38 
THE GARDENING WORLD. January 9, 1904. 
Flowers must be very plentiful at. Aston Rowant House for the 
proprietor to be able to send sucli a quantity of blossom after 
Christmas. The varieties included L. Canning, W. H. Lincoln, 
Francois Pilau, Mrs. Bantry, Mrs. H. Weeks, and King of the 
Plumes, one of the very finest of the plumy Chrysanthemums. 
She a'lso had a yellow variety named Harold Wills, and a white 
sport from it. (Silver Flora Medal.) 
Mr. Harry Whatelev, The Nurseries, Kenilworth, Warwick¬ 
shire, exhibited a small group of Chrysanthemum. Harry 
Whateley, a sport from Niveus, with white blooms and beau¬ 
tifully frizzled florets. 
J. T. Hayes, Esq., Bridge Street, Witham, Essex, exhibited a 
quantity of a white decorative Chrysanthemum named Mrs. J. T. 
Hayes. 
Messrs. H. Cannell and Sons, Swanley, Kent, had a very 
attractive and fresli-looking group set up on the floor, and con¬ 
sisting of flowers in red, white, and blue. The front line con¬ 
sisted of Begonia Gloire d-e Lorraine, followed by a band of 
Mosehosma riparium, and the central mass was' of the blue 
Coleus thyrsoideus. Stood amongst the latter were a few plants 
of Canna Jean Tissot, with crimson-scarlet flowers, and very 
choice, as flowering at a season when few, if any, other varieties 
are in bloom. They also had a very strange plant in the shape 
of Bryophyllum crenatum, with coppery calyx, orange corolla, 
and the flowers arranged in drooping cymes. (Silver Flora 
Medal.) 
Fruit and Vegetable Committee. 
Messrs. George Bunyard and Co., The Royal Nurseries, Maid¬ 
stone, exhibited a very extensive collection of Apples and Pears, 
but chiefly the former, running nearly the whole length of one 
side of a table- The fruits were in first-class condition, and in 
many cases highly coloured. Very attractive were such varieties 
as Calville Malingre, Foster’s Seedling, The Queen, Twenty- 
ounce, Lane’s Prince Albert, Calville Rouge, Warner’s King, 
Emperor Alexander, Beaumann’s Winter Reinette, Gascoigne’s 
Scarlet Seedling, Sandringham, Winter Queening, and many 
others. Amongst the Pears we noted such excellent varieties 
as Faster Beurre, Belle des Arbres and Beurre Ranee. (Silver 
Gilt Knightian Medal.) 
W. Shuter, Esq. (gardener, Mr. T. Armstrong), 22, Belsize 
Grove, Hampstead, N-W., exhibited a collection of sixteen 
bunches of Alicante Grapes grown within three miles of Charing 
Cross. Most of the bunches were well finished and in good con¬ 
dition, as well as being of good average size. He also had a 
basket of Oranges. 
BEDDINGTON, CARSHALTON, AND WALLINGTON 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
REPORT FOR 1903. • 
The Executive Committee have to report, with much pleasure, 
that the financial year just ended has been a very favourable 
one for the society. Through the energy of the collectors a great 
number of new subscribers were enrolled, and the subscription 
list- was largely augmented. The show day, too, after a threaten¬ 
ing appearance in the morning, proved an ideal one, and the gate 
money reached the satisfactory total of £154 2s. lOd. This has 
only once been exceeded, viz., in 1901, when the amount totalled 
£157. 
Owing to the adverse season for horticulture, the entries in 
that section showed a slight decrease, but great praise is due to 
several of the exliibitors for their grand display, and special 
mention should be made of a bunch of Black Hamburg Grapes 
exhibited by Mr. C. Pearce, gardener at Bramble Haw, Carshal- 
ton, which easily secured the society’s silver medal for the best- 
exhibit of the day. The judges, in dealing with the show, report 
to the Surrey Education Committee thus :—“ The exhibits were 
of excellent quality in all departments, and sustained the well- 
known reputation of the society and district.” 
The sports entries were again largely increased. Fifty-one 
competitors entered for the open mile race, -and nearly all took 
part in it. The numerous events throughout the afternoon were 
eagerly followed by a large crowd of spectators, and the Sports 
Committee deserve hearty congratulations for the great success 
achieved. 
In the poultry section, too, a noticeable increase has to be 
recorded, and the arrangements of the Poultry Committee, with 
Messrs. Brown and Jacob as hon. secretaries, are worthy of great 
praise. 
The Surrey Beekeepers’ Association again kindly sent their 
van, and the numerous lectures delivered by the expert proved a 
source of attraction to many. 
The Executive Committee would like to place on record the 
excellent tent and staging arrangements made by Messrs. Barker, 
Ltd., and their courteous and obliging ground staff, while a word 
of thanks must be given to the police for their ready and willing 
assistance throughout the day. 
Mrs. Odling-Smee kindly consented to present the prizes, and 
the committee desire to offer Mrs. Smee their very warm thanks 
for the hearty co-operation. 
Again, the committee wish to acknowledge their sincere grati¬ 
tude to J. H. Bridges, Esq., J.P., and Mr. B. Thirlby for the 
loan of the beautiful show ground, and they would desire also to 
thank L. R, Lack, Esq. (who once more lent the platform for the 
presentation of prizes), the Surrey County Council and judges, 
and finally their generous supporters, who are ever ready to 
promote the interests of the society. 
It is with regret the committee have to record the fact that 
A. Z. C. Cressy, Esq., has been reluctantly compelled to with¬ 
draw from the Committee, as his professional duties would not 
allow him to devote the necessary time, but it is pleasing to know 
the society may confidently rely upon his continued support and 
assistance. 
I he balance-sheet shows the income of the society from all 
sources during the year to have been £391 13s. Id., and the ex¬ 
penditure £335 16s. 2d., so that there is a balance of £55 16s. lid. 
in favour of the society. The receipts of the Sports Committee 
were £52 14s. 7d., and the expenditure- £48 2s. Id., leavin 0, a 
balance in hand of £4 12s. 6d. 
How Mushrooms Grow. 
Writing on Fungi in the current issue of “ Knowledge,” Mr. 
George Masse© states that “ in, all fungi the portion, visible to 
the naked eyei, however varied its form or colour, represents 
only the reproductive! portion; whereas the vegetative part 
i» buried in fihei substance from which the fungus obtains its 
food. The popular belief that the Mushroom and other fungi 
grow in, a single night isi not correct; it is quite true that 
when, the Mushroom ha-s reached a, certain stage of develop¬ 
ment-, one or two days suffices- for it t-o- attain its full -size after 
it appears above ground. Before this final spurt is reached, 
however, the baby Mushroom has been, growing for some weeks-, 
and undergone various- changes of structure and development 
before it emerges above ground. A little thought will recall to 
mind the fact that Mushrooms do not spring up within two- or 
three days after the formation of a. Mushroom bed, but 
several weeks elapse before the Mushrooms are ready for the 
table. 
The various! methods of spore dispersion a® occurring in the 
fungi are interesting; only a few of the most pronounced can 
be noticed here. By far the most universal agent in effecting 
the distribution of spores is wind, as may 'be observed when 
a, ripe puffball is crushed under foot- Insects are also answer- 
able- for the extension of many fungus epidemics, by alter¬ 
nately feeding on,, or visiting diseased and healthy plants-, and 
in -so- doing unconsciously conveying spores from one plant toi 
another. 
Perhaps the most, interesting instance- occurs in a group of 
fungi to- which our Stink-horn be-longsi. Most of the species 
are tropical, in this co-untry wei have only three- representatives. 
In this group the reproductive portion of the fungu-s often 
assumes most fantastic forms, and is generally brilliantly col¬ 
oured. Oven - this framework is spread at maturity a, dingy 
green, semi-fluid mass, intensely sweet to the taste, and, from 
the ordinary human standpoint, intensely foetid ; the exceed- 
ingly minute -spo-res are imbedded in this sub-stance, which is 
greedily devoured by various kinds of insects, mostly flies, 
which thus unconsciously diffuse the spore®, as it ha® been 
shown that these are not injured by passing through the 
alimentary tract of an insect. It is interesting to note that in 
certain of the fungi the same advertisement-s in the guise of 
colour, sweet taste and smell, are- used for the purpose' of un¬ 
conscious! dispersion of the- spores by insects 1 , as are used by 
many flowering plants- for thei purpose of securing eross-fer- 
t-ilisation, also through the agency of insects.” 
