966 



THE 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



December 14^ 1912 



Sinithfield Show, 



In general aspect the big exhibition held at 

 the Agiicnltural Hall, Islington ^ from De- 

 cember 9 to 13, was very little different from 

 those of former years-. There were the bul- 

 locks, sheep, and pigs in their usual places, 

 and the exhibits of implements, machinery, 

 and all manner of farm requisites occupied 

 jue>t as much space as they have hitherto 

 done, whilst in the Grallery the elaborate 

 stands of the leading seedsmen appeared at 

 first glance to contain just the same dis- 

 plays of roots and vegetalbles as last year. 



On closer inspection, however, one soon 

 found that there were a good many new 

 things to be seen, and in many w^ays the 

 exhibits revealed in a marked degree the 

 great advance that has been and is still 

 being made in the improvement of both farm 

 and garden crops. 



It has to a large extent been an unfavour. 

 able season for roots and vegetables, but, 

 nevertheless, there was an abundance of pro- 

 duce of excellent quality. From the gar- 

 deners' point of view the potatoes consti- 

 tuted one of the principal features to be 

 seen^ and they are always seen in large 

 quantities at Smithfield. There is not the 

 feveri-h excitement that prevailed during 

 the short-lived potato boom of a few years 

 since, but there is much interest in the latest 

 introductions, and during the whole course of 

 the exhibition farmers and gardeners could 

 be seen criticising and discussing the merits 

 of the varieties upon the mjany stands. 



The newest varieties of potatoes on the very 

 attractive stand arranged by Messrs. Sutton 

 and Sons, Readings were Edinburgh Castle 

 and Dover Castle, both of which are oval 

 potatoes of fine appearance, the last-named 

 being a lemon-coloxired, and the former a 

 white-skinned variety. Messrs. Sutton also 

 showed Ailsa Craig onions^ good mushrooms^ 

 tomatoes, and splendid turnips and man- 

 golds, the front of the stand being nicely 

 decorated with hnely-flowered cyclamen. 



Chief among many excellent potatoes 

 staged by Messrs. E. Webb and Sons, Words, 

 ley, were Stourbridge Glory, a long kidney 

 with straw-coloured, skin and very shallow 

 eyes. Wordsley Pride, New Guardian, and 

 Goldfinder, all of which possess individuality 

 and merit. 



^Messrs. J, Carter and Co.'s exhibit 



but 



was 

 the 

 the 

 full 



as attractive as ever, but probably 



feature of greatest interest was 

 seed germinator, which was shown in 

 working order. This ingenious machine is 

 reallv like an incubator. It has the merit 

 of promotinor germination at express speed, 

 and the high percentage of fertility in the 

 (Seeds handled bv Messrs. Carter was demon- 

 -trated hy the evenness with which the 

 .-amjjk's in the machine were germinating. 

 Messrs. Harrison and Sons, Lreicester, had, 

 as usual, some good onions on their stand; 

 and they also showed a fine kidney potato 

 named Morning Star. Messrs. J. K. King 

 and Sons, Coggeshall, had some splendidly- 

 grown sugar beet and a grand lot of pota- 

 toes . Bea uty of E^t->ex was one t h at ap- 

 pealed to us, and Eentpayer was evidently 

 named in consequence of it^ heavy cropping 

 qualities. 



Mr. A. J , Sole, Peterborough, showed 

 several of the best-known varieties of pota- 

 toes; and Sir J. Llewelyn, Factor, Eldo- 

 rado, and Dalmeny Beauty were just a few 

 among the really good Mmples shown. 

 A very distinct and fine-looking novelty in 

 potatijes was Arran Chief, shown by Messrs. 

 Kent and Brydon, Darlington. It is a 

 round potato, with a beautiful skin. Other 

 good varieties were The Brydon, Dalhousie 

 Seedling, and Darlington. * Mr. A. T^Udlay, 

 of Auchtermuchty, exhibited on tliis (scca- 

 sion what he considers is the masterpiece 

 of his long .-eries of introductions. This is 

 a late. Ionq--keeping potato of real kidney 

 slia]>p and ( iriract -i. It is as distinc tive as 

 an ;i>hlcaf, and, being late, is a decided 



acfiuisil ion. 



Me^M-^. Fidler and Son, Reading 

 ^hoAverl potatoes onlv, had a pile of ' King 

 wru.rcr,, ^vhich a good serviceable kid- 



si^endid quality. It is a second 



who 



early, rough-skinned, and shallow in eye. 

 Dreadnought, another variety of the firm's 

 own raising, is a good maincrop potato. 



Messrs. Dicksons, Lim., Chester, showed 

 both apples and potatoes, and also young 

 forest trees. Messrs. Home and Sons, 

 Cliff e, Rochester, showed some excellent 

 apples; as also did the King's Acre. Nur- 

 series, Lim., Hereford. The last-named 

 firm had a fine lot of Rival, Charles Ross, 

 Golden Spire, Bramley's Seedling, and other 

 standard varieties. Messrs. W. Seabrook 

 and Sons, Chelmsford, showed some excel- 

 lent fruit, the colour in many of the dessert 

 apples being very fine. 



Horticultural Club. 



On Tuesday, the 4th inst., after the usual 

 monthly dinner of this club, at which Sir 

 Harry Veitch presided, and a large number 

 of members and friends, including many 

 ladies, were present, Mr. Arthur W. Sutton, 

 V.M.H., F.L.S., g a ve a m o s t in terest i n g 

 lecture entitled, "My Desert Camping Tour 

 to Mount Sinai," illustrated by a hundred 

 splendid photographs taken by liim en route, 

 and beautifully coloured, 



Mr. Sutton, who takes a particular in- 

 terest in the evidence afforded in favour of 

 the accuracy of Biblical records by the actual 

 localities to which they refer, explained at 

 the outset that he was heavily handicapped 

 in this direction by the shortness of the time 

 at his disposal, and the difficulty he 

 felt, on referring to the views he dis- 

 played, in not dwelling at too great 

 a length on the many interesting 

 points in this particular connection which, 

 moreover, he felt were hardly adapted to a 

 general audience. He commenced with a 

 map of the region which he had traversed 

 circuitously for some 200 miles in company 

 with Dr. Mackinnon, the well-known medica'l 

 missionary of the Edinburgh Mission in 

 Damascus. The first visit made was to the 

 traditional spot where the passage of the 

 Red Sea was effected under apparently 

 miraculous conditions by the Israelites. It 

 would appear, however, that there are three 

 places assigned to this, one of which, to the 

 north, where the water is very narrow and 

 shallow, is considered by some travellers 

 as the most likely, as an exceptional 

 state of tide and wind might have 

 greatly facilitated the passage on practi- 

 cally normal lines; while the other two 

 involve the traversing of deep water and a 

 much greater distance, which only a colossal 

 miraculous interposition could have ren- 

 dered possible. The views of the d^rt were 

 splendid, apparently limitless streaks of bar- 

 ren sand without a trace of vegetation, 

 alternating with views of brilliantly green 

 oases of palms, sometimes, thanks to a local 

 supply of water and the generally warm 

 climate, of such luxuriant growth as to be 

 traversable with difficulty. 



The general temperature varied, how- 

 ever, from KX) degrees in the shade durinp- 

 the day to very near the freezing point at 

 night. The pervading conditions of sand 

 and the consequent limitation to camels for 

 transport of l>oth travellers and their impe- 

 dimenta, rendered the whole journey a most 

 difficult one, camel riding beino- so un- 

 comfortable as to compel frequent descents 

 for a r.e^t. Walking being in its turn 

 equally exhausting, recourse to the camel's 

 back tor variety's sak? involved no particu- 

 lar charm, and this, with short intervals of 

 rest on the dry, heated plain, dav after day, 

 did but little to recommend the Sinai desert 

 as a po])ular resort. 



In time, however. Mount Hebron, and its 

 associated hills of barren growth of brilliant 

 red, interspersed with black and other 

 coloured outcrops, everywhere devoid of even 

 a. blarhy,f c^rass. l)egan to indicate an ap- 

 proach o M<,uHt Sinai, and here, of cours^ 

 the Biblical records were brought home to 

 the traveller most vividly by the character 

 of the surroundings of these heights which 

 are regarded as tlie .cone of the most stu- 

 pendoiis events. The intervening stretches 

 of sand were here dotted with small bushes 



and even one minute flower was discovered 

 by the lecturer At Smai there is a monZ 

 lev J at which both travellers and their cooV 

 guide, and camel drivers had a well-earn^' 

 and welcome rest prior to the return i«ii7 

 ney to Suez. ' ^' 



A very hearty vote of thanks to Mr Sut 

 ton concluded a most interesting and'in" 

 structive meeting. 



ITie lecture 



am Horticultural 

 Society. 



given before the above so- 

 ciety by Mr. C. T. AVatts, B.Sc, on "Lime 

 and its Uses," was of great value. The 

 lecturer strongly advised gardeners to at- 

 tend a simple course of practical instruc- 

 tion in chemistry, so as to learn the nature 

 and action of chemical compounds, whether 

 for insecticides or fungicides, or for manu- 

 rial purposes. Lime, he said, consisted of 

 calcium and oxygen, and was also known 

 to the chemist as a " base ; it is not easily 

 altered by beat, and will stand 2,000 de- 

 grees Centf., while it melts at 3,000 de- 

 grees Cent., such heat being obtained only 

 by the electric furnace. Sourness in soil 

 was due to acidity, but lime neutralised 

 this, and turned the acid into a salt. A 

 good way to find whether the soil contained 

 much lime wias to pour hydrochloric acid on 

 a small quantity of soil in a vessel, and 

 the presence of lime would be notified by 

 effervescence. It wag of interest to learn 

 the many uses lime is put to; it is u&ed 

 in the making of mortar and cement, in 

 the manufacture of glass, and in preserving 

 ^ggs by means of " waterglass/' which 

 seals the shell against air and decay. In 

 the purification of gsu^ we have a useful 

 product in gas lime; in the manufacture of 

 leather lime is used to clean hair off 

 hides; and in the making of insecticide^ 

 lime is used, while in horticulture and agri- 

 culture its value is well known. 



Bournemouth Gardeners' 



Association. 



DECEMBER 3. 



On the above date Walter Child Clark, 

 Esq . , F . E .H . S . , of Michelgr ove Hou&e, 

 Bournemouth, gave .a very interesting lec- 

 ture on *' Thirty-five Years lamongst Resets" 

 to a large attendance of members and tLe 

 public. 



There was added interest in this meeting, 

 Owing to the fact that many old and new 

 Varieties of ros-es were shown on the screen 

 in their natural colours by Dr. George G. 

 Hamilton. This igentleman has advanced very 

 far in colour photography, ;and recently gave 

 a lecture on the subject, and showed some 

 beautiful coloured photographs at Vincent 

 Square, Westminster. 



At the Bournemouth meeting. Dr. Hamil- 

 ton showed charming photographs in colours 

 of Fremontia californica. Oriental poppies, 

 kniphofias, rockeries, herbaceous borders, 

 and cattleyas. 



Mr. Clark said he commenced the cultiva- 

 tion of roses near Liverpool, thirty-five yeai':^ 

 ^§'<^, growing six plants in pots, all teas- 

 He then had some hou^s built, and planted 

 roses in beds. At the end of June, after 

 the first lot of flowers had appeared, the 

 roof lights were taken off, and the plant^ 

 fully exposed to the weather until the end 

 of November when the lights were replaced. 

 He came to Bournemouth about eleven years 

 ago, and^ as he did not wish to destroy the 

 numerous pine trees in his garden, he trained 

 many climbing varieties, to their trunks and 

 formed beds in various positions^ the total 

 numbering nearly seventy. 



The lecturer dealt in detail with reference 

 to many old and new varieties, and strongly 

 reconinu'uded growers to give their trees two 

 dr(\ssings in winter as a preventive of mil- 

 dew, rust, and other diseases of the l^'it- 

 He also referred to the greatly improved 

 methods of exlii})it ino- hjm-^ 111 these dav>- 

 and said it was a <y\vAt advantage to woiihj- 

 be cultivators to be able to see, at exlu^i- 

 tions, the foliage as weP as the flowers. -H^ 



