JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
June  18,  1»9B 
562 
-  New  Carnations  — Tne  new  Malmaison  Carnations  raised  by 
Martin  R.  Smith,  E?q.,  in  his  garden  at  Hayes,  Kent,  comprising  Lady 
Grimston,  Trumpeter,  Prime  Minister,  Lord  Rosebery,  and  the  pure 
white  Nell  G Wynne  have  passed  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  J.  Douglas  of 
Great  Bookham,  and  will  be  distributed  in  the  autumn  of  the  present  year. 
-  Shirley  Gardeners’  and  Amateurs’  Association. — The 
monthly  meeting  was  held  at  the  Parish  Room,  Shirley,  Southampton, 
on  the  15  ;h  inst.,  Mr.  E.  J.  Wilcox  presiding.  “Rockery  Plants”  was 
the  subject  selected  for  the  evening,  and  was  most  ably  treated  by 
Mr.  Ernest  Ladhams  of  the  Shirley  Nurseries,  who  read  a  very  carefully 
prepared  paper  on  this  most  interesting  class  of  plants.  He  first  told 
his  audience  how  a  rockery  should  be  constructed  and  the  best  material 
to  use  for  the  purpose,  saying  that  a  rockery  should  be  an  imitation  in 
miniature  of  a  mountain,  with  its  passes,  gorges,  and  spurs,  and  should 
be  planted  in  the  same  position  they  would  occupy  in  Nature.  An 
outing  to  Windsor  Castle  and  Chelsea  was  arranged  to  take  place  on  the 
20th  July. 
-  Paulownia  imperialis. — It  may  interest  “  W.  E.”  to  know 
that  in  1810  I  brought  from  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  Paris,  a  young  plant 
of  Paulownia  imperialis,  which  if  I  remember  rightly  found  a  home  in 
Syon  Gardens,  Isleworth.  Mr.  Neumann,  the  jardinier  en  chef,  showed 
me  the  original  plant,  which  was  then  (1840)  about  15  feet  high,  and  told 
me  that  the  authorities  in  Paris  bad  received  it  from  St.  Petersburgh. 
The  Jardin  des  Plantes  had  from  me  in  exchange  Seaforthia  elegans,  at 
that  time  a  rare  Palm.  If  the  Paulownia  throve  at  Syon  it  would  now 
be  one  of  the  largest,  if  not  the  largest,  in  this  country  It  was  common 
to  pass  off  Catalpa  Kaempferi  for  Paulownia  imperialis,  and  in  1S75  I  was 
shown  a  stump  of  Catalpa  in  Kew  Gardens,  near  the  winter  conservatory, 
which  I  was  told  had  been  sent  in  for  Paulownia. — Geo.  Tate. 
- Mr.  Henslow's  Lecture.  —  Mr.  Henslow  is  one  of  those 
lecturers  who  always  leaves  his  audience  not  only, wiser  than  they  were 
before  he  began,  but  he  also  keeps  them  fully  interested.  His  recent 
lecture  at  the  Drill  Hall  was  most  enjoyable,  not  the  less  so,  indeed, 
that  whilst  the  subject,  the  “  Movements  of  Plants,”  wa3  somewhat  out 
of  the  all  too  beaten  track,  it  was  yet  exceedingly  lucid  and  compre¬ 
hensible  even  to  the  most  unlearned.  If  the  lantern  pictures  were 
not  perfect  they  were  at  least  helpful,  and  enabled  everyone  present 
to  follow  the  lecturer  in  his  descriptive  matter.  Having  told  his 
audience  so  much  with  respect  to  plant  movements  it  would  be  very 
acceptable  if  at  some  future  time  Mr.  Henslow  could  go  farther,  and  so 
far  take  his  audience  behind  the  mysteries  of  Nature  as  to  explain  the 
reasons  for  these  movements.  At  present  in  many  cases  they  seem  to 
indicate  some  sort  of  intelligence  in  plants  not  fully  comprehended. — D. 
-  Rhododendrons  in  Kent.  —  This  handsome  early  summer- 
flowering  shrub  does  not  flourish  so  freely  in  the  chalky  districts  of 
Kent  as  it  does  on  the  outskirts  of  Manchester,  the  soil  there  appearing 
to  suit  it  so  well  that  every  garden  possesses  plants,  and  the  public 
parks  are  well  supplied.  The  proximity  of  chalk  to  the  surface  of  the 
soil  accounts  for  the  small  number  of  Rhododendrons  to  be  seen 
about  Gravesend  and  similar  districts.  Between  the  latter  place  and 
Rochester  they  are  found  to  flourish  superbly  in  the  woods  owned 
by  Lord  Darnley  of  Cobham  Hall.  Tn  one  portion  of  there  well-kept 
preserves  huge  bushes  of  Rhododendrons  exist  that  flower  abundantly 
every  year.  They  form  a  very  attractive  feature,  which  hundreds  of 
people  journey  to  see  from  surrounding  towns  and  villages  at  the  end 
of  May  and  early  June,  when  the  blooms  are  at  their  best.  Special 
permission  is  given  by  Lord  Darnley  on  two  consecutive  Sundays  for 
anyone  to  view  the  display,  also  on  several  other  days  of  the  week. 
The  horticulturist  who  wishes  to  see  varieties  of  various  colours  and 
special  merit  would  be  disappointed  from  that  point  of  view,  but  if  he 
desire  to  see  the  plants  growing  luxuriantly  in  their  own  way,  and 
forming  dense  masses  of  strong  growths,  the  Rhododendrons  at  Cobham 
are  a  good  sample.  The  secret  of  their  doing  so  well  lies  in  their 
making  use  of  the  ample  material  furnished  by  the  annual  decay  of  the 
leaves  of  the  trees  above  and  about  them  forming  a  rich  deposit  into 
which  the  roots  have  ramified.  The  prevailing  colour  of  the  flowers  is 
purple,  some  of  a  deep  hue,  others  paler.  There  are  also  some  fine 
plants  surrounding  the  Hall,  and  forming  a  portion  of  the  boundary  of 
the  private  grounds,  but  these  have  to  be  viewed  from  the  footpath 
through  the  park.  The  park  is  very  extensive  and  contains  many  fine 
trees,  among  which  a  herd  of  deer  disport  themselves.  In  one  direction 
from  the  Hall  lies  the  village  of  Cobham,  where  still  exist?  the  “  Leather 
Bottel  ”  of  Dickens’  fame.  It  has  a  Pickwick  room.  Near  to  Rochester 
there  is  Gad’s  Hill,  Dickens’  residence,  with  Sir  John  Falstaff  Inn 
adjoining. — E.  D.  S. 
- Dahlias  and  Violas — Messrs.  Dobbie  &  Co.,  seed  growers 
and  florists  by  Royal  wairanc  to  the  Queen,  Rothesay,  obtained  Her 
Majesty’s  permission  to  send  to  her  at  Balmoral  specimens  of  the 
Dahlias  and  Violas  which  were  so  much  admired  by  the  Royal  party 
at  the  Temple  show  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  The  flowers 
w  ere  duly  sent,  and  the  following  acknowledgment  has  been  received  : — 
“Balmoral  Ca9tle,  June  11th,  1890.  Messrs.  Dobbie  &  Co., — I  am  com¬ 
manded  to  thank  you  for  the  beautiful  blooms  of  Dahlia  and  Viola 
which  you  have  been  good  enough  to  send  to  the  Queen.  They  arrived 
here  in  excellent  condition,  and  were  much  admired  by  Her  Majesty. — 
Yours  faithfully,  Arthur  Bigge.” 
-  Date  Palms — One  of  the  most  important  vegetable  pro¬ 
ductions  of  Persia  is  the  crop  of  Dates  which  are  grown  to  great  per¬ 
fection  in  many  parts  of  the  country.  The  Date  Palms  begin  to  yield  at 
about  three  years  of  age,  reaching  their  prime  at  thirty,  and  a  good 
yield  for  one  tree  is  from  80  to  100  lbs.  The  flowers  are  fertilised  by 
hand,  one  male  tree  supplying  pollen  for  perhaps  forty  pistillate  trees- 
The  Dates  used  for  export  are  those  that  grow  at  the  summit  of  the  trees* 
From  the  action  of  the  sun  they  become  hard  and  dry,  and  are  thus 
easily  pacted,  while  those  on  the  lower  branches  remain  soft,  and  are 
kept  for  local  consumption.  The  exports  of  Dates  of  the  country  could 
be  easily  doubled  by  planting  fresh  groves  of  Palm. 
- Railway  Station  Gardens. — Lady  Bec'.iva  takes  consider¬ 
able  interest  in  the  emoeliishment  of  railway  stations  and  signal-boxes 
with  flowers,  and  we  learn  from  a  contemporary  that  she  recently 
sent  to  every  railway  station  signal-box  on  the  London  and  North- 
Western  system  between  G  irstang  and  Shap  a  large  box  of  flowering  and 
ornamental  leaved  plants,  specially  selected  for  the  positions  in  which 
they  will  be  grown.  Early  in  the  spring,  as  for  several  years  past,  her 
ladyship  sent  to  the  men  employed  in  the  signal-boxes,  and  also  to  the 
station  masters  along  the  line,  collections  of  seeds  of  annual  flowers. 
The  beneficial  results  of  this  generosity  are  amply  exemplified  by  the 
attractive  displays  which  are  annually  produced  in  the  gardens  con¬ 
tiguous  to  the  stations,  and  contribute  greatly  to  the  pleasure  of  travellers 
over  the  railway . 
-  Wakefield  Paxton  Society.— Meetings  are  held  at  the 
Paxton  Room,  Woolpicks  Hotel,  Corn  Market,  Westgate,  each  Saturday 
evening,  at  eight  o’clock  prompt.  Programme  of  meetings  for  the  second 
quarter  of  1890  : — June  20th,  Wild  Flower  Exhibition  ;  June  27tb, 
“The  Strawberry,”  Mr.  Allison;  July  4th,  “A  Chat  on  Botanical 
Scieuce  and  Traditions,”  Mr.  A.  E.  Benney,  Bradford  ;  July  11th,  The 
Rose  Exhibition,  Mr.  T.  Wilson;  July  18tb,  “The  Flower  Garden  and 
Bedding-out  at  Bowling  Park,”  Mr.  J.  W.  Spencer;  July  25th,  The 
Pelargonium  Exhibition,  Mr.  W.  E.  Corden  ;  August  1st,  “  The  Carna¬ 
tion  and  Picotee,”  Mr.  G.  Gill;  August  8th,  “  Notes  on  the  Rosace  se 
Order  of  Plants,”  Mr.  G.  Bott ;  August  14th  (Friday),  ‘tThe  Florist 
Auricula,”  Rev.  F.  D.  Horner,  Kirkby  Lonsdale  ;  August  22nd,  “  The 
Begonia,”  with  specimens,  Mr.  W.  H.  Vere  ;  August  29th,  The  Pea  and 
Bean  Exhibition,  Mr.  J.  G.  Brown. 
-  Persimmon. — This  so-called  Plum  is  in  no  way  allied  to  the 
Plums  and  Damsons  cultivated  in  England,  which  are  rosaceous  plants. 
On  the  contrary,  Persimmon,  known  to  botanists  as  Diospyrus  virginiana, 
is  a  member  of  the  order  Ebeoaceae,  which  has  no  representative  in  the 
British  flora,  but  includes  the  plants  which  yield  the  black  wood  called 
ebony.  Of  fruits  familiar  in  England,  the  Olive  is,  perhaps,  the  nearest 
ally  of  the  Date  Plum,  whilst  the  Privet,  the  Lilac,  and  the  Ash  are  not 
distantly  related  to  it.  Persimmon  is  native  in  North  America,  where  it 
grows  wild  in  most  of  the  Southern  States,  and  produces  fruit  in 
abundance.  The  tree  attains  a  height  of  20  feet  to  30  feet  in  the  open, 
but  GO  feet  to  70  feet,  with  a  diameter  of  2  feet  to  3  feet,  when  grown 
in  a  forest-  It  throws  up  suikers  freely,  and  thus  becomes  difficult  to 
eradicate.  Tne  flowers  are  usually  pale  yellow  in  colour,  and  the  fruit 
stalk  is  very  short.  The  fruit  is  almost  globose  in  shape,  and  varies  from 
half  inch  to  2  inches  in  diameter,  according  to  the  variety  and  the 
number  of  seeds  contained,  the  seedless  varieties  being  usually  quite 
small.  Though  the  fruit  is  disagreeably  astringent  when  green  or  only 
partly  ripe,  this  defect  commonly  disappears  as  the  fruit  becomes  fully 
ripe.  The  date  of  ripening  ranges  from  the  beginning  of  August  to 
December,  but  the  early  varieties  have  the  greater  market  value,  since 
they  present  the  better  appearance  and  have  sold  at  from  G  dols.  to  8  dols. 
a  bushel  in  the  large  cities.  Most  of  the  old,  wild  varieties  are  full  of 
large  seeds,  but  in  many  of  the  newer  strains  the  seeds  have  been  reduced 
to  two  or  three,  and  are  sometimes  improved  away  altogether.  Whilst, 
moreover,  some  varieties  are  as  sweet  as  Dates,  others  never  become 
edible. — (“  Rural  World.”) 
