December 21, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
653 
Matter fob Publication. —Communications for insertion in our 
next issue should, where it is practicable, arrive at this office on Satur¬ 
day, this week. Correspondents will oblige by noting this intimation. 
- The Weather in London. — The past week has been 
-characterised by changeable weather. A frost occurred early on Sun¬ 
day morning, followed by a fog. Monday was fine and mild, but it 
rained heavily on Tuesday. Wednesday opened wet, the rain continuing 
as we are going to press. It is very mild for the time of year. 
- The Weather in the North. —The weather of the past 
week has been variable. There has been but little frost. High 
westerly winds have generally prevailed, and a good deal of rain has 
fallen. Snow fell on the mornings of the 12th and 13th, but thaw soon 
followed. Sunday was fine throughout, and Monday was wet in the 
former part, but fine in the afternoon and evening.—B. D., S. Perth¬ 
shire. 
- We are informed that the Lord Mayor of London has under¬ 
taken to take the chair at the next anniversary festival of the Royal 
Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. The dinner will be held at the Hotel 
M4tropole some time in May, the exact date not being yet definitely 
fixed. 
- Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.—A s we are now on the 
eve of the season when it is believed that the human heart is specially 
open to generous appeals, kindly permit me to invite all subscribers to 
the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund to remember, in the marking of 
their voting papers for the February election, the most necessitous of 
those cases that last February failed to secure election, in preference to 
new ones. There are some that will start with a good number of old 
votes. These should have the best chance of election, and, so far as 
possible, where really meritorious, should not be allowed to endure two 
disappointments. Still only five orphans can be elected. That seems to 
be an additional reason why the non-elected of last year should have 
first consideration.— Subscriber. 
- Index Kewbnsis. — After a commendably short interval 
since the publication of the first part of the Index Kewensis, we are 
now presented with the second part, which extends from Dendrobium 
to Justicia. The character of the work is well sustained in every 
particular as to authorship, typography, and execution, reflecting the 
highest credit, both on the staff at Kew and that of the Clarendon 
Press at Oxford. As a work of authority it will long hold precedence, 
and be regarded as a necessary adjunct to every scientific library, 
being what Linnaeus said of Caspar Bauhin’s Pinax —another noted 
wIndex ” 
Opus est haotenus sine pari 
Opus est quo, nullus carere potest. 
- The Royal Horticultural Society. — We learn that 
arrangements have been made to hold the Exhibitions and meetings of 
the Royal Horticultural Society during the year 1894 on the following 
dates :—January 16th, February 13th, March 13th and 27th, April 10th 
and 24th, May ; and Temple Show on May 23rd, 24th, and 25th ; 
June 12th and 26th, July 10th and 24th, August 14th and 28th, Sep¬ 
tember 11th and 25tb, October 9th and 23rd, November 13th and 27th, 
and December 11th. 
- Death of Mr. A. K. Angus.—W e much regret to learn of 
the death of Mr. A. K. Angus, which occurred last week at the Carlton 
Hotel, Leicester. Prior to becoming the landlord of this excellent com¬ 
mercial house, where he lived for nine years. Mr. Angus was a gardener. 
He went from the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at Chis¬ 
wick to in a large measure form and furnish the fine gardens of C. H. 
Wilson, Esq., Warier Priory, Pocklington, which he managed with great 
success. He was very able, and attained a good and much-respected posi¬ 
tion in Leicester, as was testified at the funeral. Mr. Angus always gave 
an hospitable welcome to horticultural fiiends. His love for gardening 
never left him, and he bought a walled-in space, wherein he could dig 
the ground and cultivate crops. The cause of death was rheumatic 
fever. Mr. Angus was born in Aberdeen in 1853, and was thus only 
forty years of age. Much sympathy is felt for his widow in her great 
bereavement. 
- National Amateur Gardeners’ Association. — The 
members of this Association held their third annual dinner at the 
Holborn Restaurant, London, on Thursday, December 14th, under the 
chairmanship of Mr. T. W. Sanders. Nearly a hundred ladies and 
gentlemen were present, and a most enjoyable gathering resulted. In 
proposing the toast of the evening, the Chairman remarked that there 
were about 500 members on the books, and several affiliated societies, 
including one in Tasmania. Numerous silver and bronze medals, also 
certificates, were presented to members who had won such during the 
year. A feature of the evening was the presentation of a handsome 
silver tea and coffee service, with an illuminated address, to Mr. D. B 
Crane, the energetic Honorary Secretary. 
- The Royal Botanic Society. —We understand that the exhi¬ 
bitions held under the auspices of the Royal Botanic Society for 1894 
will take place as follows :—Spring Shows, March 14th and April 18th ; 
Summer Show, May 23rd; Special Floral Fe e, June 20th; Evening 
FSte, July 4th. Musical Promenades will also be held on Wednesdays 
in May, June, and Jnly, with the exception of fete days. Lectures 
are to be given on Fridays in May and June at four o’clock. General 
meetings will be held January 13th, 27th ; February 10th, 24th ; March 
10th, 3l3t ; April 14th, 28th ; May 26th ; June 9th, 23rd ; July 14th, 
28th ; November 10th, 24th ; and December 8th. The Society’s annual 
meeting is arranged to take place on August 10th, at one o’clock P.M. 
- Sulphate of Iron for Fruit Trees. — A foreign paper 
state*:—Professor Sachs of Wurzburg asserted, and the Royal Institute 
for Fruit and Vine Culture at Gieienheim has tried experiments and is 
apparently satisfied, that sulphate of iron is a valuable stimulant to 
plants that are suffering from chlorosis, or absence of the proper green 
colour. They gave small trees 2 l-5th lbs. of copperas, and large trees 
4 and 2-5th lbs. The results, it is said, were most gratifying. Strange 
to say in some cases where the trees were suffering from the attack of 
aphides as well as deficiency of colour in the leaves, the aphides 
disappeared, and frequently the leaves became healthy within a few 
days after the treatment. The sulphate of iron was dissolved in water, 
and applied near the roots. E irly spring is the best time to try 
the experiment. Some soils do not require the addition of sulphate o: 
iron. 
- The Perfume of Flowers. —Mr. E. Mesnard has been 
making researches into the origin of perfume in flowers, and comes to 
the conclusion that (1) the essential oil is generally found localised in 
the epidermic cells of the upper surface of the petals or sepals. It 
may exist upon both surfaces, especially if the floral parts are com¬ 
pletely concealed in the bud. The lower surface generally contains 
tannin or pigments derived therefrom. (2) The chlorophyll seems in 
all cases to give rise to the essential oil. (3) The disengagement of the 
perfume of the flower makes itself perceptible only when the essential 
oil is sufficiently disengaged from the intermediate products that have 
given rise to it, and is found, in a manner, in a ratio inverse to the 
production of tannin and pigments in the flower. This, says Mr. 
Mesnard, will explain (a) why flowers with green petals have no odour; 
(5) why white or rose-coloured flowers are most often odoriferous ; 
(<?) why the Compositse, which are rich in tannin, have the disagreeable 
odour that they are known to possess ; and (P) why the white Lilac and 
forced Roses take on a finer perfume. 
- Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. — The annual 
meeting of this Society was held on the 7th inst. in Edinburgh, 
Mr. R. Lindsay, President, in the chair. Mr. Fraser, the Treasurer, 
submitted the accounts for the year ending 30th November, which 
showed that members’ subscriptions had amounted to £i0S, 
special subscriptions to £37, and the drawing at the shows to £1041 
—the total receipts for the year having been £1549. On the 
other hand, the expenditure had been £1578, the show expenses 
having been £604, the amount of prizes paid £854, and the general 
expenses £80. At the 30th November the funds of the Socie y 
amounted to £1183 Os. 9J., as compared with £1201 Os. 8d. at the 
corresponding date last year, being a decrease of £80 133. lid. T1 e 
income for the year bad been £28 17s. 9d. short of the expenditur.*. 
The accounts were approved of. Sir Thomas Gibson Carmichael wai 
appointed a Vice-President in room of Lord Balfour of Burleigh. 
Messrs. D. Mitchell, Comely Bank, Edinburgh ; C. Buchanan, Penicuik ; 
and James Morrison, Atcheifield, were elected to fill vacancies in the 
Council. Mr. Malcolm Dunn, Dalkeith, in moving the re-election ot 
Mr. Fraser as Treasuier, and Mr. Charles Stewart, W.S., as Secretary 
said if the funds were a little less than hitherto this year it was due 
wholly to exceptional expenditure. 
