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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
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perpetuating the memory of an excellent man by placing a number of 
children on the list of beneficiaries. Any small amounts that can be 
sent to Mr. A. F. Barron, Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, 
Chiswick, for that good purpose will be thankfully acknowledged. Five 
shillings collected in fifty different gardens would fittingly close the 
Memorial Fund. 
- Croydon Chrysanthemum Society. —The Committee of 
this Society have arranged to have a stall for the sale of flowers and 
fruit in connection with their annual Show at the Skating Rink, Park 
Lane, Croydon, on Wednesday and Thursday, the 12th and 13th inst. 
The proceeds will be given to the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. Contri¬ 
butions of flowers, &c., will he gladly received by the local Secretary, 
Mr. G. W. Cummins, or Mr. W. Beckett, Secretary to the Society, at the 
Skating Rink, Park Lane, Croydon. 
- Portsmouth Chrysanthemum Show.—A t the great Show 
held at Portsmouth yesterday, the awards in the twenty-five guinea 
challenge cup class were as follows :—First (£8) and cup holders, 
Messrs. W. & G. Drover ; second (£7), Mr. N. Molvneux, gardener 
to C. Gamier, Esq. ; third (£5), Mr. Penford, gardener to Sir D. 
Fitzwygram, Bart. ; fourth (£3), Mr. Payne, gardener to Mrs. Smith. 
The cup is offered for forty-eight blooms, half incurved, and half 
•Japanese, in not less than thirty-six varieties, and has to be won twice to 
become the property of the exhibitor. It was secured last year by 
Mr. W. G. Drover after two consecutive wins. The Jubilee prize of £10 
for eight trained plants was won by Mr. J. Bushby, gardener to Captain 
Long. 
-- The William Holmes’ Memorial Fund. — A circular is 
now being issued respecting the above to this effect—“ At a public 
meeting at the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, on October 15th, 1890, 
it was unanimously resolved to commemorate the valuable services of 
the late Mr. William Holmes, the deeply respected Honorary Secretary 
of the National Chrysanthemum Society, by raising a fund for that 
purpose, to be termed ‘ The Williams Holmes’ Memorial Fund.’ The 
Committee appointed to carry out this object has carefully considered 
the numerous suggestions offered, and the following mode of applying the 
fund has been adopted. ‘ That a portion of the fund raised be set 
aside for assisting the technical education in landscape gardening of 
the late Mr. W. Holmes’ eldest son, and that the remainder be awarded 
as prizes or medals at the exhibitions of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society and at those of affiliated societies.’ Subscriptions and all com¬ 
munications should be forwarded to the Honorary Secretary, Mr. Lewis 
Castle, Hotham House, Merton, Surrey, from whom collecting cards 
can be had on application.” 
- A Sunderland correspondent writes respecting the Season 
in the North as follows :—“ It has been a bad and busy season, 
and it is some years since I had so much labour for such scant 
return. The garden crops are very good, but the labour to keep all 
clean and healthy has been enormous. You will say it is just the 
old story of shorthandedness. This is just it. In a fine season we 
do very well, but a wet season flounders us. All was nothing to hay¬ 
making. I never before ran the risk of cutting all down at one 
time until this year, and it rained every day for over a week. You may 
guess tlfe result. 
- “ We have had a splendid crop of Apples this season, some 
varieties exceptionally so. Of course Lord Suffield took the lead, as 
it always does, but we had also good crops of Warner’s King, Cox’s 
Pomona, Keswick Codlin, New Hawthornden. One Apple I weighed, 
13* ozs., not so large as the Peasgood’s Nonesuch from Mr. Barlow, 
still it was not a bad production for us northern growers. Strawberries 
were plentiful, but the wet season spoilt a quantity of fruit. I think 
Waterloo will be a reliable sort for this district, or rather for this 
garden, as I think we have almost the most unfavourable spot in it. 
- “ I think it has been the most successful Pea Season I ever 
had in my experience. The growing season would have a good deal to do 
with that, but I think the varieties had quite as much. I had part of my 
seeds from Messrs. Veitch of Chelsea this season, and I had some varieties 
I have not had before. Whatever it was, the supply was marvellous. 
I tried a few new varieties of early sorts, but for here Backhouse’s 
Selected William I. still leads the way, and we gathered Sturdy the 
last week in October, and shall get some more. Speaking of Chrys¬ 
anthemums, I may say that I have not had such a show for bloom 
since 1887. They are all housed, and the conservatory is full at present 
of the Desgranges family and some others. The later sorts are all well 
budded, and look well for bloom. Of course I do not grow from one j 
to three bloom3 upon a plant as is done for exhibition, but as many 
dozens for conservatory show. What splendid weather we are having 
at present; dry and fine ! It is as well so, as we have a heavy fall 
of timber here, and we are busy at present. There were 1100 trees 
marked; not a bad fall for our few acres.” 
- The total rainfall at Cuckfield, Sussex, for October was 
1*51, being 2 - 44 inches below the average. The heaviest fall was 036 
inch on the 7th. Rain fell on ten days. Highest temperature 64° on 
4th, lowest 24° on 28th. Mean maximum 55'2, mean minimum 40 2. 
Mean temperature, 47 - 7°. Partial shade readings, 4° above the average. 
Remarkably fine month; nothing injured by frost till the 28th; 
up till then flower beds as gay as at midsummer.— R. I. 
- Collections or groups of Tree and Shrub Specimens are 
too seldom seen at horticultural meetings or shows, and this rendered 
the contribution from Messrs. William Paul & Son of Waltham Cross* 
at the recent meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, all the more 
valuable. It comprised a general selection of the most effective hardy 
shrubs and trees, among the former being Berberis Thunbergi, the leaves 
of which turn a bright reddish colour before falling. A certificate was 
awarded for this plant and a medal for the group. 
- Chiswick Gardeners’ Association. —The third annual 
concert in aid of the Gardeners’ Orphan Fund took place at the Vestry 
Hall, Chiswick, on October 29th. It was most successful, the Hall being 
crowded. Mr. George Cannon, manager of Messrs. C. Lee & Son’s 
nurseries, Ealing, sang well, and his daughter, Miss Louisa M. Cannon, 
a silver medalist of the Royal Academy of Music, ably presided at the 
piano. The platform of the Hall was tastefully decorated with foliage 
and flowering plants sent by Mr. M. T. May, gardener to the Marquis of 
Bute, Chiswick House. The Committee, with their Chairman and 
Secretary, deserve much credit for the excellent results of their praise¬ 
worthy efforts. 
- Mr. C. Orchard, Bembridge Hotel, Bembridge, writes con¬ 
cerning the Chrysanthemums and the weather in the Isle of 
Wight. “The Chrysanthemums in the Isle of Wight are looking very 
well indeed. Mr. Wilkins, gardener, The Castle, St. Helens, has some 
good ones, more especially the incurved blooms. The Ryde Show is 
next week, and I think we shall see some good blooms and plants. 
Volunteer, I think, will make a good show ; Japanese, with long spread¬ 
ing florets, white suffused with pink. Mrs. J. Wright I have seen good, 
especially in cut-down plants ; in fact my system is gaining more in 
favour of cultivators than ever, and the examples I have in my front 
hall have quite startled some who have been prejudiced against it. 
The sharp frost on Sunday night (October 26th) cut up all the tender 
plants, and sprilt all the Soeur Melanie blooms out of doors, but Madame 
Desgranges it did not hurt so much. They do well on our reclaimed 
land.” 
- Reading and District Gardeners’ Mutual Improve 
ment Association. —The second autumn meeting of this Association 
was held at the usual place on Monday evening, when a large number 
of gardeners assembled to hear a paper on “ Pears ” by Mr. T. Bowie, the 
able gardener at Sutherlands, Reading. Mr. Wm. Lees occupied the 
chair. Mr. Bowie dealt with the subject in a very concise and practical 
manner. His remarks on the root culture of Pears were warmly ap¬ 
plauded, and in dealing with varieties he considered twenty-four 
necessary to obtain a supply of Pears over the longest possible period. 
Mr. Bowie exhibited fifty varieties of Pears, an admirable collection. 
There were also several other collections. Mr. J. Woolford ex¬ 
hibited thirty varieties, Mr. C. Durman sixteen varieties, and Mr. 
Pound, senr., and the Honorary Secretary showed some good examples 
of the leading varieties—altogether a fine display, which added greatly 
to the interest of the evening. A discussion as to stocks, soils, &c., was 
well sustained by the members, and there is no doubt that much practical 
good will result. 
_ Stove Aralias. —Those gardeners who have to keep up a 
supply of table plants know how useful a batch of Aralias are, as these 
are generally favourites for the embellishment of the dinner table, 
especially such varieties as A. Veitchi and A. Veitchi gracillima, as the 
growth is so elegant and not likely to cause an obstruction. To keep up 
a supply the nurserymen are usually resorted to, as with their special 
contrivances they have not much difficulty in keeping up a stock of sale¬ 
able plants. Grafting is the usual mode of procedure for the increase of 
plants, the stock being A. reticulata, but they may also be propagated 
