196 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 28, 1896. 
even after their voyage of 3,000 miles. 
This voyage was effected in less than half 
the time it would have taken an inhabitant 
of Hamilton to reach the sea coast about 
the time Her Majesty ascended the throne. 
In those days, Hamilton was only a tiny 
village in the back woods of Ontario, and 
between 300 and 400 miles from the ocean 
port. This shows the great rate of progress 
that has been made during Her Majesty’s 
reign, in the matter of intercommunication 
between the colony and the Mother Country. 
Sir Donald Smith, the High Com¬ 
missioner, superintended the unpacking of 
the fruits himself, and will arrange for the 
disposal of the same according to the wishes 
of the Queen. Sir Donald is a native of 
Canada, and was quite enthusiastic over 
the excellency of the Canadian climate and 
soil, of which the fruits just unpacked were 
silent but demonstrative evidence. He 
declared that Canada can grow the best 
Apples and wheat in the world. While 
speaking of the abundance and excellence 
of the fruit crop in Canada this year, the 
High Commissioner estimatedit at 3,000,000 
barrels, of which one half would be avail¬ 
able for export. The bulk of this will come 
into British ports, so that people in the Old 
Country need fear no scarcity of supply this 
season, although the home produce was only 
about half an average. Great attention is 
paid to the fruit-growing industry in Canada 
on account of the suitability of soil and 
climate. Almost all kinds of temperate and 
subtropical fruits can be brought to perfec¬ 
tion in the Hamilton district cf Ontario, 
and, indeed, the latter province, together 
with Nova Scotia and Quebec are the chief 
sources of supply coming from the Dominion. 
An observation about the severity of the 
Canadian climate elicited the remark from 
Sir Donald that people in Canada never 
knew it was cold till they consulted a ther¬ 
mometer. 
Fruiting Raspberries may still be seen in gardens in 
the Long Sutton district of Lincolnshire. 
Fruit Growers in Scotland are not afraid of foreign 
competition in the matter of Raspberry culture, 
because such soft fruit does not carry well. 
Essex School of Horticulture —The ordinary three 
weeks' autumn course of elementary instruction at 
the Central Biological Laboratory, Chelmsford, 
commenced on the 9th inst., and closes to-day. 
An Exhibition of Varieties of Apples was held in the 
Central Biological Laboratory, Chelmsford, on the 
19th and 20th inst., for the benefit of the students 
attending the autumn course of instruction, but 
others interested in the question could also inspect 
the fruits on the 20th. 
The Wild Chinese Primrose. —At a recent meeting 
of the Ealing Gardeners’ Society a very interesting 
specimen of the above was exhibited by Mr. 
Holloway, an Ealing gardener, and which called 
forth a good deal of comment. Mr. Holloway had 
certainly done this very well, although he explained 
that it was rather a difficult subject to manipulate. 
The plant occupied a 4 j in. pot, was in the pink of 
perfection, and compared very favourably, in my 
opinion , with the beautiful greenhouse forms which 
were also on view. While the foliage is dwarf, 
roundish and lobed, the colour of the flowers is of 
the most pleasing pink ; and compared with the size 
of the plant, large, and freely produced. From 
twenty to thirty of these fragile organs were in 
evidence, and measured, on an average, about ij in. 
in diameter. It is evidently a true Alpine, and should, 
therefore, receive somewhat different treatment to 
its pampered progeny. It is a native of Central 
China, where it was found growing on hot, dry, 
limestone rocks— a fact which should be taken into 
consideration, although not strictly followed, by its 
cultivators. It is a recent re-introduction. Mr. 
Holloway has crossed it with Primula obonica, and 
is now awaiting results.—C. B. G., Acton, W, 
Miss Chrys Anthemum Jap., in a frizzled red cloak, 
He with railing described as a Globe Artichoke; 
But he quaintly and curtly subscribed—yours, Me’ 
Jock, 
So I simply concluded his squib was a joke— Snaggs. 
Memorial to Darwin.—The Shropshire Horti¬ 
cultural Society at a recent meeting decided to defray 
the entire cost of providing a statue to the memory 
of Charles Darwin in his native town of Shrewsbury. 
The cost is estimated at £ 1,000 to £ 1,200. A Darwin 
Memorial Scholarship is also beiDg subscribed to by 
admirers of the great naturalist, and £400 has been 
already promised towards it. 
Veitch Memorial Medal at Belfast.—The groups 
competing for this honour were considered the feature 
of the Chrysanthemum show at Belfast on the 10th 
and nth inst. The successful group occupied a 
central space of 846 sq. ft., the plants being exceed¬ 
ingly well grown, in pots not exceeding 8 in. in width. 
The Veitch Memorial Medal and £* were awarded J. 
Blaikston-Houston, Esq., D.L. (gardener, Mr. Thos. 
Gray), Orangefield, Belfast. The "Fairy Dell of 
Magnificence," a piece of horticultural architecture, 
put up by Mr. McKenna, of the Botanic Gardens, 
Belfast, was much admired by the public. 
Messrs. Harrison & Sons’ Vegetable and Farm-root 
Show was opened on the nth inst. at their extensive 
seed-stores situated at 41, Welford Road, Leicester, 
and continued open until seven o’clock on the 
Saturday evening, the 14th, affording ample oppor¬ 
tunity for cottagers and allotment-holders to visit the 
exhibition. When we take into consideration the 
extremely dry spring it was marvellous to find such 
grand specimens of horticultural produce, especially 
in Celery, Potatos, Leeks, and Onions. The Globe 
Mangolds were also wonderfully fine. It is gratify¬ 
ing to observe that, amongst the number of com¬ 
petitors from all parts of the country, most of the 
honours went to local growers. The judges were 
Mr. John King, of Broom, near Biggleswade, and 
Mr. Robert Cooper, of Beeston, Sandy, both exten¬ 
sive cultivators in Bedfordshire. 
Can Maize be grown in this Country ?—Some weeks 
ago a note on this subject appeared in The 
Gardening World, and in answer to it Mr. Fredk. 
W. Simpson, Monument Road, Edgbaston, Bir¬ 
mingham, sends us two fine cobs which he reared 
and brought to maturity in 1894, as a result of an 
experiment he made on purpose to see what could 
be done. The years 1893, 1895 aQ d 1896 were quite 
as favourable as 1894, t0 the development of Maize, 
as far as sunshine was concerned. The specimens 
were grown in the neighbourhood of Birmingham, 
and all the others ripened perfectly. Those sent us 
measured 6J in. and 7J in. in length with a width of 
in. and 2 in. at the base, respectively. Our 
correspondent does not tell us the name of the 
variety grown, but probably it was an early sort. 
The grains were bright golden-amber. If Maize 
such as this can be grown in the Midlands, it can 
certainly be grown in all other more favourable 
parts of the country. 
Hyacinth Bulbs and Eczema.—At the meeting of the 
Linnean Society of London on the 5th inst., Dr. 
Morris, C.M.G., exhibited specimens and slides 
illustrating the occurrence of raphides in the bulbs 
of the common Hyacinth of gardens (Hyacinthus 
orientalis and varieties). Forms of eczema were said 
to have been produced in persons handling and 
cleaning these bulbs. Although the fact was 
familiar to gardeners, the cause did not appear to 
have been clearly traced. Experiments and observa¬ 
tions at the Jodrell Laboratory at Kew had shown 
that both dry and moist scales were capable of pro¬ 
ducing considerable irritation in certain cases when 
applied directly to the skin. There was little doubt 
that the raphides were the prime agents. These 
needle-shaped crystals (composed of oxalate of lime) 
varied from rjuth to 5 J ff th of an inch in length, and 
were arranged in close bundles, easily dispersed by 
rubbing the dry scales. In the growing plants they 
were doubtless protective, as snails, for instance, 
avoided Hyacinth bulbs but attacked others growing 
close by. Roman Hyacinths (var. albulus) were 
understood to cause greater irritation than other 
varieties. Dr. D. H. Scott described some experi¬ 
ments which he had tried, tending to confirm the 
conclusion that the irritation of the skin produced by 
contact with the bulb-scales of Hyacinths is due 
immediately to puncture by the numerous raphides. 
New description for a Chrysanthemum Show —A 
local contemporary describes the show at Learning- 
ton as “exceedingly well organised in detail and 
very rich in turpentine-scented floral gems.’’ 
Size of blooms at Exmouth Show.—Mr. W. J. God¬ 
frey, of Exmouth, calls our attention to a statement at 
p. 158, middle column, which says : "These blooms 
were much finer than many of the same class of recent 
years, still behind some of the old Liverpool boards 
of ten or fifteen years ago.” Whether this state¬ 
ment is justified or not, we cannot say, not having 
seen the blooms in either case. Mr. Godfrey says 
that the exhibitors were first-class growers, and one 
has successfully competed at the N.C.S. show, both 
this year and last. 
The D'Arcy Spice Apple.—A photograph of a fruit 
and a section of this Apple is given in the Journal of 
the Essex Technical Laboratories for October. The 
variety is cf considerable local interest in the country, 
as it originated at Tolleshunt d'Arcy in Essex, and is 
frequently met with in gardens and orchards, particu¬ 
larly in the eastern half of the county. It has long 
been valued for its spicy flavour and good keeping 
qualities ; but the dull colour of the fruit and the 
slow rate of growth of the tree act as hindrances to 
its extensive culture for market purposes. For 
private establishments, however, it deserves a place. 
The fruits should be allowed to hang as late in the 
autumn as possible convenient with immunity from 
frost, otherwise they are liable to shrivel, 
Gardeners Royal Benevolent Institution.—The com¬ 
mittee of this institution at their meeting held on the 
13th inst., decided to place twenty candidates from 
the list of applicants, on the funds at the next 
election, which will take place on January 14th, 1897. 
ten of these candidates will be recommended for 
election without votes, they having complied with the 
terms of Rule III., sec. 5, and other rules in connec¬ 
tion therewith. The remaining ten will be elected by 
the votes of subscribers in the usual way. In thus 
increasing their liabilities by adding to the pension 
list the largest number of candidates ever admitted at any 
one election in the history of the institution, the com¬ 
mittee had in mind the fact that next year will wit¬ 
ness the celebration of the sixtieth year of the Queen's 
Sovereignty, and as Her Majesty has been for forty- 
five years the gracious Patroness of the charity, they 
intend to appeal to all gardeners and other friends of 
the institution to assist them in making some special 
effort on its behalf during the coming year in com¬ 
memoration of an event which will be unparalleled in 
the annals of this country. 
Home of Horticulture.—The subject mentioned in 
my recent letter, which appeared in The Gardening 
World, received very strong confirmation from Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart., and Mr. F. A. Bevan, of 
Trent Park, at the festival banquet of the National 
Chrysanthemum Society held at the Whitehall 
Rooms on Tuesday week. Mr. Bevan, in forcible 
terms (which were heartily applauded), referred to 
the incongruous associations under which they were 
compelled to hold their exhibitions, and expressed 
his hope to see a change soon. Sir Trevor Lawrence 
supported Mr. Bevan’s remarks, and alluded to the 
great want of a metropolitan building for horticultural 
exhibitions, also describing how Baron Schroeder’s 
scheme was unfortunately frustrated, through 
financial complications, when nearing accomplish¬ 
ment. Sir Trevor compared our position, with 
regard to horticulture, with other nations. "Our 
Empire,” he declared, " is ahead of all the world, 
but other nations are following on our heels, and we 
must strive to maintain our supremacy.” He also 
laid great stress upon the paramount importance of 
prompt action to secure a hall for horticulture. The 
time is ripe, and when we remember the riches 
of England, the commercial supremacy of the City, 
the widening interest which is being taken in horti¬ 
culture, and this country's position with regard to it, 
surely no better monument can be raised to 
perpetuate the memory of Her Majesty’s reign than 
the establishment of a home of horticulture. If the 
City of London took the initiative, its several com¬ 
panies combining, representatives of each being 
governors, the project would soon be realised. It is 
only waiting for a strong impulse, and this the City 
of London can give. Will you kindly grant space 
in your columns for this letter, the intention of 
which is to arouse interest in this question, and, it is 
hoped, lead to an early meeting of horticulturists and 
others to take steps for the establishment of a home 
of horticulture.—I am, &c James L. Wood, F.R H.S., 
Liveryman of the Skinners’ Company, Oahleigh Park, 
Whetstone. 
