182 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 17, 1900i 
Acacia riceana has been selling in Covent Garden 
for about ten days May is the natural blooming 
period of this Tasmanian shrub. 
Weather in London. — Saturday was bright and 
agreeable; Sunday was bitterly cold; Monday and 
Tuesday were wet, and everything seemed miserable. 
No fogs have as yet appeared. 
Great Yase Class at the Royal Aquarium.—As 
stated in last week’s issue the prizes offered for 
twelve vases of Chrysanthemum blooms, cut with 
long stems, brought nine entries, which meant 108 
vases and 540 blooms. The first prize was a Large 
Gold Medal and £20, the latter sum being offered by 
Mr. H. J. Jones, of Ryecroft Nursery, Lewisham. 
Wonderful Mythology. — Everyone knows the 
pretty Bluebottle or Cornflower of our fields, the 
Centaurea Cyanus. The origin of the generic name 
is interesting. It is said to come from Kentaurion, 
the name Dioscorides gave to the Centaury 
Erythraea Centarium, which was said to have cured 
a wound in the loot of the Centaur Chiron, caused 
by the arrow of Hercules. Our ancestors of those 
thousands of years ago proved certainly to have had 
robust imaginations. 
Beckenham Horticultural Society.—On Friday, 
November gtb, Mr. G. A. Blogg (Secretary, National 
Cactus Society) gave a very interesting lecture on 
the *• Cacti of U.S.A., Mexico and California,” illus¬ 
trated with lantern views. He recommended gar¬ 
deners to cultivate them more than hitherto, as they 
were so easily grown, a small space only being 
required to grow many of the beautiful varieties. 
They could be raised by sowing seeds or by cuttings. 
The plants require very little water at the roots, but 
a moist humid atmosphere to grow in. They could 
also be successfully employed for subtropical bed¬ 
ding, of which he gave illustrations. After the 
lecture there was a good discussion by Messrs. 
Cousins, Webster, Horlock, Coles and others. 
Messrs. Cannell, of Swanley, sent a fine collection 
of Cacti, also a collection of vegetables ; Mr. Cros- 
well (gardener to Mr. Bullivant) some seedling 
Gloxinia flowers. 
Insecticide Sprayer.—A Guernsey fruit grower 
recently enquired of us what form of sprayer he 
could use, one which would do its work well without 
becoming chocked up. He condemned the ordinary 
garden syringes and the garden engine. Both, he 
said, “clogged up” too speedily. The “Knapsack 
Sprayers ” were too heavy for continued use. We 
have made enquiries on the point and find White’s 
small " Abol Sprayer ” is recommended, and is in 
favour. It can be had from Messrs. E. A. White & 
Co., Ltd., of Paddockwood, Kent. This, or "Snow's 
Pump,” we think ought to meet the requirements of 
our Guernsey reader. The last named machine may 
be had from Messrs. Osman &Co., 132-134, Commer¬ 
cial Street, London, E. The great thing when spray¬ 
ing is to thoroughly strain the compound (Paris 
Green, &c.), before using the solution. If this is not 
done, there is no instrument that will not become 
chocked. 
Reading and District Gardeners.—At the last 
fortnightly meeting of the Reading and District Gar¬ 
deners' Mutual, Mr. C. P. Cretchley, of the 
Honeys Gardens, Twyford, and formerly of the 
Royal Gardens, Kew, gave a very interesting paper 
on “ Ferns ; their Culture and Classification,” treat¬ 
ing the subject under the following headings :— 
General appearance and character, flowering, spores, 
character and germination, culture, sowing, stove 
varieties in pots, baskets, rafts, ^general ornamenta¬ 
tion, greenhouse varieties, propagation, shading, 
insect pests, classification. A discussion followed, 
in which Mr. Stanton, Dr. Stansfield, Messrs. 
Powell, Blake, Bryant, Neve, Barnes, Burfitt, and 
Fry took part. A very unusual but interesting 
exhibit was made by Mr. Stanton, Park Place, 
Henley-on-Thames, who staged blooms of Aristolo- 
chia tricaudata (Mexico), A. elegans (Brazil), A. 
gigas Sturtevanti (Guatemala), and fruits of Diospyr- 
os Kaki (Japanese fruit), and Guavas. The other 
exhibitors were Dr. Stansfield (Fern, Scolopendrium 
crispum grande), Mr. Exler, The Redlands Gardens 
(Lily of the Valley), Mr. F. Lever, Hillside Gardens 
(collection of zonals). A vote of thanks was accorded 
the lecturer and the exhibitors. Two new members 
were elected. 
A Correction.—The second prize for a floral dis¬ 
play of Chrysanthemums was won by Mr. W. Howe, 
gardener to H. Tate, Esq., Park Hill, Streatham 
Common, S.W., not by Mr. E. Dove, as stated by us 
on page 171, in the third column. The label con¬ 
taining Mr. Dove’s name belonged to another 
exhibit, but where placed was very misleading. 
Dahlias, Cannas and Bedding Plants in general 
were still flowering treely in the gardens of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, at Chiswick, till the beginning 
of the present week at least. The flowering of 
summer garden plants in the open to the middle of 
November is quite phenomenal for the neighbour¬ 
hood of London. Frosty mornings must soon put a 
stop to this ; yet it mostly rains all day. 
Death of Mrs. John Laing.—We regret to 
announce the death of Mrs. John Laing, widow of 
the late Mr. John Laing, Stanstead Park Nursery, 
Forest Hill, S.E., on the evening of Wednesday, the 
7th inst. She had been suffering from heart disease 
for some time past, but appeared to be in her usual 
health up to the time she dropped down, to the con¬ 
sternation and great sorrow of one of her sons, in 
whose company she happened to be. Her late 
husband died on Wednesday, the 8th August last, 
so that three calendar months exactly have elapsed 
between the deaths of the worthy and highly 
respected couple. The funeral took place on 
Monday last at the Ladywell Cemetery, at three 
p.m. We sympathise with the sons, Mr. John 
Alexander and Mr. James Harry Laing, at the loss 
of both parents in so short a time. 
Dundee Chrysanthemum Society’s Carnival.— 
At the forthcoming show of this society on the 
22nd, 23rd, and 24th November, several special 
features are to be introduced. The most important 
is the Challenge Vase recently presented by the 
Town Council, open to all comers. Such being the 
case there is sure to be a large number of entries 
with the view of gaining the first year’s custody of 
the City of Dundee Corporation Challenge Vase. 
What is known as the Society Group will also be 
an important feature of the exhibition. This will 
consist of a selection of plants, cut flowers, fruits and 
vegetables gifted by members of the society and 
others. The produce will be sold on the second day 
of the exhibition, the proceeds to be handed over to 
the Dundee Royal Infirmary. Altogether the ex¬ 
hibition is expected to be one of the largest yet held 
by the society. We understand that many of the 
leading Chrysanthemum growers are going to exhibit 
there on that occasion, including Messrs. Norman 
Davis, H. J. Jones, W. Wells <& Co., Mr. J. Forbes 
(Hawick), Messrs. Sutton & Sons (Reading), I. 
House & Son (Bristol), and various others. The 
music is to be supplied by the band of the Her 
Majesty’s Grenadier Guards, who have recently 
returned from South Africa. 
Bristol and District Gardeners’ Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Association. — The fortnightly meeting was 
held at St. John’s Parish Room, Redland, on Thurs¬ 
day, November 8th. Mr. G. Brook was in the chair, 
the attendance being large. Mr. G. Harding, of 
Clifion, gave the lecture on the “ Migration of 
Birds,” treating the subject in a very able and 
interesting manner. Observing that bird migration 
was world-wide in its operation and influence, he 
gave some details respecting the time of arrival and 
departure of the chief visitors to our shores. The 
reasons for this migration were for nesting purposes, 
need of food, and what he described as an occasional 
impulse to travel. He also gave much information 
as to the great power of endurance of birds on the 
wing, the high altitudes at which they travel during 
the daytime, the swiftness of their flight, and the 
large numbers in which the various tribes journey 
from one Continent to another, quoting largely from 
statistics collected by the lighthouse keepers on our 
coasts. He concluded his lecture by claiming that 
we could not exist without the asistence of these 
feathered friends, which derived their sustenance 
from the insect life around us, and which should, 
with very few exceptions, be efficiently protected. 
Mr. Harding was accorded the hearty thanks of the 
meeting for his valuable lecture. Prizes for six 
dessert Apples were awarded Messrs. Gardner, 
Marsh, and McCulloch ; and for six dessert Pears to 
Messrs. Skinner, McCulloch, and Orchard. Certifi¬ 
cates of Merit went to Mr. E. Poole, for collection of 
fungi ; and Mr. Maddocks, for two vases of Violets. 
Chrysanthemum Miss Rose.—For decorative 
purposes this lovely Chrysanthemum remains 
unbeaten. From first to last its tiny foliage, dwarf, 
and compact habit of growth, are most admirable. 
I have seen nothing to beat it among the single 
varieties. It is now a blaze of delicate pink in the 
greenhouse, and contrasts well with Source d’Or and 
Lady Selborne. It never needs disbudding, always 
throwing out its flowers even arid true. Any gar¬ 
dener wishing to have a thoroughly reliable decora¬ 
tive Chrysanthemum will do well to procure this.— 
H. Willis, 42, Alexander Road, Englefield Green, Egham. 
Liverpool Horticultural Association. — The 
meetings of the above to be held in December 1st, 
January 5th, and February 2nd, respectively have 
been arranged. “ Soils and their Treatment ” was 
delivered on November 3rd by Mr. R. G. Waterman. 
"Begonia Gloire de Lorraine,” by Mr. C. Sherry is 
down for December 1st; “ The Progress of Horti¬ 
culture,” by Mr. T. White on January 5th; and 
“The Japanese Chrysanthemum,” on the same 
evening, by Mr. Jas. Heaton. “ The cultivation of 
Vegetables for Exhibition,” by Mr. B. Ashton will 
be the last of the session. The meetings are held at 
the secretary's office, 7, Victoria Street, Liverpool, 
at 7 o’clock. Mr. Harold Sadler, is the secretary. 
Hamilton and District Gardening and Forestry 
Association held their monthly meeting in the 
Y.M.C. Rooms on Tuesday evening, 3rd inst., when 
there was a good attendance to hear Mr. Chalmers, 
24, Frederick Street, Edinburgh, give a most interest¬ 
ing and instructive paper entitled “ A Trip to the 
Bulb Fields of Holland,” which he treated with 
much care and consideration. He described most 
carefully the cultivation and propagation of the 
Hyacinth and Tulip. The paper was beautifully 
illustrated with limelight views, which added much 
to the enjoyment of the paper. Mr. Chalmers was 
awarded a most hearty vote of thanks. Mr. Finnie, 
of Obanshaw, staged a very fine lot of Chrysanth¬ 
emum blooms, also a most exquisite Orchid in 
flower, Dendrobium formosum giganteum, with over 
sixty fine flowers.— J. M. 
Chiswick Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Association.—The autumn programme of the above 
association for 1900 has been arranged. Those who 
are to deliver lectures are eminent men. Each one 
deals with what is more or less a pet subject; hence 
the likelihood of a masterly dealing with the same. 
On October 25th Mr. F. E. Shrivell, F.L.S., well 
known by his manurial experiments, lectured on the 
" Value of Chemical Manures in Fruit and 
Kitchen Garden.” Mr. J. Fraser, F.L.S., spoke 
about “ Alpine and Rockery Plants,” on November 
8th. “ Grapes ” is the laconic title of a very wide 
subject to be treated by S. T. Wright, Esq., on 
November 22nd. The first December meeting held 
on the 6th of the month, is to be entertained by Mr. 
T. Humphreys, whose ideas on “ Autumnal Tinted 
Trees and Shrubs ” will be worth the hearing. Mr. 
Walters treats of “ Orchids ” on December 20th. 
GROWING CARNATIONS IN THE 
OPEN. 
It is often said by gardeners that Carnations will 
not do well in the open. I venture to say that this 
is a mistake, providing the beds or borders are pre¬ 
pared in a proper manner. In preparing a bed 
select an open piece of ground, two rods by one, dig 
in deeply about a cartload of good cow manure, half 
a load of good loam, and about two barrow loads of 
wood ashes or soot. This will raise the bed about 
6 in. Make the bed firm, and plant in rows about 
2 ft. apart and 1 ft. from plant to plant. October or 
early in November is the best time to plant them. 
Secure the plants with as much soil on them as 
possible; they will then get a good root hold before 
the winter sets in. Before we get very sharp frost 
give the bed a dressing of coarse leaf mould or fine 
bracken. It is also a good plan to pot up a 
few plants, and keep in a cold frame to make up with 
if any should go off. In the spring keep the bed 
free from weeds, but on no account dig between the 
rows. Should the months of May and June be hot 
and dry give the bed a good watering with, weak 
manure water occasionally. I might say there are 
many thousands of the leading varieties grown in a 
similar manner in this neighbourhood.— H. W. Lewis, 
Hayes Village, Kent. 
