December 27, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
201 
“After spending three years in Buenos Ayres with a 
married sister, he came to this country some eight 
years since, and although, owing to his modesty, 
he was little known except to those who had the 
fortune to meet him, he was acknowledged by all who 
did know him and his work to be without a superior. 
As a grower to Evans, at Columbus, Ohio, during the 
Centennial, he entered for fifty-five premiums in plants 
and flower?, and took fifty-four first premiums and one 
second. At the time of his death he was foreman at 
the Oakley Rose houses, and being single, and with¬ 
out kith or kin in this country, he was laid to rest in 
Spring Grove, by friends in his profession.” 
Carter’s Provident Sick Fund.—The fifth annual 
meeting of this society has just been held at the ware¬ 
houses of Messrs. James Carter & Co., High Holborn. 
The chair was taken by Mr. Sharman, and the state¬ 
ment of accounts presented to the meeting showed that 
although the past year (owing to the epidemic of 
influenza during the winter! had been one of the worst 
the society had experienced, after meeting all engage¬ 
ments and making provision for one or two exceptional 
cases, the society has been able to close its books with 
a very substantial balance in hand. Considering the 
smallness of the subscription, and the considerable 
benefits paid to its members, the result must be 
considered gratifying. All the officers were re-elected. 
Aberdeen Seed and Nursery Trade Annual Assembly. 
—The annual assembly of the members of the Aberdeen 
seed and nursery trade took place on Thursday evening, 
the 22nd inst., in the Royal Albert Hall, Aberdeen, Mr. 
FLOWERS AT GUNNERSBURY 
PARK. 
Where large quantities of flowers are required at 
Christmas, either for the conservatory or for cutting, a 
considerable amount of forethought and provision is 
necessary for many months beforehand, in order to 
attain the desired result. Calling the other day upon 
Mr. Reynolds, gardener to the Messrs. DeRothschild, at 
Gunnersbury Park, Acton, W'e found many of the 
houses quite gay with various seasonable and other 
flowers in quantity. Cut blooms are in great request 
at all times of the year, and especially so at Christmas. 
One house is completely filled with Bouvardias and 
Carnations in great variety. The leading sorts of the 
former—both of the old favourites and the more recent 
introductions—are grown. Fancy sorts, whether old 
inhabitants of the garden or of recent introduction, 
find no place, but only those which give a reasonable 
or good supply for the space occupied. Amongst single 
kinds the brilliant scarlet President Cleveland holds a 
foremost place. One or two others of the Elegans and 
Hogarth type are also grown. Priory Beauty supplies 
pink flowers, while B. Humboldti corymbiflora and B. 
Yreelandi furnish white ones. The former is notable 
for its large and fragrant blossoms, and is popular on 
that account, but is not so extensively cultivated as 
B. Yreelandi, nor so generally useful. The latter is also 
known as B. Davidsoni,andfurnishes along successionof 
bloom.. The double white Alfred Neuner and the 
double pink President Garfield are seldom absent from 
any collection, and here supply a good percentage of 
occupying the whole of the front benches of a house. 
They have now been in bloom for some time, and will 
keep up a display for many weeks. The strain consists 
mostly of the ordinary type, with a sprinkling of the 
Giganteum strain, with the usual pink, white, purple, 
and crimson hues. The leaves are particularly notice¬ 
able for the beautiful silvery grey marbling of the 
leaves. They are potted in 48 and 60-size pots, some 
of them being even in small 60’s. 
There is a fine display of Poinsettias in another 
house, consisting of plants ranging from 6 ins. to 
24 ins. in height. The shortest were propagated from 
cuttings in July, and the tallest ones somewhat earlier. 
The former have retained their foliage beautifully, and 
are useful for standing along the front row of the 
benches as they are here—all being arranged in a group 
by themselves, while the benches on the other side of 
the house are occupied with Cypripediums and other 
Orchids, including the Calanthes now in bloom. 
Scattered about in other houses were various subjects 
in bloom, including a large quantity of Ixoras, which 
are so grown here as to supply a succession of bloom 
for many months together. Amongst climbers in the 
same house the flowering of Cissus discolor might be 
described as a curiosity. Dipladenia boliviensis, on the 
other hand, was pretty, with its white and golden 
yellow-throated flowers. Oneidium Lanceanum in a 
basket is by no means a plentiful, although a showy 
Orchid. Cypripedium Sedeni might be described as 
perpetual flowering ; a large plant here was well fur¬ 
nished with bloom. 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons’ Gloxinia House. (See p. 265). 
Hay, of Ben. Reid & Co., occupying the chair. There 
was a large and representative gathering, and on the 
platform were Mr. Robson (of W. Smith & Son), Mr. 
Darling (of Cardno & Darling), Mr. Johnstone (of 
C. & A. Johnstone), Mr. Cowe (West Coast Railway), 
Mr. Syme (of P. Lawson & Son, Edinburgh), Mr. Bain 
(Edinburgh), &c. After tea, the chairman proposed 
“Success to the Seed and Nursery Trade, and Health 
and Happiness to Those Engaged In It,” in a very 
happy speech, in which he alluded to many subjects 
of the greatest interest to his hearers. During the 
evening Mr. Robson and Mr. Syme also made a few 
remarks, and a very enjoyable musical programme was 
got through before the company adjourned to the ball¬ 
room, where dancing was kept up until the “wee short 
hours ayont the twal.” 
Davallia affinis.—This is sometimes grown under the 
name of Acrophorus affinis. Being a native of Ceylon, 
it is not so hardy as its congener D. Novae zelandins, 
frequently to be seen in gardens under the name of 
Acrophorus hispidus. The Fern under notice, however, 
is altogether of a more cneerful aspect, owing to the 
smooth character and bright green aspect of its fronds, 
which range from 1 ft. to 2 ft. long, according to the 
system of treatment and the size of the pot in which 
it is grown. In shape they are deltoid-lanceolate, and 
three to four times finely divided. Ordinarily they are 
about 1 ft. long, and being plentifully produced they 
form a close bushy mass. The temperature of a stove 
and liberal treatment is necessary for the full develop¬ 
ment of the plant, although it may also be grown of a 
useful and suitable size in an intermediate house. We 
noted it recently in one of the propagating pits of the 
Royal Horticultural Society at Chiswick, 
the flowers. The plants were struck from cuttings 
about the end of February last or the beginning of 
March, and were shifted on until placed in 7-in. pots, 
in which they are now flowering, Cutting was com¬ 
menced in September, and has been carried on ever 
since. Side shoots keep up a succession of bloom. 
The temperature is kept up to 50° or 55° at night. 
In the same house is a collection of tree or perpetual- 
flowering and other Carnations. When cut they last 
about a week in perfection in a room, provided there is 
no gas to destroy them. On the plants the flowers last 
longer. One of the finest we noted was Irma, large 
rose-coloured bloom of beautiful shape, and striated 
with a darker hue. Empress of Germany was white, 
slightly striated with rose. A beautiful crimson, some¬ 
what lighter in hue than the old Clove, was named 
Brunette. Lucifer, a brilliant scarlet, is something in 
the way of Winter Cheer, but brighter. An unnamed 
scarlet variety, inclined to be feathered with rose at 
the base of the petals, is somewhat after the style of 
Alegatiere. Mrs. Keens is a deep crimson, possibly a 
shade darker than the Old Clove, and a vigorous 
grower, but rather straggling. Miss Jolliffe is one of 
the most popular of the blush-pink kinds in cultivation, 
but Miss Jolliffe Improved, as grown here, is even 
finer, and a shade or two darker, yet still a pure pink. 
Purity is fragrant and pure white, but the petals are 
rather conspicuously toothed at the apex. All of the 
above kinds belong to the perpetual-flowering race, but 
Pride of Penshurst is not considered to be strictly of this 
type. Nevertheless it was furnished with a large 
quantity of bloom, although the flowers were below the 
average size as seen in summer. 
A large batch of Cyclamens are annually grown here, 
MEALY-BUG ON VINES. 
I CAN thoroughly sympathise with “One in a Diffi¬ 
culty,” having experienced the same annoyance with 
this troublesome pest on Vines. Where it has once 
effected a lodgment, the mealy-bug is one of the most 
difficult insects the gardener has to contend with, and 
is also one of the most beastly, especially on Vines, 
disfiguring as it does every bunch of Grapes it touches, 
with its nasty sticky excretions. To get rid of it, 
drastic measures have to be adopted, and resolutely 
persevered with for several seasons before the Vines 
can be entirely freed from it. And to this end no 
better remedy can be applied than dressing the Vines 
with gas-tar mixed with clay. 
But for the benefit of “ One in a Difficulty,” I will 
give in detail the procedure we adopted to clear our 
Vines of it, and which was as follows :—When the 
Vines were ready for pruning, the houses were first 
cleared of all pot plants, then, before the Vines were 
touched, they were syringed with water as hot as it 
could be applied through the syringe, as also the glass, 
woodwork, walls, and everything, repeated a time or 
two. The Vines were then pruned, the prunings care¬ 
fully gathered up and taken to the fire, and hot water 
again applied to the Vines, this time with a strong 
bristle brush, these preliminary operations killing 
all the bugs adhering to the surface of the bark, shoots, 
&e. The glass and all wood-work then received a 
thorough washing with soapy water, and afterwards 
syringed with a strong, hot solution of paraffin, two 
wineglassfuls to the gallon of water, the walls being 
washed with the same liquid. This done, the Vines 
were freed from all loose bark, mats being previously 
laid on the border to catch all the litter and the bug 
