252 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 16, 1899. 
Greeks. Cicero, Caesar, Tacitus, Virgil, Dioscorides, 
Pliny, and others are illustrious names in some way 
or other associated with the study and history of 
plants ; and as an evidence of the progress made in 
gardening, over ioo forms of grafting are said to 
have been known to the Romans. 
They, however, appear to have had fearfully crude 
notions of the laws which determine the relations 
between scion and stock. From the results which 
they have put on record, we of to-day are necessi¬ 
tated to think that they invented extraordinary 
fabrications. We certainly now know that union is 
an impossible quantity in many of the cases enumera¬ 
ted by them. 
Names may have changed, of course, since then, 
though we can scarce conceive that such as the Vine 
and Walnut which were asserted to be grafted on 
each other, could be changed or mistaken by us for 
some other trees of the Romans. De Candolle, to 
whom is due the honour of first elucidating the 
theory of grafting, of course demonstrates the utter 
impossibility of such instances as recited by the 
Romans to have occurred. He demonstrates that the 
thing is physiologically impossible, and this agrees 
with later experiences. This savant also shows the 
necessity for confining the operation of grafting to 
varieties of the same species. 
Though he found it possible to graft on different 
families of the same order, still the further the bonds 
of relation were asunder the less successfu were the 
operations, and when they did succeed they lived only 
a short time. The principle upon which grafting is 
founded is an extremely interesting one. The union 
of the graft depends on the organic matter which is 
in process in the circulation. No cohesion ever 
takes place between the already formed woody parts 
of stock and scion. This can be easily seen by dis¬ 
secting a grafted tree at the place of union, after 
some years’ standing. This implies that no circula¬ 
tion of sap occurs in the heart wood, and that it is 
only in the liber and alburnum that this process to 
any appreciable form takes place. It rises in the latter, 
returns in the liber; hence the deposition of callus 
more above the point of union than under it. We re¬ 
commend the study of this art both theoretically and 
practically to our young gardeners, before it becomes 
one of the lost arts of the profession.— D. Chisholm. 
-«*.-— 
NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY. 
Annual Dinner. 
The twenty-third annual dinner of the National 
Rose Society was held on Thursday evening, 7th 
ult., in the rooms of the Horticultural Club, Hotel 
Windsor, Victoria Street, Westminster, S.W. 
Mr. George Paul, V.M H., occupied the chair. 
The company sat down to dinner at 5.30 p.m., the 
social evening ending about nine o’clock. Amongst 
those present were :—Mr. J. D. Pawle, vice-presi¬ 
dent; Mr. E. Mawley and Rev. H. H. D’Ombrain 
(the two hon. secretaries) ; Rev. J. H. Pemberton, 
Mr. Geo. Bunyard, Mr. Cecil Cant, Mr. Robt. 
Harkness, Mr. W. D. Prior, Mr. Edward Cant, Rev. 
F. R. Burnside, Mr. G. Prince, Mr. A. Turner, Capt. 
Christy, Mr. Geo. Gordon, and others. 
The chairman proposed as the opening toast, " The 
Queen." He referred to the war now progressing in 
the Transvaal, remarking that the Queen must feel 
the losses there sustained. He prayed peace may 
soon come. The company drank the toast up stand¬ 
ing, all joining in the National Anthem. The toast 
of “ The Prince and Princess of Wales,” coupling 
those of the other royal members was next moved. 
The Princess is the society's patroness, and a great 
lover of Roses. The toast was cordially received. 
The part song, " Sweet and Low," was given by he 
Venetian Part Singers, who sang with great clear¬ 
ness, sweetness, and grand tune. The humorous 
element was introduced in the song, " An Angling 
Episode.” 
The chairman thereafter opened up into a great 
speech, full of life, joke, serious suggestion, and apt 
quotations, proposing at the same time "The 
National Rose Society,” coupling with it the names 
of the two hon. secretaries. Briefly he described 
the progress of the society during the twenty-three 
or twenty-four years of existence. At the present 
time they had /150 to rely upon, though from this 
amount the publication of the society's catalogue 
was yet to come. He asked for increased enthusiasm 
among the rank and file of the society’s members. 
Rev. H. Honywood D’Ombrain made a concise and 
very pleasant speech, citing his own and Mr. 
Mawley’s case as like unto two soldiers, the one 
strong, fresh, and eager, the other tattered and torn, 
past active service, even though still willing. He had 
done much work, and done what he could during 
his twenty-three years of connection with the 
society. Mr. Mawley must now bear the brunt of 
the battle. The latter gentleman, in his reply, spoke 
of the affairs of the society, the amounts realised by 
subscriptions, the need there was for unity and 
liberality in this and other directions, also about 
their affiliated societies, and the desire which 
northern growers expressed about having an annual 
show in one of their centres ; yet they would not suffi¬ 
ciently come to the aid of the N.R.S. to allow of 
anything worthy being undertaken. The great 
labour which the compilation of the Rose catalogue 
entailed was referred to. On one occasion the com¬ 
mittee sat from 11 a.m. till after 5 in the evening, 
going over the descriptions of varieties alone—this 
merely by way of proof. More experienced growers 
were wanted for the championship prizes at their 
shows. The memorial to the late Mr. Girdlestone 
was put before the members, the fund being yet in 
need of subscriptions. And lastly, Mr. Mawley 
wound up by expressing the wish that more might 
be written of strict interest to the Rosarian. He 
asked where were those who should now be filling 
Dean Hole’s place, or that of the late Mr. Girdle- 
stone, Mr. Graham and Rev. J. B. M. Camm, who 
used to write under the notn de plume of George 
Savage, or the other great Rosarians, who were now 
past active work. 
A solo then followed, being succeeded by the 
Swedish Folk song, " Spin, Spin.” The madrigal, 
“ Come, let us join the Roundelay,” was also 
well rendered by the company of Venetian 
singers. 
" Our Affiliated Societies ” came from Mr. Geo. 
Bunyard, and was responded to by Mr. Foly 
Hobbs. 
"The Absent-minded Beggar” was sung in 
rattling style as a solo by one of the part siogers, 
after which a collection was made and £1 15s. 4d. 
realised towards the War Fund. 
" The Horticultural Press ” was proposed by Rev. 
J. H. Pemberton, who, in the course of his remarks, 
lamented the fact that in our gardening papers there 
was a conspicuous lack of elementary teaching on 
matters concerning the culture, &c., of the " Queen of 
Flowers.” He advocated chatty articles which would 
put the rudimentary facts for successful manage¬ 
ment before those who are not "graduated Rosarians,” 
but who would become enthusiastic, he felt sure, 
if simple facts were dished up for their guidance. 
Mr. Gordon, of the Gardener's Magazine, answering 
the toast, made the observation that one 
of the things which had helped to whiten his hair in 
no small measure, was the difficulty he, as an 
Editor, experienced in getting expert writers to join 
him and give their experience on various phases of 
Rose lore. He had great hopes still, and appealed 
to those present to stir up a fire of enthusiasm by 
their own co-opera'ion, and to endeavour to secure 
others to help. Mr. G. Bunyard called upon Mr. J. 
H. Dick, of The Gardenifg World, who, in a 
sentence or two, referred to the necessary work of 
reporting their shows and their meetings, and by 
comparisons and descriptive writings of different 
men's work, aid in the work of uniting and sustain¬ 
ing the enthusiasm. 
It now fell to Rev. H. H. D’Ombrain to propose 
the final toast of the evening, " The Chairman,” a 
gentleman, whom he was sure did his work from 
pure love for it, and so long as he was connected 
with the society they would have one of their 
strongest pillars to rely upon. Mr. Paul’s response 
was one full of thanks for the honour conferred on 
him that evening, and sincere in its hopes for the 
future. He had been connected with the society 
since its inception, and so loDg as strength was given 
him he hoped still to take an active part in its good 
work. A humorous part song, "The Patent 
Medicine Test,” followed upon this, and the pro¬ 
gramme having been exhausted the members quietly 
dispersed. 
New Pelargonium “ Amerloa”—From descriptions 
and a handsome photograph in The Weekly Florists' 
Review, it would appear that indeed a very fine rosy 
hued variety has been raised by Mr. Eichholz. 
STORIES CONCERNING PLANTS. 
On Tuesday, December 5th, at the R.H.S. meeting 
in the Drill Hall, Westminster, the Rev. Prof. Geo. 
Henslow gave one of his lectures on “Some of the 
Plants Exhibited.” Prof. Henslow’s stories on the 
inner beauty and on interesting facts about plant 
life, structure, and propagation always bring together 
a large audience. On this occasion the ground to 
work on was not very varied. 
The Juniper and the Retinospora were compared, 
showing in a concise form that neither in branch, 
leaf, flower, or fruit of these two shrubs could one 
find much difference, and the foliage was certainly 
not of a constant character in the Juniper. One 
reason for so much of our present day change and 
further change in the classification of plants, may be 
found in the fact that botanists, fifty or more years 
ago, were content to study external differences and 
to apply names, perhaps prematurely, to their plants. 
Botanists, to-day, however, are not content with the 
study of names and outer characters, they fathom 
the histology of their plants. The Veronicas of New 
Zealand were in like-manner inferenced along with 
the Conifers just named. In the lower regions of 
their native habitats they expand freely, having also 
free, full-sized leaves. As the New Zealand Alps are 
climbed, higher and higher as one goes, the Veronicas 
alter in character, the leaves become more crowded, 
become much smaller, until in the highest elevations, 
after having passed the V. buxifolia type, one finds 
species not unlike, in their habits and morphology, 
some of our Conifers. 
The various forms of leaf arrangement for pur¬ 
poses adapted to circumstances,were briefly explained 
in connection with the habit of the Irish Yew and 
others of the Yews, whose leaf and stem structure is 
quite unlike that of the Taxus baccata fastigiata. 
The peculiar cap which fits upon the stamens of 
Catasetum tridentatum, and which shoots forth on 
to the top of the Humble Bee's back, with its other 
peculiarities for holding itself there when in position, 
and the manner in which the Catasetum, the bee, 
and the Monachanthus (Catasetum) viridis of the 
old botanists, work and contrive together fcr the 
purpose of fertilisation, were all demonstrated. The 
story about Darwin’s prophesy that though Angrae- 
cum sesquipedale had toe loDg a tube for any moth 
known in his own time ever to be able to fathom it, 
and by so doing promote cross-fertilisation, but that 
there certainly must be a moth provided by nature 
for the purpose, and that such a moth would some 
time or other be found, was recounted to the audience 
with the information that reports of gcod standing 
were current verifying the great naturalist’s prophesy. 
A big hit was made when the lecturer compared a 
small single flowered variety of Chrysanthemum 
with a large white Japanese bloom, announcing,while 
holdiag the two at arm’s length upward, that these 
forms, and all others in the hall, originated from one 
species, C. indicum, which was brought lrom China 
to Chelsea sometime last century. 
Bouvardias belong to the great order Rubiaceae 
to which also belong our native plants the Woodruff 
and Galium. Our own land furnishes small types 
of the great order, but go to Africa, said Professor 
Henslow, and there you will find the Gardenia, and 
the Coffee plant, great members, giants even, com¬ 
pared with the little Asperula oaorata, or the 
Galium. Lady's Bsdstraw is the popular name for 
the Galium, it having received this homely epithet 
long ago from the fact that its little yellow flower 
spikes were cut and used to stuff pillows with. A 
Galium ferment is used by the cheesemakers of 
Devonshire in place of rennet. 
The Scorzonera and Salsify, two vegetables, 
natives of Portugal, and with tap roots almost alike, 
have very distinct inflorescences, so that, from a 
botanical standpoint, these are quite decided. 
Professor Henslow devoted his peroration to a 
notice of Rhododendrons in the Javanico-jasmini- 
florum section. Some forty years ago Mr. J. Veitch, 
senior, received Rhododendron jasminiflorum from 
the East Indies. It was a small and beautiful species 
quite unlike others then in commerce. It crossed 
readily with true Rhododendrons. Mr. Veitch got 
hold of another species of the same type as the first 
one. This one was a deep orange ; the first one was 
white. By crossing these, the result was a pink 
species. No parent was prepotent, but the white had 
the beautiful effect of nullifying or decomposing the 
orange tint on the seedbearer, and so produced the 
pink hybrid mentioned. On crossing the same tw 
