Octobee 6, 1888.] 



TEE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



387 



specimens of Ficus, Araucaria, Brugmansia, Hibis- 

 cus, Abutilon, &c. With these there is an under- 

 growth of Mesembryanthemum, Gazania, Euphorbia, 

 &c. Amongst the showy climbers are Passion- 

 flowers, Bougainvilleas, Tecomas, and Combre- 

 tum, besides the deliciously scented Stephanotis 

 and Trachelospermum. Here and there are small 

 pieces of water with plants suitable for such a habitat. 

 In the course of time this mingling of vegeta- 

 tion derived from all quarters of the globe will pro- 

 duce a delightful effect. In former days there stood 

 on this site a house of Franciscan Friars, which was 

 suppressed by the Government more than forty years 

 ago. To quote from Mr. J. Y. Johnson's truly 

 admirable Handbook for Madeira, the third edition 

 of which was noticed in our columns a year or two 

 ago : — " The ruined monastery and its single Palm 

 are gone, and in their place we have a gay 

 promenade. The chapel of the convent was entirely 

 lined, both walls and ceiling, with human skulls 

 and thigh-bones. The skulls were supposed to 

 i number at least 3000." More cheerful objects now 

 meet the stranger's sight when he visits the spot. 



National Apple and Pear Conference 

 at Chiswick, October 16 to 20, 1888.— A 

 meeting of the Executive Committee was held in the 

 Royal Horticultural Society's Gardens at Chiswick, 

 on September 27. Present:— The Rev. W. Wilks, 

 in the chair ; Messrs. Bunyard, Cheal, Herbst, 

 Walker, Hibberd, Dean, Hudson, Turner, Rivers, 

 W. Paul, and J. Smith. Papers to be read at the 

 Conference were promised by Messrs. G. Bunyard, J. 

 Cheal, J. Douglas, E. Tonks, S. Hibberd, J. Eraser, 

 W. Wildsmith, E. J. Baillie, M. Dunn, McDonald, 

 Tallerman, T. F. Rivers, Saunders, Bear, and W. 

 Paul. Great interest was manifested in the pro- 

 ceedings, promises of support being received from 

 the leading growers. It was agreed that the Con- 

 ference be held in the Conservatory on Wednesday 

 and Thursday, October 17 and 18, the first day 

 (October 16) being devoted to the examination of 

 the fruit, the General Committee meeting at 3 p.m. 

 for the formal opening of the proceedings. It was 

 agreed that no prizes be awarded, but cards of com- 

 mendation for special merit will be given by the 

 committee. It was decided that the various papers 

 be put in type, previous to the Conference, for the 

 more convenient use of the committee and Press. 

 The Gardens will be opened to the public at 1 p.m. 

 on October 16. Notices of intention to exhibit 

 should be sent to Mr. A. B. Barron, Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society's Gardens, Chiswick, not later than 

 Wednesday, October 10. 



" KEW BULLETIN.'' — The October number is 

 devoted to a continuation of the reports on colonial 

 fruits, showing the fruits produced in each colony, 

 the price, and the supplies available for exportation. 



The National Fruit Growers' League — 



The following communication has been received 

 without any name attached : — " The inaugural meet- 

 ing of the a National Fruit Growers' League will take 

 place at St. Albans on Tuesday next in the Corn 

 Exchange, at 7 p.m. Prior to the meeting a Fruit 

 Conference and banquet will be held, at which several 

 Members of Parliament are expected to take part. 

 The Mayor of St. Albans will preside. A Conference 

 to inaugurate a National Horticultural College at 

 Swanley, founded by the League, will take place on 

 the 15th inst. The grounds of the College cover 

 150 acres of land." 



The Scottish Horticultural Associa- 

 tion : Pomological Section— The subject of 

 the formation of a pomological section in connec- 

 tion with this Association, which was remitted at 

 last monthly meeting to the Council for considera- 

 tion, was discussed at a largely attended meeting of 

 that body on Friday evening, the 28th ult. It was 

 unanimously agreed that steps should be taken to 

 organise such a section, and the following small 

 committee was elected to formulate the scheme, and 

 report to the Council at a future meeting : — Messrs. 



M. Dunn, Robertson Munro (Secretary), Alex. 

 McKknzie (Treasurer), Morrison, McIIattie, Gros- 

 sart, and Sutherland. 



Code of Judging.— We understand that a 

 book of rules for the guidance of judges at flower 

 shows is in course of preparation by a Scottish 

 exhibitor of great experience. It will comprise an 

 account of an improved method of judging, with in- 

 structions for the growing and showing of all kinds 

 of horticultural produce. We shall look ior the 

 publication with interest, as up to the present time 

 we know of no modern treatise on the subject, 

 except the admirable rules laid down by our late 

 friend and colleague, Thomas Moore, and published 

 in these columns, but, unfortunately, never reprinted. 



Monthly Stock-taking. — The following 



statistics are extracted from the " Trade and Navi- 

 gation Returns " for August. The reasons for their 

 publication are given with No. 1 of the series, pub- 

 lished on p. 186, The Returns are divided into nine 

 sections; we extract only such matters as concern 

 home growers and our friends in the colonies. 

 Table I. is made up of a summary of the imports 

 from foreign countries and British possessions for 

 the month of August, the total value amounting to 

 £30,006,140, against £29,699,020 for August, 1887 ; 

 or an increase of £307,120. The sections in this 

 summary with which we are concerned are as 

 follows : — 





Month ended Aup;u*t 31. 



Increase 

 (+) 





18S7. 



1888. 



Decrease 



(-) 



Articles of food and 

 drink — dutiable ... 



2,119 332 



2,891,199 



£. 



+ 141,867 



Chemicals, Dyestuffs. 

 ami Tanning Sub- 

 stances 



517,310 



562,960 



+45,650 



Raw materials for tex- 

 tile manufacture*... 



3,998,765 



3,051,507 



—947,258 



Raw materials for sun- 

 dry industries and 

 manufactures 



3,521.840 



4,059,247 



+537,407 



Manufactured articles 



4,644.565 5,095.674 



+ 451,1011 



Miscellaneous articles 



1.010,786 960,839 



— 19,947 



Excerpt from 



leturn of Imports for August. 





trticles. 



Quantities. 



Principal and other J 



Month ended 

 August 31. 



Increase 

 (+) 



, 



1887. 



1888. 



Decrease 

 (-) 



Ardr/rs- of Food* ana 



Drink. 









Fruit :— 











Apples raw- 



... bush. 



45,229 



172,71: 



+ 127,484 



Oranges and Lemons 





59,633 



47,90b 



-11,727 



Une numerated, raw 





597,663 



752,789 



+ 155,126 



Hops 



... cwt. 



1.780 



9,549 



+7.769 



Onions 



... bush. 



341,233 



370,919 



+29,686 



Clover and grass 



... cwt. 



24,812 



13,005 



—11,137 



Potatos :— 









From Germany ... - 



... cwt. 



201 



284 





France 





90,172 



39,585 





Other countries ... 



... cwt. 



26,470 



116,740 





Total 



116,846 



156,609 



+39,763 



Yeast 



25,623 



22,942 



—2,684 



Tanning st/bstam 











Bark for Tanners', &C. 



... cwt. 



29,580 



38,467 



+ 8,887 



A NEW FORAGE PLANT.— The Bcvuc Hordeola 

 of August 1 contains an account of Iris pabularia. 

 This plant was made known to the Societe d'Accli- 

 matation by M. Ermens, who was formerly in the 

 service of the Maharajah of Cashmik. In Cashmir, 

 it appears, Iris pabularia is extensively grown for 

 fodder on account of its nutritive properties. It is 



thought that it would do well in Algiers and Central 

 France, if the seeds were raised in a nursery and 

 transplanted about February. In the Paris climate, 

 which is not so congenial to it, it should not be 

 planted out until March and April. When once 

 rooted it is said to be almost impossible to extirpate 

 this plant. The seed (which is offered for sale by 

 Messrs. Vilmorin Andrieux et Cie.) should be well 

 soaked before it is sown. There are many parts of 

 India and Australia where it might be advisable to 

 attempt the culture of this plant. 



Report on Macwarrieballi. — This nice- 

 sounding popular name is applied by the natives of 

 Guiana to a new indiarubber-yielding plant, botani- 

 cally known as Forsteronia gracilis. It was met 

 with by Mr. Jenman in the forests of the upper 

 reaches of the Demerara River. Happening to 

 strike a climber with his cutlass, Mr. Jenman noticed 

 a plentiful outpour of milky juice. No leaves or 

 flowers were visible, and it became necessary to cut 

 down the tree supporting the climber, when, though: 

 no flowers were obtained, it was evident the plant 

 was a member of the Apocynacea;. The rubber col- 

 lected is very favourably reported on, and provision 

 has been made to cultivate it in the Botanic Gardens 

 for future distribution. 



ALLAMANDA HENDERSONI.— If any one would 

 realise the remarkable freedom of bloom of which 

 this glorious New Grenadian stove creeper is 

 capaple, he should pay a visit to Gunnersbury Park, 

 and see a stove-house there covered on the interior 

 of the roof with this plant. The house is 27 feet 

 by 9 feet, and the roof is a mass of yellow blossoms. 

 It is planted out in a corner of the house, is yearly 

 cut back very hard, and then for two months is kept 

 without water. 



BRITISH GUIANA. — Mr. Jenman's annual report 

 of the Botanic Garden is an elaborate document, 

 giving in detail accounts of the weather and the 

 effect on the plants of a prolonged drought, albeit 

 the annual rainfall amounted to 8l'2 inches, the 

 greater part of which fell in the early months of the 

 year, leaving the subsequent months parched. 

 Among the experiments recorded is that of a suc- 

 cessful cross between Peristeria alata and P. pen- 

 dula. A large portion of the report is occupied with 

 the description of various sorts of Sugar-cane, and 

 an analysis of their chemical composition. 



Education in Horticulture.- On the occa- 

 sion of the fourth annual meeting of the Society of 

 American Florists, at New York, on August 21 last, 

 President Hill, in the course of his address, alluding 

 to the future of horticulture in the United States, 

 said, in terms similar to those we have so often made 

 use of here : — 



" Fellow members, what we need, and what 

 our profession demands, is a training-school for our 

 children and the young men who are to follow in our 

 footsteps, where they shall be taught a scientific and 

 technical knowledge of the things pertaining to- 

 plant-life, and plant-growth, in their relations to 

 soil, and heat, and water. Our need, and the need 

 of the young men who are to follow, is such an 

 education as will enable us to analyse soils, and to 

 know scientifically their constituent parts, and their 

 relation to the fibre and tissue of a plant ; to be able 

 to detect deleterious and injurious substances, to 

 check and control the chemical action in soils, to 

 adjust to a nicety the things termed heat, food, and 

 water. Our most successful men are often con- 

 founded and amazed at their own failures, and can 

 seldom assign an intelligent reason for the same. 

 Often in the same house, under apparently similar 

 conditions, with the same kind of soil, failure attends 

 where in former years was had abundant success. 

 Instances of the kind abound on every baud, and we 

 are all familiar with them. This need not be, for 

 with a right education and proper training— such as 

 I hope awaits the young men of the future — these 

 problems, so serious and difficult to ourselves, will 

 to them disappear as the dew before the morning 



