1844.1 





THE GARDENERS- CHRONICLE. 



t 



* 



A 



THE COUNCIL 



OK THE 



Horticultural Society of London 



<Having asortainrd that a very large number of the 

 Exhibition Ticket9 of the present season have not been 

 used, chiefly on account of the unfavourable weather of 

 the 13th — the last day fixed for the Exhibitions ; and 



HIS GRACE THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE, 

 the President of the Society, having most kindly offered 

 a<*ain to throw open the grounds of Chiswick House, 



NOTICE IS t HEREBY CIVEIM. 



That there will be on Wednesday, the 31st of July, a 

 MUSICAL PROMENADE in the Society's Garden, 

 at which the uoused Tickets of the present season will be 

 received. Other Tickets for the occasion will be issued 

 till the 30th inst. at this Office, price 3s. 6d. each, or at the 

 Garden on the 31st inst., at 5s. each ; under the regula- 

 tions already in force for governing admission to the 

 Exhibitions at the Garden. The usual refreshments will 

 be supplied by Messrs. Gunter. — 21, Regent-street. 





sort should always pass off without errors on the 

 part of the various persons engaged in dome in six 



475 



Zfy ©artieners* ©fjront 



SATUR DAY, JULY 20, 1844. 



MEETING FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 

 Tubsuat, July 23 South London Florieujcnral . 1 p.*. 



At last, after 36 fine or nearly fine days spread 

 over 12 years, the Horticultural Society have 

 experienced a wet meeting, which was the more un- 

 fortunate, because his Grace the Duke of Devonshire, 

 the noble President of the Society, had opened his 

 beautiful park and gardens to the enjoyment of the 

 visitors, and an unusual abundance of the most 

 accomplished military musicians had been provided, 

 to enliven the scene among the promenarters.* 

 Nevertheless, 4278 persons thronged into the tents 

 and grounds, as regardless of the pitiless rain as 

 they were in May of the bitter wind. 

 *vThe Exhibition was by far the best we ever saw 

 in the Garden in July, and we incline to think it in 

 some respects the finest of the present season. Of 

 the Orchidacese, the single specimens, such excellent 

 •tests of cultivation, and, indeed, of the majority of 

 the plants, it is impossible to speak in terms of 

 too much praise. The fruit, however, was the 

 great thing. Conceive 96 Pine-apples, 300 or 400 lbs 

 of Grapes, and endless dishes of all sorts of other 

 kinds, capitally grown, packed in close order upon a 

 very large circular table, tier above tier, and some 

 notion may be formed of this extraordinary spectacle. 

 Wefind that as many as 44 Medals were distri- 

 buted among the competitors. 



Although it is impossible on occasions of this kind 



to Swtj t0 Wln Me ***> y et we d0 think * due 

 when ^ 0TS *? S ? y ' that we "member the time 

 would h W °. rSt 1 ° f , th0Se who showed ,ast Saturday 



so mth h« d i afairchance for first " class Medals; 

 so much has gardening advanced of late. 



has nf T tGm ° f °?ering rewards for correct labelling 



caused thT, Pr ° dUC u ed itS effect * II has ^t only 

 and letihl P nt 5 t0 ** in dmost a11 cases correctly 

 tatt hn/ "T d - a ^ eat convenience to the spec- 

 bit or? tl tl aS tUrned the attention of th e exhi- 



their plant t^P "'" 06 ° f 8 P eU i n S the names of 

 exhibited nlJi e ? actness - ] " the great collection 



SSS^ 111 ^ by Mr - Rob ~> &• to Mrs. 

 critic conhl I ? WaS , not a si "g Ie error whi ch the 

 a b*S * 6teCt » a,ld the wri ti"g of the labels was 

 «*y t S ZT GU ° f Penmanship. Some people 

 Otters no at J T °I ™ im P ortance > and that it 

 well or not £ •? 1 hether a man writes and s P eIls 



wi" also Lt hat k " ™** l i&**. Such P«™. 

 ©m™ *J1 , inat ll is all the sar. 



hours what ought to consume twentv-four-and in 

 these we inclucle exhibitors, judges, and the officials of 

 the Garden But if there is one source of error less 

 excusable than another, it is that of mis-entries by 

 the exhibitors. The Society gives the fullest expla- 

 nation of the classes in which plants are shown: 

 printed papers, explaining in ample detail all that it 

 is necessary to know, are distributed by thousand* 

 to say nothing of advertisements ; and yet persons will 



bnngtheirplants to the Exhibition withouthavinironce 

 examined the regulations, and place them in classes 



to which they in no manner belong; the consequence 

 of which is their being disqualified. It may be said 

 that this signifies to nobody except the exhibitors 

 who are sufficiently punished for their negligence by 

 the loss of their medals ; but we cannot look at the 

 matter exactly in that way. We never see without 

 regret fine specimens, which must have cost the 

 grower much care and solicitude, and which he has 

 perhaps been nursing for weeks, in the laudable hope 

 that they might at last gain for him some honour- 

 able distinction, passed by, merely because they are 

 put into wrong clashes. It is distressing that the 

 error of a moment should thus nullify the labour of 

 weeks. B Yet this constantly occurs, and the Society 

 can neither prevent nor remedy it. For example : — 

 Last Saturday there were the following specimens 

 all of them well grown, and creditable to anybody' 

 which experienced this disaster. One of the best 

 plants we ever saw of Gloriosa superha, from 

 Mr. Gad, gardener to Thomas Lenox, Esq, a capi- 

 tal Erica tricolor from Messrs Henderson, Pine 

 Apple Place, and a very nice Statice sinuate', from 

 Mr. Thomas Jackson of Kingston, were all 

 passed over because they were shown as single 

 specimens of new or very rare ornamental plants, 

 which was absurd. And in like manner, a fine 

 Stanhopea oculata, the original variety, and one of the 

 best, a plant introduced to our gardens above fifteen 

 years ago, was also exhibited as a new plant, although 

 there is a class expressly for single specimens of Or- 

 chidaceous plants. We do trust that in another year 

 exhibitors will avoid these most unnecessary mistakes. 

 Now that the last of these great Horticultural 

 meetings is over, we would beg all those who are in- 

 terested in the success either of them or of gardening, 

 now, when all the circumstances relating to them 

 are fresh in their memory, to state by 'letter, ad- 

 dressed To the Vice-Secretary, 21 , Recent-street, what- 

 ever they can suggest by way of improving the regu- 

 lations. We can assure them that the Committee, 

 to whom those letters will be submitted, will give 

 them the fullest attention, and will adopt the recom- 

 mendations wherever they feel that they would be 

 justified in doing so. It is probable that the Com- 

 mittee will meet during this month, in order to 

 settle the arrangements for next year. 



grow their nlanf « b a11 cne same wn etner they 



T^Srajc,? so that ,hey do k weU 



We stop the press to announce that the noble 

 President of the Horticultural Society has, in 

 the kindest manner, offered again to throw open the 

 grounds of Chiswick House to the visitors to the 

 Garden of the Horticultural Society, and that the 

 Council have therefore just decided upon providing 

 a large attendance of Military Bands at a Musical 

 Promenade in the Garden on the 13 1st inst., to which 

 all the holders of the unused Exhibition tickets of 

 Saturday last will be admitted. For further informa- 

 tion we must refer to the advertisement in another 

 place, and to our columns of Saturday next. 



J>r the military bai,dV?? e ?». e . nt8 were orde " d to °e observed 

 Royal Hnr c „ oL uas on this occasion :-•« The bands of the 



omstrearas, Fusiliers and Royal Artil- 



anons in the Society's Garden by one 



ence playing as usual. At 25 minutes 



fa^m w,, l march t"A*il mS l tMe Ro >' aI Horse Guards, and the 



w ^ en *'"" S selv :f March in E flat - The 'oW bands 

 J"; 1 ^ ^'e OveTull ,*? t0 ° ne » and at a «* uarter <° * '•*-. 

 conn Utton « Bandmal st« J' '% pa ' whicn wil1 be conducted by 

 Hor fi l U r° n of ttis^eS tl *l e Royal Horse Guards. At the 

 Ro?«l ? U * rds wi»?S^* F^iliers, Coldstreams, and Royal 

 ^yalAmiiery^^me their stations, and the band of the 



Brit^T ' he Dukeof I 1 " tw ° divisions into the grounds of 

 Wish Grenadi e .! 'of Devonshire, the whole playing the 



Se band 8 ^ 1 ^J^SSLm^ W ' ^^ the *&**™". a » 

 Houso in J ,he R oyal Arfi if y * as ., U8uaL At half- past 5 p.m., 

 MaTJ °^ Wo ^isio*™ 1 ^ w, » march back from Chiswick 



W and °j: e ^vision 'wTk" f^j!!* the British Grenadiers' 

 tbewh^ F,,8iIie « f the mi be J° med on their marcn b y th 

 She, h i°Jf WiU ^«me t h 2?V 1 msi ° n by tne Coldstreams, an- 

 J*Jy rhl »°,° ne °and. Thi f ret v r ° s,tio »» a &ain forming th^m 

 ; hc h i^ c 4 in 6*Ji! fo " *f nd8 » thas "nited, will the.. 

 ColS r ^n««onduttTrh an i th S Jw *^ Overture, both ot 



^ittherJ n '- At thec oncl b y. Mr - ^ dfre ^ Bandmaster of the 

 Hn C0 ^ arden " nClu81on of ***** ^eces, the bands will 



Srf%2^Ki*« -ather, ■"* -ange- 

 0vp >ture ?«%***«* collected »nHf ,0n ^ How «er, at half- 

 Queen e ih Zam P a . £2 *?* l P 1 L ayed mo8t admirably the 

 **£** f he , ^ect thus urodnJ,?»ti ber0n L and God Sav e the 

 ^ Pere' P / a yed on ov P , 5o " f t^"^ the trees b y wi " d j »- 

 Jringw^y enchanting and t^ » P e /'ormer 8 in Europe, 



"^e aSffiS^ year. vM 1 ^^'^^ 



e 

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i- 

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Some weeks since a correspondent from Brixton 

 asserted that the fertilising substance extensively 

 sold in the shops under the name of '* Humphreys's 

 Soluble Compound," and stated to form a liquid 

 Guano of superior quality when dissolved in water, 

 was " little else than nitrate of soda and common 

 salt/' and that a chemist had been unable to find in 

 it a trace of phosphate of lime (p. 405). The follow- 

 ing week Mr. Humphreys replied that his Com- 

 pound contained neither nitrate of soda nor common 

 salt; and that the ])hosjihoric acid in his article is 

 introduced under a form of far more general applica- 

 tion than phosphate of lime (p. 430). This seems to 

 have excited the attention of Mr. Potter, who (p. 445) 

 after a chemical examination of the material, pro- 

 nounced the " Compound " to be utterly devoid of 

 phosphoric acid in any shape. 



Here we should have been contented to let the 

 matter rest ; for Mr. Potter was not likely to peril 

 his reputation as a chemist by an assertion which 

 could be so easily disproved, if untrue. However, Mr. 

 Humphreys perseveres in his original declaration, as 

 will be seen by the following not very courteous letter : 



H Lest the public should be misled by the insinuations con- 

 tained in Mr. Potter's Letter of last week, I beg leave to show 

 the simple facts of the case. In my communication at pajre 

 430, it was stated that the compounding /is phosphoric acid in 

 a form of mo re extensive USEFULNESS than that of the phos- 



a.ii. t unci icuiai&s; — v> no ever IieaiU Ol guanu wunuut n : 



Now, if Mr. P. will refer to the masteriy analysis of guano, 

 by Vellacher, given in the "Pharmaceutical Journal," p. 50 J, he 



Z ?h * , eUa 'l° conta,ns «• -luMe a«lts of lime;- «o 

 ££^l£K£ 8S,t , Were ' tw,ce W an actual solution of 



ffuano itself does not contain lime! Mr. Potter next relates 

 some inemc.ent chemical experiments, on whici he assumes, 

 notw. hsta.ul.ng my previous con ry assertion, that the Com! 

 pound is utterly devo.d of phosphoric and in anv shape." I 

 shai not notice the personality which follows, further than to 

 hint to Mr. Potter, that the Compound was no' put t K ether 

 with the new that it could be analysed by such chemista as 

 him-elr, and that th" phosphoric aadis used uvobr a chk mical 

 ARRAVCKMK.VT. which renders it invisible under th* action of 

 the test he names, or even of that very Miperinr one in general 

 use, the nitrate of silver. I am sorrv Mr. Potter does not fancy 

 mj advertisement, which is evide* tly distasteful to him, ex- 

 actly in proportion as it will be useful to the pub ic. But one 

 word more:— Mr. Potter spealcs of my public statement, that 

 the Compound contains phosphoric acid, as * an unsubstan- 

 tiated assertion ;" I woul i, therefore, refer him. or any other 



person, for a corroboration, to Messrs. Davy Macmurdo, and 

 Co., who have manufactured the preparation of phosphoric acid 



til question, for the Compound.— J, D. HcMriniKv.s." 



Here, then, is a violent clash of assertions ; and it 

 is impossible for the public, which is much inte- 

 rested in the question, to determine what is the truth. 

 Uhether Mr. Humphreyss Compound contains 

 phosphoric acid, according to the assertion of its 

 vendor, or does not. as Mr. Potter has affirmed, is a 

 very material fact for the buver, and one which, 

 since this Journal has been made the scene of con- 

 tention, we feel bound to answer. We have there- 

 fore caused the " Soluble Compound" to be analysed 

 by one of the most skilful chemists of the present 

 day, and the following is his Report :— 



"l have examined two samples ot • Hnmuhrcys's Soluble 

 Compound/ I n„d it to be nitrate of amn :a. It contains 

 rather less than l per cent, of other matters; nameh . Iron, 

 from which it derives its colour , lime, alkaline salts chlorine, 

 sulphuric acid, and phosphoric acid. The quantity of each of 

 thr.se substance* is very minute; I have n« mated it. The 



oxide of iron amounts to 0.32 per cent. I regard them of no 

 valw as part of the manure." 



Weshallm.ike littlecommentonthis fact. Analysis 

 proves that Humphreys's "Soluble Com pound" con- 

 tains so little phosphoric acid that it is doubtful whe- 

 ther it exists in it at all. Of 100 lbs. of the Compound 

 99 lbs. are nitrate of ammonia, and the remaining 

 pound consists of a' out five ounces of oxide of iron, 

 and eleven minces of lime, alkaline salts, chlorine, and 

 sulphuric and phosphoric acids! $o that what Mr. 

 Humphreys calls "a form of phosphoric acid of 

 far more general application and more extensive use- 

 fulness than phosphate of lime," is in fact its almost 

 total absence. By this kind of reasoning its total 

 absence would have made it more useful still. No- 

 body will now dispute his statement, that it is used 

 under a chemical arrangement which renders it 

 invisible under ordinary tests. Those must be delicate 

 tests which can discover a drop in a hogshead.* 



* ENTOMOLOGY. 

 The Woollv Oak-Gall, produced by Cynips 

 Qucrcus-ramuli. — As the galls formed by insects are very 

 remarkab.'e and interesting objects, and the habits of the 

 various species creating them but little known in this 

 country, even by men of science, I thai! avail myself of 

 every opportunity to render their histories more familiar 

 to our readers. Having already investigated the economy 

 of several species.f I must refer to my former papers for 

 a general account of the family. 



The woolly Oak-galls do not appear to be so common 

 as many other sorts, at least I have never seen them 

 growing ; it was, therefore, with much pleasure that I 

 received examples last May, from Mr. Coller, of Nor- 

 manton Turville ; the tree at that period, I learned, was 

 literally covered with these Oak-apples, but none of the 

 common varieties could be found upon it. On opening 

 one of the galls at that time, I found at the base, and 

 amongst the stamina of the male flowers, little brown, 

 woody, oval cells, each containing a minute, white, 

 shining maggot. Towards the end of June I received a 

 fresh supply of these galls; they were not so white as 

 the former, and Mr. Coller informed me that many of 

 them had turned brown and fallen off. In May they 

 looked like bulls of white raw cotton, but on closer in- 

 spection they exactly resembled short wool, and still 

 more so in June, when they were yellowish, with a pale 

 brownish tinge in parts. 



It is certainly wonderful that the puncture of these 



little flies should produce such a revolution in the regular 



course of nature, as to change flowering buds into large 



masses of fine threads ; and equally marvellous is it, 



considering the similar conformation of all the Gall-flies 



that attack the Oak, of which 14 have been described, 



that the galls of the different species should assume such 



a variety of appearances ; many are round and placed 



singly, others in groups ; some are irregular in outline, 



spongy, woolly, or mossy ; others there are, hard and 



solid ; then, again, the spot selected by each species is 



unvarying— the upper or under side of the leave*, the 



footstalks, the catkins, and even the roots, buds, and bark f 



having each its appropriate Gall-fly. 



On examining the woolly galls,"l ascertained that they 



were formed upo n the male catkins, which was well ex- 



- — — ^^— — — — . . — * 



* Since this was written, we have received a note from Mr. 

 H., in which he states that the phosphate he uses " has its 

 water of crystallisation driven off by heat, so as to reduce it 

 one-half in weight ; and in this condensed form, 4? grains are 

 added to every pound weight of the Compound." That is to 

 say, he employs 0.67 per cent, of some phosphate, about one- 

 half of which may be regarded as phosphoric acid. We have 

 no doubt of the accuracy of this statement ; it agrees very 

 nearly with the analysis above given. But what then ? Such. 

 homoeopathic doses are of no earthly use in gardening ; and 

 any mixture containing them maybe considered, for practical 

 purposes, to be wholly destitute of phosphoric acid. 



t Vide the Gard. Chron., vol. i., p. "32; vol. ii., p. 852; vol. 

 iii., p. 52 ; and rol. iv., p. 212. 



