February 15, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
379 
SEASONABLE WORK IN THE 
GARDEN. 
Adiantum Farleyense. —Large plants of this fine 
Adiantum frequently go bad in the centre ; and when 
such is the case the best plan is to break them up into 
as many healthy pieces as any individual specimen may 
furnish, dependent, of course, upon its condition. If 
the intention be to get as great a number as possible, 
then every crown furnished with roots will grow. Good 
fibrous loam and sand with little or no peat or leaf-soil 
makes the best compost, 
Eitphoebia fulgens.—A few plants of this useful 
subject may be set apart from the general stock, headed 
down, and kept dry for a time, until the buds commence 
to push afresh. When the young shoots are 2 ins. 
long they may be taken off with a heel and inserted in 
sandy soil in 60-size pots. Without a heel the young 
wood would be too soft, and liable to damp off before 
roots were emitted. 
Poinsettias.— While extra material is being dis¬ 
carded as useless, because there is sufficient stock from 
which to take cuttings later on, those who have the 
convenience may remember that old plants can be 
trained to wires on the back walls of a stove, and that 
when planted out and trained in this way a large 
quantity of heads with bracts of sufficient size for cut 
flowers may be obtained year after year from the same 
plant. After the flowers have been cut the plants may 
be hard pruned back, when they will start as usual and 
produce fresh flowering wood. 
Verbenas. —Now is the time to work up a fresh lot 
for bedding out when the proper time arrives. Autumn 
struck plants very frequently get drawn and spindly ; 
and cuttings struck late in the season cannot be 
expected to flower so well as those that have become 
established. If struck now, the cuttings will have an 
opportunity to make sturdy ^little plants by the time 
they are required in June for planting out. 
Vineries.— Attend to the disbudding and stopping 
of Vines that are just commencing to show bloom. 
Loop down the laterals before they have a chance of 
touching the glass, as frosty nights may happen at any 
time. In later houses that are just being started, 
strong young rods should be laid in a horizontal 
position to cause them to break equally. Tie them up, 
however, before there is danger of breaking the young 
shoots in the operation. 
The Cheery House. — Very little fire-heat is 
required in this structure to urge the trees into bloom. 
On cold nights less will prove advantageous than 
otherwise. A good look-out should be kept for insects 
even before the expansion of the flowers. A good plan 
would be to give the trees a good syringing with soap¬ 
suds, or a solution of Gishurst Compound. 
Oranges. —"Where special accommodation has not 
been provided for the cultivation of Oranges, they may 
be started into growth and bloom by placing them in 
a vinery or Peach house about to be started. The heat 
given there will be sufficient. The trees should, 
however, be removed before they get shaded b’y the 
leafage of the Vines, otherwise the young leaves made 
will be thin in texture, and the wood improperly 
formed and weakly. 
Peaches. —Aphides increase at an alarming rate if 
allowed to go unchecked for a time ; and the leaves 
soon become hopelessly curled by the agency of the 
same little enemy. Provided the trees are not in 
bloom, or the flowering period is over, the house may 
be fumigated on one or two successive nights. If 
confined to a few shoots the aphides may be destroyed 
by the use of tobacco powder. 
Strawberries in Pots.— The earliest batches will 
now require more frequent attention in the matter of 
watering. Liquid manure may be used freely from the 
time the fruits are set till they commence to colour. 
Useful Kales for Winter.— Hitherto we have not 
been visited with severe snowstorms nor hard frosts for 
any lengthened period of time, but the alternate 
freezing and thawing, and heavy rains to which winter 
greens have been subjected tells badly on hearting kinds. 
Scotch Kale, Chou de Milan, Cottagers’ Kale, Buda 
Kale or as it often termed Asparagus Kale, and the 
Variegated Kales are all hardy and useful for the table. 
The last named kinds are also highly suitable for 
decorative purposes in the dinner room. 
Vegetable Seeds to be Sown.—Sow in beds that 
can be conveniently covered with old sashes if 
necessary, of such things as Brussels Sprouts, Cauli¬ 
flowers, any of the above mentioned Kales, Lettuce and 
similar subjects for early planting and use. Should 
severe weather intervene, the sashes may be put over 
the beds and covered with mats at night after the 
seedlings are up. It is a good plan to transplant the 
seedlings once before being finally placed in the open 
ground. 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
-- 
Royal Horticultural— February 1 1th. 
Annual General Meeting. 
As showing the greater interest now being taken by 
the Fellows in this soffiety, there was a large attendance 
at the annual meeting on Tuesday afternoon. Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P., took the chair, and the 
members of the Council present were Baron Schroder, 
Sir Charles Strickland, Messrs. Heywood, Paul, 
Douglas, Courtauld, Pavers, Pearson, Morris, and the 
Rev. W. Wilks, secretary, Mr. Arthur Veitch and 
Mr. H. Williams having been appointed scrutineers of 
the ballot, the report, of which the following is an 
abstract, and the statement of accounts were taken as 
read :— 
The work of the Society cannot be said to have stood 
still during the year 1889. Three most useful con¬ 
ferences have taken place at Chiswick, viz. : On Roses, 
on July 2nd and 3rd ; on Vegetables, on September 
24th, 25th, and 26th ; and on Chrysanthemums, on 
November 5th and 6th ; and the excellent results thus 
obtained, together with the most valuable statistics and 
returns sent in by the kindness of correspondents all 
over the United Kingdom, with a few from foreign 
horticulturists, will, as recorded in the society’s Journal, 
form an authoritative standard of reference on the 
subjects concerned for some years to come. 
Sixteen fruit and floral meetings have been held in 
the Drill Hall, every one of which has been productive 
of good results to one or other of the different branches 
of practical horticulture. The number of awards has 
been as follows : On the recommendation of the Floral 
Committee, fifty-four First Class Certificates, eighty- 
four Awards of Merit, four Botanical Certificates, and 
three Commendations. On the recommendation of the 
Fruit and Vegetable Committee, seven First Class 
Certificates, and three Awards of Merit. On the 
recommendation of the Orchid Committee, twenty-seven 
First Class Certificates, seven Awards of Merit, and 
twelve Botanical Certificates. 
The society’s great show, held (by the renewed 
kindness of the Treasurer and Benchers) in the Inner 
Temple Gardens, was even more magnificent than in 
the preceding year, the collection of Orchids, in par¬ 
ticular, having probably surpassed any collection ever 
before gathered into one place. The best thanks of the 
society are due to all those (and especially to the 
amateurs) who so generously lent their plants for 
exhibition. 
The society’s general work of scientific experiment 
and investigation, and of the practical trial of various 
plants, has been going on steadily at Chiswick, under 
the superintendence of Mr. Barron. Trial has been 
made of 104 varieties of Potatos ; 50 varieties of 
Broccoli ; 108 varieties of Vegetable Marrows, 
Pumpkins, and Gourds ; 30 varieties of Onions ; 30 
varieties of Brussels Sprouts ; and 41 varieties of Peas. 
Amongst flowers, trial has been made of 270 varieties 
of garden annuals, 66 varieties of China Asters, 20 
varieties of Stocks ; 190 varieties of Dahlias, besides 
zonal and other Pelargoniums ; Lemoine’s new hybrid 
Gladioli, Pentstemons, Heliotropes, Iris, &e. Ivies, of 
which the society possesses a very fine collection, have 
been specially examined and classified. Of Chrysan¬ 
themums, 800 varieties were grown, and these not only 
added very materially to the display at the Chrysan¬ 
themum Centenary Conference, but, from not being so 
severely disbudded, as is usually the case in producing 
the show blooms, the plants themselves, as well as the 
blossoms, were greatly admired. A large sum of money 
has this year been spent on the gardens. Extensive 
repairs have been done to the glasshouses, and the 
general keeping up of the gardens greatly improved. 
A new hybrid Tomato, considered to be one of the best 
in cultivation, has been raised by Mr. Barron, and the 
seed distributed amongst the Fellows. The experiment 
of opening the gardens on Sundays has not met with 
such success as the Council had hoped, but they have 
decided to continue it, at least, for the present year ; 
and then, if the privilege should not prove to be more 
highly valued, it may have to be abandoned, as, besides 
the additional work thrown on the officers on their one 
rest day in the week, it also entails considerable expense 
on the society. The meetings held at Chiswick during 
the year, though successful in all else, have not been 
quite so successful in point of numbers as the Council 
had hoped ; and they venture to think that in the year 
now commencing those Fellows who were so strongly 
in favour of meetings at Chiswick should make it their 
business by every means in their power, privately or 
through the press, to increase the numbers attending. 
But perhaps the chief event of the year has been the 
revival of the society’s Journal, by means of which 
Fellows at a distance are enabled to enter more fully 
into and reap the benefits of the study and work of 
those more actively engaged at the centre. Four 
volumes, containing about 750 pages, have been issued 
during the twelve months, and the Council have the 
gratification of knowing, from numerous letters received, 
that these volumes have been highly appreciated, not 
only in this country, but by correspondents all over 
the world.* 
The invaluable work of 376 pages, on British Apples, 
which Mr. Barron was able to produce as the outcome 
of the “ Apple Conference, 1888,” is now being re-issued 
by the society in a cheap and popular edition, at the 
price of Is. 6 d. only. It may be as well to point out 
that unless this issue should command a very large 
circulation, it will entail a great loss to the society ; 
but the Council have felt, in face of the wide-spreading 
interest taken in British fruit culture, and of the fact 
that this book is a standard work upon Apples, that it 
was their duty to encounter this risk, hoping that 
individual Fellows would endeavour to promote its sale 
amongst their neighbours and friends. 
All these conferences and meetings, and especially 
the work and maintenance of the Chiswick Gardens and 
the publication of the Journal, have involved the 
society in a very large outlay, and the Council take 
this opportunity of endeavouring to impress upon 
Fellows the absolute necessity there is for them all 
individually (as many as have the society’s welfare at 
heart) to endeavour to secure new Fellows to the 
society if its work is not only to be continued at its 
present standard, but still more so if the ever-opening 
and extending opportunities of usefulness are to be 
embraced and accepted. The adoption of £1 Is. as one 
rate of subscription was no doubt a popular movement, 
but the Council desire to remind the Fellows that such 
a low rate of fellowship can only be self-supporting if it 
draws into the society a very large number (far larger 
than at present exists) of additional Fellows. The 
Council, therefore, venture to express the hope that 
every Fellow of the society will make an endeavour to 
obtain at least one new Fellow during this present 
year. 
The revival of lectures at the afternoon meetings has 
been another good feature in the year’s work, and the 
Council hope, as the fact of these lectures and their 
value become more generally known, through their 
publication in the Journal, that the attendance of 
Fellows to hear them and to take part in the discus¬ 
sions will gradually increase. The Council cannot but 
think that many of the Fellows are unaware of the 
immense interest and value of these regular bi-monthly 
meetings and the lectures so kindly delivered thereat ; 
and they beg to express, in their own name and in that 
of all Fellows of the society, their very best thanks to 
all those gentlemen who have so kindly contributed, 
either by the exhibition of plants, fruits, flowers, or 
vegetables, or by the reading of papers, to the success 
of these meetings. 
The hearty thanks of the society are due to the 
Chiswick Board and to all the members of the standing 
committees, viz., the Scientific, the Fruit and Vege¬ 
table, the Floral, the Orchid and the Narcissus Com¬ 
mittees, for the most kind and patient attention which 
they have severally given to their departments; to the 
exhibitors and members of the special committees also, 
who have contributed to so great an extent to produce 
the magnificent results of the Rose, Vegetable and 
Chrysanthemum Conferences. 
The Council recognise as fully as anyone can the 
great desirability of securing more suitable premises 
than the present Drill Hall affords, and they are now 
anxiously engaged in considering a scheme for erecting 
a suitable building on the Thames Embankment, 
which, if ever accomplished, would, they hope, not 
only afford ample facilities for our own society, but 
also, in time, form a centre for all kindred horticultural 
associations. But they must remind Fellows that the 
adoption of this scheme is purely a matter of funds, 
and would entail a very large outlay, and until they 
can see their way to provide this, they fear that no 
better place than the Drill Hall can, under the circum¬ 
stances, be readily found. 
The Council have the sad duty of recording the 
death of forty of the Fellows of the society during the 
past year. Amongst them they regret to find the 
names, Reichenbach, Boscawen, and Berkeley. 
*A few remaining copies of vol. xi., parts i., ii., iii., may now 
be purchased at half price, i.e., part i., 6cf.; part ii., 2s. Qd, ; 
part iii., 2s. 6d, 
