August 23, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
1G1 
•exhausted, but already very marked improvement can be seen, and this 
•season a very heavy crop of useful well-finished fruit is being used.” 
Dr. Mohn, in describing Jan Mayen Island, which is in the 
North Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Lapland (lat. 71“ north) gives the 
following List op Plants that were “collected by Dr. Danielssen on 
the isthmus south of Mary Muss Bay, and which are examples of sub-arctic 
flora : Saxifraga cmspitosa, S. nivalis, S. oppositifolia, S. rivularis, 
Halianthus peploides, Cerastium alpinum, Draba corymbosa, Cochlearia 
•officinalis, Oxyria digyna, and Catabrosa algida. This is a very meagre 
flora, but bright herbage is not wanting. The green carpet of moss in 
places of considerable extent forms a striking and pleasing contrast to 
the black, brown, and red of the surrounding rocks.” 
- The “ Proceedings of the Liverpool Naturalists’ Field 
•Club” for the year 1882-83 is now issued, and contains an account of 
■the numerous excursions and evening meetings held during the year, 
together with the names of all who have gained prizes, and a list of 
books and scientific apparatus useful in the pursuit of natural history. 
The address of the President, the Rev. H. H. Higgins, M.A., is also 
.given—namely, “Notes on Grange-over-Sands by an Invalid Field 
Naturalist,” which contains a great amount of interesting information 
respecting the natural history of the district, especially the botany_ 
which is ably dealt with. The Society has a large number of members, 
•and the financial account for the year shows a balance in their favour 
of £82 8«. 5 d. —convincing proof that the objects are well appreciated. 
- In the course of the above address occurs the following 
interesting passage respecting a search for aquatic plants:— “In the 
water just below the margin, and amongst the grass on the bank, are 
two plants which as well deserve to be considered interesting as the 
tower-like trees of the Yosemitd. The water-plant looks to be a tuft of 
tiny Leeks, 2 inches in length and growing on a stock ; it is the Quill- 
wort, Isoetes. The other in the mossy grass close by is like a single 
upright stem of a Moss ; it is the Lesser Club-moss, Lycopodium Sela- 
ginella. These two little herbs have been dropped by the wayside out 
of the great imperial procession of the plants along the ages, from the 
green vegetation of the coal fields to the gorgeously painted flora which 
<now adorns our world. They increase in the same primitive way with 
most of the coal plants. Each of them has two kinds of spores, a large 
■and a little kind, and these indicate the small beginnings of that mag¬ 
nificent, phanerogamic, twofold arrangement of anther and pistil, in 
which the animal and vegetable kingdoms have been associated to cover 
field and forest with beauty. The two kinds of spores in Selaginella 
are at the base of bracteal scales on the stem, but in the Quillwort they 
axe in the rootstock. The coal vegetation was chiefly of two kinds— 
Ferns and the like of Club-mosses. The Ferns seem already to have 
attained their climax, and to have ceased progressive development. 
Their type had gone as far as it was fitted to go. Ferns were probably 
at least as various and as beautiful then as they are now. But the Club- 
mosses and their allies were then large trees, Sigillarise CO feet in height. 
Their type has gone on through the Cycads to develope into our glorious 
horizon of flowering plants, whilst the Sigillarise themselves have so ill 
prospered as to have few better representatives than our two little plants 
on the borders of the rivulet.” 
- One of the illustrated London periodicals contains the following 
respecting Gloucestershire gardening orthography With all 
the fuss that has been made of late years about education, the schoolmaster 
seems to have been strangely absent from a little town in Gloucestershire 
which boasts a Mayor and Corporation, and where the following notice 
has recently been put up by a gardener :—Plants for Zale Hin Heere 
Kalliflour, Brokaler, Weentur Greene, Raggit Jak, Kottigurs Cale, 
Brussels Sprowts, Sprouiting Brokla, Sallery Plants for Zale.” 
- Besides being interesting by reason of its economic and 
medicinal value, the Scammony (Convolvulus Scammonia) commends 
itself as a hardy ornamental climber. Anyone visiting the College 
Botanic Garden, Dublin, just now will be inclined to agree with this 
estimate of it on seeing a plant of it growing in one of the grass plots, 
and wreathing the dry bush provided for it to ramble over with its 
pretty deep green arrow-head-like leaves and abundance of small white 
Convolvulus-like flowers. Near it is growing in the same way, but not 
yet in flower, the kindred Jalap plant, Convolvulus Jalapa .—(Irish 
Farmers' Gazette.') 
-A correspondent writes that the Eastbourne Flower 
Show was held on August 15th by the kind permission of Mr. and Lady 
Howard in the park adjoining the grounds of Compton Place, which 
were also open to the public. The Show was a great improvement on 
last year in everything except the large plants, which, although as good 
in quality, were not so numerous, owing, no doubt, to a reduction in 
number of prizes. There were about 100 bunches of Grapes exhibited 
in the various classes provided for them. In the plant classes Mr. 
Gilbert, nurseryman, Hastings; Mr. Rann, The Gardens, Honduras Park, 
Crawley ; Mr. Jupp, gardener to G. Boulton, Esq., Torfield, Eastbourne ; 
Mr. Matthews, gardener to G. Matthey, Esq., Rosemount ; Mr. Gore, 
gardener to Captain Taylor, Glenleigh ; and Mr. Martin, gardener to 
J. G. Langham, Esq.,‘,Westdown, were the principal prizetakers. But the 
great feature in the Show was the beautiful group of Ferns arranged for 
effect in a most pleasing and natural style by Mr. McBean of the home 
for Maidenhair Ferns, Cooksbridge. In the smaller classes Mr. Huggett, 
gardener to Dr. Jeffreys ; Mr. Siggs, gardener to Lady Superior, Con¬ 
valescent Home ; Mr. Gilbert; Mr. Gore; Mr. Gregory, gardener to 
Admiral Maxse, Avolon House ; Mr. Piper, nurseryman, Uckfield ; Mr. 
Mitchell, Piltdown Nursery ; Mr. Woollard, Cooksbridge; and Mr. 
Edwards, Three Bridges, were the most successful. In the fruit classes 
Mr. Williams, gardener to F. Liddell, Esq., Peasmarsh ; Mr. Gore ; Mr 
« Dixon, gardener to Sir S. M. M. Wilson, Uckfield ; Mr. Hopkins, gar¬ 
dener to R. Thornton, Esq., Framfield ; Mr. A. McBean, gardener to 
C. P. Wragge, Esq.; and Mr. Chatfield, gardener to J. Holman, Esq., 
secured the principal prizes with creditable produce. 
- In reference to tree-planting in Mexico the Times gives the 
following note:—“ The Mexican Government has concluded a contract 
with Mr. Oscar A. Droege to plant 9,000,000 of trees in the Valley of 
Mexico within four years, commencing March 15th, 1884. Half a million 
trees a year are to be planted in such places as the Government shall 
decide. The contractor pledges himself to establish a number of 
nurseries, and to have in them each year at least 80,000 Asb, 35,000 
Willows, 120,000 Poplars, GO,000 Eucalyptus trees, 60,000 Mountain 
Cypress Cedars, 60,000 Acacias, and 120,000 of miscellaneous varieties. 
The trees must be in plantations of from 50,000 to 100,000 each, and Mr. 
Droege has to maintain them for two years after planting. He is not 
compelled to plant trees along the highways, however. Three graduates 
of the School of Agriculture are to be received into the nurseries each 
year, there to study the science of forestry. He is also to raise fruit 
and other useful plants for free distribution. There is to be translated 
from the German every year a work on arboriculture of recognised merit. 
An inspector is to superintend, and Mr. Droege is to receive annually 
40,000 dols. till the sum reaches a total of 200,000 dols.” 
-- The twenty-fourth annual Exhibition of the Keeyil District 
Horticultural Society was held on August 15th at Rood Ashton 
Park, Trowbridge, the beautiful seat of W. H. Long, Esq., M.P. The 
site chosen was an extremely pretty one, and the grounds also being 
thrown open to the visitors, formed an additional attraction. The 
primary object of the Society, which comprises several parishes, is tie 
encouragement of industry, cleanliness, and good gardening among 
cottagers, and in this they have been most successful. The cottagers’ 
tent was filled with vegetables of all kinds, which were really generally 
superior in quality to those shown by professional gardeners. A fairly 
liberal amount in prizes is offered for plants and fruit to be shown by 
amateurs and gardeners, as without the exhibits resulting the Show 
would not be sufficiently attractive. Fuchsias are always to be seen in 
fine condition at any Wilts or Somerset Show, and the present was no 
exception to the rule. The best six staged by the gardener to Dr. 
Hitchcock consisted of fine well-bloomed pyramids. The best six stove 
and greenhouse flowering plants were exhibited by Mr. G. Tucker, gardene r 
to Major W. P. Clarke, Devizes. The best six fine-foliaged plants were 
staged by Mr. C. N. May. The first-prize group of twelve Ferns were 
shown by Mr. G. Tucker, and were healthy, even, and well grown. Messrs. 
G. Cooling & Son, Bath, exhibited a considerable number of cut Roses 
and Dahlias, the former being for the time of year exceptionally good. 
Fruit was shown in rather small quantities, but included many fine 
examples. Mr. A. Miller obtained the first prize for a collection of six 
varieties with fairly good Black Hamburgh and Foster’s Seedling 
Grapes, a Queen Pine Apple, Melon, Peaches, and Nectarines. The same 
exhibitor was first with black Grapes, having Lady Downe’s well ripened, 
Peaches and Nectarines being also well and successfully shown by him ; 
Apples by Mr. A. T. Hall, Bath, and Mr. E. Wall, Bath ; and Plums by 
