Ang^ast  22,  1895. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTIGULTUkE  ANB  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
177 
- We  learn  that  Mr,  J.  B.  Sowerby  has  been  appointed  Secretary  of 
the  Royal  Botanic  Society  in  succession  to  his  father,  Mr.  W.  Sowerby, 
who  is  retiring  after  fifty  years’  service. 
-  Bulbs  for  the  London  Parks. — Messrs.  Carter  &  Co., 
High  Holborn,  write  : — “  We  have  again  been  honoured  with  the 
commands  of  Her  Majesty’s  First  Commissioner  of  Works  to  supply  the 
bulbs  for  the  Royal  Parks  of  London,  and  we  have  also  received  a 
similar  favour  from  the  London  County  Council  for  the  parks,  gardens, 
and  open  spaces  under  its  control.” 
-  Plant  Diseases  on  the  Continent. — During  the  past 
three  or  four  weeks  about  nine-tenths  or  more  of  the  growing  crops  of 
Tomatoes  in  the  fertile  lands  of  the  Rhone  valley  have  been  destroyed 
by  disease.  The  Onion  disease  is  just  now  assuming  alarming  proportions. 
In  both  Western  and  Southern  France  whole  fields  are  simply  ruined  ; 
where  500  kilos  were  confidently  expected,  not  so  much  as  10  kilos  will 
be  saved.  These  are,  of  course,  exceptional  cases,  but  hardly  one  field  is 
unaffected.  Were  it  not,  says  a  contemporary,  for  the  fact  that  the 
acreage  is  exceptionally  large,  a  famine  would  certainly  result.  Leeks, 
although  not  affected  to  the  same  degree,  are  also  attacked,  but  only  the 
individual  growers  of  this  article  are  likely  to  suffer. 
-  Leighton  Buzzard  Horticultural  Society.  —  The 
eleventh  annual  show  of  this  vigorous  and  thriving  society  (under 
the  presidentship  of  Mr.  Leopold  Rothschild)  was  held  in  the  Bell  Close 
on  August  15th,  and  being  favoured  with  fine  weather,  proved  in  every 
respect  highly  satisfactory.  The  exhibits  were  numerous  and  of  excel¬ 
lent  quality,  while  the  attendance  of  visitors  was  all  that  could  be 
desired  by  the  hard-working  Committee  and  courteous  Secretary  (Mr. 
Aubrey  Collier).  Three  spacious  tents  were  occupied  with  plants,  cut 
flowers,  fruit,  and  vegetables  in  the  open,  amateurs’,. and  cottagers’ 
classes,  all  being  admirably  represented  by  good  produce.  For  stove 
and  greenhouse  plants,  with  groups  arranged  for  effect,  the  principal 
prizetakers  were  Messrs.  W.  Finch,  gardener  to  J.  Marriott,  Esq., 
Coventry;  W.  Vause,  Somers  Place,  Leamington  ;  W.  J.  Bmpson,  The 
■Gardens,  Ampthill  House  ;  and  J.  J.  Martin,  Leighton  Buzzard.  The 
leading  exhibits  of  cut  flowers  came  from  Messrs.  J.  Walker,  Thame  ; 
Perkins  &  Son,  Coventry  ;  and  J.  Burrell  &  Co.,  Cambridge.  Fruit  and 
vegetables  were  shown  in  capital  form  by  Messrs.  W.  J.  Empson  ; 
W.  Tompkins,  gardener  to  F,  Bassett,  Esq.,  The  Heath,  Leighton  Buzzard  ; 
F.  Scott,  gardener  to  J.  W.  Brown,  Esq.,  Liscombe  Park  ;  and  J.  Smith, 
gardener  to  R.  Tindall,  Esq.,  The  White  House,  Leighton  Buzzard. 
Groups  of  plants  and  collections  of  flowers  not  for  competition  were 
shown  by  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Laxton  Bros.,  Paul  &  Son,  and 
Cutbush  &  Sons. 
-  Mr.  Freeman-Mitford  on  Hardy  Bamboos. — In  his  lecture 
upon  Hardy  Bamboos  at  the  Horticultural  Society’s  meeting  last  week, 
Mr.  Freeman-Mitford  con'rived  to  give  quite  an  interesting  character 
to  what  cannot  be  regarded  as  exactly  a  popular  subject.  It  is  a  pity 
that  one  who  combines  so  many  of  the  qualities  of  a  fine  lecturer 
should  have  been  called  upon  to  appear  so  late  in  the  season  ;  but, 
despite  this  fact,  there  was  an  excellent  attendance,  and  the  address  was 
listened  to  with  marked  attention  by  the  audience;  Mr.  Mitford  spoke 
as  an  enthusiast,  and  vindicated  the  character  of  the  Bamboo  from  the 
accusation  of  delicacy.  Many,  he  said,  were  excellently  fitted  to  resist 
the  hardships  of  our  climate.  So  much,  however,  depended  on  the  way 
in  which  they  were  planted  out.  This  should  not  be  done  in  autumn, 
but  in  June.  Throughout  the  winter  after  their  arrival  they  should  be 
kept  in  a  cool  house.  Before  being  put  into  the  pots  the  roots  should 
be  soaked  in  water  for  twelve  hours.  During  winter  they  should  be 
sparingly  watered,  but  more  freely  in  spring  when  the  new  growth 
commences,  and  towards  May  the  hardening  process,  preliminary  to 
planting  out,  should  be  begun.  In  planting  out  the  chief  point  to  be 
observed  was  not  to  tread  the  soil  firmly  down  upon  the  roots.  lu 
conclusion,  Mr.  Mitford  passed  in  review  many  of  the  most  striking 
species  of  Bamboo,  enumerating  their  characteristics.  One  point  of 
great  practical  utility  upon  which  he  touched  was  the  fact  that  the 
hardy  species  can  often  be  distinguished  by  their  peculiarly  quad¬ 
rangular  venation,  but  it  does  not  appear  that  this  peculiarity  can  be 
implicitly  relied  upon  when  selecting  specimens  for  out-of-door  treatment 
is  this  country.  One  of  the  most  useful  results  of  the  lecture  was  a 
piece  of  information  volunteered  by  Dr.  Masters  during  the  discussion, 
and  which  is  worthy  of  wide  dissemination.  Shady  spots  are  the  despair 
of  small  gardeners  in  and  about  towns,  and  advice  regarding  plants 
suited  to  such  positions  is  constantly  being  asked.  For  the  most 
troublesome  cases  Dr.  Masters  recommends  Bambusa  Metake,  which 
will  often  grow  in  boptless  situat  ons  where  all  other  plants  have  failed. 
-  Astragalus  hypoglottis  albus. — This  plant  differs  from 
the  type,  A.  hypoglottis,  only  in  the  colour,  which  is  as  the  name 
indicates  of  a  pure  white,  while  the  latter  has  white,  blue  and  purple 
variegated  flowers  which  are  produced  in  a  roundish  head,  springing 
from  the  axils  of  the  leaves  on  stems  standing  out  well  above  the  foliage. 
The  latter  is  pinnatifid  and  of  a  dark  green  colour,  while  the  stems  are 
hairy  and  creeping  or  prostrate.  According  to  a  writer  in  the  “  American 
Florist  ”  it  is  a  very  ornamental  plant  for  rockwork  or  the  edge  of  the 
border,  growing  only  3  to  4  inches  high,  and  it  delights  in  dry  soil  and  a 
sunny  situation,  flowering  freely  from  the  latter  part  of  June  to  the 
end  of  August.  Astragalus  alopecuroides  blooms  in  compact  oblong 
spikes  on  axillary  peduncles,  and  is  one  of  the  best  taller  varieties. 
The  flowers  are  a  light  yellow,  very  pretty,  and  remain  in  perfection 
from  the  end  of  June  to  the  latter  part  of  August.  The  leaflets  are 
covered  with  a  whitish  down,  and  the  habit  of  the  plant  is  erect, 
growing  2  to  3  feet  high. 
-  The  Kittul  Palm.  —The  Wine  Palm  or  Kittul  Palm  attains 
a  height  of  50  or  60  feet,  and  is  remarkable  for  the  peculiar  form  of  the 
leaflets,  which  have  been  compared  to  those  of  our  common  Maidenhair 
Fern.  The  leaves  themselves  are  from  18  to  20  feet  long.  It  is  a  native 
of  Ceylon  and  India,  growing  in  forests  in  the  hilly  districts  where  Teak 
and  the  wild  Mango  abound.  The  Kittul  fibre  of  commerce  is  prepared 
from  the  sheathing  leafstalk  ;  it  is  used  as  a  substitute  for  bristles  for 
making  brushes  and  baskets.  The  value  is  from  3|d.  to  10  J.  per  lb.  It  is 
said  that  in  Ceylon  ropes  made  from  the  fibre  are  used  for  tying 
elephants.  Roxburgh  says  it  is  highly  valuable  to  the  natives  of  the 
countries  where  it  grows.  “  It  yields  during  the  hot  season  an  immense 
quantity  of  toddy  or  palm  wine.  I  have  been  informed  that  the  best  trees 
will  yield  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  pints  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  The 
pith  or  farinaceous  part  of  the  trunk  of  old  trees  is  said  to  be  equal  to 
the  best  sago ;  the  natives  make  it  into  bread,  and  boil  it  into  thick 
gruel  ;  these  form  a  great  part  of  the  diet  of  the  people,  and  during  a 
famine  they  suffered  little  while  the  trees  lasted.  I  have  reason  to 
believe  this  substance  to  be  highly  nutritious.  The  Wine  Palm  ends  its 
existenee  by  flowering.  The  first  flowerstalk  appears  at  the  top  of  the 
tree,  as  soon  as  that  has  done  flowering  another  appears  lower  down,  and 
so  on,  till  the  last  one  blossoms  at  the  foot  of  the  trunk,  proclaiming 
that  the  death  of  the  tree  is  near  at  hand.  These  flower  spikes  hang 
down  in  large  bunches,  producing  quantities  of  round,  reddish  berries. 
The  wood  is  strong  and  durable,  used  for  agricultural  purposes,  water 
conduits  and  buckets. — (“  Indian  Agriculturist.”) 
-  Shrewsbury  Floral  Fete. — As  this  great  floral  fete  was 
only  opened  this  morning  it  is  impossible  for  us  to  give  a  detailed  report 
in  this  issue,  but  our  representative  telegraphs  that  “  this  is  the  largest 
show  ever  held  here,  the  marquees  being  crowded  with  splendid  produce. 
The  number  of  entries  was  2740.  Weather  brilliant,  and  the  show  a 
magnificent  success.”  The  generosity  of  the  Shrewsbury  executive  is 
well  known  all  over  England,  the  prize  money  this  year  amounting  to 
upwards  of  £800.  No  wonder  such  magnificent  produce  is  shown 
year  after  year.  The  first  prize  (£25)  for  twenty  specimen 
plants  went  to  Mr,  J.  Cypher,  Cheltenham,  who  showed  in 
perfect  form  ;  the  second  place  being  occupied  by  Mr,  Finch,  Coventry. 
Mr.  J.  Cypher  was  again  successful  for  a  group  of  plants  arranged  for 
effect,  in  this  case  securing  £20,  He  was  followed  by  Messrs.  J.  Edmonds, 
Bestwood  Lodge,  £16;  Finch,  £14;  and  Roberts,  £10.  The  tas'e 
displayed  in  floral  decorations  at  Shrewsbury  is  well  known.  Messrs. 
Perkins  &  Sons  were  first,  £12  10s.  ;  Jones  &  Sons,  second,  £10  ;  and 
Mr.  Chard,  third,  £7  10s.  In  the  classes  for  ball  and  bridal  bouquets 
the  prizes  were  secured  in  the  same  order  as  for  the  floral  decorations. 
The  celebration  of  the  jubilee  of  the  Society  was  signalised  by  the 
introduction  of  a  new  class  for  fruits  to  comprise  twenty-five  varieties, 
the  prizes  being  £20,  £15,  £10,  and  £6.  Superbexamples  of  culture  were 
staged,  the  prizes  going  to  Messrs.  J.  H.  Goodacre,  Elvaston  ;  J.  Mclndoe, 
Guisborough ;  J.  Edmonds,  and  Nowell.  Fora  collection  of  eight 
dishes  of  fruit  Messrs.  Mclndoe,  Goodacre,  Bannerman,  and  Gilman, 
Mr.  J.  J.  Craven,  Allerton,  was  a  splendid  first  for  six  bunches  of  black 
Grapes,  securing  £10;  Mr.  Barker  being  second  with  £7  10s.;  Mr. 
Lambert  third  with  £5,  and  Mr.  Bannerman  fourth  with  £2  10s. 
Vegetables  were  shown  in  naagnificent  condition  by  large  numbers  of 
growers,  Mr.  T.  Wilkens  of  Inwood  securing  the  premier  position  for  a 
collection  of  twelve  varieties.  Messrs,  Pope  and  Milner  were  second 
and  third  as  named.  Gold  medals  were  awarded  to  Messrs, 
J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Eckford,  Prichard,  W.  &;  J.  Birkenhea'^, 
and  Rothschild,  several  silver-gilt  and  silver  medals  being  also 
accorded,  of  which  further  particulars  will  be  published  in  our  next 
issue. 
