568 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
May 9, 1891. 
they must of a certainty he subjected to more 
cold even in average winters there, than in 
this our insular position ; and yet they are 
not only not exterminated, hut as a rule are not 
sensibly diminished after a severe winter. 
Should they get exterminated here on account 
of cold, how could Britain get re-stocked with 
them from a colder country 1 
■fpECULiARiTiES op the Season. —Everybody 
<r of an observant mind is impressed with 
the lateness of the season, and not a few will 
add some of its lessons to their experience, 
whether of profit or otherwise. During a 
mild winter and spring we get a long 
succession of hardy flowers in the open, even 
if they come on in a somewhat straggling 
fashion. This was out of the question last 
winter, and Anemones that were gay in 
November last, disappeared till April, when 
they were joined by the Daffodils and many 
others, resulting in a plethora of bloom, so to 
speak. With sunshine and the prevalence of 
dry east winds the flowering season of many 
kinds will be shortened thereby. No better 
fate awaits them when cut and placed in 
water, for they wither in a relatively short 
time. The effect will be the shortening of 
the flower season out-of-doors, for many of 
the early and late - flowering kinds are 
blooming together. 
When we turn to the kitchen garden the 
complaint is that early - sown seeds have 
germinated weakly and are scarcely more 
advanced than those which were sown late, 
and now by their much greater vigour give 
promise of a much better return. This 
experience may well afford the advocates of 
early planting and sowing a valuable lesson. 
A bad crop occupies as much ground as a 
good one, and gives a great deal more trouble 
to preserve it in the early stages from rats, 
mice, and, after germination, various birds; and 
if the ultimate result is a thin and sparing 
crop only a week or so in advance of a good 
one, the question may well be asked, Where 
is the advantage or profit from all this 
trouble 1 The drying nature of the east 
wind keeps the slugs in their hiding places, 
as well as various other kinds of natural 
food for the feathered tribes. The result 
is that the latter become a nuisance by 
destroying everything green and tender, 
occasioning much trouble to keep them at 
bay. 
The Pears, Plums and Cherries are now 
masses of snowy bloom in the orchards, and 
if they keep true to promise we shall have 
an abundant fruit crop. The old adage, 
however, still holds true that “ there is 
many a slip ’twixt the cup and the lip.” 
Frosty nights are still prevalent, and although 
not of a serious character there is yet a 
chance that our hopes may be foiled. 
Fruit growers will, however, be able to 
determine whether any advantage is to be 
derived from a late season for those fruits. 
Apples flower later, and the statement has 
often been made that those trees, such as 
Court Pendu Plat, which do not expand 
their blossom till the foliage is sufficiently 
advanced to protect it, escape the late frosts. 
But do they always bear a good crop 1 We 
must reply in the negative. Verily there is 
more in the physiology of fruit trees than 
philosophers ever dreamt of. 
-» >x< » 
The Orchideenne.—This Society of Belgian amateur 
orchidists will hold a special exhibition of Odonto- 
glossums and Cattleyas in the winter garden of the 
Horticulture Internationale, Parc Leopold, Brussels, 
on May 17th, 18th, and 19th. 
English Roses for a French Garden.—We learn 
from a local paper that the Messrs. Mack, of Catterick 
Bridge Nurseries, Yorkshire, hare lately received and 
executed an order for 2,000 Rose trees for Baron 
Rothschild, of Paris. 
Scent Farming, or the culture of perfume-bearing 
plants and trees, is becoming a profitable industry in 
Australia. According to a Royal Commission, says 
The Globe, which has investigated the matter, the soil 
of Victoria is well adapted for the growth of such 
plants. Certain kinds of Acacia or “Wattle” trees 
produce perfumed oils of considerable value. 
Gardening Engagements. — Mr. A. Maulden, 
formerly of Smallwood, Fallowfield, as gardener at 
Heatherop Castle, Fairford, Gloucastershire. Mr. J. 
Deacon, as gardener at Bowden Hill, Chippenham. Mr. 
J. E. Morant, as gardener at Kingsmead, Winchester. 
The Utility of Dandelion.— The Revue de I'Horti- 
culture Beige says that “every flower has its use; 
some have several. Here is a new use for Dandelion 
that our lady readers would like us to reveal to them. 
Cause to be boiled for a long time a handful of Dandelion 
flowers, strain them through a piece of muslin, and use 
the water to remove the freckles from your charming 
visage.” 
The Slug-worm or Pear Slug.—The destruction 
of that black larvae, glutinous, like a small slug, which 
attacks the leaves of the Pear from June to August, is 
easily effected in spraying, by means of a pulverisateur, 
the trees attacked. One uses for that purpose a mixture 
of nicotine (one litre—that is, If pint) and 75 litres of 
water. The slimy sawdy (Eriocampa limacina) cannot 
resist this treatment.— Revue de VHorticulture Beige. 
A Floral Curiosity.—At the flower show held last 
week at the Aquarium a remarkable specimen Hyacinth 
was shown by Messrs. James Carter & Co., High 
Holborn. The variety was a beautiful single blue, 
known as Grande Maitre, and it certainly was well 
worthy of the name, inasmuch as from one single 
ordinary-sized bulb, no less than nine perfect spikes of 
bloom were produced, and not the least remarkable fact 
was that they all developed simultaneously. It appears 
that this result was not due to any special cultivation, 
as the plant in question is one taken out of some 
thousands under growth at Messrs. Carters’ trial 
grounds. 
Fuchsia, Purity. — The Bulletin d' Arboriculture 
says that the white Fuchsia, Countess of Aberdeen, 
has seen its day in England, presumably because a 
newer variety named Purity is an improvement. The 
corolla of the Countess of Aberdeen is sometimes tinted 
with pink or pale rose when exposed to plenty of 
light during the summer. During the badly lighted 
winter months the whole flower is pure white. 
Fuchsias and Dahlias of ancient regime have had their 
apogee, and both have preserved admirers. What will 
be the satisfaction of the latter when they learn that 
Fuchsia Countess of Aberdeen is no longer the queen 
of the whites, but must lay aside its crown, sometimes 
tinted with rose, before the shining whiteness of Purity. 
Flowers for Perfume.—Grasse, the charming local¬ 
ity where Her Majesty the Queen of England recently 
resided for sometime, forms with Cannes and the Gulf 
of Juan a horticultural district reserved in quite a 
■special manner for the growth of odoriferous flowers. 
The following figures can make the importance of it 
understood. The cultures extend over more than 
25,000 hectares (a hectare nearly two and a half acres). 
The Jonquils are gathered in March and give 150,000 
kilograms (a kilogram over 2 lbs.); Violets of Parma, 
cut in April, furnish a little less than the same 
quantity ; in April to the end of May come the Orange 
flowers, 1,800,000 kilograms ; Roses, 930,000 kilograms ; 
25,000 kilograms of Mignonette are furnished in May 
and June ; in the latter month they harvest 147,000 
kilograms of Jasmines ; in July and August, it is the 
turn of the Tuberoses, about 74,000 kilograms ; and last 
it is the Acacias, which flourish from October.— Bulletin 
d'Aiboriculture. 
Azalea, Souvenir du Reeteur Kiekx_A beautiful 
coloured plate of this new variety of the Indian Azalea 
is given in the Revue de VHorticulture Beige for May. 
It is dedicated to the late M. Jean Jacques Kiekx, 
Rector of the University and Director of the School of 
Horticulture of Ghent, whom death has carried away 
so prematurely from science, from horticulture, and 
from the affection of his pupils and friends. The 
flowers are large and perfectly double, measuring some¬ 
times 4 ins. in diameter, and are of a lively reddish 
scarlet, marked with dark spots on a few of the upper 
segments. The latter are broad, rounded and emar- 
ginate, but not very numerous, so that they neither 
look confused nor crowded. Growth is vigorous and 
the foliage ample, of a rich dark green. The variety 
furthermore develops buds and flowers very freely, so 
that it must soon make its appearance in collections in 
this country. 
Royal Botanic Society of London.—The first of a 
course of lectures was delivered recently tefere a 
large audience by Professor Marshall Ward, F.R.S. 
The subject, “ Parasitic Plants,” was illustrated by a 
large number of diagrams and specimens from the 
society’s gardens and museums. Commencing by 
defining parasitism in plants, he showed how universal 
the habit is, and how greatly the plants affected by it 
deteriorate from the family they belong to. He en¬ 
larged upon the various degrees exhibited by different 
species, from the Fiji Saadal-wood, which is parasitic 
at will, to the Rafflesia, from Sumatra, in which the 
whole plant is reduced to a flower springing from the 
stem of the host plant. 
Feuillogene and Fleurigene.—Such are the names 
applied to certain chemical manures which have the 
property of developing foliage and flowers respectively. 
Several of the continental horticultural journals speak 
very favourably of them, and mention the results 
obtained by the experiments upon Fuchsia, Pelar¬ 
gonium, Begonia, Chrysanthemum, and Araucaria, and 
according to them, the results are really remarkable. 
It is well known amongst certain cultivators in this 
country that certain manures cause a vigorous devel¬ 
opment of the foliage, giving to it a rich dark green 
colour ; and on the other hand that flowers are obtained 
in abundance under good cultural treatment, when 
certain manures are applied which aid the growth of 
the plant generally ; but we should like to see more 
activity in trials for determining what effect certain 
manures have when applied separately, also in com¬ 
bination, and what manurial elements are more 
favourable to the development of flowers in some 
classes of plants, and foliage in others. 
International Exhibition at Antwerp.—An exhi¬ 
bition on a somewhat extensive scale is to be held at 
Antwerp during the months of August and September 
next, consisting of geographical botany and commercial 
and industrial vegetable products. Accompanying the 
programme of the exhibition, just received, is a long 
list of patrons, including the leading botanists, pro¬ 
fessors, learned men, and others in responsible positions 
of all European countries and the greater part of 
America, both north and south, as well as Australia. 
The programme is divided into two sections, the first 
of which is devoted to the specification of scientific 
collections and commercial products of the vegetable 
kingdom and their applications, and the second for 
botanical studies. The first is divided into nineteen 
classes, in which some of the articles specified are roots, 
barks for medicinal and tanning purposes, textile fibres, 
wood for carpentry, cabinet work, for the making of 
gunpowder, for perfumery, &c. Then come buds, herbs, 
flowers for medicinal purposes, bitters, vermifuges for 
dyeing, &c. Exotic and European dried, fresh, and 
preserved fruits also find a place, and machinery used 
in drying fruits. Then come seeds for food, oils, medi¬ 
cine, fungi used for different purposes, gums, resins, 
essences, butters, opium, indiarubber, juices, sugar 
products, wines, beers, and other drinks, &c. Amongst 
botanical studies, herbaries, artificial flowers for teach¬ 
ing purposes, engravings, photographs, botanical 
publications, floras, &c., may be mentioned. The 
members of the executive committee are Mr. Charles de 
Bosschere (president), Dr. Henri van Heurck (vice- 
president), Mr. Charles van Geert, junr. (secretary), 
Mr. Edmund Grandgaignage, and Mr. Gustave Royers. 
--* &« -- 
VEGETABLE SEEDLINGS. 
From some correspondence before me I learn that in 
many districts, wide apart from each other, vegetation 
has been very tardy in developing itself this season. 
In our own locality everything with vegetable life in it 
is exceptionally late—at least three weeks later than 
last year. Seeds sown at the end of February and 
early in March are not earlier than those sown the 
first week in April, and the later sowings have come 
much stronger than the first, and are decidedly more 
promising. Fotatos through the ground are checked 
by frost, and the early planted Brassicas have suffered 
severely from the easterly winds of April. Seasonable 
rains have fallen and done much to enliven gardens, 
but the nights are still cold. On Sunday, May 2nd, 
the adjacent hills were covered with snow. Birds 
seem to have difficulty in finding food, as they can 
scarcely be kept from destroying young seedlings above 
ground. Peas have suffered severely from the ravages 
of sparrows, blackbirds and starlings (the two latter 
draw the plants out by the roots—probably searching 
for grubs or larvae). Notwithstanding sundry objec¬ 
tionable experiences this spring, I anticipate a favour¬ 
able summer.— Stirling. 
