July  80,  18»8, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
107 
-  Dyed  Geasses.— -If  natural  dried  flowers  are  scarce  the  void  is 
filled  by  the  many  beautifsl  Grasses  now  used  to  so  great  an  extent. 
Foremost  is  the  Vara  Grass,  with  its  bold  and  striking  tree-like  plumes 
now  very  largely  imported  and  dyed  in  various  tints — salmon  pink, 
canary,  autumn  tints,  a  combination  of  red,  orange,  golden  brown,  shades 
of  green,  pink,  and  magenta,  the  newest  being  heliotrope,  as  fashionable 
in  artificial  flowers  and  Grasses  as  in  those  of  Nature  ;  and  next  in 
importance  is  the  Pampas  Grass  in  magnificent  plumes,  undyed  and 
dyed  in  various  colours.  Some  novel  Japanese  and  African  Grasses  are 
strikingly  handsome  ;  the  latter  are  from  the  Congo,  some  in  rich  dark 
colours  and  some  delicately  silky.  They  include  the  Elephant  and 
Congo  Reed  Grasses.  Barley  and  Oats  are  seen  dyed  in  very  pleasing 
colours,  one  being  a  bright  bronze.  Eulalia,  Bromus,  Briza,  Erianthus, 
Lagurus,  Panicum,  and  others,  with  dyed  forms  of  the  Feather  Grass  in 
abundance.— Scientific  American.”) 
-  ACANTHTTS  longifolius, — This  plant,  from  Southern  Europe 
has  generally  been  treated  as  a  greenhouse  perennial,  or  at  least,  when 
grown  in  this  country,  it  has  been  provided  with  the  shelter  of  a  cold 
frame  during  winter.  So  far  as  we  are  aware,  it  has  not  been  treated  as 
hardy  until  Mr.  Cameron  of  the  Harvard  Botanical  Garden  two  years 
ago  left  some  strong  plants  where  they  had  grown  in  the  border  during 
the  summer,  giving  them  no  protection  but  a  coating  of  Oak  leaves 
thrown  about  them  after  the  ground  became  frozen.  Every  one  of 
these  plants  lived  through  the  winter  and  flowered  beautifully  last 
summer,  Mr.  Cameron  writes  that  these  plants  are  now  in  first-rate 
condition,  with  larger  foliage  and  more  numerous  spikes  than  they 
carried  last  year,  and  the  plant  has  once  more  proved  that  all  it  needs 
during  the  winter  is  a  covering  of  the  leaves  of  Beech  or  some  other 
trees.  It  is  a  stately  plant,  and  its  immense  leaves  and  curious  spikes  of 
rose  purple  flowers  are  very  attractive.  It  needs  a  light  rich  soil,  and 
ught  not  to  be  shaded  in  any  way.— (“  Garden  and  Forest.”) 
-  Electric  Light  in  the  Greenhouse. — The  “  Chicago 
Chronicle  ”  describes  certain  experiments  which  have  been  made  in  the 
United  States,  for  the  purpose  of  testing  the  influence  of  electricity  on 
the  growth  of  fruits,  flowers,  and  vegetables.  The  effect  on  flowers  in 
the  greenhouse  raised  under  the  influence  of  the  electric  light  is,  it  says, 
very  curious.  At  first  the  light  proved  injurious  to  many  blossoms. 
The  colour  of  Tulips  was  deeper  and  richer  for  a  few  days,  but  they  lost 
their  brilliancy  when  exposed  to  sunlight.  The  colour  of  scarlet  flowers 
turned  to  greyish  white,  and  while  all  bloomed  earlier  and  produced 
larger  blossoms  they  soon  faded.  By  reducing  the  intensity  of  light  and 
covering  them  with  opal  glass  globes  the  injury  to  their  quality  was 
lessened.  These  flowers  seem  abnormal  monstrosities.  They  are  double 
the  ordinary  size  and  exceedingly  brilliant  when  kept  in  dark  rooms 
during  the  daytime  and  used  only  for  evening  decoration.  The  explana¬ 
tion  of  the  increased  growth  of  plants  under  the  influence  of  electricity 
was  thought  to  be  the  extension  of  the  working  season  for  them — the 
continuous  light  preventing  them  from  resting  at  night ;  but  it  is  now 
generally  conceded  by  scientists  that  electricity  helps  the  plants  to 
assimilate  the  nitrogen  of  the  atmosphere,  and  favours  them  in  taking 
up  certain  mineral  salts  of  the  earth. 
- The  Orange  Trade  op  Palestine.— Consul  Dickson,  in 
his  report  to  the  Foreign  Office  on  the  trade  of  Jerusalem  and  district, 
states  that  the  amount  in  value  of  Oranges  exported  in  1895  is  said  to 
have  reached  £65,000,  compared  with  £51,000  in  1894.  The  exportation 
of  this  fruit  to  the  United  Kingdom  has  now  become  a  regular  trade 
from  the  months  of  November  to  April.  The  trade  in  Jaffa  Oranges 
may  be  looked  upon  as  more  or  less  of  a  speculation,  though  the 
continued  demand  for  the  fruit  in  the  home  markets,  and  latterly  even 
in  those  of  the  United  States,  will  be  an  inducement  to  shippers  to 
persevere  in  the  business.  There  has  been  a  decrease  in  the  exportation 
of  Oranges  as  compared  with  the  previous  year,  but  the  prices  were  very 
much  higher  in  Jaffa.  From  16,000  to  18,000  cases  of  Oranges  are 
shipped.  A  well-known  firm  in  Glasgow  has  opened  an  agency  in  Jaffa 
for  obtaining  consignments  of  Oranges  to  Glasgow,  and  shippers  seem  to 
have  been  satisfied  with  this  new  market,  but  as  there  is  no  direct  cornr 
munication  with  Glasgow  it  costs  the  shippers  an  additional  freight  from 
Liverpool  to  Glasgow.  The  plantations  of  Orange  trees  are  increasing 
not  only  in  the  vicinity  of  Jaffa,  but  also  in  a  village  near  Jaffa,  called 
Soumeil,  where  the  land  is  very  fertile  and  the  young  trees  are  making 
good  progress.  There  is  also  another  advantage  in  this  locality,  which 
is  the  facility  for  obtaining  water,  as  the  wells  are  not  deeper  than  from 
6  to  8  metres,  and  the  ‘  ‘  norias  ”  (water  wheels)  are  the  same  as  those 
used  in  the  Jaffa  Orange  gardens,  where  the  wells  are  much  deeper. 
-  Reading  Gardeners’  Improvement  Association. — The 
monthly  meeting  of  the  above  Association  was  held  on  Monday.  The 
subjects  for  the  evening  were  “  Carnations ”  and  “Fruits  in  Season.” 
The  former  subject  was  introduced  by  Mr.  E.  Dearlove,  The  Gardens, 
Brook  fields,  Burghfield,  and  the  latter  by  Mr.  T.  Neve,  the  Chairman  of 
the  Association.  The  meeting,  although  taking  more  of  a  conversational 
turn  than  usual,  was  exceedingly  interesting,  the  following  members 
joining  in  the  discussion  : — Messrs.  Martin,  Dockerill,  Burton,  Woolford, 
Gear,  and  Turton.  The  exhibits  were  numerous.  Carnations  pre¬ 
dominating,  beautiful  collections  coming  from  Messrs,  Dearlove,  Turton, 
Neve,  and  Goddard,  whilst  other  flowers  were  staged  by  Messrs. 
Chamberlain,  Dore,  and  Bailey,  and  a  splendidly  coloured  brace  of 
Sutton’s  Hero  of  Lockinge  Melon  from  Mr.  Pigg.  After  the  meeting  the 
flowers  were  sent  to  the  Royal  Berkshire  Hospital  for  the  use  of  the 
patients,  and  were  greatly  appreciated. 
THE  ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY’S 
EXAMINATIONS, 
Permit  me,  as  a  humble  reader  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  to 
congratulate  the  contingent  of  candidates  from  Chelmsford  upon  their 
remarkable  success  at  the  recent  examination  of  the  R.H.S. ,  held  in 
May.  The  Swanley  students  have  also  done  well,  though  not  so 
successful  as  in  the  previous  year,  when  one  of  their  number  won  the 
diver  medal. 
The  success  of  these  two  centres  points  to  the  great  advantages  to  be 
derived  from  co-operation  in  study.  There  probably  was  among  the 
students  a  healthy  rivalry,  which  had  the  effect  of  spurring  them  on  to 
do  their  best ;  also  an  intelligent  desire  to  comprehend  the  principles. 
Both  these  centres  must  have  had  enthusiastic  and  pushing  teachers, 
who  have  not  been  afraid  of  enforcing  simple  but  yet  important 
principles,  the  comprehension  of  which  is  invaluable. 
If  the  questions  given  at  these  examinations  are  studied  a  little,  it 
will  be  seen  that  they  cover  points  which,  on  the  face  of  them,  seem 
simple  enough,  but  yet  are  not  so  easy  to  answer  unless  the  elementary 
rudiments  of  botany  have  been  studied.  Gardeners,  as  a  rule,  give  but 
little  attention  to  botany,  and  when  they  commence  find  it  very  dry. 
In  order,  however,  to  be  successful  at  one  of  these  examinations  they 
must  have  scientific  knowledge  of  elementary  botany,  so  that  they  can 
describe  a  Turnip  or  a  Potato,  an  Onion  or  a  Carrot,  in  such  a  manner 
that  their  answers  compare  favourably  with  an  intelligent  scientific 
description — that  is,  they  convey  by  their  answer  to  the  mind  of  the 
examiner  that  they  know  exactly  what  a  Turnip  is  according  to  the 
i  caching  of  science. 
Examination  questions  are  often  narrowed  down  to  a  certain  limit, 
\nd  answers  expected  to  be  confined  within  those  limits. 
Many  busy  gardeners,  I  feel  convinced,  are  deterred  from  submitting 
-hemselves  to  an  examination  at  such  a  pressing  period  of  the  year  as 
the  beginning  of  May.  My  opinion  is  that  the  first  week  in  April  would 
be  much  better,  and  the  knowledge  gained  fresher  in  the  mind  than  later 
■n  the  year,  when  there  is  so  much  to  think  of  in  the  garden  both  outside 
and  in  that  the  best  of  men  feel  anxious. 
1  do  not  agree  with  your  correspondent,  “  Practice  with  Science,”  that 
‘  A.  D ’s  ”  suggestion  “  is  too  puerile  to  be  entertained  ”  concerning  the 
publishing  of  candidates’  papers.  Why  not  publish  selections  from  a 
certain  number  of  the  best  ?  This  would  add  a  zest  to  the  subject,  and 
do  as  much  to  encourage  young  men  to  study  as  anything  I  know.  I  do 
not  say  publish  names.  Many  would  naturally  object  to  that,  and 
rightly  so,  because  they  might  be  held  up  to  ridicule,  though  it  never 
could  be  a  serious  matter  to  them,  but  rather  a  creditable  thing  that  an 
honest  attempt  has  been  made  on  their  part  to  increase  knowledge. 
I  think  there  is  a  good  future  before  these  examination  tests,  and  that 
they  will  become  popular  with  young  men  who  are  seeking  to  raise  them¬ 
selves  on  the  horticultural  ladder.  Let  no  attempt  to  enlist  the  interest 
of  gardeners  in  knowledge  be  termed  “  puerile.” — Observer. 
I  DO  not  know  why  the  critic  in  this  week’s  Journal  writing  on  this 
subject  should  regard  my  suggestion  re  the  publication  of  a  leading 
successful  candidate’s  papers  or  answers  as  puerile.  Possibly  the  critic 
in  question  is  an  eminently  superior  person,  hence  his  contempt.  Oddly 
enough  in  the  same  week  I  made  the  suggestion  it  was  also  made  by  the 
editor  of  one  of  your  prominent  contemporaries,  who  evidently  did  not 
think  it  puerile  ;  but  then  he  is  not  a  superior  person. 
My  reasons  for  asking  such  publication  were — first,  that  possible 
future  candidates  would  like  to  see  a  good  sample  paper,  that  it  may  be 
to  them  a  guide  perhaps  in  terseness  or  in  style,  or  in  the  nature  of  the 
information,  xind  second,  to  see  which  of  the  questions  set,  those 
relating  to  actual  practice  or  practical  gardening,  or  those  of  a  more 
theoretical,  botanical,  or  plant  physiological  character,  secured  the 
greater  number  of  marks. 
I  hold  that  objections  to  such  publication  are  puerile,  as  if  worthy 
of  high  position  in  the  exam  such  papers  or  answers  are  of  course  well 
worthy,  and  should  have  wide  publicity.  Such  publication  is  often 
done  in  scholastic  exams  with  great  good  to  junior  teachers,  who  find  in 
the  papers  much  valuable  information.  Refusal  to  publish  rather 
indicates  weakness  fomewhere.  I  cannot  conceive,  however,  that  any 
high  placed  candidate  would  object. — A.  D, 
