274 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ April 6, 18»3, 
- Hyacinths at Westminster. —The Hyacinths in the beds 
facing the Houses of Parliament are just now making a charming 
display. The colours are admirably arranged, and the spikes of bloom 
are remarkably fine for bedding Hyacinths. It is not often that such a 
show of bloom may be seen in the centre of the metropolis so early in the 
year. 
- Gardening Appointments. —Mr. Robert Palmer, for nine¬ 
teen years eardener to the Eight Hon. Lord Lyttleton (now Viscount 
Cobham), Hagley Hall Gardens, has retired, and has been succeeded by 
Mr. D. R. Dixon, gardener to J. Amphlett, Esq., Clent, for the past 
seventeen years. Mr. A. Gillett has been appointed head gardener to 
Laurance Hardy, Esq., M.P., Sandling Park, Hythe, Kent. 
- Shropshire Horticultural Society. —The spring Show of 
this Society was held in the Music Hall, Shrewsbury, recently. In 
nearly all the classes there was a good entry and a splendid display of 
blooms. The collections were exceedingly fine, and in the two classes 
for bouquets and some others the competition was very keen. The 
Judges were Mr. Blair, Trentham, and Mr. Spinks, Birmingham. 
-Wakefield Paxton Society.—A t the recent meeting of the 
members of the above Society Mr. G. W. Fallas, one of the Honorary 
Secretaries, announced that Colonel Charlesworth, M.P., had given £5 
towards the reduction of the debt on the Society’s recreation ground in 
Pinderfields Road. Mr. MaePherson, who should have been the essayist, 
was unavoidably absent, and under the circumstances Mr. Hudson, 
gardener at Sandal Grange, kindly read an excellent lecture on “ Spring 
Flowers,” which Mr. William Paul, F.L.S., read before the Council of 
the Royal Horticultural Society some time ago. 
- Walkley Amateur Floral and Horticultural 
Society. —At the last meeting of the above Society, under the presi¬ 
dency of Mr. Cuckson, Mr. M. H. Willford, a very successful amateur 
plant grower, gave a useful and practical essay on “ The Fuchsia.” 
His treatment of the subject embraced a brief reference to the history 
of the Fuchsia, followed by cultural details, including propagation, 
potting, training, and feeding. He gave a selection of varieties, both 
double and single, and especially commended some of the best of the 
old varieties as worthy of cultivation. Mr. Willford received the thanks 
of the meeting for his interesting paper.—E. D. S. 
- Strawberry Culture.—A t a recent lEeeting of the Edin. 
burgh Horticultural Association a paper on the cultivation of the 
Strawberry w'as read by Mr. Mungo Temple, Carron House, of the berry 
as grown in the outside as well as when forced. Mr. Temple said the 
commercial value of the Strawberry at the present time might be gauged 
from the fact that in one day he had been informed the consignment of 
Strawberries to Glasgow was no less than 68 tons. The finest Straw¬ 
berries he had ever seen were exhibited in the Music Hall in Edinburgh 
twenty-five years ago, and they were fruits of the variety known 
as Moffat’s Duke of Edinburgh. On the cultivation of the berry the 
lecturer spoke on the various kinds of soil suitable for the different 
varieties, the necessity for air and sunshine, and the somewhat too 
frequent practice of allowing the plants to remain in the ground till 
both the soil and the plants were exhausted. 
- The Gooseberry Caterpillar.—A correspondent, writing 
to the Essex Standard, says :—Those who, like myself, are lovers of 
that inviting though humble fruit, the Gooseberry, should now be 
anticipating the appearance of the caterpillar. A riddance of this pest 
is easily effected. Learning through the Journal of Horticulture that 
dusting the trees with a compound of lime and soot would destroy it, 
it struck me that syringing with soot water might prove equally effectual. 
Hence, during the month of April last, I syringed therewith thirty-three 
Gooseberry trees, which the caterpillar had threatened with destruction, 
twice a week for a fortnight only, the result proving its total disappear¬ 
ance for the entire season. My apprehensions as to the solution’s effect 
on the foliage were groundless, and the fruit (Crown Bob) was never 
finer. One quart of soot will make 9 gallons of mixture, but as this 
ingredient is most rebellious against blending with plain water, the 
operator must not shirk extra exertions in his efforts to ensure a 
complete blend. The following is, perhaps, the best method of mixing : 
Put into a 2-galIon jar 1 quart of soot, and pour thereon about 2 quarts 
of boiling water, adding 1 ounce of common soda; shake thoroughly 
during two or three minutes and transfer to the liquid tub, after which 
give the jar two more vigorous rinsings, and make up to 9 gallons. I 
do not know how far it would be judicious to apply soot water to Rose 
trees for aphides, but purpose during the forthcoming season trying its 
effect with caution on three or four trees of no very great value. 
- Irish Daffodils. —The writer ofian appreciative notice of the 
work of Mr. Baylor Hartland at Cork, in the Irish Daily Independent, 
observes :—“ Of the climate Mr. Hartland speaks enthusiastically. For 
the cultivation of Daffodils and Narcissi ic is the finest in the world, he 
says. After the climate, the next question of importance is the market 
and the facility for transit. Mr. Hartland is quite satisfied on these 
points. He can send all his flowers, packed in flat baskets, by the mid¬ 
day mail, from Cork, vid Dublin and Holyhead, and they are on sale 
at Covent Garden and other centres at nine o’clock on the following 
morning. Mr. Hartland finds that, as a rule, he can beat the Scilly 
Islanders in the matter of quick transit to London. From Cork the 
time is only eighteen hours, while from the Scilly Islands it is sometimes 
two days.” 
-- Shamrocks for Chicago. — The same writer goes on to 
say :—“ The most unique order a florist ever received has just come to 
Mr. Hartland. It is for supplying 1000 pots of Shamrocks to the Irish 
village at Chicago. The order has come from Lady Aberdeen, who 
takes a deep interest in the flower-growing industry at Ardcairn, and 
has received from it many choice collections of blooms. The first con¬ 
signment of the Shamrocks will be sent out on the 16th of April. 
Mr. James Scott, the Queenstown shipping agent, has made arrange¬ 
ments for having the Shamrocks sent on the deck of the mail steamers, 
and the pots will be watered at intervals during the voyage. This is 
the first time that a consignment of growing Shamrocks has been sent 
to America, and should the experiment succeed there is no reason why a 
thriving industry in exporting Shamrocks should not be established.” 
- Irish Industries. —Mr. Hartland is also described as an 
enthusiast in the matter of the revival of Irish industries, especially in 
the direction of making better use of the land than is done at present. 
With a fine climate and fair facilities for transit, he believes there is 
a fair opening for an extensive trade in flowers and certain species of 
fruit along the southern seaboard. But in order to make such an 
industry possible he is of the opinion that agricultural schools, sup¬ 
ported by the State should be established in convenient places. Without 
these nothing very particular can be done in carrying the industry into 
rural districts where it is needed, and where it can be prosecuted to the 
best advantage. In pointing out how the industry might be established 
and worked to advantage, Mr. Hartland is doing splendid work at 
Ardcairn. Personally he is a typical Irishman, enthusiastic to a degree, 
and he enjoys great popularity in his own neighbourhood, where he gives 
a considerable amount of employment and spreads knowledge of horti¬ 
culture which will be found of much advantage by-and-by, when the 
industry develops, as it seems destined to do. 
- The Cuckoo. — The very fine weather with which we have 
been favoured during the past three weeks probably accounts for the 
early appearance of the cuckoo, whose note was heard by several people 
in the woods near Maidstone on April 3rd. He usually arrives in this 
neighbourhood about April 14th, and I sincerely hope he may not have 
reason to wish he had waited another fortnight before visiting us, for 
on April 14th and 15th last year, after a spell of beautiful weather 
similar to that which we are now experiencing, came the snowstorm 
which was so disastrous in this part of the country. I learn through a 
friend that the cuckoo w’as heard on Good Friday near Bodmin, in 
Cornwall. On April 2nd I heard the little bird that in the New Forest 
is called the “ cuckoo’s messenger,” and may be so called in other 
districts. It is here called the “ snake bird,” why I cannot tell. If I 
remember rightly it is one of the tree climbers, and is always heard 
just before the cuckoo.—C. R. F. 
- The Arnold Arboretum. —In the “ Arnold Arboretum ” 
Harvard University possesses, in the estimation of a writer in “ The 
Century,” the “ finest tree museum in the world.” Kew takes the lead among 
botanic gardens, but is not strong in its trees. The Arnold Arboretum, 
on the contrary, consists of 160 acres entirely given over to the culti¬ 
vation of woody fibre, trees, shrubs, and climbers in all their infinite 
variety. It is not exactly a park, nor yet a garden, in spite of its 
fruits and flowers. It aims at showing trees as they grow naturally in 
woods, the different varieties being grouped together according to the 
botanical system of De Candolle—Magnolias first, because that tree has 
the most perfect flower ; Conifers last, because in them the flower is 
most imperfect. In like manner the shrubs are conspicuously labelled, 
in a place set apart for them, where the soil is rich. It will interest 
those who are concerned in forestry to know that the young trees are 
raised from seed in the nurseries of the Arboretum, and in consequence 
of their careful cultivation and selection are reported to be singularly 
symmetrical, healthy, and promising. 
