July 20, 1901. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
747 
NEW SEEDLING ROSE. 
QUEEN ALEXANDRA. 
Awarded a GOLD MEDAL by the National Rose Society, at the 
Temple Gardens, July 4th, 1901, 
This beautiful Seedling, a cross between the well-known Crimson 
Rambler and Rosa Multiflora Simplex, produces with great freedom trusses 
of flower of a rich Rose Colour, and is a decided acquisition to the list of 
Pillar Roses. 
Plants in Autumn, 5s. each. 
JAMES VEITGH & SONS, Ltd., 
ROYAL EXOTIC 
NURSERY, 
CHELSEA. 
“ Gardsning is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man "— Bacon. 
©artotthtj 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S., F.R.H.o. 
SATURDAY, JULY 20 th, rqoi. 
The Editorial and Publishing Offices are 
now at 4, Dorset Buildings, Salisbury 
Square, Fleet St., London, E.C., where 
all communications and remittances are 
to be addressed to the Proprietors. 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Tuesday, July 23rd.—Durham, Northumberland aDd New¬ 
castle Botanical and Horticultural Society's Exhibition, at 
Newcastle (2 days) ; Tibshelf Rose Show 
Wednesday, July 24th.—Strathbane Horticultural Exhibition 
(2 days); Southern Counties Carnation Society’s Show. 
Thursday, July 25th.—Selby Exhibition ; National Sweet Pea 
Society at Royal Aquarium (2 days). 
Beware of the Poison-tree Sumach. 
'THOSE who have the good fortune to 
possess a well stocked garden and yet 
not be very familiar with the occupants may 
entertain an angel unawares, but they are 
just as liable to the opposite extreme and 
pay the penalties for a long time without 
suspecting the source of the evil. We have 
just been informed of a case in point by the 
husband of a lady who has suffered acute 
pain at intervals for the last three years. 
At length she observed that the attacks 
always coincided with the visits of the 
family to their country residence in a rather 
remote and decidedly rural village in 
Surrey. On mentioning this fact they were 
advised to see if there was any poisonous 
plant in the garden, and after ransacking 
the same, some branches of a suspected 
plant were taken to Kew Gardens and to 
the Natural History Museum, South 
Kensington. It turned out that two 
branches taken from a plant proved to be 
Rhus Toxicodendron, variously known as 
the Poison-Oak, and Poison-tree Rhus or 
Sumach. This was growing all round the 
balcony of the lady’s bedroom. She had 
in fact frequently taken leaves from and 
broken twigs off the shrub, which climbs 
by means of roots and therefore well 
adapted for covering the surface of walls,trees 
and other objects. The visits to the country 
residence and the trouble coincided with the 
time when the leaves were upon the trees. 
We have minutely examined a number of 
species of Rhus, including R. venenata, 
when they were at rest and also when 
coming into leaf. On another occasion we 
cut our fingers with the knife when.pruning 
R. Toxicodendron, in the early spring-time, 
when it was at rest, yet experienced no ill 
effects. All this may of course prove 
nothing, if the shrubs are harmless when at 
rest. Neither do all persons suffer alike. 
R. Toxicodendron is said to be poisonous 
to some persons though in a less degree than 
R. Vernix. Kalm relates that of two 
sisters one could handle the tree without 
being affected by it, while the other felt its 
baneful influenje, if she came within a yard 
of it, or even stood at a greater distance to 
the windward of the same. Kalm experi 
enced no ill effects although the juice 
squirted into his eye ; but he put a layer of 
it on another man’s hand, and after a few 
hours the skin became like tanned leather 
and afterwards peeled off in scales. Another 
collector named Lyons suffered severely for 
several weeks after merely collecting the 
seeds. 
These experiences recall the reputed evil 
effects of Primula obconica and P. sinensis, 
the sufferers having a severe attack with 
symptoms resembling blood-poisoning or 
eczema. The Surrey lady had a similar 
experience. Planters, collectors and owners 
of gardens especially should be well ac¬ 
quainted with the nature of the plants in 
their garden, so that if any member of the 
family should suffer, they should be able at 
once to trace the malady to the offending 
plant, and have it forthwith evicted. Even 
if the owner should suffer no evil effects, 
some individual of his family may. 
Trials of Manure for Potatos. 
THE County Councilsof Berkshire,Dorset, 
Hampshire and Oxfordshire have been 
working in unison for some years for the 
purpose of conducting various experiments 
with manures and field crops, the results 
for the past year being published in pamphlet 
form by the Agricultural Department of 
Reading College, the report having been 
prepared by Douglas A. Gilchrist, Esq., 
B.Sc., of that institution. In the case of 
the Potato trials at Broadstone, Dorset, we 
note that the soil was poor, consisting of 
deep sandy loam, of a moorish character, 
overlying the lower Bagshot sands, pro¬ 
verbially infertile. The Potatos used were 
Up-to-Date and Windsor Castle, the former 
a large and heavy cropping variety and the 
latter producing lighter crops of better table 
quality. The total weight of Up-to-Date 
on the unmanured plot was 3 tons 15 cwt. 
80 lb., and of Windsor Castle, 3 tons 2 cwt. 
96 lb. Farmyard manure at the rate of 20 
tons per acre was applied to plot No. 2, 
giving 4 tons 7 cwt. 961b., of the former 
Potato, and 2 tons 16 cwt. 88 lb. of the 
latter. That farmyard manure should have 
decreased the weight of Windsor Castle is 
somewhat singular, but no explanation of 
