212 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 4, 1886. 
Other of our older contemporaries did well, 
or, at least, we presume they did well, to 
sustain their reputations by adding to their 
issues other and cheaper ones. The Gardeners’ 
Ch ronicle, though having a splendid opportunity, 
failed to read the signs of the times and follow 
suit, and now, doubtless, much regrets its want 
of foresight. In any case we have done our 
best to fill the void, and we claim to have 
achieved, in so doing, a very considerable 
amount of success; for we know that The 
Gardening World, even though published at 
the small cost of one penny, yet ranks with the 
best of the older papers in the estimation of its 
readers, who, we may add, are scattered over all 
English-speaking countries. Without doubt, 
the readers of gardening papers, and especially 
those who are gardeners, have a strong pre¬ 
ference for subjects of practical interest over 
dry scientific details or uninteresting techni¬ 
calities; and a journal that desires to become 
popular, and secure for itself a large circulation, 
must cater for the many and not for the select 
few, who themselves make somewhat wry faces 
over the poverty of interesting matter foimd in 
their favourite pages. The botanical world is 
a very restricted one, and far from being a 
pleasant one to be associated with either, the 
refinings and hair splittings, with petty jealousies 
and quibblings, being far too often painfully 
en evidence. Botany and natural history 
are beautiful sciences, full of sublimity and 
grandeur, and should, in their study, serve to 
broaden and expand the mind, and enlarge the 
heart; but somehow or other such anticipation 
does not always result, and less pleasing effects 
are seen than in gardening pure and simple, 
because here study is more matter-of-fact, and 
work seems to be of the every-day world. 
We venture to think that, whilst botanical 
journals will find their own limited range of 
readers, gardening papers, or those professedly 
horticultural, find ju'osperity in chiefly catering 
for the lovers of gardening, and these are found 
more abundant amongst the masses than in the 
select scientific world. We have no doubt what¬ 
ever that many gardeners will rejoice to learn 
of our contemporary’s intentions ; but, probably, 
more would have rejoiced had the change been 
made a few years earlier. The penny papers in 
general, and The Gardening World in par¬ 
ticular, have become serious competitors with 
the higher priced ones ; and with so many in 
the field, readers, anxious to have the largest 
sources of information at their disposal, have 
been unable to bear the cost of several dear 
ones, whilst the introduction of penny papers 
has enabled them to secure all they desire at 
an insignificant cost—to men who have none 
too much of wealth even for newspapers. 
-- 
Members of the Fruit and Floral Committees 
of the Royal Horticultural Society should make a note 
of the fact that the meetings on Tuesday next will he 
held in the Crush Room, Royal Albert Hall, and not in 
the large Conservatory. 
The Annual General Meeting of the National 
Auricula and National Carnation and Picotee 
Societies, will be held in the East Crush Room of 
the Royal Albert Hall, as soon after twelve o’clock as 
possible on Tuesday next. 
The Liverpool Horticultural Association has 
much reason to be gratified with the results of the 
autumn exhibition held last week, which shows that 
public interest is still on the increase, even in that 
Chrysanthemum-loving centre. Last year the number 
of visitors was 5,291, and the amount taken at the 
doors £154. This year the total number was 7,300, 
and the entrance monej’’ over £228, the number paying 
for admission being over 4,000. 
In the Insurance Year-Book, Messrs. Simpkin, 
Marshall & Co. have just issued a most useful and 
instructive guide for persons effecting insurances. It 
contains a great amount of official information, and 
seems to have been compiled with great care. 
Mr. A. Hume, late gardener to Sir Croker Barrington, 
Bart., Glenstal, Co. Limerick, has been appointed 
steward and forester to the Earl of Gosfort, Gosfort 
Castle, Market Hill, Co. Armagh, Ireland. 
We are pleased to learn from our correspondent, Mr. 
W. J. Murph}', that the recent Chrysanthemum Show 
at Clonmel was the most successful ever held in that 
town, the attendance of visitors being large, and the 
quality of the flowers first-rate. Mr. Murphy has done 
much to create a love for floriculture among his fellow- 
townsmen, and it must be gratifying to him to know 
that his labour has not been in vain. We regret that 
the demand on our space precludes the possibility of 
our giving anything like a report of the exhibition. 
On November 18th, a number of friends foregathered 
at the Crown Hotel, Dundee, to say farewell to Me. 
John Downie Adair, prior to his departure for New 
Zealand. Mr. Adair served his apprenticeship to the 
late firm of Downie and Laird, then was with Mr. John 
Downie for a time, and for the last twelve months has 
been with Messrs. Storrie k Murray, Dundee. An en¬ 
joyable evening was spent, and Mr. Adair carries with 
him hearty good wishes for his future prosperity. 
The ninth monthly reading in connection with the 
Preston and Fulwood Horticultural Society, will be 
given this (Saturday) evening in the large room of the 
Legs of Man Hotel, Fishergate, wdien Mr. John 
Atherton will give his reading, “An Hour with 
the Cactuses, and other Succulent Plants.” 
A meeting of the general committee of the National 
Chrysanthemum Society’ was held on Monday evening 
last, under the presidency of Mr. Ballantyne, who took 
the chair in the unavoidable absence of the president 
through indisposition. The business was of a purely 
routine character, and included the election of a 
number of members, which brought the roll up to 399. 
It was decided that the annual dinner, always a 
popular event with the members, should be held on 
Monday, December 13th, at the “Old Four Swans,” 
Bishopsgate Street, Within, at six o’clock precisely. 
It was also proposed, duly seconded and carried by 
acclamation, “that a cordial vote of thanks be tendered 
to Mr. Holmes, for the very able manner in which he 
carried out the arrangements at the society’s recent 
The Potato Tercentenary Exhibition opened at 
St. Stephen’s Hall, Westminster, on Wednesday, as 
far as the number of exhibits were concerned, was much 
more successful than was generally anticipated. For 
the medals offered there were thirty competitors, and 
the Gold Medal was won by Mr. E. Chopping, Milton, 
Sittingbourne ; the Silver Medal by Mr. Diver, Pitshill, 
Petworth ; and the Bronze Medal by Mr. W. Kerr, 
Dargavel, N.B. ; Mr. Hughes, Eydon Hall, Byfield, 
and Mr. Wiles, Edgcote, Banbury, were highly com¬ 
mended. Collections were staged by Messrs. Hooper & 
Co., Covent Garden, Messrs. Yilmorin Andrieux & Co., 
Paris and Mr. Watkins, Pomona Farm, Hereford. We 
shall report more fully on the exhibition in our next. 
-- 
MINIATURE TREE FERNS. 
How to Make Them. 
A very interesting and novel experiment for young 
gardeners to practice, is the making up of miniature 
Tree Ferns in the following manner. Shake all the 
soil away from any young plants of Dicksonia antarctica, 
Alsopliila excelsa, Lomaria Gibba, or any other species 
of similar habit, so as to get the roots free from soil. 
Take a good stout stake rather longer than you would 
like the stem to be, lap moss on this to within a few 
inches of the bottom, and tie it on with matting ; perch 
the plant on the top of the stake, and arrange the roots 
equally round it, then lap enough moss all over the 
roots to completely cover them, and bind all tightly 
together with copper-wire. Stand the base of the stake, 
the part not mossed, in about a 6-in. pot, and fill it up 
with rough soil, such as Ferns are usually potted in, 
and place it in a good stove temperature in the shady 
part of the house. Syringe the moss well a few times 
daily, and the roots will soon begiu to work into it. 
As soon as they begin to show on the outside of 
the moss, add another good layer, and bind on as before, 
still keeping the syringe at work. In a few months 
you will have a good stem of roots, and the pot filled as 
•yvell, and in two years, if the moss be well attended to, 
a good firm stem will be made. Never let the stems 
suffer for the want of water, as it is only by giving 
plenty that the roots can be induced to grow freely. I 
have seen drain pipes used for this work, but I prefer 
the moss, as roots and moss all grow together and form 
a solid mass. It is essentially necessary that live moss 
should be on the stems of Tree Ferns, for I have always 
noticed that the stems best covered with live moss 
always make the best fronds ; it shows they are 
having water enough on the stems, a matter very often 
too much neglected. 
While on this subject I may as well describe a plan 
I have adopted of putting moss on large stems when 
they require it. The moss we get from the woods in 
as large patches as possible ; I then make a lot of 
wooden pegs about 2 ins. and 3 ins. long—old stakes 
cut up—and pointed. I then commence at the bottom 
of the stem by placing a patch of moss against it, and 
push a few pegs into it, and drive up close with a 
hammer, and so all the way to the top. This might be 
termed nailing it on. I have never yet perceived any 
evil result from the practice, and the job looks much 
more tidy when finished than when either wire or 
matting is put round the stems to hold the moss on, 
and by the time the roots get well hold of the moss the 
wooden pegs have decayed. I have never seen this done 
anywhere else. The idea occurred to me some time back, 
when I was cutting a tall stem through to make it 
lower, and being pushed for time I adopted this plan, 
with the result that it was done much quicker than if 
I had tied it on in the old style. After my first attempt 
I feared that fungus might appear from the wooden 
pegs, but I am pleased to say that I have never seen 
the slightest appearance, and the moss progressed so 
favourably that I have adopted the same plan on 
several stems since—all with good results.— W. G. 
-->A<—- 
A NOTE ON PEARS. 
The Pear crops in our changeable climate are, to say 
the least, precarious, and the varieties are almost as 
uncertain as their crops, that is to say, comparatively 
few of them can be relied upon being good in all ap¬ 
parently favourable soils or situations. From this 
satisfaction in a locality, the particulars of which are 
unknown to the selector. A case of this description 
came under my notice recently : a gentleman was com¬ 
plaining of the manner in which he was treated by a 
well-known authority on pomology, by his recom¬ 
mending, amongst others, some that proved useless or 
second-rate after waiting for years for the trees to become 
established and productive. Possibly, complaints of 
this kind, which appear unreasonable, are not un¬ 
common, and may not be as long as cultivators can be 
found to do their best to help their fellows in this way. 
One of the difficulties which sometimes fall to the lot 
of young gardeners on taking charge of fruit gardens 
situated in a district which they are unacquainted 
with, lies herein. If on reflection, or on reference to 
notes, they recollect kinds that were satisfactory in 
places where they have been employed, they will, in 
all probability, become mystified, as some that were 
excellent in one place would be found to be indifferent 
in another, and should books or calendars be consulted, 
it is found that no two selections correspond. Perhaps 
the best plan to adopt is to visit the most imme¬ 
diate neighbours, and gather from them the names of 
the varieties that succeed best in the neighbourhood, 
and make choice accordingly. This may not, in all 
cases, prove absolutely satisfactory ; but it will, at any 
rate, be of assistance. The flavour of some Pears vary 
in a remarkable manner when gathered from the same 
garden, the aspect to which the trees are exposed being 
a sufficient cause to make a marked difference in quality; 
and not only are some much better in one locality than 
in another, but some kinds are excellent in districts 
where it could scarcely be expected. 
I have seen the Jargonelle, for example, simply 
perfect in Aberdeenshire; the best Williams’ Bon 
Chretien that have come under my notice were growing 
in Cornwall, and the finest Glou Morceau in Suffolk. 
The sorts, above all others, that I have found con¬ 
stantly good under all conditions are Marie Louise and 
Josephine de Malines. I observe in a contemporary 
one of our most celebrated fruit cultivators remarks 
that his Marie Louise and Pitmaston Duchess are 
and most successful annual exhibition at the Aquarium.’ 
We may also add that the prizes will be distributed at 
the annual dinner. 
cause there is, and always must be, a diversity of 
opinion respecting the value of individual kinds, and 
a difficulty in the selection of varieties that will give 
