Janunry  30,  1896. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  C/OTTAGE  GARDENER. 
101 
authority,  and  thus  encourage  the  widest  possible  interest  in  the  trials 
conducted  in  the  Gardens. 
Of  course,  some  stipulations  should  be  made  as  to  numbers  to  form 
a  quorum — not  less  than  five,  for  instance  ;  but  it  is  noteworthy  that 
so  far  as  the  Drill  Hall  meetings  are  concerned  there  are  no  stipulations 
as  to  quorums.  If  any  such  rule  be  applied  to  the  Chiswick  meetings, 
naturally  it  should  apply  equally  to  those  held  at  the  Drill  Hall. 
The  Committees. 
An  “  Outsider’s”  complaint  that  members  of  these  bodies  are  exhibitors 
at  the  Society’s  meetings,  and  get  medals  and  other  honours  awarded 
to  them  for  their  exhibits,  is  a  very  odd  one.  It  comes,  no  doubt,  of 
ignorance.  Were  he  a  member  of  one  of  these  bodies  he  would  learn 
to  know  that  membership  exercises  not  the  least  influence  in  the  making 
of  awards,  indeed  I  sometimes  think  such  person’s  products  get  all  the 
more  criticism.  The  proportion  of  actual  exhibiting  members  of  these 
Committees  is,  after  all,  surprisingly  small,  and,  again,  their  exhibits 
are  none  too  frequently  seen.  It  would  indeed  be  unfair  to  render  anv 
person’s  occasional  presentation  of  exhibits  at  the  Committee  meetings 
cause  for  disqualification  of  membership.  I  rather  complain  that  so 
few  relatively  bring  or  send  exhibits,  as  they  must  very  often  have 
meritorious  products  which  the  Committees  would  be  only  too  pleased 
to  see. 
It  is  absurd  to  assume  that  members  would  go  out  of  their  way  to 
vote  awards  to  fellow  members  simply  because  they  were  such.  Every 
award  made  is  governed  by  merit,  but  then  those  members  present  are 
better  judges  of  what  in  the  respective  cases  constitutes  merit  than  can 
be  any  outsiders.  Critics  should  understand  that  the  Committees  cannot 
help  encouraging  the  exhibition  of  collections  also,  because  it  is  only 
through  such  that  anything  like  an  adequate  exhibition  to  satisfy  the 
public  and  the  Fellows  can  be  furnished.  After  all  a  silver  medal  is  no 
great  reward  to  anyone.  It  does  nothing  to  repay  expenses,  which  are 
often  heavy  ;  it  is  an  acknowledgement  for  meritorious  products  that 
only  a  churl  would  grudge.  As  to  the  supposed  sentimental  or  friendly 
influence  referred  to,  precious  little  of  it  is  felt  or  seen  at  the  Drill 
Hall. — A  Fellow. 
[Is  not  our  correspondent  in  error  in  stating  that  no  stipulations  are 
made  relative  to  the  number  that  should  form  a  quorum  in  the  Com¬ 
mittees  ?  We  think  if  he  turn  to  the  Committee  pages  of  the  Society’s 
arrangements,  he  will  find  that  five  members  form  a  quorum  in  each  case.] 
SEASONABLE  HINTS  ON  FLORISTS'  FLOWERS. 
No  two  seasons  could  probably  show  more  distinctively  the  variable 
character  of  our  climate  than  last  winter  and  the  present  one.  Of 
course  we  can  only  speak  of  the  present  season  up  to  the  end  of 
January,  but  last  year  at  this  time  we  were  bound  in  the  iron  grip  of 
frost,  the  ground  lay  covered  with  snow,  and  we  were  mourning  over 
the  destruction  which  we  knew  was  taking  place  amongst  our  favourite 
flowers  ;  while  now  our  trouble  is  whether  they  will  not  grow  too  fast, 
and  so  disappoint  our  hopes.  We  may  have  of  course  severe  weather 
yet,  but  as  the  days  grow  longer,  the  sun  increases  in  power,  we  will 
hope  for  the  best. 
Auriculas. 
From  north  and  south  I  hear  favourable  reports  of  the  condition  of 
this  flower.  There  has  been,  probably  owing  to  the  character  of  the 
season,  a  good  deal  of  early  blooming,  and  up  to  midwinter  one  has  been 
obliged  to  pinch  off  too  forward  trusses.  This  must  of  course  weaken 
the  plants,  but  they  are  generally  in  good  condition,  and  ready  to  make 
a  forward  movement  next  month.  All  the  decayed  leaves  should  now 
be  removed,  the  soil  in  the  pots  carefully  stirred,  and  if  it  has  shrunk  to 
any  extent  top-dressing  may  be  employed.  As  I  do  not  think  that  it 
would  be  well  as  yet  to  encourage  the  plants  too  much,  water  should  be 
given  sparingly,  and  air  abundantly.  The  present  is  a  very  good  time 
to  add  to  collections,  and  I  would  urge  growers  not  to  be  guided  simply 
by  the  exhibition  standard.- 
Carnations  and  Picotees. 
Here  again  we  find  a  remarkable  contrast  between  the  state  of 
things  now  and  this  time  last  year.  Our  frames  containing  them  were 
kept  closed,  and  if  we  did  get  a  peep  at  the  plants  they  looked  pretty 
miserable  ;  now  the  question  is  whether  they  will  not  be  too  forward, 
and  Mr.  Martin  R.  Smith’s  seedlings  in  the  open  look  as  if  they  had 
not  felt  anything  of  the  winter,  and  are  beautifully  fresh  and  green.  It 
is,  I  think,  more  and  more  evident  that  the  border  varieties  are  occupying 
people’s  minds  more  than  the  strictly  florists’  varieties  ;  there  seems,  too, 
to  be  quite  a  break  in  the  yellow  ground  Picotees  which  were  formerly 
so  scarce,  and  there  has  been  a  large  addition  to  them  of  late  years 
especially  due  to  the  efforts  of  Mr.  J.  Douglas  ;  all  that  will  be  needful 
now  for  those  that  are  in  pots  is  to  keep  them  clear  of  weeds  and  free 
from  damp.  We  must  not  venture  to  plant  them  out  until  March  or 
April.  Should  there  be  any  sharp  frost  the  frames  should  be  covered 
with  mats  and  water  very  sparingly  given. 
Gladioli. 
Little  can  be  done  to  these  at  present,  but  if  any  wish  to  add  to  their 
collection  now  is  a  good  time.  The  bulbs  which  are  in  store  should  be 
looked  over  from  time  to.  time,  and  while  kept  free  from  frost  should 
have  as  much  light  and  air  as  possible.  As  I  have  often  said,  my  bulbs 
are  kept  in  open  drawers  and  not  in  bags  ;  in  the  latter  case  they  are 
apt  to  get  together  and  encouraged  to  send  forth  roots  before  the  proper 
time  for  planting  ;  this  I  consider  a  disadvantage. 
Pansies, 
Of  all  the  florists’  flowers  that  I  grow  this  class  suffered  the  most. 
We  have  always  a  difficulty  in  our  southern  localities  in  keeping  these 
plants,  which  seem  to  be  at  home  in  the  more  moist  and  cool  districts  of 
the  north  of  Scotland  ;  and  when  we  get  such  seasons  as  those  of  1893 
and  1895  they  suffer  terribly.  Many  persons  do  not  take  notice  of  the 
great  difference  there  is  in  the  respect  of  climate  in  the  small  compass 
of  our  islands,  and  thus  I  was  told  yesterday  that  a  firm  in  Scotland, 
through  whom  Roses  and  shrubs  had  been  ordered,  was  unable  to 
execute  the  order  owing  to  the  hard  frost,  while  nothing  could  have 
been  more  suitable  for  the  moving  of  plants  than  the  weather  of  the 
last  month  here.  In  our  climate  Pansies  get  covered  with  mildew  and 
die  off  in  such  seasons  as  1895,  and  it  is  very  difficult  to  keep  up  any 
stock  of  them.  It  will  be  time  now  for  those  who  grow  them  to  see  that 
they  are  placed  in  their  flowering  pots  in  a  compost  composed  of  loam, 
decayed  manure,  and  leaf  mould  in  equal  proportion,  with  the  addition 
of  some  sand.  I  only  write  of  the  fancy  varieties,  for  I  have  long  since 
given  up  what  are  called  the  show  varieties,  and  I  believe  this  is 
generally  speaking  the  case. 
Ranunculus. 
If  the  Pansy  amongst  plants  suffered  so  severely  last  year  so  did  this 
amongst  roots,  and  I  fear  growers  in  the  South  of  England  had  but  a 
poor  tale  to  tell  when  they  lifted  their  tubers  last  summer.  The  Ranun¬ 
culus  is  an  essentially  moisture- loving  plant,  and  it  is  pretty  well  known 
in  gardening  that  no  amount  of  watering  will  take  the  place  of  that 
which  they  receive  from  the  clouds,  and  so  although  I  had  a  plentiful 
supply  close  at  hand,  and  did  not  stint  its  application,  my  stock  was 
greatly  reduced.  I  shall  soon,  I  hope,  once  more  be  able  to  plant,  but 
not  as  largely  as  before.  This  used  to  be  a  much  more  tedious  and 
tiresome  operation  than  it  now  is,  as  I  used  to  consider  it  necessary  to 
be  very  particular  in  not  having  the  tubers  deeper  than  inch,  but  I 
have  long  ago  left  off  being  so  precise,  and  with  no  bad  results. 
In  planting,  which  I  do  in  beds  4  feet  wide,  shallow  drills  are 
drawn  about  4  inches  apart,  and  the  tubers  then  planted  in  them  at 
about  5  inches  apart.  It  is  well  to  press  them  down  pretty  hard,  as 
worms  have  an  unpleasant  trick  of  throwing  them  out  of  the  ground. 
I  have  generally  regarded  the  20th  February  as  about  the  best  time  for 
planting,  and  if  the  ground  be  in  good  condition  this  date  answers  very 
well.  Last  year  thiB,  of  course,  was  impossible,  as  the  ground  was  fast 
bound  in  frost ;  but  I  should  hope  there  is  every  prospect  this  year  that 
they  would  go  in  well.  When  they  are  planted  the  beds  may  be  lightly 
raked  over  and  kept  clear  of  weeds,  which  about  that  time  will  be 
starting  to  grow. 
Roses. 
I  suppose  one  must  count  these  among  florists’  flowers,  and  therefore 
a  word  may  be  said  about  them.  What  a  contrast  these  form  now  to 
their  condition  thiB  time  twelve  months  !  With  what  sad  eyes  did 
growers  look  on  their  plants  then,  and  had  they  known  how  long  that 
frost  had  to  last  the  sadness  would  have  been  much  greater.  One  is 
continually  hearing  of  its  baneful  effects.  It  was  only  the  other  day 
that  I  heard  from  a  friend  in  Devonshire,  formerly  one  of  our  mo9t 
redoubtable  champions,  in  which  he  stated  he  had  just  planted  upwards 
of  400  Roses  to  replace  those  that  he  had  lost  by  the  frost  of  last 
winter,  and  if  this  took  place  in  Devonshire  you  may  be  quite  sure  there 
are  a  great  many  who  have  not  perhaps  told  their  woes  are  now 
mourning  over  their  losses.  Now  we  have  come  to  nearly  the  end  of 
January  we  have  had  no  frost  to  check  our  Roses,  but  I  do  not  see  that 
they  are  so  forward  or  pushing  so  much  as  we  might  expect. 
With  regard  to  work  amongst  them,  this  will  very  much  depend  on 
whether  the  grower  is  an  exhibitor  or  not.  If  the  former  he  will 
probably  be  preparing  to  give  his  beds  a  good  supply  of  manure  ;  if 
the  latter  he  will,  on  the  contrary,  be  looking  eagerly  for  the  time 
when  he  can  remove  that  which  has  been  on  the  beds  all  the  winter, 
and  make  them  tidy  for  the  summer  monthB.  In  some  of  the  earlier 
districts  pruning  may  be  thought  of,  I  have  known,  for  instance,  in 
Reigate  of  this  operation  being  performed  the  first  week  in  February, 
but  as  a  rule  this  is  much  too  early,  and  before  the  proper  time  comes 
I?  may  have  something  to  say  on  a  thoroughly  well-worn  subject. — 
D.,  Deal. 
FORCING  RHUBARB. 
I  believe  there  is  a  general  impression  amongst  amateurs  that  to 
force  Rhubarb  successfully  it  requires  a  dark  place,  where  warmth  can 
be  maintained.  To  those  who  have  a  low  house,  lean-to,  or  span,  where  a 
temperature  not  lower  than  55°  can  be  maintained,  I  would  advise  that 
roots  lifted  in  the  autumn  be  brought  in,  placed  close  together  on  the 
floor  or  borders,  filled  in  between  with  good  half-decayed  manure,  a 
thin  covering  being  placed  over  the  crowns.  The  pipes  or  flues,  paths, 
and  walls,  should  be  damped  several  times  a  day,  and  the  reward  will  be 
a  good  supply  of  stout,  good  coloured  sticks,  which  can  easily  be  dis¬ 
posed  of  if  near  a  town.  Though  a  greater  amount  of  labour  is  required, 
it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  good-sized  roots  give  most  satisfaction. 
Pieces  broken  off  while  lifting  can  be  transplanted  if  required  to  increase 
the  stock.  Choose  during  the  summer  fby  placing  a  stake  near  each 
crown  intended  for  forcing)  the  plants  most  highly  coloured. 
In  the  gardens  here  a  new  range  of  glass  has  recently  been  erected 
