854 



GA RDENERS' MA GAZINE. 



December 24, 1898. 



Exhibitions and Meetings. 



ANCIENT SOCIETY OF YORK FLORISTS. 



The annual dinner of this ancient and flourishing society was held at the 

 White Swan, York, on the 16th inst., when as is customary there was a large 

 muster of members and friends. Alderman McKay, J. P., presided, and was 

 supported by the Lord Mayor of York and the Sheriff of York and other notabili- 

 ties of the city. After the loyal and some other toasts had been given, and had 



met with a hearty reception, 



The Lord Mayor proposed " The Ancient Society of York Florists," and said 

 that he was always deeply interested in the work it was doing. He occupied the 

 position of vice-president of the Grand Yorkshire Gala Committee, and it was a 

 genuine pleasure to know that the two societies were such unqualified successes in 

 the city. The work which the florists were doing was totally different to that of 

 the Grand Yorkshire Gala, and he maintained that there was ample room in the 

 city for the continuance of that good work, and he was glad to find that the 

 florists were endeavouring to keep themselves abreast of the times. It was a 

 great pleasure to him to know that they had increased their prize list. He was 

 told by their President that during the past year they had given away £200 in 

 prizes. It was most creditable to them that they were in a position to do that 

 beside the other good work they were doing in the city. He was told that their 

 financial position was a fairly strong one. He had been a member of the society 

 for twenty years, and had always taken a great interest in the work of the society 

 for a great number of years. The shows from time to time were also deeply 

 interesting, and it was a great treat to pass through the Guildhall during any of 

 the minor shows. At the recent chrysanthemum show they had one or two new 

 features which he never noticed before, and he would specially notice the exhibi- 

 tion of vegetables. He believed that they were indebted largely for that exhibi- 

 tion to the munificence of their president. Owing to death the society had lost a 

 number of members, and he hoped that if there were any present who were 

 not members they would join at once. It was to the best interest of the city as a 

 whole that the success of the society should continue. 



Mr. G. Lamb, treasurer, responded. The society believed that they had been 

 doing good work, and from the kindly way the toast had been received they felt 

 that that work was appreciated. He spoke of the loss of membership by death, 

 but owing to the enrolment of new members the subscriptions amounted to exactly 

 the same amount as the preceding year. The revenue from the chrysanthemum 

 show this year was £$ more than during the record year. They had given during 

 the year ^260 in prizes, nearly ^70 being for the minor shows, from which they 

 received no revenue, and they had never been better than they had this year. 



The Sheriff proposed " The President, the Vice-President, Officers, and Com- 

 mittee of Management," and the President, in response, expressed the great 

 honour he felt it in being elected president in succession to Archbishop Thomson 

 and Sir Joseph Terry, who held the office in succession for forty-six or forty-seven 

 years. It was his intention to endeavour to bring the society up to what should 

 be its proper position— a cordial co-operator with the Grand Yorkshire Gala. He 

 asked them to add the Lord Mayor and Sheriff to the list of vice-presidents. They 

 had, he said, a very hard- working committee, and if it was not for them it would 

 be impossible to continue the work of the society. He spoke in eulogistic terms 

 of the work of Mr. Lazenby, who had been secretary for twenty-five years, but 

 through ill-health he felt compelled to resign that position, though he had no 

 intention of separating himself from the society. If there was one feature of the 

 society more than another worthy of encouragement, it was the minor shows, for 

 it was the lover of flowers pure and simple who could visit them. They might 

 depend upon it that the question of forming classes of instruction in floriculture by 

 the Technical Instruction Committee of the Corporation would not be allowed to 

 sleep, for he believed they would be of great advantage to the young gardeners 

 of the city. He did not see why there should be any rivalry between that society 



and the Grand Yorkshire Gala but a friendly rivalry, which would ensure a hearty 

 co-operation between them. 



Several other toasts followed, including " Kindred Societies" and " Subscribers 

 and Donors of Special Prizes." 



NATIONAL DAHLIA SOCIETY. 



The annual meeting took place at the Hotel Windsor on the 13th inst, Mr. 

 T. W. Girdlestone, M.A., the president, in the chair, there being a large attend- 

 ance of members, including a considerable contingent from the country. The 

 notice convening the meeting having been read and the minutes of the previous 

 annual meeting confirmed, the Secretary (Mr. J. F. Hudson, M.A.) read the 

 report, the substance of which was to the effect that the past season, owing to 

 the prolonged drought, had been unfavourable to many growers, some of whom 

 could not show, while others could exhibit only sparingly. It was also remark- 

 able that the dahlia bloom was prolonged much beyond the usual time ; dahlias 

 were in flower up to the middle of November. The show last September did not 

 equal in extent that held in 1897, ar.d, owing to the incidence of the season, it was 

 only natural there should be some falling off; still, the number of entries showed but 

 little diminution. The show and fancy varieties were not up to their usual mark ; 

 still, very good blooms for the season were staged. The cactus type, on the other 

 hand, was numerously and very finely exhibited, and new varieties increase with 

 great rapidity. The class for cactus varieties shown on boards brought many 

 entries. It is suggested they be shown in the future with the accompaniment of 

 foliage. Certificates of merit were awarded to new cactus varieties somewhat 

 sparingly, notwithstanding a large number were exhibited. The single dahlias 

 were shown in good character, and appeared to be rising in popular favour. 

 I urther provision is necessary for classes illustrating the decorative value of the 

 dahlia. The catalogue of dahlias prepared by the president and other members 

 of the committee has been favourably received, and many non-members have 

 made applications for copies. It is proposed to formulate a scheme for the affilia- 

 ticn of provincial societies. The thanks of the society were given to the donors 

 of special prizes, and testimony was borne to the increasing interest shown in the 

 cultivation of the dahlia. 



The financial statement showed an income of /202 2s. 7d., including a balance 

 or £21 is. id. brought over from last year. Subscriptions brought £79 7s. 6d., 

 and donations £20 123. 6d. The remainder of income was made up of donation 

 a a r 1 ^ 1 Palace advertisements in catalogue and schedule, &c. Prizes were 

 awarded to the amount of £134 us., and other items brought the expenditure up 

 to the amount stated On the motion of the Chairman the report and financial 

 statement were adopted fur circulation in the usual way. 



M H^JJix nS™. ?f* re - el *cted president; Messrs. T. W. Sharp, R. 

 M tiogg, and T Hobbs, with the previous vice-presidents, were elected ; Mr. E. 



tS^^SS^J? 1 ^ ; Mr - F' T - HwEm, secretary; and Messrs. W. 



^SSiwIf' and .°- ?°J? ey ' Southa!1 ' were add ed to the committee. 



The list of true cactus dahlias published in the schedule was revised. Several 



of the older varieties were struck out, and the best novelties of the past season 

 added. 



The proceedings closed with a cordial vote of thanks to the chairman 

 treasurer, and secretary. 9 



THE HORTICULTURAL CLUB. 



The usual monthly dinner and conversazione took place at the rooms of the 

 Club on the 13th inst., and there was a good attendance of members. Mr. Harry 

 T. Veitch (vice-chairman of the club) presided, and there were present the Rev 

 W. Wilks, Messrs. Martin R. Smith, Ph. Crowley, Selfe Leonard, James h! 

 Veitch, Gosling, Salmond, Geo.! Monro, Peter Kay, J. Tillman, Geo. Bunyard ' 

 Shoults, Bassett, and the Secretary. ' 



The discussion was on size in flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and was opened 

 by an interesting and amusing paper by the Rev. W. Wilks, who deprecated the 

 vulgar taste for large things in the strongest terms He alluded to the absurd size 

 to which chrysanthemums are grown, and asked what lady would use them for the 

 purpose of decoration ? It was the same with fruits. The huge Gros Colmar in 

 grapes had almost superseded all other kinds in the market. And so in vegetables. 

 Immense onions were grown, from which nearly all true onion flavour had been 

 eliminated, and brufsels sprouts like young cabbages had superseded the delicate 

 flavour of those of former days. He hoped that there were signs of returning 

 common sense and clearer perception of beauty, and said that probably the worst 

 offenders were provincial societies, with whom size was everything, and the man 

 who could produce the biggest cucumber, vegetable marrow, or onion generally 

 came off victorious. 



Mr. Martin R. Smith said that sometimes the size of Souvenir de Malmaison 

 carnations was adduced as a proof of this vulgarity, but the fact was that this race 

 was entirely distinct from the ordinary type of carnation, of which its foliage was a 

 clear proof; its origin was unknown, but of its distinctness there could be no 

 doubt. Mr. George Bunyard, as a fruit grower, said the same thing held true 

 with regard to fruits. Big gooseberries, whose only recommendation was their 

 size, had in many gardens superseded the fine flavoured sorts, and such fine 

 flavoured varieties as Warrington, Ironmonger, White Champagne, Venus 

 Cheshire Lass, Yellow Golden Ball, and others had to give way to huge tasteless 

 things. Mr. George Monro stated that probably the British public was responsible 

 for a good deal of this, and while big things sold well he suppDsed the growers 

 would cater for it. Many other members took part in the discussion, which was 

 of a very interesting character, and a vote of thanks was cordially given to Mr. 

 Wilks for his address. 



WOOLTON GARDENERS' SOCIETY. 



A meeting of this society was held on the 15th inst. at the Mechanics' Insti- 

 tute, Mr. W. Tunnington presiding over a good attendance of members. Mr. J. 

 Hathaway, superintendent of the Southport Parks and Gardens, gave an able paper 

 on " Potting and Watering Plants." The various forms of peat, loam, leaf mould, 

 sand, &c, were described, and the various mixtures that formed suitable composts 

 for the different species of plants. The necessity of clean pots and good drainage 

 were urged as the requirements of importance. In repotting special notice should 

 be taken that the ball of soil in which the plant was growing should at the time 

 of the operation be of a medium state as to moisture, neither dry nor wet. Firm 

 potting was recommended, especially for hard wooded plants, such as Azalea 

 indica, ericas, epacris, &c. Watering was considered a most important function 

 in good cultivation, a detail that could not be taught but learnt by practice. Rain 

 water should be utilised if possible, and of a similar temperature to the surround- 

 ings. Care should be taken only to water when the plant requires it, generally 

 when the plant is on the side of dryness, but not when flagging or suffering. A 

 discussion followed, in which several points of interest and usefulness were added 

 by Messrs. R. Todd, T. Carling, J. Wilson, J. Hogan, and the Chairman. A 

 vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. Hathaway for his admirable essay, and to Mr. 

 Tunnington for presiding. 



SHIRLEY GARDENERS' ASSOCIATION. 



THE monthly meeting of the above society was held at the Parish Room, 

 Shirley, Southampton, on Monday, the 19th inst., Mr. W. F. Rummens, C.C., 

 presiding over a good attendance of the members. The lecture was a continua- 

 tion from the previous month, the subject being " The Soil," and was given by 

 Mr. E. T. Mellor, B Sc. London, lecturer in Biology at the Hartley College, 

 Southampton. A brief synopsis of the lecture was as follows : Relation of the 

 soil to plants, chemical charges in the soil, loss and replacement of nutritive sub- 

 stances in the soil. The lecture was most interesting and instructive, being most 

 profusely illustrated with lantern slides and chemical experiments. There was a 

 brief discussion, at the close of which a hearty vote of thanks was accorded to 

 Mr. Mellor for the two instructive lectures he had so kindly given. ^ Messrs. 

 Spooner and Bailey, of Ealing, Southampton, gave the members a cordial invita- 

 tion to visit their chemical factory, where many interesting processes of producing 

 chemical manures are carried out. 



quantity 



eggs 



Packing Eggs — There is evidently room for improvement in packing Irish 

 eggs for the English markets, for Messrs. Lowen and Rolfe, agents for the Man- 

 chester and Dublin Steamship Company, have made up their minds that it 

 will not pay them to continue carrying eggs from Dublin to Manchester 

 under present conditions. They say : " We have not come to our conclusions 

 hastily. We have practically the whole ot 1898 to work upon, and our exDerience 

 is that it will be better for us to refuse the traffic and let ou 

 on whatever terms they like. We have kept a record of the 4 u^i.*u; 

 have carried and the claims we have paid, and the result is appalling. When we 

 say it will pay us better under present conditions to refuse the traffic we speak as 

 strongly as we can . We are anxious to do all we can to prove to the trade that 

 the breakage and pilferage do not take place whilst in our custody ; if they do we 

 are prepared to pay for them. The senders sign owner's risk notes when they 

 hand the eggs to the railway company in Ireland, who carry them to Dublin The 

 railway company will not carry them until they get these notes. In due course 

 the eggs reach Manchester, and, as the last people to handle them, we fall in for 

 all the trouble." Messrs. Lowen and Rolfe recommend that two inspectors should 

 be appointed to examine the eggs at Dublin. This proposal, which would involve 

 an annual expenditure of about £300, has been under the consideration of the 

 Manchester Provision Merchants' Ship Canal committee, but no definite step has 

 as yet been taken. It certainly does seem curious that eggs should be able to 

 reach Manchester from remoter parts like Denmark with only nominal damages, 

 and that the Dublin traffic should result in Messrs. Lowen and Rolfe receiving 

 claims for damage which are in excess of the net freight. It would be interesting 

 to know who is responsible for breakages, and also for the serious handicap to 

 industry which these breakages involve. 



