December 8, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
505 
- Gardening Appointment. —We learn that Mr. T. Humpheys 
of the Royal Gardens, Kew, has been appointed Assistant Superintendent 
at the gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society, Chiswick. 
- Brazilian Exhibition in Paris. — It is stated that an 
Exhibition of Brazilian Orchids and other products will be opened in 
Paris under the superintendence of Viscount de Saint Ldger in April. 
- National Rose Society.— The annual meeting will be held, 
by permission of the Horticultural Club, at their rooms, Hotel Windsor, 
Victoria Stx-eet, on Tuesday next. The chair will be taken at three 
■o’clock by the Very Rev. the Dean of Rochester, President of the 
■ Society. 
- Importation of Potatoes. —The Potatoes imported into the 
United Kingdom in the week ended November 15th, 1892, amounted to 
'38,170 cwt. In the corresponding month of 1891 to 21,023 cwt. Accord¬ 
ing to this statement it will be seen that the importation of Potatoes, as 
well as fruit, is on the increase. 
- Devon and Exeter Gardeners’ Association.—M essrs. 
'R. Veitch & Son, Exeter, exhibited some well-grown Bouvardias at 
the last meeting of this Association, which was held on the 30th ult. 
Mr. J. Payne read a paper on “ The Cyclamen and Bouvardia,” the 
substance of which is printed elsewhere in the present issue. 
- Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society, Woolton.— 
"The members of this Society held their usual periodical meeting in the 
Mechanics’ Institute recently, when there was a good attendance present 
to hear a paper on the “ Culture of the Bouvardia,” by Mr. J. Glover. 
The essayist gave a lucid and thorough system of the cultivation in 
-which to ensure good plants to produce at this season an abundance of 
^flowers. 
- Well-grown Eucharis Plants.— The note by Mr. J. 
.A.shton (page 483) reminded me of a fine batch of healthy and well- 
grown plants which I lately saw at Hill Grove, Kidderminster. I have 
seen the same plants during the past few years, and they were always 
clean and healthy and beautifully flowered. No Eucharis mite appears 
to trouble them. They are never plunged, but grown on the stage of 
the plant stove.—A. Y. 
- Tree Planting in Ireland.—T he Irish Land Commission, 
encouraged by the success of their operations in this work last year 
-on the west coast of Ireland, have been induced greatly to extend 
the woodlands in that exposed district, and are importing large quan¬ 
tities of young forest trees from the principal nurseries in this country. 
Messrs. Little & Ballantyne, Carlisle, inform us that they have among 
others, been requested by the Board to furnish a large consignment from 
their nurseries, from which the plants taken last year for experiment 
have succeeded so well. 
- Country Fruit Markets.—M r. Hiam’s complaint as to 
‘Green Gage Plums rotting on walls in the rural districts for want of a 
market certainly makes one’s mouth water. Still there is very much of 
force in his reference, because country people constantly have cause for 
complaint that it is far easier to purchase fruit in towns where it is not 
grown than in the country where it is. That arises from the general 
tendency to send everything worth eating to some town market. But 
how is it that those who have Green Gage Plums that find no local 
market do not obtain some small shallow deal boxes, holding about 
12 lbs. each of fruit, line them with tissue or blue crown paper, pack the 
fruit in carefully in about three layers, fix the lid securely, and then 
send them to some good town market for sale ? In that way they 
would give a good return.—A. D. 
- Antirrhinums for Bedding.—I can fully endorse Mr. E. 
Molyneux s remarks on page 488 j but in addition to propagating the 
Antirrhinum by cuttings this charming florists’ flower can be most 
successfully treated as an annual. The seed should be sown in the early 
part of February in a box 4 or 5 inches deep, covering the box with a 
sheet of glass. In a fairly warm house the seed will not be long 
germinating, and a beautiful early and late autumn display is insured. 
Cuttings may be taken from the best. Two or three years ago I saw a 
beautiful bed of Snapdragons in a garden in North Kent. The seed had 
been sown in the open in the spring with a view of making a ribbon 
border. I was astonished at the result. The colours came true, 
sufficiently so at any rate for the purpose, and the dwarf habit, about 
8 or 9 inches, very constant. The seed came in distinct colours from 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons of Reading, and was evidently the result of 
patient selection.—J. A. W. 
- Fruit Preserving. —We understand that, on the occasion of 
the Astwood Bank Chrysanthemum Society, Mr. J. Hiam, our esteemed 
correspondent, read an article on fruit preserving from the Journal oj 
Horticulture,. Mr. Hiam supplemented the article by giving particulars 
of his own experiments of fruit preserving by evaporation, a method 
which he considered might be profitably applied in times of plenty. 
- A Gigantic Camellia. — According to the “ Garden and 
Forest ” a remarkably fine Camellia is growing near the Royal castle at 
Pillnitz, Dresden, Germany. The tree is 24 feet high, and produces 
annually at least 50,000 blossoms. It is supposed to have been imported 
from Japan about a century and a half ago. It is planted in the open 
ground, but every winter a structure of boards is built around it to 
protect the plant from the severe cold of winter and the blooms from 
rains and frosts. 
- A Gardener’s Invention.—T he problem of the steering of 
balloons is said to have been solved by a Hamburg gardener, who has 
been engaged on the problem for twelve years past, and about a year 
ago constructed a balloon which he claims will fulfil all the required 
conditions. His name (says the Berlin correspondent of the Standard ) 
is Carl Theodor Geissler. We shall be glad to hear of his flying to the 
Chicago Exhibition, and of his getting safe home again in his aerial 
machine. 
- Manchester Botanical and Horticultural Society.— 
The Exhibitions of the above Society will take place next year on the 
following dates : —At the Town Hall, March 14th, April 25th ; special 
grand Exhibition of Orchids and artistic groups of plants, to open on 
May 19th at the Gardens ; Rose Show at the Gardens, July 22nd ; 
Chrysanthemum and Hardy Fruit Show, November 21st and 22nd. The 
National Tulip Society’s Show, and the Carnation and Picotee and 
Pink Society’s Exhibitions will also take place at the Gardens ; the 
dates will be fixed a little later. 
-- Mealy Bug on Vines.— 1 shall feel much obliged if “R. R., 
Belfast ” (page 433), will state what dressing he used on his Vines to 
eradicate the insects in so short a time. I have a house of Lady 
Downe’s Seedling infected with mealy bug, and have been trying these 
last five years to clean it, but each year I have several bunches spoiled 
owing to “ honeydew ” settling on the berries. I may state the house 
is thoroughly washed each year and the Vines scraped and painted ; also I 
have the Vines examined every ten or fourteen days, and each insect 
destroyed with petroleum,— Nemo, 
-Flowers from the Isle of Wight.—T hose who reside in 
the Isle of Wight are fortunate people so far as experiencing favourable 
weather is concerned. Writing under the date December 1st, Mr. 
G. Wilkins, Castle Gardens, St. Helens, says “ I send you a box of 
flowers, all of which were cut this morning from the open borders, to 
show the mildness of the weather in the Isle of Wight.” The flowers 
were bright and fresh, and comprised, among others, Dahlias, Zonal and 
scented-leaved Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, Marguerites, Stocks, Ageratum, 
Antirrhinum, Schizostylis coccinea, Tea and Monthly Roses. 
- The Wakefield Paxton Society. — The subject for dis¬ 
cussion at the recent meeting of this Society was “ Orchid Collecting 
and Importing,” and a magnificent and varied display of Orchids were 
placed on the table. The lecturer was Mr. R. Eichel, of the firm of 
Messrs. Charlesworth, Shuttleworth, & Co., Orchid Nurseries, Heaton. 
Mr. Eichel imparted much interesting and valuable information to 
his hearers. He pointed out that great sums of money are ex¬ 
pended in sending out collectors to different parts of the world in 
search of Orchids, and he showed that the collectors have to be men 
possessed of much pluck, perseverance, patience, and self-reliance. They 
have also to endure great hardships and disappointments in their travels 
and dealings with the natives in remote regions, and great care i§ 
required in packing the plants in order that they may be preserved in 
the voyage to England. A number of photographs sent or brought 
home by the collectors tended to confirm some of the lecturer’s state¬ 
ments. Mr. Joshua Harrap of Lorbury proposed a vote of thanks to 
the lecturer, who, he said, i3 connected with one of the best firms of 
Orchid importers and dealers in this country. Mr. Harrap dilated on 
the great beauty of Orchids and their long blooming period, and 
expressed it as his opinion that many of the gentry in that district 
(Wakefield) make a mistake in not cultivating Orchids more extensively. 
Ever since he became an Orchid grower he had been delighted with 
the magnificent blooms produced by the plants. Mr. T. Garnett 
seconded the motion, and remarked that Orchid growing was yet in its 
infancy in this country. 
