April 17, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
523 
wild one. The hybridist had to plod along slowly 
with very small-flowered parents so that rapid im¬ 
provements must have been impossible in those 
days. The hybrid plants at Reading are more grace¬ 
ful than the improved garden forms with their 
dwarf stems and massive blooms; and in this respect 
they may be compared to Sutton’s Star Primula in 
relation to the best modern types of Primula sinensis. 
The Star Primula is already a great favourite on 
both sides of the Atlantic. A light and graceful 
strain of Cinerarias may be received with the same 
favour by the general public presently. 
-- 
RAID OF VOLES ON SCOTS FIRS. 
Some four or five years ago, the grazing lands in 
Roxburgshire, Dumfriesshire, and adjoining counties 
were ravaged by a plague of voles. More recently a 
band of these ruthless rodents have made a raid on 
the Scots Firs in a well-known Border nursery, 
namely that of Messrs. Laing & Mather, Kelso. Just 
after the last brief spell of frost and snow was dis¬ 
appearing in the end of last month, these gentlemen, 
on examining a large break of two-year transplanted 
Scots Fir growing in their nurseries, were surprised 
to find that the points of the plants were completely 
eaten away. Knowing that this damage could not 
have been caused by squirrels, as none of these 
bushy-tailed denizens of the forest haunted that 
neighbourhood, Messrs. Laing & Mather were some¬ 
what puzzled to know the right cause. The suspicion 
that any kind of game could have done the damage 
was very remote, as the land on which the firs were 
growing is far from any game resort, and is close to 
a public and much-frequented highway. In their 
dilemma they sought counsel from Mr. Malcolm 
Dunn, who with his usual courtesy and promptitude, 
replied to their inquiries as follows :— 
Dalkeith Gardens, 
February 27 th, 1897 . 
Dear Sirs, —I duly received your favour of the 
25th ult., and the parcel of samples of your injured 
Scots Fir also came to hand. I have examined them 
carefully, and I believe it is the work of field mice 
or "voles,” as it is exactly like what I have seen 
done by them on one or two occasions. On one of 
these I watched and saw scores of voles nibbling the 
buds out of the points of young Scots Fir, three years 
planted out, and about 4 ft. high. They quite ruined 
an acre or two of the plantation, which had been 
formed on rough grass land. 
About a quarter of a mile from the plantation there 
was a small home nursery enclosed with hedges, and 
a hedge ran from one corner of it direct to the Scots 
Fir plantation (it was a " mixed” plantation, but 
Scots Fir were three to one of all the others), and the 
Scots Fir, as well as some other trees, were attacked, 
and their buds badly pecked out one winter by the 
voles. It was at first thought to be the work of 
squirrels, but none were ever seen in the nursery, and 
there was no wood with large trees near to harbour 
them. On examining the hedge that ran across the 
grass fields to the infested plantation, it was found 
full of vole “ runs” amongst the course herbage at 
the bottom. We cleaned out the hedge bottom, de¬ 
stroying the cover for the mice, and also their runs, 
and the voles troubled the nursery stock no more. 
This happened in Worcestershire in the early "six¬ 
ties.” I have only once seen a similar attack, about 
fourteen years ago in Nottinghamshire, but the 
forester in charge of the plantation had no doubt about 
the cause of the injury, as he had seen the " mice,” 
as he called them, sitting on the trees nibbling at the 
buds. 
If black game (muirfowl) were plentiful near also, 
there might be a suspicion of them, or of capercailzie, 
but neither are, I believe, seen in your neighbour¬ 
hood. Moreover, I am quite sure it is not their work, 
which is much rougher done—the leaves as well as 
the buds are pecked off by them. 
Have you any rough grass or similar cover near 
the Scots Fir ip which the voles can harbour ? Dirty 
bottoms of hedges are good shelter, and also rough 
grass and weeds. 
Trusting the above may be of some interest to you, 
and that you may soon get rid of the vermin. 
I am, &c., 
Malcolm Dunn. 
On receiving Mr. Dunn’s diagnosis of the case, 
Messrs. Laing & Mather proceeded to act upon it by 
setting mice traps among the Scots Firs, and on the 
very first morning thereafter they secured a big 
" bag” of voles, which, without doubt, had been the 
depredators. An old hedge banked up in front with 
loose stones, and here and there an old ash tree with 
mmense spreading roots, had provided a good 
harbourage for the voles. In all Messrs. Laing & 
Mather’s experience, however, they never had any 
Scots Fir, or in fact any other young trees attacked 
before by voles, and it would be interesting to know 
whether any other nurserymen had any damage done 
this winter by these destructive vermin. Of course, 
the damaged Scots Firs were burned at once : and, 
as the traps have been kept set ever since, the plague 
has been stayed, though not before a large number 
of voles had been captured. To all appearance, 
however, the pest has now been effectually stamped 
out. 
--g.- 
GAS-LIME AND CLUBBING. 
There are still many different opinions entertained 
amongst gardeners and horticulturists, respecting 
the feasibility in the use of gas-lime in effecting a 
cure for clubbing. Results are as varied in different 
soils and districts, and modes of application as man 
is himself, Yet on the whole it may be said that 
practical gardeners are decidedly favourable to its 
application. 
Well, now, some mutual improvements apparently 
will have been effected upon the gardeners at that 
truly arboricultural name, Sevenoaks, who were 
fortunate in hearing the paper read by Mr. Buckland, 
upon, what you call it, Plasmodiophora Brassicae— 
a formidable object certainly. The name is fearful 
and almost makes one afraid to approach it without 
grasping a rake or broom-handle, although so atomic 
as not to be readily discerned by the microscope, 
whether the thing is an animal or a fungus. 
In the discussion which followed the reading, Mr. 
Outram dared to approach this strange Russian 
object which causes clubs to grow on Cabbage roots. 
Amongst more than half a dozen remedies suggested 
(which I thoroughly agree with), he also advocated 
gas-lime in combating the disease. 
Sulphur and sulphates, to be sure, when rightly 
applied, are good for destroying the fungus tribes. 
You get it in your plant houses, vineries, and Rose 
houses. You besmear the hot-water pipes with 
sulphur; uniform diffusion ensues after the applica¬ 
tion of heat. The whole of the leaves and stems are 
enveloped, causing death to these low organisms, 
and leaves and stems go on their way rejoicing. 
Previous to this, the air in the houses was fungus- 
charged, sour, stale, low in tone, stagnant. 
So with soils and solids ; gas-lime is heavily charged 
with sulphates, and when it comes fresh from the 
purifying chambers, it has a greenish colour and 
depends upon the strength of these tints, how it 
should be applied. No special quantity can always 
be laid down per acre. We have had it so slightly 
charged, that I have used it at the rate of one ton to 
thirty square yards, with no bad results to after 
vegetation. 
I am a thorough believer in two combatants having 
it to themselves. Keep the ring clear, that is, of all 
vegetable crops. The time to apply a good dressing 
is when the ground has been roughly dug in autumn, 
viz., November and December. There is then from 
December to April, and May, a ring or margin of 
three months before sowing or planting takes place, 
after which all injurious effects to the well-being of 
vegetables has ceased. I have used gas-lime more 
or less for well nigh thirty years, with creditable 
results, and feel no inclination to write in memoriam. 
On the other hand, in conjmitting this fungicide to 
the soil in its due season, I am content to wait for 
its action after many days.— B. Lockwood. 
-- 5 -- 
Gardening Miscellany. 
PEA ALDERMAN. 
I have grown this Pea since it was first sent out, and 
was rather dubious about it, thinking it was really a 
selected stock of the Duke of Albany; but these last 
two seasons it has superseded that well known 
variety. Many pods contain twelve regular and 
highly developed Peas of the very best colour and 
quality, so that it is one of the best culinary and 
exhibition Peas that I am acquainted with. No 
Mayor’s civic summer banquet would be complete 
without "Alderman P. Savitum” gracing the table. 
— B, L„ 
BEGONIA BIJOU. 
A dwarf and free flowering form of Begonia 
sempervirens has been raised on the Continent, and 
is figured in Nord-Horticole for April. Its raisers 
have furnished it with rather a lengthy name, the 
equivalent of which would be Begonia semperflorens 
nana compacta Bijou. The plant is very dwarf, 
compact, and extremely floriferous. It will make a 
beautiful companion to, and contrast with, Lobelia 
Erinus, Golden Feather, and dwarf Ageratum, so 
much used for bedding purposes. From the month 
of July till the plants are cut down by frost, this 
miniature subject keeps on flowering, so that it 
should prove serviceable for carpet as well as sum¬ 
mer bedding. The flowers are of the usual type for 
that species, and of a lively red. Seeds are sown in 
March or April, in heat, and pricked out a month 
afterwards. It comes true from seed, and has been 
obtained from B. s. Vernon, by repeated sowing and 
selection, in the establishment of Messrs. Vilmorin- 
Andrieux and Cie, Paris. 
HYBRID RHODODENDRONS. 
The seedling Rhododendrons which we noticed last 
week in our report by telegram, exhibited at the 
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, Edinburgh, 
by Mr. A. McMillan, Trinity Cottage, of Chrysan¬ 
themum fame, were quite a new departure from what 
we already know. Of the six seedlings shown, one 
was remarkable for its beautifully frilled or wavy 
edges and was pure white, whilst it emitted a delight¬ 
ful perfume. It had, moreover, an extremely large 
and well-formed flower. We also noticed a large 
one with the upper segments of a deep primrose, the 
rest being white and sweet scented. Another was a 
hybrid from R. veitchianum crossed with Countess 
of Haddington, with a fresh maiden’s blush like pink 
on the outer part of the segments, whilst the inner 
portion was pure white. The flowers are very large 
and sweet scented. Mr. McMillan is a large grower of 
these beautiful plants and some 200 seedlings of his 
own crosses he hopes will be in flower next season, 
when he intends to surprise the London authorities 
with them. 
CINERARIA KEWENSIS. 
For some years past batches of the wild Cineraria 
cruenta might have been seen in the greenhouse 
No. 4, at Kew; and the practice has been continued 
to the present day. The plants are tall with slender 
much branched stems, bearing a profusion of small 
flower heads, which give the whole a graceful 
appearance. This wild plant from the Canary 
Islands has been crossed with the highly evolved 
modern garden Cineraria. The result is numerous 
seedlings of an intermediate character, and which 
have been flowering for some time past. The best 
of them will be perpetuated under the name of C. 
kewensis. The blooms vary greatly in colour, being 
of a glowing purple, light purple, mauve, porcelain 
blue, and purple with a white centre. They are 
intermediate in size between those of the parents, as 
are the plants in stature and general features. The 
plants are therefore, more graceful than the prim, 
but rather rigid and formal, types after which culti¬ 
vators have been hankering for many years past. The 
decorative value of these seedlings is indisputable. 
-- 
SOCIETIES. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL OF IRELAND. 
April 1st. 
The spring exhibition and Daffodil show of this 
society was held in the Royal University Buildings, 
Dublin. The season has been a very favourable one 
for Daffodils in Ireland, and no better display of 
them, as well as Hyacinths, Tulips, and Polyanthus 
Narcissi, have been seen there for many years. The 
entries numbered 176 as against 142 last year. Table 
decorations and Roses were likewise special features. 
Mr. R. T. Harris, of Killiney secured the premier 
award for 24 cut blooms of Tulips, showing a fresh 
and evenly good lot. Mr. Goff, gardener to Mrs. 
M'Cann, Simmonscourt Castle was second. There 
was keen competition for the prizes offered by 
Messrs. Drummond & Sons for Narcissi, and the 
premier award for 24 bunches, after much difficulty, 
was allotted to Mr. W. Rigg, gardener to Lord 
Cloncurry. Miss Curry, of Lismore came second, 
but secured the first prize for 12 bunches, with a 
charming lot. Mr. Carroll, gardener to Mrs. 
Burrows, Dornden, Merrion, had the best 12 bunches 
