July  21,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
41 
Sheffield  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
The  July  meeting  was  held  in  the  Society’s  rooms  on  Wednesday, 
the  13th  inst.,  when  the  minutes  of  the  previous  meeting  were  con¬ 
firmed  and  new  members  admitted.  An  essay  on  “  Cut  Flowers  ” 
was  read  by  Mr.  M.  H.  Willford,  who  handled  his  subject  in  a  very 
able  manner.  He  referred  to  the  old-fashioned  way  in  which  flowers 
wrere  formerly  made  into  bouquets  and  for  decorative  purposes,  and 
compared  the  style  with  the  present  greatly  improved  floral  displays 
Artistic  and  natural  combinations  were  strongly  advocated,  with  due 
regard  to  the  shape  and  colour  of  all  flowers  employed,  and  for  the 
purposes  for  which  they  were  required.  He  drew  special  attention  to 
the  beauty  and  harmony  of  the  manner  in  which  the  Japanese  illus¬ 
trated  plants  and  flowers,  and  gave  valuable  hints  for  general  arrange¬ 
ments  of  cut  flowers.  The  essay  was  well  received,  and  was  accorded 
the  thanks  of  the  meeting. 
The  exhibits  were  cut  flowers,  and  a  good  display  was  shown. 
Amongst  the  professional  flowers  were  fine  examples  of  Allamandas, 
Gloxinias,  Yallotas,  tuberous  Begonias,  Pancratiums,  Stephanotis, 
and  Pelargoniums.  In  this  class  Mr.  J.  Dixon  was  first,  and  Mr. 
C.  Scott  second.  Amongst  the  amateur  exhibits  were  good  specimens 
of  Orchids,  Boses,  Bougainvilleas,  Gloxinias,  Begonias,  and  Cannas. 
The  prizewinners  were  Mr.  M.  H.  Willford  first,  Mr.  P.  T.  Burton 
second,  and  Mr.  W.  Willgoose  third.  Mr.  S.  W.  Seagrave,  of  the 
Gleadless  Nursery,  exhibited,  not  for  competition,  a  number  of 
bunches  of  the  new  white  Pinks  “  Her  Majesty  ”  and  “  Albino,”  for 
which  he  was  awarded  the  Society’s  certificate  of  met  it. 
The  Committee  regretted  having  to  report  the  death  of  M.  J. 
Ellison,  Esq  .,  agent  to  the  Duke  of  Norfolk,  who  for  many  years  was 
a  patron  of  the  Society.  A  vote  of  sympathy  was  ordered  to  be  sent 
the  family  of  the  deceased  gentleman,  and  it  was  arranged  that  a 
deputation  from  the  Society  should  attend  the  funeral  on  the  16th  inst. 
By  special  request  there  will  be  no  flowers,  or  the  Society  would  have 
sent  a  wreath. — J.  H.  S. 
Seasonable  Notes. 
The  potting  of  all  but  the  latest  propagated  plants  ought  now  to 
be  finally  completed.  It  is  an  excellent  plan  to  leave  sufficient  space 
to  allow  of  a  rich  top-dressing  when  the  scil  becomes  fully  occupied 
with  roots.  The  newly  added  soil  encourages  the  multi  plication  of 
young  feeding  fibres,  which  assist  so  largely  in  developing  stout  plump 
buds  if  other  details  practised  in  good  culture  are  carried  out. 
In  dry  sunny  weather  Chrysanthemums  appreciate  light  syringings 
of  clear  water  directed  over  the  foliage  from  several  positions.  It 
helps  to  maintain  the  points  of  shoots  clean  and  free  from  insects,  also 
encouraging  growth. 
Stakes  approximating  to  the  height  of  the  plants  when  full-grown 
ought  to  be  inserted  at  the  time  of  final  potting,  chiefly  because  the 
roots  will  be  less  damaged  then,  and  also  because  the  plants  will  be 
better  protected  against  winds,  which,  however,  may  not  be  sufficiently 
strong  to  damage  growths  by  breaking,  but  the  foliage  is  bruised. 
The  positions  on  which  the  plants  are  stood  ought  to  be  fully 
exposed  to  sunshine  and  partially  sheltered  from  the  rough  south¬ 
westerly  and  westerly  winds.  The  pots  are  best  placed  in  lines  with 
3  or  4  feet  space  between  each  line  of  plants.  Strong  upright  stakes 
must  be  driven  down  at  the  ends,  and  a  wire  strained  between  to 
which  the  stakes  can  be  secured.  This  will  prevent  the  plants  being 
blown  over  during  the  time  they  remain  outside.  Tie  the  growths  in 
as  they  advance,  but  always  leave  a  few  inches  of  the  tops  free,  as 
the  shoots  are  safer  from  snapping  than  when  tied  quite  closely. 
Watering  is  a  point  which  requires  regular  attention,  giving  the 
plants  sufficient  to  prevent  flagging.  The  shoots  sometimes  droop  a 
little  in  excessive  sunshine,  and  if  the  soil  is  moist  enough  the  syringe 
will  revive  the  plants.  Overwatering,  especially,  must  be  guarded 
against  during  the  early  stages  of  growth  after  potting. — E.  D.  S. 
Preservation  of  Fruits.  —  It  is  not  generally  known,  says 
Mr.  Meehan,  that  a  strong  element  in  the  successful  preservation  of  fruits 
is  healthfulness  in  the  tree  that  bore  them.  An  Apple,  Pear,  or  Grape 
that  can  be  kept  for  three  months  after  gathering  from  trees  in  a  perfect 
state  of  health,  will  show  evidence  of  decay  in  much  less  time  than  if 
taken  from  trees  in  a  less  vital  condition.  Some  fruits  will  of  course 
naturally  keep  longer  than  others.  There  are  autumn  Pears  and  Apples 
and  winter  Pears  and  Apples.  This  condition  is  a  result  of  a  consti¬ 
tutional  difference  ;  but  aside  from  this  constitutional  difference,  vigorous 
life-power  has  much  to  do. 
THE  HISTORY  OF  THE  SOILS  OF  THE 
BKITISH  ISLES. 
( Continued  from,  page  10.) 
The  chalk  formation  holds  au  important  position  in  this  country, 
less  on  account  of  the  extent  of  the  area  it  occupies  than  to  its  local 
prominence  and  distinctive  character.  It  is  characteristically  developed 
in  the  southern  counties,  and  gives  a  very  decided  calcareous  character 
to  the  soil  which  rests  upon  its  rounded  elevations,  and  to  the  accu¬ 
mulations  found  in  the  valleys  at  the  base  of  its  hdls. 
The  soft  and  earthy  character  of  this  limestone  renders  it  especially 
liable  to  be  acted  upon  by  atmospheric  influences.  That  the  waste 
and  displacement  of  the  mutters  of  which  it  is  composed  have  been 
extensive  is  shown  in  the  contour  of  the  hilly  ranges,  and  in  the 
amount  of  flint  and  calcareous  matter  largely  distributed  over  the 
country  adjacent.  This  is  evidently  the  result  of  the  denudation 
of  the  chalk  hills.  The  layers  of  flint  occurring  with  tolerable  regularity 
throughout  the  formation,  when  broken  and  dispersed,  as  those  which 
occur  on  the  surface  of  the  chalk  lands  generally  are,  from  attrition 
and  exposure,  assist  to  render  the  land  more  open,  and  contribute  their 
quota  of  silica  to  enhance  the  fertility  of  the  soil.  This  formation  has 
largely  contributed  the  deposits  of  sand,  gravel,  and  marl,  and  has 
furnished  the  great  beds  of  those  matters  found  so  abundantly  in  the 
Thames  valley. 
Besides  the  chalk,  which  forms  the  upper  group  of  the  cretaceous 
system,  we  have  belonging  to  it  several  others,  which,  though  not 
extensive  in  their  development  in  this  country,  are  yet  of  some 
considerable  interest  as  a  series  of  distinct  and  useful  soils.  The 
chief  of  these  are  greensand,  gault,  and  the  beds  of  the  Weald. 
Greensand  is  what  in  our  classification  we  call  a  primitive  soil,  being 
derived  directly  from  the  parent  formation.  It  owes  its  name  to  a 
greenish  colour,  contributed  by  a  chloritous  silicate  of  iron.  But  the 
sands  present  various  tints,  and  in  composition  various  degrees  of 
fineness.  Though  not  pure  as  a  sand  it  is  superior  to  the  majority  of 
sands  in  a  cultivator’s  point  of  view.  It  forms,  when  worked  and 
enriched,  a  warm  and  valuable  soil  for  early  crops,  and  is  utilised  in 
Bedfordshire  by  market  gardeners  for  the  production  of  choice  vege¬ 
tables  for  the  London  market. 
The  gault  is  a  stiff  blue  marly  clay  interstratified  with  the 
greensand.  It  has  some  affinity  with  the  lias,  as  it  contains  nodules 
of  iron  and  fossils,  and  has  the  same  merits  as  that  formation  under 
cultivation. 
The  weald  lying  between  the  chalk  and  oolite  in  Kent  and  Sussex 
possesses  a  series  of  clays,  sands  and  loams,  the  latter  generally 
containing  the  elements  of  fertility,  and  of  a  more  or  less  calcareous 
character. 
In  reviewing  the  several  formations  we  have  already  adverted  in 
general  terms  to  the  tertiary  as  a  most  important  period  in  relation  to 
our  subject.  In  specifying  the  special  characteristics  of  each,  and 
taking  them  in  the  order  of  their  arrangement,  we  have  again  to 
detail,  but  more  particularly,  the  remarkable  effect  brought  about 
by  climatic  and  other  causes  during  the  tertiary  period. 
The  last  geological  period  to  which  we  shall  have  to  refer  in  detail 
was  an  epoch  of  considerable  disturbance  of  the  existing  state  of 
things,  in  which  this,  part  of  the  European  continent  was  involved. 
The  Granges  effected  in  ancient  land  surfaces  by  their  elevation, 
depression”  and  subsequent  upheaval,  then  exposure  to  extremes  of 
climate  and  to  the  violent  action  of  overwhelming  floods,  was  naturally 
very  great,  and  we  may  regard,  as  we  have  before  remarked,  the  period 
as  one  of  the  most  important  in  its  effects,  with  reference  to  our 
subject,  in  the  whole  range  of  geological  history. 
Prior  to  this  time  the  great  primary  and  secondary  formations 
presented  in  mountain  ranges  and  swelling  hills  a  massive  frontlet 
of  rugged  rocks,  and  in  this  form  the  material  existed  for  the  soils 
needed  for  vegetation,  but  sealed  up,  and  seemingly  impenetrable.  It 
was  within  the  tertiary  period  that  these  mountain  heights  were 
assailed  by  forces  competent  to  affect  the  stern  integrity  of  their 
structure.  Slowly,  in  dim  procession,  came  the  assailing  forces,  in 
storms  of  snow  and  in  frosts  of  an  intensity  sufficient  to  bind  up  in 
icy  folds  both  land  and  sea;  then  commenced  the  great  elemental 
strife.  Bocks  were  rent,  and  their  exposed  parts  sundered  by  the 
intense  cold.  Glaciers  started  from  the  mountain  heights  and  ploughed 
out  deep  valleys,  and  gave  to  the  lower  lands  the  wreckage  of  the 
hills  in  the  shape  of  moraines,  and  then  the  wash  of  mighty  rivers 
ensued,  and  in  the  swirl  and  turmoil  of  their  waters  the  hard  fragments 
of  rock  again  suffered,  and  sand,  gravel,  soil,  and  silt  accumulated. 
And  when  the  work  of  the  frost  was  done  and  the  Arctic  climate 
modified,  the  stormy  waters  of  the  sea  carried  huge  icebergs,  and  as 
they  hurtled  down  again  the  rocks  yielded  their  fragments.  And  now 
the  land  was  pressed  beneath  the  waves,  and  as  the  waters  rose  or  fell 
fresh  dislocations  took  place,  and  each  inroll  of  the  waves  ground  the 
masses,  and  gave  as  a  result  the  great  accumulations  of  gravel  and  of 
soil  we  possess.  During  untold  ages  and  cycles  of  centuries  the 
