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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
( Febraary 13, 1893, 
- Beautiful Primulas. — A box of Primulas arrive from 
Messrs. James Veitch & Sons only just in time for brief acknowledge¬ 
ment. The blooms are distinctly beautiful. Chelsea Scarlet, glowing 
in its richness ; Chelsea Rose, large and charmingly tinted ; Fern- 
leaved White and Chelsea White, large and pure ; Chelsea Red, dense 
reddish purple; and the Double Rose, Crimson and White, are of first- 
class character. Chelsea Blue is also included in the high meritorious 
collection of massive flowers which represent superiority both in strain 
and cultivation. 
- Gift of Rare and Valuable Books. —Mr. Thomas Han- 
bury, F.L.S., of La Mortola, Italy, has presented to Kew a selection of 
about thirty volumes, in memory of his brother, the late Daniel Han- 
bury, F.R.S. (part of whose library they formed), an accomplished 
botanist, who successfully devoted himself to the investigation of the 
sources of vegetable drugs. He published, in conjunction with Prof. 
Fliickiger of Strassburg, “ Pharmacographia,” which will long remain 
the standard and classical authority on the history of drugs. The 
portion of his library now acquired by Kew is of especial interest as 
having been used by him in the preparation of his book. Most of the 
books treat of economic or medical botany, and several of them are of 
very early date, A fifteenth century transalation of an Arabian author 
(Serapion) on medical plants, the Kew Bulletin says, is of special 
value. 
- British Fungus Flora. —Mr. G. Massee has published the 
first volume of a new synopsis of all the fungi hitherto detected in 
Great Britain. This volume, says the Kew Bulletin, contains the first 
part of the Basidiomycetes, including the genera Lycoperdon, Boletus 
and Polyporus, and the Agaricinem. It is wholly in English, and, in 
addition to the description, critical notes by various authors are given 
under many of the species. Spore measurements are given of all the 
types or authentic species in the Kew Herbarium. It is twenty-one 
years since a complete British Mycological Flora was published— 
namely, Cooke’s “ Handbook,” and during that period the number of 
known British fungi has been nearly doubled. That work contained 
2810 species, and Mr. Massee estimates the present number at 4895, so 
that a new work is very much needed. In fact, students of mycology 
in this country have been at a standstill from the want of a complete 
synopsis. 
- The Witch Hazels.—D uring the dull days of winter, when 
most of our hardy shrubs are at rest, it is quite cheering to see a group 
of these charming plants covered with their beautiful bright yellow 
blossoms. Hamamelis virginica is the best known, though it is not 
grown so extensively as its good qualities warrant. In addition to 
being a valuable winter - flowering shrub, the foliage assumes some 
most pleasing tints during autumn. H. arborea and H. japonica are 
well worth growing in every shrubbery. H. arborea is perhaps the 
best of the three, as it produces the largest foliage and finest flowers, and 
occasionally attains a height of 15 feet; it is, however, rarely cultivated 
in private places. All are of easy cultivation. They rejoice in a good, 
light, moist loam, but may be grown and flowered well in a much 
inferior soil. Propagation is generally effected by means of layers, 
though the two latter species are sometimes grafted on stocks of the 
former.— CORNUS. 
-- Closely Stopping Vine Laterals.—D oes Mr. Iggulden 
think his a fair test of the supposed benefits attending the closely 
stopping of Vine laterals? and is he prepared to stop the whole of 
the laterals on his Vines another season ? If not, why not ? He 
appears to have only experimented on one or two laterals to a Vine, 
Would not the length of the other laterals assist greatly in supporting 
the Vines and fruit, and does the size of a bunch and its general finish 
depend only on the leaves of the fruit-bearing laterals ? All these are 
questions which require consideration. His experiments so far I do not 
consider at all conclusive. Certainly, a few well developed leaves are 
better than a greater number of weak and attenuated ones ; but the 
practice where the rods are disposed 3 feet apart and the fruit-bearing 
laterals stopped two leaves beyond the bunch, and others from non- 
fruiting laterals encouraged to fill up any vacant space with good but 
not crowded leaves, I find always result in good Grapes. If Mr. 
Iggulden’s views were adopted rigidly the rods need only be 2 feet apart, 
and if the bunches produced are of good size both in bunch and berry^ 
and also well finished, the weight of Grapes should be much 
greater than is the case in the majority of vineries at present.— 
A. Young. 
- Apple Wyken Pippin.— The village of Wyken, Warwick¬ 
shire, is famed for the well-known Wyken Pippin, an Apple of most 
delicious flavour, and marked with the familiar black speck. Here it 
was first grown, the original tree having been brought from Holland by 
Admiral Craven, and planted at the manor house, which was formerly 
part of the ancient residence of the Craven family. The Apple trees 
may be seen growing in nearly all the local gardens and orchards ; but 
most of them are exceedingly old, and no effort seems to be made to- 
perpetuate the variety. Vegetarians may, therefore, turn their attention 
to the vicinity with profit.— (^Birmingham Weeldy Mercury.') 
- Leeds Paxton Society.— The seventh annual dinner of the 
Leeds Paxton Society took p-lace on Wednesday evening, February 8th,. 
at the Nag’s Head Hotel, Leeds, when nearly seventy sat down to a very 
liberal spread. The usual loyal toast, proposed by the President (Mr. 
Fuller), being duly honoured, the Secretary (Mr, G. Cooper) read the 
annual report. During the year twenty-three papers have been read,, 
the average attendance being twenty-four. The Chrysanthemum Show 
connected with the Society held in November was a success both in¬ 
quality and number of exhibits, also financially, there being upwards of 
£15 added to the balance. Various other toasts followed. Mr, Hall- 
brook proposed “ The Essayists,” responded to by Mr. Campbell, who- 
had given several instructive essays on hardy fruit culture. Altogether 
the evening was very enjoyable and a credit to the Leeds Paxton Society,, 
which seems to be awakening into renewed vigour. 
- The Birmingham and District Amateur Gardeners-’’ 
Association. —This new Association has, we are informed, made a good 
start, and promises to become as successful as its promoters desire. Its 
objects are indicated in one of the rules :—“ The Association is formed 
for the promotion and advancement of the science and practice of 
horticulture among amateurs by the holding of periodical meetings for 
the purpose of giving lectures or reading essays, and exhibiting the 
products and requisites of the gardens of members, and for the 
discussion of subjects pertaining thereto ; also for the awarding of 
points to members for their exhibits. To watch and promote the 
interests of amateur gardeners generally, and to secure their proper 
representation on all important societies ; also to afford facilities for 
the interchange of plants, cuttings, and seeds, and to promote the 
extension of allotment holdings.” Mr. Alderman William White is 
President for the year, and Mr. W. B. GriflBn, Derwent House, Moseley 
Road, Honorary Secretary. 
- Are Weed Killers Dangerous ? —My answer to “ T. W.,” 
page 72, Journal of Horticulture, January 26th, is—I think not. We 
have a large aviary, in which about a hundred, more or less, of gold and 
silver pheasants have the run. There are about 300 yards run of walks 
in the aviary. I dressed these last summer with a weed killer without 
an accident to any of the birds, so I think it may be assumed it is safe 
to use with ordinary care ; but I wish it to be understood that the 
walks were protected with fish nets raised about a foot above them by 
means of stout wire benders stack in the ground ; the net was stretched 
well over and pegged down on the grass, and was kept on from two to 
three weeks, during which time we had some heavy rain, that washed 
and cleansed the surface of the walks. We were careful to clear away 
any worms coming to the surface of the walks before putting on the 
net. The birds were continually running over the net, but they took 
no harm whatever.—W. Salcombe, The Vineyard Gardens, Ticelmrst, 
Sussex. 
- Peach Buds Dropping. —It does seem as if there were some 
sorts of Peaches, notwithstanding the necessary precautions, that will 
drop their first flower buds when forced early, and yet this trouble is 
never met with outdoors. When I looked in on Mr. J. Dean, the gardener 
at Titsey Place, the other day, I found that he was starting his earliest 
Peach house. The flowers were just bursting. I asked if he were troubled 
with bud dropping, but he replied. No. He said, “ We do not force too 
strongly at the first, rather we give such a gentle warmth that the roots 
and buds move together. Too often the heat at first is fierce, hence 
the earliest buds fall because there has been no commensurate root- 
action, and if the smaller side buds are saved it is because by the time 
they open the roots are active, then we give plenty of water in the 
autumn. Some growers cease to water when the fruits ripen, and then 
keep the roots rather dry to help to get off the foliage, hence the borders 
are never thoroughly moist during the winter in the same way that 
borders outdoors are.” These seem to be, in his estimation the chief 
causes of early bloom buds on Peaches dropping.—A. D. 
