1^6 
JOURNAL  OP  HORTICULTURE  aND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Angnst  6,  1896. 
The  next  morning  we  started  early  on  our  return  to  Hoi-yang  by 
the  same  route  as  we  came,  and  which  we  reached  late  in  the  evening. 
A  party  of  monks  accompanied  ns  a  good  way  before  they  said  good¬ 
bye.  The  monks  of  the  Diamond  Mountains,  of  whom  there  are  from 
800  to  400  quartered  in  the  different  monasteries,  are,  as  a  class, 
remarkably  kind,  hospitable  and  open-handed,  and  generally  refuse  to 
accept  any  payment  for  entertainment  or  for  services  rendered.  They 
are  said  to  be  recruited  chiefly  from  children  whose  parents  are  glad  to 
get  rid  of  them  on  account  of  poverty,  and  from  waifs  and  strays  picked 
up  in  the  large  towns.  After  a  day’s  rest  at  Hoi-yang  we  proceeded 
on  our  journey  to  the  treaty  port  of  Wonsan,  where  we  arrived  late 
in  the  afternoon  of  July  17th  ;  the  heat  during  the  middle  of  the  day 
was  intense,  the  thermometer  rising  to  92°  Fahrenheit  at  11  A. M.  and 
up  to  95°  by  1.30  p.m.  Wonsan  is  certainly  the  most  attractive  of  the 
treaty  ports  ;  the  Japanese  quarter  is  clean  and  has  broad  streets,  and 
unlike  Fusan  or  Chemulpoo  it  is  separated  by  some  distance  from  the 
native  quarter. 
By  this  time  I  had  obtained  a  very  fair  idea  of  the  ofldcial  classes  in 
Corea.  During  the  whole  of  my  stay  in  the  country  I  was,  with  one 
exception,  treated  by  them  with  uniform  courtesy.  By  the  common 
people  they  are  much  feared ;  each  Governor  in  his  province,  each 
Prefect  in  his  district  is  a  despot ;  for  the  slightest  oflEence,  or  even  on  a 
false  accusation  they  can  order  a  coolie  to  be  whipped,  or  a  man  of  good 
position  to  be  bastinadoed  on  the  shins,  a  punishment  sometimes  so 
severely  inflicted  as  to  cause  d^th.  They  have  the  reputation  of 
"  squeezing  ”  unmercifully,  it  being  next  to  impossible  for  a  man  to  save 
money ;  should  it  become  known  to  the  Prefect  that  some  fortunate 
individual  has  any  savings,  he  is  peremptorily  told  to  give  them  up. 
Should  the  man  demur  or  invent  some  excuse,  in  a  few  days  he  is 
summoned  to  the  Yamen,  a  false  accusation  is  preferred  against  him  by 
an  underling,  and  the  inevitable  whipping  or  bastinadoing  follows.  The 
people,  if  report  speaks  truly,  and  the  little  a  traveller  through  the 
country  may  observe  strongly  supports  the  statement,  are  thoroughly 
ground  down  by  the  despotic  sway  of  both  great  and  petty  officials.  All 
the  Europeans  in  the  country  are  agreed  that  sooner  or  later  a  general 
upheaval  of  the  masses  is  inevitable,  as  the  only  means  of  checking  the 
cruelty  and  barbarity  with  which  they  are  governed.  As  I  have  said, 
the  Prefects  treated  me  courteously  and  in  their  best  manner  in  their 
respective  districts  ;  it  was  not  much,  it  is  true,  for  they  have  not  much 
to  offer,  but  offering  what  they  did  gave  me  an  insight  into  Corean 
manners  and  customs  I  should  never  otherwise  have  obtained.  At  their 
prefectures  I  was  always  able  to  sleep,  a  welcome  change  from  the  small, 
filthy,  insect-teeming  inns  in  those  villages  where  no  prefectures  are 
found. 
OXFORD  BOTANIC  GARDENS. 
A  LIFELONG  desire  was  recently  gratified  by  a  visit — unfortunately 
all  too  short,  though — to  this  famous  old  garden,  said  to  be  the  first 
of  its  kind  established  in  Great  Britain  (1666).  Curiously  my 
attention  was  drawn  to  a  patch  of  a  weedy  looking  plant  growing  in  a 
secluded  corner  of  the  gardens  under  the  wall  of  a  building,  and  said  to 
be  the  only  plant  resurrected  from  the  Great  Fire  of  London.  The 
plants  were  past  the  flowering  stage,  also  devoid  of  foliage,  but  the 
slender  stems  were  laden  with  seed  pods,  and  which  indicated  the  plant 
being  a  member  of  the  Cruciferous  order,  being  long  and  slender  and 
resembling  the  seed  vessels  of  the  common  Charlock. 
In  close  proximity  was  a  large  patch  of  Equisetum  hyemale,  an 
elegant  and  effective  Horsetail,  thus  grown.  It  is  said  that  the  Chinese 
dye  their  fingernails  a  yellow  colour  with  its  juice.  Another  not 
common  plant  in  flower  was  the  scarlet  coloured  Worm  Grass,  Spigelia 
marylandica,  a  hardy  herbaceous  subject  and  worth  cultivating.  Time 
would  only  permit  of  a  glance  at  the  beds  of  hardy  herbaceous  and 
other  plants,  but  they  appeared  to  he  very  well  labelled  and  kept  in 
good  order. 
Amongst  the  fine  old  specimens  of  trees  and  shrubs  were  noticed 
Ptelea  trifolata,  Pyrus  Aria,  with  its  glaucous  foliage,  Sophora  japonica. 
In  a  cool  corridor  connecting  the  exotic  aquarium  was  seen,  trained 
against  a  back  wall,  a  plant  of  the  orange  coloured  flowering  Strepto- 
solen  (Browallia)  Jamesoni ;  evidently  it  is  a  plant  worthy  of  extended 
cultivation. 
One  of  the  most  striking  plants  in  the  succulent  house  was  a  tall  old 
plant  of  Beaucarnea  glauca  in  bloom,  and  its  large  bushy  inflorescence 
preseiited  a  curious  appearance,  towering  above  its  Yucca-like  foliage. 
Most  interesting  was  the  exotic  aquarium,  and  the  various  Nympheeas 
and  other  aquatics  looked  very  healthy  and  flourishing,  and  rendered 
further  interesting  in  association  with  the  lively  stock  of  gold  fish,  and 
which,  on  a  rap  of  the  knuckles  upon  the  edge  of  the  tank,  came  in  a 
body  towards  the  spot  to  be  fed.  Amongst  the  several  plants  sur¬ 
rounding  the  edge  of  the  tank  is  a  huge  'patch  of  the  tall  and  elegant 
Papyrus  elegans. 
As  a  link  between  the  past  and  present  ages  of  the  modes  of  green¬ 
house  heating  apparatuses,  a  very  primitive  utensil  for  the  purpose  is 
preserved  in  the  museum  attached  to  the  gardens,  and  was  used  to  keep 
out  the  cold  in  frosty  weather.  What  would  our  present-day  gardeners 
think  of  having  to  draw  backwards  and  forwards  along  a  conservatory 
an  open  wickerwork  box  fixed  upon  four  wheels  and  filled  with  red-hot 
charcoal  throughout  the  night  during  severe  frosty  weather  ? 
Much  credit  is  due  to  Mr.  Baker,  the  curator,  for  the  neat  and 
cleanly  way  in  which  his  charge  is  kept.— W.  G.,  Birmingham, 
Early  Buds. 
This  has  been  an  extraordinary  season.  By  the  Ist  of  August  we 
had  as  many  buds  ready  to  take  as  we  usually  have  by  the  20th.  Mons. 
Chenon  de  Lechd  after  being  topped  showed  the  second  crown  by  the 
end  of  July,  and  one  plant  is  being  sent  on  again.  This  is  possibly  the 
best  dwarf  sturdy  grower  we  have,  the  plants  being  about  2  feet  high, 
with  very  strong  dark  foliage. 
Chrysanthemum  Madame  Carnot. 
Those  who  are  growing  this  flue  variety  for  the  first  time  should 
watch  it  closely,  give  very  little  water,  and  scarcely  any  stinvulants. 
The  growth  is  very  apt  to  burst,  and  the  bud  stem  gets  too  thick.  Those 
who  have  their  plants  going  away  to  third  buds  can  be  more  liberal,  but 
on  no  account  feed  a  first  crown  bud  till  the  petals  are  visible.  Two  of 
our  plants  were  spoiled  last  year  by  too  generous  treatment. 
Pointing  Stakes  for  the  “  Mums.” 
Those  who  use  canes  for  support  will  find  they  cut  much  easier  if  the 
ends  are  soaked  in  hot  water.  Make  the  first  cut  through  with  a  slant  of 
4  inches  for  a  large  cane,  3  inches  for  medium,  and  take  a  slight  shaving 
off  the  back  and  sides  of  the  point  only.  We  used  to  make  a  much 
shorter  point.  It  is  best  to  avoid  the  joint  by  running  the  knife  oat 
above  it. 
Yello'w  Thrips  on  Chrysanthemums. 
“R.  M.,  Somerset,"  will  do  well  to  add  a  little  petroleum  to  the 
tobacco  powder,  and  a  small  quantity  will  saturate  a  tin  of  powder.  Be 
on  the  safe  side,  for  if  made  too  wet  it  does  not  run  down  into  the  points, 
Mix  in  the  tin  by  stirring  and  a  good  shake.  The  handiest  thing  1  have 
used  to  apply  the  powder  is  a  Colman’s  penny  mustard  tin,  with  a  few 
small  nail  holes  in  the  centre  of  the  cover.  This  goes  nicely  into  the 
waistcoat  pocket.  The  powder  should  be  applied  some  quiet  morning  or 
evening  when  there  is  no  dew.  Hold  the  leaves  open  as  far  as  it  is 
safe  to  do  so.  If  done  early  in  the  evening,  the  small  leaves  are  much 
tougher.  Do  not  wash  the  powder  off,  but  apply  a  second  dose  if 
required. — W.  B. 
Chrysanthemums  at  Woodhatch. 
To  a  query  put  to  Mr.  Salter,  Mr.  T.  B.  Haywood’s  excellent  gardener, 
the  other  day  respecting  his  Chrysanthemums,  the  reply  was,  “  Come 
across  and  see.”  As  I  was  then  very  near  I  accepted  the  Invitation. 
Really  I  wished  to  learn  how  the  long  continued  heat  and  drought  had 
affected  the  plants.  The  site  on  which  the  plants  stand  slopes  to  the 
south,  and  is  a  very  hot  one.  Here,  indeed,  was  a  place  in  which,  were 
harm  done,  it  would  have  been  evident.  The  plants  are  there,  some  600 
or  more,  in  splendid  form.  The  harm  is  non-existent.  It  seems  impos¬ 
sible  to  conceive  plants  in  better  form,  with  the  exception  that  a  few, 
especially  of  the  Princess  type,  seem  to  be  taller  than  usual.  Foliage 
has  been  well  preserved,  and  growths  have  been  first  class.  When 
mildew  presented  itself  the  plants  were  syringed  with  a  mild  sulphate  of 
copper  and  lime  solution.  Not  one  plant  is  in  a  larger  than  9-inch  pot, 
and  they  occasionally  get  weak  liquid  manure  waterings.  They  ^11 
have  it  rather  stronger  later  on. — A 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
Scientific  Committee,  July  28th.— -Present :  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters 
(in  the  chair) ;  Dr.  Russell,  Rev.  G.  Henslow  (Hon.  Sec.). 
Primula  with  Myxogastres. — The  following  report  was  received  from 
Kew  with  reference  to  the  specimen  exhibited  at  the  last  meeting  : — 
“  The  organism  is  one  of  the  Myxogastres  (Physarum  gyrosum,  Rost). 
It  is  not  a  parasite,  and  will  do  no  injury  unless  it  occurs  in  immense 
quantity,  when  it  might  be  washed  away  by  spreading.  The  early  or 
plasmodium  condition  develops  in  darkness,  and  finally  creeps  up  any¬ 
thing,  organic  or  inorganic,  for  the  purpose  of  forming  its  spores  in  a 
position  where  they  may  be  readily  diffused  at  maturity  by  wind  and 
rain.” 
Pelargoniums  Treated  with  Salts. — Notes  were  compared  as  to  the 
conditions  of  the  three  sets  of  whito  Pelargoniums  under  experiment. 
Mr.  Henslow  said  that  in  his  case  all  tho  plants  treated  with  the  salts, 
though  perfectly  vigorous,  had  failed  up  to  the  present  time  to  develop 
any  flowers,  the  trusses  perishing  when  about  half  an  inch  long,  but  that 
they  were  now  beginning  to  form  well.  On  the  other  hand,  the  two 
plants  not  treated  with  salts  had  flowered  well  the  whole  time.  Mr. 
Wilks  and  Dr.  Russell,  both  alike,  had  all  the  plants  flowering  ;  but  up 
to  the  present  time  there  had  been  no  offset  upon  the  blossoms. 
Decdar  with  Cones. — Mr.  Henslow  recorded  the  somewhat  unusual 
fact  that  one  tree  out  of  four,  planted  about  forty  years  ago  in  his  garden 
at  Drayton  House,  Ealing,  had  six  cones  upon  it  at  the  present  time. 
Tomatoes,  Diseased, — Mr.  Hillier  of  Bariton,  near  Petersfield,  for¬ 
warded  some  Tomatoes  which  failed  to  colour  properly  at  the  base. 
