580 
r HE GARDENING WORLD 
May 15, 189V. 
than anything else, but provided that calm¬ 
ness and a fairly moist atmosphere prevail 
during the expansion of the blossoms, the 
latter attain a perfection in our climate that 
is rarely surpassed on the Continent. 
The prevailing colour of the flowers is 
white, but a large number of trees in this 
country have their blossoms more or less 
tinted with pink, including a conspicuous 
blotch at the base of the large upper petal. 
This colouring is invisible at a distance, 
but on close inspection adds not a little to 
the beauty of the flowers. The Chestnut 
is a large tree and seldom, therefore, 
planted in small gardens. Nevertheless, on 
private domains, it is often planted in 
greater or less quantity on the sides of 
avenues, though the long avenue at Bushey 
Park is probably unique of its kind in the 
country. In the pleasure grounds of family 
residences it also facilitates close inspec¬ 
tion, so that varieties or individual trees, 
with pink tinted or blotched flowers, are 
not to be ignored. The facility with 
which this tree ripens good seeds puts it 
almost on the same footing with native 
trees, and the wonder is that so few self 
sown trees have been able to establish 
themselves. No doubt the situations in 
which the trees are in most cases planted 
prevents young ones from getting a footing ; 
and the seeds being heavy are seldom 
transported to a distance. Another thing 
is that the tree likes a fairly deep and rich 
soil to produce and maintain a vigorous 
growth ; this ground is appropriated by 
cultivated subjects, and the Chestnut can¬ 
not get a foothold in barren soils where the 
Scots Fir and the Birch find a suitable 
home. The species is a native of Asia, and 
reached this country from South Eastern 
Europe in 1629. That it should succeed 
so well in this country is matter for sur¬ 
prise, even in the far north. The only 
thing it has to fear is damage to the tender 
foliage, and the flowers by storms of wind 
in May. When at rest it is perfectly safe. 
T* ate Spring and Early Summer Tints. 
The fading glories of hardy trees and 
shrubs in the autumn are often dwelt upon, 
but the ever varying tints of expanding 
leafage in spring and early summer must 
often have struck even the most casual 
observer who has an eye for the beauty of 
the objects around him. To say that a 
tree or a bush is green conveys very little 
of the actual state of things around us 
during April, May, and June. The delicacy 
of the tints of various trees strikes even the 
rustic in quiet agricultural districts, even 
where the variety of trees is very limited. 
The delicate greenery of the needle-like 
leaves of the Larch reigns supreme for a 
week or two, but is completely eclipsed by 
the more ample leafage of old umbrageous 
Beeches, breaking the spring sunshine, but 
scarcely shutting out the sun till the leaves 
attain their full dimensions and assumetheir 
wonted dark and sombre hue. 
The Lombardy Poplar appears for some 
time quite of a yellowish or delicate amber 
hue, and curiously enough it is a full fort¬ 
night earlier in coming into leaf than its 
near relative, the Black Poplar. The 
former has already assumed a dark green 
and glittering hue, just as the latter is in 
the perfection of its spring beauty. The 
numerous small leaves, as they tremble in 
the morning sun, present quite a bronzy- 
amber hue, and this dark colour, contrasted 
with the White Poplar, no doubt first 
suggested the name Black Poplar. That 
the two very distinct forms of the latter 
should come into leaf at different times is 
an advantage to the appearance of the 
landscape at this period of the year. This 
and the fact of their being rapid growing 
trees has made them popular subjects for 
town planting in London and the suburbs. 
The avenue of the Black Poplar in Finsbury 
Park is worth seeing at the present time. 
The Tree of Heaven (Ailantus) and Rhus 
typhina are just now unfolding their rich 
bronzy young leaves, aud the former will 
retain this hue for weeks to come, indeed, 
until June is well advanced. The panicles 
of fruit of old trees will assume glorious 
tintsof chestnut, bronze, golden-amber, and 
yellow in the month of July. The Catalpas 
are only now plumping up their buds pre¬ 
paratory to bursting. 
—~ —— 
• 
Hampstead Heath is to be preserved in its wild and 
natural state, so far as this will not interfere with 
its enjoyment by the public. A society has recently 
been formed for the purpose of preserving it. 
Miss Alice Rothschild is a large patroness of horti¬ 
culture, judging from the value of her collection of 
Roses which is estimated to be worth several 
thousand pounds. England’s national flower must 
certainly have a charm in her eyes. 
The Gas Plant —Seemingly Dictamnus Fraxinella 
is well known in Canada under the name of Gas 
Plant. It is also stated to be a virulent poison and 
a dangerous plant to handle. Notwithstanding this 
it is well known, much admired and frequently 
handled by lovers of hardy plants in this country, 
without any injurious effect as far as we have heard. 
Lily of the Valley poisonous. — Noui-Horticole says 
that this favourite flower is poisonous, and that the 
maceration of it in alcohol produces a poison of 
which four drops kill a dog in two minutes. The 
plant contains convallamarine, a poison analagous to 
that of the Foxglove though less powerful. 
The Hurst & Son Cricket Club — On the neat, 
folding card containing the printed programme of the 
season, we note that this well known club is to play 
at least twenty-one matches during the season from 
May8th to September nth, inclusive. Even in densely 
populated London, this club manages to secure 
ground on which to play and which is regarded as 
the home field of the club which is supported by a 
large number of honorary members. In crowded 
London, out-door exercise is even more necessary 
than in rural districts 
Rabbits and Buttercups.—Opinion so often runs 
contrary to the reputation of the rabbit that its few 
admirers will be pleased to hear of some good being 
attributed to it. Ranunculus acris is so common in 
some meadows and pastures, and so difficult to 
eradicate as to be classed amongst bad weeds. It 
had taken possession of a pasture on the banks of 
the River Liffey, and belonging to a farmer whose 
son possessed a colony of rabbits. The latter had 
been allowed to run about at will on the meadow 
during the whole of one winter, and in the following 
summer it was observed that the Buttercups had 
completely disappeared, and that the rabbits had so 
excavated the crown of the rootstock that the plants 
were destroyed. 
Syndical Chamber of Belgian Horticulturis's.— At 
the monthly meeting of this society in the Casino, 
Ghent, on the 2nd inst., Awards of Merit were 
accorded to Anthurium scherzerianum Prince Albert, 
Anthurium Veitchi x A. andreanum album and 
Dendrobium clavatum presented by M. L. De Smet- 
Duvivier ; to Kentia fosteriana fol. var., presented by 
MM. De Reuse, freres (by acclamation) ; to Aden- 
andra fragans, exhibited by M. E Bedinghaus ; to 
Dracaena indivisa fol var., presented by M. Camille 
Claeys ; to Azalea Mme. Cappe and Azalea Mme. 
Pierre Dutrie, exhibited by M. Oct. Van der 
Cruyssen ; and to Odontoglossum Souvenir de Fr. 
Massereel, O. crispum Augustum, and O. crispum 
hyeanum, presented by M. Jules Hye (in all three 
cases with the acclamations and congratulations of 
the jury). At the same meeting, numerous awards 
were given for culture and flowering, and for culture, 
as well as two instances of honourable mention. 
Sutherlandia spectabilis, the jury asked for to be 
shown again. 
Erratum.—At. p. 515 in the thirty-third line from 
the top, for the latter had " red flowers with a white 
base,” read " white flowers with a red base.” 
The highest distinction, the Mikado of Japan can be¬ 
stow upon any of h s subjects is the decoration of the 
Chrysanthemum This flower also constitutes the 
Royal seal. 
Mildew on Roses-— A good remedy for this evil is to 
boil nine pints of water for ten minutes, turning into 
it 250 grammes of flowers of sulphur, and the same 
quantity of nexly slacked lime. Allow the liquid to 
become clear, decant and put it into bottles. The 
preparation will keep for years. When about to use 
it put one and half pints of it into 150 pints of water. 
The Birmingham Amateur Gardeners' Association 
had a meeting on the 4th inst., when Mr. A. L. 
Wadley read a paper on British Ferns, and said he 
was surprised that so few people cultivated them, 
considering that so many of them grew wild in the 
neighbouring counties. He considered them ideal 
plants for towns inasmuch as they required only a 
moderate amount of fight, and but little rocm. A 
window case would hold a large number of the 
smaller kinds. 
Ink for writing on glass.—Writing upon paper, 
zinc, or wood, is liable to wash off and disappear. 
The Revue de l' Horticulture Beige gives a formula for 
the making of an indelible ink for writing on glass. 
Take 20 grammes of brown shell-lac, and dissolve it 
in 150 cubic centimetres of hot alcohol ; on the other 
hand, make an aqueous solution of 35 grammes of 
borax in 250 cubic centimetres of distilled water, and 
turn the first solution slowly into the second. It only 
remains to add some colouring matter to the pre¬ 
paration, one gramme of methyl violet, for instance, 
answering the purpose perfectly. The ink obtained 
is indelible according to its disinterested promoters. 
Lord Tennyson's “ Becket.”—Will you kindly 
allow me to announce for the information of the 
numerous strangers now in London, and of all 
interested in such matters, that on May 31st Sir 
Henry Irving will read Tennyson's “ Becket " in the 
magnificently restored Chapter House of Canterbury 
Cathedral, for the benefit of the Thirteenth Cente¬ 
nary fund ? There will be an exceptional interest 
in hearing Sir Henry Irving read Lord Tennyson’s 
work in the midst of the scenes in which the memor¬ 
able death of the great Archbishop took place. St. 
Thomas Becket entered the Chapter House on the 
evening of December 29th, 1170, cnly a few minutes 
before his murder in the adjoining “ martyrdom.” 
The restored Chapter House will be reopened by 
H.R.H. the Prince of Wales on Saturday, May 29th, 
and will be first publicly used for the reading which 
Sir Henry Irving is so generously to give. After the 
reading, which will be at two o'clock, opportunities 
will be afforded to visitors to see the Cathedral and 
the very spot where the four knights did their 
terrible deed — F. W. Farrar, The Deanery, Canter¬ 
bury. 
Eelworms and Daddy long-legs. — Miss E. A, 
Ormerod has recently been distributing leaflets on 
some injurious pests of plant life, including stem 
Eelworms and Daddy-long-legs, which she reckons 
amongst the four or five of the most important of the 
pests which injure farm crops, because they occur 
every year. Those pests are likewise most injurious 
to garden crops of various kinds, both under glass 
and out-of-doors. During the autumn, winter, and 
spring months, the grubs of Daddy-long-legs, known 
as Leather Jackets, feed just under the surface of the 
soil, often doing irreparable damage to various useful 
subjects. During the past year, the disease known 
as Tulip root or segging in oats and stem sickness in 
clover has been unusually prevalent, and is due to 
the presence of microscopically minute eelworms. 
For the first time in this country Miss Ormerod 
recorded the presence of the pest amongst Onions, 
the disease causing them to appear of abnormal size. 
In Holland the disease is well known under the 
name of Onion sickness. It is to be hoped that the 
pest will never become very prevalent here. Oats 
are most liable to attack, as rye is upon the Continent. 
Wheat is less liable, and barley not at all. Gardeners 
will not be pleased, however, to hear that Potatos 
and Broad Beans are liable to infestation. 
