September 26, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
807 
JETi* ‘8Che Hardening World. 
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t 
EDITORIAL NOTES. 
international Horticultural Exhibi¬ 
tion at Edinburgh. 
The council of the Royal Caledonian; Hor- 
icultural Society have unanimously agreed 
o hold an International Horticultural Ex- 
libition in the Waverley Market, Edinburgh, 
n September, 1905. The last international 
j here was held in 1891—that is, just four- 
een years interval. On that occasion ’£1,300 
Aas distributed in prize money. On this 
Occasion it is proposed to offer £2,000 in 
prizes, or, at all events, they aim at a com 
iderably higher’ sum than was offered on 
I he last occasion. The' last show was a great 
ueoess, but it is reckoned that more space 
fill be required in 1905. This resolution 
vas made in the Wave-rley Market on ; Satu¬ 
rday, the 12th inst. 
Drying Vegetables- 
The Bulletin of the Imperial Institute con¬ 
tains an article on this subject which culti¬ 
vators might well consider. The paper in 
question deals with the methods of drying 
Potatos for use on shipboard or in similar 
cases where it is impossible always to get the 
fresh article. There are several factories on 
a large scale for the drying of vegetables by 
artificial means, but the proper means for 
the convenience of a family does not yet seem 
to have been hit upon. In Sweden there are 
large factories which prepare green food for 
winter use, and it is said that the vegetables 
come out as fresh as if they had just come 
from the garden. The vegetables used for 
such a purpose are Potatos, French Beans, 
and Peas. It is said that there is such a 
demand at home for those articles in the 
preserved state that none are exported. Pos¬ 
sibly also the cost of carriage would be some¬ 
what against them. It is stated that a sack 
of Potatos sent from Ireland to London costs 
more for carriage than would buy the Potatos 
in the London market. 
■-O'—- 
A London School of Gardening. 
There are now several schools of garden¬ 
ing in and about London, but that conducted 
under the auspices of the Royal Botanical 
Society seems determined to be thoroughly 
practical and to improve the status of the 
students placed under its care. The 
society has the countenance and support of 
the Technical Education Board of the 
London County Council. The gardens are 
about twenty acres in extent, and have the 
means of furnishing the school with instruc¬ 
tion of a very varied kind. During the first 
year’s course the students are instructed in 
the making of flower beds, trenching, dig¬ 
ging, manuring, mowing, and path making. 
The students also go through the ordeal of 
preparing -soil for potting plants, storing 
manure, and the study -of insect pests, 
together with remedies for the same. 
Pruning and training of fruit trees, ornar 
mental trees and shrubs also constitute a part 
of the curriculum. The society does not 
imagine that a three years course will fit- 
the students for gardening in all its phases, 
but considers that they should undergo a 
course of training as under gardeners. 
—o—- 
Decreasing Cultivation. 
A statement was recently issued by the 
Board of Agriculture showing the area under 
cultivation with certain crops by comparison 
with those of last year. It- seems that more 
kinds of crops are decreasing in the extent 
of their cultivation than others have in¬ 
creased. Omitting those things that con¬ 
cern the farmer rather than the gardener, 
we may say that the area under Peas, 
Potatos, Turnips, and Cabbages has greatly 
decreased by comparison with the area- which 
they occupied last year. Of those crops 
which we have mentioned Potato® have 
suffered the greatest decrease. If such is 
the case and the disease now threatening in¬ 
creases to any great extent, Potatos must 
either rise in price! or there must be a much 
greater importation than in former years. 
Trees and Rainfall. 
Not for many years past have we had such 
a heavy rainfall extending over the greater 
part of Britain and Ireland. While the 
heavy rain lasts we read of flooding and 
damage to growing crops, and other property, 
owing to the sudden flooding of lands border¬ 
ing upon rivers. If we had a proper system 
of forest cultivation in this country, the 
planting of all waste area® with tree® would 
do much .to regulate the flow of water from 
the mountains, hills', and other areas into the 
-rivers. It is well known that bare hillsides, 
whether naturally or artificially drained, 
cause a flooding of the rivers which drain 
them on every occasion of a storm. If these 
hillsides w-ere planted much of this rainfall 
would be absorbed by the soil and gradually 
find its way to springs and subterranean 
water beds instead of suddenly flooding the 
lowlands in the course of twenty-four hours 
or so., to the great damage of the crops grow¬ 
ing alongside their courses. In tropica] 
countries, where storms are frequent and 
severe, these facts are often more apparent 
than in temperate countries, for if the hills 
have been denuded of trees the tropical rains 
have even washed away the accumulations of 
soil, thus preventing the hills being wooded 
again. 
Raspberry Superlative. 
Of all the varieties of Raspberry in culti¬ 
vation, the variety Superlative seems to give 
the most satisfaction to growers generally— 
at least-, in the South. Mr. W. R. Greenway, 
Fretherne Court Gardens, Stoneliouse, 
Gloucester, writes to say : “ We have beaten 
the record with Raspberries. We grow only 
the famous Superlative., and from a small 
plantation, we have been gathering a daily 
dish ever since July 6th. Hardy fruits are 
practically a complete failure, therefore the 
Raspberries have been in great request. As 
you probably know, one can go for miles up 
or down the Severn Valley and see nothing 
but barren trees. A rarity indeed is an 
orchard with a few well-cropped trees, which 
re-ally makes one; covet and desire.” In our 
experience the condition o-f the weather at 
the. time of ripening has a great deal to do 
with the behaviour of Raspberries. Should 
it prove veiy diy, the fruits, or a large pro¬ 
portion of them, do not swell up, but remain 
in the form of -small knobs of a, few grains. 
The abundant rainfall during August and 
the early part of September has no doubt 
been responsible for this good return in the 
matter of Raspberry fruits. 
