484 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 1,^1892- 
_ Potato Culture in America. — The greatest Potato-pro¬ 
ducing State in America is New York, whichdevotes to the crop (round 
numbers being used in all cases) 370,000 acres and raises 30,000,000 
bushels, or fully one-seventli of the entire crop of the country. Iowa 
is second in the amount raised—17,000,000 bushels—though its area of 
187,000 acres is eclipsed by the 203,000 acres which Pennsylvania gives 
to the raising of 16,000,000 bushels. Illinois comes next, both in area 
and quantity of product, while Winconsin and Kansas cross each other 
for fifth place. 
- Medicinal Plants.— A paper on “ The Study of Botany ” was 
read by Mr. Mair, dispenser to the Royal Infirmary, before a recent 
meeting of the Chemists’ Assistants’ Association, Dundee. A course of 
6tudy suitable for pharmaceutical students, which had met with the 
approval of the leading botanical authorities, was fully explained, and 
illustrated with numerous specimens. Mr. Mair, in the course of his 
lecture, suggested that some attention should be paid to the require¬ 
ments of medical and pharmaceutical students by local authorities, and 
that the plants in public parks should be classified and named. 
- Acacia platyptera. —At the present time there is nothing 
more showy in the greenhouse at Kew than Acacia platyptera. This 
plant is well adapted for pot culture, and, like most of the Acacias, is 
of easy culture. After flowering the plants should be cut back and kept 
syringed so as to make them break freely. When the plants are grow¬ 
ing the worst enemy is thrip ; a good syringing with tobacco 
water will rid the plants of this pest. To insure a good crop of flowers 
stand them outside during the summer months so as to ripen the 
growth. If this is omitted the result will be a lack of flowers.—J. T. 
- Euonymus euroPjEUS. —This is one of the most useful and 
beautiful of hardy shrubs during the autumn months, the pendulous 
branches of which are then completely studded with capsules of a very 
attractive rose-magenta colour. The habit of growth is light and 
graceful, so that when cut the branches are well adapted for arranging 
in glasses, baskets, or vases. They should be arranged somewhat loosely 
to show to the best advantage. This shrub is of very easy culture, and 
will succeed admirably in dry stony positions, and on steep banks where 
few other kinds thrive. We have one growing out of the cleft trunk of 
an old Cedar tree. Propagation is easily effected by inserting well 
ripened shoots in the open ground at the present time, or by sowing seeds 
early in spring.— H. Dunkin. 
- Schedule Scamping. —With the winter season upon us once 
more, societies in different parts of the country will be reviewing the 
work of the past season and preparing for the next. Committees will 
beat work on show arrangements, and schedules will be prepared. So 
far as the latter work is concerned it is too often scamped in a most 
reprehensible manner. Once drawn up and printed the schedule is 
taken as perfect, and passed season after season without the slightest 
revision. This is done in many cases, even when complaints and mis¬ 
understandings have been rife. A great mistake is thus made. The 
schedules should be gone over carefully every year and revised, so as 
to keep them up with the times, and so as to remove all reasonable 
cause for unpleasantness. If this were done all round the wheels of 
show machinery would run with far less friction than they now do. 
- Horticultural Chemistry. —The first of a series of four 
lectures on the chemistry of plants was delivered on November 23rd by 
Professor Ivison Macadam at the Surgeons’ Hall, Edinburgh. The 
lectures form part of a scheme for technical education in horticulture 
which has been organised by the Scottish Horticultural Society, by the 
aid of a portion of the residue grant handed over to them by the Edin. 
burgh Town Council for this purpose. There was a good attendance at 
the lecture alluded to. Mr. W. M. Welsh, President of the Society, in 
introducing the lecturer, commented with satisfaction on the largeness 
of the audience as justifying the institution of this course of lectures 
by the Society. Professor Macadam first showed that plants could be 
divided into a portion which -was combustible and volatile, and into an 
ash or saline portion. The combustible and volatile portion partly 
consisted of water and partly of various and often of very complex 
substances, built up from the elementary or simple bodies—carbon, 
hydrogeD, oxygen, and nitrogen. The ash or saline matter was obtained 
mostly from the soil, whilst the organic or combustible portion was in 
origin partly derived from the soil, but also to a considerable extent 
from the atmosphere. The various proportions of these proximate con¬ 
stituents were then given, and it was shown that not only did the 
ingredients vary in different classes of plants, but that they varied also 
at different stages of growth. It was also shown that the ingredients 
varied greatly in the various parts of the plant. The lecturer then 
showed the properties of the more common ash constituents, and illus¬ 
trated his remarks by experiments and diagrams. 
- The Opening of Kew Gardens.—A deputation from the 
Town Council of Richmond waited upon Mr. Shaw Lefevre, First Com¬ 
missioner of Works, on Tuesday last to urge that Kew Gardens should be 
thrown open to the public at an earlier hour than twelve o’clock on week 
days. Accompanying the first Commissioner were Mr. W. T. T. Dyer r 
Director of the Royal Gardens, and Mr. H. W. Primrose, Secretary to 
the Office of Works. The object of the deputation having been expressed 
Mr. Shaw Lefevre, in reply, said the question of the earlier opening 
of Kew Gardens was an old story, and not altogether free from difficulty. 
In 1883, as First Commissioner, he went into the subject, and with some 
difficulty persuaded the Treasury to sanction the expenditure of some 
£200 or £300 for opening the Gardens at twelve instead of one o’clock, 
and the Treasury, in giving their sanction, sent a minute to the Depart¬ 
ment, giving their reasons for so doing, but warning them that they 
thought the interests of the public generally must be considered in 
future rather than those of the neighbourhood. He had recently oeen 
further considering the matter, and he had referred the question of 
expense to a Committee which was now sitting investigating the 
question of the labourers’ wages at Kew and the Royal parks generally, 
and until he knew accurately what the real cost of the arrangement 
which the deputation suggested would be he could not come to a final 
determination. He disputed the statement that not much watching 
would be required in the Gardens in the early morning in consequence 
of the paucity of the number of people, for the Director assured him 
that it was just when there were few people about that most watching 
was required. When large numbers of people were about they watched 
one another, and the danger to the valuable collections was when there 
were a few people. It must also be borne in mind that there was a 
great interest in the other direction—namely, that of the scientific men 
who were allowed the privilege of frequenting the Gardens in the morn¬ 
ing, and Sir Joseph Hooker, the then Director, reported very strongly a 
few years ago against that privilege being withdrawn. A large number 
of persons now availed themselves of that regulation, and he had 
received letters from gentlemen interested in the Gardens objecting to 
the withdrawal of the privilege by the general admission of the public, 
and stating that it was of great importance in the interest of science 
that scientists should still have special opportunities of studying the 
plants. 
HOYA IMPERIALIS. 
Although introduced in 1847 the above plant does not seem to be 
be so generally well known as are some of its congeners. It appears to 
vary considerably in character, for it is seldom that such a magnificent 
form of it is seen in gardens as that exhibited by Mr. F. W. Moore, 
Glasnevin Botanic Gardens, Dublin, at the Drill Hall, on November 1st. 
The specimen shown, from which our illustration (fig. 64) was prepared, 
had an umbel of fifteen flowers, of a bold distinct character, which 
doubtless secured the first-class certificate awarded. The flowers are of 
a reddish purple and cream colour, and have a wax-like varnished 
appearance. It is a beautiful stove plant, and should be more 
frequently seen. 
MANURING OLD ORCHARDS. 
The graphic account given on page 414 of the Journal of 
Horticulture of the latest novelty in the Lord Mayor’s procession, 
has doubtless been read with great interest and satisfaction by fruit 
growers throughout Britain, because it is an uumistakeable sign 
that the importance of fruit-growing as a home industry is now 
fully recognised. With so many splendid young fruit plantations 
springing up in various quarters, and such a sterling and compre¬ 
hensive work as the l< Fruit Growers’ Guide to show in a clear 
and thoroughly practical manner what to do and what not to do, 
there is every prospect that England will in the future grow, not 
only an enormously increased quantity of hardy fruits, but that 
the produce will also be immensely improved in quality. 
Readers may naturally be led to think, But what has the fore¬ 
going to do with the work of manuring old orchards ? This 
much : The remarks already commented upon brought back to my 
mind visions of some of the oldest and most extensive orchards in 
this country, among which I spent the years of early life. Many 
of these were sent to ruin and decay before their time by starva¬ 
tion. There seemed to have been no distinction drawn between 
the requirements of young trees which had nothing to weaken 
