74 8 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



November i 9> 



necessary to guard against the selection of varieties of indifferent quality 

 by planting those known to be richly flavoured when grown under 

 ordinary conditions. In view of these facts, the reports from our 

 numerous correspondents on the pears giving the best results, that we 



Scab on Potatos.— Some diseased potatos 



Worth 



Scientific committee wcic i^ucu to ivir. Worthington G Smith f . 

 and he has reported as follows : « Almost simultaneously with recei ) n r ^ eX f ammation, 

 from the Scientific Committee other specimens were received f,J n P ^ lmens 

 — r ~i — „ . — 11 — * « - . llum JJr. Masters. 



published in a recent issue, are of much value, and intending planters Both sets °[ T^n^ Jltl'™!^ f0rm ° f ' SCab ' invol ™i ~^Z2 



P V_. a,i i VwW.-ure of th* ;«f™,*:«- >uL growmg end of every tuber. Freshly cut sections showed a rnvMii J, lp or 



will act wisely in taking full advantage of the information they contain. 



™ f " j .__ _ _ \ tubers, both in discoloured and normally coloured parts. Tho Grcf ~> l77* 



To render this task as easy as poss.ble and to still further ass 1S t those vation was an abundant crop of a mucor (whke £ ^ ° f CuUi 



readers who have not had widely extended experience in fruit culture, we ^ Z y g0S p 0 re resting stage. An abundant crop of bodies of a LT ^ d into 



have extracted the names of the varieties that were described as being also preS ent about this time in active growth. Later several other fu 



the most satisfactory in the largest number of instances, for the purpose The rotten parts showed the presence of bacteria, white mites a^' appeared ' 



of pointing out the season in which they are available for the table, as it is — * — •■-**« • ' na nei »atod«. 



important there should not be a preponderance of varieties ripening at any 

 particular period during the autumn and winter. Commencing in the order 



mycelium inside the 



worms. 



Phytophthora was not met with in course of the examination Th 

 « scab ' disease has been ascribed to (i) various fungi, ( 2 ) bacteria, ( 3 ) nematode 



worms 



J 



(4) mites, (5) an organism of a slime-fungus nature (Pseudocommis). 



material examined was not suited to discri 



The 



pears, more especially in the North of England, where, with the shelter 



inate the actual cause of the disease, 



of a wall, it attains a high degree of perfection. Following this fine old fun S us m y celium in fresh! y ex P os ed sections inclines me to give the precedence 



variety we have Dr. Jules Guyot, Souvenir du Congres, and Williams' 

 Bon Chretien. These might well be taken in the order of their names, 

 for Dr. Jules Guyot is a much finer pear than Williams' Bon Chretien, 

 and Souvenir du Congres is of special value. For use during October 

 and November, Beurre Bosc, Beurre Hardy, Beurre Diel, Beurre Superfin, 

 Durondeau, Emilie d'Heyst, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, and 

 Pitmaston Duchess are of a high degree of utility, and will afford an 

 ample supply during the two months. To follow the foregoing, 

 Bergamotte d'Esperen, Doyenne du Cornice, Easter Beurre, Glout 



because four of the above agencies were present in company. The presence of a 



^ ^ ^ • jive the precedence to 



In the cases examined moss litter from a stable was used lamely in 



J 



Malines, and Winter Nelis are prominent 



some fungus 



one case ; the ether had also been manured with moss-litter manure, but the 

 source and quantity are not stated. This would seem to indicate that such manure 

 offered good nourishment to the fungus. Comparing my results with other cases 

 recorded, I am inclined to think that the fungus (another cause) came from the 

 soil. Investigations on potato scab have been often made in the United States 

 Belgium, Germany, and France. No definite cause has as yet been fixed on, but 

 experiments in preventive treatment have been fairly successful. Of the latter 

 the following have been tried in the United States and in Europe : i. Corrosive 

 sublimate-the favourite treatment in the United States. When seed tubers are 

 treated before planting out with i pirt sublimate in 1.000 of water for one or two 



among the varieties enumerated by our correspondents. So much hours good results generally follow, although some experiments on badly infested 

 depends upon the district and soil in which they are grown, and also the land were negatived, 2. Sulphur— also an American favourite. The seed tubers 

 season, that it is difficult to state exactly the date of the ripening of their are thoroughly dusted with flowers of sulphur before planting. One authority 



speaks highly of good results from 300 lbs. sulphur per acre applied in the open 

 row, like artificial manures, from a drill distributor. The same writer is also in 

 favour of a mixture of sulphur and kainit at the rate of 300 lbs. per acre. 3. Kaini 



— — - — j - * — — r o — 



fruit, but for all practical purposes it will suffice to state that, generally 



speaking, they will maintain a supply during December and the three 

 following months. In addition to these we would suggest President 

 Barabe as deserving of a widely extended trial. The variety has been 

 grown in the Gunton Park gardens, one of the best known of the Norfolk 

 establishments, for several years past, and Mr. Allan has found it one of 



for application to land known to be infested. This seems to me a ?afe cure, and 

 it is favourably reported on." 



Asparagus from the Sahara. — It is within the bounds of possibility that 



the most productive of varieties in a comparatively large collection, and !3*ZtfELZ*£3<!2f£Z 



the fruit, which ripens during February, is unsurpassed in quality. 



culent asparagus from the Oued Rir' region of the Sahara Desert, where the South 

 Algerian Agricultural Society has created three oases and centres of colonisation. 



The Date Palm is the plant it is most desired to grow, and, owing to the subter- 

 Diploma for the Victoria Medallists. — The sixty leading horticul- ranean watercourses, considerable success has attended the efforts made. Figs, 

 turists of Great Britain and Ireland who were recipients of the Victoria Medal of apricots, vines, and pomegranates have been cultivated, but their produce is 

 Honour in Horticulture, instituted by the Royal Horticultural Society in 1S97 unsatisfactory; the banana, peas, potatos, and beans have been failures. Among 

 to commemorate the sixtieth year of her Majesty's reign, have now been pre- the forest trees planted the eucalyptus has done the best, after being protected in 

 sented with a diploma verifying their title to the use of the now well-known its earlier stages. The greatest success achieved so far has been with Argenttuil 

 letters V.M.II. We need not here enumerate the medal-holders, as the portraits asparagus, at Ayata and Sidi-Yahia ; its culture was commenced in 1892, and 

 of the whole sixty were published in the Gardeners' Magazine of November 



20, 1897. The diploma is surmounted by the Royal Arms and reproductions of When in full bearing it became possible to cut asparagus of the finest flavour over 



a period of from twenty-five to thirty days. The difficulty, of course, will be to 

 market the produce in good condition. At present it takes five or six days to 

 reach Paris from Ayata ; consequently, iowing' a to the expected increase of the yield 

 graciously pleased Her Majesty the Queen, Empress of India, to assent to the there, various methods of packing will be tried, so that the transport difficulty may 

 establishment by the Royal Horticultural Society of the Victoria Medal of Honour be overcome as nearly as possible. 



grass. 



the obverse and reverse of the Victoria Medal. Then follows, with the name of 

 the holder inscribed : — " Royal Horticultural Society, Founded 1804. Incorporated 

 by Royal Charter 1809. Anno Domini MDCCCXCVII. Whereas it has 



in Horticulture, in perpetual commemoration of the 60th year of Her reign. This 

 is to make known that we, the President and Council of the Society, have con- 

 ferred the said medal upon our right worthy Fellow George Gordon. Given under 

 our Common Seal, this 26th day of October, 1897. Signed Trevor Lawrence, 



Dimorphic Leafage on Lavender.— Dr. Masters called attention, at 

 the recent R.H.S. Scientific Committee, to sprays of lavender on which the 

 majority of the leaves were small, grey, with stellate hairs, and with inrolled 

 margins, these characters being acquired by many plants frequenting arid and hot 



President. W. Wilkes, Secretary." At the foot of this diploma, which measures reg i 0 ns. Some of the leaves, however, were much larger, dark green and flit, 



16% by 12% inches, is affixed the seal of the society. 



such being characteristic of plants in a moister climate. The different appearance 



Edinburgh Chrysanthemum Show. — A magnificent exhibition is that of the latter is caused by there being much fewer hairs, and these, instead 



ones, 



now being held in the Waverley Market, Edinburgh. The competition is ex- 

 ceedingly keen in all classes. The City of Edinburgh prize of £1$ and a piece of with scarcely any branches ; consequently they scarcely overlap each other, and so 



plate^ value ^20, for twenty vases of chrysanthemums, distinct, is well won by reveal the green chlorophyll below and between them. 



they are about equally and very sparingly distributed, 

 of the leaves. 



stomata, 



Mr. T. Lunt, gardener to G. Stirling, Esq , Keir, Dunblane, with the finest 

 exhibit seen this year. Mr. D. Nicoll, gardener to J. W. Bell, Esq., Rossie, 

 Forgandenny, second; Mr. A. Haggart, Moor Park, Ludlow, third; Mr. J. 

 Beisant fourth. Mr. T. Lunt also won first prize for thirty-six Japanese with a fine 

 exhibit ; Mr. Addison, Black House, Skelmorlie, second ; Mr. J Martin, Corn- 

 dean Hall, Gloucestershire, third ; Mr. Haggart fourth. Plants are grandly 



shown, Mr. G. Thomson, Preston Grange, Prestonpans, Edinburgh, being very 

 -successful. 



The Pollination of Flowers by Birds, according to Dr. F. Johow, of 



-Berlin, occurs in a much smaller degree than is generally believed and stated. 

 He shows that humming birds in particular, since they feed entirely on insects, 

 and not on nectar, play but a small part in the carriage of pollen. He describes, 



They occur on both sides 



Chilian 



eliad, Puya observation. 



The Biology of Ferns, though studied carefully of late years by many 

 skilful botanists, is still a subject in which a great deal remains to be explained | 

 thus the student has a wide field here for investigation. Dr. Aurelio de Gasparis, 

 an Italian professor, has, however, recently brought forward a good deal of new 

 information anent ferns. Some of his observations show that 1 there are certain 

 forms of dissemination not previously observed, others relate to the trophilegic 

 action of the fronds, in connection with which certain arrangements have been 

 observed, destined to facilitate the passage of water to the roots. Dr. Gasparis 

 has also discovered ,two new cases of myrmecophily, as well a 5 a number o 

 instances of acarophily among ferns, many of them very evident and easy of 



Where Fruits Pay Like Gold Mines.-Upon the authority of Mr. . a. 



-^i„ -c r- ._ ~. ... . , r uticW corns verv interesting, 



Nut 



chilensis. The M nectar' 1 in this flower is exceedingly abundant, but is not 

 attractive to insects, being very watery, and containing but little sugar. It is, 

 however, eagerly drunk by humming birds, but more especially by the Chilian 

 s'arhng, and these birds get their heads plentifully besprinkled with the pollen, 

 which they then carry to other flowers 



m u K12 n 1 J ^ "* * w *" ,auL > ucre t some remarkable results uavc w — , 



i^ew Public Parks and Gardens are continually being made, and the hundred carloads of strawberries were shipped in the summer of i«97 »° 



t-ditorof the •'Gardening Year-Book" (r 4 8 and 149. Aldersgate Street, E.C) section and brought into one town ^52,083. One grower, Mr. Davidson, n 



win be greatly obliged by our readers sending particulars cf any qew open spaces had strawberries that paid S62 10; oer acre : another sold peaches for more 



that may have come under their iu*;** r Sn~> ~~ «„ r . . _ \*1 , , . . ^ ^ M n^ch trees 



Kansas 



Although 



tile 



1 is 



Thus, th"* 



one 



had 



— f ~- AUJ« — ¥ 



£72 per acre ; one hundred and sixty acres of four year old pea 



oduced 



