190 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  3,  1898. 
-  Pruntjs  Pispardi. — I  have  this  beautiful  Japanese  Plum  at 
present  in  full  blossom,  a  month  before  its  usual  time,  notwithstanding 
the  recent  visitation  of  frost.  I  fear  it  comes  much  too  early  in  this 
country  to  permit  of  its  developing  its  flowers  into  fruit,  for  the  hail 
showers  of  March  are  usually  very  destructive.  It  is,  however,  by  reason 
of  its  beautiful  foliage,  a  highly  decorative  Eastern  tree.  It  is  especially 
attractive  during  the  late  autumnal  months. — David  E.  Williamson. 
-  Winchester  Gardeners’ Association.— At  the  last  monthly 
meeting,  on  the  22nd  ult.,  through  the  Hants  County  Council,  IMr.  G. 
Garner  of  Cadlands  Park,  Southampton,  gave  a  very  instructive  and 
practical  lecture  on  fruit  culture  under  glass.  He  treated  on  the  Vine, 
Peach,  Nectarine,  Strawberry,  and  Melon,  giving  hints  as  to  aspect,  soil, 
and  general  treatment  of  the  several  kinds.  He  was  handicapped  in  not 
being  able  to  treat  the  subjects  in  two  or  more  lectures.  A  hearty  vote 
of  thanks  brought  one  of  the  most  instructive  meetings  of  the  winter  to 
a  close. 
-  Effect  of  Eain  on  Plants. — M.  Wiesner  has  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  injurious  effects  alleged  to  be  produced,  even  by 
tropical  rain,  upon  leaves  and  flowers  have  been  greatly  exaggerated.  He 
never  observed  any  splitting  or  tearing  of  leaves  or  petals  even  by  the 
heaviest  rain,  unless  accompanied  by  a  strong  wind.  When  flowers  or 
leaves  are  bodily  torn  away  by  rain  it  is  only  when  their  tissues  have 
already  undergone  the  change  which  makes  them  ready  to  fall.  The 
immunity  from  the  eflEects  of  heavy  rain  is  due  to  the  elasticity  of  the 
flower  or  leaf  stalk.  If  these  are  fixed  so  as  to  have  no  pow’er  of  move¬ 
ment  the  impact  of  a  falling  body  far  less  than  the  weight  of  a  heavy 
drop  of  rain  has  a  destructive  effect  on  the  leaves  Or  petals. — (“  Pharma¬ 
ceutical  Journal.”) 
-  Potatoes  and  Their  Cultivation.— Mr.  W.  R.  Baker, 
gardener  to  Lady  Duckworth,  Knightleys,  contributed  anf  excellent 
paper  on  “Potatoes”  at  the  meeting  of  the  Devon  and  Exeter 
Gardeners’  Association  at  the  Guildhall  last  week.  He  referred  to  the 
fact  that  two  Devonshire  men — Sir  Francis  Drake  and  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh  -  shared  the  honour  of  having  introduced  the  Potato  into  this 
country.  He  said  a  change  in  Potato  seed  occasionally  was  very 
desirable,  as,  no  matter  how  good  the  sort,  it  was  liable  to  degenerate 
in  time.  For  thin,  light,  sandy  soil  he  should  use  cow  manure  ;  and  in 
wet,  heavy  soil,  which  was  the  worst  for  the  Potato,  he  should  use  horse 
manure  and  good  hot  lime.  In  very  heavy,  wet  soil  he  did  not  think  that 
lime,  guano,  and  wood  ashes  could  be  beaten.  About  the  20th  March 
was  quite  early  enough  for  planting,  but  the  seed  should  be  nicely 
sprouted  by  storing  of  each  tuber  on  its  base  so  as  to  retain  the  strong 
central  sprout.  Four  or  five  shoots  on  a  tuber  were  too  many.  He  was 
convinced  of  the  injury  resulting  from  the  loss  of  the  premier  sprout. 
The  best  remedy  for  scab  was  chimney  soot.  A  typical  collection  of  the 
leading  kinds  of  Potatoes  now  in  cultivation  were  exhibited,  and  their 
merits  pointed  out  and  commented  upon. 
-  Another  Valuable  Gift  to  Liverpool. — For  several 
years  past  the  Parks  and  Gardens  Committee  of  the  Liverpool  City 
Council  has  been  working  manfully  to  keep  pace  with  the  times  in 
the  matter  of  securing  open  spaces,  and  although  somewhat  adversely 
criticised,  the  general  public  must  acknowledge  the  many  lasting 
benefits  that  are  in  evidence  on  all  sides,  and  the  bright  appearance  of 
the  trees  and  shrubs.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  work  of  the  Committee 
has  left  its  stamp  in  the  minds  of  the  wealthier  of  Liverpool’s  citizens, 
judging  from  the  fact  of  the  grand  playground  which  was  presented  to 
Wavertree  by  an  anonymous  donor,  and  of  the  magnificent  Palm  house 
in  Sefton  Park,  equipped  in  every  way  at  a  cost  of  £12,000,  and  pre¬ 
sented  by  H.  Yates  Thompson,  Esq.  Now,  through  the  kindness  of  Mr. 
Thompson,  the  residents  in  the  northern  part  of  the  city  are  to  be 
similarly  treated  by  the  erection  of  a  house  some  120  feet  long,  at  a  cost 
of  £6000.  This  fact  was  notified  at  a  meeting  of  the  Parks  and  Gardens 
Committee  held  last  Wednesday  under  the  presidency  of  the  Chairman, 
Alderman  Joseph  Ball,  who  was  supported  by  the  Lord  Mayor  (Alderman 
Jno.  Houlding),  Mr.  Yates  Thompson,  and  Mr.  Mackenzie,  of  the  firm  of 
Mackenzie  &  Moncur,  the  celebrated  horticultural  builders  of  Edinburgh. 
The  announcement  of  the  g  ft  was  enthusiastically  received.  Alderman 
Ball,  on  behalf  of  his  colleagues,  thankfully  acknowledged  the  generous 
offer  of  IMr.  Yates  Thompson,  which  he  was  sure  the  Lord  Mayor  and 
Corporation  would  be  delighted  to  accept  on  behalf  of  the  citizens.  From 
the  plans  submitted,  the  new  house  will  form  a  great  attraction  in  every 
way,  the  design  being  extremely  handsome.  It  will  be  situated  at  the 
north  side  of  the  park,  near  the  bandstand  and  terrace.  As  in  the 
case  of  the  Sefton  Park  building,  the  contract  is  entrusted  to  Messrs. 
Mackenzie  &  Moncur  of  Edinburgh. — R.  P.  R.  | 
-  Beetroot.— Suiton's  Blood  Red  Beet  produces  roots  of  medium 
size  and  of  a  rich  dark  colour.  Pragnell’s  Exhibition  Beet,  when  well 
grown,  is  not  easily  surpassed  for  handsome  form,  suitable  size,  and 
attractive  colour,  though  not  so  deep  as  the  preceding  variet}’. — E. 
-  Rivina  humilis.— Not  long  ago  I  came  across  a  number  of 
these  berried  plants  in  good  condition.  They  are  rarely,  however, 
met  with,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  they  are  among  the  most  useful  of 
warm  greenhouse  plants.  At  almost  any  time  of  the  year  the  beauty 
of  the  racemes  of  highly  coloured  fruit  may  be  enjoyed,  and  they  are 
extremely  useful  for  various  kinds  of  decoration.  The  propagation  of 
Rivina  humilis  is  simplicity  itself,  as  they  are  readily  raised  from  seed 
which  germinates  freely  in  heat.  Firm  potting  of  the  plants  is  essential 
to  obtain  a  good  set  of  fruit,  and  during  the  flowering  period  a  position 
close  to  the  glass  is  advisable  to  encourage  setting.  A  stove  temperature 
is  best  while  the  plants  are  in  bloom,  after  which  they  should  be  removed 
to  a  cooler  house,  otherwise  the  fruit  is  apt  to  fall.— H. 
-  Heavy  Potatoes.  — At  many  local  flower  shows  a  still  popular 
class  is  that  in  which  prizes  are  offered  for  ttie  heaviest  dish  of  Potatoes- 
Weight  is  the  only  point  aimed  at,  and  no  matter  how  ugly  and  malformed 
the  tubers,  those  that  are  heaviest  win  premier  honours.  Surely  this  is 
not  the  way  to  encourage  quality  among  small  growers,  and  quite  incon¬ 
sistent  with  all  good  teaching.  It-  may  be  urged  that  it  is  only  a  novelty  ; 
but  whether  or  not,  the  chance  of  winning  a  prize  at  the  show  is  an 
inducement  to  working  men,  and  is  an  encouragement  for  them  to  grow  a 
gross  unprofitable  variety  of  Potatoes  for  the  sake  of  getting  first  prize  in 
the  heavy  dish  class.  As  committees  are  now  framing  schedules  for  the 
ensuing  season  they  will  do  well  to  consider  this  point,  and  spend  the 
prize  money  in  a  direction  that  will  encourage  growers  to  use  their 
endeavours  to  produce  the  best  and  not  the  heaviest  Potatoes.  The 
R.H.S.  judging  rules  give  hints  on  this  subject  that  may  be  followed  with 
advantage. — V.  T. 
-  Shirley  Gardeners’  Association.— The  monthly  meeting 
was  held  at  the  Parish  Room,  Shirley,  on  the  21st  ult.,  the  President, 
Mr.  W.  F.  G.  Spranger,  presiding,  but  owing  to  the  inclement  weather 
there  was  scarcely  an  average  attendance  of  the  members.  Mr.  E.  T. 
Mellor,  B.Sc.  (Lend.),  Lecturer  in  Biology  to  the  Hartley  College,  South¬ 
ampton,  gave  his  second  lecture  on  Fungi,  entitled  “Injurious  and  Bene¬ 
ficial  Fungi.”  By  means  of  lantern  slides  the  life  history  of  Peronospora 
infestans  was  given.  Wheat  rust  was  also  shown  to  be  a  great  scourge, 
Australia  having  lost  £2,500,000  in  one  year  by  its  ravages.  The  tubercles 
on  all  leguminous  plants  were  typical  of  the  beneficial  Fungi.  A  brief 
discussion  ensued  on  the  best  methods  to  lessen  the  evil  caused  by  the 
injurious  Fungi,  the  lecturer  recommending  the  burning  of  the  waste  of 
all  garden  crops,  thereby  destroying  the  resting  spores.  A  vote  of 
thanks  to  the  lecturer  and  to  the  President  closed  the  meeting. 
-  The  Droitwich  Experimental  Garden. — The  Worcester 
Union  of  Workmen’s  Clubs  and  Institutes  having  assistance  from  the 
County  Council  in  the  town  of  Droitwich,  are  to  be  congratulated  on 
possessing  a  capital  county  experimental  garden,  and  the  superintendence 
for  it  of  so  excellent  an  horticulturist  as  is  Mr.  .lames  Udale.  There 
lie  before  me  reports  of  the  work  done  in  this  garden  for  the  p^st  two 
years,  and  it  is  worthy  of  note  that  last  year’s  report  is  double  the 
dimensions  of  its  predecessor,  showing  how  the  work  and  uses  of  the 
garden  is  growing.  It  is  two  acres  in  extent,  but  that  is  ample  for  all 
present  purposes,  and  contains  some  forty-eight  varieties  of  Apples  in 
various  forms  of  training,  and  Pears,  Plums,  Cherries,  bush  fruits,  and 
Strawberries  in  less  variety.  During  last  year  nine  distinct  kinds  of 
vegetables  in  thirty-five  varieties  were  tested,  besides  numerous  small 
things,  with  respect  to  all  of  which  complete  information  is  furnished. 
Very  complete  tables  are  furnished  as  to  the  form  of  tree,  season,  and 
style  of  pruning,  time  of  opening  bloom,  gathering  of  produce,  quality  of 
crop  and  weight.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Potato  Up-to-Date 
shows  well  in  the  produce  table  of  varieties  for  the  best  crop,  although  for 
some  reason  or  other  the  Garton,  a  variety  of  great  repute  in  some 
districts,  but  not  at  all  so  in  the  south,  is  valued  relatively  higher  than 
the  preceding,  although  its  relative  produce  is  some  20  per  cent.  less. 
Mr.  Udale  refers  in  warm  terms  to  the  excellence  of  Homeo  rape  meal 
manure,  spread  well  over  a  large  bed  of  Carrots,  as  having  saved  them 
from  the  wireworm  when  in  danger  of  being  decimated.  Naturally  the 
report  has  most  local  interest,  but  it  is  instructive  to  find  such  a  garden  as 
this  maintained  in  any  county.  Would  that  all  counties  had  a  similar 
one  as  intelligently  managed,  it  is  capable  of  rendering  great  service 
to  the  county.  I  notice  that  during  last  year  no  less  than  991  persons 
visited  the  garden,  conclusive  evidence  of  the  interest  taken  in  its 
contents. — A.  D. 
