October 28, 1899, 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
133 
Weather in London.—The weather during the week 
has been almost of a uniform character, that is, 
foggy. Saturday evening was intensely thick, 
causing much confusion to all kinds of traffic. 
Chrysanthemum growers do not like such conditions. 
We have very little sunshine but the weather is 
moderately mild. Lamps have to be lit just after 
five o’clock. 
Cause and Effect.”—America and tall stories 
are with some of us synonymous. Here, however, 
is an American epitaph said to be authentic : — 
“ Here lies 
HARRIET AMES, 
Born May ioth, 1830, 
Died June 4th, 1851. 
•' She lived a life of virtue, and died of cholera 
morbus, caused by eating fruit, in full hope of a 
blessed immortality, at the age of twenty-one years 
and one month. Reader ! • Go thou and do like¬ 
wise.’ "— The People's Friend. 
Carpet Bedding in Fairmount Park.—The American 
Florist for October 7th presents a photograph of 
beautifully executed carpet bedding in Fairmount 
Park, Philadelphia. The designs are shown up 
from the fact of the beds being planned on a 
sloping bank. First is a Maltese Cross with six 
kinds of dwarf plants, mostly succulents, used in 
its composition. A Clover-leaf is the pattern for 
a second bed; then there are crescent badges, 
stars and a design somewhat after the style of a 
great harp, all most distinctly portrayed. 
The Field Horsetail.—To those who know the 
common Field Horsetail, the Equisetum arvense of 
Linnaeus, and who have probably regarded one 
plant as almost the prototype of the other, may te 
surprised to know that a recent investigator has 
enumerated nine varieties of this species. Mr. Eaton 
in The Fern Bulletin has prepared a descriptive list of 
these nine varieties, which of itself proves how 
minute and penetrating the study of botany, more 
especially it would seem, of cryptogamic botany by 
the enthusiasts in this section, has become. But 
after all it is a disputed point whether such fine lines 
should be drawn seeing how varied the changes are 
of the same species, far less variety, in different parts 
of even the same land. On the other hand it marks 
the great diligence of a student, the minuteness of 
his work, and intensity of study. 
Horticcle Coloniale.—It may be remembered that 
this establishment has been formed by the 
combination of the range of glasshouses at Parc 
Leopold (formerly L’Horticulture Internationale), 
the Colonial greenhouses at Linthout, Brussels, and 
the Orchid establishment at Mcortebeek, a suburb 
of the same city. The houses at Parc Leopold are 
open to visitors every day, Lut a special exhibition 
has been organised to last for some time. The ex¬ 
hibition opened on the 22nd inst , and visitors will 
have to enter by the gate at 79, Rue Wiertz, Brus¬ 
sels. Orchids and fine frliage plants are grown at 
Parc Leopold ; while plants for the colonies are 
reared in large quantities at the Colonies Green¬ 
houses of Linthout, Avenue Jean Linden. These 
latter consist of Caoutchouc, Gutta, Cacao, Coffee, 
tropical fruit trees, medicinal plants, &c. All will 
be on view while the special exhibition remains 
open. 
The Propagating of Roses—Now that the budding 
operations are proving themselves by results, one sees 
whether the hot dry weather has had a prejudicial 
effect or not. Most likely it has, but there yet 
remains the method of increase by cuttings and by 
layers. The former is quite a satisfactory method 
of propagation, but the layering takes somewhat 
longer time — nearly a year. Marechal Niel Rose is 
well-known as being successful upon its own roots, 
and is said to be freest from canker when not budded. 
The undermentioned Roses may be readily propa¬ 
gated from cuttings at the present time by taking 
them off with a heel of the old wood :—Baroness 
Rothschild, Ulrich Brunner, Charles Lefebvre, 
General Jacqueminot, La France, Jules Margottin, 
Gloire de Dijon, A. K, Williams, Captain Christy, 
Marie Baumann, Duke of Edinburgh, Duke of 
Wellington, Marie Finger, Countess of Rosebery, 
Charles Lawson, Paul Verdier, Paul Neron, and 
Mrs. John Laing. Good long cuttings placed well 
down in properly prepared outdoor borders, or 
placed among sandy soil in small pots, and wintered 
in a cold frame may be reckoned on to supply plants 
for late spring planting. 
Poisonous Toadstools. — Dr. Peek, of America, 
warns against fungi (1) in the button state, or when 
decayed ; (2) with swollen base and white gills ; (3) 
with milky juice; (4) with cap or pileus thin, in 
proportion to the gills; (5) tube-bearing fungi, 
whose flesh changes colour when cut; (6) fungi 
with spider-web ring about the upper part of the 
stalk. 
Canadian Grapes.—“British prejudice against our 
Canadian Grapes is absurdly strong" says the 
Canadian Horticulturist for October. The Canadians 
have a task before them to overcome it. The failure 
in securing appreciation seems to have arisen from 
the fact of their having invariably exported mixed 
varieties, of which Concord and Niagara, two 
varieties of poor, poor quality, were largely numbered. 
It is from these then that the English connoisseurs 
have rejected the stock. Upon good authority the 
above-named journal states that the Ontario Fruit 
Experiment Station Board have determined to make 
a trial of a shipment to Manchester of Roger’s 
Grapes, which have a very much higher standard of 
value. The Canadian growers are hopeful that these 
will overcome prejudice and establish a trade. They 
will then deserve to succeed. 
Shirley Gardener's Mutual Improvement Associ¬ 
ation.—The programme of lectures for the second 
half session of this well known horticultural associ¬ 
ation has just been distributed. The meetings are 
held monthly in the Parish Room, Shirley, and 
commence at a quarter to seven. The following 
are the titles of the lectures and names of those 
who will deliver them October 16.—“ Chemical 
Mannres for Kitchen and Garden use," by F W. E. 
Shrivel), Esq , F,S.I. Certificates are offered for 
five each of the best dessert, and kitchen Apples; 
dessert and kitchen Pears. The subject of the 
lecture for November 20, has yet to be announced. 
Certificates will be awarded at this meeting for Chry¬ 
santhemums. Mr. H. J. Jones, Ryecroft Nursery, 
Hither Green, Lewisham, lectures on December 18th, 
on “ Raising and Producing the most useful Chry¬ 
santhemums." Certificates are offered for twelve 
trusses of Pelargonium blooms. W. Middlebrook, 
Esq., gives the "Culture of the Pear ” on January 
15th, 1900. Collections of forced vegetables and 
salads are asked for at this meeting. " The Com¬ 
position of Manures and their application to various 
Soils," by E. T. Mellor, Esq , B.Sc., is noted for 
February 19th. Then on March 18th the association 
has its annual meeting. 
Bristol and District Gardeners’ Association —We 
have just received the syllabus of the meetings to 
be held by the members of the above association at 
St. John’s Parish Room, Redland. These are held 
once a fortnight on Thursday evenings. The sylla¬ 
bus stretches cut till March 29th, of 1900. The 
rules of the association and hints as to its aims are 
printed separately on a neat folding cardboard sheet. 
At each of the meetings the officers of the associa¬ 
tion have arranged for competitions confined on 
separate evenings to distinct vegetables, as an Onion 
ccmpetion on October, a Grape competition at the 
next meeting, and so on. Cauliflower, Potatos, 
Celery, plants, six dessert Apples, Orchids, and 
flowering pot bulbs are all specified for different 
meetings. On October 12th Mr. W. Bound, Wok¬ 
ingham Park, Berks., read a paper on "Stove and 
Greenhouse Plants." " Grape Culture” is the sub¬ 
ject chosen by Mr. A. M. Ross, Downside, Stoke 
Bishop, for October 26th; on November 16th, Mr. 
Kitley, of Redlands, lectures on " Management of 
Bets"; November 30th is devoted to "Hardy 
Fruit,” by Mr. Hockey, Yatton, Somerset; at the 
meeting on December 7th Mr. J. H. Davis gives 
" Notes on the Culture of Bouvardia, Geranium, 
Begonia, Primula, and Cineraria" ; * Mistakes in 
Gardening” is from Mr. C. Lock, Keynsham, on 
December 28th; January irth, 1900, is ushered in 
by a discussion on " Strawbery Culture" by Mr. 
Garnish, Field House, Stapleton. Mr. J. J. Graham 
has promised " Gleanings from a Horticultural 
Class” for January 25th; "Tuberous Begonias" 
will be dealt with on February 8th, by Mr. 
Rogers, Staple Hill ; " The Pollen Grain and its 
Functions,” on February 22nd, by Mr. A. Moore 
Sara, Elmside, Stoke Bishop; "Peaches aud 
Nectarines,” by Mr. R. Stewart, Sneyd Park, on 
March 8th ; while to wind up the half year, Mr. 
A. Holbrooke, of Long Reach Nurseries, Keyn¬ 
sham, lectures on "Tea Roses." 
The Climbing Hydrangea.—Specimens of this 
plant botanically known as Schizophragma 
hydrangeoides are none too plentiful. It is a hardy 
climber and when in bloom is a wonderfully interest¬ 
ing plant of capital decorative value. Even when 
the blooms have gone, and only the plain, bard 
foliage remains, we have still a plant not to be 
despised, and for draping walls, dead tree stumps, 
old outhouses and other places it is equal, in the 
foliage state, to some of our pretty Ivies. It may be 
mentioned that the leaves are 5 in. to 6 in. long, are 
borne opposite one another, in*shape are nearly oval 
and have an indented margin. The flower cymes 
are from 6 in. to 10 in. in diameter. The Canadian 
Horticulturist gives a fine block of this Hydrangea in 
last month’s issue. 
Messrs. Cutbush & Son's Apples at the N.C.S. show, 
held the other week at the Royal Aquarium, were even, 
clean, well formed and all of good size, but the 
brilliant colours of them were very remarkable. 
Whatever may be said against the need for colour, 
more especially in cooking Apples, nurserymen find 
that good colour, other qualities being understood, 
impresses the public mind, and as proof of this one 
need only look to see how the note books are brought 
out and entries made, as though irrepressibly, by the 
gentlemen amateurs and others who, in visiting, see 
these brilliant fruits. Messrs. Cutbush’s wire 
arrangement for holding Apples was neat and clever. 
This consists of wires, wavy or straight, radiating 
from a central fulcrum or rod at various distances 
apart along this said rod, havffig the longest "arms” 
at the base and narrowing to the top, the ends of 
each wire being looped, so as to hold the fruits 
which sit like an egg in a spoon. 
Roadside Fruit in Europe.—The cultivation of fruit 
trees along the highways of France, says the Journal 
of the Society of Arts, is each year becoming more 
extensive. The Government first set the example, 
and the communes in certain departments adopted 
this practice as a source of revenue, so that tc-day 
the so-called “ roadside ” fruit culture is recognised 
as an important branch of national industry. The 
United States Consul at St Etienne, says that in 
Germany, Belgium, and the Duchy of Luxemburg 
there are also important developments going on. On 
the Wurtemburg roads, for instance, the fruit har¬ 
vest from these roadside trees produced so far back 
as 187S over £40,000, while this year, the returns 
are more than three times that amount. The article 
goes on to show how much revenue each country or 
department of a country gets from this source. I11 
parts of Alsace-Lorraine, Switzerland, and the 
Duchies of Baden and Saxe-Wiemar the employees 
of the administration of roads and bridges, and the 
road supervisors, are instructed in fruit culture. In 
some of the southern departments of France the roads 
are bounded by Cherry trees, producing the small 
fruit called merise (wild Cherry), much appreciated 
for making wine, preserves, and even alcohol. 
Twenty years ago, many of the roads in southern 
France were lined with stately Poplars. They were 
very handsome, but their strong and long roots 
spread into the adjacent meadows, rising in many 
cases almost to the surface, and causing sterility to 
the grass lands and a nuisance to the plough. The 
villagers and farmers were ultimately so strong in 
their denunciations that the communes decided on 
their removal. The Poplars were felled, and a host 
of Mirabelle (small Plum) was planted, much to the 
farmers’ satisfaction, and now thousands of baskets 
of this fiuit are sent daily to Paris. These Plums 
are also very profitably distilled, so profitably, in¬ 
deed, that a quart of the best kind of thisalcohcl 
sells in Paris at 4s. 3d. 
- 
THE PEACH BORDER. 
The state of the borders for Peach and other indoor 
fruit trees has always been looked upon as a primary 
item in their successful culture. Pages are filled 
yearly in arguments or expositions upon the whys 
and wherefores of the different phases of the 
subject. Yet after all that is written or preached, 
many there are who seem no “ forrarder " than if 
the directions had never been launched. New cul¬ 
tivators are continually bobbing up and will always 
do so during the pleasure of Providence. For those 
who, not knowing of the subtle dangers so numer¬ 
ously studded along their path, go on in bliss, until 
