August 14, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
789 
Caterpillars consume from five to twenty times 
their own weight each day ; hence they have great 
power for destruction in a garden. 
Russian dwellings in the villages and towns are 
mostly thatched with straw, and as a precaution 
against setting them on fire, the railway stations are 
about two miles from the respective places which 
they serve. 
Something like a schedule —Complaints are often 
made about the schedules of flower shows being 
difficult to comprehend in this country, but according 
to American Gardening a real live squib has been 
sent the round amongst the horticultural societies of 
New York announcing a Chrysanthemum show in 
November. This is all right in its way, but the 
compiler wants specimens of Lapageria, Fuchsia, 
Epacris, Mimosa, Caladiums, and vines in pots. 
Flowering stirubs are also wanted as well as Peach 
and Nectarine fruits, and that too at a period when 
the country is in the icy grip of winter. Surely 
there will be a lively competition in the class for a 
vase of ioo blooms of Chrysanthemums. Well, 
something lively is necessary to brighten a dull 
time. 
Earth’s Oldest Flower.—It is somewhat amusing to 
note the expressions of opinion by a daily contem¬ 
porary, regarding the antiquity of the Rose. So 
great is the antiquity of this flower that all account 
of its origin has been lost. We quite believe that, 
and that the fact applies to every other flower 
whether wild or cultivated, except of course artificial 
hybrids which some may regard as new creations. 
It would have been equally true if our contemporary 
had said that the origin of the Rose had escaped 
the memory of the oldest living inhabitants of these 
islands. Solomon’s allusion to the Rose is adduced as 
evidence that it had been long known. Of course 
there are several species of Rose in Syria ; but good 
modern authorities on the subject believe that when 
Solomon said "I am the Rose of Sharon, and the 
Lily of the Valleys," he really meant what we know 
as the Polyanthus Narcissus (N. Tazetta). Celsius 
and other learned authorities conclude that some 
bulbous plant was meant both by Solomon and 
Isaiah, who furnish the only two passages in the 
Hible relating to the Rose. Royle considers it to 
have been the Narcissus above mentioned. It is 
found in Syria and Palestine, where it is esteemed 
for its beauty and fragrance. 
-- 
CRICKET. 
HURST & SON v. MIZEN BROS. 
Played at Mitcham, Saturday, August yth. 
Mizen Bros. 
Cooper, 1 b w, b Main . 5 
Higgs, J., c & b Sampson ............ 21 
Higgs, C., b Main . 2 
Foster, b Sampson . 2 
Higgs, G., b Sampson . 5 
Harris, b Main . o 
Foster, W., b Main . o 
Skinner, b Sampson . . ... . o 
Rogers, b Main . . o 
Searle, not out . 2 
Sackerman, b Sampson . o 
Extras . 4 
41 
Hurst & Son. 
Main, b S. Foster . 22 
Blytb, b Foster . o 
SampsoD, b S. Foster . 28 
Laker, b S. Foster .. 3 
Hudson, b Skinner . 8 
Thake, b S. Foster . 4 
Chapman, b S. Foster . 6 
Bedford, run out . 4 
Collins, b S. Foster . 3 
Nightingale, not out . o 
Faulder, b S. Foster . o 
Extras . 7 
85 
- .|. ■ — 
STRAWBERRIES. 
The interesting meeting held in the rooms of St. 
Andrew Square, Edinburgh, which was promoted 
by the Scottish Horticultural Association, had 
greater significance than one is disposed to attribute 
to a gathering for the purpose of bringing together 
collections of Strawberries to be criticised by culti¬ 
vators of that popular fruit. One may be allowed 
to ask, " are we making progress in the growing of 
Strawberries ? ” I fear that which has been 
adduced on "high cultivation" is more nominal 
than real. 
Mr. Fish’s remarks on the method of cultivating 
the plants as annuals, preparing fresh ground yearly, 
and giving liberal dressings of manure, commends 
itself to those who wish large finely-flavoured fruit, 
and proprietors generally delight in looking upon 
finely developed fruit for dessert, as well as the eat¬ 
ing of it. I fear market growers cannot adopt the 
" annual ” system of cultivation with impunity. 
Their land has to be closely cropped to make it pay, 
and the growing of Strawberries for preserving is 
perhaps more profitable than cultivating them to 
be eaten in their natural state. The remarks of Mr. 
Long on the Grove End Scarlet, reminds me how 
that old favourite bore great crops on the same 
ground behind a hedge for at least ten years. 
The old Keen's seedling as a cropper, where it 
succeeds, has not been beaten yet. In some Fifeshire 
an i Perthshire gardens I have seen such crops of 
that old sort which would surprise even such enthu¬ 
siasts who meet at St. Andrew Square. The old 
Alice Maud I have seen many years ago supply crops 
year after year on the same ground which would create 
admiration anywhere. I find, however, it is not 
profitable to fruit the plants here more than twice, 
and would treat all as annuals if circumstances per¬ 
mitted. 
I notice that in one of the largest gardens which I 
have seen in Scotland Dr. Hogg is the favourite— 
a grand Strawberry for all purposes. It is in Lord 
Zetland’s gardens, Kerse, near Grangemouth. I 
have pitted many sorts against President, which 
seems well adapted for cool heavy soil. Though it 
fruits freely for several years in succession, the 
" annual ” system of cultivation gives a distinctness 
of appearance and quality to the fruit, which one 
cannot easily realise except they witnessed the 
difference of two-year-old plants and those fruited 
within the year after they are planted. I plant those 
which have been forced, manure liberally and trench 
well—knowing a good deal of the methods of market 
men to obtain the most profitable results (having 
been employed in London establishments). I know 
that where thousands of the forced plants were 
planted in good ground as soon as space could be 
spared, the best results were realised. 
Perhaps the best Strawberry culture I have seen 
(and that includes cases in Wilts, Somerset, Worces¬ 
tershire, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, and Middlesex), was 
while employed as a youth under Mr. Thomson, 
when at Wrotham Park, near Barnet. He trenched 
deeply, manured moderately, and planted the best 
of the plants which had fruited in pots. They were 
put out in the ground during May or June as soon as 
they were prepared by exposure to abundance of 
light and air. The plants were trimmed—the balls 
reduced slightly and put into the ground firmly, and 
well watered. Other than keeping down the Straw¬ 
berry runners, they had no further attention till they 
were “ strawed " and well watered just before they 
were in flower. 
The size of Keen's seedling and the enormous 
crops of them has remained distinctly within try re¬ 
collection all these years. Ingram's Prince of Wales 
was a great favourite at Wrotham,and later,year after 
year, that fine variety was brought from Dalkeith by 
Mr. Thomson, and tabled at the Royal Caledonian 
Society's show in April, which created great admira¬ 
tion, and such would now give delight to the two 
northern veterans, Messrs. Fish and Carmichael, 
whose fame as cultivators needs no comment from 
me.— M. Temple, Canon, Stirlingshire. 
TROPAEOLUM PHOEBE. 
It is pleasing to note a striking and interesting varia¬ 
tion in a popular garden plant. We first noticed the 
above beautiful variety at the meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society on the 13th April last, when 
the Floral Committee were so taken with it as to 
accord it an Award of Merit by unanimous consent. 
It was exhibited by Messrs. H. Canned & Sons, 
Swanley, Kent The flowers are of the usual size 
and golden-yellow with a scarlet blotch'at the base of 
each petal, and abundantly produced. The novelty 
lies in the fact that each of the wedge-shaped and 
shafted petals is deeply jagged or lacerated at the 
ends, forming numerous finger-like points. 
In a Pink or Carnation, which are naturally fimbri¬ 
ated, this would be a defect from a florist’s point of 
view. Human nature delights to run contrary to 
nature, for we take a different view in this case, than 
we would take for a Carnation, and hail the novelty 
with delight. Strictly speaking, however, it is the 
liberty allowed to pleasing variations of any kind 
that we countenance, because a greater number of 
cultivators and others can then find something within 
the limits of the species to admire. There are those 
who give preference to flowers with entire petals, and 
with such we find no fault whatever ; but by ignor¬ 
ing the limitations of the florist who lays down canons 
and lines of demarcation, a greater number of people 
can be interested in any particular flower. The 
variety under notice is both distinctive and orna¬ 
mental. 
The flowers which received the Award of Merit 
were cut from under glass, the variety being one of 
the best for winter flowering. Since then it has 
proved equally suitable for outdoor culture as a 
bedder and a climber. It grows very fast and makes 
a capital hedge for screening unsightly objects, &c., 
when furnished with sticks or wire netting upon 
which it can climb. Under these conditions it is 
extremely floriferous, as a flowering stem before us 
testifies. Most people are taken with it at first 
sight. 
Tropaeolum Phoebe. 
