46 
July  21,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Weather  in’  London — The  heat  in  London  since  last  Wednesday 
has  been  most  oppressive.  On  both  Friday  and  Saturday  over  80°  were 
registered  in  the  shade,  but  on  Sunday  it  was  slightly  cooler.  Monday 
again  was  a  scorching  day  ;  but  in  the  evening  came  a  few  clouds  that 
brought  rain  during  the  early  hours  of  Tuesday  morning,  and  though 
little  rain  fell  it  continued  fairly  cool  as  it  did  on  Wednesday. 
-  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  —  The  next  Fruit  and 
Floral  meeting  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  will  be  held  ou 
Tuesday,  July  26th,  in  the  Drill  Hall,  James  Street,  Westminster, 
1  to  5  P.M.  Bamboos  will  be  a  special  feature  at  this  show,  and  at 
8  o’clock  Mr.  A.  B.  Freeman-Mitford,  C.B.,  will  lecture  on  the 
“Economic  Uses  of  Bamboos.'’ 
-  The  Scarcity  of  Pears. — Though  the  promises  of  a  good 
Pear  crop  could  not  well  have  been  better,  there  appears  to  be*a  scarcity 
of  fruit,  this  probably  being  due  to  the  spell  of  bad  weather  experienced 
when  the  trees  were  in  bloom.  When  in  conversation  with  a  large 
grower  in  a  Pear-producing  district  of  Kent,  I  was  informed  that  in  his 
orchards  most  of  the  fruit  had  fallen  directly  after  setting,  and  other 
growers  in  the  district  had  suffered  more  or  less  seriously.  Trees  under 
the  protection  of  walls  in  gardens  appeared  to  have  fared  better,  and 
under  such  conditions  there  are  in  some  places  good  crops  of  fruit.  It  is 
only  in  chosen  districts  that  Pears  can  be  grown  as  a  profitable  crop,  and 
it  is  from  these  that  the  demand  of  the  market  is  supplied.  On  this 
account  the  partial  failure  of  the  crop  must  have  its  effect  on  prices  later 
on. — G. 
-  Woburn  Fruit  Farm. —  At  the  invitation  of  Spencer 
Pickering,  Esq,  F.R.S.,  director  of  the  Woburn  Experimental  Fruit 
Farm,  a  party  of  representative  horticulturists  assembled  at  Ridgraont 
on  July  13th  to  inspect  the  plantations  and  note  the  progress  that  has 
been  made  in  the  past  four  years.  The  visitors  spent  a  considerable 
time  in  an  examination  of  the  trees  and  discussing  the  results  of  the 
experiments,  which  are  now  very  marked  in  some  cases,  particularly  in 
the  plots  where  trees  planted  in  grass  are  contrasted  with  those  in 
ordinarily  cultivated  ground.  The  party  was  entertained  at  lunch,  and 
subsequently,  by  permission  of  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Bedford,  was 
taken  in  carriages  through  Woburn  Park  to  the  Abbey  and  conducted 
through  the  grounds  and  principal  rooms.  The  weather  was  fine,  and 
a  most  enjoyable  day  was  spent  by  all. 
-  Green  Gooseberries. — For  some  weeks  past  green  Goose¬ 
berries  have  been  very  plentiful  in  the  market,  and  commercial  growers 
have  been  in  a  state  of  satisfaction  and  complaint  over  the  crop.  The 
earliness  and  heavy  crops  of  fruit  have  been  responsible  for  the  former 
state  of  affairs,  and  low  prices  have  given  the  grower  his  grounds  for 
complaining.  Bushes  generally  are  clean,  and  plantations  have  suffered 
little  from  attacks  of  the  caterpillar,  while  the  rain  has  had  its  effect  in 
keeping  at  bayr  the  destructive  Gooseberry  mite,  which  is  often  responsible 
for  the  death  of  old  and  nearly  spent  bushes.  Green  Gooseberries  are 
the  first  fruit  to  claim  the  attention  of  the  market  grower,  and  with  them 
the  season  begins.  This  picking  consists  of  thinning  out  the  fruit, 
leaving  part  of  it  to  ripen  for  gathering  later.  All  varieties  appear  to  be 
bearing  well,  but  the  majority  of  those  picked  for  the  early  market  are 
Crown  Bobs. — II. 
-  Philadelphus  Lemoinei.  —  Of  the  many  dwarf  shrubs 
suitable  for  beds  in  prominent  places,  few  give  greater  satisfaction  than 
this.  It  is  an  accommodating  plant,  being  equally  at  home  and  attractive 
in  large  or  small  gardens,  whether  represented  by  a  single  specimen  or 
by  a  large  group.  At  Ivew  a  bed  near  the  temperate  house  is  now  a 
mass  of  graceful,  arching,  flower  laden  shoots,  its  strong,  sweet  scent 
making  its  presence  known  at  a  considerable  distance.  To  get  it  at  its 
very  best  it  requires  a  fairly  severe  pruning  every  year  after  flowering. 
As  soon  as  the  flowers  are  over  all  flowering  shoots  should  be  removed  or 
cut  back  to  a  strong  break  ;  this  encourages  strong  shoots  from  the 
base,  which  grow  to  a  length  of  2J  to  3  feet,  and  produce  flowers  the 
following  year  from  almost  every  node.  When  planting,  fairly  rich 
loamy  soil  should  be  given,  rather  light  than  heavy.  As  it  roots  readily 
from  cuttings  a  stock  can  be  quickly  raised. — D. 
-  The  Celery  Fly. —  This  pest  has  made  its  appearance  early 
this  season,  and  infested  leaves  were  noticed  long  before  the  earliest 
plants  were  large  enough  to  be  transferred  to  the  trenches.  The  other 
day  I  noted  a  bed  of  seedlings  where  the  foliage  generally  was  brown  and 
seared,  and  grubs  reclining  under  the  outer  tissues  of  the  leaves.  It  is 
not  usual  for  plants  to  be  attacked  at  such  an  early  date,  but  it  is  evidence 
of  the  abundance  of  the  pests.  The  usual  dustings  of  soot  and  lime  are 
being  applied  to  prevent  further  attacks,  but  the  pinching  of  the  leaves  to 
destroy  the  grubs  is  the  only  course  open  with  the  plants  already  infested. 
The  earliest  plants  that  are  now  growing  vigorously  appear  to  bo  over¬ 
coming  the  enemy,  though  it  has  had  the  effect  of  throwing  them  back. 
—V.  T. 
-  Raffia  for  Tying. — Many  gardeners  use  raffia  who  may  not 
know  its  origin.  The  information  is  given  in  “  Meehan’s  Monthly  :  ” — 
Various  materials  are  in  use  for  tying  in  grafts  or  buds,  but  none  the 
equal  of  raffia.  It  is  broad,  soft,  and  pliable,  and  d  »es  not  bind  the  bark 
as  readily  as  others.  Bass  bark  was  once  the  popular  material  for  these 
purposes,  but  it  was  less  convenient,  requiring  wetting  at  the  time  of 
using.  Raffia  is  procured  in  long  plaits,  the  strands  of  which  are  cut  up 
into  desired  lengths.  It  is  the  product  of  the  leaves  of  a  Palm,  Raphia 
pedunculata,  which  grows  only  in  Madagascar.  The  quality  is  chiefly 
shown  in  its  colour,  which  should  be  of  a  brownish  white.  It  is  also  used 
for  the  general  tying  of  plants. 
-  Ptelea  TRIFOLIATA. — Although  not  so  showy  when  in  flower 
as  some  of  our  hardy  trees,  this  plant  is  worth  a  place  in  the  shrubbery, 
both  on  account  of  its  fragrance  when  in  blossom,  and  its  curious  fruit 
afterwards.  It  is  usually  met  with  as  a  bushy  headed  tree  10  to  12  feet 
in  height,  though  it  often  gets  much  taller.  Its  leaves  are  bright  green, 
trifoliate,  and  long-stalked,  the  divisions  ol  the  leaves  being  3  to  4  inches 
long  and  ovate.  The  flowers  are  small,  greenish  yellow,  and  fragrant 
and  are  produced  in  large  corymbs  from  the  ends  of  the  branches.  The 
fruits  are  thin  and  membranous,  containing  one  seed  in  the  centre. 
They  are  often  three-quarters  of  an  inch  across,  and  have  rather  a 
striking  appearance  when  blown  about  by  the  wind.  It  is  a  native  of  the 
United  States,  and  grows  quite  readily  in  almost  any  soil  or  position. — K. 
-  Cytisus  NIGRICANS.— -This  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  summer 
flowering  members  of  the  family,  and  where  planted  in  masses  it  is 
now  making  a  fine  sight.  It  is  a  European  species,  with  very  dark 
green  foliage,  and  slightly  glaucous  or  silveiy  stems.  The  flowers  are 
produced  in  long,  terminal,  somewhat  conical  racemes,  which  often  exceed 
1  foot  in  length.  They  vary  slightly  in  colour,  but  are  usually  deep 
yellow  with  a  tinge  of  green.  From  the  apex  of  the  raceme  a  new  leafy 
shoot  is  often  formed.  To  be  grown  well  it  should  be  given  fairly  good 
loam,  and  the  growths  should  be  cut  back  to  within  a  few  inches  of  old 
wood  each  spring.  By  this  means  bushy  plants  are  formed,  and  much 
better  racemes  are  produced  than  if  allowed  to  grow  without  pruning ; 
in  addition  to  this  the  plants  are  kept  healthier.  As  soon  as  the  plants 
show  signs  of  deteriorating — which  they  are  almost  sure  to  do  in  a  few 
years — seeds  should  be  sown,  and  a  fresh  start  made,  youDg  plants  always 
being  more  satisfactory  than  old  ones. — W.  D. 
-  Cannas. — It  is  unfortunate  for  these  very  beautiful  flowering 
plants  that  they  are  seldom  seen  to  good  effect  at  exhibitions.  Almost 
always  they  are  arranged  in  stiff  groups  with  the  flowers  fashioned  to 
constitute  an  even  flatfish  semicircular  face,  in  which  it  is  true  the  plants 
are  seen,  but  the  general  effect  is  exceeding  stiffness  and  formality.  Yet 
these  plants  are  singularly  capable  of  producing  a  most  pleasing  as  well 
as  brilliant  effect  when  properly  arranged.  This  was  forcibly  borne  upon 
me  a  few  days  since,  when  Mr.  Cannell  opened  the  door  of  one  of  his  long 
span  houses  at  Swanley,  and  asked  me  to  look  in.  There,  arranged  on 
each  side,  were  many  hundreds  of  plants,  all  in  bloom  and  of  varying 
heights,  fronted  by  Isolepis  and  other  suitable  foliage  plants,  the  whole 
presenting  a  sight  that  might  well  be  described  as  fairy-like.  Would 
that  we  could  see  Cannas  as  charmingly  arranged  at  shows.  To  tell  of 
the  varieties  to  be  seen  at  Swanley  would  be  to  exhaust  the  whole  list  of 
what  are  the  best  in  commerce.  Many  are  wonderfully  fine,  but  I  liked 
the  rich  deep  reds  and  crimsons  and  the  pure  yellows  best.  It  was,  too, 
interesting  to  note  in  what  comparatively  small  pots,  and  at  such  moderate 
heights,  these  plants  will  bloom.  To  arrange  them  at  a  flower  show  with 
special  effect  no  doubt  a  dozen  or  so  clumps  of  plants,  say  five  plants  in 
each  clump,  of  the  same  variety,  placed  informally  amongst  Ferns  or  other 
bare  foliage  plants,  would  have  a  beautiful  appearance.  Grouping  Cannas 
alone  and  in  the  customary  mixed  way  with  a  flat,  formal,  half-circular 
face  is  about  the  worst  method  possible  to  create  an  eye-catching  effect. 
No  doubt  ample  room  is  needed  for  such  free  grouping  as  desired,  but  it 
is  by  far  the  most  desirable. — A.  D. 
