April 17, 1897. 
517 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
International Horticultural Exhibition at Berlin.— 
Roses and Orchids will be the principal feature of 
the exhibition to be held from the 28th April to the 
■gth May inclusive. For the 100 most beautiful 
Orchids a prize of 1,000 marks (£50) is offered. 
Frost and Rhubarb. —Surely there is some mistake 
about the report from Newcastle, which says that 
plantations of Rhubarb in the vicinity have been 
almost entirely destroyed, though the thermometer 
showed only 7 0 of frost. There have been io° to 
12° of frost in the suburbs of London yet the planta¬ 
tions of Rhubarb do not seem to have been injured. 
His Grandmother was ill. —An enthusiastic Professor 
of Botany in Edinburgh University had arranged 
Saturday botanical excursions for his class. One 
Saturday Corstorphine Hill had been selected as the 
rendezvous. One of the students asked to be 
excused as his grandmother had been taken seriously 
ill, and he, being the only living relative, thought it 
his duty to go to her at once. The Professor 
thought so too. At the last moment the destination 
of the botanical party was altered, and Arthur's seat 
substituted. To the surprise of the party, upon 
reaching the summit of the hill, they found, comfort¬ 
ably seated in the hollow of a rock, the 11 absent " 
student and his " grandmother ” (who by the way 
was younger than the student himself). The student 
sprang to his feet, blushing and stammering, but his 
"grandmother” scampered down the hill with 
amazing agility for a grandmother. " How’s your 
grandmother ? ” was the catchword of the class for 
many a day.— C. Grant, Portobello, in The People's 
Journal. 
Watercress and Flower Girl’s Christian Mission.— 
This is the name of a charitable institution for the 
benefit and care of crippled orphan girls, the waif, 
and the destitute of East London slums and poverty- 
stricken localities. It was inaugurated in 1866 by 
the late Earl of Shaftesbury, K.G.; and the home is 
situated at 8, Sekforde Street, Clerkenwell, London, 
E.C. The institution has carried on its work for the 
last thirty-one years amongst poor women, girls, and 
children engaged in the streets selling flowers. The 
committee consists of ladies, and we are informed 
that the institution has received, trained, and placed 
in situations over i,2coof such girls. Those unfitted 
for service or hard work are being taught fancy box 
making and artificial flower making. Last year 
their labour added £1,300 to the funds. A bouquet 
of artificial flowers sent us consisted of Buttercup*, 
Sweet Sultan, scarlet Pelargoniums, Chrysanthe¬ 
mum leaves, Snowdrops, Daisies in bud, and some¬ 
thing with violet flowers which our botanical acumen 
did not enable us to determine. Those desirous of 
helping the institution should send such help to Mr. 
John A. Groom, at the above given address. 
Victoria Diamond Jubilee Prizes. —The Royal 
Caledonian Horticultural Society has resolved to be 
up-to-date in offering prizes at tbeir September show, 
to be specially applicable to the sixtieth year of Her 
Majesty's reign. The prizes for plants and cut 
flowers are open to all; but for fruits and vegetables to 
gardeners and amateurs only. For the best group of 
plants 39 guineas in three prizes, together with a 
Victoria Diamond Jubilee Silver Medal, and a bronze 
one with the same title, are offered. For a table of 
cut flowers of hardy plants, 21 gs. and two medals 
are offered. In the case of fruit, 39 gs. and two 
medals are offered for 16 dishes, the kinds from which 
they are to be selected being specified. For 25 dishes 
of vegetables in 16 kinds, prizes to the value of 21 
gs., and two medals are offered. The Victoria 
Diamond Jubilee Silver Medal is to accompany the 
first prize in each of the above classes, and the 
bronze one goes with the second prize. The table is 
to be 12 ft. long and 5 ft. wide. Twenty-six kinds of 
vegetables are tabulated from which to make the 
selection, but we should think it rather unseasonable 
for Asparagus to be in good heart by the 8 ih and 9th 
September, unless the beds are punished by per¬ 
sistently cutting them down till late in the season. 
Surely a somewhat loose translation must be placed 
upon the definition of kinds, if Cabbages, Cauliflower, 
Curled Kale, and Savoys are to be admitted as dis¬ 
tinct kinds of vegetables. The gardeners must give 
strict heed to the wording of the circular sent out 
concerning these prizes, and the regulations that 
hedge them about, otherwise they may lay them¬ 
selves liable to be disqualified. 
A Greek Girl, in order to be fluent in speech and 
pleasant in utterance., offered gifts of flowers to 
Peitho. 
Dartmoor and the Diamond Jubilee Celebration.— 
Mr. W. F. Collier, of Woodtown, YelvertOD, has 
recently been lecturing upon the utility and beauty 
of Dartmoor, to the members of the Torquay 
Natural History Society. For some years past 
Dartmoor had been under the heel of the destroyer, 
and would ere now have been taken to London, if it 
had not been for the efforts of the Dartmoor Pre¬ 
servation Society. Mr. Collier gave a graphic des¬ 
cription of the various features of beauty, interest, 
and utility of Dartmoor, including the river Dart and 
24 other rivers which have their origin on the moor, 
the great watershed of Devon. To prevent the 
destruction of all these, it was absolutely necessary 
that the County Council of Devon should acquire the 
property in order to preserve its glories and advan¬ 
tages for the people of Devon. To acquire Dartmoor 
for Devon would make the sixtieth year of Her 
Majesty's reign celebrated for ever in the hearts of 
the people of Devon. 
Essex County Council.—The Technical Instruction 
Committee of this body have issued a " Report and 
Handbook ” of their operations and transactions for 
t 895—96. In it we note that the committee have 
given considerable attention to secondary education, 
as far as the means at their command will permit. 
This they have done by giving grants in aid to ten 
of the endowed schools in the county, either to 
enable such schools to secure additional teaching 
staff, or to build or fit up laboratories. They have 
also settled a scheme of scholarships for children 
under thirteen years of age passing from elementary 
to secondary schools, to places of higher instruction. 
At the Central County Laboratories at Chelmsford, 
they have day classes for systematic instruction in 
biology and chemistry ; and on Saturdays there are 
normal classes in chemistry and horticulture for 
elementary school teachers. These classes are 
attended by fifteen pupils for chemistry and fifteen 
for horticulture ; and they undertake when qualified 
to give instruction in their own districts as the 
committee may require. The staff instructors at 
the laboratories are also engaged in pioneer lecturing 
and teaching in various centres in connection with 
the schemes of local committees. An instructor in 
horticulture having been engaged, the committee 
were able to establish a County school of Horti¬ 
culture at Chelmsford. The school is arranged for 
several short courses, of three weeks duration, in the 
course of the 3 ear. Candidates must be engaged in 
gardens, fruit farms, or seeking such employment. 
Tomatos, Cucumbers and Mushrooms. — The 
monthly meeting of the Dundee Horticultural 
Association was held in the Technical Institute, on 
the 6th inst., Mr. J. Simpson pre iding, when Mr. 
P. W. Fairgrieve, F.R.H.S., F.B.S , gardener to 
Her Grace the Dowager Duchess of Athole, Dun- 
keld, read a paper on " Tomatos, Cucumbers, and 
Mushrooms.” No fruit had attained more popularity 
in so short a time as the Tomato, the reader stated, 
and he heartily congratulated the taste and wisdom 
of the public in using so largely one of the most 
wholesome of fruits. The Tomato, coming as it did 
from a warm climate, required artificial heat to bring 
it to perfection, and to attempt its cultivation in the 
open air in that part of the country was very pre¬ 
carious work. The best style of house to produce 
the largest quantity of fruit, and most economically, 
was one which would be span-roofed, about 12 ft. 
wide and 9 ft. or ro ft. high, with perpendicular 
glass in front of sufficient height to give a desirable 
angle. Houses of this description were what they 
required for market work. He had grown Tomatos 
in pots with considerable success, but did not 
approve of it except under certain circumstances. 
Seeds of Cucumbers should be started in a bottom 
heat of 90°, and near the glass, either singly in pots, 
or three seeds in a in. pot. Mushrooms were not 
so largely grown as they pught to be, though in some 
parts of the kingdom they were known as “ the poor 
man's chop.” One reason of its unpopularity was 
that it was closely allied to the unpalatable and even 
highly poisonous fungi. He believed it was possible for 
the uninitiated to present it in a most injurious form. 
An interesting discussion followed the reading of 
Mr. Fairgrieve’s paper. 
The Ivy may often be seen clinging to trees that 
have died at a very old age. Though it may be 
younger than the tree, it is stated to live for 450 
years. 
Torquay District Gardeners' Association.—The 
annual meeting of this association was held on the 
2nd, under the presidency of Dr. R. Hamilton, 
Ramsay. About forty members were present. The 
report of Mr. F. C. Smale, the hon. secretary, 
showed that the membership was the same as last 
year, but that the credit balance had increased from 
£5 4s. gd. to £8 17s. 9d. The balance of the recent 
spring show had increased from £29 in 1896 to £44. 
Officers and a committee were elected, Dr. Ramsay 
being re-elected president as usual. It was decided 
to hold the annual outing at Kingsbridge. 
Syndical Chamber of Belgian Horticulturists.—At 
the monthly meeting of this society on the 4th inst., 
in the Casino, Ghent, Certificates of Merit were 
awarded as follows : —To Miltonia vexillaria rubra, 
Randia maculata, and Cattleya luddemanniana, all 
presented by M. A. Van Imschoot; to Anthurium 
scherzerianum Madame Ds Smet-Duvivier, ex¬ 
hibited by M. L. De Smet-Duvivier ; to Acacia 
latrobea shown by M. Ch. De Loore; to Odonto- 
glossum wilckeanum var , and Oncidium sarcodes, 
var., presented by M. le Comte Joseph de 
Hemptinne; to Azalea M. E. Chantrier, shown by 
M. Oct. Van der Cruyssen ; to Tremendra verti- 
cillata, and Yucca pendula (recurvifolia) med. aur. 
picta, both shown by M. E. Bedinghaus ; to Laelio- 
cattleya callistoglossa shown by M. Jules Hye (with 
acclamation and the congratulations of the jury) ; 
and to Livistona robusta nana, shown by VI. H 
Millet. The award for the Yucca was aiso given with 
acclama'ion. A Botanical Certificate was accorded 
to Bryophyllum prodigiosum, shown by M. A. Van 
Imschoot. Some certificates were also awarded for 
culture, and some honourable mentions for various 
exhibits at the same meeting. 
Dutch Horticultural and Botanical Society —The 
various flowers, plants, fruits, and vegetables, which 
received certificates from this society have been 
recorded in a pamphlet, entitled '* Acts of the Per¬ 
manent Committees.” Here we note that first and 
second-class certificates are awarded, as well as 
certificates of merit, botanical certificates, honour¬ 
able mentions, and votes of thanks. The motives of 
these distinctions are that the plant receiving an 
award may be a new introduction, a new plant 
obtained from seeds, insufficiently known, of superior 
culture, or it may be a plant of importance. The 
name of the plant in this list is followed by the 
particular award it received, the date and object for 
giving it and the name of the exhibitor, in separate 
columns across the page. This list extends to six 
pages, but as few of them are very full, and because 
the type used in the text is large, it follows that the 
committees have not been over liberal in giving 
awards. Many of the plants recorded have already 
received certificates of some kind from the Royal 
Horticultural Society. Instructions and explanations 
intended for readers are given in Dutch and French, 
and the names of the plants if not in Latin, may be 
French or English, according to their place of origin, 
seldom Dutch. 
- 
MESSRS. VEITCHS’ IMANTO- 
PHYLLUMS. 
The Imantophyllums in the nursery of Messrs. J. 
Veitch & Sons, Limited, Chelsea, have never done 
better than they have this spring. The general 
absence of sunshine and bright skies does not seem 
to have been prejudicial to their welfare in any way. 
This may be accounted for by the fact that this class 
of spring flowering plants does well in partial shade 
as well as in sunshine. The collection has been 
divided into three batches, the first of which came 
into bloom six weeks ago, the third being now in per¬ 
fection. The collection increases in size every year 
and in the number of handsome named varieties, of 
which we noted a few. 
The rich orange flowers of Acquisition are notable 
for the breadth of their segments and the huge size 
of the trusses. Those of Excelsior are bell-shaped 
and of a rich shade of orange. The long funnel- 
shaped flowers of Admiration are strikingly distinct 
