558 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 8, 1905. 
velvety-red petals, shaded with blackish- 
maroon. Usually this is a very effective Rose, 
and we presume that, except as a curiosity, 
no grower of Roses likes to see his favourites 
behaving in this peculiar and erratic manner. 
Judging from the specimens obtained from so 
widely different parts of the country, the 
variety may be given to this sort of behaviour 
more than others, but possibly the season has 
had something to do with it. 
The figure on the left hand shows the face 
of one bloom, the rim on the outside repre¬ 
senting the mass of shrivelled petals which 
should normally constitute the flower. The 
figure on the right shows the sepals with the 
petals inside. Turning to the figure on the 
left, the reader will note a number of knobs 
or buds. Now, what has happened in this 
particular case is that the Rose, after being 
perfectly formed, has become proliferous, 
giving rise to a large number of flowers from 
the centre of the primary and normal, or 
ordinary one. Now, each of these small buds 
represents a repetition of the sepals and petals 
forming the ordinary bloom. These small 
central buds have taken the place of the fruit 
of the Rose, which had no hep or seed vessel, 
as in garden Roses and wild Roses generally. 
It is easier to say what this is than to ex¬ 
plain why it has taken place. Botanists are 
generally agreed that sepals, petals, stamens, 
and the pistils forming a complete flower are 
merely modifications of the ordinary green 
leaves of the plant to serve a given purpose. 
This freak has quite departed from its usual 
behaviour, and no seeds could possibly be 
obtained from such a- form. Judging from 
the position of the central buds, we presume 
that they take the place of what should have 
been seeds in an ordinary bloom. 
What then has taken place is this : growth 
in length of the floral axis ceased as usual, 
and, instead of producing green leaves, pro¬ 
duced sepals and numerous petals, forming an 
ordinary garden form of double flower. Then, 
it would seem that both these Roses took an 
afterthought and commenced fresh growth, in 
this case secondary flower buds, merely repre¬ 
senting the sepals and petals of the primary 
or normal one. 
Al e cannot say what is Nature’s reason for 
this behavious ; but even in the green Rose, for 
instance, she has carried this freak much 
farther in producing green leaves, imitating 
to some extent the ordinary foliage leaves, 
though not carried quite so far. AVe may look 
upon these freaks then as stages in the pro¬ 
cess of reversion from coloured petals towards 
green leaves, suoh as the botanist considered 
made up the ordinary flowers and plants in 
ancient times. 
Pear Competitions Threatened. ■— Our 
Pears would seem to- be in a parlous con¬ 
dition. “Last year,” writes a correspondent, 
“ Dr. Bartrum, of Wakes Colne, who knows 
something about horticulture, remarked in a 
valuable letter to the faithful that unless some 
common action were taken by fruit growers 
to combat the Pear midge, this insect would 
presently practically exterminate Pears in 
this country. What price, then, cups and 
medals for the best dish of six ? ” 
■* * * 
This Cauliflower Takes the Cake. —The 
pretty village of Pickhill, Thirsk, is at present 
bursting with pride over a Cauliflower weigh¬ 
ing 19g lbs., grown by Mr. John Isbell, and 
claimed to be a record in Yorkshire. 
* * * 
A New Fruit Disease. —Lemon orchards 
in Southern California have been devastated 
by a new fruit disease, known as the “ brown 
rot.” 
[By Rosecomil] 
One who is a regular reader of my notes 
has asked me to say a little more abo'iifc 
gapes, giving the symptoms, and asking it 
there is not some more simple remedy than 
those I have given—one which could be more 
safely used by a novice in these things. It is 
with the greatest pleasure that I accede to 
this request, because it is my wish, and also 
the wish of the Editor of The Gardening 
AVori.i), that this column should be of real 
practical use to our readers. 
Gapes is one of the most distressing and at 
the same time one of the most fatal diseases 
to winch clncKen life is subject, thousands of 
birds dying from its ravages every breeding 
season. It is caused by a collection of smalt 
wire-like worms in the trachea, the windpipe 
at times being completely blocked with them. 
Chickens suffering from this disease go about 
gasping for breath and uttering the most pain¬ 
ful and pitiful cries. They have fairly to 
gasp for breath, they have frequent attacks 
of sneezing, ana are continually striving to 
swallow. 
the symptoms are such that the veriest tyro 
at poultry--keeping cannot fail to recognise 
them once lie has read the description of how 
the birds are attacked ; the constant gaping 
and stretching of the neck, the distressing 
cry, the moping, huddled up, forlorn, dejected 
appearance, and the rapid wasting away of 
flesh can all be seen. 
As I said before, the treatment generally 
adopted by breeders of experience is the dip¬ 
ping of a feather in turpentine or carbolic 
acid and glycerine, inserting it in the throat, 
twisting it sharply round, and then withdraw¬ 
ing it. This, of course, needs practice to per¬ 
form effectively, and if it is done at all 
clumsily injury to the bird may result, even 
if it does not cause death. The turpentine, 
also the- carbolic, is death itself to the worms 
which are the cause of the disease. Both the 
turpentine and carborlic volatilise in the 
throat, and in this way perform the work 
needed. It will readily be understood that 
too much of either of these substances would 
speedily cause death, but if the feather is 
aippei m -the solution and then allowed to 
drain till there is really no free turpentine 
or carbolic solution on it, no harm can result, 
unless, of course, the operation is so clumsily- 
performed that the bird is choked by the 
manner in which the feather is inserted. 
borne years ago that skilled and experi¬ 
enced naturalist Mr. W. B. Tegetmeier, writ¬ 
ing in the “ Field,” recommended breeders to 
treat chickens suffering from gapes with 
vaporised carbolic acid, declaring that in his 
wide experience it was the most certain 
remedy he had tried. Vajiorising with: car¬ 
bolic acid is a most drastic remedy, and would 
undoubtedly in the hands of the inexperi¬ 
enced kill both the chickens and the 
parasites. 
A remedy which is very safe and at the 
same time very easy of manipulation by the 
veriest beginner in poultry-breeding is a 
patent remedy made up by the well-known 
lirm Spratt’s Patent. It is a powder oalled 
Blackerite. In using Blackerite there is no 
individual treatment, the chickens being 
treated collectively, the modus opcrandi being 
to till a pair of bellows (there is a special form 
of bellows for the use of Blackerite) with the 
powder and then blow it into the coop or 
foster mother in which the chickens live. Full 
directions as to use are issued with the pack¬ 
ages, so that no one need be at a loss how tr' 
proceed. 
Prevention is better than cure, and tin 
system I myself adopt is to sprinkle a f, 
drops of carbolic acid amongst the ashes 
which I place in all my chicken coops. ,Th e 
car colic is thoroughly incorporated with the 
asnes by being well stirred with a thick stick 
At night, when the hen is brooding her ];«■ 
family, tlie carbolic volatilises with the (Urit 
of the lien’s body, and the fumes arisin-r lqm.-, 
away not only gapes but many other diseases 
which chicken flesh is heir to. My coop,i are 
all cleaned out twice a week and supplied 
with fresh ashes, or, failing ashes, very fine 
peat moss. J 
bi U ^ 
to use carbolic acid either in powder or weak 
liquid form about the runs and houses of all 
chickens on the place, or they will be certain 
o become infected. It often happens that 
birds get- the disease by being placed on 
ground which is infected. Eggs of the worm 
are coughed, up, and they bury themselves m 
the fungus or loose grass near the surface of 
the soil and are picked up by other birds 
thus when birds have had gapes all runs and 
houses should be thoroughly disinfected 
before being used again for other birds. If 
those who keep: a few fowls will only prac¬ 
tise cleanliness m their management, and use 
the carbolic acid m the regular bi-weeklv 
cleaning of all coop* and houses used for 
chickens, they will seldom be troubled with 
gapes. 
o- 
The Sweet Pea Show. 
Owing to the tine growing weather last 
ApriJ twelvemonth, the date, July 20th, was 
said to be too late for some growers, and 
accordingly July 4th was fixed for the 1905 
exhibition. AYlien this date was announced 
it stiuck me that the northern growers would 
stand a very poor chance of attempting to 
light for the championship. Although 
situated in Kent, the vines rarely start bloom¬ 
ing with me until towards the end of June, 
and the seed has invariably been sown in pots 
early in March. 
To get ahead I sowed this season early in 
February, and planted out the first- week in 
Apiil, and at that time I had no doubts as 
to their being in full bloom by the end of 
June. 
But directly after planting the north¬ 
easterly winds started, and for over six 
weeks the perishing blasts played around the 
Leas, and not until" the hast week in May 
did they show a sign of growth. Four months 
had elapsed and the best- plants were but four 
inches high. 
AVords cannot express my feelings, and 
when, at the beginning of May, a famous 
Midland grower wrote to say that one hatch 
of plants put out were covered with snow 
the following day, and furious winds were at 
the moment battering the others, I began to 
think that the Sweet Pea Show would be 
made up by glass-house men. 
The last days of May and first four days 
of June proved a godsend, and the plants 
began to jump, and with them our hopes, 
although the great heat was very trying after 
tlie terrible drying winds, and we began to 
s’gh for rain. 
It came on the fifth and has lasted ever 
sinefe, this being the eighth. AVith the rain 
we are having the same cold blighting north¬ 
east winds, which blow the plants away 
from the supports. 
Peaite- 
