May 21, 1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
415 
fly might prove to be the cause. Mr. MacLachlan undertook to report 
further upon it. 
Oali Wood Destroyed. —He a’so exhibited a piece of Oak completely 
converted into powder by attacks of Lyctus canaliculatus. It is a 
beetle which causes great mischief to gun stocks in Birmingham. He 
also show'cd specimens of wood from barrels perforated by Carpophilus 
hemipterus. In a previous case the staves were perforated on both sides ; 
in the present instance the attack by the insects was made after the 
barrels had been completed, as the perforations only occurred on the 
exterior. 
Primrose Seedling. — Miss Woohvard sent a new and remarkable 
form of a Primrose which accidentally appeared in a cottage garden at 
Belton, near Grantham. Its peculiarities consist in the corolla lobes 
being red below and yellow above, as well as in possessing a sweeter and 
more pow’erful perfume than most varieties. 
Ileteroecisinal Fungi. —Dr. Plowright exhibited specimens of Puccinia 
Digraphidis, Soppitt., on the leaves of Phalaris arundinacea, which were 
found by Dr. D. Franzschel near Wiborg in Finland, growing in the 
vicinity of HUcidium Convallarise ; also specimens of Puccinia AgrostkPs, 
Plow., on Agrostis vulgaris collected by the same gentleman near 
Lewaschow in Russia growing in the vieinity of iEcidium Aquilegire. 
He further stated that he had this year produced the C^eoma Laricis 
upon Larch by infecting this plant with the germinating te’eutospores 
of Melampsora Betulinm, the converse experiment of producing the 
Melampsora on Birch from the spores of Creoma Laricis having been 
made last year. This culture is the more interesting, as it shows that 
the Larch is the host p’ant for the mcidiospores of two species of 
Melampsora. Hartig had previously demonstrated that a Melampsora 
on Populus tremula similarly affects the Larch foliage. 
“ Antiilight," a Preparation for the Destruction of Mildew. —A 
visitor, Mr. A. Buchanan of Glasgow, was invited to give an account of 
a preparation recommended by Mr. Tait of Oporto. It w^as found to 
be beneficial to Vines in the north of Portugal, and as the Potato 
disease was due to another species of Peronospora, it was suggested as a 
remedy for it. He read a communication presented to the Highland 
Agricultural Society in which the results from its use were described as 
beneficial to port wine growers, as well as being destructive to mould 
on trees, &c. He gave a description of the composition of antiblight, 
which consisted of lime, flowers of sulphur, and sulphate of copper. 
The sulphate of copper disappears, and is replaced by a hydrated oxide 
of copper. The preparation is used in the dry state instead of being in 
solution, which, excepting the sulphur, is apparently the only appre¬ 
ciable difference between “ antiblight ” and other well-known prepara¬ 
tions. There appears to be a certain danger in its use, in that if the 
powder be not ground sufficiently fine, small particles of sulphate of 
copper may be left on the foliage, unaltered, which destroy it. These 
have, therefore, to be sifted out, the finer powder being alone used. The 
dispersion of the powder has to be effected by means of bellows and 
fans of peculiar construction. 
It was observed by Dr. Plowright that the flowers of sulphur, though 
destructive to the o’idium upon Vines, would have no effect upon the 
Potato disease. He also referred to the extended use of preparations of 
sulphate of copper on the continent, as— e.g., for Tomatoes, the foliage 
and fruit of which are dressed with it. The practice is even adopted 
of painting the Vine poles, as this has been found to lessen the disease. 
Sulphate of copper is also largely used in America. 
Mr. Dod described his experience with similar materials, only used 
wet, in the following proportions : — 3 lbs. of sulphate of copper, 
10 gallons of water, and 2 lbs. of quicklime. Having applied it to 
growing plants of tender foliage liable to mildew it proved injurious 
because the sulphate of copper had not passed into the hydrated oxide. 
He added that flowers of sulphirr, though an old remedy for foliage, 
proved injurious to roots, paralysing root growth by the sulphur probably 
becoming oxidised and giving rise to sulphurous acid. He suggested 
that it should never be used as a top-dressing. Bulbs thus arrested had 
been exhibited at a previous meeting. 
Having heard Mr. Buchanan’s account the Committee expressed 
their willingness to give publicity to his statements ; but they did not 
consider there was sufficient novelty in the preparation to justify them 
in recommending experiments to be carried out at the Society’s gardens. 
Moreover, the question appeared to them to be rather more of a com¬ 
mercial than scientific nature. The Committee, however, thought that 
if private cultivators would undertake to try it, its true value might be 
soon discovered by testing the powder in various ways on different 
plants, as well as by using the liquid preparations for comparison, to 
discover if it were really preferable to the latter or not. 
Peepaeing foe Bedding Out. —Spring flowering plants that have 
survived the winter are later in. flowering than usual, and this may 
seriously interfere with the work of preparing and refilling the beds for 
the summer. Where hardy or half-hardy edgings are used, these 
including Sedums, Cerastium, Herniaria, and Golden Pyrethrum, these 
might be dibbled in at once, and would then be well established before 
very hot wmather may reasonably be expected. When the centres of the 
beds are cleared of their present occupants there need be no digging, a 
surfacing of decayed manure or leaf soil being worked in with the trowel 
as the planting goes on. This plan frequently answers best in cases 
where the soil is of a heavy nature and has not been for some time 
roughly dug up. Digging such soils just prior to planting is most unwise. 
Poor quickly drying soils ought to have a good dressing either of rich 
compost, decomposed manure, Mushroom bed manure, or the best sub¬ 
stitute available. Designs for carpet beds might also be laid down now 
and marked with a tracing of silver sand, the groundwork being then 
filled in with some of the hardy kinds of carpeting plants previously 
mentioned in connection wdth edgings. It should be remembered that 
quite small divisions of most of the kinds named dibbled out rather 
thickly and neatly are preferable to stronger patches put out at wider 
intervals, the former being the first to regularly cover the ground.—1. 
STRAWBERRY BOTHWELL BANK. 
I HAVE perused the article by “ G. McD.” at page 365 on the above 
and other Strawberries, but fail to see that he has proved the identity 
of Bothwell Bank. I do not mean to affirm that Bothwell Bank is 
identical with either President, Admiral Dundas, or Dr. Livingstone, 
but there are grounds for suspecting it to be one or the other. The 
following irnsolicited information I obtained w'hen visiting some of the 
Clydeside orchards lately is interesting. I had a long chat wdth Mr. 
Alex. Forrest of the Gill orchard upon different kinds of fruit, particu¬ 
larly Strawberries, and I might, in parenthesis, here say that he is 
greatly in favour of selling his fruit direct to the consumer, and puts 
much emphasis upon people making their own preserves, which w'ould 
be greatly to their advantage. 
Strawberry Sir Joseph Paxton grew and bore w'ell with him. Both- 
w’ell Bank was also a splendid Straw^berry, but it became subject to- 
mildew readily in wet seasons. Interposing, I said, “ As most large 
Strawberries do.” Continuing, he said that he, as well as others, had it 
direct from the gardener at Bothwell Bank, who had also sold the whole 
stock to an Edinburgh firm. AVhen Mr. J. Scott (another extensive 
fruit grow'er of my acquaintance) heard of this wonderful Strawberry, 
visited Bothwell Bank to see it growing, he exclaimed in his usual 
vernacular, “ Naither mair nor less than my seedling.” 
Now comes the mystery, How was it Mr. Scott’s seedling ? He had 
a bed of seedlings, some thou.sands, in a space of 6 yards completely 
matted with weeds, and out of the lot only one fruited, neither a red 
nor a white berry, but a nasty pale colour between the two. Seeing the 
inferior sorts, and the old fashioned w'ay in which he grew Strawberries, 
I remonstrated with and invited him to visit my garden. Accepting 
the invitation, he was simply delighted at the large crops and huge 
berries, from which I gave him what plants I could spare, with the 
promise of more of Dr. Hogg, Mr. Radclyffe, President, Admiral Dundas, 
and Dr. Livingstone. Contrary to my advice, he dug in an old plantation 
of Black Prince, and planted the others there. 
In the autumn of that year he went to America in order to export 
Apples to this country. When he was absent I took according to 
promise many Strawberry plants, including Dr. Livingstone. I found 
the son busy laying in other varieties, and assisted him to put in those I 
had taken. When we came to Dr. Livingstone with no name, and in 
answer to what he would call it,(replied “ Call it The Seedling.” The 
following year when all had fruited Mr. Scott told me that he could see 
no difference between Admiral Dundas, President, or Dr. Livingstone, 
much to my surprise, and immediately added, “ his seedling ” was 
superior to any, which, as the saying is, took my breath away. 
It must be observed that the trial Strawberries were grown upon 
Strawberry-exhausted soil, while the others were planted upon rich new 
soil. Just as I had been generous so was Mr. Scott. He at once offered 
me plants of “ his seedling,” which I readily accepted, and true to its 
character it bore well the following year, proving itself equal if not 
superior to Dr. Livingstone, but much like it. I thought about Mr. 
Scott’s solitary seedling, and the other things already mentioned. I 
went direct to see it, and wms astonished to see so many fine fruiting 
plants. “ Come, give me the history of this seedling.” “ Oh, here is the 
‘ tally pin ’ still marked ‘ My seedling.’ My son is very particular, and 
would not make a mistake.” I examined it, and found it to be the same 
pin and same writing that I had superintended the year previous. Such 
is the history of Mr. Scott’s “ seedling,” Now let us see wdio will 
prove Bothwell Bank and Dr. Livingstone to be distinct Strawberries Z 
—W. T. 
[We have received a very interesting letter on the origin of this 
Strawberry. Mr. T. Chisholm, we are told, found it as a chance 
seedling at Bothwell Bank in 1875, and did not take it there from 
Camperdown, as has been suggested, for the very good reason that he 
was never employed there. Our informant still grows this Strawberry 
from the stock he obtained direct from the seedling plant. The frait, 
he says, is nothing like President, but much more resembles that of 
James Veitch. Mr. Chisholm is now engaged in growing fruit ia 
California. This is all we can say on the subject this week.] 
HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
BATH.— May 13th. 
As far as the number and quality of the exhibits and arrangements 
generally are concerned the Bath shows are always successful, and the 
display on the date named was highly creditable and thoroughly 
appreciated by the crowds of fashionably dressed visitors who thronged 
the tents. The class for sixteen stove and greenhouse plants, ten 
of them to be in flower, was fairly well filled, bat Mr. J. Cypher, 
Cheltenham, was easily first, he having noble specimens of Kentias, 
Latanias, and other Palms, with a front row of Ericas, Hedaromas, 
Anthuriums, and Aphe’exis, all moderately large and in perfect 
condition. Mr. J. Currey, gardener to Colonel Pepper, Salisbury, was 
second, his most attractive plant being a large, grandly fiowerei 
