December 26, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
269 
adorned with a few fresh flowers—an item of con¬ 
siderable importance at this season of the year when 
flowers are relatively scarce and expensive. An 
illustrated list of "Floral Designs,” issued by Mr. 
Downie, shows a number of highly ornate designs 
made in flowers of various kinds, and for different 
purposes, as made by him. 
-•*»- 
INTERESTING PLANTS IN THE 
BOTANICAL GARDENS, BIRMINGHAM. 
Visitors to Birmingham interested in horticulture 
should not fail to visit these gardens; and should 
they be fortunate in meeting the courteous and 
enthusiastic curator, Mr. Latham, and conversing 
with him, it will convince them at once of his love 
for the profession. There is, at all seasons of the 
year, something interesting to te seen in 
the houses. At the present time, many good winter- 
flowering Orchids attract one's notice. Many good 
Cattleyas, such as C. labiata and others may be 
noticed; also many Cypripediums, grand forms of 
the C. insigne type and its many varieties. Deadro- 
bium Phalaenopsis, Coelogyne barbata, and a grand 
specimen of Cymbidium giganteum, with over a 
dozen fine spikes of flowers, are amongst the many. 
In the Palm house a plant that attracts the atten¬ 
tion of the public is a grand specimen of Cycas 
revoluta, with an enormous crop of high-coloured 
fruit. Another plant grown under warm treatment 
is the much neglected, but most useful winter-flower¬ 
ing plant, viz., Callicarpa purpurea, grown in pots, 
attaining the height of io ft. to 12 ft. Some of the 
roots are over 6 ft. long, and branches produce as 
many as twenty clusters of violet-coloured berries, 
which are exceedingly showy. The habit of the 
plants is most graceful. It is generally classed with 
the greenhouse plants but succeeds best in an inter¬ 
mediate temperature. For winter decoration this is 
a valuable plant, and can easily be propagated by 
cuttings or from seed. 
Lapageria rosea and L. alba are well down here. 
The plants are loosely trained upon the roof of the 
house ; and hundreds of their beautiful flowers are 
produced during the season. It may also be interest¬ 
ing to state that many dozens of fruits have been 
produced at various times, and Mr. Latham has 
raised many seedlings. These are only a few of the 
many features noticed by Rusticus, as he had the 
pleasure of a hurried view round the houses with 
his old and esteemed friend, the curator. 
--- 
EXHIBITORS OF VEGETABLES. 
North versus South. 
As one nears the fifties and can look back on from thirty 
to thirty-five years’ experience, one can see many 
changes in horticulture during that time. I well 
remember when I began my gardening career, that 
our northern friends had a big name as vegetable 
cultivators and exhibitors, as compared with the 
southern growers. Probably they deserved it, as I 
think most members of the craft will agree that some 
thirty to forty years ago vegetable culture was not 
practised so well in the south as it ought to have 
been. But when such men came to the front as 
Messrs. Miles, Pragnel, Gilbert, etc., then the south 
began to look up. 
If my memory serves me correctly, about the time 
thesegentlemen were in the fore rank, there weresome 
prizes offered in London for exhibits, North versus 
South, showing there were some doubts as to who 
were the best cultivators. 
Again the southern gardeners had the reputation 
for not teaching the young men (when they were 
under training), the culture of vegetables in the same 
way as the northern masters, owing to their not being 
put into the kitchen garden first, and from there into 
the houses. No doubt this is the very best way to 
make a thoroughly good gardener; and many of 
our best men have learnt some of their most valuable 
lessons from the market gardens. 
I am afraid there is still a tendency to put 
young men in the wrong place to commence their 
training in many gardens, seeing that a man wants 
to be something more than a glasshouse gardener to¬ 
day to satisfy many employers. I am under the 
impression the stimulus given to exhibitors of vege¬ 
tables is a means of lifting up the standard of vege¬ 
table culture as much as anything, and removing 
from young men’s minds the idea that anyone can 
grow vegetables and serve the kitchen. I have found 
these two of the most important parts of my calling. 
When looking over the reports of many large 
shows, and that of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society’s late show, I was impressed with the idea that 
northern growers are not maintaining their ground, 
when one comes to see how many prizes go to 
southern growers. Northern cultivators have prided 
themselves in obtaining big Leeks, but it is strange 
that the first prize should have gone to a Hampshire 
grower at the Aquarium recently. This is the more 
so, as there was such a large number of exhibits. 
The same grower showed a collection of vegetables, 
and one report said of it that the judges could not 
find a fault in the collection, thus showing that good 
vegetables can be grown in the south and by southern 
natives. 
It would be interesting to learn if those prominent 
growers in the south ever had their training in vege¬ 
table culture in the North, because if they obtained 
it otherwise it goes to show that the south is 
improving and giving their young men the best of 
training. I would strongly advise all young men to 
use every effort to obtain the best knowledge of open 
air gardening, as this is of the utmost importance in 
after life.— J . C. Chard. 
-. 1 . - 
EARWIG AND CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
These pests have been particularly troublesome in 
our immediate neighbourhood, one neighbour 
assuring me that from this cause alone he has had the 
worst lot of 'mums he ever grew. Not far from us 
they actually invaded dwelling houses by the 
thousand, and in our own case they were in strong 
evidence among cur vegetable crops in close 
proximity to our Chrysanthemums, about 100 plants 
of which for the want of a better site were placed 
upon a disused part of the kitchen garden. We 
think that we are within strict limits of the truth in 
saying, that although we kept a pretty good out look, 
we failed in catching more than two dozen among 
the ’mums during the entire season. The only 
possible cause we can assign for this happy state of 
affairs is owing to a departure from orthodox lines in 
our practice, and, having followed which for two 
seasons, it seems to point to its being the cause of 
our immunity from these pests so far as ’mums are 
concerned. Keep all litter as far away from your 
'mums as possible, seems good advice ; use your 
short grass mowings as a mulch between your plants, 
appears to be good practice when measured by 
results. This is a result we by no means anticipated ; 
but having to work upon a soil of a sticky, clayey 
nature, and in the absence of a supply of more 
suitable material, we were led to use the mowings in 
order to prevent the soil sticking to our boots, and 
thus carrying it on to the gravel. There may 
possibly be some other explanation to account for 
our escape from these marauders, and possibly, had 
our experience been confined to one season, we would 
not have thought it worth while to make a note of it. 
—IV. B. G. 
-- 
A FLORAL DEMONSTRATION. 
Under this title the Rev. Geo. Henslow lectured on 
some popular plants to. the Fellows of the Royal 
Horticultural Society on November 24th, C. E. 
Shea, Esq., taking the chair. The reverend gentle¬ 
man took a number of plants that had found a place 
in that day’s show. 
Mr. Holloway, (gardener to E Hyde, Esq , Castle 
Bar, Ealing), had exhibited specimens of the original 
plants of Primula sinensis. To these Mr. Henslow 
referred, saying that fcr a long time, and until a few 
years ago the exact ancestor of our five races of 
Chinese Primulas was unknown. Mr. Holloway 
had also exhibited a supposed cross between P. 
sinensis and P. obconica, and the scientific committee 
were about to examine the supposed hybrid, and see 
whether it was really an intermediate form between 
the two species. There bad been some talk latelyabout 
P. obconica producing eczema in persons who handled 
it incautiously. It has been proved that about one 
person in twenty was subject to irritation from this 
source. The scales of Hyacinth bulbs would also 
cause eczema, but in this case it was the minute 
crystals of oxalate of lime (raphides) that were 
responsible for the irritation. In this case, therefore, 
the irritation was produced mechanically. 
Passing on to the consideration of the Gloxinia the 
lecturer said that the old forms used to be drooping, 
instead of being erect, as now. Referring to irregular 
flowers becoming regular, through the agency of the 
florist, Mr. Henslow adduced some familiar examples 
in the Pansy and the Pelargonium. For sixty or 
seventy years the florists had been trying to make 
these round in outline. Irregular flowers had 
become so through insect agency. Sometimes the 
lower petal increased greatly in size, as in the Pansy, 
again the lower petal might be dwarfed as in 
Veronica, where we find three large petals, the 
fourth being very small. This was carried still further 
in the Horse Chesnut, where we get four large 
spreading petals whilst the fifth is entirely wanting. 
It had been proved over and over again that pro¬ 
toplasm was very irritable, and would respond readily 
to an external impulse. He reminded his audience 
of the fact that if a young branch had a weight 
attached to it, the stimulus thus set up would result 
in the thickening and strengthening of the tissues 
until the branch would be able to bear a much gt’eater 
weight than at first, in much the same way as the 
arm of a gymnast thickened and strengthened under 
muscular exercise 
The Javanico-jasminiflorum section of hybrid 
Rhododendrons sent up by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, 
of Chelsea, afforded the reverend gentleman 
more subject matter. These beautiful plants had 
been obtained from five or six species imported 
originally from Java and Borneo. After an infinite 
amount of labour a race of doubles had been pro¬ 
cured. Now no one could exactly say what produced 
doubling. The florist could not make a flower 
double. He had to wait patiently till Nature vouch¬ 
safed some sign, that she was willing to 
produce it and then by careful selection and 
cross breeding he could obtain the desired end. The 
distribution of colour in flowers was also a matter 
upon which they were quite at sea. Sometimes 
when one parent bore a white flower and the other 
an orange, the white would, as it were, wash out the 
orange, and a pink would be the result, as in Rhodo¬ 
dendron Princess Royal. 
Chrysanthemums had made most marvellous 
strides of late years. The first comers were first 
grown in this country in the Physic Garden at 
Chelsea, about the middle of last century. C. indicum 
flore pleno, introduced early in the present century, 
was the parent of all the pompon varieties. 
The Cyclamen and its tendency to bury its seed- 
pods in the soil by means of the curling downward of 
the flower stalk was discussed at length. It was 
believed that this was done for the sake of the 
increased nutriment that the seeds would obtain, 
larger and finer seeds being the natural result. 
Cephalotus follicularis was described by Mr. 
Henslow as being the only pitcher plant common to 
Australia. In this case the pitchers were formed out 
of a metamorphosed leaf, thus differing from Nepen¬ 
thes in which the conversion of the water glands 
brought about the pitchers. 
The Jerusalem Artichoke came the last on the list 
of the subjects for demonstration. This was a case 
where the tuber has passed into a rhizome. The 
Artichoke was a native of the North-Eastern States 
of North America. 
A hearty vote of thanks to the lecturer was pro¬ 
posed from the chair, and being received with 
unanimous favour, the proceedings terminated. 
-- 
ARDENING |flSCELLANY. 
LUCULIA GRATISSIMA. 
The greenhouse at Kew contains a healthy young 
specimen of this beautiful cool house flowering plant 
in full glory of bloom. This Luculia would be sure of 
a welcome no matter what the particular time of the 
year was when it opened its blossoms, but how much 
more welcome are its beauty and fragrance in 
December. The Kew plant is growing in a corner of 
a prepared border in the centre of the house, where, 
despite the fact that it is some distance from the glass, 
it appears to be thoroughly enjoying itself. The 
plant is bearing several large panicles of the rosy 
pink flowers which literally fill the house with their 
fragrance. 
A CURIOUS COLLAPSE. 
Regular visitors to Kew, who have traced the pro¬ 
gress of the double Cocoa-nut palm (Lodoicea 
sechellarum) up from the baby stages into what was 
apparently the first flush of youthful vigour, will be 
astonished and disappointed to hear that the larger 
