136 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTIODIiTUBB AND COTTAGE GABUENEB. 



[ February 22, 1877- 



At the suggestion of Lord Alfred S. Churchill the 



Connoil of the Royal Horticultukal Society have decided 

 upon affiliating provincial horticultural societies upon an 

 annual subscription of five guineas ; and the privileges offered 

 to Buoh societies are : A member's ticket to the Secretary, and 

 twelve single tickets of admission to any meeting or show of 

 the Society in London; also the following medals to be offered 

 as prizes at the shows of the local society — one silver Knightian, 

 one silver Banksian, one bronze Knightian, and one bronze 

 Banksian, so that societies which have not medals of their own 

 will be enabUd to offer these as premier prizes. 



Standish Memorial Fund. — An excellent portrait by 



Mr. P. Havill has been secured, and is now hung, together 

 with those of Mr. T. Rivers, the late Mr. James Veitch, and 

 Rev. J. Dix, in the Council-room of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society at South Keneington. The ownership of the portrait 

 is vested in the trustees of the Lindley Library, as per annexed 

 letter, who also hold the other portraits, so that should cir- 

 cumstances necessitate it, it can at any time be claimed and 

 removed from its present position, where it hangs by permission 

 of the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society. 



" Royal Hnrticultural Society, South Kensington, June 9th, 1876. 

 " 11. ,T. Veitch, Eeq. 

 " Sir, — Your application on behalf of the Lindley Library Trustees for per- 

 mission to hang the Standish portrait in the Council-room of this Society, 

 was laid before the Council at their last meetini?, and I was instructed to 

 inform you that they have much pleasure in granting your request. 

 " I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 



" J. Douglas Dkk." 



A suitable stone and curbing has been placed over Mr. Standish's 

 grave in Ascot churchyard, with the following inscription — 



This Stone is erected by 



a few Personal Friends 



to the memory of 



JOHN STANDISH, 



Nurseryman, 



Bom March 26th, 1814. 



Died Jnly 24th, 1875. 



The Committee think it only right to annex a copy of a letter 

 received from Mr. Gibbs, to whom the erection of the memorial 

 was entrusted, and which speaks for itself, 



Standish Mfmorial. 

 " Albert Gate, Knightsbridge, September 28th, 1876. 

 " H. J. Veitch, Efq. 

 " Sir, — The above monument was fixed la^t week, and out of respect for 

 the late Mr. Sdindieh I have made it in polished granite instead of stone 

 as originally contracted for. " I am. Sir, yours truly, 



" J. F. Gibb:." 



One of the most useful of Azaleas for forcing and 



early flowering is A. amiena, and the greatest improvements on 

 the species which we have seen were those exhibited at Regent's 

 Park in April, 187-5, by Mr. Carmiohael, gardener to W. Tug- 

 well, Esq., Crowe Court, Bath. To two varieties— William 

 Carmiohael, the result of a cross between A. amona and 

 A. Flag of Truce, and Mrs. Carmichael, a seedling from 

 A. amcena and A. Stella — floral certificates were awarded. 

 A. amcena was the male parent in both instances. Mr. Car- 

 michael's seedlings passed into the hands of Mr. B. S. Williams, 

 who has, we observed the other day, raieed a large stock which 

 he will in due time distribute. The new varieties have the 

 same small foliage as A. atntena and flower similarly freely, 

 but the flowers are half as large again and are distinct in 

 colour. These varieties cannot fail to be valuable for afford- 

 ing out flowers and for general decorative purposes. 



In reference to the report of the General Meeting of 



the Royal IIorticultcbal Society Dr. Denny writes to us that 

 he wished to convey to the meeting that he " did not believe, 

 if the matter was properly put before the Finance Committee, 

 that that body could well refuse to allow of the borrowed 

 money being refunded out of the Society's current account." 

 Dr. Denny further remarks " that in instituting the Society's 

 provincial shows the Finance Committee refused to allow any 

 of the Society's money being spent for that purpose ; and that 

 the first show was carried out through the exertions and per- 

 sonal guarantee of a few spirited horticulturists outeide of 

 and on the Council, but with the understanding that the pro- 

 fits (if any) resulting should be allowed to constitute a distinct 

 fund for similar undertakings in future; and this arrangement 

 was subsequently confirmed by the action of the Finance Com- 

 mittee. I therefore maintain that the money borrowed by 

 the Treasurer (Mr. Dobree) from this fund is as much a debt 

 of the Society's as that which was borrowed to meet the exi 

 gencies of the Society of Her Majesty's Commissioners, and 

 ivbich has been repaid." 



■ In the account of Wortley Hall in another columa 



attention is directed to the fact that Adiantum fakleyesse as 

 potted in loam is much more vigorous than other plants which 

 are growing in soil containing more or less of peat. Mr. Oiler- 

 head of Wimbledon, we have noticed, grows this Fern exten- 

 sively and successfully and never troubles himself about pea*, 

 and he has established a large stock of healthy plants in a 

 very short time. It is a question if peat has not been over- 

 estimated in the culture of Ferns ; at any rate it is clear that 

 this fine Maidenhair will flourish without it as well if not 

 better than with it. As the period for the repotting of Ferus 

 is arriving it would be well for those who have not a commani 

 of good peat to try a mixture of loam, leaf soil, and sand for 

 the culture of these elegant plants. 



A Welsh reader writes, " About this time of the yesr 



complaints are often made about Alternanthekas keeping 

 BADLY or dying-off altogether throughout the winter. That 

 they can be kept in excellent health I had proof of tbo other 

 day by some plants which were wintered by Mr. Henderson 

 at Thoresby Park. They were in as robust health as ever I 

 saw any in August or September. If Mr. Hendercou would 

 say through the Journal how he treats them with such per- 

 fect success, he would do a service to the community at 

 large." 



On January 22nd at the residence of A. R. Whitney, 



Illinois, was celebrated the 86th EiBTHD-iY of Nathan Whit- 

 ney, father of A. E. Whitney. The son had, very commend- 

 ably, arranged a surprise party in honour of his father. Tbey 

 had killed the fatted calf and loaded the table with the deli- 

 cacies of the land. It bad been arranged that the pioneer 

 horticulturists of the state should ba present. Four generations 

 of Whitueys sat down to that table that day. Itisremarkabl* 

 that four brothers of this Whiiney family still live there, whose 

 ages are respectively 82, 8G. 92, and 'Ji. Mr. Whitney is tbo 

 king of orehardists in the United States. His crop of Apples 

 the past season amoi ntod to 25,000 bushels, and his purchaser 

 of Apples foot up 15,000 bu h He made 2800 barrels of cider 

 and viu' gar. He stows cider thit is eight' en years old. Hi* 

 orchard embraces 165 aeies an! about 20,000 trees. 



In connection with Amsterdam Exhiiution, which was 



noticed last weik, there i? to be a Congress. The subjects fur 

 discussion will ba divided iuto three division;- — 1, Botany ; 

 2, Horticu'ture ; 3, V getable Products. Tha questions pro- 

 posed to be di cussed in relatiou to borticu'ture are the fo'low- 

 ing : — What is the best wa? t ) < rgauiee experimental gardens 

 and horticultural laborotories? The best mode of oonvejiog 

 instruction in horticulture. The permanence of varieties 

 among bulbous plants. The influence of mcnnres on culti- 

 vated plants, especially on Hyacinths, Tulips, and Cabbages. 

 The best method of ventilating greenhouses. The influence 

 of coloured glass on the development of flowers. 



TiiEBE is no other leaf of Pelargoniums so durable, so 



Fern-like and graceful for bouooets, as that of P. fernifolinm [? j . 

 " Spray " is a word peculiarly appropriate as applied to this 

 leaf, since it is so divided that little else besides the main veins 

 are left. The " Skeleton leaf" is better known. Yet this is 

 as coarse, compared with the other, as the common Sumach 

 (Rhus glabra) is compared with its cut-leaved form (R. g. 

 laciniata). The leaves are borne upon long slender petiolep, 

 and the mid-vein so curves as to Rive to the whole plant a 

 rounded, almost drooping habit. Yet, though short-juiutfd 

 and close-growing, the leaves are so slight that a newspopir 

 can be read if held upon the other side of the plant. When 

 used in bouquets these filmy leaves furnish the much-needed 

 bright green without concealing the flowers, and the lorg 

 petioles reach the water, and are thus preserved quite fresh as 

 long as the bouquet is worth retaining. — {American Journal > 



Dr. H. Hoffmann of Giessen has recently published 



the results of his observations on the formation of honeydew 

 rroN the lea\'es of plants, and has come to the conclusion 

 that it is not to be attributed to the aphis or other insects. 

 A healthy specimen of Camellia, which afforded an instance of 

 the phenomenon, was found to be entirely free from ireecte. 

 The so-called honeydew consisted of a sticky colourless liquid, 

 which possessed a sweetish taste, and contained principally 

 gum. This gradually appeared on the surface of the leaves, 

 slowly forming drops on the under side, which dropped down 

 to bo continually replaced. The separation of the liquid coc- 

 tinufd vigorously for some time, even after the removal of the 

 leaves from the plant. Although showing that the appearance 

 of the dew is rot attrilutable to insects, Professor Hoffmann 



