THK GARDENING WORLD 
71 
September 30 , 1899 . 
Syndical Chamber of Belgian Horticulturists.—At 
the meeting of this body in conjunction with the 
Royal Horticultural and Botanical Society, in the 
the Casino, Ghent, on the 2nd, inst., Certificates of 
Merit were awarded to a seedling Dracaena, pre¬ 
sented by M. G. de Cock (by acclamation); to two 
plants of Dracaena Toeffarti, shown by M. A- 
Toeffart (by acclamation); and Anthurium scherzeri- 
anum var. amabilis, presented by M. L. De Smet- 
Duvivier (with unanimity). Cestificates of Merit for 
culture were granted to Astrapaea Wallichi, shown 
by M. G. Gyselinck ; Aralia Ieptopbylla, and Aspara¬ 
gus Sprengeri (with unanimity),shown by M. Carels. 
Certificates of Merit for flowering were awarded to 
cut flowers of Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora, 
presented by M. L. De Smet-Duvivier; to a collec¬ 
tion of cut flowers of Cactus Dahlia (with unanimity) 
shown by M. F. Burvenich pere; collection of cut 
flowers of Double Begonias and a similar one for 
Single Begonias, staged by MM.De Groot freres; and 
to Lilium auratum platyphyllum, shown by M. L. 
Botelbergbe. Honourable Mentions were accorded 
to cut flowers of Lilium specicsum rubrum, and 
varieties of Gladioli, presented by M. G. De 
Saegher. 
Banquet to the Messrs. Webb, of Stourbridge.—A 
large and representative company of gentlemen 
assembled at lhe Talbot Assembly Rooms, Stour¬ 
bridge, on Wednesday evening, September 13th, to 
do honour to Lieutenant-Colonel W. G. Webb and 
Mr. Edward Webb, the senior partners of the firm 
of Mtss s Webb & Sons, Nurserymen, &c , Stour¬ 
bridge. The Messrs. Webb are so widely respected 
and have done so much for ihe residents in and 
around Stourbridge, Kinver, and Wordsley, that the 
proposal to invite them to a complimentary dinner 
was acquiesced in with cordiality by all those in a 
position to enlist their personality. Various loyal 
toasts were moved after dinner had been partaken of, 
and then came the toast of the evening, proposed by 
Mr. W. Corbett. In his speech, among other things 
he remarked that the Messrs. Webbs’ liberality was 
not confined to Stourbridge, for only recently they 
had given £1,000 towards the endowment fund of 
Birmingham University. The business had been 
almost entirely built up by the two brothers who 
are head of the firm to-day, and he hoped that the 
sons, who had recently been received into the busi¬ 
ness, would continue the energetic work of their 
fathers. The toast was received with great en¬ 
thusiasm, and with musical honours, together with 
the time-honoured “ three limes three." Both 
Colonel and Mr. E. Webb suitably responded- 
Other toasts, speeches, and musical selections com¬ 
pleted a happy evening. 
Annual Report of Edinburgh Working Men's 
Flower Show.—We have just received the thirty- 
fourth annual report of the above show, together 
with the schedule of prizes cffered at this year’s 
exhibition held on August 12th. Along with these 
came a reprint of the society's first prize list issued 
in March, 1865. It seems a good while to look back 
upon, and many of those who inaugurated the first 
show and supported it too, have long ago crumbled 
in the moulds. The show was at its commencement 
under the presidency of the then Lord Provost, the 
Right Hon. Charles Lawson, and its exhibition came 
off on July 29, 1865. There was something less 
than fifty classes at that time and the prizes amounted 
to just over £13. This year’s prize list offered 4C0 
prizes and of course the value is just proportionately 
as large. The shows are held in the substantial Corn 
Exchange, Grass Market, Edinburgh, which the 
Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Council kindly lend 
for the society’s use. The society has £155 on 
Deposit Receipt, together with £6 os. nd. on 
current account, besides a Mackenzie fund of £100 
in the Edinburgh Savings Bank, the interest upon 
which is used,plus an addition from the general fund, 
as prize money in class vi. of the schedule. The 
prizes run from a sixpence in some of the small 
entries (third prize), to so much as 15s. for the larger 
competitions first prize. The usual enumeration of 
plants and flowers as found at most of the amateurs’ 
shows, are likewise seen at the Edinburgh working 
men's show. We hope it may thrive in spite 
of athleticism and all the other counter attractions 
found in Edinburgh ; for after all, nothing can really 
take the place of the garden treasures in our working 
men's homes. 
LILIUM BATEMANN1AE. 
In reference to the inquiry concerning this hand¬ 
some Lily made by Mr. J. Mayne, p. 55, it may be 
said that its origin, that is, its parentage is some¬ 
what obscure, though the history of its introduction 
is clear enough. Mrs. Bateman, a well-known Lilio- 
phile, obtained bulbs of it from Japan, and some small 
specimens flowered for the first lime in 1875, with 
Dr. Wallace, of Colchester, who was surprised, and 
delighted with it, and named it after Mrs. Bateman, 
to whom also he dedicated the second edition of his 
book, " Notes on Lilies" from which we cull these 
remarks. This book is a mine of information about 
Lilies, and as the second edition has been reduced 
from 5s. 6d. (by post) to 2s. 9d., it is easily procur¬ 
able from Messrs. R. Wallace & Co , Kilofield 
Gardens, Colchester. The Lily is closely allied to 
Lilium Leicht linii, and Dr. Wallace was strongly of 
opinion that it was a hybrid between L. excelsum, 
that is, L. testaceum and L. Leichtlinii (to which the 
bulb is similar) or L. thunbergianum venustum. 
He grew it 3$ ft. to 4 ft. high, and expected it might 
ultimately "attain at least 6 ft." There is no men¬ 
tion of it in the Index Kewensis, so that it has evi¬ 
dently been regarded as a garden hybrid by the 
compilers of that work. 
-—s——- 
“LESSONS FROM THE GREAT 
DROUGHT OF 1898.” 
At the meeting held by the Royal Horticultural 
Society in the Drill Hall, Westminster, on September 
i2tb, E. Mawley, Esq., Rosebank, Berkhamstead, 
read a paper under the above title. The paper was 
anticipated with interest, and though, as Mr. 
Mawley had said, the subject was a “ dry ’’ one, it 
seemed to create an interest, and hold it. Mr. George 
Bunyard occupied the chair. 
Mr. Mawley made a brief reference to his own 
garden ground. It was composed, he said, of dis¬ 
integrated clay which only went to a depth of 9 in. 
where it res'ed on a chalk bottom. It also was 
largely composed of flints, which, numerous though 
they were, had not yet the power to keep the ground 
from becoming like a roadway under severe 
droughts. Indeed, so hard did his land become that 
to use a spade defied him, and the hoe had just to lie 
in his tool-shed. Sometimes a fork could be made 
service of, but not at all times. 
In his connection with meteorological statistics, 
Mr. Mawley is well known. He had a number of 
diagrams which showed in a clear and forcible 
manner how much rain bad fallen, and how much 
should have fallen, but did not, during last year’s 
drought in the different counties. England gets the 
name of being a moist country, and so it may be in 
winter, but observations prove that we get none too 
much during our average summer. Relating to last 
year’s drought, as might be expected, the north and 
western parts of Scotland suffered l ast. Ireland, 
too, had a moderate rainfall. The other parts of 
Scotland suffered a good deal, having one gallon less 
per sq. yd per week. The midland parts of England 
had to go on with ij gallons per sq. yd. per week 
Lss. While in the south there was if gallons of a 
deficit. The mean weekly amount all over Britain 
was less than two gallons per sq. yd. per week, 
which, to any thinking person, will be deemed very 
small. (It may here be stated that from experi¬ 
ments made, it was proved that a Sunflower plant 
3^ ft. high, weighing 3 lbs., and with a surface of 
5,616 sq. in., exhaled one pint of water per day. 
Thus one plant occupying a small space uses one- 
third of the supply to itself.) 
Mr. Mawley also explained that thunderstorms 
with their dashing heavy rains raise the mean total 
rainfall, while their influence is not half so bene¬ 
ficial as soft steady rains, even only to the same 
amount. The season of the year at which the 
droughts take place also accounts for much. Spring 
droughts are very hurtful, and so are the summer 
droughts, while an autumn drought does not bring 
about the same detrimental results. 
Droughts are usually reckoned in periods of days. 
The severe autumn drought of 1898 lasted for sixty- 
eight days, during which time there was less than 
half a gallon per square yard per week in many 
southern parts. During the present year in 
February-March there was a drought of twenty-nine 
days with only half a gallon per square yard per 
week. Then again from July 25th till August 27th 
—a period of thirty-three days—we had only a 
quarter of a gallon per square yard per week. But 
enough has been written to show hew things have 
gone. The chief injury lies in a succession of 
droughts, for then vegetation never properly 
recuperates itself. 
Summing up, the lecturer threw out a few hints 
for counteracting the effects of prolonged dryness. 
These were (1) deep trenching; (2) hoeing ; (3) 
mulching ; (4) watering; but this operation should 
be thorough and only at intervals, not a constant 
dribble; (5) incorporating large quantities of 
humus and farmyard manure in the land ; (6) 
selection of crops which, by possessing a habit of 
deep rooting and by having a vigorous constitution 
are enabled to carry themselves through a trying 
time. 
He thought the practice of leaving stones around 
the base of plants a good one. This hint was 
corroborated by Mr. Bunyard. The stones, how¬ 
ever, should be flints or some non-porous kind. The 
chairman also stated that at his Maidstone 
nurseries he employed kainit and, of course, farm¬ 
yard dung with good results. Bjth contained salt, 
which was one of the best helpers he knew of. 
Salt is often used for counteracting drought. 
-- 
GREEN CROPS versus RIDGED GROUND. 
One of the lecturers on horticulture for this county 
is reported as advising cultivators to practise con¬ 
tinual cultivatioa of their garden ground, that is, 
by sowing Turnips, Rye, or some otner green crop, 
and digging in this crop in the spring for manure. 
Another authority advocates ridging and constant 
moving of the soil, exposing it as much as possibl 
to sun and frost. 
Will you kindly, in a small note, reconcile these 
two plans, because they seem to me to be diametric¬ 
ally opposed to one another ? Take my o wn garden, 
for instance. Tbe soil is not heavy clay nor light 
sand, but fairly strong, adhesive, light-coloured soil. 
If turned up now the clods would be as big as a half 
peck measure, and they would remain clods for some 
time if exposed to the weather. 
I use horse manure at planting time, and various 
artificial fertilisers during growth. I crop as closely 
as I can to produce flowers and vegetables fit for 
exhibition. 
Take one plot lately occupied by Potatos. If I 
sow it with Turnips the ground will remain flat and 
fairly wet all the winter, and the Turnips might 
serve as manure for early Peas next year ; but the 
ground would require some working even if I got 
the Turnips to grow and to rot before I wanted to sow 
the Peas. On the other band, if I dig it roughly 
now, leaving the clods till spring they will then fall 
away like flour. I then put in my horse manure 
and secure a good seed bed. 
For years I have worked on the plan of constantly 
moving the soil in winter and summer, whenever I 
was able and I am never troubled with weeds. I 
never have used green manure (Turnips, Rye, &c ), 
but at the same time I should like to know if the 
best authorities endorse the lecturer’s statement, 
because I have quite an open mind. The lecturer 
did not qualify his advice by referring in any way to 
the nature of the soil. Possibly on light land these 
green crops dug in would prove beneficial.— Veld. 
[Any one plan of treatment would not suit all 
kinds of soil; and the lecturer in question (if 
correctly reported) should have qualified his state¬ 
ment about the green manure, as hinted by our 
correspondent. Turnips, Rye, Rape, Mustard, 
Vetches, and similar things constitute a useful 
method of accumulating humus in soils of a sandy, 
gravelly or chalky nature. They form as it were a 
catch crop during the autumn when moisture is 
plentiful enabling growth to be made. These crops 
are sometimes fed off by sheep, but may be ploughed 
or dug in during winter. In gardens these light 
soils should be utilised as much as possible for early 
crops while the moisture lasts. Green manures 
help to make the soil more retentive of moisture, 
hence their use. Heavy clay soils on the other hand 
should be trenched or dug in tbe autumn and ridged 
or laid up as roughly as possible so as to take 
advantage of the pulverising effects of air and frost. 
Rank or undecayed stable manure (from horses, if 
obtainable) should be used as liberally as possible 
every year when trenching or digging, with a view 
to render it less adhesive and more porous for the 
free admission of air, rain, &c. — Ed.] 
