December 1], 1S95. ] 
JO CRN A L OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
517 
- Portsmouth Horticultural Society.—T he Summer Show 
of the above Society is announced to be held in the Victoria Park, 
Portsea, on July Stb, 9th, and 10th, and the Chrysanthemum Show in 
the large Drill Hall on November 4th, 5th, and Gth, 1891. 
- Weather in the North, December 1st to 8th. — A dull, 
cheerless week, with little frost and less sunshine. The thermometer 
has on several nights been at 32°, and 3° of frost were registered on 
morning of the 4th. Ploughing has been pushed forward in the 
district.—B. D., S. Perthshire. 
- The Weather.—T he temperature on the 30th of November 
was exceptionally low. A Negrettiand Zambra’s self-registering thermo¬ 
meter 4 feet from the ground registered 17°, and at ten o’clock, A.M. it 
indicated 12°, and during the day was very low. A Marechal Niel Rose 
against the mansion very severely injured, also a white Banksian Rose, 
both on a south aspect wall. The heavy fall of snow protected Savoys, 
Cabbages, &c. ; but Broccolis have suffered much.—J. Gadd, Belhvs, 
Purfleet. 
- A Dwarf Tropjeolum. —Seeing that Mr. Molyneux has so 
readily responded to “ West Riding, YorhsJ I shall be exceedingly glad 
if he will be good enough, through the Journal of Horticulture, to 
favour me with the name of the above. I had the privilege last year of 
inspecting the well-kept gardens at Swanmore Park, and there saw this 
dwarf Tropasolum growing for the first time. It seems as though I have 
not lost sight of it yet ; the habit was so dwarf, foliage dark, and 
flowers such a bright scarlet. Excepting the colour it seemed to remind 
me of tufts of Lobelia.— Wm. Spencer, Southport. 
- Fruit Culture,— On Thursday evening, the 4th inst., Mr' 
W. Roupell, F.R.H.S., addressed the members of the Streatham Hill and 
Tulse Hill Institution upon this subject. The lecture, which was of a 
comprehensive character, was illustrated with some fine specimens of 
the best varieties of Apples, some of which had been previously ex¬ 
hibited at the Fruiterers’ Show in the Guildhall. Reference was made 
to the useful work that was being done by the British Fruit Growers’ 
Association ; and some samples of preserved fruit from Lord Sudeley’s 
fruit farms in Gloucestershire were shown and commended. 
- The Weather Last Month. —November was dull and wet, 
and remarkable for the heavy fall of snow on the 25th (night) and two 
following days. It was 12 inches deep from 11 P.M. on the 27th until 
noon on the 28th. Rain and snow were recorded on all the days 
during the month except the Gth. The greatest daily fall was 0 71 inch 
on the 23rd, and the total for the month 3 - 90 inches. The barometer 
was very changeable. Highest reading, 3045 at 9 A.M. on the 20th, 
lowest 28 - 90 at 7 A.M. on the 7th ; average height for the month, 29 82. 
Highest shade temperature, 59° on the 23rd, lowest 11° on the 30th ; 
lowest on grass, 14° on the 30th. Mean temperature of the month, 41 - 41°. 
The wind was in a westerly direction on twenty-four days. We had 
only eight bright days. The garden spring ran 9 gallons per minute on 
the 30th.—W. II. Divers, Ketton Ilall Gardens, Stamford. 
- Lettuces.—I by no means intended to say anything against 
the veracity of Mr. Easty. My only difficulty was as to the variety of 
Lettuce he referred to in his note. I must explain that for some 
seasons Messrs. Vilmorin have favoured me with a copy of their retail 
catalogue (in French), and in that there is nothing which I could con¬ 
ceive as likely to be Blond Blockhead save the Laitue Blonde Geante, 
the description coming very near to that given. There is a Grosse 
Brune Tetue, which no doubt is the Brown Blockhead. Save the name ! 
I shall hope to try both of these next year, and thank your correspondent 
for the seeds so kindly forwarded.—B. [Our friends across the channel 
have somewhat different ideas of nomenclature from those which we 
possess, and their names must not be taken too literally. For instance, 
“ Grosse blonde paresseuse ” does not exactly mean “ large white lazy ” 
Lettuce, as it might be literally translated, and similarly “ Grosse 
brune thtue ” can hardly be read as “ large brown Blockhead.” “ Tetue ” 
is probably in allusion to the firmness of the head, and possibly Messrs. 
Vilmorin in looking up their English dictionary, and finding the -word 
given as meaning “headstrong,” “obstinate,” or “stubborn,” confused 
the meanings, and considered a firm or solid head might be expressed 
by “ blockhead.” This seems the most likely explanation of the selection 
of so ridiculous a name.—E d.] 
- Grape Growing and Grape Keeping.—I must admit (see 
page 446) that Mr. Scott has in a novel and unmistakeable way disposed 
of one of my objections to the use of his compound for the destruction 
of insects on Vines by his dispensing with the use of the syringe. But 
with all due respect to Mr. Scott’s experience respecting the exter¬ 
minating properties of his compound I have failed to discover them ; 
but whether the cause, as Mr. Scott suggests, has been from improperly 
mixing or unskilful application, is a matter of little interest or import¬ 
ance, as I find preventives much preferable to cures. But should Mr. 
Scott continue to abolish the use of the syringe, which is equally as 
mysterious to me as my vigorous use of it appears to him, the use of 
insecticides of some kind will, no doubt, be as indispensable in the 
future as in the past, and since Mr. Scott is perfectly satisfied with 
past results, any further intrusion from me would I fear appear un¬ 
seemly.— Richard Westcott. 
- Summary of Meteorological Observations at Hodsock 
Priory, Worksop, Notts, for November, 56 feet above mean sea 
level. Mean temperature of month, 41’0°. Maximum on the 20th, 
58'6° ; minimum on the 30th, 14'7°. Maximum in the sun on the 1st, 
95-2° ; minimum on the grass on the 30th, 8 2°. Mean temperature of 
the air, 40 - l°. Nights below 32°, in shade twelve, on grass twenty-one. 
Total duration of sunshine, fifty-one hours, or 20 per cent, of possible 
duration. We had eight sunless days. Total rainfall, 3 23 inches. 
Rain fell on twenty-one days. Average velocity of wind, 9'9 miles 
per hour. Velocity exceeded 400 miles on five days, and fell short of 
100 miles on five days. Approximate averages for November :—Mean 
temperature, 41 - 7°. Sunshine, fifty hours. Rainfall, 2'04 inches. 
Rather a wet month, and mild up to the last week, when we had an 
unusually heavy fall of snow (11 inches deep), and a few days of very 
cold weather, the frost on the 30th being sharper than has been recorded 
here in any November in any of the last fifteen years.— Joseph 
Mallender. 
- Birmingham Gardeners’ Association. — Occasionally an 
evening is set apart for the exhibition of plants, flowers, and fruit 
or vegetables of interest, especially new and rare objects, and at the 
last meeting, Mr. Hughes, the Secretary, read a paper on the Federation 
of Gardeners’ Associations, and several interesting exhibits were sent. 
Messrs. Cutbush & Son, Highgate Nurseries, London, sent some plants 
in berry of some of the newer forms of Pernettyas, showing what striking 
and pretty decorative plants they are. Mr. R. Owen, Maidenhead, sent 
cut blooms of several new American Chrysanthemums and seedlings, 
amongst them Ada Spaulding, Mrs. S. Coleman, and Madame Edouard 
Veltdn, all fine incurved varieties. In Japanese varieties Advance is 
truly an advance, and of a new and beautiful colour, and others are very 
promising. Mr. Cryer, the gardener at Berrow Court, Birmingham, con¬ 
tributed several plants of well grown Cyclamens, and Mr. Burberry, the 
Orchid grower at Highbury, sent cut flowers of some very fine varieties 
of Cypripedium insigne, also good specimens of Odontoglossum Pescatorei 
and Sophronitis grandiflora. 
- About sixty members and friends of the Kent County 
Chrysanthemum Society sat down to dinner at the Bridge House 
Hotel on Wednesday, 3rd December. The President, J. W. Prior, Esq., 
occupied the chair, and Messrs. Stevens and Davis the vice chairs 
Both the room and the tables were tastefully decorated for the occasion 
by Messrs. Laing & Sons and Mr. Chard. The toast “ The President 
and Vice-Presidents ” was given by Mr. Stevens, and most suitably 
responded to by the President. Mr. D. B. Crane, in a neat little speech, 
gave “ The Executive,” to which Mr. Needs, Hon. Secretary, replied, 
stating the progress the Society had made in its three seasons. The 
first year they had only 900 cut blooms, the second year 1800, and this, 
the third, upwards of 2000; they took nearly £90 in gate money, and 
hoped to have a balance of nearly £40 to carry forward for next season. 
“ Kindred Societies ” was next given by Mr. Needs, and E. C. Jukes, Esq., 
Vice-Chairman of the National, spoke with his accustomed freeness, 
urging such a good society to become affiliated with the National. 
Mr. Birdseye gave “ The Exhibitors,” and the Chairman then presented 
the 15-guinea cup to Mr. Blackburne. Mr. J. A. Laing and Mr. Chard 
also suitably replied. Other toasts followed with excellent songs and 
recitations by Messrs. O’Neil, Monk, Searle, Crane, Birdseye and others. 
A hearty vote of thanks was also given to Mr. Norman Davis as donor 
of a silver cup and for the great interest and attention he has devoted 
to the Society from its commencement. 
- Shrewsbury Chrysanthemum Show.—W e are pleased to 
see this wealthy Society has once more held a fruit and Chrysanthemum 
Show, none of this kind having been held there for several years. It was a 
fine display of cut blooms, fairly good prizes being offered in the open 
classes for twenty-four distinct Japanese. The prizetakers were Colonel 
Wingfield, Onslow (gardener, Mr. Lambert), first ; second, France Hay- 
