296 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 21, 1892. 
Events of the Week. —A meeting of the Linnean Society 
takes place to day (Apiil 2l8t), and one of the Royal Botanic Society on 
April 23rd. On Wednesday, April 27th, the second Spring Show of the 
Royal Botanic Society will be held at Regents Park. Messrs. Protheroe 
anl Morris will sell several new Orchids by auction on April 22nd, by 
order of Mr. F. Sander. On the 26th there will be a sale of Odonto- 
glossum crispum, and on the 27th of Palms and other plants. 
- The Weather in London. — Frequent snow showers and 
sharp frosts nearly every morning have been experienced during the past 
week. A heavy snowstorm set in on Friday night or early on Saturday 
morning, and considerable damage was done in Kent, telegraphic 
communication between the metropolis and the southern and eastern 
coast towns being seriously interfered with. There were deep snow-drifts 
in some of the London suburbs. The weather was calmer on Sunday 
and Monday, rain falling on the evening of Bank Holiday. This 
(Wednesday) morning the weather is milder, there being no frost, and 
showery. The wind is in the south-west. 
- Horticultural Club.—T he usual monthly meeting and 
conversazione took place on Tuesday evening last week at their rooms. 
Hotel Windsor. There was a large attendance of members and visitors. 
Amongst those present were Mr. John Lee (who occupied the chair). Dr. 
Masters, Messrs. Wallis, Selfe Leonard, H. Pearson, C. E. Pearson, A. J. 
Pearson, Marrin, Marshall, Soper, Cheal, H. E. Milner, H. Turner, 
Rivers, Crowley, Druery, Cockett, Cousens, H. Williams, Cutbush, 
Phippen, and James Laing. The discussion was opened by Mr. H. E. 
Milner, who gave an address on landscape gardening, and elicited warm 
approval. The point, however, on which most of the discussion after¬ 
wards turned was on the opinion expressed by Mr. Milner, that the 
view generally held that a house situated on clay must be necessarily un¬ 
healthy must be taken with some limitation, as well as that in which he 
contended that the principle of landscape gardening might be carried 
out even in small villa gardens. A vote of thanks was cordially awarded 
to the lecturer, and also to Mrs Harry Turner for a beautiful basket of 
Niphetos Rose which she sent to ornament the table. 
-Allotments in South Lincolnshire.—A large number of 
allotments are being laid out in the neighbourhood of Grantham, on 
land belonging to the Earl of Hanowby. The lots, of a convenient 
size, and being let at a reasonable rate, are eagerly sought after by the 
working men of the district. The land, too, is of a strong loamy 
character, and admirably adapted for fruit culture. Upwards of eighty 
of the new plots have already been taken. There are, in addition to 
these, hundreds of allotments in the locality, the bulk of them being on 
the Earl of Dysart’s land. 
- anew Plant. —“A Lover of Hardy Plants” writes—“Asa 
visitor to the recent spring Show at the Crystal Palace I was much 
interested in a charming little plant exhibited by Captain Torrens 
of Hayes Common, Kent. It was labelled Schizocodon soldanellioides, 
and is said to have been discovered by Captain Torrens in Japan. 
The foliage and flowers somewhat resembled Shortia galacifolia, and, 
like the latter, it will doubtless prove a valuable addition to choice 
hardy plants. This Schizocodon has, I believe, been known for many 
years, but hitherto it has not been seen alive in this country. The 
plant shown was in a 4-inch pot.” 
- Tomatoes from America —Rich as our supply of Tomatoes 
already is, it is expected that it will be very largely increased by con¬ 
signments from America. It has been found on Atlantic steamers that 
the Tomatoes shipped for the use of the passengers have been perfectly 
fresh and in good condition on arrival in England, and this without 
extra care or precaution in packing. It is, therefore, believed that 
Tomatoes can be placed on the London market in first class condition. 
Light wicker baskets will be used for packing them. The demand for 
Tomatoes has been steadily increasing in England during the last few 
years, and physicians are unanimous in declaring them to be of great 
dietetic value. Over a thousand tons were received last year from the 
Channel Islands alone, in addition to contributions from France, Spain, 
h e Azores, and Canary Islands .—(^Daily News.') 
- Gardening Appointment. — Mr. Frank Orchard, late 
gardener to J. C. Frazer, Esq., Thorpe End, Chertsey, Surrey, has 
been appointed gardener to Henry Michell, Esq., Undermount, 
Bonchurch, Isle of Wight. 
-Flowers from the Scilly Islands.—A Devonshire paper 
says that during the two weeks ending April 9th upwards of 73 tons of 
flowers have arrived at Penzance from the Scilly Islands on their way 
to the London and Birmingham markets. 
- A California “big tree” has been selected in Tulare 
county to be shown at the Exposition. A Committee of the Board of 
Trade, after an extended tour of inspection, picked out a tree measuring 
87 feet 9 inches in circumference at the base, 85 feet at 5 feet above the 
ground, and 65 feet at a height of 16 feet. 
- The Diseases of Forest Trees.— A little work entitled “ The 
Manifestation of Disease in Forest Trees,” by C. E. Curtis, F.S.I., F.S.S., 
comes to hand from Horace Cox, the Field Office, Breams Buildings, 
London, E.C. So important a subject cannot be done justice to in the 
space devoted to it, though some useful hints are given in its pages. 
- High Prices for Tasmanian Apples. —During the past 
week upwards of 8000 boxes of Tasmanian Apples have been landed 
from P. and 0. steamers in the Royal Albert Dock, and another cargo 
is expected by a later steamship. The market price realised for the 
highest qualities has reached Is. per lb., and the lower qualities have 
fetched 4d. per lb. and upwards. 
- Frost and Fruit Blossom. —I fear the fruit prospects in 
this locality have been seriously affected during the last two nights, as 
we registered 10° of frost on the night of the 13th, and 12° on the 
following night. Peaches and Plums are in full and abundant bloom. 
Apricots will most likely escape, as the fruit has been set some days. 
—H. D., Warwick. 
-Notts Horticultural and Botanical Society.—T he 
annual general meeting of this Society was held on April 5th, Mr. 
Edward Barber presiding. Unfavourable weather militated against the 
financial success of last year’s shows, but there is a small balance in 
the Treasurer’s hands. The report was adopted. Mr. Charles Hilton 
Seely was elected President, and Mr. J. M. Stewart was re-elected Hon. 
Secretary. 
- Kentish Fruit Pickers. —For the benefit of those who 
have determined upon visiting the fruit plantations of Kent during the 
forthcoming picking season for the purpose of earning a few pounds, 
says a daily contemporary, it may be stated that by-laws are about to 
be enforced in the norih-western division of the county by the Dartford 
Rural Sanitary Authority, enforcing the provision by the growers of 
appropriate accommodation. 
- Government Grant for the Chicago Exhibition.— 
We are asked to give publicity to the fact that Her Majesty’s Govern¬ 
ment, having increased to £60,000 the grant of £25,000 originally made 
for the purposes of the British section at the Chicago Exhibition, the 
Royal Commission for that Exhibition are enabled to dispense with the 
revenue it was proposed to raise by charging the exhibitors in proportion 
to the extent of space occupied, and that, therefore, all space in the 
British section will now be granted free of charge. 
- Rotation op Crops. —At the last monthly meeting of Lind- 
field Horticultural Mutual Improvement Society Mr. H. Townshend 
read a practical paper on the rotation of vegetable crops. He contended 
that as different classes or tribes of vegetables took different constituent 
properties out of the soil, care should be taken to avoid growing two 
consecutive crops of the same vegetable on the same piece of ground. 
He enumerated several vegetables which well followed each other, but 
it was difficult to suggest a hard and fast rule, so many things having 
to be considered, especially in cottage gardens. Speaking of Straw¬ 
berries, when they had been growing two or three years a similar 
interval should elapse before they were grown again on the same piece 
of ground, which interval allowed the ground to recoup itself. A dis¬ 
cussion followed, one point of which turned on the question of double 
cropping. It was pointed out that where this system was pursued, a 
point often lost sight of was the thorough manuring of the whole of the 
ground. For instance, a piece of ground would be manured for Pota¬ 
toes, but the spaces between the rows, which later on would be planted 
with Savoys, Brussels Sprouts, &c., would be left unmanured, and con¬ 
sequently the crop would be a failure. [Not necessarily.] 
