808 
THE GARDENERS 
CHRONICLE. 
[Joxe 18, 1887. 
the Council. The Fellows have up till now been 
left to draw their own inferences from what they 
see around them. It may be—we hope it will be— 
that the Council are preparing a surprise for us, 
and that they will be able to put forth some 
scheme for rehabilitating ihe old Society. It is 
not the first time in the history of the Society, 
that bad times have befallen it, so that we see 
no reason to give way to the feeling of despair 
ev so much time and labour to the work of 
the Society, and as it seems in vain. 
It may be—and if so, perhaps so much the better 
-—that the Society will have to begin de novo. 
This view of the situation is the one that will 
commend itself to those of its well-wishers 
who are at all conversant with the history of 
the Society. 
meeting rooms, and libraries. The connection 
with the Commissioners, however, has been so 
disastrous, and the attempts to cater for the 
amusement of the fashionable residents of the 
West End so futile, that it is no wonder a strong 
feeling exists that the Society should cease to care 
about such things and be entirely free to — 
its legitimate work without let or hindranc 
Assuredly, however, whether the вей а find 
quarters in proximity to the Imperial Institute, 
or elsewhere, it should in e way or other be 
peg 
effort io be represented in the work of the 
Institw 
The d of the meeting on the 28th inst. 
will, therefore, be looked forward to with keen 
interest by all interested in the Society's affairs, 
and if any acceptable scheme of reorganisation be 
we are sure that it will be heartily - 
proposed, 
weleomed by all who have the welfare of the 
Society at heart. The Society has done in 
culable good in the past, and only wants yii? 
and practical support to enable it to carry on its 
high mission with even greater results, in the 
The real work of the Society is done at the 
committees and at Chiswick. practical 
work is still done in the old garden, quietly and 
unostentatiously, although its resources are 
terribly crippled by want of means and a greatly 
reduced labour-sheet. In any scheme for reform 
the nature of the work to be done in future at 
society, and some things that 
are inconsistent with its dignity. It is scarcely 
necessary to refer to what has been done in the 
. past; we will only refer to the record of the last 
_ few years for the purpose of showing what useful 
work has been done at Chiswick, even in this 
= period of its lowest depression. 
Reid the important trials and experiments 
later on in this vegetable a 
er- five sorts are being t 
mitted it to do has been largely effected by the 
ress, 
The Conferences which have been held at 
Chiswick on two of our popular fruits—the Apple 
and Pear—were strikingly and extraordinarily 
successful. Who that witnessed it can forget 
the enthusiasm that was aroused by the exhibi- 
tion of the first-named fruit? We shall pro- 
bably never again look upon its like. More- 
over, it was the means of enriching horticultural 
literature by the issue of British Apples—a work 
of enduring and first-rate value. 
As to the Pear Conference—although the dis- 
play was necessarily not of the same generally 
attractive nature, yet the results achieved were 
quite as satisfactory as regards the nomenclature 
of this fruit. The Pear Conference Report, the 
outcome of that gathering, i is now in the press, 
and it will form a fitting companion to that 
devoted to the Apple. 
It is, however, not necessary to advert at enm 
length to the past ; the question is, What is 
Society doing now at Chiswick? To answer us 
question fully and satisfactorily would take up 
much more space than we could devote to it. It 
must suffice, to say that for some years the trials 
have not been on so extensive a scale as they are 
this season. А keen interest has been"excited in 
them by the authorities, with the gratifying 
result that some good and interesting collections 
have been brought together, to which, of course, 
on the present occasion we can only give 
passing notice. 
ginning with the Potato. There are 136 
sorts on trial this season, and they are at present 
looking very well and have not been damaged by 
spring frost. Of the number above stated one 
hundred sorts have been sent in from various 
sources this year. The remaining varieties are 
being tried again from last year. 
Seed of fifty-two sorts of Onions has been 
sown which have germinated freely, unlike to 
some recently noted in these columns. as are 
represented by 140 sorts, or, at any rate, names, 
so that some considerable RM will be excited 
The “ earlies " 
rowing vigor- 
ously. One hundred varieties are those of this 
year’s sending in; the others, older and well- 
known sorts, are being grown for purposes of 
comparison. This is very desirable with such a 
subject as the ee. grown, as it is now, in almost 
bewildering variety. 
Of that petiit vegetable, the Tomato, there 
are eighty-six lots in all, comprising. about 
seventy-five sorts, the same sorts being in some 
cases sent by wo , people. » plants of 
in pots. They 
promise an abundant 
crop. Some of the well-known kinds grown 
last season are again in cultivation this year. 
Amongst noticeable kinds may be mentioned: 
, medium- 
d Horsford's Prelude, 
another red, but smaller, an excellent variety 
iet small fruits are esteem From that 
land of Tomatos—America—comes a 
tingent, which we hope will do their native 
country due credit. In addition to those in pots, 
the whole collection is planted outside on a 
border. This wil prove which are the 
ble for outdoor culture—after all, 
which will have most 
Eighty-five sorts of Cabbages and Savoys have 
planted, which, when fit, be very 
нк. апа valuable for purposes of com- 
parison and selection, Of Cauliflowers, thirty- 
Mp re ае 
very interesting and varied collection of 
vigour this year. 
would be found in the following :—The popular 
Myatt’s Victoria, Hawke's Champagne, Dancer's 
Early Red, Scotch Mammoth, Crimson Perfec- 
tion, and Ј ohnston's St. Martin 
Of Apples and Pears all the worthless varieties 
were destroyed after the * Conference" devoted 
to these fruits. They had served their purpose, 
nly good sorts have been retained. There is 
promise of a heavy crop of Pears. One of the 
features of the garden in the not distant future 
will be a west wall on which oblique cordon Pears 
are planted, all the best sorts having been 
selected. Apples are looking well, and promise 
a good return. There is a trial of “ stocks ” 
This will be very 
useful as proving the indeed important question 
of the best stocks to use, thereby savin 
much vexation of spirit, and that all-valuable 
commodity in this life—time. The same 
variety is in many cases worked on six dif- 
ferent stocks, ge ges (English P 
French), Doucin, Crab, & 
ihe Strawberry, башы» varieties were 
planted last autumn; these are doing well. The 
Strawberry crop this season will probably be a 
are Sir Joseph Paxton, President, Napier, Vis- 
comtesse Hericart de Eleanor, a goo 
late sort; Waterloo, a new late kind im a very 
fine fruit, Toe black when пре; Сеог 
is a fine-flay ured sort ; .No 
here, but Viscomtesse Hericart de Thury is 
uscite the first to ripen 
here is a collection of fifty-eight sorts of 
Peaches (planted last year), and twenty-four 
man of Nectarines. These will make a fine 
ow in a few = time. There is a good crop 
on the old tre 
mong яг, annuals are being tried more 
Asters, also of dwarf Tropwolums, Some twenty 
are devoted to that beautiful section of Iris, 
I. barbata, the bearded Iris, commonly called 
German or Flag; the flowers of which are large 
and handsome, rivalling indeed those of many 
Orchids. We ma 
notice to these when ‹ 
owering subjects on trial may be mentioned 
zonal and Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums—a collection 
of the latter promises well; a Besser of 
+y 
VEL 2 
оо{еа Begonias, Helotrópes, ‘and Gloxinias ; 
whilst amongst foliaged subjects may be men- 
tioned the beautiful Rex type of Begonias, and 
the equally beautiful and interesting Adiantum. 
A very interesting feature in the flower way at 
Chiswick this year will also be the trial of 
Stocks—English versus German 
The trials of these numerous subjects are 
undertaken for practical and mane purposes 
advancing 
The opportunity they afford of adv 
scientific horticulture is also so great that 
we hope some members of the Scientific Com- 
mittee or others, will avail themselves of what is | 
кеу a unique oppo: rtunity. Unfortunsiely | 
not increase in proportion — to the 
^ ion of opportunities, and many 
