September 16, 1893. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
35 
large, funnel-shaped, rich in colour, possessing hues 
found in few other annuals, and they have been 
designated the Orchids among the hardy annuals. 
Splendid bunches were shown at the Crystal Palace, 
and no one interested in flowers could pass them by 
without stopping to examine and admire them. The 
seeds, a packet of which can be purchased for a 
small sum, can be sown in light, warm soil in the 
open in March and April; the plants need to be 
thinned out in order to afford each individual ample 
space in which to develop. Or the seeds (as is often 
done) can be sown in pots, or in a box in a cold 
frame ; the plants as soon as large enough pricked off 
into other pots or boxes, gradually hardened off, and 
finally planted in the open in May. For general 
cultural purposes, it might safest be classed among 
the hardy annuals. But whoever may be induced to 
buy a packet, let them ask for Salpiglossis grandi- 
flora. 
Other Annuals Finely Shown 
were the pretty Phlox Drummondii, charming 
bunches being displayed, and, like the Salpiglossis, 
they stood the warmth of the crowded building un¬ 
commonly well; like the Salpiglossis, this beautiful 
annual Phlox has been so improved since introduced 
by Drummond from Texas, in 1835, that could that 
enterprising collector appear on the scene again, he 
would fail to recognise the original. Indeed, the 
possibilities of development in some of our popular 
annuals appear unlimited. The Indian Pinks 
(Dianthus chinensis) were very fine also, and 
especially the varieties Heddewigii and H. 
laciniatus ; the double types are attractive also, but 
they do not compare with the single for beauty. 
The African Marigolds and the single Chrysanthe¬ 
mums, especially of the tricolor section, were also 
striking, and the bunches of Sweet Peas were 
delightful; and we were pleased to see ho v the new 
and improved varieties are finding their way into 
working men’s gardens and allotments. A working 
man, with his limited plot of ground, should grow 
only the very best, and he should remember that a 
bad plant takes up as much room in a garden as a 
good one. Among 
Biennials 
the homely Snapdragon (Antirrhinum) was repre¬ 
sented by very fine bunches of high quality ; and the 
collections of bunches of hardy flowers were equally 
good. We touch only on a few points in this remark¬ 
able exhibition. It covered the whole of the available 
floor space under the nave of the Sydenham palace 
of glass. About 6,000 superficial feet of tabling 
were required for staging the exhibits, and in many 
instances they were inconveniently crowded. The 
leaders of the co-operative movement, having 
induced the workman to become a co-operator, saw 
the advantage of interesting him in his garden, and 
the pleasant occupations connected with it, in the 
production of honey, the keeping of poultry, etc.; 
and more especially in enriching his taste with the 
production of his garden, and beautifying his home 
with the flowers he rears with so much success. To 
achieve this, the flower show in connection with the 
National Co-operative Festival was inaugurated, and 
the splendid success which has attended it has more 
than justified its establishment. We may say of the 
festival itself that it truly represents “ an organised 
effort to give prominence to the higher ideals of co¬ 
operation.” To this end local organisations have 
promoted within various localities a love of flowers, 
a knowledge of music, the practice of healthful 
athletics, the organisation of children’s sports and 
pastimes, and above all, the development of co¬ 
partnership in industry. The results of these 
attempts may be said to be summed up in the annual 
great gathering at the Crystal Palace, when the 
separated attempts are crystallised into a whole. Not 
the least attractive feature of the proceedings was 
two vocal concerts of 6,000 voices, the body made 
up of choirs drawn from all parts of the country. 
The children, who go to the Palace on this occasion 
in great numbers, are cared for also, and the day is 
one of supreme enjoyment, without a trace of 
rowdyism, horseplay, or anything of the kind. How 
true it is that— 
Ingenious arts, where they an entrance find. 
Soften the manners and subdue the mind! 
Rosa Wichuraiana is making a great sensation at 
Franklin Park, Boston, U.S.A., where it has been, 
planted very extensively, and during the month of 
July has covered the rocky slopes with great masses 
of white bloom. To the Arnold Arboretum is due 
the credit for the introduction of this splendid 
.species. 
THE HARDY FRUIT 
GARDEN. 
Effects of the Season on the Apple Crop.— 
The present season will leave an indelible im¬ 
pression on the minds of the younger members of 
the gardening fraternity, on account of the pro¬ 
longed drought which has rendered the labours of 
those whose duties have been among pot plants 
most laborious. In ordinary seasons, when many of 
the denizens of glass' houses are placed outside 
during the summer, an occasional respite in the use 
of the water pot occurs during cloudy, showery 
weather, but the past season has given no rest to the 
water pot. If this were all, it would not matter so 
very much, but when we visit gardens and find 
three-fourths of the Apples not more than a fourth of 
the usual size and the fruit much damaged by birds, 
wasps, and flies, which by-the-bye generally show 
their discretion by choosing the best they can find. 
This has caused many who would gladly have left 
the fruit on the trees a little longer, to gather it. 
These remarks apply principally to fruits growing 
on gravelly soils, as we find on stiffer soils a very 
different state of affairs even in the same orchard 
where the soil varies very much in texture. We saw 
Lady Henniker not a fourth of its usual size on 
gravel, and Fearn’s Pippin on clay a fine crop, and 
rather above the average in size. In some instances 
the sample of fruit is so small that it is unrecog¬ 
nizable, and being prematurely ripe there will in 
many cases be a paucity of hardy fruits for the 
dessert table during the coming winter. Pears, 
especially on pyramids, are in some instances better 
than usual, and I have seen numbers of trees which 
have not borne any fruit for some years, yielding a 
good crop of handsome Pears under the same 
management.— W. B. 
Braddick’s Nonpareil Apple. —The merits of 
this fine old dessert Apple are not so widely known 
as they should be, for it is one of a few which may 
be had in good condition till quite late in the season, 
and is of a most agreeable flavour. The tree bears 
well as a standard, and the fruit is of medium size, 
rounded, and flattened, and the skin dull, dark green, 
russety and dull red next the sun.—IF. B. 
-»*•- 
VERBENA TEUCRIOIDES. 
This species, referred to at p. 6, and by a printer’s 
error given as ” V. Tancroides ” we are informed was 
first sent to this country by Dr, Gillies, who collected 
it on the highest of the Uspallata Mountains in 
South America, at an elevation of 10,000 ft. above 
the level of the sea, and subsequently Mr, Tweedie 
sent it from Montevideo and the Sugar Loaf Moun¬ 
tains, Buenos Ayres. Mr. Tweedie, it appears, also 
sent seeds of it to the Earl of Arran, in whose garden 
the plant was first raised, and bloomed during the 
summer of 1838, and the Messrs. Handyside, of 
the Musselburgh Nursery sent it out in 1839. 
In speaking of the introduction of this species, 
interesting facts present themselves and push their 
way into one’s memory, one fact being that the writer 
had the pleasure of growing a native variety or 
species introduced from Brazil in 1834, and named 
in honour of the introducer of V. teucrioides, viz., 
Tweedieana, and subsequently lived with Mr. J. D. 
Parks, who was at one period of his life gardener to 
the Earl of Arran, in whose garden V. teucrioides 
was raised. As showing how much is done by 
united effort in a man’s lifetime, another fact may 
be mentioned that the numerous species of Verbenas 
introduced anterior to the dates mentioned were 
described by J. C. Loudon as ” a weedy genus of 
plants,” but subsequent to the date quoted, after the 
newest and the best had been taken in hand by the 
hybridist, and many charming varieties raised, our 
ever-to-be-remembered friend, in his later days, 
spoke of the Verbenas thus :—” The great beauty of 
the flowers of several species of this genus, and their 
peculiar adaptation to summer and autumn ornament 
have caused them of late to be carefully attended to 
by the trade and by amateurs, and consequently 
many and very elegant varieties have been pro¬ 
duced.” 
Thus was the Verbena a general and special 
favourite for many years,batches of new varieties being 
introduced annually at from 2s. 6d. to 5s. per plant, 
and there were plenty of purchasers even at those 
prices ; but, alas, old lovers of late years have been 
almost led to whistle the refrain, “ O where and O 
where is my Highland Laddie gone ? ”— George Fry, 
Lewisham. 
QM^aningB fcom fh^ PtirliJ 
of SctencB. 
Pedigree Races in Horticulture. —A paper oil 
this subject was read by M. Henri L. de Vilmorin, 
Paris, on August 17th. before the Horticultural Con¬ 
gress at Chicago. In this he said that a plant’s 
work in making the mineral wealth of the earth 
fitted for the use of animals and man, was well or ill 
done according to the fitness of the plant for that 
work. He further said that it was within the power 
of man to control to some extent the efficiency of 
plants for this purpose by the Continued selection of 
those plants that develop more and more of any 
given and desirable quality. Heredity is the lever 
by which man can turn his studies and experiments 
to the best account, by the fixing of those desirable 
qualities, so that step by step he may in time 
achieve what from the commencement he has had in 
mind In this way varieties and races are created, 
so to speak, by the genius and skill of man. When 
a large number of varieties have been obtained, it 
generally happens that numbers of them present 
close affinity with one another, while others favour 
a different type in like manner. We then have 
strains or races of plants agreeing in all important 
particulars and differing only in minor ones. Care, 
food, and protection will make plants larger and 
finer; but only by selection and the assistance of 
heredity can we produce a useful and enduring or 
fixed race of plants. 
The Action of Heredity.— The skilled horti¬ 
culturist went on to say that the large Pansies, 
hybrid Gladioli, and large-flowered Cannas had all 
been brought to their present magnificent proportions 
from small-flowered originals by careful observers 
who noted every variation, kept a record of the 
descent of their plants, and turned to the best 
account the action of heredity. Plants in a state of 
nature will produce variations as it were by chance, 
and if those variations possess anything of advantage 
to the plant, they will be perpetuated or carried on 
to the next generation by heredity with greater or 
less exactness. On the contrary, those variations, 
which are of no service to the plant in its struggle 
for existence in a state of nature, soon get lost or 
disappear. Some of them might be of important 
service to man in one way or other, and herein lies 
his opportunity for selection and the perpetuation of 
the plant by placing it under his special care and 
protection. He took the Potato as an example, and 
supposed the case of a dwarf and late sprouting 
variety growing amongst a mass of rank growing and 
early sprouting ones. The former, if left to its own 
resources must succumb in the struggle, but by 
man’s interference and protection it is able to per¬ 
petuate what quality it may possess advantageous to 
man. Like domesticated animals, plants yield up in 
a measure their self defence in adapting themselves 
to man’s service, and he in turn must afford or pro¬ 
vide the necessary protection and nourishment. 
How Heredity Works. —The object of heredity 
is to transmit to the offspring of a plant the charac¬ 
teristics and the qualities of its parents. ” Like 
breeds like ” is a well-known axiom, and another 
saying is, " as like as Peas in a pod.” But Peas in 
one and the same pod generally present greater or 
less differences in a more or less pronounced degree, 
and the latent potentialities that lie hid in the germ 
may be great. The progeny may take after one of 
the parents more than another, or may blend the 
characteristics of both and be intermediate. The 
parents, although of the same kind, may be con¬ 
siderably different from one another, and should they 
be of composite origin, we may have reversions to 
some of the earlier progenitors or towards them ; 
and in all this we get variation. These variations 
are at the bottom of all improvements, and by the 
repeated selections of the most desirable types and 
the retention of those that come nearest the ideal 
sought, their qualities and characteristics become 
fixed with more or less permanency by heredity. 
The facts are that although plants tend to vary, 
heredity is generally the strongest factor in deter¬ 
mining what the progeny will be. This power is 
impaired to some extent by conflict with atavism or 
a tendency to revert to ancestral forms. The ob¬ 
ject of the raiser, therefore, who wishes to make pro¬ 
gress along a certain line, should be to avoid using 
any of the ancestral forms, if he wishes to avoid 
reversion. He will thereby spare himself a great 
deal of unnecessary labour by interfering as little as 
possible with the power and onward progress trans¬ 
mitted by heredity. 
