April 3, 1897. 
485 
THE 
An English raised Violet, named Mrs. Rawson, is 
said to be the finest white variety in cultivation. 
Swanley White and Belle de Chatenay are also pure 
white Violets. 
In Coventry and the vicinity there are over 2,000 
gardens, and many of the occupants think it very hard 
to be obliged to give them up owing to the needs of 
the rapid development of the city. 
Highgate Horticultural Society.—At the thirty- 
seventh annual meeting of this society, Mr. E. 
Chitty was able to show that the debt of £20 with 
which they had commenced the year had been 
wiped off. The committee thought it highly satis¬ 
factory that they should be able to start the year 
with a clean sheet. The income for the year had 
been £218 18s. gd., and the expenditure left a balance 
of 19s. rod. due to the treasurer. 
Cyphomandra betacea, the Tree Tomato, is called 
the poor man’s fruit in Ceylon, where it is eaten both 
when cooked and uncooked in a variety of ways. It 
is coming into favour in the United States. When 
the outer rind of the fruit is taken off it can be sliced 
and served as a salad with dressing. It may also 
be eaten with sugar and cream. A fine jam may be 
made from it, having a flavour similar to Apricots. 
The ripe fruit stands transport very well as it does 
not bruise readily, the protecting rind being thick 
and tough. 
Japanese Gardens—In speaking of these Mr. 
Alfred Parsons in " Notes on Japan ” says, " the 
gardens of the temples were gay with Azaleas, 
Camellias, Magnolias and Cherry blossoms, and, 
with the young leaves of Maples and Andromedas, 
as bright as any flower. The Cherry trees and Mag¬ 
nolias are let grow as they please, but the others are 
trimmel into more or less formal shapes suitable to 
the species, or helping the carefully studied arrange¬ 
ment of forms, which is the ideal of the Japanese 
gardener. 
Bute Botanical Society.—At the recent fortnightly 
meeting of this society, in the rooms at Victoria 
Street, Rothesay, it was decided that the members 
should meet every Saturday at 3 p.m. during April 
for an excursion to some interesting locality for the 
collection and examination of specimens. The speci¬ 
mens collected on the previous Saturday formed 
interesting work in dissecting them for the purpose 
of determining the order, genus and species to which 
they belonged. The members exhibited great 
enthusiasm in this instructive work. 
A Naturalist.—A hawker of Lea-bridge Road was 
charged at Stratford with having a quantity of shrubs 
in his possession, to which he had no legal right. 
He was seen leaving the premises of Shernhall House, 
Walthamstow, with a basketful of Roses, Lilacs and 
other shrubs. The old mansion was in the course of 
demolition, and the prisoner pleaded that the place 
was all open and he merely went in to pick up the 
■■ old things.” The judge said : "You mean to say 
you were prowling about,and anything you could steal 
you would.” He was fined 5s. 
Candid Replies—We learn that the editor of the 
Ceylon Observer, ever eager to extract information— 
sent out one of his circulars with sundry queries, one 
of which was—" What are the the most urgent wants 
of your district ? ”—to this a facetious planter 
replied, “ Good soil and a drier climate ; whilst another 
wag opposite the same query wrote “ wives." It is 
to be hoped that all these wants are now in course 
of being remedied or supplied and that Yakdessi like 
Ambegamuwa is coming to the front as a first rate Tea 
District. 
The Monmouth Tree—In August, 1681, the Duke 
of Monmouth in a tour through the western counties 
visited Whitelackington House, near Uminster, the 
seat of Mr. George Speke. A retinue of 2,00a horse¬ 
men accompanied the noble visitor. At the fete 
which followed it is computed that upwards of 20,000 
people attended. The Duke, with his immediate 
friends and attendants, dined beneath the spreading 
shade of the Chestnut tree which has ever since borne 
his name. This tree of many memories " that stood a 
thousand years, and shaded once the crownless head 
of Monmouth ” was blown down by the gale in the 
first week of March. It was a giant in size, and 
measured upwards of 26 ft. in circumference at a 
height of 3 ft. from the ground. 
GARDENING WORLD. 
Scarlet Poppies, and blue or purple Pansies, in the 
brightest shades, are the most popular flowers for 
millinery. 
Erratum.—Tn the forty-second line from the 
bottom of the middle column, on p, 458, for leaves 
read " Hanes.” This occurs in the article on " Climb¬ 
ing stems in tropical forests.” 
Hailstorm Insurance Corporation, Ltd. — The 
second ordinary annual general meeting of the 
Nurserymen, Market Gardeners’ and General Hail¬ 
storm Insurance Corporation, Ltd., was held at 
Simpson’s, Limited, 101, Strand, W.C., yesterday, 
for the purpose of submitting to the shareholders the 
report of the directors, and statement of accounts to 
23rd February, 1897, f° r the declaration of a divi¬ 
dend, for the election of directors, auditors, and a 
trustee, and to consider the question of directors’ 
remuneration. The report was a very satisfactory 
one. 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution.—At a 
meeting of the committee of the Gardeners’ Royal 
Benevolent Institution held at the offices, 50, Parlia¬ 
ment Street, S.W., on Friday, March 26th, the 
following resolution was unanimously adopoted : — 
The committee of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent 
Institution desire to place on record an expression of 
their deep regret at the severe loss they have sus¬ 
tained by the death of Dr. Hogg, chairman at the 
Anniversary Festival Dinner in 1876, a vice-president 
and a trustee. For the long period of 55 years, Dr. 
Hogg had taken a keen and active interest in the 
work of the institution, he always had its welfare at 
heart, and his warm support will be greatly missed. 
The committee further desire to express their 
sincere sympathy with Mrs. Hogg and her family in 
their bereavement. 
Orchids at the Sale Rooms.—The interest in 
Odontoglossum wilckeanum has greatly increased 
within the last few years owing to the splendid 
varieties which have been turning up amongst im¬ 
portations. On Friday, the 26th ult., a handsome 
dark variety turned up at the Sale Rooms of Messrs. 
Protheroe & Morris, Cheagside, and the bidding was 
so keen that it very soon run up to 20 gs., at which 
figure it was knocked down to Mr. Fello ves. A fine 
form of Dendrobium nobile fetched £2 5s. ; Cattleya 
Trianaei delicata brought 30s. ; C. Schroderae, with 
three flowers, brought £2 15s. ; and a special variety 
of the latter, with nearly white sepals and petals, 
and a distinctly marked lip was bought by Mr. 
Manning for 5 gs. A fine piece of Odontoglossum 
Reichenheimii, with enormous pseudobulbs, and a 
branching flower scape, 5 ft. high, was secured for 
3^ gs. Anything fine or rare, and good, finds an 
eager purchaser. 
-- 
SEVENOAKS GARDENERS’ MUTUAL 
IMPROVEMENT SOCIETY. 
The meeting of this society held on the 16th ult. at 
the Rose and Crown Hotel, Sevenoaks, was very 
well attended. Mr. W. Fox presided. After the 
preliminary business had been despatched, Mr. J. 
Buckland read a capital paper upon " Clubbing.” In 
his opening remarks Mr. Buckland stated that until 
1876 no one seemed to know the exact cause of 
"clubbing.” At that date, however, M. Woronin, a 
Russian, as completely explained the cause of the 
disease as the Rev. M. J. Berkeley expounded the 
nature of the Potato murrain. It was proved both 
then and subsequently that a fungus by name 
Plasmodiophora Brassicae was the cause. This 
fungus belongs to a curious family known as the 
Myxomycetes or Slime Fungi. So much do these 
fungi appear like animals that an attempt has been 
made to transfer them to the Protozoic division of 
the animal kingdom. They have also been named 
Mycetozja or fungus-like animals by Professor A. 
deBary. No fungologists of repute, however, hold 
these views at the present day. 
Mr. Buckland then described in detail the struc¬ 
ture of the Myxomycetes stating that they do not 
form cell walls or tissues during vegetation but 
finally they do form a cell wall and become 
spores which hibernate for a certain period. After 
the germination of the spores the plasmodium 
which is formed by the union of the exuded proto¬ 
plasm which creeps about by exuding arm-like 
processes from the margin. 
Clubbing commences at an early period in the 
history of the cabbage, the rootlets exhibiting spindle- 
shaped protuberances. Some entomologist had 
ascribed the origin of "club-root” to the attacks of 
aphides, but the latest authorities reject this idea. 
Mr. G. B. Buckton, F.R.S. in his " Monograph of 
the British Aphides ” thinks “ that some ' clubbing ’ 
may be due to puncture of the young roots by 
insects,” but such kinds of clubbing are distinct 
from the true form. 
In dealing with the methods of combatting the evil, 
the essayist instanced a case of Brussels Sprouts, 
which, having become badly attacked, were lifted, 
the whole of the affected parts cut away, and 
replanted in another place. Although most of the 
plants had little but the stems left, they formed new 
roots, and in the end yielded a fair crop of sprouts. 
Specimens of these plants were on view. 
In the discussion which followed, Mr. A. Outram, 
of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, laid stress upon 
the careless selection of seed, and faulty method of 
culture as rendering plants liable to disease. When 
the disease had made some progress, insect agency 
frequently augmented the mischief. He advocated 
changes in the order of cropping, systematic sub¬ 
soiling, and the free use of soot, lime, and gas-lime, 
as efficacious in cleansing the land. The burning 
instead of the burying of affected stumps was also 
advocated. With regard to the occurrence of club- 
root in seed beds, frequent transplantation was very 
effectual, for the little gall could then be easily 
pinched off. 
AMARYLLIS AT CHELSEA. 
Every season has its flowers, and spring has many. 
Few, if any are more gorgeous, however, than the 
Hippeastrums popularly known in most gardens 
under the name of Amaryllis. On Monday last we 
paid a visit of inspection to the far-famed collection 
of Messrs. James Veitch & Sons, Ltd., Chelsea. We 
had a notion that only a few of them were in bloom, 
but the house, practically, was a mass of bloom, and 
will be for some weeks to come. Messrs. Veitch 
have been making some experiments with a view to 
the prolongation of the season of bloom, and if they 
succeed anyone may secure the advantage gained by 
adopting the same plan. The plants are much 
dwarfer than we have seen them at Chelsea, notwith¬ 
standing the comparatively sunless character of the 
winter and spring. This is ample testimony to the 
skilful treatment to which they are subjected. 
Amidst the vast collection of varieties, the greater 
proportion of which are new, we noted only the finest 
forms which amply sustain the reputation of the 
Chelsea collection. They were noted as they 
presented themselves while passing round the house. 
The flowers of Thelma are of a dark claret, an 
unusual colour, with broad and regularly arranged 
segments. Those of Charmion are bell-shaped and 
white, with a few red lines on either side of the mid¬ 
rib. Moderate in size are those of Chigo, but 
brilliant crimson wiih white raysextending almost to 
the apex. Diouverza is a large, bell-shaped, soft 
scarlet flower with long, white rays. Cupid is 
scarlet on a white ground, which shows at the edges 
and midrib. Francisca is one of the gems of the 
collection, with its huge, brilliant crimson flowers 
and short green star. Amongst the lighter varieties 
Armoire is conspicuous by its clear white colour, and 
a few red lines radiating from the midrib. In the 
same style Chinea is clear white, lined with red all 
over the upper three segments of the flower. Mrs. 
Geo. Gordon is a beautifully regular or circular 
white flower, netted with pale red. Aemilia, on the 
contrary, is red netted with white towards the throat. 
Quite a number of varieties are notable for the 
intensity of their flowers. Hidalgo is a large, nearly 
flat, intense crimson flower, with a light green star. 
It has a noble and telling appearance, and is well 
supported by Camis with glowing crimson and much 
flattened flowers having broad segments. Nesida is 
of a similar glowing crimson, but the flowers are 
more bell-shaped. Fullendon is equally a giant with 
intense, reddish-crimson flowers, and broad segments. 
The flowers of Scio are fiery-crimson-scarlet, tinted 
with maroon in the throat, and very telling. Two 
scapes carry four flowers each. The variety certainly 
takes leading rank. What a contrast with Virgilia, 
standing close by ! The bell-shaped flowers are of a 
clear white, lined with red. Equally charming for 
its delicacy and distinctness is Calphurina with 
flowers of a light salmon on a white ground, and 
