December  5, 18B5. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
529 
phenyl  has  yet  to  come  to  notice.  But  these  must  be  soluble,  otherwise 
they  are  plant  poisons.  Indeed,  they  must  be  saponified,  either  before 
or  in  consequence  of  contact  with  the  earth.  There  are  three  such  sub¬ 
stances,  all  proprietary  preparations,  and  are  called  respectively  Jeyes’ 
fluid,  Little’s  soluble  phenyle,  and  lysol,  a  German  preparation.  Any 
of  these,  especially  the  two  first,  will  kill  ground  fungi,  and  that  means 
growths  from  sclerotia.  Of  course,  these  may  be  in  old  Tomato  or 
Potato  stems,  but  there  will  not  be  any  if  the  cultivatars  burn  them  ; 
therefore,  it  is  a  question  of  soil  treatment. 
,  In  the  case  of  the  plants  submitted  by  “  W.  W.”  the  soil  in  which 
they  have  grown  may  be  soaked  with  any  of  the  preparations  named  at 
the  rate  of  three  gallons  per  square  yard  of  solution,  half  pint  being 
employed  to  that  amount  of  water,  the  soil  being  moderately  moist, 
such  as  would  be  the  case  if  it  required  watering,  loosening  the  surface 
■with  a  fork  so  as  to  let  the  solution  enter  evenly,  and  after  letting  rest  a 
day  turn  and  mix  to  a  depth  of  18  inches.  According  to  accepted  views 
this  cannot  act  on  the  scelerotia,  but  it  cures  the  worst  cases,  especially 
if  the  plants  at  setting-out  time  are  watered  with  a  solution  at  a  strength 
of  1  oz.  to  a  gallon  of  water,  and  that  amount  given  in  a  circle 
described  a  foot  all  round  the  plant.  In  ordinary  cases  this  latter 
precaution  is  all  that  is  necessary,  but  using  three  gallons  per  square 
yard  and  treating  the  whole  soil  surface.  This  may  be  supplied  just 
before  placing  out  the  plants,  and  to  stave  cff  possible  mischief,  later  on, 
supply  a  solution,  2  czs.  (a  wineglassful)  to  three  gallons  of  water,  two 
or  three  times  at  intervals  of  about  three  weeks  or  a  month.  The 
dressings  have  considerable  manurial  value,  and  are  equally  efficacious 
against  “drooping”  disease,  as  caused  by  Fusarium  solani  and 
eelworm. 
Another  plan,  and  considered  by  some  quite  as  curative,  is  to  dress  the 
soil  with  quicklime,  using  a  peck  per  rod,  slaking  with  the  smallest 
.amount  of  water  necessary,  spreading  and  mixing  with  the  soil  to  a 
depth  of  a  foot.  This  and  burning  the  diseased  stems  and  roots, 
extracting  as  many  of  these  as  possible,  and  giving  the  soil  where  the 
plants  have  been  an  extra  dressing  of  quicklime  at  the  time  of  removal, 
has  been  found  an  excellent  preventive  of  both  Sclerotinia  scelerotini- 
arum  and  Fusarium  solani,  also  of  eelworm. — G.  Abbey. 
THE  LATE  MR.  RICHARD  GILBERT. 
Let  me  pay  a  meed  of  respect  to  the  generosity  and  kindness  of 
'heart  which  so  eminently  distinguished  our  departed  friend.  Some  ten 
years  ago,  when  on  my  experimental  trials  of  the  different  Rhubarbs,  I 
wrote  something  about  them  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture.  To  my 
surprise  and  great  delight  in  the  course  of  the  week  following  their 
appearance  in  our  Journal  I  received  a  letter  from  Mr.  Gilbert  on  the 
subject  full  of  just  the  sort  of  information  I  wanted,  and  ending  by 
saying  that  there  was  no  early  Rhubarb  like  Hawkes’  Champagne,  and 
■as  I  did  not  appear  to  have  it  he  was  forwarding  me  a  hamper  of 
roots,  in  order  that  I  might  try  it,  or  if  I  had  it  already  his  would  do 
to  compare  with  what  I  had  ;  his  being  the  true  variety,  having  received 
it  from  his  old  master,  Mr.  Myatt  of  Deptford,  who  had  had  his  stock 
'direct  from  Mr.  Hawkes  of  Deptford,  the  raiser. 
I  scarcely  need  say  with  what  delight  and  gratitude  I  received  this 
spontaneous  gift,  and  how  warm  I  made  my  words  of  thanks,  bringing 
hack  from  him  the  characteristic  reply,  “  Oh  !  that’s  nothing.  Come 
and  see  me.”  From  time  to  time  I  heard  from  him  or  of  him,  but  my 
intended  visit,  unfortunately  for  me,  never  came  off,  and  the  last  I 
heard  of  him  was  in  conversation  with  his  near  neighbour,  Mr.  Lovelock, 
the  Earl  of  Ancaster’s  gardener  at  Normanton  Park,  whom  I  met  at  the 
gathering  of  gardeners  at  Chilwell  in  July  last. 
Bright,  cheery,  humourous,  generous,  clever  and  good,  in  Mr. 
Gilbert,  there  passes  away  one  of  the  best  gardeners  of  a  fast  diminishing 
generation  of  intelligent,  hardworking,  practical  men. 
His  funeral  at  Barnack  on  Monday  was  attended  by  a  large  number 
of  relatives  and  a  host  of  friends,  including  the  Marquis  of  Exeter,  and 
many  were  the  wreaths  and  floral  emblems  placed  on  his  tomb. — 
N.  H.  PowKALL,  Lenion  Hall  Gardens,  Nottingham. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
November  26th. 
Scientific  Committee.  —  Present:  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the 
chair)  ;  Mr.  Michael,  Professor  Muller,  Dr.  Bonavia,  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  and 
Rev.  G.  Henslow,  Hon.  Sec. 
Flies  Attached  hy  Fungus.  —  With  reference  to  the  specimens 
exhibited  by  the  Secretary  at  the  last  meeting,  it  was  reported  from 
Hew  that  “  the  fungus  is  Empusa  culicis,  II.  Braun  (Alg.  Uniceil.  gen., 
Nov.,  page  105).  It  is  common  in  various  parts  of  Europe,  also 
in  the  United  States,  but  not  previously  recorded  for  Britain.”  The 
specimen  was  prepared  by  the  late  Professor  J.  S.  Henslow  in  1840. 
Agyple  Diseased. — The  black-coated  Apple  brought  to  the  last 
meeting  proved  to  be  attacked  by  “  Sclerotinia  fructigena,  Behm. 
(Krypt.  Flora,  Discom.,  page  67).  The  minute  black  lumps  on  the 
Apple  are  the  sclerotia  of  the  fungus,  from  w'hich  the  ascigerous  Peziza- 
form  grows.  Negligence  in  spraying  during  the  spring  season,  when 
the  fungus  is  on  the  leaves  only,  accounts  for  its  presence  on  the  fruit. 
Cocos  Fruits. — The  fruits  exhibited  at  the  last  meeting  proved  on 
further  investigation  to  be  of  C.  eriospatha,  and  not  of  C.  australis,  as 
supposed. 
Carnations  Attachd  hy  Gruhs. — Prof.  Muller  exhibited  a  number 
of  weevil-like  grubs  which  attacked  the  roots  of  Dianthus  clusialis,  I 
completely  destroying  the  stem,  so  that  the  upper  part  became  detached. 
They  were  forwarded  to  Mr.  McLachlan  for  examination,  who  has 
reported  that  they  are  probably  those  of  Hylemyia  nigrescens,  of  the 
group  Anthomyiidae  of  dipterous  insects. 
Vine  Stems,  Malformed. — Dr.  Masters  exhibited  portions  of  Vine 
stems  with  hypertrophous  growths  of  a  tumourous  appearance.  There 
did  not  appear  to  be  any  fungus,  but  they  consisted  of  new  cork  and 
wood  only.  Similar  appearances  had  been  seen  on  Mar4chal  Niel  Roses. 
It  was  probably  due  to  some  injury,  perhaps  frost,  with  a  subsequent 
effort  to  heal  the  wound. 
Hybrid  Abies. — Dr.  Masters  also  showed  a  branch  from  a  hybrid 
between  Abies  Pinsapo  (female),  and  A.  cephalonica  (male).  An 
intermediate  character  was  seen  in  the  position  of  the  resin  canal,  in 
that  while  in  A.  ceph.  it  is  situated  adjoining  the  epidermis  and  in 
A.  Pins,  it  is  more  deeply  seated,  in  the  hybrid  there  was  one  layer  of 
cells  between  the  canal  and  the  epidermis.  The  general  form  and  habit 
more  nearly  resembled  A.  ceph..  while  the  strong  branches  and  thick 
leaf  approximated  A.  Pins.  The  cones,  however,  with  very  visible 
bracts  were  those  of  A.  ceph. 
THE  TERCENTENARY  OF  THE  POTATO. 
Centennial  celebrations  being  one  of  our  modern  fashions,  why 
should  the  approaching  tercentenary  of  the  introduction  of  that 
popular  and  valuable  article  of  food,  the  Potato,  go  unhonoured  ? 
Mr.  Krichauff,  the  Chairman  of  the  Agricultunal  Bureau  of  South 
Australia,  has  directed  attention  to  the  fact  that  it  was  in  the  year 
1596 — just  on  three  centuries  ago — that  the  great  English  botanist, 
Gerard,  first  planted  Potatoes  in  his  garden  in  Holborn— a  pleasant 
semi-rural  suburb  in  those  days.  It  is  believed  that  he  obtained  tubers 
or  seeds  from  Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  who  had  then  lately  brought  from 
South  America  samples  of  this  hitherto  unknown  vegetable,  and 
planted  them  on  his  estate  at  YoughaL  near  Cork.  Gerard,  however, 
recommended  them  only  as  a  delicate  dish,  and  it  is  recorded  that  the 
tubers  were  sometimes  roasted  and  steeped  in  sack — that  is,  sherry  and 
sugar — or  baked  with  marrow  and  spices,  and  even  preserved  and 
candied.  Shakespeare  twice  mentions  Potatoes — in  “  The  Merry  Wives 
of  Windsor”  and  in  “Troiilus  and  Cressida  ” — but  he  seems  to  have 
regarded  them  as  a  curiosity  of  the  materia  medica,  rather  than  as  an 
article  of  food. 
It  is  curious  now  to  note  how  slowly  the  Potato  made  its  way  to  the 
tables  either  of  rich  or  poor.  In  a  housekeeping  book  kept  by  Anne  of 
Denmark,  wife  of  King  James  I.,  an  entry  has  been  found  of  the  pur¬ 
chase  of  a  small  quantity  of  Potatoes,  from  which  we  learn  that  the 
price  was  then  2s.  a  pound.  Soon  after  the  Restoration,  the  Government 
tried  to  push  the  cultivation  with  the  assistance  of  the  Royal  Society  ; 
but  progress  was  slow.  In  English  books  of  gardening  of  the  time  of 
George  I.  Potatoes  are  not  even  mentioned,  and  as  late  as  the  year  1784 
they  were  chiefly  found  in  the  gardens  of  noblemen  and  other  rich  men. 
Soon  after  this,  however,  the  cultivation  began  to  make  rapid  strides, 
with  good  effects  upon  Ihe  health  of  the  people,  who,  till  then,  lived 
chiefly  on  salted  meat  and  coarse  bread,  varied  by  little  in  the  way  of 
garden  vegetables.  Thus  in  the  year  1796,  1700  acres  were  planted  with 
Potatoes  in  the  county  of  Essex  alone. 
William  Cobbett,  as  will  be  remembered,  was  a  persistent  opponent 
of  the  new  food.  In  his  “English  Gardener,”  published  in  1838,  he 
denounced  the  substitution  of  the  Potato  for  bread,  urging  that  it  had 
been  established  by  evidence  taken  before  Committees  of  the  House  of 
Commons  that  to  raise  Potatoes  for  the  purpose  would  be  a  thing 
mischievous  to  the  nation.  In  Scotland  a  few  plant.?  could  be  found  in 
1725,  chiefly  in  gardens  around  Edinburgh.  After  1760  they  began  to 
be  more  generally  planted.  Frederick  the  Great  was  more  successful  in 
inducing  the  Pomeranian  cultivators  to  take  to  Potato  growing  than  his 
father  had  been.  He  had  recourse  to  his  soldiery,  who  had  to  force  the 
farmers  to  plant  them  ;  but  Mr.  Krichauff  thinks  that  if  it  had  not  been 
for  the  famine  in  Germany  in  1771-2  the  merits  of  the  Potato  would  not 
have  been  so  generally  acknowledged.  France  was  decidedly  behind 
her  neighbours,  and  even  to  this  day  the  quantity  of  Potatoes  consumed 
in  France,  though  very  large,  is  considerably  less  than  with  us. 
For  a  considerable  time  there  seems  to  have  been  a  popular  prejudice 
against  them,  grounded  on  a  suspicion  that  they  were  unwholesome. 
The  Potato,  nevertheless,  was  placed  on  the  Royal  table  in  France  as 
early  as  1616  ;  but  it  was  Parmentier,  an  apothecary,  who,  more  than  a 
century  and  a  half  later,  first  impressed  its  value  upon  his  countrymen. 
Parmentier  showed  his  Potatoes,  which  were  then  evidently  regarded 
in  France  as  a  novelty,  to  Louis  XVf.,  who  gave  him  upwards  of 
100  acres  of  land  for  experimental  cultivation. 
The  pretty  purple  and  orange  Potato  blossom,  looking  like  an 
enlarged  variety  of  the  flowers  of  the  Belladonna  or  Deadly  Nightshade — 
to  which  terrible  plant,  oddly  enough,  it  is  botanically  allied — became  a 
fashionable  adornment.  The  King  wore  it  in  his  buttonhole ;  Queen 
Marie  Antoinette  twined  it  in  her  beautiful  hair  ;  and  at  once  Princes, 
Dukes,  and  high  functionaries  fell  in  love  with  the  Potato  flower.  Alt 
Paris  talked  of  Parment’er  and  the  new  “  Earth- Apples  ”  (pommes-de 
terre),  as  they  called  them.  The  King  said  to  the  cultivator,  "  France 
will  thank  you  one  day,  for  you  have  found  food  for  the  poor.” 
“  And  France,”  adds  Mr.  Krichauff,  '•  has  not  forgotten  Parmentier,  for 
I  saw  myself,  in  1882,  Potatoes  growing  on  his  grave  in  the  grand 
cemetery  of  Pere  la  Chaise,  and  I  was  assured  tt  at  they  were  planted  there 
every  year  so  that  his  services  migl  t  never  be  forgotten  by  Frenchmen.” 
— (^Abridged  from  the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Ilorticvltural  Sociitg  ) 
