October l9, 190"? 



HORTICULTURE 



607 



British Horticulture 



A M.w Fijrrr liASKirr 



A ni;w collapsible basket fur market purjwses has 

 been patented. The sides of the Ijasket are composed 

 of strong canvas, which is made vermin and mildew 

 proof and very durable, and working on the principle 

 of the opera hat, when not in use the rim and bottom 

 are close together. It is estimated that the cost of 

 transit will be from seven to ten per cent, lower when 

 full as compared with ordinary baskets, and 30 per 

 cent, lower wlien empty. Another advantage is that 

 when empty the basket wtU only require about one- 

 third of the room of the ordinary basket. This will 

 prove a great boon to nurserymen in towns to whom 

 the saving of sjiace is an important consideration. The 

 ingenious invention has been shown to several experts 

 who have expressed a favorable opinion as to its merits. 

 nr.Ass IK TPij; ORCHAno 



In '^ome useful experiments conducted at the \Vo- 

 burn experimental fruit farm, trees gi'own in grass 

 vi/ere found to have made but very poor growth five 

 years after planting and sJTiiilar results followed the 

 grassing over of pears, cherries, and plums immedi- 

 ately on planting, the check given to them being very 

 severe. A comparison of the yields obtained in New 

 York State from apple orchards in grass and cultivated 

 land respectively showed over an average of four years 

 that the tilled orchards gave a uniformly larger yield 

 than those in grass. These results are supported by 

 some tests carried out at the Hooper Adams Agricul- 

 tural College. By a series of experiments carried over 

 three years it was shown that the stems of trees in 

 grass !iad increased only 0.03 inches in diameter, while 

 those m cultivated ground had increased 0.3 inches ; 

 the proportioa* in favor of cultivated land being 10 to 1. 



CHVM?TON POTATO GROWER 



Notwithstanding that the season has been unfavorable 

 in many districts there was a meritorious display of 

 tubers last week at the annual show of the National 

 Potato Society, at the South Eastern Agricultural Col- 

 lege, at W3'e. The chief awards fell to Mr. B. Ashton, 

 head gardener to I-ord Tathom. Ormskirk, who secured 

 for the third time in succession the Carter-Findlay cup, 

 as well as the fjlewellyn cup given for the best exhibit in 

 the show. Air. Ashton also obtained a silver medal for 

 the best white potato (Carter's Eoyalty) as well as 

 jnany other prizes. For some years Mr. Ashton has 

 been a successful exhibitor of vegetables at Shrewsbury 

 aiid other shows. The other silver medal, given for 

 the best colored potato was awarded to Mr. A. Lawson, 

 a Scotch srower. There was a falling off in the trade 

 section. The potato trade has lately been in a some- 

 what depressed state. About three years ago there was 

 a "boom." heavy sums being paid for new varieties. In 

 one celebrated case £100 (pounds) was paid a pound 

 for a seedling; 11 pounds being sold for £1,400. Large 

 sums were lost in the speculation which took place. 

 Tlie inevitable reaction set in, and many of the high 

 priced varieties were tried and found wanting. The 

 National Potato Society has naturally been affected by 

 the "slump," but it is hoped to continue the useful 

 work which has been commenced. It is felt that there 

 is scope for a society of this sort in protecting the 

 interests of potato growers, conducting trials, distribut- 

 ing information, and organizing shows. Like the fruit 

 growers the potato men arc very di.fficult to organize, 

 owing to the fact that they are scattered over the United 

 Kingdom, and it is hard to organize any system under 



which they will be brought in touch with the managing 



II 1(1 v. 



>t)v. QM*^. 



Gardenias 



lender good iiianag.'nienl the gardejiia can be had in 

 ilower during the greater portion of the year. The best 

 time to propagate the plants is in the spring, selecting 

 side shoots about two inches long, inserting them in 

 ■ pots and plunging the pots in brisk hot bed. When 

 rooted re-j)ot firmly and in a few weeks pinch out the 

 points; once pinched they will not require any more 

 assistance to make them bushy. 



When a continuous supply of young stock is wanted 

 and the benches are occupied it will be best to grow 

 them on in pots until spring when the benches can be 

 cleaned out and re-filled ■\\ith these plants to be flow- 

 ered for one year. By this method a continuous supply 

 of plants is always on hand and they can be used to 

 fill any vacancies caused through disease. 



Suitable soil for the gardenia consists of good 

 fibrous loam with a lirtle sand, leaf mold and charcoal. 



The gardenia, like every other plant, has several 

 enemies, one m ]iarticular being the most common and 

 yet the most dreaded, for which there is no known 

 cure. I refer to the nematode or Heterodera Radi- 

 cola, more commonly known as root-knot, which causes 

 a swelling at the neck of the plant and ultimately its 

 death. This disease can be avoided by sterilizing the 

 soil before planting and securing plants that are abso- 

 lutely free from root-knot ; should this be secured 

 the difficulty in their culture would be greatly dimin- 

 ished. 



The root-knot can easily be discovered by examining 

 the roots. Small knots will be found even on strong 

 vigorous looking plants. The mealy bug is another 

 familiar lover of the gardenia. Should ample room 

 to grow be allowed the plants these desperadoes can 

 easily be eradicated with a good sharp spray from a 

 hose at weekly intervals, choosing a bright sunny day 

 for the operation. 



Ventilation has also to be«attended to with great care, 

 particularly in winter, otherwise the buds will drop off 

 and thus the most important crop of flowers of the 

 whole vear will be destroved. 



Ouj^^ixyA. 



Our Frontispiece 



Cattleva Hardyana. which is depicted in our frontis- 

 ])iece for this w^eek is a natural hybrid between Cattleya 

 aurea chn'sotoxa and C. gigas. The jilant shown here- 

 with was photographed at Lager & Hurrell's and well 

 illustrates the true type of C. Hardyana, the character 

 of each of the parents beinR equally portrayed in the 

 fliwer. All the so-called Hardyanas coming from the 

 TTardviina districts are not distinct but show a wide 

 variation in character, some having practically reverted 

 to the characteristics of one or the other parent. 



