228 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 13, 1890. 
than is England, or to save national sensibili¬ 
ties, shall we say Great Britain, which 
is after all a somewhat large “ order.” Even if 
the noble Firs, the huge masses of Holly, 
splendid evergreen Oaks, and the glossy-leaved 
Rhododendrons were not so delightful as they 
are in the winter season, we should find 
some compensation in the abundance of 
smaller evergreens, whilst the deciduous trees 
have a beauty of their own when leafless, for 
the charm incidental to finely cut spray is 
indeed pleasing. 
KELETOXISIXG LEAVES, &C. -At this dull 
season of the year, when natural flowers 
are scarce, and we are only too pleased to have 
the best substitute we can find for them in 
dried flowers, grasses, berries, and other pro¬ 
ducts, very beautiful room-ornaments indeed 
are found in skeletonised leaves, seed vessels, 
or similar objects, which, well prepared and 
elegantly set up, always make delightful 
domestic decorative elements. Those who 
took note of some pleasing exhibits of this 
nature at the recent National Chrysanthemum 
Society’s Show, could not fail to have been 
delighted with them. 
The art of skeletonising vegetable products 
is not at all new, and the method of performing 
it has been told over and over again, but still, 
whenever told seems interesting to someone. 
The great thing for the novice is to secure the 
right things at the right time. Leafage that is 
of too tough or hard a nature rarely does so well 
as does that which is slightly softer in texture, 
Still, much depends upon the skill shown in 
.the art. Pods of the Sea Holly, with its 
pretty leafage; the seed-vessels of Lunaria 
biennis; Bay leaves—in fact, far more things 
than just at the moment we can call to mind 
are excellent for the purpose. The art is well 
worth the study and practice of the ladies of 
the household, because the product is specially 
in their department. 
Set up in bunches with loose neatness under 
glass shades, or exposed equally loosely, yet 
with some essential arrangement on a black 
velvet back-ground beneath glass, the skele¬ 
tonised objects are indeed beautiful domestic 
ornaments, especially, that so protected, they 
in no way suffer from dust, and are almost 
indestructible. Flowers hardly skeletonise, 
through lack of fibre, but leaves and seed 
vessels do admirably. Since the introduction 
so largely of grasses for winter decoration, we 
have found the interest in some old forms of 
domestic ornamentation decline ; but the 
possession of a handsome group of skeletonised 
vegetation is something to be proud of. 
eakaxe. —That this vegetable should in mid¬ 
winter be comparatively dear is perhaps 
natural, not because of the cost of first 
growing it, but because it can only be had 
in a blanched condition through forcing; and 
yet it should not be difficult, with all the 
great capacities of heating power at disposal, 
to produce Seakale for the public far more 
easily and cheaply than it is at present. In 
the first place, it comes readily enough from 
seed. Still further, it can be procured in vast 
quantities from root-cuttings, of which equally 
vast quantities are easily procurable; and 
further still, there is in the kingdom thousands 
of acres of land which are extremely fitted 
for Seakale culture, and when well manured 
and specially deeply worked for the crop, 
would produce fully half-a-dozen of succes- 
sional crops of diverse kinds from the one 
preparation, and thus prove a capital invest¬ 
ment. 
Seakale is marketable only when in the 
bunched, blanched state, and is then exceed¬ 
ingly light and easy of transit. A ton weight 
of bunched Seakale of good quality would be 
of great value, twenty times that of Corn or 
Potatos ; and yet should be relatively cheap. 
Why cannot we have it thus produced, per 
ton, and be sent into our markets, produced 
and blanched at home and not abroad 1 
Practically those who embark in Seakale 
culture need their own forcing houses or 
cellars; indeed, nothing would be better for the 
purpose than extensive subterranean caves, 
heated with sufficient power, into which the 
roots could be carted, and the blanched pro¬ 
ducts brought out, at a very trifling cost. 
We do not want to be vegetating on 
Brassicas all the winter, and roots are not so 
very appetising even at their best. Good 
Seakale, fresh and sweet, purchasable at a 
moderate cost, would be indeed acceptable in 
thousands of homes from which it is now 
debarred because of the undue cost which 
results from its production. There ought to 
be a good field open here for enterprising 
people, especially as the caves would equally 
produce good Mushrooms also. 
-- 
The Preston and Fulwood Horticultural Society’s 
Spring Show -will be held on March 18th and 19th 
next, and the schedule of prizes for the same has just 
been issued. 
The Brighton and Hove Chrysanthemum Society’s 
Recent Show was, we learn from the secretary, Mr. 
Mark Longhurst, a great success. Some 9,500 persons 
paid for admission, and no less a sum than £324 was 
taken at the doors. Such returns are encouraging to 
any executive. 
The Magnum Bonuin Potato. — Messrs. James 
Carter & Co. write : 1 ‘ Referring to your interesting 
article on p. 212, we trust you will permit us to state 
that the original Magnum Bonum Potato passed 
simultaneously into the hands of ourselves and the 
other seed-house named. We purchased two tons 
direct from the late Mr. Clark in the autumn of 1877.” 
Two Aged Cypresses. — The most remarkable 
Cypresses actually existing in Europe, according to 
L'Illustration Rorticole, are the beautiful samples 
which may be seen in the garden of Comte Justi, at 
Yerona. They have attained a great height, and 
tradition supposes them to be nearly five centuries old. 
The National Flower of the United States.—This is 
a question which has been discussed in the American 
and other papers for some considerable time. Every 
State thinks it has the right of choosing its own flower. 
The Garden and Florist mentions that in the Stateof New 
York the question has been brought before the children 
as judges. More than 300,000 scholars were convened 
to choose their flower. Of that number 180,000 have 
given their choice to a Solidago. The Rose takes a 
second place with 79,000 votes. 
The Recent Severe Frosts.—At the R. II. S. 
meeting at the Drill Hall on Tuesday, there was 
much comparing of notes with regard to the cold wave 
which passed over the southern counties on the 
afternoon of Friday, November 28th. The Rev. W. 
Wilks brought up some shoots of Aucubas, Laurustinus, 
Privets, &c., killed in a garden situate about a mile 
from Shirley, in which the thermometers registered 6° 
below zero between 5.30 and 6 p.m. Several other 
instances were mentioned of thermometers recording 
1° and 2° below zero. 
Hawick Horticultural Improvement Association.— 
The first meeting of this association was held on Friday 
of last week. There was a large muster of members, 
and the president (Mr. J. Forbes), in an appropriate 
opening speech, referred to the many benefits to be 
derived from membership of such associations, and also 
referred briefly to the rise and progress of horticulture 
in Hawick during the past twenty years, remarking in 
conclusion that there was still room for improvement. 
Mr. Forbes then read to the meeting an excellent paper 
on the Apple, his treatment of the subject being 
thorough in every respect. 
Chrysanthemum, Mrs. Alpheus Hardy. — The 
American Florist states that as a rule the plants shown 
at the recent Boston exhibition were to be commended 
for their graceful appearance, their abundant foliage, 
and the artistic grouping. There was one specimen, 
however, which was peerless. It was a magnificent 
plant of Mrs. Alpheus Hardy, 5 ft. high, and about 
5 ft. through, very symmetrical and splendidly fur¬ 
nished with perfect blooms. This was grown by T. D. 
Hatfield, gardener to Mr. Walter Huunewell, Wellesley, 
Mass., and he received a Silver Medal for superior 
culture. 
The Destruction of Moss on Lawns.—Sulphate of 
iron in a state of powder is said by L' Illustration 
Rorticole to destroy moss on turf. Used at the rate 
of 2,500 grammes (about half-a-pound) of sulphate of 
iron to a piece of ground about 1191 square yards, the 
moss had entirely disappeared six weeks afterwards, 
and the grass had grown with great vigour. Yet, the 
moss having reappeared at certain points, a second dose 
of the sulphate in slightly smaller quantity was 
applied, and this time the effect was complete. 
The Chiswick Gardeners' Mutual Improvement 
Association has a good friend and supporter in Mrs. 
S. A. Lee, who with the object of encouraging original 
research and observation, again offers a sum of £15 10s. 
to be awarded in prizes for essays on horticultural 
subjects, and which will be distributed at the annual 
dinner of the Association, at the close of the session. 
The prizes, four in each class, are offered for the best 
essays on horticulture, its influence on the masses ; for 
the best essays on any horticultural subject, at the 
discretion of the competitors ; and for the best essays 
on any horticultural subject, at the discretion of the 
competitors (members under twenty-three years of 
age). 
Death of M. P. de Tscliikatclieff.—This botanist 
and Russian explorer, says Le Jardin, is well known 
for his translations, accompanied by original comment¬ 
aries of Griesbach’s Geography of Plants. He has just 
died at Florence, where he had been residing for a long 
time past. He bequeaths to the institute of which he 
was a correspondent, the sum of 100,000 francs, which 
is meant for facilitating explorations in Central Asia. 
His name, however, will still continue to be perpetuated 
in Pyrethrum Tschiliatcheffii, or as we spell it, P. 
Tchihatchewii. This plant is a native of Asia Minor, 
and is chiefly valued in Britain for its utility in covering 
dry banks, and for planting under trees where grass 
will not grow. 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution. — It 
a fiords us the greatest possible pleasure to announce 
that by the recent purchase of £SG0 Consols the com¬ 
mittee of this admirable institution have raised the 
total amount of the reserve fund to the substantial sum 
of £25,000. This is something like a nest egg, and is 
a certain guarantee to all those gardeners who become 
life members that should they be so unfortunate in life 
as to require its assistance, they will not be dis¬ 
appointed. The annual income from this source alone 
will be £687 10-s. We have also the pleasure to 
announce that that good supporter and vice-president, 
Baron Schroder, will take the chair at the annual 
meeting at Simpson’s, at 3 p.m., on January the 15th, 
and that Mr. N. N. Sherwood will preside at the 
annual friendly dinner, which will tike place at 
6 p.m. on the same day, when a suitable testimonial 
will be presented to Mr. Cutler on his election as 
secretary for the fiftieth time. 
Birmingham Gardener s Association.—At the last 
meeting of this society Mr. Hughes, the secretary, 
introduced the subject of the federation of all such 
societies, with an annual meeting of delegates to confer 
on matters for the promotion of the objects of these 
associations. It was also an exhibition night, and 
these evenings prove very interesting to members. 
Mr. Cryor, the gardener at Berrow Court, contributed 
a fine lot of Cyclamen plants, excellently grown, and 
fine sorts. Mr. Burberry, the Orchid grower to the 
Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, M.P., contributed 
good specimens of Sophronitis grandillora and Odonto- 
glossum Pescatorei, and cut blooms of three very 
fine varieties of C 3 T pripedium iusigne viz., punctatum, 
aureum, and Chantini, the latter richly coloured. Mr. 
Latham brought from the Botanical Gardens a long 
shoot of Callicarpa purpurea, well clothed with rich 
purple-coloured berries, and they always have fine 
plants of this handsome decorative plant for winter 
display at the Edgbaston Botanical Gardens. Mr. 
Robert Owen, nurseryman, Maidenhead, sent blooms 
of some new American and his own seedling Chrysan¬ 
themums, amongst them being Mrs. S. Colman, Mathew 
Russell, Ada Spaulding, and Madame Edouard Yelten, 
all incurved, and several Japanese varieties, including 
Advance, very fine ; Leon Frache, and Belle Hickey, 
all fine and very promising. (Messrs. Cutbush & Son, 
Highgate Nurseries, London, sent a collection of plants 
of Pernettyas, well berried and coloured, rosea and rosea 
macrocarpa, both bright rosy pink berries ; alba, 
white berried ; atropurpurea, rich violet-purple berries; 
and other charming varieties, all welcome winter 
decorative plants. 
