536 
THE GARDENING WORLD. A P ril 20 > 1901 
cut for vase decoration. The colours of this 
large type might also be multiplied to advan¬ 
tage. The Rose is dealt with at consider¬ 
able length, as becomes its importance, and 
as far as illustrations go the decorative ele¬ 
ment is brought into great prominence, the 
flowering sprays of Rosa centifolia, R. 
gallica, R. spinosissima altaica, R. Austrian 
Copper, R. repens, R. indica, and R. lutea 
being very beautiful. A 11 these, be it noted, 
represent single Roses, including R. centi¬ 
folia, the parent of the old Provence or 
Cabbage and the Moss Roses, in their many 
garden forms. One type of exhibition Rose 
is represented by a finely-formed bloom of 
A. K. Williams. 
Amongst the figures of greenhouse plants, 
Moraea robinsoniana is represented in the 
bud stage, as if the photographer could not 
wait till it was in bloom. Other uncom¬ 
mon greenhouse subjects are Pentapterygium 
serpens, Olearia insignis, Protea cynari- 
oides, Tecoma Smithii and Tricuspidaria 
dependens. Stove plants include Acalypha 
sanderiana, Ataccia cristata, Beaumontia 
grandiflora, Billbergia breautiana, Dipla- 
denia atropurpurea, Gardenia stanleyana, 
and others that are by no means so common 
as the first named (Acalypha). Illustrations 
of Orchids are very numerous, and alto¬ 
gether the subject has received more ample 
justice than ever it did before in this work. 
The same may be said of hardy, green¬ 
house, and stove Ferns, Palms, Cycads, 
and Succulents. 
National Auricula and Primula Society.—The 
southern section of this society will hold their an¬ 
nual exhibition at the Drill Hall, Buckingham Gate, 
Westminster, on the 23rd inst., in conjunction with 
the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society. 
Examination in Horticulture. — The Royal Hor¬ 
ticultural Society's examination in horticulture will 
take place on Wednesday, April 24th, at various 
centres throughout Great Britain. - Intending candi¬ 
dates are requested to forward their entries at once 
to the secretary, R.H.S., 117, Victoria Street, 
London, S.W. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—At a general meet¬ 
ing of the Royal Horticultural Society held on 
Tuesday, April 9th, forty new Fellows were elected, 
making 288 elected since the beginning of the 
present year, among them being Lady Anstruther, 
Lady Hunter, Major-General Sir Francis Grenfell, 
K C.M.G., Col. Spragge, D.S.O., and Samuel G. 
Buxtoo, J.P. 
Reading and District Gardeners.—At the fort¬ 
nightly meeting of the Reading and District Gar¬ 
deners' Mutual Improvement Association a paper on 
“ The cultivation of the Gloxinia with other plants 
in an ordinary greenhouse" was read by Mr. H. 
House, gardener to W. Pole Routh, Esq., Oaklands, 
Reading, in which it was pointed out that excellent 
results could be obtained with this beautiful flower, 
although the plants had to be grown with many 
different varieties of plants. The chief points 
touched upon were the culture from seed, by division 
of bulbs and by old bulbs. A discussion followed, 
in which the president (Mr. L. G. Sutton), Messrs. 
Neve, E. J. Dore, Baskett, Pigg, Exler, Wilson, 
Cretchley, Fry, Lever, Burfitt, Ager, Alexander, Cox, 
and Pole Routh took part. The exhibits were as 
follows: —Mr. F. Lever, The Gardens, Hillside, 
Calla elliottiana from seed (Cultural Certificate) and 
Gloxinia blooms and plants; Mr. E. S. Pigg, The 
Gardens, “ Samoa," Seedling Amaryllis (Cultural 
Certificate) ; Mr. House, blooms of the following: 
2onal Geraniums, Crabbe, J. L. Baldwin, Madame 
Patti, CEnid, Olivia, La Norcb, Mrs. Pole Routh, 
and Phyllis, as well as a number of Gloxinia plants. 
A hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. House 
for his practical paper, and to the exhibitors. Three 
new members were elected. The last meeting of the 
present session will be held on Monday next, when 
Mr. W. P. Lasham wiil deal with early Potato cul¬ 
ture. 
Beckenham Horticultural Society.—On Friday, 
April 12th, at the above society, Mr. Harman gave 
his experience on the “ Cultivation of Hardy Roses,” 
and those he thought were most suitable for the 
Beckenham district. The usefulness of the Crimson 
Rambler was much commented upon. Many useful 
questions were asked and answered. A vote of 
thanks was accorded to Mr. Harman for his useful 
lecture on the Rose which is always very interesting 
to all members. 
Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.—The thirteenth 
annual dinner in aid ot the above fund will take 
place at the Hotel Cecil, Strand, W.C., on Tuesday, 
May 7th, 1901, under the presidency of the Hon. W. 
F. D. Smith, M.P. The secretary will be glad to 
hear as soon as possible from gentlemen who may 
desire to be present on this occasion ; address, Mr. 
B. Wynne, 8, Danes Inn, Strand, W.C. The secre¬ 
tary will be pleased’to send a collector's receipt book 
or collecting box for small amounts to anyone who 
may be desirous of helping to extend the usefulness 
of the Fund by increasing its annual income. All 
gardeners ought to do their best to help this Fund, 
as none can tell how soon those nearest and dearest 
to them may require its benefits. For every sum of 
5s. collected or subscribed a vote is given at the next 
election. 
Liverpool Botanic Gardens.—An imposing and 
highly creditable display of Amaryllis is now on view 
at the above gardens, the bulbs are in excellent 
health, many of the spikes producing six blooms and 
in one case two spikes carrying six flowers each. 
The bulbs are extra large which shows that the 
culture adopted by Mr. J. Guttridge, the able 
Curator, is of the right kind. There are some 2,000 
seedlings and a similar number at Sefton Park in 
robust health, so that next year a very fine result 
may be expected. The houses are quite gay at 
present; Orchids, in which Dendrobiums predomin¬ 
ate, with forced bulbs and plants, make an attractive 
and pleasing exhibition. 
Viburnums.—They are more commonly known as 
Guelder Roses. The massive round heads of bloom 
obtained at the present time shows the work of the 
florist in improving on the wild forms of plants. 
When seen growing wild the heads of bloom present 
an entirely different appearance to those seen under 
cultivation. The centre of the head is a mass of incon¬ 
spicuous blooms with complete sexual organs. Those 
round the outside have no sexual organs, the calyx 
is greatly modified and often suppressed also, the 
corolla is much enlarged and made conspicuous to 
attract insects to the small flowers in the centre. 
The florist has produced a head of bloom with all 
the flowers modified as in the outer rows of the wild 
form ; therefore, all are sterile, having sacrificed 
their anthers and pistils for a large corolla. 
The National Chrysanthemum Society.—We 
have before us the annual report of the above 
society. The members are to be congratulated on 
their society still maintaining its position at the 
head of the special floricultural societies of the 
United Kingdom. The finances are in a very satis¬ 
factory condition, having a reserve fund of /107 8s. id. 
The society has our sympathy in the loss of their 
revered president, Sir Edwin Saunders, at the ripe 
age of 87. He was a man who always took a great 
interest in floriculture and was a great help to the 
society. During last autumn a deputation from the 
N.C.S. visited the Paris Chrysanthemum show at 
the International Exhibition. The following gentle¬ 
men constituted the deputation :—Mr. Percy 
Waterer, chairman of the Executive Committee; 
Mr. Thomas Bevan, chairman of the Floral Com¬ 
mittee ; Mr. Harman Payne, foreign secretary; Mr. 
J. H. Witty, and Mr. Runchman. The members 
of the N.C.S. collectively supplied an exhibit of cut 
Chrysanthemums as a token of friendly interest in 
the great undertaking our French confreres were 
organising. A grant of medals of the N.C.S. to be 
awarded to French exhibitors was also made, con¬ 
sisting of one large Gold, one small Gold, one Silver 
Gilt, one Silver and one Bronze Medal. The 
French National Chrysanthemum Society sent a 
deputation to the autumn show in London, at the 
Royal Aquarium. They much appreciated their 
friendly reception, and gave several awards. Mr. 
Vallis received the large Gold Medal of the French 
N.C.S. Mr. Norman Davis received a large Silver 
Gilt Medal. A report embodying their experiences 
appeared in Le Chrysantheme, the official organ of the 
French society. 
Wheat to the extent of 44,000,000 bushels is 
grown in Africa; but only 35,000,000 in Australia, 
this being about the lowest amount for any great 
wheat-producing country. 
Royal Horticultural Society.—The next fruit and 
flower show of the Royal Horticultural Society will 
be held on Tuesday, April 23rd, in the Drill Hall, 
Buckingham Gate, Westminster, in connection with 
which the National Auricula and Primula Society 
will hold their annual show. A general meeting of 
the Fellows will be held at three o'clock to approve 
or otherwise the proposal of the council to purchase 
land near East Darentb, ia Kent, for the new 
gardens of the society. 
A Garden in School.—The schoolmaster of Ash 
School, Whitchurch, Salop, gave a practical demon¬ 
stration of the art of gardening some weeks ago in 
the school. He got a barrow load of soil, wheeled 
it into school, and having procured a Currant bush, 
set about planting it in the barrow in presence of all 
the scholars. The why and the wherefore of each 
operation was explained to the children as he pro¬ 
ceeded. He afterwards planted out the bush with 
several others in his own garden. He thinks that by 
demonstrations of this kind, great improvements 
could be effected in cottage gardens in the near 
future. 
The Fertilisation of Violets.—The Violet is a 
general favourite, but the peculiarity of its fertilisa¬ 
tion is not so generally known, said the Rev. G. 
Henslow, at a recent meeting of the R.H.S. If 
notice is taken of the plants when in bloom, it will 
be seen that the blooms that open do not produce 
seed pods. If the leaves are put aside, there will be 
seen numerous growths Ijw down in the plant 
resembling buds ; these are really flowers of a very 
peculiar structure, the corolla is missing and the 
calyx does not open. Inside, the anthers are curled 
up and pressed on the stigma. They do not shed 
their pollen, but the pollen tubes grow through the 
side of the anthers and fertilise the ovules. This is 
known as cleistogamous fertilisation, a word from 
the Greek meaning a hidden marriage. In Italy the 
ordinary flowers set in profusion. It is supposed 
that there are no insects in Britain that can fertilise 
the flowers and in Italy there are. 
Educational Flower Show.—It is propose! (o 
hold an annual reunion of all the friends interested 
in agricultural and horticultural education. At pres¬ 
ent the groups of teachers, managers and students 
are working in isolation. This is a very undesirable 
state of affairs, so means are to be organised to bring 
them together annually for a social consultation. 
The gathering is to centre round a large flower, fruit 
and vegetable show. Not only is it proposed to hold 
a meeting, but to organise a show for the various 
institutions which are affording scientific, technical 
and practical training to people connected with rural 
pursuits. The organisers of the One and All Indus¬ 
trial Flower Show have been consulted and are pre¬ 
pared to welcome such an allied exhibition. As the 
Surrey County Beekeepers’ Association are to hold 
their exhibition and demonstration at the same time, 
it is evident the occasion will be an unique one for 
educational purposes. Lady Warwick has offered a 
handsome trophy to be competed for by students for 
the honour of the class or institution with which 
they are connected. She has also given a money 
contribution to start a prize list, and appeals to all 
friends and sympathisers to help. The show is to 
be opened on August 16th. In the evening a social 
mettiag and conference is to be held, when it is pro¬ 
posed to elect a council and permanent officials to 
carry on the movement in future years and to submit 
suggestions for the constitution of a permanent 
federation. The trophy is to become the property 
of the Educational Institution, whose students head 
the list of awards for three successive years. Mr. 
W. Iggulden has promised to act as organising 
adviser, pro. tem. ; the Countess of Warwick has 
promised to act as first president, pro. tem. ; Miss 
Edith Bradley will act as hon. secretary, pro. tem., 
with the help of Miss Crooke as assistant hon. secre¬ 
tary ; Mr. Edward Owen Greening, chairman of the 
National Co-operative Festival, will act, pro. tem., as 
chairman of the educational executive. Address for 
letters and communications :—Miss Edith Bradley, 
Lady Warwick Hostel, Reading. We wish the 
organisers of this important movement every sue* 
cess. 
