December 30, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
273 
long, smooth above but do-wny underneath, and rather 
suggestive of those of some of the small-leaved 
Aristolochias .—Gardening (A merican). 
Real Flowers and Plants in Public Decorations. 
An exhibition is being held in Portland-street, 
Manchester, of a new method of public decoration. 
A great variety of rear flowers and plants are pre¬ 
served in such a way by a patent process that their 
natural colours and form are retained and protected 
against the weather. Messrs. J. Defries and 
Sons, of London, have laid out a room in the 
form of a garden, with grass plots, flower beds, and 
walks. The entrance is by three arches built in 
trellis work and real flowers and grasses. At the 
further end of the room there is a collection of 
devices of the sea, made entirely of flowers, including 
a ship’s bridge, pennant in colours, life buoy, and 
life belt. On the front of the bridge is a shield 
bearing the arms of this city. In the centre of the 
garden is a large cut crystal fountain lighted by 
electricity, which is intended to give a practical illus¬ 
tration of the ability of the flowers to resist rain. 
There are columns festooned with garlands of 
natural flowers, draperies overhead tied up with 
bouquets, and long curves of pendant grasses of 
various colours. The exhibition is in its way inter¬ 
esting and worthy of a visit. It will remain open 
during the present month .—Manchester City News. 
The Manuring of Turnips.—A pamphlet has been 
published by the Glasgow Technical College, setting 
forth the results of the experiments conducted in the 
manuring of Turnips by the Agricultural Depart¬ 
ment of the College, of which Professor Wright is 
the director. The following are the conclusions 
arrived at as the result of these experiments; —In 
three of the series of experiments, the plot receiving 
farmyard manure shows the largest increase. Giving 
to it, however, a value of 3s. a ton, we find that only 
in one case is the profit greatest. In two of the ex¬ 
periments, the best results are obtained when super¬ 
phosphate is supplemented with sulphate of ammonia 
—in the one case, when applied at the rate of 4 cwt. 
superphosphate and f cwt. sulphate of ammonia, and 
on the other, at the rate of double quantities of both. 
On the whole, it may be said that the smaller quan¬ 
tity of superphosphate is accompanied with greater 
profit than the larger. Almost every one of the 
experiments shows the benefit of supplementing 
superphosphate with either potash or nitrogen. 
With regard to the action of potash, it is noteworthy 
that in no case, where it has been applied alone, has 
it had any appreciable benefit; in some cases, indeed, 
it seems to have an injurious effect. In all cases, 
however, when applied along with superphosphate, 
the results are most satisfactory, exceeding in some 
cases even those obtained with superphosphate when 
supplemented with nitrogen. Lastly, with regard to 
the action of nitrogen in the forms of sulphate of 
ammonia and nitrate of soda, the results evidently 
show these two manures to be possessed of equal 
manurial value. 
.-- 
PLANT ENEMIES. 
The value of sulphur as an insecticide, and, if I 
may use the term, a “ fungicide," can hardly be 
over-estimated ; indeed, but for that mineral, we 
may never have held in check that great pest the 
vine mildew. Yet it is a compound which needs to be 
used with very much care and caution. I heard a little 
story the other day of a gardener in Bucks, it was many 
years ago, who, finding his Cucumber plants infested 
with spider, obtained large lumps of fresh lime, 
placed them in the frames, moistened them, then 
sprinkled sulphur over the lime, shutting down the 
frames closely. When the plants were examined 
after being for some time suffused in the strong 
vapour and fumes created, it was found that the 
leaves were nearly all killed, the plants suffering 
least at the windward end of the pits. That showed 
how easy it is to overdo a remedy. 
In another case, and in another county, to destroy 
mildew on vines, a pot was filled with fresh lime and 
served in the same way as before. Presently the 
intense heat generated in the slacking lime set the 
sulphur on fire, and every leaf on the vines was at 
once destroyed. In another case that occurred 
many years ago, an inexperienced man burned 
sulphur on hot cinders in a vinery and killed foliage, 
fruit, and plants in the house absolutely. There is 
no safer and better means of utilising sulphur than 
by making up a wash, using new milk or soft soap 
to make it adhesive, and then coating the hot-water 
pipes or flues, without shutting frames, pits, cr 
houses up close. 
Still, there must be a high temperature, as there 
should be created a thin film of mist inside, and a 
few hours’ immersion in that is found most destruc- ' 
tive to insects and mildew. What with sulphur, 
sulphate of copper, lime, paraffin, and some other 
simple elements, it is now comparatively easy to 
keeps insects and moulds at bay. Of late these 
pests have not given great trouble; whether owing 
to constant combatting or to more favourable 
seasons, is not easy to determine. In any case it 
does help to create in the minds of gardeners some 
sense of security when they know of and how to use 
these drastic remedies.— D. 
--4.-- 
LARGE V. SMALL VEGETABLES. 
Most of the fulminators against large vegetables 
appear to hail from the ranks of those who have 
failed to produce any extra large specimens, or are 
not interested in doing so. But I do not think we 
need exercise our minds very much over the pro¬ 
duction of large vegetables, as their producers can 
just as easily produce small ones if they want them, 
and the growers of gigantic Onions at all events are 
not very numerous. The expense of producing 
the large Onions is frequently dangled before us as 
an objection, as well as their poor keeping qualities, 
but these are matters that concern each individual 
grower only. Seeing, however, that only a few are 
grown, there is ample time to use them from 
October to the end of January. Judges are also 
blamed for awarding prizes to and thus give en¬ 
couragement to the production of these large speci¬ 
mens ; but given a number of Onions weighing a 
pound each and the same number of the same sort 
weighing 2 lbs ," all being sound, clean, well formed 
bulbs, how, I ask, is a judge to get away from the 
larger ones ? If he ignores them because the others 
are smaller, would not an exhibitor on a future 
occasion be justified, if he showed some half-a-pound, 
in objecting to the award being given to some of i lb. 
weight ? The whole thing seems to me to be too 
absurd to be pursued any further. 
Coming now to Cauliflowers. Here again I must 
confess that I have not noticed any difference in the 
flavour of an Autumn Giant a foot across with the 
curds perfect as compared with smaller kinds in later 
summer or autumn months. Early Forcing is no 
doubt delicious, but we cannot get Autumn Giant so 
early as June for comparison. When wanted for the 
dining room we cut Autumn Giant when 4 or 6 ins. 
in diameter, because of the appearance when dished 
up. In its season I consider this of superior flavour 
to Early London and Walcheren, which I have 
frequently noticed are very strong flavoured during 
late summer or autumn months, and if slightly over¬ 
grown, inclined to be tough. 
Until some dimensions are fixed upon I cannot see 
how judges can pass over at a show a perfect Cauli¬ 
flower a foot across in favour of one half the size. 
In collections of vegetables Cauliflowers not too 
large harmonise better with the other exhibits, but 
when it comesto a class exclusively for Cauliflowers, it 
will be some time before exhibitors in this part will 
submit to large perfect specimens being passed over 
in favour of smaller ones, though equally good in 
every other way. The Brussel Sprout is another 
vegetable complained of on account of its size, and 
the flavour is said to be strong by some writers. 
I have not heard a word of complaint in that direc¬ 
tion from the dining room, but three years ago my 
Sprouts were much smaller than usual, and I was 
addressed more than once in not very complimentary 
terms in consequence. Those gardeners who grow 
these for exhibition must be blind to their own 
interest if they grow all to exhibition size in 
opposition to their employers’ wishes. It is a mis¬ 
take for any one to conclude that all vegetables are, 
or are in danger of being, grown up to the standard 
seen at shows. I regard all such productions as 
showing skill and perseverance aided by favourable 
conditions, and as such they are bound to be 
recognized by judges and show authorities as they 
are admired by the spectators. Large heads of 
Celery are said to be positively coarse and uneatable. 
Judges are not supposed to taste it at shows, but 
they can readily ascertain if it is solid and crisp, 
which are fair indications that there is not much 
the matter with it. 
It seems to me absurb to say that judges should 
not encourage large vegetables by awarding them 
prizes because such specimens are of inferior flavour. 
Judges, I contend, have nothing to do with the 
flavour of vegetables, for any judgment as to their 
quality before being cooked would be mere assump¬ 
tion. Let it be understood that when I speak of 
large vegetables I do not mean overgrown or aged 
specimens. There is a difference between a 
Cucumber 18 ins. long; neck and girth well 
proportioned, to one 24 in. that is unduly thick and 
past its best; yet at country shows the latter in nine 
cases out of ten will be awarded the prize. Seeing 
the great number of shows that are annually held 
through the country, and that the committees 
of the majority for want of funds have no choice in 
the selection of judges, but have to procure them 
near at hand to save expense, I think the Royal 
Horticultural Society would do good service if they 
drew up a code of rules for the guidance of judges, 
many of whom are totally ignorant of the duties 
they undertake, their decisions being mere guess¬ 
work, glaring blunders being committed, frequently 
followed by turbulent scenes. The bewildered 
exhibitor in the hands of such men becomes a 
shuttlecock, the judging not being conducted on the 
same lines two years alike. 
If the rules were printed in leaflet form and the 
secretary of every society applied for a copy and 
printed it in the schedule of their respective societies, 
growers would have an idea of the points to be 
aimed at and judges how to make the awards more 
harmonious than at present. If the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society does not take early steps in the 
matter, perhaps you, Mr. Editor, would give a few 
hints on the subject.— IT. P. R., Preston. 
--i-- 
MUTUAL IMPROVEMENT SOCIETIES.- 
Their Aims and Objects. 
There are associations and societies with greater 
scope, and a fuller and more comprehensive pro¬ 
gramme than this one, but the objects of all are 
pretty much the same, namely, the advancement 
and progress of gardening, but particularly the 
educational or mental improvement of their own 
members. The benefits thus presented are not 
confined to any particular class of gardeners, for all 
are invited to join on equal terms for the common 
advantage. Amateurs, or those having a love for 
gardening in any particular branch, are not only 
invited to join, but welcomed in the knowledge that 
horticulture generally is bettered thereby. The 
annually increasing number of societies that are 
being formed all over the country, is in itself ample 
testimony that such societies are not only wanted, 
but that some appreciable advantage is being derived 
from them. Scientific and literary bodies have their 
societies and clubs which they frequent to their own 
advantage in one way or other, and various avoca¬ 
tions, trades and handicrafts have their societies ; 
and if horticulture or gardening is to progress and 
be in keeping with the times, it must also have its 
societies for the advancement or improvement of its 
followers. 
Reading and Discussion of Papers. 
The primary object of all gardening societies formed 
for mutual improvement, should be the reading 
of papers, followed up by a discussion thereon. The 
advantages of so doing are far-reaching; but no one, 
probably, who has written a paper and put himself 
to any trouble over it, will deny that he has himself 
derived a great amount of benefit by it from an 
educational point of view. In fact, he will in most 
cases own that he has learned more by the effort it 
cost him to write it—especially if he has taken the 
trouble to follow the subject up with any degree of 
exhaustiveness —than he ever did by listening to the 
reading of a paper by somebody else, and then taking 
part in the discussion. The information will be more 
impressed upon his memory by the searching for it 
and then committing the facts to paper than by 
listening to a paper read by another. Apart from 
the mental improvement, and the stock of informa¬ 
tion gleaned ready to hand in gardening matters, the 
efforts to produce a good paper will enable the writer 
to improve penmanship, composition, and spelling. 
It is not those who write most that write best, but 
probably that was due in a measure to the neglect 
or the impossiblity of attaining those inestimable 
*A paper read by Mr. J. Fraser at ameetinsof the Chiswick 
Gardeners' Mutual Improvement Association, Nov. istti., 1893. 
