I.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



15 



Ambassador that the Austrian Pomological Society 

 is arranging a National Exhibition of Fruit to be 

 held at Vienna under the patronage of H.I.H. 

 the Archduke Chabi.es Louis, from Sep- 

 tember 20 to October 7. Two sections of 

 this exhibition will have an international cha- 

 racter, namely, the section for fruit drying 

 apparatus and that for machines and instruments 

 used in cultivating and harvesting of fruit. Appli- 

 cations for space must be sent in on or before 

 July 15, addressed to K. K. Oesterreichischen 

 Pomologen-Verein, Leschwald, Graz." The Royal 

 Horticultural Society daily expect to receive the 

 programme of the Exhibition." 



The Scientific Committee. — Two subjects of 

 great interest and importance were brought before 

 the last meeting, as will be seen in another column. 

 Professor Church detailed the results of his analyses 

 in search of aluminium in plants, which he finds in 

 Lycopodium, but not in Selaginella; so that the two 

 genera are separated chemically, as well as morpho- 

 logically. Moreover, while aluminium exists in the 

 terrestrial species of Lycopods it is absent in those 

 which grow removed from the soil upon trees. Some 

 Tree Ferns are found to contain a very large per- 

 centage of aluminium in their ashes. Another 

 remarkable communication was that of Mr. Plow- 

 light, in which he sent for exhibition the results of 

 certain experiments on the " heteroicism " of certain 

 fungi, in virtue of which the same species of fungus 

 is found to exist in two totally different forms, on 

 two totally different plants ; so that if the life-history 

 were not known it would be impossible to consider 

 the two forms of fungus (.Ecidium or Cluster-cup 

 and Puccinia or smut fungus) as stages of the same 

 plant. So long as the statement rested on observa- 

 tion only it was open to question, but when the 

 matter is practically demonstrated, as in these cases, 

 there is no room for further scepticism. 



" Kew Bulletin."— The June number contains 

 articles on the manufacture of quinine in India, 

 on a particular form of Job's Tears (Coix lach- 

 ryma), in which the seeds are elongated and 

 cylindrical, instead of spherical, as usual. The 

 grain is not likely to be of economic value as a 

 source of food, but seems destined to be used as an 

 ornament instead of glass beads. Other articles are 

 devoted to Rhea fibre, and to the establishment of a 

 botanical station at Eagos. 



The Gardeners' Orphan Fund.— The usual 



monthly meeting of the committee took place at the 

 Caledonian Hotel, Adelphi, W.C., on the 20th ult., Mr. 

 George Deal presiding, there being, as is usual, a 

 good attendance of members of the committee. The 

 Honorary Secretary reported that the sum of £60 18s, 

 had been paid in during the past week, and the 

 balance at the bank was £597 9s. A letter was read 

 from Mr. John Fraser, resigning the office of 

 Auditor, stating that he should be engaged at Chester 

 for some days which would prevent him from auditing 

 the accounts for the forthcoming Annual General Mi iet- 

 ing. if r. Fraser's resignation was accepted, and Mr. 

 C. H. Sharman was requested to act in his place. 

 The Honorary Secretary reported that he had 

 obtained returns of sums collected by the eighty 

 local secretaries up to the end of June, the aggregate 

 amount being £380 13s, 8&, which was regarded as 

 an extremely satisfactory result. The highest sum 

 returned by any one local secretary was that from 

 Mr. G. W. Cummins, local secretary for the Carshal- 

 ton district, which amounts to £33 4s. The aggre- 

 gate expenses of the local secretaries are surprisingly 

 small. The remainder of the sitting was occupied 

 with details of the forthcoming Annual General 

 Meeting, Election, and Dinner. 



Election. — There seems to be some misconception 

 in the minds of subscribers to the above fund as to 

 the number of candidates they can vote for at the 

 coming election. Some five shilling subscribers are 

 under the impression they can give but one vote to 

 any one candidate, instead of being able to give one 

 vote each to any six of the ten candidates. Or if 



any subscriber is desirous of securing the return of 

 any particular candidate, he can give one vote to 

 that one, and refrain from voting for any other ; but 

 no subscriber of five shillings can give six votes to 

 any one candidate, as votes are not cumulative, as in 

 the case of School Board elections. For a ten shil- 

 ling subscription two votes each can be given to any 

 six candidates, and each additional five shillings 

 carries an addi tional vote. 



Honour to British Horticulture.— Prince 



De Chiman, Belgian Minister of Foreign Affairs, has 

 forwarded, by order of H.M. the King of the Bel- 

 gians, the insignia ofChevalierof the Order of Leopold 

 to Dr. Maxwell T. Masters, Editor of the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle, and Vice-President of the Jury at the 

 International Exhibition of Ghent, in April, 1888. 



Conference of Fruit Growers.— Arrange- 

 ments are being made for a Conference of Fruit 

 Growers to be held at the Crystal Palace, Syden- 

 ham, on September 7 and 8, 1888, in conjunction 

 with the great fruit show to be held on those dates. 

 The object is to concentrate attention upon the im- 

 portance of extending and improving the culture of 

 fruit in this country, and to elucidate by the means 

 of papers contributed by practical men, and by dis- 

 cussion, the most profitable methods of developing this 

 industry. It is proposed that the questions to be dis- 

 cussed shall include the profitable culture of fruits for 

 market and home supply, the packing, carriage, and 

 sale of fruits, their economic importance and utilisa- 

 tion. The Directors of the Crystal Palace Company 

 will afford every facility for the proposed Con- 

 ference, and assist the promoters in rendering it of 

 national utility. All communications should be 

 addressed to Mr. William Earley, Ilford ; or to Mr. 

 Lewis Castle, Hotham House, South Wimbledon, 

 who have consented to act as Honorary Secretaries 

 to the Conference. The following committee has 

 been formed to carry out the project, and a fuller 

 programme will be published shortly : — 



Committee. 

 (Members to whose names an asterisk is prefixed 

 will constitute the Executive Committee, with power 

 to add to their number.) 



W. Allan, Gunton Park Gardens, Norwich. 



J. Austen, Witley Court Gardens, Stourport. 



J. Bannerman, Blithfield Park Gardens, Rugeley. 

 *E. J. Baillie, Woodbine, Upton Park, Chester. 



R. N. Brotherstone, Tyninghame Gardens, Preston- 

 kirk. 



H. Bennett, Shepperton, Walton-on-Thames. 

 *G. Bunvard, Maidstone. 



R. E. O'Callagan, 18. St. Bride Street, E.C. 



Stephen Castle, West Lynn Vineyard, King's 



Lynn. 

 *J. Cheal, Crawley. 



W. Child, Crooin Court Gardens, Severn Stoke. 

 Worcester. 



A. Christie, Warwick Castle Gardens, Warwick. 



H. J. Clayton, Grimston Park, Tadcaster. 



W. Coleman, Eastnor Castle Gardens, Ledburv. 



W. Cole, Feltham. 



T. Coomber, The Hendre, Monmouth. 



J. Cranston, Hereford. 



G. W. Cummins, Grange Gardens, Carshalton. 



H. Cutbush, Highgate. 



E. W. Dance, Gosfield Hall. Halstead. 



J. Day, Galloway House, Garlieston. 

 *A. Dean, Bedfont. 



R. Dean, Ealing. 



J. Dean, Titsey Park, Godstone. 



W. A. Dickson, Chester. 



W. II. Divers, Ketton Hall Gardens, Stourport. 



M. Dunn, Dalkeith Park Gardens, N.B. 



W. F. Emptage, Hawkswick Hall, St. Albans. 



P. W. Fairgrieve, Dunkeld House, Dunkeld. X.B. 



— Farrance, Chadwell Heath. 



*S. Ford, Leonard's Lee Gardens. Horsham. 



— Gleeson, Clumber Gardens, Worksop. 



E. Gilman, Ingestre Hall Gardens. Stafford. 



J. H. Goodacre, Elvaston Castle Uardens, Derby. 

 *J. Goldsmith, Kelsey Manor, Beckenham. 

 *G. Gordon, 1, Stile Villas, Wellesley Road, Gunners- 

 bury 



E. Hall, BoPon Hall Gardens, Bedale. 

 *\V. (i. Head. Crystal Palace. 

 *J. Hudson, Gunnersburv House Gardens, Acton. 



W. Iggulden, Marston House Gardens, Frome. 



W. Ingram, Belvoir Castle Gardens, Grantham. 



W. J. Jeffries, Cirencester. 

 *John Laing, Forest Hill. 



J. Mclndoe, Hutton Hall Gardens, Gainsborough, 

 Yorks. 



E. Molyneux, Swanmore Park Gardens, Bishop's 

 Waltham. 



J. C. Mundell, Moor Park Gardens, Rickmans- 

 worth. 



R, Parker, Impney Gardens, Droitwich. 



William Paul, Waltham Cross. 



A. H. Pearson, Chilwell. 



C. Penny, Sandringham Gardens. 

 *T. Francis Rivers, Sawbridgeworth. 

 *C. Ross, Welford Park Gardens, Newbury. 



J. Sheppard, Wolverston Park Gardens, Ipswich. 



J. Smith. Mentmore Gardens, Leighton Buzzard. 



William Thompson & Sons. Clovenfords. 



J. C. Wheeler & Sons, Gloucester. 



C. Whitehead, J.P., Barming House, Maidstone. 



W. H. Wiskar, Borough Market. 



R. Veitch & Sons, Exeter. 



J. Udale, Elford Hall Gardens. Tamworth. 



Botanical Magazine. — The July number of 

 this veteran publication contains coloured figures 

 and descriptions of the following plants : — 



MacrotO'iiia Benthami, t. 7003, described as a 

 stately plant, native of Western Himalaya. It is a 

 hairy Echium-like herbaceous plant, with broadly 

 lanceolate, ribbed hairy leaves and dense cylindrical 

 spikes of numerous regular purplish flowers, each 

 flower about an inch long. — Kew. 



Jsphodelus aeautis, t. 7004. — An Algerian species 

 with tufted long linear leaves, and numerous flowers 

 in a terminal corymb, each flower about li inch 

 long, pale pink. — Kew. 



IUidvm re rum. Hook, f., t. 7005. — The Star Anise 

 of China has up to this time been considered to be the 

 seed-vessel of I. anisatum, Linn., alias I. religiosum, 

 Siebold and Zuccarini ; but is now shown to belong 

 to a different species, to which Sir Joseph Hooker 

 gives the name I. verum. Star Anise is used as a 

 spice, and is employed to flavour liqueurs, such as 

 Anisette. 



Catlogync trraminifolia. Parish and Rchb. f., t. 7006. 

 — A species with ribbed pseudobulbs, linear leaves, 

 racemose inflorescence, with starry white flowers, 

 linear lanceolate segments, and a narrow lip, yellow, 

 with reddish-brown stripes, and recurved at the tip. 

 — Kew. 



Cyperorchis elegaiis, t. 7007. — A Himalayan Orchid, 

 without pseudobulbs, with distichous linear leaves 

 and dense terminal stalked, many-flowered racemes. 

 Each flower is about li inch long, yellow, cylindric, 

 with linear lanceolate segments, slightly spreading at 

 the tips ; lip three-lobed, lateral lobes erect, median 

 lobe scarcely longer, retuse, disc of lip marked with 

 two raised keels. — Kew. 



The " BOTANISCHE Zeitung. ' — Professor 

 Count Solms-Lauiiach, who succeeds the lamented 

 De Baby in his Professorship at Strasburg, will also 

 in future conduct the journal above mentioned. 



Vine Mildew (Peronospora).— This must 

 not be confounded with the Oidium which attacks the 

 Vines, and which is kept in check by sulphur, the fun- 

 gus in the present case being a mould closely allied to 

 that causing the Potato disease. Sulphate of copper 

 (blue vitriol) has been found very efficacious in com- 

 bating it, or, rather, in preventing the germination of 

 the spores (conidia). M. Coiunet, in the Tigne 

 Americaine, recommends the use of a fine powder con- 

 taining copper sulphate as preferable to liquid 

 solutions, which necessitate nicety of manipulation, 

 troublesome water-carriage and powerful spray- 

 pumps which readily get out of order— inconveniences 

 which do not apply to the distribution of fine powder 

 by means of bellows. M. Coigxet's powder consists 

 of precipitated sulphate of lime (gypsum), which is 

 made to take up 10 per cent, of a solution of copper- 

 sulphate. The result is a powder infinitessimally 

 finelv divided, in which part of the copper is reduced 

 to the state of oxide, which acts slowly, and part 

 remains as sulphate, whicli acts quickly. We trust that 

 our experimenters will try the effect of copper sulphate 



