January 22, 183">. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
67 
- The annual dinner of the Wimbledon and District Horti¬ 
cultural Society took place on Monday evening last, the 19th inst., 
about forty members and vi>itors being present. After the viands had 
received attention and the usual loyal toasts been duly honoured, Mr. 
Orchard, in a neat and earnest speech, proposed “ The Society,” stating 
in the course of his remarks that it had now been established twelve 
years, and, notwithstanding several ups and downs in the course of its 
existence, was now in a most prosperous and satisfactory condition—a 
result mainly due to the energy and tact of the Hon. Secretary, Mr. H. A. 
Holt. The last-named gentleman responded. Amongst other toasts that 
of “ The Secretary,” proposed by Mr. T. Lynes, was received with great 
enthusiasm, Mr. Rolt making a suitable reply. The presence of so large 
a number of visitors should be very gratifying to the Committee, who 
have worked hard to make gardening popular in the district. 
- At the monthly meeting of the Manchester Horticultural 
Improvement Society, held in the old Town Hall, King Street, on 
Thursday evening, the 15th inst., Mr. Bruce Findlay presiding, Mr. 
William Plant, gardener, Woodhevs Hall, Ashton-on-Mersey, read an ex¬ 
cellent and exhaustive paper on “Indoor Mushroom Culture.” In the 
discussion which followed Mr. Bruce Findlay, Mr. Upjohn, Mr. William¬ 
son, Mr. Swan, and Mr. Tait took part, several interesting facts being 
elicited. 
- We understand that Mr. Forsyth Johnson has resigned his 
appointment as manager of the proposed Alexandra Palace Forestry 
Exhibition, and it appears probable that the venture will not be quite 
as successful as was at first anticipated by its promoters. 
- We have received the report of the Sheffield Floral and 
Horticultural Society, and are glad to observe that the finances are in 
a satisfactory state. Monthly meetings are held by the Society, at which 
papers are read and discussions ensue ; also we observe that prizes are 
offered to amateurs as well as to gardeners for plants and flowers, 
and the room is thus rendered attractive, while the gatherings are in¬ 
structive. Mr. W. R. Woodcock has been re elected Secretary of the 
Society. 
- We learn from the Illustrated London News that the Will of 
the Late Mr. George Bentham was proved on the 11th of December 
by Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker and the Right Hon. Sir Nathaniel Lindley, 
who are the executors, the value of the personal estate exceeding £23,000 
The sum of £8000 is left to Madame Walton, the grand-daughter of the 
testator’s sister ; £2000 to Sir H. J. J. Brydges, Bart.; £1000 each to 
the London Linnean Society and the Royal Society Scientific Relief Fund, 
with numerous smaller legacies. The remainder of his property is to be 
held upon trust and to be employed iu publishing botanical works o r 
purchasing books and specimens for Kew. 
- The New York Evening lost says “ The new Rose the Bennett 
in Philadelphia is attracting a great deal of attention, as it is to be sold 
next March for the first time. This Rose is considered the finest crimson 
Rose that is a continuous bloomer. The bud resembles somewhat the well- 
known white Niphetos. It has a rich lemon odour, entirely new. So far 
the flowers of this Rose have only been sold with short stems, because the 
owners, not offering it for sale, could not cut the buds with long stems, as 
then they would have been purchased by florists and the slips used to 
make plants. The owner of the Bennett Rose has kept his greenhouse 
locked and guarded by watchmen to prevent the cuttings of plants being 
stolen. Some 7000 dollars has already been paid for the stock, and the 
owner is under bonds not to sell a plant of it until March, 1885. This 
person, however, not being a practical florist, is likely to fail in the pro. 
pagation of it, and some other man in the trade will, in all probability, 
reap the harvest.” 
- It is also rumoured that Mr. H. Bennett has disposed of his 
widely famed Rose Her Majesty to an American nurseryman for the 
sum of £500. Roses certainly appear to be appreciated in the new 
world. 
- The French Vintage in 1881.—The official returns as to the 
vintage in France last year show that the total yield was 782,566,335 
gallons, or 27,000,000 gallons less than in 1883, but 90,000,000 gallons 
more than in 1882. With the exception of nine departments in the 
north-west of France wine is grown in every part of the country; but 
the nine departments which had the largest crop last year were:_The 
Aude, 98,364,960 gallons ; the Herault, 69,953,310 gallons ; the Gers, 
42,920,550 gallons; the Pyrdcbes Orientales, 31,668,210 gallons; the 
Loire Infbrieure, 31,387,500 gallons ; the Gironde, 30,109,095 gallons ; 
the Haute Garonne, 28,499,445 gallons ; the Vienne, 27,628,650 gallons ; 
the Charente Inferieure, 25,758,405 gallons. The yield was larger in 
thirty-nine departments than in 1883, notably in the Gers, the Pyrenees 
Orientales, and several other departments in the south, but it was much 
smaller than in the previous year in the north-east and the east owing 
to the severe frosts of the early spring. The ravages of the phylloxera 
diminished the yield in several of the southern departments, and 120,000 
acres of vineyard had to be rooted up in the course of the year. More 
than 60,000,000 gallons of “wine” were made from raisins mostly im¬ 
ported from Greece, and from the lees of the Grapes after they have 
been pressed. Upon the other hand, there is a slight increase in the 
quantity of wine made in Algeria, upwards of 18,000 acres having been 
planted in Vines since the beginning of the year. The cider crop, which 
reached the enormous total of 540,000,000 gallons in 1883, was not quite 
half as much last year. 
EUCHARIS AMAZONICA. 
This is one of the plants which is a difficulty to many gardeners. 
They find it growing under the simplest conditions in some gardens, and 
in others it fails. Having had an unsatisfactory experience with this lovely 
and indispensable flower myself, I can well sympathise with others who 
fail with it. When I came here the few bulbs of Eucharis were in a 
very bad state of health ; the foliage was small, crumpled, and greenish 
yellow. I thought I should soon improve these, and to get on in the 
meantime 1 had some bulbs with splendid leaves sent me by a friend. 
Well, I did not improve the unhealthy plants, and the healthy ones very 
soon were undistinguishable from the others. I tried all plans and failed 
with all UDtil in the course of some alterations I was able to supply the 
plants with plenty of heat, then foliage and flowers were very soon forth¬ 
coming. Of late years my experience has been that no plant is easier to 
manage than this one. We can have it in flower almost all the year 
round, or we can bring the plants into flower at a given time with 
certainty. 
When once the plants were fairly started bottom heat was not much 
employed, but we have this advantage where a strong bottom heat is at 
command, that a greater quantity of flowers is obtained in a given time 
than when an ordinary high stove temperature alone is available. I know 
a case where a gardener has a specimen plant of which he is naturally proud 
but the conditions under which he keeps his plant only gives him one 
crop of flowers a year. The most natural conditions to keep the plants 
under with regard to temperature and growth seem to be these. To stait 
them in early spring in bottom heat if possible, take a crop of flowers in 
April or May, keeping the plants growing in a high stove tempeiature till 
June or July; they should be kept under conditions that will rest the 
plants entirely until about August. These c nditions would be little or 
no water and plenty of air. Started in August to produce flowers for 
September, the plants should thereafter be kept growing and fl jwering in 
a high temperature throughout the winter. The soil we employ is a 
simple sandy turf without any admixture. The manure the plants 
require is given from time to time on the surface of the soil and washed 
in with the waterings. Good drainage is also very essential. I have seen 
much harm, even to the destruction of foliage, arise from allowing mealy 
bug undisturbed possession of the plants for a period. Syringing with 
hot water, soap, and petroleum is a rough-and-ready means of keeping 
the insect from doing mischief when time for more efficient methods is not 
to be had. A very good plan is to examine the plants at short intervals 
throughout the winter and cleanse the leaves thoroughly. When the 
flowers are wanted to be kept they should be removed a3 soon as they are 
fully developed and placed in water in shallow dishes; a little mo?s 
prevents the flowers becoming wet. They may be kept in a cool room for 
a fortnight perfectly fresh, whereas if left on the plant they wither in a 
few days.—B. 
LEEDS PROFESSIONAL GARDENERS’ FRIENDLY 
BENEFIT SOCIETY. 
Thf. annual dinner in connection with this Society was held at Leeds 
on the 14th inst. Mr. Michael Baynes presided, and the vice-chair was 
occupied by Mr. S. May. Among those present were Mr. Hicks (Man¬ 
chester), Messrs. Wrigsley and Chapman (Paxton Society, Wakefield), Mr. 
Elliott (Huddersfield), and Mr. J. S. Loe. Letters of apology for non- 
attendance had been received from Mr. W. L. Jackson, M.P., the Mayor of 
Leeds, and other gentlemen. After the Chairman had proposed the loyal 
toasts, the Secretary (Mr. W. Sunley) read the eighteenth annual report, 
which stated that the Society’s income for the past year had been £149 
15s. 3jd., and its expenditure £117 13s. lid., leaving a saving for the past 
year of £32 Is. 4 \d. This amount, added to the savings of the seventeen 
previous years of £675 6s. 5?d., made the total amount placed to the Society’s 
credit £707 7s. 10d., representing the value to each financial member of 
£6 5s. 2 %d. The Society now numbered nineteen honorary and 113 ordinary 
members. 
Mr. Henry Oxley having again very generously offered to give another 
£5 to further encourage members contributing and reading essays at tl:e 
Society’s monthly meetings, and in order that the essays might impart as 
much practical information as possible, the Committee decided to apportion 
the amount into three equal prizes of £1 13s. 4 d., in three distinct branches 
