190 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



March 9, 1912. 



own account, and this he continues, chiefly 

 on -wholesale lines. Dahlias and chrysan- 

 themums are special favourites, and of 

 th^ he has a wide and intimate know- 

 ledge, and annually raises immense sttx ks 

 of these popular flowers. He has been 

 chiefly instrumental in bringing the col- 

 larette dahlias before the public, and from 

 the first has believed in the future of this 

 section. Mr. Riding is a staunch advocate 

 of dahlias for garden deeo ration, ami in 

 this and other directions his own optimism 

 becomes infectious. He has a seat on both 

 the Executive and Floral Committees of the 

 National Chrj^santhemum Society, and is 

 an irrepressible member of the National 

 Dahlia Society's governing body. As a 

 writer for the horticultural Press Mr. 

 Riding has had a long and wide experience, 

 his first article appearing when he was 

 seventeen years of age. To our own pages 

 he is a frequent contributor. Mr. Riding 

 is a capable lecturer on horticultural sub- 

 jects, and in this connection has acted as 

 assistant lecturer under both the Surrey, 

 Essex, and Kent County Councils, and, as 

 ]iuts it. lias "Mectured in all sorts of 

 ]»la<r.s, irom ])iihlic-bouses to churches." 

 For< il)h' ot sjuMH-h, of genial temperament, 

 generous to a fault, and a born optuuist, 

 ^Ir. Ridino: has a wide circle of friends, 



of two years at a wage of 30s. per week, 

 and one day was told that his services w^ere 

 no longer required, no reason being stated, 

 and was given a week's notice. He claimed 

 a months notice, or w^ages in lieu thereof. 

 Mr. Spyer gave him another week's -wages, 

 and the claim, as stated, w\as for the 

 balance. In view of the importance of the 

 principle involved the plaintiff was repre- 

 sented by counsel, and the case was argued 

 at some length. In giving judgment Judge 

 Selfe stated that, in his view, the weekly 

 payment of wages was presumption of 

 weekly hiring, and he failed to see that 

 the plaintiff w^as entitled to a month's 

 notice, or wages in lieu thereof ; also that 

 the cL stoni referred to by the plaintiff's 

 witnasses was not sufficiently known to de- 

 serve recognition. He accordingly gave a 

 verdict for the defendant. The counsel for 

 the plaintiff asked leave to appeal, but this 

 was refused. In all the cases that have 

 come under our notice the decision has been 

 the other way, and it is, therefore, unfor- 

 tunate that leave to appeal was refused, 

 because tbei'o is now no opportunity of 

 the association obtaining the decision of the 

 Court of Appeal on the question. Leave to 

 appeal is necessary w^hen a contract is in 

 question, and the claim is for a sum less 

 than £20. 



and deserves every bit of the popularity he The United Horticultural 



tnjoys. 



Attempt on the Life of Mr. 

 Leopold de Rothschild. — The at- 

 tempt that was made on iVIonday evening to 

 shoot Mr. Leopold de Rothschild as he was 

 leaving his offices in New Square was a gen- 

 eral subject of conversation among horti- 

 culturists present at the exhibition of the 

 Royal Horticultural Society on Tuesday; 

 and rnauv wi^v the expressions of gratitude 

 tliat he slH)uhl have escaped un:njure<l. 

 Mr. Leopold de Rothschild is so keen a 

 lior ticidturist^ and so generous a supporter 

 ot all that tends to the advance of garden- 

 ing ami of the charities connected therewith, 

 tliat tluM-e is no <XK?asion for surprise that 

 the de})lorable occur lence should have 

 oked the warmest expression of sympathy 

 for him in horticult^iral as in other circles. 



nefit a.nd Provident Society 



hokls its annual meeting at the Royal Hor- 

 ticultural Hallj AVestmmsterj on Monday, 

 iMarch 11, at eight p.m. Mr. C. H. Ourtis 

 will pi eside. The meeting slioidd prove a 

 very interesting one^ in view of the changes 

 that nuist necessarily be made owing to 

 the passing of the National Insurance Bill. 



Botanical Institute for South 



London. — The South London Botanical 

 Institute, at 323^ Norwood Road. S.E., was 

 informally opened to the public on the even- 

 ing of February 28 with a lecture on Folk 

 Lore Connected with Familiar Wild 



Flowers/' by Mr. W. H 

 of the herbarium. The 



Griffin, keeper 

 institiite. wdiose 



and Flowers 



nardslee.— Mr. W. A. Cook, gardener 

 to Sir Edmund Loder, Bart., Leonardslee, 

 Horsham, writes : "In spite of the 20 de- 

 grees of frost experienced recently on the 

 grass, and 16 degrees in the screen, Erica 

 lusitanica is quite uninjured and flowering 

 as freely as ever. Camellia l)looms that were 

 expandiqg were siK)ilt, but the unopene<l 

 buds are now expanding well, and in a few 

 days w^e shall hai'o thousands of blooms out 

 in the open. Narcissus ])alidus preecox 

 opened its first bloom on iM^ln uary 15; N. 

 minimus is quite gay, and has l>een for some 

 time. Very little damage appears to have 

 been flone by the frost amonst clioiee trees 

 ami shrubs. Daphne japonica iseharmingon 

 a south wall, and Rhododemlron pra^cox 

 fast openmg its flowers, and will be a fine 

 sight in a few days. R. parviflora has re- 

 covered from the frost, and Edgworthia 

 chrysanthia is fast unfolding its blooms. 



Gardeners' Notice to Leave.— 



A case of interest to gardeners was heard 

 at the Marylebone County Court a short 

 time since, its importance being aocen- 

 tuated by the fact that the decision of the 

 Judge -differed from those that have 

 bet-?i i:i\ en in similar cases. The case, ac- 

 cor<iini' to the '^Journal" of the British 



collection lias been the w^ork of some year>s, 

 is the gift to South London of Mr. A. O. 

 Hume, C.B., who has been a distinguished 

 Indian Civil Servant, and w^as for many 

 years Secretary of the Department of Agri- 

 culture. Shortly after his retirement and 

 return to England in 1899, Mr. Hume took 

 up the study of botany as a reereation, and 

 the whole of the large collection of dried 

 plants in the institute is wholly due to his 

 exertions. It is hoped that the institute 

 will prove useful to botanical students in 

 South London by ])rnviding a centre where 

 specimens, help, and advice are afforded to 

 students and visitors. 



The Coal Strike, which has en- 

 gaged so much attention for some time, 

 has hecome general sinc(^ the publication 

 of our last issue, aiul its terrible effects on 

 industries of all kinds is now heing felt 

 in all parts of the kingdom. The effects 

 of the strike may not yet have been seri- 

 ously felt by those engaged in commercial 

 horticulture, but there can be no question 

 as to their being such as to prove disastrous 

 to them shord<l the strike be h^ng continue<l. 



Messrs. J. Cheal and Sons, 



Lim-— Messrs. J. Cheal and Sons, Crawley, 

 have, for family reasons, formed their busi- 

 ness into a private company, under the 

 Limited Liability Act. The business was 



(•ardenors' Association, was a <*laim by Mr. 

 Lr\\<MHl(Mi. a lucMilxM* of the association, for 

 a f(irtn:ght"s wag*'s. amoiuiting to £3. in 



Mr. Lewendon had been 

 bo Mr. Spyer during a periml 



lieu of notiee. 



established in 1871. and the nurs*^ries were 

 contmcncrd on ground at Lowfield Heath, 

 on a iK)rtion of the common, and had an 

 area of forty-five acres. The hnnl was 

 purcliasivl by th** late Mr. John Cheal on 

 th** <Micl<>surc oi tht* common about sixty 

 vears ago. Ttic business has from the first 



shown steady and continuous progress, and 

 the landscape department has now become 

 an important branch, as the result of the 

 high reputation enjoyed by the firm for the 

 designing and laying out of public and pri- 

 vate gardens- The objects of the formation 

 of the company are the facilitating family 

 arrangements J the establishment of the 

 business on a firm basis, and provision for 

 its further growth. The directors are 

 Messrs. Joseph and Alexander Cheal^ who, 

 with their late father ^ founded the busi- 

 ness, with Messrs. Ernest and Arthur Cheal, 

 sons of Mr. Joseph Cheal, who have for 

 many years taken an active part in the 

 management^ and Mr. Reginald Dann, 'vho 

 has during the past eleven years been con- 

 nected with the landscape department. We 

 understand that all the ordinary and a 

 portion of the preference shares are held 

 by the directors, and that a few of the latter 

 are being subscribed for by others. 



Crimson Sweet Peas.— Mr. A. 



Malcolm, ohaiirman of the National Sweet 

 Vvd Society's Floral Committee in 1911, 

 writes : ' ' The Gabdenees' Magazine of 

 January 27 w"a.s remarkable for the very 

 beautdful illustrations of ,sweet peas; they 

 were dharniing. I noticed in Mr. T. Steven- 

 son^s article ;j comparison between Maud 

 Holmes and Dobbies Sunproof Crimson, 

 the former being favoured. In the struggle 

 for *iupremacy tlie Wt-named gained the 

 unanimous vote of the Floral Committee, 

 when tbe two were growing side by side, 

 ^tr. Steven-son admits there i^ little to 

 clioose between the two. I would like to 

 see varieties of superlative merit, but wlucli 

 fail to secure awards, valued by means of 

 a sliding scale of votes, using seven as a 

 maximum, a.nd three as a mininuun; all 

 bolow the latter would ibe in a hopeless 

 position." 



Kent Commercial Fruit Show. 



— At the recent meeting of the Kent Com- 

 mercial Fruit Show Association^ held at 

 Maidstone, Mr. M. J. R. Dunstan, Prmci- 

 pal of Wye College, presiding, it was de- 

 cided to hold the next show at Maidstone 

 during the last week in October, to throw 

 open the majority of the larger classes to 

 fruit growers in Great Britain, and to in- 

 troduce several fresh classes, especially tor 

 pears. Mr. F. S. W. Cornwallis 

 elected president, in succession to Lord 



ked 



Northbourne, who was cordially than 

 for his services during the past year. 



National Dahlia Society.-I" 



stead of holding two exhibitions, as tor 

 some years past, the National Dahlia 

 Society will this year concentrate its ettorts 

 on the great show that it wnll hold at tne 

 Crystal Pahu-e on vSeptember 17 and 18. 

 schedule, wh'ch is now being issued, is niore 

 ('ompr*^lieiisiv(' than in any previous ye:u • 

 and, with a view to give the fullest P^^^" 

 sible enoouragement to amateurs, the ^^^^^ 

 have been increased, and arranged 

 sections. The classes in the first of the 

 tions is open to all amateurs and gent ^ 

 ineii's gard(^ners, the second to aniatei ^ 

 who grow their dahlias unaxled or a'*^ 



al help, and the third to those wno 

 have not won a prize at any previous e 

 hibition held by the society. Ample p^^^ 

 visions are made in both the amateur 

 trade divisions for cactus, show, lii"J^| 

 single, and pompon dahlias; and, in a ' 



tion, chisses are ]>rovided for giant, ^ 

 rative. pteony-llowered, and collarette v 



ties. In addition to the cash prizes in 

 forty-(^ight class(^s, five silvej' .^^p 

 cups, ranging in value from Co to L- -^'^^^^ 

 off<M*e<l tor i ()in|>('t ition . (-ivt^n a ^'^^^^^^^ 

 i\h\o svA>(m, tho e\liil>ition should he 

 of the lM^st the society has heUl withm 



occasion 



