December 12, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
227 
SCOTTISH NOTES. 
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society.— 
The annual meeting of this society was held in 
Dowell's Rooms, Edinburgh, on the 3rd inst., Mr. 
D. P. Laird presiding. The accounts for the year 
ending 30th November were submitted by the trea¬ 
surer (Mr. P. Neill Fraser), and showed the receipts 
to have been £2,281 8s., and the expenditure £2,337 
ios. 4d., the latter including £906 as expenses for 
thespring and international shows, and £1,324 ns. 6d. 
in premiums at these shows. In addition to the 
money prizes, plate of the value of £57 13s. was pre¬ 
sented to successful competitors by nurseymen and 
others. The capital value of the funds at date was 
£1,174 is. 4d., being a decrease of £68 5s. 2d. on the 
previous year. Mr. Welsh, in moving the adoption 
of the report and a vote of thanks to the treasurer, 
said the statement just submitted was a very grati¬ 
fying one. The decrease in the funds was very small 
considering the great show that had been held in Sep¬ 
tember, and which had given a stimulus to horticul¬ 
ture which more than compensated for the slight 
diminution of the funds. Mr. William Young stated 
that there was not another horticultural society in 
Britain that paid as much in prize money as the 
Royal Caledonian. The report was adopted. Colonel 
Wauchope of Niddrie was elected a vice-president 
of the society, in the room of Lord Melville, who re¬ 
tired by rotation, and two members of Council were 
appointed. The Chairman mentioned that the society 
had arranged to hold three shows next year—in the 
spring, summer, and autumn ; and they had every 
reason to hope that the year would be as successful 
as in the past, and that the society would continue 
to maintain the premier position. 
Glasgow and West of Scotland Horticultural 
Society. —The adjourned general meeting of the 
members of this society was held on the 2nd inst. Mr 
James Hunter presided, and there was a large atten¬ 
dance of the directors and members. The Chairman, 
at the outset, reported that since they last met the 
directors and other friends of the society had sub¬ 
scribed funds to an extent of over £170, and that the 
prize money gained by competitors during the past 
season, as well as all other debts due by the society, 
had been paid or provided for, and that there now 
remained a small surplus at the credit of the society. 
The treasurer (Mr. Charles Macdonald Williamson) 
submitted a statement showing the details of the 
society's financial operations to date, and the same 
was approved of and adopted. A spirited discussion 
arose on a motion that the society be dissolved and 
its affairs liquidated. The motion was, however, de¬ 
feated by a narrow majority, and the following 
amendment was ultimately carried, viz :—“ That a 
committee, consisting of Messrs. Hunter, Sadler, 
Miller, Meston, Simpson, Sutherland, and Clark, 
along with the treasurer (Mr. Williamson), be ap¬ 
pointed to consider as to the position and affairs of the 
society, and to bring up a report and recommenda¬ 
tion at an adjourned general meeting on January 6th. 
Much regret was felt at the announcement that Mr. 
Franc Gibb Dougall, who has acted as secretary to 
the society for over twenty years, did not, owing to 
his recent illness, seek re-election to that office, and 
it was unanimously agreed to insert an expression of 
regret at his resignation in the minutes of the meeting. 
Exchanging at the Term. —Would you allow me 
spaee for a few remarks on the hardships frequently 
involved in the system of exchange carried on among 
gardeners in Scotland at what is called " the term.” 
The nurserymen undertake to find situations for young 
men desiring to make a change conditionally upon 
the masters agreeing to take from them the same 
number of hands, and one of the evils of the arrange¬ 
ment is that when a gardener does not do that the 
men have to go idle, or enter the “ poor-house, ” i.e., 
the nursery. The system is a bad one both for the 
gardener and the journeyman, because the former 
has to take any man the nurseryman may send him, 
and the latter has no choice of place or master. 
The man sent to a gardener may be good or bad for 
all that the nurseryman usually knows about him, 
but if the engagement was made without the inter¬ 
vention of the trade, a man's previous employer 
would have to be consulted. When a young gar¬ 
dener goes in for his exchange he has to take what¬ 
ever the nurseryman offers him or he gets the cold 
shoulder by being told that there is nothing else for 
him. He may also be sent back again to within a 
mile or two of where he has been living, in some 
cases a long way from Edinburgh, and the travelling 
expenses are a serious item which could well be 
spared but for the system of exchange. It often 
happens too that a good man is left out in the cold 
in competition with the sons of gardeners who give 
their seed orders to the particular nurseryman 
affecting the exchange, and who knows that it 
will go elsewhere if the sons are not provided 
for. The nurserymen have a great deal of trouble in 
effecting exchanges, but have only themselves to 
blame for it. I was a second inside hand in a good 
place, and, wishing a foreman’s situation, I asked the 
gardener to help me to get one. He wrote to a firm 
in Edinburgh, who replied that I was to go in on the 
term day, and they would certainly find what I 
wanted for me. I went, and, after waiting for five 
hours, was politely told that they had nothing for 
me. I ventured to remind them of the contents of 
their own letter, but was promptly told that I was 
rude, and I had to go empty away. Had they have 
sent to my master and said they had nothing on their 
books I could have stayed where I was until I got 
suited. It would be greatly to the advantage of gar¬ 
deners and journeymen if such engagements were 
made privately.— Diosma. 
Hotes. 
Apple Margil. 
The origin of this Apple is not exactly known, although 
its cultivation has been traced back to the Brompton 
Park nursery as early as 1750. A list of synonyms 
usually testifies to the popularity of a flower, fruit, 
or vegetable, and this has several, including Never 
Fail and Small Ribston. The former relates to its 
regular and free fruiting character, which is constant 
provided the blossom does not get destroyed by late 
spring frosts, as sometimes happens. Some writers 
speak of the tree having been planted in a garden 
at Sheen by Sir Wm. Temple. It is interesting to 
note that it still flourishes in the neighbourhood of 
that place, to wit Templeton House, Roehampton, 
where it is a great favourite with Mr. J. P. Kendall 
on account of its free fruiting nature. The name 
Small Ribston indicates that it is a competitor with 
the Ribston Pippin for favour. The fruit is smal^ 
conical, and five-sided, with as many rather acute 
angles, which are most prominent on the upper half 
and round the apex. The skin is green fading to pale 
yellow as it matures, but over all is a suffusion of red, 
more or less streaked and splashed with a deeper 
red on the sunny side, while the other side and the 
top is more or less splashed with russet. The flesh 
is yellow, juicy, rich and sweet, with a pleasing 
aromatic flavour, yet very firm and remaining in sea¬ 
son from November to February. The variety is 
considered one of the best for dessert purposes ; and 
considering its suitability as to size and its other 
qualifications, the wonder is why it is not more ex¬ 
tensively grown. 
Pear Beurre de Ghellinck de Walle. 
Such is the rather lengthy name of a Pear which 
originated in Flanders, growing in sandy soil in the 
open country, where it has withstood the rigours of 
the last twenty years. A chromo-lithograph of it 
was taken for the Bulletin d'Arboriculture de Flori¬ 
culture, etc., about five years ago, and now appears for 
the first time in that publication for the month of 
November, so that it has been under the observation 
of the editors for that time, and now that they give 
publicity to the Pear they recommend it very highly. 
The greatest drawback it possesses is that it comes 
into season during the month of November, when so 
many others are in season. The fruit is of medium 
or sometimes large size, rather irregular in form, 
roundly oval or elongated and pear-shaped, slightly 
uneven or lumpy on the surface. The skin is suf¬ 
fused with a delicate green, stained and marbled with 
red, or sometimes almost covered in this way, and 
the ground colour changing to a pale yellow when in 
season. The flesh is creamy-white, very fine, melt¬ 
ing, extremely juicy, and very sugary, slightly acidu¬ 
lated, and giving off a delicate perfume. The tree 
is vigorous and fertile. It succeeds as a pyramid or 
standard, and is likely to prove suitable for wall cul¬ 
ture judging from its mode of growth. The editors 
of the Bulletin above mentioned think it a great ac¬ 
quisition, and they do not hesitate to class it along 
with the best autumn Pears, such as Marie Louise, 
Poire de Tongre, Doyenne du Comice, Conseillar a 
la Cour, etc. 
Meanings ftjtim the IPmdtr 
uf Science. 
Effects of Fertilisers on Tomatos. —A series 
of interesting experiments on Tomatos in the open 
ground has been carried out at the Cornell Univer¬ 
sity Agricultural Experiment Station, and recorded 
in Bulletin 32. The plots of Tomatos were all con¬ 
tiguous, and occupied a total area of 1,600 sq. ft., 
or about ^ of an acre, and nitrate of soda was 
applied at the rate of 540 lbs. to the acre. The 
Tomatos were divided into 34 plots, and these again 
into two lots of 17 plots each. To the first lot 10 lbs. 
of nitrate of soda was given at one application, on 
June 25th, just fifteen days after planting. The 
results up to the last week in September were as 
follows:—The average number of fruits per plant 
was 14-2 ; the average weight of crop per plant, 
5'5 lbs ; and the average weight of individual fruits, 
57 ozs. To the second lot of 17 plots, the 10 lbs. 
of nitrate of soda was given at four applications, one 
in June, one in July, and two in August; the average 
number of fruits to a plant was 13 2 ; the average 
weight to a plant 4 6 lbs. ; and the average weight 
of individual fruits 5-6 ozs. The above would seem 
to favour the giving of the whole of the manure at 
one application. The last picking of fruits in the 
second week of October, added to the rest, showed 
an entirely different result. It must be understood 
that ripe fruits only were considered, and on this 
particular occasion the mild nature of the season 
and the absence of frost gave the late applications 
of the fertiliser time to take effect. The totals for 
the whole of the season, where the 10 lbs. of nitrate 
of soda were given at one application, were an aver¬ 
age of 23 fruits per plant, weighing 7 5 lbs. to the 
plant, and 5-4 ozs. to individual fruits. Where four 
applications were made during the course of the 
season, there was an average of 24 5 fruits to a plant, 
giving an average of 8'i lbs. to a plant, and 5-4 ozs. 
to individual fruits. 
Saccharine. —In the inaugural address of Sir 
Henry E. Roscoe, M.P., F.R.S., to the British Asso¬ 
ciation at Manchester on August 27, 1886, he drew 
attention to the chemical principles upon which 
organic synthesis have been effected. He stated 
that as soon as the chemical structure of an organic 
substance has been ascertained, or, in other words, 
as soon as the chemists have carefully analysed 
and determined the exact constituents of a given 
organic substance, and the mode in which they are 
arranged within its molecule, there is open to them 
by a synthetic process or a building up of such con¬ 
stituents on a definite plan, to produce artificially a 
substance which hitherto may have only been known 
as naturally occurring in plants or animals. 
Of those as mentioned by Sir Henry Roscoe, 
“ the most remarkable instance is the production of 
an artificial sweetening agent, termed saccharine, 
250 times sweeter than sugar, prepared, by a com¬ 
plicated series of re-actions, from coal tar.” The 
discoverer of saccharine is Dr. Constantin Fahlberg. 
—Kew Bulletin. 
C-anker of Fruit Trees. —As related by the 
Bulletin d'Arboriculture, M. Chas. Admiraal, horti¬ 
culturist at Rijp, Holland, has published an article 
on the causes and remedy for the canker. He 
attributes the disease to Nectria ditissima, a fungus 
belonging to the Pyrenomycetes, and gives a 
coloured figure of it. Naturally a series of con¬ 
ditions facilitate the development of the cryptogam, 
such as too wet soil, large bruises and wounds, cuts 
made in the bark, too severe pruning, the employ¬ 
ment of fresh or undecomposed manure, pressure 
made by ligatures, etc. The disease can to some 
extent be prevented by the use of grafting wax of 
some curative ingredient, or, better still, by a special 
wax, recommended by M. C. Admiraal, and with 
.which he has obtained the best results. Some 
branches of trees, upon which the operation and the 
ointment in question had been employed effecting a 
cure, were exhibited in 1890 at Apeldoorn, and have 
been deposited at the School of Horticulture of the 
state of Ghent, where those interested can take note 
of them. 
