March  4,  I »*97. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
181 
-  The  Hessle  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Society. 
— A  meeting  of  the  above  Society  was  held  in  the  Parish  Schoolroom  on 
Tuesday,  February  23rd,  when  a  paper  was  read  by  Mr.  W.  P.  Lead- 
better,  gardener  to  A.  Wilson,  Esq.,  Tranby  Croft,  on  “  The  Routine 
Cropping  of  the  Kitchen  Garden.”  Taking  each  vegetable  alphabetically, 
the  essayist  explained  the  mode  of  cultivation  adopted  successfully  by 
himself,  the  nature  of  the  soil,  and  the  varieties  with  which  he  had 
attained  that  success.  Early,  midseason,  and  late  crops  each  received 
their  share  of  attention  throughout  the  entire  season  of  growth.  Time 
would  not -allow  all  the  details  of  the  subject  to  be  discussed  ;  but  the 
essayist  drew  attention  to  the  many  difficulties  to  be  contended  with  in 
the  kitchen  garden.  Changes  of  weather  and  insect  pests  often  cause  a 
great  deal  of  annoyance  and  anxiety  ;  against  these  it  is  well  to  be 
prepared,  by  which  means  ultimate  success  will  in  most  cases  be 
rendered  sure  and  certain. — F.  L.  T. 
-  Rhododendron  pr^ecox. — The  race  of  dwarf  early  flowering 
Rhododendrons  which  originated  from  the  crossing  of  R.  ciliatum  with 
other  species  and  varieties  claims  as  one  of  its  prettiest  members  the 
variety  under  notice.  In  this  particular  instance  R.  ciliatum  was  crossed 
with  R.  dauricum.  R.  praecox  cannot  be  said  to  resemble  either  of  its 
parents  very  closely.  Whilst  it  has  the  bushy  habit  of  R.  ciliatum  with 
its  larger  flowers  it  has  the  smaller  leaves  of  R.  dauricum,  the  colour  of 
the  flowers  being  rose.  Although  perfectly  hardy  a  sheltered  position 
should  be  found  for  this  variety,  as  from  its  early  date  of  flowering 
(latter  end  of  February)  the  blooms  are  sometimes  damaged  by  frost  if 
grown  in  an  exposed  position.  In  addition  to  being  a  good  plant  for 
outside  work  its  exceptionally  free-flowering  qualities  make  it  a  delightful 
plant  for  lifting  and  flowering  in  a  cool  greenhouse.  Plants  can  be 
grown  3  feet  high  and  3  feet  in  diameter,  and  be  so  thickly  covered  with 
bloom  that  the  leaves  are  scarcely  visible. — W.  D. 
-  Electricity  and  Seed  Germination. — Some  experiments 
recently  made  at  the  Massachusetts  Agricultural  College  by  Mr.  Asa 
S.  Kinney  seem  to  show  that  a  current  of  electricity  will  accelerate  the 
germination  of  seeds.  In  a  collection  of  seeds  treated  for  twenty-four 
hours,  30  per  cent,  more  germinated  under  the  current  than  in  lots 
untreated,  and  the  seeds  which  received  the  electrical  stimulus  gave  a 
higher  percentage  of  germination  than  others.  In  many  cases  electricity 
seems  to  act  a  good  deal  like  light  does  in  its  stimulating  effect.  It 
must  be  understood,  however,  that  even  if  we  admit  this  we  do  not  know 
the  best  methods  of  using  electricity  upon  plants  in  the  soil,  nor  what 
strength  of  the  current  will  probably  secure  the  greatest  growth.  The 
range  and  the  strength  of  the  current  which  accelerates  germination  is 
found  to  be  exceedingly  limited.  So  far  as  these  experiments  go  to  form 
a  basis  of  judgment  it  would  appear  that  the  strength  of  the  current 
which  shows  the  greatest  growth  of  radicles  is  equal  to  about  three 
volts,  where  an  interrupted  induced  current  is  used. — (“  Garden  and 
Forest.”) 
-  “  Mimicry  in  Nature.” — Such  was  the  title  of  an  able  paper 
read  by  Mr.  Bott  of  Walton  at  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Wakefield  Paxton 
Society  in  presence  of  a  good  and  appreciative  gathering,  ov&r  which 
Mr.  Brown  of  Outwood  presided,  with  Lieut.  Goodyear  in  the  vice-chair. 
The  essayist,  who  is  an  old  friend  of  the  Society,  said  in  his  introductory 
remarks  that  copying  or  imitating  was  universal  throughout  animated 
Nature,  and  a  strong  bond  of  sympathy  united  lovers  of  Nature  and  the 
objects  of  their  regard.  It  was  only  in  the  exercise  of  this  spirit  of 
sympathy  that  men  could  enjoy  Nature.  The  wonderful  power  of 
adaptation  to  circumstances  in  natural  objects  was  one  strong  link  which 
bound  them  so  closely  to  thoughtful  men.  The  speaker,  proceeding, 
asked  his  audience  to  consider  his  subject  under  (1)  Co-operation  or 
Division  of  Labour — in  the  floral  world — illustration,  the  Corn  Blue¬ 
bottle  ;  (2)  Paratisism,  the  Yellow  Rattle  (as  illustration — a  thief  and  a 
robber,  a  sponger  who  would  rather  die  than  work — the  Clover  Dodder 
and  the  Mistletoe)  ;  (3)  Mechanical  Action,  adopted  by  many  plants  to 
secure  cross  fertilisation,  and  by  others  to  convey  the  seed  to  a  distance  ; 
(4)  Clinging  (in  plants),  as  the  Virginia  Creeper  and  others  ;  (5) 
Climbing,  as  in  the  wild  Rose  ;  (6)  Necessitous  Cases,  as  in  plants,  or 
branches  of  the  same  plant  or  tree,  which  raised  themselves  by  twining  * 
around  a  stronger  neighbour ;  (7)  Forethought,  some  trees  and  plants 
laying  up  such  stores  of  life  as  to  send  out  new  shoots  long  after  they 
were  cut  down  ;  and  (8)  Decoy  Plants,  such  as  assumed  various  formB 
in  order  to  induce  bees  to  visit  them  with  the  pollen.  Under  these 
heads  Mr.  Bott  supplied  much  information  which  was  more  than 
ordinarily  interesting,  and  at  the  same  time,  to  use  his  own  phrase, 
afforded  “  a  fascinating  side  view  of  plant  life.”  On  the  pioposition  of 
Mr.  Webster  seconded  by  Mr.  Geo.  Parkin,  cordial  thanks  weie  given  to 
the  essayist. 
-  Botanical  Research. — The  American  scheme  for  a  labora’my 
for  botanical  research  in  the  Tropics  appears  to  be  assuming  a  definite 
shape,  Prof.  Mac Dougal  having  undertaken  the  duty  of  organising  the 
Commission  which  shall  visit  various  localities  for  the  purpose  of  selecting 
a  site.  In  a  letter  in  the  Botanical  Gazette  for  January,  Prof.  Hum¬ 
phreys  of  the  John  Hopkins  University  advocates  the  claims  of  Jamaica, 
where  there  are  already  two  botanic  gardens,  at  Castleton  and  Gordon 
Town,  and  where  the  Governor,  Sir  Henry  Blake,  is  interested  in 
biological  science. 
-  Onions. — Our  consumption  of  Onions  and  also  our  importa¬ 
tions  of  Onions  continue  to  increase  year  by  year.  The  average  quantity 
annually  brought  into  the  United  Kingdom  for  the  three  years  1894  to 
1896  was  5.702.92S  bushels,  valued  at  £714,449.  We  thus  pay  to  foreign 
growers,  says  a  contemporary,  nearly  three-quarter*  of  a  million 
sterling  per  annum  for  a  product  which,  though  widely  cultivated  in 
this  country,  has  not  a  sufficient  area  allotted  to  it.  In  America  the 
crop  is  regarded  as  so  important  that  a  farmers’  bulletin  has  been 
issued  from  Washington  urging  the  necessity  of  the  extended  and 
improved  cultivation  of  this  nutritious  bulb.  Light,  well-drained 
fertile  soils  are  recommended,  especially  such  as  are  rich  in  organic 
matters.  Liberal  dressings  of  fertilisers  are  advocated,  applications  of 
200  lbs.  to  400  lbs.  of  nitrate  of  soda  in  four  equal  dressings,  800  lbs.  to 
1000  lbs.  of  kainit,  and  a  few  hundred  pounds  of  bonemeal  per  acre 
being  suggested.  The  varieties  of  Onions  that  are  most  successfully 
cultivated  in  the  United  States  include  the  Danvers,  Extra  Early  Red, 
Egyptian,  Red  Globe,  Yellow  Globe,  Potato  Onion,  Shallots,  Silverskin, 
Wethersfield,  White  Globe,  and  Yellow  Strasburg.  Of  introduced 
varieties  preference  is  given  to  the  Prizetaker.  The  method  of  cultiva¬ 
tion  recommended  is  to  start  the  seed  under  glass,  and  afterwards 
transplant  into  the  open  field.  For  storing  the  bulbs  after  harvesting, 
dry  cool  rooms  are  considered  to  afford  the  best  results.  The  growing 
of  Onions  for  seed,  such  as  is  practised  by  English  cultivators  in 
Bedfordshire,  Kent,  and  elsewhere,  is  a  separate  business.  Among  the 
pests  of  the  crop  are  the  maggot  of  the  Onion  fly  (Phorbia  ceparum) 
and  the  fungus  called  Onion  smut  (Urocystis  cepulae)  ;  methods  of 
combating  these  are  well  known  to  English  growers. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY’S  COMMITTEES’ 
AWARDS. 
Surely  the  comparison  instituted  by  your  correspondent,  Mr. 
Alexander  Dean  (page  162)  is  neither  fair  nor  logical.  Any  comparison 
between  the  awards  made  respectively  by  the  R  H.S.  Committees  and  by 
the  deputations  appointed  by  the  Council  at  the  York  and  Chester 
Shows,  based  upon  the  suggestion  of  an  arithmetical  average  per  show, 
wherein  each  ot  the  great  shows  referred  to  is  counted  merely  as  a  unit 
as  against  an  ordinary  Drill  Hall  meeting,  or  even  a  Chiswick  Gardens 
meeting,  cannot  be  considered  as  otherwise  than  misleading.  At  the 
York  and-Chester  Shows  numerous  and  varied  subjects  were  submitted 
for  award,  whereas,  as  a  rule,  a  Chiswick  meeting  deals  with  but  a  few, 
or  perhaps  even  with  but  one  subject  only. 
The  only  fair  comparison,  were  one  necessary,  would  be, between  the 
Northern  shows  and  that  at  the  Temple  Gardens,  and  this  affords  the 
following  results  : — 
Awards  at  the  Temple  Show  . 60 
Do.  at  the  York  Gala  and  Chester  Show  ( i  e.,  two  shown)  75 
Imitating  Mr.  Alexander  Dean,  I  might  say  that  had  the  Com¬ 
mittee’s  liberality  at  the  Temple  been  imitated  at  York  and  Chester 
the  awards  at  the  latter  would  have  been  120  instead  of  seventy-five. 
But  such  comparisons  prove  nothing,  the  conditions  at  the  several  shows 
being  in  many  re»pects  so  dissimilar. 
I  am  inclined  to  think  that  few  will  be  found  to  accept  Mr.  Dean’s 
estimate  of  the  character  and  methods  of  the  Orchid  Committee  Its 
members  are  probably  fully  as  competent  as  those  of  the  other  Com¬ 
mittees  of  the  Society,  and,  with  them,  equally  discharge  their  duties  to 
the  best  of  their  ability.  But  I  am  certainly  with  your  correspondent 
in  his  suggestion  that  the  granting  of  awards  is  “  perhaps  too  free,” 
although  it  is  curious  that  he  quarrels  with  the  Council  for  saying  the 
same  thing.  Unless  an  award  is,  as  Mr.  Dean  suggests,  to  indicate  only 
a  good  average  merit,  some  check  must  be  put  on  the  too  lavish  manner 
in  which  they  are  bestowed. 
Remonstrance,  yearly  repeated,  seems  to  have  no  result,  and  more 
drastic  measures  seem  called  for  if  the  end  is  to  be  attained.  Would  it 
not  be  effectively  secured  by  requiring  a  two-thirds  instead  of  a  bare 
majority  as  the  condition  to  the  granting  of  an  award  l  And,  certainly, 
a  new  plant  ought  not  to  go  forth  to  the  public  with  the  recommenda¬ 
tion  of  the  R.H.S.  attached  to  it  unless  at  least  two- thirds  of  the 
Society’s  advisers  in  the  matter  are  of  opinion  that  the  plant  or  product 
in  question  is  an  improvement  on  existing  varieties.  A  majority  of  one 
in  a  large  meeting  is  surely  an  insufficient  basis  for  the  granting  of 
such  a  recommendation. — F.  R.  H.  S. 
[Many  persons  will  not  deem  the  two-thirds  majority  proposition 
unreasonable,  nor  would  they  an  addendum  to  it — that  all  members  of 
Committee  should  vote  in  a  division.] 
