February 2S, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Peebles Leek Ci.ub and Vegetable Association. —The annual 
general meeting of the members of this association was held in 
the Upper Good Templars’ Hall on the 17th inst., Mr. J. G. 
Anderson, Kailzie, being called on to preside. Mr. James 
Whyte secretary, read the minutes of previous meetings, which 
were approved,' and Mr. John Chalmers, treasurer, submitted 
his financial statement, from which it appeared that the income 
for the past year, including a balance of £8 15s. 6d. from the 
previous year, had amounted to £43 16s., and the expenditure 
to £33 4s. Id., leaving a balance in favour of the association of 
£10 4s. lid. The financial statement having been approved, it 
was decided that the annual exhibition for this year be held on 
Saturday, October 17th. 
^ 7 * * * 
Beckenham Horticultural Society.— On Friday, Feb¬ 
ruary 13th, the cultivation of Gloxinias was the paper read 
by ivir. J. Young, grower to John Peed and Son. Mr. Young 
usually sowed his seed in December or early in January. As 
soon as the seedlings were ready they were potted on in good 
turfy loam, leaf soil, or rotted manure and sand. He did not 
advocate peat for potting them in. In growing the plants only 
one shoot was allowed to a plant. Photos of plants taken at 
the nurseries were exhibited, showing fine examples full of 
blooms, which illustrated to the members that the cultivation 
of the Gloxinia was very skilfully carried out at the Norwood 
Nurseries. There was a good discussion at the close of the 
paper, and a vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Young for his 
paper. 
NEWS OF THE WEEK. 
The Goat Willow at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, was in 
full bloom by the middle of the second week in February. As a 
rule, it is a month later in coming into bloom. 
* * * 
Alteration in Rules for Judging. —Everyone possessing a 
copy of the “Rules” published by the Royal Horticultural 
Society is requested to make the following alterations :—Page 14, 
line 4, should in future read thus : Muscat of Alexandria or other 
Muscat Grapes, 11; and the word “other” should be inserted 
before “black Grapes.” By order of the council. —W. Wilks, 
Secretary. 
* * * 
Precocious Trees.— The Babylonian Willow (Salix babylonica) 
is the latest of its kind to shed its leaves in autumn, and it is 
also one of the earliest to appear in leaf, when it develops the 
floral leaves that accompany the catkins. Usually it is well 
into March before this happens, and the sunshine then makes 
the trees appear to be hung with golden filigree. In the Thames 
Valley the trees had reached this stage in the second week of 
this month, and ever since they have presented quite a spring¬ 
like appearance, but these floral leaves are of a delicate green, not 
yellow. Salix cinerea Medemii had practically passed out of 
bloom at Kew by the 14tli inst. It is an unusually precocious 
variety any year. At the same time, Crataegus pinnatifida was 
in full growth at Kew, the young, leafy shoots being of some 
length, and showing the flower tresses. 
* * * 
Wax Models of Fossil Plants.— At the meeting of the 
Linnean Society on February 5th, Air. H. E. H. Smedley, F.L.S., 
exhibited twelve wax models of longitudinal and transverse sec¬ 
tions of the following seeds:—Stephanospermun akenioides, 
1 Pachytesta from the French Permo-Carboniferous Formation, 
Lagenostoma from the English Coal-Measures, with the recent 
Torreya and Zamia. in illustration of Prof. Oliver’s paper. Then 
Professor F. W. Oliver, D.Sc., read a paper on “ Stephanosper- 
mum, Brongniart, a genus of fossil Gymnospermous Seeds,” 
which was illustrated by lantern-slides, drawings on the black¬ 
board, and the models prepared by Mr. Smedley. The communi¬ 
cation was restricted to a consideration of two seeds from the 
Stephanian of Grand Croix, respectively Stephamospermum 
akenioides. Brongn., and a new seed, which the author proposes 
to name S. caryoides. Special attention was drawn to the pollen- 
grains found in the pollen-chambers of these two seeds, which 
were described at length, and a few grains of unknown pollen 
were shown to occur occasionally. The complexity of these seeds 
as compared with those of recent Cvcads and other Gmnosperms 
was pointed out. and a hvnothetic scheme was shown to de¬ 
monstrate a possible transition from one type to the other. .Dis¬ 
cussion was carried on by Dr. D. H. Scott, Prof. J. Bretland 
Farmer, an 1 Air. W. C. Worsdell, to whom Prof. Oliver replied. 
195 
Mr. William Young, hon. secretary of Kirkcaldy Naturalist 
Society, lias been elected a Resident Fellow of the Botanical 
Society of Edinburgh. 
* * * 
Amphicarpic Fruits. —At the Linnean Society on February 
5th, Air. C. H. Wright, A.L.S., on behalf of Sir W. T. Thiselton- 
Dyer, K.C.M.G., exhibited amphicarpic fruit in specimens of (1) 
Cardamine chenopodifolia, Pers. ; (2) Trifolium polymorphum, 
Poir. ; and (3) Yicia aniphicarpa, Dorth. The President and 
Professor J. B. Farmer added some remarks, to which Air. 
Wright replied. 
* * 
Consumption of Bananas. —The growing popularity of the 
Banana is shown by the great increase in the consumption of this 
wholesome fruit during the past two years. Since Mr. Chamber¬ 
lain's effort to aid Jamaica the importation into this country 
has risen from one and a half million to three million bunches 
per annum, which speaks eloquently for the popularity of the 
fruit. 
* *• * 
Lecture on “Garden Cities.” —A well-attended meeting of 
the Hull Horticultural Association was held on the 9th inst. in 
the Oddfellows’ Hall, Charlotte Street, Councillor Raine pre¬ 
siding. The lecture of the evening was given by Air. W. Wilson, 
head gardener to Sir James Reckitt, Bart., of Swanland Manor, 
on the subject of “Garden Cities: are they practicable?” Air. 
Wilson dealt with his subject under heads, viz.. Garden cities : 
what they are; are they needed? and are they practicable? 
With an abundant supply of slides, worked by oxy-hydrogen 
lantern, an ideal garden city was detailed by Air. Wilson, show¬ 
ing the general plan, streets, avenues, parks, and recreation 
grounds, together with sanitary and healthy roomy dwellings ; 
believing that such a city, with such inducements, would tend 
to draw the people from the overcrowded cities to the pure air 
of the country. A number of slides were then thrown on the 
screen depicting slum life in many of our great towns and cities, 
and Air. Wilson was able to point out to the members the need 
of such garden cities. In contrast to slum life many fine pictures 
were shown of the happy homes of the garden cities as have 
been given to the workpeople of the well-known firms of Lever 
Bros., of Port Sunlight fame ; Cadbury and Co., of Bournville ; 
and Krupp’s garden city of Germany. He stated that in his 
opinion garden cities and the etforts of the Garden City Associa¬ 
tion were not, as some people said, an empty dream, but an 
accomplished fact. 
The Queen of Orchids. —To Air. Hugh Dixson, of Abergeldie, 
Summer Hill, Sydney, New South Wales, belongs the credit of 
having in his possession the most rare and unique speciesi of 
Orchid yet introduced into that State. Fourteen years ago he 
first planted it in a suitable position in a hothouse in his pretty 
grounds, but only within the past month did it show signs of 
flowering. To-day (January 8th) it is beautifully picked out in 
delicate blooms. Yesterday, at the invitation of Air. Dixson, a 
number of ladies and gentlemen interested in horticulture visited 
Abergeldie, and were shown the plant, which is thus described 
by Air. Dixson:—“The Grammatophyllum speeiosum has been 
well called the Queen of Orchids. Veitch, in his ‘ Manual of 
Orchidaceous Plants,’ says : ‘ This gigantic Orchid excited the 
wonder of travellers in Malaysia long before it found its way 
into British gardens. It was introduced and flowered for the first 
time in 1852. From that time to the present its flowering in 
the glass houses of Europe has been of rare occurrence, and the 
recorded instances are few. The largest plant of it that is known 
is in the Botanical Garden in Penang ; it has a circumference of 
over 40ft., the steins 6ft. to 7ft. long ; it had, one year, at least 
thirty flower racemes up to 7gft. long. It has an extensive 
geographical range from Singapore to Java.’ The plant I have 
was received about fourteen years ago>, relatively, very small, 
with three stems (still to be seen in the centre of the plant) about 
2ft. 6in. in height. To-day it has over twenty stems, several of 
which are 7^ft. long, not measuring leaves, and three flower 
racemes, corresponding very closely to the Penang plant. The 
flowers are 5in. in diameter, yellow, spotted with deep red 
purple. Each raceme has about sixty flowers and buds. This 
is not the first time that a plant has flowered in Australia ; the 
companion to mine in our Botanic Gardens had three or four 
abortive flowers shortly after they received it, but it has not 
flowered since. I have also heard that a plant at Camden Park 
has flowered, but so far as I am aware it is not recorded. The 
circumference of my plant is about 24ft. ; if the stems were not 
tied up it would be fully 30ft.” As the cultivation of 
Orchids is accounted a difficult branch of the gardener’s art, 
praise is due to Air. T. Nicol, the gardener at Abergeldie, 
