658 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
August IS, 1904. 
didates wlxo are mot elected. Secretaries of gardeners’ 
societies are invited toi co-operate with us in the effort to 
establish an, association of professional gardeners by inducing 
their members to join it and by holding meetings for the 
purpose of making its aims and objects known. 
Arrangements will be made by the committee for a series 
of meetings in various centres for the purpose of more nil y 
explaining the objects of the association and increasing the 
It is hoped that the association will be brought up for di-sf 
oussioml by every gardeners’ society throughout the kingdom 
during the coming winter. It is only by the exercise of 
patience and perseverance and a determination on the partot 
all qualified gardeners to combine that the desired improve¬ 
ment ini their condition can be brought about. 
Ivew Road, Kew. 
Society & Association Notes- 
royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens at Wisely.— 
Tim trials suggested in 1904-5 are as follow : —Floral subjects 
include Violas, six plants of each variety, to be sent m February, 
1905 ; Carnations, three plants of each variety, to be pent .in 
February, 1905 ; Cactus Dahlias, two plants of each variety, t- 
be sent in May, 1905. Fruit and vegetables include 1 turns, bush 
trees to be sent by end of October, 1904 ; Apples, bush trees, to 
be sent by end of October, 1904 ; Peas, half-pint of seed of each 
virietv to be sent by February, 1905 ; Potatos, twenty tubers 
™ S 1.rift, to l sent ^February, 1905, Broccoh, half 
ounce of seed of each variety, to be sent by February, 1905 
Tomatos, twenty seeds-of each variety, to be sent by August 30th 
1904 for winter trial. All the above to be addressed to the 
Superintendent, R.H.-S. Gardens, Wisley, Ripley, Surrey. If by 
rail per L. and S.W.R, to Horsley Station. 
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society— The above 
society has managed to get the railway companies to give such 
facilities that every Scottish gardener who can manage it at all 
SoS go to see the Shrewsbury Floral Fete this year. For one 
clay the return, fare from Edinburgh is only 11s. Arrangements 
have however, been made witli the companies to carry passengers 
from' a large number of stations extending from Ardrossan on 
the west to all stations about Edinburgh on the- east, and as tar 
north as Aberdeen. Such other stations as Perth, Dundee, Kir¬ 
riemuir, Killin, Crianlarich, Oban, Loch Awe, St. Andrews, 
Kirkcaldy and Fort William, with many intermediate stations, 
in quiet, ‘country places, are provided for. Those who wish to 
spend three days can do so at a cost of 21s., and those who can 
spend sixteen clays, can also- do so at various prices not exceeding 
23s. 9d. from places in the same- latitude as Greenock and Edin¬ 
burgh. Assuredly, all gardeners in Scotland are indebted to the 
society for the above advantages, as the return fare is consider¬ 
ably less than half fare for any place in any part of Scotland. 
A return ticket for a sixteen days’ trip from Aberdeen will only 
cost 33s. 3d. All the places on the Scotch companies’ lines from 
which tickets will be issued are furnished on bills, so that any 
o-ardeners requiring further information should apply to the 
Secretary, Air. P. Murray Thomson, 5, York Place, Edinburgh. 
The Horticultural College, Swanley. —Nature Study 
Course: In an address to the students attending the Nature 
Study Course at the Swanley Horticultural College, Mr. J. C. 
Medd referred to the scheme put forward by the League of the 
Empire for affiliating schools in Great Britain to those of the 
same grade in the Colonies, with a view to the pupils of the 
affiliated schools corresponding with one -another on matters 
affecting their school life and surroundings. The proposal had 
met with the most cordial support from the Minister of Educa¬ 
tion in the different colonies, and already several schools had 
become thus linked together. He could conceive of nothing 
better calculated to interest children in their work, widen their 
outlook, break down the parochialism that has been so harm¬ 
ful in the past, and inspire those with whom the future of the 
empire would rest with a sense of its solidarity and grandeur. 
Air. Medd also spoke of the openings for remunerative employ¬ 
ment which women, thoroughly qualified in Nature-study sub¬ 
jects, might probably find. The desire to make the instruction 
in rural day and continuation schools more -appropriate for rural 
children was universal, but competent teachers were scarce. 
The difficulty could be most easily solved by grouping schools 
and engaging peripatetic teachers for special classes, and he 
strongly urged the students present to have the matter brought 
to the notice of their respective local authorities. 
* * * 
Dundee Horticultural Association. —The excursion to 
Brechin Castle Gardens, in conjunction with Broughty Ferry 
Horticultural Association, came off -on Saturday afternoon, 
August 6th. Arriving by train at Brechin Station, the company 
were met by Mr. Mc-Dowall, head gardener to the Earl of Dal¬ 
housie, and conducted through the spacious ranges of glass¬ 
houses, where everything was observed to be in a clean, healthy, 
thriving condition. General admiration was expressed With a 
house of Malmaison Carnations, at the healthy vigour which 
the plants displayed in all the plant houses. In the fruit 
houses, which, by the way, are not confined to fruit alone, a 
gorgeous display of plants was maintained in flower in a long 
Peach house, where the Peach and Nectarine trees occupy the 
back wall and carry a good crop. In the Vineries the overhang¬ 
ing bunches and healthy foliage, as well as the foliage and 
other plants on the floor, bear testimony to skilful cultivation. 
The lawns, pleasure grounds, and flower beds and borders were 
seen under favourable circumstances at this season, displaying 
a well-kept and gay appearance. In the vegetable garden tht 
same order and management seems to -abound, while the hardy 
fruit sections came in for general admiration. Small fruits, 
such as Currants, Gooseberries, Raspberries, and Strawberries, 
were a delightful picture of fruitfulness. Apples were a source 
of wonder and attraction. The trees, which show a representa¬ 
tive collection of varieties, were in a healthy state, and, almost 
without exception, studded with fruit. Wall trees, owing to 
the scarcity of walls, are not numerous, hut what were seen of 
Plum, Pear, and other trees, Avere carrying a fair crop. Before 
leaving the gardens, the party ivere photographed in front of 
the historic Cedars on the lawn. After tea, which was served 
in the verandah at the stables, Air. D. Sborrie expressed the 
company’s thankfulness to the Earl of Dalhousie for granting 
the liberty'and freedom- to inspect his domain. Mr. -Slater, in 
calling for a vote of thanks to Mr. McDo-wall, said much of the 
success of the outing depended on the untiring zeal and energy 
he displayed in explaining the various phases of his gardening 
and having done all he could to make the visit a profitable one. 
Air. McDowall having replied on behalf -of the Earl of Dalhousie 
and himself, the party started for the station, well pleased Avith 
a pleasant and profitable outing.— James Bethel, Secretary, 
D.H.A. 
Ripe Blackberries. —In a hedgeroAV at Tickhill, Yorkshire, 
says a correspondent, a large handful of ripe Blackberries has 
been gathered. Even if this is regarded as early for Yorkshire, 
we may state that early kinds -commenced ripening about the 
second week of July in the southern counties. 
* * * 
Fruit from France.—So heavy is the traffic in fruit from 
the South -of France for the London markets at present, that 
special steamers are being sent across Channel from Calais with 
fruit only. The steamer “Maidstone,” on the -5th inst., landed 
at Dover 10,000 baskets of fruit for -London. 
* t* * 
Jersey’s Potatos.— The statistics concerning the Jersey 
Potato export trade, published the other week, show that this 
has been the Avorst, season on record, and is likely to prove most 
-disastrous to Jersey farmers. Altogether about 53,000 tons, of 
the estimated value of £233,000, Avere exported, compared with 
48,000 tons, of the estimated value of £500,000. The decrease 
is said to be due to the St. Malo competition. 
* * * 
Carnation -Sport. —Air. Roberts, of Oroxley Green, Herts, sent 
to the Scientific Committee of the R.H.S., on the 26th ult., a 
stem bearing two flowers, one a self rose, and the otliel - an 
ordinary bloom -of Lottie Collins, from a plant layered last year 
from the latter. The sport would appear to be a reversion to 
the rose-coloured flowers of the wild Dianthus Caryophyllus. 
