November 5, lb9d. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
149 
Herbaceous Rubber Plants.—Carpodinus lanceolatus 
and Clitandra benriquesiana are semi-herbaceous 
plants, i ft. to 2 ft. high, growing in Congo territory, 
that furnish hundreds of tons of what is known as 
the new root-rubber of the Congo and Loanda. 
Death of Miss Ethel Cooke.—We regret to announce 
the death of Miss Ethel Cooke, the eldest daughter 
of Mr. Sydney Cooke, of Tub’s Hill, and gardener 
to De B. Crawshay, Esq., Rosefield, Sevenoaks, 
Kent. Miss Cooke died on the morning of Friday, 
the 28th ult., at the of sixteen years, after a brief 
illness.- 
Messrs. Laing at Earl's Court.—We are pleased to 
learn that the efforts of Messrs. John Laing & Sons, 
Forest Hill, London, to keep the gardens at Earl's 
Court gay during the season have been rewarded by 
the International Jury of the Earl’-s Court, London, 
Exhibition, Ltd., who granted them a Diploma and 
a Gold Medal for the meritorious display they made 
with flowering plants, &c. 
Sevenoaks Gardeners’ and Amatuers’ Society.— 
There was a well attended meeting of this society 
on the 18th ult., when Mr. N. Edwards gave a capital 
address on the “ Culture of Hardy Fruit.” The 
lecturer spoke of the proper treatment of the soil, 
good and bad methods of planting, apd selection of 
varieties. His remarks on pruning were followed 
with keen interest. A brisk discussion followed, 
being opened by the chairman, Mr. Huntley. Messrs. 
Westcott, R. Potter, Salter, Bligh, Cooke and 
Hoadley spoke. The time was, however, not long 
enough to admit of the subject being properly threshed 
out, and it is proposed to renew it at the next meet¬ 
ing, which is to take place on the 15th inst. 
Plate of New Carnations.—Twelve of the new Mal- 
maison Carnations raised by Martin R. Smith, Esq , 
and secured by Messrs. Wm. Cutbush & Son, High- 
gate Nurseries, Highgate, have been painted in a 
group forming a picture of great size and imposing 
appearance. The Shah, Mme. de Satge, and Lord 
Welby are dark crimson ; Iolanthe, Mrs. Torrens, 
and Jane Seymour are of some shade of scarlet or 
orange-scarlet; Thora is pure white; Mrs. Martin 
Smith is a showy variety with silvery-white edges to 
the petals; Albion is more or less striped or flaked 
on a ro sy-scarlet ground ; and Lady Ulrica, Margot, 
and Calypso vary from rose to pink, the last named 
being the lightest, and silvery-pink. All these 
varieties are of good size and form, being well 
selected, but Mrs. Martin Smith takes the lead for 
size easily, as represented in the picture, which has 
been well executed. 
Dutch Horticultural and Botanical Society.—At the 
Floral Committee meeting of September 14th, 1898, 
the committee awarded First-class certificates to Mr. 
H- Hornsveld, of Baarn, for Canna Hofgarten- 
director Wendland, Cactus-Dahlias Arachne, Cap¬ 
stan, Keynes's White and Slandard Bearer; to Mr. 
T. E. Houtvester, of Utrecht, for Canna H. Wend¬ 
land; to Messrs. E. H. Krelage & Son, of Haarlem, 
for Canna Stadtrath Heidenreich, Cactus-Dahlias 
Arachne, Capstan, Daffodil, Keynes’s White, King¬ 
fisher, Night, Norfolk Hero, Standard Bearer and 
Montbretia crocosmiaeflora Oriflamme; to Mr. W. 
van Veen, of Leiden, for Cactus-Dahlias Arachne 
and Keynes's White ; to Mr. B. Ruys, of Dedems- 
vaart, for Cactus-Dahlia Keynes’s White ; to Messrs. 
Groenewegen & Son, of de Bilt, for Rubus sorbi- 
folius; and to Messrs. V. Schertzer & Son, of Haar¬ 
lem, for Tagetes Lemon Queen and T. Prince of 
Orange. At the same time Certificates of Merit were 
accorded to Mr. T. E. Houtvester, of Utrecht, for 
Chrysanthemum Harvest Home ; to Messrs. P. van 
Noordt & Son, of Boskoop, for Cactus-Dahlia 
Koningin Wilhelmina; to Mr. H. Hornsveld, of 
Baarn, for Cactus-Dahlia Loreley ; to Messrs. E. H. 
Krelage & Son, of Haarlem, for Cactus-Dabbas 
Loreley and Stern von Schoneberg, Lathyrus odora- 
tus Countess of Powis and L. o. Lady Nina Balfour; 
and to Mr. B. Ruys, of Dedemsvaart, for Cactus- 
Dahlia Loreley. Honourable Mentionings were 
awarded to Mr. K. Wezelenburg, of Hazenwoude, for 
a collection of Erica, and another of Hibiscus ; and 
to Mr. Jac. Smits, of Naarden, for a collection of 
Syringa. A Gilt Medal was awarded to Mr. J. D. 
Onderwater, of Heemstede, for a collection of cut 
flowers of Cactus-Dahlias. 
Snow on Lochnagar.—There is still a little harvest¬ 
ing to be done in the district around Crathes, near 
Balmoral, and the stooks have been badly damaged 
by rain. The glens have a wintry appearance, and 
Lochnagar and Ben-a-Bhuird are heavily covered 
with snow. 
Sequoia, the name of the giant trees of California, 
was so rendered by Endlicher, to commemorate Se- 
quoi-yah, a native Indian chief, who invented an 
alphabet for the benefit of his countrymen, who 
attained a high state of civilisation through the per¬ 
sonal influence and genius of their great chief. 
Gishurstine for the Boots.—The dry weather is a 
thing of the past and winter is assuredly advancing. 
In any case the rainfall, so long desired, is now 
deluging the ground everywhere, but it behoves 
gardeners, young and old, to keep it out of their 
boots, if they would avoid the dire penalties it is 
needless to name. Thanks to Price’s Patent Candle 
Company, Limited, Belmont Works, Battersea, 
S.W., there is no difficulty in keeping the feet dry by 
a little use of Gishurstine, which is always in a state 
that only requires to be well rubbed on the boots 
when warmed. In company with many others we 
have frequently used Gishurstine and find it quite 
equal to the task of keeping rain and melting snow 
at bay, thus securing dryness and consequently the 
natural warmth to the feet. It may be obtained in 
6d. and is. tins, containing enough to rub many 
pairs of boots. 
Extreme Temperatures and Alpine Plants.—M. 
Gaston Bonnier has been making experiments in the 
Laboratory of Vegetable Biology at Fontainbleau, 
with the view of giving plants an alpine character by 
artificial means. It seems that in less than two 
months he has attained a considerable amount of 
success by growing the plants in a hothouse sur¬ 
rounded by melting ice during the night, and exposed 
to the sun during the day. The plants so treated 
have become dwarf, with smaller, thicker, firmer, 
more crowded leaves, and reach a flowering stage 
more rapidly. These plants represent growth under 
extremes of temperature. On the contrary, those 
plants kept continually in a glasshouse surrounded 
by melting ice present a greater development than 
those subjected to extremes of temperature. Those 
plants grown under extremes of temperature corres¬ 
pond to the wild ones growing at high altitudes, 
subjected to frosty nights and a broiling sun by day. 
M. Bonnier considers that alternating extremes of 
temperature are responsible for the dwarfness of 
alpine plants. 
Bamboo Paper.—It was at one time thought that 
there was a great future for the Bamboo as material 
from which paper could be made. Those who 
were of this opinion had some justification in think¬ 
ing it a likely fibre to take a prominent place in 
paper making. The fibre is long, strong, and very 
flexible, the actual length being -354 in., and the dia¬ 
meter -00063 in. These fibres are fine, regular, and 
smooth, with walls uniform, and the central 
canal small. The fibre is mixed with a good deal of 
intercellular matter, and possesses good fitting 
qualities. It also bulks fairly well, and can be 
heated in the beater with ease to yield a good, close 
sheet of paper. Owing to the introduction of cheap 
wood cellulose, the chances of a new fibre-yielding 
stock making any marked headway, have, how¬ 
ever, become very much less than they used to 
be. Wood is very cheap, and the methods of ob¬ 
taining paper from it are also cheap and expedi¬ 
tious. The cost of treating Bamboo canes with 
caustic soda under pressure even when crushed be¬ 
fore being put into the hands of the paper-maker, is 
rather higher than that of other fibres of the 
same order. The boiling, too, has to be regulated 
by the quality and hardness of the cane, which, of 
course, varies according to the stock, and the age 
and maturity of the canes themselves. Hard, well 
matured canes are difficult to manipulate. Specially 
constructed boilers are also requisite, and this has 
undoubtedly been one of the great reasons why paper- 
makers, who have been enterprising enough to make 
a trial of it, have not carried out the trial to any 
extent. The great abundance, rapid growth, and 
comparative cheapness of the Bamboos, however, 
undoubtedly give the plant a claim upon the paper- 
maker, a claim which may be recognised when the 
difficulty of dealing with it is surmounted. 
Scotch Bonnets is a name given by Mr. Ray to one 
of the Fairy Ring Agarics, namely, Marasmius 
oreades. 
“ Sell's Commercial Intelligence.”—Under this heal¬ 
ing Sell’s Advertising Agency, Ltd., 168, Fleet Street, 
London, E C., have commenced a weekly newspaper 
for the benefit of those engaged in trade in various 
parts of the world. The sub-title of the paper is 
" Markets of the World, new and old,” while the 
motto is "Our country’s welfare is our first con¬ 
cern.” The paper is entirely devoted to the spread 
of authentic commercial information, and will inform 
British merchants and manufacturers of new open¬ 
ings for foreign and colonial trade, and help them to 
meet the ever increasing growth of foreign competi¬ 
tion. The first number, dated October 29th, contains 
articles on Asiatic Russia, China, Indo-China, Asia 
Minor, Cape to Cairo, Klondike, South America, and 
many other countries, the above places being viewed 
from the aspect of facilities offered by existing and 
projected railways. The paper promises well to 
supply the information required by the trading com¬ 
munity of this country. 
Vegetables at Birmingham.—A most successful 
vegetable show was held at the Masonic Hall, 
Birmingham, on the 26th and 27th ult., when some 
excellent material was staged. This show was pro¬ 
moted and the prizes given by Mr. Robert 
Sydenham for produce grown from seeds supplied 
by him. Many of the classes were open to growers 
from all parts of the country and there was a very 
representative competition as the result. Potatos, 
Carrrots, Parsnips, Leeks and Beets were especially 
good. The ^15 Silver Challenge Cup was won by 
Lady Theodora Guest with twenty-seven points, 
whilst Mr. J. B. Manly, Harborne, obtained the £10 
Challenge Cup offered in the local classes, with 
forty-four points. Mr. Pope, gardener to the Earl of 
Carnarvon, Highclere Castle, Newbury, was very 
successful in the open classes; whilst in the local 
competitions limited to growers residing within a 
radius of five miles of Stephenson Place, Birming¬ 
ham, Messrs. J. A. Kenrick, C. Edkins, J. B. Manly 
and G. Stacey divided the honours and the greater 
part of the prize money between them. 
Ealing and District Gardeners’Society.—On the 25th 
ult., at the Municipal Buildings, Ealing, Mr. C. H. 
Dennis, of the Middlesex County Times, gave a paper 
on a “ Gossip about Flowers,” which he treated in a 
a philosophical and literary manner. Mr. C. B. 
Green occupied the chair. There was a large muster 
of members, the room looking exceedingly gay with 
the emerald tints of the numerous Ferns. Mr. 
Dennis said, at the outset, that he could not claim 
kinship with gardeners, therefore his object was not 
practical, but literary. He then proceeded to call 
attention to some of the beautiful passages in poets 
and specialists touching this subject, making many 
quotations and suggestions, and altogether treating it 
from the sentimental point of view. He considered 
the age was too utilitarian, that, in fact, a bed of 
Cabbages was preferred to a garden of flowers. The 
discussion was, perhaps necessarily, somewhat 
divergent, some supporting and some denying the 
propositions laid down. Mr. Dennis, however, was 
accorded a hearty vote of thanks. There was also an 
excellent competition for twelve Ferns,the prizes (five 
in number), corresponding with the entries. The pots 
were limited in size to 9 in. The premier award 
went to Mr. C. B. Green, the chairman of the 
society, who had a meritorious collection of British 
varieties, consisting of Lastrea Filix-mas linearis, L. 
pseudo-mas cristata, L. dilatata folioso-cristata, 
Polystichum angulare cristatum, P. a. plumosum 
(Wollaston)—very fine—Althyrium Filix-foemina 
plumosum dissectum—feathery and finely-cut— 
Scolopendrium vulgare cristatum—beautifully 
crested—S. v. capitatum, S. v. muricatum, S. v. c. 
crispum—fine form—S. v. c. maximum, and a grand 
piece of a variety labelled S. v. sub-pinnato- 
cristatum. Mr. W. Roberts, the energetic hon. 
secretary, came in second with a nice lot of plants, 
principally Adiantums, some of the best being 
A. scutum, A. decorum, A. formosum, A. 
cardiochlaena, and A. excisum multifidum, with 
Pteris Gibsoni, and P. serrulata major, the remaining 
prizes being distributed between Messrs. G. Woods, 
H. Cummings, and H. J. Cox respectively. Orchids 
were staged by Mr. Hogg. 
