June 29, 1912.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



431 



to the best of my knowledge, there is not much 

 difference in this year from last, up to the 

 beginning of June. Personally, I have sent to 

 the market, up to date, this season practically 

 the same number of Peaches as last year, from 

 precisely the same trees, the crop being about 

 the same. Again, it is stated that the glut of 

 Strawberries has spoilt the Peach and Nectarine 

 market ; yet in the papers one reads that Straw- 

 berries of good quality are scarce. I have before 

 me a weekly market report made out by one of 

 the best -known firms in Covent Garden, and 

 dated June 14. This states that the supplies of 

 soft fruits are smaller, and that, owing to rain 

 and want of sunshine, Strawberries are in par- 

 ticular suffering. This same list gives the prices 

 of Peaches as being from 4s. to 10s., a price 

 which I have not obtained by quite 40 per cent., 

 although a large proportion of my fruit was of 

 excellent quality. It would be interesting to hear 

 the views of other growers of Peaches and 

 Nectarines as to the atrocious prices these fruits 

 are fetching, which is, I believe, the worst for 

 many years, and all the more difficult to under- 

 stand seeing the various market reports pub- 

 lished, and also taking into account the excep- 

 tionally brilliant and busy London season, to say 

 nothing of the high retail prices of the fruits in 

 question maintained everywhere. Grower. [In 

 the report quoted by our correspondent, the price 

 for selected Peaches was given as 12s. to 18s. ; 

 but we have evidence that, at the time dealt with 

 in the report, certain " selected M Peaches were 

 sold in Covent Garden Market for as much as 21s. 

 per dozen. — Eds.] 



A Curious Nesting-place (p. 415). — Mr. 



Frank A. Edwards speaks of a " tomtit" and it 

 would be interesting to know whether he means a 



great tit or a blue tit, as both are called " tom- 

 tits " in different parts of the country. I believe, 

 however, that the blue tit rarely, if ever, nests 

 under flower-pots, whilst the great tit often does, 

 so the latter is probably the one referred to. It 

 would also be interesting to know the exact dia- 

 meter of the drainage hole through which the 

 birds had access to the nest. As to the young 

 flying out there is little difficulty, since those of 

 blue and great tits can fly without any instruc- 

 tion as soon as they are fully fledged and ready 

 to leave the nest, and doubtless they get through 

 the hole exactly as their parents. Since it is 

 impossible for them to climb to the hole, they 

 must fly straight to it from the nest, closing their 

 wings tightly at the actual instant of passing 

 through. C. Nicholson, Hale End, Chingford. 



Rhaphiolepis japonica and Polygonum 

 Baldschuanicum- — There is a very fine plant of 

 Polygonum Baldschuanicum climbing up a Pop- 

 lar in the Roath Park, Cardiff, to a height of 

 about 20 feet. In common with many other plants, 

 it is flowering very profusely this season, which 

 may be attributed to the exceptionally hot sum- 

 mer of last year. Heucheras, which figured So 

 finely at the International Show, are further 

 examples, though, in this case, there can be no 

 doubt that the additions in recent years of new 

 varieties are partly responsible for the improved 

 display ; the hybrids of H. sanguinea bloom 

 much more freely than the parent species. 

 Another excellent shrub in full bloom in the 

 park is Rhaphiolepis japonica. This is a low 

 shrub, with rather leathery leaves and 

 numerous white or pinkish flowers. It thrives 

 well in a peaty soil. The specimen at Roath 

 has attained its maximum height, and further 

 development will be in a lateral direction. This 

 beautiful shrub can be readily increased by 

 layers, or by cuttings inserted under a hand- 

 light. Caltha. 



A Giant Tomato.— The Agricultural Gazette 

 for June 17, 1912, states that a New Zealand 

 grower "has raised a seedling Tomato which grows 

 to great size and produces fruit of perfect flavour 

 which weighs 1^ lbs., and that plants of this 

 variety are to be placed on the market this year. 

 We are accustomed to read of marvellously fine 

 varieties of various kinds which have been raised 

 by Transatlantic hybridists, and it is refreshing 

 to know that the Antipodes is producing com- 

 petitors, but we are afraid this latest novelty will 

 not be a commercial success. A few years ago 

 there was a limited demand at the leading 

 fruiterers for large Tomatos, but lately the de- 

 mand has been for Tomatos of a size which scale 

 four or five to the pound. 



PAULOWNIA IMPERIALS. 



Oxe of the finest specimen trees in the Cam- 

 bridge Botanic Garden is a large example of 

 Paulownia imperialis. This season it has been 

 the most admired subject in the garden. The 

 tree, which is 23 feet high, with a head 27 feet 

 in diameter, has been covered with tine spikes 

 of bloom 1 foot in length, and of a beautiful 

 lavender-blue colour. 



The individual flowers are tubular, about 2^ 

 inches long, and are covered with short, stiff 

 hairs on the outside of the corolla ; the inside is 

 marked by rows of dark brown dots. As the 

 flower-buds are produced in the previous year, 

 the thick and felty calyx is very Qn essary for 

 the protection of the flowers during winter. 



The name Paulownia was given to the tree in 

 honour of Anna Paulowna, Princess of the 

 Netherlands, daughter of Paul I, Emperor of 

 Russia. It was introduced into cultivation from 

 Japan in 1840, and the original plant is now a 

 fine tree in the Jardin des IMantes. Paris. The 

 tree does not flower so freely in this country 



flg. 202. inflorescence of paulownia 



imperialis: colour of flowers, 



lavender-blue. 



as on the Continent. Our English summers are 

 not usually sufficiently hot, but last summer 

 being exceptional, there is a fine show of bloom 



this year. 



There are some very fine trees to be seen in 

 Paris, especially in the Trocadero Gardens, 

 where there are specimens 30 feet or more in 

 height. The Avenue Carnot is planted with 

 Paulownias, which, when in bloom, look very 



beautiful. 



A fine foliage effect may be obtained by plant- 

 ing a bed with young Paulownias, and cutting 

 them back hard every year, with the result that 

 they produce handsome leaves of large size, and 

 make tall growths every year. 



Propagation may be effected by imported seeds, 

 which should be sown in a cold frame, or by cut- 

 tings. The tree belongs to the natural order 

 Scrophulariaceae. The illustrations in figs. 201 

 and 202 give some idea of the fine spikes which 

 have been produced here. B. Irwin Lynch. 



THE R.H.S. AND THE ROYAL 

 INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURAL 



EXHIBITION. 



The following correspondence has taken place 

 between Sir Trevor Lawrence, President of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society, and Mr. J. Gurney 

 Fowler, Chairman of the Board of Directors of 

 the International Exhibition: — 



Royal Horticultural Society, 



Vincent Square, 

 Westminster, S.W., 



June 5, 1912. 

 Dear Mr. Gurney Fowler, — The Council of 



this Society, at tin ir met ng yest< rday, re- 

 quested me to convey to you and your col- 

 leagues on the direction of the Royal Inter- 

 national Horticultural Exhibition their heaity 

 congratulations on the signal success with 

 which the exhibition has been carried out. The 

 Council's own experience make* them fully 

 aware of the long continued and unremitting 

 labours attending exhibitions on even a much 

 smaller scale; and the success which has 

 crowned your efforts cannot fail to be most 

 gratifying to all concerned, and to reflect great 

 credit on them. It La the universal opinion that 

 a more complete and comprehensive, a better- 

 arranged, and more beautiful and instructive 

 exhibition has never been seen in any country. 

 No wonder, then, that it has received the 

 fullest and most unstinted praise and admira- 

 tion from their Majesties the King and Queen 

 downwards. 



The Council, moreover, are glad to under- 

 stand that the financial results will probably 

 show a satisfactory surplus and relieve the 

 guarantors from all liability. 



I am, yours very truly, 



Trevor Lawrence, President. 



J. Gurney Fowler, Esq. 



Glebelands, 



S. Woodford, Essex, 



June 7, 1912. 



Royal Inter national Horticultural 



Exhibition. 



Dear Sir Trevor Lawrence, — Your letter of 



the 5th inst. has been received by me with the 



very greatest pleasure, and this pleasure will 



also, I am sure, be felt by all my colleagues on 



the Board. when I communicate its contents to 

 them. 



For some two vears now we have been, as 

 you know, preparing for this exhibition, and it 

 has caused to many of us much work, trouble, 

 and, above all, anxiety. Now that it is a thing 

 of the past, a great load of responsibility, both 

 financial and otherwise, ha& been lifted from 

 us, -and we are able to return to our ordinary 

 work with the satisfactory feeling that our 

 efforts have met with your Society's apprecia- 

 tion, also with that of their Majesties the King 

 and Queen and of the general public, and have 

 resulted also, as you say, in a signal success. 



This fact is an all-sufficient recompense for 

 our many labours, and I hope most sincerely 

 that the exhibition will result in the advance- 

 ment of horticulture in all its branches. This 

 has been, and is, my con-taut endeavour. 



It is early yet to talk about the financial 

 results, but, so far as we can see, there is little 

 likelihood of any call upon the guarantors, by 

 whose generous support we were so greatly en- 

 couraged and assisted. We look forward to 

 having eventually a considerable sum in hand 

 to distribute to gardening charities or other- 

 wise as we may be advised. 



Thanking you for your letter, believe me to 



remain, 



Yours most sincerely, 



J. Gurney Fowler, Chairman. 



Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bait. 



