JOniNAn  OF  IIORTWULTtJRF  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  23,  18&6. 
Mdlle.  Therese  Rey. 
This  popular  Japanese  variety  of  Mr.  Ernest  Calvat’s  is  much 
appreciated  in  Australia  and  New  Zealand,  and  was  figured  in  one  of 
the  Colonial  papers  this  time  last  year.  An  illustration  of  it  also  forms 
the  sapplement  to  the  “  Queensland  Horticulturist”  for  the  Ist  May 
last,  which  has  recently  come  to  hand. 
Mr.  Harman  Payne. 
A  PORTRAIT  of  this  gentleman  and  a  biographical  sketch,  from  a 
French  point  of  view,  extending  over  five  pages  in  length,  appear  in  the 
current  number  of  the  new  French  gardening  magazine — the  “  Nord- 
Horticole.”  The  author  is  M.  Anatole  Cordonnier  of  Bailleul. 
Yellow  Thrips  in  Chrysanthemums. 
Can  any  Chrysanthemum  grower  say  what  is  the  best  insecticide  for 
destroying  yellow  thrips  in  the  points  of  the  shoots  of  the  plants  which 
seem  to  be  attacking  them  with  unusual  severity  this  season  ?  Tobacco 
powder  and  softsoap  water  have  been  applied,  but  neither  has  had  the 
desired  effect  upon  the  insect,  which  confines  itself  to  the  unfolding 
leaves  in  the  points  of  the  branches.  A  friend  of  mine  who  is  a  successful 
exhibitor  tells  me  he  ha.g  tried  all  the  remedies  he  can  think  of,  still  the 
insects  survive,  and  continue  to  do  serious  damage  to  his  plants.  The 
leaves  after  they  are  developed  are  flabby,  and  have  a  yellow  sickly 
appearance.  I  shiuld  feel  grateful  for  any  advice  in  the  mattet. — R.  M., 
Some  r. set. 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society. 
The  annual  outing  of  the  members  and  friends  of  the  N.C.S.  took 
place  on  Monday  last,  the  place  visited  being  Aldenham  Park,  Blstree, 
Herts,  the  seat  of  Lord  Aldenham,  and  a  most  enjoyable  day  was  spent. 
On  arriving  at  Elstree  station  the  party  was  driven  in  conveyances 
to  the  entrance  to  the  Park.  Near  the  mansion  a  marquee  was  erected, 
where  the  party  was  received  and  welcomed  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beckett, 
the  well-known  and  much  respected  head  gardener,  in  the  absence  of 
Lord  Aldenham,  who  had  sent  a  message  to  say  how  sorry  he  could  not 
possibly  be  with  them  that  day. 
After  indulging  in  games  of  cricket,  about  137  sat  down  to  dinner,  to 
which  ample  justice  was  done.  After  dinner  the  Chairman,  Mr.  B. 
Wynne,  proposed  the  usual  loyal  toast ;  “  The  Health  of  Lord 
Aldenham,”  who  had  so  generously  thrown  open  his  grounds  and 
allowed  the  members  to  fish  in  the  lake,  and  other  privileges ;  “  The 
Health  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beckett,”  for  their  hearty  assistance,  was  duly 
acknowledged  and  very  warmly  received. 
After  dinner  a  stroll  through  the  houses  and  grounds  accompanied  by 
the  chief  was  a  delightful  pleasure.  The  grass  and  many  things  were 
showing  the  effects  of  the  continued  drought,  but  it  was  surprising 
under  the  circumstances  to  see  things  looking  so  well  inside  the  houses 
and  out.  Fruits,  flowers,  and  vegetables  bore  evidence  of  the  highest 
of  cultivation,  the  very  picture  of  neatness  and  good  order.  There 
was  much  to  see  and  admire,  but  the  avenue  of  Chrysanthemums 
came  in  for  special  recognition.  They  were  as  fine  and  sturdy  a  lot  of 
plants  as  one  would  ever  wish  to  see. 
In  the  grounds  some  masses  of  the  Golden  Elder  were  exceedingly 
bright  and  attractive  amongst  the  many  other  flowering  and  ornamental 
trees  and  shrubs.  After  partaking  of  teaf  and  indulging  in  games  of 
cricket,  tennis,  and  croquet,  the  members  began  to  wend  their  way 
homewards  with  feelings  of  very  great  regret  at  leaving  such  a 
beautiful  and  delightful  spot.  The  whole  of  the  arrangements  were 
carried  out  without  a  hitch  by  Mr.  R.  Dean. — 0.  Orchard. 
Chrysanthemum  Culture  for  Exhirition. 
Considerations  of  space  prevent  us  giving  this  paper  in  its 
entirety,  Mr.  Mitchell,  after  describing  the  necessary  precautions  to 
be  taken  by  the  Queensland  grower  to  insure  good  show  blooms,  refers 
to  the  subject  of  grafting  as  follows  : — “  Where  the  varieties  are  weak 
or  scarce  grafting  should  he  adopted,  as  they  take  very  readily.  I 
grafted  about  fifty  plants  last  year  by  way  of  experiment.  The  stocks 
used  were  Syringa,  E.  G.  Hill,  and  Grandiflorum.  I  found  E.  G.  Hill  to 
be  a  flrst-claes  stock.  Amongst  the  varieties  most  benefited  by  being 
grafted  were  Lady  Emily,  Pelican,  Y'ellow  Lacroix,  Mrs.  A.  Carnegie, 
Ada  Spaulding,  Corral  Elliot,  and  Grandiflorum.  An'other  advantage  in 
grafting  is  when  new  varieties  arrive  only  two  or  three  weeks  before  the 
time  for  planting.  These  should  be  planted  in  a  specially  prepared  bed, 
and  as  soon  as  they  recover  from  the  effects  of  their  transit  off  with  the 
tops  and  graft  them  on  to  healthy  stocks  previously  prepared.  They 
may  be  grafted  in  the  same  way  as  you  would  a  row  of  young  fruit  trees. 
Cover  the  graft  over  the  tie  with  a  mixture  of  leaf  mould  and  sand,  give 
plenty  of  water,  and  shade  for  a  few  days.  The  tongue  graft  will  be 
found  to  answer  best,  but  care  must  be  taken  not  to  bruise  the  bark  on 
tlie  scion  or  stock.  In  putting  on  the  tie  five  or  six  times  round  is 
sufficient  to  hold  the  two  barks  together  until  union  takes  place.  The 
Ecion  will  also  take  root  in  the  leaf  mould  and  8»nd,  so  it  will  be  on  its 
own  root  as  well  as  having  the  strength  from  the  stock.” 
Seedling  raising,  which  is  yearly  becoming  of  more  importance  to 
the  colonial  growers,  was  also  treated  by  the  essayist,  who  said  that— 
"  The  Chrysanthemum  grows  readily  from  seed,  but,  like  the  Pansy,  you 
may  grow  a  hundred  and  not  have  a  really  good  flower  from  the  lot. 
Nevertheless  it  is  worth  trying.  Every  care  should  be  taken  with  sports 
when  they  appear  ;  as  soon  as  you  are  sure  that  the  sport  is  good  have 
the  branch  or  stem  layered  in  good,  free  soil.  There  is  every  chance  of 
Queensland  producing  some  really  first-class  varieties  from  seedlings 
raised  in  Europe  and  other  cool  climates.  The  Chrysanthemum  bed 
should  be  trenched  and  prepared  at  least  two  months  before  the  time 
of  planting.  This  is  an  operation  that  requires  skill  as  well  as  hard 
labour,  and  a  will  and  the  heart  to  do  it.” 
The  remainder  of  Mr.  Mitchell’s  paper  was  confined  to  drainage, 
placing  the  plants,  staking,  and  other  cultural  details.  It  is  gratifying 
to  find  our  Colonial  friends  so  much  in  earnest  as  to  hold  Chrysanthe¬ 
mum  conferences,  for  this  is  by  no  means  the  first  that  has  been  held  in 
Australia. — (A  Paper  read  at  the  Chrysanthemum  Conference  held  in 
Brisbane.  April  2\st.  1836,  by  JAMES  MITCHELL,  Gardener  to  Hon. 
A.  II,  Wilson,  Marybor(vgh') 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
July  14th. 
Scientific  Committee.— Present :  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the  chair)  ; 
Rev.  W.  Wilks,  Rev.  G.  Henslow,  Hon.  Sec. 
Picea  Alcoquiana,  Foliaceous  Cones. — Mr.  Meehan  of  Germantown, 
Philadelphia,  sent  specimens  showing  the  bracts  of  the  cones  becoming 
leaf-like,  with  the  following  observations  : — “  It  represents  a  great 
struggle  between  the  effort  to  make  a  cone  and  a  branch.  I  have 
numbers  on  several  plants.  In  some  cases  the  branch  and  in  others  the 
cone  nearly  wins.  The  specimens  are  certainly  due  to  the  conditions  of 
environment.  There  are  about  a  dozen  plants  from  2  to  3  feet  high. 
Transplanted  in  the  spring  of  1895,  it  was  with  difficulty  we  got  them 
through  the  drought  and  torrid  heat  of  that  exceptional  season,  the 
growth  being  but  an  inch  or  two.  Other  species  of  the  order  planted 
with  them  died  absolutely.” 
Caladium,  Variegated  Mr.  P,  Crowley  of  Waddon  House, 
Croydon,  sent  a  very  curious  example  of  dissociation  of  colours.  The 
leaf  was  mainly  of  a  pale  pink  colour,  but  one  quarter,  sharply  marked 
off  by  two  lines  at  right  angles  to  one  another,  was  white  with  green 
veins.  The  suggested  interpretation  was  that  the  plant  which  bore  it 
was  a  cross  between  two  plants  having  the  above  peculiarities 
respectively,  and  that  the  parental  characters  had  become  suddenly 
dissociated. 
Crinum  capense,  var. — Rev.  W.  Shirley  of  Southwick  Parsonage, 
Fareham,  sent  a  flower,  which  proved  to  be  a  pale  variety  of  this  species. 
He  remarks  that  he  has  succeeded  in  crossing  it  with  C.  Moorei  (male 
parent),  having  raised  four  plants,  but  was  unable  to  effect  a  cross  the 
reverse  way. 
Parrot  Tulips  not  Seeding, — In  response  to  an  inquiry  from  the 
Secretary,  Mr.  Barr  writes  : — “  We  have  been  making  inquiries  over 
Holland,  and  are  informed  that  the  Dutch  grow'ers  do  not  remember  to 
have  ever  seen  seed  to  ripen  on  these  Tulips.”  It  was  suggested  that  it 
would  be  worth  while  experimenting  with  them  next  year,  to  see  if 
seed  could  be  procured  by  artificial  pollination. 
Fungus  on  Primula. — A  very  curious  fungus  upon  leaves  of  Primula 
was  sent  by  Mr.  W.  Hall,  the  superintendent  .of  Parks,  Sunderland.  It 
was  forwarded  to  Kew  for  further  investigation . 
Wild  Chamomile  Fatal  to  Lambs. — It  is  reported  from  the  Bedford 
Woburn  Estate,  that  this  very  common  plant,  Matricaria  chamomilla, 
has  proved  highly  injurious  to  sheep  and  lambs,  several  having  died  in 
consequence  of  having  eaten  it.  The  plant  has  never  been  suspected  of 
having  dangerous  qualities,  though  the  flowers  are  naturally  rather 
acrid  and  bitter,  in  consequence  of  the  presence  of  the  essential  oil 
which  they  contain.  If  the  report  be  true,  it  may  be  suggested  that  the 
intense  heat  may  have  intensified  these  properties,  as  is  well  known  to 
be  the  case  with  Artemisias,  &c.,  in  subtropical  countries. 
DEVON  AND  EXETER  GARDENERS’  ASSOCIATION. 
On  Wednesday,  July  15th,  the  members  of  this  Association  had  their 
annual  outing.  At  eight  o’clock  in  the  morning  sixty  to  seventy  persons 
left  Exeter  in  brakes  for  Torquay,  picking  up  a  few  more  gardeners  on 
the  road  to  Powderham  Castle,  the  grand  old  grounds  of  which  afforded 
the  company  their  first  pleasure.  Not  only  did  Mr.  Charles  D.  Powell, 
F.R.H.S.,  show  his  fellow  gardeners  round,  but  also  kindly  provided 
refreshment.  The  Jadoo  Works,  Teignmonth,  were  next  visited.  Here 
Colonel  Halford  Thompson  showed  the  company  masses  of  bloom  pro¬ 
duced  by  plants  growing  entirely  in  jadoo,  a  sight  worth  a  long  journey 
to  behold.  Apple  trees  in  pots  were  doing  well,  bearing  fine  fruit,  such 
as  Old  Nonesuch,  Bismarck,  New  Hawthornden  (a  heavy  crop),  Warner’s 
King,  Stirling  Castle,  Keswick  Codlin,  Cox’s  Orange,  Lane’s  Prince 
Albert,  and  Lord  Suffield  being  noted.  Pears  also  were  looking  well 
in  the  material.  I  noted  many  very  interesting  things,  after  which  the 
Colonel  entertained  the  company  to  luncbeon. 
