March  10,  1904. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
217 
reporting  to  him  daily  in  writing  on  the  work  of  their  several 
departments.  Immense  quantities  of  water  are  required  through¬ 
out  the  long  rainless  summer  to  keep  the  wide  lawns  in  the 
beautifully  fresh  condition  one  always  finds  them  in.  The  artificial 
lakes,  islands,  and  waterfalls  are  fine  examples  of  the  landscape 
gardener’s  art,  many  suggestions  for  these  having  been  gained 
during  a  tour  Mr.  McLaren  made  on  the  Continent  of  Europe. 
A  drive  with  Mr.  McLaren  to  inspect  his  handiwork  is  an  experi¬ 
ence  not  soon  forgotten,  not  only  on  account  of  the  succession 
of  delights  which  it  affords  from  both  sesthetic  and  botanical 
points  of  view,  but  also  on  account  of  the  pleasant  impression 
one  forms  of  the  strong  yet  genial  pei-sonality  of  this  typical 
pioneer  in  horticulture. 
At  the  exti'eme  opposite  .side  of  the  city  of  San  Francisco, 
and  located,  when  we  were  there,  in  an  establishment  the  very 
revense  of  that  just  described,  was  another  Scotsman  whose 
name  is  one  to  conjure  with  in  California — Mr.  Alex.  Craw,  the 
State  Entomologist.  Mr.  Craw’s  office  was  a  sinajl  and  unpre¬ 
tentious  one  indeed,  situated  close  to  the  docks  which  fringe  the 
land-locked  and  beautiful  bay.  Mr.  Craw  wa.s  trained  to  horti¬ 
culture,  but  on  coming  to  the  West  he  was,  fortunately  for 
position  to  introduce  material  to  experiment  with  from  alt 
quarters  of  the  globe. 
It  is  with  gratification  that  we  look  back  on  our  intercourse, 
short  as  it  was,  with  this  quartette  of  Scoto-Americans.  They 
represent  four  aspects  of  the  profession  of  horticulture,  and 
the  success  attained  in  each  ca.se  is  obviously  associated  with 
early  practical  training.  Horticulture  is  progressing  in  all 
departments  in  the  United  States.  Perhaps  the  most  signifi¬ 
cant  feature  of  its  progress  is  the  splendid  provision  being  made 
for  its  present  and  future  welfare  by  the  institution  of  chairs 
of  horticulture  in  the  Universities.  We  need  only  mention 
Cornell  University,  where  we  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  with 
Professor  L.  H.  Ihiiley.  It  made  the  visit  all  the  more 
memorable  to  be  shown  how  that  monumental  work,  the 
“  Cyclopedia  of  American  Horticulture,”  was  being  produced 
under  his  editoiship.  A  glance  over  its  finished  pages  is  suffi¬ 
cient  to  convince  us  of  the  virility  and  thoroughness  with 
which  the  .science  and  |)ractice  of  horticulture  are  being 
fostered  in  that  go-ahead  country.  To  this  end,  wo  are 
assured,  the  influence  of  Scottish  gardening,  carried  thither  by 
.such  men  as  we  have  spoken  of,  has  contributed  not  a  little. 
.,4^  \ 
Webbs’  Regina  Tomato. 
IVcbh  c£-  Sons. 
California,  led  to  take  up  the  solution  of  problems  of  the  highest 
importance  to  the  State,  namely,  the  checking  of  the  ravages  of 
insect  pests. 
It  is  impossible  to  gauge  the  value  of  Mr.  Craw’s  services 
to  horticulture  in  the  State  of  California.  It  is  clear  that  if 
some  of  the  pests  which  he  has  been  instrumental  in  checking, 
if  not  annihilating,  had  been  allowed  to  spread  and  multiply, 
the  lo.ss  to  the  great  fruit  indu.stries  of  the  West  would  have 
been  very  serious. 
Mr.  Craw  has  a  responsible  task.  He  inspects  all  cargoes 
of  fruit  and  consignments  of  living  plants  from  foreign  parts, 
and  if  he  detects  any  dangerous  insects  on  the.se  he  either 
condemns  the  whole  to  be  thrown  into  the  sea,  or  burned,  or 
arranges  for  fumigation  or  spraying,  according  to  the  nature 
of  the  pest.  Every  precaution  is  also  taken  to  prevent  the 
entrance  of  pests  by  land.  But  Mr.  Craw  has  another  duty, 
to  spread  information  amongst  growers  as  to  methods  of  pre¬ 
vention  and  remedy,  and  to  jjrovide  them  with  active  allies. 
All  and  sundry  are  helped  at  the  expense  of  the  State  to  keep 
the  upper  hand  of  the  insect  hordes.  We  were  greatly 
interested  to  see  the  arrangements  which  Mr.  Craw  had  in  his 
office  for  keeping  up  the  supply  of  the  natural  enemies  of  the 
fruit-growers’  pests,  such  as  lady-bird  larvee  and  the  like,  and 
for  de.spatcliing  the  u.seful  little  creatures  by  post  to 
correspondents. 
Mr.  Craw  i,s  by  no  means  an  isolated  worker.  He  is  a 
potent  factor  in  a  great  organisation,  and  shares  in  the  pro¬ 
gressive  work  which  centres  in  the  Agricultural  Department 
at  Washington.  He  is  thus  brought  into  touch  not  only  with 
the  most  energetic  investigators  in  America,  but  he  is  in  a 
Tomato,  Webb’s  Regina. — It  is  our  iileasure  in  this  place  to 
give  prominence  to  a  variety  of  Tomato  which  Messrs.  ebb 
recommend.  Their  comments  we  give  : — “  This  valuable  Tomato 
is  early  and  very  proliflc ;  it  sets  its  fruit  well  out  of  doors,  and 
also  under  glass,  and  is  therefore  of  the  greatest  service  for  both 
open-air  and  house  culture.  The  fruit  is  smooth,  somewhat 
round  in  shape,  of  beautiful  deep  colour,  and  delicious  flavour.” 
The  illustration  (from  Messrs.  Webb)  is  from  a  photograph  of 
one  of  the  seed  houses  at  Wordsley.  We  learn  that  their  Coro¬ 
nation  Tomato  is  in  great  demand. 
Double  Petunias. — The  Petunia  has  not  yet  caught  the 
full  attention  which  we  think  it  is  going  to  receive.  There 
are  signs  that  as  a  pot  plant  it  is  coming  more  largely  into 
vogue,  and  really  the  named  doubles  are  charming  subjects. 
We  have  cultivated  these  for  spring  and  early  summer  employ¬ 
ment  for  many  years,  and  given  good  light  and  a  careful  appli¬ 
cation  of  the"  watering-can,  neither  allowing  them  to  become 
infested  with  aphides,  fine  sturdy  plants  can  be  hoped  for. 
Two  dozen  distinct  kinds  are  described  in  Kelway’s  Manual. 
Double  Fringed  Begonias. — The  bedding  tuberous  Begonias 
are  now  being  started  again  for  another  season’s  di.splay,  and 
the  selected  tubers  for  pot  culture  are  also  being  placed  into 
position.  Few  flowers  are  lovelier  than  those  of  a  well-grown 
(double)  tuberous  Begonia,  and  they  are  just  the  plants  that 
respond  to  minute  care  and  skill.  It  is,  therefore  a  real  pleasure 
to  undertake  their  culture,  and  bv  the  measure  of  success  one  has 
with  them,  so  may  be  judged  the  skill  of  the  person  as  a  soft- 
plant  culturist.  Named  doubles  of  all  shades  are  now  offered, 
and  we  are  able  to  illustrate  a  good  fringed  flower  from  Messrs. 
Clibran’s  stock,  as  a  type  of  double  Begonia  which,  like  the 
fringed  Anirn’ica’'  C'arua-'ion.  is  liked  by  many  growers. 
