182 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 10, 189a 
-Ancient Society op York Florists.—A schedule of the 
“ Thirteenth Great Floral and Musical FSte and Exhibition of Chrys¬ 
anthemums ” of this Society has been received. The dates fixed for the 
Show are November 16th, 17th, and 18th. Mr. John Lazenby ably 
wields the secretarial pen. 
- Paper White Narcissi are flowering better this year 
than usual. The delicious scent of its flowers is much appreciated, 
and so also is their purity of colouring. Considering the ease with 
which this Narcissus can be cultivated it is a capital plant for amateurs 
to undertake. Four bulbs in a 6-inch pot will make a good show. 
After the pots are full of roots they should be removed from the 
plunging material to a cool house if not required very early, where they 
may remain to flower, and will be all the stronger by the absence of 
artificial heat.—S. 
- Severe Frosts.—C an any of your correspondents give me 
the date of the severest frost that was known in England in 1860 and 
1861, and since that time? The reason why I am asking for the infor¬ 
mation is because we had 38° of frost on the 17th of February last, and 
I told my employer I could not remember such a severe frost since 
1860, so that he is anxious to have the information requested through 
the Journal of Horticulture .—A Twenty-seven-tears Subscriber. 
[There is a singular omission on the part of our correspondent. He 
does not give his address, or indicate his locality in any way.] 
- D’Arcy Spice Apple. —Mr. B. K. Cant sends us from Col¬ 
chester excellent specimens of this late dessert Apple, and we suspect 
it would be difficult to find Apples richer in quality at this season of 
the year. As is stated in the “ Fruit Manual,” “ This valuable Apple 
was discovered in the garden of The Hall, Toleshunt D’Arcy, near 
Colchester, and many old trees are still existing in that neighbourhood. 
It was always known by the name of D Arcy Spice, or simply Spice 
Apple, till 1848, when Mr. John Harris, a nurseryman at Broomfield, 
near Chelmsford, propagated it from grafts taken from one of these old 
trees, and sold it under the name of Baddow Pippin. A few years 
later Mr. Eivers of Sawbridgeworth put it in his catalogue as Spring 
llibston.” It may be remarked, however, that this name is given to 
the Boston Eusset in some districts. 
- The American Florist says the First Annual Convention 
OP THE American Carnation Society held at Buffalo on the 
16th ult. was a scene of great activity—a veritable nest of Carnation 
enthusiasts, who were constantly arriving with boxes nearly as long as 
themselves, and which when opened disclosed marvellous blooms of this 
divine flow’er,'with stems of unprecedented length. No sooner was the 
box displayed than scores of heads were closely bunched over it, and it 
was only after Mr. Scott had requested that the room be vacated by all 
except those with goods to unpack that anything could be done toward 
arranging the exhibition. There must have been over 3000 blooms on 
hand. While being staged the corridors in the neighbourhood of the 
room were taken possession of by enthusiastic members who could talk 
nothing else except soils, temperatures, burstings, vigour, and other 
matters of vital importance to carnationists. 
- A Simple Mouse Trap.—A lthough the figure 4 trap, so 
lucidly explained a few weeks ago, is generally conceded to be an excel¬ 
lent device for the destruction of mice, I will describe one which is even 
better and certainly much more simple in its manufacture. My 
experience of the figure 4 trap is that the vertical strip fails to fall if 
all the three are not most accurately made and fitted together when set, 
otherwise the trap is excellent. My plan is this—presuming mice are 
to be caught in the garden about the rows of Peas—take an ordinary 
brick, set it firmly on its edge on the surface soil near where the mice 
are troublesome, then with a second brick smooth and make firm the 
soil the width of a brick on the flat alongside the one on its edge. 
Procure a piece of common galvanised wire about the thickness of an 
ordinary darning needle and 2 J inches long, and bait it in the middle 
with a small piece of toasted cheese, the wire being pushed through thv'^ 
cheese when the latter is hot, which renders it adhesive. Place one end 
of the w'ire against the middle of the brick on edge, and with the 
opposite end in an upward slanting direction support the second brick, 
which is set upon its extreme edge in a leaning direction to the first 
brick, and at such a distance from it that when the mice nibble the 
cheese the slanting position of both wire and brick admits of the wire 
falling upon the slightest touch. The second or leaning brick falls flat 
on to the soil, just missing the upright brick, but on to the mouse) 
killing it instantly. This is a kind of trap very easily set, but very 
secure from accident. I have tried both kinds largely, and like this one 
much the best.—E. MOLYNEUX. 
- Invincible Crocks. —Mr. A. Porter has sent us from Maidstone 
samples of the brass wire “ Crocks” he is now advertising. They appear 
to merit their name, for we cannot imagine that the most ingenious of 
worms or other creeping things could manage to wriggle through them. 
They are simply for placing over the holes in flower pots to be covered 
with ordinary drainage materials. They will, no doubt, be used by 
growers of Chrysanthemums, Eoses, and other plants that are stood on 
walks in the open air where thick layers of ashes are not admissible and 
boards not at hand or desired. These crocks, besides being invincible are 
durable and cheap, and Mr. Eichard Gilbert appears anxious to 
embrace the inventor for the boon conferred on “ brothers in arms.” 
- The Carnation.—M r. E. S. Dodwell writesWill yon. 
pardon me if, to your very generous notice of my little book (see 
page 168), I desire to make one small emendation? I do not say the 
ideal of the florist is outside rule or plummet. T commend—earnestly 
commend—the study of the ideal to my fellows ; but as earnestly I urge 
‘ that ideal is no creature of the imagination ; it rests upon immutable 
law, ever open to the reverent student.’ ‘ For rule and compassi 
line and plummet let them go to the Eev. George Jeans.’ I do not 
presume to speak, I should not dare to think, of myself as an authority ; 
but I am assured that in the essays by Mr. Jeans, first published in the 
‘ Florist ’ some forty years ago, on the ‘ Philosophy of Florists’ Flowers,’ 
my friends and fellows will find all they can desire to know.” 
-Eoyal Meteorological Society—Thirteenth Annual 
Exhibition op Instruments. —At the ordinary meeting of the 
Society to be held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, on Wednes¬ 
day, the 16th inst., at 7 P.M., the President, Dr. C. Theodore WiUiams, 
will deliver an address on “ The Value of Meteorological Instruments 
in the Selection of Health Eesorts,” which will be illustrated by a 
number of lantern slides. The meeting will be adjourned at 8.30 p.m. 
in order to afford the Fellows and their friends an opportunity of in¬ 
specting the exhibition of instruments, charts, maps and photographs 
relating to climatology, and of such new instruments as have been 
invented or first constructed since the last Exhibition. The Exhibition 
will be open from Tuesday, the 15th inst., to Friday, the 18th. 
- The Garden Oracle. —This useful annual, published at the 
office of the Gardeners' Magazine, has only just reached us. The 
thirty-three previous issues were produced by the late Mr. Shirley 
Hibberd, and we had pleasure in referring to many of them approvingly 
The present edition has been prepared by Mr. Hibberd’s successor, Mr^ 
George Gordon, and while it is increased in size, the variety and useful¬ 
ness of the contents afford ample evidence of the good judgment that 
has been exercised by the diligent compiler. We wish also to take this 
opportunity of congratulating Mr. Gordon on the admirable production 
of the two thousandth weekly number of the paper which he edits so 
well. 
- Hessle and Howdenshire Horticultural Society.— 
At the recent annual meeting of this Society it was unanimously 
resolved that in future the Society should be conducted on a much 
more extensive scale, and that the Winter Show should give place to a 
Summer Show of plants, flowers, fruits, and cottage garden produce on 
high-class lines; and, in fact, that it should be made the principal 
Show of the district, special arrangements having been made with the 
N.E. Eailway Co. to run trains direct to Hessle from Beverley^ 
Cottingham, and other places. It is intended that the Show shall he 
open for two days—viz., on Wednesday and Thursday, July 27th and 
28th. The classes will be numerous and varied, embracing some open 
to all England, others to exhibitors residing within a certain radius, 
and others to cottagers only. Hearty support is being given to the 
movement by the leading families in the district, and substantial sums 
are promised towards the schedule. Hull has shown what can be done 
in Chrysanthemum Shows, and we trust the present laudable endeavour 
will have equally successful result.s. It is at least as desirable to 
attempt to draw town populations into adjacent rural or semi-rural 
villages in summer as to attract country residents to flower shows in 
stifling towns. The officials of the Society are :—President, Mr. 
Francis E. Pease, J.P.; Vice-Presidents, Mr. Arthur Wilson, D.L. 
(High Sheriff of Yorkshire), Mr. George Bohn, the Eev. Arthur Kaye, 
M.A., Mr. Benjamin Whitaker; Chairman of Committee, Mr. Algernon S. 
Ayre; Hon. Treasurers, Messrs. Edward 0. Dykes, D. Vaughan ; Hon. 
Secretaries, Messrs. Ernest M. Clarke and E. Falconer Jameson, 
F.E.H.S. These gentlemen will not he satisfied with anything less 
than a complete success, and they will do all that can be done to 
attain their object. 
