468 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 23, 1893. 
-The Koyal Caledonian Horticultural Society.—I t is 
announced that the above Society will hold the shows for 1894 on 
April 4th and 5th, July 11th and 12th, and September 12th and 13th, 
Mr. Chas. Stewart is the Hon. Secretary. 
- The Weather in the Isle op Wioht. —Mr. C. Orchard, 
Bembridge, I.W., writes :—“Winter has set in here early. Saturday, 
the 18th inst., opened with a very cold north-west wind and a 
drizzling rain. Towards evening it increased to a gale of wind and a 
drifting snowstorm. The thermometer registered 32°, and on the morn¬ 
ing of Sunday, the 19th, the whole island was covered with snow, some 
of the drifts being 3 and 4 feet deep. The strong wind continued all 
Sunday, but the temperature rose a little, causing the snow to disappear 
by Monday morning. With the temperature so low, and the strong 
wind blowing, played sad havoc with such plants as Veronicas, 
Laurustinus, Fuchsias, Hydrangeas, and others that usually keep green 
and gay with flowers here up till Christmas, to say nothing of Chrys¬ 
anthemums and other border flowers which are quite destroyed.” 
- Our Country’s Charms. —A lady tourist sends the follow¬ 
ing note. “We had a delightful outing in September—Leamington, 
Warwick, Kenilworth, Oxford, and Blenheim. Of all the sights that 
struck me most was Ampelopsis Veitchi on everything and everywhere. 
Warwick Castle is a marvel of loveliness, and the peacocks make such 
a gleam of colour against and on the branches of the old trees. Blen¬ 
heim is overpowering in size ; the forest and ornamental trees and the 
pleasant head gardener, Mr. Whillans, struck me most there, also the 
extreme neatness of everything and the small force of men—we saw 
just a few. A large house of tree Carnations, pink, white and Winter 
Cheer charmed us. There are thirty-f our houses all full, yet last December 
over £7000 worth of plants were sold out. We had Blenheim Orange 
Apples in perfection. Those who have not seen Warwick, Blenheim, 
and the old college gardens of Oxford should see them. I had no idea 
there was such wealth of loveliness in England. Kenilworth is only 
a ruin, but such a ruin that ‘Brother Jonathans’ come over in 
swarms to see it.” 
- The Queen’s Cottage, Kew. —Our excellent transatlantic 
contemporary the “ Garden and Forest,” in the issue for November 8th, 
contains a well executed illustration of the Queen’s Cottage at Kew, 
which stands in the centre of some forty acres of enclosed land, and is 
thickly planted with trees, and from which the public are excluded. It 
stands on the south-west side of the Koyal Gardens, between them and 
the Old Deer Park, Richmond, also Royal property. Portions of the 
cottage grounds have evidently been tastefully laid out many years ago 
and planted with choice shrubs and trees by some competent landscape 
gardener. Even now, although the trees and shrubs were until recently 
left entirely to themselves, the grounds are full of pretty effects and 
delightful glimpses such as please the artist and lover of Nature. The 
wilder part is crowded with Beech, Chestnut, Oak, Lime, and other 
trees which, in places, rise straight out of a turf formed entirely of 
Bluebells, a glorious picture in the springtime, while other parts 
show, in tangled profusion, masses of Blackberry bushes. Brake and 
other Ferns, Daffodils, Ragged Robin, and other dwellers in English 
woods. The cottage was supposed to have been built for Queen Caroline, 
wife of George III., “ who resided at Kew during at least three months 
in every year, and made besides a stay of three days in every fortnight 
at this his favourite spot.” The Queen, it appears, was an ardent 
gardener. 
- Planting.— Although it does but seem |to be reiterating oft- 
told warnings, yet it ie frequently needful just as much as ever to 
protest against the too common practice of planting everything too 
deep. Use seems to be so much overlooked that whilst the natural 
tendency of rooters to strike downwards, the essentials of good culture 
render the keeping of them so near the surface as possible generally 
desirable. This is specially the case with fruit trees and bushes, but it 
applies to most things because we want, under modern conditions of 
culture, to feed roots from the surface, whilst naturally they are induced 
to strike deep down into the soil. There can be no greater error in 
planting under any conditions than in burying the roots too deeply, 
whilst the nearer the surface, relative to the capacity, to have the roots 
covered with fine soil, the sooner do they become attached to the ground, 
and the more healthful is the resultant growth. There are some cases, 
especially where the soil is shallow or on stiff clay, practically to plant 
on ^e surface, but it is difiScult always to make our practice fit in with 
our knowledge of what is best.—A. D. 
- WOOLTON Gardeners’ Society.— A meeting of the mem¬ 
bers of the above Society was held in the Mechanics’ Institute on 
Thursday last, Mr. Carling presiding. Mr. J. Storey, Allerton Tower, 
read an instructive paper on “ The Culture of Muscat of Alexandria and 
Madresfield Court Grapes.” The propagation, pruning, training, dis¬ 
budding, thinning the fruit, temperature and ventilation at the different 
periods of growth, watering, together with the formation of borders 
and the most suitable structures in which they ought to be grown, are 
fully dealt with. At the close an interesting discussion took place.— 
R. P. R. 
- AGATH.®A Ccelestis. —Blue flowers are proverbially scarce, 
and as Agathma ccelestis yields these in large numbers, it is, remarks an 
American contemporary, well worth cultivation for this reason alone. 
It is sometimes called the Blue Marguerite, and the name is apt, for in 
shape the flowers bear a strong resemblance to those of the common 
Marguerite, or Parisian Daisy. But here the likeness ends, for the plants 
are quite distinct in other particulars. The Agathrea is dwarf and 
shrubby, seldom more than 12 inches high, and very neat and compact 
in growth. The numerous leaves are small, rough to the touch, and of 
a deep rich green. The flowers, proceeding singly from the base of the 
leaves, are held erect above the foliage on slender naked stalks, the outer 
florets bright blue, and the disc an intense yellow. The plant is almost 
constantly in bloom out of doors in summer and under glass in winter. 
Even when its flowers are not wanted in winter it still requires gentle 
greenhouse warmth, since 3° or 4° of frost will kill it. Cuttings from 
young branches root readily in spring, and when grown on in small 
pots until mild weather they may be successfully used for bedding ; 
and, again, if taken up carefully and potted early in autumn the same 
plants will, as before remarked, continue to bloom all through the 
winter and spring in the greenhouse. 
- Birmingham and District Amateur Gardeners’ Asso¬ 
ciation. —On Wednesday, the 15th inst., Mr. Herbert Stone, F.L.S., 
delivered an illustrated paper, on “ Roots and their Functions,” before 
the members of the above Association, assembled at the Temperance 
Institute, Corporation Street. The chair was occupied by Mr. Leonard 
Brierley, J.P. (one of the Vice-Presidents), who heartily congratulated 
the Society on the exceptional progress it had made during the short 
course of its existence. Mr. Stone described the parts of various roots, 
their methods of pushing themselves through the soil, and of absorbing 
nourishment from it; and of the extraordinary property of the roots 
to exude an acid which had the effect of rendering soluble inorganic 
matter not usually soluble in water. He gave by means of the lime¬ 
light lantern specimens of the different classes of roots, and gave 
figures to show the extraordinary amount of moisture that the plants 
absorb in the course of their growing period. A vote of thanks to Mr. 
Stone for his excellent paper, and to Mr. Leonard Brierley for presiding, 
terminated the proceedings. Messrs. E. D. Clarke, Gosling, Chapman, 
W. B. GriflSn, Rees, and W, H. Wilks exhibited Chrysanthemum blooms, 
and awards were made accordingly. Those of the two former were 
exceptionally fine. The next meeting will be held on December 6th, 
when the President (Alderman Wm. White, J.P.) will deliver his 
address. 
- Cacao in Trinidad. —'Mr. J. H. Hart, the Superintendent of 
the Royal Botanic Gardens, Trinidad, has recently been successful in 
transporting to Nicaragua a selection of the best varieties of Trinidad 
“Cacao.” Cacao seed soon loses its vitality, and can only be safely 
transported long distances by placing it in a suitable position to 
germinate and grow on the voyage. On April 25th of this year, we 
learn from “Nature,” Mr. Hart left Trinidad with a number of 
specially prepared cases containing plants, and seeds planted on the day 
of departure. The boxes in which the seeds were sown had not glass 
roofs, but were strongly latticed and covered with a moveable sail-cloth 
cover, which could be easily and rapidly fastened or unfastened, to give 
light or to protect from wind, rain, and sun. A frame covered with 
wire netting was fastened inside each case, so as to press upon the 
surface of the soil to prevent it shifting and causing the seeds to be 
disturbed. The seeds germinated ten days after planting, and on June 
10th Mr. Hart reached his destination with more than 26,000 healthy 
plants, which were successfully put out in nurseries. A number of 
Cacao seeds were sown at Nicaragua to develop during the return 
voyage, and upon arriving at Trinidad good healthy plants were obtained 
from 98 per cent, of the seeds planted. These plants included two 
species entirely new to Trinidad, and their introduction may eventually 
prove of great benefit to the colony. 
