September  9,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
243 
-  Journal  op  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society. — The 
volume  of  this  publication  which  has  just  come  to  hand  is  an  extremely 
interesting  one,  and  contains  much  valuable  information.  It  opens  with 
a  list  of  the  Victoria  medallists,  and.  comprises  in  addition  valuable 
papers  on  Microscopic  Gardening,  by  Professor  Marshall  Ward  ;  Bud 
Transference,  and  its  Effects  on  Eruit,  by  the  Rev.  Gordon  Salmon  ; 
Artificial  Manures,  and  their  Bearing  upon  Horticultural  Practice,  by 
Mr.  J.  J.  IVillis  ;  Winter  and  Spring  Bedding  in  Flower  Gardens,  by 
Mr.  Alexander  Dean ;  Diseases  of  Plants,  by  Mr.  George  Massee  ; 
Physiology  of  Pitcher  Plants,  by  Professor  Sydney  H.  Vines ;  and 
Storing  and  Preserving  of  Fruit,  by  Mr.  Joseph  Cheal,  beside  other 
information  of  considerable  value.  The  price  to  non-Fellows  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society  is  5s.,  and  it  may  be  obtained  from  the  offices  of 
the  R.H.S.,  117,  Victoria  Street,  Westminster,  S.W. 
-  Moss  Rose  Legend.  —  There  is  a  very  pretty  German 
tradition,  not  generally  known,  which  accounts  in  the  following  manner 
for  the  existence  of  the  Moss  Rose.  The  legend  is  to  the  effect  that  once 
upon  a  time  an  angel,  having  a  mission  of  love  to  suffering  humanity, 
came  down  on  earth.  He  was  much  grieved  at  all  the  sin  and  misery  he 
saw,  and  at  all  the  evil  things  he  heard.  Being  tired,  he  sought  a  place 
wherein  to  rest,  but  as  it  fared  with  his  Master,  so  it  fared  with  him — 
there  was  no  room  for  him,  and  no  one  would  give  him  shelter.  At  last 
he  lay  down  under  the  shade  of  a  Rose,  and  slept  till  the  rising  sun 
awoke  him.  Before  winging  his  flight  heavenward  he  addressed  the 
Rose,  and  said  that  as  it  had  given  him  that  shelter  which  man  denied,  it 
should  receive  an  endearing  token  of  his  power  and  love.  And  so,  leaf 
by  leaf,  and  twig  by  twig,  the  soft  green  moss  grew  around  the  stem,  and 
there  it  is  to-day,  a  cradle  in  which  the  new-born  Rose  may  lie,  a  proof, 
as  the  angel  said,  of  God’s  power  and  love. 
-  Isle  of  Wight. -The  monthly  meeting  of  the  Isle  of  Wight 
Horticultural  Improvement  Association  was  held  at  Newport  on  Saturday 
last.  Dr.  J.  Groves,  B.A.,  J.P.,  presided  over  a  large  attendance  of 
members.  Mr.  J.  Merritt,  gardener  to  H.R.H.  Princess  Beatrice,  read  a 
thoroughly  practical  paper  on  the  “  Cultivation  of  Violets,”  which  was 
highly  appreciated.  It  was  resolved  to  have  an  excursion  to  Swanmore 
Park  during  the  month.  It  was  also  decided  not  to  have  a  fruit  exhi¬ 
bition  this  year.  Messrs.  J.  Cheal  &  Sons,  Crawley,  offered  the  Associa¬ 
tion  a  championship  trophy  if  they  had  an  exhibition  next  year.  The 
Association  certificates  for  cultural  merit  were  presented  to  Messrs. 
Sheath,  Goble,  Jacobs,  Richards,  Kine,  Matthews,  Went,  Lipscombe, 
Geddes,  and  Philpot  for  their  meritorious  exhibits  at  the  various  Island 
shows  held  during  the  summer.  The  tables  contained  some  excellent 
productions.  Cultural  certificates  were  awarded  Mr.  G.  Williams  for  a 
stand  of  Cactus  Dahlias  and  two  dishes  of  Plums,  A^ictoria  and  Bon 
Bouche  ;  Mr.  W.  Matthews  for  Dahlias,  and  Mr.  C.  Martin  for  seedling 
Gloxinias  and  Begonias.  Mr.  C.  Martin  also  staged  a  collection  of 
Melons,  a  seedling,  a  cross  between  Royal  Favourite  and  Blenheim 
Orange,  a  fine  dish  of  Brussels  Sprouts,  and  a  collection  of  Nectarine 
Peach,  Mr.  J.  Barkham  staged  a  fine  Melon  of  Sutton’s  Al,  weighing 
about  6  lbs.  Mr.  J.  Cheal  had  a  fi.ne  collection  of  seedling  Cactus 
Dahlias.  Mr.  Merritt  staged  fine  plants  of  Violets  Princess  Beatrice 
and  Princess  of  Wales.  Eleven  new  members  were  elected. 
-  Wolverhampton  Gardeners’  Club. — The  annual  outing 
of  the  above  Club  took  place  on  August  26th,  when  forty-four  members 
and  friends  visited  Chester  and  Eaton  Hall  Gardens.  The  party  left 
M'olverhampton  at  7.40  A.M.  in  two  saloons  of  the  L.  and  N.W.  Railway, 
arriving  at  Chester  about  ten.  ,  They  were  met  at  Chester  by  Mr. 
A.  Dickson  of  Messrs.  Dicksons’,  who  conducted  the  party  to  the 
nurseries.  A  tour  was  then  made  of  the  various  parts  of  the  home 
nurseries,  and  after  inspecting  the  houses  of  Tea  Roses,  Vines  in  pots. 
Ferns,  stove  plants.  Palms  in  pots,  they  returned  to  Chester  well 
pleased  with  what  they  had  seen.  After  luncheon  at  the  Commercial 
Hotel  the  toasts  of  the  Queen  and  “  Success  to  the  Club  ”  were  proposed 
by  Mr.  A.  Dickson,  who  presided  ;  the  Chairman  of  the  Club,  Mr.  J.  F. 
Simpson,  responding.  A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  to  Messrs.  Dickson  was 
then  proposed  by  Mr.  G.  A.  Bishop,  seconded  by  Mr.  Ambrose,  The 
party  then  went  by  steamer  up  the  Dee  to  Eaton  Hall  Gardens.  In  the 
unavoidable  absence  of  Mr.  Barnes,  the  head  gardener,  the  party  were 
show'n  round  by  Mr.  Simmonds,  the  foreman  of  the  plant  department. 
The  collection  of  plants,  including  the  famous  Carnations,  also  different 
fruit  houses,  were  all  admired  by  the  visitors.  After  passing  through 
parts  of  the  pleasure  grounds  a  return  was  made  to  Chester  by  the 
steamer,  and  the  homeward  journey  commenced  at  eight.  The  Club  is 
indebted  to  some  of  the  Vice-Presidents  who  generously  contributed 
towards  the  expenses  of  the  outing. 
-  New  Peas. — I  inquired  of  a  large  seed  grower  recently,  who 
has  no  special  Peas,  but  grows  a  large  collection  every  year,  what 
varieties  amongst  new  ones  had  proved  to  be  best  with  him,  and  he  at 
once  said,  “  I  have  found  none  better  than  the  Gladstone.”  That  variety 
was  so  good  on  the  dry  porous  soil  at  <  hiswick  two  years  ago  that  it 
received  an  award  of  merit.  It  is  3  feet  in  height,  a  fine  cropper,  and 
very  green.  The  3  feet  Peas  seen  this  season  not  yet  widely  known,  that 
have  also  shown  fine  form,  are  Sutton’s  Peerless,  <  arter’s  Seedling,  and 
Johnson’s  Magnificent.  Of  course  in  Peas  of  this  habit  there  must  of 
necessity  be  much  sameness,  and  it  is  hard  to  excel  the  present  best. 
That  we  have  wonderfull}'  good  forms  there  can  be  no  doubt.  It  will  be 
di  I' cult  to  raise  others  that  are  superior  to  them. — A.  D. 
-  Completion  op  the  Flora  of  British  India.— The  “  Kew 
Bulletin  ”  says,  “  With  the  exception  of  a  general  index,  now  almost  ready 
for  the  press,  this  great  work  has  been  brought  to  a  conclusion  by  the 
issue  of  the  22nd  part,  containing  the  remainder  of  the  Grasses.  Sir 
Joseph  Hooker  will  receive  the  congratulations  of  all  botanists  on  the 
completion  of  a  task  to  which  he  has  devoted  the  greater  part  of  the  last 
quarter  of  a  century,  to  say  nothing  of  previous  years  of  travel  and 
preliminary  labour.  It  would  not  be  too  much  to  say  that  it  has  occupied 
the  best  part  of  fifty  years  of  his  life,  as  he  left  England  for  India  in 
1847.  The  entire  work  will  consist  of  seven  octavo  volumes,  averaging 
775  pages  each,  including  the  general  index  of  about  42,000  names.  The 
Grasses  alone  number  850  species,  belonging  to  150. genera,  and,  as  has 
been  mentioned  before,  the  synonymy  is  perhaps  more  copious  and 
involved  than  that  of  any  other  family.  Owing  to  the  wide  distribution 
of  most  of  the  genera  and  many  of  the  species  of  Grasses,  the  volume 
treating  of  them  has  a  general  as  well  as  a  special  value.” 
• 
-  Sand-binding  Grass. -The  Marram  Grass  (Psammaarenaria), 
the  seed  of  which  was  first  introduced  into  the  colony  of  Victoria  by  the 
Government  Botanist,  Baron  von  Mueller,  in  1833,  has  been  proved  to  be 
the  most  effective  sand  stay  ever  planted.  Practical  evidence  can  be 
seen  of  its  value  in  the  miles  of  sandhills  now  reclaimed  by  the  Marram 
plantations,  sown  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  S.  Avery,  the  park  ranger. 
So  complete  has  been  the  reclamation  of  the  lands  that,  where  a  few  years 
ago  not  a  sign  of  vegetation  was  to  be  seen,  there  now  exists  a  succu¬ 
lent  Grass,  eagerly  devoured  by  cattle,  and  grow  ng  to  a  height  of  4  feet. 
Marram  Grass  is  practically  indestructible— burning,  cutting,  or  eating  off 
only  makes  it  thrive — whilst  in  exposed  shifting  sand  it  propagates  as 
surely  as  in  the  most  sheltered  position.  The  following  directions  how  to 
plant  Marram  Grass  have  been  prepared  by  the  park  ranger  :  The  Grass 
to  be  planted  in  rows  at  a  distance  of  6  feet  apart,  the  space  between  the 
plants  to  be  at  least  2  feet.  The  depth  to  which  each  plant  is  put  into 
the  sand  depends  on  the  nature  of  the  sand.  If  in  sand  not  likely  to 
drift  for  two  or  three  months,  9  inches  will  be  deep  enough  ;  but  in  very 
loose  and  shifting  sand  the  Grass  should  be  placed  from  12  inches  to 
15  inches  deep.  A  ‘‘  plant”  consists  of  as  much  Grass  as  a  man  can  con¬ 
veniently  hold  in  his  hand. 
RUDBECKIA  LACINIATA,  GOLDEN  GLOW- 
It  is  a  stock  complaint  with  many  of  us  that  we  have  too  many 
yellow  composites  in  autumn,  and  that  those  we  have  too  much  resemble 
each  other.  This  leads  us  to  view  with  some  distrust  the  encomiums 
passed  upon  new  introductions,  a  distrust  too  often  founded  upon  past 
disappointments  with  so-called  distinct  novelties.  A  double  Rudbeckia 
is,  however,  such  a  r  /ra  avis  that  it  is  little  wonder  that  many  have  been 
persuaded  to  secure  the  above  variety.  The  distrust  already  alluded 
to  was  strengthened  by  the  inspection  of  flowers  kindly  forwarded  last 
year  for  examination.  These,  I  fear,  were  hardly  satisfactory  to  me, 
and  I  determined  to  wait  until  another  season  before  purchasing 
Golden  Glow. 
The  award  of  merit  recently  made  by  the  Floral  Committee  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  is,  however,  to  be  taken  as  a  sign  that  there 
is  considerable  value  in  the  variety,  even  although  it  has  not  given 
general  satisfaction  in  a  number  of  gardens  this  year.  The  Floral 
Committee  make  remarkably  few  errors  in  appraising  the  woith  of 
owers,  and  in  this  case  I  am  compelled  by  the  view  of  a  plant  in  flower 
to  add  my  humble  testimony  in  favour  of  the  award.  This  plant  was  in 
bloom  a  few  days  ago  in  the  garden  of  Mrs.  Maxwell-Witham  of  Kirk- 
connell,  where  herbaceous  plants  are.  very  largely  grown. 
If  this  Rudbeckia  has  a  fault  it  is  that  of  its  tall  stature,  but  the 
appearance  of  the  elegant,  well-coloured  double  yellow  flowers  was  such 
as  to  compel  admiration,  and  now  I  shall  not  delay  adding  this  variety  to 
my  collection  of  flowers.  It  is  possible  that  Rudbeckia  Golden  Glow 
haas  had  too  dry  a  position  in  some  gardens  this  year,  and  that  this 
may  have  had  something  to  do  with  the  poor  quality  of  the  flowers.  We 
call  the  Rudbeckias  “  Cone  Flowers,”  but  this  variety  looks  quite  unlike 
the  popular  name  with  its  double  flowers  with  informal  and  reflexed 
florets. — S.  A. 
