August 24, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
821 
matter of Tomato-growing, for both under glass and 
in the open the red “ Love Apples" are thriving in 
this Cambridgeshire village. The fame of the Apple, 
known as the Histon Favourite, is already spreading 
far and wide, and colonies of bees store honey by the 
ton, and scores of hens lay eggs in the neighbourhood 
for market. 
Flower Show at Abergwilly.—Under the patronage 
of the Bishop of St. David’s and the gentry of the 
district, the third annual show was held on Thurs¬ 
day, the 15th inst., under the auspices of the Aber¬ 
gwilly Horticultural and Agricultural Society. The 
affair was a great success, the entries being more 
numerous than those of the two preceding years. 
Pelargonium Exhibition —The Wakefield Paxton 
Society held its annual exhibition of Pelargoniums 
on Saturday the 10th inst. at the Woolpacks Hotel. 
Mr. Corden presided and Mr. Pitts occupied the 
vice-chair, whilst a paper was read by Mr. W. 
Hudson, gardener at Sandal Grange. The essayist 
dealt more especially with the raising of seedlings, 
referring to the fact that their chairman that evening 
had raised some of the best under cultivation. He 
touched upon the cultivation of the different sections 
of the family, including the ordinary, zonal, ivy¬ 
leaved, and fancy Pelargoniums. There was a 
liberal display of plants and flowers, including 
seedlings raised by members of the society from 
seeds given them by Mr. Corden. Some of them 
were very fine, and the largest and best of them was 
named "Lord Milton." The exhibitors and essayists 
were thanked on the motion of Mr. W. Webster, 
and seconded by Mr. Spencer. 
The Bournemouth Right of Way Case.—We are 
requested to state that the announcement that the 
road referred to in this case was altered by the 
Mayor of Bournemouth is incorrect. Sir George 
Meyrick, the lord of the manor and ground landlord, 
reduced the width of the road, although he did not 
close it, in consequence of its unauthorised use 
during the summer season for carts and barrows 
belonging to costermongers. Sir George Meyrick 
considered it to be a private road on his estate, and 
always had a permanent barrier across it. The 
road has never been used except as a footpath. 
With the alteration the Mayor had nothing to do, 
but in carrying it out Sir George Meyrick threw the 
strips into the adjacent property, which is leased by 
the Mayor. The latter, in agreeing to this being 
done, did not doubt Sir George’s legal right to act 
in this manner, and thus came into conflict with 
some members of the council. 
-- 
EXTENSION LECTURE AT DOBCROSS. 
The meeting for the study of horticulture on the 
15th ult., was, by permission of Mr. B. Bent, held 
at Briarfields, Dobcross. There was a good atten¬ 
dance. 
Dr. Clark said he intended that night to 
deal with grafting. In grafting there was one very 
important point to observe. If they were to cut a 
branch across they Would find that between the wood 
and the bark there was a dark line. That line was 
known as the cambium, and it was the most impor¬ 
tant thing they had t« do with in grafting. That 
was really the growing part of the stem, and it was 
absolutely necessary that the cambium of the branch 
to be grafted should touch the cambium of the 
branch to be grafted upon. This rule was often 
overlooked by professional as well as amateur gar¬ 
deners, and the result was that their attempts to 
graft ended in failure. The part of the tree they 
grafted upon was known as the stock, that grafted 
as the scion. The whole secret of grafting lay in 
getting the cambium of the scion against the cam¬ 
bium of the stock. There were sixteen or eighteen 
ways of grafting, but all were done on the principle 
laid down. 
The simplest way to graft would be to get a scion 
of equal thickness with the stock, cut off the ends 
of each, and bind together. It was, however, best 
to make a notch in each part to prevent slipping. 
Another way of grafting, and one most extensively 
practised in regard to Apples and Pears, was to cut 
off the ends of the stock altogether, cut slits in the 
bark in a downward direction, and then lifting up the 
flaps put in the scion. When they lifted the bark 
one-half of the cambium stuck to the wood and the 
other part to the bark, so that it was an easy matter 
to get the cambium of the scion against the cambium 
of the stock. In all cases it was necessary to bind 
up the point of the graft, for the air killed the cam¬ 
bium if there was any great amount of exposure. 
In the last system if the stock were thick any num¬ 
ber of small scions might be grafted to it. Another 
way, and one specially applicable to Rose trees, was 
to get an English Brier, cut two rings round the 
bark about an inch apart, and remove the bark 
between. The next thing was to get a branch of the 
tree which they wished to graft of equal thickness 
with the stock, and treat in the same way, taking 
care that in the ring of the bark removed there 
was a leaf bud. This ring of bark they must fit 
round the stock where the bark had been removed, 
taking care of course that the bark exactly fitted the 
blank place. In a few weeks the two would have 
joined together, and the scion would begin to grow 
at the leaf bud. This system was known as flute 
grafting, and was looked upon with favour by the 
ladies. The commonest mode, and the worst, was 
to cut off the end of a branch, make a slit down the 
middle of the branch, cut the scion wedge-shaped, 
and insert into the slit, taking care that the cambium 
of each touched. The fault of this system lay in 
the fact that they could not tell how far the slit in 
the branch would go, and if there was any exposure 
to the air the graft would be spoiled. 
Budding was really a kind of grafting. They got 
the Brier, made a cut across and a second down, 
then raised the bark on both sides and put in the 
bud. The wood behind the bud they ought to 
remove so that the cambium of each part would 
not be prevented getting together. When they made 
a graft they must be sure there were some buds on 
the scion. A useful way for all Rhododendrons and 
evergreens was to cut a notch into the side of the 
branch, cut the scion wedge-shaped, and insert into 
the notch. The greatest care was needed when the 
bark of the scion was not of equal thickness with 
the bark of the stock. The best time for grafting 
was in the spring when the sap was flowing quickest. 
Passing from the subject of grafting, which had 
proved to be of the greatest interest to the audience, 
Dr. Clark touched upon Beans, pointing out that the 
best Beans could be identified by their leaves. If 
the leaves were pointed it denoted a good quality ; 
if they were blunt it denoted a poor quality. In the 
case of the Pea, if the young leaf was dark it denoted 
that the plant was getting plenty of nitrogen ; if it 
was not dark the plant was not getting sufficient of 
this food. When the end of the young leaf was 
drawn together it showed that the plant was weak 
and phosphate was required. 
The usual vote of thanks was accorded at the 
close. 
-- 
SUTTON’S BULBS FOR 1895. 
This annual most opportunely reminds us that the 
present wealth of colour in gardens, greenhouses and 
conservatories will shortly wane, and that to insure 
a succession of flowers during the dreary winter 
days and the opening months of spring the potting 
and planting of bulbs cannot long be deferred. As 
adornments for the house and garden the flowers of 
Dutch bulbs increase in popularity every year, and 
they are certainly unrivalled in purity, splendour 
and variety of colouring. Not only are they capable 
of producing brilliant displays in smoky towns 
where many other flowers cannot be successfully 
cultivated, but the delight of growing them may be 
enjoyed by those who are destitute of horticultural 
skill and appliances If properly planted or potted 
in the autumnal months they will almost take care 
of themselves, and in due time produce a show of 
bloom unmatched in beauty by the most elaborate 
summer bedding designs. Yet these bulbs will bear 
a forcing temperature, and yield an ample reward to 
those who wish to have them as decorative subjects 
in advance of the usual blooming period. 
In the lists of Hyacinths, Narcissi, Tulips, and 
other subjects, each variety is briefly but accurately 
described, so that the task of making a selection, 
whether for exhibition purposes, the decoration of 
greenhouses, conservatories and drawing rooms, 
or for planting in beds and borders, is rendered 
easy. For simultaneous flowering any desired com¬ 
bination of colours can be ensured—a point of con¬ 
siderable moment in many gardens, and for those 
who wish to have an effective show of bloom, 
either under glass or in the open, carefully selected 
collections of bulbs are offered which entirely 
dispose of the difficulty of making choice among so 
many good things. 
As an annual " Sutton’s Bulbs for 1855 ” possesses 
features of unusual interest, especially to those who 
closely follow the continuous developments of all that 
appertains to horticulture. The cultural notes are 
practical and easy to follow; the illustrations are 
admirable examples of the latest pictorial art; the 
work is well printed on good paper ; and a compre¬ 
hensive index renders the contents accessible. Two 
striking pictures embellish the cover; one is a 
Daffodil garden in Scilly; the other a realistic 
representation of bulb culture in Holland. In both, 
the artist has given evidence of an intimate acquaint¬ 
ance with the surroundings, and the illustrations are 
produced wdth unusual care and fidelity. The 
photographic reproductions of Hyacinths, Tulips 
and other flowers are extremely beautiful, and the 
series of charming illustrations showing the growth, 
on a large scale, of popular varieties of Daffodils will 
interest the admirers of this fashionable flower. 
-- 
EARWIGS AND HOW TO CATCH 
THEM. 
Now that earwigs are in full force, doing irreparable 
damage to Dahlias and other flowers, it may interest 
some of your readers to hear of a simple but 
thoroughly effective method of thinning their 
numbers very considerably. Take some large pieces 
of brown paper (about two feet square is a good 
size), crumple them up so as to make a nice lot of 
hiding places, and place a piece in the centre of each 
plant. Go round in the morning with some water in 
a pail, and turn out the contents. I have caught 
200 in three pieces of paper in one night. This plan 
puts all the pots on sticks and beanstalks (which I 
have frequently seen recommended) completely in 
the shade. Caterpillars, slugs, snails, and daddy- 
long-legs will also be found in the papers.— A. Porter, 
Stone House, Maidstone. 
DOBBIE’S SEED FARM IN KENT. 
A few years ago, when we were familiar with the 
district, not a house was in the hollow of the valley 
on the north side of the railway bridge at Orpington, 
Kent, if we except the water-works a short distance 
off. New dwelling houses now give the place the 
appearance of the commencement of a village. The 
old village is some distance away and scarcely 
visible from the railway bridge. Just behind these 
dwelling houses are the seed drying premises of 
Messrs. Dobbie & Co., whose headquarters are in 
Rothesay, N.B. The seed farm extends up the 
slope and over the top of the hill, so that there is a 
considerable amount of variety, both in the character 
of the soil and in exposure. The farm consists of 
some sixty acres, of which forty are under cultiva¬ 
tion with seeds. This says much for the energy of 
the firm and its employees, considering the waste, 
weed-choked, and ruinous condition under which the 
farm has been lying for many years past. Some of 
it in the process of cleaning appeared to be a solid 
and interlacing mass of couch grass. It will be 
excellent ground for seed farming, however, when 
brought into proper working order. 
Cockscombs. 
On our way to the grounds we stopped to examine a 
collection of Cockscombs assorted in colours, 
occupying some fifteen lights, and grown purposely 
for the seeds. We were particularly struck with the 
dwarf character of the plants, the heads of which in 
many cases were almost resting on the soil. They 
are planted out upon a shallow bed of fermenting 
manure covered with soil. The plants are named 
according to colours, which are yellow, lemon-yellow, 
golden-yellow, copper-bronze, crimson, purple- 
crimson, glowing crimson-bronze, light rose, rose, 
and rich golden-bronze. Many intermediate shades 
were noticeable, and there were but few bad ones 
amongst them, the greater proportion being 
absolutely necessary to make a collection anything 
like complete while a mixture of them would render 
a conservatory very gay indeed. They have been 
grown from seeds without any special treatment 
beyond that mentioned. Close by was a collection 
of Ten Weeks Stocks, selected according to colour, 
and also some Mimulus. 
Pansies. 
These are extensively grown expressly for the pro¬ 
duction of seed. Fancy Pansies are largely in 
