October  20,  1898. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
301 
-  Honeydew. — Observing  an  interesting  note  on  Honeydew  on 
page  247.  in  which  the  question  is  raised  as  to  the  correctness  of  the 
popular  theory  of  its  origin,  I  venture  to  raise  another  question,  the 
cause  of  the  blackness  of  the  honey  which  bees  collect  from  it.  My 
belief  is  that  it  is  due  to  smoke  settling:  from  the  atmosphere  on  the 
sticky  leaves  and  amalgamated  with  the  honey.  This  theory  would  be 
refuted  if  any  part  of  the  kingdom,  say  in  Norfolk  or  Devonshire,  could 
he  found  quite  free  from  smoky  taint,  whilst  the  honey,  in  honeydew 
years,  is  black.  Here  in  Cheshire,  though  twenty  miles  from  any  serious 
smoke  centre,  the  presence  of  smoke  in  plenty  is  only  too  easily  shown 
For  instance,  young  shoots  of  the  Scotch  Fir,  even  on  hills  in  the  most 
rural  districts,  blacken  your'hands  if  passed  over  them  ;  and  the  leaves 
of  the  Oaks  and  the  Limes,  when  covered  with  honeydew,  soon  become 
visibly  black. — C.  Wolley  Dod,  Edge  Hall ,  Malpas,  Cheshire. 
-  Vegetables  at  the  Royal  Aquarium. — At  the  exhibition 
held  last  week  in  the  above  resort  under  the  auspices  of  the  National 
Chrysanthemum  Society  there  was  a  remarkable  display  of  vegetables.  The 
general  excellence  and  the  quantity  of  the  exhibits  were  the  cause  of  much 
comment,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  but  that  they  proved  almost,  if  not 
quite,  as  attractive  to  visiters  as  did  the  Chrysanthemums.  Prizes  were 
offered  for  collections  as  well  as  for  specified  kinds  and  varieties,  and  very 
few  weak  examples  were  seen.  The  monster  Onions  from  Mr.  W.  Fyfe, 
gardener  to  Lord  Wantage,  V.C.,  Lockinge  Park,  Wantage,  were  superb, 
the  heaviest  weighing  3  lbs.  10  ozs.  The  variety  was  Ne  Plus  Ultra,  and 
the  particular  bulb  turned  the  scale  when  first  lifted  at  3  lbs.  12  ozs. 
This,  we  think,  is  a  record.  The  same  exhibitor  also  sent  others  of 
exceptional  merit,  as  also  did  Messrs.  .T.  Masterton,  T.  Wilkins,  and 
E.  Beckett.  The  last  named  grower  was  a  grand  first  for  a  collection  of 
eight  distinct  kinds  of  vegetables,  staging  in  his  own  well-known  and 
attractive  style.  Mr.  Lye  of  Sydmonton  was  a  good  second,  and  Mr. 
Pope  of  Highclere  third.  These  exhibitors  took  most  of  the  awards  in 
the  other  classes.  The  prizes  were  given  by  Mr.  Deverill,  Banbury. 
-  Referring  to  the  above  Mr.  E.  Beckett,  Aldenham  House 
Gardens,  writes  : — “  Considering  the  season  the  Onions  staged  at  the 
above  show  must  have  surprised  not  a  few.  Many  of  the  specimens  were 
grand,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  finer  have  ever  been  brought  together.  Mr. 
W.  Eyfe  of  Lockinge  Gardens,  Wantage,  is  to  be  congratulated  on  the 
great  success  he  has  achieved  this  season,  being,  I  believe,  his  firs* 
attempt  at  competing  for  Onion  prizes,  and  he  must  for  the  time  being,  T 
think,  claim  to  be  the  champion  Onion  grower.  At  Birmingham  he 
showed  six  and  three  dishes,  and  was  easily  first  in  both  classes,  and  at 
the  Aquarium  he  was  well  first  in  three  of  the  principal  classes  ;  truly  a 
fine  record.  In  addition  to  this  he  staged,  not  for  competition,  wonderful 
specimens  of  a  new  variety  of  his  own,  named  the  ‘  Sirdar,’  which  is  most 
promising,  and  Ne  Plus  Ultra,  large  and  of  grand  quality,” 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
Scientific  Committee.— Present  :  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the 
chair)  :  Dr.  H.  Muller,  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  and  Rev.  Prof.  G.  Henslow, 
Hon.  Sec. 
Pear  Leaves  Diseased. — With  reference  to  some  leaves  sent  since  the 
last  meeting,  Prof.  W.  G.  Smith  reports  as  follows  : — 
“  The  Pear  leaves  with  rusty  snots  are  attacked  bv  a  Roestelia,  one  of 
the  group  of  Uredinese.  This  fungus  is  one  which  completes  its  lifi* 
history  on  two  host-plants.  The  leaves  submitted  are  those  of  one  host 
— the  Pear.  They  bear  two  distinct  kinds  of  rusty  spots  or  areas — viz., 
smooth  areas  in  which  the  leaf  tissue  is  almost  normal,  and  swollen  areas 
with  the  leaf  tissue  abnormally  increased  and  full  of  starch.  The  smooth 
spots  are  studded  on  the  upper  surface  with  black  points,  the  pycnidia  or 
spermatia  ;  as  a  rule  these  were  covered  with  a  hardened  film  of  what  had 
been  sticky  masses  of  ejected  oonidia,  generally  blackened  with  smut  or 
bearing  saprophytic  fungi.  The  swollen  pustular  areas  also  bore  spermatia 
on  the  upper  surface,  and  also  partially  developed  secidium  cups  embedded 
in  the  abnormally  increased  tissues  of  the  lower  half  of  the  leaf.  The 
imperfect  development  of  these  secidia  prevents  me  identifying  the  species 
of  Roestelia  exactly  ;  it  is  probably  R.  cancellata.  This  fungus  may  also 
attack  the  fruit.  The  second  host  of  this  ‘rust’  is  given  as  the  Savin 
(.Tuniperus  sabina),  and  it  would  be  useful  to  know  if  this  or  an  allied 
•Tuniperus  occurs  in  this  garden,  also  if  they  were  perfectly  healthy.  The 
rust  Is  a  common  source  of  trouble,  especially  a  form  which  occurs  on 
Apple  trees.  This  latter  is  very  injurious  in  the  United  States.  American 
authorities  advise  removal  of  the  second  host,  the  Juniper,  also  destruction 
of  badly  diseased  trees  or  branches.  After  these  precautions  are  carried 
out  Bordeaux  mixture  is  said  to  give  good  results.  It  is  used  in  two  or 
three  sprayings  at  intervals  of  eight  to  ten  days,  the  first  given  as  soon 
as  the  young  foliage  appears.  It  is  also  strongly  urged  to  use  varieties  of 
Apples  or  Pears  suited  to  resist  the  rust.  These,  of  course,  vary  for 
different  soils,  and  must  be  found  out  after  making  the  necessary 
experiments  in  the  locality  where  wanted.” 
Apple  Diseased. — This  was  received  from  Mr.  A.  H.  Pearson,  Chilwell, 
Notts.  Prof.  Smith  reports  as  follows  : — 
“The  Apple  sent  me  shows  a  ‘fruit  rot.’  The  primary  cause  is  a 
fungus  (mycelium)  present  in  all  the  discoloured  areas,  but  I  should  like 
to  see  other  specimens  before  saying  definitely  what  is  the  species. 
Several  fungi  have  the  same  action  in  discolouring  and  softening  the 
fruit ;  roost  of  them  also  came  it  to  crack.  When  the  flesh  is  exposed 
then  the  white  and  blue  moulds  present  on  your  specimen  make  t*  eir 
appearance.  Thev  are  common  mould  fungi  (Penicillium  glaucum  and  a 
Mucor,  probably  M.  piriformis),  and  are  not  the  cause  of  trouble,  at  least 
they  have  not  yet  been  proved  so  by  any  one.  The  primary  fungus  is  the 
one  which  has  to  be  dealt  with  by  remedies.  The  best  preventive  is 
probably  Bordeaux  mixture.  It  has  been  used  in  the  United  States,  and 
results  obtained  appear  satisfactory.  The  mixture  is  applied  as  a  fine 
spray  ;  the  first  application  when  the  young  foliage  appears,  the  second 
after  the  fr  nit  has  set,  the  third  two  weeks  later,  and  perhaps  a  fourth 
somewhat  later.  In  your  case,  where  the  Apples  are  grown  under  glass, 
much  might  be  done  to  hinder  the  progress  of  the  fungus  by  free 
ventilation  and  dry  air.  The  Apple  sent  seems  to  be  a  fine-skinned  sort, 
hence  it  is  all  the  more  susceptible  to  fungus  attack.” 
Apple  with  “  Glassiness." — The  Apples  received  from  Mr.  J.  Vert.  The 
Gardens,  Audley  End,  have  a  peculiar  translucent  appearance.  This  is 
due  to  water  having  penetrated  the  intercellular  spaces  instead  of  air. 
No  fungus  is  present,  but  the  cause  of  the  transfusion  of  water  is  not 
known.  It  is  said  to  be  highly  esteemed  in  Italy. 
Dahlias  Crossed  by  Sunflower  (?). — Mr.  Lowe  forwarded  blossoms  having 
a  true  Dahlia  appearance,  which  he  believes  to  be  raised  from  seeds  of  a 
parent  the  issue  of  the  above  cross.  Nothing,  however,  excepting  a 
rather  large  disc  appeared  to  indicate  a  cross.  The  relationship  between 
a  Dahlia  and  a  Helianthus  being  relatively  remote,  any  a  priori  pro¬ 
bability  of  such  a  cross  being  effected  is  but  slight.  In  experimenting  it 
would  be  exremely  difficult  to  prevent  self-fertilisation,  unless  it  be  proved 
that  the  pollen  is  self-impotent  in  Dahlias. 
Potato  Decayed. — Samples  were  received  from  Mr.  Veitch  having 
neculiar  outgrowths,  and  being  much  decayed  within.  They  were 
forwarded  to  Prof.  W.  G.  Smith  for  further  investigation.  Mr.  Yeitch 
described  the  presence  of  the  disease  as  follows  : — “It  was  first  detected 
early  in  August,  before  we  had  much  hot  weather,  and  this  is  the  only 
garden  in  the  neighbourhood  so  affected.” 
Cure  for  the  Lily  Disease.— Mr.  Horace  Byatt  of  the  Grammar  School, 
Midhurst,  Sussex,  writes  to  say  that  he  has  found  flowers  of  sulphur  to 
be  an  excellent  remedy  for  this  troublesome  fungus.  “  In  the  autumn  of  1 89fi 
I  removed  the  sets  of  bulbs  from  the  ground,  and  when  they  were  some¬ 
what  dry  I  put  them,  a  few  at  a  time,  into  a  large  brown  paper  bag,  in 
which  was  a  supply  of  flowers  of  sulphur.  They  were  then  well  shaken 
until  the  powder  got  thoroughly  into  the  crevices,  after  which  they  were 
planted.  Last  season  they  showed  a  marked  improvement  in  the  blossom 
heads,  which  were  weakly,  though  almost  free  from  disease,  and  now  I 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  perfectly  healthy,  with  fine  green  stems 
and  leaves,  promising  good  blossoms,  while  the  rest  of  the  groups  have  not 
a  single  blossom.” 
Colours  of  Flowers  and  Drought. — Rev.  W.  Wilks  made  the  following 
observations  on  the  colouration  of  flowers  of  the  present  season.  Similar 
changes  were  recorded  in  “Nature”  last  year  by  Mr.  Hughes-Gibbs  of 
Tarrant  Gunviile,  Dorset  : — “  All  through  the  exceptionally  hot  weather 
of  the  end  of  July  and  August  all  scarlet  flowers  had  a  tinge  of  dull 
brown  in  them,  pink  had  a  shade  of  orange,  yellow  was  very  yellow, 
white  was  creamy.  This  was  very  marked — e.g.,  in  Dahlias.  Thus  Fire 
King  and  Sunset,  two  ordinarily  bright  clear  scarlet  flowers,  had  a 
distinct  dull  brown  tint  overlying  and  sp  filing  utterly  the  usual  scarlet, 
so  much  so  that  having  been  away  from  home  the  first  three  weeks  of 
the  heat,  I  thought  on  my  return  the  Dahlias  must  have  somehow  got 
wrongly  named.  But  now  the  weather  is  cooler  the  bright  scarlet  has 
come  back,  and  the  dull  browny  tint  has  gone,  and  all  is  as  usual.  The 
only  colour  the  heat  seemed  (to  me)  to  suit  was  the  salmons,  and  they 
have  been  very  fine  and  intense,  having  a  sort  of  glow  added  to 
them.” 
West  Indian  Junipers. — Dr.  Masters  showed  specimens  of  a  Juniper, 
native  to  Jamaica,  which  he  had  received  through  the  kindness  of 
Mr.  W.  Fawcett,  the  Government  botanist  of  the  island.  This  species 
had  been  referred  to  the  J.  burmudiana  of  Linnaeus,  with  which 
J.  barbadensis  of  the  same  author  is  taken  to  be  synonymous.  On 
comparison  the  Jamaica  Juniper  is  seen  to  agree  very  closely  with 
J.  virginiana,  the  so-called  Red  Cedar  of  the  mainland  of  North  America 
from  Canada  to  Florida.  This  species  furnishes  the  best  “cedar”  wood 
for  pencils,  and  many  forms  of  it  are  cultivated  in  English  gardens.  The 
resemblance  of  the  Jamaica  plant  to  the  American  is  so  close  that 
Dr.  Masters  does  not  hesitate  to  include  them  both  under  the  same  name 
of  J.  virginiana. 
Dr.  Masters  also  showed  specimens  and  wood  of  the  true  Bermuda 
Juniper,  received  from  A.  Haycock,  Esq.  The  history  of  this  plant, 
which  differs  greatly  from  the  preceding,  has  been  cleared  up  by 
Mr.  Kemsley,  in  the  “  Gardeners’  Chronicle,”  May  26th,  1 883,  p.  657. 
Tomatoes  with  Bulbiferous  Stems.  -  Mr.  Wilks  exhibited  specimens  of 
Tomato  plants,  grown  against  a  wall,  which  bore  small  bulb-like  pro¬ 
tuberances  on  the  stem  close  to  the  insertion  of  leaves.  From  each 
proceeded  a  small  leafy  shoot.  An  anatomical  examination  showed  that 
they  were  formed  by  an  excessive  growth  of  cortex  and  medulla,  the  fibro- 
vascular  cylinder  being  somewhst  enlarged  as  well.  It  was  suggested 
that  experiments  should  be  made  of  growing  the  shoots  from  the  bulb-like 
pr^cessesi  to  see  if  they  would  give  rise  to  a  perennial  form. 
