May 12, 18^2. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
865 
- Mice in SooTii&.ND.—The mice are playing havoc in many 
places, and much Heather has been burnt to exterminate them, but it 
■will not do so, I intend trying a trap to catch them by the hundred. 
It is simply a box of any size fitted with a trap, and continually baited. 
The trap is a modification of the bee trap first mentioned in the Cottage 
^arde/ter.^W. T., Blantyre. 
- Zonal Pelargonium the Rev. H. Harris is a variety worth 
setting a mark against. The colour is a clear brick red, shining in its 
effect. The truss is of the largest size, with the pips not crushed together 
as is the case with so many sorts, but loose enough to allow nearly every 
petal to be seen to advantage. This with Amy Amphlett, white ; Con¬ 
stance, pink ; Helen C arke, salmon ; Stella Massey, apple blossom ; and 
Brilliant, crimson, form a very select collection.—B. 
- The Late Mr. Edward Cooper.—W e last week gave a brief 
notice of Mr. Cooper's death. His funeral was attended by a very 
large number of his old gardening and other friends. The Right Hon. 
Joreph and Mrs. Cnamberlain sent a very beiutiful wreath, as did also 
the Misses Cnamberlain. Mr. Austen Chamberlain, M.P., attended the 
funeral, and sent a beautiful cross on behalf of himself and his brother 
now in the Bahamas. A large number of beautiful floral tributes were 
flent, amongst others from Messrs. Pope, Thomson, and Hewitt, local 
nurserymen, from the Birmingham Chrysanthemum iSociety, and from 
the two local gardeners’ associations. 
- Bidlbston Horticultural Association. — Though the 
modest sum of £l 3s lOd. is all that represents the difference between the 
expenditure and receipts of this Association during last season it is a 
balance on the right side, and may therefore be regarded with satis¬ 
faction. At the annual general meeting Mr. J. L. Growse was unani¬ 
mously re-elected President, but Mr. H. S. Walter resigned the post of 
Secretary, and Mr, G. S. Western was elected in his place. 
- Recreation —Young gardeners especially, and not a few of 
the “old boys” of the craft, are interested in cricket, and many 
employers of men, believing that recreation is good, assist them in 
ob'^aining it. A “match list” has reached us from Reading, and in 
it we note that not only is every partner in the firm of Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons an officer of the Cricket Club connected with their 
establishment, but that thirty-five matches are arranged in which 
the two teams will engage during the season, 
- Beckenham Horticultural Society.—T he schedule of 
this years Exhibition, which is to be held on Wednesday, July 27th, 
reaches us, and appears to be well varied in character. Amongst the 
donors of special prizes are Messrs. Laiug & Sons (Begonias'), R“id and 
Birnemann (Zinal Pelargoniums), Carter & Co. (Peas), and Sutton and 
Sons (vegetables). In another special class the first prize is a banjo 
and the second a meerschaum pipe. If the winner of the former should 
happen to be a skilful player the Committee might save themselves the 
expense of a 'oand. 
-Rhododendrons at Dropmore.—W hen, at the recent 
Ea tertide, so many gardeners were compelled to content themselves and 
employers with DiflPodils, Callas, or other forced flowers for church or 
dome.stic decoration, Mr. Herrin was enabled at Dropmore to supple¬ 
ment his contributions of that kind with an abundance of beautiful red 
and crimson Rhododendron flowers cut from the open ground, where 
there are many big bushes blooming profusely, as also of si-veral white or 
flesh t.in-'e'f forms It was indeed a matter for surprise, when recently walk¬ 
ing through the extensive woods and shrubberies, to meet here and 
there wi'h these precocious Rhododendrons. They were bloomingjust as 
fre^-ly in theopen as beneath trees, though it was noticeable that where some 
overhanging growi h furnished shelter the blooms had suffered less from 
f roat. One no de head stood up about 20 feet high, covered with trusses of 
fie y red 11 iw-rs It is a pity such bloomers as these cannot be more 
common : how valuable would they prove in gardens ! VVe rather reserve 
our Bhoilodendron strength as a rule for the end of May and the month 
of June onward, yet a gO)d bush of one of these early bloomers would be 
WO' th half a dozen that bloom when Rhododendron flowers are plentiful. 
Gooii plants of these early kinds lifted and put into warm'h could easily 
be ha I in bl om in March, while the pale-hued ones would probably 
come under gla-s almost pure white. Azaleas were bursting into bloom 
in v:ari')U8 oirectious so early as the 29th ult., and ere this appears in 
print w I pr'btbly be almost in full flower. Generally the Azaleas promise 
better for hloom ihi.s season than do the Rhododendrons, especially of 
the old Britannic type ; still there will be a fine show of flowers on the 
latter, no doubt, later on.—A, D. 
- Death of Mr. M. Mitchell. —'We greatly regret to have 
to record the untimely death of this promising young gardener, who for 
the past f.iur years has had charge of Mr. W. Cuuard’s considerable 
market fruit gardens at Orleans and Lebanon H ruses, Twickenham. 
Toe deceased was married, and leaves two young children, one only six 
months old. He was only twenty-nine years of age, of the most genial 
nature and kindly disposition, and has left behind him, as much on the 
part of his staff as friends, a strong feeling of profound sorrow. 
Mr. Mi chell was engaged in the work of tying out laterals in a vinery 
at Orleans House Gardens on the 23th ult. Tne house is divided by 
means of a glass partition, against which the ladder on which he 
stood was placed. The ladder, through some cause, suddenly turned 
round and threw the unfortunate man against the partition, terribly 
lacerating hie right arm, so much so that he bled pr'.fusely, and it was 
needful to c >nvey him to the neighbouring hospital for trea'ment. 
There the cuts in the arm were sewn up, but b'ood poisoning seems to 
have ensued, also partial delirium, so that Mr. Mitchell was unconscious 
until his death, which took place soon after midnight on the following 
Saturday. It need hardly be said that in local gardening circles this 
untimely death has caused considerable sensation. Apart from being 
a first-class fruit grower, as the Grapes, Peaches, Nectarine^, Straw¬ 
berries, &c, testify, he grew Chrysanthemums well, and last year took 
first place for grouping plants at Kingston, Teddington, and Twicken¬ 
ham, a 1 of a first-class character. Some 11,000 plants of Strawberries 
President, Sir J. Paxton, and Sir C, Napier are annually fruited at 
Lebanon House, and the crop this year, so far, has been a grand one. 
Peaches and Muscat Grapes also are in great bulk and full of promise— 
indeed, could not look better anywhere. 
- The Late Frosts and the Fruit Crop. —On the morning 
of May 7th the grass thermometer registered 20°, and the minimum in 
the Stevenson screen close by was 26° ; on the 1st the minimum on the 
grass was also 20°, and in the screen 27°. Red Currants suffered 
severely ; Gooseberries sustained injury, but not enough to seriou.^ly 
damage the crop. Black Currants are in fair conliiion at present, the 
majority of the flowers being still unopened. The bloss ims of Early 
Rivers Cnerry on standards are nearly all killed ; la'er varieties not in 
flower still safe. Damsons escaped, although many flowers were open. 
Plums were showing only a small quantity of blossom, and much of this 
is spoiled. Morello Cherries on walls are comparatively safe, very few 
flowers being open. Pears are not showing well this season, and many 
expanded blossoms were killed, while those still in bud are not hurt ; 
all our trees are on walls. Peaches flowered very thinly outside; the 
thermometer at zero three times in one winter, and following such 
a dull, wet summer much of the young wood succumbed ; the 
flowers which did come set well under the protection of double fish 
netting, and are still safe. Apples are only showing a mjderate 
amount of blossom this season ; a few trees which only bore thin crops 
last year are, however, very full. Some have felt the frost very much. 
Although not in blossom yet (May 7th) the small buds are much 
damaged, especially where the leaves are most unfolded. The prospects 
of the hardy fruit crop here are, therefore, not very encouraging, and 
there is probably more frost to come.—W, H. Divers, KtUon Rail 
Gardens, Stamford, 
- Cinerarias at Farnham Royal.—T here can be no doubt 
but that the ancient reputation for a fine strain of Cinerarias which the 
late Mr. J. James possessed is being well sustained by his son at 
Farnham Royal. I saw there just recently a remarkable collection of 
upwards of 3000 plants all in good-sized pots, and such as any gardener 
would be only too pleased to have for his greenhouses, really a wonderful 
sight, filling long house after house, and presenting, so far as the 
Cineraria is concerned, almost an unequalled spectacle. Most of the 
plants are arranged in blocks of colour, white, carmine or cerise, reds of 
shades, blues, and purples, and apart from these, which are self-i, are the 
edged or ringed flowers, of the same hue of colour, and on the whole the 
most striking. Naturally here, where plants are grown to produce seed, 
they are not pushed on in heat. The flowering season begins about the 
middle of March and runs through to the middle of M ly ; after that 
the plants assume a seedy aspect. Sown usually in July in cool frames 
the seed soon germinates, and the efforts of the grower are then 
primarily devoted to the keeping the plants cool and sturdy. Too many 
Cineraria growers make the mistake of pushing on their seedling plants 
and looking with sa'isfaction upon monster leafage. Then later the 
bloom heads are comparatively small and disappointing. That is not 
the practice at Farnham Royal, where the soil is kept comparatively dry 
rather than over-moist; hence the remarkable sturdiness of the stock, 
