April  10,  1902. 
325 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTIGULTURS  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
and  what  to  do,  it  is  pretty  safe  to  assume  that  he  will  never 
hare  sense_  enough  to  make  a  good  gardener.  As  for  the  “  so- 
called  music,”  most  homes  possess  musical  instimments  of  some 
kind  or  other;  some  of  them  instniments  of  torture,  no  doubt. 
As  the  bothyite  cannot  take  a  piano  about  with  him,  he  has  to 
console  himself  and  annoy  other  people  with  a  violin,  melodeon, 
&c.,  or  the  still  more  humble  mouth  organ.  Taking  every  tiling 
into  consideration,  bothyites  are,  if  not  a  contented,  a  happy 
class,  which  is  a  good  tiling  for  them  and  for  those  around  them. 
For  the  present  I  am  afraid  we  shall  have  to  be  content  with  airing 
our  views,  and  hope  for  better  tilings,  if  not  for  this,  for  a  future 
generation  of  bothyites. — Only  a  Bothyite. 
The  two  recent  letters  on  this  subject  of  much  importance 
to  young  gardeners,  from  Mr.  J.  Botley  and  “Modesto” 
respectively,  were  characteristically  mild  ‘and  fair.  I  was 
particularly  gratified,  too,  with  the  description  of  the  splendid 
bothy  at  Park  Place  Gardens,  Heuley-on-Tliames,  by  the  former 
writer,  and  felt  that  the  end  in  view,  which  is  that  of  improve¬ 
ment  in  the  poorer  class  of  gardeners’  bothies,  would  be  best 
served  by  a  few  more  descriptions  of  the  better  equipped  apart¬ 
ments.  That  of  Philiphaugh,  in  Selkirkshire,  has  a  reading- 
room,  a  bath-room,  and  other  modern  appointments  that  add  a 
remarkable  charm  to  the  domestic  existence  of  the  men  there 
The  late  Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson,  F.R.S. 
engaged.  At  Sion  House,  Brentford,  Mr.  Wythes  has  had  a  veiy 
complete  and  valuable  library  instituted,  w  here,  also,  the  leading 
gardening  journals  are  to  be  had.  The  Royal  gardens  at 
Sandringham  also  provide  a  model  Jiothj-  for  the  journeymen 
gardeners,  and  set  a  pattern  to  every  aristocratical  demesne 
throughout  beautiful  England  and  bonnie  Scotland.  Years  ago 
the  ladies  of  society  followed  a  certain  fashion — that  of  walking 
with  a  limp — because  our  Queen,  then  Princess  of  Wales,  owing 
to  an  injured  knee  w'as  obliged  to  walk  haltingly.  To  follow, 
or  to  make  limping  a  fashion  because  the  First  Lady  limped  was 
most  contemptible,  but  the  minds  of  these  same  limping  ladies 
seemed  destitute  of  that  human  sympathy  which  ivould  awaken 
inwardly  the  desire  to  follow  Queen  Alexandra’s  lead,  and  see 
that  the  ordinary  civilised  comforts  of  the  present  day  were 
being  enjoyed  by  those  wdio  minister  to  their  delight,  recreation, 
and  sustenance  in  their  gardens.  When  the  yormg  gardener,  as 
an  employe  of  well-to-do  people  or  old  aristocratical  families, 
writes  to  the  pages  of  a  horticidtural  w'eekly  he  must  fear  that 
the  proper  source,  the  fountaiu-head  for  which  his  petition  is 
intended,  is  seldom  reached,  and,  indeed,  this  is  probably  true. 
At  the  same  time,  “  keep  dingin’  awa’.”  In  the.se  days  gardening 
is  enthusiastically  pursued  by  a  large  and  ever  increasing  coterie 
of  the  class  who  are  employers  of  gardeners,  and  perchance  seeds 
fall  on  good  ground  by  every  “  sowing  ”  that  is  weekly  made.  This 
in  metaphor.  I  long  for  the  time  when  all  gardeners  will  be 
esteemed  as  men  of  intelligence,  men  of  jnirpose,  men  with  a 
high  self-raspect  and  thoroughly  up-to-date  in  that  which 
pertains  to  the  profession,  and  I  feel  that  these  ideals  are 
hindered  by  the  bothy  conditions,  the  life  conditions  of — 40  per 
cent.,  .shall  I  .say? — of  the  young  horticulturists  in  Great  Britain 
and  Ireland  in  these  days. — I). 
The  Late  Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson,  F.R.S. 
In  our  brief  memoir  of  the  late  Mr.  G.  F.  Wilson,  of  Wisley., 
in  last  week’s  issue,  we  referred  to  his  whole-hearted  love  foi- 
gardening  and  for  flowers.  He  was  one  of  a  coterie  who  have 
accomplished  a  great  and  good  work — that  of  popularising  the 
hardy  plants  of  our  beds  and  borders.  During  the  last  thirty 
years  English  gardening  has  been  almost  completely  altered  to 
its  present  naturalistic  lines,  w'here  exotic  genera  and  species 
of  plants  are  made  to  flourish  in  British  gardens  as  they  do  in 
their  home  habitats.  By  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  E.  T.  Cook,  co- 
Editor  of  “  The  Garden,”  we  are  furnished  with  an  admirable 
likeness  of  the  late  Mr.  Wilson  as  he  appeared  shortly  before 
his  decease. 
Societies. 
Royal  Horiicultural— Sciemiflc  Committee,  March  25th. 
Present:  A.  D.  Michael,  Esq.,  in  the  chair;  Rev.  W.  Wilks, 
Messrs.  Worsley,  Douglas,  Chapman,  Nicholson,  Odell,  Druerj’, 
Hooper,  Boulgei’  G.  S.  Saunders,  C.  E.  Shea,  Drs.  A.  B.  Rendle, 
Hugo,  Muller,  Ml.  C.  Cooke,  and  Masters. 
Narcissus  Disease — Rev.  W.  Wilks  brought  specimens  in 
which  the  bulbs  and  roots  appeared  healthy,  but  the  leaves  turned 
brown,  and  decayed  from  the  tip  downwards.  The  malady  is 
stated  to  be  widely  diffused,  but  at  present  no  light  has  been 
thrown  upon  its  cause. 
Hybrid  TropcBolurn,  dc.— Mr.  Worsley  showed  flowers  of  a 
hybrid  raised  between  T.  Lobbi  and  one  of  the  garden 
Tropseolums.  A  hexamerous  flower  of  a  Tydea  was  also  shown, 
in  which  the  stigma  was  trifid.  A  zonal  Pelargonium  was  ex¬ 
hibited  in  which  the  edge  of  the  leaf  was  bordered  with  red, 
as  happens  in  decaying  leaves,  whilst  the  flowers,  usually  white, 
were  in  this  case  suffused  with  salmon-pink  in  the  centre. 
Proliferous  Strawberry.— Hooper  showed  a  coloured  draw¬ 
ing  of  a  Strawberry,  in  which  small  plants  are  developed  on  the 
receptacle  in  the  place  where  the  “  achenia  ”  ought  to  be. — (See 
“Vegetable  Teratology,”  p.  116.) 
Grub  on  Bose,  &c.,  taken  from,  a  tunnel  in  a  Bose  Stem. — 
Mr.  Chittenden  sent  a  specimen  for  naming,  and  this,  on  being 
submitted  to  Mr.  Saunders,  has  been  determined  to  be  the  grub 
of  some  hymenopterous  insect,  such  as  causes  galls  on  Roses, 
especially  the  form  called  Bedeguar,  or  Robin’s  Pincushion.  Mr. 
Chittenden  also  sent  the  seed  or  pip  of  an  Apple  containing  two 
embiyo  plants: — the  supplementary  embryo  having  probably  been 
developed  from  one  of  the  synergidse. 
Beloria  on  Cattleya. — Dr.  Masters  showed  an  illustration  of 
regular  peloria  in  a  Cattleya  which  he  had  received  from  Messrs. 
Veitch.  In  this  flower  there  were  three  sepals  of  equal  size  and 
similar  form ;  alternating  with  these  were  three  regular  flat 
petals,  the  lip  being  represented  by  a  petal  in  size,  shape,  and 
colour  like  the  lateral  petals.  This  flower  is  probably  a  reversion 
to  the  earlier  and  simpler  conformation  from  which  the  peculiar 
Orchid  structure,  as  we  now  know  it,  has  evolved.  The  column 
was  in  the  normal  condition.  It  is  noteworthy  that  this  flowei- 
was  produced  on  a  plant  that  was  a  hybrid  between  a  Cattleya 
Schroderse  and  Brassavola  Digbyana  var.  Evidences  of  the  cross 
being  very  obvious  in  the  normal  flower,  whilst  in  the  peloria 
the  appearance  was  that  of  a  degenerate  Cattleya. 
Schizophyllum  commune. — From  Chiswick  came  a  fungus  said 
to  have  grown  on  the  “  Panama  Pear.”  The  fungus  was  deter¬ 
mined  by  Dr.  Cooke  to  be  the  above-named  species. 
Pitcher  on  Leaf  of  Pelargonium.— Mr.  Cooper  sent  a  specimen 
showing  a  funnel-shaped  leafy  cup  in  place  of  the  inflorescence. 
— (See  “  Vegetable  Teratology,”  p.  313,  for  a  similar  production 
on  the  leaf  of  a  Cabbage.) 
Trill  Hall,  April  8th. 
The  magnificence  and  quality  of  the  meeting  on  Tuesday  last 
has  not  been  equalled  since  midsummer  of  last  year.  The  early 
April  shows  are  always  brimful  with  interest,  and  after  the  dull¬ 
ness  and  coldness  of  winter  the  exhibits  of  forced  Roses,  Tulips. 
Daffodils,  Rhododendrons,  Cratseguses,  Laburnums,  and  many 
other  things  of  this  ilk — these  appeal  to  the  lover  of  flowers  more 
perhaps  than  at  any  other  period.  And  though  Tuesday  was 
so  cold,  both  in  the  unheated  Hall  and  outside,  there  was  a  won 
derful  array  of  all  sorts  of  flowers,  in  season  and  out  of  season. 
It  would  be  invidious  to  detach  any  one  section  and  praise  il 
apart — all  were  good  and  lovely.  But  oh!  the  dust  and  the  hum 
and  the  jostling  crowd!  So  many  peoiile  were  there  that  one 
lost  half  the  pleasure  of  the  meeting.  The  floors,  too,  were  very 
dusty.  Comparatively  few  certificates  were  accorded. 
Orchid  Committee- 
Present :  Harry  J.  Veitch,  E.sq..  with  Messrs.  James  O’Brien, 
de  B.  Crawshay,  H.  M.  Pollett,  H.  Ballantine,  E.  Hill,  Jas. 
