April  13,  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
297 
-  Reading  Gardeners’  Association. — “Climbers”  was  the 
title  of  a  lecture  "iron  by  Mr.  J.  Crooke,  of  Forde  Abbey,  Chard,  on 
Monday  evening  last,  when  the  President,  Mr.  C.  B.  Stevens,  presided 
over  a  good  attendance  of  meml)er3.  In  introducing  the  subject,  ^Ir. 
■Crooke  said  that  the  subject  he  had  selected  was  an  old  and  very  broad 
one,  and  it  also  included  a  wide  range  of  plants.  In  arrangement,  the 
gardener  should  cultivate  taste  as  well  as  plants,  and  to  get  awaj'  from 
old  Rj’stems  which  did  not  lend  themselves  to  our  present  day  needs,  also 
that  more  use  should  bo  made  of  our  native  hardy  climbers.  A  discussion 
followed,  in  which  Messrs.  Woolford,  Stanton,  Neve.  Fry,  Martin,  Purkis, 
and  Townsend  took  part.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded  to  Mr.  Crooke. 
-  Fertilisation  op  Araujia  (Physianthus)  albens.— The 
following  reference  to  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Linnean  Society  will  be 
•interesting  to  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  as  it  refers  to  a 
subject  mentioned  on  page  235  by  Mr.  Wm.  Camm  of  Battle  Abbey. 
Dr,  .Tohn  Lowe,  F.L.S.,  communicated  some  observations  on  the  fertilisa¬ 
tion  of  Araujia  albens,  a  Brazilian  climber,  which  in  the  South  of 
England  grows  in  the  open  air.  Last  summer  it  was  blooming  freely 
in  Lord  llchester’s  garden  at  Abbotsbury  Castle,  Abbotsbury,  Dorset¬ 
shire,  where  the  flowers  were  visited  by  numbers  of  nutterfles,  diurnal 
moths,  humble  bees,  wasps,  and  large  flies,  many  of  which  were  captured 
and  imprisoned  for  a  time  in  the  pinching-bodies  (Klemra-korper  of 
Muller).  All  these  insects,  with  the  exception  of  some  humble  bees 
in  their  visits  to  the  nectar  left  their  proboscis  behind,  and  sometimes 
a  leg,  being  not  strong  enough  to  detach  the  pinehing-body.  Dr.  Lowe 
described  the  structure  of  the  pinching-bodies,  which  are  flat,  horny 
plates,  situated  above  the  nectar  cups,  at  each  angle  of  a  flvo-sided 
hollow  cone  in  the  centre  of  the  flower,  in  which  is  placed  the  stigma- 
There  is  only  a  small  opening  at  the  apex  and  a  narrow  slit  at  the 
toase  of  each  facet  of  the  cone.  To  the  upper  point  of  the  pinching- 
body  the  pollinia  are  attached.  When  an  insect  has  its  proboscis 
caught  in  the  slit,  which  narrows  alwa3's  to  its  point,  it  can  only  escape 
by  tearing  away  the  body  with  its  pollen-masses,  or  b}'  leaving  its 
proboscis  in  the  slit.  In  the  former  case  it  carries  the  pollinia  to  the 
next  flower  it  visits,  and  thus  effects  cross-fertilisation  by  leaving  the 
pollen-mass  between  the  anther-wings,  whence  it  rapidly  passes  into  the 
-cone.  lie  had  received  a  number  of  flowers  of  Araujia  from  Mr. 
’Benbow,  the  gardener  at  Abbotsbury,  in  some  of  which  he  found  the 
proboscis  of  a  butterfly’  or  moth  in  each  of  the  five  angles  of  the  cone, 
showing  the  great  destruction  of  insect  life  caused  by  the  plant.  Mr. 
N.  E.  Brown,  A.L.S.,  who  has  made  a  special  study  of  the  Asclepia- 
daceae,  gave  an  interesting  account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  pollinia 
■reach  the  stigma  ;  and  some  further  remarks  were  made  by  Mr.  A.  W. 
Bennett. 
CHOISYA  TERNATA. 
Either  for  supplying  cut  flowers  or  for  home  and  conservatory  decora- 
■tion  from  December  to  Ma_v,  it  would  be  difficult  to  name  a  more  useful 
plant  than  this  member  of  the  Rutaceas  order.  Introduced  from  Mexico 
as  long  ago  as  1825,  it  is  surprising  that  this  nearly  hardy  evergreen 
«hrub  is  not  more  generally’  grown,  especially  as  it  possesses  the  merit  of 
being  easily"  managed  and  adapting  itself  to  all  sorts  of  conditions. 
It  may  be  bloomed  in  3-inch  pots,  grown  into  bushes  5  feet  or  more 
•through,  or  trained  into  standards  with  a  clean  stem  from  3  to  5  feet 
high,  carrying  heads  3  feet  through.  Half-ripened  shoots  inserted  into 
sandy  soil  early  in  the  year  and  kept  moderately  close  and  shady  in  a 
propagating  case,  can,  in  a  temperature  of  60°,  with  plenty  of  moisture, 
'be  grown  into  plants  that  will  produce  a  large  head  of  bloom  the  following 
spring.  These  will  be  found  exceedingly' useful  for  interspersing  amongst 
other  plants  on  the  greenhouse  or  conservatory  stage,  or  for  house  deco¬ 
ration  where  white  flowers  are  apnreciated. 
To  maintain  a  continuous  supply  for  the  long  period  mentioned,  a 
good  stock  of  plants  is  necessary,  and  if  these,  after  setting  their  flower 
buds  in  the  autumn,  can  be  kept  in  a  temperature  of  about  40°,  they  will 
remain  in  a  quiescent  state  from  which  plants  may  be  selected  and  intro¬ 
duced  into  conditions  exactly  suited  to  the  forcing  of  Lilacs  and  Deutzias, 
The  flowers  are  pure  white  with  yellow  anthers,  resembling,  individually. 
Orange  blossom,  but  with  a  scent  more  like  the  Hawthorn.  The 
inflorescence  is  a  terminal,  corymbose  cyme,  and  is  surrounded  with  dark 
green,  glossy,  ternate  foliage,  so  that  a  cut  spray  is  a  small  bouquet  in 
itself,  requiring  no  other  green, 
Choisya  ternata  is  not  at  all  particular  as  to  soil,  but  taking  into 
account  that  its  roots  may  be  confined  to  the  pots  or  tubs  for  a  number 
of  years,  a  good  fibrous  loam,  with  a  little  bonemeal  and  enough  sand  to 
i^ecure  moderate  porosity,  should  be  selected.  This  plant  is  nearly  hardy 
•in  a  state  of  rest,  but  those  which  have  made  their  growth  under  glass 
early  in  the  j’ear  must  not  be  exposed  to  spring  frost  or  cold  cutting 
winds,  though  after  all  danger  of  these  unfavourable  conditions  are  past 
ithe  plants  are  best  out  of  doors  in  a  sheltered  position  until  November. 
To  keep  the  plants  to  within  given  dimensions  they  should  be  pruned 
every  year  immediately  after  flqwering,  and  afterwards  placed  into  a 
moist  growing  temperature  so  as  to  encourage  a  vigorous  break,  by 
winch  means  abundance  of  bloom  will  be  forthcoming  the  following 
spring. — ,J.  11.  W. 
ROYAL  BOTANIC  SOCIETY. 
April  12th. 
The  spring  show  of  this  Society  cannot  bo  chronicled  as  other 
than  a  large  trade  exhibition,  for  there  was  only  one  competitor  in  the 
classes  for  professional  gardeners  and  amateurs,  and  there  was  only  one 
exhibitor  in  each  of  the  classes  open  to  all  — a  sorry  state  of  afiairs  for 
this  once  flourishing  Societj-.  The  trade  exhibits  were  good,  and  made  a 
good  display. 
Mr.  G.  Keif,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Abbot,  South  Villa,  Regent’s  Park, 
was  the  only  exhibitor  of  twenty-four  pots  of  Tulips  with  a  eood  display. 
The  best  wore  Ophir  d’Or,  Vermilon  Brilliant,  Proserpine,  Keizerskroon, 
White  Pottebakker,  and  .Toost  Van  Vondel.  The  same  exhibitor  was 
awarded  first  for  a  similar  number  of  Hyacinths  ;  the  most  con¬ 
spicuous  spikes  were  King  of  Blues,  Etna,  Giand  Maitre,  Von  Schiller, 
Chas.  Dickens,  and  Mont  Blanc.  Mr.  Keif  was  the  only  exhibitor  of 
Azaloa  mollis,  staging  six  well-flowered  plants,  and  was  deservedly 
given  first  prize.  The  classes  for  twelve  Hyacinths,  twelve  Tulips, 
and  six  table  plants  were  simply  a  repetition  of  the  others  by  the 
same  exhibitor,  who  gained  the  same  prizes.  ^Ir.  Keif  was  the  onU' 
exhibitor  of  a  group  of  flowering  and  foliage  plants,  which  was  bright 
and  effective.  The  majority  of  the  subjects  employed  were  bulbs. 
Azaleas.  Spiraeas,  Lily  of  the  Valloj',  Azaleas,  and  Cinerarias,  grouped 
with  Palms,  Caladiums,  and  A'paragus. 
^Messrs.  A.  W.  Younir  &  Co.,  Stevenage,  were  the  only  exhibitors  of 
twelve  Cineraria.',  and  were  awarded  first  prize.  The  same  exhibitors 
were  granted  second  prize  (or  twelve  Polyanthus  with  a  moderate 
exhibit. 
Messrs.  B.  S.  Williams  &  Son,  Upper  Holloway,  exhibited  a  group  of 
Orchids,  chiefly  composed  of  Vandas  suavis,  s.  Gottschalck  variety,  tricolor 
superba  and  r.  insignis  ;  Cypripediums  Boxalli  nigre-cens,  Harrisianum 
superbum,  giganteum  Williams’  variety,  and  Pit.herianum  Williams’ 
variety  ;  Cuelogyno  Massangeana,  and  Dendroluum  Pierardi,  all  edged 
with  Ferns,  forming  a  very  effective  e.xhibit,  Messrs.  Wm.  Paul  &  Son, 
Waltham  Cross,  staged  a  large  collection  of  Tulips,  which  presented  a 
very  briLrht  appearance.  King  of  the  Yellows,  <jphir  d  Or.  JoostVan 
Vcndel,  Thos.  Moore,  Keizerskroon,  Toreador,  Queen  of  the  Netherlands, 
Grace  Darling,  a  colour  difficult  to  describe,  but  reminds  one  of  a  shot 
silk  ;  Golden  Lion,  Little  Dorrit,  and  .lenny.  Also  some  specimen  plants 
of  Ruses  Enchantress  andPerle  d’Or  of  the  Polyantha  section,  a  collection 
of  spring  flowering  shrubs,  Cannas,  and  Camellias,  all  growing  in  small 
pots,  a  id  well  flowered. 
Messrs.  Ilogg  &  Robertson,  22,  Mary  Street,  Dublin,  staged  a  col¬ 
lection  of  Narcissi  and  Tulips,  about  ninety  varieties  of  Narcissi  and  forQ' 
varieties  of  Dutch  and  species  of  Tulips  ;  considering  the  flowers  had  been 
cut  since  Monday,  they  were  in  excellent  condition.  The  chief  forms  of 
Narcissi  were  Sir  Watkin,  Madame  Klemp,  Queen  of  Spain,  Emperor, 
Golden  Plover.  The  Tulips  were  very  fine,  and  the  most  noteworthy 
were  Thomas  Moore,  Calitbrnica,  Grace  Darling,  Maes,  Greigi,  Eichleri, 
and  Chrj'solora.  Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons  exhibited  a  capital  display  of 
Narcissi  and  Muscaris.  The  most  conspicuous  forms  wore  Mrs.  Walter 
Ware,  Maximus.  Duke  of  Bedford,  a  giant  form  of  Empress,  Horsefieldi, 
Emperor,  Wm.  Goldring  Leedsi,  Grand  Duchess,  Sir  Watkin,  Triandrus 
albus,  M.  .1.  Berkeley,  Mad.  de  Graaf,  Countess  of  Anneslej'.  The  St. 
George’s  Nursery  Company,  Hanwell,  contributed  a  display  of  Cycla¬ 
mens  ;  the  plants  were  well  flowered,  and  the  colours  bright  and 
diversified. 
Messrs.  Thos.  S.  Ware,  Ltd.,  Tottenham,  exhibited  a  collection  of  spring 
flowers,  which  comprised  a  collection  of  Narcissi,  Anemone  pulsatilla, 
Trillium  grandiflorum,  Adonis  vernalis,  Spirseas,  Lachenalias,  Doronicums, 
and  Primulas.  Messrs.  Morlo  &  Co.,  Pinchley  Road,  exhibited  a  group 
of  well  grown  pots  of  Mignonette  of  the  well  known  market  tj’pe.  ilessrs. 
John  Laing  &  Sons,  Forest  Hill,  contributed  a  display  of  flowering  and 
foliage  plants,  consisting  of  Palms,  Dracaenas,  Crotons,  and  Perns,  while 
the  flowering  section  was  made  up  of  Boronias,  Ericas,  Clivias,  Lilium 
longiflorum,  and  a  few  Orchids.  Messrs.  .las.  Carter  &  Co.,  High 
Holborn,  exhibited  a  collection  of  Cinerarias,  both  single  and  double  ;  the 
flowers  were  large  and  vivid,  in  a  wide  range  of  colours.  The  double 
forms  were  dwarf  in  habit  and  of  good  size. 
Mr.  Wm.  Rumsey,  Joyning’s  Nursery.  Waltham  Cross,  contributed  a 
large  displnj'  of  cut  Roses.  The  Marbchal  Niels  were  a  good  colour, 
Niphetos,  Celine  Forestier.  Mrs.  Rumsey,  L’Ideal,  Ethel  Brownlow, 
Gloire  de  Murgottin,  Madame  iMontet,  Marie  Van  Iloutte,  and 
W.  A.  Richardson  being  very  conspicuous.  Messrs  J.  Hill  ifc  Son, 
Edmonton,  staged  an  exhibit  of  Ferns,  the  species  of  Adiantums  with 
tinted  foliage  in  baskets  being  ver^'  effective.  The  specimens  of  Dav  -.llias 
were  also  well  developed,  the  whole  forming  a  pleasing  exhibit. 
Messrs.  A.  W.  Young  &  Co.  exhibited  a  group  of  Clivias  and  King  ot 
Denmark  “  Geraniums.”  iMr.  S.  (Mortimer,  Rowledge,  Earnham,  sta^ged 
six  boxes  of  Tomatoes,  Winter  Beauty,  a  seedling  from  Conqueror.  The 
fruits  were  a  good  shape  and  excellent  colour  for  the  season  ;  one  bo.x 
represented  the  bunches  as  grown,  some  carrying  as  many  as  seven 
ripe  fruits.  Two  boxes  of  Cucumber  Sensation  were  also  staged  b)'  the 
same  exhibitor. 
