December 3i, i904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
1057 
he Qardenincj^forld. 
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EDITORIAL NOTES. 
The Senses of Plants. 
Mr. Francis Darwin, son of the renowned 
Charles Darwin, gave a lecture at the 
University College, Reading, on the 26th ult. 
The Senses of Plants.” He 
said that the use of words “ sense ” or 
“ sense organ ” had lately come much into 
fashion in relation to plants. He thought 
the word “ senses ” a good word ; the only 
danger of it was that it might be translated 
to mean that plants were conscious. He 
thought it was much better to avoid the 
question of the consciousness of plants and 
speak only of their senses. In giving an in¬ 
stance of how plants indicated a sense of 
perception, he showed some slides of four 
growing Mustard plants. One of these was 
perfectly upright, and he explained that 
gravitation was the force that detei mined 
both the downward tendency of the root and 
the upward growth of the stem. Another 
plant had been grown under illumination 
from one side only, and all the stems of the 
plant bent violently towards the light, while 
the roots were practically reversed. In this 
instance, the condition under which the plant 
was placed was the determining factor, and 
light had overcome the influence of gravity. 
He next explained a slide of the Bryony 
twisted round a twig, and explained that this 
was due to the extraordinarily delicate sense 
of touch which the tendrils of the Bryony 
possessed in common with that of many 
other climbers. In conclusion, he hoped 
that it would soon become a commonplace 
thing in schools of botany that plants had 
senses like those of the lower animals, 
though that might be compared to a faint 
flickering gas to the nervous action which, 
from a physiological point of view, went to 
make up the intelligence of man. 
—o— 
The Mount of Olives. 
The author of the book entitled “ The 
Bertrams ” lias a chapter on the Mount of 
Olives. The book is practically devoted to 
a tale in fiction, and some of the characters 
in connection with the same visited the 
Mount of Olives and other parts adjacent to 
Jerusalem. In discussing the Garden of 
Gethsemane and its situation, he thinks that 
those who have ever seen the place cannot for 
a moment doubt that it was the actual Mount 
of Olives and Garden of Gethsemane men¬ 
tioned in Scripture. Many of the places 
mentioned in tradition he regards as very 
doubtful indeed, but in connection with this 
he has no doubt whatever. The Mount is 
still sprinkled over with a sufficient number 
of Olive trees to be properly called a Mount 
of Olives even to this day. The Garden of 
Gethsemane is walled in and contains Rue 
and other herbs which no doubt have been 
planted there in recent times. There is also 
an aged Olive tree to which tradition 
attaches wondrous tales. It is probable, 
however, that even if the trees have any con¬ 
nection with those mentioned in Scripture 
they would be descendents either from seeds 
or from suckers rather than the original 
trees. Some time ago we had specimens 
sent us to name plucked in the Garden of 
Gethsemane. These were Nicandra physa- 
loides, a member of the Solanum family and 
a native of Peru, so that there can be no 
doubt whatever that this at least had been 
sown there in recent times. 
Fruit Trees in Western Australia. 
While discussing the destructiveness and 
otherwise of a certain bird which is rather 
plentiful in Australia, the “ Journal ” of the 
Department of Agriculture of Western Aus¬ 
tralia gives indication of a great^ future for 
that part of the island continent. One of the 
writers was strongly in favour of the preser¬ 
vation of the bird until i't was definitely 
shown or proved that it did more harm than 
good. It is an insectivorous bird and harm¬ 
ful only during the period that the Grapes 
are ripening by puncturing the berries with 
its long, slender beak. The writer thinks 
that fruit-growing is going to be one of the 
biggest of their industries in that part of 
Australia. He says that there will come a 
time when the south and south-western por¬ 
tions of the State will be the orchard of Aus¬ 
tralia. They have good lands, a regular rain¬ 
fall, and a greater proximity to the European 
and African markets than other parts of that 
country, the difference being one of many 
days. The factors, then, in the case that 
promise well for the future of this part of 
the island continent are good soil, climate, 
including rainfall, and nearness to good 
markets. 
Rose Rosalind Orr English. 
For some months past a great deal has 
been said about two fine new Roses that have 
been raised recently in the United States. 
One of these we already mentioned some 
time ago. An illustration of the variety 
now under notice appears in the “ Florists’ 
Exchange,” so that we can get a. good idea at 
least of its form and suitability for decorative 
purposes. It was raised and introduced by 
Messrs. E. G. Hill and Co., Richmond, In¬ 
diana. The colour is much like that, of Car¬ 
nation Mrs. Lawson, and is described as a 
scarlet-pink, though we think that bright 
rose-pink would better meet the case, or," at 
least, be better understood by our readers. 
The bloom is at first greatly elongated in 
the bud state, and as the bloom develops it 
becomes cup-shaped with all the outer petals 
strongly revolute at the margins, while the 
centre still remains firm and of beautiful 
form. It was a seedling from Mine. Abel 
Chatenav, and is therefore a Hybrid Tea like 
the other variety indicated. The bush is of 
strong and vigorous habit, throwing up long 
and stout stems. It gained the leading- 
prize at the Indianapolis show last year, 
and the donor of the premium was allowed 
the privilege of naming it. 
