874 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 11, 1893. 
Events of the Week. —As announced elsewhere the principal 
events of horticultural interest to take place during the ensuing week 
will be the opening of the Gardening and Forestry Exhibition at Earl’s 
Court on Saturday, May 13tb. The inaugural ceremony will be per¬ 
formed by II.R.H. the Duke of York, K.G. The first summer Show of 
the Royal Botanic Society will be held in the Gardens at Regent’s Park 
on Wednesday, May 17th, and an Orchid Show will open at the Earl’s 
Court Exhibition on the 18th inst. 
- The Weather ik London. —We have to again record a week 
of dry bright weather. No rain has fallen in the metropolis, although 
signs of it have appeared at various times. As we are going to press it 
is bright and sunny and with rather cold winds, which have been 
prevalent all the week. There has been about twelve hours of sunshine 
on most days. 
- Weather in the North.— The week ending 9th inst. has 
been dry, no rain falling since the 2nd. The drought has been strong 
on several days and some of the evenings especially cold from N.B. 
winds. The barometer is very high and steady. Hawthorn blossom 
is appearing here and there.—B. D., S. Perthshire. 
- National Tulip Show. —In consequence of the hot weather 
this Show will be held in the Botanical Gardens, Manchester, on 
Saturday next, the 13th inst, instead of on the 23rd of this month, 
as previously announced. 
-Accident to Mr. Samuel Barlow.—W e regret to learn that 
this gentleman had a severe fall down some stairs in his Manchester 
warehouse last week, breaking his arm and being otherwise much 
bruised. This will, it is feared, compel his absence from the Tulip 
Show, but his flowers will be there. We are pleased to hear that Mr. 
Barlow is progressing favourably. 
- Late Garden Tulips. —Apropos of Tulips at Long Ditton, 
some beds of Buouoventura, scarlet flaked with gold ; Picotee, white 
with a wire edge of rosy carmine ; and Golden Beauty, the deepest of 
all yellow Tulips, have been particularly admired, and perhaps not less 
so have Golden Eagle, Elegans, and Retroflexa. The flowers of all 
these mentioned are particularly suitable for vase decoration, and it is 
noteworthy that they remain fresh and beautiful for a considerable 
time in water. 
- Watering and Mulching Old Fruit Trees.— A corre¬ 
spondent referring to the practice of watering and mulching round the 
stems of large trees to a radius of 3 feet, thinks much more good would 
be done by similar applications twice the distance from the trunk, 
where there are more feeding roots. lie has had to remove a Morello 
Cherry, and suckers have grown from the roots 30 feet from where the 
tree was planted, and thinks mulching round the stem merely would 
not have been of much benefit to that tree. 
- Large Snowdrops. —It is scarcely possible from the descrip¬ 
tion given by “ W. T., Blantyre ” (page 322), of the large Snowdrop at 
Craigbet, Renfrewshire, to say with any certainty what it may be. It 
is probably a seedling of exceptional merit, and the soil and climate 
appear to be favourable to the development of laree flowers. The 
Galston Snowdrop does not appear to retain its exceptional size and 
stature in cultivation. It may be said, however, that the only garden 
in which it is growing is one apparently uncongenial to Snowdrops.— 
S. Arnott. 
- Fireplace Decorations. — For an ordinary sitting-room 
fireplace there is nothing more cool-looking during the summer and 
that gives less trouble than the common Hart’s Tongue Fern (Scolo- 
pendrium vulgare). When the new leaves are fully developed toward 
the end of May dig up the roots, placing them in jam pots or deep 
saucers, in fact anything that will contain water. By standing the 
jirs in the fireplace amongst moss or the ordinary paper shavings the 
drooping fronds look really handsome, and will last the whole summer 
if carefully watered when required, which is not often if the receptacles 
arc of fair size.—E. M. 
- Gardening Appointment.— Mr. Geo. Clark, foreman to 
Mr. J. Lambert, Fowls Castle, succeeds Mr. Sensical as head gardener to 
the Earl of Fowls, Walcot Fark, Shropshire. 
- Fublic Garden for Birmingham.— It is reported that a 
sum of £4000 will be expended in laying out as a public garden and 
open space the churchyard of St. Faul’s, Birmingham. 
- Frofessor of Botany for Breslau. — We understand that 
Dr. Fax, lately of Berlin, has been appointed Frofessor of Botany and 
Director of the Botanic Garden, Breslau, in succession to the late 
Frofessor Frantl. 
- Early Strawberries.— We gathered our first dish of ripe 
Strawberries from the open air to-day. May 8th, the fruit large and 
of excellent flavour.—H. Richards, Poche Court, Salisbury. [Our 
correspondent omits the name of the variety.] 
- Early Gooseberries. —A correspondent informs us that Mr. 
Steel of Fulham gathered Gooseberries for market on April 26th. 
May 14th was the previous earliest date of gathering of which he has 
record. Mr. Steel is an extensive market gardener. 
- Early Feas.—A s Mr. W. N. White has been comparing one 
season with another with respect to Strawberries, I thought a note with 
regard to Feas would be of interest. I have gathered my first dish of 
Feas this day. May 8th, William Hurst, sown on the 14th of February, 
1893. Last year from a sowing on February 16th we gathered June 9th, 
or a month later than this year.—D. H. Moiest, Marley Hall Garden-’^, 
Exmouth. 
- Tiarella cordifolia. —This False Mitrewort, or, as some 
call it, the Foam Flower, is well worthy of a place on the rockery or 
at the front of the herbaceous border, where flowers are appreciated 
during April and the early part of May. The bronzy marbled leaves 
are not the least attractive part of the plant; they also form a decided 
contrast to the pure white pedicel-shaped flower spike. 
■- Alyssum saxatile compactum. —Although regarded as a 
common plant this Madderwort provides a mass of colour on the rockery 
or elsewhere that no other plant does at this time of the year. The 
corymbose flower heads of yellow are produced in masses and last 
a long time in perfection. Although, as a spring bedding plant or as an 
edging to paths or borders, it is showy, yet on a large piece of rock 
where it can droop gracefully over seems its proper home. The same 
plants last a number of years. 
- Gentians. —The present hot and dry weather has been favour¬ 
able to these plants, either on the rockery or in the borders, provided, 
they were kept moist at the roots. The bright sun brought out the 
richness of colour to perfection. Although some persons prefer the 
smaller form of verna I like the massiveness of acaulis, the intensity 
of colour is more decided.—E. M. 
- Weather at Swanmore. —Another week has passed since 
my last note on the weather, and still no rain here. With the 
exception of 0 04 inch recorded April 16th, and 0'02 inch April 29th, 
we have experienced sixty-four rainless days in succession. The 
prospect of a shower seems still as remote as ever. Altogether there 
has been a fall in the temperature ; on several days the thermometer 
did not rise beyond 70° in the shade; once it has fallen as low as 35°. 
During the night of the 5th the lowest reading was 45° ; the tempe¬ 
rature during the day preceding being 87°. We are now, in addition 
to the great drought, experiencing strong easterly winds, which are 
parching, as well as being cold, and certainly not favourable to 
vegetation.— B. Molyneux, Swanmore Park. 
- Market Gardens and the Drought. —Some of the market 
gardeners in Middlesex and Surrey are suffering considerable loss in 
consequence of the dry weather. In the country districts of West 
Middlesex the drought is having a disastrous effect upon many of the 
gardens supplying the metropolitan markets. Especially is this the 
case in those localities where extensive grounds, fully planted with 
early vegetables, are at a distance from a water supply. Thousands of 
young plants are being dried up for want of moisture, and to market 
gardeners, as well as to farmers, the outlook is extremely gloomy. 
Never was an abundance of rain so sadly needed in country districts 
as at the present time. Although the rainfall in London has been 
excessively slight, from the country better accounts are to hand. 
The atmospheric conditions are now said to have undergone a complete 
change. 
