November 6, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
415 
petitors are too often prone to forget that prizes obtained by questionable 
means confer no real credit upon the recipient, while the practice of such 
methods proves that the love of a prize, however gained, is more to some 
people than personal honour.” 
Mr. G. W. Piper, Uckfield, Sussex—“ I should disqualify without the 
least hesitation. It is a most unfair practice to the honest exhibitors, 
and I do hope the offender will be brought to book.” 
Messrs. J. Jefferies & Sons, Cirencester—“ Gumming Roses for 
competition is decidedly unfair. Judges detecting this should have dis- 
•qualified them ” 
Mr. C. W. Lyon, Rochester—“ The objections to this practice cf gum¬ 
ming the centres of Roses for exhibition are so obvious that it is absurd to 
suppose that an exhibitor would be guilty of such a practice except for 
the purpose of gaining an unfair advantage over his competitors.” 
Messrs. F. and A. Dickson & Sons, Chester—“We consider gum¬ 
ming or dressing of any kind quite illegitimate and unfair in competitive 
classes.” 
Messrs. James Dickson Sc Sons, Chester—“ We consider the practice 
of gumming the centre of Rose blooms that are intended for exhibition 
neither legitimate, honourable, nor fair to other exhibitors.” 
Messrs. Perkins & Sons, Coventry—“It is neither fair nor honour¬ 
able, and they ought to be disqualified.” 
Messrs. Pope & Sons, Birmingham—“ In our opinion in any and 
every such case they should be disqualified.” 
Mr. James Brown, Reigate—“I consider it unfair and dishonourable, 
and certainly should not be permitted by any society.” 
^ Mr. J, Ridout, Reigate—“ I should most decidecUy consider it any¬ 
thing but legitimate, honom’able, or fair to other exhibitors, and anyone 
guilty of such a thing should be disqualified.” 
Mr. Henry Frettingham, Beeston, near Nottingham—“ I should cer¬ 
tainly not allow any gumming in the Rose, and would disqualify the man 
who did it. These things want putting down, and I for one would lift up 
my hand against all such practices.” 
Mr. S. P. Budd, Bath—“ I consider the practice most dishonourable, 
and not at aU legitimate, and if acting as judge at any Rose show should 
disqualify any box in which I detected the gumming of the centre of a 
single bloom.” 
Mr. Frank Cant, Colchester—“ I should strongly condemn any such 
practice, and should most certainly disqualify any exhibitor.” 
Mr. Charles Turner, Slough—“ I never befoi’e heard of gumming Rose 
petals. It is neither legitimate, honourable, or fair. The Roses so used 
should disqualify any stand.” 
“ Messrs. Wm. Paul & Son, W''altham Cross, Herts—“ The gumming 
of the centres of Roses exhibited for competition should disqualify the 
exhibit.” 
Mr. E. Walker, Secretary of the Leek Floral and Horticultural Society 
—“ I am directed by the Committee to inform you that they have no hesi¬ 
tation whatever in stigmatising the practice of gumming Roses as highly 
dishonourable, illegitimate, and distinctly unfair. If such a case of tam¬ 
pering with flowers had occurred at their show, instant disqualification 
would have resulted.” 
This chorus of approval of what we have done by gentlemen of “ light 
and leading ” in the Rose world reads queerly enough by the side of the 
uncalled-for “ decision ” given by the National Rose Society. However, 
if our action and the opinions we have elicited result in producing a 
healthier understanding upon the subject, our labour will not have been in 
vain. Pending other proceedings, the holder of the medals is welcome to 
any “ honour ” or gratification to which their temporary possession may 
entitle him. For ourselves we have to say that we have disqualified him 
for ever, and have severed our connection with the Society which sustains 
him in his highly questionable claim and sanctions his more than question¬ 
able conduct.—A. Johnson, Hon. Sec., Leeli Rose Societij. 
THINNING CAMELLIA BUDS. 
One day lately a visitor here looking at the large number of buds 
formed on our Camellia trees asked if we did not intend removing half 
of them. He was informed that as the house is heated with an old flue, 
which often emits disagreeable fumes when heated on cold nights, and 
we rarely resort to thinning, as some of them always fall through 
atmospheric conditions. Were it not for this I daresay many of them 
would be taken off, and the operation is one worth the consideration of 
cultivators. When the point of every shoot is crowded with from four 
to a dozen buds it is impossible they can all develope flowers, especially 
if the buds are about the same size, and in such cases the result would 
often be unsatisfactory development; but this may always be prevented 
by judicious thinning. When it is resolved that thinning has to be done 
it is an advantage to do it early, and before the blooms commence opening. 
The majority of Camellias have now formed their buds, and it is a good 
time to thin them. Two, three, and not more than four buds are sufficient 
on the end of each shoot, and when the buds occur along the shoots they 
should not be closer than 2 inches. Where especially fine blooms are 
wanted they may be reduced to one bud to each shoot, but this is going 
to extremes where a good supply of blooms is required. It often happens 
that there are very early and some late buds on each shoot, and in 
thinning some of both should be allowed to remain on, as the early ones 
will supply early flowers and the later ones will form a succession. Those 
allowed to remain should never be touching each other, but let them be 
as far apart as possible. In the case of clusters always take out the 
centre ones, as the outside are invariably the finest and most likely to 
succeed well. The utmost care must be taken in thinning, or some of 
those it is desired to retain may be loosened and fall a few days after 
the others have been removed. A gentle twist to one side or a screw 
round is generally sufficient, and where the operation of thinning or its 
results are not well understood it is always best to deal lightly with 
them.—J. M. 
SEA-SAND GRASS, PSAMMA ARENARIA. 
In the October number of Longman's Magazine there appears an inter¬ 
esting article by Mr. F. A. Paley on “ Sea-sand Grass as a Land-winner,’' 
this Grass being commonly known as Marram Grass, but to botanists as 
Psamma arenaria. The Dallastint accompanying this necessarily short 
description will serve to explain the process by which the land is won. 
Those persona who have wandered over the sand dunes, or “ burrows ” 
as they are called in Devon, and which may be found on many of the flat 
parts of our coasts, may have noticed a coarse dark green Grass dotting the 
surface of these sands. Hard, rigid, and pointed as porcupine quills, they 
present no attraction to the ordinary seaside loiterer; but Mr. Paley has 
shown in this article the important part they play in the reclamation of 
the shore. The Dallastint is taken from a photo-micrograph of a transverse 
section of this Grass, and shows that it is a modification of a flat blade of 
Fig. 68.—Psamma arenaria (magnified 36 diameters). 
Grass which has become terete or rolled into a partially closed cylinder, 
the inner surface of which is furnished with longitudinal ridges of varying 
dimensions through which numerous tubes ascend. These tubes, which 
may be seen in the section as round spaces filling the projecting processes 
of the internal surface of the Grass, by the suction they exert draw up the 
moisture retained in the subjacent earth by the matted rootlets of the Grass 
and distribute it to the surface of the sand, thus wetting it for some con¬ 
siderable distance round the crown of each root, and arresting all subse¬ 
quent increments of dry sand, which are carried over it by high winds. 
In this manner each blade of the thousands growing in that spot adds its 
quota to the gathering dune. It would he foreign to the purpose of this 
short paragraph to give Mr. Paley’s paper in all its instructive details, but 
we can only recommend those interested to read this article for themselves 
as a further aid to the right understanding of the accompanying photograph. 
BTRAAVBEERY CULTUKE. 
In your Journal, page 354, is a small note regarding the weight 
of Strawberries grown by Mr. Lunt at Ardgowan by your corre¬ 
spondent “ Caledonian;” the statement he gives being quite correct 
so far as it goes, but he forgot to mention that the plants were 
grown in G-inch pots, the fruits were of excellent quality and highly 
coloured. A few words as to their culture and treatment here 
(Ardgowan) may be of benefit to your numerous readers. The 
runners are lifted about the middle of July and are placed in 
4-inch pots, the compost being two-thirds of good rich loam and 
one-third of leaf soil. They are placed at the back of a north 
wall, so that they may be out of the full rays of the sun, and 
allowed to remain there until they are showing their roots at the 
side of the pots. A few half-decayed leaves are placed in the 
bottoms of the pots, so as not to disturb the young roots while 
being shifted into their fruiting pots. Knowing that the water 
will have a fi*ee outlet, a good dusting of soot is given to the 
sphagnum to prevent worms obtaining an entrance. They are 
