June 2, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
629 
Dried Banana*. —A correspondent of The Vege¬ 
tarian Messenger speaks of the fitness of dried 
Bananas for stewing. These evaporated fruits are 
put up in pound boxes, 9d. a box, containing twenty 
to thirty Bananas. " Placed in an earthenware dish 
with a little water, and covered with another and 
steamed in the oven they are delicious." 
Weather in London.—Some days of the past week 
have been bright and sunny ; others have been show¬ 
ery, with generally an east or a north wind blowiDg. 
Barring these cold winds the weather is just what 
horticulturists desire—with perhaps some extra rain. 
As we go to press the wind is about due north, and 
cold, with the sky overcast. 
High-priced Orchids.—We were informed that 
£200 had been refused for an Odontoglossum at the 
Temple Show. A flower of the green veined variety 
of Cypripedium callosum was on view at the show, 
and the owner would have parted with the plant, 
which he declared was a remarkably healthy one, 
with two flower scapes and eighteen leaves, for 
£400, and believed he would get it. That price 
would mean £100 for leaves. 
New Railway.—We are in receipt of a programme 
detailing the opening of the " Sheffield District Rail¬ 
way." His Grace the Duke of Portland, KG, 
performed the opening ceremonies on Monday, 
May 21st, 1900. The benefits of the new line are 
that much greater facilities are now at command for 
speedily obtaining access to Sheffield for the Lanca¬ 
shire, Derbyshire, Great Eastern, and Great 
Northern Railways. It is a bridging and connecting 
link, as it were. 
Monstera deliciosa.—The fruits of this West 
Indian and Tropical American Aroid, which were 
shown as an item in Lord Wantage's collection of 
fruit at the Temple Show, caused very great interest 
and wonder. Many people do not like them, but 
others again devour them readily. They are lusc’ous 
and have been described by someone as having at 
once the flavour of a Pine Apple, a Melon and a 
Banana. Plants can be grown in odd corners against 
the wall of a lean to stove, corridor or such place, 
and when old they fruit very freely. 
Distinguished Yisitors at the Temple Show.— 
About mid-day on the opening day of the show, the 
Queen of Sweden and Norway was taken through 
the show under the escort of the president, Sir 
Trevor Lawrence, Bart. On the second day the 
Prince of Wales in company with Captain Holford, 
made the round of the exhibits, similarly escorted. 
The Duchess of York patronised the society on the 
third day. As far as we remember the society has 
never previously been patronised by so many ro) al 
personages at one show. The King of Sweden and 
Norway is at present in London, but did not, we 
believe, visit the show. 
American Grape Vines in Europe.—That 
American Grapes have long been successfully em¬ 
ployed in France, Germany, and other European 
countries because of their resistive power to phyll¬ 
oxera, is fully known and appreciated. Yet we read 
that the Government of Alsace Lorraine has declined 
to grant the petition of the Vine growers of the 
Relchland who wished to renew their plantations 
with Vines from America. Very pronounced 
opinions were lately expressed by officials of the 
Lorraine Government to the effect " that American 
Vines brought iuto the country are worse blights 
than phylloxera." 
Concerning Nomenclature.—The editor of The 
Fern Bulletin puts forth an encouraging line or two to 
those who cannot understand the changing of names 
of plants Ioog known to them, and who seldom 
adopt them. " Admitting that the scientist is right 
in his disposition of the subject, is it still pertinent 
for us to enquire whether these changes are a benefit 
to our study ? The attempt to keep pace with 
modern methods of nomenclature tends to produce 
students of names rather than students of plants. 
The beginner, confronted with two or three diflerent 
names for the same plant in as many different 
volumes, is likely to form an erroneous opinion of 
such study, and perhaps be deterred from entering 
on it at all.Why should we bother 
about synonymy ? If the names by which we be¬ 
came acquainted with them are employed, all will 
understand to what plants they refer, even though 
we do not use the latest terminology." 
The Queen arrived at Balmoral on Wednesday, 
May 23rd, and thus celebrated her 81st birthday in 
the Scottish Highlands. 
“ The Penny.”—In the June number of the English 
Illustrated Magazine, Mr. Wilfred Mark Webb,F.L.S., 
has an interesting and very complete article on 
“ The Penny and its Story.” The story is illustrated 
with thirty figures. 
“ For the War Fund.”—On the first evening of 
the Temple Show, Mr. Richardson, representative 
of Mr. H. G. Smyth, The Royal Horticultural 
Sundriesman, made an impromptu speech and appeal 
to his acquaintances and visitors at the Temple 
Show. The result of this appeal (at first done in 
humour) brought forth £2 5s., which was handed 
over to, and duly acknowledged by, the Daily 
Telegraph for its War Fund. 
Shirley Poppies.—Writing in The Garden of May 
26th, Rev. W. Wilks, introducer of the famous 
Shirley Poppies, says:—” Let it be noticed that true 
Shirley Poppies (1) are single, (2) have always a 
white base, with (3) yellow or white stamens, 
anthers, or pollen, (4) never have the smallest par¬ 
ticle of black about them." All the variously coloured 
Shirley Poppies are the direct descendents of one 
single capsule of seed raised in the garden of Shirley 
Vicarage so lately as August, 1880. 
“Are these hardy?”—Those who have any 
knowledge of the Drill Hall Shows will be very 
familiar with that oft repeated question, " Are these 
hardy ? ” in reference to herbaceous, alpine, or tree 
and shrub groups. The answer is generally soft, 
suave, and simple, as, " Ob, yes, madam,quite hardy, 
bear any degree of frost." But one poor attendant 
who had a group of cut Lilac sprays, on being 
loudly asked the above question by a trio of 
“ impressive ” ladies, answered with a steady sur- 
prised-like stare, " Certainly, mademoiselles, all 
Lilacs are hardy." And they passed on 
Rationals] for Kentish Women Fruit-Pickers.— 
Mrs. Heron Maxwell wants the women fruit-pickers 
of Kent to don (er) ■■ rationals.” The inconvenience 
and discomfort of an ordinary skirt, which, when 
stooping about, scon gets bedraggled, has been too 
much for Mrs. Heron-Maxwell (who has been doing 
work lately which necessitates stooping), and she is 
now bent upon designing a costume at once becom¬ 
ing and suitable for such work. The costume is 
proposed to be of brown holland, and made not after 
the voluminous bloomer description, but of closer 
fitting rationals, with a well-shaped tunic falling over 
them. 
Beckenham Horticultural Society.—The winter 
session was brought to a close on Friday, May 25th, 
by Mr. A. D. Hall (principal of the South Eastern 
Agricultural College, Wye), who gave a most instruc¬ 
tive and entertaining lecture on " The English Tulip, 
its History, Cultivation, &c."—The particular char¬ 
acteristics of the various varieties were explained, 
and illustrated by the Bizarres, Byblcemens, Roses, 
and Breeders, that had secured for Mr. Hall, 3 firsts, 
r third, and 2 premier bloom prizes at the National 
Tulip Society’s Show, held in conneciion with the 
R.H.S Show in The Temple Gardens. Introduced 
at the close of the 16th century—the flowers were 
very much like those of the present day,—and the 
parent species was unknown. They were taken up by 
the Dutch who made little improvement. From 1S30 
to 1850 Tulips were the English flower of that day, 
two bulbs with offsets (the entire stock) being sold for 
£174. Their exhorbitant price eventually checked 
their culture, and until the last few years they have 
almost gone out of cultivation. The English Tulip 
is just the flower for anyone who really loves a 
flower. Any good soil will grow them. They are 
free from insect pests, and quite at heme in suburbs 
of large towns. Seed sown takes 6 years to bloom, 
producing seifs or Breeders. At any time these 
Breeders may change to perfect or ‘ rectified’ flowers. 
Once ' rectified ’ they never change but produce offsets 
like the ‘ rectified ' parents. This inconstancy of 
the Breeders, aud constancy of the 1 rectified ' flowers 
gives the English Tulip a charm all its own and 
quite accounts for the enthusiam of such growers as 
Mr. Hall. Details of culture were given, and ques¬ 
tions answered. A vote of thanks to Mr. Hall and 
Messrs. Barr and Sons, who sent a collection of 
Darwin Tulips—concluded one of the most interest¬ 
ing meetings of the session —M. W. 
IaRDENING JJlSCELLANY. 
CARNATIONS. 
Of American introductions of last season, G. H. 
Crane stands out most prominently. It is a good 
scarlet. Jubilee, an older variety, is the best the 
Americans have for the winter months. Maceo is a 
new, rich, dark maroon. Gomey is a lighter com¬ 
panion, spoken of as likely to "hit the popular 
fancy.’’ It is free, has long stem, and is otherwise 
gootjf Governor Griggs is a capital pink one, while 
GlaiCier is a new white. Leslie Paul is spoken of as 
an ideal flower of great brilliance. The growing, 
raising, exhibiting and commercial aspects of the 
Carnation in America furnish a powerful theme of 
debate, and employs many minds and hands in 
America. 
ZENOBIA SPECIOSA. 
To see this plant in the perfection of loveliness such 
as were the specimens which Mr. John Downie, of 
Edinburgh, exhibited at the recent spring show held 
there, is to be captivated by its charms. Its droop¬ 
ing clusters of flowers might be likened to half a 
dozen different imaginative embodiments—to artifi¬ 
cially compounded bead-like clusters of some fruit, 
to frozen, hoary, water drops, arranged by Nature 
on a plant and in symmetrical array, or to bunches 
of some fairies’ earrings. All this only goes to point 
out that Zenobia speciosa when well flowered is a 
magnificently beautiful bloomer. Grown in pots it 
furnishes something fresh and interesting, differing 
in character from so many of our spring forced 
flowering shrubs. 
CORTUSA PUBENS. 
Altogether this is one of the sweetest of the early 
alpines. It is in flower now. The leaves spring in 
a cluster from the root stock, and they are pretty, 
even if there was not the additional merit of sweet 
magenta flowers. The form of the small dark green 
leaves is nearly orbicular, but they are slightly lobed 
and toothed. The slender flower stalks rise erect 
and clear above the foliage, terminating in sparse 
umbels of drooping, bright magenta, five-lobed 
flowers. I have not seen it out of doors, but in an 
alpine house it is exceedingly pretty.— J. 
--*•- 
PRIMULA 0BC0NICA ROSEA. 
This variety among the improved forms of this 
popular plant is one of the best. Much as this plant 
is improved, I think it would have made more rapid 
progress but for its unfortunate tendency to play 
tricks with some who handle it. It seems rather 
capricious in that it deals out its favours in an in¬ 
vidious manner. Some it leaves religiously alone, 
it may be for a life time or only for a few short 
years, when it manifests its stinging propensities in 
no uncertain manner. I am constantly meeting with 
those who, after handling it indiscriminately for 
years, are by the force of circumstances compelled 
to leave it alone or wear gloves when handling it. 
The variety of opinions expressed respecting 
what part of the plant produces the poison is 
rather amusing, some declaring that the 
pollen alone is poisonous, others that the calyx is the 
depository of the poison. If either of those theories 
were correct, how comes it that some at least get 
seriously inconvenienced through handling it at 
other times ? My main purpose in making these 
remarks is to call the attention of those who glow it 
in quantity to the possibility of selecting a strain, 
the flower stalks of which will be hairless, and thus 
greatly reducing the danger attending the use of 
these beautiful flowers, which are far away more 
useful and beautiful for home decoration than 
Primula sinensis, which it may possibly in a few 
years quite eclipse. P. sinensis, as respects quantity 
of flower, yields a poor return as compared with the 
improved strains of this, which varies from pure 
white to deep rose, and some have well fimbriated 
flowers, and a much greater substance of flower 
stem is now making its appearance. Should any¬ 
one succeed in raising a strain with non-stinging 
flower stems, there lies a pathway of great possibili¬ 
ties before this flower of sometimes evil omen. 
From present observation I feel sure of the possi¬ 
bility of this being accomplished.— IV. B. G. 
