34‘2 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
January 26, 190i. 
OhlendorfTe Diary.—TheAnglo-Continental (late 
Oblendorfl's) Guano Co., 30, Mark Lane, London, 
l ave issued a useful Blotter and Diary for 1901. 
Included are some interesting photographic illustra¬ 
tions of South American scenes, showing in one case 
a " Peruvian Guano island "crowded with great 
bir s like pelicans, without whose presence there 
would be none of the pure and valuable fertiliser 
that gardeners know by that name. Other views 
present an idea of how the guano is amassed or 
excavated, and also shows how it is shipfed for 
home use. 
Utility Poultry Club Laying Competition.—The 
competition began on October 17th, and ends Feb¬ 
ruary 5th. The twenty pens (four pullets in each) 
are under the management of Mr. G. C. King, The 
Manor Poultry Farm, Slough. Prizes and specials 
to the value of £18 are being offered. Below is the 
result of the first, second, and third month’s 
laying :— 
ISt 
2nd 
3rd 
month. 
month. 
month. 
Pen. Dreed. 
Eggs. 
Eggs. 
Eggs. 
Points. 
Points. 
Points. 
1. 
Faverolles (E) 
0 0 
0 
0 
I 2 
2. 
Anconas 
0 0 
0 
0 
0 0 
3 - 
Langshans (Bb.) .. 
0 0 
2 
4 
15 3 ° 
4 - 
Houdacs .. 
0 0 
0 
0 
2 4 
5- 
Lines. Buffs 
16 30 
32 
61 
12 24 
6. 
Leghorns (Br.) 
0 0 
2 
4 
6 12 
7 - 
Orpingtons (Bl.) .. 
0 0 
0 
0 
11 22 
8. 
Leghorns (Bt.) 
28 56 
19 
38 
22 44 
9 
Orpingtons (Bf.) .. 
0 0 
17 
34 
31 62 
10. 
Leghons(Bf) 
0 0 
3 
6 
21 42 
11. 
Ply. Rocks (Ba.) .. 
56 112 
22 
44 
19 38 
12. 
Leghorns (Br.) 
0 0 
0 
0 
2 4 
13 - 
Wyandottes (Bf.) 
0 0 
0 
0 
0 0 
14. 
Leghorns (Wh.) . . 
0 0 
0 
0 
0 0 
15 - 
Wyandottes (Par.) 
0 0 
0 
0 
0 0 
16. 
Leghorns (Wh ) .. 
0 0 
0 
0 
I I 22 
17 . 
Wyandottes (S ) .. 
0 0 
0 
0 
3 6 
18. 
Minorcas (Bl.) 
0 0 
0 
0 
0 0 
19 
Wyandottes (Wh.) 
0 0 
0 
0 
3 6 
20. 
Minorcas (Bb.) 
0 0 
0 
0 
0 0 
N.B.—In scoring two points are given for every 
egg weighing over 1^ oz. 
The manager reports that pens Nos. 1, 10, 12, 14, 
and 16 were not hatched early enough. That pens 
No?. 13, 15, 17, 18, and 20 were apparently hatched 
too early for November laying, they having all gone 
into moult after laying a little before the competition 
began. That the majority of the birds appear to 
have felt the change. That all the pens are in good 
health.—L. W. H. Lamaison, Hon. Assistant Secretary, 
Southwold, Kenhy, Surrey, January 12 th, 1901. 
Grand Yorkshire Gala.—The annual meeting of 
the guarantors and life members of the Grand York¬ 
shire Gala was held towards the end of last week in 
Harkei’s Hotel, York. Aid. Border presided over a 
Lrge attendance. The purpose of the meeting was 
to inaugurate the gala for the ensuing year. The 
chauma’i mentioned that this year's show will be 
lht foity third they have held, and it was proposed 
for June 12th, 1 yih and 14th. He hoped that the 
firs gala of the century would be an unqualified 
success. Deputations had waited upon the com¬ 
mittee of the Boottnm Asylum, with regard to the 
use of the field, and the deputation had also waited 
on the Lord Mayor to ask him to become president 
of thesccety. He proposed that the Lord Mayor 
(Alderman E. W. Purnell) be elected president for 
the ensuing year. Mr. J. J. Hunt seconded the pro¬ 
position, which was carried unanimously. The 
Lord Mayor thanked the members for the honour 
they had conferred upon him, and hoped he would 
be able to maintain the good record of past Lord 
Mayors in connection with this office. Sir 
Christopher Milward was re-elected chairman ; Aid. 
Border was also re-elected^ to the vice-chair; Aid. 
Sir J. Sykes-Rymer was again returned as 
treasurer and Mr. C. W. Simmons as secre¬ 
tary, all being returned with acclamation. Messrs. 
Pearson and Tay lor were re-elected auditors. The 
Council was unanimously re elected, with the addi¬ 
tion of Mr. E. Bushell. The following sums were 
allocated for the forthcoming gala £650 for the 
floral fete; /230 for the musical arrangements; 
£120 for fireworks ; £65 for balloon expenses ; and 
£175 for amusements. The various committees were 
then appointed. The chairman said that they had 
all heard with a great amount of pleasure of the 
honour which the Queen had been pleased to confer 
on a member of their committee, Sir Joseph Sykes- 
Rymer, and he moved "That the Council of the 
Grand Yorkshire Gala heartily congratulate Sir 
Joseph Sykes-Rymer on the honoOr conferred upon 
him by Her Gracious Majesty the Queen, and we 
trust that he will long live to enjoy the well deserved 
honour." Sir J. Sykes-Rymer had always taken a 
very prominent part in the welfare of the city for 
the better part of a quarter of a century, and he had 
been closely connected with the gala, having twice 
acted as president, and he thought that was a fitting 
opportunity for them to express their pleasure at the 
honour conferred on Sir Joseph Sykes Rymer, and 
through him on the city. (Applause.) The Lord 
Mayor seconded the resolution, which was supported 
by Mr. M. Cooper, and carried with applause. 
The Chairman then expressed the hope that the 
new century would prove an unmixed blessing to all 
those sitting around that table, and that the gala 
would be a greater success in 1901 than it had ever 
been in the past. (Applause.) He hoped that in 
the future they would do as much as they had in the 
past for the futherance of the York charities, and 
the best interests of horticulture. (Applause.) The 
proceedings then terminated. 
——— 
ROOT PRUNING 
Is now taking a turn to be interesting, and perhaps 
we shall now arrive at some decision how, and when, 
to practise it, but I shall want more convincing 
proof than even those Pear shoots of bristling fruit 
buds that you, Mr. Editor, passed such eulogy on, 
forwarded by your correspondent Mr. Nisbet. Does 
he wish us to take in the theory (I do not consider it 
is practical), that by root pruning in July or August, 
trees practically devoid of fruit buds, such bristling 
shoots are forthcoming early in the following Janu¬ 
ary ? It is more than likely had your correspondent 
examined the trees before he commenced to root 
prune, he would have found those said shoots on the 
right road to forming fruit buds. I can hardly think 
five months and a root pruning capable of reforming 
an almost barren tree into one of fruitfulness. 
Further, your correspondent should have stated 
what kind of soil he has to do with, as I am much 
afraid that to operate on trees in light shallow soil 
in the middle of summer would in many instances 
mean utter ruin to the trees.— Experience. 
-* 5 —- 
BEGONIA FUCHSIOIDES. 
This handsome species of Begonia is not grown as 
much as it deserves, it making a splendid plant for 
the conservatory, training up walls, or up pillars. It 
grows best in a mixture of warm leaf soil and sand, 
not so light as is given for the potting of the majority 
of Begonias. Cuttings taken now will make fine 
plants in 48's and 32’s by July and August, the time 
when the plants flower the most profusely. Plants 
can also be divided up in small parts, and potted up 
singly, but by this method very little advantage is 
gained on plants treated in the first way. When 
they are wanted for planting out to train upon walls 
or up pillars use the same compost as before only 
rather coarser. They will be found to take rather a 
long time to cover a wall, but they pay for the extra 
time when it is covered, few plants looking better, 
the scarlet blossoms showing up well upon the dark 
green foliage, and the stem tinged with red. I have 
seen plants grown upon the walls of a fernery at The 
Towers, Hillingdon, 10 to 12 ft. in height, covered 
with bloom nearly all the year round.— H. Fleming, 
iunr., Wexham Park Gardens, Slough. 
DISEASES OF PLANTS. 
This subject is of rather an extensive a nature to 
render it full justice in a short article so that a few 
general hints are all that I may aim at. Mildew on 
Roses, canker on fruit trees, the shanking of Grapes, 
the clubroot in Cabbages, &c., are just a few to 
which many cultivated plants are liable. The 
health of a plant depends on the correct perform¬ 
ance of its functions ; so that diseases arise either in 
consequence of old age, from vermin such as scale, 
red spider, mealy bug, greenfly, &c., or from too 
much heat, or too much moisture; and in many 
cases from too strong doses of liquid manure; also 
from bleeding owing to the use of the knife at the 
wrong time. The Vine and regal Pelargoniums are 
instances of this. If gardeners could find the time 
to avoid and cure all the diseases, and exterminate 
all the vermin, our plants would all enjoy a vigorous 
long life. Such, ho a ever, is not the lot of many 
gardeners in.these times when so many country gar¬ 
dens especially are under-manned. I throw out 
the hint, on the above enemies to plants, that in pro¬ 
portion as we can save our plants, or fruits from 
these ravages will they enjoy a strong and prolific 
life, and will be lovely and pleasant to look upon — 
John C. Dick, Champfleurie, Linlithgow. 
VARIEGATED SCREW PINE 
(PANDANUS VEITCHII.) 
As a table plant this is well worth cultivation. 
A properly grown specimen of it, finely 
furnished, with its prettily variegated pendant 
leaves, is highly attractive. Suckers taken off 
and inserted in small pots, using sphagnum 
moss and silver sand, and keeping them moderately 
close, root much more quickly than in loam 
and sand. When well rooted pot them on 
into 6o’s, and finally into 48’s, the pots being 
well drained, using good turfy loam, with the 
addition of one-sixth silver sand, making the soil 
quite firm in polting. It requires ordinary stove 
treatment with a night temperature of 70° during 
the growing season, and a rise of io° in the day¬ 
time. Keep the soil moderately moist, syringe the 
plants morning and afternoon, and keep them well 
elevated near the glass in order to induce a short, 
compact growth, shading very little, as when much 
shaded it does not come so finely variegated. It 
is not very liable to attacks of insects, except scale, 
which is easily kept down by the use of the sponge 
and brush. In the winter keep the soil a little drier 
than in the summer, and maintain a night tempera¬ 
ture not lower than 60 George Walker, The 
Beeches, 43, Circus Road, St. John's Wood. 
STRAWBERRY FRUIT PROTECTION. 
During the fruiting season there is generally a 
certain amount of the fruit made useless, through 
the berries falling on the soil. Even with the 
greatest of care when covering between the rows, 
there is always some deficiency with whatever 
is used as a covering. As an experiment to prevent 
this to a certain extent would be to procure some 
wire netting of about 2 in. mesh or thereby ; cut into 
strips about 9 in. broad inserting the same by 
means of short, stout stakes, at a slight angle from 
the base of the plants, just before the flowering 
period. After this a number of fruit stalks would 
find their way through the netting, and prevent 
them from getting contaminated with soil ; not to 
say they will all act alike, but a few hours' work 
looking over them will well repay the extra labour 
expended, when the fruit gathering takes place, as 
they will ripen more equally all round and not be so 
apt to decay. I may add, in conclusion, that I 
should be pleased to see a few remarks in The Gar¬ 
dening World on the above subject as to how it 
would act for the purpose indicated, as I never have 
seen it used myself in any situations where I have 
been, it having merely come into my miod through 
thinking of Mr. H. Low's "patent Strawberry 
support ” which appeared in your issue of January 
12th.— Walter Hogarth, The Gardens, Norton House, 
Ratho, Midlothian. 
WINDOW GARDENS 
Are far and away the loveliest adornment of any 
dwelling. The best productions of the architect, the 
painter, and the carver sink into deathlike monotony 
when compared with a well-arranged window of 
plants. A box on the sill should have two cross¬ 
bars half an inch thick to rest on, the box beiDg 
9 in. deep, breadth and length, minus 2 in. of sill, 
The two back corners could be planted with Ivy, one 
green the other variegated. Half way between 
these a good plant of Ivy Pelargonium Madame 
Crousse can be trained to stakes, and will make a 
pretty background to a front row of pink flowered 
Begonias and Lobelia gracilis (white) planted 
alternately. By employing inverted pots or blocks 
of wood on which to rest pot plants a bank of 
foliage and flowers from window box to ground is 
easily arranged to the desired position. For a 
northern aspect suitable plants would be—top centre, 
Fuchsia Cloth of Gold ; one side, good plant of the 
Fern Athyrium Filix-foemina ; opposite side, a 
plant of silver variegated grass. The next row 
