964 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
December 16, 1905. 
elected honorary member#. The rules of the asso¬ 
ciation are now in type, with the names and 
addresses of all the members, the branches and 
their secretaries, etc., and the secretary (Talbot 
Villa, Isleworth, London, W.) will be glad to 
receive an early intimation as to any change of 
address, etc., so as the first published list may be 
as complete and accurate as possible. J. V . 
Edinburgh Seed Trade Assistants at 
Dinner. 
The eleventh annual dinner of the Edinburgh 
seed trade assistants was held in Ferguson and 
Forrester’s, Princes Street, on Friday evening, 
December 1st. About 100 assistants and their 
friends sat down, under the presidency of the 
chairman of committee, Mr. A. Scott, Denholm, 
of Messrs. Drummond Brothers, and the croupiers 
were Messrs. P, M. Greig, TV. Tait, John H. J. 
Young, D. Syme Webster, and J. C. Maclure. 
The chairman was supported by Messrs. John 
Duncan, Win. Waddell, T. Watson Dods, Harry 
Erskine, and Tom Alisun. After the company 
had partaken of a sumptuous repast the loyal 
toast was given from the chair, as was also the 
patriotic toast, and this was responded to by 
Sergeant Kirkland. The toast of the evening, 
namely, “ The Seed Trade Assistants,” was pro¬ 
posed by Mr. H. B. Elliot in a particularly 
humorous speech, and among other things he 
said that all the seed assistants he had the 
pleasure of knowing were a line jolly lot, and he 
congratulated the principals on having such a 
fine° lot. Mr. J. C. Maclure replied in a few 
choice phrases, and said that the dinner was a 
very happy send-off to the busy season, which 
worild soon be upon them again, and, although 
during the rush a few of the assistants grumbled 
a bit,"veil, what about it? It was a Scotchman’s 
privilege to grumble, and did not mean very 
much. Mr. G. “Watson Dods proposed “The 
Nursery and Seed Trade,’ and Mr. Harry 
Erskine, in responding, said that their trade had 
fallen on bad times owing to so much being sold 
by auction at a mere fraction of its actual value. 
Mr. Tom Alison proposed “ Kindred Societies, ’ 
and Mr. Jas. H. Parker, representing Glasgow 
assistants, responded, and hoped that all such 
societies would go on and prosper. Mr. Dobson, 
the honorary secretary of the Glasgow Associa¬ 
tion then proposed the toast of “ Our Enter¬ 
tainers,” and Mr. R. J. Brothers responded. 
Other toasts followed, and a very high class 
musical and elocutionary programme was carried 
through. The meeting terminated at the witch¬ 
ing hour of twelve, and was voted by all present 
a delightful evening. 
Thomas H. Young, Hon. Sec. 
Diary of Shows and Meetings. 
Abbreviations used. 
G. —Gardening or gardener 
H. —Horticultural 
M.I.—Mutual Improvement 
m.m.— Monthly meeting 
S.—Socieiy 
w.m.— Weekly meeting 
A. —Association 
Am.—Amateurs 
Clay.—Chrysanthemum 
c.m.—Committee meeting 
Cott.—Cottage or cottagers 
D.—District 
Thus: — The Templeton G. Am. and Cott. M.I.H.S. 
(Gardeners, Amateurs, and Cottagers’ Mutual Improvement 
Horticultural Society.) 
DECEMBER. 
18th.—Horsforfch G. M.I.S. (w.m.) ; Shirley and 
D.G. and Am.A. (m.m.); West of England 
C’hry. S. (m.m.). 
19th.—R.H.S. (bi-m. exhibition and meeting); 
Croydon and D. H.M.I.S. (m.m.); Chester¬ 
field and D. Chry. S. (m.m.); Hunton 
Cott, G. M.I.S. (m.m.); Sevenoaks G. and 
Am. M.I.S. (bi-m.nr.) ; Dulwich Chry. S. 
(m.nr.) ; Tunbridge Wells Chry. and 
G. M.I.A. (nomination of officers), Ore and 
D. Am. and Cott. M.I.S. (m.m.) ; Lough¬ 
borough and D.G. M.I.A. (bi-m.m.). 
20th.—Ide Hill G. S. (m.m.); Wargrave and 
D.G. M.I.A. (bi-m.m.); Ipswich and D.G. 
and Am. A. (m.m.). 
21st.—Lamberhurst H.S. (m.m.); Wimbledon 
and D. H.S. (m.m.); Paignton and D. G.A. 
(m.m.); Westerbam G. Am. and Cott 
M.I.S. (bi-m.m.). 
23rd.—Leeds Paxton S. (w.m.). 
The Editor inviles enquiries, which may cover ™ 
any branch of gardening. Questions should be as 
brief as possible and written on one side of the 
paper only; a separate sheet of paper should be 
used for each question. Readers are invited to 
give their fellow gardeners the benefit of their 
experience by sending supplementary replies—see -p 
Prize Competitions. J 
Replies cannot be sent by post. 
Garden Plans .—Gardeners who would make 
the best me of this column are invited to prepare 
and forward to us a rough outline drawing or plan 
of tlicir gardens, indicating the position of beds 
and lawns, the character ■ und height of the fence 
or wall ; position of vegetable garden, orchard, 
etc. The north side of the garden and any over¬ 
shadowing buildings should be denoted. It should 
also be stated whether the garden is flat or on a 
declivity, and all large trees should be marked. 
Particulars of the nature of the soil will also 
help us to give satisfactory replies. When such 
plans arc received they will be carefully filed, with 
the name and address of the sender, and will be 
consulted by the Editor whenever an enquiry is sent. 
Questions for Young Gardeners. 
Being a constant reader of your Gardening 
World, I beg to ask you the following question, 
which I trust you will answer through the 
medium of your valuable paper. Does the R.H.S. 
send out a list of questions for young gardeners 
to fill in at their own homes, the same to be 
sent back for examination by them, and if any 
certificate is given in return if they be successful ? 
Please give address of the R.H.S. (W. M. Todd.) 
We think it very unlikely that the R.H.S. 
would send out a list of questions for anybody, 
as they are not teachers or instructors, although 
they hold an annual examination for the benefit of 
different people, including gardeners. They take 
it for granted that you get instruction at some 
local school or from some teacher of horticulture 
and botany. Then, some time in April, they 
hold examinations on the same evening in dif¬ 
ferent parts of the country, these examinations 
being superintended by some local man of repute 
in whom they can place confidence to conduct 
such an examination. These superintendents 
merely send the examination papers to the 
R.H.S., who appoint examiners and award certi¬ 
ficates to the papers that pass. Your best plan 
would be to send to the Secretary, Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society, Vincent Square, Westminster, 
London, and ask for a form relating to the ex¬ 
aminations for gardeners. This will put you on 
the right track as to how to get instruction and 
for the holding of an examination in your district. 
Book on Carnation Culture. 
Will you kindly oblige, through the columns of 
your paper, which is the best book on Carnation 
culture? (J. H.) 
There are several good hooks on the Carnation, 
some differing from others in the information 
which they supply. A very good one, which we 
think would suit your purpose, is the “ Carnation 
Manual,” by several writers, issued under the 
auspices of the National Carnation and Picotee 
Society. The second edition, priced at 3s. 6d., is 
sold by Messrs. Cassell and Co., Ludgate llill, 
London. 
Old Rose Trees. 
I have just removed into a new house, and 
against the walls of the garden (south and east 
aspect) are a number of Rose trees of straggling- 
growth. I am told there were only a few Roses 
on them this year, and of indifferent quality. 
Could they be improved by priming, etc., or 
would it be better to remove them? (Suburbia.) 
There are Roses and Roses, so that to prune 
them in the proper way it is necessary that you 
should know something about them as to what 
class they belong. We should advise you to 
wait until March, when the weather becomes 
more genial, and then prune them. We presume, 
from what you say, that they are climbing Roses 
.of some sort, and if so, the long young stems 
should be nailed to the wall and the oldest ones 
cut away, provided there is no room for their 
disposal after they have come into leaf. It is 
possible, if you attend to them properly, that 
tney may prove Roses that you fancy. If you 
conclude' that they are not the varieties you 
admire, you could then let us know and ask for 
the names of some Roses of better quality, say, 
next October. We fancy that too many stems 
were allowed to grow, so that the old and young 
ones crowded one another. When that is the 
case you cannot expect either good Roses or many 
of them. 
Cutting Down Spiraeas. 
I have about eight different Spiraeas in my 
garden, but have not hitherto cut back any of 
them excepting Anthony Waterer, although I 
think that all varieties which bloom late in sum¬ 
mer do well under such treatment. I shall be 
glad to have a reply in one of your future issues. 
(R. Morton. ) 
We think you are right in your opinion that all 
Spiraeas which bloom late in summer may lie 
cut down in spring with the full assurance that 
they will flower well later than usual towards the 
end of the same season. We should put it in 
another way, that all Spiraeas which bloom on 
the current season’s growth can be treated in this 
way. For instance, there are in cultivation nu¬ 
merous varieties of S. japonica, erroneously 
known in many gardens as S. callosa, of which 
Anthony Waterer is only a form. Then we have 
S. salicifolia, S. Douglasii, S. tomentosa, S. Men- 
ziesii, and others of that class, all of which may 
be cut down in March within a few inches of the 
ground, with the certainty that they will make 
strong fresh growth and flower well at least as 
late as September. You cannot expect to get 
plants of their full height in a single season, but 
when cut down in this way they provide a late 
display, and are suitable for making beds of 
shrubs. 
Soot as a Manure. 
What are the constituent elements of soot ? I 
have a good deal of it, and shall feel obliged if 
you will tell me whether I should apply it to my 
garden soil now or keep it for use ill spring and 
summer. Should the soot be spread on the top 
of the soil, or incorporated with it (T. S. T.) 
Soot may be largely made up of many things, 
especially if there are portions of stone, brick, or 
mortar in it front the chimney. Apart from these 
things it consists for the most part of solid or 
unburned carbon, with certain proportions of 
sulphur and nitrogen in the form of ammonia. 
Soot is .often employed to drive away insects, but 
it his a manunal value besides that consists 
chiefly of the small but variable quantity of 
ammonia in it. When soot is placed on the soil 
this ammonia gradually gets converted into nitric 
acid, and then into nitrates or salts of nitrogen, 
in which form it becomes available for the use of 
plants. The soot should be kept in a box or 
barrel or bag in a dry place until spring or sum¬ 
mer. when it may be employed at different times 
for the purposes stated. If allowed to get wet now 
it would lose largely in its ammonia constituent. 
