420 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[October 13, 1888. 



and pass the bye-laws. The Hon. Sec. reported that 

 during the recess he had received an application 

 from the Melbourne Exhibition Commissioners for 

 a representative collection of English grown Apples 

 and Pears to be sent oat to Australia for the Exhi- 

 bition, and that he had arranged to comply with the 

 request immediately after the Chiswick Conference 

 in the hope that many of the exhibitors there would 

 allow their specimens to be sent out to the colony 

 for that purpose. 



The following candidates were duly elected Eellows, 

 viz., Wm. Brooks, W. Dale, P. W. Fairgrieve, M. C. 

 Mitchell, J. K. Whitley, A. N. J. Whitley. 



NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM. 



Floral Committee ; October 10. — Mr. E. Sander- 

 son, President in the Chair ; there being a good at- 

 tendance of members. 



Messrs. W. & G. Drover, nurserymen, Eareham, 

 sent Dorrie. Japanese, a very fine early yellow, in the 

 way of Mr. Garnet, but brighter in colour, and 

 broader in the petal. (Awarded a Eirst-class Certi- 

 ficate of Merit.) 



Mr. E. Molyneux, of Swanmore Park Gardens, 

 Bishop's Waltham, sent some very fine blooms of the 

 grand Japanese named after him, the colour 

 bright vermilion-crimson, with a golden reverse, 

 broad in the petals ; large, full, and very striking. 

 (The Certificate of Merit awarded last year was 

 confirmed.) 



Erom Mr. George Stevens, St. John's Nursery, 

 Putney, came Japanese Anna Eoudier (Delaux), 

 lilac-pink, a little darker than Coquette, very pretty 

 and bright, but not sufficiently distinct. 



Erom Mr. R. Owen, nurseryman, Maidenhead, 

 ■came Japanese, Samuel Henshaw, an incurved 

 fiower in the way of Comte de Germiny, but thinner, 

 pale rose surface to the petals, with a silvery reverse ; 

 one of the earliest to bloom of the Japanese type. 

 Also M. Leveque, deep glowing pink — very pretty, 

 and bright broad petals, said to be a sport from 

 James Salter, but more reflexed and deeper in colour. 

 (Commended.) 



Votes of thanks were awarded to Messrs. H. 

 Cannell & Sons, nurserymen, Swanley, for leaves of 

 Beta chilensis, very varied in colour, and blooms of 

 double Begonias. Also to Mr. R. Owen, for a 

 stand of cut blooms of Japanese Chrysanthe- 

 mums, consisting of Mons. W. Holmes, very fine 

 in colour ; Edward Molyneux. Mons. Dobroul, soft 

 pink, the edges of the long thin petals, blush ; 

 James Salter, Samuel Henshaw, William Cobbett, 

 pink, broad petals ; Miss Burgess, rosy-pink, a re- 

 flexed form, very pretty, in the way of Bouquet Eait 

 which it greatly resembles in form, but with narrow 

 petals, very promising ; Monsieur Leveque, Rose 

 Beauty, cinnamon-pink ; and George Addison (in- 

 •curved), very like the old Lady Talfourd. 



BIRMINGHAM GARDENERS' MUTUAL 

 IMROVEMENT ASSOCIATION. 



The first meeting of the autumn session was held 

 at the Midland Institute on Tuesday evening, 

 October 2, the President, Sir Thomas Martineau, 

 occupied the cbair, and more than 100 members were 

 present. 



The President warmly congratulated the mem- 

 bers upon the great success of the Society, and 

 the excellence of the programme for the autumn 

 session ; he likewise drew their attention to the 

 valuable horticultural education such societies and 

 meeting must be given to the younger members of 

 the profession. He remembered with very great 

 pleasure presiding at the first meeting which was 

 held to inaugurate that Society, inasmuch as it was 

 •one of the most useful and one of the most successful 

 Societies that sprang into existence during the three 

 years of his mayoralty. 



At the close of his remarks, Mr. R. Parker, 

 The Gardens, Impney Hall, Droitwich, gave a 

 practical, instructive, and interesting paper on 

 essential points in connection with the success- 

 ful cultivation of our hardy fruits, and a lengthy 

 discussion followed, which brought out much 

 useful information, and a suggestion from Mr. A. 

 Outram that a record should be kept in the library 

 for the use of the members of such varieties that are 

 known to do well in the district. A unanimous vote 

 of thanks was tendered to Mr. Parker for his valu- 

 able paper; a similar vote was tendered to Sir 

 Thomas Martineau for presiding. The meeting then 

 adjourned till October 16. 



YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS' UNION 

 FUNGUS FORAY. 



The fungus foray of the Yorkshire Naturalists' 

 Union is not an annual event like that of the Wool- 

 hope Club, or Scottish Cryptogamic Society, indeed, 

 it is hardly likely to be until more of the numerous 

 botanists who are widely scattered over the broad 

 shire, pay more attention to the study of fungi. It 

 is seven years since the Union had its last foray — 

 the first ever held in the county, but it can be truly 

 said that more practical work has been done during 

 that period than since the time of James Bolton, of 

 Halifax, one hundred years ago. 



It seems, therefore, that an organised raid on the 

 larger fungi, under competent guidance, can be the 

 means of creating an interest in the study, and there 

 is no doubt that the outcome of the Yorkshire 

 Naturalists' foray, held on September 25, will be the 

 means of giving a further impetus to the study of a 

 much neglected group of plants. In every sense the 

 foray was a success. The hunting ground was 

 everything to be desired, being of a mixed kind 

 and easily accessible ; fungi were abundant, each 

 one was in the best of humour, and this, coupled 

 with beautiful weather, rendered the excursions most 



the examination of the more interesting forms. On 

 this day the public also had an opportunity of seeing 

 a " show " of fungi — a novelty in Yorkshire, hardly, 

 perhaps, so attractive as a flower show, certainly 

 as odorous, if not more so. Even the blind came to 

 see them. Erom our point of view the foray was 

 the most successful ever held in Yorkshire. H. T. 



As already intimated, mycologists in Yorkshire 

 are not a strong body, yet sufficient numbers put in 

 an appearance on the morning of the foray, in spite 

 of the cloudy and threatening sky, enthusiastic 

 enough, to carry out the programme in its entirety. 

 Amongst these were the Rev. W. Fowler, M.A., 

 Mr. G. Massee, F.R.M.S., of Kew, W. Cheeseman, 

 R. Dewhirst, W. West, F.L.S., A. Clarke, C. Cros- 

 land, a few others, and the writer. Two parties were 

 arranged, the larger one under the able guidance of 

 Mr. Massee, to whom the success of the foray is due, 

 investigating the woods of Bramham Park, a mag- 

 nificent spot of nearly 2000 acres — the other scouring 

 the most excellent old Fir woods of Wigton Moor, 

 and the extensive woods (principally Beech) of Hare- 

 wood Park, one of the grandest and most extensive 

 parks in the county. 



Better hunting-grounds could not have been 

 chosen. Both parties collected a large quantity of 

 fungi, and, when the baskets were filled to overflow- 

 ing, drove back to the Leeds Philosophical Hall, the 

 meeting-place, and where the show was to be held. 



It is very easy to collect fungi, when there are any 

 fungi to collect, but to look carefully at every speci- 

 men picked up by a body of men during a day's 

 ramble, in a limited amount of time, as well as 

 several consignments collected a day or two before 

 the meeting, from various parts of the county, was 

 no light task. In fact, Mr. Massee was more than 

 fully employed, and at this particular stage the 

 services of other British mycologists would certainly 

 have been an advantage. It was impossible to get 

 through them all in the time allotted, yet sufficient 

 specimens were laid out to constitute a "show," 

 which was inspected by many members and friends 

 who had been unable to take part in the foray. 



Then the meeting was held, over which the Rev. 

 W. Fowler, MA. presided, and at which Mr. Massee 

 was called upon to give the results of the day's work 

 which he did. Altogether over 200 species had been 

 collected, about forty of which were new to the West 

 Yorkshire flora, and a few others which had not 

 been seen in the Riding since Bolton's time. In 

 the Hymenomycetes, white-spored species largely 

 predominated and especially abundant were the 

 genera Hygrophorus, Russula, and Lactarius. Several 

 of the commonest species, e.g., A. melleus, A. fasci- 

 cularis, &c, were apparently absent or nearly so. 

 Amongst the principal finds were Lactarius aspideus, 

 Er., and Russula cuprea — a species included by Fries 

 under Russula nitida, from which it is readily dis- 

 tinguished by the copper-coloured pileus and rose- 

 coloured stem — both new to Britain. Other species 

 of note were Lactarius aurantiacus, Fr., a really pretty 

 species with a deep orange pileus and stem and de- 

 current gills, a close ally of L. mitissimus, Fr. ; 

 Russula ccerulea, Er. ; R. granulata, Cke. ; Hygro- 

 phorus hypothejus, Er. ; H. Clarkii, Berk.; H. calyp- 

 ptraformis, Berk. ; and many others, that have the 

 merit of being rare. Later in the evening, Mr. 

 Massee gave an interesting address on the " Evo- 

 lution of Fungi," which he dealt with in a masterly 

 and humorous manner. A hearty vote of thanks to 

 Mr. Massee for his address and other services brought 

 the first day's meeting to a close. 



Next day those members (who were not many) 

 who were really desirous of knowing more about 

 fungi again met, and devoted most of the day to 



NATIONAL FRUIT GROWERS' 

 LEAGUE. 



On Tuesday evening last the second Conference of 

 the National Fruit Growers' League was held at St. 

 Albans. The Corn Exchange was utilised for an 

 exhibition of fruits. A meeting of the members was 

 held at the Liberal Club, when papers were read by 

 Mr. Sampson Morgan on '■'■ Fruit-growing for Profit," 

 Mr. A. Bromfield on " Planting of Apple Trees," 

 and by Mr. J. Gray Fleming on " A Proposed New 

 System of Co-operation in Horticulture." Mr. 

 Morgan read a letter from one of the largest fruit 

 growers in the country in refutation of the allegation 

 that fruit culture was unprofitable. He had planted 

 Pippins and other kind of fruit, and at the end of 

 four years raised at the rate of 301b. or 40 lb. a tree. 

 This fruit sold at 20s. per cwt., and as high as 2s. 

 per dozen, showing a return of £75 to £100 per 

 acre. The ex-Mayor of St. Albans, Mr. J. Smith, 

 presided over a public meeting in the evening. The 

 following letter from Mr. Gladstone was read ; — 



" In testimony of my sympathy with the declared 

 purposes of the National Fruit Growers' League, I need 

 only point to my local action here, and my constant 

 endeavours by public declarations to aid in stirring 

 up the public mind, so that it may come to appre- 

 ciate the very great national importance of the 

 questions jointly embraced in the current phrase 

 ' small culture,' whereof fruit-growing is undoubtedly 

 one of the most important to growers, to con- 

 sumers, and to our rural population, whose numbers 

 it should increase, and whose wages it should sustain 

 or improve. — Yours faithfully. 



" Hawarden, Oct. 8." " W. E. Gladstone. 



A resolution was adopted, calling upon the Govern- 

 ment to provide facilities for the encouragement and 

 establishment of small fruit farms as advocated by'the 

 National Fruit Growers' League, by which the Eng- 

 lish labourer might be easily supported by and re- 

 tained upon his native land without pauperisation, 

 relief works, or extraneous methods. Another reso- 

 lution condemned the unpatriotic exportation of the 

 crofters and other agricultural labourers by the ex- 

 penditure of public money for such a purpose in face 

 of the millions of acres of land lying unused in this 

 country, which was a public and crying scandal, 

 calling for an immediate remedy. Times. 



CRYSTAL PALACE. 



October 11, 12, and 13. — The hardy fruit show 

 this season, although not so fine as we have seen it, 

 was an excellent one. Apples were generally clean 

 and well coloured, and Pears were also satisfactory. 

 Several fine exhibits of vegetables also made a good 

 display. The collections of dessert fruit were also of 

 good average quality. 



In the open class, for a collection of Apples, 

 the place of honour was taken by Mr. J. Crans- 

 ton, King's Acre Nursery, Hereford, with re- 

 markably clean, fresh, and sound fruits of fine 

 size. There were eight competitors, and in the 

 collection 150 dishes. Tyler's Kernel, Blenheim 

 Orange, The Queen, King of the Pippins. New Haw- 

 thornden, Grenadier, Gascoigne's Seedling, Peas- 

 good's Nonsuch, Roundway Magnum Bonum, Kirke's 

 Fame, Red Beitigheimer, and many of thp popular 

 sorts, as Warner's King, Stirling Castle, &c, were 

 well represented. Mr. J. Watkins, Pomona Farm, 

 Withington, Hereford, was a capital 2nd, showing 

 grand fruits of Catshead, Ecklinville, Warner's King, 

 Lord Derby, Mere de Menage, Stirling Castle, Tom 

 Putt, Stoke Edith Pippin, Hanwell Souring. Melrose, 

 Duchess of Oldenberg, &c, in all about 150 dishes. 

 3rd, Messrs. Bunyard & Co., Maidstone, with highly- 

 coloured and large fruits — about 150 dishes. 

 Alexander was represented by specially fine samples, 

 and there were also good dishes of Beaumaris 

 Reinette, The Queen, Warner's King, Ecklinville. 

 Reinette de Canada, Duchess's Favourite (fine 

 colour), Lord Suffield, Small's Admirable, Lady 

 Sudely, and Cellini. The same exhibitor also had 

 baskets of Apples, containing some of the finest 



