March 2C, 1801. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
245 
- Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. —Efforts arc being made to hold 
a floral fete in the Cry.stal Palace in July next in aid of the Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund, instead of in Covent Garden Market in May. 
-- We are desired to state that on the occasion of the retirement 
of Mr. F. C. Goodchild from the position of Secretary of the Nursery 
and Seed Trade Association, Limited, the members presented him with a 
dining-room .suite in token of their appreciation of his services. 
- In response to the invitation of several members of County 
CounciLs, the British Fruit Growers’ Association has made arrange¬ 
ments for delivering the following course of six lectures in any part of 
Great Britain:—Finst, The Principles of Vegetable Life; second. Soil 
Con.stitution, and Management; third, The Culture of Apples and Pears ; 
fourth. The Culture of Stone Fruits ; fifth, The Culture of Small and 
Bush Fruits; sixth. Gathering, Packing, Marketing, and Preserving 
Fruits. 
- Ware and District Horticultural Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Society. —A meeting was held by this Society on the 17th inst., 
when Mr. G. Gordon gave a very interesting and instractive lecture on 
“Wall Fruits.” There was a good attendance, and Mr. Stanley Gray 
occupied the chair. The lecture was illustrated by diagrams showing 
the various plans for walls, modes of training, and appliances for pro¬ 
tecting the trees. The subject was treated exhaustively, and at the 
close questions were asked by some of the members, to which Mr. Gordon 
replied. A hearty vote of thanks was unanimously accorded to Mr. 
Gordon for his admirable lecture, and a similar compliment to the 
Chairman brought a .successful meeting to a close. At a meeting held 
l^reviously it was resolved, on the motion of Mr. Alexander, “ To admit 
boys between the ages of ten and fourteen free to all the meetings, such 
admi.ssion to be conditional iipon their being introduced by an adult 
member.’ ’ 
- Preston and Fulwood Horticultural Society. —The 
thirteenth annual spring Show of the above Society was held in the 
Public Hall on Wedne.S(Lay and Thursday the 18th and 19th inst., and 
it is a noteworthy fact that each year reveals unmistakeable evidence of 
additional support by the attendance of the leading ladies and gentle¬ 
men of the district at the opening ceremony, which was performed by 
the President, W. E. M. Tomlimson, Esq., M.P. Mr. Atherton, the Hon. 
Secretary, and the other officers, deserve tbe highest praise for the 
success which has once more attended their efforts in trying to establish 
in Preston an annual display of spring flowers. The number of entries 
this year exceeded those at any p.'eviousshow, and the exhibits generally 
were of the highest order. Hyacinths and Tulips have been seen better 
and in larger quantities, but the excellence in other classes made up 
for any deficit. The magnificent display of Orchids set up by Mr. 
Beddoes, gardener to E. G. Wrigley, Esq, Howick House, Preston, was 
the greatest and mo.st attractive feature of the whole Show, and this fact 
was very kindly alluded to by Mr. Tomlinson in his opening address. 
A second prize group of Orchids was also the subject of much comment. 
These were grown and exhibited by Mr. Charles Parker of Oxford Street. 
The Orchids were arranged on a groundwork of Virginian cork, with 
Ferns and Selaginellas tastefully interspersed amongst them ; the whole 
having a novel and pleasing effect. The miscellaneous groups were 
well arranged, and comprised some grand specimen plants, both in 
flower and foliage, beside the hundreds of smaller, though rich and choice 
examples. The ^u'iucipal prizewinners were J. B. Dixon, Esq. ; Messrs. 
Baldoes; Frisby, Worden Hall; Mr. Williams, The Priorjq Penwortham ; 
Mr. Lamb, Dilworth Hou?e, Longridge. In the nurserymen’s class 
Messrs. E. Payne, Spelman, and Morley & Co. were the principal 
exhibitors. Mr. Payne’s group of plants was an especial attraction. 
Some well-flowered Azaleas were noticed in two classes. 
- Koyal Meteorological Society. — The usual monthly 
meeting of this Society wms held on Wednesday evening, the 18th 
instant, at the Institution of Civil Engineers, 25, Great George Street, 
Westminster, S.W., Dr. C. T. Williams, Vice-President, in the chair. 
Mr. H. Brevitt, Mr. J. Lovel, and Mr. L. G. Oliver were elected 
Fellows of the Society. Mr. G. J. Symons, F.R.S., read a paper on 
the “History of Bain Guages.” It appears that Sir Christopher 
Wren, in 1G63, designed not only the first rain guage, but also 
the first recording guage, although the instrument was not cen- 
structed till 1670. The earliest known records of rainfall were made 
at the following places :—Paris, 1668 ; Townley, in Lancashire, 1677 ; 
Zurich, 1708 ; and Londonderry, 1711. Mr. Symons gave a very full 
account of the various patterns of rain guages, and in most instances 
pointed out the merits or defects of each. Mr. A. W. Clayden, M.A., 
showed on the screen a number of interesting transparencies of photo¬ 
graphs of clouds, lightning flashes, and other meteorological phenomena. 
The meeting was adjourned at 8.150, in order to allow the Fellows to 
inspect the exhibition of rain guages, evaporation guages, and new 
instruments, which had been arranged in the rooms of the Institution. 
- The Shropshire Floral and Horticultural Society.— 
The .spring Show of this Society was held on the 19th inst. in the Mu.sic 
Hall, Shrew.sbury. Numerous exhibits of an exceptionally interesting 
character filled all the available space, and it seemed to be the general 
opinion that the Show was a distinct improvement upon tho.se of previous 
years. The energetic Secretaries, Messrs. Adnitt and Naunton, greatly 
contributed to the sirccess. In the open classes the competition was 
strong, Colonel Wingfield, Mrs. Ju.son,andJ. B.. Greatorex, Esq., securing 
the chief prizes, whilst gentlemen in the district contributed materially 
to the Show with good exhibits of Azaleas, Cyclamens, Cinerarias, Bhodo- 
dendrons, and Calla.«. Some really good exhibits in tbe amateurs’ 
classes came from the following exhibitors :—Mc.ssrs. Burr, Loylor, 
Wyley, Patchet, and others. Passing to the non-competitors’ .and trade 
growens’ exhibits, Messrs. Pritchard & Sons, Shrewsbury, contributed a 
very fine exhibit .some 40 yards by 6 feet wide, also two fine wreaths and 
spraj-s. The collection was honoured with a special certificate. Mr. E. 
Murell also received a similar award for a fine bank of plants. Messrs. 
Jones & Sons contributed effectively ; and last, but not least, Messrs. 
Dickson, Limited, Chester, had a remarkably fine display of Narcissus 
and other bulbs, making altogether a very fine exhibition.—C. B. 
-The name Maximowicz is familiar to horticulturists, and the 
following particulars, condensed from a long notice in Nature, re¬ 
specting this great natirralist will possess some interest :—Carl Johann 
Maximowicz, v,'ho died at St. Petersburg on February 16th, after a few 
daj's’ illness, was born at Tixla in 1827. He went early to St. Peters¬ 
burg, where he was brought up at the St. Annenschulc, a renowned 
German Lutheran College. In 1844 he left the Russian capital for the 
University of Dorpat. After completing his studies, he was appointed 
director’s assistant at the botanical garden of Dorpat, a post he held 
until 1862, when he was made Conservator of the Imperial Botanical 
Garden at St. Petersburg. The following j'car he set out on a voyage 
around the world on board the frigate Diana, his chief task being to 
make acquisitions of living pdants for the botanical garden at St. 
Petersburg. The Diana visited Bio do Janeiro, Valpxaraiso, and Hono¬ 
lulu. But when war was declared by the Western Powers against 
Russia, she was compxelled to call at the nearest Russian harbour, De 
Castries, on the coast of Mantchuria, at that time the youngest, and 
scarcely an organised, Russian colony. Maximowicz hail to leave the 
frigate, and decided at once to go upi the River Amur, and to exjflore 
its banks and the adjoining country, wliic’n was t’nen little known. 
Though furnished with only limited means, he carried out his task 
under great difficulties .and severe pirivations in a very successful manner. 
He returned to St. Petersburg by way of Siberia in 1867. In 1869 
and 1860 he travelled in Mantchuria ; in 1861 he visited the island of 
Yesso ; 1862, Nipon ; 1863, Kiu-siu. He returned to Europe by the sea 
route in 1864. It was then that he first visited England. He was at 
that time in a bad state of health, in consequence of an obstinate fever 
he caught in Japian, and from the effects of which he suffere;! from time 
to time throughout his life. In 1869 he has apipiointed Botanicus 
Primarius at the Imperial Botanical Garden at St. Petersburg. After 
1866 he published many contributions to the flora of Eastern Asia in 
the Mdmoires and the Bulletins of the Academy, the most important 
being a monograpdi of the RhododemIrons of Eastern Asia, the 
‘ Diagnoses breves Plantarum Novarum Japooniai et Mandshuria*, 
Dec. i.-xx. ”; the “ Diagnoses Plantarum Novarum Asiaticarum, 
i.-vii.,” Ac. It was in the latter that he Ix'gan to work out the large 
and exceedingly imp)ortant collections made by Prjevalsky, Potanin, &c., 
in Centr.al Asia. 
_ Apple Mere de Menage.—I do not think this Apple is 
planted nearly as much as its merits deserve, owing perhaps to the idea 
that it is a shy cropper. An instance of t’uis mistake occurred here last 
season. A traveller called upon me, and in conversation I said we 
proposed planting fifty trees of the above-named variety. He rejoined, 
“ I should do nothing of the sort.” I asked, “ M hy ? ’ “ Because it does 
not bear freely enough,” w.as his answer. “ Wait till you see, ’ said I. 
And when I took him to a ten-year-old tree, with its branches laden 
with very highly coloured fruit, he could hardly believe it was Mere de 
Mdnage. This variety is invariably a sure cropper here in our strong 
