JOUENAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENES. 



[ July 19, 1877. 



Chronicle, the "Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine," and other 

 periodical publications he was a frequent contributor. In the 

 preparation of most of his great works Mr. Loudon acknow- 

 ledges 'the aid rendered by Mr. Thompson, and especially in 

 the " Encyclopaedia of Gardening " and the " Suburban Hor- 

 ticulturist." He contributed also to the " Penny Cyclopedia," 

 Morton's " Cyclopedia of Agriculture," Maunder's " Treasury 

 ©f Botany," and we believe he was the sole author of the 

 letter-press of the " Pomological Magazine." 



Towards the close of his career a tribute to the services he 

 had rendered to horticulture waB paid to Mr. Thompson, by the 

 presentation of a testimonial, amounting to the sum of £400, 

 raised by public subscription, and on the end of his active 

 services in connection with the Boyal Horticultural Society he 

 retired on full pay. He died on the 7th of September, 1869. 



A portrait — as good as is obtainable — of this excellent gar- 

 dener, able writer, and worthy man will be acceptable to many, 

 especially to the great number of our readers who have profited 

 by his practice and teachings. 



AN ELECTION OF TEA ROSES. 



In your issue for June 28th I observe that Mr. Hinton has 

 again undertaken his labour of love — the Eose election, or 

 rather the exhibition Bose election. I am sure all amateur 

 cultivators of the Eose feel deeply grateful to Mr. Hinton for 

 his great trouble in bringing thus periodically before us the 

 creme de la creme of Flora's queen. I for one return him my 

 most sincere thanks, as I have been profited and greatly in- 

 terested in former elections, so I shall look forward anxiously 

 to the declaration of the poll in the present one. I much 

 wish for an election of those fair jewels the upper ten of our 

 queen's court — viz., Tea Eoses. The question I propose would 

 be, Name the beBt twenty-four exhibition Tea Eoses, marking 

 the twelve hardiest, beBt growers, and freest bloomers. 



Can any of your readers give me their experience of Abel 

 Grand as two-year-old cut-backs ? With me it barely manages 

 to exist after the first year, each shoot after being pruned 

 dying back several inches before pushing a bud, and then in 

 a most weakly manner. The plants are on the Manetti ; my 

 soil being a light sandy loam on gravel. 



Yet another question. Has anyone observed that the shoot 

 on which zinc labels are tied dies ? With me fully seven- 

 tenths of them do so. How is this ? They are tied on quite 

 loosely, some with tarred twine and others with lead wire. — 

 A Tyeo, Co. Down. 



[To this proposition I hardly know how to reply. But firstly, 

 gratefully as to the kind expressions bestowed on past labours ; 

 secondly, hopefully as to the exhibition election, in which I 

 fanoy there will be even harder labour than heretofore, but in 

 which I shall still try to do justice to the queen of flowers ; 

 lastly, in a spirit of procrastination. Acknowledging all the 

 loveliness of the Teas, I feel that I shall have my hands full ; 

 but if spared to try another year, such an election as the one 

 proposed with one of best garden Eoses is what I thought 

 would be useful. 



As to Abel Grand, my experience is that it does not like the 

 Manetti. I should say, Try it on its own roots or on the seed- 

 ling Briar. 



I cannot explain the injuriousness of zinc labels, and cer- 

 tainly have not noticed it. I rarely tie my labels on the plant 

 itself, but on a stick close by. — Joseph Hinioh.] 



WASPS. 

 Wasps are a great annoyance to any person who has fine 

 fruit, for they not only destroy the fruit, but one is not safe 

 in pulling Plums, Apricots, &c, from being stung. I was very 

 much troubled with wasps when gardener to the Earl of 

 Wemyss, but I waged war against them in real earnest, and 

 the fruit was saved. Besides killing all the queen wasps that 

 could be caught in April and May, about the middle of July 

 when the nests were getting Btrong so that there was no diffi- 

 culty in seeing them, during a calm sunny day I went with 

 four men and walked over the plantation and burnsides near 

 to the garden, and as soon as a nest was found a stick with a 

 white rag on it was stuck up, and the following day two men 

 were sent to kill it ; and if thirty nests were destroyed the 

 men took thirty full-sized bottles about half-full of water and 

 plenty of strong match paper made with saltpetre and coarse 

 paper. Sixpence-worth will do for a hundred nests. It is 

 safe to be liberal with the match paper, or the wasps might 



not inhale enough to sicken them ; and on digging out the 

 nest, if they can fly, they will attack anyone near them, but 

 if the digging the nest is carefully done not one wasp will get 

 out. In setting fire to the match and when fairly burning, a 

 bit of turf to keep in the smoke should be put on the hole for 

 three minutes, and then knock them into jelly; and sink a 

 bottle as near the nest as possible quite level with the ground, 

 and the wasps will tumble in at railway speed, and if the nest 

 is not very strong one bottle will hold all the wasps, but in 

 September it will require two bottles. I have seen two crammed 

 and about 1200 in each. The wasps coming in from their 

 work seldom or never attempt to sting, unless the nest is 

 under a bush ; but if a nest is opened and the wasps have not 

 enough of smoke to sicken them, and they happen to come 

 out a retreat is necessary; but if gloves are used and a veil, 

 then one can dig away with impunity. One season upwards 

 of three hundred nests were killed at Gosford. — J. Addison, 

 Ormiston, Edinburgh. 



NEWCASTLE BOTANICAL and HORTICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY'S SUMMER SHOW. 



Afteb a career extending over half a century this Society has 

 latterly exhibited new life, and has given a great impetus to 

 horticulture, in the north particularly, while it has not been 

 without influence in the country generally, for it has secured 

 support from the south as well as the north, and whioh haa 

 enabled the Society to provide the best show ever held in New- 

 castle. The Hon. Secretaries, Mr. Taylor and Mr. Frenoh, are 

 evidently believers in the old French adage that "Heaven 

 helps those who help themselves," and they, with the aid of an 

 able Committee, commenced working in a zealous and withal 

 systematic manner. Their object was to devise a plan which 

 promised to provide a great horticultural display at a moderate 

 charge, and to fix a deserving public institution on a solid 

 foundation. The results have been extremely gratifying, for 

 no less than 1300 new members were enrolled under the new 

 system in less than two months, and at the time of the spring 

 Show the list of members contained about 1500 names. The 

 number has since doubled, and there is at present upwards of 

 3000 members, whose subscriptions yield about £1500. It is 

 pleasing to note that the scope of the Society extends beyond 

 exhibitions, for besides providing three shows annually — in the 

 spring, summer, and autumn, the Society aids the Flower 

 Mission and the Children's Flower Show and Window Garden- 

 ing; and we understand that it contemplates conferring a 

 benefit upon the public by planting in the Leazes Park a con- 

 siderable number of fine trees to be brought from abroad. 



The last and greatest show was held in Leazes Park, and it 

 appears to have been as successf al as it was extensive and well 

 arranged. The plants, &c, were grouped in five marquees, 

 placed parallel to each other, containing 20,000 square feet, and 

 so arranged as to display the oontents of all at one time, except 

 where the view was intentionally broken by Fuohsias and other 

 light and graceful plants. All woodwork was covered with 

 paper, the whole having been handsomely decorated by Messrs. 

 Carnegie & Gullachsen. The flowers, &c, both in quantity and 

 quality, were equal to those seen at the best exhibitions of the 

 year. During tbe two days of the Exhibition there was nearly 

 twenty thousand visitors. Nearly nine thousand persons entered 

 the show ground during the second day. Between noon and 

 four o'clock, when the admission was Is., the amount received 

 at the gates was £70, and the sum realised by the 6d. rate in the 

 course of the evening was £142. On the first day £258 was 

 taken, making a total of £470 paid for admission during the two 

 days. Since Monday week £130 haB been paid by the new 

 members, so that there will be handed to Mr. Councillor Gray 

 (the Hon. Treasurer and also the Chairman of the Society), the 

 sum of £600 which the Society has received within ten days. 

 Tetwhile commanding anincome probably ten times the amount 

 of that which it formerly had at ita disposal, the Society has, 

 of course, increased the value of its premiums to a very great 

 extent. For instance, for a collection of greenhouse plants, to 

 whioh the sum of 7s. dd. was awarded in 1872, £10 is now given, 

 and the total amount of premiums, whioh was formerly perhaps 

 not more than £60, ia for the present Show £550. The general 

 expenses of the Exhibition have also largely increased — the total 

 cost of the Show is estimated at £800, and exceeds the subscrip- 

 tion income ; but a favourable balance is secured by the money 

 paid for admission, whilst the large additions whioh are ex- 

 pected to be made to the membership will, it ia confidently 

 anticipated, place the Sooiety in a sound condition financially. 

 The backwardness of the season in the north of England has 

 retarded the growth of nearly all kinds of plants and flowers. 

 Local exhibitors, though they showed well, were therefore soarcely 

 up to the standard of some former years, and the splendour of 

 the Show was in a great measure due to the numerous entries of 

 floral cultivators in the south. 



