852 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



December 24, 1898 



If to these four classes be added the two classes of decompositum— the ordinary, 

 and the higher or more developed class, called here tripinnatum— it will be found 

 that with very few exceptions, the whole of the divided or multilobe varieties will 

 drop into their places very naturally. The expression, " gentle blood, 5 ' has been 

 here used as expressive of that look of quality which seems to distinguish the finely 

 divided forms from all others. 



HORTICULTURAL EDUCATION. 



The question of the education of gardeners is worthy of our best 

 nay, urgently demands it, as it is an obvious fact that we live in pr< 



— j * / . j . . . *~ progressive uwca, 



and unless we move in accordance with them we shall soon be placed at a great 



disadvantage. Especially is this education needful to those whose province it is 



Whoever has once seen a real acutilobe or divisilobe, well grown, half or two- to supply our markets. The tide of imports cannot be stemmed, it increases 



- 0m- mm .am * • a ■ . II f f A. l_. . C ^ 1 m *-a m mm mm. mm J 1 _ *mm C - mm — A- \m mm. mm mmmmA A. mm mm* % 1 mm mm. mm ■«* a 4^1% A f*/~V T** C £\ r? !• AV% t~ I rt ■ 1 II !■ ■ i i _ C * T f 



thirds unfolded, with its wealth of feathery foliage spreading fiom the centre— so 

 finely cut, and yet so evenly crowded together— the dark green of the unfolded 

 part contrasting charmingly with the clear white of the curled-up heads of the 

 fronds that turn gracefully back, crozier-like — with the tips of the pinnae still 

 folded up, and standing out like rows of little frosted-silver balls along the 

 outer edge of the frond, and the rich, thick fox-coloured scales that cover the 

 stem, running right up the centre of the fronds like a bit of sable fur, and the fine 

 hair-like spines standing up from it everywhere, for the dew to rest on or the sun 

 to shine upon ; whoever has once seen this mixture of form, detail and colour can 

 hardly help regarding it ever afterwards as distinct from other polystichums. And 

 it is not cultivation only that does it, for often has the eye of the fortunate angulare 

 hunter been struck by a similar contrast — as, for instance, when Mr. Wollaston 

 came face to face with his acutilobe, or when Mr. Wills, with that magical hooked 

 stick of his, uncovered his Sidbury divisilobe from the common leaves that hid it ; 

 there they stood out, distinct among their fellows — just like bits of china among 

 earthenware— clearly enough nature s gentlemen ; and we may be sure it takes at 

 least three generations to make them such, for it can hardly be credited that such 

 forms start from the normal type. 



My experiences do not tally as a fern hunter exactly with others, for although 

 I have found one good divisilobe and two acutilobes, only one (an acutilobe) was 

 quite characteristic when found ; the divisilobe was, when found, a very fine 

 erect plant, lax, and very nicely divided, one of the forms from Castle Coole, 

 setoso gracile, and it was not for a year or so afterwards that it developed fully 

 into a divisilobe. My acutilobe "exile 99 was taken on account of the anterior 

 basal pinnules diverging from the rachis. I have now two wild finds, bought in 

 the market from hawkers, which at present, the second year, will prove divisilobe 

 and acutilobe. 



Who can foretell the future of Polystichum angulare proliferum ? This is the 

 most difficult part of my task ; but, relying on what has been done in the past, both in 

 angulare and other species, it is very probable that many forms may be crossed 

 with both acutilobes and divisilobes. Some of the crosses may spoil the original 

 characters, and others improve them. About twenty years ago the late Colonel 

 Jones, Mr. Greer Malcolmson, and myself were on an excursion to Tollymore 

 Park, co. Down, situated on the Mourne Mountains. While walking along, the 

 topic of the ferns of the future was started, and in a joking way we each proposed 

 what we then thought the most absurd amalgamations of varieties, this only in 

 the finding of wild forms. But afterwards we found that many of these unattain- 

 able forms were produced by crossing. The plumosum form has already been 

 produced in divisilobum, and it may be possible yet to introduce brachiate, 

 revolved, flexuose, variegated, setose, cristate, grandiceps, percristate, and tripin- 

 nate forms, and to hybridise with aculeatum. Likewise with acutilobum, the 

 forms cruciatum, grandiceps, polydactylum, multifidum, and cristatum are to be 

 had. We may have the possibilities in the future by crossing with revolvens, 

 flexuosum, variegatum, setosum, brachiatum, gracile, percristatum, tripinnatum, 

 acrocladon, corymbiferum, rotundatum, and with aculeatum. And with divisilobum 

 we already have cristatum, polydactylum, grandiceps, and decorum polydactylum, 

 and these can be crossed to an infinite extent. 



in 



Is the Onion Surface-rooting? 



The belief that onions are mere surface -rooting plants is due to the old 

 practice of placing manure for them rather near the surface, which, as a con- 

 sequence, led to the development of roots laterally rather than longitudinally ; 

 but anyone who raises onions from seed on soil that has been deeply worked soon 

 finds out on lifting plants that even whilst yet not more than eight to ten inches in 

 height roots have gone down vertically fully ten to twelve inches. The newer 

 culture, as exemplified in deep trenching and deep manuring of soils for the pro- 

 duction of giant bulbs from plants raised under glass, and put out in the spring 

 when strong and well -rooted, has revealed the actual habits of onion roots, as 

 these, under this form of growth, have been found to go down fully two feet and 

 even further. Mr. Bowerman, who is one of the leading growers of onions, once 

 told me that for experiment he carefully removed the soil from onion roots and 

 found them perfectly straight that depth in the soil. Were it not for this habit 

 wc should never obtain the gigantic bulbs now seen. These are more largely 

 (relatively to the smiiller bulbs) composed of water, and they could find their 

 needful abundant supply of moisture only in very deeply prepared soils. It is odd 

 that with so dry a season as the past summer has been we should have recently 

 seen the largest onions ever produced. Had the plants been surface-rooters not 

 all the watering possible in such a season would have created such monsters. 

 They owe their size to warmth on the surface aided by such deep root run, for no 

 doubt the ground on which they grew had been worked and manured to a depth of 

 fully three feet. Of course, a good deal of feeding is given by the aid of liquid 

 manures applied from the surface, but in soil so deeply and thoroughly worked this 

 liquid food sinks deep. Still further, we know that roots do not absorb their 

 supplies of food through root tips, as was formerly believed, but through minute 



root hairs, which cover the surface of all roots and find food wherever it can be 

 obtained. « . . 



But, after all, the main point is the nature of the attractive force exercised by 

 gravitation on the one hand, and almost of intelligence, or something else, not 

 easily explained, on the other, which seems to compel root tips or borers to strike 

 deep wherever practicable. It seems to be a recognised fact that if we place 

 manure, ur plant food, within fair reach of them the roots will instinctively 



r 17 J . , It m »| *» UiVIVtWW 111 



volume year by year, with a consequent lowering of prices. If we cannot grow 

 more produce to keep out the foreigner we must endeavour to grow better and 

 more economically. We must learn how to combat our insect foes, to overcome 

 or prevent fungoid diseases, and by a system of judicious manuring bring our crops 

 to the greatest perfection in the least possible time. 



Our fathers, mayhap, produced good crops even when they looked upon the 

 soil as an inert mass. Owing to the wonderful discoveries of modern times we 

 are enabled to view things in a very different light, we know that the soil 

 teems with life, bacteria, nitrifying organisms, &c. When we are enabled to 

 follow intelligently the processes of these mysterious agents in the conversion of 

 material into plant foods, which we are only just beginning to understand, surely 

 we may hope for superior results. Or let us take another view of the soil, the 

 theory if you like to so call it, of every particle of soil being enveloped or sur- 

 rounded by a film of moisture and on the preservation of this film of moisture 

 the welfare of our crops and the fertility of our soil largely depend. How can 

 we preserve this film, or how can we assist these nitrifying organisms, 

 without the light ana understanding which is concomitant with the true 

 education which simply means training, the training of the eye to observe and the 

 brain to reason and understand. When we turn to the plants, what a wonderful 

 thing is their life -history, yet we pursue our work amongst them day by day 

 without a thought, mechanically as it were, giving them a certain amount 

 of water and expecting them to do a certain amount of work, without 

 realizing the fact that this work is the most mysterious thing in the whole 

 world. Does not education bring appreciation of these facts ? Who needs this 

 education more than gardeners, and who receives less ? The principal reason, I 

 believe, is this. Our work is not understood, certainly not appreciated ; conse- 

 quently we rarely receive any encouragement, unless it is under exceptional 

 circumstances. To 11 the man in the street" we are "only gardeners, ,, akin to 

 the genus "labourer." How few there are like the Right Hon. James Bryce, 

 M.P., who "remembered to have been often struck with the fact that there were 

 four classes of people who followed arts and occupations which required great skill 

 — bankers, engineers, instrument-makers, and gardeners 99 (vide page 756 Gar- 

 deners' Magazine, December 4, 1897). Skill and knowledge (partly synony- 

 mous) we certainly do require if we are to do credit to ourselves and give satisfac- 

 tion to our employers. How is this knowledge to be acquired ? Only by a course 

 of systematic study and preparation can we acquire it. Unfortunately we possess 

 no State-aided schools of horticulture, like our continental neighbours (a typical 

 one is illustrated and described in the Gardeners' Magazine for April 9, 1898); 

 splendid aids these must be. The R.H.S. with its Chiswick gardens is undoubtedly 

 doing good work, but is only within reach of the favoured few. Hopes may be 

 expressed for the horticultural departments of many of the County Councils in the 

 future when fully organised, but for the present we have little to rely upon except 

 our own efforts. 



Throughout the length and breadth of the land we have innumerable local 

 horticultural societies ; these apparently consider their duties begin and terminate 

 in an annual show. This should not be so ; every society worth calling a society 

 should hold meetings where plants could be exhibited, if new, rare, or interesting, 

 and papers read by various members, followed by debates and discussions ; how 

 helpful these to the junior'members ! This method seems to be far more general 

 in the southern counties ; with a few noted exceptions, it is practically unknown in 

 the north. 



The gardening periodicals, like the Gardeners' Magazine, hold a foremost 

 place in the work of education or dissemination of useful practical and scientific 

 knowledge ; a good text book on structural botany should certainly be studied, 

 followed by one on systematic botany, then one bearing upon the geographical 

 distribution of plants, chemistry, organic or agricultural, should not be omitted, 

 neither should geometry nor geology and the standard works on horticultural 

 subjects. The R.H.S. recommends a special list for use in connection with its 

 examination. Mention of examination brings me to the concluding point. Many 

 young gardeners would like to become candidates for the R.H.S. certificates, but 

 fear to enter the lists, under the belief that the theoretical prevails over the 

 practical. This is a moot point, frequently discussed, but never satisfactorily 

 settled ; but, in order to encourage young gardeners, could not the examination be 

 held on the following lines to the satisfaction of both the practical and theoretical 

 sections? A few months ago the English Arboricultural Association held an 

 examination for foresters at the Yorkshire College, Leeds. Dr. Somerville, of 

 the Durham College of Science, formulated a set of questions on forest botany, 

 *cc. These papers were worked at the Yorkshire College one day, the candidates 

 assembled in Harewood Woods the following day tor practical tests, such as 

 planting, felling, and measuring of fallen timber, &c. The value of this outdoor 

 examination in the actual work was considerably augmented by the fact that the 

 examiners were all practical men, such as land agents and surveyors. The certi- 

 ficates granted to the successful candidates are not too easily obtained, stiff work 

 must be done in each section, but when obtained they carry far greater value on 

 the face of them than those gained merely by a display of theoretical knowledge, 

 and tend to raise the possessors of them in the scale of foresters by proving them 

 to be qualified to hold first-class appointments on important estates. Cannot 

 this system be adopted bv the Roval Horticultural Society ? F. Dixon. 



" — ".77 W *J ™ *\ 11 5U > u is no matter tor surprise it onion roots, finding ago : "This variety, termed by naturalists the Bahama Marbled Duck {l>aj 



L V? 1 • P • n> ^ manure l y' m £ dee P down, go after that manure, and Bahamatsh), is in length about 18^ inches, and I H inches in bill, which is o 



find it ; but in doing so they are also in drv weather finding a crreat essential t3 lead colour, reddish nn *u» *\a^ t~ >u» ^„ncr it ic of * red-brown, the cole 



BAHAMA DUCKS. 



Tins is a very pretty variety of the duck, specimens of which are frequently 

 seen at exhibitions. The following description appeared in m f c l ^ fl j^ tt ^jyj^2 



f a 



me ana growtn moisture, which they could not find near the surface unless 

 artificially furnished. After all, such deep culture as is now given to onion pro- 

 duction is but the secret of success in all garden culture. Nine-tenths of the 

 plants we grow m gardens, and vegetables especially, will root deep and vertically 

 if the soil will admit of deep penetration. That same attractive force which 

 {nvanably causes the root of the seedling to strike downwards into the soil, just as 

 light attracts the stem upwards, operates on roots of plants of more advanced age. 

 Af er all, there is nothing m garden culture so important as deep working of the 



* m - A. D. 



changing as in the Rouen. The tail and back 



potted brown ; the wing 



/ ... UUjkVU y me Dreabi grey, spun.™ j 1 krraii 



metallic-violet, with a narrow strip of buff on the front side, and a orow 

 one on the back ; the legs are of a dark colour." There is no dissimilarity 

 the sexes. Latham, an old and great authority, gives the length of the Banai. 

 as 21 inches, and says that the bill is a lead colour, marked on each side a nd n« 



l with a triangular spot of orange. The variety is found in Brazil ana 1 

 is. It is also known as the Tlathera Duck, as Canard de Bahama, ana 



breed. 



E. B. 



