358 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 5, 1898. 
estimate, however, as far as we observe, 
has been made of the quality or otherwise 
of the farmyard manure employed, nor of 
the animals that supplied it. The age of 
the animals, the nature of the food supplied 
to them, and the making of the manure 
itself must all be taken into consideration 
in estimating the actual value of such a 
fertiliser. We are pleased to note that the 
experiments are to be continued. Other 
seasons will, in all probability, give different 
results ; for the weather as to temperature 
and moisture often nullifies the effects of 
manuring. If the same ground is to beused 
again, for the same crops, some plots should 
be set apart to test the effect of the rotation 
of crops in husbanding soil fertility. 
-— hi- — — 
Seaweed is said to be richer in nitrogenous con¬ 
stituents than Oatmeal or Indian Corn. It should 
therefore be a very nutritious vegetable food. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—The next fruit and 
floral meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
will be held on Tuesday, February 8th, in the Drill 
Hall, James Street, Westminster, i to 4 p.m. At 
3 o’clock the annual general meeting of the society 
will be held in the Lindley Library, 117, Victoria 
Street, S.W. 
An Army of Pensioners.—There are on the United 
States' pension list no fewer than 4,620 survivors of 
the late war who are either florists, nurserymen, 
seedsmen, or gardeners. These men seem to have 
taken the scriptural injunction to heart, and to have 
turned their swords into ploughshares and their 
spears into pruning hooks. 
Rye Gardeners sat down to their annual dinner at 
the Cinque Ports’ Assembly Room on the 20th ult. 
The Rev. A, J. W. Cross presided over a large 
attendance. In replying to the toast of “ The 
Society,” proposed by Mr. C. Hayles, the president 
remarked that the society owed its success to the 
labours of the officers and the interest displayed by 
the members. The point money won by the various 
exhibitors through the year was distributed during 
the course of the evening. 
N.CS Smoking Concert.—The second annual 
smoking concert in connection vJith the National 
Chrysanthemum Society will be held at Anderton’s 
Hotel, Fleet Street, E.C., on Monday evening, 14th 
February, at 7.30 p.m. That the soothing influence 
of the noble weed may be extended—Oh ! no—in 
order that invitations may be extended to ladies, the 
annual " Smoker '* will, on this occasion, take the 
form of a cigarette concert. Seeing also that the 14th 
is St. Valentine’s Night there should be a very large 
attendance. The hon. secretaries and treasurers of 
the concert are Mr. Richard Dean, V.M.H., Rane- 
lagh Road, Ealing ; Mr, H. J. Jones, H.F.N.C S., 
Ryecroft Nursery, Hither Green, Lewisham; and 
Mr. A. E. Stubbs, 290, Dashwood House, New 
Broad Street, London. E.C. 
Native Guano.—This is the title of a pamphlet of 
seventy-two pages, giving an account of the results 
of the practical application of “ Native Guano ” to 
farm and garden crops. The text matter consists 
almost entirely of testimonials from various people, 
practical and scientific, throughout the country, the 
greatest number being in England. The manure has 
been used for all sorts of garden crops, including 
representatives of fruits, flowers, and vegetables. An 
index at the end refers the reader to the pages where 
each particular crop is mentioned. Most things have 
of course been mentioned by a great number of 
people who furnish the results they obtained. As 
far as we notice the testimonials refer to last year 
only. Dr. A. B. Griffiths, the great authority on 
horticultural chemistry, describes it as an excellent 
manure for a large number of crops, as it contains 
nitrogen and phosphoric acid, as well as other fertil¬ 
ising substances not recognised in ordinary official 
analyses. These substances probably render the 
inert constitutents of the soil available as plant 
foods, and in that respect are valuable. The pam¬ 
phlet is issued by the Native Guano Company, 
Limited, 29, New Bridge Street, Blackfriars, Lon¬ 
don, EC. 
As Orchards Increase in number and extent in 
Britain, so do their insect enemies multiply. 
Sparrows are now singing on the housetops, I see 
by the papers. Well, leave them there, say I, not 
because I'm charmed with the song, but the Goose¬ 
berry buds will be safe.— Snaggs. 
A Banffshire gardener lost his watch while digging 
about three years ago. The lost time-piece turned 
up again the other week while digging was being 
carried on, though the same ground had been dug 
three times in the interval. 
M. Anatole Cordonnier was nominated a Chevalier 
de la Legion d'Honneur, on the occasion of the last 
Chrysanthemum exhibition at Brussels. He is a 
Vine and Chrysanthemum grower, and the author of 
a book on Le Chrysantheme a la Grande Fleur. M. 
Cordonnier is in all circumstances a man of progress, 
so that this new distinction at the hands of the 
French Republic is well merited. 
An Ancient Orchard.—Some time ago during 
trenching operations in the orchard at Pitfour, 
Aberdeenshire, the men found three feet of good 
loam on the surface, below which was a layer of 
closely placed granite blocks over-lying a layer of 
sand. Below that, good soil again descended to some 
depth. This had been the monastery orchard of 
Pitfour, and must have been made about the year 
1218. The custom of paving the site of fruit trees 
must therefore be a very ancient one, though not 
much practised now. 
Deverill’s Seed and Plant Catalogue.—If amateurs 
do not garden-finely in modern times, it is not for 
lack of material, nor want of instructions how to set 
about it in the orthodox fashion prescribed by the 
profession. The usual lists of flower and vegetable 
seeds and plants are set forth in the catalogue of 
Mr. H. Deverill, Banbury, Oxon. ; but to amateurs 
the hints on “ Growing and Selecting Vegetables for 
Exhibition ” should prove both interesting and 
useful. The chapter is written by Mr. W. Pope, 
gardener to the Earl of Carnarvon, Highclere 
Castle, Newbury, a noted vegetable grower and ex¬ 
hibitor, so that amateurs may feel sure they are 
following a reliable authority. The subjects dealt 
with are Beet, Longpod Beans, Carrots, Cauliflowers, 
Celery, Cucumbers, Onions, Leeks, Potatos, Peas, 
Parsnips, Dwarf Beans, Tomatos, and other subjects 
which most amateur gardeners like to cultivate for 
use as well as exhibition. For the latter purpose the 
art must always be carried to greater perfection than 
when the vegetables are merely grown for home use. 
There is also an article on the cultivation of a few 
popular flowers, such as amateurs generally may 
desire to cultivate. Hardy, herbaceous, alpine, and 
bulbous plants are also described at fair length, 
giving such information as beginners may require. 
Sir John Lubbock, Bart,, M.P., on Buds and 
Stipules.—There was a large attendance at the 
Royal Institution on the 21st ult., to hear Sir John 
Lubbock's lecture on •* Buds and Stipules.” Sir 
Frederick Bramwell presided. The unwonted 
earliness of the season enabled him| to be better 
provided with specimens than he could have antici¬ 
pated. The large number of diagrams, however, 
with which Sir John is always provided enables him 
to place the subject-matter before his audience with 
great clearness at any season of the year. The 
subject, moreover, is of perennial interest, as leaves, 
stipules and buds are present in some stage or other 
during every day of the year, while they are quite as 
interesting in winter as in summer, the so-called 
resting buds being particularly instructive to the 
student of Nature’s way of taking care of her 
subjects. Even the outermost Oak leaf in the bud 
is protected with forty greatcoats, that is, twenty 
pairs of stipules. Some Rock Roses have stipules 
while others have none; but in such cases the leaf 
is differently formed at the base, thus making up for 
the deficiency of stipules. Many other cases were 
cited to show that stipules were of primary import¬ 
ance for protecting the buds in winter; while in 
other instances they assumed the form and functions 
of leaves in summer. In conclusion, he stated that 
if his hearers would examine the buds of our native 
trees and shrubs in spring, they would be more and 
more filled with wonder at the varied provisions 
made by Nature to protect the tender buds in 
winter. 
Amber in enormous quantity has been discovered in 
British Columbia, sufficient it is said to supply the 
pipe-makers of the world for the next 100 years. 
In Onion there is strength, says American Gardening, 
and in proof thereof quotes the case of a school¬ 
mistress who objected to and forbade one of her 
scholars eating Onions, but who was forced to give 
way when all the pupils took to the same diet. 
Royal Botanic Society.—Fruiting branches of 
Euonymus japonicus, not often seen in this country, 
were sent from Dawlish, Devon, to the meeting of 
this society on the 22nd ult. A paper on ” Plant 
Variations ” was read by the Rev. G. Henslow, and 
illustrated by oxyhydrogen views. Papers of 
botanical interest are to be given at the meetings of 
the Fellows during spring and summer. 
Botany in London Parks.—The London County 
Council has been recommended by the ” Parks and 
Open Spaces Committtee ” to give orders for plots 
to be laid out in Battersea, Ravenscourt, and Fins¬ 
bury Parks in such a way as to afford instruction to 
scholars in elementary and secondary schools in the 
practical study of botany. The plants in these plots 
are to be labelled with their common as well as their 
Latin names. It is suggested that the trees in the 
park should be similarly labelled. This is a step in 
the right direction and we trust one that will be 
appreciated, when no doubt similar instructions will 
be given to those in charge of the other parks and 
open spaces. 
Chrysanthemum " At Home.”—This is the title of 
a small booklet by Mr. C. Orchard, Harbour 
Gardens, Bembridge, Isle of Wight. In the 
absence of information we take it for granted that 
Mr. Orchard, who is a noted Chrysanthemum 
grower, has written it during his idle hours, or may- 
baps to kill time while riding on the railway in 
returning from the shows, as well as to amuse his 
personal friends. It is a humorous skit on Chrys¬ 
anthemums, the names of the varieties being inter¬ 
woven with the language of the 'Mum grower in 
such a way as to produce an amusing train of ideas, 
the force of which will be more apparent to growers 
of the golden flower than to outsiders. 
Ealing Gardeners’ Society.—The usual weekly 
meeting of this society was held on the 25th ult., 
John Hughes, Esq., F.R.H.S., presiding. The 
attendance was not quite so good as the subject 
warranted, many being, no doubt, deterred by the 
term “chemical.” However, the very respectable 
number who did put in an appearance were more 
than gratified—they were enthusiastic. The occa¬ 
sion was an address on " Chemical Manures,” by F. 
W. E. Shrivell, Esq., F.L.S , of the Tonbridge 
Experimental Farm. Mr. Shrivell possesses not 
only a fund of information on this important ques¬ 
tion, but a very happy knack of rendering it avail¬ 
able. This he did partly by the aid of the black¬ 
board and partly by his affable manner and concise 
demonstration of facts. He stated, at the outset, 
that he had nothing to sell; he came before them 
solely in the interests of science and the benefit ot 
horticulture ; and that while Dr. Bernard Dyer was 
the scientific adviser, he, himself, was the practical 
worker. He did not despise farmyard manure ; on 
the contrary, he called it his " sheet anchor,” and 
said that it not only contained all the elements of 
plant food, but that it acted mechanically on the soil 
improving its condition as well as adding to its 
fertility. He then described dung as consisting 
principally of straw, ammonia, phosphoric acid, 
potash, and lime, He recommended fresh or green, 
dung as a base for vegetable culture for the reasons 
given above, and gave copious statistics to prove his. 
case. Dung, however, was not sufficiently powerful 
in itself to give the best results, so that lime and 
kainit were added at the same time, the more soluble 
chemicals, like nitrate of soda being applied subse¬ 
quently. Mr. Shrivell gave his experiments with 
Asparagus, Strawberries, Cauliflowers, Brussels 
Sprouts, etc., over a series of years, showing some 
very remarkable results. Strawberries, it seemed, 
could not be grown satisfactorily without farmyard 
manure, while Cauliflowers and Brussels Sprouts— 
indeed the Brassica tribe generally—were enhanced 
in value by chemical manures alone. Much more 
invaluable information of this sort was accorded, 
which was received with a hearty and generous 
assent. 
