JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
April 26, 18S3. ] 
341 
weeks. It is a very simple matter after all—just a mound of 
Ferns, a rough rockery ; but the Ferns are deciduous, and to make 
my mound bright when they are sleeping I have it filled with 
Winter Aconites. Of all the bulbous plants for towns none excels 
this, and few kinds are more sparingly planted. We may pass a 
hundred gardens and find none of this, the earliest and brightest 
of spring flowers, in them. My brother has a large place in the 
country, and the ground under the trees is full of Winter Aconites, 
which cover the surface like a ray of sunshine. There are thou¬ 
sands—millions of them, thicker than stars in the firmament, and 
not less sparkling. They appear to grow anywhere—in hollows, 
on hills, under trees, and in the open ; and than the mound in my 
suburban garden I have nothing throughout the year that is more 
admired, and somehow it has become known amongst my friends 
by the fanciful name above indicated. But do not the Aconites 
injure the Ferns ? No. They do them good by sheltering the 
young uncurling fronds just as they are sheltered in their native 
woods, while the pretty green foliage of the bulbs just continues 
long enough to cover the soil until the Fern fronds meet across 
the spaces. 
The Aconites I plant anywhere and everywhere, digging them 
up some time after flowering and planting them in tufts. “ Ob, 
that wo’n’t do, sir,” remarked a spring assistant whom I hired for 
a time ; “ they must be set in Hoctober, the books says so.” I am 
afraid this good digger thought there was something the matter 
with me when 1 determined to go on planting in spite of the 
books, and the next day he brought me his books to “ see for 
yourself, sir, beggin yer parding ”—three bulb catalogues. I 
explained to him his books were quite right, but I was not wrong. 
He evidently failed to see the force of this logic, and there may 
be others like him ; but that the Aconites transplant well after 
flowering, at least well enough for me, hundreds of plants show 
that have been established in that manner. However, 1 advise 
all who have gardens in or out of towns to do what the “ books ” 
say—purchase Winter Aconites and plant them in October. 
Wallflowers are excellent, town plants, and the late arctic wave 
has told me what I never knew before, that the dwarf single 
yellow is the hardiest of them all. Most of the dark kinds are 
in rags—killed, but not one of the yellows is materially injured. 
These cheerful and fragrant old flowers are indispensable for 
spring ; but to have fine plants and hardy, the seed must be sown 
early in April, and the plants grown in the poorest soil and most 
exposed position at command. Sowing late, and growing in rich 
soil to make up for lost time, is a practice that can scarcely 
commend itself to those who think about the matter. Perhaps, 
however, not being a Vine or an Orchid question, it is not worth 
thinking about. Is not this the cause of so many failures in 
common things ? and are not common things often the most 
important ? 
Gladioluses have bothered me not a little. I have bought them 
over and over again, but as my man says, they always “ get the 
measles.” But the Gladiolus disease is worse than that malady, 
for it appears incurable. A few of the varieties I can grow—those 
that produce cormlets freely. These cormlets I preserve and sow 
thinly in drills 6 inches apart. April is the time for this. The 
plants come up quickly, and there they remain until a few flower ; 
then in the autumn the bed is dug up and I have a few hundreds 
of corms that never fail to produce fine spikes. By sowing a few 
cormlets yearly a supply of useful Gladioli has been maintained 
for many years ; but for this mode of raising them I apprehend 
my stock would have been extinct long ago. This is all I have o 
say at present, and perhaps it will not be worth printing.—M. 
pp 
PTES^GLEJI 
NI 
NG3. 
m 
At a general meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
held last Tuesday in the Conservatory, Major F. Mason, Secretary, 
in the chair, the following candidates were unanimously elected 
Fellows—viz., Levi Cohen, Miss Dent, Frederick Du Cane Godman, 
F.R.S., Henry S. Keating, Frederick Wm. Steward, Lady Truscott, 
Mrs. Tuckwell, Arthur Wm. Walker, James Willing. 
- A RATHER UNWELCOME CHANGE IN THE WEATHER has 
occurred, bright days having been suddenly followed by showers 
of hail and snow just as the Pear blossom is expanding. Last 
Monday London had quite a wintry aspect, and it was even 
worse in some parts of the country. A Kentish correspondent 
wrote to us on Tuesday as follows—“ Our fruit prospects here were 
of the most promising kind, Apples, Pears, Plums, and Cherries 
one mass of blossom ; but, alas ! to-day I fear our brightest hopes 
are blasted, for during nearly the whole of this afternoon this 
neighbourhood has been visited by heavy snow and hailstorm'', 
and at 11 p.m. the thermometer registered 2° of frost, with every 
prospect of more before morning. Very cold easterly winds, 
too, have prevailed here for several days past.” Yesterday 
(Wednesday) the cold was less intense, the wind having subsided, 
but the Pear crop is undoubtedly in jeopardy. 
-For some time past negotiations have been in progress 
for the Royal Horticultural Society to hold evening 
MEETINGS of the Scientific Committee in Burlington House, and 
through the courtesy of the Council of the Linmean Society the 
Council of the Royal Horticultural Society have succeeded in pro¬ 
curing a locus in quo, and the first meeting will be held on the 
evening of May 8th. The meeting-room and library of the Lin- 
nman Society are placed at the disposal of the Council on that 
evening and also that of June 12th, when all Fellows of the 
Royal Horticultural Society are entitled to attend and to intro¬ 
duce a friend. These meetings are not in any sense to be re¬ 
garded in the light of flower shows, though flowers, fruits, and 
other objects of horticultural interest are to be exhibited, but they 
will only be introduced so far as they go to illustrate the papers 
that may be read or the addresses that may be given. These 
meetings will no doubt have great interest for many of the 
Fellows of both Societies, and we cannot but regard it as a good 
sign of the times when we see Science and Practice thus going 
hand-in-hand for the common good. Further particulars as to the 
meetings will be duly advertised in the gardening and daily papers. 
- The Chiswick and Turnham Green Horticultural 
Society held a Spring Show in the Vestry Hall, Turnham Green, 
on Thursday last, when groups of plants were contributed by a 
number of local supporters. No prizes were offered, but a very 
pretty display was produced with miscellaneous flowering and 
fine-foliage plants. The weather unfortunately was very un¬ 
favourable, and the attendance of visitors not very large. 
- Mr. J. Smith writes :—“Like Mr. J. Muir I have a case 
of Vines bleeding in a house of Black Hamburghs, some of the 
rods having been pruned rather late. These have bled very freely, 
but the border was excessively wet, and I put that down as the 
fault. I shall carefully note the results.” 
- The Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland held 
a very successful Spring Show on the 19th inst. in the grounds of 
Mr. Edward C. Guinness, and though the weather was somewhat 
unfavourable the attendance of visitors was good. Azaleas were 
a prominent feature, Mr. Laidley, gardener to W. Jameson, Esq.., 
Montrose, securing the Society’s cup for healthy well-flowered 
plants, and the same exhibitor was the most successful with a 
group of exotics and several other classes. Roses in pots were 
shown by Messrs. W. J. Terry, Richard Pim, and the Rev. F. 
Tymons. In other classes the principal prizes were secured by 
Mr. SmitD, gardener to the Lord-Lieutenant, Vice-Regal Lodge ; 
Mr. G. M’Cullagh, gardener to Viscount Powerscourt; Mr. Jenkins, 
gardener to Alexander Comyns, Esq., Ardcuaine, Glenageary; 
M. M’Geary, gardener to Captain Riall, Chantilly, Loughlinstone; 
and Dr. George McMaster, Brookville. 
_ Mr. Prince sends us the following note on Rhododen¬ 
dron Nuttalli, which would have appeared sooner had it been 
addressed to the Editor, as we particularly desire all matter for 
publication should be, and not to any individual connected with 
this Journal “This plant, rarely seen in the largest collection 
