August 24, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
829 
HARDY BAMBOOS. 
A most interesting and instructive paper was read 
on this subject by Mr. Freeman-Mitford at the 
meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society held on 
August 13th, Sir Alexander Arbuthnot presiding. 
In his opening remarks, the essayist said that many 
times during the past winter he had had grave 
doubts as to whether the paper would be written at 
all, for the simple reason that he was sorely afraid 
there would be no Bamboos to write about that 
would be hardy enough to withstand the exceptional 
rigours of the winter. Such plants as Gorse and 
Ivy had succumbed ; large Portugal Laurels cut to 
the ground and clumps of Pampas Grass of thirty 
years’ standing destroyed. In the face of this 
bitterly Arctic experience, was it not almost useless 
to entertain hopes that Bamboos, which up to 
within two or three years ago were regarded as tender 
exotics, and as such wholly unfitted to withstand 
the severities of our winters, should stand the 
climate where other robustly hardy subjects had 
gone under. Still, this was the case, for out of the 
forty-two kinds which he would enumerate 
presently, not one had failed to preserve vitality in 
its roots, and all had, after the passage of the frost, 
commenced to break forth once more into beauty, 
regardless of dead stems and branches. Where 
plants had been killed outright it was more attribu¬ 
table to errors committed in planting than to lack of 
inherent hardiness in the p'ants themselves. 
During the last two or three years in which the 
planting of hardy Bamboos has been carried on in 
this country, the seasons have been anything but 
favourable to their chances of establishing them¬ 
selves. In the summer of 1893 we experienced 
a remarkable period of drought, and subsequently a 
more than ordinarily cold winter. The summer of 
1894 was, on the other hand, remarkable for its 
wetness and lack of sun—indeed, the rainfall for the 
whole of the year exceeded thirty-one inches as 
against fifteen in 1893. Last autumn, too, was a 
most exceptional one, for the weather continued mild 
right up until well into December, with the result 
that at the beginning of the present year the culms 
were still green and unripened, and wholly unfit to 
withstand the sudden outbreak of severe and con¬ 
tinued frost that characterised January and 
February. Still, in spite of all these untoward 
occurrences the plants lived, and were at present a 
mass of verdure, having experienced nothing worse 
than a severe check. In order for Bamboos to make 
really luxuriant growth, they must have plenty of 
heat and plenty of moisture, and when these 
conditions were obtainable nothing could exceed the 
beauty of the plants, with their strong culms 
eighteen to twenty feet in height, well furnished 
with branches, thickly clothed with tropical-like 
foliage. 
In planting, the essayist went on to say, it was 
necessary to have some good background against 
which the graceful curves of the branches and 
leaves would appear to the best advantage. For the 
purpose he had found clumps or hedges of Hollies 
the most suitable. More depended upon the matter 
of background than some people were aware of, for 
only recently he had seen in one of the London 
parks, a row of plants in close proximity to the iron 
railings; and anything more melancholy than the 
appearance of the plants Cogging the air with their 
long branches would be difficult to imagine. The 
season at which to plant was also a point of the 
utmost consideration. When first he started Bamboo 
culture in the open, he made the mistake of consigning 
his plants to their permanent quarters as soon as they 
arrived in the autumn, but, although every care was 
taken in the planting out, the leaves began to shrivel 
within a day or two, and ultimately turned brown, 
whilst the plants, if they did not die outright, at best 
eked out a miserable existence. Now he had learned 
better; for experience had taught him that it was 
useless attempting to put out the plants until they 
had recovered from the effects of the journey. As 
soon as he received them, therefore, he soaked the 
roots in water for twelve hours, afterwards potting 
them up and keeping them under glass through the 
winter, during which period but little water was 
needed, although an occasional sprinkling with the 
syringe was of service. They were then carefully 
hardened off and planted out in the open about the 
end of May or the beginning of June. It was a 
great mistake to tread the soil about the plants with 
a view to giving it the necessary degree of firmness, 
as the points of the culms were very brittle and 
might easily be damaged. It was a far better plan 
to give a good heavy watering, as this served the 
double purpose of settling the soil about the roots, 
and of supplying the requisite moisture. 
Mr. Freeman-Mitford next went on to speak in 
glowing terms of the elegance of habit of which the 
Bamboo was possessed, and stated how rampantly 
the various kinds grew in their several habitats. In 
Japan, for instance, according to Professor Serjeant, 
in his Forest Flora of that country, many of the 
other plants owe their climbing habit to the fact 
that several species of Bamboos have formed such 
impenetrable and extensive thickets that the only 
chance left to other plants to reach the light, and 
thus preserve their existence, was to put on a climb¬ 
ing habit. Here, in this country, we saw no such 
luxuriant clumps as these. The essayist concluded 
by enumerating the whole of the Bamboos, which, 
so far, had proved to be hardy with us, together 
with concise descriptions of their habit, appearance, 
and the country from which they hailed. 
- « ■- 
NATIONAL CARNATION AND PICOTEE 
SOCIETY. 
(Northern Section.) 
The annual exhibition of the above society was held 
on Saturday, August 10th, at the Royal Botanical 
Gardens, Old Trafford, Manchester. The number 
of exhibits was not so good as last year, but this 
deficiency was amply compensated for by the 
quality of the flowers, many of which were exception¬ 
ally fine specimens. Mr. T. Lord, Todmorden, was 
again the chief winner, and for the thirteenth time 
in succession carried off the prize for twelve Carna¬ 
tions, in addition to winning a great number of prizes 
in the classes for single blooms. In the classes for 
self and fancy Carnations and Picotees also Mr. 
Lord was awarded premier honours. Mr. J. 
Edwards, Moston, was well to the fore, and was 
placed first in twelve Picotees with some very beau¬ 
tiful flowers. Messrs. Shaw& Brocklehurst. Moston, 
also exhibited fine blooms ; as also did Mr. Crossley 
Head, Hebden Bridge ; Mr. W. Kenyon, Bury ; Mr. 
J. Beswick, Middleton ; and Mr. C. F. Thurstan, 
Wolverhampton ; the latter gentleman and Mr. A. R. 
Brown representing the Midlands, and considering 
the lateness of the show they staged some fine 
blooms. The premier Carnation was Bruce Findlay, 
a remarkably well-marked flower of the crimson 
bizarre class, exhibited by Mr. Lord, and the 
premier Picotee was a beautifully edged Mrs. Gorton, 
shown by Mr. C. F. Thurstan. The judges, as 
usual, were the exhibitors, judging, of course, the 
classes in which they were not competing. The 
following were the awards :— 
For twelve Carnations (dissimilar) Mr. T. Lord, 
Todmorden, led the way with grand blooms of Duke 
of York, Bruce Findlay, Arline, Edith Annie, Lady 
Mary Currie, Tom Macreath, Thaddeus, Mrs. May, 
George, Ed. Rowan, Magpie and Admiral Curzon. 
Mr. J. Edwards, Moston, Manchester, was a good 
second with J. S. Hadderley, Ellis Crossley, Mrs. 
Rowan, Albert Whitham, Agricola, Squire Llewellyn, 
Edward Schofield, Ed. Rowan, Gilbert, Sporting 
Lord, Feron and Robert Houlgrave. Mr. E. Shaw, 
Moston, Manchester, took the third position; Mr. 
J. W. Bentley, Castleton, Manchester, was fourth ; 
Mr. J. Brocklehurst, Moston, Manchester, was fifth ; 
and Mr. B. Simonite, Sheffield, was sixth. 
For twelve Picotees (dissimilar) Mr. J. Edwards 
took the leading award with Brunette, Nellie, Mrs. 
Sharp, Polly Brazil, Mrs. Burnett, J. B. Bryant, 
Thomas William, Edith Dombrain, Miriam, 
Favourite, Mrs. Openshaw, and John Smith. Mr. 
T. Lord succeeded him with Mrs. A. Chancellor, 
Mrs. Coleridge, Esther, Morna, Lady Louisa, 
Thomas William, Nellie, Mrs. Sharp, Brunette, Ann 
Lord, Campanini, and Mrs. Dodwell. Mr. J. 
Brocklehurst took the third award ; Mr. E. Shaw 
was fourth; Mr. H. Geggie took the fifth place; 
and Mr. J. W. Bentley was sixth. 
For six Carnations (dissimilar) Mr. Crossley 
Head, Hebden Bridge, took the leading prize with 
Othello, Arline, Lily Cannell, George, Edward Scho¬ 
field, and Thaddeus. Mr. J. Beswick, Middleton, 
was second with Master Fred, Billy Henderson, 
Cooper, Duke of York, Teddy, and Robert Houl¬ 
grave. Mr. C. F. Thurstan, Wolverhampton, took 
the third award; Mr. W. Kenyon, Bury, Lancs., 
was fourth ; Mr. G. Thornley, Middleton, took the 
fifth place ; and Mr. A. R. Brown, Birmingham, was 
sixth. 
For six Picotees (dissimilar) Mr. W. Kenyon led 
the way with Mrs. Sharp, Favourite, Mrs. Gorton, 
Esther, Zerlina, and Nellie. Mr. Crossley Head 
took the second award with Morna, Zerlina,Thomas 
William, Nellie, Lady Louisa, and John Smith. 
Mr. A. R. Brown secured the third place ; Mr. C. F. 
Thurstan came in fourth ; Mr. J. Beswick took the 
fifth place ; Mr. G. Thornley was sixth, and Mr. D. 
Walker, Kilmarnock, N.B., was seventh. 
In the class for twelve seifs (not more than two 
flowers of one variety) Mr. T. Lord again took the 
place of honour with Lady Agnes, Mrs. R. Hole, 
Mrs. Gascoigne, President, Nero, Mrs. Muir, 
Matilda, Uncle Tom, Germania, Eunice, Joe 
Willett, and Mrs. Lee. Mr. J. Edwards succeeded 
him with Seedling (108), Ruby Improved, R. Houl¬ 
grave, Teddy, Annie Lakin, Seedling, Germania, 
Seedling, Seedling, Mancunian, Rob Roy, and 
Feron. Mr. A. R. Brown took the third position, 
and Mr. E. Shaw was fourth. 
For six seifs (not more than two blooms of one 
variety) Mr. C. F. Thurstan took the leading award 
with Germania, King of Scarlets, Gladys, Blushing 
Bride, Negress, and Germania. He was iollowed by 
Mr. W. Kenyon with Germania, President, Seedling, 
King of Scarlets, Mary Morris, and Mrs. Muir. Mr. 
J. Brocklehurst secured the third award. 
In the class for twelve fancy Carnations and 
Picotees (not more than two blooms of one variety) 
Mr. T, Lord was again the most successful com¬ 
petitor, taking this honour with Victory (2), Stad- 
rath Bail, Nisbet Hall, London, Almira, Georgina 
Brown, Mrs. Palmer, Soudan, Annie Ross, Mrs. R. 
Sydenham, and Mrs. W. C. Atkinson. Mr. A. R. 
Brown took the second position with Cardinal 
Wolsey (2), Agnes Chambers, Janira (2), Ladas 
(2), Mrs. Dranfield, Stadrath Bail, Mrs. Gooden, Mrs . 
R. Sydenham, and Mrs. Douglas. Mr. J. Edwards 
was the third prize winner. 
For six fancy Carnations and Picotees Mr. W. 
Kenyon came to the front with Stadrath Bail (2), 
Maud, Seedling, A. W. Jones, aud Unicorn. Mr. B. 
Simonite took the second place, but his blooms were 
unnamed, and Mr. C. F. Thurstan was third. 
The premier Carnation of the whole exhibition was 
Bruce Findlay, shown by Mr. T. Lord. The premier 
Picotee was Mrs. Gorton, exhibited by Mr. C. F. 
Thurstan. 
The class for single blooms of Carnations brought 
numerous entries. Scarlet Bizarres.—First and 
second, Mr. T. Lord with R. Houlgrave and Dukeof 
York; third, Mr. J. Beswick with R. Houlgrave; 
fourth, Mr. E. Shaw with George; and fifth, 
Mr. C. F. Thurstan with R. Houlgrave. 
Crimson Bizarres.—First, second, and third, Mr. 
T. Lord with Arline, Bruce Findlay, and Arline, re¬ 
spectively ; fourth, Mr. J. Edwards with Stanley 
(Seedling) ; and fifth, G. Thornley with Master Fred. 
Pink and Purple Bizarres.—First, second, and third, 
Mr. T. Lord with Edith Annie ; he was fourth with 
Wm. Skirving and fifth with Edith Annie. Scarlet 
Flakes.—First and second, Mr. C. F. Thurstan with 
Alexirova; Mr. T. Lord was third with Ivanhoe ; 
Mr. G. Thornley came in fourth with Herbert; and 
Mr. Crossley Head was fifth with Dan Godfrey. 
Rose Flakes.—First, Mr. T. Lord with Mrs. May ; 
second, Mr. J. Edwards with Mrs. Rowan; third, 
Mr. A. R. Brown with tlie last-named variety; 
fourth and fifth, Mr. T. Lord with Crista Galli and 
Lily Cannell. Purple Flakes.—First and second, 
Mr. T. Lord with Gordon Lewis and Squire Whit- 
bourne ; third, Mr. J. Edwards with Billy Hender¬ 
son ; and fourth, Mr. A. R. Brown with Gordon 
Lewis. 
Single blooms of Picotees were also represented. 
Heavy-edged Red.—First and second, Mr. T. Lord 
with Brunette ; third, Mr. Crossley Head ; fourth, 
Mr. C. F. Thurstan ; and fifth, Mr. W. Kenyon, all 
showing Brunette. Light-edged Red.-First and 
second, Mr. T. Lord with Thomas William ; third, 
Mr. J. Edwards with the same variety ; fourth, Mr. 
C. F. Thurstan with Mrs. Gorton ; and fifth, Mr. T. 
Lord with Thomas William. Heavy-edged Purple.— 
First, Mr. W. Kenyon with Zerlina ; second, Mr. J. 
Edwards with Polly Brazil ; third, Mr. W. Kenyon 
with Zerlina ; fourth, Mr. J. Edwards with Polly 
Brazil; and fifth, Mr. G. Thornley with Mrs. Open¬ 
shaw. Light-edged Purple.—First, Mr. W. Kenyon 
with Seedling; second, Mr. T. Lord with Ann Lord ; 
