January 29, 1898. 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



63 



Brigade Surgeon Lieut. Colonel Dr. George King, who was recently 



promoted to be Knight Commander of the most eminent Order of the Indian 

 Empire, is director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Seebpore, Calcutta, and 

 superintendent of the Cinchona Plantations, at Darjeeling. Sir George King is a 

 renowned botanist, and has rendered great public service in connection with 



Plant Variation. 



Society 



inst. the Rev. G. Henslow gave a lecture on /'Plant Variation," which was fully 

 illustrated by means of a large number of photographs reflected upon a screen, 

 lie described the various monstrosities, or departures from the normal structure, 

 of different plants, [and traced in many cases the gradual transition from the 

 cinchona cultivation in India. In the course of the year Sir George completes original to the "sport," showing how the character of the latter had become fixed 

 his term of service at Calcutta, and will be succeeded by Dr. David Prain, who or hereditary, and was now looked upon as quite the normal form. Amongst the 

 for many years has been curator of the Herbarium at Seebpore. 



Japanese Plums in America. — Professor L. H. Bailey, of the Cornell 



University, has recently issued another report upon Japanese plums that are now 

 being extensively tried at Cornell and elsewhere. He says : "I am still con- 

 vinced that the Japanese plums have come to stay. By this I do not mean that 

 they are destined to supplant the domestica and native plums, but that they are 



donations received since the previous meeting was a specimen of Euonymus 

 japonicus presented by Mrs. Doxat, of Hole Head, Dawlish, Attention was 



called to the fact that the specimen had borne fruit, a very rare occurrence in this 



country. 



Horticultural Exhibition in Cairo.— The annual horticultural exhibi- 

 tion at Cairo was opened on the 14th inst. In several of the sections a distinct 



bound to supplement those types with varieties that are adapted to particular advance was shown, and a new feature was a large collection of pottery, exhibited 

 purposes and conditions. As a class they are vigorous, hardy, and productive in by the Egyptian Pottery and Faience Society, many of the pieces being tasteful and 

 tree, and the fruit is handsome, long keeping, and covers a long season. Thus artistic in design and colouring. The exhibits of timber-woods showed the great 

 far the Japanese plums have been comparatively free from black-knot, and until capabilities of the Egyptian soil and climate for their production, and the finance 

 this year our trees have not been seriously attacked by the shot-hole fungus or Ministry is now making experiments in forestry on a considerable scale, and plant- 

 leaf-blight. During the past season, however, this leaf-blight has been much ing out one hundred and ninety thousand young trees of one hundred varieties, all 

 worse upon the Japanese varieties than upon the domesticas alongside them, and exotic, and chiefly from India. A novelty was seen in a substance called cerosie, 

 this, too, in spite of the fact that they were thoroughly sprayed. The leaves did of which a French. local chemist claims to be the discoverer. It is extracted from 

 not drop to any extent, however, even though they were badly riddled by the the scum which rises to the surface of liquid sugar after the cane is crushed. The 

 fungus. It is our habit to set the wood of new varieties (eithei as buds or grafts) resulting substance is stated to possess the qualities of ordinary beeswax, which it 

 in the tops of Lombard plums, and several of the varieties have been fruited only resembles in appearance though darker in colour. 



Watercress Culture near Paris.— It is interesting to observe that 



while the culture of watercress received attention in some parts of the Continent 

 before the formation of the Springhead beds, it was not commenced in the vicinity 

 of Paris until after London had begun to receive cresses produced under artificial 

 conditions. According to M. Hericarte de Thury, watercress culture was com- 

 menced in the vicinity of Paris in 181 1, and from what he tells us in reference to 

 the matter it appears that in the winter of 1809-10, after the peace which followed 

 the second campaign against Austria, M. Cardon, the chief cashier of the Hospitals 



in this way." Professor Bailey concludes by saying, " I never recommend 

 varieties of any fruit for anyone to plant. For myself, I should still adhere to my 

 list of four varieties of two years ago— Red June, Abundance, Burbank, Chabot. 

 I should place as second choice Douglas, Berckmans, Satsuma, Hale, and 

 Wickson, and should expect that the last two would rise, upon further 

 acquaintance, to a place in the first rank. If I wanted' a yellow plum I should 

 take Georgeson, with Orgon for early. If I wanted the earliest varieties, without 

 respect to size or quality, I should choose Berger, Engre, Earliest of All, and 

 Willard." 



Leonard 



Early Flowers.— Although the general press does not now deign to notice in the vicinity of Erfurt, capital of High Thuringia. In walking around the 



the traditional big gooseberry, yet when opportunity offers, such as the present suburbs of the city, the ground being covered with snow, he was astonished to 



very mild winter presents, for instance, there is a tendency on its part to labour observe a ditch of considerable length presenting the most brilliant verdure. He 



the early hardy flower pars, which readers here and there furnish so abun- directed his steps towards the spot, curious to know the cause of this species of 



dantly. To gardeners generally, and to most ordinary observers, there is phenomena, which struck him as so strange at this season, and he recognised, with 



nothing new or special in these evidences of floral precocity. Wh 



the greatest astonishment, that the ditches were an immense culture of watercress, 



time is so mild, as is the present season, what wonder if flowers among other resembling the most beautiful carpet, surrounded by ground then white with 

 things be very much out of time or tune. But we have some flowers that always snow. M. Cardon learned that this crop had been established many years, re- 

 bloom in their proper season, let the weather be what it may, and of all these freshed by sparkling, bubbling springs of water, on land belonging to the city of 

 none is more constant, few more beautiful in its season, than is the Naked Jasmine. Erfurt. This watercress, much esteemed for its purity and superior quality, was 

 (Jasminum mtdijloruni J. This midwinter-blooming shrub has, indeed, had a fine sent to the cities on the banks of the Rhine, and as far as Berlin, which is a con- 

 time of it of late. It has been flowering profusely for some two months, quite siderable distance from Erfurt. From here it was that the first lesson on the 

 unharmed ; whether grown against a wall ; whether the pretty yellow flowers be approved culture of cress reached France. M. Cardon felt what a boon the intro- 

 seen twinkling from out of ivy or grown as an ordinary shrub, it has been a lovely duction of such a branch of horticultural industry would be to Paris. He sought 



thing. 



a piece of land within a reasonable distance of the capital, watered by a natural 



interest he had better not have imported strangers into the locality, as these 

 men soon left him to establish rival cress-beds. The Royal Society of Horti- 

 culture in France awarded their large silver medal to M. Cardon, in recognition 



The Floral Decorations at Cheltenham, on the occasion of the New s P" n £> an( * a ft er a l° n g search he found in 181 1, at Saint-Leonard, in the valley 



Club Ball, held at the Assembly Rooms, were of an exquisitely beautiful charac- °* Nonette, between Senlis and Chantilly, a site which appeared to offer all 



ter, and added to the already long list of successes Mr. J. Cyoher has obtained. ^ e desired conditions. Having seen and studied the process of cultivation at 



In the ball-room the various recesses of the large end windows were tastefully Erfurt to some extent himself, he brought with him two foremen accustomed 



filled vt ith palms, crotons, dracrenas, camellias, ficus, ferns, acacias tulips *° cress wor ^j to assist him in the development of the enterprise. In his own 



cinerarias, cyclamen, primulas, &c. In the sitting-out rooms Mr. Cypher excelled ' • - - - 



mmself in the beautiful arrangements of plants, flowers, and foliage placed about 



fl , *" mant ? ,s ' SU PP er ' rcom was > however, the most gorgeous so far as ~ o 



oral decorations are concerned, and here the floral arches on the central diamond °^ these valuable services rendered to his country. Since the time of M. Cardon 



j .i . j n( j US |. r y k as S p rea( j considerably, not only at Saint- Leonard and Saint- 



Gratien, but all around ; notably at Gosse, much nearer to Paris, where large 

 cress-beds were established, and have proved most productive. 



Botanical Appointments of interest are : — Dr. Zacharias to be director of 



the Hamburg Botanic Garden ; Dr. Julius Istvanffy to be Professor of Botany at 

 Klausenberg ; and Dr. A. Magoscy-Dietz to be Assistant -Professor of Botany at 

 Budapest. 



Gardening Abroad is the subject-matter of an interesting little booklet 

 issued by Messrs. J. Carter and Co., High Holborn, under the title of "Garden 

 Notes for the Colonies and Abroad." The first edition of this work was acquired 

 by one of the Colonial Governments for distribution, so that a certain hall-mark 

 has already been placed upon it. The information compressed into the book will 

 afford valuable hints to colonists and others who have little idea of what vegetables 

 and flowers will grow under certain conditions of heat and moisture and in certain 

 soils. It will also suggest the trial of many subjects to those already established 

 in our Colonies and abroad, while its price— one shilling— places it within the 



reach of all. 



Land Measurement and Surveying are ancient arts, indeed more so 



than is generally supposed. Professor Hammer has recently directed attention to 

 a Babylonian plan now in the Constantinople Museum. The plan represents a 

 rcyal estate, and was made 3,000 k.c. An authority on Egyptian archeology goes 

 so far as to name the two surveyors who drew up the plan, but be that as it may, 

 the two series of figures and measurements given show that land surveying was 

 carried on with some amount of accuracy from three to four thousand years B.C. 



The New York Botanical Garden is making considerable headway. On 



the last day of 1897 the ground for the museum was formally broken up, while 



ab e formed the leading feature. Those who have seen some of Mr. Cypher's 



MM enorts in the artistic grouping of plants and flowers at our leading provincial 

 nower snows> readi]y jmagine ^ gracg ^ produced at * CheUenham 



var nn«? C T n ^ ClCVer association of ferns ' P al ™» crotons, tulips, orchids of 

 anous kinds and hues-especially odontoglossums, cattleyas, and cypripediums 



* VaUey ; &C - Th£ ° rchids were chiefl 7 arraQ Sed in artistic vases, one 

 species or variety by itself. 



plet!ar!d B ^ tan , IC KP ardenS at Buitenzor £. J ava > $* P^bably the most com- 



felder tn ' v.' tr ° P,Cal b ° tanical inStitUti ° n ° f its kind to ^ found. Our 

 Jven i n i; C r Cmber the , illust ^ed account of this splendid Dutch establishment 



L ter now h ?T J f iAGA2INB of Au S ust 22 > ^6. We refer to these 



the £rden Tin ^ TreUb ' the gifUd direCt ° r ' has issued a Hand Guide to 



gardens ' m English, accompanied by a plan. 



rec^vedTmL^ £ f V entnor.-The "Garden Is!e» has recently 



»owns 0 veS in ?^ * hundwd &CreS ° f land ' situated on th " 



wishes ^orh te? K £ ^ ^ ^ d ° n ° r ' is ° ut the 



are that the ntrt u ? S thi§ P resentation » and the only restrictions 



and that ouhnV U ™ l ° a "' that n ° residentiaI buildings be erected on 



Ucly thanked'M fT" f 1 "^ The inhabUantS of Ventnor have pub 

 j Mrs * Evans f or her munificent gift. 



the total eclipse of 

 At Magapur, the 



the^un al on E t C b iPSe ° f the Sun '~ The observation of 1 



—ther, according^ th^SirT TT^ * At Ma * 



"wtniments were Jh J ! £ J " Norman - Lock y er » w *s excellent, and the various 



as f or several dlv! a 0 " y T 1 *"*' At Talni the sk y was P^<*V cloud- 

 photographs were take PFC I 10Usly * and a considerab, e number of remarkably good 



c »pses of 1 866 



QOO 



plans for the ranges of glasshouses have been completed, 

 plants, besides large quantities of material for herbarium, library, and museum 

 have been collected during the past year. 



