November  6,  1896, 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
445  ' 
-  Technical  Insteuction.  —  Whilst  it  is  aa  undoubted  fact  ! 
that  in  Great  Britain  very  great  efforts  are  being  made  to  promote 
technical  instruction,  yet  in  few  cases  do  the  efforts  of  authorities  take 
on  in  the  same  way  that  they  do  in  Germany,  where  either  a  higher 
order  of  intelligence  prevails  or  else  a  strong  desire  exists  to  obtain  all 
instruction  possible.  I  read  but  the  other  day  of  a  lecturer  on  gardening 
in  a  popnious  district,  yet  well  known  for  its  market  gardening,  who  was 
announced  to  give  a  course  of  lectures  on  horticulture,  and  when  he 
attended  to  start  the  course  not  a  person  came  to  the  place  of  meeting. 
Well  does  a  lecturer  in  such  case  merit  sympathy.  Happily  such  a  mishap 
is  of  rare  occurrence,  but  still  would  it  happen  in  Germany,  or  in  any 
other  country  bat  England?  What  efforts  are  being  made  to  supply 
water  1  But  the  horse  is  stupidly,  doggedly  ignorant,  and  won’t  drink. 
How  immense  is  the  room  for  education  1 — D. 
-  American  Wood. — The  demand  for  American  hardwoods  in 
Europe  is  growing,  and  oak  leads  the  foreign  shipments,  although  tulip, 
poplar,  ash,  gum,  and  black  walnut,  whenever  a  good  quality  can  be 
secured,  are  in  some  demand.  European  consumers  like  the  quality  of 
American  oak,  and  since  it  is  known  to  be  plentiful  here  it  will  probably 
be  in  increasing  demand.  Cottonwood  has  been  shipped  to  Germany  in 
considerable  quantities,  where  cheap  wood  is  required  for  furniture  and 
other  uses.  Much  of  this  lumber  is  forwarded  from  New  Orleans,  and 
since  a  great  part  of  the  oak,  ash,  poplar,  cottonwood,  and  other  timbers 
demanded  by  the  foreign  market  is  in  the  Southern  States,  it  is  not  im¬ 
probable  that  lumber  for  foreign  markets  will  be  largely  shipped  in 
future  from  the  Gulf  ports.  In  speaking  of  this  matter  the  “  North- 
Western  Lumberman  ”  says  that  the  European  market  requires  lumber 
cut  of  exact  thickness,  and  of  accurate  length,  trimmed  so  as  to  have  the 
butts  square  and  true.  Space  for  piling  in  the  yards  of  the  Old  World 
is  an  object,  so  that  random,  uneven  lengths  are  objectionable,  and  since 
the  foreign  buyer  insists  that  he  shall  have  just  what  he  bargains  for 
quality  should  be  strictly  attended  to. 
-  The  Artificial  Ripening  op  Pears.— Where  these  are  to  be 
exported  considerable  distances,  or  when  the  climate  is  not  favourable  to 
proper  finish,  this  is  a  matter  of  considerable  moment  to  many  growers. 
It  is  the  opinion  of  most  nurserymen  that  Pears  should  be  picked  while 
green  and  ripened  indoors.  The  sunny  side  of  the  tree  should  be  picked 
first  and  the  rest  later  on.  The  greener  the  Pear  the  higher  the  tempera¬ 
ture  should  be  to  ripen  it.  The  atmosphere  should  be  moist  to  keep  the 
Pears  from  shrivelling.  The  tasteless  Pear  is  the  result  of  too  early 
picking,  and  should  have  received  more  sun  and  less  artificial  beat. 
Such  a  Pear  is  flavourless  and  unfit  to  eat.  Aa  Pears  absorb  odours 
readily  much  care  should  be  taken  that  the  boxes  and  papers  in  which 
they  are  packed  are  kept  fresh  and  clean.  Pears  not  being  so  elastic  as 
Apples  require  straw,  paper,  or  some  such  material  to  keep  them  from 
being  injured  by  the  sides  of  the  box  or  barrel.  Early  Pears  and  those 
nearly  ripe  should  be  packed  in  shallow,  well  ventilated  boxes.  French 
gardeners  generally  pack  this  fruit  in  layers  with  the  spaces  filled  up 
with  powdered  charcoal.  The  largest  and  greenest  fruit  is  in  the  bottom, 
and  all  so  snugly  packed  that  no  movement  is  possible.  See  that  one 
Pear  does  not  press  against  another. — (“  Canadian  Horticulturist. ”3 
-  The  Pollination  op  Plums. — This  is  the  subject  of 
Bulletin  No.  53,  issued  by  the  Vermont  Experiment  Station,  and  pre¬ 
pared  by  Professor  Waugh.  Plums  are  uncertain  in  setting  fruit,  and 
this  is  partially  due  to  lack  of  proper  cross-pollination,  and  therefore 
different  varieties  should  be  planted  together  or  scions  of  other  varieties 
should  be  set  in  the  tops  of  trees  which  do  not  bear  satisfactory  crops. 
This  cross-pollination  is  provided  for  by  the  defectiveness  of  their  floral 
parts  and  by  the  sterility  of  certain  varieties  toward  their  own  pollen. 
American  cultivated  varieties  have  been  derived  from  several  botanical 
species,  and  these  varieties  retain,  to  some  extent,  the  characters  of  the 
parents,  and  it  is  thonght  that  botanical  relationships  will  prove  the  best 
guide  in  cross-pollination.  A  very  interesting  account  of  the  economic 
characters  of  the  different  groups  is  given,  but  it  is  admitted,  after 
quoting  the  opinion  of  eminent  horticulturists  and  botanists,  that  there 
are  many  questions,  practical  and  theoretical,  which  are  still  open  to 
investigation.  Some  of  these  questions  are  asked  at  the  close  of  the 
bulletin,  and  readers  are  requested  to  make  a  reply.  The  statement  that 
the  Beach  Plum,  Prunus  maritima,  is  of  little  importance  for  its  fruity 
although  desirable  for  ornamentation,  ought,  we  think,  to  be  modified. 
We  have  seen  individual  trees  of  this  species  which  bore  fruit  of 
beautiful  colour  and  rich  flavour,  and  it  seems  to  us  that  both  in  the  line  of 
selecting  and  hybridising  it  is  a  promising  tree  for  fruit.  The  Bulletin 
is  commended  to  all  who  wish  to  grow  trees  intelligently. — (“  Garden 
and  Forest.”) 
-  Carnation  Yule  Tide. — Mr.  John  Forbes  sends  us  from 
Hawick  blooms  of  his  new  perpetual  Carnation  Yule  Tide,  cut  from 
plants  which  he  says  have  flowered  continuously  for  thirteen  months, 
and  show  no  signs  of  cessation.  We  are  also  informed  that  the 
variety  was  awarded  six  first-class  certificates  during  the  past  season, 
presumably  because  of  its  freedom  and  rich  red  colour. 
-  Trinidad  Botanic  Gardens.  —  We  have  received  the 
“  Bulletin  of  Miscellaneous  Information  ”  of  the  Royal  Botanic  Garden8> 
Trinidad,  for  July.  Among  thj  “Natural  History  Notes”  is  a  very 
interesting  account  of  the  life  history  of  the  parasol  ants,  Atta  cephalotes 
and  octospinosa,  with  drawings  of  the  various  forms — the  male,  queen, 
soldier,  worker  major,  worker  miner,  nurse,  and  gardener.  Mr.  J .  H. 
Hart,  the  Superintendent,  confirms  the  statement  of  Belt  that  these  ants 
carry  vegetable  matter  into  their  nests,  not  as  food,  but  as  a  material  on 
which  to  grow  the  fungi  on  which  they  feed.  The  destruction  caused 
by  various  species  of  parasol  ant  in  the  Western  Tropics  is  a  matter  of 
very  serious  importance  to  the  agricultural  industries. — (“  Nature.  ) 
-  Leland’s  Crataegus. — One  of  the  most  brilliant  shows  of 
berries  on  this  beautiful  shrub  I  have  yet  seen  is  now  visible  to  every 
passer-by  in  the  garden  fronting  the  house  of  Dr.  Trouncer  at  Surbiton. 
Planted  originally  against  the  front  wall  on  either  side  of  the  entrance, 
gate  to  be  trained,  it  was  thought  best  later  to  allow  the  plants  to  grow 
as  loose  bushes,  with  the  result  that  strong  shoots  were  sent  up  above  the 
wall.  These  later  produced  side  branches,  and  now  present  such  a 
brilliant  mass  of  rich  scarlet  berries  as  to  make  a  feature  that  arrestu 
the  attention  of  everyone  passing.  How  much  more  natural  as  well  as 
beautiful  are  these  heavily  berried  growths,  hanging  in  semi-pendent 
form,  than  are  similar  ones  stifliy  and  flatly  nailed  to  walls.  No  doubt  to 
many  unfamiliar  with  the  wondrous  variety  and  beauty  found  in  berried 
trees  and  shrubs,  this  fine  Crataegus  becomes  a  revelation.— D. 
- -  Washington  Trees. — Of  the  seventy  odd  thousand  trees  in 
the  streets  of  Washington,  D.O.,  fully  5000  were  uprooted  during  the 
recent  gale,  and  of  those  remaining  a  very  large  proportion  were  very 
seriously  injured.  In  the  parks  the  damage  done  to  the  tree?  was 
equally  severe,  especially  so  among  the  fine  specimens  in  the  grounds  of 
the  Executive  Mansion  and  in  the  Smithsonian  grounds.  It  was 
impossible  to  get  near  the  White  House  with  a  vehicle  of  any  description 
on  Wednesday  morning,  owing  to  the  fallen  trees.  The  Silver  Maples 
are  the  worst  sufferers,  scarcely  an  uninjured  tree  of  this  species  being 
left ;  the  Ginkgoes,  the  Honey  Locusts,  and  the  Elms  stood  the  gale 
well.  In  the  parks  some  lofty  specimens  of  Libocedrus  decurrens 
snapped  off  like  pipe-stems,  and  on  examination  the  wood  was  found  to 
be  perfectly  sound.  The  greenhouse  structures  in  the  outskirts  of  the 
city  were  badly  shattered,  oue  firm  suffering  to  the  extent  of  ten 
thousand  dollars. — Garden  and  Forest.”) 
-  Double  Daisies. — Although  these  are  flowers  of  very  humble 
and  unpretentious  appearance,  and  not  highly  regarded,  yet  they  have 
their  season  of  beauty,  and  it  is  a  season  in  which  flowers  even  of  the 
earliest  kind  have  special  charms.  In  the  early  spring,  when  all  flowers 
are  fresh  and  welcome,  then  even  the  double  Daisy  shines  effect! velyf 
especially  the  rich  red  variety  that  is  known  both  as  Rob  Roy  and 
Doable  Crimson.  There  have  been  from  time  to  time  many  double 
varieties  introduced  to  commerce,  bat  not  a  few  have  had  very  fleeting 
existences.  The  quilled  white  and  pinks  have  never  been  so  much  liked 
as  flat-petalled  forms,  yet  of  the  deep  reds  the  quilled  is  the  best  and 
most  widely  planted.  The  new  white,  The  Bride,  is  undoubtedly  a  fine 
form,  the  flowers  being  as  large  as  are  those  of  the  Giant  or  crown 
flowered  section,  yet  more  freely  produced.  The  common  market  Double 
White  has  flat  petals,  and  when  well  grown  blooms  profusely.  None 
seem  better  for  the  making  of  carpets  for  beds  of  bulbs  to  bloom 
simultaneously  in  the  spring  than  the  ordinary  white  and  dark  red.  It 
is  very  easy  to  obtain  good  double  Daisies  from  seed,  but  generally  seed¬ 
lings  are  of  a  pallid  hue,  whilst  no  better  if  white  than  existing  ones. 
Few  give  deep  red  colours,  and  it  is  in  this  direction  more  varieties  are 
required.  No  doubt  there  is  ample  scope  for  the  raising  of  new  and 
attractive  varieties,  but  little  seems  to  be  done  in  that  direction.  The 
pretty  golden  blotched  leaved  variety  is  now  seldom  seen.  It  was  when, 
in  quantity  very  effective  in  the  winter  and  spring,  but  hot  dry  samtners 
rendered  it  difficult  to  keep  growing  freely.  The  red  flowered  variety 
was  the  prettiest,  but  there  were  sports  even  from  that  sport  that  had 
white  and  pink  flowers.  One  of  the  prettiest  of  pink  flowered  Daisies  is 
the  old  Hen-and-Chickens,  but  so  soon  as  the  flowers  become  proliferous 
they  lose  their  earlier  beauty.  Now  is  the  time  for  planting  double 
Daisies  in  flower  gardens.  The  sooner  established  the  greater  the  bloom 
furnished  in  the  spring. — A. 
