April 2, 



1898. 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



209 



Leaves from a Rambler's Note-book. 



BEATEN BY A HIDDEN FOE. 



" There never were finer black currants went out of Sheppey than were 

 grown in this plantation, though I say it as shouldn't : and now look at 

 them. It's enough to break a man's heart, it really is, to have the most 

 paying crop we had clean ruined in about three seasons." The speaker 

 was a fruit grower who, by dint of hard work and perseverance, has 

 turned a rough piece of freehold ground into a pleasant homestead, and 

 does his best to turn it to profit by the cultivation of fruit. The situation 

 is a hillside gently rising from the lowlands of the Isle of Sheppey, and 

 within sound of the hammers at Sheerness Dockyard. Though some- 

 what bleak and wind-swept, the monotony of the landscape is counter- 

 balanced by the fertility of the soil, which, like all that district of Kent, 

 is well adapted for fruit culture. We stood by the side of a huge pile of 



' covers for the London Schools.-An appeal is once again being 



h Llf of the children in the London elementary schools for a small 

 ^ °" f ' he or cu^ated flowers weekly or fortnightly throughout the 

 ^JJ ^ mme , and utumn. There is a fund known as the Children's Flower 

 SP /' ^h defrays all expenses, so that friends in the country are only asked to 

 F « ; an ^ forward the Wooms If those who are continually amid flowers 

 colle ct and forward understand the leasure a few flowers in a school 



tSL Z ^rs, there would no lack of helper, The flowers 

 !t only brighten the school and give pleasure, but they are useful or object 

 , IT for dmwing, and also in the numerous botanical classes now held. Full 

 Sc la's can be obtained from Miss M. S. Beard, 36, RMgmount Gardens 

 w r Last year two hundred and seventy-four boxes of flowers were sent, and 

 these supplied twenty-nine schools, leaving nearly nine hundred and fifty public 

 elementary schools flowerless. 



M Iformed Scotch Fir.— Mr. H. J. Veitch submitted to the Scientific black currant bushes which had been grubbed, and after bringing grist 



•ttee a curious mass of stunted boughs, the whole resembling a hedgehog, to the mill in a substantial quantity for some years, were placed there to 

 anTprobably caused originally by a phytoptus fungus. Dr. Masters observed fill their last office-fuel for the fire. 



that short boughs struck from such specimens were used as miniature trees, for 



rockwork, &c. 



Fruit Sellers and Buyers are at present each airing their grievances. 

 We have shown how the buyers, or middlemen, have combined with a view to 

 obtaining redress when the goods bought do not come up to their expectations. 

 The brokers retort that while losses do occur, yet quite as frequently the buyer 

 obtains better packages than he expects, but makes no return of the difference in 

 value. One of the brokers' conditions of sale is that ' ' Intending buyers are 

 requested to thoroughly inspect the bulks, as the goods will be delivered from the 

 warehouses with all faults and defects, and no allowance will be made for errors 

 of description or defects of quality, quantity, or condition. If any of the contents 



Every swollen bud on the bushes told its own tale of woe, and the 

 disconsolate air of the grower as he gazed on the remains of his once 

 profitable crop seemed to suggest that he was helpless, and, confessing 

 himself beaten, had thrown up the sponge. There has been some con- 

 troversy in these pages recently respecting the ravages of the black 

 currant bud mite, with suggestions for its extermination ; but while the 

 grass is growing the horse is starving, and it is when one is brought 

 face to face with such an instance as this that one realizes fully the 

 terrible devastation caused by this invisible pest. There are many 

 growers who know nothing of it, fortunately for them, and, indeed, are 

 unaware of its existence ; but this is no proof against its spreading, and, 

 in the interests of the black currant industry, no efforts should be spared 



of any package are spoilt, damaged, unsound, or otherwise defective, so as to be efe wg becomej SQ far as is possiblei conversant with the life history of 

 unfit for human consumption, such defective goods are not intended by the brokers the ^ and the means 0 f com bating it. 



or purchased by the buyers for the food of man ; and the buyers shall separate j re turn to the grower and his troubles. " It's not so bad fighting an 

 such defective goods from the bulk, and shall not use or sell any such defective enemy when you can see him," was his logical assertion, "but with this 

 goods for the food of man." The brokers hit the buyers rather hard when they thing we're completely in the dark. We know nothing about it, and, 

 refer to the current prices of lemons ; these are now selling at from 3s. to what is more, no one is able to tell us much. It's there, that's evident" 



— pointing to the heap before him—" but where it came from, what it is, 

 and how it spreads is quite beyond me. I suppose the creature is alive 

 in the bud, but what beats me is how it gets there. There seems 

 nothing but losses nowadays, and it was the best crop we had. It's 

 some new-fangled thing, I suppose, come to make bad times worse, for I 

 have been growing currants all my life, and never heard of it before." 



case 



consumer cannot obtain good lemons for less than one-half penny or one penny 

 each, mostly the latter figure. 



The Crystal Palace has throughout its existence been so closely connected 

 with horticulture, especially by reason of the fine exhibitions provided there, that 

 our readers cannot fail to be interested in the movement now on foot for its pur- 

 chase by and for the nation. At a recent conference of local authorities, presided 



" When did it first appear ? " I asked. " About three seasons ago, as 



over by the Lord Mayor, a resolution was moved, "That in the opinion of this near as I can remember, I noticed some of the buds swelling early as I 

 conference the present is an opportune time for the Government to secure as a thought. I showed them to a friend of mine, and he said I was going to 



permanent place of instruction and recreation the Crystal Palace and its grounds 

 as a national [institution ; and, further, that this conference is of opinion that 

 every means should be taken to prevail on the Government to acquire and main- 

 tain the same for the enjoyment of the people for ever." The Crystal Palace can 

 be acquired for ^750,000, and it is urged that part of this sum should be defrayed 



have a good crop as the buds were coming on so well ; but as for mite, I 

 never dreamt of such a thing, because I'd never heard of it. Well, I 

 didn't take much notice of it that season, as I thought it was owing to the 

 mild spring, but the next year they were worse. One day a man who 

 had been in Scotland called on me, and in talking about black currants, 



oe acquired lor £750,ooo, and it is urged mat part 01 mis sum snould be defrayed he said th couM do nQ good with them there on account 0 f the ' button 

 from the large amount in the hands of the Royal Commissioners of the Inter- bud j Button bud, said I, what's that ? Why, you've got it, says he, 

 national Exhibition of 1 85 1. We understand that leave to deposit a petition for a picking off a shoot, and since then I've had good reason to know what it 



Bill has been asked of the House of Commons on behalf of the Crystal Palace 

 Company. The petition shows that the financial position of the Crystal Palace is 

 such that there is risk of a collapse of the undertaking. No interest has been paid 

 for some years on the second (1887) debenture stock, and unless the concern is at 

 once reorganized, and fresh working capital is introduced, the revenue may shortly 

 become insufficient to meet^the interest on the first debenture stock. Certain 

 proposals have recently been made to the directors as to a plan of reconstruction, 

 under which additional capital may be provided, and a provisional agreement for 

 carrying out this plan is in course of completion. The amount of the company's 

 capital and debenture stock is, however, admittedly] much beyond^ the present 

 value of the property. The plan now in contemplation involves a very large 

 reduction of the nominal capital, and the conversion into an amount more nearly 

 representing the value of the property— a complete reorganization of the capital 

 hemg essential before any further capital can be raised. The necessary reorganiza- 

 tion can only be effected by an Act of Parliament. The petitioners humbly sub- 

 mit that the preservation of the Crystal Palace, and of the educational and other 

 institutions carried on by the company in connection therewith, is a matter of 

 public importance. The area of the site of the palace and grounds is about 190 

 acres of freehold land. The petitioners apprehend that unless they obtain leave 

 to introduce their Bill in the present Session, the chance which they now have of 

 obtaining the required additional capital will be lost. The petition bears the 

 a ot the company, and is signed on its behalf by the chairman and secretary. 



both ] flosses 111 matter ° f petiti ° n is Wkh the Standin g ° rder Committee of 



yea^h SCU, i y l8,eS Flower Trade for January and February of the present 

 the exnoT 5 ? gC falHng ° ff fr ° m the corres P ondin g P^iod of 1897. In 1897 

 hundred d fl ° WerS tW ° &tSt months of the ? ear totalled to three 



This is d el t VCn t0nS ' bUt this SCaSon lt fdl t0 ° ne hundred and sixty-two tons. 



^ualised^Uers 6 ^ — Cr ° P3 * ^ Pri ° eS ^ USUal haVC alm ° St 



ComnUttee - P,e '"~ A remarkable monstrosity was sent to R.H.S. Scientific 



tomatos 



icmarKaoie monstrosity was sent to 

 Instead of being the result of the fusion of two rl 



owers, as occurs in 



^ey were th ' * " Synanthic " condition, a vertical section revealed the fact that 

 S>ving n 0 si * ° f a . bifu rcation of the axis below, the under side of the apple 



What 



I asked. " Well, I began to make inquiries, and I found out what the 

 swelling of the buds meant. I think sometimes that if I had known soon 

 enough what it was I might have checked it that first season, but you see 

 I'd never heard of it. Somebody told me to pick the swollen buds off 

 and use lime, which I did, but they got worse, and then I thought if I cut 

 the bushes down entirely the fresh shoots would be alright." " Did it 

 answer ? " " Come and look," was the reply, and leading the way up the 

 plantation we came across a row of bushes that had been cut back to the 

 ground with the hope of clearing the pest, but with no effect, as almost 

 every bud bore unmistakeable evidence that it was harbouring a mite. 

 " It's no good," he said, "they'll have to come out, though it's a pity, for 

 black currants do so well on this land. When we cut away all the old 

 wood and let them make a fresh start I thought they must grow free, but 

 it is, as I said before, the thing's a mystery." 



" You form no idea of the cause, I suppose ? " " None," was the 

 emphatic reply. " I was told once that perhaps I had over manured the 

 ground, and I thought there might be something in .t, as I feed the 

 bushes well, but that theory is no good, because a neighbour of mine is 

 just in the same plight, and he has never manured at all. The decision 

 I've come to is that it has been brought into the neighbourhood through 

 planting from infested stocks, though in some plantations quite close 

 to here the bushes are quite free, and in others they are just as bad, 

 though no fresh planting has taken place for years. I have heard that 

 there is a variety of black currant which is quite free from it, but I 

 don't know ; the proof of the pudding is in the eating." \\ hat shall 

 you do to replace the loss?" I asked « I'm afraid I can't replace it " 

 said the grower " My black currants have sold at the rate of a hundred 

 pounds an acre more than once, and I thought of growing nothing else. 

 I'm glad I didn't though, as this has taught me that its always wise not 

 to have all your eggs in one basket. I've planted up much of the 

 ground with gooseberries, but I shall have another try at the black 

 currants if I can get a fresh stock entirely, and feel sure that they are 

 free from mite ; but there's the difficulty— knowing." " But havn't you 

 read about this pest?" " Oh yes, but I never got much satisfaction out 

 of that I've seen pictures of it, showing its jaws and body, how many 

 legs it has, and all the rest of it, but what is the good of that ? Then 

 we hear that this might prevent it, and perhaps the other would kill 



