380 



JOUIUJAL OF HOBTlCOIiTUBE AND COTTAGE GAKDENBB. 



[ October 29, 1874. 



gratitude and indebtedaefs ; such testimonial to take the' form 

 of silver forks and spoons. The result of their canvas had been 

 an unallojed success. There had been two ghosts of an alloy, 

 but they vanished almost on the instant of appearance. One 

 gentleman began a letter by denouncing testimonials generally 

 in the strongest terms, but went on in the second page to say 

 that were his objections multiplied a hundredfold, he should 

 still rejcice in the privilege of having had the opportunity to 

 mark by a subscription his great sense of Mr. W. G. Smith's 

 deserts. Another sent a subscription with a letter full of com- 

 plimentary expressions, and concluding with a hope that the 

 forks and spoons might never assist Mr. Smith in conveying to 

 his mouth poisonous Fungi, which might terminate his career 

 of usefulness. The thought might cast a passing shadow, but 

 reflection told him (the President) that if there was a man in 

 Europe who could be trusted to discriminate between edible 

 and inedible Fungi, that man was Mr. "Worthington Smith. In 

 token of their sense of his helpfulness in extending this dis- 

 criminative knowledge, as well as their regard and goodwill, 

 the Club had deputed him on this occasion to present to Mr. 

 Smith the oaken box which he held in his hands, with the plate 

 which it contained, and he begged him to accept it, to quote 

 the language of the superscription, " in pleasant memory of 

 Fnngus-forays, assisted by his experience, illustrated by his 

 pencil, and chronicled by his pen." 



Dr. Bl'll then rose, and after playful allusion to the relative 

 shares of the President and himself in originating this testi- 

 monial — a mystery, like the origination of the Franco-German 

 War — went on to say : — The pleasure of the correspondence had 

 also been shared by myself, for it was indeed a great pleasure to 

 read the cordial kind letters received from the members applied 

 to; and when the lithographed circulars were sent out by our 

 President, every post might ba said to bring in a fork or a 

 spoon, until our friendly gift — originally small in our ideas — 

 had become really a valuable one. Everyone felt that it was a 

 present really deserved from our Club ; and it may be said 

 without hesitation that this feeling will be echoed far and wide 

 through the country. Our Club has done itself honour in giving 

 such kindly expression to their obligation ; and all those who 

 have written to ilr. Smith from all parts of the country, asking 

 the names and other information about Fiinguses, will feel how 

 worthy Mr. Smith is of it. Not to mention the time and patience 

 he has given to all applicants — strangers as well as friends, it 

 must have cost him no small sum in postage stamps alone to 

 reply to them. Our President has not told you how useful that 

 mystical individual, " Our Own Commissioner," was to us. He 

 set to work at once, ornamented the inscription plate with 

 Funguses, and sketched out a design for engraving on the lid 

 of the box. There was not time to carry all this out ; but he 

 insisted — and I fully agree with him — that every fork or spoon, 

 in place of crest, should bear a Fungus on its handle — each a 

 different one, and all of them to be copied from the plates pub- 

 lished in our " Transactions," or to represent the Funguses new 

 to Britain discovered by our Club ; so that the friendly pleasant 

 days he has passed in Herefordshire will be always recalled to 

 him as his eye falls on a deliciosus spoon or procerus fork. 

 So a kindly feeling will pervade his domestic everyday life. 

 [Applause.] 



Mr. "W. G. Smith, who was warmly applauded on rising, said 

 there was one thing which he never could do, and that was to 

 make a speech, but he felt this inability all the more on that 

 occasion, when he was surprised with such unexpected kindness. 

 He had been thinking only that day how much he was obliged 

 by the unvarying attention and courtesy shown to him in Here- 

 fordshire, and he really felt that it was he who ought to make 

 a presentation to the Club rather than the Club to him. He 

 could only add that he prized their splendid gift very highly, 

 and should always feel himself greatly indebted to their kind- 

 ness. [Applause.] 



On the morrow, October 2nd, when the majority of the Wool- 

 hopiaus had gone away, nothing damaged by the fungoid soups 

 and salmis, to their own homes, a staunch and privileged section 

 set out for Garnstone Park, the seat of Major Peploe, M P. The 

 party alighted in front of the modem castellated mansion, built 

 by Nash, and were welcomed cordially by its hospitable pro- 

 prietor. No time, however, was lost in beginning operations, 

 though at times an umbrella or the shelter of a tree was a 

 necessity to the most ardent. The lawns and gardens were 

 first inspected, with an eye primarily to rare Funguses, but not 

 without an interest in the horticultural features which dis- 

 tinguish them. The flower garden is effective and uncommon ; 

 but the chief thing to note at Garnstone, in the lawns and outside 

 of them, is the fine growth both ot Conifers and deciduous trees, 

 which have evidently a very congenial soil and a life entirely to 

 their mind. Visitors of arboricultural tastes could not help 

 lingering behind the foray party to note the Piceas and Pines, 

 Cedars and Junipers df rare sorts, and speculating on the future 

 of a thriving young Picea bracteata, or admiring the grace of a 

 Pinsapo or Nordmanniana. On the croquet lawn, to return to 

 onr chief quest, were found three small rings, and very perfect 



rings too, some 2 feet in diameter, of Hygrophorus russo- 

 coviaceus, scenting the air with a scent as of Eussia leather. 

 Hard by them Mr. Benny found a Fungus new to Great Britain, 

 Kg. tricholoma lixivius, a very interesting plant. Before quit- 

 ting the lawn for the deer park the hunters came upon Clavaria 

 rufti and Hygrophorus Colemannianus in abundance, and in the 

 entrance of a small outbuilding which need not be particu- 

 larised was pointed out a rare instance of Coprinus domesticus. 

 Then the mycologists at length broke away for the hillside at 

 the far end of the deer park. Many and curious species of 

 Cortinarius were met with en route to the hill, from which 

 there was a very fine and panoramic view of West and North 

 Hertfordshire, and the hills that bound it, to say nothing of the 

 sleepy but quaint little town of Weobley, just beyond Garnstone. 

 On the frequent charcoal heaps met with in ascending the hill 

 were found Ag. carbonarius with Ag. pyxidatus and Cantha- 

 rellus radicosus; and, when the ascent was made. Dr. Bull 

 found Ag. Entoloma jubatus, a very rare Fungus, first figured 

 as a British plant in the Woolhope Transactions for 1868. 



It may be noticed generally, as the effect of a very dry season 

 up to three or four weeks ago, that many tribes of Funguses, 

 such as the Boleti, were almost absent. Still B. Laricinus, only 

 known within the last few years, was very abundant. B. elegans 

 and B. fragrans, too, were beginning to appear. The very 

 common .\g. fascicularis was scarcely to be seen, though its 

 intimate relation, sublateritius, was frequent enough. A. (Nau- 

 coria) Cucumis was very common, as also, even more, was the 

 curious Hygrophorus cossus. In many places visited during the 

 week this was noticeable with its odd and goat-like smell, 

 amongst others in an orchard at Stoke Edith, near the station, 

 where a ring of it was found some 8 feet in diameter. Then, 

 again, the great scarcity of all the tree Polypores was remark- 

 able, so much so as, with the other absences we have referred 

 to, to demonstrate the unusual unproductiveness of the season, 

 in a mycological point of view, arising out of the impossibility 

 of mycelium growth taking place in such very dry weather. 



Some such train of thought was passing through at least one 

 mind out of the thirteen or fourteen that visited Garnstone 

 Park, when a summons to return to the mansion interrupted it. 

 Here a handsome luncheon had been provided, to which, after 

 they bad inspected some admirable photographs executed by 

 Major Peploe, the mycologists did thorongh justice. — (Hereford 

 Times.) 



KOYAL JEBSEY AGRICULTURAL AND 

 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The autumnal Exhibition was held in the Vegetable Market, 

 Beresford Street, St. Heliers, on the 14th inst. The fruit in the 

 Apple and Pear classes were superlatively fine, as the weights 

 of a few of the largest varieties will show. The Chanmontel 

 classes were grand examples of the perfection to which this 

 delicious Pear is grown in the island. They were truly wonder- 

 ful fruit, smooth-skinned, evenly-shaped, and of extraordinary 

 weight. The first-prize fifty weighed 59i lbs. Jersey weight, or 

 04i lbs. avoirdupois ; a more evenly selected lot I never saw, and 

 grandly coloured. The Belle de Jersey were immense, the first- 

 prize twenty-five weighing 53 lbs. 9 ozs. avoirdupois, and the 

 first-prize six 20 lbs. 2 ozs., whilst one fruit not in the competi- 

 tion weighed 3 lbs. 18 ozs. 



The better varieties of dessert Pears, to which especial atten- 

 tion is given, were so large as to be scarcely recognisable, sis 

 Beurre Bachelier weighing 8 lbs. were immense fruit. Six 

 General Todtleben vied with the Belle de Jersey for size, but 

 they are not comparable for quality, the former being a first- 

 rate table Pear. Six Beurre Clairgeau, the best dish in the 

 Show, were beautifully coloured and most symmetrical— a truly 

 grand dish, their huge size and bright tints of yellow and red 

 attracting the eye, making visitors involuntarily pause to ad- 

 mire ; their weight was 10 lbs. 8 ozs. The tree from which these 

 magnificent fruit were picked is a wall tree 10 feet high by 7 feet 

 wile. It bore thirty-five fruit, the total weight of which waa 

 56Jlb3. 



The Apples were very fine, and the entries very numerous. 

 Grapes were a bad class. Peaches and Strawberries very fine. 

 Walnuts, Chestnuts, and Medlars very fine. 



As Pears are my hobby you will excuse my not dwelling on 

 the other kinds of fruit, as I fear I could not do them justice, 

 nor to the vegetables, which I believe were also good. The 

 following is a list of the Pears exhibited, with the weights of 

 such as struck me as especially noticeable :— 50 Chanmontel 

 weighed .59 lbs. 12 ozs. ; 25 ditto, 28 lbs. ; 12 ditto, 12 lbs. 8 ozs. ; 

 6 ditto, Gibs.; 25 Beurre d'Aremberg (Glou Mor\-ean) ; 6 drtto, 

 Gibs. 1 ozs. ; Beurre Diel, one fruit, lib. 10 ozs. ; 25 Duchesse 

 d'Angouleme, 28 lbs. ; 12 ditto, 13 lbs. ; 25 Belle de .Jersey, 

 49 lbs. 4 ozs. ; 6 ditto, 20 lbs. 2 ozs. ; 25 Catillac or Pound Pears, 

 40 lbs. ; 25 Doyenne du Cornice, 18 lbs. ; 6 Beurre Clairgeau, 

 10 lbs. 8 ozs. ; 6 Beurre Bachelier, 8 lbs. ; 6 Van Mons Lfion 

 Leclerc. Six fruits of each of the following weighed 9 lbs. 6 ozs. : — 

 General Todtleben, De Tongres, Marie Louise, Duchesse d'Hiver, 



