March 11, 1899 
445 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
of education, but, even supposing that he is unedu¬ 
cated, which we deny, but, has it been made worth 
the gardeners while to educate himself more highly. 
If employers want a better article they must be con¬ 
tent to pay a higher price for it. 
Then again the question of showing. It may be 
that the exhibition of fruits,flowers,and vegetables bas 
tempted a few to neglect the claims of the "garden 
proper,” but these instances if they exist are very 
very rare; for if a thing is good enough to show it is 
good enough for anything. The poor cultivator may 
perhaps find refuge for his failings by saying that he 
does not grow for show, for he soon finds out that 
it is only the best that has a chance on the exhibition 
boards. In inducing gardeners to produce the best, 
therefore, the societies who promote horticultural 
exhibitions have mightily helped forward the cause 
of gardening. 
The statements made by Miss Jekyll are not a 
faithful representation of the kind of man that goes 
to make the modern gardener, and it is not fair to 
take a few low-down specimens and hold them up as 
a type of races. 
-- 
CONCERNING THE IVY. 
This most interesting plant is certainly capable of a 
good deal of ill usage by man. He plants the front 
of his house and buildings for a set purpose, a cover¬ 
ing of greene ry to satisfy the ey e; and to obtain an 
evenness of leafy surface and quality of foliage the 
shears are brought into requisition in the spring¬ 
time of the year, with the same regularity as he 
would cut his lawn weekly in summer. He harvests 
acrop of laterals and leaves, and all are pitched 
on to the rubbish heap. 
This performance over, it now for the time being 
presents a vertical adhesive mass of intricate, 
tracery and network of leafstalks and hair-like 
stems, as if an innumerable army of big and little 
earwigs were devouring the stonework. 
*' Ah ! ” says Smith, in passing, " you have spoilt 
that front.” And Jones, who is usually accompanied 
by his voice, or gardener, keeps mute. Presently 
the winter of discontent passes over; he beholds a 
mass of beautiful vernal, bright foliage, and Jones, 
like the typical Levite, now passes by. But let us 
return to the subject. The good old Ivy is often 
accused as vagarious in its manner. Well, perhaps 
so; but those clippers and shears have done it an 
injustice in another sense, for it works upon the 
same natural laws as any other plant, striving for 
the reproduction of its species, and, so far as the 
shears are concerned, it may strive on. 
But here is a higher projection, column or pin¬ 
nacle not having before been covered. Those cut ends 
that are directly under, let them burst forth and go 
to the top. As soon as the first joint of the young 
shoot comes in contact with the column, by gentle 
compression the sap is arrested, that part next the 
wall becoming more blanched, succulent, and tender 
than the exposed part, offers as a matter of course 
the least line of resistence. Roots burst out, taking 
a downward longitudinal line to the next joint 
below, and as the young stem proceeds upwards this 
reversing policy of rootlet forming is continued 
until it is one continual growth of claws from one 
end to the other. I have noticed that the length of 
the claws is determined by the weather, and will 
vary from half an inch to over six inches on a one 
year's vine. 
Now, when the summit is reached, overtopped, 
and the stems have full liberty, what takes place ? 
Simply equal light, sun, air, and exposure, which, 
circulating around the stems, are productive of an 
equally hardened surface. The sap is confined, the 
stems becoming smooth and arborescent. 
In a word the plant has made for itself a second 
bole. Then the branch, then the flower, then the 
fruit, and its natural destiny is fulfilled, and it will 
continue to bring forth fruit yearly so long as suit¬ 
able conditions, life and liberty exist. When full 
exposure to any stem or growth is attained, it is 
immaterial whether it be on the vertical, ground, 
wall, pillar, front, or side wall or loftest tower it 
cannot and will not attempt to throw out roots.— 
B. L. 
The Cutting of Ivy. 
I have only seen one plant cut, and that I severed a 
foot or so from the ground. The plant, which was 
climbing up a tree, died. Some years ago I planted 
a number of Ivy plants to cover a lofty building, but 
a few years later rabbits barked some of the plants, 
which gave them a decided check, and their progress 
was slow compared with the uninjured plants, and 
had they been barked all round they would most 
likely have died.— W. P. R. 
PEACH BORDERS. 
A more unsuitable house for Peach culture than 
that described by L'Allegro on p. 391 it would be 
difficult to find, and I question very much if it is 
possible to suggest any "remedy for the evils” he 
has mentioned. L'Allegro is undoubtedly right 
when he attributes the badly ripened wood to the 
lack of sunshine. Something might be done to 
remedy this by taking off some of the 3 ft. of wall 
towering above the top of the house. The ventila¬ 
tion, too, is insufficient. It is not stated how far the 
eaves of the house are from the ground, but if they 
are 4 ft. or more with upright sashes these latter 
might be altered so as to push out a slide in a groove. 
The cost of this alteration would, of course, depend 
upon the character of the house, but in any case it 
ought not to be a very difficult or expensive job. 
Even supposing these alterations made, they 
would at best only mitigate the "evils,” and would 
not do away with them altogether. In face of this, 
therefore, would it not be a more economical plan in 
the long run to give up attempting to grow Peaches 
in the house ? Surely the owner of the garden 
would listen to reason, and if it were pointed out to 
him that the Peach-house (?) was a Peach-house 
only in name, and never likely to produce satisfac¬ 
tory results, he would see the wisdom of making a 
fresh start under more congenial conditions. It is 
oftentimes difficult, I know, to have a predecessor's 
work altered, but in this case it seems to me it would 
be well to come to some understanding—it would at 
least save some friction in the future. 
Now with regard to the border itself, L'Allegro 
certainly went to work on common sense lines in 
taking the manure out, and putting in good loam in 
its place, and he has at least made some improve¬ 
ment upon the original state of affairs. With the 
water rising during winter to within 1 ft. of the surface 
of the border it would not be of much use to sink the 
bottom of the border to the usual depth. Instead of 
going to the other extreme, however, and making it 
on top of the existing soil, I should advise taking a 
medium course, and digging it out until the bottom 
is at the same level as that to which the water 
rises. Lay in 6 in. or 8 in. of drainage, and then 
put in the soil on top of that. To go to the trouble 
of concreting the bottom would scarcely pay in this 
case, as the owner would be still more eager for 
results after the increased expense. I should cer¬ 
tainly advis e L'Allegro to take a decided stand, and 
tell the owner that the house is not suitable for 
Peach culture, and never will be as long as it stands 
where it is.— Rex. 
NOTES FROM HAMILTON. 
The Hamilton and District Horticultura and 
Forestry Association had its monthly meeting in the 
Christian Institute, on Friday evening, the 3rd inst.. 
Rev. Mr. Paterson, the president, in the chair. 
There was a large attendance, something like seventy 
members being present. Mr. Campbell, Nursery¬ 
man, High Blantyre, read a most valuable paper on 
the "Carnation.” As this beautiful flower has 
evolved to such a degree of perfection as to gain 
universal admiration, a paper such as Mr. Camp¬ 
bell's, dealing as it did so minutely with all the im¬ 
portant factors comprising the successful cultivation 
of the Carnation, could not fail to afford the greatest 
interest to the audience. An instructive discussion 
ensued, an especial feature of which surrounded the 
more complex forms of diseases affecting the Carna¬ 
tion. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. 
Campbell. It was announced that Mr. Wilson, 
Murdieston, would give a paper, " Horticulture 
Reviewed,” at the next meeting. 
March has opened conversely to the general rule, 
therefore, it is not improbable that the " lion ” may 
give us a sight of his face at the time when we very 
naturally would be expecting to see the end of his 
tail. This fact has lead the gardeners of the dis¬ 
trict to go ahead with seed sowing. It is marvel¬ 
lous how soon the soil got into a dry state after the 
abnormal quantity of rain this winter. The recent 
frosts had much to do in bringing this state of matters 
about, by drawing the wet to the surface, where it 
was evaporated by the heat of the sun.— Gamma. 
-**—- 
©leanings ftjtmt the IDmrlti 
of Sriencq. 
The undermentioned subjects were discussed at the 
Scientific Committee meeting of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society on February 14th. 
Diseased Apple Twigs.—These were received 
last December from Rev. A. Foster-Melliar. Prof. W. 
E. Smith, after a prolonged and difficult investigation, 
has pronounced the disease to be due to bacteria, and 
forwarded the following interesting report:—" The 
portions of branches of Apple sent show a disease 
with the following characters. The wood is sound 
except where in contact with the bark ; the bark is 
completely disorganised with exception of the hard 
fibres and the dry outer corky layer. Investigations 
for signs of fungi or insects made on arrival of the 
material (December 19th) gave no result. Portions 
were placed in a moist chamber and examined during 
January. The bark became soft and spongy, no 
fungus growth appeared, but bacteria were found in 
numbers. Amongst other bacterial forms, a bacillus 
was common which agreed with that figured by 
Duggar (Cornell University Bulletin, 145, 1898). 
Other symptoms, as far as presented by the material 
sent, agreed with American descriptions of the 
bacterial disease 'fire-blight.' We have, however, 
no record of the tree having blackened twigs or 
leaves during last summer—an important symptom of 
this disease. ' Fire-blight' was proved, chiefly by 
the work of Burrill in 1880, to be due to the action of 
bacteria. A good general account, based on further 
research, is given by Waite (Year Book of the U.S. 
America Department of Agriculture, 1895). The 
disease appears in America on Pear and Quince 
oftener than on Apple, and is also known on allied 
species. It attacks chiefly vigorous, well fed trees 
with much soft young wood, similar, in fact, to this 
Apple tree as described by your correspondent. A 
warm, moist season or situation favours the disease; 
dry weather checks it, and during winter it makes 
little progress. The remedy is to prune off thoroughly 
all parts which show discoloured or destroyed bark, 
and to carefully burn them. Pruning is best done in 
autumn or spring. The cuts must be made well 
below diseased parts, and large wounds should be 
painted with tar. If the pruning be severe it may 
induce a large growth of young wood next season ; 
this must be carefully watched, as it is an excellent 
starting point for a reappearance of the disease. The 
bacteria are propagated by insects, which visit a 
gummy fluid containing bacteria which is given out 
from diseased parts of the bark. Then they visit a 
similar fluid exuded from the bark where broken by 
cuts, boring insects, or other agents, and they infect 
this with bacteria. A similar fluid in the flowers 
also tempts insects there, and the bacteria thus intro¬ 
duced destroy the fruit crop.” A unanimous vote of 
thanks was given to Prof. Smith for this valuable 
report. 
Tupistra nutans.—Mr. Jas. Hudson exhibited a 
specimen of this uncommon plant in blossom. There 
are but four genera of the Aspidistreae, a tribe of 
Liliaceae ; Tupistra, with 304 species, being natives 
of Himalaya or Burmah. It bore dense spikes of 
white flowers with an expanded border and a dark 
centre. 
Pear Tree with Caterpillar.— Mr. McLachlan 
showed a twig with the interior eaten away by the 
caterpillar of the Wood Leopard moth, Zeuzera 
Aesculi. It was received from Mr. N. Nutter, of 
Leigham Cottage, St. Julien, Old Streatham. The 
best remedies for this and boring beetles is to run a 
stout wire down till it pierces the grubs. Petroleum 
or spirits of turpentine poured down the hole would 
also probably be effective in destroying them. 
Richardia, two-spathed—Rev H. F. Goffe, 
Thoresway, Caistor, forwarded a specimen in which 
the uppermost leaf had assumed the form of an 
additional spathe—a not uncommon phenomenon. 
It was hoped that experiments would be made to fix 
this peculiarity, if possible. 
Cedar with Aerial Roots.—The following com- 
