4 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 3, 1887. 
Me. W. Wood, plant foreman at Tyninghame, East 
Lothian, has been engaged as gardener and estate 
manager at Newton Don, near Kelso, in succession to 
Mr. Thom, who after forty years’ service has been 
compelled to retire on account of ill-health. 
The Finchley Chrysanthemum Society’s second 
exhibition will he held on November 15th and 16th, at 
North Side Hall, North Finchley. 
Me. Thomas Boston, formerly manager of Messrs. 
Carter & Co.’s Nursery at Forest Hill, met with a 
severe accident recently at the Solihull Station of the 
Great Western Railway. Passing across the line a 
train struck him, and he was fearfully bruised about 
the head. Happily, the injuries are not so serious as 
was at first supposed. Mr. Boston has for a long time 
resided near Birmingham. 
At a meeting of the Public Parks Committee of the 
Edinburgh Town Council on Tuesday, estimates were 
prepared of the expenditure for the maintenance of 
public parks, gardens, bleaching greens, and grounds 
in the city for the current year. The amount of 
expenditure was stated at £5,010, and the amount of 
receipts at £205. 
-- 
THE EVERGREEN OAK. 
What a pity it is that this fine evergreen tree is 
not more frequently to be seen in our parks and 
grounds ! No excuse is there why it should not, for 
certainly a more hardy or beautiful subject it would 
be difficult to imagine. 
It is an excellent farmer’s tree, that is, it shields 
from wind and storm his outbuildings, his dwelling 
house, or the shelter corner of his field. Not many 
days ago, curiosity tempted us to measure a fine and 
well-furnished specimen that stood in a farmer’s field 
somewhere in Carnarvonshire, and we found the 
dimensions to be as follows : height 62 ft., girth of 
stem at a yard from the ground 6 ft. 7 ins., diameter 
of spread of branches, 56 ft. These measurements are 
not, perhaps, extra great for an Evergreen Oak, but 
then, take the circumstances under which it is growing 
into consideration, and some little allowance will be 
made. 
It was growing alone on a breezy windswept hillock 
where no kindly clump of trees nor woodland appeared 
in view for many a mile, and was fully exposed to the 
south-west, from which point the worst and most 
dreaded winds of that particular district blew. Yet 
there it stood, perfect in every respect, and a source 
of surprise to the few travellers who chanced to pass 
along the lonely road near which it grew. 
But not only is the Evergreen Oak of value for 
withstanding storms, long-continued though they be, 
but it is a capital sea-side subject, and braves the 
rough saline blast with impunity. Then, again, it is 
one of the best evergreens we have for dotting here and 
there around the margins of a thin deciduous woodland, 
its bright glossy leaves and ample shade being just 
the thing for game and birds generally taking up 
their quarters in. The timber of this tree is excellent, 
and may be used in a variety of ways, hut it is as 
yet scarce, and consequently has been little used in 
constructive purposes.— A. D. Webster. 
-->X<-- 
LILIUM POLYPHYLLUM. 
My request for information as to the growth of 
Lilium polyphyllum in its native habitats has been so 
fully responded to by Mr. E. Huftelen, of Leroy, New 
York, that I think you might like to publish his note 
copied below. 
‘ ‘ I saw your paragraph of Lilium polyphyllum, 
which has just reached me. Now I have not been to 
India, but last year feeling the need of more direct 
information concerning this particularly, I wrote to an 
old friend of mine, now a Dutch missionary in that 
country, to look the matter over and report to me. I 
translate from his letter as follows :—‘ I did not find 
L. polyphyllum growing at a low altitude on the 
mountains where I imagine the winters are as severe as 
they are with you, though not so long. I find them 
almost invariably growing on ground sloping to the 
north, so that at no time during the day can the direct 
rays of the sun strike the ground squarely, as would be 
the case if they grew on ground sloping to the south. 
However, I have seen them in one or two instances 
growing in a southern exposure, but they were shaded 
by low shrubs. I am satisfied that this Lily is not an 
aquatic, nor does it appear to be a true Alpine. I 
notice it grows much better in such soil as seems to 
have washed down from the heights above, of about 
half and half gravelly soil and vegetable fibre. Though 
it seems to seed freely, it is far from plentiful. As 
the natural conditions of its growth appear to be very 
simple, there should be no difficulty in your success 
with it under cultivation. It is a very handsome Lily, 
fragrant too, and stately, growing 5 ft. or 6 ft. high, 
with from four to six flowers on a stalk. The ground 
colour is old pearl-white, dotted along the mid-rib of 
the petals with short very fine royal purple lines (not 
spots). I feel sure that if yon can protect it from too 
much wet during your long winter, you will succeed 
with it ; I think it will bear all the cold incident to 
your climate.’ 
“I have flowered this Lily for three seasons, and 
like it very much. I have a tight board screen 
about 2 ft. high along the south side of the row 
to shade the ground, while the tops grow in the open 
sunshine without any shade, and they flourish in a 
mean temperature of 88°. My flowers agree exactly 
with the description given by my Dutch corre¬ 
spondent. It is true that individually they vary like 
other Lilies, but, collectively, his description is correct. 
In a postcript he adds, 1 These Lilies begin, in the 
lowest places, to flower in June, and two miles further 
up the mountains I have found them as late as the 1st 
of August. ’ This shows the effect of altitude. I do 
not know if anything which I have written touches 
any point upon which you may be in doubt, and can 
only hope that it may not be altogether without 
interest to you. By reading, I know that you, like 
myself, are particularly interested in the Lily family.” 
—George F. Wilson, Heatherbank, Weybridge Heath. 
-- 
POTATO STARCH. 
Although in recent years many important improve¬ 
ments have been made in the processes, and the 
machinery used in starch preparation, only slight 
scientific attention has been given to the growth of 
Potato crops. It is principally as a food that the Potato 
is regarded, but to obtain the highest per-centage of 
starch must be the chief aim of the cultivator, whether 
he is growing for the table or the manufactory. Since 
the appearance of Liebig’s Agricultural Chemistry in 
1840, much chemical investigation has been directed to 
the cultivation of cereals, and now the most suitable 
conditions for their growth are fairly well known. The 
imperfect knowledge respecting Potato growth is due 
to the fact that no chemist has made it a study. It is 
somewhat remarkable that though there is at present 
so much activity among physiological chemists in 
studying the process of the formation of starch in the 
leaves of plants, in not a single case, till within the 
last few weeks, does the Potato appear as the plant 
chosen for observation. 
With regard to plants generally, it has been recently 
established (contrary to old beliefs) that the carbon of 
the starch (C 6 H, 0 0 5 ) in leaves comes from the carbonic 
acid of the air. The old belief was that it entered by 
the roots, dissolved in water. Allowing that the 
process of formation of starch in the leaves, and the 
question of the part paid by the chlorophyll cells, are 
matters of purely scientific interest, the fact of its 
formation there cannot be overlooked by the practical 
cultivator. Varieties differ much in foliage, and the 
number of starch-forming leaves vary. If it be clearly 
established that the total leaf area of a plant has direct 
relation to the amount of starch a plant forms, then 
those who grow Potatos extensively for the market 
cannot neglect to pay attention to the character of 
foliage. 
The question has become more complicated through 
the results of two experiments recently made. One is 
that the amount of light sufficient to form the green 
colouring matter of the leaves (chlorophyll) is not 
necessarily sufficient to form starch. The other is that 
light when it has once passed through chlorophyll has 
lost its power to form starch, so that those leaves that 
are shaded by others form very little, perhaps none. 
In connection with a plant cultivated solely for the 
sake of its starch these are important facts to know, 
and though the experiments were made on other plants, 
there is no good reason to doubt that they are equally 
true with regard to the Potato. 
Within the last few weeks it has been found from 
analysis of Potato plants themselves that there is no 
trace of starch in the stem. Starch and sugar are 
readily convertible oDe into the other. It would appear, 
then, that the starch of the leaves is converted into 
sugar, and as such passes down the stem, and is then 
re-converted into starch in the tubers. What is the 
process of the formation of those starch granules, which 
are such favourite objects for the microscope, has not 
yet been studied, and hence there is no answer to the 
question, what is the cause of that condition popularly 
called waxiness?— Society of Arts Journal. 
TECHNICAL EDUCATION. 
In these days of severe foreign competition it is 
necessary to use every means in our power in order to 
endeavour to hold our own in the market. It has often 
been said that the foreigner has superior educational 
advantages to the British gardener. That may probably 
be so, but judging from those who immigrate to this 
country, I fail to see any results which will bear out 
such statements. I have been a good deal amongst 
foreigners in the profession, French, German, Danes, 
and Swedes, and looking at the matter fairly, the 
question of language apart, I never could see much 
difference between them. Of course, it must be assumed 
that only the more intelligent and energetic amongst 
them, as with us, travel and go from place to place in 
order to gain a good experience, which, in our line 
especially, can only be gained by such means ; besides, 
it gives them a better knowledge of men and manners, 
and conditions of things, which has a natural tendency 
to expand the mind and intellect ; so we, in this 
country, see the best side of the foreigner. Still, the 
question of technical education is an important one, 
and the want of facilities for acquiring it is deeply felt 
by young gardeners, who, as a body, have a laudable 
desire for self-improvement. The occupation which 
they follow naturally fosters and promotes such 
desires. 
The question then arises, how this desire which is 
engendered in them can be made to shoot forth and 
grow so as to produce fruit ? It cannot be expected 
that those public schools which are within reach of 
the future British working gardener, would be able to 
teach scientific subjects suitable to all sorts and con¬ 
ditions of men. Parliament may some day bring in a 
“ Technical Instruction Bill,” which may be of general 
use to the community at large, but we cannot expect 
them to deal with one special subject alone, such as 
horticulture. Botany is certainly taught in some 
schools, but not sufficiently to be of general benefit. It 
is perfectly clear that the remedy lies with ourselves. 
I am quite sure it is practicable in these days of easy 
and rapid intercommunication, when by amalgamation 
and concentrated action we may hope to overcome 
this educational difficulty. We have only to look at 
other bodies of men who form themselves into trade 
unions, clubs or societies, by whatever name they may 
happen to call themselves, either for pastime, pleasure, 
or profit, to know that such a thing is quite possible. 
The British gardeners are scattered abroad from one 
end of the land to the other, without any organisation 
or united action, and is it doubtful whether or not we 
are losing ground ? Certainly, in some places in the 
country societies are established amongst gardeners, 
where papers are read and debates and discussions 
ensue, whilst others are in the course of formation. It 
is quite possible that these efforts might be further ex¬ 
tended and consolidated. I would suggest that a great 
effort should be made to form a national society amongst 
British gardeners on one common and fundamental v 
basis, with its centre in London, and branches through¬ 
out our towns and cities, having for its object the 
mutual educational improvement of the British horti¬ 
cultural public. I feel sure that this idea would be 
readily taken up, and made to assume a practical 
shape, if a meeting of gardeners and others interested 
in horticulture were called in London before the winter 
months arrive. Or would it be possible for the Royal 
Horticultural Society to take up this question, and 
endeavour to “restore” that needful popularity which, 
as you say on p. 771, can only bring back life and 
energy to that body ?— Alfred Gaut. 
Phloxes and Pentstemons. —The largest panicles 
and the best flowers of these handsome North American 
herbaceous subjects are obtained from plants that are 
propagated annually from cuttings. Of course they 
may be propagated at any time during summer when 
flowerless, and healthy young cuttings are obtainable, 
but for ordinary garden decoration, good stuff may be 
obtained from cuttings put into sandy soil under hand- 
lights or in frames, without the aid of fire heat at this 
time. Fairly good stuff can be produced even by 
propagating much later in the season ; but larger plants, 
and more flowers may be had by commencing the work 
immediately. The same directions for the propagation 
of Verbenas are applicable in these cases, but if shoots 
can be obtained from near the roots of Phloxes so much 
the better. They will root before winter, but need not 
be moved until the weather is favourable for planting 
out in spring. Pentstemons keep best when protected 
under glass during winter, although fire heat is 
unnecessary.— F. 
