614 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 26, 1888. 
“Be joined with care his fingers must, 
His knees well rubhed against the dust.” 
He puts gloves on his hands, and over his hoots 
goloshes, and so takes precious care of himself : whilst 
caring for the plant life in his garden, methinks his 
fertiliser is whiskey, and to his crops he gives bones, 
cr, to use the proper phrase, half-inch bones ; but the 
crops, like the propagator, take care of themselves, and 
what he takes in “lotion,” they take out of the 
hones. 
You will all know the amateur who looks upon 
humanity as so many mills, which grind and produce 
for his plants their food. The one who rejoices in the 
fact of there being so near to his garden a double- 
barrelled—what shall I call it 1 See him, how he steals 
forth at night, armed with bucket and spade, for his 
raid on the “ palace of the seat,” and when he has got 
fairly to work on the rich wealth of golden treasure 
that is stored there, under the cloud-darkened moon, 
he gleefully counts up the prizes which he expects to 
get, as the “phantas” drops from the spade into the 
bucket; and so effectually does he extract the veins of 
gold from the quartz that the complaint of the night¬ 
man is that there is not enough. 
“By gardeners thyme is tied, ’tis true, 
"When spring is in its prime ; 
But time or tide won’t wait for me, 
As I am tied for time. ” 
—J. W. Jarvis. 
-- 
NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM 
SOCIETY. 
Ox Saturday last, after visiting the Great International 
Horticultural Exhibition at Manchester, several of the 
officers of the National Chrysanthemum Society paid a 
visit to Sheffield, in order to make some necessary 
business arrangements for the forthcoming exhibition— 
the first the society has undertaken in the provinces. 
In the evening the members of the local society enter¬ 
tained their visitors to dinner at the Clarence Hotel, 
Mr. Mark Firth, president of the Sheffield and "West 
Riding Chrysanthemum Society, presiding. The toast 
list included “The National Chrysanthemum Society 
and our visitors,” which was proposed by Mr. John 
Haigh, who said they all hoped that the new departure 
which had been taken by the National Society in going 
into the provinces would bring it much notoriety. The 
local society felt greatly honoured by the fact that the 
National Society had selected Sheffield as the town in 
which to hold its first provincial show, and he trusted 
it would be a complete success. 
Mr. R. Ballantine, vice-president of the National 
Society, who was received with applause on rising to 
respond, said it was a peculiar pleasure to him to be 
present to inaugurate a new departure in the history of 
the National Society, and he trusted that the com¬ 
mencement of all the meetings in other towns would he 
as pleasant as their experience had been with regard to 
the proposed visit to Sheffield. From the manner in 
W'hich the deputation had been received, and from the 
correspondence which had passed with the local officials, 
he had no doubt whatever that the holding of the first 
provincial show in Sheffield could not fail to have a 
successful issue. 
Mr. W. Holmes, secretary, who responded, expressed 
regret that they had not wdth them the well-beloved pre¬ 
sident of the National Society, Mr. Edward Sanderson, 
and said the kindness and hospitality they had received 
since their arrival in Sheffield had far exceeded their 
expectations. He also thanked them for the kind 
references made to the National Society, with wffiich 
he had been connected for some years, and in working 
which he had taken a somewhat active part. He had 
watched their society grow from a purely local into a 
national society, hut none of the steps taken in con¬ 
nection with it had been watched with greater pleasure 
and anticipation than the one they were now attempting 
—the holding of a provincial show. Such a departure 
was suggested four or five years ago by Mr. T. B. 
Morton, of Darlington, but it was not entertained. 
The committee were now unanimously of opinion that 
the attempt should he made, and then came the 
question, "Where should the first provincial show be 
held 1 The reply from the executive of the Sheffield 
Society was so satisfactory—so thoroughly business¬ 
like—as to leave no doubt in their minds as to which 
was the right town in which to begin the attempt. 
They knew that in Sheffield there was not only a large 
number of florists who take an interest in Chrysanthe¬ 
mums, but that there were men who, like themselves, 
neither knew or believed in the word failure. Hence 
the National Society had no hesitation in selecting 
Sheffield as the first town to be visited, and he hoped 
the pleasant meeting they had held that day was a 
happy augury of the success which would attend their 
first provincial show. 
Mr. G. S. Addison followed with the toast of the 
“ Sheffield and "West Riding Chrysanthemum Society, 
and the Hallamshire Gardeners’ Society,” and Mr. W. 
K. Woodcock, in responding, said the local society 
had only been established four years, and they were 
very proud of the success it had already achieved. 
For that success they had to thank in a very large 
measure their esteemed president, Mr. Firth. Not 
only had Mr. Firth rendered them valuable financial 
aid, but he had used his great influence in many ways 
to promote the prosperity of the society. He also bore 
testimony to the valuable aid they had received from 
Mr. Duncan Gilmour, Mr. Fenton, and other friends, 
and concluded by expressing the hope that much good 
would result from the National Society visiting 
Sheffield. Other toasts of a complimentary character 
followed, and a most enjoyable evening was spent. 
Before returning to London the deputation visited 
Chatsworth—the Palace of the Peaks—enjoying alike a 
delightful drive over the moors, the beauties of Chats¬ 
worth Park and gardens, and a most hospitable 
reception from Mr. Owen Thomas. On the second day 
the party visited several of the fine gardening establish¬ 
ments in the environs of Sheffield, including Oakholme 
(T. Wilson, Esq.); Mount Yiew (D. Ward, Esq.); 
Westbrook (A. Wilson, Esq.) ; Eccleshall Wood, now 
being improved by the Corporation ; Oakbrook (Mark 
Firth, Esq.), and the Sandygate Rose Nursery of Mr. 
Duncan Gilmour. The party left Sheffield shortly 
after 6 p. m., carrying away with them most agreeable 
recollections of the genuine character of Yorkshire 
hospitality. 
G-RAPE CRACKING. 
This infirmity is looked upon by many gardeners as a 
subject calling for little comment, and equally little 
attention ; for the simple reason that in its worst aspect 
it may be altogether unknown, or at any rate only to 
such a limited extent as to be scarce worthy of serious 
notice. To others, however, its recurrence year after year 
is, indeed, a source not only of extreme vexation and 
trouble, but also a matter of grave importance, 
especially when the grower anticipates high prices for 
the crop. The market value of a bunch of Grapes must 
necessarily be more or less depreciated when the aid of 
the scissors has to be called into requisition to remove 
cracked berries, to say nothing of the bunches being 
impaired in beauty and symmetry by the handling 
they unavoidably receive—a matter that should not 
be lost sight of in an age like the present, when, 
perhaps, the eye is more fastidious than the palate. 
In a great measure, size and appearance are the 
chief essentials that determine the success of the 
vendor of Grapes ; qualitjq however, should not be 
neglected, though its importance in many respects is 
in a sense a subordinate matter. Such being the case, 
it is very natural that the aggrieved would endeavour 
to do everything in their power to avert the recurrence 
of the insidious evil of cracking. Very often it is 
believed that the remedial measures shoot wide of the 
mark. The borders are turned up as usual to search 
for a cause, though in all probability the mischief does 
not originate there at all. Extravagant expense is 
incurred at a time, perhaps, when no expense is required 
—as often the renewal of borders ill repays the labour 
expended in rectifying Grape splitting, for not uncom¬ 
monly the splitting goes on as before. Although the 
cause is as yet partially enshrouded in mystery, like 
many more unexplainable things in gardening, it is 
scarcely consistent with nature to attach much weight 
to the idea that the cause is to be found in an abnormal 
state of the roots, provided life in every other respect 
indicates health and robustness. 
On tho other hand, paradoxical as it may seem, there 
is some claim to favour the endosmotic plea, from the 
apparent reason that an incision on the shoot at a point 
below the bunch retards, or at least, helps to retard 
the mischief. Still there is scarce enough philosophy in 
the method to make it an universal favourite, and will 
at all times be looked upon with suspicion, whilst it is 
as lame as it is unnatural. It may at times meet the 
requirements, and as often fail, as not unlikely such a 
barbaric treatment has done. Besides, there must be a 
danger of mischief, following this wholesale mutilation, 
to the general constitution of the Vine itself. Again, 
Grapes have been known to split a considerable time 
after removal from the Vine, and seldom from the 
imbibition of water when placed, as they often are, with 
a part of the shoot in bottles. 
From an instance present to my mind, my inferences 
lead me to think that excessive sun-heat, moisture and 
scanty ventilation are eminently productive in causing 
splitting. In evidence of this I cite the case of a span- 
roof vinery, lying north and south, being closed early 
in the evening, usually with the moistening of footpaths, 
&c., a few weeks before colour began to show. In one 
of the ends on the side facing Jhe sun, and on which 
the evening rays always struck very strongly, were a 
Royal Muscadine, Bowood Muscat, and a "White Syrian 
evidently in the best of health. Next morning two- 
thirds of the berries were split, and along the whole 
side, not less than 60 ft., the hunches of all white 
Grapes showed cracked berries here and there. On the 
opposite and shaded side none appeared, though the 
same Grapes hung right against those which fared 
so badly. From this case my conclusions are that 
probably the law of expansion of fluid when acted upon 
by heat was the chief cause.— JD. Chisholm. 
->-<-- 
THE ANTIQUITY OF VEGETA¬ 
TION.— I. 
Ax examination of the earth’s crust reveals to us, in the 
fossilised remains of both plants and animals, the 
nature of some of its most ancient inhabitants, but 
gives no idea of the first dawn of life, when our earth 
had lost its molten state and cooled down sufficiently 
to he inhabitable. The Laurentian, the oldest known 
stratified rocks, do, however, carry us back to a period 
so remote, that we can but dimly picture it, and 
calculation in figures becomes mere conjecture. The 
outer and stratified crust is comparable to a museum in 
which has been deposited a record of the successive 
forms of life, that have from time to time appeared on 
our earth ; but the record unfortunately is very far 
from complete, and large gaps occur in the chain of 
events, of which we know nothing ; and transitional 
forms of both plants and animals are altogether lost. 
In tracing the antiquity of vegetation, I shall begin 
with the most ancient, and follow its distribution 
through time and space, that is, from its first appear¬ 
ance in the lower strata upwards to the earth’s surface, 
and the distribution of the same forms of plant life or 
their representatives over the globe at the present time, 
giving occasionally hints as to the contemporaneous 
and dominant animals, in different geological epochs, 
as well as the climate of the countries referred to during 
those periods. From time to time our earth has 
suffered great physical and geographical changes. The 
climate of Europe (including Britain) has been at times 
tropical, sub-tropical, temperate, or arctic, and Green¬ 
land has even enjoyed like climates. 
There is no country probably but has formed at one 
time or other the bottom of a lake, sea, or ocean ; hut 
geologists are not so certain that every part of the earth 
now under water has at one time been dry land. 
"When countries and continents became submerged 
land plants were destroyed ; and during periods of 
upheaval, the sea bottom again became dry land, and 
was colonised afresh by plants, generally of a different 
kind from that which formerly had covered it. Like¬ 
wise during periods when the climate of any country 
became cooler or even severe, heat-loving plants 
became killed or migrated southward, while their 
places were occupied by plants of temperate or arctic 
countries. 
Flora of Paleozoic or Primary Strata— 
Laurentiax. 
The sedimentary strata of the British Islands, so far 
as they are known, extend to a depth of upwards of 
80,000 ft. (lOj miles), but the first evidence we have 
of plant life in the British strata does not occur lower 
than the Cambrian, Silurian, and lower Devonian, and 
are merely impressions in the rocks, resembling forms 
of Sea "Weeds or Marine Algne. Animals occur much 
lower down, owing to the fact of their hard coatings 
being more indestructible and more capable of preserva¬ 
tion. Graphite, however, which is believed to be of 
vegetable origin, occurs in the Laurentian, in Canada. 
This formation is the oldest known to geologists, and 
is generally considered to be the first formed rocks after 
our earth cooled down from a molten mass to a solid 
state. Graphite occurs in enormous quantity, and if 
truly of vegetable origin, there must have existed in 
those remote periods luxurious forests of vegetation, 
but what were the forms of plants we have yet no 
means of knowing. The climate, there is reason to 
believe, was warm and extremely humid all over the 
