October 10, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
93 
particularly caught our eye, as much for the many 
subtle and beautiful shades of colour they exhibited 
as for their excellence of form and large size. 
A comprehensive display of fruit in excellent con¬ 
dition was made by the Horticultural College, 
Swanley. It included well finished Grapes, 
Tomatos, Apples, Pears, and Filberts ; and the whole 
gave an apt demonstration of the practicability of 
the College as an institution, and an earnest of its 
complete success from a cultural point of view. 
In another part of the Palace, and opposite to 
their group of hardy flowers, Messrs. John Laing & 
Sons staged a most brilliant and effective group of 
flowering and foliage plants. Amongst the former, 
tuberous Begonias, Nerines, Odontoglossums, 
Streptocarpus, and the rare and beautiful Curcuma 
roseana appeared at their best, whilst Dracaena 
Lindeni, Cocos weddeliana, and Crotons of various 
kinds represented the foliage element. This was one 
of the prettiest groups in the show. 
Mr. John R. Box, Croydon, and West Wickham, 
well and worthily sustained his reputation as one of 
the foremost cultivators of the charming and 
popular tuberous Begonias. Both single and double 
flowers were at their best, and that is saying a good 
deal. The plants were all this year's seedlings 
obtained from seed sown in January. We scarcely 
knew which to admire the most, the quality of the 
flowers, or the dwarfness and vigour of the plants. 
Mr. Box has evidently got his hand upon a good 
strain. 
Mr. H. A. Orr, Bedford, was responsible for a 
unique exhibit in the shape of a number of patent 
wooden racks suitable for the storing of fruit. These 
are light, handy, and eminently useful contrivances, 
and, we doubt not, will come largely into use in the 
near future, both to take the place of permanent 
racks fitted to regular fruit-rooms, as well as to eke 
out storage room during especially abundant years. 
THE LECTURES. 
A series of lectures bearing upon hardy fruit culti¬ 
vation, and related industries had been arranged for, 
one lecture being given each day at 3.30 p m. in the 
large garden hall. 
Mr. E. J. Bailie. 
On Thursday afternoon a goodly concourse of 
people assembled to hear Mr. Edmund J. Bailie, 
F.L S , discourse upon the importance of “ British 
Fruit Growing from a Food Point of View.” Un¬ 
doubtedly the worthy lecturer’s genial personality 
proved a great attraction, and as a well-known 
authority upon matters vegetarian, it was confidently 
expected that he wou'd impart to an audience some¬ 
thing worth listening to. Mr. George Bunyard pre¬ 
sided. 
In his opening remarks, Mr. Bailie observed that 
the subject of his paper differed considerably from 
the usual class of papers brought before the Royal 
Horticultural Society, these usually dealing with the 
practical production of fruits and vegetables, or the 
consideration of some special branch or branches of 
botanical science, whilst his own was devoted to an 
economic subject, and bore indirectly rather than 
directly upon practical production. In human life it 
was necessary, continued Mr. Bailie, to observe and 
preserve a proper balance, and everything must 
proceed in due proportion to its surroundings, for the 
great law of average will not be despised, and out¬ 
raged nature has to be reckoned with. Close rela¬ 
tions existed between “ science and art,” " theory 
and practice,” and what was commonly, although 
probably erroneously, called " Capital and Labour.” 
These should all work side by side with each other. 
Nowadays, exhibits of honey, fruits and preserves of 
fruits, found a place in the shows of agricultural and 
horticultural societies, which was a step in the right 
direction ; but whilst it was necessary to assist by 
practical demonstration, production and the producer, 
it was also highly important that the masses of the 
people should be educated in the consumption of 
fruit as a food. Even amongst the higher classes 
although fruit was taken with food, and after food, 
in the shape of dessert it was not often that it was 
taken as food. 
With regard to the necessary requirements of the 
human family there existed many different views as 
to what were necessaries, and what were luxuries. 
He might quote the words of a learned professor 
upon this point who said, “ give me good bread, and 
good water, and I have the necessaries of life ; add 
an Apple, and I have its luxuries,” 
Our food, generally, was drawn either from the 
animal or the vegetable kingdoms ; and the vege¬ 
table products were of immense value. The natural 
order Graminae held an important place as furnishing 
our cereals; whilst we eat the tubers of one plant, 
the roots of another, and the stems, leaf, stalk, and 
fruits, or seed vessels of others. The bulk of the 
people if not exactly omnivorous, lived upon a 
mixed diet, whilst savages approached more nearly 
the carnivorous. It is said that the nearer man 
approached to primitive innocence, or indeed to 
innocence of any kind the more nearly did he affect 
a vegetable diet. That it is possible to sustain life 
on fruits and herbs is an undoubted fact, for until 
very recently the greater part of the inhabitants of 
Ireland, and Scotland, if not vegetarian in principle 
were so in practice. 
Mr. Bailie had furnished himself with copious 
statistics dealing with the relative values of various 
food stuffs. These he said he would not trouble his 
audience with as they were easily obtainable from the 
Vegetarian Society. 
Fruit, continued the lecturer, has an absolute 
value in human dietetics, and he had vivid recollec¬ 
tions of how in his boyhood’s days the fare at farm¬ 
houses consisted in staple of good milk and bread 
. stuffs, Apple dumplings of liberal size also consti¬ 
tuting a favourite dish. Again the medicinal value of 
a fruit diet was great, as evidences of which he 
referred to the efficacy of the “Grape cure” in 
certain complaints. Of the Apple especial praises were 
sung. Bearing all this in mind it was a great pity 
that the use of fruit should be confined to so small a 
part of the populace. Even during a plentiful 
season if one visited some of the more thickly 
populated centres with a basket of ripe Apples or 
Tomatos they would be speedily surrounded by a 
crowd of eager children. 
Foreign importations formed a serious question. 
Of course such fruits as Oranges, and Bananas were 
a great addition to our resources, but there was no 
necessity to import a single barrel of Apples when 
such magnificent samples far ahead of foreign 
material in point of quality could be grown on British 
soil. For this reason he was a warm advocate of 
extensive fruit cultivation. True, if might be urged 
that there was a danger of the supply exceeding the 
demand, but their was no danger of this as long as 
we continued to import foreign Apples. The 
question of fruit, however, was not simply national; 
it was important enough to be gloriously inter¬ 
national. The production of fruit, moreover, was 
one of the healthiest and happiest occupations that 
a man could adopt. 
But there was another side to all this, for the im¬ 
portance of home-grown fruit would never be realised 
until masses of the population are educated in 
matters of domestic economy, better methods 
of cookery, &c, which would overturn their 
present notions of the relative values of foodstuffs. 
Fruit as a food is at present practically unknown 
amongst working classes even amongst seasons, so- 
called, of superabundance. A little observation will 
easily enable one to see upon what sorry stuff a 
working man has to bear the heat of a labour day. 
The great movement of technical instruction is 
commendable but there is still a great want of 
education as to the value of fruit. In this great and 
good work he should be pleased to see the Royal 
Horticultural Society taking an active part. 
In conclusion, Mr. Bailie pointed out the necessity 
that means should be devised to help the producer 
over his difficulties. The item of expenditure for 
carriage before the fruit could be placed upon the 
market was a serious one ; for unless we grapple with 
and meet these difficulties we can never realise the 
importance of “ British Fruit Growing from a Food 
Point of View.” 
In the discussion which followed the reading of 
the paper, Mr. Roupell testified to the value of 
Tomatos. He grew them, and disposed of them, 
and always found that there was a ready market for 
good fruit. He was much amused sometimes with 
the lengths to which his vegetarian friends occasion¬ 
ally went, for even an Apple dumpling was all the 
better for a little good beef suet (laughter). He 
advised all Apple cultivators to use the Paradise 
stock, as trees grafted upon it came into bearing the 
second year after planting, besides the fruit being 
earlier and of better quality. Mr. Masham, who is 
largely identified with the fruit-growing movement in 
South Wales said that the R.H.S. fruit show was a 
splendid object lesson of how to do it. He then 
produced a miserable little specimen of an Apple 
(sops of wine) and amid the laughter of the audience 
averred that that was an object lesson of how not to 
do it. He had seen bushels of similar fruit put upon 
the market. He perfectly agreed with Mr. Roupel 
in his remarks anent the value of the Paradise as a 
stock. Mr. Bythway, in a most amusing manner 
gave an account of his trials and successes as a 
fruit grower in South Wales. He declared with 
great emphasis that he lived in a gale of wind. To 
this latter remark Mr. Pearson, on proposing a vote 
of thanks to Mr. Bailie, which was subsequently 
carried unanimously, referred and said that the 
splendid fruit shown by Mr. Bythway was conclusive 
evidence that he had had something else besides 
wind to grow them on. A vote of thanks to Mr. 
Bunyard for presiding brought the proceedings to a 
close. 
(To be continued). 
-- 
LITHOSPERMUM FRUTICOSUM OR 
SHRUBBY GKOMWELL. 
This beautiful little plant is a real gem among hardy 
rock plants flowering in spring and early summer. 
The beautiful dark blue colour of its flowers equals 
that of our Alpine Gentians. Its compact habit and 
freedom of flowering entitle it to a place among even 
limited collections of rock plants, and the freedom 
with which it may be increased should place it 
within the reach of anyone whose inclination lays in 
the direction of Alpine plant growing. There are 
two or three methods by which it may be increased, 
namely, by division, or cuttings placed under a hand 
light during the summer months, on a warm border, 
shading from bright sun being given till they root. 
A better plan is to lift and pot up a few plants in the 
autumn. Do this rather eaily in order to have them 
well established before winter ; place in a cold frame 
keeping the lights off, unless during heavy rains and 
sharp frosts. When the lights are on give as much 
air as possible. During February clean them over 
and place them in a gentle warmth. Under this 
treatment, they make rapid growth and produce 
plenty of cuttings. Make these about 2 in. in length 
as they strike roots readily, and when fit may be 
potted into thumbs, placing them in a warm pit or 
frame. These young plants if a large stock is 
required, may be stopped when 2J in. to 3 in. long, 
and the points made into cuttings; at the same 
time the old plants, if well attended to, will give an 
ample supply of cuttings. The young plants should 
be well hardened off before planting them out, and 
in two mcnths from the time the cuttings are rooted ; 
but the final planting out in most instances is better 
deferred till May.— W.B.G. 
-- 
ISCELLANY. 
SEEDLING WHITE BEGONIA. 
Some flowers of a very pretty variety of tuberous 
Begonia have reached us from Mr. Robert L. 
Croucher, 24, Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh. We 
are not positive that it is absolutely new, because 
there are already some in cultivation which come 
very near, though perhaps not strictly identical. 
The flowers are single, perfectly circular, crenate 
at the edge, or shallowly fringed, and beautifully 
crimped. They are pure white on the face, slightly 
tinted with pink on the back, and casting a faint 
reflection through the petals. Possibly under glass 
the pink would disappear. If the habit of the plant 
is good, and it flowers freely, the variety would be 
..worthy of propagation for pot culture or bedding out. 
Under glass the flowers might come larger, and 
would therefore be useful for the decoration of the 
greenhouse and conservatory. 
PEAR BEURRE HARDY. 
This is a well-known Pear in this country, but is 
seldom, if ever singled out with such prominence as 
J. C. Stogdon gives it at p. 77. This fact may be 
accounted for to some extent by the fruits having 
been grown in California where sunshine is more 
prevalent and the season longer than in this country, 
for climate has a great deal to do with the size and 
quality of Pears, more so than in the case of Apples, 
which are hardier. In this country it is an October 
Hardening 
Cjk 
