250 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[September 1, 1888. 



Mr. Alexander Grigor, gr. to Mr. A. 0. Gill, of 

 Fairfield, Aberdeen, had a fine display. A little 

 further on was a fine collection of horticultural pro- 

 duce by Mr. John Proctor, gr. to Mr. Henderson, 

 Lord Provost of Aberdeen. It was a mixed collec- 

 tion, and included Palms, Crotons (fine in colour), 

 and Orchids in bloom. There was also a pretty 

 Clianthus Dampieri, one of the best specimens that 

 could be produced. In Mr. Proctor's collection of 

 six stove or greenhouse plants were a Clerodendron 

 Balfouriana, particularly well flowered ; a beautiful 

 Eucharis amazonica, and a fine Palm. A table of 

 flowers by Messrs. Smith & Son, seedsmen, Aberdeen, 

 was a great attraction. It contained a selection of 

 herbaceous flowers, also Gladioli, Roses, and Car- 

 nations, besides many choice and valuable stove 

 and greenhouse plants. 



Amateurs. — In the class for the cut blooms 

 were very fair considering the conditions under 

 which they were raised and the backward season. 

 Dahlias were poor and nothing like what is 

 generally found at this show ; the Stocks, Pansies, 

 and Hoses were, however, very good, and the Car- 

 nations were well marked though scarcely so good as 

 they would have been with finer weather. 



Nurserymen. — In this division the judges had 

 some difficulty in deciding who had the best selec- 

 tion of blooms of Tea Roses, Messrs. D. & W. Croll, 

 Dundee, and Messrs. Cocker & Son, Aberdeen, being 

 the only competitors. Both had good displays, but the 

 1st prize fell to the latter. Among his flowers 

 Grace Darling and Vicomtesse Polkstone were par- 

 ticularly noticeable. Messrs. Croll's included fine 

 blooms of Madame Lambard, Rubens, and The 

 Bride. Messrs. Cocker also took 1st prize forH.P.'s ; 

 the blooms, however, were generally over-blown, 

 here again, Messrs. Croll came in 2nd. 



The Dahlias were a fair display in this division, 

 and Messrs. Croll, Dundee, took 1st place. 



There was a very fair display of Marigolds (varied), 

 Asters, and Stocks, the latter being very good. 

 Anongst the prize takers for French Marigolds and 

 cut Roses, Mr. W. Murdock, whose exhibits were 

 raised within the City Hospital grounds, secured a 

 creditable position, being 1st and 3rd in each. Of 

 the cut flowers of herbaceous plants there was a 

 very fine show. 



The table plants in pots, the 1st prize for which 

 wjnt to Mr. Malcolm, Montrose, were well coloured, 

 strong and healthy. There were also, finely-bloomed 

 specimens of Petunias, shown by Mr. Grigor, Pair- 

 field ; and Begonias by Mr. R. Hall Belhelvia. 



In addition to the plants, flowers, and fruit for 

 competition were two stands near the entrance by 

 Messrs. B. Reid & Co., Aberdeen; and Messrs. 

 Cjcker for exhibition. On these were artistically 

 displayed branches of Tea Roses, herbaceous plants, 

 Pinks, and fine healthy examples of various stove 

 and greenhouse foliage and blooming plants. 



Fruit. — The display of fruit was a fine one. Red 

 Currants and Strawberries were particularly good. 

 Grapes were not so good generally, but the collection 

 sent by Mr. W. H. Lumsden, of Balmedie, was very 

 fine, the largest bunch weighing 10^- lb. 



The fete, as stated above, was favoured with beau- 

 tiful weather, and in the evenings large crowds 

 visited the grounds, the total proceeds amounting 

 to £262 5s. U. 



The Weather. 



THE PAST WEEK. 



The following summary record of the weather for 

 the week ending Aug. 27, is furnished from the 

 Meteorological Office : — 



" The weather has been unsettled and rainy over the 

 western, north-western, and extreme northern parts 

 of the kingdom, but elsewhere the conditions have 

 been fairer, and the rainfall less heavy and frequent. 

 Some thunder and lightning were experienced in 

 many parts of Great Britain, as well as at a few of the 

 Irish stations. 



" The temperature has been a little above the mean 

 i l Ireland, Scotland, and the north-east of England, 

 aid about equal to it in ' England, S.W.,' and the 

 ' Channel Islands,' but in the other English districts 

 a slight deficit is shown. The height of the maxima, 

 which were recorded either on the 24th or 25th, 

 varied from 68° in ' England, N.W.,' to 74° in 

 'Scotland, N.,' and 75° in 'England, E.,' and 

 ' England, S.' The lowest of the minima, which 

 were registered on the 23rd in Scotland, and on 

 irregular dates over England and Ireland, varied 



from 45° in ' England, N.W.,' ' Ireland, S.,' and at 

 some _ of the Scotch stations, to 50° in ' England, 

 S.W.,' and to 56° in the ' Channel Islands.' 



" The rainfall has been rather more than the mean 

 over Ireland and in the north of Scotland, but less 

 in most other districts, especially over the south of 

 England and in the ' Channel Islands.' 



" Bright sunshine shows a decided decrease over 

 Scotland, but in most parts of England and in the 

 south of Ireland it has been more prevalent than it 

 was last week. The percentage of the possible 

 amount of duration ranged from 24 to 29 in Scot- 

 land, from 34 to 47 in Ireland, and from 27 to 41 

 over England. In the 'Channel Islands' the per- 

 centage was 47." 



[Accumulated temperature indicates the combined amount and 

 duration of the excess or defect of temperature above or 

 below 32° F. for the period named, and is expressed in Day- 

 degree — a "Day-degree" signifying 1° continued for 

 twenty-four hours, or any other number of degrees for an 

 inversely proportional number of hours.] 



©Sntttarg 





Temperature. 





Above or 

 below the 



Mean for 

 the week 



ending 



Aug. 27. 



Accumulated. 



Districts. 



II 





lis 



3^ 



■§.1=3 



-O TO CO 



if 



Principal Wheat pro- 

 ducing Districts. 





Day- 



deg. 



Day- 

 deg. 



Day- 

 deg. 



Day- 

 deg. 



0. Scotland, N. ... 



1 above 



97 







— 214 



+ 201 



1. Scotland, E. ... 



2 above 



108 







— 383 



+ 157 



2. England, N.E. ... 



2 above 



118 







— 406 



+ 73 



3. Enoland, E. ... 



1 below 



125 







— 323 



+ 154 



4. Midland Cos. ... 



1 below 



118 







— 383 



+ 150 



5. England, S. 



1 below 



127 







— 421 



+ 204 



Principal Grazing, &c, 

 Districts. 













6. Scotland, W. ... 



2 above 



113 







- 277 



+ 107 



7. England, N.W... . 



1 below 



115 







— 313 



+ 117 



8. England, S.W.... 



(aver.) 



120 







— 392 



+ 254 



9. Ireland, N. 



1 above 



113 







— 247 



-1- 67 



10. Ireland, S. 



1 above 



121 







— 226 



+ 113 



— Channel Islands 



(aver). 



133 







— 308 



+ 154 





Rainfall. 



Bright 

 Sunshine. 



Districts. 



Ik 









Igi 



2 O g 



Principal Wheat-pro- 

 ducing Districts. 



Tenths of 

 Inch. 





Ins. 







0. Scotland, N. ... 



3 more 



153 



24.1 



29 



30 



1. Scotland, E. ... 



1 less 



136 



19.8 



24 



30 



2. England, N.E. ... 



2 less 



126 



17.9 



28 



26 



3. England, E. ... 



(aver.) 



128 



16.8 



32 



28 



4. Midland Cos. ... 



1 less 



118 



16.5 



31 



27 



5 England, S. 



3 less 



119 



17.7 



31 



28 



Principal Grazing, &c. , 

 Districts. 













6. Scotland, W. ... 



3 less 



129 



27.7 



26 



:2 



7. England, N.W. ... 



2 more 



129 



189 



27 



29 



8. England, S.W.... 



(aver.) 



134 



22.1 



41 



34 



9. Ireland, N. 



4 more 



135 



24.5 



34 



28 



10. Ireland, S. 



2 less 



123 



24.9 



47 



33 



— Channel Islands 



3 less 



147 



19.8 



47 



38 



MEAN TEMPEEATURE OBSERVED AT CHISWICK DUR- 

 ING THE WEEK ENDING SEPT. 8. (AVERAGE OF 

 FORTY-FOUR YEARS.) 



PHILIP Henry GOSSE.— We regret to announce 

 the death of Mr. Philip Henry Gosse, F.R.S., which 

 occurred at his residence, St. Marychurch, Torquay, 

 on the 23rd ult. This distinguished zoologist was 

 born at Worcester in 1810. He went out in a mer- 

 cantile capacity to Newfoundland, where he occupied 

 his leisure in collecting insects. After a residence 

 of eight years in Newfoundland, Mr. Gosse visited 

 Lower Canada, where for three years he specially 

 devoted himself to the study of zoology and ento- 

 mology. He afterwards travelled through the United 

 States, and resided for about a year in Alabama, 

 making a large collection of drawings of insects, 

 especially the fine lepidoptera of that region. After 

 his return to England in 1839, Mr. Gosse published 

 a general synopsis of his investigations, under the 

 title of The Canadian Naturalist (1840). In 1844 

 he visited Jamaica, and spent eighteen months in the 

 study of zoology, and issued on his return the result 

 of his researches in Tlie Birds of Jamaica, and A 

 Naturalist's Sojourn in Jamaica. During the next 

 few years he devoted himself especially to the micro- 

 scopic study of the British rotifera, and took a pro- 

 minent part in the formation of public and private 

 collections of marine animals, Mr. Gosse was for 

 many years a correspondent of this journal, and took 

 especial interest in Orchids, of which he grew a 

 collection. He leaves an only son, Mr. Edmund 

 Gosse, the well-known literary critic. 



Variorum. 



Sept. 2 



„ 3 ... 



... 59°.8 

 ... 59°.6 



Sept. 6 



„ 7 



.. 59°.3 

 .. 59°.l 



., 4 ... 



,, 5 ... 



... 69°.5 

 ... 59<U 



„ 8 



Meun for the week 



.. 59°.0 

 .. 59°.4 



Wounds of Fruit Trees. — Sometimes a 

 large limb of a tree has been broken, and must be 

 sawn off, or severe pruning seems called for through 

 other causes. In such cases it is important that the 

 wound occasioned by the knife shall be protected 

 from the damaging effects of the weather by the 

 application of some protecting or healing substance 

 uutil new wood has time to form over it. Gum 

 shellac dissolved in alcohol is generally used for this 

 purpose ; but a more effective material can be made 

 as follows : — Melt a pound of common resin over a 

 slow fire, adding to it meantime an ounce of beef 

 tallow, and stir all well together ; then take from 

 the fire, and when the whole has partly cooled mix 

 with it a teaspoonful of spirits of turpentine, and in 

 a few minutes stir in a few ounces of 95 per cent, 

 alcohol. Care should be taken to prevent the 

 alcohol taking fire, and for this reason the kettle 

 should be moved to a distance from the stove, and 

 on no account should this mixture ever be made in 

 the evening, when there is a danger that a lamp may 

 be brought near it during the process. The com- 

 pound should be carefully and thoroughly stirred 

 until it becomes a homogeneous mass of the con- 

 sistency of honey. Keep it for use in a large- 

 mouthed bottle. Then in pruning trees, or when- 

 ever they have been cut in any way, coat each wound 

 well with this preparation. It will stop the flow of 

 sap, and hasten the complete healing of the wound. 

 Mildura Irrigationist . 



A TRADE CENSUS.— Mr. Myrick, at the Detroit 

 Convention of Nurserymen, urged the preparation of 

 a "census," or report of nursery stock, made up of 

 reports from the different producers, which would 

 tend to prevent over or under production in any par- 

 ticular line. He took the ground that growing stock 

 should not be taxed ; that there should be a com- 

 prehensive revision of fruit literature, to keep pace 

 with the times ; that great attention should be paid 

 to nomenclature, and that proper names should be 

 selected for new fruits ; that a standing committee 

 to co-operate with the Department of Agriculture 

 and the State experimental stations should be ap- 

 pointed ; that short practical papers should be made 

 a leading feature of all meetings ; that business and 

 Association matters should not be allowed to conflict, 

 and that to this end the exhibition hall and the 

 meeting hall should be kept separate, and that both 

 should not be open at the same time. 



