December 9, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
‘231 
floribunda, are Doth in capital form with us. Mignon¬ 
ette is yielding small supplies of its precious shoots 
for bouquets, &c., and the Bride’s Wreath is showing 
up well. The chief precautions at so dull and un¬ 
certain a period are, not to overwater, but to con¬ 
sider each pot separately as to whether it really 
requires water or not. Feeding is another matter of 
some judgment; very little feeding is neccessary 
now. Then ventilation and stoking are subjects re¬ 
quiring careful attention also — J.H.D. 
KitcQen Garden calendar. 
The late dry weather has been very favourable for 
getting on with all outside work, and those who were 
behind in this department have had a chance of 
pulling up with aDy arrears. Unless some headway 
can be made before the turn of days there is not so 
much chance afterwards, particularly should we be 
visited with a long spell of frost. It is not advis¬ 
able to delay work of any description that cannot be 
done in frosty weather, whereas such things as 
clipping hedges, sharpening Pea, Bean, aod other 
stakes, burning of refuse and the like should be de¬ 
ferred till later od, when we may expect severe 
weather. Considering the lateness of the season 
most garden crops have done well since the rains 
came ; until then Spinach, Turnips, and other green 
crops fared badly. As before pointed out do not fail 
to have ample material in readiness for protection in 
case severe frost should visit us of a suddeD. 
Should the wind get northward we may expect a 
change in the weather. As yet there has been no 
frost to do any serious barm, but it is as well to be 
prepared. 
The indoor department must, however, not be 
neglected, for it is from here that the choice 
vegetables are procured, and great care is needed 
to keep all in a flourishing condition. Where French 
Beans are grown in low heated pits they have to 
receive attention by removing the lights. This should 
be done if possible in the middle of the day when 
warm. These old-fashioned structures have some¬ 
what gone out of date, and more light and airy ones 
have taken their place. Narrow, well heated houres 
are far preferable, as one is able to walk in and work 
under cover. Where houses of this class are pro¬ 
vided there is not half the difficulty in growing the 
crops. The first batch of Beans will now be getting 
exhausted, and as soon as these are over another lot 
ought to be planted, as time is a consideration ; those 
brought forward in pots should be transplanted into 
the beds, and others sown to take their place. Where 
houses are provided for growing early Peas iD, the 
ground ought to be dug in readiness for sowing. If 
sown at the beginning of January the pods ought to 
be ready for gathering towards the end of April or 
early in May. Those who do not possess houses 
may utilise the late vineries as soon as the Grapes 
are cut. Span-roofed houses ere far better adapted 
for this than lean-‘.o ones, these being more light and 
a freer circulation of air in them. 
Potatos growing in pits will need careful attention 
in frosty weather, for if the temperature falls too 
low this will cause a check in their growth; at the 
same time a hot, close atmosphere should be 
avoided. Plants that require earthing should have 
the soil made of the same temperature as that cf 
the structure in which they are growing. Avoid 
over-watering ; at the same time keep the soil suffi¬ 
ciently moist to maintain a free growth. Should any 
Aphis make its appearance fumigate the plants as 
soon as observed. Place other sets in shallow 
boxes to start into growth, and if it becomes neces¬ 
sary to push them forward place cne set in the 
centre of a q-in. pot, and fill the same with so l 
The pots may be stood in any convenient place 
where a little heat and light can be afforded them to 
induce a robust growth. 
The Mushroom house will now be fully occupied ; 
if not required for the growth of Mushrooms other 
things can be forced there. Mushrooms, however, 
are always in demand, and as one bed becomes ex¬ 
hausted others have to be made to take their place. 
Where sufficient material is at command this is no 
difficult task, but there are places where it takes a 
considerable time to get together sufficient material 
for a fair sized bed. Those who have to contend 
with this would do well to content themselves with 
making smaller ones rather than allow the material 
to become stale. It will now be necessary to use a 
little fire-heat to keep up the requisite temperature 
to promote a free growth, but too much should be 
avoided, as this would cause the Mushrooms to be 
less fleshy, from 6o° to 65° being ample.— Kitchen 
Gardener. 
©leanings fenm flje IPuelii 
of Srienrq. 
Parrots poisoned by eating Parsley. — At a 
meeting of the Linnean Society of London, on Novem¬ 
ber 16th, Mr. J. E. Hartiog, F.L.S., communicated 
particulars of several cases in which Parrots had 
been poisoned by eating Parsley. After commenting 
on instances in which plants that were innocuous to 
man had proved fatal to some of the lower animals, 
he mentioned in support of the converse case that 
the berries of the Yew and Privet, which are gener¬ 
ally considered to be poisonous to man, were greedily 
eaten by blackbirds thrushes, bullfinches, and other 
birds; while, on the other hand, several cases were 
on record of pheasants having been poisoned by eat¬ 
ing Yew leaves. The immunity of goats from Yew 
poisoning was remarkable in view of the fact that 
deer and cattle died after eating the leaves of that 
tree, although it had been stated that the ill effects 
were due to the leaves having been eaten in a desic¬ 
cated state, and not while growing on the tree. A 
discussion followed in which Messrs. E. M. Holmes, 
Thomas Christy, A. W. Bennett, J. B. Carruthers, 
Revs. F. Walker and T. R. Stebbing took part. 
Vascular System of Cycads. — Mr. W. C. 
Worsdell, F.L.S , read a paper on " The Compa¬ 
rative Anatomy of certain Species of Encephalartos.” 
The chief features of the anatomy were shown to be 
the presence of several vascular cylinders in the 
stem, a character found also in Cycas and Macro- 
zamia; and the medullary system of vascular bundles, 
forming, as in Macrozamia Fraseri, Miq., a complex 
network, intimately united with a corresponding 
network of mucilage-cauals. The system of 
mucilage-canals in the pith is continuous with 
that of the cortex, but the medullary bundles 
form an independent primary system. The mucilage- 
canal system is probably of use as a storehouse of 
moisture during the dry season, when the roots and 
foliage die away. A younger seedling plant of 
E. horridus, Lehm., exhibited in the bypocotyle- 
donary regioD, the transitional region between stem 
and root, at one point a curious large cauline, and 
partially concentric strand, and several smaller 
strands or bundles lying farther out in the cortex. 
These, according to the author, represented the 
rudiments of the outer vascular cylinders. The 
character of these strands and the region in which 
they occur (which is that where the first-formed 
tissues are located, and where, therefore, ancestral 
characters would be sure to preponderate) tend to 
show that the collaterally-constructed vascular 
cylinders were originally derived from vascular 
cylinders possessing a concentric type of structure 
such as is met wiih in the stems of such fossil plan's 
as the Medullosea\ In the opinion of the author the 
ancestry of modern Cycads must be looked for in 
that fossil group. 
At a meeting of the Scientific Committee of the 
Royal Horticultural Society on the 21st ult., the un¬ 
dermentioned subjects were discussed :— 
Hippeastrum, species—With regard to the 
specimen exhibited by Mr. Wilks at the last meeting, 
supposed to be a reversion from the florists' 
"Amaryllis," which was derived by hybridisation 
on species of Hippeastrum, it appears to be very 
close to H.stylosum, "Bot. Mag.," 2,278, introduced 
in 1822. It differs, however, in having white streaks 
instead of green on the perianth, aod the stamens 
and style are shorter. The leaves also are narrower, 
Mr. Wilks observed that he has had it eighteen years, 
and that it is remarkable for its very vigorous 
growth, being also very nearly hardy. Mr. im Thurn 
remarked that it is very abundant in British Guiana i 
and is so close to H. equestre that it would seem to 
be a form of that species. 
Liliumgiganteum, capsule—Mr. Wilks brought 
a ripe capsule of this species, and alluded to the 
readiness with which it ripens abundance of seed in 
various localities in this country, giving opportunities 
for producing varieties. 
Canker on Apple Tress.—Dr. W. G. Smith 
sent the following report on specimens received in 
October and forwarded to him for examination :— 
" A specimen of this canker was received recently 
with a request for some information on the cause of 
this common trouble. The case sent I consider a 
typical form of canker caused by the Ascomycete 
fungus, Nectria ditissima. The action of this 
fuDgus in causing canker was first described 
by Robert Hartig (Uutersuchungen aus d. 
forst-botan. Institut. (Munich). I p. 209, 1880). 
Good descriptions are given in the English 
translations of Hartig’s and Tubeuf’s text books, in 
G. Massee’s recent text book, in H. Marshall Ward’s 
" Timber Diseases," and by Plowright ( ‘ Gard. 
Chron.,” April 19th, 1884). It is unnecessary to 
repeat here the details given in these works. The 
reasons for considering Nectria as the chief agent in 
the present case are :—(1) Near the centre of each cf 
the three canker areas sent is the dead stump of a 
side twig, which by being pruned or broken 
would give the entrance to Nectria—a wound 
fungus ; from this point the canker has spread 
up, down and round the still living main 
branch. (2) The presence of two forms of 
spores of Nectria. In one branch the external canker 
has passed over into a form of wood-rot, which is 
passing along the inside of the branch. 
" This is one form of Apple tree canker, but is 
not the only form. The condition which disposes a 
tree to canker is a wound deep enough to penetrate 
the softer tissues of the bark. This may be caused 
by the pruning of twigs, or by their being broken cr 
gnawed ; it might also be due to a deep crack in the 
bark, such as one sometimes sees on trees as the re¬ 
sult of excessive growth cr internal pressure; or it 
might be a crack in the bark caused by sun or frost, 
or the killing back of immature twigs in winter. 
(The latter case Hartig distinguishes as a frost- 
canker, capable of extending each successive winter 
without the agency of fungi) Given, then, an open 
wound, the soft tissues exposed offer a suitable sub¬ 
stratum for the growth of fungi, bacteria, or animal 
organisms. The tissues of the Apple tree seem well 
suited for the growth of Nectria, and, when one con¬ 
siders the common occurrence of the fungus as a 
saprophyte on dead wood, or as a parasite on many 
trees, it is not surprising that it is the fungus which 
generally establishes itself. Hartig and others have 
proved that, having obtained a footing on the wound, 
Nectria is able to attack the living tissues, and 
gradually to bring about a canker. In the same way 
any other organism with a pa tiality for the tissues 
of the Apple tree may, individually or in company, 
be the agents in converting a wound into a canker ; 
for instance, at least three species of Polype rus and 
a Hydnum amongst the Hymenomycete iuDgi, and, 
probably some bactera. 
" Prevention.—No form of spray or wash is 
likely to give permanent results. Trees badly 
cankered should be removed and burnt as soon as 
possible. Where practicable, the canker may be cut 
out, care being taken to cut well into the hta'.ihy 
parts around ; the wound thus produced should be 
carefully painted o\er with tar. This must be done 
in autumn or winter, otherwise the tar will not sink 
in. Wounds made in pruning, lopping, or other¬ 
wise, should be tarred. If the orchard is lable to 
canker it is safest to tar even small pruning cuts.” 
Apple stocks with Caterpillars — Mr. Ballard 
of Colwall sent some tops of a Lord Suffield stock 
perforated. They had been attacked by the cater¬ 
pillar of the "Wood-leopard” (Zeuzera Aescult), 
some being still within it. A woodpecker had sub¬ 
sequently further injured the shoots by trying to 
extract the grubs. The best remedy is to insert a 
stiff wire and so destroy them. 
Nests of the Rose leaf-cutler Bee. — Mrs. 
Biggs, of Leyton, contributed a large section of a 
decayed Poplar perforated all over by the boriDgsot 
a caterpillar. These were now occupied by the 
nests of this species of bee, Megachilecentuncularts. 
Fog deposits on Glass.—Mr. Hudson sent a 
sheet of glass from a conservatory to show the large 
amount of deposit upon it after the late destructive 
fog described at the last meeting. 
Gcd gave us the flowers for our delight and It 
should be one of the signs of a cultivated age to love 
and study them. 
