November 2, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



571 



in the situation that can be ooustnied as boding great 

 disaster to florist, seed or nursery interests. Satisfac- 

 tory crops of all the great agricultural staples with 

 splendid prices tlierefor arc among the signs of the 

 times upon which we may rely for a continuance of the 

 good business of the past year. Naturally the confi- 

 dence inspired by this state of afEairs will make itself 

 felt first in the agricultural sections but we are greatly 

 mistaken in our estimate if within a short time it is not 

 felt in every part of the country. 



British Horticulture 



HORTICtJLTDEAL INSTRUCTION 



Mr. T. S. Dymond. a well known expert, has pub- 

 lished n paper in which lie makes a comparison between 

 tlie different methods of teaching gardening in English 

 and American schools. "At one English school" he 

 writes "I asked how deep the soil was, what the stones 

 were, and whether they were any good (they were chalk 

 stones), what the name of the principal weed was (it was 

 Bindweed), and why it was so difficult to eradicate, and 

 why they sowed their beans deeper than their turnip 

 seed?" To not one of' these questions could I get an 

 intelligent answer. Their teacher had not told them. 

 Now. I dnn't believe in gardening which is merely tell- 

 ing how to do things. . . . This side of school gar- 

 dening is the side which is unsatisfactory in this 

 country. In America ;t is the reverse. There, as prac- 

 tical gardeiiing it is almo.st ridiculous; but as training 

 the children to exercise their intelligence about the 

 things that form their surroundings, natural and arti- 

 ficial, which will be useful to them afterwards in rural 

 life, it is far ahead of ours." In Britain there is appar- 

 ently a good deal of conservatism in our educational 

 methods, ilodern teachers are content to carry on the 

 traditions of their predecessors, without adapting them- 

 selves to the new conditions. In many instances, too, 

 the instruction is imparted by men whose knowledge 

 is of a theoretical character only, and whose efforts are 

 consequently considerably handicapped when it is a case 

 of making actual demonstrations to the students. 



THE PEAR MIDGE 



For the suppression of the pear midge, the Board of 

 Agriculture recommends a top dressing of Kainit. It is 

 stated that growers will iind it advisable to give Kainit 

 a fair trial, at the rate of half a ton to the acre, a quan- 

 tity which may be safely used where the orchards are 

 laid down with grass, or not cultivated with strawber- 

 ries or vegetables. In support of this recommendation 

 it is said that Kainit has been successful in killing the 

 larvae in the United States, and that experiments in 

 tliis country have also been satisfactory, provided that 

 the application is made just before the larvae leaves the 

 fruit--that would be the first week in June or. in some 

 districts, a few (hiys earlier. It is admitted, however, 

 that a Herefordshire grower who employed this method 

 in his orchards get negative results. There seems to be 

 a difference of opinion amongst experts as to the efficacv 

 of the remedy. i\[r. W. E. Colliitgs, of the Birmingham 

 University, in a recent re]iort on injurious insects 

 states that th" application of Kainit as a cure for the 

 pear midge is a waste of time and money. As an alter- 

 native he recommends "the simple method of turning 

 the surface soil."' By this means, he asserts, the pear 

 midge has been almost entirely de.stroyed in many or- 

 chards. When experts disagree in this manner, who is 

 to decide? The standard work of the late Miss Ormerod 

 favors the Kainit remedy, tbi-^ being su)iported liv the 



successful experiments made by Professor J. B. Smith 

 in iSTew Brunswick. 



THE K-\TtOMAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW 



T!)e principal show of the season, arranged by the 

 Xational Chrysanthemum Swiety takes place at the 

 Crystal Palace on November G and two following days 

 There is usually at this exhibition a good display both 

 in the trade and amateur sections. The chief class is 

 l!iat fur a display of cut blooms, to include four distinct 

 socti(ms, and to be arranged on the floor with foliage 

 plants, in pots or otherwise, and to occupy a space of 

 300 ft. Medals will be awarded as prizes. One of the 

 favorite classes is the President's prize of five guineas 

 for 2-1 Japanese distinct. An interesting correspond- 

 ence has taken place respecting the advantages of ex- 

 hibiting chrysanthemums on boards in preference to 

 vases. Nornum Davis, of Framiield. an experienced 

 grower, considers that tlie introduction of vases for 

 showing has been the cause of a decline in the interest 

 taken in the exhibition. W. J. Godfrey, another lead- 

 ing exhibitor, takes a similar line. The latter writes: 

 ■'No one can deny the fact that the public do not attend 

 the autumn .shows in the same numbers as in days gone 

 by, neither are fanciers of the Chrysanthemum in the 

 same numbers." Mr. Godfrey has suggested that the 

 National Society should call a conference of growers to 

 discuss "boards v. vases," and also "How to increase the 

 popularity of the Chrysanthemum." One cause, I con- 

 sider, of the falling off in the attendance of visitors at 

 the National show is the change of location. The old 

 centre provided l)y the now-demolished Westminster 

 Aquarium proved very convenient owing to its being in 

 ihe midst of London, convenient for most railway ter- 

 mini. The Crystal Palace necessitates a journey out 

 of London of about seven miles, which has to be per- 

 formed on a line not noted for its quickness or conveni- 

 ence of service. 



TRO(!l;ESS OF THE ROSE SOCIETY 



It is satisfactory to record that steady progress is 

 being made by the National Pose Society. At a recent 

 committee meeting, Mr. E. Mawley, the Honorable Sec- 

 retary, reported that ?16 members had joined during 

 the three months ended Sept. 30. Next year the 

 Society will hold four exhibitions instead of three, two 

 in London and two in the provinces. The Metropolitan 

 show is fixed for July 9th at the Eoyal Botanic Gardens, 

 Pegents' Park, wliieh on previous occasions has been 

 found very suitable for this purpose. The nortliem show 

 will be held at Manchester in association with the White 

 City. The usual autumn show will take place at the 

 Poyal Horticultural Society's Hall, Westminster. The 

 southern show has been revi\-ed for the purpose of en- 

 abling amateurs in the south to exhibit under the beat 

 possible conditions. The place and date of this show 

 have not yet been fixed. The committee are evidently 

 doing their utmost to continue the good work com- 

 menced by the late Dean Hole, and tlie increasing roll 

 of members is a forcilde proof that the "Queen of 

 fiov.-ers" is enlarging the number of her liege-subjects 

 in the British Isles. An interesting feature is the 

 strong rivalry which exists amongst the trade growers 

 in each branch of the United Kingdom. The advantage 

 secured at the autumn show by the Scottish growers 

 will stimulate the -nmliern rosarians to increased 

 efforts. 



>t)v. C(M*xi^. 



