476 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  22,  1899. 
-  Rhododendrons  in  December. — A  correspondent  writes  • — 
“  .Miss  Browmng-Ha'.l  of  Ravenswood,  West  Wickham,  Kent,  has  crimson 
Rhododendrons  in  full  bl  om  outdoo-s  in  her  garden  to-day  (December 
20lh,  1888J.” 
-  Gardening  Appointment. — Mr.  F.  C.  Walton,  for  nearly 
three  years  foreman  of  the  glass  department,  Bodorgan,  Anglesey, 
N.  Wales,  has  been  appointed  head  gardener  to  Ernest  de  la  Rue,  Esq., 
Lower  Haro  Park,  Newmarket,  Cambs. 
-  The  Hessle  Gardeners’  Society.- A  meeting  of  the  above 
Society  was  held  in  the  Parish  Schoolroom,  Hessle,  on  Tuesday,  the  13th 
inst.,  Mr.  F.  Mason,  Woodleigh,  Hessle,  in  the  chair,  when  Mr.  D.  Toyne, 
Hull,  read  a  paper  on  “  Hardy  Flowers.”  The  essayist  dealt  chiefly  with 
plants  that  are  specially  adapted  to  spring  gardening,  which  was  listened 
to  eagerly  by  the  members  present.  The  subsequent  discussion  was 
entered  into  with  much  zest  and  enthusiasm.— J.  T.  B. 
-  Oxalis  CRENATA.  — I  was  glad  to  see  the  vegetable  Oxalis 
mentioned  on  page  461.  When  I  was  a  boy  there  were  two  k’nds  grown, 
but  I  do  not  know  the  specific  name  of  either.  One  was  then  said  to 
como  to  maturity  quicker  than  the  other.  At  all  events,  I  am  quite 
certain  that  the  earlier  variety  would  ripen  in  a  sunny  place  in  the  neigh¬ 
bourhood  of  Bristol,  and  I  should  be  obliged  if  “X.  L.  C.  R.”  would 
kindly  state  where  tubers  for  planting  may  be  obtained.  It  is  not,  I 
think,  so  much  the  taste  of  the  British  epicure  respecting  the  use  of  un¬ 
common  vegetables  as  the  unwillingness  of  many  British  cooks  to  prepare 
them  for  the  table.  I  am  now  favoured  with  the  help  of  a  cook  as  a 
fellow  servant  who  takes  an  interest  in  making  the  best  of  whatever  I  can 
grow  in  providing  appetising  dishes. — D.  W. 
-  Garden  Refuse  as  Manure.— I  fear  your  correspondent. 
‘‘A  Working  Student,”  page  458,  docs  not  understand  the  “writ 
sarcastic.”  In  stating  “  that  according  to  chemical  analysis  and 
scientific  bases,  such  material  as  garden  refuse  is  deficient  in  phosphates 
and  potash,”  I  was  but  giving  point  to  the  fact  that  scientific  teaching 
and  practical  gardening  do  not  harmonise.  I  had  thought  I  made  so 
much  clear  in  referring  to  the  remarkable  results  obtained  in  the  case 
mentioned  from  such  refuse  as  manure.  However,  it  is  not  all  of  ns 
who  can  read  between  the  lines.  Oddly  enough,  such  material  as  I  have 
referred  to,  and  which  experience  has  abundantly  shown  constitutes 
valuable  plant  food,  invariably  gets  scant  notice  in  books  dealing  with 
garden  manures.  Presumably  its  value,  as  evidenced  in  crop  production, 
has,  so  far,  escaped  the  notice  of  the  scientists. — A.  D. 
-  National  Amateur  Gardeners’  Association.— The  annual 
dinner  of  this  flout ishing  Association  was  held  on  Thursday  evening  last 
in  the  Venetian  Chamber,  Ilolborn  Restaurant.  Air.  T.  W.  Sanders 
occupied  the  chair,  being  supported  by  a  large  number  of  members  and 
friends.  There  w7as  also  a  good  attendance  of  ladies  on  the  occasion. 
After  the  usual  loyal  toasts  the  Chairman  presented  the  various  champion 
trophies  and  medals  to  the  winners,  and  also  the  diplomas  of  fellowship 
to  members  who  had  distinguished  themselves  during  the  past  twelve 
months  in  horticultural  work.  Mr.  H.  J.  Jones  offered  to  replace  one 
of  the  trophies  that  had  been  won  right  out  by  the  recipient  during  the 
season. 
-  Street  Trees. — I  cannot  understand  the  logic  evidenced  by 
some  local  authorities  in  planting  trees  in  streets  in  suburban  districts 
and,  after  they  have  become  several  years  old  and  have  formed  handsome 
heads,  brutally  maltreating  them  every  winter  by  the  severest  possible 
pruning,  and  making  them  veritable  scarecrows  and  hideous  objects  for 
several  months  in  the  winter.  Just  recently  walking  along  a  broad 
suburban  road  I  saw  a  man  engaged  in  cutting  off  from  the  heads  of  Plane 
trees  every  shoot  made  during  the  summer.  Probably  at  the  rate  work 
was  being  done  it  took  two  hours  thus  to  disfigure  a  tree.  What  a  waste 
of  labour,  time,  and  money  !  Were  the  trees  left  alone  they  would  each 
year  form  dense  heads  of  shoots  and  foliage,  and  it  would  be  but  needful, 
say  once  in  four  years,  to  shorten  back  and  thin  the  branches,  work  that 
might  be  done  in  March,  and  thus  reduce  any  period  of  apparent  bareness 
of  branch  to  the  shortest  possible.  Nature  furnishes  to  trees  in  summer 
especially  in  foliage,  but  some  also  in  the  winter  in  spray,  much  that  is 
beautiful.  The  pruncr  with  his  knife  despoiling  the  trees  of  their  beaut}-, 
as  much  commits  an  outrage  on  good  taste  as  woul  1  the  man  who  would 
coat  a  cathedral  with  whitewash.  In  another  road  close  by  older  Lime 
tr.es  had  been  trimmed  up  the  stems  to  a  good  height  of  every  shoot,  so 
that  they  were  spotted  as  a  leopard  with  gaping  wound-1,  that  were  quite 
undressed.  Vandalism  seems  to  be  yet  rife  in  our  town  suburbs.1 — 
A  Kingston  Visitor. 
-  Late  Mushrooms. — On  page  442  I  mtice  “  Albyn  ”  observes 
that  he  gathered  in  the  open  park  a  dish  of  Mushrooms  on  November  16th. 
It  may  interest  him  and  other  readers  to  learn  we  gathered  in  the  park 
a  beautiful  dish  of  Mushrooms  on  December  11th,  which  is  yet  another 
instance  of  the  fine  weather  we  have  had. — S.  S.,  Lockinge. 
-  Laurustinus  and  Cattle. — I  note  the  reply  in  your  corre¬ 
spondents’  column  respecting  the  eating  of  this  shrub  by  cattle.  For 
several  years  the  cattle  have  eaten  the  green  tops  of  some  bushes  growing 
alongside  the  Swanmore  Park  fence  without  doing  them  the  slightest 
harm.  I  have  not  seen  them  eat  portions  that  have  been  cut  for  some 
time,  so  cannot  say  how  such  would  affect  them. — E.  Molyneux. 
-  Artificials  on  Sandy  Soil.— “H.  H.  R.,”  page  455,  does 
not  quote  me  correctly,  or  Mr.  Hall,  when  he  assumes  that  either  he  or  I 
regard  the  application  of  artificial  manures  to  sandy  soil  as  waste.  What 
I  conveyed,  and  what  Mr.  Hall  understood,  was  that  during  such  a  season 
as  the  past  inordinately  dry  one  was,  their  application  to  sandy  soils  was 
waste.  Of  course,  had  there  been  ample  rains  to  render  these  manures 
soluble  different  results  might  have  been  found.  But  sand  or  clay  or 
gravel,  I  have  grave  doubts  whether  any  artificial  manures,  applied  dry, 
and  left  absolutely  dry  all  the  summer,  would  have  been  of  any  service. 
As  to  testing  these  manures  on  good  soils,  I  cannot  regard  such  trial  as 
having  any  appreciable  value.  But  it  is  now  generally  advised  they  be 
applied  in  conjunction  with  animal  manures— excellent  advice  ;  but  still 
we  are  left  in  the  dark  as  to  how  much  good  may  be  due  to  the  ore  or 
the  other. — A.  D. 
- Grevillea  fasciculata.— Although  this  plant  was  discoverel 
as  long  ago  as  1829,  it  is  still  very  rare,  and  is  seldom  seen.  In  1893 
a  few  unnamed  seeds  were  sent  to  Kew,  one  of  which  germinated,  and  on 
the  plant  flowering  last  year  it  was  found  to  be  this  species.  It  is  now 
flowering  again  in  the  temperate  house,  and  fully  upholds  the  reputation 
it  made  last  year  as  a  first-rate  winter-flowering  greenhouse  plant.  The 
flowers  are  red  and  yellow,  rather  small,  but  borne  with  great 
freedom,  several  flowers  being  produced  together  from  each  node  on  the 
current  season's  growth.  It  has  been  found  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
King  George’s  Sound  and  the  Swan  River.  It  wa3  on  the  S.W.  shore 
of  the  former  place  that  it  was  discovered  by  D.  Baxter  in  1829'. 
A  figure  and  description  are  to  be  found  in  the  “  Botanical  Magazine,’ 
t.  6105.  If  cultivators  of  hardwooded  plants  would  give  it  a  trial  I 
am  sure  they  would  be  charmed  with  it,  and  aft  r  being  well  grown  and 
flowered  once,  its  beauty  would  be  found  sufficient  to  warrant  it  a 
prominent  p’aco  in  the  future— rD.  K. 
- Birmingham  Gardeners’  Association.— At  the  last  meet¬ 
ing  of  members  a  lecture  was  given  on  manures.  From  a  condensed 
report  we  find  that  “  potash  ”  is  good  for  Asparagus.  Based  on  this  ancient 
fact  is  the  practice  of  using  seaweed  on  the  beds  (near  the  coast),  which 
gives  vegetable  matter  and  potash  ;  farmyard  manure  and  wood  ashes 
inland,  which  do  the  same,  plus  salt  for  retaining  moisture  in  dry 
districts,  and  nitrate  of  soda  for  stimulating  growth.  It  was  said  that 
chemical  manures  acted  well  on  some  crops,  while  natural  manures  were 
not  without  effect  on  others.  So  it  has  always  been,  and  so  it  will  ever 
be,  for  crops  must  have  food,  and  this  cannot  bo  had  by  them  without 
moisture.  That  money  is  made  from  artificial  manures  out  of  the  land  as 
well  as  in  it,  is  no  secret,  and  it  is  almost  a  wonder  in  these  days  of  trade 
enterprise  that  importers  and  manufacturers  do  not  send  missionaries 
round  to  boom  them  and  increase  sales.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know 
what  our  famous  growers  of  vegetables  have  been  using  during  the  last 
twenty  years,  by  which  they  have  obtainei  such  splendid  results. 
-  Dermatobotrys  SAUNDERSliE. — It  is  about  twenty-five  years 
since  this  plant  was  discovered,  but  it  is  still  rare,  owing,  no  doubt,  to 
the  fact  that  gardeners  are  unaware  of  its  usefulness  as  a  winter¬ 
flowering  plant.  When  not  in  flower  it  might  be  mistaken  for  one  of 
the  taller-growing  Scdums.  The  stems  and  leaves  are  fleshy,  the  latter 
ovate  with  slightly  serrated  margins,  and  deciduous.  They  vary  in  size  p 
the  largest  ones  are  5  inches  in  length  and  3  in  width.  The  flowers 
are  produced  in  December  and  January.  They  are  borne,  usually  in 
threes,  all  round  the  apex  of  each  growth,  a  young  shoot  starting  usually 
at  the  same  time  from  the  centre.  They  are  1^  inch  long,  slightly 
pendulous,  and  red.  It  is  a  native  of  Natal  and  Zululand,  wbere  it  is 
sometimes  found  growing  on  the  ground,  but  more  often  on  trees.  It 
is  of  easy  cultivation,  being  readily  grown  from  seeds  or  cuttings. 
Plants  twelve  months  old  in  G-inch  pots  ought  to  produce  sev<n  or 
eight  heads  of  flowers.  The  bright  colour  of  the  flowers  at  a  dull  time 
of  the  year  ought  to  make  it  of  value  to  gardeners  as  a  decorative  p’ai  b 
—W.  Iv. 
