470 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
March 25, 1899. 
He Didn’t Like Artificials.—A traveller for a certain 
company vending artificial manures, once called upon 
an old gardener who lived at Frodsham, in Cheshire. 
Said the agent, after a most persuasive speech, " if 
you use our preparations you would find a wheel¬ 
barrow hold enough to manure half an acre.” "And 
I reckon I should find that another wheelbarrow 
would hold all the crop,” said the worthy tiller of 
the soil. 
Messrs. Barr & Sons’ Catalogue of Hardy Perennials 
and Alpines for 1899 is before us, and a very handy 
and well-got-up catalogue it is. It makes its bow to 
the public in the familiar light yellow covers, the 
front being embellished with a representation of 
Japanese Irises growing in a stream at the Long 
Ditton Nurseries. The back gives other views of the 
rockery and aforesaid stream. The arrangement of 
the contents is alphabetical, so that reference is very 
easy, and there is no need for other than the general 
index to the sections in which the plants are placed. 
As usual, there is a sheet of novelties, almost entirely 
herbaceous plants and Alpines. An interesting 
feature is the list of new Water Lilies, which in¬ 
cludes upwards of thirty species and varieties suit¬ 
able for growing in ponds and fountains out-of-doors. 
This list comprises many lovely things. The cata¬ 
logue runs to seventy-seven pages in all, and there 
are many illustrations. 
Tbe Preservation of the Thames.—The preservation 
of the Thames and its valley for the use of the 
public is a matter of national importance, and 
various local societies are bestirring themselves in 
order to insure this national pleasure ground (if we 
use the term to apply to the river) being kept open 
for all time for the benefit of the nation at large. 
A conference of representatives of a number of 
national and local societies having this end in view 
assembled at the offices of the Commons Preservation 
Society, i, Great College Street, Westminster, on 
the 17th inst. The Rt. Hon. G. J. Shaw-Lefevre 
presided. On the motion of Sir Robert Hunter the 
meeting resolved that the committee should con¬ 
centrate its efforts to secure the carrying out of the 
recommendation of the Parliamentary Committee, 
who urged the importance of establishing a free horse 
towing path all along the navigated course of the 
Thames, and of further making it a footpath free to 
the public. Sir Charles Dilke, M.P., spoke of the 
good work accomplished by the Thames Conser¬ 
vancy in the lower reaches of the river. Much had 
bsen done to preserve the Water Lilies, which were 
such a great source of attraction, but which had 
until lately been the special prey of professional 
flower gatherers. 
Tobacco Cultivation in Szechuan.—The Tobacco 
plant, says The Journal of the Society of Arts, is grown 
all over the province of Szechuan, but more abund¬ 
antly in the districts of Pe-shan Hsien, which is 
about 150 li (60 miles) north east of Chung-King, and 
Kin-t’ang Hs en, about ico li (40 miles) east of 
Chengtu, the provincial capital. We pity the tongues 
of the smokers if the brands of Tobacco are called 
after the places in which they are grown. The plant 
reaches a height of from 2.^ft. to 3 ft., and the seed 
sowing time is during the tenth or eleventh moon, as 
the Celestial calls it, or November and December. 
The method of sowing the seed is peculiar, for a 
quantity of dry soil is taken and the seed mixed with 
it, the mixture being sprinkled in clumps here and 
there over the ground at intervals of 18 inches. Rich 
soil is not liked, and Tobacco is usually chosen to 
follow a crop of cereals. According to Consul 
Smithers.of Chung-King, there are three crops in one 
year. The first crop is harvested six months from 
the date of sowing, the second twenty days after, and 
the third crop another twenty days later. As soon 
as the crop is cut it is hung up for about a fortnight 
in a sheltered place to dry, air being allowed to pass 
freely amongst it. When ready for market it is done 
up in bundles weighing 70 to 80 catties (93 to 
106 lbs). A special brand sent from Kin t’ang 
receives more attention, for after the leaves are 
cured they are put into a press and some of the 
juice pressed out, so that the flavour is milder 
than that of other Tobaccos. Kin-t’ang leaf is done 
up in bundles of from 40 to 50 catties (53 to S6 lbs). 
The leaves are picktd and exposed to the dew for 
several nights. They are then dipped in a dye and 
then hung up to dry before being marketed. 
The Balance of Nature.—Darwin discovered that 
Red Clover cannot seed wiihout bumble bees are 
present, and that as field mice kill the bees, an in¬ 
crease of mice means failure to tbe Clover seed 
crops. This system of exchange may be carried 
still further, for if the owls which prey upon the 
mice are killed the mice increase too rapidly, and 
they kill the bumble bees, and the Clover fails to 
seed—a sort of natural history version of “The 
House that Jack Built.” 
Messrs. Toogood & Sons’ Farm Seeds.—We are in 
receipt of a number of sample packets of grass and 
Clover seeds sent out by Messrs. Toogood & Sons, 
Southampton. All these seeds are guaranteed to be 
new, clean, and of full germinating power, and the 
appearance of the samples bears this out entirely. 
The representatives of the Southampton firm now 
attend all the principal markets, and buy only the 
finest produce of the season directly from the British 
farmer. The Royal Farm Seed Book, also sent out 
by the Messrs. Toogood, contains full cultural direc¬ 
tions for all kinds of agricultural crops. Root seeds 
are made a speciality of, and many prizes are annually 
won at agricultural shows by produce raised from 
these seeds. 
Woolton Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society. 
—Mr. John Jellicoe presided over the concluding 
meeting of this season on Thursday of last week at 
the " Mechanics’ Institute.” Tbe first portion of 
the evening was occupied by Mr. R. G. Waterman, 
secretary of the society, in giving some details of a 
trip through the south and south-west of Ireland, 
giving details as to the kinds of trees that are mostly 
seen, with the sizes in many cases. The varieties of 
Ferns formed a special feature with their luxuriant 
growth and beauty. Many of the inmates of our 
gardens were enumerated that were found in their 
wild state. Mr. Frank Ker contributed an excellent 
and interesting paper on "A Few Memoirs of 
Pioneer Plant Collectors ” which included well 
known names, who had done so much about the end 
of the last century, and the beginning of the present 
one, to enrich our greenhouses and gardens with 
beautiful objects from nearly every part of the globe. 
Many of our finest Coniferae, Orchids, and stove 
and greenhouse plants were submitted with the 
names of the explorers who had sent them to our 
country. Considerable regret was tendered that this 
noble work with very few exceptions had never been 
acknowledged, many of the collectors being in want 
in their old age. Votes of thanks to lecturers and 
chairman concluded the business. 
Amerioan Fibre Plants.—Mr. G. E. Walsh, in the 
Scientific American, says that although there are com¬ 
mercially thirty or forty species of fibre plants to be 
found throughout the world there are fully a 1,000 
plants which furnish fibre which can be turned to 
good account. Porto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines 
produce a large bulk of the best fibre plants, for 
Manila hemp has long been famous. Sisal hemp 
comes from Cuba as well as Yucatan and the 
Bahamas; and Cuba bast, Sunn hemp, and Cebu 
hemp are all products of the same islands. The 
Philippines in particular are rich in fibre-producing 
plants, and it is estimated that in the archipelago all 
the fibre used in the manufacturing world could be pro¬ 
duced at a cost that would annihilate similar indus¬ 
tries elsewhere in the East. Sisal grass is at present 
the leading vegetable fibre that finds its way into the 
United States, and the imports of Manila hemp 
amount to $4,000,000 annually. Since 1890 the 
Department of Agriculture has been engaged in 
making experiments in the cultivation of fibre plants. 
Ramie has been raised in Florida, and Sisal hemp 
has been found to do well in several parts of the 
country, and more attention has been paid to the 
old favourite, Flax. Palmetto fibre and hair of the 
Spanish Moss found growing on the trees of the 
southern states have been turned to account. Several 
Palms have been cultivated for the fibre which is to 
be found in their stems and leaves, and the Palmetto 
has been employed to a considerable extent in the 
manufacture of brushes and brooms. The cultiva¬ 
tion of Jute has also been extended so that old 
friends have not been forgotten in the search for the 
new. The islands recently acquired by the conquer¬ 
ing republic have a brilliant future before them now 
that their resources are to be developed by the busi¬ 
ness like Yankee instead of being allowed to moulder 
and decay beneath the blighting rule of Spain. 
To Keep Vegetables Fresh place them on a brick or 
stone floor, and exclude the air as far as practicable. 
Burning Coffee makes a first-class disinfectant. 
The berries should be ground and strewn on a hot 
iron plate. 
The Farming Trick .—Olive Harper in The Golden 
Penny gives particulars of ho w to perform a very curious 
and entertaining trick. To perform it a handful of 
Lettuce seed should be soaked over night in alcohol. 
This is said to be all the preparation the seeds need. 
The next thing is to get a box and place in it a couple 
of inches of soil, composed of one part of loam and 
one of quicklime. The alcoholised seeds are sown 
thinly on this, covered with a little soil, and watered. 
It is said that if placed directly in the light the seeds 
will burst within ten minutes of the time of sowing, 
that in twenty minutes there will be two leaves to 
each seed, and that at the end of an hour, if two or 
three waterings be given, these leaves will have 
attained to quite a respectable size. This is express 
Lettuce growing, anyway. 
“The Orchid Hybrids.”—It is already well known 
to some of our readers that a monograph entitled 
"The Orchid Hybrids” has been compiled and 
published by Mr. George Hansen, Landscape 
Architect, Scenic Tract, Berkely, California. He is 
now engaged compiling references for the third 
supplement to his book, and would be glad of the 
hearty co-operation of every single Orchid grower 
engaged in hybridising. Any notes he may be 
assisted with will be duly credited to the sender. 
He considers it to be a common interest to have the 
records perfect; and whatever is known to be faulty 
in his references should be pointed out, so as to give 
him a chance of correcting what he could not other¬ 
wise do at so great a distance from the Orchid raising 
centres. All notes furnished should contain the 
names of the parent plants, noting which is the seed 
bearer, then the time of crossing, sowing, and date 
of flowering of the offspring. Whether or not any 
particular cross has been previously recorded makes 
no difference, as it is highly important to record how 
many times a cross has been raised and put into 
circulation. From now onward every supplement will 
be furnished with a new index. He considers he is 
bound to make his work perfect as far as it lies 
within his power. 
Devon and Exeter Gardeners.—At a meeting of the 
members of the Devon and Exeter Gardeners’ Associ¬ 
ation on the evening of the 15th inst, Mr. G. Stiles, 
gardener to Miss Frip, The Grove, Teignmouth.gave 
a lecture upon “ Chrysanthemums and their culture.” 
Mr. Charley occupied the chair. Mr. Stiles is one of 
the leading Chrysanthemum growers in the west of 
England and his remarks were thus listened to with 
great interest and appreciation. Commencing with 
the cutting he said that for exhibition purposes cut¬ 
tings should be rooted in December if possible, and 
not later than February. The cuttings selected 
should be short jointed, medium sized, and healthy. 
The soil should consist of loam, leaf soil, and sand 
in equal parts, and the best place for the cuttings 
was a frame with a gentle bottom heat of from 55 0 
to 6o° Fahr. After they were rooted they should be 
removed to a cool house, and aired freely. Care 
must be taken not to over-water, and as the plants 
grew tco soft if much water was used over the foliage, 
syringing once a week was enough. Mr. Stiles then 
went on to give instructions as to the subsequent 
shifts until the plants were put in their flowering pots 
about the middle of May. For the compost for the 
final potting he advised a mixture of two parts of 
good fibrous loam, one of leaf soil, with a sprinkling 
of lime rubble, a little well rotted manure, a dusting 
of charcoal, and a pound of Ichthemic Guano to the 
barrowload of soil. He himself commenced to give 
liquid manure to his plants about the end of July, 
and he recommended a mixture of fowl’s manure and 
soot. After September 1st sulphate of ammonia 
should be given twice weekly, four ounces being 
dissolved in five gallons of water. Instructions were 
given as to the dressing of blooms for show. Mr. 
Stiles was very emphatic in his advocation of a 
uniform-sized tray for exhibiting the flowers, and 
expressed his opinion that all exhibitors who did not 
comply with the regulations in this direction should 
be disqualified. A vote of thanks to the lecturer 
concluded this section of the evening’s proceedings. 
A special feature of the meeting was a capital 
display of Amaryllis made by Mr. Slade, gardener to 
Lord Poltimore. 
