212 
Dec. 6th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
disease being visible on the surface. A large 
proportion of certain crops both in Yorkshire 
and Norfolk, have this autumn been found to be 
unsaleable from this cause. The scientific com¬ 
mittee of the Eoyal Horticultural Society would 
be glad of any information on the subject, espe¬ 
cially (1) as to the amount of crops thus diseased, 
(2) the character of the soil, (3) nature and 
quantity of the manure used, (4) whether early 
or late varieties are most attacked, (5) name of 
the varieties most affected. The disease appears 
to be quite distinct from the ordinary Potato 
disease. Communications are requested to be 
sent to the Eev. G. Henslow, Drayton House, 
Ealing. 
The Drought. —“North Hants” writes :—It 
is not often that gardeners have to water shrubs 
outside at the end of November, but we are 
obliged to do so here, the ground about 3 ins. 
below the surface being as dry as dust. The 
amount of rain that fell during the summer and 
autumn was not sufficient to reach the roots, and, 
having a large number of shrubs to move, the 
labour of watering them has been very heavy. 
We were even obliged to water freshly planted 
Eose bed's before giving them a mulching of 
manure. 
An Enormous Puff-ball. — In a recent 
number of The American Naturalist is an account 
of a most remarkable Puff-ball, said by Mr. C.E. 
Bessey to belong to the species known as the 
Giant Puff-ball (Lycoperdon giganteus), and to 
be by far the largest of any of which he has been 
able to find measurements. It was discovered by 
Professor E. E. Call in Herkimer County, New 
York, in 1877, and, as it was impossible to pre¬ 
serve it, careful measurements w'ere made and 
photographs of it were taken. It was irregularly 
oval in outline and much flattened, instead of 
approaching the spherical form so commonly 
seen. Its largest diameter was 5 ft. 4 ins., and 
its smallest 4 ft. 6 ins., whilst its height was but 
9£ ins. Professor Call described it as “ much 
larger than the largest wash-tub we had at home.” 
This species is delicious if gathered when quite 
young and fresh and fried in butter, so that the 
specimen in question might have sufficed for a 
large dinner-party. 
Utilization of Watee from Eucalyptus 
Boots. —In many parts of Australia, where water 
is scarce, the natives formerly procured it from 
the roots of the Eucalyptus and a few other trees. 
The tree most preferred throws out numerous 
lateral roots, which lie at a depth of from 6 ins. 
to 12 ins. below the surface. The native having 
ascertained, by means of prodding with a pointed 
stick or spear, the position of the root, removes 
the superincumbent soil with his wooden shovel 
for 20 ft. or 30 ft., then, removing the root from 
the trench, he cuts it up into lengths of about 
18 ins. or 2 ft., knocks off the bark, and stands 
the several portions on end in some receptacle to 
contain the water. The water which trickles 
from the root is, according to a writer in The 
Proceedings of the linnean Society of New South 
Wales, beautifully clear, cool, and free from any 
unpleasant taste or smell. 
Sf.veee Weatheb. — Mr. Boothby, writing 
from Louth, states that up to the end of 
November the weather had been remarkably 
mild and open in that part of North Lincolnshire. 
On the 29th ult. there were Peas in the garden 
fit for gathering ; Easpberries (Carters’ Prolific) 
were hanging in bunches in a ripening condition; 
Strawberries were setting their fruits; and 
Primroses, Carnations, Yiolets, Pelargoniums, 
and Eoses were in bloom in the open-air; but 
the collapse came short and sharp with a severe 
frost on the morning of the 30th, and a fall of 
snow, 6 ins. deep, on the following day. 
The Eoyal Botanical Society of Manchester’s 
exhibitions next year, will be held on the following 
dates :—Floral Meetings in the Town Hall, on March 
17<h and 18th, and April 28tli; the Grand National 
Horticultural Exhibition, at Old Trafford, will 
commence on May 22nd ; the Eose Show will be held 
on July 11th; and the Chrysanthemum Show on 
November 17th and 18th. 
The Kingston and Surbiton Chrysanthemum Society 
will hold its eighth annual exhibition on November 
the 10th and 11th, 1885. 
The Botanical Society of Edinburgh is endeavouring 
to get the Government to purchase the late Mr. 
Anderson-Henry’s botanical library, for the Botanic 
Garden in that city. 
Me. C. F. Prangnell, lately gardener at the Kens¬ 
ington and Chelsea District Schools, at Banstead, 
Surrey, has been appointed to a similar position at 
the Holloway Sanatorium, St. Ann’s Heath, Virginia 
Water. 
Mr. Owen Thomas, of Chatsworth, and Mr. Swaine, 
cashier to the Duke of Devonshire, have collected 
£40 19s. 6d. for the Pension Augmentation Fund 
of the Gardeners’ Eoyal Benevolent Institution. 
Mr. Coleman’s fifth fist of donations to the Fund 
includes the following:—Mr. Haycock, Barham Court, 
Maidstone, 10s.; Mr. Bateman, foreman, and young 
men in the gardens at Eastnor, 10s.; Mr. J. Manning, 
Ledbury, 5s. ; C. A., Lincoln, 5s.; and T. Gambier 
Parry, Esq., Highnam Court, Gloucester, 20s. Mr. 
Coleman’s list now amounts to £51 14s. 6(7. 
A general meeting of the National Auricula and 
National Carnation and Picotee Societies (Southern 
Section) will be held on Tuesday next in the Con¬ 
servatory of the Eoyal Horticultural Society, South 
Kensington, at 1.30 p.m. The principal business 
will be the consideration of the Keport of the Sub- 
Committee appointed by resolution of October 14th 
for the preparation of Eules for the government of the 
Societies, and the arrangements of the Schedules for 
the Exhibitions for 1885. 
On Tuesday next the last of the Eoyal Horticultural 
Society’s committee meetings for the year will be held 
at South Kensington. 
Mr. Alfred Holloway, lately gardener at Oak 
Lodge, Kensington, has been engaged as gardener and 
bailiff to A. J. Goddard, Esq., The Lawn, Swindon, 
Wilts. 
We hear that the recent Chrysanthemum Show at 
Hull was a great success, both financially and as 
regards the quality of the flowers shown, and the fact 
of there being a considerable balance in hand, after 
clearing off all liabilities, augurs well for next year’s 
exhibition. 
We are pleased to note, too, that the Havant 
Chrysanthemum and Fruit Show exceeded the expec¬ 
tations of its promoters, and active steps are being 
taken to extend the fist of prizes, and to issue such a 
schedule as it is hoped will make the next show one of 
the best in the South of England. 
At a meeting of the Scottish Horticultural Associa¬ 
tion held on Tuesday night, papers communicated by 
Mr. Browning, Dupplin Castle, on the Gardenia, and 
by Mr. James Mitchell, Newmains, on the Croton, 
w r ere read by the Chairman, Mr. John Methven. A 
fine collection of Chrysanthemums was exhibited at 
the meeting. 
At a meeting of the Council of the Eoyal Caledonian 
Horticultural Society, held on Thursday, it was 
resolved on the proposition of Mr. Downie, that a 
Chrysanthemum Show be held in Edinburgh, next 
November. 
Destroying Weeds in Frosty Weather. —Our 
correspondent (Mr. Warden) strongly recommends 
the practice of destroying weeds on walks, where the 
gravel is not too loose, in the paved yards, or between 
stone or brick edgings in frosty weather. His plan 
is to look up some hard-worn, scrubby brooms, and 
the first convenient frosty morning, when the ground 
is hard, the men set to w'ork and scrub backwards and 
fonvards until but few of the w'eeds are left on the 
surface. After the whole has been gone over in this 
way, thoroughly sweep up and clear away the weeds, 
and, as the weather permits, repeat the operation in 
a week or a fortnight, when, if all the weeds are not 
got rid of, they will be left in such a plight that they 
will give but little trouble for some time to come. 
THE DOUBLE-FLOWERED 
LILAC. 
Of the usefulness of the common Lilac for forcing 
purposes, it would be almost superfluous to write, so 
well are the merits of the plant understood, as well 
as the methods employed to force them into bloom 
and also to produce the white flowers that all so much 
appreciate in early spring. The white, red and violet- 
coloured varieties, as well as Dr. Lindley and Charles 
X., are well-known to growers, but M. Lemoine’s 
new double-flowered variety, here illustrated by the 
favour of Mr. Bull, has not yet become widely known. 
It produces large pyramidal branched spikes of double 
rosette-like flowers, which are rose coloured in the 
bud, and a soft shade of Lilac when fully developed 
under natural conditions. When forced the flowers 
come white, and it is in this as much as anything 
that its value lays as a useful plant for forcing. 
— c— ■ —— 
THE TUBEROSE.* 
The cultivation of the Tuberose (Polianthes tube- 
rosa) would appear to be not generally well under¬ 
stood, if we may judge from the indifferent examples 
too often seen in gardens. When it is seen in good 
form, however, with handsome well-formed spikes of 
white flowers, it is no doubt highly ornamental, very 
choice, and useful. For a coat-flower nothing is 
neater than a single bloom of the Tuberose, with a 
bit of good scarlet Pelargonium and Fern; and for 
those who have a preference for sweet-smelling or 
fragrant flowers, nothing can surpass the Tuberose in 
the summer evening. 
As in the cultivation of Dutch Bulbs, it is best to 
obtain a fresh lot of roots annually. Last year I 
received my consignment about Christmas, and at 
once had them all potted singly. As to the size of 
the pot, I would say that nothing less than 5 ins. in 
diameter should be used, and for all ordinary purposes 
nothing larger than a 6-in. pot is necessary. Anything 
smaller than a 5-in. pot can hardly be expected to 
produce strong spikes of blossoms, and possibly it is 
because they are sometimes grown in smaller pots 
that such poor results are produced, the plants being 
apt to get starved by suffering from the want of 
water, &c. 
The soil in which I have grown the Tuberose is the 
same in character as that which I use for Hyacinths 
—a good friable, turfy loam, with a little rotten 
mushroom dung put through a coarse sieve and 
mixed with it. Sometimes I have had a little peat 
and sand added to the compost, but I have noticed 
little or no difference in the results. I have the soil 
pressed tolerably firm round the bulbs, and plant 
them also similarly to Hyacinths, so that all but the 
apex of the bulb is under the surface of the soil. 
When potting them I have about three dozen of the 
strongest roots selected, and taken at once to the 
plant stove. There they are set on the surface of 
the tan bed (in which there is some bottom heat), 
under some large specimen plants. These give us 
the first lot of flowers. The rest, when potted, are 
taken to an intermediate-house to grow on slowly. 
In the course of about a month, or when the first lot 
have grown a few inches high, I have them removed 
from under the stove plants to the early vinery, 
where they get plenty of light, with a temperature of 
not less than 60 degs. at night, and in this vinery they 
produce a crop of useful flowers in the end of March. 
As the next and larger batch of plants begin to grow, 
I have them also removed to the early vinery, and 
when the vines have made a good growth the Tube¬ 
roses are transferred to the second house, where they 
get more light with a similar temperature. This is 
done to make the most of the space at my command, 
but I can imagine no better place than a portion of a 
Cucumber-house in which to grow on a batch, as here 
they can have similar treatment as to heat and 
moisture, and not be subject to shading. 
To obtain good strong spikes of flowers, it is first 
necessary to get a good bold growth, and the manner 
in which a batch of plants succeeded with me in 1883 
to my complete satisfaction, led me to think that I 
had hit upon a method of growing the Tuberose 
successfully. The batch of plants in question which 
* Paper read at a late meeting of the Preston and 
Fulwood Horticultural Society, 
