■January 24, 18P4 | 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
63 
- Mk. T. S. Ware. Hale Farm Nursery, Tottenham, sends us a 
few flowers of the double white Neapolitan Violet, Comte Brazzi, 
gathered from plants in the open air, to show the size, purity, and 
fragrance of ihe variety. We have previously referred to this beautiful 
Violet in commendatory terms, and these examples fully confirm the 
opinion we had formed respecting it. They are very fine, of good 
substance, with long stalks, and possess a most powerful and lasting 
odour. 
- At the special sale of Orchids at Mr. Stevens’ rooms, King 
Street, Covent Garden, last week some good plants of Olontoglossums, 
'Cattleyas, and Lrelias were shown in flower, and formed quite a pretty 
display. Some of the principal prices realised were the following: — 
Lvcaste Skinneri alba, twelve guineas ; Lselia Crawshayiana, four 
guineas ; Phalasnopsis amabilis Dayana, six guineas ; Cattleya Trianac, 
fine variety, six guineas; Odontoglossum Edwardi, £7 ; O. Ander- 
soaianum, nine guineas ; Cypripedium villosum, nine guineas ; Ccelogyne 
cristata, six and a half guineas ; and Laclia autumnalis, six and a half 
guineas. 
- An American contemporary states that at Craig, in Braiden- 
fown, are two of the largest Guava trees in Florida. They are 
'SO inches in circumference and 30 feet in height. From the fruit of 
these two trees, two years ago, 200 lbs. of jelly were manufactured, 
besides supplying the neighbours round about with fruit to their heart’s 
content. 
- Referring to the request for a good White Carnation for 
winter, a correspondent observes :—“I think if “X.” gives The Queen 
a trial it may suit him. Although it flowers during the summer, if 
propagated now it would probably be a good winter bloomer. It was 
painted out to me by a good authority as a great acquisition, and is very 
pure and free.” 
- On Monday evening last the annual meeting of the Roch¬ 
dale Auricula Society was held in the Lyceum, Rochdale, when 
the Secretary presented his report and statement of accounts. The 
Show on the 2nd of May was a decided success from the florists’ 
point of view, and although the financial success was not so apparent, 
yet the statement showed that the balance against the Society was 
under £1. C. M. Royds, E;q., was re-elected President; Sami. 
Barlow, Esq., Stakehill, Wm. Botton, Esq., Warrington, J. H. Lan¬ 
cashire, Esq., Deeplish, and Thos. Watson, Esq., Horselans, were 
appointed Vice-Presidents ; the veteran, Mr. James Cbeetham, was 
appointed Chairman of the Committee, and Mr. Brodie, Mitchcl Street, 
Rochdale, was re-elected Honorary Secretary. The date of the Exhi¬ 
bition for 188-1 was fixed for the 3rd of May, and a liberal schedule 
of prizes was arranged. 
- Arrangements have been made for a series of six Horti¬ 
cultural Exhibitions at the Crystal Palace during the present 
year, a total amount of £1100 being offered in prizes. The season will 
commence with a Show of Spring Flowers on April 1th and 5th, to be 
followed by a Summer Show on May 23rd and 21th, a Rose Show on 
July 5tb, Dahlia Show September 5th and 6th, Autumn Fruit and 
Potato Show October 7th to 11th, and Chrysanthemum Show November 
11th and 15th. The exhibitions will be arranged and superintended by 
Mr. W. G. Head, and the liberal prizes to be offered may be expected to 
result in some handsome and successful displays. 
- Mr. J. E. Waiting, Grange-over-Sands, writing upon Flowers 
an Winter remarks that “ herbaceous plants are all starting. Polyan¬ 
thuses and Primroses have been flowering since October, Snowdrops 
during the past fortnight. Laurustinus has been one mass of bloom for 
-two months. Gloire de Dijon Roses are still covered with buds like those 
•enclosed ; the Rosemary is showing flowers, and the yellow Jessamine 
•covered with blooms. Pear-tree flowers are opening, and the mild sunny 
days we have had remind us of the coming summer. Much injury is 
•sure to follow such weather sooner or later. My border varieties of 
Auriculas have all finished blooming weeks ago.” With this note were 
sent flowers of Polyanthuses, Primroses, Wallflowers, Laurustinus, Jas- 
minum nudiflorum, Rose buds, Rosemary, and twigs of fruit trees with 
much-advanced buds. 
- Relative to fragrant Roses a Yorkshire correspondent 
observes :—“ I see amongst the most fragrant of the Hybrid Perpetual 
Roses Duke of Edinburgh, which is scentless, and John Hopper, which 
is -very poorly scented, sometimes not at all. Most of the others named 
on page 540 last volume are richly scented, but may I call attention to 
the Duchess cf Edinburgh, which is included 1 Surely this Rose has 
gone out of cultivation; if not, it ought to be discarded. Mr. Simons 
on page 4 mentions in h s list of fragrant Roses Mabel Morrison. Well, 
if this Rose is fragrant, then all Roses are.” Have soils and situation 
any influence in this matter? With us John Hopper is decidedly fragrant, 
Duke of Edinburgh only slightly so, but a very good grower finds it 
admired for its perfume as well as its colour. Mabel Morrison we have 
not found to be fragrant, yet others may have done so. How, then, are 
we to account for its variability ? 
- A book of great interest to all dwellers in the country has been 
produced by Mr. Harrison Weir, whose love of Nature and skilful pencil 
are well known. It is called “ Every Day in the Country,” with 
400 illustrations, and is in the form of what is called “a birthday book,” 
and on every day in the year some natural objects are referred to, accom¬ 
panied by a pretty woodcut illustration. Let us take as an example this 
24th day of January, and we shall find these records—“ Chaffinch sing*,” 
“Spring Crocus flowers,” “Robin builds,” “Skylarks feed on grain, 
insects, worms,” and this is illustrated by the figure of the chaffinch. 
So on throughout the whole year, and consequently there are 365 objects 
illustrated with original drawings from Mr. Weir’s prolific pencil. 
Besides these there are six pretty chromo-lithographic illustrations. We 
highly commend this to the heads of families as an incentive to the 
young to study natural history. 
- The Annual Meeting of the Essex Field Club for the 
election of new members of Council and officers will be held on 
January 26th, 1884. The following members agreed, at the meeting 
on December 15th, 1883, to retire from the Council—Mr. H. J. Barnes, 
Mr. J. T. Carrington, Mr. R. Meldola, and Rev. T. W. Peile. To fill the 
seats so rendered vacant the following are proposed for election — 
Mr. H. J. Barnes, Mr. F. C. Gould, Mr. D. Houston, F.L.S., F.R.M.S., 
and Mr. R. Meldola, F.C.S., F.R.A.S. The following members are 
leco amended by the Council for election as officers for 1884 :—President, 
Prof. G. S. Boulger, F.L.S, F.G S., F.R.M.S., &c. ; Treasurer, Andrew 
Johnston, J.P., D.L. (late High Sheriff of Essex) ; Secretary, William 
Cole ; Assistant Secretary, Benjamin G. Cole ; and Librarian, Alfred 
Lockyer. 
- Mr. Shirley Hibberd's “Garden Oracle for 1884” is 
now issued, and contains, in addition to the usual calendarial matter, 
lists of new and select plants, fruits, and vegetables, with much infor¬ 
mation respecting Potatoes, including classification, synonym 0 , and a 
descriptive catalogue of 450 varieties, a selection of the best Apples 
at the Chiswick Congress, a useful summary of the Agricultural 
Holdings Act for 1883, and a variety of instructive matter. 
_ “ M. S.” writes “ Since my last note regarding the cultivation 
and manufacture of Rhea or Chinese Grass, a meeting has been 
held in the St. Michael’s Hall, George Yard, Lombard Street, having 
for its purpose a project for extending its cultivation in the territory 
of the Maharajah of Johore. The meeting was convened by Messrs. 
G. H. Brogden & Co., and presided over by Mr. Needham Crowe. 
It appears that the formation of a company was contemplated for the 
purpose of acquiring 21,000 acres of land for 999 years from the 
Maharajah, part of it having already been chosen with the view of 
disposing of it to enterprising cultivators at the rate of £1 per acre, 
and the granting of licences for the use of two processes — one the 
Favier process, by which the stems are operated upon by means of 
boilers at the rate of 4000 in twenty minutes; the other the Fjemz- 
Urbain process, taking the ribbons thus produced and turning them 
out ready for the spinner. It was stated that the cost of the prepared 
material at present was practically—allowing for losses—£100 per ton, 
and that by the above processes the selling price may be reduced to £60, 
at which price it would compete fairly with flax. It would be well if 
farmers in this country also were to give it a fair trial. I am confident, 
it would pay far better than many of the crops grown by them at 
present, and with the advantage of requiring less attention and also 
less expense.” 
_ A correspondent writes as follows on the earliness of 
vegetation in County Meath “ Plants in flower outdoors are 
Wallflowers, Arabis albida, Pansies very bright, Pyrus japonica, Poly¬ 
anthuses and Primroses as free as April, including the double yellow, 
white, and purple varieties. In the wood may be seen the Germander 
