February 12, 1887. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
373 
THE NURSERY AND SEED 
trade association, limited. 
The annual meeting of this association was held at 
the offices of the association, 25, Old Jewry, on Monday 
last, Mr. N. N. Sherwood, the president, in the chair. 
From the report of the committee of management, 
which was read and adopted, it appeared that there had 
been collected in respect of debts which had been 
treated by the members as bad, and handed to the 
association for collection, £2,419, as against £1,276 in 
1885, and that the number of applications made by the 
members for information as to the status of intending 
customers had considerably increased. In addition to 
this it was also stated that several failures in the trade, 
which had occurred during the year, had been investi¬ 
gated by the secretary on behalf of such members as 
were creditors, and their interests protected. The 
balance sheet compared favourably with that of the 
previous year, and showed a marked increase in the 
receipts. The number of members has steadily in¬ 
creased, and the interest in the association has grown 
proportionately. 
At the suggestion of the president, Mr. Sherwood, a 
committee was appointed for the purpose of considering 
any questions which might arise affecting nurserymen 
and seedsmen, with a view to taking combined action 
thereon, and the members were invited to communicate 
with the secretary whenever any such question arose. 
In the evening the annual 
dinner took place at the 
Guildhall Tavern, when the 
president again presided, 
and, in responding to the 
toast of ‘ ‘ Success to the 
Nursery and Seed Trade 
Association,” said that al¬ 
though the report that day 
adopted was the tenth 
annual report, he was respon¬ 
sible only for two, and of 
those the second one showed 
that the operations of the 
association had during the 
past year increased two-fold 
over those of the first—an 
indication that the asso¬ 
ciation was recognised by 
its members to be of use 
to them : and he believed 
that when its advantages 
became more widely known, 
many more would become 
members. Mr. Johnson, in 
proposing the health of 
the officers and committee, 
said that from personal ex¬ 
perience he could say that 
nurserymen and seedsmen 
in the country were only 
waiting to see if the affairs 
of the association continued, 
as they had begun, to 
prosper, before becoming members of it, and he thought 
that the report showed that the association had during 
the past year made rapid strides. 
Mr. Harry Yeitch (Messrs. Yeitch & Sons, Chelsea), 
Mr. John Laing (Messrs. Laing & Son, Forest Hill), 
Mr. C. A. Hooper (Messrs. Hooper & Co., Limited, 
Covent Garden), Mr. Watkins (Messrs. Watkins & 
Simpson, Exeter Street, Strand), Mr. Manning (Messrs. 
J. Veitch & Sons), and several other prominent 
members of the trade were present, and took part in 
the proceedings. 
- •*&<- - 
GALANTHUS NIVALIS PR.ECOX. 
Little need be said in favour of the Snowdrop, 
which gladdens the eye of every beholder as it peers 
from under the hedges, or from out-of-the-way corners 
W’here its existence had altogether been forgotten. 
This sudden advent upon our attention is productive 
of the liveliest interest, independent of its modest 
unassuming beauty. Its hardiness is also a special 
point in its favour. Open weather induces the bulbs 
to throw up their leaves and flowers early in the season, 
and should a snowstorm afterwards intervene, the 
flowers remain a long time in great perfection unhurt 
by either frost or snow. As the varietal name 
signifies, the form under notice starts into growth and 
flowers much earlier than the ordinary form. It may now 
be seen coming into flower on the rockery in the Royal 
Horticultural Society’s Gardens at Chiswick, a month or 
six weeks later than in mild open seasons. Occasionally 
a good show is produced by Christmas, but the lateness 
of the season is demonstrated by Crocus, Hellebores and 
other allied subjects besides Snowdrops. The flowers 
are smaller than in good examples of the typical form, 
but their earliness should act as a plea specially in their 
favour. Several forms are now in cultivation, and any 
that serves to prolong the season should be turned to 
account by every lover of hardy plants. Single flowers 
are always preferable to double ones, because more 
graceful. The early variety might be tried for forcing 
purposes, as few succeed well with the forcing of 
Snowdrops. 
-- 
LILY OP THE VALLEY. 
No doubt the majority of the readers of The Gar¬ 
dening World would prefer growing their own roots 
for forcing ; and with a very little trouble they may 
soon work up a stock equal, if not superior, to 
imported clumps. Well-trenched ground incorporated 
with plenty of good rotten manure is the great point, 
and a border on the east side of a wall I find a suitable 
aspect. Roots now forced are gradually hardened off, 
Prunes ilicifolius. 
pulled in pieces, and planted 1 ft. apart at the end of 
April, and in two seasons will be a mass of good crowns 
if a good mulching be given them in autumn. This we 
have practised many years with the greatest success ; 
two dozen 6-in. pots, from which the first flowers were 
cut on New Year’s day, have been a charm up to the 
present time. A bank of them arranged in the con¬ 
servatory, and with the door open at all times during 
the day, except in severe frost, is still quite fresh, and 
the greatest heat to which they were subjected in the 
forcing pit was 70°. All through the winter the fires 
were made up at dusk till 6 a. m. the next morning. 
Setting apart the pleasure of growing your own roots, 
added to their lasting properties, and the little expense 
incurred, they have their charm. The roots in 
question first came from a dear old friend’s garden 
near Trentham, and always bring to mind the fine 
stock of well-grown hardy plants cultivated there at 
that time. 
1 have also a select stock given by that great lover 
of his garden, the Rev. Thomas Staniforth, Stop-s Hall, 
Windermere, and a stock I purchased at the sale of the 
Rev. T. O’Grady’s, a most enthusiastic grower of 
hardy plants in his day, with his skilful gardener, 
Mr. Walker, now doing good work at the gardens, 
Waltham Hall. “'When every plant tells its own 
history with its annual beauty, we have a store of 
pleasure in hand.” A few flowers from the plants in 
question were partially developed a month back. This 
treatment of temperature alludes to forced Azaleas, 
large old plants of Deutzia gracilis, one sheet of flower, 
standing close to the door of the conservatory. A nice 
lot of White Italian Hyacinths, pots of which contained 
five bulbs producing thirteen spikes, and lasting a long 
time, were treated in the same way. These ultimately 
change to a very delicate pink. It is the first time I 
have grown these in conjunction with the Roman 
Hyacinth, but it will not be the last .—Georye Holds, 
Hopton. 
Although Mr. Crawford, in what he has written 
in your last issue respecting the capacity of home- 
growers to produce high-class forcing crowns of Lilies 
of the Valley, is but echoing, as it were, a truism ; yet 
the difficulty to be encountered is to make customers 
believe what is told them. Germany has a reputation 
for Lilies of the Valley, and in trade parlance “the 
run,” hence it needs superhuman powers of persuasion 
to induce our home-traders to refrain from going to 
Berlin, and purchasing at home ; in fact, if the truth 
must be told, home-growing trade may go to the deuce 
for all they care provided their own interests are not 
affected. 
Anyone who has visited Messrs. Hawkins & Ben¬ 
nett’s establishment at Twickenham, where Lilies 
of the Valley are so superbly 
grown, and in an area so 
limited that the same ground 
has to be re-employed in 
the making of the beds 
from year to year, can there 
see ample evidence of the 
capacity of home-growers to 
produce fine forcing crowns. 
It is true that this firm 
do not force what they grow 
as foreign roots are forced, 
but there they are all the 
same, and their flowers are 
in the proper season un¬ 
equalled in the market. 
What can be done in such a 
case can be done even better 
if it be possible to do so, 
where there is ample ground 
to enable a constant change 
of soil to be available. The 
firm to which I allude do not 
grow crowns for forcing 
and sale, therefore, I do not 
know that it would be of 
any use to apply to them for 
any ; but, certainly, if in¬ 
tending purchasers would 
take Mr. Crawford’s advice 
and try home-raised crowns, 
I have no doubt they will 
find they are not only 
well furnished, but have 
also done a home-grower for once a fair turn.— A. D. 
-- 
NARCISSUS CYCLAMINEUS. 
Flowering specimens of the rare and interesting N. 
calathinus cyclamineus were exhibited by Mr. George 
Maw, F. L 9. , at a meeting of the Linmean Society, at 
Burlington House, on the 3rd inst. They were collected 
and distributed by A. W. Tait, Esq., Oporto, Portugal, 
in the neighbourhood of which they grow wild. The 
whole plant does not much exceed a height of 6 ins., 
including the bulbs, which are about the size of a small 
Scilla. The scape is slightly shorter than the leaves, 
bearing a solitary yellow flower. The perianth segments 
are closely reflexed, showing off the cylindrical, some¬ 
what deeper yellow corona to advantage. The latter is 
the most conspicuous feature of the flower, and is un¬ 
dulated and slightly spreading at the mouth. The 
stamens are equal in length, slightly shorter than the 
style, and included in the corona. The leaves are 
channelled on the upper surface with a broad channelled 
keel beneath, and of a deep green colour. Among 
the smaller-growing species it is certainly an interesting 
and valuable addition to those which we now possess, 
and we hope its constitutional vigour is such as to 
withstand our variable and changeable climate. Mr, 
