264 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[April 20, 1912. 



fewer than 



Overhead Irrigation. — A recent issue of 



The National Nurseryman states that irriga- 

 tion by means of whirling sprayers is to be car- 

 ried out on an extensive scale in the Quincy dis- 

 trict of Grant County, U.S.A. The apparatus 

 consists of sprinklers much larger than those used 

 for watering lawns and borders. The water will 

 be lifted from a deep well by a double-action 

 pump driven by a gasoline engine. This method 

 has been tried on a small scale in several 

 American orchards with good results, but it was 

 found necessary to lay straw beneath the trees 

 to prevent the sprinkling from beating the ground 

 into a compact surface. 



Fish Hatcheries in Canada. — ±i atoning 

 fish by artificial means to stock the waters of 

 Canada is engaged in on a large scale by the 

 Dominion Government. In 1909, the Dominion 

 fish hatcheries planted no 

 1,024,282,000 fry in various waters throughout 

 the country. In 1909, only 271,996,000 fry 

 were planted by the Government tish hatcheries. 

 The number of hatcheries has increased from 

 12 to 37. Of the 37 hatcheries now in operation, 

 British Columbia and Quebec have eight each, 

 Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Ontario five 

 each, and Manitoba and Prince Edward Island 

 each have three. 



Remarkable Effect of a Parasitic 



Fungus.— Mr. S. Kusano in the Journal of the 

 Tokyo Agricultural College (vol. ii., No. 6) de- 

 scribes a remarkable case of phyllody caused by a 

 fungus. The fungus, Caeoma Makinoi, infects 

 the young buds of Prunus Mume, and causes mal- 

 formation of the organs of the flower. In some 

 cases only part of the flower is affected ; in others 

 all organs are subjected to more or less complete 

 phyllody. Occasionally flowers of enormous size 

 are produced, which possess not only green 

 leaves brilliantly spotted with the yellow pus- 

 tules of the fungus, but also leafy shoots. 



41 La Vie a la Campagne. — The issue for the 

 15th ult. is devoted entirely to "La decoration 

 des Anciens Jardins," by Messrs. Albert 

 Maumene, G. Gibault and Lambert. On the 

 front page is a portrait of the painter Le Brtjn, 

 and the pages contain nearly 200 views of old- 

 time gardens, pictures of terraces, staircases, 

 balustrades, seats, fountains, cascades, vases, 

 sundials, pergolas, and other garden appurten- 

 ances. 



Publications Received.— Cucumber Cul- 

 ture, by W. Dyke. (London : The Lockwood 

 Press.) Price Is— Quarterly Journal of Forestry. 



April. (London: Laughton & Co.) Price 2s.— 



Bulletins of the Midland Agricultural and Dairy 

 College, Kingston-on-Soar : Results of Field 

 Trials on the Manuring of Swedes in the year 

 11)11 ; Report on Field Trials with varieties of Oats 

 in the year 1911 ; and Field Trials on the Manur- 

 ing of Carrots. (Kingston, Derby : Midland Agri- 

 cultural and Dairy College).— How to Make an 

 Orchard in British Columbia, by J. T. Bealby. 

 (London: A. & C. Black.) Price Is. Gd. net.— 



The ftorth of England Horticultural Society 

 Monthly Magazine and Circular. April. (Secre- 

 tary, Rev. J. Bernard Hall, Rawdon, Leeds.) — 



Vines and Vine Culture, by Archibald F. Barron. 

 Fifth edition, revised and enlarged. (Mrs. A. 

 F. Barron, 13, Sutton Court Road, Ohiswick.) 



Price 5s.— " Present Day Gardening" Series. 



Edited by R. Hooper Pearson. Vol. XII.— 



" Annuals, Haray and Half Hardy," by 



Charles H. Curtis. (London and Edinburgh • 

 T. C. and E. C. Jack.) Price Is. 6d. 



CATALOGUES 



ECEIVED. 



Protheroe & Morris, 67 and 68, Cheapside— Monthly 

 Register of Nurseries, Market Gardens, Farms, Florists' 

 Seed Businesses and Partnerships to be Let or Sold. 



Charlesworth & Co., Haywards Heath, Sussex— Orchids. 



Clibrans, Altrinchara— Dahlias and Bedding Plants. 



James Stredwick & Son, Silverhill Park, St. Leonards-on- 

 Sea — Dahlias. 



HOME CORRESPONDENCE 



(The Editors do not hold themselves responsible for 

 the opinions expressed by correspondents.) 



Damage to Conifers at Dropmore (see 

 p. 245). — Lovers of these interesting trees will 

 read with regret of the loss to the Dropmore col- 

 lection. The Dropmore Pinus rigicla is men- 

 tioned in the Trees of Great Britain and 

 Ireland as being the finest known to the authors 

 in these islands. The next best is one of three 

 fine trees, all over 65 feet high, at Arley Castle, 

 the tallest reaching 69 feet. I am under the im- 

 pression that Mr. J. B. Fortescue owns at 

 Boconnoc, his Cornish eeat, another unusually 

 fine Pinus rigida. I have no note of its height, 

 but it would be interesting if that gentleman has 

 lost a record tree in one estate, and still possesses 

 the finest specimen. During the time I was 

 engaged at Dropmore, the Tsuga brunoniana 

 which has been damaged was considered to be 

 the finest example in the country, but Messrs. 

 Elwes and Henry in the work mentioned abov3, 

 describe a specimen at Boconnoc as being much 

 finer, so that the natural regret felt by the owner 

 of these estates will be softened. I well remem- 

 ber conducting the late Professor Carl Hansen 

 around the Conifer collection at Dropmore. The 

 author of Pinetum Danicum was very enthu- 

 siastic over many of the fine specimens he in- 

 spected, expressing his regret that the climate of 

 Denmark did not permit Conifers generally to 

 attain such fine proportions, but when we came 

 to the Teuga brunoniana his enthusiasm was 

 unbounded. It was an ideal day for seeing the 

 real beauty of the Hemlock Firs — a warm, sun- 

 less day, with a gentle breeze which ever and 

 anon stirred the delicate pendulous branches, 

 disclosing to our admiring eyes the silver on the 

 underside of the green leaves. Professor Hansen 

 stood spellbound, then, throwing his arms for- 

 ward in an ecstasy of admiration, fell on his 

 knees gathering up the fallen cones which lay 

 around. But, beautiful as this specimen was, 

 one has to visit the examples growling in the 

 warm, moist parts of the British Isles to see the 

 " Indian Hemlock Fir " at its very best, for 

 atmospheric moisture is essential to its full 

 development, and it is not sufficiently hardy to 

 thrive in a cold district. A. C. Bartlett. 



Wa 



1 1 



Manchester. — I do not desire 



to help Pinus restart the Lancaster and York 

 Wars of the Roses, since my whole object is to 

 promote co-operation, and annihilate the old feel- 

 ing of antagonism between Lancashire and York- 

 shire. I therefore much regret the militant 

 tone of Pinus's letter in your last issue. 

 I would like, with your permission, to make three 

 points clear. (1) If there is " plenty of first-rate 

 horticultural talent " in and around Manchester, 

 why did this talent not stand by the " Royal 

 Botanical and Horticultural Society of Manchester 

 and the Northern Counties"? Then there had 

 been no need of the N.E.H.S. I hope Pinus will 

 answer this question, and say what he did to 

 help. (2) As to a botanic or experimental garden 

 being necessary near Leeds, Pinus shows great 

 ignorance. Has he never heard of our unique 

 Roundhav Park and gardens? Also, as regards 

 an experimental garden, there is no need to start 

 such, seeing that we have the goodwill and hearty 

 co-operation of the experts in charge of the 

 county council experimental gardens in the 

 Northern Counties ! I repeat — the N.E.H.S. is 

 not a Leeds society. (3) I trust co-operation is 

 not impossible? J. Bernard Hall. 



It is with a certain amount of amuse- 

 ment that I have read the various letters 

 in explanation of the inability of Manchester 

 people to run a flower show successfully. The 

 letter of Pinus in your issue of the 13th is a 

 brave attempt to cover up the dismal failure of 

 the Botanical Society of doing anything to fur- 

 ther the interests of horticulture, either prac- 

 tically or theoretically. He goes on to say that 

 the Rev. J. Bernard Hall offering to hold shows 

 and give lectures in Manchester under the 

 auspices of the N.E.H.S. reminds him of the boy 

 teaching his father how to wheel a barrow. Does 

 it not strike Pinus that the boy in this case can 

 teach the father how to work and organise a 

 society to become a success. Now that we have 

 got in the thin edge of the wedge in the Pala- 

 tine county, it is our ambition to drive it home 

 for all we are worth, so that we shall be true 



to one of the main articles of our society that is 

 the North of England Horticultural Society. I 

 am afraid that Pinus does not know what the 

 society is out for ; if he does not, I will quote for 

 him the " object of the society "— " to organise 

 horticulture (scientific, educational, and general} 

 in the North of England." This is always to be 

 found on the front page of the magazine which is 

 issued monthly to its members. On March 30 

 Palatine bemoans the fact that the promoters of 

 the North of England Horticultural Society did 

 not enter into some arrangement with the Man- 

 chester Botanical Society before establishing a 

 new society in the north. When the first meeting 

 w T as called together on September 30, 1910, in 

 Leeds, to discuss the advisability of forming a 

 society for the North, I think I can speak for the 

 majority of those present by saying it was their 

 last wish to enter into any arrangement with any 

 society, for we were out to be the " top dog " in 

 trying to do for horticulture what so many socie- 

 ties have failed to achieve. Now that the Man- 

 chester society have played their game and lost, 

 why not admit defeat manfully, worthy of th 

 cause they have been fighting for, and come and 

 join hands with the " boy," and so strengthen 

 the common object we have in view? P. C. 



Up to a few years ago the exhibitions 



held in the Botanical Gardens, at Manchester, 

 were a kind of "Mecca" for northern horticul- 

 turists. No doubt much of the success was due 

 to the personality of the late Mr. Bruce Findlay. 

 Nature is generally given credit for wisely filling 

 gaps in her domain ; but in this case she is taking 

 some time to do it. Having had something to do 

 at the outset in suggesting the formation of a 

 society which developed into the N.E.H.S., I 

 was much interested in the remarks of Mr. 

 Bernard Hall. One thing in connection there- 

 with is very clear : the almost unbounded enthu- 

 siasm and work of that gentleman has brought 

 the N.E.H.S. to its present position. I recognise 

 he has had the support of a strong council, some 

 of whose members' names are household words in 

 this country for wisdom and sound judgment. 

 Judging by the remarks of some of your cor- 

 respondents, it seems clear that Manchester, at 

 any rate, is not prepared to amalgamate with 

 the N.E.H.S. under present conditions. I fear 

 that, ultimately, the same result will come 

 about at both Newcastle -on -Tyne and Liverpool. 

 Apparently the main question to settle now or 

 shortly is how to best use the good work 

 already done. My suggestions are as fol- 

 low :— Eetain the title N.E.H.S., with its secre- 

 tary, council, and committees; form branch 

 societies at, say, Manchester, Liverpool, and 

 Newcastle-on-Tyne, with Leeds as the centre; 

 each branch to have an assistant secretary, 

 hold monthly meetings for the exhibition of 

 new and rare plants, fruits and vegetable*. 

 Henry J. Clayton, Ulleskelf, York. 



Colour of Primrose.— I was informed the 

 other day that the modern idea with regard to 

 the Primrose's colour is that it is not a primitive 

 colour (although yellow in flowers is considered 

 to be the earliest colour next after green), but an 

 even higher development in the colour scale than 

 red and blue. I shall be glad to know the argu- 

 ments in favour of this idea or to be referred to 

 some publication in which they may be found, 

 gather that it is the peculiar dull creamy yellow 

 of the Primrose that is supposed to indicate lit 

 high development, and it is interesting to remem- 

 ber in this connection that amongst the genus 

 Aconitum (the Monkshoods) there is the *"SSJ^ 

 tive combination of creamy yellow and blue, som 

 species exhibiting one colour and some the otne . 

 and some both, but in different plants. 1 snai 

 also be glad to know whether it is at all common 

 to see Primrose plants with flowers of ^ el ^ 

 colours growing from the same root, 61 ^ r * . 

 wild state or cultivated. I have seen a * tateD J; 

 of the kind, but doubt it, because one so »g 

 meets with apparent cases of this sort, w * 

 when examined, turn out to be two s€ ^ e ° r 

 which have come up so close together as to apF, 

 one. Are the various coloured Primroses supp ^ 

 to have been derived from Primula vui S an ^T iiie 

 common wild Primrose— or have i some <> j^^ 

 coloured exotic species, so much like it» meT . 

 respects, been drawn upon to supply tne . g 



ous colours from white to nearly black woh^ ^ 

 now 





uiours irom wniue uoiieanj ~~ — vone re- 

 possible to obtain? Finally, can anj° ^ 



commend a recent publication dealing 



evolution of colour in flowers? Primula. 



