71G 



THE 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



September 21^ 1912. 



receiving the strongest recommendation. 

 For a long period we have, in seasons 

 in which there has been some difficulty 

 in storing the tubers in so dry a 

 state as could be wished, sprinkled a small 

 quantity of fine lime among them during 

 the process, and have found it most bene- 

 ficial in its effect. Newly-slaked lime has 

 Ijeen used with most excellent results ; but, 

 according to some experiments that were 

 carried out at the Leeds University, ground 

 quicklime is preferable to slaked lime, but 



it has not the advantage of being so readily 

 obtainable. The lime not only keeps the 



sound tubers safe from infection, but pre- 

 vents any deterioration in their quality, a 

 matter of some consequence when the 

 potato crop has been lifted under condi- 

 tions that are distinctly unfavourable. 



sum, and a handsome bronze medallion, de- 

 signed by M. Chorel, was the result. 

 Quite recently, in the presence of a few 

 mem.bers of the family, and of the repre- 

 sentatives of the societies to which M. 

 Calvat belonged, the inauguration took 

 place in the cemetery at Grenoble, where 

 his remains were interred. On behalf of 

 the French Chrysanthemum Society M. 

 Philippe RivoireVegretted the premature 

 end of the great raiser, who had done so 

 much for the honour of French horticul- 

 ture, but rejoiced in the fact that the world 

 at large had participated in raising a last- 

 ing memorial to his honour. Thanks were 

 returned on behalf of the family by M. 

 Calvat's son-in-law, Captain Douillet. 



The 



National 



Sweet 



Edward 



with his 



brother, Mr. W. Laxton, carry on the 

 business of nurserymen and seedsmen, as 

 Messrs. Laxton Bros., Bedford, is one of 

 the most capable and enterprising of the 



of horticultural 



vouiiuer 



g(^ncrution 



Ciety will hold its London Exhibition 

 of 1913 at the Royal Horticultural Hall, 

 Westminster, on July 17. It is hoped that 

 a Northern Provincial Exhibition may be 

 arranged for the second week of August, 

 1913. The Society's annual meeting will 

 be held this year on October 17, at the 

 Hotel Windsor, Victoria Street, AVestmin- 

 ster, and will be followed by a conference. 



ew Pleasure Grounds for 



iatc Mv. llKJinas Laxton, and has carried 

 on the work of i-aising new fruits and vege- 

 tables with great vigour and succe^is. As 

 raisers of new strawberries the Laxtons 



trafh IS. He was trainfnl by his father, the Penrith. — The Penrith Urban Council 



has received the sanction of the Local 

 Government Board to borroiv £1,800 for 

 the purchase of the ruins of the castle and 

 grounds for conversion into public plea- 

 sure grounds. The total area of the site 

 is seven and a-half acresj and the purchase 

 price was £2,000, but an offer of £200 

 towards the cost rendered the borrowing of 

 the whole amount unnecessary. The Pen- 

 rith Castle Acquisition Committee have 

 guaranteed £1,000 for laying out the 

 grounds. The castle was erected by Ralph 

 Neville, Earl of Westmorland, in 1397, and 

 dismantled by the Royalist Commandant 



stand pre-eminent, and probably no straw- 

 berry has ever had such widespread popu- 

 larity as their Royal Sovereign. Much 

 time and space are devoted to strawberry 

 culture and to raising and testing new 

 varieties, and many thousands of seedlings 

 have to be raised and grown for several 

 years before such varieties as The Laxton, 

 Bedford Champion, Laxton's Latest, New 

 Connoisseur, Reward, Rival, The Queen, 

 and King George V. can be placed on the 

 niarket. The most careful records are kept 

 of all crosses made, and of the results 

 secured. Mr. Laxton has raised new red 

 and black currants, new raspberries, and 

 the quite ntnv Laxtonberry, a strong-grow- 

 ing, fioc-cropping fruit that may l)e de- 

 scribed as a coreless, raspberry-flavoured 

 loganberry. Hybrid and cross-bred fruits 

 of many kin<ls have been raised at Bedford 

 by Mr. Laxton and his brother, and many 

 are passing through severe tests before 

 making their bow to the public. Fruit 

 trees, roses, etc., are grown extensively 

 under Mr. Laxton's supervision, and culi- 

 nary peas are another special feature, the 

 firm having long been famous for their fine 

 varieties, of which Gradus, Thomas Laxton, 

 and Alderman may be mentioned as exam- 

 ples. Mr. E. Laxton and his brother have 

 not only sustained the reputation their 

 father made, but have made reputations 

 for themselves^ and, being in the early 

 prime of manhoo<:l, there is every prospect 

 that new fruits to come will add further 

 lustre to their achievements. 



— In our issue for the 



28th inst. we shall give several special 

 articles and illustrations relating U) sweet 

 peas, with a view to assist cultivators in 

 the fullest possible manner in carrying out 

 the cultural <leta!ls requiring attention at 

 this season of the year. The articles will 

 deal with such important matt-ers as new 

 sweet peas, sowing sweet peas in autumn, 

 culture for exhibition, and sweet pea cul- 

 ture under glass. 



Monument to M. Ernest Cal- 

 vat.- 



It 



remembore<l 



after tlie sudden death of the great French 

 chrysanthemum raiser, Ernest Calvat, of 

 Grenoblo, a movement was started to raise 

 a fund onn t a Tuonument to his memory. 

 Hh^ futHi, (oritributed to by growers all 

 over the worl<l, amounted to a ronsidprnKlo 



during the Civil War. 



French and Italian Flowers. 



The cultivators of flowers for market in 

 certain parts of Italy are at the present 

 time perturbed by the restrictions that 

 have \)een placed upon the importation of 

 some of their products into France. 

 The growers at Ventimiglia held a meet- 

 ing the other day, at which it was re- 

 solved to petition the King of Italy to 

 ask the French Government to repeal the 

 decree which is in force prohibiting the 

 importation of Italian flowers into France. 

 It was further resolved that, should the 

 French Government refuse to repeal the 

 decree, the flower growers of Liguria would 

 boycott all flowers coming from Nice and 

 Provence. The controversy between the 

 flower growers in the two countries in ques- 

 tion has arisen from the prohibition by 

 the French Government early in the year 

 of the importation of cut flowers from Italy, 

 because of the silkworm breeders of Pro- 

 vence fearing that the insect pest known 

 as Diaspis pentagona, which was preva- 

 lent in Liguria, might attack their mul- 

 berry trees. 



Botany of the Abor Expedi- 



tlon,--Mr. J. H. Burkill, who occupied 

 the position of Government botanist to the 

 Abor expedition, delivered a semi-popular 

 lecture in Section K (Botany) of the British 

 Assocmtion, in which he descri1)e<l the 

 forests of the Abor hills in Eastern Hima- 

 laya He said forest was the natural 

 clothmg of these hills, where it obliterated 

 the clearmgs of man verv quickly The 

 forest of the plains, like all tropical rain 

 forests, had a great variety of foliage, 

 i he vegetation was in three layers— giant 

 trees, which were small-leaved, the se^ls 

 t>euig wuid-dispersed ; lesser trees, which 

 were large-leaved and animal dispersed • 

 and the ground vegetation. On the north 

 slopes in the lower hill region ruled a most 



distinct and charact-eristic forest composed 

 chiefly of a tree called by the Abors SLing- 

 keng." Above the base of the hills oaks 

 appeared^ and ruled in places ; and on very 

 steep slopes a giant bamboo ruled. Grasses 

 were very rare in the whole countryside. 

 The climate was so humid all the year 

 round that it was only on the bluffs^and 

 south slopes of the hills that deciduous 

 trees were found bare for move lU-m a 

 month after their leaves had fallen. 



The National Chrysanthemum 

 Society's Meetings for the ensuing 



season will be held either at the Crystal 

 Palace or Essex Hall, Strand. At the 

 form^er plaice there will be exhibitions on 

 October 2 and 3, and October 29, 30, and 

 31. The Floral Committee will meet at 

 one o'clock on the first day of each 

 exhibition, and at three o clock at 

 Essex Hall, on September 23, Octo- 

 ber 21, November 11^ November 20, 

 and December 2. On November 20 there 

 will be an exhibition at Essex Hall,. and this 

 will be open at one o'clock and at seven 

 p.m. A conference will be held. 



A Flower Show Problem.— AVe 



are pleased to find that ovir views on the 

 importance of effecting a reduction in the 

 number of local horticultural societies for 

 the purpose of a concentration of effort on a 

 few of those most favourably situated wit^ 

 a view to their holding exhibitions that 

 are worthy of the present position of horti- 

 culture is finding favour. AVith reference 

 to this matter, the Oxford Chronicle " ob- 

 serves : One of the most striking develop- 

 ments in the history of horticultural so- 

 cieties is the growing tendency to trans- 

 form the modest show of garden produce 

 into a popular fete, with attractions of a . 

 quite irrelevant character in the shape or 

 sports and other amusements. The pre- 

 sence of the public is naturally essential 

 to the success of any show, but is not the 

 adoption of such methods a confession of 

 weakness? It is surprising to what an ex- 

 tent, outside the small coterie of enthu- 

 siastic horticulturists, the actual show is 

 neglected. Many persons do not trouble 

 to enter the exhibition tents at all, or^^® 

 satisfied with a very cursory survey. Ihe 

 wisdom, or otherwise, of these ' side shows 

 is a matter on which some considerable 

 difference of opinion exists, but i^J-jj^^ 

 are necessary then it may be suggested that 

 the fact proves that we have more Hower 

 shows than enthusiasm for floriculture war- 

 rants. Shows at this period of the year 

 are innumerable, and it is questionable 

 whether so many in a comparatively smaU 

 area serve any really useful purpose, 

 remedy might be found in the amalgama- 

 tion of various societies, and a series 0 

 shows might be arranged at, say, mtervais 

 of a month during the summer. Flower 

 shows would then be flower shows, and not 

 miscellaneous fetes, and one fancies tnax 

 the public would appreciate the change. 



Sale of Seedling: Daffodils- 

 Some time previous to the commencenicii 

 of the planting season for daffodils ^^'^ 

 directed attention to the advantages tna 

 would result to both raisers and g^^^^'^^ 

 of these flowers were the practice adoptfu 

 by raisers of distributing, through 

 usual trade channels, seedlings of nig.^ 

 quality that for some reason or . 

 would not be desirable to <li^t^'^'.'"^^ 

 xmder name. We pointed out ^^at ^ 

 the varieties of exceptional merit had l^e 

 selected for distribution under 

 from seedlings that had been raised tio^ 

 carefullv made crosses, there must ''^"^^ 

 many of great beautv. We therefore ^i-^ 

 gested that the same practice ^"^^"^ j 

 adopted in the case of daffo<lds as ^^^^ 

 given snt'h good results in be 

 tuberous heironias. It was hardly 



the 



