132 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 31, 1896. 
any measures which may be suggested, the 
former being perhaps the larger body. 
Some may act upon advice received, while 
others scout the idea ; so that what is 
everybody’s business is nobody’s. Com¬ 
bination and concerted action could adopt 
means to an end, and accomplish remedies 
where isolated action is doomed to failure. In 
Continental countries, andin America, reme¬ 
dies against insects and other pests are more 
universally adopted than in this country ; 
and even in British colonies we have good 
instances of concerted action, which in this 
country we should hesitate to adopt for fear 
of infringing upon the liberties of the in¬ 
dividual. It would, however, be highly 
advantageous for fruit growers generally, if 
they would voluntarily combine amongst 
themselves in any given district, to take 
joint action against the hordes of insect or 
fungoid pests that may be giving trouble to 
the community. For instance, wherever a 
district may be largely planted with fruit 
trees, it maybe taken for granted that their 
particular pests and enemies will increase 
in a like ratio, owing to the increase of their 
food, unless artificial or other means are 
taken to keep them in check. 
It might be a fair question to consider 
whether a great increase of birds or insects 
was the most hurtful to an orchard. It is 
admitted that birds are most troublesome 
only during the ripening period of fruits. 
They could, however, be kept at bay during 
that short period by the aid of a few boys 
scattered over the orchards. Insects could 
not be dealt with in the same fashion. It 
would, pay, however, to wage war against 
insects and fungi during the whole season, 
provided the means for carrying on opera¬ 
tions were widely adopted in all fruit grow¬ 
ing districts. The respective county 
councils might or should render assistance, 
both by precept and example, giving tan¬ 
gible aid to those who are most in need of 
of the same. Demonstrations might be 
might be given in every rural district; and 
what is more, the spraying apparatus, the 
fungicides and insecticides might be pro¬ 
vided for by combination over a wide 
district so that cottagers and small growers, 
at least, might only have to provide, or pay 
for the labour involved in the spraying of 
their small plantations or plots of trees. 
That, surely, could be no great hardship 
considering the general advantage that 
would be secured to the community at 
large. Private enterprise might even pro¬ 
vide the machinery and means wherewithal 
for combating insect pests, and be re¬ 
munerated for the same by the owners of 
the fruit trees so treated. The need for 
such prevention or remedies would become 
more and more apparent to fruit growers, 
as the technical instruction committees of 
various county councils succeeded by their 
demonstrations in showing the utility of 
concerted and determined efforts to check 
or destroy insect and other pests. After a 
time, there is no reason why the enterprise 
initiated for the above purpose should not 
pay its own expenses and leave a margin of 
profit for those who provide the machinery, 
just as in the case of agricultural machinery 
for tillage or harvesting operations. 
This is no local question, but one of 
national importance. Private establish¬ 
ments should be led to participate in the 
working out of such a scheme, and they 
could not fail to benefit by the same. Fruit 
growers for market are necessarily largely 
confined to a few counties such as are 
naturally adapted for fruit culture, both in 
the matter of soil and climate. Private 
establishments, on the other hand, are 
spread over every county, and the gardeners 
are expected to grow fruit whatever the 
local disadvantages may be. In fruit¬ 
growing counties, the owners of private 
gardens would find it an easy matter to 
combine with the market growers, or to 
take action on their own reponsibility, 
which would accomplish the same results 
in the end. Isolated gardens could be as 
easily managed, inasmuch as there would 
be no other orchards in the immediate 
neighbourhood to stultify the labour under¬ 
taken by the gardeners of the same. In 
northern districts, insects are usually 
less abundant, and always less varied than 
in the south. 
-<*•- 
Mr John Henry Holland, till recently at Kew, has 
been appointed assistant curator of the Botanic 
Station, at Duke Town, on the Niger Coast. 
The proof of it.—The surest way of testing whether 
a big fungus is a Mushroom or a toadstool is to eat 
it. If you have no bad symptoms, it was a Mush¬ 
room ; if you die you will have no doubts after¬ 
wards as to what it was, Snaggs would rather 
remain in doubt. 
On Lord Rosebery’s home farm at Dalmeny a heavy 
crop of Potatos was recently harvested. An eight- 
acre field gave a return of 156 tons, of the variety 
Up-to-Date. This is an equivalent of 19 J tons per 
acre, and the produce was of good marketable size. 
Made in Holland will have to look out.—We notice 
by the Cork Press for last week, that Mr. Wm. 
Baylor Hartland, of Ardcairn, purposes giving a 
“one man exhibit" of late single self-coloured 
Tulips in the large hall at the Assembly Rooms, 
South Mall, the proceeds to be in aid of the city 
hospital. This is a good start with Irish industry, 
as we believe Mr. Hartland has the soil and climate. 
M. Auguste Trecul, a French botanist, has to be 
added to the list of names of those who have all 
died within the last week or two. M. Trecul travelled 
extensively in Mexico, Texas and the Rocky 
Mountains, on behalf of the Jardin des Plants, Paris, 
and had sums of money granted him by the French 
Government, to enable him to carry out his labours. 
He collected a vast number of plants in those 
countries he visited. 
Mr. William Bernice French, recently of Kew, has 
been appointed assistant at the Municipal Gardens 
at Queenstown, Cape Colony. He had been deputy 
foreman in the Orchid houses, and afterwards in the 
Palm house at Kew. Previous to that he had been 
in the ferneries. He entered Kew in 1891 and left 
quite recently. Previous to that date he had been in 
the famous gardens of the late Sir George Macleay, 
at Pendell Court, Bletchingley, Surrey. 
A new Fruit. —What is described as a Strawberry- 
Raspberry, a hybrid between those fruits, is described 
by more than one of our contemporaries, neither of 
whom, nor the introducers, Messrs. Wm. Fell & Co , 
of Hexham, believe that any such hybrid has been 
effected. We should describe it simply as a variety 
of Bramble or Blackberry, It may be possessed of 
some special flavour, which, probably, gave rise to 
the above combination of names. It comes from 
Japan, is stated to be quite hardy, and keeps on 
fruiting the whole summer. . From a perennial root- 
stock it throws up numerous shoots which are said 
to die down annually. 
Tercentenary of the Potato.—At the forthcoming 
celebration, at Dublin, on the 9th and 10th Decem¬ 
ber, of the tercentenary of the introduction of the 
Potato into Ireland, a Conference will beheld inThe 
Rotunda, under the auspices of the Irish Gardeners' 
Association. A number of papers and lectures have 
already been promised. Arthur W. Sutton, Esq., 
F.R.H.S., of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, is to 
lecture on "The Potato.” His remarks will be 
illustrated by lantern views, as on the occasion of his 
appearing before the Royal Horticultural Society of 
England in November last year. Messrs. Dobbie & 
Co., Rothesay, N.B., will deal with “Twenty-five 
Years’ Experience on Potato Culture in Scotland and 
South of England.” Professor Malden, late Agri¬ 
cultural Superintendent, of the Royal Dublin 
Society, will bring forward ” English and Irish 
Potato Cultivation and Trade,” as his subject. Mr. 
A. Findlay, the well-known Potato grower, of Mark- 
inch, Fifeshire, will make “Remarks on Raising 
New Varieties of Potatos.” Lord Powerscourt is 
president of the Conference, and the secretary is Mr 
Thomas Shaw, Rotunda Rooms, Dublin. 
Nearly 70,000 tons of Cork are required annually in 
Britain, for the bottling of the beer and aerated 
waters consumed. 
Wild Strawberries continue to ripen around St. 
Tudy, Devon, in spite of the rough weather. Six 
very fine ripe fruits were gathered the other week. 
The Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland have 
arranged for a display of greenhouses, heating 
apparatus and other horticultural sundries at their 
annual Chrysanthemum and fruit show on the 41 h 
and 5th November. 
Mr. C. H. Humphries, curator of the Botanic 
Station at Aburi, Gold Coast Colony, is at present in 
England on leave of absence, but his six months' 
holiday will be over in December. His duties are 
being looked after by Mr. Charles Berryman, who 
left the Royal Gardens, Kew, for that purpose. 
Vanda caerulea alba.—A novelty in its way turned 
up in the sale rooms of Messrs. Protheroe & Morris, 
Cheapside, on the 23rd inst. This was a white 
variety of Vanda caerulea. The peculiarity about 
it was that the flowers were quite blue when they 
first expanded, but were almost pure white on Friday 
of the above date. The plant was well flowered and 
knocked down at 4^ guineas. 
The Women's London Gardening Association.—This 
is said to be a thriving institution. In addition to 
its horticultural activities it has sensibly set itself to 
the supplying of delicious jams, jellies, damson- 
cheeses, bottled fruits, chutneys, honey, &c , made 
or bottled on the premises. The association has 
struck out fresh lines for itself, by making cranberry- 
jam, rowan jelly, and similar delicacies hitherto 
carried on by private enterprise for home consump¬ 
tion. 
Birmingham Gardeners' Mutual Improvement 
Association.—At the bi-weekly meeting of this 
Association on the 19th inst., there was a good 
attendance under the presidency of Mr. A. Spinks. 
An exhibition of Apples by members residing in the 
district was held. Apples in quantity were also 
brought for identification, as well as a collection of 
British and American varieties for comparison. The 
latter were shown by Mr. W. Gardiner, of Harborne, 
who described the chief characteristics of the 
varieties shown. 
Mr. Henry Millen, the Curator, of the Botanic 
Station at Lagos, has arrived in England on leave of 
absence. He is an old Kewite, and has been in the 
service in Lagos Government since 1890. In his 
absence his duties at Ebute Metta will be discharged 
by Mr. F. G. R. Leigh, Acting Curator, and by Mr. 
T. B. Dawodu, who will look after the gardens 
attached to Government House. Both these latter 
gentlemen are natives of Lagos, and had the benefit 
of horticultural training at the Botanic Gardens, 
Jamaica (1890—93), and at Kew (1893—94). 
Owls and Vermin.—A series of leaflets is being 
issued by the Society for the Protection of Birds. 
Each leaflet contains a short description ot a species 
of British bird together with its habitat, the nature 
of its food and other characteristics pertaining to 
to the respective species. The section of the Wild 
Birds' Act which relates to each bird under consider¬ 
ation, is also pointed out. Mr. Montagu Sharpe 
deals with the owls in Leaflet No. 1, and describes 
owls as lynx-eyed cats with wings. In game¬ 
preserving districts these useful birds have been 
ruthlessly shot down until on the verge of extermina¬ 
tion. The inevitable results have been plagues of 
mice, rats, and voles in such numbers as to be a 
real scourge, both to agriculture and horticulture. 
Owls should be tempted to take up their abode in 
those districts by every means possible. The game- 
preserveis have only one view of the situation, or at 
least had so till they were being overwhelmed with 
rats and mice, when numbers of them came to see 
their mistakes. In olden times our forefathers 
would seem to have taken a wiser and more sensible 
view of the situation ; for they encouraged owls upon 
their premises, leaving an ingress or owl-hole, often 
accompanied with a stone porch, in their barns, for 
the convenience of those destroyers of the mice and 
rats that took up their abode in the barns, granaries, 
and similar houses. Leaflet No. 2, is devoted to the 
Woodpeckers, the descriptive matter being by Sir 
Herbert Maxwell, Bart. 
