608 



THE GABDENEBS' CHRONICLE. 



[November 24, 1888. 



and, as usual in such cases, they will stand in their 

 own light. I still think Chiswick the place for the 

 Society's chief work. Head Gardener. 



Retire to Chiswick, but retires pour mieux 



scatter. — It would be cheaper and more accessible. 

 Clear out of the Drill Hall. L. 



In the name of common sense don't have 



shows at Chiswick. It is much too inaccessible and 

 nobody will come. H. 



Chiswick's the place, with a few big shows in 



London, in the suburbs, or, in spite of the Liverpool 

 fiasco, in the provinces. — Now-a-days Chiswick is 

 as accessible to most of us from the country as any 

 place in central London would be. M. 



I see that at the meeting of the Fellows of 



the Royal Horticultural Society on the 13th inst., two 

 resolutions were carried, one, that some of the meet- 

 ings next year should be held in the Chiswick Gar- 

 dens, the other that the Drill Hall should still be 

 kept on. Now, I am glad to see that it is proposed 

 that some of the Shows next year shall be held at 

 the Gardens, and in a letter to the Secretary I advo- 

 cated that proposition ; but on the other hand I 

 much regret that it is proposed to rent the Drill 

 Hall again next year, for with the exception of, I 

 think, the National Auricula Show and the Carnation 

 and Picotee Show, the fortnightly shows at the Drill 

 Hall have been most decided failures, as far as my ex- 

 perience of them goes ; indeed, at two of them, if 

 not more, the flowers and fruits that were adver- 

 tised were not shown at all ! (I allude to the absence 

 of the Strawberries, Dahlias, and Chrysanthemums.) 

 It would be much better, in my opinion, if the meet- 

 ings were monthly instead of fortnightly, and held in 

 the Council-room, and the shows held in Chiswick 

 Gardens, and the rent of the Drill Hall saved and 

 spent upon Chiswick Gardens instead. What on 

 earth is the use of keeping up the gardens at Chis- 

 wick with the vineries, &c, if the Society will not 

 hold its shows there ? " A Fellow," Union Club, Tra- 

 falgar Square, S.W. 



TABLE PLANTS. — What constitutes good table 

 plants, and by what rule, or rules, are they judged 

 at shows ? Is it absolutely necessary that some of 

 them should be about 11 inches, and some 22 inches 

 high? I only once before saw such judging as that 

 which took place at the National Chrysanthemum 

 Society's show at the Aquarium on November 7 

 last. I could not believe my eyes, and felt sure that 

 some mistake had been made in putting on the 

 tickets ; but no — that was not so. In my opinion 

 the best plants in the class for eight were put out of 

 court altogether, and got no prize. I cannot now 

 say whose they were, but a finer and better lot I 

 have seldom seen. I will give a list of them, so that 

 some correspondents may express their opinion about 

 them :— Croton Countess, C. Warrenii, C. Chelsoni, 

 Cocos Weddel liana, Dracffina angustata, D. superba, 

 Geonoma gracilis, Pandanus Veitchii. These plants 

 were well grown, well coloured, and regular as 

 regarded size, which was, I think, as near the right 

 one as possible. Why these were passed over, I do 

 not understand, unless the judges inadvervently 

 overlooked them. The 1st prize lot consisted of 

 Dracaena Perceyi, D. superba, Croton Laingii, C. 

 Countess, C. aigburthensis, 11 inches high; C. Mrs. 

 Dorman, 12 inches high; Cocos Weddelliana, 22 

 inches high ; Aralia leptophylla, 15 inches, which 

 had lost its leaves at the bottom. Now, I think, if 

 these are compared with the first-named plants, 

 which got no prize, it will be seen that those were 

 by far the best, and that if they had been properly 

 judged the first prize lot should not have been in the 

 first three lots. Now, sir, there is nothing which 

 will do the show more harm than that the labours of 

 the grower should be submitted to such judgment. 

 Hortus. [The prize lot consisted of four genera, and 

 the other of three only, which may have influenced 

 the judges, supposing that quality and adherence to 

 the regulations were equal. But the Chrysanthemum 

 Society was stepping outside its province altogether. 

 Ed.] 



pitmaston duchess and other pears. — 



It may seem unnecessary to write anything respecting 

 this well-known Pear, but it has behaved so well here 

 this wet sunless summer that I feel I must bear tes- 

 timony to its excellence. We finished our last fruit 

 on the 9th of this month, and throughout they were 

 excellent in flavour and cut as smooth as a Marie 

 Louise. I would recommend it to be planted largely 

 for market' as it is of taking appearance and is as 

 good as it looks. Many persons think that it is a 

 seedling from the Duchesse dAngoul^me, but that 

 is not so ; it was raised at Pitmaston, near Worcester, 



and the old gardener who sowed the pips and ultim- 

 ately planted it on the front of his cottage, told a 

 friend of mine that they had no record of its 

 parentage but that it was simply the best of a great 

 many seedlings raised in Mr. Williams' garden. 

 While I am on the subject of Pears I would also like 

 to sound the praises of another Pear, viz., Knight's 

 Monarch. We have it fine this year from a south 

 wall, and from the same shelf one can get a supply 

 for a month or six weeks — it ripens so differently 

 to any other with which I am acquainted. 

 The flavour is excellent. Many years ago, 

 when the Eoyal Horticultural Society held a 

 fruit show in St. James' Hall, Mr. Ingram 

 of the Royal Gardens, Frogmore, I remember, took 

 the 1st prize with the Monarch, as the best flavoured 

 Pear in the room ; and at the same time and place 

 there were prizes for the best jars of stewed Pears 

 where the Catillac carried all before it. It is now 

 a settled question beyond doubt that the Quince 

 is the stock for Pears ; the fruit is larger and 

 clearer than from the Pear stock. I have been 

 much struck with the Quince trees in the garden 

 here to-day. They are still full of foliage, while 

 every Pear tree in the garden is leafless. May not 

 this autumn growth, this prolonged vigour be of 

 great service to the proper finishing of a heavy crop 

 when used as a stock for the Pear ? J. Bust, Eridge 

 Castle, Nov. 12. 



SINGLE CHRYSANTHEMUMS.— Having read many 

 reports of the recent Chrysanthemum shows, I have 

 not yet been enabled to find that in any of them a 

 class was set apart for single-flowered seedlings 

 of Chrysanthemums, notwithstanding our having 

 such pretty varieties as America, blush, shading to 

 white ; Miss Cannell, pure white, yellow centre ; 

 Canariense, a good yellow ; Scarlet Gem, Aurora, 

 maroon-chesnut ; Miss Rose, white and blush, and 

 many others ; when staged in the same way as the 

 pompon, which are very effective. I hope those who 

 are interested in the preparation of the future 

 schedules will give this class careful consideration. 

 T. Hosmer. 



NEMATOID WORMS.— When delicate bulbs, such 

 as the white Hoop Petticoat Daffodil, or other plants 

 of weak growth, die off prematurely, I have often 

 found on examination that their roots are infested 

 with nematoids — that is, very small, thread-like 

 worms, white in colour, and less than half an inch 

 long. I have generally considered these to be the 

 consequence of vegetable decay, but I am assured 

 that in many cases they are the cause of it. I am 

 recommended to try the effect of a weak solution of 

 sulphate of copper. If any readers of the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle have suffered from these tiny depredators, 

 and have got rid of them, their experience may be 

 of use to others. C. Wolley Dod. 



TRADESCANTIAS — The chief object "of this note 

 is to remark on the statement of " R. D." made on 

 p. 577, that " Tradescantias do not appear to seed." 

 In my garden in Cheshire, where the soil and climate 

 are not very favourable for producing seeds, these 

 Spiderworts seed to such an extent, and the seed- 

 lings come up so promiscuously, that I find them a 

 great nuisance. It is true that the colours of flowers 

 in seedlings vary much, but all are inferior to the 

 blue of the type. The flowers of this plant open 

 only in sunshine, and only one at a time on each 

 stalk ; and in wet weather it becomes top-heavy and 

 untidy. It is true that the individual flowers are 

 beautiful, and the plant may deserve a place in 

 sunny gardens ; but after tolerating it for ten years, 

 I have expelled it from my newer and choicer borders 

 as a second-rate plant. C. Wollei/ Dod. 



CANKER IN APPLES.— With regard to this sub- 

 ject and Mr. Tonks' discourse on " Canker of the 

 Apple Tree " at the recent Apple Conference at 

 Chiswick, I have thought the following statement, 

 copied from exhibitors' remarks, would be interest- 

 ing: — Mr. J. Deans, gardener to Granville W. 

 Leveson Gower, Esq., Tetsey Place, Godstone, 

 Surrey (Apple Congress report, p. 38), says: — "The 

 situation is well sheltered and facing south, 400 feet 

 above sea level ; soil is prepared, and consists of 

 road-scrapings with loam, and is mulched annually 

 with stable manure. A great many of the varieties of 

 Apples canker very badly here, whether the season 

 be wet or dry, and every Bpring we have to cut 

 out cankered wood. It seems hopeless to try to 

 obtain a good-shaped tree in the prepared soil ; 

 but on the chalk, which is very dry, we have two 

 specimen trees — a Ribston Pippin, and a Blenheim 



Orange, planted fifty years, and growing vigorously 

 without a spot of canker, but they give no fruit. 

 Why is this ? " This seems a strong case in support 

 of Mr. Tonks' theory, and if any of those who 

 are growing Apples on chalk would give further 

 information on this very important subject, it might 

 prove of great advantage to fruit growers generally. 

 John Peed, Streatham. 



STACHYS TUBERIFERA.— I send you a box con- 

 taining two stems of this. I have now cultivated 

 this new vegetable for six years, at present exten- 

 sively. It is as hardy as Knot-grass, not affected by 

 frost in the least. As a salad it is sent to the break- 

 fast table every morning with the Radishes. The 

 tubers are now quite matured, and are employed for 

 a second-course vegetable. An intelligent cook 

 will find it useful in many ways ; as it is tender, its 

 delicate aroma can be brought out in various ways. 

 It ramifies beneath the surface of the soil all round the 

 stem, as may be seen in the specimens which I send to 

 you. The soil should be of a free porous nature, and 

 on heavy soils sifted coal-ashes and leaf-mould mixed 

 with the staple assists it materially. The ground 

 should not be hoed too deeply, only scratching the 

 surface, as it is easy to hurt the tubers. The plant 

 is even more profitable than French Beans, and at 

 this season and during the winter the tubers are 

 welcomed as a variety in vegetables. It should now 

 be stored in dryish earth or sand — not in damp 

 materials, as with the latter growth is apt to recom- 

 mence. I recommend every one to plant it ; it 

 gives an abundant return for a very little outlay for 

 " seed " and labour, and requires the least possible 

 amount of attention. It may not be necessary even 

 to replant the ground, as the small tubers left in the 

 ground are sufficient to stock it. Merely give a 

 good dressing of manure, and fork over the gronnd, 

 and a heavy crop will grow. P. Middleton. [The 

 number of good-sized tubers on the roots sent was 

 extraordinary. Ed.] 



PLANT POETEAITS. 



iEscuxr/s tcebinata, Bevue. Hortioole, November 1. 

 — Fruits top-shaped, spineless. 



Cattleya labiata vae. magnifica, Gartenflora, 

 September 15. 



Cypeipedium Measueesiakom, Bevue de VHorti- 

 culture Beige, November. 



Epidendbom nemoeale, Lindenia, t. 155. 



Epidendbum nemoeale, Orchidophile, October. — 

 Flowers large, reddish-violet, sepals and petals 

 narrow, spreading, lip broadly obovate acute, 

 whitish, with violet veins. 



Mesospinididm vulcanicum, Lindenia, 1. 154. 



Phlox nana, Garden and Forest, October 24. 



Quesnelia magnifica, Gartenflora, September 15. 



Stanhopea Ruckeei, Bevue de I' Horticulture Beige, 

 November. — Flowers white, lip with two orange 

 spots at the base. 



Syeinga pubescens, Garden and Forest, October 24. 



Societies. 



EDINBURGH BOTANICAL. 



Novembee 8. — The first meeting of the session 

 was held in 5, St. Andrew Square, Dr. Craig, Presi- 

 dent in the chair. 



The President in his opening address referred to 

 the losses in membership during the last session, 

 especially noting the decease of Professor Dickson 

 and Dr. Boswell. He also deprecated as a down 

 thrust to Scottish botanical science, the proposed 

 transfer of the Royal Botanic Garden from Govern- 

 ment to the University, as at present proposed in the 

 Universities (Scotland) Bill now before Parliament. 



The President next gave in the report of the 

 excursion of the Scottish Alpine Club to Sutherland- 

 shire during the closing days of July and the opening 

 one, of August last. 



Professor Bayley-Balfour exhibited a gynantherous 

 Foxglove, discovered by the late Professor Dickson 

 two years ago. The stamens of each flower, usually 

 five, had all been converted into carpel-like processes, 

 bearing ovules in an exposed position. The Pro- 

 fessor also exhibited specimens of Wallflower and 

 Poppy with stamens similarly modified. 



Mr. Lindsay reported on the weather and vegeta- 

 tion of the Royal Botanic Garden for July, August, 

 September, and October. 



