472 



TRE aARbEXEfLW CHRONICLE. 



[October 27, 1888. 



maintain the Citron des Carmes in health, were per- 

 fectly able to support in the utmost luxuriance the 

 Pitmaston Duchess. 



Mr. Clabk said some forty-five years ago he broke 

 up 18 acres of meadow land, trenched it, and planted 

 among others 250 each of Cellini Pippins, Welling- 

 tons, and Early Julienne. The Wellingtons grew 

 well ; the Cellini cankered after it had been bearing 

 three or four years. He cut off the heads of them 

 all and worked them with Mank's Codlin which began 

 to grow, and canker disappeared even from the stems. 



Mr. Tones said that was simply bearing out what 

 he had said. 



Mr. Geo. Bunyard said that the frosts of winter 

 and spring had a great deal to do with canker. 



Mr. Joseph Cheal said he had been endeavour- 

 ing to get a healthy stock of Ribston Pippin. He had 

 managed it by selecting very healthy trees, and had 

 thus almost eradicated disease. 



Mr. Shirley Hibberd mentioned that a friend of 

 his, who, although he planted too many varieties for 

 a commercial purpose, had done his work well. The 

 ground was what was known as cold bottom fully 

 exposed to the spring frost. The trees cankered 

 very early, and his friend, who was a scientific man, 

 came to the conclusion that canker came owing to 

 small particles of ice getting in the forks of the 

 trees. His friend did not cure the disease. He sold 

 the trees, planted Ash trees, and sold walking sticks. 



Mr. John Phaser said, if feeding would not cure 

 diseases it would assist the trees to grow and to 

 throw off disease. 



Mr. Tones, in reply, said that bacteria might 

 be at the bottom of many diseases, but authorities 

 on diseases were by no means agreed. Individual 

 experiments on the subject were extremely unreliable. 

 It was impossible for him to answer without conside- 

 ration all that had been put forward, but if this 

 remedy did not cure canker, it would do no harm, 

 and it would be worth while to try it. 



Mr. Fraser's Papee. (See p. 469.) 



Mr. Roupell said Mr. Fraser did not mention the 

 social caterpillar— one of the greatest plagues in his 

 part of the country. An immense quantity of those 

 insects got into his bush trees, and for three days he 

 and others were engaged in picking them off. His 

 neighbours who did not take that precaution, lost 

 their foliage and fruit. These creatures could only 

 be dealt with by hand-picking. He had a strong 

 opinion that Potatos were enemies to Apple trees, 

 as they produced fungoid growths. 



Mr. Clark asked for information regarding the 

 Gooseberry caterpillar, as he had seen whole gardens 

 of Gooseberries cleared of leaves. The remedy was 

 to get up early in the morning, when the dew was 

 on the trees, to get a quantity of soot with a pro- 

 portion of lime, and dash the mixture both under 

 and over the leaves. He was satisfied that it would 

 prevent the grub living. 



A gentleman asked whether petroleum had any 

 ill effects on the trees ? 



Mr. Fraser said petroleum did no harm, pro- 

 vided a moist brush only were used. Hellebore 

 powder was also a good thing for caterpillars. 



The Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to the 

 readers of papers, and in so doing said the day had 

 been a heavy one, but a vast amount of most valu- 

 able information had been placed before the Confer- 

 ence. He would like to say that an excellent remedy 

 for American blight was hot brine, which should be 

 rubbed well into trees affected. 



The vote was adopted with enthusiasm, as was one 

 to the Chairman, proposed by Dr. Hogg, and the 

 proceedings were adjourned till the morning. 



FRIDAY'S DISCUSSION. 



The proceedings of the Conference were resumed 

 and concluded on Friday last. 



Mr. H. J. Veitch presided, and said that, important 

 as had been the papers which had been read and dis- 

 cussed during the past two days, he thought they 

 would agree with him that those to be read to-day 

 were equally important, and the Council invited full 

 discussion upon them. He, however, wished to 

 emphasise the remarks of the President on the 

 opening day, that as the Royal Horticultural Society 

 was a society of peace and good will, he hoped those 

 who spoke would carefully abstain from anything of 

 a political nature. 



Mr. Baillie (Chester) then read his paper (p. 467). 



Mr. Baillie, in replying to a vote of thanks, added 

 that the beautiful grounds at Chiswick seemed to 

 suggest a far wider sphere of usefulness, inasmuch as 

 they could be made the centre of national education 



for the promotion and advancement of horticulture in 

 whose interests they were now pleading. It seemed to 

 him that there was a reserve at the command of the 

 Council that could not be got in any other centre in 

 England, and it would be a disgrace, if not a disaster, 

 if the best use, nationally, were not made of it. 



Mr. Tallerman then read his paper on the railway 

 difficulty in relation to fruit and how to deal with it. 

 At its conclusion he moved : — " That the Council of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society be requested to form 

 a committee to act on behalf of the fruit growers of 

 the United Kingdom in connection with the approach- 

 ing adjustment of railway rates about to be made by 

 the Board of Trade, and that such committee enlist 

 a full amount of Parliamentary support to carry out 

 these views." 



Mr. R. Dean said he would second the motion for 

 the sake of raising a discussion. 



Mr. Shirley Hibberd observed that he was not 

 in opposition to Mr. Tallerman, and he agreed with 

 many present that the Conference would be a dead 

 letter if they stopped at that point. Many useful 

 and important matters had been discussed, but the 

 subjects referred to that day — market tolls, railway- 

 rates, &c. — were at the very root of the whole ques- 

 tion of the development of fruit culture in this 

 country. They did not want party politics there ; 

 he did not know to which party he belonged, but be 

 should like always to be found on the side of reason 

 and justice ! All they wanted to do at present was 

 to continue their inquiries, which must be conducted 

 with experience and judgment. He desired something 

 more definite than the proposal contained in Mr. 

 Tallerman's motion, and he would consequently move 

 the following amendment : — 



" A conspicuous result of the Conference this day 

 concluded is to make it evident that the subject of 

 commercial fruit culture is one of great and growing 

 public interest, and that there exists a corresponding 

 desire to remove or modify the various impediments 

 that law, usage, and misconception of facts have 

 created and sustained against it. The Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society having special facilities for obtain- 

 ing and diffusing information on all that relates to 

 horticulture, this Conference respectfully requests 

 the appointment by the Council of a Law and Par- 

 liamentary Committee for the consideration of the 

 impediments above referred to." 



Mr. John Corner seconded the amendment, which 

 was formally supported by Mr. Geo. Bunyard. 



Mr. Shirley Hibberd, on being asked by various 

 speakers to do so, objected to alter his amendment 

 in any way for any one in the world. 



Mr. J. K. Fowler did not at all object to Mr. 

 Hibberd's amendment, but he thought they would 

 have much greater weight with the railway interests 

 than with Parliament if they concentrated their 

 views exactly as Mr. Tallerman had stated. As a 

 late railway director he (Mr. Fowler, certainly knew 

 something of the subject, and he considered that 

 more was expected of railway companies than they 

 could actually perform. Railway companies had 

 been of enormous benefit to the country in the 

 development of agriculture and commerce, and the 

 manufactures of the nation, but he did not deny 

 that they were greatly standing in their own 

 light not to advance more with the times, and 

 to do away with the injustice which it was generally 

 agreed existed throughout the country. He was one 

 of the judges at the great Kilburn show, when a 

 prize was given by the Lord Mayor of London for 

 the best van for the transmission of meat, fruit, and 

 other things from different parts of the country. 

 The judges spent eight days in coming to a decision, 

 and finally awarded, after a very severe trial, the 

 prize to the Glamorganshire Company, greatly to the 

 disgust of some Americans, who had sent vans which 

 were expected to carry all before them. Up to the 

 present time, however, he believed that not a single 

 railway company had adopted the Glamorganshire 

 Company's system. He merely mentioned that cir- 

 cumstance to" show that, if the matter were properly 

 placed before the companies, they would do all they 

 could to meet the requirements of the public. He 

 had the greatest pleasure in supporting the motion of 

 Mr. Tallerman. 



Mr. Hibberd's amendment was ultimately carried 

 with four dissentients, and the following motion by 

 Mr. Tallerman, seconded by Mr. P. Crawley, was 

 carried :—" That, in the event of the committee 

 being appointed, this Conference desires to urge 

 upon it the early consideration of railway charges 

 as affecting the growers of fruit and vegetables." 



The Chairman proposed a vote of thanks to the 

 readers of papers, which was carried. 



Mr. Bunyard proposed a vote of thanks to their 

 excellent Hon. Secretary, Rev. W. Wilks, to whom 

 and the Council the successful issue of that exhibi- 

 tion and Conference was due. 



Mr. Wright had the greatest possible pleasure in 

 seconding the motion, which was carried with accla- 

 mation. 



Rev. W. Wiles said it was a pleasant thing to be 

 thanked for doing what one liked, and he assured 

 them his services on behalf of horticulture and fruit 

 growing were always at their disposal. 



Mr. Malcolm Dunn having spoken a few words of 

 congratulation, moved the following resolution : — 



" In view of the great public advantages that have 

 accrued from the previous Conferences held in these 

 gardens, and the marked success of the present one, 

 the members of the Executive Committee of this 

 Conference, Fellows of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, and other horticulturists here assembled, 

 who are deeply interested in the Society's welfare, 

 and in the important question of developing the 

 progress of scientific and economical horticulture, in- 

 cluding especially the fruit-growing capabilities of the 

 country, respectfully submit for the earnest consider- 

 ation of the Council of the Society the desirability 

 of concentrating the Society's resources to the utmost 

 practicable extent upon the maintenance of the 

 Chiswick Garden, so as to enable it to fulfil its 

 mission as the national exponent of practical and 

 experimental horticulture." 



Dr. Masters. — I have the greatest pleasure in 

 seconding this resolution. If I may address you, sir, 

 as one of the Council, and all the members of the 

 Council present, I would especially say that you must 

 not neglect the interests of Chiswick, You must 

 throw all your energies into the development of this 

 garden. This is no mere sentiment — although senti- 

 ment in this matter goes a long way. The gardeners 

 of the kingdom have Chiswick in their hearts. One of 

 the most essential requirements of a horticultural 

 society is, moreover, an experimental garden. I am 

 sorry to say that the public in general do not read — at 

 least do not read with appreciation. But it is a very 

 different thing when they come into this garden and 

 see for themselves what has been done, and their 

 minds take it in much more readily than from the 

 printed page. I strongly uphold an experimental 

 garden for educational purposes. It is also a great 

 trial ground. Nurserymen and seedsmen have a 

 prejudice in favour of their own seedlings, but when 

 they send their seeds and plants to these grounds 

 they are tried without favour. I have, therefore, 

 great pleasure in seconding the motion. 



Mr. Wright thought the matter should have 

 the careful consideration of the Council. 



Mr. Roupell expressed the hope that now the 

 London exhibitions were over those beautiful gardens 

 would receive a larger share of the public favour. 



Mr. Smee said they had not done half what they 

 should do, because their means were limited. 



The resolution was carried with enthusiasm. 



Mr. Cheal moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Barron, 

 the able Superintendent of the gardens. 



Mr. Dean seconded the motion, which was carried 

 unanimously. 



Mr. Barron having suitably acknowledged the 

 compliment, 



Mr. Tallerman moved a vote of thanks to Mr. 

 Veitch for presiding. 



The Chairman briefly responded, and the pro- 

 ceedings terminated. 



DISHES EXHIBITED. 



The following enumeration shows the number of 

 dishes of certain varieties that were exhibited, and 

 affords some indication of the relative popularity of the 

 varieties named. The first twenty only being given : — 



Apples. Pkars. 



Dishes. I Dishes. 



1. Warner's King ... 7s 1. Marie Louise 56 



2. Blenheim Orange .,. 70 2. Louise Bonne of Jersey 55 



3. King of the Pippins... 69 3. Beurre Diel 50 



4. Cox's Orange Pippin... 64 4. l'itniaston Duchess ... 47 



5. Dumelow's Seedling... 65 5. Beurre d'Araanlis ... 41 



6. New Hawthorndeu ... 61 6. „ Olairgeau ... 34 



7. Lord SulHeld 56 7. Doyenne du Cornice ... 29 



8. Kibston Pippin ... 54 S. Glou Morceau ... 29 



9. Stirling Castle ... 53 9. Duchessed'Angoulenie 29 

 10 Cox'sPomona ... 53 10. Marie Louis.' .I'Uccle . 27 

 11. Eeklinville Seedling... 52 11. Marechal de la Cour . 25 



12 Cellini 52 12. Beurre Bachelier ... 25 



13.' Emperor Alexander ... 46 13. „ Superfin 25 



14. Worcester Pearmain . 41 11. r.ergamott,.! .1 lilsperen 24 



15* Lane's Prince Albert... 33 15. Carter's Beurre ... 24 



16. Pcasgood's Nonsuch... 32 16. Josephine de Murines. 23 



17 Alfriston 32 17. Beurre Bosc 23 



18. Lord Derby 30 ' IS. „ Hardy 23 



19. Beauty of Kent ... 30 19. Uvedale's St. Germain 22 



20. Golden Noble 29 , 20. Durondeau 20 



