788 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
August 12, 1899. 
number of kinds here enumerated is greater 
than the uninitiated would suppose. A warm 
and dry situation to enable them to pass the 
winter, is the secret of success. On the 
south and west coasts of England at least 
they may be grown on rockeries like other 
rock plants. Soil, potting, watering,tempera¬ 
ture, insects and diseases all come in for a 
due share of attention. Propagation by 
seeds, cuttings and grafting are next 
handled. As far as we can see there is no 
necessity to resort to hybridisation in the 
case of a large number of queer things, for 
the patient amateur can build up his plants 
into all forms of grotesque monstrosities, 
simply by the aid of a knife, some raffia, and 
a penchant for the curious. Under these 
circumstances the Cacti should find a large 
number of votaries amongst amateurs. The 
Epiphyllums and Phyllocacti naturally 
stand at the head of the family as the most 
ornamental and most likely to come under 
general cultivation, as indeed a good many 
of them are, and have been for many years. 
The night-flowering species are also full of 
interest, though those who would see their 
flowers (at least of some of them) in perfec¬ 
tion must needs forego the pillow till a very 
late hour or even “ the wee short hour ayont 
the twal.” Numerous very good illustra¬ 
tions of various species of the above genera 
are intercalated in the text. That of Cereus 
ctenoides ought to excite the amateur to 
procure, cultivate and flower the species, or 
try to. The flowers in many cases seem 
out of allproportion to the size of the plant, 
though in regard to age it might beat the 
cultivator himself. The genus Echinocatus 
contains many of the most singular vege¬ 
tables in nature ; yet many old plants can 
be grown in very small space, so that the 
greatest amount of variety can prevail in a 
very small greenhouse. Of that the amateur 
will feel convinced merely by looking at the 
illustrations. 
Many of the genera are characterised by 
powerful spines of forbidding aspect ; but 
in the species of Cassytha we have twiggy 
and smooth plants of graceful and pendulous 
habit, that may be used as basket plants, 
even where the branches come in contact 
with the face of the beholder, the owner or 
the visitor. At the end of the book lists of 
species suitable for the frame, greenhouse, 
stove and open air are given. The fresh 
matter of the second edition is given as a 
lengthy appendix to which is added a fresh 
index. Those who intend commencing the 
culture of Cacti will find this a most reliable 
book on the subject, well illustrated and 
capable of being understood by those un¬ 
acquainted with technicalities. 
--— 
Weather in London. -Wednesday, August 2nd, 
remained fine. Thursday, Friday and Saturday 
were nearly alike, breezy and bright. A thunder¬ 
storm broke over London on Saturday evening. 
Sunday gave us some more rain. Monday, Tuesday 
and Wednesday (morning) have been very cool. 
Reeds and Rushes.—In the August number of 
Knowledge, Mr. Harry F. Witherby, F.Z.S., 
M.B.O.U., continues his interesting sketches of life 
and observations of two months on the Guadal- 
quiver (Spain). While discoursing, of course, gener¬ 
ally upon the ornithology of the parts around his 
encampment he mentions other notes of botanical 
bearing. He describes the species of Reeds around 
him and tells of many of the birds building among 
them. It is interesting also to read his notes 
about the tall Pines bordering the sea, which are 
becoming slowly, but surely buried in the sand 
dunes. “In riding across these sand-hills one 
actually passes over the tops of many tall dead trees, 
hidden under the sand ; or guides one's horse amongst 
the topmost branches of some big Pine, which is 
still living and fighting the irresistible sand that will 
eventually smother it. The sight is not to be for¬ 
gotten.” Such are the facts related by Mr. 
Witherby, 
Visitors to Kew.—On August 7th (Bank Holiday), 
Kew Gardens are reported to have had so many as 
60,000 visitors. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—The next fruit and 
floral meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
will be held on Tuesday, August 15th, in the Drill 
Hall, James Street, Westminster, 1—5 p.m. Lecture 
on “ Pruning,” by Mr. R. P. Brotherston, at 3 p.m. 
The Hop Plantations in Kent are wonderfully bright, 
vigorous and healthy this season. The attacks from 
insects have been almost nil, for which let the Hop 
owners be thankful. They are leaving nothing to 
chance, however, but are continuing to apply the 
spray. 
The Chrysanthemum Society of the North of 
France will hold their meetings on October 14th and 
28th, and November nth. A circular to be sent 
later on to the raisers of new plants will give the 
necessary details for the sending of novelties to sub¬ 
mit to the committee. 
Fruits of the West Indies.—A service of steamers, 
to commence in May next year, will ply between the 
British West Indies and Southampton for the trans¬ 
port of fruit from those islands to our shores. A 
contract has been made with the Jamaica Fruit and 
Produce Association to last for five years, and to be 
aided by a government subsidy. 
‘‘ Our Gardens.”—In Dean Hole's chatty book on 
this subject be lays down half-a-dozen rules to be 
observed in laying out gardens in the future.—“ More 
grass and less gravel. More flowers and less bare 
soil. More curves and few straight lines and angles. 
More hardy and not so many half-hardy plants. 
More arrangement and less disorder. More shrubs, 
evergreen and golden, to cheer the ungenialday. 
Music and Caterpillars.—A report from the distant 
Catskill Mountains says, that a woman belonging to 
the town of Catskill happened to blow a horn under¬ 
neath a tree, when she was surprised to see hundreds 
of caterpillars fall from the boughs. She blew 
another blast and down came another shower. She 
let her neighbours know of it and very soon they all 
turned out with whistles, and trumpets, and drums. 
It would be good practice for some of the village 
bands in this country to try the same game. 
Liquid Manure.— The quantity of manure voided 
by the different farm animals varies greatly in quality 
and quantity. On the whole the liquid voidings of 
the sheep consist of 86 per cent, of water, 10 percent, 
of organic matter and close upon 4 per cent, of inor¬ 
ganic salts of potash, soda, phosphorus. The urine 
of the horse contains 90 per cent, of water ; that of 
the cow about 92 per cent, of water ; and that of pig 
97 per cent, of water. Thus the urine of the sheep is 
much richer in manurial constituents than that of 
either horse, cow, or pig. 
Puff-balls.—The puff-balls(are edible in that state 
when they are a firm white-grained mass. If they 
are at this time sliced up and fried in butter, they 
make a splendid dish for the table. When mature 
the spores of one of the very large species are used to 
staunch wounds; and smoke coming from the burning 
spores stupifies bees. In England they are often 
called Pack-fist or Pack’s stool. Another name 
referring to the discharge of the spores from the ball, 
is Devil's snuff box. The Scotch call this fuDgus 
"blind man’s een ” (eyes), or " blind man’s buff,” 
because of the idea that if part of the dust gets into 
the eyes, blindness results. The Welsh term it " bag 
of smoke.”— American Florist. 
Plants Suitable for Hedges —The [following may 
be taken as suitable for such uses :—The Blackthorn 
(Prunus spinosa), which likes strong loams; the 
Myrobalan (Prunus cerasifera), also thrives well on 
Plum soil, that is, soils which are heavy. The 
persistent leaved Beech makes a capital hedge in 
exposed or wet situations. It can be trained to a 
great height and still retain a compactness, and its 
use for shelter is unquestionable. The Alder and 
Goat Willow or Sallow are suitable for fences where 
other plants could not thrive. Then the common 
Holly (Ilex Aquifolium) is very frequently used in 
this connection. Furze, Gorse, or Whin (Ulex 
europaeus) is a valuable evergreen for making a 
protection on dry, barren, sandy soils.— Irish Farm¬ 
ing World. 
Millipedes.—A dressing of 150 lbs. per acre of 
nitrate of soda, it is claimed, will kill out millipedes 
(Julidae) which are blamed for doing harm. 
Parcel Amissing.—Brown paper, in quantity to 
cover a small parcel, and bearing the publisher’s 
name and address of The Gardening World, had 
been found without contents in the newspaper box 
of the post office. Any one having sent the above 
will know that it has gone amissing. 
Butterflies in the Strand —One day last week about 
a dozen specimens of the Small White Cabbage 
Butterfly might have been seen at one time sporting 
amongst the flowers in the beds in front of the 
Clement’s Inn property, at the east end of the 
Strand. Where they had been fed in the caterpillar 
state it would be difficult to say, there being no 
cruciferous plants, Mignonette, or Tropaeolums. 
Flowers from Dersingham.—We received a package 
of lovely Montbretia Pottsii, retarded spikes of Lily- 
of-the-Valley, and some beautiful sprays of 
Asparagus SpreDgerii (syn. A. falcatus) last week 
from Mr. T. Jannoch, of the Lily Nursery, Dersing¬ 
ham. These three enumerations arrange splendidly 
in vases. The flowers and foliage were remarkably 
fine. The Asparagus Sprengerii at Mr. Jannoch’s 
nursery, we are informed, puts forth shoots 8 ft. to 
9 ft. long, which is certainly good for a season's 
growth. 
Red Spider.—This, also called grise, is well known 
to gardeners, and, says Nord Horticole, without con¬ 
tradiction is the most redoubtable enemy of plants. 
Opinions are very divided as to its scientific deter¬ 
mination ; some class it amongst the mites of the 
genus Acarus; others see a veritable spider. Ac¬ 
cording to The Dictionary of Gardening, the scientific 
name of grise would be Tetranychus telarius, whereas 
M. le Comte de Kerchove, in his book of Orchids, 
calls it Gamasus telarius. On the other side, M. 
Decaux pretends that Gamasus is quite a different 
Acarus, which devours the dead specimens of 
Tetranychus and probably the living ones. 
Mr. Alexander Wright, of Falkland Park Gardens, 
South Norwood Hill, S.E., has been appointed head 
gardener to Arthur W. Sutton, Esq., Bucklebury 
Place, WoolhamptOD, Berks. He leaves Falkland 
Park about the end of this month, after a very 
interesting period of about eight years, most of the 
time in the employment of T. McMeekin, Esq. 
During that time the most of the outside planting, 
the laying out of the grounds, the building and 
plantiog of rockeries, &c., have been accomplished 
by Mr. Wright. The dry summit of this hill proved 
a very difficult task when he started to establish a 
sole of grass; but since then the green sward has be¬ 
come close and even. 
Hamilton and District Horticultural and Forestry 
Association.—'The monthly meeting of this Associa¬ 
tion was held on Friday evening. In the absence 
of the President, Mr. Moir, Vice-President, was 
elected to the chair. Mr. Grahame, Coltness 
Gardens, read a paper on “ Liliums,” by Mr. Wade 
of Colchester, he himself being unable to be pre¬ 
sent. Some excellent exhibits were tabled by Mr. 
Campbell, Nurseryman, High Blantyre. The Cac¬ 
tus Dahlias were simply magnificent. Mr. 
Grahame tabled a plant of the new Acalypha 
Sanderi. Mr. Raynard, ArdeDclutba, tabled some 
beautiful Begonia blooms. Votes of thanks to the 
author of the paper and the exhibitors closed the 
proceedings. 
Fairy Rings.—The rings made by fungi, more not¬ 
ably Marasmius oreades, gave weight to the fairy¬ 
tales told us in our early days. They are interesting, 
however, and are, after all easily explained. It may 
not be so well known, however, that fairy rings are 
produced by Lycopodium inundatum, one of the 
dwarf club mosses found both in America and in 
Great Britain. It has been reputed as rather rare in 
America, but according to B. L. Robinson, from 
whose article in the J uly number of the Fern Bulletin 
we are informed that he has found it in abundance 
on the sandy shores of Gilmore pond, near Jaffrey, 
N. H. The rings formed by L. inundatum were 
perfectly clear and numerous. Mr. Robinson 
explains its method of growth, showing how from the 
centre it throws out prostrate stems which take root, 
leaving the more central portions to die out. It 
extends its radius nearly a foot each year. 
