170 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



March 2, 1912. 



tliat were raised from cuttings rooted in 

 the heated soil were the most robust, but 

 Avere free from coarseiiess. Spinach grown 

 nnder glass in .soil that had been heated 

 by »team to 200-210 degrees prodncetl 

 larger leaves, and showed less tendency to 

 rnn to seed than did the plants in soil that 

 had not been subjected to heat. The dif- 

 ference was most marked in the early 

 spring crop, the relative weights of the 

 prodiTce in the untreated and treated soil 

 being 100 and 447 respectively. The ex- 

 periments with radishes are of special in- 

 terest, and in these seven successive sow- 

 ings were made under glass, but no manure 

 was applied to the soil. The first three 

 crops in the soil that had been heated 

 to 200-210 degrees were much larger and 

 earlier than the crops in the control bed, 

 but the last three differed but little. After 

 the seventh crop the soil was again heated 

 and sown with radishes, and the weight of 

 the resulting crop was nearly double that 

 from the control sowing. The results ob- 

 tained with tomatoes were of much interest 

 l>ecause of the importance of the crop and 

 the marked difference in the produce. Six 

 sets of plants w^ere grown for the purposes 

 of the investigations, three in soil that had 

 been heated, two in soil watered with che- 

 micals in solution, and one in untreated 

 soil. The relative weights of the crops, 

 briefly stated, were: Untreated 100, sod 

 heated to 200 degrees 342, heated to the 

 same temperature plus an addition of basic 

 slag 332, heated to 130 degres 339, sod 

 treated with toluol 336, and with carbon di- 

 sulphide 346. The chemicals were used at 

 the rate of ^ per cent., or one gallon per 

 ton. The results obtained were through- 

 out such as to show that the question in- 

 volved is one deser\nng the most careful 

 consideration of practical cultivators, more 

 especially those engaged in market culture. 

 It is hardly necessary to say that if such in- 

 creases can be obtained in practice, the 

 returns will more than repay the cost of 

 treatment. It is even more important to 

 know, from investigations conducted on 

 strictly scientific lines, that tomato and 

 other soils that have become " sick " can be 

 restored to a healthy state. The investi- 

 gations of Dr. Russell and Mr. Pethridge 

 have proved to demonstration that "sick- 

 ness " of such soils is due to a low^ered effi- 

 ciency of the food-makers, and an accumu- 

 lation of disease organisms. Also that 

 both these causes are removed by partial 

 sterilisation, and most completely by heat- 

 in or to 200 decrees. 



duriufz; tlio summer vacation. Tins work, 

 and also that of selecting ph)ts for school 

 gardens, and the superintendence of the 

 plots under cultivation, occupy a good deal 

 of Mr. Wakely's time. An experimental 

 garden of three acres is also largely under 

 his care, and this has been arranged and 

 planted for the purpose of experiment, and 

 also for practical instruction in connection 

 with the various classes held at Chelms- 

 ford. Mr. Wakely is very happy in his 

 work, and his quiet manner and readiness 



make him 



— r. Charles Wakely, hortictd- 



tural instructor under the Education Com- 

 mittee of the Essex County Councd, is an 

 exceedingly capable teacher of the gentle 

 art of gardening, and his services are m 

 great request for lectures and demonstra- 

 tions throughout the county. Mr. C. 

 Wakely is an Old Kewite, who, besides 

 being an excellent cultivator, has always 

 been studiously inclined, and so has added 

 a wide theoretical knowledge to practical 

 skill Special attention has been given at 

 Chelmsford to the training of young gar- 

 deners, and many of the JO^^^J'^^^ ^« 

 trained have passed local and K.M.b. ex- 

 aminations in horticulture, and are now 

 occupying good posts in the horticultural 

 world, and in their training Mr. Wakely 

 has taken a very active part. When some 

 local difficulty in connection with horticul- 

 ture arises in Essex Mr. Wakely is the man 

 usuallv sent to solve it. The Essex County 

 Council long ago encouraged school gar- 

 dening, with the result that quite a hun- 

 dred schools now give instruction in this 

 subject. This has naturally led to a need 

 for classes for teachers, on Saturdays and 



to help all and sundry 



i\nr»nl!ir in ihp, miiutv of EsSCX 



Dahlia 



Conference-— A 



the National 



very 



c^nfer- 

 Dahlia 



to 



ence organised by 

 Society will be held at Carr's Restaurant 

 on Friday, March 8, 1912, at 6.30 p.m. 

 Mr. George Gordon, V.M.H., president of 

 the society, will preside, and papers will 

 be read by Mr. George Davidson on " The 

 Cultivation of Dahlias in Suburban Gar- 

 dens/' and Mr. J. B. Riding on ^'Collar- 

 ette, Paeony-flowjered, and Decorative 

 Dahlias." Members of the society and 

 others interested in the dahlia are invited 

 to send in questions relative to dahlia mat- 

 ters, and these will be answered by experts 

 after the papers have been read. The 

 questions should be written out and sent 

 Mr. E. F. Hawes, hon. sec, Ulysses, 

 Fortune Green, N.W. 



Tree Pruning In the Mall. — 



Towards the close of the winter of 1910-11 

 there was considerable criticism in the 

 general Press of the manner in which the 

 young plane trees in the Mall were being 

 pruned, and much was written that indi- 

 cated on the part of the writers an im- 

 perfect acquaintance with the pruning of 

 such trees. Pruning operations have 

 again commenced in the Mall, and with 

 reference to the manner in which they are 

 being carried out^ a correspondent of The 

 Times " writes : ' " The authorities who 

 have charge of the Processional Avenue in 

 the Mall are again at their fell work lop- 

 ping and hewing young trees into a kind 

 of hedge. The work is being done by 

 three apparently labouring men with no 

 expert to advise them. They have nearly 

 finished the south side of the avenue, on 

 which they have, as far as they have gone, 

 cut off the leading shoot of every tree, and 

 generally stubbed them into the appear- 

 ance of doirs-house trees. Now, no doubt 

 trees in an avenue require some cutting 

 for the prevention of surplus leads, the re- 

 moval of surplus shoots, etc., but I am con- 

 fident that no aboriculturist of experience 

 in the Kingdom could be found w^ho would 

 permit the leading shoots of trees in a pro- 

 cessional avenue to be cut off.'' This is 

 the critic's statement with regard U) the 

 manner in which the pruning is being done, 

 it is therefore of special interest that 

 the facts of the case should be known. 

 The work is being performed on exactly the 

 same lines as last year. As already inti- 

 mated, there was then considerable criti- 

 cism of the manner in which the trees 

 were pruned, and, in consequence thereof, 

 Professor Bayley Balfour, F.R.S., Regius 

 Keeper of the Royal Botanic Gardens, 

 Edinburgh, was asked to inspect the trees 

 and report upon them. He complied with 

 the request, and the result of his investi- 

 gation was published as a Parliamentary 

 Paper, to which we referred at some length 

 on its publication. Professor Bayley Bal- 

 four stated that he found nothing to justify 

 the adverse criticism of the pruning, or of 

 the result obtained from it. So far from 

 this being the case, he was impressed by 

 the evidence of the application of sound 

 practical knowledge combined with scien- 

 tific principle in the pruning of the trees 

 in relation to their surroundings. The 



pruning operations that are now in pn)- 

 gress are being conducted by expert work- 

 men, under the sM])ervision of those who 

 are fully acqiutiuted with both principles 

 and practice of tree pruning. 



Proposed Gardeners' Dinner. 



—Mr. Alex. Dean, V.M.H., informs us that 

 hopes have been entertained that a big 

 dinner and social gathering, similar to that 

 which took place at the Holborn Restau- 

 rant in 1903, could be arranged in the in- 

 terests of British gardeners in connection 

 with the forthcoming International Horti- 

 cultural Exhibition in May. The old Gar- 

 deners' Committee, considerably enlarged, 

 met at Vincent Square on Tuesday, Febru- 

 ary 20, to give the matter full considera- 

 tion. Ultimately, after considerable dis- 

 cussion, it was resolved to abandon the pro- 

 ject for several and sufficient reasons, a^ 

 the conditions which made for success in 

 1903 did not present themselves now. The 

 committee came to the de<dsion regretfully 

 l)Ut realised that unless there was reason- 

 able prospect of success it was useless to 

 proceed further in the matter. 



The Yellow-flowered Cherry. 



■Messrs. Paul and Son, Cheshunt, write 

 us : Your notes on page 114 of the GGar- 

 DENERs' Magazine, and the accompanying 

 illustration of Prunus pseudo-cerasus flore 

 luteo pleno, interests us considerably, be- 

 cause our attention was drawn to it some 

 ten years ago by the late Mr. George 

 Nicholson. We have grown it ever since 

 under the name of P. lutescens. The colour 

 is, as you suggest, buff tinted or cream. 

 This cherry has been very effective some 

 seasons with us, but the remarkable thing 

 is that customers so rarely enquire after 

 the yellow-flowered cherry." 



Committee on 



Forests.— The President 



Advisory 

 Wood 



of the Board of Agriculture has appomted 

 a Committee to advise the Board on 

 matters relating to the development ot 

 forestry. References will be made to the 

 Committee from time to time as occasion 

 arises. The Committee will be asked m 

 the first instance : (1) To consider and ad- 

 vise upon proposals for a forestry survey ; 

 (2) to draw up plans for experiments m 

 sylviculture, and to report upon questions 

 relating to the selection and laying out ot 

 forestal demonstration areas ; (3) to advise 

 as to the provision required for the instruc- 

 tion of woodmen. The Committee is con- 

 stituted as follows : Sir Stafford Howard, 

 K.C.B. (chairman), Mr. F. D. Wilhanis- 

 Drummond, Sir S. Eardley-\\ dmot, 

 K.C.I.E., the Right Hon. R. 0. Munro 

 Ferguson, M.P., Lieut.-Colonel D. Prain, 

 C.M G., CLE., F.R.S., Mr. E. R. Prat* 

 (President of the Royal English Arboncui- 

 tural Society), Professor Sir W. Schhcn, 

 K.C.I.E., F.'R.R., Professor William boiner- 

 ville, D.Sc, and tlie Hon. Arthur L. Stan- 

 ley. Mr. R. h. Robinson, of the Board ot 

 Agriculture, will act as secretary. 



Roysil Gardeners 



Fund.— We hav© much pleasure in an 

 iKuuicing that Sir Edwin Diirnmg-l^afl 

 rence, Bart., has kindly consented to pr _ 

 side at the twenty-fourth annual clinne 

 in aid of this fund, which has heen ar 

 ranged to take place at the Hotel Cec 

 on Wednesday, May 8. r- n 



Northern Counties' Fruit Con- 

 gress and Show.-The four ^-'ythf"; 



Counties will hold a Fruit Show and 

 gress at Carlisle on September 4 ai" 

 in conjunction witii the Carlisle and I.' ' 

 l.erland Horticultural Associations exni 

 tion. Mr. W. B. Little, Petterd Street, 

 Carlisle, the hon. secretary of the Congre ^, 

 writes: "The dates may aPP^ar early. . 

 this could not be avoided as the '■^^'''^^j^^i 

 Society spec alis{>s in sweet peas, etc., ■ 



5. 



