324 
RDENING WORLD 
January 19 , 1901 . 
number at the date in 
whom 89 were in I 
42 in Asia, 26 in Afr 
the West Indies, a 
New Zealand. Th 
in various isolated 
of the world where 
the total number 
superintendents 
stations ; 100 we' 
125 head gardeners, 
ition was 580, of 
345 in Europe, 
, 2 in America and 
6 in Australia and 
re also to.be’ found 
ids and other parts 
ons congregate. Of 
were curators or 
ootanical and other 
irserymen or florists ; 
and 8 journalists con¬ 
nected with the horticultural press, by no 
means a small percentage of the total num¬ 
ber. Herr Hermann Wendland, the 
Director of the Royal Gardens at Herren- 
hausen, Hanover, and the great living 
authority on Palms, has the distinguished 
position of being represented by the frontis- 
pieceof the Journal on this occasion. Bearing 
all of the above facts in mind it will readily 
be conceived that Kew has pretty well 
planted a man on every important piece of 
the globe, with the exception of tne North 
and South Poles. With such an extensive 
membership it is needless to say that the 
affairs of the Guild are in a flourishing state 
financially and otherwise, there being a 
handsome sum invested to meet the require¬ 
ments of a rainy day, which may never 
come so long as Kew acquires so much 
fresh blood, so to speak, annually. 
Nor is it forgotten by past Kewitesasthe 
numerous letters show. The Mutual Im¬ 
provement Society also had a distinguished 
session last winter and spring judging from 
the list of papers from members as well as 
others. Mr. J. G. Baker, F.R.S., F.L.S., 
late Keeper of the Herbarium, Royal Gar¬ 
dens, Kew, was at home on the “ Botany 
of the Rose,” a subject in which he may 
well be regarded as the high priest, for he 
has laboured in that field for many a year 
and day, commencing with the collection of 
British Roses in his native county and the 
north of England generally. Notwith¬ 
standing the fact that he had predecessors 
in the subject both in this country and on the 
Continent, he named and described a large 
number of varieties of British Roses, of 
which he is accepted as the authority for at 
least twenty five of such forms at the 
present day. We note also from the Journal 
that he still continues his labour of “ love ” 
as of yore, and has written a monograph of 
the genus Rosa to form part of a larger 
work in process of collaboration. Of his 
older handiwork we have evidence in his 
“ Review of the British Roses, especially 
those of the North of England,” 1864, and 
his “ Monograph of the British Roses ” in 
the Journal of the Linnean Society, Vol. xi., 
p. 197, and read at a meeting of the Society, 
March 18th, i86g. The second work was 
an improvement upon the first by reason of 
greater experience, while many of the hints 
then thrown out have been adopted by the 
authors of the most recent edition of “ The 
London Catalogue of British Plants ” ; 
while the principal British floras are guided 
by him entirely for Roses. As the Guild 
includes all the botanists at present on the 
staff, the institution should in time serve as 
a powerful means in bringing about some¬ 
thing like the desired unanimity in the 
nomenclature of plants so far as the botany 
of the subject is concerned. Mere garden 
names for the infinitesimal variations of 
plants under cultivation is a thing apart 
from botany, and horticulturists themselves 
should unite to set their house in order. 
The portrait of Sir Joseph Hooker, now 
hung in the room of the Linnean Society, 
and the Gold Medal presented him by that 
body last May, also recall a past Kewite, 
eminent for his labours ia many parts of 
the globe. All branches of botany, down 
to fungi amongst living plants, are repre¬ 
sented at Kew ; but fossil botany, or the 
study of the past vegetable life of the earth, 
is an innovation for which Dr. D. Bcott, 
F.R.S., keepef of the Jodrell Laboratory, is 
responsible, and one that ought to be sus¬ 
tained in the interest of the science. 
In the way -of illustrations, other than 
portraits, those of a view in the Mexican 
House, and another in the Rhododendron 
Dell are of great excellence, and we had no 
difficulty in recognising both of them with¬ 
out the names. An extract from an intro¬ 
duction (by the Director) to a book of photo¬ 
graphic views of Kew Gardens w 11 be in¬ 
teresting reading to those of an antiquarian 
turn of mind, and who like to dive into the 
origin of things. This is practically the 
beginning of Kew as a garden : “ Lord 
Capel of Tewkesbury inhabited Kew 
House, south of the present palace. Evelyn 
speaks with praise in 1688 of his ‘ Orangery 
and Myrtetum.’” Kew House is no more, 
but the ground forms part of Kew Gardens 
to-day, and is now extended to nearly 300 
acres. 
Letters from old Kewites in various parts 
of the world still continue to be a leading 
feature of the Journal, and we hope will 
always continue to be. An account of the 
experiences of other members of the con¬ 
fraternity is the next best thing to being in 
the swim one’s-self, and better in some in¬ 
stances. A very interesting account is given 
by Mr. E. H. Wilson, collector in China for 
Messrs. Veitch & Sons. Evidently we are 
on the eve of a sensation in Jasminum 
primulinum, having yellow flowers the size 
of a crown piece, produced in great pro¬ 
fusion. It seems that he has been climbing 
mountains by hanging on to a mule’s tail, 
which speaks of the utility of that equine 
mountaineer. Szemao, in the province of 
Yunnan, from whence so many new plants 
have been sent recently, he describes as 
“ the most God-forsaken place imaginable.” 
Our recently-acquired territory of Kowloon 
he describes as a “barren place apparently,” 
but he admits it wants searching first. 
Another writer describes the “Heathen 
Chinese ” as very good gardeners, but lazy, 
which may mean that what they do, they 
do well, but take a long time to it. Mr. 
W. Trotter had not seen a European lady 
for eight months, and the only male 
European, his doctor, once a month, yet 
he is “ happy as a king.” That is at Alipur, 
the new habitation of this “ Mark Tapley.” 
The Arabic copyright of “ Gardening in 
Egypt,” written by Mr. W. Draper, has 
been acquired by the Egyptian Govern¬ 
ment, and will soon be in three languages. 
He expects it will find its way into 
“ Gordon’s College,” at Khartoum. A large 
number of other letters are as interesting 
as the above, but the space at our command 
would hardly serve to give an adequate idea 
of their contents, so that Kewites may 
reserve the pleasure of reading them in the 
original. In Africa alone Kewites now form 
a cordon all round the dark continent, and 
keep penetrating it everywhere, bringing 
the dessert in and helping to build up 
empire. In Monsieur Leveque’s letter we 
can almost hear his foreign accent and his 
construction of Queen’s English. The 
previous blanks in the addresses of past 
Kewites have now been largely filled up, 
although not very fully in cases for postal 
purposes. A very useful “ general index ” 
for the eight numbers of the Journal, namely 
from 1893 to 1900, occupies the last four 
pages of the present issue, so that the whole 
may be bound up in volume form. In 
future it is proposed to issue an index 
decennially, so that ten numbers will form 
the volume. 
Lily of the Valley is said, by the market growers, 
to be ousting the flowers of Roman Hyacinths from 
the sale rooms. 
Roots of Dielytra, or properly Dicentra spectab- 
ilis, should be seught out for early and gentle 
forcing in pots. 
Paeonies make fine objects for the greenhouse 
in March and April. In large houses they are orna¬ 
mental and suitable to a very high degree. P. offici¬ 
nalis rubra plena, P. alba pi., and P. tenuifolia fl pi., 
are used. 
Rosa ciphiana or more correctly R. spinosissima 
ciphiana is the parent of many of the garden varie¬ 
ties of Scotch Roses. The ordinary R. spinosissima 
has white flowers with a yellow throat. The flowers 
of the variety under notice are variegated with 
red. 
Miss A. M. Gulvin, the lady gardener who took 
the Gold Medal at the R.H.S. some years ago, has 
terminated that career by taking unto herself a 
husband. The Journal of the Kew Guild says, "We can 
wish no better finish to a lady gardener’s career 
than that accepted by Miss Gulvin.” "And so say 
all of us, for she’s, &c.” 
Cyclamens from Cuttings.—Old Donald Beaton, 
one of the best and most pushing of the florists of 
half a century ago, used to propagate his Cyclamen 
largely by division of the corm. Seeds then were 
untried. But whether he raised Cyclamens from 
leaf cuttings, I do not know. The Revue de L'Horti- 
culture Beige, however, describes, in a footnote, how 
leaves with stout stalks and having a heel or small 
" bulb ” of the corm attached can be struck success¬ 
fully under a bell-glass if a little warmth is given. 
The practice is scarcely ever attempted in this 
country, though I daresay it may have been prac¬ 
tised. A sharp pen-knife should be used to cut out 
a little portion of the corm,— D. 
The “Daffodil King” still enthusiastic.—Mr. 
Peter Barr, V.M.H., continues to explore the cities 
and towns along the south of the Australian contin¬ 
ent and was recently at Bendigo, Victoria, where the 
inevitable interview was sought by the reporters 
there Mr. Barr says he has started the growers of 
Sydney and Melbourne to apply themselves to 
DaSodil culture and advocates the merits of his 
chosen flower wherever he calls. The veteran has 
further written essays on the history, selection and 
cultural needs of the Daffodil, and these are being 
published by the Melbourne and New South Wales 
gardeners’ associations. These will be widely cir¬ 
culated. Bendigo as a city seems to have caught the 
fancy of Mr. Barr, and over its great fernery with the 
majestic Australian Tree Ferns, &c., he waxed 
eloquently enthusiastic. From this Australian min¬ 
ing city Mr. Barr meant to direct his indefatigable 
footsteps to South Africa and up to Khartoum. 
What a wonderful old Scotchman—quite the type 
of a true Britisher. 
The Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution.— 
Notice is hereby given that the sixty-second 
annual general meeting of the members and sub¬ 
scribers of this institution will be held at 
"Simpson’s,” ior, Strand, London, W.C., on 
Tuesday, January 22nd, 1901, at 5 p.tn., for the pur¬ 
pose of receiving the report of the committee, and 
the accounts of the institution (as audited) for the 
year 1900; electing officers for the year 1901, and 
for the purpose of placing seventeen pensioners on 
the funds. The chair will be taken by Harry J. 
Veitch, Esq., treasurer and chairman of the com¬ 
mittee, at 3 o’clock. The poll will open at 3.T5 
o’clock, and close at 4.30 o'clock precisely, after 
which hour no voting papers can be received. All 
the voting papers have been issued. Any subscriber 
who has not received a copy is requested to com¬ 
municate with the secretary at the office, 175, 
Victoria Street, Westminster. The committee have 
the pleasure to announce that the annual friendly 
supper will take place, after the annual general 
meeting, on Tuesday evening, January 22nd, 1901, at 
" Simpson’s," 101, Strand, London, at 6 p.m., when 
Alderman Robert Piper, of Worthing (Country 
Member of Committee of Management), will pre¬ 
side. As the accommodation is limited the stewards 
for the evening, Messrs. Geo. Munro, W. Y. Baker, 
and Owen Thomas will be greatly obliged by an 
early intimation being sent to the secretary at the 
office from those friends who desire to be present on 
the occasion, in order that proper arrangements may 
be made. 
