478 
J0UR2TAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  21,  1895. 
duly  ixpriSJed  that  our  honour  is  at  stake,  we  are  off  with  a  bound 
at  the  mercy  of  our  cheery  and  loquacious  driver.  Perhaps  at  the 
final  disbursement  we  hardly  know  how  much  we  are  indebted  to 
him  for  our  pleasant  trip  this  smiling  morn.  Anyway,  it  is  not 
his  fault  if  due  regard  is  not  given  to  the  points  of  interest  he  is 
continually  pointing  out. 
Ah  !  my  friend,  it  is  easy  to  see  by  your  frantic  clutches  at  the 
rigging  of  the  car — gondola  of  the  Green  Isle — that  you  have  not 
your  sea  legs.  “  Sit  so,  with  your  feet  firm  on  the  foot-board,  and 
an  equal  distribution  of  the  bumping  will  be  afforded  to  your  poor 
bones  over  the  stones.  We  shall  soon  exchange  these  for  smoother 
ways.”  Skirting  the  Liffey  along  the  northern  line  of  quays  our 
driver  smacks  his  whip  and  lips  simultaneously  as  Guinness’s  great 
works  are  pointed  out  for  your  approval.  “  Hould  tight,  yer 
honour,”  is  the  remark  specially  addressed  to  the  novice  by  our 
pilot,  who,  with  a  grin  and  a  grip  at  his  headgear  to  tighten  it  in 
the  teeth  of  the  wind,  puts  on  a  spurt.  “  Sojers,”  is  the  laconic 
reply  to  our  look  of  inquiry,  and  we  note  a  body  of  infantry 
crossing  a  bridge  towards  us  at  right  angles.  Hurroo  !  we  are  clear 
without  stopping.  Nothing  but  “sojers”  in  the  pedestrian  way 
could  check  our  career  this  day  which  bids  fair  to  make  a  record. 
Lesser  infantry  scamper  off  in  bare  feet  with  a  few  defiant  war 
whoops  flung  after  us. 
Parkgate  Street  is  suggestive  of  the  grand  expanse  we  are  now 
in  sight  of.  Before  entering  note  the  Lucan  Dairy,  a  marvel  of 
white  enamel,  plate-glass  and  conscientious  cleanliness.  “  Oh  !  this 
matter  is  quite  relevant  to  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  *  Home 
Farm,’  you  know,  and  I  am  sure  readers  would  be  interested  in 
seeing  how  our  modern  Brian  Borus,  the  Messrs.  Nash,  are  fighting 
the  Danes  who  have  been  invading  us  with  dairy  produce. 
Co-operation  and  agitation  with  sound  practical  exposition  of  the 
ethics  of  dairy  farming  are  the  lines  of  defence  being  laid  down 
through  Ireland  to  protect  this  most  important  industry.  The 
subject,  though,  must  be  merely  skimmed  over.  It  will,  at  least, 
provide  cream  for  our  Strawberries  ;  but  the  beds  are  not  yet 
reached.  "We  are,  indeed,  but  at  the  gates  of  “the  finest  parkin 
Europe  ” — “  in  the  world,”  says  the  charioteer  ;  well  he  ought  to 
know  if  he  has  travelled  long  at  the  present  pace. 
Discount  the  eulogium  as  you  will,  nought  but  admiration  can 
remain  for  the  noble  stretches  of  greensward,  the  broad  handsome 
roads,  to  which  but  a  passing  thought  must  here  be  given.  A  day 
would  hardly  suffice  to  explore  the  Phoenix  Park  with  its  Viceregal, 
Chief,  and  Under  Secretary’s  gardens,  to  the  privacy  of  which  a 
brother  of  the  craft  would  not  be  denied  ;  and  “  the  people’s 
gardens  ”  for  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  folk.  Herds  of  deer  canter 
down  the  glades,  and  there  are  lions  and  tigers  too.  Do  I  tax 
your  credulity  too  much,  my  fellow  voyager  ?  then  note  that  sign¬ 
post,  “To  the  Zoological  Gardens.”  Real  gardens,  too,  with  Lily- 
decked  ponds,  stately  trees,  winding  walks,  and  sylvan  scenery. 
But  on — on  by  the  Viceregal  Lodge  embowered  in  trees.  As 
we  pass  our  driver  points  with  hvs  whip  to  the  grass  verge  on  our 
left  hand.  A  rude  cross  scored  in  the  turf.  Ah  !  you  know. 
Passing  the  Phoenix,  a  column  with  that  mysterious  fowl 
perched  on  its  summit,  we  bend  to  the  left  on  a  branch  road, 
through  acres  of  Thorns,  venerable  and  far  famed,  out  through 
Knockmarooa  gate  on  to  the  public  road,  with  a  sharp  descent  in 
front,  at  which  prudence  prompts  a  general  dismount.  We  are 
now  in  the  region  of  the  Strawberry  beds.  Here  on  our  left  is  the 
dark  silent  Liffey,  not  dirty,  but  bearing  the  stains  on  its  bosom  of 
contact  with  the  peat  bogs.  This  in  its  turn  suggestive  of  Irish 
peat  moss  litter.  That’s  all,  Mr.  Printer  ;  patience,  I  prithee.  See 
that  swirl  in  the  water,  and  the  flash  of  a  silver  side  in  the  sun¬ 
shine.  A  fish  ?  Yes,  one  of  the  princes  of  his  tribe,  a  salmon, 
making  his  annual  trip  on  family  interests  intent. 
On  our  right  the  Strawberry  beds  are  now  in  evidence,  not 
conspicuously  so  ;  patches,  maybe  of  but  a  few  square  perches, 
sloping  to  the  sun  at  sharp  angles.  Homely  little  cottages, 
intensely  white  from  liberal  lime-washings.  Did  you  think  a  mud 
cabin  could  look  so  attractive  ?  Mud  ?  Yes,  many  of  them,  most 
of  them,  as  you  may  observe  where  a  dismantled  ruin  reveals  a 
section  of  the  material.  Yet  how  bright  and  attractive  this 
autumn  day  are  these  humble  homes  of  the  Strawberry  bedders. 
Nor  is  the  secret  hard  to  seek.  Nasturtiums  with  bright  red, 
yellow,  or  soft  brown  blossoms  peering  through  leaves  of  vivid 
green,  and  so  on  at  intervals  for  two  miles,  more  or  less. 
Elder  bushes,  with  a  profusion  of  purple-black  fruit,  line  the 
road.  Elder  wine  ?  No,  I  think  not,  at  least  I  have  never  seen 
them  thus  used  in  the  country.  Perhaps  the  topic  has  something 
to  do  with  our  pilot  steering  hard  a  port,  and  dropping  anchor  at 
the  Wren’s  Nest.  Refreshments  for  man  and  beast,  so  we — the 
bipeds — hop  inside,  with  a  little,  jusc  a  little,  demurring  at  the 
earliness  of  the  day  for  refreshers  ;  but  we  thirst  for  knowledge 
as  well,  and  are  enabled  to  find  out  from  a  Strawberry  bedder  that 
Keens,  Presidents,  Napiers,  and  the  Doctor  are  the  staple  of  ‘ 
varietie  sgrown.  The  chief  feature  is  the  earliness  of  the  locality. 
Before  long  before,  the  much  more  extensive  plantings  on  the 
plateau  of  higher  grounds  are  being  picked  the  fruit  are  in 
perfection  here,  or  rather  as  near  perfection  as  allowed  to  attain  ; 
for  I  must  confess  that  what  are  dispensed  by  comely  damsels  off 
neat-spread  tables  by  the  roadside  look  far  from  ripe.  A  some¬ 
what  small  building  bears  the  legend  in  very  large  tj^pe  of 
“  Strawberry  Hall.”  It  is  now  closed,  but  the  Wren’s  Nest  is 
always  open  to  birds  of  passage,  and  judging  by  the  migrations 
prolonged  far  into  the  season  when  Strawberries  are  not,  there  is 
ample  attraction  found  in  this  delightful  suburban  drive  by  city 
folk  ;  sufficient,  too,  I  trust  to  justify  the  way — the  only  proper 
way — being  pointed  out  by  an — Old  Traveller. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY.— Nov.  12th. 
Scientific  Committee. — Present :  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the  chair)  ; 
Mr.  McLachlan,  Mr.  Michael,  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  Dr.  Bonavia,  and  Rev. 
G.  Henslow,  Hon.  Sec. 
Death  of  Prof.  Riley. — Mr.  McLachlan  spoke  of  the  great  loss 
sustained  by  the  death  of  this  eminent  entomologist  of  the  Museum  of 
Natural  History,  Washington.  He  was  the  State  Entomologist  of  the 
Agricultural  Department,  and  formerly  for  that  of  Missouri. 
Hybrid  Asters. — With  reference  to  the  specimens  sent  to  the  last 
meeting  by  Rev.  C.  W.  Dod,  Mr.  Dewar  reports  as  follows  : — “  Although 
not  quite  prepared  to  agree  with  him,  neither  am  I  disposed  to  materially 
differ  from  bis  suppositions.  The  chief  difference  was  one  of  colour  ; 
the  flowers  of  the  supposed  hybrids  are  undoubtedly  somewhat  larger 
than  I  have  before  seen  ;  the  colour,  however,  is  quite  distinct  from  that  of 
typical  A.  Thomson! .  The  cross  between  A.  Thomson!  and  A.  Pyren8eu8(?) 
is  in  every  respect,  except  its  large  flowers,  typical  A.  Thomson!.  The 
other  cross  (?)  differs  little  except  in  colour  of  flower  from  seedlings. 
A.  Thomson!  is  a  very  variable  species,  becoming  of  course  considerably 
more  so  by  cultivation.”  Mr.  Dod  having  kindly  forwarded  fruiting 
specimens  of  A.  Thomson!  (^Clarke')  and  of  the  hybrid  to  the  Secretary, 
he  found  that  they  differed  as  follows  : — The  leaves  selected  from  similar 
places  were  much  larger  and  broader  in  the  former,  with  moreserratnres  ,* 
the  hairs  on  the  stem  were  shorter,  but  the  involucral  bracts  were  less 
hairy,  the  tips  being  nearly  glabrous.  The  pappus  was  markedly  shorter 
than  that  of  the  hybrid  ;  a  few  bore  ripe  achenes.  In  the  hybrid  several 
of  the  ray  florets  were  bisexual  with  perfectly  free  stamens,  the  anthers 
being  more  or  less  rudimentary  ;  a  few  of  the  ray  corollas  were  of  the 
quilled  form.  All  the  ovaries,  disk  and  ray,  were  abortive.  The  above 
characters  might  be  varietal  only,  but  the  presence  of  stamens,  &c., 
perhaps  indicate  the  effect  of  crossing. 
Fungus  on  Pears. — With  reference  to  the  specimens  received  from 
Messrs.  Veitch  of  Exeter,  at  the  last  meeting,  the  following  report  was 
received  from  Kew  : — “  The  fungus  on  the  Pear  is  Monilia  fructigena, 
Pers.  The  individual  patches  of  fungus  are  limited  in  extent ;  the  first 
formed  exhausts  the  necessary  food  for  a  limited  distance  beyond  its 
fruiting  area.  Its  spores  germinate  and  grow  just  beyond  this  sterile  zone, 
hence  succeeding  crops  are  more  or  less  concentric,  and  separated  by 
narrow  sterile  zones  without  fungi.”  They  thus  resemble  Fairy-rings. 
Cocos  australis. — Dr.  Masters  exhibited  orange-coloured  Plum-like 
fruit  received  from  Antibes,  and  sent  by  M.  Naudin,  and  also  by  Mr. 
Hanbury.  It  is  a  native  of  Paraguay  and  Chili.  It  was  the  first 
occasion  of  its  ripening  in  S.  Europe.  The  flavour  resembled  that  of  a 
Pine  Apple. 
Cypripedium,  Hybrid. — Mr,  Veitch  sent  plants  of  C.  minosa  and  cut 
flowers  of  the  parents — viz.,  C.  x  Arthurianum  (male)  and  C.  Spiceri- 
anum  (female).  The  former  is  the  result  of  0.  insigne  x  C.  farianum. 
Two  offspring  from  the  same  pod  showed  considerable  “  dissociation,” 
in  that  one  more  resembled  the  male,  and  the  other  the  female  ;  but 
the  peculiar  purple  and  white  staminode  of  the  male  was  lost,  the  green 
one  of  the  female  parent  being  present  in  both.  The  spotted  perianth 
of  the  male  was  very  pronounced  in  one,  while  the  white  sepal  of  the 
female  was  reproduced  with  no  spots,  though  the  purplish  labellum  of 
the  female  appeared  on  both. 
Rhododendron,  Hybrid. — Mr.  Veitch  also  sent  a  new  form,  Numa, 
the  result  of  crossing  the  “  bigener,”  indico-javanicum  by  R.  multicolor 
var.  Curtiai.  Indico-javanicum  resulted  from  crossing  Lord  Wolseley 
(a  hybrid  containing  the  three  true  species,  R.  jasminiflorum, 
R.  javanicum  (twice),  and  R.  Brookianum  var.  gracile)  with  Azalea 
indica,  “Stella.”  This  produced  rather  contracted  flowers  of  a  brick 
red  colour.*  This  was  crossed  with  the  small  crimson- flowered  (1  inch) 
R.  mult.  var.  Curt.,  Numa  bears  large  flowers  (2  inches)  of  a  deep  red 
orange,  with  a  shorter  tube  than  that  of  the  female  parent.  Hence  the 
effect  of  the  male  is  to  transmit  the  form  of  the  corolla  ;  but  that  of  the 
female,  the  colour  as  well  as  the  foliage,  which  is  lanceolate,  larger  and 
broader  than  the  leaf  of  R.  mult.  var.  Curtisi. 
Black-shinned  Apple. — Dr.  Masters  exhibited  an  Apple,  the  rind  of 
which  was  of  a  deep  purplish  black  colour,  the  cellular  tissue  within 
being  light  brown,  apparently  due  to  fermentation.  It  was  forwarded 
to  Kew.  Mr.  Michael  remarked  that  he  had  known  Blenheim  Oranges 
to  assume  a  similar  appearance. 
Flies,  Dead,  Adhering  to  Barley. — Mr,  Henslow  exhibited  a 
specimen  prepared  by  the  late  Prof.  J.  S.  Henslow,  in  1840,  of  flies 
attacked  by  a  fungus,  and  which  had  died  upon  ears  of  Barley,  It  was 
also  forwarded  to  Kew  for  further  investigation. 
*  Figured  and  described  in  Jl.  R.H.S.,  vol.  xiii.,  pt.  ii.,  p.  21  (1891). 
