422 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Marcii 5, 1887. 
motion of purely charitable objects. Good 
sense urges that the aim of all charity should 
he to lift up and stimulate to self-respect and 
self-helpfulness, all seemingly needing help; 
while the tendency of the age seems to he to 
crush out all such virtues by piling up charity 
upon charity, until one-half of humanity is 
becoming in danger of depending on the other 
for a livelihood. In connection with estab¬ 
lished charities we see already in every di¬ 
rection financial difficulties of the gravest kind 
growing up. True, in the case of certain 
charitable adventurers, who spend hundreds 
of pounds annually in advertising eternal ap¬ 
peals for subscriptions and which return in 
thousands, the game goes on apparently as 
brisk as usual, but even that style of business 
cannot endure for ever, and that the public 
are beginning to tire of these eternal appeals 
and exactions is evident by the frantic efforts 
shown on every hand to secure the needed 
help for deserving established institutions. 
Presently there will be an awful collapse 
of many of the apparently substantial chari¬ 
ties. They have been lavishly maintained, 
and in their prosperity 7 have proved fruitful 
sources of profit to some of their promoters, 
and now that charitable sentiment is either 
waning, or those who previously gave are’ now 
less able to do so, it may well be asked : Is 
it desirable to add yet another drain upon the 
pockets of the good-natured ? Is it advisable 
to promote the establishment of an orphanage 
at a moment when so many similar charitable 
institutions are in danger of collapse 1 Another 
question which suggests itself is: In what 
way has it ever been shown that an orphanage 
is needful! Por ages, literally whilst garden¬ 
ing has existed, no such need seems to have 
displayed itself, and, inasmuch as gardening 
is one of the healthiest of all vocations, and 
the least subject to accidents and sudden 
death, it seems to us to require much force 
to show why thus suddenly the demand has 
arisen. 
To establish an orphanage or, indeed, any 
other charity, now-a-days, without a consider¬ 
able endowment fund, would be an act of 
cruelty towards those entrusted with the con¬ 
duct of its fortunes hereafter. Is the gar¬ 
dening community in a position to provide 
such a fund at the present time 1 Is it in the 
mood to do so, granting that the money is 
available 1 ? We do not believe that the gar¬ 
dening profession is so prosperous an one that 
it can afford to burden itself in this way, or 
gardeners in greater numbers would contribute 
to the funds of the charity which already 
exists—the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent In¬ 
stitution. We have, of course, heard over and 
over again another and a different reason for 
the indifference shown by the majority of 
gardeners to the institution— i.e., the uncer¬ 
tainty of election by vote ; but if that objec¬ 
tion still obtains largely, and we believe it 
does, is it not better that gardeners should 
become members of one or other of the great 
provident societies, which have rvidow and 
orphan funds, rather than entrust their little 
ones—when orphans, to the chance of election 
by vote—to the cold hand of charity and 
the vicious influence of an orphanage, where 
the children would in all probability be reared 
as machines, and not as loving human 
beings. 
There seems, to us, to be insuperable difficul¬ 
ties in the way of establishing a really good 
institution of the kind proposed; but where 
there is a will there is a way, and it rests 
entirely with gardeners themselves whether it 
shall be done or not. As we observed before, 
if any great desire is shown to raise such a 
fund as would be required, it shall have our 
influence and co-operation, but we claim first 
a full discussion of all sides of the question. 
Messes. Litcombe, PiXce & Co.’s tenth annual 
Exhibition of Hyacinths takes place at the Exeter 
Nursery on Friday next, and a fine display of spring 
flowers is anticipated. 
Messes. Little & Ballantyne, Carlisle, have 
received a Royal Warrant, appointing them seedsmen 
to H.R.H. the Prince of Wales. 
The Liverpool Horticultural Co. (John Cowan) 
has received instructions from E. Harvey, Esq., Ilivers- 
dale, Aigburtli, Liverpool, to offer his valuable collection 
of Orchids for sale. Mr. William Lee, Downside, 
Leatherhead, also announces a sale of his duplicate 
specimens. 
We regret to hear that Mr. James Yaie, who for so 
many years had charge of Lady Dorothy Nevill's fine 
collection of plants at Dangstein, died at Stillyans 
Tower, Sussex, on February 24th, aged sixty-two years. 
Mr. Vair was taken ill when cutting Raspberry canes 
in the garden, was taken into the house, and died 
shortly after. 
The many friends of Mr. Henry Cannell, of Swanley, 
will warmly sympathise with him on the death, last 
week, of his youngest daughter under very sad cir¬ 
cumstances. It seems that at Swanley Junction goods- 
yard there is a receptacle for London manure, which 
the young girl approached too near some three months 
ago. She was taken ill on reaching home, and died on 
the 24tli ult, never having rallied from the poisonous 
effects of the stench. 
We regret to hear of the death, on Saturday evening 
last, of Me. J. D. Perrins, Davenham Bank, Great 
Malvern. Mr. Perrins was a partner in the famous 
Worcester sauce firm of Lea & Perrins, and a great lover 
of horticulture. At his charming residence, Davenham 
Bank, he had a fine collection of Orchids, which his 
able gardener, Mr. Jaques, has for some years cultivated 
with great success. 
Messrs. Messenger & Co., Horticultural Builders, 
Loughborough, have just published a new catalogue of 
designs for horticultural structures of all kinds, ranging 
from the palatial conservatory to the small general 
utility sort of house that meets the wants of amateurs. 
Boilers, pipes, connections and other necessary fittings 
are also freely illustrated, and their various merits 
described. 
At a meeting of the Royal Botanic Society, held last 
Saturday, a communication from Mr. H. M. Edwards 
wasread respecting the White Cushion Scale Insects, 
lately so destructive to the Orange groves in California 
and other countries, and the means and appliances used 
for their extermination. This peculiar coccus—Icerya 
Purchasi—which also attacks other crops, is supposed 
to have been introduced from Australia, and appears to 
be extending itself over the warmer parts of the globe. 
At the annual meeting of the Scottish Horticul- 
tural Association held on Tuesday night, the following 
office-bearers were elected for the ensuing session 
Hon. president, Mr. James Buchanan, Oswald House, 
Oswald Road ; president, Mr. D. P. Laird ; vice-presi¬ 
dents, Mr. Dunn, Dalkeith Palace, and Mr. Milne : 
secretary, Mr. Robertson Munro ; treasurer, Mr. 
Alexander M’Kenzie. The report stated that twenty- 
seven new members were added to the roll. Mr. 
Grossart, Oswald Road, received a Cultural Certificate 
for Lycaste Skinneri alba, and Mr. M’Hattie, Newbattle, 
one for Pleurothallis scapha. 
The council of the Royal Horticultural Society 
have definitely arranged with the Commissioners of 
the 1851 Exhibition for the occupation of the Con¬ 
servatory at South Kensington for . the society’s 
meetings and shows—pending negotiations with the 
Royal Albert Hall Corporation. The entrance to the 
conservatory will be by the north-east Orchard House 
in the Exhibition Road, and exhibitors’ entrance on 
the east side of the Royal Albert Hall. Fellows of the 
society will be admitted at 12 noon on presentation of 
their last year’s ticket, and the public at 1 o’clock on 
payment at the door. Until further notice the price 
of admission to the public will be Is. to the ordinary 
meetings, and 2s. 6 d. to the larger shows. 
We have before us the schedule of prizes offered 
by the Shropshire Floral and Horticultural 
Society for competition at its spring show on March 
31st, and great summer show on August 17th and 18tli. 
The latter is one of the leading exhibitions held in the 
provinces, and, financially, one of the most successful 
in existence. The prizes for plants are on a most 
liberal scale, as usual, chief in this section being £25, 
£20, and £15 for twenty stove and greenhouse plants 
and £10, £6, and .£4 for nine specimens of the same 
character. The splendid prizes of £10, £4, and £2 are 
again offered for six bunches of black Grapes, two 
bunches of three varieties, and which should bring out 
a rare competition. £8, £6, and £3 are also offered for 
a collection of twelve dishes of fruit, besides a number 
of other good sums in minor classes. The most liberal 
prizes for vegetables are offered by Messrs. Webb & Sons, 
viz., five prizes, ranging from £5 to 10s., for a collection 
of eight distinct kinds. 
For early furnishing, some of the freest-growing 
kinds of Achimenes should now be potted, care being 
taken that the pots used are not too large ; about 
half-a-dozen corms put into a 5 in. pot will make a 
most useful plant for house decoration. We find Sir 
Trelierne Thomas by far the best for early work, and 
the colour, a violet-purple, is good also. 
-—>X<-- 
THE ART OF PROPAGATING.—I. 
Propagating may be considered an art, for it requires 
skill and a great amount of knowledge to comprehend 
the whole routine of a season’s work, and to bring the 
whole of the subjects treated to a successful issue. The 
various modes of increasing a stock of plants may be 
summed up in the following. They must be either 
raised from seed or by cuttings, by layering, grafting, 
inarching, or divisions of the roots or crowns. 
By Seeds. 
Propagating by seeds can be easily effected provided 
you obtain good sorts from which you expect to raise 
your stock. The great fault of many of our smaller 
seeds not germinating successfully in the hajids of the 
inexperienced may be traced to the fault of burying 
the seed too deep. Very fine seeds should have the 
surface of the soil in the pan or pot made very even, 
and a thorough good soaking of water should be given 
a few hours before the seeds are sown on the surface of 
this even soil, when a covering of dry silver sand, 
sufficiently thick to just cover the seeds, is as good as 
anything that can be used. Larger seeds should have 
soil sifted over them through a very fine sieve, just 
enough to cover them. If the soil has been well 
watered before sowing the seed, no moisture will be 
required after covering the seed over ; but the pots 
must be placed in the quarters prepared for them, and 
in the case of the smaller seeds, sheets of glass should 
be laid over the pots, and the whole covered up with 
good sheets of paper. This prevents evaporation of 
moisture from the soil, and in many cases the seed so 
treated will have germinated before any more water 
is required to be given. As soon as the seedlings are 
well above the surface, the papers must be gradually 
taken away, and the young growths thus brought to 
bear the light by degrees. 
By Cuttings. 
A very popular mode of obtaining stock is by cuttings. 
It is to what are generally termed soft-wooded plants 
that I intend first to direct attention in giving what 
information may be useful to many through the comin 
spring months. The pots and their drainage are the. 
first thing to be considered. Whatever size they are, 
they must be clean, and in draining these pots, care 
must be taken to see that the layers of crocks are 
properly laid. At all times, and for whatever class of 
soft-wooded cuttings, the pots should be at least half 
full of crocks, the large ones at the bottom, the very 
small ones at the top. The soil to be used for this class 
of cuttings should be composed of equal parts of loam 
and leaf-soil well broken up, and passed through a fine 
riddle of not larger mesh than J in. The particles that 
will not go through this mesh will be found useful to 
place just on the top of the crocks. To this loam and 
leaf-soil must be added as much silver sand as the two 
combined, and the whole must be well mixed together, 
when it will have a very sandy appearance. 
This soil when ready for use should be in a nice 
equable condition as regards moisture, neither too wet 
nor yet too dry. If it is in a condition to be handled 
without soiling the hand, it will do. Making up the 
pots preparatory to inserting the cuttings is the next 
thing to be done. The pots being drained, and the 
crocks covered over with the lumpy soil that would not 
go through the riddle, the next thing is to place some 
of the fine prepared soil in the pot, filling up to the top 
at once, and then give the pot a gentle tap on the 
