October 20, 18S2. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
361 
- Fruit and the Lord Mayor’s Show.—W e have heard that a 
movement is on foot having for its object the representation of the 
fruit-growing industry, &c., in the Lord Mayor’s Show on November 9th. 
- Professor H. Marshall Ward on Fungi.—P rofessor 
H. Marshall Ward, F.R.S., of the Royal Engineering College, Cooper’s 
Hill, isigiving a course of ten lectures at University College, London, 
on “ Morphology and Physiology of Fungi and Schizomycetes.” The 
course began on Thursday, October 13th, at 3 P.M.,and will be continued 
at the same time each week till Christmas. 
- Spider Web Sedum.—H aving noticed the remarks made by 
“ D., Deal,” on this interesting Sedum, preserving its spider web like 
appearance when covered with glass, I may say that I keep several 
clumps under glass. Those covered with plain clear glass are by far 
the prettier, the other under cut or carved glass scarcely showing the 
webs.—W. T. 
- A Pansy Society. —The formation of a Pansy Society is, I 
am told, under consideration. Admirers of the Pansy may deem this a 
step in the right direction, but personally I question its advisability. 
What do others say? The matter, I believe, is in the hands of Mr. 
George McLeod of Chingford, a well known amateur Pansy and Viola 
grower.— Nomad. 
- Peaches on Open Walls in the North.—I can endorse 
what Mr. Campbell says regarding the possibility of growing Peaches 
in the open air, I have gathered Peaches from the open walls from the 
last week in July till the present time, October the 10th. I find Early 
Beatrice a good variety for the open wall.— G. Knight, Conyngliam 
Hall , Knaresborough. 
- Bouvardias. —These most useful plants are looking exceed¬ 
ingly well at Messrs. Veitch’s nursery. They are the most sturdy plants 
I have ever seen, and some of the varieties are now a mass of colour. 
Priory Beauty, Elegans, Jasminiflora, Vreelandi, President Garfield, 
President Cleveland, Mrs. Garfield, Alfred Neuner, Mrs. Robert Green, 
and Vulcan, are amongst the best.—H. W. 
- The Weather During September at Ripley, Yorks.— 
This month was, on the whole, very favourable, and in consequence the 
greater part of the corn in the neighbourhood was harvested. Wind 
was prevalent, culminating in a gale on the 27th. The rainfall was 
light, being only 106 inch, which fell on thirteen days, the greatest 
daily fall being 0 - 22 inch on the 1st. Mean reading of the barometer, 
2993. Mean maximum temperature, 60'9°; mean minimum tempera¬ 
ture, 37’5°; mean temperature, 49-2° ; highest maximum temperature, 
71° on 10th ; lowest minimum temperature, 27° on 5th and 30th.— 
J. Tunnington. 
-A New Sugar Cane.—A new variety of Sugar Cane is stated to 
have been discovered in the Upper Niger region of Central Africa. It is 
described as “ a giant variety, possessing great saccharine richness, and 
capable of being readily reproduced from seed, which in this variety is 
well developed.” Several inquiries have already been addressed to Kew 
in regard to this cane, and it may be well to state at once that there are 
grounds for believing that the plant mentioned is not a Sugar Cane at 
all, but the ordinary Guinea Corn or Sorghum (Sorghum vulgare), which 
is widely distributed over Africa. This plant, it is well known, yields a 
useful syrup, and strenuous efforts are being made in the United States 
at the present time to extract a granulated sugar from it. Should the 
Niger plant prove to possess any special merits as a Sorghum, we shall 
no doubt hear more about it. It can have, however, little or no interest 
to the tropical sugar planter.—(“ Kew Bulletin.”) 
- Viola Peter Bare. —This new Viola has been awarded three 
first-class certificates in the north this year, and is certain to become 
a very popular variety. Many readers of the Journal will recollect 
having seen it exhibited by Messrs. Dobbie & Co. of Rothesay at the Royal 
Horticultural Society’s meeting at the Drill Hall on September 20th. 
It is a Columbine-like flower with a yellow centre, lightly rayed, bor¬ 
dered with a heavy belting of bronzy pink ; and as I have grown it this 
year I can vouch for it being quite novel, distinct, and a good grower. 
It will be sent out by Messrs. Dobbie & Co. in 1893. Novel as the 
bloom appears the history of the variety is equally as curious. It was 
raised by Mr. Peter Barr at his nurseries at Thames Ditton from seed 
supplied by Mr. J. D. Stuart, Belfast. I intend to lay claim to its 
introduction into commerce, as I had the pleasure of selecting it as the 
only novelty in a bed of several thousand seedlings.— Geo. McLeod, 
F.R.H.S., Chingford. 
- The Linn^an Society. — At the meeting of the Linnajan 
Society of New South Wales on August 31st, Mr. H. Deane, Vice- 
President, who occupied the chair, referred to the loss the Society had 
sustained by the death of Mr. R. D. Fitzgerald, well known for his 
knowledge and for his artistic delineations of Australian Orchids. 
- Amasonia punicea. —This is a charming and rather uncommon 
stove plant, and is well worthy of far more extended culture. It remains 
in flower for three or four months during the summer, but the fogs of 
autumn have a most disastrous effect on it, causing the curious yellow 
flowers to fall very rapidly. In the country, away from smoky fogs, it 
would doubtless flower over a much more extended period.—H. 
- Death of Mr. R. Bullen.—W e regret to announce the 
sudden death of Mr. Robert Bullen, the Curator of the Glasgow Botanic 
Gardens, on the 4th inst. He was well known as a horticulturist, being 
especially successful in the cultivation of Orchids. The post vacated 
by his death is one of the best of the kind in the country, and we 
understand that the appointment will rest with the Corporation of 
Glasgow, who took over the management of the Botanic Gardens in 1891. 
- Hyacinthus candicans. —This charming bulbous plant has 
been seen to advantage in many of the metropolitan parks this season. 
At Finsbury Park some large circular beds of it have attracted con¬ 
siderable attention all the summer, whilst in Dulwich Park huge clumps 
on the borders have been most conspicuous. It is a beautiful plant, 
and should be more extensively grown in masses in private gardens. 
Being hardy and of tolerably easy culture there need be no difficulty 
in getting it established on borders.— C. 
- Harvest Offerings. —In noting the excellent purpose to 
which the Vicar of Shirley had devoted the offertory at his church on 
Thanksgiving Day, you throw out a hint, “ Go and do thou likewise.” 
May I be permitted to say, in justice to my brother parsons, that in very 
many of our parishes the offertory, wholly or in pare, is given (as in my 
own parish) to the Farmers’ Royal Benevolent Institution, which I think 
perhaps even a more appropriate object in the present depressed state of 
British agriculture. The list of applicants is something appalling, and 
it increases every year, and I know of nothing more worthy of help from 
all who have the means than this most excellent and long-established 
Society.—D., Deal. 
- Dahlias in Kent. —It might be thought, after reading the 
paragraph in last week’s issue, page 328, that Dahlias had all been cut 
off in the south, while those in the north were as good as ever. Perhaps 
our Scotch friends think that Kent and Scotland have had their geo¬ 
graphical positions reversed, or that the temperature had been playing 
us cruel pranks in the south. Nothing of the kind. Mr. Cocker, of 
Aberdeen, told me last week his Dahlias had been blackened three weeks 
before. Not only are our Dahlias lovely, but even Heliotropes, 
Tropseolums, Begonias, and Alternantheras are looking quite fresh, and 
of which we send specimens.—H. Cannell. [Such a wealth of fresh, 
bright flowers of various kinds could only have been gathered in the 
absence of frost.] 
- The Margaret Carnations, — Unless there are rival 
claimants for the honour of having introduced the Margaret Carnations 
these flowers originated, not in Germany, as Mr. W. Dean supposes, but 
in Italy. The nurserymen who claim to have introduced them state that 
the “ tall ” Margaret Carnations were introduced in 1883, the “semi- 
high” varieties in 1889, and the “dwarf double” or “ Tom Thumb” 
varieties in 1890. The name is given by the firm in question as 
“ Dianthus caryophyllus Margaritse fl.-pl.,” the title “ Margaret Carna¬ 
tions” being given in honour of the Queen of Italy. Are we to adopt 
the French form of the word and spell it “ Marguerite ?” Why not 
use the English “ Margaret,” as the introducers have done in the 
English translation of their catalogue? The experiments at the Spark 
Hill Nurseries show that there is a great future before this class of Car¬ 
nations, and it may be of service to some who contemplate working upon 
them with a view to their improvement, to state that seed in separate 
colours of the tall varieties may be obtained ; among these being striped 
varieties. I have no precise information as to the parentage of the 
Margaret Carnations. It is supposed, however, that they are the result 
of a cross between a border Carnation and one of the varieties of 
D. Heddewigi. I think something might be done in the way of improve¬ 
ment by beginning afresh. I do not find these Carnations do well in 
this locality unless the seed is sown early in February, or if sown later 
pushed on in heat. Unless this is done they do not come into flower in 
the open the same season.—S. Arnott, Dumfries. 
