April 14, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
517 
Easter Trade among the florists of the United 
States, America, is expected to be brisk. 
The Fiery Thorn still carries its last year’s crop 
of fruit on trees trained against houses in Chertsey. 
The Dog’s-Tooth Yiolet is now in perfection in 
some of the cottage gardens at Shepperton, and 
very handsome it looks with its rosy-purple, re¬ 
flexed flowers, and purple-spotted foliage. 
A Carnation House of 51 ft. by 306 ft. figures in 
a recent number of the American Florist. The photo¬ 
graph represents what must be an immense struc¬ 
ture for the sole growth of Carnations. 
The Babylonian Willow is now a perfect picture 
everywhere. The drooping, slender, spray-like 
branches are covered with small, greenish-yellow 
leaves, presenting a golden sheen as far as they can 
be perceived by the naked eye in glancing over the 
landscape. The trees, in fact, appear to be hung 
with golden filigree. 
A Fine Miltonia Yexillaria.—A large and hand¬ 
some variety of this popular Miltonia made its ap¬ 
pearance at the Sale Rooms of Messrs. Protheroe & 
Morris, Cheapside, on the 6th inst. When it was 
put under the hammer it was quickly run up to 5 gs , 
at which sum it was knocked down, we understand, 
to H. T. Pitt, Esq., Rosslyn, Stamford Hill. It was 
named M. vexillaria gigantea, no doubt on account 
of the great size of the flowers, but their rich rose- 
purple hue marked it out as a choice and showy 
variety. The colour was uniform throughout, with 
the exception of the triangular basal area, which 
was white, marked with yellow. 
Fruiting of Cycas revoluta at Bayham Abbey.— 
The fruiting of this well-known Cycad outside of 
botanic gardens is by no means of common occur¬ 
rence. Probably no other Cycad is more widely 
cultivated in private gardens than this one, and 
more especially in former years when stove and 
greenhouse plants were popular as large specimens. 
They require to be of considerable age and size, 
however, in order to produce their huge cones of 
fruit. The cone is really made up of a year’s leaves 
greatly reduced in size and metamorphosed so as to 
bear the red ovules on their margins. A large plant 
in a tub is now fruiting at Bay ham Abbey, Lamber- 
hurst, Kent, the seat of the Marquis of Camden, 
whose gardens are in the charge of Mr. G. H. Sage. 
The tree, if such it might be called, is an old one 
with a stem 3 ft. high, and 9 in. or 10 in. in diameter, 
bearing a large head of leaves, having made a fine lot 
of them last year, but none for three years previously. 
The chief reason why the plant seldom fruits in 
private gardens, is that house room can seldom be 
spared for the accommodation of large plants, which 
must also be of considerable age, before they are 
capable of developing fruits. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—Notice is hereby 
given that a general meeting of the society will be 
held at 117, Victoria Street, Westminster, on Wed¬ 
nesday, April 25th, at 2 p.m. :—(i.) To consider, 
and sanction if approved (either with or without 
addition, omission, or alteration), certain new 
bye-laws rendered necessary by the Supplemental 
Charter lately granted to the society, (li) To con¬ 
sider and adopt, if approved, the following resolu¬ 
tions, viz. . — (a) That in accordance with the 
recommendation adopted unanimously at the annual 
general meeting to celebrate the centenary of the 
society by removing the Gardens from Chiswick, 
this meeting adopts the proposal of the Council to 
purchase a freehold site in the parish of Limpsfield, 
in Surrey, and authorises the Council to take the 
necessary steps for acquiring the said site, and for 
developing new gardens thereon. ( b ) That this 
meeting authorises the Council to enter into negotia¬ 
tions with and to obtain the co-operation of the 
Board of Agriculture and Horticulture, the Univer¬ 
sity of London, and the County Councils, with a 
view to the establishment in connection with or in 
affiliation to the Society, of a representative School 
of Practical ana Scientific Horticulture; the scheme 
to be duly submitted to the Fellows for approval. 
N.B.—The Supplemental Charter and the new bye¬ 
laws will be printed in full in the next number of 
the Society’s journal, vol. xxiii., part iii. Fellows 
requiring an advance proof of the bye-laws can 
obtain it on personal application at the Society’s 
office.— W. Wilks, Secretary. 
The Collection of Hardy Herbaceous Plants *t 
the Missouri Botanic Gardens, now includes 2,179 
species. 
Revival of Tobacco culture industry in Ireland. 
—The Agricultural Organisation Society of Ireland 
have thought fit, after some experiments, to 
“ seriously consider ” (a great step that I) the ad¬ 
visability of reviving Tobacco culture as an Irish 
industry. The experiments, as we state, have been 
but limited, yet from their guidance the A.O.S. 
reckon a yield of £132 per Irish acre from the plant. 
But after more consideration the venture may in the 
long run prove too serious. 
Cabbages for Milch Cows.—Mr. Gilbert Murray 
believes that Cabbages should not be relied upon to 
any great extent, on account of their suscepti¬ 
bility to injury from frost or heavy rain. He makes 
no charge against the yielding and feeding properties 
of the crop. A New Zealand experimenter has 
nothing but praise for Cabbages, and strongly urges 
the more extended cultivation of the crop. They 
give weighty returns per acre, and have an emphatic 
effect on the milk yielding qualities of the cows. Mr. 
Murray only suggests, however, that it would be Ill- 
advised to attempt to let it take the place of the 
Turnip .—Midland Counties Herald. 
Vitality of Seeds.—Colonel Halford Thompson 
brings forward a case which puts the mummy wheat 
quite in the shade. During the past two years he has 
been noticing seedlings of the Artillery Plant coming 
up in pots in which Jadoo has been employed as 
compost. The plant is mentioned under the name of 
Pilea microphylla, but it has other names in P. 
trianthemoides and P. muscosa, the latter being that 
usually accepted by botanists. It is a native of 
Tropical America at the present day ; but the Colonel 
surmises that it must have existed in the Mid-Eocene 
period in this country when the Bread Fruit and 
giant Cacti were native British plants He is of 
opinion that the seeds have lain all this time in the 
peat of the Yorkshire moors from whence the moss is 
obtained for making the Jadoo. The latter is sub¬ 
jected to the process of boiling in its preparations as 
a compost for plants ; and yet after this enormous 
period of time, and subjection to heat, the seeds of 
the Pilea are believed to retain their germinating 
power and to grow into plants when the conditions 
are favourable. When tropical forests overlooked 
a lagoon at Bournemouth, aeons ago, geologists sup¬ 
posed the temperature to have been about 70°, and 
this is the temperature at which the Pilea germinated. 
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society.—Our 
telegraphic report of this society’s spring show 
held on the 4th and 5th April, embraced nearly every 
class or exhibit. The amateurs' section, which we 
did not so fully detail, had yet splendid exhibits. 
The entries for alpine plants and spring-floweiing 
forced bulbs were both good and numerous. The 
various trade and nursery groups one and all re¬ 
ceived a considerable amount of notice from visitors. 
Messrs. Shanks & Co., of Arbroath and London, 
exhibited a fine display of lawn mowers and other 
garden requisites. The competition for Messrs. 
Barr & Sons' Silver Cup only brought out one 
collection of Narcissi. This entry was not considered 
fully worthy of the first prize, so that once more the 
cup goes uncaptured. The Messrs. Barr themselves 
had, as usual, a magnificent array of Narcissi and 
other flowers from bulbous plants. The collection 
included the very finest of all the earlier flowering 
varieties, and a few new ones not to be seen else¬ 
where in the show. A Silver Medal was deservedly 
awarded to the Messrs. Barr. Other awards were 
as follows Special awards were given to Mr. John 
Downie, 144, Princes Street, fora group of plants; 
to Messrs. R. B. Laird & Sons, Ltd., of Pinkhill 
and Frederick Street, also for a group of plants ; 
to Messrs. Cunningham, Fraser & Co. for a group of 
hardy plants : and to Mr. J. Phillips for a table of 
plants. Silver Medals were awarded to Messrs. 
Barr & Sons, Mr. H. J. Jones; to Mr. A. McMillan, 
Trinity Cottage, Trinity; and to Dr. R. Stewart 
Macdougall for his entomological exhibition. An 
Award of Merit was given to Mr. Wm. Wright, 
The Gardens, Taymouth Castle, Kenmore, for his 
first prize exhibit of Primula obconica, also for his 
exhibit of bunches of P. obconica bloom, showing a 
wide range of colours. The attendance during the 
show days was rather sparse. 
Scottish Horticultural Association. — At the 
society's rooms, 5, St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh, 
Mr. D. P. Laird, of Messrs. R. B. Laird & Sons, 
Ltd., Pinkhill, Murrayfield, delivered his lecture on 
" Trees and shrubs for town or villa planting,” at the 
meeting on the 3rd inst. There was a good turnout 
of members, and with such an able and popular 
essayist as Mr. Laird is, the company spent an in¬ 
structive and pleasant evening. 
A Floral Urn.—The fine block portraying a large 
and handsome floral urn which appears in an 
American contemporary shows how far the floral art 
can go. To all appearance the design—very much 
like the handsome silver cups awarded in this 
country in important horticultural and other com¬ 
petitions—is beyond criticism. Liliums, Gladioli, 
Roses, and a species of Composite, the latter form¬ 
ing the ground work, while the Lilies, Roses and 
larger flowers are furnished at top, middle and 
bottom respectively. The little son of the designer 
is seen neatly perch upon the left hand shoulder. 
Our florists do not go to such pains in the finishing 
of their conceptions. 
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society: Show 
Luncheon.—After having finished the work 
of awarding prizes to the competitors’ entries at the 
spring show of the 4th and 5th inst, on the Tuesday 
afternoon judges, competitors, officials, and friends 
assembled to luncheon in the Royal British Hotel. 
The company was in a genial and sociable frame of 
mind, and heartily discussed a varied menu. The 
usual loyal toasts were given by Mr. John Methven 
from the chair, and were suitably received. Speeches 
were crisp and short. Mr. A. Milne proposed “ The 
Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Town Council of 
Edinburgh,” to which Baillie MacKenzie and Judge 
Gullane respectively replied. The Judge proposed 
the " Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society,” and 
had something opportune to say in giving the toast. 
Mr- Robert Laird replied to the toast of the " Navy 
aDd Army,” while Mr. Whytcck, successor to Mr. 
Dunn at Dalkeith, had the opportunity of intro¬ 
ducing himself from his name having been coupled 
with Mr. Massie's toast of “The Judges.” Mr. J. 
Grieve, of Redbraes, gave the final toast, a toast to 
the healths of “The Exhibitors.” 
DRAINAGE FOR CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
These plants are now growing apace, and with every 
onward shift good drainage becomes more and more 
essential, but as lhat for the final potting is the most 
important, I will confine these few remarks to this. 
I have found the following to be as perfect at 
the end of the season as at the beginning When 
crocking, place a large oyster shell over the hole, then 
from 1^ in. to 3 in. according to size of pots, of old 
mortar rubbish ; sprinkle over this a handful of soot, 
and subsequently when potting a few good pieces of 
turfy loam. There are several kinds of old mortar 
rubbish, but the best that can possibly be had is that 
from an old plaster ceiling. When old buildings 
are being demolished, secure the debris from above, 
and you have the desideratum. This should be 
broken up and riddled. The fine parts may be 
mixed with the potting compost instead of sand, it 
being far more nutritive than that agent, at the same 
time keeping the soil quite as porous.— G. B., Mona 
Cottage, Holbeach. 
- -O f - 
TOMATO CULTURE. 
I have often seen failures in Tomato growing 
from a cause due, in my opinion, to over-potting at 
an early stage. By putting the plants straight away 
into large pots full of rich soil, with the result plenty 
of strong, soft growth and no fruit, with the excep¬ 
tion perhaps of a few bunches at the top of the 
plant upon its becoming a bit exhausted. When the 
young plants are found to have filled their pots with 
roots in 6o’s they should be transferred to their 
fruiting pots, keeping them well down, so that when 
the operation is complete the pots are no more than 
half full of soil. Here they will be established before 
commencing to flower, as potting at that time is 
often the cause of the blooms dropping off. If the 
plants are given a gentle tap on bright days while 
flowering, just to disperse the pollen, it will be found 
to greatly assist the setting of the fruits. When the 
fruits are swelling the plants should be lopdressedat 
intervals with a compost such as is used for potting, 
