August 8, 1889. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
107 
of Heinrich Schultheis, and judging by the splendid examples we 
saw in his garden it possesses qualities that will commend it to 
Rose growers. This grower prides himself upon having exhibited 
and taken honours at many leading shows, as well as having sup¬ 
plied from his garden flowers which have graced the hand of the 
Princess of Wales upon her visit to the town some years ago. In 
addition to a good collection of Hybrid Perpetuals a snug corner is 
'devoted to Teas, amongst which we noticed fairly good examples of 
Madame Bravy and Madame Willermoz. “ Charlie ” has held and 
•carefully tended his allotment for more than twenty years, and 
■well can he unite with the poet in saying— 
“We have lived and loved together 
Through many a changing year.” 
Another garden worthy of mention which we next visited was 
'that tenanted by a working bricklayer, who, by-the-by, is ably 
assisted in its management by his labourer. Roses again were, 
like the preceding garden, the principal feature, and truly grand 
•examples they were. Several fine blooms of Her Majesty attracted 
my attention, and in discussing the merits of the Rose with the 
•owner he made a very hearty response to my question, “ How do 
you like it ? ” by saying “ God bless her.” A. K. Williams, 
Alfred Colo mb, Etienne Levet, Abel Carriere, and Marie Finger 
*are especial favourites with this knight of the trowel. He grows 
-about 150 trees in seventy varieties, all of which are dwarfs upon 
"their own roots. Roses are not alone in this garden, for there are 
Rats of Stocks, Asters, Phlox, Mignonette, as well as Peas, Beans, 
Potatoes, Celery, and other vegetables, bush fruits, &c., all of 
which are in good condition, and which must materially add to 
the owner’s income, and turning what might be happy and comfort¬ 
able homes already into still more happy and comfortable homes. 
There are other benefits to be derived in the direction of the eleva¬ 
tion of taste and the development of character, and the working 
classes have got into force a system which will enable them to 
acquire land of their own, which will increase the means of support 
of their families. 
We have given a brief description of two of these allotment 
gardens, but there are hundreds, if not thousands more, equally 
well cultivated within the borough of Nottingham. It is indeed a 
sight not soon to be forgotten to traverse the miles of narrow 
avenues of closely clipped hedges, and from some elevated spot 
view the acres of Roses, for at the time of our visit all Rosedom 
was out in holiday apparel—white, pink, scarlet, crimson, and 
^yellow, striped and mottled, double and single, in clusters and 
solitary, Moss Roses, Damask Roses, Noisette, Perpetual, Bourbon, 
‘China, Tea, Musk, and all others in exuberant beauty. The air was 
full of their fragrance. The eye can turn nowhere that is not 
attracted to glowing masses of Roses. At first one is exhilarated. 
We wander from garden to garden, and each owner will display 
his Uiberality by cutting you his finest specimen. Mr. Arnold 
Morley, M.P. (who paid a visit to the gardens last weekj dons a 
"Souvenir de la Malmaison, whilst the Hon. Finch Hatton preferred 
a Gloire de Dijon. The air and soil that once nourished Nettles 
•and Thistles, Plantains and Docks, now bring forth Roses with 
•equal kindness, and it was indeed a happy thought when the 
Nottingham Corporation tranformed this large acreage of waste 
land into allotment gardens ; for floral insanity is one of the most 
•charming afflictions to which man is heir. One never wishes to be 
•cured, nor should anyone wish to cure him. We find after the 
•strife, and heat, and toil of our ambitious life, that there is more 
pure satisfaction in the garden than in all the other pursuits that 
{promise so much of pleasure and yield so little.—J. H. Walker. 
DISEASE OF LILIES. 
This disease has been known for about twenty years, although 
•it is only during the last ten years that special attention has been 
•directed to it. There are few gardeners or owners of gardens now 
■to whom the disease is not perfectly familiar. Affected plants 
rapidly and completely perish from the top downwards with a kind 
;a very wet rot. The white garden Lily (Lilium candidum) is 
•most commonly affected, but it is probable that all garden Lilies 
are liable to attack. Lilium speciosum (lancifolium) is frequently 
•destroyed, as are L. superbum, L. calcedonicum, L. pardalinum, 
and other Lilies. Tulips are affected by an identical disease, so are 
Humea and Serophularia. During the first ten years of the known 
attack of this disease upon Lilies, no fungus or other cause of the 
•disease could be detected ; indeed it may be safely said that no fungus 
capable of causing the disease was present, for the diseased material 
was constantly under the observation of the late Mr. Berkeley 
tthe late Mr. Broome, the writer of this notice, and other observers. 
Mr. Berkeley was especially anxious to detect some fungus, and 
once mentioned in print that Asteroma polygonati was the possible 
cause. In 1881 Mr. Berkeley, however, did detect a fungus upon 
dying Lilies forwarded to him by Mr. C. Wolley Dod, but even at 
this time the fungus was so rare that on future examples being 
forwarded to the writer by Mr. Dod no fungus could be seen, and 
Mr. Berkeley’s examples (now at Kew) had to be re-examined so 
that the fungus might be studied. 
During the last ten years the fungus upon the decayed parts of 
dying Lilies has been more frequently seen. It is really a very 
old and well known species, the Polyactis cana of Berkeley, and in 
still older times known as Botrjtis cana. Mr. Beikeley seems to 
have been misled by the condition in which he saw the fungus on 
Mr. Dod’s Lilies, for he described it as a new species under the 
name of Ovularia elliptica. The present writer was also misled, 
for he described it as new under the name of Peronospora elliptica. 
Professor Marshall Ward has described it as a Botrytis, evidently 
new to him, as he has given no specific name. An examination of 
original examples of Polyactis cana, however, shows the fungus of 
Lilies to really belong to that species. 
A reference to the accompanying illustration will show some of 
the different forms of this fungus, which is transparent, or faintly 
greyish-white in colour. The figures at a, b, c, and d might well 
be taken for a species of Ovularia. Mr. Berkeley had these forms 
only in view in 1881. The central slender figure greatly resembles 
FIG. 13.—DISEASE OF LILIES. 
Its accompanying fungus, Polyactis cana, enlarged 200 diameters* 
a Peronospora, so does the right hand figure. The left hand 
bottom illustration resembles Polyactis, and is typical. The spores 
seen at G and n are contrary to all the fungi mentioned, and 
might well belong to Diplosporium, in fact some of the examples 
have been referred to this genus. The above remarks show what 
uncertainty has prevailed as to the name and nature of the fungus 
sometimes seen on dying plants. 
It may even yet be considered open to doubt as to whether this 
Polyactis cana is really the cause of the disease or a mere occa¬ 
sional accompaniment. Prof. Ward, in a series of laboratory 
experiments, thinks he has proved the fungus to be the cause of the 
disease, but this gentleman was unaware of the widespread nature 
of the disease for ten years before any fungus could be detected, 
In the original examples at Kew the fungus is only to be seen 
growing on spots already decayed as is usual with Polyactis, and 
this summer I have seen a second species—viz., Polyactis vulgaris, 
growing upon diseased Lilies in place of P. cana, and as far as I 
know no one has yet suspected P. vulgaris of being able to cause 
disease. Polyactis vulgaris is illustrated in the Journal of Horti¬ 
culture for June 28th, 1888, to the same scale as P. cana here 
given ; a reference to this back number will show the difference in 
the size of the spores of the two fungi. P. vulgaris is there given 
as growing upon Tulips affected with a putrescent disease not 
unlike in effect that of Lilie3. Sometimes little black grains, like 
grains of gunpowder, are found on plants where the different 
species of Polyactis grow, and Prof. Ward has seen them on Lilies, 
although I have not. Mr. Berkeley recorded the presence of these 
