62 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



January 29, ^ 



of dessert fruit to be consumed at home. We are disposed to assign a 

 rather high position to variety in making arrangements for the main- 



7/. Buds and Stipules.— The uses of these important organs were d* 

 by Sir John Lubbock in a discourse delivered at a meeting of the Royal Instkuti^ 



tenancy of a supply of dessert fruit, for, to state the case generally, the a few days since. ^* c J^^ c ^^f nt ° f . his lecture he showed a numbed 

 employer and his family fail to fully appreciate the dessert when the same 

 varieties of apples, grapes, pears, or other fruits are sent to table every 

 day during the period they are in season. In some instances it may be 

 necessary to do this, as when employers are desirous of having some 

 particular varieties throughout their season. If an employer desires the 

 Pineapple nectarine, the Royal George peach, or the Black Hamburgh 

 grape as long as it may be available, it is the gardener's duty to provide 

 it ; but we are not now concerned with these exceptional cases in which 



diagrams to illustrate the various ways in which the buds of plants were ^fT ■ 

 from the cold, and then proceeded to describe how in some cases protection 6 

 afforded by the old leaves and in others by the leaf-stalk, and how sometimes!! 

 bud had to protect itself as it were by means of a covering of hairs or of 1 

 The latter represented different parts of the plant sometimes correspondin *' 

 leaves, sometimes to stalks, sometimes to stipules, &c. Hairs in alpine re i 

 served to keep off excess of moisture, or in dry and desert countries to prevent too 

 free transpiration of moisture ; or they might protect the leaves from insects and 

 keep them warm. The most frequent use of stipules was to protect the bad 



the cultivator is not allowed any appreciable latitude in making a selec- though they sometimes fulfilled the function of leaves. They varied considerabh 



tion. We have in no way changed our opinions with regard to the 

 planting of large collections, which have done so much to hinder the 

 development of fruit culture in this country ; but we have no wish to see 

 fruit culture for home supplies carried out on precisely the same lines as 

 those which must be followed in the production of fruit for market. In 

 the latter case the planting of a limited number of varieties of proved 



in form, some being very wide, others very narrow, wnen L ne leaflets were Ian 

 and broad they were broad, thus being able to protect the whole bud, whereas 

 narrow elongated leaf only required a narrow stipule. Discussing why the seed- 

 leaves of plants always differed from the other leaves, Sir J. Lubbock found th> 

 explanation in the fact that these leaves, being folded in the seed y 

 to conform to its shape. Similarly the bud influenced the form of & 



excellence for market is absolutely necessary to success ; but in table mature leaf. For instance, the curious shape of the tulip-tree's leaf was due, he 

 fruit a diversity in appearance and flavour is not less essential. bel j eved > » t0 ^ the configuration .of the bud, which contained the stipules, the stalk, 

 Happily, this difference may be obtained without planting a 

 single variety that is shy in cropping, or that produces fruit 

 indifferent in appearance or quality, and in the case of all our 



and the leaf folded upon itself, the latter just occupying the space left by the two 

 former. Referring to the question why one member of a species of plants should 

 possess stipules while another did not, Sir John Lubbock thought the evidence 

 conclusive that where stipules were present the leaf stalks were narrow, while 



dessert fruits a comparatively small number of varieties will suffice to give ----- ™ ^ > T V 7 uarrow ' m 



iifls;,:i«.i ;«4.„ *~ ~aa ^«n„ x j i _t .1 they were broad where there were no stipules. In conclusion, the lecturer referred 



briefly to the processes attendant on the fall of the leaf in autumn, y/. 



Export of Plants to Italy.— A correspondent writes from one of k 

 principal Italian cities : u I wish that attention could be called to an important 

 matter, namely, the prohibition of every bulb or green leaf from England. Groi 

 Britain, having neither vines nor phylloxera, did not join the Berne Convent* 



sufficient variety to add materially to the interest and enjoyment of the 

 dessert, and to this extent only should selections be increased. More 

 especially should proper advantage be taken of the wide range for 

 selection afforded by the peaches, nectarines, plums, and cherries, and to 

 plant due proportions of both early and late varieties. The mid-season 

 varieties of these fruits will give a supply extending over a considerable 



• 1 



^ „^'A~A »~.^~.f a t I j 11 1 Consequently, while plants and bulbs from every other European country, do 



period, provided several trees are planted, and these most y on different ^ \ M „ zlr^A u iTii n a \ u an ^um.y, ■ 



it^M. W U M «. u ^ 1 1 *.«. • , matter how infected by phylloxera, are allowed entry here with a certificate of 



aspects but may be stated as a general rule that it is more advantageous crigin)f thi of the kind comi from E , an / is rf ^ exclude(L lk 



to maintain the supply by varieties ripening at different periods, provided is t0 say , lhe Italian Government prohibits plant's and bulbs from the one cam 



they are equally good in quality. Were the value of variety in dessert free from phylloxera 



fruit properly recognised we should more frequently see upon the table system of agencies who pass them in-for a consideration. The Ministry d 



many of the excellent grapes which, if not equal in utility to the Black Agriculture in Rome is able to give a • permesso » for this, but practically tints 



Hamburg and Muscat of Alexandria, are so finely flavoured as to justify a dead letter, being always refused." 

 their being grown where several structures are devoted to grape culture. r+mmAU>* a„ i l 1 * , r . 



Th#» nmn^r annmrntinn ^r off-iw ♦ • u i t_ , Canadian Apples have lately fallen in price, even to the extent of 4s. to Jli 



ine proper appreciation of the attribute in question would a so have the npr w P „i QC o c ^ i 1 • . * "* tZ 



f>fr*M *f M w m r . 1 • • , + P er barrel » a s a consequence of the general complaint made by purchasers of tk 



effect of enlarging the selection of strawberries ; not in the direction of nnf tn ^TaTL^ —iLZ r^-*i*£ 2 LL ^ 



planting inferior varieties, but of increasing the culture of those remark- 

 able for the high quality of their fruit ; and in the case of these fruits 

 some extension in the range of selection is desirable, for of late there has 



been a tendency to unduly restrict the number of varieties, and to attach those who have been so deceitful, 

 greater importance to size than to quality. Large collections cannot be 



uneven, not to say dishonest packing. Quantities of barrels have been found* 

 contain a considerable number of inferior samples in the middle while the toptfl 

 bottom layers were of good quality. Unfortunately the distrust has become » 

 great that those who have packed their fruit honestly are suffering as well • 



too strongly condemned in private gardens, but unduly restricted selec- 

 tions place the private garden on the same plane as the market estab- 

 lishment, and greatly detract from the interest and enjoyment to be 

 derived from it. 



Wire worms.— Though these insects are so destructive, it is only Mif 

 that measures are adopted to combat them by cultivators, and full advantages 

 seldom taken of the few weak points presented by the habits of the p* 

 Severe wireworm attacks frequently occur on broken up grass land, and if ■ 

 these cases some efficacious treatment, such as the digging in of gas-lime, w* 

 uniformly adopted before attempting to raise a new crop, a large proportifli 

 of our annual loss from this cause would be forestalled. In March a comma* 

 cation was received by the Royal Agricultural Society from Mr. G. Perdu 

 Smith, of St. Albans, suggesting the use of " mustard dross," a waste prod* 

 in the manufacture of mustard, as a substance likely to be of use against wifr 



.... » — t~ — — vootutc ui worm, and the Zoologist was instructed to make a series of flower-pot exp* 



uolets, belongs to the class of ketones, and is a valuable product commercially. ment to test its efficacy. Mr. Colman, of Norwich, furnished some of * 

 1 he production of artificial musk has also been satisfactorily accomplished, and, as "dross," which is in the form of a fine powder or dust. It must not beconfoufl** 

 Irr^l!? ™? dlscover >> «* ™y be mentioned that it is worth about with mustard cake ; for it is much more pungent, containing, as ascertained by* 



Voelcker, eighteen and a half per cent, of oil. After a thorough trial on * 

 small scale, the following conclusions were arrived at: (1) The dross is* 

 noxious to the wireworm, and fatal to them if they remain in it ; (2) sown* 

 the seed it keeps off the worm in the earliest and most vulnerable stage of* 

 plant's growth ; (3) if use d too plentifully it delays the germination of the see- 

 but there would be no likelihood of this with the quantities which the culti** 



Would nrohahlv 



Violet Perfume.— For a long period much of the perfume sold as the 

 product of the violet has been derived from a quite different plant, namely, the 

 Florentine iris, and now we have to record as one of the most recent achievements 

 of scientific chemistry, the production of an artificial perfume practically identical 

 with that of violets. This substance, known as ionone, or artificial essence of 

 violets, belongs to the class of ketones, and is a valuable pi 

 The production of artificial musk has also been satisfactorily 1 

 indicating the val ' • « 



^500 per pound. 



The Witch Hazels are now flowering freely, and in several parts of the 

 Royal Gardens, Kew, their bright flowers show up conspicuously amid the general 

 dulness of vegetation at this season. Near the entrance to the Cool Orchid I louse 



A U J . * fcV *~ vw. vivmu tlULl^C 



is a round bed of considerable size occupied by half-a-dozen good specimens of 



Ilamamelis arborea, a Japanese species with bright yellow flowers and deep « uw MCUaooa 01 ims wi«t me quanuues wm»> — 



purplish calyces ; this is very effective now that the young trees are ten feet high wou,d probably use ; ( 4 ) experiments on the small scale do not indicate 



and freely branched. The bed is suitably carpeted with Gaultheria procumbens. M u " ~ r - - - - 



Not far from this bed are some circular masses of Crocus Sieberi and C. Imperati* 

 now finely in flower. Daphne Mezereum, both white and purple flowered forms 

 brighten up the gardens, and also emit a delightful fragrance. 



ne Southampton Horticultural Society.— Thi» Well-known Mothers to be mixc<1 *** ashes ; (7) quantities equivalent to two and a 



society has doubtless wisely resolved to abandon its customary August Bank * " 



Holiday flower show and fite for various reasons, but specially that the town 



SL. 0 ^^. fUmish f ° r S ° la * e a show a suitable But the exhibi- 



would be of any use as a top-dressing when the crop is up, as i: has a baii* 

 effect on the plants themselves ; (5) it seems eminently likely to be useful, if ^ 



with the seed, in cases where wireworm is to be anticipated, as a 



half 



grt* 



.old* 



tinn Viae 1 k tA C o — ^ " " — ^^.s. wit, xjui mc CXnlDl- rr v - v " «.**v- *<**^C J>Uc*ic 



lion nas been held for so many years in succession that, like all similar shows, it make further "laments desirable. 



— „ »"-u asucs, \j) quantities equivalent to two ana a i»» — | 



weight per acre have given distinctly beneficial results in the pot experiments- ^ 

 is unnecessary to say that flower-pot experiments are not always safe guid« * 

 what will happen on the large scale, but the results were sufficiently mar k(G 



5":, "■**"' " h » w » ho «W be, fo, (ho coming season at least, the loading 



Japanese Plums in South Africa.— With regard to the trials of J*Pj2* 

 ms made in South Africa, Mr. E. Tidmarsh, Grahamstown F^tanic 

 reported to Profess p,;i»„ «f Cornell, that the varieties, although n<*?^ 



wn in Fnrnn^. httvf> valuable prope 



this climate. 



peach 



For one thing, these varieties, so far as tried, grow freely 

 A number of the European sorts refuse to grow on the p» 

 thts is a drawback in two ways. First, the peach stock is, on the wh"^ 

 adapted to this climate, and secondly, it is a difficult matter to raise ^ 



country 



