310 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTA  IE  GARDENER. 
October  2,  1902. 
trees,  in  my  experience,  are  altogether  unfit  for  place  in  the 
smokiest  towns.  The  variegated  variety  (A.  P.  albo-variegata) 
holds  its  own  better  against  smoke  and  impure  air  than  the 
green-leaved,  and  the  purple-leaved  (A.  P.  purpureum)  is  not 
troubled  nearly  as  badly  with  aphides  and  black  blotch  fungus 
as  the  type. 
The  Norway  Maple  (A.  platanoides)  grows  grandly  when 
young,  its  smooth  Planerlike  leaves  resisting  smoky  and  fumy 
influences  well,  especially  in  exposed  situations ;  but  wThen 
getting  at  all  aged  the  heat  and  drought  appear  too  much  for 
it,  so  that  the  leaves  come  littering  down  far  too  early  in 
September,  especially  in  a  dry  and  hot  season,  even  in  country 
towns.  Similar  remark  applies  to  the  variegated  forms.  One 
of  the  finest  foliaged  Norway  Maples  is  Schwedle’s  (A.  p. 
Schwedleri),  with  deep  bronzy-red  leaves,  very  large,  the  tree 
being  a  vigorous  grower  and  most  effective. 
Different  altogether  is  the  large-leaved  Maple  (A.  macro- 
phyllum),  with  its  digitately  five-palmate,  roundish  recessed 
and  somewhat  three-lobed  leaves ;  not  over-hardy  perhaps, 
but  enough  so  for  southern  and  midland  counties  towns,  if  not 
northern,  the  foliage  holding  on  as  persistently  as  the  Planes. 
The  specimens  observed  have  had  the  advantage  of  a  generous 
soil,  but  not  better  than  for  the  other  Maples  alluded  to, 
including  the  Sycamore. 
Negundo  and  White  Beam. 
The  Ash-leaved  or  Maple-like  Box  Elder  (Negundo  aceroides) 
forms  a  spreading  tree,  grows  fast,  and  is  very  ornamental.  It 
bears  smoke  and  impure  air  well,  but  reflected  heat  combined 
with  droughty  conditions  are  too  much  for  its  powers  of  resist¬ 
ance,  hence  begins  to  litter  in  August  and  keeps  on  right  away 
until  frost  ends  the  foliage  on  the  latest  growth.  The  variegated 
form  (N.  a.  variegatum),  so  much  in  vogue  for  suburban  plant¬ 
ing,  is  not  nearly  as  hardy,  and  does  not  grow  so  freely  as 
the  type  after  the  flush  of  youth  is  past,  and  in  not  a  few  cases 
gets  “smaller  by  degrees  and  beautifully  less,”  some  being 
leafless  at  the  beginning  of  September. 
The  White  Beam  tree  (Pyrus  Aria)  grows  luxuriously  in  con¬ 
fined  spaces,  always  provided  there  be  moisture  in  the  soil, 
for  on  a  gravelly  soil  the  leaves  were  curled  up  and  many  fallen, 
even  some  trees  leafless,  at  the  beginning  of  September.  As  a 
small  tree  it  deserves  notice  from  planters,  but-  hardly  for 
streets,  as  its  numerous  brightly-tinted  berries,  however  hand¬ 
some  on  the  trees,  are  a  great  nuisance  in  footways.  Similar 
remark  applies  to  other  species  of  Pyrus,  and  many  of  them 
begin  littering  too  early  in  autumn  by  their  leaves,  and  the 
fruits  or  berries  make  a  mess  later  on  ;  hence  they,  with  the 
Thorns,  will  be  passed  in  this  connection;  also  low  trees  or 
shrubs. 
Oaks  in  Variety. 
Great  Britain’s  predominating  tree,  the  British  Oak  (Quercus 
Robur),  occasionally  springs  up  in  backyards  and  front  gardens 
of  town  residences,  and  the  seedlings  are  very  healthy  and 
vigorous  for  a  time ;  but,  like  the  seedling  Ash  and1  Sycamore 
before  alluded  to,  their  enemies  find  them  out  when  20ft  high 
or  before,  and  they  assume  an  ill-thriven  appearance.  This  year 
some  trees  have  the  lower  surface  of  the  leaves  almost  entirely 
covered  and  weighted  down  by  button  galls,  covered  by  the 
insect  named  Neuroterus  numismatis.  The  trees  are  very 
unsightly,  and  the  “buttons”  in  early  autumn  make  a  great 
mess.  The  sub-species  or  forms  of  common  Oak,  Q.  pedunculata 
and  sessiliflora,  are  not  a  whit  better,  though  the  latter  is  rather 
less  affected. 
In  contrast  with  the  British  Oak,  the  Turkey  Oak  (Q.  cerris) 
has  splendid  leafage,  and  the  Hungarian  Oak  (Q.  conferta)  quite 
equals  or  rivals  it.  I  cannot  say  that  I  am  in  love  with  the 
sometimes  almost  evergreen  forms,  the  Lucombe  and  Fulham, 
but  the  scarlet  Oak  (Q.  coccinea)  has  not  only  charms  in 
summer  by  bright  green  shining  foliage,  while  in  autumn  the 
leaves  turn  red.  Against  Oaks  in  streets  there  is  the  objection 
of  acorns,  and  also  that  of  growing  too  large  and  being  worse 
than  spoiled  by  lopping.  Pollarding  is  an  altogether  different 
affair,  and  this  practised  betimes  results  in  heads  which  for 
beauty  are  matchless. 
The  Walnuts. 
I  he  Walnut  (Juglans  regia)  has  kept  its  leaves  singularly 
well,  but  the  husks  and  nuts  are  against  it  as  a  street  tree.  It 
also  is  not  hardy  enough  for  northerly  and  high  situations. 
The  black  Walnut  (J.  nigra)  is  a  noble  tree  for  towns,  though 
on  account  of  its  fruits  not  commendable  for  streets. 
The  much-lauded  Black  Italian  Popular  (Populus  monilifera) 
is  much  affected  by  rust  fungus  (Melampliora  populina),  and 
shedding  its  leaves  wholesale.  It  has  also  the  defect  of  losing 
f°me  of  its  branches  by  attacks  of  a  fungus  (Didymosphseria 
populina),  and  though  very  bold  and  deep  green  in  foliage,  is 
not  nearly  as  free-growing  and  far  from  as  healthy  as  some  other 
species  and  varieties  which  must  stand  over  for  consideration 
with  what  may  be  termed  the  “cream”  of  trees  for  town 
streets. — G.  A. 
Victorian  Medallists  of  Honour  in  Horticulture. 
MR.  JOHN  T.  BENNETT  =  POE,  M.A.,  V.M.H.,  Sec. 
Recently  the  Council  cf  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society 
bestowed  a  Victoria  Medal  of  Honour  on  Mr.  Bennett-Poe,  in 
recognition  of  his  good  work  in  horticulture,  and  among  the 
flowers.  The  sixty-first  volume  of  “  The  Garden  ”  was  dedicated 
to  Mr.  Bennett-Poe  on  June  28th  of  the  present  year,  and  from 
that  number  we  have  extracted  the  following  biographical  notes. 
“  Born  in  County  Tipperary,  in  the  year  1846,  Mr.  Bennett- 
Poe  received  his  earlier  education  from  tutors  at  home  and  at  a 
private  school;  afterwards  at  Trinity  College,  Dublin,  there 
graduating  successively  B.A.  arid  M.A.  He  was  almost  a  born 
gardener,  inheriting  a  lcve  of  plants,  which  became  and  has  con¬ 
tinued  to  be  the  greatest  of  his  life’s  interests.  Never  very 
robust  in  health,  the  open  air  life  of  a  practical  horticulturist  has 
been  of  great  benefit,  and  has  enabled  him  to  acquire  a  knowledge 
of  plants  and  of  their  ways  and  treatment  that  is  probably  sur¬ 
passed  by  that  of  few  other  living  amateurs. 
“  On  settling  in  London  in  1889  Mr.  Bennett-Poe  was  pressed 
into  the  active  service  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  on  the 
Floral  Committee  and  on  the  Board  of  the  Chiswick  Gardens; 
serving  also  for  ten  years  on  the  Council,  for  some  time  as  Vice- 
President.  Among  his  other  offices  in  connection  with  the 
Society,  he  is  a  Trustee  of  the  Lindley  Library,  Trustee  of  the 
Veitch  Memorial,  and  was  formerly  Chairman  of  the  Narcissus 
Committee. 
“Air.  Bennett-Poe’s  services  have  also  been  given  as  judge 
at  the  shows  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  and  Royal  Botanic 
Societies,  and  in  the  same  capacity  at  shows  at  Dublin,  Cork,  and 
Scarborough.  His  exhibits  of  rare  and  beautiful  plants  have 
received  many  honours,  and  he  is  well  known  as  a  prizewinning 
exhibitor  of  Narcissi,  Tulips,  Auriculas,  and  Orchids.” 
MR.  WILLIAM  BATESON,  M.A.,  F.R.S.,  V.M.H. 
Though  we  are  unable  to  present  Mr.  Bateson’s  portrait 
with  the  following  notes,  yet  these  may  be  read  with 
interest  at  this  time  when  considerable  attention  is 
being  devoted  to  the  problems  of  heredity  in  plants  and 
animals.  Air.  William  Bateson  is  the  chief  exponent  arid 
most  active  experimentalist  in  this  country  in  all  that  purports 
to  variation,  heredity,  selection,  and  other  phenomena  connefcted 
with  the  evolution  of  plants  and  animals.  In  the  Natural  History 
Museum  at  South  Kensington,  there  is  now  on  view,  in  the  case 
devoted  to  objects  connected  with  the  most  recent  research,  a 
practical  demonstration  of  the  results  of  cross-breeding  Peas 
(Pisum),  which  is  specially  elucidatory  of  Mendel’s  law.  This 
exhibit  is  presented  by  Mr.  Bateson. 
In  his  introductory  note  to  the  translation  of  Gregor  Alendel’s 
paper  on  “  Experiments  in  Plant  Hybridisation,”  published  in 
the  Journal  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  vol.  xxvi,  1901, 
part  i.,  Mr.  Bateson  writes  that : — “  The  conclusion  which  stands 
out  as  the  chief  result  of  Alendel’s  admirable  experiment  is,  of 
course,  the  proof  that  in  respect  of  certain  pairs  of  differentiating 
characters,  the  germ  cells  of  a  hybrid,  or  cross-bred,  are  pure, 
being  carriers  and  transmitters  of  either  the  one  character  or 
the  other,  not  both.  In  so  far  as  Mendel’s  law  applies,  therefore, 
the  conclusion  is  forced  upon  us  that  a  living  organism  is  a  com¬ 
plex  of  characters,  of  which  some,  at  least,  are  dissociable  and 
are  capable  of  being  replaced  by  others.  We  thus  reach  the  con¬ 
ception  of  unit  characters  which  may  be  rearranged  in  the  forma¬ 
tion  of  the  reproductive  cells.” 
It  is  in  order  to>  test  to  what  extent  Alendel’s  conclusions  are 
found  to  apply  to  other  characters,  and  to  other  plants  and 
animals,  that  Mr.  Bateson  has  undertaken  the  experimental  work 
he  is  now  engaged  with.  Until  recently,  his  studies  have  been 
most  zoological.  His  chief  contribution  to  inquiries  on  the 
problem  of  Evolution,  was  a  book  published  in  1894,  under  the 
title  “  Alaterials  for  the  Study  of  Evolution,”  dealing  mostly 
with  zoological  subjects. 
Some  years  ago  Air.  Bateson  began  a  series  of  breeding  experi¬ 
ments  on  variation  and  heredity  in  animals,  using  especially 
poultry  and  butterflies;  and  in  several  species  of  plants,  as  for 
instance  Pisum,  already  mentioned.  An  account  of  the  results 
thus  obtained  will  shortly  be  published.  In  this  experimental 
work.  Air.  Bateson  has  been  associated  with  Miss  E.  R.  Saunders, 
lecturer  on  botany  at  Newnham  College,  Cambridge. 
As  secretary  of  the  Evolution  Committee  of  the  Royal  Society, 
the  subject  of  these  notes  has  further  been  endeavouring  to 
promote  inquiries  of  this  nature,  and  to  assist  in  the  scientific 
utilisation  of  the  results  obtained  by  practical  men.  Breeders 
and  horticulturists  are  continually  engaged  in  experiments  on  a 
large  scale,  many  of  which,  if  reeoi'ded  in  detail,  would  have  a 
high  scientific  value. 
A  sub-commfttes  has  been  appointed  to  confer  yvith  the  Royal 
