JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 10, 1884. 
an extent at all commensurate with the outlay. It he can I shall be 
glad to see that their efforts have been more successful than I at present 
believe to be the case. 
With regard to the schedules which the Editor has kindly forwarded 
to me from Mr. Douglas, I wish to ask, What is the reason why, in the 
classes for single specimen Auriculas, one grower is allowed to take all 
the prizes offered ? Indeed, as I understand it, it is quite possible for 
one exhibitor to take all the prizes in all the sections of this class. Does 
your correspondent think this is exactly right ?—X. 
MOSS AND LICHENS ON APPLE TREES. 
The chief cause of this is simply a damp situation, the fruit trees 
being surrounded by taller trees which never allow the branches to 
become dry for months together. I have just examined a large number 
of trees covered by the above which were blown down by the late gale. 
They have fine, clean, healthy-looking roots close to the top of the 
soil, which is deep and on limestone ; the roots and soil on closer examina¬ 
tion appear to be mouldy and sour. 
The branches of every tree must be thinned and shortened, the roots 
well manured, and just before the blossom opens syringe with soft soap 
and petroleum. This destroys the blight and vermin as well as moss, 
and will insure more and finer fruit. High trees are very baneful to 
orchards, often destroying what they were planted to protect. 
I have pruned no fruit trees since cutting the breastwood to admit 
the sun to ripen the fruit, and I do not intend to prune my standards at 
all this season, as all have had the centres cut out and been root-pruned 
recently. Fruit trees will suffer very much this winter from the mild 
wet weather, unripe wood, soft buds, and early show of bloom. I have 
never noticed any harm from late or spring pruning. Early pruning and 
a mild winter like this spread disease. 
The reason I advise syringing before the blossom opens is to reduce 
the danger of using the mixture too strong or badly mixed. The un¬ 
opened trusses are also often covered with vermin, and those are destroyed 
before they get into the blossoms. The trees should be syringed with 
clear water before using the mixture. 
Gas tar well mixed with water and used like the. above is very de 
structive to the fly on the Pear leaf.—J. E. Waiting, Grange-over-Sands 
At a General Meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
held last Tuesday, Henry Little, E*q., in the chair, the following 
candidates were unanimou-ly elected Fellows, viz. :—Thomas P. Bethell, 
Yiscount Enfield, Sebastian Waterhouse, Rev. Christopher S. Watson. 
-- We have received from Messrs. Rivers & Son of Sawbridgeworth 
fruit of the Bijou Lemon, a charming little fruit of the size and shape 
of the Lady Apple. It is quite oblate, with a depressed crown, in the 
centre of which is a small swelling bearing the style point. The skin is 
remarkably thin, and the flesh very juicy with a fine brisk Lemon flavour. 
- The eminent naturalist and physiologist, Professor Richard 
Owen, has been honoured with knighthood. For many years he has 
been the chief in charge of the natural history collection at the British 
Museum, and was one of the principal projectors of the Natural History 
Museum at South Kensington, but has recently resigned the above 
charge. This recognition of the services he has rendered is well merited. 
- Some of our readers will learn with regret that the directorate 
of the Pelargonium Society have brought their labours to a conclusion, 
as, owing to the inadequate support afforded, arrangements could not 
be made for another show. They have terminated their work with a 
money balance in their favour, and some members propose that this be 
given to the National Auricula and Carnation Societies. 
- The remarkable absence of sun that has been experienced 
of late has been the reverse of favourable to early forcing operations. 
In the meteorological report issued last Monday from the Greenwich 
Observatory, it is stated that the sun re-appeared on Sunday the 6th 
inst. for the first time since the 23rd ult. The maximum temperature in 
the metropolis on the same day was 51°. 
-- An admirable plant for the winter decoration of the greenhouse, 
and one rarely met with except in large establishments, is the beautiful 
Senecio Gheisbreghtii. It grows from 8 to 10 feet in height, with 
leaves about a foot long and half as broad, of a thick leathery character. 
The flowers, which are borne in large corymbose heads, are golden 
yellow and very attractive. Small plants in 4-inch pots are useful 
as decorative foliage plants, thriving well under ordinary greenhouse 
treatment. 
- The fixtures of the Royal Horticultural Society of 
Ireland for 1884 are as follow :—Spring Exhibition, Thursday, 
April 17th ; May do., Thursday, May 15th ; Summer do., Thursday, 
July 3rd; Autumn do., Thursday, August 28th; Winter do., Thursday, 
November 20th. 
- Peaches at Christmas. —We are informed that Mr. Lamb, 
gardener to Sir Henry Pottinger, Bart., The Hermitage, Chester-le-Street, 
Durham, sent in a dish of Peaches on Christmas day from a tree three 
years old in a 9-inch pot. It is a new variety named Osprey. The 
Peaches were medium-sized, rich in colour, and were much admired at 
the dinner table. 
- Two of the most abundant flowers in Covent Garden last week 
were Calanthe Yeitchii and Centropogon Lucyanus, of which large 
bunches were to be seen in several of the principal florists’ shops. The 
first-named was especially fine, the spikes 18 inches or 2 feet long, closely 
set with large flowers, but mostly rather pale in colour. They were 
evidently the produce of extremely vigorous plants, and they must be 
grown in quantity to furnish so large a supply. The old Centropogon 
was similarly strong, but in this case the flowers were remarkably highly 
coloured, the peculiar deep rose tint being very freely developed. 
- Owing to the very mild season hardy flowers are more 
plentiful just now than they have been for some years, and lovers of 
these will have no difficulty in supplying enough for table decoration. 
The following are flowering in the neighbourhood of London :—Anemone 
reginac, A, vitifolia ; Arabises Stelleri, albida, alpina, procurrens ; Au- 
brietia olympica; Armerias plantaginea and longiaristata; Coronilla 
securigera; Crocuses lsevigatus, Imperatri, alatavicus, and longiflorus, 
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum, Cyclamen, Cheiranthus Cheiri, Galan- 
thus nivalis (Snowdrop), Geum pyrenaicum, Hebanthemum rosmarini- 
folium, Helleborus niger, II. foetidus, Houstonia coerulea, Ionopsidium 
acaule, Kniphofia sarmentosa, Narcissus Tazetta var. aureus, Ompha- 
lodes verna, 0. verna alba, Primula denticulata, Polygala Chammbuxus 
roseus, Potentilla alba, Trofims europaea var., Viola lutea grandiflora, 
Y. odorata, V. tricolor maxima, and V. hederacea, Vaccinium Vitis-Idcea 
Veronica spicata. Shrubs—Chimonanthus fragrans grandiflora, Jas- 
minum nudiflorum, Discaria longispina, and Rosa indica. 
•- The schedule of the International Health Exhibition to 
be held at South Kensington this year has been issued, and contains full 
particulars of the regulations and classes, together with a list of the 
members of the Council and officers. The exhibits will be classified in 
two great divisions—viz., health and education. The first including 
groups for food, oven, the dwelling house, the school, and the workshop, 
each also containing a number of classes, forty-six in all. Under 
Education are arranged ten classes to be illustrative of educational works 
and appliances. The Exhibition will be opened on May 1st, and continue 
open for not less than six months. 
- “ The most famous tree in Paris is,” states a correspon¬ 
dent, *•' about to disappear—viz., the Fdvrier or Gleditschia of the 
National Library. It was planted about a century ago on the spot now 
occupied by the reading-room, and Robinson Crusoe being then in full 
vogue a legend sprang up that this was the tree on which Selkirk 
passed his first night on his island. It is believed to have been planted 
as a tree of liberty in 1789, and was the gift of the English botanist 
Catesby. In 1859 on the erection of the reading-room it had to be 
removed 50 yards to the court of the library—a difficult task, for it 
was 60 feet high, and the expense amounted to 8000 francs. The court 
after the enlargement of the library is about to be paved, and the tree 
is to be felled.” 
- A correspondent writes that “ Mr. M. D. Thompson, gardener 
to Lindsay Wood, Esq., South Hill, Shields, makes a special feature of 
having a good display of Flowers AT Christmas. In his large 
conservatory (one part exotic the other greenhouse) was a grand display 
of Calanthes vestita lutea and the charming C. Yeitchii. Of the latter 
some of the spikes had as many as thirty-five to thirty-six flowers each ; 
these plants were placed at the margin of the central arrangement of the 
house, and the pendant spikes had a graceful effect, springing from a 
margin of Ferns and Lycopods. The cooler division of this house is now 
