March 6, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
421 
Pessimistic Weather Prophets are the best, because 
they prophesy so much of hail, rain, and snow, that 
you become argeeably delighted when it turns out 
finer than you expected.—Swagg's Philosophy. 
A fine specimen Camellia is growing at Trevarnick, 
near St. Austell. It is 15 ft. high, and 100 ft. in 
circumference, and has as many as from eighteen to 
twenty flowers and buds to each square foot of its 
area. 
Five Acres of Foliage.—The late Asa Gray after mak¬ 
ing calculations, stated that the Washington Elm at 
Cambridge, U.S.A., would bear about 7,000,000 
leaves, having a surface of 200,000 square feet, or 
about five acres of foliage. 
Rhus Cotinus, the Venetian Sumach, is commonly 
known in the " States ” as the ‘ Smoke Tree,” the 
name being probably suggested by the long hairy 
pedicels, which in their airy gracefulness almost 
bide the foliage and render the plant exceedingly 
ornamental. 
An Insect Pest.—During the height of the Colorado 
Beetle scare, a gardener in lodgings was puzzled to 
knew how his lard had disappeared so quickly, and, 
on asking his landlady, got the following reply :— 
“You must know, Jarge, it’s them’ere collar-lard-o 
beetles a robbin’ on't.” 
The Ohio State Horticultural Society has issued a 
call for a national convention of State horticultural 
a nd kindred societies to meet at the Ebbitt House, 
Washington, on March 5th, to consider and re¬ 
commend the more appropriate federal and state 
legislation for preventing the introduction or diffusion 
of noxious insects and fungi in the United States.— 
Gardening [American). 
The Royal Gardeners' Orphan Fund.—A meeting of 
the executive committee was held on February 26th. 
W. Marshall, Esq. was again elected chairman of 
the committee. Amongst others the following 
special receipts were'announced :—The Chislehurst 
Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society Concert, 
£23 12s. 6d., a special vote of thanks being accorded ; 
Messrs. Bunyard & Co., Maidstone, £5 5s.; Mr. O. 
Thomas, Frogmore, £2 2s.; Mr. T. Whillans, 
Blenheim, £2 ; Isle of Wight Horticultural Society, 
proceeds of lecture by Mr. H. J. Jones, £1 2s; Miss 
Noble, Henley, £1 ; J Kipling, proceeds of skating 
on Knebworth Lake, ns. 7d., and several smaller 
sums. The result of the election was announced, 
whereby thirteen children are placed on the fund ; 
and the respective guardians appointed, the 
mothers in each case undertaking the duties. 
Curious Method of Feeding Apple Trees.—Under 
the heading of “ Western New York Fruit Growers 
in Council,” American Gardening records some experi¬ 
ments with fertilisers, and states that amongst other 
things, “ though on first sight it may remind one of a 
humbug much mentioned a dozen years ago, it may 
yet open up new possibilities in feeding trees. A 
little above the surface of the ground a hole, 15 to 2 
inches through, is bored into the body of the tree and 
about twe-thirds through, slanting downward at an 
angle of about 45 degrees. Through this opening 
the tree is fed wtth a substitute for plant sap, pre¬ 
pared by dissolving nitrogen, phosphoric acid, 
potash, iron, etc., in proper proportions. Dr. 
Caldwell says he can see no chemical obstacle to this 
plan, although there may be physiological reasons 
for its non-operation.” 
Propagation of the Sugar Cane.—Up till quite 
recently the Sugar Cane was propagated by cuttings 
or sets only, and, according to the Morning Post, it 
was only seven years ago that Professor Harrison, of 
Barbadoes, acting on advice from Kew, obtained 
plants by burying the flower heads of the ripened 
canes, thus proving that they contained the seed 
which had not before been found. A correspondent 
points out that in Bryan Edward's “ West 
Indies,’ of which he possesses a copy, published in 
1794, it states that “the tops of canes sometimes 
shoot up in arrows, decorated at the top with a 
pinnacle, the plumes of which contain a whitish 
dust, or rather seed ; yet these being sowed never 
vegetate, as I have heard in the West Indian Islands, 
a circumstance which may be adduced as a proof 
that the Sugar Cane is not the spontaneous produc¬ 
tion of this part of the world.”. 
The Early Use of th6 Hop.—As far back as 1425 it 
is recorded that an evildoer was punished “ for that 
he put a kind of unwholesome weed into his brewing 
called an Hopp.” 
The Boston Fern is a variety of Nephrolepis exaltata 
named bostoniensis. Its exact origin is not known, 
but it appears to have sprung into existence close to 
Boston, U.S. A. It has been variously and erroneously 
called N. paradisae, N. plumosa, N. reclinata, N. 
exaltata davallioides, and N. davallioides. 
The name Horse Chesnut is supposed to bear 
reference to the fact that the nuts are ground into 
meal and used for feeding horses in Turkey. Some 
presume that this name was given on account of the 
leaf scars bearing a resemblance to the imprint of a 
horse's hcof, with the mark of the nail heads attach¬ 
ing the shoe to the hoof. 
“ Stories from Plant Life " formed the subject of a 
most interesting lecture delivered by Mr. E. Snel- 
grove, in the Nether Schoolroom at Sheffield. The 
lecturer showed the similarity existing between the 
lower orders of plants and animals, and explained the 
difficulty experienced in separating the one from the 
other. He then proceeded to deal with the economic 
values of plants showing how necessary they were 
for the supply of food, fuel, clothing, timber, etc. 
The lecture was illustrated throughout by limelight 
views, the apparatus being worked by Mr. W. 
Turner. 
The Water Hyacinth (Pontederia).—This beautiful 
water weed has become a veritable nuisance in some 
of the hitherto havigable rivers of the South 
Atlantic and Gulf States of the United States, 
America. The weed was introduced within recent 
times, and now covers square miles of waterway 
with an interlaced matting of growth, and bringing 
steamers to a standstill. The U. S. Senate voted an 
appropriation of 10,000 dollars to enable the 
Secretary of War to try methods of exterminating 
the weed in the rivers. 
The National Dahlia Society.—The annual report 
of the National Dahlia Society is before us. It is 
issued in book form, and besides the financial state¬ 
ment and balance sheet for 1896, with the com¬ 
mittee’s report for the same year includes a list of 
members and a schedule of the classes and prizes 
arranged for at the Grand Exhibition, which is fixed 
to take place at the Crystal Palace on September 
3rd and 4th. The balance sheet shows an expendi¬ 
ture of £134 7s. gd., of which £117 7s. 6d. has been 
given away in prizes. The balance remaining at the 
bankers is £8 10s. 4das against the balance at this 
time last year of £\ 13s. sd., so that although the 
society has accomplished a good deal of work the 
financial condition is improved. Mr. J. F. Hudson, 
B.A., Gunnersbury House, Acton, W., is the hon. 
secretary. 
Transactions of the Scottish Horticultural Associa¬ 
tion.—The twentieth annual report of this association 
shows that it is in a more flourishing condition than 
ever. The membership roll numbered 595 in 1896, 
as compared with 493 in the previous year. The 
Chrysanthemum exhibition in the third week of 
November lastjwas visited by over 40,000 people, and 
in every way was a record one. The number of 
entries was 913, being 70 in advance of the previous 
year. The handsome prize offered by the Corpora¬ 
tion of Edinburgh was taken by Mr. J. W. M’Hattie, 
gardener to His Grace the Duke of Wellington,Strath- 
fieldsaye. The monthly meetings of the as'ociation 
have become more popular with members, so that 
the attendances are good. The syllabus for session 
1897 gives a list of papers to be read by various 
gentlemen during the year, and announces the 
annual general meeting on January nth, 1898. The 
The pamphlet also gives extracts of the papers read 
during 1896, together with the proceedings transacted 
at each meeting. Amongst others we note papers on 
“ Points in Judging Vegetables,” by Mr. M. Temple, 
Carron House, Falkirk ; “ The Daffodil,” by Mr. R. 
J. Shillington, Valleyfield, Penicuik; “ Fuogi,” by 
Mr. D. M'lntyre, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edin¬ 
burgh; “Plant Structures,” by Mr. J. M’lntyre, 
Woodside, Darlington; “Review of Scottish Horti¬ 
culture,” by Mr. Robertson Munro, Langside House, 
Glasgow ; and “ Evolution and Plant Life,” by Mr. 
S. Johnstone, Kirkby Mallory Hall, Hinckley, 
Leicester. 
The III mannered House Sparrow again.— The 
house sparrow is a deadly enemy of the useful insect- 
destroying martin, and never loses an opportunity 
of appropriating its nest. 
Thirty tons of Flowers were despatched fromScilly 
via Penzance for the London and others markets on 
the 23rd ult. This is the largest consignment 
which the Scilly people have yet turned out at one 
time. 
Grafting of Potatos.—Continental experimenters 
have been making; ome interesting trials in the grafting 
of the Potatos named Marjolin and Richter's Impera- 
tor. The trials resulted in hastening the earliness 
of the former and augmenting the produce of the 
latter. The experimenters were M. Edmond Lefort, 
secretary of the Meaux Horticultural Society, and M. 
Aime Girard, respectively. 
Asphalte and Trees.—Since Broadway, Providence, 
U.S.A., has been paved with asphalte the trees that 
are growing on either side of the street have com¬ 
menced to go back, indeed, some of them are dying, 
if not already dead. This is doubtless due to the 
fact that the asphalte on the road bed and the 
concrete on the sidewalk deprive the trees of the 
necessary moistuie. In dry summers the trees in 
the London streets would suffer in the same way did 
they not receive special waterings. The Providence 
people must follow this example if they wish to 
preserve to their town the beauty of the trees. 
Technical Education.—On the evening of Tuesday, 
February 9th, at a meeting of the YouDg Men’s 
Christian and Literary Association, Cookstown, 
Ireland, Mr. H. L. Glasgow gave a paper on the 
report of the Recess Committee upon the above 
subject. While he approved of the main objects 
aimed at, he condemned the system of prizes and 
bounties, a crop not worth growing for its own sake 
not being worthy of a prize. His opinion was that 
the whole theory of technical education, so far as it 
means instruction in handicrafts was a State inter¬ 
ference with workers, expensive and ineffectual, 
whilst the universal teaching of drawing was of 
service, as tending to educate the eye of even the so- 
called unskilled farm labourer. In conclusion, he 
insisted on the immense benefit to the public at large 
of the technical Press and pointed to the weekly 
Press of Ireland as being the best and cheapest 
means of interesting the public. 
National Amateur Gardeners’ Association. — The 
annual report of this association has been printed, 
and shows that the association is in a prosperous 
condition, with ever increasing duties. The monthly 
meetings used to be held at the Memorial Hall, 
Farringdon Street, but they have been transferred to 
more commodious and cheaper quarters at Winches¬ 
ter House, Old Broad Street, E.C , where the space 
allows of the exhibits to be better displayed. 
During the past year 143 new members were elected, 
besides a number who rejoined after allowing their 
membership to lapse, so that the total membership 
now stands at 528. A library has been formed for 
lending out books to members, and its value is now 
reckoned at £20. The post of secretary is honorary, 
and though there was an assistant, the duties had so 
increased that they resigned ; five honorary secre¬ 
taries were appointed in their place to undertake the 
work in several different departments. Mr. Leonard 
Brown, F.R.H.S., The Cottage, Seven Arches, 
Brentwood, Essex, is the honorary general secretary. 
At the monthly meetings, a paper on some gardening 
topic is read. Exhibitions of plants and flowers are 
held at the same time, and competitions encouraged 
by the offering of prizes. Numerous special prizes 
are also offered and well competed for. There are 
Saturday afternoon visits to gardens and nurseries 
of note within reachable distances from London, and 
these are generally well patronised and enjoyed by 
the members, when the weather is favourable. The 
second annual conversazione was held on the 7th of 
July last, and the annual dinner on December i6tb, 
both being well attended. The financial statement 
shows a balance in hand notwithstanding tbe large 
arrears of subscriptions at the time of publishing 
the report. Points are given for various exhibits 
during the year, and a silver medal is offered by the 
association to the member who gains the largest 
number of points during the year. Silver medals 
are also offered for various specified exhibits ; and 
bronze medals in some cases as second prizes 
