270 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
members. To many of these subjects first 
and second-class certificates were awarded. 
The most gratifying portion of the even¬ 
ing’s proceedings consisted in the reading of 
short papers, on various subjects, in the first 
of which Mr. Higgs ably treated of the cul¬ 
ture and pruning of the Apple, strongly ad¬ 
vocating the practice of root-pruning where 
necessary, and generally supporting the 
modern system of pruning as applicable to 
fruit-culture. An interesting discussion fol¬ 
lowed. Mr. Higgs also read another paper 
upon the growing of the Chrysanthemum in 
pots for conservatory decoration, advocating 
the striking of cuttings early in June, fre¬ 
quent stoppings and shiftings, and such a 
mode of operation as would ensure an abund¬ 
ance of bloom on dwarf plants, well fur¬ 
nished with foliage, and in every respect 
adapted to produce a brilliant display of 
flowers in-doors during the gloomy months of 
November and December. The reading of 
this paper caused an animated discussion, in 
which Mr. Kingsbury warmly supported the 
one-shift system, as practised by the Chinese, 
by which the plants are transferred from 60’s 
to their blooming pots at once. Mr. Dean 
took the opportunity to allude to a visit paid 
to Mr. Salter’s nursery, at Hammersmith, 
twelve months previously, giving a descrip¬ 
tion of the appearance his beautiful winter 
garden then presented, and also of some of 
the best varieties of the Chrysanthemums 
then in bloom ; and mentioned the method of 
pot-culture adopted so successfully by Mr. 
Salter with some of the large-flowering kinds, 
by which low bushy plants, well covered with 
blooms, were produced. After the close of 
the discussion Mr. Tinkler, the Honorary 
Secretary, related how, under the advice of 
a Dublin Professor, he had carried out some 
simple experiments to a successful issue ; 
among which, that of sowing three pots with 
some kind of flower seeds, leaving one pot 
exposed to the full light of the sun, and 
covering the others with thin paper, one blue 
and the other yellow. He found that the 
seed sown under the blue paper came up 
several days earlier than that exposed to the 
sun; while that covered with yellow paper 
never came up at all. The cause of this 
singular result was thus explained: The 
actinic rays of the sun’s light are absolutely 
essential to the vegetation of seeds, the blue 
colour possesses the power of concentrating 
these rays in an extraordinary degree, and 
thus giving a powerful stimulus to vegetation; 
while the yellow colour absorbs the whole of 
these rays and thus prevents them from en¬ 
tering the soil. Mr. Tinkler also mentioned, 
in connection with this experiment, a curious 
fact, but of more importance to the photo¬ 
grapher than to the gardener. The impossi¬ 
bility of reproducing the eyes of a subject 
distinctly, when the colour is light blue, is 
well known to all, they generally presenting 
the appearance of blindness in the picture; 
to remove this difficulty, Mr. Tinkler said, 
that if a piece of yellow calico were hung on 
the opposite side of the room to that on which 
the subject was placed, so that the colour was 
reflected into the person’s eyes, it would so 
absorb the actinic rays of light, as to enable 
the operator to produce eyes of the most satis¬ 
factory character. The relation of this latter 
fact so elated a photographic member of the 
Society, that he generously offered to photo¬ 
graph, gratuitously, any good specimens or 
subjects which the Committee might desire to 
have done to decorate the walls of the Society’s 
room. 
After an interesting conversation upon 
other professional topics, a vote of thanks was 
passed to Mr. Higgs for his valuable papers ; 
and the members separated highly gratified 
with the success that had attended their first 
effort to combine the culture of the intellect 
with the exhibition of gardening produce. 
May other societies go and do likewise.—A. D. 
Neill Prize. —This was instituted by the 
late Dr. Patrick Neill of Edinburgh, who left 
by his will the sum of £500, in trust, to the 
Council of the Caledonian Society, and directed 
that its interest should be given once in three 
years to some one in Scotland who had ad¬ 
vanced any branch of natural science, includ¬ 
ing botany, vegetable physiology, &c. This 
year the triennial period of 1862-65 expired, 
and the prize at the disposal of the Society 
was bestowed on Mr. "YVilliam Thomson, of 
Dalkeith, a distinction which, from his ser¬ 
vices to horticulture, he has well deserved. 
The Chelsea Pensioners’ Gardens.— 
These little allotments of garden ground are 
between 5 and 6 yards square each of them, 
and it is entertaining to see the variety of 
treatment they display. In some you see a 
little hut built as a garden seat; in others, 
an improvised greenhouse ; in others, monu¬ 
mental trophies, grotesque heads, and plaster 
seats, are interspersed in the borders. Some 
are utilitarian, and grow vegetables ; others 
ornamental, and devoted to flowers, and most 
combine both. Among them were several 
plots for the raising of Musk plants, and, as 
respects one plot, I was informed that the 
season before, by the careful management of 
the occupant, he had realised £6. This plot 
was so arranged that in the spring, when the 
street-hawkers of Musk came to buy it, it 
could easily be removed with the layer of earth 
in which it grew without disturbance to the 
roots.— J. Bell, in Society of Arts Journal. 
Pomegranates. —At the Meeting of the 
Fruit Committee of the • Koyal Horticultural 
Society, held on November 7th, some re¬ 
markably fine fruit of the Pomegranate were 
produced by Mr. Downing, gardener to Thos. 
Grissell, Esq., of Marbury Park, Dorking. 
The following statement, which may possess 
an interest for manv, w r as forwarded with the 
v J 
