Marcli  31,  1904. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
‘281 
Plants  fi-om  .seed  were  freer  in  growth,  bnt  it  required  longer 
to  form  a  good  plant.  Sowing  may  take  place  in  spring.  Cacti 
could  be  grown  by  amateurs  in  their  greenhouse  of  miscel¬ 
laneous  plants,  and  would  afford  as  much  interest  to  the 
grower  as  the  collection  in  a  l)otanic  garden.  A  hearty  vote  of 
thanks  was  accorded  Dr.  'Wilson  for  his  interesting  paper. — 
AV.  P  . 
Devon  and  Exeter  Gardeners  and  Their  Duties. 
Air.  Slade,  of  the  Poltimore  Gardens,  read  an  interesting 
paper  to  the  members  of  the  Devon  and  Exeter  Gardeners’  Asso¬ 
ciation  at  the  Guildhall,  Exeter,  at  their  latesA  meeting.  It 
dealt  with  “  Gardeners  and  Their  Duties.”  Air.  AVallace  Alackey, 
of  the  Hoyal  Nurseries,  presided.  Air.  Slade  referred  to  the 
National  Gardeners’  Association.  If  such  he  definitely  formed, 
it  should  not,  he  said,  he  confined 
to  head  gardeners,  ljut  be  open  to 
young  members  of  the  craft  who 
aspired  to  higher  positions.  Of 
course,  the  lady  gardener  would 
press  her  claim  to  he  admitted  as  a 
member  of  such  an  association. 
There  was  a  great  difference 
between  the  man  who  walked  about 
a  garden  with  a  spade  on  his 
shoulder  and  one  who  had  charge  of 
a  number  of  men  and  the  resposi- 
sibilities  of  an  extensive  garden. 
The  latter  needed  a  knowledge  of 
botany,  chemistiy  of  the  soil,  land- 
.scape  work,  ai-boricultiu’e,  and  the 
management  of  men.  As  to  a  gar¬ 
dener’s  duties  they,  of  course, 
depended  to  some  extent  on  the 
position  held.  One  of  the  chief 
duties  of  the  head  gardener  was  to 
find  out  his  emiffoyer’s  wants, 
wi.shes,  and  tastes,  and  then  satisfy 
them  to  the  best  of  his  ability.  The 
tastes  and  wishes  of  an  employer 
should  be  anticipated.  The  gardener 
should,  therefore,  have  a  ccitain 
amount  of  discretionary  power. 
Another  duty  of  the  gardener  was 
to  keep  himself  thoroughly  up-to- 
date,  and  become  acquainted  with 
the  best  varieties  and  methods  of 
production.  He  should  endeavour 
now  and  again  to  grow  something 
that  would  come  as  a  pleasui’able 
surprise  to  his  employer.  This 
would,  of  course,  give  extra  work, 
hut  that  ought  to  be  readily 
undertaken.  Another  duty  was  to 
carefully  plan  and  arrange  work 
fully  twelve  months  in  advance.  This  needed  forethought.  He 
warned  young  gardeners  that  the  survival  of  the  fittest  would 
apply,  possilily,  more  in  the  future  than  in  the  pa.st.  Therefore 
eveiy  junior  should  sti'ive  to  make  himseif  efficient  and  always 
endeavour  to  learn  something  more.  At  the  close  a  hearty  vote 
of  thanks  was  accorded  Air.  Slade  for  his  useful  paper 
In  the  competition  for  the  be.st  head  of  Broccoli  the  first 
prize  was  awarded  to  Air.  Charley,  of  the  AVonford  House  Gar¬ 
dens;  Air.  Bogers,  of  Barley  House,  and  Air.  Ford,  of  Fair 
Bark,  being  placed  equal  .seconds. 
Cardiff  Gardeners— Annual  Meeting. 
The  annual  general  meeting  of  the  Cardiff  Gardeners’  Asso¬ 
ciation  took  place  at  the  Grand  Hotel  on  Tue.sday,  Alarcli  22, 
Air.  H.  R.  banner  pre, siding  over  a  large  attendance.  Air. 
Alalpa.ss,  lion,  treasurer,  produced  the  balance-sheet,  and  stated 
that  the  funds  were  better  at  the  pre.sent  time  than  they  had 
been  in  previous  year.a,  and  a  good  balance  stood  to  the  ciedit 
of  the  a.ssociatioii.  The  same  was  unanimously  adopted,  'the 
non.  .secietary  gave  his  report  upon  the  work  of  the  past  year. 
In  doing  so,  he  said  that  the  average  attendance  per  mei  ting 
had  been  the  highest  on  record.  The  series  of  lectures  had  lecn 
the  very  be.st  to  date.  The  chairman  also  made  a  brief  speech, 
referring  to  the  hearty  co-operation  of  the  committoe  aiul 
members,  and  thanked  them  cordially  for  a.ssi.sting  him  in 
caiijing  out  a  record  year  s  nork.  The  following  officers  were 
afterwards  re-elected  for  the  en.suing  year; — President  J. 
Lynn  Thomas,  Esf|.,  C.B.,  F.H.C.S.,  d.P.  ;  vice-presidents,’  the 
whole  list;  lion,  trea.snrer.  Air.  Thomas  Alalpa.ss;  hon.  secretary, 
elected  chairman,  and  AlV’ 
r.  Waller  vice-chairman,  and  eight  influential  gentlemen  to 
sei  ve  on  committee.  A  otes  oi  thanks  were  accorded  the  retiring 
othcers  and  Press  for  their  services  during  the  past  season.  It 
was  also  pas.sed  to  have  the  annual  outing  in  the  beoinnino'  of 
August  next.— J.  J. 
BirmiDgliam— Parasitic  Plants. 
In  his  recent  address  before  the  Birminghaiu  Gardeners’ 
Association.  Dr.  A.  H.  Reginald  Buller  gave,  amongst  his 
illustrations  of  flowering  parasites,  one  of  Rafflesia  Arnoldi,  whose 
flowers  measure  fully  3ft  in  diameter,  are  capable  of  containing 
about  2galls  of  fluid,  sometimes  weigh  101b,  and  are  the  largest 
of  all  known  blosoms.  It  was  disco\  ered  in  1818  by  Dr.  Arnold. 
Sir  Stamford  Raffles,  at  that  time  Governor  of  Bencooloii,  was 
on  a  tour  in  the  interior  of  Sumatra,  accompanied  by  Lady 
Raffles,  Dr.  Arnold,  and  others,  when  the  party  alighted  upon  a 
flower  of  enormous  size,  mere  than  a  yard  across.  Descriptions 
and  drawings  of  this  vegetable  prodigy  were  smit  to  this  country, 
and  the  plant  was  named  by  the  celebrated  Robert  Brown  in 
honour  of  its  discoverers.  Since  then  several  other  species  have 
been  discovered,  but  none  of  equal  size  with  that  just  mentioned. 
Apple,  Golden  Russet. 
The  true  Rafflesias  have  no  proper  stems  or  leaves,  but  consist 
solely  of  flowers,  varying  in  diameter  from  2in  or  3in  to  as  many 
feet,  enveloped  at  the  base  by  a  few  bluish  or  brownish  scales, 
and  emerging  from  the  roots  and  trunks  of  various  species  of 
Cissus.  The  unexpanded  flower  buds  in  R.  Arnoldi  are  roundish, 
and  resemble  a  olo.'^e  Cabbage  in  shape.  Tlie  perianth  is  flesh- 
coloured  and  mottled,  and  has  a  .scent  of  tainted  meat,  by  which 
insects  are  attracted,  hence  serving  the  purposes  of  pollination. 
This  is  probable,  as  the  stamens  and  pistils  are  in  different 
flowers,  contained  in  the  deep,  cup-shaped  perianth.  It  is  said 
that  this  parasite  develops  its  flowers  at  a  season  when  the  leaves 
and  flowers  of  its  host  (the  Cissus)  have  withered.  Astringent 
and  styptic  properties  have  been  assigned  by  the  Javanese  to 
these  singular  plants,  and  a  smaller  species,  R.  Patma,  whose 
flowers  are  Ibin  to  2ft  in  diameter,  i,s  highly  prized  as  a  medicine 
and  for  its  strong  stypic  powers.  R.  Horsefeildi,  another 
Javanese  species,  is  still  smaller,  its  flowers  being  only  Sin  broad. 
Dr.  Buller  exhibited  a  photographic  slide,  also  sections  of  one 
of  the  hosts  of  the  Alistletoe,  showing  the  cellular  systems  of  the 
two  plants  thus  come  into  contact,  though  no  direct  communica¬ 
tion  takes  place  between  their  vessels. 
The  demonstrations  thus  presented  by  the  lecturer  of  the 
mystic  and  ever-interesting  parasitic  .shrub,  of  Yule-tide  fame, 
evoked  the  enthusiasm  of  the  audience.  Apropos  of  the  variety 
of  trees  laid  under  contribution  by  the  Ali.stletoe  for  its  propaga¬ 
tion,  it  is  stated  that  it  has  been  rarely  found  upon  the  Oak  (hence 
the  veneration  accorded  by  the  Druids  when  .so  found,  and  the 
ceremonious  and  solemn  rite  of  cutting  it  off  the  host  with  a 
golden  sickle  or  knife).  It  is  recorded  that  Air.  Ingram,  the  first 
royal  head  gardener  at  Frogmore,  AYindsor,  attempted  to  pro¬ 
pagate  the  Alistletoe  upon  a  large  variety  of  trees  in  AA’indsor 
Park,  and  with  .some  considerable  success,  on  the  Oak,  specimens 
of  which  are  still  existing. 
A  peculiarity  regarding  the  fruiting  of  the  Ali.stletoe  is  the 
absence  of  berries,  so  frequently  to  be  observed  in  large  bunches 
