196 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 24, 1894. 
in dwelling rooms. The roots are easily 
kept in winter in places where frost is 
merely excluded. Seedlings may be raised 
by those who have the command of a stove. 
The hard seeds should be steeped in tepid 
water for twenty-four hours previous to 
sowing to facilitate germination. But 
unless seeds from the very best strain are 
obtained, it is hardly worth the trouble and 
the space that would be occupied, except 
where large numbers are required for out¬ 
door decoration. In view of the improve¬ 
ments already made, nothing worth house- 
room could be expected from unimproved 
sorts already in cultivation. Seedlings that 
are dwarf the first year offer no guarantee 
that they will remain so permanently, and, 
therefore, all new varieties should be well 
proved in that respect before being sent out. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—At the meeting of this 
Society, which will take place in the Drill Hall, 
James Street, Victoria Street, Westminster, on Tues¬ 
day next, Mr. James Douglas will deliver a lecture 
on the “ Principles of Judging at Flower Shows." 
Mr. William Earp, who succeeded the late Mr. E. 
Cooper as gardener to the Right Hon. J. Chamberlain, 
M.P., at Highbury, Birmingham, leaves shortly to 
superintend the nursery business of Messrs. W. 
Earp& Son, White Cross Road, Hereford, in which 
firm he is now a partner. His successor has been 
engaged. 
Roses and Rose Growing.—A lecture on this subject 
was delivered on the i6th inst , under the auspices of 
the Waterloo (Liverpool) Technical Instruction 
Committee, by Mr. R. G. Waterman of Woolton. The 
details dealt with comprised the most approved 
methods of culture of the Teas and Hybrid Perpe- 
tuals for the furnishing of the flower garden and for 
exhibition. There was a large and appreciative 
audience including many ladies, and after the lecture 
questions were asked and answered. The meeting 
closed with a cordial vote of thanks to the lecturer. 
Extirpation of Moss in Old Pastures.—Mr. Elliot, of 
Clifton Park, Kelso, has communicated to the Field 
an important discovery in the management of grass 
land that cannot fail to be of interest to many of 
our readers. On a large proportion of the land laid 
down to permanent pasture, Moss makes its appear¬ 
ance in the fourth or fifth year, and the methods 
hitherto adopted for its eradication have been found 
more or less expensive, but the system adopted by 
Mr. Elliot is both cheap and effectual. It simply 
amounts to turning the stock off the pastures at 
the end of July for a month or so, in order to 
allow the grasses to seed, by which process 
the Moss is loosened and partly dragged out of 
the ground. Mr. Elliot has put the matter to the 
test. In the case of an experimental plot, now in its 
fifth year, he has found that a considerable propor¬ 
tion of the Moss has been raised several inches from 
the ground by the seeding grasses, and is hanging 
from the grass stems, which carried the Moss up 
with them as they grew, and that much of the 
remaining Moss is either lying loose on the ground 
or semi-detached from it. The surface of the plot, 
moreover, differs from the other ground around it by 
being in such a superior condition as to be very much 
better fitted for springing grass seeds. 
Phenological Observations.—The Secretary of the 
Scientific Committee having received the Reports 
for 1891, 1892, and 1893, from the Royal Meteoro¬ 
logical Society, gave some account of an examina¬ 
tion of them at the last meeting of the Committee. 
The conclusion arrived at was, that the first flower¬ 
ing of plants being made by one set of observers, and 
the meteorological data, temperature, rainfall and 
sunshine (hygrometric data wanting), being supplied 
by other observers elsewhere, any accurate adjust¬ 
ments between the two, in order to trace out local 
causes and effects, was next to impossible. Again, 
although " the observers are required under the new 
regulations [of 1891] to note each year the flower¬ 
ing of the same individual trees and shrubs, and in 
the case of herbaceous plants those situated in the 
same spots” ( Report , &c., 1891), yet the observers 
have not recorded the surrounding conditions respec¬ 
tively to show how far they all agree in anyone of 
the “ areas." The problem is thus further compli¬ 
cated, for a plant growing in a warm place may be 
greatly hastened in flowering as compared with one 
in a shady and cool place. Again, plant idiosyn- 
cracies vary greatly : thus, of two Horse Chestnuts, 
one frequently flowers as a regular feature before 
others growing side by side with it. Hence, without 
such and other additional data for strict comparisons, 
the really scientific value of phenological observa¬ 
tions does not seem to be very pronounced. For 
horticultural purposes their value is practically none. 
As illustrations of the above remarks there are four 
stations at Salisbury. In 1891 the Coltsfoot flowered 
at these places from P'ebruary 15th to March 7th, a 
range of three weeks ; at tyvo places at Clifton the 
Blackthorn flowered on April 26th and May 5th 
respectively, but there is no clue whereby one can 
trace the causes of these and other similar 
differences. 
Harrisons’ Royal Midland Vegetable and Farm 
Root Show.—This annual show, promoted by Messrs. 
Harrison and Sons, Seed Merchants, Leicester, was 
held in the Market Hall on the 14th inst., and 
brought together some very fine specimens of 
vegetable and farm root crops. The use of two bays 
of the Market Hall had been obtained for the 
purposes of the show, and this allowed the exhibits 
to be staged to much greater advantage than has 
been the case in previous years. There were 138 
exhibitors, many of them showing in several classes, 
and generally, the vegetables were of a highly 
creditable character, though the Celery classes fell 
behind last year in point of quality, on account of 
the season not being favourable. The remaining 
classes fully maintained the average of past years. 
Carrots were extraordinary good quality, while there 
were some excellent exhibits in potatos, leeks, 
onions, parsnips, cauliflowers, and savoys. The 
following statistics as to the number of exhibits and 
the weight and size of some of the chief of them 
will convey some idea of the quality of these classes : 
-—Potatos, forty exhibits, weights, kidneys ij lb., 
and round and oval 2^ lb.; carrots, thirty-five ex¬ 
hibits ; celery, twenty exhibits; leeks, fourteen 
exhibits, some weighing over 2 lbs., and 7 in. in 
circumference ; parsnips, twenty-five exhibits, 
weight lbs., and measuring 24 in. long, with 17 in. 
circumference ; globe onions, weighing if lbs., and 
15 in. round. 
Shirley Gardeners’ and Amateurs' Association.—At 
the monthly held at Shirley, Southampton on 
Monday the 19th inst., the President, Mr. W. F. G. 
Spranger presiding. The lecture was under the 
auspices cf the Hampshire County Council, and 
the lecturer, Mr. C. W. Herbert Greaves gave an 
interesting discourse on “ Some Insect Pests and 
Fungi." The Potato Fungus came in for a large 
share of his attention, and by the aid of numerous 
diagrams, he illustrated the life history of this 
scourge. The remedies he recommended were 
syringing with Sulphate of Copper, burning all 
haulm and weeds, some of which latter were suscep¬ 
tible to the disease, the rotation of crops, and the 
selection of disease resisting varieties when planting. 
The Onion Fungus was also described, but the lecturer 
said a remedy was not yet known to science for it. 
Clubling was illustrated by diagrams, the use of Gas 
Lime being described as a good remedy for some 
soils, but the lecturer recommended that crops 
liable to club should not be planted in the same 
ground for five or six years. Many interesting ques¬ 
tion were put to the lecturer and satisfactorily 
answered. One gentleman in complimenting the 
lecturer on the accuracy of his diagrams, &c., 
expressed an opinion that the potato disease was due 
largely to an error in our method of cultivating the 
plant from tubers or sets continously, they ought 
more often to be raised from seeds than they are. 
Votes of thanks to the lecturer and the chair¬ 
man concluded the meeting. A paper on the 
“ Cultivation of the Eucharis," will be given next 
month by Mr. Jesse Jones, The Gardens Terrace 
House, Southampton. 
National Chrysanthemum Society.—At a meeting of 
the General Committee held on Monday evening, 
Mr. R. Ballantine presiding, it was decided to hold 
the Society’s exhibitions next year at the Royal 
Aquarium on October 8th, 9th, and 10th, November 
5th, 6th, and 7th, and December 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 
and the preparation of the Schedule will be taken in 
hand at once. Eighteen new members were elected 
and the Banbury Horticultural Society, and the 
South Australia Gardeners’ Society were admitted 
into affiliation. The Secretary of the last-named 
Society writing from Adelaide on October 15th, 
says:—At a meeting held recently of this society a 
resolution was passed affirming the desirability of 
seeking affiliation with the National Chrysanthe¬ 
mum Society of England, so as to be in touch with 
the advanced work in connection with this popular 
flower. Our Society has been in existence for over 
twenty years and has for its oblects " The 
furtherance of Horticulture and Floriculture in all 
branches by means of reading papers, discussions on 
the same, exhibitions of flowers, fruits, vegetables, 
&c., and the formation of a library of leading 
periodicals, and works of botanical and gardening 
interest.” We have many enthusiastic cultivators 
of Chrysanthemums amongst our members, and our 
fine mild climate enables us to produce blooms of 
most varieties which many persons who claim to be 
competent to judge, consider equal to those grown 
in any part of the old world—of course these are 
grown under canvas awnings for exhibition. We 
have also a few enthusiastic hybridisers here, and 
the results thus far give them hope of greater 
success in the near future.” 
A Chrysanthemum Show in the City.—It is a good 
many years ago since a Chrysanthemum show -was 
held in the Guildhall of the City of London, and 
owing to altered regulations made to meet the needs 
of the times, the prospect of seeing another show of 
our Winter Queen under the same roof seemed very 
remote indeed. But there are some enthusiastic 
amateur Chrysanthemum growers holding various 
offices under the Corporation, who, believing in the 
old adage that where there is a will there is a way i 
have banded themselves together under the energetic 
leadership of Mr. Deputy Rogers, to institute an 
annual exhibition, which is to be confined to mem¬ 
bers of the Corporation and their friends. As an 
evidence of their earnestness in the matter, a very 
interesting little show was organised in one of the 
Committee rooms on Thursday of last week, and 
Mr. Deputy Rogers and his friends must have been 
delighted with the result of their efforts, which 
afforded so much pleasure to the great number of 
Corporation officials and members of the Common 
Council who passed through the room during the 
day, and gave so much promise of future support and 
interest in the movement. The competition, for a 
start, was, of course, not extensive, but abundant 
evidence was forthcoming to show that with a 
more extended programme and longer notice given, 
the gentlemen of the Corporation will have a show 
another year that will hold its own among our 
numerous festivals held in honour of the Golden 
Flower. The most successful competitors on this 
occasion were Mr. Deputy Rogers, Mrs. Rogers 
(first with a charming vase of Chrysanthemums 
and coloured foliage), Mr. R. L. Collier, C.C., Mr. 
Deputy Gover, Mr. C. Bayer, Mr. C. C. Black, and 
Mr. J. Lake; and Mr. Bayer further added to the 
interest of the display by contributing from his 
vineries at Tewkesbury Lodge, Forest Hill, some 
bunches of Muscat of Alexandria, Gros Colmar 
and Barbarrosa Grapes that would have taken high 
honours anywhere. 
Devon and Exeter Gardeners’ Association.—At the 
meeting of this Association held on the 14th inst._ 
Mr. T. E. Bartlett read an interesting paper on 
” Hardy Flowering Trees and Shrubs.” He said 
that almost every garden, no matter what its pre¬ 
tensions, had a shrubbery, and usually this was the 
most interesting feature of the place. For in a well 
managed shrubbery there always seemed to be 
something fresh, some object of interest one had not 
noticed before. By judicious planting, a good supply 
of flowers might be had during the whole of the 
year; there need not be a day but what something 
was in flower But he was sorry to say some of our 
shrubberies are more of the character of dreary 
wildernesses during the short days of winter ; when 
by reason of the dulness of the average winter day 
every effort should be made to make the garden as 
bright and cheerful as possible. As year succeeded 
year an enormous number of new flowering trees 
and shrubs were introduced to notice, and a good 
many old and almost forgotten kinds were rescued 
from an undeserved oblivion. And these tend to 
swell the list to such formidable extent that one 
scarcely knew where to begin. In his paper he 
