734 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



^EPTEMBEIfc 28, 1912 



Kose Society Mr. Merryweather has been 

 associated since its fovmdation, and, not- 

 withstanding the immense amount of work 

 involved ni the development of the immense 

 establishment of which he is the hea/cl^ Mr. 

 Merrvweathcr has found time to take an 

 active part in the administration of the 

 affairs of Southwell, and he has held office 

 on mostj if not all, the public bodies con- 

 nected with that City. During the past 



summer he was made a Justice of the Peace 

 for the County of Notts, an honour that 

 gave much pleasure to those who w*Me ac- 

 quaijited with the splendid services he has 

 render<Hl in the course of his public activi- 

 ties. 



Roses and Rose Culture will be 



specially <lcalt with in our iH\\t issue (Octo- 

 Imt •">). and anu>ng the articles for which 

 arraii^criH iits have been made are new 

 mediil ( osrs. tluv improvement of rose soils, 



th(^ pcj^;^in^-*l()wn method of rose cidture, 

 dwarf [)olyantlia rosrs. and yellow outdoor 

 roses. The issiu' will treely illustrated, 

 and prominent among the illustrations will 

 be those of some of the finest of the new 

 rases that have received distinction during 

 th(» year. 



National Rose Society. — The 



Council of the National Rose Society will, 

 we understand, make a new departure next 

 year, and hold a spring exliibition at the 

 lioyal Agricultural Hall, and the date will 

 probably be Thursday, May 1. The metro- 

 politan exhibition will b(^ held on Friday, 

 July 4, and the proviticial show^ will 

 be held at Bath about the middle of the 

 month, and the autumn exhibition at the 

 Royal Horti<"ultural Hall in probably the 

 thir<:l we(»k in Septcndier. We are very 

 pleased to learn that the society has de- 

 cided to include a spring show in its pro- 

 grannne, aiul should it prove the success 

 we anticipate, it will be one of the most 

 pleasant of the finictions that will have a 

 place in the society's programme. It 

 is whi.spered that the Sept(unber show may 

 I'xtend over two days, witli a view to mak- 

 ing such arrangements as will enable a 

 much larger number of those w^ho appre- 

 ciate the beauties of the rose to enjoy the 

 charms of the autumn flowers than is nov\- 

 possible. Owning to the cooler conditions 

 that obtain in September, tber*^ is not the 

 same objection to a two-<lays" show in that 

 month as in June, July, or August. 



on Electroculture. 



The utilisation of elcftricitv in horticul- 

 ture is receiving considerable attention in 

 France, and a congress of an international 

 character will be hold at Reimes on Octo- 

 ber 24 and the two following days for the 

 purpose of discuvssing the various questions 

 relating to eleotroculture. The subjects 

 arranged for di^^cussion include the influence 

 of atmospheric electricity on the growth of 

 plants and the nitrification of the soil; the 

 use of electricity artifi<'ially generated, 

 and its influence on the plants, soil, and 

 artificial and natund manui-es : the influ- 

 ence of electricitv on the ^germination of 

 sei'fls : ;uul on the fungoid and insect pests. 

 Tile u-f of electricity in protecting crops 

 from the injurious effects of hailstorms and 

 in accelerating the growth and flowering 

 of plants, and the influence of the electric 

 light will be discussed. Those who are in- 

 terested in the subject may obtain pro- 

 grammes from the Secretary-General, o8, 

 Boulevard Voltaire. Paris. 



The Oldest Vine in Scotland. 



— Afiss I^*hell;i I)uk(^ writes, trnin l-5ea»"e- 



hill, BriH-liin : \ was much bittM^ stcd in 

 the notice of our old vine, which aj)peared 

 in yonr issue of August 10. Your ^'orre- 

 •spondont. however, is not quite correct. 

 My fatluM-. ATr. Duke (not Duthie), bought 

 this property forty years ago. and the vine 

 has been under the care of ATr. Tosh for 



thirty-eight years. It is a Black Ham- 

 burgh vine, and about 135 years old so tar 

 as we know. About seventeen years ago 

 the house was doubled in size, and it is 

 now quite filled, and the vine carries 450 

 bunches this year. I should be greatly in- 

 terested to know if ours is the oldest vine 

 in Scotland, and perhaps some of your 

 Scottish readers may help me to find out 

 whether it is or not." 



Birmingham Horticultural 



Society. — -The committee of this new so- 

 ciety are able to announce a higldy satisfac- 

 tory result from their recent show, because^ 

 notwithstanding many difficulties and incle- 

 ment weather, the profits amount to over 

 £100. We are informed that the committee 

 recently passed a sincere vote of thanks to 

 the exhibitoi-s, Avho made the show a suc- 

 cess. The shortage of tent accommodation 

 was due to an error on the part of the con- 

 tractor, ami is a matter that will be re- 

 medied in the future, and no effort will be 

 spared to ensure the comfort and conveni- 

 ence of exhibitors. Mr. W. E. Carradine, 

 the secretary, 84, Hamstead Road, Hands- 

 worth, will welcome any suggestions for 

 future exhibitions. 



North of 



Horticul 



Engfland 



tural Society. — The exhibition that 

 will be held by this society in the Leeds 

 Corn Exchange on October 17 and 18, pro- 

 mises to be a great success. We are in- 

 formed that the committee of the Leeds 

 Workpeoples' Hospital Fund are offering a 



challenge cup, of the value of 80 guineas, 

 for the best exhibit in the show. This 

 cup will rernain the property of the donors, 

 but will be held by the winner for the time 

 being. This committee are also offering a 

 15-guiuea challenge eup to the best exhibit 

 from other than the members of the trade. 

 Lady Barran will open the show at two p.m. 

 on October 17, and the profits will go to 

 the Hospital Fund. Mr. A. J. Allsop will 

 be in charge of the arrangements. 



Of 



Resinous 



Propag:ation 



Plants. — In the course of one of his re- 



cent lectures on plant j^ropagation 

 fessor 



Pro- 



Bayley Balfour made special refer- 

 ence to the propagation by cuttings of 



and 



by cuttings 

 resinous plants and plants with thick 

 juices. Examples given were mostly drawn 

 from the gymnosperms. Many of them, it 

 was pointed out, do not callus freely — pine 

 trees, for example, do not form stool shoots 

 because the healing by callus is replaced 

 by healing by resin, and this may be cited 

 as an argument against the suggestion that 

 the retrogression of the gj^mnospermous 

 type in the history of the world's plant 

 covering is a consequence of the want of 

 a protective callus. The two critical points 

 in striking cuttings of such resinous plants 

 are — to prevent the drain upon the plant 

 resources through excessive outflow of resin 

 when the cutting is made^which may be 

 achieved by plunging in boiling water — and 

 to provide easy exit for new roots by scrap- 

 ing off the protecting resin skin. Callused 

 and rooted cuttings of pines were exhibited, 

 special attention being directed to them 

 l>ecause the striking of pines by cuttings 

 is regarded by many as impossible. The 

 cuttmgs were struck by Mr. Laurence 



Stewart, plant propagator of the Botanic 

 Garden. 



The Farrer 

 Plants- 



Cup for 



Rock 



The Council of the R.H.S. offer 



a 



(subject to the general rules of the society, 

 and the special regulations indicated below) 

 silver cup, presented to them by Mr. 

 Regmald Farrer, to be competed for at the 

 spring show, on May 20 and 22, 1913. The 

 class requires six new or rare dwarf rock 

 plants, naturally abont nine inches in 



not less than six or more than 

 twelve specimens of each. New 

 forms of well-known plants admissible; 

 double flowers excluded. 



1 



height. 



interest, and correctness of name to rank 

 above size of specimens. It is not essential 

 that all, or even more than one, of any 

 species shovild be in bloom, e.g., no one 

 would expect to have six Saxifraga floru- 

 lenta in bloom simultaneously, but a group 

 of it with a flower spike should take pre- 

 cedence of another without. Every ex- 

 hibitor must attach a card giving in print 

 or in very clear writing, the personal his- 

 tory of each set of plants (e.g., whence he 

 obtained the plant, or through whom, and 

 when, its habitat, etc.), and observation re- 

 marks (e.g., ease or difficulty of cultivation, 

 suitable soil, positions and uses, method 

 of propagation, peculiarities, etc.). Judg- 

 ing will be by points : Novelty and interest, 

 20 ; beauty, 20 j garden value, 15 ; culture, 

 10 ; correctness of name, personal history, 

 and quality of observation remarks, 20; 

 rarity, 15. First prize, the Farrer Cup in 

 silver. The Council will award suitable 

 medals according to merit, at their discre- 

 tion, to the exhibitor adjudged second, and 

 possibly to the third. 



M. Georg-e Gibault.— This gentle- 

 man, who is the highly-respected librarian 

 of the National Horticultural Society of 

 France, and an eminent writer on the his- 

 torical and literary aspects of horticulture, 

 has recently been appointed a correspond- 

 ing member of the Royal Horticultural So- 

 ciety. Some of our readers will no doubt 

 remember M. Gibault's latest addition to 

 horticultural literature, his Histoire des 

 Legumes,'' a work involving much research, 

 and the result of many years' literary ac- 

 tivity. 



A New Park for Llanelly- Sir 



Stafford and Lady Howard celebrated the 

 first anniversary of their wedding day hv 

 throwing o])en \o the public a park that 

 is to be called Pare Howard. This park, 

 of twenty-five acres, was formerly known 

 as the Bryncaerau estate, and contains a 

 castle that lias been converted into a 

 museum, with reading and refreshment 

 rooms. Pare Howard has been presented 

 to Llanellv at a vearlv rental of £5. 



Mme. Philiippe de Vilmorin-- 



There are some of our readers who are per- 

 sonally acquainted with M. Philippe de 

 Vilmorin and his charming wife, for toev 

 are not unknown in this country, where 

 they have attended important horticultural 

 functions at various times. The news has 

 just reached us that the French Govern- 

 ment has recently bestowed upon Mme. rii. 

 de Vilmorin the Cross of Chevalier of the 

 Merite Agricole for services she has ren- 

 dered to French horticulture. We congra- 

 tidate her and her husband upon this dis- 

 tinction, in which all their English friends 



7 



will join unanimously. 



Scottish Railway Station Gar 



In announcinir the awards for tiie 



dens. 



best-kept platform gardens on the Glasgo^ 

 and South Western Eadway, \" 



Cooper, th 



managt 



says tlmt the d.reo- 

 tors view with satrsfa<>tion the efforts ma^ 

 in the way of station decoration, »™ ^'^^ 

 forms the station masters th*at foi' 

 season the premiums will be increased r 

 a gross of £100 to £150, and that they ^ 

 be divided into five classes, with the prw 

 as follows: First-c-Lass, 12 of £-5 ^a^'j 



second class. 10 of £4 each: third, 1" 



10 of £1 each^ 



The principal awards this season fall t<J 

 following: First class, £6 each, Mr. >>• ' 

 Kirkpatrick, Dalbeattie: Mr. James m ; 

 Ruthwell ; Mr. Robert Fisher. l^^j;^T„|,„ 



Tavlor. Dalmellinaton : Mr. •) 



:\l<>iiiaive. Second olass, ^J^^.j, 

 .\tidrew Morren. Annbaiik ; Mi ■ 



£3: fourth. 5 of £2; fifth 



Mr 



W m 



. (';»rrf>iil)ridc:e ; and Mr. 

 d.onald. 



Rae 



Mr. 



Hay. 



colour Ham Yeudall, Sanquhar; Mr. George 



Paisley West ; Mr. John Hamdton 



Variety, novelty, ninghamhead ; 



Mr 



James 



Candlis"' 



