THE GARDENING WORLD 
April 6, 1901. 
501 
Another use we find these valuable for, namely, as 
pot plants for big vases. Lincoln struck late three 
plants in a pot, and potted into 7-in. pots and not 
stopped are now a mass of bloom. It is unnecessary 
to speak of their value in a cut state, but I may 
instance one, namely, long sprays of Mrs. Chas. 
Carey and long berried shoots of the Common Dog 
Rose, with shoots of Philljrea angustifolia, make 
a bright and durable va-e for a dark corner, or can 
be cut for low vases. 
When looking through gardens in summer, all 
observing people must be impressed with the effort 
to grow big blooms or to have a big display during 
October and November. While in the same garden 
little attention is given to late blooming kinds, and 
this is when they would be most useful. It cannot 
be said this is from lack of kinds. I can remember 
seeing these in fine condition in January and 
February in a Norfolk garden a dozen years ago.— 
J. C., F., Chard. 
Apricots. —The frosty nights so regular of late have 
bit the Apricot blossom rather severely, so that 
except where green Spruce branches or boughs of 
the Cherry Laurel have been fixed above the 
blossom, the prospects of a good harvest are anything 
but good. The wind on several occasions has been 
too boisterous for the success of tiffany as a means 
of protection. To add to the difficulties, heavy 
showers of flaky sno n have fallen at times, wetting 
the blossoms, and unless this has dried up at night, 
the tender blossoms, where expanded, stood a poor 
chance. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —The blossoms in 
this case are not so far advanced at the time of 
writing (29th March) in the midland and more 
northern counties, though I learn that in the earlier 
southern counties the statement does not apply. No 
such severe weather has occurred at this period for 
several years past. The surest plan of protecting 
the Peach blossom on walls is to fix some leafy 
branches of Laurels just over the blossoms. Some 
gardeners stick them in behind the stronger branches 
of the trees, but that will not shelter the flowering 
shoots on the outer edges of the trees where the 
branches or shoots are too slender for fixing leafy 
boughs over them. In the lower reaches of the 
trees some large boughs could be stuck in the ground 
to lean against the trees. Others might be sus¬ 
pended from the top of the walls by means which the 
grower can best devise on the spot. In any case 
they must be secured to prevent their swaying to 
and fro by the wind, as that alone would destroy all 
the blossoms within their reach Wide copings on 
the top of fruit walls are very valuable in keeping off 
frost, but these should be put up on purpose, and be 
movable after their services are no longer required. 
Cherries and Plums.— -In the case of wall trees 
some means of protecting all the more valuable 
varieties at least should be taken. They are, if any¬ 
thing, more tender, and liable to damage than 
Peaches and Nectarines. Similar methods might be 
adopted as above recommended ; and in certain cases 
it would be worth while getting long Spruce 
branches, cut fresh, and tying them on to the main 
limbs of the trees in such a way that they would 
extend over the slender flowering shoots at the 
extremities of the trees. The early morning sun 
striking upon the blossom does more damage than 
several degrees of frost. The use of the evergreen 
branches should, therefore, be apparent to those who 
have not yet used them. 
Figs. —The severe weather of the past few weeks 
is not likely to injure the prospects of a good crop in 
the case of Figs npon outside walls, except in the 
case of badly ripened wood, which is useless for the 
production of fruit. Where the trees have been 
growing too rampantly in previous years, the present 
is a good time to remedy or check the evil. Those 
who are situated in chalky districts will have no 
difficulty in this respect, for the Fig likes a chalky 
subsoil, or in other words gives an excellent return. 
Fertile soils with a free root run are unfavourable to 
the production of fruit. In such cases the cultivator 
should lift the trees and root prune them. Still 
better would it be to concrete the bottom ot the 
border, or take out tbe soil to the depth of 2^ ft., and 
put about a foot of chalk rubble in the bottom, 
ramming it hard. The root system could still 
further be restricted with advantage by surrounding 
an area of 1J to 2 square yards with a brick wall, one 
brick in thickness. These precautions will restrain 
rampant and useless growth for a much longer 
period than merely root pruning the trees. This 
may yet be done without injury to the trees.— M. I. 
-—-- 
©leanings from flje HDtnrlb 
of Science. 
The subjects given below were brought before the 
Scientific Committee of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, on the 12th ult. 
Carnation, leaves decayed. —Mr. W. B 
Vernon, of Oswestry, sent some leaves decayed at 
the tips of a pink Malmaison, observing that the 
browning of the apex of the leaves occurs almost 
every year about this time. They were sent to Dr. 
W. G. Smith for examination and report. 
Late flowering Chrysanthemum. — Mr. 
Holmes sent a blossom of L. Canning, with the fol¬ 
lowing observation :—•' I have never seen a flower 
so late as this before. It was in a pot in a cold 
house, and has been in blossom since the week 
before Christmas. I also send a fasciated stem of 
Daphne Cneorum.” 
Snowdrops, diseased.—Dr. W. G. Smith sent 
the following report upon specimens submitted to 
him :—" I regard the Snowdrops sent from last 
meeting of tbe Scientific Committee as attacked by 
the Botrytis stage of the fungus Sclerotinia Galamhi. 
This was described and figured by Worthington G. 
Smith (Gardeners' Chronicle, 1889); George Massee 
describes it in the Kew Bulletin, No. 124, and in his 
latest text-book of plant diseases. There is no need 
for me to submit a formal report, the name and above 
references should be enough to mention in the R,H.S. 
Journal report. I found the Botrytis form of sport: 
working its way up the green parts of plants sent; 
now these are a shapeless mass with the Sclerotium 
stage present in numbers. As to remedy, I can sug¬ 
gest nothing better than the measures mentioned 
about a year ago in a report to the committee on 
Daffodils attacked by same disease. I have not the 
Journal by me now, so cannot give you the page 
where above is.” 
Mistleto in the Oxford Botanic Gardens.— 
Inquiries haviDg been made as to the origin of the 
numerous plants and varieties of Viscum album now 
on various trees Id these gardens, the following 
observations have been received from Mr. J. E. Jef¬ 
feries, Oxford:—"I understood from the late Mr.W.H. 
Baxter that his father established the plant on Apple 
trees growing in a slip of ground cutside the garden 
western boundary wall many years ago. Now it is 
met with in, or adjacent to, the gardeas on perhaps 
a greater number of different kinds of trees than 
could be seen in a similar area anywhere, and pro¬ 
bably the diversity of their forms is equally excep¬ 
tional. On fresh specimens the size of the fruits 
vary considerably, the largest fruited plants being 
rendered far more striking as regards their white¬ 
ness, or, as may be said, their effective translucent 
appearance, more especially where they aggregate in 
clusters and become distinguished by being so pro¬ 
lific.” Mr. Burbidge records the fact of Viscum 
growing on the following trees in the O.B. Gardens : 
" Ostrya vulgaris, Horse Chestnut, Pavla flava. 
Lime, Maple, Hawthorn, Apple, Willow, Beech, and 
Viburnum sp., but very weakly on the last two. 
Outside the gardens it grows on two Poplars.” 
Cattleya monstrous.—Mr. Coleman exhibited 
a form of Cattleya, which Dr. Masters undertook to 
examine. 
Leopard Moth.—Mr.Gordon referred to the dam¬ 
age done by the caterpillars of this moth in boring up 
branches of the Spanish Chestnut, Apple trees, &c. 
He asked for information as to how long the cater¬ 
pillar lived. Mr. McLachlan observed that the 
general misconception as to this was that it ready 
bored upwards through the pith and not downwards, 
as is usually supposed. The only remedy was to 
insert a wire and kill it by probing. The fumes of 
cyanide of potassium was another remedy, if it could 
effectually reach the caterpillar. As to the duration, 
two seasons were required to complete the trans¬ 
formation, while the Goat Moth caterpillars took 
three years. 
Apple, rotten.—Mr. Houston exhibited a re¬ 
markable case of decay, in that it had begun in the 
centre and spread uniformly outwards ; so that the 
sound part came away like a hollow shell, leaving 
the perfectly spherical decayed central mass. There 
was no apparent fungus or other cause to account for 
it. 
Orinum sp.— Mr.Worsley exhibited some s‘oi ids 
of a species of Crinum known as jamaicense. It is 
found in Jamaica, on the N.E. coast, near the sea, 
exposed to the N.E. trade winds. It is an un¬ 
recorded species, and since the peculiar methid of 
propagation by fleshy stolens, one joint of which 
swells into the bulb, are characteristics of N. 
America, it was Mr. Worsley’s opinion that it was 
derived from that country by ocean currents floating 
the seeds or perhaps bulbs to the shore of 
Jamaica. 
Specimens from Botanic Gardens, Dublin, 
—The following interesting plants, &c., were 
received from Mr. Burbidge, with the following 
remarks :—“ r, Herewith I send two or three sheets 
of Birch-bark paper, from Betula utilis, D. Don 
(= /3 Bbjopattra, Wall). It is written that paper 
was first invented and made by the Chinese; but I 
suppose the Birch trees of both East and West 
(vide Longfellow’s poem of ’Hiawatha’), to say 
nothing of the wasps, made paper long before even 
the Chinese ! Note how sensitive it is to heat and 
moisture. It is difficult to prevent its becoming a 
natural scroll. Was it the origin of all scrolls of 
bark, 'and afterwards of animal skins, used as a 
writing surface or paper ? We have three trees, the 
largest 20 ft. high, and we value them very highly, 
not only for their silver-stemmed beauty, especially 
during winter, but especially because they were born 
and raised here from seeds, which Sir J. D. Hooker, 
K C S I., &c., sent to the gardens eighteen years ago. 
In the same packet came seeds of the Himalayan 
Bird Cherry, Prunus (Padus) cornutus, with its o’d 
bronze-coloured bark, now 25 ft. high, and it flowers 
and fruits freely every year. 2, Flowers of the cli 
greenhouse plant, Canarina campanulata, of the 
Canary Islands (1696), vide ’ Bot. Mag.,’ t. 444. 3, 
Salvinia natans. As to this, note its waterpro f 
coating of short hairs, which carries down an air 
film if the plant be temporarily submerged; note 
also its lifeboat-like habit of ’righting’ itself when 
placed into a vessel of water. Like • Duckweed ’ 
(Lemna), Azolla, and other aquatics, it robs all sub¬ 
merged plants of light, &c., by its (and their) habit 
of forming a dense green mosaic on the surface of 
the water. Azolla kills or crowds out Lemna minor 
here in sheltered open-air tanks ! 4, Acacia sphaero- 
cephala (? = A. cornigera), ’ Buffalo-horn Acacia,’ 
myrmecophilous (vide Belt, T., ‘Naturalist in 
Nicaragua,’ 8vo, London, 1874). Note the big 
hollow spines, in which ants live; and also the 
yellow waxy secretion and exudation at tips or 
apices of youDg leaflets. I do net think this sub¬ 
stance has received any chemical study. This 1 ant- 
manna ’ seems to be of no actual or direct 
service or relief to the Acacia, as are some 
secretions; the resinous secretions that at times 
close the absorptive and secretive glands on the 
leaves of the Rosa alpina for example. In any case 
it would be a step forward to know exactly what this 
yellow wax-like leaf product really is. 5, An Indian 
‘ Dodder,’ growing on Ivy in cool greenhouse here, 
Cuscuta reflexa: Hooker, in 1 Himalayan Journals,’ 
Minerva Library, 1891 edition, page 27, says: — 
* Dodders (Cuscuta) covered^even tall trees with a 
golden web.’ This species is so rampant that it 
might have been one of them. It will grow on Ivy, 
Pelargonium, Cotoneaster, Calceolaria, Carex, Jas¬ 
mine, Forsythia, Cjtisus, Fuchsia—indeed, nothing 
seems to come amiss, and it is even self-parasitic 
(like the Mistleto), this phase of its life history 
having been discovered by Dr. Henry H D.xon, of 
the Physiological Laboratory, Trinity College, 
Dublin, a few years ago, and described in the • Pro¬ 
ceedings of the Royal Irish Academy,’ as also in 
1 Notes from the Botanical School of Trinity College, 
Dublin,’ No. 4, January, 1901, chap. xvii. page 146. 
The plant flowers freely late in summer or autumD, 
the flowers being white, and not unlike a small Lily 
of the Valley (Convallaria) bells, having a honey-like 
perfume, which is very attractive to flies of many 
kinds. Azolla filaculoides, on water in muddy out¬ 
door tanks here, is now a lovely copper-red colour. 
I see Hooker (loc cit. supra), page 255, mentions 
Lake Catsuperri, alt. 7,150 It, bordered by a broad 
marsh of bog moss, in which was abundance of 
Azolla, colouring the waters red.” 
