January  4,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
7 
and  abundant  setting  should  still  be  utterly  unequal  to  the  task  of 
bringing  one  single  fruit  to  anything  approaching  its  fair  proportions, 
either  in  size,  beauty,  or  use;  nothing,  in  fact,  but  shapeless,  rotten 
deformity. 
Surely  the  labours  cf  our  friend  Mr.  Abbey,  Miss  Ormerod,  and 
others,  are  not  a  bad  answer  to  the  question  in  another  page  of  the 
same  number  of  our  Journal  that  “  Gardening  is  advancing.” 
Evidently,  if  bacteria  are  a  new  development  of  this  century,  they 
are  come  to  stay  ;  they  meet  us  now  at  every  step,  and  it  is  against 
them  that  so  many  of  our  battles  will  have  to  be  fought.  I  have 
tried  Mr.  Fenn’s  anti-blight  on  several  things  this  year,  and  think  it 
decidedly  checks  some  of  these  troubles,  but  I  think  I  have  used  it  too 
late,  forgetting,  alas  !  that  “  Prevention  is  better  than  cure.” 
^  And  now,  Mr.  Editor,  I  must  stop,  yet  as  somewhat  bearing  on 
this  important  subject  I  would  crave  space  for  this  amusing  sketch, 
which  appeared  some  ten  or  fifteen  years  ago  in  the  columns  of 
“St.  James’s  Gazette,”  and  which  is  certainly  worth  reproduction. 
It  was  entitled : — 
THE  LOVES  OF  THE  BACILLI. — A  Physiological  Idtll. 
(The  Comma  Bacillus  is,  according  to  Koch,  the  germ  of  cholera.) 
Quoth  Bacillus  toBacilla 
(Surely  everything  has  sex)  ; 
It  is  quite  enough  to  fill  a 
Soul  with  pride,  to  see  the  necks 
Of  these  mighty  men  of  science 
O’er  the  microscope  bent  low, 
While  beneath  them  in  defiance 
Spins  the  merry  Vibrio. 
Proud  am  I  to  think,  my  Comma, 
While  the  world  rolls  on  its  way. 
Every  fell  disease  springs  from  a 
Fairy  filament,  they  say. 
Autocrats,  that  tower  Titanic 
Have  been  known  to  bow  to  me ; 
Mighty  potentates  in  panic 
Disinfect  at  thought  of  thee ! 
Bash  would  he  be,  who  should  presage 
That  no  germs  behind  us  are; 
We  are  part  of  that  great  message 
•'  That  outrings  ’twixt  earth  and  star. 
What  by  thousands  or  by  tens  is 
Multiplied,  in  vain  they  show; 
Sometbine  lies  beyond  his  lenses 
Mortal  man  may  never  know ! 
W 0  are  greater,  my  Bacilla 
Than  all  monarchs  ;  for  meseems 
We  need  but  exist  to  fill  a 
Strong  man’s  brain  with  fever-dreams. 
Such  the  thought,  my  passion  kindles 
0  my  microscopic  bride  : 
Kiss  me !  although  twenty  Tyndalls 
Have  their  eyes  upon  the  slide ! — H.  S.  C. 
There  is  plenty  of  space  for  deeper  thoughts  in  several  of  these 
lines. — Y.  B.  A.  Z. 
PRUMNOPITYS  ELEGANS. 
This  is  one  of  the  few  Chilian  Taxads  that  can  be  grown  outdoors 
in  this  country,  being  of  about  the  same  degree  of  hardiness  as 
Araucaria  imbricata,  though  it  is  far  less  fastidious  with  respect  to 
soil.  On  the  Andes  of  Chili,  where  it  occurs  frequently,  it  lorms  a 
small  tree  40  or  50  feet  in  height,  well  furnished  with  spreading  or 
sometimes  drooping  branches ;  but  in  this  country  it  forms  a  dense, 
pyramidal  tree  about  15  feet  high,  well  clothed  with  rather  stiff 
branches  to  the  ground. 
When  young  the  plants  are  nearly  always  of  an  upright  habit, 
but  with  age  they  gradually  broaden  at  the  base,  and  assume  a 
pyramidal  form.  It  can  be  propagated  from  seeds  or  cuttings,  but 
the  young  plants  should  be  in  a  sheltered  situation  for  a  year  or  two, 
as  severe  weather  kills  the  growing  points,  and  causes  the  plants  to 
become  stunted,  a  state  which  it  is  very  difficult  to  get  them  to  grow 
out  of. 
The  leaves  are  linear  in  shape,  about  an  inch  long,  of  a  deep  green 
above  and  glaucous  beneath,  and  are  densely  clustered  around  the 
branches.  The  name  of  the  Plum  Fir  is  sometimes  apjlied  to  this 
plant,  probably  on  account  of  its  purplish  fruits,  which  are  about  the 
size  of  a  Grape,  and  are  said  to  have  an  agreeable  flavour  when  ripe. 
There  are  probably  no  trees  in  this  country  large  enough  yet  to  bear 
fruit,  so  the  question  of  edibility  must  be  left  to  the  future  to  decide, 
but  judging  from  nearly  allied  plants  which  have  fruited,  the  fruits 
will  probably  smell  much  better  than  they' taste. 
This  plant  is  sometimes  known  under  the  name  of  Podocarpus 
andina,  but  Podocarpus,  though  a  closely  allied  genus,  has  its  fruits 
solitary  on  a  fleshy  stalk,  while  in  Prumnopitys  they  are  borne  on  a 
loose  spike.  In  other  respects  the  two  genera  closely  resemble  each 
other. — C. 
VIOLETS  FOR  EXHIBITION. 
“  A.  J.  L.”  (page  521)  says,  “  So  far  as  I  know  these  popular 
flowers  are  not  represented  at  our  stows  for  competition.”  In  this 
he  is  not  quite  correct,  for  at  some  West  of  England  shows  prizes 
are  offered  for  them  staged  in  glasses  with  their  own  foliage ;  it  is 
true,  however,  they  are  not  encouraged  as  th^y  might  be.  This  is, 
I  believe,  only  a  matter  requiring  time,  for  Violet  cultivation  is  being 
taken  up  more  freely  than  has  ever  previously  been  the  case.  •  »»« 
The  exhibits  of  Messrs.  House  &  Son,  Westbury-on-Trym,  have 
done  much  to  popularise  Violets,  both  for  home  use  and  exhibition. 
They  have  a  large  area  of  land  set  apart  for  the  newer  varieties,  and 
it  would  seem  their  cultivation  has  arrived  at  a  high  stage  of  per¬ 
fection,  judging  from  the  size  of  the  flowers  and  the  length  of  the 
stalk.  Violets  are  favourites  with  everyone,  and  it  is  a  matter  of 
some  surprise  that  prizes  should  not  have  been  offered  for  them  before. 
The  great  numbers  of  Chrysanthemum  shows  that  are  crowded  into 
the  space  of  a  month  render  it  impossible  for  a  tithe  of  the  varied 
exhibits  to  be  noticed  in  reports,  and  it  is  not  unlikely  that  this  has 
led  your  correspondent  into  thinking  they  are  not  favoured  with  a 
place  in  prize  schedules.  These  newer  Violets  are  well  adapted  for 
growing  in  pots,  and  at  some  shows  priaes  are  offered  for  them  up  to 
a  limited  size,  and  it  cannot  be  disputed  but  that  such  a  class  would 
be  popular. 
Violets  in  frames  for  winter  buttonholes  have  been  found  in  most 
gardens  for  many  years,  in  some  cases,  too,  in  which  a  frame  or  two 
furnish  the  whole  extent  of  glass.  Since  the  introduction  of  Cali- 
fornica.  Princess  of  Wales,  and  others  of  kindred  type,  even  in  small 
gardens  one  finds  Violet  culture  taken  up  with  much  greater  enthu¬ 
siasm  than  in  former  days,  and  if  this  continue — as  is  certain — 
they  will  in  time  become  standard  exhibition  flowers  and  plants. 
Chrysanthemum  societies  can  do  a  great  deal  to  extend  this  newer 
phase  of  Violet  culture  by  offering  liberal  prizes  for  these  fragrant 
flowers  at  their  autumn  shows. — W  S. 
XL  ALL  VAPORISING  COMPOUND  AND  THE 
PHARMACEUTICAL  SOCIETV. 
It  is  strange  that  the  XL  All  compound  should  not  have  been 
attacked  before  now.  How  is  it  that  they  have  left  it  alone  until  it 
has  become  known  to  practically  every  horticulturist  in  the  kingdom, 
and  has  become  almost  indispensable  for  use  in  the  garden  as  an  insect 
destroyer  ?  It  has  been  suggested  that  had  not  the  trade  in  this 
gardener’s  requisite  developed  to  its  present  proportions,  the  attention 
of  the  Council  of  the  P.S.  would  not  have  been  drawn  to  it  by  its 
members.  Why  this  sudden  discovery  of  the  fact  that  the  XL  All 
compound  is  a  preparation  which  contains  a  percentage  of  nicotine  ? 
And  why  are  they  so  fearful  that  someone  will  drink  it,  when  it  is 
manufactured  and  sold  expressly  for  fumigating  greenhouses  ?  Why 
has  it  taken  six  years  for  them  to  discover  that  this  is  so  dangerous, 
after  it  has  been  sold  by  nurserymen,  seedsmen,  and  florists  for  this 
length  of  time  without  a  single  accident  ?  To  all  unbiassed  minds 
the  answer  suggests  itself. 
It  appears  that  neither  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  nor  its  members 
have  any  control  over  the  sale  of  carbolic  acid  or  its  preparations,  and 
these  can  be  freely  purchased  anywhere  for  domestic  use,  and  seem  to 
stand  about  some  households  quite  unguarded.  If  this  and  other 
poisons  of  a  similar  character  can  be  and  are  sold  without  any  restric- 
tions  for  household  purposes,  surely  the  horticultural  trade  may  claim 
the  right  to  sell  a  preparation  of  nicotine,  for  use  (quite  apart  from 
the  dwelling  house)  in  greenhouses,  which  in  nine  oases  out  of  ten 
would  be  stored  in  an  outhouse  in  the  garden. 
It  is  the  opinion  of  many  that  all  interested  traders  who  have 
Buffered  from  similar  interference  at  the  hands  of  the  P.S.  should 
organise  a  society  to  watch  over  their  interests,  and  to  bring  their 
grievances  before  Parliament  at  the  earliest  date  possible,  with  a  view 
to  getting  the  Act  of  1868  amended,  so  as  to  enable  agents  other  than 
pharmacists  to  sell  poisonous  preparations  for  technical  purposes  (in 
the  manufacturer’s  original  packages)  to  the  trades  and  professions, 
which  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business  it  should  be  their  legitimate 
right  to  supply,  of  course  under  necessary  restrictions. 
The  Pharmacy  Act  of  1868,  as  affecting  the  sale  of  poisonous 
preparations  for  technical  purposes,  does  not  appear  to  be  under¬ 
stood  by  one  and  all  alike.  It  must  be  clear  to  all  but  the  most 
nervous  people  that  the  skill  of  a  pharmacist  is  not  at  all  necessary 
to  sell  a  farmer  a  tin  of  “  sheep  dip.”  Why,  then,  should  he  not 
be  able  to  get  it  from  the  same  source  of  supply  as  his  other  farm 
requirements  ? 
Again,  why  should  a  gardener  not  be  able  to  order  his  fumigator 
or  weed-killer  from  his  nurseryman  or  seedsman  together  with  his 
bulbs  or  seeds,  thus  saving  the  expense  and  annoyance  of  having 
to  obtain  one  requisite  from  one  source  and  one  from  another  ?  Next 
we  shall  hear  of  nurserymen  and  seedsmen  being  prosecuted  selling 
any  kind  of  insecticide,  and  bulbs  and  seeds  containing  poison  may 
not  go  exempt. 
I  shall  be  glad  to  receive  communications  and  suggestions  from 
anyone  who  is  willing  to  join  such  a  movement  as  is  above  indicated. 
— G.  H.  Richaeds,  128,  Southwark  Street,  London,  S.E. 
