in many species, and Laurus sericea, a very beautiful tree. There is, moreover, a fine collection of typical Yuccas — baccata, Schottii, and macrocarpa. Other note- worthy collections include species of Phcenix and other Palms and species of Bambusa. Of Conifers, a complete series of Cupressus is re- markable. Every visitor to Rome should spend some hours in this large garden, whence one of the best views of the Eternal City is obtainable. Willy Mailer. NEW OR NOTEWORTHY PLANTS. THE GIANT CYPRESS OF FORMOSA. The forests of Formosa have lately been de- scribed* by Dr. H,ofmann, who states that the Conifers begin in the mountains at about 6.000 feet elevation, succeeding the zone of ever- green Oaks and Laurels. The coniferous forest between 6,000 feet and 8,500 feet is mainly com- posed of two species of Cypress, one of which is identical with the valuable Cupressus obtusa of Japan, while the other is a species peculiar to tlie island, and remarkable for its gigantic size, which has been named Cupressus formosensis. These two Cypresses in the lowermost coniferous zone are the dominant species, forming extensive and nearly pure woods, in which occur isolated specimens of the peculiar Taiwania, a tree re- sembling in appearance the common Cryptomeria. through the aid of Mr. Firth, excellent speci-l mens of this Cypress, and a living plant, whii is now about 3 feet high, and growing vigoroui at Bayfordbury. ilr. H. Clinton-Baker receivj from Dr. Shirasawa, in 1911, a quantity of seed, which has been distributed to various gardens in England, Ireland, the Continent, and N, America, so that there is every chance of this species having a, fair trial at any rate as an ornamental tree. Young seedlings at Bayford- bury, raised from seed sown last March, are about 4 inches high, and very thriving. I con- sider it unlikely that the Formosan Cypress will be as useful in Britain for economic planting ap the Lawson Cypress. Cupressus formosensist was first described under Chamaecyparis, by Matsumura, and was briefly spoken of by me in my account of the genus Cupressus in the fifth volume of Trers of Great Britain and Ireland. It may be described as follows : — Fig. 53. — T, CUPRESSUS pisifera; 2, c. formosensis; 3, c. obtusa; showing the FOLIAGE, SEEDS AND CONE SCALES OK THE THREE SPECIES. Above the Cypress forests other Conifers become abundant, including peculiar species of Pine, Hemlock (Tsuga), and Spruce. Cupressus formosensis attains enormous dimen- sions, and deserves to rank with the great trees of the Pacific coast of North America. Dr. Hofmann reproduces the photograph of a tree growing near Goten, at 8,000 feet elevation, which is 195 feet high, with a stem 20 feet in diameter, and containing 8,800 cubic feet of timber. The best parts of the Cypress forest, composed of smaller trees, 2 feet to 4 feet in diameter, and very dense on the ground, mea- sure, on an average, 34,000 cubic feet per acre. Mr. H. Clinton-Baker has kindly lent me a photograph (fig. 54), taken by Mr. A. R. Firth, H.B.M. Consul at Tamsui, which represents a tree growing on Mt. Morrison, 125 feet in height, with a stem 67 feet in girth, and giving off the first branch at 45 feet from the ground. Capt. L. Clinton-Baker, R.N., obtained also, » In Centmlblatt juy Forstwesen (1911), pp. 1-18, figs. 4 and 5. A tree with the flattened branchlet-systcms characteristic of the section ChaniEecyparis, closely allied to Cupressus pisifera of Japan, and, like it, having the front and back leaves of the branchlet equal in length to the lateral leaves. Ultimate branchlets flattened, jg incli wide. Leaves appressed, but free at the in- curved and shortly mucronate apex ; lateral leaves conduplicate, as long as the facial leaves; facial leaves ovate, ^ inch long, flattened, eitherl keeled (as towards the apex of the branchlet),'] or depressed in the centre, with a longitudinali obscure gland. Foliage dull green on both sur-i faces, or covered more or less on the lower sur-f] face with an irregularly ditt'used, whitish bloom. I Cones ripening in the first year, ellipsoid,! i inch in diameter : scales 10 or 11, with tbe'l outer surface wrinkled, brownish, depressed (I — — ' "il + Cupressus formosensis, Henry, in Ehves and Henry's J I Trtes of Great Britain, V., 1,149 (1910); Chaniiscvpari'; f formosensis. .Vlatsumura. in T-kvo But. Staff., XV., 13111, (19011; Malsumura and H-iyala, Emim. PI. Formos., 4IM\i (19001 ; Beissner, in Htll. Dent. Dcndr. Get. (1907), p. U5 ; Hayata, in Journ. Coll. Sci., Toliyo, XXV., 208 (1908). ^ Mahch 2. 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 133 n the centre, bearing a conspicuous quadrangu- ar bract. Seeds, two on each scale, brown, oval, vith narrow wings, and conspicuous resin- , 'esicles. ; Cupressus pisifera differs in the foliage, bright ;reen on the upper surface, and marked on the ower surface witli well-defined white patches in loUows, tha leaves being distinctly acuminate, vith long mucros. It has globose cones, with a pinute bract to each scale, and differently shaped eeds with very broad wings. Both C. pisifera nd C. formosensis differ completely in foliage rum C. obtusa, which occurs in Formosa as a eculiar variety, forma fonnusana, Hayata, with FLORISTS' FLOWERS. PERPETUAL-FLOWERING CARNATIONS. Of the novelties distributed last year, there are three varieties from America that should become favourites with botli the large and small grower. These are White Wonder, Washing- ton, and Gloriosa. Tlie last two are very fine pink varieties. Of the English varieties, per- haps the best are Orpheus, R. F. Felton, and Regina. Orpheus is a yellow-ground fancy. It varies in colour, but tlie best yellow form is getting well on the way to the yellow-ground J ! / r^# *■''#;* [CopyrigU H. Clinton Baker. Fig. 54. — TRUNK OF CUPRESSUS FORMOSENSIS. GIRTH, 67 FEET. (From a photcgraph taken on Mount Morrison.) eaves, cones, and seeds all smaller than the ypical form of the species in Japan. The main istinctions are shown in fig. 53, where the oliage, cone-scale, and seed of the three species ire drawn. ■ Kawakami, in his List of Plants of Formosa, Dublished in 1910, gives no fewer than 22 species >f Conifers as natives of Formosa, a consider- ible number of which have not yet been intro- luced. Mr. Elwes, F.R.S., and Mr. W. R. Price, who are now on their way to investigate -he forests of this wonderful island, may be ex- pected to return with valuable collections and information. A. Henry. border variety. R. F. Felton is a large, salmon- pink flower, but it splits its calyx rather badly. Regina is a good pink variety, but it loses its colour during winter. There is one other which may be a very fine variety another year, namely. Lady Alington. This variety has been over- propagated, and, in consequence, its constitu- tion is impaired. Of the varieties to be distributed this year, the only three of which I hear good accounts from the States are Rosetti (pink), Delhi (scarlet), and Benoni (fancy). We must wait and see how they thrive in England. There is another American-raised variety that was grown in England in 1911, but was not generally in com- merce, which I expect to hear further about. This is a very fine white flower named Wodanthe. British novelties are plentiful. But two seem to excel all the others, and these are probably the two best commercial varieties that Iiave been distributed in England since Mrs. Burnett and Britannia were sent out. They are Triumph (which is considered by experts the best crim- son yet produced) and Lady Northcliffe (a lovely .salmon-pink flower). There are others which will make a name for themselves, such as Baroness de Brienen and Lady Meyer, both pink varieties. The Geisha will probably find many admirers. Mandarin is a very pretty buff fancy"; Wivelsfield Wonder is a white ground fancy; and Mr. Lawrensen is introducing a fine white flower that is likely to prove very valuable. A. E. Usher, Banston Gardens, Dlandford. NOTICES OF BOOKS. The Natural History of Clay.» Altiiouoh this volume is written from the standpoint of the industry of clay-working rather than from that of the uses of clay in agricul- ture and horticulture, those engaged in the lat- ter oocu|)ations will find much that is of service to them in its pages. Thus the chapter of the " Physical Properties of Clay " contains an interesting discussion of the peculiar properties of plasticity to which clay owes so much of its importance as a soil substance. This property is usually regarded as a ?onse- quence of the minute size of the clay particles. Their minuteness enables them to pack closely together, and to retain around each a film of water which acts partly as a lubricant and partly as an adhesive, causing the particles to adhere closely to one another. Other thefjries, however, have been advanced to account for the plasticity of clay. Among the most interesting are: first, that which holds that the particles of clay are composed of small globular masses of plates arranged in a network. In the presence of water the plates are separated, and come to lie flat on one another, forming a plastic and impermeable mass. The second theory main- tains that clays owe their plasticity to the presence of colloid (glue-like) substances. In support of this theory the author men- tions the fact that the plasticity of clay may be increased very considerably by the addition of such substances as tannin, and makes the in- teresting suggestion that the momentous plaint nf the Children of Israel at being compelled to make bricks without straw was based on the ruleof-thumb knowledge which this people had gained that substances contained in straw (tannins) increase the plasticity of clay, and hence the quality of bricks. The chapter on " Clay and Associated Rocks" is of interest in showing how variable is the quality of clay for agricultural purposes, and how this quality is determined in large measure by the origin of the several clays. Thus Coal Measure clays are usually poor. Permian clays, on the other hand, yield free- working, good-cropping loams. Tlie Lias clays support mainly pasturage. Oxford clays are difficult to work, and often yield cold and wet soils. The tertiary clays, for example, London cl..y, produce a heavy brown soil of slight value till properly drained and manured. A perusal of Mr. Searle's interesting manual shows at once the complexity of the problems concerning the physical properties of one of the commonest of substances, and the importance of a thorough investigation of these properties. The easy discoveries have been made. The diffi- cult ones take a deal of time in the making. • By Alfred B. Searle. The Cambridee Manual of Science and Literature. (Cambridge : The University Press.) Is. I l3i THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 2, 1912. FORESTRY. APPOINTMENT OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE. The Right Hnn. Walter Runciman, M.P., President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, has appointed a committee to advise the Board on matters relating to the develop- ment of forestry. The committee will be asked in the first instance : (1) To consider and advise upon proposals for a foresti'y survey ; (2) To draw up plans for e.xperiments in sylviculture, and to report upon questions re- lating to the selection and laying out of forestal demonstration areas ; (3) To advise as to the provision required for the instruction of woodmen. The committee is constituted as follows ; — Sir Stafford Howard. K.C.B. (Chairman) ; IMr. F. D. Williams-Drummond ; Sir S. Eardley-Wilmot, K.C.I.E. ; The Right Hon. R. C. Munro- Ferguson, M.P. ; Lieut.-Col. D. Prain, C.M.G., C.I.E., F.R.S. ; Mr. E. R. Pratt, President of the Roval English Arboricultural Society; Pro- fessor 'sir W. Schlich, K.C.I.E. , F.R.S. ; Professor Wm. Somerville, D.Sc. ; The Hon. Arthur L. Stanley ; secretary, Mr. R. L. Robinson. As announced in reply to a question asked in the House of Commons, Sir E. Stafford Howard has tendered his resignation of the office of one of the Commissioners of His Majesty's Woods and Forests. His resignation will take effect as from 5Tarch 31. No new appointment of a Commissioner will be made to fill the office he vacates, and there will be a fresh allocation of the commissioners' duties between the two remaining Commissioners, Mr. Runci- man, the President of the Board of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Mr. G. G. Leveson-Gower. The supervision of the Crown Forests, other than Windsor and of the more important Crown Woods, will now be committed to Mr. Runciman, with the object of bringing their administration into closer co-operation than has hitherto been possible with the work of the Board in regard to the development of sylviculture and forestry. VEGETABLES. SELECT VARIETIES OF POTATOS. Of the many trials conducted annually by the Royal Horticultural Society, I question if any are of greater benefit to the general public than the Potato trials. The Society's awards are given only to varieties that combine the best cooking qualities with heavy cropping capaci- ties. In the following selections I do not purpose dealing with coloured varieties, but solely with those that I have found, after extensive cooking tests, to excel all others for table use. Late varieties give the best results when cooked in their skins. Early Varieties. Mtd-Lothian Early. — This is a yellow-fleshed, kidney variety that received an Award of Merit from the R.H.S. in July, 1908. It is a first early of splendid quality and an immense crop- per ; excellent for forcing, and suitable for field or garden culture. Sharpe's Victor. — As long ago as July, 1893, this variety was honoured with an Award of Merit from the R.H.S. as a forcing variety, and again in 1900 as a garden variety. It is a somewhat light cropper but possesses excellent quality and yellow flesh. Duke of York. — This tuber resembles Mid- Lothian Early in every way, but the latter comes into use about a fortnight earlier. Epicure. — This is a Avhite-fleshed, round variety, with rather deep eyes. It is an enor- ous cropper, and is much grown in the Northern counties as a first early for the market. It was given an Award of Merit by the R.H.S. in August, 1905. Alpha. — This grand variety is perhaps not so well known as some others. It is a first early, white-fleshed, round, of superb quality, and a great cropper. The variety received an Award of Merit from the R.H.S. July, 1903, also xxx from the National Vegetable Society, July, 1910. Sir John Llewelyn. — This variety obtained the R.H.S. Award of Merit in 1900. It is a white-fleshed, kidney variety of good quality and an abundant cropper. Grand for field work. Sutton's May Queen. — A first early kidney variety, most suitable for forcing and early borders. Is much grown in the South for early market. Honoured with an Award of Merit from the R.H.S., August, 1905. Second Early or Mid-season Varieties. Abundance. — A white-fleshed, round tuber. Though classed by many as a maincrop, it digs so well in the green state that many growers prefer it to any of the other second earlies. As the name signifies, it yields abundantly, and is of good quality. Very suitable for field culture. Dobbie's Favourite. — A white-fleshed, flat- ish, round tuber, which received the R.H.S. Award of Merit in August, 1907, and in Decem- ber of the same year the higher honour of a First- class Certificate. Windsor Castle. — This variety received a First-class Certificate from the R.H.S. in Sep- tember, 1893, and it is saying a great deal in its favour that it still finds a place in 1912 as one of the best mid-season varieties. The tuber is round and has white flesh. Russet Queen is a white-fleshed variety. Is an immense cropper, with splendid quality. Much used as a field variety. R.H.S. Award of Merit, 1906. Late or MArNCROP Varieties. The Factor is, without doubt, the finest and most productive maincrop variety on the mar- ket. It received an Award of Merit from the R.H.S. October, 1901, and was honoured with a First-class Certificate April, 1905. It also took first place in the cooking tests at the Crystal Palace, October, 1904. White-fleshed, suitable for field or garden culture. Dalhousie Seedling. — This variety resembles Up-to-Date. and is a first-class variety of excel- lent quality. Much grown for the market. R.H.S. Award of Merit, 1905. Peckover. — Though not nearly so largely grown as some of the others, it is a variety of delightful table quality. Received an Award of Merit from the R.H.S. December, 1904, and a First-class Certificate November, 1908. A good keeper. The Provost. — Too much cannot be said in favour of this grand, white-fleshed, round tuber. The cropping and cooking qualities are all that can be desired. In every way a most excellent variety. Honoured by the R.H.S. with an Award of Merit, October, 1907. Langworthy. — Though this variety has not been favoured with an award, no other variety can compare with it for quality. A moderate cropper. To obtain best results the ground should be well manured. What's Wanted. — This is very similar to Langworthy, and requires the same treatment. Peacemaker has rather a brown, russety skin. When cooked the flesh is beautifully white and of excellent flavour. A moderate cropper. R.H.S. Award of Merit, December, 1905. Golden Wonder is another rather dark, rus- sety-skinned variety of excellent quality, but only a moderate cropper ; yellow-fleshed kidney. The tubers should be planted in rich land. The Chapman, introduced two years ago, is a strong-growing, heavy-cropping variety of the finest table quality. New Varieties for 1912. Novelties are an attraction to many, and V'^ confidently recommend the under-noted a.< worthy of trial. Balmoral Castle. — A second early whiter round of great promise. Prolific received an Award of Merit from the' R.H.S. September, 1911. This is an excellent addition to the maincrop section. Kino George V. — A second early or mid- season variety, of which more will yet be heard. Queen Mary is a kidney-shaped, second early variety that will recommend itself. Coronation. — A first early of good quality, John Bull. — A welcome addition to the first earlies. Flesh beautifully white. /. D. U. THE ALPINE GARDEN. APHYLLANTHES MONSPELIENSIS. The Blue Rush is too much of a rarity in our gardens, where it is doubly worthy of a good place, alike for its delicate loveliness and itsi amenability to culture. One of the reasons,i however, why one so seldom sees it in gardens is,i I think, because the plant is not easy to collect on import, so that dealers, to make their bcanty: stork go as far as possible, ruthlessly split npi their "stuff" into minute pieces for sale : and' Aphyllanthes very much resents such disturb- ance, and is very slow about starting again. The plant, I believe, is peculiar to the Western Riviera and to the most northerly points of Africa : it forms a fine and vast mat o6 foliage exactly like that of some rather slack and' floppy Juucus ; and in May the flowers appear, poising like Mazarine butterflies, at the end of the long rush-like stems. They are wide stars ol soft and gentle blue, hovering with a charmiiiL effect above the tuft. In its distributim Aphyllanthes is as peculiarly local as Daphm rupestris ; throughout its native territory it show itself very capricious, densely occupying sonii clayey bank or heathy dell, and then, on tin next heathy dell or clayey bank, quite refusiiii to dwell at all. I myself have never seen tli wild plants in flower, but in the kit autumn of 1910 I motored up to a quoted statioi for the plant, in the neighbourhood of Mont. Carlo. For long I roamed in vain, searchin. out dells and banks and every likely place. Foi Aphyllanthes is a plant of very light woodlaml or woodland fringes. Without result, however, did I search the edges of the copse, the heathv and the stony slopes, and at last, as the rapiil darkness of November drew down, I ruefull\ returned along the highroad to the motor. On my right rose woodland ; on my left, beyond a shallow parapet, a bank fell very steeply away to a beck that ran far below in a rocky water course. In the last instant of daylight I re- solved to leave no spot of search untried, so swung myself over the parapet, to find my feet at once embedded in firm mats of Aphyllanthc' Monspeliensis, growing densely all down that bare, but northerly- facing bank, in the very heavy sticky red soil of the Riviera, in a position and aspect fairly cool and damp. The chills of dusk passed over me like tropic noon : for Aphyl laiithes is a very powerful dinger to the soil. The individual plant grows on for ever in a gradually widening semi-circle of shoots, which hug the earth by a thousand deep-set wii fibres: and the tufts seem also to enjoy sinkii down beneath top-dressings of mud and sill Therefore, indeed, Aphyllanthes is no toy for a trowel : stout spades and forks are needed t' cope with it. At lust, however, I secured ri modest toll, and, dripping with heat, plasterf with red mud, I staggered back with my bundle wrapped in my best travelling rug, to meet tl cool-eyed scorn of the chauffeur. My Blue Rus.. were all in time despatched from Mortola, whe ■ JIauch 2, 1912. J THE GA RDENERS CHR O Nl CLE. 135 I hope that Mr. Berger has good news to give of ohe tufts for which he was going to find a home. Here, the collection, potted up, has uniformly thriven, but has sulked above ground for a whole season, with hardly any sign of fresh shoots. The other day, however, I took occasion to plant out one of the largest clumps, and I found that the pot was crammed full, and round and round, with vigorous stout white roots, with fresh noses of vegetation getting ready for ne.xt season. Thus long does Aphyllanthes, even if undivided and pulled to bits, take to surmount the annoyance of sibly, in very arctic districts, it might conceiv- ably dislike extreme intensity of untempered cold. It produces no leaves at all, the whole show con- sisting of the rush-like greyish branches, about a foot high, or less, emitting from their points the exquisite and charming blue stars of blossom. Aphyllanthes produces seed, and may be raised from seed : otherwise its propagation is difficult, as the plant so dislikes being moved and mangled that an established clump is far too precious a possession to be risked or worried. lieijinald Fairer. Wellesleyse are pure white with a light yellow- disc to the lip, and they are delicately fragrant. ONCIDIUM ANTHOCRENE. This very distinct and showy Oncidium gives an example of a very desirable species which has always been rare, while other species known to inhabit the same locality are tolerably plentiful. It was discovered by Wallis when collecting for Messrs. Veitch in New Granada in 1873, and named by Professor Reichenbach in 1877. Its habitat is variously recordtd as Peru and un- / / x ^lA.t\Pl FiG. 55 -BR.\SSO-C.\TTLEYA VVELLESLEV.E ; SEPALS AND PETALS WHITE; LIP WHITE WITH YELLOW DISC (BRASSAVOLA GLAUCA X CATTLEYA MOSSLE VVAGENEKI|. emoval, and thus vigorously does it turn the •orner at last. In the garden Aphyllanthes eems to have few fads, if you make your start vith a sound established clump. It wants a leep, rich, and rather heavy loam, so far as I an find, in a well-drained, sheltered position, lot too sunny. A far finer clump, far more rare -nd Persian-cat like in its profuse tangles than iny of its brothers that I found wild, is thriv- ng hugely at Myddelton House, Waltham Cross, ?here I believe it had not thriven so mightily lefore. until it was transferred to the neighbour- lood of some small bush that gives it a gentle de- ;ree of shade and protection. The plant, of lourse, is absolutely hardy, and absolutely vigor- us, so soon as it has got a fair start ; but it seems o dislike intensity of untempered sun, and, pos- ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. BRASSO-CATTLEYA WELLESLEY.-E. Hybrids of Brassavola Digbyana are always favourites with Crchidists, but the largest in size and the brighest in its deep rose colour is B.-C. Mrs. Francis W'ellesley (B. Digbyana X C. Luddemanniana), which obtained a First-class Certificate in 1906, the flowers measuring over 11 inches across, and was illustrated in the Gardeners' Chronicle, June 30, 1906. Hybrids of Brassavola glauca are less frequently met with, and, although they are generally of fine shape and substance, they are not so large as the varieties obtained from B. Digbyana, but are nevertheless very pretty. The flowers of B.-C. known localities in New Granada, but the - latter is probably correct (unless the plant follows the wide range of distribution of Miltonia Warscewiczii), for a fine example of it is now blooming in Tracy's Nursery, Twickenham, out of a small consignment of MUtonia Warscewiczii, received from Colom- bia. The fine branched inflorescence bears over 100 flowers, each 2 inches across and of a chestnut-brown colour, barred with pale yellow and with a narrow margin of the same colour. The lip is cream-white with reddish-brown mark- ings at the base. It has recently also been shown by Messrs. Charlesworth & Go. The stiU moro rare Oncidium Massangei, with bright yeUow flowers, the inner parts barred with reddish- brown, is also in flower in Tracy's Nursery. 136 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 2, 1912. The Week's Work. THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan. Gardener to Lady Nl'nduknholme, Warter Priory, Yorkshire. Outdoor Vines. — Summers such as we ex- perienced last year are very favourable to vines in the open, and the wood this season will be well ripened. Proper pruning and training are necessary to obtain good results, and the vines should be treated in these respects much in the same manner as those under glass. The present is the proper time to undertake their pruning, which needs to be done before the sap com- mences to rise. Shorten the growths to two or three buds, removing later all but the strongest shoot that develops or those without bunches. Keep all other shoots and lateral growths in check. If the prmiing is defei-red beyond this date much loss of sap and energy will ensue. After the vines are e.stablished they will re- quire very little attention beyond pruning and tying of the shoots, with occasional applications of liquid manure. Many varieties of hardy vines develop highly-coloured leaves and are suitable for planting as climbers. Figs.— Like the vine, the Fig produces large handsome leaves, and is also an ornamental sub- ject on that account. The plants should be afforded a sheltered position facing south or west ; in many districts, and especially in the north, some form of protection is necessary for the plants during severe weather. Much of the success with Figs out-of-doors depends on the soil, which should be of poor quality and dry. A well-drained border having a layer 18 inches or 2 feet deep of loam of medium quality mi.\ed with lime rubble, broken bricks and wood ashes is suitable. The roots may, if considered neces- sary, be restricted by forming a trench 3 or 4 feet from the wall, and filling it with broken bricks or other similar materials, as they must be kept from light or rich soils. By adopting this plan the trees will produce hard, short jointed wood, that will mature thoroughly and produce good crops of Figs annually. Very little pruning will be necessary, beyond the re- moval of a branch here and there to prevent overcrowding. J\. light dressing of bonemeal and one or two applications of liquid manure may be applied to the roots during hot, dry weather as soon as the young Figs are about the size of Walnuts. Where protective material has been applied to the branches, a portion may be removed, or even the whole of it, if there ap- pears to be no danger of cold weather prevail- ing immediately after its removal. Avoid hard pruning in the case of rank-growing trees or gross shoots will be sure to result. Rather re- strict the roots by adopting the method de- scribed above. Tie the branches after the prun- ing is finished, arranging them at 8 or 12 inches apart, placing them close to the wall in cold localities. Brunswick, Brown, Turkey, and White Marseilles are the best varieties in the order named for outdoor culture. Winter Spraying.— If the spraying of fruit- trees is not completed the specifics must now be used at a considerably reduced strength, or injury will be sure to follow, especially to Pear trees and such varieties of Apples as Duchess of Oldenburg, Irish Peach, Red Astrachan, and others that flower eai'ly. FRUITS UNDER GLASS. By E. Harriss, i-ruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, Windsor. Strawberries in Pots. — When the fruits are well .set on the earliest plants of Strawberries the temperature in the house may be raised to 60° or 65° and the atmosphere kept moist. Thin the fruits to six or eight on each plant. Securely stake and tie each truss to prevent the stems from breaking : the prunings from outdoor fruit trees make excellent stakes for the purpose. Spray the plants two or three times each day with luke-warm rain-water and frequently damp the bare surfaces in the house. In favour- able weather admit plenty of air during the early part of the day, closing the house again early in the afternoon. The pots being filled with roots, liquid manure may be afforded more frequently and at an increased strength. Artificial manure may also be given, but it is not advisable to afford chemical manures of any kind too liber- ally : manure should be withheld altogether when the fruits are ripening. Successional batches of plants should be introduced into heat at regular intervals. It is a good plan to have a large num- ber of plants growing slowly in a cool house. When these are developing their flower spikes the stronger plants may be selected and placed on a shelf near to the roof-glass in a warm house. Make sure that the drainage is in a proper con- dition before bringing the plants indoors. Re- move old and decayed leaves, place the pots on their sides and drench the foliage with a strong solution of soft soap and sulphur. Early Pot Vines. — As soon as all the berries are well set. the vines should be relieved of surplus bunches. From six to eight bunches on each vine will be ample for pot plants. The berries may be thinned when they are about the size of Peas. In thinning the bunches of Black Hamburgh variety be careful not to cut out too many of the berries. Although this variety is a free setter, the bunches have a very loose habit, but they will develop into large, .shapely speci- mens if the thinning of the berries is done with discretion. In the cases of Foster's Seedling and Madresfield Court the thinning may be done rnore severely. The roots, being active and the vines growing freely, the minimum temperature may be raised to 70°. During bright, sunny weather the thermometer may be allowed to reach 85° or 90°, but the house must be carefully ventilated on these occasions, closing the ventilators early in the afternoon. Keep the atmosphere moist by frequently damping the bare surfaces in the house. It will also be beneficial to the vines to damp the paths with manure water very late in the day. The roots must bo liberally supplied with water. Stimulants in the form of liquid manure, soot-water and chemical manure may be given alternately every other day, increasing the strength as the bunches approach maturity. When the berries have stoned, the roots should be covered with a layer of rich, farmyard manure. .\11 lateral growths should be regu- larly pinched, and any shoots which are not re- quired cut out. Melons. — When the earliest plants of Melons have covered aliout 2 feet of trellis with growth they may be stopped. This will induce the side shoots to develop more quickly and hasten the flowering. Pinch the laterals which are showing fruit at the second leaf beyond the fruit. The laterals below the trellis may be stopped at the first leaf. Before pollinating the flowers, wait until three or four flowers are open on each plant or the crop will be irregular. The atmo- sphere must be kept dry and the ventilators opened constantly, affording fresh air more or less according to the weather, whilst the plants are flowering. Make fresh sowings as required. At this time of the year ripe fruits may easily be had in 12 weeks from the date of .sowing. Hot- beds may be dispensed with for the indoor cul- ture of RIelons during the summer months, but the soil must be elevated near to the roof-glass. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. By Edwin Beckett. Gardener to the Mnn. Vicary Gibbs, Aldenham Mouse, Hertfordshire. Seasonable Work. — At the first favour- able opportunity complete any arrears of work, including the preparation of the ground for trans- planting various kinds of vegetables and for seed sowing. Unless the weather is favourable and the ground in a suitable condition, especially in the case of wet, retentive soils, it is far better to delay ground operations for a few days or even longer, than be in too much haste, as there is generally plenty of other work needing attention, such as attending to seedlings raised under glass, preparing hot-beds, and starting the various kinds of vegetables which lend them- selves readily to forcing under glass. The Herb Border. — Every well-ordered kitchen garden should include a piece of ground devoted to the growing of herbs, which are generally much in request. A narrow border, in a fairly sheltered position, is suitable for growing herbs of various kinds, which are not only useful but interesting. To have the plants in the best possible condition, it is necessary to renovate the border every three or four years. The plants should be lifted in order that the ground may be thoroughly trenched, at the same time working in a good dressing of manure, and, on heavy land, materials such as road-grit, old mortar rubbish, burnt garden refuse, and leaf-soil to lighten the texture. After the ground has been prepared properly, and the sur- face raked neatly, the perennial kinds should be divided and replanted neatly, making the roots very firm in the soil. Any plants which are becoming exhausted should be replaced by new stock propagated either from cuttings or seeds. Carrots. — Make a sowing o£ a stump-rooted variety of Carrot in a sheltered part of the gar- den, treating the ground much in the same manner as advised for Turnips. Cauliflowers. — Seedlings of such varieties as .Magnum Bonum raised in a gentle heat from seed sown early in the present month should be transplanted into boxes. They should be afforded a warm temperature until they have re- covered from the shift, when they should be. transferred to cooler houses and elevated near to the roof-glass. Employ a compost containing plenty of sharp grit and a little manure from an old Mushroom bed : water the plants well by means of a can having a fine rose spray. Celery. — The main crop of Celery should nut be sown until the early part of next month, otherwise the plants may run to flower pre- maturely. For providing late supplies, select a variety that is known to be of a hardy constitu- tion. Celeriac. — Seed of Celoriac should he sowo about the same time as the main crop of Celery and raised in a gentle heat. Potatos. — The set or seed tubers for the main crop of Potatos should be ordered from the Nurserymen without delay. When received, they should be placed thinly on trays or shelves in a cool, light, frostproof shed. Sets for successional su|iplies in frames should be sprouted in a warm house. Paths. — It is as important to have the gar- den paths in a good condition as other parts of the garden. The present time affords an excellent opportunity for applying fresh gravel where it is needed, and making tidy the edgings. I am not in favour of Box edgings, but where these are employed the plants may be taken up, divided, and replanted where neces- sary. PLANTS UNDER GLASS. By Thomas Stevenson, Gardener to E. Mocatta, Esq., Woburn Place, Addlestone, Surrey. Propagation. — The work o£ prop.igating plants should be continued. Cuttings of Salvia splen- dens and its varieties should be inserted. These plants make bright subjects for grow- ing in the conservatory during the late summer and autumn, and I prefer plants raised from cuttings to those propagated from seed, although seedlmgs are, perhaps, fewer in growth. The best variety I noted last autumn was " Boule de Feu," the plants being par- ticularly floriferous and of an excellent shape. A sowing should be made of Solanun, Im- patiens, Celoaia, and Statice Suworowii. This Statice is an excellent subject for decorative purposes : if the seeds are sown thinly in a box or pan and the seedlings pricked off three plants in a 4>i inch (48) pot plants may be had in flower quickly. The seedlings must not be left for too long a period in the seed box or they will flower when they are potted before making many roots, so that the results will be unsatisfactory for grouping. For purposes of grouping the plants may be potted singly in 54 pots, in which they will produce single spikes of flowers about 18 inches tall. Zonal Pelargoniums. — A stock of plants intended for autumn blooming should be raised! at once, inserting the cuttings in thumb pots.' If stood on a shelf in an intermediate house of other warm place where there is not too much moisture, the cuttings will root very quickly, when they may be removed to a slightly-heated pit for some time before repotting them. Winter-blooming Carnations. — Cuttings of Carnations that were rooted a few weeks since should be ready for potting into 60 size pots. Employ as potting soil a light, porous mixture of loam, old brick and mortar rubble pounded Maboh 2, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 187 finely, a little leaf mould (sterilised, if possible), and silver sand. Grow the plants in a light house where a temperature of about 50° is main- tained at night. Keep the house moderately close for a few days until the young plants re- cover from their root disturbance, and spray or syringe the foliage rather than resort to shad- ing to prevent them from flagging. When this stage is passed they may be liberally afforded fresh air, for the hardier they are grown (within reason) the better will be the results. The early batch of " Malmaison " Carnations may be helped with liquid manure or a small quantity of Bentley's Carnation manure, which causes the foliage to develop a healthy colour as well as adding vigour to the plants generally. The Palm House. — In large establishments a plant-house ia usually allotted to Palms, especially where many of these subjects are used lor decoration in the dwelling-house. The pre- sent is a suitable time for a general potting and overhauling of the plants. In potting Palms re- quired for decorative purposes due consideration must be given to the size of the receptacles they are eventually to fill, and here again it is nece.s- sary to limit the size of the pot as much as possible. Compost used for potting large Palms should consist of good loam peat and sand, using the peat and sand sparingly. If the soil is not too moist it may be well rammed about the roots, a necessary proceeding to keep the jilants firm in their pots. Badly-potted Palms grow up- wards out of their jjots as soon as the strong roots reach the bottom of the receptacles. Smaller Palms, Bamboos, Aspidistras, and similar sub- jects in the Palm-house should also be examined ?nd potted if necessary ; a soil of a consider.ably lighter texture should be employed for these smaller-growing plants. Where Palms arc largely in demand, it is advisable to purchase a few young plants each season, so that they may take the place of those that have deteriorated. THE FLOWER GARDEN. By J. G, Weston, Gardener to Lady Northcote, Eastwell Park, Kent. Border Carnations.— The beds of border Carnations should bo made tidy when the ground is moderately dry. E.xamine the individual plants carefully, .and any th.it liave become loosened in the soil by the action of frost should be made firm again. If this precaution is neg- lected, the drying March winds may cause many of the plants to die. In many gardens Carna- tions planted out in the autumn do not survive the cold of winter, and it is a safer practice to pot or box the layers in the autumn and winter them in cold frames. To keep them healthy under such conditions during the dull winter months, the lights shoidd be withdrawn altogether in favourable weather. Eains must be excluded by placing the lights on the frames, but even in wet weather the plants must be allowed plenty 't ventilation, as a damp, stagnant atmosphere < iten causes disease in the plants. If the ground has not been prepared already for planting, it should be trenched at once, as it is well to get the plants out early and before drying winds pre- vail. A good, strong loam is suitable for Car- nations : if the soil i.s inferior, a quantity of rich loam should be added during the process of trenching. I do not advise the use of rank manure for Carnations, but, if manure is neces- sary, use that from a spent mushroom bed. After the ground has settled and in a friable condition, some burnt earth or wood-ashes should be in- corporated with the top layer, making the surface fine with a rake before setting out the plants. Plant fii-mly at a distance of from 12 inches to 18 inches apart, according to the variety, and keep the ground clean by stirring it with the fiat hoe at frequent intervals. For massing in beds, as distinct from a collection, select varie- ties such as Duchess of Fife, Lottie Pike, Raby Castle, Roy Morris, Mrs. Nicholson, the old Crimson Clove, and White Clove Gloire de Nancy. Perpetual - flowering Carnations. — Certain varieties of this popular type of Carnation have proved suitable for flowering in beds or borders out-of-doors. The plants need to be well prepared for growing in the open, and if young plant-s only are available, those just potted into 4i-inch pots, with five or six shoots, are the best. These will make good plants by the end of May, but will be rather late in blooming. The follow- ing method was adopted with success in these gardens last year : — Plants were selected that had flowered during the preceding autumn and win- ter, and were possessed of a number of flow-er- ing shoots, some being in bloom. These plants were effective at once, grew without a check, and flowered continuously till the blooms were spoilt by frost. The following varieties were a success last season here, although it must be re- membered that the summer was exceptionally sunny ; — Britannia, Aurora, Harlowarden, Jes- sica, Mrs. Lawson, Winsor, Lady Bountiful, Mrs. H. Burnett, Oriflamme and most of the Enchant- ress type. Pinks. — Pinks propagated from layers or pipings last season that are stdl in the nursery beds should be planted in their permanent posi- tions. Pinks are very suitable for forming edg- ings to borders in the kitchen garden, or they may be grown in clumps in the mixed flower- borders or the scented garden. Lobelia caroinalis.— Plants of Lobelia car- dinalis that have been wintered under glass should be divided and potted in light sandy soil. Place them in gentle heat till they have started well into growth, then remove them to a frame and gradually harden them, preparatory to plant- ing out-of-doors in April and May. There are several good varieties, including the novelty Gloire de St. Ann's. THE ORCHID HOUSES. By J. Collier, Gardener to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., Gatton Park, Surrey. Epidendrums.— Kpidendrums of E. radicans type, such as E. Obrienianum, E. Courtonii, and E. Boundii, are rooting freely, and any that re- quire repotting should be attended to. Many of these plants will, if neglected, grow to a great length, and become unsightly, but thoy may be kept dwarf and compact by proper attention. Straggling specimens should be cut through the pseudo-bulb to a desired length below some of the aerial roots that are pushing forth. The plants should be potted singly, or several may be placed together to form large specimens. The lower parts of the pseudo-bulbs from which the tops have been removed may be left in their old pots. They will soon start growing afresh, and when the roots are active, they may be repotted. A suitable compost for tliese plants is equal parts Al fibre, Osmuiida fibre, and Sphagnum-moss, cut up rather short and well mixed together. They require an intermediate temperature, and, during the growing season, a plentiful supply of water at the roots. Epidendrum Vitellinum. — This showy Orchid is developing new roots, and any plants that require repotting should receive attention. These plants dislike root-disturbance. Therefore, any that are in pots sufficiently large to accom- modate their new pseudo-bulbs may be left there for another season if the compost is good and sweet. This species should be afforded less Sphagnum-moss in the compost than those mentioned above. Newly-potted plants should be watered sparingly until the new growths are about 2 inches long, when moisture should be liberally supplied until the new pseudo- bulbs have completed their growth. They will grow well in a house having an intermediate temperature. Epiphronitis Veitchii. — This pretty bi- generic hybrid, raised from Sophronitis grandi- fiora, crossed with Epidendrum radicans, is very similar in habit to its second-named parent, ex- cepting that the influence of the Sophronitis has somewhat dvi-arfed its growth. Like E. radicans, the hybrid is continually pushing roots from the stem, and should be dealt with as recommended for that species. Five or six shoots should be potted together in the compost recommended for Epidendrums. The plants grow and flower well in pans suspended from the roof rafters of an intermediate house. Calanthe. — Deciduous Galanthes that have been kept dry and resting since passing out of flower should be potted just before the new roots begin to push from the young growths. All the old-rooting materials should be shaken from the roots, which should be shortened, leaving them a sufficient length to hold the pseudo-bulbs firm in the new compost. The back pseudo-bulb should be removed, leaving only the one of tlie previous vear with the new shoot. The plants may be potted singly in 48 or 32 pots, or several may be placed in larger pots if specimens are required. In potting, keep the base of the pseudo-bulbs an inch below the rim of the pots, as the plants will require a plentiful supply of water when in full growth. A suitable putting mixture is composed of three parts good fibrous loam, from which the small particles have been removed, one part dried cow manure broken up small, and oak leaves, adding some crushed crocks, charcoal, and a little bone meal. The plants should be watered very sparingly until the new roots have grown well into the compost. Where a house is not specially set apart for Calanthes, they may be grown in an ordinary plant stove or Melon house. They re- quire plenty of heat and atmospheric moisture, and should not be exposed too much to the sun's rays. The back pseudo-bulbs may be employed for purposes of propagation by placing them in pans filled with crocks, till they break into growth, when they may be potted. They should develop good pseudo-bulbs by the end of the season. PUBLIC PARKS AND GARDENS. By Chief Officer. Provision of Land for Picnics, &c. — A Parks Department which is fortunate enough to possess land some little distance beyond its city boundaries is generally able to cater very effectively for the requirements of picnic parties and school children's summer treats. It is gener- ally recogni.-;ed that the provision of land for this purpose is becoming a growing necessity, as year by year the difficulties which school autho- rities find in obtaining suitable places for their summer outings are so great that many have had to abandon them altogether. One Parks De- partment with which I am acquainted purchased a number of years ago a fairly large farm on the outskirts of the city as an open space. No at- tempt has been made to lay it out as a public park, and to-day the hedges and fences are just as they were when it was occupied and worked as a farm, and it still retains all the appearances of a dairy farm. W'hen first purchased, one or two schools in the town took advantage of the opportunities offered and held their treats in the- fields. Last year some 14 or 15 schools made use of them for this purpose, and no doubt before another 10 years are past double that number will be very glad of the opportunity of using them in the same way. Land somewhat further afield would, however, be more appreciated on such occasions, for, being so near the town, it is- visited by thousands of young people every week, w'ho play their games there, and in this way it does not savour so much of the country as would be the case were it a longer distance away. Although few who are not intimately acquainted with the inner workings of a municipality are aware of it, the majority of towns of even an ordinary size possess more or less large tracts of land in districts sometimes considerably removed from their own boundaries. Often for the sake of securing an unlimited supply of pure water, a township finds it necessary to purchase the free- hold of hundreds of acres of land, comprising a good watershed. Sometimes, also, for the pur- pose of supplying a demand for small holdings, councils have to buy up large farms, and in these two ways become possessed of property in the very heart of the country. Unfortunately, from the" nature of these possessions it would be quite out of the question to use them as a rendezvous for picnicers. Any land set aside for this would have to be purchased for this purpose alone. Land need not be of any agricultural value to be of incalculable value to" the people as a country playground, and it should, therefore, be possible to purchase suitable sites at very reasonable prices. Neither would there be any necessity to allow the land always to lie idle, for it should be quite easy to let it out for grazing purposes, and in this way secure a certain amount of income, which might help very considerably in the neces- sary upkeep. That a scheme for providing land for" the purpose set out above comes within the range of practical park politics is clearly shown by the fact that several large cities already pos- sess property which, if not exactly set aside for this specific purpose, is mainly used for it. Lon- don is. of course, one of these fortunate cities, and the thousands of Londoners who every year make use of Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches, and the various heaths and commons which lie within the 25-mile radius from the City, provide an eloquent testimony to the value of these resorts to the inhabitants of London. 138 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [ilAECH 2, 1912. EDITORIAL NOTICE. AUVERT13EA4ENTS should be sent to the PUB- LISHER, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, W.C. Apcclal Notice to Correspondents.— TAe Editors do not undertake to ptty jor any contributions or illustrations, or te retitrn unused communications or illustrations, unless by special arrangement. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible /or any opinions expressed by their correspon- dents. Illustrations. - The Editors wilt be glad to receive and to select photographs or drawings, suitable for reproduction, of gardens, or of remarkable plants, Jlowers, trees, &c., but they cannot be responsible for loss or injury. APPOINTMENTS FOR MARCH. SATURDAY, MARCH 2— Soc. Franijaise d'Hort. de Londres meet. TUESDAY, MARCH 5— Roy. Hort. Soc. Corns, meet and Spring Bulb Sh. (2 days). (Lecture at 3 p.m. by Prof. H. E. Armstrong on "The Stimulation of Plant Growth.") Scottish Hort. Assoc, meet. THURSDAY, MARCH 7— Linnean Soc. meet. Manchester and N. of England Orchid Soc. meet. MONDAY, MARCH 11— U. H. Ben. and Prov. Soc. Ann. Meet, at 8 p.m. THURSDAY, MARCH 14- Roy. Hort. Soc. Exh. of South African Products, includ- ing Cereals [H days). North of England Hort. Soc. meet at Bradford. TUESDAY, MARCH 19— Roy. Hort. Soc. Coins, meet. (Lecture at 3 p.m. by Mr. H. B. May on " Fern^.") WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20- Roy. Meteorological Soc. meet. (Lecture by Dr. Pettersson.) THURSDAY, MARCH 21— Perpetual-fiovvermg Carnation Soc. Sb. at R.H.S. Hall, Westminster (2 days). Linnean Soc. meet. Manchester Orchid Soc. meet. TUESDAY, MARCH 26— Bournemouth Spring Fl. Sh. (2 days), WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27- Roy. Hort. Soc. General Exam. Liverpool Hort. Assoc. Sh. (2 days). Roy. Botanic Soc. meet. THURSDAY, MARCH 28— Torquay Dist. Gaid. Assoc. Spring Fl. Sh. SATURDAY, MARCH 30— Soc. Frant^aise d'Hort. de Londres Ann. Dinner, Average Mean Temperature for the ensuing week deduced from observations during the last Fifty Years at Greenwich— 40*8°, Actual Temi-frai ures : — London. — Wednesday^ February 2S {6 F.M.): Max. 59''; Min. 50". Gardenets' Chronicle Office, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London — Thursday, February 29 (10 A.M.) ; Bar. 29-8°; Temp. 54°; Weather— Dull. Provinces. — Wednesday, February 28: Max 54° Cam- bridge ; Min. 48" Scotland, N. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY— Rose Trees, Fruit Trees, Perennials, Liliums, Trained Bay Trees, Palms, &c., at 12.30, at Stevens's Auction Rooms, 38, King Street, Covent Garden, London. MONDAY AND FRIDAY— Haidy Bulbs in Variety. Herl aceous and Border Plants, at 12; Roses and Fruit Tiees, at 1.30; at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.G., by Protheroe & Morris. WEDNESDAY— Perennials and Herbaceous Plantr, Hardy Bulbs, &c. , at 12; Roses and Fruit TrLCs, at 1.30; Palms and Plants, at 5 ; Trade Sale of Miscellaneous Bulbs, at 12 ; Japanese Lilies in CaseF, at 2.30; at 67 & 68, Cheap- side, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris. The " wonderful year" 1911 and has left its mark on all Ornamental forms of vegetation. Shy ^i9^^i '" seeders bore seed profusely ; late-flowering plants proved precocious ; drought scorched and de- stroyed whole hosts of plants ; nor were the trees, those members of the vegetable kingdom which are generally less obviously dependent on weather and seasonal con- ditions, immune from the effects, good and bad, of the exceptional summer. These effects will have in the coming season their after-effects, hence it is well to recall in general terms some of the more salient features of the tree- vegetation in 1911. The following re- marks are based upon observations made by Mr. A. P. Long in Gloucestershire, Somersetshire, Devonshire, and in the neighbourhood of Cambridge. At the beginning of spring the continued frosts, cold winds and generally wintry conditions affected Elms in particular, especially Ulmus montana, U. glabra, and the Huntingdon Elm. M.any flowers were produced, but only small quantities of the fruit developed properly, and the percentage of germination was very low in the seed that did mature. In Larch, Poplars and Willows the same effect was less marked, and the crop of Larch cones was fair on the whole. Pop- lars and Willows are generally propagated by cuttings and sets, and we are apt to forget that these trees reproduce them- selves by seed ; yet in one nursery about 200 seedlings of Populus nigra are raised annually. Birches produced but little good seed, whilst Alders were remarkably prolific in most cases. The warm weather which set in soon after Easter brought out flowers of the Oaks as early as the first week in May. Those of Sweet Chestnut, Beech, Walnut, Pterocarya, Horse Chestnut, Sycamore, and Maple soon followed. All of these produced abundant flowers, and were in most cases very successful in maturing large quantities of fruit. Hence there were abundant crops of fruit, especially of the Oaks, Sweet Chestnut, Sycamore and Maples, providing a chance for foresters that probably will not recur for some years to come. Beech was an exception in the south and Midlands of England, where the most produced was very poor in quality. There were only small quantities of Ash " keys," except on young trees. Cyclonia cathayensis fruited in tlitt sum- mer for the first time at Tortworth Court, in Gloucestershire. Alder fruits were late in ripening, but Larch cones were mature in a great many cases as early as the second week in September. Cypresses and Thuyas produced large quantities of fruits, but many of them, like the Acorns and Chestnuts, fell early. The effects of the long-continued drought and heat greatly influenced vegetative growth, especially in the case of recently- planted, broad-leaved trees, which had to contend with coarse grasses, brambles, and other rivals. Everywhere broad- leaved species suffered more from priva- tion in early life than Conifers For example, at Portbury, Bristol, on the Ashton Court estate, a plantation, five years old, of Conifers and broad- leaved species, consists of three equal areas. One plot was formerly an old mixed wood, which was felled and later replanted with Chestnut. Adjoining this is another plot, which was an old pasture, but is now planted also with pure Chestnut. A third adjoining plot, also an old pasture, was planted with a mixture of Scots Pine, European Larch, Oak. Ash and Beech. The Chestnuts on the plot where there is no grass are healthy and vigorous, with an average height of 4| feet to 5 feet, and were in no way affected by the drought. On the second plot, where there is a considerable growth of grass, the Chestnuts are stunted in growth, averaging li feet to 2i- feet high, sickly in appearance, and many died from drought. On the third plot, where there is also a good deal of grass, the Conifers made good growth in height, aver- aging 45 feet to 5 feet, and were un- affected by the drought ; whereas the broad-leaved species mixed with them are in the same condition as the Chestnuts just referred to, reaching only I5 feet to 2 feet high. In this plot Ash suffered least and Beech most of the broad-leaved species. The plantation has a north aspect. This fact raises another interesting point worthy of further investigation. In every case noted this year trees planted on the north side of a slope succeeded better than those on the south side. On the Conti- nent, even old woods and forests with a north aspect are much more vigorous in growth and produce a larger volume of timber than those with a south aspect. It would be instructive to see how far this applies to England, and to obtain figures relating to the comparative value of aspect. In many places the drought killed a great number of plants both in young and older plantations ; and in some cases total replanting will be necessary. Two not- able e.xceptions, however, may be noticed. At Culford, near Bury St. Edmunds, land previous to planting is ploughed to a depth of about 16 inches with a forest plough. The extra cost of tillage is amply repaid, as there were scarcely any fatalities amongst the plants, even on coarse sand. In the neighbourhood of Bristol, on very shallow soil overlying hard rock, and even in the rock itself, planting is done in holes made by a mattock, and filled with soil. Under these conditions plants suc- ceeded last year where others of the same age near them in a good depth of soil were completely parched. In many cases, plants so treated are the only specimens remaining alive on the whole area. Many species of Japanese trees suffered much from the drought. Young plan- tations in the south-west of England containing Japanese Larch (Larix lepto- lepis) were dotted here and there with scarlet tints due to parched and dead trees of this species. It appears that this was generally the case with most planta- tions of this tree that are under 10 years of age. The Japanese Larch is evidently unsuitable for planting on hot or dry banks, especially tl)ose having a south as- pect. The trees bear a greater quantity of foliage when young than the European species, and probably on this account make a greater demand on the water contained in the soil. The European species suffered very little from drought in the past season, and when it did suffer it made a more rapid recovery on the ter- mination of the drought. Cryptomeria japonica and some Japan- ese Maples were similarly overcome in not a few localities. YtJting Beech plants almost everywhere were killed or suHered greatly, but Pedunculate Oak, Elms and Sycamore survived the ordeal better. The Sessile Oak, Ash, Sweet Chest- nut and Norway Maple made good growth Makch 2, 1912. J THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 139 in many cases and withstood the drought, the best being the broad-leaved species. Of the Conifers, Scots Pine suffered little, whilst the Corsican Pine flourished remarkably. The latter tree is a very valuable species for planting in hot, dry places, as it resists drought well, grows at an enormous pace and yields valuable timber. Apart from the fact that Spruce and Larch should never be planted together on account of their intimate connection in the spread of aphis attacks, which probably are followed by Larch canker, there is another reason against this mix- ture, which was noticed last season. In every case where the two species have been planted side by side, the Larch suf- fered badly from drought, owing to the large quantities of moisture absorbed by the superficial root-system of the Spruce, which suffered little. Thuya gigantea, Cupressus Lawsoniana and Birch showed themselves capable of adaptation to either moist or dry con- ditions. In older plantations the effects were not so marked. Larch, in mixture with Beech or Chestnut, suffered less than when grown pure or mixed with other Conifers. Many old stag-headed trees of Oak, Elm and Beech did not survive the dry season. As many ponds and small streams were dry during last year for the first time for a long period, some of the older Willows and Alders in such places lacked moisture and died or, at the least, suffered. General remarks upon premature leaf- fall cannot be made, as trees were affected differently in this respect even in the same locality. The Lime, however, seemed to be the least affected, for most trees of this species preserved their foli- age until the usual time. In the nursery those plants which were " lined out " in late winter or early spring throve much better than those transplanted later, as they were able to establish themselves before the warm weather began. Beech seedlings showed this plainly in many instances. Nursery plants withstood the drought much better than those in young plantations, no doubt owing to the deeper cultivation of the nursery soil. Parasitic diseases and insect pests were not generally very troublesome during the hot weather. Aphis, Pine-weevil and Larch canker attacks were rare and less virulent than usual. Pine-beetle, how- ever, was abundant in some places. Our Supplementary Illustration. — Vuccas rarely enjoy so favourable a season as I hat of last summer, when the flowering of the plants was a common occurrence in all parts of the country. In the Supplementary Illustration us shown a single plant of Yucca gloriosa in the gardens at Upper Hall, Ledbury, the residence of W. A. H. Martin, Esq. It developed no fewer than 18 fine spikes of bloom. Mr. A. C. Matthews, the gardener, informs us that the plant has a girth of 45 feet, some of the in- dividual branches being as much as 20 inches in circumference. The plant is growing on elevated ground, and is sheltered on the north side, but is fully exposed to the south. Yucca gloriosa is a favourite plant for town garden- ing, and in suburban districts it is commonly employed as a centrepiece to the garden fore- court, taking the place of the conventional vase. The flowers are white or pale creamy grey. Professor Bateson on Genetics. — In the last lecture of his course, professor Bateson again laid stress on the difficulties of applying the theory of natural selection in a vast number of cases of specific variation. If it is to natural selection that specific characters are due, then it is evident that when two nearly allied species inhabit contiguous areas we should expect to find transitional forms in the intermediate districts. But, as a rule, a mongrel population is found, consisting of hybrids, as in the case of Lychnis dioica and L. vespertina, and of the American butterflies Basilarchia astyanax and B. artherais. In many cases, the forms inhabiting contiguous areas seem to be adaptive; for example, the mountain forms of many species of plants, as distinct from the lowland forms. In a gradual Fig. 56. — kuyal international horti- cultural EXHIBITION. (Cup p'.est;nt..d by ihe Koyal HocticuUucal Society of he.and.) passage from one set of conditions to another, such as exists in ascending the high Alps, it might be expected that a series of transitional forms would be found. But, in general, two distinct forms occur, and the problem is, how has the change from one to the other come to pass. Although it is rare to find intermediate popula- tions, on the other hand there are cases that seem to fit in with orthodox views on the subject. For instance, in Egeria, the speckled wood butter- fly, there are three European forms. The com- mon English form is yellow. In Spain, and as far north as Poitiers, in France, a brown form occurs, and further north w-e come to a form intermediate between the two, which extends through Brittany and the Channel Islands. This case Professor Bateson considered to be one of the most striking he could give of a transitional form occupying an intermediate area. Y'^et by breeding experiments he had found that the intermediate type is produced by the cross be- tween the northern and southern forms. So that the intermediate population might be ac- counted for by the crossing of the two types. and the absence of segregation in the hybrids. Further investigations into this case are neces- sary before a positive statement can be made. Having reviewed, in these lectures, many of the difficulties which prevent the acceptance of the theory of natural selection as an explanation of the processes by which evolution has come to pass. Professor Bateson said that, nevertheless the great mass of evidence leads to the belief that evolution has taken place. Historical ex- amples of evolution are rare, but in the phe- nomenon of mechanism there are some interesting cases. For instance, quite recently several of the British moths have given rise to black forms, and these are gradually ousting the older types. In the case of the pepper moth a black form ap- peared near Manchester in the first half of the 19th century, and it has spread northwards, and as far south as the London district. It has also become established on the Continent, in the neighbourhood of certain large towns, and it has been suggested that the black colour has a sur- vival value, where smoke has blackened the siu-- roundings. Nevertheless in certain completely rural districts in England there exist strong colonies of the black form. Again, in the case of the Honeybird, Ccci-eba, in the West Indian Islands, the black form, which was first noticed in the 'seventies, has nearly replaced the yellow form. Yet it cannot be said that the dark colouring has any special survival value. The Flowering of the Almond. — The first (lowers on a tree situated in a favourable position in Wandsworth, five miles south-west of London, expanded fully last Saturday, the 24th ult. Pre- vious dates for the flowering of this tree are .March 11 last year; March 12, 1910; April 1, 1909; March 23, 1908; March 20, 1907; Febru- ary 28, 1906; March 7, 1905; and March 21, 1904. Royal Horticultural Society.— The next meeting of the Committees of this Society will bo held on Tuesday, the 5th inst. On this occasion there wiU be a special exhibiton of Spring Bulbs, which will be continued on the 6th inst. At 3 p.m. on the 5th inst. a lecture on " Stimulation of Plant Gi-owth " will be delivered by Prof. Armstrong, F.R.S., LL.D. New Class fortheR.H.S. DaffodilShow. — In connection with the Daffodil Show to be held at the Royal Horticultural HaU, West- minster, on April 16 and 17, Mr. Chester Jay Hunt, of Montclair, New Jersey, has offered £1 10s., £1, and 10s., as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prizes, in ai> open class for six varieties of Leedsii Daffodils, distinct, three stems of each, the varieties shown to cost not more than two guineas per 100 bulbs. Royal International Horticultural Exhibition. — We are indebted to Sir Frederick MoORfi for the opportunity of illustrating the Cup (see fig. 55) to be presented by the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland at the Royal International Exhibition next May for the best exhibit of flowering and foliage plants arranged for effect in a space not exceeding 400 square feet. The cup is a copy of a celebrated piece of Irish plate known as the Moira Cup, and was manufactured by Messrs. West & Son, Dublin. Leaf Curl. — This common fungus disease of Peach trees, grown out-of-door.'- is said by Professor L. C^sae {Tht Canadian Horti- culturist, vol. 35, No. 1, January 1912) to be capable of control by the use of i'lme sulphur spray. The spray fluid to be effective should be of ordinary strength, 1 pint of the commercial wash to 10 pints of water, and must be apphed early in the spring before the buds have begun to swell. 140 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 2, 1912. Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institu- tion.—iSir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., will preside ■ at the 73rd aruiiversary festival' dinner iu aid of the funds of the Gai-deners' Royal Benevolent Institution on June 25, at the Grocers' Hall, City, kindly lent by the Guild. Ladies wiU be welcomed. Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund. — Sir Edwin Durning-Lawrenoe, Bart., will preside at the 24th ajmual dinner iu aid of this fund, which has been arranged to take place at the Hotel Cecil on Wednesday, May 8 next. National Dahlia Society. — A Dahlia, Con- ference will be held by tliis society at Carr's Restaurant, Strand, on Friday, March 8, at 6.30 p.m. Mr. G. Gordon, V.M.H., will preside. Mr. George Davidson will read a paper on " The Cultivation of the Dahlia iu Suburban Gardens," and Mr. J. B. Riding one on " Collarette, Paeony-flowered, and Decorative Dahlias." Members of the society and others interested in the Dahlia are invited to send ques- tions before the conference to the Hon. Secre- tary, Mr. E. F. Hawes, Ulysses, Fortune Green, Hampstead. The questions will be answered at the meeting after the papers have been read. North of England Horticultural Society This Society has arranged to hold shows of spring flowers at the Central Baths, Bradford, on Thursday, March 14, and in the Corn E.xchange, Leeds, on Wednesday, April 24. Delegates wUl also attend the Liverpool Spring Show on March 27 and 28. Particulars may be obtained from the Secretary, Rev. J. Bernaud Hall, Rawdon, Leeds. Compulsory Spraying. — The State of Ohio, U.S.A., has passed a law, which comes into force in May, requiring all orchards in which there are 10 or more trees to be sprayed at least once between November 1 and April 30. The pre- paration used must be such as will destroy San Jose, oyster shell, and scurfy scale. A fine of 25 to 100 dollars is to be imposed for each year spraying is not performed. Kew Guild "Journal." — Although this Journal is concerned only with the doings of Kew men, it will be read with interest by every gardener. The frontispiece of the issue for 1911-1912 is a portrait of Mr. R. A. RoLFE, accompanied by a biographical note of this well-known orchidist. The family affairs of the guild include accounts of the amiual meeting and dinner, also the records of the Mutual Improvement Society and sports clubs. Kew has a more cosmopolitan character than any other garden in the world, and the notes from old Kewites contributed from remote quarters of the globe are always interesting. It is not surprising to find that Kew was well represented at the recent Coronation festivities in India. Mr. A. E. P. Griessen, writing from Durbar Gardens, Delhi, states : " JonNSON came up from Calcutta, 900 miles, to lay out the Government of India and Bengal camps ; Little from Bombay, 950 miles, to attend to the Government of Bombay camp ; Krl'meiegel from Mysore, 1,500 miles, Cavanagh from Baroda, 800 miles, to carry out their respective camps ; Mustoe, from Lahore, 500 miles, to bring the Punjab carhp to its- beauti- ful setting. Leslie from Nagpore also turned up for the Central Provinces camp, and Head from Allahabad. Locke, who is resident here, had his share of the work to attend to, that which appertained to the local authorities. As to myself . . . our biggest undertakings were the laying out of three polo grounds, review ground, where fully 2,000,000 men could he paraded, and the great amphitheatre, where the Durbar was held." Truly a good share in this great epoch-making festival. The CJuild mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished mem- bers in the death of Sir Joseph Hooker, who built Kew gardens on foundations laid by his father. Sir William Hooker. L.C.C. Parks. — The Education Committee of the London County Council recently agreed to co-operate with the Parks Committee by selecting annually four boys from the public elementary schools for employment iu the London parks. The head teacher of each provided and non-provided school in London will be invited to nominate one boy ; the final selection being made by a sub-committee of the Education Com- mittee. Candidates must be at least 14 years of age on JIarch 31 in the year of nomination, and they must be healthy and of good general physique, and free from any physical defect. Applications must be supported by the recom- mendation of head teachers in respect of intelli- gence, conduct, industry, and dexterity in handi- craft, and parents (or guardians) of candidates will be required to sign a declaration that they intend the candidates, if successful, to become boy labourers and to remain in the Parks Depart- ment of the Council's service. Cambridge Agricultural Monographs. — In view of the rapid development of agricultural science in this and other countries, and the great variety of publications through which results are scattered, it is becoming more and more difficult for any one individual to keep abreast of recent work, or to appraise, at its true value, any par- ticular paper not in his own branch. The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press are about to issue a series of monographs, to be called the Farm Institute Series, each of which is to contain a summary of the present position of some particular aspect or branch of agricultural science by an expert of acknow- ledged authority. The general editors of the series will be Professor T. B. Wood, School of Agriculture, Cambridge, and Dr. E. J. Russell, Rothamsted Experimental Station, Harpenden. Sulphur for Use with Copper-contain- ing Spray Fluids. — Sulphur suspended in water to which soft soap is added has the drawback, when used for mi.xing with copper sulphate or Bordeaux mi.xture, of not being wettable by the metallic salts. Messrs. Vermorel and Danbury (C. R. Ac. So., Paris, cliii., p. 194) recommend instead of soap the use of a solution of oleic acid — the oleine of commerce — made by dis- solving 200 cc. (about ^ pint) in two litres (3^- pints) of methylated spirits. This solution serves to wet about 200 lbs. of sulphur. Chesterfield Chrysanthemum Society. — At the annual meeting, held on the 20th ult., it was unanimously decided to wind up this society. W. F. Hewitt, Esq., the hon. treasurer, pre- sented the audited accounts, which were adopted, showing a balance in hand of £21 6s. 3d. On the proposal of W. T. G. Burr, Esq., it was decided to distribute this amount as follows : — £10 to the Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund, £5 5s. to the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution, and the remainder to the Chesterfield Hospital. The fol- lowing sums have been given to charities since the formation of the society in 1893 : — Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund, £231 lis. 6d. ; Gar- deners' Royal Benevolent Institution, £184 16s. ; Chesterfield Hospital, £85 ; and for placing seats in Queen's Park, Chesterfield, &c., £25 15s. 3d. INIany regrets were expressed by the members that it was no longer possible to successfully continue the show. Vegetable Growing in Canada. — A corre- spondent in jf'/ic Canadian Ilorlicullurist states that the culture of vegetables in Canada is entirely different to the method practised ia Great Britain, "the climatic, customs of the comitry, manner of growing, and marketing are all different." He recommends newcomers to learii the business for a year or two with some grower in the colony. After gaining experience, a capital of from 500 to 1,000 dollars is necessary to carry on a market garden in the colony for vegetable growing. The Coldest Spot on Earth. — Though more than one region might put in a good claim for this distinction, there appears to be good ground for awarding the palm — a most inappro- priate reward — so far as inhabited regions are ' concerned — to the Siberian settlement of Wer- chojanst, which is situated in about 68° north latitude. According to a writer in the Standard, the thermometer, during the three winter months, never marks more than — 24.3°C.^ about 76° of frost in the Fahrenheit scale, and occasionally registers more tlian 100° of frost. Yet in spite of these rigours Wer- chojanst is sui'rounded by forest trees — Conifers, which possess a power of resistance to extreme cold unsurpassed by any other form of vegeta- tion, except perhaps the microscopic plants which flourish in the oceans of the Arctic regions The Phosphate Nutrition of Plants. — Cultures of Oats and Peas provided with phos- phates of different kinds, namely, ferric phos- phate, alimiinium phosphate, and cakiiun phosphate, appear to show that the two former compounds are far more effective phosphatic fertilisers than is calcium phosphate. The ex- periments were made by Mr. Allan Baguley, and the results, which are published in the Journal of Agricxdtural Science (January 3,. 1912) show that, whereas pot plants of Oats- and Peas grown with ferric or aluminium phos- phate made good growth, those supplied, with calcium phosphate either germinated badly and died (Oats) or made but puny plants (Peas). It should be observed, however, that in the case of Peas, super-phosphate gave better results than- either ferric or aluininiuni phosphate, though the latter fertilisers proved the better in the case of Oats. It would seem worth while experi- menting with these phosphates on lawns which are deficient in phosphatic compounds. Tomato-leaf Rust.— An illustrated account of this disease is given in the current number of the Journal of the Board of Agriculture. This troublesome jiest is well known in this country to growers of Tomatos under glass, and it is pre- valent also in otlier countries of Europe and in the United States. The disease is due to the fungus Cladosporium fulvum (see Gard. Chron., October 29, 1887, figs. 106, 107). It attacks the' leaves, stem, and fruit of the Tomato plant, the leaves being particularly liable to injury. The fungus first appears on the leaves in the form of spots, which increase in size and become darker in colour. The spores are produced in enormous numbers on the under-surface of the leaves, to- which they give a rust-coloured appearance. Th« disease spreads with great rapidity. Spraying should be done in the earliest stages of attack, or it will be of little use. The need of covering the entire surfaces of the plants with the fungicide is emphasised, and, consequently, repeated applica- tions of the spraying fluid are advised. Growers are recommended to use Bordeaux Mixture at half-strength when the plants are young, and liver of sulphur, 1 ounce in 4 gallons of water, when flowers and fruit are present. It may be noted that, although this disease is known amongst growers as Tomato " rust," the fungus causing it is not related to rust fungi proper. March 2, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 141 Children and Gardening. — Two hundred pupils at the Southfield Road Council Schools, Bedford Park, London, are at present growing bulbs, which will be exhibited at the flower show to be arranged by the head-master of the school. Nitrogen in Rain Water. —Careful esti- mates of the amount of nitrogen compounds (am- monia and nitrates) in rain made by J. Hudig at the Experiment Station, Groningen, Netherlands, and published in the Journal of Agricultural Science {iv., January 3, 1912), show that, with an average rainfall of 23 inches, only about 50 lbs. of nitrogen per acre are deposited Ijy rain during the year. "The Scottish Botanical Review.'* — We extend a hearty welcome to this new quarterly magazine, the first number of which was pub- lished recently. We are pleased to observe that, whilst the interests of " pure " botany are not neglected, space is found for a contribution on applied botany, a subject which, in this country, has no special journal. The article to where wind and heavy snow prevail. Evidently, therefore, planters must take these facts into consideration when selecting seed or planting seedlings in any given locality. The Wheat and Oat Crops. — The BiiUctin of Agricultural Statistics for February, which has just been published by the International Institute of Agriculture, contains preliminary returns of the Wheat and Oats harvests in the Southern Hemisphere. The crop of Wheat is esti- mated in Argentina at 91,348,000 cwts. ; Chili, 20,662.000 cwts. : Australia, 40,357,000 cwts. ; New Zealand, 3,475,000 cwts. ; or, expre.ssed in percentages of last year's production in the in- dividual countries, these figures work out at 125.1, 106.9, 79.2, and 78.4 respectively. If to these figures be added the Wheat production of the Northern Hemisphere in 1911, as published in last month's Bulletin for the following coun- tries : Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, France, Great Britain and Ireland, Hungary, Italy, Luxemburg, Norway, Netherlands, Roumania, Ru.ssian Empire, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, United States, Fig. 57 — eucharis grandiflora as cultivated at kelsey park. which we refer consists of the presidential ad- dres.s delivered by Dr. A. W. Borthwick before the Botanical Society of Edinburgh in November of last year. Dr. Borthwick points out in the course of his paper many of the various direc- tions m which botanical science may be made of service to horticulture and agriculture. Thus, the study of the plant in relation to its surround- ings, now known as ecology, has led to dis- coveries of practical importance to foresters, and may be expected to be of yet greater value in the near future. In illustration of the practical value of applied ecology, Dr. Borthwick men- tions KiENiTz's investigations into the shapes and types of the Scots Pine. This observer has demonstrated that two well-marked types of Scots Pine exist and that each breeds true. The one, a strong-branched, strong-crowned tree, is the typical Scotch form. The other, slender and pyramidal, occurs generally in the Baltic pro- vinces. Each of the two types is specially fitted for certain localities. The Scotti.'ih type holds its own best in milder regions ; the Baltic type is the better adapted to more rigorous conditions, • No. 1, January, 1912. (Edinburgh : Neill & Co.) 2s. Cd. India, Japan, Algeria, Egypt, Tunis, and a total Wheat production of 1,845,203,000 cwts. is ob- tained, which is 99.5 per cent, of the production in 1910. The production of Maize in Argentina is estimated at 137,750,000 cwts. as against 13,775,000 cwts. last year, when an abnormally low yield was obtained owing to the drought. The area sown to Wheat during the autumn of 1911 in Belgium, France, Great Britain, Hun- gary, Roumania, and Japan is greater than that sown during the corresponding period of 1910, but that sown in Spain, Canada, United States, and India is less than in the autumn of 1910. The condition of the winter cereal crops in the Northern Hemisphere is good. Publications Received.— yl Guide to the- National Insurance Act, 1911, by H. Wippell Gadd. (London : Eliingham Wilson.) Price Is. net. — The Complete Gardener, by H. H. Thomas, (London : Casscll & Co., Lt'l.) Price 10s. 6d — Everybody's Gardening Book, by the Editor of Garden Life. (Loudon : Garden Life Press.) Price Is. — Monthly Reminders, by Leslie Greening. (London : Agricultural and Horticultural Association.) Price Id. — Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland. Eighty-second Annual Report, with Statement of Accounts for 1911. {DubMfl.'-.G»-P. Healy, 23, Lower Ormond Quay.) — The Hardy Plant Society's Year Book, 1912. (Burnley ; The Horticultural Printing Co.) Price Is. 3d. post free. —Board of Agriculture and Fisheries. Agricultural Statistics ; Returns of Produce of Crops in Great Britain. (London : Wyman & Sons, Ltd.) Price lid. — Official Cata- logue of Sweet Pea Names, 1912. (National Sweet Pea Society. Secretary, Chas. H. Curtis, Adelaide Road, Brentford.) Price 6d. EUCHARIS GRANDIFLORA. Eucharis grandiflora is an old plant in gardens, where it is commonly known as E. ainazonica. It forms an excellent subject for the stove, and the beautiful white blossoms are produced at a season when flowers are scarce, making them specially valuable. We are indebted to Mr. Mark Webster, Kelsey Park Gardens, Beckenham, for the opportunity of illustrating the magnificent specimen shown in fig. 57. Our correspondent contributes the fol- lowing particulars : " The plant is six feet in diameter and it produced 35 spikes, with an average of five blooms to each. It was grown from a small specimen, and has been planted in loam mixed with old mortar siftings. Some years ago the plant was badly attacked by Eucharis mite, showing distinct red streaks above and below the soil on the leaf-stalks ; but repeated applications of lime water gave good results, and further trouble was prevented by adopting a different rooting medium, no leaf-mould or manure being used in the compost. The plant flowers twice a year ; it is placed in extra heat some six weeks before the blooms are required. During active growth the plant is provided with an abundant supply of moisture, and weak liquid manure is afforded throughout the flower- .ing and growing periods. When growth is com- complete rest. Perfect drainage is essential to IRELAND. SWEET PEAS. I HAVE been asked by a well-known English contributor to the Gardeners' (,'hronicle what I, as an Irish gardener and exhibitor of Sweet Peas, believed to be the best 12 varieties. The following is my selection : — Moneymaker, white ; Clara Curtis, cream ; Doris Usher, pink and cream ; Stirling Stent, orange ; Helen Lewis, -salmon ; Flora Norton, blue ; Nubian, maroon ; Mrs. W. J. Unwin, white and orange ; Earl Spencer, orange-pink ; Hon. Mrs. E. Kenyon, primrose; Countess Cadogan, deep blue; and Paradise Ivory, ivory-pink. For Moneymaker could be substituted Dorothy Eckford, as there is not much to choose between these two white RECLAIMING BOG LAND. The following letter is from Mr. G. B. Thompson, formerly gardener for a great num- ber of years at Calderwood Castle, Lanarkshire, Scotland, and who has made bog-reclaiming one of his chief studies for the past 12 years. "Ad- joining my garden was a plot of bog land about 1 acre in extent. I had the whole drained, and the Heather cut and burned, preparatory to turning it into orchard land. Holes were then dug in rows made 12 feet apart, and spaces of 10 feet were allowed between the holes in the rows. They were made 4 feet deep, and 5 and 6 feet wide, being afterwards filled with road scrapings mixed with old pasture. These materials being placed firmly in the holes to within 1 foot of the ground level. The trees were ready, and planting was commenced on January 21, 19C0, the orchard being wholly planted by the following year. After planting I mulched the trees with farmyard manure." j\lr. Thompson and myself tried this mefhod of reclamation in a small way some time before. I planted fruit trees in the same way on the same sort of land, and this orchard would be hard to surpass for abundant fruiting, freedom from disease, and general good condition of the trees. W. A. Maxwell, Coolfin, Banagher, King's Co. 142 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [M.UICH 2, 1912. KEW NOTES. LONICERA FRAGRANTISSIMA AND L. STANDISHII. The mild winter has been favourable to early- flowering shrubs. Prominent amongst these at Kew, Lonicera fragrantissima and L. Standishii, two Chinese Honeysuckles, introduced by Robert Fortune, have flowered especially well. From a superficial examination there appears to be very little, if any, difference between the two species, but growers familiar with both plants distinguish them as follows : — L. fragrantissima, semi-evergreen, except in very severe winters, leaves short and round in comparison, mature leaves glabrous, flowers slightly larger and a little later in flowering ; L. Standishii, deciduous, leaves ovate-lanceolate, very hairy beneath, flowers in December and January. Although comparatively small the flowers of both species are freely produced and deliciously fragrant. They are creamy-white, with a faint tinge of lilac on the outside. A sunny, sheltered spot should be selected for the plants, which, although perfectly hardy, are benefited by a little protection in very severe weather. Mr. E. H. Wilson has sent home from China a variety of L. Standishii, named laneifolia. This plant also has flowered this season in Kew C5ardens. It has narrower, more pointed leaves than the type, and appears to be partly ever- green. A. 0. SCOTLAND. SANQUHAR HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. Mr. J. MiLLiGAN has been appointed secretary of this society in succession to Mr. T. C. Salmon, who has resigned. EDINBURGH CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW. The Chrysanthemum Exhibition of the Scottish Horticultural Association will be held in the Waverley Market on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. November 14, 15 and 15. The heating and proper ventilation of the market having en- tailed a considerable expense, the rent of the building for the show has been increased. THE ARBUTUS IN SOUTH SCOTLAND. Arbutus Unedo is not quite hardy in the South of Scotland. In some places, it is true, it is only killed to the ground in severe winters, and makes fresh growth from the base, whilst in a very few gardens it is satis- factory, and then the ivory-white flowers and scarlet fruits are welcome indeed. The writer has not found the fine A. U. Croomei any hardier than the type, but it is such a fine thing that it is worthy of cultivation, even though subject to being killed to the ground in severe winters. HYMENANTHERA CRASSIFOLIA. This neat little trailing .shrub from New Zea- land fruits but irregularly here, yet it is a useful subject for a little slope in the rock garden. It owes its value to its rigid, trailing, ash-coloured branches, with their small, leathery leaves. The violet-coloured flowers are small and scarcely visible a little distance from the plant. The berries are white, but with me they are not borne freely enough to be effective. Possibly my cultivation is at fault, but my plants are in light, peaty soil, and they have been hardy for several years. GRANT FOR POTATO-GROWING EXPERIMENTS. The Development Commissioners have agreed to give a grant of £20 to Miss E. C. Dudgeon, Lincluden. Dumfries, towards the expenses of her experiments in the growing of Potatos by elec- tricity. They will be continued at Lincluden Mains Farm, Dumfries. Miss Dudgeon's experi- ments with the Cooper-Hewett lamp on plants under glass are still in progress. PRINCES STREET GARDENS, EDINBURGH. The Parks Committee has adopted the report of the sub-committee appointed to con- sider the proposed alterations at Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh. The additional entrances will not be constructed for the present, as it is considered that the railings may be removed from their present position. A FORESTER'S RUBY WEDDING. Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm M'Gregor, Arden Cottages, Arden, have just celebrated their ruby wedding. Mr. M'Gregor, who has thus cele- brated the sixty-fifth year of married life, and his wife, are both in their ninety-second year. He is still able to attend to his work as a forester. HOyE GORRESPONDENGL {The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents.) Proliferous Hyacinth.— I am sending, for your inspection, a photograph of the pink Hyacinth iloreno grown in a glass. The bulb produced six inflorescences, the flowers being all expanded at the same time, and there is still another spike developing. The spikes are from 5 to 5j inches in length, covered with flowers, and the individual blossoms are large and full. I am interested to know if my specimen is a unique one. The growth of the bulb was curious from the start, as si.x of the spikes came out together (not one after the other as is usual) and the foliage came up intermixed with the flower-spikes. The whole had the ap- pearajice of a vase of cut flowers arranged with leaves. The bulb had to be secured to the glass and the flowers tied to each other as they were too heavy to support themselves. I have grown this specimen and others very successfully in glass vases without a glass-house. I put them at the end of September in a dark wardrobe, then after some six weeks they were brought into a cold room to grow slowly, and later stood in a warm room where the blossoms developed. I have another bulb with three flower spikes (Admiral de Ruyter), but the growth is not unusual. M. C. Mawson, 7, Upper Park lioad, Hamp- stead. Spraying for Big Bud.- I am always pleased to read the remarks of A Southern Grower, they are so eminently practical, and it would give me great pleasure at some time to make his acquaint- ance and to visit his plantations. As I have had a somewhat heavy correspondence during the past week upon this subject, I think I cannot do better than foUow out his suggestion to re- writ* briefly in your columns the treatment I have used for Black Currant mite. I use quassia and soft soap, 4 ounces of the former and 2 ounces of soap to the gallon of water, applied with a fountain sprayer, the best implement I know for the purpose, and I conmience to spray as soon as the buds unfold and spray at intervals of 10 days until the first week in June. As your cor- respondent says this covers a period of at least nine weeks and means half a dozen sprayings, which is rather a tall order when the plantation extends to 27 acres. I have never had to deal with an area of this size, the most I have sprayed would be three or four acres. I am careful to point out to correspondents that one or two sprayings are not of much use, for, although they may destroy countless mites, there are multi- tudes more to take the places of the slain, and they are migrating from the end of JIarch till the beginning of June (varying, of course, with the season) ; in a favourable season for spraying, that is, when storms of wind and rain do not prevent the work being done with regularity, the pest ought to be practically got rid of in one year, Ijut if the trees are very badly infested, or the number of sprayings much reduced by bad weather, a ."second season may be needed to effect a cure. I quite agree with A Southern Grower that it is a wise practice to pick off any big buds which may be seen at this time of the year where they are not too numerous, but I have seen gardens in Nottiiifhamshire and plantations in Sussex where this would entail picking off nearly all the buds, an even greater labour than spraying. There may be much excuse for a grower with large plantations studying the cost of getting rid of this pest, but surely in private gardens the owner should either attempt to clean his trees or destroy them, as there can be no doubt that his trees are likely to spread the mite to his neighbour's gardens. If one ex- amines the mites with a powerful glass on a warm day they appear to be standing on their heads with feelers sticking up in the air, and I believe they attach themselves to any bees or other insects visiting the bushes, and are thus carried to fresh fields and pastures new. I fear the above description is not very scientific, but I hope it will be sufficient to call the attention of amateurs to an obvious duty, which is to en- deavour to stamp out this pest. May I in con- clusion ask if any of your readers who have tried this remedy during the past eight years will be good enough to relate their experiences? A. H. Pearson. Larkspurs and Antirrhinums (see p. 91). — The general use of the Antirrhinum as a summer bedding plant synchronised with the appearance ^for a like purpose — of the Larkspur. Each plant has many good qualities in common, and they may successfully be employed in combina- tion. They are suitable for furnishing large beds where a blaze of colour is desired, and there are but few other subjects which will give such satis- factory results in this respect. Particularly effec- tive last season were several large crescent- shaped beds planted with the violet-coloured Larkspur Victoria, with Antirrhinum Fire-King freely intermixed, the beds being finished off with a broad edging of Pelargonium Flower of Spring. Other beds of rose-coloured Larkspur, intjer- mingled with white Antirrjiinum, were scarcely less effective. Other combinations will suggest themselves according to individual taste. The taller-growing varieties of these popular plants should be selected. Pred. W. Jcff'eri/, Woodend Gardens, Renfrewsh ire. SOLANUM JASMiNOiOES. — I have Only seen this plant winter well in South Wales, Minehead, Weston-super-Mare, and' similar western and sea- side places, with the exception of one fine plant reaching the eaves of a house at Englefield Green, Surrey. I should like to know the experience of i^ardeners in inland places in the South and Lower Midlands with respect to the plant's hardi- ness. Harold Evans, Llanishen, Cardiff. Leptospermum bullatum. — This shrub is probably hardier than Mr. Fitzherbert's in- teresting account (see Gard. Chron., Feb- ruary 17, p. 100) of it would indicate, for I have seen fine bushes of it smothered with flowers in North Wales. It has not been my good fortune to meet with specimens as large as those mentioned by Mr. Fitzhefbert, but even the smaller examples I met with in Corn- wall were decidedly ornamental. In colder districts it is very interesting to watch this shrub on the approach of spring. All through the winter the leaves and stems present a dry, withered appearance, and the flower-buds look very like hard seed vessels. To the un- initiated the plants seem doomed, and doubts arise as to its ability to make any fresh growth. But even a few days of genial weather have a wonderful effect ; the leaves become fuller and lose their shrivelled appearance, the flower-buds show more green colouring matter, and in an incredibly short time the erstwhile dying shrub becomes starred with white flowers, the very picture of health and beauty. To hope for suc- cess with Leptospermum bullatum outside the Riviera districts of our islands, a warm, well- drained position is essential, and I am decidedly of the opinion that comoarative dryness at the roots during cold weather is most necessary. This, of course, means that water must be regularlv given during the summer months. A. C. Bartleit. Leptospermum scoparium (see p. 105). — Leptosnermum scoparium is hardy in the gardens of Sir Herbert Maxwell, at Monreith, Wigtown- shire, where it has attained considerable propor- tions, and flowers freely, although not planted against a wall. The climate at Monreith is very mild, but others may well try the plant out-of- doors in places which enjoy a mild winter. S. Arnott. March 2, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 143 The Value of Limestone as a Fertiliser. — On p. 75 Mr. Jolin Smith unreservedly recom- mends limestone in preference to burnt lime. The statement that 1 cwt. of limestone (car- bonate of lime) is worth 2 cwts. of burnt lime is a peculiar one to make, because the latter is re- converted into carbonate of lime before it has been very long in the soil, and it can be dis- tributed throughout the soil as well, if not better than iimastone. My teaching regarding the effects of lime in the soil is contamed in the following general state- ment : — (1) Lime is an essential jjlant food, and of .'special value to leguminous and root crops (Potatos excepted). Burnt lime is no better for this purpose than carbonate of lime (ground limestone, chalk, waste lime, &c.). (2) Lime neutralises scids, and therefore sweetens the soil a.s well as forming useful lime salts with the soil acids. Here, agani, the carbonate of lime is as useful as the burnt lime, because any acid will drive out the carbon-dioxide of the limestone and take its place. (3) Lime is necessary for the formation of nitrate of lime in the soil, which is the chief natural nitrogenous food of plants. The carbonate is better for this purpose than the burnt lime, as the nitrifying bacteria, unlike most others, obtain their carbon from mineral carbonate-s, instead of from organic matter. Sulphate of ammonia is slow in it.s conversion to nitrate of lime unless carbonate of lime iB present. Of course, burnt lime soon becomes carbnnati- again in the soil. (4) Lime sets pota.sh free for plant use, only burnt lime being able to do this. Burnt lime is a rapid breaker up of organic matter, and is therefore very profitable to use on newly-broken up turf, or on peaty soils, or in old gardens that have been heavily manured for many years. It should not, of course, be applied to light .sandy soil, because the object with such soils should be to accumu- late ni'ganic matter, so as to nuike them more retentive. (6) Burnt lime can liberate phosphate of alumina or iron, and bring it back again into the phosphate of lime condition. This frequently happens on heavy land. (7) Lime is a preven- tion of " finger and toe " which revels in sour land. The carbonate will sweeten the land as well as, although much more slowly, than burnt lime. No doubt the latter will "also kill the spores of the disease if these are brought into contact with it in the caustic state. (8) Burnt lime makes clay less adhesive or sticky by flos- culating it. ground limestone will not do this. (9) Burnt lime should not in its fresh state lie brought into contact with living and growing vegetation, such as pastures, because it retards growth, as carbonate, or in compost, it is most valuable. In summing up these considerations, I conclude that the use of ground limestone is to be preferred to burnt lime on light land or poor land that contains very little accumulated organic matter. On the other hand, burnt lime is ])refei-ab!e for use on strong land that has been w-ell firmed or gardened, or on peaty soils. In this district ground limestone is about twice the price per ton of burnt lime, and this is a very important thing to consider. If burnt lime is allowed to slake and stored in the dry it will be i-econverted into carbonate, and will then of course answer the same purpose as ground limestone. 11'. li. Lillh. Ciirlixle. SOCXSTIEIS. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL. Scientific Committee. February 20.— Prr-'mf : yiv. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.L.S. (in the Chair) ; Sir John Llewelyn, Sir Everard im Thurn, Dr. Rendle. Messrs. J. O'Brien, W. Hales. C. E. Shea. G. Massee, G. Gordon, \Y. Cuthbertson, and F. J. Chittenden (hon. sec). Onroba Rotithdijei. — Jlr. Shea remarked with reference to seedlings of this plant, that of 17 raised by him from one fruit 15 were spiny and two quite without spines (see Gard. Chron., figs. 145, 145 and Supplementarv Illustration, Mav 27, 1911). Ccelogync renusta — Sir Frederick Moore Glasnevin, sent an inflorescence of this interest- ing species. It is a native of Yunnan. On the motion of Mr. O'Brien, seconded by iNIr. Shea, it was unanimously resolved to recommend the award of a Botanical Certificate. Violets with branched jnduncUs. — Miss Dalton sent from Sway, Hants., a number of Violets bearing branched peduncles, and ap- parently more or less fasciated. They had been cultivated in the ordinary way, but in some two oi' three specimens double flowers were produced at the ape.x of the common peduncle ; in others the peduncles separated lower down. Several examples of a similar nature have been sent to the Committee during the present season from widely-separated localities, otherwise it appears that Violets are but rarely fasciated. New Oranije. — Mr. H. S. Rivers sent a variety of Orange newly introduced, known as " Ooushin," " Satsuma, " and " Kii Seedless." It is a Japanese variety somewhat like a Man- darin. The somewhat flat fruits shown were from maidens, and the variety is said to be almost hardy, ripening its fruit very early. The skin is thin and deep yellow; the flesh juicy, sweet, and well-flavoured ; quite seedless. One of the caly.x lobes in one fruit was somewhat foliose, an unusual character in the Orange. Pyronia X. — Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons sent a fruit raised from Quince x Pear Bergamotte Esperen." A fruit from this cross has already been shown under the name Pyronia X "John Seden." The present example was borne on a second seedling from the same parent fruit. It was highly aromatic and much more rounded than the fruit previously shown. The flesh was firm and cream in colour, the eye sunken and the cells open, one containing an apparently well-developed seed. ViKeased Tulips. — Messrs. Lowe & Shawyer sent some Tulips having poorly-developed and brown blotched leaves, the vascular tissue being marked with brownish streaks. They were re- ferred to Mr. Massee for further examination. Fvmignlinn with hydrocyanic acid gas. — Mr. Hales referred to some results obtained at Chelsea Physic Garden lately in fumigating with hydrocyanic acid gas. The fumigation had been done on a very dull day, and the houso had not been damped down for two days previous to the operation. The fumigation was with material of ordinary strength, but it had failed to destroy all the mealy bug. and had caus?d considerable injury to many plants, especially those with somewhat succulent leaves, such as Clivias. LECTURE ON SWEET PEAS. The following are extracts from the paper on " New Sweet Peas." read by Mr. W. Cuthbertson at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, on the 20th ult. : — By New Sweet Peas I mean the Waved or Spencer type, first shown by the raiser, Mr. Silas Cole, at that time gardener to Earl Spencer, at the exhibition of the National Sweet Pea Society in London in 1901. The first of this new race was named " Countess Spencer." Writing to me in January of last year, Mr. Cole stated : — " With respect to the origin of ' Countess Spencer,' I will tell you what happened. Being always very fond of Sweet Peas, I turned my attention specially to them in 1898. Tha't summer I crossed the variety Lovely with Triumph, saved the seed, and the following year, 1899. there were two or three promising seed- lings, the rest being rubbish. " The good ones I crossed with Prima Donna, and the next season, that was 1900. there was one plant among the seedlings much stronger than anv of the others, and it flowered much later than the other varieties. That proved to be the original ' Countess Spencer.' I just managed to save five seeds — one pod only. The following spring, after sowing them. I lost three of them in one night through mice. The stock was thus re- duced to two plants, but from them I saved 90 seeds. It was from these plants I exhibited the flowers at the old Royal Aquarium for the first time. In 1902 I sowed all the seeds, every one came true, but, owing to it being a wet summer, I only managed to save about 3.000 seeds ; 2,200 of these were sent, in 1903, to America to be grown for stock by Mr. Sydenham. Those that came back from America were a mixture of all sorts, no more like my true ' Countess Spencer ' than night is like day. With me ' Countess Spencer ' has never sported to this day. It has thrown reversions ; that is. it has reverted to its parents, such as Lovely and Triumph, and on rare occasions to Prima Donna, but nothing else. Some colour is given to the theory, held by some, that the variety Countess Spencer was a simple mutation by the fact that Mr. Eckford had in his grounds at Wem a flower of the same form and colour, though he had never shown it. Mr. Unwin obtained the variety Gladys Unwin about the same time. It came as a variation in Prima Donna, one of the parents of Countess Spencer, according to Mr. Cole. I have asked Mr. Eckford if he will throw light on the sub- ject by making public the origin of his stock of Countess Spencer. Mr. Sydenham sent the stock of Countess Spencer to America to be grown for seed pur- poses, and when these seeds were grown in this country the following year they produced, besides the true variety, a multitude of sorts entirely different from Countess Spencer. Out of the seed Mr. Sydenham distributed came directly and indirectly many of the waved varieties, which were introduced during the next few years. Immediately Countess Spencer was available as a parent, cross-fertilisation with it began, but the progeny took time to fix, and it was not until 1907 and 1908 that many varieties, the result of crossing, found their way on to the market. All others were selections from the original stock. It is a simple operation to cross Sweet Peas, but it is by no means an easy task to follow it up. In 1907 I made a number of crosses, in- cluding The King x Primrose Seedling. I got seven seeds in the pod. These seven seeds were sown in the spring of 1908. It was a good summer, and from the seven plants I got 175 ounces of seed — over 5,000 seeds. 1909 was a bad season for Sweet Peas, and my seedlings and selections were reduced by 90 or 95 per cent. In the continuous raising of Sweet Peas there is a constant renewal of varieties — re-invigorated no doubt, but practically the same as the named varieties already on the market. It is from this fact that all the trouble about naming arises. Take lavender-coloured Sweet Peas as an instance : — Mr. Breadmore is identified with Lavender George Herbert, Mr. Bolton with R. F. Felton, Messrs. Dobbie with Masterpiece, Mr. Burpee with Florence Nightingale, Mr. Morse with Asta Ohn. Mr. Unwin with Nettie Jenkins, Messrs. Bakers with Jlrs. Charles Foster, and Miss Hemus with Lavender Paradise. Rev. J. Bernard Hall said not long ago that " At present, apart from the National Sweet Pea Society's list, all seems chaos in Sweet Peas to the amateur." Let me remind you that there is another list — a very good one, too — the list issued by the Floral Committee of the Royal Horticul- tural Society last summer, after a very excellent trial had been made at Wisley. There the flowers were not judged from an exhibitor's standpoint, but as they appeared growling naturally in clumps in the border. They were commended " on account of their strong growth, and because of their non-burning qualities which add so im- mensely to their value for garden decoration." The Spencer or Waved varieties recommended are Asta Ohn, lavender ; Aurora Spencer, cream ground, flaked salmon-pink; Colleen, rose and white bicolor ; Countess Spencer, pink ; Dobbie's Sunproof Crimson ; Elfrida Pearson, large pale pink or blush ; Elsie Herbert, white, edged with rose ; Etta Dyke, pure white ; Gladys Unwin, pale rosy-pink ; Ivanhoe, mauve ; Isobel Mal- colm, ivory ; Lady Althorp, white, tinged with pale peach ; Princess Victoria, clear blush pink ; and 'Tennant Spencer, mauve. If 14 be considered too many, the best six will include Etta Dyke (white), Dobbie's Sunproof Crimson, Elfrida Pearson, Elsie Herbert, Asta Ohn (lavender), and Nubian. The Sweet Pea is going through a transforma- tion similar to that which many other flowers have gone. From the old hooded or erect- standard type we have moved to the Wavy or Spencer types, and the next movement is in the direction of flowers with double standards. People who have not seen these double varieties imagine they are lumpy and ugly — quite the opposite is the case ; the double standards give the flower a richness and intensity which for many purposes adds immensely to its value. It is the practice of the best growers to sow the seeds in boxes or pots during January. February, or early March, and plant out the plants, in well-prepared land, in April, giving them plenty of room — never closer than 12 inches, often 18. 24. sometimes 30 inches apart if land is in specially good condition. 144 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [JIarch 2, 1912 1 That is the only way to get grand flowers — flowers two or more inches across the standard, three and often four flowers on each stem, the stems being from 12 to 18 inches long. In an average season flowers such as these should be available for three months in the South of England, and for four or five months in the North of England and in Scotland if the plants are well looked after, and not a single pod of seed allowed to form. Sweet Peas are being sown more and more every season under glass. By sowing in Septem- ber and growing the plants under cool conditions till January, when they should be potted and grown in a little heat, Sweet Peas may be had in good bloom during April, May, and early June. HORTICULTURAL CLUB. ANNUAL MEETING AND DINNER. February 20. — On this date, at the Hotel Windsor, the home of the Horticultural Club, the annual meeting was held under the chair- manship of the president, Sir John T. D. Llewelyn, Bart. The report of the management committee for 1911 as read by the hon. secre- tary, Mr. R. Hooper Pearson, stated that the committee had the satisfaction of being able to point to a year in which the basis of the Club had been strengthened by the election of 46 new members. The losses by death and resignation numbered five. SIR JOHN T. D. LLEWELYN, BART. Retiring President of the Horlicultural Cub. showing a net gain of 41. The membership was now 161, this being the largest number the Club has recorded since its establishment in 1875 by the late Rev. H. H. D'Ombrain, Dean Hole, Dr. Maxwell Masters, Mr. Harry J. Veitch, Sir Edward Lee, and others. A separate report, prepared by Mr. Harry Veitch, tlie honorary treasurer, showed that the income of the Club for the year amounted to £172 18s. 9d., and the excess of income over expenditure to £12 18s. Id., notwithstanding the fact that consider- able sums had been spent on printing (list of members, rules, &c.). The present funds amounted to £450 in Consols, and £100 18s. lid. bank balance. During the past year monthly dinners and lectiires were held as usual, excepting in June, August and September. Concerning the management of the Club, the committee had to record the resignation of the hon. secretary, Mr. E. T. Cook, which took place at the last annual meeting. Following this resignation, the committee obtained the consent of Mr. R. Hooper Pearson to fill the position. Another change in the personnel of the Club had now to be made. The committee regretted to state that the esteemed president. Sir John Llewelyn, had felt it necessary to resign the position, which he had occupied since 1892, as he found it no longer possible to attend evening meetings. The Club would desire to offer Sir John Llewelyn their thanks for the services he had rendered for so long a period. Following the resignation of the president, the committee asked the vice-president, Sir Frank Crisp, to allow them to nominate him for the office of president, and Sir Frank had kindly acceded to that request. Sir John Llewelyn moved the adoption of the report and balance-sheet. He said that he had obtained great pleasure and profit from the Club during the 20 years he had been president. He had formed friendships in that room that he hoped would last as long as life, but he was nevertheless certain that the best interests of the Club would be served if a younger man than he accepted the presidency, for, unfortunately, he oould no longer attend evening meetings with any degree of regularity. At the same time, he would always retain his interest in the Club and attend the meetings as often as possible. Sir John Llewelyn then proposed the election of Sir Frank Crisp to the office of president, and the motion was carried with acclamation. The committee was re-elected, and votes of thanks were passed to Sir John Llewelyn and the Hon. Secretary. The meeting was followed by the annual din- ner, which was attended by 75 members and friends, including ladies. The proceedings were enlivened by a musical programme, gener- ously supplied by Sir Frank Crisp, who pre- sided. The tables were tastefully decorated with flowers by Messrs. Jas. Veiteh & Sons. Sir Frank Crisp, in proposing the toast of his Majesty the King, laid particular emphasis upon the courage evinced by the King and Queen in undertaking the visit to India. The toast of " The Clab " was proposed in happy terms by Mr. W. A. Bilney, and responded to by Sir Frank Crisp. "The Royal International Horticultural Exhibition," pro- posed by Mr. P. Rudolph Barr, was responded to by jlr. J. Gurney Fowler, who took the opportunity of giving his audience a clear and de- tailed account of the various arrangements made in connection with that great horticultural enter- prise. Mr. Fowler's speech was followed by a statement from the president to the effect that the Club would contribute a cup, value £25, to be awarded at the exhibition. Mr. W. Cuthbertson proposed the toast of " The Visitors," and this toast was appro- priately responded to by Mrs. H. W. Nutting. Mr. Harry J. Veitch proposed the toast of "The President," and, in a few happily-chosen words, welcomed Sir Frank Crisp to his new office. The toast was received with musical honours. The president replied, and next proposed the toast of " The Hon. Secretary, Mr. R. Hooper Pearson." The hon. secretary responded, and the proceedings afterwards terminated. modern tenement environment, on the improve- ment of the intellectual and moral condition of the people must be immense. ,9 The idea that tenement houses are essential in our climate, as seems to be believed by some, is a delusion, as. is also the idea that gardening cannot be so suc- cessfully prosecuted among the Avorking classes. " Nowadays, we hear a great deal about school gardening in connection with the education of our children, and a very laudable effort is being made by the Open Spaces Committee of the Out- look Tower to convert waste spaces in the old town of Edinburgh into gardens for the people ; and quite recently a proposal was made to estab- lish gardening allotments in the Gorgie district. There can be no doubt about the propriety of instilling into every boy and girl by a little prac- tical demonstration, no matter what walk in life he or she may afterwards tread, a love for gar- dening, and it can have nothing but an elevating influence, if nothing else, on the minds of our slum children, to draw them from the streets into these open spaces, in order, if possible, to give them a little interest in the art ; but in our garden city all this would be part of their existence. The allotment idea is all very well in a way. To the town dweller who, perforce, has to live in one of these tenements I have been alluding to, the allotment affords a means not only of indulging in a hobby, but of providing healthy recreation for both mind and body, but to my mind the allotment is only a makeshift at the best. The tenant himself may benefit, but SCOTTISH HORTICULTURAL, THE GARDEN CITY MOVEMENT. (Concluded from p. lUS.j " Other things essential to the success of the garden city are a reasonably goed soil, and a fairly pure atmosphere; above all, there must be no crowding of the dwellings and there must lie plenty of open space. Comparisons have been made between Bournville boys and girls, and boys and girls reared in the slums of Birming- ham. At the age of six, the weight of the Bournville boy exceeded that of the Birmingham slum boy by 6 lbs., and at the age of 12 by 8.5 lbs., while the difference in their heights at these ages were 2.2 and 2.5 inches respectively ; in the case of the girls, the balance in favour of the Bournville girl at the ages of 5 and 12 were in weight 4.1 and 9 lbs. respectively, and in height 2.5 and 2.9 inches respectively. These bear out the accuracy of the experiment made by Glasgow School Board on over 70,000 school children, when it was found that children of families living in one room were shorter than the children of two-roomed families, and that the height of the children increased further as the rooms occupied by the family increased. The in- fluence of the garden city environment, as com- pared with the slum enviroimient, or even our SIR FRANK CRISP, President of the Hortici'tmal Club. as the allotment must of necessity, in the majority of cases at any rate, be at some distance from his home (and the distance will generally be found to be greater or less according to whether he happens to live in a more or less densely populated part of the city), it cannot o,fford much in the way of facilities for obtaining fresh air and healthy enjoyment to his wife and family. Possibly, in some cases, it may even be the means of drawing the husband away too much from his family circle, whereas the garden city mode of life would have the opposite effect. In any case, the allotment garden is no solution of the housing question. " Given cheap land and cheap and rapid transit I have said that all the other difficulties would vanish. Let us now refer for a moment to some of the advantages we now enjoy in the pos- session of plant materials of all kinds compared with what our forefathers had. We have now a wealth of hardy fliiwers and shrubs which were unobtainable, and in many cases unknown, 50 years ago. I need only mention the decorative Roses and Chrysanthemums, the new types of Sweet Peas, and the hardy herbaceous plants and bulbs which can be grown by the humblest cottager. " It has often been remarked that in Scot- land the working classes are far behind their English brethren in the cultivation of flowers, fruit, and vegetables, but I believe the reason for March 2, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 145 tliis difference is largely due to the different con- ditions under which they are housed, though no doubt there are other reasons. But all this will, no doubt, soon be changed when we adopt the garden city plan of housing, which, after all, is based in its inception on ' the cottage homes of England.' I can conceive nothing which would have such a potent influence in the bringing about of more temperate habits in the people, of lessening vice and crime, of staying that mad rush after sport which seems to have seized our youth, and even some of our elders, in our large towns, than the cultivation of a taste for gardening, and the opportunity to prosecute it in one's own ground, for which the garden city offers such an inducement. Not that I condemn sport as such, for in our garden city we would have cricket and football fields, tennis courts and bowling greens, and every facility for healthy recreation by both old and young. But the mode of life would certainly have a steadying influence on our youth, and in what more delightful way could the artizan spend his leisure time than in his garden? What more wholesome influence could he exert on his children, to say nothing of the benefits which they would derive from it otherwise, than in the cultivation of his plants and flowers." IVIJLRKETS. Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices (continued). s.d. s.d. ©bituan). Thomas Sim.— Mr. Thomas Sim, of Greenmyre, Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, died recently at an advanced age. Mr. Sim was a keen lover of nature, and had studied the flora and fauna of the Buchan district of Aberdeenshire. JIany successes followed his e.xperiments in the hybridisation of plants, and he studied carefully the habits of bees, more particularly in their r<;lation to cross-fertilisation of plants. For many years he took an active part in the affairs of the local horticultural society, and always filled a prominent place in the prize lists. W. A. Garaway. — We regret to announce the death of Mr. William Alexander Garaway, of the firm of James Garaway & Co., Bristol, which occurred suddenly on the 19fh ult., at the age of 75. Mr. Garaway, who had been in indifferent health for several months past, had carried on the business since the death of his father. Thomas Muir. — Jfr. Tliomas Muir. gardener to Mrs. Hamilton Ogilvy, Biel, Prestonkirk, died on February 26. Mr. JIuir was appointed gar- dener at Biel about 30 years ago, and he has since carried on the work of these beautiful gar- dens with satisfactory results. THE WEATHER. THE WEATHER IN WEST HERTS. Week ending Febtuary 28. The third week in succession of unscasonablv 'ti-ann weather, —The present warm period has now lasted three week?, during which time there has not been a single unreasonably cold day, ;jnd only one cold niglit. The past week proved ihe warmest of the three, the highest day temperatures ranging between 50''' and 56'^, and on the warmest nisiht the exposed thermcmeter never fell lower than 46"-making this the warmest February night for nine year=. The ground is now unusually warm, the reading at 2 feel deep being S'' warmtr, and at 1 foot deep 7"^ waimei, thai: is seasonable Pain fell on five days, but to the total depth cf little more than half- an-inch. About 3 ga Ions of rainwater came through the bare soil gauge durmg the week, and 2^ gallons through that on which shoit grass is growing. The sun shone on an average for only li hours a day, which is less than ha'f the mean duration for the same period in February. On three days no sunshine at all was recorded. The' strength of the wmd has been very variable; for instance, on two days the average velocity amounted lo little more than a mile an hour; whereas, on two other dnys it averaged about 10 miles an hour; and in the windie-t hour the mean ^eocity reached 18 miles-direction W.S.VV. This, although bv no means an unusually high wind for the time of year, 'was the htg' est recorded here for over seven weeks. The men amount of moi-ture in the air at 3 p.m. ftll short of a seasonable quantity for that hour by 3 percent. E, M.. oerkhamsteii, Febtuary 28, 1912 COVENT GARDEN, February 38. Cut Flowers, Ac: Average Wholesale Prices. Arums (Richardias) Azalea, do2. bnchs. Camellias, per box of 18's and 24's Carnations, p. doz. blooms, best American var. 1 — smaller, per doz. bunches 18 — Carola, crim- son, extra large 6 Eucharis, per doz. '> F re e s i a refracta alba, p.dz. bun. Helleborus (Christ- mas Roses), p. dozen Hyacinth (Roman), pr. doz. bnchs. Lilac, per bunch white — mauve Liliuiu aiiratimi per bunch — lo n g i fl oruin, long, per doz. — short, per doz. — 1 a nc i f o li uni alba, long ... 2 — — short ,,. 2 — speciosuin rub- rum, dz. blooms: — long 2 — short 0 Lily of the Valley, p. dz. bunches : — extra special ... 15 — special 10 — ordinary ... 8 Marguerite, per doz. bunches : — Yellow NarcisFUs, per doz. bunches : — Double Van Sion ... d. s.d. 0-2 6 0- 3 G 2 6- 16-20 0-21 0 6 0 — 2 (i- 3 0 16-20 16-20 4 0-60 6-3 0 0-3 6 0-5 0 6-3 0 2 ti 6 - 0-2 6 6 — 9-10 0-18 0 0-12 U 0 — 2 0- 2 G 4 0-60 Narcissus, per doz. bunches : — Emperor — Empress — ■ Golden Spur... — Henry Irving — Paper white ... — Poeticus — Princeps — Sir Watkin ... — Soleil d'Or ... — Victoria — Earrii Orchids, Cattleya, per doz. — Odontoglossum crispum Pelargoniums, p. dz. bunches : — Double Scarlet Roses, 12 blooms, — Brides maid, — C. Mermel — Liberty — Niphetos — Richmond Snowdrops, p. doz. bunches Tulips, per bunch : — double pink ... yellow scarlet — p.dz. bunches: — white — yellow — scarlet — bronze .. — pink Violets, per dozen bunches — Princess of Wales, per doz. bunches — Parma Wallflowers, per dozen bunches ;.d. s.d. 3 0-40 3 6-40 2 0-56 10-20 3 6-40 2 6-30 2 0-30 3 6-40 2 0 — 4 6-50 2 6-30 12 0 — 3 0-40 8 0-12 0 4 0-50 4 0-50 3 0-60 2 0-30 3 0-50 10-20 10-16 10-16 13-16 6 0-80 6 0-70 6 0-80 8 0-90 0 0-80 13-20 3 0-40 19-20 2 0- 2 e Cut Foliage, Ac: Ave s.d, S.J. A d i an t um Fern (M a idetihair), best, dz. bnchs. 7 0-80 Ag r o St i s (Fairy Grass), per dz. bunches Asparagus plu- mosus, long trails, pr. Jdoz. — medium, doz. bunches — Sprengeri Carnation foliage, doz, bunches... 2 0-40 16-20 12 0-18 0 10 U 12 0 4 0- rage Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d Croton foliage, var- ious, per dozen bunches Cycas leaves, arti ficial, per doz. Eulalia japonica, per bunch ... Moss, per gross ... Myrtle, dz. bchs. (English), small-leaved ... — French Sinilax, per bunch of 6 trails 12 0-15 0 3 0-12 0 10-16 6 0 — 6 0 — I 0 — Plants In Pots, Ac. : Av« ;.d. s.d Aralia Sieboldii, p. dozen 6 Araucaria excelsa, per dozen ... 18 Asparagus plumo- sus nanus, per dozen 10 — Sptengeri ... 8 Aspidistra, p. dz., green 21 — variegated ... Hi) Azaleas, per doz. 36 Cinerarias, pr. dz, 8 Coc OS Weddeli- ana, per dozen: — 60's 6 — larger, each .. 2 Croton, per dozen 18 Cyperus atterni- folius, per doz. 5 — laxus, per doz. 4 Dafifodils, per dozen 6 Dracaena, green, per dozen ... 10 Ericas, per dozen : — hyemalis ... 10 — alba 10 Ferns, in thumbs, per 100 — in small and large 60's — in 48's, doz. ... 0-7 0 0-21 0 0-12 0 0-9 0 0-30 0 (1-60 0 0-42 0 0-9 0 0-12 0 6-10 6 0-30 0 0-6 0 0-5 0 0-8 0 0-12 0 0 0-12 0 0 0-12 0 8 0-12 0 0-20 0 0 — 10-13 rage Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Ferns, choicer sorts, per doz. 8 0 12 0 — in3-.i s, pr. doz. 10 0-18 0 Ficus elastica, per dozen 9 0-12 0 Genistas, 48's, doz. 10 0-12 0 Geonoma gracilis, 60's, per dozen 6 0-80 — larger, each ... 2 6-76 Hyacinths white & cIrd.,p.dz.pots 10 0-12 0 Kentia Belniore- ana, per dozen 5 0-42 0 — Fosteriana, 60*s, per dozen 4 0-60 — larger, per doz. 18 0-60 0 Latania borbonica, per dozen ... 12 0-30 0 Lilium longi- florum, p. doz. 20 0-24 0 — lancifolium ru- brum in pots, per dozen .. 15 0-18 fl — la n c i f o 1 ium alba 15 0-18 0 Marguerites, white, per dozen ... 8 0-10 0 Pandanus Veitchii, per dozen ... 36 0-48 0 Phcenix rupicola, each .. ... 2 6-21 0 Spiraa japonica,p. dozen pots .. 10 0-12 0 Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Apples (English cookers) bushel 6 0-12 0 — Nova Scotian, per barrel ... 17 0-22 0 — Call f or nian Newtowns, pr. case 9 0-11 0 — (Canadian), per barrel 20 0 — — Oregon (Hood River), per case 16 0-18 6 — American, per barrel 20 0-32 0 Bananas, bunch : — Doubles ... 10 0 12 0 — No. 1 „ ... 8 0-10 0 s.d. s.d. Bananas, bunch ; — Extra — Giant ,, ... — Loose, per dz. — Red coloured... — Jamaica Giants, per ton — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per bos (9 doz.) Cranberries, per case (30 qts.)... 10 0-U 0 — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) 9 6 — Dates (Tunis) do?. boxes 4 6-56 10 0-12 0 14 0-19 0 0 6-10 5 6-66 il0-.ei2 4 0-50 s.d. s.d. Nuts, French Gren- obles, per bag 6 6-70 — Boeris, per bag 6 0-70 Nectarines (Cape) per box ... 4 0-60 Oranges, Jamaica per case ... 9 0-10 0 — Californian ... 20 0-22 0 — Denia, case ... 10 0-34 0 — Valencia ... 10 0-12 0 — JaflFa, per case 9 6 — — Blood, per case 8 0-90 — Mandarins, per box ... 0 6-36 — Bitter, per J chest ... *... 16 0-18 6 — Seville Sour i chest ... 15 0-18 0 Peaches (Cape), pr. case .. ... 3 0-80 Pears (Californian), per case ... 10 6-16 6 — Glou Morcequ 11 6-12 6 — Easter Beurre 8 6 — — Winter Nelis 12 6-13 6 — (American) per barrel, 180 lbs. 25 0-26 0 — cases 7 0 — — (Cape) 3 0-40 Pineapples, St. Michael ... 2 6-50 Plums (Cape), per case 2 0-40 — Apple, per box 6 0-70 Strawberries, p. lb.: — A quality ... 24 0 — — Equality ... 16 0 — Vegetables : Average Wholesale Prices. Grape Fruit, case : — y6's ... — bO's ... — 64-s ... — 54's ... Grapes (English), per lb. : — Black Alicante — Gros Colman... — (Belgian), Gros Colman, p. tb. — Almeria, p. brl. Per dozen lbs. — (Cape) per case — „ White... Lemons : — (Naples), case 26 0-30 0 — Messina, per case Limes, per case ... Mangoes, per doz. Melons (Cape) ... Nuts, Almonds, per bag — Brazils, new, percwt. ...85 0-100 0 — Spanish, p. sack 40 0-42 0 — Barcelona, bag 35 6-36 6 Nuts, Chestnuts, per bag ... 3 6-19 0 — Cocoanuts, 100 18 0-23 0 — English Cobs per lb 0 3 — — Walnut s (Naples) kiln dried, c w t. cases 54 0 — 14 0-20 0 2 0-30 16-30 0 9-13 11 6-15 6 3 0-46 4 0-10 0 6 0-80 7 6-17 0 4 0 — 4 0-60 0 10-1 6 52 6 Artichokes(Globe), per dozea .. 3 0-40 — Ground, per i bushel ... 10 — Asparagus, Sprue.. 0 9 — — Cavaillon ... 3 0 — — Laurie ... 5 0-60 — Paris Green ... 4 6-50 Beans, Madeira, per basket 5 0-80 — Guernsey, Dwatf, per lb. 3 0-36 — French, per packet, lb. ... 16-19 Beetroot, p. bshl. : — Long 2 0-26 Broccoli, sprout- ing, per bag ... 3 0-36 Brussel Sprouts, per h bushel ... 16-20 — half bags ... 2 0-30 Celeriac, per doz. 2 6-30 Cabbages (French) per dozen ... 3 0-36 — (English), per tally 6 0-10 0 Cauliflowers, p. dz. 2 0-26 — (Italian), p. pad 2 0-30 — (Cornish), per crate 10 0-12 0 Celery, doz. bndls. 10 0-14 0 — (washed), per dozen bundles 10 0-16 0 Carrots (English), pr. doz, bun... 16-20 — percwt. ... 3 6-46 — (washed) p. bag 4 0-50 Chicory, per lb. ..0 4 — Cucumbers, p. doz. 8 0-12 0 Endive, per dozen 2 0 — Greens, per bag ... 2 6-36 s.d. s.d. Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross 7 0 — H or se radish, 12 bundles ... 12 0-14 0 Leeks, per doz. Lettuce (French), per doz. Mint, pr. dz. bchs. Mushrooms, culti- vated, p. lb. ... Mustardand Cress, pr. yal Bene- volent Ins'itntion International Horticul- tural Exhibition Ireland, notes from .. Kew Gardens, visitors to, during 1911 Lettuce Petite Noire for a wmter supply Lilies and sunshine Market fruit garden, the Newstead, Prof. R. ... Obituary- Adams, Herbert J. ... 156 16U 158 156 U7 158 157 155 Orchid notes and glean- ings— Hybrids of Lselia superbi«"ns Papaw in Queensland, the Plants for a dry border Pope, Mr. Samuel, pre- sentation to ... Potassium in plants ... R.H.S. examination of public parks' em- ployees Rosary, the — Cultural notes for March Roses under glass . . Rothamsted experimen- tal station, grant for Rubber pest, the School of Agriculture, Camljridge Scotland, notes from — Societies - Durham Botanical and Hort Linn.-au Manchester Botanical National Chrys. Royal Royal Horticultural. .- S xithampton Royal Hort. ... Surveyors' Institution United Hort. Benefit and Provident Soil feriility, some fac- tors of ... Soil, poisons in the SoIdiiuLii jasminoides... Week s work, the 152, ILLUSTRATIONS. Bliokling Hall, Norfolk, views in the gardens at 156, (and Supplementary Illustration) Brambles, some Chinese Cattleya Brenda... Lettuce, a good crop of winter Rubus, a new species of white-stemmed Eubus bambusarum, a fruiting spiay of ir.n 1611 155 157 151 151 1.57 li; l.'-.5 IJD 162 l(il IR! l.'..-j 155 115 155 i.'n 15.1 15J 1'.' 7 feet to 8 feet in length. The more exposed parts of the stems and petioles are dark-red, the fornu r having red prickles 1th inch in length. Th? leaves are pinnate, generally consisting of thrto leaflets, but occasionally five, the terminal on ■ being the largest; they are dull-green, pubescent beneath, up to 12 inches in length, and two- thirds as wide as they are long. The flowers are borne on short terminal panicles ; the fruit is of the size of a small Raspberry, the drupes being red with black tips. They are of an agree- able flavour, and ripen in September. The plant is worth cultivating for its red stems in winter, and the ornamental foliage in summer. The growths require no support. R. sagatus, Focke, is a synonym. R. EAMBUSARU.M. Focke (see fig. 62). — This species is a very distinct and elegant evergreen plant. The long, trailing shoots are from 10 feet to 15 feet in length, and furnished with a few spines, also, when young, with a dun-colourfd tomentum. The leaves consist of three, rarely 148 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 9, 1912. five, leaflets, which are lance-shaped, 3 inches or more in length, and | inch in width ; they are a rich dark-green colour above, the undersides being clothed with a thick tomentum. The somewhat insignificant pink flowers are borne in terminal racemes, 2 inches to 3 inches in length ; the shining black fruits are of a moderate size, and their flavour is not unpleasant. Both Mr. A. Henry and Mr. E. H. Wilson met with this species in China, growing at an elevation of from 4,000 feet to 7.000 feet. The long, slender, trailing shoots furnished with the evergreen leaves make this Rubus a particularly desirable plant for covering pergolas, arches and pillars. R. Henryi, Hemsley and Kuntze, closely re- sembles this species. R. BiFLORus VAR. QuiNQUEFLORUs, Focke (see lig. 63). — This is the most striking of all the Brambles introduced by Mr. Wilson. He col- lected seeds in West Szech'uan, south-east of Tachien-lu, at an altitude of 5,000 feet to 6.000 f«et. The growths are particularly strong, being 13 feet in height, and the stems 4^ inches in circumference at the base. The waxy-white bloom on the stems is a particularly striking feature. They are armed with large, stiff spines, g inch in length. The leaves are pinnate, about a foot in length, and generally consist of five leaflets, which are white beneath and green above. The flowers are white, % inch in dia- meter, being borne in terminal and axillary panicles of about five flowers. The fruit is a rich, golden-yellow colour, equal in size to those of most of our cultivated Raspberries, and of a good flavour. This species, so far as I am able to judge, is likely to prove the most useful of the Chinese Raspberries to the hybridist for rais- ing new fruits. R. coRCHORiFOLius, Linn, (see fig. 63). — The plant is more or less erect in habit. The stems grow from 4 feet to 6 feet in height, are clothed with a lightish down, and armed with small spines. The leaves are simple, ovate-cordate, .■sometimes three-lobed, dull green above, pubes- cent beneath. They are 4i inches to 5 inches long and 3 inches wide; the petioles are 1 inch in length, and clothed with prickles, which ex- tend along the midrib beneath the leaves. The flowers are white, and are followed by largo, bright-red fruits, which Mr. Wilson describes as delicious. R. corchorifolius grows at an eleva- tion of about 7,000 feet in Central and Western China. R. COREANUS, Miquel {«e« fig. 63). — This species is more upright in growth than most of the Chinese Brambles, and is self-supporting. The bluish-white stems are 7 feet or more in length, and furnished abundantly with elegant pinnate leaves, which are 7 inches to 9 inches in length, and generally consist of seven or nine leaflets. The stems are armed with straight prickles, while those on the petioles are hooked. The flowers and fruit are of no value. Mr. Wilson records finding this Bramble at an eleva- tion of 6,000 feet in Central and Western China. R. oMEiENSis, Rolfe (see fig. 63). — The growths of this Rubus are long and slender, 11 feet to 12 feet in length, and unarmed. Their colour is roddish-brown on the exposed surfaces. The leaves are simple, prominently lobed and toothed, dull-green above, light-green or greyish and downy beneath. They are 4 inches to 6 inches in length and the same width. The purplish flowers are produced in panicles and the fruits are black. It is a common species in Western China. Mr. Wilson collected the type specimen on Mount Omiei, hence the specific name. R. clemens, Focke, is probably synonymous. The long, straggling growths of this Bramble lying on the ground root freely ; no doubt the plant v.-ould spread Rapidly over a large area of ground if allowed to grow unchecked. R. THTBETANUS, Focke (see fig. 53). — This is one of the handsomest of all the Chinese Brambles. /The name R. Veitchii. Rolfe, which is a synonym, will be more familiar to readers in this country, but according to botanical rules it must be dropped in favour of R. thibetanus, which is a slightly-older name given by Focke. who first described this species. The plants grow to a height of 6-7 feet, have blue-white stems and attractive, much-divided, fern-like foliage. At first erect, the stems arch grace- fully with age. Both stems and petioles are plentifully furnished with spines. The pinnate leaves are 6 inches to 9 inches long, and consist of four or five pairs of leaflets, with a larr-er THE MARKET FRUIT 6ARDEN. It is hardly too much to say that, after five- months of drought, we have had an equal period of mud. Except for small portions of October and November, and during about a week of hard frost at the end of January and the beginning of February, the land has been constantly in a. waterlogged condition since the drought broke up. Never before, since I began to keep notes of •cO^ K^=<: K Ro i^.„\ \ .! Fig. 62. — FRUITING SPRAY OF RUDUS BAMBUSARUMi terminal one. The leaves are dark-green above and white beneath. The purple flowers are borne in small, terminal panicles ; the bhie-black fruits are of moderate size. It is interesting to note that Mr. Wilson collected this species in Western China in the dry regions of the Min Valley. The blue-white stems and handsome, fern-like leaves make it a useful species for a large bed or group in the shrubbery border. -■^- 0- (To be continued.) the weather — and that is long ago — has there been an equally wet season. Those of us who got most of our fruit-planting done in the latter part of November have reason for self-congratulation, as the land has never been in even passable con- dition since the end of that month. Those who had much planting to do, it may be supposed, have most of the work still undone, and it is earnestly to be hoped, for this and other reasons, that March will prove a dry month. Mabch 9, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 149 Arrears of Work. In consequence of the great waste of time caused by the frequent rainfall, all kinds of work in fruit plantations are sadly in arrear. For months some of us have been deferring the fork- ing-over of the orchards, in the hope of the land getting into fair condition for the operation. Win ter spraying also has been postponed, because of the reluctance to perform the work with the pro- bability of rain following it immediately. A be- ginning was made in my case over a month agn. and has been only just resumed, at the end of February. Soon it must be finished, or left undone altogether for the season, as fruit- buds will shortly be too forward for the safe application of caustic washes. Even pruning has been delayed by the frequent wet days, and so has the carting of manure into the orchards and the forking-in around the trees. If old-established plantation of Plums there was a bad attack last season, in spite of the drought, and probably there will be a worse one this year, unless it can be checked by spraying. Investiga- tions as to the treatment of thiu destructive disease have been sadly neglected, and now that fnnds have been granted for research in fruit diseases, this should be one of the first subjects to receive attention. As to the effect of the wet winter upon the development of canker, there Is, unfortunately, no doubt whatever. Small patches of canker have spread quite round young branches, so that there is nothing to be done but the complete removal of the shoots. The diseased bark has become a wet and spongy mass of rot Well-grown Cox's Orange Pippin trees planted some six and some seven years ago, include many trees badly attacked. They were treated for the disease when they were summer-pruned, A Note as to Stakes. We learn as we live. Having been persuaded to accept some hop-poles for stakes, striped in- stead of entirely stripped of bark, and some short ground-end stakes not even partially stripped, I found that two years after the plant- ing the bark w^as loose, so that it afforded .shel ter for hibernating insects and pupie. With this experience, any stakes purchased by me in future will have to be completely stripped of bark, as hop-poles usually are. It mav be added that a hop-pole 14 feet long makes three stakes 4 feet long, after cutting off the tip, which is often a little crooked. For short-stemmed, half-standard Apples or Plums stakes should be only about 3 feet or 3 feet 3 inches above the ground level after having been driven in, as it is objectionable to have them high enough to bruise the branches which may be blown against them Fig. 63— CHINESE BRAMBLES. LEFT TO right: rubus coreanus, r. thibetanus, r. corchorifolius, r. omeiensis, and r. biflorus var. quinqueflorus. (See pp. 147-148.) a di-y time sets in, everyone will be anxious to get on with cultivation and hoeing, and these classes of work will clash with arrears that should have been cleared up long ;igo. A Fungous Season. After one of the driest summers on record, fruit-growers were congratulating themselves upon a remarkable immunity from attacks of fun- gous diseases. Never was there greater immunity from scab, and even brown rot and canker seemed to have had a severe check. It is to be feared, however, that the wet winter has cancelled the benefits to a great extent. This may not be the case with scab, which I do not find to any con- f5iderable extent on young Apple shoots. But there IS grave reason to fear that a bad development of brown rot will show shortly in Plum orchards that have been affected with the maladv. In an but the malady has developed afresh since that time. By the way, it is a necessary precau- tion, I think, to apply Stockholm tar after a surgical operation for canker well beyond, as well a£ within, the limits of the portion of the bark cut out, in order to prevent the spread of the disease beyond the margin of the excised portion. Ties Girdling Trees. It is necessary, a^ a rule, to renew the ties where trees are tied to stakes at least once in two years as the swelling of the trunks causes a be- ginning of girdling within that period, if not before. Where tarred cord, commonly known as "ropeyarn," is used, it should be stout; haycord is softer and cheaper, and, although it will not last as long, it is less liable to girdle the trees. by a strong wind. Another " wrinkle " is the desirability of shaving off the sharp edge of the sawn top of a stake and any knots on it, for although a wisp of straw or some other pad should be placed bet%veen the stake and the tree in tying, it often gets shifted, and then a wound may easily be made in the trunk of the tree by its chafing against anything sharp or rough when the wind blows, and canker is apt to set in where there is such a wound. A Great Brood of Ladybirds. One of the desirable legacies of the last hot summer is an extraordinary number of ladybirds. Never before have I seen a tenth part of the number that I have noticed while pruning Apple trees in the course of the present winter. They were found protected in straw wisps used in tieing trees to stakes and under loose pieces ]5n THE GARD ENER S' CHRO NI CL E. [March 9, 1912. of barl; on the stakes. It is to be feared that many of these good friends of the fruit-grower *re killed by spraying, and particularly by strong winter washes. Methtlated Spirit for Woolly Aphis. In the autumn several young Apple trees were badly infested with the woolly aphis, mis- called " American blight." Nearly every shoot on an affected tree was covered along almost its entire length. The pest was brushed with a paintbrush dipped in neat methylated spirit. About 20 trees were affected, and although they were treated only once, all but two were quite clean when they were gone over recently for win- ter pruning. This shows how thoroughly effec- tive methylated spirit is when used neat. There is nothing equal to it for penetrative capacity. It sinks into the wool in which the insects are en- shrouded with a mere touch of the wet brush, and every one with which it comes in contact is killed at once. The remedy is perfectly harm- less to the trees. Frequently, the buds of budded Apple stacks have b^eii thoro'.ighly vetted with it, when the woolly aphis was found upon and around them on taking off the raffia fibre used in budding, and no harm has been done to the buds. as was proved by labelling some of them. Stages of Vegetation. Considering the unseasonable mildness of the winter, it is remarkable that vegetation is not -even more advanced than it is. Gooseberries, among fruit trees and bu.shes, are most strik- ingly forward. Many buds had burst by February 21, and a week later this stage was common. At first I thought that the former date was early beyond precedent in my experi- ence, but reference to records of past seasons shows that this was not the case. In the very early season of 1894, Gooseberry leaf was nearly half out on February 8 ; in 1898, another very early sea.son, it was a quarter expanded on Feb- ruary 20 ; and in 1908 the buds had burst by February 19. In 1909 the same stage was fully a month later than in 1908. In 1910 and 1911 the bursting was noticed on March 1, which may be regarded as the normal period for my district. Only once before in 18 years has the Almond blossom been so early as it was this season. It was fully expanded here on February 28. In 1898 the corresponding stage was reached on Feb- ruary 22. The Buds of Black Currants are not un- usually advanced. The fruit buds of early Apples, Pears and Plums are forward, but not much more so, I think, than they have been in same previous seasons. This accords with the leafing of the Elder and the Forsythia, which are among the earliest leafers; also with the flowering of the Snowdrop, the Crocus, and the old double Daffodil, which has been common in my garden in the last 10 days of February in previous seasons, as well as in the present one. It is too early to tell, however, whether fruit blossoming will be dangerously early or not. In many a year the danger has seemed obvious at the end of February, and then frosts have occurred to check further advance, so that blossoming has not taken place before the ordinary dates. If mild weather should be un- broken for a fortnight, probably there will be much premature blossoming ; but a March with- out many sharp touches of frost would be almost beyond precedent. Promise of a Great Nut Season. The show of blossom on Cob Nuts and Filberts is quite extraordinarily abundant. As for the catkins, I have never before seen any approach to their profusion. There are ten times as many as are needed to pollinate the female blossoms, and although about half of them, or three-fourths in some cases, were turned brown by the recent frost, there is an abundance of sound ones left, besides which the brown ones have some pollen in them. It is not at all improbable that we shall have frost to spoil all this fine promise, as 80 often happens with the uncertain Nut crop. Indeed, the prospects of most kinds of fruit are trembling in the balance, as they always are at this period of a forward season. Good Prices for Late Apples. Last month it was remarked that the keeping of Apples till the middle of January had not been very, if at all, profitable. But fruit kept a month later made somewhat high prices, good samples of Bramley's Seedling and Newton Wonder having made 7s. a bushel, while Cox's Orange Pippin has been quoted up to 10s. per half bushel. Spraying for " Big Bud." I am obliged to !\Ir. Pearson for the details of his plan of spraying for the control of mite attack on Bhck Currants (see p. 142). The number of sprayings required is a serious objection to the adoption of the plan on a large scale, and the quantity of quassia is more than twice as much as is required to kill the aphis or the Apple sucker, together with a very liberal quantity of soft soap. A Sovthern Grower. FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. THE AVOCADO PEAR IN CALIFORNIA. Californians seem to be awakening to the possibilities of such fruits as the Avocado Pear, the iNIango. the Guavas, and the Cherimoya. The interest that has developed in the Avocado Pear during the last year or two is remarkable. While this fruit has been grown in California for 30 years, it had never been given any thought as a commercial possibility until a few years ago. A few horticulturists who foresaw the important effect this fruit could have on the food supply of this country, and who realized the de- sirability of a wider cultivation of the plant, awakened an interest in it through the columns of the horticultural Press. Now the trees are being propagated by the tens of thousands. One firm alone, which grows tropical and sub-tropical fruits exclusively, has at the present time over 50,000 seedling Avocados in tho nursery, ready for budding in the spring. The entire southern part of the State has been searched over to find the choicest seedlings to propagate from, for th? nurserymen have decided to start the industry by propagating the best possible varieties. When it was found that the seedlings which have fruited here were in- ferior to many that could be obtained by going to Mexico and Central America, where this fruit has been grown for centuries in countless num- bers, private enterprise at once sent down horti- cultural explorers to obtain the choicest varieties to be had in the highlands, where the climate closely approximates that of Southern California, thus making it practically certain that the varie- ties would be a success here. Tlie Mexican Avo- cados are probably as fine as any in the world, and are certainly found in as great a variety of forms and under as widely differing climatic con- ditions as anywhere. Those most desirable from every point of view — hardiness, shipping quality, form, flavour, and productiveness — were secured, and bud-wood sent to California for propagation. From this start commercial orchards will soon be established. It is worthy of note that Cali- fornia is already producing Avocados during 10 months of the year, and it is expected that within five years it will be possible to obtain ripe Avo- cados in this State during every month. It i« expected that a large demand for the fruit can be built up in all parts of the country, when it is marketed at such a price that it is within the reach of all, and its qualities are more widely recognised. F. W. I'openoe, Alladena, California. SOME FACTORS OF SOIL FERTILITY. Carbon-dioxide and soil-fertility. — There are one or two points regarding the value- of carbon-dioxide to the plant, and bacterial activity in the soil, arising out of recent work. It is, of course, generally known that carbon- dioxide is probably the chief solvent agent excreted by the roots, that much is carried down by rain, and that it is also produced by the rotting of organic matter in the soil. The ques- tion thus arises as to the value of adding still further to these natural supplies by watering with water saturated with carbon-dioxide. Pot experiments have been tried by Slitstherlich witli various manures, but the results have not shown that there is any advantage in using carbon- dioxide water. Substances which are capable of producing carbon-dioxide in the soil were also added with- out result. It seems, in fact, that, under natural conditions, the requisite amount is nearly always present. The amount produced by the plant varies not only with the species, but also in- creases when the soil is naturally fertile; the enzyme in the root hairs, which is chiefly respon sible for the production of carbon-dioxide, if :i peroxydase. This is most active in neutral Of slightly alkaline solutions of soil water, whilr acidity and lack of aeration are inimical Calcium salts and phosphates are favourable li carbou-dioxide formation, whereas nitrates art not so, though better than ammonia salts.' It wil be remembered that most acid soils are wantii:, in lime, and when this is the case the phosphori* acid has an opportunity of combining with tlii iron and aluminium bases to form compound which are not readily taken up by the plant With respect to methods of determining tlv availability of phosphate in the soil, the usua English procedure is to treat the soil with a '■ per cent, solution of citric acid for one to sevei days, according to the amount of shaking Wisconsin experiments state that N/5 nitric aci. (approximately 1^ per cent.) for five hours af C. is a very suitable solvent. Boric acid as a manure. — The uses partial sterilisation of the soil have becon familiar from the Rothamsted and other ei periments, as also the commercial preservatiol of milk, &.C., by boric acid. Ideas from botj have been combined and boric acid has been usel as an indirect manure. It has been found tha one part in 100,000 of a nutrient solution is dil tinctly beneficial. When applied to soils at thl rate of l-50th of an ounce per square yard Maisf increased 50 per cent, and Turnips 32 per ceni Some other crops did not gain so much, but will none was there a loss. The ash of the croiT taken from plots so treated did not show an| increase in the normal amount of boron con pounds present. The modification of the bad terial content was not stated, but we understa that further experiments are in progress. Whej we remember that boric acid at the rate of 6 lb per acre increased a Turnip crop by one-thira the economy of such a method, if successful on I larger scale, is very apparent, considering tb boric acid costs about 5d. or less per lb. Depth of cultivation — the bacteria of — An interesting experiment on the effect depth of cultivation on the activity of bade: is reported in Bulletin 161 of the Kansas StaJ Agricultural College. Plots were stirred to deptl of 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 inches, and it was fou«| that the most 'fertile were, naturally, those stirn to the greater depths ; though stirring to 8 art 10 inches produced in many cases better rl suits than stirring to a depth of 12 inchef There was also a corresponding increase II the amount of ammonia and a decrease in tM rate of denitrification. As regards the distriblj tion of the bacteria, most were found between I and 5 inches from the surface. More or lefj regular periods of increase and decrease we abo noted. J. W. Tai/leur, Theale, Berks. March 9, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 151 LETTUCE PETITE NOIRE. This variety of Cabbage Lettuce is grown 'i3xtensively in tne Paris district throughout ;he winter, and furnishes the bulk of the winter supply of Lettuce in our own markets. It ippears, therefore, difficult to understand why ts cultivation is not more common in private gar- lens. The method is simple enough, and plants ,iised from seed sown in August are fit for cut- iiii; in November. The plants exhibited at the R.H.S. meeting of February 20, from these gar- lens, were grown from seed sown at the end of September, our principal sowing for the winter |;upply. The plants commence to come into ise about the middle of December. The seed is own thinly under a cloche, or cloches, on ;round prepared in the usual way, no attempt vhatever being made to obtain bottom heat ; he seedlings are pricked out under other loches as soon as they are large enough to landle, and they are planted at the rate of five ilants to a cloche, the cloche measuring 16 inches cross, or they are planted in cold frames at listances of 10 inches apart each way. The main details to be strictly carried out are o prick the plants out as early as possible, to pply shading when the sun shines strong in the iitiimn, and on no account or on any occasion to Hord ventilation, as I have proved for several rais that this variety grows better in confined .!■. If well watered at the time of planting, othing further is required till the Lettuces are eady for cutting, with the exception of remov- ig any weeds that may appear, and providing jverings of the ordinary description during ■vere weather. As the plants will grow equally ell in cold frames and under cloches, the variety jetite Noire, which any seedsman can supply, I as much to commend it for furnishing a winter ^PPly. a^nd the produce is particularly crisp, mder, and succulent. IF. H. lioness, Hopt- ene Gardens, Holmbury, Surrey. I THE ROSARY. CULTURAL NOTES FOR MARCH. The chief work in the Rose-garden during [arch is pruning, an operation which calls for le greatest care and intelligence on the part of le operator. It is necessary to decide first for hat purpose the pruning is undertaken — hether to secure quantity or quality of bloom, be various types of Roses need distinct trcat- ent, but in my remarks I can only generalise, for treat the subject fully would occupy too much lace. First thoroughly eliminate all frosted, 'ad or deteriorating wood. Next cut away all perfluous shoots, more particularly those in the ntre of the plant or any that tend to grow in at direction. The chief reason for pruning Roses is to make e most service of their best wood. If the ants were allowed to grow at will they would on be carrying a quantity of comparatively ■eless growths, a large proportion of which ould not be in the necessary healthy condition ■ afford good results. The majority of the rongest growers need very little pruning at is season beyond cutting away unripened points om the maiden growths of last season. It i^, )wever, sometimes well to tliin these out from a ass, in the case of such kinds as Dorothy Per- ns and a few of the Ayrshire Roses. The rimson and Blush Ramblers simply need any lort spurs thinned out from the centres, and the 'ds that flowered last season cut away entirely. I almost all cases it is the long, flowerless owths of the preceding year that are of most ilue. These shoots will produce flowers from most every ripened eye or bud throughout their ngth. They will be even more floriferous if jent somewhat or brought into a horizontal bsition. Some pillar Roses, such as Papillon, Gruss an epliti; and Bardou Job, give better results if only slightly thinned, and the stronger growths shortened a little at the tips. Moss and Provence Roses should be pruned fairly closely, but the China and Dwarf Polyantha Roses need only the decaying flower growths of last autumn cut away. Rugosa varie- ties need no pruning except to keep the plants in bounds. The long growths upon Penzance Sweet Briars will throw the greater quantity of flowers, and should be retained so far as is pos- sible. Avoid leaving any portion of the shoot above the latst bud, and see that this is placed so that the resulting shoot will grow outward rather than towards the centre of the plant. I would warn Rose-growers against pruning too early. I never prune until the end of March, no matter how tempting and promising the sea- son may be. Teas and Noisettes I do not prune until the first and second weeks in April. Planting may still be done, provided the roots are not placed in soil in an uncongenial condition. They should also be trodden firmer than in early autumn planting. Cut the plants down about half their length in the case of ordinary growers, when planting late; but those of extra vigour, the need for maintaining a little more humidity in the atmosphere, there is not much to add to my remarks of last month. There will be need of a slight shading on the glass during extra bright days, which will lessen the necessity for admitting air at such times. When cold winds prevail, feed the plants with liquid stimulants more freely, and, if a little manure water is sprinkled upon the walls and paths, th.-i foliage will benefit in substance and health. Practice. ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. HYBRIDS OF L.-ELIA SUPERBIENS. From the Right Hon. Lord Rothschild's gardens, Tring Park, Tring (gr. Mr. A. Dye), come flowers of three interesting and pretty hybrids of Laelia superbiens, one of which is specially interestmg on account of the mystery of its parentage. The best known is L. Nemesis "Tring Park variety" (anceps Williamsii X superbiens), the two-flowereJ iallorescence FlO. 64. — WINTER LETTUCES IN FRAMES AND CLOCHES AT HOPtDENE GARDENS. (These Lettuces were awarded a Silver Banksian Medal at the R.H.S. meeting on t) e 20lh ult. See p. 127, ante.) such as the Wichuraianas, will need cutting down to the ground. Plants that have died should he replenished by specimens in pots. The roots should be turned out carefully and replanted in good soil. They will make the bed uniform during the first summer. In an earlier note I advised the potting up of a few plants, both standards and dwarfs, for this purpose, and, where this has been done, suitable plants are available. After pruning, add a good mulch, and fork the materials very lightly in the soil about the plants. The spade, especially when inserted deeper than 4 inches, cuts off and otherwise damages a great number of roots. Retain as much as possible of the long maiden growth upon wall Roses, even if it necessitates crossing a few of the branches. They can be cut away after the flowers are over, and it is a pity to sacrifice any really good shoot because it is indifferently placed. ROSES UNDER GLASS. March is a trying month for Roses under glass ; there is often a bright sun, making the house very warm, but accompanied by a keen wind which so often appears to be the forerunner of mildew and insect pests. With the exception of having blooms 6 inches across, the .sepals and petals white tinged with rose, the labellum bear- ing five prominent yellow ridges with dark purple veining on each side, the lips of the side lobes and broad, front lobe bright rose-purple. Laelio-Cattleya Choletiana (C. MossIeb x L. superbiens) has slightly larger flowers than L. Nemesis, but of the same colour, the chief differ- ences being the suppression of the ridges on the lip, which is less distinctly trilobed. and ex- panded in front like C. Mossise. The third and largest flower is recorded as L. super- biens X Sophronitis grandiflora. the cross having been made at Tring Park by the late Mr. Hill in the presence of the Hon. Walter Rothschild. No evidence, however, of Sophronitis grandiflora appears, the flower being in most respects simOar to L.-C. Choletiana; it is 6 inches across the petals, which are I5 inches wide. The labellum suggests that it might be a cross between L. superbiens and C. Warscewiczii, the expansion of the crimped front lobe being similar to C. Warscewiczii. The flowers are white suffused with rose-pink, the disc of the labellum yellow, the base white veined with purple. The poUinia — four perfect, four imperfect — are of Lxlio- Cattleya. 152 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Makch 9, 1912. The Week's Work. but Cannas will not thrive under cold and draughty conditions. Stand them in a frame or light house, where they will receive plenty of sunshine : on no account grow them under vines or Peach trees, a practice which is too often adopted with bedding plants, with the result that they become drawn and weakly. THE FLOWER GARDEN. By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady Nohthcote, Eastwell Park, Kent. Carnation Seedlings. — Caruations raised from seeds sown in January should be pricked off in boxes filled with sandy soil and grown in an intermediate temperature. Keep the plants close to the roof-glass to promote a sturdy habit of growth. When fairly established, remove them to cooler quarters to become thoroughly hardened before they are planted out-of-doors. The Carnations of the i\Iarguerite and Grenadin types are easily grown from seed. The flowers are very sweet-scented and numerous : seedlings of a good strain will include a large proportion of plants having double flowers. Flower-beds and Borders. — Beds and bor- ders planted with Wallflowers, Polyanthuses, bulbs, and other spring-flowering plants should be hoed and made tidy before the plants come into bloom. The verges should be trunmed, if necessary, with the edging knife, making this quarter of the garden as attractive as possible. The flower-spikes of Hyacinths should be tied to neat stakes as soon as support becomes necessary, or many may be damaged during a single stormy night. Take care to tie the matting loosely around the stem, as a tight ligature may cause the growing inflorescence to snap off. Use sticks painted with a subdued colour. Where no dwarf plants are employed as a carpeting for Hyacinths and other bulbs, Coooanut fibre refuse will give a better appearance than bare soil, and it wiU prevent the blooms from getting splashed with mud during heavy rains. Lawns. — Lawns should receive attention almost daily at this season to ensure a good sward during the sunmier months. The grass hii.s commenced to grow rapidly, and it should be swept and roUed constantly before the dry weather sets in. If the turf is weedy, it may be dressed with lawn sand, the present being the best time to apply it. Make good all bare places in the turf, and straighten turf edgings, bordering paths and flower-beds with the edging knife. At- tention to these detaib results in a smart garden, having a well-cared-for appearance. If not already done, lawn mowers should be overhauled and put in good order at once. Gravel Paths and Drives. — Ground opera- tions entail much wheeling over the paths and roads, which become damaged thereby in bad weather, and they should be put in good order without delay. Fill depressions and ruts with ixjugh materials, rolling them well in, and then spread a layer of fine gravel over the surface. A heavy roller should be employed as soon as the gravel is moderately dry, to prjvide a smooth surface. Tuberous-rooted Begonias. — The tubers should be placed in boxes covered with leaf-mould and started into growth. There is no advantage in starting them too early, or they may become stunted and receive a check before the time for planting arrives. They should be placed in a cool house or frame, no fire heat being ne-cessary, as this would cause them to grow too quickly, rendering them more susceptible to injury when exposed out-of-doors. If started as advised, the young shoots grow sturdy. Later on the tubers may be divided, if necessary, to increase the stock. They should then be potted or placed in boxes, the latter receptacles being the better, as the roots are liable to become matted in pots, causing a certain amount of check when separat- ing them. The soil should consist of turfy loam, plenty of flaky leaf-mould, and a quantity of sharp sand. Pot lightly. The new bedding Be- gonia. Major Hope, created a very favourable im- pression last season, where seen in the public parks. Can NA. — Bedding varieties of Canna that have been resting in a cool house should now be potted : they will furnish good plants by June. Ordinary potting soil is suitable, and heat facilitates the starting of the plants into growth. After the shoots have commenced to grow, the plants should be grown as sturdily as possible. THE FRENCH GARDEN. By Paul Aquatias. Hot- beds. — The Lettuces grown in the frames, prepared in the first place for Turnips and Strawberries, will be all marketed before the 10th inst. Lettuces grown with Carrots need to be kept very clean, and all decayed leaves removed cai-efully. The paths between the rows of frames should be filled again with dry manure, made level with the tops of the frames. The manure is not for the purpose of increasing the temperature of the frames, but to facilitate the raising of the frames when the Carrots require more head room late in the month. If available, a quantity of black soil should be passed through a j-inch screen and kept in a shed, to be spread as a mulching among the Carrots when the Lettuces are marketed ; a barrow-load is sufficient quan- tity for a frame of three lights. Cos Lettuces should now b* planted between the cloches on the hot-beds ; ventilation is afforded by pressing the soil with a triangular block of wood under the rim of each cloche. The paths should be filled with short and dry manure, made level with the soil of the beds. Crops in Unheated Frames. — Cauli- flowers should be planted without delay, if the work has not been done already. Ventilation should be afforded the " Passion " Lettuces during bright days, and the quantity of fresh air increased gradually. It is essential to cover all the lights and cloches with mats whenever frost is apparent. Sudden changes in the temperature are prejudicial to the welfare of the crops, and often the damage is only noticed 12 or 15 days afterwards, when Lettuce leaves become covered with brown spots. Melons. — The first batch of Melons is ready to be potted in " 60 " pots. The plants may be grown in a greenhouse till the middle of March, when they should be placed on a hot-bed pre- vious to their final planting. Successive sowmgs of Melon seeds should be made weekly till the end of March to have a supply of young and sturdy plants always at hand. ToMATOS. — Seeds of the main batch of Tomatos for planting out-of-doors should be sown in boxes. They will soon germinate, and the seedlings may be afforded a little ventilation when the cotyledons have spread out. Open-air Crops. — The plants of " Passion " Lettuces should be set out at a distance of 9 or 10 inches apart. The Cos Lettuces should also be planted as soon as possible. Select ground that has been heavily manured, and plant at 14 to 16 inches apart. Spinach may be sown broadcast as an inter-crop, as it does not interfere with the growth of the Lettuces. We sow Radishes broadcast by themselves. The ground about spring Cabbages that were planted in the autumn should receive a good hoeing whenever the soil is dry. Onions and Spinach sown ni the autumn will also be benefited by stirring the soil about their roots at the earliest oppor- tunity. THE ORCHID HOUSES. By J. Collier, Gardener to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., Gatton Park, Surrey. Management of the Houses. — At this season of the year Orchids generally require very careful attention in the matter of ventilat- ing and shading. The growths and leaves that are now developing are very tender, and are soon scorched and disfigured if exposed to bright sun- sliine. Discretion must be exercised in the use of the blinds. It is advisable to be on the safe side by not unduly exposing valuable plants to the sun's influence; at the same time the blinds should not be allowed to remain down longer than is really necessary. Already^ the warmth from the sun has, on several occasions, had the effect of raising the temperatures of the houses higher than is necessary for many of the occupants. Cold winds oftimes alternate with bright sunshine, the external temperature being perhaps only 40° or even lower. Under these conditions it is not advisable to admit fresh air in sufficient quantities to keep down the tem- peratures. On such occa.sions use the blinds. When the outside temperature rises to over 45° the amount of ventilation may be increased and shade afforded with discretion. Admit the air through the ventilators under the stages, if pos- sible, on the side of the house that is most sheltered from the wind. These remarks apply more especially to the cooler houses, containing such plants as Odontoglossums, Masdevallias, Oncidiums and cool-growing Cypripediums. Th& Cattleya and intermediate houses will only re- quire shading for an hour or so during the middle of the day. Any of the inmates of these houses that require more shade should be placed at one end, and be shaded independent!}'. Many occupants of the East Indian honse, such as Phalsenopsis, Bulbophyllum, Cirrhopetalum, Angrsecum and the warm-growing Cypripediums will require protection from ths sun. Bollea, Pescatorea, \\arsczewiczella and the small-grow- ing Zygopetalums should be shaded at all tim;s. Cattlevas. — The autumn and early-winter flowering Cattleyas, both species and hybrids, including C. labiata and its varieties : C. Bow- ringiana, C. Mantinii, C. Wendlandii, C. Portia, C. Ashtonii, C. Pittiana, C. Fabia, C. Clarkia and others that have been resting since flower- ing, are developing new roots. Vigorous plants that require larger pots should be attended to. If the ixiotiiig material is still in a good condi- tion, the iilants may be shifted at once into larger pots, but specimens in sour sod should have all the old compost shaken away, dead roots cut off, and all useless pseudo-bulbs removed, as these will rob the plant of nourishment, and necessitate the use of larger pots than would be otherwise needed. Strong-growing and vigorous rooting kinds should be afforded more rooting space than those of a weaker habit. Thunia. — Plants of Thunia should be re- potted annually, and the work should be done as soon as they have commenced to grow. A suit- able compost consists of two-thirds rich, fibrous loam, broken roughly and with all the small particles removed and one-third dried cow manure, adding some half-decayed Oak leaves, a little chopped Sphagnum-moss, with crushed crocks and charcoal. Place a layer of crocks about 1 inch deep in the bottom of the pot for drainage, and cover the crocks with a layer of Sphaguimi-moss. Place three pseudo-btilbs in a 5-inch pot. Pot moderately firndy, placing the bases of the bulbs on the compost and securing the pseudo-bulb firmly to a neat stick. Affora the plants a light position in a warm house, and water them sparingly tUl they are well rooted. The foliage should be syringed whilst the plants are growing actively, as Thunias are subject to the attacks of red spider. At this stage water may be afforded the roots freely PLANTS UNDER GLASS. By Thomas Stevenson, Gardener to E. Mocatta, Esq., Woburn Place, Addlestone, Surrey. Chrysanthemums. — Early - rooted plant* of Chrysanthemums should be ready for repot- ting. If rooted singly in thumb pots, receptacles 4 inches in diameter (54's) are the most suitable, but if two or three have been rooted in the same pot large 50 pots should be selected. Pot firmly, using a rich, friable compost com- posed of loam, leaf-mould, sand, and wood ashes, more or less of the sand and wood ashes according to the nature of the loam. A low, span-roofed house provided with plenty of side ventilators is the most suitable structure for Chrysanthemums at this season of the year. The plants grow harder in such a glass-house than in frames, although the latter are often used for the purpose. The plants will do very well in_a cold frame provided that plenty of space is allowed between the plants. Keep the atmosphere moderately close after potting to prevent the foliage from flagging, whilst light sprayings in the morning and first thing after dinner on all fine days will help them in this respect. A week after the potting the roots should be growing freely; fresh air may then be admitted, and the amount increased gradually till the lights are removed entirely on very fine days. Later rooted batches of plants should be seen to, removing them from the propagating frame as soon as they March 9, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 153 are well rooted, and inuring them gi-adually to fresh air as advised in the case of recently potted plants. Stock plants in reserve for furnishing cuttings late in March and April must be afforded abundant ventilation to keep them stocky, as soft, pithy shoots are liable to flag considerably when inserted as cuttings and never make such fine plants as good, hard cuttings. Gloxinias and Begonias. — Gloxinias and Begonias that were started early in boxes should be potted before the roots become matted to- gether. I prefer to transfer them direct to their flowering pots. If a house is devoted to these plants, there is not much fear of the shoots Lecoming drawn, but where they have to be ■grown with other plants there is a danger in this respect, especially in the case of Begonias. If shelves are available in houses having a suit- able temperature for the plants, Begonias and Gloxinias may be stood on them until the sun- shine becomes excessive. « Cyclamen latifolium. — The plants of Cyclamen are making a good display in the con- servatory and greenhouse ; it will be advisable to promote a fairly dry atmosphere in order that the blooms may keep fresh for a long time. Plants that are still throwing up flowers should be assisted with a little liquid manure ; do nut let any of the fluid reach the centres of the plant, or it may cause damping. Plants raised from seed sown last autumn are growing freely, and, if the potting has not been already done, they should be placed singly in " 60 " pots without delay. The compost may consist of loam and leaf-mould, mixed with a quantity of sharp sand, a little mortar rubble, and a few pieces of char- coal. Do not place the corms too deeply in the soil, only just sufficient to prevent them shifting when the pots are moved. A .'span-roofed house is a suitable place to grow them in, but a moder- ately warm frame will do equally as well, pro- vided the plants are placed well up to the light. The roots will not need to be watered too liber- ally : syringings on bright days will help to pro- vide sufficient moisture as well as to keep down insects, one of the most troublesome of these being thrips, which are favoured by dry condi- tions. FRUITS UNDER GLASS. By K. Harriss, Fruit Foreiiian, The Royal Gardens, Windsor. Early Peaches and Nectarines in Pots. — When the stoning period is passed, it will be safe to subject the trees to harder forcing if it is ■ desired to have ripe fruits at an early date. There is not so much risk in forcing pot trees, as in the case of those planted in borders, as the roots of the former are more under control and the trees invariably set far more fruits than are necessary to furnish a crop. Nevertheless, forcing must not be carried to excess ; rather take full advantage of warmth from the sunshine by closing the house early in the afternoon after syringing t/hc trees thoroughly. ^-Vll surplus fruits should be gathered, cropping each tree ac- cording to its size and capacity. From 12 to 18 fruits may be considered a fair crop unless the trees are unusually large. But on no account leiive too many, as this would impair their quality. Any fruitless wood may be cut back to the growth nearest the base, and generally guard against overcrowding of the shoots, which will shade the light from the fruits and tend to weaken the trees. Stop the shoots at the fourth leaf. The soil should be examined frequently to see if water is necessary ; if the pots are well drained, it is better to be generous than sparing in its application. Stimulants should also be given at shorter intervals than hitherto. When the second swelling of the fruits has commenced, place a laver of well-decomposed manure on the surface of the pots. Early Permanent Trees. — When the shoots are about 6 inches long, remove all those which are not required. As a rule it will only be necessary to leave one at the base and an- other at the point of the current bearing wood, unless it is purposed at next season's pruning to discard some of the old, bare branches. In this case young shoots should be trained in to take the place of those to be removed. These young shoots should be secured to the treUis, taking particular care that they do not grow above the wires. The final thinning of the fruits should be delayed till the stoning period has passed, allow- ing one fruit to each square foot of space. A larger crop may be permitted on young, vigorous trees. In thinning, leave the fruits evenly dis- tributed over the branches, retaining for pre- ference those which are on the upper side of the trees. Spray the foliage with rain-water in the morning, and again at closing time; also damp frequently all the bare surfaces in the house. Should red spider appear on the leaves, syringe the foliage with a solution of soft soap and sul- phur. Old-established trees will be much bene- fited if the borders are given a surface dressing of rich, farmyard manure. Mid-season Trees.— Attend to the disbud- ding of mid-season trees regularly, commencing at their extremities first. Where the fruits have set very thickly all those on the under side of the tree may be pulled off at once. Syringe the foliage twice daUy, and endeavour to keep the atmosphere always moist. Ventilate the house carefully, and remember that although the Peach enjoys plenty of fresh air, cold draughts should be avoided, these being favourable to attacks of red spider. Well-drained borders filled with roots should be watered regularly. Old trees carrying heavy crops of fruit wiU require stimulants. Late Trees. — Owing to the exceptionally mild weather, fruit trees have started into growth much earlier than usual. They must not be kept in too cold a house when the flowers are opening. Give them every assistance to set their fruits, then, if necessary, they can be kept backward by leaving the ho\isis open later in the day than usual and maintaining a cool temperature at night. THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By r. JORDAN, Gardener to Lady Ncnbcrnholme, Warter Priory, Yorksljire. Peach and Nectarine. — The trees having been detached from the walls for some time past, for the purpose of retarding the opening of the buds, preparations should be made for pruning and securing the branches again. Trees that were disbudded and relieved of useless wood in the autumn will need very little pruning at this stage, beyond tliinning the young shoots to pre- vent overcrowding. Tlie growths should be regu- lated at a distance not closer than 6 inches apart, so that the wood may become thoroughly ripened, which is one of the secrets of success in the cul- tivation of Peaches and Nectarines out-of duors. In pruning, train in their entire length shoots of moderate growth, but removing altogether those of a gross nature. By giving careful attention to root-pruning in the autumn, disbudding properly and disposing the shoots so that sunshine and air have free access to the interior of the trees, the wood will become thoroughly ripened, the flowers stronger and hardier, being better able to with- stand cold winds and frost. Use tarred string for tieing the main branches, and matting in pre- ference to shreds for the smaller shoots, if the ties are not made too tightly, as shreds form a harbour for insect pests. After the training and tieing of the branches are completed, syringe the trees with a fairly strong insecticide, such as the A II. fluid or XL-All specific. The syringing should be repeated just before the flowers open, using a weaker solution. The soil of the border should be lightly pricked up with a fork and re- ceive a dressing of bonemeal if this manure was not applied in the autimin. Take care not to tread the borders more than is necessary. Protecting the Blossoms. — After the training of the trees is completed, get in readi- ness materials, such as old fish netting, tiffany or " scrim," for protecting the blossoms from cold winds and frost. Poles and copings should be fixed in position, so that when protection is needed, no time need be lost in fixing up the cur- tains and nets. These materials should be examined and repaired if necessary. Loganberry. — This bramble is a vigorous grower, the shoots growing 10 feet to 12 feet long in a single season. ' The fruits are valuable, especially as they ripen when the Raspberry crop is practically finished : they make excellent jam, and are appreciated as bottled fruits. The plant will grow in almost any position, and is suitable for training up poles, wire fences, and arches, giving a large quantity of fruit in proportion to the space occupied. It requires a rich soil and a similar treatment to the Raspberry. The old canes should be cut out after they have fruited, removing, at the same time, weak shoots, and re taining only the stronger ones, as the shoots re- quire plenty of room. The roots should be planted at distances of 5 feet to 8 feet apart. Apply a liberal mulching of manure and cut the shoots to the ground level the first season. Blackberry.— Blackberries are useful and profitable plants for covering unsightly places, such as old fences or boards The varieties laciniatus, Wilson Junior and The Mahdi may ail be recommended. Japanese Wineberry.— Rubusphiajnicolasius is one of the hardiest, handsomest and most vigorous of Brambles, and when establi.shed makes a charming pillar plant from July to Sep- tember, its large clusters of scarlet edible fruits being very attractive. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. By Edwin Beckett, Gardener to the Hon. Vicarv Gibbpoisons, termed dihydroxy- stearic acid, has been very fully investi- gated. This substance is found to hinder the growth of plants even in the presence of fertilisers, but the harmful effect is least when the ratio of these salts is a proper one for growth and greatest when the ratio is not well suited for plant growth. This poisonous soil substance is relatively much less harmful in the pre- sence of nitrogenous fertilisers which tend to increase root oxidation. In continuation of this work the influence of three other organic compounds, coumarin, vanillin, and quinone has been studied. The first two are compounds which may often be brought into the soil by decaying vege- tation, and quinone may arise from proteins. All three substances are toxic. Their effect has been studied mainly on Wheat seedlings grown in soils contain- ing various ratios of one, two, and three constituents of the three fertilisers (salts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potash) which con.stitute a complete artificial manure. Each of the three poisons named above affects plants in a different way. Plants poisoned by coumarin have stunted tops and broad, distorted leaves ; quinone causes the plants to be tall and slender, with thin, narrow leaves ; vanillin strongly inhibits root growth, and also top growth. The effects of coumarin are most easily overcome by phosphatic manures, vanillin is best counteracted by nitro- genous manures, whilst the quinone effects are checked most readily by potash salts. The differences are very remarkable ; and whereas vanillin produces toxic effects very like those set up by dihydroxystearic acid, quinone, which is an oxidizing agent, is antagonized by those manures which re- tard oxidation. Dr. Schreiner regards it as abundantly proved that harmful organic bodies such as these occur in soils, and it becomes possible that a given field may have a different fertiliser requirement from year to year, according as the rotation of crop and the consequent alteration in the plant remains returned to the soil. Such questions as these can only be investigated at experimental stations, where the history of the soil for many years past is known accurately ; there can be no doubt that they will repay amply the cost and labour that thev entail. As our readers may remem- Nationai ^er, the scheme for develop- Dairy- ing agriculture which has inlmuti^n. been drawn up by the Board of Agriculture and passed by the Treasury involves three depar- tures. First, the creation of staffs of ex- perts in the various agricultural col- leges whose functions will be to give advice in the locality of the several col- leges and to conduct experiments calcu- lated to lead to practical results useful to the local agricultural community. Secondly, the establishment of farm schools in the counties, which schools shall serve as centres for instruction in agri- culture. Third, the foundation of six re- search institutes, which shall perform for agriculture generally what the local col- leges are destined to do for the agricul- ture of the areas within their several spheres of influence. Of these institutes, those for the study of plant breeding and animal nutrition are to be located at Cambridge. Soil studies are to be carried on at Rotham- sted. We now learn from an announcement made by iVfr. Runciman, President of the Board of Agriculture, that the institute for dairy research is to be attached to the University College, Reading. Speak- ing at Reading last week, Mr. Runciman stated that, subject to the compliance of the college with the conditions imposed by the Board, the college would re- ceive from the Development Grant a sum up to a maximum of £2,500 per annum to provide two-thirds of the an- nual cost of the Dairy-Research Institute. The Board of Agriculture would also provide half the cost of the necessary buildings. Mr. Runciman also expressed the opinion, which will be shared by all in- terested in the advance of agricultural education, that the time is ripe for the formation of County Council Agricultural Committees, whose function should be to deal with all agricultural matters other than those which concern agricultural teaching in the elementary schools. With respect to the advisory work to which we have referred already, the President announced that the Board of Agriculture is prepared to make grants to county councils in order to enable them to co-operate with the colleges in establishing strong staff's of advisory experts. It would seem, therefore, that a great scheme for agricultural advance is started auspiciously, and it only remains for the counties to rise to the responsibilities which are offered to them, to appoint strong and representative committees to carry out the work of organising farm schools, and to arrange for co-operation with the colleges. The Board of Agricul- ture and its President, Mr. Runciman, have earned the thanks of the agricul- tural community for the energy with which they have carried to a successful issue the difiicult negotiations connected with the scheme. In joining in these con- gratulations, we desire to express em- phatically the hope that the farm institutes of the counties will not all be of a kind, and that in those counties where market gardening, fruit growing, and other branches of horticulture form impor- tant industries, the farm institutes will be so organised as to give prominence, and, indeed, priority to these special depart- ments of horticulture. RovAL International Horticultural Exhibition. — We liave annouiiceil already that the Belgian State Railways and the South-Eastern and Chatham Railway ComiJaiiy have agreed to issue cheap tickets (50 per cent, under the usual price) for visitors to the Exhibition from all parts of Belgium. The Great Eastern Railway has now. decided to follow suit. This will be of great benefit to those who prefer to travel by the Hook of Holland-Harwich route, which is in many ways a very convenient one, though the sea- passage is somewhat longer than via Ostend- Dover. The large party of American visitors who propose to come over to England in order to visit the E.xhibition, under the auspices of the Florists' Exchange., will travel by the White Star liner " Titanic," a boat of 45,000 tons regis- ter. The departure from New York is fi.xed tor Jlay 11, and the visitors will arrive about the 18th. The return will be fi.\ed for a date suffi- ciently late to allow the visitors to make a short excursion to the Continent after ihe closing of the Exhibition. Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund. — The committee of the Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund acknowledges its indebtedness to a gentleman w'ho was unable to be present at the recent .".nnual meeting, but who has since made a con- tribution that will enable the committee to pay 5s. a week for 12 months to one of the unsuccess- ful candidates on that occasion. British Gardeners' Associat on. — We are-' requested to remind our readers that this associa- tion's dinner will take place at the Holborn Restaurant, on Thursday, March 14. The Presi- dent, the Earl of Plymouth, will occupy the- chair. ^^ March 9, i'J12.J THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 155 R.H.S. Examination of Public Parks EMPLOYtES.-The results of the Hoyal Horti- Lullural Society's seventh examination of em- ployees in public parks, held on January 8, have just been published. As previously, the ex- amination was partly viva voce and partly written. Forty-nine candidates entered, and of these 17 secured places in the first, 7 in the second, and 16 in the third class. The ex.- aminers report that the average quality of the written answers equals that of former years, no marked general improvement being noticeable in the work of the candidates. Many cases of individual improvement, however, were noticed — candidates of past years being found to have con- siderably extended their knowledge. The identi- fication of specimens was better, the names being generally given unhesitatingly and correctly. At the request of the London County Council, the former division of the candidates into two groups, A and B, had been discontinued. The list is headed by Mr. J. Nash, Leicester, who thus wins the Society's Silver-gilt Medal. Thf. Royal Society. — Among the candidates recommended by the Council for election to the Royal Society are Mr. L. Cockayne, whose work in the botany of New Zealand has added greatly to our knowledge of tlie flora and ecology of those islands ; J\Ir. R. C. Punnett, who has made valuable contributions to the science of genetics, dnd Prof. Newstead. Prof. R. Newstead. — The nomination of Mr. Robert Newstead to the Fellowship of the lioyal Society is a signal honour for a gardener, and IS thoroughly well deserved. Mr. Newstead 's Dutton Memorial Professor of Entomology, and Hun. Consulting Entomologist to the City of Liverpool and the Institute of Commercial Re- search in the Tropics. He has made three expedi- tions abroad in the interests of scientific investi- gation. The first one was to Jamaica, where, oa behalf of the Government, he went to study the insects infesting cattle. The second expedition was to Malta, to enquire into the conditions under which sandfly fever is disseminated, and the third expedition, from which he returned only at the end of last year, was to Nyassaland to investigate the part that is played by the tsetse fly in the transmission of sleeping sickness. National Chrysanthemum Society. — This Society will hold two exhibitions at the Cry.staJ Palace on October 2 and 3 and October 29, 30, and 31 respectively. A third exhibition and conference will be held on November 20 at Etsex Hall, Strand. The Surveyors' Institution. — The next ordinary general meeting of this society will be held on Monday, March 11, when the adjourned discussion on Mr. Edwin Savill's paper on " The Single Tax Movement " will be resumed. The annual dinner will be held at the Whiti-hall Rooms, Hotel Metropole, on Tuesday, Aoril 25. United Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society. — The annual meeting will be held at the Royal Horticultural Hall, Vincent Square, Westminster, on Monday, March 11, at 8 p.m. Southampton Royal Horticultural Society. — This society celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year, and, in order to mark the occasion, several exhibitions have been arranged. A Rose show will be held on June 25 "in connec- tion with the National Rose Society. The Jubilee show wUl be held on July 16 and 17. The sche- dule includes 36 classes for Carnations, 12 for Sweet Peas, and over 60 for plants, miscellaneous cut flowers, fruit, and vegetab'.es. The ai-«umn exhibition includes many classes for Chrysanthe- mums and fruit. Visitors to Kew Gardens During 1911. — The number of visitors to the Royal Botanic Gar- dens, Kew, during the year 1911 was 3,704,506. These figures represent an increase of 158,304 per- sons over the year 1910, when there were 3,546,302 visitors, and are the highest yet re- corded. The month in which the largest number of persons visited the gardens was July, when 737,946 visitors were recorded. There were 157,425 visitors on June 5, 1911. Cucumber Canker. — The Board of Agri- culture and Fisheries desire to warn all growers cf Tc-r.:^tc; thi;t the disease knowa as Tomato disease appeared last year are strongly advised not to plant Tomatos in the same soil, unless it has been adequately sterilised, and to spray all their plants during the early part of the season with Bordeaux mixture or a solution of liver of sulphur (1 lb. to 32 gallons of water). The School of Agriculture, Cambridge. ^Though it is but a few years ago that the agricultural laboratories of the University of Cambridge were erected, it is now found neces- sary to enlarge them to double their present size. This is due not only to the natural growth of the School of Agriculture, but also to the fact t"lG. 65. — CATTLEYA BRENDA (C. DUSSELDORFEI UNDINE X C. GASKELLIANA ALBA) : a pure white Variety. (Received R.H.S. Award of Merit on ihe iOth i.lt. See report on p. 126 anc.) and Cucumber canker (Mycosphaerella citrullina) is included among the diseases which, in pursu- ance of the Destructive Insects and Pests Order of 1910, must be reported to the Board by the occupier of any premises on which they appear. A description of the disease is given in the Board's leaflet No. 230, copies of which may be obtained free of charge and post free, on appli- cation to the Secretary, Board of Agriculturo and Fisheries, 4, Whitehall Place, London, S.W. Growers who ai'O in doubt as to whether or not the disease is present on their premises should submit specimens of affected plants to the Board for determination. Up to the present the disease has been chiefly confined to Tomatos grown under glass. Occupiers of premises on which the that Cambridge has been selected by the De- velopment Commissioners as the centre for the special institutes for research in plant-breeding and in animal nutrition. Presentation to a Nurser- Employee. — To mark the retirement of Mr. Sa>iuel Pope, Begonia specialist in Messrs. Thomas S. Ware's, Ltd., nursery at Bexley Heath, after upwards of 50 years' service with the firm, the principals and his fellow-employees have made him a present of a marble clock. Mr. Pope commenced his gar- dening career in the nurseries of the late Messrs. LucoMBE, PiNCE & Co., Exeter, and for several years was with Messrs. John Lainq & Sons, Forest HiU. He retires on a pension. 156 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Mahch 9, 1912. Flowers in Season. — We have received some remarkably fine flowers of a dark-red, anemone- teiitred Camellia from Sir Albert Rollit, LL.D., gathered from a tree in the open garden, bearing altogether 150 expanded blossoms. Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institu- tion (Liverpool Auxiliary). — The annual smoking concert in aid of the funds of the Gar- deners' Royal Benevolent Institution, promoted by the Liverpool Auxiliary, was held on the 27th lilt, under the chairmanship of the Lord Mayor of Liverpool (Lord Derby). The Auxiliary has re- cently forwarded to the treasurer of the Institu- tion the sum of £50, making a total of £510 lis. as the contributions from friends in the Liverpo■ ept. 21 10 Wt-tiing^onia g gmiea 1st wt ek cf 'ri. IB S'l A'-'U ar.a iuil ricata 3rd wee.v of Sept. 60 '.& Abies noUl s Ibt week of Oct, 61 HI ,, granuis ,, '0 S-.l „ Noidmaaniaoa ,, a 40 „ Pins.po 3rd wee.% of ?ept. 8U 60 Pinus e'celsa 1st we^k of Oci. in 60 Tliui < i-i 'aniea End of Oct. 80 60 Cedrus Libani .- ti a 25 The cones were collected during dry weather, from trees ranging in height from 50 to 100 feet. They were placed in trays put into a frame on shelves close to the glass, and opened in a few warm, sunny days. The seeds were sown in the beginning of May in boxes of sandy loam with a layer of cinders in the bottom, and were placed in cold frames on shelves, the surface of the soil in the boxes being about 9 inches belov/ the glass. The frames were kept closed, except on hot, sunny days, when a little ventilation was afforded and the soil was watered. After germination, the seedlings were gradually hardened off, and by the end of July the lights were removed from the frames. The seedlings were left in the frames all the winter, being prot«cted by mats during severe frost. In the late spring they were pricked out into lines in the nursery. There were practically no losses, except a few of the Wellingtonias which damped off in the autumn. In most cases one box of each kind was sown. The box of Cupressus macrocarpa made a won- derful growth in the first season, the plants ranging from 9 inches to 1 foot iii height, and when two years old they were over 2 feet in height. The box of C. nootkatensis, whicli was sown in the first week of October, did not ger- minate until 12 months afterwards. Its slow germination must be kept in mind when propa- gating this species. ^Ir. Ferguson states that although some foresters prefer to keep seeds that lie dormant until the second year in sand pits for 18 months, and then to sow them in March, April or May, according to the species, he prefers to sow C. nootkatensis in the spring after it is collected, as he finds that the seeds then give a larger per- centage of plants than they do if sown in the second spring, C. nootkatensis is also easily raised from slips or cuttings, which root readily if placed in a well-drained sandy loam in early sprmg or in autmnn. From a specimen of C. nootkatensis, 51 feet high, Mr. Ferguson gathered Ig lb, of good clean seed ; from one of A, nobihs, 90 feet in height, 7g lbs. of cleaned seed ; whilst a tree of Araucaria im. bricata, 30 feet in height, yielded 8 lbs. of seeds. HOME CORRESPONDENCE {The Ediiots do not hold themselves responsible lor the opinions expressed by correspondents.) Spraying for Big Bud. — I have been much interested by the correspondence on this sub- ject. Much might be said in favour of both spray- ing and picking off the buds. I prefer the latter method myself, one of my reasons being that, if we spray to-day and it comes on to rain to- morrow, most of the spray fluid is washed off, and we only kill the mites that are reached by the fluid at the time of spraying. As the mites are continuously' emerging from open- ing buds, it must be difficult to destroy them by that means, but if the buds are picked off before the period of migration, I think this ought to prove the better plan. The worst part of the matter, in my opinion, is in connection with people who let their bushes become badly infected and the mites to be carried to the bushes of people who do their best to keep them clean. Mr. Pearson is quite right in his assumption that the mites are carried by bees. I have found them on the legs of bees and on other insects, and the time when the bees are visiting the flowers is the principal period of the migration of the mites. Mr. Pearson is not quite right in assuming that the mites stand on their heads, I have watched them very many times ; they have a sort of clasping apparatus on the pos- terior end of the body, by which they can stick on to almost any substance and place themselves at almost any angle, and by this means they place themselves vertically and wave their feet and legs in the air as if to catch some means of transit. and no doubt they are carried by various sorts of living organisms. We have numerous allot- ments in this district, in which were growing 10 or 15 years ago large numbers of Black Currant bushes ; but, whilst taking a walk the other day I noticed the greater portion had vanished, due to the mite, and this in a great measure through neglect. If you tell people something about the life history of the mite, they take it to be a sort of fairy tale and do not trouble to remove the budts, which is not difficult in private gardens. I take a great interest in microscopic insects and their photography, but I have not yet been able to get what I consider a really pood picture of the Currant-bud mite, .-1. G. Blakc\j, The Gardens, llolnnvood, Red- d'llch Perpetual - flowering Carnations. — I was much interested in the notes (see p, 133) on the newer varieties of perpetual-flowering Car- nations, and I quite agree with Mr. Usher that Lady Alington shows signs of its constitution having been weakened by over-propagation. With me the cuttings have come terribly slow :rnd nie stunted in appearance, although the stock plants appear healthy. Amongst the newer Carnations grown here JIrs, C, F, Raphael is probably the best. Countess of Onslow, a lovely uhade of light heliotrope over a bright rose ground, was also good, and proved as free and persistent in flowering in mid-winter as Enchant- ress or Britannia. May I also say a word in favour of Rex? With me this has been far superior to Regina ; it is a better colour, with perfect calyx, and the plant is a more profitable bloomer. Fire Glow is also a gem, and is a colour which is showing amongst this season's novelties somewhat, but I do not know if any will prove to have such good, all-round qualities as Fire Glow. Fairniount is a deep helio- trope, a huge flower, by far the biggest of its colour, but the constitution and habit of the plant seems to be somewhat weak. Duchess of Devonshire and Countess of Lathom. both dark crimsons, were disappointing here this year, and I trust they will do better in the coming season, Gloriosa is by far our best new pink, and has undoubtedly come to stay. Miss Winnie Pryor, grown side by side with Bay State, was preferred, and gave a larger percent- age of blooms, Jessica, which is of a somewhat similar colour, does not pay to grow, except for exhibition, and I doubt even for this. Amongst varieties of earlier introduction, our best were Carola, Harlequin (which gives more flowers than Fire Glow, but is not so good), J, M, Crook (a beauty), Hegal Mauve (a lovely and distinct colour). La .\Iode. and Lady Dainty, This last is so distinct that I wonder it is not grown gener- ally, Wanoka, with 2^- feet stems, also must ba mentioned ; these all proved to be true winter bloomers, and gave a continuous supply from tha end of Sentember until the end of Februarv. Mrs. C, W, Ward, Edith Waters, Alma Ward, Roseate Dawn all proved of exceptional merit, but bloomed in the autumn, and now that our main batch shows signs of going over, these are coming into full flower again. While these varieties have not been with us here true winter (December and January) bloomers, Ihey have a niche to fill and are appreciated just now, when those which have been flowering freely for five months are seeking a rest from their labours. Those varieties that have had all their blooms cut will now be grown as cool as possible until the first week in ilay, when they will be planted out in a well-prepared border and give us cut flowers for another five months. Surely nothing in the garden gives a more grateful re- turn for our labours than the Perpetual-flower- ing Carnations, This selection is made from over 70 varieties, gathered from all sources, and with the idea of getting the best from each. This year we hope to try 41 novelties in addition to the varieties I have mentioned, C. C . Forest and Ornamental Trees in 1911.^ The observations on this subject on p, 138 are very interesting. Here, in South Hants., in a variety of soils, such as strong loam over clay with chalk below, in sandy soil, and in gravel, the results are quite opposite to those recorded in the case of Thuya gigantea (Lobbii), which suffered more here than any other tree evergreen or deciduous. Hundreds of specimens up to 20 feet high have died. In several instances whole hedges 12 feet high have perished ; in one particular in- stance the subsoil is clay. Spruce suffered in strong soil very much ; trees planted 30 years aie much disfigured with dying branches, while some more recently planted died right out. In all cases the trees were growing on the flat ; on a hill of chalk with a northern exposure they have not suffered at all. Specimens of Retinospora plumosa and Cupressus Lawsoniana 12 feet high in -sandy soil over gravel succumbed. Too much praise cannot be given the Corsican Pine for planting in any kind of soil ; here it thrives in stiff soil over clay and equally well in chalk with but a few inches of soil on the surface, and with a northern exposure equally well as those with a southern slope. It is infinitely better than the Scots or Austrian Pine for timber, trees 30 years old making useful material for estate work. As a wind screen no tree is so good as the Austrian Pine, and as a specimen it is hand.some, the all- round growth and dark-green colour is pleasing. Larch 20 years old, growing in stiff soil, suffered much ; liundreds, 25 feet high, died, E. Moly iieux, .Soiilh Hants. SoLANUM jasminoioes. — This plant is hardier than is generally supposed. A specimen has done well against the south wall of the gardener's house here for some five or six years, and the growth reaches the roof in a luxurious riot of blossom and fnlias/e every season. Basil Ltvettf Wyc/i nor, Staffordshire. March 9, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 159 Trees for Fuel. — The coal strike brings us to a very clear appreciation of the enormous value coal is to us Englishmen. In one respect it may be a blessing in disguise if it teaches us to ecuno- mise it more and to prepare ourselves for the time, not so far distant, when our supplies of coal and oil are either exhausted or so dear that ordinary men cannot use them. Unless we can bottle up heat from the sun or obtain power from tk© winds and the tides, both for heat and power, we shall bo dependent on such natural substances as wood and peat. It is well known that certain trees are good timber trees for firewood, and fast growers, but Ixith timber and growth can be much improved by careful plant-breeding and cul- tivation. One of our finest gifts to posterity would be a really good fast-growing timber tree, which would grow almost everywhere, and that it would be making some sort of amend, even if it be a scanty one, for the atrocious and wasteful way the present generation has depleted the world's supply of fuel? Cannot such a tree be produced in a cen- tury or so of experimental cultivation? i?. Bamsden, Sirhl'iiKjhnrft, Chiddingfold, Surrey. Plants for a Dry Border. — The following plants, in their order of flowering, seem to with- stand practically every extreme of heat and cold. Many of them will reproduce themselves natur- ally from seed. (January). Various early-flower- ing forms of Clalanthus according to soil; Crocus vitellinus and C. chrysanthus. (February). Galanthus ; Crocus species, such as C. Im- perati, C. Sioberi, Sc. ; Cyclamen Coum, and C. ibericum. (March.) Crocus species, such variety; Mu.scari ; Narcissus Triandrus albus ; azureum ; and Iris reticulata. (April.) Cyclamen repanduni C. libanoticum ; Anemones in variety ; Muscari ; Narcissus Triandrus albus ; Scillas ; and Iris Juno. (May.) Cyclamen and Iris ijumila. (June.) Lilium umbella- tum ; Iris ensata. I. graminea, Spanish Irises, and hybrid Irises. (July and August.) Cyclamen oui'opjeum ; Knglish Irises. (Sei:)tem- ber.) Crocus speciusum and C. sativus. (October.! Cyclamen; Crocus sneciosus var. Critchisonii, C. eridiflorus ; and Sternbergia lutea. (November.) Crocus medius and Sternbergia lut*a. A good carpeting plant is the wild, white \"iolet, which flowers in great profusion during March and April. The Cyclamen and Narcissus Triandrus albus require a light, sandy soil containing lime rubble ; shade, oi partial shade from sunshine, as do Anemone pulsatilia, A. ranunculoides, and Iris reticulata. Basil Levttl, Wychnor, Staf- fordshire Lilies and Sunshine. — In Mr. Grove's article, so full of interest to the lover of this beautiful genus, special praise is given to a Lily of recent introduction, namely, Lilium myrio- phyllum. I believe there is a great future before this particular plant, for its points of recom- mendation are hardiness, healthiness, fine habit and exceptional beauty. I well remember unpack- ing the cases as they arrived, very, very late in spring from China. The bulbs had been packed in the previous autumn, cased in mud, as is the usual method, but so hardly had they fared on the voyage that but very few reached their desti- nation in the mud envelopes. They were terribly dry and had commenced to grow, each bulb having a shoot of sickly white, flabby leaves pro- truding. They had then a very peculiar appear- ance, lor the leaves are very narrow, and they looked like bulbs with bunches of half-dead grass on the top. Such were the unpromising bulbs when they first arrived. They were planted im- mediately in a rather heavy, loamy soil, and one or two flowered with a single flower the first year (1909). The bulbs were taken up in the autumn, and they looked in a very poor condi- tion, the young bulb in many cases being small. They were planted again after a brief rest, and in 191C the flowers made a beautiful sight. Most of the plants were single-flowered, but others hnd up to as many as six flowers to a stem. The foliage was perfectly healthy, without a trace of the disease that had taken off a whole lot of L. Brownii received from China at the same time. .\nd last year (1911) they were better and stronger than ever. Mr. E. H. 'Wilson, who collected them, eaid that they were found in a very hot valley, in a heavy soil containing lime, and that the Chinese natives of that particular locality grew them over the porches of their houses, planted thickly together in about 6 inches of clay, the only water they got being from the rain ; and in this position they flowered abundantly. These remarks, I think, fully justify Mr. Grove's contention that L. myrio- phyllum is possibly the most satisfactory of all modern Lilies. It seeds freely and germinates readily, is easily propagated from scale offsets, and should before long be plentiful enough to be in every garden where plants of beauty and interest are treasured. In planting it is well to avoid peat, giving the bulbs rather clay. Plant in full sunshine. T/ios. H. Chandler, Wittinglon Ilall, Marlow, Buels. soci£:'ri£:s. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL. March 5. — The spring exhibitions include the most successful oi the Royal Horticultural Society's fortnightly shows, and the meeting on Tuesday last emphasised the popularity of these shows. Every space, even in the two anne.xes, was occupied .with exhibits, although those not of a purely horticultural nature had been excluded. The success was partly due to a special bulb show, whilst the Narcissu.s Committee met for the first time this season. The show attracted a large number of visitors, and during part of the time the avenues were packed as on Temple Show days. The exhibits of Orchids were re- markable, both for numberti and quality ; but the Orchid Committee granted only two Awards of Merit. The exhibits in the floral section included large groups of Indian Rhododendrons and other flowering shrub.s. Carnations, I'rimulas, Ferns, bulbous plants, and rock-gardens. The Fr.ORAL Committee recommended four Awards of Merit. The FnuiT and Vegftable Committee made no award to a novelty. At the 3 o'clock meeting of the Fellows, a lecture on "The Stimulation of Plant Growth" was given by Professor H. E. Armstrong, F.R.S. Floral Committee. Pr'sent: Henry B. May, Esq. (in the Chair); and Mes.«rs. ('has. T. Druery, John Green, T. \V. Turner. G. Reuthe, R. C. Notcutt. W. J. Bean, F. Herbert Chapman, Charles Blick, W. Howe, J. F. McLeod, J. Dickson. W. Bain, Chas. Diion, R. C. Reginald Nevill. Herbert J. Cut- bush, Charles E. Shea. J. T. Bennett-IV)€. W. P. Thomson, E. H. Jenkins, W. J. James, F. Page Roberts. Charles E. Pearson, George Paul, W. B. Cranfield, and R. Hooper Pearson. Messrs. James Carter & Co., Raynes Park, provided, against the side wall of the Hall, a spring garden scene. Tall Cedars, shapelv Cryptomerias, and other Conifers hid the wall up to a goodly height, and rockwork was ar- ranged at the foot. Water spouted from the mouths of a couple of stone dragons, and splashed into pools below. These circular pools, enclosed with rugged stones, had a dense band of bright Crocuses. A weather-worn, bronze, Japanese vase was placed on a granite pedestal in the centre of the garden, and contained a number of bright Tulips, whilst many pale-blue Hya- cinths encircled its base. Around and on either side of this centrepiece stretched a smooth, green lawn of grass. Circular flower-beds were cut out of this velvety lawn, and in them grew almost perfect Hyacinths. Brightly-hued Tulips displayed their charms. Many of the boulders which were used in the rockwork came from Japan, and amongst them Daffodils in plenty, Pyrus japonica, and other spring flowers lent their aid towards making this spring scene pleasant to the eve. (Silver-gilt Flora Medal.) ]\Iessrs. James Vei tch & Sons, Chelsea, showed superb plants of Rhododendron indicum, ar- ranged on a staging, with here and there a standard specimen as a foil. With these were Prunus sinensis, double-flowered variety, Amyg- dalus persica rosea. Wistaria Viburnum Opulus, and Staphylea colchica. As a table exhibit, this firm showed indoor flowering plants, inaking a bright group with Primula x kewensis, Boronia megastigma, Lily of the Valley, Tillandsia Zahnii, with yellow flowers ; and Cyclamen, with fimbriated petals, of the type known as "Papilio" or Butterfly. The new variety of Rhododendron indicum, Blushing Bride, was shown in a batt-n of excellent plants. tSilver-giit Flora Medal.) Messrs. SuiTON & Sons, Reading, exhibited Hyacinths arranged in batches of two sorts, to show effective colour blending. The best effects were pale yellow and light blue, pink and deep blue, yellow and deep blue, blush and light blue, and light blue and dark blue. The plants were excellent specimens, with large inflorescences, and arranged with small Ferns. (Silver-gilt Banksian Medal.) Messrs. H. B. I\fAY & Sons, The Nurseries, Edmonton, staged Clematis in groups of distinct varieties, including Lord Wolseley (blue), Mrs. Quitter (white). Miss Bateman (white), and Lady Londesborough (lavender). Ferns were employed as a groundwork to the flowering plants. (Silver Banksian -Medal.) Messrs. W. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, ex- hibited, as on the last occasion, a showy group of forced shrubs and vases of Carnations. Mag- nolias, Azaleas, Lilac, and Prunus triloba were all good. Amongst the Carnations, the choicer varieties were Miss Winnie Hey (yellow ground, with pink markings). White Wonder, Mrs. Lucy Mackinnon (a large, scarlet flower, very fragrant). Lady Meyer (pink), and Countess of Lathom (crimson). (Silver Flora Medal.) Mr. L. R. Russell, Richmond, showed an ex- ceptionally large exhibit of Indian Azaleas (Rho- dodendron indicum), with a few forced shrubs. The Azaleas presented a bank of bright flowers, and were greatly admired. Mr. Russell also showed a small rock-garden exhibit. (Silver-gilt Banksian Medal.) Messrs. R. Gill & Sons, Falmouth, showed trusses of Himalayan Rhododendrons, including R. barbatimi (scarlet), R. b. carneum (flesh colour), and Mrs. Henry Shilson (soft blue). Other plants in the exhibit included Andromeda japonica, Erica codonodes. Camellias in variety, and the beautiful Cyclamen Coum. Messrs. Paul & Son, Old Nurseries, Cheshunt, staged dwarf plants of Lilacs in bloom. JMessrs. Wm. Paul & Son, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, put up a very pretty exhibit of flowering Peaches and Almonds, with Magnolias as a background. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent, showed Zonal-leaved Pelargoniums in 50 varie- ties, also winter-blooming Begonias, a dwarf type of Stellate-flowered Cineraria, Isoloma hirsuta, and Aniphicome Emodii. A batch of Primula obconica of an exception- ally fine strain was shown by Adeline Duchess of Bedford, Chenies, Rickmansworth (gr. Mr. J. Dickson). (Silver Banksian Medal.) A batch of well-flowered Freesias was shown by Mr. H. Brotherston, Knebworth, Hertford- shire. Mr. H. N. Ellison, West Bromwich, showed hybrid Gerberas and Freesias. Mr. H. Burnett, St. Margarets, Guernsey, again showed superb blooms of perpetual-bloom- ing Carnations, for which a SUver Flora Medal was awarded. Messrs. Allwood Bros., Hay wards Heath, showed a small but pretty exhibit of Carnations. La Rayonnante (yellow) and Geisha (puce, de- scribed by the exhibitors as a shade of helio- trope) are two novelties exhibited well by this firm. Mr. B. E. Bell, Castel Nursery, Guernsey, showed the cerise-pink Carnation Coronation, also White Wonder, R. F. Felton, Mikado, and others. Mr. C. Engelmann, Saffron Walden, Essex, received a Bronze Flora Medal for a collection of Carnations of the perpetual-blooming type. Messrs. Stuart Low & Co., Bush Hili Park, Enfield, were also the exhibitors of Carnations, as well as greenhouse flowering plants in variety. (Bronze Flora iMedal.) Messrs. Young & Co., Cheltenham, and Messrs. W. Wells & Co., Ltd., Mersthara, Surrey, also exhibited Carnations of the per- petual-blooming type. Hardy Plants. Mr. Clarence Elliott, Stevenage, again put up a rockery similar to the one he displayed at the last meeting, and much the best of its kind in the hall. The plants were arranged so as to present sheets of flowers of such choice sub- jects as Saxifraga Burseriana speciosa. S. Gloria, S. apiculata (yellow), S. oppositifolia alba, S. splendens, and Primula Allionii. (Silver Banksian Medal.) IGO THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. [March 9, 1912. Messrs. Bakr & Sons, King Street, Covent Garden, showed batches of Crocuses, including King of the Whites, purpurea grandiflora, Presi- dent Lincoln (purisle), and Golden Yellow. Iris reticulata, Mu.scari azurcum, Scillas, Chionodoxa sardensis, and Saxifraga Burseriana niagnifica were all shown well. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Mr. Geo. Reuthe, Keston, Kent, showed many uncommon hardy plants, backed with shrubs of choice sorts. A truss of Rhododendron argen- teum attracted attention, also a fine specimen of Berberis Bealii. Amongst the Alpines we noticed Saxifraga lilacina, Iris persica, Saxifraga Boydii, Androsace pyrenaica. Ranunculus Ker- nerianus. Anemone blanda Cynthinica (white and blue, very pretty), and Tecophilfea cyanocrocus. Messrs. R. Wallace & Co., Colchester, had a squat rockery which presented a more natural appearance than the usual ridge arrangement. The more interesting plants were Ancluisa myosotidiflora. Iris bucharica, I. persind, I. sindjarensis, Primula Palinuri (like a richly- coloured yellow Cowslip), Fritillaria chitral- ensis, Tulipa Clusiana, and T. Kaufmanniana. Messrs. G. & A. Cl,aek, Ltd., Dover, showed coloured Primroses, and other early hardy flowers, with shrubs as a background. Mr. Maurice Prichard, Christchurch, Hamp- shire, exhibited forms of Primula cashmeriana, those labelled grandiflora, Riverslea, and pallida oculata being the choicer. A box filled with Saxifragas in small pots was interesting. A hybrid named L. G. Godseff has bright-yellow flowers. Other plants of interest were Primula viscosa, Gentiana acaulis, Anemone fulgens, Megasea Stracheyi (very fine), and Daphne Genkwa. A rock-garden planted with Alpines was ar- ranged by the Burton Hardy Plant Nur- i5ERiES, Christchurch, Hampshire. Daphne Blagayana, Polygala Chamsebuxus lutea and Hepatica angulosa alba are three good Alpines. Messrs. Whitelegq & Page. Chislehurst, Kent, put up a rock-garden exhibit planted with Aubrietia Violet Queen, Primula^ malacnides. Viola gracilis, Draba azoides, and other suitable plants. Messrs. Thompson & Charman, Bushey. Hert- fordshire, exhibited a small rockery, having weather-beaten stones well arranged and planted with Ranunculus creticus, Lithospermum ros- marinifolium, Iberis saxatile, and other early- flowering hardy plants. Messrs. Bakers. Wolverhampton, showed boxes of Alpines. We noticed Shortia galacifolia, Ranunculus amplexicaule. Anemone Ingramii, Primula raeijasesfolia, and P. frondosa in flower. The Guildford Hardy Plant Nursery ex- hibited hardy plants, including Alpines. Poly- gala Chami'ebuxus and its purple-flowered variety were flowering well in pots. Mr. H. G. Pulham, Elsenham, Stansted. Essex, showed a small but neat rockery planted with seasonable flowers. Messrs. John Peed & Son, West Norwood, showed Lachenalias and a great assortment of Alpines in small pots. Messrs. Ware, Ltd., Feltham, exhibited Alpines and dwarf shrubs in considerable num- bers. Other exhibitors of hardy plants were the Jlisses Hopkins, Mere Gardens, Shepperton, and Mr. Jambs Box, Lindfield, Sussex. Awards of Merit. IthododtniJ 1-011 indicum " TSlu^h'inf) Bridp"— This plant is an acquisition to the Indian " Azaleas " that will be prized for its semi- double flowers--3^ inches in diameter— of a beautiful, clear shade of flesh-pink. (Shown by Messrs. James Veitch & Sons.) CorylopKls multiflora. — This new species from China has bright-yellow inflorescences of great attraction. ItWas" shown as a small pot plant in full flower by Miss Willmott, V.M.H. Ptnris " Parkeri." — A seedling variety of Pteris with broad fronds and erect habit of growth, this plant will be valuable for market culture and decorative purposes generally. Sliown by Mr. J. J. Parker, Rose Nursery, Whetstone. Rhododendron " Cornitbia." — This reddish- crimson flowered Rhododendron is described as a hybrid from R. Shilsonii and R. arboreum. The colour is very effective at this early season. Shown by Messrs. R. Gill & Sons, Falmouth. Narcissus Committee. Present : E. A. Bowles, Esq. (in the Chair) ; Miss Wilhnott, and Messrs. A. K. Goodwin, E. H. Chapman, Herbert Smith, W. T. Ware, G. W. Leak, J. Jacobs, Alex. Wilson, J. T. Bennett- Vue, H. A. Denison, G. H. Engleheart. P. Rudolph Barr, W. A. Watts, C. Digby, and C. H. Curtis (secretary). Messrs. R. & G. Cuthbert, Southgate Nur- series, staged a comprehensive collection of Tulips in bloom. There were 40 varieties shown in small sets, and the colours were admirably blended. The rich yellows contained Golden Queen and de Wet. The best pinks were Pink Beauty and Alice Roosevelt. Reds included Sir Thomas Lipton, Couleur de Cardinal and La Grandeux, whilst Pottebakker and Princess Helene were the best of the whites shown. (Sil- ver-gilt Banksian Medal.) Mr. Christopher Bourne, Simpson, Bletch- ley, staged a comprehensive collection of Nar- cissi. Laura (an improved Pheasant-eye Narcis- sus), Viscount Fahnouth (very pale-primrose colour). Red Eve (with a very bright-orange eye). Lady de Bathe (yellow trumpet), Golden King (a rich yellow), St. David (with . widely-reflexed trumpet of rich yellow colour), and Helios (an exceptionally fine flower with large orange-col- oured trumpet) were especially good. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. Cartwright & Goodwin, Kiddermin- ster, staged a selection of the best Narcissi. Where all were so good it was difficult to select any for especial mention, but perliaps the hybrids from N. poeticus were the most noteworthy. The sweetly-scented, deep-yellow odorous rugulosus claimed many admirere. Several vases contained a good selection of the pale Triandrus hybrids, and near to these was Red and Gold, which may be described as being a greatly-improved " Butter and Eggs " Daffodil. Aspasia is a fine cluster Narcissus, which was shown in splendid condition. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. Barr & Sons, Covent Garden, Lon- don, included a fine batch of the rich-yellow Daffodil "King Alfred" in their interesting col- lection of Narcissi. There were several seedlings of the same type of great promise. The smaller- flowered varieties, such as the pretty White Hoop Petticoat, N. cyclamineus, N. c. minor, and N. Triandrus alba attracted a deal of admiration. Jlessrs. Carter, Paoe & Co., 52 and 53, Lon- don Wall, E.C., exhibited an attractive collec- tion arranged on one of the tables in the annexe. The many Hyacinths, Tulips, and Narcissi were shown growing in ornamental pans of fibre, and amply set forth the Value of tliis rooting medium. "The Tulips included Silver Standard (with variegated foliage) and Yellow Prince (with pale-yellow stripes on its leaves). Messrs. R. H. Bath, Ltd., Wisbech, staged Tulips, Narcissi, Hyacinths, Crocuses, and Chionodoxa Lucilise, all grown in pans of moss- fibre. Crocus Katblenn Parlour a large flower with pure-white petals, in which the orange- coloured filaments were startlingly conspicuous, attracted the notice of visitors. .Messrs. Wm. Cutdush & Son, Highgate, ex- hibited Hyacinths of many colours with large, compact trusses. The blooms of the pure-white La Grandesse were very fine. Messrs. Young & Co., Hatherley, Cheltenham, showed Narcissi, Freesia refracta, and Lache- nalia Nelsonii in good form. Robert Sydenham Limited, Birmingham, ar- ranged Liliums, Spiraeas, Narcissi, and Lily of the Valley in an attractive manner in bowls containing" moss-fibre as the rooting medium. Mr. Herbert Chapman, Rye, staged a selec- tion of Daffodils in glass vases, prettily edged with Chionodoxa Lucilia;, rising from a ground- work of moss. Competitive Bulb Classes. The prizes were presented by the Haarlem Bulb Society and Robert Sydenham Limited, who gave five prizes each in three classes, open to amateurs, for bulbs grown in moss fibre. The Dutch Society's classes numbered six — four for amateurs and two for traders. Amateurs. The largest class was for 18 Hyacinths, dis- tinct. There were five exhibitors, and each com- petitor deservedly received an award. All the blooms were fresh and clean-looking, and those in the premier collection, shown by the Duke of Portland, Welbeck Abbey, Worksop (gr. Mr. Jas. Gibson), were splendid. Lady Derby (flesh pink), Correggio (white). King of the Blues, and Queen of the Pinks were the best varieties. 2nd, F. R. Dixon Nuti.all, Esq., Ingleholme, Prescot (gr. Mr. J. Barker), who showed Gounod (pale blue). Lady Derby, Menelek (deep blue), and Jacques in good form. 3rd, Lord Howard de Walden, Audley End, Saffron Walden (gr. Mr. J. Vert). In the class for 12 Hyacinths, distinct, the 1st prize was won by A. Hanson, Esq., Ivanhoe, Wavertree, who staged a dozen excellent plants. 2nd, The Marquis of S.a.lisbury, Hatfield House, Herts, (gr. Mr. H. Prime), whose fine exhibit was only a shade inferior to the 1st prize collection ; the pale-pink Jacques was excep- tionally fine. 3rd, Lord Hillingdon, Wilder- nesse, Sevenoaks (gr. Jlr. J. Sheltonj. There were eight competiitors in this class, and they staged such unusually fine collections that the judges awarded no fewer than six prizes. For six Hyacinths, distinct, the 1st prize was awarded to R. Morrison, Esq., Wavertree, Liverpool. This was a fine exhibit of brightly- coloured blooms. 2nd, C. E. J. Bishop, "E?q., Norton Priory, Chichester, Sussex (gr. Mr. Edwards). 3rd, The Earl of Lytton, Knebworth, Hertfordshire (gr. Mr. H. Brotherston). There were only three competitors in the class for four pans containing Hyacinths, 10 bulbs of one variety in each pan. The 1st prize was awarded to the Duke of Portland, for an almost perfect exhibit. The yellow-flowered City of Haarlem variety was exceptionally fine. 2nd. the Marquis of Salisbury, Hatfield House, Hatfield (gr. Mr. H. Prime), whose premier variety was the pale-blue Electra ; the pink-flowered La Vic- torie was also very fine. 3rd, His Excellency th? American Ambassador, Wrest Park, Ampthill (gr. Mr. G. Mackinlay). Trade Classes. The only competitors in the class for a col- lections of 100 Hyacinths in 20 named varie- ties were Messrs. R. & G. Cuthbert, South- gate Nurseries, Middlesex, who set up their monster exhibit amongst a groundwork of Adian- tum cuneatum growing in small pots. The finest varieties were Electra (pale blue), Perle Brilliante (a deeper shade of pale blue), King Menelek and Ivanhoe (deep blues), and Jacques (pink). Messrs. Cuthbert were also alone in the class for 20 Hyacinths in 12 varieties grown in pans, and were deservedly awarded the Gold Medal for a fine collection. Bulbs Grown in Moss Fibre. Lady Tate excelled in the class for six vases of Tulips. This exceedingly bright collection of fine blooms was quite a feature of the show. Such well-known varieties as Keizerskroon, Duchesse de Parma, Prince of Austria, and the white Joost van Vondel were especially fine. 2nd, the Hon. Mrs. Guy Baring. The best exhibit of six single Hyacinths grown in moss fibre was shown by Miss E. M. Raw- lins, Great Houghton Hall, Northampton. 2nd, Lady Tate. Park Hill. Streatham Common (gr. Mr. Howe). The well-known pale-blue Schotel was exceptionally good. 3rd, Miss C. A. Micheli.. The 1st prize for six vases of Narcissi was won by Miss C. A. Michell, Oakfield, Cricklewood, who showed Victoria and Leonie in good form. 2nd, Lady Tate. The plants of Blood Orange and Mme. de Graaff were profusely flowered. The judging of the exhibits in the competitive bulb classes was carried out by Messrs. A. Guldemond, P. van der Meer, J. M. van Zan- then (all from Holland), C. R. Fielder, Edwin Beckett, and J. D. Pearson. Among visitors from Holland were Messrs. G. H. van Waveren,. Egbert Kersten, and Anthony F. Byvoet. Orchid Committee. Present: J. Gurney Fowler, Esq. (in the Chair) ; and Messrs. Jas. O'Brien (hon. sec), Harry J. Veitch, Gurney Wilson, Stuart Low, R. A. Rolfe, R. G. Thwaites, T. Armstrong, A. A. McBean, W. Cobb, J. E. Shill, J. Charles- worth, H. G. Alexander, J. Cypher, W. H. Hatcher, W. P. Bound, A. Dye, Clive Cookson, W. H. White, C. J. Lucas, J. S. Moss, Lt.-Col. Sir George L. Holford, de B. Crawshay, end Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart. March 9, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 161 Sir George L. Holford, K.C.V.O., Weston- birt, again staged one of tliose splendidly- arranged groups of superbly-grown Orchids for which his collection, since it has been in the charge of Mr. H. G. Ale.xander, has been noted. The Society's Gold Jledal was awarded. Fine forms of Cattleya Trianae were a feature in the group, and they comprised the hand- some C. T. Hydra, illustrated in the Giir- deiiers' Chronicle, February 18, 1911, p. 1C8, with 60 flowers ; C. T. Iniperator, a noble variety, of fine shape ; C. T. Jlooreana, still one of the" best ; C. T. Jlrs. Ed. Sondheim, a good white ; C. T. Colossal, of great size and of uni- form soft-rose colour; C. T. " Westonbirt variety," very distinct; 0. T. Prince Rupert, of rich colour; C. T. Perfecta; C. T. Glinka- berryana ; C. T. Ralph Sander ; C. T. Madame de Hemptinne, all of great merit, and others. Otlier Cattleyas noted were the white C. Dussel- dorfei Undine, and its hybrid, the still more beautiful C. IBrenda (Dusseldorfei Undine X Gaskelliana alba), which received an Award of -Merit, February 20 ; C. Maggie Raphael var. Flambeau, of rich, bright, rosy-crimson colour ; forms of C. Percivaliana, including alba, the best white, and " Westonbirt variety," one of the best and largest coloured forms ; and other showy Cattleyas. Brasso-Cattleya Thorntonii striata and B.-C. T. Colossal were grand forms of an old hybrid ; B.-C. Madame Hye, B.-C. Euterpe and its larger " Westonbirt variety," B.C. Digbyano-Trianie, B.C. Digbyano-Wars- cevviczii, and other Brasso-Cattleyas were also shown. Laelio-Cattleyas compriseel fine varieties of about a dozen forms, tlie best being L.-C. Cranstouniae " Holford's variety," a canary-yel- low flower, with white lip; L.-C. Arbaces, a new form; and L.-C. Elva "Westonbirt variety." White forms of Lrelia anceps wei'e well displayed ; showy Odontoglossums, includ- ing some charming forms of 0. crispum, 0. c. Brutus being the best. 0. Canary Bird (a clear yellow), and 0. ardentissimum Norman Cookson (a fine colour). Various Sciphro-Cattleyas and good PhaliBnopsis Schilleriana, tlie best spike having 84 flowers, were also noted. Messrs. Armstrong & Brown, Tunbridge Wells, came next in order of merit, their grand group, with a fi'ontage of 38 feet, securing a Silver-gilt Flora Medal. The middle of tlieir group was composed of showy Dendrobiums, with a number of the pure-white form of D. nol'ile, and a new and better variety, named D. n. virginale magnificum, wliich appears to be the largest pure white. D. nobile Armstrongise, one of the most beautiful, its large flowers being pure white, with a violet blotch on the lip, and other forms were also shown, and a good selection of yellow Dendrobiums, including forms of I). -Melpumene and D. chessingtonense. A good show of Odon- toglossums, both species and hybrids, a grand form of Miltonia Bleuana, hybrid Cypripediums, Brasso-Cattleyas, including a very charming new hybrid between C. Schroder* and B. glauca, were also shown, together with some species of Masdevallias and a specimen of the fine white ymbidium Bellianum "Armstrong's variety." Messrs. Jas. Veitch & Sons, Royal Exotic Ninsery, King's Road, Chelsea, were awarded a r Flora Medal for a good group, principally attleyas, Odontoglossums, and Cypripediums. \mong the forms of Cattleya Triana?, an in- eresting exhibit was the true C. T. Courtaul- liana. which, with its tliin, richly-spotted sepals ind petals, caused a sensation at the Ghent Quinquennial Show, but which never after came n the same form, so far as colour goes. A good vhite Brasso-Cattleya Digbyano-Mendelii, a lear-rose B.-C. Digbyano-Warscewiczii. several 'f the richly-colnured Lfclio-Cattleya Violetta, lip new, dark-coloured L.-C. Orama (Dominiana bletchleyensis), and some other Ltelio-Cattle- '■■^: a batch of hybrid Odontoglossums. ypripedium macrochilum. some good forms of lie showy C. Countess of Carnarvon, C. .-Esnu Kiganteum, good Lycastes, the scarlet Odontioda piana, and other plants, including a specimen if Disa sagittalis, with eight spikes of pretty 'liite flowers, were also shown. Messrs. J. Cypher & Sons. Cheltenham, were warded a Silver Banksian Medal for an effective ,'i'iup, in which good forms of Dendrobium ji'ibile and hybrids, Cymbidium eburneum, hy- iprid Cypripediums, inckuling a very fine form !if C. Miss Louisa Fowler ; Odontioda Cooksonife, and other Odontiodas and Odontoglossums, the large, fleshy-flowered yellow and purple Masde- vallia gargantua, and other Masdevallias ; Angrie- cum citratum, Dendrobium aggregatum, Zygo- petalum arinitum and some Lycastes were well shown. Messrs. Sander & Sons, St. Albans, were awarded a Silver Banksian Jledal for a good group of Phaia>nopsis, Odontoglossums, Cattle- yas, Cypripediums, &c. The forms of Cattleya Trianaa were good, and specially interesting species noted were the white Jrtoulletia Sanderi, Megaclinium maximum, Eulophia lurida, Den- drobium velutinum, Trichopilia suavis, Renan- thera Imschootiana, the old Ca-logyne flaccida (very well flowered), Maxillaria porphyrostele, and other Maxillarias. Messrs. Stu.akt Low & Co., Bush Hill Park, secured a Silver Banksian Medal for an effective group, in which were six distinct forms of Catt- leya Schriiderae, one fine plant being of the white variety. A good specimen of Cujlogyne pandu- rata (with seven 'flowers), the rare Polystachya Laurentii, and the pretty orange-red P. panicu- lata from Uganda, good Phalsenopsis Schilleriana, Cattleya Trianse, Dendrobiums, Renanthera Im- schootiana and Cymbidium insigne with two spikes. Messrs. Hassall & Co., Southgate, were awarded a Silver Banksian Medal for a very in- teresting group, the centre of which was of several splendidly-grown Angrjecum sesquipe- dale, bearing between them 25 fine, wax-like white flowers. Arranged with them were good forms of Cattleya Empress Frederick and other Cattleyas, a selection of verv line hybrid Odonto- glossums, including 0. lantlie, 0. Cooksonia?. O. eximium, and 0. ardentissimum. of the best dark type. Several good Miltonia Warscewiczii and Cattleya Mendelii Diana, a good white with slight pink tint on the lip, were also included. Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., V.M.H., Gatton Park, Rcigate (gr. Mr. Collier), was awarded a Silver Banksian Medal for a pretty group of hybrid Dendrobiums, including three forms of his handsome D. Golden Ray, for one of which see Awards. D. Lady Colman appeared as one of the handsomest of hybrid Dendrobiums. D. Margery Tyrrel Giles (a large white flow-er with violet eye), D. Cybele " Gatton Park variety," D. rubens, D. delicatulum, and others were also shown. Messrs. W. B.AyLOR Hartland & Sons, Cork, staged a small group of Cymbidiums, Cattleyas, Cypripediums, and Odontofjlussums, the most in- teresting of which was Odontoglossum Brayanum (Grogania; x Harryanum), a pretty, reddish- purple flower, with white tips and margins to the segments. The cross showed little of the 0. Uro- Skinneri and 0. Edwardii, the parents of 0. Orogauije. / Mons. C. Comte .Joseph de Hemptinne, St. Denis-Westrem, Belgium, showed Cattleya Trianae alba " Edelweiss," a very large, pure white flowers of fine form. Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., Burford (gr. Mr. W. H. White), sent a grand specimen of Cymbidium Colmanise " Edenside variety," with several spikes. The Duke of Marlborough. Blenheim (gr. Mr. Hunter), sent a pretty hybrid between Cattleya Miss Harris and Liclia purpurata. Mr. E. V. Low, Haywards Heath, showed Odontoglossum The Premier, of unrecorded parentage, a large, finely-blotched flower. Messi-s. J. and A. A. McBean, Cooksbridge, showed a selection of Odontoglossums and the prcttv Dendrobium amethvstoglossum. H.'S. GoonsON, Esq., Putney (gr. Mr. G. E. Day), sent Odontioda Diana "Goodson's variety," and other brightly -coloured Odontiodas ; Odon- toglossum ardentissimum Dayanum, of claret colour all but the margins and tips of the seg- ments ; and other rare Orchids. F. Menteith Ogilvie. Esq., The Shrubbery, Oxford (gr. Jlr. Balmforth), showed Cypripedium Euryades rubrum, of dark colour, and a bright hybrid Odontoglossum between O. cirrhosum and 0. ardentissimum. The Hon. Lady Neeld. Grittleton, sent Odonto- glossum percultum " Carmania," a large white flower with purple spotting. Messrs. Chahlesworth & Co., Haywards Heath, staged a small group of exceptionally ofood things, including the white Brasso-Cattleya Qu?en Alexandra. Jliltonia Bleuana nobilior, Cattleya Trianse alba flnribunda. C. Octave Doin, .lud Lslio-Cattleya Ixion (C. Octave Doin X L.-C, ]\lyra), of a clear yellow colour; and a good selection of Odontoglossums. J. GuRNEY Fowler, Esq., Glebelands, S. Woodford (gr. Mr. J. Davis), sent Cattleya Schroderse Louisa, a pretty pink form, with crimson blotch on the lip, and very distinct from the ordinary type. AWARDS. Awards of JSIerit. Odontoglossum Jasper (crispum, spottcu, variety X amdbile), from J. S. Moss, Esq., Wiii- tershill, Bishop's Waltham (gr. Mr. Kench). A very attractive flower, of good shape, the ground colour being pale pink, the surface uniformly spotted with reddish-brown. The cross is very variable, but always pretty. Dendrobium Golden King superbum (Othello Colmance X signatum aureuin), from Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart. (gr. Mr. Collier). An abnormally fine form of the handsome yellow hybrid raised at Gatton Park. In this variety the buttercup-yellow flowers are tipped witli rose, and the base of the lip is deep claret. Cultural Commendation To Mr. J. Carpenter (gr. to Fred. C. Stoop, Esq., West Hall, By fleet) for a grand specimen of Angrsecum sesquipedale, with 12 flowers ex- panded, and five buds. To Mr. Collier (gr. to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., V.M.H.) for a well-flowered specimen of Cymbidium grandiflorum. Fruit and Vegetable Committee. Present: J. ('heal, Esc]. (in the Chair); an.l Jlessrs. W. Bates, A. Dean, .1. Gibson, W. Pope, W. Fyfe, J. Willard, W. E. Humphreys, A. R. Allan, A. Bullock, Fred. J. Treseder, G. Rey- nolds, J. Davis, W, H, Divers, W. Crump, G. Wythes, J. Harrison, 0. Thomas, A. Grubb, A. W. Jletcalfe, F. Perkins, and G. Keif. The Duke of Rutland, Belvoir Castle, Gran- tham (gr. Mr. W. H. Divers), exhibited 40 dishes of Apples. All the fruits were remarkably good, especially considering that the Grantham dis- trict is not regarded as a good fruit locality. The varieties included King of Tompkins County, Belle de Boskoop, Sandringham, Belle Pontoise, Lincoln Holland Pippin, Castle Major, Belle Du- bois, Hormead Pearmain, Russian Transparent, Bedfordshire Foundling, Winter Quarrenden, Newton Wonder, Barnaek Beauty, Hoary Morn- ing, Ribston Pippin, Cox's Orange Pipjiin, Ameri- can Mother, and Allington Pippin. (Silver-gilt Knightian Medal.) Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, again pre- sented one of their excellent collections of vege- tables and salads. In the centre of the group were numerous heads of variegated Kales, which showed not merely beautiful colours, but also finely-cut leafage. Charming as these Kales are for garden decoration, they are quite tender and delicious when cooked. There were also baskets of Early Paris Cabbage Lettuce (well hearted), large-leaved Dandelion, and fine Chicory, the Dandelion and Chicory being well blanched. Mushrooms, French Breakfast Radishes, Mustard and Cress, Seakale, The Sutton Rhubarb, and several mounds of the Superb Early White Broc- coli were also presented. Remarkably firm, white hearts of Harbinger Cabbage showed the value of this variety for an early supply. (Silver Knightian Medal.) Mr. H. Becker, Five Oaks, Jersey, exhibited a somewhat elaborate machine which, in working, was rather noisy, for the cleaning of fruit, To- matos, Potatos, and similar produce. The ma- chine was inspected by the Committee, and the exhibitors were asked to send one to the Holland Park summer show, where it could be seen in operation, and, if there considered satisfactory, it would be sent to Wisley Gardens for further trial. LINNEAN SOCIETY. Febrd.ary 15. — .\t a meeting of the Linnean Society held on this date, jMr. Robert Harold Compton, M.A., read a paper, communicated bv Prof. A. C. Seward, F.R.S., entitled "An Investigation of the Seedling Structure in the Legumirosse," in the course of which he sug- gested that the tree habit is primitive in the Leguminosse, and the herbaceous habit is derived from the tree type. The reading of the paper was followed by a discussion, in which the following members took 162 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. [March 9, 1912. part:— Miss E. N. Thomas, Mr. T. G. Hill, Dr. Etliel de Fraine, Mr. A. G. Tansley, the Presi- dent, Dr, Otto Stapf, Sec.L.S., and Mr. Ernest Lee, the author replying. Mr. C. E. Salmon exhibited an abnormal Orchis with enlarged drawings of the flowers, with the following note : On April 23, 1911, Mr. P. H. Mitchiner gath- ered this remarkable specimen on the chalk downs above Reigate, and brought it to me for deter- mination. At a first glance. Habenaria \'iridis or Herminium ilonorchis might be suggested as a name, for the stem was about 4 in. high, with a spike of small, greenish-yellow flowers. A close examination soon dispelled such an idea, and I saw at once that the specimen was unlike any British wild Orchid. Knowing that Mr. W. B. Hemsley had studied various species of this order very closely, I at once packed up the specimen and" despatched it to him. I cannot do better than read the careful report he made upon it, only regretting that he is unable to be present to-night to explain personally the various points. He writes : — " The suggestion of Dr. Focke (whose letter lay upon the table) is not very helpful, as the plant to which he refers proved to be a three- lipped and three-spurred Orchis Morio. " The plants associated with this abnormal Orchis on the Reigate Downs include Orchis mas- cula, 0. Morio (sparingly), 0. ustulata (spar- ingly), Aceras, and, not far away, Habenaria bi- folia ; but of all these, 0. mascula would be the only species in flower on such an early date as April 23. " I should be very glad to hear any suggestions as to the origin of the plant." I may mention that Mr. Hemsley showed the drawing at a meeting of the Scientific Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society on August 29, 1911, but' no conclusion was arrived at. some little movement for the encouragement of horticulture in the way of exhibitions. Their liabilities in the gross were only £4,737, and competent valuers had said that the land at Old Trafford was worth £50,000. If thlat simi were realised and invested in a fund for the encouragement of horticulture a very important movement might be started in Manchester. Allusion was made in the report to the fact that some scheme had been suggested and would be put before that meeting, but the scheme had not been approved or adopted by the council. It was a scheme suggested by their secretary, Mr. P. Weathers. Mr. William Stones said the scheme referred to was not a subject for discussion at the annual meet- ing. It must be dealt with at a special meeting convened for the purpose. He suggested, therefore, that the paragraph referring to put- ting forward the scheme at that meeting should be deleted. Mr. C. E. Estcomt supported the suggestion, which was accepted by the meeting. The report was then adopted. The officers for the year were elected. DURHAM, NORTHUMBERLAND, AND NEWCASTLE INCORPORATED BOTANICAL AND HORTICULTURAL. February 29.— The report of the council of this society for 1911, presented at the annual meeting held on this date, reveals an unfortunate financial state of affairs. Owing to a continuous rainfall on the second day of the summer show, which was held in Newca'stle last July, a loss of £238 6s. lid. had to be recorded, and this in ■spite of the fact that a saving of £100 was effected in the exoenses of the show. The so'clety is faced with a cash deficit of £314 lis. 4d.', after crediting the .sum of £90 5s. received by donations to the deficiency fund, as a result of'tlie appeal recently issued. With the liopes of raising funds to enable the society to again hnld the usual summer .show, it had been arranged to hold a cafe chantant on April 13, when several well-known local amateurs had pro- miispd to give an entertainment. The principal creditors were allowing the society to defer part payment of their accounts until "sufPcient funds were raised. With the ex- pected proceeds of the cafe chantant and the pro- mised co-operation of the principal creditors, the record of the society, it was hoped, would be maintained and the nsual summer show held. The council suggested that the next summer show should be held on July 3, 4, and 5. MANCHESTER BOTANICAL. February 21. — A general meeting of the members of the Royal Botanical and Horticul- tural Society of Manchester and the Northern Counties was held on this date in the Lord Mayor's Parlom-. The Lord Mayor (Mr. Coun- cillor Royse) presided, and moved the adoption of the leport of the Council and the financial statement' He said it was satisfactory to find the society had £840 more in hand than it had twelve months ago. It was also satisfactory to find that the net liability had been reduced to £4,737. Against that liability the society had the value cf the land at Old Trafford. The society was getting into smooth waters, and was quite justified in again considering the ques- tion of holding of shows. It was. however, a matter that must be carefully considered. Mr. J. B. M'Keri-ow seconded the motion. He said that the idea had been propounded in the last few weeks that the society's financial position was .so safe and strong that it was time to make (J^bituarj). Herbert J. Adams. -We regret to an- nounce the death of Mr. Herbert J. Adams, of Roseneath, Enfield. Mr. Adams was a vice- president of the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution for very many years, a life Fellow of the Royal Horticultural Society, a promment entomologist, and a well-known amateur culti- vator of Orchids and other plants. DEBATING SOCIETIES. CHELIMSFORD & DISTRICT GARDENERS'.- A meeting of this associalioii was beld on the 16lh ult.. when about 100 members were present; Mr. VV. Seabtook presided Mr. F. J. Cliitienden, diiector of the Koyal Horticultural Society's laboratories at Wisley, gave a lecture on "The Pollination of Orchards " Mr.Chitten.ien referred to experiments he carried out at the Essex County Council gardens at Chelmsford in 1902 ; the results were ; that 18 out of 20 varieties of Apples did not set their fruits when the blossoms were protected from insects: there was also a similar percentage in the case of Pears. These experiments showed that an isolated fruit tree may not be productive, and that in orchards where large areas are planted with one variety, trees in the centre of the orchard were liable to De non-fertile. READING GARDENERS'.-The fortnightly meet- ing of this society was held in the Abbey Hall, on the 19lh ult. ; Mr. F. G. Drew presided. The lecturer for the evening was Mr. F. Barnes, of the University College Gar- dens, Reading, his subject being " The Pioductiou of Early Vegetables and Salads." Mr. Barnes described the cul- tural details necessary to secure early and continuous crops of vegetables ainenable to forcing, such as Poialos. Carrots, Turnips, Beetroot, Radishes, Cauliflowers, Rhubarb, .As- paragus, Sea Kale, Peas and Beans. In dealing with early " Saladings," lucid instructions were given as to the best methods of producing a supply of Cucnmbers, Toinatos, Radishes, Lettuces, Dandelion and Chicory. BATH GARDENERS'.-The forlnishtly tie li' g of this society was held on the 2etn ult.; the ■ resi- dent Mr. C. T. Fo- croft, occupied the chair. A paper nas'read by Mr. Hill.tr on "Tllouglts on totiage Car- droning." KILMARNOCK HORTICUUTURAL.-The third annual sucial t;.itlieiing of the members of the above asso- ciation was held on Friday, the 2:lrd ult. ; over 160 persons sat down to supper. Following the supper, a short address onthe work of the association was given by the president, Mr. R. K. Sillars. CLEVEDON & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL. — A meeting of this oewly-foimed delating society was held on Monday the 4th inst , the Rev Saiidfotd presiding. A paper was read by the Hon. Secretary, Mr. W. G. Edwards, on "The Cultivation of Onions for Exhibition. The lecturer gave details of the preparation of the soil for Onions by digging, trenching, and manuring. He also described the best way of raising Onions under glass, and of hardening the plants previous to planting them out-of- doors. At the next meeting Mr. H. Beazes will give a paper on " Liliums." ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Ac.\ciA DEALE.4T.\ : Uotaiiixt. If you can place your Acacia in a warm greenhouse you may safely prmie the plant as you suggest ; otherwise it would not be wise to prune below the lateral shoots. After the plant has been pruned it is essential to guard against excess of moisture at the root. Spraying the stem several times a day on dry days will help itto break into growth. Should your plant requii-e re-potting the best time to do this is when it has made half-au-inch or so of new growth. Apple Lane's Peince Albert: /. B. M. This variety is regarded as a culinary Apple, and you may expect to be disqualified if you exhibit it in classes for dessert fruits. Book : F. B., South Norwood. The editor of the British Fern GazttU is Mr. C. T. Druery, 11, Shaa Road, Acton. Correction. — Owing to a printer's error, Cydonia was printed " Cyclonia " in our last issue, p. 138, column two. Gardening Employment in America: J. D. M. The opportunities for English gardeners in America are greater in nurseries and trade concerns than in private establishments. A list of addresses of the principal nurserymen and seedsmen in New York will be found in the horticultural directories. But it is con- trary to the law of that country to obtain an appointment before arriving in the United States, therefore it would be useless for you to advertise in the American horticultural journals. Grubs: Ireland. The grubs are those of the common cockshafer, Melolontha vulgaris. — /. E. The millepedes contained in the glass tube are : (1) The small, pale species is Poly- desmus complanatus ; (2) the large, dark species is Julus terrestris, and the long, thin, pink- spotted species is Julus pulchellus. Lobelia cardinalis : Fergus. Your plants are affected with a disease caused by Phoma devastatrix. Clear away all the diseased plants as they will never bloom, and spray the remainder with a fungicide two or three times at intervals of a week. Names of Fruits : E. Bed:. Annie Elizabeth. —B. G. A. Cullen.— ;*■. P. A. Catillac— F. X. 1, Belle Dubois; 2, Greenup's Pippih; 3, Scarlet Pearmain. Names of Plants : A. .V. iC- Co. 1, Cornus Mas ; 2, Populus sp., probably P. canescens ; 3, Ligustrum lucidum ; 4, Helleborus foetidus. — G. H. B. 1, Syinphoricarpus orbiculatus ; 2, Hippophfe rhamiioidefi (male form) ; 3, Veronica Traversii ; 4, Pteris floribunda ; 5, Osmanthua ilicifolius; 6, Prunus Davidiana. — J. C. B., Qurenstown. 1, Cypripedium Boxallii ; 2, Forsythia viridissima ; 3, Pelargonium frag- rans"; 4, Eupatorium Weinmannianum. — L\ch. 1, Begonia sub-peltata argentea ; 2, Chlorophy- tum elatum variegatum. — F. H. 1, Xylobiiira squalens ; 2, Coelogyne Haccida ; 3, Stelis ophio- glossoides ; 4, Pteris geraniifolia. — ./. C. Genista hispanica.— i/. H. A. 1, Chionodoxa Luciliie; 2, C.-L. var. sardensis ; 3, Scilla sibirica. Peach Trees Diseased: E. A. C. The injury is caused by the fungus Eutypella prunastri. Remove the"badly diseased branches, and paint the remainder with a mixture of lime and soft soap. Primula obcontca Causing Skin Poisoning : A. J . K. The articles on Primula obconica to which you refer appeared in vol. xxv. of the Gardei'ierx' Chronicle (see especially April 22, 1899. p. 253, where a remedy is given). A general article on Skin Poisoning by Plants was puhlishecl in the issue fur August 8, 1908, p. 110. Carbolic ointment was recommended as a cure for this complaint in (gardeners' Chronicle, September 14, 1907, p. 205. Spir.^a japonica Diseased : Poleijaie. The (iisease is caused by Botrytis cinerea. The jdants should be sprayed at intervak of four days with a solution of liver of sulphur and afforded abundant ventilation. Vine Leaves Withering : //. C. There is no disease present on the leaves. The symptoms suggest eelworm at the root. If knots are detected on the rootlets eelworm is almost cer- tainly present, in which case ouiek-lime should he worked into the soil. Wire Netting as a Support for Culinary Peas: Enquirer. Though ordinary wire netting is sometimes used for supporting Peas it is not to be recommended. If a substitute for sticks has to be used, employ supports of galvanised iron specially made for the pur- pose, procurable in lengths, 6 feet run and 5 feet in height, at about 5s. each. Communications R".ceived. -W. .7. T._T. F,. B. K. C. _r,ich W. H. A._J. E. B— A S. A._J. T. R._J. E. C. _H. F. M , Cevlnn_F,. .7. P.^.J. S._Tonmto Grower— .T .J A. M. S.l-H B C. A B.. Coimhatore— H. H. S — F. C. E.. Lefds— J. S._A. T W. E.T._A.J.C — J H. ^\V O. T. -W. K Dr. K. S. Vienna^F. .T — W.H.A — W F, „F. W. C N. P. P._H. R._G M. T._S. A. - G. W. Schrueder (Thanks for 2s. 2Jd. for R. G. O. P. boi). e 0 u A o C ■a O u X e ft) E O. b 9 (A _1 O o z J < a: o t— I O I— ( PQ W Q < H <: E March 16. 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE IfiS THE 6articncrs'CbronicIc No. 1,316— SATUIiDAY. March 16, 1913. CONTENTS. American notes — Retirement of Dr. Trelease 165 Anthemis Cupaniana .., 174 ApliyllantliBB monfepeli- ensis - 173 Batsford 163 Books, notices of — British F^rn Gazette 171 British Violets ... 170 'I'he Everyday Uses of Portland Cement .. 172 The Plums of New York 167 Brambles, Chinese ... 165 Bulb garden, the— Lilies 164 Cftlder, Mr. C. C, ap- pointment of 171 Carnation conference ... 171 Celery, "leaf spot" of l72 Crocuses at Hampton Court gardens 173 Currant bud-mite, the ... 17cl Flowers in season ... 171 Fodder plant, a new ... 172 Foriiign correspondence— Hshenaria conopsea alba 167 Yucca Whipple! ... 167 Genetics, Balfour Pro- fessorship of 171 International Horticul- tural Exhibition ... 172 Ireland, notes from ... 173 L.C.C. Parks Commit- tee, the 172 Manchester, horticul- ture in 170 Ohituaiy— Hami-ion, George ... 178 170 Orange, a hardy Orcliid notes and glean- ings— Cattleya Gudrnn Dendrobium Golden Ray superbum Leelio-Cattleya norma 164 Odontoglossum Vul- can Crawsbayanum Plant and animal pig- ments .. Saxifraga lantoscana ... Scotland, notes from ... Smith, Mr. W. W., ap- pointment of Societies — Horticultural Club ... Manchester & North of England Orchid National Dahlia Royal Horticultural.. (Soientiftc Commiiteei Scottish Horticultural 175 United Horticultural Benefit and Provi- dent Soil, sewage sickness in Solanum Jasminoides ... Tomatos, glasshouses for Trees and shrubs— Berberis Bealei Vienna Horticultural Society Week's work, the — Flower garden, the... Fruits under glass ... Hardy fruit garden ... Kitchen garden, the... Orcliid houses, the .. Plants under glass ... 164 164 164 172 174 173 171 170 175 176 170 174 175 170 173 178 164 171 168 1H8 168 169 168 169 ILt-USTRATIONS. Brambles, some Chinese ... •.. .« 166 Hampton, George, portrait of the late 178 Orange. Japanese .. 171 Rose bowl presented by Rutland and Leicestershire at the International Horticultural Exhibition ... 172 Rubus lasiostylus, 167; R. Playfairii 165 Sftxifraga coohlearis growing on rocks near Tenda ... 174 BATSFORD. WHEN Lord Redesdale inherited the fair possession of Batsford he found httle in the shape of gardens, but ample scope for his great talents as a landscape gardener. Lord Redesdale is known to the world in general as having been the British Ambassador in Japan and at St. Petersburg, and to gardeners in particular as an enthusiastic horticulturist, and an authority on the Japanese Bamboos. When the history of gar- dening in the Victorian era comes to be written, it will be seen how much our gardens have gained from the introduction of the Japanese Bamboos, and the names of three distinguished amateurs, or patrons of gardening, as the early Victorian writer would have more euphoniously styled them, will be prominent in connection with the ex- tended culture of these graceful hardy plants. These are, the gentleman mentioned, who, before his elevation to the peerage by the late King Edward, was known to horticulturists as Mr. Freeman-Mitford, the late Mr. Jonathan Rash- leigh, of Menabilly, and Lord Barrymore, of Fota Island. When one sees Batsford now. it is difficult to picture the gardens as they were when first taken in hand by Lord Redesdale and his clever gar- dener, the late Mr. John Garrett (who died at a comparatively early age in September of last year, after having left Batsford only a few months previously). The greater portion of the very e.Ntensive pleasure grounds must then have been pasture land, rising up 200 feet above the high-lying mansion, which is 700 feet above sea level, and commands a wide view of the Warwick.shire hills, ten miles away, across the roofs of the Moreton-in-Marsh houses. The mansion, which was built by the present owner, in 1889. of local stone, in the Tudor style of architecture, is a spacious and comfortable resi- dence. The interior contains many curios from China and Japan, but with these and the beauti- ful old oak panelling we have no present concern. The outer walls have their lower portions covered with Crataegus Pyracantha, iVIagnolia grandi- flora, Clematis and Roses, and the .south front has a narrow border, which in season is filled with the pleasantly-scented Heliotrope. Flower gardening plays a small part in the scheme of gardening at Batsford; the teiTace in front of the house is of mown grass, with a row of line Juniperus communis var. fastigiata bordering the broad gravel walk. At the west end there are a few flower beds, and some standard Roses, but Batsford relies on a broader and less formal style of gardening. The great charm of Batsford lies in its surprises. Without being of that tiresome " serpentine " nature, so beloved of a certain school of landscape gardeners, the walks are pleasantly winding, seemingly direct withal, and each length presents a complete picture. No two portions are alike, and yet the whole is harmonious. The few trees — Oaks and Beeches principally — which were already of good size, were retained, hence the pleasure grounds appear older than they really are. On the left of the upward walk there is a tumbling hillside stream which, although it almost dried up during the exceptional summer of last year, is a very valuable asset. To enhance the quasi-mountainous appearance of the slope. Lord Redesdale caused enormous numbers of boulders to be embedded in its sides, and he planted it with suitable species of plants and shrubs. Here we find, besides varieties of Iris. Ilodgersias. with foliage suggestive of enormous Horse-Chestnut leaves ; Saxifraga peltata, with stout, creeping root-stocks ; many kinds of Spiraea (including Astilbe). both herbaceous and shrubby; Osmunda regalis. with the gigantic fronds which ripen into a telling brownness ; and in the re- cesses beyond the far bank of the stream are groups of such Conifers as Juniperus Sabina, a flat-topped Tsuga canadensis var. pendula, and the erect-growing Cupressus Lawsoniana var. Allumii, which gives a fine impression of dis- tance when, as is here the case, it is well placed. Access to the " Sisters' Pool " is guarded by a sacred Chinese dog of ferocious ap- pearance. The fore-paws of this weird ex- ample of eastern art rest on an inlaid porcelain globe, which is said to have stood out-of-doors for 1.200 years, yet the rich colours, especi- ally the blues and vermilion, are as bright as though the work was finished yesterday. On the other side of the walk which rises be- fore us, clearances were made, and large semi- wild beds planted with such subjects as the Ger- man Iris, Kniphofia (Tritoma) caulescens, a breadth of Erica carnea, two acres in extent, amongst which countless numbers of Daffodils and Anemone appenina herald the spring. Another huge bed contains Magnolia conspicua and M. parviflora, with the dwarfer M. stellata in the foreground. As might well be expected, the Japanese Maples are favourite shrubs ; in this rich soil they have grown to be of good size, and yield a wealth of warm colouring when seen in the near distance through the trunks of the taller trees. The Bamboo Garden. The situation of this famous collection of Bamboos illustrates the fact that the planter thoroughly understood the conditions which lead to success in the cultivation of these graceful plants. Here may be seen a great variety of hardy Bamboos luxuriating in the rich heavy loam of a plateau some 800 feet above sea level, and securely screened by tall trees from the cutting winds which are apt to spoil their foliage. A huge clump of the giant Phyllostachys fastuosa, growing on the edge of the stream, has pushed up its tall, strong culms to an unusual height. Close by is a dense group of the graceful Arundinaria nitida ; its slender, arched plumes give it an ap- pearance of delicacy which its vigour in- stantly belies. So huge is this clump that at first sight the length of the stems is not ap- parent, whilst on the other hand the tall, slim culms of Phyllostachys viridi-glaucescens, which are more thinly disposed, appear to be even taller than they reaUy are. Phyllostachys flexuosa, with its small leaves and arched growths, contrasts finely with the tall, golden canes of P. nigra var. Castillonis, Arundinaria spathiflora so much like A. nitida, but differ- ing in that the canes are more pendulous, and of a pinkish colour, is here a beautiful .speci- men. The fine clump of A. auricoma compels attention ; this dwarf gem is in sharp contrast with the tall Phyllostachys aurea. The tall, golden-caned P. sulphurea, with stripes of green running down the canes, is another in- teresting species ; whilst a little further on the enthusiastic young head gardener, Mr. Gardiner, whom the present occupier of Batsford — Gran- ville Farquahar, Esq. — brought with him, pointed out three seedling plants of Phyllo- stachys nigra var. punctata growing freely on the site of a large plant which flowered and died a few years ago. But to note each of the Bamboos which grow well would be to make a list of nearly all the species which can be grown out-of-doors. So we pass on upwards, noting as we go the many interesting trees and shrubs which border the way ; the young vigorous Abies lasiocarpa, a Cedrus deodara, with pendulous branchlets and a multitude of .-^hort, erect flower- buds on the previous year's growths, and a huge bush of Daphniphyllum glaucescens, with broad, shining. Laurel-like leaves and red mid-ribs. A Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba). which is growing away straight and strong, arrested our attention, for this interesting conifer does not always be- have so kindly. Then there is a promising ex- ample of Juglans regia laciniata, with its pretty foliage, near a large clump of Rosa rubrifolia, which is so much at home that seedlings are springing up around the parent tree. Another large bed contains Rosa lucida. Soon we reach the further limit of these 40 acres of pleasure grounds, where we find a cave of huge, flat stones — an ugly thing, on which I gladly turn my back to seek the more interesting Japanese garden, its small stone bridge n^aarly hidden by Wistaria niul- tijuga and fine strong clumps of Funkia japonica. In the background is a tail Holly, covered with Clematis vitalba. Our now downwards way leads through a curved pergola, 80 yards long, well furnished with Roses, Vitis Henryana, Aristolochia Sipho and Clematis montana rubens. Japanese Rest-house. High up on the hill-side Lord Redesdale placed a rest-house in the style of the buildings which the Japanese erect on mountain sides. From the porch there is a magnificent and vast view of the neighbouring country. As nothing Japanese seems to be complete without an inscrip- tion, so over the entrance to the rest-house is inscribed a proverb, which may be translated " Man can live without bread, but he cannot 164 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Makch 16, 1912. I've without Eanihoo," a proverb which plainly illustrates the truth of the more familiar adage that " East is East, and West is West." A carved granite elephant stands docilely at either side of the door, and at either end of the verandah there is a beautiful bronze lantern, 7 feet high, with mellow-toned bells hanging around the upper portion, whilst just outside is perched a peregrine falcon, bright and keen of eye, poised ready for flight. Away to the right a monster bronze Buddha, 2,000 years old, squats benign beneath the shade of, not a " Bo-tree," but an old Oak. The pair of deer, which tradition says were always in attendance when the Buddha preached, are standing close at hand on the greensward. The buck scents danger from afar, whilst the hind, secure in his presence, placidly browses behind a small thicket of Berberis Aquifolium. Fine cxampleis of Trachycarpus e.xcelsus (the Chusan Palm) and the typical Japanese Metake (Arundinaria japonica) are in keeping with the scene. A large group of ^gle sepiaria, better known as Citrus trifolia, lias delicately-beautiful autumn colouring, which rivals that of the young leaves of many a tropical tree. A long-leaved Pinus attracts attention, and a closer scrutiny proves it to be a promising e.xample of the l\Iexican P. i\Ionte- zumie, fully 28 feet high, and growing vigorously. On lower ground the rare and interesting Christ Thorn {Paliurus australis) (see p. 375) was bear- ing numbers of its curious salver-like fruits and inconspicuous yellowish flowers, and in " Her Ladyship's Walk " there were the finest Aralia chinensis (Dimorphanthus mandschuricus) I have seen. These enormous-leaved trees were well set off by huge, rounded bushes of Berberis ■stenophylla. The many other interesting hardy shrubs include immense clumps of Hippophae rhamnoidcs, bearing dense clusters of bright fruits, tall examples of Genista aethnensis, and several pendulous Cherries, which have all the appearance of miniature stag-leaved Beeches. Some of the commoner shrubs have been used as supports for climbing species, and the effect of such combinations as a purple Clematis rambling ■over a Liquidambar, Vitis Coignetite covering a large Berberis or an old scarlet-fruited Thorn, must be seen to be realised. The silvcr-foliaged ■ conifers thrive, too, in the pure air and good .soil ; the tall, spreading Cedrus atlanliia glauca, .and a fine Picea pungens argentea, planted t^o celebrate the silver wedding of I.Kird and Lady Redesdale, are almost too dazzling in their effects. Such trees must have perfectly-appco- priate neighbours or the contrast is too great to be pleasing. (To be continued.) ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. ODONTOGLOSSUM VULCAN CRAWSHAYANUM. This handsome Odontoglossum (0. crispum x ■0. Vuylekei, raised and shown by de Barri Crawshay, Esq., Rosefield, Sevenoaks (gr. Mr. Stables), at the Royal Horticultural Society, February 20 last, obtained an Award of Merit, -and brought up an interesting question. The course which the Orchid Committee has generally adopted is to consider the first form of any hybrid which secures an Award from the Committee to be the type, and if shown with a varietal name the latter is, as a rule, not recorded. That course was adopted with Odon- toglossum Vulcan Crawshayanum, and it w-as reported as 0. Vulcan [Gardeners' Chronicle, February 24, 1912). At the meeting of the Orchid Committee, March 5, Mr. Crawshay brought up the question, stating the case as it applied to these variable hybrids generally, and pointing out the desirability of preserving the individuality of certificated varieties as distinct from the many inferior forms which may have T been raised from the same parentage. The Com- . mittee decided to admit the vari.etal names in future when deemed necessary, and hence the necessity of recording this showy hybrid under its full title. The flowers are 4 inches across, the fringed petals being 1^ inch wide, and the sepals proportionately broad. The ground colour is primrose-yellow, but that colour is chiefly confined to the margins and tips of the sepals and petals, the inner two-thirds being heavily blotched with red-brown. The lip is white with a bright yellow crest, in front of which are some reddish blotches. DENDROBIUM GOLDEN RAY SUPERBUM. This pretty Dendrobium, for which Sir Jeremiah Colman. Bart. (gr. Mr. Collier) received an Award of Merit on March 5, was reported as Golden King superbum in the list of Awards (March 9, p. 151), although it was correctly named in the column enum'Srating the plants shown. J. 0. B. L^LIOCATTLEYA NOR^fA AND CATTLEYA GUDRUN. li^Lio-CATTLEYA NoRMA (L.-C. armainvillier- ensis X C. Mossise) is somewhat in the way of L.-C. Pallas Veitch (Lwlia crispa ? X Cat- tleya Dowiana -f ), the flowers being of the same size, 15 inches across, and nearly of the same pale-purplish colour, the lip only showing some difference. The great mauve-purple blotch of L.-C. Pallas is a little paler and dissolved into an elegant network of darker, radiating lines on a pale background. Cattleya Gudrun is derived from C. labiata alba X C. Mendelii. In size it resembles its first-named parent, but the petals are much larger. The s>i;ments are nearly white (especially when seen by artificial light), with a very faint rosy hue. The lip has a golden throat lined with purplish stripes, an area of deeper mauve-purple with still darker reticulated veins, and a rather broad, elegantly-fringed border. Both hybrids were raised in the nursery of Mr. C. F. Karthaus. Potsdam. The young plants produced spikes having only two flowers, but when they are established they will, no doubt, develop much liner inflorescences. F. KranzUn, Berlin. TREES AMD SHRUBS. BERBERIS BEALEI. BoT.\NiSTS are no doubt correct in describing this beautiful Barberry as a form of Berberis japonica; but, from the cultivator's point of view, B. Bealei and B. japonica are distinct plants. Thus the habits of the two bushes are so dissimilar that, when of any size, they may be distinguished at a glance. B. japonica has a stiff, erect habit, whilst the disposi- tion of the branches of B. Bealei is that of a spreading, rounded bush. Both plants have long, handsome leaves, but there are considerable differences in the texture and arrangement of the foliage, the leaves of B. Bealei being longer and more graceful. The leaflets of B. japonica - are stouter, set much closer together (they fre- quently overlap), more coarsely-toothed, and occupy the whole length of the leaf-stalk ; whilst in the case of B. Bealei the pairs of leaflets are set well apart, and. except for a small pair of stipule-like leaves close to the shoot, the base of the leaf-stalk is free from leaflets for a space of about 3 inches. The individual leaflets of B. japonica are so stout and curled that they might well be mistaken for the leaves of a robust, com- mon Holly ; those of B. Bealei are very like the larger-foliaged forms of the Mahonia (B. aquifolium macrophylla) in texture, as well as in size. Not only are the leaves of B. Bealei longer than those of B. japonica, but the flower- spikes also are decidedly longer, and the flowers are much more fragrant. B. Bealei, as I recently saw it in Messrs. Charles Smith and Son's Guernsey nursery, is a most de- sirable, early-flowering shrub. The large, • spreading bush, 8 feet high and almost 12 feet across, had every branch terminated with long spikes of rich-yellow flowers, which scented the air pleasantly with their characteristic per- fume, so strongly suggestive of the Lily of the Valley. Already (the beginning of February) the earliest flowers had given place to quantities of purple-tinted, drupe-shaped fruits. The leaves were fully 18 inches long, and many of the flower-heads were 30 inches across. Unfor- tunately, there are not many gardens with the climate of the Channel Islands ; but in the southern counties of England there must be many warm, gently-sloping, sheltered banks where this delightful, early-flowering Berberis might be grown. Even though the flowers were occasionally cut by frosts, the handsome foliage would alone be sufficient compensation for any care lavished upon the plant. B. Bealei is said to have originated in the nursery of the late Mr. Anthony Waterer as a seedling of B. japonica. It is not a true species, for only a small proportion of seedlings possess the merits of the parent, although they mostly hover around it, with a few showing decided leanings towards B. japonica. Both the parent and the improved variety are admirable shrubs for the early spring decoration of cool conservatories. Even the hardier of the two kinds cannot be recommended as an out-door flowering shrub for cold situations, though, as already suggested, it has great value as an ornamental-foliaged species. .4. C. Bartlett. THE BULB GARDEN. ORIENTAL AND CALIFORNIAN LILIES. The description of Lilium sulphureum (also called L. Wallichianum superbum) by Mr. Nor- man in the " Home Corre.spondence," on p. 77, reminds me that this exquisitely beautiful native of Upper Burmah i.s one of the latest additions to my now somewhat extensive collection of Oriental and American Lilies. I am much gratified to find that my treatment of this Indian Lily harmon- ises with that stated by Mr. Norman in his ex- tremely interesting communication. Some years since Lilium sulphureum was planted in Logan Gardens in this pari.sh, in a comparatively warm and sheltered situation, but it did not succeed. ' I should imagine, however, that since that period it has been rendered much hardier and easier of successful culture by English cultivation. I some- times wonder if Sir Herbert Maxwell has ever had L. sulphureum in flower at Monreith, that horticultural paradise, whose environing woods I can discern from this manse, across the lumin- ous waters of the iipacious Bay of Luce. Other rare Lilies which I have recently acquired are L. longifloruni Wilsonii, L. Washingtonianum rubescens, and L. Huniboldtii magnificum ; of which the two last-mentioned are entirely new to my garden. I understand that the Lily of Humboldt, which is splendidly distinctive, takes, like its Califurnian rival, L. pardalinum, a con- siderable period for its adequate establishment. Most of the American Lilies succeed well in gar- den loam, enriched with leaf-mould. L. mona- delphum var. Szovitzianum (from the Caucasian regions and Northern Persia), which occasionally reaches here a height of nearly 8 feet, suc- ceeds admirably in clay, and has flowered in the same position for at least 12 years. Among the most fascinating of the other Lilies in my collection are L. giganteum, L. auratum platy- phyllum, L. Hansonii, a lovely, golden-coloured JIartagon ; L. speciosum rubrum, L. roseum, L. Krsetzeri excelsum, an exquisite hybrid be- tween the Madonna Lily and the Scarlet Marta- gon ; L. pardalinum, whose most prolific deriva- tive is Burbankii ; L. Henryi, a vigorous native of Western China, of distinctive aspect and pen- dulous tendency ; L. Krameri, a pale-pink Japanese species, with slender stems ; L. davuricum, L. longiflorum Harrisii, and the radiant L. chalcedonicum. David Ji. William- son, Mn7tse of Kirhmaiden, Wiglownsliire, Mabch 15, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. K AMERICAN NOTES. CHINESE BRAMBLES. RETIREMENT OF DR. TRELEASE. Dr. William Trelease has resigned the directoiship of the Botanical Gardens at St. Louis, Missouri, formerly known as Shaw's Gar- den,- to which he was appointed in 1889, as he desires to devote more time to scientific re- search. Dr. Trelease was a pupil of America's grer is interesting. He was born in Sheffield in 18C0, and at the age of 18 went to St. Louis, where he started a small shop for the sale of Sheffield ware, the shop, a single room, being also his living quarters. Shaw pros- pered, and at the age of 40 he gave up business and travelled iii Europe. On seeing Chatsworth he was fired with the desire to have a large gar- den of his own. Returning to St. Louis, he set to work, and with the assistance and advice of Dr. Engelmann, Asa Gray, Sir William J. Hooker and others, he proceeded to construct a park and garden on approved botanical horti- cultural lines. He engaged a gardener, Mr. James Gurney, from the Botanical Gardens, Regent's Park, with whom he was always on the most friendly terms. His garden was both wife and child to him, for he never married. He died in 1889, one of the most honoured of Ameri- can citizens, and was buried in the garden wliich he had made. His will contains the following characteristic passage: — "Whereas I have for many years been engaged in laying out and estab- lishing a botanical garden with a museum and library connected therewith, which is now known as the Missouri Botanical Garden, with the de- sign at the tiine of my death to convey the same with other property to be for ever kept up and maintained for the cultivation and propagation of plants, flowers, fruits and forest trees and other products of the vegetable kingdom. . . and devoted t-o the science of botany and horti- culture and allied objects." Accordingly, he left an inmiensely rich estate to be managed by trustees so as to provide ample means for the ful- filment of his wishes. In addition to the large out-put of botanical work from the Missouri Gardens, much of it by Dr. Trelease, there is also a school for botanical students and a school of horticultui'e, funds for which were provided in the will. The selection of boys for horticultural scholarships is left to the director. They can enter at the age of 14. and are lodged, paid wages, and trained for six years. Such an in- stitution would be of immense service to horti- culture in this country, but men of the qualities of Henry Shaw are scarce. The nearest approach to him was the late John Innes, who left his estate at Wimbledon, together with a large sum of money, to be devoted to the promotion of hor- ticulture and to the training of gardeners. Among Shaw's bequests were £200 annually for a ban- quet to the trustees and their guests ; £80 annually for a dinner to the gardeners and their friends ; £100 annually for a flower show in St. Louis ; and £40 annually for a sermon in the cathedral on " The wisdom and goodness of God as shown in the growth of flowers, fruit and other products of the vegetable kingdom." AND FOR SHRUBBERIES, PERGOLAS, PLEASURE GROUND. (ConclUilcd from p. US.) RuBUS CHKOOSEPALUS, Focke (see fig. 69). — The chief value of this Rubus lies in the foliage, which is evergreen, very ornamental, and may be compared with that of a Lime tree. Plants Hupeh, and Jlr. Wilson collected seeds in tli© neighbourhood of Ichang at an elevation of 4,000 feet. The best use for the plant is to cover a pillar, pergola or fence. R. FLAGELLiFLOEUS, Focke.— The valuable fea- tures of this Bramble are the elegant habit, evergreen leaves, and ornamental fruits. The plant grows to a height of 8 feet or more. The stems are brown in colour, slender, and fur- Fig. 6S. — rubus playfairii: an evergreen species. (See p. 166.) UuffiU- at Kew last year made growths 6 feet to 7 feet in length. The stems are slender, and furnished with a few spines. The leaves are simple, cor- date, measure 4 inches by 3^ inches, are glab- rous above, and white beneath. The flowers are borne in large panicles, and have no decorative value ; the fruits are small and black. Mr. A. Henry found this species in the province of nished with a few spines. The leaves are cord- ate-acuminate, with an irregular serrated mar- gin ; they are 4 inches to 5 inches long and 3 inches to 4 inches wide, rich deep-green on the upper surface, the under surface clothed with a thick, dull-coloured felt. The flowers are wh'te ; the. fruits are of a medium size and glossy black. The species is a native of Central mn THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 16, 1912. and Western China, where it grows at an eleva- tion of from 4,000 feet to 6,000 feet. The habit of this species and the ornamental evergreen leaves make it of considerable value for training up pillars, arches and pergolas. This species has also been distributed as R. flageUiflorue. E. FLOScui.os'DS, Focke. — This is one of the Chinese Raspberries, and forms an erect bush some 7 feet in height. The stems are dark- brown, and armed with stiff prickles j inch in length. The leaves are pinnate, silvery-white beneath, composed of five leaflets, the terminal one being the largest. The panicles of about a dozen small flowers appear in September, and are followed by small, dark-red fruits. Seeds of this species were collected by ilr. Wilson in Central and Western China at 4,000 feet to 6,000 feet elevation. R. ICH.4NGENSIS, Hemsl. and Kuntze. — This Bramble has long, slender shoots, 4 feet to 5 feet in length, and furnished with a few Email prickles. The leaves are evergreen, simple, broadly-lanceolate, cordate at the base, the older leaves being inclined to be three-lobed, 3 inches to 4 inches long, 2 inches to 3 inches wide, light green both above and helow. The tiny flowers appear in small panicles, and they are succeeded by small, red fruits, which llr. Wilson describes as of good flavour. The species grows up to 7,000 feet elevation in Central and Western China. R. INNOMINATUS, S. Moore. — In appearance this species resembles a Raspberry, having strong upright stems 6 feet to 8 feet in height. These are clothed with a velvety pubescence, and a few scattered spines. The pinnate leaves are composed of three or five ovate leaflets, the ter- minal leaflet being occasionally tri-lobate, and more than double the size of the lateral ones. The leaves are rich green above, clothed beneath with a greyish- white velvety pubescence, and thickly covered with glands. Several leaves measured at Kew were 9 inches in length. The numerous small pink blossoms are borne in large panicles during September. The fruits are orange-red and agreeable in flavour. R. in- nominatus is a native of Central and Western China, and is figured in the Gardeners' Chronicle, for October 21, 1905, R. Kuntzeanus, Hemsl., has been considered synonymous with R. innominatus, but the latter is readily distin- guished by the glands, R. Kuntzeanus being glandless. R. iRENiEUS, Focke. — This is a very distinct and attractive species, with slender, creeping stems, 6 feet or more in length, and thickly clothed with very small spines, each about l-20th inch in length. The leaves are ever- green, roundish in shape, 5 inches to 5 inches in length, and the same in width. Their upper sur- faces are shining, metallic green, the lower sur- faces are covered with a silvery-white tomentum, interspersed with prominent yellow veins. The habit and free growth of this species in half- shady positions suggests that it will prove a valuable subject to use for covering sloping banks and similar damp positions, for which the Ivy is now largely grown. Mr. A. Henry and Mr. Wilson both record finding this species in Central •and Western China at 4,000 feet to 8,000 feet elevation. R. Lambertianus, Ser. (see fig. 69). — There are two forms of this Rubus growing in China, one having red the other yellow fruits. Mr. Wilson describes it as a common plant, growing up to 3,000 feet elevation. The shoots are long and slender, reaching a height of 10 feet to 12 feet. The square stems are furnished with a few hooked spines. The leaves are evergreen, simple, five-lobed, vivid green, glabrous above, light- green and slightly hairy beneath, 3 inches to 4 inches in length, and the same in width. R. LASiosTYLTJS, Focke. — If all the plants grcwing under this name are correct this is a particularly variable species. One form (No. 188) has particularly stout, vigorous growths and very spiny stems, which are 12 feet in height and 4^ inches in circumference at the base. The leaves are pinnate, usually consisting of three large leaflets. The plant numbered 279 is quite distinct from the foregoing, which, according to PlantcE WilsoniancE, is R. lasiostylus var. dizy- gos, Focke. The stems (see fig. 70) are blue-white, freely clothed with prickles, and the plants at Kew are not so vigorous in growth as in the other form. The smaller leaflets, which are usually in fives, and the white stems give the plant a more elegant appearance than the type, though the thick prickly stems of No. 188 give it a particularly striking appearance. A conspicuous character is the silvery-white colour of the under- surface of the leaflets. The flowers are mageuta- panicle. The dull, black fruits are of medium size. R. niveus is abundant in Central and Western China at 3,000 feet to 8.000 feet eleva- tion. R. Parkeri, Hance (see fig. 59). — A slender- growing and very distinct Rubus, having long,, scandent stems, 5, 5 or even more feet in length. The bark is clothed with a dense pubes- cence, and freely armed with short, curved spines. The leaves are evergreen, short-stalked, simple, broadly -lanceolate, inclined to be lobed, 4-5 inches long and 2-2g inches wide. The upper surface is dark-green, the under side lighter, and clothed with a velvety pubescence. The fruits are black. This Rubus is named in complement to Mr. E. H. Parker, who first dis- Fio. 69.— CHINESE BRAMBLES. [Photograph by C. P RaffiU. LEFT TO RIGHT : RUBUS LAMBERTIANUS, R. SWINHOII, R. CHROOSEPALUS, R. PLAYFAIRII, R. PARKERI. red, followed by curious white, woolly fruits, which are useless for eating, though sweet to the palate. R. lasio.stylus is an old species, being described in the Journal of Botany for 1875. R. NIVEUS, Thunb.— This is one of the strongest-growing Brambles received at Kew from China. The stout stems are 3 inches in circumference at the base, and reach a height of 12 feet, arching gracefully at the ends. They are thickly clothed with numerous small spines, and covered with stiff, brown hairs. The pin- nate leaves consist of three large leaflets. The small, white flowers are terminal and axillary, often as many as 30 being developed in a single covered it in 1881. Mr. Wilson collected seed* in the neighboiu'hood of Ichang. R. Pl.wpairii. Hemsley (see figs. 68 and 69). — A slender-growing evergreen Bramble, the foliag* of this species is very distinct. The thin, wire-like stems and pstioles in a young state aro clothed with a felt-like down. In one season the young growths attain a length of 7-8 feet. The leaves usually consist of three leaflets, occa- sionally five. The two lateral leaflets are deeply lobed, and at first sight suggest another pair of leaflets. Leaflets lanceolate, terminal one larger than laterals, 6-7 inches in length, \% incl* broad. The panicles of flowers are followed by ' Mauch 16, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 1(J7 lilack fi'uiU of moderate flavour. Mr. Wilson describes this as a rambling plant, growing in thickets in Central and Western China. The best plants with lis are trained up stakes, fixed tripod-fashion, 8 feet in height. R. SwiNHOii, Hance (see fig. 69). — This ever- green Rubus is slender in gmwtli ; plants at Kew last season, supported by rough stakes, leached a height of 8 feet. The stems are dark- green, with a reddish tinge on the e.xposed side, and armed with a comparatively few short spines. The dark-green leaves average 3 inches in length by Ij inch in width, are ovate and ser- rate, being lighter in colour beneath. The in- florescence consists of five-seven flowers, borne in terminal panicles ; the fruits when ripe are black, and rather bitter to the taste. Mr. Wilson collected this species during 1908 in Western Szech'uan. R. TRICOLOR, Focke.— This is a very distinct species with prostrate stems, spineless, but thickly clothed with light brown hairs, which give the plants a striking appearance. The longest of the past season's growths at Kew are 4 fjet. Mr. Wilson described it as a moistin-e and shade-loving plant. We have nut had long to wait for evidence of this, as during the showery summer of 1910 the shoots averaged 7-8 feet in length, about double the length of those developed during 1911. The leaves are evergreen, simple, cordate, 3-3^ inches in length, the petioles being about 1 inch in length and densely clothed with hairs. The leaf is dark- green above, the under-surface being covered with a silvery-white tomentum betw'een the brown hairs on the veins. Mr. Wilson collected this species at a considerable elevation in Western China up to 10,000 feet. R. polytriehus, Franchet, is synonymous. In addition to the foregoing species the follow- ing, all described by Focke, are also in cultiva- tion at Kew, but another season of growth is jiccessary before any reliable information can be given of their respective merits: — R. ama- bilis (No. 830), R. Giraldianus (No. 815), R. inopertus (No. 97), R. mesogoeus (No. 52), R. pileatus (No. 858), R. simplex (No. 282), R. Thunbergii var. glabellus (No. 2), R. trullisatus (No. 57), R. viearius (No. 948). The numbers in brackets refer to the speci- mens and seeds collected by Mr. Wilson during what is generally referred to as the Wilson-Sar- geant expedition of 1907-08. It is to be noted that Mr. George Forrest has also collected seeds of several species of Rubus in China, and the development of his plants will be watched with great interest. A. 0. NOTICES OF BOOKS. A Great Work on Plums.* Eighteen hundred years is a long period to ■wait for a book, and yet since the treatise of Athenaeus about 220 A.D., the world has waited with exemplary patience for another treatise dedicated solely to the Plum. The task of sup- plying a second work has been left to the generosity of the American Government and the skill of Professor Hedrick. These authorities have issued a great work on the subject, which will be received with delight the world over. It is a stout octavo volume of 600 pages, and con- tains over 100 most excellent coloured plates of the principal varieties of American Plums, and such European Plums as are of value in that country or of special interest from the point of view of history. Hence it is a work of reference which every pomologist will be anxious to include in his library. . Those who know the careful work which Pro- lessor Hedrick put into his companion volume The. Grapes of New York, published in 1908, will require no further testimony, but for the benefit • The Plums of New York, by U. P. Hedrick. (New York 'State Ag iculluril Depirtmentl. of others we must say that his work, for com- pleteness, accuracy of description, and lucidity, is worthy to stand by the side of that of the greatest pomologists of any country, and in some respects is better than any yet published. The points to which we allude are the careful descriptions of the tree in all its parts, as well as the fruit. The French writer Mas in his Le Vertjer and Pomologie Generale took a step for- ward in this direction, and Professor Hedrick has improved upon him in many ways. There is further a singular interest attaching to this book from the fact that the evolution of so many varieties has taken place in compara- tively recent years, and records have been in many cases carefully kept, so that the genesis of hundreds of new varieties has been studied with an exactness not possible with other fruits. There is therefore valuable material for the biological student as well as tha horticul- turist. The crossing of the American species Fig. 70. — RtBus lasiostvt.us : a species HAVING BLUISH-WHHE STEM5. with European varieties, and also among them- selves, have provided many new Plums of great interest, but perhaps the greatest revolution was caused by the recent introduction of the Japanese varieties. Prunus triflora, which is almost cer- tainly of Chinese origin, has introduced new " blood " of very distinct character, and these varieties, known in England generally as Cape Plums on account of their export from South Africa, offer an opportunity of which hybridisers have not been slow to avail themselves. It seems, however, that at present these varieties, and also the descendants of American species, are not generally equal in quality to those of European origin derived from Prunus doraestica, and it is, of course, to the latter species that attention will be mostly direct€d by readers in this country. The description of the varieties is, as has been stated above, the fullest vet available, and we have iiot?d but veri,' few mistakes in the historical details. In two cases errors are re- produced from Dr. Hogg's FrvU Manual. The Bush Plum of Kent was found in a hedge at Borden, near Sittingbourne, and not as stated ■' Boben." The Diamond, or Black Diamond, was found also in a hedge by a labourer named Diamond near Paddock Wood, and not raised in Hooker's Nursery as stated by Hogg. A fuither case is that of the St. Catherine Plum, which the author says was " first mentioned by Quintinyc." It was, however, known and written upon before this, as we find it in Bonnefond's Jai-dinier FraJicois in 1551, mentioned by Claude Mollet in 1652. and it had reached England certainly by 1675, all dates considerably in advance of the publication of Quintinye's great work in 1699. The proof reading has been done with remark- able care, and it is difficult to discover printers' errors. We note, however, on p. 151 Esperiii for Esperen, and on p. 271 Prince for Pince, the well-known nurseryman of Exeter. Names are shortened according to the rules of the American Pomological Society, but we wonder why Altham is adopted for the Reine Claude d'Althann? We dwell on these few details in no captious spirit, but it is of the first importance that such errors should be noted and their perpetuation prevented. Professor Hedrick's book stands as a monument to the splendid help which the Government is ready to give to its subjects in America. The production of such a work as a " commercial proposition " would be an impossibility, and pomologists of all countries have reason to be grateful for this splendid monograph, and for the generosity which is shown in its distribution. B. FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. PURPLE FLOWERS WITH WHITE VARIETIES. Referring to Habenaria conopsea alba (see pp. 63, 90, and 107), and specially to Mr. W. H. Cox's letter (p. 107), I may say that most Orchids with purple flowers have also white varieties. In recent years I have found here Anacampseros pyramidalis alba, a very splendid plant, with pure-white flowers, Orchis undulatifolia alba, O. papilionacea alba, 0. maculata alba, and Ophrys aranifera alba. Of Crocus imperati I have found two white varieties, one already offered as C. imperati albus, has very large pure-white flowers, though in its early stage the outside petals are pink. The other plant which I would name C. imperati uncerensis, is white except for the yellow centre, I have found this beautiful variety here in ona place in a Chestnut forest, about five to six large bulbs, one clump, but I hope that next year I miiy find others in the same place. Of Viola pseudogracilis, I have only the typical purple species ; the white variety I have not yet found, yet I am sure that it exists. Viola splendida from the Monte Virgine is near to pseudogracilis. For two years I have found a fine white variety, which I have named V. splen- dida eburnea. These two varieties were offered last year for the first time. Willy Miiller. YUCCA WHIPPLEI. Yucca Whipplei (see p. 106) does not make suckers. Three years ago one plant flowered splendidly in the garden of Mr. Casertam, San Georgio, Cremano, and I have collected ripe seeds, not hybridised artificially. Two years ago I crossed Y. constricta with the pollen of Y. aloefolia, and have now many young plants, which already show the hybrid character. My young plants have not a trace of filaments, like aloefolia, whereas in Y. constricta the filaments are %vell marked. The leaves are not so drooping as the female plant, but stiffer, and like tnoao of the pollen parent. Willy Millltr, Naples. 168 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 16, 1912. The Week's Work. THE ORCHID HOUSES. By J. Collier, GiMener to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., Gallon Park, Surrey. L/clia" and L/Euio - Cattleya. — Lfelia pumila, L. prsestans, L. Dayana, L. amoena, and L. Gravesise. also such Lselio-Cattleyas as Rubens, Clive. hybrida. Cornelia, and epicaste are pushing forthnew roots, therefore specimens that require new rooting materials should re- ceive attention. The smaller-growing kinds should be accommodated in well-drained, shallow pans, and suspended from the roof-rafters in the coolest end of the intermediate house. The strong-growing varieties, such as L.-C. epicaste, should be grown in pots and placed on the stage. A mi.xture of equal parts Osmunda fibre, Al fibre and Sphagnum-moss, chopped rather small, is a suitable compost for potting. After having been potted, and until they are well rooted in the new materials, the plants should be given only sufficient water to prevent the pseudo-bulbs from shrivelling : subsequently they may receive copious supplies of moisture at the roots until their growth is finished. Brassia. — JIany of tlie species of Brassia. such as B. brachiata, B. Lawrenc!ana longissima. and B. maculata, are sending up new growths from the base of the last-fnrmed pseudo- bulbs, and as they commence to emit new roots the plants should, if they require it, be repotted. A compost similar to that recommended for Laelia* is suitable. The plants may be grown either in pot*, and placed on the stage, or in pans and suspended from the roof in a house having an intermediate temperature. Anguloa. — .\nguloas. such as A uniflora, A. Ruckeri, A. eburnea, and A. Cliftonii, are be- coming active after their season of rest, and. if requiring new compost, should be attended to in this respect. They are strong-rooting plants, and require a compost composed of equal parts good, fibrous loam, broken up and rubbed through a ^--inch sieve to remove the small par- ticles ; and Al fibre, cut up rather roughly, add- ing a little Sphagnum-moss and some crushed crocks. Place some crocks in the bottom of the pot to insure efficient drainage. Anguloas should De grown in a light position in the intermediate house. CcELOGYNE. — Ccelogyne Massa-ngeina, C. Dayana, C. Lowii, C. tomentosa, C. Mooreana, C. Cumingii, C. barbata, and others of their class are making new growth, and the plants may be pf^tted if this operation is necessary. A suitable compost is formed of equal parts Al fibre and Osmunda fibre, with a small quantity of Sphagnum-moss. The plants are best grown in pans, and suspended from the roof in the warmest end of the Cattleya house. C. pandu- rata also is making new growth, and plants that have overgrown their receptacles mav be potted .also if the old compost is sour. .\ suitaV^le com- post in which to pot this species is a mi.xture of Osmunda fibre, good fibrous loam, from which all the small particles have been removed, and Sphagnum-moss, the whole chopped up rather email, and well mixed with crushed brick. The plants should be grown in pans suspeudeil from the roof-rafters in the warmest hoiise. In the process of repotting remove the old pseudo-bulbs, leaving only two pseudo-bulbs behind the leading growth. Plenty of room is necessary in the pans, as the rhizomes will extend some inches each year after being potted. The plants should be watered sparingly, until they have rooted freely in the new compost, after which thev should re'- ccive liberal supplies of moisture until the new pseudo-bulbs are completed. Chvsis. — Chvsis Limmingbii, C. bractescens, C. Chelsonii. C. aurea, and C. Isevis are develop- ing young growths, and should produce flower- epikes in conjunction with them. The plants will require more moisture at the roots, but water should not be applied too freely, or they may fail to produce their flower-spikes. These plants should be suspended near to the roof- glass in the warmest end of the intermediate house. They should not be potted until after they have passed out of flower. FRUITS UNDER GLASS. By E. Harkiss, Kruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, Windsor. Pineapples. — Fruits of Pineapples which are ripening must not be syringed, and the atmos- phere of the pit must be kept dry. If the plants are cultivated in pots those which are ripening their fruits may be taken to a warm, dry house, and placed in a position near to the roof-glass. The roots will not need much moisture, and stimulants must be withheld entirely at that stage. Plants of the Queen variety which are throwing up their fruits must be afforded plenty of heat and moisture. The night temperature should not fall below 70°. Din-ing the day it may rise to 85° or 90°. at which point a little fresh air may be admitted by the top ventilators. The atmosphere should be kept moist by fre- quently damping the walls and other bare sur- faces in the house. Close the house early in the afternoon, after s\-ringing the plants with tepid rain water. Stimulants may be afforded two or three times weekly, diluted farm-yard drainings and weak guano water being suitable. Weak guano or soot-water syringed about the bases of the plants at closing time will also be bene- ficial. When the plants are flowering the " fruits " must not be wetted, neither should the atmosphere be kept so moist as usual. Young plants which were potted last month will now be rooting freely. It will be safe to afford them a thorough watering with clear, tepid water : they will need careful treatment in the matter of watering for some time to come. The growth of the plants should be hastened as much as possible, treating them the same as advised above for Queen variety. They will not require stimulants till the pots are filled with roots. The house should be ventilated carefully during the fore- noon, closing the ventilators quite early in the afternoon, after syringing the plants and charg- ing the atmosphere of the house with moisture. Any suckers that are large enough on plants which have fruited may be potted and placed in a warm, moi.-t house. Shade them from bright sunshine till they are rooted. Mid-season Vines. — The disbudding of mid-season vines will demand early attention, removing first all weak, useless shoots. Later, when it can be seen which shoots are carrying the best bunches, the final thinning of the growths may be done. Considerable care is necessary in this operation for. although it is bad practice to have the trellis too sparsely covered with foliage, it is equally injurious to overcrowd the shoots. Every lateral should have ample room to develop without encroaching on its neighbour, so that the foliage may become large and firm in texture, and thus better able to re.iist attacks of red snider. In addition, the fruit and wood will be more likely to finish perfectly. If the roots are in need of moisture, the border should be watered before the vines commence to flower. Old-established vines, having plenty of roots, will require plentv of stimulating manures. Pinch the shoots at the second leaf beyond the bunch. Rub out the laterals below the bunches, and keep all subsequent lateral growth pinched at the first leaf. THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan, Gardener tct Ladv Ncnbcrnholme, \\'arter Priory, Vorlisliire. Newly-planted Wall Trees. — Wall trees that were planted last autumn may be pruned and trained, the soil having settled about their roots. Tie in the main branches, but not too tightly, or they may be jnjured. There is a great difference of opinion as to the way in which the pruning should be carried out. If the plant- ing has been done carefully, and the trees are good specimens, the object of the pruning should be the balancing of the loss of roots by a corre- soonding amount of top growth. Also to con- tinue the training of the tre?s. cutting back the l-h Viohf.i, by Mrs. E. S. Gregory. The volume will be illustrated with both line and half-tone March 16, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 171 Carnation Conference. — A conference on ICarnations will be held by the Perpetual-flower- ing Carnation Society in the Royal Horticultural Hall, Vincent Square, Westminster, on Thursday, ^lai'ch 21, the first day of the Society's Spring Exhibition. Mr. J. S. Beunton will occupy the , chair. The subjects for discussion include ;" Cultivation of Perpetual-flowering Carnations for Amateurs," by Mr. F. Fitch, Balls Park Gardens, Hertford ; and " Carnations as Bed- ding Plants," by JMr. E. F. Hawes, Imperial iSchool of British Horticulture, Hampstead. Devon Daffodil and Spring Flower Show. —We are informed by the secretary that the dates of this exhibition have been altered to iThursday and Friday, April 18 and 19, owing to the Royal Horticultural Society's Daffodil Show being arranged to take place on April 16 and 17, the dates originally fixed for the holding of the Devon Daffodil show. Flowers in Season. — We have received some flowers of selected varieties of Primula sinensis from Jlessrs. Ed. Webb & Sons, Words- ley. Rose Queen is a large, smooth flower of a pretty shade of rose; Eclipse is purplish-crimson, rich, but not dull ; Ruby Queen is a peculiar shade indicated by the name. The others are Ava- lanche, a good white variety ; Meteor, a salmon- rose flower ; and Blue Bell. Balfour Professorship of Genetics. — Thanks to the munificence of an anonymous bene- factor, the University of Cambridge has received the sum of £20,000 for the endowment of a Professorship of Cienetics. It will be remem- bered that some five years ago a Professorship of Biology was established for the purpose of encouraging research in genetics. No per- manent endowment was, however, provided for the maintenance of the professorship, beyond a certain term of years ; nor was adequate pro- benefactor, who stipulates that his name shall not be mentioned, has placed in my hands a sum of twenty thousand pounds (£20.000) for the purpose of endowing a Professorship at Cam- bridge in connection with the experimental study of heredity and of development by descent. It is stipulated also that the new Chair shall be called the Balfour Professorship of Genetics. There are two more subsidiary conditions which I am to place before you for your consideration : (1) That the first appointment should be made jointly by the Prime Minister and Mr. Balfour. (2) That the regulations governing future appointments to and functions of the Chair shall be submitted through me to the anonymous benefactor before the endowment fund is placed in your hands. I am able further to state that our generous bene- factor is willing to furnish such funds as may be necessary to provide and equip a small station at Cambridge for the use of the professor, should Fig. 71. — A Japanese variety of orange, said to be comparatively hardy. (The section shows the presence of two abortive seeds. See p. 170.) "The British Fern Gazette." — We have i'eceived No. 11 of this Gazrtte. the organ of the British Pteridological Society, edited by Mr. jHAS. T. Druery, V.M.H., who is also the hon. secretary, 11, Shaa, Road, Acton, London, W. The subscription to the society is 5s. per year, ind this sum entitles to membership and four ssues of the Gazette. Appointments at Calcutta and Edin- burgh.— Mr. Charles Gumming Caldeu. B.Sc, )t the University of Aberdeen, has been ippointed by the Secretary of State for India in Council, on the recommendation of Kew, Curator of the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gtardens, Calcutta. Mr. W. W. Smith, Curator !of the Herbarium of the Royal Botanic Gardens, iCalcutta, has been transferred to the post of Assistant to the Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. vision made for the establishment of an experi- ment station, which is an indispensable adjunct to a professorship in genetics. Now that it is in receipt of adequate funds, the University will be able to take officially a proper part in the en- couragement of this important branch of biology. The Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge University has received the following letter from Lord Esher : — "2, Tilney Street, Mayfair, W., March 7.— Dear Vice-Chancellor,- — Towards the end of last year there was a meeting held at Mr. Balfour's house in Carlton Gardens of a few representative mem- bers of the University of Cambridge interested in the subject of genetics. The meeting had under consideration a short paper written by Mr. Bal- four in July, ISIO, which dealt with the endow- ment of the study of genetics in the University of Cambridge. A.', a result of that meeting, I am glad to be able to inform you that a generous such a course be considered desirable after care- ful examination of the methods likely to be most satisfactory for the purposes of research in the domain of genetics. — I remain, yours sincerely, ESHEE." Presidency of the Royal Horticultural Society, Vienna. — On February 18, immediately following on the extraordinary general meeting of the newly-elected committee of the above- named society, the following appointments were made : — President, His Excellency the Count SiLVA Tarouca, Privy Councillor ; Fiist Vice- President, Dr. Richard Wettstein, of Wester- sheim, Counsellor and University Professor ; Second Vice-President, Mr. Anton Umlattft, Director of the Hofgarten. Dr. Kurt Schech- NER was appointed general secretary of the society, and Dr, Joseph Ullmann treasurer. 172 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 16, 1912. Royal International Horticultural Exhibition. — Many of the Home Counties are providing special " County " Cups or pieces of plate for competition at the Royal Inter- national Horticultural Exhibition next JNIay. The piece of plate illustrated in fig. 72 has been presented by Leicestershire and Rutland. The local hon. secretary is Mr. W. H. Diveks, Belvoir Castle Gardens, Grantham. The proprietors of the Daily Mail newspaper have offered a gold cup, valued at 50 guineas, for the best new Rose shown in the class for single plants of climbing Roses or that for Seedling Rose plants (climbers excluded). Tobacco Growing in Canad/>, —Canada raises a good deal of the Tobacco which is con- sumed in that country. Tobacco is at present raised almost entirely in Quebec and Ontario. The improvement of the quality in recent years may be imagined when it is stated that some 15 years ago samples of the Tobacco then grown by the Quebec farmer for his own use, upon being submitted to several of the lead- ing Tobacco manufacturers in the United King- dom, was pronounced to be of a quality quite unfit for their nuKjoses ; that, in their opinion, a use for it might be found for fumigation pur- poses, as an insecticide for greenhouses ; and that its commercial value was about Id. a pound. The total crop last year was 20,000.000 lbs., two- thirds of the whole crop being raised in the latter province. The yield averages 1,500 lbs. per acre in normal years, and if well cured com- mands from 6d. to 7jd. per lb. for " binders," and from 4d. to 4^d. for pipe Tobacco. Tobacco is generally grown in areas of one to four acres, and it forms a useful adjunct to fruit growing. Recent experiments in Nova Scotia demonstrate that the Annapolis Valley, the pick of Nova Scotia's orchard area, is highly adapted by soil and climatic conditions for the growth of Tobacco. The L.C.C. Parks Committee. — It is pro- posed that in the coming year the Parks and Open Spaces Committee of the London County Council shall be composed of the following mem- bers : — Sir George Alexander, Mr. T. Chapman. Lord Cheylesmore, Mr. H. E. A. Cotton, Baron de Forest, Mr. F. L. Dove, Mr. C. U. Fisher, Mr. Stephen Gee, Mr. A. 0. Goodrich, Mr. H. J. Greenwood, Lord Haddo, Mr. T. F. HoBSON, Mr. T. Hunter, Mr. C. Jesson, Mr. G. W. H. Jones, Mr. R. C. Lambert, Mr. G. Lansdury, Mr. H. C. Lea, Major H. B. Lewis-Barned, Mr. J. W. Lorden, Mr. G. K. Naylor, Mr. Walter Reynolds, and Mr. Stuart Sankey. Mr. Fisher was the chairman of the Parks Committee last year, and Sir George Alexander and Mr. Walter Reynolds have also occupied the position in the past. Plant and Animal Pigments. — The pig- ments, more particularly the yellow colouring matters of plants and animals, have been frequent subjects of scientific investigation, but until re- cently progress in determining their chemical composition has not been very definite. WlLL- staiter made an important advance in classifying them as either hydrocarbons, of which carrotene, the colouring matter of Carrots, is the best example, or as oxygen com- pounds, closely related chemically to the hydro- carbons : the latter are known as xanthophyll. Willstatter's subsequent experiments have been devoted to the preparation of such pig- ments in a crystalline state, and he has obtained, amongst others, lycopene, the pigment of Tomatos, in very beautiful, red crystals. Lyco- perie ii very closely related to carrotene. His l;'.t:;t achievement is a remarkable one, namely. the isolation in a crystalline condition of the yellow pigment of hens' eggs. . This is termed luteine, and it is proved' to be very nearly iden- tical with the xanthophyll of plants. The yolks of 6,000 eggs were needed for the work, and, finally, only about one-eighth of an ounce of the pigment was obtained. The result serves tn emphasise once more the close relationship be- tween the plant and animal worlds. A New Fodder Plant. -A cultivated form of Helianthus macrophyllus, has been sold dur- ing the last three or four years under the name of " Helianthi," " Helianti," or " Salsefis," as a fodder plant. According to the Journal of the Board of Agriculture, it is a perennial species of Helianthus, allied to the Sunflower and Jerusalem Artichoke, but produces tubers that differ from those of the Jerusalem Artichokes in being slender and spindle-shaped. The plant is remarkable for its enormous production of tubers and generally luxuriant growth. The stems above ground grow as high as 9 or 10 feet, and may be used as fodder, either green or as hay or silage. If the crop is not cut for fodder the growth matures and then dies back, and Fig. 72. — royal international exhibition. (Rose bo vl presented by Leices'ershirc and Rutland.) a heavy crop of tubers is produced which may be fed to horses, cattle, pigs, or sheep. They are also said to be superior to Jerusalem Artichokes for culinary purposes. The plant is propagated by tubers. Leaf Spot of Celerv. — In the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society, vol. xxxvii., p. 115, Mr. F. J. Chittenden describes the de- structive parasitic fungus (Septoria petroselini, var. apii B. and C.) which in 1909 and 1910 attacked Celery to a serious extent in many parts of England. Usually the first symptom of the disease is the appearance of small pale spots on the leaves. These are quite unlike the burrows made by the Celery-fly larva, and on examination with a lens, small, black dots may be seen on them. When the attack is s?vere, the whole leaf becomes almost olive-green, the foliage wilts and the leaf-stalk, which is also attacked, decays. Even when the attack is not sufficiently severe to cause decay, the growth of the plant is interfered with and the crop diminished. The same fungus also attacks Parsley. Investiga- tion showed that a great many samples of Celery seed had the spores of the fungus upon them, and it is suggested that one of the principal ways in which the disease is spread is the use of such s?ed taken from an affected crop. Where disease makes its appearance, the affected plants should be removed and burned, and the remainder sprayed with either freshly-made Bordeaux mix- ture or with a mixture of potassium sulphide (1 ounce to 3 gallons of water), repeating the spraying after an interval of about a fortnight or three weeks, and again if necessary. Where disease has existed in a previous year, it would be well to commence spraying early in the season as a safeguard. The Everyday Uses of Portland Cement.* — Users of cement will find this substantial volume a valuable addition to their reference library. From our point of view the most useful sections of the book are those dealing with the general properties of cements and concrete and with the application of these materials to garden purposes. Among the many garden applications . we may mention in particular the use of cement for preserving wounded trees from further in- jury. Though this use of cement is, of course, well known, the pages devoted thereto contain an excellent account of the methods to be adopted, from which we quote the follow- ing : — Whea trees develop decay there is no reason why they should be felled unless it is quite impossible to remedy them, but in the majority of cases by the application of cement or concrete, they may be preserved. To fill up the cavities in the tr;e with cement has been .practised for a number of years now, but not always with success, because a mistake has been made in leaving the decay in place. The cement was simply filled in the cavity without any regard to draining or the subsequent healing of the wound. As the cement did not stick to the v.iod and the swaying of the tree by the wind I flen enlaiged the crack between the wood and t'.ie filling, water penetrated behind the cement and decay went on even more rapidly than before. In repairing decayed trees, after the mass of the d?cay has been removed from the interior of the rotting trunk there remains a shell of living sapwood and bark. Into this cavity a steel brace is inserted and bolted in place. This gives to the tree a stability which by the decay of the supporting heartwood it had lost. Now comes an important operation, the cutting of the water- sheds, which prevent the entrance of moisture. The watersheds consist of a deep groove cut about 1 inch inside the edge and opening out to the ground below. The cement, being packed tightly into these grooves, forms a channel down which the water flows, to be let out at the base. The cavity is then wired throughout, the wire being stretched from nails driven into the wood, and acting as reinforcing for the cement. This work having been completed, the cement is made as moist as possible, and then built out into the original outline of the tree. The bark which has been cut back for an inch or so in order to pre- vent bruising while the work is in progress will eventually cover the filled-in wound, the tre^, thus regaining its normal appearance. In the case of exceptionally large cavities the opening is covered by large strips of zinc. The cement is then forced down into every crevice and allowed to set, after which the zinc is removed and a coat of fine finishing cement put on and painted the colour of the bark. The correction of the forked - or defective crotches, which are found to a great ' extent in soft Maples and Elms, and to a less' degree in almost all our landscatie trees, forms a large part of the tree surgeon's work. This form of crotch usually has its origin in the destruction of the original head or leader. In a case of this kind a double head is formed by the forcing out of two lateral buds. As these shoot up. forming the new top, the old stump at their • Publi bed by Th'; Ass c at -d P. rtlmd Cement Manu- facturers, Ltd., Lon Ion. Is. 6d. net. March 16, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 173 base ftradually decays, allowing water to ' penetrate into the crotch. The imperfect joint is •| constantly forced open by the wind and pre- vented from uniting by the old stump, until finally, weakened by decay, the tree splits. Many of the finest trees are ruined every year by the splitting of these defective crotches. These cases are often exceedingly difficult to treat. The decayed matter must first be removed with great care and thoroughness. The opening is then packed tightly with cement. A perfect wat^er- jshed is required, as the water running down the limbs and trunk would otherwise find lodgment behind the filling. In ease of a large tree the additional precaution is taken of putting a bolt directly through the crotch, while a chain is placed some 12 or 15 f;et up. Publications Received. — Official Guide, Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, by H, F MacMillan. (Colombo : Plate & Co.) Price 2s. — The Study of Timber and F:.rest Products in America: A lieport presented to the Forestry iCommittee of the University of Cambridge, by 'E. E. Burdon, M.S. (Cambridge: University Press.) Price 6d. net — \orth of England Horti- cultural Society's Magazine for March. — Pro- fitable Pcultry Keeping. (London : C. Arthur Pearson, Ltd.) Price Is. net. — Bulletin of Miscellaneous Infoi motion. Royal Botamc Gardens. KeW. No. 2, 1012. (London : Wynian & Sons, Ltd ) Price 3d — Proceedings of the Thirteenth Annual Convention of the American Associatisr* of Park Superintendents, held at Kansas City. Secretary-treasurer, F. L. Muiford, Landscape Gardener, Department of Agriculture, Washington. U.S A — Botanic Gardens and Government Domains, I^ew South Wales. Keport for tlie year I'JIO, by J. 11. Maiden, Diioctor. (Sydney: \V. A. Gullick, Government • Priniei .) — J he Gaiaener and the Cook, by Lucy H. Yates. (Loudon : Constab e & Co , Ltd.) Price 3s. Gd.—Meteoiohgi.al Instruments and Weather Foreca .ts, by H. T. Davidge. (Loudon : Percival Mansball & Co ) Price 6d. SCOTLAND. k WAGES OF JOBBING GARDENERS IN ABERDEEN. A MEETING of jobbing gardeners in Aber- deen was held a week or so ago, and was largely attended by both employers and em- oloyees. Mr. Fraser, who presided, stated that -he object of the meeting was to consider what ;ould be done to improve the working conditions if the jobbing gardeners. The discussion was of 1 sympathetic nature, but several of the em- aloyers complained of the competition caused by men who went from door to door and offered X) perform gardening work. The employers, lowever, offered to raise the wages of the men :rom 4d. to 6d. per hour, and made a suggestion hat the men should form a union, agreeing that Id. an hour was too little. After the employers lad retired the men appointed a committee to consider the question, and it was suggested by me of those present that they should endeavour :o obtain a 57 hours week at a rate of 6d. per lour. ABERDEEN FLORISTS' GRIEVANCES. The florists in Aberdeen are taking exception o the practice of lending free flowers and oot plants from the public parks for private jfupctions and to individuals. The matter came recently before the Links and Parks Committee jf the Town Council, and the convener stated that he had refust-d a great many requests in jthis connection, but at the same time, in giving 3Ut flowers and plants, he had been following the practice carried out by previous conveners. THE SOYA BEAN IN SCOTLAND. At Lesmurdie, Elginshire, last summer. Colonel Johnston secured a crop of good, well-matured Soya Beans (Glycine hispida). It is Colonel iJohnston's intention this year to sow alongside a plot of imported seed the beans he himself pro- \ duced, in order to ascertain if any degree of ac- ijclimatisation has been acquired by them. Under (the auspices of the Aberdeen and North of Scot- ( land Agricultural College, experiments were made with the Soya Bean under field conditions in 1910, the district chosen being Nairnshire. That season was wet, cold, and rather unsettled, still the plants developed plenty of foliage, and at- tained to the flowering stage, but they failed to produce pods. ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL The schedules for this Society's two exhibi- tions, on April 10 and 11 and" Septeml>er 11 and 12 respectively, bear evidence of careful revision and adaptation to the changing tastes of the times, and show that reasonable re- quirements have been met so far as funds allow. The classes are well arranged, and pro- vide for all the most important produce of the respective sea.sons. Both shows will be held in the Waverley JIarket, Edinburgh. New and im- proved arrangements have been made with the railway companies, which are issuing return tickets from all stations in Scotland at single fare and a third for the double journey av.iilable to return up to the day after. Special excursion fares will also be issued from the border districts. EDINBURGH BOTANIC GARDENS AND THE CORPORATION. In the Outer Hou.se of the Court of Session decision was given on March 7 in the action by the Corporation of Edinburgh against the Lord Advocate, as representing the Commissioners of His Majesty's Works and Public Buildings. It will be remembered that the dispute, as was stated in our columns some time ago, arose in connec- tion with the proposed erection of additional buildings at the Royal Botanic Gardens, which would have projected beyond the building line of the street at Inverleith Row. The Corpora- tion applied for declarator that the Commis- sioners of Works were not entitled to do this, and Lord Ormidale lias now decided in favour of the applicants. Correspondent. IRELAND. IRISH FORESTRY SOCIETY. The general meeting of this society was held on the 20th ult. It was agreed, on the motion of Mr. R. J. Kelly, that "this society calls on the county councils to exercise their power under the Land Act, 1909, to levy a rate for the purpose of acquiring waste lands and to have such lands planted under the advice and with the financial assistance of the Depart- ment of Agriculture." The resolution also ex- pressed the society's appreciation of the work carried out under the various departments of the Iri.«h Forestry Societies. As timber is be- coming scarce, it is to be hoped that the Council will use its influence to have waste land in Ireland planted with trees. W. A. J/. HOME CORRESPONDENCE. (The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents.) Crocuses at Hampton Court. — The effect produced at Hampton Court by Crocuses planted in grass and beneath lofty, overhanging trees has been delightful during the past few weeks. The area planted with these bulbous plants in these delightful gardens must be several acres, and the Crocuses number hundreds of thousands. As seen on the last days of February the spectacle was charming, the masses of yellow here and there standing out with great effect. Batehes of pure white, striped, yellow, purple, mauve and various other hued flowers all combined to make a wondrously beautiful display. It was interesting to note the little harm that had been done to the flowers by birds, and then not to the yellow varieties, which they generally affect, but rather the white sorts. Still, the damage seemed to be infinitesimal. As the grass will not need mowing until late in the spring, there will be ample time for the Crocuses to develop strong leafage and for the corms to mature. Visitor. SOLANUM JASMINOIDES (sCC pp. 112, 158). — I have this species planted in a sheltered southern position here for the past 20 years, and it flowers profusely in the summer and autumn months. I may say that the thermometer has recorded 20° of frost repeatedly a few yards away, and only the young growths have been slightly injure(3. .-(. Toma/in, Oakwood Oar- dens, Kent. -I planted two specimens of this species against a wall having a south aspect in May, 1910. The sites were p.epar.d, and good soil com- posed of top-spit and other materials added. The plants were about 4 fset high, and were nicely rooted in 6-inch pots. They reached the top of the wall — about 20 feet — the first season, and passed through the winter of 1910-11 unprotected and unharmed. They did not flower quite so freely last summer as might have been expected, but they have again come through the winter safely (with the exception of a few injured tips), and withstood 19° of frost registered in Steven- son's screen with a Kew-tested thermometer. I am hoping for better results this summer as re- gards flowers. Plants in a south-west aspect have not fared so well. These gardens are about 18 miles from the south coast. 11'. E., I'cl-field, Sussex. Currant Bud Mite.— After carefully reading the latter portion of .Mr. Pearson's remarks on p. 153, one must infer that he regards but lightly the practice, so widely advised, of picking off the affected buds from the bushes and de- stroying them. Admittedly the procedure may be comparatively useless when bushes are so badly infested with the mite that the majority of the buds are attacked, but the plants certauily were not in that condition at the outset, and only grave neglect to take ordinary precautions could account for such a state of things. It is in its initial stage of development that " big bud " should be sought for and removed. In such work a person with an active hand and a quick eye could gather many thousands of affected buds during a single day. If such buds be gathered during the winter when the mites in them are dormant — and such gatherings might be made two or three times during the resting season — how many of the insects would thus be destroyed in- stead of being left alive and active, to be killed, when migrating in the spring, by spraying. It would be interesting to learn from jlr. Pearson whether spraying in one season, though perhaps repeated six times, suffices to exterminate the mite absolutely on a breadth of bushes, or is it needful to repeat the sprayings year after year? If big- bud can thus be eradicated in a single season it is indeed a valuable remedy, but if the spraying is needed year after year, then it is far from being as efficacious as is assumed. A. D. Aphyllanthes monspeliensis L. — Mr. Reginald Farrcr's suggestion (Oard. Cliron., March 1), that this interesting Mediterranean plant should be more grown in gardens is an excellent one. It was hardlv necessary. however, for that gentleman to have imperilled his life in procuring specimens, for the plant is not so limited in distribution as he supposes. He " believes it is peculiar to the Western Riviera and to the most northerly points of Africa." As a matter of fact, it also grows in Spain and Portugal, the Pyrenees, the two French Departments of Gers and Avevron, con- siderablv north of the Pyrenees, and in northern Italy. Its northern limit seems to be the De- parfnvnt of Ain, '"hich is west of Geneva and Haute .Savoie. and there are specimens in the Cambridge University herbarium from near Lyons and Chambery in Savoy. Prof. Penzig sent out specimens from Liguria. where it is a frequent plant in healthy Pine woods of the coast, though absent from the Bordighera and San Remo district, according to Mr. Bicknell. Jloggridge said it extended "eastward to near Genoa " {Flora of ilentone, 1874). Albert and Jahandiez* say it is common on the littoral of the Department of the Var and it ascends the forest of the Dom. I have always found Aphyl- lanthes on arid limestone, on banks or woodland ridges, as your correspondent says, but I have .seen the plant in only three places, viz., on the outskirts of limestone woods, full of Hepatica. above Toulon ; on Mt. Condon, that great • Catalogue des Plantes Vase du Dept. du Var. (1908). . 174 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [M-BCH 16, 1912. limestone hill near HyeKs, where in places it is abundant; and in one spot by the roadside at the foot of limestone cliffs in ascending the dusty road towards San Dalmazzo di Tenda Irom Ven- timiglia (the Col de Tenda road). Mt. Condon is well worth a visit by botanical visitors to Hyeres. Many interesting lime-loving plants grow there, some of which are not often found further north; and an Oriental shrub, the beau- tiful Stvrax officinalis, probably reaches its w^estern "limit on that mountain, at the foot of which it grows in several glades. Aphyllanthes has only one known species. Intermediate in structure between the Lily and Rush families, it was referred by Parlatore to a separate family (Aphyllanthacea?), where it was associated with various Australian genera. It is now placed in Liliac**. The absence of green leaves, or rather the reduction of them to sheaths at the base of each flowering stem, is the chief characteristic of this pretty "plant. Thus the green flower-stalks and the voung sheaths are the only organs of assimilation. Illustrations are to be found m the following books:— i^o^. Mrig., t. 1132 (1808), Mog- gridg© FI. Meiilone. t. 89, Reichenbach Ic. Fl. Germ., t. 418. Salisbury Farad. LoncL, t. 9 (as A. juncea). The Botankal Magazine ^ gives " shores in the vicinitv of the Dardanelles " as a station for this plant. " H. Stuart Thompson. Anthemis Cupaniana (see p. 117).— It may interest Mr. Farrer to learn that this plant has withstood the rigours of our northern climate m an exposed part of the rockery here thi.s winter, although the thermometer registered 26° upon two occasions. Saxifraga oppositifolia major and S. apiculata are now in full bloom, whilst some of the rarer Primulas are showing signs of starting into growth. J. Middhton, Callendar Gardens, Fall-irk. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL. Scientific Committee. March b.—Presejit: Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.L.S. (in the Chair) ; Sir J. T. D. Llewelyn, Dr. A. B. Rendle, Prof. Boulger, Messrs. A. W. HiU, C. E. Shea, J. Eraser, W. Ledger, A. Worsley, J. W. Odell, J. T. Bennett-Poe, S. Pickering, W. Hales, W. Bateson, A. Rolfe, J. T. O'Brien, W. Fawcett, F. J. Chittenden (lion, secretary), and W. Backhouse (visitor). Diseased Tii!ip-<. — IMr. Masses reported that the Tulips referred to him at the last meeting as making 'poor growth and showing brown spots on the foliage and brown flecks in the tissues of the stem had been .ittacked by the fungus Botry- tis cinerea. which had app:irently infected the foliage from the air in the first place, not from sclerotia in the soil, as is frequently the case. specific type, though seedlings may vary from the parent type. Sir John Llewelvn showed flowers of wild plants from S. Wales, including N. obvallaris and a large, deep-coloured form with something of the coloration of N. " Golden Spur." The plants occurring w'ild in S. Wales showed a good many variations in form and colour of flower, but" there were two types of foliage only which never seem to intergrade. Canon Fow'lek wrote that he sometimes found forms among such varieties as Emperor pro- ducing finer flowers than the majority, and he believed these variations to be constant; one plant was found among " Weardale Perfection " last year having two flowers of only a fourth the size of that variety, and something like John- stoiiii in form. >ir. JIalcolm, of Duns, also alluded to a sport which he had found in his garden. Sporting appears to be ratlier frequent. Some discussion arose as to varieties that coni- monlv produce seed, and Mr. V/illiasis, cf saxifraga lantosgana and s. gochlearis. In July, 1911, I found the true Saxifraga lan- toscana. though not of the smallest kind, in the Merim Valley lateral to the Cairus (in northern exposures only), and on the ridge between the Rio Freddo aiid Levenza (or Briga) Valleys. As I expected, I found it also last June growing in profusion around Castellane. in the Ver- don Vallev ; but here all the specimens, with the exception "of a very young and small one, had the stalk more or less covered with glandular hairs, which Burnat states to be exceptional in the case of specimens on the Maritime Alps. I did not find plants with hairs in the Vesubie or Roya basin. On a rock near Castellane, I found a re- markable plant, having poor floweis and the general aspect of an Aizoon, but with larger and white flowers. The stalk was thin, very glandu- lar, upright and over 20 cetitimetres higli, the foliage being arranged in dense rosettes. The leaves measured from 10 to 25 millimetres, and 5 millimetres in breadth towards the apex, which is not obtuse as in S. cochlearis (see fig. 73), but distinctly sulcate ; the crustaceous margin is very large, this mav prove to be a di.-tinct variety. The colour of the stalks (generally of a pale grey- ish-green on large fresh stalks) and the characters of the petals are very inconstant in this group of Saxifrages. The leaves of S. lantoscana are often not at all sulcate, or even convex on the upper side, but in S. lingulata they are, when hanging over, convex in the outer halves. The supposed hybrids of Saxifraga cochlearis and lin- gulata are only large specimens of the former species. I found them growing luxuriantly in the upper gorge of the Cairos Valley, one with an in- florescence measuring 43 centimetres (or 47 centi- metres with the rosette). It is true that the locality is near to the upper limit of the habitat of the species, but as the altitude is not a great one (600 to 800 metres), the greater development of the plants in those moist, shady and very sheltered spots is not surprising. In the same regions may be seen also luxuriant ])lants of Cam- panula macrorrhiza and Hieracium lanatum. All the specimens of that giant form of Saxifraga cochlearis I could find this year are distin- guished by their lax rosettes, greater leaves and somewhat' naiTow petals with reddish dots, but they have thin and hairy, though hanging stalks. The differences between S, lingulata and S. coch- learis are not great, but they are quite sufficient to distinguish them as two good species, F. Mader, Tenda, Italy. [Photographtd by Dr. t. Mudci. PlQ. 73_SiXIFRAGA cochlearis GRIWIK-. ON ROCKS NEAR TENDA. Visa sagitlalif. — Jlessrs. Veitch showed this species from S. Africa under the name D. caules- cens, to which it is allied". It received a Botani- cal Certificate in 1890. "Messrs. Veitch also showed a malformed Cypripedium Fairrieanuni, in which the scape was almost entirely sup- pressed. GaUs on Oah. — IMr. Aldersey sent a branch of Oak having roundish swellings of considerable size at intervals along the branches. A fungus, Dichliena quenina, was probably the cause of these growths, which occur with considerable fre- quency on young Oaks, but rarely upon old ones. Grapes l-illed hij for/.— Some small flowering shoots of Grapes were' sent to illustrate the damage done by London fogs, which had caused the growths to" turn quite brown and shrivel. Narcissus seedlings, ers of committee, Messrs. Hill. Winter and Hawes. were re-elected, and Messrs. A. E. Cresswell and D. Campbell elected to fill vacancies caused by the retire- ment of Messrs. R. J. Frogbrook and Woods. It was stated that the trustees had purchased during the past year £2,700 worth of stock, the greatest sum invested in one year in the history of the society. The officers were re-elected and thanked for their past services. Mr. W. Collins completes his 25th year as secretary of the society, and a special vote of appreciation of his services was passed. Extracts from the Report. The net benefit membership is 1,35s, fewer by 8 than it was a year ago; and instead of having enrolled 70 170 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 16, 1912. new members, as in the year 1910, only 50 have been added. Doubtless the exceptional circumstances in which all Friendly Societies were placed last year, owing to the Government Insurance Bill, account for this. Forty-iive members have lapsed, 25 from the higher scale and 20 from the lower; 20 members have gone abroad, 6 have died, and 2 have passed the age of 70 years. The total amount paid out to the nominees of de- ceased members was ^^248 12s. 4d. In regard to the lapsed members, though their numbers are consider- able, the percentage is certainly not higher than in any similar society. The total amount of sick pay to benefit members during the year was £307 i-s., being £s'i 8s. 6d. less than in the previous year, and over ^63 less than in 1909. Seven hundred and eighty-seven members are pay- ing on the higher scale, and 571 on the lower. Three members have transferred from the lower to the higher scale. Twenty-eight members have taken advantage of Rule xviii., par. 3, which enables those who have reached the age of 60 to withdraw " twice the amount credited to their account as interest in the previous year," By such withdrawals they are furnished with a ready means for the payment of their subscriptions. The repeated suggestions to the effect that members who are recovering from an illness should take ad- vantage of the provisions of the Convalescent Fund have been better acted upon in igii than in some pre- vious years. The amount of assistance from this fund was ;^io, being 18s. more than the subscriptions. N. N. Sherwood, Esq., founder of this fund, contributed 5 guineas as usual. Subscriptions to the Benevolent Fund amounted to £220 17s., and the payments therefrom to ;£go iis. 6d., the latter amount including the sums regularly paid to several members over 70 years of age, as well as a few grants made to members or members' widows in great distress. The total management charges amounted to £222 7s. 6d., as against ;^222 9s. 7d. in 1910, and £i9S IIS. lod. in 1909 New ledgers and entry books have had to be purchased during the year. NATIONAL DAHLIA. CONFERENCE ON DAHLIAS. Makch 8. — The third annual conference of the above Society was held at Carr's Restaurant, Strand, on this date. The President, Mr. George Gordon, occupied the chair, and in his opening remarks referred to the work of the Society and the need for encouraging the advancement of all types of the flower for garden decoration. He called on Mr. G. Davidson to read a paper, ex- tracts from which will be found below, on tlie cultivation of Dahlias in a town garden. With the possible exception of the Carnation, said Mr. Davidson, there is no flower more suited for growing in the suburbs, either for exhibition purposes or for the decora- tion of the garden than the Dahlia, which can be grown well on practically any soil, pro- vided it is properly prepared. Aspect cannot be altered, but, unless the garden is entirely shaded, Dahlias of one section or another can be success- fully grown. Trees are the greatest drawbacks to their cultivation. On one side of my garden is a row of Willows, which flourish amazingly in the wet soil. I soon decided that the Pompon Dahlia was most likely to succeed ; therefore, after cutting away as many of the large, overhanging branches of the Willows as I could, I proceeded to get out as many of the tree roots as possible, the whole piece of ground being thoroughly broken up to a depth of 2 feet or more. The Dahlias grew with partial success only. I managed to get plenty of exhibition blooms from those placed farthest from the trees, but those from plants nearest the trunks came with bad centres or showed open centres, in spite of continual watering and feeding. Th;; trees took practically all the moisture, whilfe under the Dahlias the ground was dry. The next year I tried a slightly different plan : after digging the ground thoroughly, which in the meantime was quite full of Willow roots, I inserted a 6-inch pot in the soil nearly up to the rim. This was placed close to the stake before planting, so 'as not to damage the roots, and was filled two or three times in the evening, and about three times a week, with water, in addition to the ordinary waterings. The plan was quite successful. I placed nearest the trees those Pompons which naturally produce rather large blooms, and, therefore, there is not the same difficulty in getting them small enough for the shows as when grown in good soil. A number of amateurs experience a difficulty in getting certain varieties sufficiently small for the early exhibitions. This may be obviated by growing from old tubers, which will give an earlier and large display of blooms of the right size. I can generally depend on the following varieties to give me good exhibition flowers : Adelaide, Phcebe, Cyril, Little Bugler, Nerissa, Queen of Whites, Daisy and Montague Wootton. Though it is possible to get good blooms of both the Pompon and single Dahlia, when grown under trees, provided the latter are not so large as to exclude too much light and air, I have never succeeded in getting the show and Cactus varie- ties to do well in this position. The blooms can be got large enough, but they invariably lack substance and depth. It is, therefore, necessary to have a piece of ground as free as possible from tree roots. The great objection to growing the Cactus Dahlia in small gardens is the large amount of room the plants occupy. Though they require more ground than the other varieties, they can be grown — at any rate for exhibition — in a much smaller space than is generally advocated. My plot is 12 feet wide from path to fence : this area is divided into 5-feet beds, with Ij foot between them. Eight plants are put in a bed in two rows. The greatest trouble is to prevent the blooms getting damaged by the wind through coming in contac"t with neighbouring plant*. This may be prevented by tying the stems of the blooms to Bamboo canes, placed at intervals around each plant. One advantage of close planting is that blooms may be more readily protected from the vagaries of the weather by judicious tying. Thin- ning out the laterals has to be done severely so as to allow the plants to get all the air possible. From a decorative point of view, close plant- ing cannot be recommended, as the plants make too much growth. I consider that the gardener with a limited amount of space will find it more satisfactory to grow^ the singles and Pompons, as they not only require less room, but give a far more plentiful supply of blooms than the majoritv of Cactus Dahlias. It will be found that Dahlias, more especi.ally the Cactus varieties, grow taller m the suburban garden than in the country ; taller stakes should, therefore, be used, or there will be danger of the plants being broken by autumn gales. I have also noticed that they are generally later in blooming. If a bud does not appear about the beginning of July, I pinch out the centre of the plant, and, when necessary, apply a few light doses of nitrate of soda, which causes the side shoots to start away vigorously, and plenty of bloom is available by show time. Insects, including earwigs, slugs and cater- pillars, will probably trouble the suburban gar- dener. Apart from "the usual traps, hunting for the pests after dark with the help of a lantern is necessary, otherwise the best blooms are sure to be damaged. Dust and soot, especially if the garden is near to a railway, will soon ruin tlie light-coloured blooms if they are not protected by some means. For this purpose I use shades of transparent waterproof paper, fixed on wire frames." A discussion followed the reading of the paper, and Mr. S. Mortimer said that, wherever possible, the Dahlia should be planted 4 feet apart in each direction. Decorative, Pjeony-flowered and Collabeiie Dahlias. Mr. J- B. Biding next read a paper on " Deco- rative, Pseony-flowered and Collarette Dahlias," from which we extract the following paragraphs: Until last autumn neitlier the National Dahlia Society nor the Royal Horticultural Society, said Mr. Riding, had granted an award to the Collar- ette or giant Decorative varieties, but about three sorts of the Collarette type and one giant Deco- rative sort received awards. Up to the present neither of these societies has granted an award to a Pffiony-flowered variety. Taking the sections in their order of intro- duction to this country, we come to that nonde- script claiss known as Decorative Dahlias, a sec tion that cannot be placed in any of our recog- nised divisions of the flower. So far as I can remember they followed closely on the introduc- tion of D. Juarezii, and were first of all sent out as Cactus varieties. I am alluding to such old varieties as Constance, Henry Patrick, Harry Freeman, Mrs. George Reid, Jilaid of Kent, and Honoria. As Cactus Dahlias improved in form, these round-petalled sorts were used only for decorative purposes, and, although so old now, they are .still grown with the same object in view, but for some years, when flowers of this type appeared in the seed-beds, they were cast on the rubbish heap. It is only within the past ten years that Dahlia growers have given them proper attention. But now there are some really good additions. Some of the most prominent varie- ties at the present time are Delice (clear pink), Kaiserin Augusta Victoria, Princess, Juliana, Attraction, Loveliness, Ch. Ducrot, Gintry, Mme. Keller, Source de Feu, and Mme. A. Lumiere. I now come to another section or sub-sec- tion, generally known as giant Decorative varie- ties. These are of Continental origm. They are valuable for garden decoration, or producing fine colour effects in borders, in front of shrubberies, Rhododendron beds and similar places. But they are not very useful for room decoration as cut flowers, except in certain cases where the space or receptacle is unusually large. They are, in some instances, as large as Sunflowers, and the effect they produce is gorgeous. They are not recognised as exhibition flowers, therefore it is rare that we see them at flower shows. For creating a mass of colour they are unsur- passed. The best selection I can give are Souvenir de G. Douzon, F. Grinstead, Le Grand Maniton, Le Colosse, Yellow Colosse, Ph. Char- met, Glory of Paris, Souvenir de Jl. Silvent, Tener Alvarez, Le Triomphe, La France, Mons, Gondcheaux, Mme. A. Nonin, Le Fils du Ciel, Jeane Chamet, and Grand Due Alexis. Varieties of the Pieony-flowered section came from HoUand in the first place as something new, but tliese or similar kinds were known to our own raisers. In 1904, I believe, a collection came to me privately for trial, and I well remem- ber my judgment on them, which was as fol- lows— very pretty in the garden, but would not find favour, ae the blooms were altogether too coarse. But luckily I did not destroy the stock, and subsequent evtnts proved that I had made a mistake, for the Pa;ony Dahlia had come to stay, not perhaps in its original form, for one can see clearly year after year most striking improve- ments not only in the colours but in the fori of the flowers, and greatest of all, the advani that has been made in the habit of the new plants, with their sturdy growth and fine stil stems. The Paiony-flowered Dahlia should bi regarded as a garden flower, and judged from ai exhibitor's standpoint. We take The Geisha oi Liberty as an ideal Pseoiiy flower. Varieties are now so numerous that it is im possible to mention all that I think are goodi I shall confine my list to a dozen varieticsr-^ Bertha von Suttner, Nora Lindsay, The Geishai Holman Hunt, Liberty, South Pole, Mrs. 6| Gordon, Mrs. J. B. Riding, Titian, Codsall Gei Merveille and Rnskiij. The Collarette Dahlia has been to the fron' during the past two seasons, and no doubt th( coming season will see it very much in evidencei It is not a new type, as many people supposi for it has been grown in this country at least 1' years, having been raised in 1899 and put in coi merce in 1901, but, like a good mnny otl plants, its worth was not recognised at fi' It seems that while our French and Germi neighbours have been steadily improving this sei tion, we in this country have failed to recognisi the merits of the flowers. In the auturii of 1909.' decided to form a large collectitn, so I purchasec almost every variety I could obtain from Franoi and Germany, and exhibited them in Londoi and elsewhere in the following autumn, staginj them as decorative flowers and not show speci mens. They were favourably commented upoi by the horticultural Press. The tratle Dahli; specialists also began to see something ii the type, with the result that last yea: several of the leading Dahlia growers madi features of them at the autumn .shows, with th( result that the Collarette as a type has comi to stay. Most of the varieties are very frei' flowering, the plants have a good, sturdi habit, and throw their flowers well above th' foliage, while the cut blooms appear to last longei in vases than those of the ordinary single form There are two distinct types, the round flowe:j with slightly incurving florets, which is of Frencl| origin, and the pointed type, or star-like form which come from Germany. Then, again, ther are distinct collars, the close one, as seei in the variety Maurice Rivoire, and the large loose collar associated with the variety BaronH' Rothschild. No doubt we shall soon see an i provement both in range of colours and fori At present I favour the round-flowered varietii March 16, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 17' >ecau",e they have greater substance and travel iiest. It is to lie hoped that raisers will not 'ry to increase them in size, for should this •ccur there will l>e a danger of losing the stiff, rect stem. 1 mention this because I have noted hat some of the latest varieties from the Con- inent are larger in size, but the stems are not 0 good, and, when too large, they lose their de- orative value. This defect may be Jioted in he v.oiieties Crown Princess Charlotte and ohannesfeur. I only propose to give a short st of the most di-stinct varieties, believing that 1 the next few years such a list would be quite ,ut of date : — Maurice Rivoire, Souvenir de Cha- janne, Albert Maumeue, Henri Farman, laron Rothschild, CJallia, JIad. R. Crozy, Ex- osition de Lyon. Grand Papa Charmet, Souvenir e Berr.adeau, Mad. F. O. Bruant and JIad. 'errier ; of the round-flowered type — White liamant. Diadem, Burgomaster Siefurtli, Betty, euchtfi.=ur. Mad. L. Viger, Meteor and Rhine- rone." The discussion was opened by Mr. Joseph heal, who said he considered that Paeony- owered Dahlias pos.sessed many useful quali- es; they were entirely distinct from the form- lity of the Show Dahlias, looked well from a istance, and filled a useful place in the garden, .ving to their strong growth. They were best I'own naturally, and were more effective in the arden than on the exhibition stand. The ollarette type was a newer section, and the lunded -flowered varieties appealed to him most rongly. Mr. J. T. West referred to the first Paeony- iwered Dahlias that were shown under the ispices of the .Society. He quite agreed with r. Riding in not disbudding the plants. If blooms must stand alone without support to III' value as decorative flowers for the garden. Ml- Stephen .Tones referred to the first CoUar- ii' U.ihlia his hrm obtained in 1901. at a price 50s. Collarettes, in the opinion of Mr. Jones, e good decorative flowers, and must be grown turally ; if disbudded the flowers become large d droop. Other speakers included Messrs. C. G. Wyatt, Eniberson, S. Mortimer and C. H. Curtis. ivi: JL R K £: T s. THE WEATHER. THE WEATHER IN WEST HERTS. Week ending March 13. ''wo remaykably calm days.— The pa^t week wa - s-^ me-vhat iable in temoerature, but on ih.^ whole r-^t ic winn for ■time of >eir, so that the long "^pell of warm weaiher ich set in over five wee'vs a^o cannot yet be said to have ne to an end. There were four warm days and three d one , but onlv two cold nights. The ground hac become her cooler, but i i sii'l 3'^ warmer than is seasoniib'e, both I and 2 feet deep. Rain fell on thre^ day?;, but lo the total ith of less than half an inch. On one d ly there was a ;b' fall of soft hail. The percolation throtiRh both the I gauges has been gradually decreasing for the List four ■■i,;Ui f'ict, this morning ihee was m measunble quantity ough the gauge oi which short gr^^^s is growiut;. The 1 shon^ o 1 an averat-e for 2? ho irs a d ly, which is three- irters of an hour a d ly shoit of the meaii duration for the ond week in March. On one dty the sun shone for 7^ irs, but on the last two days of the w=ek no sunshins at was recorded. Light airs and ca'ms as a rule prevailed. '0 days were remarkably calm; inded, on the fir-t of S3 two days foe 18 consecutive hours my self recording )inson anemometer showed 'hit at 30'f e above the i und there was no movement cf the air at all. The mein i ount of moisture i i the air at 3 p m. excee.ltd a season- ■e quantity for t Kit hour by eight p^r c-nt. E. M.. kh.imsteii, Mitrch 13, 1912. TRADE NOTICE. CHAPLIN BROTHERS, LTD. i'tik above-named company has been registered with a tital of f LOOO, in ±'1 shares, as nurserymen aid florists, at \ nings Nursery, Enfield, fo merly conducted by Mr. W. R. iplm. It U a privat"^ company: the registered office is nings Nursery, Waltham Croi^s, Middlesex. GARDErjING APPOINTMENTS. ■ ]. Southwell, for the pi-^t 19 years Gardener to the late C. W. DiGBY, Esq., at Meriden Hall, near Coventry, as Gardener lo S. Cash. Esq., Rose Hili, Coventry. Iames W. Robertson, for 4 years and 10 months General Forenan at CowJe-iknowes Gardens, Earls- ton. Be wickshire, as Gardener to Mrs. C. W. Corsar. r Seaforth House, Arbroath, Forfarshire, \ u',?^'^'^' P''^^'°"^'>' Foreman at Norbiry Hall. Hindlip ' H?'l, and Brockhamptm Park, Gloucestershire, as ] Gardener to the Right Hon. LcrJ Hindlip, Dovendge I Hall, Uttoxeter, Derby. ' Edward Robus, for nenrly 2 yeirs Foreman at Auch- more House Gardens, Killin. as Gardener to R. JAMESON, Esq.,- ly low:), Surinbridge, Nor.h Devon. COVENT GARDEN, March 13. [We cannot accept any responsibility for the subjoined reports. They are furnished to us regularly every Wednesday, by the kindness of several of the principal salesmen, who are responsible for the quotations. It must be remembered that these quotations do not repre- sent the prices on any particular day, but only the general averages for the week preceding the date of our report. The prices depend upon the quality of the samples, the way in which they are packed, the supply in the market, and the demand, and they may fluctuate, not only from day to day, but occasionally several times in one day. — Eos.] Cut Flowers. Ac: Awerage Wholesale Prices. s-d. s.d s.d. s,d. Arums (Richardias) 2 0-26' Narcissus, per doz. 3 0-3 61 bunche.-.: 16-19 Azalea, do^. bnchs. — nio l-s, p. bnch. Camellias, per box of 18's and 24' s 16-20 Carnations, p. doz. blooms, best American var. 13-16 — smaller, per doz. bunches 10 0-15 0 — Carola, crim- son, extra large Eucharis, per doz. F ce e s i a rcfracta alba, p.dz. bun. Gardenias, per box of lo&18blins. Lilac, per bunch white — mauve Liliuiii aiiratuin fer bunch o n g i il oruiii, long, per doz. — short, per doz. — I a nci f o li u m alba, long — — short — speciosum rub- rum, dz. blooms — long — short Lily of the Valley, p. dz. bunches : — extra special ... 15 0-18 0 — special 10 0-12 0 6 0 — 2 6-30 10-13 2 6-36 2 0-26 3 0-36 4 0-60 2 0-26 2 0 — 2 0 2 0- 2 6 2 6 — 0 9-10 — ordinary 8 0 — Marguerite, per doz. bunches: — Yellow 2 0-2 6 Myosotis (Forget- me-not), p, dz. bunches 30-4 0 Narcissus, per doz. bunches ; — Double Van rjion 2 6-30 — Emperor 30-40 — Etnpre-s 2 &- 3 0 — Golden Spur... 10-16 — Henry Irving 10-13 — C a ni pa n eUa (Odorus) — Poeticus — Princeps — Sir Watkin ... — Victoria — iar.ii Orchids, Cattley^, per doz. — Odoiitoglossum crispum Pelargoniums, p. dz. bunches : — Double Scarlet Primroses, per doz. bunches Roses, 12 blooms, — Brides maid, — C. Meiiiiet — Liberty — Niptietos — Richmond — Sunrise — Lady Roberts — Lady Hilling- don — Franz Detgin — Kaiserine Tulips, per bunch : — double pink ... yellow scarlet — p. dz. bunches : — white — yellow — scarlet «. — bronze - — pink — Darwin, — pink .. — miuve — red Violets, p. dz. bchs. — Princess of Wales, per doz. bunches — Parma Wallflowers, per dozen bunches , p. bch. 0 9-10 16-20 10-13 16-20 2 6-30 2 0-26 12 0 — 3 0-40 8 0-12 0 13-16 4 0-60 4 0-50 2 0-40 16-26 2 0-36 16-20 2 0-26 2 0-26 3 0-36 16-30 0 8-13 10-16 1 S- 1 G 5 0-60 6 0-70 6 0-80 8 0-90 6 0-80 16-19 16-19 16-19 1 3- 2 U 8 0-40 16-20 2 0-26 Oui Foliage, Ac: Average Wholesale Prices. A d i an t uin Fern (M a i denhair), best.dz. biichs. 7 0-80 Ag r o s t i s {Fairy Grass), per dz. bunches Asparagus plu- musiis, long trails, pr. Jdoz. — medium, doz. bunches — Sprengeri Carnation foliage, doz. bunches... 20-4 0 12 0-18 0 10 0 12 0 4 0 Croton foliage, var- ious, per dozen bunches Cycas leaves, arti- ficial, per doz. Eulalia japonica, per bunch Moss, per gross ... Myrtle, dz. bchs. (English), small-leaved... — French Smilax, per bunch of 6 trails 12 0-15 0 3 0-12 0 10-16 6 0 — 6 0 — I 0 — 10-13 Plants In Pota.Ac: Average Wholesale Prices s.d. s.d Acacia lineata,4d*s, per doren Araha Sieboldii, p. dozen Araucaria excelsa, per dozen Asparagus plumo- sus nanus, p.dz. — Sprengeri Aspidistra, p. dz., green — variegated Azaleas, per doz. Botonia Megastig- ma, 48's,p. dz. Cinerarias, pr. dz. Coc OS Weddeli- ana.per dozen: — 60's — larger, each .. Croion, per dozen C y p eru s alterni- folitis, per doz. — laxiis, per doz. Daffodils, per doz. Dracaena, green, per dozen Ericas, per dozen : — Willmoreit 43's — psrsoluta Feins, in thumbs, per 100 — in small and large 60's — in 48" = , doz. .. . 18 0-21 0 6 0-70 10 0-12 0 8 0-90 21 0-30 0 30 0-60 0 36 0-43 0 21 0-24 0 8 0-90 6 0-12 0 2 6-10 6 18 0-30 0 5 0-60 4 0-50 6 0-80 15 0-18 0 27 0-30 0 12 0-20 0 6 0- s.d. s.d. 8 0-12 Q 10 0-18 0 9 0-12 0 10 0-12 0 Ferns, choicer sorts, per doz. — in 3-i's, per dozei Ficus elastica, per dozen ... Genistas, 48's, per doz. Geonoma gracilis, 60's, per dozen 6 0-80 — larger, each ... 2 6-76 Hyacinths white Sc clrd.,p. dz.pots 10 0-12 0 Kentia Belmore- ana, per dozen 5 0-42 0 — Fo St e ri an a, 60's, per dozen 4 0-60 — larger, per doz. 13 0-6 J 0 I.atania borbonica, per dozen ... 12 0-30 0 Lilium longi- florum, p. doz. 20 0-24 0 — lancifolium ru- brum in pots, per dozen .. 15 0 IS 0 — la n c i f o lium alba 15 0-18 0 Marguerites, white, per dozen ... 8 0-10 0 Pandanus Veitchii, per dozen ... 36 0-43 0 Phcenix rupicola, each .. ... 2 6-21 0 Spirasa japonica, p. dozen pots .. 10 0-12 0 Apples (English cookers) bu'^hel — Nova Scotian, per barrel — Cal i f or n ian Newiowiis, pr. case — (Canadian), per barrel — Oregon (Hood River), per case — American, per barrel Bananas, bunch : — Doubles — No. I „ ... — Extra — Giant „ ... — Loose, per dz. — Red coloured... — Jamaica Giants, per ton — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per box (9 doz.) Cranberries, per case (30 qts.)... — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) Dates (Tunis) doz. boxes Grape Fruit, case : — 96's ... — !-0's ... — 64's ... — 64's ... Grapes (English) per lb. : — Black Alicante — GrosColman... — (Belgian). Gros Colman, p. lb. — Almeria, p. bri. Per dozen lbs. — (Cape) per case — ., White... Lemons : — (Naples), case — Messina, per case Limes, per case ... Mangoes, per doz. Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices s.d. s.d, 6 0-12 0 17 0-22 0 9 O-U 0 20 0 — 16 0-18 6 10 0 12 0 8 0-10 0 10 0-12 (» 14 0 13 0 0 6-10 5 6-66 £10-£12 4 0-50 10 0-11 0 9 6- 4 6-56 14 0-20 0 2 3-30 2 3-30 0 9-13 11 6-15 6 3 0-4 C. 3 6- U 0 3 6-60 26 0-30 0 7 6-17 0 4 0 — 6 0-12 0 f d. s.d. Melon, (Capi) ... 0 10-1 6 Nuts, Almonds, per bag 52 6 — — Brazils, new, percwt ...85 0-100 0 — Spanish, p. sack 40 0 42 0 — Harceloiia, bag 35 6-36 6 Nuts, Chestnuts, per bag ... 3 6-19 0 — Cocoaimts, 100 18 0-23 0 — linglish Gobs per lb — Walnut s (Naples) kiln dried, c w t . cases Nuts, French Greii obles, per li;ig — Boeri-^, per bag Nectarines (Cape) per box Oranges, Jamaica per case — Calitornian ... — Denia, case ... — Valencia ... 10 0-12 0 — Jaffa, per case 9 6 — — Blood, percale 8 0-90 — Mandarins, per box — Bitter, per i chest ... — Seville Sour i chest Peaches (Cape), pr. case Pears (Californian per case — Glou Morceau 11 6-12 6 — Easter Beurre 8 6 — — Winter Nelis 12 6-13 6 — (American) per barrel, 180 lbs. 25 0-26 0 — cases 7 U — — (Cape) 4 0-60 Pineapples, St. Michael Plums (Cape), per case — Apple, per box Strawberries, p. lb.: A quality ... 18 0-21 0 B quality ... 10 0 15 0 0 3 54 0 — 6 6-70 6 0-70 8 0-10 0 9 0-10 0 15 0-16 0 16 0-34 0 0 6-36 16 0-18 6 15 0-13 0 6 0-12 0 10 6-16 6 2 6-60 4 0-60 5 0-80 Vegetablea : Average WJiolesale Prices. Artichokes(Globe), per dozen — Ground, per 4 bushel Asparagus, Sprue. — I.auris — Paris Green ... — (English), per bundle Beans, Madeira, per basket ... — Guernsey, Dwarf, per lb. — French, per packet, lb. ... Beetroot, p. bshl. : — Long Broccoli, sprout- ing, per bag Brussel Sprouts, per ^ bushel ... — half'bags Celeriac, per doz. Cabbages (Fiench) per dozen — (English), per tally 6 Cauliflowers, p. dz. 2 — (Italian), p. pad 2 — (Cornish), per crate 7 Celery, doz. bndls. 6 — (washed), per dozen bundles 10 Carrots (English), pr. doz. bun. .. — per cwt. — (washed) p. bag Chicory, per lb. .. Cucumbers, p. doz. Liidive, per dozen d. s.d. 0-4 0 0 — 10-1 0 0-5 0 0-5 0 S 6- 4 6 0-8 0 3- 1 6 6- I 9 0-2 6 0-3 0 0-16 0- 2 0 6-3 0 2 &- 3 0 6 0-10 0 2 0-30 2 0-30 0-9 0 0-10 0 0-14 0 6-2 0 0 3 6 0-5 0 4 — 0-6 0 0 — Greens, per bag ... Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross Horseradish, 12 bundles Leeks, per doz. ... Lettuce (French), per doz. Mint, pr. dz. bchs. Mushrooms, culti- vated, p. lb. ... Muslardand Cress, pr. dz. punnets Onions (Dutch) per bag — English — (Spanish), per case Parsley, * sieve ... — per doz. bun. Parsnips, per bag Peas(French)p pad — (Guenuey), lb. Radishes(English), per dozen Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles Savoys, per tally . Spinach, pr. bshl. Seakale, p. punnet Tomatos (Canary Islands), per bundle Turnips (English), per dz. bunches — bags (washed) — (unwashed) ... Turnip Tops, per bag Watercress, p. dz. bunches S.J. s.d. 2 6-36 70 — 12 0-14 0 2 6-30 10-16 4 0-50 8 0-90 7 0-90 8 6-96 2 0-26 2 6-30 4 6-50 5 0-60 3 0-36 0 9-10 0 8-0 10 10 0-1*2 0 3 0-40 10-13 2 0-26 4 0-46 3 0-36 2 0-26 0 6-0 6i Remarks :— English Grapes are very scarce, whist there are only moderate supplies of Grapes froTi Belgium, many of the bunches from the Contineit being inferior. Forced Strawberrie; are arriving in the marke" dai'y ; some of the b?rries are very fine and realising as muc'i as 21s. per lb. The first consignment of Australian Apples, cois'Sting of 40,000 bixes, each containing from 36 lb. to 40 lb. cf f.uit, is due to arrive on March 18. Ap;>les have also been re- ceived : per s s. " Shenandoah," 23,793 barrels ; and per s s. " Cambrian," 11,620 boxes and barrels. Shipments of fruit from Cape Colony pe ■ s.s. " Walmer Castle " received last week consisted of 3,771 boxe; of Grapes; 3,1'J4 boxes of Plums; 3.000 boxes of Pears; and about 1,000 boxes of various fnits. The s.s. " New Vo k " brought 1,900 to;es cf Californian Oranges. Seedhsi Oranges are arriving in increased quantities. Mus"iroo:ns are much scarcer and dearer. Impor;ed vegetab'es are fairly plen'iful, \ hilst s ippJies of TeneMffe Tomatos are equal to the dema id. Outdoor vegetables of all kinds are a giod supply. The quality and prices vary considerably. E. H, R., Covcnl Garden, Mtirch 13, f9l2. 178 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. [March 16, 1912. Potatos. per cwt. per cwt. s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. Kents— Lincolns — Queen's . 4 (K 4 6 Maincrops ... 4 3-46 Up-to-Date 4 0-46 Blacklands ... 2 9-33 Lincolns— Up-to-Date British Queen .. . 8 9-46 . 8 9-43 Bedfords — Up-to-Date ... 3 9-40 King Edward .. . 4 0-46 Dunbars — Northern Star .. . 3 9-36 Up-to-Date ... 5 0-53 Evergoods . 3 0-39 Maincrop ... 5 3-66 New Potatos. Tenerifife 10 0-13 0 | Algerian — ... 12 6-16 0 Remarks. — Trade remains very steady. There are large stocks of tubers in Lcndon, and fresh con?-ignnients are heavy for the time of year. There is no prospect at pre- sent of prices risin^. Edward /, Newborn, Covent Garden and St. Pancras, Match 13, W12. Obituarjj, George Hampton. — We regret to record the death of Mr. George Hampton, foreman of the walks and plantations at Windsor Castle. Mr. Hampton, who was 75 years of age, had been 50 years in the Koyal service. He was born at Ken- sington Palace (where his father was employed) in 1835. He entered the Royal gardens, Windsor, as an apprentice in 1852, and after passing through the various depajtments at Frogmore, he was transferred to Sandringham Gardens for fur- ther training, ultimately returning to W'indsor in 1865 to take charge of the plantations, roads, and walks in Windsor Home Park. Recently he tripped on the ice and broke a kneecap. He appeared, however, to be getting better, when pneumonia developed. The members of the gar- den staff at Windsor, including the late Mr. Hampton, were shown in a photograph repro- duced in the Oardeners' Chronicle, April 29, 1899, fig. 98. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Begonias Affkcted by a Grub : /. T. B. The grubs destroying your Begonias and other plants are the larvae of weevils, which are ex- ceedingly destructive, and it is difficult to kill the pests without causing injury to the plants. It may be sufficient if the plants are sometimes turned out of tlieir pols and all the larvse found in the soil picked out with a pointed stick, or if this method is not effective, shake the roots free from the soil and larvse, repot- ting the plants in a fresh compost. Spraying the soil and roots of the plants with carbon bisulphide, or trapping the adult insects with portions of vegetables, such as Potato and Tur- nip, are other means of combating weevils. Cyclamens and Roman Hyacinths : T. E. B. Eelworms are present in the portions of roots left on the Cyclamen oorms, and are un- doubtedly the cause of the trouble in both cases. Infested plants should be burned, and the soil in which they have been grown, sterilised by heating. It is advisable to .sterilise your potting soil, as eelworm affects many kinds of greenhouse plants. Destroying Tree Trunks : Ilortun. Methods of destroying tree trunks were described in the issues for December 9 and 16. 1911, pp. 411, 440. Your kind expressions are appreciated. Forcing French Beans: A. J. C. To obtain a regular supply of French Beans during winter and spring, sowings should be made weekly, employing 7-inch pots up till the shortest day, after which time 9-inch pots .should be used, as the plants require more soil and moisture in spring than in the winter season. Seven se«ds are sufficient to sow in each pot, thinning the plants to five in each pot. The plants should be placed to within a few inches of the roof- glass, in order to keep them as short-jointed as possible : with the same object in view, the night temperature should not be maintained higher than 60°, especially during cold weather. Tlie soil for the earliest sowings may consist of three parts sandy loam and one part leaf -soil ; in the spring use three parts rich loam and one part decayed farmyard manure. Afford liberal supplies of water to the roots, and do not allow the atmosphere to become dry, or insect pests will be sure to be troublesome. Gardeners' Benevolent Society : R. H. The Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institution would not be an approved society under the Insurance Act. because it is not a benefit society. If you wish for particulars of this Institution, write to the secretary, Mr. G. J. Ingram, 92, Victoria Street, London. Glasshouses for Tomatos : Tomato Grower. The houses you describe are not suitable for growing Tomatos for market ; they are too narrow. The houses described in the issue for March 2, p. 146, under the heading " Glass- houses for Market Purposes," would suit your purpose in every respect. You could suspend shelves from 9 to 12 inches wide from the pur- lines supporting the roof on either side of th? pathway, with the ends resting on narrow strips of wood, from 9 to 12 inches long, nailed on both sides of the vertical posts, which in this case should consist of wood 2 inches by 3 inches. No. 10 wire will be strong enough to support the weight of the shelves when filled with bedding plants in 3-inch pots or boxes. The Tomato plants should be planted in rows 2 feet apart in the borders (cross- wise) on each side of the pathway, and at 1 foot from plant to plant in ihe rows. Fix a length of gas tubing at both ends of the house on either side of the path at 1 foot from the roof-glass. This should be bolted to the end wall plate at the bottom, and to the door-post at the top, placing a washer or a small plat« between the wood and the nut. In order to \ THE LATE GEORGE HAMPTON. (For 60 years an employee in the Royal Gaidens), strengthen these tubes, for the lateral pressure, when the individual wires forming the trellis are being fixed in po.sition, a short length of the same material should be bolted vertically to the wall-plate in the bottom and the end (principal) rafter on the top in the manner indicated, at both ends and sides of the house. No. 14 galvanised wire will be suitable for the trellis. Mark the position, 12 inches apart, which each of the wires is to occupy on the tubings with a piece of chalk. This done, take the end of each wire once round the tube, and then twist it two or three times round the portion of the same wires which is to form the trellis. A raidisseur or wire tightener should be fixed to the tubing at the other end of the house, one to each wire. The wires should be cut about 12 or 15 inches longer than the house, to enable the ends to be taken through the central eye and round the wheel in each raidisseur, and then be tightened with the key to the desired degree. The raidisseurs may be purchased at 3s. per dozen. The individual wirus forming the trellis should be kept to within 1 foot of the roof-gla.ss by a series of wire supports made of No. 14 gauge, about 11 inches long, each with one end turned for half an inch into a kind of hook to fake the line of wire, and quarter of an inch at the other end, turned at right angles to drive into the rafter at the point where the angle is rounded off, and at a uniform distance from the glass, afterwards closing in the individual hooks over the several lines of wire with a pair of pliers. The sus- pension wires should be driven into each rafter at 2 feet apart immediately above each line of wire. Place the wire supports in each suc- cessive rafter anglewise to those in the pre- ceding one, so that the weight of the crop may be distributed equally over the whole trellis. When the Tomato plants have attained to a height of about 9 inches, loop a length of Tomato string around the stems of each plant, close to the ground, securing the other end of string to the wire overhead. As the plants increase in growth, coil them gently around the strings or tie them somewhat loosely there- to with raffia : always being careful ta allow sufficient room in the ties for the development of stem growth. Should you decide to erect houses of the dimensions given in your letter, the foregoing information regarding the mak- ing of trellis, planting, and training of the plants will equally apply. The following varieties of Tomato are suitable for market purposes : — Sunrise, Fillbasket, Early Dawn, Hillside Comet, and Holme's Supreme. Jobbing and Landscape Gardening : Aher- donian. Only a person well acquainted with any particular town could answer your ques- tion as to whether it offered exceptional op- portunities for a jobbing and landscape gar- dening business. You should first select a district and then prosecute enquiries. There are numerous market nurseries within about 20 miles of the Metropolis, notably those in Mid Kent, Middlesex, and Kent (Swanley district). Names of Fruits : .s'. Belvedere. Kedleston Pippin. — A. S. A. Alfriston. Names of Plants: Bourtiville. There is but little doubt that the plant is Gasteria verrucosa, figured in Bot. Mof/.. tab. 837, under the name of Aloe verrucosa, but flowers are necessary for definite determination. — G. B. Cornus Mas. — Elap. Odontoglossum odoratum. — F, H. 1, Oncidium flexuosum ; 2, 0. stramineum ; 3. Bulbophyllum Thomsonii. — //. H. 1, Narcis- sus incomparabilis Sulphur Phoenix or Cod^>.ns and Cream ; 2, Akebia quinata. Persimmon : T. H. A tree of Persimmon, Dies- pj'ros Kaki, which fruited in the Succulent house in Kew Gardens, formed the subject ol a Supplementary Illustration in the Gardeners Chronicle January 21, 1911 : a description oi the tree was given in the accompanying text. •Renovation of Lawn: A. M. S. The winter ■ is now somewhat advanced for the best manurial treatment. As a p»eliininary we would suggest that a soil analysis, showing the lime, nitrogen, available phosphoric acid, and potash should be carried out. This will probably cost you the sum of one guinea, and in this case you might communicate with the Analyst, County Laboratories, Chelmsford, a« you reside in Essex. If you do not wish to go to the expense of an analysis, we think it will be best to dress the lawn as soon a* possible with a mixture of equal parts of loam and well rotted farmyard manure, at the rate of 5 tons per acre. At the same time apply 2-3 cwt. of basic superphosphate, 1 of sul- phate of potash, and 2 of bonemeal per acre. Wellingtonia : W. B. J., Bridlington. The cau.se of your tree of Sequoia gigantea (Welling- tonia) dying at the top is most probably du€ to the drought of last summer. Many trees Buffered in a similar manner from this cause- especially those growing on a poiious sub- stratum, such as gravel or chalk. As you wish to preserve the tree, your best plan is tc remove some of the soil above the roots care- fully by means of a fork, and replace it wit! a rich top-dressing of well-decayed manur< and soil. This will probably prevent any fur ther dying of the branches, and give the tret a new lease of life. On any future occasions when drought prevails for a long period, keef the roots well .supplied with water by mean* of a garden hose, which may be allowed to rur i at the base of the trunk for a day or two at 8,' time. Communications Received. —E J. D — W. A. M.-' H. R W. P O. R T S H. R. D A. P W. K_ J. H W. H. A W. W P. W. O Y. P. P., Heston- : H. R.. HoIland_G. M. T S. A._W. D E. P._G. M.-' W. P. R._Iris_J. B. M H. 8. T P. P \V. T._J. C, EeiKate— H. B._T. M., Denmark-R. J. VV._B. H. J.-! F. C. E., Leeds—H. P. M., Peradeniva-J. G. B W.D.- W. W., Berkshire—G. T._J. C._J. M. S, ' March 23. 1012.] THE GAR1)ENl.RS' CHRONICLE. 179 THE §aTbcncrs'Cbronidc iVo. l,317.—SATUIiDAY, March 23, 1912. CONTENTS. iBatsford I Books, notices of— Botauical Magazine... The Cultivation of Hardy Vines Publications received Brussels International Exhibition Bulb garden, the Califom an plant dis- eases Cumberland gardeners, complimentary dinner to Dahlias, collarelte Epiphytic Bromeliada, the food of Failure of a society Forestry report Golf links, the deterio- ration of Hooker, Sir Joseph, bust of the late International Horticul- tural Exhibition Lawn sands L.C.C. Parka Commit- tee Lewis, Mr. Thomas ... Manchester, horilcul- ture in Meteorological instru- ments and weather forecasts Mycetozoa, the Obituary — Kllibon, C. C McKay, James Parasitic fungi, the na- ture of Plum, Count Althann's Gage Primula obconica, the evolution of Purdom, Mr. W.. at Pekin St. Pagan's Castle, Car- diff School gardens .. Scotland, notes from ... Societies — British Gardeners' Association Manchester and N. of England Orchid ... N. of Kng. Hort. Royal Horticultural .. Surveyors' Institution Soil constituent, a beneficent Vegetables- Cauliflowers Week's work, the — Flower garden, the... French garden, the ... Fruits under glass ... Hardy fruit garden ... Kitcht-n garden, the... Orchid houses, the .. Plants under glass ... 193 193 183 189 179 187 183 19:) 193 193 1H9 ia7 1H7 182 184 la-i 185 184 IH.S 184 184 ILLUSTRATIONS. Caps, presentation, for the International Horticul- tural Exliihition - 18**. I^p Plymouth, Earl, portrait of the -• 193 at. Pagan's Castle, Cardiff (Supplementary Illustra- tion) ; views in the gardens at 179i 180, 181, 182 ST. PAGAN'S CASTLE. (See also Supplementary Illustration.) THE hamlet of St. Pagan's is four miles from Cardiff, and though it has a station on the main Great Western line, which passes indeed within a stone's throw of its castle grounds, yet the inva- sion of the railroad has not destroyed the rusticity of the country-side. The beauty of St. Fagan's Castle resists the assault of modernity as surely as the old Norman fortress which preceded it withstood many an attack by equally powerful though less insidious foes. To the visitor standing on the road just out- side the village, the passing express which emerges below him from among the trees of a high and overhanging wood directly opposite seems not the noisy in- truding monster that so often disturbs the peace of a rural scene, but passes, screened by a white cloud of steam, and noiselessly — if the wind be the right waj' — a mere incident in a charming landscape. Thatched cottages, standing in trim little gardens, nestle picturesquely beneath the embattled walls of the castle. Opposite the castle gateway stands the church, well- cared for, and surrounded by well-kept graves. There is indeed evidence on all hands that the Earl and Countess of T'ly- mouth enter sympathetically into the life of the village, and that the labours of the garden staff, under the direction of Mr. Hugh Pett grew, are not confined within the castle walls. Thus, over 110,000 plants of annual or bedding nature were handled last season in the admirable pro- pagating yard which is conveniently situated close to the entrance of the castle gardens, but on the other side of the road. As I entered the grounds by Mr. Petti- grew's creeper-clad house, the first thing that struck me was the value of Muehlen- beckia comislexa as a wall plant. Many avail themselves of this shrub for planting high on large rockeries and banks, where its sprays of little, dainty leaves fall gracefully ; but it is not, I think, so com- monly employed on walls. Several speci- mens may be seen at St. Fagan's draining niums are conspicuous. This garden, how- ever, depends largely on annuals for its display. Reds and pinks occupy one side of what may be described as a rectangle of beds ; purples and mauves and certain pale blues the opposite side, the broad inter- vening space of grass being divided into numerous beds and planted in white. Dorothy Perkins and Hiawatha Roses are used largely in the red and pink borders ; Viola cornuta purpurea and other Violas in the purple and mauve ; and the dead- white variety of V. cornuta is found use- ful in the white beds. Outside the rectangle are paths and wall-backed borders. Flowering shrubs and fruit trees occupy the walls, and in th? borders are yellow plants. Near by are some weeping Roses budded as standards — Tausend- schon, Flower of Fairfield, Dorothy Per- kins, and others. Wichuraiana Roses planted in the earth filled top of a low Fig. 75. — ST. fagan's castle : the pine walk. the walls beautifully to the eaves. Many varieties of Vitis are thriving on the numerous old walls which divide the grounds immediately around the castle into little gardens of differing character and almost bewildering number. Vitis Coignetise, V. purpurea, V. odoratissima (the male form of V. vulpina) are con- spicuous, and the great-leaved V. Thun- bergii, which colours finely here in autumn, may be seen in more than one specimen. These old walls are full of in- teresting native and naturalised flowers and Ferns, and the Spur-Valerian, pink, white, and crimson, is very showy. One patch of the white variety, chance-sown in a dense, symmetrical, fan-shaped group, extending from the ground to the battle- ment, looks at a distance liie some pro- fusely-blooming trained wall shrub. First comes a garden, planted to colour in somewhat formal beds. There is a blue border in which Anchusas and Delphi- wall thrive excellently — Jersey Beauty in particular keeping its leaves glossy and green, even in hot, dry weather. In one corner is a fine specimen of Davidia involucrata — 14 to 15 feet high and 10 feet through. It has not, how- ever, produced flowers during the five years it has been planted. It is to be hoped it may soon follow the example of the specimen at Messrs. Veitch's nur- sery at Coombe Wood. From this garden we pass between outhouses covered with white and blue Wistaria to the Rose gar- den ; the grassy approach is fenced with green wooden trellis, covered with rambling varieties and backed by flowering shrubs, among which is a large specimen of Choisya teiTiata. In the centre of the garden is a Bay tree formed into a bower over a seat and surrounded by a trellis. This is en- circled by a little cement moat, in which Nymphaeas of smaller habit grow at in- tervals in baskets of wire-netting. Such 18U THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 23, 1912. baskets are to be preferred to pots, because they allow of better aeration of the soil. The beds in th-e grass beside the water are planted with dwarfs, backed by bush Roses, of which the ex- quisite and sweetly-scented Zephyrine Drouhin is perhaps the best. Amongst the numerous dwarfs. General McArthur, Gustav Griinervald, and Sla Capucine should be noted. Many of the paths between these beds are arched over and covered with climbing varieties. A closely- planted double row of Limes encloses the garden at one end, and the question of what to grow underneath them has found its solution in Sediun spurium. This, of course, remains green, and does not acquire the red on the leaves nor does it flower well ; but to find anything that wiJl remain perpetually green under these trees, in spite of the Lime sugar-droppings and the uense shade, is a triumph, and might not have been lit upon, amongst the sun-loving Stonecrops ex- cept by happy chance. Beyond is a large sloping bank, which, at the time of my visit, was allotted to Blue Ageratums. amongst which a few groups of Scarlet Pelar- goniums were scattered in effective contrast. Thence we enter a garden of flagstones with crevice- and carpet plants, of which the accom- panying illustration (fig. 78) gives an excellent idea. This is quite a feature of the place. • This garden and an adjoining one are surrounded by a Thuya hedge, one side of which is 50 years old — the other sides five ! But by reason of the gar- dener's art no difference is apparent to the casual observer. Many interesting Alpine plants are exuberantly happy in these somewhat novel sur- roundings. Thymes and Menthas fill the air with fragrance as we walk over them. A charm- ing spot for leisure hours, and brimful of interest to the plant lover, it is an admirable example of how rock plants may be grown successfully where more natural conditions are unfeasible or not wanted. The main approach to the castle, flanked by old Cedar trees, and passing through a gateway in the old Norman wall, leads into a courtyard on the eastern side of the castle. This old wall is also full of flowers, and the pi-omenade on its top behind the battlements is doubtless appreci- ated more now than by the sentries of the 17th century. Charles I. visited the castle in 1645, and the Royalist and Parliamentary forces came into collision in 1648, when a bloody battle was fought in a field which still bears witness in its name — Cae Meirch. In the centre of the courtyard is an immense lead cistern bearing the date 1620. It was found in a field in the district, but its previous history is obscure. On the northern probably at least 200 years old, and some com parative striplings planted some 36 years ago, wil be ready to take their place when at last the shall have run their course. A fine fruit wai bounds the Jlulberry grove on the north and ; Fig. 77.^st. f.\gan's casile: a terrace path. aspect is situated the Dutch garden shown in the photograph (fig. 75). Low, conical pillars of Golden Yew relieve the darker green of the Box walls, and the beds are a mass of violet with Viola cornuta purpurea. One walks across a sunk bowling green and up a flight of stone steps which lead through iron gates to the Mulberry grove, which consists of two old veterans with great prostrate arms and several less ancient though by no means ytuiig trees. The two are Fig. 76, — ST. pagan's castle : the dutch gakden. long hedge of that incomparable hedge Rose Zephyrine Drouhin, so conspicuous in the Ros< garden, has been planted recently, and flanket this year with Mign(jnette. We must not leave the old walled-in garden: without making mention of some of the more 01 less tender shrubs which are planted in variou: places. Tecoma radicans (Bignonia) was in flower climbing, by aid of its aerial rootlets, 6 or 8 feet Lonicera sempervirens minor, the most handsonn of all cultivated Honeysuckles, was flowering pro fusely ; this was under glass, however — in an olo greenhouse. Azara microphylla must have attained its full height, for I judged it to be 15 feet, but Nicholson gives its height as 12 feet. Fabiana ini bricata is a beautiful Heath-like shrub for a south wall, with waxy, white, tubular flowers ; Piptan thus nepalensis flowers well, and is practicalK evergreen ; Olearia macrodonta flowers profusely above its grey-green Holly-like leaves. Pueraria Thunbergiana and Aristolochia Sipho (Dutch man's Pipe) are large-leaved climbers of some merit. Polygonum Baldschuanicum forms a feature in more than one place, notably in the middle of the Dutch garden. It was flowering freely last year in June, and doubtless bloomed again in autumn. A surprise awaits the wanderer through these .small, enclosed gardens, each with its distinctive character, all more or less flat, and, with the ex- ception of the Mulberry grove, somewhat formal. A.'icending to the battlements of the western wall, he fees the land fall abruptly to the west- ward, the castle being, in fact, built on the edge of a steep valley, which runs up from the neighbouring Ely River. Its steep side has been formed into a series of terraces, this being almost the only method possible of treating it, unless indeed an immense rockery — a veritable piece of mountain side — had been constructed. In '"me recent extensions at the he.ad of the ravine this idea was discussed, but was finally discarded, and the terraces have been continued for a dis- ^ tance almost as great as the original length. The top and highest wall has some large Fig trees on it, and at its northern end is a square look-out tower ; stone steps lead from terrace to terrace,. March 25, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 18] but the descent may be made by sloping walks at the northern end of the terraces or by a long ; flight of stone steps on the south. Half-way down, the beautiful stone figures of two ! musicians standing conspicuously on the para- I pets of the terrace wall, are playing for ever to the valley below. The terrace walls are covered with climbers — Akebia quinata, many beautiful Honeysuckles, and others. One slope is left as a grass bank, from which spring bold groups of German Iris and sprays of Wichuraiana Roses. At the bottom are four fish-ponds, which are planted with Water- j Lilies and divided by level grass. Chains of ' Roses supported on pillars run alongside the I water's edge. These terraces and ponds were de- signed and laid out by the Earl of Plymouth's iither. The photograph (see Supplementary Illustration), taken from the bottom, shows how clearly and beautifully chimneys, gables, terrace walls, and statuary appear in the placid depths of the pooh ; while the illustrations taken from the musicians' terrace (figs. 77 and 79) show the long afternoon shadows creeping over the upper part of the glade. Some attempt has been made to ornament the banks of the stream which feeds the ponds with natural stonework, and it is intended to form a rockery some day, to which a more delightful setting could lardly be desired. The stream divides and flows iround an island, and the great blocks of dolo- iiitic conglomerate of the sort known locally as ' Radyr stone " are sufficient to suggest how j ine an effect may be accomplished. This fine itone may be seen in many of the local I -ailway bridges — (Templemeads Station, Bristol, s built of it). It is very effective, the I ines of stratification being easily imitated I vith it, but it is hardly porous enougli to 16 an ideal stone from a cultural point of view. Jmbellularia californica (Californian Sassafras) las wintered out on these terrace walls ; it pos- sesses an odour of camphor, and in its native lonie makes a useful timber tree, and grows to . height of 100 feet. Jasminum primulinum does fell, and a later Jasmine called J. Wallacianum vas in full flower in June, following J. priniu- inum most opportunely. Schizophragma hydran- ;eoides is climbing an Ash in the orchard. The lew terraces are in a somewhat unfinished con- lition, but many good shrubs already adorn the walls. Eriobotrya japonica (syn. Photinia japonica — "Japanese Medlar" or " Loquat "), and the Chinese species, P. serrulata, are already fine specimens. ISuddleia Cclvilei, with its red Pentstemon-like flowers, is 15 feet up, and I open grass walks, and near the top is a maze— of not very intricate design. Beyond this about 100 acres of park have been recently taken in to form a new kitchen garden, a French garden, more tennis courts, and Fig. 7g. — ST. pagan's castle : the new terraces. noticed a good specimen of Indigofera. At the bot- tom another pond has been constructed, and, in place of stone, two walls of Cupressus macrocarpa flank the western side. The other side of the val- ley is wooded, and at the fringe by the pools a group of Gunneras is situated. Polygonum cuspi- datum also sends up its ornamental leaves. The wood contains some fine Tulip trees and Scotch and Austrian Pine ; Cedars, Beech, and Hex of fine stature clothe the slope ; above and below are some very interesting experimental plantations of forest trees. A public footway intervenes, so that a subway leads to these new grounds. Beech, Oak, Ash, Spanish Chestnut, Tulip trees, and wild Cherry have been planted in woods sepa- rated by broad rides, which will make for the generations to come a miniature forest quite close to this fine old home. Caltha. THE BULB GARDEN. Fig. yS.— ST. pagan's castle : an enclosed garben with flag-stoned paths. HIGH PRICES FOR GLADIOLI. Gladiolus " Glory of Noordwijk," raised by Mr. Alkemade, of Noordwijk, in Hol- land, in 1909, is a pure yellow variety. Mr. Alke- made found occasion recently to sell his stock, and the price realised was 20,000 guilders. A " guilder " is worth about Is. 8d. in English cur- rency. The whole stock of corms weighed only a little over a kilo. (1 kilo, equals 40 ounces). A few weeks ago, 20 young corms (kralen) of the same variety sold for 500 guilders. At a recent sale at Beverwiyk, one corm of Gladiolus " Meteor," raised by Mr. J. B. Bos, of Overween, was sold for 89 guilders. NARCISSUS FOR FORCING. At present. Narcissus Golden Spur, raised in Holland, on the Backershcgon Estate, near the Hague, is largely employed for forcing. Dutch growers are now of opinion, however, that the English-raised variety King Alfred is far better f,-jr the purpose, and it will shortly supersede Golden Spur. The two varieties were shown together a short time back at the Beverwiyk Ex- hibition, and it was evident that King Alfred was the better sort. HYACINTH PAUL KRUGER. This variety is the result of a cross between Czar Peter and La Grandesse, and was raised by Mr. J. Beumer, at Hessenheim, in Holland. It is an extremely fine flower, beauti- fullv formed, and of a clear porcelain-blu? colour. G. P. Posfhumus. 182 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 23, 1912. VEGETABLES. CAULIFLOWERS. Ix is usual, when sowing seeds of Cauliflowers in boxes, to use a compost in which leaf-mould largely predominates. Although I have used such a compost, I consider it a wrong practice, and from practical experience I have reason to believe that a too free use of this material in the soil for seeds and seedling Cauliflowers encour- ages fungous diseases. To obtain clean, healthy plants from sowings made in February and ilarch, the seeds should be sown in well-drained boxes, using a compost composed of three parts chopped turfy loam, passed through a half-inch sieve, and one part rough sand. The compoet should be pressed firmly with a flat piece of board before the seeds are sown, thinly covering them with the finer soil of the compost til! they are just hidden. When the seedlings are large enough to handle they may be pricked out into boxes, hav- ing a depth of 6 inches, and filled with the same kind of soil as recommended for the seeds. When planting out permanently, lift the plants out of the boxes with as much of the soil adher- ing to the roots as possible, and plant with a trowel in ground which has been previously well prepared. It is the general practice to apply nitrate of soda only when the plants are forming their in- florescences, under the belief that to apply it sooner would favour the development of leaf at the expense of flower. But I have always had the best results when nitrate of soda has been applied the first month after jjlanting out permanently, the fertiliser being sprinkled around the plants thinly once a week, and hoed in the ground im- mediately afterwards. Thos. Francis, Harrow Boad, W arlingham, Surrey. LAWN SANDS. Under this name, a great variety of proprie- tary and other materials are sold, having for their object such remedial purposes as the re- moval of worms, the killing of insects and grubs (to use popular names), deterrent actions on cer- tain common weeds, and, finally, the general im- provement of the grass of the lawn. All these actions are often modified in practice, but the materials are still of sufficient practical use tr warrant a few brief notes on some of the most important and easily used and made. The removal of worms can hardly be con- sidered advantageous to the lawn, apart from the suppression of the unsightly worm casts. In fact, Darwin very clearly demonstrated that worms were not only splendid natural drainers and aerators of the soil, but that, in their casts, they brought to the surface enough fine earth every five years to give a coating 1 inch in thick- ness. What is, perhaps, of more importance is that the earth so brought to the sur- face is passed through their bodies, and so exposed to their processes of digestion. Certain of the digestive fluids being acid in character, the inorganic particles of the soil are ren- dered more available to the plant. As regards the nitrogen in the organic matter, this is ren- dered more susceptible to the processes of putre- faction and nitrification. Worms are, however, credited with increasing the rate at which the lime is exhausted. Of the materials used for the removal of worms, quicklime and corrosive sublimate are most common. The former is usually slacked, and then treated with soft water in a tub, so as to dissolve as much as pos- sible. Solution is aided by a little sugar. After being allowed to settle, the clear lime water contains about one-tenth per cent, of calcium hydroxide. This, watered on the lawn, will cause the worms to come to the surface, when they can be swept off. Corrosive sublimate (mercuric chloride) is sold dissolved in water, to which some salt has been added, and also vari- ous colouring materials. This solution is diluted according to the instructions, and watered on the lawn, where it acts as a poison on the worms. Users mu.st be very careful, as the solution is highly poisonous ; it also corrodes buckets, water cans, and nearly all metals not very tho- roughly protected by paint. A useful solution for home use can be made by dissolving 1 ounce corrosive sublimate and 2 ounces salt in 10 to 15 gallons of soft water. This sliould be applied sparingly to the lawn with a can. Care should be taken to keep all domestic animals off the area, while fowls and game should not be allowed to pick up the worms or eat the grass. To kill insects and grubs (using these terms in their popular sense) many volatile materials are used. One of the most common and effective is crude naphthaline. This is mixed with sand in varying proportions, a sample recently examined having over 50 per cent, of naphthaline. For sand a common substitute is flue dust or grit. very favourable results. The treatment was re peated every four to six weeks throughout ihe season, and by the end all Dandelions had dis- appeared. On the other hand, similar trials carried out at the New York Agricultural Ex- perimental Station during the past two seasons have failed. In fact, before the conclusion of i the second season, spraying had to be discon- tinued, as the grass, chiefly Poa pratensis, was being killed. The treatment certainly killed the leaves, but fresh ones grew again lower down the root, and though eight to ten sprayings . certainly weakened the plant, it was by no means killed. In some parts. Thistles are troublesome, perhaps more in the field than on lawns, and a remedy which has proved successful in many cases is kainit. This crude potash manure should be applied in the spring, when the Thistle begins to grow, a pinch being placed in the heart of each plant. From the experiments so far re- ported, such treatment killed the plant within a week, and none of its roots came up the next season. With large areas, the method is some- FiG. So. — ST. pagan's castle : view on the terrace. (See p. 181.) obtained from the back of gas retorts, and at the bottom of smoke shafts. The flue dust ob- tained from slow-combustion furnaces often con- tains coal products, which are in themselves inimical to insect life. Regarding the destruction of weeds, we 'an only now deal with a few of the most persistent and disfiguring ones. Thus Plantains of all kinds are very much weakened, if not entirely killed, by applications of sulphate of ammonia. This nitrogenous manure, at the same time, stimulates the grass, so that it will overrun the Plantain. Sands containing 10 to 50 per cent, of this material are on the market for this pur- pose. To these is often added 2 to 5 per cent, of sulphate of iron, to kill Dandelions. Its effect varies greatly with the soil, rainfall, and amount of sunshine, and, as yet, its action is not under- stood. The leaves are killed, but this does not appear sufficient to rid the lawn of Dandelions. In America, spraying with sulphate of iron has been tried with very varying results. Thus, in the North Dakota, Iowa, Ohio, and Colorado ex- periments, a solution containing 1^ to 1^ lb. per gallon, applied at the rate of 50 to 60 gallons per acre, by means of a knapsack sprayer, gave what tedious ; but it has been found more effec- tive than a genera! broadcast dressing, which, for manurial purposes, is best applied in the autumn, at the rate of 4 cwt. per acre. The remaining lawn sands are mostly more or less complete manures, designed for spring and early summer application ; that is, for use when everybody begins to pay attention to the gar- den. This being the case, they are com- pounded of tlie most available manures, so that the results shall be apparent in a night, as it were, otherwise they would be thought by many users to be ineffective. A sample recently ex- amined was mainly composed of dissolved bone, sulphate of potash, sulphate of ammonia, and nitrate of soda, mixed with about 50 per cent, of sand. By some, the sand may be considered use- less, but it serves at least three very useful pur- poses, namely, to minimise the burning effect of many of the manures, to make the preparation pleasant to apply, and, finally, to assist in keep- ing the surface from becoming hard during the summer heat. This last property is most impor- tant on heavy soils, as it tends to make a thin layer of the surface soil into a mulch, by which much loss of water is prevented. As a rule. March 23, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 183 lawn sands can be easily and economically com- > pounded from the raw materials, and the follow- \ ing is a dilute one for home use : — Sand, 67 lbs. ; ■' sulphate of ammonia, 7 lbs. ; nitrate of soda, 'j 7 lbs. ; superphosphate, 21 lbs. ; sulphate of I potash, 7 lbs. ; and sulphate of iron, 3 lbs. Ap- ■ ply at the rate of about 5 cwt. per acre, that is, 5 lbs. per 40 square yards, between the end of March and the middle of May, according to sea- . son. If the soil is un the light side the propor- tion of sand can be reduced to one-half, and its place taken by some heavy loam, or very tho- I roughly-decomposed organic matter. It must be remembered that such dressings can only be con- sidered as of a temporary or stimulative nature, and should not be allowed to interfere with the general upkeep of the lawn. J. W. ^ayhur, Theah, Berks. NOTICES OF BOOKS. The Cultivation of Hardy Vines. Vine Crowing in Emjlnnd* is the title of a treatise, which, instead of treating of the sub- 'ject of vine-growing as a whole, deals only with I 111' cultivation of the vine in the open air. The luUior appears to have made the subject of open air vineyards a hobby, and the book is rich in quutations from writers of bygone times. The author opens with the following quota- tion from William Speechly, which forms a fairly true keynote to the remaining pages of the book : — Of all the numerous sorts cf fruit iodu'gent Nature p/o- duces for the use of iiinn, that o, the Grape must be esteemed her noblest sift; for a though the va ious otliers n )t tnly aflfords comfort, but many of them even cjiitribiite tn the luxury of the human race, yet none of them tend so eminently IS doe i this fruit " to glad the h a.t." Hail, tt;en, precinus vine! let me modestly pesunie t> treat thycultur- and to >e f Tth thv virtues, a theme worthy of the immortal go is ! -Ill uiay ihy *;ui erior excellences everlast ng] ,■ inspire man ^Mch duty and witn unfeigned gratitude to thea'l bounteous Giver. Many practical vine growers will be surprised at the author's opinion as to the success of vines in poor soil. Thus, on p. 25, the author remarks : — I do n )t see why land suitable for vineyards should any- where lie va ue 1 at more than fiv shillings an acre. The leason for this is that, s> far a-i I knnv, no other crop in such poor o barre i land c^uld be cultivate 1 succes>fully at a higher re II. In dealing with what he describes as the " decline " of our English climate he quotes — and apparently agrees with — statements made by a Mr. Williams, of Hereford, who wrot;" in 1804 upon the subject of the climate of Great Britain. Among other things blamed by this person for causing the decline in the character of the Eng- lish climate w'as the introduction of an excessive number of alien trees into our woodlands ! The writer of Vine Growing in England goes on to say (p. 28) :— The trees Wiliiin^ f irbids are the Walnut, the Chestnut, the Hor,e Chestnut, and the Poplar. I should ad i the Plane ; nd the Sycamore, except f jr street shading, as in London. Tree lovers must certainly feel thankful that at present there are no censors of trees, -"-■itwithstanding the supposed inimical effects of ilii'se alien trees, Mr. Tod has evidently a very liiLjh opinion of our climate as a whole, for he takes it for granted that vines growing in the ■open will produce and ripen a crop of fruit regularly every year. So assured is he that he lays down a hard and fast rule that a sabbatical year must be observed when the vines must be prevented from bearing any fruit, so as to add to their life and fertility. So far as our experi- •ence goes, the rule is valueless, for we have found that in vine culture out-of-doors, for every fruitful year there have been two or three fruit- iess ones. Those who take an interest in the culture, of Orape vines in the open will find helpful hints in this book. P. C. • By H, M. ToJ. iCba:io & Windus.) Is. net. THE NATURE OF PARASITIC FUNGI. THEIR INFLUENCE UPON THE HOST PLANT. By far the largest number of fungi causing plant diseases are of microscopic character, hence I will confine my remarks exclusively to this large group. Many of the micro-scopic forms of fungi which we may find on dead plants and parts of plants have appeared like moulds on clothing, wall paper, bread, &c., i.e., they have not been responsible for the death of the plant. These fungi have been designated as saprophytes, and are, by their mode of life, distinguished from parasitic fungi, which are capable not only of attacking living plant tissues, but also of maintaining themselves from the food manufac- tured by the attacked plant for its own use, which partnership frequently results, as no doubt the reader has had the misfortune to experience, in the partial or complete destruction of the host plant. I do not desire to attach much importance to this separation of fungi into saprophytes and parasites. Our experience has repeatedly shown that fungi may live part of their life according to the one or other mode referred to. For tlie purpose of my article, it is unnecessary to refer in any greater length to saprophytic fungi. Microscopic fungi, as the name indicates, are extremely minute organisms, whose study neces- sitates a more or less powerful microscope. Yet, notwithstanding the minuteness of these objects, some are of a decidedly complicated structure. The use of a microscope serves to reveal a vegeta- tive and a generative portion in each of these in- dividuals. The vegetative part of fungi is analogous, in a certain degree, to the roots, stem, branches, and leaves of higher organised plants, inasmuch, at any rate, as the vegetative parts of a fungus are responsible for the taking up of food required for its own use. Tlie vegetative portions of fungi consist of very fine, branched more or less, long, transparent or coloured tubes, which may be likened to a human hair or line capillary glass tubes. These tubes are technically known as vegetative hyph*. They are exceedingly small, measuring often less than a two-thousandth part of an inch in breadth, while their length may vary from a 25th of an inch to large dense masses covering whole parts of plant*. The contents of these tubes consist of protoplasm, which is, in many cases, partitioned off by means of small separating walls or septa. The hyphae may de- velop within the tissues of plants, or cover their surface; collectively, they are spoken of as t)ie mycelium. As soon as the vegetative part of a fungus has had time to undergo a certain development or growth, the generative portion is produced. This consists of the reproductive organs or fructi- fications, which may be of very diverse construc- tion, but which, like the seeds in flowering plants, serve the purpose of reproduction. Reproduction of fungi is effected by spores, which, when ripe, leave the parent plant in various ways, and which are capable of growi.ig independently into new plants. The sexual development of fungus spores, similarly to the seeds of higher plants, is ac- curately known in comparatively few instances. It is generally accepted that most fungus spores are produced asexually, that is, without egg and sperm cells. The simplest form of spore is that known as conidiospores or conidia. Conidia are produced by the rising up from the mycelium of a number of erect hyphae, all of which produce at their tips a single spore or a series of spores. These spore-bearing branches are known as coni- diophores. They may rise free into the air, or they may be produced in separate chambers, pro- tected by a hardened membrane, which bodies are termed Pycnidia. Frequently the conidio- phores branch, and each branch segments itself into successive spores. This is the case, for in- stance, in the fungus causing the common Potato disease Phytophthora infestans. In other fungi, the production of spores does not take place by this act of segmentation, but the contents of the hyphae itself forms into generally spheri-al spores. In this way certain smut spores of grain are produced. A very common method of spore production consists in the formation of small sac- like organs, technically termed asci. These are much broader than the hyphae, and are generally club-shaped. Each ascus contains from two to eight spores, often more, but always an even number. The spores produced in this man- ner are known as ascospores, and the group of fungi endowed with this method of reproduction is known as Ascomycetes. These forms of fungi are again subdivided according to the number of spores in each ascus, and the manner in which the asci are produced, w'hich may be singly, as in the Peach leaf curl fungus, or in flat or rounded discs, as in the Larch canker fungus, or in fruit- ing bodies similar to the pycnidia, but here termed perithecia. These conditions of spore production may become still more complicated, as one species may produce several kinds and crops of spores. The spores of microscopic fungi differ greatly in size and form. Their colour is more generally hyaline or transparent, but they may also be brown, grey, pink, &c. Their form varies greatly. They may be oval, round, rod-shaped, or sickle-shaped, with pointed or rounded ends. They may be single cells, or divided into two or many sections, smooth or pitted, with netlike markings or appendages. Their appearance, however, is constant in each fungus. These characters, together with the manner in which they are produced, are regarded as specific and generic distinctions, and are largely used for the purpose of classification. When ripe, the spores are shed in various ways, the conidiospores sim- ply become detached, and are carried away by the air. Spores produced in pycnidia or peri- thecia may either ooze out, or be expelled with force through a hole at the apex of the fruiting bodies. Others, again, are freed by the collapse or decay of the conceptacles in which they are produced. When ripe, the spores either pass through a period of rest, as winter spores, or they immediately germinate, when they may be regarded as summer spores. Germination can only be accomplished successfully when there is sufficient moisture available. Hence we all have had the experience that some fungus diseases seem to spread readily during moist, warm weather — Apple and Pear scab. Potato disease, mildews, and others. In favourable condi- tions, the spores take up a large quantity of water and begin to swell, often to double their original size. The next step in germination is a rupture in the cell wall, followed by the produc- tion of a germinal hypha, which is pushed into the particular substratum, leaf, twig, &c., where it quickly begins to ramify. Just as there is great variation of fungus spores, so the germination of the various spores is like- wise very different, and frequently an im- portant factor for distinction of species. Conidiospores most generally germinate by pro- ducing (iirectly one or more germinal tubes, which are capable of infecting plant tissues. Smut spores, however, produce first a so called short promycelium, on which secondary and even tertiary spores may be formed which, on ger- mination, produce the tube causing infection. The loose smut of Barley and Wheat, however, produce infection tubes directly. Similar in be- haviour are the teleutospores of the rust fungi. They also produce a promycelium and secondary spores when germinating. H. T. GUssow, Dominion Botanist, Ottawa, Canada. (To be continued. J 184 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Makch 23, 1912. v^ The Week's Work. L^ THE ORCHID HOUSES. By J. Collier, Gardener to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., Gallon Park, Surrey. MiUTONiA.— I^lauts of Miltonia vexillaria are pushing forth flower-spikes from the partly-de- veloped pseudo bulbs. At this stage every pre- caution must be taken against attacks of thrips, which, if not kept in check, will attack the tender flower-buds, causing them to become deformed. The foliage should be syringed on bright days, which will not only keep down thrips, but also be beneficial to the growth of the plants. The syringing should be done sufficiently early in the day for the foliage to become dry before night arrives. The house should receive frequent mild fumigations with a reliable vaporising com- pound. The above remarks apply also to M. Roezlii and M. Bleuana, which is a hybrid between 51. Roezlii and M. vexillaria. iNl. Roezlii should be grown in a shady part of the warmest house, but M. vexillaria and M. Bleuana should, for the present, be grown in the inter- mediate hou.se. These Miltonias should be shaded at all timea from bright sunshine. Dendrobium. — Plants of Dendrobium Pha- Isenopsis Schroderianum and its varieties are de- veloping new growths, and any specimens that re- quire fresh rooting materials should receive at- tention in this respect as soon as new roots ap- pear at the base of the plants. The plants will grow equally well either suspended from the roof rafters or on the stage. An important detail in their culture is to place them near to the roof- glass, so tliat they may obtain all the light pos- sible. If it is intended to suspend the plants, they should be placed in shallow pans, preferably those without side holes. Plants stood on the stages should be grown in pots. It is not ad- visable to repot those plants which were potted last season if the compost is still good, although some of the old material may be picked carefully away from between the roots and replaced with fresii compost. The receptacles should not be larger than are necessary, as the plants do not need too much rooting space. In potting, about half fill the receptacle with crocks for drainage purposes, and arrange the plant so that the growth is level with the rim of the pot, making it secure by tying the pseudo-bulbs to a neat stick. In the case of specimens in pans, the pseudo-bulbs should be secured to the wire handle. Carefully work in between the roots a mixture of three parts Al fibre or Osmunda fibre and one part Sphagnum-moss. These materials should be cut rather short, adding some crushed crocks and a little silver sand. Pot moderately firmly, and prick in some living Sphagnum over the surface of the compost. The plants should be watered carefully until the young roots have grown well into the new compost, when w'ater may be afforded liberally. During its season of active growth, this Orchid requires considerable heat and plenty of atmospheric moisture. When the weather is bright, overhead syringings should be afforded at least twice daily. When in full growth, the plants will require shading for about three hours during the middle of the day. There are many beautiful varieties of this species, the finer sorts including Gatton Park variety, e.x- quisita, Miss Louisa Dean, splendens, and holo- leuca. Dendrobium bigibbum and D. super- biens are closely-allied species, and require a similar treatment. THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunbuhnholme, Warter Priory, Yorkshire. Grafting. — Trees intended for grafting that were treated as advised in the Calendar for January 20, p. 39. should have the stems shortened to where the graft will be inserted, choosing as smooth a portion of the stock as possible. Several forms of grafting may be prac- tised, but the simplest methods are generally the most successful. The work should be done as soon as the sap commences to rise, using scions which have been heeled in under a north wall, or shady trees, for the purpose of keeping the buds dormant. The middle portion of the scion is generally the best for the purpose. Whip or tongue grafting is a simple method, and one in much favour. It is an advantage if the stock and scion are about the same diameter ; but if unequal, the scion should be placed at one side of the stock, so that the cambium layers may be in juxtaposition. Make cuts of equal sizes on both stock and scion ; form tongue ty slitting the stock slightly inwards about half the length of the cut surface of the stock in a downward direction, and a corresponding slit en the scion for fixing the latter on the stock. The tongue gives greater security in holding the scion in position, and promotes a speedier union. The scion should have from four to six good buds, be promptly placed on the stock as soon as it is prepared, and instantly bound firmly, but not too tightly. Exposure of the cut surfaces to wind and weather after being united militates against success, and a band of either clay or grafting wax is necessary. Grafting wax may be purchased cheaply from any nurseryman, or clay worked into a pliable state, with a little cow- dung added, may be used, tying a layer of moss on larger stocks to prevent the clay from crack- ing. Weak stocks or any that fail when grafted may be budded later in the year : budding makes a neat and strong union. Cleft Grafting. — This method of propa- gating fruit trees is not so much practised as formerly, but it is still frequently employed for grafting large trees of Cider Apples, the heads not being so liable to become damaged by strong winds. The stock is split with a large knife or cliisel, and held open with a wedge until the scion is pushed in at the outside of the stock, the graft being cut in the form of a wedge, 'i'he wedge must be removed when the scion is in- serted, so that the stock may close and hold the graft tightly. The latter should be cut with a shoulder that it may rest upon the stock, and this will assist in protecting the graft from the weather. Two, four or more .scions may be in- serted in one stock, if the latter is large" enough to accommodate them. Crown Grafting. — Tliis method of grafting is somewhat similar to cleft grafting. Select a portion of the stock most suitable for inserting the grafts, and, preferably, cut the top in a slop- ing manner, so that the wet cannot remain on it. Make a slit at the highest portion of the stock, 2 or 3 inches in length, and open the edges of the bark with a budding knife. Next slice off the scion about the same length, and form a shoulder. Run the scion down behind the bark, from the top of the stock to the bottom of the slit. Bind the stock and scion together, and place a layer of wax or clay over them as before. Two or more scions may be inserted on a single stock, always taking care to see that the bark is made to join perfectly on both sides, so that the work may be successful. PLANTS UNDER GLASS. By Thomas Stevenson, Gardener to E. Mocatta, Esq., Woburn Place, Addleslone, Surrey. Greenhouse Climbers. — Many greenhouse ' climbing plants are commencing to grow freely, and potted specimens may require larger pots. Such plants as Plumbago capensis, Habro- thamnus, Swainsonia, and Bougainvillea trained on walls should have their strong shoots tied as they grow, allowing them a little more freedom of growth as the flowering season approaches. If trained on the roof, with plants on stages beneath them, the shoots should be disposed somewhat thinly to permit a fair amount of light to reach the lower plants. Climbing plants in greenhouses ai-e, perhaps, best trained on pillars or on wires up the main rafters of the greenhouse, as in these cases they do not rob other plants of much light. The .shoots may be allowed a little more freedom just before the flowering period. Whenever possible the plants should receive a good syringing to keep down insect pests, but if this is not convenient, light fumigations should be given now and again, as, once the plants become infested with aphis or any other insects, they are liable to make those beneath them unsightly, SoLANUM Wendlanoii may hz grown either as a climber or in pots. Young shoots may be rooted now in gentle heat, potted on into 4|-inch pots, and grown fairly hardy. Specimens in pots from 18 inches to 2 feet high will produce a good trusd of bloom. Plumbago rosea. — This warm greenhouse, or stove plant is very useful for furnishing a supply of bloom during the winter or early spring. The present is a suitable time for pii*ii«rfu>', March 20 (6 p.m.): Maj. 47°; Mill. 35". Gardeneis' Chronicle Office, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, I.onilon — Thursday. March 21 (10 A.M.) : Bar. 29-0" ; Temp. 63" ; Weather— Dull. Provinces. — Wednesday, March 20 : Max 45" Ireland S.W. ; Min. 34° Sco la id, N. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. MONDAY AND VVEDNESDAY- Rose Trees, Fruit Trees, Perennials, Liliums, Trained Bay Trees, Paliiis, &c., at 12.30, at Stevens's Auction Rooms, 38, King Street, Covent Garden, London. .MONDAY AND FRIDAY- Perennials and Hf rbace ms Plants, Hardy Bulbs, &c., at 12 ; Roses and Fruit Trees at 1.30, at 67 & 68, Cheap- side, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris. WEDNESDAY— Japa lese Lilies and Hardy Bulbs, Herbaceous and Border Plants, a 12; Roses and Fruit 'J'rees. at 1.30 ; Palms and Plants at 5 ; at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris. THURSDAY and FRIDAY— The " Oiiltdene " collection of Orchids, at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris, at 1. The There exists in the while Evolution I'ange of horticultural science of no more fascinating problem Primula th^n that of the course and obconica. ^^^^ ^j evolution of florists' flowers. The brilliant results of the florists' art are patent in every garden, but the -causes which underlie the production of improved strains are secret and unknown alike to the florist and to the man of science. An understanding of the causes which lead to the amelioration of cultivated plants is rendered the more difficult in the case of many species by the complications due to cross-breeding ; but even in the case of those plants which are free from the suspicion of being hybrids, we have no sure knowledge of the causes of the varia- tions which provide the starting-point for the florists' work of improvement. To attribute the new foi-ms to selection is only to state a method and not to dis- cover a cause. All the florist means by selection is the picking out of forms which have a new and desirable quality and breeding from those forms till that quality is fixed and, it may be, made more appa- rent. Hence it is that even with such plants as P. sinensis, which, by common con- sent, is regarded as a pure species, we have no certain knowledge of ths nature of the internal changes which express them- selves in enhanced beauty and size of flower, greater vigour, changed shape and colour of leaf ; in short, in an almost in- finite variety of ways. We may therefore leave aside for the time being any attempt to unravel the skein of causes at work in ths production of new forms from old, and devote our- selves, in the present instance, to a con- sideration of the course of evolution in a particular plant. The example which we choose is that of P. obconica, the history of which has been traced in a singularly able manner by Mr. A. W. Hill (assistant director Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew), in the current number of the Journal of Genetics. Except in one particular, P. obconica is an ideal subject for historical research. Its annals are short, though by no means simple. The order of evolutionary events which P. obconica has undergone during its 33 years cultivation in Europe are not obscured by the mists of time. The men are still alive who have raised from the somewhat stiff, small, pale-lilac, yellow-eyed flower the large-flowered and brilliantly-coloured strains of the present day. They have taken out the yellow eye and replaced it by a rosy or magenta centre ; they have doubled the size of the petals and frayed out their edges ; they have produced pure-white forms, and races with rose, carmine, and violet-blue flowers ; in short, they have changed it in almost every particular, except with re- spect to its objectionable skin-irritating hairs. As appears to have been the case with Primula sinensis and with other plants, P. obconica was somewhat shy of change when first introduced. For some years after Maries, whilst collecting for Messrs. Veitch, brought the chance seed in earth from China in 1879, P. obconica clung to its modest lilac yellow-eyed habit of flower. Then in 1886 white forms appeared in the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, and in the following years — as chronicled by Mr. Richard Dean in these pages — a slight purple appeared round the eye. Messrs. Vilmorin obtained a pure-white, large- flowered strain in 1896, and it is note- worthy that this form, like others raised previously, possessed fimbriated instead of notched petals. Rose-pink forms were fixed as early as 1896, in which year Messrs. Sutton exhibited them at a meeting of the R.H. S. Mr. Ware also in the same year obtained flowers of a " warm, rose tint." In 1903 Vesuve, a red variety, was pro- duced by Messrs. Rivoire, and in 1904 Messrs. Barr exhibited a deep lilac-crim- son named Crimson King. Mr. Dickson, head gardener to the Duchess of Bedford, has contributed notably to the extension of the colour range in P. obconica, by producing first a small blue variety (1904) and then in 1906 a larger-flowered blue. In addition to the characters which we have enumerated — flower-colour, size, and shape — P. obconica has sported also into the inevitable double. The first example of doubling appeared with Messrs. Vil- morin in 1901, and, curiously enough, has not as yet occurred elsewhere, though it may be predicted with confidence that it will. With respect to the vexed question of the purity or hybridity of the " species " Primula obconica, Mr. Hill adopts a cau- tious attitude. That P. obconica is not a hybrid in the ordinary sense seems per- fectly clear. No matter what be ths other species of Primula used for hybridising, the offspring, if any are obtained, are pure P. obconica. Nevertheless, as Mr. Hill points out, this fact does not preclude the possi- bility of foreign pollen producing some effect ; for example, of both stimulating the egg cells of P. obconica to develop and of passing into those egg cells substances which may modify the course of develop- ment of the "parthenogenetic" eggs. This hypothesis of a " semi-parthenogenesis " is not to be dismissed lightly ; nor is it to be accepted till more evidence is forth- coming. Students of genetics are now busy with P. obconica, and we hope that success, equal to that which has fallen to the florists in improving the species, may attend their efforts to discover the causes which have admitted of that improvement. We recommend all who are interested in the subject of the evolution of florists' flowers to read Mr. Hill's excellent paper, and we suggest to the editors of the Journal of Genetics the advisability of re- printing the article separately, possibly without the plates, in order that it may be available to many horticulturists who are not in a position to subscribe to the Journal. Tf,^ It is a melancholy fact that Oeteriora- not a few inland golf links tion of show, after a few years use, Golf Links, marked deterioration. The way through the greens comes to support a ranker grass, with the consequence that balls, even when driven into th? middle of the fairway, lie close and badly. Not un- naturally, the average player makes the most of the real grievance that his good shots are punished. But worse remains to be said. Worms seem to multiply evea faster tha.i links themselves, and there can be no two opinions of the disastrous effects which they produce. It is no consolation to the golfer to be told of the beneficent work of worms in improving soil. The golfer has no use for improved soil — except on the greens. What he recognises is that the greasy casts spoil the game during the winter and spring months and also make the links unsiglitly. There seems to be little doubt that the deterioration of many inland links is to be attributed to the consolidating effect pro- duced by the tramp of the golfing legions : occasionally it is emphasised by the in- judicious use of artificial fertilisers. The remedy in the case of " heavy going " — apart from drainage — consists in the unsparing, though judicious use of gritty material. Sand, of course, is to be used whenever it is available and after an experienced person has deter- mined, either by feel or by microscopic JlAKCH 23, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 187 examination, that its particles are coarse and sliarp-angled. Failing sand, or sup- plementing it, cinders, crushed breeze, and the like should be employed through the greens. If a crusade against worms is undertaken, it must be carried on in no half-hearted manner and not without pre- viously counting the cost. That tha worms may be killed out is certain, but the cost is a serious consideration, and the opera- tion must be repeated every year or two. On the whole, we think that it will be found more profitable to attempt to ame- liorate the physical conditions of the soil ; to make it less worth while as a place of residence for worms and, in consequence, more worth the while of the long-suffering player over inland courses. "Botanical Magazine." — The issue for March contains illustrations and descriptions of the following plants : — Bkunfelsia undulata, tab. 8422.— This is an old-garden plant, a native of Jamaica, having been introduced to this country about a century ago. In some gardens it is grown under the name of Portlandia grandiflora, also a West Indian plant, but with opposite leaves. The in- florescence of the Brunfelsia is extremely hand- some, forming clusters of large white flowers at the ends of the branches. B. undulata differs from most of its congeners in having a cup- shaped calyx, and very short, obtuse lobes, a distinction which is shared by B. americana, from which it is distinguished by the leaves tapering at both ends, those in 13. americana being obtuse. The plant requires a warm house and grows best in a loamy soil. Syrinqa Juliana, tab. 8423. — This species has been confused with S. viliosa, Vahl., and the specimens from which the Botanical Magazine figure was prepared, were received at Kew from Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, under that name. Seeds were sent from WestL-rn China by Jlr. E. H. Wilson in 1901, and plants were raised in the Coombe Wood Nursery. S. Julianie forms a moderately-sized bush, flowering at the end of May and in June. The blossoms are a purplish- lilac colour and fragrant. DoMBEYA calantha, tab. 8424. — This plant is an erect shrub, growing about 12 feet high, and bearing corymbs of rose-coloured flowers which have a superficial resemblance to those of the Musk Mallow. Plants were raised at Kew from seeds sent in 1911 by Mr. J. JI. Wood, Director of the Botanical Garden at Durban, where the species has been in cultivation under the name of D. spectabilis. The plant has grown vigor- ously in the Mexican house at Kew, and, but for severe pruning, would have attained tree-like dimensions. CoaoKiA COTONEASTER, tab. 8425. — This plant is a native of New Zealand and almost hardy in this country, a specimen in Canon Ellacombe's garden at Bitton, near Bristol, having supplied the materials for the Botanical Magazine plate. The flowers are a bright yellow colour, and are succeeded by small, orange-coloured berries. The leaves are only 5 to 6 lines long, and 2 to 4 lines wide ; they are coloured on the under sides with a white tomentum. Cereus Silvestrii, tab. 8426. — The flowers of this succulent are very striking, being a bright orange-scarlet colour ; the plant illustrated is bearing ten inflorescences, and has the appear- ance of being a good garden subject. The species is a native of Argentina, and, in common with all succulents, enjoys plenty of sunshine, needing very little moisture during the winter season. Sir Joseph Hooker. — Mr. Pennachine has completed a portrait bust of the late Sir Joseph Hooker, from a sitting taken just before his death. The bust, which is at Mr. Pennachine's studio at Ealing, is an excellent piece of work. The Surveyors' Institution.— The next ordinary general meeting wiU be held at The Inetitution on Monday, April 15, when a paper will be read by Mr. R. M. Kearns (Fellow) entitled " The Cost of Labour in Con- nection with the Erection and Maintenance of Buildings." The annual dinner will be held at the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel Metropole, on Tues- day, April 23. Failure of a Society.— The Shirley, Mill- brook, and Freemantle Horticultural Society, an offshoot of the Royal Southampton Horticultural Society, after being in existence for 46 years is to be wound up, owing to a lack of support. At the annual meeting the position of the society was discussed, and it was stated that the com- mittee were, last year, unable to pay the whole of the prize money. In 1898 £115 was received for admission to the society's exhibition ; in 1902 the gate money amounted to £55 ; whilst last year the takings w-ere only £15. When Shirley was an urban district gardening was an important industry in the neighbourhood, and the annual horticultural exliibitiou was made the occasion of a public holiday. Complimentary Dinner to Cumberland Landscape Gardeners.— In order to mark the completion of extensive alterations to the grounds attaching to Rhine Hill, Strat- ford-on-Avon, the residence of Miss Smith, by Messrs. Hayes, landscape gardeners, Keswick, Miss Smith invited the staff of ^Icstrs. Hayes, her own gardeners, and those intimately con- nected with the scheme to dinner at a local hotel. Forestry Report. — The University Press, Cambridge, has published, at the instance of the Forestry Committee, the report of Mr. E. R. Burden on his recent visit to the United States and Canada. Mr. Burden's object in making this visit was to study the methods of research into the structures, properties and utilisation of timber employed in the United States and Canada, and to enquire into the nature of the training given to Forestry students in this branch of the subject. The Food of Epiphytic Bromeliads.— The Bromeliaceie, to which order the Pine-apple be- longs, contains many plants remarkable for their epiphytic habit and peculiar form. Recent in- vestigation (see Nature, March 14, 1912, by M. C. PiCADO prove that the epiphytic Brome- liads are able to absorb by means of parts of their leaves, not only mineral salts but also organic nitrogen compounds, such as proteins, which compounds are produced as by the diges- tion of the vegetable and animal substances which fall into the cavity formed by the over- lapping bases of the leaves. The Mycetozoa. — Students of that most fascinating though lowly group of organisms known as the Mycetozoa and claimed alike by botanists and by zoologists as falling within their respective territories, will welcome the new edition of Lister's Monograph, which has now been issued.* The new volume^ which has been prepared by Miss Gulielm.a Lister, contains much new material, and is beautifully illustrated by plates, many of which have been reproduced by the three-colour process. • A Monograph of the Mycetoxoa ; A Des:rip'ive Catalcgie of the Species in tlie Herbarium of the British Museum, tiy Arthur Lisier, F.R.S. Second edition, revised by Gulieliiia Lister. Pp. aOl, 201 plates (120 coloired), 56 woodcuts. London. 1911, 8vo. Publish ;d by th^ Trustee, of the British Museum. Price £1 10s, School Gardens.— According to statistics recently published in the Standard there are at the present time school gardens attached to 2,000 elementary schools. The number of scholars receiving instruction is 35,000 boys and 1,200 girls. In. London alone there are about 200 school gardens. The movement for the establishment of such gardens is not confined to this country, but has spread to the United States, Germany, Austria, and Sweden. Californian Plant Diseases. — Bulletin No. 218 of the College of Agriculture (Univer- sity of California) — a substantial volume of about 150 pages — is almost a text book on the subject of plant diseases. It is prefaced by a brief outline of the principles of plant physiology, and deals with injurious atmo- spheric and soil conditions before proceeding to give a list and brief descriptions of the more specific plant diseases in California with direc- tions for treatment. The Bulletin, which is copiously and well illustrated, concludes with a list of fungicides. Armed with such ample in- structions the grower in California ought to be well prepared for dealing promptly with tba numerous pests which attack his plant*. A Beneficent Soil Constituent,— Experi- ments recorded recently in those pages have demonstrated that vanoiis poisonous substances may be isolated from soils. The converse dis- covery is now announced by Messrs. E. C. Shorley, M. X. Sullivan, and J. J. Skinner (U. S. Dept. of Agriculture Bureau of Soils Bill, No. 83), who have isolated from soil an organic compound creatinine, which appears to exercise a markedly beneficent action on the growth of plants. This substance (creatinine) is well known to the animal physiologist as a decomposition product of proteins, and may therefore be expected to occur at all events in small quantities in the soil. Mr. Shorey finds that it is also present in various organic fertilisers, including stable manure. Creatinine occurs also in plants, and indeed the amount of this substance which occurs in the soil appears to depend on cultivation ; planted soil showing a larger amount than unplanted soil. The most interesting observations from the practical point of view are those made on the effects of these substances on plant-growths. From these ex- periments, carried out by Mr. Skinner, it would appear that creatinine is capable of replacing to some extent at all events other sources of nitrogen. Thus plants cultivated in solutions containing only potash and phosphates grow more vigorously when creatinine is added. Further, the effect of creatinine on plants sup- plied both with it and with nitrates is to lower the absorption of the latter without detriment to the growth of the plant. It seems probable that the long-known beneficent action of such slow-acting organic fertilisers as horn shav- ings and wool waste may be due to the creatinine and allied bodies produced during the decay of the fertilisers. Meteorological Instruments and Weather FoRECASTS.'-This little book should prove useful to the young gardener who wishes to gain an intelligent understanding of the use of meteorological instruments. A simple account of the physical properties of air, of the nature of winds and snow is given in the introduction. Subsequent chapters deal with thermometers, barometers, with instruments for the measure- ment of wind and rain, and with miscellaneous instruments (sunshine recorders, earth thermo- meters, sundials and the like). The final chap- ter is devoted to weather forecasts. » The M-del Enginrcr Series, No. 16. Pri;e 6d. Illus- tia:ed. (Lo.idon : Fecival Marshall & Co.) 188 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 23, 1912. RovAL International Horticultural Exhibition. — The " Western Counties of Scot- land " Cup (see fig. 81) is presented by sub- scribers in the counties of Ayr, Argyll, Bute. Dumfries, Dumbarton, Lanark, Kirk- cudbright, Perth, Renfrew, Stirling, and Wig- town tor competition at the forthcoming Inter- national Show. Mr. JAS. Whitton, Secretary for the West of Scotland, kindly informs us that the cup is 21i inches in height, with- out plinth, weighs 120 ounces, and is in Georgian style, with richly chased floral decoration, having on one side a large shield m high relief with the arms of the different sub- scribing counties engraved thereon. A replica of this shield is shown on the opposite side with the title of the cup and an appropriate inscrip- tion engraved on it. -The bowl illustrated in fig. 82 is pre- sented by Messrs. Geo. Bunyabd & Co., Ltd., Maidstone. It will be awarded for the best ex- hibit in the open class for a collection of nine dishes of fruit of distinct kinds. Austria and the Royal International Horticultural Exhibition. — The Vienna Horticultural Society is arranging a 10-day ex- cursion to London for the International E.xhibi- tion. The party will start on May 22, and will proceed straight to London. In addition to visit- ing the exhibition, visits will also be made to the principal nurseries, Kew, the R.H.S. gardens at Wisley, Hampton Court, and other places. On the return journey, a halt will be made at Rotter- dam, and a day or two spent in Holland and Bel- gium, the programme terminating at Frankfort- on-Main, after a visit to the celebrated Palm garden in that city. Echo of the Brussels International Exhibition.— The medals and diplomas awarded the members of the jury of the Brussels Interna- tional Horticultural Exhibition, held in 1910, have just been distributed. The British jurors, namely, Messrs. William Watson, A.L.S., Stuart H. Low, and R. Hooper Peabson, have been sent the mementoes through the Exhibition Depart- ment of the Board of Trade. L.C.C. Parks Committee. — In the Gar- deners' Ohronkle of March 16, the list of members of the Parks Committee of the London County Council for the coming year was puli- lished. The committee have now met and appointed as their chairman Jlr. J. W. Lorden, who was vice-chairman last year. Major H. B. Lewis-Barned was elected as vice-chairman. Mr. Thomas Lewis.— Friends of Mr. Thomas Lewis, of Jlessrs. John Waterer & Sons, Bag- shot, will learn with regret that he has recently sustained bereavement in the death of his daughter. Mr. W. Purdom.— Considerable anxiety has been felt for the safety of Mr. Purdom, who is engaged in plant collecting in China for Messrs. Jas. Veitch & Sons, and has encoun- tered serious perils during the revolutionary war. We are glad to learn from a telegram just re- ceived from Pekin that Mr. Purdom has suc- ceeded in reaching that city. Publications Received. — Meteorological Notes and Remarks upon the Weather Daring the Year 1911, with its General Effects upon Vegetation, by James Whitton. (Glasgow : Robert Anderson.) — Out/ines of Evolutionary Biology, by Arthur Deudy, D.Sc, P.B.S. (Lon- don : Constable & Co , Ltd) Price 123. 6d. net. — 7he Garden at Home, by H. H. Thomas. (Oftssell& Co., Ltd., London.) Price 6s net. BATSFORD. (Concluded from p. 164.) The Rockery. Batsford is the home of the ideal material for making a rock garden ; for here is quar- ried the sandstone amongst which so many Alpine plants luxuriate. Recent visitors to Kew will have seen tons of it being placed in a portion of the rockery there, which has been so skilfully and artistically re-made. The Batsford rockery is a splendid example of the unostentatious structure. The run of the ground has been followed, and the boulders so cunningly placed, that the rockery suggests a rather low hill-side, which has been acquired for the cultivation of Alpine and allied plants. As is proper, neatness and order prevail ; the plants possess legible though inconspicuous labels. No useful purpose would be served by giving any- thing approaching a complete list of the great variety of rock plants which may be so easily seen and admired, but it will be interesting to note a few of the rarer and more than usually luxuriant plants, taken very much in the order Fig. 8i. — royal international horti- cultural exhibition. (Cup presented by the Western Counties of Scotland.) in which they occur. Daphne Blagayana seems perfectly at home, as also does the difficult dwarf Rubus arcticus, which is growing along- side the commoner R. australis, with yellow branches and spines. Hypericum reptans carpets the ground between a couple of boulders, just below a good specimen of Dahpne Cneorum. Gentiana acaulis, the despair of some gardeners, is very healthy, as also are Saxifraga Aizoon, S. longifolia, and S. Clibranii. The useful little Arenaria balearica draws ample nourishment from the porous sandstone, and serves as an attractive carpet for a double crimson-flowered Helianthemum, which flowers with great free- dom. A large clump of Sempervivum arachnoi- deum has found an ideal home under the shelter of an overhanging boulder, and the silvery tips of a Juniperus prostrata, which hugs a flat boulder, are very striking in appearance. The Glasshouses. In the glasshouses, which are on the oth«r side of the path, the same indications of high culti- vation and careful attention are at once appar- fl ent. The vineries contain clean canes of such * varieties as Black Hambro', ^L1dresfield Court, Lady Downes, and Muscat of Alexandria. The variety Barbarossa bore some enormous bunches last season, but, as Mr. Gardiner succinctly remarked, " Very nice to look at, but that's ' all." The season of indoor Peaches was over, but the ripening growths of Royal George, Bellegarde ; Pineapple and Lord Napier Nectarines all indicated good crops fur the next season. Several houses are devoted to the culture of Melons, which are in daily I'equest over a long period, and Figs are also a favourite fruit. In a heated pit the dwarf Beans were already making good progress, and other pits were being prepared for the forcing of various high-class vegetables. The plant houses all contained fine healthy batches of use- ful subjects. Carnations are grown on a large scale, and so, of course, are Chrysanthemums; while the ever papular Begonia Gloire da Lorraine was full of health and vigour. Bouvardias are found to be valuable, for many buttonholes have to be supplied, and house de- coration is practised on an extensive scale. Poin- settias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) and Cleroden- dron fallax furnish the rich bright colour which is so telling in the dark oak-paneUed rooms of the mansion. The kitchen garden forms a long square facing east-south-east, and is very attractive with it» ornamental pond in the middle, where the chief paths, with their flower borders, meet. The various vegetables necessary for supplying the needs of a large establishment are to be found here, and indicate again good culture, com- bined with intelligent anticipation of future requirements. The hardy fruit is, of course, an important feature of this large garden ; for the | most part the standard varieties are relied ( upon, but a trial is given to promising novelties. A. O. B. ___^____^____ SCOTLAND. THE SCOTTISH FRUIT TRADE AND THE INSURANCE ACT. A MEEiiNa of the members of the Glasgow fruit trade was held on the 13th inst. in the City ■ Hall for the purpose of considering the desira- bility of forming an approved society under the Insurance Act among members of the Scottish ' fruit trade. Councillor Gardner presided, and said that there .should be no difficulty in securing the minimum of 5,000 members among the trade in Scotland, with centres in different parts of the country. It was decided that the question be considered by the executive of the various trade as-sociations. EDINBURGH AND LEITH FRUIT AND FLOWER TRADERS AND THE SHOPS ACT. A MEETING of the Edinburgh and Leith Fruit and Flower Trade Association was held in Edin- burgh on the 14th inst. to consider the Shops Act, 1911, and a proposal to apply for a closing order foi' a weekly half-holiday every Wednesday. A motion in favour of the proposal was carried by a large majority, and it was agreed to take a plebiscite of those interested. DUMFRIESSHIRE AND GALLOWAY HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. A MEETING of the directors of this society, which has held no show since 1910, was held recently and a statement of the accounts pre- sented. At the end of the last show there was n deficiency of £76 14s. lid., but this had been reduced by special subscriptions. There was no" nothing unpaid but the prize money. The at' counts showed an income of £185 6s. Id. and :ii: expenditure of £185 17s. 9d., leaving a balaiii due to the secretary of lis. 8d. and to the pri/.i winners of £39 lis. 6d. The chairman, Mr. Jas. Henderson, Elmbank Gardens, and others pre- sent expressed satisfaction with the statemcnt.'jj It was dAided to hold no show this season. " Mabch 23, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 189 HOME CORRESPONDENCE. ^ {The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents.) "Wake Up- Manchester. — I was glad to see your leading article on " Wake up " Man- chester. It is a great pity and a great loss to horticulture in the North of England that the Old Trafi'ord Gardens went down. But in view of the present day municipal and corporation movements with regard to public gardens, would it not be better for horticulture generally, pro- vided the trust deeds allowed it, if the trustees were to set up a Nortliern Wisley, where the money would be well spent in training young gardeners and educating them for their work'/ I feel sure Manchester University would co- operate in su-ch a scheme and that the money would be forthcoming, provided the public had confidence in the executive. J. Bernard Hall, fffiwdon, Leeds. The leader in your last issue on horticultural affairs in Cottonopolis will, it is hoped, do something to rouse Jlanchester people from their seeming apathy in this matter. Let us look at the facts. Manchester is situated in the heart of a great industrial country ; within a comparatively small area there us a popuialioii of millions. The counties of Yorkshire and Chcshiio are adjacent, Derbyshire within a short distance, and North Wales within easy reach. Transit facilities by rail and road are good, not only within the counties mentioned, but northwards in the West- moreland direction and the north-east, and southwards to the IMidlands. So much for situation and accessi- bility. What of tlie popula- tion? Manchester prides itself on its trade, on its business acuoien, and its commercial achievements. As a city, even with the most enthusiastic Mancunian, it cannot lay claim to beauty. I have an impression that Bernard Shaw classes it with some dtlKn' important com- mercial centres that, in his opinion, should be burnt down. Be this as it may, Manchester contains an un- usually large number of wealthy men ; many reside in the suburbs, over the Cheshire border, in North Derbyshire, on the Lan- cashire coast, and in North Wales, whilst within easy reach are ducal establish- ments famed for their gardens. There is an enormous wrll-to-no middle class and a large population of generally well-paid workers. From a population point of view, then, everything should be in favour of Man- chester being a centre of interest in horticulture. The fine show.s formerly held at Old Trafford, referred to by j'ou in your article, are now but a memory. The gardens in which they took place, still the property of the Botanical Society, are given over to roller skating, dancing, gravitation railways, and side shows. Under the name of " White City " what were once fine, well-stocked and interesting gardens have no longer any claim to horticultural pretensions. The man in the street has a hazy idea of having heard of a botanical society, but there is nothing to remind him to-day of it.s exi.stence. The Orchid Society hides its light under a bushel. Ask any lierson you meet on one of their show days where the show is held. He cannot t.ell you. In all probabilitv he has never heard of the society. One cannot blame him ; there is no sign of it* f'xi.-'tence visible to the pul>Jic. In spite of all this, there is a very real and widespread love of plants and flowers throughout the north of Eng- land. This is by no means confined to the well- to-do. but is characteristic of all classes. The at- tempts that one may easily see to grow plants in the most uncongenial surroundings are pathetic to witness. The miner, whose " striking " propen- sities are just now so much in the public eye. is very oft-en a keen cultivator of Dahlias. In days past Lancashire was famous for its cultivation of "show" Gooseberries, many societies holding exhi- bitions and keeping carefully-tabulated records of name, size, and weight of the prize berries. Neither was the cultivation of the Auricula neg- lected ; many noted growers of this one-time popular flower hailed from Lancashire. So much for past achievements. What is the position to- day ? If we except the modest annual show held by the northern section of the National Carnation Society, we Rnd that one of the wealthiest areas ill the woild is unable to boast of one single horticultural exhibition in the year. Outside Manchester there are several small societies of a more or less local character that, in a limited way, attempt to keep horticulture alive. There are numbers of gardeners' improvement socie- ties, some with a large membership. The British Gardeners' Association hias also made some pro- gress in the formation of branches. There is also a development of giu-den suburbs. All this goes to show that there is plenty of material available if it were properly organised. The fact of the North of England Horticultural Society establish- ing itself in Leeds i.s also an indication of a want that is felt. In Lancashire aivd adjacent counties there are some of the largest nurseries in Gieat Britain, whilst in Manchester itself several firms of seedsmen and nurserymen have headquarters, from which extensive " businesses are carried on. What of the Botanical Society? On its own showing, from the extract you printed of its latest report, it has assets valued at over £45.000 after meeting all liabilities, and yet — it ^Si.: Aji^ Fig. 82.- (Bow KOVAL INTERNATIO.NAL EXHIBITION. 1 presented by Messrs. Bunyard & Co.) does nothing. Surely it is time a forward move- ment were made. Couid not the Society itself formulate a scheme whereby the various in- terested bodies I have mentioned aiid the general public will be interested, or is the initiative to come from outside? No oi-)e who knows Man- chester will require to be ".^minded of the many successful exhibitions conn(»cted with various in- terests that are annually held within the city. Surely horticulture — the oldest calling on earth — should not lag behind. Manctuiian. -If it be true that what Lancashire says to-day the whole country says to- morrow, horticulturists had better close their ears. But it is not true. Manchester has turned her lovely botanical gardens into a noisy playground, and has fallen into the rear with respect to horticultural progress. The Orchid Society is active, but its operations are not exactly alluring, notwithstanding the assistance rendered by trade growers from the south and west. Manchester itself can do little in the way of good horticultural display, but the suburbs have no climatic disadvantages, as one may see by the successes of the fe^v there who still make much of their gardens. It may be owing to the ease with which one may run up from Manchester to the ^letropolis that there is less effort to maintain fine gardens and hold im- posing horticultural exhibitions than there used to be ; but the falling off is more likely to be due to the disbanding of the society which in the best days of the late Bruce Findla^ was a fcixe not only in Manchester but throughout the coun- try. There is wealth enough, and, notwiihstand- ing appearances, there are stiU many among the people of Manchester who t;ike a keen delight in gardens and plants. All that is needed is a little initiative on the part of a few influential amateurs and others interested with a view to the formation of a society for the- promotion of horticulture. The society would make the run- ning, and we know from what has happened eJse- where that frequent periodical meetings and shows in a suitable and conveniently situated hall can do more for gardening and gardeiiei-s tlian any number of lecturers or books can. If some wealthy gardeners of the type of the late Baron Schroder would advance the money to build a hall and otfices foe a horticultural society in Manchester the rest would be easy. Twenty- five years ago one could spend a profitable week in the gardens about Manchester, whilst, nowa- days, unless he bo a buyer or seller of spotted Odoiitoglossums or big Cypripediums he will find very little to interest him. W. K. Collarette Dahlias (sec p. 176) —Visitors to the shows at the Horticultural Hall last autumn who saw the exhibits of Collarette Dahlias made by Mr. Riding and other growers, cannot fail to have realised that in this section they have the promise of securing the most attrac- tive type of garden Dahlias yet introduced. In spite of the efforts made by raisers, the Cactus-flowered varieties have been far from satisfactory. The Pa'ony-flowered varieties are too large, loose and devoid of form, whilst the plants grow very tall. But those of the new Collarette section grow only a medium height, produce flowers on stiff stems in great abundance, and of a size which enables them to harmonise with those of other kinds. The " collar " at the base of the true florets helps to retain the latter longer after being cut than is the case with Single Diihlias. Some of the colour combinations in these Dahlias are very beautiful, D. Count Althann s Gage Plum. — Your re- viewer of W. I'. Hedrick's brxjk on the rium.'< of New York corrects the author's spellings of "Althann," which he had written Altliam. Turn- ing to Dr. Hogg's Fruit Mnnual, I find he spells it " Althann," and gives its origin as the gar- den of Comte Joseph Althann, in Bohemia. So much may no doubt be taken for exactness. Turning to two of our greatest fruit firm's cata- logues, I find one prints the name as Reino Claude de Comte " Hathcm," whilst another de- scribes it as Comte de Althan's Gage, lieing con- tent to use one " n " only. Dr. Hog;; shows that the name "Althann" is commonly spelc wrongly, yet it seems the error continues. I like the Doctor's simple appellation. Count Althann's Gage, as being far better than introducing the Reine Claude, and, indeed, not only in this case, but in that of the Reine Claude de Bavay, the simple terms Althann's Gage or De Bavay Gage, are much better and easier. A. SOCIETIES. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL. Mabch 19. — The usual fortnightly meeting was held on Tuesday last in the Society's Hall, Vincent Square, Westminster, when another excellent exhibition was presented. The show was not quite so large as on the previous occasion, but it was necessary to requisition both the annexes for the ac- commodation of groups. Orchids were again displayed in large numbers, and the Orchid Com- mittee granted one First-class Certificate and one Award of Merit. In the floral section a Gold Medal was awarded to Jlessrs. James Veitch & Sons, who showed three separate groups, Azaleas and forced shrubs, greenhouse plants and Cyclamens respectively. Other importa.'it ex- hibits before the Florai, Committee included Ferns, Carnations, Pelargoniums, Rhododen- drons, and hardy flowers. The Floral Com- mittee granted seven Awards of Merit. The Feuit and Vegetable Committee found rather more than usual to inspect, but this body made no award to a novelty. The Naecissus Committee sat for the second time this season, and the groups of Narcissi were it»0 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 23, 1912. unusual^ good for a March show. Novelties were plentiful, and the Committee oonfetred three Awards of Merii to new varieties. At tl>e 3 o'clock meeting in the lecture room, Mr. H. B. Jlay gave a lecture on Ferns, dealing especially with those which are suitable for cultivation by amateurs. By means of a special lantern apparatus living specimens were reflected on tl>8 sc»een, enlarged, but showing the charac- ters excellently. Floral Committee. Present : Henry B. Jlay, Esq. (in the Chair) ; and Messrs. C. T. Druery, W. J. Bean, Julm Green, X. W. Turner, F. Herbert Chapman, J. T. Bennett-Poe, C. R. Fielder, C. Blick, J. Jennings, \V. Howe, J. F. INIcLeod, R. C. Reginald Nevill, John Dickson, Charles Dixon, H. J. Cutbush, A. Turner, H. J. Jones, F. Page Roberts (Rev.), Charles E. Shea, Chas. E. Pear- son, W. P. Thomson, W. G. Baker, W. J. James, R. W. Wallace, George Paul, W. B. Cranneld, and R. Hooper Pearson. Messrs. J.\mes Veitch & Sons, Ltd., Chelsea, exhibited, as a bank of flowers, a beautiful group of Rhododendron indicum (Azaleas), Lilacs, Viburnum Opulus. various Cherries, Peaches, and a double-flowered form of Prunus Pissardii. Messrs. Veitch also furnished a table with a miscellaneous collection of greenhouse flowering plants. Azaleas, Primula obconica of a choice strain, Streptosolen Jamesonii, Begonia Gloire de Sceaux, Primula kewensis, Aniphicome Emodii, and Lily-of-the-Valley being the chief subjects. A third exhibit shown by this firm was com- prised entirely of Cyclamens, shown in batches of distinct colours, all the plants being of mag- nificent quality. (Gold Medal.) Messrs. W. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, put up a remarkably showy exhibit of forced shrubs intermingled with greenhouse plants. Magnolias were especially good, particularly INL Soulan- geana and M. Lennei ; Pyrus Mains Scheideckeri, Camellia reticulata (especially handsome), Spira;a confusa. Rhododendron fastuosum (lavender). Hydrangea Mouillere and Prunns triloba were all good. Adjoining the forced shrubs was an imposing exhibit of Carnations, representative of the best varieties in commerce. Lady Meyer (pink). Lord Rothschild (clove), Beacon (scarlet). R. F. Felton (pink). Countess of Onslow (puce, showing scarlet). Rose Pink Enchantress, and Mrs. INIacKinnon (scarlet, scented), are a selection. (Silver-gilt Banksian INIedal.) Messrs. Stuart Low and Co., Bush Hill Park, Enfield, showed beautiful blooms of perpetual- flowering Carnations, arranged with Ferns in vases and epergnes. The choicer varieties were Baroness de Brienen, a very large flower of salmon-pink colour; Lady Alington, rose-pink; Rose Dore ; May Day. flesh colour ; Carola, crim- son ; R. F. Felton, F«t pink ; Lady Meyer, pink (new), and Beacon, scarlet. Messrs. Low also showed greenhouse plants, including several species of Acacia, Dracfena Bruantii variegata, Boronia megastigma, Erica codonodes, Cycla- mens in variety, and Camellias. (Silver Banksian Medal.) An imposing exhibit of Ferns was staged by Messrs. J. Hii.L & Son, Barrowfield Nurseries. Lower Edmonton. The collection embraced 100 species and varieties, many showing rich tinting in the new fronds. There were fine specimens of Platycerium grande and P. Hillii. also large plants of Adiantum scutum, Blechnum lati- folium, Lastrea erythrosa, Brainea insignis. Davallia Spehmcce, D. tenuifolia Veitchii, and Onychium auratum. (Silver-gilt Banksian Medal.) Messrs. H. B. May & Sons, The Nur.series, Upper Edmonton, filled a large table with Ferns, varieties of Clematis, and Gardenia florida (jas- minoides), the best-habited Gardenia for grow- ing in pots. The blue Primrose was also shown •well. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Mr. L. R. Russell, Richmond, showed a fine exhibit of forced shrubs, with a bordering of Brunfelsia floribunda and Primula obconica. completed by a line of P. malacoides. Standard plants of Lilac, Forsythia, Azaleas, and Prunus triloba were arranged on a ground of Azaleas and Ferns. As a separate exhibit Mr. Russell showed haiidy plants of seasonable subjects. (Silver Flora Medal.) "Messrs. R. and G. Cuthbert, Southgate. staged a small collection of forced shrubs, as a complement to their large exhibit of bulbous tlowers. (Bronze Banksian Medal.) Messrs. R. Gill & Sons, Treroough, Penryn, Cornwall, exhibited liardy Himalayan Rhodo- dendrons, the new Primula Winteri, and Andro- meda floribunda. Amongst the Rhododendrons we noticed Henry Shilsun, Duke of Cornwall, crimson, with black spots ; Mrs. Henry Shilson, pink ; R. barbatum, red ; R. arboreum album, and R. a. Blood Red. (Silver Banksian Medal.) A Bronze Banksian Medal was awarded to Lady Maky Holland, Eaton Place, London, for a dozen plants of seedling Hippeastrums. Messrs. Jakman & Co., Chard, put up a small group of a star-flowered strain of Cineraria named Cactus stellata. There was a good range of colours in the plants, the light and dark blues being especially fine. Messis. Wm. ArtIndale & Son, Nether Green, Sheffield, exhibited bunches of Primula obconica, representing a fine, large-flowered strain of this showy greenhouse plant. Mr. H. Burnett, Guernsey, was awarded a Silver Banksian Medal for a fine exhibit of per- petual-flowering Carnations. iMessrs Allwood Bros., Wivelsfield, Hay- wards Heath, were the exhibitors of perpetual- flowering Carnations, having large blooms of Gloriosa, White Wonder, Wivelsfield Wonder, May Day, and other choice varieties. Messrs. W. Wells & Co., Merstham, Surrey, showed varieties of perpetual-blooming Carna- tions- Messrs. H. J. Jones. Ltd., Ryecroft Nurseries, Hither Green, show-ed 40 varieties of zonal-leaved Pelargoniums, arranged on a rather dull ground of green cloth. The following were the finest sorts in their respective colours : — scarlet, Fred Gulliver ; salmon, Mr. T. F. Bunting ; crimson, Mrs. Harry Wood ; purple-tinted, James Wraight ; white, Mrs. H. Perkins ; magenta, J. W. Moorman ; and orange, Harry. Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent, exhibited 50 distinct varieties of zonal-leaved Pelargoniums, the large collection making a bright group. A new variety, named H. Bart- lett, is a fine scarlet flower, the " pips " being 3 inches across. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Messrs. Geo. jMount & Sons, Ltd., Canter- bury, showed Roses, included the varieties Lady Hillingdon, Mrs. Geo. Shawyer, Richmond, and Liberty. Mr. George Prince, Longworth, Berkshire, made a feature of the delightful Fortune's Yellow in a small exhibit of Roses. Examples of turf, with specimens of dried grasses, of varieties suitable for lawns and bowl- ing greens, were shown by Jlr. James JIacdonald, Harpenden, Hertfordshire. A .Silver Banksian Medal was awarded to Mrs. Charrinoton, Byfleet (gr. Mr. W. H. Haw- thorn), for a group of Cyclamens arranged with Ferns. Hardy Flowers. Mr. Maurice Prichard, Christchurch, Hamp- shire, showed Alpine plants, receiving a Silver Flora Medal. The plants were all splendidly grown, those of Primula helvetica alba and P. denticulata being of outstanding merit. Iris stylosa speciosa was shown as a large batch of cut flowers. (Silver Flora Jledal.) Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons Lowfield Nurseries, Crawley, planted a rockery with Alpines and backed with dwarf shrubs and Conifers. (Bronze Banksian Medal.) Mr. Geo. Reuthe, Keston. Kent, showed large numbers of Alpine plants and uncommon shrubs. The beautiful Camellia reticulata was noticed, also the rare Rhododendron intricatum (blue) and R. Metternichii. There was also a fine truss of R. g>-ande. Amongst the Alpines, Hepatica triloba grandiflora (lilac), Saxifraga Borisii and S. Stribneyi were conspicuously good. (Bronze Banksian Medal.) Messrs. Ware, Ltd., Feltham, arranged a very effective rock-garden, making a kind of plateau, with large boulders cropping out, and planted be- tween the drifts with Epigasa repens, Viola gra- cilis, Aubrietia Wallace! (bright lavender), Dralm brunisefolia (olympica) (yellow), Trillium grandi- florum (white)', and .Soldanella Clusii (purple). (Bronze Banksian Medal.) A pale pink-flowered Anemone Pulsatilla was shown by Royal Tottenham Nurseries, Ltd.. Dedemjv'aart, Holland. The plants attracted much attention, the colour being very pleasing, and marking a distinct development in this pretty Alpine flower. Messrs. John Peed & Son, West Norwood, LondoiT. showed a charming rock-garden exhibit, and, being close to a window, the colours of the flowers appeared remarkably bright. The intense blue of Scilla sibirica, Chionodoxa sardensis. Anemone blanda, with purple Crocuses, Primula farinosa and Aubrietia Perkinsii (lavender) all showed to advantage. Messrs. Whiielegg & Page, Chislehurst, Kent, also exhibited a rockery on which Primula malacoides was planted. The fine purple Aubrie- tia Mrs. Lloyd Edwards was shown well in a depression between rocks. Mr. Clarence Elliott, Six Hills Nursery, Stevenage, made an effective rockery, on whick Viola gracilis, Primula niarginata, P. AUionii and Pulmonaria angustifolius azurea were seen to advantage. Messrs. Thompson & Charman, Bushey, Hert- fordshire, showed, on a rockery, well-flowered plants of Anemone Pulsatilla. Fritillaria bucha- rica (bluish-white), Euphorbia Wulfenii, the new Ribes laurifolia and the white variety of Cory- dalis tuberosa (cava). The Misses Hopkins, Mere Gardens, Shepper- ton, staged a rock-garden exhibit, planted with Anemones, Daisies, Hcpaticas, Primula rosea, P. denticulata and Anemone Pulsatilla. The Burton Hardy Plant Nursery, near Christchurch, Hampshire, arranged a rockery with a variety of suitable flowering plants, such as Primula nivalis, P. marginata, P. villosa, Polyanthuses. Myosotis " Ruth Fisher," Ane- mone Pulsatilla, Morisia hypogaea and Aubrietia Mrs. Lloyd Edwards, all fine plants of their re- spective kinds. Messrs. Bakers, Wolverhampton, staged boxes of Alpine flowers, amongst which we noticed Pulmonaria saccharata. Iris cristata, Cypripedium spectabile (very fine specimens), Ranunculus am- plsxicaule, Megasea afghanica (a pure white- flowered species). Phlox amoena and Shortia gala- cifolia. Mr. James Box, Lindfield, Haywards Heath, showed Alpine and hardy plants in season. (Bronze Flora Medal.) Other exhibitors of hardy plants were Messrs. G. & A. Clark. Ltd., Dover; Mr. Reg. Prichard, West Moors, Dorsetshire ; and The Guildford Hardy Plant Nursery. A Silver Banksian Medal was awarded to Miss OUGH, Streatham, for a collection of floral paintings. Awards of Merit. Cori/lopsis Veilchiana.—The Hon. ViCAKY GiBBS (gr. Mr. Beckett) exhibited another new species of Corylopsis recently introduced from China. The plant showed a much freer habit of growth than C. multiflora, which gained an Award of Merit at the previous meeting, but for garden purposes the inflorescences were similar. Hxppeastrum " Musigny."—'ih.\s is one of the most resplendent varieties of Ilippeastrum we have seen. It is a large, well-formed flower, and the pure crimson colour is brilliant to the last degree. Hippeastrvm " Rose du Barri." — Like the variety already described, this beautiful Hip- peastr'um was shown by Lord Rothschild, both being seedlings raised by his gardener, Mr. A. Dye. " Rose du Barri " is a fine flower of a tint that may be best described as French rose. It, is distinct in Hippeastrums. The value of both varieties is well above that of the average exhibition flower. Piimvla K II II Ihi a tin. —Messrs. James Veitch & Sons exhibited plants of a pretty little Primula collected by their representative, Jlr. Purdora, in Shensi (N . China). It has mauve-coloured flowers and slightly mealy leaves, in general habit resembling the plant known to gardeners as 'P. frondosa, which is really P. farinosa frondosa. The name Knuthiana was given the imported plants after comparing them with an illustration of P. Knuthiana Pax. /Vwnu.5 Pis.iardii Mo.ifri, fl. pi. — This is a j variety with good-sized, semi-double flowers of a pretty shade "of pink. Shown by Messrs. JaS. Veitch & Sons. Pseudotsuga (AbUs) Douglnsii FTel.rheriana.--\ This variety of Pseudotsuga Douglasii may weU I Mabch 23, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 191 be described as a pigmy form. It is so much branched that the specimen, though only about 18 inches high, was 2 feet in diameter. The ex- hibitors stated that the plant was raised from a seed 16 years ago. It may be recommended for the rockery, where its dense habit will be an advantage. Shown by Messrs. Fletcher Bros., Chertsey. Hose. " i?o.sc Qiifen." — This hybrid Tea Rose is an American seedling, and the forced flowers ex- hibited by Mr. W. E. Wallace, Eaton Bray Nurseries, showed it to be a first-class variety for that purpose. The flowers are of good form, and the colour reminded us of the variety Lady Ash- town. This Rose is likely to become very popular. Narcissus Committee. Present : E. A. Bowles, Esq. (in the Chair) ; Miss Willmott, Kev. C. T. Digby. Messrs. P. D. Williams, Walter T. Ware, Herbert Smith, P. Rudolph Barr, Joseph .Jacobs, H. Chapman, F. Barchard, W. B. Cranfield, G. W. Leak, W. W. Fowler, C. Bourne, J. T. Bennett-Poe, A. M. Wilson, W. Poupart, W. Goldring, and C. H. Curtis (secretary). Messrs. Barr & Sons, Covent Garden, Lon- don, staged an interesting collection of cut blooms. Besides a selection of the standard varie- ties, there were many unnamed seedlings, and especially of trumpet Daffodils. Of the named varieties we especially noted Bedouin (with a broad, white perianth, and large, fiery-orange cup). Atlas (a monster trumpet Daffodil), Maxi- mus (rich yellow, with twisted perianth seg- ments), Venus (pale in colour), Athene and Cyrus, the two last-named varieties being good trumpet Daffodils of pale primrose colour. Sparkler is a splendid large-cupped Narcissus, with a rich corona, whilst Lady Bird, although a smaller flower, is even brighter in colour. (Sil- ver-gilt Flora Medal.) Mr. Alex. M. Wilson, ShoveU, Bridgwater, showed a fine selection of flowers. Many were seedling varieties of great merit, the short- cupped varieties being especially good. Tita (medio-coronata). Sealing Wax (parvi-coronata), and Inglesconibe (a very large double-flowered trumpet Daffodil, of fine form and rich colour) were the best of the named varieties. (Silver- gilt Bronze Medal.) Mr. C. Bourne, Simpson, Bletchley, gave especial prominence in his group to the variety Helios, which received an Award of Merit, and to vSt. David, a very large, rich-yellow trumpet Daffodil. Alys, a pure-white large coronata variety, with pairs of slightly pendulous flowers, is very pretty. The dainty little Campanella Jonquils, with their clusters of sweetly-scented, rich-vellow flowers, found manv admirers. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. R. H. Bath, Ltd., Wisbech, showed Daffodils and a quantity of Chionodoxa Luciliae In vases, also Tulips, Hyacinths, and Narcissi growing in bowls containing fibre. The best o£ the Daffodils were Dream (a pendulous variety, having a white perianth and primrose trumpet), and Weardale Perfection. (Silver Flora Medal.) The Rev. G. H. Englehe.^rt, Dinton, Salis- bury, exhibited a splendid lot of seedlings. The trumpet Daffodils arranged in the back row were splendid. All the varieties were shown with numbers, and one variety, in- dicated by H. seems to be a decided ad- vance on the trumpet Daffodils in commerce; this variety has a very broad trumpet with boldly-frilled edges. Another variety with smaller flowers, nearly pure-white in the perianth and having a pale-apricot trumpet, was very charming. The varieties of Narcissus having large coronas possessed rich colours. Messrs. Jas. Carter & Co., Raynes Park, again exhibited a spring garden. On this occasion the Scheme was that of an informal rockery and waterfall. A breadth of Daffodil King Alfred, comprising a great number of blooms, made a very effective mass of colour. The more sober tints of the groups of Iris around the pool of water contrasted well with the rich colour of the Daffodils. ^ Messrs. Cuteush & Sons, Highgate, fiUed a side table with a large number of standard varieties of Daffodils growing in 6-inch flower pots. The plants were well flowered, and in- cluded such varieties as King Alfred, Princess Mary, Maximus. Henry Irving, Telamonius plenus, James Walker, and Victoria. Messrs. R. & G. Cuthbert, Southgate, Middle- sex, staged many well-flowered Tulips. The Darwin varieties, which are so useful as cut flow-ers, included CUo (buff shades), Mrs. Moon (yellow). La Tulip Noire (nearly black), and Pride of Haarlem (deep rose). The loiiger- petalled. May-flowering varieties, such as Sum- mer Beauty and Crimson Globe, were very showy. Robert Sydenham Limited, Birmingham, ex- hibited a small selection of Narcissus, and pot plants of Liliums, Astilbes, Tulips, and Lily-of- the- Valley. The new poeticus Narcissus Nellie Price, which has a distinct band of rich colour around the eye, was pretty, as also was one named Mrs. Brett. Messrs. S. Bide & Sons, Alma Nurseries, Farnham, Surrey, showed three varieties of Tulips arranged in tall stands. Messrs. Young & Co., Hatherley, Cheltenham, exhibited Tulips and Narcissi. Mr. J. C. M.vrtin, Highertown Bulb Gardens, Truro, sent some excellent Daffodil blooms, but owing to the train service being disorganised they did not arrive in time for the committee to inspect them. Awards of Merit. Narcissus "Robespierre." — An Incomparabilis variety, having a large, fiery-orange cup; a splendid bloom. (From Mr. A. M. Wilson.) .V. " Biibalite." — A very pretty flower, with a white perianth and an orange-red eye. (From Mr. Alex. M. Wilson.) N. " Helios." — An exceedingly fine bloom, having a pale yellow perianth, and an enormous, rich vellow cup, tinted with orange. (Shown by Mr. W. T. Ware.) Orchid Committee. Present : J. Gurney Fowler, Esq. (in the Chair), and Messrs. Jas. O'Brien (hon. sec.), Gurney Wilson, F. M. Ogilvie, T. Armstrong, A. A. McBean, W. Cobb, J. Charlesworth, J. E. Shill. H. G. Alexander, A. Dye, W. H. White, J. Wilson Potter, J. S. Moss, "W. Bolton, de B. Crawshay, C. J. Lucas, Stuart Low, and Harry J. Veitch. H. S. GooDSON, Esq., Fairlawn, West Hill, Putney (gr. Jlr. G. E. Day), was awarded a Silver Flora Medal for an extensive and well- arranged group, at the back of which was a good selection of varieties of Phaius Norman and P. Martha;, the labellums of the latter variety being very dark and finely coloured. Good Odoutoglossums, including forms of 0. crispum, the best of which was the variety Mrs. Goodson, a richly-blotched flower. 0. ardentissimum " Goodson's variety," 0. a. var. Dayanum, 0. Aireworth, good 0. eximium. and other showy Odontoglossums and Odontiodas, the best of the latter being 0. Charlesworthii, the original form which secured the First-class Certificate. Of the Lselio-Cattleyas the very dark form of L.-C. Charlesworthii with rich ruby-red lip was the best, and a good selection of Cypripediums, Cymbidiums was noted. Messrs. Sander & Sons. St. Albans, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal for a showy group, the centre of which was of their very fine type of Dendrobium Wardianum. With them were two forms of the new and pretty Cymbidium Gottianum and other Cymbidiums, Dendrobium delicatulum, some hybrid Cattleyas and Lfelio- Cattleyas, C. Olaf var. venusta (Parthenia Prince of Wales X labiata Cooksonise) — a very pretty white flower with rose-purple front to the lip — and forms of C. Vulcan, Cattleya Schroderse, C. Trianse in many varieties ; pretty Odontoglossums, both species and hybrids, a selection of Brasso- Cattleyas, Megaclinium maximum, Gongora Icuco- chila, Lycaste Imschootiana, and the bright-red Renanthera Imschootiana, Bulbophyllum csespi- tosum and other Bulbophyllums were also noted. Messrs. Charlesworth & Co.. Haywards Heath, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal for a group of rare species and hybrids, in which were the rare Angraecum germin- yanum, a species from Madagascar, with narrow sepals and petals and long curved spur to the white apiculate labellum : the rare and beautiful Neomoorea irrorata with a very fine spike, Angraecum citratum with spikes over a foot in length ; good forms of Odonto- glossum ardentissimum, and other showy Odontoglossums, all finely flowered ; Laelio- - Cattleya JIarathon, and L.-C. Nelthorpe Beau- clerk, both of good form and colour ; forms of Cattleya Trianie. including the white alba flori- bunda and showy red Odontiodas. Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., Gatton Park (gr. Mr. Collier), staged a small group in which were his handsome Odontoglossum Queen of Gatton (see Awards) ; 0. Japonais, a grand plant of the scarlet Odontioda Bradshawiae, with two spikes, one bearing 54 flowers ; 0. gattonensis, with a spike of 45 flowers ; Bulbophyllum mandi- bulare, B. barbigerum, Megaclinium falcatum, and the charming little Maxillaria sanguinea, Eulophia Saundersii. G. Hamilton Smith, Esq., Killoran, Finchley (gr. Mr. Coningsby), received a Silver Banksian Medal for a compact group including good speci- mens of Cymbidium eburneo-Lowianum, C. Ballife, C. Lowgrinum, C. eburneum, C. insigne, and a selection of Lycaste Skinneri, the variety Mrs. G. Hamilton-Smith being one of the largest and finest yet shown. Messrs. Hassell & Co., Southgate, were awarded a Silver Banksian Medal for a group in the centre of which were two finely-flowered Angraecum sesquipedale, aromid them being Cypripedium Maudiae, and other Cypripediums: Cattleya amethystoglossa, C. Trian», Brasso- Cattleya Digbyano Mendelii and other Bras.so- Cattleyas; Masdevallia Bella, Sophronitis grandi- flora ; various Odontoglossums, including O. eriepum Cooksonii, and 0. c. virginale. Jlessrs. Stuart, Low & Co., Bush Hill Park, were awarded a Silver Banksian Medal for an effe<;tive group of Cattleyas, Lfelio-Cattleyas, Odontoglossums, &c. Specially noteworthy were Brasso-Laelio-Cattleya Cooksonii enfieldensis (C. Dowiana x B.-L. Gratrixiie), with pretty copper- orange flowers with ruby lip ; a selection of Brasso-Cattleyas, Oncidium splendidum, 0. sarcodes, fine Cattleya Schroderse, good scarlet Odontiodas, the rare orange-rod Polystachya paniculata, Sophronitis violacea, Cymbidium insigne, C. eburneum. good white Dendrobium Jameseanum and Cypripediums. Messrs. J. & A. A. McBean, Cooksbridge, were awarded a Silver Banksian JMedal for a group containing a grand specimen of Odonto- glassum Pha?be with three fine-branched spikes, surrounded by good forms of O. crispum, 0. ardentissimum, together with the large, pure- white variety album, a good 0. nebulosum, &c. Among the hybrids, one of the best was the new Laelio-Cattleya Euripides (L.-C. Golderest X L.-C. Myra), a pretty flower of clear cowslip- yellow colour and good shape. Lieut. -colonel Sir Geo. L. Holford, K.C.V.O., Westonbirt (gr. Mr. H. G. Alexander), sent Laelio-Cattleya Alpha " Westonbirt variety " (L.-C. Ernestii x C. Schroderae). a pretty, pale- yellow flower, and others. (See Awards.) De B. Crawshay, Esq., Rosefield, Sevenoaks (gr. Mr. Stables), showed a grand form of Cym- bidium insigne, a good home-raised Odontoglos- sum excellen.s, and Odontioda Bella (C. Noezliana X 0. bellatulum). of a deep-red colour. H. T. Pitt, Esq., Rosslyn. Stamford Hill (gr. Mr. Thurgood), sent Cymbidium Lady Colman " Rosslyn variety " and C. Lowgrinum. Mr. E. V. Low, Vale Bridge, Haywards Heath, sent the rare, white-petalled Cattleya Ludde- manniana Stanleyi, Cymbidium aureum Surprise with seven flowers and forms of Dendrobium chessingtonense. Messrs. Jas. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, showed a very fine hybrid between Laelio-Cattleya Bella and L. purpurata, silver-white tinged with lilac and with a broad, ruby-claret coloured lip. R. G. Thwaites, Esq., Streatham (gr. Mr. Black), showed Sophro-Cattleya Atrens gloriosa of a deep rich red, Odontioda Sanderae " Black's variety," a bright-scarlet flower, and other Odon- tiodas. E. H. Davidson, Esq., Borlases, Twyford (gr. Mr. Cooper), sent Odontoglossum crispum Clari.=sa, a large-flowered form, and Odontioda Cooksonise var. Eric, deep scarlet. J. H. Hill, Esq., Burgess Hill, Sussex, showed Dendrobium Austinii var. J. H. Hill of fine shape and colour. J. T. Bennett-Poe, Esq., Holmewood. Ches- hunt (gr. Mr. Downes), showed Cymbidium Col- maniae " Holmewood variety " and a spike of C. Lowianum " Woodhall's variety " with 25 flowers. » Monsieur Mertens, Ghent, sent five good Odontoglossums and Odontiodas. 192 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 23, 1912. Samuel Larkin, Esq., Ridgways, Haslemere, sent Laelio-Cattleya Endymion with large and well-coloured flowers. Mr. C. F. Waters, Dfeanlands Nursery, Bal- combe, showed a very distijict Cattleya Schroderse with white flowers tinted with pink and of good shape, the petals and lip being crimped, and Lycaste Skinneri " Water's variety " of good colour, the lip being ruby-red. G. M. Bird, Esq.. JIanor House, West Wick- ham (gr. Mr. Redden), showed Odontoglossum crispum Luciani. AWARDS. First-class Certificates. Odontoglossum crispum, " Samuel Gratrix," from Samuel Gratrix, Esq., West Point, Whal- ley Range, Manchester (gr. Mr. Brown), a grand variety, presumably a home-raised seedling from some finely-blotched 0. crispum. In shape it is one of the best yet shown. The sepals and petals are equally broad and beautifully marked with light violet colour. The large, crimped labellum is white with some reddish- purple blotches in front of the yellow crest Award of Merit. Cattleya Dirce " Westonbirt variety " {O. Vulcan X C. Warsceiviczii], from Lieut.-colonel Sir George L. Holford, K.C.V.O. (gr. Mr. H. G. Alexander), a very handsome hybrid with a great resemblance in colour and form to G. Vulcan. Flowers rosy-lilac, veined with claret- purple, and well indicating C. Schilleriana, one of the parents of C. Miss Harris var. Vulcan. Cultural Commendation to Mr. H. G. Alexander, Orchid-grower to Lieut.- colonel Sir George Holford, K.C.V.O., for a marvellous specimen of the brilliant-scarlet Sophronitis grandiflora with nearly 100 flowers. Fruit and Vegetable Committee. Present : A. H. Pearson, Esq. (in the Chair) ; and Messrs. J. Cheal, C. G. A. Nix, W. Bates, G. Woodward, E. Beckett, J. Vert, H. Markham, H. W. Williams, A. R. Allan, G. Reynolds, J. Davis, H. E. Humphreys, A. Grubb, "P. C. M. Veitch, G. Wythes, A." Bullock, A. Dean, W. Poupart, J. Harrison and A. W. Metcalfe. A Cultural Commendation was awarded to Mr. G. Woodward, Barham Court Gardens, Maid- stone, Kent, for handsome fruits of Lane's Prince Albert Apple, which was exhibited to show its ex- cellent dessert qualities at this late season. The flesh was soft and of very pleasant flavour. F. E. Wiendholt, Esq., Rhodes Farm, In- ganga, Rhodesia, sent a collection of South African Apples, some of the fruits were very at- tractive, although others were spotted. The best specimens were those of Monro's Favourite, Cleo- patra, a handsome yellow fruit tinted with rose; Scarlet Nonpareil, rather large and much striped ; Rome Beauty, and Sykehouse Russet. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Sir Daniel Gooch, Hylands Park, Chelmsford (gr. Mr. W. Heath), showed 17 dishes of Apples, including nine of the variety Annie Elizabeth, six rather small fruits of Newton Wonder, and two of Royal Jubilee, which were sent as Golden Spire. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Messrs. Dianellon & Veroopoulos, Cyprus, sent baskets and dishes of the large oval Cyprus Oi'ange. The fruits had a very thick rind, but the flesh was fairly sweet and pleasant eating. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Mr. Cotterell, Elsenham, Essex, showed ex- amples of saddle or crown grafting, in which one- half the split base of the scion is earned over the crown of the stock. Messrs. James Carter & Co., Raynes Park, set up three large mounds of excellent forcing Cabbage Lettuces, generally with hearts firm and well blanched. (Cultural Commendation.) Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, exhibited a collection of salads, including Early Paris, the old Stanstead Park, and AU-the-Year-Round Cabbage Lettuces, Improved Telegraph Cucum- bers, blanched Chicory, Dandelions and Endives, Mustard" and Cress, Radishes, Celeriac, Blood- red Beets, and, in pots, plants of Tarragon and Lamb's Lettuce. Messrs. Sutton also showed a basket of well-blanched Seakale, fronted by numerous firm, white hearts of Harbinger Cab- bage. (Silver Knightian Medal.) BRITISH GARDENERS' ASSOCIATION. March 14. — The first dinner held by this asso- ciation took place at the Holborn Restaurant on this date. The President, the Right Hon. the Earl of Plymouth, occupied the chair, and a company of about 50 members and friends were present. After the usual loyal toasts had been observed, the chairman proposed the " British Gardeners' Association." He expressed his ap- preciation at having been asked to become presi- dent of the association, and also to take the chair at the first dinner. The attendance was much smaller than both he and all present had expected, owing to the serious state of affairs from which the country was suffering. I know, said his Lordship, you will acquit me of touch- ing upon controversial matters, as I certainly shall not do in my reference to this question, which affects the whole country. I feel that in this dispute we are forgetting the interdepend- ence between Labour and Capital. The sta- bility of our commerce is dependent upon a working together of all the interests, whatever they may be, in the commercial prosperity of the country. It necessitates that there shall be some term themselves British gardeners. I feel that it is in the first interests of your association to consider not only the welfare of your own profes- sion, but that of everyone in this country in- terested in horticulture, which is far wider. With those objects I am most heartily with you, and therefore thank you for electing me as president. I give you the toast of " The Association," and hope tliat it may have many years of increasing prosperity. Mr. R. J. Frogbrook, Chairman of the Execu- tive Council, responded on behalf of the associa- tion, and thanked the President for the kind manner in which the toast had been given. He said that many gardeners and others in different parts of the country were mistaking the objects of the association, they desired to assist em- ployers by endeavouring to secure only good and practical gardeners as members of their asso- ciation. Last year an examination of the mem- bers was held, and the results were satisfactory. The Earl of Plymouth then presented the Gold Medal of the association to Mr. John Weathers, and a lesolution engrossed on vellum, thanking him for the admirable manner in which he had Fig. 83. — THE EARL OF PLYMOUTH. (President of the I3ritish Gardeners' Association.) real confidence between those who have interests to defend, and I do not think you will accuse me of saying too much when I state that there can be no confidence if obligations that have been definitely entered into, with the sanction of those concerned, are broken. Every fair-minded person in this country desires to see a fair day's wage given for a fair day's work. You are now in the very start and begin- ning of this association. Y'ou are now recognising the proper position of the great horticultural in- dustry, and the gardeners of Great Britain. You have, I think, most rightly formed an association with the intention, I believe, amongst other things, of bringing gardeners together, consider- ing the interests you have to protect, and the Ijest and most practical way of protecting them. You have the other objects of bringing in touch with yourselves those who require your services, and, furthermore, I believe, you are doing what, among great and important societies, all professional men have already done in this country, and that is to put a seal upon the com- petence of those who are and have the right to performed the duties of secretary. Mr. W. H. Chandler was also presented with the Gold Medal and Certificate won in the recent examination. Other toasts included those of "The Branches," proposed by Mr. E. F. Hawes, and responded to by Mr. J. Collier; "The Visitors," by Mr. T. Bevan, for which Mr. H. C. Preece replied ; "The Press," by Mr. A. E. Cresswell, with re- sponse by Mr. T. W. Sanders; "The Officers and Committee," by Mr. C. H. Curtis, responded to by Mr. T. Winter; and " The Chairman," pro- posed by Mr. R. S. Garnett. The President, replying to the last toast, stated that though the gathering had been fewer in niunbers than desired, it would impress all with the fact that the members were determined to make the value of the association as great as possilole. He was sure that determination of that kind would assure success. I shall, said the speaker, always fee! proud of the honour you have done me by asking me to take the chair at this first dinner. During the evening an excellent programme of vocal and instrumental music was rendered. March 23, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 193 MANCHESTER AND NORTH OF ENGLAND ORCHID. March 7. — Committte jnrgent: Rev. J. Cronibleholme (in the Chair) ; Messrs. R. Ashworth, J. Bamber, C. Parker, H. Thorp, Z. A. Ward, J. C. Cowan, J. Cypher, J. Evans, W. Holmes, A. J. Keeling, D. McLeod, and H. Arthur (secretary). A .SUverijill Medal was awarded to Z. A. Ward, Esq. Northenden (gr. Mr. Weatherby), for a group of fine, well-grown Odontoglossums. Silver Medali were awarded to W. R. Lee, Esq., Hey wood (gr. Mr. Branch); Col. J. Rutherford, M.P., Blackburn (gr. Mr. Lupton), both e.xhibitors staging Odon'toglossums ; J. McCartney, Esq. (gr. Mr. Holmes), for a group composed principallv of CattlevEis ; A. War- burton, Esq., Hasl'iiigden (gr. "Mr. Dalgleish), for Odontoglossums ; Jlessrs. J. Cypher & Sons. Cheltenham, for a miscellaneous group ; and Messrs. Sander & Sons, St. Albans, for a general collection. Other exhibitors were Rev. J. Cromblehoi.me. Clayt.jn-le-Moors (gr. Mr. Marshall); 0. O. Wrigley, Esq., Bury (gr. Mr. Rogers); J. J. HOLDEN, Esq., Southport (gr. Mr. Johnson); Wm, Thomi'.son, Esq., Walton Grange, (gr. Mr. Stevens); H. Thorp, Esq.. Rhodes: Messrs. Charlesworth & Co., Havwards Heath : Messrs. Hassall & Co., Southgate ; Mr. J. Evans, Con- glcton; Messrs. A. J." Keeling & Sons, Brad- ford; and iMr. W. Shackleton, Great Horton. AWARDS. First-class Certificate. Odontoglosaum X In Memoricim Kimj Edward (parentage unknown), from J. ,1. Holden, Esq. Awards of Merit. Catthi/a Cappei (Triana? x Schrfkh^rie), from J. J. Holden, Esq. Odonln,jl„s.<„iii Irium phans "Ward's" variety, from Z. .-V. Ward, Esq.; and Cypripedium Carola (Eurvades splendens X riiompsonii), from Wm. Thompson, Esq. NORTH OF ENGLAND HORTI- CULTURAL. March 14.— The montUy meeting of the above Society was held at the Central Bath, Bradlord, on this date. .Many who had intended showing were prevented, owing to the dis- organised train service. The exhibition wa.s opened by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, Aid. J. B. Moorhou.se, J. P. this was the first time the Society has held a show at Bradford, and the attendance was so encouraging that it was de- cided to hold a show in this town every season. Floral Committee. Lartje Silver-gdl Mrdal to .Messrs. R. P. Ker & Son, Liverpool, for a very fine exhibit of Hip- peastriuns. Silver-gilt Medals to Mr. C. Engelmann, Saffron Waldcn, who showed Carnations, those especially noteworthy being Carola, Ladv North- cliffe. Triumph, and White Wonder, and Messrs. iouNG & Co., Cheltenham, also for Carnations, including the varieties .Alikado and Black Chief. Large Silver Medal to J. Hill, Esq., Chellow Dene, Bradford (gr. .Air. G. Dunsmore), for a collection of forced plants and bulbs. Silver Medah to Messrs. Wm. AaTiND.tLE & OON, Sheffield, who exhibited a collection of a fine strain of Primula obconica ; Messrs. John Br.ooKE. Bradford, for a collection of forced bulbs, Lihes, and other plants in bloom; and JMessrs. J. Wood, Boston Spa, for an exhibit of rockwork. Large Bronze. Medals were awarded to Jlessrs. W. Conway & Sons, Ltd., Halifax, for a rock garden ; Messrs. Broadhead & Son. Wooldale Nurseries, Huddersfield. who showed a small rockwork exhibit: Messrs. Sam. Dean & Sons, Victoria Nurseries, Bradford, who exhibited forced bulbs: and F. Spencer, Esq., Bradford, for forced bulbs and greenhouse plants. Awards. A First-class Diploma was awarded to Car- nation " Lady Northcliffe," shown bv Mr C tNGELMANN, Saffron Walden, and a Second-class ^iploma to Hippeastrums Pink Perfection and Kuby Queen, shown by Messrs. R. P. Ker & oON, Liverpool. OrcMd Committee. Large Silver Medals were awarded to J. H. Craven, Esq., The Beeches, Keighley (gr. Mr. F. W. Corney), for a collection of Orchids ; W. Shackleton, Esq., Bradford, for an exhibit mainly of Odontoglossums ; and J. Hartley, Esq., The Knowle. Morley (gr. Jlr. W. Coupe), for a general collection. ^ Silver Medals to Messrs. A. J. Keeling & Sons, Bradford, for a group containing manv well-flowered Dendrobiums ; Messrs. Mansell & Hatcher, Rawdon, Leeds, whose Dendrobiums were conspicuously good : and N. Galloway, Esq., Great Horton, Bradford, for a small group, consisting of Odontoglossums, Dendro- biums, Cattleyas, and Cypripediums. A Bronze Medal was awarded to E. V. Low, Esq., Haywards Heath, Sussex, for a mis- cellaneous collection. Awards. First-class Diplomas were awarded to Odon- tioda eboraicum, shown by J. H. Craven, Esq., The Beeches. Keighley; and for four well grown and flowered white seedlings of Dendrobium Cybelle, shown by W. H. St. Quintin, Esq., Scampston Hall. York (gr. Jlr. F. C. Puddle); Second-class Diplomas were granted to Dendro- bium nobile " Thwaites' variety." and D. chessingtonensc. .shown bv J. Hartley, Esq., The Knowle, Morley (gr. Mr. W. Coupe). (Obituanj. C. C. Ellison. — Readers will learn with regret of the death of the Rev. C. C. Ellison, M.A., of the Manse, Bracebridge, Lincoln, at the age of 77. From his earliest youth to the >ist day of his long and honoured" life he loved gardening with a passion which was all-absorbing. He was Vicar of Bracebridge Parish for a great number of years, but he eventually retired in order to obtain more leisure to follow his two hobbies of gardening and ivory-turning. He, however, continued to take an active intere.'it and prac- tical part in the work of the chinch to the time of his death, being chaplain of the small private church at Boultham Hall on the estate of his brother, the late Colonel Sir R. Ellison. James McKay.— Mr. James McKay, florist and landscape gardener at Baltimore. U.S..\.. died recently at Bay View Hospital. Mr. McKay was born in Scotland 67 years ago, and was at one time employed in the Royal Gardens at Sand- ringham. He settled in .-America about 15 years THE WEATHER. THE WEATHER IN WEST HERTS. IVeek entimg March 20. The sixth imrm week in succession.— The first day was the warmest of the month as yet, but since then the day temperatures have been eilher cold or about average. There wi re no cold nights. The ground is still 3" warmer at 2 fett deep, and 2° warmer at 1 foot deep, than is season- able. Rain has fallen on each of the past six days, and to the lolal depth of over three-quarters of an inch. Last nighi theie was a slight fall of snow. Since the month began there have been only five days without rain the total measurement bemg 2J inches, or about half-an-inch more thin the average quantity for the whole month. During the week 3J gallons of rainwater have come through the bare soil gauge, and 2 gallons through ihat on which short grass is growing. The sun shone on an average for IJ hours a day, which is only about half the average dura- tion for ih" middle of March. Three days were ver# nearly, or alrogeiher, sunless. The winds have been, as a rule, of moderate strength, and have come mostly from some point of the compass between S. and W. The mean amount of moisture in the air at 3 o'clock in the after- noon exceeded a season-ible quantity for that hour by 5 per cent. An Early Rivers Peach growing on a south wall in my garden came first into blossom on the 16th, or six days earlier than its average date for the previous 26 years, and five days earlier than last year. E. M.. Berkhainstetl, March 20, 7912. CATALOGUES RECEIVED. TiLLEY Bros., 1.S3, London Road, Brighton — Farm Seeds Wm. Watson- & Sons (Ltd.), Cloniarf Nurseries, Dublin- Garden Flowers. G. S. Evans, Bexley Heath, Kent— Carnations. Mrs. A. M. PvM, Vine House, Wo^dstone, Peterboiou"h— Nursery Stcck. " A. F. DUTTON, Iver, Buckinghamshire-Carnations E. P. Dixon & Sons, Lto , Hull— Farm Seeds. Liss>DELL Nurseries. Sligo, Ireland— Alpine and Hardy Herbaceous Plants; Shiubs. IMARKETS. COVENT GARDEN, March 20. (We cannot accept any responsibility for the subjoined reports. They are funuslied to us regularly every Wednesday, by the kindness of several of the principal salesmen, who are responsible for the quoiaiions. It must be remembered that these quotations do not repre- sent the prices on any particular day, but only the general averages for the week preceding the dale of our report. The prices depend upon the quality of the samples, the way in which they are packed, the supply in the market, and the demand, and they may fluctuate, not only from day to day, but occasionally several times in one day. — Eds.1 Cut Flowers, ftc: Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d Arums (Richardias) 2 0-26 Narcissus, per doz Azalea, doz. bncLs. 3 0-36 bunches: 16-191 — Princeps , — Sir Watkin .. 16-201 — Victoria I — Barrii Orchids, Cattleya 13-16 s.d. s.d. — mollis, p. bnch Camellias, per box of 18'sand24's Carnations, p. doz. blooms, best American var. — smaller, per doz. bunches 10 0-15 0 — Carola, crim- son, extra large 60 — Kucharis, per doz. 2 6-30 F re e s i a refracta alba, p. dz. bun. 13-16 Gardenias, per bos of 15&18blms. 2 6-36 Lilac, per bunch white ... ... 2 0-26 — mauve 3 0-36 Liliuiii aiiratum per bunch ... 4 0-50 — I o n g i II oruiii, long, per do^. 2 0-26 — short, per doz. 2 0 — — I ancifoli um alba, long ... 2 0 ~ — — short ... 16-20 — speciosiim rub- rum, dz. blooms: — long 19-20 — short 0 9-10 Lily of the Valley, p. dz. bunches: — extra special ... 15 0-18 0 — special lO 0-12 0 ■ ordinary Marguerite, per doz. bunches: — Yellow Myosotis (Forgel- me-noij, p. dz. bunches Narcissus, per doz. bunches: — Double Van Sion — Emperor — Empress — Golden Spur... — Obvallaris — C a m pa n ella (Odorus) — Poeticus f 0 — 2 0-26 3 0-40 10-16 2 0-26 16-20 10-16 0 9-10 0 9-10 13-16 per doz. — Odoiitoglossum crispum Pelargoniums, p. dz. bunches : — Double Scarlet Primroses, per doz. bunches Roses, 12 blooms, — Brides maid, — C.Mennet ... — General Jac- queminot — Liberty — Madame A. Chateney — Nijjlietos — Ricliinond — Sunrise — Lady Roberts — Lady Hilling- don — Franz Deegin — Kaiserine Sweet Peas (white), pr. doz. biichs. Tulips, per bunch : — doublepink ... yellow scarlet — p. dz. bunches : — white — yellow — scarlet — bronze .. — pink — Darwin, — pink — mauve — red Violets, p. dz. bchs. — Princess of Wales, per doz. bunches — Parma .. VVallllowers, per dozen bunches 1 0- 1 6- 2 0- 1 6- 12 0 1 3 2 0 2 6 2 0 , p. bch. 3 0-40 8 0-12 0 13-16 3 0-40 3 0-40 10-16 2 0-40 2 6-40 10-26 2 0-36 10-16 2 0-26 2 0-26 3 0-36 16-30 0 8-13 10-16 13-16 5 0-60 6 0-70 6 0-80 8 0-90 6 0-80 16-19 16-19 16-19 13-20 3 0- 1 6- 4 0 2 0 Cut Foliage, *c.: Average Wholesale Prloes. s.d. s.d. 7 0-80 2 0-40 A d ian t um Fern (Maidenhair), best,dz. bnchs. Agrosi is {Fairy Grass), per dz. bunches A sparag us plu- niosus, long trails, pr.Jdoz. 16-20 — medium, doz. bunches ... 12 0-18 0 — Sprengeri ... 10 0-12 0 Carnation foliage, doz. bunches... 4 0 — Croton foliage, var- ious, per dozen bunches Cycas leaves, arti- ficial, per doz. Eulalia japonica, per bunch Moss, per gross ... Myrtle, dz. bchs. (English), small-leaved... — French Sinilax, per bunch of 6 trails s.d. s.d. 12 0-15 0 3 0-12 0 10-16 6 0 — 6 0 1 0 1 6 Plants in Pots. Ac. : Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Acacia lineata, 48's, per dozen ... 18 0-21 0 Aralia Sieboldii, p. dozen 6 0-70 Araucaria excetsa, per dozen ... 18 0-21 0 Asparagus plumo- susnanus, p.dz. 10 0-12 0 — Sprengeri ... 8 0-90 Aspidistra, p. dz., green 21 0-30 0 — variegated ... 30 0-60 0 Azaleas, per doz. 36 0-42 0 Boronia Megastig- ma, 48's, p, dz. 21 0-24 0 Cinerarias, pr. dz. 8 0-90 Cocos Weddeli- ana, per dozen: — 60's 6 0-12 0 — larger, each .. 2 6-10 6 Croton, per dozen 18 0-30 0 Cyperus allerni- folius, per doz. 5 0-60 — laxus, per doz. 4 0-50 Daffodils, per doz. 6 0-80 Dracaena. green, per dozen ... 10 0-12 0 Ericac, per dozen : — VVillmorei, 48's 15 0-18 0 — persoluta ... 27 0-30 0 Ferns, in thumbs, per 100 8 0-12 0 — in small and large fiO's ... 12 0-20 0 — in 48' = , doz, ... 6 0 — 9 0-12 0 10 0-12 0 6 0- 2 6- 8 0 7 6 s.d. s.d. Ferns, choicer sorts, per doz. 8 0 12 0 — ill 32's, per dozen 10 0-18 0 FIciis elastica, per dozen ... Genistas, 48's, per doz, Geonoma gracilis, 60's, per dozen — larger, each ... Hyacinths white & clrd.,p. dz.pots 10 0-12 0 Kentia Belmore- ana, per dozen 5 0-42 0 — Fosteriana, bO's, per dozen — larger, per doz, Latania borbonica per dozen Li 1 i u ih I o ng i- florum, p. doz. 20 0-24 0 — lancifolium ru- brum in pots, per dozen .. 15 0 18 (I — la n c i f ol ium alba 15 0-18 0 Marguerites, white, per dozen ... 8 0-1 0 Pandanus Veitchii, per dozen ... 36 0-48 0 Phcenix rupicola, each ... ... 2 6-21 0 Spiraea japonica, p. dozen pots ... 10 0-12 0, 4 0-00 18 0-60 0 12 0-30 0 194 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. [March 23_, 1912. FruiC: Average Wholesale Prices. Apples (English cookers) bu=.hel — Nova Scotian, per barrel — C a 1 i f o rn iaii Newtowns, pr. case — (Canadian), per barrel — Oregon (Hood Kiver). per ciise — American, per barrel Bananas, bunch : — Doubles — No. 1 „ ... — Extra — Giant „ .. — Loose, per dz. — Red coloured... — Jamaica Giants, per ton — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per bos (9 doz.) Cranberries, per case {30 qts.)... — Cape Cod, per ca<;e (30 quarts) Dates (Tunis) doz. boxes Grape Fruit, case: — 96's ... — sO's ... — 64's ... — 54's Grapes (English) per lb. : — Black Alicante — Gros Colman .. — (Belfiian), Gros Colman, p, lb. — Atmeria, p. brl. Per dozen lbs. — (Cape) per case — „ White... — „ Red ... Lenir^ns : — (Naples), case — Messina, per case Limes, per case ... s.d. s.d. 6 0-12 0 17 0-22 0 6 0-80 20 0 — 16 0-lS 6 20 0-32 0 10 0 12 0 8 0-10 0 10 0-12 0 14 0-18 0 0 fi- 1 0 5 6-66 £10-i'l2 4 0-50 10 0-11 0 9 6- 4 6-56 2 3-30 2 0-36 13-20 11 6-15 6 4 0-60 4 0-50 5 0-60 5 0-70 26 0-30 0 7 6-17 0 4 0 — s.d. s.d. Mancoes, per doz. 6 0-10 0 Melons (Cap2» ... 0 10-1 6 Nuts, Almonds, per bag ... ... 52 6 — — Brazils, new, percwt —85 0-100 0 — Spanish.p. sack 40 0 42 0 — Barcelona, bag 33 6-36 6 Nuts, Chestnuts, per bag ... 3 6-19 0 — Cocoaiiuts, 100 la 0-23 0 — English Cobs perlb 0 3 — — Walnut s (Naples) kiln dried, c w t. cases 54 0 — Nuts, French Gren- obles, per bag 6 6-70 — Boeris, per bag 6 0-70 Nectarines (Cape) per box Oranges, Jamaica per case — Californian — Denia, case — Valencia — Jaffa, per case — Blood, per case — Mandarins, per box — Bitter, per J chest ... — Seville Sour A chest ... 15 U-13 0 Pears (Californian), per case ... 10 6-16 6 — Glou Morceau 11 6-12 6 — Easter Beurrc 8 6 — — Winter Nelis 12 6-13 6 — (American) per barrel, 180 lbs. 25 0-26 0 — cases 7 0 — — (Cape) 4 0-50 Pineapples, St. Michael Pines Cape), each Plums (Cape), per case — Apple, per box 6 0-80 Strawberries, p. lb.: — A quality ... 9 0-12 0 — B quality ... 3 0-60 4 0-80 9 0-10 0 15 0-16 0 16 0-34 0 10 0-12 0 9 6- 8 0-90 0 6-36 16 0-18 6 2 6-50 0 6-09 4 0-60 Vegetables : Average Wholesale Prices. Aitichokes(Globe), per dozen — Jerusalem, per ?j bushel Aspdragiis, Sprue. — I auris — Paris Green ... — (En^'lish), per bundle Beans, Guernsey, Dwarf, per lb. — French, per packet, lb. Beetroot, p. bshl. : — Long Broccoli, sprout- ing, per bag Celeriac, per doz. Cabbages (Fiench) perdoicn — (English), per tally — Cornish, per dozen ... Cauliflowers, p. dz. — (Italian), p. pad — (Cornish), per crate Celery, doz. bndls, — (washed), per dozen bundles Cariots (English), pr. doz. bun... ~- per cwt. — (washed) p. bag Chicory, per lb. .. Cucumbers, p. doz. Huitive, per dozen Gieens, per bag ... Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross s.d. b.ii. 3 0-40 1 0 — 0 lO-l 0 3 0-46 3 0-86 3 6-46 13-16 16-19 2 6-30 2 0-30 2 6-30 2 &- 3 0 6 0-10 0 10-13 2 0-30 2 0-30 5 0-76 6 0-10 0 10 0-18 0 2 6-30 8 6-46 4 0-50 0 4 — 4 0-60 2 0 — 2 6-36 10 0-14 0 1 6 — 0 9-13 4 0-50 0 8-0 10 10-16 7 0-86 8 0-90 9 0-10 0 16 — 2 6-30 4 6-50 5 0-60 3 0-36 13-16 0 8-10 26 — 10 0-19 0 3 0-40 0 10- 1 3 12 0-15 0 2 6-30 4 0-46 3 0-36 2 0-26 7 0 — bunches ... 0 4- 0 6 Rfmarks.— It is expected that Gros Colman and Black Alicante (drapes (English) will be available until the end of the present month. Belgian Grapes remain h fairly good supply, the best samples being in demand. About 7,000 boxes of Cape Grapes have been received during the present week, consisting of the varieties Haanepoot, Hermitage, and Barbarossa ; many of the samples arrived in a very good condition. There have also been received Pears, Plums, and Pineapples from the Cape, about 11,000 boxes ; it is an- ticipated that these consignments will now gradually de- crease from week to week. Three shipments of Australian Apples are due to arrive this week, amounting to about 40.000 boxes of dessert varieties. Supplies of Channel Islands pro- duce are now commencing to show a considerable increa-^e all round and prices are much easier. Imported vegetables, such as Asparagus and Spinach, are a heavier supply, English forced Strawberries are more plentiful, conse- quently their prices have fallen cnnsiderably. Nova Scotian ronsignments, per s.s. " Mount Temple," amounted to 6,8^5 barrels of Apples, consi<:ting of Russets, Fallawaiers, Ben Davis and Nonpareils. Good Apples are in demand. Trade in outdoor vegetables shows an improvement. Mushrooms bavd b(?en a much heavier supply thi'; week. Teneriffe l"oniatos are arriving in a very satisfactory condition, and a e meet ng with a f lirly good dimand. E. H. R., CuvetU Oatden, Match '-O, /, /J. Horse radish, 12 bundles Leeks, per doz. ... Lettuce (French), per doz. Mint, per dozen bunches Mushrooms, culti- vated, p. lb. ... Mustardand Cress, pr. dz. punnets Onions (Dutch) per bag — English — (Spanish), per case Parsley, J sieve ... — per doz. bun. Parsnips, per bag Feas(Frencbtp. pad — (Guernsey), lb. Radishes (English), per dozen Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles — Outdoor, per dozen Savoys, per tally . Spinach, pr. bshl. Seakale, p. punnet Tomatos (Canary Islands), per bundle... Turnips (English), perdz. bunches — bags (washed) — (unwashed) ... Turnip Tops, per bag Watercress, p. dz. bunches Rents— Queen's ... Up-to-Date Lincolns — Up-to-Date British Queen , King Edward . Northern Star . Evergoods per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 0-46 4 0-46 3 9-46 3 9-43 4 0- 3 9- 3 0- 4 6 3 6 3 9 Lincolns — Mdincrops Blacklands Bedfords - Up-to-Date Dunbars— Up-to-Date Maincrop per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 3-46 3 0-33 3 9-40 5 0-53 5 3-56 New Potatos. Teneriffe ... - 10 6-14 0 | Algerian — ...12 6-16 0 Remarks.— Trade shows no improvement. Supplies are plentiful, with only a fair demand. Prices are about the same as last week. Edward /. Newborn, Covent Gutden and St. "pancras, March 21, 19U. amWm unmjfyondent'i *.* T/ie Editors will be glad to receive, for consideration, larije photographs of horticultural subjects, suitable for reproduction in this Journal. Address: R. H. The secretary of the United Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society is Mr. Wm. Collins, 9, Martindale Road, Bal- ham, London. American Association of Park Superinten- dents : Hortus. The Secretary-Treasurer is Mr. F. L. Mulford, Landscape Gardener, De- partment of Agriculture, Washington, U.S.A. Carnation and Violet: J. M. S. The plant of Souvenir de la Malmaisou Carnation appears to have suffered from an attack of red spider or of aphis, but neither pest was to be found on the specimen when it reached this office. There are also indications of tlie presence of a fungus disease, probably Helminthosporium, but further soecimens would be needed to make certain of this. The Violets may have been subjected to an excessive amount of moisture, either in the bed itself or in the atmosphere, accompanied by deficient ventilation. We do not know of any other reasons that would cause the flower-buds to fail as in your case. It is well recognised that Violets in frames do not like much artificial heat, but they re- quire abundant ventilation at all times when the weather permits. The best thing you can do is to remove all foliage which appears un- healthy and the decaying flower-buds. Admit air mo're abundantly to the frame, taking care to avoid making the soil sodden by over-water- ing. Hyacinth and Tulips Decaying: W. II. A. The Hyacinth and Tulip bulbs are injured by Bacterium hyacinthi, which is indicated by yellow, shiny spots or streaks in the scales of the bulbs. " No remedy is known. The bulbs should be burned, and the soil in which they were growing heated to destroy all traces of the disease. Lilacs and Melons : V. 0. F. Lilacs for flower- ing in pots must be first-rate specimens. Cut your plants hard back to good, plump eyes, afterwards plunging them c ut- of-doors in a sunny spot, affording plenty of water during dry weather, with occa- sional applications of liquid manure. When growth has commenced, all weakly shoots should be pulled off, retaining only from six to twelve of the strongest growths, according to the size of the plants. These should set flower- buds if they are encouraged to urow freely. In the autumn, after the leaves have fallen, the plants may be lifted, and any roots outside the pots should then be cut off. The plants may then be forced into bloom at almost any time. Grafting is not necessary. The addition of well- rotted manure to the soil in which Melons are growing is necessary, but we should not advise incorporating leaf-mould unless the latter be thoroughly rotted, as when fresh it favours the spread of fungus diseases and eel-worms. Lime Tree Decaying : .7. ¥ . It is mo-st probable that the tree is suffering from the effects of the prolonged drought of last summer. You ^^bouM adoot the treatment recommended to TV'. B. J.. Bridlivgton, under Wellingtonia on p. 178 in last week's issue. Market Garden Compensation: Boston. Tho improvements for which a tenant of a holding (in respect of which it was agreed in writing that the holding should be let or treated as a market garden) is entitled to compensation from hislandlord apart from improvements of a permanent nature, such as erection of build- ings, manuring, &c., are: (1) Planting of standard and other fruit trees permanently set out. (2) Planting of fruit bushes permanently set out. (3) Planting of Strawberry plants. (4) Planting of Asparagus, Rhubarb, and other vegetable crops which continue productive for two or more years. You would therefore only obtain compensation for crops that came within one of the above headings, and these would not include Cabbages. Names of Plants : Hants. 1, Pinus insignis ; 2, apparently Cupressus sempervirens (speci- men sent separately) ; 3, Thuya dolabrata varie- gata; 4, Abies nobilis ; 5, Cupressus macro- carpa ; 6, Spiraea Thunbergii. — \Y . J. F. Dendrobium chrysotoxum. — If. T). 1, Eria clausa ; 2, E. stricta ; 3, Dendrobium cru. menatum. — Foreman. 1, Oncidium flexuosum ; 2, Odontoglossum blandum ; 3, Oncidium sphacelatum ; 4, Eria arnica. — //. P. Epiden. drum oncidioides. — 11'. C. A variety of Acer japonicum, Cerasus sinensis. Peaches and Nectarines Unhealthy : E. J. D. The shixits are affected with die-back, caused by a fungus called Naemospora. The sporea are exceedingly minute and ooze out of the branches in sticky threads, which are carried by insects or other agencies from one tree to an. other. Remove diseased shoots and spray the trees with Bordeaux mixture, made at half the usual strength, until the leaf-buds begin to open. Sand Tennis Court: A. S., St. Peter's. The making of a sand tennis court is a difficult matter, and, unless you have had experience, any attempt is almost sure to be unsuccessful. We should advise you to consult a specialist on the subject. The editor of Lawn Tennis and Jlndininton has kindly sent us the names of the following firms, either of which would be will- ing to undertake the work for you : The British Hard Court Co., 14, Craven House, Kingsway, W.C, and the Kn-Tout-Cas Tennis Court Co., 30, Great St. Helens, E.G. The Plums of New York : S. M.. Leatherhead. This work is an official publication, and forms the Report of the New York Experiment Sta- tion for 1910. The publishers are J. B. Lyon Co., State Printers, Albany, U.S.A. Weed in Pond : T. S., Harbourne. The plant you send is the Canadian Pond Weed (Elodea canadensis), which has become a pest in rivers and streams in this country. It propagates with great rapidity, as almost every portion of the plant is capable of growing and forming the centre of a fresh colony. The only way of keeping the pest within bounds is to rake it out of the water as much as possible each spring. Y'ouNG Vines Breaking Irregularly : E. C. Young vines, especially the varieties you men- tion, are very impatient of much artificial heat till top growth and roots are active. You state that the roots are all in outside borders; this fact renders it doubly necessary to start the vines slowly. You do not say whether the borders are" protected. If not. it is not sur- prising that the vines have broken irregularly. To force vines successfully which have all their roots outdoors, it is necessary to cover the border with a layer about 2 feet thick of fermenting materials; these materials in turn should be covered with a tarpaulin or something that will keep off rains and snow. We would advise you to do tnia now as there is still a danger from cold rains and snowstorms, which would chill the soil of the borders and cause a check to the flow of the sap in the vines. Next season close the vinery for two or three weeks before employing artificial beat, then employ fire-heat veiy ^ gradually as growth advances. Communications Received. -C. & Co._B F. C--E;''- _Dr. J F. B., Sparkeswoori— H. L. R — H.P.-T.1._- A. H. P._P. J._A. p. R._A.& B.^T.S,_W.P. P.-f ■»■ _E. H, J._W. A. C,._W. P._H. S. T,_W. A. X.-W. B- _J.T.B._E.W. P._.J. G. P.-T G. H.-C.T.D.-S 4. — H. 8. H., New York -A. H. H., Jamaica_H. F. M.- _C. G G., Hale— Aniious—T. M., Ddnmark— B. J. ".— F.C. E. a s JS u "oj u u G u •O u CIS o J3 C u E o. 9 09 H O 5 Oh (^ O M H «< O d) O a Q iM CO oi X m •-I M ■-) H CO u < < H C/3 March 30, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 195 THE ^cuticncrs'Cbronixh A^o. 1,31H.—SATV1WAY. March 30, 1912. CONTENTS. Aphyllanthes monspeli- eiisis Books, notices of— The Protttahle Cul- ture of Vegetables Cytisus Dallimorei Elms. British Plowers in season Flowers, the preserva- tion of cut ^' Geo. Monro" concert Helianti as a food for cattle Hong Kong, the Mora of Hooker, Sir Joseph, es- tate of the late International Horticul- tural Exhibition IrelanJ, notes from Larch saw-tly, the large L.C C. park employees London's open spaces,.. Manchester, horticul- ture in Oltituary - Barry, Williftm Dennison, Robert ... Fenn, Robert Thomson, William ... Orchid notes and glean- ings- Odontoglossum cris- pum "Samuel Clra- trix," 197; O. Jas- per Orchid show at Berlin... Parasitic fungi, the na- ture of Pear tree, a prolific ... Pinks, the four great alpine 195 Poisoning with Virginian creeper berries Potato importations into Germany Pottery, visit to a j Rosary, the - Random thoughts on i pruning Roses, Chinese I Sarracenias out-of-doors Scottish manse garden, in a Seeds, longevity of Societies- Bournemouth Spring Flower Show Brighton, Hove and Sussex Hort. Canterbury Rose Horticultural Club ... Linnean National Hardy Plant Perpetual - flowering Carnation ... 2W, Royal Horticultural (Scientific Committee) Stocks, cultivated, the origin of Strawberries Trees, subjects to plant under Week's work, the — Apiary, the Flower garden, ths ... Fruits under glass .-. Hardy fruit garden ... Kitchen garden, the... Orchid houses, the .. Plants under glass ... Wheat crop, the Wye College, grants to 204 204 206 196 204 198 208 205 203 iill 210 210 210 209 205 20ri 201 201 200 VOO 200 '201 200 205 204 ILLUSTRATIONS. Cytisus Dallimorei 198 International Horticultural Exhibition, cnps to be offered at the - 206 Odoiitoglossum crispum *' Samuel Gratrix" .. ... 197 Odon'oglossum Jasper 196 Orchids, epiphytic, at a Berlin show 203 Pear Souvenir du Congres at Ruthin Castle Gardens 199 Tutcher, W. J., portrait of 202 THE FOUR GREAT ALPINE PINK?. OF Pinks there are countless species, clear or obscure, for the rock gar- den ; but many of these are tall- stemmed furnishing plants, while oaic->, of more minute habit, are as yet too un- common to be of any very conspicuous moment. Therefore I -will leave aside, on the one hand, such valuable beauties a^ Dianthus sylvestris and D. caesius : and on the other such tiny and compact moraine treasures as D. Freynii, D. microlepis and D. Lereschei. The four great Alpine Pinks of the rock garden form a distinct group, far sui^passing in character and distinctness the charm of their larger and their smaller kindred. Their habit is dwarf and neat, their blossoms of rich size and splendour, their colouring of a brilliant rose, which is all too rare in the rock garden. The four, of course, are D. neglectus, D. alpinus, D. glacialis, and D. callizonus. Not one of these, however, is in any way a rock plant by nature, for they are all species of the mountain turf between 5-7,500 feet, like Gentiana verna, though without G. verna's power of climbing to the high alpine levels. Dianthus neglectus is perhaps the best known. It is a species of limited distribu- tion, belonging entirely to the south-wes- terly ranges, right round the western wall of the Lombard Plain, from the Graian Alps, through the Mount Cenis and Dau- phine, along all the Cottian uplands down to the Maritimes. Its chosen place is always in the sunny mountain turf, no matter though it be quite coarse and crowded. It ascends to about 7,500 feet, and at such a height develops a specially neat, stemless and compact habit: whereas among the lower grasses on the Mount Cenis, its great rosy Uowers flourish freely on 6-inch stems among the violet stars of Aster alpinus. D. neglectus is a tap-rooted species, forming a single tuft of foliage, fine and green and narrow, exactly like a small neat grass. The flowers, which are very freely produced, are of a singularly dazzling caiinine rose, with an eye of dusty blue. The reverse of the petals is washed with a soft nankeen yellow, which makes it impossible ever to mistake the species. The plant, however, is very variable, alike in size, shape and colour. Care should always be taken to get it in flower, so as to secure a neat-habited form, with solid, round floweis of a clear and brilliant pink. It is a very easy rock plant, in any finn, light loam, in full sun ; it germinates well, and is easily multi- plied by cuttings. Even more beautiful, to my mind, is D. alpinus, when once you see it. For, to achieve the Alpine Pink, you must travel far away into the Eastern and Southern limestones of Austria. In the main Alpine chains there is no chance of get- ting it ; but on its own hills it composes half the turf. The Styrian ranges, from 5-6,000 feet, are one sheeted blaze, in August, of D. alpinus, from amid whose yard-wide colonies spring the spouting blue fountains of Campanula alpina, while the floor of the hill is made of Primula minima, with the lucent rosetted masses of P. Clusiana lying among it like great stai--fishes. Dianthus alpinus, like all the other three, blooms in its own home, in late July and August, when the Primulas and Campanula are going to seed. It ramifies freely through and through the fine mountain-grass, not grow- ing from one tap-root, but in a \ast and spreading mass. Its foliage hugs the ground— clumps of broad, blunt leaves, brilliantly green and brilliantly glossy (like D. glacialis : unlike D. neglectus) : the flower-stems are usually from 2 to 3 inches high— hardly ever more than 5 inches. They are produced even more freely than those of D. neglectus, and are larger, very round and splendid, of a clear and freckled rosy-crimson, bearded at the throat, with a paler zone. The flowers, howevei-, vary in splendour. There are dark-eyed forms, and forms with a ring of spots. On its own hills, when they are red for miles with D. alpinus, you could collect a hundred different beauties, each worthy of a name. There is also in culti- vation an albino, which I must confess I consider arid and dirty in tone, pinched and mean in shape. But on my first ac- quaintance with the plant " at home," I had not stepped two yards aside from the footpath before I came on a new albino — a tuft a yard across, with very large, round flowers of pure pearly-white, that faded ultimately (or opened?) to a most exquisite, pale, shell-pink. D. alpinus takes to cultivation as a duck to water. In any sunny, limey loam or moraine it grrows far and wide, and covers itself with splendour in due season. There is a plant at Ribston which can only be measured by yards, so freely does it ramify through the soil, forming a great, glossy turf, until the green is hidden by the flowers. Alone of the four species, D. alpinus is a limestone plant. The others either do, or do not, tolerate lime, but do not belong to it in nature. D. alpinus craves for lime and, with me, has always given freer and more lasting pleasure than D. neglectus. Its habit of spreading into carpets, instead of forming one single tuft, is a great advan- tage. It seeds well, but is more rapidly grown from cuttings, which strike very readily. With us, like all its kindred, it flowers in June-July. D. glacialis has an august and promis- ing name, which it does nothing to de- serve, for it avoids glaciers quite a; heartily as I do myself. It is a plant of the high moorland turf of the granitic Alps of the central ranges, glowing among Primula intermedia on the fells of the Engadine and in the roadside gutters above Heiligenblut, but falling short, so far as I remember, of the elevations fav- oured by Primula glutinosa. I do not rate D. glacialis very high : it is a single-tuft plant, with broad, blunt and glossy green leaves : the flowers that shoot out from the clump on 3-inch stems are round and rosy, but not big enough for the breadth of the foliage. Their calyx, too, is fat, and they have a tight, podgy look. In the old days of the rock-garden, when little prescriptions of soil were made up like medicines and poured into " pockets," many and minute were the directions given for growing D. glacialis. In point of fact, though a capricious and short-lived plant, it is by no means a difiicult one — worth no fuss and demanding none. I have had it vigorous in a hot and sunny moraine, though cool peat is what it likes in nature. It seeds and germinates far more profusely than any of its three cousins. To see the most beautiful of the race, you have to travel far, far East, past D. glacialis, past D. alpinus, out into the Transylvanian Mountains, where, among the Vampires, dwells D. callizonus. This wonderful plant (to which I have not yet made pilgrimage) is closer akin in glory and habit to D. alpinus than to the others. It is a loosely-ramifying species, with shoots of typical Dianthus foliage, grey and glaucous : the flower- stems are, perhaps, 3 inches high, and the flowers are very large and round indeed, rosy-crimson, with a broad central belt of crimson blots that give a quite especial beauty. Like all the others, it is variable. I cannot speak, however, with any confidence as to its culture. I have a 19G THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [^fARCH 30, 1912. notion that it differs from the rest in preferring a cool aspect — at least, it was in a cool aspect that Kew possessed a great specimen of unex- ampled beauty. I suspect it of exacting loose, cool, peaty soil and very perfect drainage, for I have known it flag and fail in a wet loam in winter, and I cannot be certain as to whether it is a lime-lover or no. In moraine, like D. neglectus, it has failed here completely. I long for the day when I shall see it on its own hills and learn a little more of its character and likings. It does not seem free of seed, but grows readily enough from cuttings. Slugs, which dislike D. alpinus and D. neglectus, are rabid gluttons for D. callizonns. There is a plant in cultivation called D. calalpinus, which declares itself to be a hybrid of D. callizonus and D. alpinus. In my eyes, and as I have had it, D. calalpinus has all the characters of D. alpinu,s, and not one of D. callizonus, and seems, in fact (I do not know its history and authority), simply a good, well- freckled form among the countless good, well- freckled forms of pure D. alpinus which you can find in half an-hour on the high limestones of Styria. Reginald Farrer. TB1E ROSARY. NOTICES OF Boosts. Vegetable Culture for Profit.* This book, originally designed chiefly fnr small-holders, has been expanded and improved until it constitutes a practical and excellent manual for all classes of growers. The author is the manager of the French garden at Maylatid, and the superintendent of the small holdings which Mr. Joseph Fels has created on the same Essex estate, all of which have been developed under his charge. At a meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society last year, Mr. Smith gave a review of the possibilities of small holdings under a judicious system of manage- ment, and at the same time stated the difficul- ties attending such enterprises. This should be read in conjunction with the book here dealt with, by all who are interested in the important subject of the sub-division of land in rural dis- tricts. The preliminary chapters are devoted to a con- sideration of the soil and its treatment, manures and fertilisers, small holdings and market-gar- dens, methods of business, rotations and cropping, with cognate matters, all treated in a lucid and practical way. Six chapters are next appro- priated to French gardening, which is dealt with exhaustively. The disadvantages and the pos- sible losses are enumerated, as well as the gain, so that readers may gain a clear idea of the chances before launching out upon an expensive enterprise. The cultural details concerning the different vegetables fill about 220 pages, and each crop is dealt with through the whole period of its de- velopment, from the sowing of the seed or the planting until the time of use, sale, or storing. To this is appended a section giving reminders of the work to be done month by month, a con- densed form of calendar; and another portion is allotted to grading, packing, and marketing, which is useful, but might have been extended with advantage. In a long chapter on " Miscellaneous Informa- tion," a store of facts has been accumulated that will be of substantial service for refer- ence. One of the most interesting portions of this section is that giving the average amount of produce of each crop per acre, the cost of produc- tion, and the gross returns, from which may be deduced the probable profits. Thus, for early Potatos, the produce is estimated at four to six tons, the cost from £15 to £20, and the returns at £30 to £45 per acre, while of late Potatos the crop is reckoned eight to ten tons, the cost the same as the preceding, and the returns £25 to £35. A Grower. • The Frnfilablc Culture of Vegetables, by Thomas Smith. (Longmann, Green S: Co.) 63. RANDOM THOUGHTS ON PRUNING. If the celebrated ass who first taught the Athenians to prune the vine, also, as is quite likely, tried his art upon the toothsome briar leaf, thereby giving a practical demonstration in Rose pruning as well as in viticulture, he truly has much to answer for. Roses have been pruned from a time " when the memory of man runneth not to the con- trary," and Roses are with us still, and more beautiful than ever. This in itself is some argu- ment to show that the practice is not whclly dele- terious to the plant, and perhaps all would admit nowadays the necessity of pruning to secure cer- tain results, e.g., the perfect exhibition flower, or the decorative Roses on single sprays nearly a yard long as seen at the shows. Nevertheless, if, now and again, we come across a Roee bush that apparently has been but little pruned for for 20 j'ears and had received an annual pruning by expert rosarians. As a result the clump of Roses, after 20 years of close pruning, was- slightly thinner than when first planted. On the other hand, he held that non-pruning would equally impoverish Roses because a Rose left to itself would cover itself with blossoms, thus weakening the branches " which end by dying from exhaustion." and he quotes Dr. Barnier that "it is always necessary to renew a Rose- bush by cutting out the old branches of three or four years growth, which are used up, are na' getting any bigger, and will die in a short time." Now if we put on one side such pruning as may be rendered necessary by the position of the Rose in the garden, for instance, when it is grown in beds, or as an isolated bush, or in places where free expansion is restricted, in all of which cases the shape of the bush is the first consideration, I think we may take it that our chief object in pruning is the renovation of tha Fig. 84. — ODONTOGLOSSUM JASPER. Rsceivei R.H.S. Award of Merit on the 61h inst. ;See p. 197) years, perhaps a 5-foot bush of Fabvier or Papa Gontier, Roses generally seen as rather small plants, or a tangle of some climber just at the height of its flower season, we may well pause and wonder whether pruning for the decoration of the garden is really practised in the way likely to lead to the production of the best spec- tacular effects. Some years ago M. H. Vilmorin enunciated the paradox that "Pruning weakens Roses; non- pruning weakens them also." He pointed out that if two Rose trees were taken of the same variety about the same size, and planted in the same soil, if one were pruned closely and the other left alone and allowed to grow, and both were dug up after three years growth, the pruned Rose would be found to weigh much less than the unpruned one, and he contrasted a climbing Noisette, Aimie Vibert, allowed to grow and cover the side of a house with a clump of Hybrid Perpetual Roses, which had been planted plant by the production of fresh-f.owering wood, for it is true of nearly all our garden Roses that (lowers of first-class quality are only obtained oi» the outgrowths from vigorous wood of the pre- vious year. Following out the line of thought suggested by M. Vilmorin, I think there is evidence that Roses constantly pruned hard do not pro- duce quite such strong growth as those of which the root system has lieen fed and developed by abundant foliage during the previous summer. 1 have noticed, for instance, that pegged-down plants of J. B. Clark, a rampant grower, have given me at the end of the season shoots 8 to 12 feet in length, while neighbouring plants of the same variety closely pruned each year have given young growths of one-half to two- thirds that length. Again, a visit to the garden of an exhibitor who, caring less for the garden effect than for beautiful flowers, grows his Roses in rows after tiie approved nursery- March 30, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 197 };ai'dc'ii pattern, where the Roses are not only very closely pruned every spring, but where all supei- lluous growths are also stopped during the early summer, shows usuady plants which, though healthy, are small in size compared with Roses l3SS vigorously restricted, such as is generally the case in a garden where effective garden decoration is the chief consideration. Messrs. Jamain and Forney long ago pointed out that the best flowers are, as a rule, obtained by pruning in such a way as to obtain two good shoots from the pruned stem and no more ; and in pruning Roses, such as the Hybrid Perpetuals and many of the Hybrid Teas, to secure exhibi- tion Roses this is doubtless a point to be borne in mind. If the stem is left longer than neces- sary it will, it is true, only give two good flower- ing branches, and therefore reasonable pruning should consist in finding the two first buds that are well placed on the stem. If the buds selojied pruning to push out too early. Rational prun- ing for dwarf Roses for the production of perfect flowers lies between these extremes. But exhibition Roses in our gardens are now- adays a comparatively restricted class, while our garden and bedding Roses, climbers, pillar and bush Roses belong to many different types. From the point of view of the pruner, they may be divided at once into two great classes : (1) Roses which, like the H.P.s, will flower well though cut hard back, and (2) Roses which if cut down to the ground in the spring would flower little or not at all during the ensuing season, though they would probably make strong and vigorous growth. The first group includes the H.P.s, H.T.s, most of the Teas, the Chinas, Rugosas, and dwarf Polyanthas. The second group includes climbing Roses, the Multifloras, Wichu- raianas, Moschatas, Noisettes, Hybrid Chinas, the Dijon Teas, probably a few Hybrid Teas of Fig. 85. — ODONTOGLOSSUM c (Received R.H.S. First-class are too high up on the stem we shall either get a long and bare, woody stem, and the plant will be enfeebled and become unsightly, or we may have below the two main shoots some twiggy growths of little value for the production of good flowers. Besides this, the subsequent production of young wood from the base will be discouraged, and we shall have a difSculty in finding young ripened shoots to rely on in the following year. By going to the other extreme and pruning too closely, the dormant buds at the base of the plant are excited too early, and we get gross shoots which do not produce the best flowers. Many have watche3 the development of the flowers on the top of the rank autumnal growths from the base of Roses like the Duke of Edinburgh, expecting a flower of unusual ex- cellence, and found that the result has been a very poor bloom ; even so will it be if the dor- mant buds at the base are forced by too close RISPUM " S.^MUEL GRATRIX." Certificate on the I'Jth inst.) very strong growth, and practically all the sum- mer-flowering Roses. The first group flower twice or oftener during the year and are called autumnals ; the second group have only one true flowering period, though flowers are in some cases produced spas- modically till the frosts come. Both are alike in producing their flowers on growths of the current year proceeding from stems one or more years old, but if both classes were pruned in the same manner disaster would probably result. In both cases we shall keep two definite objects in view — the prevention of overcrowding and the renewal of the plant by the production of voung wood, and in both cases we may freely thin out wood more than one year old where there is ripe young wood to take its place ; but whilst in the first group we may also encourage fresh grow-th either by bending down the long shoots, or shortening them in the second group, the latter plan is not open to us, becr.iise in shortening to any great extent, we should cut off nearly all the flowers. In the second group, then, the thinning out of old wood must be freely resorted to, and the young stems retained cither their whole length or but slightly short- ened. And here we may notice a further dis- tinction among the Roses of the second group. In the Multiflora and Wichuraiana types the year-old growths will break readily all up their stems producing flowering laterals, even when tied to pillars or pergolas, while the Noisettes, Dijon Teas and strong-growing Hybrid Teas if tied up erect will flower chiefly at the top, and leave the base bare and flowerless. This will not be the case if the stems can be trained fan- wise or bent right down ; so some precaution of this kind must be taken, if it be only for a short time in the spring, until the buds towards the base of the long stems hava started into growth, after which the stems may be trained upright again if desiied. In the Roses of the first group pruning may be utilised in an interesting manner to secure a longer succession of flowers. If we take the Chinas for instance, a bush left entirely unpruned will flower 10 days to a fortnight earlier than one which has been cut to the ground, so with the Rugosa and many others. If, then, we have two groups of China Roses and prune one severely, leaving the other untouched, by the time the unpruned group is past its best the second group will be in Cower, and a pro- longation of the flowering obtained. With the H.P.s and some of the H.T.s, we may to some extent secure this on the same plant by pruning some stems severely and pegging down two of the longest stems. The stems pegged down usually flower first and may then be removed, allowing the others to develop. Experiments in pruning are always interesting, and with many of the newer Roses very neces- sary, for we know little about them at present. Mme. Hector LieuUiot is an instance in point ; most of us have treated it like an ordinary Hybrid Tea, and have been disposed to reject it for its want of freedom in flowering, but, doubtless by experinii'nt, Mr. G. M. Taylor has succeeded in flowering it freely, and from the pictures of a group of this Rose in Sir Rufus Isaacs's garden, which recently appeared in this journal and seem conclusive as to its powers of flowering when properly treated, this Rose would seem to require management after the fashion of the Noisettes. White Rose. ORCHID NOTES AND GLEANINGS. ODOXTOGLOSSUM JASPER. Our illustration (fig. 84) represents the hybrid Odontoglossum raised by crossing a spotted variety of 0. crispum with 0. amabile (crispum X crispo-Harryanum). It w-as shown by J. S. Moss, Esq., Wintershill, Bishop's Waltham (gr. Mr. Kench). at the R<:iyal Horticultural Society's meeting on March 5 last. The hybrid was ori- ginally raised by Messrs. Charbsworth & Co., who succeeded in flowering a large number of plants \, hich varied somewhat in tint, some resembling 0. Fascinator (crispum x Adrianae) and all hav- ing the equally distributed spotting characteristic of that hybrid. The variety now illustrated is one of the best forms yet seen, its attractive flowers being of good shape and of a delicate pink ground colour, evenly spotted with reddish-brown ; the front of the lip is white, and thj crest dark-yellow. ODONTOGLOSSUM CRISPUM " SA1\IUEL GRATRIX." In fig. 85 we illustrate the handsome form of Odontoglossum crispum shown by Samuel Gratrix, Esq., West Point, Whalley Range, Manchester (gr. Mr. Brown), at the Royal Horticultural Society's meeting on March 19. The great interest shown in the plant plainly indicated that good and distinct forms of this Orchid are as popular as ever. The plant has 108 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 30, 1912. been in the colU'clion of Mr. Gratri.x for some years, but this is the first occasion he has shown it at a London exhibition. The flowers are of fine shape, and the ground clear white, with marliings on the sepals and petals of light violet colour. The lip is broader than in most forms, white, and with rcddish-piirple markings in front of the yellow crest. THE NATURE OF PARASITIC FUNGI. TUKIU INFLUENCE UPON THE UOST PLANT. (Continued from p. IS3.) In the germination of the spores of the late blight Potato fungus, the contents of the conidia breaks vip into a number of minute bodies, which are mobile and are able to move about in water. After a very short period, however, these swarm-spores become stationary, and their walls thicken, until they finally germinate by produc- ing the typical infection tube. There are numerous fungi which produce both summer and winter spores. The powdery mildi"v of tirapes, scab of Pears and Apples, all produce two forms of spores. The ascospores are nearly always winter spores. The teleutospores of rusts, the resting or egg spores of the Perono- eporw, which cause the downy mildews, are not aiicospores, though typical winter spores. The summer spores serve the purpose of a rapid propagation of the fungus, while the winter spores are responsible for carrying diseases over the winter. Very rarely may summer spores be carried through the winter alive, owing to their feeble protection and short life. The winter spores are produced in conceptacles, which are exceedingly well protected. They adhere firmly to the substratum on which they have been pro- duced, or they are imbedded therein. This is of great importance to the practical grower. By destroying all leaves, dead fruits, and other plant refuse, he is able to get rid of vast numbers of winter spores, and thus is able to safeguard his orchards in the best way possible. To illus- trate this point, let us briefly consider the case of the common fruit scab fungus. For some con::iderable time the summer spores only of this fungus were known. It received at first the generic name Fusidadium, which is even now sometimes u.sed, though erroneously.. No winter spores were known until some ten years ago, when they were discovered in spring on the dead leaves and old fruits. ^Vhcn this stage was found the fungus received the name Ycntnria. The discovery of the winter stage is very important, as it gives us a valuable clue to the way in which the fungus may be attacked. The successful de- struction of this most common orchard disease is now a very simple matter. Spraying in spring to kill the first crop of spores, and the destruction of old rubbish in autumn successfully prevents the appearance of this and many otlier diseases. Those interested in the investigation of plant diseases have long recognised the immense im- portance of the careful study of the life liistory of disease-causing fungi. Though progress may be slow, I am of the opinion that the careful investigation of fui\gus diseases and insect pests is one of the most important features of the suc- cessful raising of fruit. Errors in the treat- ment of diseases, false methods of cultivation, the attempt to grow varieties unsuitable to the locality are points which are responsible for a large proportion of the losses in fruit-growing. But as it is, fruitgrowers are willing to pay such unnecessary taxes in the form of losses instead of combining their efforts to pre- vent disasters, and thus double and treble their fruit crops and increase their revenue. These remarks are not empty words. I do not believe in indulging in destructive criticism. We have evidence along these lines which will prove that freedom from disease in orchards has in- creased tlie harvest of good and perfect fruit considerably. Recently I visited an orchard of some 200 trees, which bore not a single sound fruit — they were one and all black with scab ! Now this orchard is a menace to the locality. From it the disease is carried for miles all over the country. What is the use of spraying your orchards while your neighbour remains idle? Ten trees in an orchard affected with scab will suffice to keep you busy spraying ; whereas going into that neighbour's orchard and pulling down his trees would be the best self-help, though I doubt whether, strictly speaking, it is quite legal. //. 7\ Giissoiv, Dominion Botanist, Ottawa, Canada. (To be continurd.) SARRACENIAS OUT-OF DOORS. Deep in a little ravine on the hillside — shel- tered from the wind, but open to the warm sun, and refreshed by the ceaseless trickle of a little mountain spring — this is the ideal position for the Sarracenia, and it is in just such a place as this that we have established, at Leonardslee, a splendid clump of this plant. The best time to SCO it is in May and June, when the effect of the Insects arc first attracted to the flower by its brilliant colouring, and soon find a further in- ducement to remain, in the honey, on which they feed. They proceed from the rim of the cup to the inside, and penetrate to the bottom. Here, however, they remain; for the in.'iide of the cup- is covered by innumerable short hairs, all point- ing downwards, so that although the insects find it perfectly ea.sy to enter, to depart is impossible. The final fate of the insects varies in the different varieties of Sarracenia. In some cases, the bot- tom of the cup is filled with water — sometimes as much as two or three inches — and the insect is drowned. In other cases, it is simply starved to death, or suffocated beneath the other victims. Some of the flowers catch an astounding number and variety of insects. It is interesting to take a " pitcher " which has been developed for some time, pluck off the head, and count and sort the victims contained in the cup. In one case, a mass of insects was found, three inchea deep, composed of butterflies, woodlice, beetle8> cockroaches, earwigs, countless numbers of flies, both large and small, and even several wasps ! For a long time after the insectivorous habits of the plants were observed, it w'as not known iograph by C. l\ KajjilU Fig. 86. — cytisus dallimorei (c. scoparius var. andreanus x c. albcs): flowers rose-coloured. well-developed "pitchers" and blossoms is very fine. Planting should be dune at once, and a few hints on this subject may be useful. When preparing the ground for the plants, the top spit should bo taken off, and laid in, grass downwards. Over the upturned sods lay a mix- ture in equal quantities of peat and Sphagnum- moss ; the plants should then be put in, and the ground round them made firm with a further supply of the peat and moss mixtui-e. They may be slightly shaded, until growth begins, with some branches of evergreen. The ideal position for these plants has been described above, but they succeed in any damp but sunny place — such as a bog or marsh. Dro- seras also do well, if planted among the Sarra- cenias ; so does the Cotton Grass (Eriophorum angustifolium), which presents an extremely elTec- tive contrast with the fine crimson blossoms of the " insect-trap." The process by which the Sarracenias allure and capture thousands of unwilling prisoners is a most interesting one. A kind of sweet mois- ture nearly resembling honey is constantly exuded from the glands found on the blade, and covers the parts round the aperture of the cup. what advantages were derived from it ; but it ia a fact that the plant obtains nourishment from the decomposed bodies of the victims, and that, though it would be possible, by artificial means, to prevent ingress of the insects, the plant would probably suffer. Naturally, from our point of view, the habit is an objectionable one, as th» smell of the decomposing insects is most un- pleasant, ir. A. Cooi, Leoiiard.^lce Gardens, JJor^/iani. CYTISUS DALLIMOREI. In fig, 86 is reproduced a bed of the pretty rose-coloured Broom raised from Cytisus scoparius variety Andrianus crossed with C. alba, the white Broom. It was I'aised by Mr. Dallimore when in charge of the Arboretum at Kew, with another of the same cross having bright-yellow flowers like the common Broom. G. Dallimorei was exhibited at the Temple Show, 1910, and received an Award of Merit from the Floral Committee. A full description of the plant was given by Mr. R. A. Rolfe in Gardeners' Chronicled July 18. 1910, p. 397. in an article entitled " Cytfsus Dallimorei and Heredity." .March 30, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 109 BRITISH ELMS. In 1808, Sir J. E. Smith expressed the opinion that the amount of confusion in the genus Ulmua was a reproach to botanists. The confusion is as great to day as it was a century ago. This un- fortunate state of affairs is due largely to the neglect by modern workers of the work done on Elms by the early English botanists, particularly by Goodyer and Miller. Another contributory cause is the non-recognition, by systematic botanists of the old school, of the numerous forms of Elm — forms so numerous as almost to suggest that Ulmus is among trees what Rubus and Rosa are among thrubs and Hieracium among herbs, and forms only reduced to the following species, varieties and hybrids by a process of aggregation unknown among students of such genera. Gerard, in his Uerhull, of 1597, recognised two species of Elm in England ; and there are botanists among us who apparently still believe in this simplicity of the genufi. It will tend to a better understanding of the re- marks which follow if I tabulate at the outset 8. U. stricta Lindl. var. sarniensis comb. nov. The .Jersey Elm (= U. campestris var. sarnien- sis Loudon ArOoret., iii, 1376, 1838). 9. U. glabra Hudson x nltcns Mcench. — (b) x U. vegeta. The Huntingdon Elm (= U. glabra Mill. var. vegeta Loudon Artjoret., iii, 1404, 1838 = U. vegeta Ley in Journ. Bot., xlviii, 68, 1910). Of these nine Elms, the first four were founded by Goodyer, so far back as the year 1636, in the so-called " emaculate " edition of Gerard's IJi'ihall, really the second edition revised and enlarged by Johnson. The fifth was founded by Plukenet, the .si.\th by Plot, the seventh by Lindley, and the laat two by Loudon. Goodyer's FotjR Elms. Goodyer'e four Elms were accepted by all the early English botanists; and all except Parkin- son (Tltculr. But., 1640) used Goodyer's names; but, although Parkinson used names which were not adopted by the botanists of his day, there is no doubt that his four Elms are precisely those of Goodyer, for his descriptions are obvious paraphrases of GfXidyer's and his figures the same. Ray accepted Goodyer's Elms and namee Fig. 87. — PEAR SOUVENIR DU CONGRfes AT RUTHIN CASTLE GARDENS. the Elms that are discussed in the present article : — 1. Ulmus campestris L. Sp. PL, 225 (1753) partim; Fl. Angl., (1754). The English Elm (= U. procera Salisbury Prudr., 391, 1796). 2. U. sativa Miller Gard. Did., ed. 8, no. 3 (1768). The Small-leaved Elm (= U. suberosa Ehrhart, non auct. pi. = U. Plotii Druce*). 3. U. nitens Moench Meth. PI., 333 (1794). The Smooth-leaved Elm (= tJ. glabra Miller, non Hudson) 4. U. glabra Hudson Fl. Angl, 95 (1762). The Wych Elm (= U. scabra Miller = U. mon- tana Stokes) 5. U. glabra Hudson x nitens Moench — fa) X U. hollandica. The Dutch Elm (= U. hoUandica Miller Gard. Did., ed. 8, no. 5, 1768 = U. major Smith Engl. Bot., t. 2542, 1814). 6. U. minor Miller Gard. Did., ed. 8, no. 6 (1768). Plot's Elm (but not U. Plotii Druce). 7. U. stricta Lindley Synops., 227 '1829). The Cornish Elm. • Id Journ, Sofihamptonshire Sat. Bist. Soc, xsi, 88 (Nov., 1911), See also Card. Ckron., 1, 408 (1911). in his .Synopsis, and one of Ray's (and there- fore Goodyer's) Elms was carefully singled out by Linnxus as being his Ulmus campestris. Hudson {Fl. Angl., 1762) accepted Goodyer's four Elms, and pave binomials (U. campestris L. and U. glabra Huds.) to two of them. Miller accepted Goodyer's four Elms, and gave bino- mials to each of them. Unfortunately, how- ever, Miller ignored the binomials of Hudson, with the result that some of his own, bei.Tg later than Hudson's, cannot ftand. Miller also gave binomials to Plukenet's Elm and to Plot's Elm, the fifth and sixth Elms respectively in the summary given above. It is obvious, there- fore, that the importance of determining Good- yer's and Miller's Elms cannot be over-estimated, for on their identification turns the ques- tion of the binomials which botanists must give to them, assuming they are of specific rank. Hence no account of the genus Ulmus is either adequate or satisfactory, which fails to account for each one of Goodyer's and Miller's Elme. It is often said that pre-Linnsean names of plants are very uncertain and very obscure. Into this general question I do not at preserit propose to enter ; but I must emphasise my opinion that, whatever view be taken of pre-Linnaean names in general, those given by Goodyer to hi« four Elms can be determined without miiili difficulty. This is because they were adopted by the early writers, such as Ray, Hudson and .Miller, and by the early collectors, such as Banister, Bnddle, Petiver, Plukenet and Sloane, whose specimens, with Goodyer's names attached, are preserved in the herbarium of the I5riti.ih Mu.srum.t These specimens establish the point that Goodyer's names were used, and used definitely, consis- tently and continuously, from his own time to that of Miller's. The botanical names of Elms which are adopted in this article are ba.sed on this historical continuity of Goodyer's names, a continuity found, as above stated, both in litera- ture and on herbarium sheets. Only if this con- tinuity is proved to be non-exi.'itcnt can the specific names u.sed in this article be overthrown by those botanists who accept the limitations of species here adopted. The English Elm (U. campestris L.) Goodyer named his first Elm " Ulmus vulga- tissima folio lato scabro." In the vernacular of his day, it is " the common Elme." Goodyer supplies a crude figure of this and his other Elms. Of his first, he states that " this Elme is a very great high tree," that " the bark of the young trees and boughes. . . is smooth and very tough," and that " the leaves, of a dark green colour. . . . are two inches broad and three inches long." The description and the tolerable figure leave no doubt that Goodyer ie writing of our English Elm, the tallest and most stately member of the genus, the one which casta the deepest shade and holds its leaves longest in autumn, and the one which is the com- monest in the hedgerows and parkland« of the western and south-western counties of England, especially Somerset, Oxfordshire and Worcestcr- .shire. Parkinson (Theatr. Bot., p. 1403, 1640) named this Elm U. vulgaris; but it is the same Elm. Other pre-Linn»an botanists stuck to Goodyer's < lumsier but earlier name ; and it is this which appears in the various works of John Ray. Now 'ine of Ray's works, the third edition of his Synopsis (1724) has a value possessed by no other pre Linnaean British work; for Linna;us in his Flora Amjlica (1754) takes this edition, and, so far as he found it possible, applied his binomials to the cumbersome pre-Linnaean names therein used. It is well known and universally admitted that it is impossible to obtain any clue to the type of the Ulmus campestris L., Sp. PI., 225 (1753; but in his /'/. Art'jt. (1754), Linnaeus singles out Goodyer's Ulmus vulgatissima folio lato scabro as being precisely his U. campestris, Goodyer's other three Elms being quite ignored. Hence we 'are justified in restrict- ing the name U. campestris, just as Linnaeus himself did, to Goodyer's first Elm, that is, to the common or English Elm. Further, Hudson (Fl. Anrjl, 1762) and Miller (Gard. Diet., 1768) both used the name U. campestris for the English Elm, and thus provide additional reasons, if such were needed, for using the name U. campestris in this sense, and in this ser.s-> alone. C. E. Moss, D.Sc. (To be continued.)' A PROLIFIC PEAR TREE. In fig. 87 is illustrated a very fine Pear tree in Ruthin Castle Gardens. Mr. H. Forder, the gardener, informs us that it is growing on a south wall, and has been planted about 18 years. The illustration shows the beautiful crop of fruits borne last season. The variety is Souvenir da Congrfes, one of the finest Pears in season at the end of August and the beginning of September, being characterised by a juicy, yellowish-white flesh and rich flavour. t In the Sloane coUectioD, o( which Mr. }. Britt«a is preparing a catalogue. 200 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Ma.-.ch 29, 1312. The Week's Work. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. By Edwin Beckett, Gardener to the Hon. Vicary Gibbs, Aldenham House, Hertfordshire. The Weather. — The weather conditions during the present month have been decidedly unfavourable for operations in the kitchen gar- den, the continuous rains havuig made the work of seed-sowing, particularly on heavy soils, almost an impossibility. No opportunities should be lost to complete arrears ot sowing, planting, and other ground operations. Asparagus. — As soon aa the weather permits, the permanent beds of Asparagus should be put in order for the season. Rake off the rougher material from the beds into the alleys, fork it in, and give the beds a dressing of salt. The space between the beds may be utilizad for catch crops of early Cauliflowers, Lettuce, and similar plants. Seedlings raised frcm seeds sown last April in 3-inch pots which have been plunged in ashss during the winter months should now be placed out-of-doors prior to planting them next month. This is the best method known to me of raising plants for planting new beds. Take care to ob- •tain seeds of a good variety. Kohl Rabi. — .Seeds of this vegetable may now be sown in a box of finely-prepared soil ani placed in a gentle heat. Transplant the seedlings as soon as they are large enough into cooler quar- ters, and let them grow sturdily until towards the end of April, when they m.ay be planted in their permanent quarters. Carrots. — The main crop of Carrots may be sown at the first opportunity. Select ground that has been thoroughly well worked during the winter months, but not liberally manured ; it will be better if the soil is entirely free from manure added recently. Give a good dressing of soot and wood ashes, and break down the clods with a fork, making a level surface with a wooden rake. Mark the positions of the drills with sticks placed at either end. Draw shallow drills in straight lines at about 12 inches apart. Sow the seeds thinly, but regularly, and then make the surface level and tidy with an iron rake. Carrots in Frames. — The earliest crops of Carrots in warm pits should be syringed twice daily to encourage a good growth ; whenever possible, admit plenty of fresh air to the plants. The thinning of the roots must not be neglected ; •they will soon grow large enough for consump- tion, and the largest may be pulled here and there, giving additional room to those that re- main. As soon as the seedlings of later sowings have formed their second leaves they will need a partial thinning. Carrots for Exhibition. — Where extra- &ne Carrots are needed, and the natural soil is unsuitable, excellent results may be obtained by boring holas 3 feet deep, in well worked ground, and filling them with a light, sandy compost : ■old potting soil finely sifted is excellent for the purpose. Make sure that the hole is filled right 1.0 the bottom, by working the fine soil down with a thin stick. The holes should be made 12 inches apart and 15 between the rows. Sow a pinch of seed at each station and finally thin to one plant. Globe Artichokes. —This crop should be planted in ground that has been well tilled and liberally manured. Any protecting material that was afforded established plants should be re- moved, and a dressing of well-decayed manure forked into the ground. A few suckers should be potted each autumn and wintered in cold frames to renovate a portion of the bed as it is not advisable to retain the plants longer than three years. The best varieties are Large Gfeen and Purple Globe. Broad Beans. — Another sowing of Broad Beans may be made in boxes or raised in a cold frame for successional supplies. Plants of the earliest sowing intended for planting out early in April must be thoroughly hardened. A sowing may now be made on a south border. Early plants in pots are in flower, and should occupy a light position in a cool Peach house or a similar structure, where they may receive fresh air whenever possible. THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunbuknholme, Warier Priory, Yorksiure. Pruning Young Trees. — A great differ- ence o£ opinion exists among growers as to the best time for cutting back recently -planted fruit trees. Trees that were properly planted in the autumn should have made new roots by Christ- mas, and are now in a condition to support the expanding shoots as they appear. Delay in head- ing back such trees as soon as the sap com- mences to rise means a loss of energy. No hard- and-fast rule can be laid down as to when or how to prune, for much depends upon the con- dition of the trees, a;id whether they have been grown and pruned carefully in the nursery. Crenerally speaking, about one-third or one-half the length.s of the shoots should be cut off, bear- ing in mind that the first object of the pruner should be to build up a tree of good shape, that will develop and be capable of bearing plenty of fruits in years to come. First remove any shoots that cross each other, and cut back others, if necessary, to secure an open centre to the tree. Encourage the leading shoots to grow by pinch- ing the side growths during the growing season, pruning always to a bud pointing in the direc- tion in which the shoot is desired to grow. By this means each branch becomes, as it were, a single cordon. Very little, if anything, is gained by pruning trees that are planted in March ; it is rare for such trees to develop a vigorous root action the same season as planted, and they make very little top growth. A mulch of manure is of great assistance to the trees, but too often no water is afforded beyond the one solitary occasion directly after planting, or until the trees show signs of suffering from drought. Several good waterings should be given if the weather is dry in the spring, as the roots are not very active then, and the sap stored up in the wood is soon exhausted. Standard Fruit Trees. — Standard trees that have been carefully pruned in the nursery for, say, three years, should have the shoots cut back to about one-third their lengths, leaving six or seven of the best-placed branches as leaders. Endeavour to keep the centre of the tree open to allow the sunshine to reach the shoots and ripen them. Examine recently-planted trees to see that they are firmly staked; this may seem a small matter, but it is of great im- portance, for the winds may disturb the rout? by causing the branches to sway, and this is very harmful to new roots. Figs. — The protective materials should be removed from Fig trees when more genial weather sets in, to allow the tree to receive the benefits of light and air. It is harmful to the embryo fruits to leave the material on too long, as they become drawn and tender. Do any necessary prunintr, and tie in the growths thinly as recommended in the Calendar for IMarch 1. Protecting Fruit- Blossoms. — Unceasing attention nnist now be paid to the protection of Apricot, Cherry and Pear tree^ as they burst into bloom. All fruit trees promise well for a good crop of fruit, and it will well repay for a little extra care and attention now in protect- ing the bloom. Endeavour to prevent the blos- soms from getting wet towards the evening, as when wet a slight frost will destroy the embryo fruits, whereas slight frosts have no bad effects on them if they are dry. FRUITS UNDER GLASS. By E. Harriss, Fruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, Windsor. The Orchard House. -Peach, Nectarine, Apricot, and Plum trees growing in pots should have the fruits thinned for the first time as soon as the latter are set, but in the cases of Apples and Pears the work should be deferred for a little longer, as large numbers of the fruits will drop naturally. The first thinning should consist chiefly in removing the small fruits and those which are badly placed, leaving those only which are fully exposed to the light. All surplus shoots mav now be removed. At the same time cut back fruitless wood to a healthy growth near to the base. The remaining shoots may be pinched at the fourth or fifth leaf. It will not be safe to attempt to force the trees very hard at this stage, e.specially Apples and Pears, which should be placed in the coolest part of the housn. Fresh air must be admitted freely through botli the top and bottom ventilators, but cold draught- must be avoided. The trees should be syringin vigorously on fine days, and the floors in th house damped frequently. As a safeguard again^' insect pests the foliage may be syringed occa sionally with an insecticide : should the leave- become infested with aphis, the house must b( fumigated with a nicotine preparation. Tomatos. — The earliest Tomato plants whic are growing in pots may be stopped when the;, have set three or four trusses of fruit. This will hasten the development of the fruits. The plants may be placed in a house having a minimum tern perature of 55°, in a position wliere they will In fuUy exposed to the light. All side shoots shoull be removed, and, if the foliage is obstructing the light from the fruits, some of the leaves ma\ be shortened. Top-dress the roots with a mi.\ ture of loam and well-decaved horse manure, ami afford stimulants in the form of liquid manui.. and some suitable fertilizer two or three time- each week. Later plants must be assisted to set their' fruits by lightly tapping the trellis to dis perse the pollen. Admit plenty of fresh aii during favourable weather and keep the atnio sphere dry. Afford larger receptacles to later plants before the roots become pot-bound, ami keep the plants growing in a position near to th light. The potting soil for the later or mid season batches of Tomatos should be of a moi' substantial nature, and should consist chiefly ul rich, fibrous loam, lime-rubble, and crushed bones. The potting also must be done more firmly than hitherto. The Season. — Although the weather cl March has been unusually mild, there has been a notable shortage of sunshine. The mild weather has partially compensated for the lack of sunshine, as the temperatures in the forcing; houses have been maintained without an exces- sive use of fire heat. But the absence of sun- shine has made the growth of all fruit crop under glass soft, and much care and attentiq will be necessary during the next few weeks avoid scorching of the foliage. Such growth also very susceptible to attacks of mildew : tre which are subject to this disease should have tb^ filiage lightly dusted with flowers of sulphur.! The hot-water pipes also should bs occasionally! sprinkled with this material. Constant attention | must be paid to the ventilation of the house dur- ing changeable weather to avoid sudden fluctua- tions in the temperatures. During very eoldj nights such houses that can be convenientljn covered with mats or other protective materia^ should be protected in this manner. The raili fall has been unusually heavy during the presed month, and, where the subsoil is of a heavy an retentive nature, coverings placed over t^ border.-i of early vines, etc., have proved a grei advantage. PLANTS UNDER GLASS. By Thomas Stevknson, Gartlener to E. Mocatta, Esq.i Wol^urn Place, Addlestone, Surrey. LiLiUMS. — In many establishments Liliums are gi-own practically the whole year round. Untill retarded bulbs were available, growers had to I practise hard forcing in the cases of Lilium Har-I rissii and L. longiflorum to obtain plants in bloomi early ; but, with retarded bulbs, hard forcing is* not necessary. Allow the new bulbs a long time^ to root in the pots, so as to develop them gently, [ relying on the retarded bulbs for very early I blooming. By this time early potted plants of j the varieties named should be in a suitable con- dition for introducing into a little heat, and, by I bringnig these forward a few at a time according! to the number required, a succession of blooml may be maintained. Retarded bulbs may be pot- ted towards the end of the summer for flowering! in winter and early spring. Practically all this! season bulbs should be potted and put in frames [ by now, but should there be a shortage it is not too late to secure fairly good samples of such species as L. speciosum (lancifolium) in variety ; L. auratum, and L. ti^rinnm, which provides a pleasing change from the others. Sweet Peas. - Sweet Peas i|3t^ots are grow- ing apace, but unfortunately, through a lack of sunshine, the growth is on the soft side. Arrange the plants in the house where they are to bloom at a suitable distance apart, and place stakes to support the shoots. Some use ordinary Maech 30, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 201 I Hazel sticks such as are employed for Peas out- of-doors, but these rob the plants of a consider- , able amount of light. For this reason, I_ prefer to place three or four long bamboo rods in each pot, and these are neater in appearance. The bamboo canes may be tied togetlier at the top either to a wire or Hazel hoop about 1 foot in diameter. All that is necessary afterwards is to place strands of matting around the stakes as growth progresses. Keep the plants growing as steadily as possible, by affording fresh air on all favourable occasions, leaving the ventilators open until late in the afternoon. It will sluntly be necessary to feed the plants by giving liquid manure, but, as a rule, stimulants should be withheld until the first blooms are showing colour. After this stage, the roots may be fed liberally. Beconia. — Plants of Begonia Gloire de Lor- raine and others of the winter flowering section which have been rested in a cool house, may be introduced again into heat to furnish suitable shoots for cuttings. Select for cuttings growths that develop at the base of the plant, as these are likely to be stronger, and are less prone to develop flowers than those on the upper parts of the plant. If it is necessary to obtain the cut- tings from the upper portions, the flower-buds should be removed as soon as they appear. Carnations Plants of Souvenir de la Mai- maison Carnations are commencing to throw up their flower stems and to send out side growths. This will necessitate giving the plants increased space. Staking should be done at once ; one support is suHicient for young plants, but older specimens may require several. In the case of specimen plants, the staking needs to be done carefully, so as to afford sufficient space between each shoot to allow the flowers to develop pro- perly. Do not tie the matting too tightly, as the flower-stems are brittle and liable to break if enveloped in a tight ligature. Older plants may, as advised in a previous Calendar, be assisted with manure, these being as a rule in a forward condition and ready to make use of food ; young plants that are well rooted may be given a little soot water, or some equally mild fertilizer. The perpetual-flowering varieties are again developing strong growths, and with brighter weather fine flowers. Keep the plants fed with suitable stimulants if a succession of blooms is desired. Carnations do best in a dry atmosphere, but syringings are necessary occa- sionally to keep down red spider and maintain the plants in good health. It this pest is de- tected, place a little sulphur in the water that is used for syringing. Aphis is often trouble- some at this season of the year, and occasional fumigation must be given to keep them in check. Some of the flowers, notably those of rose-pink shades, lose their colour if exposed to too brilliant sunlight, therefore, in bright weather, the plants should be shaded a little during the middle of the day. THE ORCHID HOUSES. By J. CoLLitR, Gardener to Sir jERtMlAH Colman, Bart., Gatton Park, Surrey. Denorobiuivi. — Dendrobiums of the deciduous kinds, both species and hybrids, commence to make new growth as they pass out of flower, and should be potted or top-dressed as soon as roots begin to push forth from the base of the young shoots. It is better to grow them in pots than in pans or baskets. Specimens that require repotting should have the old compost shaken from the roots and old or useless pseudo bulbs cut away. The not, which should be just large enough to hold the plant comfortably, should be filled to one-quarter of its depth with clean crocks and with porlinns of Fern rhizomes cut rather short over the top of the sherds to complete the drainage. Over these place a layer of Sphagnum- mofs. The following mixture is a suitable root- ing medium : — One part Al fibre or good fibrous peat with all the small particles removed, and one part Sphagnum-moss, both ingredients cut up rather short, adding a good sprinkling of crushed crocks and coaj".se silver sand before in- corporating the whole together. I do not advo- cate the use of Oak leaves for Dendrobiums, as I find they have a tendency to promote spot in the leaves. Pot the plants rather firmly but not hard. When finished, the base of the plant should be a little below the rim of the pot, being careful during the operation to work the compost well between the roots : the surface may either be covered at once with chopped Sphagniim-moss or, when the young roots have got well into the new compo.st. the latter being the better plan. After the potting is finished and until they are well rooted great discretion must be exercised in watering the plants, for there is dan- ger of both the young roots and growth damping of^ if too much moisture is applied. But when the plants are in full growth water should be afforded freely. Newly potted plants should be shaded for a few hours during the middle of the day. Healthy speci- mens that have ample pot room and compost in a good condition should have a little of the material removed from between the roots and replaced with new. All Dendrobiums of this section require a hot, moist atmosphere during their growing season, and are benefit-ed by ex- posiu'e to the early morning and late afternoon sun. The old pseudo-bulbs that have been re- moved from the plants may be utilised for pur- poses of propagation if an increase of stock is desired. They should be labelled and placed on a stage in a warm house for a few weeks to dry. When making the cuttings, the pseudo bulbs should be cut up to a single eye to a point that has not produced a flower. Cut rather close to the eye at the top end of the stem, leaving rather more of the stem at the bottom end to in.sert in the compost to keep the cutting upright without covering the dormant eye : it w ill al.so help to sustain the young shoot. The cuttings should be placed in 4-iiich pots, half-filled with clean crocks for drainage, and with a layer of Sphagnum-moss over the top of the crocks, "finally employing a compost consisting of two parts silver sand and one part Sphagnum-moss chopped finely. Press the cuttings into the compost at a sufl^cient depth to hold them firm without cover ing the bud." They may be rooted in a hot. moist flame. The frame should be kept closed by day and opened a little each night. The material in the pots should be kept on the dry side, but the cuttings should be sprayed lightly on bright days. When the young growth has developed about an inch in length, the plants should be potted in small pots, in a mixture similar to that recommended for established plants. THE FLOWER GARDEN. By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady Noi^thcote, Ivaslnell Park, Kent. Calceolaria amplexicaulis. — Where plants of this Calce(jlaria were propagated in boxes or in cold frames, the pottingup should not be further delayed. Put them into S-inth pots, and place them in a cold frame, which should be kept a trifle close for a few days. If tall plants are requi:ed, stake and tie theshoots as they lengthen. When established, and the pots full of roots, they must on no account be allowed to suffer from want of water, or they will be starved and become of a bad colour, not recovering readily when planted out. Marguerites. — If Marguerites were propa- gated in the same way, they should now be potted or boxed. Boxes are quite suitable, and usually more convenient for handling. The mild weather has caused the plants to be ususually soft and sappy, and therefore they should now be grown as hardily as possible. Early - FLOWERING Chrysanthemums. — The present is the best time to propagate early- flowering Chrysanthemums, whether intended for the decoration of the flower garden or furnishing a supply of cut blooms in the reserve quarters. Though the plants are reputedly hardy (in mild winters certain varieties are unharmed), nothing is gained by leaving them in the beds or borders all through the year. To grow them to the best advantage they need to be divided annually, and afterwards planted in ground that has been well prepared by trenching and manuring. In the autumn, after the flowers are over, it is customary to lift a portion of the clumps and cither place them in boxes in cold frames or plunge the roots in ashes in a sheltered position, where they may be protected during severe weather. Plants wintered thus have made plenty of robust and sturdy growths, suitable for cuttings. Dibbled into pans or boxes, the shoots root very readily at this season, and, when rooted, should be hardened off and planted out by the end of April. The simpler method of division is recom- mended where plants are plentiful. In this case, shake off all the soil from the loots and carefully pull the plant to pieces. It will be found that most of the young shoots are already rooted ; do not divide the clumps too severely, but retain several shoots in each portion. These will even- tually make fine specimens for planting in bor- ders. The growths having been made under cool conditions, the shoots are not tender, and the plants may be set out now with every pros,ject of success. The ground, having been prepared piiviously, should be forked over and raked fine, making the surface firm and even before planting. There is a wealth of suitable varii-ties, some of the finer being Horace Martin, Goac.ier's Pink, Goacher's Crimson, Jlme. Desgrange and its yellow sport Mme. Marie JIassie, Crimson Massie, Carrie, Harvest Honi^, La Parisienne, Market Pink, Roi des Blancs, Xina Blick, Queen of the Earlies, Fee Japonaise, Ryecroft Crimson, and Ryecroft Glory. Gladioli. — The corms should be planted whenever the ground is in a suitable condition. Clumps of showy Oladioli are very pleasing in the mixed border, whilst the scarlet G. Brench- leyensiii may be planted in quantity to create a brilliant effect in the shrubbery border or in the natural garden. Gladioli of the early-flowering section, of which the best known is G. Colvillii alba or The Bride, have become very popular of late years. These are invaluable for growing in quantity for supplying cut blooms, and thrive best on a warm, sheltered border. Do not plant them in a prominent position, because, when the flowers are over, the foliage quickly becomes un- tidy, A rich, open soil is requirecl for CJladioli ; if the staple is uf a heavy, retentive nature, .'ome spent manure from an old Mushroom-bed, leaf soil, or old potting-soil should be incorpor- ated to lighten it. Salmon Queen. Delicatissi- mus. Fairy Queen. Peach Blos.=om, Emperor Wil- liam, Queen of IL.Iland, Fire King and Ne Plus Ultra are desirable varieties. Those of the Gan- davensis section and the Childsii and Nanceianus hybrids are all valuable to succeed the early- flowering varieties. The corms should be planted not later than April. If a delay occurs in their planting, pot the corms and start them into growth under glass. This j^lan is to be recom- mended in districts that are cold, where crops are late. THE APIARY. By Chloris. Beekeepers and Wasps.- Some time since a beekeeper informed me that Cotoneaster Simonsii attracts queen wasps in the spring when she is searching for material to construct; her nest. Jly informant killed nearly 400 on one plant in less than a week. The shrub may be purchiised from almost any nurseryman, and is worth planting for trial in this respect. It is a pity that school children are not encouraged by horticultural societies in rural districts to destroy queen wasps. This could be done very easily by offering prizes for the greatest num- bers. In one di.L incana fenestralis, a Cretan form, a semi-dwarf perennial with short leaves and the ancestor of our winter-flowering Stocks. It is particularly interesting to observe that M. incana occurs wild in a wide range of colour-forms — dark blue, vio- let-rose, carmine, cramoisie and white. The hor- ticulturist has apparently had little to do with the development of colour varieties, he having been anticipated in the case of t';e Stock by nature herself. He has not, however, been content with nature's handiwork, but has crossed varieties and perhaps species with the object of moulding the form as well as of fixing the colours of the plant. Our summer-blooming Stocks, derived from JI. incana and its varieties, occur wild in Greece, and may abo be found in profusion on the rocky shores of Corfu in the neighbourhood of Ipso. In addition to M. incana and its natural varieties, M. sinuata, a red — rarely blue — ^species has been used for cross-breeding purposes. It has lobed, deeply-cut leaves, is commoner in Greece than is M. incana, and is specially fine in Crete. The Large Larch Saw-fly. — Apaperonthe Economics of the large Larch saw-fly (Xematus erick.soni), contributed to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, by Dr. R. Stew.art MacDougall, contains the proof of the interesting fact that the female saw-fly is capable of reproducing itself parthenogenetically. In the course of breeding experiments Dr. MacDougall obtained from cocoons collected in the spring 165 females and one male. Previous records by Dr. Hewitt had shown a similar disproportion between the sexes. In order to test the hypothesis of par- thenogenesis, females known to be newly issued were placed on Larch growing in pots, and covered to prevent the access of other insects. In spite of these precautions the saw-flies laid eggs, which developed normally into cater- pillars. The caterpillars produced cocoons, from which, in the following spring, adult insects issued — all of which proved to be female. Hence ii is to be concluded that the female Nematus is capable of producing fertile eggs without having been fertilised by a male. Another point of in- terest, which may prove of economic importance is the fact that the large Larch saw-flv is subject to the attack of numerous parasites, from among which it may prove possible to find one deadly enough to act as a destroyer of the saw-fly on a scale large enough to keep down the spread of that pest. IRELAND. SEASIDE SHRUBS. The note dealing with this subject (p. 157) is of special interest. There are several subjects which have pro%ed to be very satisfactory here in the face of the keenest winds. Two trees are Pinus austriaca and Ulmus montana. The Austrian Pine has proved to be much hardier than the Jlonterey Pine, P. insignis. The latter species is very hardy, but we find here that the late autumnal growths aj-e affected by the south-west gales, even under partial shelter. I would add as sub- jects for planting in most exposed positions: Buxus in variety, Juniperus Sabina, Butcher's Broom, Gaultherias, Salix Caprea, Common Ash, Lycium chinense (barbarum), Colutea arborescens, Ulex europaeus, the common Honeysuckle, Elders (common and variegated). Ivy (growing here on face of cliSs in full exposure). Erica cinerea, Rubus in variety, and Blackthorn. I am inclined to think that the Sea Buckthorn is much over- rated as a seaside shrub, and Tamarisk, how- ever well it may flourish in some places, should not be planted in all soils and situations. Judging from correspondence received from time to time seaside arboriculture is a matter of in- terest to many, and I have been asked to give names of subjects for exposed positions. The plants I have mentioned axe of special value for this purpose. THE VEGETABLE CROPS. A breadth of Late Queen Broccoli, planted just above high water mark, looks very promis- ing. A portion of this bed had a dressing of sea- weed only, whilst the rest was manured with farmyard dung and seaweed in about equal pro- portions. The latter dressing has proved more effectual, the plants being stronger. The differ- ence was noticeable during the growing season, although the land on which the seaweed was used was in more fertile condition originally. Kales of various kinds are all good, whilst Celery and Leeks furnished excellent crops. Brussels Sprouts were not so satisfactory. Savoys were good, but their season here is a short one (even the late varieties come into use early), and are soon unfit for the table. White Sprouting Broccoli is a most excellent crop. I have never had such good results with this vegetable on any previous occasion. The variety is Improved Sprouting. Red Globe Turnip has been in use throughout the winter, the roots being pulled for consumption direct from the land on whid. they were sown. Rhubarb and Seakale both seem to delight in our salt-laden atmosphere. The Rhubarb has not been manured for several seasons ; last year a heavy crop was pulled, and the crowns promise to furnish an equally good return this year. Colin Ruse, Lambay Island, Bush, Co. Dublin. MAGNOLIAS. Magnolias are not so extensively grown in Ireland as their merits deserve. As wall plants, they have few equals, il. grandiflora flowered earlier this year than for some seasons past. M. stellata is generally the first species to bloom, and makes a conspicuous object. Both M. steData and M. conspicua may be grown in a bed in a shady place, where they may receive protection fi-om severe cold. The best method of propagation is by layering. M. Watsonii and JI. parviflora are very good this year, probably owing to the ex- ceptionally mild winter. Magnolias frequently die when transplanted. 11". A. M., Coolfin, Banaijhcr, King's County. 20G THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [March 30, 1912. ROYAL INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITION. THE ORCHIDS. As the time for holding this great exhibition draws near, it becomes possible to get some idea of the exhibits that will be displayed in the Fig. go. — royal international horti- cultural EXHIBITION. (The "Corporation of Glasgow" Cup.) different sections. The scope of the schedule is so wide that provision is made for no fewer than 428 classes ; many of them of a character to test the capacity of the most redoubtable exhibitor. The Orchid classes alone number 32, and the entries show that there will be competition in most of them. There are two entries in the amateurs' class for the best and most varied group of Orchids, arranged in a space not exceeding 500 square feet, and there are two valuable cups to be awarded to the competitors. In the nurserymen's class for similar groups there are four entries for Sir George Holford's cup. Those who profess to despise hybrid Orchids in favour of the natural species and their varieties will be interested in Class 68, in which nursery- men will compete for the best and most varied group of species, and varieties of species, arranged in spaces not exceeding 200 square feet. Liberal provision, however, is made for the showy hybrids, which are due to patient and skilful cross-breeding, carried out in British and foreign hotnouses, Baron Bruno Schroder's presentation cup being offered for the best group of hybrids occupying a space of 200 square feet. There is one entry in an open class for a group of the resplendent Lselias, Cattleyas, and Brassa- volas — varieties and hybrids — in a space of 100 square feet ; this exhibit will be amongst the most showy. More numerous entries are forthcoming in a class for the same type of plants where the specimens are limited to 25, and again where the number must not exceed 12. The effect of the scarlet Cochlioda Noezliana is manifest in the more brightly -coloured hybrids of Odontoglossum, and it is hoped that the exhibit wiU clearly show what genera and species have been crossed with this gay little gem. Such information is valu- able, not merely to specialists, but to all gar- deners. Then there are classes for specimen Orchids in collections of 100 specimens, and others in which the specimens are limited to 50, 12. and 6. There wiU be keen competition for the silver cup offered for the best specimen Orchid in the show. One exhibitor will contribute a group of Orchids in ■which the interest is botanical rather than decorative. The visitor will here be able to see the wonderful forms and devices e.xhibited by the different flowers, illustrating the numerous ways by which the important process of fertilisation is facilitated. We have as yet referred only to competitive Orchids, but these will not exhaust the ex- hibits, for some of the more able ama- teurs and nurserymen will confine their efforts to exhibiting honorary collections. For in- stance, Sir George Holford, K.C.^'.O., C.I.E., is expected to exhibit the largest group of Orchids an amateur has ever shown in this or any other country, and the excellent quality of th plants may be judged by previous ex hibits from the Westonbirt collection. It is a notable fact that in the Orchid section the number of entrie,. from foreign Orchidists is verv nearly one-half the number received from Britain. The e.xhibitois of Orchids are as follow ; — Armstrong & Brown, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Birchenhall, J., Alderley Edge. Charlesworth & Co., Messrs., Haj;- wards Heath. Colman, Sir Jeremiah, Gatton Park, Reigate. Cypher, J. & Sons, Cheltenham. Dixon, Harry, Spencer Park Nursery, Wandsworth Common. Evans, J., Manor House, Key Green, Congleton. Fowler, J. Ciurney, South W^oodford. rIG. Hassall & Co., Southgate, N. Holford, Lt.-Col. Sir G. L.. Tetbury, Glos. James, Mrs. Willie, West Dean. Cowans, Ltd., Gateacre. Liverpool. Low, Stuart, & Co., Enfield. Low, E. v., Haywards Heath. MacCartney, J., Bolton. Mansell & Hatcher, Rawdiabki.— Supplies of EngU-h hothouse Grapes are limi'id, but Cap ■ Grapes, black, white and red varieties, are plentiful. Supplies of Belpi in Gro^ Colman Grapes continue a fairly good supply. Three cargoes of Australian Apples have arrived, the con-ignrnents consisting of about 40.000 boxes; there were also a few Pears and other fruits. The s.s. " Suffolk '* and '* Orsova " are due ihi*^ week, the former with 4,000 and the latter 18,000 boxes of Apples, &c. Ship* ni'n^': of fruit fr^ni otbe: sources consisted of 8,000 to 9,000 barrels and boxes. English Anpfesare limited to a few frui s of Bramley's Seedling. Hothouse Strawberries s low a marked increase in supply; there is a considerable depre- ciation in their prices compared with last week. About 12,000 boxes of fruit have been received from the Cape, consisting principdly of Grapes in an excellent condition. Shipment', from the Canai v Islands amounted to 5,000 odd packages of Tomatos, Bananas and Potatos. Forced Ve:,'etabies U^\\\ France and the Channel Islands continue a good supply all round. Home-grown vegetables are a shorter sunplv wiih the exception of Se^kale, which has been much in excess of the demand. New Brazil Nuts have made their appearance this week, their size and quality ara excellent. E, H, R., Covent Garden, March a?, 1912. per cwt. per cwt. s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. Kents- Lincolns — Queen's _. . 4 0-46 Mdincrops ... 4 3-46 Up-to-Date . 10-46 Blacklands . . a 0- 3 3 Llncolns — Up-to-Date British Queen . .. :i 9- 4 6 . 3 9-43 Bedfords - Up-to-Date ... 3 9-40 King Edwa.-d . . 4 0-46 Dunbars— Northern Star . . 2 9-36 Up-to Dale ... 6 0-53 Evergoods .30-3 9 Maincrop ... 6 S- 5 6 New Potatos. Teneriffe ... . 10 6-14 0 1 Algerian — ... 12 0-14 0 Remarks.— The condition of the Potato trade is the same as last week, with no dift erences in the prices for old tubers. Supplies are plentiful. Edward /. Newborn^ Covent Garden and Si, Pancras, March 27, 7912. Proposed Municipal Vegetable Market for Edinburgh,— Councillor Rose delivered an addiess on "The Necessity for a Municipal Fruit, Flower, and Vegetable Market " to a meeting of the South Side Mer- chants' Association, held in the Livingstone Hall, Edinburgh, on the lUb inst. Mr. T. M. Sleigb, J. P., president, occupied the chair. Councillor Rose said that a municipal market would bring n^w bjsiness and increase the assessable rental of the city. It would meet a long-felt want on the part of producers and dis:ributors. Fresh material could be had every day, and less risks and loss incurred than at present. Encouragement would be given to people engaged in one of the healiniest and mo=i niteresting occupauons, namely, the fruit and vegetable trade. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Caknations : South Stafford. The plants are free from either eelworm or fungous disease. The trouble must be looked for in some error of culture. CiNERARi.is ; I. L. The photograph is indis- tinct; but, judging from the display of blooms, the plants are excellent specimens. Cocoons on Dwabf Japanese Trees ; C. 0. The curious and beautifully-protected cocoons sent to us for identification are tenanted by a cater- pillar or " basket-worm," belonging to the I'sychidae, a family of moths in which the sexes are remarkably dissimilar in form ; the fema.les are wingless and often quite maggot-like, while the male is provided with ample wings like those of other members of this group of insects. The females never leave their cocoons or " cases," but lay their eggs inside them and then die. The young caterpillar on escaping from the interior constructs a covering of silk into which it generally weaves or attaches portions of the food-plant. One of the African species employs the long, sharp spines of Acacia horrida, and when those are packed tightly together and lying side by side they bear a striking resemblance to a basket in miniature, hence the name " basket-worm " or " ca^e-bearer." We advise you to have the ii'fested plants thoroughly fumigated with hydrocyanic acid gas, as although the insects are not likely to reproduce their species in captivity, they might, if liberated, prove a serious pest to Larch and other Conifers in this country. The injury to the twig is un- doubtedly the work of the imprisoned larvae. Fruit Tree Stocks : A. M. See Gardeners' Chronirle, January 28 and February 4, 1911, pp. 58, 76. Ginsing: Auckland. Ginsing (Aralia quinque- folia) is not cultivated for commercial purposes in England. The plant is grown in Kew gar- dens, but does not thrive there. It favours high and dry land in woods, and does not suc- ceed in swampy situations. Wild plants are stated to yield better results than those in cultivation, as it takes five years to grow the root from seed for market. Full particulars on the subject will be found in " S.ing or Ginsing," a leaflet published by Harlan P. Kelsey, Tre- monl Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A., price 10 cents. Gramme and Samphire : B. <£• W. (1) The seeds are those of the Chick Pea or common Gram, an annual extensively cultivated in India in the Northern Provinces and in the Nilgiris. The ripe, unhusked seeds are largely used for feed- ing horses and cattle in many parts oi that country; the seeds, after parching, grinding, steeping, or the removal of the husks, form an important food in some districts, chiefly of the labouring classes. For an analysis of the seeds, see Food Orains of Iiirlia, by A. H. Church. (2) Several plants are known under the name of Samphire, but from the description furnished there is little duubt that the Marsh Samphire (Salicornia herbacea) is the one you refer to. This plant is sometimes pickled, and was formerly burnt for obtaining barilla. Manure for Pai-ms : IF. Morris. The best stimulant, for Palms in pots is liquid manure made from cow dung and soot. Mushrooms: A. W. The Mushrooms are affected with the disease Jdypomyces pernicio- sus. Sometimes the spawn is infected before it is jjlaced in the Mushroom bed ; in such cases, when the spawn coiuniifnces to " run," the threads have a fluffy appearance. Under these circumstances, the entire bed should be re- moved before the parasite produces spores, otherwise if the house becomes thoroughly in- fected the disease will be very difficult to eradicate. All infected Mushrooms should be removed as soon as the slightest symptoms are discerned. Great care should be taken in cleansing the took, boots, and clothing after removing the soil and manure from the in- fected bed. When a house or other structure in which Mushrooms are grown has become in- fected, it should be emptied, and sprayed everywhere three times at intervals of 10 days with a solution of sulphate of copper, using 1 lb. of the sulphate to 15 gallons of water. Names of Fruits : Cooinhes. Northern Spy.— ir. Wilson. 1, Lord Lennox; 2, Newton Wonder ; 3, Dean's Codlin ; 4. Grange's Pear- main ; 5, Beauty of Kent ; 6, Forge ; 7. Flower of Kent ; 8, Gloria Mundi. — H. P. Rymer. — T. Taylor. Franklin's Golden Pippin. — Names of Plants; Hv(jh L. Jfoxhury/i. Saxi- fraga Sancta. — A. H. L. Primula viscosa.— Hib'rnian. Your box contained leaves of two Dracaenas and one Codiaeum, also flowers of Cymbidium aloifolium and a species of Eupa- torium. Not being numbered, we regret it is impossible to indicate the names more defi- nitely.— E. J. W. 1, Cypripedium viirosum;; 2, Omphalodes verna (the small blue flower) ; 3, 1 Pidmonaria officinalis. — H. H. Dendrobiumi fimbriatum oculatum. — J. M. 1. Calanthei| Bryan ; 2, Selaginella csesia ; 3, Codiseum Weis- mannii ; 4, C. reticulatum ; 5, C. longifolium ; 6, C. chrysophyllum ; 7 (or 1), PtilmonariaJ saccharata ; 8, Marguerite. The numbers J were scarcely recognisable. — Gaslight. 1, . Maranta Regalis ; 2, Episcia fulgida; 3,j Abutilon megapotamicum variegatum ; 4, Con^ volvulus Cneorum ; 5, Melianthus major ; 6a Eucalyptus species. — //. E. 1, Onc'diun pubes ; 2, Octomeria diaphana ; 3, Bulbophyl-l lum lilacinum ; 4, Dendrobium lutecium; 5j Epidendrum oncidioides. — E. T. Cypripediuml Madiotianum (Chamberlainianum X villosum),! Saxifraga species ; send when in flower.— 1 R. P. M. Mackaya bella. — Foreman. Loni-| cera involucrata. Peach Leaves DisEA.sEn : F. Wijn. The leav| are affected with the silver-leaf disease. Gardeners' Chronicle, November 12, 1910, 356. Peach Leaves with Holes : E. D. The hole; are caused by the shot-hole fungus (Cercosporatl circumscissa). On account of the very tendetl nature of the leaves, spray the trees with th?| self-boiled lime-sulphur mixture. The propor-F tions of the mixture are: lime 8 lbs., sulphur! 8 lbs., and 50 gallons of water. The limel should be slaked with water and the sulphur added afterwards as a fine powder, mixing enough water to make the lime into a paste. The mixture should be constantly stirred dur- ing the time it is applied. Soil from a Vine Border : F. B., Sparlc-sKooil The soil is of a heavy nature, and not the best for a vine border. The fact of the Grapes shanking points to some wrong conditiim in the rooting medium, and most probably the drain- age is at fault. Efficient drainage is especiall.v necessary when the soil is of a heavy nature, and a stagnant condition at the roots wouW not be remedied by a surface application of fresh compost. In the autumn, when the vinos are dormant, overhaul the border, lifting the roots so as to get down to the drainage. Read the article on the cultivation of " Fruits u-^er Glass " in the issue for February 17, page IW- Co "■njnications H2ceived. — A, J. J. ^ — "c- Biclt>n>iivm_MaBhrooms_M. B. G., Hert3_K.li.w-- E. H., Keswiok- W. C, 8troucl_AppIe_P. R- ^—-[- S _P. C. K.^M. Tj. B._T. R. B._\. p. R.-J. W. B _T. G. H. H ^H, A. M _T. M _McL. & C.-\. H- B. & SoQ-i^M. C. G»aa_E. T._H. S._W. B. B - C. T. D._P. K.. B3rlin_-R. P. B._W. A. M — W. t ■- J.G.^T. S._G. M.—A.. H. H., W. Indies (man? thaol!./ _V. B. April 6, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 21S THE ©arbcners'CbronicIi No. 1,319.SATVEDAY, April 6, 1912. CONTENTS. Apples in Ontario 222 Plants, new or note- Australia, notes from ... 224 worthy- Barnes, Mr. G. F., re- Hybrid Rehmannias 218 tirement of 224 Potatos, drying .. 221 Books, notices of— Rosary, the — The Carnaiion Year Cultural notes for Book 223 April 214 The Modern Culture The Orleans Rose ... 914 of Sweet Peas 223 School gardens, extent Chryfanthemum King of 223 of Plumes 227 Scotland^ early flowers Daffodils, prizes for in 227 Leedsii 22i Scotland, notes from .. 225 Dianthus callizonus ... 227 Shirley Society, the old 227 Economic Biologists, Societies- Association of 224 Liverpool Hort. 230 Egypt, chemical fertili- Manr-hester and N. of sers in 222 England Orchid ... 229 Elms, British 21fi Royal Cnunties Agri- Fruit buds, birds and ... 227 cultural 229 Hafod, Cardiganshire... 214 Royal Horticultural... 227 Irish department of Royal Meteorological 230 agricultuie ... 222 225 Royal Society of Edin- Iris tuberosa 227 burgh 230 Maize crop in Argentina 224 Societe Frantaise Manchester, horticul- d'Hort de Londres 231 ture in 226 Torquay District Gar- Market fruit garden, the il8 deners 230 Medal of the North of StrawbeiTies, failure of 22G England Horticul- Trees and road tar 223 tural Society .. 224 Tulipa Kaufmanniana.. 217 Obituary — Turnip, the 213 Gow, William 231 Udaipur, the gardens of 222 Pentland, Francis ... 231 Violas at Wisley, trial Parasitic fungi, the of 226 nature of 215 Week's work, the 220 221 Parks, coht of the Royal 223 West Indies, notes from 224 ILLUSTRATIONS. Cattleya Dirce " Westonbirt variety " 226 Gow, William, portrait of the late 211 Hafod, Cardiganshire, views at ... .„ ... 214, 215 Magnolia salicifolia 223 Map showing the distribution in England of Ulmus sativa 216 Medal of the North of England Horticultural Society 224 Philadelphiis microphyllus, a llowering spray of ... 225 Rehmaniiia kewensis «. 218 Strawberry, leaf-spot disease of 219 Tulipa Kaufmanniana 217 THE TURNIP. rp] 'HE Turnip, though a common vege- I table, is not without its points of -*■ interest. It has a very ancient his- tory, and was esteemed by the Greeks as well for its physical as for its edible properties. The Konian peasantry was fed to a large extent on its roots. Pliny mentions three distinct sorts, and chronicles a root which weighed 40 lbs. Columella reports on the turnip fly, to circumvent which the seeds were mixed with soot and sprinkled with water to render the sap bitter and distasteful to the fly ! While the Roman agriculturist sowed his Basil and Hemp seed with abundant curses, he stole out in a state of nudity to sow liis Turnip seeds, at the same time praying to the gods and ex- claiming: " I sow this for myself and my neiglibour," Turnips being free to every- body, just as they were in Scotland till recently. Though Hume's assertion that " It was not till the end of Henry VIII.'s reign that any Salads, Carrots, Turnips, or other edible roots were produced in Eng- land " has been generally accepted as fact, it is known that the historian was mis- taken, all having been cultivated long be- fore that period. The word " Turnip " does not occur till the time of Ed- ward \., but Naep and Navet, the former an anglicised form of Napus, and still current in the north, and the latter the Gallic form of the same word were in use centuries earlier. '.Vhile Napus was the name for the plant, Rapum distinguished the bulb. Lyte distinguishes the " round Rape or Turnep " as Rapa, the " long Rape or Navet " as Napus, and "wild Rapes or Rampion" as Rapum. The Napus of Turner is explained thus: " I have hearde sume cal it in Englishe a turnepe, and other some a naved or navet, long rape or navet gentle." Dr. Prior derived Turnip from Terrae Napus, but there seems to be no authority for this beyond his bare assertion, and I am ex- tremely doubtful if these two words are to be found anywhere in conjunction. Lyte mentions " his roote or turneppes," and discribing the root of Orobanche, calls it a " turne or pear." Not improbably, therefore, " turn " is another name for round, "turn-nepe" being the round Nepe, to distinguish it from the long Nepe or Navet. John Evelyn is the first to spell Turnip as we do with an " i." Gerarde, in his gossipy way, relates that the Turnips of a small variety grown at Hackney and " brought from that village to Cheapside Market, are the best that ever I tasted." Parkinson's " best kinde is known to be flat with a small pigges tail-like roote," and to show how gardeners valued Turnips he adds they were very particular to pre- serve the strain true. Evelyn, in Acrtaria, has a lucid description of Turnips, the yellow from Denmark being preferred to all others. The red Bohemian — named by Lyte the Bohem — was sown on hot-beds for using in salads. For a like purpose the stalks of common Turnips when they began to bud were also in request. Those running to seed were utilised by taking the stalks, peeling and tying them in bundles and presenting them at table cooked in- stead of Asparagus. Enveloped in paper coverings. Turnips were also roasted un- der hot embers and eaten with sugar and butter, and they were sometimes mixed with an equal bulk of Wheat Meal and baked and eaten as bread, even " at the greatest Person's Tables." A year or two earlier than Evelyn, Donaldson, the earliest writer on Husbandry in Scot- land, remarks on Turnips, that "the commonest way they are made use of are boyled and broken, and stewed with butter and new milk. Yea, some make bread of them, by mixing them with Oats or Barley Meal after they are broken and stewed with milk ; others parboyle them and bake them with Apples after the manner of tarts." In Switzers' Cata- logue of Seeds (1731) only four kinds are noted— the Early White Dutch ; Bohemia, Hackney or Red ; Yellow from Germany, and Navew, or long French, and these varieties continued down to last century as the only named ones with the exception of the Black-skinned. Turnips at an early period formed a large part of the food of the common people on the Continent, not only cooked, but raw. Gerarde states that the "Welsh also ate the roots uncooked, and Gtay mentic: ns " sweet Turnips " as the food of Blouzelind. It was long a standing joke in England that Turnips were the only fruit that the sister country produced, and, indeed, they were there consumed as a delicacy. Travellers in the 18th century never failed to remark on the custom, and Colonel Topham in 1774 was amused at Turnips being offered to him at dessert. Justice, 20 years eailier tells how gardeners tried to excel each other in having the Early Dutch ready early in May for eating raw. In Hum phrii Clinl:er it is a yellow variety that is men- tioned and said to be eaten as "whets" at dinner. " They " — the Turnips — " are small and conical, of a yellowish colour, with a very thin skin," and, again, " The Turnips in this country are as much superior in sweetness, delicacy, and flavour to those in England as a Musk-Melon is to the stock of a Cabbage," and it will be remembered that Cobbett said of the yellow Scotch Turnip that if it did come from Scotland, " there is something good that is Scotch at any rate " ! The Creel wives of Mussel- burgh, like the Newhaven fish wives with fish, made the streets of Edinburgh re- sound with their cry, " Neeps like succar ! Neeps like succar! " Whether the Turnip north of the Tweed retains its supremacy is now, I fear, a debatable question. It is barely credible that Turnips, as a field crop, when grown at all, were sown on barley stubble in exactly the same manner as related by writers on Roman husbandry. Hartlib showed a better way, but little or no progress was made till Tull introduced drill culture. When grown in the neigh- bourhood of London in fields, the seeds were sown broadcast, and singled with hoes to 6 inches apart. Gaideners in pri- vate establishments were permitted to con- tract to single them, for which 7.s. per acre was paid. They were so adept at the work that Laurence called them " dextrous artists," half an acre being a day's work, but it is not improbable that these artists in Turnip hoeing went to work when the lark began to sing and left off when the nisrhtingale commenced her lay. Cockburn of Ormiston sowed Turnips in fields in 1725, probably the first to do so in Scotland, but many years passed before farmers adopted the practice. The " Swede " was intro- duced in 1772 by Dickson of Perth, but 30 years passed before it was in general culti- vation. Besides being a farmers' root, the Turnip is an excellent garden vegetable, the roots being delicious cooked and the sprouts in spring, when vegetables are in- variably scarce, a good substitute for Sea- kale. A few words in conclusion will show that the Greeks had followers in England who discovered in the Turnip important medi- cinal properties. Langham, m The Cardtit, of Health, that repository of long-for- gotten receipts has no fewer than 29 re- ceipts for long Rapes or Turnips. " Rapes " here also represented the plant as a rule, and the roots were " Turneps." Seeds were also utilised, and, besides other uses, they were employed to " beautifie the face and all the body," for " kibes," whitlows, the gout, headaches, and other complaints. The following is rather drastic : " Seethe Rape in oyle, and anoint thy head there- with for the Frensie, and thow shalt either sleep or die " ! If one happened to be poisoned, then: " Drinke presently the seeds or roots of Turneps." It is interest- ing to know that a medicine was made " neare to Linne " from Rapes, etc., " very profitable in our Commonwealth." E. F. Hrotherston. 214 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICIE. [April 6, 1912. THE ROSARY. CULTURAL NOTES FOR ArRIL. Any further planting should be carried out with pot-plants, even though the expense is greater. All pruning should be completed dur- ing the first half of April. Stir the soil with the hoe whenever the conditions are suitable : few subjects benefit more by a con.stant moving of the surface soil than Roses. Stocks left over from grafting will now be pushing into growth suffi- ciently to allow the bark to be lifted for budding. Those that are backward in this respect may be afforded weak liquid manures and given every encouragement to cause the sap to become active. The earliest forced Roses under glass will gener- ally supply plenty of suitable buds, which may be inserted in forward stocks in the ordinary way. This provides a capital method of increas- ing choice, new or scarce varieties of Roses. If budded early, many of the plants may be cut down to the bud after it is united well with the stock. By putting a little mastic or grafting wa.\ upon the cut before it has become too much wetted ber of the dwarf Polyantha varieties by graft- ing, because it is often a difficult matter to obtain suitable buds for open-ground working, planting them in well-prepared ground as soon as danger from frosts is passed. Should the ground be not quite ready, it must be attended to at once. I have found it an excellent plan to stand the Roses in the meantime in cooler quarters during the present month, and turn them outside in May. Roses are not harmed by a fairly severe frost if they are treated in this way, but their hardening must be gradual. Let them be planted quite firmly, and always cover the union of scion and stock with about two or three inches of soil. Planting in this manner favours a freer growth of the lowest eye on the graft, and assists in making a firmer union. By the end of this month many of the buds inserted last summer will be pushing up from both dwarf and standard plants. Look very closely for suckers and remove them if pre- sent before drawing a little of the surrounding soil up to the growing buds of dwarfs ; it is an excellent plan to first scatter a little prepared compost around the base of the plants. Old com- post from a pit or frame or light soil with a Fig. 93. — HAFOD, CARDIGANSHIRE, THE RESIDENCE OF T. J. WADDINGHAM, ESQ. by the sap, the inserted buds will grow and form good heads by next season. Green shoots, a little more than half-ripened, will root freely under glass in a compost consisting of loam, leaf- mould and sand in equal proportions. Give the cuttings one good watering, and then keep them under close conditions until roots have developed. After hardening them gradually, the rooted cuttings may be potted up and grown on in the ordinary way. Take care not to break or even bruise the new roots, which are particularly ten- der and brittle. Let the plants be kept close again for a short time after the first potting. Employ a stronger compost at each successive shift and use relatively small pots. Roses under glass need a slight shading during periods of bright sunshne : ordinary herring netting affords just sufficient protection to break the sun's glare ; later on it may be used a double thickness. Fish netting is cheap, effective, and readily removed at any time. Roses grafted during winter may be shifted once more, if they are destined to remain in jjots. In this establishment we propagate a large num- suspicion of some concentrated manure (bone meal is very suitable) will help the dwarfs to develop their own roots. It also aids the union by keeping both scion and stock softer, while not the least advantage comes from the extra support afforded at a time when the young Rose is too small to tie to sticks. Writing of sticks reminds me that a goodly number of these should be prepared for use. Sticks and stakes are more lasting when the bark is removed, and bark only harbours in- sects. It is well to have the sticks in various sizes and lengths : small Hop-poles are useful for standards. The present is a good time to lift and pot a number of dwarf stocks for budding or grafting next season. Use a stiff, rather rich loam, and plunge the pots in ashes or cocoanut fibre and sand on a sheltered border, so that the plants may become well established during the coming summer. Standards and climbers in pots will need extra food, either in the way of mulchings or liquid manures. Large pots are not needed for standards ; I have had much the best results when growing them in relatively small pots. Practice. THE ORLEANS ROSE. I PREDICT a great future for this beautifuj Polyantha Rose. The variety has a vigorous con- stitution, and it flowers abundantly and continu- ously. The colour has been described by som& as a Geranium red, but my description is rose- pink. The most remarkable point about it yet to be noted is the longevity of its blossoms. A speci- men I grew in a pot expanded its blossoms on April 22; they remained for several weeks, and even after it had been planted out of the pot for a fortnight some of the same flowers were still present. I would advise all Rose growers to add this variety to their collection. E. M. HAFOD. The main road that leads from Aberystwyth to Rhayader brings the traveller to the lodge gates of Hafod, but the house itself is situated two miles at least from the roadway. The drive leading to the residence is cut along the mountain side, and is so tortuous that it is never possible to see much more than a hundred yards ahead. It is so happily designed that at all points the traveller can see and hear the river Ystwyth, meandering hurriedly through the deep, narrow valley on the south side, over its bed of blue slate rock, tumbling over rocks, roaring and foaming. From the river brink the mountain range rises 500 to 600 feet, or 1,400 feet above sea-level, terminating at Pontrhydygroes, a quaint, scattered village, about four miles dis- tant, but only to commence again after the val- ley and river are crossed. The mountain-slopes — for there are three of them — are clothed with Larch, and between the mountains are stretches, of grazing land, but so poor that an acre will only support a couple of sheep, the allotted num- ber per acre in the mountainous districts of East Cardiganshire ; yet trees thrive in a still poorer material. On the north side of the drive there are scores of acres of mountain slope planted with Larch as second crop, and, as well as I could see, there was not a failure amongst them ; the previous crop was felled with the saw within the past dozen years. As there are no suckers, I conclude that the previous crop must have been 'I Larch. i\Iuch of this area is carpeted with the Wild Hyacinth and Anemone nemorosa in the season, and, later on, Hypericum quadrangulum and Scabio-sa succisa, which, with the dwarf Larch trees, made a lovely picture at the time of my visit. Tlie journey is now through a wood. On the way I noticed trees growing on the face of a< well-nigh perpendicular precipice. It is sur- mised that the seed must have been sown there, and, as it would be impossible for anyone to stand there and handle tools, unless secured with a rope, it is not unlikely that they may have had such a contrivance, for a slip would mean a fall of 50 feet to 50 feet. There are some fair-size trees on the very brink of the precipice — a Beech measured 8 feet round at breast high, and an Oak 5 feet 8 inches. The wayside is sweet with Violets in the season. I have resided in ei^ht different counties in England and Wales, but hitherto had never met with Viola lutea and V. tricolor. The Navelwort, Cotyledon Umbilicus, nearly covered the face of a projecting rock, and I have been told that it is common in Cardiganshire. Among Ferns, Polypodium vulgare, Asplenium trichomanes. and Lomaria Spicant are numerous. A few small waterfalls are pa.ssed ; but now the loud roaring of water denotes the presence of a cataract of no small dimensions. Belts of Com- mon Spruce and Douglas Fir skii-t the roadway, standing at 9 feet apart, and 80 feet to 90 feet high. Larch trees are still taller. A typical specimen, about 100 feet high, had a girth of Apeil 6, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 215 7 feet 6 inches at 2 feet from the ground. I am aware that there are taller Douglas Firs in the country, but what surprises one is to see such ponderous growth rising up from such poor, shaly substance. Perhaps the supply of water which trickles down the mountain sides into the ■channel along the roadside most of the year will, in a measure, account for such results. Emerging into the open, clumps of healthy plants of choice Rhododendrons on the fringe of the mountain facing south are passed, with some choice Conifers not many years planted. Passing through a gateway, there is to the west a winding carriage road across a park-like en- closure, terminating in a roadway that passes the back of the mansion, leading to the main road, where there is another lodge entrance, about two miles distant. The carriage-way is known as the Duke's Drive, as it was made, about 70 years ago, by one of the Dukes of Newca.stle, who purchased the property, and, four years later, after spending a large sum of money on the estate, sold it. It changed hands again before becoming the property of the father •of the present owner, Mr. T. J. Waddingham. good library, and collected many valuable pic- tures, but the whole was destroyed by fire 24 years later, causing loss estimated at £70,000. Colonel Johnes built the present mansion, and in the course of si.x years is said to have planted 2,065,000 trees, about one-half being Larch, hav- ing soil carried up the mountain side to place a few handfuls round the young trees. For many years afterwards he planted about 200,000 trees annually, beside planting hundreds of acres with Acorns. The trees now extend some miles on the mountain side, bordering on the roadway at the back of the mansion. They are not scrubs, as one would expect, but healthy trees, with straight trunks, 20 feet to 30 feet high. There is no highly-paid forester for the five square miles of forest on the Hafod Estate, only an ordinary workman, who has grown up with the trees he helped to plant. He certainly knows how to plant successfully and thin judi- ciously, leaving the trees thicker on the windward side. The study of climate and the prevailing con- ditions of soil, which some consider necessary qualifications for forccters, are absolutely worth- ^- Fig. 94. — ro.\dway at hafod; at the position marked x is soil overlying a shalv deposit. Turning sharp to the north by the said gate- way, the road is cut through the tail of the mountain. The slope of the rock facing east was covered with Asplenium trichomanes ; but I tould only see three t;pecimens on the opposite side. We were now in full view of the hall nest- liii!; amidst the wildest surroundings. The ap- ich is flanked on each side with healthy plants -ibies robilis, 15 feet to 20 feet high, planted on breadths of lawn a few yards wide, and that is the only artificial embellishment — no flower- beds or borders. Flowers, mainly for cutting, are grown by Mr. James, the gardener, in the lien garden, which is situated by the river- '•-. where there are good crops of fruit. There were Black Currant bushes of Boskoop Giant, four years planted, with shoots the length of my walking stick, covered with fruit. The Hafod is not an old estate, as iar as plant- ing of trees is concerned. This work was only commenced about 100 years ago, when Colonel Johnes came to the property, after the death of his father : previously it was a barren waste, '-'olonel Johnes built himself a residence, formed a less for planters in East Cardiganshire, as the first cannot be altered, and there is no choice of the latter. I presume that there are very few — if any — landowners in these days who think of planting trees on land that will grow eome useful crop, unless they plant for shelter or orna- ment. Sir W. Schlich's yield tables are equally valueless. No mathematical calculations will add one cubit to the stature of the trees, and as a few years cannot make much difference to the gi'owth of a healthy tree, the time to fall is when the tim- ber is wanted. It requires no trained forester to dispose of the timber; this can be done by auction sales, either before or after the trees are felled. I understood that Mr. J. G. Morris, F.S.I., has a fixed price on the Hafod Estate, and the would-be purchaser of timber can take it or leave it. The Larch in the Hafod forest is considered exceptionally good ; except in the case of small orders, the felling is done by the purchaser, who brings his saw mill into the forest, the nearest station for long timber being 16 miles distant. II'. P. R., Fron Haul, Holy- well. THE NATURE OF PARASITIC FUNGI. THEIR INFLUENCE UPON THE HOST PLANT. (Concluded /rom p. 198.) Our next problem to consider is the mode of life of fungi and their influence upon the host plant. Green (chlorophyll-bearing) plants manufacture their food, as is well known, from the carbonic acid of the air, by means of the small chlorophyll gi'ains in their leaves, and by the action of sun and water. This physiological process is known as '■ assimilation." The first visible product of assimilation is starch. The starch again undergoes certain changes and forms carbohydrates (e.g., sugars), and sugar, which are used as food by the plants. In other words, the manufacture of food neces- sary for the growth of the green plants takes place in the chlorophyll-bearing portions. Fungi possess no chlorophyll. Hence they are not able to utilise directly the carbonic acid of the air. They are compelled to search elsewhere for the carboliydrates essential for their development, and accomplish this by living upon substrata from which they are able to obtain a "ready- made" supply of food. Parasitic fungi live in various ways upon plants. They may be con- fined to the surface entirely like the mildew fungi, when there will be produced on tlie mycelium peculiar suckerlike organs — so-called haustoria — by which they absorb their food from underlying cells. Other fungi, by far the greatest number, live within the tissues of the host plant. They may also produce haustoria, but more generally the absorption of food takes place directly by the action of the vegetating liyphae on the infected tissues. Following the grow-th and development of parasitic fungi, a collapse of those cells which have been robbed of their contents takes place, and the earliest symptoms of disease appear. Often the infection is exceedingly local, and the result is the production of smaller or larger spots of dead tissue. The shot-hole fungi of Plums, Cherries, and Peaches illustrate well this pecu- liarly confined growth. Other fungi may attack, besides the leaves and fruit, the young shoots of trees, and destroy last year's growth, and thus much of the expected harvest. Others, again, cause cankers which spread from year to year until the whole branch is ringed and shut oft from the food supply. Formations like the enlarged portions of plants, which occur in Potato canker, Plum pocket, club root, &c, , are also very common. It next becomes necessary to consider briefly the question of the predisposition of plants to- wards disease. The word predisposition may not be fortunately chosen to describe the peculiar ob- servations that may be made in the direction of resistance or susceptibility towards disease. In medicine, as well as in plant pathology, we often meet with typical cases of immunity in animals or plants. For .some reason or other, some individuals escajie a disease altogether, or remain singularly resistant by recovering unhurt from an attack. Hence modern investigators claim that the suc- cessful selecting of resistant varieties would, sooner or later, decide the question of treatment for diseases. This expectation is undoubtedly quite reasonable, but at present we have only just begun to open our eyes to this fact, and the results obtained so far are more of a scientific than a practical value. Disease resistance to " Rust " has been established to a certain degree in Wheat. We must also bear in mind that adaption of disease-causing organisms to new conditions will play a very important role, and at present, whilst there is every hope of improving our knowledge in this respect, our re- sults are not established long enough to speak the last word in the breeding to disease-resistant varieties. It would, however, be quite erroneous 216 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. [April 6, 1912. to construe my remarks in a manner in which they were not intended. While pointing out the difficulties, yet there is every \w\>e of maUing im- portant discoveries along these linea; and here again is an opening for the practical fruit grower to teach a lesson any day to the scientific investi- gator. Next, let us consider Ihe resistance of disease. In medicine we are informed that living accord- ing to common, normal sense, avoiding foods or practices which lead to the weakening of the organism, wo will not only reach but maintain a condition which we describe simply as health. Health, to my mind, is nothing else but the keeping of boily and mind sound by performing the norin.al functions of our organism. Thus, by following closely our needs, and by living cor- rectly, we can bring our bodies into a state of great resi.stance and even immunity, though we may be living amidst a serious epidemic at the moment. Infectious germs, though surrounding us constantly, will have no chance of exercising their serious effect upon us if we are in a per- fectly sound state of body. It is quite im- possible to avoiil contact with di.sease germs, and, this being the case, prevention of disease is largely dependent upon success in bringing our organism into a strong condition of resistance. Now this is exactly the same case in (ilants. Plants are living beings, subject to all kinds of ills, without being actually diseased, i.e., being attacked by a specific organism bringing about a pathological condition. The late Professor Marshall Ward has expressed liimself very in- structively on the subject of predisposition of disease in plants. He refers to two plants of the same kind, as much alike as possible in every respect, size, condition, development, etc., and goes on to say : " Picture to yourself one of these plants growing under the most perfect condi tions, supplied with the proper amount of food, its roots expanding into a well-ventilated soil, rich in humus and plant food, &c., &c., and the other growing under absolutely reverse condi- tions. The result will be, in one case, a strong, healthy plant, and, in the other, a poor, weak- ened plant, just strong enough to keep alive." Now the conditions, not to say constitutions, of these two plants must be very different. Dif- ferent modes of nutrition, we know, produce different chemical changes within a living plant. And no doubt this difference in the condition of the host is accountable for its power of re- sistance or state of susceptibility. There may be a number of other factors producing similar dif- ferences in cou.stitution, or in composition, if this is more correct. A Potato tuber, sound and fresh, will remain free from fungi if kept in an ordinary room, while one that has been exposed to frost or steam heat for a moment or two will eoon be covered with mould fungi of various kinds. We know, of course, that the chemical composition of the Potato exposed to frost or heat is changed, but in addition we have also partly destroyed its life. The same may be said of Professor Ward's " ill-treated " plants. To- gether with the changes of the chemical composi- tion, we have reduced its vital power : hence, would it not be reasonable to expect an increased resist:ince to disease if the vital power of any liv- ing organism is kept up to the highest mark? That this contention is fundamentally correct is amply proved by the fact that cultivated plants which we grow in nnaccu.stomed conditions are. generally speaking, more subject to disease, just as Europeans are more liable to disease in tropical climates. The sudden or even gradual changes frequently result in lowering the vitality of a living organism. Cultiv.ated trees — fruit trees — are constantly subject to such un- natural changes. Hence, if we do not concen- trate all our efforts in providing far them the most favourable conditions for growth, disease is likely to appear. Proper care of the trees should be our foremoso aim, and diseases will then levy a less severe tax upon the fruit-grower. To be most successful in fruit-growing would necessi- tate an intimate knowledge of the chemical, mechanical and physical condition of the soil, and to remedy, above all, any deficiencies in this direction. The next step would be to become acquainted with the general principles of protec- tion from diseases and their treatment. I have endeavoured to explain in the fore- going remarks, briefly, the life and nature of parasitic fungi. We have considered how fungous diseases are spread by means of the spores produced by the causal organism, we know how different may be their mode of fructification, and thiit winter and sunmier spores must be looked for in many kinds. We have further discussed the effect of a fungus on the host plant, and hinted at certain factors rendering plants more or less susceptible to disease. Bearing these points in mind, and knowing the ways and means of attack of our enemies, it is only wise to exercise all tactics to prevent a successful onslaught in our orchards. First of all, successful work must be begun as soon as possible after the harvest, but not before all leaves have fallen to the ground. In order to carry the destruction of hibernating fungi as far as possible, all leaves and bad fruits should be removed from the trees. The practice of Fig. 95. — MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION IN ENGLAND OF THE SMALL-LEAVED ELM, I'LMUS SATIVA. leaving some fruits on the trees is very common, and very dangerous. In the case of Plum poc- kets, bi'own rot of Peach, Plum and Cherry, this practice provides conditions favourable to the hibernating fungus. Therefore, remove all dead wood and fruits and other rubbish covering the ground. It h.as been frequently recommended to plough the orchards soon after harvest to bury all dead leaves and fruit, when they will be put out of harm. This would be correct if subsequent cul- tivation in spring did not result in the bring- ing to the surface the matter we desired to destroy. For the burying over winter of fungus spores in soil does not destroy, but rather tends to preserve them in the orchard. It is best be- yond doubt to thcjroughly clean the surface of the ground by raking together all rubbish and burning it. If this practice were general we should only have to deal with diseases that come from our less careful neighbours. This recom- mendation may sound very simple, but where the orchard is sown with a cover crop of Clover, Lucerne, or Rape, it is almost im- practicable. Here is another opportunity for growers to test by experiment whether it would be more profitable to get the benefit from a cover crop, which may be valuable in itself, or enrich the soil, or protect the roots from frost injury, as some growers claim, or whether it would prove of greater value to keep the ground clean, kill the winter spores of disease, and have an increased revenue from sound fruit. Together with this cleaning operation, there should be practised the scraping of cankers and the trunks of trees showing rough bark, and the painting of the former and any wounds with white lead or any other paint which does not contain tiwpentine, for turpentine penetrates into the wood and kills the cambial and other tissues. After an orchard has been carefully cleansed, the trees should be sprayed, and lime-sulphur cannot be too highly recommended for this pur- pose. It not only prevents any fungus spores from starting into life, but is also invaluable as an insecticide. In spring, when the days are free from frost, lime sulphur may be sprayed again, followed thereafter with Bordeaux Mixture as soon as the buds begin to swell. The expense of labour to carry these suggestions into effect should not be made responsible for neglect. Recommendations such as I have made can only be of the desired benefit when they are practised universally, and successful fruit-growers should do their utmost to get all others to follow their examples. H. T. Giissow. Dominion Botanist, Ottawa, Canada. BRITISH ELMS. (Contiujicd from />. 199.) The SMALi.-LEAVEn Elm (U. s.4tiva Mill). Goooyer's second Elm is designated " Ulmus minor folio angusto scabro." This is much " lesser and lower " than the EnglLsh Elm. Goodyer observed it " in the hedges by the highway. . . . between Christ Church and Limmington in the New Forctit in Hampeshire " ; and hei-e, I may add, it still may be found. Goodyer's description and the specimens of the old English collectors (who attach Goodyer's name to their plants) prove this to be the Small- leaved Elm. It is the U. minor of Parkinson (Thcatr. Hot., p. 1405, 1640), the U. campestris var. B. Hudson {Fl. Amj/., 96, 1762), and the U. «ativa of Miller ((}ard. Diet., ed. 8, no. 3, 1768). Miller cites Uoodyer's name, and adds that " as this tree is so well known, it requires no description." Miller's is the first binomial given to the plant aft^er the publication of Linnieus's Species Plunlaium (1753) where modern botanical nomenclature begins ; and we are lx>und, if we follow the international rules of nomenclature and if we regard this Elm as a species, to accept Miller's name U. sativa for the tree which the early English botanists from Goodyer's time to Miller's, with unvarying con- sistency designated as U. minor folio angusto scabro. a* the specimens precserved in the British Museum show. The tree has received several other binomials; but all these, being of later date than U. sativa Mill., must lapse into synonymy. The latest name to be given to it is U. Plotii Druce. I have seen several specimens of plants so named and issued by Jlr. Druce ; and all of these are to be referred to the small-leaved Elm (.U. sativa Mill.). I can well understand Mr. Druce's eulogj' of this tree which had almost been consigned to oblivion by those botanists who attempted the almost impossible t.-u«k of describing the numer- ous British Elms under two names ; but Mr. Druce's description of it is meagre, and does a real injustice both to the tree itself and to his commendable enthusiasm for it. This and the Cornish Elm (U. stricta) are the last of our Elms to come into flower. As this is written (Feb. 25, 1912) they are the only Elms near Cambridge whose flowers have not fullj opened. As it is not mentioned in anv modern British April 6, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 217 flora, I furnish a map (see fig. 95) showing its dis- tribution in England so far as it is at present Itnown to me. I have seen spcoimens of the tree from Oxfordshire. liuckinghanishire and North- amptonshire, and have seen it growing in all the other counties indicated. I have no doubt it will be found in at least four or five additional counties when these are searched.! The eastern distribution of the tree in England is interesting, and reminds one of that of Populus canescens, P. nigra, Kagus sylvatica and Carpinus Betulu.-^. I believe the tree is widespread in Europe and Western Asia. It will, I am sure, be readily conceded that there is much confusion in the botanical names of our Elms ; but it is not generally known that confusion has existed with regard to their com- mon names al.so. The true English Elm is, as I have already pointed out, the " very great high tree" described by Goodyer ; but many botanists, from Miiler'e time to Lcjudon's, and even later, have given the name of " English Elm " to the .small-leaved Elm. Miller refers on several occasions to this practice which seems to have caused him some annoyance, for he never fails to add some condemnatory remark, such as " this is far from being a right appellation." We shall see later that the name " wych Elm " has passed through still greater vicist-itudes. The Wych Elm tU. gt-abra Huds.,.|| Goodyer's third Kim i« named " Ulmus folio latissimo scabro " (= U. latiore folio Parkin- son), the " Witch Hasell or the broadest leaved Elme." It is a " very high tree," " especially when he groweth in wtKjds." This Elm is acknowledged by all to be the Elm now commonly known as the Wych Elm, though its identifica- tion with this tree rests on precisely the same kind of evidence as the identification of Good- yer's first Elm with the English Elm and his second with the Small-leaved Elm. The Wych Elm has most frequently been named TT. mon- tana Stokes in With. Bot. Arr., ed. 2, i., 259 (1787); but both U. scabra Miller Oaid. Did., ed. 8, no. 2 (1768), and IJ. glabra Hudson lu. Anrjl., 96 (1762) are earlier. If we follow the international rule.s, there is no alternative but to name the Wych Elm U. glabra Hude The tree is now always known as the Wych Elm by British botanists ; but the early writers spoke uf it as the Wych Hazel. The Smooth-leaved Elm (U. nitens McenchK Goodyer's fourth Elm is designated " Ulmus folio glabro." It has never been questioned that this ;« the Smooth-leaved Elm, the U. glabra Mill. Card. Diet., ed. 8, no. 4 (1768). How- ever, the name U. glabra Mill, cannot be used, because the earlier name U. glabra Huds. has to be used for the Wych Elm, so we have to find tile earliest available name. This appears to be U. nitens .Ma-nch Mrth. PI., 333 (1794). Mcench's description, though very brief, fits this plant ; and it is the earliest name I can trace with respect to which this may be said. Unfortu nately, no .specimen by Mcench is available. I have been in communication about the matter with Professor L. Diels, of Marburg, where Moench flourished ; and Professor Diels believes that Moench's specimens have been de-stroyed. Other earlier names have been applied by certain botanists to this tree, namely, U. vulgaris Pall, and U. angustifolia Mcench ; but both these names are numina nuda, appearing I Whilst this article was in preparation I received a specimen of this Elm from the Rev. H. J. Riddellsdel, who collected it in Glamorganshire in what he regards as pro- bably a native station. The occorrence of ibis easltrn species in Glamorganshire is most interesting, and is paralleled by Mr. Rtddelisdel's previous discoveries of an eastern Orchid [Liparis Loeselii) and an eastern Hair-grass iWeingaertneria canescens) in the same county. I In the Card. Chron. (p. 120) for Feb. 24 last, the state- ment is attributed to Messrs. Henry and backhouse that ** the difference between these two species [i.e., between the Wych Elm, U. glabra Hads., and the Smooth-leaved Elm, U. nitens MoencbJ is a simple difference involving two pairs of Mendelian factors." There is some serious error here : the differences between the two species are practi- cally indefinite in number. without description, and have therefore to be rejected. This is the Wych Elm of the early English botanical writers. Later, cf. Miller (op. cit.), there were two Wych Elms, the Smooth-leaved Wych Elm (U. nitens Moench) and the Rough- leaved Wych Elm (U. campestris Linn.). Nowa- days, neither of these trees is the Wych Elm, but only U. glabra Huds. The Dutch Elm (U. glabra Hl'ds. x nitens .\ICENCH — (a) X U. HOLLANDICA). .Miller's fifth Elm is his U. hollandica. It is founded on the U. major hollandica angustis et magis acuminatis samarris folio latissimo scabro Plukenet, Almaijcstum Uotanicum, 393 (1720), and is called the Dutch Elm. No further in- formation is to be obtained from Plukenefs work ; and I have been unable to find a speci- men so named in his handwriting. I'here are three specimens no named in the Sloane Herbar- ium at the British Museum; but the names are not in Plukenefs handwriting. The specimens are mixed. The two leaves at the bottom of vol. 102, fol. 131, belong to U. glabra Huds., and so doee the specimen in vol. 98, fol. 168. Only the .specimen at the top of vol. 102, fol. TULIPA KAUFMANNIANA. This fine species deserves to be far mor« generally known and grown, for not only is it one of the mo*t beautiful of the species of Tulip, but aleo it is probably the earliest to flower. This year, it came into bloom ex- ceptionally early, for the first buds opened in the last days of February, and this in an open bed in a garden which is unsheltered and wind- swept. The flowers lasted well, for many still remained in the last week of .March. Through- out the month any gleam of .sunlight was enough to cause the flowers to open wide ajid display their Water Lily colouring of white, with a soft yellow centre. My 50 or 70 flowering bulbs are the result of a sowing of seed in the autumn of 1906. In 1910, one or two flowers were produced ; last year there were about a dozen ; and this year nearly every bulb has flowered. The new bulbs have a curious habit of dropping down below the level at which the bulbs are planted in the autumn, and this accounts for the fact that it is extremely difficult to lift the whole of one's stock of this Tulip. Proof of this is to be seen Fig. 96. — TULIPA KAUFMANNIANA. iriiot<,graph by K. A . Ualby. 131, is the Dutch Elm. No type specimens of any of Miller's Elms are to be found at present. Smith, Eng. Bol., t. 2542 (1814) saves the situa- tion by founding his U. major, of which he gives a description and figure, on U. hollandica Mill, and U. major hollandica (&c.) Plukenet. How- ever, the name U. major Smith cannot be used, as, on Smith's own showing, his plant is U. hollandica Mill. In fact, Smith not only cites Miller's name, but uses several of Miller's words and phrases in his account of the plant. It is diSicult to see the reason that Smith had for not using the name U. hollandica Mill. ; but this is not the only occasion on which Miller has been treated in this way by Smith and even by living authorities. Recent observations by Mr. A. Henry on Elm seedlings indicate that the Dutch Elm is a hybrid, though no experimental evidence is forth- coming as to its parentage. The characters of the plant suggest that its parents may be the Wych Elm (U. glabra Hnd.s.) and the Smooth-leaved Elm (U. nitens Mcench). C. E. Moss, D.Sc. (To he continued. J in my garden this year, for, in spite of all my care in lifting the bulbs annually, a stray plant or two has made its appearance in everyone of the positions that the bulbs have occupied in former years. A layer of leaf soil and old manurs placed an inch or two below the bulbs tends to check the tendency of the bulbs to drop down. The sptties appears to lie variable, both in colour and in shape. The yellow centre seems to be constant, but the outer parts of the seg- ments are certainly in some specimens not pure white, but more or less tinged with cream, while in two cases the flowers have been wholly yellow on the inside. The back of the petals are still more variable. Usually they are marked with broad scarlet bands, but sometimes these are very pale in colour, and sometimes they fade away to a mere shading of purple or bluish-grey. W. R. Dyhet, Charterhouse, Godalming. [The illiistration in fig. 96 represents a gronp ol T. Kaufmanniana in Mr. Malby'a garden at Woodford, Essex. — Eds.] 21S THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Apbil 6, 1912. NEW OR NOTEWORTHY PLANTS. HYBRID REHMANNIAS. Rehmannia, a small genus of Scrophularia- ceie peculiar fco China and Japan, is likely to be- come popular in gaidciis. It is a near relation the Botanical Magazine, t. 8177 (1908) and Gardeners' Chronicle. It forms a handsome plant, from 4 to 5 feet high, in about two years from seeds, and has large, mauve-pink flowers, with a yellow, red-spotted throat. The species shows considerable variation, in which respect it is like the Foxglove. In 1910 R. Henryi flowered at Kew. This is one of Fig. 97. — REHMANNIA KEVVENSIS (r. HENRYI X R. GLUTINOS.*) ! FLOWERS CKEAMV-YELLOW WITH CRIMSON BLOTCHES. of the Foxglove, but in habit it is more like a Tydsea ; indeed some botanists include it in Ges- neracese. Several new species have been dis- covered in China by Henry, Wilson, and others in recent years, and they, or some of them, have been introduced into European gardens. The most imposing of these is R. elata, generally known as R. angulata, and figured as such in Hinry's discoveries in Ichang, but it was intro- duced later by Wilson. It forms a cluster of upright stems 1 foot to 18 inches high, with hairy stems and leaves, the latter grey-green, and crenately toothed ; its flowers are nearly as large as those of R. elata, with less acute calyx and lobes, and a remarkably contracted corolla, the " two-keeled palate partially occluding the mouth"; the tube is yellow, spotted with red, and the lobes are white. A hybrid has been raised from R. Henryi and R. elata, and named R. Briscoei. It is fairly intermediate between the two parents, but just misses being of the quality that catches the eye of the gardener. A cross between it and R. Henryi again has been raised at Kew, and has nearly white flowers. A better than either of these, however, is a hybrid between R. Henryi and R. glutinosa (chinensis), which is now flower- ing at Kew (see fig. 97). It was a happy in- spiration of Mr. Coutts to make this cross, be- cause R. glutinosa supplies the colour that is wanting in R. Henryi. Introduced from China in 1831 by Dr. Bunge, who found it growing on walls and waste mountainous places about Pekin, R. glutinosa has never found favour outside botanical gardens. It has slender stems about 1 foot high, lanceolate-toothed leaves and nodding flowers, after the size and shape of those of Mimulus luteus, but their colour is dull-brown purple and creamy-yellow, a plant of no account, except as a breeder. R. kewensis (Henryi x glutinosa) is a really good decorative plant. The cross was made in August, 1910, only five plants being raised from the few seeds obtained, and they are now in flower in House No. 5 at Kew. Each plant of R. kewensis con- sists of some half-a-dozen stems, leafy to the base, and nearly 2 feet high ; the leaves are petiolate, ovate, glossy-green, irregularly toothed. The flowers are 2 inches long, I5 inch across, and the segments are broad, almost square in outline, and toothed ; the pose of the flowers just right for effect, and their colour creamy-yellow with a dark-crimson blotch on the upper segments. There is variety in the shade and in the blend of the crimson with the yellow. In this hybrid we have a beginning for a race of first-rate biennials for greenhouse cultivation, probably for summer bedding also, the plants being quite easy to grow, and they appear to seed freely. W. M'. THE MARKET FRUIT 6ARDEN. It was a fortunate circumstance that no rain fell on seven of the last eight days of March, and sunshine prevailed except on two days. Such a respite has only once before occurred in the six months ending with March, and that was during the only prolonged spell of frost that the winter gave us. On no other occasion before last week were there as many as six consecutive days and nights free from rain in my district. There were 183 days in the period, and rain was measured on 107 of them, the total amount being 26.68 inches, or only 1.64 inch less than the annual average in this district for the last 11 years. Work is seriously in arrear, as we were planting during the only times wlien the laud was nut too wet for doing anything with it, and no digging at all was done in my orchards before last week. Fortunately, most of the trees are not too old to allow of horse cultivation, for it j ■would be impossible to obtain labour enough to dig the ground before the season is too far ad- vanced for the operation. Even now it is un- desirably late. Premature Blossoming. It is a source of serious anxiety to see fruit trees and bushes coming into blossom dangerously early. Black Diamond Plum was in full beauty on March 24, and Jlonarch and Coe's Golden Drop on the 30th. President, a late variety which, like Monarcli, is one of the earliest bloomers, 1 was in nearly full blow on the 30th also, while a few blossoms were open on Early Prolific, | Czar, Victoria, Pond's Seedling, and Greengage. Full blossoming among Plums wiU be more j April 6, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 219 nearly simultaneous than I have ever seen it before, and a severe frost during the next week or two would do an incalculable amount of damage. I have a regular record of Plum blos- soming for the past 11 years, and an irregular one for some previous seasons, and no approach to the forwardness of this season appears in it. April 17 is the earliest date for even Black Dia- mond or Monarch to reach the stage of full blos- soming, and in nearly all other years it has not been reached before the end of the third week of April. A few blossoms of Louise Bonne of Jersey Pear were open on March 30, while all other varieties of that fruit were showing clusters of blossom-buds well out of their sheaths. In 1903 early Pears were in full bloom on March 31 ; but I have no other record of that stage having been reached in any other year before April 21, though in several seasons the appearance of un- opened blossom-buds has been as early as it was this year. One Cherry tree was in nearly full blossom on March 30, and other varieties were showing a few ^expanded blooms. The earliest previous record of full blossoming is April 15, an account having been kept for the past 11 years. Peaches and Nectarines in the open were in bloom on March 18. Only once before have I noticed them in full beauty as early as the 21st. Gooseberries and Red Currants were nearly fully out at the end of last week. On a few previous occasions similar precocity has been noticed. Apples promise to be relatively as premature in blossoming as other kinds of fruit, as the clus- ters of blossom-buds on some early varieties were out of their cases on March 18, a date beyond precedent in a register of 16 years. Black Cur- rants and Strawberries are not particularly for- ward. The Pbomise of Fruit. After the hot drought of last summer it was not at all surprising to find trees covered with fruit-buds, as an uncommon development of such buds was predicted. The display is most strik- ing in the case of Pears, every variety of which in my orchard is densely covered with clusters of blossom-buds or (in the case of the earliest) blossoms. No doubt, one reason is that Pears failed to fruit to a great extent last season. Apples, although well up to the mark, are less striking than Pears in promise of blossom ; but then they bore a great crop last year. Most varieties of Plums and particularly those varie- ties which had only half-crops last season are, or will be, well covered with blossom. Mature trees of Early Prolific, which alone bore a tre- mendous crop last year in my orchards, have comparatively little blossom, except on their tops, which presumably had not come into bear- ing last season. But young trees of this variety promise well. Cherries always bloom so pro- fusely that it is difficult to compare one season's display with that of another ; but they could not be fuller of blossom than some of them are already, while others will exhibit equal splendour in a few days. Gooseberries and Red Currants promise to fruit abundantly. Of Black Currants, Strawberries and Raspberries, it is too early to speak in this connection. Growers view the fine outlook with fear and trembling, because of the premature blossoming alluded to above. It is hardly necessary to add that, even if we escape damaging frosts, fructification will depend largely upon the character of the weather during the blossoming periods, particularly in relation to sunshine and wind. Gloomy weather, discourag- ing to the working of pollinating insects, or very cold wind, which has a like effect, besides being directly injurious to blossoms, might spoil to a great extent a fine prospect. Re.medy for Strawberry LejVP-spot. Lkne-sulphur appears to be a complete remedy for Strawebrry leaf -spot (Sphaerella fragarite). I Have used it a little stronger than the summer strength for Apples, namely, one gallon of the factory-made solution in 30 gallons of water, in- stead of 40, as for Apples. One gallon to 20 would not be too strong in the case of home-made lime-sulphur, if not boiled- The wash should be applied after the fruit h elia, and L/elio-Cattleya. — Plants of Cattleva bicolor, C. Leopoldii. C. velutiiia, and hybrid Catlleyas, such as C. Iris, C. Adula, C. Atalanta, and C. Hopkinsii, also Laelio-Cattleya Nisa, L.-C. callistogla'isa, L.-C. bletchleyen.^is, and many others that flower late in autumn and winter are becoming active at their roots. Therefore, those that require new rooting material should be attended to in that respect. Healthy plants requiring increased rooting space should be afforded larger receptacles, taking care, if the compost is in a good condition, not to dis- turb or injure the roots more than is unavoidable. Where the roots are clinging so firmly to the sides of the pots that the plants cannot be taken out without damaging the roots, the pot should be broken and removed carefully in pieces. Many of these species and hybrids are of a vigorous habit of growth, and should be afforded more rooting space than less robust kind.«s. When potting the plants cut away the back leaf- less, pseudo-bulbs, for if these remain they will weaken the plant and necessitate the use of larger pots. Plants that have sufficient pot room and are in a satisfactory condition at the roots may be top-dressed only. Remove some of the old compost from between the roots and substitute fresh material. Plants growing in sour soil, or unhealthy plants, should be taken out of the pots, cutting away all decayed roots and useless pseudo-bulbs. They should be repotted in receptacles only just large enough to hold them, after which they should be placed in a moist, shady position in the house, and watered with great care until they are again well established. Plants with long, heavy pseudo-bulbs should be secured firmly to neat, strong stakes, for if they become loose in the soil there is a danger of the roots becoming broken. Any of the old psuedo-bulbs that have been taken off may, if thej' possess sound eyes and a portion of the rhizome, be employed for purposes of pro- pagation. They should be placed in pots fur- nished with crocks and a covering of Sphagnum- moss. Stand them in a moist, shady part of the house and syringe them frequently." After roots and top growth have formed, they" may be potted up and afforded a similar treatment to the established specimens. A suitable rooting medium for these plants consists of equal parts of Al fibre and Osmunda fibre broken up rather roughly, with a small quantity of Sphagnum-moss and a rather liberal amount of crushed crocks added. Pot firmly, and place the compost to with- in about i inch of the rim of the pot. Plants of Cattleya Trianae and its varieties have passed out of flower, and are starting afresh into growth. Any plants that require attention at the roots should be dealt with as soon as young roots appear from the base of the new growth. In other respects they should be treated similarly to the plants already mentioned. Shading. — Where lattice blinds only are em ployed for shading Orchid houses these will not afford the necessary protection to such plants as Miltonia, Odontoglossum, Phalsenopsis, Angra?cum, Vanda Lowii, V. snavis, V. tricolor, Aerides, and Saccolabium. The glass may be stippled with a mixture of flour and water," and the work should be done on a fine day so that the coating may dry quickly. The glass should be washed thoroughly and allowed to dry again be- fore applying the stippling. Temperatures.— As the days lengthen and the sun-heat increases the temperatures of the Orchid houses should be raised both by night and day. This will necessitate an increase of atmo- spheric moisture, therefore the floors and stages should be damped at least three times each day, and the plants that are not in flower sprayed overhead. This should be done sufficiently early in the day, to allow the foliage to become dry before night. THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunburnholme, \\'arler Priory, Yorkshire. Strawberries.— The ground in which Straw- berries are growing, whether of beds or borders, should be forked lightly at least once a year, especially when it is of a heavy texture. If this work has not been done already, let there be no further delay, as the plants are developing new growths. Apply a dressing of soot and freshly-slaked lime between the rows, after the digging is completed, to destroy slugs, but avoid dusting the plants. In the case of old planta- tions, a dressing of some chemical manure may be applied with beneficial results, using for pre ference one that contains a large percentage of potash. A mulching of stable litter should be applied as soon as the surface has be- come dn'. The litter will be washed clean by the rains before the berries are ripe. If pot plants that have been forced are to be planted, let the ground be prepared thor- oughly by deep digging or trenching, and enriching it liberally with manure. In all cases care should be taken to see that the foliage is free from mildew and red spider. Plants of the latest batches th it have been forced under rela- tively cool conditions are the most suitable for planting, being s'^ronger and better in every re- spect than those that have been subjected to much fire-heat. Set out the plants at distances of 2 feet apart in rows, allowing 2 feet between the rows. Afterwards apply a mulch of short manure to pre- serve the moisture in the soil and encourage growth. Plantations formed recently should be examined and the soil about the plants made firm by treading, as in many cases the roots have become loosened by frosts. Raspberries.— Canes that were planted last autumn and cut down as advised in the Calendar for February 10 should be producing suckers freely from their bases. Select four or five of the stronger growths, removing the weaker ones. Remove also suckers that develop between the rows of old plantations. Fork the soil lightly and apply a mulch of manure at once. General Work. — The mild, rainy weather has favoured the growth of weeds, therefore as soon as the ground is in a suitable condition it should be stirred frequently with the hoe. Con- stantly stirring the surface of the soil at this season is of much value in the fruit quarters ; it is not only beneficial to the growth of the trees, but prevents the seeds of weeds from germinating. 222 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. [April 6, 1912. EDITORIAL NOTICE. ADVERTI5EMENTS should be seat to the PUB- LISHER, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Gardeo, W.C- Lctters for Publication, as well as specimens of plants for tiavttng, should be addressed to the EDITORS, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London. Cotnmunicalions should be writtkn on one side only of THK PAPER, sent as early in the week as possible and duly signed by the writer. Ij desired^ the signature will not be printed^ but kept as a guarantee oj good faith. Special Notice to Correspondents.— 2'/ie Editors do not undettake to pay for any contributions or illustrations, or to return unused cojumunications or illustrations^ unless by special arrangement. The Editors do not hold tlmnselves responsible for any opinions expressed by their correspon- dents. tiewspapers. — Correspottdents sending newspapers should be careful to mark the paragraphs tliey wish the Editors to see. APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. SATURDAY, APRIL 6- Soo. Franpaise d'Hort. de Londres meet. MONDAY, APRIL 8-Bank Holiday. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10- Kingsbridge Daflodil and Spring Fl. Soc. Exh. Royal Caledonian Hort. Soc. Spring i)h. (2 days). THURSDAY, APRIL 11— Cornwall Daffodil and Spring Fl. Sh. at Truro (2 days). Avi-BAijE Mean Temperature for the ensuing week deduced from observations during the last Fifty Years at Greenwich— 46^. Actual Temperatures:— hoHDOti.— Tuesday, April 2 (6 ?.u.) : Mai. 54°; Min.Sl". GarJeiiris' Chiomcle OBce, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London —W ednesday , Aprils (10 A.M.) : Bar. Sg-V ; Temp. 51° ; Weather— Sunshine. fRowsvRV:— Tuesday, April 2 : Max. 51° Cambridge ; Min. 48" England N. and Scotland. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. WEDNESDAY— Herbaceous and Border Plants, Lilies and Hardy Bulbs, at 12; Roses, at 1.30; Palms and Plants, at 5; at 67 &68, Cheapside, EC, by Protheroe & Morris. Roses, Liliums. Palms and Bay Trees, at 12.30; at Stevens's Rooms, 38, Kmg Street, Covent Garden, London, FRIDAY- Hardy Bulbs and Roots, Perennials, &c., at 12; Im- ported and Established Orchids, at 12.45 ; Roses, at 1.30; at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.G., by Protheroe & Morris. The ^® publish an illuminating Irish De- correspondence which has partment taken place between the Agri°Jiture Department of Agriculture and Retail of Ireland on the one hand Trading. J^JJ(^ j-^g Horticultural Trades Association on the other. The subject of the correspondence is the allegation made by the Horticultural Trades Association that the Department of Agriculture is doing grave damage to the horticultural industry of Great Britain and Ireland. It is alleged that this damage is caused by the activity of the Department in undertaking the sale and distribution of fruit and other trees. The Department purchases the trees by open tender, and tiie sales carried out through the Department are effected at cost price plus charge for carriage. This new departure in departmental activity appears to have had its origin in the laudable desire on the part of the Department of Agriculture to encourage fanners, small holders, and labourers in the work of planting unproductive land. So long as the efforts of the Depart- ment were confined strictly to educational work no reasonable objection could be made to their giving a practical trend to their propaganda by supplying the poorer classes of the rural community with useful trees at low rates. But no reasonable man outside a Department would imagine that when Plums are to be had cheap none but poor purchasers will buy them. As a matter of fact, the Horticultural Trades Association maintain, and pro- duce evidence in support of their conten- tion, that the purchasers of trees from the Department do not belong exclusively to the labouring classes. Other sections of the community have not been slow to take advantage of the vicarious benevolence of the Irish Department of Agriculture, until that Department has become the salesman, not only to the labourers, but also to many of the land- owners of the country. The wares which the Department sells are not apparently confined to fruit and forest trees, but in- clude such purely ornamental subjects as Cupressus, 4 to 5 feet high. Laurels and Clematis. The officials of the Irish Department appear to be developing considerable business activity — rare in Departments — and according to the evidence of the Horticultural Trades Association are pushing their sales, not only among the peasants, but also among the proprietors of private gardens, to whom they offer trees and shrubs at attractive prices. It will be at once evident that unless the President of the Board and his officials do this work entirely out of office hours they are charging prices which are not fair to the nurserymen. They charge nothing for the services of the head of the Depart- ment, nor for those of the army of official commercial travellers who do the pushing of the goods. We note with astonishment the nature of the defence urged by the Department, and say deliberately that it provides a remarkable example of bureaucratic in- difference. This defence is three-fold. In the first place, it maintains that the County Committees do not as a rule supply fruit, forest or ornamental trees to landowners. When, therefore, do they do so? Frankly, though the public Departments of Great Britain are above all suspicion of dishonesty, it is evident that this setting up in the retail trade is bound to result in loss of prestige and confidence. In the second place, the Department urges that its methods inflict no hard- ships on the horticultural community. What of the small grower? Is he in a position to tender ? What of the diffei'ences between wholesale and retail prices? Are they to be snatched from the trade and used as credit for a Government Department? But we need not labour the point except for the benefit of the new school of economics which exists at the Irish Board. The third item of the defence is the most scandalous of all. It consists in the curt announcement that " I am now to remind your Council that what is done with the trees thus obtained in the open market by tender is a matter which con- cerns the Department and the County Councils alone." It does not. Until our form of Govern- ment becomes officially a bureaucracy, " what is done with the trees " concerns every citizen. The form of the reply is interesting, but the matter of it is vital. It is natural for a public department to survey the result of its labours and to pronounce it good ; but though bureau- cratic power is sufficiently menacing it is not yet supreme, and the Trades Associa- tion should not rest until it has taught the Irish Department of Agriculture a salutary lesson both in manners and in methods. Magnolia salicifolia (see fig. 99). — This beautiful species is a native of the mountains of Nippon in Japan. Plants were introduced to the Arnold Arboretum by Professor Saegent, who discovered specimens growing on Mount Hakkoda at elevations of from 2,000 to 3,000 feet above sea level. Our illustration is reproduced from a flowering spray of a tree growing in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The plant grows best in a moist soil, and forms a tree about 15 or 20 feet hi,t;h, with Willow-like leaves, 5 to 6 inches long, light green above and silvery-white be- • neath. The flowers are borne on rather long stalks, and are narrow, tapering to both ends. The species has been cultivated in Britain for some years, but we do not know of a previous instance in which a plant has flowered out-of- doors. All Magnolias are flowering abundantly this season, which is doubtless attributable to the extra amount of sunshine experienced last sum- mer. Royal Counties Agricultural Society. — The annual exhibition of this Society will be held at Guildford on June 11. 12, 13, and 14. The arrangements include a flower show. Th« secretary is Mr. C. S. Fuidge, Silverdale Road, Southampton. Apples in Ontario. — The Fruit Branch of the Ontario Department of Agriculture, in issuing IhdUtin 194 on Apple orcharding, has done a valuable service to the State. The Bulletin com- presses into the space of 64 pages an excellent account of the cultivation of the Apple, as well as information on spraying, marketing, and cold storage. In the lists of the most. valuable varie- ties for market approved by the Board of Control it is noteworthy that several varieties are re- commended because of their special hardiness for planting in regions north of latitude 46°. They include : — summer : Transparent Lowland Rasp- berry and Charlamoff; fall and winter: Duchess, Wealthy, Hibernal, Longfield, Patten, Whitney, Hy.slop, and Milwaukee. The Gardens of Udaipur. — The annual report of the gardens of his Highness the Mahar- ana of Udaipur shows that this excellent estab- lishment continues to make good progress. It is interesting to find that the old difficulty of sending seeds to India has been got over by our seedsmen, and that all the vegetable seeds sup- plied to Udaipur by Messrs. SuTiON & Sons ger- minated well and produced good crops. This gar- den continues to do good work in cultivating not only native but also fruits of temperate regions, such as Plums, Apples, Pears and Quinces. Chemical Fertilisers in Egypt.— Owing to intensive cultivation and also to the larger area of land now under crops, Egypt has increased its consumption of artificial fertilisers enormously of recent years. The chief manure used appears to be nitrate of soda (30,000 tons ill 1910), which altogether outdistances sulphate of ammonia (1,660 tons). It is satisfactory to learn that an increasing amount of the trade is in British hands. Thus, that share was in 1910 four- fold the share in the ijrevious year. April 6, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 223 Popularity of School Gardens. — Remark- able evidence of the growing popularity of school gardens is contained in the recently issued report of the Board of Education for the year 1910-11. In the introduction the following paragraph appears: — "Closely connected with the growth of interest in nature study is the subject of school gardens. How great has been the increase in the number of schools where gar- dening is taught since 1902 may be seen from the following comparison. In 1902 gardening was taught in 387 schools, and the total number of boys on whom grant was paid was 4,359. In the year 1909-10 the subject was taught in 2,014 schools, and grant was earned by 811 girls and 28,948 boys. The subject is taught in practically every county area in England and in all but two in Wales. In all school gardens w-ith hardly an exception the cultivation of vegetables is The Cost of the Royal Parks. — According to the Estimates for Civil Services which were published as a Parliamentary paper last week, the net amount to be spent during the year ending March 31, 1913, on the Royal parks and pleasure gardens is £125,700. The gross ex- penditure is estimated at £137,170, the appro- priations in aid amounting to £11,470. This amount compares with the following expenditure in previous years :— 1902-3-4, £118,365; 1904-5, £103.219; 1905-6, £104,391; 1906-7, £108,150; 1907-8, £139,972; 1908-9, £131,084; 1909-10, £125,337; 1910-11, £125,938; while the grant for 1911-12 amounts to £133,600. The estimate shows a decrease of £7,833. This includes a re- vote of the amount needed for beginning the second portion of the new laboratory in the Edinburgh Royal Botanic Gardens, which has been delayed in consequence of a difficulty with Trees and Road Tar. — Observations made by M. C. L. Gatin (C. R. Acad. Sci., July, 1911) leave no doubt with respect to the injurious effect of road tar on trees. M. Gatin's observa- tions, which were made on trees of Catalpa big- nonioides and Robinia Pseud-Acacia, &c., in the Bois de Boulogne, show that the tarring affects the number of leaves, their size and shape. The effective leaf-surface on trees in parts of the Bois where the roads are tarred is just one-half of that on ti-ees in parts the roads of which are not tarred. "The Modern Culture of Sweet Peas." • — Tl e latest edition of Mr. Thomas Stevenson's book on Sweet Peas has been issued at a low price (Is.) in the hope that it may enjoy a large circulation amongst amateurs. The author takes his readers through the various details of Sweet IPhotograph by E. J. WaHis. Fig. gg. — m gnolia s.alicifolu (See p. 222.) FLOWERS WHITE. the main feature. Calculations as to quantities of seeds and crops make admirable exercises in arithmetic ; children draw the gardens to scale, and paint and model from the fruits and flowers which they have themselves grow-n. These drawings and paintings form a useful record of what has been done from year to year." In another part of the report, the following in- formation appears; — "Gardening is now taught in 48 of the 49 county areas in England and in 11 of the 13 in Wales. The number of schools where this subject is taught and the number of scholars instructed show a considerable increase. The complete returns for 1908-09 show that grant was paid for 24.925 boys and 486 girls. During 1909 10 instruction was given in 1,872 school couv.ses, and grant was paid for 28,948 boys and 731 girls. During 1910-11 instruction I •was given in 14 centres and 2,270 school I courses." the Corporation of Edinburgh on the question of frontage. Provision is also made for the better policing of Hyde Paik and for improve- ments in the bathing ground at the Serpentine. "The Carnation Year-book." *— The third number of the annual publication issued by the Perpetual-flowering Carnation Society contains much that is of interest to lovers of Carnations. Besides accounts of the impressions of the society's delegates who visited America on the occasion of the American Carnation Society's meeting in the spring of last year, there are many portraits of members and exhibits. A list of American Carnation names revised to January, 1912, should prove useful, and there is a record of the varieties, with descriptions and raisers' names, registered by the English Society ill 1907 and onwards to last year. • The Carnation Year Book, price Is. 6d. Pea culture in plain, straightforward language, and any garden-owner who wishes to grow first- rate blooms can do so if the directions given are followed in an intelligent manner. The author advises his readers to confine their attention to the cultivation of a few sterling varieties which yield refined blooms, rather than to grow a num- ber of sorts which bear larger, but looser flowers of coarse texture. As a preventive from the ravages of mice at the time of sowing the seed, Mr. Stevenson questions the advis- ability of soaking the seed in paraffin, and we agree that it would not be wise to allow the seed to remain in paraffin for more than a few minutes ; a much better plan is to place a thin layer of fine cinders over the rows after tha seed has been sown, and to daily spray the cinders with paraffin emulsion until the seed- lings are safe from the attaches of mice. • The Modern CuHure of S-d'eet feas, price Is. The Cable Printing and Publishing Co., Ltd. 224 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 6, 1912. North of England Horticultural SOCIETY'S Medal. — In fig. 100 is reproduced the medal of the North of England Horticultural Society, designed by Mr. F. Ransom, and manu- factured by Messr.s. Fatiorini & Sons, of Brad- ford. On the side shown in the Uhistration is a figure of Demeter, a Greek divinity, emblematical of Mother Earth. The goddess is bearing in her right hand a bunch of Poppies, and in her left a basket of assorted fruit. Prizes for Leedsii Daffodils. — From remarks made at the R.H.S. Show on Tuesday last, it was evident that some Daffodil growers have overlooked the announcement made in our issue for March 2 that Mr. Chester J. Hunt, of America, has offered prizes to be awarded in an open class for six distinct varieties of Leedsii Daf- fodils at the R.H.S. Daffodil Show to be held on the 16th and 17th inst. Three stems must be shown of each variety, and no variety must be included that cannot be purchased as cheaply as two guineas for 100 bulbs. Drying Potatos. — As is well known Germany produces an enormous annual crop of Potatos. After the sales for human consumption, for cattle feeding, seed purposes, and the starch and alcohol industries, there remains a large surplus. The problem of the profitable utilisation of this sur- plus has recently been solved to a great extent. No doubt inspired by Colonial and American methods of preserving Apples, the Germans have adopted simil.xr plans with their surplus Potatos. There are many systems in vogue, but only two of them are in general use. The tubers are either sliced or flaked, and are usually dried by steam ; hot air is used in some of the factories. It is claimed that these dried Potatos form excellent feeding stuff for all kinds of stock, and are de- cidedly superior to raw tubers which have lost value by sprouting. Association of Economic Biologists. — The eleventh general meeting of the Association of Economic Biologists was held at Dublin on March 28, 29, under the presidency of Prof. G. H. Carpenter. Among the subjects of papers read and discussed were : — Biological Training for Agricultural Students ; Pai-theno- genesis ; Methods of Testing Grass Seeds ; The Culture- of Phytophthora infestans (fungus causing Potato blight) ; The Food of Birds ; The Pollination of Hardy Plants ; and Cereal Breed- ing. Maize Crop in Argentina.— The Board of Agriculture and Fisheries have been informed by telegram from the International Agriciiltural In- stitute that the production of Maize in Argentina is estimated at 147.927.000 cwts. Retirement OF a London Park Officer. — In March, 1911, the London County Council authorised the retention for one year as from April 15 last of the services of Mr. G. F. Barnes, second officer of the London Parks Department, who attained the age of 55 years on the latter date. It is now proposed that Mr. Barnes should be retired from the service as from the end of next June. Mr. Barnes, who is in receipt of a salary of £500 a year, has com- pleted 34 years' service. He is one of 42 officers who, when the Council came into existence, had been for varying periods in the service of the Metropolitan Board of Works, but had not been placed on the permanent staff He entered the service in 1888 with a wide technical knowledge which, the Establishment Committee report, has proved very valuable to the Council. The technical work of the Parks Department has been done under his supervision since 1892, and he has designed and supervised the execution of many important works during his period of office. ■ It is proposed to grant Mr. Barnes a retiring allowance of £220 3s. lid. a year as from July next. THE WEST INDIES. HIPPEASTRUMS IN JAMAICA. Considerable success can be accomplished in the cultivation of hybrid Hippeastrums in Jamaica, as the following notes on the plants in the Botanical CJaidens clearly show. In November, 1909, one bulb of each of the following varieties was obtained from Messrs. Veitch, Chelsea ; — Surprise, Bala, Eclipse, Horsa, Gamos, Enid, Estella, and Regina. As an example of what can be done, our ex- perience with the variety Surprise is of interest. On January 19. 1910. this bulb bloomed, and the two flowers were crossed with the pollen of one of the flowers of Bala, which bloomed on the same day. The cross was successful, and on February 25. 190 seeds wei'e sown. As a result of this sowing, 167 seedlings were raised, and these were planted out on July 26 following in Fig. 100. — medal of the north of england horticultural society. a bed .shaded by Guango trees. The plants grew very rapidly, and built up bulbs so quickly that by the end of the year 1911 the majority of them were fully 8 inches in circum- ference, while each was surrounded by six or eight offsets or smaller bulbs. On January 9, 1912, all were taken out, and after the earth had been shaken from the roots, the bulbs were placed in the sun to dry and ripen. A week was allowed to insure com- plete ripening, after which the smaller bulbs were separated, and then they were counted up. It was discovered that there were 153 large or flowering bulbs, and 280 smaller bulbs, making a total of 443 plants obtained from a single bulb in less than two years. The 163 large bulbs, when quite matured, were planted in a carefully prepared bed, where a little shade could be afforded from the hot sun, and on February 25 the first flowers commenced to open. The result of this cro.«s is a very fine hybrid, superior in both form and colour to either parent. The flowers are large and of a rich, velvety red, faintly marked with yellow. They are borne on stouter flower-spikes, and in many cases there are two spikes to a bulb. It is easy to see that of the two parents. Sur- prise and Bala, the latter is prepotent, as the flowers of this most closely resemble those of the hybrid, and are of the same colour. The 280 small bulbs have been planted in beds adjoining the above, and after a year's growth should be ready to flower. Similar experiments are being conducted with the other varieties, while in the same plot are over 1.000 young plants, which were raised in 1911 from 35 hybrids received from Kew in 1910. .4. //.. Botanical Gardens. Jamnira. AUSTRALIA. HOURS AND WAGES OF GARDENERS. An immigrant gardener who called on me re- cently related how disappointed he was with the conditions of gardening here. He informed me that a Government representative in London told him and others about to come to this coun- try that gardeners in Victoria could easily get situations with wages from £3 to £5 per week. I do not wish to dishearten gardeners who would like to come to Victoria, or, for that matter, to any part of this rich and fertile con- tinent, for there is no better in the world ; but if such a statement was made to induce gardeners to come here, it should be contra- dicted. I have been over 20 years in the colony, and know I am safe in saying that the number of private gai'deners who are in receipt of a salary of £5 per week may easily be counted on the fingers of one hand. I do not know of one who receives £4 per week, much less £5. Gardening has improved during the last few years here, but only as regards wages in Govern- ment or Town Council appointments. In these cases. Members of Parliament and Municipal Councillors see to it that garden and other em- ployees are paid proper wages, and it is only necessary to work the 48 hours per week to fulfil the conditions of their employment. The emigrant gardener who is employed by either of these powers on his first landing here may consider himself fortunate. Up to the present, there is no legislation that stipulates what wages a pri- vate gardener should get or what hours he should work. His profession is a happy hunting ground for the wasters from other trades or pro- fessions. It was no uncommon thing, a few years ago, during scarcity of labour among tradesmen, to find carpenters, bricklayers, and plasterers keep- ing the wolf from their doors by working as gardeners for low wages, the same men who, at the present time, would scorn any wages offered as low as 10s. per day. Even at the present time many who were coachmen or cabmen are filling situations as gardeners in Melbourne and district. This fact throws light on the chances a genuine gardener has of commanding good wages. Round Melbourne, the average wages for a gardener vaiy from £1 16s. to £2 5s. per week, or from £1 to £1 5s. or £1 10s., with maintenance. If the place is single-handed, he may have to milk, clean boots and knives, besides growing vege- tables and flowers, and generally keeping the garden in order. His hours may be 8 or 10 per day, with extra work in dry weather, such as watering in the evenings or at night, if the garden he is employed in is not blessed with a good pressure of water. For these extra hours I have never heard of payment having been given. In the country the same conditions obtain. Many of the wealthy land- owners have good gardens, but, in most cases, the labour for working the garden is stinted. After my experience in this colony, I consider there are not 20 head gardeners' positions in private places comparable with good situations in Britain. I have endeavoured to describe the condi- tions a private gardener may expect when he comes here. Although the description is not as bright as the picture drawn for him in ^> Britain, there is no reason why this letter should discourage him from coming here, where therf S. are so many other avenues that lead to employ ment, where the man who is willing to work ' may be sui-e of wages that are better than those \| paid to the average gardener. /. Tl'. Blaclcburn, >- Gardener to the Hon. T. H. Payne, Leura, '° Toorah, Mdhournf. April 6, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 227 Pot Strawberries. — We grow about one thousand plants of Strawberi'ies in pots for early forcing. The runners are layered early in small pots, being transferred afterwards to 5-inch pots. They are well protected in frames during the winter. Our earliest batches this season were placed in a Peach-house and vinery early in January. The plants grew strongly, some of the flower-stems being 12 inches long. No manure was afforded until after the berries were set, when Le Fruiterer was applied alternately with liquid manure. The first fruits were ripe on March 16, and successional plants promise good results. The variety is JEloyal Sovereign. I have known a similar case to that described by F. W., but the plants were not well protected from cold, and the trouble was attributed to frost injuring the roots. Fruit Foreman, Ingestre Gardens, Staff Orel. -Mt. West did not state how he treated his pot plants of Royal Sovereign Strawberry after placing them on an ash bottom fully ex- posed to light and air. Did they remain stand- ing out in the open all through the early part of the winter, exposed to the incessant rains, or were they stood in unhealed frames? If they were al- lowed to remain in the open even until Christmas, it is po«;.<-ible that many of the roots were killed or badly injured by the excessive wet. Mr. West's predecessor invariably wintered the bulk of his pot Strawberry plants plunged in ashes. It would be interesting to learn whether the system practised at Syon House by the late John VVood- bridge, and continued by Mr. G. Wythes, of stacking the pot plants several layers deep in ashes, is stiU adopted there, the plants being, of course, stacked on their sides. An objection to this practice is that in dry winters the soil in the pots becomes dry, causing the roots to suffer harm. No doubt plunging the pots in leaves in cold frames or turf pits, over which lights can be placed during heavy rains or cold weather, is the best method. D. Early Flowers in Scotland. — Mr Williamson's experience does not coincide with mine as to the earliest Snowdrop, although his gar- den is only distant from Monreith some 20 miles by crow flight. I do not know Galanthus Jlel- villei, to winch he refers, nor have I any desire to make its acquaintance, for I have never seen any species or variety superior in beauty or equal in constitution to the common G. nivalis. The following are the dates on which I have noticed the first bloom during the last seven years :— 1905-6. December 2/ ; 1906-7, Janu- arv 8 : 1907-8. January 20 : 1908-9. January 13 ; 190910, January 19; 1910-11, December 30; 1911-12, December 30. Herbert Maxwell, Mon- reith. DIANTHUS CALLIZONU5.— I have been lucky in not experiencing the difficulty which Mr. Farrer says he has encountered with this beautiful Pink. It does not seem so avid of sunshine as D. neglectus and D. alpinus, making better growth on a west exposure than full south. I grow it on a retaining wall, but have never ven- tured to give it lime, acting on the belief that, while many plants from limestone thrive in a limeless soil, most of those from non-calcareous districts hate it. D. callizonus seems quite con- tent with good loam, a little sand, and a good deal of grit. On the other hand, I followed the advice of Mr. J. A. Clark, in his useful little manual, Alpitjc Plants, and began several years ago to treat D. neglectus with a free allowance of lime rubbish. D. callizonus seeds as freely with me as D. neglectus, but their proximity m the garden destroys all guarantee of purity of race. Uerbert Maxwell, Monreith. Birds and Fruit Buds. — During the cold weather in January and the beginning of Feb- ruary, some kind of bird destroyed nearly all the buds on the Peach trees out-of-doors here. I am interested to know if any other gar- dener has suffered the same loss, and what kind of bird would be likely to do the mischief. It is the first time in my experience, which extends over 19 years, that such a thing has happened. There are numbers of sparrows, but not many bullfinches in the district. G. S. Hatcher, Boljield Grange Gardens, Coggeshall, Essex. The Old Shirley Society. — The note on the Shirley and Freemantle Horticultural Society (see p. 187) interested me greatly. Probably, of all who associated themselves with the formation of tliat society in the mid 'sixties, my friend, Mr. B. Ladhams, and myself are the only members remaining. The first show was held in the month of August, and rain fell heavily all the day. Nothing daunted, we resolved to" continue it for a second day, but that was very wet also. Still, we stuck to the society and the show, and it grew gradually, so much so in fact that when the exhibition was transferred to Whitedwood Park, it became both large and attractive. How- ever, the society was forced to find other quar- ters for its annual display, and the show receipts became less and less. For a society to have held 46 annual exhibitions is something of which to be proud, for it shows that the initial labours were not in vain. A. Dean. Chrysanthemum King of Plumes.— This beautiful variety is one of the best late sorts ; having cultivated it for several years past I can testify to the cut blooms being splendid for table decorations. I enclose photographs show- ing a group of Chrysanthemums, comprised of King of Plumes (yellow), Mrs. Thompson (yel- lovr), and Wm. Thompson (white). The three varieties continue to flower until February. I also send a photograph of plants of Begonia Gloire de Lorraine. Arthur Fitt, Apethorpe Hall Gardens, Northamptonshire. [We regret that the photographs are unsuitable for reproduction. Eds.] Iris tuberosa.— This sweetly-attractive Iris is now in full flower, and has been in bloom since the middle of February. It is popularly known in this country as the Snake's-head Iris, but in Spain it goes by the name of La Vedovina or the Little Widow, on account of its dark- tinted flowers, with velvet-black falls and pale, apple-green standards. In the North of England there are constant complaints of its failure to bloom, but in South Devon and Cornwall it never fails to flower abundantly every year, and blossoms annually though grown under the most dissimilar conditions. In a certain Cornish gar- den it has grown for sixty years in a wood greatly overrun by Ivy, and the owner of the gar- den referred to very naturally came to the con- clusion that the Iris required shade and shelter. However, in a Devon garden, it grows well and blooms freely in an exposed site, on a southern slope, in the full sunshine, and in light soil that becomes dust-dry in summer. Few appear to know this quaintly -pretty flower, and it is rarely met with in irardeiis. but no one who has once grown it would willingly be without it. Though it cannot be termed a showy flower, and is far more sombre in colour than such of its family as I. alata. I. persica. I. Histrio. I. histrioides, I. reticulata and others, it has a refined beauty of its own. The delicate blossoms have the addi- tional merit of being sweet-scented, and are always welcome for indoor decoration, especially as in the south-west they appear so early in the year. It is a native of the Levant, whence it was introduced into this country in 1597. The species has become naturalized in some parts of South Devon, where it now grows wild in the hedges. The leaves, which are eaeh about 3 feet in length, are quadrilateral in shape, with a dis- tinct ridge at each corner, and the flowers, which measure about 3 inches across, are borne on foot- stalks about 18 inches in height. In this locality it seeds freely, and self-sown seedlings' spring in quantities some yards away from the parent plants. These can be removed when in full growth, and do not appear to resent the trans- plantation. Wynclham Fitzherhert. SCHEDULES RECEIVED. Bolton Horticultural and Chrysanthemnm Society.— The twenty-sixth exhibition of this societv will take place on rri'lav and Saturday, November 15 and 16, in the Albert Hall, BoUon. Five silver challenge cups will be offered for competition; also the R.H.S. silver gilt medal, silver and bronze medals are oiiered. A gold medal will be offered for two pots of large-flowered Chrysanthemums. Secretary, Mr. George Corbelt, Heaton Grange Gardens, Bolton. Preston Horticultural and Industrial Society.— The fourteenth annual exhibition of this society will he held in the Vicarage Gardens, Preston, on Thursday, August 22. Secretary, Mr. A. J. Gaston, 170, Springfield Road, Preston, Brighton. SOCIETIES. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL. Makch 26. — Owing to the proximity of Easter and the railway difficulties, the attendance at the fortnightly meeting on Tuesday last wa,s not quite so large as at recent exhibitions, but there was no falling off in the exhibits. Tall sprays of flowering shrubs rising above the partitions of the tables gave a very pleasing appearance to the Hall. The principal subjects in the floral section were Roses, flowering shrubs. Carnations, Pelargoniums, and hardy plants. The Floral Committee granted eight Awards of Merit to novelties. Orchids were shown well, and included a larger proportion of good novelties than usual. The Orchid Committee granted three First-class Cer- tificates and five Awards of Merit. The Com- mittee included Mr. F. Sanders, who received numerous congratulations on his recovery from a severe illness. The Narcissus Committee awarded one First- class Certificate and two Awards of Merit. The exhibits before the Fruit and Vegetable Committee were unimportant. At the three- o'clock meeting in the lecture- room a lecture on " Tender Plants for Warm Corners " was delivered by ^Ir. R. Irwin Lynch. Floral Committee. Present : George Paul, Esq. (in the Chair) ; and Messrs. C. T. Druery, J. Green, T. W. Tur- ner, G. Reuthe, J. T. Behnett-Poe, C. R. Fielder, Wm. Howe, C. Blick, J. Jennings, F. F. McLcod^ R. C. Nevill. Chas. Dixon. H. J. Jones, Chas. E. Shea,, W. P. Thomson, E. H. Jenkins, Wm. J. James, W. G. Baker, R. C. Notcutt. R. Hooper Pearson, G. Gordon, R. Wallace, J. Dickson, Jas Hudson, and W. B. Cranfield. ilessrs. R. & G. Cdthbekt, Southgate Nur- series, Southgate^ Jliddlesex, filled ea'ch corner at one end of the hall with groups of flowering shrubs. Tall standard Lilacs and Laburnums towering over a groundwork of dwarfer plants were very effective. This firm also filled a table with profusely-flowered plants of Lachenalia Nel- sonii. (Silver-gilt Banksian Medal.) Messrs. Wm. Cittbtjsh & Son, Highgate, exhibited spring-flowering shrubs and plants, with a group of Carnations at one end of the staging Plants of the well-known Rhodo- dendron Pink Pearl were shown bearing large trusses, illustrating how well this variety bears gentle forcing. The old favourite R. fas- tuosum fl. pi. is another useful Rhododeiidron for forcing into bloom. (Silver Flora Medai.) Messrs. R. Gill & Sons, Fahnouth, Cornwall, brought a splendid collection of their famous Rhododendrons. Such varieties as Gill's Triumph, Duke of Cornwall, and Shilsonii are quite dazzling in colour. Some sprays of Acacia juniperina, bearing quantities of fluffy yellow flowers, served to heighten the brightness of the fine Rhododendrons and Camellias. Messrs. Gill also exhibited an interesting little Primula, which they provisionally named P. Gillii. It was raised from seed collected in the Himalayas at an elevation of 12,000 feet. The plant, which is under 3 inches in height, bears purple, bell- shaped flowers in an umbel, with pure-white in- teriors. (SUver Flora Medal.) Mr. L. R. Russell, The Richmond Nurseries, Surrey, filled a long table with a collection of flowering Clematises, Primula obconica hybrids, and such rockery subjects as Primula dcnticu- lata, seedling Auriculas, and Diosma capitata. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, Sussex, displayed a very attractive group of flowering trees and shrubs in large flower pots. The old- fashioned Kerria japonica plena was exceptionally well-flowered. Messrs. Wm. Paul & Son, Waltham Cross, filled one corner of the hall with an interesting group of differeiit kinds of Pyrus in full flower^ The double variety of Pyrus angustifolia bore very large flowers, {jut the smaller, single-flowered P. JIalus atrosanguinea, with numerous pink blossoms, was the more attractive. Messrs. J. Piper & Son. Bishop's Road. Bays- water, London, W., contributed a very effective group of flowering shrubs, for which a Silver Flora Medal was awarded. Messrs. Felton & Sons, Hanover Square, Lon- don, arranged large branches of forced Lilac in Japanese vases, (Bronze Flora Medal.) 228 THE GARD ENER S' CHR 0 NICE E. [April 6, 1912. Messrs. H. B. May & Sons, Upper Edmonton, again exhibited a variety of flowering plants. Clematises in 5-inch pots were bearing fine blooms. The centre of the group was occupied by a good batch of Rose Tausendschon. Messrs. Geo. Mount & Sons, Canterbury, staged some exceedingly fine Roses. Those popu- lar red varieties, Richmond and Liberty ; the rich-yellow Lady Hillingdon ; and the fine pink Mrs. George Shawyer attracted a deal of ad- miration. Messrs. Frank Cant & Co., Colchester, also showed fine Roses. Several boxe.» contained meritorious blooms of Caroline Testout, Mrs. A. E. Coxhead, Lady Alice Stanley, and the Lyon Rose. (Silver Banksian Medal.) "Mr. George Prince, Longworth, Berkshire, staged so many fine Roses that one's thoughts flew summerwards. Juliet was shown in sur- prisingly good for,n. The delightful perfume and pleasing colour of this flower will ensure its popularity. In the boxes there were good bloo-ms of Mrs. E. Mawley, Dean Hole, and Mrs. Longworth. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Messrs. James Veiich & Sons, Ltd., Chelsea, exhibited numerous Cinerarias of different strains. The carmine-coloured I'Vltham Beauty is very bright, and of a dwarf habit. In- termediate Blue, when in the bud stage, belies its name ; but when the flowers are fully ex- panded the appropriateness of the name is quite apparent. Matador — a charming flower — has an elusive shade of colour, which has been described as a " lerra-eotta scarlet." On the opposite side of the gangway Messrs. Veitch showed a fine selection of Primula obconica hybrids, ani a pan of the new Primula Knuthiana. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent, again made a good show with Zonal Pelar- goniums. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Mr. H. J. Jones, Ryecroft, Lewisham, staged many vases containing fine trusses of single Zonal Pelargoniums, with bright colours, and of good form. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Mr. James Douglas, Great Bookham, Surrey, staged a collection of his excellent Auriculas. Of the many good varieties shown, we especially noted Banshee (a large-flowered fancy), Glow- worm (scarlet self). Chieftain (brown shades with yellow centre), Claud Halero (an immense flower, similar in colour to Chieftain), John Ridd (apricot self), and Sunshine (rich yellow with a white centre). Miss Willmott, Warley, showed a very in- teresting collection of Primula viscosa hybrids. Mr. H. Burnett, Guernsey, staged a very fine collection of Carnations. Bonfire has a fiery eye, and contrasted finely with the pink Gloriosa, and the old-clove-coloured Pluto. (Silver Bank- sian Medal.) Messrs. Young & Co., Cheltenham, exhibited a collection of Carnations. A. S. Montgomery (a well-formed flower, of an uncommon rosy- mauve shade) and Irene (with fine blooms, on the border-line between pink and scarlet) pleased us greatly, as also did the Duchess of Devon- shire variety. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Messrs. Allwood Bros.. Hay wards Heath, Sussex, also showed fine Carnations, attractively arranged in quaint old jars. Messrs. W. Wells & Co., Merstham, Surrey, showed a small collection of Carnations. Messrs. Stuart Low & Co., Bush Hill Park, Middlesex, staged a large number of Carnations ; several very good plants of Metrosideros flori- bunda ; Hydrangea Mme. Moulliere, with large white trusses, and several Anthuriums bearing large spathes of different colours. Messrs. Geo. Jackman & Son, Woking, Surrey, contributed hardy-flowering plants. The prostrate Conifer-like Veronica salicornioides was just assuming its bright golden colour, and a batch of Tulip Greigii made a fine piece of bright colour amongst the more sober Heatlis. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Mr. Maurice Prichard, Nm-seryman, Christ- church, arranged a very tasteful rockery, in which the boulders were not too aggressive. Mr. G. Reuthe, Keiston, Kent, staged many plants and shrubs in flower. Primula rosea was very good so early in its teason. Several Anriculas, especially Princess Ena, bore large velvety flowers. The pale blue Rhododendron intricatum made an interesting, albeit un-Rhodo- dendron-like, shrub, in strong contrast with some r-.'.t Mi-ii-o nf the large-flowered hybrids. (Silver i3aul:£i.'.:i ;.itJ:il ) Mesfrs. W.4BE, Ltd., Feltham, Middlesex, ex- hibited hardy plants arranged in a rockery. A large clump of Lithospermum Heavenly Blue was prominent. The bright-flowered Saxifraga Bathoniensis, when in quantity, is a valuable lowly-growing plant. The dainty little Soldanella Clusii found a place in the exhibit, as also did the uncommon Ranunculus amplexicaule, which has large white petals and yellow stamens. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Messrs. Whitelegg & Page, Chislehurst, Kent, arranged a neat rockery on a table in the annexe. There were only a few different kinds of plants employed in its decoration, but these made a good display — far better than would have been the case had there been more. (Bronze Flora Medal.) Messrs. R. Wallace & Co., Colchester, arranged profusely-flowered herbaceous and Al- pine plants, also Daphne Cneorum, Berberis, Cytisus, and a good group of Iris. The Misses Hopkins, Mere Gardens, Shepper- ton-on-Thames, had a neat display of flowering rockery plants tastefully amongst suitable boulders. IMessrs. Bakers, Wolverhampton, arranged a small collection of Alpines in boxes of fibre. Phlox canadensis and p. Laphami Perry's variety, with their delicate Plumbago-like shade of blue, were very attractive. A group of "Viola gracilis, with very large blue flowers, showed good culture. The Guilijford Hardy Plant Nursery Co. showed flowering shrubs and herbaceous plants. Messrs. Thompson & Chapman, Bushey, Herts., set up a neat rockery, well furnished with suitable plants. Messrs. John Peed & Son, West Norwood, London, S.E., arranged a i-ockery, in which the stones were a trifle too much in evidence. Messrs. Wm. Fells & Son, Hitchin, Hertford- shire, included a pot plant of Echium fastuo- sum in an exhibit of rockery and herbaceous plants. Mr. James Box, Lindfield. Sussex, showed hardy flowers. Scarlet Anemones made a very bright patch of colour. Awards of Merit. Camellia cufpidala. — A Chinese species, bear- ing small, single, white flowers, which have pale- yellow stamens. The large example exhibited was in the form of a pyramidal bush, and was very floriferous. The relatively narrow leaves are about 2 inches to 2^ inches long. The species was introduced by Wilson during his first visit to China, and it has proved perfectly hardy at Coombe Wood. Shown by Messrs. Jas. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea. Vihiirnutii Vavidii. — A bushy shrub in which the foliage is rather more ornamental than the flowers. The latter are produced in the form of dense heads of small blossoms. Also shown by Messrs. Veitch. Primula " Warleyensis." — Two pans of a dainty little Primula from China were shown by Miss Willmott. The plants were flowering in pans as pricked off from the seed-pan, and the mauve flowers were only about 2 inches high in umbels. The small, green leaves were about 1 Ulch long, with slightly serrate margins. The species hae not been identified, but if it turns out to be new it will be known as Primula War- leyensis. Ifose Mrs. E. Alord.—Th\s is a pink-coloured hybrid Tea variety, having some resemblance to lime. Abel Chatenay and La France. Shown by Messrs. Lowe & Shawyer. ' B. Mrs. C. fffff/.— This is a charming hybrid Tea Rose, with the palest yellow shade showing in the outer petals, the inner petals — formnig the centre of the flower— being a pretty pink. Shown by Messrs. Low & Shawyer. Primula Julia:.— This is a hardy Primula from the Caucasus. It has crenate, caudate, smooth leaves 1 inch long, on stems about 3 inches long, and purplish-mauve flowers, which are solitary in the same sense as P. vulgaris. The species was exhibited bv Mr. Baker, of the Oxford Botanic Gardens, "who states that the plant grows well out-of-doors in almost any situation. P. Mrs. James Douglas.— This is one of the many seedlings of Primula int-ermedia raised by the iate James Douglas. The variety is remark- able for its rich, purple flowers. Shown by Mr. Douglas, Great Bookham. Pelargonium Amhrosea. — This is a pink- flowered Zona! -leaved Pelargonium, Each flower is 2 inches across, and the shade of pink is ex- ceedingly pleasing, whilst the habit of the plants is sturdy and free-flowering. Shown by Mr. Philip Ladds, Swanley, Kent. Narcissus Committee. Present: E. Bowks, Esq. (in the Chair); Jliss F. W. Currey, .Messrs. J. T. Bennett-Poe, Alex. M. Wil.-on, G. W. Leak, J. Jacob, Herbert Smith, E. M. Crosfield, W. Goldring, P. D. Wil- liams, J. D. Pearson, P. D. Barr, W. B. Cran- field, F. Barchard, (,'. Bourne. G. Reuthe, W. Poupart, Walter T. Ware, and C. H. Curtis (sec- retary). The Rev. G. H. Engleheart, Dinton, Salis- bury, exhibited a splendid collection of Nar- cissus. The flowers were shown under numbers, and also, as is usual with Mr. Engleheart's Narcissus, they were e.xceptionally fine. (Silver- gilt Flora Med'al.) Mr. Alex. M. Wilson, ShoveU, Bridgwater, Somerset, exhibited some very fine Narcissi. Three varieties received awards, and several other good sorts were exhibited under numbers. Terra Ranee, Red Macaw, and Gadfly, to name only a few of the standard kinds shown, were ex- cellent. (Silver-gilt Flora Medal.) Jlessrs. Barr & Sons, Covtnt Garden, London, again showed many good blooms of Narcissi, the best being Pandora, Aui-elia (richly-coloured, be- tween Jonquilla and Jlonarch), Early Dawn (a large, white-trumpet Daffodil, with a distinct apricot margin). Bride of Lammermoor, and Ros- setti. (Silver-gilt Flora Medal.) .Messrs. Wm. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, N., exhibited a very showy collection of Xulips, chiefly of the ordinary bedding varieties, the size and colour of the blooms denoted sound bulbs and good cultivation. (Silver-gilt Banksian Medal.) Mr. C. Bourne, Simpson, Bletchley, brought a praiseworthy collection of Narcissus, bordered by JIuscari (Grape Hyacinth), and Ferns in pot£. Amongst the Narcissi sevei'al new seedlings occu- pied prominent places. Black Chief is a good Poetuz flower ; Red Eve belongs to the parvi- coronata section. Arquebus is a very fine bloom, and will find a permanent place in most collec- tions. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. Cartwright & Goodwin, Ltd., Kid- derminster, also staged many fine varieties. White Nectarine (a striking Leedsii flower with a yellow frill to its corona), Robert Southerell (a very bright-eyed Poetaz), Van Waveren's Giant (a huge trumpet variety), and the double Cam- panelle Jonquil are probably the pick of this firm's contribution. (Silver Flora iledal.) Miss F. W. Currey, Lismore, Ireland, showed a large collection of exceedingly good Daffodils in very many varieties. The medio-coronata and the trumpet varieties were good, especially such kinds as Croesus. Lucifer, Torch, and Flambeau. (Silver Flora Medal.) i Mr. R. H. Bath, Wisbech, arranged a good selection of Narcissi and Darwin Tulips. Amongst the Daffodils we noted Pearl of Kent, Cresset, Fire King, and Southern Star. The Tulips, which were grow'ing in bowls of fibre, bore fine blooms of rich colour. (Silver Flora Jledal.) Messrs. J. R. Pearson & Sons, Lowdham, Notts., staged a collection of Daffodils containing the best standard varieties and many promising seedlings. (Silver Banksian Medal.) ilr. Herbert Chapman. Rye, exhibited a large proportion of Poetaz varieties, such as Kingsley, Virgil, Ibis, Halo (which has a very wide eye), and many splendid home-raised seedlings. (Silver Banksian Jledal.) Messrs. James Carter & Co., Raynes Park, again arranged their exhibit in the form of a spring garden. The small fountain and pool surrounded by cool-looking grass bordereEcimens are better preserved, and the anatomical description was therefore based on the stems and petioles from that locality. One important feature was the occurrence of resin ducts and sacs in practically every tissue in the stem — wood, inner corte.x, and outer corte.\ — and the first part of the generic name denotes this characteristic. At the same time the monostelic axis and the general anatomy of that axis are distinctly of the Heterangium type. The generic name therefore represented two well-marked features of the stem. The specific name was given in honour of Dr. E. A. Newell Arber. who supervised the work of the author when in Cambridge. The affinities of this new plant were interesting, for, while it resem- bled Heterangium in many points, there were several characteristics which seemed to indicate some relation with Sutcliffia and the other coal measure Pteridosperms. But there was no genus with which it seemed more closely allied than Dr. Kidston's new genus, Stenomyclon. Indeed. Rhetinangium was a possible phyliogenetic link between the lower Pteridosperms as represented by Heterangium and the higher members of that gi'oup. If one might hazard a guess at one pos- sible line of descent in that .group, it would be Heterangium-Rhetinangium - Stenomyclon - Sut- cliffia-Medullosa. A communication on " The Sun as a Fog Pro- ducer " was made by Mr. A. Watt, of the Scot- tish Meteorological Society, on behalf of Dr. John Aitlien. F.R.S.. who was unable to be present. LIVERPOOL HORTICULTURAL. March 27, 28. — The spring exhibition of the above association was held on these dates. The exhibits were varied and beautiful, the principal subjects being hardy forced plants. Roses, Aza- leas, Rhododendrons. Clematises. Lilacs, Liliums, and other bulbous plants. Banks of flowers ar- ranged on either side of the secretary's office were greatly admired. 0. O. Wrigley, Esq., Bury (gr. ilr. E. Rogers), staged eonie 60 plants of Clivias in 9-inch pots, the plants having large heads of fine flowers in superb varieties. Very fine specimen plants and a number of seed- ling Deiidrobiums were shown by C. W. Carver, Esq., West Derby (gr. Mr. W. Hignett) ; plants of D. Ainsworthii and D. nobile were 5 feet in diameter. Messrs. Bees, Ltd., Liverpotjl, arranged a charming rock-garden exhibit, which was sur- mounted by large floral designs. Messrs. Mansell & Hatcher. Rawdon, Leeds, and Messrs. Chaelesworth & Co., Hay wards Heath, showed exhibits of Orchids, w^hilst Alpines were well represented from Messrs. Bakee's, Wolverhampton, Conway's, Halifax, and Mr. G. Reuthe. Keston. On this occasion a deputation of the North of England Horticultural Society conferred that society's awards on the more noteworthy exliibits. In the class for six pots or pans of hardy herbaceous plants, distinct, the 1st prize was won by W. J. Lockett, Esq. (gr. Mr. E. R. Finch), who showed choice Daffodils, Spiraeas, Solomon's Seal, and other subjects. The most tastefully-arranged dinner table was exhibited by Mrs. T. A. Vlasto (gr. Mr. J. Armistead). For 12 Hyacinths, A. E.irle, Esq. (gr. Mr. Thomas Hitchman), secured the 1st award. This exhibitor ako led for six pots of Hyacinths. Mr. E. R. Finch was successful in the class for six pots of Hyacinths, three bulbs in each pot ; and for three pans of Hyacinths, ten bulbs in each pari, Drs. Tisdale and'lNGALL (gr. Jlr. G. 0.sborne) won the 1st prize. In the class for six pots of Daffodils T. W. Wright, Esq. (gr. Mr. F. Atkin), excelled with excellent specimens ; this exhibitor also had the winning dozen pots of single Tulips and the best six pots of double Tulips. Mr. E. R. Finch was placed 1st for six pots of single Tulips. For six hybrid Amaryllis Miss McKean (gr. Mr. T. Rigg) was successful. Mr. E. R. Finch proved the winner in the class for three greenhouse Azaleas, also for one stove plant in bloom with a good Anthurium. For one greenhouse plant in bloom W. Tod, Esq. (gr. Mr. G. Eaton), won the 1st prize with a plant of Clivia. In the class for two Orchids Mr. W. Hignett was placed 1st with fine specimens of Dendro- biums, and he excelled in the class for one Orchid with D. Ainsworthii ; the 2nd award in this class was secured by Aid. W. H. Watts (gr. Mr. Frank Gilbert) with a fine plant of Angrsecum sesquipedale having 16 flowers, which required a few more days to be at their best. Mr. T. Hitchman led in the class for tlii'ee Roses in pots, showing well-flowered Ramblers. For three e.xotic Ferns J. W. Hughes, Esq. (gr. Mr. J. McCoU), was awarded the 1st prize, having good plants of Polypodium subauriculatum and Nejihrolepis Amerpolii. Mr. T. Hitchman secured the 1st prize for three Azaleas, di.stinct. This exhibitor was also successful in the class for a specimen Azalea. For three hardy Rhododendrons Mr. G. Eaton won with plants 7 feet in diameter, and Mr. T. Hitchman was 1st for the single specimen, hav- ing the variety Pink Pearl. jlr. E. R. Finch was successful for four hardy forced plants, exhibiting tine specimens. For two Palms or Cycads Mr. G. Osborne was 1st. This exhibitor was also successful for three Palms growing in 8-inch pots. For the best specimen Palm Mr. F. Atkin secured 1st honours with a fine Kentia. Gold Medals were awarded by the association to C. W. Carver, Esq., who exhibited a choice .selection of Dendrobiums ; Mr. G. Reuthe, Kes- ton, for a collection of Alpine plants and cut Camellias; Messrs. Charlesworth & Co., Hay- wards Heath, who staged Orchids; 0. 0. Wrig- ley, Esq. (gr. Mr. E. Rogers), for Clivias; Messrs. Mansell and Hatcher. Rawdon, for Orchids ; Messrs. R. P. Ker & .Sons, Liverpool, for Ama- ryllis; Messrs Bees. Ltd., Liverpool, who staged a rockery and floral design ; and IMessrs. Young & Co., Cheltenham, for Carnations. Silver Medals to Mr. W. Rowlands for early- flowering Tulips ; Messrs. Baker's, Wolverhamp- ton, for Alpine plants; ^Messrs. H. B. May & Sons. Edmonton, for Ferns and Clematis, and Messrs. C. A. Young, Hatherley, for Carnations. The North of England Horticultural Society made awards as follow : — Gold Medals to 0. 0. Wrigley, Esq., for Clivias ; Messrs. Mansell & Hatcher, Rawdon, Leeds, for Orchids; and C. W. Carver, Esq., for Dendrobiums. Silver-gilt Medals to Messrs. R. P. Ker & Sons for Amaryllis ; Messrs. Young & Co. for Carnations ; Messrs. Charlesworth & Co. for Orchids; and Mr. G. Reuthe for Alpines. Silver Medals. — Mr. Thomson, for Daffodils ; Messrs. Baker for Alpines ; and IMessrs. H. B. May & .Sons, Edmonton, for Ferns. An Award of Merit was granted to the Liver- pool Corporation for Giant Buttercups ; and Cul- tural Certificates were awarded to Mr. F. Gilbert for Angrsecum sesquipedale. and Mr. W. Hignett for Dendrobiums.' ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL. M.tRCH 20. — The monthly meeting of the above society was held on this date at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Great George Street, Westmin- ster, S.W. The president, Dr. H. N. Dickson, occupied the chair. Professor Otto Pettersson delivered a lecture on " The Connection between Hydrographical and Meteorological Phenomena." He began by say- ing that the Jlediaival age was characterised by frequent violent climatic changes which seem to have culminated in the 13th and 14th cen- turies, when hot summers accompanied by di'oughts (which nearly dried up the rivers of Europe) alternated with cold summers and ex- cessive rainfall. In winter violent storm floods occurred which entirely remoulded the coasts of the North Sea ; or frost set in so severely that the entire Baltic and sometimes even the Katte- gat and the Skagerak were frozen. The lec- turer showed that such phenomena may be ascribed to alterations in the oceanic circulation caused by the influence of the moon and the sun. Experiments carried on during the last four years at Bornoe in Sweden have shown that the inflow of the undercurrent from the North Sea into the Kattegat — which brings the herring shoals in winter to the Swedish coast — is oscil- latory, the boundary surface of the deep water rising and sinking from 50 to 80 feet about twice a month. The phenomenon is governed by the moon's declination and proximity to the earth. From astronomical data. Prof. Pettersson con- cludes that the influence both of the sun and of the moon upon the waters of the ocean in winter about the time of the solstice, must have been greater 600 to 700 years ago than at the present time. TORQUAY DISTRICT GARDENERS'. March 28. — This association's spring show was held on this date in the Torquay Bath Saloons more than a fortnight before the Corn- wall Daffodil and Spring Flower Society's show at Truro, nevertheless it was the general comment that the exhibition was the best on record. So many entries were received that the large saloon was not extensive enough to contain them all, and another room had to be requisitioned. There was keen competition in all the classes. In ad- dition to the individual exhibits there were many noteworthy collections, which made an array such as is rarely seen even in the favoured town of Torquay. Many of the sections of plants bore evidence of the most careful cultivation. Cycla- men being especially fine. A group of these plants shown, not for competition, by Mr. H. Greswolde- Williams was given an Award of Merit. Undoubtedly Hippeastrums (Amaryllis) were the featui-e of the show, two large groups 6 feet by 3 feet being of surpassing excellence. There were two fine exhibits in the class for a group of greenhouse and stove plants, Mrs. Tottenham winning 1st prize, including the Silver Challenge Cup, with a beautiful .selection of Hippeastrums (.\maryllis). Cinerarias, Schizan- thuses, Crotons, Zonal Pelargoniums, Spirceas and Deutzias. Col. Cary, Avho won the 2nd prize, had a group but little inferior, in which pink Spirieas were included. Three groups of Palms and Ferns were shown. Col. Gary winning the 1st prize with a beautiful exhibit. An excep- tionally large and well-grown Azalea shown by Col. Gary in the class for a specimen plant was awarded the 1st prize, and the same ex- hibitor won the 1st prize for three specimens of Rhododendron indicum (Azalea indica) with excellent plants. In the class for 18 varieties of flowering shrubs, the 1st prize was won by the Hon. Helen Cdbitt. The silver challenge cup offered for the best group of Hippeastrums was won by Mrs. .1. Lyon with remarkably fine plants, the blooms being large and brilliant in colour. The Hon. Helen Cubitt won the silver cup presented by Messrs. Barr & Sons for the best group of Daffodil blooms. The exhibits of Cinerarias were especially fine, the 1st prize collection was shown by Mrs. Hassall, the plants being excellently grown with very large flowers. Plants of Cinera- ria stellata, with which Col. Cary won the 1st prize in a class for three plants, were also ex- ceptionally fine. Mrs. Gordon-Cumming won the 1st prize for six pots of Freesias with perfect examples in profuse flower. The 1st pria? in the classes for six table plants was won by Col. C.4RY in a keen competition. Col. Cary also won the 1st jirize for a collection of vegetables. The prizs for 12 cut Roses was awarded to Mrs. Cogan. Exhibits of Narcissi were good, the 1st prizes for six pots of Narcissi and six pots of Polyanthus Narcissus respectively were won by Mr. F. Pers- HOtrsE. There were al.'so classes for Hvacinths, Tulips, Orchids, Primulas, Spirjeas, Deutzias, Lily of the Valley, Migno?iette, Polyanthus,, Scliizanthuses, Dielytra spectabilis, and Carna-'^ tions. Non-competitive E.xhibits. The Devon Rosery, Torquay, staged a large collection of pot Roses in full bloom. Erica lusitanica, Deutzias, Cytisus pr.-ecox, Arctotis, aureola, Lopezia mini.ata, I\ianettia. bicolor, double white Clematis Fortunei, Spiraea Thun- bergii, S. prunifolia, and a collection of rock"! plants. APRIL 6, 1912.1 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 231 Messrs. Robert Veitch & Son, Exeter, showed Rhododendron Smithii aureum. Erica mediterranea, Hydrangea Mme. E. MouUiere, Prunus Parkmannii, P. pendula, P. triloba, Cor- reas, Eriostemon linearit'oliiim, Jasminum primu- linum, Hibbertia dentata, Gerbera hybrida. Acacias, Exochorda Alberti macrantha, Osnian- thus Delavayi, Cyrtomium Rochfordii (new), Eupatorium ionantha, Magnolia nigra, and Ericas. Mr, W. B. Sm.\le, Torquay, showed Anthu- rium Andreanum, Spiraea japonica. Primula obconica Queen of Roses, Amaryllis, Cleroden- dron Balfouri, and a collection of Cinerarias. Messrs. Bare & Sons, King Street, Covent Garden, staged a superb collection of Daffodils, among them being Vesuvius, Amazon, Sir Gala- had, Ariadne, Queen Sophia, Blood Orange, Pedestal, Bloodstone, Sunbeam, Buttercup, Van Waveren's Giant, and Dante. Messrs. Bureidge & Sons, Paignton, showed Rhododendrons (Azaleas) arranged with Palms and Ferns. _ Jlr. H. M.\tne, Torquay, staged Hyacinths, Tulips, Carnations, Hydrangeas, Acacias, Azaleas, Lilium long'iflorum. Camellias, Primulas, Zonal Pelargoniums, Mignonette, Narcissi, and small Orange trees in fruit. SOCIETE FRANCAISE D'HORTI- CULTURE DE LONDRES. :Maech 30.— The annual dinner of the members and friends of the French Horticultural Society of London took place on Saturday last at the Cafe Royal, Regent Street. :Mr. N. N. Sher- wood, V.M.H.. presided over a large company. The guests included Messrs. \V. A. Bilney, Edward White, H. B. May, Thos, Bevan, E. F. Hawes, C. Harman Payne, C. H. Curtis, G. Monro, Junr., E. Sherwood, W. Sherwood, A. Watkins, Brian Wynne, G. J. Ingram. D Ingamells, O. W. Hiehle, F. Hiehle, Gaskill, Tucker. J. McKerchar, T. Stevenson, Guillond, Ripard, Delanoue, Paris; Arthur Turner, and Lelas&eur. After dinner the Chairman proposed the healths of the King and the French President in a joint toast, which was heartily received. He next proposed the toast of the evening, " Pros- perity to the French Horticultural Society of London." and gave a brief review^ of the aims'and the work of the Society. He, the speaker, con- sidered that there wai nothing more miserable than for a young man to find himself landed in a foreign country without a single friend. Young French gardeners, however, who came to Eng'^ land were sure to find a friend in Jlr. Schneider, the President of the Society. Mr. Sherwood in- vited the members to visit the seed grounds of his firm at Kelvedon during the coming summer, stating that he would do his best to ensure them a pleasant outing. The Chairman then alluded to last year's meet- ing, which was somewhat clouded by the serious illness of Mr. Schneider. They all" rejoiced to have him with them this year in renewed health, and he asked the company to join with him in to.isting his health. -Ur. Schneider, responding, thanked the chair- man on behalf of the Society and himself, for his kind remarks, also for his invitation to visit Kelvedon. Jlr. Schneider said that the members were greatly indebted to Mr. Sherwood for his presence that evening, especially as he had hastened his return from the South of France in order to be with them. Mr. Schneider greatly re- gretted the absence of Jlr. Harry Veitch, owing to indisposition. Jlr. Schneider then proposed "Prosperity to English Horticulture." to which Mr. Bilney re- plied. Jlr. Bdney said that some years ag'o he attended a flower show in Paris.' which, like everything French, was beautiful and artistic. A few days after his return to England he I visited the Temple Show, where he saw produce of far finer quality, of which the eilect was considerably marred by defective and martistic staging. The difficulty under w^hich e-xhibitors at the Temple Show always laboured would be avoided in May next, when the Royal International Show would be held at Chelsea, and he felt sure that on that occasion the Enrdish flowers would show to as great advantage as those of any other nation. The toast of " The Chairman " was given by Mr. G. J. Ingram, who said that Mr. Sherwood's name was known and honoured throughout the world of horticulture, and in business circles both at home and abroad. ilr. Gaskill next proposed " The Officers of the Society." Replies were made by Messrs. Caspari, Hiehle and Ripard, Mr. Caspari concluding his remarks by referring to the services rendered to the Society by the Press, to which Mr. C. H. Curtis responded. Jlr. Caspari then presented Mr. Schneider, in the name of the younger members of the Society, with a salad bowl. An excellent musical programme was provided by the chairman, and the dinner was regarded as one of the most successful the Society has ever held. William Gow. — We regret to record the death of Mr. William Gow, gardener at Camp- muir, near Coupar Angus, on the 26th ult., in his 91st year. Mr. Gow was a native of Coupar Angus. He served his apprenticeship in the gardens at Hallyburton, and obtained further ex- perience at Hamilton Palace and several other establishments in the west of Scotland. In 1861, he was appointed by Lord Frederick Gordon to take charge of the gardens at Hallyburton, which was then undergoing extensive alterations. Those THE LATE WILLtAM GOW. who liad the privilege of viewing his extensive ribbon borders and flower gardens in the height of the season were astonished at the excellent results he obtained. He continued in the ser- vice of Lord Gordon until that nobleman's death then with the .Marquis of Huntly until the place was sold. In 1881, Mr. Gow was appointed land sten_ard and gardener to Peter Carmichael. Esq., of Arthurstone, in whose service he continued until the death of that gentleman in lS91. Re- tiring at that time, Mr. Gow went to live with his younger daughter, first at Belmont Castle and latterly at Campmuir. The end cams sud- denly, for he was out in his little garden on the evening previous to his death. The funeral took place in the churchyard of Kettins. Mr. Andrew Gow, superintendent of Craighton Cemetery, Govan, and two daughters survfve of a family of seven children. Francis PENTLAND.-Thedeath of Mr. Francis Pentland is recorded in the American papers. He was born in Edinburgh, in 1828. and after obtaining experience in gardening in this coun- try, migrated to America. After workin.' for a time for Mr. Robert Buist in Philadelphia he moved to Cincinnati, taking with him the Victoria regia, a plant previously unknown in that locality. About 10 years later he founded at Locklaiid the business now known as the Bloom- hurst Floral Company, from which he retired 14 years ago. IVIARKETS. 16-11 16 1! 6 0 — 3 0-36 1 3- 2 6- COVENT GARDEN, April 2. [We canoot accept any responsibility for the subjoined reports. They are furiiisiied to us regularly every Wednesday, by the kindness of several of the principal salesmen, who are responsible for the quotations. It must be remembered that these quotations do not repre- sent the prices on any particular day, but only tb« general averages for the week preceding the date of our report. The prices depend upon the quality of the samples, the way in which they are packed, ilie supply in the market, and the demand, and they may (Uictuate, not only from day to day, but occasionally several times in one day. — Eds.1 Cut Flowers, Ac: Ararage Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Arums (Richardias) 3 6-50 Azalea, doz. bncLs. 3 6-40 — mo lis, p. bnch. Camellias, per box of 18's and 2-ts 16-20 Carnations, p. doz. blooms, best Aiiieiican var. — smaller, per doz. bunches 10 0-15 0 — Carola, crim- son, extra large Eucharis, per doz, F re e s i a refracta alba, per dozen bunches Gardenias, per box i of 15&18bims. ^ " iris (Spanish), per doz. bunches : — white 15 0-13 0 — mauve, yellow and blue .. 18 0-21 0 Lilac, per bunch white 2 6-30 — mauve 3 0-36 Liliutn aiiratiun per bunch ... 4 0-50 — I o n g i ll oruin, long, per doz. 3 6-40 — short, per doz. 3 0-36 — I ancif oli uiu alba, long ... 2 0-26 — — short ... 16-20 — speciosum rub- rum, dz. blooms ; — long 19-20 — short 0 9-10 Lily of the Valley, p. dz. bunches : — extra special ... 15 0-18 0 — special 10 0-12 0 — ordinary ... 8 0 — Marguerite, per doz. bunches; — Vellow 2 0- 2 C Mjosotis (Forget- me-not), p. dz. bunches ... 3 0-40 Narcissus, per doz. bunches ; — Double \'an ^--ion 10-16 — Emperor ... 2 0-26 bunches ... 3 0- — Empress ... 16-20 — Parma . 2 0- — Cjoiden Spur... 10-16 " — Poeticus ... 16-20 A. Narcissus, per doz, bunches : — Princeps — Sir Watkia ... — Victoria — Parrii Orchids, Cattleya, per doz. — Odontoglossum crispum Pelargoniums, p. dz. bunches : — Double Scarlet Primroses, per doz. bunches Roses, 12 blooms, — Bride smaid, — C. Merniet — Ceieral Jac- queminot — lliberty — Madame Chateney — Niphetos — Richmond — Sunrise — Lddy Roberts — Lady Hilling- don — Kranz Deegan — Kaiserine Spiraea (.\stiibe) ja- ponica, per. doz. bunches .. Sweet Peas (white), pr. doz. biichs. Tulips, per bunch : — doublepink ... yellow scarlet — p. dz. bunches : — white — yellow — scarlet — broHi — pink — Darwin, — pink — mauve — red Violets, p. dz. bchs. — Princess of Wales, per doz. bunches — Parma Wallflowers, per dozen bunches , p. bch. 10-13 16-20 2 0-26 16-20 12 0 — 3 0-40 8 0-12 0 13-16 2 6-30 2 6-30 10-16 2 0-40 2 0-40 16-26 2 0-36 10-16 2 0-26 2 0-26 3 0-36 16-30 4 0-60 2 0-26 0 8-13 10-16 13-16 7 0-80 6 0-70 6 0-80 8 0-90 6 0-80 10-13 13-16 13-16 13-20 4 0 2 6 Cut Foliage, ftc s.d. s.d. Ad ian t um Fern (M aidenhair), best,dz, bnchs. Agrost is (Fairy Grass), per dz. bunches Asparagus plu- niosus, long trails, pr.^doz. 16-20 — medium, doz. bunches — Sprei'geri Carnation foliage, doz. bunches... 7 0-80 2 0-40 12 0-18 0 10 0 12 0 4 0 Plants Id Pots, &c. 2 0-26 Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Croton foliage, var- ious, per dozen bunches Cycas leaves, arti- ticial, per doz. Eulalia japonica, per bunch ... Moss, per gross ... Myrtle, dz. bchs. {English). small-leaved ... — French Siiulax, per bunch of 6 trails 12 0-15 0 3 0-12 0 10-1. 6 0 — 6 0 1 0 1 6 — s.d. s.d. Acacia lineaia, 48's, per cozen ... 18 0-21 0 Araiia Sieboldii, p. dozen 6 0-70 Araucaria excelsa, per dozen ... 18 0-21 0 Asparagus plumo- susnanns.p.dz. 10 0-12 0 — Spren^'eri ... S 0- 9 0 A-ipidistra, p. dz., green 21 0-30 0 — variegated ... .SO 0-60 0 Azaleas, per doz. 36 0-43 0 Boronia Megastig- ma,48's, p, dz. 21 0-94 0 Cinerarias, pr. dz. 8 0-90 Cocos Weddeii- ana.per dozen: — 60's ... ... 6 0-12 0 — larger, each ... 2 6-10 6 Croion, per dozen 18 0-30 0 Cyperus alterni- folitis, per doz. 5 0-60 — laxus, per doz. 4 0-50 Daffodils, per doz. 6 0-80 Dracaena, green, per dozen ... 10 0-12 0 Ericas, per dozen ; — Willmorei, 48*s I.'i 0-18 0 — persoluta ... 27 0-30 0 Ferns, in thumbs, per 100 8 0-12 0 Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Ferns, in small and large 60's ... 12 0-20 0 — in 48*£, doz. ... 6 0 — — choicer, sorts per 8 0-13 0 10 0-ia 0 9 0-12 0 10 0-12 0 per doz — in 32"s, per dozen Ficiis elastica, per dozen ... Genistas, 48's, dor, Geon- m i gracilis, 6tj s, per dozen 6 0-80 — larger, each ,.. 2 6-76 Hyacinths white & c!rd.,p. dz.pots 10 0-12 0 Hydrangeas, white, 4tts, per dozen 18 0 21 0 Kentia Belmore- ana, per dozen 5 0-42 0 — Fosteriana, 60's, per dozen 4 0-00 — larger, per doz. 18 0-60 0 Latania borbonica, per dozen ... 12 0-30 0 Lilium lo ngi- florum, p. doz. 20 0-24 0 — lancifolium ru- brum in pots, per dozen ... 15 0 IS 0 — la n c i f ol ium alba 15 0-13 0 232 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE, [April 6, 1912. Plants In Pots, Sc: Average Wholesale Prices fCon/i/J. s.d. s.d. Potatos. Marguerites, while, per dozen Mignonette, 48's, per dozen Pacdaiuis Veitchii, per dozen S.J. s.d. 8 0- 10 0 6 0- 80 36 0-48 0 Phoenix each Spiraea per pots — Pink rupicola, japonica, dozen 10 0-12 0 10 0-12 0 Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices. A p p 1 e s (English cookers) bu'^hel ~- Nova Scotian, per barrel — Call fern iaii Newtowns, pr. case — (Canadian), per barrel — Oregon (Hood River), per case — American, per barrel — Australian per case ... Bananas, bunch : — Doubles — No. 1 „ ... — Extra — Giant „ ... — Loose, per dz. — Red coloured... — Jainaica Giants, per ton — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per box (9 doz.) Cranberries, per case (30 qts.)... — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) Dates (Tunis) doz. boxes ..- Grape Fruit, case : — 9fi's ... — fcO's ... — 64-s ... — 54's ... Grapes (Belgian), Gros Colman, pAY. April 13, 1912. CONTENTS. Barr Memorial Fund, the 211 Birds and fruit buds ... 246 I'.'iiks, notices of — A Book about Roses... 240 Ihe Botanical Maga- zine 241 The Complete Gar- dener 243 Publications receivrd 243 Canada, the population of 243 Carnation Mrs. .\. F. Dutton 244 Conifers at Dropmore, damage to 245 Coorg, note on the vege- tation of 243 Daphne indica 245 Elms, British 231 Florists' flowers — Chrysanthemum Golden King ... 231 The Tulip 234 forest areas in Canada '^41 International Horticul- tural Exhibition ... 242 Ireland, Government sale of trees in ... 24G Lambourne, Mr. John, appointment of ... 241 Law note 24y L.C.C. parks depart- ment, changes in the 241 Magnolia salicifolia ... 245 Manchester, horticul- ture in 24C Mushroom culture in France 241 Orchid notes and glean- ings— Ln^lio - Catlleya MacBeaniana ... 237 Orcliidsat Glebelands, South Woodford ... 237 Parks, London, school classes in the 241 Park Superintendents, American Association of 242 Phlox, the herbaceous 233 Pollination of hardy fruits, observations and experiments on the 245 Pond-weed, to destroy Poplar, the, in Italy ... Primula Forrestii Primula rosea Railway grievances ... Rainfall in a North Wales garden Rehmannia Rhododendron Yodo- gawa Rosary, the — Caroline Testout and its sports Rose Mme. Hector Leuilliot Saxifraga kewensis Sciiool gardens Scotland, notes from ... Silver leaf disease Societies — Hailstorm Insurance Corporation North of Scotland Hort. and Arbori- cultural Nursery and Seed Trade Association -. Royal Caledonian Horticnltural Royal Horticultural... (Scientific Committee) Royal Hort. of Ireland Royal Meteorological Royal Scottish Arbori- cultural Scottish Hort. Women's Agric. and Hort. Union Soil, treatment of barren strawberries, pot Su[:erphosphate9, the world's consumption of Tomato industry in Ontario, the Week's work, the — Flower garden, the ... Fruits under glass ... Hardy fruit garden ... Kitchen garden, the... Orchid houses, the .. Plants under glass .- Public parks and gar- dens ILLUSTRATIONS. ■Carnation Mrs. A. F. Dutton Cups to be presented at the International Exhibition Diploma of Honour of the International Horticul- tural Exhibition Elm, Plot's Laelio-Cattleya MacBeaniana Primula Forrestii growing wild in China (Supple- mentary Illustration; 8 ixifraga kewensis Ulmus campestris variety viminalis Ulmus Plotii 242 ■.!42 240 246 244 246 246 236 245 247 246 244 243 247 247 248 248 211 247 24,s 241, 247 247 241 24S 242 242 2;i8 ■.3-i 2#J 238 239 244 243 242 234 237 247 236 235 THE HERBACEOUS PHLOX. WEITING of the herbaceous Phloxes in the Gardeners' Chronicle of December 9, 1911, the late James Douglas i-eferred incidentally to the fine displays Messrs. Fraser, of Lea Bridge, made at the exhibitions half a century ago. Mention was made of the fact that " these famous nurserymen objected to the clumsy method of division as not 'likely to give the best results," an objection which I believe has been shared by all nurserymen who have excelled in the cultivation of these plants. The divided plant can never be eciual to one raised from a cutting, albeit there are some varieties more prone than the majority to spread by means of stolonifer- ous shoots, which are thus enabled to provide useful material for planting for an almost indefinite period. Etna, Queen of Whites, and Mrs. E. Jenkins are notable instances of this. There are others, however, and in the newer Phloxes I fear they are in the majority, that seem incapable of producing stolons, the ground stools becoming old and woody at an early age. Such varieties as these must be increased by cuttings. Of this latter type there is no more conspicuous an example than Coquelicot, though it were an easy matter to name many similar ones. In the production of stoloniferous shoots the character of the soil plays a part, since the varieties that produce them freely in light soils do so tardily, if at all, in soils of a heavy or clayey nature. Con- versely, those varieties that produce stoloniferous shoots shyly, or not at all, when planted in light soils, are short-lived or impossible of cultivation when planted in heavy soils. Hence the cultivator should consider the Phlox in conjunction with the soil. Speaking generally, and from a somewhat diversified ex- perience, I consider soils of a medium or even a light nature far superior to those containing much clay, for though the former become very dry in hot seasons, it is possible to afford water advantageously. On the contrai-y, most clay soils con- tract to such an extent as to render watering a futile operation. Few nursery- men of past decades have grown or exhibited herbaceous Phloxes to equal the late Robert Parker, of Tooting, yet the soil of the nursery was generally very light and sandy, the subsoil being com- posed of sand and gravel to a great depth. The Phlox beds were, however, quite near to large water tanks, and the beds were flooded two or three times each week in dry weather. In light soils, too. Phloxes are great surface-rooters, hence a mulch in conjunction with the waterings will be found of much benefit. Adverting to the methods of propaga- tion I have often wondered, seeing the fine results obtained, why so little use is made of autumn cuttings. This method saves a great deal- of time, the autumn-struck cuttings making plants fit for distribution early in the following year. Moreover, such cuttings root well in a shady frame in the open, hence should possess a special value for those amateurs who have not space in artifici- ally-heated structures for such things. The plants, too, are raised from material usually discarded. A slight shortening of the flowering stems, after flowering, being all that is required to promote the requisite growth. The spring cuttings raised under glass by the nurseryman have a value of their own. Formerly it was the practice to pot up all the plants, and these being sent out in the hard, solid balls were frequently planted in the same condition, and proved incapable of suc- ceeding well. Nowadays the nurseryman plants the young Phloxes in nursery beds, thereby saving himself the cost of pots, and also the labour of frequent waterings. Presently the purchaser gets a much larger and a far more satisfactory plant. This system of supplying plants from the open ground is, to my mind, a great gain, and if it diminishes the planting season by a few weeks in spring or summer, it insures the work being done in the proper season. Where pot plants of Phloxes are grown for conservatory decoration there is no method of propagation to equal that of the spring cutting, and young vigorous examples cultivated generously after the manner of Chrysanthemums, usually produce fine panicles of flower late in September, or even in October. Two or three decades ago, these border Phloxes were frequently employed as pot plants, while, to-day, despite their high decorative excellence they appear to be forgotten. That the method referred to is worth reviving no one with personal knowledge of the subject will deny. The modern raiser has given us flowers of greatly increased size, in conjunction with brilliant or pure colouring. New shades of colour as evidenced in the varieties Iris, Violet, and Le Mahdi, have provided the group with increased diversity of colour and a wider sphere of usefulness. The modern varieties exhibit greater substance in the petals. Dwarf- ne.ss, too, lias been added in some varie- ties, though I question if in a plant to which we look for some of the finest flower pictures of the flower garden this may be accounted a gain in the truest sense. The greatest loss, a loss both to garden and greenhouse, is, in my opinion, the ignoring by the modern raiser of these plants of the latest flowering varieties of the race, like Virgo Maria which blossoms long after the majority are past. The trusses of these late flowering varieties are denser, more pyramidally inclined, and the flowers smaller. But the quality of lateness is worthy of wedlock with the finest strains in the hope that the union may span the gulf and extend the season of flowering as it has done in other classes of plants, though none more notably per- haps than the Narcissus. Then, to some extent, we have lost the well-shouldered, paniculate trusses of earlier days, and some varieties in particular, which, pro- ducing sublateral spikelets so freely, were alike valuable in the garden or in the cut state, have fallen out of cultivation. In the past, many a housewife has welcomed these well-foliaged bits of flower beauty late in the year, and would do so again if only they were forthcoming. In these directions there is still room for improve- ment, remembering that the herbaceous Phlox being above all things a garden subject it should be made to play its part to the fullest extent and for the longest possible season. E. H. JenJcins. 234 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 13, 1912. FLORISTS' FLOWERS. THE TULIP. During recent years both early and late varie- ties of Tulips have been freely cultivated in all classes of gardens, not only as beautiful features in the flower garden but for decorating the green- house and conservatory during the spring months. A few lemarks from an old Tulip fancier may be useful. The best time for planting depends to some ex- tent on the district. Last season I began planting "»n November 9, as the day was fine and the ground in good condition, but in certain wet and cold districts the end of November, or even early in December, might be better. Some years ago 1 discussed this point with the late Mr. Samuel Barlow, of Stakehill, near Manchester and he had come to the conclusion that for his district late in November was the best time, as the roots were ready to push out at once. Apropos of this Mr. Joseph Jacob, writing recently in a contemporary, stated that he " planted a large number of Tulip bulbs the week before Christmas. The soil was more like lumpy, sticky mortar " ; but he adds " I have never had a better dis- play of bloom than I had from these bulbs the following spring." Much, of course, depends on how the bulbs have been kept. I advise early purchase of the bulbs, for the trade may be obliged to keep their bulbs in large quantities in ordinary houses until they be- come mouldy, owing to decay setting in. The old florists stored them in cabinets, and in a dry room. I store them in bags in a dry room or in flower pots. The introduction of what are termed Cottage and Darwin Tulips has been the means of popu- larising this flower, as they are certainly of a more vigorous constitution than the old bizarres and bybloemens. In my early gardening years, in the 'fifties, the Tulip had begun to decline in public favour. Mr. Groom, of Clapham Rise, printed a catalogue in 1854, in which three varie- ties were priced at 100 guineas and others as high as 50, 20, and 10 guineas. Mr. Groom planted 200,000 bulbs of these show Tulips. They were planted in beds, seven bulbs in a row ; but all these choice bulbs had to be sold by auction in 1855, and the highest price obtained was £6 to £7 sterling for a row of seven, with the offsets. A time of depression set in, but the cult of the show Tulip was kept alive by the annual ex- hibitions at Manchester. For a brilliant display in the hardy flower garden, the show Tulips cannot compete with the Cottage and the Darwins. The masses of colour, where hundreds are planted in beds, one colour in a bed, are unsurpassed and unsurpassable ; but these can only be obtained in large gardens or public parks. The owner of a small garden who does all, or nearly all, the work him.self, obtains his pleasure by a close examination of his flowers, and, if he possesses a trained eye, by observing the beau- ties of the flamed and feathered bizarres and by- bloemens with the clear, pure yellow and white bases to the cups, so different from the bluey- sooty bases of the others. One cannot be ex- pected to realise and admire the inherent beauty of a flamed and feathered Tulip at a glance. It requires close and careful study, such as was formerly bestowed upon them by the patient hand-loom weavers of Lancashire. There are three classes of show Tulips, Bizarres, Bybloemens and Roses. Among the Eose class some have scarlet markings. These three classes are again divided into flamed and feathered sections. A feathered flower has the colour finely pencilled around the margin, whereas the flamed type has a flame of colour in the centre of e a considerable number of plants are grown, it is advisable to pot a portion of the stock each season, as a period of two years is required for the plants to become sufficiently established to flower well. Pans are the best receptacles, and they should be half filled with clean crocks for drainage purposes, covering the crocks with a thin layer of Sphagnum-moss. The compost may consist of good fibrous loam, peat, and Sphagnum-moss in equal parts, the various materials being broken rather roughly and mi.xed with a quantity of crusiied crocks. In potting, arrange the compost so that the centre of the plant is higher than the edges of the pan, and direct the young growths to the middle of the plant, pressing the materials moderately firm. Coelogynes thrive best in an intermediate tem- perature. After they have been potted, the plants should be afforded a shady position and watered once well. The compost may then be allowed to become dry before being again watered, but the atmosphere must be kept moist by syringing between the pan and spraying the plants overhead. The pseudo-bulbs that are re- moved will, if placed in pans with a little Sphagnum-moss, soon break into growth, and may be used to increase the stock. Anguloa. - Such Auguloas as A. Clowesii, .\. eburnea, A. dubia, A. Ruckeri, A. uniflora, and the rare and beautiful A. Cliftonii are push- ing forth new roots, and should be repotted. Use a similar compost to that advised for Ccclogynes. Anguloas are best grown in pots which sliould be well drained, placing the plants just below the rims of the receptacles. They grow best in a light position in the Cattleya house. Water the plants sparingly after repotting, and afford moisture with great caution until the young growths are well advanced, when they may re- ceive liberal quantities of moisture. See that no water lodges in the centres of the young growths, as this is a frequent cause of damping. When the young leaves are well developed the plants may be syringed frequently overhead. Maxillaria.— Certain species of Maxillaria, including JI. venusta, M. Candida, M. picta, M. Turneri, 11. striata, M. nigrescens, and M. Mooreana are becoming active at the roots, and plants that require fresh rooting material should be attended to in this respect. Those mentioned are best grown in pots and pans filled with a compost consisting of Al fibre and Osmunda fibre in equal proportions, with a small quantity of Sphagnum-moss cut up rather short and a liberal amount of crushed crocks. The pans or pots should be well drained, and the rooting materials pressed firmly. When the plants are potted they should be placed in a shady position, and watered very carefully, pouring the water around the edges of the pots so that it may not lodge in the young growths. Such species as M. Sanderiana and M. Lindenii, that flower at this season of the year are best grown in teak- wood baskets, as the flower-spikes sometimes push dowiiward through the bottom of the receptacle. For this reason Fern-rhizome should be used for drainage instead of crocks. These two 'species, also M. fucata, 51. leu- THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunuuknholme, Waller i-'riory, Yorkshire. Apricots. — The soil of fruii-boiders is suf- ficiently moist for the roots of the trees, and water will probably not be required tor some weeks longer ; but where the ground is light or sandy, or the walls are furnished with broad copings, the borders should be e.\amined shortly to ascertain if additional moisture is needed. Many failures amongst Apricots may be attri- buted to insufficient water at the roots, and newly-planted trees especially must be kept well watered. A good watering will do no harm, always provided the borders are well drained. Apply a mulch after watering, unless the weather is dull and cold, when its application should be deferred until the weather is more genial. Apricots are the first trees requiring disbudding, but this operation must not be done so severely as in the case of Peach trees. Remove first all shoots that are at the back of the tree, foreright shoots and others in unsuitable positions. Spurs may be induced to form by pinching shoots that are not required for exten- sion to three or four leaves, but whenever pos- sible allow spurs to form naturally. Avoid a severe thinning of the shoots at one time. Com- mence the thinning at the top of the tree and work downwards, repeating the operation at in- tervals of a few days until the work is completed. Only by a careful study of the different habits and peculiarities of each kind of tree can disbud- ding and pinching be carried out successfully, the object being to avoid using the knife severely in winter i^runing. In thinning the fruits remove first tlios5 that are likely to grow deformed through pressing against the wall and the wires, leaving plenty of fruits for a future thinning, as many will fall at the stoning stage. The material used to protect the trees from frost should be re- moved whenever the weather is favourable, but it should still be kept in readiness for use until danger from fro-st is over. Aphis. — Apliis generally become most trouble- some just as the trees are passing out of flower. Owing to the mild weather the growth of the trees is two or three weeks in advance of an average season. A sudden change to east winds would cause a check to growth, and greatly favour attacks of aphis. This pest is trouble- some at all seasons when the plants are growing actively, but they are specially in evi- dence during cold weather in spring. More failures in fruit growing may be attributed to aphis attacks than to any other cause. Crippled curled shoots and leaves at this season are often due to a neglect of winter spraying. There are many excellent wa.shes on the market suitable for spraying fruit trees, including quassia ex- tract, V2 fluid, and paraffin emulsion. Preven- tion is better than cure, and very little harm is done by spraying the trees with either of the in- secticides mentioned, even when the trees are in flower. By spraying early a weak solution will check aphis, but, once the pest is established, stronger measures are necessary. The remarks on spraying apply to all fruit trees likely to be attacked by aphis. FRUITS UNDER GLASS. By E. Harriss, Fruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, Windsor. Mid -SEASON Vines. — The stopping and training of the shoots of mid-season vines should be attended to as soon as tliey are large enough. Vines growing close to the glass will need con- stant and careful attention in this matter till the shoots are eventually secured to the trellis. This work should, if possible, be done during the latter part of the day, or when the weather is dull, as there is not so much danger of break- ing the young growths then as when the sun is shining fully on the vinery. The surplus bunches should be removed as soon as the berries have set. If the roots are in need of moisture, lightly fork up the surface of the border, and give a thorough watering with diluted liquid manure very slightly warmed. The work of thinning the berries should be pushed on as quickly as pos- sible, as the fruits swell very quickly. There is a danger, if the berries become crowded before thinning, of the Grapes being disfigured by rub- bing, and the work also takes much longer. Late Muscat Vines. — Before the Muscat vines flower, the borders should be examined to see if the roots are in need of moisture. Should water be necessary, first sprinkle the sur- face of the border with a suitable artificial fer- tiliser. This should then be washed into the ground with tepid water. Do any necessary stopping of the shoots before the vines flower, as it is not good practice to do this work whilst the bunches are setting. The tying of the shoots should be deferred till the berries have set, unless they are touching the glass, in which case they should only be drawn clear of tlie glass, and secured to the trellis with a neat piece of raffia. The berries appear to set better when close to the light. During the flowering stage, the tem- perature sliould be kept as equable as possible, therefore the ventilators should be carefully regulated during changeable weather. Keep the atmosphere dry till the flowering stage is passed. Any pot plants present in the vinery should be removed. In some districts it is a difficult mat- ter to get Muscat Grapes to set freely. Where this is the case, it is an excellent plan to have a house of Black Hamburgh or some other free- setting vai'iety in flower at the same time as the Muscats. The pollen from the Black Ham- burgh may be collected on large sheets of paper, and the i\luscat flowers pollinated with it by means of a rabbit's tail. When it can be seen that the berries are set, and are swelling freely, the border should receive another good watering, using diluted liquid manure. When cutting off the surplus bunches, it may be necessary to sacri- fice some of the largest bunches which have failed to set their berries sufficiently to make well-shaped specimens. As a rule, the medium- sized bunches set best, and these should be left to form the crop, as they will keep better and be of much greater service for ordinary pur- poses than the lar>';r ones. Attend to the thin- ning as soon as the berries are large enough. Some of the bunches may be improved by care- fully looping up the shoulders; but this must be done by an experienced workman. The operator must keej) his scissors clean wliil t thinning, as neglect in this matter will result in the berries being badly marked. Before the border is again watered, it should be mulched with a layer of rich, farmyard manure, and the manurial properties washed into the soil with tepid water. Keep a sharp look-out for red spider, and should this pest be detected, sponge the leaves with a weak solution of soft soap and sulphur. A little flowers of sulphur sprinkled on the pipes occasionally when they are very hot will keep down this pest. Later on, when the sun becomes more powerful, it may be necessary to shade the glass to prevent scorching of the foli- age. A little slaked lime in water syringed over the glass will pi-ovide sufficient shade. THE FLOWER GARDEN. By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady Nokthcote, Eastwell Park, Kent, Mignonette. — Plants of Jlignonette grown in pots from seed sown early in the j-ear should be planted out in a sheltered corner to flower early. The plants grow best in a rich loam, and the soil should be made thoroughly firm before planting. Plants that have already fur- nished a supply of blossoms indoors may also be planted out. If afforded a small quantity of artificial manure, they will soon develop plenty of fresh flower-spikes. Keep a sharp look-out for slug.i, which are very fond of Mignonette : a dusting of soot will act as a deterrent to this insect pest. Seed shonld be sown in the open garden at intervals during the next few months, thus ensuring a succession of flowers till the plants are cut down by frost. Reliable varieties are Machet. Bismarck, Giant White, Giant Crimson, and Miles's Hybrid Spiral. Violas and Pansies. — Plants of Viola and Pansy that were propagated from cuttings last autumn and wintered in frames, should be planted in their permanent quarters at once. Owing to the extreme heat and drought of last summer, suitable shoots for making cuttings were very scarce in most gardens. Both the Pansy and ^'iola thrive best in a cool, deep soil April 13, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 239 containing plenty of manure that was incor- porated when the ground was trenched. In the warmer parts of the country, and especially where the soil is light and shallow, a somewhat shaded position should be chosen, so that the plants will not be exposed to full sunshine during the hotte.st part of the day. The beds having been trenched and manured during the winter, will simply require forking over lightly and levelling. Plant firml}'. The distances at which they are put apart must depend upon whether the plants are required solely to furnish the bed, or as a carpeting for other subjects. Violas make a suitable ground- work for Roses and other tall-growing plants, or for edgings to beds in the formal flower garden. Violas and Pansies may be raised quickly from seed sown in January, but the plants must be grown without experiencing a check. After hardening the seedlings gradu- ally, they should be planted out the first oppor- tunity, so that they may become established before dry weather sets in. Bedding Lobelia. — Seedlings of Lobelia compacta should be pricked out into boxes or frames before they become drawn. When they have become established and are growing freely, their tops may be cut off with a knife to induce them to grow bushy and sturdy. Lobelia gracilis is a particularly graceful plant, and valuable as an edging to vases and hanging baskets on verandahs and similar positions. The light blre flowers, hanging in graceful clusters, appear to great advantage against white stone vases. General Work. — Grass is growing rapidly and lawns require to be mowed frequently. There is no saving in labour and the lawn itself is injured by allowing too long an interval to elapse before mowing. Temiis and croquet lawns require almost daily attention, in- cluding continuous rolling, especially after showers, to ensure a firm and level surface. Trim the vei-ges frequently with the edging shears, as neglect of such small details tends to give the garden an untidy appearance. Vegeta- tion in this district is in an exceptionally for- ward condition, the growth of Roses, ornamental trees, and flowering shrubs being much more for- ward than usual. Seedlings of some of the hardier flowering plants, such as Golden Py- rethrum, Mimulus. Cacalia coccinea, Centaureas (Cornflowers). Commelina coelestis, and Matri- caria eximia, may be transplanted in the open borders, affording the plants slight protection during cold nights. This will afford more space in the frames for tender plants. Pent- stemiins. Antirrhinums, and East Lothian Stocks should be hardened preparatory to planting them in the beds and borders when the weather is favourable at the end of this month. Good, hardy plants set out-of-doors early in the spring give much better results than those grown in much heat and planted later, when drying winds are apt to prevail. of starch and whitening, which will provide sufficient shade without excluding too much light. This form of shading is cheap, easily ap- plied, and will last the season through if used when freshly mixed. It is easily and quickly removed with a soft brush when moistened. It should be prepared carefully as follows : Mix 2 lbs. of ordinary starch with sufficient cold water to dissolve it to the consistency of thin cream, making sure that all the particles are dissolved. Then add sutficient boiling water to turn or clear it, keeping it stirred one way whilst adding the water. To this should be added about 4 lbs. of whitening, also mixed in suflicient warm water to make it of the consistency of cream, pouring it into the starch very gently and stirring all the time. Precaution in stirring is very neces- sary, as the starch would otherwise curdle dur- ing the process of mixing, when the mixture would be of little use. The quantities given are suflicient to make from two to three gallons of shading material, sufficient to cover a large area of glass. It should be applied very thinly with a distemper brush and, if stippled over imme- diately afterwards with an ordinary hand brush, the coating will present a tidy appearance, and give the glass from the inside the appearance of ordinary frosted glass. Euphorbia jacquini/Cflora and E. pul- CHERRIMA. — Plants of these species of Kuphor- biamaybe cut down to within 6 or 8 inches of the ground level and introduced into a little heat. After their rest they should quickly throw up a batch of sturdy shoots suitable for cuttings. The shoots should be taken off when about 3 inches in length and inserted singly in thumb-pots in a very light compost consisting of peat, loam, leaf- mould and sand. Plunge the pots in the pro- pagating frame. To prevent the cut surfaces "bleeding," the cuttings should be inserted in a pan of fine, dry sand immediately they are taken off. Place them directly afterwards in the cut- ting pots prepared beforehand to receive them. Cuttings of later batches of E. jacquiniaeflora may be inserted three in a pot, and repotted when necessary. mencing to hoe. Frequent stirrings of the soil will be favourable to the growth of the crops, and will check weeds. Spring Cabbages should be given the same treatment, but in their case a dusting of nitrate of soda should be applied at the base of the plants. PLANTS UNDER GLASS. By Thomas Stevknson, Gardener to E. Mocatta, Esq., Woburn Place, Addlestone, Surrey. Shading Glasshouses. — At this seascn sharie must be provided for certain plants, and if blinds are employed these should be overhauled and placed in position at once. I do not favour the shading of plants more than can be helped ; but when they are in bloom and immediately after they have been potted, slight shade is a great advantage. It is, therefore, a convenience to have blinds fixed to all plant houses, even if it is not necessary to use them often. There are a few stove plants, including Codifeum (Croton), Acalypha and Phyllanthus that benefit by expo- sure to full sunshine all through the summer and develop finer colours in consequence. Others, such as Draciena, Dieffenbachia, Aralia and Panax, grow all the better if afforded a light shading during the hottest part of the day. for though many of them are capable of withstanding the effects of strong sunshine, the colour and size of their foliage are enhanced by judicious shading. Many cool-house plants, such as Car- nations, Begonias and Fuchsias, may not require shading for some time to come, but this will de- pend very much on the position of the house. Palm houses and ferneries may. with advantage, have the roof-glass coated outside with a mixture THE KITCHEN GARDEN. By Edwin BtcKKTT, Gatdtiier to the Hon. Vicary GitiBS, .A denham House, Hertfordshire. Salsify. — The best time to sow seeds of Salsify is from the middle to the end of April, and, "as in the case of tap-rooted vegetables generally, the ground for their cultivation should " be free from fresh manure, but well worked. Sow the seeds thinly in sl'.allow drills drawn at 15 inches apart. When the seed- lings are well al>ove the ground thin them par- tially and again finally, allowing the best plants to remain at 12 inches apart. Mushrooms. Ci-ntinue to form new Mush- room beds for successional supplies. Whilst the materials are being got together the mass should be turned regularly to allow the rank gases to escape. In doing this avoid placing the manure in a .shed exposed to the winas and sunshine or the materials will become dried and almost use- less. JIake the bed thoroughly firm, and wait until the heat declines before inserting the spawn. Insert pieces cf spawn, each about as large as a hen's egg, at about 1 foot apart and 3 or 4 inches deep. Press the manure b;ick firmly and then place a layer of soil on the bed to prevent undue evaporation of moisture. Finally place a little clean straw over the bed, which must be removed, however, before the Mushrooms appear. Keep a sharp lookout for slugs and wcodlice, which must be destroyed if detected. Dispense with fire heat whenever possible and keep the surroundings of the house moist. Beds that have been in con- tinuous bearing for some time past will be greatly benefited by a good watering with liquid manure suitably diluted. Parsley. — Seedlings of Parsley raised during February and subsequently transplanted into boxes will need hardening, preparatory to plant- ing out permanently, towards the end of this month. Make another sowing of Parsley out-of- doors during April, raking the ground to a fine tilth and drawing shallow drills at 1 foot apart. Hoeing.— Take advai'tage of dry weather to work the Dutch hoe freely amongst the growing crops, especially of Spinach. Peas. Broad Beans and herbs, applying a dusting of soot before com- PUBLIC PARKS AND GARDENS. By Chief Officer. The Uses of Ferro-concrete in Parks. — During the last few years the di..,(ivery of what is known as " ferroconcrete "— or, as it is sometimes called by different makers, " Re- inforced " concrete — has made it possible to em- ploy cement concrete in a variety of different ways that were at one time thought to be quite out of the question. The result is not only that many structures are nowadays built with ferro- concrete, but they are erected at very much less cost than they could have been under ordinary circumstances with other materials. Briefly stated, ferroconcrete is just ordinary cement concrete very considerably strengthened by the addition of iron, steel or wire rods, which are embedded in it. Concrete — and, for that matter, stone or brick — while having great strength in so far as compression is con- cerned, has very little power to resist tension. In like manner, concrete is naturally of a very brittle character, and is quite unable to resist jars or blows. The addition of iron or steel, as described, gives to cement con- crete the very qualities it lacks, and enables structures composed of this material to with- stand both tension and the effects of severe im- pacts. Necessity for Care. — Needless to say, the reinforcing material must not be laid in the concrete in a haphazard manner, otherwise it will prove to be valueless. The iron rods must always be so placed as to be near the face where the greatest tension is felt, namely, at the point nearest the earth. The nearer the iron is to that face the greater is the strength it adds to the structure — indeed, only enough concrete should come between it and the air to prevent it from rusting. This rarely exceeds 1| inch, and, there- fore, it follows that in the construction of ferro- concrete the gravel used must not be of a greater size than 1 inch in diameter. From experience, too, it has been found that the concrete should never be weaker in quality than that made of one part cement, two parts sand, and four parts of gravel. Special Objects. — Ferroconcrete is admir- alily adapted lor use in parks in the construction of light bridges, conveniences, shelters, floors of bandstands, slabs for the protection of the sides of streams, ponds or lakes, and numerous other purposes. Those who have had any experience in building rustic bridges must admit that when these are made of wood they are, as a rule, ani absolute waste of money in that their construc- tion is most expensive, and their life so very short. Iron bridges, too, cost a good deal in their upkeep, and unless a large sum of money is expended in the first place on their construc- tion, they never appear appropriate in a park. A reinforced concrete bridge may be made in such a way as to appear more or less in keep- ing with its surroundings, is cheap to construct, and afterwards costs but little to keep in repair. In the case of bandstands, unless there are some means of keeping the wooden floors from the effects of the weather, their maintenance be- comes a very expensive item within the course of a few years. Floors made of ferroconcrete, on the contrary, never require any attention, and answer the purpose equally as well as wooden ones. Disinclination to Grant Loans.— Un- fortunately, the Local Government Board — like most other Government departments — is ex- tremely conservative in its ways, and up to the present time is rather prone to look askance at the use of ferro-concrete. and as a conse- quence the Board is rather diflSdent about ad- vancing loans for carrying out work of this description. No doubt, "as time goes on and the department becomes satisfied as to the durability of ferro-concrete, this prejudice will be re- moved, and no difficulty will be experienced in getting the necessary loans sanctioned for the erection of structures composed of this most useful material. 240 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 13, 1912. EDITORIAL NOTICE. ADVERTISEMENTS should be sent to the PUB- LISHER, 41, Wellington Street. Covent Uarden, W.C Letters lor Publication, os viell as specimens of plants tor naming, slwtild be addressed to the EDITORS, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London. Covlmunuations should be written on onk side onlv of THE PAPEK, sent as eailv in the ifeek as possible and duly signed br the wiiter. I) desired, the signature will not be prinled,'but kept as a guaiantee oj good laith. Special Notice to Correspondents.— 77ii: Editors do not undeitake to pay for any contributions or illustrations, or to tctinn unused comviumcalions or illustrations, unless by special arrangement. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for any opinions expressed by their correspon- dents. Local Kevis.— Correspondents will greatly oblige bysendingto the Eddors early intelligence of local events likely to be oJ inteiest to our readers, or of any matters whichit is desirable to bring under the notice of horticulturists. Newspapers.— Correspondents sending newspapers should be canlul to maiti the paragraphs they wish the Editors to see. APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. TUESDAY, APRIL 16— Royal Hort. Soc. meet and Daffodil Sh. (2 Jays). (Lec- tura by Prof. Henslow on " Darwin as Ecologist.") Shrewsbury Spring FI. Sh. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17— Royal Hon. Soc. Exam, of School Teachers. Royal Hort. Soc. of Ireland Spring Sh. (2 days). Royal Meteorological Soc. meet. THURSDAY, APRIL 18— Ipswich Daffodil and Sprin? Fl. Sh. Linnean Soc. meet. Manchester Orchid Sdc. meet. Devon Daf- fodil and Spring Fl. Sh. (2 days). Average Mean Temperature for the ensuing week deduced from oh'servations during the last Fifty Years at Greenwich— 47°5. Actual Temperatures: — l^onDoti.— Wednesday, April W (6 p.m.): Max. 51°; Min. 41". Gaideneis' Chionicle Office. 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London —r/niisi(aj', April 11 (10 A.M.) : Bar. 29-B'' ; Temp. 51° ; Weather- Sunshine. FlKoviNCK-^.— Wednesday, April 10: Max. 50° Cornwall ; Mill. 40" York. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. WEDNESDAY— Herbaceous and Border Plants, Lilies and other Hardy Bulbs at 12; Roses at 1.30; Palms and Plants at 5; Trade Sale of Japanese Lilies and Miscellaneous Bulbs at 1 ; at67&68, Cheapside, E.C.,by Protheroe & Morris. FRIDAY— Choice Imported and Established Orchids, at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.C., by Protheroe & Morris, at 12.45. ft " How charming it would be to Book have an hour's table talk with About some of our old rosarians. I Roses.* ^jj^ .^^.jj.[_j ^Yiftra. ... in spirit many a time, honouring their memories, and always regarding them with a thankful, filial love. I like to think of them among their Koses as I wander among my own, mindful how much of my happiness. I owe, humanly ■speaking, to their skill and enterprise, re- membering them as we rosarians of to-day would fain be remembered hereafter." So wrote Dean Hole many years before lie became a dean, in his Book about liases, and many of us would doubtless echo his sentiment. But few are the rosarians of •the past who have left to their sons and daughters of to-day such cheerful and de- lightful " table talk " as can be found in the writings of the great Dean, in the read- ing and re-reading whereof we may in truth seem to be in converse with an old rosarian, to sit with him and his gardener friends in his garden house or potting- shed, and stroll with him in imagination as, armed with a cigar, lest he should meet an aphis, he wandered round his Roses of a summer evening. • y4 Boob about Roses, by S. Reynolds Hole. New edition, with an addilisnal chapter and lists of Roses, by Dr. A. H. ■Williams, Dean Hole published during his lifetime several books, all more or less of the nature of personal recollections. There was A Book about the Garden mid the Gardener, Memories, another on Our Gardens, and A Little Tour in Ire- land, but chiefly and above all A Booh about Eases. The Rose book almost im- mediately became something like a classic. Edition after edition was brought out dur- ing the author's lifetime, so that in the preface to one of the later editions he was able to wi-ite in 1901 : " I am thankful to know in my old age that I have been privi- leged to promote that love of a garden which never fails to make our lives more happy." We have here alike the secret of his success and the idea that inspired all he wrote. He cared nothing for the orderly arrangement of the genus or for any study of the scientific classification of the Rose. But the love of his subject is paramount, and he never wearies of repeating it. " A poor man who loves the flower may walk about in March with a Rose in his coat, while Dives, who only likes, may be Roseless under all his vitre.nis domes," and he would quote " Old Izaak " : " Have but a love of it, and I'll warrant you." But the intense love of the beautiful in flower or garden, essential as he conceived it to success in the cultivation of his favourite flower, was by no means to stop there, or to be followed merely for the purpose of an esoteric delight ; it had to him a wider mission, and from a very dif- ferent point of view he shared with Wil- liam Morris a profound conviction of the importance of its humanising and civilising influence in raising the thoughts and ennobling the ideals of all classes of the community and so powerfully contributing to the growth of the national well-being. Notwithstanding the deep purpose underlying all he wrote, there is nothing of the sermon in Dean Hole's little book. It is brimful of anecdote and amusing comment. The author is constantly led off into all sorts of unexpected digressions, and the book contains not a dull page from cover to cover. With all this Dean Hole has given us what is even more important — an admirable treatise on how to grow and how to show the Rose. In some re- spects, no doubt. Rose culture has pro- gressed since he wrote. There has come the rise of the decorative Rose as an exhibition flower, the greater wealth of display in our autumn gardens, an enor- mous number of new varieties of Roses, some of which have displaced those he loved as established favourites. We have probably an increase in the number and variety of the insects and diseases which attack our plants, and it may be we have discovered improved methods of counteracting their evil influence. We have improved the mechanical devices for protecting and displaying the flowers. Perhaps some may think we have in some respects improved on his methods of cultivation. But these are small mat- ters, and, however much they may be prized by the expert, are for the most part merely details of management of secondary importance. The general prin- ciples of Rose-growing, as of gardening, have changed little, nor are they very likely to do so, and his book is still of value as one of the best guides to the amateur rosarian. We may therefore be grateful to Dr. A. H. Williams for presenting us with a new edition of this delightful book, and we may applaud his wisdom in giving us the book entire, so far as we have seen, in precisely the form the author left it. We cannot but feel that any alteration of the text must have endangered that feeling of personal converse with the Dean we ex- perience in reading his book, and that would be fatal. Dr. Williams has, how- ever, added a chapter on " Progress " and an Appendix giving us lists and selec- tions of modern Roses. The chapter on Progress is concise, and sufficiently and clearly sets forth the matters of detail which, perhaps, the Dean might now, had he lived, have wished to incorporate in his book. We are not sure that we possess quite the faith in the powers of modern washes and sprays that Dr. Williams seems to feel, but they are undoubtedly of great service when used carefully and systematically, and he tells us of all that it is necessary to know on this subject. The lists of Roses in the Appendix have been prepared carefully and well. Those re- lating to the Multiflora Roses and Wichu- raianas are particularly worth considera- tion. Dr. Williams has made a special study of these classes, and perhaps we have no amateur writer who could deal with them with greater knowledge. He has proposed a new division of the Multifloras into Multi- flora semi-scandens (perpetual-flowering) and rambling M'ultifloras. From the gar- dener's point of view, this will, no doubt, be extremely convenient, but we trust that if it be adopted, a more simple and eupho- nious attribute than " semi-scandens " may be discovered to define the first divi- sion. The last few sheets seem to have been somewhat carelessly revised before going to press, for there are numerous mistakes of spelling which might have been avoided. Our Su pp le ivi e NT a r y Illustration. — Primula Furrestii w.is described and figmed in the Gardeners' Chronicle for May 1, 1909. We now illustrate an aged specimen growing wild in Yunnan, China, which shows the remarkable development of the root-stock, characteristic of the species. The persistent caudex is covered for two-thirds of its length with the induvise of older foliage, and, at the apex, these form a dense, matted mass, with the fresh foliage and flowers arising from the centre. Mr. For- rest estimates that some of the root-stocks per- sist for 100 years. The plant grows on the face of perpendicular cliffs, and is swayed by the wind, causing the rock, in some instances, to become scored to a depth of fully 1 inch. The ■ flowers are yeUow, and the young foliage is | covered on the under surface with a golden farina. The species received a First-class Certifi- cate ■when exhibited by Mefers. Bees Ltd., at a meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society held on April 20. 1909. April 13, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 241 Royal Horticultural Society.— The next meeting of the Committees of this Society will take place on Tuesday, the 16th inst. At 3 p.m. a lecture on " Darwin as Ecologist " will be delivered by Rev. Prof. G. Henslow, M.A., I V.M.H. The competitive Daffodil show, to be I opened on Tuesday at the R.H.S. Hall, will con- tinue for two days. Royal Meteorological Society. — A meet- I ing of this Society will be held at the Institu- tion of Civil Engineers, Great George Street, Westminster, on the 17th inst., when papers will be read by J. E. Clahk, B.A., and R. H. Hooker, M.A., on the " Report on the Phenological Observations for 1911," and R. G. K. Lempfert, M.A., and W. Braet, B.A., on " A Method of Summarising Anemograms." Appointment from Kew. Jlr. John Lam- bourne, a member of the gardening staff of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has been appointed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies As- , sistant Superintendent of Government Planta- I tions in the Federated Malay States. School Classes in the London Parks. — Subject to tlie concurrence of the Parks and Open Spaces Committee, a class of children from the girls' department of the Poole's Park (London County Council) school is to be con- ducted in Finsbury Park from the middle of April to the end of October. Last year the Parks Committee offered to assist the Education Com- mittee in carrying out a scheme for the utilisation of parks and open spaces for class purposes, and a, start is now to be made at Finsbury Park, where every facility is available for nature study, simple practical geography, practical arithmetic, measuring, and games. " Botanical Magazine.- — The issue for April contains illustrations and descriptions of the following plants : — SCHOMBUHGKIA LUEDDEMANII, tab. 8427. — This Orchid is interesting as having re-appeared in gardens after having been lost sight of for half a century. A plant, reported to have been re- ceived originally from Venezuela, was purchased for the Kew collection at a sale in London in 1908. It flowered for the first time at Kew in 1911, and was identified with S. Lueddemanii of Prillieux. In common with other Schomburgkias, the plant needs considerable heat and exposure to direct sunshine when making its growth, but following this stage the roots should be kept dry for a few weeks. Magnolia Kobus, tab. 8428.— This plant formed the subject of the Supplementary lUus- I tration in Gardeners' Clironirle, April 29, 1905, I when Professor Sargent's description of the i species, as given in the Florists' Flora of \ Japan, was published in the accompanying text. M. Kobus is nearly related to JI. stellata and M. salicifolia, which latter species was illus- trated in our issue for last week {see fig. 99). Agave protuberans, tab. 8429. — Agave pro- tuberans is one of the numerous species intro- duced to gardens by the late Max Leichtlin. The foliage is spotted with dark brown, the usual terminal spine found in most species being absent. The fcape grows about 2 feet high, the flowers being solitary on the swollen nodes of tbo Tachis. The perianth segments are greenish, finely blotched with purple. The plant is a native of Mexico, and requires the protection of a greenhouse in this country. Daphne retusa, tab. 8430. — We are indebted to Mr. E. H. Wilson for the introduction of this pretty shrub from Western Szechuan, China. Plants growing in the Coombe Wood Nursery of ilessrs. James Veitch & Son sup- plied the material for the Botanical Magazine plate. The flowers are white tinted with rose or violet, and are produced in ilay. Campanula arvatica, tab. 8431. — This is the plant figured and described in Gardeners' Chronicle, September 23, 1911, fig. 104, as Campanula acutangula. The plant was named C. ai-vatica more than a century ago, but was aftervi-ards lost sight of, and on its re-discovery was named C. acutangula. But C. arvatica has right of priority, and C. acutangula must be re- garded as a synonym. The species is endemic in Northern Spain, and flowers in July ; unfortu- nately plants have not proved hardy in Kew Gardens. Peter Barr Memorial Fund. — In 1910 numerous Daffodil lovers expressed a desire to see a fund raised for the purpose of commemorat- ing the life and work of the late Mr. Peter Barr, V.M.H. The members of the Royal Horti- cultural Society's Narcissus and Floral Com- mittees considered the matter, and the proposals most favoured were the institution of a Peter Barr Memorial Medal and the provision of a fund for the maintenance of an orphan through the medium of the Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund. To give effect to these proposals, Messrs. J. T. Bennett- PoE, M.A., V.M.H., William CUTHBERTSON, J. P., R. HoOPER PEARSON, Wm. Poupart, Chas. E. Shea, Walter T. W.ake. and the Rev. J. J.\cob were elected to form an executive committee, with ilr. Wm. M.^rshall, V.M.H., as chairman; Mr. H. B. May, V.M.H., as treasurer.: and Mr. Chas. H. Curtis as hon. secretary. Donations have been received from all parts of the world where Daffodils are grown, and for these the committee wish to tender their thanks. At a meet- ing held on Tuesday, April 2, the committee closed the fund, which, with £3 Vs. Id. interest, amounted to £309 15s. 5d. Receipt books, stationery, printing, and postage amounted to £3 Is. 7d., and the silver-gilt Peter Bars memorial cup (which does not involve the creation of a trust, as an annual medal would have done) cost £59 17s. 6d., leaving a balance of £2b6 16s. 4d., which has been handed over to the Royal Ciardeners' Orphan Fund. The handsom3 cup, designed and made by Messrs. Elkingion, will " be awarded annually in con- nection with work among Daffodils." The honour of holding it for the first year will belong to the Rev. G. H. Engleheart, V.JI.H. The cup will be presented to Mr. Engleheart at 11.30 a.m. on April 16, in the No. 3 room at the Royal Horticultural Hall. Although the fund is closed, the committee will meet annually for the purpose of awarding the cup in accordance with the original suggestion. Changes in the London Parks Depart- ment.— A number of changes iu the staff of the London County Council's Parks Department have been rendered necessary by the forthcoming re- tirement of Mr. G. F. Barnes, the second officer of the department. As regards the position of second officer, it is proposed to appoint, at a salary of £500 a year, Mr. F. W'. Parker, the principal clerk of the department, who is at present in receipt of a salary of £400 a year. The Establishment Committee report that Mr. P.iRKER is possessed of organising ability and technical qualifications, which make him specially fitted for the position. As regards the position of principal clerk, it is proposed to promote Mr. D. Mottram, an assistant in the first class, at the commencing salary of £300 a year, rising by annual increments of £25 to £400 a year. For the consequential vacancy in the first class, it is proposed to appoint Mr. E. T. Powel, an assistant in the second class. The attention of the Establishment Committee has been drawn to the need for strengthening the technical staff of the department. In the past the second officer, in addition to the duties appertaining properly to his position as deputy to the chief officer in all matters, has had the direct control of the technical branch, but the committee are advised that this arrangement does not secure the most efficient administration of the work of the department. The committee therefore propose that an additional senior assistant should be appointed to act as head of the technical branch. This officer, however, will be in place of an assistant in the second class, so that no rumerical addition to the staff would in effect be made. Forest Areas in Canada. — The recent setting apart of the Rocky Mountains Forest Reserve calls renewed attention to the series of national parks and forest reserves formed with commend- able foresight by the Canadian Government in the mountain districts of Alberta and British Columbia. During the session of the Dominion Parliament of 1911, a new Forest Reserves and Parks Act was passed, covering no fewer than 24 parks and reserves with an area of 16,760.640 acres or nearly 30,000 square miles. These hold within their wide boundaries some of the world's grandest scenery, and conserve the sources of the great rivers which lie in the snowfields and glaciers of the continental watershed. The largest are the Rocky JNIountains Park, Banff, with an area of 1,800 square miles, the Yoho National Park of 560 square miles. Glacier Park 468 square miles and Jasper Park 1,000 square miles. Rhododendron Yodogawa. — This Rhodo- dendron, introduced recently from Japan, receives high praise from Mr. Kunert in the pages of Die Gartcnwflt. It has proved hardy enough to withstand the severe frosts of January and February (in CJermany), though it may require some shelter in very cold places. It grows well in exposed and also in half-shaded posi- tions, and bears masses of delicate lilac-coloured blossoms. R. Yodogawa has proved very useful for table and vase decoration. Mushroom Growing in France. — Francois the great centre for the production of Mushrooms, and it is estimated that the yield exceeds 6,000 tons per annum and brings in a return of considerably over a quarter of a million pounds sterling. According to an article on the sub- ject in the Bulletin of the Bureau of Agricultu- ral Intelligence, the disused stone-quarries, chalk- pits, and gypsum-quarries in the neighbourhood of large towns are used on a vast scale for Mush- room cultivation. Thus, in the neighbourhood of Paris alone, over 1,500 hands are employed in the industry, and the daily output at the height of the season amounts to 25 tons. After Paris and. the " canning factories," England is the chief market for French Mushrooms, though they travel in refrigerators so far as the United States. Treatment of Barren Soil. — The Board of Agriculture has arranged for the continuation of the experiments carried on privately for many years by Mr. Elliot at Clifton-on-Bowmont. The soil is poor, very stony, and liable to deteriorate unless skilfully managed. Owing to its dryness, it suffers severely from drought ; it can, in fact, by no ordinary system of farming be made profitable. Mr. Elliot's method was to plough up the herbage and to sow a new lot of plants capable of resisting drought ; after many trials a mixture was devised suited to the conditions, and also bringing in profit. It con- tains Cocksfoot, Fescue, tall Oat Grass, and such drought-resisting plants as Yarrow, Kidney Vetch, Chicory, and Burnet. After four or five jears this mixture can be followed by arable crops. 24: THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 13, 1912. Royal International Horticultural Exhibition. — In fig. jOS we reproduce the design of the Diploma of Honour to be awarded to exhibitors and others at this exhibition. The cup illustrated in fig. 109 has been presented through the local secretary, Mr. Thomas Humphreys, by subscribers in Warwick- shire for award at the International Exhibition. The design of the cup is in the Queen Anne period, and the arms of the county are inscribed on one side. Messrs. Stjtton & Sons' Cup (see fig. 110) will be awarded for the most meritorious exhibit of vegetables in classes 394, 395, 396 and 397, reserved for market gardeners and amateurs. American Association of Park Superin- tendents.— The next annual meeting of the members of this association will be held on August 12, 13 and 14, at Boston, with Copley Square Hotel as headquarters. The proceedings will include an inspection of the Boston Park System, visits to Arnold Arboretum, country estates in Brookline, Newton and Wellesley. Middlesex Falls, Revere Beach Boulevard and North Shore drive to Beverly. Among the sub- jects for discussion at the meeting will be' " Park Accounts," " The Influence of Parkway Con- struction on Property "Values," " Chinese and Siberian Plants," " Botanical Nomenclature," " Street Trees," " Roads," and " Organisation of Park Boards." WOMEN'S Agricultural & Horticultural International Union. — The fourth annual dinner of the members and friends of the Women's Agricultural and Horticultural International Union w-ill take place at the Imperial Restaurant, E,egent Street, on the 50th inst. The speakers include Miss W. Brenchley, D.Sc, on " Agri- cultural Experiments;" Mr. Chkistophep. TURNOR on ■" Agricultural Education ;" Mrs. FiTZGiBBON (British Columbia) on " Opportu- nities for Trained Women there and in Van- couver;" Mr. Edw.\rd Brown, N.P.O., on " Poultry Industries in our Colonies ;" Miss J. S. Turner on '■" The Work of the Union," and Mr. Chittenden, on " Horticultural Education." The secretary is Miss Ella Gill, 45 (sixth floor), 'Queen Anne's Chambers, London. The Poplar in Italy.— Wood pulp made from the common Poplar is excellent for the manu- facture of paper, being white, soft, and free from resinous substances. In Italy, where the timber is used for a variety of purposes, it is considered that by the afforestation of waste and unproduc- tive lands, a good return for the capital ex- pended might be obtained by the manufacture ■of pulp from Poplar trees. According to the Journal of the. Jtoyal Society of Arts a systematic cultivation of this tree, on the best lines of forestry practice, is being strongly urged by many of the principal local agricultural societies. In consequence of the high price of wood-pulp in Italy, and in order to render them- selves independent to some extent of foreign supply, a few of the leading firms have set an ■example by establishing their own plantations. The results of their experiments have been most satisfactory. In one case a return of 15 per cent, on the outlay is said to have been obtained. A leading firm of paper makers, with works n^ai Milan, a few years ago established important plantations of Poplars in tl;j valley of the Ticino, where, being subject to floods, and with a stonv and gravelly soil, the land is of little value for agricultural purposes. Several thousand trees are planted hei'e every year, and in the course of a few years these plantations, it is expected, will furnish an abundant supply of raw material for paper making. National Horticultural Society of France. — The anijuai list of tl e mtmbers of this French society embraces no fewer than 240 pages. It contains a report of the annual meet- ing of the society and the council's report for 1911, also lists of the committees, names of the members in the various grades, corresponding societies at home and abroad, and a classification of members according to the departments. The Tomato Industry in Ontario. — The popularity of the Tomato knows no limit, and its cultivation is increasing enormously not only in the Unit«d States but also in Canada. Thus, in the Stat« of Ontario the area under Tomatos, which was 800 acres in 1891, increased ten-fold in eight jears, and the number of bushels of fruit paid for by the canning factories increased in the same time from 132.000 to 1,400.000. The growers received for the former crop $26,000 and for the latter 8386,000. That the crop is profit- able is indicated by the table of cost of produc- tion, published in BulUtin 196 (on Tomatos) of the Ontario Dcoartment of Agriculture. The Pond-weed and Copper Sulphate. — Inth current issue of the Kew Bulletin. Mr. W. J. Bean gives particulars of the destruction of alga or " weed " in ponds in Kew Gardens by the uss of copper sulphate. Owing to the water of the lake at Kew being pumped for garden purposes (including the watering of Ferns and other low types of vegetation) it is considered inadvisable to use copper sulphate there, but it is employed with advantage in the smaller ponds. The pro- portion used is 1 part copper sulphate to any- where from 750,000 to 1,000,000 part,s of water. It is first necessary to ascertain, approximately at least, the cubic contents of the water to be treated. The sulphate of copper should be ob- tained in a pulverised state, placed in a porous bag. and dragged through the water until dis- solved. It does not matter how the sulphate is distributed so long as it is done thoroughly. It may be dissolved previously and sprayed evenly over the surface, provided no Water Lilies or other aquatic phanerogams are in growth. It may be mentioned that a cubic foot of water weighs about 52^ lbs. During the last two summers a . Fig. ioS.- -KOYAL INTEKNATIUNAL HORTICULTURAL EXHllillluN. DESIGN FOR DIPLOMA (REDUCED). price of the crop per acre is estimated at $110, and the cost of production $67.50, leaving a mar- gin of profit of $42.50. On the other hand it is found that a considerable element of risk attaches to the crop which is notoriously dependent on seasonal conditions. Thus, it is found that whereas in favourable conditions the Tomato develops from seed to ripe fruit stage in 85-120 days, in cloudy weather and with low tempera- tures it takes from 150 175 days. Most of the seed used in Canada is imported from .-Vmerica. The varieties used are Erlianna and Chalk's Jewel. The Worlds Consumption of Super- phosphates. ~. According to ti.e estimate of .Mr. Stahl (Bull, de la Soc. d'Encouragement pour rindu.':trie Nat., 115) the world uses annually about ten million tons of superphosphates. Of the phosphates required for the production of this amount of superphosphates, 500,000 tons are supplied by France and Belgium, over two million tons by Noith America, upwards of Ij million tons by Algeria and Tunis, and 800,000 tons bv Australasia and other countries. striking example of the effective u.'ie of copper sulphate has been provided in St. James's Park. Previously, it had been a costly and troublesome matter to keep the water there presentable in ' hot weather by employing men in boats to remove the weed with rakes, kc. The copper sulphate treatment was adopted, with the result, we learn, that at a much less expenditure in money and labour it can now be kept practically free from weed. A fact of considerable interest has also been reported by the Superintendent. The ponds are cleaned out triennially and the surplus fisi disposed of. In recent years it has been founi that many of the fish were badly attacked b; fungus, so much so that it became doubtfl whether it was advisable to transfer them other waters. We learn that at the last cleanin out the fish were quite free from fungoid diseasj and remarkably clean and silvery. This is .) forming " excellent cover for elephants." In spite of encrg;!tic action, many parts have been completely overrun by the pest, and it has become a serious question whether forest conservancy can be continued unless the Lantana be destroyed. Recently a scare has been created by the rapid increase of the Sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica). This comparatively humble plant is provided with excellent mean.s of reproduction. It readily shoots when cut down. Fig. 110. — ROYAL i.m lknational horti- cultural EXHIBITION. (Cup presented by Messrs. Sutton & Sons.) (See p. 242.) and has enormous seeding powers, the seeds having been noted as keeping good for so long as 60 years. The pods are lomentaceous, that is, they break up into separate pieces, each with one seed, and are armed with hooked prickles, which render it very easy for the plant to be scattered over the country by straying cattle. It is feared that the limited natural grazing will soon be com- pletely destroyed by the Sensitive plant. Beside these pests, there are several epecies of Loran- thus, which infest the forest trees, especiallv the shade trees in the coffee estates. The Red Cedar, for instance, is always selected by a particular species of Loranthus and heavily parasitised. On looking over the forest it can be readily picked out at a great distance by the masses of yellowish parasite on its upper branches. Whereas the Sensitive plant takes up the roadsides and scrambles up the banks to 5 feet, Lantana clambers up the trees to 25 or 30 feet, and the Loranthus has its home in the sunlit topmost branches. Some attempts at destroying the Sen- sitive plant have led to curious results. For in- stance, when the plant is dug up and burnt, the immediate effect is an enormous growth of seed- lings, which cover the ground to the exclusion of all other vegetation. Probably the best means for getting rid of it will turn out to be spraying with sodium arsenite, as the leaves are very sen- sitive to this poison, and close up and wither in a very short time after an application. C. A. Carhtr. NOTICES OF BOOKS. The Complete Gardener.* There has been no Cujiiplrte Gardener since George London and Henry Wise gave to the world of Dutch William's day an abbreviated translation (with remarks) of one of Quintiney's books. The title is all-embracing, but whereas that of the 17th century was confined to fruits and vegetables, this of to-day leaves untouched, however slightly in some instances, no phase of gardening. The volume is 2J inches thick, and though it might be assumed that a space so liberal would invite prolixity, the author cannot be accused of that failing. On the contrary, he provides a large amount of teaching, sound and otherwise, according to the dogmatic leaning of the reader. The style is not so dull as the lucu- brations of the professional who ventures into print, nor so sparkling as the glorified periods of the gardening English of the literary amateur when he relates his experiences, but smooth and pleasant to read all the same. The chapters on Hardy Border Flowers, on Annuals, on Roses, on Carnations, on Sweet Peas, and on Favourite Bulbs, are perhaps the more important. There is a series of good tables annexed to some of the chapters, from which those seeking advice may see at a glance the whole details connected with each plant. One of the most exhaustive of these tables relates to colour, but probably it is the least satisfactory of all. We know how difficult it is to describe exactly certain colour tones, yellow and pink, for instance. The golden and orange shades of the former, and the bluey-pinks of the latter, it seems impossible to get two people to agree as t'l how they should be described. Nothing is so difficult in practice as to match flower colours, and I should not like to attempt " Vivid ver- milion and dark blue — ^separated here and there by groups of garden variegated shrubs and plants," especially when Chelone barbata is named as a vermilion, and Campanulas Van Houttei and turbinata and Lupinus polyphyllus as dark blue. The value of white and cream, as Mr, Thomas remarks, is great in colour mingling, but their enforced use does not represent the highest altitudes that can be reached in colour schemes. Here and there occur remarks that are mis- leading. We are told that " Only in the South and South Midlands can the Peach be grown out- of-doors with hope of success." Those who know are weU aware that no finer out-door Peaches are produced than in Scotland. Two * ' he Complete Gartiener. by H. H. Thomas a 'listed hy expert--. (Lonion: Cassell & Co, Ltd) 1912, flica- lOs. 6d n:t. 244 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 13. 1912. miles from where I write, in the gardens of Sir David Baird, Newbyth, Mr. Thomson grows fruit which is perhaps unsurpassed anywhere. Choisya ternata i.^ hiadier thar. a Laurel, sc is Azara niicrophylla. doing well as a small tree in the North, in Wales, and elsevi-here, but Jlr. Thomas regards these as only partially hardy. But these are small matters. Vegetables are fully treated by Mr. Owen Thomas : and there is a chapter on Orchids, by Mr. W. Truelove ; another on Fests and Diseases, by Mr. C. A. Ealand, M.A., F.L.S. ; and on Artificial Manures, by Mr. Vin- cent H. Kirkham, B.Sc. In the chapter on Pests it is stated that " all kinds of sc3.\e should be treated in winter with caustic alkali wash, composed of 2 lbs. caustic soda and 10 gallons of water," which seems rather sweeping advice. For mealy bug on Vines the " stems, after scrap- ing, may be painted with methylated spu-it, and more delicate plants may be carefully painted with diluted camphorated spirits of wine." There is a want of unanimity in Mr. Owen Thomas's methods of culture, in which artificial manures are scarcely referred to, and the chap- ter by Mr. Kirkham, in which their employment is urged as of the greatest importance. The difference can only be explained from the latter treating the matter theoretically. Such a thing as. trenching as a cultural means of the greatest utility being ignored, while the more practical Mr. Thomas places it in the front. Those who grow Leeks may be pleased to know, on the authority of Mr. Kirkham, that they require no nitrogenous manures ; whether they will believe it is another story. Notwithstanding these and other slight drawbacks, the volume contains an enormous amount of reliable matter. Some of the illustrations are very good indeed, but, on the whole, they are not so good as the letter- press. R. P. Brot/icrston. SCOTLAND. SCOTTISH HORTICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. This association has just issued its Transac- tions for the session of 1911, together with the schedule of prizes to be offered at the Chry- santhemum Show. The Transactions record the proceedings of the association for the session and the text of some valuable and interesting papers read at the meetings. The schedule of prizes for the show to be held in the Waverley Market, Edinburgh, on November 14, 15 and 16 includes classes for other horticultural produce of the season, in addition to those for Chrysanthe- mums. A new feature is the offer of medals for Edinburgh and Leith Villa Gardens and Window Garden Displays, entries for which must be lodged with the secretary not later than July 1. The secretary is Mr. A. D. Richardson. CARNATION MRS. A. F; DUTTON. We are indebted to Mr. A. F. Dutton. Iver, Buckinghamshire, for the opportunity of illustra- ting the new variety of perpetuahflowering Car- nation Mrs. A. F. Dutton. This variety, a sport from White Perfection, is a pleasing shade of rose-.pink ; at the exhibition of the Per- petual-flowering Carnation Society, on jNIarch 21 and 22, it was adjudged the finest of its colour, being placed before even such beautiful varieties as Wi-isor and Rose-pink Enchantress. Mr. Dutton informs us that the new variety is even more free in blooming than White Perfection, and the habit of growth is superior. A large coUectio.i of varieties, including choice blooms of Mrs. A. F. Dutton, was shown by Jlr. Dutton at the exhibition in a non-competitive group, which gained the large Silver-gilt Medal of the Society . RAILWAY GRIEVANCES. From the numerous enquiries which have been directed to the writer during the last 12 months it is evident that the average agriculturist is under the impression that the railway companies have been given monopolistic powers, and that he — the agriculturist — as an employer of these car- riers has no alternative but to grin and bear any anomaly which may exist. But that this is not so, and that there exists machinery for the ad- justment of any grievance against the railway companies, will be seen from what follows. It is proposed in this article to tell, first, what is the nature of this machinery ; what has already been accomplished by means of it ; and how the reader may use it to effect the removal of any imposi- tion from which he may be suffering. quay exceeded the sum of the local rates of 33s. 4d. per ton from Elsham to London, and 23s. 7d. per ton from Paddington to Newquay station, together with a sum of Is. 6d. per ton allowed for delivery in Newquay. The result of this was that the companies concerned arranged to reduce the rate complained of to 52s. 6d. pet ton, or, in other words, gave complainant a con- cession of 5s. 3d. per ton. Messrs. Bennis & Sons, of Limerick, com- plained in the same way that the rate of Id. per lb. was charged by several railway com- panies for carriage of Apples by passenger train from the South of Ireland to places in England' south of a line from Bristol to London, whereas to other parts of Great Britain the rate was only gd. per lb. The result of this complaint was that the companies agreed to charge the traffic in ques- FlG. III. — CARNATION MRS. A. F. DUTTON: A ROSE-PINK VARIETY. Reduction of Rates Secured. To begin with, then, it must be explained that by section 31 of the Railway and Canal TraflSc Act, 1888, it is provided that : (1) " Whenever any person receiving, or sending, or desiring to send goods by any rail- way is of the opinion that the railway com- pany is charging him an unfair or an unreason- able rate of charge, or is in any other respect treating him in an oppressive or an unreason- able manner, such person may complain to the Board of Trade. (2) " The Board of Trade, if they think that there is reasonable ground for complaint, may thereupon call upon the railway company for an explanation, and endeavour to settle amicably the differences betveen the complainant and the railway company." And Mr. 6. G. Bullmore, of Newquay, com- plained to the Board of Trade under this section, to the effect that the rate of 58s. 9d. per ton charged by the railway company for carriage of agricultural seed from Elsham to New- tion at the rate of 6s. per cwt., as desired by the applicants. The Cheshire Jlilk Producers' Association com- plained that, owing to a dispute between the two railway companies concerned, the milk consigned from Rosset to Lime Street station, Liverpool, was being charged by one railway company at the rate of -^d. per gallon for carriage to Chester, and jd. per gallon by anotlier railway company from Chester to Liverpool, making a total rate of Ijd. per gallon, whereas formerly this traffic was carried at a through rate of Jd. per gaUon. Here, again, the Board of Trade took the matter up, with the result that the company agreed that the milk traffic in question should be booked through from Liverpool at the usual lower rate. Special Rates Secured. Mr. E. M. Evans, of Llanybyther, complained as to the rate of lis. per ton charged on feedinn stuffs and artificial manure conveyed from Cardin to Llanybyther, stating that this was unfairj when compared with the corresponding rate o» 8s. per ton to Newcastle Emlyn— a greaterfi April 13. 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 245 distance by three miles. The result of this was I that the railway company put into operation a !^ rate of 9s. 9d. per ton from Cardiff to Llanybyther for both grain and packed niannre passing in truck loads of five tons and upwards ; or, stated in another way, gave the complainant a reduction t of Is. 3d. per ton. \ Mr. John Hogg, of Horton, in his complaint ,' stated that the rate of l^d. charged for new milk sent from Horton to Liverpool was unfair in view of the corresponding rate of Id. per gallon I from Crosby Garret, a station situated further ! away. In this case the railway comjiany reduced • the rate to Id. per gallon as requested. MiSCELL.INEOUS APPLICATIONS. Messrs. C. Barnett & Sons, of Henley, stat€d ill their complaint that the charge made for the carriage of a bundle of sacks from London Docks to Brentford was excessive, and upon investiga- tion by the Board of Trade it was found that a mistake had been made by the railway company, who thereupon refunded the overcharge which they had made. I Messrs. A. M. Livingstone, of Lurgan, com- I plained that a bundle of fruit trees, despatched I from Maidstone to Lurgan on December 17, was I not delivered until the 23rd, and was carried via 1 Liverpool and Belfast instead of via Holyhead and Greenore as directed. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the consignment had been incorrectly invoiced by the forwarding company, and to settle the matter the carriage charge of 3s. lid. was refunded to the complainants. The Berks, and Adjoining Counties Dairy Farmers' Association took up a case on behalf of one of its members, and said that the rail- nay company declined to pay compensation for the lo.ss of milk caused through two churns being upset at Westbourne Park .station. The company, after replying that the traffic was con- .-^i.^'iied under owners' risk conditions, and that there were no grounds for entertaining the claim for the value of milk (inasmuch as the loss re- .■Julted from the accident), agreed in the circum- stances to refund the amount which had been paid for conveyance. Your Particulak Case. Now, take your own case. We will suppose that your grievance is that you are charged an exorbitant rate for the carriage of your Cucum- bers from Fareham to London. You submit your application this way, as another trader actually did under the same circumstances : — " The Assistant Secretary, Railway Dept., Board of Trade, Whitehall Gardens, London, S.W. " Dear Sir, — " The Railway and Canal Traffic Act, 1888, sec- tion 31. " I beg to seek your assistance in securing equitable treatment at the hands of the .... Railway Co. " At present the said company is charging me at the rate of 2s. lO^d. per cwt. for the car- riage of Cucumbers by passenger train from Fareham to London, but I submit that the rate should be Is. lOjd., which is the rate quoted for fruit in Division 3 of the perishable scale. " I shall be glad if you will be good enough to go into the matter with the railway com- pany concerned, and favour me with your re- port at your convenience. " Yours faithfully, " A Gardener." A copy of your complaint will be submitted to till? railway company or companies concerned by llie Board of Trade, a copy of their reply sent you by the same intermediary, and so on, until the matter is finally disposed of. And your only expense will be the postage of your letters, as the privices of the Board of Trade are, of course, free f f all co^t to you as a railway trader. George B. Lissenden. HOME CORRESPONDENCE. {The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents.) Damage to Conifers at Dropmore. — During a north-west gale on the night of the 8th inst., the fine specimen of Pinus rigida in the pinetum here was blown down. In falling, a tree of Tsuga Brunoniana was irreparably damaged ; this was a fine example of the beautiful Hemlock Fir, and was planted in 1847. The tree of Pinus rigida had reached a height of 83 feet and was in a perfect condition of health. Chas. Page, Dropmore Gardens, Maidenhead. Pot STRAVt/BERRiES (see pp. 208, 227) — I was interested in Mr. West's note on the failure of his forced Strawberries. I had a similar trouble last year after a wet season, so that I do not think it can bo attributed to the crowns being over-rijiened. I had then what I considered a fine batch of nearly 1,000 layers, but the plants did not respond to forcing, and many plants were discarded. Those that did fruit gave poor results. I thought perhaps our stock had de- teriorated, so this year w^e bought 800 runners of Royal Sovereign, but unfortunately they were very poor specimens, and to make matters" worse were delayed on the railway, owing to the strike. The variety Royal Sovereign appears to be worn out: I cannot attribute the failure to any other cause. C. H. Branson, Bhjthewood Gardens, Maidenhead. We do not grow such a large num- ber of Strawberries as Mr. West, but most of my experience in Strawberry forcing was obtained in the South of Kngland in market as well as pri- vate gardens. Mr. West is frobably correct in assuming that the plants were over-ripened, and the only way to prevent this another season is by delaying the final potting until the middle of August, or by potting into long 7-inch pots instead of 6-inch pots, as is usually done. Did the mature foliage show a reddish tinge on the under-side and margins at the end of the season? If so, the plants were affected with a fungus dis- ease which prevails in dry weather and preys upon the young foliage during the forcing sea- son, causing stunted growth. The Bordeaux mixture is the remedy for this disease. J{. Arnold. The Gardens, Carron Hall, Carron, By Falkirk. Daphne indica.— This beautiful Daphne has been in flower since the middle of February. Over the greater portion of the British Isles it is treated as a greenhouse plant, but it is very generally grown in the open in the south-west, where it bears its deliciously- scented blossoms in mid-winter, often commenc- ing to expand its blooms as early as December, and frequently continuing to flower until April. Specimens may often be met with growing in bush form in front of warm walls, and many of these have attained a large size, some being as much as 6 feet in height and as much through. There are three varieties : one, the commonest, bearing purplish-red flowers, the second white blossoms tinged with crimson on the reverse, and the third pure white. Of these, the last is to be preferred. The flowers of all are delightfully fragrant, and a single cluster will scent a room. It is no uncommon thing U> cut 20 bloom-clusters in a single day from a good-sized bush. There is also a variegated form of this Daphne, which is quite as hardy as the type. The plant is evergreen and bears dark, shining, green leaves about 4 inches in length and 1 inch in breadth. Plants should, if possible, be secured growing on their own roots, but, unfortunately, it is one of the subjects that suffers from the grafting craze, the stock generally used being the Spurge Laurel (Daphne laureola) or D. .Mezereum. D. indica, however, strikes readily from cuttings and layers are easily procured from well-established bushes. It is fairly hardy, as a plant in this garden has lately been subjected to 12° of frost, which killed numbers of tender plants, yet not a leaf was injured. This species is sometimes held to be synonymous with D. odora, but in Nicholson's Dirtionary of Gardening the two are given as distinct, and the dates of their introduction are stated to be D. odora, 1771, and D. indica, 1800. If they are one and the same plant, D. indica is certainly the more general appellation. Wyndham Fitzherbert. Magnolia salicifolia. — Having just seen your note and figure of this plant (see p. 223) it may be of interest to record the fact that the same tree has flowered here this year for the first time, although it is only quite a small plant. It is growing against a wall. As you say. all Magnolias are flowering well and M. con- spicua has never borne so many blossoms before, the same may be said of M. Soulangeana, which is now just coming out. liobert Woodward, Jun., Arley Castle, near Bcwd/ey. Hybrid Tea Rose Mme. Hector Leuil- liot. —In "Random Thoughts on Pruning" (pp. 196 and 197), your correspondent White Bo.te refers to Mme. Hector Leuilliot as an example of a Rose that requires some experiment so far as pruning is concerned before a correct method is discovered, and, in concluding his ai'ticle, he states that this variety would seem to require management after the fashion of the Noisettes. I was glad to note such an observation from so able an authority, because I had long formed the opinion that this beautiful Rose was a deri- vative in some way from i\Iarechal Niel. Its resemblance to Marechal Niel in the wood and spines is strongly marked. It is possible that Pradel's fine old Rose was one of the parents, but only Mons. Pernet Ducher can make any authoritative statement on the subject. George. M. Taylor, Mid-Lothian Observations and Experiments in Re- ference TO the Pollination of Hardy Fruits. — Will any fruit-growers or botanists help in making observations on the follow- ing plants: — 1. Note the order of blossom- ing of the best market varieties of Cherries, including Early Rivers, Waterloo, Knight's Early Black, Black Eagle, Frogmore Early Bigarreau, Bigarreau or Amber, Old Black Heart, Kentish Biggarreau, Florence, Napoleon and Turk. 2. Is the following approxi- mately the order of flowering of the follow- ing Plums? — Early — Grand Duke, Monarch, Old Greengage, Black Diamond, Cox's Emperor, Cheshire Damson ; mid flowering — Bradley's King of Dani.'»nns, Victoria, Coe's Golden Drop, Jefferson, Prince Englebert; late flowering — Rivers's Early Prolific, Sultan, Czar, Oullin's Golden Gage, Pond's Seedling, Pershore. 3. Is the following approximately the order of flower- ing of Pears? — Early flowering — Beurre Clair- geau, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Beurre Diel, Mar. guerite Marrillat, Jargonelle, Williams's Bon Chretien; tnid flowering — Beurre Hardy, Doy- enne Boussoch, Beurre Giffard, Catillac, Pitmas- ton Duchess, Dr. Jules Guyot ; late flowering — Clapp's Favourite, Triomphe de Vienne, Souve- nir du Congre-s, Doyenne du Cornice, Marie Louise d'Uccle. Durondeau. 4. Is tlic following the approximate order of flowering of the com- moner market Apple-s? — Early flowering — Bis- marck, Golden Spire, Baumann's Red Winter Reinette, Stirling Castle, Bramley's Seedling; mid flowering — Duchess's Favourite, CJladstone, Cox's Orange Pippin, Beauty of Bath. Worcester Pearmain ; Lane's Prince Albert, King of the Pippins ; late flowering — Ciascoyne's Scarlet, Dumelow's Seedling, Blenheim Pippin, Royal Jubilee. 5. What other varieties of Pear are self-fertile beside Conference, Duron- deau. Duchesse d'Angouleme, Colmar d'ete? 6. What other varieties of Apples are self- fertile besides Stirling Castle, Lord Gros- venor. Early Victoria, Gladstone, King of the Pippins, Lord Derby, Irish Peach, White Transparent, Newton Wonder, Ecklinville Seed- ling, Summer Golden Pippin, Baumann's Red Winter Reinette, Peasgood's Nonesuch and Christmas Pearmain? 7. Note. — Professor W. 0. Backhouse finds the following Plums self- fertile: — Victoria, Prince Englebert, Czar, Per- shore, Y^ellow Magnum Bonum, Denni.ston's Superb, Early Transparent, Reine Claude Violette, but that Rivers's Early Prolific is nearTy self-fertile. 8. Are any Cherries self-fertile beside the IMorello? 9. Note any insects seen visiting blossoms of Plum, Pear, Apple and Cherry, so as to record roughly the proportion of hive bees, bumble bees, other wild bees, thrips, midges, beetles, ants, &c. ; also those visiting GcosebeiTV, Red and Black Currants, Strawberry, Raspberry and Loganberry. Kindly send reports in June or Julv to " The Secretary, National Fruit Growers' Federation, 2, Gray's Inn Place, Gray's Inn, London. C. H. II. \ 246 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 13, 1912. Biros and Fruit Buds (see p. 227). — Last year nearly all the Hower-buds of my Peach and Apricot trees were destroyed by birds, and I observed that the destruction was dne to the tomtit or tit-mouse with the black head. It is the first time in 20 years that I have ex- perienced such damage. F. Denis, Balaruc les Ilains. Herault, France. ■ Similar mischief, as recorded by Mr. Hatcher, was done to our Peach trees out-of- doors, and no doubt all the fruit-buds would have been destroyed had I not discovered the culprit.s in time. There are numbers of bull- finches in this locality, and early one morning I found two of these birds eating the buds. I, like Mr. Hatcher, was confused at first as to what was destroying the buds. As soon as I found out the reason, nets were put on all the Peach trees at once, and twigs placed against the wall so as to keep the nets about 1 foot from the trees. This was effectual in stopping the mischief. The bull- finch is one of the worst enemies of the gardener, but I have never seen sparrows attack buds of Peach trees. A. P. Vinplehy, Iridge Place Gardens, Hurst Green, Sussex. While at Hunsdon Bui'y, in Hert- fordshire, I found some of the Peach trees en- tirely denuded of fruit buds, and I was at a loss to account for it. After watching the trees for some time, I saw a number of sparrows clinging to them and picking the fruit buds off. In the same gardens sparrows would pick out the in- dividual fruit buds of apple blossom just before the blooms expanded. II'. Phillips, Derry Ormond Gardens, Cardiganshire. In reply to Mr. G. S. Hatcher's in- quiry about the possibility of birds destroying fruit buds, I may relate the following observa- vations which I made at Potsdam ; — 1 he winter of 1908-9 being a very hard one, the birds found but little food for a long time. An extraordinarily warm November and l5ecember caused the buds of many trees and shrubs to develop during that winter, especially those of the Japanese Quince (Cydonia jiponica), and sparrows, blackbirds, and thrushes picked them all oft. Paul Kache, H'eener, Germany. School Gardens (see p ■Hi). — The increasing interest taken iu school gardening by elementary teachers is seen in the number of candidates entered for the R.H.S. school teachers' examina- tion in gardening, which takes place on the 17tli inst., the entries being double those of last year. The evolution of thi? school garden is interesting. Many years ago it was a common practice iti schools to utilize a piece of spare ground by dividing it into small plots, where the children could play at gardening in their spare time — often as a reward for good behaviour. A step forward was taken about 20 years ago by the Sur- rey Technical Education Committee, under Mr. John Wright, V.M.H., when continuation evening classes in gardening were instituted. The committee is now extinct, but under its direction school gardens were established all over tlie county. When the Education Act of 1902 made the County Councils responsible for elementary education, the example of the Surrey authorities was followed all over the country. The new movement, involving, as it did, a break in the old habit of class-room teaching, was welcomed by the teachers, pupils, and school authorities alike, partly on account of its extremely practical nature and partly because it took the children into the open air for instruction. The moral bene- fits of such practical teaching are becom- ing every day more and rrwre apparent. To learn how to use garden tools; to cultivate, sow, tend, and finally reap the fruits of labour — all this comes as a revelation to many a lad who, thimgh dull and slow in a class-room, is ready enough to work intelligently and well where cause and effect are so obviously related. It is well, however, to remember that, valuable as is the teaching of school gardening, it is only a beginning, and it would be a good thing if every boy who had shown promise at school could be passed on, at the age of 14, to a large garden, where the know- ledge gained at school could be increased, and where the work would be all of a practical nature. After a few years' experience it should be made easily possible for him to obtain a small holding or allotment which he could work for his own beneiit. D. Rainfall in Bryntirion Gardens, Dol- GELLV, N. Wales. — it may inuresi readers to known that in these gardens at Bont-Ddu, Dolgelly, N. Wales, 11.93 inches of rain was re- gistered during March. On March 28 2.26 inches fell, whilst on the 3rd and 5th 1.01 and 1.77 inches fell respectively. During the past eight years the rainfall at Bryntirion has only exceeded 2 inches on four other occasions in 24 hours, whilst the total rainfall in any month has only exceeded 10 inches in January, 1906, December, 1910, and December, 1911, since 1904. F. G. Brewer. "Wake Up" Manchester. — When the mem- bers of the Manchester Botanical Society wish to start flow-er shows, lectures, and the like, they will find more than plenty of first-rate horticul- tural talent in and around the city without asking the assistance of any other society. The few re- marks I made in a previous note as to combina- tions meant with or without the aid of the Manchester Orchid Society. It is very kind of the Rev. J. Bernard Hall offering to hold shows and give lectures in Man Chester, but it reminds one of the boy teaching his father how to wheel a barrow. No doubt the North of England Horticultural Society is doing a lot of useful work, and from the wide circle its sphere covers one would sup- pose it was in a fairly active state. Might it be suggested that a suitable site should be found inthe vicinity of Leeds, where a botanic or ex- perimental garden could be established for the diffusion of knowledge in horticultural matters. In a countv where there is so nuich wealth and so many patrons of gardening, surely an estab- lishment of the kind should find ready and ;;enerous support- It would also be the means of finding great* scope for the energy of the northern society — if they feel th?ir present area of operations somewhat circumscribed. I'inus. Sale of Trees in Ireland by the De- partment OF Agriculture. — Knowing some- thing about the recent operations by the Department of Agriculture in Ireland for the promotion of land industries in that country I desire to protest against some of the ob- servations in last issue. The question of manners may be left to those who attach importance to them ; it is not usual for Government officials to be overburdened with them. The methods of the Irish officials con- cerned are, however, material, and when these methods are understood, they must meet with general approval. Irish farmers and .small holders have hitherto limited their operations to the production of what are known as agricul- tural crops, notwithstanding the exceptional ad- vantages possessed by many parts of the country for the growth of fruit, early vegetables, flowers, &c., not merely for home markets but for dis- tribution to other countries. It was therefore determined a few years ago to show farmers and others how to make more profitable use of their land, but instead of resorting to the usually futile pamphlet and lecture, the much better method of practical demonstration and personal advice and persuasion was decided upon. The Depnrtnieut of Agriculture invited the County Councils to form Agricultural and Horticultural Committees, to establish demonstration gardens and plots, and to appoint instructors in horti- culture. They were also to assist by purchasing for those who decided to plant, such fruit trees, &c., .as were most likely to be suitable. The project was to practically force horticultural enterprise and n;ethnds upon a people who gener- ally paid little heed to them, and to get them to "plant largely and wisely. An annual grant was offered to the counties that decided to put the Department's scheme into practice, but not a farthing of this grant was to be used for other purposes than expenses of the demonstration plots, flower and fruit shows, and the horticul- tural instiuctor. The Department takes a hand in the selection of competent horticultural in- structors, who must be experienced practical gardeners. This is. briefly, the machinery ; now for the working of it. The County Councils invite nurserymen to tender for the supply of trees, an inspection of the stock of those rhai tender being conducted before a decision is arrived at. Nurservmen, of course, know what the trees are for and, as always happens in such mntters. some are taken and the others are left, either because their prices are too high or their stock is not of the right quality. Those pur- chased are then supplied to the farmers, &c., at cost price, plus the charges for carriage. The instructor gives advice with respect to site and' the most suitable sorts to plant, and I believe he makes periodical calls atterwards to see that the planting and other operations are properly performed. There has been an enormous amou.ii of planting done in Ireland in consequence of tliis activity and wisdom on the part of the tv.o authorities, to the great advantage of the nursery trade there, and. no doubt, to the future enrich- ment of the country. Is it reasonable to ask that this good work should be stopped because a few nurserymen feel they ai'e not getting; a full suck at the orange? Are these highly praiseworthy efforts of the Irish Department c^f Agriculture to do really helpful work to be con- demned at the bidding of the secretary of the Horticultural Trades' Association? Had the counties started their own nurseries for th-i growth of trees for sale the objection might then have been reasonable, although even in that cai-e they would be doing good by employing labour and land at higher rates than nurserymen pay, though it is doubtful if they would grow better stuff. The long and short of the matter is, the Irish grower had to be taught something for his own and his country's good, and to get him to look favourably upon the operation it had to hi; made reasonably easy and attractive. The plan adopted by the two authorities has proved most successful. Six hundred thousand trees bought and planted in a year, which otherwise would never have been pla:ited at all ! Was paucity of argument the excuse for dragging in those " Cupressus, 4 to 5 feet high. Laurels and Cle- matis " ? It smacks rather of the story of the cook and the dripping ! Some of the nurserymen in Ireland have stated that since this progressive policy was inaugurated they have done a large business in trees, and I know several in England who have profited for the same reason ; for the Irish authorities will have good healthy trees, whatever their source. Yet we are asked to believe that " the Irish Department of Agriculture is doing grave damage to the horticultural industry of Great Britai.'i and Ireland." I say it is doing horticulture a great service and setting a very good example, as every other person would say who puts the , general welfare first. What a prospect for our tree nurserymen if the English Board of Agri- culture were to set out to educate and help wealthy landowners to understand and practice forestry by establishing demonstration forest areas, giving practical advice, and prov'ding the right kinds of trees to plant, all at the land- owner's expense ! 11". 11". Primula rosea. — Much has been written about this charming species in the gardening papers from time to time, and most of its characteristics have been described in detail, but writers have omitted to state one peculiarity which should prove of great utility to raisers of hybrids, namely, that P. rosea never seeds unless artificially pollinated. The reason why no seed is produced is very evident when an individual flower is examined. If the corolla-tube is severed just above the calyx, the stigmas can then be seen at the base of the flower receptacle. As the styles never grow more than one tenth of an inch in height, the stigmas have little or no chance of getting selfed or crossed. Of course, this is not the case with most other Primulas whose flowers may bear short or long styles to their stigmas. P. rosea is the only species I am acquainted with whose flowers bear persistently short styles on their carpels. I should be nnich interested to know if any reader of the Gardeners' Chrniiiih knows of any other species behaving in like manner. Ralph Aldersey, .-ildersey Hall, Chester. Rehmannia (see p 218) — At this season of the year, after the dull days of winter, a flowering liatch of R. angulata is much appreciated, and plants may be raised from seed now, if no time* is lost in sowine. The plant is all but hard^", and should be afforded a cool treatment in all its stages. It is a gross feeder and should be treated liberally always. The flowers are variable in colour, and seed is produced with the prodigality which characterises certain other members of the Natural Order Scrophularineae. Fred, W. Jeffery, \yoodend Gardens, Renfrewshire. April 13, 1912.] lllE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 247 SAXIFRAGA x KEWENSIS. This hybrid Saxifraga is prcbably the first example of a cross between a white-flowered and a red-flowered species. The red-flowered S. media, however, hybridizes naturally with the yellow-flowered S. aretoides in the Pyrenees, pro- ducing quite a series of intermediate forms known as S. ambigua, S. luteo-purpurea and S. Lapey- rousei. S. ambigua is more closely allied to S. media, while S. Lapeyrousei is nearer the other parent, and S. luteo-purpurea is intermediate, with red sepals and yellow petals. S. kewensis appeared in a batch of seedlings raised from seed of S. Burseriana var. macrantha three years ago. The first one that flowered amongst the batch had normal foliage and Burseriana- like flowers tinged with pale purple. The second one, however, which is illustrated (fig. 112) shows much more of the influence of a red-flowered parent, evidently S. Frederici Augusti. It has the leaves of the latter with six pits on each side of the leaf, but they are arranged in the cushion- like form of S. Burseriana. The stems are from 2 inches to 3 inches long, covered with pale glandular hairs, and the red bracts are tipped I with green. The sepals are deep red and glandu- lar, while the rose-tinted petals are much deeper in colour towards the base. In shape the flower.s are intermediate between the two parents, and the fact of S. Frederici Augusti being the poller, parent is se<'n in the leaves, branched stems, red bracts, sepals and flowers. The plant promises, to have a very free-growing and free-flowering habit. 1|-. /." \ SOCIETIES. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL. Scientific Committee. April 2. — Present: Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.L.S, (in the Chair) ; Sir John Llewelyn, Messrs. J. O'Brien, J. Fraser W. Hales, G. Gordon, E. M. Holmes, A. W. Hill, and C. E. Shea. Schomhurijhia Lurdcletnajiii, Prill. — Sir Fredebick Moore isent a flowering spike of thi.=- unciimmon species, figured in the Bnt. May., t. 8427. Some discussion arose regarding its dis- tinctness from S. undulata, but the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, to whom it was referred, says it is distinguished from that species by a bright yellow crest to the lip and other differences. It appears to have been lost sight of since 1862, and even now its habitat is unknown. S. undulata has been figured several times (see Lindl. Hot. Iteij., xxxi., t. 53; Will. Orch. Alb., v., t, 335; Warn. Sel. Orch., ii., t. 21; Cogn. riirt. Orch. Draw, xlix., t. 33), and always with- uut the yellow disc. Draba rupestris. — Mr. J. Fr.4SER showed a syecimen of Draba rupestris in a pot, in which condftion the plant grows much more dwarf and compact than when in a rock-garden in free soil, attaining in the latter conditions to about 5 inches in heicht. and in the former to only about 3 inches, though flowering quite as freely. C'liria miniatn. Mr. J. W. Odell showed an inflorescence of Clivia miniata with one of the bracts foliose and about 7 inches in length. Xnrci^su.f -^porttiifj. — Mr. C. E. She.\ showed a variety of Daffodil which had appeared among plants of Empre.ss. but which had a much flatter |)erianth and no green colouration at the back ; the mouth of the corona was wider and the colour somewhat paler. The evidence as to its origin did net appear conclusive, and the Committee were inclined to regard it as probably a seedling from Empress. Xarci.^.iu.i malformed. — Mr. Jacob sent a jflowpr rf Narcissus having the perianth segments Uhree-lobed instead of entire as is usually the ca.se. ^'fieagnii.^ .if. frviting. — Mr. F. E. Durham sent from Salcombe. S. Devon, Elaeagnos macro- phylla, E. Fredericii Anna, and E. pungens varie- pata, each bearing ripe fruits. The pink berries of the first-named with their silver scales are par- ticularlv beautiful. NORTH OF SCOTLAND HORTICUL- TURAL AND ARBORICULTURAL. JI.iRcH 20. — A large attendance of the mem- bers gathered in the Botany Class-rocm, Aber- deen University, on the above date, when a paper was read by Jlr. W. B. Clark, gardener at Balgownie Ijodge, Aberdeen, on the Carnation. In the course of his paper, Mr. Clark stated lli.it border Carnations were the most general'y grown, and these required considerable atte.i- tion. The propagation of the Carnation by means of cuttings and layering was described. August, said Mr. Clark, was the best mouth for layering. In the northern part of Scotland planting was best done in the spring. The Car- nation delighted in much sunshine. Mr. Clark gave a succhict description of the insect and fungus pests of the Carnation, and how best to deal with them. Mr. James Ogg, gardener at Skeno House, Aberdeen, then read two short papers on " Cot- tage Gardening" and "Garden Cities." In his paper on " Garden Cities," Mr. Ogg gave an ac- count of the origin and development of the move- ment, and of the great value of garden cities from an economic point of view. In the discus- for their unquestionably fair method of business. I do not desire a repetition of the storm, but iu these untoward occurrences it is very gratifying to know that the Hailstorm Insurance Co. are always ready to extend every advantage of their company to the glass-house owner. — Yours faith- fully, Frank W. Ladds (Manager)." Fig. 112. — SAXIFRAGA X kewensis: flowers rose-colouked. sion which followed, members of the Aberdeen Town Council, who had come to hear Mr. Ogg, took an active part, one councillor declaring that Aberdeen might do much to foster the garden city movement. THE NURSERYMEN, MARKET GAR- DENERS' AND GENERAL HAILSTORM INSURANCE CORPORATION, LTD. March 29. — The seventeenth annual meeting of this company was held at 41 and 42, King Street, Covent Garden, on the above date. Mr. Harry J. Veitch, who presided, con- gratulated the shareholders on the growth of the company and the strength to which it had at- tained. The company had been of great service to nurserymen, and the directors had recently seen their way to grant a bonus of 15 per cent, to policy-holders in reduction of their annual pre- miums. A strong reserve fund had been accumulated out of revenue account. Six claims had been paid during the past year, and since the books had been closed four other claims had been received. To illustrate the prompt way in which claims were met, Mr. Veit<^h read the following letter from Mr. Ladds, of Swanley : — " Dear Sir, — In consideration of the generous and prompt manner in which you settled W'ith me, folloAving on my claim on your company for glass broken by the severe storm on March 4. I wish to convey my best thanks to you personally for the courtesy and fairness shown me when liere on the following day, and to the company ROYAL SCOTTISH ARBORICULTURAL. March 30. — Dr. Somerville, Professor of Rural Economy at Oxford, addressed a meeting of the Aberdeen branch of the Royal Scottish Arbori- cultural Society, in Aberdeen University build- ings, on this date. There was a large attend- ance of landed proprietors, foresters, and nur- t^erymen of the shires covered by the branch, but from the many apologies read by the .secretary it was apparent that the attendance would have been much larger had it not been for the coal strike and the decrease in travelling facilities in the north of Scotland. Mr. Irvine, of Drum, president of the branch, occupied the chair. Dr. Somerville said that North America in- cluded all kinds of climates, from nearly tropical conditions aiound the Gulf of Mexico to purely Arctic cor.ditions in the far North. From an economic point of view the forests of North America were of the very first importance, and the United States constituted the most important of the timber exporting countries of the world. The States exported annuallv something like £18.000.000 to £20.000.000 worth of timber. No doubt, the forests of North America had been rather carelessly managed, and forest fires had done enormous damage, causing great financial losses. Canada exported only about £10,000.000 worth of timber per annum, and imported wood worth about £2.000.000. Dr. Somerville then proceeded, with the aid 'if niaps, photographs, and lantern slides, to illustrate interesting parts of wooded country, of special forests, and of giant individual trees he had seen during his visits to the United States and Canada. In Canada young trees are distributed free of charge to settlers, these distributions being made from the nurseries at Indianhead, ."ilberta. In the prairie country, said Dr. Somerville, they i:>Hnd Willows and Poplars growing on the banks of the rivers. When they approached the Rocky Mountains they met with a forest country extending south of the Selkirk range, and there they had several of the most magnificent of the American forests. It was in that district thnt Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir, Picea nobilis and the Lawson Cypress were foiuid. In the Valley of the Mississippi grew many hard-wcoded trees, in- cluding Chestnut, Birch, and Cherry. SCOTTISH HORTICULTURAL. April 2. — The monthly meeting of the above association was held in the Goold Hall. 5, St. Andrew Square. Edinburgh, on this date. Mr. Massie. the president, occuined the chair, and there was an attendance of 125 members. A lecture entitled " Sweet Peas up to Date," illustrated by lantern slides, many in natural colours, of the leading varieties, was delivered by Mr. Wm. Cuthbertson, J.P., of Messrs. Dobbie & Co.. Edinburgh. Commencing w-ith 1901. when the first waved flower was shown in London by Mr. Silas Cole, gardener to Earl Spencer, at Althorp Park, Nottingham, the lec- turer dealt with the great development of the Sweet Pea in that period. The variety was named " Countess Spencer." and the exhibitor claimed that it was the result of crossing two of the older unwaved varieties, but Mr. Cuthbert- son stated that within the last few days unmis- takable evidence had come into his hands that an exactly similar flower had appeared in Somerset- shire, "also in 1901. in the form of a variation from " Prima Donna." one of the varieties which Mr. Cole claimed as one of the parents of " Countess Spencer." This fact, in conjunction with Mr. TJnwin's statement that " Gladys Unwin " was also a variation from "Prima Donna," points to the conclusion that the waved Sweet Pea arose as a mutation, and was not the result of crossing. It appeared in several parts of the country, as many sports in other plants have done. JIany beautiful varieties arose as simple variations from Countess Spencer ; and others as the result of crossing. 248 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 13, 1912. The exhibits included Richardia africana. from Miss Burton, Poltoii ; Narcissus "King Alfred," from Messrs. James Grieve & Sons, Edinburgh ; and Apples " IMt-re de Menage " and " Lane's Prince Albert," from Mr. A. C. Scott, Riccarton, Midlothian. At the meeting on May 7, Mr. James Whytock, The Palace Gardens, Dalkeith, will deliver a lec- ture entitled " Some Impressions of America and its Horticulture," illustrated by limelight views. EOYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICUL- TURAL. April 10, 11. — The spring exhibition of the above society was held on Wednesday and Thursday last in the Waverley Market, Edin- burgh. Notwithstanding the restricted railway service, the show proved a very successful one as regards the quality of the exhibits, but owing to the absence of some of the usual trade exhibits from the south the non-competitive groups were fewer than usual. The entries in the competitive classes exceeded those of last year. Fine weather and the new heating arrange- ments of the hall also contributed to the success of the show, which was opened by the Marquis of Tullibardine. Plants. The principal class in the plant section was for a ■ group of Orchids, staged in a space not exceeding 12 feet by 6 feet, and arranged so that the exhibit could be viewed from one side only. Two entries were staged, the 1st prize being awarded to E. Brooman-White, Esq., Ardarroch, Garelochhead (gr. Mr. G. Smith). This exhibitor staged a magnificent collection, notable examples being Cattleya Schroderse, Odontoglossum crispum var. " Mrs. F. W. Peelers," and various Cypripediums. The " Sander " Cup was awarded to this grower for the second year in succession. The other ex- hibitor, Jas. Wood, Esq., Wallhouse, Torphichen (gr. Mr. F. Henderson), was awarded the 2nd prize for a beautiful and comprehensive group. There was a good competition in the class for four stove or greenhouse plants in flower, distinct, the 1st prize being won by J. Ballan- TINE, Esq., Peebles (gr. Mr. Alan Smith); 2nd, A. Dryborough, Esq., Gogar Park (gr. Mr. A. Findlay) ; 3rd, Sir Robert Usher, Bart. (gr. Mr. Geo. McKinna). In the class for six plants in bloom, excluding Hyacinths and Tulips, there was a poor competi- tion : the first prize was won by Sir Robert Usher; 2]id, Sir J. Murray, Leith (gr. Mr. J. Mclntyre) ; 3rd, The Earl of Home, Douglas Castle (gr. Mr. A. McMillan). For greenhouse Rhododendrons there was only one entry, the exhibitor being Ix)rd Elphin- stone, Carberry (gr. Mr. D. Kidd), and the exhibit was awarded the 1st prize. The class for four plants of Rhododendron indicum (Azalea indica) produced a good com- petition, well-grown plants being staged. The 1st priee was won by the Hon. Mrs. Baillie H.^MiLTON, Longton, Duns (gr. Mr. Gilbert D. Kerr) ; 2nd Sir .John Gilmour, Bart., Montrave (gr. Mr. Jas. Wilson) ; 3rd, C. E. Green, Esq., Liberton (gr. Mr. P. McLauchlan). For two Azaleas, distinct. Col. More Nisbet, Duns (gr. Mr. Robert Whannell), won the 1st prize easily, whilst for hardy Azaleas the 1st prize was secured by Mrs. Bickmore, Mureay- field (gr. Mr. J. Pearson); 2nd, Lord Elphin- stone , 3rd, Earl of Home. There were few entries in the classes for Orchids. The premier award for four distinct kinds was won by A. Dryborough, Esq. ; 2nd, R. Hindle, Esq., Edinburgh (gr. Mr. A. Roe). For a single plant of Orchid the 1st prize was awarded to a choice example of Dendrobium nobile virginale, shown by C. W. Cowan, Esq., Dalhousie Castle, Bonnvrigg (gr. Mr. W. G. Pirie); 2nd, Hon. R. C. 'Munro'Fergu- SON, Esq., of Raith, Kirkcaldy (gr. Mr. D. McLean) ; 3rd. A. Dryborough, Esq. In the principal class for exotic Ferns the Earl of Home was the leading exhibitor, followed by J. jMcKelvie, Esq., Edinburgh (gr. Mr. J. R. Findlay) The Eai'l of HoMi: won the leading prizes for foliage plants, including Palms, which were shown in splendid condition. 2nd Mrs. Hutchinson, Carlowrie (gr. Mr. J. Thom). Roses in pots did not produce many entries ; Mrs. Hutchinson, Carlowrie, excelled easily in all the classes, whilst i\Irs. Dewar, Drylow (gr. Mr. W. T. Galloway), won all the second prizes. For four pot plants of Hippeastrums (Amaryl- lis) Lord Elphinstone was placed 1st; Mr. Jas. Todd, Colinton, 2nd; and Mr. Wm. Wood, Liberton, 3rd. Caladiums were best shown by the Right Hon. R. C. JNIuNRO Ferguson, whilst in the classes for Pelargoniums I\lrs. Hogg, Gogar (gr. Mr. W. Brow), was the leading prize-winner. Auriculas were shown well. Miss Balfour Melville (gr. Mr. W. Robertson), won all the 1st prizes in the classes for Alpine as well as for Stage varieties. For 24 pots of Alpines C. W. Cowan, Esq., won the 1st prize with well-grown plants, Saxi- fraga Boydii, Primula nivalis, and Androsace carnea being noteworthy examples. Cut Flowers. The principal class in this section was for a decorated dinner table, 10 feet by 5 feet, laid out for eight persons. The 1st prize was awarded to Sir John Gilmour, of Montrave (gr. Mr. Jas. Wilson), this exhibitor using pink and crimson Carnations freely relieved with spikes of Lily-of-the-Valley, the whole being gracefully intermingled with sprays of Asparagus plumosus. The second table was arranged by T. G. Bishop, Esq., Helensburgh (gr. Mr. J. Hood), who employed pink-coloured Carnations and sprays of Asparagus Sprengeri. Lord Elphinstone was placed 3rd for an arrangement of Jonquils and Orchids. Roses were well shown. Mrs. Hutchinson, Carlowrie, won the 1st prizes in the classes for 24 and 12 blooms respectively. This exhibitor had fine blooms of Frau Karl Druschki, Mrs. E. Mawley, Kaiserin Augusta Victoria and Caroline Testou't ; Lord Elphinstone was placed 2nd in both classes. For 12 Roses in vases, other than Oloire de Dijon or Marechal Neil, Miss Wauchope, In- veresk, was awarded the 1st prize for fine blooms of Fortune's Yellow ; 2nd, Mrs. Hutchin- son, Carlowrie. The 1st prize for Souvenir de la IMalmaison Carnations was won by the Earl of Home. There were classes for cut Tulips, Narcissi and hardy spring flowers, all of which only pro- duced moderate competitions. Fruit and Vegetables. There were only four classes for fruit, and the entries were very small and call for no special comment. Lord Elphinstone secured the 1st place for a dish of Strawberries, whilst for six bottles of preserved fruits Mr. Thomas IM'Phail, Dirleton, was placed 1st. Competition in the vegetable classes was also poor, the entries having decreased considerably compared with last season. For a collection of vegetables, Col. E. R. Stewart Richardson (gr. Mr. John E. Davis), was placed 1st, and Lord L.auderdale, Lauder, (gr. Mr. R. Stewart), 2nd. Mr. Jas. Paterson, Roxburgh, excelled in the class for six Leeks ; whilst Col. E. R. Stewart Richardson, Ballatine, showed best in the classes for Mushrooms, Tomatos, salads and Cucumbers. The Hon. Mrs. Baillie Hamilton was placed 1st for 50 pods of French Beans. Prizes for Under Gardeners. Five designs were submitted by under gar- deners for the laying out of about 16 aci'es of land for pleasure ground, kitchen garden, &c., and the 1st prize of £3 was awarded to Mr. Hugh G. Oliver, Buccleuch Nurseries, Hawick, for an ex- ceedingly well-executed and well-considered plan; 2nd, Mr. J. W. Forsyte, Taymouth Castle Gar- dens, Kenmore. AWARDS. A First-class Certificate was awarded to Car- nation Durhess of Devonshire, exhibited by Messrs. Young & Co., and an Award of Merit to Carnation Lady Alimjlon, exhibited by Messrs. Stuart Low & Co. Non-competitive Exhibits. Messrs. Young & Co., Hatherley, Cheltenham, showed perpetual-flowering Carnations exceed- ingly well, and were awarded a Gold Medal. Messrs. Hogg & Robertson, Dublin, had an extensive and very fine exhibit of Narcissi, for which a Gold Medal was awarded. jVIessrs. Stuart Low & Co., Enfield, showed fuie perpetual-flowering Carnations, Orchids, and other flowering plants. (Silver-gilt Medal.) Mr. H. N. Ellison, West Bromwich, showed Ferns and hybrid Gerberas. (Silver-gilt Medal.) Messrs. Cunningham, Fraser & Co., Edin- burgh, displayed a neat exhibit of Alpines on a rockery. (Silver-gilt Medal.) Messrs. Dobbie & Co., Edinburgh, exhibited a collection of Tulips and a few Narcissi. (Silver- gilt Medal.) Messrs. John Forbes, Ltd., Hawick, showed Primulas, Tree Pieonias, and other plants. (Silver ]\ledal.) Mr. G. Reuthe, Keston, Kent, had an in- teresting exhibit of hardy and shrubby plants, including Indian and Chinese Rhododendrons. (Silver Medal.) Messrs. R. B. Laird & Sons, Ltd., Edinburgh, displayed a large group of Rhododendrons, Roses, Azaleas, Maples, and other plants. Mr. D. W. Thomson. Edinburgh, showed Nar- cissi, Hyacinths, and Tulips. Mr. John Phillips, Edinburgh, showed a group of Palms, Dracaenas, Azaleas, Clematis, Roses, and Ferns. Messrs. Bakers, Wolverhampton, staged Primulas and other Alpine plants. Orchids were exibited by M>.-"ssrs. Sander & Sons, St. Albans, and Mr. D. McLeod, Chorlton- cum-Hardy. Messrs. Dicksons & Co., Edinburgh, showed hybrid Hippeastrums (Amaryllis) and a collection of Roses. NURSERY AND SEED TRADE ASSOCIATION. April 2. — The 35th annual general meeting ol this association was held at the offices of the Association, 32, Gresham Street, London, on the above date, when the following members took part in the discussion of matters which affected the trade: — Mr. J. B. Slade (Messrs. Protheroe & Morris), in the chair: Mr. G. H. Barr (Messrs. Barr & Sons), ]\lr. John Harrison (Messrs Harri- son & Sons), Mr. H. W. W. Nutting (Messrs. Nutting & vSons, Ltd.), Mr. A. W. Paul (Jlessrs. William Paul & Son, Waltham Cross), Jlr. H. E. Silberrad (Messrs. R. Silberrad & Son), and Mr. W. S. Thomson (Messrs. D. S. Thomson & Sons). The annual report which was submitted showed that the association is in a prosperous condition with a substantial bank balance, and the membership had been maintained. During the past year the association had answered 1,011 status inquiries for the benefit of its members, and had collected debts for them to the amount of £5,287 3s. lid. The association has taken counsel's opinion on the subject of railway rates, and on the non- warranty clause, and a new clause had been drawn by counsel in consequence of a decision of the House of Lords, and distributed to the mem- bers of the association for their use. EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND. At the monthly meeting of the above society, held in the Council Rooms recently. Sir Frederick Moore stated that the subscriptions for the c'p to be presented by the members at the International Horticultural Exhibition exceeded the cost, and it was decided to oft'er a second cup for hardy plants. The remainder of the balance will be given as a subscription towards the expense incurred by the Ulster Rose and Floral Society in arranging the National Rose Society's Provincial Show in Ireland, the first^ time in its history. A Cultural Certificate was awarded to Mr. Bedford. Straffan Gardens, for splendid fruits of Apples Hoary Morning and Newton Wonder. Other exhibits included a collection of Apples grown within a few miles of Dublin ; flowering racemes of Acacia dealbata, grown in the open, and shown by Captain RiALL ; and a collection of Tulips and Daffodils, , shown by Messrs. Charles Ramsey & Sons, Ballsbridge. Ap£iil 13, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 249 LAW NOTE. JVf il. R K S T< S. FAILURE OF A '' FRENCH " GARDENER. The first meeting of the creditors of Mr. Frank Mynott, formerly a " French " gardener at Tip- tree, Essex, was held at the ofRces of the official receiver (Mr. F. Messent) at Ipswich, on the 3rd inst. The summary of debtor's statement of affairs showed gross liabilities amounting to £8,887 4s 8d., of which £1,318 19s. 8d. was ex- pected to rank for dividend, £927 3s. 6d. being due to 30 unsecured creditors. The deficiency was estimated at £720 Is. 6d. The official receiver said that the debtor, who is 45 years of age, informed him that for some years he was a printer and journalist at Romford. He bought about 86 acres of land in Et^sex, the greater part of which he let, but a small part he occupied himself with the object of raising vegetables on a system of inten- sive cultivation. The tenant of the larger por- tion became bankrupt early in 1909, and the debtor says the land was thrown on his hands. As he could not relet it then, he had to cultivate it himself as best he could. In September last the debtor hired premises at Felixstowe to start a printer's business, but it was not successful, owing to the limited capital he had at his dis- posal. The creditors returned as fully secured hold charges on property situate at Romford, Chelmsford, Tottenham, Hornchurch and Tiptree. The debtor estimated a surplus of £490 should be realised from some of these properties, but this was debtor's estimate and not his, and the pro- perties were subject to realisation. The creditors partly secured held similar charges on properties which the debtor estimated would not realise sufficient to satisfy the mortgagees. The un- secured creditors appeared to be made up of £705 for money lent, and the rest for goods supplied or work done. No quorum of creditors attending the meeting, 'the estate was left in the hands of the official receiver for administration. GARDENING APPOINTMENTS. ICtrftspondetiti ar4requested to writt ih» mam»» otptrfrng and plac»M at Imsibly mm pos»itle. ^■o chntse %t madt jor these anuouucetnents, but if a small conlnbuitcn is sent, to be placed in our colleLttn^ Box /or the Gardeners' Orphan Fund, it will be thankfully received^ and an mchnouiledgvtent made in these columns.] Mr. A. C. Wicks, for the past 6 years Foreman at Hal^tead Place, near bevenoaks, Kent, as Gardener to Kennsth Foster, Esq., Coombe Park, Whitchurch, Oxfordshire. Mr. R. Farnell, for the past 20 years Gardener at Edf^eley Hall. Whitchurch, Salop, as Gardener to Captain Foster, Woodcote, Newport, Salop. (Thanks for donation of Is. 6d. for R.G.O.F. box.— Eds.) Mr. T. RoBKRTS, for the past 3 years Gardener to C. C. Paine, Esq,, Hillfield, Hampsiead, and previously at Northleigh, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, as Gardener to Colonel Stuart, Tenipsford Hall, Sandy, Bedferdshite. Mr. P. Corps, for the past 8| years as General Foretuan at Eeiu Mai Of Park, Loughborough, and previously at Hylands Park, Chelmsford; as Gardener to T. Fielden Johnson, Esq., Brookfield, Leicester. Mr. F. E. CoTTRELL, for 2i years General Foreman at Wear- dite Gardens, Brassed Chart, Kent, and previously at Roath Park, Cardiff, and Hewell Grange, Reddiich, as Head Gardener to F. J. Tennent, Esq., Lympne Castle, Lympne, Kent, (Thanks for 2s. 6d. which has been pljced in the K G.O.F. box.— Eds.) Mr. S. J. CiiAZE, for ihs past 3 years Second Gardener at Abbey Manor, West Kirby, Cheshire, and previously at Uownton Castle, Ludlow, as Gardener to A. Saunderson, Esq., Foxlease Park, Lyndhurst, Haits. (Thanks for Is. 6d. received for R.G.O.F. box.— Eds.) Mr. F. GiBBS, for the past 9 years Gardener to Mrs. MuuNSEY, Hill House, Dedham, Essex, as Gardener to the Rev. Canon Barker, Hensiead Hall, Wreutham, Suflolk. SCHEDULE RECEIVED. Chester Paxton Society.— The annual autumn exhibition of thi'^ sccieiy vvili be held in the Town Hall, Chester, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Novtm'>er 12 and 13. A silver challenge cup is offered for the best collection of 24 vai ieties of Ap.iles and Pears, and a silver salver to the winnf r of the first prize in the das^ for a group of Chrysanthemums. The society's 1 rjnze medal is offered for the best dish of Apples shown by a cottager. A silver Rose bowl is offered for the best table decorated with flowers oiher than Chrysanthe- mums. Secretary, Mr. G. P. Miln, Grosvenor Museum, Chester. COVENT GARDEN, April 10. [We cannot accept any responsibility for the subjoined reports. They are furnished to us regularly every Wednesday, by the kindness of several of the principal salesmen, wiio are responsible for the quotations. It niust be remembered that these quotations do not repre- sent the prices on any particular day, but only the general averages for the week preceding the date of our report. The prices depend upon the quality of the samples, the way in which they are packed, the supply in the market, and the demand, and they may fluctuate, not only from day to day, but occasionally several times in one day. — Eds-I Cut Flowers, &c Arums (Richardlas) Azalea, per dozen bjiicl.es — mo lis, p. bnch. Camellias, per box of 18'sand24s 16-20 Carnations, p. doz. blooms, best American var. — smaller, per doz. bundles 10 0-15 0 — Carota, crim- son, e.\tra large Eucharis, per doz. F re e s i a refracia alba, per dozen bunches Gardenias, per box of 15&lablms. Iris (Spanish), per doz. bunches : — white, mauve, yellow and blue Lilac, per bunch white — mauve Liliiiiii auratuiu per bunch — 1 o n g i ti orum, long, per doz. — short, per doz. — I a nci f o li urn alba, long — — short — speciosum rub- rum, dz. blooms — long — short Lily of the Valley, p. dz. bunches : — extra special ... 15 0-18 0 — special 10 0-13 0 — ordinary Marguerite, per doz. bunches: — Yellow Myosotis (Forget- me-not), p. dz. bunches Narcissus, per doz. bunches : — Emperor — Empress — Orange Phoenix — Poeticus — Sir Watkin .-. ATerage Wholesale Prices. E.d. s.d. I S.J. s.d. 2 6-30 Narcissus, per doz. I bunches : — Victoria ... 2 0-26 — Parrii 10-13 Orchids, Cattleya, per doz. .,. 12 0 — — Odontoglossum I crispuin ... 3 0-40 1 6- 1 9 I P e 1 a r y o n i n m s, I p. dz. bunches ; — Double Scarlet 8 0-12 0 Primroses, per doz. bunches ... 13-16 Roses, 12 blooms, — Bridesmaid, 16-20 — C.Meniiet ... 16-20 — General Jac- queminot ... 10-16 — Liberty ... 2 0-10 — Madame A. Chateney ... 2 0-40 — Nipheios ... 16-26 — Richmond ... 2 0-36 — Sunrise .. 10-16 — President Car- noi — Lady Roberts — Lady Hilling- don — Franz Det gan — Kaiserine Spirsa(Astilbe) ja- ponica, per. doz. bunches 6 0-70 Sweet Peas (white), pr. doz. biichs. 2 0-36 Tulips, per bunch : — doublepink ... yellow scarlet — p. dz. bunches : — white — yellow HO— — scarlet bronze- pink 2 0-26 — Darwin, p. I c!i pink mauve 3 0-40 — red Violets, p. dz. bchs. — Princess of 2 0-26 Wales, per doz. 16-20 bunches ... 30-40 13-16 — Parma 20-26 10-13 Wallflowers, per 16-20 dozen bunches 20-26 3 6-40 1 fr- 19! 2 6-30 3 0-36 13-16 2 0-40 12 0-18 0 2 &- 3 0 3 0-36 4 0-50 3 6-40 3 0-36 2 0- 1 6- 19-20 0 9-10 2 0-30 2 0-26 2 0-26 3 0-36 16-30 0 6-09 10-16 13-16 8 0- y 0 6 0-70 6 0-80 8 0-90 6 0-80 10-13 13-16 13-16 13-20 Cut Foliage, Ac: Average Wholesale Prices. A d ian t urn hern (M a idenhair), best,dz. bnchs. A g ro St i s (Fairy Grass), per dz. bunches Asparagus pin- inosus, long trails, pr. Jdoz. — medium, doz. bunches — Sprengeri Carnation foliage, doz. bunches... s.d. s.d. 2 0-40 12 0-18 0 10 0 12 0 4 0 — Croton foliage, var- ious, per dozen bunches Cycas leaves, arti- ficial, per doz. Eulalia japonica, per bunch Moss, per gross ... Myrtle, dz. bchs. (English), small-leaved... — French Smilax, per bunch of 6 trails s.d. s.d. 12 0-15 0 3 0-12 0 10-16 6 0 — 6 0 I 0 1 6 Plants Id Pots, ftc. : Average Wholesale Prices. Acacia Iineata, 48's, per dozen Aralia Sieboldii, p. dozen Araucaria excelsa, per dozen Asparagus pluino- sus nanus, p.dz. — Sprengeri Aspidistra, p. dz., green — variegated Azaleas, per doz. Boronia Megastig- ma, 48"s,p, dz. Cinerarias, pr. dz. Cocos Weddeli- ana.per dozen: — 60's — larger, each .. Croton, per dozen Cyperus alterni- folius, per doz. — lasns, per doz. Daffodils, per doz. Draczena, green, per dozen Ericas, per dozen : — WUImorei, 48's — persoluta Ferns, in thumbs, per 100 s.d. s.d. 6 0-70 10 0-12 0 tJ 0- 9 0 21 0-30 0 .SO 0-60 0 36 0-42 0 21 0-24 0 8 0-90 6 0-12 0 2 6-10 6 18 0-30 0 5 0-60 4 0-50 6 0-80 15 0-18 0 27 0-30 0 s.d. s.d. Ferns, in small and large 60's ... 12 0-20 0 — in 48'5, doz. - 6 0 — — choicer, sorts per doz. ... 8 0 12 0 — in 32's, per- dozen 10 0-18 0 Ficiis elastica, per dozen 9 0-12 0 Genistas, 48*s, per doz, 10 0-12 0 Geonoma gracilis, 60*s, per dozen 6 0-80 — larger, each ... 2 6-76 Hyacinths white & clrd.,p. dz.pots 10 0-12 0 Hyd'angeas, white, 4S's, per dozen 18 0 21 0 Kentia Belniore- ana, per dozen 5 0-42 0 — Fosteriana, 60's, per dozen 4 0-60 — larger, per doz. 13 0 60 0 l.atania borbonica, per dozen ... 12 0-30 0 L i Hum 1 o ng i- flonim, p. doz. 20 0-24 0 — lancifoUum ru- brum in pots, per dozen .. 15 0 18 0 — la n c i f o 1 ium alba 15 0-18 0 Plants in Pots, &c.: Average Wholesale Prices rConM.;. s.d. s.d. Marguerites, white, per dozen ... 8 0-10 0 Mignunette, 48's, per do/.en ... 6 0-80 Pandamis Veitchii, per dozen ... 36 0-48 0 Phcenix each Spireea per pots — Pink rupicola, japonica, dozen s.d. s.d. 2 6-21 0 10 0-12 0 . 10 0-12 0 Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices. Apples, Nova So o t i an, per barrel — Ca I i f or n laii Newtowns, pr. case — (Canadian), per barrel — Oregon (Hood River), per case — American, per barrel ... — Aastralian per case ... Bananas, bunch : — Doubles — No. 1 — lixira — Giant — Loose, per dz. — Red coloured... — Jamaica Giants, per ton — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per box (9 doz.) Cranberries, per case (30 qts.)... — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) Dates (Tunis) doz. boxes Grape Fruit, case: — 96's \ — tO-s I — 64-s f — 54's ) Grapes (Belgian), Gros Colman, ptr lb. — .A,lmeria, per barrel Per dozen lbs. — (Cape) per case — „ White... — „ Red ... Lemons : — (Naples), case s.d. s.d. .. 17 0-22 0 6 0-80 20 0 — 20 0-32 0 7 6-20 0 10 0 12 0 8 0-10 0 10 0-12 II 14 0 18 0 0 n- 1 0 5 6-66 4 0- 5 CI 10 0 11 (I 9 6- 4 6- 5 C 14 0-20 { 3 0- 3 C 11 6-15 ( 4 0- 6 ( 4 0- 5 ( 5 0- 6 ( 5 0- 7 ( 26 CV-30 ( Lemons : — Messina, p. case 7 Limes, per case ... 4 Mangoes, per doz. 6 Melons (Cape) ... 0 Nuts, Almonds, per bag 52 Spanish, p. sack 40 — Barcelona, bag 35 Nuts, Chestnuts, per bag ... 3 — Cocoanuts, 100 18 — English Cobs per lb 0 — Walnut s (Naples) kiln dried, c w t. cases 54 Oranges, Jamaica per case ... 9 — Californian ... 15 — Denia, case ... 16 ^ Valencia ... 10 — Jaflfa, per case 9 — Blood, per case 8 — Mandarins, per bos ... 0 — Bitter, per * chest ... .~ 16 — Seville Sour % chest ... 15 Pears (Californian), per case ... 10 — Glou Morceau 11 — Easter Beurrc 8 — Winter Nelis 12 — (American) per barrel, 180 lbs. 25 s.d. s.d. 6-17 0 0 — 0-10 0 10-1 6 6 — 0 42 0 6-36 6 6-19 0 0-23 0 — cases — (Cape) 4 iMn ea pples, St. Michael ... 2 Pines Cape), each 0 Plums (Cape), per case 10 — Apple, per box 8 Strawberries, p. lb. : — A quality ... 3 — Bquality ... 2 0 — 0-10 0 0-10 0 0-34 0 0-12 0 6 -• 0-9 0 6-3 6 0-18 6 0-18 0 6 16 6 6-13 6 6 — 6-13 6 0-26 0 0 — 0-5 0 6-5 0 6-0 9 0-12 0 0-10 0 0-4 0 0-2 6 Vegetables : Average Wholesale Prices. Artichokes(Globe), per dozen — Jerusalem, per 4 bushel Asparagus, Sprue. — Lauris — Pans Green .-. — (English), per bundle Beans, Guernsey, Dwarf, per lb. — French, per packet, lb. Beetroot, p. bshl. : — Long Broccoli, sprout- ing, per bag Ccltrriac, per doz. Cabbages (Fiench) per dozen — Cornish, p. dz. Cauliflowers, p. dz. — (Italian), p. pad — (Cornish), per crate Celery, doz. bndls. — (washed), per dozen bundles Carrots (English), pr. doz. bun.... — per cwt. — (washed) p. bag Chicory, per lb. .. Cucumbers, p. doz. Endive, per dozen Greens (Spring), p. bag Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross Horse radish, 12 bundles s.d. s.d. 3 0-40 10-13 0 10- 1 0 2 6-36 3 0 — 2 0-30 0 9-10 0 10- 1 0 2 6-30 3 6-40 2 6-30 2 6-30 2 0-30 3 0-40 2 0-30 12 0-16 0 6 0-10 0 7 0-10 0 2 6-30 3 6-46 4 6-60 0 4 — 6 0 — 2 0 — 6 0-70 70 — 10 0-14 0 Leeks, per doz. ... Lettuce (French), per doz. Mint, per dozen bunches Mushrooms, culti- vated, p. lb. ... Mnslardand Cress, pr. dz. punnets Marrows, each — Onions (Dutch) per bag — English — (Spanish), per case — Egyptian Parsley, i sieve ... — per doz. bun. Parsnips, per bag Peas (French) per pad — (Guern-^ey), lb. Radishes (English), per dozen Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles — Outdoor, per dozen Spinach, pr. bshl. Seakale, p. punnet Tomatos (Canary Islands), per bundle Turnips (English), per dz. bunches — bags (washed) — (unwa'^hed) ... Turnip Tops, per bag Watercress, p. dz. bunches s.d. s.d. 4 0-46 0 9-13 2 0-36 0 8-0 10 10-16 2 0-30 6 0-70 7 0-76 9 0-10 0 8 0- 8 fi 16-26 3 0-40 5 0-56 5 0-60 10-20 0 9-10 0 3-06 19-20 5 0-60 0 S-0 10 2 6-30 5 0-60 4 0-50 2 0-30 0 4-06 Rkmarks.— Grapes are now limited to supplies from Belgium, Almeria and the Cape. Green Figs are arriving from the Channel Is'anis. Australian Apples received last week per s.s. " Morea" consisted of 32.000 boxes of dessert varieties. Consignments of fruit from the Cape, per s.s. " Kenilworth Castle," amounted to 18.000 cases, the bulk consisting of Grapes. Imports of fruit and vegetables from the Canary Islands amounted to 13 OOO packages of Tomatos, Bananas and Potatos. Tomatos are arriving from Guernsey and the home district. Hothouse Strawberries are much more plentiful and are meeting with a slow demand, which is usual during the Easter holiday season. Forced vegetables have been plentiful from all sources; specialities include Marrows and Peas. Outdoor Asparagus is commencing to arrive from the Cambridge and Worcester districts. Mushrooms have been a good supply. Outdoor vegetables of all kinds are scarce and realising high prices. E. H. li., Covent Garden, April 10, 19J2. 2o0 THE GA R D ENER S CHR ONICLE. [April 13, 1912. Potatos. percvvt. per cwt. s.d. s.d. s,d. s.d. Rents- Llncolna- ijiieen's ... . 4 0-16 Mdincrops ... 4 0-46 U|)-lo.Date 4 0-46 Blacklands ... 3 0-33 Lincolns- Up.lo-Uale Hrilish Queen . . 3 9-46 . 8 9-43 Bedfords — l!l>-lo-Date ... 3 9-40 Kiut; Etiwa.-d . . 4 0-46 Dunbars— Northern Star . 2 9-36 Up-to Date ... 4 9-53 Kvergoods . a 0- 3 9 Maincrop ... 6 3-66 New Potatos. Tenerilfe ... 10 0-13 0 Algerian — ... 11 6-13 6 ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. Remarks. —Trade is about the same as last week. Coiibi^nnients are still fairly large. Edu-ard /. Newborn^ Covent Ganien and St. Fancras, April //, J912. THE WEATHER. The Following Summary Record of the weather throughout the British Islands, for the week ending April 6, is furnished from the Meteorological Office: — GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. The weather. — Over the King lom generallv the conditions wtre fair to fine, but in the north and north-west rain was aL,'ain of frequent occurrence. Early in the week snow and s eet showers were experienced over a considerable portion of the Kingdom. The tcmpcynitne was above the averat^e in all districts, the excess amounting to more than 3 S"" i.i the ea^t and noith- east of Great Britain. The highest of the maxima were recorded on rather i regular d.ites, but mos 'y on the 5th or 6rh April. The figure ranged from 69*" in Eng'and E. to 57^ in the English Channel and Scotland W., and to Si" in Scot- la id N, The lowest of the minima, which occurred early in uie week, mostly on the 1st or 2nd, ranged from 27^ in Scot- land E. and England S.W. to 31° in Scotland VV., and to 39" 111 the English Channel. The lowest grass read ngs reported were 19" at Wo ksop, 20'' at Marlborough, Lldnganiniarch Wells, Burnley, and Newton Rigg, and 21'^ at Hanipslead, Kew.and Wisley. Both at 1 foot and 4 ftei below the surface the temperature of the earth was again above the normal, but the excess was less marked than in previous weeks. The mean temperature of the sea. — Th ; water was warmer than during the corresponding week of last year, and its temperature was abov^ the average at all stations exce.it Sheephaven. The mean values ranged from 52*^ at Scilly to beiween 41* and 44" on the north-east coast of Britain. The rainfalt was less than the average in England and Ireland, but just equal to it in Scotland E. and above it in Scotland N. and W. At Glencarron as much as 5'76 inches fell in three days— 1 18 incli on the 3id, 2 63 inches on the 4th, and 190 inch on the 5th. .\t Rothesay on the 4th the fall equalled 1-12 inch, and at Kilmarnock 1*61 inch. The bright sunshine did not, as a whole, differ much from the average, but in Ireland, England S.W., and ihi English Channel there was a large deficiency. The daily mean was nearly six hours in England S.E. and E., and the percentage ol the possible duration in those districts was 46 and 45 respectively. Elsewhere the figure w.is much lower, falling to below 30 per cent of the possible in Ireland, England S.W., and Scotland N. THE WEATHER IN WEST HERTS. Weeli emtmg April 10. The ninth unseasonabh warm week in succession. — The first five days of the past week were warm, and some of them very warm for the time of year ; but the last two days have been cold, and on one night the exposed ther- mometer showed 4* of frost. On the warmest day tUe te'mperature in the thermometer screen rose to 67°, which is 14° warmer than is seasonable, and the bi'hest shale temperature as yet recorded this year. The ground is now 2° warmer at 2 feet deep, but only at an average tem- perature at 1 foot deep. Rain fell on but one day, and to the depth of less than one-tenth of an inch. There were a few flakes of snow and a little soft hail on the 9th inst. There has been no percolation at all through either of the soil gauges the last few days. The sun shone on an ave- rage for 6J hours a day, or for IJ hours a day longer than is usual at the same period in April. On three days the sun was shining bri-thily for 10 or ntore hours a day. The winds have been, as a rule, hig i, and in the windiest hour the mean velocity reached 23 miles— direction W.N.W. This is the highest wind recorded here since February, IJll, or for 14 months. The mean amount of moisture in the air at 3 p.m. exceeded a se isonable quantity for that hour by 1 per cent. A wild Cherry tree gro-ving in my garden came first into flower on the 3rd inst., or 15 days earlier than its average date in the previous 26 years, and also 15 days drier than last year. E. A/., Berkhamste.l , .ripril 10, 1912. CATALOGUES RECEIVED. H. J. Jones, Rvecroft, Hither Green, Lewisham— Asters, Begonias, Chrysanthemums. Dahlias, and Fuchsias: also Vegelable and Flower Seeds. Clibrans, Hale, Altrincham -Indoor Plants and pot Roses. FOREIGN. JuLKS Chantbier, Mortefontaine (Oise), France- Indoor FRANCOisGEiiBi-AfX, Rue de MMreville, Nancy, France- Hardy 1 eennial and Greenhouse Plants. Henrv F. Mic-hell Companv, 518, Maiket Street, Phila- delpliir -Camias, Dahlias, and Gladioli. Apple Trees Diseased : E. C. The fungus causing Apple Scab is responsible for the trouble. Spray the trees with the Bordeaux mixture and cut out the decayed branches. Bkan Leaves Unhealthy : V. B. No disease is present in the plants : the injury is due to some wrong cultural treatment. Beech Trees with Whitish Bark : T. L. The lieecli trees are attacked by Cryptococcu«> fagi. Scrub the trunk with a solution of soft soap and paraffin, adding half a pint of paraffin to each gallon of the mixture, which should" be kept stirred tlioroughly. Figs Diseased : T. L. The Figs are attacked by Botrytis cinerea, which is favoured by too damp an atmosphere. FoRCi.NG Strawberries : E. S. B. To have Strawberries ripe in February you will require four rows of 4-inch piping in your forcing house, two rows on either side of the pathway close up to the side walls, one on top of tlie other, at a distance of about 18 inches abuve the floor line. The house being a narrow one, this arrangement of the pipes wUl not inter- fere with the free use of the ground space and it will allow of a proper circulation of the heat. It is not necessary to start pot Strawberry plants in bottom heat, but should a cold pit and a supply of slightly fermenting tree-leaves be available you may place the latter to a depth of 18 or 24 mches in the pit and partly plunge the pot Strawberry plants therein early in October. The gentle heat imparted by the fermenting leaves wiU promote root action in the plants before the first batch is removed to the forcing house early in November. By the end of September Strawberry plants layered in .July should be well established in 6-inch pots with large, single, well-ripened crowns. Suc- cess or failure in fruiting Strawberries in pots depend in a great measure upon the condition of the plants when introduced into the forcing house. We have no knowledge of the Solar sectional boiler you mention, and therefore are unable to give you the name of the maker of same. Sectional boilers capable of heating from 200 up to 1,800 lineal feet of 4-inch piping are made by several firms. Gi.iNT Arum : E. D. There are several distinct varieties in cultivation of the Arum Lily (Richardia africana). A somewhat small- flowered form, but with a dwarf and compact habit, is the American variety Childsii. Small- flowered, dwarf varieties have also been distri- buted by Mr. W. J. Godfrey, The Nurseries. Exmouth. Insects for Identification : M. B. Qreewwood. The names of your insects are as follow : — 1, staphylinid larva; 2, the larva of a lepido- pterous insect ; 3, carabid larva ; 4, Carabus violaceous ; 5, .lulus terrestris ; 6. the larva or caterpillar of the common swift moth Hepialus lupulitius, and not of a carnivorous ground beetle. Leaves for Examination : U. E. H'. No disease is present in the leaves of Tomato, Bean, Strawberry and Peach. The injury is due to unfavourable conditions of growth. Mushrooms Diseased : Muahrooms. The trouble is due to the presence of a mite which was pro- bably introduced with the manure. When making a fresh bed remove the old materials and mix a little powdered sulphur with the surface layer of soil. Names of Fruits: W. Chipp. Brabant Belle- fleur. — T. R. Staddon. Keeping Red-Streak. Names of Plants: E. J. 11'. 1, Coclogyne flac- cida ; 2, Cypripedium Moussetianum (callosum X superbiens) ; 3, Helxine Solierolii. — Orchid. 1, Oncidium flexuosuni ; 2, O. oblongatum ; 3, Coelia triptera; 4, Lselia albida ; 5, Ada auraii- tiaca ; 6, Brassia verrucosa. — F. F. 1, Pteris longifolia ; 2, Adiantum hispidulum ; 3, Pteris cretica ; 4, P. tremula ; 5, Blechnuni corcovn dense; 6, Adiantum cuneatum. — F. W. T. Oncidittm Cavendi.shianum. — /''. T. I,2and3. varieties of Atibrietia deltoidea ; 4, Cupressus macrocarpa ; 5, C. pisifera var. sqiiarrosa ; 6, Cryptomerla japoiiica var elegans ; 7, Cupressus Lawsoniana ; 8, Quercus species ; 9, Sequoia sempervirens. — J . Lisney. — 1, Cytisus fragratis var. elegans ; 2, Nuttallia cerasiformis (male form); 3, Xanthorrhiza apiifolia. — C. E. J,. 0.rloii. Milla (Triteleia) uniflora. — V. S. 1 Oncidium triquetrum ; 2, Trichopilia laxa ; 3, Oncidium aJtissimum ; 4, Jlaxillariatenuifolia; 5, Oncidium pubes ; 6, 0. barbatum. — A'. /-". //. 1, Deiidrobium nobile ; 2, D. n. Cooksonii ; 3, D. rubens (Ainsworthii x nobile) ; 4, D. chrysotoxum ; 5 and 5, varieties of D. Ains- worthii (aureum x nobile) ; 7, D. aureum (heterocarpum). Narcissi Unhealthy : A. I). S. There is no fungus disease present. The injury is caused by unfavourable weather conditions. Lime has proved beneficial in similar cases. Peach Shoot Dying : T. P. A. There is no disease present in the Peach shoot. The trouble is due to some check to growth. Pe.\ch Shoots Affected : H. F. G. The foliage is affected with leaf-curl. Your best plan is to remove all the injured shoots, and spray the trees with a solution of 1 ounce of liver of sulphur in three gallons of water. Peach Tree : P. B. There is no poison found in the bands which are too broad, and, being tied tightly, may have killed the shoots by preventing the bark from performing its func- tions. Primula obconica : 7''. W . i'our plants are at- tacked at the ground level by Botrytis cinerea. The old soil should be removed ;ind replaced by fresh material, adding sprinklings of quick- lime and powdered sulphur. Seed Potatos Required foe Planting Seven- eighths of an Acre : Hor.'J(| •Piece. ^''' Fig. 119. — S^^UARE-HEADED ARCHWAYS, WITH DETAILS. poles to ensure their durability and to prevent premature decay. The part inserted in the ground may be encased in feet formed of any old pieces of piping, preferably of lead, or it may be painted with creosote or tar. Such arches may also be wired up with stout galvanised wire, worked in broad iJatterns, either on the diagonal, forming diamonds, or by horizontal and vertical wiring forming square or rectangular patterns. In the latter cases, it is best to make them secure at the intersections with fine wire. With either method it will be found convenient to cut a few pieces of wood with notched ends, as shown in fig. 117b, to the correct dimen- sions of the arch, securing them temporarily with string to keep them in a rigid position whilst wiring. Where a more substantial shaft is re- quired a clustered column may be formed by small canes bound together, as shown in fig. 118. Suitable canes may be obtained in long lengths, the butted ends being secured by a short, double- pointed nail and pressed up. A better jointing, although entailing more trouble, is the spliced and wired one. This effectu- ally prevents springing where joints happen to occur on the bend. The whole is then bound round by a couple of spiral wires, running in opposite directions, forming a lattice pattern, the ends being inserted in a wooden block, firmly wedged or pegged into position, with the inter- stices filled with pitch. This style, with its clustered and latticed shaft, forms one of the most picturesque methods for this class of work. In many cases the square-headed arch may be preferred, especially where re- quired for a pergola extension. Two methods- of construction are illustrated in fig. 119. The one has the horizontal pieces either tenoned into the uprights, nailed or screwed through, the other being halved and screwed. The wiring may be either laced through small staples or twisted round large, square-headed nails, allowed to project about { inch, thus giving a more rustic character to the whole; as also do- 3 i-fidr. rail Odtc/ici Fig. -GATEWAY WITH ARCH. rough-sawn posts. The nails are best fixed in position for wiring before the posts are erected to prevent jarring or loosening the foundation. Fig. 120 shows a simple design for an entrance and garden gate, with wiring on the horizontal and vertical system. If preferred, the wood angle- pieces at the top of the arch may be omitted, this portion being constructed in wire, as shown in fig. 119. The wood arch illustrated in fig. 119 may be adopted with advantage, sawn out of these pieces and nailed up. The cement foot gives greater dur- ability, but may be omitted, and the portion embedded given a coat or two of tar. A further improvement to such arches are hoop-iron and wire domes in place of the flat top. These are formed by bending the hoop-iron over in a semi- circle on the diagonal from post to post ; wiring together at the crossing in the centre. Others Fig. 121. — DOMES for archway, with DETAILS. are taken over from side to side, and back to front, the whole being afterwards wired around horizontally and then vertically between the segments. Another development of the latter style is shown in fig. 121, a wire skeleton crown being formed, over which the plant may ba trained. A circular hoop being formed, its ends notched and fastened with wire, it is dropped in a bent-up slot-piece, as shown in the sketch, and wired to each angle, the whole being finished as previously described for the dome. The crown- piece can be bent up easily with a pair of pliers, the ends turned over the hoop, as in fig. 121, and wired on with finer material. W . C. Ktrbij. 256 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 20, 1912. GARDENING IN WEST AFRICA. It has Inen said that the first thing an English- man does on arriving in a new country is to make a cricket ground, and perhaps his countrywoman first turns to the garden. She meets with many handicaps in West Africa, mainly connected with the climate and conditions of life. For so small a colony as the Gold Coast climatic conditions vary considerably. In the western, the rainfall is at least twice as heavy as in the Eastern Province, being no less than 70 inches on the coast and even heavier in- land, so that in one of these places your garden may be parched up one month and washed away the next. I remember the latter catastrophe happening at Seccondu. After a night of very heavy rain, on going to look at our carefully-cherished seed- lings, which had been transplanted the previous day, we found them carried several yards out of their beds. At Axim, where 9 inches of rain have been known to fall within 24 hours, we made our tiny flower garden entirely ourselves, breaking up the ground at first with a pick and extracting from it a surprising amount of broken glass, tins, &c. The soil here was apparently as unpromising as soil well could be, being a sort of yellow clay, such as the natives ufe for building their houses, and commonly called " swish." During rain, which fell almost daily in the wet season, the ground received the overflow from the bungalow roof, and the garden became so swampy that we had to make little gravel paths in order to get into it at all. It was very gratifying, therefore, to find that all our seeds flourished amazingly. If vegetables or flowers will grow at all they grow very quickly when frequently watered ; I have seen French Beans, sown in a small box, grow several inches in four days, and be ready for table in as many weeks. Apart from watering, the secret of suc- cess is to have seed fresh from England, for seed left in an open packet becomes mildewed and unfit for use in a few weeks. It is not every vegetable or flower that will flourish where there is no winter season. There is no attempt at market gardening among the natives, and the residence of Europeans is not usually of long enough duration in any one place for gaidens of any kind to be universal. A great deal more, however, in the way of gardening can be done than is at present : Tomatos do well everywhere, also Beans of all kinds. Radishes, Lettuces and Cabbages, Cucumbers and Pump- kins, but not root crops. Then, as regards flowers, I have grown the following with success : several varieties of Roses, as the La France and the William Allen Richardson (but they require to be pruned .severely every season or they soon deteriorate) Balsams, Zinnias, Petunias, French Marigolds, IMignonette, Dahlias, Nastur- tiums, Sunflowers and others. I have never seen any English fruit trees, but I see no reason why Grapes should not be cultivated. Very many of the natives describe themselves as farmers, but a native farm is quite different from a farm in England. In the neighbourhood of every village the natives make rough clearings in the bush, in which, when the first rain comes, say about April, they plant corn, i.e., Indian Corn, Cassada, Yams and ground nuts ; in a few months the crops have matured, and in August there is the " Yam Custom " or " Black Christ- mas," extending for several weeks. Next spring, if corn is to be grown, a fresh clearing is made in the bush. In the Eastern Province there is a large cultivation of Cocoa, started by the Basel Mission, while in the Western Province the white man has recently introduced the systematic plant- ing of rubber. There are, of course, certain native fruits and vegetables, but few of these are really indigenous to the soil; the Cocoanut, for instance, which grows all along the beach, originally came, I think, from the West Indies. In some places. notably at Chama, there are excellent green Oranges, and there are also Mangoes, much ap- preciated by the natives. Plantains and Bananas, Guavas, Papaw, Avocada Pears, Pineapples, Limes and Custard Apples. Yet all of these gi'ow better in other countries where they are properly looked after. The Papaw grows male and female side by side, the male plant producing flowers only, the fruit being on the female tree. The bush is unrelieved green, except for a few Lilies and Orchids, but where they have been in- troduced, certain brilliant tropical flowers give colour tf' the compound. In the Commissioner's garden, at Cape Coast, which is an old one, the BougainvUleaover the bungalow was magnificent; there also grew many fine Flamboyant, with its huge scarlet blossoms, and its sister, the Pride of Barbadoes, with the less showy Oleander ; these, of course, were perennials. But the very exis- tence of flowers and vegetables requiring daily attention depends upon the European. His seeds mj'st«riously vanish while in the ground, are bit- ten off by insects while they are sprouting, and, if by chance they survive, are damaged by sheep and goats. These animals are ubiquitous, and make up in numbers what they lack in size. They are turned out in the streets where there is no pasture for them, and seemingly subsist on leaves and refuse. It is chai-acteristic of the native that unless compelled to do so, he does not keep any animal under control. At Axim, our garden having been invaded, the police organised a raid upon the flocks and herds, and we were awakened at six o'clock in the morning by the loud outcry of nanny goats, whose young were in the arms of the law, en route to the pound. After this there was a marked absence of these animals round our quarters, and it was amusing to see the Hausas returning with the redeemed beasts on a string. I am bound to say they bore us no ill-will, and made no attempt to steal our own pet sheep. The native attitude as regards gardens is sum- med up in a remark which one of the boys made to me. " Missus," he said, " you go make gar- den again? " " Yes," I answered. " Well," he continued, " you go make fine garden for Axim, then you go leaves him. Now you make one here for some other man." .Such are some of the amenities of gardening on the Gold Coast. Agnes Lamond. RED SPIDER ON VINES. A CORRESPONDENT writing in Gardeners' Chronicle some time ago on the subject of red spider attacking vines (see vol. Ix., p. 284) em- phasised the need for the vine to be the sole occupant of the Grape house. There is, of course, no doubt of the desirability of this course ; but in how few cases is it possible? Certainly it has never been my good fortune to be able to preserve the vinery for Grapes only, and I think this nmst be the common experience. Otherwise, an enormous amount of worry and trouble would be saved which is now expended on attempts to get rid of red spider, thrip, and that worst of all vine pests, mealy bug, for the growing of other plants in the vineries, such as French Beans, Azaleas, and various stove plants, is almost entirely responsible for the introduction of the pests I have mentioned. If vines become infested with red spider prompt measures must be taken to check the pest, or the growth of the plants will suffer almost incalcul- able harm. The berries will fail to colour, the vines become weakened by the loss of foliage, and the future crop seriously imiJaired. Happily the detection of red spider is not very difficult to the experienced eye ; it is usually first found on two or three of the leaves nearest to the main rod. and may be perceived by the pale colour of the leaves when the observer looks upward towards the glass. Occasionally the presence of this pest on the vine is to be accounted for by other causes than the contamination by other plants ; a too dry atmosphere, caused by a faulty arrangement of hot-water pipes, favours the spread of the insect. It is remarkable that pipes are frequently placed in a cluster of two, three, or four, as the case may be, according to the size of the vinery, although this method is faulty and wasteful of heat. The result of such a concentration of pipes under the plants in the front of the vinery is that the leaves in that place are always in a dry atmo- sphere favouring an attack of red spider. Unless gi-eat care is taken to prevent attack, the vines in this part of the house suffer regularly every year Various remedies are suggested for the exter- mination of the pest. Some growers recommend a frequent and vigorous syringing with clear water ; but this is not effectual, and the risk of spoiling the Grapes is so great that very few carry it out. I do not mean to imply that clean water will actually do harm to the Grapes, nor will it hinder their ripening, but the bloom is sure to be removed by the action of a considerable quantity of water applied with force from a large syringe. If the Grapes are required for exhibition, syringing is out of the question. Another method is to sponge the affected leaves with an insecticide, such as tobacco-water or soft soap. Sponging, however, is a laborious process, and attended by a certain risk to the bunches of fruit in the neighbourhood. A remedy which is often recommended is that of applying sulphur to the hot-water pipes, and thus fumigating the house. This, I consider, both dangerous and ineffectual. I have known cases where the foliage of the vines has been entirely crippled by the fumes, when the sulphur has been applied too early, whilst the berries are fre- quently scalded from the same cause. Another danger lies in the great difficulty of effectually cleansing the pipes when the fumigation is finished. The least trace of sulphur left on the pipes is sufficient to cause an attack of " rust" on the berries in the following season, especially those in the immediate vicinity of the pipes. After condemning the foregoing remedies, it is only right that I should suggest some means which I consider efficient for ridding the vines of this pest. The method which I recommend is to sprinkle flowers of sulphur of a brown colour on the affected leaves (either on the under or the upper surface). This should be done on the first appearance of the pest ; it is a great mistake to wait and see whether it will disappear of itself, and thus risk being too late. The best way to apply the sulphur is to use a small pair of hand bellows, holding these in one hand and the leaves firmly in the other. The affected parts of the leaves should be quite covered with the sulphur ; if it is properly applied the insects cannot survive, and one dressing should be sufficient. If the application is done with care, none of the fruit even in the immediate vicinity will be spoiled. Much has beer, written about the application of moisture to vines. This, in some form or another, is an absolute necessity, but if carried to excess it becomes a serious evil. Warts and e.xcrescences of various kinds are often seen on the under-side of the leaves of Blaek Ham- burgh and Muscat of Alexandria, these are mainly caused by an excessive quantity of atmo- spheric moisture, coupled with insufficient venti- lation. Experienced Grape growers are not prone to these errors of culture : but, as it is more for beginners that I am writing, I think it well to draw attention to these points. Healthy vines bear leaves of a dark-green colour, and if ample space is allowed for development success^ should follow. ' I have already alluded to the arrangement of hot-water pipes in a vinery, and this is a detail too often neglected. They are often placed, for the sake of convenience, in a cluster, whereas ; the results would be much more satisfactory if they were spread over the border in a single layer, with, say, five flows to one return in the ■ case of a vinery with six 4-inch pipes. E. , Mohjneux. Apail 20, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 257 THE FERNERY. THE LADY FERN. (Athyritjm filix-fcemina.) Amongst our native Ferns, the Lady Fern undoubtedly occupies a foremost place as an example of at once delicate structure and robust constitution. When grown under congenial con- ditions of moisture, aerial and terrestrial, and sheltered from wind and sun, it reaches a larger size than any other native species, Osmunda re- galis and Pteris aquilina excepted. As a species it has always been somewhat of a puzzle to botanists, the form of its spore heaps and their cover or indusium being so peculiar that it is difficult to allocate it to a definite genus. The results have been that many botanists rank it as an Asplenium, while its undoubted close relative or mountain fomi has been ranked as a Polypodium (P. alpestre). Those, however, who actually grow these plants and also members of the two genera to which they have thus been allotted cannot possibly accept either classifica- tion. The Lady Fern has its spore capsules in small clusters, only partially protected by a ragged hor.se-shoe shaped indusium or cover springing from the midst of the sorus. Its mountain form, better termed Pseudathyrium alpestre, only appears at and over some 2,000 feet elevation, considerably above that of the range of the Lady Fern proper. It is, however, so closely similar that its main difference consists in the dot-like character of the spore heaps and the absence or rudimentary nature of the indusium. It is owing to the last feature that botanists have ranked it as a Polypodium, the characteristic of that genus being naked round or oval sori. In this connection, however, there are so many counterbalancing considerations that, to the actual cultivator, it seems nothing more or less than absurd to ignore them all in favour of what is really a minor one. In the Lady Fern proper, A. f. foemina, we have varieties in which a dot-like apparently non- indusiate fructification occur, A. f. f. plumosum Horsfall, for instance. The Polypodies proper, too, have all creeping rhizomes, while both the Ferns in question have definite crowns. Most Polyj5odies are cvei-green, the so-called P. alpestre is thoroughly deciduous, and, in short, the relationship between the lowland aind the highland species is in every way so close that to place them in entirely distinct families cannot be justified. The allocation of A. f. fcemina to the Spleenworts is an even worse instance of mis- applied knowledge. There we have even greater differentiation altogether ignored in favour of a very indefinite form of fructification which only a strong imagination can consider as Asplenoid. The Asplenia are peculiarly rock and wall Ferns, are all evergreen, and as a general rule but little liable to variation. Their sori are long and linear, and even where the smallness of the divisions reduces their length they are still dis- tinguished by an unbroken indusium springing definitely from one side on quite different lines from the Lady Fern. Their fronds, too, are much tougher, even leathery, while those of the Lady Fern are in all its innumerable forms thin and delicate. The Lady Fern, moreover, is not normally a denizen of rocks or walls, but of the ; soil proper where Asplenia would not thrive. No f two genera, indeed, could differ more or in more ' characters than the Athyria and the Asplenia, and yet, on account of a merely fancied re- semblance in the sori, the former is ranked as a member of the latter genus by even our foremost botanists. It is, however, on the abnormal side that the two genera differentiate themselves still more. The genus of Spleenworts proper, exclud- ing their close allies the Scolopendriums, rank with the least variable genera existent, despite the fact that, like nearly all our other native species, some, but comparatively few, varieties have rewarded the research of our Fern hunters. Even taking the exotics as well as our own, crested Asplenia are very rare, despite the im- mense numbers which are raised and used for de- corative purposes since many decades. The Lady Fern, on the other hand, rivals any other species in the abundance of its natural sports and in the delicate beauty and diversity of their selected progeny. The distinct forms run into hundreds, and it has been well said that the old botanists who named it A. f. fcemina, literally the Lady Fern, long before they had an inkling of sex relations in the Fern world have been fully justified eventually in so far that that Fern has proved her femininity by her peculiar faculty of conceiving new fashions and decking herself with tassels, fringes, frills, and furbelows on the most ornate and charming lines. In this versatility, indeed, the Lady Fern holds first place, for no other Fern in all the world has yet proved a rival as regards originality in many of her types. A glance at any illustrated work dealing properly with our native Ferns will suffice to show this, apart from the voluminous catalogues which, in these days of revived interest in the subject, are issued by trade Fern growers. The Lady Fern is very plentiful in many parts of the country ; everywhere, indeed, where conditions of soil and aerial moisture prevail under shady conditions and where the Fern vandal is precluded from reaching it. In the coombes of Devon and Dorset, and other western English counties, in the umbrageous glens of Scotland, in the ravines of Wales and among the hills and dales of Ireland we may find the Lady Fern in all its beauty as shoulder-high specimens of plumy loveliness, and in less favoured districts they may fringe the dit<;hes by the roadside on smaller lines, and crop up here, there, and everywhere where boggy conditions favour them. With re- gard to the varieties, their name is legion, but our object in this article has been mainly to treat of some anomalies in the nomenclature con- nected with what wo may term, without dis- respect, the raw material from which Nature has shaped them, and incidentally to induce our readers to refer to books and catalogues with a view to making a selection of the varieties in question, instead of contenting themselves with the common ones provided by the hawker or pur- chased by the bunch in the market as an encour- agement to the vandals afor«-mentioned. Chas. T. Druery. FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE. PLANTS FOR SHADE. I RE.\D with great interest the note on p. 205 on " What to Plant Under Trees," by P. H. ; but I miss from his list some of the most use- ful plants. In the first place, he has .omitted Convallaria japonica ; this plant is not quit« hardy, but there are few parts of England where it would not grow out-of-doors. Here, in the south-west of Italy, it is largely grown under trees, and when combined w-ith Cyclamen neapolitanum in autumn, or C. repandum in spring, it is most effective. After two or three years' growth, the Convallaria should be cut "down near the root, otherwise it will grow tall and straggling. There are two useful species of Ruscus which should not be omitted — R. Hypoglossum and R. Hypophyllum. These may be planted in dry spots where rather taller plants are needed. The young shoots form a very palatable table vege- table. Another good lawn plant is Bambusa nana, which requires a considerable amount of water the first year it is planted, but afterwards it does well even if kept rather dry. IRIS TUBEROSA. With reference to Mr. Fitzherbert's note on- " Iris tuberosa," on p. 227, I should like to re- mark that I have often found this plant in the neighbourhood of Naples, growing in sunny, dry places on the hills. In a wild state it grows among such indigenous plants as Cistus salvi- fulius, Myrtus communis, Pistacia Terebinthus, Erica arborea, and Phillyrea, and I find that in my garden it grows and flourishes abundantly, even in half-shady places, especially if the roots are left undisturbed for some years. PINE TREES DESTROYED BY LIGHTNING. The Province of Caserta, in South-west Italy, was visited by a severe thunderstorm last July, and almost the whole of the fruit crop was destroyed. In the Royal Botanic Garden at Caserta the damage wrought was almost incredible. For weeks after the event nearly all the gardeners were employed in lopping and carrying away the branches of trees which had been injured, and extensive damage was done to the stove and greenhouse plants by splinters of glass, all the panes having been shattered by the hail. Although practically all the trees in the garden were damaged more or less, the chief victims of the storm were the Pines. The damage in this direction was very serious, and, indeed, irrepar- able, for within 14 days after the occurrence about 60 Pines, some of them nearly 250 years old, were found to be dead. The cause of this sudden demise on the part of the Pines was investigated, and the conclusion was drawn that they were killed by contact with the electricity in the air. The trees were prob- ably first wounded by the heavy hail, and the exposed resin attracted the electricity to the trees, and thus caused them to perish. This theory is further borne out by the fact that of the trees which died all belonged to those species which contain the most resin. Thus, all the large specimens of Pinus maritima, P. Laricio, P. Hamiltonii, Picea excelsa, and Larix europaea. were killed, whilst Pinus Pinea, P. halepensis, P. Cembra, P. Strobus, Axaucarias, and Cupressuses, although considerably damaged by the hail, recovered, and are now growing well. It would be interesting to know the opinions of your readers on this theory. Willy Midler, Naples, Italy. BROCCOLI IN A FRENCH GARDEN. Since last November we have had a succession of good Broccoli. We planted the variety Autumn Protecting late in the season, and the plants commenced to form heads at the end of November and continued until Christmas, when a succession was maintained by Xmas White. After these were finished Vanguard was ready for use, and we were cutting this variety through February, by which time Eastertide was ready for the table. This variety was available through March, when we commenced to cut Hatif de St. Laud, and now Late Queen is almost ready, and to follow we have the fine variety Latest of All. These will provide a supply until the earliest Cauliflowers grown under chassis are ready. White sprouting Broccoli has also been good, although this vegetable does not seem to be known in this district. W. L. Lavender, Laferte- Bernard, Sarthc, France. French International Horticultural Congress We have received intimation from the National Horticultural Society of France that the French railways are issuing tickets from all parts of that country to Paris, halt-price, for the benefit of members attending the May Con- gress. Application for such cheap tickets must be made to the office of the society, 84, Rue Crenelle, Paris, and in the case of English- or other foreign visitors, the tickets are only avail- able from the frontier town to Paris. 258 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 20, 1912. The Week's Work. holding two or three pecks of soil, consisting of rich loam and leaf-mould ; manure is not neces- sary. The roots will penetrate quickly through the baskets, and by the time the latter have decayed the plants will be established in the mud. THE FLOWER GARDEN. By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady NorthcotE, Eastvvell Park, Kent. The Water Garden.— It is necessary, at this time of the year, to devote attention to the water-garden, with a view to making everything neat and tidy. Strong-growing plants that may encroach on their neighbours should be divided, lest the abundant foliage does not allow the (lowers to show their full beauty. In many gar- dens there are natural lakes or streams which could be used with advantage for cultivating aquatic plants ; but where such facilities do not exist, much may be done by forming Lily-ponds in the lower portion of the garden, choosing, if possible, a position which is exposed to the sun, but sheltered from cold winds. The present is a suitable time to commence this work. It is lissential that the bottom of the pond or stream be made water-tight, either by puddling or the use of concrete. The banks of the pond or stream should be planted first, leaving the water plants, such as Nympha?as, for planting during the month of May. Water Lilies planted in May will yield some flowers in their first season. It is not desirable to lay down hard- and-fast rules for the treatment of any phase of gardening ; the garden-maker must be guided by the situation and surroundings of the spot he has selected, and this applies especially to water-gardens. Many plants, such as Hydrangeas, Eulalias, Bamboos, Cordylines, Osmundas and other large Ferns, Astilbes and Gunnera manicata, are eminently suitable for planting by the waterside. Great care and taste must be exercised in the arrangement of the various plants used. As a rule, the tall-growing subjects should not be placed close to the paths, where plants of a moderate height are suitable. The tall and strong-growing subjects, such as Bamboos, Gunneras, and Pampas Grass, may be grouped on the banks away from the walk, so that they may be viewed from across the water. The flatness of a series of Water Lilies may be relieved by planting small groups of grasses and other plants which rise above the water. In the warmest part of the pond, Richardia africana should be planted ; if the roots are sunk to a depth of from 12 to 15 inches, this desirable plant will be found to be hardy in many localities. Cyperus longus, Carex pen- dula, Butomus umbellatus, Acorus calamus. Rodgersia podophylla, Lythrum salicaria, and its variety roseum, Caltha pahistris, Scirpus lacustris, and Poa (Glyceria) aquatica are other plants which succeed on marshy banks or in shallow water. Near the edge of the water the many suitable kinds of Iris, Hemerocallis flava, Montbretias. Pfeonies, Papaver orieiitale, .'^axi- fraga peltata, and the Giant Musk, will all assist in adding colour during their flowering seasons. If the pond has a background of trees, or if there are high banks, a .splendid effect may be produced by planting the hardy Bam- boos, Arundo conspicua, and the Pampas Grass, interspersed with bold clumps of such flower- ing shrubs as Rhododendrons (including Aza- leas). Berberis stenophylla. Philadelphus, Labur- num. Yuccas of various kinds. Hydrangea hortensis, and H. paniculata grandiflora; Kni- phofias, Bocconia cordata, and Lupins. NvMPH/EA. - If Nymphsea plants have to be purcliased, they should be ordered without delay, and preparations made for planting them immediately on arrival. There is now a splen- did selection of varieties, including many suit- able for growing in tubs or small pools. The following are a few of the best hardy varieties : (rose and pink shades) colossea, somptuosa, Brackleyi rosea, Marliacea carnea, Aurora, William Roogue, Marliacea rosea, and XI .s. Rich- mond ; (yellow) JIarliacea chromatella and sul- phurea grandiflora ; (white) odorata gigantea, Gladstoniana, Marliacea albida, tuberosa, and the fragrant, small-flowered N. pygmaea. The brighter-coloured forms are very beautiful, including William Falconer, a.tropurpurea, James Bryden, Marliacea ignea, Robinsonii, and gloriosa. The roots should be planted in shallow baskets. THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady Nunbuknholue, Warter Priory, Yorkshire. Peaches and Nectarines. — These trees are more forward than they have been for several seasons past at this date, and in the south of England especially the young shoots will socn be large enough to allow the cultivator to commence disbudding. This operation should be car- ried out with great care, and the work should extend over two or three weeks, in order that the trees may not experience a check by the removal of too many shoots at one time. Trees that have been planted this season or root-pruned recently should not be disbudded so severely as the others. First remove all foreright shoots, also a number of those growing from the sides of the branches, in all cases leaving two well placed at the base of each branch. One of these shoots will generally suffice in the case of well-furnished trees, and it should grow from the top side of the branch. Commence to disbud at the top of the more vigorous trees fii'st, working downwards, pinch- ing here and there a shoot which has a fruit at the base. Many of these shoots and fruits may, if not required, be removed at a iater thinning, or when the weather is more genial. Young trees require a rather different treatment, as in their case a suflicient number of shoots must be left for extension, so that the wall space may be fur- nished quickly. In some cases a second shoot may be allowed to remain at 1 foot or Ij foot up the branch. In the case of old trees, the leader may be stopped if there is no room for its ex- tension. Avoid training the shoots thickly : 4 inches to 6 inches apart is close enough to allow sunshine and air to ripen the wood thoroughly. The thinning of the fruits should be car- ried out concurrently with the disbudding of the shoots, removing ill-shaped and badly- situated fruits first, always remembering that many may fall during the stoning period, and that it is desirable to have the fruits as evenly distributed over the tree as possible. Grafting. — The weather has been most favourable for grafting fruit trees, and the work should be completed without delay. Examine trees that were grafted recently and make good any cracks in the clay by rubbing moist clay into the openings. Encourage a few shoots to grow on the stocks for a short time, as these will cause the sap to circulate more freely. Examine trees that were grafted last year, and, if necessary, secure the grafts to stakes to prevent damage by strong winds. FRUITS UNDER GLASS. By E. Harriss, Fruit Foreman, The Royal Gardens, Windsor. Melons. — The fruits on the earliest batch of plants are swelling freely, and stimulants may be given more frequently and at a greater strength than formerly. Liquid manure made from cow dung is one of the most suitable stimulants for Melons, and at the final stages of growth may be applied to the plants at full strength. When the fruits commence to colour, a drier atmosphere should be maintained, plenty of air admitted when the weather is warm and genial, and water withheld gradually from the roots. The fruits should not be allowed to re- main on the plants till they are fully ripe: they will keep longer and the flavour will be much improved if they are cut two or three days before they are required for consumption and placed in a cool room. During the hottest part of the day, the plants should be shaded. The stopping and regulating of the shoots of later plants must receive early attention, as Melons grow rapidly at this time of the year. As soon as sufficient fruits have set. the lateral growths must be kept removed as they appear. Raise a fresh batch of plants to replace the older ones when all the fruits have been cut. If wood-lice have been troublesome, all the old soil and heat- ing materials should be removed from the house, and everything saturated with boiling water or a strong insecticide. These insects often induce canker to develop in Melons by eating the stems of the young plants. The glass and woodwork should be cleansed thoroughly, and the walls limewashed before planting afresh. Melons may be well grown at this time of the year in heated pits, without hot-beds. The rooting medium should be placed near to the glass. Melons in Frames. — Although tie fruits of Melons grown in frames are not quite so good in flavour as those grown in heated structin-es, plenty of good, serviceable fruits may be grown in unlieated frames during the summer months. The frames should be set on a hot- bed of stable litter and leaves, in equal parts, placed to a depth of 3 or 4 feet. The materials should be well mixed, and placed in a heap to ferment before the hot-bed is made. In making the hot-bed, be careful to tread the materials firm and even throughout. Set the jslants in mounds of soil at the head of the pit, using loam mixed with a small quantity of old mortar rubble. Should the soil be poor in quality, some crushed bones may be incorporated. Discretion must be exercised in ventilating the frames, especially during changeable weather. Early in the afternoon the plants should be sprayed with lukewarm rainwater previous to closing the frames. At night, the glass should be well covered with mats, and plenty of short litter placed around the sides of the pit. The latter should be mixed occasionally with fresh ma- terial in order to maintain the necessary degree of heat. Stop the points of the leading shouts when they have furnished three parts of the width of the pit, and stop the laterals at one or two joints beyond the fruits. When plenty of female flowers are open to form a crop, pollinate them, keeping the atmosphere dry. When suffi- cient fruits have set, all lateral growths should be pinched regularly. The fruits may be elevated near to the glass on pots. Late Vines. — Late vines should be disbudded before the shoots become too large. Be careful to leave sufficient growth to ensure a good spread of foliage without causing crowding of the leaves. Admit air freely to all late vines when the weather is favourable. Give the roota a thorough soaking with diluted liquid manure before the flowering stage is reached. Except during the time when the plants are flowering, the house should be damped freely. Mealy bug must be eradicated directly the pest is detected. THE ORCHID HOUSES. By J, Collier, Gardener to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., Gallon Park, Surrey. Lycaste. — Plants of Lycaste Skinneri and its variety alba ; L. Ealliae, L. Giatrixae, L. leucantha, L, Lucianii, L. costata, L. lasioglossa, and L. lanipes will develop new growths as they pass out of flower, and any that require new rooting materials should receive attention. Speci- mens that are pot-bound should be afforded larger pots, selecting receptacles sufficiently large to accommodate the plant for at least two' years. Plants that have sufficient rooting space and with the compost in a good condition should not be le- potted, but portions of the old rooting materials should be removed from the surface and replaced by fresh. Plants that are found to be in a bad condition at the roots or growing in sour compost should be taken out of the pots, and the roots cleansed of the old material by washing. They should then be repotted in relativelv small pots. Keep the crown of the plants a little below the rim of the pots, so as to provide plenty of space for watering, as, during their growing season, Calanthes require liberal supplies of moisture at the roots. After the growth is completed, they should be kept on the dry side until they begin to develop their flowers, when the supply of water at the roots should be again increased. During the growing seaso^ they should be syringed frequently ove(f head. A suitable compa-it for Calanthes is good fibrous loam, from which all the small particles* has been removed, and turfy peat in equal pro- portions, with a liberal addition of crushed crocks and small lumps of charcoal. During the summer months stand the plants in a shady posi- tion in the Odontoglossum house, and place them in the intermediate house for the winter. Phaius. — Plants of Phaius Blumei. P. B. Sanderianus, P. Bernaysii, P. grandifolius, P. tuberculosus, and such hybrids as P. Norman, i\ April 20, 1912] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 259 p. Cooksonii. and P. Phoebes will soon develop new roots, and should be either top-dressed or repotted as is found necessary. A similar mixture to that advised for Ly- castes is suitable. The pots should be well drained, as it is essential that water should pass freely through the compost. Place the base of the plant a little below the rim of the pot to provide plenty of room for water at the roots. The leaves should be sponged frequently with an insecticide to keep down scale insect.s. tliis Orchid being particuhirlv subject to attacks by this pest. The plants should be grown in an intermediate temperature, and afforded a position where they may receive plenty of air without being sub- jected to draughts. Spathoglottis. — Snathoglottis Vieillardii, S. Lobbii. S. aurea, S. Kimballiana, S. Fortunei, S. kewen.<;is, and hybrids, such as S. Colmanii and S. Colmanii aurea. also need attention at the roots. The plants require the temperature of the warmest hou.se, and should be well shaded during bright days. When in full growth they require a liberal supply of water at the roots and frequent sprayings overhead. For pot- ting use a compost similar to that recommended for Lycastes and repot as advised for those plants. PLANTS UNDER GLASS. By Thomas Stevkn^on, Gardener lo E. Mocatta, Esq., Woburn Place, Addlestone, Surrey. Nerine. — These beautiful autumn-flowering bulbous plants have almost completed their growth, but they may still be watered sparingly with liquid manure. At this stage they will do best on a shelf in a moderately cool house, where they will obtain all the sunlight possible. Nerines require a long rest in order to flower success- fully, therefore as soon as the foliage shows signs of turning yellow water should be gradually withheld at the roots, but the resting season must not be precipitated by withholding water suddenly or much harm may be done. CoLEUs THYRSoiDEUS.— Cuttings of Coleus thyrsoideus may be rooted now, obtaining their from plants that were cut down some time pre- viously. They are best rooted in fair warmth, and should be hardened quickly afterwards. Grow the young plants on in an ordinary hrick pit, and afford them partial shade during the summer. This treatment will ensure the plants being quite hardy, and, if they are stopped two or three times during their growing season, bushy specimens may be grown in 6-inch (32-size) pots. If the plants are afforded plenty of food after being housed in the autumn they will continue to bloom for a long period. The flowers are a bright shade of blue, and especially useful for the decoration of the conservatory. Gloriosa. — Gloriosas are growing rapidly in the plant stove, and specimens started fairly early in the season will probably be showing flowers. When the blooms are developing the plants will benefit by frequent applications of weak liquid manure made, preferably, from cow dung. It is essential that the pots be well drained, so that surplus moisture may pass away quickly. The best of the numerous varieties is superba, the flowers of which are e.xtremely use- ful for vase and table decoration. Rhododendron indicum. — This plant is best known in gardens as Azalea indica. As specimens pass out of bloom the old flower-stems should be removed, taking care that the young growths under the flowers are not injured in the operation. Specimens that require potting may be attended to in this respect. A mixture of peat, leaf-mould and .«and, with just a little loam added forms a .suitable compost, but do not add sufficient loam to make the soil close. It is not advisable to afford the plants too large pots ; the receptacles should allow only sufficient room for a rammer to be worked between the ball of the plant and the pot to ensure firm potting. Old plants that are growing straggly should be either tied into shape or have the long, ungainly shoots removed. After potting they should, if possible, be placed in a hou.se by themselves, kept fairly close, and syringed for a time. This will soon rid them of insect pests unless they are badly in- fested, when they should be fumigated on oiie or two occasions. As gi-owth develops air may be afforded, but it is a great advantage to have the plants well furnished with new growth soon, as they may then be hardened fairly early and placed out-of-doors in a semi-shady position to complete the process of bud formation ready for an early start next season. Careful water- ing is a very necessary precaution with Azaleas, and. if the plants are intended to be grown for a number of seasons, rain water should be used, as lime is detrimental to them. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. By Edwin Beckett, Gardener to the Hon. Vicary Gibbs, Aldenham House, Hertfordshire. Cardoons. — The most satisfactory method of cultivating Cardoons, especially on light syils, is to plant in trenches prepared as for Celery or Peas. The sooner the trenches are made, 'the better. Take out the soil to a depth of 2 feet and the same in width ; break up the bottom and add manure liberally, returning a few inches of the excavated soil. Avoid sowing too early, otherwise the plants may flower prematurely. Early in .May sow a pinch of seed at intervals of 18 inches in the row. and cover the seeds with a little of the finest soil. When the young plants are large enough thin each clump to a single speci- men. Peas.— The planting of seedling Peas raised in boxes should be proceeded with as they become ready, staking them immediately after planting. Protect the young plants from "attacks of birds and occasionally dust the rows with soot. Seeds sown in the open ground, and especially in gar- dens where mice are troublesome, should be first steeped in red-lead. Protect the seeds from the birds by placing wire guards along the rows : failing these, strands of black cotton will prove useful. Sow onlv the verv best varieties suit.able for the particular district. Duke of Albany, Alderman, Elwin Beckett and Quite Content are good varieties for mid-season supplies. Avoid planting or sowing too thickly, and, where prac- ticable, avoid overcrowing the rows. I much pre- fer sinule rows, and these in dry seasons impart beneficial shade to crops near to. Turnips.— The earliest Turnips out-of-doors will need partial thinning as soon as they are larcre enough to handle. The growth of Turnips in frames may be hastened by closing the lights fiirly earlv in the afternoon and damping the foliage. Sow seeds in small quantities out-of- doors for a succession of roots. Lettuce.-— Frequent small sowings of Cos and Cabbage varieties of Lettuce should be made. Continue to plant Lettuces out in various posi- tions for a regular supply, dusting them with soot. ToMATOs. — Plants with lower trusses of fruit swelling will need considerable attention to keep them in a healthy and vigorous condition. Water must be afforded with great judgment, and whilst carefully guarding against over-watering, it must be borne in mind that more frequent applica- tions of water at the roots will be necessarv now that the sun has increased in power, and if the plants are at any time permitted to become too dry, a poor crop will result. Assist the plants regularly with properly-diluted liquid-manure, and at intervals apply "a top-dressing of fresh soil, withholding the liquid stimulant until the roots have penetrated the new soil. If the pot contains so much soil that top-dressings cannot be added, a small quantity of finely-sifted loam mixed with an equal amount of some" suitable fer- tilizer sprinkled on the top of the soil will assist the plants. Remove the side shoots before they become too large, and, in the case of the earlie.s"t batch, stop the main shoot when a fair crop is set. Admit plenty of air at all times when the weather is favourable, and maintain a buoyant atmosphere, using fire-heat if necessary. Unless the foliage is very dense, I do not recommend defoliating the plants at present. The fruits should be gathered when they commence to colour, and placed on a warm shelf to ripen. By gathering them before they are fully ripe, the fruits are not liable to crack. Cucumbers. -The growths should be stopped and regulated at least once a week to train the plants evenly on the trellis. Syringe the plants twice daily, wetting the undersi'des of the foli.ige. Maintain a humid atmosphere, and if red spider is present, syringe the foliage again late in the afternoon. If there are evaporating troughs on the hot-water pipes, keep them filled with strong manure-water, and sprinkle manure-water on the pathways as a preventive of attacks of red spider. Vigorous plants will requira frequent top-dressings of soil, to which a small proportion of manure has been added. Copious applications of water must be given, for dryness at the root results in a poor crop of bitter fruits. Manure-water diluted to proper propor- tions is a valuable stunulant. Sow seeds as often as may be necessary for successioiial crops ; at this season young plants quickly come into bear- ing, and are more fruitful than older plants. Tomatos growing in pits or frames must be pro- tected carefully by covering the glass with mats on cold nights. The necessary watering of the roots and regulating of the shoots should only be done during warm weather. THE APIARY. By Chloris. Purchasing Bees in Straw Skeps. — Bees are often purchased at this season of the year in straw skeps, because, if the combs are old, there is little fear of them breaking, owing to the store of horey being small. It is difficult for an amateur to judge whether a stock is strong and healthy when purchased in this manner. The combs of a good colony should be free from mould, quite straight, and reach to the bottom of the hive. When the combs are pushed aside, all those in the centre should be well filled with sealed brood, which can be easily seen. Examining a Colony and Removing It. — In order to examine a stock, have the s.noher well alight, and puff smoke into the hive at the entrance. In le,ss than a minute the bees will have gorged themselves sufficiently to permit of the hive being overturnea, and, immediately this is done, puff smoke between the combs to drive the bees down. They may be removed on a dull day early in the morning or late in the evening. I'roceed as before when about to remove the skep, and, as soon as the hive is overturned and the bees driven down, cover the bottom with a cheese cloth and tie the cloth tightly. The skep should be carried to its destination mouth upwards. Bar-framed Hives. — Some bee-keepers place the skep above frames fitted with full shnets of wired foundation, when the queen will go below, .\fter there is no further room for the queen to lay her eggs, place a sheet of queen excluding zinc between the br(X)d chamber and the skep ; in three weeks' time those bees above may be driven and added to the established colony. This is not an economical method, nor one to be recommended. It is best to drive the bees and cut out the combs containing brood FlCJ. 12Z. — SECURING THE COME IN A FRAME.. 1, Tapes; 2, Brood. and lay them on several layers of soft cloth, so that the sealed brood may not be injured. Over the comb place an empty frame and cut the comb so that it will fit the frame. Tie it with tapes as shown in fig. 122, so that the t,:p of the comb touches the top bar, for, if an.v space be left, the bees will not seal it in. Plaie the brood comb in the centre of the hive and that containing honey on the outsides, to bo replaced when emptied by full sheets of wired foundation. When all the combs are fitted in the frames, throw the bees out of the skep on the alighting board of the bar-frame hive. The whole operation of driving, fitting up the combs and returning the bees to the hive must be done expeditiously, or the brood may be chilled and killed. It is best to perform the operation on a warm day The tapes may be removed as soon as the combs are sealed to the top bar, which wUl be done by the bees in two or three days. 2G0 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. [April 20, 1912. EDITORIAL NOTICE. ADVeRTl5eMENTS should be sent to the PUB- LISMBR. 41, Welling:ton Street. Covent Garden, Letters for Publication, as ivell as specimens of plants for naming, should be adiiyessed to the EDITORS, 41. Wellington Street, Covent Garden. London. Comviuntcalions should be written on onk sipe only of THH PAPER, sent as early in the week as possible and duly signed by the writer, I j desired, the signature will not be printed, but kept as a guatantee of good faith. 5pecial Notice to Correspondents. — 77ie Editors do not undeitake to pay for any contributions or illustrations, or to return unused communications or illustrations, unless by special arrangement. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for any opinions expressed by their correspon- dents. Local News. — Correspondents will greatly oblige by sending to thr Editois eatly intelligence oj local events likely to be oj inteiest to our teaders, or of any inaitets whichit is desirable to bring tinder the notice of horticulturists. APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. TUESDAY, APRIL 23-Breconshire Daffodil Sh. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24— Royal Botanic Soc. meet. North of England Hort. Soo. meet at Leeds. THURSDAY, APRIL 25— Midland Daffoiil Soc. Sh. at Birmingham Botanical Gardens (2 days), Norwich Spring Sh. Average Mean Temperature for the ensuing week deduced from otiservations during the last Fifty Year? at Greenwich— 48"6''. Actual Temperatures: — LonoQU.— Wednesday, April 17 (6 p.m.): Max. 59°; Miu. 44". Gatdeneis' Cktonide Office, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London — Thursday^ April 18 (10 A.M.) : Bar. 29-9" ; Temp. 57" : Wcalhir— Sunshine. Provinces. — Wednesday, April 17 : Max. 54° Cambridge ; Min. 43° Scotland. N.E. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. "WEDNESDAY- Herbaceous and Border Plants, Lilies and Hardy Bulbs at 12; Palms and Plants at 5; at 67&68, Cheapiide. E.G., by Protheroe & Morris. FRIDAY - Orchids, at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.G., by Protheroe & Morris, at 12.45. It would come as a shock to a grown Chancellor of the Exchequer Tobacco if he were to discover that he Nicotine '"**'' established a system of Extraction, old age pensions for Apple suckers, Hop and Damson aphis and other insect pests which are the scourge of fruit-growers and horticulturists generally. Were he told that he was compelling horticulturists to subscribe to the conservation of those pests which they are endeavouring to des- troy he would be lost in amazement at his own temerity. Yet this is no fanciful picture of the present state of affairs, but a faithful one. It is true that the blame does not rest with chancellors, nor indeed with anyone. It is the chance out- come of the progress of our knowledge. No smoker objects to the heavy duty 'which his tobacco — " Sweet when the morn is grey; Sweet when they've cleared away Lunch ; and at close of day Possibly sweetest " —has to pay before it is consumed in bis cheerful pipe. His contentment, •as he puffs his proud cigar or fur- tive cigarette, is enhanced by the know- ledge that he is contributing his share to the solvency of nations. But many things have happened since Sir Walter Raleigh laid the foundation of this national habit, and among these lihings is the discovery that nicotine is one •of the most valuable of insecticides. An alert and vigilant executive would have "discovered that this is the case, and years ago would have reasoned thus : — We taxed tobacco as a luxury, and we were right, and we shall continue to tax it. But we must find a way whereby the active prin- ciple of tobacco, which is so deadly to insect pests, may be supplied to the horti- culturist at a proper price. Nicotine sells at the present moment at 158. a pound ; it costs 3s. or 4s. to prepare — the difference between cost price and selling price is about 10s., and of that sum the major part represents " duty." Hence we are impos- ing a fine of 10s. on every careful cultiva- tor who tries to keep his orchard or his Hop-garden, or his greenhouse clean. We are not responsible for this, but we shall be responsible for allowing this un- fortunate and incidental injustice to re- main. It does not need to be said that no alert and vigilant executive argued in this way ; nor does it need to be said that attempts to remedy the present silly con- ditions of things proceeded in the first place from private individuals, and from associations of such individuals. As the outcome of these efforts the nico- tine problem, as we may call it, is well under way to solution. The problem is by no means simple. Though the sky fall the Revenue must not suffer. If anyone and everyone were allowed to grow tobacco for insecticidal purposes, many would be tempted to try the effects of the crop on themselves — with disastrous results to them, to their neighbours in smoking car- riages, and to the Revenue. Therefore it has to be recognized that the cultivation of tobacco in this country must be restric- ted. Further, such is the naughtiness of trade, the crop must be safeguarded lest unprincipled dealers should buy up the juice, mix it with vegetable debris and sell it as shag. To prevent this, home- grown tobacco must be denatured ; that is, rendered unfit for smoking without detri- ment to its insecticidal powers. Lastly, it must be demonstrated that tobacco rich in nicotine may be raised cheaply in this country. Knowing by long experience how des- perately wicked is the heart of man, the Revenue authorities will not allow a stem of the Tobacco plant to be grown in this country without all sorts of safeguards and sanctions. It speaks well for the South Eastern Agricultural College at Wye that they were not deterred, even by the restrictions imposed by the Revenue authorities, from tackling the problem ; and we congratu- late them on the very successful issue to which their efforts have led them. The results of experiments carried out at Wye by Messrs. Garrard and Edwardes-Ker {The Growing of Tobacco for Nicotine Ex- traction. Part II.) show that nicotine may be put on the market at a far lower price than that which obtains at present. In a bad, sunless year (1910) the cost of nico- tine, obtained from the Tobacco crop grown at Wye, worked out Srt about 6s. 6d. a pound, considerably less than half the market price. In the good, sunny year of 1911 the cost price would have been some- thing less than 5s. There seems no doubt therefore that when further experience in cultivation has been gained nicotine may be put on the market at 5s. a pound or even less. The problem of finding a denaturing agent is by no means easy. As the result of extended trials the Wye authorities recom- mend copper sulphate and sulphur. Any- one who smoked a pipe in the Under- ground Railway, before the happy electric days, will concede that sulphur is calcu- lated to preserve them from Tobacco. With copper sulphate thrown in to pro- duce a vivid green glue-like liquid, we fancy that even the apprehensions of the Re- venue may be lulled. There the matter rests. The Central Chamber of Agricul- ture, the National Fruit Growers' Federa- tion, and the South Eastern Agricultural College have laid their proposals before the Financial Secretary of the Treasury, and if the chief Government chemist re- ports that the denaturing process is a sufficient security against fraud, we may . hope to have the price of this invaluable insecticide reduced to a proper level. We do not know yet whether the chief chemist has issued his report ; but having regard to the fact that the deputation only waited on Mr. Hobhouse in May of last yearwe may expect to receive it in due course. The Royal Horticultural So- Violas. ciety has invited growers of Violas to contribute plants to Wisley for the purpose of making a trial there this season. In order to make the Wisley trial as useful as possible, it is to be hoped that arrangements will be made to allow the plants to stand undisturbed over next winter, and that the Floral Committee will inspect them again early in the summer of 1913 for the purpose of issuing a second report. In Pansies, Violas, and Violets, the popular . handbook on these flowers in Messrs. Jack's " Present-Day Gardening " series, the author, Mr. William Cuthbertson, has , a chapter entitled " The Hardiest Violas." To discover which were the hardiest varie- ties, Mr. Cuthbertson observed a planta- tion of Violas in Essex for three years. At the end of each flowering season the old growths were cut away and the beds top-dressed with decomposed manure. In the introduction to the chapter it is said: "It is well known that a great number of the most beauti- ful exhibition Violas will not survive a single winter if left standing in the open. Such varieties are often purchased because they look so effective when staged on an exhibition table ; but disappointment very often follows unless they get into skilled hands and are carefully propagated by out- tings each season. It cannot be gainsaid that varieties which possess the character of growing into clumps and surviving through several winters in the open border are most advantageous for many pur- poses." Such varieties as the latter are easily propagated. The plants may be lifted and pulled to pieces, or single growths may be pulled oft'. These are gen- erally partially rooted, and, if inserted as cuttings, they always succeed, and few, if any, losses take place in the frames or even in the open during the winter. Apeil 20, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 261 f Photograph by E, J, tVitltil. Fig. 123. — CAMELLIA CUSPIDATA, A HARDY SHRUB: FLOWERS WHITE. (See p. 362.) 262 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 20, 1912. The varieties which survived over three ■winters in Mr. Cuthbertson's experiment were : — Whites.— Seagull, Peace, White Beauty, Pencaitland and Christiana. Cream. — Sylvia. Primrose. — Sulphurea. Yellows.— Grievii, Redbraes Yellow, Klondyke and Mrs. E. A. Cade. Light Blues.— Blue Duchess and Lilac- ina (bedding Pansy). Dark Blues.— Royal Scot, Archibald Grant, Edina, Blue Rock and Jubilee. It would be interesting to discover if the same varieties tend to become perennial in the Wisley soil. Perhaps others will suc- ceed in standing over the winter in Surrey which failed to do so in Essex. We have specially in mind such charming varieties as Maggie Mott, Lady Marjorie, Admiral of the Blues, Cream King, Primrose Dame, Snowflake, and Purity. There are now numbers of very fine bronze-coloured Violas, and it is to be hoped that they will be well represented in the trial. The ideal bedding Viola should have clean, bright foliage, it should produce flowers on short, upright stalks in abundance, and the flowers, whilst being of fair size, should be distinctly self in colour. All these points the Royal Horticultural Society will, no doubt, keep in view. It would be well also for the Society to tabu- late early-flowering and late-flowering varieties for the guidance of planters. Violas are invaluable in large public and private gardens, where they are required often in tens of thousands ; they appeal none the less successfully to the smallest amateur; hence the announce- ment of the Wisley trial will be welcomed universally. Camellia cuspidata (see fig. 123). — This ex- ceedingly free-flowering species was discovered by Wilson during his first visit to China. A specimen shown by Messrs. James Veitch & Sons was in the form of a compact, pyramidal bush. The narrow leaves are from 2 inches to 2^ inches long, and the white flowers are Ig inch in diameter, the latter resembling somewhat those of C. Sasanqua or Eucryphia pinnatifolia. The tree is an evergreen, and has proved hardy at the Coome Wood Nurseries ; the flowers open in April. Although the hybrid Camellias are hardy over a great part of the British Isles, the fleshy petals of their beautiful flowers are easily damaged by slight frosts or rough gales, but the firmer te.xture of the petals of C. cuspidata en- ables them the better to escape injury. As Camellias seed with moderate freedom — in the West of England, the single and semi-double hybrids grown out-of-doors produce their fleshy fruits during hot seasons — the new species offers a fine opportunity for a hybridist with skill and patience to give us a race of hardier Camellias with flowers of equal beauty to those of the pre- sent hybrids. Camellia cuspidata was given an Award of Merit by the R.H.S. on April 2 last. The Perils of the Plant Collector. — On p. 188 we announced that Rlr. Purdom had sent home a cable with the news that he had ar- rived safely at Peking. It now appears from a letter just received (British Legation, Peking, JIarch 23) that the revolution riots became so bad in the Shensi and Kansu provinces that JNIr. PuE- DOM had little hope of getting away with his life. The most dangerous situation was en- counteied at Shenchow, in Honan, where PuR- nOM and his Chinese escort of three men were attacked by brigands, who shot down two of the horses. At this point it was determined to make a stand, and thanks to the possession of a rifle Mr. Purdom was able to turn the position and break away, but not without loss of life. Mr. Purdom states that, at the time of writing, the Chinese soldiers were most to be feared as they were not receiving wages, and were causing riots in most of the cities. Mr. Purdom, who has been for the past three years collecting for Messrs. Veitch & Sons, is now on his way home from Peking. Royal International Horticultural Exhibition. — E.xliibitors are reminded that Wednesday, May 1, is the latest date for the making of any alterations or withdrawals which may be occasioned by exigencies of weather, season, or other causes. L.C.C. Gardeners and the R.H.S. Exam- ination.—The London County Council decided in August. 1905, that gardeners employed in the Parks Department before becoming entitled to further increments of wages, in accordance with the approved scale, should be required to pa,ss in the first or second class the examination in practical horticulture, held by the Royal Horti- cultural Society, and in January, 1911, the Coun- cil further decided that under-gardeners who pass the examination should receive an allowance of Is. a week in addition to the wages of their class. Vacancies for gardeners are also filled so far as possible by the promotion of such under-gardeners as have passed the examination. The Parks Committee of the Council now report that of the men who have presented themselves for examination in the last four years 259 have been successful. The Committee are also pleased to report that out of 38 employees in the Parks Department who sat for the examination in January last, 30 passed, of whom 10 were in the first class, 6 in the second, and 14 in the third. Surveyors' Institution. — The annual dinner of the Institution will be held at the Whitehall Rooms, Hotel Metrop Ue, on the 23rd inst. The professional examinations will be held on March 25 and following days. The Council have accepted an invitation from the Nottingham and Lincoln Committee of the Institution to hold the next country meeting at Nottingham on May 30 and 31. Edinburgh Spring Show. — The receipts, including the proceeds from the sale of tickets for admission to the Spring Show of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, amounted to £183, which is about £34 more than was taken last year. The arrangements made with the rail- way companies for reduced fares could not be car- ried out owing to the coal strike, but the heating of the hall, which was brought into operation for the first time for a flower show, was no doubt the means of attracting more visitors. Root Nodules of Myrica Gale. — Accord- ing to the researches of Professor Bottomlet, the root nodules of Myrica gale are the outcome of infection by the bacterium Pseudomonas radicicola, which is responsible for nodule forma- tion in the Leguminosse. The bacterium is capable of forming organic nitrogen compounds from the nitrogen of the air, and hence Myrica gale must rank with the Leguminosse as a nitrogen fixing plant. According to Professor BoTTOMLEY plants of Myrica gale free from nodules planted in soil containing no combined nitrogen are unable to survive, whereas plants with nodules similarly treated are able to live. American Gooseberry - mildew. — Th° summer stage of this disease has been discovered already in a Cambridgeshire garden, and growers are recommended to examine their bushes care- fully, and should any sign of disease be found, to spray their bushes with a solution of liver of sulphur (1 lb. to 32 gallons of water). By Article 3 of the American Gooseberry-mildew Order of 1911 growers are required to report the presence of this disease on their premises to the Board or the Clerk of the Local Authority for the district either directly or through an inspector, the failure to report being punishable by a fine. Presentation by the St. Germans Hor- ticultural Society. — In recognition of his services to the above society the members have presented a silver centre-piece and pair of silver candlesticks to Mr. Alfred J. Hampton, who is leaving the neighbourhood. Amongst many other good works in connection with the society Mr. Hampton instituted seed-raising competi- tions for children, which proved so popiilar that no fewer than 550 children have entered for this competition for the forthcoming show. Salt and Sugar Beet. — Experiments carried out at Orton (Joint Eeporl, 1911, Stafford- shire, Shropshire, and Harper Adams College), appear to show that the addition of salt to the manurial dressing applied to land used for the cultivation of Sugar Beet has a markedly bene- ficial effect, both in yield and quality of this crop. The plot to which salt was added (4 cwts. per acre) yielded 14 tons 17 cwts. as against 13 tons 7 cwts. from the plot which received similar manurial treatment, except that no salt was applied. Scholarships in Agriculture. — The Staffordshire Agricultural Committee has issued an announcement of the scholarships which it offers in agriculture. They include the Stafford- shire Major Scholarships (of a value of £45 per annum, tenable at the Harper Adams College), the ]\Iinor Agricultural (Brewood) Scholarships (of a value of £4 per annum, tenable at Brewood Grammar .School), and special short term agricul- tural scholarships. Full particulars may be ob- tained from the Director of Education, County Education Offices, Stafford. The Effect of Manures on Tobacco.— In the course of experiments — referred to else- where— made at the Wye Agricultural College, it was shown that the heaviest yield of Tobacco leaf and the largest amount of nicotine were obtained by manuring with farmyard manure plus artificials. Thus, whereas farmyard manure alone yielded from 124-138 lbs. of nicotine per acre, farmyard manure plus artificials yielded from 149-161 lbs. Mr. James Grieve. — The many friends of Mr. James Grieve, head of the firm of Messrs. James Grieve & Sons, who were present at the Edinburgh Spring Show, were glad of the oppor- tunity to congratulate him on his recovery from a long and serious illness. Had Mr. Grieve been present at the Chrysanthemum Show of the Scottish Horticultural Exhibition last November he would have attended 52 consecutive shows at Edinburgh. Flower Shows at Birmingham. — The Bir- mingham Botanical and Horticultural Society have decided to hold two flower shows dur- ^ ing the present summer at the Botanical Gardens, ' Edgbaston. The first will be held on Juin.- 1.2 (Orchids and early summer flowers), and the second on July 17 (Roses and midsummer flowers). Honorary exhibits of flowers, fruits, and vegetables will be welcomed. Particulars may be obtained from the Hon. Secretaries, Botanical Gardens, Edgbastoa. April 20, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 263 Public Park for Chesterfield.— Alderman George A. Eastwood, Chesterfield, has pre- sented to the borough of Chesterfield, in memory of his father, who was a great benefactor to the town, a fine country house, Hasland Hall, and its 15 acres of grounds, as a public park. Forestry in Scotland. — The Departmental Committee on Forestry in Scotland, which was formed to report on a suitable location for a demonstration forest in Scotland, considered that such an area should contain not less than 4,000 acres, of which one half should embrace growing woods. The committee fear it may be difficult to secure a suitable area. The necessary capital outlay for establishment is estimated at £15,500, and the initial annual expenditure at £2,400. For the promotion of forestry in Scotland the com- mittee recommend a flying survey to determine the best forest sites and their extent, the appoint- ment of an advising forester, who would require at least one assistant, and the formation of a small number of State-owned trial forests. Manuring of Grass Land.— The Joint Ttfporl (1911) on field experiments in Stafford- shire and Shropshire and at the Harper Adams College contains the results of a comprehensive experiment carried out at various centres on the effects of different manures on the yield of hay. At Blurton, where the experiment has been in progress for 13 years, the value of applying com- plete artificial manures has been amply demon- strated. Thus, even in the dry season of last year the yield obtained from the plot dressed with nitrate of soda (1 cwt.), basic slag (5 cwt.), and kainit (3 cwt. per acre) wae equal to that given by the plot manured with farmyard manure (12 cwts. per acre). The cost of the latter manure was 60s. jier acre, whereas that of the complete .artificial manure was 29s. Id., leaving an ample margin of profit in favour of the artificials. Importation of Cut Flowers in Russia. — Althnufjh British growers have no direct interest in the export of flowers to Russia, they are not without an indirect interest, and will learn with surprise that the value of the Russian imports of cut flowers reached over £30,000 in 1910. The indirect interest lies in this, that France and Italy, which are the chief sellers, are likely to divert mure and more of their goods to this pro- mising market, and thus to provide an increased chance for our own flowers in our own markets. Leaks in Pipes. — According to a writer in the F/nrixfx' E .n lia ii ijc , " lead wood," which is metallic lead cut in fine shreds about the thick- ness of ordinary twine, is an excellent material to use for stopping leaks in pipes. The lead wood is caulked in by means of an ordinary chisel, and may be employed when the water is on or off. Plum Rust. — Experiments by Mr Brooks {New I'hijtolofiift. X., 1911) show that the aecidial stage of the Plum rust (Puccinia Pruni) is .^icidium punctatum, which occurs in Anemone coronaria This iecidial phase of the Plum rust has now been recognised to be the same in Russia, the United States, and in this country. Canadian Railways. — In 1911 there were 25,400 miles in operation, and no fewer than 4,200 miles of railway in course of construction west of Lake Superior. Canada has borrowed in London fur railroad making more than 72 mil- lions sterling in the last seven years. Railway building on this scale in Western Canada has been made possible by the policy of the Provincial Governments in guaranteeing the interest on ap- proved lines serving settled territory, and where production provides adequate freight for new lines. Government Help for Settlers in Nova Scotia, Canada. — Under the provisions of a Bill introduced by the Nova Scotian Government the authorities will enter into arrangements with loan companies by which 80 per cent, of the ap- praised value of farms maj' be lent to farmers who wish to settle in the countrj-. Easy terms will be arranged for the repayment of the amount borrowed. Newcomers will be given every assis- tance possible, and experts wiU give all informa- tion to them when they arrive. Skilled valuers will estimate the worth of any farm a settler may wish to purchase, and will see that he is fairly dealt with. After he has purchased he will be visited by agricultural experts as occasion de mands, and will be given all necessary informa- tion. Fairy Rings. — An explanation of the curious phenomena presented by fairy rings — dark glossy rings of grass surrounding a dead patch — is offered by the work of Miss J. S. Bayliss (Journal of Economic Biology, vi., 1911). The fairy ring is due to a fungus, gener- ally Marasmius oreades, which is parasitic on the roots of grass. These roots it kills, and, decom- posing them, sets free food materials which stimulate the growth of the grass roots as yet unattacked. Hence the ring of luxuriant grass. The fungus, however, is self-destructive, for it ex- cretes a poison into the soil, and, as a con- sequence, is unable to live in the same place for three successive years. When this time is reached the grass invades the soil in which the fungus has succumbed, and, flourishing there, forms a circular verdant patch. Poultry Keeping. '-The third number of the smallholder library deals in an interesting and succinct manner with poultry from the small- holder's point of view. The contributors are all experts in the various branches of poultry-rear- ing, and their instructions may be summed up as follow : — " Start right ; follow the advice of those who know ; attend strictly to business ; breed the best general-purpose fowl in existence ; and your success is assured." This is right so far as it goes, but to be successful with any living objects it is essential that the breeder or grower should be in full sympathy with his charges. The work under notice takes the reader through all the phases of the fowl ; hatching, both by natural and by artificial means ; the care of the young chicks ; their treatment as juveniles; and the best methods by which to endeavour to render them profitable as adults. We say " endeavour " ad- visedly, for, after a long e.xperience under very favourable conditions, we are exceedingly scepti- cal on the score of profit. We have yet to see a properly -drawn balance-sheet which shows a legi- timate profit. Over a score of breeds and varieties are named as being of value to the smallholder, and we are glad to see that the author has a de- servedly good opinion of the table value of the old English game fowl, an opinion which we can heartily endorse. We agree with the writer that many of the hens are comparatively poor layers, but it will be found that the " Old English Spangles " will compare very favourably with many other breeds as egg producers ; their eggs are very round, and consequently of great indi- vidual value. Besides the domestic fowl, this w^ork deals with several kinds of ducks, including those wonderful layers, the Indian Runners, geese, turkeys and the pretty guinea-fowls. Of the last-named it is claimed that one fowl is capable of keeping an acre of Potatos clear of beetles and wire-worms, and that the fowls wiU not damage the crops. The diseases of poultry are dealt with in an intelligent manner. The print is clear and distinct, and the illustrations are good. • PrufitabU Poultry Keeping, Is. (C. Arthur Pearson, Ltd.) Submerged Forest. — A short account o{ the exposure of the submerged forest at Fresh- w-ater \Vest, Pembrokeshire, app-ears in Xaltire, March 28, 1912. An unusually high tide, com- bined with extensive shifting of sand and shingle, permitted Lieut. Col. F. Lambton to examine the " forest." Stumps of trees embedded in a foot or so of peat covering an old land-surface are frequent. No implements appear to have been found, but it seems that the deposit is of the same age (Neolithic) as the similar formation found elsewhere on our coasts. New Rose from Formosa. — Since the Japanese have obtained possession of the island of Formosa their botanists have been very energetic in exploring it. For the first time their collectors have obtained access to the mountains. Amongst the new plants there discovered is a Rose of small compact habit belonging to the group Cinnamonea?, nearly allied to the Himalayan R. Webbiana. It grows on Mount Morrison at an elevation of 12,000 feet, and has been described by Dr. H.^yata under the name of Rosa Morrisonensis. Carbon - Assimilation by Plants.— The leaf of a plant has been likened to a factory engaged in elaborating complex substances from the simple raw materials supplied to it. In the case of the carbohydrates, the final product, starch, and the simple raw materials, carbonic acid and water, are known definitely, but there is some uncertainty as to which of certain sugars are formed as intermediate products of assimila- tion. It is now some years since Brown and Morris brought forward experimental evidence, based on the study of Tropjeolum, to prove that the first sugar to be synthesised by the leaf is cane sugar. When the concentration of this sugar exceeds a certain amount, it is trans- formed into starch, which is a more stable and permanent reserve material than sucrose. These conclusions have not escaped criticism, but it is only recently that fresh experimental evi- dence on the subject has been obtained by P.4RKIN, in England, and Strakosch, in Austria. PjIBKin selected iLe Snowdrop for his experiments, choosing it because it is one of the few plants which do not elaborate starch in their leaves. It is therefore a more simple material for investigation than the Tropa;olum. Parkin comes to the same conclusion as Brow n and Morris, namely, that cane sugar is the first product formed. Subsequently, it is broken down by an enzyme in the leaf into the more simple sugars dextrose and laevulose, which, ac- cording to the older views of Sachs and others, are those first formed in the leaf. The older view, however, has received some confirmation in the work of Strakosch, carried out with the leaves of the Sugar Beet. Using a somewhat different method for determining the sugars to that employed by the English workers, he claims that dextrose is the first sugar to ap- pear, part of it soon becoming transformed into laevulose, and the two combining to form cane sugar. Starch is only formed when a considerable quantity of cane sugar has accumulated in the leaf sap. The cane sugar produced in the leaf of the Beet travels in this form to the root to be stored : in the Tropsolum, Brown and Morris considered that cane sugar is not translocated as such, but in the form of its simple components — dextrose and laevulose. A similar conclusion is reached by a study of the Beet in the second year of growth. The cane sugar stored up in the root is translocated to the growing parts as a mixture of dextrose and laevulose, which are recombined on reaching their destination. The evidence at present seems to favour the retention of the view expressed by Brown and Morris ; but it is evident that the problem is not finally solved. 264 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [Apeil 20, 1912. Overhead Irrigation. — A recent issue of The National Nurseryman states that irriga- tion by means of whirling sprayers is to be car- ried out on an e.xtensive scale in the Quincy dis- trict of Grant County, U.S.A. The apparatus consists of sprinklers much larger than those used for watering lawns and borders. The water will be lifted from a deep well by a double-action pump driven by a gasoline engine. This method has been tried on a small scale in' several American orchai'ds with good results, but it was found necessary to lay straw beneath the trees to prevent the sprinkling from beating the ground into a com25act surface. Fish Hatcheries in Canada ±iatcning fish by artificial means to stock the waters of Canada is engaged in on a large scale by the Dominior. Government. In 1909, the Dominion fish liatcheries planted no fewer than 1,024,282.000 fry in various waters throughout the coLuitry. "in 1909, only 271,996.000 fry were planted by the Government fish hatcheries. The number of hatcheries has increased from. 12 to 37. Of the 37 hatcheries now in operation, British Columbia and Quebec have eight each. Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario five each, and Manitoba and Prince Edward Island each have three. Remarkable Effect of a Parasitic Fungus.— Mr. S. Kusano in the Journal of the l^okijo Agricultural College (vol. ii.. No. 5) de- scribes a remarkable case of phyllody caused by a fungus. The fungus, Caeoma Makinoi, infects the young buds of Prunus Mume, and causes mal- formation of the organs of the flower. In some cases only part of the flower is affected ; in others all organs are subjected to more or less complete phyllody. Occasionally flowers of enormous size are produced, which possess not only green leaves brilliantly spotted with the yellow pus- tules of the fungus, but also leafy shoots. " La Vie a la Campagne."— The issue for the 15th ult. is devoted entirely to " La decoration des Anciens Jardins," by Messrs. Albert Maumene, G. Gibault and Lambert. On the front page is a portrait of the painter Le Brun, and the pages contain nearly 200 views of old- time gardens, pictures of terraces, staircases, balustrades, .«eats, fountains, cascades, vases, sundials, pergolas, and other garden appurten- ances. Publications Received. — Cucumber Cul- ture, by W. Dyke. (London : The Lockwood Press.) Price Is. — Quarterly Jourrtal of Forestry. April. (London: Laugliton & Co.) Price 2s. — Bulletins of the Midland Agricultural and Dairy College, Kingstor,-on-Soar ; Results of Field Trials on the Manuring of Swedes in the year 1911 ; Report on Field Trials with varieties of Oats in the year 1911 ; and Field Trials on the Manur- ing of Carrots. (Kingston, Derby : Midland Agri- cultural and Dairy College).— //ou; to Make an Orchard in British Columbia, by J. T. Bealby. (London: A. & C. Black.) Price Is. 6d. net.— The /\loith of England Horticultural Society Monthly Magazine and Circular, April. (Secre- tary, Rev. J. Bernard Hall, Kawdon, Leeds.) — Vines and Vine Culture, by Archibald P Barron. Filth edition, revised and enlarged. (Mrs. A. P. Barron, 13, Sutton Court Road, Cliiswick.) Price 5s. — "Present Day Gardening" Series, Edited by R. Hooper Pearson. Vol. XII. — . " Annuals, Hardy and Half Hardy," by Charles H. Curtis. (London and Edinburgh : T. 0. and E. C. Jack.) Price Is. 6d. HOME CORRESPONDENCE. CATALOGUES RECEIVED. Protheroe & Morris, 67 and 68, Cheapside— Monthly Register of Nurseries, Market Gardens, Farms, Florists' Seed Businesses and Partnerships to be Let or Sold. Charlesworth & Co., Haywards Heath, Sussex— Orchids. Clibrans, Altrinchanl— Dahlias and Bedding Plants. James Stredwick & Son, Silverhill Park, St. Leonards*on- Sea — Dahlias, {The Editors do 7wt hold themselves responsible for the opinions expressed by correspondents.) Damage to Conifers at Dropmore (see p. 245). — Lovers of these interesting trees will read with regret of the loss to the Dropmore col- lection. The Dropmore Pinus rigida is men- tioned in the Trees of Great Britain and 1 reland as being the finest known to the authors in these islands. The ne.xt best is one of three fine trees, all over 65 feet high, at Arley Castle, the tallest reaching 69 feet. I am under the im- pression that JMr. J. B. Fortescue owns at Boconnoc, his Cornish seat, another unusually fine Pinus rigida. I have no note of its height, but it would be interesting if that gentleman has lost a record tree in one estate, and still possesses the finest specimen. During the time I was engaged at Dropmore, the Tsuga brunoniana whicli has been damaged was considered to be the finest e.xample in the country, but Messrs. Elwes and Henry in the work mentioned abov?, describe a specimen at Boconnoc as being much finer, so that the natural regret felt by the owner of these estates will be softened. I well remem- ber conducting the late Professor Carl Hansen around the Conifer collection at Dropmore. The author of I'inetuni Danirum was very enthu- siastic over many of the fine specimens he in- spected, expressing his regret that the climate of Denmark did not permit Conifers generally to attain such fine proportions, but when we came to the Tsuga brunoniana his enthusiasm was unbounded. It was an ideal day for seeing the real beauty of the Hemlock Firs — a warm, sun- less day, with a gentle breeze which ever and anon stirred the delicate pendulous branches, disclosing to our admiring eyes the .silver on the underside of the green leaves. Professor Hansen stood spellbound, then, throwing his arms for- ward in an ecstasy of admiration, fell on his knees gathering up the fallen cones which lay around. But, beautiful as this specimen was, one has to visit the examples growmg in the warm, moist parts of the British Isles to see the " Indian Hemlock Fir " at its very best, for atmospheric moisture is essential to its full development, and it is not sufficiently hardy to thrive in a cold district. A. C . Bartlett. "Wake Up" Manchester. — I do not desire to help Pinus restart the Lancaster and York Wars of the Roses, since my whole object is to promote co-operation, and annihilate the old feel- ing of antagonism between Lancashire and York- shire. I therefore much regret the militant tone of Pinus' s letter in your last issue. I would like, with your permission, to make three points clear. (1) If there is " plenty of first-rate horticultural talent " in and around Manchester, why did this talent not stand by the " Royal Botanical and Horticultural Society of Manchester and the Northern Counties"? Then there had been no need of the N.E.H.S. I hope Pinus will answer this question, and say what he did to help. (2) As to a botanic or experimental garden being necessary near Leeds, P'inus shows great ignorance. Has he never heard of our unique Roundhay Park and gardens? Also, as regards an experimental garden, there is no need to start such, seeing that we have the goodwill and hearty co-operation of the experts in charge of the county council experimental gardens in the Northern Counties ! I repeat — the N.E.H.S. is not a Leeds society. (3) I trust co-operation is not mipossible? J. Bernard Hall. It is with a certain amount of amuse- ment that I have read the various letters in explanation of the inability of JNIanchester people to run a flower show successfully. The letter of Pinus in your issue of the 13th is a brave attempt to cover up the dismal failure of the Botanical Society of doing anything to fur- ther the interests of horticulture, either prac- tically or theoretically. He goes on to say that the Rev. J. Bernard Hall offering to hold shows and give lectures in Manchester under the auspices of the N.E.H.S. reminds him of the boy teaching his father how to wheel a barrow. Does it not strike Pinus that the boy in this case can teach the father how to work and organise a society to become a success. Now that we have got in the thin edge of the wedge in the Pala- tine county, it is our ambition to drive it home for all we are worth, so that we shall be true to one of the main articles of our society, that is,, the North of England Horticultural Society. I am afraid that Pinus does not know what the society is out for ; if he does not, I will quote for him the " object of the society " — " to organise horticulture (scientific, educational, and general)- in the North of England." This is always to be found on the front page of the magazine which is issued monthly to its members. On March 30 Palatine bemoans the fact that the promoters of the North of England Horticultural Society did not enter into some arrangement with the Man- chester Botanical Society before establishing a new society in the north. When the first meeting was called together on September 30, 1910, in Leeds, to discuss the advisability of forming a society for the North. I think I can speak for the majority of those present by saying it was their last wish to enter into any arrangement with any society, for we were out to bo the " top dog " in trying to do for horticulture what so many socie- ties have failed to achieve. Now that the Man- chester society have played their game and lost, why not admit defeat manfully, worthy of the cause they have been fighting for, and come and join hands with the " boy," and so strengthen the common object we have in view? P. (_' . Up to a few years ago the exhibitions held in the Botanical Gardens, at Manchester, were a kind of " Mecca " for northern horticul- turists. No doubt much of the success w-as due- to the personality of the late Mr. Bruce Findlay. Nature is generally given credit for wisely filling, gaps in her domain ; but in this case she is taking some time to do it. Having had something to do at the outset in suggesting the formation of a society which developed into the N.E.H.S., I was much interested in the remarks of Mr. Bernard Hall. One thing in connection there- with is very clear : the almost unbounded enthu- siasm and work of that gentleman has brought the N.E.H.S. to its present position. I recognise he has had the support of a strong council, some of whose members' names are household words in this country for wisdom and sound judgment. Judging by the remarks of some of your cor- respondents, it seems clear that Manchester, at any rate, is not prepared to amalgamate with the N.E.H.S. under present conditions. I fear that, ultimately, the same result will come about at both Newcastle-on-Tyne and Liverpool. Apparently the main question to settle now or shortly is how to best use the good work already done. My suggestions are as fol- low : — Retain the title N.E.H.S., with its secre- tary, council, and committees ; form branch societies at, say, Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle-on-Tyne, with Leeds as the centre f each branch to have an assistant secretary, hold monthly meetings for the exhibition of new and rare plants, fruits and vegetables. Henry J. Clayton, Ulleshelf, York. Colour of Primrose. — I was informed the other day that the modern idea with regard to the Primrose's colour is that it is not a primitive colour (although yellow in flowers is considered to be the earliest colour ne.xt after green), but an even higher development in the colour scale than red and blue. I shall be glad to know the argu- ments in favour of this idea or to be referred to some publication in which they may be found. I gather that it is the peculiar dull creamy yellow of the Primrose that is supposed to indicate its high development, and it is interesting to remem- ber ill this comiection that amongst the genus Aconitum (the Jlonkshoods) there is the sugges- tive combination of creamy yellow and blue, soma species exhibiting one colour and some the other, and some both, but in different plants. I shall' also be glad to know whether it is at all common to see Primrose plants with flowers of different colours growing from the same root, either in a wild state or cultivated. I have seen a statement of the kind, but doubt it, because one so often meets with apparent cases of this sort, which, when examined, turn out to be two seedlings ' which have come up so close together as to appear one. Are the various coloured Primroses supposed to have been derived from Primula vulgaris — the common wild Primrose — or have some of the coloured exotic species, so much like it in other respects, been drawn upon to supply the numer- ous colours from white to nearly black which it is now possible to obtain ? Finally, can anyone re- commend a recent publication dealing with tha evolution of colour in flowers? Primula. April 20, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 265 Birds and Fruit Buds. — In the closing days of February, whilst our indoor Peach trees were in flower, birds caused much damage to them. Having kept a careful watch, we found that sparrows were the cause of the mischief. They appeared to eat the top half of each flower as it opened. Nets were put over the ventilators to keep them out until the flowers were set. The sparrows have just done the same with our Peach trees out-of-doors. I never saw or heard of simi- lar damage being done by these birds before. Inside Foreman, East Lothian. Last year the fruit-buds on Apple trees here were destroyed by bullfinches and lin- nets. The birds commenced to eat the buds dur- ing the second week in March, and continued their depredations until the flowers were almost fully expanded. They had not previously touched them, and no other buds were interfered with, only those of Apple trees. This year bullfinches are the principal offenders, and' they seem to take a special delight in eating the blooms of Cox's Orange Pippin, while trees of the variety Duchess of Oldenburg are untouched. Contrary to the experience of Mr. Phillips (see p. 245) sparrows, of which we have great num- bers, never seem to touch the buds. I find that shooting the birds is the only means of preven- tion : sprayings with V'-, caustic and with Niquas has had no effect. An unusual thing occurred last year. On some of the worst trees we had a splendid second crop of bloom, and they furnished a very heavy crop of fruits, and the same thing occurred in two other gardens close by. It would be interesting to know the ex- perience of other readers on this matter. /. Smith, Mulroy Gardens, Co. Donegal. Frost and the Fruit Crops. — We ex- perienced 13° of frost on the morning of the 12th in.st., which spoiled what promised to be a splendid fruit year. The embryo fruits of Plums, Pears, and Cherries are practically all de.stroyed, and even the unopened flowers. Peaches and Apricots that were already set have also been destroyed. The gardens are situated near to a stream, which accounts for so much damage. Gooseberries and Currants seem to have escaped injury. /. /;. Wilson, Sulbi/ Hall Gardens, iVorthamptonshire. Primula rosea.— I was not a little surprised on reading in the last issue, p. 246, the remarks of your correspondent in reference to the seed- ing of Primula rosea. I have cultivated ihis Primula for many years, and it is not my experi- ence that the plant does not perfect its seeds unless pollinated artificially. Here it is grown on the north side of a cottage in a nursery, where it succeeds well. The drought of last sum- mer militated greatly against its development, many of the crowns dying, but its beautiful flowers are invariably followed by a good head of seed. So far as I can determine, every flower ; gets naturally fertilised, for no trouble "is taken i to ensure this. The seed is invariably fertile, and I have a supply of home-grown seed which, when sown, germinates with the greatest free- dom. Your correspondent does not give the posi- tion where he grows his plants. Probably, if planted in a warm border or in full sunshine, ( seeds would not develop. I have never submitted I it to such a position, regarding it as enjoying a I shady or partially-shaded situation. A. J. A. B., i Chorlton-cum-Hardy. SOCIETIES. NEW INVENTION. A NEW FLOWER POT. The Trivett Pottery Co., Lount, near Ashby- de-la-Zouch, have sent us one of their improved flower pots. Instead of the customary flat bottom, , with one large hole in the centre for drainage, the inventors have made the bottom of their pot dome shaped, and have placed a series of small drainage holes around the lower half of the dome. Three grooves, at the base at regular intervals, ensure a free circulation of air around the roots of the plant. This dome device obviates the necessity of " crocking," except perhaps in the Very large sizes ; the pot is well made, light, and sufficiently porous to grow good plants. . ROYAL HORTICULTURAL. Aprti 16. — The meeting at the Society's Hall on Tuesday la.st included a special competitive show of Narcissi. Daffodil growers made the most of the occasion to display their flowers, so that Narcissi were sho%vn extensively and well. The NABCissn.s Committee awarded several medals to groups, and conferred three Awards of Merit on novelties. The Barr Memorial Cup (fig. 124) was formally presented to the Rev. G. H. Engle- heart by Mr. H. B. May on behalf of the Memorial Fund Committee (see p. 241). Orchids made a brilliant show, and the Orchid Committee found plenty to inspect, including novelties. Aw-ards made to the latter included one First-class Certificate, and two Awai'ds of Merit. Hardy plant.s were the most numerous of the exhibits in the floral section ; besides these Roses, Carnations, Ferns, forced slu'ubs. Pelargoniums, and Rhododendrons were freely shown. The Floral Committee recommended" four Awards of Merit to new plants. Mesisrs. Sutton & Son's collection of vegetables was the only exhibit of importance before the Fruit and Vegetable Committee. At the 3 o'clock meeting in the lecture-room the Rev. Prof. G. Henslow delivered an address on " Darwin as Ecologist." Floral Committee. Present: H. B. May, Esq. (in the Chair); and IMessrs. ("has. E. Shea, George Paul, John Green, R. C. Notcutt, George Gordon, C. R. Fielder, C. Blick, J. F. McLeod, John Jennings, Wm. Howe, Wm. Bain, Herbert J. Cutbush, John Dickson, Chas. Di.xon, H. J. Jones, Arthur Tur- ner, W. P. Thomson, Edw-ard JMawley, G. Reuthe, and F. Page Roberts. Messrs. Wm. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, Lon- don, arranged a large group of flowering trees and shrubs against the side wall. The many pro- fusely-flowered bushes of Lilac, Prunus of" sorts. Wistaria sinensis. Rhododendron (Azalea) sinen- sis, R. indicum and Cytisus prsecox made a fine show. The comparatively rare Ledum latifolium compactum was shown in very good form. Messrs. Cutbush also sliowed many interesting hardy plants. Erythroiiiuin Johnstonii possesses an un- common rosy-mouve shade of colour. A fine group of Cypripedium spectabile, fronted with Sanguinaria canadensis, attracted attention. This firm also showed choice blooms of perpetual- blooming Carnations, having a selection of most of the best varieties. (Silver-gilt Flora Medal.) JMessrs. James Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, exhi- bited a selection of Hippeastrums, including such choice varieties as Hermia, Juvantes, and Otanes. In the same group there were well-flowered plants of Rhododendron (Azalea) indicum, new Gerbera hybrids, and delightful plants of the pretty pink-flowered Crowea angus- tifolia. Lopezia lineata also found a place in the collection. Messrs. Stuart Low & Co., Bush Hill Park. Middlesex, exhibited several very fine plants of Metrosideros robusta bearing large inflores- cences. Other useful and uncommon greenhouse plants included Clianthus Dampieri, .shown ex- ceedingly well ; Eriostemon myoporoides, E. linearis, and Boronia heterophylla. Jlr. H. N. Ellison, West Bromwich, staged a very pleasing arrangement of cut flowers of Gerbera hybrids, relieved with sprays of Aspara- gus plumosus nanus, in Bamboo stands rising from a groundwork of Ferns growing in small pots. The Gerberas were exceedingly good. Messrs. Gill & Sons. Treniough, Cornwall, again showed trusses of Rhododendrons, having splendid inflorescences of such choice varieties as Beauty of Tremough, Cornubia, Hodginsonii (pale lilac), Lindleyi, and such noble species as R. Aucklandii and R. Falconeri. The exhibit also contained fine flowering sprays of Erica mediter- ranea and Embotlirium coccineum. (Silver Bank- sian Medal.) ■: The Hon. H. B. Portman, Buxted Park, Uck- field, Sussex (gr. Jlr, J. Phillips), exhibited a fine group of Schizanthus hybrids. Jlessrs. H. B. May & Sons, Upper Edmon- ton, staged a cool-looking bank of stove and greenhouse Ferns. An especially fine specimen plant of Davallia fijiensis robusta occupied the centre of the exhibit. The gloriosa variety of AdiantumFarleyense, growing in very small pots, bore large fronds. (Silver Flora Medal.) Mr. James Douglas, Great Bookham, Surrey, showed a large number of exceedingly fine Auriculas. Three large pots of Myosotidiuni nobile were perfect examples of this delightful plant, and bore stout racemes of Myosotis-like flowers. (Silver Flora Medal.) Mrs. Henderson, Sedgwick Park, Horsham, exhibited a large plant of Echium fastuosum, bearing numerous spikes of blue flowers. Jlr. Phillip Ladds, Swanley, Kent, showed fine Zonal Pelargoniums, and fresh, sweet- scented Midlothian Stocks in 5-inch pots. Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent, again exhibited excellent cut blooms of Zonal Pelargoniums. (Bronze Banksian Medal.) Mr. Vincent Slade, Taunton, Somerset, staged single and double-flowered Zonal Pelargoniums, and their new Ivy-leaved variety Jliss L. H. Popham. The single Zonals included Mrs. V. Slade, a fine flower, with a pink edge, the petals being splashed with the same colour. Mr. H. J. Jones, Ryecroft, Lewisham, ex- hibited an exceedingly bright collection of fine cut blooms of single Zonal Pelargoniums. (Bronze Banksian Medal.) Roses. Messrs. B. R. Cant & Sons, Colchester, set up a fine collection of Roses. Tall stands contained blooms of Austrian Copper and Austrian Gold, whilst in boxes we noted Hugh Dickson, Mme. Melanie Soupert, Fisher Holmes, Papa Lambert, and Caroline Testout as being especially good. The new seedling bedding variety, Rose du Barri, is a very attractive flower. The collection also included" a good vase of St. Helena, a new H.T. Rose of pale pink colour, flushed with orange at the base. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Jlessrs. George Mount & Sons, Canterbury, exhibited many fresh blooms of Roses. The rich- yellow variety Lady Ilillingdon contrasted finely with tlie deep pink of Mrs. Geo. Shawyer. Other fine blooms were Caroline Testout, Lady Pirrie, the rich red Liberty, and the beautiful yellow Rayon d'Or. (Silver Banksian Jledal.) Jlessrs. W. Paul & Sons, Waltham Cross, filled a corner of the Hall with tall pot plants of Roses, chiefly of climbing varieties, such as Sylvia, Bocca negra, Tausendschon, and F'airy. (Silver Banksian Jledal.) Jlr. G. Prince, Longworth, Berkshire, ex- hibited fine cut blooms of Roses in variety. Debutante and King Edward VII were the best of the cluster Roses. In .stands there were fine blooms of Ulrich Brunner, Rayon d'Or, and Dean Hole. (Bronze Banksian Jledal.) Carnations. Mr. G. Englemann, Saffron Walden, Essex, exhibited blooms of Carnations, in large stands, of distinct colours. (Bronze Banksian Jledal.) Messrs. Allwood Bros., Hay wards Heath, Sussex, staged a good selection of cut Carna- tions, including Empire Day. a fine pink, free- flowering variety, of good substance. Fairmount is a great improvement on Jlikado. Jlr. Bertie Bell, Guernsey, again exhibited a very fine group of cut blooms "of his seedling Carnation Coronation. A Silver Flora Jledal was awarded to Jlr. H. Burnett, Guernsey, for an exhibit of perpetual- blooming Carnations, the flowers being exceed- ingly fine. An exhibit of Carnations was displayed by Jlessrs. W. Wells & Co., Jlerstham, Surrey, in which prominence was given to the fine va"riety named Wodenethe, which is described under Awards. Hardy Plants. The Buxton Hardy Plant Nurseries, Christ- church, exhibited attractive rockery plants and a fine strain of orange-coloured hybrid Polyanthus, which were arranged in a consp'icuous position on the rockery. Jlessrs. Whitelego & Page, Chislehurst, Kent, set up a low rockery in the annexe. Saxi- fraga "Pencilled Beauty," displayed in consider- able quantity, was very attractive. (Bronze Banksian Jledal.) Jlessrs. B. Ladhams, Ltd., The Shirley Nur- series, Southampton, showed a large basket of giant crimson Polyanthuses. 266 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. L-iPKiL 20, 1912. Messrs. Bare & Sons, Covent Garden, exhi- bited a neat rockery opposite the entrance. A small group of hardy Orchids included Orchis papilionacea, 0. longibracteata, and the quaint- tlovvei-ed Ophrys apitera. The white-flowered Erica lusitanica attracted the attention of lovers of hard-wooded shrubs. Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, displayed an attractive selection of dwarf-flowering shrubs and Alpines arranged in the form of a low rockery with the shrubs as a background. (Bronze Banksian Medal.) The Misses Hopkins, Shepperton-on-Thajnes, included a good clump of Gentiana acaulis in a rockery exhibit. Mr. Leslie Greening, Richmond, set up a small rockery in sombre colouring, with a drip- ping well and pool. Mr. Clarence Elliott, Seven Hills Nursery, Stevenage, arranged an excellent rockery fur- nished with suitable plants. Messrs. G. & A. Clark, Dover, staged border flowers in variety and made a small rockery. The border flowers included fine strains of Anemones and Geum Mrs. J. Bradshaw, bearing large, brightly-coloured flowers. I\Ir. R. d'E. Day, The Nursery, Sutton Scot- ney, showed Spanish Irises of different colours in large vases, the flowers being wonderfully pretty. (Bronze Banksian Medal.) Messrs. Wm. Fells k Son, Hitchin, Hertford- shire, set up a well-made rockery fuimished with appropriate plants. Mr. James Box, Lindfield, Sussex, exhibited Tree Pasonies bearing large flowers, jjnemonc Rouge Ponceau, of large size, and various Alpines. . Mr. G. REniHE, Keston, Kent, contributed a good collection of hardy Rhododendrons, Mag- nolias, and rare and choice Alpines. Messrs. Piper's, Bishop's Road. Bayswater. again set up an attractive exhibit of various plants, utilising a rockery for their display. (Sii ver Flora Medal.) The Guildford Hardy Plant Nursery staged very good hardy shrubs and rockery plant - growing in flower pots. The dainty "Viola cucul lata alba was freely flowered, as also were several pots of various species of Daphne. Mrs. Lloyd Edwards, Bryn Oerog, Llangcl len, N. Wales, showed mossy Saxifragas arrange il in Moss-covered baskets. The varieties Vivid and Crimson Pearl were bright and attractive. (Bronze Banksian Medal.) Messrs. T. S. Ware, Feltham, Middlesex, dis- played good varieties of Primula Sieboldii, P. violacea laciniata, and the dainty Libertia pul- chellum in a well-designed rockery. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Other exhibitors of hardy plants were Mr. K. PRlCH.iRD, West Moors, Wimborne ; Messrs. G. Jackman & Sons, Woking (Bronze Banksian Medal) ; and Mr. M. Prichard, Christchurch. Hampshire, who showed well-flowered plants of Daphne Fioniana, Reatensia Virginia, and a selec- tion of dwarf Phloxes. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Messrs. John Peed & Sons, West Norwood, exhibited a good selection of Alpines planted in a rockery. Sedum (Rhodiola) tenuifolium rubra appeared especially desirable. COMPETITIVE DAFFODIL CLASSES. Owing to the exceptionally early season and drying winds, many competitors experienced a difficulty in finding blooms for the classes in wrhich they had entered. Unfortunately, several classes had no exhibits, and in some others the entries were few. Those classes for varieties not in commerce were better filled. Open Classes. The Gold Medal offered for the best collection of Daffodils in 3 blooms of 48 distinct varieties, was awarded to Mr. C. Bourne, Simpson, Bletch- ley, who was the only exhibitor. Considering the exceptional season, the collection was one of great merit, and the award was fully deserved. The 1st prize for the best exhibit of 12 long trumpet Daffodils was won by Mr. J. Mallen- DER, Scrooby, Bawtry. Blooms of The Miller's Daughter, and an unnamed seedling were very fine. Mr. Mallender was the only exhibitor in the class for 12 Incomparabilis Daffodils, and was awarded the 2nd prize. The best 12 Daffodils of the Barri section were shown by Mr. F. H. Chapman, Eotherside Gar- dens, Rye. The varieties Cossack, Odalisque, and Satellite were excellent. Mr. Chapman also exhibited the best nine Poeticus varieties, having Horace and Kestrel in good form. Mr. J. Mallender was awarded the 1st prize in the class for 12 Leedsii Daffodils. Seedling and New Daffodils. The Silver Cup offered for the best 12 varieties of Narcissi introduced into commerce during or since 1907 was awarded to Mr. C. Bourne, whose best blooms were Golden Idol (a magnificent trumpet Daffodil), Lemon Belle, and Queen of Hearts. The best 12 Daffodils not in commerce were shown by Mr. E. M. Crosfield, Bridgwater, who showed five varieties under numbers. Of the named kinds, Dick Turpin and Mougli, of the parvi-coronata section, and Honey Maid, a short-trumpet Daffodil, were very fine. 2nd, Mr. F. Chapman. The Duke of Rutland, Belvoir Castle, Grant- ham (gr. Mr. W. H. Divers), exhibited the best six Daffodils not yet in commerce. The Duke and the Duchess of Rutland (pale trumpet Daffo- dOs) are both good blooms. Fig. 124. — BARR memorial cup. (Awarded 10 the Rev. G. H. Eiigleheart. See pp. 241, 26S.) Mr. C. Bourne was awarded the 1st prize for the best three Daffodils not yet in commerce. The variety Golden Idol was especially good. The best six seedling blooms, raised by the exhibitor and not in commerce, were shown by Mr. E. M. Crosfield, whose Touchstone, Mougli, and Anchorite (all parvi-coronata blooms) were exceedingly fine. 2nd, Messrs. E. H. Krelage & Son, Haarlem. Mr. A. M. Wilson exhibited the finest collec- tion of three seedling Daffodils. The best Barri Daffodil was Queen of Hearts, shown by Mr. C. Bourne ; the best trumpet Daffodil, Mrs. Ernest H. Krelage. shown by Messrs. Krelage, Haarlem : whilst Anthea, as shown by Mr. W. B. Cranfield. proved to be the fines't Leedsii bloom. Mr. Cranfield ex- hibited, in Venetia, the finest Triandrus hybrid, and in Crossbow the best P"eticus variety. Mr. H. R. Darlington, Potters Bar, won the prize offered by Mr. Chester J. Hunt for six Leedsii Daffodils. Amateur Classes. The exhibits in this section were restricted to varieties in commerce. The premier prize for 24 varieties, distinct, three stems of each variety, was won by the Rev. T. Duncomde, Black Tor- rington, Devon. His best blooms were Red Chief, Juliet, and Chryseis. 2nd, Mr. D.arlinq- ton. Mr. Bu-S'COMBE also showed (a) the best six long-trumpet Daffodils, (b) the best six Incom- parabilis blooms, and (c) the best six Barri flowers. These were very meritorious collec- tions. Mr. II. R. Darlington, who was awarded the 1st prize for (a) the best six Leedsii, (b) six Poeticus, and (c) three double Daffodils, staged many good examples. Certain classes were open to amateurs who did not compete in those already mentioned. Mr. W. B. Cranfield won the 1st prize for the best 12 varieties representative of the various divisions. The 2nd prize was awarded to Mr. J. Banks, Crawley. Mr. R. Morton exhibited the best three trumpet varieties, and Mr. W. B. Cranfield excelled in a similar class. Mr. Morton was awarded the 1st prize for (a) three Incomparabilis varieties, (b) three Barri, and (c) three Leedeii varieties. The best three Barri blooms in division 3a were shown by Jlr. W. B. Chaxfield, who also exhibited the best Poeticus Daffodils. AWARDS. Awards of Merit. Freesia " Le Phare." — A very floriferous variety raised by Jlr. Van Tueergen. The flowers are smaller than those of F. refracta, and less sweetly scented. Its uncommon colour, a violet shade of rose, will make this variety a valuable addition to the Freesias in cultivation. (Shown by Mr. C. G. van Tubergen, Jun.) Cineraria hyhrida (Cineraria cruenta X Senecio tussilaginis). — The white flowers have pale-blue tips to their petals and purplish centres. The plants are very floriferous, and of a grace- ful habit. (Shown by Messrs. Jas. Veitch & Sons, Ltd.) Carnation " Wocienethe." — A fine, white- flowered variety of the perpetual-blooming type. The blooms are very large, with fimbriated petals of good substance, and possess the fragrance of Mrs. Sinkins Pink. (Shown by Messrs. W. Wells & Co.) Alpine Auricula " Boxborough." — A splen- did variety with a stout umbel of deep-blue flowers, slightly paler at the edges. The " pips " are 1} inch across. (Shown by Mr. Jaues Douglas.) Narcissus Committee. Present: E. A. Bowles, Esq. (in the Chair); Miss F. W. Currev, Miss E. Willmott, Canon Fowler, Rev. G. H. Engleheart ; Messrs W. Poupart, H. Backhouse, G. Reuthe, C. Bourne, F. Herbert Chapman, W. F. M. Copeland, Arthur R. Goodwin, W. T. Ware, E. M. Cros- field, P. R. Barr. R. W. Wallace, P. D. Williams, Chas. Dawson, J. D. Pearson, H. A. Denison, J. T. Bennett-Poe, AV. A. Watts, W. Goldring, Alex. M. Wilson, G. W. Leak, F. Barchard, Joseph Jacob. Herbert Smith, Jan de Graaff, and C. H. Curtis (secretary). Messrs. B.arr & Sons, Covent Garden, set up a very fine selection of Daffodils. Many good sorts were show-n under numbers, and, besides the better-known standard varieties we especially noted Agnes Harvey (a white triandrus hybrid), Dosoris (incomparabilis with an especially bright corona). Cloth of Gold, Moonbeam (» chaste Leedsii variety), and Coeur de Lion. The new seedling varieties were very prominent, the poetaz blooms being characterised by deep, brightly-coloured " eyes " and white perianths of good substance. (Silver-gilt Flora iledal.) Miss F. W. Curkey, Lismore, Ireland, in- cluded some exceedingly bright-eyed blooms of incomparabilis and poetaz varieties in a fine collection of Narcissi. The varieties Will Scarlet, Sunspot and Cossack were especially good. (Silver-gilt Flora Medal.) Messrs. R. H. Bath. Ltd., Wisbech, exhibited' Narcissus and Tulips. The best blooms amongst the former were Sulphureus (a double flower). Matchless (parvi-coronata), Buttercup (a Jonquil hybrid). Queen of Poets (wliich has a fine, bright eye), Clarina (white and yellow, the tube has more colour), and Whitewell (a fine incom- parabilis bloom). (Silver Flora Medal.) Mr. H. D. Phillips, Wulverle. Olton, War- ' wickshire, exhibited a good many blooms in th» . April 20, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 267 annexe. Apricot Queen (which has a broad orange coloured eye), Wave Crest (a broad- petalled triandrus hybrid), Lila (an almost pure white triandrus hybrid). Golden King (a rich yellow trumpet variety), Bernardino, and the old Queen of Spain were all shown well. (Silver Flora Medal.) Messrs. Cartweight & Goodv?in, Kidder- minster, included such good varieties as Titanic (a broad-mouthed trumpet Daffodil), Nemesis (frilled trumpet, which opens a clear primrose yellow, and when mature becomes pale apricot in colour), and Scarlet Gem (a pale yel- low, fiery "eyed" Narcissus). Ethelbert, with paler eye, is a pleasant change from its more tierv congeners. Josette, Marina and Longfellow were also very good. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Mr. Christoi'Her IJourne, Simpson, Bletch- ley, exhibited a collection of Narcissi, amongst which we noticed Dewdrop (Incomparabilis), Imperialist (a large flower with a broad, orange- coloured eye), and Orange King (a rich yellow trumpet Daffodil). (Silver Banksian Medal.) The Lissadel Bulb Farm, Sligo, showed very fine Narcissi. Many seedlings, as yet unnamed, wei-e of considerable promise, especially those of the poetaz and incomparabilis sections. (Silver Banksian Medal.) Robert Sydenh.^m, Limited, Birmingham, staged Narcissi, Liliums, Tulips, and Lily-of-the- Vailey. Amongst the Narcissi Bert Pouting, Great Warley, Moonbeam, and Stonechat were noteworthy varieties. The Rev. G. H. Englehe.irt, Dinton, Salis- bury, again e.xhibited some fine seedling Nar- cissi under numbers. There was an immense trumpet bloom with a deep primrose-coloured trumpet, and paler perianth. Many of the poetaz flowers were round as a penny, and their vivid "eyes" contrasted startlingly with the white perianths. Jlr. Alex. M. Wilson, Bridgwater, exhibited a small, but select, collection of seedling Daffodils, mostly indicated by numbers. Of the few named varieties Anchorite and Tinsel (parvi- coronata varieties), Zouave (which has a very broad bright-rimmed "eye"), and Victor are especially noteworthy. Messrs. Hogg & Robertson. Rush, Co. Dublin, exhibited an interesting collection of Narcissi and Tulips. Messrs. E. H. Krelage & Son, Haarlem, ex- hibited, in Hope of Holland, a monster, rich- yellow trumpet Daffodil. Awards of Merit. NarcisKvs "Mrs. Ernrst H. Krehi/je." — A creamy-white trumpet variety with a long tube ; the tlower stalks are long and stout. (Shown by Messrs. E. H. Krelage & Son.) A'. " Srrille." — A very fine parvi-coronata variety with a white perianth, and a crown of Seville-orange colour, which measures 1| inches across. (Shown by Mr. H. D. Phillips.) A^. "Silver Spattrfh." — A dainty parvi- coronata variety. The perianth is white, and the crimped corona is of a pale yellow shade. (Shown by Jlr. F. H. Chapman.) Orchid Committee. Present: J. Gurney Fowler, Esq. (in the Chair) ; and Messrs. Jas. O'Brien (hon. sec), Harry J. Veitch, Gurney Wilson. F. Sander, H. G. Alexander, H. J. Chapman, T. Armstrong. J. Charlesworth, W. H. Hatcher, J. E. Shill. W. P. Bound, A. Dve, W. H. White, F. Peeters, J. Wilson Potter, J. S. IVIoss, F. J. Hanbury, J. Cypher. C. J. Lucas, Stuart Low, R. G. Thwaites. and R. A. Rolfe. Jlrs. Norman Cookson, Oakwood, Wylam (gr. Mr. H. J. Chapman), was awarded a Silver Flora Medal for a pretty group of exceedingly well- grown Odontoglossums. which included the fine 0. crispum Leonard Perfect, 0. c. Angela, 0. c. Pittite, 0. c. Chapmanii, several pretty, home- raised, blotched varieties ; 0. ardentissimum Cooksonise, other forms of 0. ardentissimum, 0. eximium, 0. percultum, 0. Titania, and 0. Solum. Forms of Odontioda Cooksonia gave bright colour to the group. Messrs. .J. Cypher & Sons, Cheltenham, staged an effectively-arranged group, for which a Sil- ver Flora Xiedal was awarded. Good varieties of Cattleya Schriiderse, C. Jlendelii, C. Skin- neri, Lselia purpurata and Odontoglossum crispum formed the setting of the group, and with them were noted Odontoglossum Edwardii, Masdevallia Veitchii grandiflora, M. ionocharis, M. Chamberlainiana, Maxillaria luteo-alba, Mil- tonia stellata, and choice Cypripediums. Messrs. Sander & Sons, St. Albans, secured a SUver Flora Medal for an interesting group, which included a fine display of Cattleya Schro- derae with flowers ranging from pure white to those with violet front to the labellum. A good batch of Dendiobium Devonianum occupied one end of the exhibit, whilst a selection of Dendi'o- biums, including D. capillipes, D. velutinum, D. Parishii, D. carinatum, D. Falconeri, and other Dendrobiums were staged at the other. Specially interesting were Jlegaclinium maximum, Acan- thophippium sylhetense, Cattleya guatemalensis, and, amongst hybrids, the beautiful Laelio-Cat- tleya Cora var. ignea (C. Mendelii x L. Latona), a pretty copper-ycUow-tinted flower with the inner halves of the petals and the front of the lip bright purple. There were also observed L.-C. rigida (C. Lawrenceana x L. snperbiens), a soft- rose-tinted flower, and many choice seedlings. Messrs. Hassall & Co., Southgate, were awarded a Silver Flora Medal for a collection which embraced fine forms of Cymbidium eburneo-Lowianum, C. Lowianum concolor, and Fig. i25.^odontoglossum crispum saga. (Awarded R.H.S. First-cTa"s Certificate on Tuesday last.) Cattleyas. At one end was arranged the deep- yellow-coloured Lselio-Cattleya G. S. Ball, and at the other end the bright-red-flowered Renanthera Imschootiana. Other choice plants noted were Odontioda Zephyra, 0. Bradshawiae, Odontoglos- sum percultum, Cattleya intermedia alba, the pure-white-flowered Trichopilia Backhousiana, several bright forms of Lselio-Cat-leya Olivia, and Miltonia Bleuana. Messrs. Charlesworth & Co., Hay wards Heath, were awarded a Silver Banksian Medal for a select group, consisting principally of hybrids. Among them were Brasso-Laelio- Cattleya Joan (C. Octave Doin x B.-L. Mrs. Gratrix), a yellow flower with rose veining on the front of the fringed lip ; Sophro-LEelio-Cat- tleya Marathon, Lfelio-Cattleya Dominiana, the clear-white Brasso-Cattleya Queen Alexandra, the rose-tinted B.-C. Digbyano-Warneri, fine forms of Odontoglossum ardentissum, 0. Louise, 0. Dora, and other Odontoglossums, Odontioda Charlesworthii, 0. Bradshawiae, and 0. Cook- sonias. Messrs. Stuart Low & Co., Bush Hill Park, were awarded a Silver Banksian Jledal for an effective group, in which forms of Dendro- bium nobile and other Dendrobiums were well displayed. Among the Odontoglossums we ob- served the rose-purple 0. Groganiae, various scar- let Odontiodas, the yellow-flowered Oncidium con- color, 0. sarcodes, and Cymbidium Devonianum. Messrs. M.-vcBean, Cooksbridge, were awarded a Silver Banksian Medal for a group of fine forms of Cattleva Scluciderae, C. Mendelii (includ- ing one with a fine white flower having a deep magenta-crimson-coloured front to the lip), and C. Mossiae. Excellent Odontoglossums included a superb form of 0. ardentissimum with large, white flowers heavily blotched with claret-purple, and 0. Solum, marked with deep chocolate-purple blotches. Odontioda Lambeauiana and 0. Charlesworthii were also noted in this exhibit. The Liverpool Horticultural & Nursery Co. (.John Cowan) secured a Silver Banksian Medal for a group of the clear-yellow Laelio- Cattleya G. S. Ball, with which were arranged other hybrid Orchids ; also Cattleya intermedia alba and C. Lawrenceana. Baron Bruno Schroder, The Dell, Englefield Green (gr. Mr. J. E. Shill), showed Cattleya Schriiderae Empress, a fine form with peach-blos- sora-tinted flowers, having an orange disc to the lip. The plant bore three spikes, one with five and the others with three flowers. Francis Welleslet, Esq., Westfield, Woking (gr. Mr. Hopkins), showed the beautiful Laslio- Cattleya Bertram (see "Awards"), and the richly-coloured L.-C. Mrs. Henriques, a fine hybrid, of which C. Hardyana was probably a parent. J. Gurney Fowler, Esq., Glebelands, South Woodford, showed two fine but dissimilar varieties of Cattleya Schroderse. J. T. Bennett-Poe, Esq., Holmewood, Cheshunt (gr. Mr. Downe-s), sent a fine spike of Cymbidium Lowianum " Holme- wood variety," the front of the lip of which is a deep chestnut- red colour. A. Warren. Esq., The Cedars, Epsom (gr. Mr. A. Bridges), ex- hioited the white form of Aerides virens. Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., V.M.H., Gatton Park (gr. Mr. Collier), showed Odontioda gat- tonensis (Odontoglossum poly- xanthum x Cochlioda Noez- liana), a beautiful scarlet flower, with a yellow ground. E. H. Davidson, Esq., Bor- Ir.ses, Twyford, showed Cattleya Schroderse alba " Borlases var- iety," a beautifully - formed, clear-white flower. F. D. GoDMAN, Esq., South Lodge, Horsham, displayed Los- lio-Cattleya Endymion (lumi- nosa X callistoglossa), Odonto- g 1 o s s u m Godmanii, and specimens of the rose-purple Pleione yunuanensis. Monsieur F. Lameeau, Brus- sels, showed Miltonia Hyeana lirge, white variety, much re- plants shown as AI. vexiUaria Queen Alexandra. Messrs. Peeters, Brussels, showed Miltonia vexillaria Jurval, a well-formed flower, tinted with pink, and bearing a brownish-yellow mask on the lip. Monsieur F. Claes, Brussels, exhibited three plants of his variety of Cattleya Mendelii, dis- tinguished by bright violet colouring on the lip, several specimens of C. Schroderse, and Odonto- glossum Pescatorei Mouche d'Or, with a golden crest to the lip. H. T. Pitt, Esq., Rosslyn, Stamford Hill (gr. Mr. Thurgood), staged a small collection, in- cluding Cypripedium Chapmanii, Lselio-Cattleya Rosslyn iL. Boothiana x C. Lawrenceana), and two hybrid Odontoglossums. AWARDS. First-class Certificate. Odontoglossum crispum Saga (see fig. 125), from J. Gurney Fowler, Esq., Glebelands, South Woodford (gr. Mr. J. Davies). A beautiful variety, shown in splendid condition, the plant having a magnificent spike of 17 flowers. The flowers have the segments equally broad and fringed; they are white, with two-thirds of their surface bearing rich, reddish-purple blotches. Vogelzang, a sembling the Awards of Merit. Cattleya Mendelii Thule, from Fowler, Esq. A J. Gurnet large white varretv, with a 268 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 20, 1912. slight blush tint on the front of the lip, which has a pale-yellow disc. Lrclio-CattUya Bertram (L.-C. Hopkinsii X L.-C. Cappci), from Francis Wellesley, Esq., Westfield, Woking. A richly-coloured, distinct hybrid, with large, golden-yellow flowers, the petals being veined with liglit crimson. The lip is almost entirely of a deep ruby-red, the vein- ing being darlier in colour. Cultural Commendation to Mr. Stables, gardener to De B. Crawshat, Esq., Rosefield, Sevenoaks, for a plant of Odon- toglossura Souvenir de Victor Hye de Crom, bearing a spike 6 feet 4 inches in height, and having 21 flowers and flower-buds. Fruit and Vegetable Committee. Present: A. H. Pearson, Esq. (in the Chair); Messrs. J. Cheal, 0. Thomas, J. Jaques, H. S. Bivers, J. Harrison, J. Willard, A. Bullock, J. Davis, A. R. Allan, A. Grubb, A. Dean, W. H. Divers, A. W. Metcalfe, and W. Humphreys. Two boxes of excellent fruits of Royal Sovereign Strawberry were shown by Jlrs. Bischoffstein, Warren House, Stanmore (gr. Mr. J. W. King). The berries were especially good in a season when pot Strawberries have fruited so indifferently. (Silver-gilt JMedal.) Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, again showed an excellent collection of vegetables displayed in the most attractive manner. The quality of the produce was exceptionally good. In the centre of the display there was a box of Mushrooms, grown from "Twentieth-century" spawn; a fine illustration of the prolific nature of this spawn. On either side of the Mushrooms there were baskets of well-hearted Cabbage Lettuces Early Paris. Other good Lettuces included White Heart and Golden Ball of the Cos type. The collection also included splendid heads of April Cabbage, Snow-white Broccoli, Satisfaction Cucumbers, Tender and True Runner Beans, Long White Turnips, Winter Beauty Tomatos, good Asparagus, French Breakfast Radishes and Mustard and Cress. (Silver-gilt Knightian Medal.) CORNWALL DAFFODIL AND SPRING- FLOWER. April 11, 12.— The 16th exhibition of this society was held on these dates in the great Market Hall at Truro. The Hon. John Boscawen, who has been hon. secretary of the society since its inception, carried out the arrangements with great success. The season being a very early one and the show comparatively late, the Daffodils were not present in such large quanti- ties as usual, some of the winners in former years not being represented. There were, however, some excellent exhibits of spring flowers, and the quality of tlie blooms was but little inferior to what lias been seen on former occasions. In the class for a collection of 30 varieties of Daffodils, in commerce or not in commerce, the 1st prize was awarded to Mr. J. C. Williams, who also gained it last year, with a splendid col- lection of seedlings raised by himself. As in former years, however, the majority of the flowers were not named, but only numbered, which somewhat lessened the interest taken in them. Amongst the most striking of the flowers were 401, with white perianth and bright orange-scarlet cup ; 266, a slightly drooping white trumpet ; A. 12, a very large Incompara- bilis variety with canary-yellow perianth and deep yellow cup; 47, white perianth and flat, ]?ale orange cup ; 142, creamy-white perianth with spreading golden cup edged with bright orange ; 184, white perianth with deep cup yellow edged orange ; the two named flowers were Sonata and Miss Clinch. Lady Margaret Boscawen won the 2nd prize. In the class for a collection of 30 varieties of Daffodils in commerce, the 1st prize was won by Mrs. Soltan-Symons, with a choice exhibit which contained, amongst others, Dorothy, Treasure Trove, Whitewell, Oriana, Cresset, Salamander, Scarlet Eye, Eoster, Red Chief, Coeur de Lion, Beacon and Ptarmigan. In 12 classes for Narcissi the price of the bulbs was limited to 10s. each. In these classes the varieties winning the prizes for single blooms were aa follow : — Magni-coronati : 1st, Mme. de Graaff ; 2nd, Weardale Perfection. Incomparabilis : 1st, Gloria Mundi ; 2nd, Consul. Barri : 1st, Red Chief ; 2nd, Ethelbert. Leedsii : 1st, Bianca ; 2nd, White Lady. Triandrus and Cyclamineus hybrids : 1st, Dorothy Kingsmill. Poeticus : 1st, Horace; 2nd, Cassandra. The 1st prize in the class for 15 varieties in commerce or not in commerce was won by Mr. P. D. Williams, with splendid flowers, including the varieties Princess, Or- molu, Madrigal, Susan, Snow King, White Wax, Moonbeam, and eight unnamed seedlings. In the classes where the price of bulbs was un- limited, the prizes for single blooms were won as follow : — Magni-coronati ; 1st, Diogenes. Incom- parabilis : 1st, Wagtail ; 2nd, Noble. Triandrus and Cyclamineus hybrids : 1st, Dorothy Kings- mill. Poeticus : 1st, Cassandra. Nurserymen showed some very fine Daffodils, Messrs. Bare & Sons, King Street, Covent Garden, who received Awards of Jlerit for the varieties Ruby and Florizel, had a very fine non-competi- tive exhibit, the choicer varieties being Marie Louise, Coeur de Lion, Cossack, Cingalee, Will Scarlett, Snow King, Cleopatra, Falcon, Peter Barr, Sheba, Snowsprite, Red Prince, Socrates and Cassandra. Messrs. Cartwright & Goodwin, Kid- derminster, also staged a fine collection of Daffodils, and received an Award of Jlerit for the variety Nemesis. Among their flowers were King Alfred, Robert Browning, Fusilier, Neptune, Circlet. White Nectarine, Glory of Leiden, Giraffe, Plenipo, Southern Star, Fairy Queen. Ben Avon, Heroine, and White Star. Rhododendrons were shown better than ever at Truro, and magnificent trusses were exhibited. For a group of Rhododendron blooms the 1st prize was won by J. C. Williams with a stand consisting principally of seedlings. Exhibits of flowering shrubs were, as usual at this show, superb, though the severe frost ex- perienced early in February killed numbers of tender shrubs. The 1st prize for 20 varieties of hardwooded flowering shrubs was won by Mr. R. Fox with Cytisusiacemosus, Pieris (Andromeda) japonica, P. formosa, Acacia diffusa. Daphne indica. Azalea carminata splendens. Camellia, Pitto- sporimi eugenioides. Magnolia Soulangeana, Daphne laureola, Staphylea colchica, Em- bothrium coccineum, Erica mediterranea, Ber- beris Darwinii, Erica Veitchii, MagnoUa stel- lata, Cerasus Watereri, Grevillea sulphurea. Erica australis and Cytisus albus. For six varieties of flowering shrubs the 1st prize was won by Sir Arthur Vivhn, who in- cluded Embrotiirium coccineum. Viburnum rugosum, Cerasus Watereri and Acacia Riceana in his exhibit. The 1st prize for a collection of 12 hardy spring flowers was won by Mr. P. D. Williams, whilst the 1st prize for six varieties of spring flowers was won by Mr. T. B. Bolitho. The 1st prize for the best three bunches of Anemones was won by Mr. R. Fox with very large specimens of crimson A. coronaria, who also staged 30 vases of this flower not for compe- tition, for which an Award of Merit was granted. For six vases of Roses the 1st prize was awarded to Lady Marg.aret Boscawen ; whilst for three vases "of Roses the 1st prize was won by Mr. G. J. Cookson. Mr. J. D. Enys showed Myosotidium nobile, Embothrium coccineum, Cerasus japonica. Magnolia Lennei, M. "Osaka," 1\I. "Alexandra," M. stellata, Prunus sinensis flore pleno. Daphne Genkwa, Rhododendrons, Ericas, Azaleas and Myosotis. Lady Falmouth and Mrs. John Williams showed branches of Camellias ; Messrs. R. Gill & Sons, Falmouth, staged a very attractive stand of Auriculas and Primula Winteri. Rev. A. T. Boscawen showed Prostan- thera rotundifolia. for which he obtained a First- class Certificate, also vases of Gladiolus tristis. Mv. J. C. Daueuz and Mr. H. Williams staged collections of Apples. The Devon Rosery Co., Torquay, received an Award of Merit for an exhibit of Pyrus JIalus floribundus, double-flowering Almond, Lilacs, Ericas, Palms, Acacias, Azaleas and some fine Clematises in full bloom. This firm also showed a large assortment of pot Roses. Messrs. Robert Veitch & Son, Exeter, were also granted an Award of Merit for a collection of giants, and received a First-class Certificate for Osmanthus Delavayi. In the collection were Ericas, Cydonia " Knaphill Scarlet," Hybrid Gerberas, Dracaena Draco, Eriostemons, Cytisus kewensis, Myrtus bullatus, Pernettya ciliaris, Daphne Cneorum, Illicium religiosum, and Rho- dodendrons. Mr. G. Reuthe, Keston, Kent, staged interest- ing plants and received an Award of Merit for the rare Bryanthus erectus and Calypso borealis. Among the other plants were the rare Narcissus triandrus pulchellus, Iris bucharica. Genista kewensis, and Daphne neapolitanum. Mr. H. E. Jephson showed Corydalis ochro- leuca, Kleinia repens, Chrysognnum virginianura, Hacquetia Epipactis, Daphne Blagayana, Ranun- culus amplexicaulis, R. graminsefolius, Geum pyrenaicum, and Corydalis Wilsonii. Awards of Merit were given to Mr. P. D. Williams for Rhododendron Garnet ; to Mr. J. C. Williams for Rhododendron Augustinii ; and to Mr. R. Fox for Rhododendron Lilianii. MANCHESTER AND NORTH OF ENGLAND ORCHID. April 4. — Committer present: Rev. J. Crombleholme (in the Chair), Messrs. R. Ash- worth, C. Parker, H. Thorp, Z. A. Ward, J. Evans, W. Holmes, A. J. Keeling, D. McLeod, and H. Arthur (secretary). Owing to the restricted railway service, the exhibits were not so numerous as usual. A Sih-cr-gill iledul was awarded to Z. A. Ward, Esq., Northenden (gr. Mr. Weatherby), for a miscellaneous group ; and Silver Medals to Col. J. Rutherford, M.P., Blackburn (gr. Mr. Lupton), for a mixed group, hybrid Cymbidiums being a feature ; Rev. J. Crombleholme, Clay- ton-le-Moors (gr. jNIr. Marshall), who showed a good batch of Cypripedium bellatulum and other Orchids; J. McCartney, Esq., Bolton (gr. Mr. Holmes), for a mixed group. Other exhibitors were Messrs. W. R. Lee, Heywood ; J. J. Holden, Southport ; A. War- burton, Haslingden; R. Le Doux, West Derby; S. Gratrix, Whalley Range ; J. Birchenall, Alderley Edge ; and J. Evans, Congleton. AWARDS. First-class Certificates. Cattleya Osiris (C. Enid superba X C. Octave Doin), Oduntoijlossnm ardentissimum variety " Plumptonense," both from W. R. Lke, Esq.; Odontotjlossum Prince of Wales (0. Wilckeanura X 0. Harryanum magnificum), from Z. A. Ward, Esq. ; and Cymbidium Pauwehii (C. . Lowianum concolor x C. insigne), creamy white, with colour in the lip, from Col. J. Rutherford, M.P. Awards of Merit. Cattleya Trianee variety Iris and C. Schrodcrce variety (Enone, both from W. R. Lee, Esq. ; Cattleya Maggie (C. Warneri alba X Brassavola Digbyana) and C. Sehriiderce variety Luminosa, both"from J. J. Holden, Esq.; Odontoglossum X Tekmachus, from Z. A. Ward, Esq. ; Odon- toglossum. crispum variety IMadouxianum, from A. Warburton, Esq. ; and Cattleya TriancR variety Ada le Doux, from R. Le Doux, Esq. UNITED HORTICULTURAL BENEFIT AND PROVIDENT. Arril 15. — The usual monthly meeting of the committee was held at the Royal Horticultural Hall, Vincent Square. Westminster, on Monday last. Mr. Charles H. Curtis presided. Three deaths have occurred since the last meeting, and the sums standing to the credit of the late mem- bers were granted to their nominees, the largest amount being £62 4s. 6d. Several members over 60 years of age withdrew their interest, and one member, over 70 y-ears of age, withdrew his deposit account amounting to £130 5s. 2d., leav- ing £10 in the society till death. The amount of sick pay for the month was £57 15s. The matter of the Government Insurance Act as affecting the society is now in the hands of the actuary. April 20, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 269 ©bituav|). George Wren Piper.— The death of this well-known rosarian and nurseryman, of Uck- field, Sussex, took place on the 9th inst. Mr. Piper, who was 74 years of age, had been in fail- ing health for some time past and lived in com- parative retirement. A quarter of a century ago he was a frequent e.xhibitor at the best Rose shows. He introduced to commerce the well- known, tea-scenbed Roses Sunrise (1899) and Peace (1903). Mr. Piper commenced business some 60 years ago at the Nurseries, Ridgwood, Uckfield. The firm will be carried on by the youngest son, Mr. Thomas Wren Piper. John B. Lyall.— Mr. John B. Lyall, who died on April 10, at his home. Brae Cottage, Drumlithie, Kincardineshire, aged 85, was a well- known Scottish botanist. For a number of years he was master of the Grammar School, Peebles, and made a study of the botany of the district, contributing the chapters on the flora of Peebles to the local Guide in such a manner that his work is still recognised as authoritative. He retired nearly 30 years ago, and devoted a great part of his leisure to the pursuit of botany in the Glenbervie and Fordoun districts of Kincardine. James Blacklock. — Mr. James Blackloek, for about 30 years gardener to the family of Sir Mark J. M'Taggart-Stcwart, Bart., at" Soutli- wick, Kirkcudbrightshire, died at Castle Doug- las, on the 12th 'inst. Mr. Blackloek has suf- fered from ill-health for some time past, this necessitating his retirement about three years ago. Michael H. Lawlor.— We learn from the American papers of the death of Mr. Lawlor at the age of 63. Mr. Lawlor. in conjiniction with Mr. S. B. Parsons, imported to Long Island, N.Y., many rare trees from this country, and was also very successful in transplanting large trees to considerable distances. Patrick McKENNA.-Mr. Patrick McKenna, a native of Ireland, difd at Cote des Neiges, Quebec, at the advanced age of 93. After work- ing for a time as a private gardener, he founded in Montreal the successful firm of P. McKenna and Sons, from which he retired twenty years ago. DEBATING SOCIETIES. BRISTOL & DISTRICT GARDENERS'. — The loniiislulv niePtniK of this associallon was he'.A on March U, when Dr. Shaw presided over a sood aiteiidance of meuileis. A lecture on " Vegelables " was dehvered by Mr. BiiifieUl, gardener to Colonel Tagarl, Sneyd Park, Ihe lecturer dealt principally with the Potato, Onion, Kunnec Beans, and Green Pea. STIRLING & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL.- A meeting of this association was held on the 2nd inst Mr. Jas. Johnston presiding. Mr. Grant, Fernhall Gar- dens, Broughty Ferry, gave a lecture on " Winter Decora- tion of the Flower Garden." After referring to the various st)'^es of bedding in vogue and the plants used for winter bedding, Mr. Grant spoke at length on the suitability 01 the variegated Kale as a bedding plant, and showed a large collection with colours ranging from white to creamy yellow, through all the shades of rosy-lilac to deep purple. Full cultural details were given from «eed- sowing in April to the cutting down in May of the f oflow- ing vear. Rigid selection should be practised when the seedlings are transplanted in poor soil in the reserve gardens, again at the time of planting in the beds, and nnally when selecting the seed parents. CROYDON & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL.- . Itie members of this society met on Tuesday, the 2nd inst., at the Sunflower Teniper.ince Hotel, George Street, When a lecture was delivered by Mr. Harry Boshier on 1 11, , ■ .1 °l '."?" °" Monday, the of the Reading Association, and, on this occasion, Mr. W. Wells, jun., journeyed to Reading as delegate from the Red- hid and Reigate Society. Mr. Wells' subject was " Early- fiowering Chrysanthemums." He gave instructions as to the treatment of cuttings so as to secure good sturdy plants, whether required for pot culture or for planting out. He also gave a resume of the remarkable developments made with the flower from the year 1846 until the present time, and drew attention to the simple manner in which Chry- santhemums may be raifed from seed. Finally Mr. Wells gave a comprehensive selection of the best varieties to grow IM ARKETS. THE WEATHER. The Following Summary Record of the weather throughout the British Islands, for the week ending April 13, is furnished from the Meteorological Office: — GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. The -uvn(;ifr.— During the early half of the week the con- ditions were very unsettled, with pin or passing showers in all districts, and a considerable quantity of sleet and snow in the north. The later days of the period were generally fair or fine, but a few local showers occurred— mostly in the east and north. The temperature was below the normal except in Ireland S. and the English Channel, but the difterence was slight except in the norih of Scotland. The highest of the maxima were recorded at most stations either on the 7th or 13th, and ranged from BS" in the Midland counlies and 62" in some other English districts to 62° in Scotland N. The lowest of the minima, which occurred generally be- tween the 9th and 12lh, ranged from 20" in Scotland E. and 23° in England b.E. to 40" in the English Channel. The lowest grass rea.iings reported were 14^^ at Birming- ham and Newton Rigg, 1.5" at Raunds and Wisley, and 16° at Kew and Wcrksop. Both at 1 foot and 4 feet below the surface of the soil the temperatute was still above the average. The iHfmi temperature of the sra.— The water was again warmer than during the corresponding week of last year on alu o,t all parts of our coast, and its temperature was generally above the average. The mean for the week range! from about 60" on the south-west coast of England to 42" at Cromarty and Burnmouth. The rainfall was less than the average except in Scot- land N. and E. At Stornoway and Fort Aigustus as much as 1-2 inch was recorded on the 7th, and at Gleiicarron 2'7 mches. On the 8th the snow at Lerwick yielded 0"96 inch of water. In various parts of eastern and south. eastern England the rain was very slight ; at Totten- ham, Wisley and Dungeness there was none. The bright sunshine was above the average ia Ihe eastern section, and also in England N.W. ; below it elsewhere. The mean daily duration amounted to about 7 hours in Eng'and E. and S.E., and the percentage of the possible duration in those districts was as high as 52. In Ireland the mean daily duration was less than 4 hours, and the per- centage only 27 i while in Scotland N. the daily duration, less than 3 hours, was equal to only 21 per cent, of the possible. THE WEATHER IN WEST HERTS. Week ending April 77. The present itry weather has now lasted for sixteen oiiv.!.— Ihe past week was, on the whole, a cold one. There were live warm days, but the nights were with one exception, cold. On the coldest night the ex- posed iheimonieter registered 16" of frost, making this the coldest niahl, with three exceptions, that I have yet recorded heie in April. The ground, notwiihstanding the cold nights, IS still 2" warmer than is seasonable, both at 1 and 2 fett deep. The recent wet period lasted 8 weeks, and came to an end with March, since which time, that IS to say duiiiig the first 16 days of the present month less than a tenth of an inch of rain has fallen. There has been no percolation through either of the soil gauges for oays. The sun shone on an average for nearly 7 hours a day, which IS IJ hours a day in excess of the average duration for the middle of April. This was a very calm week ; in fact, in the last 6 days the mean velocity at dO feet above the ground has in no hour exceeded 5 miles The average amount of moisture in the air at 3 o'clock in the afternoon fell short of a seasonable quantity for that hour by 7 per cent. E. U., Berkhamsted, ^pril 77, 1912. LAW NOTE. FAILURE OF A JIARKET GARDENER. A MEETING of the creditors of Henry William Axten, market gardener and baker, recently of Colnbrook, Bucks., and also of Limpson, Mitidle- sex, took place on the 11th inst. The t;ross liabilities amounted to £1,507 14s. 8d., of w^hich £1,493 13s. 6d. was due to unsecured orders. The assets consisted of £80 143. 7d., which included an Item of £50 12s. 5d. as good book debts ; the balance at bank amounted to 2s. 2d., whilst the stock in trade was valued at £15. In the course of his examination debtor stated that he commenced business as a baker at Oiln- brook in 1896; in 1905 he started the market gardening business on a capital of £500, which he borrowed from his father. He attributed his failure to losses on fruit gardens owing to bad seasons. In the absence of a quorum of creditors, the estate was left in the hands of the Official Receiver. COVENT GARDEN, April 17. [We cannot accept any responsibility for the subjoined te[iorts. They are furnished to us regularly every Wednesday, by the kindness of several of the principal salesmen, wno are responsible for the quotations. It must be remembered that these quotations do not repre- sent the prices on any particular day, but only tha general averages for the week preceding the date of out report. The prices depend upon the quality of the samples, the way in which they are packed, the supply m the maritet, and the demand, and they may fluctuate, not only from day to day, but occasionally several times in one day. — Eos.l Cut Flowers &c.: Aierage Wholesale Prlou. s.d. s.d s.d. s,d. Arums (Richardias 16-20 Narcissus, per doz Azalea, per dozei bunches ; bunches 3 6-40 — Barrii 2 0-26 — mollis, pet Orchids, Cattleya bunch 16-19 per doz. ' 12 0 — Camellias, per box — Odontoglossui 1 of 18's and24's 16-20 crispum 3 0-40 Carnations, p. doz. Pelargoniums blooms, best p. dz. bunches 4 0-50 AmericBn var. 16-19 — Double Scarle 8 0-12 0 — smaller, per Primroses, per doz doz. bunches 10 0-15 0 bunches 0 9-10 — Carola, crim- Roses, 12 blooms son, extra large 2 6-30 — Bridesmaid, 10-16 Eucbans, per doz. 3 0-36 — C. Meriiiet ... 10-16 Gardenias, per box — F r a u K a r of 15 and 18 Druschki 2 0-26 blooms 2 0-40 — General Jac- Iris (Spanish), per queminot 10-13 doz. bunches : — Liberty 2 0-40 — white, mauve. — Madame A. yellow and blue Chateney 2 0-40 12 0-18 0 — Niphetos 16-26 Lilac, per bunch — Richmond ... 2 0-36 white 2 6-30 — Sunrise 10-10 — mauve 3 0-36 — President Car- Liliuni auratuin not a 0- 3 0 per bunch — lo n g i fl oruiii. 4 0-50 — Lady Roberts 2 0-26 — Lady Hilling- long, per doz. 2 6-30 don 2 0-26 — short, per doz. 2 0-26 — Franz Decgan 3 0-36 — laiicifoliuin — Kaiserine 16-30 alba, long 2 0-26 Spiraea (Astilbe) ja- — — short 16-20 ponica, per. doz. — speciosum rub- bunches 4 0-50 rum, dz. blooms Sweet Peas (white), — long 19-20 pr. doz. bnchs. 16-20 — short 0 9-10 Tulips, per bunch : — double pink ... Lily of the Valley, 0 6-0 9 p. dz. bunches; yellow 10-16 — extra special ... 16 0-18 0 scarlet 13-16 — special 10 0-12 0 — p. dz. bunches : — ordinary 80 — — white 8 0-90 Marguerite, per — yellow 6 0-70 doz. bunches: — scarlet 6 0-80 — Yellow 2 0-26 — bronze 8 0-90 Myosotis (Forget- — pink 6 0-80 me-not), p. dz. — Darwin, all bunches 3 0-40 shades, per bunch Narcis'us, per doz. 0 9-10 bunches: Violets.p. dz. bchs. 18-20 — Emperor 2 6-30 — Princess of — Grandee 2 0-26 Wales, perdoz. — Orange Phcenix 2 0 — bunches 3 0-40 — Poeticus 10-13 — Parma 2 0-26 — Sir Watkin ... 16-20 Wallflowers, per — Poetariuni ... 16-20 dozen bunches 2 0-26 Cut Foliage, Ac: Average Wholesale Prioes. s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. Ad ian t um Fern Croton foliage, var- (M aidenhair). ious, per dozen best, dz. bnchs. 7 0-80 bunches 12 0-15 0 Agrostis (Fairy Cycas leaves, arti- Grass), per dz. ficial, per doz. 3 0-12 0 bunches 2 0-40 Eulalia japonica, A sparag us plu- per bunch 10-16 mosus, long Moss, jier gross ... 6 0 — trails, pr. Jdoz. 16-20 Myrtle, dz. bchs. — medium, doz. (English), bunches ... 12 0-18 0 small. leaved ... 6 0 — — Sprengeri ... 10 0-12 0 — French 10 — Carnation foliage. Smilax. per bunch doz. bunches... 4 0-1 of 6 trails IS - Plantain Pots, &c. : Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Acacia lineata, 48's, per dozen ... 18 0-21 0 Aralia Sieboldii, p. dozen 6 0-70 AraucarJa excelsa, per dozen ... ]8 0-21 0 Asparagus pin mo- susnaniis.p.dz. 10 0-12 0 — Sprengeri ... 8 0-90 Aspidistra, p, dz., green ... .. 21 0-30 0 — variegated ... 30 n-fiO 0 Azaleas, per doz. 36 0-42 0 Boronia Megaslig- ma, 48's,p, dz. 21 0-24 0 Cinerarias, pr. dz. 8 0-90 Cocos Weddeli- ana.per dozen: — 60's 6 0-12 0 — larger, each .. 2 6-10 6 Croton, per dozen 18 0-30 0 Cyperus alterni- foliiis, per doz. 5 0-60 — laxiis, per doz. 4 0-50 Daffodils, per doz. 6 0-80 Dracaena, green, per dozen ... 10 0-12 0 Ericas, per dozen : — Willmorei, 4S's 15 0-18 0 — persoluta ... 27 0-30 0 Ferns, in thumbs, per 100 8 0-12 0 ' s.d. s.d. Ferns, in small and large OO's ... \2 0-20 0 — in 48';, doz. ... 6 0 — — clioicei, sorts per doz. ... 8 0-12 0 — m Si's, per dozen 10 0-18 0 Ficns elastica, per dozen 9 0-12 0 Genistas, 48's, per doz 10 0-12 0 Geonotna gracilis, 60's, per dozen 6 0-80 — larger, each ... 2 G- 7 6 Hyacinths white & ctrd..p. dz.pots 10 0-12 0 Hydrangeas, white, 4if's, per dozen 18 0 21 0 Kentia Belniore- ana, per dozen 5 0-42 0 -~ Fosteriaiia, 60's, per dozen 4 0- G 0 — larger, per doz. 18 0-60 0 I.atania borbonica, per dozen ... 12 0-30 0 L f 1 i u in 1 o n g i - flornni, p. doz. 20 0-21 0 — lancifolimn ru- brum in pots, per dozen ... 15 0 18 0 — lane i folium alba 15 0-18 0 270 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 20, 1912. Plftiits In PotB, ac: Average Wholesale Prices (Contdj. Marguerites, white, per dozen Mignonette, 48's, per dozen Paudanus Veitchii, per dozen B.d. s.d.| 8 0-10 0 6 0- 80 36 0-43 0 1" Phoenix each Spirasa per pots ' — Pink rupicola, .d. s.d. '2 6-21 0 japonica, dozen 10 0-12 0 10 0-12 0 gus from the Cambridge and Worcester districts are a good supply considering the prevailing cold weather. Forced vegetables are plentiful, but outdoor vegetables are^caice, their prices remaining tiroi. Toniatos from Tereriffe are a fairly good supply considering the time of the year, E. H. K., Covent GanUti, April 17, 1912. Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d Apples, Nova See t i an, per barrel 17 0-22 0 — Cal i f ornian Newtovvns, pr. case 6 0-80 — (Canadian), per barrel 20 0 — — Oregon (Hood River), per case 16 0-18 G .— American, per barrel 20 0-32 0 — Australian per case 7 6-20 0 Bananas, bunch: — Doubles ... 10 0 12 0 — No. 1 ._ ... 8 0-10 U _ Extra 10 0-12 o — Giant U 0-18 0 — Loose, per dozen 0 fi- I 0 — Ued coloured... 5 6-66 — Jamaica Giants, per ton ... £10-^12 — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per box (9 doz.) ... 4 0-50 Cranberries, per case (30 qts.)... 10 0-11 0 — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) 9 6 — Dates (Tunis) doz. boxes ... ... 4 6-56 Figs, Guernsey, pr. doz 9 0-24 0 Grape Fruit, case: — 96's \ — ^2;^ I 14 0-20 0 — b* s — 54's ) Giapes,Australian» per case ... 8 0-10 0 — English (new) per lb 4 0-50 — Alineria, per barrel H 6-15 6 Per dozen lbs. 4 0-60 — (Cape) per case 4 0-50 — „ While... 3 0-50 — „ Red ... 3 0-60 s.d. s.d. Lemons : — (Naples), case 26 0-aO 0 — Messina, p. case 7 6-17 0 Limes, per case ... 4 0 — Mangoes, per doz. 6 0-10 0 Melons (Cape) ... 0 10-1 6 — (Hnglisd) ... 3 0-50 Nuts, Almonds, per bag 52 6 — Spanish,p.sack 40 0-42 0 — Barcelona, bag 35 6-36 6 Nuts, Chestnuts, per bag - 3 6-19 0 — Cocoatmts, 100 18 0-23 0 — English Cobs per lb 0 3 — — Walnut s (Naples) kiln dried, c w t. cases ... ... 54 0 — Oranges, Jamaica per case ... 9 0-10 0 — Cahfornian ... 15 0-16 0 — Denia, case — 16 0-34 0 — Valencia ... 10 0-12 0 — Jaffd, per case 9 6 — — Blood, per case 8 0-90 — Mandarins, per box ... 0 6-36 — Bitter, per J chest 16 0-18 6 — Seville Sour ^ chest ... 15 0-18 0 Peaches (Belgian), per dozen ... 24 0-48 0 Pears (Californian), per case .-. 10 6-16 6 — Glou Morceau 11 6-12 6 — Easter Beurre 8 6 — — (Australian) ... 4 0-66 — Winter Nelis 12 6-13 0 — (American) per barrel, 180 lbs. 25 0-26 0 , St. — cases .. — (Cape) - i' i n e a p p 1 Michael Pines (Cape), each Strawberries, p. lb.: — A quality — B quality 7 0 3 6-46 2 6-50 0 6-09 3 6-40 16-20 s.d. s.d. 3 0-40 10-13 2 8 3 9 1 6 2 6 5 0 , 0 10- 2 6 16-36 0 6-09 0 8 — 2 6-30 6 0 2 6- 3 0 AUichokesiGlobe), pel" dozen — Jerusalem, per i bushel Asparagus — — Toulouse — Montaubari ... — Dijon — Lauris — (English) bndl. — Cambridge — Worcester Beans, Guernsey, Dwarf, per lb. — French, per packet, lb. Beetroot, p. bshl. : — Long Broccoli, sprout- ing, per bag Celeriac, per doz. Cabbages (French) per dozen — Cornish, p. dz. Cauliflowers, per dozen — (Cornish), per crate Celery, doz. bndls. 10 0-14 0 — (washed), per dozen bundles 12 0 Carrots (English), pr. doz. bun. .. 4 0 — per cwt. ... 7 0 — (washed) p. bag 10 0 Chicory, per lb. ..0 4 Cucumbers, p. doz. 6 0 tMulive, per tlozen G een-^ (Spring), p. bag Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross 13-16 13-16 2 0-30 10 0-12 0 2 0 6 0- 7 0 7 0 Potatos. per cwt. s.d. s.d. Rents— Queen's ... Up-to-Date Lincolns - Up-to-Paie British Uueen . King Edward . Northern Star . Evergoods Tenerifle 4 0- 4 0- 4 6 4 6 3 9-46 3 9-43 4 0-46 2 9-36 3 0-39 Lincolns— Maincrops Blacklands Bedfords — Up-lo-Uate Dunbars— Up-to-Date Maincrop New Potatos. 10 0-13 G I Algerian per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 0-46 3 0-33 3 9-40 4 9-53 5 3-56 11 6-13 6 Remarks.— Trade is very steady, and consignments are still faiily heavy. Prices show no alteration. Edward /, Newborn, Covent Garden and St. Fa/icras, April }8, J9J2. Vegetables : Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. H o r se radish, 13 bundles ... 12 0-18 0 Leeks, per doz. ... 16-20 Lettuce (French), per doz. ... 0 10- 1 3 Mint, per dozen bunches ... 3 0-60 Mushrooms, culti- vated, p. lb. ... 0 8-0 10 Mustard and Cress, pr. dz. punnets 10-1 Marrows, each ... 3 0-60 Onions (English), per bag ... 8 0 — — (Spanish), per case 9 0-10 0 — Egyptian ... 7 6 — Parsley, h sieve ... 1 6- 2 G — per <3oz. bun. 3 0-40 Parsnips, per bag 7 0 — Peas (French) ptr pad 4 0 — — (Guern'ey), lb. 0 9-16 Radishes(Entilish), per dozen ... 16 — — (French) p. dz, 10-16 — (Jersey) long... 0 4-06 Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles 0 6-07 — Outdoor, p. dz 19-20 Spinach, pr. bshl. 3 6-40 Seakale, p. punnet 0 10- 1 0 — i bushel ... 16 — Tomatos (Canary Islands), per bundle 12 0-16 Turnips (English), perdz. bunches Turnip Tops, per bag Watercress, p. dz. bunches SCHEDULES RECEIVED. Dover Horticultural Society.— The summer show of Sweet Peas aiid Roses will take place on Wednesday, July 3. The Chilton Challenge Cup, valued at 3 guineas, is offered for 12 bunches of S«eet Peas, and the Kears- ney Challenge Cup, valued at 10 guineas, for 12 Rose blooms. The National Sweet Pea Society's silver medal will be given for the beU bunch of Sweet Peas in divi- sion B to D, and the National Rose Society's silver medal for the best bloom in the same divisions. The autumn show of the society will be held in the Town Hall, Dover, on Wednesday and Thursday, November 6 and 7. In the open classes the Loid Warden's Challenge Cup is oflered for 12 vases of Japanese Chrysanthemums. Secretary, Mr. C. P. Tomlin, 65, Folkestone Road, Dover. Darlington Horticultural Society. -The spring Bower show of this society will lake place on April 24 m 'he Drill Hall, Darlington. The society's silver challenge bowl is offered in the class, open to all except nurser>men, for a collection of 18 varieties of Narcissus blooms. Secretary, Mr. A. H. Harrow, Priestgate House, Darlington. Newmarket Horticultural Society. — The eighteenth annual show of this sociely will be held on Thursday, July II, in Heath Lodge Paddocks, Exning Road. Secretary, Mr G. A. Sarvent, 62, St. Philip's Road, Newmarket. GARDENING APPOINTMENTS. [Ctrtisponilents artrtqutsttd to wrif tht mtmtt ol ptr f mm tad placts tM Itglbly *' postlUc. No chaigc 11 made for thcu announcements, but ij a small conltiiu.ton %s sinl, to ie placed \n our collectmi; /un for the Gai.ienets Orphan Fund, it wilt be thanlttully received, and art acknouiiedsment made in these columns.'] Mr C. Abbott, for the past 2 years Gardener at Fairlawne, Tollbridge, Kent, as Gardener to A. M. Geenfell, Esq., Rothampton House, Roehampton, S.W. 6 Mr. Archd. Coke, for 3J years Foreman in Roby Hall Gar- dens, Torquay, and previously Foreman for 2 years at Kylemore Castle, Co. Galway, as Gardener to Mrs. N. Hamilton, Ogilvy, Eiel House, Ninewar, Prestonkirk, East Lothian, Mr. Wm. Holuen, for 10 years Gardener at Ewfll House, and previously for 5 years at Ockley Court, and of South Lodge, as Gardener to the Ft. Hon. Lord Hutingfield, Heveningham Hail, Yoxford. Mr. W. Hodges, for the past 8 years Gardener to O. P. Tkaherne, Esq., Bryrgariv, Aberkenfig, Glamorgan, as Garderec to Mrs. Bennett, Mill Htuse, Bourne End, Bucks. Mr. Robert Westmore, for the past 2 years at High Grove Gardtns, Pinner, as Gardener to Chas. H. Comvns, Esq., The Warren, Hertfordshire. 2 6-30 2 0-30 0 4-06 Remarks.— The Belgian crop of Gros Colman Grapes is almost exhausted, and ihe fruits are realising 65. per lb. at the time of willing. New season Black Hamburg Grapes are arriving from Worthiftg and the Channel Islands. Melons and Figs are being retieived fiom the latter source. A fevv early Peaches reached the market thisv\eek from Belgium and sold at from 3s. to 4s. each. English hothouse Peachts are expected in Covent Garden Market next week. Sut> plies of forced Strawberries are about equal 10 the demand. Marrows from Worthing and olher localities continue a full supply. Consignments of Cape fruit received per ss. " Briton " consisted of 6,243 boxes of Grapes, 3,760 boxes of Fears, 39 boxes of Plums, and 28 boxes of Melons Shiomenlsthis week from the Canary Islands amounted to 27,256 packages, consisting of Bananas, Toinatos and Potatos. Produce received from Tasmania and Western Australia per ss. "Telamon" and "Miltiades" totalled 67,600 boxes of Apples, principally of dessert vai ieties. English Aspara- ^ to * , * The Editors will be glad to receive, for consideration, large photographs of horticultural subjects, suitable for Journal. reproduction in this The sample of turf I Bowling Green : W. W. submitted is too rich in humus and sand ; to counteract this e.xcess it would be advisable to top-dress the green with sifted soil. Be sure that the fresh soil does not contain seeds of weeds. Your recent top-dressing evidently con- tained too great a quantity of chemical manure. Hollies Failing: E. A. A. Your Hollies are showing the effects of last summer's drought. Examine the soil around their roots, and, if it is dry, apply copious waterings ; a mulching of farmyard manure will be beneficial. It would be well to cut back the shrivelled :ups to be presented at the Royal International Horti- cultural Exhibition 282, 283 Cschscholtzia civspitosa, a bed of 275 jilium myriophyllum, bulb of, 272 ; flower of 273 \Iillipedes .. ... 276 Jnoama tauricum 271 ^etrea volubilis 287 ^rimula secundiflora (Supplementary Illustration) 'rimula Wattii, a flov.-ering plant of 2^6 Jauguinaria canadensis in Cambridge Botanic Gardens 294 RESEARCH IN FRUIT GROWING. IN addition to financial assistance from the Development Fund for advisory work in the south-eastern counties, a ;rant for research in connection with fruit md Hop growing has been promised to :he South-Eastern Agricultural College, Wye, Kent. It is proposed to use the irant for the purpose of establishing and jquipping a research fruit and Hop planta- tion-on about 20 acres of good fruit land n Kent. It in intended that the land ihall be planted gradually with fruit trees ind bushes, including a collection of varie- :ies on which spraying trials may be con- iucted, new varieties for trial, and dif- 'erent Apple stocks for investigation of :heir characteristics and their effect Lipon the trees raised upon them. Other subjects which will be investigated ire productiveness among trees of the same ■.aiiety (the question to be decided being .vhether variation of productivity is due 0 the constitutions of the buds or scions ised in budding or grafting) ; the prun- ng of bush fruits ; the causes of blossom lot setting ; injury done to trees by , spraying, and the alleged injury to live- Istock fed in grass orchards from the sprays ised ; the tillage of fruit plantations ; and the American system of growing cover crops in tillage plantations. . These are all interesting subjects, and some of them are important ; but others may be suggested which have a higher claim, in my opinion, to prompt attention than some of those named. The trials of new varieties of fruit upon a commercial basis might well, I think, be left to com- mercial growers. )Some years will be necessary for testing new varieties, and e\en then the results on one particular farm will not be of much value, as a variety which succeeds in one district often fails in another. With respect to Apple stocks, it is said that there are numerous varieties of the paradise stock, and that there is great confusion in relation to them. I know of no confusion, except that French nursery- men send out the Doucin stock as identical with the Broad-leaf English Paradise, and the question is whether the latter is only a particular strain of the former, or whether it has been developed into a distinct type. It would be worth while to settle this point. English commercial growers do not plant Apples raised on the French Pai-a- dise, which is of too dwarf a habit for any purpose than that of growing them in the limited space of a garden. As to the free stock, it is true, as stated, that it varies greatly. .Seeing that it consists of seedlings from Apple pips obtained from cider miUs, it cannot fail to be variable. There is no doubt that this is a slovenlj' way of raising seedlings for stock, and the suggestion that a search should be made among the numerous varieties for a strong stock of constant habit is a good one. Similarly, it will be interesting and in- structive to compare the results of using scions and buds from productive and un- productive trees of a given variety respec- tively, in order to see whether there is any difference between them. As to experiments in the pruning of bush fruits, it is said that there is considerable difference of opinion with respect to the best methods of pruning Black and Red Currants and Gooseberries. The only dif- ference of opinion that has come to my notice is with respect to the desirability of spurring Goosebersies. The subject of the setting or non-setting of blossoms is one of the highest impor- tance. It is a very comprehensive subject, and well worth research. Light upon the nature of spray injury would be interest- ing, but hardly of much value. At the same time, it is important to settle the question whether the use of any particular washes on trees in grass land grazed by stock is injurious to the animals. There cannot be any doubt as to the im- portance of testing whether the common plan of grassing established Apple orchards is a good or a bad one. So far as a relatively small number of experiments at Woburn and in the United States have shown, grassing is disadvantageous to growth of trees and size of fruit ; but the case has not been made clear in reference to profits, taking the comparative expenses of the two systems into accounit. As to trying cover crops in tillage orchards, there is not the same scope or need for the plan here as there is where the trees are 30 feet to 40 feet apart, as they are commonly planted in the United States ; moreover, our trees do not often suffer from drought as trees do in the hotter American sum- mers. Even for protection from drought, the growth of grain crops for cover, common in the United States, can hardly be an advantage, though the cultiva- tion of Clovers or Lucrne, for plough- ing in, may be advantageous in all respects, including the fertilisation of the soil. Where bush fruits are grown among trees, cover crops are out of the question. AVith respect to depth of culti- vation, there can hardly be any doubt that it should be no greater than is necessary for the destruction of weeds, lest the roots of trees and bushes should be injured. The suggestions named above appear to me to fail to include some of the most urgent subjects for research. In the first place, I should put experiments in the manuring of different kinds of fruit, con- cerning which there is a dearth of definite infoi-mation. For years, no effect was noticeable at Woburn from the application of manures to Apple trees, and it is only lately that the good effect of farmyard manure has been reported as evident. In some trials carried on for the New York Experiment Station, beginning in 1900 on Apple trees planted in 1899, the results, up to and including 1910, were hardly appreci- able. Farmyard manure and a mixture of artificial manure containing 'nitrogen, each showed a very slight effect in the last year or two, but not sufficient to render the applications remunerative. The soil, although not a first-rate one for fruit, was found at the commencement of the trials to contain in the top foot enough niti'ogen to last mature Apple trees 183 years, suf- ficient phosphoric acid for 295 years, and potash enough for 713 years. My own trials have not been sufficiently sys- tematised or protracted to enable me to come to many certain conclusions. The differences in the natural vigour of indi- vidual trees renders it difficult, without precise measurements of wood and leaves, to be certain as to the effects of different dressings of manure ; but I have seen un- mistakable benefit from the application of a complete artificial dressing to young Black Currant bushes in two seasons, and some effect on Gooseberry bushes, while evidence in the case of Plums has been almost conclusive. In the case of Apple trees, they have appeared to respond to farmyard manure, but not to artificial mix- tures at present. Among the trials should be some with such organic manures as shoddy, dried blood, and fish manure, com- monly used in some fruit districts. The respective effects of lime, iron, and mag- nesia should also be tested. Next may be suggested thorough re- search into the life histories and migra- tions of the several species of the aphis. No one has yet been abie to explain how Plum trees particularly, and AppJes only less strikingly, become covered with 272 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 27, 1912. aphides a week after an examination of the trees with a lens has failed to show a single insect or even any eggs. In tlie cases of such crops as Beans and Peas planted in the spring, there cannot be any eggs to hatch on the plants ; yet, quite sud- denly, these crops are often infested. There must be a great deal to learn about this pest. More- over, one ^ark-ccloured aphis which attacks my Black Currants cannot be identified at aU by one of our best entomologists. A sustained trial of the rival plans of cutting newly-planted trees back in the first or second spring succeeding the planting is also urgently needed. The cause or causes of canker and the methods of its distribution may be regarded as a subject of great importance for investigation. For my own part, I cannot believe that canker is merely a wound parasite. Evidence seems to favour the view that it is carried up from tions, as they would be in the way of cultiva- tion ; but unless it is necessary to remove the thousands of small pieces of shoots cut off trees in pruning, their gathering up involves labour and expense which commercial fruit growers would be glad to avoid. Another assumption which needs verification is that pruning, including spurring, promotes the development of fruit buds on the cut shoots. It may be a great heresy to doubt this statement, but my observations lead to the opposite conclu- sion. What docs happen is the formation of fruit buds where they are wanted, on fairly sturdy branches and short spurs, instead of on weak and lanky ones. Moreover, by opening all parts of a tree to air and sunshine, the operation encourages the development of fruit buds on the tree as a whole. The question is whether the operation has this effect per se. Taking the case of aa outiidc branch, which cannot be robbed of air and ^Copyright, Fig. 126. — FLOWERING BULB OF L. MYRIOPHYLLUM (OF WILSON). Colour dark mahogany, the inside scales lighter at the base; a scale has been removed to exliibit this change in co'oration. new roots ; d, offset. trunk to branches and side shoots in the sap. One point of interest to determine is whether the infecting spores are carried up to trees from pieces of cankered bark left on the ground when these are cut out. It is a great labour to pick up every little bit that falls. A similar investigation in relation to Apple and Pear scab is desirable, including the question whether infection can arise from scabby shoots cut off and left on the ground. As to scabby leaves that fall, their collection is quite impracticable. Actual evidence is needed to prove that spores of canker or scab arise from the ground to infect trees. It is announced by mycologists that they do so, but J have never seen any statement as to this theory having been demonstrated. Of course, large shoots which are cut off trees are commonly taken off the ground in tillage planta- sunshine, my contention is that cutting it or the laterals upon it reduces, rather than increases, its tendency to form fruit buds. Investigation might be extended to determining the comparative effects upon Apple trees of (1) pinching the laterals when starting to lengthen, removing some entirely and spurring others ; (2) pruning in corre- sponding ways in August ; and (3) pruning only in winter or early in the spring. Other subjects of research highly desirable are the best method of controlling Black Currant mite ; the comparative results of thinning Apples with varying degrees of severity ; degrees of frost fatal to the blossoms of various fruits and to embryo fruits after the petals of the blossom have fallen ; and the best method of producing heat and dense smoke in orchards for preventing or reduc- ing frost injur}'. A Southern Grower, NEW OR NOTEVyORTHY PLANTS. LILIUM MYRIOPHYLLUM. In quoting from my article on "Lilies and Sunshine," Mr. Thomas Chandler (see p. 131) may not perhaps have noticed that I particu- larly referred to this Lily as being now in commerce under the above name. I wrote of it in this way intentionally, because the Lily collected by Mr. E. H. Wilson for the Messrs. Farquhar, of Boston, U.S.A., and sub- sequently distributed by them as myriophyllum, does not tally with Franchet's description of the species originally found in Yunnan by the Abbe Delavay in 1888, and there has always seemed a strong probability that what for convenience we may call Wilson's Lily has, unintentionally, no doubt, been christened with a name to which it has no right ; it is, in fact, a nameless, though at the same time, most beautiful plant. It is unfortunate that in drawing up his description of L. myTiophyUum, Franchet should not have described the bulb rather more minutely, instead of being content to refer to it in general fashion as that of L. longiflorum and Brownii, for though in some of their many forms the two seem to run more or less into each other, they are not considered botanically iden- tical, and that of the typical Brownii is unmis- takable. Franchet certainly does tell us that myrio- phyllum of Delavay recalls Wallich's Lily, but he adds that the former differs widely (s'en cloignant beaucoup) in the character of its bulb from L. Wallichianum, which is ovoid with acutely tipped scales, and no doubt his refer- ence to it as that of longiflorum and Brownii entitles us to consider it as oblate in shape and white in colour. In the so-called myriophyllum of the cata- 1 jgues, the bulb is not oblate but ovoid, and entirely distinct from cither Brownii or longi- florum ; the colour, too, is that of L. Henryi and sulphureum, and for want of a better name one may describe it as comparable to that of very old and dark mahogany ; in short, if the character and colour of Lily bulbs go for any- thing in the determination of a species, as, of course, they do, though colour is perhaps of secondary importance to shape and chai'acter, the myriophyllum of Delavay is totally distinct from the Lily now bought and sold under the same name. Seven years ago Max Leichtlin distributed' bulbs of L. myriophyllum ; botanically this Lily answers Franchet's description in every isa- portant particular, for we except as unworthy of consideration a slight suspicion of purplfc colouring which emphasised the back of the midrib of each segment of the perianth ; the trumpet is semi-erect and not spreading as in Wil&on's myriophyllum, the bulb 'is that of longiflorum in miniature, and, of course, white, and the two Lilies are distinct. Though undoubtedly a Lily of quality, this species of Leichtlin cannot compare either in' beauty or constitutional hardiness with the mora modern plant which has appropriated the name.. What the latter really is does not at present seem clear ; variable in stature, foliage, and flower, as well as with respect to the presence or absence of axillary bulbils, it has a bulb which, while bearing a suspiciously near resemblance to that of L. sulphureum, is common to several Chinese Lilies, all possessing a strong family resemblance. Several of these have been fathered on to L. Brownii, rather thoughtlessly perhaps, for with the respective bulbs before him no one could stifle his conscience sufficiently to admit the relationship; a comparison of the various plants; April 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. i73 in all their aspects leads one to the almost irresistible conclusion that they share a common ancestry with L. sulphureum. Mr. Chandler would no doubt have brought the bulbs into full vigour a good deal sooner if, instead of planting them out in beds, he had potted them singly in deep pots plunged in sand, taking care to pow-der the bulbs well with charcoal dust, and, of course, trimming oft any damaged or shrunken scales. A rather stiff loam seems to suit this Lily weU as far as subsoil is concerned, the stem roots revelling, as indeed they all do, in leaf-motild ; it is not a lime hater, and so far as the writer's experience goes is better when planted over ILme-bearing loam than humus. A. Groue. Fig. 127. — LILIUM MYRIOPHYLLUM (oF W ILSON^ : HEIGHT AEOLT 4 FEET. THE RATTANS OR ROTANGS.' The " Rattan Canes " of commerce are the stems of two Old World genera of Palms — Cala- mus and Diemonorops — of which, jointly, about 300 species are known. With few exceptions, they are climbers from tree to tree, in dense forests. The distinguished traveller and botanist, Dr. O. Beccari, has devoted a large portion of a long and laborious life to the study of Asiatic Palms, both in the forest and in the herbarium, and has con- tributed much to the literature of the subject. Foremost in his work is the Monograi^h of the genus Calamus, noticed in some detail in the Gardeners' Chronicle, vol. xlvi (1909), p. 87, and forming the twelfth volume of the AnnaU of the Calcutta Botanic Garden. The magnifictnt illustrations, reproductions of the author's own photographs, constitute the valuable feature of these monographs. They are portraits of speci- mens preserved in various herbaria, but largely in Beccari's own herbarium, and they include the types or co-types of most of tlw species. The advantage of having these types brought together in one volume is obvious. In Beccari's mono- graph, each species is very fully described in Knglish, to which is added all particulars of its affinities, distribution, uses, and native or trade names. Approximately, 200 species of Calamus are known, as against somewhat fewer than 100 of Djemonorops. Some authors regard Diemonorops as a section of Calamus, and there certainly is no character by which the one f enus can at once be distinguished from the other. Dr. Beccari states that they are not separable by any character easily explained, but by combinations of charac- ters not repeated in the two genera, and he gives the characteristics, positive and negative, side by side. As to the cultivated species of both genera, he says that they are mostly under incorrect names, and there are also names on record of species which have disappeared from cultivation ; names which must remain nomina nuda for all time. The geographical area of Daemonorops is much more restricted than that of Calamus, and is comprised between Lat. 10° S. and 25° N., and between Long. 85° and 132° E., with much the greatest concentration of species in the Malayan Peninsula and Archipelago, though no species has been found in New Guinea. Calamus extends to the western peninsula of India and to tropical Africa on the west, to Formosa, Australia, and New Guinea on the east. Myrmecophilism (symbiosis with ants), Beccari Elates, is far more accentuated in Dsemonorops than in Calamus, and is particularly easy of veri- fication in D. verticillaris, D. mirabilis, and D. f jrmicaria. The uses of the stems of Daemonorops are nearly equal to those of Calami, but precise information is wanting, and the real origin of trade produce is often unknown. Dragon's Blood, " Djernang," of the Malays, is the most important product of D«monorops. It is fur- nished in abundance and of the best quality by D. Draco, D. Draconcellus, and D. propinquus. With regard to dimensions, Dr. Beccari states in his Monograph of Calamus that none of the stems he measured exceeded 150 feet ; yet Roxburgh de- scribes his C. extensus as having stems 200 yards to 300 yards long. Certain of the mountain S[jecies of Dsemonorops are of dwarf, erect habit, and suitable for cultivation in a house of moderate size. For example, D. microthamnus, D. monti- colus, and D. tabacinus scarcely exceed a yard in height. * Asiatic Palms -Lepidocaryets, by Dr. Odoardo Beccari. Part II. The Species cf Dtxinonoycps Amu s of the Royal Botanic Garden, '.a'culla, vol. xii.part I. Letlerpres-^, 4to., pp. 237, and two plates of analytical lijiures with a separate volume of 109 large folio plates. (Calcutta: Printed at tlie Bengal Secretarial Press.) 1911. Price Rs. 47 or £3 10s. 274 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 27, 1912. NOTES ON IRISES. SOME NEW IRIS HYBRIDS. Complete dominance does not seem to prevail when two v\ idely -separated species of Iris are crossed together. On the contrary, each character of the hybrid seems to be a compromise between the corresponding characters in the two parents. Moreover, the investigation of the results in sub- sequent generations is rendered impossible by the complete sterility of the hybrids, both with their own pollen and with that of either of the parents. It is, perhaps, premature to base any conclu- sions on a few instances, but the results that I obtained by crossing I. chamaeiris with pollen of I. Korolkowii and I. Congialti with pollen of I. tectorum have been confirmed by a fresh cross which I now propose to describe. In 1909 I crossed a Hower of I. Clarkei which comes from an elevation of about 10,000 feet on the Himalayas in the neighbourhood of Darjeel- ing with pollen of a form of the Californian I. Douglasiana, which has flowers of a pale pinkish- buff colour. I must confess that I hardly expected tn obtain any result from a cross between such dissimilar species. However, when the flowers ap- peared in due course in June, 1911, there was no doubt that the two parents had combined to form an entirely distinct new Iris. In the first place the flowers are of a curious colour, that can best, perhaps, be described as crushed strawberry — ■ that is to say, the pinkish buff of the pollen parent, I. Douglasiana, has almost, but not quite, obscured the blue-purple of I. Clarkei, the seed parent. The bluish tinge is obviously present, and the colour is quit« different from that of I. Douglasiana. Another obvious compromise between the cha- racters of the two parents is found in the leaves. Those of I. Clarkei have a peculiar polished upper surface and are glaucous beneath. More- over, they die away entirely in early autumn. Those of I. Douglasiana are of a thick, leathery texture, deep green in colour, persistent through the winter, only dying away when the fresh grovi-ths have developed in spring. They are usually more or less glaucous, at least in the early stages of their growth. The leaves of the hybrid seem unable to decide which parent they intend to follow, for the central leaves of a tuft are often entirely glaucous, while the outer leaves of the same tuft have the curiously dissimilar surfaces of I. Clarkei. This was the state of the foliage of my half-dozen plants when I began to observe them closely ; but I am sorry to say that this was not until I found flower-spikes, so that I do not know what appearance the leaves have in the early stages of their growth. When I. Clarkei lost its leaves in September the hybrid was still quite green and vigorous, and I wondered whether it was going to follow the example of I. Douglasiana and keep its foli- age until the spring. At first it seemed as though this would be so. But not long before Christmas the leaves turned yellow, and have now withered entirely awaj'. Another curious feature of the hybrid plant is that its flowers are mottled with a number of fine dots of a deeper shade of pinkish lavender on the blade of the falls, though there is no trace of any such dots on the flowers of either of its parents. The standards also are mottled in the same way but more faintly. They are not held erect, as in I. Douglasiana, nor yet are they so much depressed as in I. Clarkei. They have wavy edges, which seem to result from the struggle be- tween the plane surface of the standards of I. Douglasiana and the long, deeply-channelled haft of I. Clarkei, in the same way that the mottling appears to be the consequence of the competition for dominance of the pinkish-buff of the pollen parent "jud the deep blue-pui-ple of the seed parent. W . S. Dyl'cs, Charterhouse, Godalming. BOTANISING IN BULGARIA. (Concluded from p. 253.) In company with Herr Kellerer an excursion was arranged to the Rilo Mountains. After a day's drive from Kostenetz in pouring rain, we reached Tchamkouri to learn that the rain had been so heavy that the road was washed away by the floods, so it was decided to visit Moussala, the highest mountain in Bulgaria, nearly 10,000 feet high. A good road runs through some miles of forest of Spruce and Silver Fir to the King's and Prince's residences at Sitnyakovo and Sokoletz. In these places his majesty has small rockeries, in which many choice alpines flourish. Near Sokoletz, 4,000 feet high, grow- ing on a hillside were some interesting wild plants. Carlina acanthifolia W'as plentiful, with its rosette of leaves and large Thistle heads rest- ing upon the ground. A silvery-leaved Vetch, re- sembling Vicia argentea with flowers similar to the Tufted Vetch, was very pretty but most diffi- cult to dig up, for its roots descended for 2 feet and more into the ground. Orchis sambucina the traveller had the choice of wading through it or going waist-deep through Juniper Scrub. The latter, however, is not by any means so try ing as clambering through " Klek," as Pimia montana is called. The latter is the last of aW trees on the mountain side. >Some of the stem- were 15 inches -in diameter, and trail over Wh ground for many yards before their branc hes be come erect ; other trees are erect from Van start This Conifer covers many acres, and is valued by the peasants for firewood. Bruckenthalia spiculifolia takes the place 'i our Ling on the mountain sides; it is usuall pink, but deeper forms may be seen, and «• found two plants with pure white flowers. Oi dry banks Linaria dalmatica grandiflora wn very effective. It was growing about 2 feet high with larger flowers and of a paler yellow thai the type. In moist places, m fact sometimt in bogs and by streams, patches of scarlet wei> produced by Geum coccineum, while on tin sides of rocks G. bulgaricum was seen Erroneous ideas exist in regard to this plant, for in some catalogues it has been d.'sc.ibed as a IPItologiapk by C. F. Ball, Fig. 128. — ONosMA tauricu.m, palx,a?, native of Bulgaria: flowers yellow. was plentiful in company with colonies of Botrychium, Lunaria and Dianthus tenuiflorus, whilst the yellow-flowered Sempervivum patens and others took possession of the stony places. The upland meadows were a mass of flowers, in fact similar to those of Switzerland. Orchids abound, and a pretty Campanula, with light-blue, sessile flowers, on stems 2 feet high, was dis- covered, as well as a distinct Silene, with white flowers in round, capitate heads. In moist meadows,' Poly gala major, with Gentians for company, raised its beautiful flower-stems 1 foot high in blue, white and pink. In another place, the pretty little Silene Lerchenfeldiana was grow- ing in the crevices of the rocks, its trailing stems covered with glaucous leaves, and bearing pink flowers at the tips. Once through the Fir woods the path to Moussala is most interesting, wind ing between mountain ranges affording glorious views, the snow-peaked cap of INIoussala appear- ing and disappearing in the distant landscape. So heavy had been the rain that the rocky path was for several miles a mountain stream, and plant with large, bright yellow flowers. iB reality, the flowers are poor, pale yellow, droop- ing and cup-shaped, the petals never expanding properly. Until I saw it at Sokoletz I alway» thought it was a poor garden plant, but as grown by Herr Kellerer it is valuable for its decorative foliage alone. The leaves are about 10 inches across, very sticky, and glandular, and at a distance the foliage resembles that oif a small' Gunnera. Pulmonaria rubra seems always to frequeni shady places, but Campanula abietina seems t(| grow anywhere but in the driest spots. At last we came to a large, grassy glade wilh inland lakes, which are the source of the Rivet. Maritza which flows into the jEgean Sea.- Among the short grass were fine tufts of Gentiana pyrenaica bearing purplish-blue flowers. In cultivation Dianthus microlepis may make a flower-stem 2 inches and 3 inches high, but growing wild in the turf it makes cushions just- like Silene acauiis, the soft pink flowers resting' upon the tufts, and so freely produced that ti«^ J April 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 275 glaucous foliage is hidden. Pure white flowers were not uncommon in this locality. Of the Soldanellas, the commonest species by far was S. montana. but the dainty little S. pusilla was seen frequently, and albino forms of both these .species w'ere collected. Primula uralensis was foiming its seed pods, while the frail little P. exigua (syu. P. farinosa denudata) was in flower. The flowers are very similar to the Bird's Eye Primrose, but the meal is absent from the leaves. I But the Primula of Bulgaria is P. deorum, and I here it was in countless thousands bordering the edges of streams, some actually growing in the 1 running water, and all with their roots able to reach the moisture. Formerly I held a poor opinion of this rarity, and seeing it previously on Belmaken a week before did not i-ealise what it could be until I saw the half-nodding purplish- violet flowers open in the full sun. After leaving the grassy glade the path be- comes steep, and winds among rocks with patches of snow here and there. Arenaria biflora borders the path, and in crevices of rocks Saxifraga cymosa forms a green cushion studded with white flowers. Senecio carpathicus was just beginning to open its orange-yeUow flowers. Alsine setacea and Gnaphalium supinum form neat little tufts, while Gentiana punctata was about to show its yellow flowers spotted with purple. Higher up, a rare species, G. frigida, was found with white flowers, while the Willow Gentian was common at a lower altitude. Veronica bellidioides had opened a few flowers of the deepest blue; it was only 3 inches high, and if it proves a free grower should make a good plant for the rockery. Near by was Potentilla Haynaldiana with silvery leaves. Ranunculus crenatus was plentiful at 8,000 feet altitude ; it is like R. alpestris, with leaves not so deeply cleft, and produces four or five white flowers on a sturdy little stem only a few inches high. Primula minima forms good tufts, and well merits the name of the Fairy Primrose. Other pi. Hits met with on the top of Moussala were Sa.xifraga juniperina, S. retusa, Oeum reptans, Anemone vernalis, and Campanula orbelica. On reaching the summit of Moussala a glorious view reaches as far as Macedonia, Belmaken looks a large round-topped mountain, and Pirin is seen in the distance. Fig 12B shows the true Onosma tauricum, Pallas, not 0. tauricum, Willd. which is a synonym of 0. echioides or the usual " Golden Drop " of gardens. The plant growing on the Glasnevin Rockery was raised from seed sent from Bulgaria by Mr. P. O'.AIahony. Throughout July it was in flower, making a plant 2 feet across ; although the flowers are not of such a bright yellow colour as those of 0. echioides, yet it blossoms much more freely, and will be a useful plant for a dry rockery bank or garden wall. Another plant for the wall-garden, judging by its native habitat, is Campanula lanata (syn. C. velutina, Vel.]. When grown in the ordinary way in gardens it forms a pyramidal inflorescence, with some of the lower flower-stems trailing along the ground. But in Bulgaria the plants spring out of the crevices of rocks, and no central outstanding stem is made, but numerous branches radiate from the root-stock, and so close are they pressed to the rock's face that one looks, but looks in vain, for some attachment to the rocks. Some of the plants had a spread of 2 feet or 3 feet. The three most wonderful floral sights which I saw in Bulgaria were Primula deorum at Moussala, Rhus cotinus, a blaze of colour cover- ing some acres near Philippopolis, and Haberlea ^hodopensis near the Shipka Pass. Although acquainted with the latter plant in many gar- dens, yet I was greatly surprised when I saw it ■growing naturally. In a shady wood Mr. P. O'Mahony brought us to the foot of an almost perpendicular crag, and the rocks here were literally covered in every available space for some hundreds of feet high with Haberlea in fuU flower, the effect of which was glorious. Many of the plants had formed tufts 2 feet and 3 feet across, and were studded with flowers. Search- ing about we came across plants varying slightly in shade of colour and size of flowers; suddenly Herr Kellerer shouts out " Weiss, weiss " in an excited tone, and comes along bearing a lovely 2-foot tuft covered with white flowers. The sight of the Haberlea is one which is stamped on the memory. C. F. Ball, Glasnevin. NOTICES OF BOOKS. The Flora of New Guinea.* This further contribution to the flora of New Guinea comprises the Anonaces and Rubiacese of Dutch New Guinea, and a continuation of the Orchidaceae, collected on the last expedition. The Orchids occupy considerably more than half of the present part, including 38 out of 44 of the plates, making, with the 46 which appeared in the first part, a total of 84 plates representing members of this family. As was pointed out in a notice of the first part of this publication [Gar- deners' Chronicle, February 26, 1910, p. 136), the phyllum papuanum, a species closely allied to G. speciosum, is the giant of the collection. Vouroemeria is the only new genus described. It is allied to Chitonanthei-a, Schlechter, and Octarrhena, Thwaites — all Orchids having very small flowers. There is a new .species of the last-named genus, previously only known to be represented in Ceylon. There is also a new species of the triandrous genus Nieuwiedia, Of the Rubiaceffi figured Versteegiagrandifolia and Chtetostachya Versteegii, both new genera, are particularly interesting. The former is allied to Psychotria and is characterised by having a very singular inflorescence in the form of a very dense compound terminal cylindrical spike of small flowers, which are almost concealed by very numerous linear bracts. The spike is about 4 inches long and borne on a distinct stalk, which is abruptly bent down close to the branch bearing it. By an oversight of the artist the leaves are represented as alternate. 'Versteegia is a small tree having handsome leaves, nearly a yard long, and small flowers borne on the trunk. W. BoUing Hemsley. IPhotograph by C. P, RaffiU, Fig. 129. — EscHscHOLTZiA c^spitosa: flowers yellow. Orchids of New Guinea are very numerous and varied, but rarely showy, either in size or colour- ing, so far as our knowledge goes. This remark applies equally to those species figured in the present part. Thus of the 30 species of Den- drobium figured only two or three have flowers conspicuous in size. D. eximium Schlechter, syn. D. belhim J. J. Smith, is the most notable exception. This species is in cultivation at Buitenzorg. But among the numerous small- flowered Orchids figured there are many of ex- traordinary interest. Taeniophyllum has no real leaves, the functions of which are performed by modified aerial roots. In T. maximum the roots are flattened, as much as 30 inches long and about 2 inches wide throughout their whole length, and might be mistaken for leaves. The structure of the lip of this species is also very remarkable. . T. breviscapum has fleshy terete aerial roots, common to so many Orchids. All the species of Taeniophyllum have very small flowers, and those of T. minutiflora are only a twelfth of an inch in diameter. Grammato- • RHuHats dc VExftdition Scientifigue Netrlanitaisc A la NouvelU Guinie en 1907 et 190'^, sous les auspices de Dr. H. A, Lorentz. Vol. viii., Botanique Livraison 3, pp. 427-611 tt. 69-112. (Leyden, 19U: E. ]. Brill.) ESCHSCHOLTZIA G/ESPIT03A. EscuscHOLTziA c.ESPiTos.\ was introduced into cultivation from California by W. Lobb when collecting on behalf of Messrs. James Veitch & Sons over 40 years ago. The plant is of the easiest culture and not at all fastidious as to soil, but it requires a warm, sunny position. It is a matter of surprise that more attention has not been paid to this lovely annual. The soft yellow colour of the flowers shows to advantage against the beautiful glaucbus grey of the fine Fern-like foliage. The plant grows from 6 to 12 inches high, and branches freely at the base, producing flowers in abundance, so much, in fact, that the whole plant becomes a mass of colour. A group of this Eschscholtzia is always a con- spicuous object when grown in company with other annuals. Individually the flowers are from 1 to 1^ inch in diameter and borne on long, slender peduncles well above the handsome foliage. Seeds are produced in abundance. The genus contains about 25 species, only two or three of which are in cultivation. All are natives of temperate and sub-tropical parts of North America. C. P. Eaffill. 276 THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. [April 27, 1912. FRIEND OR FOE? The gardener who is engaged in turning over his farniN'ard manure in various stages of de- composition, or is mixing his leaf-mould, often finds a variety of living creatures in addition to the larger earthworms with which he is already familiar. What are they? May he feel uneasy at the sight, or should he be glad that they are present? How can he tell whether they are beneficial or injurious? Is it possible that they may help him in one stage of development or in one situation, and yet be a real source of danger in another? I imagine that many a thoughtful gardener has, like myself, had such questionings as these, and has wished for some one to guide him. Let us first notice a few of the things we are likely to meet with. Of the earthworms, brand- ling, gilt-tail, and other large species, I need not at present speak. But here are a number of smaller things, most of which are more or less worm-like in outline and appearance. Out from the leaf-mould a number of creatures, possessed of a greater or lesser number of legs, emerge. They are at once seen to be centipedes or millipedes. Among them is the familiar Julus, which bears Fig. 130. — MILLIPEDES. rather a bad name, and is certainly dangerous under certain conditions. Then there are smaller or larger maggots, and in the case of the latter there is no difficulty in deciding what they are. They are stoutly-built, their heads may be easily seen, and their movements are such that we can at once recognize them. Not so, however, with the smaller forms. Even with the pocket lens, which every careful gardener nlways carries, it may be difficult to decide whether we are look- ing at a grub or at one of the many species of worms which they so closely resemble. I think, however, it is a safe rule to assume that all the living creatures found in decaying mould and manure are useful, so long as the pro- cesses of decomposition are in progress. The worms break down the waste material and ha(;t<>n the processes which are going forward to fit the decaying material for further use in the nourishing of living plants. I should allow the worms and other creatures to do their work in peace. Then the centipedes and grubs are also useful both as scavengers and as police. They help to maintain the balance of nature, and keep in their place certain forms of life which would otherwise become too numerous, and so prove injurious. The evil comes when the manure heap is a breeding ground for flies, insects and other creatures which presently emerge and be- come a pest in the byre, the stable, the home, or the garden. Maggots and larvie as such, while in the refuse, are not usually a source of danger. It is, however, a question of great im- portance, what is to be done to keep the harm- less larvje from becoming a harmful pest? May the friend become a foe? And may the worms and grubs which are beneficial while in the manure heap, become a source of danger when the manure or leaf-mould are wheeled on to the borders, taken into the potting house, or allowed to remain until the life-history of the creature is complete, and swarms of living things wing their way in every direction? Manure heaps become a source of danger in spring. It is then, as a rule, that two things happen. (1) As the weather becomes warm armies of flies of a variety of kinds emerge from the mi.xen, carrying with them all sorts of germs, or making straight for the places where they can lay their eggs and work destruction among the plants. (2) Or, if the worms are true worms, and not grubs, they are wheeled into the garden with the manure in which they have been breed- ing, and deposited there to find a living as best they can under the new conditions in which they find themselves. Doubtless many fall a prey to the beetles, centipedes, birds and other fierce assailants which are always on the look-out for something in the soil to feed upon. Others, perhaps, finding no suitable pabulum in the soil which as yet is in a rough condition, perish, and give up their stores of nitrogen to the soil. But if it happens that the manure is placed on a plot of ground which is already .planted, or a plot which will be planted immediately, who shall say that the worms will not begin to prey upon the flowers or vegetables and prove a dangerous pest? That a number of white worms, as well as wire- worms, leather jackets, centipedes and other creatures now infest growing plants, and work much havoc among Asters, Strawberries, bulbs, Celery and other garden and field crops, is well ectablished. The question, therefore, arises "How can we distinguish the creatures which are likely to be injurious, and what can we do to check their ravages? " Perhaps the chief difficulty lies in the fact that, in the first place, the worms and grubs are very small, and cannot be dis- tinguished by the naked eye; and then that they are so much alike that, even if the expert can distinguish them in the study and laboratory, no such distinction is possible in the field. If anything is done the innocent and the guilty must alike be subjected to the same treatment, and it must be left to the innocent to find a way of escape. It may seem a hard doctrine, but at present we do not see that any other can be preached. I have before me now a number of living creatures which I have obtained from manure heaps and decaying matter. In the usual com'se of things these creatures would be taken on to tbe garden, and the question is, would they be beneficial or injurious? Is it wise to take such material into the garden without first mix- ing it with some one or other of the preparations vifhich are destructive of germ and insect life? If my bulbs and beds and trenches suffer may the blame be laid to the living things which swarmed in the manure? These are such vital and practical questions that they demand an answer. Examining the organisms then with my pocket lens I find that they vary from ^ inch to 1 inch in length, and that while the smallest are like a tiny snip of the finest white cotton the largest might be an inch of fine twine galvanized into life. I put aside the larger forms because it is easy to see that they are the grubs, maggots or larvae of different kinds of flies. If allowed to live they will in due time change into blue- bottles or some other form of dipt«ra, and do more or less harm both as germ carriers and by depositing their eggs where they are not desired. But it requires a little skill and patience to dis- tinguish the smaller forms, and a few simple rules may now be advanced to aid the student in his determination. In the first place we count the number of seg- ments into which the body is divided. If there are 13 we may be pretty sure we are looking at a grub or larva. It is possible that we may be in doubt as to the exact number, for some- times one or other of the segments is masked, but if we find 12 or 13 we shall have our first clue. There are few white worms vrhose seg- ments number fewer than 20, whereas nearly all larval forms have about 13. Next we look for the head. In the case of worms the two extremities of the body are so nearly alike that it is sometimes necessary to magnify the creature highly to distinguish the head from the tail. But as a rule the larva of a fly has a well-defined head, usually browner than the rest of the body, and provided with sundry organs such as worms never possess. Moreover, the white worms move backwards as readily as forwards, whereas the grub usually prefers to let the head lead it. Our surest guide, however, lies in the struc- ture of the body. If the creature under review possesses a number of tubes and vessels which can be easily seen under the integument, run- ning through the entire length of the body, we are in all probability looking at a grub. If on the other hand we see four sets of tiny bristles on each segment, and find that the tubes and vessels are either wanting, or are limited to a few of the foremost segments we may con- clude it is a worm. We shall find, usually, that the integument or skin of the larva is much less tender than that of the worm, and as the former is usually harmle.=s in the garden we may take comfort from the thought that if we attempt to destroy the injurious worms the insecticide may not cause the larva to suffer. Strong measures doubtless w'fl involve the innocent with the guilty, but the careful use of germicides will leave the gardener's conscience free. We have now learned to distinguish grubs from white worms. But before I pass to our next point it may be well to give the main differ- ences in tabular form for ready reference in the future. Characters. Grub. White Worm. Number of seg- Thirteen Twenty and up- ments wan Is. Head Well-defined ... Not disiinct. Bristles or setse ... Absent Present. TuI.es and vessels Clearly seen ... Few or abient Colour Variable While. Since the grubs of which I am writing are not of the kind to work injury in the garden we may now dismiss them from consideration. The white worms, so long as they were confined to the manure heap and the leaf-mould, were bene- ficial. But of late years it has been clearly de- monstrated that certain species are either per- sistently injurious, or become so under cert,iin conditions. I gave, in these pages, some years ago, an account of a small white worm wliich was doing immense harm up and down the coun- try to Asters and other plants. I have also found Celery trenches infested with other forms, while Clover and a variety of other crops have, from time to time, been known to suffer greatly by their depredations. I always look upcu the white worms with suspicion, and hold that every endeavour should be made to keep them out of the garden. The Aster worm is usually very abundant where leaf-mould is forming, and if the gardener has s.*-h mould brought to him from copse or woodland he should use it with the greatest caution. I therefore advise that whenever it is proposed to carry manure on to the garden it should first be well inspected to see whether or not white worms are present. If they are, the manure should be mixed v/ith lime or treated with one of the usual prepara- tions for the destruction of pests. In the case of mould which may be infested the need for care is even greater. The worms are minute, and may easily escape detection. The mould may be mixed with ingredients for potting purposes which encourage the worms for a time till they find their way to the rootlets' of the growing plant. In this case I strongly recommend that the mould be baked. This process kills the worms and their egg capsules, while it does not prove injurious to the soil. Indeed in many cases a new set of conditions arises which makes the baked soil all the more productive; and such a process is far safer than the application of germicides to the growing plant. If these hints are followed I believe that there will be a greatly reduced risk in future when manure and leaf-mould are brought into use. Hilderic Friend, Swadlincote. w April 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. Til FORESTRY. EXOTIC FOREST TREES. About thirty years ago a great many foresters were suddenly stricken with a strange disease, which evinced itself in a desire to plant any- thing but indigenous trees, without any regard to their probable behaviour under strange con- ditions, and indeed often without first ascer- taining whether they were of any value, even in their native land. There are still many such people left, but on the whole the mania has gradually died out, and given place to a relapse in the opposite direction. There is cer- tainly a good deal to be said for the private owner, intent on the beauty of his woods, who is glad to add something here and there in the shape of some exotic tree, whose chief value lies in the colour of its leaves or the curve of its branches, rather than in its timber-producing properties. Such a procedure can only be commended, and it is as well to look at the forest from the point of view of beauty, as from the commercial side, even when it is the property of the State, and a mere source of revenue ; but when large areas are covered with a tree that can never be ex- pected to grow into anything more than fire- wood, it is time for somebody to step in and stop the mischief. The following trees were planted for demonstration and e.xperimental purposes in the teaching forests I'ound Ebers- walde, near Berlin, the soil being on the whole sandy, with loam and marl here and there, and covered almost exclusively with Scotch Pine and Beech. Pinus Banksiana was introduced into the forest some years ago, and was said to be an excellent tree for growing in dry, sandy soils. It does not seem to have occurred to anybody to make enquiries as to its growth in its native country, and in consequence large areas were planted with it. American fore-sters visiting the Continent are always amused at finding such plantations, and cannot understand that a tree which is worthless in its own country, should be expected to do better in another. Added to this is the fact that it is not less particular with regard to soil than the indigenous Scotch Pine. Pinus rigida is an example of an enor- mous mistake, caused by the mixing up of names. It was looked upon as the true Pitch Pine, and was extensively planted in conse- quence, and, as it was oft«n given the most favourable soils and situations, great things were expected of it. The results were, to say the least of it, disappointing, and the tangled masses of low, crooked, spreading trees now to be seen all over the country are a warning to future experimenters. In spite of this, Pinus rigida stUl has a few friends who recommend its use mi.-sed with the common Pine, the idea being to force the height growth of the latter, and to fur- nish humus from the luxuriant needles of the farmer. The development of such plantations is, however, uneven, owing to the light and •root competition, and practical foresters all agree in condemning this Pine. Pinus Strobus has, on the whole, justified its introduction, as it is easily satisfied, hardy, stands more shade than the common Pine, and numerous healthy and clean-stemmed plantations in various parts of the country bear witness to its suitability as a timber tree. It is, however, inferior to the Scotch Pine from the point of view of the timber merchant, and its use is only justified under exceptional circumstances. Picea sitchensis looks like making good timber, but it is difficult to say whether it has any advantage over the common Spruce. Picea pungens, Abies concolor, A. grandis and A. Nordmanniana are often to be found in batches in the forest, but their use can only be justified for decorative purposes. Thuya occidentalis, Thuya gigantea and Cupressus Lawsoniana were looked upon as promisi^ig timber trees, 'intil the 20 years' eld plantations came to be tVdnned, when most of th»Ta were found to be nnsound at the heirt, and coij.'equently u.-ieless. They always suff r bjdly fro>n heavy falls of snow, and, allhouL'h their growth at the start is ex- tremely r?pid, tl.rv cannot be exnected to do any gocff in Europe. Juniperus virginiana is not present in plantation form in this district, but there is a small forest of it worked on com- mercial lines by the famous pencil makers A. W. Faber and Sous, and it is said that the wood is of good quality. It is quite possible that the wood is of good quality, and that plant- ing may be worth while in such a special case, but on the whole it may be looked upon as useless for the forest. Larix leptolepis is too well known to need any description, but its immunity from canker and its rapid growth have not proved so startling as its early be- haviour led people to believe. At the age of 12 or 14 years it is caught up again and passed by the European species. Pseudotsuga Douglasii is probably the most promising of all foreign trees introduced into Europe, and although it cannot here be expected to attain anything like the dimensions that it reaches in its native country, there seems every reason to believe that it will yield more timber per acre than any indigenous tree. The wood is of good quality but generally knotty, owing to the toughness of the dead branches, which remain for years on the stem. Broad-leaved trees have not been planted so freely as Conifers, and there is only one of any account which is indeed so widely distri- buted as to be looked upon fis a native. We refer to Robinia Pseudacacia, which is most useful on account of its soil-improving pro- perties and the excellence of its timber, which is indeed seldom to be found in any great size, but which is the best and most durable wood for fences, posts, or any- thing else exposed to moisture and air. Jug- lans nigra, Populus canadensis and Fraxinus americana are to be found here and there, but mostly isolated. The latter is sometimes planted instead of the common Arh, but as its timber is inferior and its growth probably slower, such plantings are not to be recommended. There are, of course, many other plants which have been tried at one time or another, but the above- mentioned are all that have been planted in any quantity, under what may be termed forest conditions. The folly of planting large areas with strange trees on the strength of their rapid growth in the first few years, cannot be too highly condemned, as their behaviour at that stage is by no means a proof that they will con- tinue to thrive, and mistakes once made cannot so easily be rectified. G. IF. THE ALPINE GARDEN. THE EDINBURGH ROCK-GARDEN. The rock-garden at the Edinburgh Royal Botanical Gardens is interesting and beautiful at all seasons of the year, and amongst much that was attractive on the occasion of a visit re- cently, notes of the following plants may prove of interest. I had never realised that Primula marginata was so hardy and effective until I saw it in a great splash of pale-mauve colour clothing a broad, shady ledge in a cold and somewhat draughty spot ; it was a lovely and remarkable sight. Primulas, of course, were in great force throughout the rock-garden, and for vividness of colouring it would be hard to beat the brilliant flame-pink of P. rosea. It was flowering profusely in two large patches, one in the bog — where, for some reason or other the leaves seemed badly withered — and one in a low-lying, damp corner at the foot of a miniature mountain-range. Two other species with habit and leaves resembling P. marginata. only smaller in every way, were P. Salomonii and P. visco-^a : the former has large flowers of a most wonderful bright violet-purple, those of the latter being rich lilac-red in colour. P. Palinuri, of Italian origin, was quite different in appearance and habit, bearing yellow Cowslip-like blossoms on stems about 10 inches high. P. Allionii is a peculiar little species, with large, pale lilac flowers, which appear to be stemless. It was growing underneath an overhanging rock, which effectu- ally protected it from wind and rain. P. den- ticulata and its variety cashmeriana are too well known to need description. I must not forget. however, P. erosa, vi'hich is of similar appear- ance, but handsomer, with larger flowers dis- posed in looser heads ; if possible, it is even more free-blooming, for. at the foot of some boulders, the plants were each carrying from five to seven flowering stems. Primulas erosa and Salomonii were growing together with P. leucophylla in the new part of the rock-garden, whicli has been extended very considerably during the last 12 months. A valley has been formed and new mountain-ranges are springing up on two sides of the rockery. In the valley-like region, already well filled with new tenants, I found Tulipa suaveolcns, brilliant orange-scarlet, 8 inches to 12 inches ; Draba, cuspidata and" D. Aizoon, with their tiny lemon-yellow flowers ; Skimmia Fortunei, with its masses of scarlet berries drooping over the crest of a high rock ; a sheet of white, where Arabis albida and its double variety flung themselves down a sloping bank ; Anemone hepatica, still blooming gaily in crevices in deep shade. On a bank higher up, leading away from the valley, was a colony of Rhododendron Metter- nichii, of Japanese origin, one of the most lovely as surely it is one of the most free-flowering of this extensive genus. The handsome trusses of large, clear-pink blossoms, with buds of fiery, intense pink, are borne on sturdy, bushy- little plants about 2 feet, and produce a most attractive effect. Epigsea repens was bloom- ing freely in a damp nook, and, return- ing to the older parts of the rock-garden. I noticed some patches of that lovely little plant, Shortia uniflora, with quantities of its white, bell-like flowers. Writing of damp ' places reminds me that I was interested to note what plants thrived in such localities, for all rockeries must have their shaded and less-favour- able spots. The following all seemed at home in such places : — Saxifraga crassifolia and S. lingulata, both nearly over ; Ranunculus ficaria var. alba, which is exactly like a pale-coloured " Celandine " ; Ornithogalum Hausknechtii was pushing up spikes of starrv. greenand-white flowers; Pulmonaria angustifolia was in full bloom; Draba Loiseleurii, D. hispanica, and D. aizoides var. montana, all very similar. Arenaria caespitosa, from Spain and Portugal, had its mossy, green carpet covered with fat buds, of which a few were open, while Anemone vernalis was bearing numerous white, hairy bell-flowers. In the most shaded part of all, along a ridge over- hung by trees and exposed to much wind, I was much struck to find a thriving colony of Iris reticulata — a refreshing sight indeed; in this rather bleak and gloomy position. Close by were several plants of Corydalis bulbosa, and a little- further on, among Ferns, were Anemone nemo- rosa and A. Pulsatilla, the latter just opening, the former fully out. Here, too, clothing a neighbouring rock, was Berberis Darwinii, covered with orange-tinted, drooping flowers. Passing on to more genial aspects. I saw a most gay and prolific little plant, Lathyrus ver- nalis var. azureus, compact in habit, with count- less upright spikes of bluish-lilac flowers, and about 15 inches high. This species is also valu- able for naturalising, and when walking through a shady miniature pine-wood in another part of the Botanical Gardens, I noticed several plants blooming just as profusely as in the more- favoured and sunny position in the rockery. Many Heaths were out in great form, especially Erica carnea and its white variety, E. mediterranea hybrida was also fine, the type being somewhat shabby-looking. Close by was a large stretch of Bryanthus empetriformis opening its pink buds to the sun, while a small patch of B. taxifolius was not so far advanced. Daphne Blagayana was blooming very freely on a sloping ledge. I have only mentioned two members of the Saxifrage family, but others were to be met at almost every turn. The species that was at its highest perfection on the day of my visit, pre- senting a sheet of large, white flowers, was S. Petraschii, while three showy and well-known species — although just past their prime — were S. sancta, S. apiculata and S. Elizabethie. S. Burseriana and its varieties crenata, speciosa, and niultiflora were nearly over, as al«o was the hybrid S. Salomonii. Three very similar-looking species were present in S. Rocheliana, .S. scardica (from Greece), and S. dalmatica. while, like them in habit, were S. Haagii, but which bore bright- yellow flowers, and S. eudoxiana, with pale yel- low blossoms. A very distinct little Saxifrage was S. pseudo-sancta, bearing several bright lemon-yellow flowers. The whole rock-garden was full of bulbous plants peeping out from numberless nooks a'^d crannies. Here it might be Narcissus cycla- mineus or N. bulbocodium ; there Erythronium Dens-canis or Puschkinia scilloides compacta; while SciUas of different species and varieties abounded on every side, and made gay many bare corners with their bright and cheerful little blue or white flowers. K. E. Stehhi'^ri. 278 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 27, 1912. The Week's Work. THE HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. By F. Jordan, Gardener to Lady NunbcrnholmE Warier Priory, Vorksliire. Cherries. — At this stage, trees of Sweet and ]\IoreUo Cherry are often seriously damaged by aphis, including the black kind, and often-times the mischief is done before the trees are out of blossom. Syringing the trees twice at intervals with Quassia extract or some similar insecticide a week or so before the flowers open will gener- ally suffice to keep aphis in check. Trees of Sweet Cherry require to be disbudded and ■stopped as was advised for Apricots, to avoid, as far as possible, the use of the knife during the winter months. The grub that at- tacks the leaves must also be guarded against, for, no matter how carefully other operations are performed, this pest will soon destroy the crop and damage the foliage of the, most vigorous trees. Mulching. — If the work of mulching is in arrears, no time should be lost in completing it. Light but moisture-holding materials form the best mulches to apply to newly-planted as well as established fruit trees; but no hard-and-fast rule sliould be followed, as much will depend upon the nature of the ground, whether it be of a light or heavy te.xture. Heavy mulchings should be avoided, unless the soil is warm and dry ; those intended to supply food as well as to conserve moisture should be composed of rich, stimulating materials, and it should be remem- bered that two or three light dressings at inter- vals are preferable to one heavy mulch applied early. General Work. — It is too early to estimate what the fruit crops will be, but, judging from appearances, fruits of all kinds will be plentiful if the weather remains favourable. The recent severe frosts may have caused much injury to the blossoms in the Midlands and south, but in the north the trees were not sufficiently ad- vanced to be much harmed. The year's results will depend largely upon attention to the most trifling details at this stage, the chief amongst them being the protection of the blossom from damage by frost and the prevention and spread of insect pests. Aphides especially must be com- bated, for if these pests destroy the early growths, the prospects for another year will be ruined, as secondary shoots rarely ripen satisfactorily. The hoe .should be used freely in the fruit quarters on all favourable occasions to keep the surface of the ground well stirred and to destroy weeds. At no other season of the year is so much good done with the hoe as in spring, no matter whether weeds are present or not. PLANTS UNDER GLASS. 3y Thomas Stevenson, Gardener to E. Mocatta, Esq., Woburn Place, Addlestone, Surrey. Violets. — The hot, dry weather of last summer was not favourable to Violets ; the plants in many instances grew feebly, and red spider infested them, therefore it is hardly to be expected that the flowers will be as good as usual this season. When the plants have finished flowering no time should be lo.st in planting suit- able side shoots for stock in their summer quar- ters. It is often advised to plant young Violets in a shaded border, but the best flowers I have ever seen were grown during the summer in an open -situation, proving that shade does not matter, provided that the soil is well prepared and the plants receive proper attention. I prefer to plant young side grow'ths rather than older shoots that iiave flowered, and though the former may not make strong plants so quickly as the latter, they have the advantage of not being so subject to attacks of red spider. If the plants have been troubled with this pest in the frames they should be. dipped in a solution either of soft soap and sulphur or sulphide of potassium at a strength of j ounce in 1 gallon of water. If due attention is paid to spraying the plants and a fair amount of water afforded the roots during the summer, good results should be obtained. even in a hot season. In planting, allow plenty of room between the rows ; a distance of 15 to 18 inches apart is not too much space, especially for the single varieties, and this distance permits of stirring the soil with the hoe. AcHiMENES. — Achimenes are not so much in favour as they were in former years ; neverthe- less, they are very beautiful plants when in flower. The plants may be had in bloom either early or late, according to the date at which the conns are started into growth. They may be planted as early in February or as late as Alay ; as the plant-houses are generally crowded with other subjects early in the year, it is convenient to plant now. The corms may be started fairly close together id shallow pans or pots, transferring them to their flowering pots when tlie shoots have grown about 2 inches high. The plants wiU flower weU in pots, pans, or baskets, needing very little attention beyond staking and watering. They should be potted in a light com- post ; a mixture of peat, leaf -mould, sand, and a little loam is suitable. During their early stages of growth they should be grown in an inter- mediate or rather higher temperature, but as they come into bloom, a lower temperature, with plenty of air, should be afforded, to prolong the season of blooming. A little shade is necessary at all times, but the plants must be grown near to the roof glass, in order that they may grow stocky. When they are well rooted in their flowering pots, manure water may be afforded in considerable quantities. Some of the choicer varieties are Mauve Queen, Rose Queen, Firefly, Mme. A. Verschaffelt, Ambrose Verschaffelt, and longiflora major, rosea and alba. Caladium. — Plants of Caladium that were started as advised in a previous calendar should now be finally potted. If large plants are re- quired, two or three specimens may be placed to- gether in one pot. It is very necessary to exer- cise care in wat_ering for some time after they are potted, and the plants must be shaded during periods of bright sunshine. Though Caladiums require warm, moist conditions, they should not be syringed overhead too frequently, especially if the water contains lime, as that will be deposited on the foliage, but the spaces between the pots may be syringed often. If the ventilators are opened, close them again with a rising tempera- ture in the afternoon. Seedlings. — Seedlings of stove and green- house plants must not be neglected. They should be pricked off as soon as they are big enough to handle, so that they may grow without re- ceiving any undue check. IMany plants that were raised in a stove temperature may, r.fter this date, be grown in a rather cooler house ; heated pits, where they are available, are quite suitable tor seedlings of many warm-house subjects. Tuberous-rooted Begonias. — Many plants of tuberous-rooted Begonias are suflicientlv forward to be placed in their flowering pots. If this is done before the roots are in the least degree pot-bound the plants will grow with extra freedom. As a rooting medimn, provide a fairly retentive, though porous, compost. Pot fairly firmly, as the foliage does not grow gross when the soil is firm. The largest tubers may be grown in pots having a diameter of 8j inches (24's) or 9j inches (15's) ; smaller tubers from one to two years old may be grown in 6-inch pots (32's). Plants in these smaller pots are especially valuable for decorative purposes in the plant houses. If a house could be devoted to their culture, it would be an advantage, but, failing this, a good light pit will be suitable for a month or two. Endeavour to grow the plant sturdy, affording a little shade during the hottest part of the day. Seedling Begonias should be kept growing freely, transplanting them as advised in a previous calendar in boxes, or they may be planted out in a frame at a distance of 4 inches apart. When grown in frames, they may be transferred direct to the beds early in June, or potted in 4^-inch pots (48's). They will do best in the beds, where they will not only flower more freely, but develop finer corms than in pots. BOUVARDIA. — This winter-flowering plant may be propagated now, either from cuttings obtained from specimens that were cut down some time ago, or from portions of the roots. The latter should be cut into portions an inch or two in length, planting the portions in sand or very light soil. Of the two systems, the latter gives th» better result, the plants being stronger and freer in growth. Root cuttings will need to be rooted in a brisk bottom heat. They may be potted singly, or three may be placed in the same pot as soon as they have made top growth about 2 or 3 inches high". If three specimens are placed in one receptacle the leading shoots should be pinched on one or two occasions, to induce a bushy habit of growth. THE FLOWER GARDEN. By J. G. Weston, Gardener to Lady Northcote, Eastwell Park, Kent. Transplanted shrubs. — The long period of wet weather experienced at the time of planting has been succeeded by several weeks of drought, accompanied by east winds. In consequence, the ground is dry, and very hard on the surface, with cracks, especially where the soil is of a clayey nature. Under these conditions, recently-planted shrubs are liable to suffer damage from drought ; therefore, see that the roots are well supplied with moisture. The surface of the ground should be forked over lightly, and the large clods of earth broken as finely as "possible, carefully removing the roots of perennial weeds. If the ground is very dry, water must be afforded the roots, but timely attention in the matters of spraying and mulching is of greater benefit than copious root-waterings, the ground being very cold. A light mulch is of the greatest benefit in conserving the moisture about the roots, and may consist of leaf-mould, old potting soil, or spent manure from an old ]\Iushroom bed. If neither of these materials is available, grass clip- pings from the lawns may be used, putting a light layer of the material around the base of each newly-planted tree and shrub. The soil should be "stirred with the flat hoe before the mulch is applied, and this tool should be used constantly in the spaces between the plants. Hollies. — The next few weeks is usually con- sidered the most suitable time for transplanting Hollies, and preparations for the work should be made without delay. Everything should be in readiness before the roots of the trees are ex- posed, as the plants are liable to a check if their roots become dried, causing them to become stunted in growth. Large specimens may be shifted without much risk, provided that care is taken to preserve a large mass of soil about the roots. Remove the trees carefully to their fresh stations, make the soil thoroughly firm around the ball of soil and roots, afford a copious watering, and finally make the surface of the soil level. After the" planting is completed, place a mulch over the roots, as recommended above. Constant attention will be necessary during times of dry weather, spraying the trees during the afternoons of hot days. Secure carefully to stakes all re- cently transplanted trees and shrubs, and label them, placing the tallies in position where they may be seen easily. The Stratford imperishable label is one of the best obtainable for labelling specimen trees and shrubs. The Hardy Fernery. — The young fronds are developing fast, therefore old and withered leaves should be removed and the fernery made tidy and attractive for the summer. Hardy ferneries often exist in the vicinity of large trees, which lead to the accumulation of dead sticks and other rubbish. Do not cut off the old fronds of evergreen kinds until the young leaves have developed properly. This is done sometimes so that the work of tidying the fernery may be finished at one operation, but it will be noticed that Ferns growing wild appear to do best when well protected by the old fronds. A top-dress- ing of leaf-mould should be afforded as the work proceeds. This material will be a great help to the new roots, and give the fernery a clean and tidy appearance. In districts where tree Ferns withstand the cold of winter, these should be employed, as they give an additional charm to the fernery : in colder parts the hardier kinds, such as Dicksonia antarctica, may be grown in pots or tubs and plunged out-of-doors in the summer and autumn. Plunged plants must never be allowed to suffer from want of water at the roots, and have the stems syringed daily during hot weather. It the plants have been in the same tubs for several years, an occasional water- ing with liquid manure will assist the develop- ment of the young fronds and cause them to be a deep-green colour. Apeil 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 279 THE ORCHID HOUSES. By J. Collier, Gardener to Sir Jeremiah Colman, Bart., Gallon Park, Surrey. Phal/enopsis. — Plants of Phalsenopsis, in- cluding P. araabilis, P. Stuartiana, P. Schilleri- ana, P. grandifioia, P. Esmeralda, P. intermedia Portei and P. Brymeriana have passed out of flower and are becoming active at the roots, therefore fresh compost should be afforded them. The plants should be afforded fresh rooting material each year. A suitable rooting medium consists of equal parts of Al fibre and Sphagnum moss chopped up rather short. Plants that are growing in baskets should, if the re- ceptacles are decayed, be provided with new ones. First immerse the basket for a short time in tepid water, when the roots may be easily de- tached from the wood. The wires that hold the basket together should be cut and the bars of wood removed suigly. At the same time care- fully detach the roots with the blade of a thin knife. Wash all the old compost from the roots and remove dead portions of the plants with a sharp knife. Before placing the plants in the basket half fill the receptacles with portions of Fern rhizome for drainage purpose.-!. The ruot^ should then be woven singly between the bars, working the compost between the roots until it is level with the top of the basket. Finish with a layer of clean heads of Sphagnum-moss. If the baskets are in a sound condition carefully re- move all the old rooting materials from between the roots and afterwards wash the inside of the basket and roots by syringing with clean, tepid water. Then fill the spaces between the roots with the fresh compost. These plants may be grown successfully in shallow pans, preferably those without side holes. Employ clean crocks for drainage, half filling the pots with these, and employ a similar compost to that recom- mended for the basket plants with the addition of crushed crocks and small lumps of charcoal. Phalsenopsis should be afforded a position in the warmest house, where a constant circulation of warm air obtains. The plants should be shaded from the sun's rays during the spring and sum- mer months. They may either be suspended from the roof rafters or placed on the stage on inverted pots standing in saucers of water. The bare spaces between the plants should be syringed on bright days, and the undersides of the leaves should be wetted frequently with tepid rain water. Maintain a moist atmosphere in the house by damping the walls and paths fre- quently during the day. Water the surface of the pots sparingly with a fine rose until the roots have gro%vn well in the new compost, when they may be more liberally supplied with moisture. On the approach of winter moisture should be afforded in reduced quantities. Plants of P. Reimstadiana are in flower, and should not be disturbed at the roots until a later period. Cattleya.— Plants of C. gigas, C. Hardyana, C. Dowiana and its variety aurea are starting into growth, and should be placed in the warmest end of the Cattleya house near to the roof glass. They should be afforded very little water at the roots until the young growths are several inches long, when the amount of moisture may be gradually increased, giving the ma.ximum quan- tity when the flower sheaths and young leaves are forming. After the blooms ' have faded water at the roots should be withheld. Any plants that require potting should be attended to when young roots are developing from the new pseudo-bulbs. THE KITCHEN GARDEN. By Edwin Beckett, Gardener lo the Hon. Vicary Gibbs, Aldenham House, Hertfordshire. French Beans.— If the fruiting plants in pots are kept well supplied with manure-water, they may be grown in a comparatively low tem- perature. The seedling plants in 5-inch pot.s may now be planted in a frame, placing them at a distance of 1 foot apart, allowing a space of 18 inches between each row. Another sowing ' should be made in the frames to furnish gather- ings untU the outdoor supplies are available. Protect ih-^ frames well at night. Runner Beans. — Towards the end of the present month a sowing of Scarlet Runner Beans may be made in boxes placed in a cold frame to furnish plants for planting in the open ground next month. Seedlings raised in this manner may be easily protected from inclement weather and from the ravages of slugs. In these gardens the boxes used are 2 feet long, 1 foot wide, and 4j inches deep ; 50 seeds are sown in each box. The trenches for the Runner Beans should be dug at an early date, bearing in mind that this plant responds to liberal treatment, and that during the hot and dry summer of last year the best re- sults were obtained from the plants which were grown under these conditions. Seedlings raised in this manner come into bearing before those sown out-of-doors. Broad Beans.— The earlier .plants of Broad Beans in pots will now require stimulants to as- sist the swelling of the pods. These plants should be gradually removed to cooler quarters. Pinch out the growing point now that a good set is secured, and top-dress the plants with rich material. Celery. — The trenches for planting Celery should be made without delay, excavating the soil 1^ foot or 2 feet deep. The trenches should be three-parts filled with half-rotted manure, preferably horse dung. A layer of soil should be placed over the manure, using some of the richest mould taken from the trenches. It is a mistake to plant Celery in very deep trenches, especially when intended for early and mid- winter supplies, also where the land is of a wet, heavy nature. By the end of this month the earliest plants should be ready for their final planting. In transplanting, preserve as much soil as possible about the roots, plant firmly, and afford a good watering. During times of dry- weather the plants should be damped frequently until they are established. The leaves should be dusted during the early mornings on fre- quent occasions with fresh soot, which, if ap- plied early, will prevent the Celery fly from making its appearance : this will also apply to subsequent plantings. Successional plants should be well hardened before they are planted in the trenches, and those of the final sowing intended for use next spring pricked out on a border facing south or west. Celeriac. — This vegetable, which is com- monly known as Turnip-rooted Celery, should be grown in soil' which has been well enriched with farmyard manure. The situation .should be open, so that the plants may receive plenty of sunshine. The first week in May is the best time for planting. Allow the plants plenty of room to develop, and keep them well supplied with moisture, dusting the leaves with soot exactly as recommended for Celery. Beetroot. — Plants of Egyptian or Globe- rooted Beet raised early in the year in frames should receive their final thinning, allowing a distance of about 6 inches between them. A mulching of light, finely-sifted soil will be bene- ficial afterwards. Immediately the roots com- mence to swell, growth may be hastened by syringing the plants overhead and closing the lights partially early in the afternoon. Do not close the lights entirely, as too close conditions are harmful to the crop at any time. A sowing of this variety may be made in an open part of the garden, as the roots will be very useful when quite young as salad. The Globe-rooted Beet is a most desirable variety, as its roots develop soon, and it grows well in any garden. The main crop of long-rooted Beet may be sown at intervals between now and the end of the next three weeks. If roots are desired for ex- hibition purposes, they may be grown in specially-prepared holes filled with . a finely- sifted sandy soil. Peas. — Peas growing under glass should have the leading shoots stopped and the side growths removed after the third or fourth truss of flowers has formed. Damp the foliage overhead on the mornings and afternoons of fine days, and afford the roots copious supplies of diluted liquid manure. Admit plenty of fresh air whenever the weather is favourable. Continue to plant, on well-prepared ground, Peas raised under glass, and in order to maintain an uninterrupted supply of pods, make sowings in the open at in- tervals of 10 days. Select varieties that do best in the district; two excellent sorts for sowing now are Duke of Albany and Quite Content. Cauliflowers. — Make a final sowing of early and autumn giant Cauliflowers in an open situation. The plants will be very serviceable in the autumn for lifting and planting in frames- to continue the supply. Plants of earlier sow- ings should be set out in deeply-trenched and heavily-manured land. Cauliflower plants grow- ing under glass, eitlier in pots or borders,^ should be fed liberally with strong manure water. Admit plenty of fresh air on all favour- able occasions. Aubergine. — Plants of Aubergine or Egg plant intended for early fruiting are in flower. Immediately the fruits show signs of sw-elling, feed the roots liberally with stimulants and. maintain a high temperature. FRUITS UNDER GLASS. By E. Harriss, Fruil Foreman, The Royal Gardens, Windsor. Bananas.— To be successful with the fruit- ing of ihisas under glass, the plants need to be grown specially well. The plants require a. fairly lofty structure, with plenty of space to- develop their large leaves. Plants grown in tubs seldom fruit, and this method of culture is only recommended for specimens intended for ornamental purposes. Fruiting plants require a. rich rooting medium. Good loam mixed with plenty of well-rotted manure and crushed bones will provide a suitable compost. The plants re- quire an abundance of water at the roots during, their growing season, therefore ample provision should be made for the surplus moisture to. drain away. When the fruits are developing, stimulants in plenty must be given. Although the plants are benefited by very high tempera- tures, they should be shaded from the direct rays of the sun. After the plants have fruited, they should be cut down, selecting the strongest suckers that form for stock. The suckers should be lifted with a good ball of soil, and planted in a compost as advised above. Musa Cavendishii is tlie most suitable species for fruiting under glass. Pineapples.— Plants of the Queen variety which were placed in the fruiting house in De- cember must be watered very carefully. The pots are full of active roots, and, should the soil become dry, the fruits will receive a check. The plants should receive stimulants on at least every alternate watering. Liquid manure from the farmyard and guano water are both suitable fertilisers, and may be used alternately. The paths and walls in the house should be sprinkled frequently with water to promote a moist at- mosphere. Spray the plants with tepid rain- water in the mornings, and again in the afternoons, when the ventilators are closed, which should be done not later than 3 p.m. The night temperature may be maintained at about 70°. Admit air at the top of the house in the mornings, when the temperature approaches 80°, increasing it at intervals as the sun's heat augments. If the tops of the fruits are inclined to grow disproportionately large, the growth may be stopped by means of a pointed stick, but this must be done effectively, or growth, will again commence and the fruits be dis- figured. Excessive syringings overhead will cause the crowns to grow too freely. Successional Pines.- Plants which were- potted early in the year must be given every en- couragement to grow freely. The minimum temperature of the pit should not fall below 70°. Regulate the ventilators carefully in the fore- noon, closing them early in the afternoon, after spraying the plants and charging the atmosphere- with moisture. In the afternoon a temperature of 100° or even more will not be too high, so long as the atmosphere is kept moist. When the soil in the pots is becoming filled with roots, weak stimulants may be afforded, increasing the strength as growth develops. Plants needing re- potting must be attended to before they become pot-bound. Young plants of the varietie's Smooth Cayenne and Charlotte Rothschild, which were planted out last month, are developing plenty of roots. Although it has been necessary, up till now, to shade the plants, they must be inured gradually to direct sunshine, until shading is dispensed with altogether. The Pineapple en- joys exposure to the full sunshine, except whea. the roots have been disturbed through repot- ting or planting, and undue shading may defer or even be the means of preventing the fruiting; of the plants. 280 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 27, 1912. EDITORIAL NOTICE. ADVERTIAHMKNTS should be sent to the PUB- LISrtER, 41. Wellington Street, Covent Garden, V»'.C. Letters for Publication, as well us specimens oj plants tor naming, should be addressed to the EDITORS, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London. Cotntnunuations shculd be writtkn on one side only of THE PAPER, sent as eatlv in the weeli as possible and duly signed by the writer. 1/ des red, the signature will not be printe,t,'but kept as a guarantee oj good faith, Special Notice to Correspondents.— T^ie Editors do not undettnke to pay /or am' contiibutions or illustrations, or to relurn unused communications or illustrations, unless by special arrangement. The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for any opinions expressed by their correspon- dents. Local Hey/a.— Correspondents will greatly oblige by sendingto the Ed tors early intelligence 0/ local events likely to be oJ interest to our readers, or of any matters which it is desirable to bring under the notice of horticulturists. APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. TUESDAY, APRIL 30- , . , Royal Hort. Soc. Corns, meet, and National Auricula and Primula Soc. Sh. (Lecture at 3 p.m. by Dr. Redclifle Salaman on " Potatos.") Hort. Club meeting. AVEKAGE Mean Temperature for the ensuing week deduced from observations during the last Fifty Years at Greenwich— 49 2°. Actual Temperatukks: — l^onoov.— Wednesday, April 24 (6 p.m.): Max. 66°; Mill. 44"^. Gardeners' Chronicle Ollice, 41, Wellington Street, Covent Garden, London —Thursday, April 25 (10 A.M.) : Bar. 29-9" ; Temp. 66° ; Weather— Sunshine. Provinces.— HVrfiirafdj', Aprii.24 : Max. 60° Cambridge ; Min. 50" Scotland, N.W. SALES FOR THE ENSUING WEEK. WEDNESDAY— Herbaceous and Border Plants, Hardy Bulbs, &c., at 12 ; Liliums, &c., at 4; Palms and Plants at 5 ; at 67 & 68, Cheapside, E.G., by Protberoe & Morris. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY- A collection of Choice Established Orchids, at M & bB, Cheap-id t, E.G., by Protheroe & Morris. This disease is well known to "•""^ gartieners for the damage it ""Rur""*' "-'oes to Hollyhocks, Mallows, and other Malvaceous plants. It is comparatively a newcomer in Europe, for its original home is South America. The gradual spread of the Holly- hock disease over Europe during the latter part of the last century is almost as striking an example of the distribution of a plant disease as that of the Gooseberry- mildew in recent years. It was first described in 1854 from some leaves of Althaea officinalis sent from Chile, was identiiied as a member of the well-known groups of fungi, the Rusts, and received the name of Puccinia Malvacearum. The fungus began its wanderings by ap- pearing in Australia in 1857, but did not reach Europe till 1889, when it was found in Spain. In 1872 it reached France, and in the next year began to spread more rapidly, being found in at least eight departments of France, in six counties of England, and in two localities in Germany. In 1874 it appeared in Belgium, Holland, Denmark, and Italy, and became more widely spread in the countries it had already invaded. In 1875 it reached Ireland and Switzerland, in the next few years Austria-Hungary and Greece, but it did not reach Sweden till 1882, nor Finland till 1890. The ravages of jhe disease were very serious at the time of its first appearance, so that as early as 1874 it caused in France an increase in the pr--re of Mallow flowers used for pharmaceutical purposes, and for many yeai's it rendered the cultivation of Hollyhocks very difficult. At present the disease seems to have abated somewhat in virulence, but it is still very trouble- some, reducing the vitality of the affected plants. The disease shows itself as a number of brownish lumps or pustules, chiefly on the under-surface of the leaves. The pus- tules consist of masses of brownish spores, which in the presence of a suitable sup- ply of moisture germinate and produce minute, colourless reproductive bodies. These can be carried in the air to other leaves and so produce again the disease. The germination of the spores can easily be recognized with the naked eye, for then the hemispherical clumps of spores turn from brown to grey owing to the pro- duction of these smaller colourless bodies. It is by means of the spores that the disease is carried from plant to plant during the growing season, but there has always been considerable doubt as to the manner in which the fungus survives the winter. Whether the living threads of the fungus exist in the seed or remain throughout the winter in other parts of the plant, or whether the spores persist in the living state during the winter on the seeds or on old living or dead leaves has been much disputed. Eriksson, the Swedish botanist, has for some years been investigating the rust of Hollyhocks, and has lately published his results in full. Eriksson is well known to those who study diseases of plants for his unconventional views as to the means by which the rusts of Wheat persist from season to season. The difficulties in accounting for the sudden appearance and rapid spread of epidemics of rust on Wheat led him, about eleven years ago, to put forward the view that the rust fungus might exist in the seed in a special form known as mycoplasm. Seeds from affected plants were sup- posed to bear within them, not the ordin- ary fungal threads which can be easily observed with the xnicroscope, but a peculiar combination of the living material of the fungus with the living material of the seed. This combination, mycoplasm, is hardly detectable as such even under high powers of the microscope, but is supposed to pass from the seed to the leaves as the plant develops. Finally, in the leaves, the dual nature of the mycoplasm is made manifest by the separation of the fungal portion as threads which are the ordinary form of growth of fungi. From these threads the pustules arise. Eriksson's theory as to the origin of the rusts of cereals was found difficult of acceptance by botanists generally, since the com- plete merging of the living material of two distinct plants has no analogy in the animal or vegetable kingdoms. ' In the case of Hollyhock Rust, most gardeners hold that seeds from a " rusted " plant in some way carry the disease so that the offspring develop the pustules even in the absence of in- fection from other plants. Eriksson, as a result of his studies, holds strongly to this view. He made experiments, lasting over several years, with a large num- ber of seedlings from " rusted " plants, and found that they suffered from virulent attacks of the disease even when there were no infected plants within a considerable distance. The rapid dissemi- nation of the disease, at the time of its appearance in Europe, also suggests very strongly that it must have been carried with the seeds and rootstocks. Eriksson observed in his experiments that seedlings sown in spring remain for the first three months completely free and then suddenly develop the disease, the pustules appearing in large numbers scattered regularly over the surface of the leaf. As in the rusts, if infection takes place from outside, each pustule means a separate infection. It is pointed out tliat in situations where there are no in- fected plants in the neighbourhood the air can hardly be so full of repro- ductive bodies that hundreds of them can fall on a single leaf. Eriksson shows, moreover, that it is only the mature leaves of the young plant that show the disease, while if infection is external one would expect the young delicate leaves to be the first attacked. For these and other reasons Eriksson holds that the first appearance of the disease in the spring is the result of an internal infection, due to the existence in the seed of a mycoplasm similar to that which he had supposed to exist in the grains of Wheat. The observations of Eriksson certainly support the views of gardeners as to the transmissibility of the disease by the seed, and this transmissibilitj' may be, accepted as a fact. The exact mode of transmission is, however, much more debatable. Some of the diffi- , culties in the way of the acceptance of I the mycoplasm theory have already been ' presented, and in the absence of more rigid proof that neither the threads of the fungus nor spores are present in or on the seeds it must be considered as un- L, proved. It is noteworthy that while | Eriksson states that the spores of the I Hollyhock Rust are unable to survive the i winter in Sweden, yet it has been shown that in America spores formed late one year are able to germinate the next spring. The same worker has also shown that pustules of spores are to be found attached to the seeds. Such seeds gave, however, seedlings in which the seed- leaves showed spots of rusts 14 days only after sowing. These results in which outside infection is certainly concerned are in striking contrast with those of Eriksson, who found that seedlings usually remained free from the disease for the first three months when preserved from obvious outside infection. Further investigation is necessary before this difference can be e.xplained on the basis of an hypothesis so improbable as that involved in the conception of " myco- plasm." It would also be interesting to have exact information for this country of the first appearance of the disease in seed- lings exposed to infection m the open and protected from infection in the green- house. As the spores may be attached to the seed, treatment with formalin before sowing would be advisable. April 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 28] Our Supplementary Illustration. — '^rimula eecundiflora is one of the finest if Alpine Primulas found on the Lichiang llange, N.W. Yunnan, where, though com- non in places, it is peculiarly local. Its :losest ally is Primula vittata, which was dis- overed by Prince Henri d'Oeleans much urther to the north and east, on the mountains round Tatsienlu and Batang. The two species liffer in only a few minor details. Mr. Forrest las furnished the following particulars : — The ilooms are fragrant, and in habit and form ilosely resemble those of Primula sikkimensis, )ut, instead of being yellow, they are a most leautiful shade of deep crimson, faintly tinged yith purple. The altitudinal range of the .species s great, from 11,500 feet to almost th.~P resent: Mr. E. A. Bowles, M.A., F.Ii.S. (in the Chair) ; Rev. Canon Fowler, Dr. A. B. Rendle, Professor G. Henslow, Jlessrs. A. Rolfe, W. E. Ledger, W. Hales, J. T. Bennett- Poe, A. W. Sutton, A. Worsley, J. Fraser, and J. F. Chittenden (hon. sec). Stachys pahistris. — Mr. J. Eraser showed a specimen of the rhizome of this common British plant, and remarked on the similarity between it and the Chinese Stachys tuberifera, the rhizomes of which are edible. Wallflowers (see also p. 285). — Professor G. Henslow showed a series of dark red and palor yellow Wallflowers which had been grown at Wisley from seed obtained by him in 1911 by crossing a virescent Wallflower with carpellary stamens with pollen from red and yellow plants respectively. No malformed flowers had ap- peared in this generation. Tasmgn!an Orchids. — Mr. Odell showed, on behalf of Mr. Andrew Kingsmill, an interest- ing series of coloured photographs of Tasmanian Orchids, representing the follov/ing terrestrial genera : — Pterostylis, Chiloglottis, Caladenia, Diuris, Calochilus, Dijiodium. Glossodia and Diplarrhena. Itanuncvlus Firaria. — Mr. Chittenden showed a semi-double form of Ranunculus Ficaria, having several series of strap-shaped petals green on the outside, as well as two or three whorls of stamens. It had appeared in the gardens at Wisley. Carpmtaria cnliforniea. — Mr. Odell showed foliage of this plant spotted with numerous brown spots, owing to the attack of the fungus Cladosporium herbarum. Lilium candidum diseased. — Mr. E. H. Jen- kins sent leaves of Lilium candidum showing numerous aecidia of a Uromyces. which was re- ferred to Mr- Chittenden for further examina- tion. Pefrea votiihills (see fig. 139).— Rev. F. Page- Roberts sent a dried inflorescence of a climbing plant with blue flowers from Ceylon, which was recognised as the American Petrea volubilis, a plant which varies considerably in colour. Si-coUured Hyacinth.— Mr. W. B. Gingell, of Dulwich Park, sent an inflorescence of a Hyacinth having one side red, the other blue, which was referred to Rev. Prof. Henslow for further examination. Gooseberry, racemose form. — Mr. W. G. Smith, of Dunstable, sent drawings illustrating flowers and fruit of a racemose form of Goose- berry, which had been referred to previously as a hybrid between the Gooseberry and the Black Currant on account of the thickly-produced clus- ters of very dark berries and their flavour, which was said to be intermediate between the Goose- berry and Black Currant. On careful examina- tion of the flowers and fruit he had, however, been unable to find any trace of Black Currant. The plant appeared to be wholly Gooseberry with flowers and fruit borne in racemes of from two to five. He could detect no Black Currant flavour, although the taste was delicious and strong. No oil glands are present on any part of this new form, and the fruits are perfectly glabrous. The pollen is exactly that of the gar- den Gooseberry. It flowers three weeks in ad- vance of the Black Currant. The merit of the plant lies in its great fruit-pro- ducing properties, as on a given length of branch it produces more fruit in weight than, probably. Fig. 138 — primula wattii: floweks WHITE. (The plant is reproduced natural size.) any other bush extant. The colour of the fruit when ripe is deep, almost black, maroon or dark mahogany, becoming black. The cuttings strike freely in any soil, many of last year's shoots being nearly a yard in length. Seeds planted by Mr. Smith did not germinate. The plant originated as a seedling in a market-grower's garden in the South of England, where it was regarded as a variety more curious than useful. HANTS. SPRING FLOWER SHOW. April 18. — The spring show of the above society, held on the above date, was excellent in every way, and at the same time extremely well attended by a large concourse of spectators. Although this year the season was much too advanced to suit Daffodils and other spring bulbs, the show was representative of Daffodil cultivation. Messrs. Barr's cup for 30 varieties was again won by J. Catob, Esq., M.P., whose exhibit was well up to the standard of recent years. The varieties Van Waveren's Giant, King Alfred, and Mrs. J. Veitch were in great form; Alida and M. J. Berkeley, although old varieties, also looked well. A "capital vase of Leedsii Duchess of Westminster Avas greatly liked, too, while the President's prize for the best vase in the show went to a vase of Red Beacon, shown also by this exhibitor. Mrs. Senior's Tulips and " Hyacinths were grand. indeed better plants would not be seen at any show, and her Lily of the Valley grown ana shown in pots made one envy the success of her gardener, Mr. Davis. Among trade exhibits Messrs. R. H. Bath. Ltd., and Cartwhight & Goodwin had grace- ful stands; "Queen of Poets" being given an Award of Merit on the former's stand, whilst, Messrs. Cartwright's seedlings came in for much praise. That veteran nurseryman, Mr G. W. Miller, Wisbech, of " Red" Victoria '' fame, put up a lovely stand of Orchids, Odontci- glossums, Oncidiums in variety, Cattleyas, Schroderip, &c., in great form. A fine Cypri- pedium .--cedling of insigne type was given an Award of Jlerit, and was named after the presi- dent " Col. Duncombe." ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL April 17. — The monthly meeting of this society was held on this date at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Great George Street, West- minster, Dr. H. N. Dickson (president) in the chair. The report on the phenological observations for 1911 was presented by j\lr. J. E. Clark, B.A. and Jlr. R. H. Hooker, M.A. The outstanding leatures of the weather during the year were the severe cold of early April ; the summer of ab- normal dryness, heat and sunshine ; and the subsequent heavy rainfall. After referring to the flowering of plants, the appearance of in- sects and the song and migration of birds, the authors dealt with the yield of farm crops and showed that crops of Potatos and Wheat were above the average, but most of the other crops were below the average, especially Beans, roots, and hay. Throughout Great Britain harvest began generally a fortnight to three weeks earlier than usual, and the duration was very short, the result being that the termination of the harvest was fully a month earlier than the average. ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF IRELAND. April 17, 18. — The spring show of the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland was held on these dates at Ball's Bridge. The entries were more numerous than on any previous occasion, and the exhibits staged by traders were exceptionally fine. Four challenge cups were offered, and there was keen competition. The cup offered for nine pot Roses was won by Mr. H. S. GuiNESs, Burton Hall; that offered for Alpines in flower by Mrs. Greet, Curragh Grange ; the Tully Nurseries cup offered for a table of Alpine plants by jNIrs. G. Mitchell, Ai-dlui, Blackrock ; and the cup presented by Lord Ardilaun for a collection of Narcissi in SO varieties by Capt. R. G. O'Callaghan. Amongst the non-competitive exhibits, Messrs. Bakers, Wolverhampton, exhibited a meritorious ,, collection of hardy plants ; Messrs. Broweit showed a collection of flowering plants and Pan- sies (certificate and medal) ; and Sir Gore Booth, Lissadel, displayed a beautiful collection of Daffodils and hardy plants (Gold Medal). 1 HEREFORDSHIRE SPRING FLOWER. II April 18. — The third exhibition of the Here- | fordshire Spring Flower Society was held in the '' Shire Hall, Hereford, on this date, the weather being beautifully fine. Messrs. Barr & Sons' Cup, offered for 25 dis- tinct varieties of Daffodils, was won by Miss Parr. In the open classes Jlrs. Davenport was awarded the 1st prize for a single bloom of a, Magni-coronati variety, Mrs. W. H. Banks being placed 1st for a Medio and Parvi variety respectively. Mrs. H. J. Bailey excelled in ths class for a Polyanthus Narcissus, whilst Mrs. j A. W. Foster won the challenge cup offered by f 3\Irs. F. Mount for 12 varieties of Daffodils. The challenge cup offered by the Lord Lieutenant of Hereford for a collection of Daffodils grown in 1 the county was won by Mr. W. H. Banks, I Kington. Mr. W. Henry Barneby's challenge i cup, offered for a collection of hardy spring flowers, was won outright by Mr. W. H. Banks, who also won Sir .James Rankin's challenge cup offered for a collection of outdoor-flowering shrubs. Apeil 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 287 Fig. 139. — PETREA VOLUBILIS ! FLOWERS PURPLE. (See report of Scientific Committee of R.H.S.) !8S THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 27, 1912. DEVON DAFFODIL AND SPRING FLOWER. ArRiL 18, 19. — The animal show of the above Society was held in the Guildhall, Plymouth, on these dates. Owing to the earliness of the sea- son and the fact that most Daffodils were past their best condition, the show was much smaller than usual, but there were many exhibits of high quality, some of the Daffodils being very fine, while hardy, hard-wooded, flowering shrubs were ren/r.rkably good. In the class for 24 varieties of Narcissi, the 1st prize was won by Jliss Ida Pope with a good collection, including Sebastian, Estelle, Ruby Cup, Silene and Bernardino. In the class for a group of Daffodil seedlings not yet in commerce, the 1st prize was won by Mr. T. B.-VTSON, who also excelled in the classes for (a) nine trumpet Daffodils, having the varie- ties King Alfred, Cleopatra, Treasure Trove, Mme. de Graaff, (b) three Incomparabilis varie- ties with Gloria JIundi, Homespun, Princess JIary, (c) three Incomparabilis bicolor varieties with Chryseis, Will Scarlett and Consul, and (d) three Earrii varieties with Stonechat, Blood Orange and Glitter. Miss Pope was placed 1st for (a) three Barrii bicolor varieties with Circlet, Firebrand, Cossack, (b) three Leedsii varieties with White Queen, White Lady, Elaine, and (c) a single bloom of an Incomparabilis variety with Victory. For three blooms of a Poeticus variety the 1st prize was won by Hon. Mrs. Colboene with Cassandra, Comus, and Horace. Mrs. Soltan-Symons sliowed the best single- bloom trumpet Daffodil with Mme de Graaff, the best single bloom of a Leedsii variety with White Lady, and the best Poeticus variety with Cas- sandra. The finest .single bloom of a Barrii variety was shown bv Mr. H. G. Hawker with Greeneye. In the class for a collection of 12 varieties of hardy spring flowers, the 1st prize was awarded to Mr. H. W. Grigg, who showed Trillium gran- diflorum, Muscari Heavenly Blue, Fritillaria im- perialis (red), F. imperialis (yellow), F. persica, F. Meleagris. Anemone Robinsoniana, Erythru- nium giandiflorum. Ranunculus asiaticus, Tril- lium erectum, TroUius citrinus, and Leucojum sestivum. The 1st prize for three varieties of Carnations was won by Hon. Mrs. Tremayne with Enchant- ress, Carola, and Jlrs. T. W. Lawson. The best group of Rhododendrons was staged by Mr. J. C. Williams, whilst the Earl of MoRLEY showed the finest truss of Rhododendron bloom. Camellias were also shown best by the Earl of ilORLEY. The 1st prize for 15 varieties of hard-wooded flowering shrubs was awarded to Mr. T. B. BOLITHO, who showed Grevillea sulphurea, G. ornithopoda, Clianthus pxmiceus, C. puniceus albus, Ribes aureum, Corokia Cotoneaster, Acacia diffusa, A. cultriformis, Cydonia Maulei, Correa bicolor, Jasminum' primulinum, Pyrus Malus floribunda, Cytisus pra'cox, Prunus sinen- sis-alba flore pleno and Viburnum rugosum. Mr. H. W. Grigg excelled in the class for six varieties of hard-wooded flowering shrubs. The best collection of nine varieties of hardy spring flowers was shown by iSIrs. A. Froude with Primrose Pompadour, Iris Susiana, I. tingi- tana, Epimedium niveum, Tulipa Greigii, T. strangulata picta, Caltha platypetala. Anemone Pulsatilla, and Fritillaria Meleagris. NON -COMPETITIVE EXHIBITS. Mr. W. A. W^iTTS showed, not for competi- tion, good Daffodil seedlings in Red Beacon with white perianth and flat, orange-scarlet cup ; Tin- sel with white perianth and yellow eye. edged with orange ; W^hite Rose, white, double-flowered with a deep cup and verdant green, perianth ■white stained with green and green eye. The Devon Rosery, Torquay, showed a fine collection of pot Roses in full bloom, also a charming selection of Tulips, Gladiolus tristis, and a splendid plant of Petrea volubilis in full bloom (see fig. 139), and a collection of 15 dishes of cooking and dessert Apples. Messrs. Robert Veitch & Son, Exeter, had a very interesting stand containing a good selec- tion of rock plants, among which were Androsace Clumibyi, Daphne neapolitanum, Phlox stellaria, Silene saxatilis,'^Ioustonia serpyllifolia, Stylo- p'nriim diphylUim and Andixisace primuloides. Messrs. Barr & Sons staged a fine collection of Daffodils, including Agnes Harvey, Cloth of Gold, tindine. Ibis, Buttercup, Sir Lancelot, Occident, and Steadfast. Messrs. H. B. May & Sons, Upper Edmonton, staged a fine exhibit o£ Ferns and Clematis. A First-class certificate was awarded to Mr. W. A. Watts for Narcissus White Rose, and Awards of Merit to Mr. H. W. Grigg for Vibur- num Carlesii, and to Mr. Cort for Cineraria stellata. THE WEATHER. NORTH OF SCOTLAND HORTICUL- TURAL AND ARBORICULTURAL. The resuscitation of this old north-eastern association, after a period of inactivity lasting for a quarter of a century, has proved an unquali- fied success. The session just closed, from No- vember, 1911, to April, 1912, has been notable for the many able papers submitted, and the good attendances at the meetings. Dr. James W. H. Trail, professor of botany in the Univer- sity of Aberdeen, not only opened the literary part of the session with an admirable paper, but has throughout the session placed the botany classroom of the University at the disposal of the association for all the meetings. The sub- jects dealt with during the session included : " How to Obtain Improved Races of Cultivated Plants" (Dr. Trail), "Vegetables and Fruits: Their Dietetic Value," "The Sweet Pea," "Meteorological Lessons," "The Carnation," "Garden Cities," "Cottage Gardening," and " Hardy Spring Flowers." Sir. John McKinnon, Haddo House Gardens (president), Mr. A. Robson, seedsman, Aberdeen (vice-presi- dent), Mr. William Reid, 8, Hadden Street, Aberdeen (secretary), and Mr. William Wyllie, 18, Market Street, Aberdeen (treasurer), have been most assiduous in their labours. At the closing meeting, Mr. Joseph Sangster, Lissadell Gardens, Sligo, Ireland, contributed a paper on " Hardy Spring Flowers." in the course of which he dealt with the climate of the north of Scot- land, and its suitability for the cultivation of spring flowers. On the motion of Mr. C. S. France, it was re- mitted to a committee to consider the question of a summer excursion or excursions to gardens in the vicinity of Aberdeen. Mr. France also moved that a committee be appointed to consider the advisability of promoting a show of spring flowers in the spring of 1913, and to report to the annual meeting of the association in Sep- tember. GARDENING APPOINTMENTS. \C*rinpot\denti aterequesleU to writ* th» mmnttM ot ptrfaB aad piMcts a» tagibty ms posMlHe. No charge ii ftiaitc for then auiwuncemerits, but if a stiiall cottlributton is stut, to be placed in our collecting Box /or the Gardtnen' Orphan Futui, it will be thankfully received, and ein Hcltnouitedetnent made in these columns,] Mr. William Barrett a'= Gardener lo J. D. Crosbie. Esq., Ballylieigue Castle, Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry. (Thanks for Is. received for R.G.U.F. bo.\. — Eds.) Mr. Geo. Morton Cosh, for the past 3i years Gardener for the Horticultural Department, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; and late of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh and Porlmore, Peebles-shire, as Manager for the Brazos Floral and Nursery Company, Houston, Texas. (Thanks for lOs., which has been placed in the R.G.O.F. box. — Eds.) Mr. H. J. Salloway, for the past 4 years Foreman at Closes Hall Gardens, Gisburn, Yorkshire, and pre- viously Foreman at Oulton Park, Cheshire, as Gar- dener to the Countess of Cardigan. Mr. F. H. Beney, for the past 21 years Gardener to the late Lady Mary Currie, Clewer Hill House, Windsor, as Gardener to Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland, The Willows, near Windsor. Mr. M. Y'ouNG, of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, as Assistant in the Cotton Plantations at Chinde, East Africa. (Thanks for Is. for the R.G.O.F. box— Eds.) CATALOGUES RECEIVED. James Stredwick Sc Son, Silverhill Park, St. Leonards-on Sea —New Dahlias and Chrysanthemums. COLONIAL. C. A. NoBELius, Gembrook Nurseries, Emerald, Victoria, Australia— Fruit, Deciduous and Ornamental Trees. FOREIGN. Jac. Smits, Haarden, Holland (London agents, G. M. Yates, 34, Mincing Lane, London) — Nursery Stock (wholesale). The Following Summary Record of the weather throughout the British Islands, for the week ending April 20. is furnished from the Meteorological Office: — GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. The u'cather.—Over the United Kingdom generally the condiiii.Ms were dry and bright, b'U heavy la'ls of rain occuried in a few Irish localities on Saturday, A thunder- storm was expeiiinced at Canterbury on the 18th. The ttmpcralure was above the average, the excess amount- ing to less than 2" in Kngland E., S.E., and S.W., but to 4* in Ireland N., anJ lo about 5** in Scotland N. and E. The highest of the maxima were recorded on rather variable date?, as a rule towards the end of the week. 1 he values ranged irom 71*^ in the Midland Counties and 70^ in England K. and N.E. to 63^ in Ireland N., and to 62*^ in Scotland W. Tiie lowest of the minima, which occurred on the 17th or 18th in most localities, ranged from 27" in England S,E. and S.W. to 36" in Ireland N. and to 41" in the English Channel. The lowest grass readings reported were 20"^ at Birmingham, 21* at Kauceby and Wisley, and 22'' at Greenwich and Llan- gammarch Wells. The earth thermometer showed that in comparison with the average there was a slight excess of warmth, both at the depth of 1 foot and 4 feet. The rtJni/a//.— In nearly all parts of England and a large portion of Scotland there was no rain, but a considerable quantity was experienced in Ireland on Friday or Saturday, At Killarriey as much as 13 inch fell on the 20th. At Canter- bury a thunderstorm o i the Ifeth yielded 0*4 inch of rain. THE WEATHER IN WEST HEKTS. W eek emling April 24. A remarkably su}mv week. -The days of the past week were all warm, and the la^t five of them exceptionally rofoc the lime of year. On the warmest day the tempera ure in the thermometer screen rose to 71^, or 15'^ higher than the average maximum reading for the same period in April. In the last 26 years there have been only four other Aprils in which such a high temperature as this has been experienced. With two exceptions the nights were rather cold, and on the coldest night the exposed thermometer registered 9" of frost. The difference between the highest and lowest temperatures in the thermometer screen was unusually large— on five days exceeding 30", and on one cf tlio5e days amounting to So''. The ground became sttSiily warmer during the week, and is now 4" warmer at ;; feel deep, and C warmer at 1 foot deep, than is seasonable. No rain at all has fallen for a fortnight, and less than a tenth of an inch since the month he^ai. The percolation through both soil gauges has now ctased for over a fortnight. '1 ne sun shone on an average for lOJ hours a day, or for more than twice the average duration for the third week in Apiil. On one diy the sun was shining brightly fcr 13 hour?, making this, with two exceptions, the sunniest April day during tlie jiast 26 years. This was a calm week, in fact, on only the last day did the average rite of movement reach four miles an hour. The direction of the air currents has been very variable, but during the past four days has been almost exclusively from some easterly point of the compass. The mean amount of moisture in tlieairat 3 p.m. fell short of a seasonable quantity for that hour by as much as 21 per cent. On three days the differ- ence between the readings of an ordinary thermometer and one with its lulb kept constantly moist amounted at 3 p.m. to respectively 16", 17" and 15'^. On each of those days the air was drier at that hour than in any April during the previous 26 years. A tree of Blenlieim Pippin Apple growing in my garden came first i.itj blossom on the 22nd inst., or 14 days earlier than its average date cf first flowering in the previous 26 years, and with two excep- tions earlier than in any of those years. E. H., Bctkhamsted^ yjpril 24, 1912. DEBATING SOCIETIES. WATFORD HORTICULTURAL.— The April meet- ing of this society was held on the 12th inst., vih^n Mr. Dancer read papers on "Kitchen Garden Notes"; and the " Hardening of Plants." BATH GARDENERS'.— The monthly meeting of this association took place on April 22, Mr. T. Parrott presiding. Mr. Rich delivered a pap-r on " Hardy Flowers." At the conclusion of the lecture many questions were asked, and a good discussion followed. READING GARDENERS*.— The final meeting of the present session took place on Monday, the 15th inst., when the president occupied the chair; there was h good attend- ance of ni-:nibers. Mr. T. J. Po. veil, of tl e Gardens, Park Place. Henley, gave a " Practical Demonst^aiion in Ariisiic Floral Work." Mr. Powell gave examples of the different methods to be adopted in the display of cut flowers, first in a vase, afterwards in a bowl. Mr. Powell give two examples of the way in which a dinner-table should be decorated. Members contributed flowers for the inmates of the Royal Berkshire Hospital and Reading Union. A collection taken on behalf of the funds of the hospiial amounted to £2 lUs CROYDON & DISTRICT HORTICULTURAL.— At the meeting held on the 16th inst., the culture uf Sweet Peas for exhibition was the subject of a paper read by Mr. Thomas Stevenson, Woburn Place Garde is, .\ddIestone. Mr. Steven ;on advised the preparation of the foil in the winter months by trenching the ground three spits deep, and if rows are wanted the trench should be opened 5 feet to 6 feet in widih. In cold soil ih '■. subsoil should be It-ft at the bolt :)m and have incorporated with it fresh cow manure and leaf soil. The surface shou d be allowed to remain in a rough stale during the winter. A little bonemeal and superphosphate may be added with beneficial results to the plants. Mr. Stevenson said that autumn-sown seeds give the best results. He has found that autainn-raised plants are almost immure from disease, especially streak disease. WARGRAVE AND DISTRICT GARDENERS'. — The last meeting of the session took place on Wed* nesday evening, April 17, and there was a good attend- ance of members. The subject for the evening was "Chrysanthemums," and Mr. C. Foster, of Parkwood Gardens, Henley-on-Thames, dealt with it in a very prac- tical way. He referred to exhibition plants, bush plants aftd outdoor plants, giving directions for their successful culture. April 27, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 289 M: A R K E T S. COVENT GARDEN, April 34. [We cannot accept any responsibility for the subjoined reports. They are furnished to us regularly every Wednesday, by the kindness of several of the principal salesmen, who are responsible for the quotations. It must be remembered that these quotations do not repre- sent the prices on any particular day, but only tha general averages for the week preceding the date of our report. The prices depend upon the quality of the samples, the way in which they are packed, the supply in the market, and the demand, and they may fluctuate, not only from day to day, but occasionally several times in one day. — Eds.] Cut Flowers, ftc: Average Wholesale Prices. E.d. s.d. I 5.d. s.d. Anemones Sr, Brid- Marguerite, per gid, per dozen doz. bunches: bunches: — Yellow 16-20 — all colours 2 0-26 Myosotis (Forget- Arums (Richardias) 16-20 me-not), p. dz. Camellias, per box bunches 3 0-40 of 18- s and Narcissus, per doz. 24-s 16-20 bunches: Carnations, p. doz. — Grandee 2 0-26 blooms, best — Poeticus 16-20 American var. 16-19 Orchids, Cattleya, — smaller, per per doz. 12 0 — doz. bunches 10 0-15 0 — Udonloglossum — Carola, crim- crispum 3 0-40 son, extra large 2 6-30 Pelargoniums, — Malmaisons.p. p. dz. bunches 4 0-50 doz. blooms ... 10 0-15 0 — Double Scarlet 4 0- G 0 Eucharis, per doz. 2 0-26 Roses, 12 blooms. Gardenias, per box — Brides maid. 1 0- 1 G of 15 and It) — C. Mermet ... 10-16 blooms 16-30 — Frau Karl Gladiolus Blushing Druschki 16-26 Bride, per doz. — General Jac- bunches 9 0-10 0 queminot 10-13 — Peach Blossom 10 0-12 0 — Liberty 2 0-40 Gypsophila, p. dz. bunches ; — Madame A. Chateney 16-30 — white — pink 30-4 0 3 0-40 — N'iphetos — Riciimond ... 10-16 10-26 Iris (Spanish), per doz. bunches ; — Sunrise — President Car- 10-16 — white, mauve, yellow and blue not 16-26 8 0-12 0 — Lady Roberts — • Lady Hilling- don 10-16 1 0- 1 G Lilac, per bunch — Franz Dei gan — Kaiserine 10-16 white 2 6-30 10-20 — mauve 3 0- 3 U Spir«a(Astilbe) ja- Liliuui auratuui per bunch 4 0-50 ponica, per. doz. bunches 4 0-50 — candidum, per Sweet i^eas, pr. dz. doz., long 16-19 bunches ; short 0 9-10 — while 16-20 — lo ngiflorum, — coloured 4 0-60 per doz., long — — short 2 0-26 16-20 Stephanolis (72 pips) 2 0-26 — lancifolium alba, long Tuhps, per bunch : 2 0-26 — while 6 0-80 — — short 16-20 — Darwin, all — speciosum rub- shades, per rum, per doz.. bunch 0 9-10 long 19-20 Violets.p. dz. bchs. 13-20 — — short 0 9-10 — Princess of Lily of the Valley, Wales, per doz. p. dz. bunches: bunches 3 0-40 — extra special ... 15 0-18 0 — Parma ... 2 0-26 — special 10 0-12 0 Wallflowers, per — ordinary 8 0 — do^en bunches 16-20 Cut Foliage, ftc: Avei age Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. A d i an t um Fern Croton foliage, var- (Maidenhair), ious, per dozen best,dz.bnchs. 6 0-7 0 bunches 12 0-15 0 Agrostis (Fairy Cycas leaves, arti- Grass), per dz. ficial, per doz. 3 0-12 0 bunches 2 0-40 Eulalia japonica. A sparag u s plu- per bunch 10-16 mosiis, long Moss, per gross ... 6 0 — trails, pr, Jdoz. 16-20 Myrtle, dz. bchs. — medium, doz. (English), bunches 12 0-lH 0 small-leaved... 6 0 — — Sprengeri 10 0 12 0 — French I 0 — Carnation foliage, Smilax, per bunch doz. bunches... 40 - of 6 trails 1 6 — Plants In Pots .Ac: Ave rage Wholesale Pi Ices. s.d. s.d. s.d. s.d. Acacia lineata,48's, Ferns, in small and per dozen 18 0-21 0 large 60's 12 0-20 0 Aralia Sieboldii, p. — in 48'e, doz. ... 60 — dozen 6 0-7 0 — choicer, sorts Aiaiicaria excelsa, per doz. 8 0-12 0 per dozen 18 0-21 0 — in 3;i's, per Asparagus plumo- dozen 10 0-18 0 sus nanus, p. dz 10 0-12 0 Ficus elastica, per — Sprengeri S 0- 9 0 dozen 9 0-12 0 Aspidistra, p. dz., Genistas, 48's, per green 21 0-30 0 doz. 10 0-12 0 — variegated ... 30 n-60 0 Geonoma gracilis. Azaleas, per doz. 36 0-42 0 60"s, per dozen 6 0-80 Boronia megastig- — larger, each ... 2 6-76 ma, iS's.p. dz. 21 0-24 0 Hydi an ^eas, white. Cinerarias, pr. dz. 8 0-90 4S"s, per dozen 18 0-21 0 Cocos Weddeii- Kentia Belmore- ana, per dozen: ana, per dozen 6 0-42 0 — 60's 6 0-12 0 — Fos terian a. — larger, each ... 2 (J-IO 6 60's, per dozen 40-60 Croton, per dozen 18 O-30 0 — larger, per doz. 18 0-60 0 Cyperus alterni- Laiaiiia borbonica, folius, per doz. 5 0-60 per dozen 12 0-30 0 — laxus, per doz. 4 0-50 Li lium longi- Draciena, green, florum, per _ per dozen 10 0-12 0 dozen 20 0-24 0 Ericas, per dozen : — lancifolium ru- — Willmorei, 48's 15 0-18 0 brum in pots, per dozen -- persoluta Ferus, in thumbs, 27 0-30 0 15 0-18 0 — la n c i f ol ium per 100 8 0-12 0 alba ... 15 0-18 0 Plants in Pots, &c.: Average Wholesale Prices ^CcnW,;. s.d. s.d. Mart;i]erites, white, per dozen ... 8 0-10 0 Mignonene, 48's, per dozen ... 6 0-80 Pandaniis V'eitcbii, per dozen ... 36 0-48 0 Phcenix each Spiraea per pots — Pink rupicola, japonica, dozen s.d. s.d. 2 6-21 0 10 0-12 0 10 0-12 0 Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices. per Apples, Nova Sc o t i an, per barrel — Call f ornian Newtowns, pr. case — (Canadian), per barrel — Oregon (Hood K i V e r) , per case — American, per barrel — Australian per case ... Bananas, bunch : — Doubles — No. 1 « — Extra — Giant ™ — Loose dozen — Red coloured... — Jamaica Giants, per ton — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per box (9 doz.) Cranberries, per case (30 qts.)... — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) Dates (Tunis) doz, boxes Figs, Guernsey, pr. doz Grape Fruit, case: — 96's — cO's — 64's — 54's Gi apes. Australian, per case — Englii^h (new) per lb — .Muscats — Almeiia, per barrel Per dozen lbs. — (Cape) per case — „ White... — „ Red ... s.d. s.d, 17 0-22 0 4 0-70 20 0 — 16 0-18 6 20 0-32 0 7 0-12 0 10 0 12 0 8 0-10 0 10 0-12 0 14 0- 18 0 0 6-10 5 6-66 ;£10-£12 4 0-50 10 0 11 0 46-56 6 0-24 0 14 O-20 0 4 0-50 15 0-20 0 11 6-15 6 4 0- G 0 3 0-10 0 2 6-10 0 3 0-60 Lemons : — (Naples), case — Messina, p. case Limes, per case ... Mangoes, per doz. Melons (Caps) — (English) Nuts, .Almonds, per bag , Spanish, p s^-ck — Paiceloitd, bug Nuts, Chestnuts, per bag — Cocoaiiuts, 100 — English Cobs per lb — Walnut s (Naples) kiln dried, c w t. cases Oranges, Jamaica per case — Californian ... — Denia, case ... — \^alencia — Jaffa, per case — Blood, per case — Mandarins, per box — Bitter, per A chest ... — Seville Sour J chest Peaches (Belgian), per dozen — English, dozen Pears (Californian), p. bdle,8 boxes per case : — Glou Morceau — (Australian) ... — Winter Nelis — (American) per barrel, 180 lbs. — cases — (Cape) Pineapples, Si. Michael Pines (Cape), each Strawberries, p. lb.: — A quality — B (jU ility s.d. s.d. 26 0-30 0 7 6-17 0 4 0 — 6 0-10 0 0 10- 1 6 3 0-50 52 6 — 40 0-42 0 35 6-36 6 3 6-19 0 18 0-23 0 0 3 — 54 0 — 9 0-10 0 15 0-16 0 16 0-34 0 10 0-12 0 9 6 — 8 0-90 0 6-36 16 0-18 6 15 0-18 0 24 0-48 0 36 0-48 0 12 0 15 0 5 0-60 4 0-66 3 6-46 25 0-26 0 7 0 — 3 6-46 80-4 6 0 6-09 2 0-40 10-16 Vegetables : Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Artichokes(Globe), per dozen ... 2 0-26 Asparagus — — Tcu ouse ... 13-16 — Montauban ... 2 3-26 — Dijon 10 — — Lauris ... 16-26 — (English) bndl. — Cambridge ... 0 7-16 — Worcester ... 13-26 Beans, GLernst y Dwarf, per lb. 0 8-10 — French, per packet, lb. ... 0 8 — Beetroot, p. bshl. : — Long 2 6-30 Broccoli, sprout- ing, per bag ... 6 0 — Celeriac, per doz. 2 6-30 Cabbages (French) per dozen ... 16-26 — Cornish, p. dz. 2 6-30 — Evesham, pots 5 0-56 Cauliflowers, per dozen 3 0-40 — (Cornish), per crate 12 0-15 0 Celery, doz. bndls. 10 0-14 0 — (washed), per dozen bundles 12 0 — Carrots (English), pr. doz. bun.... 4 0 — — per cwt. ... 7 0 — — (washed) p. bag 8 0 10 0 Cbicory, per lb. ... 0 4 — Cucumbers.p. doz. 2 0-26 Endive, per dozen 2 0 — Greens (Spring), p. bag 6 0-70 Herbs (sweet), pkts., p. gross 7 0 — Remarks.— There is a good supply of Grapes for this early period of the year, of the variety Black Hamburgh, from English and Channel Islands growers. The fruits are meeting with a brisk demand. It is anticipated that Muscat varieties will be obtainable next week. Green Figs and Melons are arriving in good condition and in larger quantities. Morning-gathered hothouse Strawberries are now a full supply ; the condition and colour are excellent, but there is not a brisk demand up to the present time. Heavy supplies of Asparagus are received daily from Toulouse, Lauris, Montauban and other Continental districts. Aspara- gus in large quantities is also arriving from Evesham and Cambridge daily, and the plentiful supply is expected to con- tinue during the present fine weather. Consignments of Cape fruits are to hand this week per s.s. " Balmoral Castle," totalling about 10,000 cases, the bulk consisting of Grapes. Arrivals of Bananas, Potatos and Tomatos from the Canary Islands per s.s. " Alnwick Castle " and '* Star of Scotland" amounted to 12,000 packages. Produce from the Channel s.d. s.d. Horseradish, 12 bundles ... 10 0-14 0 Leeks, per doz. ... 2 6-30 Lettuce (French), per doz. ... 13-16 Mint, per dozen bunches ... 2 0-30 Mushrooms, culti- vated, p. lb. ... 0 8-0 10 Musiardaiid Cress, per dozen punnets ... 10 — Marrows, each ... 4 0-12 0 Onions, (Spanish), per case ... 10 0-11 0 — Egyptian ... 6 0-70 Parsley, * sieve ... 16-26 — per ^oz. bun. 3 0-40 Parsnips, per bag 7 0 — Peas (French) per pad 5 0-60 — (Guern ey), lb. 0 6-10 Radishes (English), per dozen ... 0 9-10 — (French) p. dz, 0 9-10 — (Jersey) long... 0 4-06 Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles 0 6-07 — Outdoor, p. dz 2 0-23 Spinach, pr. bshl. 3 6 Seakale, p. punnet 0 10 I 6- 4 0 1 0 20 J bushel Tomatos (Canary Islands), per bundle — Guernsey, lb. — English, lb. ... Turnips (English), per dz. bunches 4 0-50 Watercress, p. dz. bunches ... 0 4-06 12 0-16 0 10 — 10 — Islands is fairly plentiful. A consignment of Tasmanian and Western Aus'.ra ian .A.pples and Pears— the latter includ- ing the following varieties, Beurre Clairgeau, Eeurre Bosc, Beurre Capiaumont, Beurre Die! and Marie Louise- has arrived per s.s. "Palermo," the estimated number of boxes being 55,000. English and Channel Islands Tomatos are available in larger quantities. Teneriffe Tomaios are plentiful, but there is a considerable failing oft in their demand. A few English-grown Peaches have been received, the fruits realising from 36s. to 48s. per dozen. There is a remarkab e shoit g- in all kinds of vegetables and prices are high all round.— £, H. R., Covent Garden, April 24, /P/i*. Potatos. Kents— Queen's ... Up-io-Dale Lincolna — Up-to-Date British Queen . King Edward . Northern Star . Evergoods per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 0-46 4 0-46 3 9-46 3 9-43 4 0-46 2 9-36 3 0-39 Lincolna — Mdincrops Blacklands Bed fords — Up-io-Date Dunbars— Up-to-Date Maincrop per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 0-46 3 0-33 4 9-53 6 3-56 New Potatos. Tenerifi"e 12 0-14 G ! Algerian — ... 13 0-14 0 Remarks. — Trade this wtek is not quite so good, and it is doubtful if the present prices will be maintained. Stocks in London are still very large. F.dwani /. Newborn^ Covent Gatden aiid St. Pancras, April 25, W1Z. to bondenU COLLECTIKO AND PRESERVING INSECTS : A. P. The collector of insects should endeavour, be- sides obtaining specimens, to gain an insight into their habits ajid modes of life. This re- quires patient and careful observation, but by reason of it he acc[uires a detailed knowledge of the surrounding fauna. The apparatus neces- sary for making a collection varies to a certain extent according to the group of insects selected, but for the beginner, perhaps, all that is le- quired would be boxes, net, kQling bottle, lens, and knife. The most useful boxes for this pur- pose aro those of stiff cardboard with glass bottoms, although a few ordinary pill boxes are always useful. The net should be of the folding type, the frame either of wire or cane and the bag preferably of Brussels netting. For general work the cyanide bottle is best for killing purposes, but must be kept dry inside ; blotting paper soaked in benzine or chloroform and placed at the bottom of a wide-mouthed bottle also gives good results, as long as the specimens are not aUowed to come into contact with the fluid. The insects should be trans- ferred to a collecting bo.\ as soon as possible after death. For preserving the specimens the collector will require a pair of curved forceps, needles mounted in handles for setting, card- board discs, one or two sheets of cork, pins, stora boxes, setting boards.glass tubes and some alcohol or formalin. The most useful entomo- logical pins perhaps are Nos. 5, 9, 11, 15 and 20, of Messrs. D. F. Tayler and Co.'s manu- facture. Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, &c.), Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Hemip- tera (bugs, &c.), Neuroptera (dragon flies, caddis flies, &c.), and the larger Diptera (flies) are pinned through the centre of the thorax ; Coleoptera (beetles) always through the right wing case. If necessary the insect is then placed on a setting board and the wings ar- ranged in the required position by means of setting needles and braces, the latter either of thin cardboard or paper. After a few days the specimen will be ready for transference to the store box or cabinet. Small insects are frequently very troublesome to mount and are usually preserved on discs or strips of poly- porus. the latter then being pinned with a No. 11 pin. Small beetles are usually attached to the card by means of gum ; flies and others to discs or polyporus by pins. A small pin (No. 9 " or 20} is first passed through the disc and then through the thorax of the insect from below — the specimen rajy be placed on its back on a piece of cork for this purpose ; the mount is then pinned the opposite way. Re- laxing may be performed by placing the insects in a box containing damp sand to which a drop or two of carbolic acid has been added for some hours until the various parts are flexible. Great care should be given to label- ling ; each specimen should bear a label of 290 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [April 27. 1912. thick paper or card containmg particulars of the food plant or host, locality, date, and col- lector's name. Insects should be stored in air- tight corked boxes or cabinets in which has been placed naphthalene, caniplwr, or a few drops of medical creosote ; the latter is especially of value in counteracting the attacks of mould. The laivse of all insects are best preserved in glass tubes containing alcohol or formalin, 50 per cent, to 50 per cent, alcohol or 3 per cent, formalin being the requisite strength. These, again, should be labelled, the notes either being written in ordinary ink and fi.xed to the outside of the tube, or Indian ink or soft pen- cil, and placed inside. The. Insect Hunter's Companion, by Dr. Knaggs, is a useful com- pendium for this work, and a catalogue of entomological requisites may be obtained from Messts. Watkins ami Doncaster, 36, Strand, London. Chrysanthemums Dise.-vsed : S. G. B. and B. S. The leaves are attached by the Chrysanthemum leaf-miner (see fig. 140). Spray the plants with quassia extract or otl>er distasteful liquid, in order to prevent the female insects from de- positing their eggs in the leaves. Remove all badly-affected leaves and burn them. CoKRECTiON. — In our notice of the exhibits before the Fruit and Vegetable Committee of the R.H.S. in the last issue, the name of Mrs. Bischoffsheim's gardener should have read IMr. J-. W. Funge. Crickets in Cucumber House : Anxious. Crickets may be trapped in jars or bottles partly filled with beer, or some sweet syrup. Basins may also be used, placing a few sticks a»ound the edges so that the pests may reach the fluid. A quicker method of killing them is by poison, such as phosphor paste, borax powder, or arsenic mixed with some food such as Potato. Steiners' Vermin Paste is also a satisfactory remedy. This should be placed about the house just before nightfall on pieces of paper, and removed again each morn- ing. Fig Tree : F. II. B. Send a portion of the decayed branch for examination. Horticultural Instructor : Constant Reader. Experience in Kew Gardens in not an essential qualification for a horticultural instructor, but experience gained there would be useful. A thorough knowledge of practical gardening and the theory underlying the same with ability to teach are the chief requirements. Melon Plant Unhealthy : A. B. The trouble is not due to disease, but is caused through an excess of atmospheric moisture. Ventilate the house more freely. Moss on Lawns : Holly Wood. First rake as much of the moss from the lawn as possible, and then apply, to a depth of a quarter to a half-inch, slaked lime or wood ashes mixed with three parts of fresh loam free from weed seeds. April and October are the best times for making the application ; but any time when the weather is showery during the growing season will do. Names of Plants : H. C. 1, Dendrobium fim- briatum oculatum ; 2 and 3, D. nobile ; 4, On- cidium ampliatum. — G. I. C. Cerinthe aspera. — F. W . 1, Amelanchier canadensis ; 2, Neviusia alabamensis. — S. A. P. Photinia eerrulata. — A. 6'. Kerria japonica. — M. C. Leucoium iEstivum. — C. Longford. Tulip Safrano. — V. T. 1, Trichopilia laxa; 2, On- cidium incurvum ; 3, 0. altissimum ; 4, Coelogyne ochracea ; 5, Epidendrum virena ; 6, Oncidium pulchellum. — R. H. 1, Adian- tum hispidulum ; 2, A. f ormosum ; 3, Pteris aquilina ; 4, P. cretica. — /. B. 1, Adian- tum gracillimum ; 2, Polystichum angulare ; 3, Adiantum cuneatum elegans ; 4, A. Pacotii ; 5, A. cuneatum; 6, Asplenium Nidus (Bird- nest Fern) ; 7, Adiantum cuneatum grandi- ceps ; 8, Blechnum corcovadense ; 9, Pteris longifolia; 10, Adiantum O'Brienianum ; 11, A. formosum ; 12, Neplu-olepsis todasoides. — ■ W. B., Boarshead. A variety of Bignonia capreolata. — T. J. Prunus Padus (Bird Cherry)i — Foreman. A form of Cypripedium Calypso, of no special value. — E. G. 1, Per- nettya mucronata ; 2, Juniperus recurva ; 3, Cedrus Deodava ; 5, Arenaria balearica ; 11, Abies nobilis ; 12, probably Hakea saligna. Why not number the specimens consecutivelv T — C. J. Dombeya Buettneri. Nettles in Grass Land : Co. Longford. The best way to eradicate Nettles in grass is to keep them mown short with a scythe, then apply nitrogenous manures which will cause the grass to grow so freely as to crowd out the weed. Parti-coloured Tultp : E. T. It is not un- usual for Tulips^ m coi.mion with other flowers, to exhibit two distinct colours in well-defined zones. At the last meeting of the R.H.S. -a spike of Hyacinth was shown, in which the bells on one side were blue and on the other red, the stem showing the same differences in colour. Next year the spike may be normal. Peach Shoots Diseased : H. F . The tree is attacked with Peach-leaf curl (E.xoascus deformans). Any diseased or fallen leaves should be removed and burnt as soon as de- tected, and branches bearing diseased leaves should be pruned back beyond the point of infection. Spray the plants with a dilute aramoniacal solution of copper carbonate when the leaf-buds are beginning to expand, and Fig. 140. — chrysanthemum leaf-miner. again after an interval of three weeks. This will be a safeguard against inoculation from wind-borne spores. Planting Potatos : T. H. If you plant tubers of an average weight of 3 ounces each, you would require the quantity given. But jou may employ from 20 to 24 bushels only if you select smaller tubers or cut larger ones into two or more portions, leaving only two eyes to sprout. As regards the distance between the rows and tubers, the point must be deter- mined by circumstances. If the soil is some- what poor and shallow, 15 to 18 inches be- tween the rows will be ample space for erirly varieties, allowing from 24 to 30 inches for main-crop and stronger-growing varieties and from 9 to 12 inches between the sets. But in deep, well-conditioned soils, from 6 to 12 inches more space should be allowed between the diills and 3 inches more between the sets. At 24 bushels to the acre, the seven-eighths of an acre (140 rods), 21^ bushel sets would be i ecas- sary, and at 20 bushels to the acre, 17^ bushels would be required to plant the same aiea (140 rods). Polyanthus Leaves: H. F. No disease is present in the plants; the damage has been caused by insects. Primula : R. A. The most recent monograph of the genus Primula is by Pax and Knuth, in Engler's Planzenreich, published by W. Engel- mann, Leipzig. A conference on the genus Primulacea) was held by the Royal Horticul-J tural Society in 1886, wlien papers were read! by Mr. Baker and Jlr. Uewar. A report apj pears in the R.H.S. Journal, vol. vii.. No. 2J of that year. Since then many articles on thd genus have appeared in the gardening Press 1 various times. R.H.S. Examinations : Constant Reader. Th^ regulations concerning the R.H.S. examinatioiu state that the examination will be held simul-l taneously in as many different places in Greatl Britain and Ireland, and abroad, as circum-f stances may demand, even if only oi»e candiJ date is sitting at any particular place. Thd time allowed for the examination is 3^ hoursj the hours fixed being generally from 6 toi 9.30 p.m. Gardeners and students wishing toj sit for the examiiiation, wlio have not attended! any particular series of lectures, must send in' their names and addresses, and the name and addvess of some responsible person willing to conduct the examination, to the Secretarv. R.H.S., Vincent Square, Westminster, at least three weeks before the date of examination. The society is willing to hold the general ex- amination and school teachers' examination wherever a magistrate, clergyman, school- master, or other responsible person accustomed to examinations will consent to supervise one on the Society's behalf, and m accoi'dance with the rules laid down for its conduct. Spraying Fruit Trees in Summer : E. C. The present time is just too late for the first spraying (unless you have still some Apple trees not in bloom), which should be per- formed before the blossoms have expanded. The purposes of that spraymg aie to kill the Apple sucker and aphides, if any, by a con- tact wash, also to poison the food of leaf and blossom-eating caterpillars, kill aphis and caterpillars on Plums, &c. One of the best specifics for these purposes consists of 4 lbs. soft soap dissolved in boiling water, 1^ pint of strong Quassia extract, or 4 lbs. of Quassia chips boiled for an hour, and 2 lbs. 10 ounces of arsenate of lead paste dissolved in hot water, to 40 gallons of water. The same wash may be used after the blossom has faJlen if any aphides or Apple suckers can be found by examination with a lens, as almost certainly there will be if spraying was not done well before the bJo.-iSoms opened. Caterpillars there will be without doubt. For varieties of Apples or Pears liable to attacks of scab, 3 lbs. of Woburn Bordeaux paste should be added when spraying after the fall of the blossom. The wash should never be used when there is any open Uossom on the trees, as it might poison bees and other fertilising insects. Lime-sulphur is now coming into common use as a fungicide in place of Bordeaux mixture ; but it should not be mixed with a soft-soap wash, as it coagulates the soap. It may be used separately for varieties liable to scab, 1 gallon of factory-made solution to 40 gallons of water. It may be used again three weeks after tlie first application, as a further pre- caution against scab, and if any caterpillars are present, the arsenate of lead in the propor- tion named above should be added. The washes may be applied by one of the numerous spraying machines on the market. Unless the orchard extends to scores of acres, a knapsack machine will do. A Bamboo lance, 7 feet long, will allow of spraying to a height of 12 feet or more. We cannot pronounce an opinion on the merits of the several proprie- tary washes. Vine Leaves : Anxious. The trouble is not due to either fungous or insect pests. The damaged appearance of the foliage strongly suggests scorching. Weed Killers : E. C. There are many weed destroyers advertised, and anv one of them will probably be found effective. A liberal sprinkling of agricultural salt kills grass and weeds on garden paths, and may be purchased at a trifling cost. Communications Hcceivcd._G. H .T. L. W H. H. _Dainhall_H. B — E. and Co Constant Beaa»r_T. S. _H. W. W._W._H. H._E. H. \V._W. G. K._J. V. S._ H. J. C._W. G. K E. M._H. M. T W. A C -T. O'B. — E. P. B._H. J. E._F. W, C._F. K,_P. L G —I H._ H. C. L._A. W. A _W. W._H. and D._B. r._ S. A P._ C. J — Wessex_R. G — Amateur_C. H.. H-rijenden— Constant Reader: Contributors are requirt d to supply their names and addresses, not necessarily for publica- tion, but as a guarantee of good faitli Supplement to the " 6ardeners' Chronicle. Photograph by George Forrest. Primula secundifloka in its Chinese habitat. PriDted by Temple Press Ltd., London, E.C. Ui-i 4, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. "i'.il THE §arbeneis'CbronicIe I No. 1,333— S A r URDA Y, May 4, 1 912. CONTENTS. Alcohol, the production Narcissus Mrs. E. H. of, from plants 300 K rel age and N. Bonks, noticeB of— (Enone 294 Roses .. 292 Obitnar> — Publications received 303 Beaton, John ... ». 310 Bread fruit and the Uavidbon. A. ... ™ 310 mutiny of the Faster, John ... 310 "Bounty" 302 Inncs, Robert 810 Bruges, International Jon. s, T 810 Exhibition at 301 Oge, Peter 310 Burchellia capensis .. 21)2 Uyan, Martin E. .SIO C 1 i a n t h u s puniceus Orchid conference 300 raagnificus 294 Orchids, Malayan and Corn crops, the ... 303 Papuan S03 Dublias, collarette 2l6 Ptach trees, bud-drop. "Farrer" cup for rock I'ing in S03 plants 304 Pe^irs, an archway of ... 301 FluiHbre 803 Primula Juluc 2S3 Forestry information Rhododendron s for landowners 803 in f^.hina 291 Fruit crops and frost ... 304 Rosarj-, the ■its Gazaland, the economic Singleton, Mr. Robert 301 flora- t 29« Societies - GtCfrye's garden, 302 Midland Daffodil ... 367 U'ppeastrum, a fine Nalioiiul Aur.culaand white 292 Primula 307 HorstB poisoned by Nursery and Seed EquisetuTc arvense ... 801 Trade 309 Imperial College of Royal Horticultural... 30S Science and Techno- Royal Meteorological 301 logy 301 Shropshire Hort. 309 International Horticul- Strawberriea, pot 304 tural Exhibition. Sweet Pean, early .304 the 302 303 Vines, red spidur on .. .104 Kew Guild dinner 301 Week's work, the 298 -.99 Market fruit garden ... 2U4 Zoological Gardens 3U2 ILLUSTRATIONS. Caps offered at the International Horticaltural Exhibition 303 Dahlias, collarette, two choice varieties of ... 296 2!/7 "Farrer" cup for rock plants 304 lotemational Horlicultural Exhibition, constructirg the big tent for the.. 802 Narcissus Mrs. E. H. Krelage 294 NarciBhUh ICiione i95 Oil on tog loss urn Uro-8kiuneri Burford variety S07 Pears, an arr-hway of... 301 Primula Jul le 203 Rhododeridrcn chartophyllum 291 Rhododendron iores-s in China (Supplementary Illustration) RHODODENDRONS IN CHINA. (See Supplementary Illustration.) THOUGH Khododendrons are in- digenous to moKt parts of China, the real home of the genus is, unques- tionably, those high Alpine regions on the Chino-Tibetan frontier, which form the basins and watersheds of the Salwin, Mekong, and Yangtze. It is no longer in the Himalayas and their tributary ranges which compass India on the north that we must look for the majority of the represen- tatives of the genus, but on their exten- sions which run east and south-east of Bhotan into China. There, somewhere about 98°-101° E. long, and 25°-31° N. lat., the genus reaches its optimum. Of some 350 known species fully 140 are indigenous to China ; new species are con- tinually being discovered, and, as explora- tion becomes more general and less diffi- cult, many more will certainly be added to the list. Though the range of altitude is practic- ally from sea-level to the limit of vegeta^ tion, yet except for a few low-level types, such as Rhododendron spinuliferum, R. Mariesii, R. indicum, R. oxyphyllum, and R. sinense, all species are to be found above 5,000 feet. From that altitude up- wards they occur as isolated specimens or small groups growing in thickets and forests of mixed dicotyledonous shrubs and trees, gradually increasing in num- bers up to 10,000-14,000 feet, at which point they form the dominant feature in the vegetation either as undergrowth in the forests of Conifers, or by themselves as dense thickets and forests. The lesser species take the place of our Heath or Calluna, carpeting miles of the Alpine pasture, both above and below those forests. In stature they vary from the tiniest Alpine of 6 inches or less, such as R. campylogynum to trees of 30-45 feet in height, as R. lacteum and calophytum. In colour of flower they range from the darkest purples, through all shades of The flowering period for most species is April to June, and, at that season, the forests with their wealth of bloom form a scene of indescribable beauty, and paint the flanks of the mountains with bands of the richest colours. Naturally some ranges bear a greater number and variety of species than others. The )Sung-kwci-Langkong range, where the photographs were ta!:en which are re- produced in fig. 141 and the Supplemen- tary Illustratitjn, is particularly rich in species. It is part of the Mekong system, and, crossing it by the Sungkwei Pass, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^■JK ^^Bj^H^^^|^^Qi|un^ ..^ '^<^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^l ;:i^*: H^^^ >■ ; ■ ' !*Ol^^"i»^i8S;,^^^ J«-- Z'^^m^mWb'^mt^^^^^^^ l^g?K^^^ ^d^'^-^f- '"^^ . % «•%•■■' u |PS^!^ ^•^^'^,. i5*j^-,,^^^-,,,^^j-:. c^^iiocK>i,o^ 1^^ l/Alfe/cL [I'h'jU'f^tnph by Geotgc FoneUt Fig. 141. RHODODE . DRCN CH AKTOPH VLLUM IN ITS CHINLSE HAlilTAT; FL'JVVEKS white TO KOSE-LAVENDEK. crimsons, scarlets, and pinks, to pure white, and some are also of the clearest and brightest yellows. With the exception of a few species, such as R. racemosum, lepidotum, and decorum, all are peculiarly local in their distribution, in latitudinal, longitudinal, and altitudinal range. Only a few of the species found in the Yangtze basin are common in the areas drained by the Mekong or Salwin, and vice versa. Many of the lateral spurs of the huge ranges separating those basins bear species indigenous to themselves alone. I was most fortunate in striking it when the plants were at their very finest. Though I had crossed it several limes previously, it had not been just at that season, and, even with my knowledge of the many species to be found there, I was not prepared for the gorgeous sight which met the view as we broke clear of the dense forest which clothes the western flank of the range. Xo matter how skilful the writer, words fail to describe such a scene. The pass is a comparatively shallow depression, a broad cleft running almost 29: THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [May 4, 1912. east and west on the summit of the range, about two miles in extent by half a mile in breadth. The centre is occupied by a small lake, with open pasture on both sides for some distance up the slopes, and from the mai'gins of this pasture to the tops of the low hills, about 1,000 feet higher, which enclose the pass on the southern flank, is Rhododendron forest. The foreground is occuiDicd by large matted masses of a dwarf species, jDossibly R. fastigiatum, of 1-2 feet in height, bear- ing small, deep purplish-blue flowers. Behind are groups and masses of R. char- tophyllum (see fig. 141), which were simply • showers of bloom, forming a belt of colour- ing from the palest rose-lavender to almost white. Next a taller species, bearing huge and well-formed umbels of deep rose- magenta flowers, possibly allied to R. argy- rophyllum, and, behind all, to the verge of the Alpine pasture on the summit of the hills, an almost impenetrable forest of tree Rhododendrons, 20-40 feet in height, com- posed of such species as R. lacteum, lacteum var. macrophyllum, Bureavii, irroratum and others, all in the very per- fection of bloom, with a dense under- growth of dwarf Bamboos. Viewed from the pass the surface of this forest appeared almost level ; it was an ideal day, and the effect of the brilliant sunshine Dn the dark glistening sea of foliage, intcr.spersed with masses of colour- ing, ranging from the almost pure white of R. lacteum and R. Bureavii and the creamy-yellow of R. irroratum, through nearly every conceivable shade of rose- lavender and magenta to the deepest crimson, was a sight far beyond my powers of description. With the greatest reluct- ance I proceeded on my journey ; I could have wished to remain for days to enjoy the beauty of the scene. Truly nature is the great gardener, and man only mocks himself in his feeble attempts to imitate her! The north flank of the pass, that having the southern exposure, was clothed with an evergreen Oak of 50-100 feet, with dark green spinous foliage, possibly Quercus ilex, interspersed with Rhododen- drons of the largest types, R. Iact?uni. R. macrophyllum and others ; some I measured were nearly 50 feet in height. The lower slopes of both sides of the range, half-way towards the base, were occupied by dense masses of a dwarf form, 5-8 feet in height, of R. Delavayi, with par- ticularly bright, light cherry-red flowers. G. Forrest, Eangoon, Burma. COLONIAL NOTE. A FINE WHITE HIPPEASTRUM. I .\M sending you a photograph of Hippeastriim (Amaryllis) " Hathor," a chance seedHng albino variety. Amaryllis seed very freely here, so much as to become a nuisance if self-sown seeds are allowed to grow in the garden ; to prevent this I make a practice of collecting the seed about twice a week and throwing it about a piece of waste land. The seedlings grow in the grass, and it was amongst these seedlings that I found the variety Hathor. The individual flowers are 4^ inches across the perianth, and one truss that I have out now has 17 pure white flowers, save for a little dull yellow in the bottom of the tube. H. H. B. Bradley, Sydney, Australia. BUD-DROPPING IN PEACH TREE. The cause of the dropping of buds from Peach trees in spring has perplexed gardeners for as long a time as I can remember, and the mystery is .still unsolved. The serious losses sustained by growers through this trouble calls for a thorough investigation into its origin. The complaint is to be met with wherever the Peach is culti- vated under glass, and it is strange that no one has been able to discover the cause. If bud-dropping were only met with in isolated cases, for instance in small gardens under the charge of amateurs, or of men of limited experi- ence, the complaint might be attributed to cul- tural defects. But, unfortunately, the trouble occurs in gardens where the highest and best form of culture is practised under the direc- tion of well-trair»ed gardeners, and often for year after year. It is asserted that the defect is constitutional in certain varieties and practically incurable. This contention has a certain weight of evidence in its favour, for it is well known that many early varieties, and specially those of American origin, such as Alexander and Waterloo, are more prone to bud-dropping than English-raised varieties, although these are by no means im- mune from the malady. Others believe that the trouble arises from dryness at the roots at some peiiod during autumn, winter, or spring after the buds have matured. This much may be said for this contention that no fruit tree suffers injury from neglect in watering sooner than the Peach, and drought may sometimes be the cause. An insufficient number or an enfeebled con- dition of the roots is often given as the cause, and especially deficiency of young, active, fibrous, surface roots. These reasons may well have something to do with the trouble, as they un- doubtedly have with other aspects of failure in the culture of the Peach. Some contend that bud-dropping is in consequence of unripened shoots. If this were true one would expect to find all trees exposed to the same conditions of growth affected in the same way, but this is not so; moreover, it is seldom that trees pro- perly cultivated under glass fail to ripen the wood properly. How many of us who h.ave grown Peaches extensively on walls out-of-doors for many years can call to mind any serious cases of bud-dropping in such trees? I venture to say very few. I cannot remember having suffered serious losses at any time from trees grown in this way. Peach trees out-of-doors are subjected to a moist atmosphere and low temperatures, especially at night, throughout the winter and spring, and even until the fruits are well set. The soil about the roots of the trees is always moist and often very wet, but it does not remain very long at any time in this condition, as all Peach tree borders, whether inside or out, are thoroughly well drained. Moreover, the soil during these seasons is frost-bound, and these conditions ensure a complete rest for the trees. It is also well to remember the conditions under which out-of-door trees start into growth in the spring. Invariably the development of leaf and fruit buds occur concurrently with the root growth, but top and bottom growth is very slow at the start. Peach trees grown under glass are subjected to entirely different conditions, for the supply of moisture at the roots and in the atmosphere is regulated by the cultivatoi-. The question arises do the trees receive a sufficient supply of water at the roots during the resting season? Also, is the atmosphere of the house during this time kept as cool as it should be? The value of a low temperature whilst the trees are at rest is, I am afraid, not generally appreciated, and the key to the solution of the question may be found in this fact. It is a common prac tice to bring into Peach houses in winter Chry- santhemums and other plants, and the conditions are largely regulated to suit the intruders with- out much consideration to the requirements of the Peach trees. How often it happens that the sun bursts into brilliancy when the houses are insufliciently ventilated causing the temperature to rise many degi-ees in the course of a few minutes? Again, in cold, frosty weather when the operators are at work pruning, training, and tying the trees or washing down the house the hot-water system is turned on, causing immedi- ately a higher temperature. Is it unreasonable i to draw the inference that the subjecting of the I trees to these fluctuating changes of extreme heat and cold during their resting period whilst the roots are inactive, stimulating growth and move- ment in the buds when there is no corresponding or sympathetic root action to support them, is a sufficient check to cause bud-dropping? Owen Thomas. PLANT NOTE. BURCHELLIA CAPENSIS. Amongst the plants just now flowering in warm greenhouses is Burchellia capensis, a native of South Africa. It is a freely-branched, hard- wooded shrub, and the sturdy shoots are clothed with ovate, oppositely-arranged leaves, about 4 inches long, and of a rich green tint. The flowers are borne in compact, rounded clusters on the points of shoots of the preceding year ; they are of a somewhat inflated tubular shape, a little over 1 inch long, and of a deep orange-scarlet colour. Nestling, as they do among the rich green leaves, these brightly-tinted flowers are remarkably effective. Not only do the individual blossnms remain fresh and bright for a considerable time, but a healthy specimen will maintain a successi.jn of them for a lengthened period. This Burchellia i.s not a difficult subject to propagate, as cuttings of the half-ripened shoots root readily in a close propagating case with a gentle bottom heat, and the plants grow freely in a mixture of loam, peat and sand. Its popular name is the Buffalo-horn, from the hardness of the wood and, owing to this character, it is some- times known as Burchellia bubalina. W. T . NOTICES OF BOOKS. Roses.* Mr. Wright presents his readers with abund- ance of details, but as in these days one takes quinine in its coating of sugar, so his cultural precepts are sweetened with literary, artistic, not to mention moral and sentimental allusions. There- fore, apart from its value as a treatise on Roses, it is a book that one can take up to while away a spare half-hour. Though the exhibitor is not left out in the cold, it is unmistakably the ama- teur exhibitor who is kept in mind, as in almost every page of the book the amateur and his con- cerns are uppermost. He is advised to buy his Cabbages and Turnips and fill his garden with Roses. He is led through all the intricacies of budding, planting and pruning, is warned to be- ware of the insidious approaches of greenfly and other enemies ; is told how to destroy them ; the appearance of mildew and other parasitic fungi is described, and means for their eiadication pre- scribed. There are many lists of Roses arranged for every conceivable garden and domestic pur- pose ; long-stemmed Roses for tall vases and short- stalked ones for bowls ; monsters, if such a name dare be bestowed upon a Rose, for single glasses, and small buds for button-holes. Several pages are devoted to colour arrangements, and a lengthy though not a complete list tails off the volume. The amateur cannot but believe that trenching is a source of happiness second only to hoeing among the Rose bushes, that budding is a joy, and the squeezing of caterpillars between the finger and thumb an occupation of irresistible fas- cination. Mr. Wright entertains no sentimental feeling about cutting Roses. Rather he urges his * Roses ami Rose Gardens, by Walter P. Wright. ;London ; Headley Bros.) Price 12s. 6d. net. May 4, 1912.] THE GARDENERS CHRONICLE. 293 readers to cut, the reward being, besides the plea- sure of the flowers, a greater number of flowers in succession. The remarks on planting Roses in small hedge-enclosed spaces are splendid. The Rose must have fresh breezes to maintain it in health and vigour, and no surer way to induce mildew exists than to confine it. Mr. Wright approves of chains for stretching between the poles in Rose gardens, but ropes are surely much to be preferred for the sake of the plants. The history of the Rose stretches back to the Iliad, and Mr. Wright gives us many references of a historical kind not only in the chapter devoted to its history but in other pages as well. Some, however, are unsatisfactory, and it would almost appear as if the work of the printer had not been closely inspected, two mis- takes in two lines from Spenser being one in- stance of such lapses. Roses must have been early cultivated in immense quantities for pur- poses ecclesiastical and medicinal, and for cookery. They were had in bloom 10 months of the year, and undeveloped buds were preserved for Christmas festivities in all but the full bloom beauty of summer. Yet Mr. Wright assumes they were excessively rare. The Moss Rose, again, cannot date its existence in gardens from 1596. Miller first saw it in Holland in 1727, though it is named in Furber's catalogue ap- pended to The. Gardener's Dictioiianj of 1724, and this is the earliest notice of it. Then we find Maiden's Blush in Abercrombie's lists several years previous to 1797, the date given by Mr. Wright, and Miller names it earlier still. Is it correct to say that the York and Lancaster Rose has been superseded by Rosa Mundi? Here we have it as depicted in ililler's Flijures of Plants, which shows a different dis- position of colours than in Les J?oses of Redoute. But the variety is known to be sportive. More- over, Rosa Mundi is more full of petals. The white Rose of York is naturally also alluded to, its identity always being a source of interest. Not improbably it was the same as the white Rose of the Stuarts, a reference to which ap- peared in Jlrs. Stewart Smith's Grange, of .S7. Giles (1898) by the name of Prince Charlie's Ruse, and the bush on which the Roses gi-ew was then still existing in The Grange Ciardens, Edin- burgh. The Grange is a delightful old house, and there quite close to it I was shown the Rose, which proved to be Rosa alba. It has also been referred to the White Provence and to Arvensi, and is interesting as being the theme of more than one " ballad." The volume is illustrated with colour pictures by Beatrice Parsons, coloured portraits of various Roses and halftone reproductions. THE ROSARY. PRIMULA JULI/E. FRiMnL.-i JuLijE (see fig. 142) is a native of the trans-Caucasian region, whence it was intro- duced to cultivation by Jurjew (Dorpat) Botanic Garden, and described as a new species in 1901. l^ax, in his monograph of the genus, places the species in the section " Vernales," which also includes our common Primrose. Last year Mr. Baker, of Oxford Botanic Garden, received plants ^f P. Juli« from Jurjew, and it has proved quite (iiardy, growing freely in suitable situations. On lAprU 2 last the plant illustrated in fig. 142 was ; exhibited at the meeting of the Royal Hurticul- airal .Society, and was given an Award of .Merit. Like the common Primrose, it is of tufted habit, Aith reniform-obicular leaves on slightly winged i'les about 3 inches long. When fully Ifiped they are from IJ inch to 2 inches in -itli and the same in length, the base being 'oidate. The ro.sy-purple flowers are about the i'.' of those of an ordinary Primrose, and are 'i^rluced freely on stalks alx)ut 3 inches long. \tter flowering, short runner-like shoots are pro- liiced from the main axis of the plant, and these "•t freely at the nodes. P. Julise may be freely 'leased by means of these runners, and it ijuld soon be plentiful in gardens. W. I. CULTURAL NOTES FOR MAY. Those who adopted my advice and delayed the pruning of their plants for a short time, notwithstanding the forwardness of the season, have seen the advantage now, as their plants have but little fresh growth exposed to the April frosts. I could point to niunerous instances where shoots of over 1 foot in length are badly injured by wind and frost, but the later pruned plants are almost untouched. The maggot must be kept under by hand picking, and in warm situations the syringe should be used freely as soon as aphides are discovered. There is much work to be done now amongst standards, more especially those budded last summer. Large quantities of suckers usually develop from the stems of those planted recently, and these should be cut out cleanly before they grow more than 2 inches in length. Their removal is carried out more easily and more effeclivcly if done grow towards the centre and so be likely to crowd the plant. A much better shaped and more use- ful plant n.ay be obtained by a little attention to this detail, and the sooner the shoots are selected the better. When placing sticks to maiden dwarfs, give due consideration to the average height each variety is likely to attain. Dwarf-habited Roses, such as Blildred Grant, Baroness Rothschild, and Etienne Levet need no sticks in their maiden stage. In the case of standard stocks that were not strong enough to bud la.hook, Hampshire. Red Spider on Vines (see p. 2.5G).^Mr. Jlolyneux is to be congratulated on again bring- ing to the notice of growers, and, what is more, suggesting a remedy for, that worst of all vine pests, red spider. If the present dry weather con- tinues the pest will soon be largely in evidence, and I have no doubt but that the simple remedy Mr. Molyneux recommends wiU be tried by very many of your readers. I believe I am the corre- spondent referred to, with regard to the vines being the sole occupants of the Grape house, and I ara quite in agreement with Mr. Molyneux as to the impossibility of this procedure in the majority of gardens. If I remember rightly, I penned the note in answer to a correspondent in a preceding issue, who appeared to imply negligence on the part of gardeners, who were troubled with red spider. According to his article one had only to keep the house saturated with water to ensure the vines being immune from attack. Gardeners know from experience that, given a dry summer, water alone will not prevent red spider from gaining a footing on vines. Such statements very often cause con- siderable annoyance to gardeners, and it w-as to destroy the impression that red spider necessarily means negligence on the part of the gardener that my previous note was written. M. Sargent, Eockshaw. Early Sweet Peas. — During a recent visit to Mr. C. W. Breadmore's Nursery, at Colden Common, I found two large glasshouses filled with most healthy plants of Sweet Peas. Each lofty span-roofed' house contained 1.000 plants down the centre, planted in deeply-prepared trenches. In height the plants ranged from 5 to 7 feet, and the stems were exti'a stout, carrying luxuriant foliage, thus giving an indication of the wealth of blossom that will follow. Already there wei-e open flowers. None but the very best varieties are included, and all are of the " Spencer " type. Large blocks of certain sorts were on trial. Among prominent varieties I noted Nubian, chocolate maroon ; the newer Lord Curzon, which is a much improved Mcnie ChrL'>ffr.. ills was opened by the president, the Rev. G. H. Engleheart, and continued by the Rev. Joseph Jacob, the Rev. T. Buncombe, and Messrs. Rudolph Barr, Adams, Waveren, Batson, Hawker, Bourne, Mallender, and others. Cut Flowers (Open Classes). The leading class was one for 50 varieties of Daffodils fairly representing all sections. There were three contestants, namely the Rev. Joseph Jacob, Whitewell Rectory, Whitchurch ; Messrs. Cartwright & Goodwin. Kidderminster ; and Mr. John Pope, King's Norton; and the prizes were awarded in the order named. The specimens in the 1st prize collection were of good size, beautifully fresh, and nicely ar- ranged. Some of the best varieties were Comus, Horace, Cassandra, Rosalind, White Lady, High- land Mary, Steadfast, Whitewell, Hoar Frost, Lucifer, Puritan, Aspasia, White Ensign. Orange Cup, Foster, Candidata, Mars, Nance Bromley, Sunny Jim, and several unnamed seedlings. Messrs. Cartwright & Goodwin had good flowers of Oliver Goldsmith. Mrs. Betteridsre, WTiite Lady, Moonbeam, Barcarolle, Genia-l Star, Princess, Ena, Matthew Arnold and Epic. Mr. W. A. Milner, Sheffield, and Mr. J. Mallender, Bawtry, were the only exhibitors in a class for 12 varieties of Trumpet Daffodils, 308 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [May 4, 1912. and they were placed 1st and 2nd respectively. The first-named exhibitor showed nice, clean flowers of Agincourt, Copenhagen, Toski, Poi- tiers, Trafalgar, Grandee, Falkirk, Monarch, Hastings, Omdurman, Tel-el-Kebir, and Water- loo. Mr. MiLNER was the only competitor in the next class, which was for six varieties of In- comparabilis Daffodils, and he was deservedly awarded the 1st prize. He showed shapely flowers of Strongbow, Lose Hill, Orangeman, Will Scarlet, James I Anson, and Deep Dale. Of the three entrants in a class for six varie- ties of Barrii Daffodils, l\fr. H. D. Phillips, of Olton, took the lead with well-fonned examples of Ptarmigan, Bullfinch, Tangerine, Persian Orange, Northern Queen, and Rosella. 2nd, the Rev. Joseph Jacob, whose best flowers were Puritan, Killarney, and Highland Marv. 3rd, Mr. W. A. Milne'r. The class provided for 12 varieties of Leedsii Daffodils was poorly contested, Mr. J. Mal- LENDER being the sole competitor. The leading varieties in this exhibit were May Flower, White Lady and some promising unnamed seed- lings. The best of three exhibits of three varieties of Triandrus hybrids came from Mr. W. A. Watts, St. Asaph, who showed excellent specimens of White Swallow, Gwyn and Cenifes. 2nd, the Rev. Joseph Jacob, whose flowers of Richard Strauss were very fine. The last-named exhibitor was the only com- petitor in a class for nine varieties of Tazetta and Tazetta hybrid Daffodils. His best varie- ties were Elvira, Orange Cup, Jaune de Mer- veille, and Orange Blossom. In the next class, which was for nine varieties of True Poeticus Daffodils, Mr. Jacob had another " walk over." His flowers of Oliver Goldsmith, Carol, Matthew Arnold, Cassandra, and Ben Johnson were very beautiful. Single-Bloom Classes (Open) There was fairly good competition of the single-bloom classes few but on the whole the flowers were below average merit. Mr. .J. Mal- lender had the best white Trumuet Daffodil in the variety Sibyl Foster; 2nd, Mr. T. Bat- son with Princess. The winning bicolor Trumpet was labelled P — 1, and exhibited by Mr. John Pope ; 2nd, the Rev. Joseph .Jacob with Nance Bromley. Mr. W. A. Watts took 1st prizes in two classes reserved for Incomiiarabilis Daffodils with the varieties S.J. 9 and Idris respectively. The best Barrii Daffodil was exhibited by the Rev. Joseph Jacob, whose specimen of Puritan was very choice ; 2nd, Mr. W. A. Watts with B. X B. 10. Mr. C. Bourne had the best Leedsii DaffodQ in Moonbeam, which w-as much admired ; 2nd, Mr. F. H. Chapman with Daughter of the Gods. Trilogy was the best Triandrus hybrid Daffo- dil, shown by Messrs. Cartvvricht '& Goodwin. Mr. J. Mallender was placed 2nd with J. 60. _ Mr. H. D. Phillips was awarded 1st prize in a class for Jonquilla hybrid Daffodils with the beautiful variety Buttercup. The best specimen of a Tazetta or Tazetta hybrid Daffodil came from J. A. Kenbick, Esq., Harborne (gr. Mr. R. Usher). Mr. C. Bourne and Messrs. Cartwbight & Goodwin were placed 1st and 2nd respectively in a class for True Poeticus Daffodils. Mr. Bourne's Sonata was particularly good. The best double Daffodil came from Messrs. Cartwright & Goodwin. Bourne Ch.allenge Cup. — This trophy, to- gether with a gold medal offered for 12 varieties of Daffodils raised by the exhibitor, generally brings forth strong competition, but on the present occasion onfy three exhibits were placed^ before the judges, who awarded the premier position to Mrs. Crosfield, Bridgwater, for a very fine display. Unfortunately, all the varieties were shown under numbers, which robbed the exhibit of a good deal of interest. 2nd, Mr. AV. A. Wilner, whose best flowers were Dovedale, Elade, Lums Dale, Warley Dale, and Deep Dale. 3rd, Mr. W. A. Watts. Competition was disappointing in the class for six varieties of Daffodils raised by the exhi- loitor and not in connnerce. First prize with- held. , . Messrs. Cartwright & Goodwin excelled ni a class for three varieties of seedling Daffodils raised by the exhibitor and not in connnerce. Unfortunately, these were under numbers. 2nd, Mr. C. L. Adams, Wolverhampton. A pair of silver vases offered by Mr. C. Bourne for three varieties of seedling Daffodils raised by the exhibitor who has never won a prize for seedlings was not awarded. 2nd, Mr. H. F. Holmes, Duifield, Derby. In a class for six varieties of Daffodils that have not been in commerce more than four years, the Rev. Joseph Jacob was placed 1st with good flowers of Killarney, Richard Strauss, Sybil Fos- ter, Puritan, Fire Grenade, and an unnamed seedling ; 2nd, Mr. H. D. Phillips. The Herbert Chapman Poeticus Trophy, offered for six varieties of true Poeticus Daffo- dils that have not been in commerce more than four years, was won by the Rev. Joseph J.icuB Avith Lullaby, Kestrel, 0. Goldsmith, Rudyard Kipling, Tom Hood and an unnamed seedhng ; 2nd, Mr. W. A. Watts. The Walter Ware Challenge Cup was offered for 18 varieties of obvious Triandrus hybrid Daffodils. The only exhibitor was Mr. W. A. MiLNER, and he was awarded the cup. The flowers of Oxion, Toddington Dale, Wardlow and Middleton Dale were of outstanding merit. Amateur Classes. In a class for six varieties of Daffodils that have not been in commerce more than four years the 1st prize was awarded to Mr. T. Batson, who showed creditable flowers of Treasve Trove, Chryseis, Stanya, 140, 161 and 15 (c). Iii classes for (1) 24 varieties of Daffodils and (2) nine varieties of Trumpet Daffodils, the 1st and 2nd prizes were withheld. The best three varieties of Barrii Daffodils came from J. A. Kenrick, Esq., who had the winning stand of three varieties of Tazetta and Tazetta hybrid Daffodils. Mr. T. Batson won the 1st prize in a class for six v£. ' "ties of true Poeticus Daffodils. Several . .sses were provided for exhibitors who have never won more than tliree 1st prizes at any of the Society's exhibitions. iSIr. R. Bruce Waite, Harborne, was successful in classes for (1) 12 varieties of Daffodils, (2) six varieties of Trumpet Daffodils, and (3) three varieties of Leedsii Daffodils. The 1st prize in a class for six varieties of Barrii Daffodils was won by Mr. J. Padley, Worksop. Miscellaneous Cut Flowers and Plants. In a class for six varieties of Darwin Tulips the 1st prize was well won by the Rev. Joseph Jacob. 2nd, J. A. Kenbick, Esq., Har- borne (gr. Mr. R. Usher). The last-named exhibitor showed (1) the best half-dozen pots of early-flowering single Tulips and (2) six pots of Darwin Tulips Mr. John Pope won the 1st prize in a class for a vase of Darwin Tulips, and in another class for a bowl of Daffodils. J. A. Kenrick, Esq., Edgbaston (gr. Mr. A. Cryer), won 1st prizes in classes for (1) three vases of Lily-of-the-Valley grown without drain- age in moss-fibre and (2) three pots of Spirieas. The Barr Cup was won by 3. A. Kenrick, Esq. (gr. Mr. R. Usher), with' 42 points. The Birmingham Botanical and Horticultural Society's medals were awarded as follow : — Classes 2 to 25 ; Silver medal won by the Rev. Joseph Jacob with 53 points; bronze medal by Mr. W. A. Mil.nbb with 35 points. Classes 12 to 25 and 26 to 34 : Silver medal won by the Rev. Joseph Jacob with 38 points; bronze by Mr. W. A. Watts with 36 points. Classes 12 to 25 and 36 to 45 : Silver medal won by J. A. Kenrick. Esq. (gr. Mr. R. Usher), with 42 points; bronze medal by Mr. T. Batson with 39 points. Aw.\BDs OF Merit. Narcissus Trafalgar. — A shapely bicolor flower with a pale, sulphur-coloured trumpet and an ivory-white perianth. (From Mr. W. A. MiLNEB, Sheffield.) Narcissus Dccpdah. — A large Incomparabilis variety with an ivory-white perianth and a clear- yellow cup. (From 'Mr. W. A. Milner.) Narcissus Flame. — A Barrii variety with a pure-white perianth and a flat, red cup. (From Mr. W. T. Ware, Bath.) Carnation. Lady Norlhcliffe. — A large, pale, salmon-pink variety of the Perpetual- flowering type with serrated edges. i\Ir. Van Phillips, Carnation Triumph.— A shapely, deep-crim son flower with serrated edges of the Perpetual- blooming section. (Both shown by Messrs. R. Felton & Co., Hanover Square, London.) Non-Competitive Exhibits. Messrs. Barr & Sons, Covent Garden, occu- pied one end of the hall with a collection of Daffodils, in which the varieties Cervantes, Bloodstone, Masterpiece, White Queen, Una, Jlrs. H. D. Betteridge, Noblesse, Red Beacon, Socrates, and Lewis Carol were noteworthy. The exhibit was further enhanced by the addi- tion of a small but interesting collection of Alpine plants. Messrs. Barr also occupied a large .space on one bide of the hall with a very fine collection of Darwin Tulips, probably the finest ever seen at Birmingham. (Gold Medal.) From the Rev. G. H. Engleheart, Dinton, came a very choice display of unnamed seed- ling Daflodils, in which the Poeticus varieties were largely represented. (Silver-gilt Medal.) Robert Sydenham Limited, Birmingham, ex- hibited a representative collection of Daffodils, in which we noted Nellie Price, Bianca, Red Chief and Aftermath in extra good condition. Sweet Peas, Anemones, Darwin Tulips, and re- tarded Lilies-of-the- Valley were also included in this group. (Large Silver Medal.) Mrs. M. Wilson, Junr., Holmesfield, sent an interesting collection of seedling Daffodils. Daffodils were also exhibited by Waveren, Holland, and Mr. H. D. Olton. Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, made an ex- tensive display of white, pink and red Stocks, Mignonette, and splendid Calceolarias. Also very fine strains of the florists' and stellata Cinerarias and a new variety named Reading Gem, the result of a cross between C. stellata and the trailing Teneriffe variety. The loose heads of starry flowers are purplish and white. (Silver-gilt Me'dal.) Mr. C. Engelmann, Saffron Walden, exhi- bited an artistically-arranged group of Perpetual- flowering Carnations, in which were several new vai-ieties of some promise. Each variety was displayed in bold masses in separate stands and baskets, and relieved with long sprays of Aspara- gus. Roses were also included in this meri- torious group. (Silver-gilt Medal.) Another collection of Perpetual-flowering Car- nations, arranged in tall vases, came from j\Ir. S. Mortimer. Farnham. The front of the group was edged with flowers of a very good strain of white Stocks. (Large Silver Medal.) Messrs. Hewitt & Co., Solihull, also exhi- bited Perpetual-flowering Carnations in large bunches over a groundwork of F'erns. The varieties included Scarlet Glow, Triumph, !Mrs. Burnett and two pink varieties. Empire Day and Lady Northcliffe. Several pots of Liliimi longi- floruin were well shown. (Large Silver Medal.) Mr. C. Bourne, Bletchley, had an intexesting collection of Daffodils, in which the following varieties were noteworthy : — Jloonbeara, Alpine Snow and Harvest Home, the last-named nearly 3 inches across, perianth very delicate sulphur, cup lemon with a green eye. (Vote of Thanks.) jMr. R. d'E. D.iy, Sutton Scotney, Hants., contributed a collection of Spanish Irises. Each variety was represented by unusually large bunches of beautifully-fresh flowers. (Large Sil- ver Medal.) Mr. H. N. Ellison, West Bromwich, showed Ferns and hybrid Gerberas. (Silver Medal. ^ From ]\lr. W. A. Watts, group of Daffodils, Tulips, (Silver Medal.) J. A. Kenrick, Esq., Edgbaston, sent plants of a good strain of Schizanthus, mostly of the light-coloured varieties. (Vote of Thanks.) Jlessrs. B. R. Cant & Sons, Colchester, showed excellent Rosins in boxes, tall stands and vases. A new Hybrid Tea Rose named St. Helena, stated to be a cross between Joseph Hill and Senateur St. Rimime, has large, substantial, cream flowers shaded bronze. Dr. Audry, Dean Hole, Mrs. Myles Kennedy, Tausendschon and the Austrian Yellow and Austrian Copper Yellow Briars were also included. (Large Silver Medal.) Messrs. Bakers, Wolverhampton, exhibited large masses of Saxifragas, Phlox divaricata, Aubrietias and a few- miscellaneous subjects on a low rockery. (Large Silver Medal.) } St. Asaph, came a and Polvanthuses. Wai 4, 1912.] THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 309 Mrs. Lloyd Edwards, Bryn Oerog, Llangol- len, showed eight small circular baskets, each containing one variety of mossy Saxifrage covered with flowers. The best deep-red- flowered variety was named Sanguinea superba. (Vot« of Thanks.) Jlessrs. Cartweight & Goodwin, Kidder- minster, had a fine display of Daffodils, mostly of the Poeticus varieties, and some very good Darwin Tulips. (Large Silver Medal.) NURSERY AND SEED TRADE. April 2. — The general meeting of this associa- tion was held at the offices of the association, on this date. The 35th annual report of the committee stated that the present number of members is 175, of whom 132 are resident in the United Kingdom, and 44 abroad. Four new members joined the associa- tion during the past year. Status enquiries to the number of 1,011 have been answered, and £23 16s. 9d. has been expended for special enquiry fees and searches at the Companies' Registry, Somerset House, during the year. Last year the total amount collected through the association was £5,287 3s. lid., £1,322 6s. 5d. being collected by the secretarv, and £3,964 17s. 6d. by the solicitors. The principal Acts of 1911 which affect mem- bers are the Shop Act and National Insurance Act, which are too long to be dealt with in this report, but attention is drawn to the Protection of Animals Act of last year, which, amongst other matters, provides (Section 8) that if any person (a) shall sell, or offer, or expose for sale, or give away, or cause or procure any persons to sell, or offer or expose for sale, or give away, or knowingly be a party to the sale or offering or exposing for sale or giving away of any grain or seed which has been rendered poisonous, ex- cept for bona fide use in agriculture; or (h) shall knowingly put or place or cause or procure any persons to put or place or knowingly be a party to the putting or placing in or upon any land or building, any poison or fluid or edible matter (not being sown seed or grain) which has been rendered poisonous : such person shall, upon summary conviction, be liable to a fine not ex- ceeding £10. Provided, that in any proceedings under paragraph (h) of this section" it shall be a defence tliat the poison was placed by the ac- cused for the purpose of destroying rats, mice, or other small vermin, and that 'he "took all rea- sonable precautions to prevent access thereto of dogs, cats, fowls, or other domestic animals. The retiring members of the committee, Messrs. E. Bull, G. H. Barr, G. Bunvard, W. V. Baker, J. Harrison, W. Iceton, and' \V. J. Jef- feries, were re-elected. The subjects of railway rates, Agricultural Rates Act, Shop Act, and National Insurance Act were discussed, and a letter from a member was read on the subject of the Workmen's Com- pensation Act. The matter was discussed at some length, but it was not thought possible that an insurance company could be formed by the trade. At the committee meeting which followed the general meeting. Sir. N. N. Sherwood was re- elected president, XIr. H. W. W. Nutting trea- surer, and Jlr. G. H. Barr and Mr. H. Simpson trustees. SHROPSHIRE HORTICULTURAL. April 23. — The annual meeting of this society was held at Shrewsbury on this date ; the Deputy Mayor of Shrewsbury (Alderman B. Blower) pre- sided. iMessrs. Adnitt and Naunton, the hon. sees., presented the annual report, in which it was recorded that the railway strike affected in a marked degree last summer's show, which, from the number of entries received, had promised to be a record one. The figures showed that the total receipts for the year amounted to £4.236 as against £5,756 in the previous year. For the first time since the establishment "of the society. o7 years ago, a loss was reported, this amounting to £450. Notwithstanding this loss, the society has spent during the past year £2,800 on extend"- ing the grounds and avenues of the Quarrv in which the annual show is held. Mr. Phillips, of cerwick Hall, was elected president, and he has ottered a challenge cup to be competed for in a class for Roses at the next summer show. Mr. \v . E. Lift was elected chairman of the committee 111 succession to the late Col. E. C. Peele. IVIiLRK:ETS. ; Ayerage Wholesale Prices. 10 0-15 0 2 6-30 10 0-15 0 1 6- 3 Oi 8 0-90 8 0-90 Anemones St, Brid- gid, per dozen bunches : — all colours Arums (Uichardias) 16-20 Camellias, per box of 18's and 24's Carnations, p. doz. blooms, best American var. — smaller, per doz. bundles — Carola, crira* son, extra large — Malmaisoiis, p. d3z. blooms ... Eucharis, per doz. 2 0-26 Gardenias, per box of 15 and 18 blooms Gladiolus Blushing Bride, per doz. bunches — Bride, white ... — Peach Blossom 10 0-12 0 Gypsophila, p. dz. bunches ; — white — pink Iris (^jpanish), per doz. bunches : — white, mauve, )' e I i o w and blue Lilac, per bunch white — mauve Lilniiii atiratiim per bunch — candidum, psr doz., long short — I o n g i fl oruiu, per doz,, long short — I a n c i f o I i u m alba, long — — short — speciosum rub- rum, per doz , long — — short Lily of the Valley, p. dz. bunches: — extra special ... 15 C-18 0 — special 10 0-12 0 — oidmary ... 8 0 — s.d. s.d. I ] Marguerite, per doz. bunches: I — Yeltow 2 0- 2 6 Myosotis (Forget- ' " " " me-not), p. dz. bunches Narcissus, per doz. 16-20 bunches: j — double, while I — Poeticus 16-19 Orchids, Cattleya, per doz. — Odoiitoglossum crispum Pelargoniums, p. dz. bunches — Double Scarlet Uoses, 12 blooms, — Brides maid, — C.Mecmet ... — F rau Karl [ Druschki I — General Jac- queminot — Liberty — Madame A, Chateney — Niplieios — Richmond — Sunrise — President Car- not — Lady Roberts — Lady Hilling- don — Franz Detgan — Kaiserine Spirffia(Astilbe) ja- ponica, per. doz. bunches Sweet Peas, pr. dz. bunches ; — white — coloured Stephanotis (72 pips) Tulips, per bunch : — white — Darw in, all shades, per bunch Violets, p. dz. bchs. — Princess of Wales, per doz. bunches — Parma Wallflowers, per dozen bunches ;.d. s.d. 16-20 3 0-40 4 0-80 16-20 4 0-50 4 0- 6 0 1 0- 1 0- 16-26 1 0- 2 0- 1 3 4 0 3 0- 3 0 6 0-10 0 2 6- 3 U- 3 0 3 6 4 0-50 16-19 0 9-10 2 0-26 16-20 2 0 1 6 16-30 10-16 10-26 10-16 1 6- 1 0- 2 6 1 6 10-16 10-16 10-20 4 0-50 1 6- 4 0- 2 0 6 0 19-20 0 9- 1 U 2 0-26 0 9-10 13-20 3 0- 2 0- 4 0 2 6 16-20 Cut Foliage, Ac: Avei s.d. s.d A tl i an t um Fern (M a idenhair), best,dz. bnclis. Ag i" o si i s (Fairy Grass), per dz. bunches Asparagus pln- mosus, long trails, pr. Jdoz. — medium, doz. bunches — Spiengeri Carnal ion foliage, doz. bunches... 6 0-7 0 2 0-40 16-20 12 0-18 0 10 0 12 0 4 0 — rage Wlioleaale Prices. s.d. s.d, Croton foliage, var- ious, per dozen bunches ... 13 0-15 0 Cycas leaves, arti- ticial, per doz. 8 0-12 0 Eulalia japonica, per bunch ... 10-16 .Moss, per gross ... 6 0 — Myrtle, dz. bcbs. (Engli sh). small-leaved... 6 0 — — French ... 10 — .Smilai, per bunch of 6 trails ... 16 — Plants In Pot., Ac. : Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Acacia lineata, 48's, per dozen ... 18 0-21 0 Aralia Sieboldii, p. dozen 6 0-70 Araucaria excelsa, per dozen ... 18 0-21 0 Asparat;us plumo- sus nanus, p.dz. 10 0-12 0 — Sprengeri ... 8 0-90 Aspidistra, p. dz., green 21 0-30 0 — variegated ... 30 0-60 0 Boronia megastig- ma, 48s,p, dz. 21 0-24 0 Cinerarias, pr. dz. 8 0-90 Cocos Weddeli- ana.per dozen: — 60's 6 0-12 0 — larger, each ... 2 6-10 6 Croton, per dozen 18 0-30 0 Cyperus alterni- folius, per doz. 5 0-60 — laius, per doz. 4 0-50 Dracsena, green, per dozen ... 10 0-12 0 Ericas, per dozen : — Willmorei, 48's 15 0-18 0 — persoluta ... 27 0-30 0 Ferns, in thumbs, per 100 8 0-12 0 s.d. s.d. Ferns, in small and large 60's ... 12 0-20 0 — in 48'e, doz 6 0 — — choicer, sorts per doz. ... 8 0-12 0 — in 32*s, per dozen 10 0-ia 0 Ficus elastica, per dozen 9 0-12 0 Fuschias 7 0-90 Genistas, 48's, per doz, 10 0-12 0 Geonoma gracilis, 60's, per dozen 6 0-80 — larger, each ... 2 6-76 Heliotropes ... 6 0-80 Hydrangeas, white, 48's, per dozen 18 0-21 0 — pink 10 0-15 0 Kentia Belmore- ana, per dozen 6 0-42 0 — Fosteriana, 60's, per dozen 4 0-60 — larger, per dozen 18 0-60 0 Latania borbonica, per dozen ... 12 0-30 0 Lilium longi- florum, per dozen 20 0-24 0 Plants in Pots, Sc. COVENT GARDEN, May 1. [We cannot accept any responsibility for the subjoined reports. They are furnished to us regularly every VV ednesday, by the linidness of several of tne principal salesmen, who are responsible for the quotations. It Diust be remembered that these quotations do not repre- sent the prices on any particular day, but only the general averages for the week preceding the date of our report. The prices depend upon the quality of the samples, the way in which they are packed, the supply in the market, and the demand, and they may fluctuate, not only from day to day, but occasionally several times in one day. — Eds.1 Cue Flowers, Ac. Average Wholesale Prices (Contd.). s.d. s.d. Lilium lancifolium rubrum in pts., per dozen .. 15 0 18 0 — la ncif ol ium alba 15 0-18 0 Lily of the Valley 21 0-21 0 Marguerites, white, per dozen ... 8 0-10 0 Mignonette, 48's, per dozen ... 6 0-80 Pandanus Veitchii, per dozen ... 36 0-48 0 Pelargoniums, Ivy- lea\ed ... Phcenix rupicola, each Rhodantbi, per. dz. pots Spirasa japonica, per dozen pots — pink Stocks, white, pink and red s.d. s.d. 7 0-90 2 6-21 0 6 0-60 10 0 I'2 0 10 0-12 0 6 0-80 17 0-22 0 Fruit: Average Wholesale Prices. s.d. s.d. Grapes : — (Cape) per case White ... Lemons : — (Naples), case 26 0-20 0 — Messina, p. case 7 6-17 0 Limes, per case ... 4 u — Mangoes, per doz. 6 0-10 0 Melons — (English) Nuts, Almonds, per 4 0- 20 0 7 0 Apples, Nov Sc o t i an, per barrel ... — Gal i for man Newtowns, pr. case — (Canadian), per barrel — Oregon (New towns) p. case 10 0-14 0 — .\merican, per barrel 20 0-32 0 — Australian per case 8 0-12 6 Baiiciuas, bunch: — Uoubles ... 10 0 12 0 — .No. 1 ._ ... 8 0-10 0 — Eitra 10 0-12 0 — Giant 14 0- 18 0 — Loose, per dozen 0 fi- 1 0 — Ked coloured... 5 6-66 — Jamaica Giants, per ton ... £10-£12 — Jamaica Ordi- nary, per box (9 doz.) ... 4 0-50 Cranberries, per case (30 qts.) .. 10 0-11 0 — Cape Cod, per case (30 quarts) 9 6 — Dates (Tunis) do/. boxes 4 6-56 Figs, Guernsey, pr. doz 6 0-15 0 Gooseberries, per strike 4 6 — Grape Fruit, case : — 96's ) - M's ;:; ■■■ i« 0-20 0 — 64's J Gt apes, Australian, per case ... 10 0-20 0 (new) s.d. s.d. 3 0-12 0 0 10- 1 fi 2 0-36 52 6 — 40 0 43 0 — English per lb — Muscats — .Almeria, barrel ... Per dozen lbs 16-20 12 0-15 0 per 16 0-21 0 4 0-60 — Spanish, per sack — Barcelona, bag 35 6-'J6 6 Nuts, Chestnuts, per bag ... 3 6-15 0 — Cocoaiiuts, 100 18 0-23 0 — English Cobs per lb 0 3 — — Walnut s (Naples) kiln dried, c wt. cases 54 0 — Oranges : — Deiiia, case ... 14 0-32 0 — Jaffa, per case 12 0 — — Blood, per case 8 0-90 — Mandarins, per box ... 0 6-36 — Bitter, per i chest 16 0-18 S — Seville Sour 4 chest ... 15 0-18 0 Peaches (Belgian), per dozen ... 9 0-21 0 — English, dozen 9 0-30 0 Pears (Californian). p. bdle,8boies 12 0 15 0 — (.Australian)per case 12 6 — — (American) per barrel, 180 lbs. 25 0-26 0 — cases 7 0 — — (Cape) 5 0-00 Pineapples, St. Michael ... 3 0-15 Strawberries, p. lb.: — A quality ... 8 0-40 — Equality ... 1 0- 1 G Vegetables : Ayerage Wholesale Prices. id. s.d. 2 0-26 1 6- 2 3- 0 8- 0 9- 0 7- 1 0- Artichokes(Globe), per dozen Asparagus — — Tcu'ouse — Montauban -, — Dijon — I.auris — (English) bndl. — Cambridge ... — Worcester ... Beans, Guernsey Dwarf, per lb. 0 10 — (English) p. lb. 0 10- — French, per packet, lb. ... Beetroot, p. bshl.: — Long Broccoli, sprout- ing, per bag Celeriac, per doz. Cabbages (French) per dozen — Cornish, p. dz. — Evesham, pots Cauliflowers, per dozen — (Cornish), per crate Celery, doz. bndls. — (washed), per dozen bundles 12 0 — Carrots (English), pr. doz. bun. .. 7 0-80 — (French) per dozen bundles 7 0-80 — per cwt. ... 7 0 - — (washed) p. bag 8 0 10 0 Chicory, per lb. ..0 4 Cucumbers, p. doz. 16-26 Endive, per dozen Greens (Spring), p. 0 8-0 10 2 6-30 60 — 2 6-30 16-26 2 6-30 5 0-56 2 6-36 12 0-15 0 10 0-14 0 s.d. s.d. Horseradish, 12 bundles ... 10 0-14 0 Leeks, per doz. ... 2 6-30 Lettuce (French), per doz. — (English) per dozen Mint, per dozen bunches Miislirooiiis, culti- vated, p. lb. ... Miistardaiid Cress, per dozen punnets Marrows, each Onions, (Spanish), per case — Egyptian Parsley, J sieve ... — per doz. bun. Parsnips, per bag Peas (French) per pad — (Guern5ey), lb. — (English) p. lb. Radishes (English), per dozen — (French) p. dz, — (Jersey) long... Rhubarb, forced, per 12 bundles 0 10 — Outdoor, p. dz 2 6 Spinach, pr. bshl. 3 6- Seakale, p. punnet 0 10- 4 6 2 0-30 0 8-10 10 — 4 0-12 0 10 0-U 0 6 0-70 16-26 3 0-40 7 0 — 5 0-60 0 4-08 0 4-08 0 9- 0 9- 0 4- 1 0 1 II 0 6 1 0- Herbs pkts.. (sweet), p. gross 1 6 6 0-70 1 fi- 4 0 1 0 2 0 — i bushel Tom'atos (Canary Islands), per bundle — Guernsey. lb. — English, lb. ... Turnips (English), perdz. bunches 4 0-50 Watercress, p. dz. bunches 12 0-16 0 0 8 0 10 10 0- 1 0 0 4-06 REMAiiKS.-Supplies of English and Channel Islands Grapes are equal to the demands. A few bunches of Mus- cat of Alexandria are obtainable. The crop of Belgian Gros Colman Grapes will le finished this week. Hot-house Peaches to the amount of from 50 to 100 dozen fruits have been received during the past week. Melons and Green Figs are obtainable in larger quantities, the quality qf the fruits being excellent. Produce from the Cape this week has been limited to a few boxes of Grapes. Gooseberries are obtainable ; the fruits are packed in peck baskets containing 310 THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. [May 4. 1912. about 12 lbs. English and Continental Asparagus lias been a good average supply corisideriiig tbe cold winds. Forced Strawberiies have been very plentiful. Arrivals of Apples and Fears from Australia this past week amounted to about 108,000 cases. We have received information ilat a esnsigiimeiit of several thousand cases of Apples is now on its way from New Zealand to London. Tomatos from English growers and the Channel Islands are available in large quantities ; those from the Canary Islands are still arriving, best samples being in demand. All out-door vegetables are still very scarce, but supplies of forced vet^eiables have been about equal to the demand. — E.H.R,, Cuvent Gurdi^H, May I, !'J1 .'. Potatos. ©bttuavjj. Kenti— Queen's ... Up-to-Daie Lincolns— Up-to-Daie British Que<^n King Edward - Northern Star Evergoods per cwi. s.d. s.d. 4 0-46 4 0-46 3 9-46 3 9-43 4 0-46 2 9-36 3 0-39 Llncolns— Maincrop3 Biacklands per cwt. s.d. s.d. 4 0-46 3 0-33 5 3 5 6 Bed fords - Up-to-Date ... 3 9-40 Dunbars— Up-to-Daie ... 4 9- Maiiicrop ... 5 U- New Potatos. Teneriffe 12 0-14 0 | Algerian — ... 13 0-14 0 Jerseys 18s. -20s. pec cwt. Remarks. — Trade in old tubers Is \ery slow and stocks arc still large. New Potatos from Jersey are realising 18=. -20s. per cwt. Edward /. Newborn^ Cvvcut Ganien and Si. Fcuicms, Muy 7, WU. THE WEATHER. THE WEATHER IN WEST HERTS. H^eek endme May 7. The fifth dry week in succession. The early pirt of the week was latlier warm, but since thtn lower temperatures have prevailtrd, and on ihe coldest niglit the expo ed thtrtnometer registered 10" of frost. The t^mund is still warm for the time of year, being 3^^ warmer at 2 feet deep, and 2° warmer at 1 foot deep, than is seasonable. There was a little rain for a short time on Ihe evening of April 29th, bu mot suhi- cient to measure. The ground is now getting dry, as there has been no lercolation through either of the soil gauges since Apiil 7th, or for over 3 weeks. The sun shone on an average for HJ hours a day, or for Shouisaday longer than is usual ai the end of April. Light airs and Cdlms aione prevailed during the week, the light aiis coming almost exclusively from some point between north and east. The mean amount of moist uie in the air at 3 o'clock in the after- noon fell short of a seasonable amount for that hour by 8 ^ er cent. A se'ected Lilac tree in my garden came hrst into llovver on April 29th, which is 11 days earlier than its average date for the previous 26 years, and earlier than in any year since ltt96, or for 16 years. Apkil. The driest April for over 50 years, and the driest month but one during that period. — Taking the month as a whole this was tbe warmest April for eight years. The days, with seven exceptions, were all warm. In fact, the aver- age maximum temperature was, with one exception, higher than in any Apiil during the past 26 years. On the other hand, th