JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
378 
[ October 27, 1881. 
Orchids, Pleiones, through being deciduous, are often neglected to 
such an extent that satisfactory results are not obtained. The two 
chief requirements are encouragement during growth and a 
good season of rest without allowing the compost to become 
excessively dry. With judicious attention to these two matters 
I have never experienced any great difficulty in flowering them 
well. I think that the genus is one that will gain increasing 
popular favour as the merits of the plants become more widely 
known.—W. K. 
We observe by our advertising columns that our old corre¬ 
spondent, Mr. Alexander Shearer, late of Yester Gardens, 
East Lothian, has commenced business as a landscape gardener 
in Edinburgh. We are glad to know that Mr. Shearer’s great 
experience and well-known abilities are not to be lost to the horti¬ 
cultural community, and we wish him all the success he so justly 
merits. We hope our northern friends will profit by the oppor¬ 
tunity they have of benefiting by Mr. Shearer’s services. 
- “ A. W., Lincoln ,” writes—“ I would remind any readers 
of the Journal who are troubled with weedy and mossy walks, 
that nothing has come under my observation so effective for the 
destruction of weeds and moss as gas water. We give all our 
walks one application annually about this time through a fine- 
rosed watering can, taking care that none is spilt on the grass. 
Moss and weeds are destroyed instantly, and a weed on our walks 
is a rarity till the following autumn, when another dose speedily 
disposes of them. Worms, which are so troublesome about this 
time of the year on the verges of the grass, will not come near 
their old haunts for the rest of the season. Giving off such a 
powerful odour of ammonia, the gas water should be cautiously 
applied near to living-rooms.” 
■- Relative to Grapes at the Edinburgh Show, our 
reporter writes as follows in reply to Mr. Simpson’s letter on 
page 358—“ I frankly apologise to Mr. Simpson for not having 
clearly stated that it was the Muscats which bore the marks of 
syringing. In other respects I have nothing to say different from 
what I have already stated. The faithfulness of the report re¬ 
mains notwithstanding that slip. As the Grapes lay on their 
boards at Edinburgh I reported on them, and no after-writing, 
either one way’or the other, will alter their condition as seen at 
that time. I decline further to take the evidence of other Grapes 
sent to the office in Fleet Street as invalidating statements made 
on Grapes shown publicly a fortnight earlier.” 
- A Gloucestershire nobleman, owning large estates is 
making a novel experiment to render land more remune¬ 
rative. He has [planted thirteen acres with Gooseberry and 
Currant trees, eleven with Strawberry plants, and thirty-five 
acres with Plum trees, while a large portion of park and wood, 
of two hundred acres, have been converted into rabbit warrens, 
and surrounded with iron fencing. The erection of a jam factory 
is contemplated. 
- At the Essex Quarter Sessions, before Sir Henry Selwin- 
Ibbetson, a curious case was tried from Barking. Joseph Hale, 
William Preest, and [Ruth Preest were charged with stealing 
56 lbs. of Grapes, the property of George Phillips. Mr. F'ulton, 
for the prosecution, said the law did not permit an indictment 
for stealing growing Grapes, and the Grapes in this case were 
cut from the Vine. The prisoners, however, were also charged 
with stealing the scissors with which they cut them. This charge 
was established, and Hale was sentenced to two months’ and the 
two Preests to one month’s imprisonment each. “In this case,” 
remarks an evening contemporary, “ ignorance of the law has 
helped to vindicate it; but as matters stand it would seem that 
rogues may cut as many Grapes as they please, if only they take 
the precaution to use their own scissors, or, at all events, not to 
take away those they borrow. The sooner the law is amended in 
this and similar points the better for the interests of justice. Why 
it should be a punishable offence to take a bunch of Grapes from a 
fruiterer’s stall, and yet be no offence to take them from the hot¬ 
house in which they are grown, it would, we think, be rather diffi¬ 
cult to explain.” 
- We regret to announce the death of Mr. J. C. Niven, 
Curator of the Hull Botanic Garden, which occurred on 
the 16th inst. Mr. J. C. Niven was the son of Mr. Ninian Niven, 
for some years Curator of the Glasnevin Botanic Gardens, and 
was born at Dublin in 1828. He was educated for the medical 
profession, but disliking that he commenced a gardening career at 
the Belfast Botanic Garden in 1843. Thence he went to Dalkeith, 
and afterwards to the Royal Gardens, Kew, where he held a 
position of some importance. In 1853 Mr. Niven was by the 
influence of Sir William Hooker appointed Curator of the Hull 
Botanic Garden, which position he retained to his death. He 
paid much attention to herbaceous and alpine plants, and an 
extensive collection was formed under his care. Mr. Niven also 
delivered many courses of lectures upon botany in connection 
with several of the local scientific societies. 
- The following gardening appointments have been 
recently made—Mr. C. Slade, late gardener to A. B. Knight, Esq., 
Downton Castle, Ludlow, succeeds Mr. Hossack as gardener to 
the Marquis of Hertford, Ragley Hall, Alcester ; Mr. Hossack 
succeeding Mr. Sutherland as gardener to Lord Lanerton, Castle 
Howard, York. Mr. J. Wilson, late gardener to R. W. Gaussen, 
Esq., Brookman’s Park, Hatfield, has been appointed gardener to 
C. J. Nairn, Esq., Temple Guiting, Winchcombe. Mr. H. West, 
late gardener to H. Hoskier, Esq., Solna, Roehampton, succeeds 
Mr. Fair weather as gardener to Edmund Wright, Esq., Halston 
Hall, Oswestry ; and Mr. A. Taylor, late gardener to Lord de 
Mawley, Langford House, Lechlade, has been appointed to suc¬ 
ceed Mr. W. Patterson as gardener to J. Conyers, Esq., Castle- 
grove, Headingley, Leeds. 
- At a General Meeting of the Finsbury Park, Hornsey, 
and Wood Green Amateur Chrysanthemum Society, held 
on Thursday, 6th October, 1881, a discussion took place as to 
whether an exhibition should be held this year, and a Committee 
was appointed, consisting of Messrs. Nobbs, Rundell, and the 
Secretary, to investigate and report generally on the Society’s 
position. A special general meeting was held on Tuesday, 11th of 
October, 1881, to receive the Committee’s report, of which the 
following is an extract:—“Your Committee have to report that 
after due deliberation they have reluctantly arrived at the con¬ 
clusion that no exhibition should be held this year. The cost of 
printing, advertisements, &c., and other expenses attending an 
exhibition would exhaust the whole of the funds in the Treasurer’s 
hands and leave a deficit, consequently the fund for prizes would 
be small and totally dependant on the sale of tickets and admis¬ 
sion money ; this would dissatisfy those gentlemen who might ex¬ 
hibit, and thus injure the Society. It is unlikely that members 
would care to press their friends to take tickets, knowing that the 
exhibition would not compare even with that of last year. For 
the reasons above stated your Committee therefore submit—1st, 
There be no exhibition for 1881, and that the funds, after pay¬ 
ment of expenses, be carried forward to next year’s account. 2nd, 
That to ensure a good exhibition for 1882 classes be opened for 
gentlemen’s gardeners, with a good prize, and that this be an¬ 
nounced as early as possible. 3rd, That the advertisements ap¬ 
pearing in the Society’s schedule for this year be renewed next 
