April 23, 1910 



HORTICULTURE 



619 



but, nevertheless, rather uncertain subject here, is in 

 splendid form and ■svill make an unusually fine show. 

 Wistarias, on the contrarj-, are bare, the blossom buds 

 having been killed at some time during the winter, ap- 

 parently. Such experiences year after year with exotic 

 garden slirubbexy set one to thinking whether it is worth 

 the trouble and frequent disappointments to nurture 

 these uncertain things in our gardens, lovely as they are 

 when they do pull through the winter and spring. Would 

 it not be better, after all, instead of straining to see how 

 far north we caji drag a plant of doubtful hardiness, 

 contending against uncontrolable forces and conditions, 

 that we content ourselves with what nature has provided 

 for the latitude and other climatic conditions under 

 which we live. All new things have to be tried out, of 

 course, before they can be pronounced worthy or un- 

 worthy in a given locality but the arboretums and nur- 

 series will take care of that. The man with a garden 

 never realizes the sterling qualities of the home things 

 until he has a few experiences of the havoc that may 

 come in a night to his exotic beauties and nothing can 

 more effectually dampen his ardor for a shrub-adorned 

 home than these frequent wreckings. The nurseryman, 

 in advising the purchaser of ornamental shrubbery, will 

 advance his own interests by remembering this. Many 

 a once promising garden has been turned into monoto- 

 nous lawn or given over to other purposes, much to the 

 loss in business and prestige to the local nurseryman, 

 because of the disheartening results from material un- 

 wisely selected. 



British Horticulture 



PREPARING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SHOW 



The arrangements are satisfactorily proceeding for 

 holding an international flower show in London next 

 year. At a meeting convened by the Eoyal Horticul- 

 tural Society this week, the preliminary steps were taken 

 for floating the project. Forty-four years have elapsed 

 since an international assembly of horticulturists took 

 place in Ijondon. In the meantime exhibitions have 

 been held at Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Haarlem, Turin, 

 and other continental centres. It is now thought 

 that an opportunity should be afforded Britain for re- 

 turning the hospitality received at the other great in- 

 ternational shows. The Eoyal Horticultural Society 

 will do its utmost to make the affair a success, whilst 

 many of the leading horticulturists will act on the rep- 

 resentative committee now being formed. The dif- 

 ficulty of finding a site sufficiently spacious and at the 

 same time readily accessible has been surmounted. The 

 committee have been offered some private gardens in 

 the Metropolis which will be in every way suitable for a 

 gigantic show. It is estimated that a guarantee fund of 

 about £5,000 will be required, but there is not the least 

 doubt that this sum will be obtained. Most of the 

 leading continental firms, particularly those of Belgium, 

 will be amongst the exhibitors. The time suggested is 

 about the end of May or beginning of June, when a 

 wealth of floral bloom will be available. 



A seedsman's farewell 



James W. Laird, of the firm of Messrs. Laird & Sin- 

 clair, seedsmen, of Dundee, is about to leave Scotland 

 for sojourn in Virginia, to the great regret of a large 

 circle of friends north of the Tweed. Mr. Laird is 

 the second son of Mr. E. B. Laird, of the firm of Messrs. 

 Downie & Laird, Edinburgh. Having served his ap- 



prenticeslup in this firm's nurseries, Mr. Laird subse- 

 quently migrated south to the nurseries of Messrs. 

 Fisher, Son & Sibray, Sheffield, where he remained two 

 years. After a stay in Dundee, a short period was spent 

 in Australia, prior to his return to Scotland to take 

 over the management of the Fountainbrae Nurseries, 

 Mr. Laird has distinguished himself by his wide knowl- 

 edge of forest trees and hardy ornamental trees and 

 shrubs, whilst his genial qualities have gained for him 

 countless friends. This was evidenced at a farewell 

 gathering recently held. Mr. and Mrs. Laird were pre- 

 sented with a gold watch, suitably inscribed, and Mr. 

 Laird also received a bag of sovereigns. Mr. W. S. 

 Melville, the president of the Dundee Horticultural 

 and Chrysanthemum Societies, who presided, said it was 

 but a poor consolation to them to think that what was 

 Britain's loss in Mr. Laird's departure would be Am- 

 erica's gain. The subsequent speeches eulogized the 

 splendid service which Mr. Laird has rendered to the 

 horticultural interests in Scotland, and the heartiest 

 good wishes were extended for a prosperous future in 

 the new home. 



INTERESTING ITEMS 



Details have been published of the trials made with 

 nitro-bacterine by the Eoyal Horticultural Society. Dur- 

 ing ]908 trials were made with peas, and last year 

 French beans were experimented with. The results 

 proved that no benefit was derived from inoculation with 

 nitro-bacterine, the crops from inoculated plants being 

 practically the same as those from the plants which had 

 not been so treated. — Mr. E. J. Allard, of the Botanic 

 Garden, Cambridge, has been appointed garden superin- 

 tendent of the Innes Horticultural Institution. i 



>tyy. Qeii*^. 



Mutation vs. Reversion 



The experiments of Prof. De Vries, and at the New 

 York Botanical Garden, with the evening primrose 

 Oenothera Lamarckiana, show (as claimed) a remark- 

 able number of mutants, and especially the repetition of 

 0. ohlonga. In one culture De Vries found 175 oblonga 

 mutants. When Don Pedro was Emperor of Brazil 

 he visited this country and among the many things of 

 interest shown him was a planing machine. When told 

 that knives were making 2000 revolutions a minute 

 Don Pedro exclaimed, "That beats the South American 

 Eepublics." The above number of mutants from one 

 culture reminds me of that remark. If dealing with 

 the primrose is the only evidence that De Vries has of 

 the birth of a new species I will feel as the sabbath 

 school boy did when told the story of Jonah and the 

 whale. He accepted it, but thought it rather fishy, but, 

 when told of the wonderful growth of the gourd, he 

 exclaimed, "I don't believe that, and now I don't be- 

 lieve the story of Jonah and the Whale either." Now 

 it seems to me that 0. Lamarckiana must be a hybrid 

 and that the great number of supposed mutants are 

 reversions, and not mutants at all — reversions to an 

 ancient form. 



Kn,inM£> 



