JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 23, 1881. ] 
509 
four single blooms there are four prizes, the first being £5 ; and 
for twelve Teas and Noisettes, open to nurserymen and amateurs, 
the first prize is £2. The Rev. F. Page Roberts of Scole Rectory 
is the Secretary of the Society. 
-- A correspondent writes to us as follows on vegeta¬ 
tion in the North-west Riding of Yorkshire: —“The 
country looks at its best now, and never in my recollection were 
the Thorns, Lilacs, Laburnums, &c., so beautiful. Forest trees 
are full of flower. Pears and Plums will not be a heavy crop— 
the latter not half so many as last year. Laurels and Aucubas 
have suffered terribly the last two winters, but we have not lost 
one dwarf Hybrid Perpetual Rose through frost. The end shoot 
of tens of thousands of forest trees have had to be pruned, but are 
now making fine growth. I was at the Duke of Devonshire’s 
seat (Holker Hall) last week ; the Araucarias and some other 
Conifers thrive well in that locality, and indeed all through the 
Lake district.” 
- The Newport Pottery Company (Rogers & Co.) have sent 
us samples of their glazed flower pots. The exterior is bright 
brown, smooth, and impervious to water. One pot is not glazed quite 
to the bottom, but with what object we are at a loss to conceive. 
A rustic pot resembling the stump of a tree is very ornamental. 
It stands on a raised rim in a saucer to match, but we think if 
there were three apertures in the said rim to aid the passing away 
of superfluous water it would be an advantage. That glazed pots 
are suitable for plants has been proved by Mr. David Thomson 
of Drumlanrig, and Mr. Woodhead, a noted Auricula grower in 
Yorkshire. Plants in these pots require less water than those in 
the ordinary pots in general use. The former, however, are 
necessarily somewhat more costly than the latter. 
■- Forget-me-nots are always admired, especially the 
useful Myosotis dissitiflora ; but there is another species less fre¬ 
quently grown, and not equalling the one named in effectiveness, 
yet it is so distinct in the colour of the flowers that it well repays 
for attention. This is Myosotis AZORICA, of dwarf habit, with 
narrow oblong leaves, and short spikes of purple-violet flowers, 
which are freely produced. It is especially suited for culture in 
pots, and when arranged with the other light blue-flowered forms 
it presents a striking contrast. 
- The Canterbury Rose Show will be held under dis¬ 
tinguished patronage on the 30th inst. An open nurserymen’s 
class is provided for thirty-six varieties, the first prize being £6. 
A class for twelve Teas and Noisettes open to all, the first prize 
£3 ; one open to amateurs, the leading prize £5 ; and another for 
twelve blooms of any varieties. In the local classes the National 
Rose Society’s silver medal will be awarded for the best, box of 
Roses irrespective of numbers, and the bronze medal for the best 
Rose in the same classes; also a silver cup, value five guineas, is 
given by C. Stuart Hardy, Esq., of Chilham Castle, for twelve 
blooms, six Hybrid Perpetuals and six Teas or Noisettes. 
“ Cheshunt Hybrid and all other Hybrid Teas are excluded 
from the Tea and Noisette classes.” 
•- The closing monthly meeting of the Meteorological 
Society for the present session was held on the 15th inst. at the 
Institution of Civil Engineers, Mr. G. J. Symons, F.R.S., Pre¬ 
sident, in the chair. Eleven gentlemen were elected Fellows of 
the Society—viz., F. Crowley, A. M. Davis, Rev. R. Drake, F. H. D. 
Eyre, W. M. Gibson, E. W. Mathew, J.P., D.L., J. Parnell, M.A., 
F.R.A.S., J. Rigby, T. G. Rylands, F.L.S., F.G.S., H. Smith, and 
A. H. Wood. The following papers were read :—1, “ The Use of 
Synchronous Meteorological Charts for Determining Mean Values 
over the Ocean,” by Charles Harding, F.M.S. 2, “The Climate of 
Fiji,” by R. L. Holmes, F.M.S. This paper gives the results of 
meteorological observations taken at Delanasau, Bua, Vanua Levu, 
during the ten years, 1871-80. 3, “Note on the Formation of 
Hail,” by J. A. B. Oliver. 4, “Note on a Comparison of Maxi¬ 
mum and Minimum Temperature and Rainfall Observed on 
Table Mountain and at the Royal Observatory, Cape Town, 
during January and February, 1881,” by John G. Gamble, M.A., 
M.Inst.C.E., F.M.S. Mr. E. J. Spitta exhibited and described a 
new mercurial maximum and minimum registering thermometer. 
- “ Vick’s American Monthly Magazine ” has the following 
upon Camassia esculentA: —“ Camassia esculenta, the Quamash 
or Quamass of the Indians, is a member of the Lily family, and 
grows in all the western section of the country, from British 
America to California and Utah. The root is eaten by the Indians, 
as it abounds in starch, and is often an important source of 
their food supply. The pale bluish-violet flowers are borne in 
spikes raised about 18 inches high. This plant has been in culti¬ 
vation for half a century, and is much prized by those acquainted 
with it. Some varieties of it have been produced from seed, and 
one, C. Browni, is considered quite an improvement on the parent 
species on account of larger spikes of bloom. East of the 
Mississippi, over a great breadth of territory, is found another 
species, somewhat smaller in size in all its parts, and with flowers 
of a lighter shade ; this is C. Fraseri. The bulbs of this species 
have the same nutritive quality as those of the other.” 
HORTICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE. 
Although I think your correspondent “ Single-handed ” 
wrong and inconsistent in some things, as, for example, when he 
praises the single Buttercup and disparages the Dandelion, which 
are both Nature’s productions, and confounds composite flowers 
with the double forms of the florists—still it is refreshing to meet 
with a writer who does not take anything for granted, or who is 
not ready on all occasions and without inquiry to say ditto to 
somebody else. We want more sceptical minds of his stamp. 
Such writers may occasionally deserve criticism and even ridicule, 
and are sure to receive both. Honest prejudice will assail them 
uncompromisingly ; and those who are wise in their own conceit 
will smile benignly at what they will be pleased to regard as 
foibles while accepting any hints nevertheless, and acting upon 
them on the sly. There is a good deal of this going on in garden¬ 
ing as well as in other things. We want more doubters in these 
days. It is not enough because somebody says such and such a 
thing is right, to conclude that it is so. 
There are numbers of garden operations advocated or recom¬ 
mended by noteworthy writers that are founded upon mere rule 
of thumb, and will not bear looking into critically. I see you 
assuring a doubting correspondent lately that Grapes have “ with¬ 
out doubt ” been set in a temperature of 50° min. When a matter 
like that is looked into one cannot help asking the question, Why 
should not the fruit have set ? No reason has ever been furnished 
to the contrary. Those who recommended high temperatures 
had never tried any other plan. And this is only an example of 
horticultural teaching. Could any writer who tells us that for 
Grapes the heat must be kept up to from 75° to 80° by fire heat 
night and day respectively in the absence of sun, ever have taken 
cognisance of the fact that in this country Grapes set out of doors 
when the temperature at night often falls to 40° or lower ? At 
one place where the writer was, the men during winter and spring 
had to sit up till past midnight in severe weather to keep the 
vinery fires burning for fear the temperature should fall below 
70° or 75° in the morning ; and rather than run the risk of a charge 
of neglect, which would have been put down to their account, 
I have known the men blow the glass up to the necessary point 
when the foreman came through in the morning, for a drop to 
60° in a vinery in flower was an alarming circumstance. In that 
place, on the most moderate computation, I should say at least 
£100 was spent uselessly every year in keeping up unnecessarily 
high temperatures, and so never did any good but much injury 
to the Yines. Fancy consuming £1000 in ten years in the stoke¬ 
hole furnaces ! There is no reason to suppose but that there are 
other practices going on now in gardens which are quite as 
suicidal. One man teaches them, and his unthinking pupils per¬ 
petuate them. Is not this so 1 — Inquirer. 
Utilising Rose Suckers. —Now that growers of standard 
Roses are being bothered with the Briar suckers which spring up, 
