February 9, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
373 
Weather in London.—On the whole the weather 
has been cold, with sharp f osts on one or two days. 
Monday was bitterly cold, resulting in snow on 
Tuesday. 
Extension of Ground at Beechhill Nursery, 
Edinburgh.—We learn that the firm of Mr. John 
Downie, Beechhill Nursery, Murrayfield, is laying 
out twelve acres of land at Belgrave Park, Corstor- 
phine, Midlothian, as an addition to the present 
nursery grounds. This is in close proximity to the 
existing nursery, and will be devoted to the usual 
class of nursery stock. 
• 
Register of Nurseries, Market Gardens, &c.— 
Messrs. Protheroe & Morris, Horticultural and 
General Auctioneers, &c., 67 & 68, Cheapside, 
London, E C., have issued a register of nurseries, 
market gardens, farms, florists’ seed businesses, and 
partnerships to be let or sold. We have had 
occasion to refer to this register before. Each of 
the estates or businesses are fully described, and any 
particulars not given in the present list can be at 
once had from Messrs. Protheroe & Morris by 
writing to them. Those on the look out for an open¬ 
ing in business should immediately secure this 
register for perusal. 
Bristol and District Gardeners’ Mutual Im¬ 
provement Association.—The fortnightly meeting 
of the society was held at St. John’s Parish Room, 
on Thursday, January 31st. Mr. A. J. Hancock 
presided over a good attendance. The lecture was 
given by Mr. A. Moore Sara, of Stoke Bishop, on 
" Leaves.” With the aid of diagrams, as well as 
many green and dried specimens, he was able to 
make the subject at once interesting and instructive. 
He dealt in very clear detail with the many and 
varied forms of leaves, their arrangements, the leaf 
veins, leaf appendages, method of water secretion 
and the action of chlorophyll. Mr. Moore Sara’s 
lecture was much appreciated, he being heartily 
thanked for it. Prizes for two foliage plants, suit¬ 
able for table decoration were secured by Messrs. 
Sutton, Shaddick and Price. Certificates of Merit 
went to Mr. White for Dendrobium nobile, and Mr. 
Quick for Laelia anceps. 
Plant stems underground. — Mr. R. Lloyd 
Praeger, in the course of an interesting article on 
Flowering Plants, in the current number of Know¬ 
ledge, says : " Subterranean stems may conveniently 
be grouped similarly into those which produce leaves 
and flowers throughout their length, or at intervals. 
In the subterranean stem a further modification takes 
place as compared with the erect stem. Most erect 
stems—and prostra'e stems, too--are coloured green 
with chlorophyll, that they may assist the leaves in 
the manufacture of plant food. The underground 
stem has no opportunity of doing this, owing to the 
absence of daylight, and it is usually white, or of the 
dull colours that most roots affect. Underground 
stems have likewise litile need of strength, except the 
quiet but well-nigh irresistible slength of growth, 
by which the apex of the stem forces its way through 
the soil. Their surface, too, being buried in damp 
earth, is less exposed to heat and dryness, and need 
not guard against excessive evaporation: hence we 
find that underground stems are frequently brittle, 
with a very thin epidermis or skin. These stems are 
excellent places for the storage of food materials, 
which is the more necessary in such plants since, 
the stem beiog below ground, the leaves and flowers 
have to grow up often to a considerable height above 
the surface to secure a due amount of light and air, 
and perfect the fruit; hence subterranean stems are 
frequently thick and fleshy—look at those of the 
Butter-bur, for instance. An extreme case of the 
storage of food in stems is tound in tubers, such as 
the Potato. In these, a great amount of food material 
is stored around a few buds, which lie dormant dur¬ 
ing the winter, and use the food store in their rapid 
growth during the following season. Stems may 
altogether supplant leaves, and undertake the manu¬ 
facture of the whole of the food of the plant. The 
Gorse furnishes a \tfell known example. The seed¬ 
ling Gorse has little trifoliate leaves like the 
Genistas, to which it is related, but as the young 
Gorse increases in size these leaves disappear, and 
the green stems carry on the work of leaves, and in 
addition undertake the defence of the plant against 
grazing animals by means of the stout thorns in 
which the branches terminate." 
The Weekly Florists’ Review for January 10th 
devotes its pages to a special Carnation number. 
Croydon Horticultural [and Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Society.—We are glad to hear that the 
arrangements for the first annual dinner and social 
evening to be held by the above society on February 
27th, 1901, at the Greyhound Hotel, Croydon, at 
7 o'clock, are well in hand, and tickets are selling fast. 
Applications for tickets (price 2s 6d.) should be made 
to Mr. J. Gregory, 60, Canterbury Road, Croydon. 
Abnormal Types of British Ferns.—Mr. Charles 
T. Druery, F.L.S., V.M.H., a short while ago pub¬ 
lished a list of abnormal forms of British Ferns 
which he has at one time or another found in his 
searches in Scotland, England, and Ireland. These 
abnormal forms, be it observed, were found growing 
absolutely wild among the common or normal 
forms. The list, which will be of value to those of 
our readers who are Fern students, stands as follows : 
—Blechnum Spicant, with varieties concinnum, poly- 
dactylum, strictum, contractum, subcruciatum, cris- 
patum.revolvens, congestum, anomalum, trinervium, 
and analepis. Athyrium Filix-foemina had the 
varieties oreopteroides, laceratum, cristatum, 
mediodeficiens, deltoideum, revolvens, and caudato- 
cruciatum. Diyopteris Filix-mas had polydactyla, 
cristata, mediodeficiens, and gracilis. Dryopteris 
montana gave cristato-gracilis, depauperata, trun- 
cata, congesta, and variegata. Dryopteris dilatata 
produced the varieties polydactyla, stipitato-lacinata. 
Scolopendrium vulgare showed five forms—corymbi- 
ferum, grandiceps, traverso-cristatum, marginatum, 
and lobatum. Asplenium Trichomanes had crista¬ 
tum and depauperatum. Then Polypodium vulgare 
gave rise to the forms marginatum, bipinnatum, 
minimum, and longipinnum Lastly Polystichum 
angulare bad deficiens, and sublineare. 11 Curi¬ 
ously,” adds Mr. Druery, " though this species has 
been particularly generous in varieties I have found 
nothing thoroughbred.” 
Utility Poultry Club.—We have received a copy 
of the Year Book for 1901 issued by the Utility 
Poultry Club to its members. Among the various 
features that go towards making it of value to the 
utility poultry keeper is an advisory board consisting 
of twenty members who have consented to advise 
on poultry matters. They include the lecturers of 
fifteen county councils. Particulars of the club, a 
table poultry standard, information as to the granting 
of specials for table poultry and eggs, and also as to 
obtaining working plans of poultry appliances (so 
that members can make theirown coops, fowl houses, 
&c.) are given. An arrangement has been made for the 
insurance of member’s poultry against burglary, theft 
and fire, and this may bs popular with those living 
in districts where poultry stealing is not unknown. 
A resume is given of the work of the club during 
the past year from which we gather that although 
the club was unsuccessful in obtaining a recognition 
of the value of poultry manure in the recently passed 
Agricultural Holdings Act, a good deal of useful 
evidence on the subject was collected ; and the club 
hopes to add to this from time to time for use when 
opportunity offers. During the year £16 were given 
in prizes for the “ laying competition ” and specials 
at local shows for table poultry and eggs; while a 
course of lectures on utility poultry keeping was 
given at the last Dairy Show. A successful year 
has been brought to a close with the formation of the 
West Sussex Utility Poultry Society by Mr. M. 
Barnes of the club. Sir Westman Pearson has con¬ 
sented to be president, Sir Henry Harben, Dr. Tan- 
court, Barnes, and Mr. Robert Luck will be the vice- 
presidents. The balance sheet shows a cash balance 
in hand of £13. The book contains the names and 
addresses of all the members, and we note that after 
striking off ttie names of thirty-two for non-payment 
of their subscriptions, the club has a membership of 
320 as against 220 last year and 120 the year before. 
We think these figures testify to the increasing popu¬ 
larity of the club. The remainder of the book is 
taken up wiih a series of monthly notes for amateurs, 
the register and a lot of advertisements. The register 
contains over 600 entries of poultry, giving, in the 
majority of cases, the strain and other particulars. 
This should prove most useful to the careful breeder. 
As the subscription to the club is only 2s. 6d., the 
free issue of this interesiing book to members is 
another reason for utility poultry keepers to join the 
club. Tne honorary secretary and treasurer of the 
club is Mr. B. W. Horne, 49, Gloucester Gardens, 
London, W. 
Wreaths in Honour of the Late Queen.—Never 
before, surely, has such an enormous quantity of 
wreaths graced the funeral of any individual as 
the number that were sent to Windsor during last 
week as a last token of respect for the great, dead 
Queen. So great were they that after the full 
funeral rites and ceremonies had been performed 
only the floral tributes from the members of the 
Queen's own family could be retained, the hundreds 
and hundreds of others had to be burned or buried. 
London, on the evening of Thursday last, January 
3 rst, was literally smothered with flowers. In 
Covent Gardea great wooden boxes were lying about 
everywhere and the finished designs were busily 
being packed within them. In all the florists’ shops 
the women and girls were working as fast as their 
fingers would move. Along Regent Street the 
pedestrian traffic was completely blocked in front of 
several of the great flower shops where the more 
conspicuous emblems were on show. So great was 
the crush on that evening that it was found neces¬ 
sary to station policemen in front of the windows to 
regulate the eager concourse. These policemen 
caused the sightseers to march close past the 
windows in s'rngle file, no one being allowed to halt 
for a second. Thus thousands of people had the 
consolation of being able to say they saw the great 
wreaths. And great they were in all conscience. 
Some of the wreaths were from 12 ft. to 16 ft. in 
circumference. The designs assumed a great 
variety of forms; some symbolised huge scrolls of 
parchment wiih touching mottos over the ground¬ 
work ; some were in the form of an open Bible, 
others as cushions, anchors, crowns, royal coat of 
arms, hearts, lyres and many other attributes, not a 
few of which were quite unique. The tributes sent 
by the Australian Commonwealth, the Siamese 
Legation and the Dominion of Canada were magni¬ 
ficently grand and must have run to a tremendous 
price. 
Mr. H. J. Jones’s Chrysanthemum Guide.— 
Amoogst the many yearly publications that contain 
cultural hints for the "Golden Flower ” or “ Autumn 
Queen,"ingreateror less amount,nonewe ibink equals 
the Chrysanthemum Guide, published by Mr. H. J. 
Jones, of Ryecroft Nursery, Lewisham. There are 
reasons which acccunt for this superiority. The 
first is that Mr Jones grows thousands of plants 
h mstlf, and has done so for about twenty years ; and 
secondly, few Chrysanthemists travel about more or 
hear and see a greater variety of methods and 
opinions that have a direct bearing on the subject. 
But perhaps mcst of all lies in the fact that this 
Chrysanthemum Guide is not the creation of one 
man's brains in the ultimate sense, for each separate 
chapter is written by a “ mono-phase” specialist. 
By "mono-phase” we mean one who concentrates 
his greatest attention on one phase of a special 
subject, and the Chrysanthemum affords a "special 
subject.” Coming more definitely to the matter 
contained in the seventy odd pages of the Guide, the 
hints on propagation and the lists of varieties that 
are best propagated from at this, or that month of 
the year, are especially valuable. The alphabatical 
list of varieties with explicit directions as to when the 
stopping and timing should be performed is one of the 
best features of any, since almost the whole secret 
of success with the bnlk of varieties lies in the 
proper selection of the buds. Watering and air¬ 
giving receive the attention these matters deserve, 
though indeed even greater emphasis on their im¬ 
portance would not have been out of place. In the 
treatment of Chrysanthemum Rust we do not 
observe any recommendation to use Jeyes’ Fluid, 
which, at the rate of a wineglassful to a gallon of 
water, provides a splendid antidote for syringing 
over the plants once or twice a week in summer. 
The Guide contains other chapters on " Japanese 
Chrysanthemums for Exhibition,” "How to Grow 
Good Chrysanthemums,” “Raising English Seed¬ 
lings,' "How to Grow Large Specimen Plants,' 
" Incurved Chrysanthemums for Exhibition,” 
"Preparing Incurved Blooms for Exhibition,” 
"Large Blooms in 6-in. and 7-in. Pots,” “Early 
Chrysanthemums for the Garden,” "The Cultiva¬ 
tion of Chrysanthemums for Decorative Purposes,” 
and " Rust on Chrysanthemum Foliage.” We 
believe' this is the twelfth edition of Mr. Jones’s 
• Guide,” making the one hundred and tenth thou¬ 
sand that have been printed, and we confidently 
recommend it to every grower. The price is jA., 
post free. 
