JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 26, 1882. ] 
to send nothing more to market until certain new taxes imposed 
by the municipality on their wares are removed. The defenders 
of these imposts point out that the taxes on produce are paid by 
the consumer in the increased price of the article ; but on the 
part of the market gardeners it is contended that to raise the 
price is to limit the sale, by which their interests are practically 
damaged to the full extent of the new taxes.” 
- “ B. K.” will be glad if any of our readers can state “ if 
it would be practicable to graft shoots of the male Aucuba japo- 
NICA on to shoots of a large shrub of the female kind without 
cutting the latter down ? and if so, what would be the best method 
to adopt and the right time for the operation ? with any other 
hint that would be likely to contribute to success.” 
- The Annual General Meeting of the members of the 
National Auricula (Northern Section), Royal National 
Tulip, and National Carnation and Picotee Societies, will 
be held at the “ Old Bull’s Head,” Manchester, on Wednesday, 
February 1st, 1882, at 3 o’clock P.M., to arrange date of this year’s 
exhibitions, schedule of prizes, plan of judging, and any other 
matter and work connected with the management of the National 
Florists’ Societies, Northern Section. 
- “ Dublinensis” writes—“Among new introductions 
Cattleya dolosa seems to be an especially robust grower either 
on a block of teak or on a sod of peat in shallow suspension pan. 
Its roots are very large in proportion to the size of the plant, and 
lace themselves over everything near. I also notice that the 
“ back eyes ” at the base of even leafless bulbs seem ready to start 
—not at all a common occurrence with these little dwarf-habited 
Cattleyas. All things considered, I can recommend this plant.” 
- Writing from The Gardens, Bagatelle, Greenock, Mr. W. 
Muir observes—“As indicating the mildness of the present 
SEASON, I send you two trusses of Rhododendron Nobleanum. 
The plants are grown in an open situation on our lawn, about 
300 yards from the Clyde, and they are one mass of bloom. 
I also send two blooms of Lilium auratum. I have often thought 
that this grand Lilium could be grown with a little care to per¬ 
fection during the winter, and with our trial we have been very 
successful.” The Rhododendron heads were of good size, and very 
bright in colour ; and the Lilium flowers were also good for the 
season, though not large. 
- A writer in “ The Gardener,” referring to imported 
Orchids, observes—“ Anent Odontoglossum Alexandra, I was 
told some time ago that well-directed attempts were being made 
by certain nurserymen to import and otherwise exterminate 
this species in South America, in order to create a monopoly, 
and so raise the prices at home. Of course the idea is too ri¬ 
diculous to be thought of for a moment. Nothing is much more 
difficult than to extirpate a plant so widely distributed as is 
Odontoglossum Alexandra. When plants or men make their 
homes in the mountains it is doubly difficult to extirpate them. 
As a rule, collectors take plants of a certain size only. Plants 
too small will not withstand the journey through the lowlands 
to the sea. Where ten thousand plants are collected, three times 
that quantity of seedlings in all stages are left behind; so that 
after any district is reputed to be exhausted, we have only to be 
patient and wait for a few years in order to find another crop 
ready for the collector of the future. Where trees are felled in 
order to collect the Orchids that grow upon them, the mortality 
is greater; but even if this be invariably done, it will be a long 
while before Odontoglossum Alexandra ceases to exist as a wild 
plant on the Cordilleras, although doubtless the collecting of it 
in quantity may be more difficult and expensive.” 
- We are desired to announce that Mr. H. R. Holmes, late 
78 
foreman with Mr. W. Phillips, Patshull Gardens, Wolverhampton, 
has been appointed gardener to the Hon. C. Finch, Ofichurch, 
Bury, Leamington. 
-We learn that the National Dahlia Exhibition, the 
proposal of which has been previously referred to in these columns, 
is to be held on the 8th and 9th of September. 
- All Fellows of the Linnean Society will hear with regret 
of the death, on the 14th inst., of Mr. Richard Kippist, who 
for nearly fifty years acted as librarian to the Society. Born in 
1811, he was, when quite a lad, clerk in the office of Mr. Joseph 
Woods, F.L.S., architect, and an accomplished botanist. His 
taste for botany either originated or was acquired when under 
that gentleman, with whom he travelled, and afterwards assisted 
in the publication of “The Tourist’s Flora.” Mr. Woods leaving 
London for Lewes, Mr. Kippist, in February, 1830, entered the 
service of the Linnean Society, then in Soho Square. On Prof. 
Don’s (the librarian’s) death in 1842, Mr. Kippist, then an 
Associate of the Society, was elected by the Fellows his successor. 
Mr. Kippist contributed various botanical papers to the Linnean 
Society, which were published in their “ Proceedings and Trans¬ 
actions,” the most important of which was that on the existence 
of spiral cells in the seeds of Acanthacese. He was an original 
member of the Royal Microscopical Society, and an Associate of 
the Royal Botanical Society, Regent’s Park. He retired from 
office in 1880, after fifty years’ service, and a year or two since, 
when failing health no longer .enabled him to discharge his 
duties, the graceful action of the Council in allowing their old 
servant to retire on full pension was generally approved of by 
the Fellows.—( Nature .) 
THE METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
The Annual General Meeting of this Society was held on Wednes¬ 
day evening, the 18th inst., at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Mr. 
G. J. Symons, F.R.S., President in the chair. 
The Secretary read the report of Council for the past year, which 
showed the Society to be in a very flourishing condition ; for while 
in 1871 the Society continued its work without an office, accessible 
library, or an Assistant Secretary, and the number of the Fellows was 
314 ; the staff at present very fully employed consists of an Assis¬ 
tant Secretary and three Computers, with 555 Fellows on the roll. 
The receipts and expenditure in 1871 show a marked contrast to the 
year just passed ; the receipts amounted to only £244, against more 
than £840 in 1881. The expenditure was only £197 against £780 in 
1881. The Society also now receives second order and climatological 
observations from eighty-three stations ; the results of which are 
published quarterly in the “ Meteorological Record.” In addition to 
the “ Quarterly Journal,” two publications have been prepared and 
issued under the direction of the Council, viz.—“ Hints to Meteoro¬ 
logical Observers, with Instructions for taking Observations, and 
Tables for their Reduction and “ Index to the Publications of the 
English Meteorological Societies, 1839 to 1881.” 
The President (Mr. Symons) then delivered his address, which was 
devoted to the consideration of the present state and future prospects 
of meteorology. He began by asking, In what respects is our present 
system of observation capable of improvement? Should it be ex¬ 
tended, either as regards distribution of stations, additional instru¬ 
ments, or additional hours of observation? Can any of the millions 
of entries at present made annually be safely dispensed with ? These 
questions can only be properly answered after considering two others 
—What observations are being made ? and for what object ? After 
referring to the different patterns of barometers and the number of 
observations made, Mr. Symons said that he is aware there are several 
grounds upon which the maintenance of numbers of stations in excess 
of all possible requirements can be defended. In the first place, there 
is the constant difficulty which arises from the removals and deaths 
of the observers, and from the extension of buildings and growth of 
trees, &c. This renders it necessary that we should have two or 
three stations wherever we desire to make sure of a continuous 
record. But a far better and more scientific plan would be to choose 
a few unexceptionable localities remote from towns, purchase the 
freehold of a few surrounding acres, erect thereon stations identical in 
design and in every respect, and endow them with moderate funds, so 
that the observations may, humanly speaking, be established on an 
unalterable basis. That would be the way to detect secular changes. 
For climatic purposes the numerous climatological stations started 
by the Society are of great value. After speaking of hygrometers, 
