298 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 12, 1883. 
shire :—“ I thought it might interest some of your many readers 
to know that we are having more sunshine this season than we 
have had for several seasons past, and if it will continue as it has 
begun it will he a great boon to this country. We already have 
had this year 264.6 hours of bright sunshine here up to the end of 
March, and only twenty-nine sunless days. The rainfall for 
January was 2.51 inches ; for February, 2.73 inches ; for March, 
1.15 inch, the last month being the driest here since July, 1881; 
but if the driest it was most severe. During the past eight years 
only four months have had a lower mean temperature—namely, 
January, 1879 and 1881, and December, 1878 and 1S79. Snow 
fell on fourteen days. The thermometer in the shade fell below 
32° on twenty-five nights, and on the grass on twenty-seven 
nights. The morning of the 10th the thermometer on the grass 
registered 34° of frost, which has only been exceeded twice in the 
last four years—namely, in December, 1879, and January, 1881. 
February was very mild and vegetation very forward, so that 
injury to the fruit blossom is very serious. The observations 
here are strictly kept, the instruments have all been verified at 
Kew, and a Stevenson’s screen used, so'that the readings may be 
relied on.” 
-The Croydon Horticultural Society will hold their 
seventh annual summer Exhibition on Wednesday, June 27th, in 
the grounds of Wellesley House, when prizes will be offered in 
124 classes for plants, flowers, fruits, and vegetables ; but special 
provision is made for Roses, liberal prizes being offered in nineteen 
classes, besides the National Rose Society’s silver medal for the 
best blooms in five classes, and a piece of plate value three guineas, 
presented by Edward Mawley, Esq., for the best twenty-four 
Roses, distinct. 
- In a parcel of Messrs. Cassell, Petter & Galpin’s 
monthly works we have part 50 of Familiar Garden Flowers, 
giving coloured figures of the Gloxinia and Double Trumpet 
Daffodil, with descriptive letterpress ; part 73 of Familiar Wild 
Flowers, including the Thrift and Bladder Campion ; part 32 of 
Paxton's Flower Garden , which has coloured plates of Trichopilia 
coccinea and Dendrobium albo-sanguineum, as well as several 
woodcuts in the “ Gleanings; ” part 1 of a re-issue of the 
Dictionary of Cookery, a useful work, abundantly illustrated ; 
and part 1 of the Dore Gallery, which is devoted to engravings 
selected from the editions of Dante, Milton, and others issued by 
this firm, and illustrated by M. Dore, 
- We are sorry to learn that the Horsham Rose Associa¬ 
tion, after having been in existence for six years, and after having 
held six capital shows, has been dissolved owing to the want of 
public support. 
-At the next meeting of the Meteorological Society, 
to be held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, on Wednes¬ 
day, the 18th inst„ at 7 p.m., the following papers will be read :— 
“ Cirrus and Cirro-Cumulus,” by the Hon. F. A. Rollo Russell, 
M.A., F.M.S. “ Notes on Waterspouts, their Occurrence and 
Formation,” by George Attwood, Assoc.M.Inst.C.E,, F.G.S. 
“ Record of Bright Sunshine,” by W. W. Rundell, F.M.S. “ Note 
on Wind, Cloudiness, and Halos ; also on Results from a Redier’s 
Barograph,” by Edward T. Dowson, F.M.S. 
- Preserved Fruits.—A few weeks ago we published an 
account of the great fruit farm which Lord Sudeley has formed 
at Toddington in Gloucestershire, and which has been leased by 
Mr. T. W. Beach of Ealing Road, Middlesex. It is there stated 
that Mr. Beach has taken the whole of the produce of the five 
hundred acres, to dispose of it either fresh or preserved. Mr. 
Beach has had long experience as a fruit-grower and preserver, 
and he has found there is sufficient demand for pure jams to in¬ 
duce him to confidently expect the most satisfactory results both 
for Lord Sudeley and himself. About Maidstone and some parts 
of Kent the “boilers down” of fruit are called “fruit-smashers,” 
and this is not an inapt designation for them, for the fruit is really 
smashed, and a sort of preserve is turned out which no doubt finds 
favour with the masses of the population. Mr. Beach is not a 
“ smasher,” but a true preserver. We have seen some of his pro¬ 
ductions, and we do not exaggerate when we say that they are fit 
to take their place with the finest that can be turned out by the 
skilful confectioner. The Strawberries and Raspberries are espe¬ 
cially beautiful, and remind us of the days of old, when a certain 
careful housewife superintended the making of her own jams, and 
gladdened our young hearts by dealing out the scum to us as a 
reward for our good behaviour while being permitted to view the 
process. These are really preserved fruits, not one of them being 
bruised, but each as perfect as when gathered, and all floating in 
a transparent syrup. The Plums and Apricots are of course 
broken up, the Gooseberries are whole. These preserves are made 
by Mr. Beach on a large scale for wholesale trading, and are put 
up in glass bottles of various sizes, some holding about two quarts, 
and from our own experience of these excellent productions we 
can strongly advise our readers when they require preserved fruits 
to inquire for those prepared by Mr. T. W. Beach. 
- At the Agricultural Hall, Islington, the Building Trades 
Exhibition now being held is both extensive and interesting, 
comprising a great variety of appliances and materials. Many 
horticultural builders and hot-water engineers also contribute 
largely, the principal being the following :—Messrs. Matthews 
and Co., Weston-super-Mare, a large stand of ornamental pottery, 
tiles, &c. ; Hope & Co., Birmingham, boilers and samples of glaz¬ 
ing ; W. Richardson, Darlington, has portable frames, greenhouses, 
and lath blinds ; John Warner & Co., Cripplegate, have a number 
of pumps ; Messenger & Co., Loughborough, have a large space 
devoted to boilers and greenhouses ; The Thames Bank Iron Com¬ 
pany also have boilers, valves, pipes, and ventilators ; J. Thomas 
and Co., Queen Victoria Street, have a great variety of wire 
arches, fowl runs, &c. ; Jeffrey & Co., Oxford Street, also show 
ornamental wirework, greenhouses and garden seats ; and Mr. 
B. W. Warhurst, Highgate Road, samples of his various patent 
boilers. 
- Mr. C. S. Fuidge, Secretary of the Southampton Hor¬ 
ticultural Society, writes :—“We have embarked in a scheme 
for securing a place for the Society’s Shows for fourteen years at 
least. Although not such an arrangement as we could have 
wished, still it is the most favourable we could get, and at any 
rate will prevent our being built out for some time to come. The 
land we have seecured is very well situated—just far enough to 
take it away from the worst of the town smoke, and yet near 
enough to secure a good attendance. It is ten acres in extent, 
abuts on to the beautiful Southampton Common, is well wooded 
with some fine trees, has first-rate approaches, and is close to 
tram line. The Society intends to celebrate its twenty-first anni¬ 
versary by the public opening of the grounds. As evidence of 
the growth of this Society, I may mention that when I took my 
present office ten years ago the Society consisted of 160 members, 
with a total income from all sources of about £250. We now 
number over a thousand members, and last year our income 
amounted to over £1200.” 
ROSES—EARLY OR LATE PRUNING. 
I quite fail to see the force of the observations on page 278 
that it may be well to prune early in the south but less safe to do 
so in colder localities. In my view precisely the reverse is the 
case. I have pruned Roses for twenty-five years in a cold 
northerly district—a few in the autumn and the greater number 
in spring after the growths on the extremities of the shoots were 
often 2 or 3 inches long. The latter I have found by far the safer 
