56$ 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
May 5, 1900. 
AN ANTIDOTE FOR MILDEW. 
Mildew is no doubt one of the worst enemies a gar¬ 
dener has to deal with, especially in the spring of the 
5 ear. There are a great many remedies to stop this 
plague, but the best I know of is simple and inex¬ 
pensive, which is a good point in its favour. I can 
personally recommend it, having used it for mildew 
on Tea Roses, Chrysanthemums, &c., and found it 
to be Ai. The mixture is half a pound of yellow 
sulphur, the same amount of lime, and about one 
ounce of soft soap. Put the mixture in a bucket, 
and add one gallon of water, and stir up well to¬ 
gether. Get a saucepan and boil the mixture for half 
an hour, and stir well to dissolve. When boiled let 
it get cool, then pour in bottles, and keep well 
corked. For syringing Roses, &c., put one 6o pot¬ 
ful of the mixture to three gallons of water, and 
mix up well together before using. The best time to 
syringe Roses is first thing in a morning, and before 
taking air off in the afternoon. If this remedy is 
persevered in it will be found to give the greatest 
satisfaction. For Chrysanthemums it is invaluable. 
Plants for show infested with mildew can be 
sponged and all traces of it will be removed, and 
finally can be used without fear of injurious results. 
— R. Maybury, Silver Medalist, Wolverhampton Horticul¬ 
tural Club. 
POINSETTIA POLCHERRIMA. 
A few plants of the above should now be given a 
lighter position and higher temperature in order to 
produce cuttings. In large establishments this will 
probably bave been already done, owing to the 
grtat quantity of cuttings required; but for all 
ordinary requirements the present is quite time 
enough It will be essential to have at command a 
propagating case in the stove (or a hotbed made up 
with a frame fixed on the top), so that the pots may 
be plunged inside. The cuttings should be taken off 
with a slight heel of old wood attached, and be about 
3 in. long. They must be shaded from all sun until 
rooted. Another plan is to cut a few of the old 
ripened growths into i J in. lengths, each piece having 
a likely eye for breaking ; then place them singly in 
small pots and plunge in heat as advised for cut¬ 
tings. After root action has taken place and a little 
growth been made remove them to a slightly cooler 
house. Do not coddle the plants up all their grow¬ 
ing season in stoves or Cucumber houses. Much 
better results will be obtained by growing them all 
the summer in pits, or houses with just sufficient 
heat at command to counteract a damp or occa¬ 
sional cold day. Another important point is do not 
shade too heavily but only for a few hours on (he 
brightest of days, and give abundance of air on hot 
days and warm nights.— J. Turner. 
CULTURE OF THE SEAKALE. 
Seakale is one of our most esteemed vegetables. It 
may be had in use for six months. I have proved 
that by far the best mode of culture is to grow in 
beds 3 ft. in width with a 2-ft. alley between. It 
requires depth of soil. Trench the ground at least 
2 ft. in depth, and give plenty of manure. Plant 
three strong roots in the centre of the bed 2 ft. apart. 
About the end of October when the leaves fall cover 
the beds all over with 9 in. or 1 ft. in depth with 
soil from the alleys. Let it be well broken as it is 
put on. About the end of December the first two 
beds may be covered with leaves and stable litter 
which give root action. The beds may be covered 
all over to the depth of a yard as there is no fear of 
too much heat. A few sticks may be put to the 
crjwns to mark where the roots are ; for these when 
fit will be small. Fork down the soil into the alleys 
and cut the crown off with a heal and have a pan of 
water and a brush to wash it. For the first cutting 
the usual mode may be adopted for January and 
February. Tbe same litter, with some addition, will 
be removed to the next two beds. Some of the beds 
intended to come in during May and June need not 
be covered with litter. The beds will remain for a 
number of years, but as they get established the 
young shoots may be thinned to three or four for 
each crown. By this mode of forcing the shoots 
will be as thick as one's fist, and the flavour far 
superior to the usual mode of forcing.— W. Car¬ 
michael. 
STANHOPEA TIGIRINA. 
To anyone having an ordinary stove this Orchid 
affords no small amount of pleasure, even if only 
one plant be grown. Apart from being most 
curious and beautiful, having markings resembling 
those of a tiger (hence the name), one bloom is 
sufficient to fill a large sLove with a deliciously 
sweet and refreshing perfume, which immediately 
upon entering denotes to a visitor the presence of 
something unusual. It is generally grown in baskets, 
but succeeds remarkably well in a deepish pan with 
large holes round the sides, as it must be very 
firmly potted and have good drainage. The com¬ 
post suitable is peat, charcoal, and sphagnum. It 
requires abundance of moisture during the growing 
season, then to be gradually but thoroughly rested. 
The pan may be suspended from the roof or stood 
upon an inverted flower pot on the top of the stage. 
The flower buds appear towards the end of June, 
generally in pairs, often pushing through one of the 
holes in the side of the pan, sometimes underneath, 
and at first resemble a large Horse Chestnut bud.— 
G. B., Mona Cottage, Holbeach. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
We curtly announced in our issue for April 26th 
that the meeting of the Fellows of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society, on Wednesday the 25th, had been 
adjourned. The meeting had been convened for the 
purposes of considering and sanctioning, if approved, 
certain new bye-laws rendered necessary by the 
supplemental Charter lately granted to the society. 
The meeting was called also for the purpose of con¬ 
sidering the new site for another garden for the 
society, which the council had selected in accord¬ 
ance with the resolution passed at the annual 
general meeting of the Fellows in February of this 
year. 
The meeting of the 25th inst. was attended by 
almost all of the well-known personages connected 
with the society, men of science, nurserymen, 
editors and pressmen, private gardeners and inter¬ 
ested supporters of the society. The business 
opened by the secretary reading the notice convening 
the meeting. 
Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., president of the 
society, who was chairman, then said :—" Is it your 
pleasure that you take the bye-laws as read ?" 
Cries of " No, no” from several voices. Sir Trevor 
pointed out that the new bye-laws had been care¬ 
fully drafted by the society’s solicitors and had 
passed the council. Sir William T. Thiselton-Dyer, 
Bart., director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 
with some warmth replied that as the society had 
had a new Charter framed, new rules and new bye¬ 
laws made, it seemed to him, an imperative duty on 
the part of those responsible for the conducting of 
the society’s affairs, at this time to have put a copy 
of these new bye-laws, into the hands of all the 
Fellows. Sir Trevor responded that so far as the 
council were concerned the passing of the bye-laws 
could be deferred After some further argument a 
motion was made by Sir William T. Thiselton-Dyer 
and seconded by Dr. Masters to defer the reading of 
the bye-laws until such time as copies could be sent 
out to all interested. On being put to the meeting 
this motion was carried by a large majority. 
The next item of business required longer time to 
dispatch, but during the whole of the discussion the 
greatest interest was evinced. Sir Trevor Lawrence 
said that at the annual general meeting the purport 
of the Fellows, as then expressed, had been to have a 
new garden, one situated away from the London 
fogs, and from the smoke of the many buildings. It 
had also been proposed to found or establish a 
thoroughly good hall for the exhibitions of the 
society. But in regard to this latter venture the 
financial difficulty had been the great hamper. To 
furnish the proper sort of hall, a sum of £40,000 
would have to be collected. This calculation, said 
Sir Trevor, had been made after very careful con¬ 
sideration of all the liabilities involved. A total of 
£27,000 had been subscribed when the ball proposi¬ 
tion was under consideration, and Baron Schroder, 
with whom the idea first occurred, had promised that 
if £35,000 could be got together he would provide 
the additional £5,000 himself. But somehow or 
other the scheme fell through, and now their having 
a new garden had been fixed upon. Chiswick has 
still twenty years of a lease to run, and this lease 
would be a very valuable asset to the society, 
although Sir Trevor was not prepared to say what 
the real value of this unexpired lease would be as an 
asset to the society. Chiswick, for their special 
purpose was too small (only thirteen acres in all); it 
was becoming altogether unsuitable for the needs of 
the society ; he never had thought Chiswick was a 
satisfactory garden, and he could not understand the 
attitude of the Fellows to treat the council in this 
light way, more especially as there had not been one 
dissentient voice against the proposition passed at 
the annual general meeting. Sir Trevor then pro¬ 
posed :—“ That this meeting confirms the resolution 
of the council that the centenary of the society be 
celebrated by removing the gardens from Chiswick.” 
Mr. H. J. Elwes said this matter should receive 
the great attention it deserves. With reference to 
the annual general meeting, I can only say that I, 
and many other members at that time were too 
deeply anxious about other matters to attend. Had 
I been there, I should have said that it would be 
absolutely impossible for any member to give an 
opinion at all on a subject brought forward in such 
a vague way, and without any knowledge of the 
details. If grave questions in a society arise you 
must give the Fellows ample opportunity for judging 
all the facts. Some of the members of the Council 
are not unanimous in this matter, and Mr. Sutton I 
believe has seen it necessary to resign his seat on the 
Council. Mr. Godwin likewise dissents. In regard 
to the statements made about Chiswick being worn 
out and all the rest of it, why, there are gardens 
three times as old as Chiswick and nearer London 
too, which are made to yield splendid returns. But 
if we are to take our garden from Chiswick, I think 
we should take it further north. We want to see a 
National Society, not a London Society. A Limps- 
field garden would entail a day’s travel to get there 
and back. Mr. Elwes did net wish to oppose the 
removal from Chiswick if something better could be 
shown him. He moved " that this matter of shifting 
from Chiswick and the purchase of Limpsfield be 
considered together.” Mr. John Weathers seconded. 
He wished to know clearly what the future position 
of the Society was to be, what amount of money was 
to be spent on sites, what would be the cost per acre, 
and then we should have some facts to go upon. 
After further speeches by a number of speakers, 
and none of them very much to the point, Mr. H. 
J. Pearson rose and said:—"It appears to me the 
resolution would meet the case if these words were 
added :—‘ Subject to the Council finding a site which 
commends itself to the approval of the majority of 
the Fellows.’” (Great applause.) Mr. Joseph Cheal 
seconded. Shortly afterward the chairman put the 
motion with Mr. Pearson’s clause added, to the meet¬ 
ing. It was carried almost unanimously. 
* 
All sorts of fruit-trees and bushes are well laden 
with blossom this year. It is to be hoped that dull 
weather, with an accompaniment of quiet rain, may 
last long enough to ensure a good set of fruit. With 
the abundance of flowers there is on the trees, it 
would not matter if only a tithe of them set; there 
still would be a good crop. Heavy displays of 
blossom have times and again been very disappoint¬ 
ing in the final results. 
Disbudding. —Trees upon walls may be treated in 
the same way as trees under glass ; some of the too 
numerous flowers may be rubbed off. It is unreason¬ 
able to expect thickly crowded blossoms either to be 
strong or to fertilise and undergo the developing 
changes when light and freedom are obstructed and 
the nourishment too scanty for all. This applies to 
flowers. Disbudding of young shoots in such trees 
as Nectarines and Peaches must likewise receive 
proper care. Whenever sufficient growth has been 
made, a first disbudding should be performed. 
Merely thin out the badly disposed shoots or growths 
in the first instance. In a few days once again go 
over the trees. A good growth must be retained at 
the base of each of the fruit-bearing shoots of this 
year. These, of course, will mostly be pruned back 
when the fruits have been taken off. The young 
shoots are then required to take their place. Shoots 
growing straight out from the upper surface of 
shoots may be removed, and those growing either 
from the under side or at inconvenient places along 
the sides (coming out at right angles, as it were) 
