60 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 19, 1893. 
- Eltham Rose and Horticultural Show. — We are 
requested to announce that the date of the above Show is fixed for 
June 29th. 
- A White Anthurium. —Says an American contemporary;— 
“ A white variety of Anthurium Andreanum has originated with a 
Belgian amateur ; it has received the somewhat unwieldy title of 
A. Andreanum Wambekeanum. The plant preserves all the character¬ 
istics of the ordinary form, excepting the colour of the spathe.” 
- Death op Mrs. Ayres.—W e are requested to announce the 
death of Mrs. Ayres, widow of the late Mr. William Port Ayres, who 
died in 1875. Mrs. Ayres, we are told, was “ every inch a gardener,” 
and was accustomed to write articles for the gardening press when 
her husband was ill. Mrs. Ayres died at Acton, aged seventy-five, and 
was interred there last week. 
- Mr. W. K. Woodcock.—A fter a series of very successful lectures 
in Norfolk Mr. Woodcock has been appointed Horticultural Instructor 
by the Norfolk County Council, and after this season will be fully 
employed in Bast Anglia. Mr. Woodcock is a sound and effective 
teacher both on the platform and the land. His business at Syston will 
be continued as usual. 
- Torquay District Gardeners’ Association.—T he first 
annual dinner of the above was held at the Exeter Hotel, Torquay, on 
Wednesday, January 11th. Over seventy members attended. Mr. 
W. Ainslie occupied the chair, and Mr. W. B. Smale was Vice-Chairman. 
The Society was stated to be in a financially good condition, and 
increasing in membership. A reference library will shortly be formed, 
valuable works (including two bound volumes of the Journal of 
Horticulture) having been promised by the President (Mr, W. Lavers), 
Mr. Ainslie, and others. 
- Winter Tomatoes. —Last autumn the Fruit Committee of 
the Royal Horticultural Society gave a certificate of merit to a Tomato 
as a winter cropper, although when exhibited several times last winter 
it was not thought good enough. How the Committee came to its final 
conclusion I do not know, but as one much interested in the getting of 
winter Tomatoes I should like to ask that samples of fruit of this or 
indeed of any other presumably winter variety should be shown at some 
of the remaining winter meetings at the Drill Hall. We should be 
all delighted to meet with a Tomato that would give us such fruits in 
winter and as freely as Conference, Ham Green Favourite, or Challenger 
does in the summer and autumn.— Tomato. 
- Gesnera Blooms Falling. — Will some reader of the 
Journal of Horticulture kindly advise me as to the growth of 
Gesneras? For fourteen or fifteen years I have grown these plants 
successfully, but this year, although I have given them the same 
treatment and the plants are very strong and healthy, and 
have thrown up some good spikes, every bloom falls off just 
when about to open. I have them 2 feet through in 7-inch pots, 
with two parts loam, one of peat, one of leaf mould, and a little silver 
sand. Some of the plants are near the glass and others are not; some 
are in the warmer part of the stove and others in the cool position. I 
have tried keeping them rather dry, and also a little moist, but with the 
same result, every bloom drops off. The following are the varieties I 
possess :—cinnabarina, exoniensia, refulgens, splendens, and zebrina. 
—J. D. 
— — Imported Azaleas.—1 was very much interested in Mr, 
J. B. Riding’s timely remarks on this subject in the Journal, December 
29th (page 569). It is a fact that many gardeners are prejudiced 
against imported Azalea indica. For my part I prefer them to many 
home-grown plants I have seen ; they are a better shape, and better 
furnished with flower buds. As Mr. Riding refers to the plants as they 
are imported, perhaps you will allow me space for a few remarks on 
plants that are purchased in pots. I have known many instances 
where the pots have not been properly drained, one crock only being 
placed in the bottom. It is needless to say that this is far from being 
sufficient. The compost also has not been rammed around the ball, so 
that there were hollow spaces between the ball and the sides of the pot. 
Plants potted in such a careless manner cannot be expected to thrive. 
Purchasers would do well to examine their plants as soon as they receive 
them, and if needful repot, provided the flower buds are not too far 
advanced ; if so defer the operation until the plants have done 
flowering. Another great mistake is keeping the plants in too warm a 
temperature before they get established in the pots.—C. Rvssell. 
- Wealthy Apple. — A correspondent (“ F. H.”) asks if 
any of our readers can give him the name of the raiser of the 
above Apple. 
- Gardening Appointment. —Mr. D. Brough, late gardener 
to Lord St. Oswald, at Nostell Priory, Yorkshire, has been appointed 
gardener to Sir Archibald Edmondstone, Bart, Duntreath Castle, Strath- 
blane, Stirlingshire. 
- Shropshire Horticultural Society.—W e are informed 
that the enterprising officials of this very successful Society have just 
purchased for £3150 some fields adjacent to the show ground, and hope 
eventually to continue the promenade to the same, and plant trees and 
other things, 
- Horticultural Instruction. —Mr. G. Garner, Amberwood, 
Christchurch, Hants, has been appointed by the Poole Technical Instruc¬ 
tion Committee to deliver a course of lectures on horticulture. The 
first was given at Parkstone on January 10th on the Chrysanthemum, 
and was most instructive.—K. 
- Horticultural Scholarships. —Horticultural scholarships 
are now becoming numerous. In addition to those offered by the 
Worshipful Company of Gardeners and by Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, 
President of the Royal Horticultural Society, we are informed that 
Baron Schroder has instituted a similar scholarship of £26 annual value 
for two years. 
- The Late Sir James Wm. Mackey’s Business.—W e are 
requested to state that the family of the late Sir James Wm. Mackey of 
Dublin, in accordance with his desire, will continue the seed business, 
founded in 1777, under the management of Mr. A, 0. Watkins, who 
BO ably managed for Sir James Wm. Mackey during his illness for the 
past two years. 
- Ancient Society of York Florists. —The annual meeting 
of the Ancient Society of York Florists was held last week at York. 
Mr. R. McIntosh presided, and there was a very good attendance of 
members. Mr. J. Lazenby, the Secretary, read the annual report, which 
stated that the financial position of the Society was still satisfactory. 
The subscribing members this year reached 531, which was the highest 
number yet attained, and an increase on last year of forty-five, and 
more than thirty names had been submitted since the books were made 
up. The gross income was £627, and the expenditure £450 10s. Id., 
the balance credit being £176 10s. 
- Incorrect Address. —Mr. A. Dean writes from Richmond 
Road, Kingston-on-Thames : “ Kindly permit me to ask you to mention 
that the publication in the list of members of the Fruit Committee in 
your columns, copied, of course, from the official list, of my address at 
Bedfont, Feltham, is incorrect, as I have been residing here for the past 
eighteen months ; and so well is that fact known at 117, Victoria Street, 
that whilst the error remains uncorrected, yet all their communications 
are addressed to me here. It is presumably a piece of official oddity.” 
[The address was taken from the list supplied by the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society.] 
- The Tits and their Habits.— 1 did not speak of the smaller 
tit in my note on this subject (page 18), as I had nothing but negative 
evidence to offer, and fancied there was enough of this already. I have 
never heard of nor seen this bird killing bees in this locality, nor have 
I seen it destroying fruit buds in my garden. I am making inquiry as 
to its habits in other gardens, and may return to the subject again. Mr. 
Hiam, in his interesting note (page 39), appears to have forgotten that 
the propensities of the large tit have been discussed as well as those of 
the small one. On page 547 of last volume he himself speaks of Parus 
major and says, inter alia, “ Parus major, commonly known locally as 
‘ Tom Collier,’ is also particularly fond of bees, but I have never been 
able to discover one killing my bees.” “A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper” 
aho described P. major as killing his bees, and I see Mr. Hiam alludes 
to his statement that the birds tapped on the hive. I, therefore, think 
that my short note on the large tit killing my bees was not outside the 
limits of the discussion. Since I saw Mr. Hiam’s last note I have seen the 
large tit pecking vigorously at a piece of suet, placed for the benefit of 
the birds this severe weather. I cannot refrain from expressing the 
conviction that most birds, while doing a certain amount of damage in 
gardens, are beneficial in many other ways. Even the blackbird, with 
all his propensities for levying toll from the Peas and Gooseberries, does 
some service here by killing great numbers of the large grey snail— 
Helix aspersa—which is very numerous here.—S. Arnott, Dumfries. 
