612 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 25, 1895. 
are decidedly a modern innovation, seeing 
that they have only recently been intro¬ 
duced and brought to their present state of 
perfection. The imposing collections of 
Orchids generally in moderate-sized plants 
cannot be overlooked, especially those at 
the Temple Show, while the large specimens, 
whether specially made up of small pieces 
or otherwise, have practically disappeared. 
Collections of Clivias, Amaryllis, Caladiums, 
Paeonies, Tulips, especially of the true old 
florists’ type, and herbaceous plants gener¬ 
ally constitute imposing and effective 
features of the early summer exhibitions. 
Tree Paeonie sand those raised from the 
Siberian Paeonia albiflora are almost as 
modern as the Begonias for this style of 
exhibition. Our columns for this week 
give a more complete list of the classes of 
plants used for this style of modern ex¬ 
hibitions, and which has every appearance 
of spreading to the more remote districts of 
the country. 
- - 
Viola Conference at Birmingham.—The second 
annual conference of growers and others interested 
in Violas will be held on the first day (29th inst.), of 
the Pansy and Viola show in the Edgbaston Botani¬ 
cal Gardens at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Mr. 
William Cuthbertson will be chairman, and the 
following papers will be contributed :— 
“ The Genus Viola.”—Professor Hillhouse. 
“ Older Varieties of Violas.”—Mr. Richard Dean. 
“ Viola Sports.”—Mr. J. D. Stuart. 
“ Violas that do well in Surrey.”—Mr. E. Burrell. 
"Newer Varieties of the Violetta Type.”—Dr. 
Stuart. 
"Winter Treatment of Violas.”—Mr. A. J. Row- 
berry. 
Manifestations in honour of M. Rodigas—The 
esteemed director of the horticultural and agricul¬ 
tural school of the State of Ghent, has been the 
object of the most sympathetic manifestations on 
the occasion of the 35th anniversary of his entrance 
upon the teaching of horticulture. The 3rd May 
will be an unforgetable day for the director and for 
the students of the establishment. From the 
morning the school was en fete. The students of 
the three divisions presented cordial addresses and 
charming bouquets to their esteemed director. At 
the same time the musical section of the school gave 
a suitable concert, in which some specialists gave 
proof of much talent. The Circle of Horticulture 
students came in their turn to offer a superb souvenir 
of honour to its president. On Sunday, 5th May, 
the professional staff of the school and the members 
of the Council of Administration of the Circle of 
Arboriculture of Belgium offered M. Em. Rodigas a 
banquet, which took place at the Hotel of the Post 
at Ghent, and remitted to him as a souvenir of the 
fete a flower-stand in silver, richly garnished with 
Orchid flowers. The various toasts, and more 
particularly those proposed by M. Burvenich and by 
M. le Comte de Kerchove de Denterghem, President 
of the Circle of Arboriculture, to Madame Rodigas, 
were very happy and much cheered. The banquet 
has been a charming cordiality, and everybody will 
long remember that agreeable reunion. 
Cordyline Australis at Broughty Ferry.—A beautiful 
specimen of the Cordyline australis has flowered at 
Angus Lodge, Broughty Ferry, the residence of 
Provost Orchar, to whom the plant belongs. The 
plant stands nft. high, and the branching inflore¬ 
scence measures 3ft. in diameter and the same in 
height. These plants very rarely flower in this 
country. They are natives of New Zealand, and 
were introduced into Britain in 1823. It may be 
added that the flower is deliciously scented, and that 
the plants are very popular for conservatory and 
house decoration owing to their hardy nature. It 
may further be stated that the plant is grown in a 
pot and not planted in the open air. The stem is of 
some considerable height, but so well are the long 
leaves preserved that the lower ones hang down to 
the pot covering the naked portion of the stem. In 
Guernsey, specimens in the open air form small trees 
with a stout trunk 20ft. high or more in some cases 
and flower profusely every year, ripening an 
abnndance of good seeds. In Britain proper the 
plant requires a very favourable situation in the south 
or west to live out of doors, and it seldom flowers 
under glass except in bitanic gardens where it is 
allowed to attain a large size. 
School of Instruction.—The Legislature of the State 
of New York last year voted a subvention of 
/i,666 13s. 4d. for the erection of a school of horti¬ 
culture. That will be annexed to the Cornell 
University. It will be seen that the necessity for 
instruction makes itself felt amongst the gardeners 
of the new as well as amongst those of the old world. 
Our Continental neighbours have long felt this need 
and have been taking step 3 to supply its requirements, 
but we in this country are so slow in our movements 
that we are only beginning to see the necessity for 
technical instruction on a far more general and com¬ 
prehensive scale than has hitherto been the case. 
Completion of the temperate house at Kew.— 
According to recent statements from various sources 
it is affirmed that the large temperate house at the 
south end of the Royal Gardens, Kew, is to be com¬ 
pleted after various statements to the contrary. The 
tender for the two wings is to be sent out next 
month. The building is already a conspicuous and 
imposing feature in this part of the garden, but when 
the large additional wings to complete the original 
design have been erected, it must be the finest plant 
house of its kind to be seen anywhere. 
American Chrysanthemum Annual for 1895.—Our 
cousins on the western shore of the Atlantic have for 
some time past been feeling the want of a publication 
in which all the more important facts relating to the 
Chrysanthemum should be brought together 
annually and put into form suitable and convenient 
for purposes of reference. The first of these pub¬ 
lications —The American Chrysanthemum Annual —is 
now before us and has been edited by Mr. Michael 
Barker, an old Kew man, now of the Horticultural 
Department, Cornell University, United States, 
America. It consists of forty-four large sized pages 
of closely printed matter got up on somewhat similar 
lines to that of the National Chrysanthemum Society 
in this country, but dealing with Chrysanthemum 
lore according to American needs, aspects and 
circumstances. There are some twenty-five chapters 
mostly by different writers. The first is a piece of 
poetry in blank verse, entitled "The Flower from 
the East,” but we are surprised that the name 
Chrysanthemum should not have been interwoven 
with the text; it would seem that poets draw the line 
at the lengthy word of Greek origin. Amongst other 
subjects dealt with are chapters on Early American 
History, Specimen Plants, The National Society of 
England, Outdoor Culture, The American Society, 
Seeds and seedlings, Fungous Enemies, Insect 
Friends and Enemies, European Varieties in 
America, In Far China, as well as other places, 
Crown Buds and Terminals, and other subjects of 
that nature in which many Chrysanthemum growers 
in this country should feel highly interested. The 
work is admirably got up as is usual with many 
American publications, and includes a number of 
portraits of the leading members of the American 
Society as well as illustrations of Chrysanthemum 
blooms. The Annual is published by The Mayflower 
Publishing Company, Floral Park, New York. 
Popular Botanical Lectures.—Miss Styan com¬ 
menced the annual series of lectures in the gardens 
of the Royal Botanic Society recently, and took as 
her subject, “Fruits and Seeds; Their Structure, 
Means of Protection and Dispersion.” With regard 
to the latter point she stated that some had sails by 
which they can move through the air, while others 
are provided with hooks and anchors or a screwing 
apparatus by means of which they ultimately buried 
themselves in the ground. In this country plants 
with hooks were represented by the Cleavers and 
Burdocks, but none were so formidable as the 
Grapple-plant (Harpagophytum procumbens), of 
South Africa, which sometimes destroyed even the 
lion. The fruits are furnished with great hooks 
which sometimes get fixed in some part of the skin 
of that noble beast, and when the latter tries to 
remove the same, the hooks get fixed in his mouth, 
thus preventing him from eating, thereby causing 
him to die of starvation. The lectures are held on 
Fridays during May and June, and all visitors to the 
gardens have access to them free of charge. 
‘‘Real English” Tomatos.—A stall-holder in the 
Smithfield Market, Manchester, was last week fined 
40s., and 403. extra as costs, under the Merchandise 
Marks Act, for attaching a false trade description to 
foreign grown Tomatos. A gentleman connected with 
the Wholesale Fruiterers' Association went to the de¬ 
fendant’s stall in the market and saw two baskets of 
Tomatos. One of the baskets was labelled " Real 
English Seed, 4d. per lb.,” and the label on the other 
basket bore the words “ Real English, 6d. per lb.” 
In the first instance the words " Real English" were 
very large, and the word “ Seed ” very small and 
surrounded with a scroll. He carefully asked if the 
Tomatos were really English, and was informed that 
they were. He thereupon bought a pound, and 
informed the dealer that he was going to take a test 
case, whereupon the defendant said the Tomatos 
were from English seed, and the offending labels 
were removed a short time after. The stipendiary 
was informed that at the time the Tomatos in 
question were sold real English were selling at the 
rate of is. 2d. per lb. 
Sussex Horticulturists at Brighton.—At the usual 
monthly meeting of the members, held last night at 
the Imperial Hotel, Brighton, with Mr. W. Balchin, 
jun., in the chair, Mr. J. Edwards, of Henfield, read 
a paper on “ Soils and manures.” Mr. Edwards's 
remarks, being of a practical character, must have 
proved very helpful to the members, especially to 
amateurs. He began by speaking of the misconcep¬ 
tions which, some few years ago, prevailed regarding 
the advantages of artificial manures, and recalled the 
old-fashioned sayings about "loam and peat” and 
" peat and loam,” the one meaning much loam and 
little peat, and the other much peat and little loam. 
Then he went on to describe the early efforts made to 
ascertain the value of manures and their effect on the 
soil. Much more had been done for agriculture than 
for horticulture in this respect, and while farmers 
were familiar with the term "agricultural chemistry” 
the term "horticultural chemistry ” was certainly 
not in general use, though he did not know why it 
should not be. All honour to Gilbert & Laws, who 
had done so much in this direction, and to one of 
whom they owed the application of superphosphate 
in relation to soil. Now they had a number of 
artificial manures, and the cost of production was not 
great. Their object should be to get a clearer 
knowledge of them and of their application to the 
soil. Mr. Edwards next explained soils organic and 
inorganic, and showed how nature had to be 
supplemented if it were to be made productive. The 
admixture of soils was really the most effective, and 
he had seen bad gardens turned into good gardens by 
this method. He thought that in the future horti¬ 
culture and agriculture would go hand in hand in 
this matter more than they had done in the past. He 
had seen a gentleman who had possessed an estate 
do a great deal with " correctives,” but in other cases 
more could be done by manures which had a more 
direct and immediate effect. Having indicated how 
soluble substances could pass into the roots of 
plants, while insoluble substances could not, he said 
this showed the error of using manure water unless it 
was clear; in pot culture it was to a great extent 
fatal. It had been said that these artificial manures 
impoverished the land, but, although there was no 
doubt a sense in which this was true, it was a fallacy 
to those who understood how these chemical manures 
could be used with discrimination and with natural 
manure. Mr. Edwards was cordially thanked for his 
interesting paper.—Several new members were 
elected. 
-- 
PRIMULA SIEBOLDI. 
In view of recent events that have taken place in 
the far east it may not be out of place to remember 
Primula Sieboldi amongst the many highly orna¬ 
mental plants which we have received from Japan. 
Since its introduction in 1865 it has undergone many 
and vast improvements, which we hope to see con¬ 
tinued as time rolls on. These varieties have been 
spoken of as Japanese Primroses, but that title 
rightly belongs to P. japonica. The subject under 
nodce has, however, given rise to much greater 
variation than the true Japanese Primrose, but 
although less than that of the Chinese Primrose, it 
has the additional recommendation of being per¬ 
fectly hardy. Specimens in the open air all last 
winter are now flowering beautifully, and are much 
dwarfer than those grown in cold frames. Pot 
plants have the recommendation of being transfer¬ 
able to the cool conservatory when in bloom, and a 
charming effect they have. The accompanying 
illustration shows the form of the flowers, and gives 
