THE 



GARDENERS 



MAGAZINE. 



SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 1898. 



limpl PALACE, WOOD GREEN, GRAND 



A LKXANDRA 1 AL ^ L, F LOWER SHOW, 

 J\ May 18, 19, and 20, 1898. 



Schedules QfP^T ^ y.M.H.. Superintendent, 4*, Rane laf* IW, Ealing, W. , 

 " , T ^t^ Jl be held b St. George's Ham. on November ii and raj. 



-Bfflatii, in a ^gggg^ga^ , 



^7irVTY~~OF GLOU C E S T E R AND CHELTENHAM ROYAL 



i~OlM* ur HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. . Unmiv u„ J 



V .«n FYHIRITIONS to be held on WHIT SATURDAY and MONDAV , May 28 

 ^°%^d September^ x8 9 8, at Cheltenham. Schedules and entry forms sent on 



m ^ i ° D '^elsrTGEO^fovEV and R. Henry Smith, S3, Regent Street, Cheltenham. 



Entries close May 21 and September 17, 1898, respectively. 



SUMMER cinchona plants undoubtedly endowed its little cells with the power of 



fashioning the intensely bitter active principle known as quinine for its 

 own particular benefit, and not that of man, so that here, as in innumer- 

 able other cases, its virtues as a tonic and febrifuge appear to be alto- 

 gether outside its rat son d'etre, regarded from the human point of view. 

 Knowing, as we do, what a host of tree foes may find harbourage in the 

 bark, or bore through it and prey upon the vital tissues immediately 

 beneath it, not unfrequently inflicting mortal injuries, it is reasonable to 

 assume that a bitter acrid principle, such as quinine, would constitute a 

 most effective protection against the borers, and probably the other 

 vermin as well. Such protection, however, can only be due to actual 

 bitterness, and though it is a curious fact that this bitterness seems cor- 

 related to some extent with tonic and febrifugal qualities, these latter can 

 hardly have figured in any way in the evolutionary development of 

 cinchona, since if the boring insects are subject to any diseases curable 

 by such agency, they would have been encouraged rather than deterred 

 by such medicinal aid. In this particular connection it would certainly 

 be of intense interest to know how far trees, whose wood or bark pos- 

 sesses pronounced medicinal powers, enjoy immunity from vermin, boring 

 or other. The bark of a tree, as everyone knows (save the bark-cutting 



vandals who mutilate our suburban avenues), is of vital importance. We 

 be guaranteed insertion, or altered, unless received before Four p.m. may i op an( j prune the branches, and even cut down the trunk to the 



on that day. ground without destroying life altogether ; buds will be left, and these in 



time will reinstate the growth, but if we cut out a ring all round the bark, 

 the tree is usually killed. The active life of a tree, the circulation of its 

 sap, the interchange of vital materials supplied by the roots on the one 

 hand from the moisture and salts of the earth, and by the leaves on the 

 other from the nutrient gases of the air, is all carried on in the thin strip 



HORTICULTURAL SHOW ADVERTISEMENTS are msenca n wu 

 U £umn at One Shilling per line, the minimum charge being Five Shillings. Advertise- 

 mat Office, 148 and 149. Aldersgate Street, London, E.C. 



NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS. 



Owing to the continued increase in circulation, the " Gardeners' 

 'azine M now goes to press on Wednesday. No advertisement can 



Notes of the Week. 



THE GHENT QUINQUENNIAL. 



The special report of the horticultural exhibition that is now in which lies between the bark and the last ring of wood formed by the 



progress at Ghent, which we give in the present issue, will enable those previous year's growth. The old wood does nothing but supports the 



of our readers who were not present to obtain an adequate idea of the mass of growing branches and leaves, all the life work goes on in the 



general scheme, and enable them to determine with some degree of slender zone described. Sever this, then, and we see at once the tree 



exactitude the chief points on which it differs from the horticultural must be paralysed, and also know the reason. This being the state of 



exhibitions held in the United Kingdom. It will be seen that it exceeds affairs, it is clear that evolution must have done much to strengthen the 



in extent the largest of the gatherings that have taken place in this protective nature of this vital armour, and it is a curious branch of 



country since the great international exhibition held in 1866, and that botanical study to examine in how many and varied ways these armour 



due regard has been paid to the grouping of the multifarious subjects plates are strengthened to meet the offensive tactics of the foe, whose 



with a view to the production of artistic effect. In this respect it presents weapon or habits are simultaneously varied to strengthen their attacks, 



a marked difference from the exhibitions held at home, and as an object precisely as the two branches of our war department are ever active in 



lesson in the tasteful arrangement of plants at public exhibitions it should devising more powerful missiles and stronger resistants. In cinchona 

 prove of immense value. Whether full advantage will th* 



bark, however, we presumably bring in a different factor ; and just as the 

 lesson remains to be seen, but the prospect is not hopeful, for in but calm and dignified Oxford professor parted with a deftly administered pinch 

 few instances does there appear an active desire on the part of those of snuff, two bulldogs which a whole party of students were vainly trying 

 ^ , ,_ r. to drag asunder by main force, so a small percentage of quinine deftly 



distributed through the cortical tissues probably baffles the stoutest 

 borer that even the tropics can produce, by drastic effects upon its palate, 

 and, may be, its constitution also. 



responsible for the arrangement of our flower shows to present to the 

 Public the material at their command in the most attractive manner. 

 10 adopt a scheme similar to that formulated at Ghent is under ordinary 

 circumstances impossible, because of the large space required and the 



S K XPenSCS t*J?? d be invoIved in carr y in S * out - Much, however, 

 might be accomplished in rendering our exhibitions more attractive than 



THE PLEASING PRIMULA. 



uUt^ i ar cif nd WC ^ hould be Phased to see a serious attempt made So we translate that handsome form which was originally known as 

 re perfX^ the C u ample ° f ° Ur Bel * ian friends - We ^ cortusoides amcna, but now generally 



iMn^l?!!!!^^ J Cann0t be closely follow ed ; but the larger is a spe cies that will remain associated with the name of John Gould 



recogn 



It 



^y m palL b,! anT d f ered f ^ m °"° l <"™* * th. m liberal usetf 

 teiy palms and tree ferns. The great features at Ghent are the 



Japan 



type 



as harrlwnJli u' great features at Ghent are the ionff been known to us ; but in Sieboldi there is seen such a marked 



nts Z !? greenhouse Plants, the palms and cycads, and stove advance in the size of the blossoms and the vigour of the foliage, that it 



2* nd thel ganCC ? aSpCCt ° r thC attractive «»°»ri»S of their 

 ^ Jo^r TV 0 ™ ° ther Matures, immensely attractive. 



the fr ,i I , fl ° WerS ' the al P in es, the miscellaneous 



.and the fiuits and vegetables, which contribute so materially to 



advance in the size of the blossoms and the vigour of the foliage, that it 

 is not surprising it was at first regarded as a valuable new species. After 

 it had been some time in cultivation, it was found that the honour of 

 having first discovered it belonged to Siebold ; hence the later specific 

 name The original form as introduced, and still in cultivation, 



■ attraction and interest nf K'7 I . " 1,luuuie so materially to na me. The or.ginai torm » ~~ ; ~~? 



s P»ay of orchid, w exhibitions ; and also the glorious is represented by a bright rosy crimson saucer-shaped flower, with 



and to this extent STTi^Ks? aUraCti ° n ° f the Temple smooth edges. Later introduced varieties were the white, having a limp 

 e indent em tne Ghent Exhibition suffers in interest. Of and ^developed corolla fimbriated on the edges ; the rose and white 



smooth edged, named grandiflora ; and a lilac-coloured type named 

 lilacina so distinct from the others, having a well-expanded and flat 

 corolla,' at that time so distinct and altogether unique in character 

 as to rank as a true species. Beautiful and interesting as these 

 charming primulas were, they did not call forth so much enthusiasm 

 as their later and less worthy relative P. japonica did when intro- 

 duced later in time. It appears strange, but it is nevertheless 

 true that these fine forms of P. Sieboldi were in cultivation in this country 



^hem^ to carrying out 



■^^HlK* 15 ,m P° ssiW e to speak too highly, and more 

 N of the sode m'fT T * e °T* de Kerchove > the presi- 

 ""Ittients; and m V Wh ° — 



?*■ gatherings were \ T™' the courteous secretary, who at the 

 h <" ^H-dirertedTabo congratulated on the splendid results of 



was responsible for the 



PLANT DEFENCE. 



< Cei % Published In T 8 PapCr ° n CindK) na by Mr. J. A. Gammie 

 ' Cve lopments which i. , PagCS dealt exha ustively with the marvellous 

 *» en ts 0 f the b£ ? h J v l bee n effected by cultivation upon the quinine 

 *» to mankind v j C l nchona tree > and its consequent increased 



before 



J 



them, but it was done about the same time by Mr. 

 Shepton Mallet ; Mr. A. Dean, at Bedfont ; and M. Victor Lemoine, 



France : and 



been 



xt ' ' — ~ t-uuacqueiu increased appcaraiiLc, a uun.» & - « , ~ 



mature, however, in the evolutionary creation of the met with in the case of the common primrose. But despite their beautv 



