miSH GARDENING. 



109 



Battle-scarred Wastes. 



We feel eoinpelled to direct our readers' attention 

 to the communication from the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society's Relief Fund Committee, printed 

 in our present issue. Accompanying the letter 

 was a most interesting booklet setting forth in 

 unmistakeable tone the desolation wrought in 

 Belgium, France and Serbia by the invading 

 armies, and the urgent need of money to restore 

 the horticultural and agricultural industries in 

 these countries as soon as possible. All were great 

 fcod producing areas, and much of it found itb 

 way to our own land before the war and helped to 

 maintain a large supply of cheap, good food ai 

 seasons when our own gardens and orchards 

 were not in bearing. It is pointed out that 

 the present world shortage of food will not cease 

 with the war, but on the other hand there will 

 be the keenest competition among all the belliger- 

 ents for the avaihxble supplies. By assisting to 

 restore Belgium, France and Serbia to a state of 

 productiveness in the shortest possible time we 

 will, therefore, be benefiting ourselves and will 

 the sooner reach the pre-war state of food — cheap 

 and plentiful. 



While bearing in mind the many claims on our 

 readers at the present time we would nevertheless 

 urge all who can possibly spare the smallest sum 

 to send it to Sir Harry' Veitch, F.L.S., V.M.H., 

 War Horticultural Relief Fund, Room 39, 17 

 Victoria Street, S.W.I. Cheques should be 

 crossed War Horticultural Relief Fund, London 

 Coimty and Westminster Bank. The President 

 for Ireland is the Countess of Bessborough. 



In any case icrite for the Boohlet. 



The Book of the School Garden.* 



The only observatioiu we have to make is that, 

 w'hile the aim of the practical gardener and allot- 

 ment holder is to obtain the best possible results 

 from theii" abour, the irue aim of the School 

 (iarden should be education. What we want in 

 the latter case is not alone to achieve success in 

 sonre instances, but to bring about failure in 

 many others, and — most important of all — to 

 bring home clearly to our pupils the connection 

 between cause and effect in every case. 



]Most text-book.s on School Gardening are 

 written rather from the allotment holder's point 

 of view — i.e., they tell us how to succeed — and 

 the present volume appears to be no exception 

 to the general rule. Indeed, in his preface Mr. 

 Lawrance states : " Only the best and most 

 successful methods are described in this book." 



What we want chiefly from the School Garden 

 point of view is a book that will tell us how to 

 fail and why we fail. 



The Journal of the Kew Guild. 



This publication, though smaller than usual, 

 will be liailed with delight by Kew men in all 

 parts of the world. The frontispiece is a photo- 

 graph of Mr. J. A. Gammie, and an interesting 

 account of his life and work is contributed by 

 Sir David Prain. Mr. Gammie, who is President- 

 elect of the Guild for 1918, was born in Kin- 

 cardineshire, and entered Kew as a young gardener 

 in 1861. In 1865 he was sent to India as manager 



* " The Book of the School Garden." by C. P. 

 Lawrance, F.R.H.S. Evans Bros., Ltd., Montagu 

 House, Russell Square, W.C.I. 3/6 net. 



of a Cinchona x)lantation. Mr. Gammie set him- 

 self to master the cultural requirements of 

 Cinchona, and svicceeded. Through the united 

 exertions of Mr. Gammie and a colleague, Mr. 

 Wood, the viltimate object of the Government, 

 that of placing pure quinine within reach of the 

 poorest throughout the East, was achieved. 



As usual, interesting letters from Kewites 

 abroad and on service with the Forces constitute 

 one of the most pleasant features of the Journal. 



The Mutual Improvement Society, despite the 

 w^ar, continues its activities, sustained largely, we 

 note, by lady gardeners. When such subjects 

 a- the Proof and Use of Mendelism are in- 

 cluded in the syllabus it is evident that now, as 

 ever, the " Mutual " continues up to date. A 

 touch of sadness comes to us as we read the list of 

 fallen comrades, some personally known, others 

 of more recent years, and all in the vigour of their 

 manhood — a loss to science and horticulture, but 

 they recked, not while they did their duty. 



In such times as these the duties of an Editor 

 are not light; scarcity of paper, the absence of 

 many skilled workers, &:c., render production an 

 unenviable task, and we have all the more 

 pleasure in congratulating the Editor on the 

 success of his efforts in producing such an in- 

 teresting number and the printers for their share 

 in the work. 



Fendler.\ uupicol.\ (page 106). 



