THE 



GARDENERS 



9 



MAGAZINE. 



SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 1S98. 



A N T E R 



FETE 



CANTERBURY 



BURY. — A GRAND FLORAL 



Will be Held on JWLY, 14, 1898, 



HOSPITAL AND HORTICULTURAL AND AGRICULTURAL 



CHARITIES. 



\V. J. Taylor, Secretary. 



HORTICULTURAL SHOW ADVERTISEMENTS are inserted in this 

 column at One Shilling per line, the minimum charge being Five Shillings. Advertise- 

 r\cz„- rid anH TAn Aid ftr fixate Street. London. E.C. 



Notes of the Week. 



ORCHID COMMITTEE AWARDS. 



We are pleased to receive proofs that our remarks on this important 



in which a first-class certificate was in 1897 conferred upon a plant in 

 general cultivation. But surely Cyn^bidium eburneum, which received 

 that highly appreciated distinction at the meeting held March 9, 

 may be so described. Again, Acineta Barkeri, which had a botanical 

 certificate conferred upon it on September 7, and Dendrobium albo 

 sanguineum and Oncidium papilio, which received awards of merit on 

 April 13 and September 21, respectively, may be described as generally 

 cultivated. If the three last-named species are not now met with in 

 so many collections relatively, as was the case some years ago, it is simply 

 due to their having been pushed on one side by the more beautiful 

 hybrids and varieties of other species, for they are cheap enough to be 

 within the reach cf all who can afford to indulge in the luxury of an 

 orchid house. We fully agree with Mr. de B. Crawshay, that new, dis- 



subject,inourissueof the22nd inst.,have evoked much interest and arebeing ^ and beautifal orchidSj whether \^ hybrids? Qr 

 widely discussed by members of the several committees of R.H.S because receiye the highegt distinction . but we repeat that awards made by ekher 



the result of the discussion will, we have no doubt, be some reduction in 

 the number of the awards. We have received a large number of private 

 letters relating to the question, and while the majority of the writers are 

 in full agreement with us, some of our friends appear to be rather hurt 

 because we directed attention to the paragraph in the Council's report, 

 in which the committees are urged to be less generous in their awards, 

 Those who take that view of the case have not, we fear, read what we 

 have written with the proper degree of care, for had they done so they 



committee to subjects which are neither new nor rare are undesirable, and 

 should be unhesitatingly vetoed by the Council. 



IMPORTED INSECT PESTS. 



A study of Miss Ormerod's invaluable annual report on injurious 

 insects demonstrates that the importation of foreign fruits has its risks as 

 well as advantages, since thereby we are apt to receive not only additions 



-ww*. —v.. v "~ r— ~T*7~ ~* T lu I " ~L ~ ~u 1~ " 1 f 1 to our desserts, but additions to the already too plentiful host of fruit- 



would have seen that our object was to induce the members of the . '._ , , . 



destroying vermin. Fortunately, however, experience has shown that in 



most cases the niceties of environments are such that the importations 



die out, some natural impediment to their increase cropping up during 



their life cycle which breaks its continuity and delegates them to the 



"unfits." Clearly an insect developed and modified by one set of 



climatal and other conditions, such as a different class of vegetation, so 



that its eggs are adapted to hatch simultaneously with the opening of the 



buds destined to nourish its offspring, would be fatally handicapped by 



material variation, either in the starting of new growth or the nature of 



committees to recognise the importance of the advice of the Council 

 and by acting upon it, enhance the value of the distinctions conferred 

 upon really meritorious novelties. We would suggest that they again read 

 the "note" in the first column lof page 35, and if they do that we shall 

 be greatly surprised if they do not write and say that we have dealt with 

 the matter with some degree of mildness. Mr. de Barri Crawshay, of 

 Rosefield, Sevenoaks, writes, under date of the 22nd inst., with reference 

 to our remarks on the Orchid Committee as follows : — " Anent your article 

 in to-day's issue re The Awards to Novelties, you are specially pointed in 



irrmr r.morW MMM i ~~*\ c c\ wj n "*«. t / 4. su ch growth when developed. The eggs, too, framed to stand a severe 



your remarks upon the action of the Orchid Committee. Let me at once ■ 6 , r „ . . 00 ' . . 



state, my subjoined remarks are absolutely a personal reply, and not 

 coming from the committee. A great deal is said against the Orchid 

 Committee in many ways, and perhaps at times there are points that 



and protracted winter, followed by a warmer spring than ours, would 

 probably be addled by our variable winters, with their spells of mildness, 

 and especially by our inconstant springs. Antipodean insects, too, must 



m.iLi ko , , T L , . , ./ . ,1 , • be additionally handicapped by the reversal of the seasons altogether, 



could be improved upon, but I think if you were upon it you would be in . ' . y • • u * • . a - a -a 1 m a c u. 



a different train of ideas towards it. I have looked over the 1897 F.C.C.'s 



and it is difficult to imagine that imported individuals could defer the 



qnr l rnnnAt c „ ori : MC . fo _ c u • • *. i i . • \ laying of eegs for six months so as to ensure their hatching at a favour- 



ana cannot see an instance of one being given to a ' plant in general /, - A , , A K r , r , , 



cultivation.' Varieties are the great marks in orchids more than in other 

 families, and the type may be grown all over the country, but a fine 

 variety turns up and be well worth an F.C.C. Considering the large 



more 



number of 4 subjects' to adjudicate upon, it is surprising that 

 false steps are not made, when you consider that all members have their 

 especial favourites ; and after all, human nature leans to that which it 

 likes best, and invariably thinks it better than something less esteemed 

 If you had analysed the F.C.C.'s and A.M.'s given by all the com- 

 mittees, you would see the Orchid Committee gave but 25 out of 54; 



able period, while imported eggs would be little more likely 

 to remain quiescent for a much longer period than the 

 normal one, and if they did succeed in hatching the inhe- 

 rited tendencies of the brood would probably lead to a 

 misfit in the following season. In many cases the adjustment of an 

 insect to the plant it feeds upon is extremely fine ; not only is it in itself 

 provided with precisely the jaw suckers and other apparatus best fitted 

 to deal with the tissues and juices of the plants, but its reproductive 

 cycle fits it also to a nicety, and it is doubtless due to this that certain 



*»d 9. out of 346, respectively. Taking the total of the plants tha v * neties -° f ^ * ™Z T fZ'Tl ZZ 



are submitted, I do not think you will find it a very excessive proportion the vermm which prey UP T ^ ° f the ' r T 



-hen you consider the hundreds of thousands that are lmpZd and Subtle di f™« °? ^ t ° h d ? Ur ' T T fit' f„d I £ 



bloomed for the first tin,,, ,n n ,„M rr < „ l. a a "»H«"«i «uiu baffling the insect, until that in turn varies to fit and the 



each time the end ^Iffld soon ro^ O rKA^t Tvt" ^ ^ ™munity is at an end. Doubtless, too, the imported vermin is hand.- 



tfte end would soon come. Orch.ds are not, hke carnations or capped b y y ^ Qf instinctive Unow ledge of the new foes, bird and other, 



which its new environment involves ; but in any case it is clear that in 

 this direction, as in all others, knowledge is power, especially such care- 



anemones, raised from seed and bloomed and forgotten in a couple of 



SghTtrdlyYxp'ect ^JSSLl^tSi ^ SS? this direction, as in all others, Knowieage ,s power, espeaauy sucn care- 



reverse of your article'" voluntariI y do so t0 evoke an argument the fuUy correlate ' d Unowledge as Miss Ormerod steadily accumulates year 



AWARDS 



INTRODUCTIONS. 



after year for the benefit of every agriculturist or horticulturist who studies 

 the lessons of caution and prevention whichare inculcated by the data she 



Mr. de Barri Crawshay is altogether wron* in supposing that provides. A full acquaintance with the life history of any organism is 



Zs!\on d t hC5itate t0 PUbl,Sh his fetter beCaUSe his views"upon 'the 



* tfadlv >S!!JE> m accordance with ,hose ™ have expressed. 



bound to reveal its weak points, and so give man a chance of dealing 

 with it, while to attempt to do so in ignorance means, as a rule, but 



We l'liHiu , 1 «*wuancc wun wiose we nave expresied. **» ""'7 w rer " 7. .. 



unL« A u °° me d,scussi °n» and there can be no proper discussion costly experiments and general failure 



that the work^otL^ Orchid — ^ ^ ^ ^ ™ ^ ' ' 



VARIETY IN DESSERT FRUIT. 



quarters but mi h c ^ 1V - ,MU ^ommiuee nas, Deen criticised in seme vakich w 



are fully' C e A a t cr 'ticism has been quite undeserved, and we The question of so arranging the several departments of the garden 



much ability 3 ? ^ members P erform lheir duties with quite as devoted to fruit production as to ensure abundant and varied supplies 

 specially weak" ^ &S ^° th ° Se belon g in & to other committees. Their ' extending over the longest possible period is one of the most important 



plants in general POU | A ,S '- m ° Ur opinion ' confer ring distinctions upon that could well engage the attention of practical horticulturists occupying 



believe these awa»t ^S*"*' ar,d we a,luded to the practice because we responsible positions. There may be no great difficulty in obtaining 



novelties of a mer> • lhe VaIue ° f distinctions conferred upon plentiful supplies of certain kinds where the available space, both m the 



's limited to lh r,ous cha racter. If the consideration of the question open and under glass, is equal to requirements, or in selecting varieties 



certificates for th ^ yCar ' * ' S n0t CXaCt t0 USC the term firs t-dass that are diversified in character ; but it is not sufficient to consider these 



> ere«, ac K.,» 5 * ?_ 1 897 ; but when writing two points as distinct from each other, as is frequently done. They must 



be regarded as inseparable, and with them ought also to be associated 

 the question of quality, for this should unquestionably be high in the case 



*e had in mind ,u one awar ded in 1897 ; but when writing 



Mr - de B CtLIk Pra n tlCe that has obtained for severa l v ears past. 



• crawshay tells us he has not been able to find an instance 



