October 3rd, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
841 
usual. Prices are running low. There will be over 500,000 
bushels for export. 
* * * 
Fruit at the Mansion House.— There will be a variation of 
the usual procedure in connection with the presentation of fruit 
by the Fruiterers’ Company to the Lord Mayor at the Mansion 
House on October 8th. The gift is made in accordance with an 
ancient custom, and symbolises a compromise which was effected 
some centuries ago between a Lord Mayor and the Guild in 
regard to a question of toll. This year the fruit presented will 
be smaller in quantity than usual, as the Lord Mayor is him¬ 
self a large grower, and, consequently, to make such an offering 
is regarded as being a little out of place. 
* * * 
Illustrated Dessert.— M. Opoix, chief gardener at the 
Luxembourg, is hoping against hope that a week of fine, sunny 
weather may precede the arrival of the Italian Sovereigns in 
Paris, says the “Daily Mail.” It is his duty to furnish the 
dessert for the banquet, ana in view of this, says the “ Figaro.” 
he has covered a number of Apples and Pears growing on the 
trees with paper, in which silhouettes of King Victor Emmanuel, 
Queen Helena, and President Loubet have been cut, the task 
of reproducing the portraits on the surface of the fruit being 
left to the sun. The atmospheric conditions, however, are not 
favourable to M. Opoix’s ingenious scheme. 
* * * 
Presentations at Chiswick. —Mr. T. Humphreys, assistant 
secretary Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, Chiswick, being 
about to leave the society for an appointment as curator of the 
Botanical Gardens, Edgbaston, Birmingham, received two pre¬ 
sentations at Chiswick on Tuesday last on the occasion of the 
great autumn show of British-grown fruit and vegetables. The 
presentation was made by the chairman, Sir Trevor Lawrence, 
Bart., just after the luncheon given by the Council. The an¬ 
nouncement was made by the secretary of the Testimonial Com¬ 
mittee, who read the illuminated address, which was as follows : 
“ This address, together with a cabinet canteen of cutlery and 
silver and a Queen Anne tea and coffee service, is presented to 
Mr. Thomas Humphreys, secretary of the Floral Committee of 
the Royal Horticultural Society in warm appreciation 
of his services to the Floral and Fruit Committee of 
the society, both at the Drill Hall, Westminster, and at the 
gardens of the society at Chiswick. They desire to heartily 
congratulate Mr. Thomas Humphreys upon his appointment as 
curator of the Botanical Garden, Edgbaston, Birmingham, and 
cordially wish him and his family good health and increasing 
prosperity.” This testimonial bore the names of 75 who had 
contributed to the presentation. Immediately after this Mr. 
George Gordon, on behalf of the Horticultural Press, announced 
that almost everyone had contributed to a presentation made by 
the Press in recognition of the kind services and assistance 
given by Mr. Humphreys to the members of the Press at the 
various exhibitions. The presentation took the form of a 
valuable roll-top desk. 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
The Editor invites enquiries for reply in this column. These 
enquiries may cover any branch of gardening. Questions should be 
put as briefly as possible, and written on one side of the paper only ; 
a separate sheet of paper sho-uld be used for each question. 
Senders are also invited to give their fellow gardemrs the benefit 
o+ their experience by sending supplementary replies. 
Replies cannot be sent by post, even if a stamped, addressed 
envelope is enclosed , and the return of specimens cannot be undertaken. 
Anonymous communications are treated in the usual editorial manner. 
Address letters: The Editor, “The Gardening World,” 37 and 
38, Shoe Lane, Lcndon, E.C. 
Hieracium aurantiacum and its Names. (Quo ) 
The name Grim the Collier was said to be given it by Mrs. 
li. J. Ewing on account of the black hairs on the unopened 
flower heads, which give the buds a sooty 'appearance. The 
term is rather a fanciful one, however, and not very well known. 
The older and a better-known name is the Orange Hawkweed, 
which alludes to the colour of the florets, and is therefore easily 
remembered. 
Violets with Tubers on the Runners. (Philomathus.) 
We have seen tubers on the stems and runners, and sometimes 
the leaf stalks, of wild Violets, similar to the specimens which 
you have sent. We examined your specimens microscopically, 
and wore well aware that they could not be producing seeds on 
those places. We were doubtful whether it might not be a case 
of eel jvorm or gall-producing insects. On microscopical exa¬ 
mination we found that neither of these cases would answer. It 
is a case of attack by parasitic fungus. Every one of those 
tubers is literally full of two kinds of spores. One kind con¬ 
sists. of one to three celled teleutospores, and also clusters of 
uredosporas, the latter being by far the most numerous. Very 
soon these spores will be breaking through the skin of the plant, 
and making their escape into the soil, to rest there until next 
spring, and then trouble you again in the same way when the 
V inlets are planted out in the garden. We should advise you, 
therefore, to pick off every tubercle or tuber which you can 
find and burn it at once, so as to destroy the spores, resting and 
otherwise. Whether the plants are left in the open air in the 
winter or placed under glass, you should not omit to carry out 
th's operation at once. The tubers are usually so conspicuous 
that there should be no difficulty in getting hold of every one 
of them by a careful examination of the plants. If you wait 
until the spores burst through the skin of the plant a great deal 
of your labour will be lost, owing to the escape of spores to 
continue the work next year. 
Sandy Soil and Roses. (J. Moss.) 
In order to make sandy soil suitable for the cultivation of 
Roses for exhibition, and even for cut flowers, it will be neces¬ 
sary to take out the natural soil to the depth of 2 ft. or 3 ft., 
and loosen up the soil in the bottom of the bed. A less depth 
than 3 ft. might suffice if your object is merely to get Roses 
for cutting, but when carrying out the operation it is just as well 
to do it thoroughly, if you can get sufficient quantity of soil 
at a convenient price or otherwise. Good soil of 3 ft. in depth 
would be more durable and effective than a lesser quantity, but 
you can always add a fresh quantity every year in the form 
of a top-dressing. Good cow manure is also excellent for Roses, 
and in the absence of a sufficient depth of good loam you can 
always improve the staple by this means. Seeing that your soil 
is so light, your object should be to get material of a heavier 
nature, and that could be. obtained in the form of roadside 
dressings, scourings of ditohes, or even from an old pasture, if 
that is at your command. 
Phloxes for Cuttings. (G. H.) 
Cuttings taken now and inserted in boxes of light sandy soil 
will be rooted by spring and flower better next year even if 
late than would divisions of plants, unless healthy young pieces 
can be obtained from vigorous young stools. On all plants it 
is often possible to get pieces from the circumference of the 
root stock that will make healthy young plants. In the' case of 
well-selected cuttings, however, you can always rely upon them 
to produce strong and healthy young plants, because the roots 
are entirely fresh. If the cuttings had been taken off some weeks 
ago they would have had time to make good roots before the 
advent of winter, but you can induce them to grow slowly even 
during the winter by placing the boxes containing them on 
shelves near the glass in the vinery at rest or other houses from 
which frost is merely excluded. In frames the boxes are liable 
to be frozen during winter in cold districts, and cuttings in¬ 
serted late are thereby delayed in the process of rooting. You 
should not attempt to force them in any way by applying a 
strong heat, otherwise the young plants will not be so sturdy. 
Spanish Irises. (J. Iff.) 
It is scarcely advisable to lift the bulbs now, unless you are 
obliged, owing to the ground in which they are planted being 
required. Transplanting should have been done soon after 
the stems died down ; you could then have depended upon the 
roots being at rest. You can examine them, however, to see 
if the roots have made much growth. If only short roots have 
been produced, it would be possible, by careful management, to 
lift and transplant them without doing the bulbs much injury. 
It is quite a different thing planting bulbs obtained from the 
seed shops at the present time, as they have been kept dry ?nd 
resting, so that the question of roots in active growth does not 
apply in that case. 
Increasing Loganberries. (D. D. R.) 
Most brambles are easily rooted at this season of the year, 
or even a little earlier, by pulling down the long canes' and 
pegging the tips into soil in the manner of layers. Many kinds 
naturally root in this way when their tips come into contact 
with the soil, so that this American plant should not be diffi¬ 
cult to increase by means of layers. In the spring time it may 
be advisable to examine them, to see what progress the roots 
