508 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  14,  1900, 
in  coming  into  leaf,  and  I  also  know  that  there  the  drought  was 
abnormal.  I  also  know  that,  leaving  the  neighbourhood  of  London  on 
one  day  in  August,  with  the  grass  so  burnt  up  that  a  north  country 
friend  of  mine  inquired  seriously  how  anything  was  ever  kept  alive  in 
the  south,  I  travelled  to  Northumberland,  and  there  saw  all  the  meadows 
with  great  round  yellow  patches  on  them  where  the  grass  has  been 
temporarily  destroyed  owing  to  the  hay  ''  pikes  ”  having  been  standing 
there  so  long  on  account  of  the  wet.  Whether  there  the  Ash  had  preceded 
t  he  Oak,  or  vice  versa,  I,  unfortunately,  did  not  ascertain. 
No  one,  I  suppose,  believes  that  because  one  species  of  tree  is  in 
leaf  earlier  than  another,  therefore  the  season  will  be  wet  or  dry,  but  I 
think  it  is  not  beyond  the  bound  of  possibility  that  the  character  of, 
say,  a  winter  may  bear  some  relation  to  the  character  of  the  subsequent 
summer,  and  that — especially  in  view  of  the  fact  that  the  Ash  is  a 
water  seeking  tree — the  character  of  a  winter  may  in  some  degree 
itiHuence  the  time  when  different  species  of  trees  come  into  leafage. 
“There  are  more  things  ’twixt  heaven  and  earth 
Than  are  dreamt  of  in  our  philosophy.” 
—A.  n. 
Bricks  and  Mortar  or  Land. 
There  are  no  doubt  many  persons  who,  having  a  certain  amount  of 
money  to  invest,  ask  themselves  seriously  whether  speculation  in  bricks 
and  mortar  will  be  more  profitable  than  land  ;  they  wish  to  do  the  very 
best  they  can  for  themselves,  and  generally,  it  must  be  added,  choose 
the  former.  True,  they  may  purchase  land  immediately  contiguous  to 
a  fast-growing  suburb  of  an  important  town,  and  either  commence 
building  themselves,  or  sell  out  as  soon  as  possible  at  a  good  profit. 
The  condition  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  is  almost  precisely 
that  of  the  investor  of  capital — its  council  is  between  two  stools,  and  it 
is  greatly  to  be  hoped  will  not  bite  the  dust.  If  all  the  Fellows  were  of 
the  same  opinion  as  “An  Old  Fellow’’  (page  484)  they  would  plump 
for  a  new  Chiswick,  and,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  air  would  be  cleared. 
Such,  however,  is  not  the  case,  for  amongst  those  scientists  whom  your 
correspondent  goes  out  of  his  way  to  scorn  are  some  men  of  keen 
business  ability,  and  they  favour  bricks  and  mortar,  not  because  as  “  An 
Old  Fellow  ”  suggests,  they  want  to  bring  the  society  down  from  its 
present  eminent  position,  but  because  they  consider  the  horticultural 
hall  in  London  would  be  more  generally  advantageous  to  horticulture 
and  horliculturists  throughout  the  kingdom.  But  as  your  correspondent 
has  no  reverence  for  the  opinions  of  scientists,  at  any  rate  in  this 
matter,  I  should  like  to  remind  him  that  there  are  many  practical 
business  juen  who  favour  the  establishment  of  a  hall.  Of  course  it  will 
be  said  that  they  do  this  because  it  will  redound  to  their  own  benefit. 
Exactly,  and  the  greater  the  number  of  them  who  can  be  induced  to 
see  the  matter  in  this  light  the  better,  as  they  will  then  give  more  than 
moral  support  to  the  scheme. 
In  either  case — whether  we  have  a  new  garden  or  a  new  hall — I 
should  like  to  ask  where  the  money  is  coming  from  to  make  the 
purchase  ?  The  society  has  comparatively  little  money  or  assets,  so, 
perhaps,  the  members  of  the  council  will  make  themselves  responsible 
individually  and  collectively  for  any  money  that  has  to  be  raised  ? 
Or  if,  as  has  been  suggested,  the  Fellows  are  to  be  approached  with  a 
view  to  securing  their  monetary  assistance,  I  think  they  should  have 
a  further  opportunity  of  expressing  their  opinions  on  the  subject 
before  the  council  commits  the  society  to  any  definite  scheme.  As  it 
is  absolutely  impossible  to  bring  the  whole  body  of  the  Fellows 
together  at  one  vast  general  meeting,  they  must  perforce  be  approached 
in  some  other  way. 
I  do  not  know  the  precise  number  of  Fellows,  but  I  think  it 
would  be  quite  feasible  for  each  one,  in  the  British  Isles  at  least,  to  be 
sent  a  reply  postcard  containing  certain  definite  questions.  For 
example,  there  might  be  the  following  : — 
Are  you  in  favour  of  new  garden  ? 
What  will  you  subscribe  towards  its  establishment? 
Are  you  in  favour  of  a  new  hall  ? 
What  will  you  subscribe  towards  its  erection  ? 
Each  Fellow  on  receipt  of  this  would  draw  his  pen  through  the 
scheme  he  opposed,  and  write  “yes”  to  the  first  question  of  th’e 
other,  and  the  amount  he  would  give  to  the  second.  This  may  be 
looked  upon  as  proxy  voting,  but  it  is  not  really  so ;  it  is  simply  a 
whip-up  from  the  council  to  the  Fellows  for  financial  assistance  to  one 
of  two  objects.  The  cost  of  the  reply  cards  would  not  be  great,  and 
the  labour  involved  would  be  mors  than  repaid  in  the  prompt  settle¬ 
ment  as  to  which  alternative  would  be  most  acceptable  to  the  general 
body  of  Fellows. 
I  am  not  one  with  “  An  Old  Fellow  ”  when  he  asserts  the  hall  would 
only  be  occupied  once  a  fortnight,  and  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  be 
useless.  If  we  have  a  hall  it  must  be  erected  with  a  view  to  securing 
the  support  of  other  arts  and  sciences  ;  but  these  are  matters  that 
cannot  be  discussed  at  the  moment.  I  am,  however,  convinced  that 
with  due  consideration  from  an  architectural  aspect  a  building  could  be 
erected  that  would  not  cost  much  more  for  maintenance  than  the 
estimated  annual  outlay  of  £3000  on  Limpsfield,  if  that  site  be  chosen 
for  the  new  Chiswick. — Audi  alteram  partem. 
Notes  on  Ererauri. 
The  magnificent  collection  of  these  stately  plants  at  the  Drill  Hall 
on  Tuesday,  5lh  inst.,  must  be  my  excuse  for  sending  these  notes.  It 
is  not  suggested  that  they  contain  any  particularly  fresh  information, 
but  the  culture  of  Eremurus  may  not  be  familiar  to  all  the  readers  of 
the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  and  the  snggestiois  may  therefore  prove 
useful.  Another  reason  for  their  production  at  this  moment  of  high 
pressure  in  the  flower  garden  lies  in  the  hope  that  from  their  perusal 
other  growers  may  be  induced  to  cultivate  a  few,  so  that  they  may  not 
suffer  in  the  future  from  the  unwarrantable  neglect  that  has  been  their 
lot  in  the  past.  It  cannot  be  claimed  for  Eremuri,  as  it  can  for  some 
of  our  numerous  border  plants,  that  they  will  adapt  themselves  to 
every  position.  Their  habit  of  growth  is  such  that  to  put  them  in 
certain  situations  would  not  only  mar  the  beauty  of  the  Eremuri,  but 
would  also  detract  from  the  charm  of  the  surrounding  plants.  For 
the  back  of  a  wide  border,  however,  the  upper  terrace  of  a  rockery,  or 
even  in  the  centre  of  a  large  bed,  they  are  admirable,  and  might  with 
general  advantage  be  more  largely  employed. 
I  am  unfortunately  not  able  to  speak  authoritatively  of  the  whole  of 
the  species,  as  I  have  only  had  practical  experience  with  E.  robustusand 
E.  himalaicus  (fig.  137);  and  superb  as  is  the  former,  I  think,  all  things 
considered,  the  latter  is  the  better  of  the  two.  Whether  it  is  the  soil 
or  the  situation  that  does  not  suit  the  former  I  am  unable  to  determine, 
but  marked  success  has  not  attended  my  efforts  with  it  so  far. 
B.  himalaicus  has,  however,  done  splendidly  with  me,  and  is  now 
flowering  magnificently.  It  produces  its  stately  spikes  each  year,  and 
with  the  exception  of  the  very  cold  winter  of  1894-5  it  has  not  suffered 
materially.  From  what  I  saw  of  E.  Elwesianus  at  the  Drill  Hall,  I 
assume  it  is  a  variety  of  B.  robustus ;  in  any  case  it  is  exceptionally 
handsome.  I  have  read  in  the  Journal  of  one  or  two  others  that  are 
worth  growing,  but  unfortunately  I  have  not  a  complete  set,  so  that 
reference  is  impossible  at  this  moment.  It  may  have  been  in  the  same 
article,  too,  that,  if  my  memory  serves  me  rightly,  there  was  a  reference 
to  the  plants  dying  after  having  produced  a  spike,  but  I  have  not  been 
troubled  in  this  respect  up  to  the  present. 
When  we  first  procured  a  couple  of  plants,  one  each  of  those  pre¬ 
viously  indicated,  they  were  inserted  on  a  warm  border  in  the  ordinary 
soil,  which  is  very  shallow.  Though  the  specimens  were  fine  ones  they 
made  practically  no  progress  ;  in  fact  it  may  be  said  that  they  were 
unsatisfactory,  but  the  reason  was  not  apparent.  Thinking  carefully 
over  the  habits  of  the  plants,  and  bearing  in  mind  the  thick  fleshy 
roots  they  produced,  the  trouble  was  eventually  ascribed  to  the  poverty 
of  the  soil.  Fortunately  this  was  a  condition  of  affairs  that  was  easily 
remedied.  We  took  out  the  mould  to  a  depth  of  upwards  of  2  feet  and 
over  a  considerable  area.  In  place  of  the  old  we  put  excellent  loam, 
with  the  lower  layer  of  which  was  mixed  some  decayed  manure,  and 
with  the  upper  layer  a  little  flaky  leaf  mould  and  very  coarse  sand  ;  of 
course  the  passing  away  of  water  was  insured  before  the  good  compost 
was  put  in.  The  result  of  this  simple  expedient  has  been  most 
gratifying,  especially,  as  has  been  said,  with  E.  himalaicus,  as  the 
plants  have  never  given  us  a  moment’s  anxiety  since. 
At  the  outset  elaborate  preparations  were  made  to  guard  against 
frost,  as  it  was  understood  the  plants  were  susceptible  of  injury  at  the 
tips  during  the  late  winter  and  early  spring ;  but  it  was  labour  wasted. 
With  the  exception  of  a  flower  pot  we  now  use  no  form  of  covering 
material,  though  what  would  be  the  result  in  the  event  of  a  severe 
winter  I  am  not  prepared  to  say.  We  have  found  a  much  more 
serious  enemy  than  frost,  and  that  is  the  slug.  These  pests  are  always 
voracious,  but  they  appear  particularly  so  when  they  reach  the  young 
growths  of  the  Eremuri,  for  they  will  absolutely  spoil  them  unless 
promptly  checked,  which  my  fellow  gardeners  will  agree  is  by  no 
means  an  easy  matter.  However,  patient  night  work  with  a  lantern 
during  the  critical  period  does  wonders,  and  it  is  rare  that  any  material 
damage  is  done.  If  they  are  left  to  their  sweet  will  the  plants  are 
quickly  ruined,  a  fact  of  which  a  friend  has  had  conclusive  proof. 
I  am  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  specimens  will  be  found  in 
many  gardens.  Generally  speaking  the  plants  are  comparatively  new, 
and  as  consequence  have  been  almost  prohibitive  in  price,  but  now 
that  larger  stocks  are  being  worked  up  it  is  hoped  that  the  reduced  cost 
will  be  the  signal  for  very  greatly  increased  cultivation.  They  are 
worthy  of  every  care,  and  in  comparison  with  some  plants  that  could  be 
named  they  present  scarcely  any  difficulties  to  the  enthusiastic 
cultivator. — W.  R. 
