98 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  S9,  1897. 
-  Red  Oak.  —  The  Wisconsin  Red  Oak  has  for  several  years 
taken  high  rank  in  fnrnitnre  and  finishing  factories  on  account  of  its 
softness,  adaptability  to  shop  work,  its  lively  colour,  and  figure.  When 
plain-sawed  it  commands  higher  prices  than  any  Oak,  although  quarter- 
sawed  White  Oak  is  more  expensive.  This  Red  Oak  belt  in  Wisconsin 
is  not  wide,  and  at  the  rate  the  timber  is  being  cut  off  it  probably  will 
not  last  more  than  five  or  six  years.  In  the  North-west  part  of  the 
State,  which  is  not  yet  opened  up  by  railroads,  there  is  a  heavily 
tfmbered  area  which  may  contain  much  Red  Oak,  but  it  will  soon  be 
traversed  by  a  railway  from  Duluth. 
-  Foresight  in  Gardening.— One  of  the  nlisfortunes  of 
garden  lovers  is  that  they  frequently  plan  to  do  more  work  than  can  be 
carried  on  successfully.  Almost  everyone  who  builds  a  house  thinks  he 
would  like  to  have  a  nice  garden,  and  the  nice  garden  is  consequently 
arranged.  But  when  it  is  found,  as  it  too  often  is  found,  that  it  requires 
a  number  of  men,  running  up  an  expensive  salary  bill,  to  keep  the  place 
in  good  order,  what  was  expected  to  be  a  pleasure  becomes  an  annoyance 
and  a  bore.  A  small  place  well  cared  for  and  everything  kept  up  nice 
and  orderly  gives  far  more  satisfaction  than  an  over-grown  place  that  is 
a  drag  on  the  means  of  the  proprietor.  We  know  of  a  number  of 
places,  beautifully  designed  in  the  first  instance,  and  which  require  some 
half-a-dozen  hands  to  care  for  properly,  dragging  along  with  only  one 
regularly  employed,  with  perhaps  an  assistant,  and  even  the  money  for 
this  grudgingly  bestowed.  There  is  no  comfort  in  seeking  pleasure  in 
this  fashion.  In  all  our  operations  we  are  too  apt  to  think  we  can  do 
more  than  we  really  can.  In  gardening  matters  it  is  especially  so  says 
Mr.  Meehan,  and  he  is  right. 
-  Violas  as  Town  Plants. — These  charming  flowers  are  being 
more  and  more  grown  in  the  London  parks,  and  it  is  impossible  they 
could  present  the  attract!  7e  appearance  they  have  done  throughout  the 
season  without  them.  One  of  the  severest  tests  to  which  the  plants 
have  been  subjected  as  flowers  for  towns  is  in  a  densely  populated 
district  in  the  East  End  of  London — the  Bethnal  Green  gardens  of  the 
County  Council.  It  seems  difficult  to  imagine  closer  and  finer  masses  of 
colour  than  have  been  produced  there  throughout  the  season.  The 
varieties  which  show  to  the  greatest  advantage  are  Yellow  Boy,  a 
glistening  sheet  of  gold  ;  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  and  William  Niel, 
lilac  mauve;  Niphetos,  one  of  the  finest  whites  in  cultivation  for  town 
gardens,  and  the  small  floriferous  primrose  yellow  Grievei.  The  secret 
of  success  rests  in  well  enriched  soil,  early  planting,  the  prompt 
removal  of  fading  flowers,  and  occasional  copious  supplies  of  water 
during  periods  of  drought.  The  gardens,  generally  under  the  canopy 
of  smoke,  and  Violas,  perhaps,  particularly  are  undoubtedly  creditable 
to  the  manager,  Mr.  F.  W.  Wright,  and  such  a  bright  and  cheerful 
display  would,  under  the  circumstances,  have  been  regarded  as 
practically  out  of  the  question  a  few  years  ago.  The  neatness  of  the 
gardens,  too,  adds  to  their  enjoyment  by  the  crowds  of  visitors,  who 
“  live  ”  in  them  so  to  say  from  morning  to  night.  They  are  a  boon  to 
the  denizens  of  the  east. — A  Northerner. 
-  Root  Tubercles.— Mr.  W.  E.  Dodson,  the  botanist  of  the 
Louisiana  Experiment  Station,  has  been  examining  the  tubercles  on  the 
roots  of  leguminous  plants  by  means  of  which  nitrogen  is  taken  from 
the  air  and  used  as  a  food  material  for  the  plants.  The  experiment 
seems  to  indicate  that  each  plant,  or  at  most  each  genus  of  plants, 
will  support  only  one  kind  of  parasitic  organism  capable  of  developing 
root  tubercles.  For  instance,  a  particular  organism  must  be  present 
in  the  soil  if  tubercles  are  formed  on  Alfalfa.  The  Cow  Pea  likewise 
has  its  peculiar  parasite,  and  dozens  of  leguminous  plants  may  be 
grown  side  by  side  and  each  develop  its  own  specific  tubercle.  Never¬ 
theless,  several  imported  species  have  been  grown  and  formed  tubercles, 
although  the  plants  were  not  found  in  this  country  and  have  never 
been  grown  in  the  soil,  which  seems  to  indicate  that  the  organism 
must  have  been  in  the  soil  before  the  seeds  were  sown,  as  there 
could  have  been  no  inoculation  from  soil  in  which  the  plant  had  been 
previously  grown.  If  this  is  true,  the  organisms  are  not  dependent  on 
any  particular  plant  for  their  existence,  although  the  plant  may  be 
dependent  upon  them  for  its  fullest  development.  Their  absence  from 
some  soils  and  presence  in  others  cannot,  therefore,  be  explained  satis¬ 
factorily.  While  the  tubercles  have  pecaliarlties  of  shape  or  appearance 
they  do  not  present  characteristics  that  enable  one  to  distinguish  them 
under  the  microscope,  although  there  are  probably  as  many  varieties  as 
there  are  species  of  leguminous  plants.  The  fact  is  that  much  is  to  be 
learned  on  this  important  subject  before  farmers  can  inoculate  their 
soils  with  the  assurance  of  success ’with  any  given  crop. — (“  Garden  and 
Forest,”) 
-  Gardening  appointments. — Mr.  John  Bates,  for  the  past 
twelve  years  head  gardener  at  The  Hayes,  Stone,  Staflordshire,  has  been 
appointed  in  a  similar  capacity  to  T.  W.  Twyford,  Esq.,  Whitmore  Hall, 
Newcastle-under-Lyme,  Stafls,  and  enters  on  his  duties  on  August  10th. 
Mr.  J.  W.  Barnes,  for  six  and  a  half  years  general  foreman  at  Wroxham 
Hall,  Norwich,  has  been  appointed  head  gardener  to  Col.  Keppel, 
Stratton  Strawless  Hall,  Norwich.  Mr,  Jno.  Turton,  of  Fulford,  York, 
has  been  appointed  gardener  to  A.  T.  Schreiber,  Esq.,  Becca  Hall, 
Barwick-in-Elmet,  Leeds. 
-  A  Kew  Hand-list. — Another  hand-list  of  Kew  plants  has 
just  reached  us.  This  particular  publication  deals  with  tender  monocoty¬ 
ledons,  excluding  Orchideas.  In  the  preface  to  the  book  it  is  said  that 
“  The  scope  of  the  contents  of  the  hand-list,  which  are  somewhat 
heterogenous,  is  dictated  in  great  measure  by  convenience.  It  includes 
large  groups  of  plants  of  great  scientific  interest  which,  for  various 
reasons,  are  more  attractive  to  ordinary  cultivators  than  many  which  are 
comprised  necessarily  in  a  botanical  collection.  For  this  reason  it  is 
hoped  that  it  may  be  found  not  less  useful  than  its  predecessors.” 
Application  for  the  book  should  be  made  direct  to  Kew  ;  the  price  is 
ninepence.  ' 
-  Callicarpa  pu:^purea.  —  Many  very  beautiful  shrubs 
achieve  a  wide  popularity,  and  then,  for  some  reason  that  no  one 
appreciates,  there  seems  to  be  a  lack  of  inquiry  for  them.  In  this  list 
one  may  include  the  Callicarpa  purpurea,  which  was  introduced  into 
America  from  Japan  some  fifty  years  ago.  It  reaches  a  height  when 
fully  grown  of  about  4  feet,  and  the  numerous  slender  branches  take 
a  wand-like  shape.  In  the  early  spring  a  cluster  of  rose-pink  flowers 
appear  in  the  axil  of  each  leaf.  These  flowers  are  succeeded  in  the 
autumn  by  bright  violet  coloured  fruit.  This  is  probably  the  only 
plant  that  furnishes  us  with  berries  of  this  colour,  and  always  attracts 
at  once  wherever  grown. — (“  Meelban’s  Monthly.”) 
-  Sheffield  Chrysanthemum  Society. — The  schedule  of 
the  exhibition  that  is  to  be  held  in  the  Corn  Exchange,  Sheffield,  on 
November  12th  and  13th,  has  recently  come  to  hand.  For  many  years 
now  the  Society  has  held  excellent  shows,  the  blooms  staged  in  all 
sections  being  of  splendid  quality.  This,  however,  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at,  considering  the  generous  prizes  that  are  offered  in  several  of  the 
classes.  For  example,  £18  is  to  be  divided  between  four  prizewinners  in 
the  class  for  twenty-four  incurved  in  not  less  than  eighteen  distinct 
varieties,  while  a  similar  sum  is  allotted  for  twenty-four  Japanese,  the 
individual  prizes  being  respectively  £8,  £5,  £3,  and  £2  in  each  class. 
These  here  specified  with  several  others  are  open  to  all  comers.  In 
addit'on  there  is  a  section  open  only  to  growers  residing  within  a  radius 
of  twenty  miles  from  Sheffield  parish  church,  and  in  this  prizes  are 
given  for  groups  of  cut  flowers,  fruit,  and  plants.  Mr.  Wm.  Honsley, 
177,  Cemetery  Road,  Sheffield,  is  the  Secretary,  and  to  him  all  communi¬ 
cations  should  be  addressed. 
- The  Exclusion  of  Fog  from  Hothouses.— Dr.  Schunck,  Pre¬ 
sident  of  the  Society  of  Chemical  Industry,  addressing  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Society  at  Owens  College,  Manchester,  referred  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  atmosphere  of  large  towns  was  poisoned  by  smoke,  and  to  its  ill 
effect  upon  the  population.  The  great  distress  caused  to  those  suffering 
from  pulmonary  complaints  by  the  fogs  so  often  prevailing  in  these 
towns  had,  he  said,  no  doubt  more  than  once  suggested  the  possibility  of 
filtering  the  air  before  allowing  it  to  enter  into  our  dwellings.  The 
difficulties  of  such  a  device  did  not  seem  great  in  themselves,  the  real 
difficulty  arising  from  the  habits  and  prejudices  of  the  people,  who 
could  not  understand  the  possibility  of  ventilation  except  it  be  through 
windows  and  doors.  In  his  paper  on  “  The  Effec's  of  Urban  Fog  upon 
Cultivated  Plants,”  Professor  T.  Oliver  mentioned  with  favour  a  plan 
devised  by  Mr.  Toope  of  Stepney,  who  caused  the  air  entering  his  hot¬ 
houses  to  pass  through  boxes  containing  trays  with  sticks  of  charcoal 
before  impinging  on  the  hot-water  pipes,  an  out-draught  being  secured 
by  means  of  ”  exhaust  caps  ”  placed  on  or  near  the  ridge  of  the  house.. 
The  plan,  in  Professor  Oliver’s  opinion,  was  an  efficient  one.  That  any 
such  plan  would  succeed  in  private  houses  as  at  present  constructed  was 
very  doubtful.  Dr.  Schunck  ventured  to  suggest,  though  he  did  it 
under  fear  of  censure,  that  a  moderate  amount  of  smoke  might  actually 
be  beneficial  to  vegetation  by  covering  the  leaves  and  other  parts  of 
plants  with  a  thin  coating  of  carbonaceous  or  tarry  matter,  thus 
rendering  them  unpalatable  to  insects.  Of  course,  the  amount  would 
have  to  be  exceedingly  small,  for  if  excessive  they  would  soon  experience 
deleterious  effects,  such  as  were  seen  in  the  scanty  and  blighted  vege¬ 
tation  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  smoky  towns. — (“  Gardeners’ 
Chronicle.”) 
