406 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
February 25, 1899. 
heavy clay associated with per cent, of 
limestone, and containing a large proportion 
of burnt clay. Notwithstanding its heavy 
nature the spraying operations were almost 
absolutely devoid of results, owing to the 
dry summer last year, and the consequent 
absence of disease. From another point of 
view the spraying would seem to have been 
somewhat detrimental to the growth of the 
Potatos, and the weight of crop harvested. 
Of course this loss would have been counter¬ 
balanced by the proportion of sound to 
diseased tubers in the case of a wet season. 
As it was, the variety Wonder gave a 
general average of 9’2o tons per acre, when 
not sprayed ; whereas the weight of tubers 
from unsprayed plots was at the rate of 8.63 
tons per acre. Under similar circumstances 
Reading Giant gave 9-42 tons per acre 
where not sprayed, and 8’3i tons where 
sprayed. These results are significant 
though not by any means new. 
The results of the experiments with and 
without manures are all tabulated, and well 
worthy of the serious consideration of all 
concerned. Only the above two varieties 
of Potatos were planted in the eleven plots 
at Quemerford. The soil of the first four 
plots was superior to that of the remaining 
seven, so that it is only fair to compare the 
results from the good ground with one 
another. Very good returns were obtained 
by the employment of stable manure at the 
rate of 16 tons per acre. The total crop 
per acre for Wonder, under these conditions, 
was 11’23 tons; and for Reading Giant, 
11-72 tons. The best return of all was from 
Plot 3, treated with 8 tons of stable mannre 
and 4+ cwt. of ammonium sulphate per acre. 
In this case Wonder gave a total of 12-79 
tons, and Reading Giant 12-59 tons P er 
acre. The former variety would seem to 
respond more readily to applications of 
manure than Reading Giant, but the latter 
has the advantage of furnishing the greater 
weight of marketable tubers. On the con¬ 
trary the judges considered that Wonder 
was superior in appearance and of slightly 
better flavour, after being cooked, than its 
rival. Due consideration should be given 
to all these differences, and their merits 
duly balanced when their cultivation is 
contemplated. 
On the poorer soil of the remaining seven 
plots, the results of manuring were more 
evident; though, unfortunately, the manures 
used on the rich ground were not repeated 
on the poor ground, which would have been 
valuable for comparison. The general con¬ 
clusions to be drawn from the statistics are 
that the best results are obtained where 
complete chemical manures are employed, 
namely, nitrates, superphosphates, and 
kainit. In the case under notice nitrate of 
soda, mineral superphosphates and kainit 
were employed in equal proportions. The 
best results were obtained when this mix¬ 
ture was applied to the ground at the rate 
of 9 lbs. per perch, or i2f cwt. per acre. 
With this manuring Reading Giant gave an 
average return of 8-17 tons per acre from 
the poor laud. Wonder gave a slight 
increase in 8-71 tons, but a larger propor¬ 
tion of the tubers were small. The second 
best return came from land treated with 85 
cwt. per acre of the complete chemical 
manure. Where two only of the chemical 
ingredients were emp oyed, sodium nitrate 
and superphosphate, applied at the rate of 
8^ cwt. per acre, gave the third highest 
returns from the poor land. From these 
returns we gather that nothing short of 
complete chemical manures should be 
employed in the cultivation of Potatos, not 
forgetting that farmyard manure is valuable 
where the ground is sufficiently light and 
dry to permit of its employment without 
much danger of an excess of diseased tubers 
from the Potato disease. On the contrary 
we must conclude that nitrate is the most 
valuable of the chemical manures when 
used alone for Potatos. 
- 
Royal Horticultural Society.—The next fruit and 
floral meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
will be held on Tuesday, February 28th, in the Drill 
Hall, James Street, Westminster, 1 to 4 p.m. A 
lecture on " The Colours of Insects : their meaning 
and use ” (illustrated by limelight) will be given at 
3 o'clock by Mr. H. L. T. Blake, F.R.H S. 
Veitch Memorial Fund.—At a meeting of theTrustees, 
held on the 17th inst, it was resolved to place a 
Medal and a Prize of £5 at the disposal of the Trow¬ 
bridge Horticultural Society, and a Medal and Prize 
of £5 at the disposal of the Borough of Hanley 
Floricultural Fete, to be competed for at their 
respective forthcoming annual shows. It was also 
resolved to place the sum of £20 at the disposal of 
the Lindley Library Trustees. 
The Sherwood Cup, 1899 .—It having been repre¬ 
sented to the council of the R.H.S. that the terms in 
which the Sherwood Cup is offered for competition 
on p. 52 of the society's Arrangements, 1899, are not 
sufficiently definite, the following additional regula¬ 
tions are made: —1. No exhibitor may stage more 
than 100 dishes in all. 2. The too (or less) dishes 
may be divided between the two meetings in any 
proportion the exhibitor pleases. 3. Special regard 
will be given to quality and to variety. 4. As with all 
other exhibits for prizes, all the exhibits must have 
been actually grown by the exhibitor in his own or 
his employer’s garden.— W. Wilks, Secretary. By 
Order of Council, February 14 th, 1899. 
Pears Under Glass.—As a rule the Pear is regarded 
as a hardy fruit pure and simple, and is not treated 
to under-glass culture. It does wonderfully well 
under glass, however, but whether the quality and 
quantity of the fruit obtained make up for the extra 
expense is a problem that only extensive trial can 
solve. One of the most remarkable features at 
Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons’ establishment at the Low- 
field Nurseries, Crawley, Sussex, is a Pear house. 
The trees, which are single cordons, are trained to 
the roof of the house, the house itself being span- 
roofed, with the eaves close to the ground. The 
trees are planted out, so that a large proportion at 
least of their roots are under cover. Excellent 
crops are obtained annually, and the fruit is of very 
high quality. The trees, too, are pictures of health. 
Sevenoaks Gardeners —At the fortnightly meeting 
of the Sevenoaks Gardeners’ Society, at the Rose 
and Crown Hotel, Sevenoaks, on the 14th inst., a 
very interesting paper upon " The Culture of the 
Chrysanthemum” was read by Mr. Tebay, gardener 
to Mrs. Rycroft, Everlands. As Mr. Tebay is an 
expert cultivator and successful exhibitor, his remarks 
carried great weight, and were listened to with keen 
attention. Mr. Tebay strenuously advised a careful 
study of the peculiarities of each variety, for some 
varieties like Madame Carnot, G. J. Warren, Mrs. 
H. Weeks, Chas. Curtis, and Madame Ferlat, were 
longer in coming to perfection than others. The 
best time to strike the cuttings was early in December. 
The compost best suited to the cuttings was one of 
three fourths of good loam, one of leaf soil, and 
sufficient sand to keep the soil open. Subsequent 
batches of cuttings should be put in, Mutual Friend 
and The Queen doing well from cuttings taken in 
January. Details as to the various "shifts" were 
given, and firm potting in 9 or 10 inch pots was 
advised for the final. Madame Carnot, it was 
mentioned incidentally, was not a strong rooter, and 
should be kept in rather smaller pots than the others. 
Instructions were likewise given for feeding. All 
buds that showed after about the 12th of August 
should be left, but the removal of the surrounding 
shoots should be done gradually, otherwise the 
flowers would come deformed in consequence of the 
sudden rush of sap. The plants should be housed 
by the 21st of September. Reference was made to 
mildew and the " rust " amongst the pests attacking 
the Chrysanthemum. In the latter instance Mr. 
Tebay said that a great many remedies have been 
fried but without any good results, but this is far too 
sweeping a statement. A brisk discussion followed 
the reading of the papers. 
Learned Language.—Mr. E. S. Salmon recently 
stated that Nanomitrium aequinoctiale showed no 
differentiation in the cells of the capsule wall, and 
was truly cleistocarpous. The inflorescense of this 
species proved to be polyoicous (antoicous and 
dioicous). 
At Walton-on-Thames and in the neighbourhood 
the Almond is now in full bloom, while the Laurus- 
tinus and Jasminum nudiflorum have been in bloom 
for some time past. The same may be said of 
Crocuses, Polyanthuses, Snowdrops, the Alder, Gray 
Willow, Elm, Hazel, White and Purple Dead Nettle, 
Daisy, Dandelion, Whitlow Grass, and various other 
wild flowers. The river is still in flood. 
Dendrobium splendidissimum grandiflorum.—Two 
handsomely flowered specimens of this Dendrobe 
appeared at the sale rooms of Messrs. Protheroe, and 
Morris, Cheapside, on the ioth inst. They had been 
grown in pot-shaped teak-wood baskets, and the tall, 
strong stems were simply covered with the large 
and handsome flowers of this well known hybrid. 
They changed hands at 12 gs. apiece. Messrs. 
McBean and Sons, Cook’s Bridge, Sussex, can 
certainly grow Dendrobes as well as cool Odontoglots. 
Mr. Peter Barr in Toronto.—If Canada and the 
United States do not take up the work of reforestation 
with a rush it will not be the fault of Mr. Barr, for 
at every stage of his journey and in every town in 
which he has been located he has impressed upon 
some of the more influential inhabitants the vital 
importance of the re-establishing some of the woods 
and forests that once clothed the face of the country, 
but which have been ruthlessly cut down. Mr. Barr 
has repeated at Toronto the advice given to the 
people of Ottawa, that they should take steps to 
secure the establishment of a government school of 
forestry, subsidised by the imperial exchequer. The 
trained men that would be turned out from such a 
school would be of inestimable value in the Domin¬ 
ion, and in other Dutch colonies, and India. In Mr. 
Barr’s estimation, the public parks of Toronto are 
the finest naturally of those of any city he has seen 
on the American continent, and if they are properly 
developed will make Toronto an even more popular 
and pleasant dwelling place than it now is. Mr 
Barr suggests joining the various parks by broad 
boulevards, which could be made at a moderate cost, 
but which would greatly enhance the beauty of the 
parks themselves and of the town as a whole. 
Devon and Exeter Gardeners—There was a fair 
attendance on the evening of the 15th inst. at the 
Guild Hall, Exeter, at the meeting of the Devon and 
Exeter Gardeners’ Association. The chief business 
of the evening was to hear a paper by Mr. E. J. 
Love, of the Mount Radford Nurseries, which dealt 
with "The History of the Rose.” Mr. W. Mackay 
occupied the chair. In his opening remarks, the 
lecturer reminded his audience that the earliest 
records of cultivation of the " Queen of Flowers " 
took them back to the days of ancient Greece 
and Rome. Competent authorities were of 
opinion that the Rose came from Central or 
Western Central Asia. The Greeks used the 
flower for personal decoration, and they were 
fond of employing it at their public and religious 
assemblies; and not only did they dedicate it to gods 
and godesses, but they ascribed to it certain impor¬ 
tant medicinal virtues. During the palmy days of 
the Roman Empire the Rose occupied a high position 
in popular esteem, and many districts were celebrated 
for their Rose gardens. Red and white were the only 
colours known then. Mr. Love was of opinion that 
the size and solidity of bloom, and substance of petal 
that characterise the Rose of to-day must have been 
possessed by the flower for a very long time. From 
the fourth to the sixteenth centuries little was known 
of the Rose as a cultivated plant. It was brought to 
England about the beginning of the sixteenth century. 
In 1629 there were twenty-four varieties in cultiva¬ 
tion. These had grown to forty-three in 1730, and 
to seventy-nine in 1770. The Moss Rose was intro¬ 
duced from Holland in 1596; the Austrian Brier 
made its appearance here the same year; Rosa 
multiflora came in 1804 ; the China Rose in 1789; 
and from the Heavenly Land, in 1810, came the first 
ten Tea Roses. Of late years enormous improve¬ 
ments had been made, and legions of varieties had 
sprung into existence. He looked to the Tea and 
Hybrid Perpetual sections to maintain the high 
position attained by the " Queen of Flowers.” 
