June 18, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
499 
His Majesty King Leopold has condescended to grant his distinguished 
patronage to the Congress. M. le Chevalier de Moreau, Minister of Agri¬ 
culture, andM.Leop.de Wael, Burgomaster of the City of Antwerp, have 
accepted the “ Pr6sidence d’Honneur.” 
Pecuniary aid has been allowed by the Belgian Government to the Town 
Council of Antwerp. 
. The International Association of the Congo is willing to give all such 
information that may be procured by its agents in Africa. 
Four hundred adhesions to the Congress from all parts of the Continent 
have hitherto reached the Commission. 
We sincerely trust that England will be represent d at the Congress by 
numerous botanists and horticulturists. We therefore desire our under¬ 
taking may be made known to your numerous readers. Por the President 
of the Commission— Charles de Bosschere, Charles Van Geert, jun., 
Treasurer to the Congress. 
[The Royal Horticultural Society have appointed Dr. ogg and Mr. 
was first described by Keyserling in the “ Memoirs of the St. Peters¬ 
burg Academy of Sciences ” for 1875. 
The value of this species is greatly enhanced because it succeeds 
admirably in a greenhouse temperature, consequently it can be grown by 
a much larger circle of Fern lovers. Both amateurs and gardeners 
generally should not fail to include A. neo-caledoniae in a collection 
of the choicest Ferns.—J. T. R. 
THOUGHTS ON CURRENT TOPICS. 
Beyond admitting that both Mr. Thomson and Mr. Henderson have 
justification for reminding me that Fern fronds and Cucumbers are kept 
fresh in water, partly by the conservation of their juices, which cannot 
Fig. 121.—ADIANTUM NEO-CALEDONIA. 
Thiselton Dyer (members of Council) as delegates to represent the Society 
at this Congress.] 
ADIANTUM NEO-CALEDONIA. 
This extremely beautiful species has been introduced from New 
Caledonia by Messrs. W. & J. Birkenhead, Fern Nursery, Sale, near 
Manchester, where not loDg since I saw a splendid batch cf plants in 
different sizes, most of which had been raised from spores, and even 
in such a complete collection of Ferns I was much struck with its 
distinctness and beauty. There is nothing like it either in habit or 
general appearance. Perhaps in habit it approaches Adiantopsis 
radiata more than any other plant, but of course the frond characters 
are quite different from those of that species. The illustration gives a 
good idea of the plant, but we may say the fronds are very gracefully 
disposed, somewhat pedately divided, tripinna'e below, simply pinnate 
above; the pinnae and pinnules are more or less lanceolate, with 
elongated apices ; the pinnules somewhat falcate, coarsely and deeply 
toothed ; colour pale, almost pea-green ; stipes slender, blackish. It 
evaporate under the conditions indicated on page 478, I will say nothing 
more at present (lest I should be tiresome) on the action of endosmose 
than re-assert that its influence on vegetation in every form is far greater 
than is generally admitted, except by eminent scientific men, who are as 
firmly convinced on the ma ter as they are of potency of the law of 
gravitation, and are a little surprised that the subject has not been more 
deeply considered by gardeners. Space can, I think, be better occupied 
this week by a cursory review of a few other topics of a practical nature 
than by enlarging on a subject that appears essentially debatable in its 
nature, though it is really incontrovertible. 
Timely hints have been recently given on the summer pruning oE 
fruit trees. As has been intimated, this work is often, if not habitually, 
deferred too long. I am of opinion that Mr. Bardney is perfectly right in 
his observations on pinching the shoots of bush fruits on page 453. Strong- 
growing Gooseberry bushes will bear much more fruit if the shoots are 
topped now than if permitted to extend to be shortened when the crop, if 
there be a crop, is approaching ripeness ; and f >r this reason, that the lower 
leaves that are then exposed to the light and air cannot endure the sudden 
change, hence collapse, while if the strong growths are not shortened at 
all the same leaves cannot perform their functions in the absence of light 
and assimilate crude sip and store nutrient matter where it is needed — 
