February  6,  1902. 
JOr'RNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
125 
An  Unfruitful  Old  Mulberry  Tree. 
Like  the  Fig  tree,  the  Mulberry  is  a  dioecious  plant,  a 
member  of  that  great  division  in  which  the  floral  sexes  are 
ordained  to  dwell  apart,  each  plant  or  tree  bearing  but  one  form, 
male  or  female.  Fig  and  Mulberry  trees  alike  will  produce  fruit 
without  any  influence  of  pollen  ;  but  in  such  cases  the  fruit  con¬ 
tains,  of  course,  no  fertile  seed.  Presmnably,  your  correspon¬ 
dent’s  Mulberry  tree  (“  J.  D.,”  January  30,  page  114)  that  “  shows 
plenty  of  flowers,”  but  no  fruit,  may  be  a  male  or  staminiferous 
plant.  Male  flowers  of  the  Mulberry  are  conspicuous  catkins, 
and  no  amount  or  spread  of  tillage  materials  could  possibly  make 
a  male  plant  bear  Mulberries  !  !  Fruits  on  the  female  tree,  when 
“in  flower,”  are  infantine  green  Mulberries,  clothed  lightly  rvith 
curly  villose  stigmas,  one  to  each  division  in  the  future  berry. 
The  Mulberry  tree  does  not  bear  in  haste,  and  if  your  correspon¬ 
dent’s  tree  is  a  male  specimen,  and  it  were  mine,  I  should,  rather 
than  cut  it  down,  try  the  experiment  of  grafting  scions  from  last 
year’s  wood  of  bearing  growth  from  a  proved  female  plant.  In 
ignorance  I  am  assuming  that  the  tree  could  be  grafted  (of 
which  I  have  had  no  experience),  but  I  know  that  the  Mulberry 
tree  sets  great  store  by  its  bark  :  and  great  arms  and  branches  of 
its  bearing  wood  often  seem  to  have  little  else  left  to  live  by — 
above  ground. — Feancis  D.  Hoener,  V.M.H. 
The  Chrysanthemum  Audit. 
Many  have,  without  doubt,  carefully  perused  the  audit  in 
the  last  issue  (page  96).  It  is  interesting,  but  perhaps  disappoint¬ 
ing.  However,  it  has  its  peculiarities,  which  are  worth  notice. 
It  is  di.sappointing  that  only  sixteen  growers  took  part  in  the 
election,  and  it  is  peculiar  that  not  one  of  these  is  either  a  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  General  or  Floral  Committee  of  the  National 
Chrysanthemum  Society.  By  this  I  do  not  wish  to  infer  that 
they  are  not  good  growers,  for  it  must  be  ivell  known  to  most 
that  among  them  are  many  of  the  best  growers  of  the  day. 
I  only  wish  to  call  attention  to  a  peculiar  fact.  Compared  with 
previous  audits,  the  last  is,  however,  very  interesting.  It  is 
worth  noting,  that  E.  Molyneux  still  occupies  a  good  position, 
difficult  and  tedious  as  it  is  to  grow.  It  would  have  been  best 
had  novelties  yet  to  be  sent  out  b^een  excluded  from  the  election : 
still  to  me  it  is  pleasant  to  find  seven  of  such,  and  all  of  my  own 
raising,  are  mentioned  in  the  list  of  Japs.  Some  will  be  dis¬ 
appointed  that  the  dull  coloured,  lanky  growing  Australie  takes 
pch  a  high  position.  _  It  simply  proves  that  in  spite  of  all  that 
is  written  and  said,  size,  with  a  roughness  in  form,  counts  for 
much  more  than  refinement  and  colour.  I  am  surprised,  bearing 
this  in  mind,  that  Marquis  V.  Venosta  does  not  occupy  a  bettev 
nosition.  _  Mrs.  W.  H.  Lees,  one  that  has  hitherto  occupied  a 
high  position  in  these  audits,  has  but  one  vote,  and  many  other 
quite  recently  popular  varieties,  such  as  Oceana,  Ella  Curtis, 
Lady  Byron,  Soleil  d’Octobre,  are  almost  “snuffed  out.” 
Many  growers  must  be  surprised  to  find  that  anyone  could 
have  the  temerity  to  exclude  Madame  Carnot  and  its  two  sports, 
viz.,  G.  W.  Warren  and  Mrs.  Mease,  from  the  best  fifty  varieties 
of  Japs.  In  other  words,  this  grower  says  he  knows  of  fifty 
varieties  which  are  superior  to  these  three.  Surely,  if  some 
growers  fail  with  these,  many  more  fail  with  M.  Chenon  de  Leche 
and  Edwin  Molyneux.  Glancing  at  the  audit  of  1894,  I  note 
Vivian  Morel  and  its  sport.  Cliarles  Davis,  were  very  near  the 
top  of  the  best  thirty-six.  These  are  still  to  be  found  among  the 
best  fifty;  whilst  the  later  sport,  Lady  Hanham,  has  even  a 
better  position.  Of  sports  it  is  worth  noting  how  they  differ 
from  the  parent.  In  the  above  case  the  sport  is  preferred.  For 
Mr.  C.  H.  Payne  only  one  vote  is  recorded,  yet  its  sport, 
M.  Louis  Remy,  has  the  highest  possible,  whilst  the  white  sport, 
Mdlle.  L.  Remy,  is  not  even  mentioned.  The  yellow  sport  from 
E.  Molyneux,  and  the  pink  one  (so-called)  from  Madame  Carnot, 
are  also  both  quite  ignored.  The  yellow  sport  from 
M.  C.  de  Leche  ((Marchioness  of  Salisbury)  has  but  one  vote, 
whilst  the  parent  has  top  position ;  still,  few  can  object  to  a  true 
yellow  of  the  form  of  the  parent. 
Ver^’  few  varieties  in  their  first  season  have  obtained  .such  pro^ 
minence  as  W.  R.  Church,  Mrs.  G.  Mileham,  Madame  Herrewege, 
Lily  IMountford,  Mr.s.  Greenfield,  and  Mrs.  J.  J.  Thomycroft  and 
CSiarles  Longley ;  but  there  ape  many  which  are  now  out  of  the 
"  fifty  ^  but  arc  “  mentioned,”  which  will  find  a  place  in  it  next  j 
year;  whilst  many,  including  Mutual  Friend,  Lady  Ridgeway, 
Madame  Gustave  Henry,  Henry  Weeks,  Pride  of  Madford, 
Mdme.  P.  Rivoire,  Mrs.  Palmer,  and,  perhaps,  the  V.  Morel 
family,  will  be  superseded.  I  am  surprised  that  Vicar  of  Leather- 
head  does  not  sliow  up  better.  I  have  seen  it  more  than  once  in 
good  form,  and  it  was  certificated  by  the  N.C.S.  only  last  season. 
Another  good  variety,  Mr.  A.  H.  Hall,  is  not  even  mentioned, 
and  .several  varieties  which  were  to  be  found  in  the  premier 
stands  at  the  most  important  shows  are  not  to  be  found  among 
the  fifty  be,st  Japs.  It  is  strange  that  Le  Grand  Di-agon,  which 
occupies  the  top  position,  has  not  been  certificated  by  the  N.C.S. , 
although  placed  before  the  Floral  Committee  in  good  form  more 
than  once,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  Mr.  T.  Carrington.  The 
thirty-six  incurved  varieties  call  for  little  comment  except  that- 
Ada  Brass  should  be  Eda  Prass,  and  be  classed  as  a  Jap,  and 
Mdlle.  Lawrence  Zede  is  also  in  the  same  class.  Countess  of 
Warwick  is  identical  with  Mr.  C.  W.  Egan,  and  as  the  last  name 
is  the  correct  one,  it  should  be  placed  among  the  best  thirty-six 
with  eleven  votes  out  of  a  possible  twelve,  instead  of  which  it  is 
just  outside. — W.  J.  Godfrey,  Exmouth. 
Long-tailed  Tits. 
I  wish  to  thank  “  W.  G.,  Harbome,  Staffs,”  for  the  useful 
and  pleasant  reading  he  has  contributed  under  the  above  heading 
in  the  pages  of  the  Journal.  It  was  very  good  of  him  to  go  to 
the  trouWe  he  has  taken  to  make  the  subject  so  interesting. 
Since  writing  (page  29),  I  have  again  had  the  opportunity  to 
watch  the  active  movements  of  these  feathered  friends  of  ours,  for 
I  am  positively  certain  they  are  none  other  than  friends.  This 
time,  instead  of  searching  the  hedgerows  for  food,  they  were  all 
diligently  busy  on  some  Damson  trees  in  a  plantation,  and  as  I 
took  particular  stock  of  their  eccentric  comings  and  goings,  I  feel 
sure  it  must  have  been  insects  they  were  finding.  On  making 
inquiries,  I  find  that  this  particular  flight  of  the  species  has  been 
noticed  in  the  vicinity  of  the  fruit  plantation  for  several  weeks 
now.  I  am  quite  delighted  with  my  observations,  as  I  feel  sure 
that  they  are  (the  birds  in  question)  a  class  of  birds  which  have 
been  neglected  by  ornithologists,  inasmuch  that  it  may  yet  bo 
proved  that  they  do  a  real  lot  of  good  amongst  our  fruit  trees ; 
especially  where  the  trees  are  grown  in  plantations  away  from 
numerous  habitations.  My  observations  anent  the  Gold-crest 
tally  exactly  with  those  of  “  W.  G.”  I  have  never  seen  it  in 
company  in  the  winter  time,  and  I  guess  on  account  of  its  small 
size,  and  its  seeming  horror  of  human  beings,  I  have  been  unable 
to  find  a  single  specimen  in  the  summer  about  here.  Perhaps 
the  lack  of  extensive  Fir  woods  in  this  part  of  England  accounts 
for  its  scarcity. — H.  R.,  Kent. 
Acalypha  (Sanderi)  hispida. 
This  striking  ornamental  stove  plant  is  very  attractive,  and 
is  unsurpassed  for  brightening  the  stove  at  the  present  time 
of  the  year,  owing  to  its  long,  brilliant  scarlet  flower  spikes  and 
its  rich  dark-green  foliage.  Moreover,  it  is  useful  for  other 
plant  houses,  conservatories,  and  for  house  decoration  and  table 
decoration,  also  for  cutting,  as  each  long,  brilliant  tassel  will 
prove  highly  ornamental.  They  are  easily  grown  with  ordina^ 
stove  treatment,  increased  by  cuttings,  which  will  root  readily  in 
a  propagating  pit  in  sandy  soil.  Insert  the  cuttings  singly  in 
small  sixties,  then  plunge  in  the  propagating  pit,  spray  the 
cuttings  daily,  keeping  them  close  until  they  are  rooted. 
Air  should  bo  admitted  gradually,  or  they  will  flag,  and.  con¬ 
sequently,  a  severe  check  is  given  to  the  plants.  They  can  be 
grown  on  single  stem,  or  as  bushes.  When  grown  on  the  bush 
system  the  inflorescences  are  not  so  large,  neither  are  they 
BO  attractive.  When  grown  on  the  single  stem  a  32-8ized  pot  is 
sufficiently  large  for  them.  It  is  also  a  useful  size  for  house 
plants.  They  will  grow  freely  in  the  following  mixture:  Loam, 
two-thirds ;  peat,  one-third ;  with  the  addition  of  a  little  silver 
sand.  Potting  should  be  carried  out  with  the  greatest  care,  and 
should  be  moderately  firm. 
When  the  plants  become  established  they  will  form  massea 
of  roots  on  the  surface,  and  will  require  a  stimulant  three  or 
four  times  weekly,  in  order  to  bring  them  to  perfection.  When 
the  flower  spikes  appear  overhead  syringing  should  be  discon¬ 
tinued,  otherwise  it  is  destructive  to  the  flower.  The  plant 
delights  in  a  moist  atmosphere  during  its  earlier  stages  of 
grown  They  can  always  be  had  in  bloom,  young  and  dwarf 
plants  flowering  as  freely  as  the  more  matured  ones.  When  had 
earlier  in  the  season  a  plant  house  or  conservatory  will  be  a 
suitable  place  after  the  flower  spikes  begin  to  show.  The  plants 
will  require  a  stove  temperature  at  the  present  time. — Walts* 
Jones,  The  Gardens,  Stoneleigh  Abbey,  Kenilworth. 
