September 28, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
55 
The Conference on Wednesday. 
The chair was taken at 2 p.m. by Sir Trevor Lawrence, 
Bart., M.P., who gave an opening address. Mr. H. J. 
Veitch, chairman of the committee, read a paper on 
“ The History of Cultivated Vegetables.” Mr. Shirley 
Hibberd followed with a paper on “ The Cultivation of 
Asparagus ” ; and Mr. Norman, Hatfield, read one on 
“The Production of Winter Salads.” The discussion 
which followed the reading of the two last papers was 
confined to Mr. Veitch and Mr. H. Vilmorin. 
The list of awards of the committee of selection was 
not completed at the time of going to press, and will 
be given in our next. 
- 
TURKEY OAK STRUCK BY 
LIGHTNING-. 
During a brief but severe thunderstorm on the after- 
loon of August 21th, one of the largest Turkey Oaks 
u the park at Holwood was struck by lightning. The 
ree was 76 ft. in height, with a large and well-rounded 
tem, which girthed 11 ft. 5 ins. at a yard from the 
gound. At about 10 ft. from the ground level the 
tre divided into three massive limbs, the girth of each 
atv yard from the point of junction with the main 
stei being 7 ft., 4 ft. 9 ins., and 4 ft. 5 ins. respectively. 
It hd a south-eastern exposure, was standing 75 ft. 
fron any other tree, the nearest being a large English 
Elm and was neither the largest nor smallest in that 
partof the park. 
Tie lightning would seem to have struck the tree at 
62 ftifrom the ground, and in descending shattered the 
main^tem and three larger branches in a most remark¬ 
able nanner. The butt, to the length of 8 ft., was 
literaly split into shingles, several planks of that 
lengt'j and of a uniform thickness in inches, being 
presened as a memento of the tree, without any pre¬ 
paration whatever, but just as left by the lightning. 
In pasing downwards, the lightning seared the wood, 
leaving it in most places quite black, as if a hot 
iron hal come in contact with it, and tore up the 
ground iround the base of the tree for a depth of 
21 ins. After being struck, the general appearance of 
the debris was curiously regular, the branches lying in 
a most regular manner around the stem, and forming 
almost a jerfect circle of 99 yards in circumference. 
As shoring the force of the lightning, it may be 
stated tha- pieces of the bark 8 ozs. in weight were 
carried for 101 yards from the tree, and a block of 
timber, weghing 2 cwt. 23 lbs. was pitched bodily 
from the main stem to a distance of 42 ft. (this block 
was 8 ft. 3 ins. in length, and girthed at the smallest 
part 2 ft. 11 ins). The greater portion of the splintered 
wood and bark was scattered in a south-easterly direc¬ 
tion, thus showing the line of the storm. When cut 
up, the tree contained twenty-six loads of wood, and 
the branches were bound into 146 faggots. 
The tree was struck about four o’clock in the after¬ 
noon, and on examining it at six o’clock a sulphureous 
smell was distinctly recognisable for several yards 
away. 
In passing, it may be noted that this is the seventh 
tree—four English and two Turkish Oaks, and an 
Austrian Bine—that has been struck by lightning on 
the Holwood property in seven weeks.— A. D. Webster. 
-- >X< —- 
SOME GOOD DAFFODILS. 
The time for planting Daffodils has come round. 
Those who grow largely for market purposes, like Mr. 
J. Walker, of Whitton, lift their bulbs and re-plant 
every year, much as they would Potatos. It appears to 
be the impression of some persons that the way for 
Daffodils to bloom profusely is to leave the bulbs in the 
ground from year’s end to year’s end, and thus they 
establish themselves, giving the grower no more trouble, 
but rewarding him for his masterly inactivity by giving 
a lot of blooms, which they do not. It is now the 
practice to lift annually and replant, with the result 
that there are not only more flowers, but finer ones. 
In response to a request of mine, Mr. Walker sent me 
the names of what he considers the best six Daffodils 
in cultivation. They are N. bicolor, Emperor, sulphur 
perianth and yellow trumpet; Empress, Horsfieldi, 
Golden Spur, Sir Watkin, and Princess Mary of Cam¬ 
bridge. He, therefore, that getteth, getteth some good 
things, and every lover of Narcissi should endeavour 
to procure a bulb or two of these as a commencement 
with all despatch. 
Another half dozen of very fine trumpet varieties will 
be found in Maximus, Spurius, Obvallaris, Princeps, 
Henry Irving, and Ard Righ, or the Irish King. Of 
the varieties of N. incomparabilis the following are well 
worthy of cultivation :—Cynosure, Stella, and Figaro. 
Of the Poeticus or Pheasant’s-eye type, Omatus and 
Poetarum. Then of the Telamonium or double Daffodil 
section, Alba plena odorata, or the popular double 
white sweet-scented Narciss, the hardy Gardenia of our 
gardens, as it is sometimes termed ; Plenus, Orange 
Phcenix, Sulphur Phcenix, and Sulphur Crown. 
Anyone intending to grow a collection should obtain 
the bulbs from some one of the leading growers with all 
despatch. He should plant them well in a good deep 
yellow loam, adding some light rich compost for the 
bulbs to root into. Then he may reasonably look for a 
good head of bloom in spring. The Daffodil is as 
popular as ever. It comes in for a lengthened period, 
and generally at a time when there is but little in the 
way of flowers, and those of an expensive character 
either to grow or purchase.— R. D. 
-- 
SINGLE DAHLIAS AT CHISWICK. 
The trial collection of Dahlias in the gardens of the 
Royal Horticultural Society has been a great success, 
and all through the late summer and autumn they have 
been laden with bloom. The season has also been 
favourable to good growth, and very few of the plants 
are as dwarf as 3 ft., while the bulk of them vary from 
4 ft. to 5 ft. in height. The facilities for seed raising 
amongst single Dahlias may be judged from the 
quantity of pollen scattered all over the foliage by the 
bees, which are extremely busy upon them on fine days. 
The bulk of the collection consists of single varieties, 
although there are some Cactus and Pompon kinds. 
The undermentioned we noticed for the fine qualities 
of their flower heads, their floriferousness, distinctness 
of colour, and general utility for decorative and cut- 
flower purposes. 
Striped Varieties. 
Oae of the most striking in this class is Victory, with 
white rosy florets, and very conspicuously edged with 
crimson. Paragon is a standard old kind with maroon 
florets, a red edge, and occasionally they are self- 
coloured and violet-purple. A seedling from this, named 
Amos Perry, is almost black when it first expands, but 
changes to a velvety maroon with a crimson-red edge. 
It is dwarf. Chilwell Brauty is orange with a crimson 
edge, and from its long-pointed three-toothed florets 
would appear to be related to Juarezi, of which it may 
be considered a single variety. The plant does not 
exceed 2\ ft. in height. All of the above recently 
received First Class Certificates. A charmingly distinct 
kind is Miss Henshaw, with pale primrose or sulphur- 
yellow florets edged with white. The stems stand 
about 3J ft. high. Very variable is James Kelway, 
with white flowers edged with purple, sometimes self 
purple, or again nearly white, but most are striped, 
and the plant is dwarf. There are several other striped 
varieties, but the above are all very distinct and choice. 
Selfs. 
These are the most numerous, as might be expected, 
but some of those undermentioned have a large blotch 
at the base, and might almost be considered bicolors. 
The heads of Miss Gordon measure 3J ins. or 4 ins. 
across, with deep violet-purple rays, and a large buff- 
yellow blotch at the base of each. Duchess of West¬ 
minster is a white variety of great merit, with broad 
heads regularly recurved at the margin. The plant is 
very floriferous, and often dwarf in certain soils. In 
striking contrast to this is Negro, with dark velvety 
maroon rays, and a yellow disc. A choice kind is 
Guardsman, with maroon-crimson rays, pale or dark, 
and often distinctly edged with crimson. The above 
received Awards of Merit recently, and to Kate and 
Fashion were awarded First Class Certificates. The 
former is a dwarf kind, with large heads and broad 
overlapping deep crimson florets, passing into buff at 
the base. The latter is red, fading to buff at the tips, 
and is very distinct. Several other kinds were 
certificated or received Awards of Merit (see p. 29), but 
a number of the undermentioned kinds are also highly 
meritorious, and certainly beautiful. No collection 
should be without some of the highly improved single 
varieties. 
The rays of Foxhall are recurved at the tips, 
and of a glossy crimson, while the stems are 3£ 
ft. high. A number of the yellow kinds are very 
distinct, and worthy of attention, including Alfonso, 
brimstone-yellow, floriferous ; Lady Monckton, pale 
yellow, tinted with white and pink ; Lutea grandiflora, 
large clear yellow; Primrose, equally large ; and 
Primrose Yellow, tinted faintly with pink or buff when 
old. The latter is also a dwarf kind. Besides the 
above mentioned, there are several other good whites, 
including Dorothy, white, changing to blush or lilac 
at the tip ; Sunningdale, dwarf, with large heads ; and 
In Memoriam, white, tinted with sulphur when young, 
but ultimately shaded with pink. The flower-heads 
are rather small, but very numerous. Juno is a lilac- 
purple of dwarf habit, with broad florets, recurved at 
the tip. A mauve-coloured and dwarf variety is Como, 
and Mauve Queen differs by having a yellow blotch at 
the base of each floret, changing to buff when old, with 
a golden disc. Monte Christo is a larger brilliant- 
scarlet variety. There seems practically no end to the 
variations of colour, and the tendency hitherto has 
been to produce as large flower-heads as possible, 
although we are aware a small-flowered race with 
narrow florets is already in cultivation ; but whether 
they will ever become popular remains to be seen. 
- ■*>&**■ - 
INCENTIVES TO STUDY. 
I AM not a little surprised at the attitude Mr. Gaut 
maintains respecting the adoption of competition as a 
means of testing the eligibility of gardeners for promo¬ 
tion. Such a course, if it were possible to set it in motion, 
would, I am perfectly confident, be attended with 
wonderful results. It would give gardening a new 
impulse, such as in all probability it never received 
before from its most devoted patrons, and help to raise 
it above anything that it has yet attained to. Compe¬ 
tition not advisable 1 I am astonished. Why, it is a 
first law of Nature herself, and if we are not in touch 
with her we are all wrong together ; and, consequently, 
it appears to me that competition is indeed the only 
rational base upon which any reliable system of 
successful management should rest. 
At present we have not only to fight against destiny, 
but, what is far worse, we have to force with super¬ 
human power the barricades of horticultural pre¬ 
judices. This is done, I believe myself, by dint of a 
considerably more p.-odigious los3 of energy and time 
than the laurels of distinction can ever compensate. I 
cannot bring myself—I wish I could—to look at the 
fitness of the master gardener as in any way wise or 
satisfactory in dealing out promotion. We cannot be 
blind to the fact that favour and prejudice play im¬ 
portant parts in systems of this nature. Competition, 
on the other hand, has no respect for one person over 
another, and gives, in whatever sphere it has been 
adopted, general satisfaction. A system such as sug¬ 
gested by Mr. Fellows would tend to create much more 
productive results than he has given expression to by 
forming district councils, under whose auspices exam¬ 
inations would be conducted. From such conventions 
would naturally arise a bond of affinity and unity—at 
present so foreign to the art—that would consolidate 
our order into one powerful and universal body that 
would stand unimpeachable among its fellows. 
What was termed “ Brothering ” in Scotland at one 
time did much to bind gardeners together, inasmuch 
as those who did not choose to pass through th3 
ordeal were denominate 1 non-professional. In short, it 
acted the part of a natural system of organisation, where 
a certain alleged acquisition constipulatel efficiency. 
When in full swing and properly conducted it was in 
its time an admirable institution, and fully met the 
requirements of the period. It brought apprentice, 
journeyman, and master gardener, from far and near, 
together to converse without restraint upon the hidden 
mysteries of the profession, in a more effectual and 
gratifying manner than perhaps any other convocation 
would be able to have effected. 
Again, the gardener is naturally a competitor. The 
very essence of his success depends upon his capabilities 
of vying with and outstripping his brothe 1 -. At any 
rate, so much can be inferred from the produce 
that grace our horticultural show tables each year 
increasing in quality. 
That gardeners with little or no education have been 
successful in their career I have no rersm to doubt, 
but this is no real criterion from which to infer that 
those possessing a good education would not have fared 
more successfully. Yet if gardening can be success¬ 
fully conducted and promoted minus education, 
which I am inclined to dispute, I say the calling is 
certainly not worth the candle, and the sooner 
intelligent men gather up their tools and give way to 
the clodhopper the better. The present system of 
recruiting the ranks is manifestly rotten, and threatens 
in the near future, if not counteracted, to annihilate 
every trace of its individuality. 
There are no restrictions in admitting beginners to 
the profession, and the consequences aie disastrous to 
its welfare. The handy labourer not infrequently is on 
equal ground with the journeyman, though his period 
of curriculum in many cases does not cover a third of 
the latter’s. In an alarmingly short time we find him 
a duly constituted master, whose authority on knotty 
points is final. All of us, I am sure, can point our 
linger to like cases, and are sorry for being compelled 
to unearth skeletons in such an exhibitory manner as 
this.— Gamma, Edinburgh. 
