June 4, 1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
629 
Gum is imported into this country at the rate of 
327,316 cwt. annually, and the estimated value of it 
is £1,074,218. 
Erratum.—The illustration on page 617 was by a 
slip of the pen named “ Dracaena Sanderi.” For 
this read Pandanus Sanderi, as described on page 
>619. 
The Yeast Plant (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is said 
to be only 100th of a millimeter in diameter. It 
must therefore be cultivated in greater numbers 
than any garden, field, or forest plant. 
Eulophiella peetersiana.—A plant of this new and 
rare species of Orchid was sent to the Sale Rooms of 
Messrs. Protheroe & Morris on the 27th ult., by M. 
A. Peeters, St. Gilles, Brussels, and was knocked 
down at £39. 
The Neill Prize.—An Edinburgh correspondent 
directs our attention to an error in last week's 
issue, p 615, in the first column. The fund for 
this prize was founded by Dr. Neill and not 
Patrick Neill Fraser, Esq., the late treasurer of 
the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, and 
nephew of the founder. Mr. Angus McLeod, 
superintendent of the City Gardens, Edinburgh, 
and Mr. John Paterson, of Saltoun Hall, Hadding¬ 
tonshire, one of the most outstanding plant judges 
in Scotland, are two of the recipients of the Neill 
prize still living. 
McDougalPs Insecticide Fumer.—The "Fumer"is 
a handy little article that may be accommodated in the 
coat pocket, yet one of them is sufficient for a house 
of x,ooo cubic ft. capacity. It is like a short tin of 
mustard, the lower portion of which contains a small 
bit of specially prepared candle, and is perforated at 
the sides to admit air. The top is a closed box con¬ 
taining the insecticide. Having ascertained the 
cubic contents of the house, the operator places the 
requisite number of “Fumers" on the floor, and 
taking off the top box proceeds to light the candle in 
the lower one. A round lid, which is soldered or 
fixed on the top of the box containing the insecticide 
is then prised off so that the fumes can escape when 
roused to action by the heat of the candle. The 
box is replaced over the candle, and the operation is 
complete. Having lighted and placed all the 
11 Fumers " in this way the gardener can then make 
his exit leisurely and leave the “Fumers" to do 
their work. They quickly destroy thrips, greenfly, 
and other vermin, and leave no bad odour behind as 
in the case of fumigation with tobacco rag or paper. 
The " Fumers 11 are issued by Messrs. McDougall 
Bros., 10, Mark Lane, London. 
Ferns growing in Chancery Lane.—It may be taken 
for granted that many years have elapsed since 
Ferns grevz wild in this busy thoroughfare of 
London ; yet what shall we say of Ferns which have 
sprung up without human intervention, and without 
anyone knowing it until the other week. In a vault 
of two or more compartments underneath the road¬ 
way and the side pavement at 33, Chancery Lane, 
seedlings of Scolopendrium vulgare and Asplenium 
bulbiferum have sprung up in some quantity oa the 
bricks and in the seams between them. There are 
also some mosses, including a species of Hypnum. 
They occur at three separate places, one under a 
pavement light, and the other two under coal plates 
in the pavement overhead. One Scolopendrium had 
a leaf 8 in. long, the other seedlings being much 
smaller. The pavement light and the coal plates are 
filled in with thick glass for pedestrians above, and 
as one stands in the vault the feet of a continuous 
stream of people may be heard passing over the roof 
of this curious fernery. The Ferns had come there 
in the form of spores, which may have blown in at a 
crack beside the lights or while the coal plates were 
open. Water may have been the vehicle of convey¬ 
ance as the vault is damp ; and the spores might 
have been carried down while it was raining. The 
light that could penetrate through the thick glass 
had been just sufficient for the germination and 
development of the seedlings. Our attention was 
called to the presence of this unsuspected find by 
Mr. F. Hudson, 1, Houghton Street, Strand, a 
builder who is now doing some repairs in the vault. 
The fate of the Ferns, we fear, is sealed under those 
conditions; but their presence,growing spontaneously 
in the heart of London, is by no means a commoi 
occurrence. 
A Professional Bird-catcher —Berlin employs a 
bird-catcher at a salary to supply scientific institu¬ 
tions with birds, nests and eggs. He is the only man 
in the empire who has this permission. 
Gooseberries are a glut upon the market, making it 
self evident that the past winter and spring have not 
been unfavourable to this crop. Growers would do 
well to merely thin the crop, leaving a good picking 
on the bushes for harvesting in the ripe state. 
Pilocereus senilis var. longisetus.—A contributor to 
the Cactus Journal for April has something to say 
about the rate of growth of this curious Cactus. 
He obtained an old plant, amongst some young ones, 
in the autumn of 1855. From this plant he has 
taken pieces at various times which now measure 
2 ft , 2 ft. 5 in., 1 ft. 6 in., and 10^ in. high respec¬ 
tively, or a total growth of 6 ft. 9J in. in forty-three 
years. 
Richardia Little Gem.—Many cultivators who have 
tried this pretty miniature Richardia have failed 
with it. Considering the number of failures with it 
which we have observed, the success which has 
attended its culture under the care of Mr. Geo. 
Reynolds, gardener to Messrs, de Rothschild, Gun- 
nersbury Park, Acton, is remarkable. It has been 
flowering freely for considerably over two months in 
the Rose house. The secret of this success con¬ 
sisted in rubbing off all the young tubers when re¬ 
potting the old ones. When the plants are well into 
growth they are liberally fed. When the spathes 
are cut others continue to be thrown up from the 
same tubers. Five to seven or more spathes would 
be obtained from a few tubers in a 32-sized pot. 
From a 12-sized pot an average of twenty-five 
spathes is secured, while some pots will throw up 
thirty of them in succession during the course of 
growth in the Rose house. When the plants have 
done flowering, or when the space is required, they 
are placed outside to mature, preparatory to starting 
into fresh growth. Most of them had been placed 
out of doors by the middle of May. 
--- 
MAGNOLIAS. 
There are a score or more varieties of these lovely 
flowering shrubs or trees which give us a succession 
of flowers from early March right up to the appear¬ 
ance of frost. Often we find a few stray blooms in 
the month of November of Magnolia grandiflora. 
All the species thrive better if given a sheltered 
position, and a fairly rich soil. 
We have some noble specimens in the arboretum 
here, some of them reaching 50 ft. in height. M. 
stellata was the first to open its flowers with us this 
season. I consider this is one of the prettiest of the 
whole family, and is pure white; it flowers very 
freely, and is slightly perfumed. Ours is only a 
small bush as yet, but I can well imagine what a 
grand sight a bush 15 ft. or 20 ft. high would be. It 
continues in flower a long time; it began early in 
March, and is still in bloom (the first week in May. 
It is assiduous, the flowers generally appearing in 
advance of the foliage, similar to M. conspicua, 
another early kind, and valuable to the planter on 
account of its earliness. This latter is very fra¬ 
grant, and opens early in March if given a wall. It 
attains a height of nearly 50 ft. On account of our 
fickle springs it often gets much damaged when in 
flower. There are one or two of this variety named 
M. c. soulangeana, with tints of purple on the 
petals, and another, M. c. s. nigra, with deeper 
ticts. M. purpurea is another pretty species, 
flowering early in spring, but not so fragrant as the 
last-named; still, it is a desirable kind to plant, and 
makes an excellent bush. 
M. fuscata is the smallest flowered one I am 
acquainted with, but none the less fragrant ; in fact, 
one flower will scent a large room. Generally 
speaking, this is a greenhouse species, but it is quite 
hardy on a south wall, with us in Devon, and retains 
its narrow green foliage throughout the year. M. 
grandiflora, as its name implies, is a beautiful object 
when nicely in bloom. It commences to flower in 
June, and continues up to the time frost puts a stop 
to it, as before mentioned. 
M. glauca is another fine species, with white 
flowers, and very fragrant. This is an evergreen, and 
forms a spreading tree 15 ft. to 20 ft. high. M. glauca 
thompsoniana has flowers very much larger than 
the latter type, and is often called M. g. majqr. The 
foregoing are the cream of them, I consider, though 
we have several other varieties about the grounds, 
namely, M. acuminata (Cucumber tree), with very 
large leaves and flowers of a glaucous green, and M. 
auriculata (syn. M. Fraseri), with yellowish--vhite 
flowers. This, too, has very large leaves, and looks 
well on the lawn, but the wood appears rather crisp, 
and quickly breaks off when a strong wind prevails 
if the tree is at all exposed.—/. Mayne, Bicton. 
CRICKET. 
Hurst & Son v. Gloster & Sons. 
The match was played at Walthamstow on Whit- 
Monday, May joth. 
Gloster & 
Sons. 
1st Innings. 
2nd Innings. 
Aylott, b Swinfen. 
10 
b Portch . 
10 
Wood, A.E.,lbw Swinfen 
I 
c Sampson, b Main 
14 
Hart, c Main, b Sampson 
5 
b Swinfen. 
7 
Mayhew, lbw Sampson 
3 
b Portch . 
0 
J. Wood, run out. 
3 
run out. 
II 
Miller, b Sampson .... 
16 
c Squire, b Swinfen 
4 
Deudney, c & b Sampson 
G. Gloster, c Swinfen, b 
0 
run out. 
6 
Sampson . 
3 
not out. 
37 
Walter, not out. 
1 
not out. 
9 
D.Gloster,c & b Sampson 
2 
b Portch . 
3 
Chedley, b Sampson .. 
2 
Extras. 
6 
Extras. 
4 
52 
Declared 8 w’kts 
105 
Hurst & 
Son. 
1st Innings. 
2nd Innings. 
Portch, run out. 
21 
b Hart . 
II 
Squire, b Miller . 
19 
not out. 
25 
Swinfen, b G. Gloster .. 
Sampson, c Deudney, b 
38 
not out. 
5 
J. Wood . 
Main, c A. Wood, b G. 
22 
Gloster. 
3 
Blyth, b J. Wood. 
2 
Delacourt, b J. Wood.. 
O 
Jerry, b G. Gloster_ 
I 
Laker, b G. Gloster_ 
0 
Thake, lbw, G. Gloster 
O 
Turner, not out . 
4 
Extras.. 
7 
117 
For 1 wicket.... 
41 
THE RULES OF COMPETITION. 
The recent dispute in your columns, pp. 566-7, and 
583, upon the awards given at the Belfast Chrysan¬ 
themum exhibition, shows how important a subject 
this is. No matter what the class is or the geo¬ 
graphical position of the show held, abstractions and 
deviations from rules are highly dangerous, and full of 
critical explosives, which, sooner or later, are sure to 
burst forth in front of judges, exhibitors, and the 
public interested. 
It is well to remember a rule is only another name 
for the whole of the committee, and the sum total of 
these is law, and judges are subordinate thereunto. 
Therefore, how imperative it is that all, especially 
judges, should avoid complication, should keep weil 
to the concrete, and make themselves thoroughly 
conversant with the true meaning of the schedules 
that are posted or placed in their hands by the 
secretary previous to starting on their mission. 
To those who have followed the discussion it is 
quite apparent, even without acknowledgement, that 
the—taking a thing for granted—the had not seen— 
the second day's discovery—and the should not have 
done a £ I did—conditions were the predominating 
causes. 
What names should have been attached and 
collarets detached under and around the chests and 
necks of Madame this and blooms of others, but 
were not, are inconsequential mistakes and violations, 
whichever they may be, and are best left for the 
exhibitors and their assistants to settle amongst 
themselves. 
Disqualification upon a single wrong detail, when 
every other is of surpassing excellence, is certainly 
hard, and judges who do so do it very reluctantly, and 
sympathetically at the same time for the exhibitor. 
Faults and mistakes are very often dearly paid for ; 
the parties concerned take a lesson therefrom, and 
are very cautious in after years. 'Tis an old saying 
that when a director on the railway gets killed we 
may look out for safer travelling. 
I have written this in no spirit of disparagement 
to anyone. That committees expect too much from 
their judges in some cases is obvious, and if a timely 
