8 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
January 3,1895. 
- Weather ih North Florida. — Extraordinarily cold 
weather prevails in Northern Florida, and has caused damage to the 
Orange and other crops estimated at 3,000,000 dols. The weather is the 
coldest experienced since 1835, and thick ice has formed in many 
places. 
- English Filberts in America.— Another small consign¬ 
ment of 500 lbs. of the best English Filberts, which are imported in the 
husks, has just been sent to a well-known American firm. They 
come in small barrel packages, each of which contains 100 lbs., and sell 
at retail for 50 cents a pound. These Nuts have none of the dryness or 
toughness of the ordinary Filberts, but have a crispness and delicacy of 
flavour which is altogether distinct. 
- Bermuda Lilium Growers. — It is announced that the 
large growers of bulbs of Lilium Harrisi in the island of Bermuda have 
consolidated under the name of the Bermuda Bulb Company, with 
Mr. Frank Pierson of Tarrytown, New York, as general agent for 
America and Europe. The object of the combination is, says the 
“ Garden and Forest,” to keep prices firm, to supply high-grade bulbs 
only, and to correct the competition in cut flowers. 
- Messrs. Bobbie & Co. and their Employ^. —The annual 
social gathering of the employes of the firm met together, by invitation, 
in the Public Hall, Kothesay, on the evening of December 28th, Mr. 
Burnie (one of the partners) presiding, supported by Mr. Wm. Cuth- 
bertson, also a partner, 120 sitting down to tea. In a brief practical 
address the Chairman alluded to the growth of the business since it was 
established by Mr. Bobbie ; and in addition to their extensive seed 
grounds at Beaulieu, in Hampshire, a large tract of ground has been 
taken at Orpington, in Kent, for seed growing. 
- The Black Currant “Mite.” —Writing from Kingston, 
Mr. E. L. Martin says—“ Would you kindly afford space to draw the 
attention of all who grow them to the condition of the Black Currant 
bushes? I have found the Black Currant mite (Phytoptus Ribis) 
both in my own garden and in that of a friend a short distance away, 
and as we obtained our bushes from different sources, it is probable 
that the pest is already widely spread in the neighbourhood. Although 
the mite is invisible to the naked eye its presence is easily known 
by the abnormal swelling of the buds it has attacked. These vary 
in size from a small pea to a bean, and all such swollen buds should 
be carefully picked off during the winter and burned.” 
- Choice Onion Seed. —So anxious are seed growers to secure 
very fine and handsome bulbs of various choice Onions for insuring 
good seed stocks, that exceptionally high prices are paid for them. 
It not infrequently happens that in seed production these bulbs 
materially fail, as, for instance, last year the produce of a score of 
huge Ailsa Craig, which should have been at least a pound, was not 
more than a couple of ounces. This was due perhaps to imperfect setting 
of the bloom owing to excessive rains, perhaps to planting the bulbs in 
too rich soil, and thus generating a coarse stem growth that is 
productive of late and imperfect flowering. That these fine bulbs do 
reproduce exceedingly fine stock there can be no doubt whatever; 
hence their value. It is a noteworthy fact that whilst these huge 
bulbs, because so essentially watery, usually keep badly, they are this 
winter found to be keeping better than are the main crop bulbs. That 
is perhaps due to the fact that whilst main crop Onions ripened so 
badly, early planted out ones had a long season, and ripened in good 
time.—A. D. 
- Savoy Cabbages. —The other day I saw large breadths of 
Savoy Cabbages, white and bursting, literally useless, and only fit to 
form food for sheep or cows. The same sort of thing may have been 
seen in many private gardens also. This comes of the rigid adherence to 
rule of thumb which characterises so many Cabbage growers who year 
after year sow seed in March and put out the plants in June'or July, 
so that they may grow strong, produce large heads, and be ready 
for cutting in the autumn. That is just when such Cabbages are not 
wanted. When hard weather has, however, intervened and spoilt them, 
then good fresh Savoy Cabbages would be most valuable. As a con¬ 
trast to this sort of provision I could but notice what I saw the 
other day at Hackwood Park, Basingstoke, where Mr. Bowerman had 
from two quite late sowings of Sutton’s Improved Dwarf Curled Savoy 
large breadths of beautiful fresb, green heads, juit turning in, and such 
as would give delicious small heads for the next three months. 
These were planted out quite thickly and gave a large number on a 
comparatively small area of ground.—A. 
- Death of Mrs. Harris. —The many friends of Mr. George 
Harris, Alnwick Castle Gardens, will extend to him their sympathy, as 
we do, on the death of his wife, who was very dear to him, on the 
21st ult. Mrs. Harris was forty-four years of age, and leaves eight 
children under fifteen years old. 
- Rainfall in Sussex.—T he total rainfall at Abbot’s Leigh, 
Haywards Heath, Sussex, for the past month was 2'09 inches, being 
0 65 inch below the average. The heaviest fall was 0-68 inch on the 7th. 
Rain fell on fourteen days. Total for the twelve months 35’45 inches, 
which is 4 80 inches above the average. The maximum temperature 
was 52° on the 14th ; minimum 25° on the 4th. Mean maximum, 45'12°; 
mean minimum, 35-05°; mean temperature 40 08°, being 2-77° above 
the average. An open month, with little frost and no snow.—R. I. 
- American Flower Stores. — According to an American 
contemporary, nowhere else in the world are the first-class retail florists^ 
stores so attractively and beautifully arranged with plants and flowers, 
or so brilliantly lighted up in the evening as they are in that country, 
and notably in New York. And not only are the flowers the very 
flnest—even a selection of the finest—that can be produced, but the 
exceedingly pretty, neat, and tasteful way in which they are put up in 
boxes to be delivered to customers makes the flowers appear doubly 
fresh and choice ; indeed, on opening the box one often has a feeling 
that it is a pity to disturb the blossoms, they look so sweet and dainty 
nestling there. 
- Nursery Vicissitudes. —The Leith Walk Nurseries. Edin¬ 
burgh, and the firm of Dicksons & Company, are well-known through¬ 
out Scotland and beyond its borders, yet like many others, especially 
the older ones, the devouring march onwards of the builders think 
nothing of clearing away a nursery. The firm of Dicksons & Company 
was established about 120 years since, but about twenty years ago the 
Leith Walk Nurseries were required for building purposes, and the 
offices were removed to their nurseries at Pilrig Park ; now a further 
removal has to be made from there, as a new railway will be made 
through the nurseries this year, and the firm have been awarded 
£10,500 as compensation. The site of the new nursery of the firm will 
be at Liberton, on the south side of Edinburgh, 
- Wakefield Paxton Society. — There was scarcely an 
average attendance at the last meeting of the Paxton Society held at 
the Woolpacks Hotel. Mr. B. Whiteley presided. Mr. Pitts, head 
gardener to D. P. Kendell, Esq., J.P., of Walton, delivered a brief 
but most interesting lecture, particularly to amateur gardeners, on 
“When and How to Pot and Water Plants.” Mr. Pitts began by 
impressing on his hearers the importance of having their plant 
pots thoroughly clean both inside and outside. He strongly denounced 
the custom of colouring the outside of the pots, as it closes the pores, 
and he asked his hearers not to forget good drainage. The soil most 
suitable for potting such plants as most amateurs generally grow should 
consist of turf, leaf mould, and sand. Some hardwooded plants require 
firm potting, and others would do with looser potting. He advocated 
neatness and tidiness in all gardening operations, and strongly 
recommended amateurs not to fall into the common practice of watering 
too freely, growing too many varieties of plants, or too large a number. 
A hearty vote of thanks was given to Mr. Pitts for his interesting 
lecture. 
- The Metropolitan Public Gardens Association.—T his 
Association held its monthly meeting a few days since, when it was 
announced that the formation of the riverside garden at the Wharf, 
Battersea, was progressing very favourably. It was agreed to take steps 
towards the laying-out of a piece of land in Canning Town, E. ; to offer 
£100 towards the laying-out of a disused burial ground in Chapel Place, 
Bermondsey ; to endeavour to secure two desirable vacant sites in 
Walworth and Deptford, the Fishmongers’ Company having promised 
£600 towards the former ; to offer to make a garden on the Albert 
Embankment; and to offer to lay out an additional piece of Allhallows 
Churchyard, London Wall. Amongst other matters brought forward 
were negotiations for the opening of Arbour Square, E., Munster Square, 
and Clarence Gardens, N.W., the churchyards of Bromley-by-Bow, E., 
and St. Mary, Battersea, S.W., and the New River Company’s garden in 
Canonbury ; the provision of some open spaces in Southwark; the 
laying-out of St. Mary Magdalene’s ground in Chiswick, and the Friends’ 
graveyard in Bermondsey ; and the acquisition of a recreation ground 
in Hermit Road, Plaistow, E., towards which the Association had 
collected nearly £300 during the month, leaving a balance of £792 
necessary to complete the purchase money. 
