May 9, 1896. 
573 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Mr. Gladstone owns the largest lead pencil in the 
world, and uses it as a walking cane. It is 39 in. 
long, is furnished with a gold cap, and was presented 
to Mr. Gladstone by a pencil-maker in Keswick. 
Manure for Orchards.—As a rule, old orchards are 
very much neglected except in the matter of carry¬ 
ing away what fruit the trees may bear without con¬ 
sidering to what extent the soil is being exhausted. 
They should receive a top-dressing of farmyard 
manure every three years or so to supply vegetable 
matter. Lime should be applied about once in five 
years. Nitrate of soda and superphosphate should 
each be supplied at the rate of 100 pounds to the 
acre; and kainit (a salt of potash) at the rate of 
2 cwt. per acre annually. The above are light 
dressings, and might be increased on poor soils. 
Loughborough Chrysanthemum Society.—Hitherto 
there had been two societies in Loughborough, but 
they have at last agreed to amalgamate. The first 
meeting of the combined societies was held at the 
Town Hall recently, under the presidency of his 
Worship the Mayor. It was stated that two societies 
could not exist in the town without one being 
detrimental to the other to the great injury of both. 
It was proposed and unanimously carried that the 
amalgamated committee should consist of thirty 
members, eighteen of whom should be experts in 
gardening, besides six amateurs, and six to represent 
the cottagers or artisan class. By this means it was 
hoped that greater interest should be taken in the 
society by those who had hitherto considered them¬ 
selves inadequately represented. 
Berkeley’s types of fungi.—At the meeting of the 
Linnean Society of London on the 16th ult., Mr. 
George Massee read a paper on the types of Fungi 
iu the collection of the late Rev. M. J. Berkeley, 
which was presented to Kew in 1879, and which 
contains rather more than 11,000 species. Many of 
the species were described more than fifty years ago; 
hence the diagnoses are in some cases too brief, and 
do not embody points which at the present day are 
considered to be of importance. In many instances 
this has led to the same species being re-described by 
others as new. Mr. Massee now supplied careful 
descriptions of the types, with a view to obviate 
future confusion, and to secure for Berkeley as the 
original describer the priority in nomenclature 
which is justly his. 
Flower Show for Barking.—A public meeting was 
held in the Council Chamber, Barking, Essex, on 
the 22nd ult., for the purpose of considering the 
feasibility of holding a flower show during the 
summer, Mr. E. H. Lister presided, and said that 
the project would be very favourably received 
provided some classes were set apart for allotment 
holders of whom there were about 200. Various 
gentlemen had promised pecuniary assistance. 
The exhibits would include flowers, fruits, and 
vegetables, and classes should be instituted for pro¬ 
fessionals and amateurs, some of which should be 
open for competition from other quarters. They 
did not intend to clash with the show of the Chry¬ 
santhemum Society, and a committee was appointed 
to confer with the committee of the latter, and to 
formulate a scheme for a summer show. 
French Horticultural Society of London.—Before us 
is the Bulletin de la Societe Frangaise d'Horticulture de 
Londres giving an account of the seventh year of 
the existence of this useful and flourishing society, 
It contains a general report of the doings of the 
society, its object and intentions, as well as the 
names of those who belong to it in one way or other. 
The members who make part of the society are three 
founders, a president of honour, fifteen honorary 
perpetual members, 131 honorary members, thirty 
titulary members, and forty-one corresponding 
members." To some of these lists, others are added 
from time to time. Many of its old members are 
now dispersed all over the globe; some are pro¬ 
fessors ; others chiefs of horticultural establishments: 
others again are directors of botanic gardens or take 
charge of private establishments. The society is 
practically a mutual improvement association, and 
assists its members in other ways besides increasing 
their knowledge on technical subjects. Meetings are 
held once a month at which papers on horticultural 
subjects are read and discussed, and other business 
transacted. Amongst the papers brought before 
the society, we note articles on " Report upon Horti¬ 
culture in the five parts of the World” by M. 
Charles Baltet; " Orchids at the Temple Show ; ” 
11 Summer bedding in the London Parks (1894) ; ” 
“ Hippeastrums 11 or Amaryllis: “ Richardias and 
Tuberoses in England” &c. Mr. Geo. Schneider, of 
Messrs. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, is the titulary 
president ; and M. Louis Gentil, Clifton House, 12, 
Ashburnham Road, Chelsea, is the secretary. 
-»f.- 
CHISWICK HALF-HOLIDAY. 
All honour to the rulers at Chiswick, in taking what 
you describe as a step in the right direction, by con¬ 
ceding those employed in the gardens there a half 
holiday on each alternate Saturday. Such a thing 
is easily carried out if employers are willing, and I 
am sure in the matter of work accomplished they do 
not suffer one jot, while they are certain to earn the 
goodwill and esteem of all concerned. 
It is very strange that the followers of a calling 
which demands continual study to keep pace with 
the times, should have so few opportunities allowed 
them for improvement, and practically none for 
recreation, as anyone called upon to work from six 
in the morning throughout the week, and often many 
hours on Sunday, is obliged to give his jaded mind 
and body its due share of rest, which leaves little 
time for anything else. 
In this respect London is behind the provinces, 
both in private and trade establishments, for in many 
provincial nurseries the hours of labour on Saturday 
are shortened, whereas, at Chelsea, where three 
prominent nurseries (one of which ranks as, perhaps, 
the best known nursery in the country) are situated 
in close proximity to each other, the employes are 
called upon to work on Saturdays, as on all other 
days, till six o’clock, and in the winter till dark. 
This is not as it should be, for London to be so 
completely beaten by the provinces in the march of 
progress. Bank holidays, again, are in these estab¬ 
lishments to a great extent ignored. 
Perhaps some day (let us hope before the arrival 
of the millennium) employers may be brought to look 
upon even a gardener as a man and a brother ; but 
in many cases as yet, the day seems far distant.— 
Esperance. 
--*•- 
PECULIARITIES OF CONIFERS. 
The wide and marked differences that exist between 
the juvenile and adult foliage of certain Conifers, 
particularly some forms of Juniperus, Cupressus 
(including Retinospora and Chamaecyparis), and 
Thuya, have in many instances led to increased, con¬ 
fused, and erroneous nomenclature. Fortunately, of 
late years, many doubtful points have been satisfac¬ 
torily cleared up, and we are now enabled to 
correctly refer certain previously acknowledged 
genera to their proper rank of species, and species to 
that of variety. Notable examples of this kind 
include Cryptomeria elegans, in which only the 
primordial leaves are produced; Retinospora 
ericoides and Biota mildensis, which are only un¬ 
developed forms of the Chinese Arbor Vitae (Thuya 
orlentalis), in which the scale-like foliage is 
suppressed ; Thuya ellwangeriana, a form of T. 
occidentalis bearing both adult and juvenile foliage ; 
Retinospora leptoclada, R. squarrosa; and some 
little-known forms of Cupressus torulosa and J uni- 
perus virginiana. 
Generally speaking, the origin of these forms may 
be accounted for by the fact that amongst the 
Cypresses, Junipers, and Arbor Vitaes, the foliage of 
seedling plants is long and needle-like, and in many 
instances, but at indefinite periods, succeeded by 
scale-like leaves. At what period of their growth 
this change of foliage may take place is very uncertain, 
and that too, I have frequently noticed with different 
Conifers from the same batch of seedlings, some 
assuming the adult foliage at an early date, while 
others remain in the primordial condition for an 
almost indefinite period. Cryptomeria japonica 
elegans is an example of the latter kind, the 
primordial or juvenile character having been retained 
for thirty years, at present no signs of breaking away 
from the seedling stage being visible. Retinospora 
ericoides (properly Thuya orientalis ericoides) is 
simply an undeveloped form of the Chinese 
Arbor Vitae, the fruit, as I have seen, differing in no 
way from that of the species. 
By continual propagation from the juvenile stage 
a fixed character may therefore be established, and 
many forms so obtained are highly ornamental - and 
of great value for ornamental purposes; the practice 
amongst Conifers is certainly to be recommended. 
Of Cupressus torulosa and Juniperus virginiana some 
interesting forms will soon be offered for sale ; but 
the most curious and interesting of any are two 
Pines that would puzzle any CODifer lover to define 
their parentage.— A. D. Webster. 
A NEW STRAIN OF STREPTOCARPUS. 
Under the name of Gratus a new strain of Strepto- 
carpus is being developed in the nursery of Messrs 
J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, who have been particu¬ 
larly energetic with this genus of plants for several 
years past. The fresh blood exhibited by this strain 
originated by hybridising the already existing strain 
known as Veitch’s hybrids with Streptocarpus 
Wendlandii. One of the earlier forms appeared under 
the name of Gratus and was certificated ; but a 
regular series of colour has now been infused into 
the seedlings, or in other words a distinct strain has 
been evolved and will presently be greatly augmented. 
The plants are characterised by the enormous num¬ 
ber of flowers of good size which a plant will produce 
during the course of the season, for they are very 
continuous. The leaves are larger and fewer in 
number to a plant than in the case of the older and 
well-known Chelsea strain, but this peculiarity will 
no doubt become modified as time goes on. One 
plant particularly which we noted the other week 
was a perfect picture and might be used for decorative 
purposes in a great variety of ways. About twenty 
scapes or more were evident, and a large proportion 
of them were in bloom, exhibiting a mass of flowers 
of a deep rosy-purple with a slight tint of violet 
towards the tips of the segments of the older ones. 
Each scape or peduncle bears from ten to forty 
flowers in a cyme and nearly on the same level, after 
the style of S. Wendlandii, and therefore very differ¬ 
ent from the elongated cymes of S. Dunnii. 
-- 
ALLOA PARK. 
Alloa Park was the object of a pleasant outing on 
Saturday afternoon of the 25th ult. This princely 
residence of the Earl of Mar occupies a fine position 
on the northen shore of the Forth, in close prox¬ 
imity to Alloa and within sight of Stirling. During 
the past winter extensive alterations have been 
carried out in the grounds by the firm of Edinburgh 
nurserymen, which some thirty years ago remodelled 
and extended the gardens at Alloa Park. Lord and 
Lady Mar have taken a special interest in the 
operations carried out by the aforesaid firm—that of 
John Downie—and the designs have been largely 
adopted from their tasteful suggestions, with very 
happy effects. 
The alterations included the construction of a 
broad new avenue to provide a new access from the 
West Gate by a fine curve round the rear of the 
castle to the entrance by the east wing. This opera¬ 
tion, which involved no little engineering besides 
ornamental work, has been executed with great 
skill and taste. To the east of the castle the improve¬ 
ments have been confined to the remodelling of the 
lawns. A very fine piece of work is the transforma¬ 
tion of a long line of Rhododendrons into a sort of 
horizontal spiral or wave, which serves as a broad 
border to the eastern avenue. In addition to this 
novelty a large number of beds, planted with Azaleas, 
Holly, Hydrangea paniculata, etc., add to the 
picturesqueness of this part of the grounds. The 
striking feature is the forest of Rhododendrons, which 
still bears eminent testimony to the memory of Mr. 
John Downie, by whom they were planted over a 
quarter of a century ago. The effect in the full 
blush of this fine April afternoon*is a thing not to be 
forgotten. The whole forms a sea of colour remark¬ 
able alike for its extent and its variety. The fine 
collection of copper Beeches and Oaks is a hardly less 
remarkable feature of the charming scene, Mr. 
MacKinnon, who has superintended the most of the 
remodelling and improvement, has every reason to be 
satisfied with the result of his care and assiduity. 
Passing from the grounds into the gardens, which 
are under the skilful charge of Mr. NormaD, we 
enter an extensive range of glass. The late Peach 
house has just been rearranged and planted with a 
selection of the finest varieties of Peaches and Nec¬ 
tarines. The intermediate house we noticed 
promises an excellent crop. Another feature worthy 
of special note is a newly-planted Black Hamburgh 
house, which as well as a Muscat house, shows 
