228 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 14, 1889. 
becomes flaccid and withered. Exhibitors too 
often, also, give themselves at shows endless 
trouble with their vegetables, by not having 
them absolutely prepared beforehand and 
each dish wrapped in paper or otherwise so 
disposed that it could be taken from the 
hamper and placed in its proper place on 
the table with little trouble and in the 
freshest possible condition. Some of our 
leading exhibitors do display considerable 
taste in setting up their collections; but there 
is room for great advance, not only indi¬ 
vidually, but generally. "We commend to Mr. 
Holmes, at some of his shows, that he have 
classes for vegetable collections, of which the 
judges shall be instructed to pay special 
regard to taste shown in setting up. 
HJhe .New Garden Gospel. —The oracle has 
spoken, the new faith has been formulated, 
and all who refuse to believe are heretics or 
fools. The personality of the oracle is 
shrouded in anonymity; that gives to his 
utterances an element of obscurity, which is 
essentially provocative of reverence. Had the 
prophet but have revealed himself to the world, 
his enunciations would, by the sceptical, have 
been received with jeers and scorn. It was 
wise to speak in secrecy—hence men stand in 
awe and believe. 
What is the burthen of the new gospel 1 
Why, that we have all been practising the vilest 
of garden heresy. We have been living in a 
condition of sin and of wickedness, without 
faith in the eternal truths of the new creed. 
We must abolish our gross gardening 
habits, purify the garden of flaunting and 
bedizened inhabitants, and discard those vicious 
flower forms which nature has made 
double. We must not grow tall plants or short 
plants, or, indeed, any plants beyond such as 
are accepted of the prophet, and consecrated to 
the new faith. 
We may not even enjoy the perfume which 
flowers give ever so sweetly, if they be of the 
excommunicated. Their perfume is that of the 
deadly Upas tree, even though to us as sweet 
as honey, and rich as the choicest perfumes of 
Araby. The prophet has “ propheted,” the 
preacher has preached, and that is enough. 
Let us haste, that is if we would be of the 
faith, to set our gardens speedily in order, lest 
we be shut out into darkness and utter 
oblivion ! 
-- 
The Birmingham Chrysanthemum Show of 1890 
will be held on November 12th and 13th. 
The Portsmouth Chrysanthemum Society will hold 
its annual exhibition next year on November 5th, 6th, 
and 7th. 
Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.—We are pleased to hear 
that the net result of the concert in aid of this fund, 
which was held recently at Worksop, is the sum of 
£56. 
Dr. W. R. SIcNab, Professor of Botany at the College 
of Science, Dublin, and whose father and grandfather 
were for many years curators of the Royal Botanic 
Garden, Edinburgh, died suddenly on the 2nd inst., at 
his residence, Cabra Road, Dublin. 
Gardening Engagements.—Mr. fm, Halliday, five 
years foreman to Mr. Rabone, at Alton Towers, as 
gardener to Lady Forrester, Meaford Hall, Stone. Mr. 
D. Williams, for the past eight years gardener to Lord 
Wimborne, at Canford Manor, as gardener to the Earl 
of Feversham, Duucombe Park, Yorkshire. 
The Edinburgh Chrysanthemum Centenary Cele¬ 
bration.—It is stated that the total number of persons 
who visited this exhibition was 32,000, and that the 
receipts at the doors amounted to £1,092. 
Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society.— 
Part 3 of volume xi., which has just been issued, 
contains the whole of the papers read at the Rose 
Conference, and the Rev. W. Wilks summarised 
results of the statistics collected on that occasion, as 
well as the papers read at the Drill Hall meetings by 
Professor Foster, Mr. Ba'ron, Mr. G. Bunyard, Mr. 
Shirley Hibberd, Mr. Rivers, Mr. Coleman, and 
Mr. Wildsmith, 
Dulwich Park.—The London County Council has 
accepted the tender of Messrs. W. Cutbush & Son for 
planting Dulwich Park, an area of seventy acres, at 
the cost of £1,014. The tender was accepted as 
urgent, in order that the trees might be planted before 
Christmas. 
The Tree Tomato.—At the meeting of the fruit 
committee on Tuesday, the Rev. W. Wilks exhibited 
some fine fruits of this Tomato, concerning which he 
gave the following particulars : —The tree on which 
the fruits shown have been grown is about 9 ft. high, 
with a spreading and much-branched head. The leaves 
when young are of a violet-purple colour, changing with 
growth into a deep green. They are very large when 
fully developed. The blossom is precisely like a 
Solanum, being, in fact, to an ordinary observer, 
identical with that of the plant commonly known as 
Black or Woody Nightshade. It is an abundant 
bearer, the fruit ripening late in November and through¬ 
out December and January. The fruit when raw has a 
much firmer flesh than a Tomato, and is slightly more 
acid, but when cooked it is almost indistinguishable 
from the ordinary Tomato. The plant has been grown 
throughout in a cool orchard-house, from which only 
frost is excluded. 
Presentation of a Bouquet to Princess Beatrice.— 
On Tuesday, the 3rd inst., H.R.H. Princess Beatrice 
visited Reading for the purpose of opening a bazaar in 
the Town Hall, and was presented by the Mayoress 
(Miss Dodd), on behalf of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, with 
a handsome bouquet of Orchids, the holder of which 
was of solid silver, handsomely gilt and elaborately 
chased, and bore the following inscription :—“ A floral 
tribute to H.R.H. Princess Beatrice, Princess Henry of 
Battenberg, from Her Majesty’s Seedsmen, Martin J. 
Sutton, Arthur Warwick Sutton, Herbert Sutton, 
Leonard Goodhart Sutton, presented on their behalf, on 
the occasion of her visit to Reading, December 3rd, 
mdccclxxxix. , by the Mayoress, Miss Mabel Caroline 
Dodd.” A novel feature in the bouquet was the 
insertion in the holder (attached thereto by a small 
gold chain) of a tiny volume, exquisitely bound in 
morocco and white silk, containing a miniature bird’s- 
eye view of Messrs. Sutton’s Seed Establishment, an 
historical account of the firm, and description of the 
various departments. 
A Dwarf Juniper.—At the grand exhibition of the 
District Horticultural Society of the north of France, 
organised on the occasion of the centenary of the Chry¬ 
santhemum at the Rameau Palace, Lille, a curious 
pigmy Juniper was shown under the name of Juniperus 
buxiformis. It was front forty to fifty years of age, yet 
it did not exceed 10 ins. in height, and was about the 
same in breadth. This would make a capital subject 
for small rockeries, or for pot culture, window-boxes, 
and similar places, and would, of course, be valuable in 
proportion as it was beautiful. But it is more than 
likely that a plant of this habit would be stunted and 
dumpy in appearance, while specimens raised from 
cuttings would be too slow in making sufficient growth 
to become sufficiently visible to be ornamental. It 
would certainly prove an acquisition to the Chinese and 
Japanese growers, who admire dwarf and aged-looking 
plants. 
Origin of Nicotiana colossea.—Some time ago we 
gave a description of this colossal Tobacco as it appeared 
in the grounds of the Trocadero, in September last, at 
the Paris Universal Exhibition. A correspondent of 
Le Jardin for the first week of December, gives the 
singular, although not unique history of this remark¬ 
able plant. He says that some years ago he sold some 
beautiful clumps of Brazilian Orchids to Madame D. de 
Saint-Germain-les-Corbeil, and her gardener, Mr. 
Mason, took care to put the rubbish and dust arising 
from the cleaning of the plants into his propagating 
pit. A number of seedlings germinated, and amongst 
others Nicotiana colossea. The introduction of Begonia 
Rex and Pteris tricolor originated in this way, and it 
may be remembered that in this country Impatiens 
Sultani came up amongst soil used in the packing of 
other plants from Zanzibar. Mr. Mason soon detected 
the great vigour of the stranger and planted it in the 
open ground. Out of doors the plant is only of annual 
duration, as might be expected ; under glass, however, 
it is perennial, and attains a height of 2 or 3 yds. in a 
single season, with a stout simple stem, producing 
enormous leaves a yard long and half as broad. It 
does not flower in the open air, but can be propagated 
by cuttings taken in autumn or spring. Two or three 
of the autumn-taken cuttings flowered last spring, and 
hlr. Godefroy-Lebeuf acquired the whole of the stock 
at the rate of 500 francs the gramme. 
Publications Received.—The Garden Annual for 
1890 (W. Robinson, 37, Southampton Street, W.C.). 
Flovjer Land., an introduction to botany, by the Rev. 
Robert Fishc-r, M.A. (Bemrose & Sons). Profitable 
Fruit Growing, the "Worshipful Company of Fruiterers’ 
prize essay, by J. Wright (171, Fleet Street). A 
Sketch of the Life and Reminiscences of John Rogers 
(H. M. Gilbert, Southampton). Part 3, volume xi., 
of The Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society 
(117, Victoria Street, S.W.). Orchids: Their Culture 
and Management, Part 7 (L. Upcott Gill, 170, 
Strand, W.C.). The Jllustrated Almanack, 1890 
(198, Strand). 
--- 
THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL 
SOCIETY. 
We have received the following for publication from 
ths secretary of the society:—“The Council of the 
Royal Horticultural Society have lately had before them 
the very difficult work which always has to be done at 
a year’s end—viz., determining on the names of three 
members of Council whom they will recommend 
(according to the provisions of the charter and bye-laws) 
for retirement in the ensuing year. The retiring 
members are not eligible for re-election, and when all 
have laboured so hard for the society, it is very difficult 
to say whose absence will be least detrimental. The 
same unenviable work occurs in the appointment of the 
several committees, who have done such good and ex¬ 
cellent work in the past year ; for though in this case 
the retiring members are eligible for re-appointment, 
the Council is of opinion that, as in their own body, so 
also in the committees, a small infusion of new blood 
every year, when it can be obtained, is desirable, and 
there is probably no member of any committee who 
would not be thankful for a year’s rest from labour. 
“ A vote has been taken on the question of changing 
the hour of the Fruit, Floral, and Orchid Committees 
from 11 a m. to 12 noon, and in compliance with the 
wish of an overwhelming majority of the present 
members, the Council have determined to adopt the 
later hour for next year. 
“The following plan of arrangements, meetings, 
lectures, &c., has been drawn up and adopted. Other 
gentlemen besides those named have been invited to 
contribute papers, but it would hardly be courteous to 
mention their names until they have signified their 
consent. The meetings, &c., will be held at 3 p.m. in 
the Drill Hall, unless otherwise stated :— 
Jan. 14th. — “A Method of Winter Gardening,” Rev. 
IV. Wilks. 
Feb. 11th.—Annual General Meeting at 117, Victoria 
Street. 
March 11th.—“ Hippeastrums’’ (Amaryllis), Mr. 
Harry J. Veitch, F.L.S., and Mr. J. Douglas. 
March 25th.—“ Saladings, ” Mons. Henry de Vilmorin. 
April 8th.—"Spring Flower Gardening,” Mr. W. 
Ingram. 
April 15th, 16th, 17th, and ISth.—Daffodil Exhibition 
and Conference at Chiswick. Readers of Papers : 
Mr. James "Walker, Rev. G. H. Englehart, Mr. J. T. 
Bennett-Poii, Mr. F. W. Burbidge, F. L. S., Rev. 
C. Wolley Dod, &c. 
April 22nd.—Primula and Auricula Society’s Show. 
“ On Indian Primulas.” 
May 13th.-“Hardy Spring-flowering Shrubs and Trees.” 
May 28th and 29th.—Great Show in the Inner Temple 
Gardens. 
June 10th.— “ Herbaceous Pteonies,” Mr. Geo. Paul and 
Mr. R. Irwin Lynch. 
June 24th.—Exhibition of Tea Roses by the National 
Rose Society. “ Hardy and Herbaceous and Alpine 
Plants,” Rev. C. Wolley Dodd. 
July 8th.—“Cultivated Lilies.” 
July 22nd and 2-3rd.—Carnation, Fern, and Selaginella 
Exhibition at Chiswick. National Carnation and 
Picotee Society’s Show. 
July 22nd.—Conference on Carnations. Readers of 
Papers : Mr. M. Rowan, Mr. H. Turner, and Mr. R. 
Dean. 
July 23rd.—Conference on Ferns and Selaginellas. 
Readers of Papers : Mr. J. G. Baker, F. R.S., Mr. C. 
T. Druery, Mr. J. Birkenhead, Mr. E. J. Lowe, 
F.R.S., Professor Bower, F.L.S., and Mr. W. II. 
Gower. 
August 12th. —“On Fruit Drying by Evaporation, as 
Practised in America,” Mr. E. W. Badger. 
August 26th.—“Hollyhocks,” Mr. James Douglas. 
September 9th. — “ Gladiolus,” Mons. V. Lemoine and 
Mr. J. Kelway. 
September 23rd and 24th.—Exhibition of Dahlias and 
Grapes at Chiswick. 
September 23rd.—Conference on Dahlias. Readers of 
Papers : Mr. T. W. Girdlestone, Mr. Shirley Hibberd, 
Mr. Walter H. Williams, &c. 
September 24th.—Conference on Grapes. Readers of 
Papers : Mr. T. F. Rivers, Mr. R. D. Blackmore, &c. 
October 14th.—“ On Crinums,” Sir Charles Strickland, 
Bart. 
October 28th. —“ Trees and Shrubs for large Towns,” 
Dr. Masters, F.R.S. 
November 11th.—“Chinese Primulas,” Mr. A. V. 
Sutton. 
December 9th.—Ordinary meeting.” 
