April 1, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
259 
spring flowers, and four pots Crocus. The best Tulips came from Mr. 
Heron, Pollok Gardens, Pollokshaws, and Mr. Miller, Everslie. Mr. J. 
Mathieson had the best Narcissus. Mr. Heron and Mr. William Cowan, 
gardener to Captain Dick, Campbelltown, had first prizes for Lily of the 
Valley in pots not exceeding 12 inches and 6 inches respctively. Mr.George 
Meston, gardener to Morris Carswell, Esq., Pollokshields, had the best 
Spiraea japonica. For collection of vegetables in eight varieties, Mr. James 
Heron was first, Mr. Thomas Hogg second, and third Mr. John McLean, 
Auchenames, West Kilbride. 
Very much of the success of the Exhibition is due to the untiring energy 
and zeal of the Secretary, Mr. F. Gibb Dougall, and Mr. C. McDonald 
Williamson, Treasurer, who do everything in their power to promote the 
interests of the Society.—G. E. 
WESTMINSTER AQUARIUM— March 80th and 31st. 
The first of the series of exhibitions announced to be held this season 
in the Westminster Aquarium was opened on Tuesday last. Liberal prizes 
were offered in thirteen classes, the total amount being nearly JilOO. The 
competition was good in the principal classes, and the display was one of 
the most extensive and varied that has been provided in London this season. 
Many of the collections of bulbs had, however, been exhibited on several 
occasions before, and were somewhat the worse for their journeys. The 
Hyacinths also, as remarked in reports of these shows, were not so fine as 
■usual, but the Daffodils, Lilies of the Valley, and market plants formed 
fresh and beautiful groups. At shows of this character it would be wise to 
make the market plants a stronger feature, and by that means some highly 
effective displays might be obtained. An attractive programme has, however, 
been announced under the superintendence of Mr. E. Dean, the Eose Show 
and Strawberry Fete being two of the principal events. 
At the spring Show Mr. H. E. Wright, Lee, and Messrs. H. Williams, 
Finchley, secured the chief prizes for bulbs, such as we have already re¬ 
peatedly noted. They were also the prizetakers with groups of market 
plants, both staging very diversified collections. The Cyclamens were excel¬ 
lent, especially those from the St. George’s Nursery Company, and W. Clay, 
Esq., Kingston. The best Cinerarias were from Messrs. J. Carter & Co., 
Holborn, who were awarded the first prize for fifty plants. Pretty collec¬ 
tions of hardy plants were contributed by Mr. T. S. Ware and Mr. R. Dean, 
who were placed first and second respectively. Three large groups of 
Daffodils were arranged by Messrs. Barr & Son, T. S. Ware, and Collins 
Bros. & Gabriel, which occasioned the Judges some difficulty in making 
their awards, but ultimately the first prize was adjudged to Messrs. Collins 
for an exceedingly choice collection. 
The non-competing exhibits comprised two stands of brilliant Zonal 
Pelargoniums from Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, including flowers of 
some grand varieties. Cyclamens were contributed by the St. George’s 
Nursery Company and Mr. Clay, a stand of the Pelargonium Volonte 
Nationale being shown by Mr. Perkins, Leamington. Special prizes were 
awarded to all these exhibitors. 
SOIL— MOISTURE AND VEGETATION. 
A SOIL is made up of solid particles of different sizes, ranging from 
pebbles down to the finest dust; being irregular in shape the particles do 
not anywhere fit close together, like sardines in a box. Of course, how¬ 
ever, all of them must touch one another in many places, so that those 
above are supported upon those below, and those below cannot get from 
under their burden because hedged in closely on all sides by their next 
neighbours. There are spaces around these particles of solid matter, 
between the many points where they touch one another, which also vary 
much in size from such as are no wider than the thickness of goldleaf to 
such as are large enough to thrust one’s finger into. These spaces are 
occupied by air or water, sometimes by one and sometimes by the other. 
If always filled with water, the soil is no better than a bog ; if always 
filled with air, it is only a barren desert. Water that falls on the surface 
of the soil and can find its way from one to another of the larger spaces 
will run down till it reaches the level of the standing water in the ground; 
•just as water poured into a pipe in a well does not stop till it reaches the 
level of the standing water in the well. But water that gets into the 
smaller spaces may be held there, many feet above the level of the 
standing water ; as if, having filled the upper part of a well with sponges, 
we should then pour water in, we know that much of it, being taken up 
in the very fine capillary tubes of the sponges, will never reach the 
bottom ; it will stay in them till it dries out by evaporation into 
the air. 
The best condition of the soil is thought, by those who have studied 
its relations to water and vegetation, to be that in which not only all the 
spaces too large to hold the water up contain nothing but air, but where 
a large part of the small spaces are also empty. Our upland crops do 
not thrive in soils so situated that all these smaller spaces near the sur¬ 
face are full of water. Vegetation is constantly taking up this small 
residue of water that is left in the soil afterthe surplus of rain has drained 
•off and dissipating it into the atmosphere ; and when the supply of water 
is not sufficient to meet this demand at least to a reasonable extent, the 
plant wilts, or, as in the case of Indian Corn, its leaves curl up. How 
the supply is replenished when the rains are few and far between is a 
somewhat puzzling question. Too much credit is given to the power that 
the soil is supposed t > have of absorbing moisture from the atmosphere ; 
the amount so absorbed is of small account except when the air is very 
damp, which is not its usual condition at such time when rain is scarce. 
The power residing in the plant itself of reducing its consumption of water 
is of much more account for saving it from death by drouth than any 
power which the soil has of supplying it with water by simple absorption 
from the air. Some plants can, if necessary, lower the rate at which they 
take up water by their roots and give it off into the air to one-tenth of 
the usual rate, without showing, at least for a time, any signs of suffer¬ 
ing ; and when the supply of water at the roots is more liberal they pump 
away again as fast as ever. 
Some substances added to the soil check very much the rate of 
exhaustion of the water by vegetation ; salt acts thus, and plaster 
appears to be particularly effectual. Thus the opinion common among 
farmers may be accounted for, that plaster lessens the danger of bad 
effects from a scarcity of water ; they say it absorbs water. But this is 
out of the question ; all the ground plaster that is sold has been exposed 
to the air for a long time before the farmer buys it, and it has had ample 
time and opportunity to absorb all the moisture it can from that source. 
But if it serves to lower the rate of evaporation of the soil-water into the 
air through the vegetation growing on the soil, it is plain that it may to 
some extent serve the same purpose as if it did actually absorb water from 
the air to be handed over to the plant crops according to their needs ; it 
husbands tho scanty stock of water in the soil, and forces the plants to be 
more economical in the use thereof. Some experiments with salt have 
shown that the soil of a grass plot to which the substance had been 
applied contained ten days after a rain had fallen twice as much water as 
did an adjoining plot which had received no salt ; and the plants on the 
former plot were growing vigorously after those on the other plot had 
begun to show signs of suffering from want of water.—D r. G. C. Cald¬ 
well (in the “ Nero York Tribune ”). 
ROSE SHOW FIXTURES, 1886. 
For the guidance of those Societies which have not as yet fixed the 
dates of their exhibitions I append the following list of Rose Shows 
arranged to be held during the coming season by the National Rose 
Society and Societies affiliated with it. 
Bagshot and Windlesham Rose Society, at Bagshot, Tuesday, 
June 29th. 
Diss Horticultural Society, at Diss, Tuesday, June 29th. 
Croydon Horticultural Society, at Croydon, Wednesday, June 30th. 
Farningham Rose and Horticultural Society, at Farningham, Wednes¬ 
day, June 30th. 
Canterbury and Kent Rose Society, at Canterbury, Thursday, July 1st. 
Reigate R >se Association, at Reigate, Thursday, July let. 
Tunbridge Wells Horticultural Society, at Tunbridge Wells, Friday, 
July 2nd, 
Eltham Rose and Horticultural Society, at Eltham, Saturday, July 3rd. 
National Rose Society, at South Kensington, Tuesday, July 6th. 
Cardiff Rose Society, at Cardiff, Wednesday, July 7th. 
Ealing, Acton, and Hanwell Horticultural Society, at Ealing, Wed¬ 
nesday, July 7th. 
Sutton Amateur Rose Society, at Sutton, Wednesday, July 7th. 
Bath Floral Fete and Band Committee, at Bath, Thursday, July 8th. 
Hereford and West of England Rose Society, at Hereford, Thursday, 
July 8th. 
Hitchin Rose Society, at Hitchin, Thursday, July 8th. 
Ipswich and East of England Horticultural Society, at Ipswich, 
Thursday, July 8th. 
Maidstone Rose Club, at Maidstone, Friday, July 9th. 
Cray Valley and Sidcup Horticultural Society, at Frognal, Saturday, 
July 10 th. 
Wirral Rose Society, at Birkenhead, Saturday, July 10th. 
East Gloucestershire Rose Society, at Moreton-in-Marsh, Tuesday, 
July 13th. 
National Rose Society, at Birmingham, Thursday, July 15th. 
West of Scotland Rosarians’ Society, at Helensburgh, Friday, 
July 16th. 
The only fixtures of Rose Shows not in connection with the National 
Rose Society that have as yet reached me are the two following:— 
Crystal Palace Rose Show, Saturday, July 3rd. 
Oxford Rose Show, Wednesday, July 7th. 
—Edwd. Mawlev, Rosebank, Berkhamp stead. 
Daffodil Notes. —Much has yet to be learned in reference to 
Daffodils ; so I would take the liberty of suggesting that your correspon¬ 
dents record anything that seems unusual through your columns. Though 
I have an almost complete collection of Narcissi, not half a dozen varieties 
out of doors in a warm southern aspect have yet bloomed. The dwarf 
little N. nanus, reaching about 4 inches high with me, only opened a 
week since. I use it as an edging to anjherbaceous border, with St. Bridgid 
Crown Anemones behind. The last snow played sad havoc with the 
foliage and opening bloom buds of the Anemones and a few of the 
Narcissi, though they had escaped unscathed through the winter’s (frost. 
N. Trumpet Major has only opened its first bloom to-day, being preceded 
ten days by N. obvallaris (the Tenby Daffodil). Mr. W. B. Hartland of 
Cork last year had this last in bloom the 24th February, so that unques¬ 
tionably for everything as well as for Daffodils this will be one of the 
latest seasons on record. Those who have the Tenby Daffodil should save 
the seed—it seeds freely—or cross (hybridise) it with, say, N. cernuus, 
which blooms at the same time, as I have done. As to this last, N. cernuus 
moschatus, as it came labelled to me from Holland, I think there must be 
some mistake. It is pure white but not Musk-scented, and therefore 
cannot deserve that adjective. I sent a flower last year to Mr. Burbidge, 
Trinity College Gardens, who considered it “not exactly like anything he 
had,” and he has probably one of the most complete collections in the 
world. I find advertisements for Narcissus flowers or bulbs in several of 
the local Irish newspapers, especially for the single forms. I think tire 
