June 8, 1901. 
653 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
The Educational Flower Show. — Early next 
month the rules and regulations will be settled by 
the executive committee and general arrangements 
made. The interest in the movement is increasing 
rapidly and everything points to a successful show 
The Woman’s Agricultural Times for this month con¬ 
tains an illustration of the magnificent Challenge 
Trophy offered by Lady Warwick to be competed 
for at the above show. 
A Queer Church.—We have churches in wind¬ 
mills, barns, and in barges drawn by horses, on the 
sluggish fen streams in this country, but Australia 
can boast of a still more curious house of worship. 
It consists of an enormous Eucalyptus tree which 
has been cut off about 20 feet from the ground, the 
body hollowed out and a roof put on top. The 
room thus made by the shell of this giant is 25 feet 
wide and capable of holding fifty persons. Surely 
this has eclipsed America for the present at least. 
Root Killing of Fruit Trees.—A year ago it may 
be remembered even here we read and heard of the 
hard winter which the Americans had to suffer. 
Great destruction was done to vineyards, nurseries 
and orchards, causing distress in the homes of many 
of the growers. The subject has been investigated 
by the Horticultural Department of the Iowa Ex¬ 
periment Station at Ames, and the conclusions and 
summary on what has been discovered are now set 
forth in Bulletin 44 of the above station. We refer 
to it for the benefit of those who may care to send 
for a bulletin. 
Dutch Horticultural and Botanical Society_ 
At a meeting of this society on May 8th the Floral 
Committee awarded First-class Certificates to Mr. 
B. Ruys, of Dedemsvaart for Aubrietia Moerheimi; 
and to the Zoological Garden of Rotterdam for 
Cineraria hybrida Vieux Rose. A Certificate of 
Merit was accorded to Mr. H. C. Hacke, of Baarn, 
for Selenipedium caudatum var. Wallisi A Botani¬ 
cal Certificate was awarded to Mr. W. C. Baron van 
Boetzelaer, of Maartensdijk, for Vanda Parishii var. 
mariottiana. A Gilt Silver Medal was accorded to 
Messrs. Gratama Brothers, of Hoogeveen, for a 
collection of cut flowers of Roses. 
Fruits in Queensland.—Queensland has great 
capacity for fruit-production, and the yearly export 
to our own and other countries is beginning to 
deserve the title of "enormous. 1 ' Here are some of 
the figures which denote the quantities of the different 
fruits exported :—36,301,735 dozens of Bananas ; 
401,692 dozens of Pine-Apples ; 1,420,893 dozens of 
Oranges, and 191,074 dozen Mangoes. In addition 
there were 80,000 bushels of Cape-Gooseberries; 
4,786 dozens of Cocoa-nuts; 27,650 dozens of 
Lemons; and 17,156 bushels of Pea-nuts. In 
various parts of the colony Strawberries, Pears, 
Apricots, Peaches, Guavas, • Limes (a species of 
Citrus), Persimmons, and Passion-fruit (Passiflora 
edulis) are successfully grown. Queensland is a fine 
country for bees, and nearly all the forest-trees 
flower and provide large supplies of honey and 
pollen, whilst the winters are so mild that the bees 
are not compelled to remain in the hives, as in 
colder climates. 
Bees.—If bees are fed at the proper season there 
will be no need for feeding in the winter. The spring 
and summer is the proper time to feed. Keep your 
bees in a condition to store honey and when the 
harvest comes they will stcre it. Commence in 
spring to stimulate and equalise, replace all old 
queens that do not come up to the standard of fer¬ 
tility with prolific young queens, and if surplus honey 
is the object, allow but little increase, but with 
young prolific queens and abundance of room there is 
but little danger of increase. Treated thus, when 
the harvest commences in June, every stock is com¬ 
pletely filled with comb brood in all stages, there are 
nursing bees in abundance, less than sixteen days old, 
honey gatherers over sixteen days old, and they are 
n the best possible condition to commence storing 
surplus honey immediately. Duriug the scarce time 
in the end of July and first part of August stimulate 
and keep up the fertility of the queens until the 
harvest again commences in the middle of August, 
the bees are then ready to commence storing surplus 
honey as soon as tbe harvest commences. The abovo 
is the summary of an article on bee keeping in The 
Woman's Agricultural Times. 
Gold Medal of the Linnean Society.—At the anni¬ 
versary meeting on May 24th, the Gold Medal of the 
society was formally awarded to Sir George King, 
K.C.I.E., F.R.S., F.L.S., in recognition of his impor¬ 
tant services to botanical science. In his unavoidable 
absence on the Continent It was presented on his 
behalf to Mr. C. B. Clarke, F.R.S., F.L.S., who 
suitably acknowledged the honour conferred. 
Baking or Steaming Soil,—The baking or steam¬ 
ing of potting soil prior to its use for the purpose of 
destroying the seeds of weeds and to kill the insects 
or insects' eggs that the soil may contain has been lately 
practiced with expedition and success by an Ameri¬ 
can florist firm. This firm has contrived a box for 
this purpose, the bottom of which is fitted with 
steam pipes. Though such a box is convenient it is 
not a necessity, for by placing any ordinary wooden 
boxes over hot-water pipes the same ends will be 
attained. 
Fruit as a Remedy for Gout.—There are those 
who think that to eat fruit plentifully guarantees a 
never-ending vigour of health, and that all troubles 
and diseases could be cured if we were rigid 
fruitarians. Linnaeus cured himself of gout, as his¬ 
tory has it, simply by confining himself for a whole 
month to Strawberries. And a number of papers 
are at present busy advocating a fruit diet as a gout 
remedy. Certainly eat fruit, and pleDty of it, but 
don’t expect it to cure everything—like some of the 
patent pills. Good advice for a gout patient is “To 
live on sixpence a day and work for it." 
Funeral Designs.—An indignant writer in the 
American Florists' Review does not spare his 
criticisms on formal wreathmaking. He cites an 
instance, of which the above paper gave an illus¬ 
tration, of a wreath in the form of a book. The 
book in question was three feet by four feet, making 
1728 square inches; they put into it 1,800 roses, 
200 Lily of the Valley, besides three-fifths of a 24- 
inch wreath which hung at the corner. Just con¬ 
template for a moment while we dig up the ghost of 
Michael Angelo and have him bunt for the artistic 
among those dove-tailed roses. Besides this 
quantity of bloom, 2,500 violets were used to say 
nothing of the quantities of Fern, etc , which were 
jabbed in. 
To Make Weed Killers.—As weed killers tbe 
following mixtures are recommended for use on 
walks, etc. '—(a). Crude carbolic acid, one [pint in 
four gallons of water. This is very powerful and 
quick acting, but not quite so lasting in effect as the 
next. It may be objected to on account of the 
odour ; this disappears after the first day. (b). 
Arsenate of soda, one pound in eight gallons of 
water, (c). White arsenic one pound, washing soda 
two pounds, water nine gallons. Practically the 
same as (b), less convenient but a little cheaper. 
Apply at the rate of eight gallons per square rod. 
Two applications in the season should suffice.— 
A merican Gardening. 
Seed Mixtures for Hay and Pasture.—During 
the spring of 1899 some experiments with the above 
were inaugurated by the authorities of Reading 
College, Reading, under the superintendence of the 
director of the Agricultural Department, Douglas A. 
Gilchrist, Esq., B.Sc., F.R.S.E. Seven plots of 
grasses and other pasture plants were sown at 
different places, and the report of results now before 
us has been drawn up by the director above named. 
At Strathfield Saye, on the Duke of Wellington’s 
estate in Berks, the greatest weight of hay, calcu¬ 
lated per acre, has been reaped from Plot 1, which 
was sown down, at the rate of 32 lbs. per acre, with 
5 lbs. Italian Ryegrass, 12 lbs. perennial Ryegrass, 
r lb. Foxtail, 2 lbs. Meadow Fescue, 2 lbs. Timothy, 
2 lbs. Cocksfoot, 2 lbs. Alsike Clover, 2 lbs. White 
Clover, 1 lb. Red Clover, 2 lbs. Cowgrass, and 1 lb. 
Trefoil, at a total cost of 17s. per acre. The weight 
of hay reaped was r ton 17 cwt. Plot 7 gave the 
lowest weight, namely, 1 ton 3 cwt. Burnet, 
Chicory, Yarrow, and Kidney Veitch was added to 
the above seeds in the case of Plot 2, but had the 
result of makiDg the herbage coarse without supply¬ 
ing greater weight. The land at Strathfield Saye is 
heavy, and Timothy and Perennial Ryegrass gave 
the most satisfactory results, besides being cheaper 
than several of the other mixtures of more costly 
seeds. 
School Farms Aboard.—While the educational 
authorities of our country, says The Farmers' Gazette, 
are engaged in doing away with the teaching of 
agriculture in rural schools, several continental 
countries are steadily developing their educational 
systems in the direction for making more provision 
for the agricultural instruction of their pupils. In 
Sweden, for instance, there are over 2,000 school 
farms in which the school work is part of their 
education, and in which agriculture of a practical 
kind is regularly given at certain hours. 
Sneeze Wood.—Among its many peculiarities, 
South Africa includes the " Sneeze Wood" tree, 
which takes its name from the fact that one cannot 
cut it with a saw without sneezing, as the fine dust 
has exactly the same effect as snuff. Even when 
planting the wood it will sometimes cause sneezing. 
No insect, worm, or barnacle will touch it. It is 
very bitter to taste, and its specific gravity is heavier 
than water. The colour is light brown, the grain 
very close and hard. It is a nice looking wood, and 
takes a good polish. It is much esteemed for dock 
work, piers, or jetties, as it possesses the useful 
quality of lasting a long while under water.— 
Farmers' Gazette. 
Begonia Caledonia. — This makes a beautiful 
companion to the well-known B. Gloire de Lorraine, 
and when once it becomes well known it bids fair to 
become quite as popular. It is quite as floriferous as 
Gloire de Lorraine, and has the same good quality 
of lasting in bloom for a considerable time. The 
plants that are usually seen at present do not give a 
fair conception of the plant’s possibilities, as being 
only a recent introduction the stock has been 
greatly exhausted by the deleterious habit of over¬ 
propagation. When this variety, which is pure 
white, is grouped with its pink sister, a superb 
effect is produced. The Revue de L'Horticulture Beige 
in its issue for June reproduces an excellent coloured 
illustration from the brush of their excellent artist, 
M. de Pannemaker. 
Anthurium andreanum Yar.Souvenir D’Edouard 
Pynaert.— Siuce the time when a Ghent hydridist 
obtained the famous Anthurium Czar Nicholas II. 
by crossing A. andreanum with A. lindenianum there 
has been much progress made in the work of hybri¬ 
dising Anthuriums, but of all the beautiful varieties 
obtained there have been none to surpass the variety 
obtained by M. Edgard Wartel, Director of the 
Ghent Horticultural Society, which bears the name 
at the head of this paragraph. It is beautifully 
figured in the Revue de L'Horticulture Beige in the 
May number. It is distinguished not only by its 
purity of colour, but by its exceptional dimensions. 
The spathes measure 8 in. long and 6 in. wide and 
are of a pure white. The spadices when young are 
light yellow, but become quite white when fully 
developed. The plant is a remarkably vigorous 
grower and possesses strikingly thick shiny leaves 
which are borne on robust cylindrical petioles. 
Irish Grown Tulips at the Temple Show.— 
Tulips now figure largely at each succeeding Temple 
show, and it is must be admitted that they are band- 
some and effective flowers. More than one collec¬ 
tion appeared from Ireland, namely, the exhibit from 
Messrs. Hogg & Robertson, Dublin, and the very 
varied collection from Mr. William B. Hartland, 
Ardcairn, Cork. The latter had Aximensis, glossy 
crimson; Buenoventura, orange and red striped; 
biebersteiniana, yellow, with orange tips; three 
forms of the yellow billietiana; Didieri, brilliant red; 
four varieties of elegans ; flava, late Dutch yellow ; 
six varieties of gesneriana; also Bouton d’Or, John 
Ruskin, The Lizard, Nigrette, Gipsy Queen, La 
Perle, Bouquet Rigaut, The FawD, Neglecta Picta, 
Parisian Yellow, and five varieties of spathulata. 
The yellow ixioides received an Award of Merit, and 
mauriana might have had the same honour if put 
up. On another stand where the award was given 
the name was altered tc mooriana, but the reason 
why was not disclosed. Other varieties shown by 
Mr. Hartland were Shandon Bells, York and Lan¬ 
caster, Silver Queen, Othello, Summer Beauty, 
Snowdon, Marjoleta, seven varieties of maculata, 
Bridesmaid, Gala Beauty, Gold Fiake, Didieri alba, 
Emerald Gem, fulgens maxima, macrospeila and 
vitellina, many of them being objects of great beauty 
and popular for late spring bedding to flower in 
May. 
