THE GARDENING WORLD 
Vll. 
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best. 
July 18, 1908. 
ions A. and B. Doubtless those candi- 
ates had got flurried, and had not read 
aeir examination paper carefully before 
ommencing work. The examiners were 
lev. George Henslow and Mr. James 
)ouglas. 
(oval Horticultural Society. 
The Royal Horticultural Society's fort- 
lightly exhibition of flowers and plants 
.as held on June 23rd at the Royal Horti- 
ultural Hall, Vincent Square, S.W., 
,-hen the President and Council of the 
iociety had the pleasure of receiving a 
eputation of about 100 members of the 
Societe Nationale d’Horticulture de 
•'ranee, and entertained them to a light 
uncheon. The visitors included the pre¬ 
sent of their society, M. Viger, and 
vlessrs. Lebouf (treasurer), Abel Chate- 
rav (secretary), and Maurice de Vilmorin, 
•,f Paris. 
At the fortnightly general meeting the 
ollowing "were among the new Fellows 
fleeted :— Vice-Admiral Sir Francis 
Iridgeman, the Hon. Mrs. Francis But- 
er, the Countess of Dalhousie, Lady 
i)unn, the Viscountess Ennismore, the 
-Ion. Mrs. Goldman, Commander G. 
fJvdgkinson, R.N., Lady Hulton, the 
dountess of Listowel, Capt. R. L. G. 
\ T oel, the Hon. Mrs. Ryder, Sir Chas. C. 
itevens, K.C.S.I., Lady. Susan Sutton, 
ind about 120 others. 
A lecture was given by the Rev. Prof. 
j. Henslow, M.A., F.L.S., V.M.H., on 
• T he Absorption of Rain and Dew by the 
flreen Parts of Plants.” 
The Gean as a Landscape Tree. 
People go into raptures over the “ May 
rlossom' 1 of the Hawthorn, which does not 
develop its full beauty until June, except- 
ng in the South, but one rarely hears the 
Wild Cherry spoken of. In May this is 
the most conspicuous, tree in the land¬ 
scape, showing up like white clouds 
against the delicate green of the grass 
and the young foliage of the wood and 
park trees. _ In my opinion, it is not a 
tree to be massed in the woods, as in this 
way it loses much of its charm, but rather 
s it a subject for planting amongst the 
more formal umbrageous giants of the 
park, where it attains full dimensions and 
becomes a beautiful object. In Octocer 
ialso its foliage tints are second to none. 
Stirling. H. ARNOLD. 
Sraps Thinning. 
This is one of the most important points 
in Vine culture. A pair of long-pointed 
(scissors and a piece of twig are used for 
the purpose. The twig is required to lift 
up the shoulders of the bunches when 
tving up, instead of using the hand. 
Great care should be taken not to touch 
the berries with the hand or head, for it 
causes rust and spoils the bloom and so 
■disfigures the bunches: In the first place 
thin out the bunches, leaving one on each 
spur, or ten to twelve bunches on a rod. 
Always tie up any shoulders which require 
:o be done before commencing to thin the 
i bunch. Begin at the bottom of the bunch 
by taking out all small and seedless 
j berries, then all inside berries, and lastly 
by removing any others so as to leave 
I sufficient room for swelling. If the 
bunches are well thinned, they will not 
I require to be gone over twice. 
Wm. Smith. 
-Douglas. 
A Useful Box for Plants. 
A box from which plants can be planted 
out to the open ground without disturb¬ 
ing the- roots can be made as follows : — 
Procure a box 2 ft. long, 1 ft. broad and 
4 in. deep, cut four strips of wood 4 in. 
broad to fit into the box lengthwise, set 
them at equal distances apart and nail at 
both ends to keep them in position. Next 
cut pieces to fit in between about 3 in. 
apart (if they fit tightly they need not be 
nailed, as the soil will keep them in posi¬ 
tion) so that there is a series of apart¬ 
ments, after the manner of an egg box. 
A drainage hole is necessary at the bot¬ 
tom of each compartment, and the box is 
complete. It can be used for striking 
cuttings of Dahlias, Chrysanthemums, 
etc:, or to prick out plants into for bed¬ 
ding purposes. 
W. Chalmers. 
Muchalls. 
Salt Mixture as a Spray for Plants. 
The full value of this cheap commodity 
is not yet fully realised by horticulturists. 
As a destroyer of weeds on walks or a 
dressing for Asparagus, its uses are wic 
known. Apart from this, its employn. 
as a spray for plants in pots in grev - 
houses, etc., is as yet scarcely heeded, it 
is, however, highly valuable. A small 
quantity—1 oz. to every four gallons of 
water, well stirred in — will be found to 
impart a freshness and improved vigour 
to the plants, besides rendering them 
more stable against insect pests and less 
liable to fungus attacks. Mixed with 
water for damping down purposes, salt is 
also to be recommended ; the air becom¬ 
ing impregnated with the salient particles, 
renders moisture less readily absorbed by 
natural or artificial heat, thus helping to 
maintain the desired condition about the 
plants for a greater length of time. Used 
in the above proportions, it -is quite safe, 
even for tender foliage. 
H. Rowles. 
Partridge Green. 
Koeniga maritima. 
This is one of the most useful plants 
we have for edging beds and borders of 
bedding plants. It is, strictly speaking, 
an annual, and when raised from seed, is 
of a straggling habit, but when propa¬ 
gated from cuttings, inserted during Feb¬ 
ruary, it grows close and compact, never 
reaching beyond six inches in height, and 
pushing forth numerous erect, crowded 
.umbels of small star-shaped, white frag¬ 
rant flowers. A most useful addition to 
the summer bedding, I treat it as follows : 
When the beds are being cleared during 
the autumn, a few of the most compact 
plants are carefully lifted and potted into 
vinch pots, which are placed in the green¬ 
house where the temperature never falls 
below 45 degrees. During the following 
February, cuttings are taken which are 
inserted thickly m pots placed m a pro¬ 
pagator. W hen well rooted and com¬ 
mencing to grow, they are transferred into 
shallow boxes, where they remain till becl- 
dmg-out time. 
Beckenham. L. S. SMALL. 
Bulb Lifting. 
Daffodils, Tulips, Hyacinths, Crocus, 
and other bulbs should never be lifted 
until all the foliage has entirely died 
down. Many beginners have a way of 
cutting the leaves off because they are un¬ 
sightly, not knowing that this is disastrous 
in draining the sap out of the future 
bulb. 
Tire bulbs to keep up their flowering re¬ 
putation must reclaim all the energy from 
the foliage as it dies down, and for this 
reason should never be cut away, but all 
seed vessels should certainly be taken oft. 
However, if the foliage be an eyesore, 
larger plants may be planted in front, to 
obscure them from view, or another 
method is to lift them with as much soil 
as possible and plant out in some other 
place to thoroughly ripen the bulbs, when 
they may be lifted and stored away. 
Westhoughcon. Joseph Floyd. 
The Balsam. 
This beautiful flower is not so easily 
grown as to deserve the term “Every¬ 
body's Flower.” They are of immense 
service in the greenhouse during the sum¬ 
mer, making it very attractive and plea¬ 
sant with their numberless gay blossoms. 
With attention, Balsams may be produced 
of a very large size. The seed should 
be sown in March or April in a close 
pit, but care should be taken that the 
plants are not allowed to get drawn. 
When large enough, they should be 
potted off and. shifted into larger pots at 
intervals, as necessity requires. The se¬ 
cret of growing Balsams well consists in 
constantly- surrounding them with a sweet 
moist-growing atmosphere. Syringe re¬ 
peatedly—at least, three times a day, and 
especially during bright weather. The 
Balsam requires a large supply of air, 
that the plants may not become drawn 
and slender. 
King's Lvnn. S. E. Gent. 
- 4^4 - 
British Gardeners’ Association. 
The members of the London branch of 
the above association to the number of 
thirty-four met at the main entrance of 
Kew Gardens on Saturday, the 4th inst., 
and had a general inspection as far as 
time would permit. They traversed the 
greater extent of the gardens in order to 
see certain trees in the Arboretum. Mem¬ 
bers came all the wav from Reading, Har¬ 
row, Yiewsley, and Whetstone. The next 
visit will be" to Finsbury and Waterlow 
Parks. 
