JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
28 
[ January 13, 1881. 
Webb’s Triumph, described as a 4-feet Pea, grew 7 feet in height, 
but did not prove very profitable. On some soils it may be found 
a good main-crop variety. Laxton’s Marvel succeeded admirably, 
cropping heavily, the long pods being closely filled with very 
sweet peas. A still finer Pea is Laxton’s John Bull, and both 
this and Marvel are suitable for the main crop, especially where 
medium-height varieties only are grown. I cannot speak in 
favour of Laxton’s Baron. It grew luxuriantly and cropped 
heavily, but the very large pods filled badly. Suttons’ Duchess 
of Edinburgh is a very profitable tall Pea suitable for main crop. 
It is one of the best-flavoured Peas grown. I find Yeitch’s Per¬ 
fection and Ne Plus Ultra two good varieties for the latest supply. 
Of Broad Beans we grow but few. Early Longpod and Hardy’s 
Pedigree Windsor are two profitable varieties, and for exhibition 
purposes none are equal to Carter’s Leviathan. 
Kidney Beans were very productive, none more so than Osborn’s 
Forcing, which is still the best early variety. I found it advisable 
to stake Canadian Wonder, and was rewarded with an abundance 
of very long tender pods. Monster Negro cropped well in frames 
and in the open, but I failed to discover in it any very marked 
improvement on the old Negro Longpod. Carter’s Advancer was 
again very productive and good. Runner Beans produced extra 
heavy crops. The Scarlet Champion and Giant White were 
grown. Parsnips, owing to the wet season, were much cankered. 
The Student is my favourite.! 
Onions were inclined to be “bull-necked,” but^they give pro¬ 
mise of keeping well. The White Naples or the Early White 
Italian are particularly good for autumn sowing, as they bulb 
early the following spring and their mild flavour is much liked. 
The Trebons and Giant Rocca are also suitable for autumn-sowing, 
as if well ripened they will keep till midwinter. For summer 
sowing I like the Improved Banbury, good substitutes being the 
Improved Reading, Pinesfield Improved White Spanish. James’s 
Keeping and the Brown Globe are the best keepers. I find the 
Round or Summer Spinach quite as hardy as the Prickly or 
Winter, and this autumn the seed of it germinated more freely. 
Tomatoes cropped very heavily, but many of the fruit was 
diseased. Some of the most profitable were Early Gem, Earley’s 
Defiance, Acme, Conqueror, Vick’s Criterion, and Vilmorin’s Early 
Dwarf. Remarks on Potatoes must be deferred.—W. Iggulden. 
At a General Meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
held last Tuesday, Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart., M.P., in the 
chair, the ollowiDg candidates were duly elected Fellows of 
the Society—viz., I.ady’Lavinia Bertie, Mrs. Bret-Ince, A. Crow¬ 
foot, Wolf Harris, Mrs. Miller, Mrs. Frank Morris, Mrs. Edward 
William O’Brien, Mrs. John Park, Arthur Pease, M.P., J. P. 
Pike, J. Rattle, Mrs. Sheepshanks, Rev. — Howard, and A. 
Watson ; George Duffield, and Mrs. Rubens, were elected Guinea 
Members, 
-^Snow fell in London on Tuesday night to the depth 
of about 2 inches—the greatest fall in the metropolis during the 
present winter. 
- The following are the names of the gentlemen elected to 
serve on the Committees of the Royal Horticultural 
Society for the present year, in the place of some retiring mem¬ 
bers :—Scientific Committee —John Ball, F.R.S., G. S. Boulger, 
W. Carruthers, H. J. Elwes, F.L.S., F.Z.S., F. P. Pascoe, 
F.L.S., and Sir *W. C. Strickland, Bart. Fruit Committee — 
J. Burnett, F. Campion, John Lane, Major F. Mason, T. Francis 
Rivers, Sir C. W. Strickland, Bart., and Jesse Willard. Floral 
Committee —John Burley, G. Dufiield, Henry Eckford, Andrew 
Henderson, Maxwell T. Masters, M.D., F.R.S., Robert Parker, 
and J. Roberts. 
- We regret to announce that A fire broke out at the 
Fulham Nurseries of Messrs. Osborn & Sons about 11 o’clock 
in a packing shed which contained a quantity of dry hay, straw, 
&c. The shed was partially destroyed and all that it contained. 
Fortunately there was not much in at the time for packing. The 
fire was subdued before reaching the office and seed shop ad¬ 
joining, but in the meantime the mob which had collected 
dragged out bags of seed and anything they could lay hands on. 
The consequence was a quantify of seed was lost, as many bags 
were open at the mouth, and many were split open from rough 
usage. Many other sundries connected with the seed business 
were also lost or broken. The plants in the adjoining green¬ 
house also suffered to some extent. Had the wind been blowing 
from a southerly direction the whole of the buildings must have 
been destroyed. The cause of the fire is unknown. We are 
pleased to learn that it will not interfere with the general routine 
of business, but the execution of seed orders will necessarily be 
delayed about a week. 
-At a meeting of the Royal Botanic Society, Regent’s 
Park, held on Saturday, Mr. Beresford Hope, M.P., in the chair, 
a long list of donations of plants, seeds, &c., received since the 
last meeting wa3 read, including seeds of African Copal from 
Zanzibar, and of the Talipot Palm from Ceylon. 
- Mr. R. Inglis sends the following note—“The total 
rainfall during 1880 at Border Hill (Mid-Sussex), was 
3GT6 inches. Only 10-21 inches fell during the first six months. 
The driest month was May, and the wettest month October, 
0 37 inch in the former, and the unusual large quantity of 
8-24 inches in the latter. Rain fell on 152 days. The autumn 
has been remarkably fine and open. The mercury fell below 
freezing on three occasions in October, twelve in November, and 
seven in December, mostly slight frosts, the lowest being 23° 
Fahr. on November 17th.” 
—— We had last week to inform cur readers of the death of 
a noted horticulturist, and we have now the same unpleasant 
duty to perform. Mr. Charles Edmonds, who is so well known 
for his long period of service as gardener at Chiswick House, 
died in the commencement of his seventieth year on the 30th ult., 
at Llandudno. The deceased was for many years one of the 
Council of the Royal Horticultural Society, and frequently 
offic’.ated as judge at metropolitan exhibitions. 
-- We have received the schedule of the Sutton Cold¬ 
field Rose Exhibition, which contains seven sections and 
twenty-three classes. Twelve prizes are offered in the nursery¬ 
men’s classes, ranging in amounts from £5 to 10s. In the 
amateurs’ classes silver cups are offered for thirty-six and twenty- 
four blooms, distinct. Four and five pi izes are provided in the 
local amateurs’ classes, and special prizes are offered by J. 
McLeland, Esq., Messrs. Cranston & Co., and Mr. George Paul. 
The Exhibition is to be held on July 22nd, in the grounds of the 
Crystal Palace Company, which are close to the stations of the 
Midland and London and North Western Railway. The Rev. 
J. A. Williams, Yardley Wood Vicarage, near Birmingham, is the 
Honorary Secretary of the Rose Show, to whom all communica¬ 
tions and entries should be addressed. 
- The annual general meeting of the Meteorological 
Society will be held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, on 
Wednesday, the 19th inst., at 7 p.m., when the Report of the 
Council will be read, the election of Officers and Council for the 
ensuing year will take place, and the President will deliver his 
address. 
- We are informed that the Mexican Potato, which is a 
variety cultivated by Capt. Mayne Reid of Frogmore House, Ross, 
Herefordshire, raised by him from seed obtained from Mexico, 
and is said to be unaffected by the disease, has passed into the 
hands of Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, Sussex. We gave 
