610 
THE HARDENING WORLD 
May*25, 1889. 
to a severe test this spring. If I were to conclude from 
what I see on the trees, I should say that fruit of all 
kinds, in spite of the lack of insects, is setting abun¬ 
dantly. Why should not standard tree bloom set as 
freely without external aid as does the bloom of Goose¬ 
berries and Currants ? Indeed, no bloom sets more 
freely than does that of bushes, and thus it is absurd to 
assume that insects, especially bees, render any 
assistance. 
That the falling off in the number of bee stocks kept 
is a serious matter for apiarians, and in relation to 
honey production, there can be little doubt ; but I am 
not alarmed as to its probable effects on our fruit 
blossom. If there be eventually any failure on the 
part of the bloom to set, it will be fair to the bees to 
declare that, so far as the weather is concerned, it never 
had a better chance to set than now.— A. D. 
-->33<-- 
THE BANKSIAN MEDAL. 
Has the Council of the Koyal Horticultural Society 
become weary of well-doing? Such is the question 
that suggests itself on reading in your columns the 
information that the Banksian Medal recommended by 
the Orchid Committee, on the occasion of the last 
meeting, for Ltelia Digbyana-Mossife had not been 
endorsed by the governing body. It may be long before 
anything so distinct comes before them again, for a 
fact it is that very few real novelties turn up in a 
lifetime. 
It has been urged, I understand, that there was no 
precedent for so distinguished an award for a single 
specimen ; but that may easily be confuted by reference 
to the records of the society from a remote date up to 
the present time. Another statement current is that 
two distinct awards could not be given to the same 
plant. On May 21st, 1873, Mr. Denning, gardener 
to Lord Londesborough, sent a fine group of Orchids to 
the meeting of the society, along with which was 
staged the finest specimen of Utricularia montana that 
had ever been seen. The committee awarded a Cul¬ 
tural Commendation, and recommended it to the 
Council for a Lindley Medal, and they gave it one. 
The Council might do worse than give a Banksian 
Medal for the encouragement of such grand things, as 
Laelia Digbyana-Mossite. In days gone by Banksian 
and other medals were given away with great liberality, 
so that while being rigidly economical with the means 
of the society, the present Council might have endorsed 
the recommendation of the one in question without 
being considered extravagant, or in any way exceeding 
their duty. It may not be out of place here to remind 
them of the origin of the Banksian Medal, and the 
purpose for which it was originally intended. The 
record runs as follows:—“In order to encourage the 
exhibitions of various productions of the garden at the 
general meetings of the society, and to distinguish the 
exhibitors of articles of excellence, merit, or novelty, 
the Council have deemed it expedient to establish a 
class of medals of a smaller size than the original 
medal of the society. The resolution having been 
adopted at the period when the country was deploringthe 
death of the late Sir Joseph Banks, it was determined to 
place his profile on the obverse of the medal, and to call 
it the Banksian Medal. The larger medal will still con¬ 
tinue to be given as directed by the laws of the society 
for every such matter or circumstance as shall appear 
to the Council so essentially to advance the objects of 
the society as to deserve the distinction ; while the 
Banksian Medal will be exclusively confined to rewarding 
the exhibitors of objects transmitted or brought to the 
general meetings of this society. ” After this resolution, 
which was carried into effect, a considerable number of 
medals were awarded every year for exhibits of the most 
varied kind, including groups, flowers of one species or 
variety, and single plants. The only restriction that 
was made was that no exhibitor should receive more 
than one Banksian Medal in any one year ; but the 
Council ordered that an engraved certificate be given to 
each exhibitor for every succeeding exhibit he might 
make within that year, and which was otherwise deemed 
worthy of a medal. Encouraged by this, a Mr. Samuel 
Brookes, E.H.S., after receiving one medal, brought up 
a plant of Azalea indica with double purple flowers on 
the 16th of March, 1824, for which he received a certi¬ 
ficate, and on the 6 th of April following he received 
another certificate for a plant of Azalea indica with 
white flowers. These awards were equivalent to three 
Banksian Medals. 
A Banksian Medal was awarded to Lady Long on the 
3rd of March, 1824, for a flowering plant of Primula 
sinensis. Banksian Medals were also given for a Pro¬ 
vidence Pine on Aug. 6, 1822 ; for a seedling Pear, 
called the Oxford Chaumontel, exhibited on Dec. 17, 
1822 ; for Horse Radish “grown under peculiar treat¬ 
ment,” and exhibited Mar. 4, 1823 ; for a flowering 
plant of Lilium longifiorum, exhibited on June 3, 
1823 ; for Cactus speeiosissiraus, on July 18, 1820 ; for 
a plant of Azalea indica in flower, Feb. 20, 1821 ; for 
an early Cantaloup Meion, May 16, 1821 ; for speci¬ 
mens of a large oval black-berried Grape, Oct. 16, 1821 ; 
for cultivated Watercresses, Feb. 19, 1822 ; and for 
specimens of the Levant Melon, exhibited Oct. 16, 
1821. 
The Silver Medal of the society was also awarded in 
many cases where, according to modern ideas, such an 
award would be thought extravagant, or that encourage¬ 
ment for such exhibits was not particularly necessary. 
A Silver Medal was granted for a seedling Peach on 
Nov. 8, 1821 ; for the production of a new Providence 
Pine, Sept. 5, 1821 ; for the production and dissemi¬ 
nation of the very superior variety of garden Rhubarb, 
called Buck’s Rhubarb, Apr. 3, 1824 ; and to Elizabeth 
Davey, for her skill and attention in increasing the 
varieties of Geraniums during the last ten years, and 
particularly for a variety exhibited on June 6th, 1820. 
Instances of this kind might be multiplied, but the 
following is an instance of encouragement which the 
Council has not of late been guilty of. On the 6th 
of April, 1821, an award of £3 was made to Mr. Wm. 
Christie, under gardener to the Horticultural Society, 
“ for the care and attention given by him in composing 
his paper on garden Carrots, which is printed in the 
Transactions. ” 
Coming nearer to the present time, there are seven 
instances of the Lindley Medal having been awarded 
for single specimens of plants between the 18th of 
February, 1868, and the 21st of May, 1873. The 
plants were Coelogyne cristata, Lycaste Skinneri, 
Lilium auratum, Phalsenopsis Schilleriana, Yanda 
teres Andersoni, Nepenthes Rafflesiana, and Utricu¬ 
laria montana. All of the above cases, of which there 
are numerous other instances, tend to show that the 
giving of a Banksian Medal for Lcelia Digbyana-Mossise 
would not have been without precedent. But why 
enumerate more ? Are they not all chronicled in the 
Transactions of the Horticultural Society, in the 
books of the Royal Horticultural Society, and in con¬ 
temporary periodicals ?— F.R.H.S. 
-- 
PEAOH CULTURE UNDER GLASS. 
The advent of warm sunny days after a period of un¬ 
favourable weather has resulted in a great stimulus 
being given to plant and fruit life, both indoors and 
out, which will be apparent to anyone who has the 
means of observation. In the Peach houses, the one 
where the fruit is colouring will be greatly benefited by 
it, sun-heat being such a great essential to the perfect 
finishing and flavour of the fruit. Syringing the trees 
must be discontinued at this stage, otherwise the fruit 
will crack. When the crop is gathered, the venti¬ 
lators should be thrown wide open, admitting as much 
air as possible, which will thoroughly ripen the wood. 
The trees should then be syringed, thus dislodging 
insect pests, as well as preventing them from obtaining 
any foothold. Attend well to the border in the matter 
of watering, for any neglect of this important duty will 
prove disastrous to the future well-being of the trees. 
In many cases this inattention is the chief cause of 
buds dropping off when starting, and about which not 
a few complain at that time. 
In the house where the fruits have passed their 
stoning period, and are now swelling rapidly, strict 
attention to watering must again be advised, and 
manure water will now be found very beneficial. 
Syringe the trees morning and afternoon, closing early 
to utilise the sun-heat. Give a moderate quantity of 
air on warm days, and maintain a night temperature of 
60° to 65° with a little fire heat. Tie in all the 
growth, while any of sufficient length can be pinched. 
In the last house, where the fruits are about the 
size of marbles, work can be found. Thin out where 
the fruits are in clusters, or where there appears to be 
an abundance of them, deferring the final thinning to a 
later period. Disbudding will be finished in this house, 
while any unnecessary growth may be pinched at the 
third or fourth leaf from the base. Treatment similar 
to the foregoing holds good here, only close later, and 
lower the night temperature 5°. 
In the last house the fruit will be set, and the chief 
work required will be the disbudding of the shoots. 
This operation is best done at intervals, then no check 
follows. Commence by rubbing off all on the underside, 
ultimately leaving two or three, or more, according to 
the strength of the bearing wood, letting one remain 
at the base and another to carry the sap onwards. 
Retain only as much as is really needed, for it is 
preferable to do it now than allow a superfluity and 
cut it out afterwards, which is a waste of energy. 
Abundance of air should be given, and little or no fire- 
heat will be necessary. A sharp look-out should be 
kept for green or black-fly, and if any be detected 
fumigate at once, doing it twice in succession with 
moderation, as the foliage is tender, and an overstrong 
dose will soon injure the trees. The advisability of 
close watching is obvious when it is seen how this 
insect pest disfigures and cripples both foliage and 
fruit. This preventative should be adopted throughout 
all the Peach and Nectarine houses.— F. R. S. 
-- 
THE PRIMROSE, THE COWSLIP, 
AND THE OXLIP. 
Amidst all the discussions that have been raised con¬ 
cerning double Primroses, the garden Polyanthus, and 
the florists’ Auricula, and the papers that have been 
written concerning them, none of the respective 
authors have tackled the subject in so bold a manner 
as the Hon. and Rev. "William Herbert. He was an 
excellent author in his day, and a tolerably reliable 
observer on most occasions ; but particularly with 
reference to his experiments on the Amaryllidace*, 
w T hen he established a distinction between Amaryllis 
belladonna and the other species which are now 
included by the leading botanists in the separate genus 
Hippeastrum. He also demonstrated that there was 
no generic difference between the North American and 
other deciduous Azaleas with five stamens, and Rhodo¬ 
dendrons having eight, ten, or more stamens. Azalea 
indica, to wit, has ten stamens, yet it is still spoken of in 
horticultural circles as an Azalea. Herbert, on the 
other hand, declared that they were all Rhododendrons, 
and modern botanists concur in that view. 
He also experimented with various other subjects, 
and wrote respecting them ; but it is to be feared that 
his views concerning the subjects of these notes are too 
radical and too sweeping to find acceptance at the 
present day. The following are his own words:—“I 
raised from the natural seed of one umbel of a highly 
manured red Cowslip a Primrose, a Cowslip and Oxlips 
of the usual and other colours, a black Polyanthus, a 
hose-in-hose Cowslip, and a natural Primrose, bearing 
its flower on a Polyanthus stalk. From the seed of 
that very hose-in-hose Cowslip I have since raised a 
hose-in-hose Primrose. I therefore consider all these 
to be only local varieties, depending upon soil and 
situation. I have raised a powdered Auricula and 
a Primula helvetica from the seed of P. nivalis, 
and I have raised a P. helvetica also from P. viscosa. 
I therefore esteem these Swiss Primulas to be local 
varieties of one species.” 
It would be interesting if it could be determined how 
he distinguished the Primrose, Cowslip and Oxlip, and 
whether he took the wild types as representations ; 
because at the present day the cultivated garden forms 
have very little of the general appearance of either the 
Cowslip, with its cup-shaped flowers, or the true wild 
Oxlip (Primula elatior), with its naked or open throat, 
and yellow flowers. What is generally regarded as the 
Oxlip by gardeners is merely a yellow Polyanthus, or 
garden plant, that may occasionally be picked up as an 
escape from cultivation. The English Oxlip—a name 
sometimes given to it—would not be an inappropriate 
appellation ; but the true Oxlip is a scarce plant in 
this country, though very plentiful at least on some 
parts of the Continent. The cup-shaped and small 
flowers of the Cowslip all droop to one side of the scape 
for some time after expansion ; but this character does 
not appear to occur amongst the cultivated forms of 
Polyanthus. Then again, there are no scales or 
thickenings in the throat of Primula elatior (Oxlip), 
such as form a strong feature in the eye of the Primrose 
and garden Polyanthuses. 
If his observations are to be relied upon, that he 
raised a Hose-in-hose Primrose from a Hose-in-hose 
Polyanthus, it would afford additional evidence that 
the garden Polyanthus is intimately allied to the 
Primrose, if indeed it be anything more than an evolved 
form of it with the common peduncle elongated. All the 
three species, P. vulgaris, P. officinalis, and P. elatior, 
will hybridise with one another freely, but it is rather 
questionable whether the two latter have been much 
used in gardens either as seed or pollen parents. 
The raising of a powdered Auricula from P. nivalis is 
also a very unlikely occurrence. The P. nivalis of 
gardens is, however, merely a white variety of P. 
viscosa, and the P. helvetica of those days was probably 
nothing else, and the raising of it from P. viscosa 
