SeptE3ib-^.r 21, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



717 



expected that all the raisers would be m 

 atrreement with our advocacy of so wide a 

 dfrergence fi'om the orthodox practice, but 

 we are pleased to find that several of the 

 leading firms who are closely associated with 

 the daffodil cult are this season offering 

 unnamed seedlings. For example, Messrs. 

 J R. Pearson and Sons, of Lowdhani, 

 Xotts offer seedlings obtained from their 

 hielilv-snccessful crosses between Madame 

 de Graaff and Minnie Hume, tliat gave 

 Lowdham Beauty and several other notable 

 varieties. Messrs. Cartwright and Good- 

 win, Kidderminster, also offer seedlings of 

 the Leedsi type; and Messrs. Barr and 

 Sons, of King Street, Covent ^ Garden, 

 W.C', give growers an opportunity of ol)- 

 taining selected seedlings that have been 

 obtained from the intercrossing of such fine 

 trumpets as King Alfred, Weardale Perfec- 

 tion, and Madame de Graaff. We mention 

 this new departure as a matter of general 

 interest to growers of daffodils, and shall 

 watch its development with much interest. 



Larch and 



The 



Japanese 



Drought. — The planting of Japanese 

 larch in preference to Eiiropean larch has 

 been advocated in recent years on account 

 of its superior growth when young, and its 

 resistance to disease, and hitherto the only 

 reason against its cultivation has been 

 the lack of knowledge as to whether the 

 Japanese variety will attain the size of the 

 European as a timber tree at the age of 

 70 to 100 years. Japanese larch, however, 

 seems, according to the Quarterly Journal 

 of Forestrv," to have suffered more from 

 the drought of 1911 than the European 

 variety. The latter, therefore, seems a far 

 safer tree to plant under unfavourable con- 

 ditions as to rainfall, and under the worst 

 conditions would probably have to be filled 

 up to the extent of only 25 per cent., as 

 against entire replanting of a Japanese 

 crop. However, under a moc^rate set- 

 back the Japanese variety seems to throw 

 out a new leader, stronger, better, and 

 more quickly than the European, and, tak- 

 ing into account the disease-resisting power 

 of the Japanese variety, and the" excep- 

 tional character of the weather of 1911. it 

 may be well worth planting, and among a 

 strong growth of bracken, or for planting 

 up clear-cut coppice woods, provided there 

 1^ a reasonable amount of moisture in the 

 sf^il, It may he more useful than European. 



Nicotine as an Insecticide.-- 



the " Journal of Econo- 

 "11^ *^ntomology " contains a report on 

 ^ome experiments that were carried out to 

 J««t the efficacy of a solution of pure nico- 

 ^'ue as compared with tobacco extracts of 

 ^arious strengths. The pure nicotine used 

 as a 10 per cent, solution, and the ex- 

 acts were of strengths containing 8 per 

 ^^t., 2o per cent., 30 per cent., and 40 

 \^ r cent, of pure nicotine, and in'addition 



nJi^r s^l^ition of nicotine sulphate 



jae trom pure nicotine was tried. Four 



soliU*^^^ ^^I'^iti^^ns were made of all the 

 tivpl'^o^- dilutions containing respec- 



imm "^"l (Cimex lectularius) were 



and solutions for one minute, 



five 1 ^^^^^ o"t and examined after 

 of tl?^^?' ^'^^ shown that the effects 

 ine • ^^^^^^'^nt were not due to drown- 

 ont m^^^ insects immersed in water for 

 theu4.^T^*^ ^'f^re unharmed. Practically 

 2 xiJ" insects were killed by the 



the n^^t' each solution tested, 



^th killed in each case decreasin.g 



tion p d^reasing strength of the dilu- 

 as eiffi -^^ iiiootine appeared to l)e quite 

 Prenn./"-*^^^^ as tho four tobacco extract 

 nico In '^^^ superior to 



the 4^"" ^'^^'Ph'^te solution. Of the extracts 

 ' per cent, solution (the strongest) 

 the most effective. 



-Vi'^ent issue of 



the 



NATIONAL DAHLIA SOCIETY. 



Ou September 17 and 18, the National Dah- 

 lia Society held it6 exhibition at the Crystal 

 Palace, the scene of so many brilliant horti- 

 cultural displays. This exhibition was a 

 large one, but it was by no means one of 

 the best the society has held. The cold, wet 

 weather of this season has not been favour- 

 able to high-class dahlia blooms^ although it 

 has TLOt been a bad season for dahlias as con- 

 sidered soleW from the point of view of 

 garden decorations. Cultivators who have 

 had in view the production of exhibition 

 flowers have had some difficulty in managing 

 their plants this year. The competition was 



not keen., save in some of the smaller classes 

 for amateurs; indeed, there was verv little 

 of that bustle and excitement an hour pre- 

 vious to the time of judging, on September 



Pleasaunce, Model, Primrose, David John- 

 son, and Mrs. Langtry, Mr. Chas, Turner 

 won first place for two dozen show blooms, 

 and especially good were his Perfection, 

 Jas. Cocker, Mrs. Langtry. Chieftain, Mar- 

 jorie, and Arthur Rawlings ; Messrs. J. 

 Cheal and Sons, Crawley, were placed second, 

 but it must have been a close fight between 

 them and Messrs. W. Treseder, Lim., Car- 

 diff, who were placed third. 



Mr. S. Mortimer was first prize-winner for 

 eighteen fancy dahlias, and liere the best 

 specimens were of Gaiety, Duchess of Al- 

 bany, and Fanny Short. For a dozen fancy 

 dalilias Mr. Chas. Turner was a good first, 

 followed by Messrs. W. Treseder, Lini., and 

 Mr. M. V. Scale. Fancy dahlias were not, 

 however, up to best form. 



The Silver Challenge Cup for eighteen 

 bunches of cactus dahlias, distinct, six 



NEW CACTUS DAHLIA GIGANTIC. 



Colour, old gold. F.C.C., 



N.D.S., September 17. 



St. Leonards. 



Messrs. J. Stredwick and Son, 



17, so characteristic of, say, a rose or a sweet 



pea show. . . j 



The committee was sparing m its awards 

 to new varieties, but it granted a First Class 

 Certificate to Gigantic and George Schofield. 

 two cactus varieties, from Messrs. J. Stred- 

 wick and Son; to Kathleen, garden cactus, 

 and Johnnie pompon, from Mr. J. T. est, 

 Brentwood; * to Autocrat, a yellow show 

 varietv, from Messrs. Keynes, Williams, and 

 Co. Salisbury; and to Mrs. A. Brown, the 

 soft yellow single variety, staged originally 

 as Yellow Prince, and exhibited by Mr. A. 

 Brown, Grange Road, Leagrave, Beds. 



NURSERYMEN. 



There was but one entry in the class for 

 forty-eight blooms, distinct, of show dahlias, 

 and this secured the first prize for Mr. E. 

 Mortimer, Rowledge, Farcham, whose set 

 was a good one, and contained fine blooms of 

 Penelope, Crimson Globe, Florence Tranter, 



blooms of each, was won by Messrs. J. Stred- 

 wick and Son, St. Leonards, with finely- 

 grown specimens of H. H. Thomas, Rev. A. 

 H. Lowe, Mrs. Randle, Scorpion, Heroine, 

 Moonlight, Golden Wave, Conqueror, F. W. 

 Fellows, Frances White, John Riding, Mrs. 

 D. Fleming, Gigartic, Miss Stredwick, 

 Carrie Hammond, Emu, and Phyllis ; 

 Messrs. J. Cheal and Sons, second, and 

 Messrs. J. Burrell and Co., Cambridge, 

 third. Mr. Scale was the only exhibitor of 

 twelve l)unches of cactus dahlias, his best 

 beiug Harold Peerman, H. H. Thomas, and 

 Encliantress. 



M(«^>r-. Keynes, Williams, and Co.. Salis- 

 bury, were first for forty-eight cactus dah- 

 lias;^ on boards, wnnijing with a beautifully 

 even set that ' included Olympia, Golden 

 Crown, dincher, Lacemaker, Cavalier. Dr. 

 Roy Appleton, New York l^stlu^r. and 

 Flo>sie Ridout in fine form; Messrs. J. 

 Stredwick and Son second and Messrs. J. 



