July  6,  1899.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Ulster  Horticultural  Society. 
On  Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  November  14th  and  15tb,  the  St. 
George’s  Covered  Market  at  Belfast  should  be  bright  with  Chrysan¬ 
themums — that  is,  if  growers  respond  as  they  ought  to  do  to  the 
invitations  of  the  above  Society.  The  Committee  shows  commendable 
enterprise  in  offering  some  very  generous  prizes,  and  there  is  little 
doubt  some  magnificent  blooms  will  be  staged.  For  example,  there 
is  an  open-to-all  class  for  twenty  vases  of  Japanese,  each  to 
contain  three  blooms  of  one  variety,  for  which  the  prizes  are  £25,  £15, 
£8,  and  £5,  and  despite  some  difficulty  in  transporting  the  Powers, 
this  class  ought  to  be  very  strong.  Then  there  is  an  Ulster  class  for 
forty-eight  Japs,  in  not  less  than  thirty-six  varieties,  that  takes  £22 
for  its  three  awards.  Besides  these  there  are  about  eleven  dozen  other 
classes  from  which  all  growers  ought  to  be  able  to  select  something 
suitable  to  their  calibre.  The  Secretary  is  Mr.  J.  MacBride,  Victoria 
Square,  Belfast. 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society’s  Annual  Picnic. 
The  annual  picnic  and  outing  will,  by  the  kind  permission  of  the 
Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Rosebery,  K.G.,  take  the  form  of  a  visit  to 
Mentmore,  Bucks,  when  the  gardens  and  magnificent  grounds  will  be 
open  to  inspection,  and  from  them  fine  views  can  be  had  of  the 
surrounding  country.  The  date  fixed  for  the  picnic  is  Monday, 
July  17th,  and  the  cost,  inclusive  of  railway  fare,  conveyance  to  and 
from  Mentmore,  dinner  and  tea,  will  be  9s.  fid.  for  members  and  10s. 
for  non-members.  Ladies  are  specially  invited. 
The  company  will  be  conveyed  to  Cheddington  station  on  the 
London  and  North-Western  Railway,  from  which  there  is  a  pleasant 
walk  to  Mentmore,  about  one-and-a-half  mile  through  fields.  Convey¬ 
ances  will  meet  the  train  at  Cheddington  for  such  as  may  be  disposed 
to  ride,  the  cost  of  which  is  included  in  the  ticket  for  the  day.  Dinner 
and  tea  will  be  provided  in  a  tent  on  the  village  green  of  Mentmore, 
which  is  close  to  the  gardens. 
Railway  tickets  are  available  from  Euston,  Camden  Town,  and 
Addison  Road,  changing  at  Willesden  in  the  two  last  cases.  Members  and 
friends  not  using  railway  tickets  will  be  charged  6s.  for  conveyance  to 
and  from  Mentmore,  dinner  and  tea.  Cloak  rooms  will  be  provided 
for  ladies. 
Early  notice  to  Mr.  Richard  Dean,V.M.H.,  Ranelagh  Road.  Ealing, 
is  absolutely  necessary  from  those  who  desire  tickets. 
THE  INDIARUBBER  PLANT. 
ElCUS  elastica,  the  Indiarubber  plant,  is  popular  as  a  decorative  plant 
for  rooms  and  windows,  as  a  good  specimen  from  1  to  3  feet  high,  with 
thick  stem  and  dark  rich  green  glossy  leaves,  presents  an  attractive 
appearance.  With  proper  treatment  they  remain  some  time  in  this 
condition,  and  if  grown  in  a  cool  shady  room  the  plants  succeed  better 
than  in  a  dry  ami  heated  atmosphere.  One  point  which  helps  to  main¬ 
tain  them  healthy  is  frequently  sponging  the  leaves  so  as  to  free  them 
from  dust.  This  is  an  easy  matter  with  Ficus  elastica.  Both  sides  of  the 
leaves  should  be  sponged,  using  soapy  water.  The  most  likely  insect  to 
attack  the  leaves  is  that  little  black  insidious  pest  known  as  thrips,  which 
soon  do  damage. 
The  growth  of  Ficus  elastica  has  the  tendency  to  extend  as  one  stem 
only,  and  very  handsome  plants  are  formed  while  they  remain  within  a 
length  of  4  feet.  Young  stock  may,  however,  be  topped  at  an  early  stage, 
and  this  will  cause  lateral  growths  to  break,  two  or  three  of  which  can  be 
allowed  to  extend  for  forming  plants  of  a  more  bushy  habit.  This  is 
chiefly  a  matter  of  taste,  and  adopted  in  cases  where  numbers  of  plants 
are  grown. 
Suitable  sized  plants  may  be  grown  in  from  5  to  8-inch  pets.  These 
are  useful  for  room  and  window  decoration,  and  for  the  side  stages  in  the 
conservatory.  Turfy  loam,  leaf  soil,  sand  and  charcoal,  with  the  addition 
of  a  little  peat,  form  an  excellent  compost.  Plants  that  have  been 
growing  freely  the  last  few  months  may  now  require  a  shift  so  that  they 
•will  become  established  before  winter  and  the  pots  filled  with  roots. 
Pot  firmly’,  making  the  fresh  material  as  substantial  as  the  ball  of  roots. 
The  pots  ought  to  be  clean  and  well  drained. 
Watering  is  not  a  difficult  matter  with  these  plants,  but  it  is  often 
mismanaged  in  the  case  of  house  plants.  What  is  wanted  is  regular 
attention,  not  exactly  at  stated  periods,  but  some  time  every  day  or  every 
other  day.  Apply  water  in  sufficient  quantity  to  pass  right  through  the 
ball  of  roots,  and  wait  until  more  is  needed.  Just  after  potting  one  good 
watering  will  suffice  for  some  time,  but  when  the  pots  are  becoming  well 
occupied  with  roots  water  is  needed  oftener.  A  fairly  light,  but  not  a 
sunny  position,  suits  the  Indiarubber  plant  best,  and  if  the  house  or 
window  is  hot,  shade  should  be  afforded  during  the  hottest  portion  of  the 
day.  Sour  soil  caused  through  errors  in  watering  is  the  chief  cause  of 
the  lower  leaves  turning  yellow  before  they  ought  to  do.  ft  is  natural 
for  the  lower  leaves  to  fall,  but  when  they  do  so  the  leafstalk  separates 
readily  from  the  stem. 
Another  cause  which  will  throw  the  plants  into  bad  health  is  allowing 
them  to  become  very  dry  when  the  pots  are  full  of  roots.  If  temporarily 
this  should  occur,  the  best  course  to  rectify  it  is  to  plunge  the  plant  into 
lukewarm  water  in  order  to  moisten  the  soil  and  roots  completely. 
When  well  established  and  growing  freely  cool  treatment  is  the  best, 
but  in  spring,  after  repotting,  or  when  propagating,  heat  and  moisture  are 
essential  for  encouraging  new  growth. — E.  D.  S. 
CURIOUS  GROWTH  IN  A  POTATO, 
Everybody  knows  that  the  noble  tuber  will  often  super-tuber, 
and  even  produce  tubers  without  tops,  sometimes  when  set  in  the  spring 
and  at  others  when  planted  at  midsummer  or  later  for  producing  new 
Potatoes  for  Christmas.  Indeed,  I  do  not  know  what  the  popular  Potato 
will  not  perform  to  maintain  it3  own  in  the  struggle  for  existence,  s 
The  specimen,  fig.  2,  A,  was  black,  and  had  probably  been  “pickled 
or  salted  to  prevent  its  growing  and  to  keep  in  weight,  for  all  the  eyes 
were  dead,  and  the  sprouts  (a)  reduced  to  mere  skeletons  (cellulose). 
Fig.  2. — Potato  with  Tuber  and  Sprout  formed  from 
CUT  PART.  (Natural  size.) 
References.— A,  cut  tuber,  showing:  a,  dead  sprouts;  6,  new  tuber;  c,  young 
sprouts  ;  d,  heel  end  of  old  tuber.  B,  tuber  from  another  point  of  view  ; 
e,  new  tuber ;  f,  sprouts. 
It  was  “resting,”  but  nothing  in  Nature  does  that.  Though  the  “eyes  ” 
were  gone  I  knew,  from  experience,  that  the  Potato  would  form  new 
stems  or  tubers,  and  on  these  produce  buds.  Thus  the  Potato,  cut 
transversely  nearly  through,  produced  buds  on  the  raw  surface,  and  from 
the  formative  layer,  which  passes  through  a  tuber  from  heel  to  eye,  and 
may  give  rise  to  a  bud  from  a  simple  cell. 
In  the  present  case  there  appeared  on  the  cut  part  and  descending 
axis  the  growing  points  (for  there  are  two)  or  buds — to  wit,  a  tuber  (b) 
with  eyes,  and  some  sprouts  (c),  the  heel  of  the  Potato  being  pushed 
outwards  (d).  The  old  Potato  was  almost  black  externally,  therefore  the 
sprouts  and  tuber  were  put  forth  from  the  white  flesh,  and  all  these  were 
quite  white. 
In  the  illustration  (P)  is  shown  the  tuber  (e)  as  growing,  exactly 
like  a  Mushroom,  from  the  flesh  of  the  Potato  ;  and  also  the  sprout  (/), 
with  a  thickened  stem,  life  a  toadstool  ;  but  this  formed  three  sproius 
(there  is  one  behind,  and  not  perceptible),  and  these  formed  leaves— the 
small  ones  Dract-like  on  their  stems,  with  buds  in  their  axils.  The  sprouts 
were  perfect,  and  the  tuber,  though  white,  with  a  little  russet  here  and 
there,  had  seven  eyes  or  buds,  hve  at  the  nose  and  two  at  the  side, 
though  I  am  only  able  to  figure  one. 
1  think  this  deserves  a  place  in  the  Journal  of  horticulture,  and  may 
throw  some  light  on  the  bud  formation  question.  At  any  rate,  it  shows 
there  has  been  no  “resting,”  and  that  is  not  all,  tor  when  the  nob.e 
tuber  had  done  this,  as  sketched  on  June  24th,  it  also  was  pushing 
cellular  tissue  around  the  eyes  and  through  the  flesh,  from  the  formative 
layer  of  the  central  axis,  and  again  forming  externally,  but  only 
discernible  by  a  lens  enlarging  ten  diameters,  the  growing  points — 
tubers,  or  really  stems,  with  buds  or  eyes. — G.  Abbey. 
