November 2, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
135 
J . JONES’ 
Great Chrysanthemum Show is now open. Admission Free. 
BUT 
Visitors are respectfully requested to place a small contribution in the boxes for 
prepared and delivered by Mr. Arthur W. 
Sutton at the meeting of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society on Tuesday last. The 
subject is a perennial one, and will continue 
so while the Potato is cultivated for human 
food. Before it was introduced to the Old 
THE GARDENERS’ ORPHAN FUND. 
Frequent Trains from Charing Cross, Cannon St., and London Bridge to Lewisham 
Junction, thence five minutes’ tram to Hither Green Lane. 
RYECROFT NURSERY, HITHER GREEN LANE, LEWISHAM. 
N.C.S. Great Show at the Royal Aquarium. 
A SPECIAL NUMBER 
OF 
44 THE GARDENING WORLD ” 
with Supplement, to contain a full account of the Exhibition, and Illustrations of some of the best types, will 
be issued next week on 
THURSDAY MORNING. 
^Advertisers are respectfully asked to send their Orders and Copy not later than Wednesday's first post 
to the Publisher, i, Clement s Inn, Strand, W.C. 
Cassell’s Saturday Journal siys;— 
“Something Like a Violet.” 
“CALIFORNIA. its purity of colour, fi agrance, grace of form, 
and large size, place it easily first of its species, in fact, make 
it rank as the most beautiful of all flowers. This new Violet 
has been in course of cultivation for three years, and now 
attained its most perfect form, colour, fragrance, and size. 
Each flower more than covers a silver dollar, and its stems are 
from ten to fourteen inches long.” 
1/6 each. 15 /- Dozen- 
CANNELL & SONS, Swa n ley. 
NATIONAL TESTIMONIAL 
TO 
MR. A. F. BARRON. 
SECOND LIST OF SUBSCRIPTIONS. 
£ 
185 
5 
3 
1 
2 
1 
Amount previously announced .. 
John Weeks & Co., Chelsea 
Wm.Thomson & Sons, Ltd., Clovenfords 
A. Dean, Kingston-on-Thames .. 
John Colebrook, 13, William St., S.W. 
David Thomson, Drumlanrig, N.B. 
Col. Beddome, West Hill, Putney 
G. T Clark, Tallygarn, Llantrissant .. 
Sir Edwin Saunders, Wimbledon Cmn. 
W. L. Milne, Hampton Hill 
Hurst & Son, 152, Houndsditch 
F. W. Burbidge, M.A., Dublin .. 
Ed Pynaert, Ghent, Belgium .. 
T. Hamilton, Sunninghill, Ascot 
R. Gilbert, Burghley House Gardens .. 
James Smith, Mentmore, Bucks 
M. Gleeson, Warren House Gardens .. 
John Jennings, Ascott, Leighton Buzzard 
F. Spiers, 38, New Bridge Street, E.C. 
Sutton & Sons, Reading 
Owen Thomas, Royal Gardens, Windsor 
R. & G. Cuthbert, Southgate, N 
Anthony Waterer, Knap Hill 
William Bull, King’s Road, Chelsea .. 
Herbert J. Adams, Roseneath, Enfield.. 
Rev. P. Clementi-Smith, Doctor’s Cmns. 
S. Courtauld, Booking Place, Braintree 
W. J James, Woodside, Farnham Royal 
Col. R. Trevor Clarke, Welton Place, 
Daventry 
W. A. Green, Corporation Street, 
Wolverhampton 
Henri L. de Vilmorin, Paris 
R. D. Blackmore, Teddington .. 
F. W. Moore, Glasnevin, Dublin 
Robert Tait, Corporation St., Manchstr. 
C.Jordan, ParkSupt., Regent’s Park .. 
W. Poupart, Marsh Farm, Twickenham 
J. Assbee, Covent Garden, W.C. 
W. Robinson, Editor, the Garden, &c... 
G. W. Dawes, Suflold Lodge, Isleworth 
C. J. Lucas, Warnham Court, Horsham 
R. Lindsay, Terry Road, Edinburgh 
H. J. Pearson, Bramcote, Notts 
Major Mason, The Firs, Warwick 
N. G. 
John Peed & Sons, Streatham .. 
James Brown 
Ernst Benary, Erfurt, Germany 
Robert Fenn, Sulhamstead 
J. H. Witty, Nunhead Cemetery 
R. Butler, Gardener, St. Dunstan 
Regent’s Park. 
Sir F. Wigan, Clare Lawn, East Sheen 
Wills & Segar, Onslow Crescent, South 
Kensington 
Chantrier Bros., Mortefoniaine, France 
Frank Smith, Griffin Brewery, Chiswick 
5 
5 
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3 
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The Committee request that all communications ivi 
reference to the Testimonial be addressed to Mr. Wynne , 
Danes Inn, Strand, W.C.. by whom subscriptions will 
received and acknowledged. 
For Index to Contents see page 146. 
11 Gardening Is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man-"—B acon. 
<rjli 
Edited by J. FRASER F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , NOV. 2nd , 1895. 
NEXT WEEK'S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Monday. November 4th.—Battersea Chrysanthemum Show 
(2 days). 
St. Neots Chrysanthemum Show. 
Dulwich Chrysanthemum Show. 
Sale of Plants from Belgium by Messrs. Protheroe and 
Morris. 
Sales of Dutch Bulbs by Messrs. Protheroe and Morris 
and Mr. J. C. Stevens. 
Tuesday, November 5th.—National Chrysanthemum Society’s 
Show at the Royal Aquarium (3 days). 
Brighton and Hove Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Herefordshire Fruit and Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Southampton Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Hanley Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Truro Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Devizes Chrysanthemum Show. 
Watford Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Sales of Dutch Bulbs by Messrs. Protheroe and Morris 
and Mr. J. C. Stevens. 
Wkdbiesday. November 6th.—Chesterfield Chrysanthemum 
Show. 
Reading Chrysanthemum Show. 
Ascot and District Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Brixton Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Bromley (Kent) Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Stirling Chrysanthemum Slur (2 days). 
Coventry Chrysanthemum Show (> days). 
Wolverhampton Chrysanthemum Show(2 days). 
Cirencester Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Market Harbro’ Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Dorchester Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Sales of Dutch Bulbs by Messrs. Protheroe and Morris 
and Mr. J. C. Stevens. 
Thursday, November 7th.—Chichester Chrysanthemum 
Show. 
Nantes (France) Show (4 days). 
Colchester Chrysanthemum and Fruit Show. 
Exeter Fruit and Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Harrogate Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Romford Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Walthamstow Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Sale of Plants from Belgium by Messrs. Protheroe and 
Morris. 
Sales ol Du'.ch Bulbs by Messrs. Protheroe and Morris 
and Mr. J. C. Stevens. 
Friday, November Sth.—Waterford Chrysanthemum Show. 
Reigate Chrysanthemum Show. 
Windsor Chrysanthemum Show. 
Derby Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Bordeaux Show. 
Wellingborough Chrysanthemum Show (2 days). 
Sales of Dutch Buibs by Messrs. Protheroe and Morris 
and Mr. J. C. Stevens. 
Sale of Imported and established Orchids at Messrs. Proth¬ 
eroe and Morris’ Rooms. 
Saturday, . November gth.—Loughborough Chrysanthemum 
Show. 
otato Questions and Aspects of To¬ 
day.— After a period of more than 
300 years of more or less intense cultivation 
and discussion, resulting in a voluminous 
literature, one would think that the Potato 
question had become played out and that 
nothing remained to engross the attention 
of anyone. Such is not the case, however, 
as one could gather from the admirable paper 
World, the Incas of Peru had brought the 
noble tuber to a high state of perfection, 
and numerous varieties in many shades of 
colour existed. Since then the work of im¬ 
provement has been continued with un¬ 
abated vigour, particularly after the Potato 
had forced its way into public favour. 
Some of the many difficulties with which it 
had to contend in winning its present 
prominence in the dietary of the people, 
were mentioned by Mr. Sutton, and we of 
modern times would do well to lay some of 
the lessons to heart and put them into 
action not merely in the case of the Potato, 
but new vegetables particularly, in order to 
overcome popular prejudices and open the 
way for the improvement of food-producing 
plants that still remain obscure or alto¬ 
gether ignored. Even if we do not surround 
the experiments upon new plants with the 
same mystery as was done in the time of 
Louis XVI. of France, when the Potato 
fields in the course of being planted, were 
surrounded with a cordon of troops to 
excite the curiosity of the population, yet 
we might do something to stimulate the 
zeal of gardeners and other cultivators in 
the field of original researches. As a rule 
when anyone leaves the frequented and 
much beaten track of modern routine in 
gardening matters, he is usually regarded 
as a faddist pursuing a scientific enquiry 
for his own amusement. 
Much remains to be discovered and 
promulgated concerning Potatos, and he 
who would deny it for the purpose of 
stiffing research, would be courting arrested 
development, and not only bar the way to 
further progress, but induce the decay of 
that perfection already attained at the 
expense of much and long continued 
labour. Who knows what discoveries are 
on the eve of being made? Our progeni¬ 
tors that come after us, say a hundred or a 
thousand years hence, wiil in all probability 
regard our practical methods of cultivation 
as markedly old-fashioned. The Potato 
disease spreads with all its old virulence 
whenever a season suitable for its welfare 
occurs. Discoveries are often the result of 
accident, and it falls to the lot of the 
practical as well as the scientific man to 
make them. The old saw that “preven¬ 
tion is better than cure,” still remains true, 
and much may yet be done in the selection 
of suitable land, in tillage, proper manures, 
and the best time to apply them to ward off 
the attacks of the insidious fungal parasite 
that we cannot yet perceive. Disease- 
resisting Potatosopen up a most interesting 
question. This in its turn* suggests that 
varieties have an individual life of limited 
duration, after which degeneration takes 
place, and it gets decimated by disease. 
Here then is an encouragement to raise 
new and improved varieties by cross¬ 
breeding and selection, so as to restore the 
pristine vigour that has been lost, it may be 
through various causes over which we may 
or may not have control. Each succeeding 
generation of people has to be made 
acquainted with the facts of history and the 
science of Potato culture, which still 
remains far short of perfection as far as 
the masses are concerned ; for this is really 
the starting point from which progress is 
possible. The use of the magic lantern is 
not new in the elucidation of a public lecture 
on plant life, but it is a graphic way of im¬ 
parting information to a mixed audience, 
and of pleasing while it instructs them. 
The series of slides which Mr. Sutton had 
prepared for his lecture was worthy of 
