886 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 27, 1894. 
politan district, and we do know that it 
alv/ays brought together first-rate collec¬ 
tions of fruit, and the best growers. We 
fear there is no chance of the autumn 
Fruit Show at the Palace being revived 
this year, and so far we have no knowledge 
of any exhibition being likely to be held 
that will enable fruit to be shown well next 
autumn. Certainly the Palace has always 
been popular with growers, because it is 
cool, free from dust and gaseous com¬ 
pounds ; and fruit, even if exposed for a 
couple of days, and it should not at any one 
show be exposed longer, has rarely suf¬ 
fered. We cannot, therefore, but regret 
that the September Show is not likely to 
be revived. 
HE Chinese Primrose. —Those of our 
readers who accepted the general in¬ 
vitation issued by Messrs. Sutton & Sons 
to visit their remarkably varied and beau¬ 
tiful collection of Primulas now in bloom 
at Reading must have found themselves 
amply rewarded. Our report of the general 
nature of the collection was very fully given 
last Aveek, and all who have seen the col¬ 
lection at the London Road Nursery must 
admit that it was in no sense overdrawn, 
whilst we feel that it is exceedingly diffi¬ 
cult by any word-painting to do full justice 
to such a beautiful display. 
Of course there are other (and in many 
respects not less beautiful) Primula strains 
elsewhere. These will all be done justice 
to in their turn. Our reference at present 
rather lies with the Primula apart from 
localities or breeders, because it is not pos¬ 
sible to dwell in any way upon these re¬ 
markable collections—such as the one at 
Reading is an example—without remem¬ 
bering that the development of this most 
valuable winter-blooming plant presents as 
marked evidence of the capacity of flowers 
to develop or evolve as can be found in 
any other plant under cultivation. 
We have to-day not merely in dimen¬ 
sions, substance, and form of flowers, as 
great an advance on what was the original 
introduction as any improved flower can 
furnish. We have in it infinite variety of 
colour, and still farther we have in ordinary 
singles, giant singles, semi-doubles and 
doubles, pale green and red foliage, palmate 
and fern leafage—nay, even a pointed or 
ivy-leaf form is now being evolved; also 
green and reddish bronzy moss-curled 
leafage, so that variations are illimitable, 
and all have come so far as we know from 
out of the original and almost insignificant 
Primula sinensis. 
Whe Original Primula sinensis. —We 
were highly delighted last week to note 
a good sized batch of the original and un¬ 
improved or wild form of Primula sinensis 
in the nursery of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, 
Reading. The plants are two years old, 
and in 32-size pots, which they completely 
fill. Although the leaves are small, the 
crowns are very numerous, making dense, 
tufted specimens of dwarf and compact 
habit. The leaves vary from pale to dark 
green, and though generally of the palm 
leaved or plain form, some of them exhibit 
a tendency to develop into the fern-leaved 
t3^pe, with which we are acquainted amongst 
the long cultivated and improved forms. In 
some cases they might well be compared to 
those of Pelargonium fragrans. 
On the whole, the plants appeared to us 
the picture of health and happiness, but we 
were surprised to learn that this wilding 
was the greatest invalid on the place, in 
fact, a savage or heathen best left undis¬ 
turbed in its native wilds and fastnesses. It 
has been tried in various places and houses, 
and stands heat better than cold. The 
flowers vary from mauve to nearly white, 
but always pale, and never fringed, nor 
have they imbricate segments like the 
improved race. Seeds are very sparingly 
produced, even when the pollen produced 
by the wild form itself has been employed ; 
and nocross has ever been obtained between 
this and any of the improved types. 
The seeds are dark, or nearly black, and 
have been compared to Radish seed. 
They germinate very irregularly. In these 
respects the wild species greatly resembles 
other Primulas which do not take kindly to 
cultivation, and soon get lost. British 
Orchids, with few exceptions, present the 
same difficulties, and many more could be 
added to the list. The question arises 
whether the Chinese in ancient times had 
to coax this plant to grow by kindly 
management through a successive number 
of generations till cultivation and the 
resources of civilization had accustomed it 
to garden treatment. 
-- 
Royal Botanic Society.—The discovery of the 
curious fresh-water jelly-fish in the Victoria Lily 
tank in the Regent’s Park Botanical Gardens has 
already been noticed. Mr. Beddard, of the Zoo¬ 
logical Society, writes to Nature that this tank has 
proved to be the home of several other new or 
interesting species of little animals, mainly because 
the curator has prudently refrained in the interest of 
science from “periodically cleaning" it out. Mr. 
Bousfield, for instance, found in it certain new or 
little known forms of Dero, and more recently Pro¬ 
fessor Bourne fished out of it a novel species of the 
Naid genus Pristina. Mr. Beddard discovered in 
he same happy hunting-ground a whole series of 
rare or novel species of Oligochaeta, a genus of tiny 
worms. Among other species, a Naid hitherto only 
known from Calcutta was detected. 
Field Mushroo.ns in January.—-^ corresponient of 
an Edinburgh evening paper writes under date of 
January 13thA basketful of Mushrooms 
(Agaricus campestris) was gathered yesterday after¬ 
noon in the Queen's Park. All the specimens were 
large, the pileus of each being about 4 in. broad. 
They are strong and healthy, and have evidently 
sprung up in less than a week, for no trace of them 
was seen on Sunday last in the meadow ground 
where they were found yesterday. The very mild 
weather during the last few days may account for 
this remarkable growth, assisted, perhaps, in some 
mysterious way by the moon, for it is an old saying 
that ‘ Mushrooms grow more rapidly when the moon 
waxeth than when it waneth.’ ’’ 
Valu3 of Cut Flowers in thj Market. —A Cornish 
clergyman writing in the Western Morning News gives 
the following as his experience of the Christmas 
flower trade :—“ Just before Christmas I received a 
letter from a large Birmingham salesman, asking me 
to send anything I had, as flowers were scarce. I 
sent two boxes—one contained four and a half 
dozen Chrysanthemums, 4 in. across, grown on 
plants that had been four times repotted, disbudded, 
and nurtured under glass. These sold for is. The 
other box contained twelve dozen Maidenhair Ferns, 
two and a half dozen Roman Hyacinths, eighteen 
dozen Violets in bunches, two dozen Narcissi 
Polyanthus, and several other things. These were 
sold for 2S. ; for the whole, 3s. Carriage and com¬ 
mission amounted to 2s. 4d., so I got 8d. for my 
trouble. At the same time I read a florist’s adver¬ 
tisement—Chrysanthemum flowers 3d. to 4d. eaph. 
This is why the great centres are so badly supplied. 
I have plenty of flowers now, but they will remain 
where they are.’’ 
Death of Mr. Edward George —A very able and 
much respected gardener passed away on the i8th 
inst. in the person of Mr. Edward George, gardener 
to Lord Abingdon, at tVytham Abbey, near Oxford. 
Mr. George was ill but a few days, and died before 
many of his numerous personal friends even knew 
that he was sick, the cause of death being influenza. 
We first made Mr. George’s acquaintance when he 
was gardener some years ago to the late Earl of 
Clancarty, at Garbally, in co. Galway, whence he 
went to New Zealand, and subsequently returned to 
England and became gardener to Mr. Boord, then 
M.P. for Greenwich, at Cuckfield, whom he left on 
the place being given up a few years ago to go to 
Wytham. A man of a singularly kind, amiable and 
energetic disposition, Mr. George was at the same 
time one of the very best cultivators we have ever 
met with. He could grow anything that he took in 
hand, and grow it well, and as a cultivator of fruit 
under glass had few superiors when he had a fair 
chance. Poor George ! His one great burden and 
drawback in life was the care of a large family, 
which kept him in the background. His widow and 
numerous children will keenly miss the one most 
dear to them all, and we sincerely sympathise with 
them in their afSiction. 
The Effects of the Late Severe Frost. —Mr. T. Gray, 
writing from Belfast on Tuesday, remarks that vege¬ 
tables there have suffered to a great extent, including 
Broccoli, Curled Greens, and Brussels Sprouts, the 
latter of which have suffered most, being almost 
killed. The stems and sprouts are quite soft an inch 
above the snow line. Autumn sown Onions, 
Cabbage. Early London Cauliflowers in the open 
borders, being covered with snow are not in the least 
injured. Shruhs also have their tale to tell. Large 
clumps of Pernettya mucronata have been severely 
cut, as well as the New Zealand Laurel, Griselinia 
littoralis. The common Bay and Portugal Laurels in 
exposed places have also suffered. The Laurustinus, 
Ceanothus azureus, and some of the Veronicas are 
killed near to the ground, while large specimens of 
Rhododendrons 6 ft. to 9 ft. high and about the 
same width have been severely cut. Some valuable 
standards of Cotoneaster frigida have met with a 
similar fate. 
Death of Mr. William Truelove.—Many who knew, 
or who worked under Mr. Truelove at Kew, will re¬ 
gret to hear that he died at Brixton on the i6th inst., 
after a brief illness. His career, although not very 
varied, was an extended one, for he died at the age 
of seventy-t7,’0, about two years after he quitted 
active service in the Royal Gardens. Throughout 
his life his sphere of work was confined to the 
arboretum, and the duties connected therewith. His 
training was obtained in the arboretum at Bicton, 
where he continued his labours for about twenty 
years. After that, he was for some time with Mr. 
William Barron at Borrowash, Derby, in whose 
nursery he had doubtless seen and learnt much of 
the removal and planting of trees. The rest of his 
career was passed in the arboretum at Kew, v/here 
he saw much active service and made extensive 
alterations amongst the trees, greatly improving the 
general aspect of the landscape during the curator- 
ship of the late Mr. John Smith. His term of 
service here extended to twenty-six years, so that 
with lifelong opportunities and facilities, he gained a 
wide experience with and knowledge of trees. He 
was a genial and kind-hearted man, and secured and 
retained the respect of those under him, while he 
enjoyed the esteem of a wide circle of friends and 
acquaintances outside the domain of Kew. 
Mr. Kromer’s Experiences in British Guiana. —One 
Saturday evening last Mr. Edward Kromer, one 
of the collectors to Messrs. Charlesworth, Shuttle- 
worth & Co.’s Orchid nurseries at Heaton, 
gave an interesting lantern-lecture before the 
members of the Bradford Paxton Society at the 
Market Tavern, Godwin Street, Bradford, descriptive 
of his experiences, while Orchid collecting in British 
Guiana, South America, and his visit to theRoraima. 
Mr. R. Eichel, president of the society, presided. 
There was a good attendance of members. The 
expedition to British Guiana was commenced in 
September, 1891, and with the return journey 
occupied 106 days. The many and varied difficul¬ 
ties attending the procuring of Orchids from their 
native habitats were graphically described by !Mr. 
Kromer. The description of an Orchid collector’s 
outfit, in visiting a country where money is of no use, 
was most amusing, as every payment took the form 
of barter, A great portion of the journey under¬ 
taken was by water, which was much interrupted by 
the numerous rapids and falls encountered, and 
which involved the unshipping of the canoes and 
their cargoes, and their transportation overland. 
Hundreds of miles, however, had to be crossed on 
land, rendered more irksome by the treacherous 
nature of the ground, or the intervention of such 
mountains as the Curabung, 3,000 ft. in height. This 
altitude, however, was trifling, compared with that 
of the Roraima, the goal of the expedition, visited 
