September 14, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
246 
- Gardening Appointment. —Mr. R. Griffiths, from Glewston 
Court Gardens, has been appointed gardener to Miss Bernard, Over-Ross 
House, Ross, Herefordshire. 
- Plum Culture in California. —Some people in this country 
have but a very faint impression of the immensity of the fruit interest 
in California. Take, for instance, the Plum, One single grower, says 
the “ Hanford (California) Journal,” has 544 acres planted with the 
Prune variety. On this tract alone are 66,000 trees. 
- Gardening in India.—I t is stated “that Mr. J. M. Henry, 
for the last fourteen years Superintendent of the Baroda State Gardens, 
has now been transferred wholly to the landscape department, and will 
devote the whole of his time to that work, under the direction of Mr. 
W. Goldring, who remains in England for eighteen months before 
returning to India to carry out the many new parks and pleasure 
grounds H.H. the Gaekwar contemplates making throughout his exten- 
jive territory for his people.” 
- Potash and Peach Yellows.—M r. B. Von HerfE, 93, 
Nassau Street, N.Y,, contends that a want of potash in the soil produces 
frequent and disastrous results to the Peach grower. All diseases or 
any disease troubling the Peach grower can be found in soils abounding 
in potash; and, moreover, it is so well known that the manifestation 
known as Peach yellows, and similar manifestations in many other trees, 
are produced by root fungus, that there is no need to call in the lack of 
any mineral ingredient to account for them. When it comes to the 
question of a good fertiliser for the Peach, kainit or potash salts may 
take a place among valuable articles. Anything that may aid in 
checking fungus growth may be useful aside from fertilising properties, 
Kainit may do this. Even boiling water poured freely around the roots 
of fungus-infested trees has been found excellent. 
- Diseases of Gloxinias. —In France Gloxinias have been 
considerably injured by various diseases. The exact nature of the 
troubles does not seem to be very well understood, as some are sup¬ 
posed to be due to fungi, and others to bacilli. The remedies proposed 
are not always efficient, but good results appear to follow the use of 
some of them. The presence of so much disease can partially be 
explained by the fact that when the young plants are moved from the 
propagating house to their flowering quarters the sudden change in 
temperature weakens them and lowers their powers of resisting disease. 
The change should be made as gradual as possible. Another suggestion, 
according to the “ Garden and Forest,” is found in the fact that 
Gloxinias which are grown in new houses, or in houses before un¬ 
occupied by them, are quite free from disease, while their successful 
cultivation is an utter impossibility in houses which have been filled 
by them year after year. Great care in growing only healthy plants 
will undoubtedly soon become a very important factor in their culti¬ 
vation, for these plants now appear to be the prey of an ever-increasing 
number of enemies. 
- Sand-binding Grass.— The Marram Grass (Psamma arenaria), 
the seed of which was first introduced into the colony of Victoria by the 
Government Botanist, Baron von Mueller in 1883, has been proved to be 
the most eflEective sand stay ever planted. Practical evidence can be 
seen of its value in the miles of sandhills now reclaimed by the Marram 
plantations, sown under the direction of Mr. S. Avery, the park ranger. 
So complete has been the reclamation of the lands, says a New Zealand 
paper, that, where a few years ago not a sign of vegetation was to be 
seen, there now exists a succulent Grass, eagerly devoured by cattle, and 
growing to a height of 4 feet. Marram Grass is practically indestructible 
—burning, cutting, or eating off only makes it thrive—whilst in exposed 
shifting sand it propagates as surely as in the most sheltered position. 
The Grass for transplanting has been supplied by the Port Fairy Borough 
Council not only to the Governments of Victoria and New South Wales, 
but to numerous municipal bodies and private individuals in all the 
Australian colonies. New Zealand, and Tasmania, and in no single 
instanee has it failed to thrive. The Grass is supplied at the actual cost 
of digging, packing, and carting to the wharf or railway station. Port 
Fairy, which does not exceed 253. per ton. The following directions 
how to plant Marram Grass have been prepared by the park ranger :— 
The Grass to be planted in rows at a distance of 6 feet apart, the space 
between the plants to be at least 2 feet. The depth to which each plant 
is put into the sand depends on the nature of the sand. If in sand not 
likely to drift for two or three months, 9 inches will be deep enough ; but 
in very loose and shifting sand the Grass should be placed from 12 inches 
to 15 inches deep. A “plant” consists of as much Grass as a man can 
conveniently hold in his hand. 
- Death of Mr. Charles Verdier, — Rosarians and others 
interested in horticulture will regret to hear of the death of Mr. Charles 
F. Verdier, which occurred a week or two ago. A gentleman who knew 
Mr. Verdier for forty years writes that “ he has died ripe in years and 
honours.” 
- Species of Oaks. —According to an American contemporary, 
“ Prof. H. M. Ward states that there are probably more than 300 species 
of Oaks (Quercus), of which the majority belong to North America, 
Europe, China, Japan and other parts of Asia, There are none in 
Africa south of the Mediterranean region, nor in South America or 
Australia. Some remarkable species are found in the Himalayas, and 
many in the Malayan Archipelago.” 
- Destroying Weeds. —Several correspondents have written 
to “Meehans’ Monthly” recently, as to how to destroy noxious weeds. 
Poison Ivy, Dock, Canada Thistle, and Dandelions are the subjects of 
these varied inquiries. Intelligent gardeners know that no plant can 
live long without leaves. If, therefore, a plant is cut off to the ground 
soon after making leaves in the spring, it is generally destroyed at once ; 
but sometimes another or second growth will appear, of a more or less 
weak character, and if this is again cut, the plant will surely die. 
Nothing is easier than to destroy these weeds when this principle is 
kept in mind. The writer of this paragraph has known a whole half acre of 
Canada Thistle entirely eradicated by having a boy cut them beneath 
the ground with a knife early in spring. Very few produced leaves the 
second time, but these were again cut as soon as perceived, and the 
result was to eventually destroy every plant. 
- English Carnations in America. —Writing from Wellesley, 
Massachusetts, to an American contemporary, “ T. D. H.” says :—The 
English type of Carnation has failed in every trial here, undoubtedly 
owing to the marked dissimilarity of climate and also to the fact that 
in each country varieties suited to a special plan of culture have been 
selected. In that country the plants are layered in the autumn, 
wintered in a cold frame, and grown in pots the following season for 
the next winter’s bloom. Here also selection has been in the line of a 
particular mode of cultivation, but the plant is different and charac¬ 
teristically American, Cuttings are rooted in January, planted out of 
doors in May, and are in bloom by the second week in July. I recently 
had the pleasure of seeing a splendid collection of Miss Fisher, white ; 
Hector, scarlet; and Nobscot, scarlet, in bloom and loaded with flower 
buds, while along with these were another lot of imported varieties 
layered last autumn, which were very much later and did not look at 
all promising. There are no good rose-coloured varieties as yet, but two 
on trial look encouraging. These are Ada Byron and Nicholson. An 
elegant yellow-flaked variety also promises to be a good summer bloomer. 
If neatly staked, as these plants were, they make a fine appearance, and 
at the same time the flowers are kept from injury by heavy showers of 
rain. 
- Apples in America. —The following extract from a trans¬ 
atlantic contemporary will give readers an idea as to what the Apple 
crop is in America this year: — “The prospective crop of Apples, 
commercially considered, as indicated by returns of our correspondents 
for July, will be light, and in many sections a complete failure. The 
high returns in June from districts then in bloom have been materially 
lowered for July, the set has been poor, and the drop, still continuing, 
severe. Thus in Maine and New York the percentages are lowered 
twenty-two and nineteen points respectively. These States are by far 
the most important of the eastern Apple district, and failure there makes 
the sustained percentages of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Con¬ 
necticut of little significance as regards surplus production, though it 
means much to successful growers in the latter States. Large reductions 
are also shown in Vermont, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. In New 
Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland a fair to good crop is expected. The 
percentage in the latter State, however, has been reduced sixteen points 
by the dropping of immature fruit, and is liable to still further reduction 
from the same cause. Virginia has sustained her percentage, and will 
probably have half a crop. In the Ohio Valley and Missouri fruit 
belt things have gone from bad to worse. The frequency of the word 
‘ failure ’ in the notes of the correspondents throughout these sections 
ominously emphasises the exceedingly low condition, as shown by the 
percentages. Michigan has declined twenty points since the June 
report. The high condition of Apples in the Pacific coast region still 
continues, and a good crop is confidently expected. The fruit is 
dropping somewhat in Oregon, where the decline since June, though 
slight, has been greater than in Washington and California.” 
