406 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 25, 1893. 
Mardlin, 43 ; Mr. F. Moore. 8 ; Mr. C. E. Pearson, 
14; Mr. G. Stevens, 39; Mr G. Woodgate, 11 ; 
Mr. J. Wright (Temple), 40, and Mr. B. Wynne, 46. 
Thus the outgoing members were re-elected, and Mr. 
E. Beckett takes the place vacated by Mr. 
Sanderson. 
Certain of the rules of the society were next 
amended, the effect of the alterations being to increase 
the Floral Committee from fifteen to eighteen mem¬ 
bers and to provide for the election of a chairman of 
that body each year ; to provide that in the case of 
a proposition to amend the rules at an annual meet¬ 
ing due notice shall be given to the secretary so that 
the nature of the proposed alterations can be put 
upon the summons calling the meeting ; and to give 
the society power to strike off the names of members 
in arrear with their subscription beyond a certain 
period. 
Mr. G. S. Addison moved the adoption of the fol¬ 
lowing new rule :—" That any member who shall 
refuse to conform to the rules and regulations of the 
society, or shall be guilty of irregularity, or of dis¬ 
honourable or disorderly conduct, or of conduct likely 
to bring discredit upon the society, shall be subject 
to expulsion by a vote of two-thirds of the members 
present at any general meeting.” Mr. W. Wells 
seconded the motion, which was opposed by Mr. 
Jukes, Mr. T. Bevan, Mr. Hicks, Mr. R. Dean, Mr. 
W. Piercy, Mr. Newell, Mr. G. Gordon, and Mr. J. 
W. Moorman, and it was eventually withdrawn 
by the mover. Three new members were 
elected, including Mr. John Earland, of Wellington, 
New Zealand, and a vote of thanks to the chairman 
brought the proceedings to a close. 
-- 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED, 
The plants and the fruit described below were ex¬ 
hibited at the meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society on the 14th inst, and each received an Award 
of Merit. Some of the Orchids exhibited at the 
same time, and certificated, are recorded under 
Orchid Notes and Gleanings. 
Amaryllis The Hon. W. F. D. Smith.— The 
plant exhibited under this-name was really a Hip- 
peastrum, though popularly known under the name 
of Amaryllis. It is likewise one of the finest im¬ 
provements in the genus that has appeared anywhere 
and that means a great deal. There were two scapes 
from the bulb, each about 2J ft. high ; one of them 
bore two expanded flowers of immense size and 
nearly flat, owing to the absence of a tube, while the 
flowers on the other were still in bud. The three 
outer segments are the widest, broadly elliptic, in¬ 
tense crimson heavily shaded with maroon towards 
the centre. The inner ones are smaller, especially 
the lowermost one, and all of them bjtve a small 
green blotch confined to the base. The stamens and 
style are also crimson in conformity with the rest of 
the flower. The well-developed leaves nearly 
equalled the scape in length when shown. The ex¬ 
hibitor was the Viscountess Hambledon (gardener, 
Mr. H. Perkins) Greenlands, Henley-on-Thames. 
Chrysanthemum Beauty of Castle Hill.— 
Visitors to the meeting in January were surprised to 
see and know that Chrysanthemums of exhibition 
size could be had at that early period of the year, 
but they were more so when Beauty of Castle Hill 
made its appearance on the 14th inst. The bloom 
measured 7 in. to 8 in. across in its natural position. 
It is a true Japanese variety, with spreading florets 
quilled nearly to the tips, and more or less regularly 
incurved there, and curved against the direction of 
the sun. The outer and older portion of the flower 
is of a clear yellow', but the central florets are heavily 
stained with a bronzy hue. The variety also flowers 
jn November. It was exhibited by Mr. Robert Owen, 
Castle Hill, Maidenhead. 
Apple Standard Bearer. — The fruit of this new' 
variety is of large size sub-conical, and slightly five 
angled towards the top. The skin is greenish yellow, 
with a bronzy-red flush on the exposed side, and 
dotted with russet all over. The eye is moderately 
deeply sunk in a slightly plaited basin. On the 
whole it bears some general resemblance in form 
and colour to Ribston Pippin. The exhibitor was 
Mr. Wm. H. Banister, The Gardens, Cote House, 
Westbury-on-T ry m. 
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN, 
Celery and the frost. 
As the result of ten years’ experience in a district 
where both winter and spring frosts are usually very 
severe, I. have to report that this season our Celery 
crops have been more inj ured than during any previous 
winter. I am, however, gratified at being able to 
state our supplies promise to suffice for all require¬ 
ments that may have to be met. Some time ago we 
lifted the whole of the stock and had it laid in sand 
in a shed, where it remains in a good state of pre¬ 
servation. We have had three varieties under culti¬ 
vation, viz., White Plume, which I find a most 
useful sort for the earliest supplies; Incomparable, 
and Major Clarke’s Solid Red for winter work, and 
the latter with me at least has proved to be by far 
the hardiest and most solid. A light protection was 
afforded the crops at the beginning of the frost in the 
form of some cut straw shaken among the plants, 
but I think this work might as well have been left 
undone so far as defensive measures were concerned. 
Regarding the White Plume Celery some affirm that 
no earthing up is necessary, but during high winds I 
have found the sticks get so much damaged that 
moulding had to be resorted to with future crops, 
and I think better quality is ensured by the little 
extra work. — D. MacKie, Ayrshire. 
The White Plume Celery. 
In answer to your correspondent, “B. L.’s” enquiry 
respecting the White Plume Celery, I beg to say that 
having grown that variety I am able to say that it is 
a high-class Celery of medium size, and of the finest 
quality. It is especially useful for early work, but 
as it is not so hardy as the green sorts it cannot 
therefore be recommended for a late crop. The 
variety is most attractive, as nearly all the leaves 
and stalks are pure white with the exception of the 
older or outer leaves, which are deep green. If a 
few plants are dotted in the flower border they give 
a striking effect. It is also a free-growing variety. 
Thanking yourself and “ B. L.” for kind suggestions 
as to the protection of Celery.— H.W. 
I have grown this variety for the past three years, 
and according to my experience with Celery it is one 
of the best for early work and for cottagers, who as 
a rule have not much room in which to grow larger 
varieties. It is dwarf, very solid, and crisp when 
well grown, and possesses a rich nutty flavour. It 
is advertised as a self-blanching variety, but I find it 
is all the better for earthing up three or four weeks 
previous to taking it up for use. I have not the 
slightest doubt but what it is the variety which j'our 
correspondent, “ B. L.,” inquires about on p. 390.— 
T. Parrott. 
A correspondent asks for the experience of some¬ 
one who has grown the White Plume Celery. It is a 
variety which is said to require no earthing up, to 
make it fit for use. When the plants are young the 
colour is of a pale green, as it grows older it becomes 
nearly white, and that is why it is said that it needs 
no earthing up, but it should be earthed for a short 
time to make the best of it. I grew it two or three 
years ago, but it will not do with good treatment as 
it soon runs to seed. It is a slow growing kind, of 
short, sturdy habit, from 12 to 15 in. in length, of 
very sweet, nutty flavour. It is not the sort that 
many market gardeners will grow, as others will pay 
much better.—S. 5 . 
Conqueror Tomato. 
I note in one of your recent issues, re Tomatos, the 
names of two varieties mentioned as being about the 
best. I should like to recommend to any of my 
gardening friends, if they have not already grown it, 
“Conqueror.” I may say that having to get Tomatos 
early, I have tried most of the advertised kinds, but 
Conqueror has proved more free than any of them 
with me. It is fairly large, of good colour, red, and 
of good shape, the majority of the fruit coming very 
smooth and even. I am quite in accord re the 
Perfection strain for later work.— James Richardson, 
Woodhouse Gardens, Stanstead, Essex. 
Potato The Freeman 
Have you any knowledge of a Potato named The 
Freeman ? A small set about the size of a knur was 
brought to me not long ago by my young master, to 
whom it was given on board ship when recently 
returning from America. The American gentleman 
was not very free with his samples, but gave the 
variety a high character, and I suppose at present it 
must be considered valuable.— B. L. [We have no 
information concerning it. —Ed.J 
THE OLD ARAUCARIA 
AT KEW. 
The current number of the Ken.' Bulletin records 
the death of a somewhat remarkable tree in the 
Royal Gardens. This is the first “ monkey puzzle,” 
or ^Araucaria imbricata, ever seen in Europe. It 
was introduced under rather curious circumstances 
by Archibald Menzies, the surgeon of Vancover’s 
expedition to the Pacific and the north-west coast of 
America in 1791-95, a voyage during which the 
insularity of the island now bearing Vancouver's 
name was discovered. In the course of this cruise 
Valparaiso was called at, and the officers enter¬ 
tained at dinner by the Viceroy of Chili. The 
banquet was a sumptuous one, and long before 
dessert was reached most of the company were little 
fitted for noticing that among the fruits placed on 
the table by the Captain-General’s slaves were some 
peculiar nuts, which, in reply to the doctor’s query, 
the host informed him were the seeds of a peculiar 
Chilian tree, of which they had already made the 
acquaintance under the name of “ pino.” This w'as 
enough for Menzies, a man who lived to so good 
an old age that the late Mr. Bennett, of the British 
Museum, was well acquainted with him, and had 
the tale we are telling from his own mouth. For 
at a fitting moment he pocketed the nuts, and from 
them the first Araucarias in the Old World were 
raised. 
This tree is now so common that one finds a 
difficulty in realising the time when it was so rare 
that, as late as 1836, King William IV. considered 
that he was presenting a choice gift when he sent 
one of the Kew specimens to Lady Granville for 
her grounds at Dropmore. At that time the seed¬ 
ling was about 5 ft. high ; it must be now rather 
more than 63 ft. in height, its stature twelve years 
ago being fully 60 ft. Yet there is another tree 
at Dropmore even better grown, though we regret 
to record that a persistent legend affirms that this 
robust Araucaria is the produce of a cutting stolen 
by “ a lady” from the original plant at Kew nearly 
sixty-two years ago. At first the tree, now dead, 
was protected during winter under the belief that 
it was not quite hardy, as indeed the Araucaria 
is not during unusual frosts in the northern part of 
the kingdom. Hence it was never quite naturalised 
at Kew. 
In the early part of this century, also, it was 
irretrievably damaged by some careless servants 
having imprudently hung lanterns on its branches 
during a fete at Carleton House, to glorify which it 
was temporarily removed from Kew. Scheer, writing 
in iS 4 o, describes the historical Tree, now gone, 
as “the lion of the gardens”; and so great a 
favourite with William IV. that he never 
visited “ kingly Kew ” without pointing out to any 
strangers who might be with him the tree which 
old Archibald Menzies, who had been his shipmate, 
brought to England under such interesting circum¬ 
stances. —Daily Chronicle. 
-—J-- 
INTERACTIONS BETWEEN PLANTS 
AND ANIMALS. 
The above was the title of the fourth of the series 
of lectures recently delivered in the Free Church 
College, Abeerdeen, by Mr. J. Arthur Thomson, 
F.R.S.E., the Thomson lecturer for the present 
session. At the outset, Mr. Thomson drew his 
hearers' attention to a well-known experiment. 
They took a globe with a narrow aperture, filled it 
half full with pond water, and, after putting into it 
a certain number of small plants and a proportionate 
number of small animals, they hermetically sealed 
the globe. In the small enclosed world one or two 
casualties were not unlikely to happen. For 
example, the animals might devour all the small 
plants, until they themselves immediately perished 
in suffocation. But casualties need not happen. It 
was possible that that small enclosed world in the 
glass globe might go on prosperously for years. Yet 
in that little world the plants and the animals — 
because they were both alive—were continually 
taking oxygen out of the air and giving back to the 
air as a waste product carbonic acid gas. How was 
it, then, that the air in the globe did not become 
carbonic acid gas and not ozygen ? They knew the 
answer, that during the day the little green plants, 
like all green plants, were able to compensate for 
their own breathing and for that of the animals also, 
because they had the peculiar power of absorbing 
