246 



THE GARDENERS' 



CHRONICLE. 



[April 13, 1912. 



Last 



Birds and Fruit Buds (see p. 227).- 

 vear nearly all the flower-buds of my Peach and 

 Apricot trees were destroyed by birds, and I 

 bserved that the destruction was due to the 

 torn-tit or tit-mouse with the black head. It 

 ia the first time in 20 years that I have ex- 

 perienced such damage. F. Denis, Balaruc Us 

 Bains, Herault, France. 



Similar mischief, as recorded by Mr. 



Hatcher, was done to our Peach trees out-of- 

 doors, and no doubt all the fruit-buds would 

 have been destroyed had I not discovered the 

 culprits in time. There are numbers of bull- 

 finches in this locality, and early one morning I 

 found two of these birds eating the buds. I, 

 like Mr. Hatcher, was confused at first as 

 to what was destroying the buds. As soon 

 as I found out the reason, nets were put 

 on all the Peach trees at 

 placed against the wall so 

 nets about 1 foot from the 

 effectual in stopping the mischief, 

 finch is one of the worst enemies of the gardener, 

 but I have never seen sparrows attack buds of 

 Peach trees. A. P. Umpleby, Iridge Place 

 Gardens, Hurst Green, Sussex. 



While at Hunsdon Bury, in Hert- 



once, 



as to 

 trees. 



twigs 



and 

 keep the 

 This was 

 The bull- 



fordshire, I found some of the Peach trees en- 

 tirely denuded of fruit buds, and I was at a loss 

 to account for it. After watching the trees for 

 some time, I saw a number of sparrows clinging 

 to them and picking the fruit buds off. In the 

 same gardens sparrows would pick out the in- 

 dividual fruit buds of apple blossom just before 

 the blooms expanded. W. Phillips, Berry 

 Ormond Gardens, Cardiganshire. 



In reply to Mr. G. S. Hatcher's in- 



quiry about the possibility of birds destroying 

 fruit buds, I may relate the following observa- 

 vations which I made at Potsdam :— The winter 

 of 1908-9 being a very hard one, the birds found 

 but little food for a long time. An extraordinarily 

 warm November and December caused the buds 

 of many trees and shrubs to develop during that 

 winter, especially those of the Japanese Quince 

 (Cydonia japonic a), and sparrows, blackbirds, and 

 thrushes picked them all off. Paul Kache, 

 Weener, Germany. 



Rainfall in Bryntirion Gardens, Dol- 

 gelly, N. Wales.— it may interest readers to 

 known that in these gardens at Bont-Ddu, 

 Dolgelly, N. Wales, 11.93 inches of rain was re- 

 gistered during March. On March 28 2.26 inches 

 fell, whilst on the 3rd and 5th 1.01 and 

 1.77 inches fell respectively. During the past 

 eight years the rainfall at Bryntirion has only 

 exceeded 2 inches on four other occasions in 24 

 hours, whilst the total rainfall in any month 

 has only exceeded 10 inches in January, 1906, 

 December, 1910, and December, 1911, since 1904. 

 F. G. Brewer. 



School Gardens (seep. 223). — The increasing 

 interest taken in school gardening by elementary 

 teachers is seen in the number of candidates 

 entered for the R.H.S. school teachers' examina- 

 tion in gardening, which takes place on the 17th 

 inst., the entries being double those of last year. 

 The evolution of the school garden is interesting. 

 Many years ago it was a common practice in 

 schools to utilize a piece of spare ground by 

 dividing it into small plots, where the children 

 could play at gardening in their spare time — often 

 as a reward for good behaviour. A step forward 

 was taken about 20 years ago by the Sur- 

 rey Technical Education Committee, under Mr. 

 John Wright, V.M.H., when continuation evening 

 classes in gardening were instituted. The 

 committee is now extinct, but under its direction 

 school gardens were established all over the 

 county. When the Education Act of 1902 made 

 the County Councils responsible for elementary 

 education, the example of the Surrey authorities 

 was followed all over the country. The new 

 movement, involving, as it did, a break in the 

 oil habit of class-room teaching, was welcomed by 

 the teachers, pupils, and school authorities alike, 

 partly on account of its extremely practical nature 

 and partly because it took the children into the 

 open air for instruction. The moral bene- 

 fits of such practical teaching are becom- 

 ing every day more and rr*>re apparent. To 

 learn how to use garden tools; to cultivate, sow, 

 tend, and finally reap the fruits of labour — all this 



comes as a revelation to many a lad who, though 

 dull and slow in a class-room* is ready enough to 

 work intelligently and well where cause and effect 

 are so obviously related. It is well, however, to 

 remember that, valuable as is the teaching of 

 school gardening, it is only a beginning, and it 

 would be a good thing if every boy who had 

 shown promise at school could be passed on, at 

 the age of 14, to a large garden, where the know- 

 ledge gained at school could be increased, and 

 where the work would be all of a practical nature. 

 After a few years' experienoe it should be made 

 easily possible for him to obtain a small holding 

 or allotment which he could work for his own 

 benefit. D. 



"Wake Up" Manchester.— When the mem- 

 bers of the Manchester Botanical Society wish 

 to start flower shows, lectures, and the like, they 

 will find more than plenty of first-rate horticul- 

 tural talent in and around the city without asking 

 the assistance of any other society. The few re- 

 marks I made in a previous note as to combina- 

 tions meant with or without the aid of 

 the Manchester Orchid Society. It is very 

 kind of the Rev. J. Bernard Hall offering 

 to hold shows and give lectures in Man- 

 chester, but it reminds one of the boy 

 teaching his father how to wheel a barrow. 

 No doubt the North of England Horticultural 

 Society is doing a lot of useful work, and from 

 the wide circle its sphere covers one would sup- 

 pose it was in a fairly active state. Might it be 

 suggested that a suitable site should be found 

 in the vicinity of Leeds, where a botanic or ex- 

 perimental garden could be established for the 

 diffusion of knowledge in horticultural matters. 

 In a county where there is so much wealth and 

 so many patrons of gardening, surely an estab- 

 lishment of the kind should find ready and 

 generous support. It would also be the means 

 of finding greater scope for the energy of the 

 northern society — if they feel their present area 

 of operations somewhat circumscribed. Pinus. 



Sale of Trees in Ireland by the De- 

 partment of Agriculture.— Knowing some- 

 thing about the recent operations by the 

 Department of Agriculture in Ireland for the 

 promotion of land industries in that country 

 I desire to protest against some of the ob- 

 servations in last issue. The question of 

 manners may be left to those who attach 

 importance to them ; it is not usual for 

 Government officials to be overburdened with 

 them. The methods of the Irish officials con- 

 cerned are, however, material, and when these 

 methods are understood, they must meet with 

 general approval. Irish farmers and small 

 holders have hitherto limited their operations to 

 the production of what are known as agricul- 

 tural crops, notwithstanding the exceptional ad- 

 vantages possessed by many parts of the country 

 for the growth of fruit, early vegetables, flowers, 

 &c, not merely for home markets but for dis- 

 tribution to other countries. It was therefore 

 determined a few years ago to show farmers and 

 others how to make more profitable use of their 

 land, but instead of resorting to the usually 

 futile pamphlet and lecture, the much better 

 method of practical demonstration and personal 

 advice and persuasion was decided upon. The 

 Department of Agriculture invited the County 

 Councils to form Agricultural and Horticultural 

 Committees, to establish demonstration gardens 

 and plots, and to appoint instructors in horti- 

 culture. They were also to assist by purchasing 

 for those who decided to plant, such fruit trees, 

 &c, as were most likely to be suitable. The 

 project was to practically force horticultural 

 enterprise and methods upon a people who gener- 

 ally paid little heed to them, and to get them 

 to 'plant largely and wisely. An annual grant 

 was offered to the counties that decided to put 

 the Department'6 scheme into practice, but not 

 a farthing of this grant was to be used for other 

 purposes than exoenses of the demonstration 

 plots, flower and fruit shows, and the horticul- 

 tural instructor. The Department takes a hand 

 in the selection of competent horticultural in- 

 structors, who must be experienced practical 

 gardeners. This is, briefly, the machinery ; now 

 for the working of it. The County Councils 

 invite nurserymen to tender for the supply of 

 trees, an inspection of the stock of those thai 

 tender being conducted before a decision is 

 arrived at. Nurserymen, of course, know what 

 the trees are for and, as always happens in such 

 matters, some are taken and the others are left, 

 either because their prices are too high or their 



stock is not of the right quality. Those pur- 

 chased are then supplied to the farmers, fcc. at 

 cost price, plus the charges for carriage, the 

 instructor gives advice with respect to site s i 

 the most suitable sorts to plant, and I believe he 

 makes periodical calls afterwards to see that 

 the planting and other operations are prope 

 performed. There has been an enormous amount 

 of planting done in Ireland in consequence of 

 this activity and wisdom on the part of the t\ q 

 authorities, to the great advantage of the nurse 

 trade there, and, no doubt, to the future enridi 

 ment of the country. Is it reasonable to a 

 that this good work should be stopped because a 

 few nurserymen feel they are not getting 

 a full suck at the orange? Are these highly 

 praiseworthy efforts of the Irish Department <>i 

 Agriculture to do really helpful work to be con- 

 demned at the bidding of the secretary of the 

 Horticultural Trades' Association? Had the 

 counties started their own nurseries for th 

 growth of trees for sale the objection might then 

 have been reasonable, although even in that ca>e 

 they would be doing good by employing labour 

 and land at higher rates than nurserymen pay, 

 though it is doubtful if they would grow better 

 stuff. The long and short of the matter is, the 

 Irish grower had to be taught something for his 

 own and his country's good, and to get him to 

 look favourably upon the operation it had to be 

 made reasonably easy and attractive. The plan 

 adopted by the two authorities has proved mo.* 

 successful. Six hundred thousand trees bought 

 and planted in a year, which otherwise would 

 never have been planted at all! Was paucity 

 of argument the excuse for dragging in those 

 " Cupressus, 4 to 5 feet high, Laurels and Cle- 

 matis " ? It smacks rather of the story of 

 the cook and the dripping ! Some of the 

 nurserymen in Ireland have stated that since 

 this progressive policy was inaugurated the 

 have done a large business in trees, and 

 know several in England who have profited for 

 the same reason; for the Irish authorities will 

 have good healthy trees, whatever their source. 

 Yet we are asked to believe that " the Irish 

 Department of Agriculture is doing grave damage 

 to the horticultural industry of Great Britain 

 and Ireland." I say it is doing horticulture a 

 great service and setting a very good example, 

 as every other person would say who puts the 

 general welfare first. What a prospect for our 

 tree nurserymen if the English Board of Agri- 

 culture were to set out to educate and help 



wealthy landowners to understand and practi™ 

 forestry by establishing demonstration forest 

 areas, giving practical advice, and providing the 

 right kinds of trees to plant, all at the land- 

 owner's expense ! W. W. 



Primula rosea. — Much has been written 

 about this charming species in the .gardening 

 papers from time to time, and most of its 

 characteristics have been described in detail, 

 but writers have omitted to state one peculiarity 

 which should prove of great utility to raisers oi 

 hvbrids, namelv, that P. rosea never seeds unies 

 artificially pollinated. The reason whv no 



seed 



is produced is verv evident when an individual 

 flower is examined. If the corolla-tube ■ 



severed just above the calyx, the stigmas ca 

 then be seen at the base of the flower re <- e P tf ! c ^ 

 As the styles never grow more than one-tentn 

 an inch in height, the stigmas have little or 

 chance of getting selfed or crossed. Ot co» , 

 this is not the case with most other r rim ^ 

 whose flowers may bear short or long st\ 

 their stigmas. P. rosea is the only _ 8 P^jJ t * nt i v 



acquainted with whose flowers bear pers^ ^^ 



I shou the 



short stvles on their carpels. 



interested to know if any reader 

 <;ardeners' Chronicle knows of any « ther ^ „ 

 behaving in like manner. Ralph- SKf 



in like manner. 

 Alder sey Hall, Chester. 



Rehmannia (s«e p 218) —At this season 

 year 



_ of the 



after the dull days of winter. "JJ^aJl 

 batch of E. angulata is much ^ appreciate ^^ 



stagres. 



tld be afforded a cool treaw"fj«r- ate d 

 It is a gross feeder and should w ^ 



The flowers are ^ar^*. ,*. 



liberally always. 



prod« 



colour, and seed is produced with the p ^ the 

 which characterises certain other mem" j^ 

 Natural Order Scrophularineae. * red. " • 

 Woodend Gardens, Renfrewshire. 



