102 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 17, 1891, 
fruit, and, although small, are numerous, and usually 
used for propagation. The suckers are branches 
which come out of the main stalk near the ground, 
and come into bearing soonest of all. All the above 
take root very easily. 
There are many named varieties, which differ in 
style of plant, and the fruit varies in size, shape, 
colour, flavour, and time of ripening. Specimens 
have been exhibited weighing nearly ten pounds, 
and even larger pines than these have been grown. 
New varieties are produced from seeds as are other 
new fruits. The “Queen” is one of the varieties 
about w'hich there is considerable confusion as to 
name. In Florida it is called “ Egyptian Queen,” 
and also “ Gypsy.” It is one of the best flavoured 
varieties, and is of a beautiful lemon-yellow colour. 
No variety fetches a higher price in the market, ac¬ 
cording to the experience of Florida growers. In 
shape it is rather elongated and is only medium 
sized. The “Porto Rico” pine is grown to some 
extent, but does not multiply rapidly. The plant is 
very large, and tne leaves often attain a length of 5 ft. 
The fruit grows to the largest size, and specimens 
weighing ten pounds are not rare—some even reach 
twenty pounds in weight. The colour, when fully ripe, 
is a pale pinkish yellow. The protuberances are very 
large, and the flavour is sub-acid. The “Red 
Spanish “ is the variety which is generally grown in 
Florida, It is not large, and rarely weighs more 
than five pounds. The shape is almost globular, 
and the colour a brownish yellow, at maturity. The 
flavour is sub-acid, vinous, and very delicious when 
fully rip e.—Society of Arts Journal. 
CONFERENCE ON 
SUNFLOWERS, ASTERS, AND 
CONIFERS. 
The Conference on the above subjects inaugurated’ 
by the Royal Horticultural Society in the gardens 
at Chiswick, was continued over three consecutive 
days, namely, the 6th, 7th, and 8th inst. The first 
day was devoted to the reading of papers on Asters 
and Sunflowers. The chair was taken at 2 p.m., by 
Mr. J. G. Baker, F.R.S., who gave an opening 
address on the Composite family, which he divided 
into three leading types, namely, those with ligulate, 
homogamous, and heterogamous flowers, giving 
illustrative examples, of each, and explaining what 
he meant by the aid of diagrams. The Compositae, 
he continued, was divided into thirteen tribes, and 
the Michaelmas Daisies, or Asters, belonged to the 
Asteroideae, which included ninety genera. The 
species of Erigeron were so closely allied to Aster 
that some of them were occasionally placed amongst 
the Asters by different authors. The genus was 
represented in New Zealand and at the Cape by 
allied genera of a shrubby type. Historical associa¬ 
tions prevented botanists of the present day from 
dealing with plants according to our knowledge, 
otherwise several of the old genera would be lumped 
together, and otherwise classified. Helianthus be- 
longedTto the tribe Helianthoideae, and the genus 
was confined to North America. The differences 
between this and allied genera he explained, includ¬ 
ing Coreopsis and Rudbeckia. An interesting ques¬ 
tion presented itself in the case of three of the oldest 
garden plants, namely, Helianthus multiflorus, H. 
tuberosus and H. annua, which have been so altered by 
garden cultivation that we now fail to recognise their 
wild prototypes. 
The Asters of Europe and America. 
Professor G. L. Goodall. director of the Botanic 
Gardens, Harvard University, was unable to be 
present, and his paper was read by the secretary, 
the Rev. W. Wilks. The Professor compared the 
Asters grown in European gardens with the wild 
types of North America, and mentioned several, such 
as A. patulus, A. Novi-Belgii lasvigatus, A. diffusus 
horizontalis, and others, which were known in cultiva¬ 
tion only, or very sparingly in a wild state. Cul¬ 
tivation and seed raising had so altered them that 
they could not be exactly matched by wild speci¬ 
mens. The genus included 200 species confined to 
the northern hemisphere, mostly North America, 
with a few in Europe and Asia. It was divided into 
thirteen subgenera by the late Asa Gray, but many 
of these groups graduated' into ana another. Hy¬ 
bridisation was most productive of improvement in 
the large genera, Aster itself typified one large 
group containing seventy-four species, Several of 
. til? small grQiip§ contained species which were 
scarcely amenable for cultivation owing to the con¬ 
ditions under which they grow in a wild state. A. 
Novae-Angliae he considered a good basis for hybri¬ 
disation. In America the distance of a few miles 
makes a great difference to some species when re¬ 
moved from their native homes. A. Novae-Angliae 
and Novi-Belgii were two of the most widely dis¬ 
tributed species. A study of geographical distribution, 
he considered, would show something of the direction 
in which improvements might be made. 
Michaelmas Daisies. 
The Rev. C. Wolley-Dod, M. A., read a paper on 
Michaelmas Daisies, and said that they varied 
greatly in habit from Aster undulatus, 8 ft. to 9 ft. 
high, to A. dumosus, a bushy plant as wide as high. 
The weakest point in Michaelmas Daisies was their 
want of colour. The whites were not pure, the blues 
tinted with purple, and the pink not clear. Aster 
alpinus, and other dwarf summer-flowering kinds, he 
did not consider Michaelmas Daisies. The nearest 
approach to blue occurred in A. spectabilis. He re¬ 
ferred to the great alteration in nomenclature, and 
the difficulty of determining to what species many 
garden kinds belonged. His aim is to limit his col¬ 
lection to fifty sorts, whether species or not, but at 
present he has about 200 or 300 names attached to 
plants collected from all sources. A fancy name he 
considered better than a misapplied botanical name. 
Some of the good kinds were A. Novi-Belgii, A, 
versicolor, A. .Novae-Angliae, A. amethystinus, and 
A. diffusus horizontalis. By far the best belong to 
the A. Amellus group. The latter will continue to 
thrive in the same soil for several years without 
moving, but tall kinds such as A. Novae-Angliae soon 
exhaust the soil. Some recommend a special border, 
but he grows his plants in mixture with other border 
subjects. He advocated seed sowing by thousands 
by those interested in Asters, with the view of obtain¬ 
ing really good kinds. A. Amellus produces no seed. 
Asters could not be compared with many other 
garden plants, but were well worthy of growing for 
autumn decoration. In discussing the paper, Mr. 
Baker said that the American flora runs down the 
continent in three lines, and that cultivated Asters 
were mostly from the Eastern United States, with a 
few from the Rocky Mountains and California. 
Another gentleman said that Asters had been very 
much neglected, and that weedy kinds often take the 
place that should be occupied with better ones. He 
also alluded to the difficulty of getting the proper 
names. 
Perennial Sunflowers. 
Mr. D. Dewar, of Kew, followed with a paper on 
“ Perennial Sunflowers,” and said that some of them 
were eagerly sought after in the days of Peter 
Collinson of the Chelsea Botanic garden. The col¬ 
lection at Chiswick had been obtained from various 
sources, and from it he had taken his notes. The 
tubers of Helianthus tuberosus xvere used as food, 
and the seeds of H. annus were so employed in some 
countries. There were fifty species of Sunflowers 
according to some, but the late Asa Gray had 
reduced them to forty. Their head-quarters were in 
North America, some growing on dry ground, some 
in woods, and others along the river courses. All 
these were often confined to a few' feet of space when 
grown in gardens. Where space is limited, however, 
each grower would choose his own species, or 
favourites. He divided Sunflowers into three 
groups, according, to the length of the bracts of the 
flower heads. Group I, with short bracts included 
only H. rigidus; but of this there were half-a-dozen 
forms in gardens differing in height and time of 
flowering. These were H. rigidus aestivus, H. 
rigidus, H.r. grandiflorus, H.r. elegans, H. r. lati- 
folius, and H. r. semiplenus. The group with 
medium bracts included H. laetiflorus, distinguished 
from the last species by its yellow disc, H. mollis 
and H. occidentalis. The third group with long 
bracts included H. decapetalus, FI. multiflorus, 
H. divaricatus, H. giganteus, FI. Maximillianus, 
H. orgyalis, FI. tuberosus, and H. doronicoides. All 
of the above he described and defined. H. tuberosus 
was found in 1660 by Columbus. The Rev. C. 
Wolley-Dod considered H. multiflorus a hybrid be¬ 
cause it never produces any seed. Mr, Baker said 
it had never been found in a wild state, and that its 
history, like that of H. tuberosus and H. annul' § 
dates back for a long period in garden culture, 
Culture QF gUNFLpWERS, 
The first day's Conference was concluded by a 
paper on jhe “ Culture ’of SvtnfioiYCrs *' by Mr, E, 
Jenkins. He said that the wild garden or wood¬ 
land were suitable places for permanent planting 
without culture, but when Sunflowers are introduced 
to the garden they should receive -proper culture. 
The first thing is to consider their adaptabilities, 
whether suitable for the flower garden, herbaceous 
border, or for planting in masses upon the lawn. 
H. giganteus, H. maximus and H. Maximillianus he 
considered suitable for shrubberies. Some kinds 
are suitable for smoky districts, and amongst them 
H. multiflorus is all important and is largely planted 
in public parks. Amateurs who are limited in the 
matter of space object to the great height of Sun¬ 
flowers. H. orgyalis should be isolated so as to 
show off its fine foliage to advantage ; it grows 10 ft. 
high. Sunflowers are of great service for harvest 
festivals. The plants can be accommodated in 
almost any soil; but stoloniferous.kinds are more in¬ 
clined to ramble in light than heavy soil. When the 
stems are cut down, the ground should be mulched 
with manure or liberally supplied with liquid manure 
during the winter. They should be divided and 
replanted every second year to get the best results. 
Those producing underground tubers or buds may 
be propagated in that way. Scarce kinds may be in¬ 
creased by means of cuttings or single eyes, two of 
which can be obtained from a single joint; and they 
should be put in a dung frame at a temperature of 
63°. If planted out as soon as rooted they will 
flower within six months. Mr. Baker and the Rev 
C. Wolley-Dod spoke of improving Sunflowers by 
hybridisation. 
Second Day. 
The chair was taken by Dr. M. T. Masters, who in 
his opening address said that Conifers were the most 
wonderful of all plants, and that their pedigree re¬ 
ferred back to a date long prior to Noah’s flood. 
Araucarias and Pine-like trees were as perfect then 
as now. Selaginellas and Lycopodiums resemble the 
Conifers of olden times, and those now existing are 
believed to be allied to the Selaginellas. As evidence 
of the importance of Conifers he said that the greater 
part of the timber used at the present day belonged 
to that family. The duty of the Conference was to 
point out the best trees to plant in this country and 
the Colonies for timber purposes. During the last 
fifty years a wealth of introductions had been made, 
and it was now time to consider which were the most 
useful for the production of timber. He also referred 
to the sending out of Douglas, Hartweg and Fortune 
by the Royal Horticultural Society, -with the object of 
collecting seeds of Conifers and other plants. Other 
collectors who had done good service to the cause 
were also mentioned. One of the best, but neglected 
town trees, belonging to the family, was Ginkgo 
biloba, at one time occupying an area from Scotland 
to Japan, as testified by geological strata. The 
Deodar Cedar had not, in his opinion, justified the 
expectations entertained about it when first intro¬ 
duced. The Douglas Fir is likely to be valuable in 
Scotland. The Larch had been a failure, owing to a 
fungus, and amongst others he mentioned as likely 
substitutes, the Douglas Fir, Thuya gigantea, 
Cupressus Lawsoniana, Taxodium, and Abies 
brachyphylla. 
Japanese Conifers, etc. 
Mr. H. J. Veitch, F.L.S., was to have read a 
paper entitled “ Japanese, Chinese, and Californian 
Conifers,” but confined himself to the Japanese kinds 
only, as each group would require a paper for itself. 
I-Ie referred to the works of Kaempfer, Thunberg, 
and Siebold as affording us the earliest information 
concerning Japanese Conifers. More recently For¬ 
tune, Maries, and J. Gould Veitch introduced many 
kinds and collected information concerning them, 
and Maries had done so very extensively. Dr. 
Myers had given the latest information. The Um¬ 
brella Pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) was peculiar to 
Japan. Other typical genera were Picea, Abies, 
Pinus, Tsuga, Larix, Thuya, Biota, Retinospora, and 
Cryptomeria, including in all about forty-one species. 
These were included within the 30" to the 45 0 of 
latitude, and were mostly all suitable for parks and 
pleasure grounds in Britain. The climate, rainfall, 
and humidity of Yesso, the most northern island, 
approached most closely to that of the north of Scot¬ 
land. The Gulf Stream affects the climate of this 
country, and something equivalent affects that of 
Japan, Niphon, the southern island, was much 
warmer, and various QrchkJs, such as Angr-pcum, 
C ilanthe, and others, v.'gto indigenous there. The 
Larch occurs almost up to the snow line, The Cryptfp 
