June 18, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
505 
good results. William I. averages 6 inches higher than the other kind^ 
but both are good.” 
■-- Fragrant Flowers. —The perfume manufacturers of Nice and 
Cannes crush 154,000 lbs. of Orange blossoms, 13,200 lbs. of Acacia flowers, 
154,000 lbs. of Rose petals, 35,200 lbs. of Jasmine blossoms, 22,000 lbs. 
of Violets, 8800 lbs. of Tuberoses, and a relatively large amount of 
Spanish Lilacs, Rosemary, Mint, Lime, and Lemon blossoms every year. 
- The Newcastle Rose and Horticultural Society (Stafford¬ 
shire) will bold their first Exhibition in the Town Hall, Newcastle, on 
Tuesday, July 21st, this year. Prizes are offered in forty-one classes, 
fourteen of which are devoted to Roses ; the others are for miscellaneous 
flowers, fruits, and vegetables. 
- Banksian Rose Buds Falling.—A correspondent, “ E. M. S., ! ’ 
writes :—“ Can anyone enlighten me on the following subject:—We have 
two plants of the White Banksian Rose. One is planted at the foot of the 
house (south aspect) in good soil, well drained, as the foundation 
excavations would do that: it has grown fast, 20 feet in four years; it 
has not been pruned at all, but the leading growths were secured to the 
wall. Every year when the flower buds are the size of peas they drop, 
first turning yellow. I thought it might be drought at the roots, so it 
was watered freely with clear water, and liquid manure too. I thought 
at first it might be that it grew too fast, and therefore shed its buds. 
The other plant is growing on a west wall in stronger soil, not so much 
drained, treated in about the same way ; that, too, does the same. I shall 
be very glad if I can be informed of the cause of this, and how to remedy 
the evil.” 
-Ealing, Acton, and Hanwell Horticultural Society.— 
Announcements have been made that a special great anniversary Exhi. 
bition of this Society will take place in Gunnersbury Park, Ealing, on 
Tuesday, July 7th, and Wednesday, July 8th, by the kind permission of 
Sir. M. N. de Rothschild, Bart., M.P., and his brothers. In addition to 
granting the use of their magnificent grounds, they have also given the 
sum of fifty guineas towards the special prize fund of the Society, and 
Lady de Rothschild will distribute the prizes to the successful cottagers on 
Wednesday, July 8th. The grounds of Gunnersbury Park will be at the 
height of their beauty at this time, and Mr. J. Roberts, who takes a great 
interest in the Exhibition, is doing his best to make them specially 
attractive on this interesting occasion. 
- The Effects of Wind in Fertilising the Ground is remarkably 
illustrated, according to M. Alluard, by the very fertile valley of Limagne 
in Auvergne. The prevalent winds there are west and south-west, and 
traverse the chain of the Domes, where are vast deposits of volcanic ashes 
Much of this du9t is thus carried to the Limagne valley, and settles theie. 
of itself, or is carried down by rain or snow. As it contains a large 
amount of phosphoric acid, potash, and lime, it is highly fertilising, and 
its very fine state favours rapid assimilation. From observations on the 
Puy de Dome, M. Alluard estimates the annual deposit at 348 to 400 
grammes per square metre.—( Nature.) 
- At the Evening Fete, to be held in the Royal Botanic 
Society's Gardens, Regent’s Park, on Wednesday, July 1st, 1885, 
^here will be an Exhibition of Floral Decorations, &c., when prizes open to 
all competitors will be offered in the following classes :—Arrangements 
of flowers, leaves, &c., for personal adornment, such as wreaths, chaplets, 
and the like, and also for use in dress-trimming and ornament. These may 
be prepared ready for attachment to the dress, or the dress may be ex¬ 
hibited as ornamented. Decorations for a dinner table 10 by 5, leaves of 
evergreens only (dried grasses allowed). Floral decorations arranged for 
a dinDer-table 10 by 5. Floral decorations, hardy flowers only. Ditto 
three groups, only one kind of flower in each group. Foliage and flowers, 
suitable for a sideboard. Group of plants, arranged for the deccration of 
a recess, alcove, or fire-place in a room. Standing basket, furnished with 
plants suitable for growing in a living-room. Hanging basket, with 
growing plants. Bridal bouquet. Ball-room bouquet. Group of flowers, 
See., stalks in water, and neither tied nor wired. Flowers (either cut or 
on the plant) which only expand at night. The glass corridor and museum 
will be reserved for the exhibition oi paintings of trees, plants, flowers on 
glass, china, wood, or other material. 
- A New Vine Pest. —The unfortunate province of Bessarabia, 
which ha9 been suffering grievously for some time from a visitation of 
locusts, is now subjected to a fresh misfoitune. It appears that a destruc¬ 
tive insect whose rapaciousness exceeds that of the phylloxera has made 
its appearance in the extensive Bessarabian vineyards. The insect is 
described as of similar size to the phylloxera, but of a different and 
unknown species. A special commission is leaving Odessa for Bessarabia 
in order to consult on means for the destruction of this new plague.— 
(Daily News.') 
- The schedule of the Darlington Rose Society announces that 
the Exhibition this year will be held in Southend Park, Darlington, on 
Saturday, July 25th, when prizes to the amount of £136 will be offered 
in twenty classes. In several the prizes are of considerable value, es¬ 
pecially in the nurserymen’s class for sixty single trusses, in which 
£8, £6, £4, and £2 are the amounts allotted. In the amateurs’ class 
for thirty-six distinct, single trusses, the prizes are £8, £5, and £2. A 
large proportion of the prize money is contributed by friends of the 
Society, amongst whom may be mentioned the Earl of Zetland, the 
Marquis of Londonderry, Sir Joseph W. Pease, Bart., M.P., and Lady 
Alice Havelock Allan, The balance-sheet shows that the Society is in 
a most flourishing condition, a balance of £176 remaining in hand 
from the previous season’s show. Much of the success that has at¬ 
tended this Society’is undoubtedly due to the energy of the Hon. Sec. 
and Treasurer, E. R. Whitwell, Esq., who is well known as an enthu¬ 
siastic and skilful rosarian. 
- The Austrian Central Tourist Club has addressed a petition (says 
Nature) to the Assemblies of all Austrian alpine provinces, to pass a law 
prohibiting the wholesale uprooting of Edelweiss now carried on. The 
petitioners point out that hundreds of thousands of the plants are dug up 
and sent abroad, even to America, so that there is a fear that the favourite 
plant of all lovers of the Alps will be totally exterminated, except in a 
few remote places. In Switzerland, it is stated, for several years past 
there have been stringent laws in the several cantons against uprooting 
and selling the Edelweiss. 
-An American contemporary states that during the past season 
there were put up 48,508,248 cans of Tomatoes in the United States, 
being one-third less than the pack of 1883, the decrease in acreage being 
heaviest in the eastern States. It is said that a farmer in Salem County, 
New Jersey, last season raised 83 tons of Tomatoes on 6 acres of land. 
The crop was sold in the canning establishment for 7 dollars (nearly 30s.) 
per ton. 
PRUNING ORCHIDS. 
I quite agree with Mr. Simpson where he remarks on page 467 that 
showing the results of experiments in London to be a very convenient 
condition to attach by those who are driven in a corner, and who think 
that because people do not comply with such conditions they are afraid 
to do so, and I trouble you with a few remarks. Why should any man 
be put to the trouble and expense of taking his plants it may be “ scores 
of miles” to satisfy the whims of some sceptic, who will not, even when 
the plants are taken so long a distance, avail himself of the opportunity 
of seeing them, though he has only a mile or two to go, for fear he might 
he compelled against his will to acknowledge that he had been wrong ? 
The first time I communicated with the Editor of the Gardener's Chronicle 
on this subject he noticed my remarks in his answers to correspondents. 
Here “ T. B.” took it up, and wished to know how it was the correspondent 
who had growths of Dendrobium nobile 3 feet long could not send them to 
South Kensington. I wrote and told him the reason why I could not 
show, at the same time offered to do so under certain conditions. To 
this “ T. B.” replied, and called it a cool piece of assurance. I then wrote 
a reply, which the Editor did not publish till after the plant was shown 
on the 21st of April. When I found the Editor had not published my 
reply to “ T. B.,” I wrote and told him that I had decided to take a plant 
to the meeting od April 21st, and asked him to inform “ T. B.” so that he 
might be there. Even then Mr. Baines failed to avail himself of the 
opportunity of going so short a distance to see the plant he desired so 
much to be sent, and which I had been at the trouble and expense of 
taking over sixty miles. On the 21st of April I was told a cultural com¬ 
mendation had been awarded for this plant, though there was nothing 
attached to show that such was the case. A few days after I received a 
note from the Secretary informing me that a cultural commendation bad 
been awarded the plant I exhibited, and the same should be sent me after 
it had been signed at the next meeting ; but this I have never received. 
The only reward I obtained for all my trouble was to get the Editor 
of the Gardener's Chronicle to publish my reply to “ T. B.” after it 
was too late to be of any use, for I had then taken the plant for him 
to see. 
I think it a great pity the horticultural press should be used as a 
means for lampooning one another. Surely it was never intended for 
this purpose, but simply to state facts of eaGh other’s modes of treating 
different plants, and for the edification of those who are less experienced. 
I do not profess to be a great Orchid grower, and have no pretensions to 
state that which I know nothing about for the purpose of seeing my name 
