416 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ November 10, 1892. 
Events of the Week. —The ensuing week will be a busy one 
in horticultural circles. On Tuesday, November 15th, the Committees of 
the Royal Horticultural Society will meet at the Drill Hall, Westminster, 
and on the evening of the same day the annual dinner of the Gardeners’ 
Royal Benevolent Fund will take place at the Hotel Mhtropole, Lord 
Bri.ssey occupying the chair. Many Chrysanthemum Shows will also 
be held, and a list of the most important of these is given on another 
page. Several auction sales are announced, for particulars of which see 
advertisements. 
- The Weather in London. —The weather has been some¬ 
what unpleasant in the metropolis during the past week. Sunday 
opened wet, but it cleared during the day, and a slight frost occurred 
at night. Monday was foggy, cold, and damp, similar weather con¬ 
tinuing the greater portion of the following day. At the time of going 
to press it is milder, but dull. 
- Weather in the North.— November 1st to 8th.—Rapid 
alternations of frost, fog, and rain ; no day fine throughout, but one or 
two better evenings have marked the week. The frost has not been 
severe nor frequent; 6° were recorded on the morning of the 7th. 
Potato-lifting has been pushed on. The crop has suffered in not a few 
cases from frost more than from the disease.—B. D., 8. Perthshire. 
-Herefordshire Fruit Show.—As will be seen by the adver¬ 
tisement, substantial prizes for Apples and Pears are provided at this 
Snow, which opens on the 24th inst., and good competition may be 
expected. 
- Gardeners’ Examinations.—A paper entitled “ A Short 
Talk on Gardening Subjects” was read by Mr. J. Barry of Chiswick at 
a recent meeting of the Ealing District Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement 
Society. In the course of other remarks Mr. Barry advocated, as a 
means to prevent the appointment of unqualified men to leading posi¬ 
tions, gardeners’ examinations conducted by some properly recognised 
and unbiassed authority, which should further act as a kind of agency 
on which employers might rely for securing competent men. 
- Plum Wyedale. — Although cooking Plums are now very 
numerous I do not think the merits of the above variety are generally 
known. We have a tree of Wyedale trained on a north wall, and 
which is loaded with fruit of a good size at the present time. I have 
gathered it as late as the end of November. When ripe the fruit is 
b'ack, and the flavour is good for a late Plum. It is a free-setting 
variety and a good grower, making a valuable addition where late 
Plums are required. Anyone not knowing this variety cannot make a 
mistake in adding it to their collection. It does well on a north 
wall.— John Chinnery. 
- Agapanthus umbellatus albus. — Having seen the 
remarks made in the Journal (page 353) regarding the usefulness of 
the blue Agapanthus, may I ask if any reader can enlighten me a little 
on the above variety ? I have two large plants which I have grown for 
the last seven years, but have not yet succeeded in flowering them. I 
have tried various ways. They have received the same treatment as the 
old variety, which flowers profusely. I have exposed the plants to all the 
sunshine possible, and tried them in an intermediate temperature, but to 
no purpose. I have been told by some neighbouring gardeners that they 
have also tried this variety until they were tired of doing so.— Rectory. 
- The Wakefield Paxton Society.— There was a good 
attendance of the members at a recent meeting of the above Society to 
hear the opening lecture of a series entitled, “ Studies in Elementary 
Botany.” Mr. G. W. Fallas, one of the Hon. Secs., who was nominated 
for part 1, commenced a very interesting address by defining a plant 
as an aggregation of cells combined together in various ways and 
differentiated into parts forming the numerous organs and members of 
a plant. He then described the structure and functions of a single 
cell as the unit of plant life— ie., the cell and its contents, its work in 
growth, assimilation, reproduction, and the external conditions essential 
for their proper performance of the vital processes. 
- Gardening Appointment. —We understand that Mr. Thos 
Fleming, late gardener at Cradockstown, Naas, has been appointed 
gardener to Mrs. Jury, Greenfield, Donnybrook, Co. Dublin. 
- Her Majesty the Queen has been graciously pleased to 
accept from the author, Mr. Wm. Paul of Waltham Cross, a copy of his 
newly published volume, “ Contributions to Horticultural Literature.” 
- American Garden Implements. — Will someone who has 
used the “ Planet Jr.” American Garden Implements say whether they 
are to be recommended as really economical and labour - saving ?— 
W. R. Raillem. 
- The Public Park at Wakefield. —The work of laying 
out the public park, which has been entrusted to Messrs. Backhouse 
and Sons of York, has been commenced in earnest, and will proceed 
without interruption unless very unfavourable weather is encountered. 
The park is to be opened next spring. 
- Eucharis Candida. — I enclose a photograph of Eucharis 
Candida grown in the greenhouse, as my gardener informs me that it is 
somewhat unusual for a single plant to have seven spikes and twenty- 
four blooms.—R ichard C. Long. [The photograph represents a plant 
that is a credit to your gardener.] 
- — Death of Mr. George Manning.— With regret we record 
the death of Mr. George Manning, who died on Tuesday, November 1st. 
Mr. Manning, who was engaged, in connection with his father, Mr. T. 
Manning, at Messrs. J. Yeitch & Sons, Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, 
leaves a widow and one child. His remains were interred on Saturday. 
-Eucharis in Pots.—S ince last Christmas I have had from 
two plants in 14-inch pots forty-six dozen blooms. I have only just 
finished cutting the last batch, which comprised ten dozen flowers. 
There are many more spikes just coming up, and they average seven 
blooms on each spike, so I hope to have plenty by Christmas.—R. 
- The Weather in Dumfries.—W e have had a week of very 
unsettled weather. November 1st was fine, but frost was severe at night 
the thermometer registering 19° on the grass at Dumfries. Rain fell 
nearly all day on the 2nd and 3rd. The 4th and 5th were dry, but heavy 
rain fell towards night. The 6th was fine but dull, and to-day (7th) is 
very foggy.— S. Arnott. 
- A Large Onion. —The Exmouth Chronicle says :—“ A fine 
specimen of the Lemon Giant Rocca Onion is now on view at Mr. 
W. J. Godfrey’s, Rolle Street. It was grown by Captain Astley Cooper 
of East Budleigh. It weighs 2J lbs., is 18£ inches in diameter, and 
was raised from seed supplied by Mr. Godfrey.” Our contemporary 
probably means 18^ inches in circumference. 
- Weed Killers. —A statement has been made in a contempo¬ 
rary that those weed killers which are composed of arsenic are highly 
dangerous, the poisonous matter flying about in dry weather. As these 
preparations have proved extremely useful in saving labour at busy 
times, it seems very desirable that the question of danger should be 
absolutely set at rest one way or the other.—W. R. Raillem. 
- Woolton Gardeners’ Mutual Improvement Society.— 
The third meeting of the session was held in the Mechanics’ Institute 
on Thursday last, the Rev. R. T. Roberts in the chair. There was a 
large attendance, the lecturer being E. G. Baillie, Esq., Chester, who 
discoursed at some length on “ Vegetarianism.” The lecturer divided 
his subject into three parts—viz., National, Social, and Moral, all of 
which were entered into very fully. A hearty vote of thanks was 
passed to Mr. Baillie for his most interesting lecture, a similar vote to 
the Chairman terminating the proceedings.—R. P. R. 
- Stopping Cucumbers and Melons.—I can assure Mr 
Young (page 396) that I had no intention of being “ hard on Mr. 
Swan” simply because he stopped Cucumbers so closely. I did not 
even condemn that practice. What I pointed out was, that there 
must have been something radically wrong with his practice before he 
took to stopping closely, if by so doing he was enabled to “ double ’ 
the crop produced. When Cucumber culture is well carried out, let the 
system be what it will, no amount of alteration in stopping tactics 
will enable the cultivator to make such rapid strides in that direction. 
Mr. Young’s reference to Melons needs but little comment from me, as 
it quite condemns the practice adopted by Mr. Swan, and cannot by 
any means be considered close stopping; and, moreover, so practical a 
grower would be certain to produce something good under any system of 
stopping.— H. Dunkin. 
