July  19,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
57 
Seeds  and  Temperatares, 
The  esperimenls  conducted  by  Mona.  E.  Schrebaux  in  relation  to  the 
degree  of  heat  seeds  will  endure  without 'injury  to  germinative  power, 
to  which  reference  was  made  last  week,  naturally  leads  to  the  query  as 
to  whether  any  severe  tests  have  been  applied  to  seeds  for  the  purpose 
of  determining  in  what  temperature  they  will  keep  longest  and  best. 
I  have  been  surprised  this  season  to  find  better  wrinkled  Peas  and 
Dwarf  French  Beans,  kept  in  a  very  dry  room  and  in  an  average 
temperature  of  50°,  and  simply  in  canvas  bags  for  two  years,  gave 
first-rate  growth  ;  so  good,  indeed,  as  to  lead  to  the  impression  that  a 
further  storage  of  a  year  would  have  done  them  no  harm.  Still,  in 
the  keeping  of  seeds  so  very  much  depends  on  thorough  maturation, 
and  the  warm  season  of  1898  contributed  to  that  end  thoroughly,  as 
also  did  last  season.  It  may  not  be  generally  known  that  consignments 
of  seeds  sent  to  India,  Africa,  and  other  hot  climates  are  subjected  to 
considerable  warmth  first. — Gebminal. 
- e'#** - 
Fruit  Tasters. 
Several  months  ago  complaint  was  made  in  the  Journal  of  Horti¬ 
culture  and  elsewhere  of  the  disappearance  of  the  fruits  that  were 
sent  to  the  Drill  Hall  for  inspection  by  the  Fruit  and  Vegetable 
Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  It  was  then  said  that 
no  eooner  had  the  committee  risen  from  the  table  than  the  remaining 
specimens  disappeared  in  an  illegitimate  way.  Since  those  references 
to  what  is  unquestionably  a  malpractice  I  have  watched  this  section  of 
the  fortnightly  exhibitions  closely,  and  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  tasting  of  specimens  is  becoming  more  and  more  common.  I 
have  heard,  too,  exhibitors  expressing  themselves  in  no  measured 
terms,  and  asserting  that  some  steps  ought  to  be  taken  to  suppress  the 
nuisance,  which  it  is  undoubtedly. 
Becoming  still  more  interested  in  the  matter,  I  endeavoured  to 
learn  who  were  the  most  serious  defaulters,  and  was  surprised  to  find 
that  the  Society’s  own  students  were  credited  with  the  greatest  appe¬ 
tites.  Doubtless  these  young  men,  sent  to  Chiswick  to  learn  ftnit 
growing,  have  endeavoured  to  increase  their  knowledge  through  the 
medium  of  this  cl  annei,  but  that  they  are  alone  to  blame  is  by  no 
means  the  truth.  Whether  they  should  touch  the  fruit  or  not  is  for 
the  Council  to  decide  ;  personally,  I  think  they  should  not  do  so  except 
with  the  express  permission  of  the  exhibitor.  Then  it  was  readily 
observed  that  the  representatives  of  the  gardening  press  did  not 
hesitate  to  tickle  their  palates  with  the  choicest  of  the  products.  This, 
in  moderation,  must  be  regarded  as  perfectly  right,  as  it  is  very  certain 
that  if  they  did  not  do  so  they  would  not  be  in  a  position  to  state 
their  opinions  of  the  flavour  of  new  varieties  for  the  benefit  of  their 
readers.  As  far  as  1  could  ascertain  not  one  exhibitor  took  any 
exception  to  this. 
This,  then,  accounts  for  two  sections  of  the  community  who  are 
responsible  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  for  the  disappearance  of  the 
fruit.  There  is,  however,  a  third,  and  that  is  the  visiting  public.  It 
seems  that  some  of  these  have  come  to  regard  the  eating  of  new 
varieties  of  fruit  as  one  of  the  privileges  of  Fellows  who  subscribe  a 
guinea  a  year.  As  a  matter  of  fact  such  is  not  the  case.  They  have 
absolutely  no  right  to  touch  a  single  specimen.  It  is  most  disheartening 
for  an  exhibitor  to  6nd  three  parts  of  the  whole  of  his  produce  taken 
by  persons  who  apparently  wish  for  no  better  occupation  than  that  of 
tasters  to  the  society.  It  was  only  one  or  two  meetings  ago  that  I  saw 
whole  baskets  of  Stiawberries  simply  gorged,  one  man  answering  for 
something  over  a  pound.  Afcthe  same  meeting,  too,  I  noticed  that  one 
Cherry  had  been  taken  from  a  basket  of  superb  fruits.  “Only  one,” 
some  reader  may  sav,  “  why  that  is  nothing.”  In  bulk  it  may  not  be 
much,  but  it  was  ei.fficient  to  mar  the  appearance  of  the  exhibit,  and  to 
upset  the  equanimiiy  of  the  grower,  who,  as  a  member  of  the  council, 
vowed  vengeance  on  the  unknown  depredator.  As  the  council  does 
not  appear  to  be  taking  any  steps  to  abate  the  practice,  perhaps 
some  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  can  suggest  a  simple 
means. 
On  the  occasion  of  a  recent  meeting  a  visitor  went  even  further 
than  the  tasting,  and  aotually  took  seeds  from  a  Melon,  wrapped  them 
in  paper,  and  placed  them  carefully  in  his  pocket.  Surely  this  could  be 
stopped  p  A  gardener  sends  a  Melon  in  all  good  faith,  and  would  not 
object  for  a  moment  to  anyone  tasting,  but  he  would  object  to  seeds 
being  approprated.  The  chances  are  he,  if  his  variety  receives  an  award 
of  merit,  will  sell  the  stock  to  a  seedsman,  and  in  doing  so  will  assure  him 
that  he  has  the  whole  of  the  seeds.  How  can  he  know  that  through 
someone  taking  seeds  from  the  fruit  exhibited  he  is  deceiving  the  firm 
with  which  he  is  dealing  ?  It  is  common  knowledge  that  the  tasting  of 
fruits  is  largely  practised,  and  I  for  one  should  welcome  some  feasible 
plan  of  stopping  it. — Exhibitor. 
Garrya  elliptica. 
We  often  read  of  the  non-hardiness  of  this  most  useful  shrub,  which 
can  be  cultivated  in  a  variety  of  forms,  especially  as  pyramidal,  bush, 
trained  as  arches,  or  as  hedges.  I  always  believed  it  to  be  perfectly 
hardy  until  the  past  season,  when  it  suffered  here  from  the  severe  frost 
of  last  December.  One  day  the  thermometer  fell  from  4°  below  freezing 
point  to  30°  of  frost,  and  that  did  all  the  mischief  which  was  sustained 
here  to  shrubs  and  Roses.  Very  late  unripened  growth  was  responsible 
for  much  of  this.  The  Garryas  were  uninjured  by  the  severe  frost  of 
five  years  ago.  Two  plants  in  a  low  position,  where  wet  often 
accumulates  and  drainage  cannot  be  secured,  were  never  injured  before 
this  season.  Their  dense  coating  of  long  racemes  of  catkins  were 
always  very  striking.  The  outside  wood,  more  or  less  being  dead,  was 
cut  back  during  May,  and  is  now  shooting  out  all  over  very  thickly. 
Other  plants  facing  the  south,  acting  as  pyramids  for  sixteen  or 
seventeen  years  past,  were  injured  in  the  wood  growth  of  the  past 
season,  but  are  now  furnishing  themselves  in  first-rate  order. 
Other  plants  acting  as  pillars  by  doorways  are  more  or  less  injured, 
but  will  soon  be  again  in  good  form  by  dense  healthy  growth.  But  the 
most  striking  instance  of  the  usefulness  of  Garrya  elliptica  was  at 
Bannockburn,  near  Stirling,  where  a  dense  hedge  was  seen  from  the  high 
road,  and  was  beautiful  when  covered  with  catkins.  This  was  pruned 
with  the  careful  use  of  a  knife  by  thinning.  I  do  not  know  how  the 
plants  have  fared  this  year.  The  position  was  high,  and  exposed  to 
north  and  north-east.  I  do  not  know  why  we  often  read  of  the 
tenderness  of  Garryas  in  England,  especially  in  southern  parts.  I 
never  used  to  think  this  could  be  correct,  as  I  have  seen  it  finely 
developed  in  English  counties. — M.  Temple,  Garron,  Stirlingshire,  N.B. 
-*■ 
+■ 
He  National  Rose  Society’s  Metropolitaii  Sliow. 
A  Gallant  Fight. 
Although  this  exhibition  was  below  the  average,  it  nevertheless 
presented  many  points  of  interest.  I  watched  one  episode  with  peculiar 
interest,  and  that,  was  the  contest  for  the  Tea  challenge  trophy.  I 
happened  to  be  near  where  the  judging  went  on,  and  saw  that  for 
nearly  half  an  hour  the  judges  were  hesitating  between  two  stands. 
Of  these  one  was  that  exhibited  by  Mr.  Alex.  Hill  Gray,  of  Beaulieu, 
Newbridge,  Bath,  and  the  other  that  shown  by  the  Rev.  F.  R. 
Burnside,  of  St.  Margaret’s  at  Cbffe,  Dover. 
The  interest  of  the  contest  arose  from  the  inequality  of  the 
conditions  under  which  the  exhibitors  fought.  Mr.  Hill  Gray  is  the 
moat  enthusiastic  grower  of  Tea  Roses,  and  finding  that  the  situation 
in  Scotland  where  he  lived  prevented  him  from  growing  them  as  he 
wished,  he  left  there  and  went  through  the  southern  counties  of  England 
in  order  to  fix  upon  a  place  suitable  for  the  purpose.  It  was  not 
wonderful  that  he  was  attracted  by  the  air  and  position  of  Bath. 
Here  he  pitched  his  tent  upon  a  hill  greatly  sheltered  and  made  still 
more  sheltered  by  the  walls  and  terraces  that  he  made.  He  has  for 
some  years  grown  a  splendid  collection  of  Tea  and  Noisette  Roses, 
exhibiting  and  carrying  oft'  the  principal  prizes  in  the  Tea  classes 
with  his  rich  and  varied  collection.  The  Rev.  F.  R.  Burnside,  on  the 
contrary,  lives  on  a  high  cliff  close  to  the  South  Foreland,  swept  by 
evf'ry  wind  of  heaven  and  exposed  to  the  continual  storms  that 
sweep  through  the  English  Channel,  and  he  has  but  a  few  hundred 
plants. 
When  therefore  I  heard  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Burnside  was  going  to 
compete  for  the  challenge  trophy,  I  could  not  help  exclaiming,  “  What 
cheek!  ”  knowing  that  he  would  have  not  only  Mr.  Hill  Gray,  but  the 
East  Anglian  parsons  pitted  against  him,  and  also  Mr.  0.  G.  Orpen,  the 
holder  of  the  Tea  challenge  trophy  last  year.  Well,  what  happened  ? 
For  fully  half  an  hour  I  watched  the  judges  counting  the  blooms  and 
pondering  over  them,  apparently  unable  to  decide.  So  close  indeed  was 
it  that  while  the  judges  were  debating  one  of  our  most  successful 
exhibitors  came  up  to  me  and  said,  “  I  think  Burnside  will  have  the 
challenge  Tea  trophy.”  He  did  not  certainly,  but  it  will  be  seen  he 
made  the  running  very  close  indeed.  When  therefore  people  tell  me  of 
the  difficulties  they  have,  and  how  they  are  handicapped  by  growers  of 
large  numbers,  I  can  cite  this  as  a  proof  that  large  numbers  need  not 
frighten  skilful  exhibitors.  Mr.  Burnside  has  now  left  St.  Margaret’s, 
and  it  will  be  a  matter  of  interest  to  watch  whether,  in  the  very  different 
soil  and  climate  of  Essex,  he  is  able  to  keep  the  proud  position  he  has 
won  for  himself  as  a  most  successful  grower  of  Tea  Roses. — Spectatob. 
