October 15, 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD , 
823 
measured from 34 to 4 in. in circumference. The Burn house 
is also one of the originally-built structures, and is also 
occupied with the favourite Grape here, which was about half¬ 
coloured at the middle of September. In this house we ob¬ 
served what must be considered a remarkable curiosity. A 
side shoot from one of the rods, and about 16 ft. long, was 
clothed with leaves destitute of chlorophyll and entirely white. 
Near the base it bore one bunch of berries, which are white 
for a time, but ultimately become black. This may be con¬ 
sidered of the nature of a permanent bud sport, for the same 
spur has given rise to a branch every year bearing these white 
leaves, which visitors cannot fail to observe in passing through 
the house. Here, again, we must congratulate Mr. Calderhead 
for the success he achieves in keeping up the vigour and fruitr 
fulness of the old Vines in these huge vineries. 
While progressing through the vineyard, we next came 
upon a lean-to Palm house skirting the public road, and about 
150 ft. long. This house was filled with plants in thumb pots 
and ranging up to 5-in. pots, the Kentias grown in them being 
of a suitable size for table decoration. Here, also, the plants 
are grown cool and hardy. They are not starved, however, 
but are well fed with Thomson’s, which is used in the potting 
soil. The side benches in this house, being built of un¬ 
dressed stone, would afford an interesting field for the botanist, 
being thickly overgrown with Maidenhair and other Ferns, 
including Adiantum Capi 11 us-Veneris and A. cuneatiun. In 
one compartment of this house is a collection of species, 
hybrids and' varieties of Cypripedium, this genus being found 
one of the more useful amongst Orchids for the business of 
this establishment. Cloelogyne massangeana suspended in 
baskets was flowering freely. Other plants included varieties 
of Begonia Rex, Asparagus plumosus, and A. tenuissSus. 
Still another Palm house 100 ft. long was devoted to Kentias 
and Asparagus Sprengeri in baskets and pots. 
The Orchids were at one time more extensively cultivated 
in this establishment, but at present only the more serviceable 
are retained. We were surprised, however, to see a, collection 
of well-grown plants of Vandas and Cymbidiums. With these 
were associated a collection of the more useful Antliuriums. 
The cool Fern house included batches of Araucaria excelsa, 
Aralia Sieboldi, A. s. variegata, Vitis antarctieai, Araik, ker- 
choveana, A. elegantissima, A. gracillima, A. Veitchi, Ferns, 
Dracaenas, and Begonia margaritacea. The last plant house 
entered was occupied with such Palms as Geonoma gracilis, 
Phoenix rupicola, P. reclinata, Cocos weddeliana, Kentias and 
Aralias. 
Ibis axd Fungi. —In reply to an inquirer as to. the cure of the 
common Iris fungus, Rev. W. Wilks gave his experience of the 
dusting the plants with kainit once a fortnight or m three weeks 
in autumn and spring. By this means lie perfectly cured many 
badly-diseased plants. This observation he made at the meeting 
of the R.H.S. Scientific Committee on September 20th. 
# # 
Apple and Pear Blossom, Pollination or.—In further reply 
to Mr Dunlop’s inquiries as toi the advice that “ no one kind of 
Apple should be largely planted by itself,’’ Mr. Worsley at the 
meeting of the R.H.S. Scientific Committee on Sept. 20th, ob¬ 
served °that such eating Pears as Marie Louise require special 
conditions of temperature, about 70 deg. F. m a dry air, for 
effective pollination. But it is not often that such perfect con¬ 
ditions obtain when the trees are in blossom so that P<ears ot 
that sort are often regarded as “ had setters. It has been, found 
that all better kinds, when intermingled with commoner kinds, 
do veryi much better. ^ ^ 
Peach Rot.— Dr. Cooke reported as follows upon fruits received 
from Leeds, at the meeting of the R.H.S. Scientific Committee, on 
Sept 20thj*—“Undoubtedly the Peaches are suffering from a 
bad ’attack" of Glaeosporium fructigenum, which also attacks 
Apples, Grapes, Figs, and other fruits. It is dangerous, m a 
house as it may soon extend to other trees, and is very difficult 
to ®et rid of, as it is deep-seated. Let all fruits be gathered and 
destroyed as soon as diseased spots appear. The only reme y 
we know is spraying with a solution of half an ounce of sulphate 
of potassium to one gallon of water. Application to be made at 
intervals of ten days.” 
Himalayan Primulas. 
The Horticultural Club resumed its monthly dinners at the 
Hotel Windsor on Tuesday, the 4th inst., when Sir John 
Llewellyn,, Bart., took the chair at the head of a good attend¬ 
ance of members and guests, among the latter being Sir Daniel 
Morris and Mr. F. Moore, of Glasnevin, while the guest of the 
evening was Sir George Watt, K.C.S.I., who gave decidedly 
one of the most interesting papers among the many with 
which the club has been favoured. The subject was “ Hima¬ 
layan Primulas,” a family with regard to which Sir G. Watt 
is undoubtedly one of our greatest authorities, especially as 
his extensive knowledge is based on active personal research 
in the highlands of India, and the numerous dried examples 
which he exhibited have been collected by himself often under 
most arduous and difficult conditions. In his opinion the 
genus Primula has so far been by no means properly classified, 
certain distinctive characters in the vernation of different 
species being largely lost sight of in the dried herbaria, speci¬ 
mens which form the chief basis of classification. The family 
falls, in his opinion, into three great groups, with respectively 
involute, convolute and con,duplicate vernation—i.e., three dis¬ 
tinctly different ways in which the leaves are folded in the 
bud, and these, three persist throughout large areas. Species 
are also 1 greatly modified in form by difference of elevation, 
and, apart from this, it was extremely interesting to note the 
immense difference 1 in size, shape and habit of both foliage 
and flowers which characterise this one family in its numerous 
species. 
The paper which Sir George Watt referred to rather than 
read not only gives a practically exhaustive list of Indian 
Primulas, accompanied by copious notes on their peculiarities 
and localities, but also 1 appeals to the practical cultivator by 
its clear description of the soil conditions and general environ¬ 
ment under which the family thrives the best. It is, there¬ 
fore:, a great matter for congratulation that this valuable paper 
has been kindly handed over by Sir George Watt for publica¬ 
tion in the R.H. Society’s “ Journal” since as, in the subse¬ 
quent discussion, was eloquently pointed out by Mr. 4. Moore, 
the paper differed vastly in this respect from many botanical 
ones:, which too often were mere dry lists of no practical value 
to the grower, since they treated solely of the more or less 
minute or salient distinctive characters of the plants con¬ 
cerned without any of those illuminating suggestions which an 
accompanying description of their environment affords as a 
guide to cultivation elsewhere. 
Although space precludes anything but the merest glance at 
the paper’s contents, it may be mentioned that all the Primula 
family as represented in India are practically sub-aquatic, 
that is, they are most at home in very wet situations or by 
stream sides. In the Himalayas they appear to thrive to the 
utmost in wet sandy deposits, even glacial, am abundance of 
soil moisture being evidently one of their chief requirements. 
With the usual adaptability of plants, however, in the absence 
of these conditions, some species do well in shady I’inewoods 
where the soil is protected from evaporation by the shade and 
a constant coating of dead vegetable matter. As Mr. Moore 
pointed' out, such a paper was invaluable as a model for those 
who aim at bringing about the much-to-be-desired co-operation 
of the botanist and the gardener, the former giving the latter 
the benefit of Iris more extended knowledge obtained by actual 
visits to the habitats of the plants concerned. 
Sir John Llewellyn coupled with the hearty vote of thanks 
of the club to' Sir George Watts some interesting remarks with 
regard to his own experience with Indian Primulas and the 
obvious value of study of natural habitats from the practical 
point of view. An additional practical point was urged by 
Sir George Watts in connection with hybridisation, which, he 
contended, could be pursued to better advantage if proper 
classification indicated affinities which would help, or diver¬ 
gences which would hinder conjunction. 
Readers’ Competition. —Particulars of weekly prize see 
centre page. 
