THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



January 6, 1912. 



and jDkims are affected in much the same 

 way, and to a similar extent^ but standards 

 are less seriously injui;^"d than busli trees. 

 AVitli reference to the distance grass should 

 be remo\-ed from the trees so as to have 

 no effect upon them, it is very properly ob- 



ser\'ed that much depends uj^on the nature 

 and size of the trees, and also on the clia- 

 raeter of the soil. With newly-planted 

 standar<l ap])le trees it was demonstrated 

 that a considerable effect was produced 

 when the grass was four feet away from 

 the stems, and, on the other hand, keep- 

 ing a space free from grass only six inches 

 from the stems of newly-plante<l dwarf 

 trees w^as found to have a beneficial effect. 

 It has been proved by the experiments that 

 the stronger growing grasses are more in- 

 jurious than those of weak growth. In 

 seeking for an explanation of the cause of 

 the injurious effects of grass, the questions 

 of soil aeration, a deficiency of moisture in 



musie, and he acts as accompanist to the 

 Maidstone Choral Union. Of this society 

 he has been secretary since its institution 

 in 1903, and it is in no small measure due 

 to his skill tbat the society won the cham- 

 pionship banner for Kentish societies, and 

 in 1909 won the "Daily Telegraph shield 

 r.t the South London Musical Fe>tiva!. 



The ' Gardeners' Mag; 



m 



the soil, an insufficiency of the food supply, gardens at Wisley. 

 the physical alteration in the soil, and soil 



for 1912 accom])anies the 

 present issue, and is free to subscribers. 

 It will be found equally remarkable for its 

 attractiveness and utility, the dates of ex- 

 hibitions and meetings being as complete 

 and accurate as it is possible to make them 

 thus early in the year. We hope our 

 readers w^ill like the coloured illustration 

 of Japanese irises and water-lilies on the 

 almana<'k ; it represents these popular and 

 beautiful flowers in the water garden that 

 forms so distinct and interesting a feat- 

 ture of the Royal Horticultural Society's 



bacteria, were fully investigated, but they 

 all gave negative results. But in the course 

 of the various series of experiments with 

 trees grown in pots, evidence of a positive 

 character w-as obtained as to the formation 

 of a toxic substr 

 grass. 



The 



w Rock Garden at 



We may remind our readers 



during the growth of 

 It was found ^ ' that such trees. 



when watered with the leach ings obtained 

 from trays containing grass growing in 

 sand, flourished more than wdien water 

 alone was supplied; but wdien the trays 

 w^ere placed on the surface of the soil (or 



sand), in which the trees were growmg, so 

 that the washings from the grass reached 

 the tree roots with practically no expovsure 

 to the air, thev had a very deleterious effect, 

 nearly, if not quite, as great as when the 

 grass was grown above the roots of the 

 trees in the ordinary way." The differ- 

 ence in the eff'ect produced by the use of 

 w^ater that had passed through the grass- 

 filled trays, and the drainings from similar 



W 



that quite close to the charming spot men- 

 tione<l above, a A-ery fine rock gar- 

 den is rapidly approaching completion, 

 and is already becoming furnished with 

 plants. This important feature extends 

 over a large area, and is arranged on sloping 

 ground, the lower margin being not far 

 from the water garden. It represents w^ith 

 remarkable fidelity the lowe^ slope of a 

 mountain that has been found especially 

 adapted to the growth and display of the 

 finest of the plants that have their home 

 in Alpine regions. Messrs. Pulham and 

 Son, of Broxbourne, to whom the construc- 

 tion of the rock garden has been en- 

 trusted, have so cleAwly designed and car- 

 ried out the w^ork that a far more suitable 

 site for alpine and rock-loving plants has 

 been secured than is provided at the base 

 of a Swiss or Pyrenean Alp. The work is 



explained, by the rapid oxidizability of the ri"^jMJ;r.?51„'^..«V 



should add greatly to the reputation of the 

 Messrs. Pulham and to the many attrac- 



toxic matter, and, as suggested by the 



authors of the report, is in full accordance +■ £ r i 

 with what has been established as to the ^''^^l'^^ ^ famous garden, 

 behaviour of heated soils towards plants. 



Mr. Edward A, Bunyard, son of 



Mr._ George Bunyard, V.M.H., entered 

 business in 1896^ the year in which the firm 

 of Messrs. George Bunyard and Co., Lim., 

 celebrated its centenary. As' a member of 

 this firm, he is keenly interested in all that 

 relates to fruit culture, but in addition to 

 being an excellent man of business, !he 

 has devoted considerable time to the com- 

 pilation of an ''Index to Illustrations of 

 Apples" and an Index to Illustrations 

 of Pears," l>oth of which 'have been pub- 

 lished in the Journal of the Royal Hor- 

 ticidtural Society. Mr. E. A. Bunyard is 

 a collector of old books relatin^, 

 a.nd fruit trees, and is now at work on a 

 bibliography of the English works on these 

 subjects. He is a keen student of Genetics, 

 and at the Conference on Genetics held in 

 Ix)ndon in 1906, he read a paper on 

 *'Xenia." In addition to his earlier edu- 

 cation in England and study in the home 

 nursery Mr. E. A. Bunyard has lived in 

 France for the exprei^s purpose of studying 

 French nursery methods, becoming familiar 

 with the language, and acquiring a know- 

 ledge of French pomologioal works. He 

 has lectured before the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society and the Horticultural Club, 

 and is a member of the R.H.S. Library 



Committee and of the Governing Body of 

 the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Institu- 

 tion. In local affairs Mr. Bunyard has been 

 Guardian of the Poor for the parish of 

 Allingt-on since 1903, His chief hobby is 



Education in Forestry.— During 



the past year, as our pages amply testify, 

 questions relating to afforestation and edu- 

 cation in forestry received a large share of 

 attention. In a resolution relating to 

 forestry passed at one of their earlier meet- 

 ings, the Development Commissioners de- 

 cided that their first grants should be made 

 w^ith the object of improving the facilities 

 for obtaining a sound education in forestry. 

 In 1888 a lecturer in forestry was ap- 

 pointed at the Edinburgh University, and 

 since the appointment, a course of lectures 

 has annually been delivered during the 

 winter session. A few years since the 

 Edinburgh and East of Scotland Agricul- 

 tural College included in its curriculum a 

 short course of lectures on elementary 

 forestry for working foresters and others 

 at the Agricultural College. Subsequently 

 the Edinburgh University, appreciating 

 the importance of forestry, instituted a 

 B.Sc. degree in forestry, and ap- 

 pointed lecturers to give the special courses 

 of lectures which the forestry student was 

 required to" take, such as forest botany, 

 forest chemistry, and forest entomology. 

 The demands made upon the resources of 

 the department brought into prominence 

 t h e fact t h a t r o v i s i o n was r e q u i re d f or 

 (I) a forest garden, including an area for 

 exj>eriniental formation of woodvS ; (2) ex- 

 tensions of the present museum and the 

 provision of laboratories ; (3) additional 

 lecturers on the I^niversity staff. In col- 

 laboration with the Edinburgh and East of 

 Scotland Agricultural College, steps haA'e 

 been taken towards the attainment of these 



objects. The Devel(»pment Commis oners 

 were approached by the University court 

 and the governors of the Agricultural Col- 

 lege, and their applications were met by 

 the Commissioners in a generous spirit. A 

 sum of money has been promised annually 

 for a period of years for tlie rent and up- 

 keep of a forest garden and an area of 



experimental plantations. In addition, the 

 Development Commissioners have granted 

 the Tniversity a sum of £4,500 towards the 

 ei'ection of a new forestry building, pro- 

 vided a similar amount is provided by the 

 University. A grant of £2,000 has 'been 

 made tow^ards the equipment of the 

 museums and laboratories, and £500 an- 

 nually for five years has been promised as 

 a provision for the salaries of an additional 

 lecturer and an assistant in the Forestry 

 Department. 



Our Carnation Cover.-^The pre- 

 sent issue goes forth with a somewhat un- 

 usual cover ^ and one that indicates the 

 progress that is being made in reproduction 

 by the three-colour process. The perpetual 

 carnations are particularly good, and the 

 varieties represented are Wanoka^ crim- 

 son, the topmost flower; Baroness de 

 Brienen, the highest flower on the right, 

 a beautiful pink variety, which, like Lady 

 Alington, the fine red variety on the left, 

 was raised by Messrs. Stuart Low and Co., 

 Bush Hill Park Nurseries, Enfield. The 

 lowest flower, also a pink variety and of 

 much merit, is Admiration. Messrs, Stuart 

 Low and Co. have taken a very 2:)rominent 

 part in popularising perpetual carnations, 

 and by raising and introducing new varie- 

 ties, the firm has shown great skill and 

 enterprise, and thereby obtained much 

 fame, both at home and abroad, in con- 

 nection w^ith these charming and useful 

 flowers. On the back cover a rock garden 

 scene is presented, and probably not one 

 in ten of our readers will need to be told 

 that the picture illustrates that portion of 

 the rock garden at the Royal Gardens, 

 Kew, so generally known as the Dripping 

 Well. 



Hardy Plants and Flowers for 



Exhibition. The National Hardy Plant 

 Society has issued three model schedules, 

 compiled with a view to help committees rf 

 horticultural isocieties in the task of provid- 

 ing suitable and useful classes for hardy 

 herbaceous plants and flowers for either 

 spring, summer, or autumn shows. The so- 

 ciety lays particular stress upon the advis- 

 ability of excluding liliums, gladioli, and 

 other bulbous plants from the ordinary 

 classes for collections of herbaceous flowers, 

 and suggests that these subjects should 

 have classes to themselves. The inclusion of 

 flowering shrubs, or sub-shrubby subjects in 

 amy collection, of herbaceous plants will ^ f 

 necessity disqualify on technical grounds. 

 For example: a tree p^ony is not herba- 

 ceous, though all other paeonies un- 



doubtedly 



Quite rightly the society 



considers it undesirable that subjects which 

 cannot be held to be generally hardy in 

 British gardens be staged with herbaceous 

 flowers, while it considers that perpetual 

 or Malmaison carnations, roses, dahlias, 

 must not be staged in exhibits of hardy her- 

 baceous perennials. Excellent advice is 

 that in wording a schedule the greatest care 



should be exercised to make clear the exact 



requirements and restrictions insisted upon. 

 The word "kind" -shall always be taken 

 to meam genus " or family," as e.g., iris, 

 pyrethrum, etc ; species "^to mean '' wild 

 type" and ''vi\riety" any form raise^:l in 

 gardens. There seems to be a little weak- 

 ness in the description of variety " be- 

 cause if this definition applies only to gar- 

 den raised forms then it necessarily 

 eludes wi'd varieties of a. species. 



