September 21, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
30 
OTES FROM SCOTLAND. 
-- 
The Plum Conference at Edinburgh.— 
Notwithstanding the shortness of the notice given by 
the Council of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural 
Society, the exhibition of Plums and conference thereon, 
which took place on the 11th and 12 th inst., was 
singularly successful. The number of specimens 
forwarded were so numerous that it required a table 150 
ft. long by 4 ft. broad to accommodate them, and many 
of the samples were of remarkably fine quality. The 
conference took place on the 12th at 5, St. Andrew’s 
Square, when some thirty gardeners and nurserymen 
were present. Mr. Dunn, Dalkeith, presided, and in 
his opening remarks explained that the congress had 
been got up rather hurriedly, but he thought they 
might all congratulate themselves on the excellent 
display of Plums which had been on exhibition at the 
market. The display was fairly representative of the 
three kingdoms. It had been considered a very 
desirable tiling that a number of practical men should 
meet together and exchange notes in reference to the 
culture of this fruit, so that they might arrive at some 
decision as to the best kinds that should be cultivated 
in Scotland, not only for what might be called pleasure, 
but for profit. The cultivated Plum —Prunus domestica 
_was said to have originated in Asia Minor, and in 
early times to have found its way into Europe. Pliny 
mentioned it as having been cultivated in Greece and 
Italy in his time. The Damson Plum derived its name 
from Damascus, and there was little doubt but that 
the Plum found its way into Britain early in the 
Christian era, if not before it. Parkinson mentions 
sixty varieties as being in cultivation in his time ; and 
towards the end of the last century there were records 
of the same number. M’lntosh, in his Book of the 
Gxrden, described seventy varieties as being worthy of 
cultivation, and mentioned about thirty of that number 
as growing at Dalkeith in 1854. The most of the 
thirty, Mr. Dunn added, were still there. Their latest 
and best authority, Dr. Hogg, ia the last edition of his 
Fruit Manual, described about 180 varieties. 
Several excellent Plums had been raised in Scotland, 
some of the best being Lawson’s Golden Gage, raised 
by Mr. Archibald Gorrie at Annat Lodge, in the Carse 
of Gowrie ; Taybank, Topaz, Lategreen, and New 
Apricot, by Mr. Guthrie, of Taybank, near Dundee ; 
and last, but by no means least, several varieties raised 
by their veteran friend, Mr. Webster, Gordon Castle, 
on the shores of the Moray Eirth. There were also at 
least two other Plums that smacked strongly of a 
Scottish origin—Caledonia and Fotheringham — the 
former known as Goliath and the latter as Fotheringay. 
After running over several favourite Plums to which 
they had been indebted to England, he acknowledged 
the services of Messrs. Rivers k Son, Sawbridgeworth, 
in raising “ many of their recognised profitable and 
best Plums for cultivation. ” They were indebted to 
the Continent of Europe for a number of favourite 
varieties of the Gage and Orleans type. But of all 
foreign countries it was to America, particularly the 
United States, that they were indebted for some of 
their best Plums, such as that general favourite, 
Jefferson, a first-rate dessert fruit, and a sure bearer ; 
Washington, Columbia, and other varieties. 
Dealing with the subject of cultivation, Mr. Dunn 
said Plums throve well on a light, dry soil if in good 
condition, but they produced the finest crops of fruits 
on a good strong marly loam, resting on a dry bottom. 
They, like all other fruit trees, throve best when their 
roots did not run too deep, but a depth of 18 ins. to 
20 ins. of a made border was quite sufficient for them 
if they were properly treated in respect to mulching 
and watering. It was also necessary to pay careful 
attention to the summer pinching and regulating of 
the shoots, keeping them sufficiently apart according to 
the size of the foliage, which varied greatly, so that 
every leaf might be exposed to light and air. For 
orchard cultivation, Plums, and especially Damsons, 
were a very profitable crop where the soil and climate 
were suitable, and fair skill and attention devoted to 
the trees and their produce. Orchards in grass 
generally give the highest coloured fruit, and perhaps 
the best flavoured, the Plum, like the Apple, assuming 
its deepest and brightest colours on grass land. In 
dealing with the uses of the Plum, apart from its 
ordinary use as a dessert fruit and for cooking and 
preserving, Mr. Dunn referred to the drying of Plums 
in France, and said he was afraid they could not hope 
to compete with the foreigner in preparing the Plum in 
that way for commerce. 
A more likely method of profitably utilising a super¬ 
abundant crop of Plums was to make a beverage from 
them. Damson wine, as made by some West of England 
housewives, was a good and wholesome drink. The 
Plum also was used in producing a fine rich dye, and 
for that purpose there was a prospect of the demand 
increasing. No doubt many other uses would yet be 
discovered for Plums, and, looking to the future, there 
was a good prospect of the demand steadily increasing 
with the means of supplying it ; and therefore growers 
should do their best to meet it by cultivating the best 
varieties only, and sending first-rate samples into the 
market, so as to compete successfully with their foreign 
neighbours. 
Mr. Webster, Gordon Castle, who said he had been 
raising new fruits in a small way since 1865, gave some 
of his experiences. He had kept, he said, very much 
to a few of the leading sorts of Plums, such as the 
Greengage, which he kept as a standard to impart 
flavour to others, such as Jefferson and Coe’s Golden 
Drop. His simple way was to take the pollen of the 
Greengage and apply it to the others, marking them, 
and keeping a list from year to year. A number had 
been a very long time in proving ; others, again, he 
had proved in three or four years from the time of 
budding. 
Mr. Barron, Chiswick, pointed out that in the selec¬ 
tion of varieties a free cropper should be looked after. 
Mr. Fairgrieve, Dunkeld, a leading authority on 
hardy fruit culture in Scotland, Mr. Welsh, Mr. 
M’Kinnon, Scone, and others took part in the congress, 
and many practical hints were thrown out as to the 
best methods of cultivation, and the varieties that 
should be grown. At the close of the proceedings a 
hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Dunn for 
his services in connection with the conference. 
-->X<^- 
EARLY-FLOWERING CHRYSAN¬ 
THEMUMS.* 
Br Mu. T. Turton, Maiden Erleigh Gardens, 
Reading. 
Having been successful now for several seasons past in 
obtaining a good display outdoors with the early 
Chrysanthemum, and coinpljung with a request from 
Mr. A. Dean, I send a few notes respecting our method 
of growing them. This, however, is so simple that a 
very few words will suffice to explain it. 
First, as to raising the plants, let me say it is solely 
to the generous treatment given the cuttings that I 
attribute our success. But here I must explain that 
we force a great quantity of Asparagus through the 
spring in frames on hotbeds. It is there we raise our 
plants, by dibbling in the cuttings early in February 
among the Asparagus. The moist atmosphere from 
the dung keeps the cuttings fresh until they emit roots, 
which does not take more than a fortnight. They are 
then placed into small sixty-sized pots, and returned to 
the frame. There they quickly take to the new soil, 
and are soon growing apace. We stop the plants 
once only, which is done at this stage, and as soon as 
they are started they are hardened, and in due time 
they are shifted into forty-eight sized pots. In these 
they make strong plants, and are placed out in the first 
favourable weather we have in May. 
Respecting the names of the varieties we grow, I 
should like to class them in three sections. 
Section I. comprises those which are in flower with 
us from the beginning of July. They are Mr. W. 
Piercy, brick-red ; Precocite, yellow ; St. Mary, white ; 
Madame Jolivart, blush-white ; Nanum, creamy white ; 
Madeline Davis, yellow ; St. Crouts, pink ; and White 
Crouts, white. Anastasio, a light purple, we have had 
good only once or twice, and as it is not flowering at 
all this season it will now be discarded. 
Section II. includes Madame C. Desgranges and its 
sport, Gustav Wermig. These two varieties are the 
most useful of all. They are in flower from the begin¬ 
ning of August until cut down by frost. It has long 
been my wish to see varieties introduced into this 
section of bright colour, and possessing the good 
qualities of the Desgranges type, when, I think, it 
would be difficult to imagine anything more beautiful 
through the months of August and September than a 
wide border, the front planted with varieties of this 
section, backed with Dahlias of the Cactus and single¬ 
flowering varieties. 
Section III. contains La Yierge, pure white; Lyon 
(hybrid Pompon), bright rosy purple; Inimitable 
(Pompon), amber ; Pomponian (Pompon), light orange ; 
Alexander Dufour (Jap.), bright purple ; and Roi des 
[* Read by Mr. Dean, at the Chrysanthemum Conference, St. 
Stephens' Hall, Westminster, September 11th, 1SS9.] 
Precoces (Jap.), bright crimson, a splendid variety. 
These flower through October. 
I would add, as explanatory of my growing these 
early-blooming Chrysanthemums in such considerable 
quantities, that having to supply flowers largely during 
the fishing and grouse-shooting season in the summer 
and autumn in Scotland, I find none to travel a long 
journey so well as do the Chrysanthemums. Flowers 
cut here at midday and despatched per rail at 2 p.m. 
from Earley, reach their destination in Scotland during 
the following afternoon, a period of some twenty-six 
hours, often during warm weather: yet do the Chry¬ 
santhemums invariably arrive fresh and beautiful. 
That capacity to endure long journeys packed I attribute 
to their being well-matured by outdoor exposure and 
the hardness of the stems, whilst those of more tender 
flowers being more sappy wither the sooner. To be 
able to send flowers fresh and sweet so long a journey 
is, in these days, a matter for congratulation, and 
shows how much gardeners owe to the introduction of 
the early-blooming Chrysanthemum. 
- •*£<*• - 
Gardening Notes from Ireland. 
Ballymoon House, co, Carlow. 
This is the residence of Patrick Kearney, Esq., who 
belongs to a class—the gentleman farmer—that often 
enthusiastically patronises gardening in its various 
branches, and are sufficiently numerous in both England 
and Ireland to receive more attention from the horti¬ 
cultural press than they get. Mr. Kearney has largely 
embarked in stock-farming, and beyond admiring his 
fruits, flowers and vegetables, can find little time to 
devote to their culture. He is fortunate, however, in 
haviug a wife who is passionately devoted to floriculture, 
and enjoying all the advantages that nature and art 
can lavish, it is not surprising that the measure of 
success achieved at Ballymoon House is far above the 
average. Mrs. Kearney’s enthusiasm in the growth of 
flowers has been communicated to her boys, and one 
young fellow (just gone to college) can talk graphically 
and with discrimination of the various leading varieties 
of Chrysanthemums, Pelargoniums, Begonias, Dahlias, 
Pansies, and Polyanthuses. Not only has he a know¬ 
ledge of these, hut he has raised some novelties from seed, 
especially tuberous Begonias, many of which I must 
honestly aver—and I have seen some of the finest 
collections—are equal to the finest named varieties. 
Many of the appliances used are original and novel, 
and Mrs. Kearney assured me that the management of 
not merely the seeds and plants, which I very much 
admired during a hurried visit with a relative a few days 
since, but everything in connection with their treat¬ 
ment, has been acquired through her boys reading and 
studying The Gardening World and other garden¬ 
ing papers which I and others have sent from time to 
time, and which are studiously pored over. Seeds 
and plants, as I could see from the names on the labels, 
have been secured from most of the advertisers in your 
columns ; and it was pleasing to notice among the 
many good things around the flower garden and 
greenhouse, everything true to name, and indicating 
that the advertisers had not palmed off an inferior or 
worthless article. Another son, Dr. Kearney, starts 
for Australia in a short time, and there can be little 
doubt he will be a patron, at least, of floriculture in 
his new sphere, as warm, if not as enthusiastic as his 
younger brother Gerald, who told his mother, when 
starting for college, that if allowed to choose a profession 
he would become a gardener. I have often thought, 
when visiting my friends among the editors of London 
gardening papers, that nothing was so much calculated 
to reconcile them to their professional duties as the 
thought that they were not spreading their light in 
vain, and that seed often sown in unpropitious places 
might blossom—perhaps at the Antipodes 1 
I am sure there are many like myself in this respect, 
that when they have read their gardening journals— 
and I get most of those published—immediately re-post 
them to some friend who may not get that particular 
paper. But this, I am afraid, must be considered a 
digression, though it may interest many as much as a 
dry catalogue of names of greenhouse plants, handsome 
shrubs, Conifer* (such as suits, as in this instance, an 
elevated, rather exposed situation with a soil of lime¬ 
stone formation), and a very tastefully arranged and 
laid-out flower ground. I promised, on another occa¬ 
sion, to pay an extended visit, and see the rather 
extensive fruit and vegetable gardens also. I make 
this cursory note, suggesting to the Editor that this 
class—the independent gentlemen farmers—should be 
still further encouraged as patrons and friends of the 
better class of gardening.— fV. J. Murphy, Clonmel. 
