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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[December 15, 1888. 



tions — forwarding them two copies. I suppose it was 

 considered presumption in an amateur venturing 

 to instruct horticulturists how to grow Rhubarb. 

 Certain it is that the committee would have none 

 of my advice. I was informed that the root I might 

 send would " be planted with the others, and treated 

 in the same manner." A gracious approval was 

 vouchsafed in a lofty and royal way to my directions, 

 which " are very good, and much to the point," but 

 the committee would have none of them — they would 

 be ignored; the Rhubarb root "would receive the 

 same attention as others." Now, an eminent society 

 in the gardening line might with due self-respect 

 have sent me some such answer as the following : — 

 " Being many of us commercial horticulturists, we 

 consider in our official capacity that you as an 

 amateur are a priori disqualified from testifying to 

 any fact whatever in the vegetable kingdom ; but as 

 we are not tied hand and foot with red tape, we do 

 not disdain to take a light even from a flint ; 

 and as you say you have for many years 

 studied the growing of Rhubarb, and have certainly 

 made out a, prima facie case, we will grow your Rhu- 

 barb, and honourably follow your cultural directions." 

 Perhaps some such answer to me may still be forth- 

 coming, for " Head Gardener " is pretty confident 

 that " a few years will see the management of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society conducted in such a 

 way as to meet with our hearty approval." W. H. 

 Sewett, M.A., Yaxley Vicarage, Stiffolk, Nov. 28. 



WALNUTS OF 188S.— Referring to J. J. Willis' 

 remarks on the non-value of the Walnut crop, at 

 p. 577, 1 may say that it is exactly the same cry 

 hereabouts — plenty'of nuts, butnothing in them. The 

 same stands good with the Filberts and Cob-nuts, no 

 doubt owing to the want of sun-heat to mature the 

 kernel [or, more probably, from imperfect fertili- 

 sation]. D. C, Powerscouri, Ireland. 



EARLY MARKET PEAS. — Market growers of Peas 

 seem this season to be endowed with considerable 

 meteorological faith, as a mild, or at least an open, 

 winter is looked for. That the weather so far has 

 been exceptionally soft and genial for the time of 

 year there can be no doubt, and a green Yuletide is 

 far from improbable ; but the worst winter weather 

 invariably comes after the New Year is in , and there 

 is yet plenty of time for severe frost. However, it 

 seems that faith in a mild winter has been helped by 

 the recent generally excellent condition of the soil, 

 which on gravel has worked admirably. Stimu- 

 lated by such admirable encouragement, large 

 breadths of Peas have been sown so early that rows 

 are now showing in all directions, whilst other sow- 

 ings are proceeding. By means of broad drills, 

 which sow three rows at once, several acres of 

 ground are soon got over. Drilling sows Peas, perhaps, 

 rather more thinly than when done by hand, and not 

 quite so deep, so that the rows come through quickly 

 and with great success. The customary width for 

 Sangster's, Eclipse, William I., Sunrise, and similar 

 kinds, is about 27 inches, as that distance enables the 

 horse-hoe, one of the most useful of field-cultivating 

 implements ever made, to be freely employed. It by 

 no means follows that a good Pea plant in December 

 means a good crop in the following summer. Even 

 if the breadths escape the hard frosts of the early 

 part of the year, they often suffer severely from 

 the effects of bitter keen east winds in March and 

 April ; whilst, if they escape these, and flower early, 

 phey may but find May frosts, severely injuring the 

 trecocious bloom. Again, it has often been found that 

 breadths sown in the month of February in light soil 

 have been quite as early in cropping as those breadths 

 sown in November, thus illustrating the old adage, 

 " More haste, less speed." A. D. 



REMARKABLE DISCOVERY IN AGRICULTURE — 



This is the heading of an article in a circular now 

 before me ; it refers to the discoveries of M. George 

 Ville, of Paris, who affirms that he has made him- 

 self acquainted with the process by which Nature 

 converts the seed into the plant, the plant into the 

 flower, the flower into the fruit. His secret lies, it is 

 said, in the exact measurement in the degree of ozone 

 and ammonia supplied by Nature to each plant. We 

 as gardeners have much to learn as regards chemical 

 manures and their application, which few will deny. 

 Vegetables, fruits, and plants have been, and are still 

 grown, which for quality and excellence one would 

 imagine it impossible to surpass ; and this simply by 

 growing or planting in suitable soils and by the use of 

 ordinary farmyard and other common manures ; but 

 it seems as if cultivators in perspective will use none 

 of these old-fashioned abominations, but will rely 

 principally upon chemical manures for supplying the 



crop with that which is necessary for the building-up 

 of its various parts. M. Ville has even gone farther 

 than this, for it is said that he has grown plants 

 which are generally cultivated in the best manured 

 and most laboured soils in the calcine refuse of the 

 porcelain ovens, and which has been, besides, washed 

 in distilled water and recalcined, which, says M. 

 Ville " is simply to display the power of my chemical 

 manure," and the results are said to prove that 

 the most dry and barren soils may be productive of 

 crops as rich as those planted in the most fertile 

 ground." " Nature," says he, " gives to the plant 

 nine-tenths of what is necessary to its nourishment, 

 that is to say, air and water ; the tenth part is 

 administered by me in the shape of lime, phosphate, 

 nitrogen, and potash." The field of experiment is laid 

 out in square patches, each planted with a different 

 species of vegetable produce. For instance, the 

 Beetroot without manure is poor and unhealthy ; 

 in the next square it has undergone half manuring, 

 and begins to look stronger and more promising; 

 in the third square it has been submitted to complete 

 treatment, and the produce is superb. The same 

 result is obtained with the Vine, Wheat, and Maize, 

 and all kinds of vegetable and fruit trees as well. 

 M. Ville observes that but one ingredient is neces- 

 sary for the production of every plant in Nature, and 

 that is lime (!); but every other kind is peculiar to the 

 species of plant under cultivation. A Vine covered 

 with fruit was exhibited early in June, and by its 

 side another on which the buds were just beginning 

 to be seen. Grapes from the fruitful Vine were sent 

 to the Prince of Wales, who, on his visit to Paris, 

 had expressed himself highly interested in M. Ville's 

 experiment. Another instance of the success of 

 the system is quoted. At Arboussier, in the island 

 of Guadeloupe, the crop of Sugar has hitherto been 

 estimated at 40,000,000 of canes. It has increased 

 to 100,000,000 ever since the adoption of M. Ville's 

 system . May I ask if any of M. Ville's experiments 

 have been repeated in England by any of the 

 numerous readers of the Gardeners 1 Chronicle J If so 

 it would be interesting and beneficial to learn with 

 what results. W. Harrow, 



Societies. 



BOTAL HORTICULTURAL. 



Tuesday, December 11. — The last meeting of the 

 waning year was held in the Drill Hall, James 

 Street, Westminster, on the above date, and may be 

 said to have been remarkable for the fewness of the 

 exhibits. 



The plant of greatest interest was Skimmia Fore- 

 manni, X a robust growing hardy plant, raised by Mr. 

 Foreman, Eskbank, Midlothian. The other points 

 of interest were the vegetables from the Society's 

 Garden, consisting of Brussel Sprouts and yellow and 

 white Turnips. 



Scientific Committee. 

 Present : G. F. Wilson, F.R.S., in the chair ; Hon. 

 and Rev. J. T. Boscawen, Professor Church, Dr. 

 Scott, Mr. Morris, Mr. O'Brien, and Rev. G. Hens- 

 low (Hon. Sec). 



Oak Wood, Defective. — Specimens of Oak wood, 

 forwarded by Mr. Burbidge, which had been used for 

 spokes of wheels, but found to be remarkably brittle, 

 and consequently useless, were submitted to Pro- 

 fessor H. Marshall Ward for examination and report. 

 The following communication was received from 

 him : — " I have cut numerous sections of the pieces 

 of Oak, and have made a very thorough examination 

 of the wood, but must say I can find no traces of 

 fungi or pronounced decomposition. Nevertheless, 

 the tracheides of the wood seem to be abnormally 

 short, and have occasionally granular ' deposits ' in 

 them— also in the medullary ray cells— which I 

 should like to know more about. I cannot explain 

 the matter, but should be glad of further specimens 

 for examination." 



Ivy, Staminody of the Pistil.— Mr. Henslow sub- 

 mitted some specimens of abnormal Ivy blossoms to 

 a microscopical examination, which were exhibited 

 at the last meeting by Dr. Masters, together with 

 drawings by Mr. G. W. Smith. The dried condition 

 of the flowers precluded a very exact determination 



of the abnormality; but there appeared to him to be 

 little doubt but that stamens replaced the carpels. 

 The sepals, petals, and stamens were normal, but 

 above the superior disc — which is normally formed 

 by the upper and exposed part of the carpels 

 — was a crown of supernumerary anthers. The 

 vascular cords which normally represent the dorsal 

 ribs of the carpels bore the anthers. In the centre 

 was a depression in lieu of the ovarian cells, and 

 apparently some minute and rudimentary anthers 

 occupying their place. These seemed to be due to 

 staminody of the placental cords, which normally 

 occupy the centre of the inferior ovary. 



Stachys tuberifera: Analysis of the Tubers. — Pro- 

 fessor Church gave an account of an analysis of the 

 tubers of this new vegetable which he had himself 

 made, and by which he confirmed those of Dr. A. v. 

 Planta, recorded in Landwirthschaftliche Versuch- 

 stationen, Nos. 5 and 6, 1888. It appears that they 

 contain 78 per cent, of water, 1*5 per cent, of albu- 

 minoids, 1'7 per cent, of non-albuminoids or amides, 

 166 per cent, of sugars, '7 per cent, of fibre, T per 

 cent, of ash, '2 per cent, of fat, and a trace only of 

 starch. Comparing this analysis with that of Potatos, 

 it appears that the water is in larger quantity, it 

 being 75 per cent, in them ; the flesh-forming 

 albuminoids are rather more than in Potatos, while 

 the sugars replace the starch, of which there is some 

 15 per cent, in the average analysis of the Potato. 



Satyrium sp. with " Supertuberation." — Mr. O'Brien 

 exhibited palmate tubers of some South African 

 species, which showed two years' growth, having been 

 plunged in moss only ; the tubers, instead of deve- 

 loping a leafy axis, had formed fresh tubers only, the 

 stem and leaves being produced in miniature, being 

 about half an inch in height. Mr. Wilson men- 

 tioned the fact that Lilies sometimes behave in the 

 same way, and that the process was identical with 

 " supertuberation " in Potatos, in which case the 

 " eyes " gave rise to fresh tubers instead of stems, 

 when situated too deep and with too much heat, 

 according to the experience of Mr. Boscawen. Mr. 

 O'Brien remarked that the importance of the know- 

 ledge of the above phenomena lay in the fact that it 

 was often supposed that tubers and bulbs were lost 

 or decayed, from the non-appearance of the flowering 

 stems, while they might still be present in the soil, 

 but were for two or three years simply reproducing 

 bulbs at the expense of the old one, without flowering 

 at all. 



Lime with Contorted Boughs. — Mr. G. Swailes for- 

 warded a young lime tree grown from a layer, the 

 only one of 500 which exhibited the peculiar growth. 

 A graft taken froih it in the spring exhibits the same 

 peculiarity. Dr. Hogg remarked, that it appeared to 

 resemble the "contorted " variety of the Hawthorn. 

 The curving and twisting was apparent even in 

 many of the minutest twigs. It was thought by 

 some to be due to mischief or injury by insects ; but 

 the above facts seem to point to other causes. Jt 

 was referred to Chiswick, to be grown, to prove the 

 constancy of the feature or otherwise. 



Christia. — This is a new production for antiseptic 

 bandages, invented and patented by Mr. T. Christy, 

 of 25, Lime Street. It is constructed of thin whitey- 

 brown paper, expressly made of Manilla Hemp 

 (Musa textilis), which consists purely of remarkably 

 long liber-fibres, which doubtless tend to give it 

 greater tenacity. It is then subjected to a process 

 with glycerine, olive oil, and other substances, which 

 render it translucent, with the appearance of oiled 

 silk. It subsequently is treated with salicylic acid, 

 carbolic acid, or other disinfectant, and rendered 

 antiseptic. Its advantages are — great tenacity, ex- 

 treme lightness, being not more than one-third of 

 the weight of oiled silk or gutta-percha sheeting, 

 antiseptic, and perfectly impervious to moisture. It 

 was thought that it would prove exceedingly 

 useful in horticulture, e.g., for binding up in bud- 

 ding, sending specimens by post when the exclusion 

 of air is essential, while strips would be serviceable 

 for tying plants to stakes, &c. 



Korsambi Nuts. — Mr. Henslow showed specimens, 

 received from Mr. Christy, of the seeds of Schleichera 

 trijuga, of the order Sapindacea;. It was supposed to 

 be the source of Macassar oil, but this was strongly 

 doubted. Mr. Morris observed that it is called the 

 " India Oak tree," and is abundant in India and 

 Ceylon, and is valuable for its timber. 



Jimiperus occidentalis. — A specimen, collected 

 in eastern Oregon, U.S.A., by Mr. William 

 Stewart, was forwarded by him from Greenock, N.B. 

 It was first found by Douglas in the Story Islands 

 in the Columbia River. It was also found in the 



