March 1, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
405 
new matter. The patron is H.R.H. the Prince of 
Wales. The honorary president is the Lord Provost of 
Aberdeen, and the chairman of the acting directors is 
Mr. James Murray Garden, Advocate, Aberdeen. There 
are four divisions for competition at the fete, i.e., (1) 
professional gardeners, (2) nurserymen and florists, (3) 
amateurs and (4) working class. There are 722 prizes 
offered at the fete, which is fixed for the 21st, 22nd, 
and 23rd of August. The spring show will be held in 
April, 1891, on a date to bo afterwards fixed. There 
is the same number of divisions as at the summer show, 
and the prizes number 267. It is some time since a 
spring show was held in Aberdeen, and every effort will 
be made to make the 1891 one a success. The chief 
prizes are for collections of pot plants, fruit, vegetables, 
cut flowers, including bouquets of wild flowers, the com¬ 
petition being open to boys and girls under sixteen 
years of age, and for which there is no entry money 
charged. 
Sonerilla, Madame H. Gruson.—This new Sonerilla 
is said to resemble S. Comtesse de Flandre. The 
variety under notice is said to be the finest acquisition 
of the day on account of the handsome size of its leaves. 
The latter vary from 3 ins. to 5| ins. in length, and 
from 2 ins, to 2f ins. in width, and are deep green, 
heavily blotched throughout with irregularly shaped 
silvery blotches, arranged more or less in lines 
between the veins. The midrib is rose or sometimes 
dark red, and the lateral veins are deep green or brown. 
The lower surface of the leaves is green and tessellated 
with red, and the margins are often reddish brown. 
The stems and petioles are red. It is named after the 
wife of a great trader of Buekau, near Magdebourg. 
There is a coloured figure of it in L' Illustration 
Horticole, pi. 92. 
A New Vine Manure.—The Paris.correspondent of 
The Daily Telegraph states that M. Ville, the well- 
known professor of chemistry, “has discovered a new 
chemical manure, intense and almost miraculous in its 
effects on the Vine. It consists of a mixture of phos¬ 
phate of chalk, carbonate of refined potash, and 
sulphate of chalk, which if placed round Vine-growths, 
will enable them to defy the onslaughts of the 
Phylloxera. Nitrate of potash may be used instead of 
carbonate, which is dear ; but in order to make the 
manure efficacious in its results, the Vines should be 
fumigated [?] in the autumn or January and February. 
M. Ville has tried his experiments on French Vines at 
Vincennes, but he is of opinion that this manure will 
be of equal use in America or Australia. He further¬ 
more predicts that his chemical concoction will not 
only destroy the Phylloxera, bat lead to an abundance 
of Grapes, which are nowadays so scarce in this country 
that Spanish and Italian Vines of inferior quality have 
to be drawn upon for the fabrication of French wines. 
M. Ville’s views, however, are considered to be too 
sanguine by some of the experts, but should he succeed 
he will undoubtedly have deserved well of all lovers of 
the refreshing, exhilarating, and vivifying juice of the 
genuine Gallic Grape.” 
Oxford Botanic Garden Seed List.—TTe are favoured 
with a seed list which describes itself as a selection of 
seeds which the Botanic Garden of Oxford University 
offers for mutual exchange. It is evidently intended 
for the learned only, for we fail to find a scrap of our 
mother tongue either on the covers or throughout its 
sixteen pages, with the exception of the names of the 
director and curator. This is worse than Kew. The 
list is in itself, however, a good one, and considering 
the limited extent of the garden, the number of seeds 
offered is very creditable. The different genera and 
species are arranged under their respective natural 
orders, which is an improvement upon the artificial 
system of Linnaeus. In the arrangement of the 
herbaceous grounds the Linnsean system used to prevail; 
and we know that Oxford was one of the first places to 
adopt the classification of the renowned Swede, and 
possibly the last to retain it. No seeds of the reputed 
Lathyrus Sibthorpii are offered, although Oxford 
professes to have it. On the other hand, we are glad 
to see Fuchsia coceinea mentioned, because a few years 
ago the species was rescued from oblivion in the Oxford 
garden, where it had survived the neglect into which it 
had fallen. It is also pleasing to note such rare 
British plants as Impatiens noli-me-taugere (imperfectly 
rendered noli-tangere), Lathyrus maritimus, Erodium 
maritimum, Drosera anglica, Arum italicum, Myosurus 
minimus, and others. It is equally amusing to find 
seeds of the Apple, Pear, Gooseberry, and Maize 
offered for exchange. What is the Rosa ferox of 
Bieberstein ? R. ferox is stated to be a native of 
Northern Asia; the R. ferox of Lawrence, and of the 
Botanical Register, t. 42, is synonymous with R. 
rugosa, a Japan plant, although the R. ferox of 
Lawrence is stated to be a native of the Caucasus, 
which would be Pfieberstein’s region. 
THE WILDSMITH MEMORIAL. 
A committee of members of the Reading and 
District Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Association, 
consisting of Messrs. W. Basket, J. Goombes, 
T. E. Henwood, 0. Ilott. W. Lees, J. Martin, J. Pound, 
and G. Stanton, with W. J. Palmer, Esq , as president, 
and Mr. A. W. Sutton, Reading, and Mr. H. J. Veitch, 
Chelsea, as honorary treasurers, has been formed to raise 
a fund which shall serve as a memorial to the memory 
of the late Mr. W. Wildsmith, by placing a child on 
the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. It is earnestly hoped 
that there will be a very ready response to the appeal 
now being made, especially by the late Mr. Wildsmith’s 
friends and admirers, amongst the gardeners of the 
United Kingdom. 
The committee venture to suggest that in consequence 
of the late Mr. Wildsmith having promised to take 
steps to place one of a family of a late gardener’s 
orphan children on the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, they 
sincerely trust that so charitable an object on his part 
will commend itself as the best form of memorial that 
can be raised to him, now that death has prevented the 
carrying out of so generous a purpose.— T. Turton, 
The Gardens, Maiden Erlegh, Reading, Eon. Sec. 
-- 
THE CAMPERNELLE. 
The typical Narcissus odorus has the spreading seg¬ 
ments obovate-oblong, and tapering at the base where 
they do not overlap one another. This bears from one 
to four flowers on the scape, but more often only one, 
especially when forced. Our illustration represents 
N. o. rugulosa, a form with shorter and broader 
segments overlapping considerably at the base, as may 
be seen by reference to the illustration. It is figured 
in the Botanical Magazine, t. 934, under the name of 
N. calathinus. This is the form to which the name 
Campernelle seems to be most often applied. The 
flowers are more profuse whether grown in pots or in 
the open air, three being the average number on a 
scape, although a greater number often occurs. It 
submits readily to being forced, and has been flowering 
for some time past. In the open air it will come into 
bloom early next month, and a gay subject it is, owing 
to the freedom with which it flowers. The blooms 
are less distinctly fragrant than those of the type, and 
have a six-lobed, plaitel corona; while that of N. 
odorus is not plaited. 
-- 
PHALiENGPSIS AT EAST SHEEN. 
Ever since Christmas, when 116 spikes of bloom in 
various stages could have been counted, has there been 
a greater or less display in the Phakenopsis house at 
Clare Lawn, East Sheen. The house notwithstanding is 
comparatively a small one, and for facility of con¬ 
venience to examine the contents, the low roof is un¬ 
fortunately against it. The show of bloom at present is 
quite fascinating. The plants are grown in baskets or 
cylinders, and the greater number of them are suspended 
from the roof, a fact which adds in no small degree to 
the general effect. Amongst those in flower at present 
are P. Schilleriana, P. amabilis, P. grandiflora and P. 
Stuartiana. Of the first named were some pieces with 
p micled flowers of rich and telling colours. The lateral 
and contiguous edges of the sepals were in some 
instances finely spotted with deep purple. The leaves 
in most cases showed evidence of good cultivation, 
measuring 13 ins. long, and 4 ins. broad, while they 
were at the same time of good substance. The size and 
purity of the flowers of P. amabilis and P. grandiflora 
were noticeable in many instances. The purple spotting 
on the contiguous edges of the lateral segments was also 
well marked in P. amabilis and P. Stuartiana. A 
specimen of the latter had two tall panicled scapes of 
bloom, yet it was grown in a cylinder amongst crocks 
without either peat or sphagnum. We also noted a 
form of P. amabilis with spathulate green leaves, quite 
unlike the type in foliage. P. gloriosum is allied to the 
latter, and is noteworthy from the way in which the 
lateral lobes of the lip are widened, and arched over 
the columu. The whole flower is very compact, with 
greatly overlapping segments, and the tails or appen¬ 
dages of the lip are of great length. In the same house 
we noted the white sweet-scented Aerides Harrisonianum. 
The front bench of the house is done up with rockwork, 
and planted with Ferns and Fittonias, giving a fine 
finish to the whole. The display of Phaltenopsis does 
credit to Mr. Want, under whose care they have been 
for some time past, and who now has charge of the 
gardens. 
--H£<-- 
THE DAHLIA. 
Rei.iable reports state that while some growers have 
preserved their ground roots of Dahlias through the 
winter without difficulty, others have had serious 
losses. The losses are traceable to the early frost 
about the middle of September in 1889, and which 
appears to have been more severely felt in some places 
than in others. The frost caused decay to spread 
through the base of the flower stalk to the root, with 
the result that the rot was communicated to it, and 
speedy decay followed. It is well, when this happens, 
that there is a supply of pot roots to fall back upon to 
furnish a supply of cuttings, though, in some in¬ 
stances—perhaps most—growers for exhibition would 
prefer to have plants from ground rather than pot 
roots. 
The National Dahlia Society must be complimented 
upon having had a good time during the year 1889, for, 
notwithstanding the addition of the centenary classes, 
the committee are able to carry over a balance of £25. 
Special contributions were made to a centenary fund, 
some £50 or so having been obtained in this way, and 
these special donations, added to the usual annual sub¬ 
scriptions, and the grant from the Crystal Palace 
authorities, enabled a substantial balance to be ob¬ 
tained. It is a very economically-worked society, the 
working expenses being very small. In this respect 
Mr. T. W. Girdlestone is a model secretary. 
I am glad to notice in the revised schedule of prizes 
for the exhibition which is to take place at the Crystal 
Palace on September 5th and 6th next, that in most 
of the amateurs’ classes, as in the nurserymen’s, show 
and fancy Dahlias are to be exhibited intermixed. 
When this reform was first pressed forward by me it 
was received with some hesitation, and when adopted 
applied only to the nurserymen’s classes. The largest 
class for amateurs—viz., for twenty-four varieties—will 
now be composed of show and fancy varieties inter¬ 
mingled ; but the classes for twelve and six show 
varieties, and for twelve and six fancy varieties are 
maintained. The sooner, however, the absurd dis¬ 
tinction is abolished altogether the better, for it is 
difficult to say what is and what is not a fancy Dahlia 
in some instances ; and I am quite certain that the 
presence of the pretty and bright-striped and tipped 
fancy Dahlias in a stand imparts life, brightness and 
picturesqueness to it, and therefore an extension of the 
practice is highly desirable. As I have before stated 
in these columns, at some country shows all tipped 
flowers are regarded as fancy Dahlias, and shown 
accordingly. It does seem absurd that one type of 
tipped Dahlia should be a fancy, and another a show 
variety. 
The schedule of prizes of the National Dahlia Society 
is now extended to 28 classes, which, I think, will 
tend to give the smaller growers a better chance of 
winning a prize or two ; and fourth prizes are offered 
in all of them. Hitherto the largest class for Cactus 
and decorative Dahlias has been confined to twelve 
bunches ; but a class has been found for twenty-four 
bunches also. There was a stiff fight over this class, as 
to whether the twenty-four bunches should be distinct 
varieties ; some contending there were not more than 
twelve varieties of Cactus worthy of cultivation. 
Eventua'ly a compromise was arrived at, and twenty- 
