762 
THE GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE. 
to those presented at previous exhibitions. 
It is, therefore, obvious that mistakes were 
made on both sides, and that, as a eonse- 
quenee, visitors lost the opportunity of see¬ 
ing at the exhibition vegetables at the stage 
at which they can be served other than in 
the manner which finds favour in the 
greater proportion of households at the 
present time. It would be a distinct 
advantage were such classes to be provided 
in the schedules of the leading societies, 
inasmuch as the collections in competition 
would not only constitute a feature of much 
interest, but they would demonstrate 
the possibility of considerable variation in 
the methods of placing upon the dinner 
table the several kinds of vegetables now 
represented in British gardens. 
Mr. A. C. Smith, estate steward and 
head gardener to Sir H. B. Samuelson, 
Bart., Hatchfqrd Park, Cobham, Surrey, 
is particularly’well known in the Metro¬ 
politan district by reason of his connection 
with the Royal Horticultural Society, as its 
assistant superintendent at Wisley, for six 
years. Mr. Smith commenced his garden¬ 
ing career under his father, who had charge 
of the gardens and plantations at Dor- 
mont, Lockerbie, Dunf riesshire. After 
leaving home he spent various periods, as 
journeyman, at Byram Park, Yorks, the 
seat of Sir J. Ramsden, Bart.; Bray ton 
Hall, Cumberland; and Petworth Park, 
Sussex. He eventually became foreman at 
Ascog House Gardens, in the Isle of Bute, 
and then secured the post of general fore¬ 
man at Knighthayee Court, North Devon, 
the seat of Sir John Heathcote Amory, 
Bart. Mr. Smith’s first post as head gar¬ 
dener was at Eden Hall, the residence of 
Sir R. G. Musgrave, Bart., where he re¬ 
mained fo|- six years. During the latter 
part of this period Mr. Smith had the 
management of the w'oodlands on the 
estate, and he was a member of the com¬ 
mittee of the Carlisle and Cumberland Hor¬ 
ticultural Association. Mr. Smith then 
came south, and for three years had charge 
of the Lydhurst Gardens, near Haywards 
Heath, where Mrs. Mackenzie has a very 
inter e^ing and extensive collection of 
flowering trees and shrubs and conifers. 
While at Lydhurst Mr. Smith was an occa¬ 
sional exhibitor, and on one occasion se¬ 
cured the Silver Banksian Medal of the 
Royal Horticultural Society for begonias. 
Mr. Smith left Lydhurst to take up the 
position of assistant superintendent at Wis¬ 
ley under Mr. S. T. Wright. Here he 
remained for six years, adding mate¬ 
rially to his own renown as a cultivator, 
and gaining experience of a quite unique 
character in loOnnection with trials of 
fruits, flowers, and vegetables. It is not 
very long since Mr. Smith entered upon 
his present position at Hatchford Park, but 
his equipment for his duties is such that 
he has gained the fullest confidence of his 
etnployer. 
Ulster Apple Orchards.— Some 
years since the Ulster Horticultural Society 
instituted, with the assistance of the Irish 
Department of Agriculture, a series of com¬ 
petitions among the owners of apple or¬ 
chards in the several counties forming the 
province of Ulster. Originally there were 
two competitions, one for orchards exceed¬ 
ing three ^res, and one for orchards not 
less than one acre or more than three acres. 
These proved so successful in creating in¬ 
creased interest in the management of 
apple orchards, and effecting improvements 
in their management, that two years since a 
third competition was introduced, this 
being for orchards exceeding three acres 
and from four to ten years old. Last year 
there were four orchards in competition in 
the last-named class, but this season there 
were eight, and these were in the counties 
of Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, 
Londonderry, and Monaghan. In the 
larger class for old orchards the premier 
award is the Aberdeen Cup, and in that for 
small orchards the Gibson Cup is the chief 
prize. The important task of making the 
awards was entrusted to Mr. J. Lynas, 
Moyallen Gardens; Mr. J. Harding, Cale¬ 
don Castle Gardens; and Mr. W. J. Hard¬ 
ing, Fruit Inspector of the Department of 
Agriculture, and they may be congratu¬ 
lated on the admirable manner in which 
they performed their somewhat onerous 
duties. The Aberdeen Cup was awarded 
Mr. J. Donnelly, Blackwatertown, Ar¬ 
magh ; and the Gibson Cup to Mr. J. Mof¬ 
fett, Lisnamintry, Pottadown; while the 
premier award for young orchards was 
made in favour of Miss Wright, Desertlyn, 
Moneymore. The improvement that has 
been accomplished in the management of 
the apple orchards since the institution of 
these competitions is very great, and, as a 
consequence thereof, their value as a source 
of profit to the owners has been materially 
enhanced. 
National Rose Society. — This 
society continues to increase in popularity, 
and, as the result, new members are being 
added to the list at a more rapid rate than 
at any previous period in its history. The 
present rate in the increase of membership 
is, we understand, about 100 per month. 
The society will, in 1914, hold a spring 
exhibition at the Royal Horticultural Hall, 
a metropolitan exhibition in the gai^ens of 
the Royal Botanic Society, Regents Pai'k, 
in the second week in July; a provincial 
show in the following Tveek at Bath; 
and an autumn exhibition at the Royal 
Horticultural Hall in September, the date 
of the last-named being about a week later 
than the show held last month. 
Horticultural Club.— Following 
the house dinner of the Horticultural Club, 
on Tuesday, the 21st inst.. Professor W. 
B. Bottomley, B.A., will give a lecture on 
The Effect of Soluble Humates on Nitro¬ 
gen Fixation and Plant Growth.” The lec¬ 
ture will 'be illustrated with lanteim slides, 
and with living plants showing the good 
effects of manuring with peat after it has 
been treated in the manner to be described 
by Professor Bottomley. The dinner wiU, 
as usual, take place at the Hotel Windsor, 
Westminster, S.W., and commence at 6.30 
p.m. 
Cause of Colour Chang^es in 
Flowers. — Colonel H. E. Rawson, 
C. B., presented to the Botanical Section of 
the British Association a paper on “ Varia¬ 
tion of Structure and Colour of Flowers 
under Isolation.” In this he described 
certain experiments begun eight years ago 
in which the method had been followed of 
shading off with a perfectly opaque screen 
all direct rays of the sun for certain selected 
intervals of daylight, while admitting all 
the diffuse light possible. The garden nas¬ 
turtium (Tropseolum majus) had been used 
for (the experiments. The new mauve 
variety oibtained in Pretoria by the method 
of screening, whose seed was brought to 
England in 1907., and came true, now 
flowered and seeded freely in any aspect. 
When any material change had been made 
in the colouring pigments of the petals the 
flowers experimented with always showed 
a marked tendency to be sterile. Some¬ 
times, as the flowers grew, markings on 
petals had been removed altogether, or, in 
other oases, intensified and enlarged, so as 
to suffuse the whole face. Honey guides 
had been removed. Besides these changes, 
flowers with a short, blunt spur (a recog¬ 
nised variety), or with none at all, or with 
two and three spurs, had become common. 
OCTOBIE 11, ] y < 
and were transmitted through the w 
The experiments definitely poiaud u. 
connection between the variations of 
and structure and the sun’s altitude Uu 
seasonal and diurnal. There seemed’ixtik 
room for doubt that by this medioc 
screening, which departed but slightlre, 
the conditions to be found in nature’n . • 
holism had been affected, and ch^ « 
colour and structure produced • 
could be reproduced in other indirk: ■ / 
Many instan^ had occurred of k>» * . 
modifying crimson colouring pigmeoti • 
that the yellow predominated, and . • . 
highest sun available in these iskncb :• 
mobing the purple and violet pigiL.V> 
Some red pigments, but not all, > 
intensified by intermediate sun. 
Perpetual - flowering Carni- 
tion Society.— The winter exhAuft 
of this society will be held at the Rra 
Horticultural Hall, Wednesday, 
ber 3, and the schedule of prizes otf*x 
for competition is now before Th»<v- 
are sixty classes, the most important k j; 
the open class for a group of cut lAru 
tioins, in which the silver cup pr«Mn>; 
by American florists will form part of 
premier award; the open class for 
vases of blooms, in which the priz** ' > 
fifty-guinea silver-gilt challenge t i} . 
sented by Mr. G. Munro, jun.; a!;<i > 
class, open to private growers, for a p =: 
of plants of perpetual-flowering cani.i *© 
in which Lord Howard de Waldens 
gilt challenge cup will be the priBi f* 
award. On the same day Mr. (J. H. 
rence will give a lecture on ‘‘Carniti :> 
for Amateurs,” at 3 p.m., and ^ i ’ 
the annual general meeting of the s 
will be held. The l^ture will 
and the annual meeting held, in :li* 1^ 
ture Room of the R.H.S. Hall. 
An Interesting Competitloi 
at Olympia.— An inieTcstm 
has arisen in connection with 
Home Exhibition wdiich opened at ^ 
on Thursday last. A fifty-guinea ^ 
offered to the firm which laid out tN’ 
garden on a very limited site sucha' 
be available in a very small arr.i ^ 
back of a house in a congests 4 
• ■ The task of beaiitifymr ' 
D1 ICl/. Xllt? IrtlOlV VI , r-- 
unpromising site is obviously verv 
1 fact that was. evidentiv. fulw 
that was. evKienxi.y 
ated by the general body <> y ^ 
akers, for only two firms 
e competition. In tho circums 
ithorities offered to .j ^ te 
0 cup between them, but *‘**®,. ^ ; 
t a<?^pted, 35 both 
irter and Co. aaid 
ns—preferred to have the n^erd. , ^ , 
rangements determined in t c ■ 
p Albert Rollit was . 
t as judge, VTA if ^ " 
pted on the condition that , n 
y doubt in the matter > 
two members of the i Hot ' 
rrieiiltural Society and V 
ral Society to niaj 
final decision is to be by 
Plants as atuT' ' 
ir Archibald Geikie hv tr* 
le important of *1’^T 
ireous algae in the form 
was generally 
lat the limestone 
ha* w- 
limal origin. recent 
•ofessor E. J. lowlv k;' „ 
rther reference to th i - , 
ant life with a view to , 
terest in them as rcek-bu r: 
fluence 
in them as ^ modiU > 
Lxuvxxce they affording® - ^ 
^ of the earth, and mjff 
30 ot tne earxu, 
lime that are of im 
hat are <>* ^"‘..wenera '-j 
