244 
December 15 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
have become thoroughly permeated with 
the fungus. The bushes could not be other¬ 
wise than weakened under the circumstances. 
The remedies recommended in this case are 
ammoniacal carbonate of copper and the 
Bordeaux Mixture. The first named is to 
be used when the disease makes its appear¬ 
ance late in summer ; but as soon as the 
crop is gathered, the Bordeaux mixture is 
to be applied till growth ceases, and recom¬ 
menced in spring before the buds open. 
Now is the time to stamp out the fungus 
before it gets too widely spread in this 
country. 
— i — -.*• - 
Tulips (Due Van Thol) are now selling in Covent 
Garden. 
Osiers are already being cut and quantities are 
changing hands in Covent Garden. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—The next fruit 
and flower show of the Royal Horticultural Society 
will be held on Tuesday, December i8th, in the 
Drill Hall, James Street, Westminster, i to 4 p.m. 
The committees will meet as usual at 12 o’clock. 
An election of new fellows will take place at 3 p.m. 
Freesias are now fairly plentiful. There has 
been a fine batch at Kew for some time. At Dover 
House, Roehampton, and at Wexham Park, Slough, 
early batches are now flowering. This maj interest 
Mr. Mayne, who enquired about early Freesias 
through The Gardening World last Christmas. 
— D. i 
Collecting Field Mushrooms.—In a case brought 
before the magistrates at Tottenham, London, N., 
it was decided that a man who collects Mushrooms 
from a field cannot be convicted of stealing them, as 
the law stands. He can be mulcted for having done 
■wilful damage. The owner of such fields, however, 
could protect himself by doing something in the 
way of culture, something to encourage the growth 
Of the Mushrooms. If the fungi were then collected 
by unauthorised persons a summons for theft could 
then be charged against them. 
Beckenham Horticultural Society.—A very 
interesting subject was given at the Beckenham 
Horticultural Society by Mr. John Weathers on 
" Useful Gardening Books.” The books most suit¬ 
able for landscape gardening, soils, chemistry, fruit 
culture, stove and greenhouse plants, botany, &c., 
were discussed. Some very useful information was 
obtained, which will prove valuable to those mem¬ 
bers who wish to obtain books. The society’s 
library is a very useful one, as it contains most of 
the valuable works, suggested by Mr. Weathers as 
being the best for knowledge. Mr. Weathers was 
accorded a vote of thanks for his address. 
Syndical Chamber of Belgian Horticulturists.— 
At the meeting of this society on the 2nd inst., in 
conjunction with the Royal Agricultural and Botani¬ 
cal Society of Ghent, Certificates of Merit were 
awarded to White Celery Silvery var (developed in 
the open ground without cover), presented by M. E 
Van Hoorebeke, de Ledeberg; to Begonia Gloire de 
Lorraine, shown by M. A. Dalliere ; to Cypripedium 
General de Wet (iawrenceanum x Chantini), shown 
by M. L. P. de Langhe-Vervaene, of St. Gilles, 
Brussels (with unanimity) ; Vriesia hieroglyphica 
variegata, shown by M. Louis Mullie, of Saffelaere 
(by acclamation) ; Begonia Princess of Denmark, 
presented by M. Ju'es de Cock ; Cymbidium species, 
shown by MM. Versypt, freres et soeurs ; Cattleya 
Mendelii, Dendrobium Phalaenopis albens (by 
acclamation). Seedling Cypripedium, and Cattleya 
dubia, all exhibited by M. G. Vincke-Dujardin, of 
Bruges; Cypripedium Maynardi, a hybrid, and C. 
insigne var., presented by the Horticultural Society 
La Lys, of Deynze; and Cattleya Trianae alba, 
exhibited by M. le Marquis de Wavrin (by acclama¬ 
tion and the congratulations of the jury). Certificates 
of Merit were also granted to cut flowers of Laelio- 
cattleya (Laelia purpurata x Cattleya Warner!), 
Laeliocattleya (Laelia elegans x Cattleya hardyana), 
and Oncidium varicosum Rogersii, all exhibited by 
M. G. Vincke-Dujardin A certificate for flowering 
was granted to Cattleya Harrisoniae, shown by the 
last named exhibitor. 
A British Vintage.—The season’s Grape crop in 
the vineyards of the late Marquis of Bute at 
Castle Lock and Swanbridge we hear has proved 
highly satisfactory. The crops were heavy, and 
favoured with splendid weather during the early 
part of the autumD, the fruit ripened so well that a 
vintage of great excellence was gleaned. 
Orchids at the Sale Rooms.—Orchids in bloom 
were plentiful at the Sale Rooms of Messrs. 
Protheroe & Morris, Cheapside, on the 7th.inst. A 
piece of the handsome Cypripedium insigne dulco- 
tense was sold for 10 gs. About two-thirds of the 
dorsal sepal of this variety are white, the basal area 
being green and richly marked with large light 
brown blotches. The lip and petals are shining and 
shaded with brown. A small piece of a richly 
spotted variety of Odontoglossum andersonianum 
fetched 7 gs. Eleven volumes of the Orchid Album 
reached 8£ gs. at the fall of the hammer. 
A Fox in the Royal Gardens, Kew.—A fox-hunt 
in Kew Gardens is certainly an incident of uncommon 
occurrence ; but on the 6th inst., a real and exciting 
affair tingled the veins of the sportive botanists. It 
seems that a pet fox had escaped from Richmond, 
and found a haven in the extensive gardens. Of 
course, it required food, and dined off a convenient 
black swan, and, we believe, other fowls which clus¬ 
ter round the lake. An exterminating paity was 
mobilised on Tuesday, when some fine scouting and 
bad shooting (!) was witnessed. Too many cooks 
spoilt the broth; the fox is still alive, and, like De 
Wet, is still hovering about. 
A handsome Iris—Mr. Peter Barr, V.M.H., 
visited a flower show at Tatura, Victoria, Australia, 
where he saw the new Iris Painted Lady. He 
thought so much of this that he sent a special note 
to The Shepparton News, a local paper, where he 
describes the Iris as of " exceptional beauty, marked, 
and having a distinct character.” It was the 
general topic of conversation in a show whose 
attendance was estimated to exceed 10,000. This 
Painted Beauty belongs to the I. germanica section, 
the defined beauty being such as is very rarely seen, 
for it is pure white, and has rich rosy red veins. 
Under the petaloid stigmas runs a primrose “ beard,” 
the stigmas themselves being white, with a rosy 
central beam, and terminate in a feathery club-like 
knob. Mr. Barr estimated the stock of this Iris at 
£50, and congratulates the exhibitor on having 
raised an Iris so worthy of world-wide fame, 
Reading and District Gardeners’ Mutual 
Improvement Association.—The last meeting of 
the above society proved to be one of the most 
interesting of the whole session. The committee 
had arranged quite a new departure from their 
ordinary proceedings. Six subjects were selected 
and a number, given to six members in the room. 
The chairman then called out one of the subjects, 
and asked that the member holding a certain 
number should speak upon the subject mentioned. 
Although in some instances the speakers found a 
difficulty to fill up the time allowed, and caused a 
certain amount of amusement yet the animated dis¬ 
cussion, which followed, brought out many practical 
and valuable hints on the culture of the following; — 
Mignonette in pots, Peas for early use, Strawberries, 
zonals for winter flowering, and Gooseberries. The 
speakers were Messrs. R. Chamberlain, F. 
Alexander, E. S. Pigg, W. Burfitt, and F. Le<’er 
respectively, while Messrs. Blake, Cretchley, 
Townsend,Neve,Fry,Hinton, Dore.Senr., Dorejunr., 
Davidson, Cox, Smith, and the president took part 
in the discussion. The exhibits were of exceptional 
quality, Mr. R. Chamberlain, of the Cressingham 
Gardens, the well known fruit exhibitor, staged 
twelve dishes of dessert Apples, viz.Blenheim 
Orange, Duke of Devonshire, Nonsuch, Manning- 
ton’s Pearmain, Fearn’s Pippin, Sturmur Pippin, 
Cox's Orange, Rosemary Russet, Glory of England, 
Ribston Pippin, Court Pendu Plat, and King of 
the Pippins ; Mr. F. Lever, of Hillside Gardens, a 
batch of Begonia Gloire de Lorraine; and Mr. C. 
P. .Gretchley, The Honeys’ Gardens, Twyford, a 
specimen plant of Gloire de Lorraine. The two 
former members had entered for the society’s Certi¬ 
ficate of Cultural Merit, and the judges hid no diffi¬ 
culty whatever in awarding them the same. Four 
new members were elected. 
“ The Riviera and Italy for a £10 Note.”— 
The Brighton Railway Co. have just issued an 
illustrated little handbook to ” The Riviera 
for a £to Note.” The handbook contains 
information of interest on a series of inexpen¬ 
sive Riviera tours via Newhaven and Dieppe. 
For further information enquiries should be 
made to the Continental Traffic Manager, 
London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Co., 
London Bridge Terminus, S.E. 
The Sweet Yiolet at Fullarton.—The other day 
I paid a visit to Mr. Henderson, gardener to Mat¬ 
thew Arthur, Esq.,D.L., Fullarton House, Ayrshire. 
Mr. Henderson is a very successful grower of the 
sweet Violet, and I had a look through his collection, 
which is very select. He grows Marie Louise and 
Princess of Wales very extensively. What struck 
me, however, was a seedling he had raised. It 
resembles Marie Louise in flower, but is much 
larger and more compact; the foliage is beautiful 
and hardy, the whole plant being of a robust charac¬ 
ter and well suited for our variable climate. The 
perfume is quite equal to that of Marie Louise, and 
we have no doubt that this plant, which Mr. Hen¬ 
derson has named Mrs. Arthur, will prove a formid¬ 
able rival to the above-named ; and we are sure that 
when it finds its way into the collections of Violet 
growers, it wiil give every satisfaction and prove its 
superiority over its competitors.— A. Bogie. 
Scotch Gardener as M P.—It is said, and seem¬ 
ingly with a fair amount of truth, that “ a Scotch¬ 
man is never at home except when abroad.” We 
have news of Mr. Frank C. Bruce, a native of 
Peebles-shire, Scotland, where he was borne in 1837 
among the Heather-covered bills. His father was 
fruit foreman with Messrs. Dicksons & Co., Edin¬ 
burgh, for upwards of twenty-five years. Young 
Bruce began life as an apprentice in the seed depart¬ 
ment of this firm, and there he remained till the 
year 1857. 1 ° ^at year he emigrated to Hamilton, 
Canada, and joined his brother, Mr. John A. Bruce, 
in the seed business, which they still conduct. 
During his long residence at Hamilton, Mr. Bruce 
has been identified with public affairs to a consider¬ 
able extent, and has held some of the highest and 
most responsible positions in the city. His crown¬ 
ing position of honour has culminated in his being 
returned as one of the M.P.’s for Hamilton, in the 
Canadian Government, at the election in the early 
part of November last. 
Woolton Mutual Improvement Society.—The 
usual meeting of the above was held at the 
Mechanic’s Institute on the 4th inst., Mr. E. Bache, 
Secretary of the West Derby Society, presiding over 
a good attendance. The subject, ” A Review of the 
Autumn Shows, 1900,” proved a popular one. Over 
a dozen shows held in Lancashire and Cheshire 
were noticed in some form or another. Paiseworthy 
points were given to Chester for their admirable dis¬ 
play of hardy fruit, and especially for the artistically 
arranged table by Mr. Barnes from the gardens of 
Eaton Hall, which included many excellent bunches 
of Grapes. The groups .of Chrysanthemums at this 
show were given the position of honour throughout 
the district, being arranged so that the foliage could 
be seen between the blooms. Bolton was noted for 
its general excellence and finish ; the groups of mis¬ 
cellaneous plants were distinctly in advance of those of 
most shows. The plants in many cases were re-staged 
by the stagers, adding greatly to the general effect. 
Liverpool, as usual, was to the fore with Grapes in 
quantity and well finished, and of trained Chrys¬ 
anthemums. Orchids were also well shown. White¬ 
haven received credit for its well-grown plants, 
Manchester, although having the smallest number 
of classes, was far ahead in the quantity of ex¬ 
hibits, the " ’Mum ” plants showing cultural skill. 
The enormous group arranged by Mr. P. Weathers 
from the Botanic Gardens was spoken highly of. 
Woolton was quoted as one of the prettiest ot shows, 
whilst the roots and vegetables were excellent. 
Cressington, although small, was highly creditable. 
The opinion as to quality of cut blooms was Man¬ 
chester, Liverpool, Bolton, placed in the order 
named. The subject was opened by Mr. R. G. 
Waterman, the Secretary, followed by Messrs. G. 
Haigh, R. Todd, J. Stoney, W. W. Gamble, T. Car¬ 
ling, the Chairman, and others. A vote of thanks 
was tendered to the speakers and to Mr. Bache for 
presiding. 
