June 28,1883. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 539 
enjoyment of visitors, who like to know what they are looking 
at. The Pansy Society might have done better. 
- Mr. Downie told the history of the beginning of the 
Society. About forty years ago some growers in the Glasgow 
district sent a challenge to the men of the “ east countrie ” to 
meet them with their Pansies. Mr. Downie and other two 
gentlemen met at Falkirk, talked the matter over, and agreed to 
start a Pansy Society. The first Exhibition was held in Falkirk, and 
the thirty-ninth had been held that day in the Waverley Market, 
- At the dinner in connection with the above Society, 
Mr. Ross, Laurencekirk, replying to a vote of thanks to the 
Judges, spoke of the high quality attained by Fancy Pansies, 
as demonstrated by those shown in the Waverley Market that 
day. When he first got them he thought so slightly of their 
qualities as to throw the entire lot out, and for years he had 
disliked them; but now they were quite as good in all 
qualities as the English (Show) Pansy, and eclipsed them in size 
of bloom, richness, and variety of colouring. It may be stated 
that the Fancy Pansy is of Belgian origin, and was taken in hand 
first of all by Mr. Downie. 
- Mr. Ware of Tottenham has sent us a beautiful bouquet 
of garden Pinks, consisting of Lord Lyons, rich rose, very 
useful ; Snowdon, broad petals, smooth, pure ; Ware’s Clove 
Pink, deep rose, serrated petals, free, fragrant, should be in every 
garden; Ascot, lavender, dark blotch, useful; Mrs. Sinkins, very 
large broad petals, slightly serrated, the finest white variety ; 
Derby Day, lavender, maroon blotch, effective ; Early Blush, 
rosy lilac, deeply fringed, distinct and pretty ; Device, white, 
distinct dark central blotch and coloured margin, telling ; 
Volunteer, blush white, with deep maroon blotch, extending to 
the edge of the petals, a fine striking variety ; and Fimbriata 
major, white, deeply serrated, giving it a feathery appearance, 
very chaste. There are no more attractive border flowers than 
these at this season of the year. 
- We are asked to state that the glass structures in the 
gardens of Mr. McIntosh at Duneevan, mentioned in our “ Notes 
and Gleanings” last week, were erected by Mr. James Gray, 
Horticultural Builder, Danvers Street, Chelsea, S.W. They con¬ 
sist of a range of lean-to vineries, Peach house, and Lily house, 
and a range of half-span forcing houses. We think we have 
stated this before, and can now add that the whole are in excel¬ 
lent condition, and as sound and good as when first erected, five 
or six years ago. 
- In answer to a correspondent who has asked what is the 
best OLD or LAST year’s Potato in use now, “L.A. K.” writes : 
—“ From my own experience and what I hear from different 
parts of England the Magnum Bonum is the one most used where 
obtainable.” 
- Very attractive just now are the varieties of Lupinus 
polyphyllus, and amongst other hardy plants in beds and 
borders they are very striking. Their long cylindrical and taper¬ 
ing spikes of blue, purple, rosy, and white flowers tower above 
the majority of occupants of such positions, and serve to relieve 
the slightly too-flat appearance often characterising borders of 
herbaceous plants. 
- Mr. Gilbert, Burghley, writes on propagating bed¬ 
ding plants :—“ What your esteemed correspondent, Mr. W. 
Taylor, says on page 489 about my remark to Mr. Barron is 
perfectly true. Since those happy days at dear old Chiswick I 
have seen numbers of propagators, but I never met William 
Taylor’s match. This is not all ; he could grow the plants 
afterwards. The great majority of Verbenas, for instance, we 
meet are simply little sparrow quills with a few leaves on each 
side ; but friend Taylor’s were all dwarf bushyjspecimens, cover¬ 
ing the pots with healthy foliage.” An opinion is somewhat 
widely entertained that Verbenas have degenerated, and cannot 
be well grown now-a-days ; but Mr. Taylor has every year beds 
at Longleat as fine as any that were produced in the palmy days 
of this flower. 
- A noble plant for the subtropical garden or in any 
prominent position is Polygonum sachalienense, one of the 
largest-growing forms of the genus, and has an imposing effect. 
The stems are stout, 12 to 14 feet high, the leaves shield-like in 
form, about a foot long by 9 or 10 inches broad, and thickly 
clothe the stems from the base to the top. A vigorous specimen 
3 or 4 yards in diameter is now very notable in the herbaceous 
grounds at Kew, where also the better known and similarly useful 
P. cuspidatum is represented by fine clumps. 
- In striking contrast to the above is the dwarf Poly¬ 
gonum Alpinum, which does not exceed 3 feet in height, and 
is of straggling habit, but becomes covered with feathery clusters 
of white flowers, which are fragrant and somewhat suggestive 
of Sweet Scabious. The extreme floriferousness of the plant is 
very notable, and for trailing over rockeries it is invaluable. 
- At a recent meeting of the York Students’ Association, 
an interesting lecture on “ Insectivorous Plants ” was delivered 
hy Mr. Philip MacMahon, Curator of the Botanic Gardens, Hull. 
Dr. Anderson presided. In his discourse Mr. MacMahon showed 
that the researches of Darwin and other scientists had dissipated 
the generally accepted doctrine that vegetables were made for the 
support of the animal creation, and that animals invariably fed 
upon vegetables. He lucidly explained the structure and modus 
operandi of the various carnivorous plants which had come under 
observation, and pointed out the variety which existed in their 
construction. The Dionoea muscipula was formed as a trap, whilst 
the Drosera by its tentacles conveyed the insects down to its centre. 
The Pinguicula, which curls its leaf when an insect alights on it, 
was contrasted with the Sarracenia, and the various “ pitcher 
plants” that are also believed to consume insects were described. 
At the conclusion of the lecture a hearty vote of thanks was 
accorded on the motion of the Chairman, seconded by Mr. 
Gough, B.Sc., to Mr. MacMahon. 
- An excellent fruit-grower sends us the following note 
on mulching fruit trees :— “ Mulching with manure such 
fruit trees as Apples, Pears, Plums, Peaches, Sec., will be very 
beneficial this season ; and the present is the best time to apply 
it, as the fruit is now swelling. After a good rain is the best 
time to mulch. Some gardeners recommend watering the trees 
first. We could never find time for that; but by mulching them 
before the ground was dry we always managed to have good 
fruit. Pears on the Quince stock and Apples on the Paradise 
are very much benefited by a summer mulching, and the fruit 
attains a large size.” 
- The same gardener also writes on destroying the 
black FLY :— “ Many gardeners find a difficulty in extirpating 
this pest, and as : a stitch in time saves nine ’ it is as well to 
be on the alert. On the first appearance of the insects give the 
trees a thorough syringing in the evening with the following: 
1 quart of tobacco water to 4 gallons of warm water at a tem¬ 
perature of 130°, and on the following morning syringe with 
clear water. We always found this effectual, but the tobacco 
water was of the best quality, some being weak and inferior.” 
- Messrs. James Carter & Co. have sent for our inspec¬ 
tion some blooms of their International Prize Pansies, from which 
their stock of seed is this year to be produced. They are very 
large indeed, bright and varied in colour, while some of them are 
remarkable for their chaste pencillings, which imparts to them a 
novel appearance. 
