66 



HORTICULTURE 



July 20, 1907 



British Horticulture 



A NOTED DEVON NURSERY 



Amongst the awards given at the meeting of the 

 Royal Horticiiltiu-al Society this weeli was one for 

 Veitch's hybrid calceoUiria. This has been obtained 

 from a cross between C. plantaginea and a variety of 

 the herbaceous section. The moderate-sized flowers 

 are of a brilliant yellow color, with a small red spot on 

 the back of the lower lip. The foliage is similar to that 

 of C. plantaginea. It has been grown in the open 

 without protection, and has withstood several degrees 

 of frost ; it flowers in May and onwards. At the Cleve 

 nursery of this firm a ^^piendid display has lately been 

 made with Himalayan rhododendrons. The chief varie- 

 ties grown include arboreum. William Shilson. pink; 

 coccineum, crimson; Eusselianum. red; Aucklandi, 

 pink; barbatum, scarlet; campanulatum. mauve; cam- 

 pylocarpum, yellow; Roylsi, a red form of cinna- 

 barinum. Ericas are also a special feature. These em- 

 brace the new white Veitchii, codonoides, white tinted 

 pink; australis, pink. The Mediterranean heaths in- 

 clude alba, glaucus, hybrida, whilst among the dwarf 

 section are cornea and its varieties. The E. cinera sec- 

 tion — rosea, alba and coccinea — gives a succession of 

 flowers all the year round. At the nursery there is a 

 line hedge of Choisya ternata, which is from S to 10 

 feet high, and 4 to 5 feet through. 



ELECTRICITY AND VINE CULTURE 



There is apparently no limit to the nses to which 

 electricity can be applied in the service of man. If the 

 same progress is made in developing its uses during the 

 next decade as in the last few years we shall arrive at 

 a very high stage of perfection. According to Mr. 

 George Massee, the well-known scientist at Kew Gar- 

 dens, electricity is now being successfully used in pro- 

 moting the growth of the vine, and in destroying its 

 parasitic enemies. The discovery was first made by a 

 cultivator of vines. The method consisted in the ar- 

 rangement of two series of metallic conductors travers- 

 ing the roots at a depth of about sixty centimetres, so 

 as'not to injure the above ground portion of the vines. 

 The experiment was tried on vines badly infected with 

 phylloxera, and at the end of the first season it was 

 found that most of the insects were killed, and at the 

 finish of the second season not a single living insect 

 could be discovered. In addition to destroying the 

 phylloxera, it was observed that the treated vines grew 

 miich more vigorously than a check batch of untreated 

 ones; the quantity and quality of the fruit was also im- 

 proved in the treated batch. Further experiments will 

 be awaited with interest. Trials are also being con- 

 ducted in this country in the utilization of electricity 

 for the increase of agricultural crops. 



THE ROPE SHOW 



Excellent arrangements liave been made for tlip an- 

 nual rose show which is taking place in the gardens of 

 the Royal Botanic Society, on July 4th. under the aus- 

 pices of the National Society. The National Eose So- 

 ciety has made rapid strides during the last few years, 

 the membership now numbering 2,000, indicating the 

 increased interest which is being taken in the "Queen 

 of flowers" in this country. We have been passing 

 throtigh a very trying summer, the weather being cold, 

 wet and unsettled. It is satisfactory to find that in 

 spite of tliis inclemency the rose prospects are very 



favorable. Herbert E. Molyneux, a well known rosari- 

 an, writes : "It is a good many years since I remember 

 rose? looking better than they do at the present time. 

 Such flowers as have been out have come very well, of 

 good shape and quite remarkable in color, and, given a 

 few days' sunshine, or, better still, really hot weather, 

 the rose will soon be in the height of its glory. It is 

 really astonishing how quickly the plants respond to a 

 little heat. Taken on the whole, the weather has not 

 apparently been ^o tmkind as some would appear to 

 tliink. With a few exceptions, gardeners generally seem 

 to have escaped the late frosts tliat have in former years 

 played havoc, and although the weather has been un- 

 usually cold, it has not .been severe enough to do any 

 damage. The fact remains that the plants promise 

 uncommonly well, and I shall be disappointed if we 

 liave not in front of us the best rose year we have had 

 for very many (certainly seven or eight) years." 



SWEET PEAS 



The advent of new aspirants for popularity in the 

 sweet pea world shows no diminution. Two new vari- 

 eties were shown this week at the Royal Horticultural 

 Hall, and received awards of merit, the exhibitor being 

 Miss H. Hemus. Evelyn Hemus has creamy-white 

 blooms of large size, with rose-colored margins to the 

 petals. Carmine Paradise is of a brilliant carmine 

 tint, of a graceful form, with an erect standard. There 

 is likely to be a good display of novelties at the annual 

 exhibition of the National Sweet Pea Society, in Lon- 

 don, in July. A novel sweet pea competition has been 

 arranged in connection with the North Lonsdale Rose 

 Show at Ulverston. It is proposed to offer a gold, 

 silver and a bronze medal for new sweet peas not in 

 commerce. Each new variety will be staged under a 

 number only, and the visitors will be invited to record 

 their votes for the best varieties. The merit of the 

 varieties will then be judged by popular vote, and tlie 

 medals will be awarded in accordance with the result 

 of the ballot. This is an application of democratic 

 principles to floral displays. The winners will have no 

 cause to complain of any bias or favoritism being shown, 

 seeing that the majority will decide the events. 



>ty</. (^dit^. 



Rose Soils 



A great variety of soils can he successfully used for 

 the growing of roses, but a moderately heavy loam from 

 a well-rotted sod is perhaps the most favorable. If the 

 right type of soil can not be found, light and heavy 

 soils can be mixed, to secure a soil of the desired tex- 

 ture. If it is desired to secure a soil for a forcing 

 liouse or for potting purposes the sod should be very 

 thoroughly rotted and have incorporated with it about 

 one-sixth to one-eiglith of its weight of thoroughly rotted 

 .-table manure. Assuming that the proper loam can be 

 found for rose growing, the sod may be cut in the fall 

 and composted with manure, using about one part 

 manure to three parts soil. During the composting 

 period this pile should be turned and mixed several 

 times previous to use. getting it into good even con- 

 dition. 



For the production of good roses, the matter of feed- 



