182 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  22,  c  i 
listen  to  much  abuse  of  our  climate,  I  draw  the  conclusion  that  so  far 
as  gardening  and  farming  are  concerned  we  have  this  season  much  to 
be  thankful  for. 
Ere  returning  I  make  my  first  visit  to  Fleet  Street  in  order  to  pay 
my  respects  at  the  shrine  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  and  find  that 
the  high  priests  are.  like  myself,  from  home.  Perhaps  I  am  disappointed, 
perhaps  a  feeling  of  relief  ensues  in  escaping  the  criticism  my  temerity 
has  courted.  Anyway,  I  carry  back  very  pleasant  recollections  of  half 
an  hour’s  chat  with  him  on  whose  young  shoulders  devolves  the  duty  of 
making  up  ” — a  technical  term  dealing  with  the  latchkey  of  literature. 
Soon,  all  too  sooo,  am  I  back  at  Euston.  “  Where  are  you  going  ?”  says 
a  porter  ;  “  To  Dublin  ”  says — The  Man  With  Green  Spectacles. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
DRILL  HALL. — August  13th. 
Scientific  Committee,— Present  :  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters,  in  the  chair  ; 
with  Mr.  McLachlan,  Mr.  Burbidge,  Mr.  W’eathers,  and  Rev.  G.  Henslow, 
Hon.  Sec. 
Blacli  Currant  X  Gooseherry. — A  fruiting  specimen  of  this  hybrid 
was  sent  by  Mr.  Culverwcll.  It  was  previously  received  and  described 
in  the  minutes  of  the  Scientific  Committee  for  June,  1890.  The  fruits 
are  small,  and  have  a  very  slight  taste  of  the  Black  Currant.  The  bark 
reveals  the  scent  more  distinctly,  while  the  skin  of  the  fruit  has  the 
.glandular  hairs  of  the  latter  mixed  with  the  ordinary  hairs  of  the 
Gooseberry. 
Lilies  Diseased.  —  Specimens  of  the  foliage  of  L.  Lowi  and 
L.  uepalense  were  received  from  Mr.  Wallace  of  Colchester  attacked  by 
apparently  the  too  common  “  Lily  disease  ”  fungus.  Bordeaux  mixture 
is  suggested  as  the  best  remedy.  He  observed  that  the  disease  in  his 
garden  only  attacks  the  Lilies  received  from  Burmah.  It  was  formerly 
thought  that  burning  was  the  only  means  of  extermination,  but  expe¬ 
rience  has  shown  that  the  bulbs  may  not  be  at  all  injured,  and  that  as 
the  disease  may  be  very  prevalent  one  year  and  very  scarce  the  next, 
it  will  be  better  in  future  to  leave  the  bulbs,  only  destroying  the  aerial 
portions  attacked. 
Lime  and.  Bees — A  spray  of  a  Lime  tree  was  received  from  Mr. 
F.  Enock  of  21,  Manor  Gardens,  Holloway,  to  be  named.  It  proved  to 
be  Tilia  peliolaris,  D  C.  He  also  observed  that  numerous  dead  bees 
were  founi  under  the  tree,  suggesting  that  the  honey  might  be  of  a 
poisonous  nature.  In  a  communication  from  Kew,  whither  the  specimen 
had  been  sent,  it  is  observed  “  We  have  long  noticed  at  Kew  that 
bees  are  killed  after  visiting  the  flowers,  and  quite  a  circle  of  dead 
bodies  are  found  under  the  branches  every  summer.”  Mr.  McLachlan 
remarked  that  this  occurrence  has  been  long  known  to  entomologists, 
and  by  the  watching  of  the  trees  by  Mr.  E.  Saunders,  he  found°that 
the  death  of  the  bees  was  caused  by  the  attacks  of  tomtits,  apparently 
by  extracting  their  honey  bags. 
Lettuces  Attached  iy  Aioliides. — Plants  received  from  the  Chiswick 
Gardens  showed  the  roots  to  be  badly  infested  by  these  insects.  They 
were  forwarded  to  Mr.  G.  B.  Buckton,  Haslemere,  for  further 
examination. 
Potatoes  Diseased. — A  communication  was  received  from  Mr.  Ashley, 
Elmcroft,  Staines,  stating  that  “  the  leaves  appear  to  be  spotted  with 
])rown,  where  holes  appear;  the  leaves  subsequently  curl  up.  The 
disease  occurs  in  patches  and  gradually  cpreads.  It  is  not  confined  to 
one  sort  of  Potato  alone.  I  noticed  the  same  disease  on  some  early 
Potatoes  about  two  months  ago,  and  washed  the  leaves  with  very  weak 
paraffin  and  water.  This  seemed  to  stop  it.”  Having  been  forwarded 
to  Kew  for  examination  the  report  is  as  follows  : — “  The  young  leaves 
are  in  the  first  instance  punctured  by  an  insect ;  the  wounds  made  are 
the  points  afterwards  attacked  by  a  microscopic  fungus — Macrosporium 
Solani— which  completely  destroys  the  tissue,  hence  the  holes  in  the 
leaves.  Spraying  with  Bordeaux  mixture  will  destroy  both  insect  and 
fungus  ;  but  if  a  solution  of  very  weak  paraffin  has  proved  effectual  it 
would  be  wise  to  continue  its  use.  The  great  point  in  spraying,  what¬ 
ever  the  solution  is  used,  is  to  thoroughly  wet  the  leaves.  A  little  soft- 
soap  mixed  with  the  liquid  assists  in  doing  this.” 
Photo  of  Cedrus  deodara  Strucli  by  lAglitning.  —  Mr.  Weathers 
exhibited  a  photograph,  taken  at  Kew  at  7  a.m.,  August  12th.  It 
represented  a  Deodara  which  was  shattered  by  lightning  on  the  night  of 
August  10th.  The  main  trunk  is  cleft  in  twain  almost  to  the  base,  while 
large  splinters  and  branches  are  scattered  about.  The  wood  is  perfectly 
sound,  and  shows  no  signs  of  charring.  The  tree  was  about  30  feet  in 
height. 
Castanea  vesea,  Female  Replacing  Male  Flowers. — Mr.  Henslow 
exhibited  specimens  of  this  exchange  of  sex,  as  being  particularly 
abundant  on  a  Chestnut  tree  this  season;  a  probable  result  of  the 
climate,  as  it  is  well  known  that  external  conditions  often  decide  which 
sex  shall  predominate  when  a  plant  is  naturally  bi-sexual.  He  alluded 
to  experiments  by  Mr.  Meehan,  Hoffman,  and  his  own,  in  which  seeds  of 
bi-sexual  plants  gave  rise  to  various  proportions  of  males  and  females, 
according  as  they  are  sown  very  thickly  or  thinly. 
CHISWICK. — August  IGth. 
Fruit  Committee. — This  body  met  on  the  above  date  to  examine 
Tomatoes  in  pots,  of  which  a  large  and  very  excellent  trial  is  being 
conducted  ;  also  Runner  Beans,  Cabbages,  and  other  crops. 
Of  Tomatoes,  very  few  new  ones  were  found  showing  special  merit  ; 
indeed,  it  would  seem,  judging  by  the  a'^pect  of  the  older  and  newer 
sorts,  that  little  progress  was  now  being  made.  Some  varieties  gave 
fruits  of  monstrous  size  and  most  ungainly;  but  the  bulk  had  handsome 
even  fruits,  and  were  in  these  respects  so  very  much  alike.  The  follow¬ 
ing  had  previous  awards  confirmed  ; — Golden  Princess,  deep  round, 
handsome  rich  yellow  fruits  ;  Tennis  Ball,  smallish  round  scarlet 
fruits,  abundantly  produced,  capital  for  dessert  ;  Comet,  good  sized 
smooth  scarlet  fruits  ;  Sutton’s  Dessert,  scarlet,  very  free  and  good  ; 
and  Golden  Nugget,  a  yellow  duplicate  of  the  preceding,  very  free 
cropper  ;  Frogmore  Selected,  handsome  scarlet,  free  and  fine,  certificated 
at  the  Drill  Hall  ;  Duke  of  York,  also  fine  smooth  scarlet  and  certi¬ 
ficated  at  Westminster  ;  Chemin,  a  well-known  scarlet  'Variety  ;  and  the 
popular  Conference,  still  one  of  the  best ;  also  three  marks  were  awarded 
to  Laxton’s  Early  July,  apparently  an  improved  open  air  and  Cherry¬ 
shaped  small  round  scarlet,  borne  in  clusters,  for  its  delicious  flavour 
and  for  the  dessert. 
Runner  Beans  next  attracted  attention.  There  is  a  good  trial  of 
these,  the  recent  rains  promoting  strong  growths.  Of  the  Scarlet 
Runner  type  the  following  bad  three  marks  awarded — Sutton’s  Prize¬ 
winner,  a  very  superior  long-podded  form  ;  Sutton’s  Al,  also  a  fine 
variety  ;  Leviathan,  a  first-rate  cropper,  good  pods  ;  and  Capp’s  White 
Runner,  very  prolific,  the  best  of  that  section.  Of  smooth-podded 
varieties  the  only  forms  worthy  of  notice  were  Sutton’s  Tender  and  True 
and  Veitch’s  Climbing  French  Bean,  both  forms  of  Canadian  Wonder. 
These  are  growing  in  one  row,  and  both  had  the  certificates  of  merit 
confirmed.  At  the  same  time  the  Committee  dealt  with  the  question  of 
identity,  and  after  minutely  examining  growth  and  pod,  also  having 
the  latter  cooked,  also  inspecting  the  ripe  seed,  the  conclusion  was 
unanimously  arrived  at  that  they  were  identical.  As  to  which  name  has 
the  commercial  right  of  priority  the  Committee  declined  to  determine. 
Some  of  the  Cabbages  of  the  trial  now  being  conducted  were 
also  examined.  The  beat  early  dwarf  stocks  were  those  of  the  Im¬ 
proved  Nonpareil  sent  by  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons  and  Nutting  and 
Sons,  and  the  best  of  the  second  early,  or  rather  larger  forms,  was  that 
from  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons  as  Earliest,  Barr  &  Sons  as  Best  of  All, 
and  Vilmorin  &  Co.  as  Express  and  Les  Etamps.  Red  Cabbages  are 
generally  represented  by  the  Dwarf  Blood  Red  type  and  the  old  Giant 
type.  Three  stocks  of  the  dwarf  were  inspected,  Sutton’s  Blood  Red, 
Benary’s,  and  Vilmorin’s.  Tbese  all  seem  to  be  identical.  It  was 
agreed  to  defer  final  awards  to  these  until  the  next  meeting  at  Chiswick. 
A  few  early  Turnips  were  seen,  but  called  for  no  comment.  Potatoes 
could  not  be  examined  because  growth  gtnerally  is  still  so  gross.  It 
is  purposed  to  examine  these  later,  probably  on  September  10th,  on 
the  occasion  of  holding  the  vegetable  exhibition,  when  no  doubt  there 
will  be  a  large  attendance  of  members  of  the  Committee. 
LILY  OF  THE  VALLEY. 
Writers  have  oftentimes  sung  the  praises  of  recent  introductions, 
but  it  does  not  appear  likely  that,  despite  the  undefubted  beauty  of  many 
of  them,  they  will  ever  supplant  such  old  favourites  as  Zonal  Pelar¬ 
goniums  and  more  especially  the  Lily  of  the  Valley.  It  is  of  this  that  I 
purpose  to  write  on  this  occasion,  and  I  am  fully  aware  that  no  words  of 
mine  can  do  it  justice.  For  the  bridal  or  any  other  bouquet  who  shall 
despise  this  chaste  flower,  whether  as  a  denizen  of  our  forcing  houses 
from  December  until  March,  or  as  yielding  its  charming  groups  of  little 
snowy  and  fragrant  bells  in  our  borders  and  woodland  walks  in  May 
and  June?  Some  account  of  its  culture  from  one  who  has  grown 
it  in  various  forms  for  the  last  twenty  years  may,  I  trust,  prove 
useful. 
The  outdoor  culture  of  this  Lily  is  the  first  consideration  ;  for, 
like  the  Seakale,  its  style  and  quality  when  forced  depend  much  on 
its  high  culture  during  the  growing  season.  The  Lily  of  the  V’alley 
will  grow  pretty  well  in  any  good  garden  soil ;  but  to  grow  it  in  the 
highest  perfection  of  which  it  is  capable  some  extra  consideihtion 
must  be  given  to  the  compost.  It  succeeds  to  admiration  wi*h  us 
in  a  dark  and  unctuous  loamy  soil ;  and  we  have  a  north  border 
in  which  I  have  grown  my  whole  stock  for  twenty-two  years,  merely 
changing  from  one  end  to  the  other  in  making  new  plantations.  But 
this  border  is  exceedingly  rich  in  decayed  vegetable  matter ;  and 
those  who  wish  to  excel  in  Lily  of  the  Valley  culture  must  not  fancy 
that  because  this  plant  is  found  growing  tolerably  well  in  neglected 
situations  it  is  averse  to  manures  and  high  culture.  We  have  seen 
them  grow  in  woods  in  great  breadths,  and  in  tolerable  style  ;  but 
then  the  two  chief  conditions  were  present — partial  shade  and 
abundance  of  the  decayed  leaves. 
As  to  the  staple  soil,  then,  for  Lilies  of  the  Valley,  I  am  of  opinion 
that  a  darkish  and  somewhat  stiff  soil  will  produce  the  finest  buds  ; 
and  one  essential  is  that  the  ground  be  not  liable  to  droughts,  for 
they  love  a  permanent  moisture.  As  to  shade  I  have  ever  found 
them  finest  on  a  north  border ;  but  be  it  understood  they  are  not 
within  5  feet  of  the  w-all,  consequently  the  sun  shines  freely  on  their 
foliage  ;  but  then  the  border  surface  inclines  considerably  to  the  north, 
and  of  course  the  ground  is  much  cooler  and  damper  than  it  would  be 
on  a  southern  incline.  It  is  very  probable  that  an  east  or  west  border 
would  be  superior. 
There  are  at  least  three  distinct  modes  of  cultivating  Lilies  of  the 
Valley  tor  forcing.  The  first,  growing  them  in  patches  in  the  open 
ground,  and  potting  such  patches  when  two  years  old.  A  second  is  to 
grow  them  in  pots — the  latter  plunged  in  a  rich  medium  ;  and  a  third 
to  take  up  the  roots,  and  single  them  out  in  November,  sorting  all  the 
finest  eyes,  and  placing  them  thickly  in  pots  adapted  to  the  purpose. 
