440 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 10, 1894. 
objects of attack. The most comforting reflection 
in this litigation, is, that those industrious insects 
will not fail in the performance of those duties for 
which they are fitted, although they may fail in 
bearing those burdens with which despotic task¬ 
masters would tax their industry. The plea put 
forward by '■ D ” (p. 420), " that the bee is a very 
selfish creature,” if weighed in the balance will be 
found wanting; for if we view the subject in that 
light, then there is no creature on earth to which 
that epithet is more applicable than to man. The 
writer in question may hark back to that very old 
command given to man to go forth and multiply and 
replenish the earth and subdue it. He has done so 
and subdued both the animal, vegetable and mineral 
kingdoms to his own advantage. All plants and 
animals work primarily for their own good, and the 
advantage of others only comes in as a secondary 
consideration, and even then it harks back to self. 
Why then accuse bees in the manner stated ? The 
fact that bees only visit those flowers from which 
they expect to obtain food I attribute to their 
intelligence. Man himself could hardly imitate a 
better example in that respect. On the other hand 
bees may and do often have to work under very 
unfavourable circumstances, and if they do fail 
sometimes to satisfy our presumptuous demands, it 
is to be remembered that the ideal of all animals 
having been made entirely to meet the wants of man 
is rather an antiquated notion. 
Coming to particulars, ” D ” makes statements 
about the Snapdragon which would lead one to infer 
that the flowers are self fertilising. Why then the 
useless expenditure on the part of nature to produce 
large and showy flowers of such wonderful 
mechanism as those of the Snapdragon ? It must at 
least be very extravagant economy, if the flowers are 
meant merely for the protection of the pollen and 
seed producing organs. That could have been done 
with small and green or otherwise colourless 
envelopes. If the bee is simply a robber in this 
case, why does the flower open at all ? The flower 
might have been cleistogamous like the small and 
self fertile ones of the Violet, Lamium amplexicaule, 
Chysis aurea, Dendrobium Brymerianum 
histrionicum, and others which might be mentioned, 
but it is not. 
I quite agree with " D ” that Primroses are ” not 
dependent on bees for fertilisation,” and the 
assumption which was at one time (I believe) made 
is an erroneous one. They could not if they would 
fertilise those flowers, because the length and 
narrowness of the tube prevents them. Primroses 
are visited by moths which the ardent observer 
must watch for during the gloaming hours and even 
after it is quite dark for human eye to detect them 
without artificial light. Moreover, it is my impres¬ 
sion that very few of the earliest developed flowers 
give rise to fertile ovaries. The same applies to 
other flowers that are entirely dependent upon 
insect agency for their fertility. Very few of the 
large and showy flowers of the Violet are fertile, but 
there is great reason to believe that those expanding 
when insects become more active, stand the chance 
cf being cross fertilised, and that the resulting 
seedlings may give rise to individuals that are 
constitutionally stronger, or better able in one way 
or other to fight the battle of life, not only against 
competitors of their own kind, but plants belonging to 
altogether different families. If the race succeeds in 
holding its own, it is as much as we can expect in an 
old country so crowded with vegetation, adapted to 
live under various conditions and amongst compli¬ 
cated environments. In this they succeed except 
when struggling against their ancient and inveterate 
enemy, man. 
The pulse family is a wide designation, and when 
the above mentioned writer alluded to it, the reading 
public would have been more edified if the writer 
had been more explicit or specific. It is a wrong 
basis upon which to build up a hypothesis, by 
assuming that all Pea plants are self fertilising 
because the Garden Pea (Pisum sativum) is in that 
condition. If the flowers of modern varieties of Pea 
are examined, they do not give the beholder the idea 
that they expect a visitor, for they do not expand 
properly, but wither up in a day or two, and in the 
course of a few days are thrown off by the lengthen¬ 
ing seed pod. They are truly self fertilising; but if 
it were possible for us to examine plants in their 
original habitats, it is more than probable that it 
would be seen they required insect aid to set their 
fruits. The French or Kidney Bean is in the same 
condition ; but Darwin found that Scarlet Runners 
when covered up so as to exclude bees, were 
infertile. 
I believe it is somewhere said, that bees treat the 
Sweet Pea with the same neglect as they do the 
Garden Pea ; but that is not the case. They are 
unable to get at the honey in the Sweet Pea, owing 
to the peculiar structure of the flower and the 
strength that is necessary to depress the wings of the 
same. Hive bees are able to depress the upper 
portion of the wings, and by that means they are 
^ able to get at and collect the pollen. This may be 
described as an acl of robbery ; but are we sure that 
the Sweet Pea does not derive some advantage in 
lieu of the pollen taken away ? The flowers do not 
always set, possibly owing to their not being visited 
by bees at the proper time, and which might have 
been due to unfavourable weather. The mere act 
of depressing the wings of the flower is sufficient to 
disperse the pollen over the top of the stigma. 
Then the pollen taken away causes no loss, on 
account of the enormous quantity produced in excess 
of requirements. The proper insects that may enjoy 
the benefit of the nectar produced, and fertilise both 
the Garden and Sweet Pea, do not exist in this 
country, and it is doubtless owing to their being 
cultivated so long in gardens, that the modern 
representatives of those plants have degenerated to 
self fertilisation. 
Those who cultivate Chinese Primulas for seed 
find it absolutely necessary to fertilise the flowers by 
artificial means to render the crop of seed a safe one. 
The most of the Chinese Primulas are pin-eyed, so 
that if left to themselves the pollen could not be 
carried from the short anthers to the stigmas. Even 
granting that there were thrum-eyed ones amongst 
them, and taking some of the hardy Primroses or 
Polyanthus by way of example, the most noted 
observers on the subject, namely, Darwin, proved 
that pollen from the thrum-eyed flower falling upon 
the stigma in the same bloom, was about as barren 
of effect as if hybridisation had been attempted. 
As to there being no evidence in nature of cross¬ 
fertilisation from insect agency is at utter variance 
with facts. The seed farmer knows the chaotic 
condition into which his Cabbages, Cauliflowers, 
Kales, Turnips, &c., would be thrown if he allowed 
plantations of them to flower even in proximity. 
Then numerous instances of true hybridisation in 
a state of wild nature could be given. As to bees 
not mixing their food while collecting it ; possibly, 
they follow man’s example by mixing it, sometimes 
in a strange fashion, afterwards.— F. 
--t-- 
IjaftiBperf’ )pipfo)6|iiept Jlppociatiopp. 
Birmingham Amateur Gardeners’ Association.— 
At the kind invitation of the President (Alderman 
Wm. White, J.P.), the members and friends of the 
above Association assembled at Severn Street School 
on Wednesday of last week to hear a lecture from 
him on ” Wanderings in Swiss Mountains and 
Valleys.” The lecturer fully described the various 
points of interest to be seen in Switzerland, and by 
the aid of a lime-light lantern showed the audience 
views of some of the highest peaks, the most 
beautiful valleys and glaciers viewed from different 
aspects. He enumerated the various plants to be 
seen growing on the mountains, and gave vivid 
descriptions of the vast masses of Rhododendrons 
and Gentians which he had seen in the months of 
July and August. At the conclusion of the lecture 
a very hearty vote of thanks, on the motion of Mr. 
Rees, was passed to the president for his very able, 
interesting and instructive lecture. Messrs. T. P. 
Cope, C. Daniell, C. F. Franklin, A. Groves, W. B. 
Griffin, Herbert Smith, and W. H. Wilks exhibited 
plants and flowers (mostly bulbous), some of which 
showed excellent cultivation; the usual awards 
were made. 
Kingston.—The subject of the lecture to the mem¬ 
bers onTuesday the 27th, ult. was the culture of the 
Mushrooms, given by Mr. Benson, a grower for sale. 
Mr. Tibbie presided. Mr. Benson said that the Mush¬ 
room had long been recognised as a most popular and 
nutritious vegetable, but in spite of the fact that 
enormous quantities were grown, both in-doors and 
out-doors, yet the demand was greater than the supply 
and he found as good prices as ever could be obtained. 
He produced his chiefly out-doors, a fact which might 
surprise some persons who thought that Mushrooms 
could only be grown in heat. He started making up 
his beds in August, collecting about four cart-loads of 
fresh stable manure to start with. This was well 
prepared by shaking, mixing and damping, until 
properly heated, then when fit and sweet made up 
into ridges that reached 3 feet wide at the bottom, 
and 2j feet high, well trodden down and made firm ; 
then when at a gently falling heat cake Mushroom, 
spawn were broken into eight pieces, and these were 
pressed or forced into the manure at nine inches 
apart, all over the bed. Then the bed was covered 
all over with a coating of turfy loam, one inch thick, 
and finally thickly covered with straw litter. Such 
beds would give Mushrooms in from five to six 
weeks, and continue to do so for several months. 
He had four beds some 20 feet in length. A very 
fine sample of Mushrooms was shown. A long 
discussion followed, taken part in by Messrs. Pitcher 
and Henbest. Mr. Dean described the process of 
spawn making, a material upon the good quality of 
which so much of success depended. Mr. Benson, 
to whom a hearty vote of thanks was accorded, 
mentioned that his beds had been frozen in the 
winter and yet within three weeks were as produc¬ 
tive as ever. 
WHAT TO DO IN THE GARDEN, 
Gloxinias.—Seedlings from early sowings should 
now be fit to transplant into pans or small pots. 
Some prefer one method, some another, but in pans 
the seedlings are not so liable to be overlooked in 
the matter of watering, nor does the soil get dry so 
rapidly, nor is it liable to so rapid fluctuations of 
temperature. The operation should always be 
performed before the seedlings get too crowded and 
drawn, otherwise the plants never present the same 
compact and dwarf appearance when they reach the 
flowering stage. 
Palms. —New specimens of Palms as they come 
from the nursery may be in too small pots, and 
require a shift before they start into fresh growth. 
A good general compost is turfy loam and peat in 
equal proportions, with some finely crushed bones 
and sufficient sand to render the whole porous and 
open. It is not necessary to use very rich soil 
containing much perishable material, as it is 
undesirable to encourage a rapid growth in Palms, 
the object being to keep them in health, useful 
condition, and size as long as possible. For this 
reason it is advisable to use the smallest sized pot 
compatible with that of the plant and the bulk of 
the roots. When the pots get filled with roots, 
recourse must be had to feeding with liquid manure. 
Gladi li.—Whenever the ground is in a suitable 
condition some of the larger corms of Gladiolus should 
be planted out for early flowering. If the cultivator 
feels so inclined he can start a batch in pots and 
plant them out when the weather becomes favour¬ 
able. The small corms even if no bigger than peas 
may be planted out in fresh soil. Many of them 
will reach a flowering size by August and Sep¬ 
tember. 
Pinks. —Young plants of show varieties now in 
pots should be planted out at the earliest opportunity 
if they are well rooted. There is no object in 
retaining them in pots after this period, but they 
will have time to get firmly established before dry 
weather sets in. Plants intended for forcing may be 
introduced to heat. A low temperature should be 
maintained and gradually increased to 60° at night 
when the crowns have made some growth. 
Alocasias.—Large plants generally commence 
growth by throwing up flowers; these should be 
pulled out as soon as they can be grasped with the 
finger and thumb. The young leaves that succeed 
should be regulated, to prevent crowding and undue 
squeezing of the leaves which will sometimes occur 
to their injury. Should any of them still remain 
unpotted, the operation cannot much longer be 
delayed. Keep the crowns and soil well above the 
level of the pot. 
Primula sinensis. — For early autumn flowering 
some seeds of Chinese Primulas should now be sown 
in order to get them into condition at the time they 
are desired. 
Show Pelargoniums. —Growth is now proceed¬ 
ing more rapidly, and contemporaneously with it 
green fly generally spreads with considerable 
rapidity, settling chiefly in the buds, the more 
