January 21, lb99. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
325 
Tbe National Chrysanthemum Society —The annual 
general meeting of the N C.S. will take place at the 
Royal Aquarium. Westminster, on February 6th. 
The printed notice issued to members will admit to 
the building. 
Longevity of a Begonia Leaf.—The leaf of B. rex, 
mentioned in our last week's issue, p. 314, as having 
been cut and put in water in May last, is still as 
as fresh ever, after a lapse of about eight calendar 
months. Surely this beats the record for the dura¬ 
bility of cut foliage. 
A Wagtail Nesting—In a quarry near Selkirk a 
wagtail has laid five eggs in a nest during the past 
few weeks. The Farmers' Gazette says that the nest 
was built last summer, but being in the way of 
quarrying operations, one of the workmen removed 
it some yards away. The birds were in no way dis¬ 
concerted, but hatched their brood in due course, and 
continued to make the quarry their home and 
hunting ground. 
Broughty Ferry Horticultural Association.—Under 
the auspices of the above Association, a 1 arge number 
of gardeners and friends sat down to supper in the 
Lome Restaurant on the evening of Friday, 13th 
inst. The hon. president, James W. Laird, Monifieth 
Nurseries, occupied the chair, the croupier being 
David Croll, Seedsman, Dundee. After the loyal 
and patriotic toasts, interesting addresses were 
delivered by several of the members, and attention 
was called to the great success that is attending the 
course of technical lectures, promoted by the associ¬ 
ation. During the evening a musical programme 
was gone through,and after the usual votes of thanks 
the meeting terminated. 
The Other Side of the Question.—So many authori¬ 
ties on dietetics have combined to praise the Onion 
that it is, at least, a change when we learn that there 
is another side to the question, and that someone is 
bold enough to take it. Against those persons who 
hold that Onions are nutritious food and a specific 
for the kidneys, a certain Herr Buerdoff, quoting 
from Hahn's Practical Handbook of Natural Mode of 
Life says that " Onions emit a very strong smell, 
caused by a voluble oil of a sulphurous nature which 
is, to the majority of mankind, instinctively disagree¬ 
able. That it is also poisonous is proved by the fact 
that the body tries to rid itself of this odour as rapidly 
as possible after it has been swallowed, through the 
pores, the kidneys, and the stomach.” Moleschott 
says that “ the use of Onions quickens the pulse, and 
excites the nervous system." That Onions smell we 
all know ; that they are good things to eat, and many 
of us will continue to eat them—because we like 
them. 
The New Horticultural and Forestry Association for 
Hamilton and District—As has been already noticed 
in the columns of The Gardening World, the 
efforts made by the gardeners of the district in 
endeavouring to institute a horticultural and forestry 
association in Hamilton, have been crowned with 
most encouraging success. A meeting was held on 
the night of January nth, in the Liberal Club, where 
a great many were enrolled as members. Mr. Moir, 
Earnock, was in the chair, and thoroughly impressed 
upon all present the importance of constituting 
themselves into a body of the nature in proposal. 
The demand upon the resources of gardeners in the 
present day was great, and it was only by putting 
forth every endeavour in tbe way of assisting to pro¬ 
mote and disseminate the knowledge of the various 
sciences conducive to, and bearing upon, the practice 
of gardening that gardeners could ever hope to be in 
the running. The chairman added that they were 
very fortunate to have secured the services, as presi¬ 
dent, of one of the keenest amateur horticulturists in 
the county, perhaps in Scotland, the Rev. Mr. 
Paterson, of Aidenclutha. There were five vice- 
presidents elected, viz., Messrs. Archibald. Bothwell 
Castle; Angus, Dalziel Gardens ; Grahame, Coltness 
Gardens ; Campbell, the Nurseries, High Blantyre ; 
and Moir, Earnock Gardens. A council of eight was 
also elected. Mr. Jackson, of Mr. Campbell, High Blan¬ 
tyre, was elected Secretary ; and Mr. Frew, Jeweller, 
Hamilton, Treasurer. The association is to be 
called "The Hamilton aDd District Horticultural 
and Forestry Association.” The next meeting is to 
be held on Friday evening, 20th, when the Rev. Mr. 
Paterson is to deliver the inaugural address This 
concluded the business, and the chairman was 
accorded a right hearty vote oi thanks.— Gamma. 
Mince Pies were first mentioned as being in common 
use at Christmas as early as 1596. They consisted 
of mutton mixed with raisins, nuts, cloves, allspice, 
and other ingredients. 
The Irish Potato Crop.—The last thirty years have 
seen a falling off in the cultivation of the Potato in 
Ireland that works out at nearly 30 per cent. In 
1870 there were over a million acres of land devoted 
to the culture of the noble tuber. Last year the 
area occupied by Potatos was roughly speaking, 
660,000 acres, or a little more than twc-thirdsof that 
in 1870. 
Hartland’s Seed List for 1899 .—It is with pleasure 
we have to notice this catalogue from the Sister Isle. 
It is, indeed, the most unique for design, the cover 
specially so. Mr. Hartland's family have for long 
years been the leading traders of the South of 
Ireland. The present member of the same is, and 
has been, most enthusiastic at his work for nearly 
forty years. In this list he offers seeds of the true 
Shamrock of Ireland, the rare Incarvillea Delavayi, 
tuberous Begonias, double and single Ard Cairn 
saved, a magnificent strain, and all the leading 
novelties of the season, at very reasonable prices, 
considering the fame of the house. We must also 
compliment Mr. Hartland for the original design on 
the cover, where the play on the name of " Hartland ” 
is so well conceived. As a seedsman hailing from 
the Emerald Isle we must congratulate him on 
his great efforts and trade with England. 
Barr’s Seed Guide for 1899 is in our hands and a neat 
and handy production it is, issued by Messrs. Barr 
and Sons of Covent Garden. It runs to ninety-two 
pages, exclusive of the covers. The latter are hand¬ 
somely got up in black and white, a representation 
of a large-flowered Cosmos appearing on the front 
page, and an illustration of one of the firm's exhibi¬ 
tion groups of vegetables. In addition to the usual 
lists of flower and vegetable seeds, a very interest¬ 
ing and important feature is a special list of seeds of 
Australian plants. As hitherto these seeds have been 
difficult to cbtaiD, we doubt not that many culti¬ 
vators of Australian plants will be glad to know that 
the difficulty exists no longer. This list includes 
such handsome plants as Acacia baileyana, A. saligna, 
A. dealbata and A. cultrata, Boronia megastigma, 
Callistemon lanceolus, Metrosideros tomentosa, 
Tecoma australis, and Elaeocarpus cyaneus. As the 
Messrs. Barr have for long been specialists in hardy 
flowers this catalogue will be eagerly looked for by 
those who are enthusiastic over the beauties of the 
outdoor garden. 
Bristol and District Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Association —The present session of the society was 
opened on Thursday evening, the 12th inst , with a 
very successful meeting, to hear a lecture by Mr F. 
W. E. Shrivell, F.L.S., of Tonbridge, Kent, on 
"Chemical Manures.” The lecturer, who was 
cordially received, said that as a nation we .were far 
ahead of any other in the use of chemical manures 
and stated that at the farm at Tonbridge experiments 
were beiog conducted with a view to ascertaining the 
results of growing crops with chemical manures 
alone, and in conjunction with stable manure. By 
means of a blackboard and a lucid manner of dealing 
with the subject he showed his audience the constitu¬ 
ents of stable manure, and how they could be applied 
in chemical form. He also detailed the experiments 
that had been made under different conditions at 
Tonbridge, and gave results which showed that in 
some cases crops could be more successfully grown 
with chemical than with other manure, and always 
proving that chemicals could be profitably and 
successfully added to other manures. Asparagus, 
Onions, Strawberries, Broccoli, and Cabbage, were 
all mentioned as having been grown under 
varying conditions and always to greater advan¬ 
tage with the aid of chemicals. Concluding 
his lecture, Mr. Shrivell said that the proper 
method of gardening was to throw aside all 
old-fashioned prejudices, and as science was the 
handmaid of practice, there was no reason why, as 
time went on, they should not grow as good crops, 
and at a cheaper cost by the use of chemical 
manures. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded the 
lecturer, on the motion of the chairman, Mr. VV. A. 
Garaway. A prize of ten shillings, offered by Mr. 
White, for two Nepenthes, was secured by Mr. W. 
H. Bannister. 
The Dee, Severn, and Conway are in flood, thou¬ 
sands of acres of land being submerged. 
Dwarf Japanese Shrubs have become a fad amongst 
the well-to-do classes of New York, who give as much 
as /120 for some of the best specimens. Many of 
them are trained in fantastic shapes, and may be 100 
years old though not exceeding 2 ft. in height. 
Something Like a Fall of Snow.—Whilst nurserymen 
andgardeners in this country are in the full enjoyment 
of a winter of exceptional mildness, with, in the south 
of the country at least, no snow at all, florists in other 
parts of the world are grappling with difficulties 
caused by heavy snowfalls, of which we here can 
only form a faint idea. In Western New York 
recently there was a heavier fall than has been 
experienced for twenty years, for the snow has been 
4 ft. on the level. Glasshouses were buried right up 
to the eaves, and before anything could be done to 
pull off the wintry covering and let light into the 
plants, a wide passage had to be dug all round the 
house. In the case of attached bouses it was 
impossible to shift the snow from the gutters without 
breaking a lot of glass. 
Flora of the Altai Mountains —At the meeting of 
the Linnean Society of London, on December 15th 
last, Mr. H. J. Elwes, F.R.S., F.L.S., gave an 
account of the zoological and botanical results of a 
journey to the Altai Mountains. As regards plants, 
finding the flora pretty well known through the 
labours of Ledebour, Bunge, aod Tchihatcheff, he 
thought it preferable to coliect the plants of a small 
typical valley rather than attempt a general collec¬ 
tion made at random. Unfortunately, owing to an 
accident when crossing a river, the greater part of 
that collection was lost. He was much struck with 
the extraordinary beauty and abundance of the 
Alpine plants in certain marshy valleys from 6,coo to 
7,000 ft. in altitude. There was a remarkable ab¬ 
sence of peat-plants, and hardly any Ferns were seen 
in the Tchuja Valley between the Katuna River and 
the upper Tchuja steppe, a plateau about 6,000 ft. 
above the sea, south of which the greater part of the 
observations were made. 
O 
The Retail Newsagents’ and Booksellers’ Union.— 
The Christmas catalogue issued by the Newsagents' 
and Booksellers’ Review, 185, Fleet Street, was, in¬ 
deed, a marvellous production, and one of which 
those who compiled it and watched over its destinies 
may well feel proud and gratified. In these fin de 
siecle days we are accustomed to see elaborate and 
well-got-up catalogues, butm this case unusual pains 
were taken in the compilation and general turn-out 
of a publication that cannot have failed to have been 
useful to all connected with the sale of books and 
periodicals. The object of the catalogue was to give 
booksellers something that they can lend their cus¬ 
tomers, with a view to assisting the choice of the 
latter in the selection of the various gift books with 
which the market is now annually flooded from 
various sources. The object was a good one, and we 
doubt not that the experiment has been attended 
with the success it deserves. The catalogue runs to 
168 pages, exclusive of covers. Books of travel and 
adventure, as well as the novel for those who like 
light fiction, and the fairy tale book for the children, 
are all represented. Illustrations are numerous, 
many of them being reproductions in miniature of 
the large coloured plates presented with numerous 
publications at the season of Yule. The book can 
still be obtained from all booksellers, price is. 
LATE WHITE CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
The weather last autumn being so hot and bright, 
the “ 'Mums ” came on apace, so that I was afraid 
they would flower early, and their season likewise 
be necessarily short; but I am glad to say that they 
have lasted well, in fact, a few varie ies still remain 
to brighten the conservatory. We require our 
collection for decoration, so grow them on the 
dwarfing system—cut them down to within a few 
inches of tbe soil on the 1st of June. But I wish 
more especially to speak in praise of three white 
varieties—a colour so valuable at Christmastide— 
viz., Souvenir de Petite Amie, of very dwarf habit. 
Some plants of this variety I disbudded, let them 
carry five or six blooms, one to each shoot. They 
formed nice large flowers, and lasted in condition a 
long time. This variety is capable of producing 
