358 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 4 , 1899. 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution. — We 
understand that Mr. Edwin C. Mott has promised 
5 guineas towards the balance of the £5,000 re¬ 
quired to complete the Victorian Era Fund. 
Richmond Horticultural Society —We are requested 
to state that the annual exhibition of this society has 
been fixed for Wednesday, June 28th, 1899, in the Old 
Deer Park, Richmond. Full particulars can be 
obtained from the honorary secretary Mr. C. R. 
King, 61 and 62, George Street, Richmond, Surrey. 
Monument to an Apple. —Of monuments to living 
and dead persons we have plenty, but our American 
friends have gone further than this, and have erected 
one to the Baldwin Apple. The pillar is a rough 
but massive erection about 12 ft. in height, with an 
Apple in stone surmounting it. The inscription upon 
it is as follows :—" This pillar, erected in 1895 by the 
Rumford Historical Association, incorporated April 
28th, 1877, marks the estate where, in 1893, Samuel 
Thompson, Esq., while locating the line of the Mid¬ 
dlesex Canal, discovered the first Pecker Apple tree, 
later named the Baldwin.” 
Horticultural Principles. —It has been arranged to 
hold a class in London, dealing with the science of 
horticulture, in accordance with the meeting we 
alluded to last week. The evening chosen is that of 
Monday ; the time 7.30 p.m. ; the lecturer is Wilfred 
Mark Webb, F.L S.; and the address is 2, The 
Broadway, Hammersmith. The fee arranged is ten 
shillings, payable in advance, for ten lectures, and 
includes any extra lessons given nearer April, when 
the Royal Horticultural Society holds its annual 
examination. Room can be found for one or two 
more students at the class, which begins on Monday, 
February 6th Application should be made at once to 
lecturer, at Hammersmith. 
The Ghent Chrysanthemum Show for 1899 is to be 
held on the 12th, 13th aL d 14' h ot November. It will 
be the 1641b of the series, and, judging from the liberal 
schedule provided, of which we are in receipt, this 
show should eclipse all that have gone befi re it. 
There are in all 146 classes, distributed amongst 
Chrysanthemums, both cut blooms and plants, 
miscellaneous ornamental plants, groups, Oichids, 
and fruits. The prizes will consist of works of art, 
gold, and silver gilt framed, and silver medals. Some 
of the gold medals will be of the value of 100 fr. 
This show is promoted by the Societe Royal d' 
Agriculture et de Botanique de Gand, and is engineered 
by the energetic secretary, Monsieur E. Fierens. 
Saxifraga cordifolia gigantea.—The time of flower¬ 
ing of this grand Siberian Saxifrage is not yet, 
although if the mild weather continue the blooms 
will not be long in making their appearance. Even 
now, however, the plant claims recognition by 
reason of the rich and vivid colouring of its foliage, 
“which may be described as deep red-puipie. 
These heart-shaped leaves are of considerable size 
in the type, and in the variety under notice they are 
even larger and more vigorous. They thus go to 
form great masses of colour which are very conspic¬ 
uous amidst the prevailing gloom of the Alpine 
garden. A fine tuft is at the present time a promi¬ 
nent feature in the rockery at Kew, where, perched 
as it is, high up on a rock the plant has very little if 
any protection, and that only on its western side. 
Park Place Mutual Improvement Society—On 
Tuesday evening, January 24th, at the weekly meet¬ 
ing of the Park Place Mutual Improvement Society, 
Henley-on-Thames, I arranged in a vase and 
placed on the table, specimens of the under¬ 
mentioned shrubs and plants flowering in the open 
air : — 
Andromeda floribunda 
Daphne Laureola 
,, Mezereum alba 
Jasminum nudiflorum 
Lonicera fragrantissima 
Garrya elliptica 
Chimonanthus fragrans 
Hamamelis virginica 
Berberis aquifolium 
Corylus Avellana 
Viburnum Tinus 
Erica carnea 
Ulex europaeus 
Crocus Imperati 
,, Sieberi 
Petasites fragrans 
Power of Eloquence. —A Dakotab lawyer was re¬ 
cently arrested for stealing wood, but such was the 
power of his eloquence that he made the jury believe 
that he was only walking in his sleep, and thought 
that he was placing flowers on the grave of his first 
wife .—The Weekly Florist's Review. 1 be old country 
isn’t out of it yet, for the itinerant jobbing gardener’s 
powers of persuasion have never yet been described 
—they are beyond it. 
Bristol and District Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Association. —The fortnightly meeting of the society 
was held on Thursday,26th ult.Mr. W. A. Garaway in 
the chair. A lecture was given by Mr. A. Moore-Sara, 
of Stoke Bishop, on *' Spores and Seeds, and their 
Germination.” In an interesting manner he showed 
the origin, formation, and stages, through which a 
Fern spore passed until fertilisation was complete, 
and a Fern plant eventually established. Treating of 
seeds he also, in the same way, described the forma¬ 
tion of a flower, the fertilisation of the seed, and sub¬ 
sequent germination, and explained the main points 
of difference between the germination of spores and 
seeds, illustrating the whole with blackboard 
diagrams. The lecture, though necessarily a little 
technical, was much appreciated, and the hope was 
expressed that Mr. Moore-Sara would again favour 
the society with a paper. Prizes for a pair of table 
Ferns were awarded, Messrs. Binfield, first; Clapp, 
second; and Shelton, third.—IF. E. Groves, Hon. 
See. and Treasurer. 
A Horticultural Experiment that cannot fall to be 
of interest and may well produce something more, 
is to be tried by the London School Board. Some 
of the teachers in some of the board schools are 
horticuhurally inclined, and it has been found that 
the culture of flowers and vegetables has been of 
great service for “ teaching the young idea” at such 
schools. It has been decided there'ore to officially 
encourage floriculture at centres wherever it is found 
to be possible Teachers who wPh to take advantage 
of this latent scheme will, on application, receive a 
sum of money for the purchase of seeds, bulbs, 
flower pots, Hyacinth glasses, suitable soil, and other 
necessaries. A still further allowance is to be made 
for supplying old packing cases which may be cut 
into flower boxes. During the holidays the children 
are to be allowed to take some of the plants home 
and attend to them theie, returning them to the 
school at the close of the vacation. The idea is 
certainiy a good one, for besides tending to make our 
schools brighter and more attractive the children 
will be interested in the cultivation of flowers, which 
is not only a hobby by means of which they may 
profitably employ spare moments but an educational 
factor to boot. 
When is a Gardener a hired Servant? —At the 
County Police Court, Old Traflord, the other day, 
before Mr. J M. Yaies, Q Q, a curious point was 
raised bjrtfce Inland Revenue authorities. Mr Cobbett 
conducted the case for the prosecution, and said that 
the charge was preferred against Mr. James Treeby, 
nurseryman, Chester Road, Old Trafford, of employ¬ 
ing a male servant without having a licence. An 
Inland Revenue officer called at the gardens of Mr. 
Estcourt, city analyst, Montague Road, Old Trafford, 
and there found a man named Wright acting as a 
gardener. He afterwards learned that Wright was 
employed by Mr. Treeby, who hired him out to Mr. 
Estcourt, payment being made by the latter to Mi. 
Treeby periodically. The Act under which the 
summons was issued provided that anyone who fur¬ 
nished a male servant on hire should be deemed 
liable to take out a licence. The Inland Revenue 
officer, J. Hellier, stated that he asked Wright 
whether he was compelled to call at Mr. Treeby’s 
nursery before he commenced work at Mr. Estcourt’s 
garden, and Wright replied that he could please him¬ 
self. Witness, in re ply to Mr. Hockin, who defended, 
said he did not know of a case where a landscape 
gardener had ever paid tax for a man employed under 
him. He believed this was the first case of the kind. 
M r. Hockin said the agreement between the defen¬ 
dant aDd Mr. Estcourt was of the nature of a contract 
to do work required on a certain area. The defendant 
was not required to complete the work in a given 
time or to supply only a particular individual to 
execute it, therefore he could not be held liable under 
the Act. Wright had never worked a full day at 
Mr. Estcourt’s garden. The chairman said he would 
give his decision last Tuesday. 
Liverpool Horticultural Association.—The annual 
meeting of this society was held last Saturday at the 
Free Library, Mr. T. Foster presiding. The balance 
sheet shows an income of £453 14s. 3d., including a 
balance from last year of £79 ns. iod., and sub¬ 
scriptions, £360 15s. The expenses included £249 
18s. 4d. excess of expenses over receipts of spring 
and autumn shows, and general expenses, £83 13s., 
leaving a balance in favour of the society of £120 
2S. nd. The shows show gate money, £180 17s. id.; 
special prizes, £14 is.; and prize money at the two 
shows, £230 ns. The meeting voted the usual 
donations of £3 3s. and £2 2s. to the Gardeners’ Royal 
Benevolent Institution and the Royal Gardeners' 
Orphan Fund respectively. Mr. H. Sadler, 7, 
Victoria Street, Liverpool, was elected secretary. 
The question of exhibitions for theeDsuiDg year was 
left in the hands of the committee. 
Maidenhead Chrysanthemum Sooiety.—On the even¬ 
ing of June 23rd the idea of starting a Chrysanth¬ 
emum society for Maidenhead and district was 
promulgated, and by the 30th of the month was 
well on its legs, with the Right Hon. Lord Boston 
as its president, forty vice-presidents, and C. De M. 
C. Pratt, Esq., a cousin of Lord Boston's, as chairman 
of committee ; Mr. D. Ingamells, well known in the 
Chrysanthemum world,vice-chairman ; andMr.J.W. 
Stone, an amateur, hon. secretary. The first exhibi¬ 
tion was held at the Town Hall, November 3rd and 
4th, and proved a great success, the balance sheet 
showing £20 to the credit of the society, due to the 
subscriptions, which came in well. Some time back 
Ipswich threw down the glove for the champion 
trophy at the next N.C.S. show in November ; it is 
more than probable that Maidenhead will enter the 
lists and who shall tell what this season will show at 
the Aquarium. Connected with the Chrysanthemum 
Society, a Gardeners' Mutual Improvement Society 
has crept into existence, with \. B. Basset, Esq., 
F.R.S., as president, Mr. D. Ingamells, chairman, 
and the same secretary . The opening meeting was 
held on Thursday evening, January 26th, when Mr. 
F. W. E. Shrtvell, F.L S., delivered a very interest¬ 
ing, practical, and educational lecture on " Chemical 
Manures,” before (for a start) a good audience of 
gardeners. Other lectures to follow fortnightly are 
" A Chat on Exhibitions,” by Mr. Roberts, secretary 
of the Ealing and district G.M.I.S.; “ Primulas,” 
by Mr. Martin, of Sutton & Sons; '* The Life His¬ 
tory of a Flower,” by Mr. R. Dean, Ealing.— J. W. 
Stone, LL.D., L.R.C.P., Hon. Sec. 
Cultivation of Ginseng.—Mr. H. P. Kelsey, in an 
article in The Canadian Horticulturist for November, 
draws attention to the cultivation of Ginseng (Panax 
Ginseng, or Araliaquinquefolia) as a paying industry. 
“ At the present,” he says, " Ginseng commands a 
cash price in the open market, ranging from §2 50 
per pound for poor, to #4 for the best, quality, and 
there is apparently an unlimited demand for it at 
these figures.” The market has been hitherto sup¬ 
plied from those districts in which the Ginseng grows 
naturally, but this supply is inadequate to the 
demand, and hence prices advance year by year. As 
whole sections of country in which the plant once 
grew plentifully have been depleted, it is probable 
that prices will continue to rise unless steps are 
taken to cultivate the plant systematically. There 
is plenty of land in America that is eminently suit¬ 
able for the cultivation of the Ginseng. A iich, cool, 
loamy soil is preferred, and shade is a necessity. 
Any ordinary, well cultivated, garden soil will suit 
it, and providing that the requisite shade and 
moisture be given its culture would be almost certain 
to prove a success. It appears that cultivated 
Ginseng, when properly cured by sun-drying, is 
regarded as of higher quality than much of the pro¬ 
miscuous produce of Nature If an acre only pro¬ 
duced a thousand pounds in five years the profits 
would be very large as prices are at present, and 
even allowing for an appreciable lowering of market 
values there is yet a substantial margin for 
emergencies. There is little doubt that the cultiva¬ 
tor will ultimately have to take the Ginseng in hand, 
for the natural supply cannot hold out much longer, 
and from all appearances the first men to take up 
the industry in intelligent fashion will be likely to 
make money. The plants require from four to six 
years of growth before they develop marketable 
roots, and this long period of waiting must be deter¬ 
rent to all but the capitalist who can aflord to wait 
for a good return. . 
Wallflowers 
Double Daisy of sorts 
! Violets of sorts, especially 
single Russian 
Pansies of sorts 
Single Snowdrop 
Elwes's Snowdrop 
Primroses, common 
,, coloured, of 
sorts 
j Polyanthus coloured, of 
sorts 
Winter Aconites in abun¬ 
dance 
Iris reticulata 
Scilla sibirica 
Heleborus niger 
— George Stanton. 
