478 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 15, 1893, 
lobes with a throat of which the ground colour is white but having 
innumerable bright red spots. Spotted Orion is admirably named ; the 
throat is cream spotted with red and the lobes are white splendidly 
spotted blue, the broad margin of pure white being very clearly defined. 
Virginalis is, as its name implies, pure white, and must be counted 
amongst the best. Claribel is a beautiful flower having pure white 
throat and lobes, the latter, however, being very slightly spotted red. 
With Hecla the list must close. It is a pleasing variety, having a white 
throat densely spotted and feathered, bright red and white margined, 
velvety red lobes.—H. J. W. 
Events of the Week. — The ensuing week will be a busy one 
amongst horticulturists in the metropolis. On Tuesday, June 20th, the 
Committees of the Koyal Horticultural Society will meet at the Drill 
Hall, James’ Street, S.W., and on that day, and at the same place, the 
early exhibition of Roses, under the auspices of the National Rose 
Society, will be held. The annual dinner of the N.R.S. will take place 
in the evening of the 20th inst. at the Hotel Windsor, Victoria Street, 
the Very Rev. the Dean of Rochester occupying the chair. A floral 
fete will be held in the gardens of the Royal Botanic Society, Regent’s 
Park, on Wednesday, June 21st: and on Thursday, June 22nd inst., the 
annual festival dinner of the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution 
will take place at the Hotel Mecropole, Baron Schroder presiding. 
- The Weather in London. —The weather in the metropolis 
still continues bright and dry with occasional dull mornings, but no 
rain. On Sunday and Monday rather cold winds prevailed, but Tuesday 
was very warm. Wednesday opened similarly, and at the time of 
going to press the much-needed rain appears to be as far away as ever. 
- Weather in the North. —The past two weeks have been 
warm and fine. No rain has fallen since the 4th inst., when we had some 
heavy showers. Sunday and Monday were exceptionally warm; the nights, 
too, have been generally mild with heavy dews.—B. D., S. Fertlishire. 
- The Drought in Kent.—“ J. W. L.” writes from Erith 
“ Just a few lines to tell you there has now been a drought here for 
fourteen weeks, and during that time there has only been one hour’s 
rain in all, in paltry showers. Is not that extraordinary 1 Mangolds 
are not showing yet, and all fruit trees are very dirty.” 
- Royal Horticultural Society.—T he next meeting of the 
Society will be held in the Drill Hall, James’ Street, Victoria Street, 
Westminster, on Tuesday, June 20th. Besides the special prizes offered 
for Preonies by Messrs. Kelway & Son of Langport, and for lace and 
border Pinks by Messrs. Turner of Slough, there will also be numerous 
prizes for competition among members of the National Rose Society. 
As was announced last week, the National Carnation and Picotee 
Society’s Show, which was to have taken place on July 25th in the Drill 
Hall, will now be held at Chiswick Gardens on July 11th in conjunction 
with the Special Show, which has been promoted by the Council of 
the R.H.S. 
- Mr. H. R. Williams. —We are pleased to note that Mr. H, R, 
Williams, who has been twice Master and twice Acting Master of the 
Fruiterers’ Company, has been placed by the Lord Chancellor, on the 
nomination of the Earl of Strafford, the Lord-Lieutenant, on the Com¬ 
mission of Peace for the County of Middlesex. Mr. Williams is an active 
supporter of industrial schools, and has taken a leading part in the 
education of the poor and destitute. In recognition of his service be¬ 
tween £300 and £400 were subscribed for presenting him with a service 
of plate, but this he declined, and requested the investment of the money 
for a scholarship in the Hornsey Board Schools. Mr. Williams resides 
at The Priory, Hornsey, taking much interest in his garden and the 
cultivation of Chrysanthemums. He is a good and just man, and 
emphatically the right man for the magisterial bench. 
- Begonias at Forest Hill. —These, we are informed, are in 
exceptionally fine condition in Messrs. Laing & Co.’s establishment. A 
traveller fresh from a visit to the collection could not resist calling at 
our office to express his astonishment with what he had seen, and he 
seemed anxious that editors and reporters, clerks and printers, should 
have a holiday to see the wonderful flowers that he tried to describe 
over the counter. 
- Night-blooming Cbreus. —We had last evening (the 6tb 
inst.) in this garden nine full blooms on one plant of this magnificent 
Cereus—truly a grand sight. I am given to understand that such a 
number of blooms is very unusual, if not nearly unprecedented, in 
English gardens. May I ask that in some future number of the Journal 
a short note can be given relative to the usual character of the blooming 
of this most eccentric and beautiful Cactus 1 The plant promises on 
the whole nineteen blooms this season.— Richard Hilton, Preston 
House, Favershavi. —[We will readily publish any notes we may receive, 
on the Night-blooming Cereus.] 
- Testing the Fertility of Land. —Whatever may be the 
“ cranks ” of our cousins (see page 436) on the other side of the Atlantic,. 
I do not think that the principle will “hold water” that “Docks 
grow only on rich soil.” Passing one of the poorest spots I know, 
which had just been under the steam cultivator, 1 could not help- 
noticing that it had previously been, practically speaking, a mass of 
docks and couch grass, and considered too poor for cultivation to pay 
for the cost.—J. Hiam. 
- Early Peas. —Relative to the remarks on early Peas that have 
appeared in the Journal lately the statistics supplied by Messrs. Hurst and 
Son of Houndsditch are interesting. These show the early character of the 
present season as applying to the ripening of the first early Pea crops in 
their trial ground. The record extends over ten years as follows :—In 
1883, June 21st ; 1884, June 26th ; 1885, June 24th ; 1886, June 24th j 
1887, June 25th ; 1888, June 26th ; 1889, June 16th ; 1890 is not given, 
but as it was a hot dry summer the date would probably be the 18th or 
so ; 1891, June 27th ; 1892, June 15th, the spring having been dry 
1893, June 4th to 6th at the latest. 
- Can Plants See ?— Apropos of this interesting question, may 
I mention a circumstance which occurred here last week ? A man was 
engaged in putting stakes to some rows of Ne Plus Ultra Beans, and 
went away to his breakfast. On his return he found that the plant 
nearest to one of the last stakes he had put in had approached the stake and 
taken a turn round it, although he had been absent about half an hour 
only. Now it would seem likely that this plant had the power of vision, 
but how about the others in the same row, and also some rows that had 
been staked the previous day which had made no apparent advance to 
the stakes ?— Scepticub, Salishiry. 
- Apple Prospects in Devon.—H aving had to drive about 
forty miles last week gave me an opportunity of seeing many orchards, 
and in some parts, especially in the Exe Valley, I have never seen trees 
at this time of the year looking so bad. In some large orchards the 
trees had no leaves upon them, which not only means the loss of this 
year’s crop, but injury for some time to come ; in fact, the trees look as 
if they were dead. I noticed two orchards only divided by a small 
meadow, where trees in one were looking very well, and in the other 
very bad. In other parts the trees are looking well; but several owners 
of orchards tell me that the fruit is dropping fast, owing, no doubt, to 
the drought.— G. Lock. 
- Bullfinches and Raspberries. —The dry weather has 
made many enemies for the fruit grower in birds which, in ordinary 
seasons, give no trouble, and in our case this is particularly so with the 
bullfinch. Generally, bullfinches are associated with the destruction of 
fruit blossoms in spring, seldom making any further appearance in 
gardens afterwards ; but at the present time we get more frequent visits 
from them than was the case in winter. Raspberries seem to be their 
favourite fruit. Chaffinches, tomtits, and other small birds all seem to 
have a tendency for fruit-eating, brought about, no doubt, by the long- 
continued drought.— W. Strugnell, Rood Ashton. 
- The Wakefield Paxton Society.—A t the ordinary meeting 
of the members of this Society last week an interesting paper on 
“ Plants in Pots ” was read by Mr. J. Haigh of Sheffield. The paper 
was so much appreciated that the essayist received a pressing invitation 
to pay another visit to the Paxton Society, and to continue the subject. 
Mr. Haigh recommended amateur gardeners to study the nature and 
habitat of plants, and to treat them accordingly. He explained the 
best kind of compost and pots to be used for plants in pots ; he strongly 
recommended good drainage with crocks, a little detail of much impor¬ 
tance which is frequently overlooked, and he remarked that a plant 
requires water when, on the pot being tapped with the knuckles, it gives 
a ringing instead of a dull or heavy sound. Mr. Hudson of the Woolley 
Park Gardens had a fine display of blooms of Rhododendrons and 
Pansies. 
